No. 5 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force

Royal Australian Air Force

The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...

 training, army co-operation and helicopter squadron. The Squadron was first formed in 1917 and was disbanded in December 1989.

Squadron history

No. 5 Squadron was formed at Shawbury in England on 1 September 1917, as a unit of the Australian Flying Corps. The Squadron provided training to Australian pilots in Britain during World War I. After completing their training with No. 5 Squadron Australian pilots were posted to the operational squadrons based in France. No. 5 Squadron was disbanded in May 1919.

No. 5 Squadron was re-formed at RAAF Base Richmond

RAAF Base Richmond

RAAF Base Richmond is one of Australia's oldest and largest air force bases. It is located within the City of Hawkesbury in the north-western fringe of Sydney, New South Wales, between the towns of Windsor and Richmond. The base is home to the Royal Australian Air Force's transport headquarters,...

 on 20 April 1936 as a fleet co-operation squadron by expanding No. 101 (Fleet Co-Operation) Flight

No. 101 Flight RAAF

No. 101 Flight RAAF was a Royal Australian Air Force fleet co-operation flight. The Flight was formed on 1 July 1925 and was equipped with Fairey III amphibian aircraft. These aircraft were replaced with Supermarine Seagull IIIs in 1926. Aircraft from No. 101 flight operated from the Royal...

. Equipped with Supermarine Seagull

Supermarine Seagull (1921)

|-Specifications :-See also:-Bibliography:* Andrews, C.F. and Morgan, E.B. Supermarine Aircraft Since 1914. London: Putnam Books Ltd., 2nd revised edition 2003. ISBN 0-851-77800-3....

 amphibian aircraft the Squadron operated from Royal Australian Navy

Royal Australian Navy

The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...

 cruisers and the seaplane tender HMAS Albatross

HMAS Albatross (Seaplane Carrier)

HMAS Albatross was a seaplane tender of the Royal Australian Navy , which was later transferred to the Royal Navy and used as repair ship. Albatross was built by Cockatoo Island Dockyard during the mid 1920s to provide work during the Great Depression, and entered service at the start of 1929...

. No. 5 Squadron was redesignated No. 9 Squadron

No. 9 Squadron RAAF

No. 9 Squadron was a unit of the Royal Australian Air Force. The Squadron saw active service in World War II and the Vietnam War before being disbanded in 1989.-Fleet co-operation:...

 on 1 January 1939.

No. 5 Squadron was reformed at RAAF Base Laverton on 9 January 1941 equipped with Wirraways

CAC Wirraway

The Wirraway was a training and general purpose military aircraft manufactured in Australia by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation between 1939 and 1946...

. The squadron was partially re-equipped with Boomerangs

CAC Boomerang

The CAC Boomerang was a World War II fighter aircraft designed and manufactured in Australia between 1942 and 1945. The Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation produced Boomerangs under the production contract numbers CA-12, CA-13, CA-14 and CA-19, with aircraft supplied under each subsequent contract...

 in late 1943 and was assigned to several different stations in Australia. In November 1944, No. 5 Squadron was deployed to Bougainville under No. 84 (Army Co-operation) Wing, and operated with units of the Royal New Zealand Air Force

Royal New Zealand Air Force

The Royal New Zealand Air Force is the air arm of the New Zealand Defence Force...

. No. 5 Squadron was disbanded following the end of the war.

No. 5 Squadron was reformed in 1963 as a helicopter squadron equipped with UH-1 Iroquois

UH-1 Iroquois

The Bell UH-1 Iroquois is a military helicopter powered by a single, turboshaft engine, with a two-bladed main rotor and tail rotor. The helicopter was developed by Bell Helicopter to meet the United States Army's requirement for a medical evacuation and utility helicopter in 1952, and first flew...

 helicopters. The squadron saw active service during the Malayan Emergency

Malayan Emergency

The Malayan Emergency was a guerrilla war fought between Commonwealth armed forces and the Malayan National Liberation Army , the military arm of the Malayan Communist Party, from 1948 to 1960....

 before returning to Australia where it supported Army units training for deployment to South Vietnam

South Vietnam

South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...

.

In December 1989, No. 5 Squadron was disbanded and absorbed into the Australian Defence Force

Australian Defence Force

The Australian Defence Force is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy , Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force and a number of 'tri-service' units...

Helicopter Training School.