$1.3 billion redevelopment in Ipswich almost complete

"In some cases it's been an eight-year journey from start to planning to final delivery."

A LARGE chunk of RAAF Base Amberley's $1.3 billion redevelopment is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

The $370 million Battlefield Airlifter project will be finished by the middle of the year to provide facilities at the Ipswich base to accommodate and support the operation of the new C-27J Battlefield Airlifter aircraft.

Just under $220 million has been spent on a C-17A maintenance facility, working accommodation, aircraft apron and associated facilities which is scheduled for completion by the end of the year.

A $388.6 million project to provide the necessary working accommodation, maintenance, warehousing and training facilities primarily at RAAF Base Amberley, but also at Delamere Weapons Range, to support the introduction of the Growler Airborne Electronic Attack Capability will be finished by the middle of next year.

Other works under way include projects across multiple defence sites and a range of maintenance projects, which will be gradually completed from now until 2021.

Group Captain Robert "Dubbo" Graham said it would mark a significant step in a major transformation for the Ipswich base over the past decade.

"We're coming to the end of a very lengthy period of redevelopment," he said.

"Now we're starting to see a number of these projects finalised and fully delivered and the last of the big ones coming to the end of their delivery.

"In some cases it's been an eight-year journey from start to planning to final delivery."

Gp Capt Graham said numbers on the base, which included contractors doing the construction work, had dropped from 8000 in the past couple of years to about 7500.

"From a base perspective we are the largest airforce base in the country population wise," he said.

"It's been a major transformation that's now coming to an end."