UK Armed Forces Equipment and Formations 2022 Edition

This is an annual publication which provides information on the numbers and types of formations, vessels, aircraft an
equipment of the UK armed forces. Statistics are also provided on the numbers of militarily-useful, British-registered

Data Sources and Quality

The data have been obtained from a number of sources within the Ministry of Defence: Navy Command, Army Head
Data on militarily-useful British-registered vessels has been obtained from the Department for Transport.
Further information about the data sources and data quality can be found in the Background Quality Report
Definitions
Definitions and further information about the types and categories of UK armed forces equipment and form
Royal Navy & Royal Marines: www.royalnavy.mod.uk
Army: www.army.mod.uk
Royal Air Forces: www.raf.mod.uk
The following definitions have been given for additional information:
Ballistic Nuclear Submarine
A Ship Submersible Ballistic Nuclear (SSBN) is a nuclear-armed, nuclear-powered submarine.
Combat Equipment
Collective term used for Protected Mobility Vehicles, Armoured Personnel Carriers and Armoured Fighting
In Service

The definition of 'in service' varies across equipment types and between Services. To assist interpretation,
service' has been provided in the footnotes for each table where 'in Service' figures have been used. Note
are not available for platforms operated under contracts. See footnotes for further information.

Militarily-useful British-registered vessels

Vessels that could be requisitioned in appropriate circumstances in support of the armed forces. It is requi
for all merchant ships to be registered in a country, called its flag state. Flag refers to the country in which
Other types of ship might also be used in certain cases. Foreign-flagged but British-owned ships could also
certain circumstances.
Nuclear submarine
A Ship Submersible Nuclear (SSN) is a conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine.
Protected Mobility Vehicle
A wheeled Armoured Personnel Carrier serving as a military patrol, reconnaissance or security vehicle. Pro
vehicles were developed in response to the threats of modern counter insurgency warfare, with an emphas
Protection and Mine-Resistance. Until recently these vehicles were termed ‘Protected Patrol Vehicles’.
Contact Us:
Defence Statistics welcome feedback on our statistical products. If you have any comments or questions a
about the statistics produced by Defence Statistics in general, you can contact us as follows:
Defence Statistics Analysis Publications
[email protected]
Find out more on our website (opens in new window)
ommand and Joint Helicopter Command.

found on each of the Services' websites:

Contents
Worksheet Worksheet Title
1 Vessels of the UK Armed Forces
2 Formations of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines (excluding air components)
3 Militarily-useful British-registered vessels (passenger, tanker and dry cargo)
4 Militarily-useful British-registered vessels (fishing and specialist)
5 Land equipment of the UK Armed Forces
6 Formations of the Army (excluding air components)
7 Aircraft: Fixed-wing platforms of the UK Armed Forces
8 Aircraft: Rotary-wing platforms of the UK Armed Forces
9 Formations of the Royal Air Force and Royal Auxiliary Air Force, and air components of the Royal Navy and the Army
Notes
This worksheet contains one table.
Note number Note text
Note 1 'In service' here is defined as any element held at a state of “Readiness". Readiness time is the period required
Note 2 1 Assault Group has been renamed Commando Raiding Group and is now categoried under 3 Commando Brig
Note 3 Previously categorised under 1 Assault Group
Note 4 The information in this table for UK Overseas Territories relates to: Anguilla, British Antarctic Territory, Bermuda
Note 5 Previously named Key Land Platforms.
Note 6 Previously included under Armoured Personnel Carriers. Recategorised to better reflect current role
Note 7 Previously named Engineering Equipment.
Note 8 All aircraft in active fleet management, which can include aircraft in storage (to preserve airframe hours). Aircraf
Note 9 In service figures are not applicable for these aircraft which operate under availability contracts.
Note 10 Includes Hawk T1s in Service with the Royal Navy & Royal Air Force Aerobatics team.
Note 11 The Dauphin is a Military-registered aircraft, civilian owned and commercially operated managed by Flag Office
Note 12 In service' defined as Navy Command's 'Forward Fleet'. This includes aircraft which are serviceable
Note 13 Includes two training regiments.
ss time is the period required for an element to be ready to deploy form their home base (or current location) to undertake specific tasks, with appropriate M
ed under 3 Commando Brigade and consists of

