Fly Past

THE WAY WE WERE ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE 79 SQUADRON

102 FLYPAST November 2018

as the RAAF’s new fighter, it was

decided to cease the permanent

basing of jets in Malaysia. To

ensure a phased rundown, 79

Squadron was re-formed on March

31, 1986 at Butterworth after 3

Squadron had returned home. Wg

Cdr Bruce Wood’s new command

was to undertake the RAAF’s

Malaysian fighter commitments

until the final withdrawal. Phoenix-

like, 79 had risen again – when

asked to submit a design for an

official badge the mythical firebird

seemed appropriate.

This new-look unit was equipped

with 11 Mirage IIIOs, a two-seat

IIID trainer and a DHC-4 Caribou

for transport and support. The

squadron’s tasks were to provide

air-defence and ground-attack

capability. On April 29, shortly

after re-forming, 79 Squadron

gained a small claim to fame when

it conducted the RAAF’s first live

firing of a Matra R.550 missile. It

was soon into the swing of training,

often deploying to Singapore or to

the Philippines; its first exercise

was in early May when it trained

to Ubon, close to the borders of
Laos and Cambodia, to bolster
Thai air defences. The detachment
arrived on June 1, 1962 as a
re-formed 79 Squadron. The new
unit was commanded by Wg Cdr
John Hubble DSO AFC and was
declared operational four days
after arrival. Initially, conditions
at Ubon were austere, with tented
accommodation. The squadron
maintained a pair of Sabres on
permanent alert – these were
armed with 30mm cannon and
AIM-9B Sidewinder missiles. The
duty flight’s first scramble was on
June 20, though no contact was

made with the unidentified aircraft.
In November, Wg Cdr Rod Hanstein
took the reins of command, which
changed every two or three
months as personnel were rotated.
As US involvement in Vietnam
increased there was an expanding
USAF presence in Thailand,
resulting in more scrambles and
enhanced base security. By early
1965 Ubon was a key US asset in
the air campaign against North
Vietnam and in late June, 79
Squadron became part of the US
integrated air defence system.
When the Sabres were scrambled,
however, the ‘target’ often turned
out to be American. On December
1, two jets intercepted an unmarked
Fairchild C-123 Provider that was
almost certainly engaged on
covert operations. Sqn Ldr Ray
Funnell became CO on New Year’s
Day 1966, a post he held until late
February. He returned for a further

period in September and later rose

to become Chief of the Air Staff.

The following month a Beech

twin was shadowed over the

Laos border, once again probably

involved in covert US operations.

The USAF presence also gave 79

Squadron pilots an opportunity for

further training, usually alongside

the Takhli-based F-100 Super Sabres

and F-102 Delta Daggers from

Don Mueang. The F-4 Phantom-

equipped 431st Tactical Fighter

Squadron (TFS), co-located at

Ubon, flew strike operations against

North Vietnam, and its aircraft

were sometimes ‘intercepted’ on

their return by Sabres simulating

enemy MiG-17s; these exercises

were well briefed beforehand. There

were other ‘perks’ to being on a US

base – such as when comedian Bob

Hope visited. One of his co-stars

was the actress Raquel Welch, who

was presented with an Australian

flying suit.

The squadron continued to

maintain the integrity of Thai

airspace through the mid-1960s,

but with the Malaysia-based

squadrons re-equipping with

Dassault Mirages, it was decided

to withdraw the Sabres from Ubon.

Thus, on July 31, 1968 with Sqn Ldr

W G M Richardson in command, 79

Squadron moved to Butterworth

where it was disbanded after six

busy years.

French deltas

With the imminent introduction of

the McDonnell Douglas F-18 Hornet

The wartime history of 79 Squadron is elegantly curated at the RAAF Museum in Point Cook, Victoria, where a fi breglass replica of Spitfi re Mk.VIII A58-492 is mounted

outside the main building. It represents a fi ghter that fl ew from Morotai in 1945. The original aircraft was one of the fi rst Mk.VIIIs delivered to 79 Squadron and was

initially given the unit codes ‘UP-U’. These later changed to ‘UP-P’ and fi nally to ‘UP-B.’ It was named Mac III by Fg Off Hugh Kennare who fl ew it on operations against

the Japanese from Morotai until the end of the war; it was then struck off charge in November 1948. The superb replica was unveiled at Point Cook by the Chief of

the RAAF, Air Marshal Leo Davies, on September 16, 2016.

Spitfi re Mk.VIII A58-492/UP-B, 79 Squadron RAAF in 1945. The earlier letter ‘P’ has been

modifi ed to ‘B’. RAAF

The faithful replica of Spitfi re Mk.VIII A58-492 at the RAAF Museum, Point Cook.

ANDREW THOMAS

Heritage preserved