Students trained on only one type during the course and did not fly other aircraft other than the Avro Anson I for twin engine familiarisation and the squadron North American Harvard I.

During 1968 and 1969, the OCU was involved in the training of pilots of the Royal Saudi Air Force in flying their newly acquired Lightnings.

Shifting to strike aircraft, 226 OCU reformed at RAF Lossiemouth the day after disbandment from the Jaguar Conversion Unit, originally established in June 1974.

From 1975[5] until 1991[6] the unit's wartime role was as an operational squadron in the front line assigned to Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) with twelve Jaguar aircraft, eight WE.177 nuclear bombs, and a variety of conventional weapons.

The apparent mismatch between aircraft numbers and nuclear bombs was a consequence of RAF staff planners concluding that there would be one-third attrition of aircraft in an early conventional phase, leaving the remaining survivors numerically strong enough to deliver the unit's entire stockpile of eight nuclear bombs.

[7] With the post-Cold War drawdown of the RAF the OCU fell victim to defence cuts in 1991 and was disbanded for the last time by redesignation to No.