History

No.3 Squadron was formed during World War I in Egypt on 19 September 1916. It was the first Australian Flying Corps Squadron to move to France, and by the end of the war had flown over 10,000 operational hours in support of the ground forces in bombing, artillery spotting and reconnaissance roles. Since World War II, 3SQN has spent almost thirty continuous years at Butterworth in Malaysia, initially operating Sabre and then Mirage aircraft. In 1986 the Squadron returned to Australia and became the first operational squadron to be equipped with the F/A-18 Hornet.

In early 2002 3SQN performed Air Defence Operations out of Diego Garcia as part of the coalition in the International War Against Terrorism.

Equipment Used

F/A-18

Location

No. 3 Squadron is located at RAAF Base Williamtown in New South Wales. Their address is:

No. 3 Squadron
RAAF Base Williamtown
Medowie Road
Williamtown NSW 2314