No. 230 Operational Conversion Unit RAF

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No. 230 Operational Conversion Unit (OCU) was created in 1956 at RAF Waddington to convert crews onto the Avro Vulcan bomber. In 1965 230 OCU was moved to RAF Finningley and later (1969) to RAF Scampton until it was disbanded in 1981.

[edit] See also

• Royal Air Force Operational Conversion Units

Number 230 Squadron was formed at Felixstowe on 20 August 1918 by combining three locally based seaplane Flights and took up maritime reconnaissance flights over the North Sea. The Squadron did not disband after the Armistice, remaining at Felixstowe with F5 floatplanes until 1922 when it moved to Calshot, disbanding in April 1923.

Reformed at Pembroke Dock on 1 December 1934, the Squadron was without aircraft until April 1935 when the first Singapore IIIs arrived. The following year, No 230 flew to Seletar, Singapore where Sunderlands were received during 1938. Following the declaration of war, the Squadron moved to Egypt and mounted anti-submarine patrols over the Mediterranean. Operation stepped up with the entry of Italy to the War, and the unit's aircraft transported freight and troops between Egypt and North Africa before joining the evacuation of Greece, Yugoslavia and Crete during 1941. In January 1943, No 230 moved to East Africa for patrols over the Indian Ocean before successive moves to Ceylon and India found the Squadron returning British servicemen home after the end of the War.

The unit returned home during 1946 and flew supplies in to Berlin from Hamburg during the allied airlift of 1948/49. By 1957, the days of the flying boat were all but over, and the unit disbanded on 28 February 1957. No 230 Squadron reformed on 1 September 1958 at Dishforth with Single and Twin Pioneers, both types seeing action in the Cameroon and Northern Ireland before converting to Whirlwinds in early 1963. No 230 spent time in Germany and Indonesia before returning to Odiham in 1966 and re-equipping with new Pumas during 1971. During 1980, the Squadron moved to Germany and remained there until the defence cutbacks of the early 1990s saw the unit deploy to Aldergrove.

The Puma

The Puma HC1 first entered service in 1971, and the RAF currently has a fleet of 33 aircraft available to the front-line Support Helicopter Force. The aircraft are operated by No 33 Squadron, which is based at RAF Benson, and by No 230 Squadron, which is based at RAF Aldergrove, in Northern Ireland. No 33 Squadron, which is divided into two flights and the operational conversion flight, offers flexibility in its role in that the aircraft of one of the flights are fitted with desert warfare specialist equipment, while the aircraft of the other flight are fitted with arctic warfare specialist equipment. The Pumas are used as battlefield helicopters within the Joint Helicopter Command and provide tactical troop and load movement by day or by night. The aircraft can carry 16 fully-equipped troops, or up to two tonnes of freight carried either internally or as an underslung load. The other major role is that of casualty or medical evacuation support, for which up to six stretchers can be fitted. Each aircraft is equipped with satellite- based GPS equipment and an instrument landing system, enabling the aircraft to be navigated accurately and to be landed at suitably equipped airfields in poor weather conditions. The normal crew of two pilots, or a pilot and a weapons systems officer, plus a crewman, is trained in procedural instrument flying and tactical low flying by day and by night using night-vision goggles. The aircrew and their supporting ground crew are also trained to operate from inhospitable areas in all conditions ranging from desert to arctic environments. For self-defence, the Puma is being upgraded with a new defensive-aids suite. This suite includes an integrated radar warning receiver, a missile-approach-warning system, an infrared jammer and automatic chaff and flare dispensing equipment. In addition, two cabin-mounted general purpose machine guns can be fitted for use by the crewmen