RAAF Base Curtin (Curtin Airport)

RAAF Base Curtin is a joint-use military air base and civil airport located 35 kilometers southeast of Derby, Western Australia. Owned by the Department of Defence, the 25,000-hectare site is operated by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and the Shire of Derby–West Kimberley.

Named in honor of former Prime Minister John Curtin, the facility was the first major military airfield built in Australia following World War II. Construction commenced in 1983, and the base was opened on 11 June 1988. The RAAF activated the site twice between 1988 and 2013. From the late 1990s until 2002, and again starting in 2010, the base housed the Curtin Immigration Reception and Processing Centre. Civil aviation services between Perth and the base operated from 2007 until 2016.

RAAF Base Curtin is one of three bare bases maintained by the RAAF. No units are permanently stationed at the facility, which is managed by a caretaker staff during peacetime. The infrastructure supports the operation of various aircraft, including F-35A Lightning II fighters and B-2 Spirit bombers.