Antarctic Territory, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, Belize [British], British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands (and Dependencies), G

flect current role

erve airframe hours). Aircraft which are in the process of being disposed of are excluded.

ted managed by Flag Officer Sea Training. This excludes figures for Dauphin aircraft under the control of JHC.
aft which are serviceable and those which are short-term unserviceable. Short-term unserviceable aircraft are undergoing minor works, forw
 specific tasks, with appropriate Manpower, Equipment, Training and Sustainability (METS) criteria, to conduct the allocated task.

and Islands (and Dependencies), Gibraltar, Montserrat, St Helena, Turks and Caicos Islands. This list of countries differs slightly from the list used by the F

e undergoing minor works, forward maintenance or any unforeseen rectification or technical inspection work that can arise on a day-to-day
slightly from the list used by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).

that can arise on a day-to-day basis.

Worksheet 1: Vessels of the UK Armed Forces
This worksheet contains one table. Some cells refer to notes which can be found on the notes worksheet.
Worksheet 1 shows the number of vessels in the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary both total and in service [Note 1], as at 1 April each year.
This table is a National Statistic.
Source: Navy Command
2016 2016 2017 2017 2018 2018 2019 2019 2020 2020 2021 2021 2022 2022
Fleet and Vessel type In Service Total In Service Total In Service Total In Service Total In Service Total In Service Total In Service Total
Royal Navy Submarine Service 11 11 11 11 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10
Ballistic Nuclear Submarine 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
Nuclear Submarine 7 7 7 7 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
Royal Navy Surface Fleet 64 64 64 64 60 60 60 60 66 66 63 56 62 62
Aircraft Carriers 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2
Landing Platform Docks/Helicopters 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Destroyers 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
Frigates 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 12 12
Mine Countermeasures Vessels (MCMV) 15 15 15 15 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 6 11 11
Inshore Patrol Vessels 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 14 14 16 16
Offshore Patrol Vessels 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 7 8 8 8 8 8
Survey Ships 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4
Ice Patrol Ship 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Royal Fleet Auxiliary 12 12 9 9 10 10 13 13 13 13 13 13 9 9
Fleet Tanker 2 2 2 2 3 3 6 6 6 6 6 6 4 4
Fleet Replenishment Ship 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 1 1
Landing Ship Dock 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
Primary Casualty Receiving Ship 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Worksheet 2: Formations of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines
This worksheet contains one table. Some cells refer to notes which can be found on the notes worksheet.
Worksheet 2 shows the number of formations, which are all or primarily sea-based, in the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, as at 1 A
This table is a National Statistic.
Source: Navy Command
Service/Unit 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Royal Marines 43 43 41 41 40 40 40
1 Assault Group HQ 1 1 1 1
3 Commando Brigade 21 21 20 20 20 20 20
HQ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
RM Commandos 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
Information Exploitation Group 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Logistics Regiment 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Commando Engineer Regiment 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Commando Artillery Regiment 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Fleet Protection Group 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Commando Raiding Group 1 1 1 1
Assault Squadron (Landing Craft) [Note 3] 2 2 1 1 1 1 1
Assault Squadron (Raiding Craft) [Note 3] 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Trials and Training Squadrons [Note 3] 2 2 2 2 1 1 1
Support Squadron [Note 3] 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Royal Marine Band Service 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
Commando Training Centre 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Royal Navy Fleet Diving Squadrons 8 8 12 12 13 13 10
Fleet Diving Squadron 8 8 12 12 13 13 10
Reserve Units 19 19 19 19 19 19 19
Royal Navy Reserve Units 15 15 15 15 15 15 15
Royal Marine Reserve Units 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
nes, as at 1 April each year. Air components can be found in Table 9.
Worksheet 3: Militarily-useful British-registered vessels (passenger, tanker and dry cargo)
This worksheet contains two tables. Some cells refer to notes which can be found on the notes worksheet.
Worksheet 3shows the numbers of militarily-useful British-registered passenger, tanker and dry cargo vessels, as at 31 December ea
The data in this table are outside the scope of National Statistics.
Source: Department for Transport
Table 1 : Total number of passenger, tanker and dry cargo merchant vessels by registration location
Registered Location of Vessels
Total passenger, tanker & dry cargo merchant vessels
United Kingdom
Isle of Man and the Channel Islands
UK Overseas Territories [Note 4]

