Fleet Requirements and Air Direction Unit
BAE Systems Hawk T1A, of FRADU, in Royal Navy Centenary of Naval Aviation scheme
Active	1 December 1972 – 6 June 2013
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Navy
Type	Fleet Air Arm support and training unit
Role	Fleet requirements and aggressor training
Part of	Fleet Air Arm
Home station	RNAS Yeovilton (1972–1995) RNAS Culdrose (1995–2013)
Aircraft	Hawker Hunter English Electric Canberra Dassault Falcon 20 BAE Systems Hawk

The Fleet Requirements and Air Direction Unit (FRADU) was a unit of the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm which provided airborne training and simulation services to the Royal Navy and other British and allied forces. Its tasks included simulated attacks against ships during Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST), airborne early warning (AEW) exercises, electronic countermeasures exercises, fighter-controller training and helicopter fighter-affiliation training. In its later years FRADU operated BAE Systems Hawk T1/T1A aircraft from RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall.^[1][2]

FRADU was formed at RNAS Yeovilton on 1 December 1972 through the merger of the Fleet Requirements Unit (FRU) and Air Direction Training Unit (ADTU), both of which had previously supported Royal Navy training and fleet requirements under civilian contract.^[1] The unit was initially known as the Fleet Requirements and Air Direction Training Unit (FRADTU), with “Training” subsequently removed from the title.^[3]

FRADU moved from Yeovilton to Culdrose in 1995 and continued operating there until it was stood down on 6 June 2013. Its role was transferred to the re-formed 736 Naval Air Squadron, which continued operating Hawk aircraft in the maritime aggressor role.^[4][5]

Origins

Formation and early years

In 1972 the Fleet Requirements Unit moved from Hurn Airport to RNAS Yeovilton and was amalgamated with the Air Direction Training Unit. The resulting organisation was designated the Fleet Requirements and Air Direction Training Unit (FRADTU), with the merger taking place on 1 December 1972.^[1][8]

The word "Training" was subsequently removed from the title, producing the designation Fleet Requirements and Air Direction Unit (FRADU). The newly formed unit inherited a mixed fleet of Hawker Hunters and English Electric Canberras from its predecessor organisations.^[8]

FRADU was not a conventional front-line Fleet Air Arm squadron. Instead, it provided specialist airborne services to support naval training and exercises. Its aircraft could simulate hostile aircraft and attack profiles, provide targets for naval weapon systems and support the training of personnel responsible for detecting, identifying and engaging airborne threats.^[2]

Roles and operations

The unit’s responsibilities expanded beyond the fleet-requirements work of its predecessor. According to Steve Bond, FRADU participated in airborne early warning (AEW) and electronic countermeasures (ECM) exercises, provided helicopter fighter-affiliation training, conducted simulated attacks against ships and trained fighter controllers.^[2]

FRADU aircraft were used to provide realistic airborne opposition during naval exercises. English Electric Canberra aircraft could tow aerial targets for gunnery practice, while radar-equipped aircraft could simulate missile attacks and other threat profiles.^[9]

The unit also provided services beyond the Royal Navy. In 1988 the Ministry of Defence stated that FRADU provided a service to national and NATO forces and was under the control of the Flag Officer Naval Air Command. It was manned and operated under contract to the Ministry of Defence by Flight Refuelling Ltd.^[10]

FRADU’s aircraft supported the Royal Navy’s fleet training programme, including exercises associated with Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST). The unit also made detachments away from its home base to support exercises elsewhere in the United Kingdom and overseas.^[2]

Hunter and Canberra era

The Hawker Hunter became one of the principal aircraft types operated by FRADU. Hunter GA.11s and two-seat variants were used for fleet requirements, air-defence training and simulated attacks. Hunter T.8M aircraft equipped with radar were particularly suited to simulating missile attacks against ships.^[11]

The unit also operated several variants of the English Electric Canberra, including the T.4, TT.18 and T.22. The TT.18 was used for target towing, while the T.22 provided a radar-equipped platform for naval training.^[12]

The scale of the mixed fleet was considerable. A FRADU historical account records thirty-four aircraft in the summer of 1977, comprising twelve Hunter GA.11s, eight Hunter T.8Cs, six Canberra T.22s, six Canberra TT.18s and two Canberra T.4s.^[8] A contemporary 1979 Royal Navy directory independently recorded twenty-one Hunters and twelve Canberras assigned to the unit.^[13]

The figures represented snapshots of a changing fleet rather than a permanently fixed establishment, since aircraft were rotated through maintenance and overhaul and individual airframes entered and left the organisation.^[8]

