List of Fleet Air Arm aircraft squadrons

This is a List of Fleet Air Arm aircraft squadrons, squadrons in Bold Type are currently active in the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. Squadrons in underline subsequently commissioned into Royal Australian Navy Fleet Air Arm. Squadrons in italics subsequently commissioned into Netherlands Naval Aviation Service.

With the formation of the Fleet Air Arm in 1924, as a part of the Royal Air Force, blocks of squadron numbers were used. Nos. 401-439 were Fleet Fighter / Spotter Flights, assigned to Royal Navy battleships and cruisers. Nos. 440-459 were Fleet Reconnaissance Flights, many later becoming Fleet Spotter Reconnaissance Flights, and No. 460 onwards, as Fleet Torpedo Flights, later becoming Torpedo Bomber Flights.

In 1936 some of these were renumbered in the 700 series and this was retained when the Admiralty regained full control of the Fleet Air Arm in 1939. Nos. 700-749 were for catapult flights and squadrons, but eventually these all merged into 700 Naval Air Squadron, leaving nos. 701-710 for amphibian and floatplane squadrons from 1943 onwards. Nos. 750-799, were assigned for training and ancillary squadrons (in contrast to the RAF practice of not assigning squadron numbers to training units).

Front line combat squadrons were nos. 800-899 and broken down into categories: nos. 800-809 for fighter squadrons, nos. 810-819 for torpedo bomber squadrons, later torpedo spotter reconnaissance (TSR), and torpedo bomber reconnaissance (TBR), squadrons, nos. 820-859 were initially spotter reconnaissance squadrons, later becoming TSR and, finally, TBR squadrons. Originally, TBR squadrons included 860-869, but these were assigned to Dutch-manned and then Royal Netherlands Navy squadrons. Nos. 870-899 were initially for single-seat fighter squadrons, but 870-879 were later assigned to Royal Canadian Navy squadrons. As these numbers ran out, new series prefixed by '1' were allocated. Leaving aside unused blocks, nos. 1700-1749 became torpedo bomber reconnaissance squadrons and two-seat fighter squadrons were nos. 1770-1799. Dive bomber squadrons were nos. 1810-1829 and nos. 1830-1899 were for single-seat fighter squadrons.

Front Line Squadrons (Nos. 800 to 899)
Squadrons in Bold Type are currently active in the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. Squadrons in underline subsequently commissioned into Royal Australian Navy Fleet Air Arm. Squadrons in italics subsequently commissioned into Netherlands Naval Aviation Service.

Nos. 800 to 809
Single-seat fighter squadrons. • 800 Naval Air Squadron

• 801 Naval Air Squadron

• 802 Naval Air Squadron

• 803 Naval Air Squadron

• 804 Naval Air Squadron

• 805 Naval Air Squadron

• 806 Naval Air Squadron

• 807 Naval Air Squadron

• 808 Naval Air Squadron

• 809 Naval Air Squadron - F-35B Lightning

Nos. 810 to 819
Torpedo Bomber squadrons, later Torpedo Spotter Reconnaissance and Torpedo Bomber Reconnaissance squadrons. • 810 Naval Air Squadron

• 811 Naval Air Squadron

• 812 Naval Air Squadron

• 813 Naval Air Squadron

• 814 Naval Air Squadron – Merlin HM2 (small ship flights)

• 815 Naval Air Squadron – Wildcat HMA2 (small ship flights)

• 816 Naval Air Squadron

• 817 Naval Air Squadron

• 818 Naval Air Squadron

• 819 Naval Air Squadron

Nos. 820 to 859
Spotter Reconnaissance Squadrons, later Torpedo Spotter Reconnaissance and Torpedo Bomber Reconnaissance squadrons. • 820 Naval Air Squadron – Merlin HM2 (carrier air group)

• 821 Naval Air Squadron

• 822 Naval Air Squadron

• 823 Naval Air Squadron

• 824 Naval Air Squadron – Merlin HM2 (conversion training)

• 825 Naval Air Squadron – Wildcat HMA2 (conversion training)

• 826 Naval Air Squadron

• 827 Naval Air Squadron

• 828 Naval Air Squadron

• 829 Naval Air Squadron

• 830 Naval Air Squadron

• 831 Naval Air Squadron

• 832 Naval Air Squadron

• 833 Naval Air Squadron

• 834 Naval Air Squadron

• 835 Naval Air Squadron

• 836 Naval Air Squadron

• 837 Naval Air Squadron

• 838 Naval Air Squadron

• 840 Naval Air Squadron

• 841 Naval Air Squadron

• 842 Naval Air Squadron

• 845 Naval Air Squadron – Merlin HC4/HC4A (Commando Helicopter Force)

