RAAF Base Williamtown
RAAF Base Williamtown | |||||||||||
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 The entrance to RAAF Base Williamtown in 1985 | |||||||||||
 The entrance to Fighter World museum | |||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Military | ||||||||||
| Owner | Royal Australian Air Force | ||||||||||
| Location | Williamtown, New South Wales, Australia | ||||||||||
| Built | 15 February 1941 | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 31 ft / 9.4 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 32°47′42″S 151°50′04″E / 32.79500°S 151.83444°E | ||||||||||
| Website | RAAF Williamtown | ||||||||||
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| Runways | |||||||||||
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Statistics from World Aero Data website[1] | |||||||||||
RAAF Base Williamtown (IATA: NTL, ICAO: YWLM) is a Royal Australian Air Force base located 14 kilometres (9 mi) north of Newcastle, New South Wales (27 km (17 mi) by road). Although a military airfield, it shares its runway with Newcastle Airport, a civilian terminal.
RAAF Station Williamtown was established on 15 February 1941 as a training base. A number of Australian Empire Air Training Scheme squadrons were formed at Williamtown before proceeding overseas and No. 4 Operational Training Unit was located at Williamtown from October 1942 until the unit was disbanded in April 1944. Following World War II Williamtown was retained as the RAAF's main fighter base.
Williamtown is currently home to F/A-18 Hornet fighters (operated by No. 2 Operational Conversion Unit RAAF, No. 3 Squadron RAAF and No. 77 Squadron RAAF), BAE Hawk 127 Lead-In Fighters (operated by No. 76 Squadron RAAF) and Pilatus PC-9 training aircraft operated by the Forward Air Control Development Unit. It is also home to a number of headquarters and other units such as the Australian Defence Force Warfare Centre and Surveillance and Response Group.
Williamtown is the future home of No. 2 Squadron RAAF, with the Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning & Control aircraft.
With a workforce of over 3,500 persons, RAAF Base Williamtown has most of the facilities you would expect to find in a small town, including sporting fields, recreation facilities, cinema and even a fortnightly newspaper (Fighter Force News) hightlighting activities around the Base and outside community.
In addition to its military units, RAAF Williamtown is the home to Fighter World, a museum dedicated to Australian fighter aircraft.
The base has a strong link with the city of Newcastle. This is perhaps best epitomised by the city's A-League franchise the Newcastle Jets, which in addition to the Jets name features the silhouettes of three Hornets on the club badge.
Units
| Unit | Full Name | FEG | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1ATS DET WLM | No. 1 Air Terminal Squadron Detachment Williamtown | Combat Support Group | N/A |
| 2SQN | No. 2 Squadron | Surveillance and Response Group | B737 AEW&C |
| 2ATHS | No. 2 Air Transportable Health Squadron | Combat Support Group | N/A |
| 2OCU | No. 2 Operational Conversion Unit | Air Combat Group | F/A-18 |
| 3SQN | No. 3 Squadron | Air Combat Group | F/A-18 |
| 4SQN | No. 4 Squadron | PC-9 | |
| 3CRU | No. 3 Control and Reporting Unit | Surveillance and Response Group | N/A |
| 26SQN | No. 26 Squadron | Combat Support Group | N/A |
| 44WG DET WLM | No. 44 Wing Detachment Williamtown | Surveillance and Response Group | N/A |
| 76SQN | No. 76 Squadron | Air Combat Group | BAe-Hawk 127 |
| 77SQN | No. 77 Squadron | Air Combat Group | F/A-18 |
| 278SQN | No. 278 Squadron | Air Combat Group | N/A |
| 381ECSS | No. 381 Expeditionary Combat Support Squadron | Combat Support Group | N/A |
| CSU-WLM | Combat Support Unit - Williamtown | Combat Support Group | N/A |
| HQ41WG | Headquarters No. 41 Wing | Surveillance and Response Group | N/A |
| HQ42WG | Headquarters No. 42 Wing | Surveillance and Response Group | N/A |
| HQ44WG | Headquarters No. 44 Wing | Surveillance and Response Group | N/A |
| HQ78WG | Headquarters No. 78 Wing | Air Combat Group | N/A |
| HQ81WG | Headquarters No. 81 Wing | Air Combat Group | N/A |
| HQACG | Headquarters Air Combat Group | Air Combat Group | N/A |
| HQSRG | Headquarters Surveillance and Response Group | Surveillance and Response Group | N/A |
| SACTU | Surveillance and Control Training Unit | Surveillance and Response Group | N/A |
| 335SQN AAFC[2] | No. 335 Squadron Australian Air Force Cadets | Australian Air Force Cadets | N/A |
DMO UNITS
AEWCSPO Airborne Early Warning Control System Program Office
GTESPO Ground Telecommunications Electronic System Program Office
TFSPO Tactical Fighter System Program Office
See also
References
- ^ "Williamtown". World Aeronautical Database. Avigation Networks, Inc. Retrieved 2008-07-09.
- ^ "3 Wing: 335 Squadron". Australian Defence Force Cadets. Retrieved 2008-01-03.
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