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RAAF Base Richmond

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Coordinates: 33°36′02″S 150°46′51″E

RAAF Base Richmond (IATA: XRH, ICAO: YSRI) is a Royal Australian Main page RAAF Base Richmond Contents (RAAF) military located within the , approximately 50 Richmond, in Australia Featured content kilometres (31 mi) north-west of the central business district in New South Current events Wales, Australia. Situated between the towns of Windsor and Richmond, the base is Random article the oldest base in New South Wales and the second oldest in Australia.[2]:ii–iii The Donate to Wikipedia base is home to the transport headquarters RAAF Air Lift Group, and its major Wikipedia store operational formations, Nos. 84 and 86 Wings. The main aircraft type operated at the Interaction base is the Lockheed C-130 Hercules. Richmond is a regular venue for air shows Help and has at times been mooted as a site for Sydney's proposed second international C-130 Hercules at RAAF Base Richmond About Wikipedia airport. RAAF Base Community portal Richmond Recent changes Sited on a piece of land originally known as Ham Common, Richmond became an YSRI Contact page RAAF base in 1925. Its inaugural commander was (later ) Frank Lukis, who also led the base's first flying unit, No. 3 Squadron. Many Tools other squadrons were formed at Richmond in the ensuing years, as well as a What links here separate Station Headquarters and No. 2 Aircraft Depot in 1936. The base Related changes expanded further during World War II, with more squadrons and other units being Upload file established there, including No. 1 (Fighter) Wing and No. 3 RAAF Hospital. It was Special pages Permanent link not until after the war that it became the RAAF's transport hub, with the arrival of Page information No. 86 Wing and its complement of C-47 Dakotas. The base began operating the Wikidata item Hercules in 1958, augmented in later years by the DHC-4 Caribou and Boeing 707. Cite this page Location in Greater Sydney Contents [hide] Print/export Coordinates 33°36′02″S 150°46′51″E

Create PDF in your applications with the Pdfcrowd HTML to PDF API PDFCROWD Create a book 1 History Type Military air base Download as PDF 2 Units Site information Printable version 3 Gallery Owner Department of Defence Operator Royal Australian Air Force In other projects 4 See also 5 References Website RAAF Base Richmond Wikimedia Commons 6 External links Site history Languages Built 28 August 1916 Cebuano In use 30 June 1925 – present Deutsch History [ edit ] Garrison information ﻓﺎرﺳﯽ A military flying school was set up at the site of the present-day RAAF base on Past Frank Lukis Bahasa Indonesia [2]:9 commanders Bahasa Melayu 28 August 1916, when the area was known as Ham Common. RAAF Station Garrison Air Mobility Group Português Richmond was established on 30 June 1925 as the fledgling service's first air base No. 84 Wing Svenska outside .[2]:21[3]:310–11 Its initial flying unit was No. 3 (Army Cooperation) No. 86 Wing Тоҷикӣ Squadron, operating Airco DH.9 light bombers and Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 Edit links Occupants No 453 Squadron Flight Richmond fighters, and for the next decade the commanding officer of No. 3 Squadron was No. 35 Squadron also in charge of the base.[4] Among these were Squadron Leaders Frank Lukis No. 37 Squadron (1925–30), (1930–31), and Bill Bostock (1931–33). Headquarters No. 22 (City of Sydney) Squadron RAAF Station Richmond was formed as a separate entity on 20 April 1936, under No. 87 Squadron the command of Adrian "King" Cole. Other units, including No. 22 No. 3 Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron flying Hawker Demons, and No. 2 Aircraft Depot, had been established in Squadron the preceding months. No. 4 (General Reconnaissance) Squadron was formed in No. 1 Security Force Squadron Detachment Richmond May 1937, followed by No. 6 (General Reconnaissance) Squadron in March 1939. Air Movements Training and Two Fleet Cooperation units were also established, No. 5 Squadron in April 1936 Development Unit and No. 9 Squadron in January 1939. No. 23 (General Purpose) Squadron formed in Air Lift Systems Program Office February 1939.[2]:113–132 As well as an Air Force base, in its pre-war days Richmond No. 176 Air Dispatch Squadron was used as a supplementary airport for Sydney; various aviation pioneers Airfield information employed it in the 1930s, including and Jean Batten.[4] Identifiers IATA: XRH, ICAO: YSRI

Commanded by Group Captain Hippolyte "Kanga" De La Rue, Richmond's combat Elevation 20 metres (67 ft) AMSL units at the outbreak of World War II included No. 3 Squadron (flying Hawker Runways Demons), Nos. 6 and 22 Squadrons (Avro Ansons), and No. 9 Squadron Direction Length and surface

