No. 2 Operational Conversion Unit RAAF

No. 2 Operational Conversion Unit RAAF
No. 2 OCU's crest
Active	1942–1947 1952–current
Country	Australia
Branch	Royal Australian Air Force
Role	Operational conversion Refresher courses Fighter combat instruction
Part of	No. 81 Wing
Garrison/HQ	RAAF Base Williamtown
Motto(s)	Juventus Non Sine Pinnis ("The Young Shall Have Wings")
Commanders
Notable commanders	Peter Jeffrey (1942–1943, 1944–1946) Wilfred Arthur (1944) Dick Cresswell (1953–1956) Neville McNamara (1959–1961)
Aircraft flown
Fighter	Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II

No. 2 Operational Conversion Unit (No. 2 OCU) is a fighter training unit of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Located at RAAF Base Williamtown, New South Wales, the unit trains pilots to operate the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II. Pilots new to the F-35 enter No. 2 2OCU after first qualifying to fly fast jets at No. 79 Squadron and undertaking initial fighter combat instruction at No. 76 Squadron. Once qualified on the F-35, they are posted to one of No. 81 Wing's operational F-35 units, No. 3 Squadron, No. 75 Squadron or No. 77 Squadron.

The unit was established as No. 2 (Fighter) Operational Training Unit (No. 2 OTU) in April 1942 at Port Pirie, South Australia, and relocated to RAAF Station Mildura, Victoria, the following month. During World War II, it provided training on a wide range of aircraft, including P-40 Kittyhawks, Vultee Vengeances, Avro Ansons, CAC Boomerangs, Supermarine Spitfires and Airspeed Oxfords. Disbanded in March 1947, No. 2 OTU was re-formed at Williamtown in March 1952 in response to the demand for more highly trained pilots to serve in the Korean War. It was renamed No. 2 (Fighter) Operational Conversion Unit in September 1958, and since then has conducted training with the CAC Sabre, Dassault Mirage III, and Macchi MB-326, and the F/A-18 Hornet prior to taking delivery of the F-35s.