Current and past members of Air Mobility Training and Development Unit (AMTDU) came together at RAAF Base Richmond recently to celebrate the unit’s 60th birthday.

Formed on October 1, 1965, as Air Movements Training and Development Unit, AMTDU was established to support operations of an expanding inventory of transport aircraft and helicopters such as the Hercules and Caribou aircraft, and the Iroquois helicopter. 

In its early years, AMTDU uniquely had Air Force and Army personnel operating under separate chains of command – a structure that remained until December 1997 when AMTDU came fully under Air Force command.

Today, the unit’s workforce of about 70 Air Force, Army and Australian Public Service personnel deliver critical air mobility effects across Defence. Their roles include providing air cargo load clearances, delivering core Air Mobility Group aircrew and technical training courses, and qualifying Army air dispatchers and other personnel to prepare loads for airdrop and helicopter external lift operations.

Commanding Officer AMTDU Wing Commander Stephen Coote said the birthday was an opportunity to look back and appreciate the essential role AMTDU has played across its 60 years supporting Defence mobility.

“In that time, we have been involved in the introduction to ADF service of every transport aircraft, and the introduction and expansion of airdrop and external lift capabilities,” Wing Commander Coote said. 

“Whenever Defence needs a new piece of equipment to be delivered by air, they come to one place.

“Every clearance and test we perform is about ensuring safety – for the aircraft, the crews and the equipment itself.”

At AMTDU, engineers, loadmasters and air dispatchers work side by side to turn complex air mobility challenges into safe, repeatable procedures. 

Before any new load takes flight, the team ensures it can withstand flight forces and be safely restrained or rigged without damage. They also conduct loading trials on an aircraft, or simulated airdrops from a crane to replicate the impact forces of an airdrop load landing under parachute.

The unit also plays a vital role in international engagement. Its air dispatcher training courses regularly include students from Malaysia, Singapore, New Zealand and Pacific partner nations. 

The birthday celebration included a commemorative photograph on the tarmac outside the AMTDU hangar. The inclusion of the Rural Fire Service’s Chinook helicopter acknowledged a mutual training relationship with the agency that further extends AMTDU’s contribution to broader national capability.

AMTDU looks forward to another 60 years of service proudly living by its motto: Develop and deliver.