• 846 Naval Air Squadron – Merlin HC4 (Commando Helicopter Force and OCF)

• 847 Naval Air Squadron – Wildcat AH1 (Commando Helicopter Force)

• 848 Naval Air Squadron

• 849 Naval Air Squadron

• 850 Naval Air Squadron

• 851 Naval Air Squadron

• 852 Naval Air Squadron

• 853 Naval Air Squadron

• 854 Naval Air Squadron

• 855 Naval Air Squadron

• 856 Naval Air Squadron

• 857 Naval Air Squadron

Nos. 860 to 869
Torpedo Bomber Reconnaissance squadrons; Later reserved for Dutch-manned and then Netherlands Navy squadrons. • 860 Naval Air Squadron

• 861 Naval Air Squadron

Nos. 870 to 879
Single-seat fighter squadrons. Later reserved for Royal Canadian Navy use. • 870 Naval Air Squadron

• 871 Naval Air Squadron

• 877 Naval Air Squadron

• 878 Naval Air Squadron

• 879 Naval Air Squadron

Nos. 880 to 899
Single-seat fighter squadrons. • 880 Naval Air Squadron

• 881 Naval Air Squadron

• 882 Naval Air Squadron

• 883 Naval Air Squadron

• 884 Naval Air Squadron

• 885 Naval Air Squadron

• 886 Naval Air Squadron

• 887 Naval Air Squadron

• 888 Naval Air Squadron

• 889 Naval Air Squadron

• 890 Naval Air Squadron

• 891 Naval Air Squadron

• 892 Naval Air Squadron

• 893 Naval Air Squadron

• 894 Naval Air Squadron

• 895 Naval Air Squadron

• 896 Naval Air Squadron

• 897 Naval Air Squadron

• 898 Naval Air Squadron

• 899 Naval Air Squadron

Front Line Squadrons (Nos. 1700 to 1799)
Squadrons in Bold Type are currently active

Nos. 1700 to 1749
Torpedo bomber reconnaissance squadrons, reallocated to amphibian bomber reconnaissance squadrons. • 1700 Naval Air Squadron – Engineering and Logistics Support

• 1701 Naval Air Squadron

• 1702 Naval Air Squadron

• 1703 Naval Air Squadron

• 1710 Naval Air Squadron – Aviation Engineering Support

Nos. 1750 to 1769
Single-seat fighter squadrons (not taken up).

Nos. 1770 to 1799
Two-seat fighter squadrons. • 1770 Naval Air Squadron

• 1771 Naval Air Squadron

• 1772 Naval Air Squadron

• 1790 Naval Air Squadron

• 1791 Naval Air Squadron

• 1792 Naval Air Squadron Note: Nos. 1773 to 1775 Squadrons were planned to form in 1945 for the British Pacific Fleet, but this never transpired.

Front Line Squadrons (Nos. 1800 to 1899)
Squadrons in Bold Type are currently active

Nos. 1800 to 1809
Torpedo bomber reconnaissance squadrons (not taken up).

Nos. 1810 to 1829
Dive-bomber squadrons. • 1820 Naval Air Squadron

Nos. 1830 to 1899
Single-seat fighter squadrons, later used for Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and Royal Naval Reserve squadron. • 1830 Naval Air Squadron

• 1831 Naval Air Squadron

• 1832 Naval Air Squadron

• 1833 Naval Air Squadron

• 1834 Naval Air Squadron

• 1835 Naval Air Squadron

• 1836 Naval Air Squadron

• 1837 Naval Air Squadron

• 1838 Naval Air Squadron

• 1839 Naval Air Squadron

• 1840 Naval Air Squadron

• 1841 Naval Air Squadron

• 1842 Naval Air Squadron

• 1843 Naval Air Squadron

• 1844 Naval Air Squadron

• 1845 Naval Air Squadron

• 1846 Naval Air Squadron

• 1847 Naval Air Squadron

• 1848 Naval Air Squadron

• 1849 Naval Air Squadron

• 1850 Naval Air Squadron

• 1851 Naval Air Squadron

• 1852 Naval Air Squadron

• 1853 Naval Air Squadron

Second Line Squadrons (Nos. 700 to 799)
Squadrons in Bold Type are currently active in the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. Squadrons in underline subsequently commissioned into Royal Australian Navy Fleet Air Arm

Nos. 700 to 749
Initially for Catapult flights, later becoming catapult squadrons. (Nos.701 to 710 were earmarked for use by amphibian and floatplane squadrons in 1943, but this later lapsed) When these ceased to exist the range became available for training and ancillary squadrons. • 700X Naval Air Squadron – ScanEagle RM1, RQ-20 Puma and Wasp III.

