Royal Naval Air Station Lee-on-Solent, (RNAS Lee-on-Solent; or HMS Daedalus 1939–1959 & 1965–1996 and HMS Ariel 1959–1965), is a former Royal Naval Air Station located near Lee-on-the-Solent in Hampshire, approximately 4 miles (6.44 km) west of Portsmouth, on the coast of the Solent.

It was one of the primary shore airfields of the Fleet Air Arm and was first established as a seaplane base in 1917 during the First World War.

[1] The airfield caters to private pilots, flight training, recreational flying, and light aircraft operations.

They operate out of the south-east part of the airport at the general aviation ramp close to the main building next to the visitors aircraft parking.

In 2021, after being delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic the airfield council finished renovating a grass patch with benches which became an outdoor viewing area and a new part of the newly refurbished cafe, fully completed in 2023.

Initially, aircraft had to be transported from their temporary hangars to the top of the nearby cliff, then lowered by crane onto a trolley which ran on rails into the sea.

[5] In 1931 the first grass airstrip at Lee was constructed to the west of the town, Lee-on-Solent became HQ RAF Coastal Area, and a major rebuilding programme ensued.

[8] As a consequence, on 24 May 1939, HQ RAF Coastal Command moved to Northwood and Lee-on-Solent was commissioned as HMS Daedalus.

[4] It become, it appears, Headquarters of Rear Admiral, Naval Air Stations, Richard Bell Davies.

754 NAS used Supermarine Walrus amphibian and Fairey Seafox floatplane along with Percival Vega Gull military trainer aircraft.

[13] May 1939 also saw the construction commence of concrete runways begin thus making RNAS Lee-on-Solent one of the early airbases to move away from grass airstrips.

[12] At the same time a Service Trials Unit was stood up, with 778 Naval Air Squadron tasked with testing aircraft and armament, and assessing tactics, it operated with Blackburn Roc and Skua, along with Fairey Swordfish and Supermarine Walrus at HMS Daedalus and adding Fairey Albacore and Fulmar soon afterwards.

[17] In November the Deck Landing Training unit 770 Naval Air Squadron formed with a variety of aircraft, using de Havilland Moth, Gloster Sea Gladiator, Blackburn Skua and Fairey Swordfish.

[1] When the trainees had passed the conversion course at Lee-on Solent they boarded the Seaplane carrier, HMS Pegasus, for catapult training.

[19] The squadron left HMS Daedalus for RAF Pembroke Dock on the 3 July 1940, leaving behind its Seafox floatplanes.

[20] 763 Naval Air Squadron, Torpedo, Spotter, Reconnaissance Pool No.1, arrived at HMS Daedalus from RNAS Jersey at the end of May 1940.

[22] Four Bellman hangars were initially erected at HMS Daedalus, but on 16 August 1940 the Luftwaffe attacked the airbase and caused considerable damage.

The original Watch Office was damaged during the August 1940 attack by the Luftwaffe’ and a new Admiralty designed control tower was constructed to replace it.

The unit regrouped at Lee-on-Solent, on 2 March 1942, again equipped with Fairey Swordfish Il, before later moving to RNAS Machrihanish (HMS Landrail).

The unit left Lee-on-Solent nine months after forming, moving to RNAS Worthy Down (HMS Kestrel) on 1 September 1943.

Both Fleet Air Arm and Royal Air Force squadrons operated out of Lee-on-Solent, supported by a RAF Hawker Typhoon flight and a United States Navy artillery observer aircraft squadron, equipped with Supermarine Spitfire, a British single-seat fighter aircraft.

The number of sorties from HMS Daedalus in support of Operation Neptune was 435 and this was the highest total achieved by any UK airfield on D-Day.

[37] Post-war she continued to play a significant role, being renamed HMS Ariel on 31 October 1959 to reflect her electrical, radar and ground training emphasis; she took over the work of the Royal Naval Air Electrical Training Establishment, Worthy Down prior to its closure in 1961.

[39] The Fleet Air Arm operated a separate helicopter Search and Rescue (SAR) Flight at RNAS Lee-on-Solent which formed in November 1972.

[40] This effectively replaced the disbanded Royal Air Force SAR Flight at RAF Thorney Island, from 12 February 1973.

There was a need to provide a civil Search And Rescue service at 15 minutes' notice, from dawn to dusk, covering from Beachy Head in East Sussex to Start Point, Devon, tasked by the Department of Trade and Industry.

It flew a couple of different helicopter types:[41] The Royal Navy Station Flight at Lee-on-Solent was equipped with various aircraft over different periods, from 1944 to 1959.