IT has been said on many websites that the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) once based its fighters and support personnel in Malaysia on a permanent basis.
Is this true?
VERDICT:
TRUE
People old enough would definitely remember this period in Malaysian history, especially those who grew up around what is now the Royal Malaysian Air Force base in Butterworth, Penang – but the Australian armed forces once stationed fighter aircraft and support personnel permanently in Malaysia.
This presence was a part of the Five Powers Defence Arrangements, a partnership between Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
The last Royal Australian Airforce (RAAF) fighters permanently stationed at Butterworth were moved out in a formal ceremony in 1988, ending a 30-year period of such aircraft being based in Malaysia.
That said, the RAAF continues to maintain a smaller detachment of aircraft and personnel in Penang to this day.
SOURCES:
https://www.airforce.gov.au/about-us/bases/rmaf-base-butterworth
