British Military Aviation in 1981

5 January
The first course begins at the Tri-National Tornado Training Establishment at RAF Cottesmore.

26 February
A variable-angle ski jump (7-15°), of the type fitted to the Royal Navy's aircraft carriers, becomes operational at Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton in Somerset.

25 June
The United Kingdom Defence Secretary announces that the government intends to purchase 60 McDonnell Douglas AV8Bs for the Royal Air Force (RAF). The RAF aircraft will be designated as GR5s.

9 November
The first hardened aircraft shelters to be erected in the United Kingdom are put into use at RAF Honington in Suffolk.

12 November
No.72 Squadron (Westland Wessex) redeploys from the United Kingdom to RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland. Duty in the province was not new for this squadron, as it had maintained a detachment in Northern Ireland throughout the 1970s.

30 November
The last Westland Whirlwind helicopters on active search and Rescue duties are retired from Royal Air Force (RAF) and replaced by the larger Westland Wessex.