• 701 Naval Air Squadron

• 702 Naval Air Squadron

• 703 Naval Air Squadron – Prefect T1 (part of No. 3 Flying Training School RAF)

• 704 Naval Air Squadron

• 705 Naval Air Squadron – Juno HT1 (part of No. 1 Flying Training School RAF)

• 706 Naval Air Squadron

• 707 Naval Air Squadron

• 708 Naval Air Squadron

• 709 Naval Air Squadron

• 710 Naval Air Squadron

• 711 Naval Air Squadron

• 712 Naval Air Squadron

• 713 Naval Air Squadron

• 714 Naval Air Squadron

• 715 Naval Air Squadron

• 716 Naval Air Squadron

• 717 Naval Air Squadron

• 718 Naval Air Squadron

• 719 Naval Air Squadron

• 720 Naval Air Squadron

• 721 Naval Air Squadron

• 722 Naval Air Squadron

• 723 Naval Air Squadron

• 724 Naval Air Squadron

• 725 Naval Air Squadron

• 726 Naval Air Squadron

• 727 Naval Air Squadron – Tutor T1

• 728 Naval Air Squadron

• 728B Naval Air Squadron

• 728C Naval Air Squadron

• 729 Naval Air Squadron

• 730 Naval Air Squadron

• 731 Naval Air Squadron

• 732 Naval Air Squadron

• 733 Naval Air Squadron

• 734 Naval Air Squadron

• 735 Naval Air Squadron

• 736 Naval Air Squadron

• 737 Naval Air Squadron

• 738 Naval Air Squadron

• 739 Naval Air Squadron

• 740 Naval Air Squadron

• 741 Naval Air Squadron

• 742 Naval Air Squadron

• 743 Naval Air Squadron

• 744 Naval Air Squadron – Test and evaluation

• 745 Naval Air Squadron

• 746 Naval Air Squadron

• 747 Naval Air Squadron

• 748 Naval Air Squadron

• 749 Naval Air Squadron

Nos. 750 to 799
Training and ancillary squadrons. • 750 Naval Air Squadron – Avenger T1

• 751 Naval Air Squadron

• 752 Naval Air Squadron

• 753 Naval Air Squadron

• 754 Naval Air Squadron

• 755 Naval Air Squadron

• 756 Naval Air Squadron

• 757 Naval Air Squadron

• 758 Naval Air Squadron

• 759 Naval Air Squadron

• 760 Naval Air Squadron

• 761 Naval Air Squadron

• 762 Naval Air Squadron

• 763 Naval Air Squadron

• 764 Naval Air Squadron

• 765 Naval Air Squadron

• 766 Naval Air Squadron

• 767 Naval Air Squadron

• 768 Naval Air Squadron

• 769 Naval Air Squadron

• 770 Naval Air Squadron

• 771 Naval Air Squadron

• 772 Naval Air Squadron

• 773 Naval Air Squadron

• 774 Naval Air Squadron

• 775 Naval Air Squadron

• 776 Naval Air Squadron

• 777 Naval Air Squadron

• 778 Naval Air Squadron

• 779 Naval Air Squadron

• 780 Naval Air Squadron

• 781 Naval Air Squadron

• 782 Naval Air Squadron

• 783 Naval Air Squadron

• 784 Naval Air Squadron

• 785 Naval Air Squadron

• 786 Naval Air Squadron

• 787 Naval Air Squadron

• 788 Naval Air Squadron

• 789 Naval Air Squadron

• 790 Naval Air Squadron

• 791 Naval Air Squadron

• 792 Naval Air Squadron

• 793 Naval Air Squadron

• 794 Naval Air Squadron

• 795 Naval Air Squadron

• 796 Naval Air Squadron

• 797 Naval Air Squadron

• 798 Naval Air Squadron

• 799 Naval Air Squadron

Aircraft Ferry Units
Aircraft collection and delivery • No.1 Ferry Squadron

• No.2 Ferry Squadron

• No.5 Ferry Squadron