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| E-7A Wedgetail (Click to Enlarge) |
Hundreds of Air Force personnel have turned out to honour the consecration of a new Squadron Standard for RAAF Williamtown’s Number 2 Squadron.
Governor-General, Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC CVO, was the Reviewing Officer for the Military Parade at RAAF Base Williamtown, which featured a fully-armed Escort Squadron showcasing a proud tradition of the RAAF.
The Number 2 Squadron Standard is a symbol of the Sovereign’s appreciation for especially outstanding operations and is inscribed with battle honours.
After originally being approved in 1971, the Number 2 Squadron standard has been replaced to include an additional three battle honours for service in Thailand and Malaysia between 1958 and 1966.
Today, Number 2 Squadron is home for the brand new world-first E-7A Wedgetail aircraft.
Commanding Officer of Number 2 Squadron, Wing Commander Paul Carpenter said it was an honour to participate in a parade in front of the Governor-General and that the event was about public recognition for one of the oldest and most highly decorated squadrons in the RAAF. With a motto “To Advise and Strike” it was involved in both World Wars and the Vietnam War.
“The Squadron was established in 1916 as a unit of the Australian Flying Corps in Egypt flying D.H.5 fighters. Since then the Squadron has flown Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5s then in World War II it operated Ansons, Hudsons, Beaufort and B-25 Mitchell bombers,” said Wing Commander Carpenter.
“The Squadron upgraded to the English Electric Canberra Bombers a few years later which they flew during the Malayan Emergency and later in Vietnam before it disbanded at RAAF Amberley in July 1982, only to be reformed here at Williamtown in 2000 as part of the Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning and Control project.”
Since 2011 the Wedgetail has participated in Exercise Bersama Lima in Malaysia, Exercise Cope North Guam, Exercise Bersama Shield, Exercise Red Flag, Alaska and most recently Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC). Last week, the Wedgetail achieved Initial Operational Capability (IOC).
Number 2 Squadron comes under the control of Surveillance Response Group, which is headquartered at RAAF Base Williamtown, NSW.
Today the Squadron comprises around 225 personnel including administrative and logistics support, technical maintenance and aircrew personnel who are responsible for air surveillance assets, maritime warfare, aerospace, surveillance and battle space management, developing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities and electronic warfare.