September

End of the horizon for our Caribou

The iconic DHC-4 Caribou will take a hard earned retirement from the Air Force this December, following 45 years of service to Australia.

The aircraft, operated by No. 38 Squadron at RAAF Base Townsville, has a busy schedule of activity before retirement, including appearances at Defence Air Displays in Townsville (September 26) and Wagga (October 18), and training exercises in Papua New Guinea.

Former members of the RAAF Caribou community are invited to a reunion in Townsville on November 7.
For details, contact 38SQN.45Yrs@defence.gov.au.

Visit the gallery.

10 Sep 2009 08:05:32 +1000

Workshop team keeps MRTF equipment in shape

Workshop team keeps MRTF equipment in shape

The skilled soldiers from the Workshop in Tarin Kowt are proving to be a critical asset, ensuring operations in Afghanistan continue.

They are from the Combat Service Support Team which is part of the 1st Battalion Battle Group, which forms the second rotation of the Mentoring and Reconstruction Task Force.

Operation SLIPPER is Australia's military contribution to international campaigns against terrorism, countering piracy in the Gulf of Aden, and maritime security.

Under this operation our forces contribute to the efforts of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) - led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, which seeks to bring security, stability and prosperity to the country and aims at preventing Afghanistan again becoming a safe haven for international terrorists, and the United States-led International Coalition Against Terrorism (ICAT) efforts in the broader Middle East.

15 Sep 2009 09:28:24 GMT

Air Force Fire-fighters join the fight

Fire-fighters provide an important capability within any deployed force. When combined with other coalition personnel and assests, they form a formidable team that is critical for the safe operation of any airfield.

Operation SLIPPER is Australia's military contribution to international campaigns against terrorism, countering piracy in the Gulf of Aden, and maritime security. Under this operation our forces contribute to the efforts of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) - led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, which seeks to bring security, stability and prosperity to the country and aims at preventing Afghanistan again becoming a safe haven for international terrorists, and the United States-led International Coalition Against Terrorism (ICAT) efforts in the broader Middle East.

Operation photos (DOD website)
Panther photos (Air Force Multimedia)

15 Sep 2009 09:36:30 GMT

Arnhem Drifter a winner

By LAC Aaron Curran

FOR nearly two weeks, the quiet and peaceful time that is dawn in Arnhem Land was broken by the deep-throated roar of two gas burners at full power signalling it was time to fly.

Those burners belonged to the Air Force Balloon, which was on deployment as part of Exercise Arnhem Drifter 2009 (AD09).


AD09 was part of the ADF’s Indigenous Employment Program, aimed at building community awareness and understanding of the range of career prospects the ADF has to offer to remote communities. It was the first time a deployment was conducted under this program’s banner and, according to balloon pilot SQNLDR Michael Bannerman, it was a successful one. The balloon is a fantastic way to get the ADF’s message out there, he said. “We really felt like we had reached out to the people in those communities.

The balloon started in schools in Nhulunbuy (Gove) and Yirrkala and then all the way to Gapuwiyak, an indigenous community 230km southwest of Nhulunbuy. I think Gapuwiyak summed up the real reason we were there, SQNLDR Bannerman said. “We planned to go to various homelands, but they wrote to us and said it is easier if they came to us. That was a big effort; these guys were driving up to five hours on dirt and rutted roads to see us.


Morning and night displays with tethered flights were conducted for people who waited patiently for hours in line for their turn. “In all the schools we visited, the children, teachers and Aboriginal elders reported to us that it was a most magical experience.

Read the full story (page 2, Air Force News, Septmber 2009)

21 Sep 2009 09:55:32 GMT