No. 36 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) strategic airlift squadron. It operates Boeing C-17 Globemaster III heavy transport aircraft from RAAF Base Amberley, Queensland. The squadron has seen active service flying transport aircraft during World War II, the Korean War, the Indonesia–Malaysia Konfrontasi, the Vietnam War, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. It has also supported Australian humanitarian and peacekeeping operations around the world, including Somalia, Cambodia, East Timor and Indonesia.
The squadron was formed at RAAF Station Laverton, Victoria, in March 1942, and equipped with Douglas DC-2s, among other aircraft. Later in the war it began operating Douglas C-47 Dakotas. From 1946 to 1953 it was controlled by No. 86 (Transport) Wing, which was based in New South Wales at RAAF Station Schofields and, later, RAAF Station Richmond. In 1953 it was re-formed at Iwakuni, Japan, as part of No. 91 (Composite) Wing. It returned to Australia and the aegis of No. 86 Wing in 1955. The squadron began re-equipping with Lockheed C-130 Hercules at Richmond in 1958, becoming the first non-US operator of the type. Over the next half-century it flew two models of Hercules, the and . The squadron transferred to Amberley in 2006, when it took delivery of its first Globemaster.
Role and equipment
No. 36 Squadron is responsible for strategic air transport in Australia and overseas, conducting missions as part of military operations and humanitarian efforts. It is located at RAAF Base Amberley, Queensland, and controlled by No. 86 Wing, which is part of Air Mobility Group. The unit headquarters comprises executive, administrative and operational components. As well as aircrew, the squadron is staffed by maintenance personnel responsible for regular servicing of equipment; they are frequently required to accompany the aircraft on deployments overseas. More complex servicing is conducted by Boeing. No. 36 Squadron's official crest, approved in May 1966, depicts a horse intended to symbolise strength, speed, mobility and dependability. The unit's motto is "Sure".No. 36 Squadron, Operations Record Book, p. 696
The squadron operates eight Boeing C-17 Globemaster IIIs, the first of which entered service in December 2006. The eighth and last was delivered in November 2015. The aircraft are generally crewed by two pilots and a loadmaster, the latter being responsible for the loading, carriage and unloading of cargo or passengers. The C-17 can carry 70 tonnes of equipment, and is large enough to accommodate helicopters, tanks and other military vehicles. It can also carry over 130 passengers, and is designed for aerial despatch of paratroops or cargo. The C-17 has a range of some and is able to operate from short and unsealed airstrips. Flown with a joystick and fly-by-wire controls, the aircraft is also highly manoeuvrable and responsive considering its size.McPhedran, Air Force, pp. 228–231 It can be refuelled in flight by the Airbus KC-30A Multi Role Tanker Transports operated by No. 33 Squadron.
History
World War II
During February and March 1942, the RAAF formed four transport units: Nos. 33, 34, 35 and 36 Squadrons. No. 36 Squadron was established on 11 March at RAAF Station Laverton, Victoria, under the control of Southern Area Command.Gillison, Royal Australian Air Force, p. 481 Its initial strength was twenty-six personnel and one Douglas DC-2.No. 36 Squadron, Operations Record Book, p. 674 This was gradually built up to a force of six DC-2s, as well as several de Havilland types including the DH.84 Dragon, DH.86 Express, DH.89 Dragon Rapide, and Tiger Moth.Eather, Flying Squadrons, pp. 73–74RAAF Historical Section, Maritime and Transport Units, pp. 55–57 Tasked with transport operations throughout Australia and to Port Moresby, New Guinea, the squadron relocated to Essendon, Victoria, on 17 July.Roylance, Air Base Richmond, pp. 92–93 One of the DC-2s crashed at Seven Mile Aerodrome, Port Moresby, on 14 September; all aboard were killed. The squadron was transferred to Townsville, Queensland, on 11 December 1942. During 1943, it maintained detachments at Essendon and in New Guinea, and began re-equipping with twelve Douglas C-47 Dakotas.
On 27 March 1943, a Dakota of No. 36 Squadron crashed on takeoff in pre-dawn fog at RAAF Station Archerfield, killing all twenty-three occupants, twenty of whom were RAAF or Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force personnel. The squadron relocated to Garbutt on 20 February 1944. During the New Guinea campaign it was responsible for carrying troops and cargo, and undertaking courier runs and supply drops. In 1945, a detachment of No. 36 Squadron Dakotas augmented No. 84 Wing's operations in Bougainville, flying almost 800 sorties between January and June.Odgers, Air War Against Japan, p. 326 The squadron lost two Dakotas on supply missions in Aitape during February 1945. In August, it flew paratroopers into Singapore as part of the reoccupation of the city, after which it continued to transport troops and cargo, and repatriate prisoners of war. Following the end of hostilities, in March 1946, a detachment of six Dakotas established a courier service between Morotai and Japan, where Australian units had joined the British Commonwealth Occupation Force.
