About
No. 22 Squadron was formed at Fort Grange, Gosport, on 1 September 1915 and departed for France seven months later with twelve FE2B two-seat pusher biplanes. These outdated aircraft were used for a year on reconnaissance tasks before they transferred to a fighter unit with Bristol Fighters. The Squadron moved to Germany after the War as part of the Army of Occupation and returned to the UK in August 1919 prior to disbanding at the end of the year.
The Squadron reformed in 1923 to test every new aircraft, civilian and military, produced by the British aviation industry and as well as every foreign design to be used by the RAF. Throughout WWII, the Squadron conducted mine-laying sorties and torpedo operations, where numerous individuals were commended for their brave actions, some posthumously.
In 1955, the Squadron began its long association with helicopters, first being equipped with Whirlwinds in the search and rescue role. No. 22 Squadron performed the search and rescue role with Sycamore, Whirlwind, Wessex and finally Sea King helicopters before disbanding in 2015 having conducted over 10,000 life-saving sorties.
In May 2020, the Squadron re-formed at RAF Benson as the Operational Evaluation Unit of the Joint Helicopter Command under the Air Warfare Branch. They are responsible for testing all new equipment to be used on eight helicopter types used across the three Services.
