No 75 Squadron RNZAF

A lesson in what New Zealand has thrown away

By Don Simms, January 2002
INTRODUCTION:
Up until 13 December 2001, No 75 Squadron was the RNZAFs primary Air Combat Squadron. Based at
RNZAF Base Ohakea, 75 Squadron operated the McDonnell Douglas A-4K Skyhawk in the roles of
Maritime Surface Attack, Interdiction and Close Air Support. The Squadron was maintained at a high state
of readiness to deploy overseas at short notice. This is because any threat to New Zealands interests is
likely to occur thousands of kilometers from our shores (as has been the case in every conflict New Zealand
has been involved with in the past 100 years). The Squadrons focus was on deployed operations in
support of the Armed Forces of our likely coalition partners. In essence 75 Squadron was an
expeditionary force which existed to protect New Zealand and our interests, through the provision of Air
Power.
WHY DOES NEW ZEALAND STILL NEED AN AIR COMBAT FORCE?
The RNZAF Air Combat Force existed to provide the New Zealand Government with a flexible and rapid
response in a time of crisis. Deployment of an Air Combat Force involves the use of technology for
maximum speed and effect, and it exposes a minimum number of personnel to the actual risks of combat.
No 75 Squadron trained for war and the Squadrons regular deployments to Australia and South East Asia
demonstrated New Zealands commitment to security in the Asia/Pacific region and that New Zealand
took its defence capability seriously.
New Zealand has a long and proud history of contributing its Armed Forces overseas in the defence of
peace and human rights. Having an Air Combat Force represents the sharp end of the range of options
available to a Government in times of crisis. Having armed forces can be likened to having an insurance
policy, or keeping a fire extinguisher in your kitchen. Most of the time they are not needed, but sometime
in the future they could be. Some have argued that since our Air Combat Force wasnt used in anger in
recent years, that is reason enough to get rid of it. International crisis and instability can occur in a very
short time frame (for example the 11 Sept. 2001 attacks on America and the turmoil in East Timor in 1999).
Only by maintaining well-equipped and trained armed forces can New Zealand provide a rapid response to
such a crisis. A disbanded Air Combat Force will take years to rebuild from scratch. Clearly in a modern
war, the luxury of time is not available.
Just because you havent used that fire extinguisher in your kitchen, that isnt a very good reason to
get rid of it. If you do get rid of it and then have a fire, by the time you go and buy a new one it will be
too late to save the house, let alone the kitchen.

History can provide us with some good examples of the consequences of not being prepared. At the start of
WWII New Zealands armed forces were in a very poor state. A decade of appeasement policies had left
the New Zealand military in a very run down state (sounds familiar doesnt it). The Air Force consisted of
just a few hundred personnel and had no modern aircraft (sounds awfully familiar). When war broke out in
September 1939 it took three years to fully mobilise, equip and train our personnel. By the time we were
ready, the danger to New Zealand had passed and many thousands of our service personnel were already
dead or in POW camps overseas (including hundreds of No 75 Squadron aircrew). Ironically by the time
the war ended the RNZAF was a large, modern and well-trained fighting machine, but initially our
personnel went to war (and died) woefully under trained and equipped. We would be foolish to forget and
repeat this tragic lesson from our past.
THE AIRCRAFT

A-4K SKYHAWK - SCRAPPED

F-16A FIGHTING FALCON - CANCELLED

In service with the RNZAF from 1970 until 2001, No 75 Squadron operated up to 11 A-4K and TA-4K
Skyhawks at any one time. The TA-4K is a fully combat capable two-seat trainer version of the single seat
A-4K, and at any one time up to two of the RNZAFs four T-bird Skyhawks were on No 75 Squadron.
The remaining two T-birds, plus four of the single seaters were permanently stationed at HMAS Albatross
(Nowra) in NSW Australia, with No 2 Squadron. No 2 Squadron was the RNZAF Skyhawk training unit
and would have provided reinforcement of aircraft, pilots and ground crew to No 75 Squadron in the event
of a full-scale combat deployment. At any one time up to five Skyhawks were usually undergoing deeper
level maintenance and servicing away from the Squadrons at either Ohakea or Woodbourne.
The Skyhawk is still (as at Jan 2002) in service with the Armed Forces of Singapore, Indonesia, Israel,
Argentina, Brazil, and the United States Navy (it has been in continuous USN service for almost 50
years). Many of these countries embarked on upgrade programs to keep the aircraft combat capable and it
is likely that the Skyhawk will be in service with a number of countries for some years to come. New
Zealands retired aircraft are a mix of nine aircraft out of 14 originally purchased new in 1970 (six A-4K
and 3 TA-4K) and eight second hand aircraft purchased from Australia in 1984 (seven A-4G and one TA4G). Four of the ex-Australian A-4Gs were previously in service with the USN (as A-4F models) and saw
active combat service in Vietnam between 1968 and 1970.
Known as The Scooter or Heinemanns Hot Rod around the world, in New Zealand service the
Skyhawk was also affectionately know as The Douglas, Dinosaur (pre-Kahu update) and the Electric
Jet (post-Kahu update). But mostly they were just referred to as; Models (single seaters) and T-birds
and family wagons (two seaters).
The Skyhawk is capable of air-to-air refueling operations, and is one of the few combat aircraft in the world
that can act as both tanker and receiver. Air-to-air refueling greatly increases the range and flexibility of a
combat aircraft when carrying out long transit flights or operational missions, and was an essential element
of New Zealands Air Attack Force (given New Zealands geographical position at the bottom of the
world).

