16 Regiment History
The 16th Air Defence Regiment (16 AD Regt) is the youngest Regiment in the Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery. Its origins can be traced to the formation of two independent Batteries – The 110th Light Anti-Aircraft Battery (raised on 10 May 1965), and the 111th Light Anti-Aircraft Battery (raised on 21 May 1957) – at Woodside, South Australia. The amalgamation of these two Batteries on 2 June 1969 was the foundation of the 16th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment (16 LAA Regt). Both Batteries were equipped with the 40MM No. 12 Bofors Anti-Aircraft Guns.
At this time the Vietnam War was at its peak and many personnel were deployed with other units (Field Artillery and otherwise) in Vietnam. Although no Australian LAA unit served in Vietnam, personnel from 16 LAA Regt manned 40mm Bofors guns during this time on the landing craft of the 32nd Small Ships Squadron while on operations in South Vietnamese waters.
With the introduction of the Redeye Missile System in January of 1970, The Regiment was re-organised to include both gun and SAM (Surface to Air Missile) detachments. The Regiment worked closely with the RAAF on Air Defence Exercises held in Darwin and played an important role in the planning and execution of Air Defence exercises in Australia.
In 1971, acute manning shortages restricted manning to only one Battery (111 LAA Bty), although 110 LAA Bty was not disestablished and was still on the Australian Order of Battle (ORBAT).
On 6 June 1973, the 40MM Bofors Guns were paraded with the Regiment for the last time, a significant occasion in the short history of 16 LAA Regiment. This occasion also marked the next phase of the role the Regiment was undertaking in the progression toward full Surface to Air Missile Defence capability.
Discussions throughout the 1970s about the requirement for Low Level Air Defence (LLAD) in the Army resulted in the Australian Government committing to the purchase of the Rapier Ground Based Missile Defence System in 1977. The 110th Air Defence Battery was re-established on 1 July 1978 and the unit was renamed 16th Air Defence Regiment (16 AD Regt) the same day. 16 AD Regt Workshops was raised to provide repair and recovery support for the Regiment.
110 AD Bty received the first Rapier equipment from 1979, and it was officially brought into service in 1980. and the Radar Trackers (providing all weather, day/night capability) arrived in 1981. In December 1984, replacement for Redeye was announced, and in March 1987, RBS-70 was introduced into 111 AD Bty (Lt).
In 1991, RBS-70 detachments from 111 AD Bty (Lt) were deployed aboard HMAS Success and Westralia for operational service during the Gulf War. This was repeated in support of the International Coalition Against Terror (ICAT) aboard HMAS Kanimbla and Manoora during 2001-2002 and more recently a RBS-70 detachment was used aboard HMAS Kanimbla during The Coalition War disarming Iraq.
In May 2003, 16 AD Regt was allocated 83 million dollars to be used to replace the Rapier Missile system with an up-graded RBS-70 system. This replacement will be completed during 2005. In August 2003, a contract was signed for a new simulator trainer to be built at 16 AD Regt. This new simulator is a state of the art facility which provides a far more realistic training environment for the operators of the RBS-70 system.
Regimental Name Changes
Over the years the Regiment has gone through a number of name changes:
- 1969 – 1974 – – 16th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment
- 1974 – 1978 – – 16th Air Defence Regiment (Light)
- 1978 – 2012 – – 16th Air Defence Regiment
- 2012 – 2019 – – 16th Air Land Regiment
- 2019 – Present – – 16th Regiment RAA
16 Regiment Past Commanders
16 Regiment Past Commanding Officers
| Jul 1969 – Sep 1969 | W.J Marray (MAJ) |
| Sep 1969 – Dec 1972 | D.J. Ashmore |
| Jan 1973 – Oct 1974 | B.L. Nyman LVO, MBE |
| Dec 1974 – Jun 1976 | W.L. Murray |
| Jun 1976 – Dec 1978 | M.R. Hawkins |
| Jan 1979 – Dec 1980 | W.R. Hamilton |
| Dec 1980 – Oct 1982 | G.D. Carter AM |
| Nov 1982 – Dec 1984 | R.V. McEvoy MBE |
| Dec 1984 – Jan 1987 | C.H. Hunter |
| Jan 1987 – Feb 1989 | J. Derbyshire |
| Feb 1989 – Dec 1990 | A.G. Warner AO, LVO |
| Jan 1991 – Dec 1992 | K.R. Cross |
| Dec 1992 – Dec 1994 | R.J. Foster |
| Jan 1995 – Dec 1996 | P.F. Appleton |
| Dec 1996 – Jan 1999 | H.L. Graham |
| Jan 1999 – Jan 2001 | G.P. Fogarty |
| Jan 2001 – Jan 2003 | T.D. Pickford |
| Jan 2003 – Jan 2005 | D.P. Coghlan |
| Jan 2005 – Dec 2006 | I.S. Lawes |
| Dec 2006 – Dec 2008 | P.D. McKay |
| Dec 2008 – Dec 2010 | J.B. McLean |
| Dec 2011 – Dec 2013 | R.A. Vagg |
| Dec 2013 – Dec 2016 | Berni White |
| Dec 2016 – Dec 2018 | Corey J Shillabeer CSC |
| Dec 2018 – Current | Mark Mankowski |
16 Regimental Past Sergeant Majors
| Jun 1969 – Jan 1971 | R.F. Bassett |
| Jan 1971 – May 1971 | D.J. Henrys |
| May 1971 – Oct 1971 | D.R. Holbrook |
| Oct 1971 – Nov 1971 | S.H. Rawlins |
| Dec 1971 – Aug 1973 | W.C. Liddell |
| Aug 1973 – Dec 1975 | W.J. French |
| Dec 1975 – Dec 1977 | K.D. Charlton |
| Dec 1977 – Jan 1980 | G.I. Hodgson |
| Jan 1980 – Dec 1981 | E. Harkin |
| Dec 1981 – Aug 1983 | L.C. Black |
| Aug 1983 – Dec 1985 | P.D. Doherty |
| Dec 1985 – Dec 1987 | M.W. Roddie |
| Jan 1988 – Dec 1990 | J.W. Horder |
| Dec 1990 – Dec 1992 | G.D. Chillingsworth, OAM |
| Dec 1992 – Dec 1994 | D.A. Jones |
| Dec 1994 – Dec 1996 | J.M. Leckning, OAM |
| Dec 1996 – Jan 1999 | R.D. Dunne |
| Jan 1999 – Jan 2002 | I.D. Biggs |
| Jan 2002 – Jan 2004 | D.A. Jones |
| Jan 2004 – Jan 2006 | M.R. Clayton |
| Jan 2006 – Jan 2008 | R.J. Torney |
| Jan 2008 – Jan 2010 | G.M. Potter |
| Jan 2010 – Jan 2013 | A.M. Hortle, OAM |
| Jan 2013 – Dec 2015 | B.J. Fox |
| Jan 2015 – Dec 2017 | J. Jarvis, CSM |
| Dec 2017 – Dec 2019 | J.A. Cornwall |
| Dec 2019 – Present | G. Mura |