| No. 36 Squadron RAAF | |
|---|---|
 No. 36 Squadron's crest | |
| Active | 1942–current |
| Allegiance | Australia |
| Branch | Royal Australian Air Force |
| Role | Strategic airlift |
| Part of | No. 86 Wing (1946–1953, 1955–1964, 1987–current) No. 91 Wing (1953–1955) |
| Garrison/HQ | RAAF Base Amberley |
| Motto | "Sure" |
| Aircraft | Boeing C-17 Globemaster III |
| Engagements | World War IIKorean War Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation Vietnam War War in Afghanistan 2003 invasion of Iraq Military intervention against ISIS |
| Battle honours | Malaysia (Confrontation) 1962–1966[1] |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Linda Corbould (2006–2008) |
No. 36 Squadron is aRoyal Australian Air Force (RAAF) strategic transport squadron. It operatesBoeing C-17 Globemaster III heavy airlifters fromRAAF Base Amberley, Queensland. The squadron has seen active service flying transport aircraft during World War II, theKorean War, theIndonesia–MalaysiaKonfrontasi, theVietnam War, and thewars in Afghanistan andIraq. It has also supported Australian humanitarian and peacekeeping operations around the world, including Somalia, Cambodia, East Timor and Indonesia.
The squadron was formed atRAAF Station Laverton, Victoria, in March 1942, and equipped withDouglas DC-2s, among other aircraft. Later in the war it began operatingDouglas C-47 Dakotas. From 1946 to 1953 it was controlled byNo. 86 (Transport) Wing, which was based in New South Wales atRAAF Station Schofields and, later,RAAF Station Richmond. In 1953 it was re-formed atIwakuni, Japan, as part ofNo. 91 (Composite) Wing. It returned to Australia and the aegis of No. 86 Wing in 1955. The squadron began re-equipping withLockheed C-130 Hercules at Richmond in 1958, becoming the first non-US operator of the type. Over the next half-century it flew two models of Hercules, theC-130A andC-130H. The squadron transferred to Amberley in 2006, when it took delivery of its first Globemaster.
No. 36 Squadron is responsible for strategic air transport in Australia and overseas, conducting missions as part of military operations and humanitarian efforts.[2] It is located atRAAF Base Amberley, Queensland, and controlled byNo. 86 Wing, which is part ofAir Mobility Group.[2][3] The unit headquarters comprises executive, administrative and operational components. As well as aircrew, the squadron is staffed by maintenance personnel responsible for regular servicing of equipment; they are frequently required to accompany the aircraft on deployments overseas.[2] More complex servicing is conducted byBoeing.[4][5] No. 36 Squadron's official crest, approved in May 1966, depicts a horse intended to symbolise strength, speed, mobility and dependability. The unit's motto is "Sure".[6]
The squadron operates eightBoeing C-17 Globemaster IIIs, the first of which entered service in December 2006.[2][7] The eighth and last was delivered in November 2015.[7] The aircraft are generally crewed by two pilots and aloadmaster, the latter being responsible for the loading, carriage and unloading of cargo or passengers. The C-17 can carry 70 tonnes of equipment, and is large enough to accommodate helicopters, tanks and other military vehicles. It can also carry over 130 passengers, and is designed for aerial despatch of paratroops or cargo. The C-17 has a range of some 10,000 km (6,200 miles) and is able to operate from short and unsealed airstrips.[2][8] Flown with a joystick andfly-by-wire controls, the aircraft is also highly manoeuvrable and responsive considering its size.[9] It can berefuelled in flight by theAirbus KC-30A Multi Role Tanker Transports operated byNo. 33 Squadron.[10][11]
During February and March 1942, the RAAF formed four transport units: Nos. 33,34,35 and 36 Squadrons. No. 36 Squadron was established on 11 March atRAAF Station Laverton, Victoria, under the control ofSouthern Area Command.[2][12] Its initial strength was twenty-six personnel and oneDouglas DC-2.[13] This was gradually built up to a force of six DC-2s, as well as severalde Havilland types including theDH.84 Dragon,DH.86 Express,DH.89 Dragon Rapide, andTiger Moth.[14][15] Tasked with transport operations throughout Australia and toPort Moresby, New Guinea, the squadron relocated toEssendon, Victoria, on 17 July.[15][16] One of the DC-2s crashed atSeven Mile Aerodrome, Port Moresby, on 14 September; all aboard were killed. The squadron was transferred toTownsville, Queensland, on 11 December 1942.[15] During 1943, it maintained detachments at Essendon and in New Guinea, and began re-equipping with twelveDouglas C-47 Dakotas.[15][16]