Table 2: Total number of passenger, tanker and dry cargo merchant vessles by type and registration location
Ship type, by registered location
Cruise ship (over 200 berths)
United Kingdom
Isle of Man and the Channel Islands
UK Overseas Territories [Note 4]
Roll-on roll-off passenger (over 200 berths and over 1,000 deadweight tons)
United Kingdom
Isle of Man and the Channel Islands
UK Overseas Territories [Note 4]
Roll-on roll-off freight (over 500 lane metres)
United Kingdom
Isle of Man and the Channel Islands
UK Overseas Territories [Note 4]
General cargo break bulk (over 1,000 deadweight tons)
United Kingdom
Isle of Man and the Channel Islands
UK Overseas Territories [Note 4]
Refrigerated cargo (over 1,000 deadweight tons)
United Kingdom
Isle of Man and the Channel Islands
UK Overseas Territories [Note 4]
Product and chemical tankers (2,000 to 80,000 deadweight tons)
United Kingdom
Isle of Man and the Channel Islands
UK Overseas Territories [Note 4]
Container (fully cellular, over 100 twenty foot containers)
United Kingdom
Isle of Man and the Channel Islands
UK Overseas Territories [Note 4]
mber each year.

Number
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
841 805 813 799 758 718 701 702 728 721 621 584 532
402 369 355 320 268 233 237 232 237 230 155 146 139
130 141 158 165 182 187 167 175 195 203 186 169 165
309 295 300 314 308 298 297 295 296 288 280 269 228

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
32 32 31 31 32 32 35 33 33 32 32 34 34
7 6 3 3 3 5 9 9 10 10 9 9 10

25 26 28 28 29 27 26 24 23 22 23 25 24
41 38 35 30 24 25 23 24 24 23 17 15 13
38 36 33 29 23 24 22 23 22 21 16 14 12
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
2 1 1
35 34 36 33 34 29 28 27 26 25 23 19 17
19 27 29 25 21 16 15 15 14 12 10 10 8
3 3 5 6 8 8 8 8 8 9 9 8 9
13 4 2 2 5 5 5 4 4 4 4 1
115 123 149 172 177 170 150 155 166 176 175 170 161
32 33 37 36 34 19 22 25 25 28 29 29 28
35 49 65 78 92 98 82 84 94 101 99 92 90
48 41 47 58 51 53 46 46 47 47 47 49 43
30 21 21 4 1
8 2 2
3
19 19 19 4 1
318 311 317 313 305 295 316 319 336 325 283 257 223
90 74 75 72 70 63 67 65 70 65 46 39 34
80 81 80 72 70 69 65 71 80 80 65 56 55
148 156 162 169 165 163 184 183 186 180 172 162 134
270 246 224 216 185 167 149 144 143 140 91 89 84
208 191 176 155 117 106 102 95 96 94 45 45 47
8 7 7 8 11 11 11 11 12 12 12 12 10
54 48 41 53 57 50 36 38 35 34 34 32 27
Worksheet 4: Militarily-useful British-registered vessels (fishing and specialist)
This worksheet contains two tables. Some cells refer to notes which can be found on the notes worksheet.
Worksheet 4 shows the numbers of militarily-useful British-registered passenger, specialist and fishing vessels, as at 31 December each year.
The data in this table are outside the scope of National Statistics.
Source: Department for Transport
Table 1: Registered location of specialist and fishing vessels Number
Registered Location of vessels 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Total specialist vessels & fishing vessels by registration location 102 102 96 91 91 90 82 80 81 77 77 72 77
United Kingdom 61 67 64 61 58 55 53 53 52 48 50 49 51
Isle of Man and the Channel Islands 27 21 18 16 19 19 14 12 15 12 10 8 8
UK Overseas Territories [Note 4] 14 14 14 14 14 16 15 15 14 17 17 15 18

