Air Force Association - National

03/07/2026

Update for our members - The Minister for Veterans Affairs has announced that Mr Brendan Cox has been appointed as the inaugural Chief Executive for the Veteran and Family Wellbeing Agency.

The Department acknowledges the appointment of Brendan Cox as the inaugural Chief Executive of the Veteran and Family Wellbeing Agency.

Brendan is a veteran, advocate, family man and Winston Churchill Trust Fellow.

Through his role as Chief Executive of the Agency, Brendan will drive a focus of successful transition, community connection, and improving wellbeing outcomes for veterans and families of veterans. He is committed to applying locally, what he has learnt globally.

Brendan will commence in the role on 27 July, with Alison McLaren acting as interim Chief Executive from 1 July.

🔗 Visit the link in the comments for more information.

05/06/2026

5 June 1946: 80th Anniversary of first jet propelled flight in Australia

Did you know that 80 years ago on this day in 1946, the first jet propelled flight in Australia was made by a RAF Gloster Meteor F.3 aircraft on loan to the RAAF?

On 15 May 1941, the experimental Gloster E.28/39 became the first British jet-propelled aircraft. The Gloster Meteor subsequently became the Royal Air Force's (RAF) first operational jet aircraft with the delivery of the first aircraft to No 616 Squadron RAF on 12 July 1944.

In May 1946, ex-RAF Meteor F.3 EE427 arrived at No 1 Aircraft Depot, RAAF Laverton, west of Melbourne, on loan from the British War Ministry to enable the RAAF to gain experience in operating jet aircraft.

On this day 80 years ago, SQNLDR Derek 'Jell' Cuming flew the aircraft making it the first ever jet aircraft to fly in Australia.

On 7 June 1946, the aircraft (RAF Serial EE427) was transferred to the RAAF and allocated to No 1 Air Performance Unit with the RAAF registration A77-1 making it the first of a long line of RAAF Meteor aircraft. Ironically, although the Meteor was the first jet aircraft acquired by the RAAF for flight testing, it was not until 1951 that the RAAF eventually acquired the Meteor for operational use. By that time, the de Havilland Vampire had already become the first jet integrated into the RAAF when it was accepted into the RAAF in 1949.

Having flown in operations in the Southwest Pacific during World War 2, Cuming became one of the RAAF's most noted test pilots. He was awarded an Air Force Cross in 1944 for his flight test activity with No 1 Air Performance Unit where he flew and evaluated captured Japanese aircraft. Cuming became the RAAF's first officer to complete the Empire Test Pilots course in Britain duxing the course at the end of World War 2.

He was awarded a Bar to his Air Force Cross in 1950. In 1953 he received the prestigious Oswald Watt Gold Medal awarded for an outstanding air performance or contribution to Australian aviation and was then honoured as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for commanding the RAAF’s Long Range Flight which flew two RAAF Canberra bombers in the London to Christchurch Air Race.

During the 1960s, Cuming was promoted to Group Captain and commanded RAAF Base Edinburgh in South Australia. He retired as an Air Commodore in 1973 passing away in 2001.

Image of Gloster Meteor jet aircraft, serial no. EE427, on the tarmac at Aircraft Performance Unit (APU) RAAF Station Laverton, before making the first flight of a jet-propelled aircraft in Australia courtesy of Australian War Memorial Digital Online Collection (Copyright expired, public domain)

Story courtesy of AFA-SA.

03/06/2026

“In Your Eyes” is a powerful photography and storytelling project led by Mr Colin Bushell on behalf of the Queensland Government, in partnership with Trek2Health.

It will feature professional portraits of 40–50 Queensland veterans who served overseas. The images and stories will be showcased in a curated gallery exhibition (possibly at Queensland Parliament House) and published in a photo book, with launches planned for Remembrance Day 2026.

Army veterans have already been engaged. Strong Air Force and Navy representation is now being sought to ensure diversity in ranks, experience, gender and era.

Eligibility
✅ Served overseas with the ADF
✅ Permanently residing in Queensland as at 1 January 2026

How to nominate
Visit: https://www.trek2health.org.au/in-your-eyes/
Download the Participant Form and email it to [email protected]

Trek2Health is inviting expressions of interest for In Your Eyes, a photography and storytelling project that will honour the service, sacrifice, resilience and lived experience of Queensland veterans.

