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Australian defence facilities
The
Royal Australian Air Force
currently maintains three
bare bases
in remote areas of
Northern Australia
. These bases were developed in the 1980s and 1990s in line with the
Defence of Australia Policy
to enhance the RAAF's ability to conduct combat operations from the Australian mainland. As front line bases, the bare bases are well-provisioned with bunkers and other defensive facilities and have the capability to support the RAAF's combat aircraft during wartime.
During peacetime the bare bases are maintained by a small caretaker staff drawn from
No. 322 Expeditionary Combat Support Squadron
. Flying and support units are not permanently stationed at bare bases. The bases are occasionally activated during exercises with flying and support units deploying from other RAAF bases to staff the base for the duration of the exercise.
In December 2008
RAAF Learmonth
was rapidly activated to support border protection patrols conducted by
Lockheed AP-3C Orions
. During this period more than 200 personnel were stationed at the base.
[1]
The RAAF maintains caches of catering equipment, bedding and defence stores at each of the bare bases so that they can be rapidly activated. The size of these caches was reduced by 25 percent in 2012, and the RAAF's newspaper
Air Force
stated that the service was considering storing all the supplies at a central location in the future.
[2]
In October 2013 it was reported that the caches were in the process of being centralised. Once the process is complete supplies will be flown or driven to the bases when they are activated.
[3]
The three bare bases are:
RAAF Tindal
near
Katherine, Northern Territory
, was maintained as a bare base for a number of years before being upgraded in 1988 to a permanent operational base for
No. 75 Squadron
's F/A-18s.
[7]
References
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Further reading
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Current bases
including
bare bases
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Former bases
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Overseas bases
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Shared bases
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Flying boat bases
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Other facilities
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