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RMAF Butterworth Air Base

RMAF Butterworth (Malay: TUDM Butterworth) is an active Air Force Station of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) situated 4.5 nautical miles (8.3 km; 5.2 mi) from Butterworth in Penang, Malaysia. It is currently home to the Headquarters Integrated Area Defence System (HQIADS), part of the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA).[2]

RMAF Butterworth

TUDM Butterworth
Summary
Airport typeMilitary
OwnerMinistry of Defence
OperatorRoyal Malaysian Air Force
LocationButterworth, Penang, Malaysia
Time zoneMST (UTC+08:00)
Elevation AMSL8 ft / 2 m
Coordinates05°27′58″N 100°23′28″E / 5.46611°N 100.39111°E / 5.46611; 100.39111
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
18/36 2,438 7,999 Asphalt
Sources: AIP Malaysia[1]
RMAF Butterworth
Butterworth, Penang in Malaysia
RMAF Butterworth
Location in West Malaysia
Coordinates05°27′58″N 100°23′28″E / 5.46611°N 100.39111°E / 5.46611; 100.39111Coordinates: 05°27′58″N 100°23′28″E / 5.46611°N 100.39111°E / 5.46611; 100.39111
TypeMilitary air force station
Site information
OwnerMinistry of Defence
Operator Royal Malaysian Air Force

The airfield was originally known as RAF Station Butterworth and later as RAAF Butterworth, under the operational commands of the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) respectively. Although the airfield is now a RMAF base, under the terms of the FPDA the RAAF are a co-tenant of the base, maintaining an operational presence in the region alongside the RMAF squadrons.[3] The airfield and associated base facilities are colloquially referred to as Butterworth.

RMAF Butterworth is the base of F/A-18 Hornet of RMAF.

History

RAF Butterworth

 
RAF Butterworth badge.

An airfield at Butterworth was originally established in 1939 by the RAF on a “care and maintenance” basis. In October 1941, RAF Butterworth was officially opened as part of Great Britain's World War II plans for defending the Malayan Peninsula against the threat of invasion by the Imperial Japanese forces.[4]

During the Japanese invasion of Malaya in December 1941, the airfield came under attack from aircraft of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service and suffered damage from the Mitsubishi G3M and Mitsubishi G4M bombers. Obsolete RAF Brewster Buffalo fighters based at the airfield took to the air to engage the escorting Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters but suffered heavy losses against the highly trained and experienced Japanese fighter pilots. The airfield was captured by the advancing 25th Army on 20 December 1941 and remained under the control of the (Imperial Japanese Army until September 1945. Following cessation of hostilities the RAF resumed control of the airfield and Japanese prisoners of war were put to work made to repairing the runways and making general improvements to the airfield. RAF air operations resumed in May 1946.[4]

From 1948 to 1963 RAF, RAAF and Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) units were stationed at the airfield as part of the Commonwealth Strategic Reserve. During the Malayan Emergency from 1950 these units played an active role against the communist insurgency by attacking suspected jungle hideouts of the communist guerrillas. During this time the airfield also hosted various units on rotation from RAF Changi, RAF Kuala Lumpur, RAF Kuantan, RAF Seletar and RAF Tengah. The base was also used by RAF aircraft transiting from bases in the Indian Ocean (RAF Gan in the Maldives), Middle East (RAF Khormaksar in Aden) and Mediterranean (RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus) en route to other bases in the Far East region, such as Singapore, North Borneo and Hong Kong.[4]

 
An Avro Vulcan of RAF in 1956 during Malayan Emergency.

RAF units that were stationed at Butterworth during the Emergency included:[5]

In 1957 the RAF closed the station, with control formally passing to the RAAF the following year, although the property itself remained under RAF ownership.

RAAF Butterworth

 
RAAF Butterworth badge.

Following closure of RAF Butterworth in 1957, control was formally transferred to the RAAF on 30 June 1958. The station was originally renamed RAAF Station Butterworth and later RAAF Butterworth and was the RAAF's first permanent major air base outside of Australia in the post-WW2 era. The base was home to numerous Australian fighter and bomber squadrons stationed in Malaya during the Cold War era. During the Vietnam War the base provided aircraft and maintenance personnel in support of deployments and also provided medical and transport support facilities.