Table 2: Specialist and fishing vessels, by registration location

Vessel type and registered location 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Large diving support vessels (over 1000 kw power) 5 7 8 7 8 8 8 7 8 7 8 7 8
United Kingdom 3 4 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 4 4
Isle of Man and the Channel Islands 2 3 5 4 4 4 4 3 4 4 4 3 3
UK Overseas Territories [Note 4] 1
Large ocean tugs (over 100t bollard pull) 7 8 7 6 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
United Kingdom 7 8 6 6 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
Isle of Man and the Channel Islands
UK Overseas Territories [Note 4] 1
Large anchor handling tugs/supply vessels (over 100t bollard pull) 33 26 21 20 23 24 20 19 20 16 14 8 9
United Kingdom 6 6 7 6 6 6 7 7 8 7 7 3 4
Isle of Man and the Channel Islands 25 18 13 12 15 15 10 9 11 8 6 5 5
UK Overseas Territories [Note 4] 2 2 1 2 2 3 3 3 1 1 1
Large fishing vessels (over 1,500kW) 57 61 60 58 55 54 50 50 49 50 51 53 56
United Kingdom 45 49 48 46 43 41 38 38 36 34 35 38 39
Isle of Man and the Channel Islands
UK Overseas Territories [Note 4] 12 12 12 12 12 13 12 12 13 16 16 15 17
Worksheet 5: Land Equipment of the UK Armed Forces
This worksheet contains one tabe. Some cells refer to notes which can be found on the notes worksheet.
Worksheet 5shows the numbers of land equipment in the UK armed forces, as at 1 April each year.
The data in this table have not been assessed as National Statistics.
Source: Army Equipment Dept.
Platform type and platform 2016 2017 2018 2019
Combat Equipment [Note 5] 4129 4098 4094 4093
Armoured Fighting Vehicles 1198 1197 1197 1197
Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank 227 227 227 227
CVR(T) Scimitar 201 201 201 201
Ajax [x] [x] [x] [x]
Warrior [Note 6] 770 769 769 769
Protected Mobility Vehicles 1937 1907 1907 1906
Coyote 71 71 71 71
Foxhound 398 399 399 398
Husky 317 311 311 311
Jackal 437 437 437 437
Mastiff 421 396 396 396
Ridgeback 168 168 168 168
Wolfhound 125 125 125 125
Armoured Personnel Carriers 994 994 990 990
Viking 99 99 99 99
Bulldog 895 895 891 891
Artillery 250 250 250 250
AS90 155mm Self-propelled Gun 89 89 89 89
L118 105mm Light Gun 126 126 126 126
Multiple Launcher Rocket System 35 35 35 35
Combat Engineering Equipment [Note 7] 162 162 162 162
M3 Amphibious Bridging Vehicle 37 37 37 37
Terrier 60 60 60 60
Titan 33 33 33 33
Trojan 32 32 32 32
Combat Support Equipment [x] [x] [x] [x]
Wheeled Support Vehicles (6T, 8T, 15T) [x] [x] [x] [x]
Landrovers [x] [x] [x] [x]
Heavy Equipment Transporter (HET) [x] [x] [x] [x]
Wheeled Tanker (Tractor) [x] [x] [x] [x]
Wheeled Tanker (Trailer) [x] [x] [x] [x]
on the notes worksheet.
1 April each year.

