Australian Defense Force (ADF): Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy, Royal Australian Air Force, Special Operations Command

Active 54,747 personnel (Army 27,461 Navy 13,230 Air 14,056), Reserve 19,915 personnel (Army 15,315 Navy 2,000 Air 2,600). The High Readiness Reserve of 2,800 army and 1,400 air force personnel is intended to strengthen the Australian Defense Force (ADF) with members trained to the same skill levels as the Regular Force. Integrated units are formed from a mix of reserve and regular personnel. All ADF operations are now controlled by Headquarters Joint Operations Command (HQJOC).

ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE (RAAF)
Air Force 14,056 personnel.

Flying hours: 175 hrs/year on F/A-18 Hornet FGA; 200 hrs/year on F-111 Aardvark bbr ac

Forces by Role & Equipment by Type

Incl Air Defence

Air Comd coordinates air force operations. HQ Air Comd is responsible for developing and delivering the capability to command and control air operations. The air commander controls the activities of six subordinate Force Element Groups – Air Cbt, Air Lift, Aerospace Ops Support, Combat Support, Surveillance and Response, Air Force Training.

• AIRCRAFT 153 combat capable. Total 258 Aircrafts.

Air Combat 1 gp (135 ac and 2,000 personnel) with 192 ac:

1 sqn with Multi-role F-35A Lightning (14+ deliveries from 2014)

1 Strike wg; Multi-role Strike Fighter 2 sqn with 24 Multi-role ac:
24 F/A-18F Super Hornet (being delivered);

1 ftr/tac wg: Air Defence (Interceptor) 3 sqn with 73 Ftr/FGA ac:
56 F/A-18A Hornet; 17 F/A-18B Hornet

1 OCU wg; Operational Conversion Unit 2 LIFT sqn with 33 LIFT ac:

33 Hawk Mk.127

Training 1 fwd air cbt dev unit with 4 Trg ac

4 PC-9/A(F) for tgt marking);

Surv/Response 19 MPac; 6 AWACS ac:

1 gp with (1 wg (2 sqn, 1 OCU) with 19 AP-3C Orion*;

1 sqn with 6 B737-7DF/DT ‘Wedgetail’ AEW&C (being delivered);

1 control and reporting wg with 4 tactical AD radars; 1 radar surv unit with Jindalee Operational Radar Network correlation centre at Edinburgh (S. Australia), 2 Jindalee radar sensors at Laverton (W.Australia) and Longreach (N. Queensland); 1 Jindalee facility at Alice Springs; 2 AD Command & Control Centres at Williamtown (NSW) and Tindal (NT))

Airlift 33 Tpt ac:

1 gp (2 wg): 1 Aerial refuelling & Transport sqn with 5 KC-30A/B MRTT (being delivered);

1 special purpose &VIP tpt sqn with 2 B-737 BBJ (VIP); 3 CL-604 Challenger (VIP)

1 Heavy Transport sqn with 4 C-17 Globemaster (5th aircraft ordered, due to enter service in August 2011);

1 medium tac tpt sqn with 12 C-130H Hercules; 2 C-130J Hercules;

Training 66 Trg ac:

Air trg wg manages: Basic Flying Training School (Tamworth) PC-9/A; No 2 Flying Training School (Pearce) PC-9/A; Combat Survival and Training School (Townsville); Central Flying School and Roule es Aerobatic Team (East Sale); School of Aviation Warfare (East Sale); School of Air Traffic Control (East Sale); and No 32 Squadron with 8 Beech 300 Super King Air (navigation trg) (East Sale).
Flt trg sch with 58 Pilatus PC-9/A; 8 Beech 300 Super King Air (navigation trg);

Combat Support  

2 cbt spt wgs; 1 Expeditionary cbt spt wg; 1 airfield def wg (3 sqn ); 1 Health Services Wg

Reserve Training Wing

13 Sqn (Darwin); 21 Sqn (Williams); 22 Sqn (Richmond); 23 Sqn (Amberley); 24 Sqn (Edinburgh); 25 Sqn (Perth); 26 Sqn (Williamtown); 27 Sqn (Townsville); 28 Sqn (Canberra); 29 Sqn (Hobart).

Note: Australia’s plan for 100 F-35s as its main air combat strength now looks likely to be reduced to 50 to 70, even though some 18 Australian companies’ partic­ipation in fabrication and sustainment is estimated to be worth $5.5 billion.  Minister of Defence Ste­phen Smith said: “We are now not just looking at Super Hornets as transition, but at the longer-term potential of Super Hornets and Growler and Joint Strike Fighters essentially as a mixed fleet.”

• HELICOPTER No combat capable. Total 7 Helicopters.

