No. 84 Wing RAAF

No. 84 Wing RAAF
Group Captain Bill Hely (left), Officer Commanding No. 84 Wing, with the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Vice-Marshal George Jones, at Torokina, Bougainville, in February 1945
Active	1944–46 1991–current
Country	Australia
Branch	Royal Australian Air Force
Role	Transport
Part of	Air Mobility Group
Headquarters	RAAF Base Richmond
Motto(s)	Guide and Deliver[1]
Aircraft	Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules Alenia C-27J Spartan
Engagements	World War II South West Pacific theatre Bougainville Campaign War in Afghanistan War in Iraq
Decorations	Meritorious Unit Citation
Commanders
Notable commanders	William Hely (1944–45)

Military unit

No. 84 Wing is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) transport wing. Coming under the control of Air Mobility Group (AMG), it is headquartered at RAAF Base Richmond, New South Wales. The wing comprises No. 35 Squadron, operating Aliena C-27J Spartan transport Aircraft; No. 37 Squadron, operating Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules medium transports; and a technical training unit, No. 285 Squadron.

Formed in 1944 for army co-operation duties in the South West Pacific theatre of World War II, No. 84 Wing operated a mix of aircraft including CAC Boomerangs, CAC Wirraways, Auster AOPs and Bristol Beauforts, before disbanding in 1946. It was re-formed in 1991 as a tactical transport wing headquartered at RAAF Base Townsville, Queensland, comprising Nos. 35 and 38 Squadrons operating de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribous. By 1996, it had been augmented by No. 32 Squadron, operating Hawker Siddeley HS 748 trainer-transports.

In 1998, No. 84 Wing was reorganised as a special transport wing, headquartered at Richmond. The Caribous were transferred to No. 86 Wing and No. 84 Wing took over responsibility for No. 33 Squadron, operating Boeing 707 tanker-transports, and No. 34 Squadron, operating VIP transports, in addition to controlling No. 32 Squadron. By mid-2006, No. 32 Squadron had converted to Beech King Air 350s and transferred to Air Force Training Group, while No. 84 Wing had assumed control of No. 285 Squadron and Air Movements Training and Development Unit (AMTDU). AMTDU was subsequently moved under the direct aegis of ALG, and No. 33 Squadron under No. 86 Wing, following the retirement of the 707s. No. 37 Squadron, by then the RAAF's sole Hercules unit, was transferred from No. 86 Wing to No. 84 Wing in 2010. No. 35 Squadron, which had been merged with No. 38 Squadron in 2000, was re-formed under No. 84 Wing in 2013 to operate Alenia C-27J Spartan tactical transport commencing in 2015; the squadron was detached from the wing in January 2014 but is scheduled to return as the Spartan becomes operational.