The Royal Air Force of Oman

The Royal Air Force of Oman is an important, capable and powerful regional air force. All info RAF UK

Over the past 50 years, the Royal Air Force of Oman has developed resources able to undertake a wide range of operations. That capability is grounded in a relationship with the Royal Air Force, which has supported its evolution based on a set of shared values, beliefs and mutual respect for their respective achievements.

Royal Air Force Operations in Oman, 1918-1939

The Royal Air Force has maintained a long-standing presence in many parts of Arabian Peninsula since its formation in 1918. 

During the First World War, the Royal Air Force and its predecessor, the Royal Flying Corps, operated throughout the Middle East. From 1918 to 1939, the Royal Air Force was engaged in operations throughout the British Empire, which included southern Arabia.

Air Control in the Arabian Peninsula

Air Control was an operational method used by the Royal Air Force to disrupt a community’s normal existence. Linked to a clear political strategy, air control was an effective means of reducing lawlessness. It did not always require force but rather just the threat of it. In 1932, the Royal Air Force used air control to support the Sultan when a local tribe refused to recognise the former’s jurisdiction. 

The First Air Bases in Oman

By 1935, the Royal Air Force had established a series of stocked landing grounds in Oman at Shinas, Umm Rasas on Masirah Island, Mirbat and Salalah. Both Masirah and Salalah would become the key Royal Air Force bases in Oman until 1977. Emergency landing grounds were established at Bayt al Falaj, Ras Al-Hadd and Khor Gharim.

Clearing for Bayt Al-Falaj (now the site of the Sultan’s Armed Forces Museum) in Muscat began in 1930. From 1935 onwards Nos. 55 and 84 Squadron, permanently based in Iraq, regularly sent detachments to landing grounds at Masirah and Khor Gharim. Gwadar, an Omani enclave on the north side of the Sea of Oman until 1958, acted as an important staging post in Imperial Airways routes between Cairo and Karachi. 

Sultan Taimur bin Faisal visits Hendon, 1928

On 11 October 1928, Sultan Taimur bin Faisal visited RAF Hendon as a guest of the British Government. Sultan Taimur attended a flying display staged in his honour. Although the weather was ‘bumpy’, more than a dozen RAF squadrons employing the latest aircraft types demonstrated formation flying, aerobatics and bombing attacks. The occasion was marred, however, by the death of the crew of a Fairey Fox from No. 12 Squadron, lost in a flying accident on the airfield.

The Dhofar War

In 1962, a rebellion broke out in Oman’s Dhofar region. With British help, the Sultan’s Armed Forces successfully defeated the rebellion by January 1976.

The 1960s and 1970s were a key turning point in the history of modern Oman. The accession of Sultan Qaboos in 1970 brought about far-reaching changes to Oman. 

Sultan Qaboos and the Modernisation of the Sultan of Oman’s Air Force

In parallel with reforming the country as a whole, Sultan Qaboos began a process of modernising of his armed forces. The air force was renamed the Sultan of Oman’s Air Force in 1970. This replicated the country’s name change from the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman to the Sultanate of Oman. This change was one part of successfully uniting the country. The Sultan of Oman’s Air Force received new equipment and new bases were built and modernised. 

Air Power during the Dhofar War

Air power played a crucial role during the Dhofar War. While control of the air was never a major concern, the Sultan of Oman’s Air Force was able conduct a full spectrum of operations that included attack, air mobility and reconnaissance. 

This enabled the Sultan of Oman’s Air Force to support ground forces combating the insurgency in the Dhofar region. Central to operations were the ‘Hearts and Minds’ methods employed by ground forces who could only reach isolated areas using aircraft and helicopters able to operate in rough environments. By the end of 1975, Sultan Qaboos was able to declare an end to operations in Dhofar, which occurred in January 1976. 

The Battle of Mirbat

The Battle of Mirbat in July 1972 is stark testimony to the important role played by air power in defeating the insurgency in Dhofar. Approximately 300 rebels attempted to capture the town from a small British and Omani garrison. The attack would undoubtedly have succeeded but for the timely and effective close air support provided by BAC Strikemasters and the reinforcement of the defenders by troops landed from helicopters by the Sultan of Oman’s Air Force. The rebel forces were beaten off with heavy losses and never recovered from the defeat, which is generally seen as marking the end of their campaign. 

The Growth of the Sultan of Oman’s Air Force

The combat air assets available to the Sultan of Oman’s Air Force gradually increased in the late-1960s and 1970s. In 1968, the first of 24 BAC Strikemaster 82/82A aircraft were purchased. During the 1970s, combat, transport and communication capabilities were all greatly enhanced. Modern transport aircraft and helicopters, such as the Shorts SC-7 Skyvan, were purchased. 

These machines proved invaluable in the difficult operating environment of Dhofar as well as providing valuable support to the civilian population. Doctors were regularly transported into rural areas to provide much needed care. During the 1970s, aircraft were operated by an integrated mix of contracted and seconded Royal Air Force loan service pilots, with a growing Omani cadre in other roles.

The Royal Air Force of Oman, 1990 to Today

The Sultan of Oman’s Air Force was formally renamed the Royal Air Force of Oman on 1 August 1990. This marked an important step in the Royal Air Force of Oman’s modernisation programme.In 1993, the Royal Air Force of Oman received BAE Hawks, which replaced its fleet of Hawker Hunters. In 2000, the Royal Air Force of Oman retired its ageing BAC Strikemasters while in 2005 the Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon came into service. 

The Royal Air Force of Oman has not ignored its role in supporting Oman’s civilian population in a challenging geographical environment. Many of its aircraft, such as its helicopter and transport fleets, have been purchased for their ability to cope with the country’s geography. The Royal Air Force of Oman also significantly invests in its people as the service recognises that to be agile and adaptable it must have the best trained and professional officers and personnel possible. 

Since signing a Treaty of Friendship in 1798, Great Britain and Oman have enjoyed a close and fruitful relationship that endures to this day.

This broader relationship is reflected by the close professional co-operation that has developed between the Royal Air Force and the Royal Air Force of Oman. This exhibition, curated by the Royal Air Force Museum with the support of the Archives Division of the Royal Air Force of Oman, reveals the story of this ‘enduring relationship’. 

This exhibition details the various roles the Royal Air Force, the Royal Air Force of Oman and British industry have played in creating and developing this partnership, which continues to develop into the 21st Century through close personal ties and a shared history. 

• Collections

In 2006, the Royal Air Force of Oman took an important step in preserving its own history and heritage when it formed its own archive. The section’s mission is to preserve and conserve historically important documents, photographs, videos, uniforms and other ephemera for use by researchers. The section also evaluates the historical significance of all closed Royal Air Force of Oman files and decides whether to preserve or destroy them. To date more than two million pictures and two thousand films have been preserved