RAAF Base Amberley

RAAF Base Amberley is a Royal Australian Air Force base located 8 km southwest of Ipswich, Queensland and 50 km southwest of Brisbane. It is currently home to No. 1 Squadron and No. 6 Squadron (operating the F/A-18F Super Hornet), No. 33 Squadron (taking delivery of the Airbus KC-30A) and No. 36 Squadron (operating the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III jet transport). Amberley is also home to Army units making up the 9th Force Support Battalion (9FSB). Amberley's largest squadron in terms of personnel is No. 382 Expeditionary Combat Support Squadron RAAF (ECSS) providing both garrison and deployed combat support. Amberley was one of only two airfields in Australia (the other being Darwin International Airport) that were listed as a Transoceanic Abort (TOA) landing site for the Space Shuttle.

Location
RAAF Amberley is the largest operational base in the Air Force, employing approximately 3,500 uniformed and civilian personnel. There are a variety of other formations on the base such as training colleges and maintenance areas.

Amberley is currently undergoing a A$64 million dollar re-development program. By 2015 the RAAF hopes to have Amberley operating as its 'superbase' with flights of F/A-18F Super Hornets, F-35 Lightning II, KC-30A and C-17 Globemaster.

United States Army Air Force at Amberley
During World War II, the airfield became a major American Air Force base during 1942 and 1943. Known Fifth Air Force units assigned to "Amberley Field" were:
 * 22d Bombardment Group, (7 March-7 April 1942) B-26 Marauder
 * 38th Bombardment Group B-25 Mitchell (Headquarters 30 April-10 June 1942)
 * 69th Bombardment Squadron, (30 April-20 May 1942)
 * 70th Bombardment Squadron, (11 May-14 August 1942)
 * 475th Fighter Group P-38 Lightning (Headquarters 14 May-14 August 1943)
 * 431st Fighter Squadron, (1 July-14 August 1943)
 * 432d Fighter Squadron, (11 June-14 August 1943)
 * 433d Fighter Squadron, (17 June-14 August 1943)

In 1943, with the Allies advancing against the Empire of Japan in the southwest Pacific, American units moved north to forward airfields.