#SP164 Tornado GR4
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Description
Squadron Prints Lithogrpah No. SP164 - RAF Marham.
Royal Air Force Marham is under the command of No. 1 Group, within Air Command, and comprises three Tornado GR4 squadrons, a Tactical Imagery-Intelligence Wing, a Force Protection Headquarters and associated engineering, operations and base support functions. Royal Air Force Marham is also home to a Royal Air Force Police squadron and an Expeditionary Armaments squadron. The three Tornado GR4 squadrons deliver a mix of attack and tactical reconnaissance capabilities. The Tornado GR4 is a multi-role aircraft, capable of carrying a wide variety of weapons, including Paveway laser/GPS guided bombs, Storm Shadow, Brimstone and ALARM missiles, as well as tactical imagery equipment. All three squadrons have served on operations since the first Gulf War. No. II(AC) Squadron formed at Farnborough on 13 May 1912 and is the oldest fixed-wing flying squadron in the world. Its many achievements include the first use of airborne cameras in 1914, the award of the first air Victoria Cross in 1915 and capturing the first pictures of the D-Day landings in 1944. No. IX(B) Squadron formed at St Omer on 8 December 1914, and is the oldest dedicated bomber squadron in the Royal Air Force. It participated in the sinking of the German battleship Tirpitz in 1944 and was the first squadron to gain operational status on the Tornado, also becoming the specialist unit for the deployment of the ALARM weapon. No. 31 Squadron formed at Farnborough on 11 October 1915 and was the first military unit to fly in India. The Squadron was involved in the famous evacuation of Kabul in 1928 and the re-supply of the Army during the Japanese invasion of Burma. As a \'Force Element\' within No. 1 Group, Tactical Imagery-Intelligence Wing is responsible for the processing and exploitation of tactical electro-optical/infra-red imagery in support of operations around the world. Operational theatres have included Iraq, Afghanistan, and most recently, supporting Operation ELLAMY; the enforcement of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973 in Libya. No. 3 Force Protection Wing deploys to provide Force Protection to personnel, equipment and infrastructure in operational theatres. The Wing comprises a Marham-based Headquarters, No. 2620 Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force Regiment Squadron and No. II Squadron Royal Air Force Regiment, based at Royal Air Force Honington. No. 6 Royal Air Force Police Squadron is responsible for all policing and security at Marham and is also required to contribute personnel to Royal Air Force Police Teams that are deployed around the world. No. 93(Expeditionary Armaments) Squadron is an Air Combat Service Support Unit providing expeditionary armaments support to deployed operations. The Squadron\'s main roles are to provide the specialist armaments safety planning of potential operating locations, and the subsequent establishment and management of deployed explosive storage areas. Royal Air Force Marham has a significant operational focus, which was certainly the case in 2011 when the Station simultaneously provided a Tornado squadron in support of operations in Afghanistan, whilst delivering Tornado operations from Italy over Libya, and Storm Shadow deep-strike missions from its home base. With the passing of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973, the Marham Tornado Force launched its first long range deep-strike Storm Shadow missile sortie into Libya on the evening of 19 March 2011. The sortie, flown by No. IX(B) Squadron, was a whole Station effort and was the first time that an offensive bombing mission on a foreign country had been launched from the United Kingdom since the Second World War.