Located at RAAF Base Williamtown, New South Wales, the unit trains pilots to operate the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.

2 OTU) in April 1942 at Port Pirie, South Australia, and relocated to RAAF Station Mildura, Victoria, the following month.

During World War II, it provided training on a wide range of aircraft, including P-40 Kittyhawks, Vultee Vengeances, Avro Ansons, CAC Boomerangs, Supermarine Spitfires and Airspeed Oxfords.

2 OTU was re-formed at Williamtown in March 1952 in response to the demand for more highly trained pilots to serve in the Korean War.

2 (Fighter) Operational Conversion Unit in September 1958, and since then has conducted training with the CAC Sabre, Dassault Mirage III, and Macchi MB-326, and the F/A-18 Hornet prior to taking delivery of the F-35s.

2 OCU is primarily responsible for conducting operational conversion courses on the RAAF's fifth generationLockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II fighter, which entered service in 2019.

79 Squadron, located at RAAF Base Pearce, Western Australia, and undergone lead-in fighter training at No.

The previous aircraft operated by 2OCU, the F/A-18 Hornets, had a yellow and white tail design, however, they have been removed to suit the F-35's stealth needs.

[6][7] The unit crest shows a winged kangaroo carrying a joey in its pouch, symbolising "'Mother Australia' flying with her young".

[9] Prior to 2019, when 2OCU operated F/A-18s, the Hornet conversion courses ran for six months, after which graduates were posted to one of the RAAF's front-line fighter units, No.

[6][10] Students first gained their instrument rating on the Hornet, and then taught basic fighter manoeuvres, air combat techniques, air-to-air gunnery, and air-to-ground tactics.

[5][9] The exercise lasted several weeks and involved day and night flights, including precision strike sorties with practice and live bombs.

[1][13] Students were chosen from among the most experienced Hornet squadron pilots and undertook instruction in how to train others, as well as how to deal with complex operational scenarios.

[4] This was tested in simulated combat with other types of US or RAAF aircraft, as available, including F-15 Eagles, F-16 Fighting Falcons, and F/A-18 Super Hornets.

[14] During World War II, the RAAF established several operational training units (OTUs) to convert recently graduated pilots from advanced trainers to combat aircraft, and to add fighting techniques to the flying skills they had already learned.

2 OTU's Spitfire section was transferred to RAAF Station Williamtown, New South Wales, in March 1943, under the command of ace John Waddy.

2 OTU at Mildura in August 1943; the same month, the unit logged over 5,000 flying hours, its highest level during the war.

3 Squadron commanders Bobby Gibbes and Nicky Barr served successively as chief flying instructor from March 1944 until the end of the Pacific War.

This practice disrupted the squadrons' normal duties, and the advent of the Korean War and the introduction of jet aircraft further necessitated a more formal system of operational training.

77 Squadron in Korea from September 1950 to August 1951:[26] It is hard to believe that I actually sent 11 pilots home to Australia as they were not capable of doing the job properly.

1 Applied Flying Training School began equipping with Vampire jet trainers at RAAF Base Pearce, Western Australia.

All RAAF Sabres were grounded until ARDU developed a modification to shatter the canopy immediately before the pilot ejected.

[35][36] By late 1963, personnel were busy developing training material for the pending Sabre replacement, the Dassault Mirage III, a task that required them to translate the manufacturer's technical documentation from the original French.

[39] Squadron Leader John Newham, later to serve as CAS, held temporary command of the unit from July 1965 to April 1966.

2 OCU, as the then-only RAAF operator, undertake demonstration flights around the country to unveil the new fighter to the Australian public.

2 OCU suffered its only Hornet loss to date when an F/A-18B crashed at Great Palm Island, Queensland, during a night-time training flight on 18 November 1987, killing the pilot.

[48] The unit temporarily relocated to RAAF Base Richmond, New South Wales, in July 1990, while Williamtown's runway was resurfaced.

[49] The RAAF began modifying four of its Boeing 707 jet transports to enable air-to-air refuelling of the Hornets in December 1988; No.

2 OCU staff commenced training for airborne tanker operations in July 1991, subsequently adding this capability to the Hornet conversion course.

2 OCU completed its final Hornet conversion training course in 2019, and ceased flying the type in December that year.