RAAF Base Edinburgh

RAAF Base Edinburgh is located in Edinburgh, approximately 28 km north of Adelaide, South Australia, and forms part of the Edinburgh Defence Precinct. Construction of the facility commenced in 1953, and it officially opened on 22 March 1954. The base originally served as a support facility for weapons development at the joint UK-Australian Weapons Research Establishment sites at Woomera and Maralinga. In 1968, the base began transitioning to maritime reconnaissance operations with the arrival of No. 11 Squadron. The establishment of No. 92 Wing in the late 1970s designated the base as the primary location for Australia’s maritime patrol activities.

The Royal Australian Air Force operates the base, which hosts over 3,500 personnel from the RAAF and the Australian Army. It serves as the headquarters for No. 92 Wing, which operates squadrons of Boeing P-8A Poseidon and AP-3C Orion aircraft. No. 9 Squadron conducts remote piloting of aircraft including the Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton. Other RAAF units stationed at the base include No. 24 Squadron, No. 292 Squadron, No. 1 Remote Sensor Unit, and No. 3 Security Forces Squadron. The base also houses the Air Warfare Centre, which includes the Aircraft Research and Development Unit (ARDU), the Institute of Aviation Medicine, and No. 462 Squadron.

Army units stationed at the base include elements of the 1st Brigade, notably the 7th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, located at Horseshoe Lines, and the 1st Armoured Regiment at Chauvel Lines. These units operate M1A1 Abrams tanks and ASLAVs. Infrastructure includes the Jindalee Operational Radar Network (JORN) Coordination Centre, the RAAF Air Warfare Centre, and the Australian Battlespace Surveillance Centre. In September 2024, construction commenced on a Deep Maintenance and Modification Facility designed to support the sustainment of P-8A Poseidon and E-7A Wedgetail aircraft.