Accessibility statement for the Royal Air Force
This accessibility statement applies to www.raf.mod.uk only.
This website is managed by the Royal Air Force. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:
- Zoom in up to 200% without the text spilling off the screen
- Navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
- Listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)
We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.
AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.
How accessible this website is
We know that some elements of this website are not fully accessible. For example:
- Some image alternative text is missing or incorrect
- PDF documents do not fully meet accessibility standards, for example, they may not be fully accessible to screen reader software
- Embedded forms do not fully meet accessibility standards
- Embedded maps are not fully accessible, for example, they are missing focus indicator, and the controls are missing accessible names
Feedback and contact information
If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, please email: [email protected].
If you need information on this website in a different format, like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille, please also email: [email protected].
If you would prefer to write to us, use the following address:
Air Media & Communications
RAF High Wycombe
Walters Ash
Buckinghamshire
HP14 4UE
We’ll consider your request and respond within five working days of receiving your communication.
Enforcement procedure
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’).
If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
The Royal Air Force is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
Compliance status
The website has been tested against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard.
This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances and exemptions listed below.
Non-accessible content
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
Global Operations
Our Global Operations page is currently not accessible. For instance, there is no keyboard access to the globe and operation cards. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.2.1 (Keyboard).
A redesign of the page is planned for 2026, which will address the accessibility concerns.
Images
Some images may have missing or incorrect alternative text, and some images contain text. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criteria 1.1.1 (Non-text content) and 1.4.5 (Images of text). Some images have empty alt attributes where they are considered purely decorative.
We aim to provide accurate alternative text for all meaningful images and will update content over time.
Colour contrast
Some text lacks sufficient colour contrast against the background of our podcast player. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.4.3 (Contrast minimum).
We are currently looking into replacing the podcast player and working to provide accessible alternatives in the future.
Video and Audio content
Podcasts: Transcripts are not currently provided for podcast episodes. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.2.1 (Prerecorded Audio-only and Video-only). Links to external platforms, such as YouTube, are provided, where autogenerated transcripts or captions may be available.
Videos: Some videos with music or visual text/images do not include audio descriptions. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.2.5 (Audio Description).
We are working to provide accessible alternatives in the future.
Disproportionate burden
Reflow
Some parts of this website do not reflow correctly on smaller screens or when text is resized. This can result in horizontal scrolling or overlapping content. While pages generally reflow correctly on larger screens, certain layouts on smaller screens and at higher zoom levels (such as 400%) do not meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.4.10 (Reflow).
Addressing all reflow issues would require extensive changes to the website’s design and layout. Given the size and complexity of the website, making these changes at this time would place a disproportionate burden on the organisation. The website remains largely usable on larger screens, and information can be provided in alternative formats on request. We will review reflow issues as part of future updates.
PDFs and other documents
Some existing PDFs and other documents published on this website are not fully accessible. For example, they may not be structured in a way that allows them to be read effectively by screen readers.
Fully remediating all the existing PDFs and other documents at this time would, due to the volume of documents and the level of work involved, place a disproportionate burden on the organisation.
We aim to ensure that any new PDFs or other documents we publish are as accessible as possible. Where a document is essential to providing our services, we will work to provide an accessible alternative on request.
Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
Embedded Google Maps
We use Google Maps on the site. We are aware of some accessibility issues with them: some controls lack accessible names or proper focus indicators, and some text is clipped when resized. These issues lie within Google's coding; therefore, we cannot change them. However, maps are visual enhancements; equivalent information is provided as text.
Embedded forms
We use embedded forms on the site. We are aware of some accessibility issues with them (e.g., screen reader announcements). These are third-party forms and cannot be fixed directly by us.
Embedded podcast players
We use embedded podcast players on the site. Main playback controls are generally accessible via keyboard, but some features (e.g., “subscribe”, “share”, “embed”) open pop-ups that are not fully accessible, and some commands may also not be fully responsive when using a screen reader. These are third-party players that cannot be fixed directly by us. However, links to alternative podcast platforms are provided. We are reviewing alternative podcast providers to improve accessibility.
PDFs and other documents
Our older PDFs and other documents published on this website are not fully accessible. For example, they may not be structured in a way that allows them to be read effectively by screen readers. The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they’re not essential to providing our services. Where a document is essential to providing our services, we will work to provide an accessible alternative on request.
History timeline
The ‘Our History’ timeline may be difficult to navigate using a keyboard and screen reader. This is a third-party element that cannot currently be fixed directly by us. We have improved colour contrast and keyboard focus.
Cookies table
The headings of the cookies table on the Privacy page are cut off at 400% zoom. The table is automatically handled by Cookiebot, and we are unable to fix this.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 09/02/2026. It was last reviewed on 08/04/2026.
This website was last tested on 09/02/2026 against the WCAG 2.2 AA standard. The test was carried out by Binary Vision.
We tested a representative sample of pages across the website, covering key templates and content types. This included our most visited pages. Testing combined automated tools and manual methods, including Lighthouse for automated checks, the WebAIM contrast checker for colour contrast, and NVDA for screen reader testing.