No. 18 Squadron RAF

No. 18 Squadron RAF
Squadron badge
Active	11 May 1915 (1915-05-11) – present
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Type	Flying squadron
Role	Helicopter heavy-lift support
Part of	Joint Aviation Command
Home station	RAF Odiham
Motto(s)	Animo et fide (Latin for 'With courage and faith')[1]
Aircraft	Boeing Chinook
Battle honours	Western Front (1915–1918)* Somme (1916)* Somme (1918)* Hindenburg Line (1918)* Lys (1918) France and Low Countries (1939–1940) Invasion Ports (1940)* Fortress Europe (1941–1944) Channel & North Sea (1940–1941)* Egypt and Libya (1942) North Africa (1942–1943)* Mediterranean (1943) Sicily (1943) Salerno South East Europe (1943–1944) Italy (1943–1945)* Gothic Line South Atlantic (1982)* Gulf (1991) Afghanistan (2001–2014)* Iraq (2003–2011) * Honours marked with an asterisk may be emblazoned on the Squadron Standard
Insignia
Squadron badge heraldry	Pegasus rampant, commemorating the squadron's co-operation with the Cavalry Corps on the Somme during the First World War. Approved by King Edward VIII in May 1936.

No. 18 Squadron of the Royal Air Force (also known as No. 18 'Burma' Squadron^[2][3]) operates the Boeing Chinook from RAF Odiham. Owing to its heritage as a bomber squadron, it is also known as No. 18 (B) Squadron.

Formed in 1915 as a fighter squadron, it also operated early bomber types. After reforming in 1931 it again operated a variety of bi-plane bombers before seeing action during WWII on a number of fronts with the Bristol Blenheim. Reformed again in 1953 it went on to operate jet bombers such as the Canberra and Valiant. In 1964 it started flying helicopters, firstly with the Wessex, and from 1981 with the Chinook heavy-lift helicopter.