The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) celebrated International Women’s Day by deploying an all-female team to undertake an air-to-air refueling mission at the RAAF Base Amberley in Queensland, Australia.
80 female members of the Australian Defence Force were involved in the exercise, which comprised refuelling activities and crew-attendant training alongside 1 Squadron F/A-18F Super Hornets.
According to the Australian Defence, 27% of its Air Force aviators are female. The flight in question, which took place on March 7, 2024, was organized by 33 Squadron engineering officer Flight Lieutenant Rebecca Walmsley.
“It’s been great to see how International Women’s Day has been embraced by the base. From the Commanding Officer of 33 Squadron welcoming the passengers onto the aircraft, to the Commanding Officer of 1 Squadron flying one of the refueling jets,”Walmsley said in a statement.
“It’s great to see the change from just women supporting women, to now humans supporting humans,” Walmsley added.
In a nod to the diversity of Air Force roles, the husband and fiancé of the two KC-30A pilots asked to captain the refueling F/A-18F Super Hornets in a show of support.
