Air Force News :: Features

LET THE BATTLE BEGIN: An F/A-18 lifts off as part of Ex Pitch Black.
Photo by LAC Melina Mancuso.

IN FEBRUARY this year, RAAF Base Curtin was home to four caretaker personnel and their families, and a thriving community of vermin including snakes, cockroaches, crickets and spiders, had settled comfortably into dilapidated accommodation cells among rotten bunk bedding.

Peeling paint had taken its toll on seven of the base’s 14 fuel storage tanks and plumbing and kitchen facilities needed replacing after five years of neglect since the Department of Immigration vacated its detention facility in 2001.

By mid July, the base boasted an entire mobile support hospital, a full squadron of fighter-bombers, their pilots, maintenance and support staff, a deployable gymnasium, deployable Foxtel and the most advanced mobile air traffic control system in Australia.

More than 40 semi-trailers loaded with advanced infrastructure and technology made the long trip to the remote Kimberley region to activate the dormant base in time for Exercise Pitch Black.

Almost overnight, the bare base was transformed by 386ECSS (Expeditionary Combat Support Squadron) into a fully operational military facility.

The pace was on. F-111s from 1SQN flew day and night sorties, catering staff provided four hot meals 24/7 for some 350 staff. Engineers ensured reliable power, water and air conditioning.
Supplies from Richmond and Amberley arrived on C-130s within 48 hours of a logged demand in order to keep the aircraft flying.

Twice-daily PT classes at the deployable gymnasium, phoning home, web access and successful missions kept base morale high during an intensive exercise that provided near operational conditions and an ideal training environment.

386ECSS’ Executive Officer, SQNLDR Paul Muscat, said the activation of the bare base at Curtin provided a good opportunity to test new security measures.

“There are considerable security issues operating an air base in remote Australia,” SQNLDR Muscat said.

“In addition to Airfield Defence Guards with their military working dogs and Security Police, we are also trialling a new remote camera system and sniffer dogs trained in explosive ordnance disposal.

“All these measures and more ensured that the base was secure when we opened it to the public for the Static Display Opportunity on August 5.”

Squadron CO WGCDR Forster Breckenridge said that 386 ECSS was a highly adaptable and flexible squadron that significantly increased the mobility of the modern Air Force.

“386ECSS provides Air Command with a huge range of deployment options,” WGCDR Breckenridge said.

“We can activate bare bases such as Curtin, Scherger or Learmonth where there is some basic infrastructure to work with. We can also make a fully functional command and control centre from a dirt strip in the middle of nowhere.

“In addition to activating Curtin and supplying millions of litres of fuel and support for 1SQN’s activities in Pitch Black, we have personnel evacuating Australian citizens from Lebanon in Operation Ramp, providing security in East Timor, and participating in continuing operations in the Middle East.

“On top of this, we’re providing all the main base services for RAAF Base Richmond, including conducting force prep for personnel deploying to the Middle East,” he said.