At its peak in the 1970s the base was home to almost 5,000 Australian personnel and their families, but as at 2007 this has dwindled down to a permanent staff of just 40 RAAF personnel and 126 from the Australian Army (although the average number deployed at the base during annual exercises is around 700). The RAAF also employs 75 local civilian staff.[6][7]

Two notable RAAF fighter units stationed at the base were No. 3 Squadron RAAF and No. 77 Squadron RAAF which saw service with their CAC Sabres during the Malayan Emergency through the confrontation with Indonesia. From August 1964 onward, these Sabre jets responded on several occasions to approaches by MiG-21 fighter jets of the Indonesian Air Force towards Malaysian airspace, but the Indonesian aircraft always turned back before crossing the international boundary, thereby averting possible conflict.[8] Another notable unit was No. 2 Squadron RAAF which arrived at Butterworth in July 1958. Flying Canberra bombers, the squadron flew missions immediately after arriving including formation bombing runs against Communist guerrilla targets, and remained at Butterworth until 1967 when it moved to Phan Rang Air Base in Vietnam.[4]

 
RAAF once stationed their Mirage IIIO in Butterworth Air Base.

During this period, No. 33 Squadron RAF was stationed at Butterworth to provide ground to air defence with Bloodhound missiles. No. 20 Squadron RAF with Hunter FGA.9 aircraft were detached here as also were RAF Vulcans and Canberras. No. 52 Squadron RAF provided air supply support to ground troops and police working in the Malaysian Peninsular jungle areas with their Valetta C2 twin engine aircraft along with RAF Single and Twin Pioneer aircraft. 52 Squadron also provided air support to units working in the Borneo jungle areas. The RAF also provided air-sea rescue helicopters (Whirlwinds) and Rescue & Range Safety Launches (RTTL & RSL) from RAF Glugor on Penang Island. Other RAF aircraft seen regularly included Britannia, Hercules and Andover transports and RAF Victor tankers when transiting fighter aircraft such as Lightnings through to Singapore.[4][5][9]

No. 75 Squadron RAAF arrived at Butterworth with the Mirage IIIOs on 18 May 1967, replacing 3 Squadron who returned to Australia to themselves re-equip with the Mirage. 3 Squadron returned in February 1969 - replacing 77 Squadron - with both squadrons also alternating responsibility for the detachment at RAF Tengah in Singapore.[10] 75 Squadron remained at Butterworth until it was withdrawn to RAAF Darwin in October 1983, with 3 Squadron following to RAAF Williamtown in 1986. A number of former 3 Squadron aircraft and personnel remained at Butterworth and were formed as No. 79 Squadron RAAF, until they finally departed in May 1988.[4]

As of October 2008, the Australian Defence Force continues to maintain a presence at Butterworth as part of Australia's commitment to the FPDA, with No. 19 Squadron RAAF of the Combat Support Group (No. 95 Wing) and a detachment of AP-3C Orion aircraft from No. 92 Wing RAAF being located at the airfield, along with various units from the Australian Army.

RAAF Club

In January 1962 the RAAF Club opened at 10 Tanjung Tokong in Penang to provide social and sporting facilitates for RAAF personnel and their families during their stay at Butterworth. At its peak it provided for over 800 families, as well as those of Australian government public servants stationed in Malaysia.

The centre originally operated as a hostel with a total of 72 rooms and later included the Penang Health Centre and the Penang Housing Section. It also housed chaplains, the Public Health Section, RAAF police, Supervisor RAAF Centre and the transport office. A convenience store, barber and hairdresser, gift shop, library, post office and a travel bureau also provided services to the club's members.