On 27 March 1943, a Dakota of No. 36 Squadron crashed on takeoff in pre-dawn fog atRAAF Station Archerfield, killing all twenty-three occupants, twenty of whom were RAAF orWomen's Auxiliary Australian Air Force personnel.[17] The squadron relocated toGarbutt on 20 February 1944. During theNew Guinea campaign it was responsible for carrying troops and cargo, and undertaking courier runs and supply drops.[15][16] In 1945, a detachment of No. 36 Squadron Dakotas augmentedNo. 84 Wing's operations inBougainville, flying almost 800sorties between January and June.[18] The squadron lost two Dakotas on supply missions inAitape during February 1945.[15] In August, it flew paratroopers into Singapore as part of the reoccupation of the city, after which it continued to transport troops and cargo, and repatriate prisoners of war.[15][16] Following the end of hostilities, in March 1946, a detachment of six Dakotas established a courier service betweenMorotai and Japan, where Australian units had joined theBritish Commonwealth Occupation Force.[14]
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On 19 August 1946, No. 36 Squadron transferred toRAAF Station Schofields, New South Wales, where it came under the control of No. 86 (Transport) Wing along withNos. 37 and38 Squadrons, also operating Dakotas, andNo. 486 (Maintenance) Squadron. No. 486 Squadron provided day-to-day servicing for each of the flying squadrons, deeper maintenance being handled byNo. 2 Aircraft Depot, based at the nearbyRAAF Station Richmond.[15][16] Courier flights to Japan continued until December 1947, a 21,000 km (13,000-mile) round trip from Schofields.[19][20] On 25 August 1948, twenty staff from No. 36 Squadron joined five crews from No. 38 Squadron totake part in the Berlin Airlift, a commitment that lasted almost a year.[21][22] The Australians delivered over 16,000,000 pounds (7,300,000 kg) of supplies, and over 7,000 passengers.[16] In the absence of these crews, Nos. 36 and 38 Squadron operations were amalgamated, flying hours being recorded under the latter's auspices. During June 1949, No. 36 Squadron and the other extant components of No. 86 Wing, Nos. 38 and 486 Squadrons, relocated from Schofields to Richmond.[16][23]
Nos. 36 and 38 Squadrons began to operate separately again in June 1950, following the return of crews from Berlin and No. 38 Squadron's departure for service in theMalayan Emergency.[23][24] No. 36 Squadron assumed control of theGovernor-General's Flight in October 1950.[25] On 21 November 1952, the squadron was awarded theDuke of Gloucester Cup for its proficiency.[23] The return of No. 38 Squadron from Malaya in December stripped No. 36 Squadron of crews to ensure an even distribution of personnel among the two units. This led to No. 36 Squadron again merging with No. 38 Squadron.[23] The former disbanded at Richmond on 9 March 1953, re-forming the next day fromNo. 30 Transport Unit atIwakuni, Japan.[26][27] Here it was part ofNo. 91 (Composite) Wing, which controlled the RAAF's units during theKorean War and its immediate aftermath.[28] Its complement included eight Dakotas and oneCAC Wirraway.[29] In July and August, the squadron evacuated over 900 Commonwealth prisoners of war. It departed Japan on 13 March 1955, having carried over 42,000 passengers and 6,000,000 pounds (2,700,000 kg) of cargo, and was re-established on 1 May atRAAF Base Canberra, where No. 86 Wing had transferred the previous year.[16][23]
