Seven hundred Air Force personnel have marched through the centre of the South Australian capital to commemorate the conclusion of AP-3C Orion operations in the Middle East.
RAAF personnel paraded through the city centre in a ‘Welcome Home’ march and parade to recognise the efforts of 92 Wing personnel and support staff who were a part of the almost decade-long deployment for Operations FALCONER, CATALYST and SLIPPER.
The Officer Commanding Number 92 Wing, Group Captain Craig Heap, said today’s parade was an important occasion as it recognised the service of many members who have completed multiple deployments over the years.
“Number 92 Wing personnel should be extremely proud of their achievements. Their work has been an important component of Australia’s contribution to Coalition operations in the Middle East,” said Group Captain Heap.
Since 2003, Number 92 Wing has rotated around 3500 personnel on three to eight month tours of duty. The Orion crews have conducted overland intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance tasks in Afghanistan and Iraq, maritime patrols of the Arabian Gulf and North Arabian Sea and more recently, counter-piracy missions in the vicinity of Somalia, working closely with the US-led Combined Maritime Force and other international task forces.