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RAAF Base Amberley
F-111 F-A-18F
F-111 (left) and F/A-18F (right)
IATA: none – ICAO: YAMB
Summary
Airport type Military
Operator RAAF
Location Ipswich, Queensland
Elevation AMSL 91 ft / 28 m
Coordinates 27°38′26″S 152°42′43″E / 27.64056°S 152.71194°E / -27.64056; 152.71194Coordinates: 27°38′26″S 152°42′43″E / 27.64056°S 152.71194°E / -27.64056; 152.71194
Map
YAMB is located in Queensland
Airplane silhouette
YAMB
Location in Queensland
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
04/22 1,523 4,997 Concrete/Asphalt
15/33 3,047 9,997 Concrete/Asphalt
Sources: Australian AIP and aerodrome chart[1]

RAAF Base Amberley (ICAO: YAMB) is a Royal Australian Air Force base located 8 km (5.0 mi) southwest of Ipswich, Queensland and 50 km (31 mi) southwest of Brisbane. It is currently home to No. 1 Squadron and No. 6 Squadron (operating the F/A-18F Super Hornet), No. 33 Squadron (taking delivery of the Airbus KC-30A) and No. 36 Squadron (operating the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III jet transport). Amberley is also home to Army units making up the 9th Force Support Battalion (9FSB). 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.[2]

Location[]

RAAF Amberley is the largest operational base in the Air Force, employing approximately 3,500 uniformed and civilian personnel. There are a variety of other formations on the base such as training colleges and maintenance areas.

Amberley is currently undergoing a A$64 million dollar re-development program. By 2015 the RAAF hopes to have Amberley operating as its 'superbase' with flights of F/A-18F Super Hornets, F-35 Lightning II, KC-30A and C-17 Globemaster.

Units[]

Unit    Full name    Force Element Group    Aircraft   
HQ82WG Headquarters No. 82 Wing Air Combat Group
1SQN No. 1 Squadron Air Combat Group F/A-18F
6SQN No. 6 Squadron Air Combat Group F/A-18F
No. 5 Flight Air Combat Group UAV training
278SQN DET AMB No. 278 Squadron Detachment Amberley Air Combat Group
33SQN No. 33 Squadron Air Lift Group KC-30A
36SQN No. 36 Squadron Air Lift Group C-17 Globemaster III
44WG DET AMB No. 44 Wing Detachment Amberley Surveillance and Response Group
HQCSG Headquarters Combat Support Group Combat Support Group
382ECSS No. 382 Expeditionary Combat Support Squadron Combat Support Group
1ATS DET AMB No. 1 Air Terminal Squadron Detachment Amberley (disbanded) Combat Support Group
HQAFDW Headquarters Airfield Defence Wing Combat Support Group
2AFDS No. 2 Airfield Defence Squadron Combat Support Group
3AFDS (Disbanded) No. 3 Airfield Defence Squadron (Disbanded) Combat Support Group
HQHSW Headquarters Health Services Wing Combat Support Group
1EHS No. 1 Expeditionary Health Squadron Combat Support Group
HQRTW Headquarters Reserve Training Wing Air Force Training Group
23SQN No. 23 (City of Brisbane) Squadron Combat Support Group
RAAFSFS RAAF Security and Fire School Air Force Training Group
HALSPO Heavy Air Lift Systems Program Office Defence Materiel Organisation
SRSPO Strike Reconnaissance Systems Program Office Defence Materiel Organisation
9FSB 9th Force Support Battalion 17th Combat Service Support Brigade
F-111 Amberley

A F-111 taxiing past the aircraft shelters at RAAF Base Amberley

United States Army Air Force at Amberley[]

During World War II, the airfield became a major American Air Force base during 1942 and 1943. Known Fifth Air Force units assigned to "Amberley Field" were:

In 1943, with the Allies advancing against the Empire of Japan in the southwest Pacific, American units moved north to forward airfields.

See also[]

References[]

PD-icon This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

  1. YAMB – Amberley (PDF). AIP En Route Supplement from Airservices Australia, effective 29 May 2014, Aeronautical Chart
  2. Space Shuttle Emergency Landing Sites

External links[]

All or a portion of this article consists of text from Wikipedia, and is therefore Creative Commons Licensed under GFDL.
The original article can be found at RAAF Base Amberley and the edit history here.
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