RAAF Base Williamtown

Newcastle, New South Wales

The Royal Australian Air Force's RAAF Base Williamtown is 30kms north of Newcastle. It is home to most of our Hornet and Hawk fighters and several headquarters:

• Surveillance and Response Group
  • No 41 Wing
    • No 3 Control and Reporting Unit - radar operations
    • Surveillance and Control Training Unit - sensor operations training
  • No 42 Wing - airborne early warning and control
    • No 2 Squadron - Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft
• Air Combat Group
  • No 78 Wing - operational training
    • No 76 Squadron - Hawk fighter trainer aircraft
    • No 2 Operational Conversion Unit - Hornet fighter training
    • Forward Air Control Development Unit - PC-9/A trainer aircraft
  • No 81 Wing - air superiority
    • No 3 Squadron - Hornet fighter aircraft
    • No 77 Squadron - Hornet fighter aircraft
• No 44 Wing Detachment Williamtown - air traffic control
• No 26 (City of Newcastle) Squadron - Air Force Reserve
• No 87 Squadron - photography
• Combat Support Unit Williamtown - base managers
• No 381 Expeditionary Combat Support Squadron
• No 1 Airfield Operations Squadron - aifield engineering
• 2 Expeditionay Health Squadon
  
• Joint Warfare, Doctrine and Training Center (JWDTC) - strategy training

Public access

Public access to RAAF Bases is not permitted. All visitors must be signed in and wear their visitor's pass at all times. Please contact the security guards for further information.

Fighter World museum conducts bus tours of the base.

Contact

RAAF Base Williamtown
Medowie Road
Williamtown NSW 2314

Call 1800 033 200 and ask for Williamtown Air Force Base.

Call +61 2 6265 9111 for international callers.

Aircraft Noise Exposure Forecast (ANEF) 2025

The Aircraft Noise Exposure Forecast (ANEF) for 2025 for RAAF Base Williamtown and the Salt Ash Weapons Range was released by Senator Feeney on 10 August 2011. Air Force fighter pilots travelled to the United States to undertake a world leading assessment of the F-35A Lightning II aircraft to explore methods for reducing noise exposure, including minimising the use of afterburner take-offs, and reducing power setting during aircraft departures and arrivals. These changes have significantly reduced the projected number of Port Stephens residents that will experience aircraft noise. Many residents will experience less noise with the F-35A than with current F/A-18 Hornets.

ANEF maps are planning tools used at each airfield in Australia, to help Councils determine appropriate developments. Defence is required to produce ANEF's for its military airfields around Australia, whenever there are significant changes to aircraft movements, or the existing ANEF expires. Defence ANEF's include the forecast noise from both civilian and military aircraft in a future year - in this case the year 2025.