Presentation of the
Governor-General’s Banner
Air Movements Training
and Development Unit
Presentation of the Governor-General’s Banner to AMTDU
On 15 May 2014, Air Movements Training and Development Unit (AMTDU) will be
presented with its Governor-General’s Banner during a parade and ceremony at
RAAF Base Richmond.
The Governor-General, His Excellency General the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK,
MC (Retd), will be present for the Banner’s consecration by Air Force Chaplains and its
presentation to AMTDU. The Governor-General’s Banner is presented to an Air Force
unit with at least 25 years of service that is considered to be non-operational. Units which
are operational are presented with a Squadron Standard.
AMTDU was established in 1965, and despite its ‘non-operational’ status, is routinely involved with day-to-day operations of the Australian Defence Force, as well as training of
personnel and development of new loads for Defence.
The origins of military Banners, Standards and other ‘Colours’ extends back to when armies would carry banners on battlefields for the purposes of identification. These acted
as a marker for unit commanders and a ‘rallying point’ for their personnel.
The practice of unit banners extended through to the medieval times to the British Commonwealth, and adopted by the Royal Australian Air Force shortly after its formation in
1921.
A Governor-General’s Banner is an important part of Air Force culture and tradition. They
are displayed and presented during formal parades, marches, dining-in nights and other
special events. They are otherwise kept on display within the unit’s Headquarters, and in
keeping with its ancient traditions, remain a ‘rallying point’ for AMTDU personnel who are
deployed away on tasks.
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About AMTDU
Air Movements Training and Development
Unit (AMTDU) is located at RAAF Base
Richmond, and comes under the direct
command of Headquarters Air Mobility
Group, Royal Australian Air Force.
It is comprised of 63 personnel - 31 RAAF
(including four reservists), 25 Army, and 10
Australian Public Servants.
AMTDU has two primary roles:
 The development of load carrying tech-
niques for equipment which is required for
air transport and/or airborne delivery by a
Defence aircraft.
 Training of airload and air dispatch tech-
niques to Defence personnel, typically comprised of Army Air Logistics personnel and
Air Force air movements students from the
RAAF School of Administration and Logistics Training (RAAFSALT).
[Above] The AMTDU crest. The Pegasus signifies
the unit’s focus on providing air mobility support to
the wider Australian Defence Force, with the
crossed torches signifying the unit’s focus on
knowledge and learning.
While these roles focus on providing a trained
workforce and information for the wider Australian Defence Force, AMTDU is often called
upon to deploy expert personnel to provide
first hand support to operations.
The AMTDU internal structure is as follows:
 Aerial Delivery Development Flight: Con-
ducts the clearances of loads, develops
procedures and provides advice regarding
transport of cargo by all Defence aircraft.
 Aerospace Systems Development Flight:
Provides support to Air Mobility Group Operational Test and Evaluation programs,
and airworthiness management.
 Army Training and Air Force Training:
Army Training provide Air Logistics training
to Defence personnel. Air Force Training
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[Above] Australia’s expertise in the field of air
movements builds on more than 70 years of experience in war-like and peacetime operations. Over this
time, the Australian Defence Force has employed a
variety of transport aircraft across Australia as well
as into the South West Pacific, South East Asia, the
Middle East, Africa, and Europe.
has transitioned to the command of the
RAAFSALT, however this air movements
work is still largely conducted from RAAF
Base Richmond.
 HQ and ADMIN: Provides command, ad-
ministration, and personnel capability services.
AMTDU’s development work is also conducted for ‘one off’ or rarely carried loads.
In many cases however, AMTDU will produce
load diagrams for frequently carried cargo,
which then act as an instruction for ADF personnel on how to carry these loads safely in
future.
AMTDU also has a responsibility for engaging
with Army Air Logistics personnel, and Air
Force Air Movements personnel (via RAAFSALT), to teach the correct practice of aircraft
loading and air dispatch.
[Above] RAAF Air Movements Sections are located
at bases across Australia, as well as in deployed
locations in the Middle East Area of Operations and
in Malaysia. During short-notice operations, Mobile
Air Load Teams are the first to deploy and last to
leave from a location. Air Force’s Air Movements
personnel are trained by RAAF School of Administration and Logistics Training staff, utilising facilities and devices at AMTDU at RAAF Base Richmond.
AMTDU consults extensively with foreign military counterparts, including training and development organisations within the United States
Air Force, American Army, Royal Air Force,
and Royal New Zealand Air Force.
