Just before Christmas 1962, it was confirmed that 43 Squadron would move from Nicosia in Cyprus to Aden on 1 March 1963 on a permanent basis. The squadron continued with its training and exercise programme through January 1963 but by February the amount of flying reduced considerably as preparations were made for the move to Khormaksar. In addition to making all aircraft up to the same modification level, and serviceable, personnel were kept busy packing and returning equipment and carrying out the many other tasks inherent with a major move.
A farewell parade was held on 22 February at which the AOC-in-C, NEAF, Air Chief Marshal Sir Dennis Barnett took the salute and numerous farewell functions were held for personnel on the Squadron. In order to make the move as smooth as possible, a landing ship was made available to transport equipment, heavy personal baggage and private cars from Cyprus to Aden.
And so, on 1 March 1963, 43 Squadron came under the command of the MEAF and changed its operating base from Nicosia to Khormaksar. All ten Hunter FGA.9s and the solitary T.7, supported by a 70 Squadron Hastings, left Nicosia on the morning of the first and, after staging through El Adem and Khartoum, arrived at Khormaksar in the evening of the second. For the next few days detailed briefings were given to the Squadron on subjects such as operations, local politics, weather, Air Traffic procedures, desert and mountain flying, etc. To brief the Squadron aircraft inventory up to full strength of twelve, Fg Offs Brown and Gill were dispatched to the UK to collect to refurbished FGA.9s.
Five days after arriving in Aden, 43 Squadron undertook it first operational flying in the Beihan area, the objectives of which were to ‘show the flag’ to the Yemen by indicating that it was ready for trouble should it be thrust upon it and secondly, to prevent and destroy Yemen-based aircraft carrying out hostile acts such as bombing and strafing in the Protectorate. As it was necessary to remain in contact with the GCI station at Nequb during these sorties, the number two aircraft on these patrols flew at 15,000 feet, keeping visual with the leader flying at 4,000 feet.
At the end of March, the Squadron Commander, Sqn Ldr P. Peacock, wrote that despite having only ten aircraft at its disposal, the Squadron had flown 264 hours in the Mark 9s which, when the disruption of the move is taken into consideration, was a commendable effort on account of the groundcrews. He went on to say that he hoped sufficient progress would be made to enable the Squadron to be fully operational within three months.
The pattern continued into April with three more PR Canberra escort duties being the only operational sorties flown during the month. The readiness state for the Beihan patrol was reduced to one pair of aircraft at one hour and a further pair at two hours readiness. The Beihan patrol commitment was shared with 8 Squadron on a weekly basis but none were needed. The Squadron was therefore able to devote much of its time to training consisting of cine-weave, high and low level for gunsight handling practice, leading to battle Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and combat sorties.
Rather interesting rules were imposed on the pilots in connection with their claims resulting from ‘dogfights’. As the maximum four-gun firing time was around seven seconds, that was the maximum amount of time the film was allowed to run. Any subsequent film, however good, was disallowed. Further rules were that the minimum time for a killing burst was two seconds, during which the tracking had to be steady and the ranging within 10%. These conditions led to not too few arguments, but the training value was excellent in that it taught pilots to fly and use ammunition efficiently and accurately.
With groundcrew strength too low for an operational Hunter Squadron, an intake of twenty airmen increased this to the requisite number of 75. On the flying side, however, the tally of fifteen pilots was four below that required and several of these were away on detachments or sick leave. Aircraft strength remained at ten, the continuing attempt to ferry two aircraft from the UK being abortive for technical reasons.
By May the Beihan state had reduced to one pair at two hours readiness and was shared with 208 Squadron which had returned from Bahrain. A new exercise had, however, taken place of the Beihan patrols and was named ‘Exercise Ranji’. This consisted of searching the coast 50 miles to the east and west of Aden for suspicious shipping movements. Apparently, a Soviet research ship had been observed very close to the Protectorate shore at the end of April. The requirement was for a coastline patrol to be made daily, this commitment being shared by the Hunters and Shackletons of Tactical Wing. During the month of May, no suspicious shipping was spotted.
To bring pilot skills up to operational level, a new training phase was introduced, consisting of low level strikes into the interior of the WAP. Target information and photographs were especially taken by Flt Lt Grimshaw of 1417 Flight and comprised a variety of target types.
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A high degree of accuracy was achieved and only rarely was a target missed. The sorties, initially in pairs and then fours, were flown throughout at 250 feet and at 420 knots.
The only operational flying in June comprised six Ranji sorties with just one suspicious shipping movement being reported. The Squadron also received orders to go to Bahrain on the 20th and relieve 8 Squadron on the two-month detachment. It was intended that the strike phase of the training should be finished in the first week of the month, followed by a week of firing and a week preparing the aircraft and supporting services for the move. Unfortunately a defect was discovered in the Hunter aileron which caused flying restrictions to be put on aircraft performance, limiting the type of flying which could be carried out. The flying restrictions were 420 knots IAS, no air to ground flying and the guns not to be fired. The restrictions were expected to be lifted in early July when all aircraft would have been modified.
