Preparations at Rockhampton Airport for the Singapore Armed Force's Exercise Wallaby 2018 - Antonov AN-124 This Week - Heavy Jet Passenger Charters Coming Soon!

It's that time of the year again and preparations are beginning around Rockhampton Airport for the Singapore Armed Force's Exercise Wallaby 2018, which is scheduled to take place around the Shoalwater Bay Training Area (SWBTA) from Wednesday 19 September to Saturday 17 November.

As usual, there will be a significant deployment and redeployment of personnel and equipment taking place before, during and after the Exercise through Rockhampton Airport.  This will be highlighted by a visit by the giant Antonov AN-124 cargo jet with only one inbound flight this year already being rumoured to be touching down as early as this week!

There will also be several heavy jet passenger charter flights with information suggesting that these will be operated by as many as three commercial airlines bringing twin-engine wide-body aircraft to Rockhampton Airport as various times during the Exercise period.

Recently released AirServices Australia and Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) documents indicate that Exercise Wallaby 2018 will see the participation of Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport aircraft and military helicopters including Boeing CH-47D Chinooks, Boeing AH-64D Apache and Aerospatiale / Eurocopter AS332M Super Puma helicopters which will operate from both Rockhampton Airport and from within the Exercise area.

It has been reported that the RSAF Boeing CH-47D Chinook and Aerospatiale / Eurocopter AS332M Super Puma helicopters will self-deploy from their base at Oakey during next week.

Stay tuned to the Central Queensland Plane Spotting Blog Facebook Page or Twitter Feed for the latest news and movements associated with Exercise Wallaby 2018.