No. 37 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) medium tactical airlift squadron. It operates Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules aircraft from RAAF Base Richmond, New South Wales. The squadron has seen active service flying transport aircraft during World War II, the Vietnam War, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the military intervention against ISIL. It has also supported Australian humanitarian and peacekeeping operations around the world, including in Somalia, East Timor, Bali, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines.
The squadron was formed at RAAF Station Laverton, Victoria, in July 1943, and equipped with Lockheed C-60 Lodestars that it operated in Australia, New Guinea and the Dutch East Indies. Towards the end of the war it began flying Douglas C-47 Dakotas. It became part of No. 86 (Transport) Wing, headquartered at RAAF Station Schofields, New South Wales, in 1946 but was disbanded two years later. In response to Australia's increasing air transport needs during the Vietnam War, the squadron was re-formed at Richmond in February 1966, and equipped with the Hercules. It began converting to the C-130J model in 1999, and between 2006 and 2012 also operated C-130Hs formerly of No. 36 Squadron. No. 37 Squadron came under the control of a re-formed No. 86 Wing from 1987 until 2010, when it was transferred to No. 84 Wing.
Role and equipment
No. 37 Squadron is tasked with medium tactical airlift in Australia and overseas, transporting troops and cargo, and conducting medical evacuation, search-and-rescue, and airdrop missions. It is located at RAAF Base Richmond, New South Wales, and controlled by No. 84 Wing, which is part of Air Mobility Group. As of July 2013, the squadron comprised more than 400 personnel organised into four flights of aircrew, an administrative and operational section, and a maintenance section responsible for day-to-day aircraft servicing as well as regular maintenance cycles of six weeks' duration. Intermediate and heavy maintenance is contracted to Airbus Group Australia Pacific (airframe) and StandardAero (engines).Minister for Defence, Defence Portfolio Budget Statements 2016–17, p. 164 No. 37 Squadron's motto is "Foremost".
The squadron operates twelve Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules, which entered service in 1999. The aircraft are generally crewed by two pilots and a loadmaster, the latter being responsible for the loading, carriage and unloading of cargo and passengers.McPhedran, Air Force, pp. 53–55 The C-130J can carry of cargo, or 120 passengers. It has a range of over without payload, and is able to operate from short and unsealed airstrips. From 1999 to 2017, No. 285 Squadron operated a C-130J flight simulator at Richmond to train No. 37 Squadron's aircrew and maintenance personnel; its role and most of its personnel were subsequently transferred to No. 37 Squadron's Training Flight. maintains a detachment of two aircraft at Al Minhad Air Base in the United Arab Emirates to support operations in the Middle East Region under Operation Accordion. The C-130Js are expected to remain in RAAF service until 2030.
History World War II and aftermath
No. 37 (Transport) Squadron was formed on 15 July 1943 at RAAF Station Laverton, Victoria, with a staff of two officers and thirteen airmen.No. 37 Squadron (1943–48), "Operations Record Book", p. 180RAAF Historical Section, Maritime and Transport Units, pp. 62–63 Its first commanding officer, Squadron Leader Neville Hemsworth (late of No. 34 Squadron), arrived on 21 July, and its first aircraft, a single-engined Northrop Delta (also formerly of No. 34 Squadron), was delivered on 2 August.No. 37 Squadron (1943–48), "Operations Record Book", pp. 179–180 The squadron was allocated the first of a batch of ten twin-engined Lockheed C-60 Lodestar transports on 23 August. The Delta was written off following an accident on 30 September. By then the squadron's staff numbered 190, including forty-five officers.No. 37 Squadron (1943–48), "Operations Record Book", p. 176 It was declared operational on 11 October 1943, undertaking regular courier flights across Australia to destinations including Perth, Western Australia; Darwin and Alice Springs, Northern Territory; Adelaide, South Australia; Maryborough, Queensland; and Launceston, Tasmania.