On the 13th, all pilots were assembled in the hangar to be refreshed on the turnround procedure on the Hunter as the plan was to simulate an emergency move to Bahrain without the assistance of groundcrew. This plan bore fruit as on arrival at Bahrain, the pilots took off the outer drop tanks, repacked the tail parachutes, completed the turnround and took off for a recce sortie within 60 minutes of landing.
At the conclusion of its detachment, the Squadron returned to Khormaksar on 23 August and was spread over three days, half the Hunters flying back on the 22nd and the remainder on the 23rd. The groundcrew and equipment flew back on the 24th in a Britannia. Once back, with the exception of a singleton flagwave, there was no requirement for the squadron to be used in an operational role. The flying task was therefore devoted to training, priority being given to the newly arrived pilots in order to get them operational as soon as possible. On the 28th, the Squadron was placed on a two-hour readiness state consisting of two aircraft to be ready for any eventuality, the responsibility being shared with 8 Squadron on a weekly basis. Fg Off Roger Wilkins, whose page on this website can be viewed via this link Roger Wilkins, is noted as having been posted in during the Bahrain detachment.
The Squadron continued to operated from Khormaksar until 24 September when it was detached to Nairobi. Until then, flying consisted of sector recces, battle formation and combat, live firing at splash targets towed by HMS Victorious and Operation Ranji. On the 23rd, a change in the operational readiness state was order by Command HQ, requiring a pair of aircraft to be at 30 minutes readiness. This meant that two pilots and an authorising officer had to be in the squadron buildings from dawn to dusk every day. During working hours this posed no problem, but after duty, three officers were obliged to remain at the squadron. There was no problem from a ground crew perspective as a split shift system was in operation.
The main purpose of the Kenya detachment was to provide a 15-minute flying display at the Royal Show on 6 October. From 24 August until the end of the month, practices were flown daily. Co-ordinated aerobatics were flown by Flt Lts Gold and Stoker, a box formation by Sqn Ldr Peacock, Fg Off Law and Flt Lts Doggett and Edwards, and slow and fast passes by Flt Lts Chapman and Osborne. At the end of September, the Squadron put up a 9-ship formation flypast for the departure of the AOC from Eastleigh.
Having completed its public relations detachment, the Squadron moved back to Khormaksar on 6 October and the routine of cine-weaves, air-to-ground firing, Operation Ranji, flagwaves and battle formation practices. The ‘Battle Flight’ was scrambled on the 18th to identify a trace tracked by the radar station at Mukeiras, the operators having seen the aircraft cross the border from the Yemen into the Protectorate. It came so close that it was visually identified as a twin-engined jet, probably a Beagle. By the time the Hunters reached the area, it had crossed back over the border and permission to chase it was refused.
Having commanded 43 Squadron for 2½ years, Sqn Ldr Peacock handed over to the new OC, Sqn Ldr Phil Champniss, on his return from the Nairobi detachment. Phil has many interesting tales to tell of his time in Aden and these can be read on his page by clicking on this link Phil Champniss. One of his first comments was that, due to the poor serviceability of the T.7s, as a new Squadron Commander he found it frustrating to be unable to fly with any of his pilots due to the lack of a dual-seat aircraft. Supervision was thus based on second-hand opinion which was not a good thing.
Into November and the pattern continued much the same as for the previous month. On the 13th, as strike phase of the training began. This normally involved four Hunters flying either a continuous low-level or high-level route to the target. The targets were varied and were subjected to dummy attacks. From the 25th of the month, the target was Khormaksar range which was attacked on the first pass with six rockets per aircraft and on the second by each aircraft firing four guns with 30 rounds in each. Encouragingly, the good scores achieved at the end of October were maintained.
On the 29th, RAF Khormaksar held an Open Day with a flying display, 43 Squadron’s contribution being five of the nine pilots for the Hunter Wing formation display; Sqn Ldr Champniss, Flt Lts Doggett and Stoker, and Fg Offs Hill and Law. Flt Lts Golds and Stoker also performed a series of synchronised aerobatics, similar to those flown in Kenya the previous month.
December turned out to be the busiest operational period for the Squadron since its arrival in Aden. On the 2nd, an IL-14 Crate of the Yemeni Air Force crossed the border into the Protectorate and inadvertently landed at Lawdar, some 90 miles from Aden. Because of this and a further penetration by a pair of Yak-11 Moose aircraft into the Beihan area, the Squadron was tasked with carrying out all the border patrols, practice interceptions and other types of mission. With 208 Squadron in Kenya and 8 Squadron in Bahrain, 43 Squadron was the sole Hunter unit in Aden and was maintained in a continual alert state from 3 to 18 December. A shortage of pilots at the beginning of the month due to promotional exams, was overcome by utilising pilots from 1417 Flight and the Tactical Wing Commander. In total, including Operation Ranji, a commendable 92 operational sorties were flown during the month.
Flying ceased over the Christmas period in preparation for the move to Bahrain, the first five aircraft flying up to Muharraq on the 30th followed by four more on the 31st, with two more joining them in early January. The groundcrew and remaining officers were flown to Muharraq by Beverley and Argosy on the 30th. Squadron strength at year end was 19 Officers including the EO and 72 airmen.
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