In addition to its normal night time operations, the squadron also carried out daylight bomber escort missions. 23 Sqn was disbanded, following the war's end, on 25 September 1945. The squadron was reformed on 1 September 1946 as a night fighter squadron operating the de Havilland Mosquito. It received jet aircraft in the form of de Havilland Vampire NF.10s in 1953, replacing them with de Havilland Venom NF.2s in June 1954. The squadron acquired Venom NF.3 in 1957. In 1957 the squadron converted to the Gloster Javelin all-weather fighter, beginning a long period operating in the air defence role. The squadron has a strong heritage in the air defence role, operating Gloster Javelins, Lightnings, Phantoms and Tornado F3s. The squadron first acquired Phantoms on 1 November 1975 at RAF Coningsby before moving to RAF Wattisham for just under 10 years. Then in October 1983 the squadron deployed to Stanley airfield, Falkland Islands after their recapture from Argentina, arriving there on 1 November. They remained here until 31 October 1988 when its duty was assumed by 1435 Flight. The squadron then reformed on 1 November 1988 at RAF Leeming with the Panavia Tornado which it operated until 26 February 1994, when the unit was disbanded. The squadron assumed the Airborne Early Warning role upon reformation in April 1996, sharing the RAF's Sentry AEW1 fleet with No. 8 Squadron. The squadron disbanded on 2 October 2009, when it amalgamated with No 8 Squadron. At the Air & Space Power Conference on 17 July 2019 it was announced that the squadron would reform as the RAF's first dedicated squadron to deal with space. Among the 19 aces that served within its ranks in World War I were William Kennedy-Cochran-Patrick,  Douglas U. McGregor,  James William Pearson,  Clive W. Warman,  Frederick J. Gibbs,  Conn Standish O'Grady,  Herbert Drewitt,  James Fitz-Morris, Harold Albert White,  Alfred Edwin McKay,  Harry Compton, and Arthur Bradfield Fairclough. Douglas Bader was a member of 23 Squadron when he crashed carrying out low level aerobatics, losing his legs in the process. He went on to become one of the highest scoring aces of the RAF in World War II. Air Officer Commanding Sir Peter Wykeham was credited with shooting down at least 15 hostile aircraft at various theatres of World War II.