By mid-1944, the squadron had expanded its operations to New Guinea, making courier flights to Merauke initially, and later Wewak, Noemfoor and Hollandia. It transferred to Essendon, Victoria, on 1 September.No. 37 Squadron (1943–48), "Operations Record Book", p. 151 The unit was now one of eight Australian transport squadrons, all of which operated under the control of RAAF Headquarters, Melbourne. Their primary duty was supporting the Australian military, though they could also be released for urgent requests by General Douglas MacArthur's South West Pacific Area headquarters.Odgers, Air War Against Japan, pp. 381–383 A Lodestar crashed and burned on takeoff at Merauke on 26 January 1945 but all aboard escaped injury; it was the only hull loss suffered by the type in Australian service.No. 37 Squadron (1943–48), "Operations Record Book", p. 133 No. 37 Squadron received its first three Douglas C-47 Dakotas the following month, and by the end of March had a complement of eighteen aircraft: nine Dakotas, seven Lodestars, a Douglas DC-2, and a de Havilland Tiger Moth.No. 37 Squadron (1943–48), "Operations Record Book", p. 124 The next month it began operating detachments out of Parafield, South Australia, and Morotai in the Dutch East Indies.Roylance, Air Base Richmond, p. 92No. 37 Squadron (1943–48), "Operations Record Book", pp. 119, 122 On 6 July 1945, one of the squadron's Dakotas transported the body of Prime Minister John Curtin from Canberra to Perth for burial. By September 1945, No. 37 Squadron's strength was 357 staff, including 111 officers, sixteen Dakotas, two Lodestars, a DC-2, and a Tiger Moth.No. 37 Squadron (1943–48), "Operations Record Book", p. 96
Following the end of hostilities, No. 37 Squadron repatriated former prisoners of war from Singapore to Australia. On 27 July 1946, it moved to RAAF Station Schofields, New South Wales, where it came under the control of No. 86 (Transport) Wing along with Nos. 36 and 38 Squadrons, also operating Dakotas. Another unit of No. 86 Wing, No. 486 (Maintenance) Squadron, was responsible for servicing the Dakotas.RAAF Historical Section, Maintenance Units, p. 70 On 30 September 1946, No. 37 Squadron was assigned the regular courier service to Japan that had previously been flown by No. 36 Squadron, to support the British Commonwealth Occupation Force. In January 1947, No. 37 Squadron handed over the Japan courier run to No. 38 Squadron, and the following month took over the Lae courier service previously flown by No. 36 Squadron; the Rabaul courier run was added in April.No. 37 Squadron (1943–48), "Operations Record Book", pp. 24, 28, 32 By the end of 1947, No. 37 Squadron's personnel numbered fifty-six, including twenty-four officers, and it had an average of ten Dakotas on strength.No. 37 Squadron (1943–48), "Operations Record Book", p. 6 The unit was disbanded at Schofields on 24 February 1948.
Re-establishment
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 that had been purchased by the Federal government; the new aircraft would allow the RAAF to support Australian deployments in South East Asia while continuing to meet its domestic commitments.Wilson, Dakota, Hercules, and Caribou in Australian Service, p. 105 The squadron was formed at RAAF Base Richmond on 21 February 1966, under the command of Wing Commander Ron McKimm.Roylance, Air Base Richmond, p. 117 It joined No. 36 Squadron, which had been operating C-130A Hercules since 1958. No. 486 Squadron, disbanded in 1964, was re-formed at Richmond to provide maintenance for both Hercules squadrons; major repairs and upgrades to the C-130s were the responsibility of No. 2 Aircraft Depot (later No. 503 Wing).Stephens, Going Solo, pp. 178, 420–425RAAF Historical Section, Maintenance Units, p. 8 As the C-130E had a longer range and could carry a greater payload than the C-130A, No. 37 Squadron was generally assigned strategic tasks, while No. 36 Squadron's responsibilities were primarily tactical in nature. No. 37 Squadron began taking delivery of its C-130Es in August, and by the end of September its staff numbered eighty-six, including twenty-one officers.Roylance, Air Base Richmond, pp. 100–103No. 37 Squadron (1966–78), "Operations Record Book", p. 5 In February 1967, the squadron commenced long-range missions in support of Australian forces in the Vietnam War, including aero-medical evacuations conveying wounded soldiers back to Australia, generally via RAAF Base Butterworth, Malaysia.RAAF Historical Section, Maritime and Transport Units, pp. 64–65 Initially both C-130A and E models were employed for such evacuations, but only C-130Es were assigned to this task from May 1967, as they offered more comfortable conditions and were capable of flying directly between South Vietnam and Australia if required.Coulthard-Clark, The RAAF in Vietnam, pp. 256–258 By the end of February 1968, No. 37 Squadron had a strength of 207 personnel: eighty-five aircrew, including fifty-one officers, and 122 ground staff, including three officers.No. 37 Squadron (1966–78), "Operations Record Book", p. 48 The squadron transported the last Australian forces out of Vietnam in December 1972, following the Federal government's decision to withdraw from the conflict.Coulthard-Clark, The RAAF in Vietnam, pp. 248
As well as participating in military exercises and overseas peacekeeping commitments, the Hercules became a familiar sight in the Southern Pacific, called on for relief operations following many natural disasters including tsunamis 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 major role in the evacuation of civilians following Cyclone Tracy in Darwin in 1974–75; a No. 37 Squadron C-130E was the first aircraft to touch down in Darwin following the disaster. The squadron contributed eleven aircraft to the relief effort, carrying 4,400 passengers and of cargo. No. 37 Squadron aircraft took part in Operation Babylift, the US-led effort to evacuate the orphaned children of American servicemen from Vietnam in April 1975. Later that month, two of the squadron's aircraft were assigned to the United Nations (UN) to transport supplies throughout South East Asia; the C-130s' Australian roundels were painted over with UN symbols to signify the mission's neutrality. Commencing operations in May, the aircraft flew supplies into Laos and transported cargo between Thailand, Butterworth, Hong Kong and Singapore, completing ninety-one sorties by the time the mission ended in early June. The Hercules also evacuated Australian embassy personnel from Saigon, South Vietnam, and Phnom Penh, Cambodia, following the end of the Vietnam War.Stephens, The Royal Australian Air Force, p. 274 No. 37 Squadron was awarded the Gloucester Cup by the Governor General in June 1976 for its performance in 1974–75.