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AIR FORCE WELCOMES ARMY KING AIR

A ceremony at Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Townsville on Friday marked the handover of three King Air 350 aircraft from Army to Air Force. The aircraft, formerly operating under Army Aviation’s No. 173 Air Surveillance Squadron, will now be flown by RAAF’s No. 38 Squadron.

Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal Mark Binskin, said the King Air will act as an interim replacement for the ageing DHC-4 Caribou, which will be retired this year.

“The three King Air which arrived at Townsville last week will be joined by another five brand new King Air in the first half of next year,” Air Marshal Binskin said.

Leased through Hawker Pacific, the King Air is equipped with turboprop engines, modern avionics and a glass cockpit.

“The King Air is a far more advanced aircraft than the 1950s-era Caribou, being able to cruise at more than three times the altitude, twice the speed and twice the range,” Air Marshal Binskin said.

“It is ideally suited for moving people quickly across northern Australia and throughout the region.

“This is especially important when we are called on to provide assistance to the civil community within Australia and on disaster relief efforts in our neighbourhood.

“The new fleet of King Air can provide a degree of efficiency and reliability which we have struggled to achieve with our fleet of ageing Caribou.

“At the same time, the 38 Squadron King Air pilots and technicians will also gain useful experience working on a modern aircraft type, allowing them to more efficiently transfer to other parts of the RAAF fleet.”

The King Air will be an interim until the arrival of a new Light Tactical Fixed-Wing transport aircraft, to be selected under Project AIR 8000 Phase Two.

Air Marshal Binskin also paid his respects to the King Air’s service with the Army. “This transfer effectively marks the end of more than 40 years of fixed-wing aircraft operations, with Army now operating an all rotary-wing fleet,” he said.

 “Our partnership will continue through the withdrawal of the Caribou, with its roles to be efficiently distributed amongst Air Force’s fleet of King Air and Hercules, as well as Army Aviation’s fleet of Black Hawks, Chinooks and MRH90s.”

Media contact:
Defence Media Liaison: 02 6127 1999 or 0408 498 664