No. 9 Squadron RAF
| No. IX (B) Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
| Active |
|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Air Force |
| Type | Flying squadron |
| Role | |
| Part of | No. 1 Group (Air Combat) |
| Station | RAF Lossiemouth |
| Motto(s) | Per noctem volamus (Latin for 'We fly through the night') |
| Equipment | Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Wing Commander Richard Leask |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron roundel | |
| Aircraft tail codes | KA (Feb 1939 – Sep 1939) WS (Sep 1939 – Apr 1951) AA–AZ (Aug 1986 – Mar 2019) WS (May 2019 – present) |
Number 9 Squadron (also known as No. IX (Bomber) Squadron or No. IX (B) Squadron) is the oldest dedicated bomber squadron of the Royal Air Force. Formed in December 1914, it saw service throughout the First World War, including at the Somme and Passchendaele. During the Second World War, No. IX (B) Squadron was one of two Avro Lancaster units specialising in heavy precision bombing (the other was No. 617 Squadron) and sank the battleship Tirpitz on 12 November 1944 in Operation Catechism. Between 1962 and April 1982, the squadron flew the Avro Vulcan B.2 as part of the V-Force. In June 1982, it became the first front-line squadron in the world to operate the Panavia Tornado GR1. In May 1998, No. IX (B) Squadron received the RAF's first Tornado GR4, which it operated until re-equipping with the Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 at its present home station of RAF Lossiemouth on 1 April 2019.