By mbartels
On August 26, 1940, German Dornier Do-17Zs of Kampfgeschwader 3 on a mission to bomb British airfields at Hornchurch and Debden were attacked by Boulton-Paul Defiants of No. 264 Squadron, Royal Air Force. Escorting Messerschmitt Me-109Es came to their aid, …
Source: FULL ARTICLE at History Net
Anti-war protesters are demonstrating outside a Royal Air Force base used to control drone flights over Afghanistan.
Until this week, British drones were operated only from a U.S. Air Force base in Nevada.
The Ministry of Defense announced Thursday that a new drone-operating squadron had begun operating from RAF Waddington in eastern England.
The ministry says the Reaper drones are used for “intelligence and surveillance missions,” but also are equipped with missiles and bombs.
Opponents who are marching Saturday say drones make it too easy to launch deadly attacks from a distance and out of public sight.
The defense ministry says drone operators “adhere strictly to the same laws of armed conflict and are bound by the same clearly defined rules of engagement” as other RAF pilots.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
By hnn
LONDON — A horse-drawn gun carriage bore the coffin of Margaret Thatcher to St. Paul’s Cathedral on Wednesday for a ceremonial funeral that divided British opinion, much as the former prime minister known as the Iron Lady stirred deep and conflicting emotions during her lifetime and, in death, triggered an equally passionate debate over her legacy.
With hymns and prayers and biblical readings, dignitaries from around the world and from Britain’s political elite gathered in the cathedral for a service regarded as austere and devout reflecting her Methodist upbringing as bells pealed over the city and a gun salute boomed from the Tower of London.
Some 700 military personnel from three services — the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force — lined the streets, including guards in scarlet tunics and distinctive black bearskin hats on the 24 cathedral steps as the gun carriage processed along Fleet Street and Ludgate Hill from the church of St. Clement Danes in a closely scripted display of ceremonial precision honed over centuries….
From: http://hnn.us/articles/thatcher-funeral-draws-dignitaries-and-complaints
By Evann Gastaldo 
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Newser – Home
A private U.S. company is to take over the work of Britain’s military search-and-rescue helicopter service, whose pilots include Prince William.
The Department for Transport announced Tuesday that Houston, Texas-based, Bristow Group has won a 1.6 billion pound ($2.4 billion) contract to operate the service, which for 70 years has been run by Royal Navy and Royal Air Force squadrons.
Bristow Managing Director Mike Imlach said the company would replace Britain’s aging Sea Kings with more advanced helicopters to provide a better service. But unions said they were concerned about the privatization.
Prince William flies a Sea King on rescue missions for the Royal Air Force.
His tour is due to end later this year, before the air force stops its search and rescue operations in 2016.
British officials say a Royal Air Force plane carrying cash is traveling to Cyprus to provide contingency funds for possible use by British military personnel and their families.
Officials said Tuesday the plane is bringing € 1 million ($1,289,000) that can be loaned to military personnel in case the Mediterranean island’s cash machines and debit cards stop working.
Cyprus‘ economy has been in turmoil since the harsh terms of a bank bailout were announced several days ago.
Police say an avalanche in the Scottish Highlands has killed two people and left a third in critical condition.
Emergency services responded to reports of an avalanche in the Cairngorm mountains that occurred around midday Thursday.
Police say a man and a woman who were airlifted from the Chalamain Gap area of the Cairngorms to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary have been pronounced dead.
Another man, who was flown to the same hospital, remained in critical condition, police added, saying the names and ages of the victims weren’t immediately available.
Mountain rescue teams participated in the search, along with search and rescue dogs and the Royal Air Force.
Avalanches are not unusual in the area.
Britain’s defense ministry says it is investigating allegations of sexual abuse of children at a former Royal Air Force base in Berlin.
The ministry said Friday the alleged offenses, which occurred between 1981 and 1989, involve a former RAF serviceman who was stationed in Berlin at the time and are being investigated by the RAF Police Special Investigations and Intelligence Branch.
Wing Commander Mike Dixon, who is overseeing the investigation, said in a statement that a man in his early 60s from the London area has been interviewed by RAF police.
The defense ministry urged individuals to come forward who served at, or had connections with, the ex-RAF base at Gatow during the 1980s and 1990s and might have information relating to the alleged offenses.