No. 13 Squadron RAF
| No. XIII Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
| Active |
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| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Air Force |
| Type | Remotely Piloted Air System squadron |
| Role | Intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) and attack |
| Part of | ISTAR Force |
| Station | RAF Waddington |
| Nickname | 'The Stabbed Cats' |
| Mottos | Adjuvamus tuendo (Latin for 'We assist by watching') |
| Aircraft | General Atomics Reaper RG1 |
| Insignia | |
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Number 13 Squadron, also known as XIII Squadron, is a squadron of the Royal Air Force which operated the General Atomics MQ-9A Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle at RAF Waddington from 26 October 2012 until September 2025 when the type was withdrawn from RAF service. Reaper is being replaced by the Protector UAV.
The unit first formed as part of the Royal Flying Corps on 10 January 1915 and went on to fly the Martinsyde G.100, the Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2, the SPAD VII and SPAD XIII, and the Sopwith Dolphin during the First World War. During the Second World War it began operating the Westland Lysander in the army cooperation role. From late 1942 it operated the Bristol Blenheim in North Africa. It converted to the Lockheed Ventura in 1943 for coastal patrols and convoy escort duties. Post-war it operated de Havilland Mosquito before transitioning to the jet powered Gloster Meteor and English Electric Canberra for photo reconnaissance. From 1 January 1990, it operated the Panavia Tornado, initially the GR1A variant based at RAF Honington and later the GR4/4A at RAF Marham until 13 May 2011 when the squadron disbanded.