The AMTDU workforce is made up primarily of
Aeronautical Engineers, Loadmasters, Army
Aircrew and Air Dispatchers.
[Above] Army Air Dispatch personnel are often required to prepare loads for external carriage by helicopter, as well as for internal carriage (and airdrop)
by a fixed-wing aircraft.
Its staff also includes Pilots and Air Combat
Officers; Personnel Capability Officers/
Specialists; Logistics Officers; and other support personnel.
In March 2014, AMTDU was awarded the
Markowski Cup under the annual Air Force
Awards. The Markowski Cup is presented annually for Air Force’s most proficient non-flying
unit.
[Above] Members of AMTDU with the Markowski
Cup in March 2014, recognising its achievement as
Air Force’s most proficient non-flying unit.
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The Hardware
One of the key requirements for the Australian Defence Force is the ability to deploy over a long distance quickly, and field
its equipment safely and effectively.
To accomplish this task, the Australian Defence Force has a range of fixed-wing and rotary-wing transports that can carry a variety of
payloads.
Air Force has a fleet of 12 C-130J Hercules
for the medium tactical airlift role, which have
a cargo bay which can accommodate up to 20
tonnes of cargo. The fleet of six C-17A Globemaster III transports are much larger in size,
and are able to accommodate up to 70 tonnes. Both the Hercules and Globemaster are
capable of delivering their cargo in flight.
Air Force’s fleet of five KC-30A Multi-Role
Tanker Transport are converted Airbus A330
airliners, which means the aircraft’s lower
cargo deck—normally utilised for carrying luggage containers—has been ‘militarised’, and
can take military pallets as well. The KC-30A
can airlift 34 tonnes of cargo.
The fleet of rotary-wing transports in Army
provide increased mobility for Defence units,
being able to pick up and deliver cargo independent of a runway or drop zone. Army’s
seven CH-47 Chinooks can lift up to 12 tonnes of cargo, either externally or internally,
whilst the fleet of 35 S70A Black Hawk can
carry four tonnes of cargo externally.
Army and Navy are in the processes of introducing a fleet of 46 MRH90 Taipan helicopters
to service, which can take four tonnes of
cargo under external lift, or carry small items
of cargo. Current acquisitions for Defence
which will involve AMTDU include the C-27J
Spartan Battlefield Airlifter; the CH-47F Chinook; and the MH-60R Sea Hawk.
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[Above] A C-130J Hercules lifting off from an airfield
in Afghanistan. Different variants of the C-130 have
been in service since December 1958, and all have
had largely similar cargo dimensions. The C-130J,
introduced from 1999, features an extended fuselage which can accommodate a greater volume of
cargo.
[Above] The KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport
(left) and the C-17A Globemaster have recently
brought about a massive increase in cargo capacity,
as well as the distance and speed with which that
cargo can be transported.
[Above] Army Aviation’s rotary-wing airlift is centred on the CH-47D Chinook (left) and the S70A
Black Hawk. In the near future, the CH-47D will be
replaced by the newer CH-47F variant, while the
S70A will be replaced by the MRH90 helicopter.
Why Air Movements Matters
All transport aircraft must be able to deliver cargo and personnel to a destination
safely and in working order.
The Australian Defence Force has strict standards on the practice of carrying cargo onboard its aircraft, as poor techniques can
threaten the safety of cargo, the aircraft, or
even the occupants of an aircraft.
Loads carried by Defence aircraft must be
able to endure stresses and manoeuvres
which would be considered ‘routine’ on dayto-day operations, as well as preventing them
from becoming a hazard in the event of an aircraft incident.
Cargo loads must be expected to withstand
increased forces of gravity when the aircraft
manoeuvres. Inside an aircraft they must withstand restraint loads of up to 3Gs, whilst during airdrop operations, a load must be able to
withstand 4Gs during the extraction from an
aircraft; and between 12-20Gs on impact with
the ground (with descent parachutes). Loads
being carried externally beneath a helicopter
must be able to withstand 2Gs, but also not
affect the aerodynamic stability of the aircraft.
[Above] The brown box represents a payload inside
the Hercules, and its centre-of-gravity (yellow arrow)
is balanced with the Hercules’ own centre-of-gravity
(red arrow).
[Above] In this example, the payload is positioned
too far forward inside the Hercules, meaning its
centre-of-gravity is out of sync with the Hercules’
own. If the difference is too great, the aircraft would
not be airworthy.