Berlin Airlift and Korean War
On 19 August 1946, No. 36 Squadron transferred to RAAF Station Schofields, New South Wales, where it came under the control of No. 86 (Transport) Wing along with Nos. 37 and 38 Squadrons, also operating Dakotas, and No. 486 (Maintenance) Squadron. No. 486 Squadron provided day-to-day servicing for each of the flying squadrons, deeper maintenance being handled by No. 2 Aircraft Depot, based at the nearby RAAF Station Richmond. Courier flights to Japan continued until December 1947, a round trip from Schofields.Parnell; Lynch, Australian Air Force Since 1911, p. 165 On 25 August 1948, twenty staff from No. 36 Squadron joined five crews from No. 38 Squadron to take part in the Berlin Airlift, a commitment that lasted almost a year.Stephens, Going Solo, p. 196 The Australians delivered over of supplies, and over 7,000 passengers. In the absence of these crews, Nos. 36 and 38 Squadron operations were amalgamated, flying hours being recorded under the latter's auspices. During June 1949, No. 36 Squadron and the other extant components of No. 86 Wing, Nos. 38 and 486 Squadrons, relocated from Schofields to Richmond.RAAF Historical Section, Maritime and Transport Units, pp. 57–59
Nos. 36 and 38 Squadrons began to operate separately again in June 1950, following the return of crews from Berlin and No. 38 Squadron's departure for service in the Malayan Emergency.Stephens, Going Solo, pp. 247–249 No. 36 Squadron assumed control of the Governor-General's Flight in October 1950.RAAF Historical Section, Maritime and Transport Units, p. 184 On 21 November 1952, the squadron was awarded the Duke of Gloucester Cup for its proficiency. The return of No. 38 Squadron from Malaya in December stripped No. 36 Squadron of crews to ensure an even distribution of personnel among the two units. This led to No. 36 Squadron again merging with No. 38 Squadron. The former disbanded at Richmond on 9 March 1953, re-forming the next day from No. 30 Transport Unit at Iwakuni, Japan.Roylance, Air Base Richmond, p. 116No. 36 Squadron, Operations Record Book, p. 41 Here it was part of No. 91 (Composite) Wing, which controlled the RAAF's units during the Korean War and its immediate aftermath.Stephens, The Royal Australian Air Force, p. 232 Its complement included eight Dakotas and one CAC Wirraway.No. 36 Squadron, Operations Record Book, p. 36 In July and August, the squadron evacuated over 900 Commonwealth prisoners of war. It departed Japan on 13 March 1955, having carried over 42,000 passengers and of cargo, and was re-established on 1 May at RAAF Base Canberra, where No. 86 Wing had transferred the previous year.
Hercules era
No. 36 Squadron handed over its six Dakotas to No. 38 Squadron in July 1958, before re-equipping with the Lockheed C-130 Hercules. It returned to Richmond in August, followed by the rest of No. 86 Wing a month later.Roylance, Air Base Richmond, pp. 114–118 After conversion training of its personnel in the United States, No. 36 Squadron became the first non-US operator of the Hercules in December 1958, when it began taking delivery of twelve C-130As; deliveries completed in March 1959.Roylance, Air Base Richmond, pp. 97–98 The official history of the post-war Air Force described the Hercules as "probably the biggest step-up in aircraft capabilities" the RAAF had ever received, considering it roughly four times as effective as the Dakota, taking into account the improvements in payload, range, and speed.Stephens, Going Solo, p. 417 In September 1960, No. 36 Squadron began parachute trials on the Hercules. It made the Hercules' first troop-carrying flights into a combat zone in December 1962, joining a Commonwealth airlift from Singapore to Borneo at the onset of the Konfrontasi between Indonesia and Malaysia; similar missions were undertaken over the next five years. The squadron was again awarded the Gloucester Cup in 1963.
In August 1964, following the disbandment of No. 86 Wing, No. 36 Squadron became an independently operating unit under the command of Headquarters RAAF Base Richmond. No. 486 Squadron was disbanded at the same time, leaving No. 36 Squadron responsible for its own day-to-day maintenance until 1966; No. 486 Squadron was re-formed that year to service both No. 36 Squadron and No. 37 Squadron, the latter having taken delivery of twelve C-130E Hercules.Roylance, Air Base Richmond, pp. 102, 114Stephens, Going Solo, pp. 424–425 During the Vietnam War, both squadrons undertook long-range transport and medical evacuation flights between Australia and South East Asia, servicing Phan Rang, Vũng Tàu, and Nui Dat.Roylance, Air Base Richmond, p. 100 No. 36 Squadron was presented with its standard by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, on 1 April 1971, in recognition of a quarter-century's service. Eight of its twelve Hercules were involved in relief efforts after Cyclone Tracy struck Darwin, Northern Territory, on Christmas Eve 1974; the aircraft flew over 550 hours, carrying 2,864 passengers and almost of cargo. After twenty years of service and 147,000 accident-free flying hours, the C-130As were replaced by C-130Hs in 1978.
In November 1978, one of No. 36 Squadron's C-130Hs became the first Australian Hercules to land in Antarctica, at McMurdo Sound. The squadron clocked up 200,000 accident-free flying hours in C-130s during 1984.Roylance, Air Base Richmond, p. 105 When No. 86 Wing was re-formed at Richmond on 2 February 1987, under the newly established Air Lift Group (later Air Mobility Group), No. 36 Squadron formed part of its complement.Roylance, Air Base Richmond, pp. 107–108, 115 The unit again received the Gloucester Cup in 1989. That year, it provided transport for civilian passengers during the pilots' dispute that curtailed operations by the two domestic airlines; three aircraft and five crews undertook this task, over and above their normal duties.Roylance, Air Base Richmond, pp. 110–111 The squadron reached 100,000 accident-free flying hours on the C-130H during 1990. In December 1990 and January 1991, it flew missions to Dubai in support of Australia's naval contribution to the Gulf War, and in 1993 transported Australian troops to Somalia as part of Operation Solace. Four of its C-130Hs were equipped with Electronic Warfare Self Protection packs, including radar and missile warning systems, and countermeasures such as chaff and flares, in 1994. Later in the decade, one of the C-130Hs was fitted with signals intelligence equipment and crewed by RAAF and Defence Signals Directorate personnel.