The Defence Materiel Organisation and the Capability Development Group are to be abolished and their functions replaced by a new Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group, after the federal government accepted all bar one of 76 recommendations from the First Principles Review of Defence. The review was led by former Rio Tinto managing director David Peever,
Commander Air Mobility Group Air Commodore Warren McDonald CSC has been appointed the next Deputy Chief – DCAF – of the Royal Australian Air Force. McDonald, who will be promoted to Air Vice-Marshal, will assume the role of DCAF in July, when current deputy chief Air Vice-Marshal Leo Davies will be appointed Chief of Air Force, in
F/A-18A Hornets from 75 Squadron have taken over air combat operations over Iraq from 1 Squadron’s F/A-18F Super Hornets, Defence has announced. The six single-seat F/A-18A ‘classic’ Hornets deployed to Al Minhad Air Base, near Dubai, in early March, and have since been conducting familiarisation flights prior to taking on full operational responsibilities for the RAAF’s
The first of two MH-60R Seahawk ‘Romeo’ helicopter simulators has been commissioned into service. Minister for Defence Kevin Andrews said in a statement on Friday that the Romeo training system is part of the $3.2 billion project that will deliver 24 naval combat helicopters for the Royal Australian Navy. “The training system will include two
The first C-130H Hercules delivered to the Royal New Zealand Air Force has celebrated its 50th birthday while on operations supporting the Vanuatu cyclone recovery effort. NZ7001 was the first of five C-130Hs delivered the RNZAF at Whenuapai on March 24 1965. On its 50th birthday, the aircraft was tasked to fly from Suva to Port
The centre and rear fuselage ‘shipset’ for the RAAF’s first EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft has been completed by Super Hornet program sub-contractor, Northrop Grumman. The milestone shipset represents the one hundredth Hornet, Super Hornet and Growler shipset Northrop Grumman has manufactured for the RAAF, after the 75 classic Hornets which were built in the
