Royal Australian Air Force

General Informaiton Current structure of the RAAF Ranks of the RAAF List of aircraft List of bases List of squadrons History of the RAAF Commands Air Command Training Command Current Operations Operation Astute Other Airfield Defence Guards Air Force memorial

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) was first established at the Imperial Conference held in London in 1911, it was there that it was decided aviation should be developed within the Armed Forces of the British empire. Australia implemented this decision, the only country to do so, by approving the establishment of the Central Flying School at Point Cook, Victoria in 1912. The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. ... Image File history File links Ensign_of_the_Royal_Australian_Air_Force. ... // Air Force Structure Formations ~A Junior Officer is a Pilot Officer, Flying Officer or Flight Lieutenant Common Appointments Chief of Defence Force (CDF) Air Chief Marshal (Only when RAAF Officer) Vice Chief of Defence Force (VCDF) Air Marshal (Only when RAAF Officer) Deputy Chief of Air Force (DCAF) Air Vice... The Royal Australian Air Force inherited its rank structure from the Royal Air Force. ... Royal Australian Air Force F_18 Hornet. ... This is a list of current and previous Royal Australian Air Force bases. ... This is a list of Royal Australian Air Force aircraft squadrons. ... Air Command is the operational arm of the Royal Australian Air Force. ... RAAF Training Command is responsible for providing training to the Royal Australian Air Force. ... It has been suggested that Timeline of Operation Astute be merged into this article or section. ... The Airfield Defence Guards (ADG) are dedicated military-specific units in the Royal Australian Air Force. ... RAAF Memorial, highlighting the three stone walls with etched photgraphs. ... The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. ... Point Cook is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ...

The Australian Flying Corps (AFC) was formed within the First Australian Imperial Force (AIF), and earned a most creditable reputation in both Palestine and France during World War I. The Australian Flying Corps remained part of the Australian Army until 1919, when it was disbanded along with the AIF. Although the Central Flying School continued to operate at Point Cook, military flying initially ceased until 1920, when the Australian Air Corps was formed. The First Australian Imperial Force (1st AIF) was the main expeditionary force of the Australian Army during World War I. It was formed from August 15, 1914, following Britains declaration of war on Germany. ... Combatants Allied Powers: United Kingdom France Italy Russia United States Serbia Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria Germany Ottoman Empire Commanders Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Ferdinand Foch Georges Clemenceau Nicholas II Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Wilhelm II Reinhard Scheer Franz Josef I Conrad von Hötzendorf İsmail Enver Ferdinand I Casualties... The Australian Army is Australias military land force. ...

The Australian Air Corps was formed on 31 March 1921. King George V approved the prefix "Royal" in June 1921 and became effective on the 31 August 1921. The RAAF then became the second Royal air arm to be formed in the British Commonwealth, following the British Royal Air Force. March 31 is the 90th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (91st in Leap years), with 275 days remaining. ... 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 - 20 January 1936) was the first British monarch belonging to the House of Windsor, as a result of his creating it from the British branch of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. ... August 31 is the 243rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (244th in leap years), with 122 days remaining. ... 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... The Commonwealth of Nations (CN), usually known as the Commonwealth, is a voluntary association of 53 independent sovereign states, almost all of which are former colonies of the United Kingdom. ... The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ...

World War I

Soon after the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the Australian Flying Corps sent aircraft to assist in capturing German colonies in what is now north-west New Guinea. These colonies surrendered quickly however, before the planes were even unpacked. The first operational flights did not occur until May 27, 1915, when the Mesopotamian Half Flight was called upon to assist the Indian Army in protecting British oil interests in what is now Iraq. The Corps later saw action in Egypt, Palestine and on the Western Front throughout the remainder of World War I. By the end of the war, four squadrons had seen active service. Combatants Allied Powers: United Kingdom France Italy Russia United States Serbia Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria Germany Ottoman Empire Commanders Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Ferdinand Foch Georges Clemenceau Nicholas II Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Wilhelm II Reinhard Scheer Franz Josef I Conrad von Hötzendorf İsmail Enver Ferdinand I Casualties... 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... May 27 is the 147th day (148th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 218 days remaining. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... At the start of World War I, the air power of the Allied forces was extremely limited. ... The Indian Army in the time of the British Raj (1857–1947) // Administrative Name The Indian Army is the name for the Indian Armed forces of that country; the meaning of that name changed over time: History The Indian Army was formed after the Indian Mutiny in 1857 by the... Map of the British Mandate of Palestine. ... Combatants Allied Powers: United Kingdom France Italy Russia United States Serbia Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria Germany Ottoman Empire Commanders Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Ferdinand Foch Georges Clemenceau Nicholas II Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Wilhelm II Reinhard Scheer Franz Josef I Conrad von Hötzendorf İsmail Enver Ferdinand I Casualties...