01/06/2026

1 June 1962: RAAF Sabres deploy to Ubon, Thailand.

On this day in 1962, the just re-formed No 79 Squadron equipped with RAAF Sabre aircraft deployed to Ubon Air Base, a Royal Thai Air Force Base located in eastern Thailand about 80km from the Lao border.

The Australian Government decided in May 1962 to deploy an Australian squadron to Thailand as part of a South East Asia Treaty Organisation commitment to defend the country from a possible communist attack.

Eight aircraft, aircrew and ground support personnel were selected from No 77 Squadron based at Butterworth, Malaysia. They were flown to Singapore on 29 May and then redesignated as No 79 Squadron which was disbanded following World War 2.

On 1 June 1962, the unit arrived at Ubon. Four days later, 79 SQN conducted its first combat air patrol. Meanwhile, due to the limited facilities at the airbase, RAAF C-130 Hercules flew in a base squadron of 200 men and 450 tonnes of supplies and equipment to establish a tented camp over the next ten days.

79 SQN remained at Ubon until August 1968 augmenting US air defence assets in Thailand. Aircraft were on alert and scrambled in response to believed air space intrusions. In 1966, an airfield defence guard element deployed to Ubon to enhance the base defences. On 26 July 1968 79 SQN ceased maintaining an alert status and by end of the month, was disbanded and returned to Australia.

Two Sabres were lost due to accidents during the Ubon deployment. On the 3rd Jan 1968, PLTOFF Mark McGrath was killed when Sabre A94-986 from 79 SQN stalled and crashed while flying in the base circuit after returning from an air defence mission. A three year old girl was also killed in the accident on the ground. Born in Adelaide in 1944, McGrath grew up in Plympton.

Another Sabre crashed four years earlier in September 1964, when CA-27 Sabre A94-984 suffered engine failure and crashed 28 nautical miles west of Ubon Air Base. The pilot, Flight Lieutenant Don McFarlane, safely ejected in that accident.

There was one other fatal casualty during the Ubon deployment when Aircraftman John Lynden Kirkwood died in a fire in a civilian dwelling in Ubon City on 19 November 1966 while serving at Base Squadron RAAF Ubon.

Lest we forget

Photo of RAAF Sabres at Ubon courtesy of Australian War Memorial Digital Online collection (AWM Licenced copyright and copyright expired)

30/05/2026

31 May 1971: Final RAAF 2SQN Canberra mission in Vietnam

On this day in 1971, a No 2 Squadron RAAF Canberra (A84-244) flew the squadron’s final bombing mission in the Vietnam War.

2 SQN arrived at Phan Rang Airbase in Vietnam in April 1967; it had already been operating from Butterworth, Malaysia, since 1958 for the Malayan Insurgency and then Indonesian Confrontation.

Between 1967 and 1971, 2 SQN flew an average of eight missions a day, seven days a week dropping 76,389 bombs totalling 27,158 tonnes during the Vietnam War.

2 SQN aircraft serviceability was high - a 97% serviceability rate. Eight aircraft were kept on-line at any one time and maintenance personnel worked 2 x 12 hour shifts to meet the daily tasking rate of eight sorties.

The last Canberra mission was tasked in support of the US 101st Airborne Division in the A Shau Valley, an area targeted by 2SQN many times. The mission was flown by Flying Officer David Smith (pilot), and Flying Officer Peter Murphy (navigator). Murphy was given the honour of flying the squadron's final mission as his 310 Vietnam missions with 2SQN was the Squadron's highest number of Vietnam missions.

The last bomb was painted white and 2 SQN armourers had printed in red the words "76,389th and last bomb compliments to Charlie from RAAF No. 2 Squadron RAAF UC Dai Loi".

The squadron departed Phan Rang on 4 June 1971, arriving back in Amberley on 5 June - 13 years since it deployed to Malaya in 1958.
Two RAAF Canberra aircraft were lost during the Vietnam War with the loss of two aircrew (FLGOFF Michael Herbert and FLGOFF Robert Carver) who were killed on 3 November 1970. The other Canberra (A84-228) was shot down by a surface to air missile attack - the only RAAF aircraft to have been shot down by a SAM. The crew, WGCDR John Downing (pilot) and FLTLT Allen Pinches (navigator) successfully bailed out and were rescued.

It would be another 32 years before the RAAF again dropped a bomb in anger during OP FALCONER during the Iraq War.

Words courtesy of Air Force Association (South Australia). Image of FLGOFF David Smith (left) and FLGOFF Peter Murphy (right) with the last bomb to be dropped by a RAAF aircraft during the Vietnam War on 31 May 1971 courtesy of Australian War Memorial Digital Online Collection (Copyright expired, public domain).

