| No.36 Squadron RAAF | |
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One of No. 36 Squadron's C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft in 2007 |
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| Active | March 1942 - present |
| Branch | Royal Australian Air Force |
| Role | Strategic airlift |
| Part of | No. 86 Wing |
| Garrison/HQ | RAAF Base Amberley |
| Motto | Sure |
| Aircraft | C-17 Globemaster III |
No. 36 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force transport squadron. It currently operates C-17 Globemaster III aircraft from RAAF Base Amberley, Queensland. The squadron has seen active service flying transport aircraft during World War II, the Berlin Airlift, Korean War, Vietnam War and the invasion of Iraq in 2003. It has also supported Australian peacekeeping operations around the world, including Somalia, Cambodia and East Timor.
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The squadron was formed on 11 March 1942 at RAAF Base Laverton, Victoria, equipped with impressed civilian Douglas DC-2 aircraft. It was tasked with transport operations across Australia, mainly to Batchelor Airfield in the Northern Territory but also to Maylands, Western Australia, and Mareeba Airfield, Far North Queensland.[1] In mid-1942 the squadron moved a short distance to Essendon,[1] and later that year it took on strength two de Havilland Dragons and two impressed de Havilland Expresses.[1][2] It also briefly operated one of two Ford Trimotors and one of three Beechcraft Staggerwings[3] to serve with the RAAF.[4]
In 1958, No. 36 Squadron became the first non-US operator of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, when it took delivery of 12 C130As that it operated from RAAF Base Richmond, New South Wales. The A models were replaced in 1978 by 12 C130Hs. In late 2006, the squadron began re-equipping with the first of four C-17 Globemaster III aircraft and transitioning to a strategic airlift role, operating out of RAAF Base Amberley, Queensland. No, 36 Squadron achieved two milestones on 17 November. Firstly, it handed its C-130H Hercules aircraft to No. 37 Squadron ahead of the introduction of the first Globemaster on 4 December.[5] Secondly, Wing Commander Linda Corbould took command of the unit, becoming the first woman to command a RAAF flying squadron.[6] Corbould completed her posting on 8 December 2008, the day the squadron marked the second anniversary of C-17 operations by conducting the RAAF's first flight with an all-female aircrew.[7] No. 36 Squadron currently operates five C-17s, with a sixth aircraft on order.[8]
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