| No. XIII Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 10 January 1915 – 1 April 1918 (RFC) 1 April 1918 – 31 December 1919 (RAF) 1 April 1924 – 19 April 1946 1 September 1946 – 5 January 1982 1 January 1990 – 1 June 2011 26 October 2012 – present |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Air Force |
| Type | Remotely Piloted Air System squadron |
| Role | Intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) and attack |
| Part of | No. 1 Group |
| Home station | RAF Waddington |
| Nickname(s) | 'The Stabbed Cats' |
| Motto(s) | Adjuvamus tuendo (Latin for 'We assist by watching')[1] |
| Aircraft | General Atomics MQ-9A Reaper |
| Battle honours |
|
| Insignia | |
| Squadron code | AN (1939) OO (1939-1942) |
| Squadron badge heraldry | In front of a dagger, a lynx's head affrontee.[2] |
| Squadron markings |  |
Number 13 Squadron, also written as XIII Squadron, is a squadron of the Royal Air Force which operate the General Atomics MQ-9A Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle from RAF Waddington since reforming on 26 October 2012.[3] The unit first formed as part of the Royal Flying Corps on 10 January 1915 and went on to fly the Martinsyde G.100, the Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2, the SPAD VII and SPAD XIII, the Sopwith Dolphin during the First World War. In the Second World War it started out operating the Westland Lysander for army cooperation. From late 1942 it used Blenheims in North Africa but in 1943 squadron converted to Ventura for coastal patrols and convoy escort duties. Post war it operated Mosquito before transitioning to the new jet aircraft Gloster Meteor and English Electric Canberra for photoreconnaissance. From 1 January 1990, it operated the Panavia Tornado, initially the GR1A at RAF Honington and later the GR4/4A at RAF Marham where it temporarily disbanded on 13 May 2011.[4]
- ^ Pine, L.G. (1983). A dictionary of mottoes (1 ed.). London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. p. 6. ISBN 0-7100-9339-X.
- ^ The Squadron had used the dagger for some time and the lynx's head indicates vigilance. Approved by King George VI in February 1937.
- ^ RAF to get new Reaper squadron Archived 22 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
disbandmentwas invoked but never defined (see the help page).