30/05/2026

30 May 1942: 460SQN participates in first one thousand-bomber raid

During the initial years of World War 2, Bomber Command strategic strikes were somewhat limited by number and capacity of aircraft and also strategy. Strikes were largely limited to 300 aircraft at a time with multiple targets being targeted. The initial campaign was costly and gained minimal success. With Air Marshal Arthur Harris assuming command of Bomber Command in early 1942, he devised an alternative strategy to overwhelm the German air defences by massing aircraft against a single target.

Codenamed Operation MILLENIUM, Harris devised what is now commonly known as the first thousand bomber raid against one city on 30 May 1942. Initially targeted against Hamburg, a major military target withs its port and naval facilities, poor weather caused the massive raid to be retargeted at short notice against Cologne – not a military target per se but a strategic population centre.

The intent of the raid was to mount overwhelming force against a single German target. Of the 1047 allied aircraft launched, 868 successfully reached and bombed the target including 18 Vickers Wellington aircraft of No 460 Squadron (RAAF) – the most it had committed to a single mission at that stage. With normally about only 400 frontline bomber aircraft available at any one time, the raid severely stretched Bomber Command aircraft and aircrew resources with many small bombers and aircrew still under training brought in to augment the standing Bomber Command squadron crews.

The raid was hailed as a success and overwhelmed German air defences and the emergency responses on the ground. 411 civilians and 58 German service personnel were killed. 5,000 more were injured, 45,000 made homeless, and nearly 700,000 fled the city in the aftermath. Almost 13,000 buildings were damaged.

Of the 1047 aircraft participating, 41 were lost with none from 460SQN. Having undertaken its first bombing mission less than three months earlier, the 460 SQN commitment of 18 aircraft was significant setting a precedent for the squadron that would go on to fly the most sorties of any Australian bomber squadron and drop more bomb tonnage (24,856 tons) than any other squadron in all of Bomber Command during the war.

This was accomplished at significant loss with the squadron losing 188 aircraft and suffering 1,018 deaths in combat - effectively replacing its squadron strength five times over during the war. Of the 1,018 460 SQN casualties, 589 were Australia – the highest number of any casualties in any RAAF squadron of World War 2.

Lest we forget

Words courtesy of Air Forvce Association (SA). Image of 460SQN Wellington Bomber courtesy of Australian War Memorial Digital Online Collection

29/05/2026

29 May 1942: First flight of the CAC Boomerang aircraft

In 1936, the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation was formed with the goal of developing a self-sufficient Australian aircraft industry. The company pursued the development of the Wirraway, a two seat trainer based on the North American NA-16. However, the devastating Japanese offensives from December 1941 highlighted Australia’s desperate need for a modern fighter aircraft with the RAAF’s front line fighter force comprising just Wirraway trainers and inadequate Brewster Buffaloes.

Overseas, the NA-16 had already become the basis of the North American NA-50 fighter, also known as the P-64. Given CAC's licence to manufacture the Wirraway already contained a clause allowing the design to be modified, CAC, under the guidance of Lawrence Wackett, pursued the rapid development of an Australian fighter aircraft using the Wirraway airframe as an initial start. The wing, tail, undercarriage and mid fuselage of the Wirraway was used with a new forward fuselage and engine.

By mid February, the Australian Government directed the purchase of 105 new fighter aircraft using the CAC fighter design under development. In effect, the Government ordered the aircraft while it was still on the drawing board before any prototype was developed. Shortly after, the aircraft under development was given the name Boomerang.

Within only 12 weeks, the prototype aircraft was finished and on 29 May 1942, the first CAC Boomerang, designated A46-1, conducted its first flight at the CAC plant at Fisherman’s Bend, Melbourne flown by CAC test pilot Ken Frewin.

In total, 250 CAC Boomerangs were produced as four different variants. While the aircraft was manoeuvrable, it lacked speed and performance particularly at altitude and failed to be competitive compared with other modern fighters emerging at the time.

Notwithstanding, the Boomerang saw distinguished service on the home front and in close air support and army cooperation tasks in the Southwest Pacific. It flew operationally with No 4, 5, 83, 84 and 85 Squadrons in the Pacific theatre. The aircraft also flew with No 8 Communications Unit in air-sea rescue support and No 2 Operational Training Unit for training.