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No. 36 Squadron handed over its six Dakotas to No. 38 Squadron in July 1958, before re-equipping with theLockheed C-130 Hercules.[23] It returned to Richmond in August, followed by the rest of No. 86 Wing a month later.[30] After conversion training of its personnel in the United States, No. 36 Squadron became the first non-US operator of the Hercules in December 1958, when it began taking delivery of twelve C-130As; deliveries completed in March 1959.[31][32] The official history of the post-war Air Force described the Hercules as "probably the biggest step-up in aircraft capabilities" the RAAF had ever received, considering it roughly four times as effective as the Dakota, taking into account the improvements in payload, range, and speed.[33] In September 1960, No. 36 Squadron began parachute trials on the Hercules.[23] It made the Hercules' first troop-carrying flights into a combat zone in December 1962, joining a Commonwealth airlift from Singapore to Borneo at the onset of theKonfrontasi between Indonesia and Malaysia; similar missions were undertaken over the next five years.[34] The squadron was again awarded the Gloucester Cup in 1963.[35]
In August 1964, following the disbandment of No. 86 Wing, No. 36 Squadron became an independently operating unit under the command of Headquarters RAAF Base Richmond. No. 486 Squadron was disbanded at the same time, leaving No. 36 Squadron responsible for its own day-to-day maintenance until 1966; No. 486 Squadron was re-formed that year to service both No. 36 Squadron and No. 37 Squadron, the latter having taken delivery of twelve C-130E Hercules.[36][37] During theVietnam War, both squadrons undertook long-range transport and medical evacuation flights between Australia and South East Asia, servicingPhan Rang,Vũng Tàu, andNui Dat.[23][38] No. 36 Squadron was presented with itsstandard byPrince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, on 1 April 1971, in recognition of a quarter-century's service.[23][39] Eight of its twelve Hercules were involved in relief efforts afterCyclone Tracy struckDarwin, Northern Territory, on Christmas Eve 1974; the aircraft flew over 550 hours, carrying 2,864 passengers and almost 800,000 pounds (360,000 kg) of cargo.[40] After twenty years of service and 147,000 accident-free flying hours, the C-130As were replaced by C-130Hs in 1978.[31][32]
In November 1978, one of No. 36 Squadron's C-130Hs became the first Australian Hercules to land in Antarctica, atMcMurdo Sound. The squadron clocked up 200,000 accident-free flying hours in C-130s during 1984.[39] When No. 86 Wing was re-formed at Richmond on 2 February 1987, under the newly established Air Lift Group (later Air Mobility Group), No. 36 Squadron formed part of its complement.[3][41] The unit again received the Gloucester Cup in 1989.[42] That year, it provided transport for civilian passengers during thepilots' dispute that curtailed operations by the two domestic airlines; three aircraft and five crews undertook this task, over and above their normal duties.[23][43] The squadron reached 100,000 accident-free flying hours on the C-130H during 1990.[39] In December 1990 and January 1991, it flew missions toDubai in support of Australia's naval contribution to theGulf War, and in 1993 transported Australian troops to Somalia as part ofOperation Solace.[23][44] Four of its C-130Hs were equipped with Electronic Warfare Self Protection packs, including radar and missile warning systems, and countermeasures such aschaff and flares, in 1994.[45] Later in the decade, one of the C-130Hs was fitted withsignals intelligence equipment and crewed by RAAF andDefence Signals Directorate personnel.[46]
Six of No. 36 Squadron's Hercules evacuated over 450 civilians from Cambodia following thecoup in July 1997.[47] The unit again became responsible for its own routine maintenance in 1998, when No. 486 Squadron was disbanded.[48] A detachment from No. 36 Squadron supportedINTERFET operations inEast Timor between September 1999 and February 2000.[49] The squadron was assigned four C-130Es previously operated by No. 37 Squadron during the latter's transition to the newC-130J Super Hercules, which commenced in 1999; the E models were retired the following year.[32][50] No. 36 Squadron was once more awarded the Gloucester Cup in 2001.[51] It took part in relief efforts following theBali Bombings in October 2002.[52] In February 2003, it deployed a detachment of two Hercules to the Middle East as part of theAustralian contribution to the invasion of Iraq. The aircraft arrived on 10 February, and began flying transport sorties less than two weeks later. A No. 36 Squadron Hercules became the first Coalition aircraft to land atAl Asad Airbase, west ofBaghdad, after it was secured by Australian special forces personnel.[53] One aircraft was hit by ground fire near Baghdad on 27 June 2004, killing a coalition passenger.[54] The detachment remained in Iraq until September 2004, when it was relieved by two C-130Js from No. 37 Squadron.[55] No. 36 Squadron also participated inOperation Sumatra Assist in the wake of the2004 Boxing Day tsunami.[56]
