A ceremony was held at RAAF Base Richmond this week to mark the ground breaking for the site of new Air Traffic Control (ATC) facilities.
Construction will include a new 24.9-metre tall ATC Tower, along with a two-storey Airfield Systems Complex (ASC) containing office areas and workshops, classrooms and meeting areas, and amenities.
The project is scheduled to be completed by December 2018, and will replace an existing ATC Tower which dates back to the early 1960s.
Under AIR5431 Phase 2/3 Defence Air Traffic Management System And Air Traffic Control Complex Infrastructure Project, new ATC facilities will be constructed in 24 Stages at 13 Defence Bases across Australia.
The facilities will include a requirement for new or refurbished air traffic control towers and airfield systems complex facilities to house the new air traffic management system, sensor equipment buildings to support new sensors, working accommodation to house operational maintenance trainers for both phase two and phase three to support technical training, and upgrading the School of Air Traffic Control to support the training of joint battlefield airspace control officers.
Community consultation for the project was held in Richmond back in 2015, with works now ready to go ahead.
