No. 120 Squadron RAF


Number 120 Squadron or No. CXX Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Air Force which was established as a Royal Flying Corps unit late in World War I, disbanded a year after the end of the war, then re-established as a RAF Coastal Command squadron during World War II. Although disbanded again a month after Victory in Europe Day, during and after World War II it operated almost continuously, with maritime patrol aircraft; most recently with the Hawker Siddeley Nimrod, based at RAF Kinloss in Scotland until the type's withdrawal in March 2010. The squadron was disbanded again the following year. No. 120 Squadron stood up again in April 2018 at RAF Lossiemouth and became the first squadron to be equipped with the Boeing Poseidon MRA1 anti-submarine warfare aircraft on 31 October 2019.

History

Formation in First World War

No. 120 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps was formed at Cramlington on 1 January 1918, as a day bomber unit and was planned to be equipped with Airco DH.9. The First World War ended before it became operational, as the DH.9s were not delivered until October 1918, so No. 120 Squadron spent late 1918 and 1919 flying communication and mail flights in Western Europe until it was disbanded late in 1919.

Second World War

Reformed as part of Coastal Command in Northern Ireland in 1941 at RAF Nutts Corner, the unit was equipped with the Consolidated Liberator, flying against the U-boat threat in the war in the North Atlantic. The squadron received the first Mark I Liberators in June and began flying nine of them in September from bases in Aldergrove, Northern Ireland and Reykjavik, Iceland. The number of Liberators in September 1942 had increased to six Mark I, two Mark II, and three Mark III. No. 120 Squadron remained the only Coastal Command squadron flying VLR Liberators in February 1943 with five Mark I and twelve Mark III.
The squadron was very successful in this role, sinking 14 U-boats outright; and was credited with a share in sinking three more, plus eight damaged. This was the highest kill total in Coastal Command, achieved while flying from Northern Ireland, Iceland, and in support of Operation Overlord – the Allied invasion of France in 1944.
After the war against Nazi Germany ended in May 1945, the squadron was disbanded on 4 June 1945 at RAF Ballykelly.

Immediate post-war

The squadron was re-established on 1 October 1946, by renumbering No. 160 Squadron at RAF Leuchars. It was equipped with Avro Lancaster GR.3s, although some Liberators remained on strength until June 1947. A detachment of the squadron moved to Palestine in November 1947, where it carried out searches for illegal immigrant ships until February 1948, when it returned to Britain.

Cold War and beyond

The squadron re-equipped with Avro Shackleton MR.1s in April 1951. The squadron began operating from its new base RAF Kinloss on 1 April 1959. It continued operating the MR.2 and MR.3 versions of the Shackleton in the maritime patrol role until February 1971, when it re-equipped with Hawker Siddeley Nimrods, gaining the updated Nimrod MR.2 in 1981. It flew operationally in the Falklands War in 1982 and the Gulf War in 1991. On 31 March 2010, the Nimrod MR.2 was withdrawn from service, and the squadron formally disbanded on 26 May 2011.
In July 2017, it was announced that No. 120 Squadron would be the first RAF squadron to fly the P-8A Poseidon, based at RAF Lossiemouth. The first Poseidon MRA1 was delivered to the squadron at NAS Jacksonville, Florida, on 31 October 2019. ZP801, now named Pride of Moray, flew into Kinloss Barracks on 4 February 2020. The aircraft will operate from the base until facilities at RAF Lossiemouth are completed later in 2020.

Aircraft operated