79 Squadron, located at RAAF Base Pearce, Western Australia, is responsible for converting new pilots to fast jets, while No.

75, 78 and 80 Squadrons, operating P-40 Kittyhawks in the South West Pacific theatre of World War II.

During the early 1950s, the wing was based at Malta on garrison duties with the Royal Air Force, operating two squadrons of De Havilland Vampire jet fighters.

3 and 77 Squadrons to Malaya in 1958–59, flying sorties against communist insurgents in the final years of the Emergency.

10 Operational Group, a mobile strike force supporting the Allied armies as they advanced in the South West Pacific theatre.

78 Wing flew combat air patrols and ground-attack missions during Operations Reckless and Persecution, the assault on Hollandia and Aitape, New Guinea, in April 1944.

[3] By the middle of the year, the wing's flying hours in New Guinea were consistently higher than those of its counterparts in the US Fifth Air Force.

1 TAF to areas of operations bypassed by the main Allied thrust towards the Philippines and Japan led to poor morale in late 1944 and early 1945.

78 Wing, Group Captain Wilfred Arthur, helped bring about the so-called "Morotai Mutiny" in protest at the employment of Australian fighter squadrons for apparently worthless ground-attack missions.

A subsequent inquiry cleared the pilots involved, finding their motives in tendering their resignations to be sincere.

81 Wing—which had been delayed while moving its aircraft forward from Noemfoor and northern Australia—and had only ten days to prepare for the operation.

[10] In June and July, the wing took part in the assaults on Labuan and Balikpapan, undertaking convoy escort in the former and, joined once more by No.

[11][12] During July it flew 858 sorties, dropping over 250,000 pounds (110,000 kg) of bombs and expending almost 350,000 rounds of ammunition, for the loss of six aircraft and four pilots killed or missing.

Arriving in December 1945, the formation was based initially at Deniliquin, New South Wales, where its squadrons were reduced to cadre status; No.

78 Wing's aircraft and staff were gradually transferred to other units; by December the formation had been reduced to a strength of four airmen and no officers, and was declared "non-operative".

[24] It became the first wing in the RAAF to equip with jet aircraft, when its flying units took delivery of De Havilland Vampire F.30 fighters between 1949 and 1951; it was also allocated Mustangs and CAC Wirraways.

[22][25] The wing subsequently re-equipped with Vampire FB.9s leased from the Royal Air Force, in exchange for Australia's commitment to support RAF operations in the Middle East.

[26][27] As the RAAF's presence was essentially a symbolic gesture to demonstrate the Commonwealth's solidarity in the midst of the Cold War, the combat squadrons were half-strength only, operating eight aircraft each.

Personnel departed Australia in July 1952; the posting overseas being a minimum of two years, families were permitted to make the journey as well.

[26] The airmen participated in many NATO exercises while stationed at Malta, and one year took first and second place in the Middle Eastern Gunnery Contest for the "Imshi" Mason Cup.

[30] Originally based at the Royal Navy's Ħal Far airfield, in south-east Malta, the wing moved in June 1953 to the centrally located RAF Station Ta'Kali, command of which was given to Group Captain Eaton.

[34][35] Group Captain Glen Cooper took command of the wing in 1957, deploying it between October 1958 and February 1959 to RAAF Base Butterworth in Malaya, where its flying units consisted of Nos.

[22] Armed with Sidewinder missiles, the Sabres were responsible for regional air defence during the Konfrontasi between Indonesia and Malaysia from 1963 until 1966, though no combat took place.

For the next six years this squadron operated from Ubon Air Base in Thailand and was manned by personnel from No.

The RAAF was careful to not acknowledge any connection between the two units, however, as Malaysia had a policy of neutrality towards war in South East Asia.

75 Squadron redeployed from Butterworth to RAAF Base Darwin, Northern Territory, in October 1983, and No.

78 Wing re-formed to take charge of all aircrew and technical training on the F/A-18 Hornet and the BAE Hawk 127.

278 Squadron, with detachments at RAAF Bases Amberley, Tindal and Pearce, was added to the wing's complement.

79 Squadron continues to provide fast-jet conversion for recently graduated pilots, as well as refresher courses, while No.

76 Squadron conducts introductory fighter courses preparatory to students undertaking conversion to "classic" Hornets at No.