In reality, the events are far too complex too separate – with even the situation in Northern Ireland having occasional Soviet involvement. We have the choice of defining Cold War operations in one of three ways: those that relate directly to Soviet deterrence those that centre on opposition to Communist expansion or all military actions within the years 1947-1991. Often brutal and ineffective, the aerial warfare responses to these insurgent wars, were often far removed from the large-scale conventional warfare that made up the bulk of the RAF’s World War II experience. Though nominally a posture against Soviet expansion, almost all of the actual wars of this time had a colonial dimension. But as we dug deeper into the subject, a surprising, and often extremely dark, story emerged.Īcross the two decades from 1947, British subject nations sought and fought for independence. Throughout the Cold War, in the period 1947-1991, the RAF would operate some of the most awe-inspiring military aircraft ever built.Īssembling a Top 10 of Britain’s remarkable Cold War aircraft seemed like an easy task, celebrating some well-known, beloved and extremely exciting aeroplanes. The Royal Air Force was a vast armada equipped with the most advanced combat aircraft in the world.
Though battered and exhausted from World War II, the nation still had a huge extremely powerful military. On January 8 , the High Explosive Research project was approved, to develop an atomic bomb.
At the start of the Cold War, in 1947, the British Empire was disintegrating and much of its cities were in ruins.