In the 1980s the number of RAAF personnel serving at Butterworth was reduced which led to the closure of the RAAF Club. A new and smaller club was later established for the families who lived permanently in Penang.[11]

RAAF School

Increasing numbers of RAAF officers and airmen serving at Butterworth during the 1950s required the provision of schooling for their dependants. In October 1958, the Department of Air established a permanent school in Penang Island, leasing 8 Residency Road as a primary school for children up to year eight. Teaching staff for the school were selected from the Department of Education of New South Wales and Victoria. Later, 4 Residency Road was leased for an infants’ school and 10 Residency Road as a secondary school. The number of enrolments rose to 289 infants, 345 primary and 102 secondary students.

As the number of personnel serving at Butterworth increased the Residency Road schools became crowded and inadequate, and work began to build a bigger school. On 30 March 1962 the RAAF School on Jalan Azyzeat Hillside Penang was completed and officially opened on 9 May 1962. The school consisted of three main buildings, an assembly hall and an attap hut for infants. In September 1965, a new attap hut was built for primary students. Enrolments peaked at around 1,100 in 1977.

The reduction in the RAAF's presence at Butterworth in 1988 led to the school's closure, with the high school closing at the end of 1987 and the primary and infants' schools in mid-1988, with the remaining students now attending the nearby international schools in Penang. The former RAAF School building are now used as the RMAF training facility and administration centre.[11]

Rifle Company Butterworth

Since the early 1970s a rifle company has been stationed at Butterworth, drawn from units of the Australian Army on a rotational basis. The unit is designated Rifle Company Butterworth. While the unit's initial focus was protection of the airfield and base facilities and personnel, in recent years its emphasis has shifted to training and bilateral exercises in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.[6]

RMAF Butterworth

 
Fighter jets of the Royal Malaysian Air Force and the United States Air Force over RMAF Butterworth.

In 1970, following Malaysian independence, control of the base passed from the RAAF to the RMAF, and ownership of the property was ceded to the Malaysian Government; the base was formally renamed to RMAF Butterworth. As the RMAF was in its infancy and not in a position to fully take over an air defence role, two RAAF fighter squadrons were based at Butterworth until 1988.[6][12]

Current status

Although the base is under Malaysian control, under the terms of the FPDA command authority resides with the Commander Integrated Area Defence System (CIADS), an Australian air vice-marshal, and the RAAF remains as a co-tenant, the only foreign power with a permanent presence on the base. Aside from the active RMAF and RAAF squadrons housed at the base, Butterworth routinely supports deployments of aircraft from the RAAF's Air Combat, Air Lift and Aerospace Operational Support Group.[6]

In 2018 the Australia government announced a AUS$22 million upgrade of the base, to ensure Butterworth "remains fit for purpose well into the future." The Defence Industry Minister, Christopher Pyne, stated improvements were needed for the base to support the RAAF's new Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II during regional exercises.[13][14]

RMAF units

The RMAF stations the following units at Butterworth:[15]

  • No. 3 Squadron RMAF, operates 4 AgustaWestland AW139 (leased from Weststar Aviation as interim S-61A4 Nuri replacement). Formerly operated S-61A4 Nuri helicopters (Retired at the end of 2019, however the 3rd Squadron still maintain to be a working Squadron, awaiting for future acquisition of new utility helicopter fleet)
  • No. 15 Squadron RMAF, with BAE Hawk 108/Hawk 208
  • No. 18 Squadron RMAF, with Boeing F/A-18D Hornets

Other Malaysian Armed Forces' Units

  • 509 Rejimen Askar Wataniah (509th Territorial Army Regiment)
  • Unit Bantuan Utara, TLDM (Royal Malaysian Navy - Northern Region Support Unit)

RAAF units

Under the terms of the FPDA, the RAAF stations the following units at Butterworth:

This represent the RAAF's only permanent air base outside of Australia.[3]

Other permanent units

The following units of the Australian Defence Force are also stationed at Butterworth:[3]

Visiting units

RMAF Butterworth often hosts visiting units from nations which comprise the FPDA, particularly for the annual Exercise Bersama Lima. Aircraft from overseas squadrons participating in the exercise often include:

In 2013, after a break of 15 years, the exercise was joined by five F-16 Fighting Falcons from 140 Squadron of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF).[19]

