| Unit Name: | 709 Naval Air Squadron |
| Dates: | 15 September 1944 - 26 January 1946 |
| Type: | Fleet Air Arm Second Line Squadron |
| Role: | Ground Attack School |
| Size: | Squadron |
| Command Structure: | Fleet Air Arm |
| Garrison: | RNAS St Merryn |
| Garrison Label: | Home station |
| Identification Symbol: | S5A+ |
| Identification Symbol Label: | Identification Markings |
709 Naval Air Squadron (709 NAS) was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm which last disbanded during January 1946. It formed in September 1944 within the School of Naval Air Warfare as the Ground Attack School using both the British Supermarine Seafire and the American Grumman Hellcat fighter aircraft for training. The squadron spent its whole sixteen month existence based at HMS Vulture, Royal Naval Air Station St. Merryn.
709 Naval Air Squadron formed at RNAS St Merryn (HMS Vulture) on 15 September 1944, as part of the School of Naval Air Warfare. It was tasked as the Ground Attack School. The squadron was initially equipped with Supermarine Seafire L Mk III. These were a navalised version of the Supermarine Spitfire fighter aircraft, adapted for operation from an aircraft carrier. The Supermarine Seafire aircraft had previously belonged to both 808 and 885 Naval Air Squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm’s 3rd Naval Fighter Wing, which was in the process of converting to Grumman Hellcat fighter aircraft.
The School also operated Grumman Hellcat, an American carrier-based fighter aircraft. These aircraft were used in training to apply lessons learned by the 3rd Naval Fighter Wing during the Normandy invasion. 709 Naval Air Squadron disbanded at RNAS St Merryn (HMS Vulture) during January 1946.
709 Naval Air Squadron operated a couple of different aircraft types and variants:
709 Naval Air Squadron operated from a single naval air station of the Royal Navy, located in England, throughout its existence:
List of commanding officers of 709 Naval Air Squadron with date, month and year of appointment.