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No. 37 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) airlift squadron. Formed in July 1943 at RAAF Station Laverton, Victoria, it currently operates C-130J Hercules aircraft from RAAF Base Richmond, New South Wales. The unit saw active service flying C-60 Lodestars and C-47 Dakotas in World War II, before being disbanded in 1948. It reformed at Richmond in 1966 with C-130E Hercules, and operated flights between Australia and South-East Asia during the Vietnam War. The squadron has since been heavily involved in disaster relief in Australia and the region, as well as peacekeeping missions in the Pacific and the Middle East. It converted to the C-130J in 1999, and between 2006 and 2012 also operated C-130Hs transferred from No. 36 Squadron. Its motto is "Foremost".〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=37 Squadron )〕 ==History== No. 37 Squadron was established in July 1943 at RAAF Station Laverton, Victoria. It was first equipped with twin-engined Lockheed C-60 Lodestar transports and operated out of Parafield, South Australia, and Morotai in the Dutch East Indies. Towards the end of World War II, it re-equipped with Douglas C-47 Dakota twin-engined transports.〔Roylance, ''Air Base Richmond'', p. 92〕〔Odgers, (''Air War Against Japan'', p. 381 )〕 By May 1945, No. 37 Squadron was based in Essendon, Victoria. Following the end of hostilities, it was engaged in transporting former prisoners of war from Singapore to Australia, and later in conveying equipment to Japan for the British Commonwealth Occupation Force.〔〔 In August 1946, it joined Nos. 36 and 38 Squadrons, also flying Dakotas, as units of No. 86 Wing at RAAF Station Schofields, New South Wales. In February 1948, No. 37 Squadron was disbanded at Schofields.〔 On 27 September 1965, Minister for Air Peter Howson announced that No. 37 Squadron was to be re-raised to operate twelve Lockheed C-130E Hercules transport aircraft which had been purchased for the RAAF. The squadron was subsequently reformed at RAAF Base Richmond, New South Wales, in February 1966.〔Roylance, ''Air Base Richmond'', p. 117〕 After taking delivery of the C-130E Hercules, it began long-range missions in support of Australian forces in Vietnam including aero-medical evacuations conveying wounded soldiers back to Australia, generally via RAAF Base Butterworth, Malaysia.〔Roylance, ''Air Base Richmond'', pp. 100–103〕 On 5 February 1967, one of the unit's Hercules was the first Australian strategic transport aircraft to land at Vung Tau. The squadron also transported forces out of Vietnam following the Australian withdrawal from the conflict in December 1972. As well as participating in military exercises and overseas peacekeeping commitments, the Hercules became well known in the Southern Pacific after being called on for relief following many natural disasters including tidal waves in New Guinea, cyclones in the Solomons and Tonga, and fires and floods throughout Australia.〔Stephens, ''The Royal Australian Air Force'', p. 311〕 It played a significant part in the evacuation of civilians following Cyclone Tracy in Darwin, Northern Territory, in 1974–75; a No. 37 Squadron C-130E was the first aircraft to touch down in Darwin following the disaster.〔 The Hercules also evacuated Australian embassy personnel from Saigon, South Vietnam, and Phnom Penh, Cambodia, following the end of the Vietnam War in 1975.〔〔Stephens, ''The Royal Australian Air Force'', p. 274〕 In January–February 1979, two No. 37 Squadron C-130Es evacuated Australian and other foreign embassy staff from Tehran, shortly before the collapse of royal rule during the Iranian Revolution. The same year, the squadron began operations with two ex-Qantas Boeing 707s, handing them over to No. 33 Flight at the beginning of 1981.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Boeing 707 )〕 In 1986, No. 37 Squadron transported the Popemobiles on John Paul II's tour of Australia; its other unusual cargoes have included kangaroos and sheep to Malaysia, and archaeological exhibits from China.〔 In February 1987, the unit again joined No. 36 Squadron, along with No. 33 Squadron, as part of a reformed No. 86 Wing under the newly established Air Lift Group.〔Roylance, ''Air Base Richmond'', pp. 107–108, 116–117〕 The following year, No. 37 Squadron achieved 200,000 accident-free flying hours on the Hercules.〔 The Australian public had the experience of flying in the C-130s when they were employed by the Federal Government to provide air transport during the 1989 Australian pilots' dispute that curtailed operations by the two domestic airlines.〔Roylance, ''Air Base Richmond'', pp. 110–111〕 Described as one of the "busiest" and "hardest-working" units in the RAAF, No. 37 Squadron re-equipped with new-model C-130J-30 Super Hercules II in 1999.〔 The unit has continued to support Australian peacekeeping missions around the world, including transport operations during the first Gulf War in 1990–91, Operation Solace in Somalia in 1993, Operation Warden in East Timor during 1999–2000, and on a rotating detachment following the 2003 invasion of Iraq.〔〔〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Advance party headed for Somalia )〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=RAAF units in East Timor )〕 It was strengthened to create a "super squadron" on 17 November 2006, when its force of twelve C-130Js was augmented by twelve C-130Hs from No. 36 Squadron, prior to the latter re-equipping with the Boeing C-17 Globemasters and relocating to RAAF Base Amberley, Queensland.〔 In July 2008, No. 37 Squadron celebrated the 65th anniversary of its establishment during World War II.〔 It was transferred from No. 86 Wing to No. 84 Wing on 1 October 2010, as part of a restructure of Air Lift Group. The C-130Hs were retired during 2012, the last pair at Richmond on 30 November. The retirement of the C130H saw a major restructure of the unit with a downsize of personnel from over 600 to approximately 400 personnel. It commenced 2013 with a successful search-and-rescue of French sailor Alain Delord, who was located approximately 500 nm south of Tasmania. No. 37 Squadron crews located Delord adrift in a liferaft before airdropping supplies, maintaining watch and ultimately guiding in a rescue vessel 58 hours later. The two crews involved in the rescues were awarded a Chief of Joint Operations Group Commendation for their efforts. The squadron celebrated its (70th Anniversary ) on 17 July 2013 with a (parade ), attended by Air Vice Marshal M. Hupfeld, Air Commander Australia and (flyby ) over major Sydney landmarks, which received national coverage. In November, the squadron deployed to the Philippines to participate in humanitarian relief operations in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Air Force assists Philippines )〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Operation Philippines Assist )〕 In August 2014 aircraft from No. 37 Squadron based in the Middle East were involved in the airdrop of humanitarian supplies to civilians in Iraq following an offensive by Islamic State forces. The first drop occurred on the night of 13/14 August with an RAAF C-130J part of a 16-aircraft mission including US C-17s and C-130Hs and a British C-130J which delivered supplies to Yezidi civilians trapped on Mount Sinjar. According to the Australian Department of Defence "the operational air drop was the first mass air delivery of humanitarian cargo since the outbreak of violence in East Timor in 1999." A second drop was later conducted to deliver supplies to isolated civilians in the northern Iraqi town of Amirli. Later, a C-130J was involved in the airlift arms and munitions to forces in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq in late-September. The involvement of RAAF transport aircraft in operations in Iraq is ongoing. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「No. 37 Squadron RAAF」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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