page_title: No. 11 Squadron RAAF
section_title: Post-war
hierarchical_section_title: No. 11 Squadron RAAF / History / Post-war
caption_attribution_description: English: A Royal Australian Air Force P-8A Poseidon, the seventh to be delivered to Australia, arrives at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, May 1, 2018. The 15th Wing supported the P-8 during its transition to 11 Squadron, RAAF Base Edinburgh, to replace the RAAF’s AP-3C Orion aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Heather Redman)
context_page_description: No. 11 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force maritime patrol squadron based at RAAF Base Edinburgh. It was formed in 1939 and has seen active service in World War II, East Timor, the War on Terrorism and the 2003 Gulf War. The squadron became known to the public through its participation in the Great Southern Ocean rescues of wrecked sailors, such as Tony Bullimore and Isabelle Autissier.
context_section_description: On 1 July 1948, No. 11 Squadron was re-formed at RAAF Base Rathmines, drawing personnel and aircraft from the former Search and Rescue Wing. At this time it operated Catalinas again, undertaking search and rescue and courier tasks. In September that year, the squadron lost one aircraft in a crash on Lord Howe Island during a night navigation exercise, which resulted in the deaths of seven of the nine crewmembers. The squadron ceased operations on 1 May 1950 and was briefly disbanded between then and 1 November 1950, when it re-formed at RAAF Base Amberley in Queensland, operating modified Lincoln heavy bombers. Two weeks later, the squadron was transferred to RAAF Base Pearce in Western Australia, from where it conducted patrols over the Indian Ocean. It was re-equipped with Lockheed P-2 Neptune aircraft throughout 1951–53, sending crews to the United States to fly the aircraft back, and in May 1954 the squadron relocated to RAAF Base Richmond.
  Neptunes from the squadron flew around the world in February 1957 as part of Operation Westbound.  In 1959, the squadron's Neptunes were flown to the United States and upgraded with jet engines; one aircraft was lost in a crash near RAAF Base Richmond early that year, resulting in the deaths of the entire crew. In February 1964, the squadron returned to the search and rescue role when it helped search for survivors following the Melbourne–Voyager collision. The following year, the squadron deployed five aircraft as escorts when HMAS Sydney was dispatched to South Vietnam carrying equipment and troops including the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment and the Prince of Wales's Light Horse as part of Australia's contribution to the Vietnam War.
  The last squadron's last Neptune flight took place in late 1967. In February 1968, No. 11 Squadron moved to RAAF Base Edinburgh where it re-equipped with P-3B Orion aircraft over the next six months, dispatching crews to the United States to retrieve the aircraft. From early 1981, the squadron's aircraft were dispatched regularly to RAAF Base Butterworth in Malaysia as part of No. 92 Wing. Between 1984 and 1986, the old model Orions were replaced with P-3Cs.
  No. 11 Squadron continues to operate in the maritime patrol and surveillance roles. In this role, the squadron has taken part in several high-profile rescues of wrecked sailors in the Great Southern Ocean, including those of Tony Bullimore and Isabelle Autissier. In 1999, the squadron supported the Australian-led intervention into East Timor as part of Operation Warden. Between 2003 and 2013, the squadron's aircraft deployed to the Middle East as part of No. 92 Wing's commitment to Operations Catalyst, Falconer and Slipper.  One of the squadron's main roles during these operations was the provision of "over-ground surveillance", providing real-time reconnaissance information to Coalition ground troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, under the direction of ground controllers.
   
  In May 2015, it was announced that the squadron would begin transitioning from Orions to Boeing P-8 Poseidons. The first aircraft was delivered in November 2016 and as of June 2017 the squadron was operating three P8As. Twelve aircraft were being operated by December 2019.
  In April 2018, an 11 Squadron P-8A Poseidon was deployed to Japan to conduct maritime surveillance to prevent sanctions evasions by North Korea.
  In October 2019, an 11 Squadron P-8A Poseidon was deployed to the Middle East in support of a US-led International Maritime Security Construct, which includes forces from the US, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UK.
  In January 2020, during the devastating and unprecedented Australia wide bush fires, an 11 Squadron P-8A Poseidon was utilised under the Emergency Defence Assistance to the Civil Community role as a surveillance asset for Operation Bushfire Assist.
caption: A No. 11 Squadron P-8 Poseidon in 2018
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