GRANDADS AXE (SIX NEW BLADES AND THREE NEW HANDLES):

Although the Skyhawk was in continuous service with the RNZAF for over 31 years, in our hands it was
one of the most effective and respected light attack aircraft in the Asia-Pacific region (despite its age and
design limitations). This was only made possible by the professionalism, skill and high standards set by
our pilots and maintenance personnel. In order to maintain the combat capability of a 35-year-old design,
the RNZAF had extensively updated the Avionics and Weapon Systems of the Skyhawk. Known as Project
Kahu, the upgrade was completed in 1991. At the time it was the most extensive upgrade of an attack
aircraft undertaken anywhere in the world. Project Kahu ensured that the aircraft could still keep up
(technologically speaking if not in terms of actual speed) with its more modern counterparts. While the
airframe and engine were not state-of-the-art, the avionics systems (the pilots electronic eyes and ears)
and weapon systems were. With careful airframe fatigue-life management the RNZAFs Skyhawks could
have been kept in service for several more years.
TRAINING TO BE TOP GUNS:
RNZAF pilots selected to fly the Skyhawk completed a year of basic training on the CT-4E Airtrainer,
followed by two years of Lead-in-Fighter Training on the AerMacchi MB339CB, prior to being posted to 2
Squadron in Nowra for their Skyhawk conversion course. They spent about 12 months in Nowra before
being posted to 75 Squadron at Ohakea. 75 Squadron had up to 13 pilots on strength at any one time,
ranging from the CO (known as The Boss), with over 20 years in the Air Force and around 2000
Skyhawk flying hours, to the newly posting in pilots from No 2 Squadron, with around 250 hours on the
Skyhawk and five years in the Air Force. Pilots spent about 2 and a half years on an operational tour on 75
Squadron, before a posting somewhere else in the Air Force. Many eventually returned to fly the Skyhawk,
either at 2 Squadron as an instructor, or back at 75 Squadron as one of the Flight Commanders, or later as
CO (on their third or fourth tour). The art of flying jet fighters is highly skilled and requires years of
intensive training before you can be considered ready for combat operations. The days of giving a pilot a
few hours in a Tiger Moth and then letting him loose on a Spitfire are long gone.
MAINTAINING THE SCOOTER (A-4s FOREVER!):
Maintaining a 35-year-old aircraft, 6000kms from home presented some interesting challenges to the 60
personnel of the Squadrons Maintenance Flight. The Maintenance Flight was broken into four
separate trades; Aircraft, Avionics, Armament and Safety and Surface. The Aircraft Trade was the
largest and looked after the airframe structure, engine and its many associated systems (such as the
undercarriage and hydraulics). Avionics maintained the electrical, instrument, radar, radio, oxygen
and other specialist electronic systems on the aircraft. Armament, as the name suggests, looked after
the various weapons that the Skyhawk could carry, as well as the pilots ejection seat. Safety and
Surface were the smallest trade on Squadron with just two personnel. They maintained the pilots
flying clothing, including the emergency survival equipment and parachute in the ejection seat. When
on deployment they also maintained and repacked the Skyhawk drag chute parachute, which deploys
on landing to slow the aircraft down. Maintenance Flight personnel normally served on the Squadron
for about 3 years before being moved on to another part of the Air Force. Often this rotation of
personnel included a stint at one of the Skyhawk component servicing sections at Ohakea, or a posting
to No 2 Squadron in Australia. By rotating its personnel from a flying Squadron to a component
servicing section and back to the Squadron, the Air Force ensured that its corporate knowledge on
maintaining the Skyhawk on deployed operations was maintained. Building and maintaining this
corporate knowledge was a major factor in keeping the Skyhawk in RNZAF service for over 30 years.

DEPLOYMENTS AND EXERCISES:

