RAF Khormaksar

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RAF Khormaksar crest badge.

RAF Khormaksar is a former Royal Air Force station in Aden, during the 1960s it was the busiest station in the RAF with nine squadrons based. It later became Aden International Airport.

Station motto: Into the Remote Places.

[edit] History

Originally used in 1917 by the RAF it was enlarged in 1945 as the British were spreading their influence deeper into the Arabian Peninsula. In 1958 a state of emergency was declared in Aden as Yemeni forces occupied nearby Jebel Jehaf and RAF squadrons were involved in action in support of the British Army. In the 1960s during operations around Rhadfan the station was the busiest ever RAF station. It was overcrowded and the station also attracted terrorist ground attacks. In 1966 the newly elected Labour government in the United Kingdom announced that all forces would be withdrawn by 1968. The station closed on the 29 November 1967.

[edit] Units and aircraft

Unit	Dates	Aircraft	Variant	Notes
No. 8 Squadron RAF	Various	Various		See below
No. 12 Squadron RAF	1935 and 1936	Hawker Hart
No. 21 Squadron RAF	1965-1967	Douglas Dakota Hawker Siddeley Andover	CC2
No. 26 Squadron RAF	1963-1965	Bristol Belvedere	HC1
No. 37 Squadron RAF	1957-1967	Avro Shackleton	MR2
No. 41 Squadron RAF	1935-1936	Hawker Demon
No. 43 Squadron RAF	1963-1967	Hawker Hunter	FGA9
No. 73 Squadron RAF	1956	de Havilland Venom	FB1
No. 78 Squadron RAF	1956-1967	Scottish Aviation Pioneer Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer Percival Pembroke Westland Wessex	CC1 C1 CC1 HC2
No. 84 Squadron RAF	1956-1967	Various
No. 94 Squadron RAF	1939	Gloster Gladiator	I and II
No. 105 Squadron RAF	1962-1967	Armstrong Whitworth Argosy	C1
No. 114 Squadron RAF	1945	de Havilland Mosquito	VI	Originally used the Douglas Boston
No. 203 Squadron RAF	1940	Bristol Blenheim	IV
No. 208 Squadron RAF	1961-1964	Hawker Hunter	FGA9	also 1956 detached from RAF Akrotiri
No. 216 Squadron RAF	1942	Lockheed Hudson	VI	detached from Cairo West
No. 233 Squadron RAF	1960-1964	Vickers Valetta	C1
No. 244 Squadron RAF	1944	Vickers Wellington	XIII	detached from Masirah
No. 259 Squadron RAF	1943	Consolidated Catalina	IB	detached from Dar-es-Salaam
No. 265 Squadron RAF	1943	Consolidated Catalina	IB	detached from Dar-es-Salaam
No. 413 Squadron RAF	1942-1945	Consolidated Catalina	IV	detached from Koggala
No. 459 Squadron RAF	1942	Lockheed Hudson	III	detached from LG227 and LG143
No. 621 Squadron RAF	1943-1945	Vickers Wellington	XIII
No. 683 Squadron RAF	1951	Vickers Valetta	C1