RAAF Base Amberley
RAAF Base Amberley is a Royal Australian Air Force military airbase located southwest of Ipswich, Queensland in Australia and southwest of Brisbane. It is currently home to No. 1 Squadron and No. 6 Squadron, No. 33 Squadron and No. 36 Squadron. Amberley is also home to Army units making up the 9th Force Support Battalion. Located on, RAAF Amberley is the largest operational base in the RAAF, employing over 5,000 uniformed and civilian personnel. There are a variety of other formations on the base such as training colleges and maintenance areas. Amberley's largest squadron in terms of personnel is No. 382 Expeditionary Combat Support Squadron RAAF providing both garrison and deployed combat support. Amberley was one of only two airfields in Australia that were listed as a Transoceanic Abort landing site for the Space Shuttle. Amberley is currently undergoing a A$64 million dollar re-development program. The RAAF has plans to have Amberley operating as its "superbase" with flights of F/A-18F Super Hornets, F-35 Lightning II, KC-30A, C-17 Globemaster. No. 35 Squadron is planned to move to the base from RAAF Base Richmond after it is fully equipped with the C-27J.
History
The need for a RAAF base in Brisbane was identified in the 1930s. of land near Ipswich was gazetted for defence purposes on 12 December 1938. The base was initially planned to house a general purpose squadron with 300 officers and men. At the outbreak of World War II the handful of brick buildings were still incomplete and many extra buildings were constructed quickly using wood and fibro. The base opened in June 1940 with the first unit based there being No. 24 Squadron. From May 1942 the base changed roles from flying operations to mainly assembly and repair of aircraft.United States Army Air Force base
The base was a major United States Army Air Forces base during 1942 and 1943. Known Fifth Air Force units assigned to "Amberley Field" were:| Unit | Aircraft | Assigned | Reassigned | Time at Amberley | Notes |
| 22d Bombardment Group | B-26 Marauder | days | |||
| 38th Bombardment Group, Headquarters | B-25 Mitchell | days | |||
| 69th Bombardment Squadron | B-26 Marauder | days | |||
| 70th Bombardment Squadron | B-26 Marauder | ||||
| 475th Fighter Group, Headquarters | P-38 Lightning | ||||
| 431st Fighter Squadron | P-38 Lightning | days | |||
| 432d Fighter Squadron | P-38 Lightning | days | |||
| 433d Fighter Squadron | P-38 Lightning | days |
The US facilities were transferred to Australia in 1947. After the war it became the base for the RAAF's heavy bombers operated by No. 1, No. 2 and No. 6 squadrons. The reserve No. 23 Squadron relocated from RAAF Station Archerfield to Amberley in 1955.
In 1965, the US extended a "Joint Research Program for Measuring the Physical Effects of Disturbances in the Atmosphere or in Space with particular emphasis on their effect on Radio Communications" from RAAF Base Pearce to the base at Amberley.