Flight Refuelling and the Falcon 20

In 1983 the contract to operate FRADU was awarded to Flight Refuelling Ltd following competitive tendering.^[8]

The first Dassault Falcon 20 for FRADU arrived at RNAS Yeovilton on 5 February 1985. Contemporary aviation reporting identified the aircraft as a Falcon 20DC formerly operated by Federal Express and stated that it was intended to supplement and eventually replace the Canberra T.22 fleet. It was operated by Flight Refuelling Aviation.^[16]

By 1988 FRADU operated 16 Dassault Falcon 20 aircraft. The Ministry of Defence stated that the aircraft entered service between February 1985 and February 1987 and replaced a number of the Hawker Hunter and English Electric Canberra aircraft used to support military training. The Ministry of Defence had first call on the Falcons, although their use was not exclusive.^[17]

The Falcon fleet provided a high-speed civilian-operated platform for naval training and threat simulation. The remaining English Electric Canberra aircraft were progressively withdrawn, with the last FRADU Canberra TT.18s leaving service in 1992.^[12][18]

Transition to the Hawk

By the early 1990s the Hawker Hunter fleet was approaching the end of its service life. The availability of surplus BAE Systems Hawk aircraft following changes to Royal Air Force training arrangements allowed the Royal Navy to replace the Hawker Hunters operated by FRADU. The first FRADU Hawks arrived at RNAS Yeovilton in April 1994. The initial aircraft included XX175 and XX311 and BAE Systems Hawks and Hawker Hunters operated alongside one another during the transition.^[4]

The BAE Systems Hawk provided a modern high-speed platform for the unit's aggressor and fleet-training role. Unlike the Dassault Falcon, which was primarily used as a high-speed simulation and support aircraft, the BAE Systems Hawk retained fighter-like characteristics that made it particularly suitable for simulated air attacks and fighter-affiliation work.^[2] The introduction of the BAE Systems Hawk accelerated the retirement of the Hawker Hunter. The last Hawker Hunters were withdrawn from FRADU service in 1995.^[19][8]

Move to RNAS Culdrose

FRADU's move to RNAS Culdrose formed part of a wider reorganisation of Royal Navy shore-based training facilities. The closure of RNAS Portland, Dorset, resulted in the relocation of Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) activities to Plymouth, changing the geographical focus of fleet training.^[4]

RAF Chivenor, Devon, was considered as a possible new location for FRADU, but the Ministry of Defence stated in May 1995 that an alternative location had been preferred on operational and cost grounds.^[20]

The FRADU Hawks moved from Yeovilton to Culdrose during November 1995, and the unit was fully operational at its new base by 1 December 1995.^[4]

Hawk operations at Culdrose

FRADU operated the Hawk T.1 and T.1A during the remainder of its existence. The aircraft were drawn from the wider Hawk fleet and individual airframes were rotated through the organisation rather than forming a permanently fixed group.^[4] The Hawk force supported naval exercises by acting as a maritime aggressor, simulating hostile aircraft and attack profiles against Royal Navy ships and providing air-defence and fighter-affiliation training.^[2]

FRADU's contractual arrangements changed during the Hawk era. Hunting Contract Services was involved in the operation of the unit during the late 1990s. By 2004 FRADU formed part of Serco's Naval Air Command multi-activity contract. Serco stated that its responsibilities included operation of the Hawk aircraft and provision of realistic threat simulation for Royal Navy ships and aircraft.^[21]

The aircraft and personnel also operated away from RNAS Culdrose in support of exercises and detachments. The unit therefore remained an operational training organisation rather than a purely local flying unit.^[2]

Disbandment

FRADU was stood down on 6 June 2013 after more than 40 years under that designation. Its aircraft and operational role were transferred to the re-formed 736 Naval Air Squadron at RNAS Culdrose.^[4]

The Royal Navy subsequently described 736 Naval Air Squadron as the Fleet Air Arm's Maritime Aggressor Squadron. The squadron continued to operate Hawk T.1 aircraft in support of maritime training and exercises, preserving the principal operational role previously undertaken by FRADU.^[22]

The transition therefore represented a continuation of the Royal Navy's dedicated airborne aggressor and fleet-training capability rather than the abandonment of the role.^[23]

Aircraft flown

See also

• Fleet Requirements Unit
• 736 Naval Air Squadron
• Flag Officer Sea Training
• RNAS Yeovilton
• RNAS Culdrose
• Blue Herons display team

References

External links

• Royal Navy FRADU page
• FRADU Hunters Archived 22 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine
• History of the FRADU Archived 22 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine