| RAAF Base Amberley | |
| Location: | , Queensland |
| Country: | Australia |
| Type: | Military airbase |
| Coordinates: | -27.6406°N 152.7119°W |
| Pushpin Map: | Queensland |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Queensland |
| Pushpin Relief: | 1 |
| Pushpin Label: | RAAF Base Amberley YAMB |
| Ownership: | Department of Defence |
| Used: | present |
| Icao: | YAMB |
| Wmo: | 94568 |
| Elevation: | 910NaN0 |
| R1-Number: | 04/22 |
| R1-Length: | 1523m (4,997feet) |
| R1-Surface: | concrete/asphalt |
| R2-Number: | 15/33 |
| R2-Length: | 3047m (9,997feet) |
| R2-Surface: | concrete/asphalt |
| Footnotes: | Sources: Australian AIP and aerodrome chart[1] |
RAAF Base Amberley is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military airbase located 8km (05miles) southwest of Ipswich, Queensland in Australia and 50km (30miles) southwest of Brisbane CBD. It is currently home to No. 1 Squadron (operating the F/A-18F Super Hornet), No. 6 Squadron (operating the EA-18G Growler), No. 33 Squadron (operating the Airbus KC-30A), No. 35 Squadron (operating the C-27J Spartan) and No. 36 Squadron (operating the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III). Amberley is also home to Army units making up the 9th Force Support Battalion (9 FSB). Located on, RAAF Amberley is the largest operational base in the RAAF, employing over 5,000 uniformed and civilian personnel.[2] There are a variety of other formations on the base such as training colleges and maintenance areas. Amberley's largest squadron in terms of personnel is No. 382 Expeditionary Combat Support Squadron RAAF (ECSS) providing both garrison and deployed combat support. Amberley was one of only two airfields in Australia (the other being Darwin International Airport) that were listed as a Transoceanic Abort (TOA) landing site for the Space Shuttle.[3] [4] Amberley is currently undergoing a A$64 million dollar re-development program. The RAAF has plans to have Amberley operating as its "superbase" with flights of F/A-18F Super Hornets, KC-30A, C-17 Globemaster and the C-27J Spartan.
The need for a RAAF base in Brisbane was identified in the 1930s. 882acres of land ca 8km south-west of the city of Ipswich was gazetted for defence purposes on 12 December 1938. The land was called Jeebropilly by the original land-owners of the Jagera, the Yuggera and Ugarapul clans.[5] The name Jeebropilly denotes the flood plain that the region is.[6]
The base was initially planned to house a general purpose squadron with 300 officers and men. At the outbreak of World War II the handful of brick buildings were still incomplete and many extra buildings were constructed quickly using wood and fibro. The base opened in June 1940 with the first unit based there being No. 24 Squadron. From May 1942 the base changed roles from flying operations to mainly assembly and repair of aircraft.
The base was a major United States Army Air Forces base during 1942 and 1943. In September 1942, General Douglas MacArthur and Field Marshal Sir Thomas Blamey, Australian commander of New Guinea Force, decided the key to defending Australia was in New Guinea. The US 32nd Infantry Division had arrived in Australia in April 1942, spent several weeks building its first camp, was transported to a new camp in July, and nearly one third of its troops had been in boot camp only five months previously. The division had less than two months of jungle warfare training and was far short of completing the year of division-level training required by Army doctrine. Nonetheless U.S. officers decided it was the most combat-ready unit in Australia.[7] [8]
On 13 September 1942, MacArthur ordered parts of the 32nd Division to Papua New Guinea. Because the situation was critical and time was short, 5th Air Force commander General George Kenney suggested that he could transport the first regiment by air. This had never been attempted before, so Company E, 126th IR, was used to test the concept. At dawn on 15 September 1942, the unit was flown from Amberley Field to Port Moresby. The remainder of the 126th IR boarded ships for Port Moresby beginning on 18 September from Brisbane. The 128th IR was from Townsville, Australia to Port Moresby on the same day.[9] The 126th IR were the first troops to be airlifted into combat.[10]
Known Fifth Air Force units assigned to "Amberley Field" were:
| Unit | Aircraft | Assigned | Reassigned | Time at Amberley | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| days | |||||
| 38th Bombardment Group, Headquarters | days | ||||
| B-26 Marauder | days | ||||
| 475th Fighter Group, Headquarters | |||||
| days | |||||
| days | |||||
| days |
The US facilities were transferred to Australia in 1947.[11] After the war it became the base for the RAAF's heavy bombers operated by No. 1, No. 2 and No. 6 squadrons. The reserve No. 23 (City of Brisbane) Squadron relocated from RAAF Station Archerfield to Amberley in 1955.
In 1965, the US extended a "Joint Research Program for Measuring the Physical Effects of Disturbances in the Atmosphere or in Space with particular emphasis on their effect on Radio Communications" from RAAF Base Pearce to the base at Amberley.[12]
The current layout of the aerodrome consists of two runways, 3km and 1.5km long.[13]
The following units are based at RAAF Base Amberley:[14] [15] [16]
| Royal Australian Air Force | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit | Full name | Aircraft | Notes | ||
| HQ82WG | |||||
| Headquarters No. 95 Wing | |||||
| 1SQN | Air Combat Group | F/A-18F | |||
| 6SQN | Air Combat Group | EA-18G | |||
| 33SQN | KC-30A | ||||
| 35SQN | Air Mobility Group | C-27J Spartan | |||
| 36SQN | Air Mobility Group | C-17 Globemaster III | |||
| 452SQN AMB FLT | Surveillance and Response Group | ||||
| HQCSG | Headquarters Combat Support Group | ||||
| HQ 95WG | Combat Support Group | ||||
| 382SQN | Combat Support Group | ||||
| 295SQN | No 295 Squadron (Training and Standards) | Combat Support Group | |||
| 1CCS DET AMB | Combat Support Group | ||||
| 2 SECFOR | Combat Support Group | ||||
| HQ 96WG | Combat Support Group | ||||
| 23SQN | Combat Support Group | ||||
| HQHSW | Headquarters Health Services Wing | Combat Support Group | |||
| 1EHS | Headquarters No. 1 Expeditionary Health Squadron | Combat Support Group | |||
| 3AMES DET AMB | No 3 Aero-medical Evacuation Squadron Detachment Amberley | Combat Support Group | |||
| HOCU | Health Operational Conversion Unit | Combat Support Group | |||
| RAAFSFS | RAAF Security and Fire School | ||||
| HALSPO | Heavy Air Lift Systems Program Office | ||||
| SRSPO | Strike Reconnaissance Systems Program Office | Defence Materiel Organisation | |||
| ARDU | Aircraft Research and Development Unit Detachment Amberley | ||||
| Australian Army | |||||
| 6 ESR | 6th Engineer Support Regiment (except 20 EOD Sqn) | ||||
| 9 FSB | 9th Force Support Battalion (except 176 AD Sqn) | ||||