The Royal Air Force, in conjunction with the Royal Air Force Museum, Jervis Entertainment Media Ltd. and 4Kids Entertainment International, which handles the merchandising and licensing for the brand, has launched a range of high quality branded products which aim to increase awareness and understanding of the Royal Air Force among a younger demographic, and to support the work of the Royal Air Force Museum.

The range includes clothing for men, women and children from JOI, leather and suede jackets from Northern Suede and Leather, watches and sunglasses from Zeon, 2-way radios from Motorola, action figures and model planes from Martin Yaffe, wheeled toys from David Halsall, bedroom interior accessories and towels from Tex UK and video games from Myriad Interactive.

All products will feature either the Royal Air Force trademark roundel or other Royal Air Force insignia. The main line of clothing is set to launch in March 2007 with a 50-piece range comprising smart casual tops, trousers and bomber jackets for men. Womenswear pieces are also scheduled for release at a later date.

Group Captain Andy Turner from Royal Air Force Public Relations said: "Our goal is to raise awareness of the Royal Air Force and its capabilities, roles and deployments. It is important that the public understands what we do on their behalf. The merchandising initiative is one of a number of complimentary projects that will promote that understanding and awareness, and assist the Royal Air Force Museum,” he said.

Said Terry Jervis, Director of Jervis Entertainment Media, Royal Air Force merchandising agent under contract to the Secretary of State for Defence “The Royal Air Force is exciting, enduring, aspirational and appeals to a wide audience which is why we are offering everything from video games and skateboards to high quality fashion," he said, noting that the programme is designed to protect the image and reputation of the Royal Air Force and also generate income that will go back into the Royal Air Force Museums in London and the Midlands, benefiting the many hundreds of thousands of visitors and schools.

The Royal Air Force range will be manufactured under licence from leading global licensing agency, 4Kids Entertainment International.

“The Royal Air Force is an active lifestyle brand that will appeal to a diverse demographic across multiple markets and distribution channels,” said Stephen Gould, 4Kids International Senior VP UK Licensing. "We have 25 different companies to produce branded goods and they all believe in the brand as a British icon. The roundel has been adopted by popular culture already and there's nothing more British than the Royal Air Force,” he said.

The Royal Air Force range will be available through selected stores throughout 2007, an Royal Air Force merchandise website and a mail-order catalogue.