Contents

RAAF Base Williamtown

RAAF Base Williamtown
Part of Newcastle Airport
Williamtown, New South Wales in Australia
F/A-18 Hornet taking off from RAAF Base Williamtown
RAAF Base Williamtown YWLM Location of RAAF Williamtown in New South Wales
Coordinates	32°47′42″S 151°50′04″E / 32.79500°S 151.83444°E / -32.79500; 151.83444
Type	Military air base
Site information
Owner	Department of Defence
Operator	Royal Australian Air Force
Website	RAAF Base Williamtown
Site history
In use	15 February 1941 (1941-02-15) – present
Garrison information
Garrison	Headquarters Air Combat Group Headquarters Surveillance and Response Group
Occupants	No. 81 Wing No. 78 Wing No. 453 Squadron Williamtown Flight No. 3 Squadron No. 77 Squadron No. 2 Operational Conversion Unit No. 76 Squadron No. 4 Squadron No. 2 Squadron No. 2 Expeditionary Health Squadron No. 1 Combat Communications Squadron Detachment Williamtown Headquarters No. 453 Squadron No. 26 (City of Newcastle) Squadron No. 381 Expeditionary Combat Support Squadron No. 1 Security Forces Squadron
Airfield information
Identifiers	IATA: NTL, ICAO: YWLM
Elevation	9 metres (31 ft) AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 12/30 3,058 metres (10,033 ft) Asphalt
Sources: Australian AIP and aerodrome chart[1]

RAAF Base Williamtown (IATA: NTL, ICAO: YWLM) is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military air base located 8 nautical miles (15 km; 9.2 mi) north of Newcastle (27 km (17 mi) by road) in the local government areaofPort Stephens, in New South Wales, Australia.^[1] The base serves as the headquarters to both the Air Combat Group and the Surveillance and Response Group of the RAAF. The military base shares its runway facilities with Newcastle Airport. The nearest towns are Raymond Terrace, located 8 km (5 mi) west of the base and Medowie, 6.8 km (4.2 mi), north of the base, which is home to many of the base's staff.

A number of the buildings and other facilities on the base are listed on the Commonwealth Heritage List.^[2]

History[edit]

RAAF Station Williamtown was established on 15 February 1941 to provide protection for the strategic port and steel manufacturing facilities in Newcastle.^[3] The base originally had four runways, each 1,100 m (3,600 ft) in length to meet the needs of the Williamtown Flying School. The school consisted of 62 buildings which accommodated 366 officers and men.

A number of Australian Empire Air Training Scheme squadrons were formed at Williamtown before proceeding overseas and No. 4 Operational Training Unit was located at Williamtown from October 1942 until the unit was disbanded in April 1944. Following World War II, Williamtown was retained as the RAAF's main fighter base and was equipped with squadrons of Gloster Meteor and CAC Sabre fighters.^[4][5]

In 1961, the squadron of Meteors were replaced with the Dassault Mirage aircraft.^[4] On-base facilities were gradually expanded post war and through until the late 1960s.

In 1983, the role of Williamtown was upgraded to a tactical fighter base in preparation of the replacement of the Mirages with 75 F/A-18 Hornets in 1989. The following year, Williamtown became headquarters for the Tactical Fighter group and acquired new headquarter buildings, hangars, workshops, stores, medical facilities and a base chapel.^[4]

Current base activity[edit]

This section needs to be updated. The reason given is: last F18s retired in 2021. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (January 2024)

As of August 2017^[update] RAAF Williamtown employed approximately 3,500 personnel, including military, civilians and contractors, and generated $150 million per annum by way of salaries in the Hunter Region economy.^[3]

Williamtown was home to F/A-18 Hornet fighters (operated by No. 2 Operational Conversion Unit, No. 3 Squadron and No. 77 Squadron), BAE Hawk 127 Lead-In Fighters (operated by No. 76 Squadron), E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft (operated by No. 2 Squadron) and Pilatus PC-9 forward air control aircraft (operated by No. 4 Squadron). It is also home to the Australian Defence Force Warfare Centre^[6] and Surveillance and Response Group RAAF.

RAAF Base Williamtown has sporting fields, recreation facilities, cinema and a fortnightly newspaper^[7] highlighting activities around the Base and outside community.^{[citation needed]} RAAF Williamtown is the home to Fighter World, a museum dedicated to Australian fighter aircraft.^[8]

In 2014, the Australian Government announced that Williamtown would be the home base for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters; the first of which arrived in December 2018,^[9] and enter service with the RAAF in 2020.^[10][11] Redevelopment works to prepare the base for the F-35, including a 2000 ft runway extension, began in January 2015.^[12][13] This runway extension allows fighters to take off without the use of their noisy afterburners, minimising noise for local communities.^[14][15] Fifty-six of the seventy-two F35s will be based at Williamtown.^[14]

The use of firefighting chemicals over a sustained period has resulted in contamination of the groundwater in the area surrounding the base, with residents initiating a class action lawsuit and expressing ongoing concern in national media over the impact on their properties.^{[16][17][18][19]} Nationally, there are 90 sites impacted by PFAS contamination, with more internationally.^[20][21]

Units[edit]

The following units are located at RAAF Base Williamtown:^[22]

See also[edit]

• United States Army Air Forces in Australia (World War II)
• List of airports in New South Wales
• List of Royal Australian Air Force installations

References[edit]

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to RAAF Base Williamtown.

• "Williamtown Aerospace Centre" (brochure and map). Williamtown Aerospace Centre.

New South Wales

Aviation