No. 36 Squadron RAAF | |
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No. 36 Squadron's crest
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Active | 1942–current |
Allegiance | Australia |
Branch | Royal Australian Air Force |
Role | Strategic airlift |
Part of | No. 86 Wing (1946–53, 1955–64, 1987–current) No. 91 Wing (1953–55) |
Garrison/HQ | RAAF Base Amberley |
Motto(s) | "Sure" |
Aircraft | Boeing C-17 Globemaster III |
Engagements |
World War II Korean WarIndonesia–Malaysia confrontation Vietnam War War in Afghanistan 2003 invasion of Iraq Military intervention against ISIS |
Battle honours | Malaysia (Confrontation) 1962–1966 |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders |
Linda Corbould (2006–08) |
World War II
No. 36 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) strategic transport squadron. It operates Boeing C-17 Globemaster III heavy airlifters from RAAF Base Amberley, Queensland. The squadron has seen active service flying transport aircraft during World War II, the Korean War, the Indonesia–Malaysia Konfrontasi, the Vietnam War, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. It has also supported Australian humanitarian and peacekeeping operations around the world, including Somalia, Cambodia, East Timor and Indonesia.
The squadron was formed at RAAF Station Laverton, Victoria, in March 1942, and equipped with Douglas DC-2s, among other aircraft. Later in the war it began operating Douglas C-47 Dakotas. From 1946 to 1953 it was controlled by No. 86 (Transport) Wing, which was based in New South Wales at RAAF Station Schofields and, later, RAAF Station Richmond. In 1953 it was re-formed at Iwakuni, Japan, as part of No. 91 (Composite) Wing. It returned to Australia and the aegis of No. 86 Wing in 1955. The squadron began re-equipping with Lockheed C-130 Hercules at Richmond in 1958, becoming the first non-US operator of the type. Over the next half-century it flew two models of Hercules, the C-130A and C-130H. The squadron transferred to Amberley in 2006, when it took delivery of its first Globemaster.