All those choppers need tower support
A transportable air-operations tower deployed at short notice to Bairnsdale in early January has proven invaluable to humanitarian-aid flights in Gippsland.
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Operations
Help and hardware from across the ditch
Deploying NH90 helicopters overseas is well-rehearsed by the Royal New Zealand Air Force, as bushfire relief operations in Australia have demonstrated.
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Albatross praised for bushfire support while base smouldered
HMAS Albatross and its resident squadrons have made a significant contribution to the aerial component of the NSW Rural Fire
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Army vet does perfect Drop Bear gag on TV reporter
Veterinarian and Army Reservist Captain Garnett Hall pulled off the perfect Drop Bear gag on an innocent Scottish TV reporter on Kangaroo Island this week.
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Op Bushfire Assist – 13 January UPDATE
Operation Bushfire Assist continues to grow, with more ADF members joining the operation, and 100 PNGDF engineers touching down in Melbourne this evening.
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PNG engineers arrive in Victoria
Around 80 military engineers plus a command and liaison element from the Papua New Guinea Defence Force arrived in Australia today.
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Toowoomba heads for Middle East patrols
Anzac-class frigate HMAS Toowoomba today departed her homeport of Fleet Base West for a six-month deployment to the Middle East.
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Navy clearance divers recover crashed helicopter
Navy clearance divers and an Army recovery mech successfully retrieved a crashed fire-bombing helicopter from a water reservoir near Eden, NSW.
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Bright idea to exchange skills
Soldiers took the opportunity to learn about Victoria’s State Emergency Service road-crash rescue equipment during a skills exchange in Bright.
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Spartan and crews pushed to limits in nightmare conditions
Despite heavy smoke and poor visibility, 35 Squadron C-27J Spartan crews made essential contributions to airlift missions during the bushfire crisis.
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Fiji sending engineer platoon to help in bushfire cleanup
The Australian Defence Force has accepted a Republic of Fiji offer to provide a platoon of engineers to help out on Operation Bushfire Assist 19-20.
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Op Bushfire Assist – 12 January UPDATE
More than 5000 full-time and reserve personnel are now providing direct support in the field, at sea, in the air and
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Engineers from Townsville and PNG headed south
A large convoy of equipment and personnel from the 3rd Combat Engineer Regiment departed Townsville this morning bound for the fire zones in Victoria.
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Singaporean Chooks join the fight from East Sale
Two Singapore Armed Forces CH-47 Chinooks have deployed to RAAF Base East Sale to support bushfire operations in Victoria.
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Op Bushfire Assist 11 January UPDATE
Daily operations update 11 January 2020 by Major General Jake Ellwood CAPTION: Soldiers from the 7th Battalion, the Royal Australian
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RAAF blading a trail to save Tumut
They may be a small team of Air Force plant operators and tradies but No. 65 Squadron’s capability is as mighty
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Engineers meet ex-soldier who nearly didn’t survive the bushfires
A composite troop of Army Reserve engineers is using bulldozers, chainsaws and plenty of muscle to help clear roads affected by bushfire in the Hunter Valley.
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Signallers deploy on ‘Prospector’ train to Goldfields fire
Signallers from 109th Signal Squadron have deployed to Kalgoorlie by train to set-up long-range communication links along the main road route from WA.
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Expanded effort to defend Kangaroo Island
The Australian Defence Force is expanding its efforts to defend Kangaroo Island in support of emergency services and the community.
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Navy sailors and officers fighting bushfires
A desire to set a good example for his children has driven more than one Navy officer to tackle the bushfires head on as volunteer firefighters.
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