RAAF Base Amberley

RAAF Base Amberley
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 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). RAAF Amberley is the largest operational base in the Air Force, employing over 5,000 uniformed and civilian personnel. There are a variety of other formations on the base such as training colleges and maintenance areas. 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] Amberley is currently undergoing a A$64 million dollar re-development program. By 2015 the RAAF plans 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.

History

The need for an RAAF base in Brisbane was identified in the 1930s. 882 acres (357 ha) of land near Ipswich was gazetted for defence purposes on 12 December 1938. The base was initially planned to house a general purpose squadron with 300 officers and men. At the outbreak of World War II the handful of brick buildings were still incomplete and many extra buildings were constructed quickly using wood and fibro. The base opened in June 1940 with the first unit based there being No. 24 Squadron. From May 1942 the base changed roles from flying operations to mainly assembly and repair of aircraft.

The base became a major United States Army Air Forces base during 1942 and 1943. Known Fifth Air Force units assigned to "Amberley Field" were:

• 22d Bombardment Group, (7 March – 7 April 1942) – B-26 Marauder
• 38th Bombardment Group (Headquarters 30 April – 10 June 1942) – B-25 Mitchell
• 69th Bombardment Squadron, (30 April – 20 May 1942) – B-26 Marauder
• 70th Bombardment Squadron, (11 May – 14 August 1942) – B-26 Marauder
• 475th Fighter Group (Headquarters 14 May – 14 August 1943) – P-38 Lightning
• 431st Fighter Squadron, (1 July – 14 August 1943) – P-38 Lightning
• 432d Fighter Squadron, (11 June – 14 August 1943) – P-38 Lightning
• 433d Fighter Squadron, (17 June – 14 August 1943) – P-38 Lightning

After the war it became the base for the RAAF's heavy bombers operated by No. 1, No. 2 and No. 6 squadrons. The reserve No. 23 (City of Brisbane) Squadron relocated from RAAF Station Archerfield to Amberley in 1955.

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

Current units

See also

• United States Army Air Forces in Australia (World War II)
• List of airports in Queensland

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

Further reading

• Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
• Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556. 

External links

Media related to RAAF Base Amberley at Wikimedia Commons

Royal Australian Air Force bases Current bases RAAF Base Amberley RAAF Station Bundaberg RAAF Station Camden RAAF Curtin RAAF Base Darwin RAAF Base East Sale RAAF Base Edinburgh RAAF Gingin RAAF Base Glenbrook RAAF Learmonth RAAF Base Pearce RAAF Base Richmond RAAF Scherger RAAF Base Tindal RAAF Base Townsville RAAF Base Wagga RAAF Williams RAAF Base Williamtown RAAF Woomera Airfield Former bases RAAF Base Albion Park RAAF Station Archerfield RAAF Station Bairnsdale RAAF Base Bowen RAAF Base Cairns RAAF Base Coffs Harbour RAAF Station Cunderdin RAAF Base Daly Waters RAAF Station Deniliquin RAAF Base Evans Head RAAF Base Fairbairn RAAF Base Gove RAAF Station Guildford RAAF Base Horn Island RAAF Jervis Bay RAAF Base Mallala RAAF Station Mascot RAAF Base Moruya RAAF Base Mildura RAAF Base Nabiac RAAF Station Narrandera RAAF Station Narromine RAAF Station Nowra RAAF Base Oakey RAAF Base Parafield RAAF Station Pokolbin RAAF Base Rathmines RAAF Station Parkes RAAF Station Sandgate RAAF Station Schofields RAAF Base Temora RAAF Base Tengah (Singapore) RAAF Station Tocumwal RAAF Ubon (Thailand) RAAF Base Uranquinty RAAF Station West Sale RAAF Base Western Junction Overseas bases RAAF Base Butterworth (Malaysia) RAAF Base Cocos Island (Cocos (Keeling) Islands) RAAF Base Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea) Shared bases Defence Establishment Orchard Hills Flying boat bases Lake Boga Flying Boat Base RAAF Base Rathmines RAAFs Curtin, Learmonth and Scherger are so-called "bare bases"