2009 Articles

"It's very sad, poignant, to see the Squadron close" Group Captain Al Gillespie, OC 23 Sqn The parade has marched off the square, the Standard has been handed over to the receiving party and has been taken from RAF Waddington to be laid up in the chapel at the RAF College, Cranwell. On October 2nd, 2009, 23 Sqn disbanded for the fourth time in its 93 year history. Graham Platt was there to cover the ceremony for GAR.

The current plan is for the squadron to stand-down only until 2013, with the numberplate becoming dormant for that period before the squadron reactivates as part of the E-3 community once again.

Formed in 1916 under the command of renowned fighter pilot Cpt Louis Strange, the squadron operated as a front-line fighter unit in home defence and in France until disbanding in 1919. Reformed again in 1925, the squadron operated a variety of aircraft, becoming specialised in night operations in the night-fighter and intruder roles. In September 1945 whilst operating the Mosquito, 23 disbanded again. A year later, the squadron reformed, again as a Mosquito night-fighter unit. In 1951, 23 entered the jet age with Vampires and Venoms. As the years progressed, the squadron re-equipped with the classic fighters of the era: Javelins, followed in turn by Lightnings and Phantoms. After the 1982 Falklands war, 23 Sqn was deployed to Port Stanley airfield in defence of the islands. The unit remained here until 1988 when it returned to RAF Leeming to convert to the Tornado F3. The cold war 'peace dividend' resulted in the squadron disbanding for the third time in 1994. The standard was not laid up for long, as in 1996 the squadron reformed as the second RAF E-3D unit at RAF Waddington following a decision taken the previous year.

In 1996, 8 Sqn reduced its complement of crews, losing four to form 23 Sqn. At that time, the E-3D OCU was known as the Sentry Training Squadron, and this merged with the nascent 23 Sqn to provide the remainder of its strength and to give the squadron its initial dual role as both an operational and a training unit. In this guise, 23 Sqn shared operational duties with 8 Sqn on a 1:2 basis reflecting the numbers of operational crews available to each unit. When 54(R)Sqn was stood up as the ISTAR standards and training unit, the total number of crews was increased to 15. This left no accommodation space for the training element, so 23 Sqn relinquished the training role to 54(R) and became a purely operational unit in its own right with six operational crews.

During their time as an E-3D operator the unit has supported RAF and NATO assets in a number of major conflicts. The squadron holds honours for Kosovo, Afghanistan 2001-2003 and Iraq 2003. The squadron has also undertaken several overseas deployments to participate in exercises in the USA and Canada over the past few years, including Red Flag, Maple Flag and Cope Thunder. These exercises have provided perfect opportunities for crews to work together in realistic conditions, allowing them to hone their skills and at the same time strengthening the bonds within the team.

Gp Capt Gillespie: "Every time I take the team away, they deliver above and beyond my expectations. It really is quite a proud moment to observe and enjoy their hard work and effort."

When not deployed overseas in support of these multinational operations, supporting the RAF deployments to exercises such as Red & Maple Flag or flying on UK air defence taskings, the day-to-day role of 23 Sqn was to provide airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) cover as part of the NATO Airborne Early Warning Force (NAEWF) alongside 8 Sqn & the NATO AEW Component (NAEWC) at Geilenkirchen. This involved working with ground and air assets of both the RAF and NATO partner nations, providing both AEW and mission control services in support of defensive and offensive air operations.

Joining RAF Waddington in January 2008, Gp Capt Gillespie successfully completed the Sentry Conversion Course on 54(R)Sqn, before being posted to 23 Sqn. On 23, he has qualified as combat-ready in his role as E-3 Tactical Director (TD), a role which places him in the position of mission commander. Achieving combat-ready status as a TD is one of the high points of his time on 23, and allowed him to get to know his people better and observe them operating in the airborne environment. He has been OC23 for the last 15 months of the Squadron's existence, assuming command on July 10th 2008.

The last few months of the squadron have been a hectic time. In addition to maintaining the programmed flying schedule, the squadron has also relocated from its permanent accommodation and handed the building over to 8 Sqn. The disbandment will see most of 23's personnel being taken on to the strength of 8 and 54(R) Squadrons, whilst the remainder have redeployed to other squadrons and units within the RAF. Many of the onward postings have involved promotions. The headcount has been reduced to a total of nine crews, seven on 8 Sqn and two on 54(R) whilst maintaining the full fleet of seven E-3Ds. The reduction in personnel numbers will not affect the RAF's ability to meet its contributions to either UK or NATO taskings. Currently 8 Sqn is on standby to go on operations overseas, but has not yet received the order to deploy.

The squadron is disbanding to allow resources to be more appropriately prioritised, with more resource being directed to the force elements most committed to operations in Afghanistan. Because of that shift in prioritisation, it was a logical step to combine the existing E-3D force into a single squadron. This decision was supported both outside and within 23 Sqn. Gp Capt Gillespie states that "it was a hard decision, but it was seen as the right decision to make." For the future, the number of squadrons in the E-3D force is dictated by the size of the force in terms of personnel and also by the number of operational crews that are operating on that force.

The famous 23 Sqn eagle will disappear from the aircraft tails as they are rotated through for respray - there is no plan to put all aircraft through an early respray to remove the squadron badge.

One lasting reminder of 23 Sqn is the Phantom dressed in squadron colours that guards the taxiway entrance to Sentry dispersal at RAF Waddington. Wing Commander Andy Martin, OC 8 Sqn, a former member of 23 Sqn prior to disbandment in 1994, has committed to 8 Sqn acting as caretakers of the Phantom until 23 Sqn reform.

Sincere thanks for making this article possible go to Gp Capt R Powell OBE - Station Commander, RAF Waddington, Gp Capt Al Gillespie - OC23, Wg Cdr Andy Martin - OC8, Flt Lt Seb Hall, Flt Lt Dermot Bell, Flt Lt Kate Calder, Mrs Janet O'Neill & Mrs Lindsey Askin.

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