It was reformed in 2010 as a specialist Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Squadron based at RAF Honington in Suffolk, but as of November 2024, it had been disbanded.

The Squadron was formed at RAF Yatesbury on 27 August 1951 and spent the next 5 years in the Middle East at Abu Sueir in Egypt, Habbaniya in Iraq and Mafrac in Jordan.

The Squadron routinely spent a great deal of time away from home, carrying out an 8-month roulement in the Falklands and being on call to defend the RAF or other UK assets throughout the world as part of the Joint Rapid Deployment Force or NATO Reaction Force (Air).

The combined squadron deployed to Afghanistan for a 6 month tour of duty in August 2007, before 26 Sqn's formal disbandment and march-off in March 2008 from RAF Waddington, its home of the previous 10 years.

The squadron's role was to "deliver specialist CBRN defence capabilities at very high readiness in support of national strategic operations both in the UK and abroad.

"[5] They did this by sampling and identifying CBRN materials, supporting UK explosive anti-terrorist teams and supporting UK Nuclear Accident Response teams (which includes evacuating casualties of such events) to safeguard public and military safety.