Create PDF in your applications with the Pdfcrowd HTML to PDF API PDFCROWD (Supermarine Seagulls).[4] On 4 September 1939, the day after Australia declared 10/28 2,134 metres (7,001 ft) Asphalt war, the base's first wartime sortie took place, a flight of three Ansons and three Sources: Australian AIP and chart[1] Seagulls patrolling the ocean off Sydney.[2]:62–63 Richmond expanded significantly during the war, and many flying units originated there including No. 11 Squadron in September 1939, No. 30 (Beaufighter) Squadron and No. 100 (Beaufort) Squadron in March 1942, No. 54 Squadron RAF in August 1942, No. 452 Squadron RAF in September 1942, No. 1 (Fighter) Wing in October 1942, and No. 84 (Boomerang) Squadron in February 1943. Several auxiliaries were also formed including training schools, salvage units, and over thirty radar stations. No. 2 Recruit Depot came into being in January 1940,[2]:113–132 and the resultant expansion of temporary accommodation resulted in a "tin city" on the fringes of the base. The also utilised the base for parachute training. No. 3 RAAF Hospital was established in October 1940.[2]:68,79,113–132 Following the war, Richmond became home to most of the RAAF's transport aircraft. No. 86 (Transport) Wing, made up of Nos. 36 and 38 Squadrons flying C-47 Dakotas, arrived from RAAF Station Schofields in June 1949. The wing relocated to in 1954, but returned to Richmond four years later.[2]:92–94 No. 11 Squadron, which had disbanded in 1946, returned to Richmond in 1954 operating P-2 Neptune maritime reconnaissance aircraft, and remained until transferring to RAAF Base Edinburgh, in 1968.[2]:125

Headquarters RAAF Base Richmond was formed in April 1952 to replace the former Station Headquarters, along with a subordinate unit, Base Squadron Richmond, for the day-to-day running of the establishment.[2] The base was evacuated in February 1956 due to the threat of rising floodwaters nearby, the only time in its history that flooding in the Hawkesbury region became serious enough to warrant such action.[2]:94–5 In 1958–59, No. 36 Squadron began operating its first C-130 Hercules heavy transports,[2]:97–8 which were augmented by No. 38 Squadron's DHC-4 Caribou tactical transports in 1964. No. 86 Wing was disbanded in August that year,[2]:102,114[3]:159–160 but reformed in February 1987, under the newly established Headquarters Air Lift Group that replaced the former Base Headquarters. At the same time, Base Squadron was reformed as Base Support Wing. No. 86 Wing took control of No. 33 Squadron, operating Boeing 707 jet tanker/transports, as well as Nos. 36 and 37 Squadrons, flying Hercules. No. 486 Maintenance Squadron and Air Movements Training and Development Unit (AMTDU) were also under its aegis at Richmond.[2]:107–108,116–117 The Hercules, Caribous and 707s became synonymous with disaster relief and emergency transport in Australia and the region, as well as deploying on overseas peacekeeping missions. Richmond was the venue for many air shows including, in 1988, the largest staged in Australia to that date, celebrating the Australian Bicentenary.[3]:310–311[2]:110–111 The base also staged the RAAF's 70th Anniversary Air show in 1991, the same year that the Hercules achieved 500,000 accident-free hours of operation.[4]

By the early 2000s, No. 33 Squadron had been transferred to the recently re-established No. 84 Wing, and AMTDU to No. 85 Wing, while the Base Support Wing had been superseded by Combat Support Unit Richmond.[5] No. 36 Squadron, having transferred its C-130Hs to No. 37 Squadron and re-equipped with the C-17 Globemaster, relocated to RAAF Base Amberley, , in November 2006.[6] The RAAF's DHC-4 Caribous, which had been operated for some years by No. 38 Squadron out of RAAF Base , were retired

Create PDF in your applications with the Pdfcrowd HTML to PDF API PDFCROWD at the end of 2009, to be replaced by Super King Airs built by Hawker Pacific.[7] No. 37 Squadron was transferred from No. 86 Wing to No. 84 Wing on 1 October 2010.[8] In January 2013, No. 35 Squadron was re-formed at Richmond, under the control of No. 84 Wing. Initially a cadre, the squadron will expand to approximately 250 personnel by 2015, when it will begin operating the RAAF's ten C-27J Spartan transport aircraft.[9][10]

In the 1980s, RAAF Base Richmond had been strongly considered as a second international airport for Sydney, but no decision was taken at the time.[2]:110–111 By 2009, it was reported as being the New South Wales Government's preferred location for a secondary airport, but that any decision on a location would be the Federal Government's responsibility.[11] In July 2012, the Federal Government decided against Richmond as a second airport, but had commissioned a study into whether the base could be employed for "limited civil operations".[12] In September 2016 the Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal , stated that the RAAF favoured closing RAAF Base Richmond during the next 15 years as its functions had been declining, and the major investment in infrastructure needed to bring it to a "fighting state" could be better spent upgrading other bases. However, Minister for Defence Marise Payne stated that the Government was not considering closing the base.[13]

Units [ edit ]

The following units are located at RAAF Base Richmond:[14]

Force Element Unit Full name Aircraft Notes Group HQALG Headquarters Air Lift Group Air Lift Group Controls Nos. 34, 35, 37, and 285 84WNG Headquarters No. 84 Wing Air Lift Group Squadrons[10] Air Movements Training & Development Aerial delivery development, training and 85WNG Air Lift Group Unit certification Air Mobility Control Centre Air Lift Group C-27 35SQN No. 35 Squadron Air Lift Group [9] Spartan C-130J 37SQN No. 37 Squadron Air Lift Group Hercules

