No. 79 Squadron RAAF

No. 79 Squadron RAAF
Crest of 79 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force, featuring a phoenix and the motto "Born for Action"
No. 79 Squadron's crest; the phoenix symbolises the multiple occasions the squadron has been disbanded and re-formed.[1]
Active1943–1945
1962–1968
1986–1988
1998–current
CountryAustralia
BranchRoyal Australian Air Force
Part ofNo. 78 Wing
Current baseRAAF Base Pearce
Motto(s)"Born for Action"
Engagements
Commanders
Notable
commanders
Alan Rawlinson (1943)
Aircraft flown
FighterSpitfire (1943–1945)
CAC Sabre (1962–1968)
Mirage III (1986–1988)
TrainerAermacchi MB-326 (1998–2001)
Hawk 127 (2000–current)
TransportDHC-4 Caribou (1986–1988)

No. 79 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) flight training unit that has been formed on four occasions since 1943. The squadron was established in May 1943 as a fighter unit equipped with Supermarine Spitfires, and subsequently saw combat in the South West Pacific theatre of World War II. Between June 1943 and the end of the war in August 1945 it flew air defence patrols to protect Allied bases and ships, escorted Australian and United States aircraft, and attacked Japanese positions. The squadron was disbanded in November 1945, but was re-formed between 1962 and 1968 to operate CAC Sabres from Ubon Air Base in Thailand. In this role it contributed to the defence of Thailand against a feared attack from its neighbouring states and exercised with United States Air Force units. No. 79 Squadron was active again at RAAF Base Butterworth in Malaysia between 1986 and 1988 where it operated Mirage III fighters and a single DHC-4 Caribou transport during the period in which the RAAF's fighter squadrons were transitioning to new aircraft.

The squadron was re-formed in its present incarnation during 1998 and is currently stationed at RAAF Base Pearce, where it has operated Hawk 127 jet training aircraft since 2000. The unit's main role is to provide introductory jet aircraft training to RAAF pilots as well as refresher training on the Hawk for experienced pilots. No. 79 Squadron also supports Australian Army and Royal Australian Navy training exercises in Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

  1. ^ "No. 79 Squadron history". Royal Australian Air Force. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2014.