Winning the Royal Air Squadron Trophy (RAST) is the peak achievement for the Royal Air Force sections of the Combined Cadet Force (CCF(RAF)).
Last weekend, teams of up to 14 cadets who had already done well in their Regional heats gathered at the RAF Museum Midlands at RAF Cosford to contest the final. A total of 12 schools made it to the 2025 finals to battle for the winner’s position and lift the RAS Trophy.
As with the heats, cadets were tested on a varied range of subjects:
- Air rifle,
- First Aid,
- An event blending Aircraft Recognition with cyber elements,
- Drill,
- Space knowledge and
- A command task.
Having all these varied elements in one competition makes RAST a unique event within the RAF Air Cadets.
Unusually for such events most of the activity was held in full view of the public by using open areas of the museum with the action taking place underneath such classic aircraft as the Avro Vulcan, Handley Page Hastings and Westland Wessex. The Wessex even featured in the First Aid competition.
The nature of the event required cadet teams to switch between No2 blue uniform and MTP/DPM (camouflage) and be at locations across a large site, so planning those elements was a skill in itself.
The overall trophy winner was Loughborough Grammar School for the second year in a row, after their second place in 2023. In second place was Merchant Taylor’s School, Crosby and in third place was George Herriot’s
Flt Lt Joanne Smith RAFAC, Officer Commanding Loughborough Grammar School said “I cannot say how proud I am of this team of cadets; the hours of work that they have put in having devised their own training programme”.
Commandant RAF Air Cadets, Air Commodore Al Lewis said “The national finals of the Royal Air Squadron Trophy has once again showcased the excellence across our CCF sections. Drawing together the top three sections from each region, by dint of their competitive natures and pride in representing their schools, the level of performances has been superb. I recognise too the dedication from the cadets in their personal training, but pay tribute to those CFAV who enable and support their training, thank you. Well done to all in reaching these finals, no mean feat in itself, and congratulation to all collecting medals or trophies”
Julie Brierley, Head of Learning, Engagement and Participation at RAF Museum Midlands said:
“We are delighted to be hosting the Royal Air Squadron Trophy Competition Finals at the RAF Museum Midlands. This prestigious event celebrates the dedication, skill, and teamwork of the top CCF (RAF) Sections from across the UK. It is an honour to welcome these talented young cadets to the Museum as they compete for the coveted trophy, and we look forward to an exciting and inspiring day.”
The event was organised by Sqn Ldr Paul Reeve RAFAC (OC CCF (RAF) Cadet Training Team Central & East). Before the awards were presented, he stated that “the level of competition has been very high with some teams only winning by one point. He thanked the all the cadets and CFAVs for the sheer amount of hard work that had clearly gone into the preparation for the day’s events”.