RAAF Base Wagga
Encyclopedia
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
town of Wagga Wagga, in the suburb of Forest Hill
Forest Hill, New South Wales
Forest Hill is a suburb of Wagga Wagga, New South Wales. Forest Hill is located approximately 10 km east of the central business district on the Sturt Highway. RAAF Base Wagga, Wagga Wagga Airport and the Bureau of Meteorology Regional Office are located at Forest Hill.Newer streets in Forest Hill...
.
The RAAF no longer controls the airfield which, although still owned by the Commonwealth of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, is currently leased to the Wagga Wagga City Council
City of Wagga Wagga
The Wagga Wagga City Council was formed from the amalgamation of City of Wagga Wagga with Mitchell and Kyeamba Shires in 1981. 22 December 2009, Wagga Wagga City Council announced that Phil Pinyon would be appointed as the General Manager of the Wagga Wagga City Council after Lyn Russell, who...
. Although military aircraft still use it, the airfield is now called Wagga Wagga Airport
Wagga Wagga Airport
Wagga Wagga Airport , is located adjacent to RAAF Base Wagga, in New South Wales, Australia. The airfield is an operational base, but is leased by the Wagga Wagga City Council on a 30 year lease from the Australian Department of Defence, with RAAF Base Wagga being a ground training base...
.
Until the start of 2008, the base belonged to the Air Force's Ground Training Wing. It is now home to Headquarters RAAF College
RAAF College
The Royal Australian Air Force College is the Royal Australian Air Force training and education academy which is responsible for all the Air Force's initial, career development, promotion and leadership training...
(RAAFCOL) and to the No 1 Recruit Training Unit (1RTU), the Air Force's basic recruit training school.
The base continues to be the main ground training base for airmen and airwomen of the technical, administration and logistics trades, as well as the location for initial courses for Administration and Logistics officers. The main postgraduate promotion courses are also conducted at the base. In addition, Air Force, Army and Navy personnel undertake technical airworthiness training at the RAAF School of Technical Training (RAAFSTT). Also, 3 Wing Australian Air Force Cadets
Australian Air Force Cadets
The Australian Air Force Cadets , known as the Air Training Corps until 2001, is a Federal Government funded youth organisation. The parent force of the AAFC is the Royal Australian Air Force...
uses RAAF Base Wagga to hold its biannual promotion courses (January and July).
Units
| Unit short name | Full name | Force Element Group Force Element Group The Force Element Groups of the Australian Defence Force are the operational capabilities.Each of the component commands has a set of FEGs. The FEG operational commanders report to the component commanders , who in turn report to the operation's Task Force commander... |
|---|---|---|
| HQRAAFCOL | Headquarters RAAF College RAAF College The Royal Australian Air Force College is the Royal Australian Air Force training and education academy which is responsible for all the Air Force's initial, career development, promotion and leadership training... |
Air Force Training Group |
| CSU-WAG | Combat Support Unit Wagga | Combat Support Group |
| RAAFSTT | RAAF School of Technical Training | Air Force Training Group |
| RAAFSALT | RAAF School of Administration and Logistics Training | Air Force Training Group |
| SPS | School of Postgraduate Studies | Air Force Training Group |
| 1RTU | No 1 Recruit Training Unit | Air Force Training Group |
Aircraft on display
The aircraft located next to the RAAF Wagga Heritage Centre, they are not officially part of the heritage centre but are officially part of RAAF Base Wagga as gate guardianGate guardian
A gate guardian or gate guard is a withdrawn piece of equipment, often an aircraft, armoured vehicle, artillery piece or locomotive, mounted on a plinth and used as a static display near to and forming a symbolic display of "guarding" the main entrance to somewhere, especially a military base...
s.
- Dassault Mirage IIIDassault Mirage IIIThe Mirage III is a supersonic fighter aircraft designed by Dassault Aviation during the late 1950s, and manufactured both in France and a number of other countries. It was a successful fighter aircraft, being sold to many air forces around the world and remaining in production for over a decade...
, located as a gate guardian at RAAF Base Wagga in the 1980s. - CAC SabreCAC Sabre|-See also:-Bibliography:* Allward, Maurice. F-86 Sabre. London: Ian Allen, 1978. ISBN 0-71100-860-4.* Curtis, Duncan. North American F-86 Sabre. Ramsbury, UK: Crowood, 2000. ISBN 1-86126-358-9....
- CAC WinjeelCAC Winjeel|-See also:-External links:* http://www.warbirdalley.com/winjeel.htm* http://www.dropbears.com/f/felix_noble/winjeel.htm* http://www.raafmuseum.com.au/raaf2/html/body_winjeel.htm...
- Gloster MeteorGloster MeteorThe Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies' first operational jet. It first flew in 1943 and commenced operations on 27 July 1944 with 616 Squadron of the Royal Air Force...
- English Electric CanberraEnglish Electric CanberraThe English Electric Canberra is a first-generation jet-powered light bomber manufactured in large numbers through the 1950s. The Canberra could fly at a higher altitude than any other bomber through the 1950s and set a world altitude record of 70,310 ft in 1957...
, which flew during the Vietnam WarVietnam WarThe Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
and located as a gate guardian at RAAF Base Wagga in the 1980s.