Airport type Military Location Ipswich, Queensland 04/22 1,523 Elevation 30 m | Operator RAAF Elevation AMSL 91 ft / 28 m 1,523 4,997 | |
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Address Amberley QLD 4306, Australia | ||
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RAAF Base Amberley (ICAO: YAMB) is a Royal Australian Air Force base located 8 km (5.0 mi) southwest of Ipswich, Queensland and 50 km (31 mi) southwest of Brisbane. It is currently home to No. 1 Squadron and No. 6 Squadron (operating the F/A-18F Super Hornet), No. 33 Squadron (taking delivery of the Airbus KC-30A) and No. 36 Squadron (operating the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III jet transport). Amberley is also home to Army units making up the 9th Force Support Battalion (9FSB). RAAF Amberley is the largest operational base in the Air Force, employing over 5,000 uniformed and civilian personnel. There are a variety of other formations on the base such as training colleges and maintenance areas. Amberley's largest squadron in terms of personnel is No. 382 Expeditionary Combat Support Squadron RAAF (ECSS) providing both garrison and deployed combat support. Amberley was one of only two airfields in Australia (the other being Darwin International Airport) that were listed as a Transoceanic Abort (TOA) landing site for the Space Shuttle. Amberley is currently undergoing a A$64 million dollar re-development program. The RAAF has plans to have Amberley operating as its "superbase" with flights of F/A-18F Super Hornets, F-35 Lightning II, KC-30A, C-17 Globemaster. No. 35 Squadron (Operating C-27J Spartan) is planned to move to the base from RAAF Base Richmond after it is fully equipped with the C-27J.
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History
The need for an RAAF base in Brisbane was identified in the 1930s. 882 acres (357 ha) of land near Ipswich was gazetted for defence purposes on 12 December 1938. The base was initially planned to house a general purpose squadron with 300 officers and men. At the outbreak of World War II the handful of brick buildings were still incomplete and many extra buildings were constructed quickly using wood and fibro. The base opened in June 1940 with the first unit based there being No. 24 Squadron. From May 1942 the base changed roles from flying operations to mainly assembly and repair of aircraft.
The base became a major United States Army Air Forces base during 1942 and 1943. Known Fifth Air Force units assigned to "Amberley Field" were:
After the war it became the base for the RAAF's heavy bombers operated by No. 1, No. 2 and No. 6 squadrons. The reserve No. 23 (City of Brisbane) Squadron relocated from RAAF Station Archerfield to Amberley in 1955.