Originally from Perth, Flight Lieutenant Hayden Krammer was back at Pearce air base this week at the controls of a C-27J Spartan.
FLTLT Krammer’s family live in Duncraig and he did his pilot training at Pearce from April 2021 to April 2022.
The C-27J, which bridges the gap between army helicopters and bigger air force aircraft, was in Perth taking part in flying activities as part of the preparedness and integration exercise Amarok reach.
Media, including Yanchep News Online were invited by Pearce Wing Commander Greg Porche to see static displays of both the EA-18G Growler and C-27J Spartan aircraft as well as speak to the pilots.
WGCDR Porche, who talked about the importance of protection of northern areas, said Defence was getting back to pre-Covid 19 coverage.
Spartans can operate from unsurfaced airstrips and support humanitarian missions in remote locations.
According to the Department of Defence much like the Hercules (C-130 – originally designed as a troop, medevac, and cargo transport aircraft) and Globemaster, the C-27J Spartan can airdrop cargo and paratroops in-flight, airlift a variety of cargo loads and conduct aeromedical evacuation of sick or wounded personnel.
The C-27J Spartan with a pilot, co-pilot and loadmaster can carry, 34 passengers, 21 stretcher patients, 5000kg of cargo and weapons: electronic self-protection measures.
The fleet of 10 aircraft are operated by No. 35 squadron and based at Amberley air base in Queensland.
Not long after FLTLT Krammer and his crew touched down at Pearce air base a EA-18G Growler also landed.
The electronic attack aircraft is capable of disrupting, deceiving or denying a broad range of military electronic systems, including radars and communications.
Growlers, which are crewed by a pilot and an electronic welfare officer, support a wide range of Defence tasks and help to reduce risk and improve situational awareness.
It provides a complementary capability to the F/A-18F Super Hornet and the F-35A Joint Strike Fighter aircraft.
During the Amarok reach exercise the Royal Australian Air Force No. 6 squadron crews worked with local Air Force training units to review basic aircraft support requirements.
Twelve Growlers controlled by No. 6 Squadron are based at Amberley air base and operate alongside air, land and sea forces.
While the maximum speed for the C-27J Spartan is 670km/h the Growlers can reach 1960km/h.
The next port of call for the visiting aircraft was Edinburgh air base in South Australia.
This article appeared on Yanchep News Online on 22 October 2025.
