page_title: No. 11 Squadron RAF
section_title: Since 1945
hierarchical_section_title: No. 11 Squadron RAF / History / Since 1945
caption_attribution_description: English: Gloster Javelin FAW.9 XH776 of No. 11 Squadron RAF in 1965
context_page_description: No. 11 or XI Squadron, is "the world's oldest, dedicated fighter unit" and contines the traditions established by the similarly numbered Royal Flying Corps squadron, established in 1915. After a history of equipment with numerous different aircraft types, the squadron most recently operated the Tornado F3 until 2005 when it was disbanded. It was reactivated in 2006 to operate the Typhoon F2, receiving its first aircraft on 9 October 2006.
context_section_description: The Squadron formed part of the occupation forces in Japan from August 1945 to February 1948, when it disbanded. Reforming in Germany during October 1949, they flew Mosquitos, Vampires and Venoms. The Squadron again disbanded in 1957, but reformed in January 1959 with Meteor night fighters. Javelins replaced the Meteors one year later and the Squadron was based at RAF Geilenkirchen West Germany equipped with this type until another disbandment in 1966.
  Reforming in early 1967, No. 11 Squadron spent the next 21 years flying Lightnings, until May 1988. By that time it was one of the last two squadrons equipped with this aircraft and was based at RAF Binbrook in Lincolnshire.
  From August 1988 the squadron operated the twin seat Panavia Tornado F3 from RAF Leeming. In February 2003 it was announced that some of No. 11 Squadron's Tornado F3s had been modified to carry the ALARM missile (as EF3s) to widen their capabilities to include suppression of enemy air defences (SEAD). Following the publication of the Future Capabilities study on 21 July 2004, XI(F) squadron disbanded in October 2005.
  The RAF announced that 11 Squadron would be the second front line squadron to re-equip with the Typhoon but would now be based at RAF Coningsby. The Squadron stood up at Coningsby on 29 March 2007, dropping the (F) designation in recognition of its new tasking as the Royal Air Force's lead Typhoon multi-role squadron. In March 2011, 11 Squadron (assisted by some 29(R) Squadron personnel and additional aircraft supplied by 29(R) and 3(F) Squadrons) deployed to Gioia Del Colle, Bari, Italy, to help police the no-fly zone imposed by Resolution 1973 over Libya as part of Operation Ellamy.
  In 2013 the squadron deployed to the Mediterranean again, this time RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, as part of 121 EAW providing air defence of Cyprus under the auspices of Operation Luminous.
  XI(F) Squadron resumed the use of its '(F)' Fighter status during its centenary year, with celebrations taking place on 7 and 8 May 2015 in the form of a formal dinner with the Squadron Association, and a parade complete with flypast.
  During February 2018, the squadron participated in Exercise Red Flag 18-1, the world's largest and most complex air combat exercise run by the US Air Force. For the duration of the exercise the squadron's Typhoons operated from Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.
caption: Gloster Javelin FAW.9 of No. 11 Squadron in 1965.
exif: {"Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "4800", "Image YResolution": "4800", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop Elements 7.0 Windows", "Image DateTime": "2014:06:07 14:31:12", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Centered", "Image ExifOffset": "184", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "422", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "4427", "EXIF ExifVersion": "[0, 2, 2, 0]", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2014:05:29 06:55:02", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2014:05:29 06:55:02", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "[0, 1, 0, 0]", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "1024", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "719"}