UK Ministry of Defence, A ceremony held at RNAS Yeovilton on Tuesday 28 March 2006 has marked the withdrawal from service of the Royal Navy's famous Sea Harrier FA2 Jump-Jets.
The ceremony, which included a military parade and a flypast by the Sea Harriers of 801 Naval Air Squadron, the third and final Sea Harrier squadron to be de-commissioned at RNAS Yeovilton, was a hugely significant event for the Royal Navy, and particularly for RNAS Yeovilton.
The Second Sea Lord, Vice Admiral Adrian Johns CBE ADC RN, was guest of honour at the the de-commissioning ceremony, part of the migration process towards the Joint Force Harrier. The ceremony also marks the end of an historic association with the Sea Harrier which has lasted 26 years. During this period the Royal Navy's Jump-Jets made a considerable contribution to world events, notably during the Falklands campaign and more recently during the first Gulf War, the Balkans and Sierra Leone.
Following the de-commissioning of 801 NAS at Yeovilton, 800 Naval Air Squadron will re-commission at RAF Cottesmore, equipped with the GR7 version of the Harrier. In October 2006, 801 NAS will reform, also using the GR7. Throughout 2006, Royal Navy fixed wing pilots will migrate further, onto the GR9 Harrier and ultimately onto the Joint Combat Aircraft, which will begin the next generation of aircraft carriers
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