2020 2021 2022

4071 3985 3640
1175 1192 1139
227 227 227
181 179 170
[x] 19 21
767 767 721
1906 1814 1551
71 72 72
398 398 398
311 218 [x]
437 437 431
396 396 387
168 168 164
125 125 99
990 979 950
99 99 99
891 880 851
250 250 244
89 89 89
126 126 126
35 35 29
156 148 148
35 27 27
56 56 56
33 33 33
32 32 32
15827 14735 14358
7264 7009 6781
7595 6756 6609
182 182 182
355 356 354
431 432 432
Worksheet 8: Land Formations of the UK Armed Forces
This worksheet contains one tabe. Some cells refer to notes which can be found on the notes worksheet.
Table 6 shows the number of formations, which are all or primarily land-based, in the Army. Air components can be found in Table 9.
Note: Hybrid (Regular and Reserve) units are counted as Regular Army units.
This table is a National Statistic.
Source: Army Org Branch
Combat Role and arm/corps 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Combat Forces 61 61 63 63 63 63 62
Infantry 46 46 48 48 48 48 47
Regular Army Battalions 32 32 32 32 32 32 31
Army Reserves Battalions 14 14 16 16 16 16 16
Royal Armoured Corps 15 15 15 15 15 15 15
Regular Army Regiments 11 11 11 11 11 11 11
Army Reserves Regiments 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
Combat Support Forces 62 62 62 63 64 64 66
Royal Artillery 19 20 20 20 20 20 20
Regular Army Regiments 14 14 14 14 14 14 14
Army Reserves Regiments 5 6 6 6 6 6 6
Royal Engineers 18 17 17 18 18 18 18
Regular Army Regiments 14 14 14 14 14 14 14
Army Reserves Regiments 4 3 3 4 4 4 4
Royal Signals 16 16 16 16 17 17 19
Regular Army Regiments 12 12 12 12 13 13 15
Army Reserves Regiments 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
Intelligence Corps 9 9 9 9 9 9 9
Regular Army Regiments 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
Army Reserves Regiments 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
Combat Service Support 71 71 71 66 66 66 67
Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers 14 14 14 11 11 11 12
Regular Army Battalions 8 8 8 8 8 8 9
Army Reserves Battalions 6 6 6 3 3 3 3
Royal Logistic Corps 25 25 25 25 25 25 25
Regular Army Regiments 13 13 13 13 13 13 13
Army Reserves Regiments 12 12 12 12 12 12 12
Royal Army Medical Corps 26 26 26 24 24 24 24
Regular Army Regiments 11 11 11 9 9 9 9
Army Reserves Regiments 15 15 15 15 15 15 15
Royal Military Police 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
Regular Army Regiments 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
Army Reserves Regiments
Corps, Division & Brigade HQ 18 17 17 17 17 17 17
NATO Corps HQ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Division / District HQ 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
Deployable 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Non-deployable 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
Brigade HQ 11 10 10 10 10 10 10
Deployable 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
Non-deployable 4 3 3 3 3 3 3
Worksheet 7: Aircraft: Fixed wing platforms of the UK Armed Forces
This worksheet contains one tabe. Some cells refer to notes which can be found on the notes worksheet.
Worksheet 7 shows the numbers of fixed wing aircraft in the UK armed forces, as at 1 April each year. [Note 8]
This table is a National Statistic.
Sources: Navy Command; Joint Helicopter Command; Army Equipment Dept.; Air Command
2016 2016 2017 2018 2018 2019 2019 2020 2020 2021 2021 2022 2022
Platform Type In Service Total Total In Service Total In Service Total In Service Total In Service Total In Service Total
Fixed wing Platforms 310 724 714 330 646 314 601 276 529 304 555 278 556
A400M 7 7 15 19 19 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20
Airseeker 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 2 3 2 3 2 3
Avenger [Note 9] [x] 4 4 [x] 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
