A collection of images capturing the development of the RAF across the decades has been released to mark the centenary of the world’s first independent air force.

A group of Air Transport Auxiliary women pilots in their flying kit at Hatfield, Hertfordshire, in 1940 (Air Historical Branch/RAF/PA)
A group of Air Transport Auxiliary women pilots in their flying kit at Hatfield, Hertfordshire, in 1940 (Air Historical Branch/RAF/PA)

It was 100 years ago on April 1 1918 that the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service merged to create the Royal Air Force.

An FE.2b two-seat fighter above the trenches on the Western Front (Air Historical Branch/RAF/PA)
An FE.2b two-seat fighter above the trenches on the Western Front (Air Historical Branch/RAF/PA)

To celebrate the event, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has collated and released 100 images – including early shots, aerial views of Mosul in the 1920s, through to the Second World War and Cold War.

The Guard of Honour saluting King George V on his arrival at Mildenhall, Suffolk, for the Silver Jubilee Review of the Royal Air Force in 1935 (Air Historical Branch/RAF/PA)
The Guard of Honour saluting King George V on his arrival at Mildenhall, Suffolk, for the Silver Jubilee Review of the Royal Air Force in 1935 (Air Historical Branch/RAF/PA)

The pictorial history also includes images from the RAF’s most recent operations and equipment such as the F-35 stealth fighter jet, as well as never-before-seen photos.

A Tornado F3 from RAF Leuchars (111 Sqn) firing defensive flares during OP TELIC in 2003 (Air Historical Branch/RAF/PA)
A Tornado F3 from RAF Leuchars (111 Sqn) firing defensive flares during OP TELIC in 2003 (Air Historical Branch/RAF/PA)