849 Squadron first formed on 1 August 1943 at Naval Air Station Squantum, Massachusetts with 12 Grumman Avenger torpedo, strike and reconnaissance aircraft but has its origins with the Naval Wing of the Royal Flying Corps from 1912.

849 embarked in HMS Khedive for the workup and passage to the UK and subsequently disembarked to RNAS Hatston and later Eglinton, in Northern Ireland.  Seconded to Coastal Command, the Avengers flew from Perranporth and later St Eval in support of Operation Overlor, the D Day landings.

In August 1944 the squadron was ordered to the Far East embarked in HMS Rajah and transferred to HMS Victorious on arrival, where they remained for the rest of the war.
On 24 July an 849 Squadron Avenger detected and scored the first bomb hits on the Japanese aircraft carrier Kayo which subsequently sank.         

Battle honours

Normandy	1944	Japan	1945
Palembang	1945	Okinawa	1945

A British staff requirement was written in December 1943 suggesting the use of airborne radar to counter the threat of Japanese ‘kamikaze’ aircraft.  These aircraft inflicted heavy losses on task groups and convoys including the radar pickets, and highlighted the inadequacy of the Fleet’s radar to detect low flying aircraft.

The Squadron disbanded at the end of the war but was reformed in July 1952 to perform the new Airborne early warning Role as a direct result of lessons learnt from the war with Japan.  The first of 50 Douglas Skyraiders, fitted with APS 20 long range radar, had been delivered from the USA in 1951.  778 Naval Air Squadron which had been formed to evaluate the aircraft was redesignated as a front line unit and on 7 July 1952 commissioned at 849 Naval Air Squadron under the command of Acting Lieutenant Commander J.D. Treacher.

Airborne Early Warning embarked for the first time aboard HMS Eagle in September 1952, nearly 9 years after the Staff Requirement had been written.
In 1960 the twin turbo-prop powered Gannet Airborne Early Warning III was introduced into squadron service, fitted with an improved version of the Skyraider’s APS 20 radar.  The Gannet became one of the Navy’s longest serving front line aircraft.  They were still in good condition when the last fixed wing aircraft carrier, HMS Ark Royal decommissioned in 1978.  849 Naval Air Squadron disbanded at the same time, leaving the Royal Navy without Airborne Early Warning.

The rebirth of Airborne Early Warning in the Royal Navy occurred in 1982 as a direct result of the sinking of HMS Sheffield during the Falklands War.  The first two helicopters to be converted to carry the Thorn EMI Searchwater radar were completed in just 90 days.  They embarked in HMS Illustrious as 824 D Flight for operations in the South Atlantic.  The Flight returned to RNAS Culdrose later that year to continue trials and training and the concept proven, in November 1984, 849 Squadron was commissioned and a build of eight aircraft began.

Sea King Mk7 ASaC

The Sea King Airborne Surveillance and Control Mk 7 is the successor to the Sea King Airborne Early Warning Mk 2. THALES designed the Searchwater 2000 radar system, which has been fitted into the existing Mk 2 airframe to bring it up to Mk 7 standard. The eventual replacement for the Sea King airframe has yet to be decided.
Crew:	1 Pilot 2 Observers
Engines	2 Rolls Royce Gnome H 1400 Gas Turbines
Dimensions:	Length 72'8" (22.2m) Rotor span 62' (18.9m) Height 16'10" (4.9m) Weight 21,400lbs (9707kg) Max fuel 5700lbs (2600ltrs)
Performance:	Max speed 120kts (220km/h) Max range 450nm (823km) Endurance 4 hrs Rate of climb 1500'/min (27000m/sec)
Equipment:	Searchwater 2000 radar JTIDS Identification Friend/Foe (IFF) Orange Crop ESM HF, VHF and UHF radios Rescue hoist