The airfield also hosts visiting aircraft from the Royal Thai Air Force.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ AIP Malaysia: WMKB - Butterworth at Department of Civil Aviation Malaysia
  2. ^ "Defence FOI 151/18/19 Item Serial 1" (PDF). Department of Defence (Australia). Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  3. ^ a b c "RMAF Base Butterworth". Royal Australian Air Force. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Hugh Crowther (2014). "RAF Station Butterworth Malaya (1939-1957)" (PDF). Air Force Association NSW. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  5. ^ a b Royal Air Force Historical Society (1994). "Seminar - Confrontation with Indonesia" (PDF). 13. The Royal Air Force Museum. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Australian Defence Force Facilities Rationalisation" (PDF). Royal Malaysian Air Force Base Butterworth, Malaysia. Canberra ACT: Department of Defence (Australia). Statement of Evidence to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works. May 2007. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  7. ^ Opalyn Mok (23 May 2015). "How the Royal Australian Air Force transformed Butterworth through music". Malay Mail. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  8. ^ . Australia Parliamentary Library. 18 March 2003. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
  9. ^ Royal Air Force Historical Society (2000). "Malaya, Korea and Kuwait seminar" (PDF). 21. The Royal Air Force Museum. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  10. ^ Wilson, David. Seek and Strike: 75 Squadron RAAF 1942–2002. Maryborough, Australia: Banner, 2002. ISBN 1-875593-23-3 p. 180.
  11. ^ a b "Penang Stories - The Existence of the RAAF in Penang". Penang Global Tourism. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  12. ^ "Integrated Area Defence System: 40 years old and still going strong" (PDF). Pathfinder - Air Power Development Centre Bulletin. Canberra ACT: Department of Defence (Australia) (148). January 2011. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  13. ^ Wroe, David (25 June 2018). "Australia to spend nearly $7 billion buying unmanned military planes from America". the Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  14. ^ "Australia to invest in RMAF Base Butterworth". Royal Australian Air Force. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  15. ^ RAAF Historical Section (1995). Units of the Royal Australian Air Force. A Concise History. Australian Government Publishing Service: Canberra.
  16. ^ Alistair Munro (27 September 2019). "RAF Lossiemouth Typhoons arrive in Malaysia". Aberdeen Journals Ltd. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  17. ^ "Exercise Bersama Lima 16 Officially Opens". Royal Australian Air Force. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  18. ^ "No. 5 Squadron in Malaysia - Exercise Bersama Lima". Royal New Zealand Air Force. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  19. ^ Kiatisak Chua (11 November 2013). "Fighter jets to ride the sky together". Star Media Group. Retrieved 2 May 2020.

Further reading

  • Radcliffe, Mathew (2017). Kampong Australia: The RAAF at Butterworth. Sydney, New South Wales: NewSouth Publishing. ISBN 9781742235141.
  • Brawley, Sean; Radcliffe, Mathew (2017). "Losing the Blanket, Building a Fence: Australian Anxiety and the End of Military Colonialism in Malaysia". The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History. 45 (6): 1026–1048. doi:10.1080/03086534.2017.1379669. S2CID 159469435.

External links

  • History of RAF
  • Crest badge and Information of RAF Butterworth
  • Current weather for WMKB at NOAA/NWS
  • Accident history for BWH at Aviation Safety Network

