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Aviation History
1960
1960 - 0274.PDF
274 FLIGHT, 26 February I960 Against a background ol stormy skies, typical 0/ many Middle East situa- tions, a Canberra B.2 of No 5 Sqn, Royal Rhodesicn Air Force, touches down nt RAF Akrotiri during a MEAF detachment by the squadron The RAF's Oldest Oversea Command By NORMAN MACMILLAN MIDDLE EAST AIR FORCE THE Middle East is the oldest oversea command in the RAF.It came into being in the middle of the First World War andhas continued ever since. At the end of the Second World War its geographical area reached its maximum, extending fromMalta to Mauripur and Kurdistan to Kenya. But it has suffered many vicissitudes, not least when Sir Winston Churchill agreedto withdrawal from the canal bases, and again when Mr Sandys decided to separate Aden from it. I believe it might be true tosay that not every high-ranking RAF officer endorsed the splitting- up of the air forces in the area which includes Cyprus, Aden andKenya into their present organization. MEAF is a relatively small command today. Like FEAF it isself-contained, but can be reinforced far more rapidly from the UK. Its strategic situation is therefore somewhat different fromthat of FEAF. Episkopi in Cyprus is the headquarters of MEAF. It is a smallplace high on the tall cliffs that rise on the south coast of the island. When I visited the headquarters I found them verypleasant, with new buildings, containing offices extremely well lighted by large windows. The changed and changing situation in the Middle East con-stantly confronts MEAF with new problems, needing an agile mind in command if efficiency is to be maintained to meet anyemergency in the surrounding uncertain lands. In swift succession MEAF has witnessed the establishment of a republic in Egyptand its union with Syria to form the UAR; the Anglo-French attack on Egypt; the Cyprian terror of EOKA; the murder ofFaisal in Iraq and the setting-up of a new regime there. No other air command has had to be so constantly on guard against suchperils. It is a tribute to MEAF that these have been surmounted with the Command intact, although operating within a smallerperimeter of activity. With RAF withdrawal from Habbaniya, the airfields underMEAF control were reduced to three—Akrotiri and Nicosia in Cyprus and El Adem in Cyrenaica. This is the difficulty currentlyfaced by this Command. The flexibility and power of dispersal of its Canberra hitting force are gravely affected by the present situa-tion in the Middle East. Its flying routes both southward and eastward have been thrust far off direct-line flight planning, thusadding to the mileage between stops—so involving either a reduc- tion of load in order to carry more fuel, or a reduction in formerstage-length wherever that may be possible. Transport Command and charter aircraft of Hunting-Clan aidMEAF. Comet 2s may be used for casualty evacuation to the UK. The Command also has its own self-contained transportand communication units. The sea area within the responsibility of MEAF is now comparatively small and maritime reconaissancefrom Cyprus has been carried out by detachments of Shackletons from Malta and RN Gannets; additionally, the Command's trans-port squadron keeps one Hastings on permanent standby for sea- air and land-air rescue. There is a flight corridor for aircraft routed to Cyprus. Thosecontravening it have been liable to interception by day or night, by fighters equipped with AI radar. Most of the contraveningaircraft have been on the civil register. A corridor to insular Cyprus is relatively easy to follow, but overthe wild lands of Anatolian Turkey, Northern Iraq, Syria and Iran such corridor-flying is not so simple, especially in badweather. Anyone who has flown over these tangled frontiers knows how slight is the visible distinction between one zone ofsovereignty and another. It is easy enough to draw these frontiers on a map and apply distinctive colours, but nature has not donethis on the ground. In times of special tension, therefore, it may be necessary to alter flight plans to ensure that routes lie well withinthe frontiers of States permitting passage. I have overflown the area when the flight plan has had to be changed at the shortestnotice to take a route deeper into friendly lands. When clouds envelop the region over which these loosely defined frontiers liethe risk of navigational error is increased. The functions of MEAF in connection with UK membershipof the Central Treaty Organization (which replaced the Bagdad Pact after the Iraq revolution), necessarily involve the commandin lines of communication with both member and other States. Its transport aircraft fly not only to Iran but to Malta, Cyrenaica,Bahrein, Aden, Kenya. Routes and schedules vary with changing requirements within the Command and outside it. Hastings air-craft are used, having taken over from Valettas which in turn replaced Dakotas. The Hastings is a sturdy workhorse with amagnificent safety record. In addition to their normal scheduled transport runs, the aircraftare ready for any special tasks they may be called upon to perform. Air Marshal Sir William MacDonald (right), C-in-C of the Middle East Air Force, receiving from Air Cdre C. B. E. Burt-Andrews, com- mandant of the Pakistan Air Force Staff College, a repre- sentation of the PAF badge, to commemor- ate a visit to MEAF last year by college staff and students
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