Air Marshal Martin Elliot Sampson, is a retired senior

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

officer, last serving as UK Defence Senior Advisor to the Middle East and North Africa.

RAF career

Sampson was commissioned into the

on 23 October 1986 as an acting pilot officer. He was regraded as a

pilot officer Pilot officer (Plt Off or P/O) is a junior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Pilot officer is the lowest ran ...

on 23 October 1987. After passing pilot training he flew the

SEPECAT Jaguar The SEPECAT Jaguar is a British-French supersonic jet attack aircraft originally used by the British Royal Air Force and the French Air Force in the close air support and nuclear strike role. As of 2025, the Jaguar remains in service with the ...

for 3 years until moving over to the

Harrier jump jet The Harrier, informally referred to as the Harrier jump jet, is a family of jet-powered attack aircraft capable of vertical/short takeoff and landing operations (V/STOL). Named after the bird of prey, it was originally developed by British ...

following the

Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

. He was a Qualified Weapons Instructor on the Harrier and flew over 500 missions in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Iraq, and Kosovo. He served 3 years with the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

on an exchange tour flying the

McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) AV-8B Harrier II is a single-engine ground-attack aircraft that constitutes the second generation of the Harrier family, capable of vertical or short takeoff and landing (V/STOL). The aircraft is primari ...

and the F-5. He became air officer commanding No. 1 Squadron in 2004, during that period the Harrier GR9 was brought into frontline service, with numerous carrier deployments and multiple tours in Afghanistan to support

Operation Herrick Operation Herrick was the codename under which all British operations in the War in Afghanistan were conducted from 2002 to the end of combat operations in 2014. It consisted of the British contribution to the NATO-led International Security Assi ...

. In December 2008, he was promoted to

group captain Group captain (Gp Capt or G/C) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries that have historical British influence. Group cap ...

and became Assistant Head Joint Strike and ISTAR. In 2010, Sampson became station commander at

RAF Coningsby Royal Air Force Coningsby or RAF Coningsby , is a Royal Air Force (RAF) station located south-west of Horncastle, and north-west of Boston, in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is a Main Operating Base of the RAF and h ...

as the RAF Typhoon Force Commander. During that time he was deployed to

Gioia Del Colle Gioia del Colle (; Bari dialect, Barese: ) is a town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, southern Italy. The town is located on the Altopiano delle Murge, Murge plateau at above sea level, between the Adriatic and Ionian Sea, ...

, Italy as a part of

Operation Unified Protector Operation Unified Protector was a NATO operation in 2011 enforcing United Nations United Nations Security Council, Security Council United Nations Security Council resolution, resolutions United Nations Security Council Resolution 1970, 1970 and ...

and served as Expeditionary Air Wing Commander for the RAF fast jet operations over Libyan airspace. Additionally, Sampson flew 2 seasons with the

Battle of Britain Memorial Flight The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) is a Royal Air Force Flight (military unit), flight which provides an aerial display group usually comprising an Avro Lancaster heavy bomber and two fighters, a Supermarine Spitfire and a Hawker Hurr ...

flying Spitfires and

Hurricanes A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...

. In November 2012, he was promoted to

air commodore Air commodore (Air Cdre or Air Cmde) is an air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes ...

and appointed Joint Force Air Component Commander. In 2014 he assumed command of the No. 83 Expeditionary Air Group and the position of UK Air Component Commander. He commanded all RAF operations over Iraq and Syria during

Operation Shader Operation Shader is the operational code name given to the contribution of the United Kingdom in the ongoing military intervention against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The operation involves the British Army providing ground su ...

. In February 2021, he was promoted to air marshal and appointed serving as UK Defence Senior Advisor to the Middle East and North Africa. He retired from the Royal Air Force on 30 July 2024.

Honours and decorations

In 2006, he was awarded the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for operational gallantry for highly successful ...

(DSO) in recognition of his command of the Harrier Squadron during two tours in Afghanistan. On 21 April 2017, Sampson was appointed a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE) "in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in the field during the period 1 April to 30 September 2016". In the 2024 King's Birthday Honours, he was appointed

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregi ...

(CB).

References

, - , - Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Royal Air Force air marshals Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Distinguished Service Order 20th-century Royal Air Force personnel 21st-century Royal Air Force personnel Royal Air Force personnel of the Iraq War Royal Air Force personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Companions of the Order of the Bath {{RAF-bio-stub