Create PDF in your applications with the Pdfcrowd HTML to PDF API PDFCROWD Force Element Unit Full name Aircraft Notes Group Air Lift Group flight simulator and technical 285SQN No. 285 Squadron Air Lift Group training Reserve and expeditionary/airfield 22SQN No. 22 (City of Sydney) Squadron Combat Support Group services[15] No. 1 Combat Communication Squadron 1CCS Combat Support Group [16] Detachment Richmond No. 1 Airfield Defence Squadron 1ADS Combat Support Group [17] Detachment Richmond No. 1 Airfield Operations Support 1AOSS Combat Support Group Airfield operations and engineering[16] Squadron Detachment Richmond No. 3 Expeditionary Health Squadron 3EHS Detachment Richmond Aerospace Operational 87SQN No. 87 Squadron Intelligence/photography[18] Support Group Surveillance and 453SQN No. 453 Squadron Flight Richmond Air traffic services[19][20] Response Group Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Air Lift Systems Program Office Group medium airlift sustainment 176ADS 176 Air Dispatch Squadron Army aerial dispatching 336SQN 336 Squadron AAFC Australian Air Force Cadets-3 Wing AAFC

Gallery [ edit ]

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Westland Wapitis of No. No. 54 Squadron Spitfire No. 86 Wing Dakotas 3 Squadron in the pilots, Richmond, 1942 during a fly-past in 1952 Richmond area, October 1932

See also [ edit ] List of airports in Greater Sydney Sydney portal List of airports in New South Wales Royal Australian Air List of Australian Air Force installations Force portal No. 131 Radar Station RAAF Aviation portal

References [ edit ]

1. ^ YSRI – Richmond (PDF). AIP En Route Supplement from 4. ^ a b c d RAAF Historical Section (1995). Units of the Royal , effective 01 March 2018, Aeronautical Australian Air Force: A Concise History. Volume 1: Introduction, Chart Bases, Supporting Organisations. Canberra: Aust. Govt. Pub. 2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Roylance, Derek (1991). Air Base Service. pp. 154–157. ISBN 0-644-42792-2. Richmond. RAAF Base Richmond: Royal Australian Air Force. 5. ^ "RAAF Base Richmond Reinvestment Project" (PDF). ISBN 0-646-05212-8. Department of Defence. August 2003. Retrieved 30 November 3. ^ a b c Stephens, Alan (2006) [2001]. The Royal Australian Air 2010. Force: A History. London: . ISBN 0-19- 6. ^ "Royal Australian Air Force Squadrons Celebrate New Role" . at 555541-4. Department of Defence. 17 November 2006. Retrieved 30 November 2010.

Create PDF in your applications with the Pdfcrowd HTML to PDF API PDFCROWD 7. ^ "Caribou Flies Into History" . at Australian Aviation. 27 14. ^ "RAAF Base Richmond" . Royal Australian Air Force. Australian November 2009. Archived from the original on 15 March 2012. Government. Retrieved 28 March 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2010. 15. ^ No. 22 Squadron at RAAF Museum. Retrieved on 28 March 8. ^ "Restructure of Air Lift Group Units" . at Department of Defence. 2013. 5 October 2010. Retrieved 30 November 2010. 16. ^ a b No. 396 Expeditionary Combat Support Wing at Royal 9. ^ a b "Media Release: Wallaby Airlines Returns to Air Force" . at Australian Air Force. Retrieved on 28 March 2013. Department of Defence. Archived from the original on 17 January 17. ^ No. 395 Expeditionary Combat Support Wing at Royal 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2013. Australian Air Force. Retrieved on 28 March 2013. 10. ^ a b "RAAF C-27J buy confirmed" . Australian Aviation. 10 May 18. ^ Aerospace Operational Support Group at Royal Australian Air 2012. Archived from the original on 19 May 2012. Retrieved Force. Retrieved on 28 March 2013. 19 May 2012. 19. ^ "Senator Feeney Celebrates the Reformation of Number 452 and 11. ^ Richmond on track for second airport at Sydney Morning 453 Squadrons at RAAF Base Williamtown" . at Department of Herald. Retrieved on 30 November 2010. Defence. 16 February 2011. Archived from the original on 26 12. ^ "Consultants named for studies into new airport" . The Sydney March 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2013. Morning Herald. Retrieved 30 March 2013. 20. ^ Surveillance and Response Group at Royal Australian Air 13. ^ Wroe, David (15 September 2016). "Defence targets Richmond Force. Retrieved on 28 March 2013. base in Sydney and Laverton base in for closure" . The Canberra Times. Retrieved 15 September 2016.

External links [ edit ]

RAAF Base Richmond at airforce.gov.au Wikimedia Commons has media related to RAAF Base Richmond.

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Categories: Royal Australian Air Force bases Military installations in New South Wales 1916 establishments in Australia Airports in New South Wales Airports in Greater Sydney Airports established in 1916 Military airbases established in 1916 Hawkesbury River Richmond, New South Wales

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