BAE 146 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
C017 Globemaster 7 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
Defender 8 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 7 9
Hawk T1/T1A/T1W[ Note 10] 53 90 90 39 82 39 70 37 70 38 67 14 67
Hawk T2 21 28 28 20 28 28 28 28 28 28 28 28 28
Hercules C130J 16 24 20 17 18 14 14 14 14 14 14 13 13
Islander R Mk14 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 1 1
Islander AL CCMk2B 1 3 3
King Air 200 [Note 9] [x] 7 7
King Air 350 [x] [x] [x] 3 3
Phenom [x] [x] [x] [x] 5 [x] 5 [x] 5 [x] 5 [x] 5
Poseidon 2 2 7 9 9 9
Prefect [Note 9] [x] [x] [x] [x] 21 [x] 23 [x] 23 [x] 23 [x] 23
Lightning 4 4 9 15 15 17 17 18 18 21 21 26 26
Sentinel 3 5 4 2 4 4 4 4 4
Sentry 4 6 6 4 6 6 6 5 5 3 3
Shadow R1 4 5 5 4 5 6 6 8 8 4 8 5 8
Texan [Note 9] [x] 10 [x] 10 [x] 10 [x] 14
Tornado 46 81 62 29 41
Tucano 26 81 78 51 51 31 57
Tutor (RN Flying Grading) [Note 9] [x] 5 5 [x] 5 [x] 5 [x] 5 [x] 5 [x] 5
Tutor (Tri0Service) [Note 9] [x] 119 118 [x] 91 [x] 91 [x] 91 [x] 91 [x] 91
Typhoon 92 132 137 92 137 104 153 101 139 104 137 102 137
Vigilant [x] 15 15 [x] 15
Viking [Note 9] [x] 73 73 [x] 60 [x] 52 [x] 52 30 81 37 81
Voyager 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 10 14
Unmanned Aircraft Systems [x] 443 281 [x] 281 [x] 289 [x] 287 [x] 285 251 285
Black Hornet [x] 160
Desert Hawk0III [x] 221 221 [x] 221 [x] 230 [x] 229 [x] 229 229 228
Reaper 8 10 10 7 10 7 10 9 9 9 10 9 10
Watchkeeper [x] 52 50 24 50 24 49 24 49 11 46 13 47
Worksheet 8: Aircraft: Rotary-wing platforms of the UK Armed Forces
This worksheet contains one table. Some cells refer to notes which can be found on the notes worksheet.
Worksheet 8 shows the numbers of rotary-wing aircraft in the UK armed forces, as at 1 April each year [Note 8].
This table is a National Statistic.
Sources: Navy Command; Joint Helicopter Command; Army Equipment Dept.; Air Command
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
2016 2016 In 2017 In 2018 In 2019 In 2020 In 2021 2022 2022
Platform Type In Service Total Service Total Service Total Service Total Service Total Service Total In Service Total
Rotary-wing Platforms 241 372 227 353 211 332 207 325 214 311 191 301 184 291
Apache 32 50 42 50 42 50 42 50 40 42 28 30 18 20
Apache AH-64E 4 16
AW109SP 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Bell 212 3 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 3 3
Chinook 53 60 41 60 41 60 41 60 41 60 41 60 41 59
Dauphin[Note 11] 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Gazelle 19 34 19 34 19 34 19 32 18 26 19 26 14 17
Griffin [x] 11 [x] 11 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
Juno [Note 9] [x] 29 [x] 29 [x] 29 [x] 29 [x] 29
Jupiter [Note 9] [x] 3 [x] 3 [x] 3 [x] 7 [x] 7
Lynx HMA8 [Note 12] 10 10
Lynx Mk 9/9a 18 21 8 8
Merlin HM2 [Note 12] 21 30 25 30 19 30 19 30 19 30 20 30 18 30
Merlin Mk3/3a/4/4a/iMk3 18 25 14 25 14 25 14 25 21 25 12 25 21 25
Puma 16 23 15 23 16 23 16 23 18 23 17 23 14 17
Wildcat AH Mk1 24 34 24 34 24 34 24 34 25 34 25 34 25 34
Wildcat HMA Mk2 [Note 12] 14 21 24 28 22 28 21 28 21 28 21 28 21 28
Formations of the Royal Air Force and Royal Auxiliary Air Force, and air components of the Royal Navy and the Army
This worksheet contains one table. Some cells refer to notes which can be found on the notes worksheet.
Table 9 shows the numbers of formations in the Royal Air Force and Royal Auxiliary Air Force, and in the air components of the Royal Navy and the Army, as at 1 April each year.
This table is a National Statistic.
Sources: Navy Command; Joint Helicopter Command; Army Equipment Dept.; Air Command
Operating force and Squadron/Unit 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm 21 21 21 22 22 20 20