rmaf, butterworth, base, rmaf, butterworth, malay, tudm, butterworth, active, force, station, royal, malaysian, force, rmaf, situated, nautical, miles, from, butterworth, penang, malaysia, currently, home, headquarters, integrated, area, defence, system, hqiad. RMAF Butterworth Malay TUDM Butterworth is an active Air Force Station of the Royal Malaysian Air Force RMAF situated 4 5 nautical miles 8 3 km 5 2 mi from Butterworth in Penang Malaysia It is currently home to the Headquarters Integrated Area Defence System HQIADS part of the Five Power Defence Arrangements FPDA 2 RMAF ButterworthTUDM ButterworthIATA BWHICAO WMKBSummaryAirport typeMilitaryOwnerMinistry of DefenceOperatorRoyal Malaysian Air ForceLocationButterworth Penang MalaysiaTime zoneMST UTC 08 00 Elevation AMSL8 ft 2 mCoordinates05 27 58 N 100 23 28 E 5 46611 N 100 39111 E 5 46611 100 39111RunwaysDirection Length Surfacem ft18 36 2 438 7 999 AsphaltSources AIP Malaysia 1 RMAF ButterworthButterworth Penang in MalaysiaRMAF ButterworthLocation in West MalaysiaCoordinates05 27 58 N 100 23 28 E 5 46611 N 100 39111 E 5 46611 100 39111 Coordinates 05 27 58 N 100 23 28 E 5 46611 N 100 39111 E 5 46611 100 39111TypeMilitary air force stationSite informationOwnerMinistry of DefenceOperator Royal Malaysian Air ForceThe airfield was originally known as RAF Station Butterworth and later as RAAF Butterworth under the operational commands of the Royal Air Force RAF and the Royal Australian Air Force RAAF respectively Although the airfield is now a RMAF base under the terms of the FPDA the RAAF are a co tenant of the base maintaining an operational presence in the region alongside the RMAF squadrons 3 The airfield and associated base facilities are colloquially referred to as Butterworth RMAF Butterworth is the base of F A 18 Hornet of RMAF Contents 1 History 1 1 RAF Butterworth 1 2 RAAF Butterworth 1 2 1 RAAF Club 1 2 2 RAAF School 1 2 3 Rifle Company Butterworth 1 3 RMAF Butterworth 2 Current status 2 1 RMAF units 2 2 Other Malaysian Armed Forces Units 2 3 RAAF units 2 4 Other permanent units 2 5 Visiting units 3 See also 4 References 5 Further reading 6 External linksHistory EditRAF Butterworth Edit RAF Butterworth badge An airfield at Butterworth was originally established in 1939 by the RAF on a care and maintenance basis In October 1941 RAF Butterworth was officially opened as part of Great Britain s World War II plans for defending the Malayan Peninsula against the threat of invasion by the Imperial Japanese forces 4 During the Japanese invasion of Malaya in December 1941 the airfield came under attack from aircraft of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service and suffered damage from the Mitsubishi G3M and Mitsubishi G4M bombers Obsolete RAF Brewster Buffalo fighters based at the airfield took to the air to engage the escorting Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters but suffered heavy losses against the highly trained and experienced Japanese fighter pilots The airfield was captured by the advancing 25th Army on 20 December 1941 and remained under the control of the Imperial Japanese Army until September 1945 Following cessation of hostilities the RAF resumed control of the airfield and Japanese prisoners of war were put to work made to repairing the runways and making general improvements to the airfield RAF air operations resumed in May 1946 4 From 1948 to 1963 RAF RAAF and Royal New Zealand Air Force RNZAF units were stationed at the airfield as part of the Commonwealth Strategic Reserve During the Malayan Emergency from 1950 these units played an active role against the communist insurgency by attacking suspected jungle hideouts of the communist guerrillas During this time the airfield also hosted various units on rotation from RAF Changi RAF Kuala Lumpur RAF Kuantan RAF Seletar and RAF Tengah The base was also used by RAF aircraft transiting from bases in the Indian Ocean RAF Gan in the Maldives Middle East RAF Khormaksar in Aden and Mediterranean RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus en route to other bases in the Far East region such as Singapore North Borneo and Hong Kong 4 An Avro Vulcan of RAF in 1956 during Malayan Emergency RAF units that were stationed at Butterworth during the Emergency included 5 No 20 Squadron equipped with the Hunter FGA 9 No 45 Squadron equipped with the Venom FB 1 4 and later Canberra B 15 No 60 Squadron equipped with the Javelin FAW Mk 9 No 81 