Andrew Thomas outlines the combat missions completed by the sole Australian fighter squadron to fly during the 2003 invasion of Iraq
In early 2003, Australia joined the ‘Coalition of the Willing’, the US-led alliance eventually totalling 48 nations, marshalled against Saddam Hussein’s Iraq.
On February 1, the Australian government announced that the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) would deploy a squadron of F/A-18A Hornets along with tactical transports, maritime patrol aircraft and helicopters. The selected fighter unit was 75 Squadron, based at RAAF Tindal in the Northern Territory, which was led by Wing Commander Melvin Hupfeld. The squadron’s Hornets were modified to Phase 2.1 standard, configured with the APG-73 radar, APX-1 Transponders and with a GPS feed into their inertial navigation systems, and also compatible with AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles. The unit’s strength was bolstered to 24 with the arrival of eight more Hornets and pilots from 3 and 77 Squadrons.
Fourteen Hornets flew from Tindal to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, via Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, between February 13 and 16. After settling in, the squadron began familiarisation exercises to acquaint them with operational procedur…