Battlefield Helicopter Squadrons 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Flying Training & Operational Support Squadrons 4 4 4 5 5 5 5
Maritime Helicopter Squadrons 6 6 6 6 6 5 5
Remotely Piloted Air Systems Squadrons 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Support Squadrons 2 2 2 2 2 1 1
Support Helicopter Squadrons 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Test and Evaluation Squadrons 1 1 1 1
Commando Helicopter Force HQ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Fixed Wing Force HQ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Wildcat Maritime Force HQ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Merlin Helicopter Force HQ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Sea King Force HQ 1 1 1
Army Air Corps 7 7 7 7 8 8 8
Regular Army Regiments [Note 13] 6 6 6 6 7 7 7
Army Reserves Regiments 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Royal Air Force 85 86 80 79 83 99 98
Flying Support 44 41 36 37 41 41 39
Air Transport & Air-to-Air Refuelling Squadrons 8 7 7 7 7 6 6
Airborne Command and Control Squadrons 1 1 1 1 1 1
Combat Air Squadrons 8 8 9 7 8 8 8
Flying Training & Operational Training Support Squadrons 12 12 12 12 10 11 11
Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Squadrons 3 3 3 3 4 3 3
Operational Conversion and Evaluation Units Squadrons 9 8 2 5 9 10 10
Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems Squadrons 2 2 2 2 2 2 1
Search and Rescue Squadrons 1
Battlespace Management 3 4
Battlespace Management and Control Squadrons 3 4
Combat Support - Force Protection 23 23 20 18 18 19 19
RAF Force Protection Wing HQs 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
RAF Regiment Field Squadrons 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
RAF Police Wing HQs 3 3 1 1 1 1 1
RAF Police Squadrons 5 5 5 5 5 6 6
Defence CBRN Wing HQ 1 1 1
Defence CBRN Wing Squadrons 2 2 1
Combat Support - Communications 7 6 7 6 6 12 12
Operational Information Services Wing Squadrons 3 3 4 3 3 3 3
Tactical Communications Wing Squadrons 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
Technical Information Assurance Squadrons 1
Main Operating Base CyberSpace Ops Squadrons 6 6
Combat Support - Engineering and Logistics 11 16 17 18 18 24 24
Air Mobility Wing Squadrons 2 2 3 3 3 3 3
Engineering Support Wing Squadrons 4 4 4 5 5 4 4
Expeditionary Logistics Wing Squadrons 5 5 5 4 4 4 4
Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Wing Squadrons 5 5
Aeromedical Evacuation & Medical Support Squadrons 5 5 6 6 5 5
Musical & Cerimonial Support Squadrons 3 3
Royal Auxiliary Air Force 28 28 29 29 29 29 29
Aeromedical Evacuation & Medical Support Squadrons 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Air Operations & Aerospace Battle Management Squadrons 1 1
Air Transport & Air-to-Air Refuelling Squadrons 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Reserve Logistics Support Wing Squadrons 5 5 4 3 3 3 3
Air Mobility Wing (Aux Movements Sqn) Squadrons 1 1 1 1 1
Force Protection Squadrons 7 7 8 8 8 8 8
General Operations Support Squadrons 5 5 7 7 7 7 7
Intelligence and Imagery Analyst Support Squadrons 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
Musical & Ceremonial Support Squadrons 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Provost Wing 1 1
Public Relations Squadrons 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Support Helicopter Squadrons 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Squadrons 1 1 1 1
RAF Reserve - Sponsored Reserves 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
Air Transport & Air-to-Air Refuelling (Serco/Air Tanker) Squadrons 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Meteorological support to operations (Mobile Met Unit) 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Logistics Support to Airborne Command and Control Unit (AAR) 1 1 1 1 1 1 1