One hundred days after the RAF’s official 100th birthday on 1 April, the #RAF100 celebrations are set to hit new heights on the ground and in the skies today.
More than 1,000 servicemen and women will take part in a parade on The Mall in London at 11:25am. The Queen, accompanied by The Prince of Wales, will then present a new Queen’s Colour to the Royal Air Force to mark its centenary. Then at 1pm an historic flypast featuring up to 100 aircraft, representing the RAF’s history, will fly over Buckingham Palace. Find out more about the Centenary Celebrations.
Rubb is proud to have been supporting the UK’s defence forces for more than 40 years. The relationship first took off when Rubb Buildings supplied a storage building to the Red Arrows in 1979. Since then, Rubb military structures have been meeting expeditionary operation requirements all over the world. Rubb expanded its military portfolio with a range of aircraft hangars which developed into the state-of-the-art EFASS range.
In more recent years, Rubb’s unique fabric engineered facilities have been deployed in Afghanistan as part of UK, Canadian and US military operations, at Gioia del Colle air base in southern Italy as part of the Nato-led Operation ELLAMY and used in anti-piracy missions by EUNAVFOR in The Seychelles. Rubb military buildings also feature at many UK bases such as RAF Northolt, where MoD Typhoon jets were stationed to protect London in 2012.
Rubb Buildings has helped defend crews from the elements and housed invaluable equipment in the field – including Bravo November, the veteran Chinook helicopter from the Falklands campaign which survived an attack during the conflict and went on to serve in Iraq, Northern Ireland, the Balkans, the Lebanon, Kurdistan and Afghanistan. In 2017, Rubb Military aircraft shelters played a pivotal role in the environmental trial of Typhoon aircraft at RAF Coningsby, UK. This trial proved that the use of TWE helps to decrease aircraft maintenance costs and maintenance downtime.
Key events that have consolidated and celebrated Rubb’s relationship with the RAF and RAF Squadron 5001 include many training events at Rubb HQ, the celebration of RAF 5001 Squadron’s 75th anniversary, commendations from the UK MoD for Rubb’s supporting role in Operation HERRICK, collaboration on many charity events such as the commission of artwork featuring Rubb hangars, and of course working with many dedicated RAF personnel over the years.
Air Combat Service Support Unit 5001 Squadron routinely deploys around the world to provide and maintain expeditionary airfield facilities to support deployed air operations. The squadron has extensive experience working with Rubb military aircraft hangars and buildings.
Rubb Military EFASS hangar structures are now popular among a number of defence forces, including the UK, Canada, the US, Lithuania and the UAE, due to their unique capabilities and capacity for rapid deployment, quick assembly, ease of dismantle, packing and storage, transportability and reusability for future deployments. They can also be supported by a refurbishment programme to enhance the long-term lifecycle value of the fabric structure.
Future developments of the EFASS include new span profiles, additional custom designs, new accessories and enhanced M&E technology to support end users in the field.