Squadron equipped with the Canberra PR 7In 1957 the RAF closed the station with control formally passing to the RAAF the following year although the property itself remained under RAF ownership RAAF Butterworth Edit RAAF Butterworth badge Following closure of RAF Butterworth in 1957 control was formally transferred to the RAAF on 30 June 1958 The station was originally renamed RAAF Station Butterworth and later RAAF Butterworth and was the RAAF s first permanent major air base outside of Australia in the post WW2 era The base was home to numerous Australian fighter and bomber squadrons stationed in Malaya during the Cold War era During the Vietnam War the base provided aircraft and maintenance personnel in support of deployments and also provided medical and transport support facilities At its peak in the 1970s the base was home to almost 5 000 Australian personnel and their families but as at 2007 this has dwindled down to a permanent staff of just 40 RAAF personnel and 126 from the Australian Army although the average number deployed at the base during annual exercises is around 700 The RAAF also employs 75 local civilian staff 6 7 Two notable RAAF fighter units stationed at the base were No 3 Squadron RAAF and No 77 Squadron RAAF which saw service with their CAC Sabres during the Malayan Emergency through the confrontation with Indonesia From August 1964 onward these Sabre jets responded on several occasions to approaches by MiG 21 fighter jets of the Indonesian Air Force towards Malaysian airspace but the Indonesian aircraft always turned back before crossing the international boundary thereby averting possible conflict 8 Another notable unit was No 2 Squadron RAAF which arrived at Butterworth in July 1958 Flying Canberra bombers the squadron flew missions immediately after arriving including formation bombing runs against Communist guerrilla targets and remained at Butterworth until 1967 when it moved to Phan Rang Air Base in Vietnam 4 RAAF once stationed their Mirage IIIO in Butterworth Air Base During this period No 33 Squadron RAF was stationed at Butterworth to provide ground to air defence with Bloodhound missiles No 20 Squadron RAF with Hunter FGA 9 aircraft were detached here as also were RAF Vulcans and Canberras No 52 Squadron RAF provided air supply support to ground troops and police working in the Malaysian Peninsular jungle areas with their Valetta C2 twin engine aircraft along with RAF Single and Twin Pioneer aircraft 52 Squadron also provided air support to units working in the Borneo jungle areas The RAF also provided air sea rescue helicopters Whirlwinds and Rescue amp Range Safety Launches RTTL amp RSL from RAF Glugor on Penang Island Other RAF aircraft seen regularly included Britannia Hercules and Andover transports and RAF Victor tankers when transiting fighter aircraft such as Lightnings through to Singapore 4 5 9 No 75 Squadron RAAF arrived at Butterworth with the Mirage IIIOs on 18 May 1967 replacing 3 Squadron who returned to Australia to themselves re equip with the Mirage 3 Squadron returned in February 1969 replacing 77 Squadron with both squadrons also alternating responsibility for the detachment at RAF Tengah in Singapore 10 75 Squadron remained at Butterworth until it was withdrawn to RAAF Darwin in October 1983 with 3 Squadron following to RAAF Williamtown in 1986 A number of former 3 Squadron aircraft and personnel remained at Butterworth and were formed as No 79 Squadron RAAF until they finally departed in May 1988 4 As of October 2008 the Australian Defence Force continues to maintain a presence at Butterworth as part of Australia s commitment to the FPDA with No 19 Squadron RAAF of the Combat Support Group No 95 Wing and a detachment of AP 3C Orion aircraft from No 92 Wing RAAF being located at the airfield along with various units from the Australian Army RAAF Club Edit In January 1962 the RAAF Club opened at 10 Tanjung Tokong in Penang to provide social and sporting facilitates for RAAF personnel and their families during their stay at Butterworth At its peak it provided for over 800 families as well as those of Australian government public servants stationed in Malaysia The centre originally operated as a hostel with a total of 72 rooms and later included the Penang Health Centre and the Penang Housing Section It also housed chaplains the Public Health Section RAAF police Supervisor RAAF Centre and the transport office A convenience store