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| Sir Patrick Hine | |
|---|---|
| Name | Sir Patrick Hine |
| Birth date | 17 October 1932 |
| Birth place | India |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Air Force |
| Serviceyears | 1953–1990 |
| Rank | Air Chief Marshal |
| Battles | Cold War |
Sir Patrick Hine is a retired Air Chief Marshal of the Royal Air Force who served as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of RAF Strike Command and as Commander-in-Chief, Allied Forces Northern Europe during the late Cold War. He held senior appointments across RAF Germany, Ministry of Defence, and NATO, shaping United Kingdom air power, strategic planning, and North Atlantic Treaty Organization deterrence policy. Hine's career intersected with contemporaries and institutions such as Sir Michael Beetham, Sir John Thomson, RAF College Cranwell, and the evolving strategic environment defined by the Warsaw Pact and Strategic Air Command.
Hine was born in India and educated at King's School, Canterbury before attending Christ's College, Cambridge and the Royal Air Force College Cranwell, where his training connected him with peers who later served in RAF Bomber Command, RAF Fighter Command, Royal Navy, and British Army senior ranks. During his formative years he was influenced by the interwar careers of figures such as Sir Hugh Dowding, Sir Arthur Harris, Sir John Slessor, and the institutional culture of RAF College Cranwell and College of Air Warfare. His academic and flying instruction overlapped with developments at Imperial Defence College and exchanges with United States Air Force officers attached to RAF Bentwaters and RAF Lakenheath.
Commissioned into the Royal Air Force in 1953, Hine flew operationally with squadrons that traced lineage to No. 1 Squadron RAF, No. 617 Squadron RAF, and units that later participated in NATO exercises such as Operation Mainbrace and Reforger. His early flying appointments placed him alongside aviators who served in theaters associated with Suez Crisis, Cold War air policing over Berlin Airlift legacy sites, and NATO reconnaissance missions coordinated with Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE). Progressing through commands at station level, he served in roles that interfaced with procurement agencies like the Royal Aircraft Establishment, operational planners at the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), and industry partners including Hawker Siddeley and British Aerospace. Hine's career included staff appointments involving planning for assets such as the Avro Vulcan, English Electric Lightning, Panavia Tornado, and coordination with United States European Command for interoperability.
Elevated to air officer rank, Hine held senior commands including Air Officer Commanding positions within RAF Germany and later became Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at RAF Strike Command, succeeding and serving contemporaneously with senior leaders like Sir Patrick McLaughlin and Sir David Craig. As a member of the Air Council and the Chiefs of Staff Committee milieu, he contributed to strategic reviews concerning Trident, NATO force posture, and contingency planning for the Baltic States region as tensions with the Warsaw Pact persisted. Appointed Commander-in-Chief, Allied Forces Northern Europe, he worked within the Allied Command Europe framework and liaised with national chiefs from France, Germany, Norway, Denmark, and Netherlands on air defence, early warning, and maritime-air integration. His tenure involved cooperative programs with the United States Navy, Royal Navy, and air force delegations from Canada and Italy.
Hine received multiple honours including being appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath and later Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, decorations reflecting recognition by Monarch of the United Kingdom and endorsement by defence institutions such as the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom). He was awarded service medals related to long service and campaign-era commitments comparable to those held by contemporaries like Sir Michael Marshall and Sir Anthony Skingsley, and received foreign decorations from NATO partners and allied states for contributions to collective defence and NATO interoperability.
Following retirement from active service in 1990, Hine took on advisory roles with defence organisations, think tanks, and industry, engaging with institutions like the Royal United Services Institute, Chatham House, British Aerospace (later BAE Systems), and consultancy networks that interfaced with NATO procurement and doctrine development. He contributed to veteran affairs and charitable governance alongside figures from Help for Heroes-linked initiatives, served on boards that cooperated with the Veterans' Advisory Board, and participated in conferences addressing post-Cold War restructuring alongside former chiefs from United States Air Force, French Air and Space Force, and German Air Force.
Hine married and maintained family connections while supporting heritage institutions such as the Imperial War Museum, RAF Museum, and regimental associations that preserve the history of squadrons like No. 9 Squadron RAF and No. 617 Squadron RAF. His legacy is reflected in doctrine, air command structures, and NATO cooperative practices that influenced successors including Sir Peter Squire and Sir Michael Graydon. Hine's career is cited in studies of Cold War air strategy, RAF organizational history, and UK–NATO military relations, and he is commemorated in institutional records at Royal Air Force College Cranwell and national archives.
Category:Royal Air Force air marshals Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath