No. 79 Squadron RAAF

No. 79 Squadron RAAF
No. 79 Squadron's crest; the phoenix symbolises the multiple occasions the squadron has been disbanded and re-formed.[1]
Active	1943–1945 1962–1968 1986–1988 1998–current
Country	Australia
Branch	Royal Australian Air Force
Part of	No. 78 Wing
Current base	RAAF Base Pearce
Motto(s)	"Born for Action"
Engagements	World War II New Britain Campaign Admiralty Islands campaign
Commanders
Notable commanders	Alan Rawlinson (1943)
Aircraft flown
Fighter	Spitfire (1943–1945) CAC Sabre (1962–1968) Mirage III (1986–1988)
Trainer	Aermacchi MB-326 (1998–2001) Hawk 127 (2000–current)
Transport	DHC-4 Caribou (1986–1988)

No. 79 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) flight training unit that has been formed on four occasions since 1943. The squadron was established in May 1943 as a fighter unit equipped with Supermarine Spitfires, and subsequently saw combat in the South West Pacific theatre of World War II. Between June 1943 and the end of the war in August 1945 it flew air defence patrols to protect Allied bases and ships, escorted Australian and United States aircraft, and attacked Japanese positions. The squadron was disbanded in November 1945, but was re-formed between 1962 and 1968 to operate CAC Sabres from Ubon Air Base in Thailand. In this role it contributed to the defence of Thailand against a feared attack from its neighbouring states and exercised with United States Air Force units. No. 79 Squadron was active again at RAAF Base Butterworth in Malaysia between 1986 and 1988 where it operated Mirage III fighters and a single DHC-4 Caribou transport during the period in which the RAAF's fighter squadrons were transitioning to new aircraft.

The squadron was re-formed in its present incarnation during 1998 and is currently stationed at RAAF Base Pearce, where it has operated Hawk 127 jet training aircraft since 2000. The unit's main role is to provide introductory jet aircraft training to RAAF pilots as well as refresher training on the Hawk for experienced pilots. No. 79 Squadron also supports Australian Army and Royal Australian Navy training exercises in Western Australia and the Northern Territory.