US weapon damages NT weapons range
Date: 11/08/05
Source

A weapon from a US jet fighter on training exercise in the Northern Territory has slammed into the ground, damaging facilities on a weapons range.

In a statement, the Defence Department said a weapon from a United States Marine Corps (USMC) F/A-18 Hornet struck the ground near a building on the Delamere Air Weapons Range.

A Defence spokesman could not say what type of weapon hit the range.

No personnel were injured in the incident, during which emergency procedures were activated, the department said.

The department spokesman was unable to say whether any personnel were in the control building at the time.

"Initial reporting indicates that there has been some damage to range facilities. However, due to the remote locality of the range and on-going inspection, full details are not available," Defence said.

The weapons range is about 130km south of Katherine.

The Japan-based US Marines are currently conducting an annual training exercise, Southern Frontier, at RAAF Base Tindal, 300km south of Darwin, involving 500 troops, 15 F/A-18 Hornets and two KC-130 Hercules.

As a precaution, all bombing operations on the range have ceased.

Defence said they would not resume until all appropriate investigations were completed.

"The safety of all our people is paramount," the department said.

The Australian Defence Force and the USMC are conducting a joint investigation into the incident.

Defence would not comment on the cause of the accident.

Opposition defence spokesman Robert McClelland said Labor would like to be fully briefed on the incident.

Mr McClelland, who was briefed on safety operations at the Operation Talisman Sabre exercise earlier this year, said safety had been taken very seriously on that joint operation.

"I would assume that a similar sort of safety control was in place in respect to this operation but that's obviously something we would like to find out," he said.

"Labor would like to be fully briefed and ascertain whether the safety precautions that normally apply to joint exercises were being applied in respect to these exercises."

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