World War II

In 1939, just after the start of World War II, Australia joined the Empire Air Training Scheme, under which flight crews received basic training in Australia before travelling to Canada for advanced training. A total of 19 RAAF bomber, fighter, reconnaissance and other squadrons served initially in Britain, and/or with the Desert Air Force, in North Africa and the Mediterranean. 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... This article is becoming very long. ... External links The Canadian Contribution (includes newspaper archives) World War II Newspaper Archives — The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. ... The Desert Air Force (DAF) was a formation made up of squadrons from the Royal Air Force and Commonwealth air forces . ...  Northern Africa (UN subregion)  geographic, including above North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent. ... The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2. ...

With British manufacturing targeted by the Luftwaffe, the Australian government created the Department of Aircraft Production (DAP) to supply Commonwealth air forces and the RAAF was eventually provided with large numbers of locally-built versions of British designs like the DAP Beaufort torpedo bomber. This article does not cite its references or sources. ... The Bristol Type 152 Beaufort was a large torpedo bomber designed by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, and developed from the earlier Blenheim light bomber. ... A torpedo bomber is a bomber aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with torpedoes, but they could also carry out conventional bombings. ...

In the European Theatre of World War II, RAAF personnel were especially notable in RAF Bomber Command: they represented two percent of all RAAF personnel during the war, but accounted for 23% of the total number killed in action. This statistic is further illustrated by the fact that No. 460 Squadron RAAF, mostly flying Avro Lancasters, had an official establishment of about 200 aircrew and yet had 1,018 combat deaths. The squadron was therefore effectively wiped out five times over. Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini The European Theatre was an area of heavy fighting from 1939 to 1945 during World War II. // Preceding events Main articles: Events preceding World War II in Europe, Causes of World War II After Germany was defeated in World War I, the Treaty of Versailles... Bomber Command badge RAF Bomber Command was the organisation that controlled the RAFs bomber forces. ... Squadron Motto: Strike and Return Aircraft operated: Vickers Wellington, Avro Lancaster 460 Squadron RAAF was raised at RAF Breighton, and operated as part of RAF Bomber Command for the duration of WWII. It was disbanded at RAF Binbrook in 1945 In a speech he made in 2003, Chief of the... The Avro Lancaster was a four-engine World War II bomber aircraft made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force (RAF). ...

An Australian Beaufighter flying over the Owen Stanley Range in New Guinea in 1942

The beginning of the Pacific War — and the rapid advance of Japanese forces — threatened the Australian mainland for the first time. The RAAF was quite unprepared for the emergency, and initially had negligible forces available for service in the Pacific. The devastating air raids on Darwin on February 19, 1942 drove the point home. Some RAAF squadrons were transferred from the northern hemisphere — although a substantial number remained there until the end of the war. Shortages of fighter and ground attack planes led to the acquisition of US-built P-40 Kittyhawks and the rapid design and manufacture of the first Australian fighter, the CAC Boomerang. RAAF Kittyhawks came to play a crucial role in the New Guinea and Solomon Islands campaigns, especially in operations like the Battle of Milne Bay. Image File history File links Beaufighter_(AWM_OG0001). ... Image File history File links Beaufighter_(AWM_OG0001). ... US landings in the Pacific, 1942–1945 The Pacific War was the part of World War II that occurred in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, 1937 to 1945. ... Combatants Australia; United States Japan Commanders David V. J. Blake Chuichi Nagumo Strength 30 planes 242 planes Casualties At least 243 killed; (possibly 1,100 dead in total) 23 planes destroyed 10 ships sunk 1 killed  ? missing; 6 POW Four planes destroyed in Australian airspace; ? failed to return. ... February 19 is the 50th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... Insert non-formatted text here The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planets surface (or celestial sphere) that is north of the equator (the word hemisphere literally means half ball). On the Earth, the Northern Hemisphere contains most of the land and population. ... Close air support (often abbreviated CAS) is the use of military aircraft in a ground attack role against targets in close proximity to friendly troops, in support of ground combat operations. ... United States is the current Good Article Collaboration of the week! Please help to improve this article to the highest of standards. ... The Curtiss P-40 was an American fighter aircraft which first flew in 1938 and played a vital role in the crucial middle stages of World War II. Developed from the pre-war radial-engined P-36 Hawk, the P-40 became known as the Tomahawk, the Kittyhawk, and finally... The CAC Boomerang was a World War II fighter aircraft manufactured in Australia between 1942 and 1945. ... Battle of Milne Bay Conflict World War II, Pacific War Date August 25, 1942 – September 5, 1942 Place Milne Bay, New Guinea Result Allied victory The Battle of Milne Bay was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II. Japanese marines attacked the Australian base at Milne...

