| RAAF Base Learmonth | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NearExmouth,Western Australia in Australia | |||||||
| Site information | |||||||
| Type | Military air base | ||||||
| Owner | Department of Defence | ||||||
| Operator |  Royal Australian Air Force | ||||||
| Website | RAAF Base Learmonth | ||||||
| Location | |||||||
  RAAF Learmonth YPLM Location inWestern Australia | |||||||
| Coordinates | 22°14′09″S114°05′19″E / 22.23583°S 114.08861°E /-22.23583; 114.08861 | ||||||
| Site history | |||||||
| In use | circa 1950s – present | ||||||
| Garrison information | |||||||
| Occupants | 'Bare base' | ||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||
| Identifiers | IATA: LEA,ICAO: YPLM | ||||||
| Elevation | 6 metres (19 ft)AMSL | ||||||
| |||||||
| Sources: AustralianAIP and aerodrome chart[1] | |||||||
| Official name | Learmonth Air Weapons Range Facility | ||||||
| Type | Listed place (Historic) | ||||||
| Designated | 22 June 2004 | ||||||
| Reference no. | 105551 | ||||||
RAAF Base Learmonth, also known asLearmonth Airport (IATA:LEA,ICAO:YPLM), is a joint useRoyal Australian Air Force base andcivil airport. It is located near the town ofExmouth on the north-west coast ofWestern Australia. RAAF Base Learmonth is one of the RAAF's threebare bases. It is maintained by the RAAF's 25 Squadron and a small caretaker staff during peacetime.
The RAAF also operates the Learmonth Air Weapons Range which covers about 18,954 ha (46,840 acres) and is located 30 km (19 mi) south-west of the airbase.[2]
DuringWorld War II a little-known landing field was constructed on the western shore ofExmouth Gulf. It was code-named "Potshot" and maintained by No. 76 Operational Base Unit, in support ofOperation Potshot. In the 1950s the landing field was further developed as a military base and named RAAF Learmonth in honour of Wing CommanderCharles LearmonthDFC and Bar, who, while leadingNo. 14 Squadron, was killed in a flying accident offRottnest Island, Western Australia on 6 January 1944.[3]
Starting in June 1944,Qantas used Learmonth as an intermediate stop for two convertedConsolidated Liberatorbombers that flew a segment of the vitalEngland–Australia air route, supplementing modifiedConsolidated PBY Catalinas flyingThe Double Sunrise route toCeylon. The Liberators flew a shorter 4,952-kilometre (3,077 mi) over-water route from Learmonth to an airfield northeast ofColombo, and could make the journey in 17 hours with 2,500 kilograms (5,500 lb) of payload, whereas the Catalinas usually required at least 27 hours and had to carry so much auxiliary fuel that their payload was limited to only 450 kilograms (1,000 lb). The route was namedKangaroo Service and marked the first time that Qantas's now-famous kangaroo logo was used; passengers received a certificate proclaiming them as members ofThe Order of the Longest Hop.[4] Qantas would again use the base, much later, during the emergency landing ofQantas Flight 72.
In the mid-1960s, the Federal Government gave its support to plans by theChief of the Air Staff,Air MarshalVal Hancock, to redevelop Learmonth as a bare base, due to its proximity toIndonesia. ThoughF-111Cs could have made a round-trip to Indonesia's capital,Jakarta, fromRAAF Base Darwin, the route they took would have been very much limited by range. Learmonth's relative proximity added flexibility to the routes in and out, enhancing the likelihood of a successful strike.[5] The major work was undertaken byNo. 5 Airfield Construction Squadron between 1971 and 1973.[6]
In October 2022, Qantas announced they would be servicing Melbourne-Exmouth flights for the first time from April to October 2023.[7][8]
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