Hornets to come home

Acknowledging the “all clear” from ground crew before a mission. Photo by CPL Darren Hilder

AUSTRALIA’s F/A-18 Hornets would be brought home from the Middle East by mid-May, Defence Minister Senator Robert Hill has said.

As the major elements of the conflict near completion, the Minister said the Hornets would be one of the first of the Coalition forces’ components to be withdrawn from operations in Baghdad, and the Government’s main objective was to bring the aircraft and crews back home as soon as possible.

“The work for the Hornets is starting to reduce and therefore we don’t expect the task to go on for much longer,” Senator Hill said.

Chief of Defence Force General Peter Cosgrove said the ADF expected the Coalition air campaign to continue to reduce in scope and much of the force start to return home in the near future.

Since arriving in the Middle East in mid-February, F/A-18 crews have been kept busy supporting Coalition operations, flying between seven and 10 missions a day at the height of the war.

Initially, these were defensive counter air missions, protecting high-value coalition air assets such as tankers and AWACs.

Missions were long and involved many airborne refuelling hook-ups, which added to the intense planning and preparation made these even longer days.

Armed with the new AMRAAM, as well as the Sidewinder and laser-guided bombs it was not long after the start of Op Falconer that crews were called on for their air-to-ground skills and took out their first target.

In the closing stages of the conflict the F/A-18s flew direct close air support missions for our special forces on the ground in the vicinity of Tikrit. It was the first time since the Vietnam War that Royal Australian Air Force aircraft have flown close air support missions in support of Australian ground troops in a war zone. Only one of these aircraft was required to engage an enemy target and drop its bombs.

But as the Coalition’s focus moves to filling more of a humanitarian role and the tempo drops, personnel have been given time to reflect on what has been an enormously successful deployment, in which an enviable mission completion rate has been maintained.

Established at a vast, desert airfield, the Air Force’s F/A-18 fighter detachment is known as Task Element 633.4.1.1.
Drawn primarily from RAAF Base Tindal’s No. 75 Squadron, and supported by No. 382 Expeditionary Combat Support Squadron, from RAAF Amberley, they come under the command of the Combined Wing Headquarters.

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