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RAAF Base Amberley is a Royal Australian Air Force base located southwest of Ipswich, Queensland and 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.〔(Space Shuttle Emergency Landing Sites )〕 Amberley is currently undergoing a A$64 million dollar re-development program. By 2015 the RAAF plans to have Amberley operating as its "superbase" with flights of F/A-18F Super Hornets, F-35 Lightning II, KC-30A and C-17 Globemaster. ==History== The need for an RAAF base in Brisbane was identified in the 1930s. 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: * 22d Bombardment Group, (7 March – 7 April 1942) – B-26 Marauder * 38th Bombardment Group (Headquarters 30 April – 10 June 1942) – B-25 Mitchell * 69th Bombardment Squadron, (30 April – 20 May 1942) – B-26 Marauder * 70th Bombardment Squadron, (11 May – 14 August 1942) – B-26 Marauder * 475th Fighter Group (Headquarters 14 May – 14 August 1943) – P-38 Lightning * 431st Fighter Squadron, (1 July – 14 August 1943) – P-38 Lightning * 432d Fighter Squadron, (11 June – 14 August 1943) – P-38 Lightning * 433d Fighter Squadron, (17 June – 14 August 1943) – P-38 Lightning 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. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「RAAF Base Amberley」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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