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Aircraft like the Hercules, 707 and Caribou (pictured) are ideal mounts for Ready Reserve aircrew. (Bill Lines)
Defence Update – RAAF Ready Reserves
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Raaf Ready Reserve Has Mainly Become The Province Of Airfield Defence Guards
Airfield defence is the key component of the Royal Australian Air Force’s Ready Reserve; but less widely known is that it also contains 44 Ready Reservists aircrew. Now in its third year, the Air Force Ready Reserve, with a target strength of 450 by the end of the 1995-96 year, currently comprises four Ground Defence officers and 175 Airfield Defence guards and 44 aircrew. The aircrew make up is 15 pilots, 3 navigators, 12 loadmasters and 14 flight engineers. This is against the official establishment approved strength of 180 AFGs and 64 aircrew, so the shortfall in this latter category is 20.
The major Airfield Defence Guards component comprises 12 months of full time duty, followed by four years of part time service for 50 days a year. This is in line with the Army Ready Reserve scheme, which however is much bigger with intakes of about 1100 a year. The RAAF recruited 90 ADGs in both 1992 and 1993. The intake reduced to 64 airmen and four officers for 1994, and will come down to 45 airmen and four officers in 1995. None of the pilots or navigators in the RAAF Ready Reserve are able to fly the fast jets – the F-111Cs strike planes and the F/A-18 fighters, nor do any fly the P-3C maritime reconnaissance patrol planes.
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