barber and hairdresser gift shop library post office and a travel bureau also provided services to the club s members In the 1980s the number of RAAF personnel serving at Butterworth was reduced which led to the closure of the RAAF Club A new and smaller club was later established for the families who lived permanently in Penang 11 RAAF School Edit Increasing numbers of RAAF officers and airmen serving at Butterworth during the 1950s required the provision of schooling for their dependants In October 1958 the Department of Air established a permanent school in Penang Island leasing 8 Residency Road as a primary school for children up to year eight Teaching staff for the school were selected from the Department of Education of New South Wales and Victoria Later 4 Residency Road was leased for an infants school and 10 Residency Road as a secondary school The number of enrolments rose to 289 infants 345 primary and 102 secondary students As the number of personnel serving at Butterworth increased the Residency Road schools became crowded and inadequate and work began to build a bigger school On 30 March 1962 the RAAF School on Jalan Azyzeat Hillside Penang was completed and officially opened on 9 May 1962 The school consisted of three main buildings an assembly hall and an attap hut for infants In September 1965 a new attap hut was built for primary students Enrolments peaked at around 1 100 in 1977 The reduction in the RAAF s presence at Butterworth in 1988 led to the school s closure with the high school closing at the end of 1987 and the primary and infants schools in mid 1988 with the remaining students now attending the nearby international schools in Penang The former RAAF School building are now used as the RMAF training facility and administration centre 11 Rifle Company Butterworth Edit Since the early 1970s a rifle company has been stationed at Butterworth drawn from units of the Australian Army on a rotational basis The unit is designated Rifle Company Butterworth While the unit s initial focus was protection of the airfield and base facilities and personnel in recent years its emphasis has shifted to training and bilateral exercises in Malaysia Singapore and Thailand 6 RMAF Butterworth Edit Fighter jets of the Royal Malaysian Air Force and the United States Air Force over RMAF Butterworth In 1970 following Malaysian independence control of the base passed from the RAAF to the RMAF and ownership of the property was ceded to the Malaysian Government the base was formally renamed to RMAF Butterworth As the RMAF was in its infancy and not in a position to fully take over an air defence role two RAAF fighter squadrons were based at Butterworth until 1988 6 12 Current status EditAlthough the base is under Malaysian control under the terms of the FPDA command authority resides with the Commander Integrated Area Defence System CIADS an Australian air vice marshal and the RAAF remains as a co tenant the only foreign power with a permanent presence on the base Aside from the active RMAF and RAAF squadrons housed at the base Butterworth routinely supports deployments of aircraft from the RAAF s Air Combat Air Lift and Aerospace Operational Support Group 6 In 2018 the Australia government announced a AUS 22 million upgrade of the base to ensure Butterworth remains fit for purpose well into the future The Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne stated improvements were needed for the base to support the RAAF s new Lockheed Martin F 35 Lightning II during regional exercises 13 14 RMAF units Edit The RMAF stations the following units at Butterworth 15 No 3 Squadron RMAF operates 4 AgustaWestland AW139 leased from Weststar Aviation as interim S 61A4 Nuri replacement Formerly operated S 61A4 Nuri helicopters Retired at the end of 2019 however the 3rd Squadron still maintain to be a working Squadron awaiting for future acquisition of new utility helicopter fleet No 15 Squadron RMAF with BAE Hawk 108 Hawk 208 No 18 Squadron RMAF with Boeing F A 18D HornetsOther Malaysian Armed Forces Units Edit 509 Rejimen Askar Wataniah 509th Territorial Army Regiment Unit Bantuan Utara TLDM Royal Malaysian Navy Northern Region Support Unit RAAF units Edit Under the terms of the FPDA the RAAF stations the following units at Butterworth No 19 Squadron 19SQN No 92 Wing Detachment Alpha 92WG Det A with AP 3C OrionsThis represent the RAAF s only permanent air base outside of Australia 3 Other permanent