Developing loads for carriage by aircraft requires AMTDU to investigate the load and
conduct trial work to determine whether it is
suitable for carriage by a certain aircraft, and
that other Defence members can be instructed on this practice.
When assessing whether a load is suitable for
carriage on board an aircraft, AMTDU personnel will do the following:
 Assess the load, including weight, compo-
nents, structure, suitable attachments for
restraints, centre-of-gravity, dangerous
goods, and ease of transportation.
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[Above] When an aircraft accelerates, decelerates,
or undergoes any kind of manoeuvring, the load
experiences additional forces (demonstrated by the
yellow arrows). If the load is not properly restrained
within the cargo bay, it will break free and damage
(or even destroy) the aircraft.
 Assess the aircraft carrying the load, in-
cluding its performance, cargo space, requirement to carry the load, and access.
 Examine similar practices within AMTDU’s own experiences, or within foreign
militaries.
With these details in hand, AMTDU Engineers, Loadmasters and Air Dispatchers will
develop a load plan for a RAAF transport
aircraft which provides the following:
 Correct preparation of the load (for exam-
ple: removing blades and extremities from
a helicopter, or ensuring that harmful materials within the load are either removed
or stored properly).
 Correct loading technique.
 Correct positioning of the load within the
aircraft’s cargo bay.
 A ‘Restraint Plan’, showing where tiedown chains and other restraints should
be attached between the cargo floor and
the load.
If the load is required to be ‘airdropped’ from
an aircraft, further investigation is made into
whether it can safely be extracted from the
aircraft in flight, deploy descent parachutes,
and land on the ground intact and in working order.
[Above] During airdrop missions, the payload must
be able to safely and quickly exit the aircraft.
[Above] Airdrop missions also require complicated
analysis of the payload to ensure that it can survive
the stresses of landing on the ground under a parachute descent.
Similar practices are required when developing loads for internal carriage by an Army
or Navy helicopter. If the load is being carried externally by helicopter, the following
must be considered:
 Aero-dynamic
interaction between the
load on the helicopter, and the load’s stability underneath the rotorwash.
 The strength of the load’s lift points and
structure, as well as the affect of the restraints (or ‘strops’) on the load as it is
carried.
 The load’s impact limits, when it is ‘set
down’ by a helicopter.
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[Above] External carriage of cargo (demonstrated
here by an MRH90 carrying an artillery piece) requires further examination on the cargo’s best attachment points; how it will be affected by the helicopter’s rotorwash; and its behaviour in airstream,
once the helicopter begins moving forward.
A History of Air Movements
In 1942, the outbreak of war in the Pacific saw
Air Force introduce a fleet of ex-civilian airliners to serve as a transport fleet, allowing Australia’s military forces better mobility across
the South West Pacific theatre. These airliners were later replaced by the C-47 Dakota, a
twin-engine transport capable of airlifting up to
two tonnes of cargo.
The Dakotas endured through post-war RAAF
service, and even by the late 1940s, had begun to show their shortfalls. New transport aircraft offered larger cargo holds and easier
loaded/unloading techniques. Never the less,
the Dakota remained the mainstay of RAAF
airlift well into the 1950s.
In the post-war Air Force, air transport training
had become a subset of No. 38 Squadron at
Headquarters RAAF Canberra. The training
was conducted by the Air Portability and Air
Movements Training Flight. In October 1958,
No. 38 Squadron was relocated to RAAF
Base Richmond, and the Air Movements
Training Flight (AMTF) was formed to train C47 Dakota aircrew and air movements personnel.
In December 1958, Air Force introduced the
C-130A Hercules to service. This presented a
quantum leap in cargo-carrying capability for
the RAAF, being able to carry nine times the
cargo of a Dakota, as well as carrying vehicles and bulky, outsized items. The introduction of the Hercules led the AMTF to become
responsible for training and creating air movements procedures for this aircraft.
In the early 1960s, Air Force massively expanded its transport fleet, capitalising on the
development of fixed and rotary-wing aircraft
development out of North America. This
matched the increase commitment of Australian forces to Vietnam, and soon, Air Force
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[Above] The RAAF began flying the C-47 Dakota in
1942, and for the next 16 years, it remained a mainstay of airlift, serving in the Second World War, Korean War, Malayan Emergency, and Berlin Airlift.
[Above] In 1958, the RAAF transitioned from Dakota
to more capable aircraft like the Hercules (pictured
above). This heralded a massive increase in the size
of cargo that could be carried by RAAF aircraft, as
well as the means by which it could be delivered.
