No . 12 RAF Squadron No . 12 Squadron of the Royal Air Force currently operates the Tornado GR4 from RAF Lossiemouth . History . No . 12 Squadron Royal Flying Corps was formed in February 1915 from a flight of No . 1 Squadron RFC at Netheravon . The squadron moved to France in September 1915 and operated a variety of aircraft on operations over the Western Front . In March 1918 the squadron was re - equipped with the Bristol F2b Fighter just before the squadron became part of the newly formed Royal Air Force . The squadron then based at Bickendorf in Germany was disbanded in 1922 . The squadron reformed at RAF Northolt on the 1 April 1923 to operate the de Havilland DH . 9A . In 1924 it moved to RAF Andover and converted to the Fairey Fawn a single - engined biplane bomber . The Fawns were replaced in 1926 with the Fairey Fox , which influenced the adoption of the fox ' s head as part of the squadron badge . This is because No 12 Squadron was the only RAF user of the Fairey Fox and its performance was superior to other types i . e . it led the field . In 1931 the squadron re - equipped with the Sydney Camm designed Hawker Hart . In October 1935 the squadron moved to the Middle East , but returned to Andover in August 1936 . The Harts were replaced by the Hawker Hind in 1936 and in 1938 the squadron was equipped with Fairey Battle s . On the first day of the Second World War the squadron moved to France to begin operations . On 12 May 1940 , over the Albert Canal , Belgium , one bridge in particular was being used by the invading German army , with protection from fighter aircraft , anti - aircraft and machine - guns . The RAF was ordered to demolish this vital bridge , and five Fairey Battle s from the squadron were dispatched . They met an inferno of anti - aircraft fire , but the mission was accomplished , much of the success being due to the coolness and resource of the pilot Flying Officer Garland of the leading aircraft and the navigation of Sergeant Gray . Unfortunately the leading aircraft and three others did not return . Flying Officer Garland and Sergeant Gray were both posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross . The squadron returned to England in November 1940 and re - equipped with the Vickers Wellington at RAF Binbrook . The squadron moved again in 1942 to operate the Avro Lancaster . In 1946 the squadron re - equipped with the Avro Lincoln until in 1952 it joined the jet - age and re - equipped with the Canberra jet bomber . After 44 years continuous service the squadron was again disbanded in July 1961 . In 1962 the squadron was reformed to operate eight Avro Vulcan V - bombers , initially from RAF Coningsby then RAF Cottesmore equipped with Yellow Sun one megaton free - fall strategic nuclear bombs for medium to high altitude release . The advent of effective Soviet SAMs made high - flying bombers vulnerable , and in late 1966 the squadron took delivery of eight WE . 177B strategic nuclear laydown bombs for low - level penetration missions , and still based at Cottesmore were assigned to SACEUR as part of the UK strategic nuclear forces deployed with that 450 kt weapon , that was intended as a temporary stop - gap until the UK Polaris force began to take over the strategic nuclear delivery role . The squadron stood down from this role at the end of 1967 . and from 1974 with Martel missiles for non - nuclear strike . The squadron moved to RAF Lossiemouth in 1980 , still in the same anti - shipping role . In 1993 it was disbanded once more . In September 1993 , No . 27 Squadron RAF then at RAF Marham disbanded and immediately re - formed as No . 12 Squadron operating twelve Tornado GR1 aircraft equipped with eighteen WE . 177 nuclear weapons