To this day, the CAC Boomerang remains the only fully Australian designed and built fighter aircraft to see production and operational service.

Text courtesy of Air Force Association (South Australia). Images courtesy of Australian War Memorial Digital Online Collection (Copyright expired, public domain) and Department of Defence

28/05/2026

On this day in 1973, eight RAAF F-4E Phantoms of No 1 Squadron flew the last RAAF F-4E Phantom training sorties.

The RAAF leased 24 F-4E Phantom aircraft from the USAF as a stopgap measure to fill the void between the delayed acquisition of the F-111C and the ageing Canberra bombers. The Phantoms were delivered in late 1970 and were based at RAAF Amberley operating with both 1SQN and 6SQN. One aircraft was lost when it crashed into the sea near Evans Head bombing range on 16 June 1971 killing the two aircrew. Two others were damaged in accidents.

The RAAF primarily used the F-4E in a strike role but aircrew also completed air to air training with the aircraft. The Phantoms proved not only popular with aircrew and maintenance staff but also with the Australian public who embraced it during the RAAF’s 50th anniversary celebrations in 1971.

With the impending arrival of the RAAF F-111's during the second half of 1973, the end of the short but fantastic RAAF Phantom era came in May 1973. On 28th May 1973, the last RAAF Phantom training missions were flown when an 8 ship training sortie to Coolmunda Dam was conducted returning to RAAF Amberley with a final flypast flown by No 1 Squadron.

While 12 Phantoms returned to the USAF in November 1972, the remaining 11 returned to the USAF in June 1973. A number were later used in US air operations such as the Gulf War. None of the original F-4E airframes used by the RAAF exist now; an ex USAF Phantom at the RAAF museum is in RAAF livery of A69-7208 but it is not actually one of the former RAAF aircraft. A69-7208 is significant as it was the last RAAF Phantom aircraft to fly a RAAF sortie.

Story and image of RAAF F-4 Phantoms courtesy of AFA-SA.

27/05/2026

A productive couple of days in Melbourne with the Air Force Association - National Board and Federation Council. It was great to come together as a national team to focus on strengthening our organisation and supporting our Air Force Family. Discussions covered important areas including commemoration activities, heritage preservation, advocacy and our fundraising efforts for homeless veterans. These conversations continue to reinforce our shared commitment to serving those who have served.

21/05/2026

It is with sadness that we announce the passing of one of our Air Force veteran heroes, FLTLT Garry Gordon Cooper DFC.

Garry, aka Coops, passed away peacefully with his family on Sunday 17 May 2026 aged 88.

Garry joined the RAAF in 1960 and served an amazing nine-year career.

Upon being awarded his Wings, Garry served two tours in Antarctica on the Beaver float plane in support of the Australian Antarctic Division. Garry then converted onto the Avon Sabre, serving in Malaysia and Thailand. In 1966 Garry was in one of the first groups to convert onto the Mirage IIIO fighters.

Garry was one of 36 RAAF fighter pilots assigned to serve with the United States Air Force (USAF) during the Vietnam War as a Forward Air Controller (FAC) - the vital 'ringmaster' assigned to coordinate the delivery of ordnance from fighters and bombers in close proximity to friendly ground forces - a high risk job in a slow and unarmed O-1 Bird Dog!

Garry's tour of duty in Vietnam saw him in serve as a FAC with the USAF in 1968, the bloodiest year of the Vietnam War. He formed a very close relationship with the US Army soldiers he supported from the 9th Infantry Division who learned to recognise his distinct Aussie accent and callsign 'Tamale 35'. For his extraordinary heroism while performing his FAC duties in many dangerous situations, Garry became the highest decorated Air Force member from the Vietnam War, a testament to his commitment to service and willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty.

Our sincerest condolences to Garry's wife Jean and his children. Thank you for your service. May you rest in peace Coops and keep flying through the stars. Per ardua ad astra.

Garry's funeral will be held on Friday 29 May 2026 at 10am in Newcastle, NSW. Anyone is welcome to attend.

The venue will be Pettigrew Family Funerals at 12 Harris St, Wallsend, NSW (near Newcastle).

Link to venue:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/VD6KqBwAYhq3TBi86

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garry_Cooper_(pilot)

Garry Gordon Cooper, DFC (born 21 January 1938) is a retired airline captain and a former fighter pilot in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) who attained the rank of flight lieutenant. Cooper served on assignment with the United States Air Force (USAF) as a Forward Air Controller (FAC) in South....