ANNIVeRSARY AIR SHow! - Royal New Zealand Air Force

celebrating 75 Years of service to new Zealand
MATES ACRoSS ThE
DiTCh—ThE RoyAL
AuSTRALiAn AiR
FoRCE
The links between the RNZAF
and RAAF go back to the First
world war when a number of
kiwis joined the Australian
Flying corps.
The two air forces were further
linked during wwII with our
shared commitment to the british
commonwealth Air Training Plan. From
1949 our commitments under ANZAM
and, later, the commonwealth Strategic
Reserve, ensured the two air forces
deployed side by side for collective
defence in our region. Today our air
forces share a number of facilities and
undertake personnel exchanges, as well
as join in regular combined exercises.
The two air forces share an exchange
posting for Qualified Flying Instructors
– the kiwi at RAAF Pearce western
Australia, the Australian at ohakea with
No. 42 Sqn.
No.5 Sqn personnel undertake P-3
Simulator Training at RAAF edinburgh
near Adelaide, for three Instructors and
about 5 students each year. Similarly
No.40 Sqn personnel have access to
the RAAF c-130 simulator at RAAF
Richmond, west of Sydney.
24 Air Force news
A d
b c
with the new NH90 tactical helicopter
entering New Zealand service, we have
pilots and technicians on secondment
to the Australian Army (which flies the
AdF’s land-based helicopters)
In addition, two RNZAF personnel
undertake the AdF senior staff course
each year, while one other is conducting
a fellowship year there. An RNZAF officer
is appointed to the Joint operations
centre in canberra and other RNZAF
personnel are working at the RAAF base
in darwin, in support of operations in
Timor leste.
with such close links, the RAAF—
which was formed in 1921— sent
a strong contingent to the RNZAF
Anniversary air show.
A: F/A-18A hoRnET
The Hornet is a multi-role fighter
designed for both air-to-air and air-toground
missions. The Hornet was
developed for the US Navy and Marine
corps and is also used by canada,
Finland, kuwait, Malaysia, Spain and
Switzerland. The RAAF’s fleet has just
undergone a major avionics upgrade
equipping them for the next 10 to 15
years.
B: C-17 GLoBEMASTER iii
The RAAF operates five c-17
Globemaster heavy transport aircraft,
operated by No. 36 Sqn from RAAF base
Amberley, near brisbane.
The c-17 has three times the carrying
capacity of the c-130 Hercules, allowing
Australia to rapidly deploy troops,
combat vehicles, heavy equipment and
helicopters anywhere in the world. It
significantly enhances the RAAF’s ability
to support national and international
operations, and major disaster relief
efforts.
C: B737 WEDGETAiL
The boeing wedgetail airborne early
warning and control (Aew&c) aircraft
entered RAAF service in 2010. Six
are being acquired, equipped with
sophisticated mission systems and an
advanced radar to increase Australia’s
surveillance and air combat capability,
and assist in civil operations such
as border protection or search and
rescue. The key sensor is a multi-role
electronically scanned phased array
(MeSA) radar with range in excess of
400 km.
The wedgetail Aew&c aircraft are
operated by No. 2 Squadron from RAAF
base williamtown, near Newcastle. The
first two were modified by boeing in the
USA, with the remaining four modified at
RAAF base Amberley, near brisbane.
The wedgetail eagle is a native of
Australia, and is one of the largest
eagles in the world. It has extremely
acute vision, ranges widely in search
of prey, protects its territory without
compromise and stays aloft for long
periods of time.
D: C-130 hERCuLES
No.37 Squadron RAAF operates two
models of the ubiquitous Hercules,
the c-130H and the c-130J, based at
RAAF base Richmond, near Sydney. The
Hercules provides medium to long range
transport capabilities with an excellent
short dirt runway capability.
The c-130H, introduced in 1978, is
recognised by its four-blade propellers.
The c-130J Hercules, introduced in
1999, has a longer, stretched, cargo
area and the engines power six-blade
propellers. The J needs only three crew
– two pilots and a loadmaster.