In May 2006, No. 36 Squadron personnel began conversion training in the US in preparation for re-equipping with Boeing C-17 Globemaster III heavy transports.[57] It transferred its C-130Hs to No. 37 Squadron on 17 November 2006, before relocating to Amberley. Also on 17 November, Wing CommanderLinda Corbould took command of the unit, becoming the first woman to lead an RAAF flying squadron.[58][59] Corbould was responsible for delivering the first Globemaster from the United States to Australia on 4 December.[60][61] No. 36 Squadron achieved initial operating capability with the C-17 on 11 September 2007, following eight months' work-up training.[62] In June 2008, it received the Gloucester Cup as the RAAF's most proficient flying squadron of 2007 "for achieving all training objectives, supporting air lift activities globally and nationally and fulfilling short-notice, high-priority tasks, despite the squadron's expertise being in its infancy".[63][64] Corbould completed her posting as commanding officer 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.[65]
Since re-equipping with the Globemaster, No. 36 Squadron has continued to supportCoalition forces in Afghanistan, as well as humanitarian operations worldwide. In 2011, it took part in relief efforts following thefloods in Queensland, theChristchurch earthquake, and theTōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan.[2] The Queensland floods necessitated the evacuation of two C-17s to Richmond, when Amberley was threatened by rising waters; of the other two Globemasters, one was in the Middle East and the other was undergoing maintenance at Amberley and could not be flown but was moved onto high ground and escaped damage.[66] The deployment to Japan involved all three of the squadron's available C-17s, the fourth still being serviced at Amberley.[66] On 11 May 2012, a C-17 flew anAustralian ArmyM1 Abrams tank fromRAAF Base Darwin toShoalwater Bay for a training exercise; it was the first time an RAAF Globemaster had airlifted an Abrams, which at 61 tonnes was among the largest single items the 70-tonne-capacity aircraft could carry.[67] In November that year the squadron took delivery of its sixth Globemaster.[68] It was again awarded the Gloucester Cup in March 2013, for its proficiency the previous year.[69]
In September 2014, RAAF C-17s were used to airlift arms and munitions to forces inKurdish-controlled northern Iraq following an offensive byISIL militants.[70] On 10 April 2015, Prime MinisterTony Abbott announced the purchase of two more C-17s, which would bring No. 36 Squadron's complement to eight aircraft.[71] Concurrent with delivery of the new C-17s by year's end, No. 36 Squadron's facilities were to be improved, obviating the need for maintenance to take place in No. 33 Squadron hangars.[7] Also on 10 April, the squadron was awarded the Gloucester Cup a record seventh time, and the RAAF's Maintenance Trophy a record fourth time.[72] Later the same month, an Airbus KC-30A Multi Role Tanker Transport of No. 33 Squadron carried out the RAAF's first in-flight refuelling of a No. 36 Squadron Globemaster.[11] The Governor-General,Sir Peter Cosgrove, presented the squadron with a new standard on 19 May; the old standard was laid up in Holy Trinity Chapel atRAAF Williams, Victoria.[73] No. 36 Squadron was awarded theMeritorious Unit Citation in the Queen's Birthday Honours on 13 June 2016 for "sustained outstanding service in warlike operations throughout the Middle East Area of Operations over the period January 2002 to June 2014".[74]
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