Formed in Stirling in 1916, the squadron has a long list of battle honours from both world wars, including the Battle of Britain. More recently, it served in the Gulf War, Bosnia and Iraq in 2003.

Over the years, it has disbanded and reformed three times, the last in the late 1960s.

Reviewing Officer Air Chief Marshal Sir Roger Palin said, “This is not the first time and, hopefully, it won’t be the last that 43 Squadron has been disbanded. Current thinking is that it will be reformed as the third Typhoon squadron at Leuchars.”

He described the squadron as having a “distinguished record, second to none.”

During the disbandment parade, tribute was also paid to squadron members who had lost their lives in service, including Flight Lieutenants Nigel Morton (43) and Kenneth Thompson (27) who were killed when their Tornado F3 crashed in Argyll during training on July 2.

A flypast of four F3s in ‘missing man’ formation was performed in recognition of all those who had made the ultimate sacrifice.

Sir Roger said the parade was tinged with sadness, not only due to the squadron’s demise, but also the loss of Flt Lt Morton and Flt Lt Thompson.

He added, “Despite the uncertainty that attaches to its future, all of us with an association to 43 Squadron can be extremely proud of what it has achieved.”

Some of the squadron’s 190-odd personnel have already joined 6 Squadron at RAF Coningsby, which is to be the first of three Typhoon squadrons at Leuchars when it arrives in October next year.