RAF 47 Squadron - Special Forces Flight

Flying Hercules C.1, C.3a and C.5 transport aircraft, 47 Squadron's Special Forces flight fly airlift and re-supply operations for UKSF, often carrying out missions deep into enemy territory.

47 Squadron Roles

Primary roles of the squadron are:

• Air drop of UKSF parachutists at high, medium and low level
• Air drop of supplies to forces in the field
• Resupply/delivery/casevac/recovery of ground units
  (often via ad hoc airstrips)
• Tactical Air Landing Operations (TALO)
  (siezing airfields by flying UKSF/Paras/RAF Regiment directly onto the runways

Other roles may include:

• acting as ALARPs (Air Land Refuel Points)
  (in which C-130s configured with additional fuel tanks can refuel other aircraft, such as SF flight Chinooks on the ground, sometimes even behind enemy lines)
• SIGINT (Radio Signals Intelligence)
• ELINT (Electronic Signals Intelligence)
• Relaying Voice/Video data for UKSF on the ground

47 Sqn missions often involve flying extremely low and at night to evade detection.

47 Squadron Operations

During the Falklands conflict of 1982, 47 Sqn airlifted supplies to Ascension island and later, air dropped men and supplies directly into the South Atlantic. To make the trip from Ascension to the Falklands, several Hercules were given additional fuel tanks and fitted with refueling probes. 47 Sqn also prepared to fly the SAS to Argentina for the aborted Operation Mikado

47 Sqn SF Flight were heavily involved in the 1991 Gulf War. Aside from regular airlift missions, SF Hercules flew dangerous missions behind Iraqi lines, landing on ad hoc desert air strips to resupply SAS fighting columns.

SF Hercs supported UN and NATO operations in the Balkans in the nineties, delivering aid to several besieged cities.

In 2000, 47 Squadron flew aid to war-torn Sierra Leone.

47 Sqn Hercules have been supporting UKSF operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

RAF Special Forces pilots are often ex-fighter pilots and pride themselves on being able to land their C130s anywhere - like this dirt strip.

read more on the C-130K Hercules (c.1 / c.3)

read more on the C-130J Hercules (c.4 / c.5)

47 Sqn Losses

June 1999 - during NATO operations in Kosovo, a Sqn 47 C.1 Hercules crashed on take off from Kukes airbase in Albania. The SF Hercules was reportedly carrying a number of SAS troops on an urgent mission to reach Pristina Airport before a column of Russian forces arrived. All aboard survived the crash which was caused by a shifting load in the cargo hold.

January 2005 - A Hercules from 47 Squadron was shot down over Iraq whilst supporting the Special Air Service.. The SF C-130 was reportedly flying low in order to scout out potential landing sites for use as emergency evacuation strips for the SAS forces operating on the ground. The low-flying hercules was hit by enemy fire from the ground which caused a fire to break out onboard which led to structural failure and the eventual crash. Lack of an automatic foam-based fire suppression system, fitted as standard on other country's C-130s, is believed by many to have contributed to the incident.
Special Forces Hercules - Shoot-Down Inquest Underway
(elite uk forces news item)
Special forces downed by rocket ambush
(times online report)

May 2006 - A SF Hercules operated by 47 Sqn crash-landed on a desert air strip in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. The plane reportedly hit a mine upon landing and burst into flames. The crew and passengers, which included the British Ambassador to Afghanistan and a number of SAS troops, managed to to escape the fire but the C-130, 2 SAS 4x4 vehicles and a large quanitiy of cash was destroyed.
£1m goes up in flames on Hercules
(wiltshire times report)

February 2007 - One of 47 Squadron's C.5 (C-130J) aircraft was damaged by an IED as it landed on a remote desert air strip in Maysan province, Iraq. British troops were later to destroy the plane on the ground. The flight was part of re-supply efforts in support of British operations along the border with Iran.
Insurgent booby-trap blasts RAF Hercules at Iraqi airstrip
(the herald report)

September 2007 - a RAF Special Forces Hercules crash-landed at an ad hoc airstrip in Afghanistan whilst supporting a UKSF operation. As it was not possible to repair or recover the plane, all sensitive equipment was removed before Royal Engineers blew it up.
£50 Million Hercules Blown Up

RAF 47 Squadron Info motto : "Nili nomen roboris omen" (The name of the Nile is an omen of our strength) based at : RAF Lyneham aircraft : Hercules C.1 / C.3a / C.5

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