No. 1 Group RAF


No. 1 Group, Royal Air Force is one of the force's five groups. In the mid-2020s, the group is referred to as the Air Combat Group, as it controls the RAF's combat fast-jet aircraft and has airfields in the UK, as well as RAF Support Unit Goose Bay at CFB Goose Bay in Canada. The group headquarters is at RAF High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. The other operational group is No. 2 Group RAF.
The current Air Officer Commanding No 1 Group is Air Vice-Marshal Mark Jackson, who took up the post in March 2025.

History

First World War

No. 1 Group was originally formed on Saturday 1 April 1918 in No. 1 Area, which was renamed the South-Eastern Area on 8 May 1918, Southern Area on 20 September 1919 and Inland Area on 1 April 1920.
The Group was renumbered as No. 6 Group on 19 May 1924 at RAF Kenley, and was reformed on the same day at RAF Kidbrooke. Two years later on 12 April 1926 the Group disappeared from the order of battle by being renumbered as No. 21 Group.
The next year the Group was reformed on 25 August 1927 by the renaming of Air Defence Group. This designation lasted until 1936 when it became No. 6 Group again. As in 1924 the Group was reformed the same day, this time as a bomber formation.
By this time the Group had shrunk to ten squadrons, all equipped with Fairey Battle aircraft and located in pairs at RAF Abingdon, RAF Harwell, RAF Benson, RAF Boscombe Down and RAF Bicester.

Second World War

On receipt of orders to move to France in 1939, Headquarters No. 1 Group became Headquarters Advanced Air Striking Force and the station headquarters and associated squadrons became Nos. 71, 72, 74, 75 and 76 Wings respectively. The Group re-emerged a few days later within Bomber Command on 12 September, but only lasted just over three months, being dropped on 22 December 1939.
It was reformed at Hucknall in Nottinghamshire on 22 June 1940. On 20 July the Group Headquarters moved to Bawtry Hall near Doncaster, where it was based for 44 years, until 1983. During the Second World War, the Group was primarily based at airfields in north Lincolnshire, like RAF Swinderby.
During 1940–45, the group included substantial numbers of Polish and Royal Australian Air Force personnel. By the beginning of March 1943, the aircraft operated by its squadrons were:
All of the Wellington squadrons subsequently converted to Lancasters. No. 1 Group was later augmented with other units, including 304 Polish Squadron.
During Bomber Command's Second World War campaign, No. 1 Group dropped a higher tonnage of bombs per aircraft than any other group, this was mainly due to Air Commodore Edward Rice who was determined to maximise bomb loads, though it was a policy which contributed in no small measure to No. 1 Group having higher than average losses. Rice would later be involved in the development of the Rose turret, sometimes known as the "Rose-Rice turret".

Battle of Normandy

Although No.1 Group wasn't directly involved in the Battle of Normandy, they did participate in the bombing of the shore and area. During this period, the group was organised as:

Cold War

By June 1948, 1 Group consisted of:
During the Cold War, No. 1 Group also operated the Thor ballistic missile between 1958 and August 1963, with ten squadrons each with three missiles being equipped with the weapon. 1 Group had two sets of five stations, centred respectively on Hemswell and RAF Driffield. When Bomber Command was subsumed into the new Strike Command on 1 April 1968, No. 1 Group took on the old role of the command, directing the bomber and strike aircraft of Strike Command.
On 17 November 1983, No. 38 Group RAF was subsumed within Headquarters No. 1 Group.
In around 1984, Headquarters No. 1 Group moved from RAF Bawtry in South Yorkshire to RAF Upavon in Wiltshire. No. 207 Squadron RAF, part of 1 Group flying Devons from RAF Northolt alongside No. 32 Squadron RAF, was disbanded on retirement of the remaining Devons on 30 June 1984.
After the end of the Cold War, RAF Germany was reduced in status to become No. 2 Group RAF. 2 Group was then disbanded by being absorbed into No. 1 Group on 1 April 1996. 2 Group was then reformed on 7 January 2000, splitting out of 1 Group. 1 Group transferred over the RAF's air transport, air-to-air refuelling and airborne early warning functions.

Post 2000

In January 2000 the RAF was restructured and the Group took on its present role. The Group is responsible for UK air defence operations through QRA North at RAF Lossiemouth and QRA South at RAF Coningsby. However, since the disestablishment of Combined Air Operations Centre 9 at RAF High Wycombe, actual control of the fighters is now carried out from a NATO Combined Air Operations Centre in Denmark, CAOC 1 at Finderup. However, High Wycombe retains an air defence direction capability, and the UK Representative there could take back control over QRA South if it was necessary to respond to a terrorist threat from the air. No. 1 Group also has responsibility for the UK's Carrier Strike capability, with the joint RN/RAF Lightning Force, eventually planned to consist of two squadrons from the RAF and two from the Fleet Air Arm, which will be based at RAF Marham when not operating from the UK's.
The Defence Reform Report of 2011 heralded more trimming of the Armed Forces' command superstructure. Following the Levene Report's publication, in 2012-2013, the post of Commander-in-Chief, RAF Air Command, the last of the RAF's major command (military formation)s, was abolished/discontinued. The move of the Chief of the Air Staff's office from MOD Main Building to High Wycombe effectively meant the disbandment of Air Command. The function of Air Command slid into the role of the three-star Air and Space Commander, who now supervises the groups.

Component units

As of November 2025, No. 1 Group comprises the following elements and units. Unless indicated otherwise, subordinate units are located at the same location as the unit they report to.

Air and Space Warfare Centre

The Air and Space Warfare Centre is based at RAF Waddington and provides advice to support current and future RAF operations, including in relation to electronic-warfare, cyber and information environments. It comprises the following units:

Air Mobility Force

The Air Mobility Force is based at RAF Brize Norton and provides the RAF's airlift capability in support of overseas operations and exercises, as well as air-to-air refuelling for fast jets, both on operations and in support of UK homeland defence. It comprises the following units:

Combat Air Force

The Combat Air Force generates, operates and sustains combat air power in all tasked roles and environments to defend the UK and its interests globally. It also defends UK sovereign airspace 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year. It comprises the following units:

ISTAR Force

The Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance Force delivers near-real time information and intelligence in air and maritime domains. It comprises the following units:

Heritage

The group's badge features a black panther's head, erased. The badge was authorised in 1941 and the panther's head reflected the fact that Panther was the group's callsign in the early part of the Second World War.
The group's motto is Swift to attack.

Air Officer Commanding

Air Officers Commanding have included: