The year 2013 marks the 95th Anniversary of the world’s oldest independent air force – the Royal Air Force. Throughout the Service’s proud history we have been at the forefront of world-changing advances in aviation science and technology, and have aspired to develop an innovative mind-set in our airmen and women. As I look forward I am keen to reinforce this mindset, as people are not only at the heart of our capability, they are also central to the development of our future capabilities and, indeed, critical to defining how we will fight in the future in the defence of the United Kingdom and our interests abroad. The brave airmen of No. 617 Squadron who took part in the historic raids on the Ruhr Valley dams 70 years ago demonstrated vividly the Royal Air Force’s innovation. While Barnes Wallis’s bouncing bomb exemplified an ingenious solution to a wartime problem, the airmen of No. 617 Sqn still had to develop a way to deliver this innovative weapon with precision effect. They were, of course, successful, earning ‘The Dambusters’ label in the process, but in addition to raw courage, this daring operation required complex planning, ingenuity and flawless airmanship – all of which involved Royal Air Force personnel pushing the perceived technological boundaries of their equipment.
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