In the Battle of the Bismarck Sea, imported Bristol Beaufighters proved to be highly effective ground attack and maritime strike aircraft. Beaufighters were later made locally by the DAP. Although it was much bigger than Japanese fighters, the Beaufighter had the speed to outrun them. Combatants United States; Australia Japan Commanders George C. Kenney Kimura Masatomi Strength 39 heavy bombers; 41 medium bombers; 34 light bombers; 54 fighters 8 destroyers, 8 troop transports, about 100 land-based fighter planes Casualties 2 bombers, 3 fighters shot down 8 troop transports sunk; 4 destroyers sunk; 20 fighters... The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter, often referred to as simply the Beau, was a long-range heavy fighter modification of the Bristol Aeroplane Companys earlier Beaufort torpedo bomber design. ...

The RAAF's heavy bomber force was predominantly comprised of 287 B-24 Liberators, which could bomb Japanese targets as far away as Borneo and the Philippines from airfields in Australia and New Guinea. The B-52 Stratofortress, a heavy bomber. ... A B-24 Liberator photographed from above while in flight The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American bomber that was produced in greater numbers than any other American combat aircraft during World War II and was used by most of the Allied air forces during the war. ... Borneo (left) and Sulawesi. ...

By late 1945, the RAAF had received or ordered about 500 P-51 Mustangs, for fighter/ground attack purposes. The Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation initially assembled US-made Mustangs, but later manufactured most of those used. The RAAF's main operational formation, the First Tactical Air Force, comprised more than 18,000 personnel and 20 squadrons; it had taken part in the Philippines and Borneo campaigns and was scheduled to participate in the invasion of the Japanese mainland, Operation Downfall. So too were the RAAF bomber squadrons in Europe, as part of the proposed Tiger Force. However, the war was brought to a sudden end by the US nuclear attacks on Japan. As a result of the Empire Air Training Scheme, about 20,000 Australian personnel had served with other Commonwealth air forces in Europe during World War II. A total of 216,900 men and women served in the RAAF, of whom 11,061 were killed in action. 1945 (MCMVL) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... The North American P-51 Mustang was a successful long range fighter aircraft which set new standards of excellence and performance when it entered service in the middle years of World War II and is still regarded as one of the very best piston-engined fighters ever made. ... The Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation is the best known of the Australian aircraft manufacturers of the Word War II era and post war era. ... The Australian First Tactical Air Force (1 TAF) was formed on October 25, 1944 by the Royal Australian Air Force to provide fighter and ground attack support to Allied ground and naval forces, fighting the Empire of Japan in the South West Pacific Area. ... Borneo (left) and Sulawesi. ... Operation Downfall was the overall Allied plan for the invasion of Japan at the end of World War II. It was scheduled to occur in two parts: Operation Olympic, the invasion of Kyushu, set to begin in November 1945; and later Operation Coronet, the invasion of Honshu near Tokyo, scheduled... Tiger Force was the name given to a World War II British Commonwealth long range heavy bomber force, formed in 1945, from squadrons serving with RAF Bomber Command in Europe, for proposed use against targets in Japan. ... The Fat Man mushroom cloud resulting from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rises 18 km (11 mi, 60,000 ft) into the air from the hypocenter. ...