Utility & Search and Rescue 1 sqn with 7 Utl/SARhel:

7 S-76 (civil contract) at 4 air bases

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

UAV •

Heron UAV

• MISSILES

TACTICAL • MSL

ASM AGM-84A Harpoon; AGM-142E Raptor; AGM-158 JASSM (on order)

AAM AIM-120 AMRAAM; AIM-9M Sidewinder; AIM-132 ASRAAM: AIM-7M Sparrow;

• BOMBS

Conventional Mk 82 500lb GP; Mk 84 2,000lb GP; BLU-109/B 2,000lb penetrator

Laser-guided Paveway II/IV

INS/GPS guided JDAM (on order)

RADAR • AD RADAR 8

OTH-B Jindalee 4

Tactical 4

• FACILITIES
  Royal Australian Air Force Main Headquarters: HQ Located at Sydney   

  The RAAF Airfields and Airbases Organisation (Current Order of Battle):

RAAF Air Bases:

Amberley Qld. (YAMB)
No. 1 Squadron (82Wg) – Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet (Strike Fighter)

No. 6 Squadron (82Wg) – converting to Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet (Strike Fighter)

No. 33 Squadron (84Wg) – is equipped with KC-30A (Multi-Role; Tanker&Transports)

No. 36 Squadron (86Wg) – C-17A Boeing Globemaster III (Transport)

No. 38 Squadron – Beechcraft King Air 350 (Transport)

No. 5 Flight - Heron UAV

Butterworth (Malaysia) (WMKB) (Detachment)

Canberra ACT (YSCB)

No. 34 Squadron (84Wg) – Boeing 737 BBJ; Bombardier Challenger 604 (Transport)

Curtin WA (YCIN)

Reserve Base  – The RAAF uses bare basis without personel, equipment and aircraft. These basis only become operational at excercises.

East Sale Vic. (YMES)

No. 32 Squadron (84Wg) – Beechcraft King Air 350 (Air Combat Officer and Navy Observer Training)

Training Command (Central Flying School) – Pacific Aerospace CT4B, Pilatus PC9/A

Edinburgh SA (YPED)

No. 10 Squadron (92Wg) – Lockheed AP-3C Orion (Maritime Patrol)

No. 11 Squadron – Lockheed AP-3C Orion (Maritime Patrol)

No. 292 Squadron – Lockheed P-3C Orion (Training/Maritime Patrol)

Air System Development and Test Wing (AOSG) – F/A-18A; F/A-18B; PC-9/A; AP-3C Aerospace Operational Support Group

Learmonth WA (YPLM)

Reserve Base  – The RAAF uses bare basis without personel, equipment and aircraft. These basis only become operational at excercises.

Pearce WA (YPEA)

No. 79 Squadron (78Wg) – BAE Systems Hawk 127 (Hawk Conversion/Close Support)

Training Command (2FTS) – Pilatus PC9/A

Richmond NSW (YSRI)

No. 37 Squadron (86Wg) – Lockheed C-130H/C-130J-30 Hercules (Transport)

No. 285 Squadron (86Wg) – Lockheed C-130H/C-130J-30 Hercules (Transport)

Scherger Qld. (YBSG)

Reserve Base  – The RAAF uses bare basis without personel, equipment and aircraft. These basis only become operational at excercises.

Tamworth NSW (YSTW)

Training Command (2FTS) – Pacific Aerospace CT4B, CAP-10

Australian Defence Force Basic Flying Training School – The ADF Basic Flying Training School uses civil registered basic trainers leased from the BAE Systems Training Academy. RAAF instructors conduct flight screening and pilot selection for all three services.

(Basic Navy, Army, and Air Force Flying Training)

Tindal NT (YPTN)

No. 75 Squadron – McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet (Air Defence)

Townsville/Intl Qld. (YBTL)

No. 38 Squadron – Beechcraft King Air 350 (Transport)

Wagga Wagga NSW (YSWG)

Training Command (School of Technical Training) – Various aircraft

Wiliams Vic. (YMPC)

Reserve Base – The RAAF uses bare basis without personel, equipment and aircraft. These basis only become operational at excercises.

Williamtown NSW (YWLM)

No. 2 Squadron (41Wg) – Boeing Wedgetail (AEW&C) (operational 2009)

No. 3 Squadron (81Wg) – McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet (Air Defence)

No. 77 Squadron – McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet (Air Defence)

No. 2 OCU – McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet (Training & Type Conversion)

No. 76 Squadron (78Wg) – BAE Systems Hawk 127 (Lead-in Fighter Training/Close Support)

No. 2 FTS – Pilatus PC9/A (Advanced Air Force and Navy Flying Training)

No. 4 Squadron (82Wg) – Pilatus PC9/A (Forward Air Controller Training Development Unit) – Pilatus PC9/A

Woomera SA (YPWR)

Reserve Base  – The RAAF uses bare basis without personel, equipment and aircraft. These basis only become operational at excercises.

Note: Australia has 326 airports with paved runways (over 3,047 m: 11 2,438 to 3,047 m: 13 1,524 to 2,437 m: 148 914 to 1,523 m: 140 under 914 m: 14 ) and 139 airports with unpaved runways (1,524 to 2,437 m: 17 914 to 1,523 m: 110 under 914 m: 12) and one heliport.