In any normal 12-month period 75 Squadron was away overseas on deployment for between three and four
months, practicing what it existed to provide rapid, deployable air combat capability. In a normal year
the Squadron deployed to Australia twice to exercise with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and
Royal Australian Navy (RAN). These exercises could be based anywhere in Australia, from Darwin,
Tindal and Townsville in the north, to Amberly, Williamtown and Nowra on the east coast. The Australians
had a healthy respect for the capabilities of the Squadron and its aircraft. 75 Squadron also usually hosted
the Australians in New Zealand for at least one major exercise a year. The longest deployment of the year
for 75 Squadron was the annual Exercise Vanguard, which took the Squadron to South East Asia,
regularly visiting Malaysia and Singapore and occasionally Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia to
exercise with these countries Armed Forces. 75 Squadron had a hard won reputation in the region as a
tough opponent in the air. The RNZAF deployed its strike aircraft on the Vanguard series of exercises
almost continuously for 40 years (2002 will be our first no show). We had an enviable reputation for
performance, safety and aircraft serviceability during these intensive 6 to 8 week deployments.
PRACTICING FOR THE REAL THING:
In 1964 during a scheduled six week Vanguard deployment, one of the RNZAFs Canberra bomber
Squadrons was brought up to full combat readiness during what became known as the Indonesian
Confrontation. Based out of Singapore, their planned six week exercise turned into an unscheduled two
year operational deployment and demonstrated the flexibility and value of having a Squadron of combat
capable strike aircraft available for deployment at short notice. This show of force by New Zealand and its
Allies (known as deterrence) was all that was required to persuade the Indonesian Government to stop its
sabre rattling. In more recent times 75 Squadron Skyhawks were involving in apprehending foreign fishing
vessels that were found infringing our territorial waters and that have refused to stop for boarding and
inspection by the Navy and Fisheries Officers. In one incident in 1976, a Skyhawk had to fire its cannon
across the bow of a fleeing Taiwanese trawler to get it to stop. Of relevance given the current discussion
on what fisheries protection capability NZ needs, the trawler took no notice of a chasing Navy patrol boat
(which had also fired across its bow in an attempt to get it to stop) or a circling RNZAF Orion. It took the
arrival of two fully armed Skyhawks and a demonstration of their firepower to persuade the trawler
captain to stop. As one Skyhawk pilot of the day put it it doesnt hurt to have the ability to do
something a little nasty when necessary you dont have to actually use it, just the intent is enough.
Interestingly in the 26 years since this incident there were no further cases of foreign fishing vessels failing
to stop in New Zealand territorial waters when asked (another example of deterrence working). Clearly the
lesson was learnt and this fact should not be forgotten by those who question the need for a combat capable
Air Force today. This was one instance where the value of having such a force available in New Zealand
was clearly demonstrated. And for those who think fitting an anti-ship missile to the RNZAF Orion fleet
can do the job of a Skyhawk, try firing a warning shot with a 2 million-dollar missile you just cant!
No 75 SQUADRON HISTORY:

No 75 Squadron Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was first formed in October 1916, being used in the home
defence of Britain against German Zeppelin Airships during WWI. In 1918 the unit became part of the
renamed Royal Air force (RAF). In mid 1939 New Zealand sent personnel to England to train on
Wellington medium bombers, 30 of which had been ordered for the RNZAF. However when war broke out
in September 1939 these crews and aircraft were placed at the disposal of the RAF, and in April 1940 No
75 (NZ) Squadron was formed. For the next five years the Squadron flew Wellington, Stirling and
Lancaster bombers over Europe. By the end of the war 75 Squadron had dropped 21,630 tons of bombs,
laid 2344 mines and had shot down at least 45 enemy aircraft. However, this impressive (and record
setting) tally was not without heavy losses. Over 220 aircraft were lost and over 1100 aircrew killed during
the war, a loss rate that was at times amongst the highest in Bomber Command.
In recognition of their wartime record, in October 1946 the RAF officially handed over the 75 Squadron
title and badge to the RNZAF. This is the only occasion that the RAF has gifted a Squadron title and
badge to another Commonwealth Air Force and is a tribute to the sacrifices and contribution made by all
New Zealands in the RAF during WWII.
Post WWII the Squadron reformed at Ohakea and re-equipped, initially with twin engine Mosquito
fighter/bombers and later Vampire jet fighters. In February 1958 Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen
Mother, presented No 75 Squadron with its Squadron Standard, having earned the Sovereigns appreciation
for outstanding service. Fourteen Battle Honours were awarded, eight of which are depicted on the
Squadron Standard (which now rests in the Base Chapel at Ohakea).
In June 1958 No 75 Squadron returned to the UK to convert to the then brand new Canberra bomber
(leased from the RAF) and soon after again found themselves in the thick of it, taking part in what was
known as the Malayan Emergency. Based out of Singapore, the Squadron carried out bombing missions
against Communist insurgents in Malaya for the next two years (this police-action had been going on
since 1948 and had involved both RNZAF strike Squadrons 14 and 75, before finally reaching a
conclusion in 1962). In March 1962 the Squadron returned to Ohakea and flew Vampires until the arrival
of the Skyhawk in 1970. No 75 Squadron was disbanded at Ohakea on 13 December 2001 and their
Skyhawks put up for disposal.
No 75 SQUADRON MOTO:
AKE AKE KIA KAHA FOR EVER AND EVER BE STRONG

A-4 MILLENIUM SUNRISE - 1/1/00

Photo by Wing Commander Herb Keightley, former CO 75 Squadron
(all other photos RNZAF Official)

A FAMILIAR SIGHT OVER NEW ZEALAND AND SOUTH EAST

ASIA FOR 31 YEARS

31 YEARS OF RNZAF A-4 OPERATIONS

1970 2001
R.I.P.