Post War Service

Two F/A-18 Hornets and ground crew from No.75 Squadron in the Middle East during 2003.

In the Korean War, Mustangs from No. 77 Squadron (77 Sqn), stationed in Japan with the British Commonwealth Occupation Force, were among the first United Nations aircraft to be deployed, in ground support, combat air patrol, and escort missions. When the UN planes were confronted by MiG-15 jet fighters, 77 Sqn acquired Gloster Meteors, which enabled some success against the Soviet pilots flying for North Korea. However the MiGs were superior aircraft and the Meteors were relegated to ground support missions, as the North Koreans gained experience. The air force also operated transport aircraft during the conflict. Image File history File linksMetadata 75_Sqn. ... Image File history File linksMetadata 75_Sqn. ... Combatants Western Allied/UN combatants: Republic of Korea United States Britain Communist combatants: Democratic People’s Republic of Korea People’s Republic of China Soviet Union Commanders Syngman Rhee Chung Il Kwon Douglas MacArthur Mark W. Clark Matthew Ridgway Kim Il-sung Choi Yong-kun Peng Dehuai Strength Note: All... No. ... The 2nd Battalion, 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles marching through Kure soon after their arrival in Japan. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 (Russian: ) (NATO reporting name Fagot) was a jet fighter developed for the USSR. // History Front view of a MiG-15 On April 15th of 1947, the Council of Ministers issued an decree #493-192, ordering the Mikoyan OKB to build two prototypes for a new... The Gloster Meteor was the first jet fighter aircraft of the British Royal Air Force, introduced into service only weeks after the Third Reichs Messerschmitt Me 262, in August 1944 during World War II. It was thus the second fighter jet in history and the first of the WWII... Soviet redirects here. ...

During the Vietnam War, from 1966-72, the RAAF contributed squadrons of Caribou STOL transport aircraft (No. 35 Squadron), UH-1 Iroquois helicopters (No. 9 Squadron) and English Electric Canberra bombers (No. 2 Squadron). The Canberras flew a large number of bombing sorties, and two were lost. One went missing during a bombing raid, and neither the crew nor the aircraft has ever been located. The other was shot down by a surface to air missile, although both crew were rescued. RAAF transport aircraft also supported anti-communist ground forces. The UH-1 helicopters were used in many roles including Dustoff (medical evacuation) and Bushranger Gunships for armed support. Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines Democratic Republic of Vietnam National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam People’s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength ~1,200,000 (1968) ~520,000 (1968) Casualties South Vietnamese dead... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... STOL is an acronym for Short Take-Off and Landing, used in the aircraft industry to describe airplanes with very short runway requirements. ... A UH-1D Huey seen offloading troops during the Vietnam War The Bell Helicopter UH-1 Iroquois, commonly (or officially in the United States Marine Corps) known as the Huey, is a multipurpose military helicopter, famous for its use in the Vietnam War. ... A No. ... The English Electric Canberra was a first-generation jet bomber manufactured in large numbers through the 1950s, and as of 2006 some still remain in service. ... A Wedgetail from No. ... Sortie is a term for deployment of one military aircraft or a ship for the purposes of a specific mission, whether alone, or with other aircraft or vessels. ... A surface-to-air missile (SAM) is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft. ... Anti-communism is opposition to communist ideology, organization, or government, on either a theoretical or practical level. ... A Beech KingAir of the Australian Royal Flying Doctor Service. ...

Military airlifts were conducted for a number of purposes in the intervening decades, such as the peacekeeping operations in East Timor from 1999. Australia's combat aircraft were not used again in anger until the Iraq War in 2003, when F/A-18s from No. 75 Squadron operated in the escort and ground attack roles. 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... The Australian government was a strong and uncritical supporter of United States policy during the Iraq disarmament crisis and one of only three nations to commit combat forces to the 2003 invasion of Iraq in any substantial numbers, under the operational codename Operation Falconer. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Two F/A-18 Hornets and ground crew from No. ...

Military History of Australia
History of the branches of the Australian Defence Force
History of the Australian Army | History of the Royal Australian Navy | History of the Royal Australian Air Force
Military History of Australia by conflict
World War I | World War II | Vietnam War | First Gulf War | War on Terrorism | Second Gulf War