MEDIA RELEASE

DPAO 166/98

Friday August 21, 1998

USMC AIRCRAFT INCIDENT AT DELAMERE RANGE

BACKGROUNDER
EXERCISE SOUTHERN FRONTIER

Exercise Southern Frontier, a three month training deployment to Northern Australia, is a regular training event for Japan-based United States Marine Corp fighter aircraft.

The aircraft exercise in airspace around RAAF Base Tindal (approx 300 kilometres south of Darwin) and conduct training strikes onto the Delamere Air Weapons Range, 130 kilometres south west of Katherine.

The deployment commenced on Wednesday July 1, 1998 with the arrival of 270 marines and 12 USMC F/A-18 fast jet aircraft from Marine Air Group 12 from Iwakuni Japan.

Total numbers rise to about 500 during the two day squadron change overs which take place about every month to allow for the exercising of three squadrons during the three month period.

RAAF Base Tindal provide the ground support, air traffic control and weapons range facilities to the exercise.

Southern Frontier commenced in the early 1990's to enable USMC fighter pilots to take advantage of the sophisticated capability of the Delamere Air Weapons Range facility.