No. 114 Mobile Control and Reporting Unit RAAF
| No. 114 Mobile Control and Reporting Unit | |
|---|---|
No. 114 MCRU's crest
|
|
| Active | 1943–48 1949–66 1968–current |
| Allegiance | Australia |
| Branch | Royal Australian Air Force |
| Role | Air defence |
| Part of | No. 41 Wing |
| Garrison/HQ | RAAF Base Darwin |
| Motto(s) | Swift to React |
| Engagements |
World War II Malayan EmergencyIndonesia–Malaysia confrontation War in Afghanistan |
| Battle honours | Pacific (1943–45) New Britain (1943) New Guinea (1943–44) Borneo (1945) |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Gordon Steege (1943) |
World War II
No. 114 Mobile Control and Reporting Unit is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) radar surveillance and air defence unit. Located at RAAF Base Darwin, Northern Territory, it is controlled by No. 41 Wing, under Surveillance and Response Group. Its role is to "prepare for, conduct and sustain effective deployable Air Surveillance and Air Battle Management in the Unit's designated area of responsibility". The unit was formed during World War II, and deployed in the South West Pacific. Since the war it has seen service in the Malayan Emergency, the Konfrontasi between Indonesia and Malaysia in the mid-1960s, and the War in Afghanistan.
No. 114 Mobile Control and Reporting Unit was formed as No. 14 (Mobile) Fighter Sector Headquarters at Camden, New South Wales, on 23 May 1943, under the command of Wing Commander Gordon Steege. The following month it deployed to Goodenough Island in New Guinea as part of No. 71 (Fighter) Wing, and became operational on 27 June. It controlled two radar stations, No. 401 of the US Army Signal Corps and No. 305 of the RAAF. On 8 August it moved to Kiriwina, under the aegis of No. 73 (Fighter) Wing. Steege relinquished command on 1 October to take charge of No. 73 Wing.
Responsible for controlling anti-aircraft batteries and air-to-air interceptions of Japanese raiders, the unit was renamed No. 114 (Mobile) Fighter Sector on 18 October. It registered its first "kill" on 31 October, when it directed a Spitfire of No. 79 Squadron to intercept a Japanese "Tony" fighter north-east of Kiriwina. On 2 March 1944, No. 114 Fighter Sector began redeploying with No. 73 Wing from Goodenough to Los Negros Island. Charged with coordinating air defence during the Admiralty Islands campaign, it was renamed No. 114 Mobile Fighter Control Unit (MFCU) five days later. The redesignated unit became operational on 2 April, and controlled Nos. 337, 340, 345, 346 and 347 Radar Stations.
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