[Above] The introduction of the UH-1 Iroquois in
RAAF service from 1962 provided even more mobility for Defence units, with the added bonus that the
Iroquois itself could be transported to a far-flung
destination by Hercules.
introduced the DHC-4 Caribou, UH-1 Iroquois
helicopter, and the C-130E Hercules to service.
This much larger transport fleet led Air Force
to make the AMTF an independent body,
leading to Air Movements Training and Development Unit (AMTDU) being established in
October 1965. This was a unique unit comprised of both RAAF and Army personnel.
On 1 July 1997, the Aerial Delivery Centre of
Expertise (ADCOE) under No. 503 Wing was
placed under command of AMTDU, and underwent a name change to Airworthiness
Flight (AWFLT). This meant that all aspects of
airworthiness including engineering acceptance and approval were now under one command. In December 1997, AMTDU and AMTDU (Army Component) amalgamated and
became a joint unit. Today, AMTDU sits directly under the command of Headquarters Air
Mobility Group.
Subsequent purchases of new transport aircraft (including the C-17A Globemaster, CH47 Chinook) have led AMTDU to become increasingly busy as it clears loads for carriage
by these aircraft. New equipment purchases
such as the M1A1 Abrams Tank, Bushmaster
PMV, ASLAV, Mercedes G-Wagon and John
Deere 450L Bulldozer have likewise kept the
unit busy.
AMTDU also conducts a significant amount of
short-notice and operationally urgent work to
clear loads. This has included returning damaged Bushmaster PMVs from the Middle East
Area of Operations and transporting special
loads in theatre; supporting the deployment of
a desalination plant to Christchurch and support equipment to Japan following natural disasters in those countries; and clearing Japanese Self-Defense Force vehicles for carriage
by RAAF C-17As during disaster relief operations.
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[Above] The DHC-4 Caribou served with the Air
Force from 1964 to 2009, and was renowned for its
ability to deliver cargo by airdrop or by landing on
tiny airstrips. The Caribou could also use a Low
Altitude Parachute Extraction System (LAPES, seen
here) to deliver cargo.
[Above] In 2006, Air Force introduced the C-17A
Globemaster III to service, ending Defence’s sole
reliance on foreign Air Forces and civilian charters
for strategic-level airlift. The C-17A is also capable
of tactical roles such as airdrop, illustrated here.
[Above] From 2015, the RAAF will begin operating
the C-27J Spartan, which fulfils an airlift gap between Army’s CH-47 Chinook and Air Force’s C130J Hercules.
[Above Left] A SAAB Counter-Rocket
Artillery and Mortar Radar is unloaded
from a C-17A in Afghanistan. The carriage of the radar, which was a firsttime load for Defence, required an AMTDU team to travel to Sweden to assist
in the pick-up and delivery of this load.
[Above Right] An MRH90 undergoing
external airlift trials with an artillery
piece in Townsville. The MRH90 will
form the backbone of Army’s rotarywing airlift when it replaces the older
S70A Black Hawk.
[Right] An Army G-Wagon is transported beneath an Army Aviation CH47D Chinook. Defence is purchasing a
fleet of Mercedes G-Wagon to fulfill a
number of transport, communications
and ambulance requirements.
[Below Right] A string of Container
Delivery Systems (CDS) exits the back
of a C-130J during an airdrop trial. The
C-130J can accommodate up to 26CDS
in its cargo bay, and each CDS can be
used to carry water, supplies and rations, or ammunition.
[Below Left] In March 2011, AMTDU
deployed to Japan with the C-17A to
assist in loading Japanese Ground
Self Defense Force vehicles, in response to the Tohoku Earthquake and
Tsunami.
[Above] A John Deere 450L Bulldozer is extracted from a C-130H Hercules during an airdrop trial in October 2012. The bulldozer is able
to clear land (such as for makeshift airstrips
and roads) once on the ground.
[Right] An LR5 Submersible Rescue Vehicle is
unloaded from a C-17A. The LR5 and its support equipment can be transported anywhere in
the globe by air, and is then taken by ship to be
used in the rescue of stranded submariners.
[Below Left] In May 2008, AMTDU assisted in
the transport of two Super Puma helicopters
from South Africa to Thailand, whereby they
were used for United Nations efforts in Burma
following Cyclone Nargis.
[Below Right] The CH-47D Chinook was one of
the first loads AMTDU cleared for the C-17A,
reflecting both the C-17A’s ability to carry outsized cargo, and the essential nature of the
Chinook to operations abroad.
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