RAAF Base Edinburgh
| RAAF Base Edinburgh | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: N/A – ICAO: YPED | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Military | ||
| Operator | RAAF | ||
| Location | Edinburgh, a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia | ||
| Occupants |
|
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| Elevation AMSL | 67 ft / 22 m | ||
| Coordinates | 34°42′12″S 138°37′12″E / 34.70333°S 138.62°ECoordinates: 34°42′12″S 138°37′12″E / 34.70333°S 138.62°E | ||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| m | ft | ||
| 04/22 | 1,962 | 6,437 | Grass |
| 18/36 | 2,560 | 8,399 | Asphalt |
RAAF Base Edinburgh (ICAO: YPED) is located in Edinburgh, 25km north of the centre of Adelaide.
It is primarily home to No 92 Wing's AP-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft that conduct surveillance operations throughout Australia's airspace.
Aerospace Operational Support Group (AOSG) conducts research and development on aircraft and weapons through the flight test squadron, ARDU, and conducts a wide range of Defence systems test and evaluation activities at the Woomera Test Range (WTR), controlled through Headquarters Woomera Test Range (HQWTR), a Wing-level agency unit within AOSG.
RAAF Base Edinburgh is also home to No. 87 Squadron, Air Force Intelligence, and over the course of 2010-2011 became home for 7th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment and some smaller units. This has pushed the daily working population of RAAF Base Edinburgh beyond 4500 from 6am-6pm.
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[edit] History
RAAF Edinburgh was constructed in 1955 as a support base for weapons development at the joint UK-Australian Weapons Research Establishment at Woomera. This support had previously been temporarily based at Mallala.[1] The base was located alongside the wartime Salisbury Explosives factory,[2] in open fields between the then country villages of Salisbury (to the south) and Smithfield (to the north). At about the same time, the satellite town of Elizabeth was being established (to the east).
Support for WRE testing activities had greatly reduced by the late 1960s. Edinburgh's major role changed in 1977 when No. 10 Reconnaissance Squadron was relocated to South Australia from RAAF Base Townsville, which had been the centre of Australia's maritime reconnaissance operations since the Second World War. RAAF Base Edinburgh has since been home to the RAAF's Maritime Patrol Group, as well as No 1 Recruit Training Unit, the Institute of Aviation Medicine (AVMED) and the Aircraft Research and Development Unit (ARDU).[3]
Originally, RAAF Edinburgh and the DSTO were located in Salisbury, (subsequently the suburb of Salisbury - Postcode 5108), in the City of Salisbury. In 1997, the Department of Defence decided to rationalise the then "DSTO Salisbury" site and sell off about 70% of the site, and surrounding "Defence-owned" Crown land, to form the "Edinburgh Parks" industrial estate. The suburb of Salisbury was split in two, with the part containing the RAAF Base and DSTO renamed "Edinburgh" (after the RAAF Base). The new suburb was designated as part of the City of Playford, and assigned the Postcode 5111.
[edit] Units
| Surveillance and Response Group | |
|---|---|
| No 92 Wing - maritime operations | |
| 10SQN | No. 10 Squadron - Orion maritime patrol aircraft |
| 11SQN | No. 11 Squadron - Orion maritime patrol aircraft |
| Others | |
| 292SQN | No. 292 Squadron - sensor operator training |
| 1RSU | No. 1 Radar Surveillance Unit |
| 44WG DET EDN | No. 44 Wing Detachment Edinburgh - air traffic control |
| Aerospace Operational Support Group | |
| Information Warfare Wing (TU 646.7.1) | |
| JEWOSU | Joint Electronic Warfare Operational Support Unit |
| RAAF AIS | RAAF Aeronautical Information Service |
| 87SQN | No. 87 Squadron - Air Intelligence |
| 462SQN | No. 462 Squadron - information security |
| Air Systems Development and Test Wing (TU 646.7.2) | |
| AFTS | Aircraft Research and Development Unit (ARDU) Flight Test Squadron (AFTS) |
| ASES | ARDU Systems Engineering Squadron (ASES) |
| ASCEA | Aircraft/Stores Compatibility Engineering Agency (ASCEA) |
| AVMED | Institute of Aviation Medicine (AVMED) |
| Woomera Test Range (TU 646.7.3) | |
| HQWTR | Headquarters Woomera Test Range (HQWTR) |
| WTROPS | WTR Range Operations Branch |
| WRA | RAAF Airfield Woomera |
| WPA | Woomera Prohibited Area |
| WTRENG | WTR Range Engineering Branch |
| Combat Support Group | |
| 1AFDS | No. 1 Airfield Defence Squadron - Airfield Defence Guards |
| 24SQN | No. 24 Squadron - RAAF Ediburgh Base Management Squadron |
The main aircraft type operating from Edinburgh is the AP-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft. However, the base has recently (2006-2011) undergone a massive upgrade, and is now also home to an Army Group due to move down from Darwin in early 2011.
[edit] Aircraft Research and Development Unit (ARDU)
The Aircraft Research and Development Unit, first established in 1944, is now a squadron of AOSG's Development and Test Wing (DTWG). Based at RAAF Edinburgh, ARDU provides specialist ADF aerospace testing and evaluation of new weapons and aircraft into the RAAF and ADF arsenal.
| permanently | temporarily |
|---|---|
| Pilatus PC-9 | General Dynamics F-111 |
| Boeing F/A-18 Hornet | BAE Hawk |
| Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk | Lockheed AP-3C Orion |
| Eurocopter Tiger | |
| Beechcraft Super King Air |
[edit] Woomera Test Range (WTR)
The WTR is the Western world's largest defence systems test range and is an Australian icon. The range covers 127,000sqkm (roughly the size of England or the US State of Florida). It is controlled by HQWTR located at RAAF Edinburgh, but is supported directly from Woomera Village. The range is approximately 460km north-west of Adelaide.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Mallala, RAAF Museum
- ^ The wartime Salisbury Explosives factory became the Long Range Weapons Establishment, subsequently the Weapons Research Establishment (WRE), the Defence Research Centre, Salisbury (DRCS), and now, the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO)
- ^ Edinburgh, RAAF Museum
[edit] External links
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