units Edit The following units of the Australian Defence Force are also stationed at Butterworth 3 2nd 30th Training Group Australian Army Australian Defence Force Investigative Service Joint Investigation Office Butterworth Joint Health Command Butterworth Clinic Land Command Liaison Section Australian Army as at May 2007 Rifle Company Butterworth Australian ArmyVisiting units Edit RMAF Butterworth often hosts visiting units from nations which comprise the FPDA particularly for the annual Exercise Bersama Lima Aircraft from overseas squadrons participating in the exercise often include RAF Typhoon fighters and Voyager MRTTs 16 RAAF F A 18A Hornets F A 18F Super Hornets and S 70B 2 Black Hawk amp MH 60R Seahawk helicopters of the Royal Australian Navy 17 RNZAF P 3K2 Orions and Royal New Zealand Navy SH 2G Seasprite helicopters 18 In 2013 after a break of 15 years the exercise was joined by five F 16 Fighting Falcons from 140 Squadron of the Republic of Singapore Air Force RSAF 19 The airfield also hosts visiting aircraft from the Royal Thai Air Force 6 See also Edit Aviation portal Malaysia portalRoyal Malaysian Air Force bases Far East Air Force Royal Air Force Former overseas RAF basesReferences Edit AIP Malaysia WMKB Butterworth at Department of Civil Aviation Malaysia Defence FOI 151 18 19 Item Serial 1 PDF Department of Defence Australia Retrieved 2 May 2020 a b c RMAF Base Butterworth Royal Australian Air Force Retrieved 2 May 2020 a b c d e f Hugh Crowther 2014 RAF Station Butterworth Malaya 1939 1957 PDF Air Force Association NSW Retrieved 2 May 2020 a b Royal Air Force Historical Society 1994 Seminar Confrontation with Indonesia PDF 13 The Royal Air Force Museum Retrieved 2 May 2020 a b c d e Australian Defence Force Facilities Rationalisation PDF Royal Malaysian Air Force Base Butterworth Malaysia Canberra ACT Department of Defence Australia Statement of Evidence to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works May 2007 Retrieved 2 May 2020 Opalyn Mok 23 May 2015 How the Royal Australian Air Force transformed Butterworth through music Malay Mail Retrieved 2 May 2020 Research Note no 26 2002 03 Australia Parliamentary Library 18 March 2003 Archived from the original on 5 June 2011 Retrieved 6 June 2011 Royal Air Force Historical Society 2000 Malaya Korea and Kuwait seminar PDF 21 The Royal Air Force Museum Retrieved 2 May 2020 Wilson David Seek and Strike 75 Squadron RAAF 1942 2002 Maryborough Australia Banner 2002 ISBN 1 875593 23 3 p 180 a b Penang Stories The Existence of the RAAF in Penang Penang Global Tourism Retrieved 2 May 2020 Integrated Area Defence System 40 years old and still going strong PDF Pathfinder Air Power Development Centre Bulletin Canberra ACT Department of Defence Australia 148 January 2011 Retrieved 2 May 2020 Wroe David 25 June 2018 Australia to spend nearly 7 billion buying unmanned military planes from America the Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 26 June 2018 Australia to invest in RMAF Base Butterworth Royal Australian Air Force Retrieved 2 May 2020 RAAF Historical Section 1995 Units of the Royal Australian Air Force A Concise History Australian Government Publishing Service Canberra Alistair Munro 27 September 2019 RAF Lossiemouth Typhoons arrive in Malaysia Aberdeen Journals Ltd Retrieved 2 May 2020 Exercise Bersama Lima 16 Officially Opens Royal Australian Air Force Retrieved 2 May 2020 No 5 Squadron in Malaysia Exercise Bersama Lima Royal New Zealand Air Force Retrieved 2 May 2020 Kiatisak Chua 11 November 2013 Fighter jets to ride the sky together Star Media Group Retrieved 2 May 2020 Further reading EditRadcliffe Mathew 2017 Kampong Australia The RAAF at Butterworth Sydney New South Wales NewSouth Publishing ISBN 9781742235141 Brawley Sean Radcliffe Mathew 2017 Losing the Blanket Building a Fence Australian Anxiety and the End of Military Colonialism in Malaysia The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History 45 6 1026 1048 doi 10 1080 03086534 2017 1379669 S2CID 159469435 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to RMAF Butterworth History of RAF Crest badge and Information of RAF Butterworth Current weather for WMKB at NOAA NWS Accident history for BWH at Aviation Safety Network Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title RMAF Butterworth Air Base amp oldid 1116902664, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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