"Leads the field"
12 Squadron is based at RAF Coningsby. Aircraft flown include the Fairey Fox, Vickers Wellington, English Electric Canberra, Blackburn Buccaneer and Panavia Tornado. Flew long-range Storm Shadow missions deep into Libya from RAF Marham in 2011. Stood up as a joint UK-Qatari Typhoon squadron in July 2018.
1915 Formed at Netheravon.
1926 Sole operator of the Fairey Fox.
1940 Flying Officer Garland and Sergeant Gray were awarded Victoria Crosses for a Fairey Battle raid on the Maastricht bridge over the Albert Canal. The unit soon re-equipped with the Vickers Wellington.
1942 Re-equipped with the Lancaster.
1951 Re-equipped with the Canberra and then with the Vulcan, in 1962.
1969 Switched to maritime and strike operations with the Buccaneer.
1991 Flew the Buccaneer in Operation Granby, the 1991 Gulf War.
1993 Re-equipped with the Tornado GR1B.
1998 Took part in Operation Desert Fox over Iraq.
2003 Took part in Operation Telic over Iraq with the Tornado GR4.
2010 First Tornado unit in Afghanistan.
2011 Took part in Operation Ellamy, including Storm Shadow missions from RAF Marham.
2014 Stood down.
2015 Re-formed to support Operation Shader.
2018 Stood down in February and re-formed as a joint Typhoon unit in July.
2020 Began joint operations at RAF Coningsby.
1915-1918 Western Front
Loos*
1916 Somme
Arras
1917* Cambrai
1918* Somme
Hindenburg Line
1939-1940* France and Low Countries
Meuse Bridges*
1940-1944 Fortress Europe
1941-1945 German Ports
1940-1945 Biscay Ports
1941-1945* Berlin
1941-1945* Ruhr
1944-1945 France and Germany
Rhine*
1991* Gulf
2003-2011 Iraq
2001-2014 Afghanistan
Honours marked with an asterisk, may be emblazoned on the Squadron Standard.
Please contact the home station Media Communications team for more information or to contact the Squadron
Media enquiries details for RAF Coningsby 
