RAAF airman constructing a Joint Direct Attack Munition in February 2017

Gunnie is a term used in the

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

(RAAF) when referring to an

armourer Historically, an armourer is a person who makes personal armour, especially plate armour. In modern terms, an armourer is a member of a military or police force who works in an armoury and maintains and repairs small arms and weapons systems, ...

aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engine ...

technician who loads or maintains aircraft ordnance, weapons,

ejection seat In aircraft, an ejection seat or ejector seat is a system designed to rescue the pilot or other crew of an aircraft (usually military) in an emergency. In most designs, the seat is propelled out of the aircraft by an explosive charge or rock ...

s, or any other device that contains explosive material. A second major function of their speciality is

Explosive Ordnance Demolition Bomb disposal is an explosives engineering profession using the process by which hazardous explosive devices are rendered safe. ''Bomb disposal'' is an all-encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated functions in the milita ...

(EOD) – the safe removal of unexploded bombs (UXB's) and the disposal/recovery of

Improvised Explosive Devices An improvised explosive device (IED) is a bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action. It may be constructed of conventional military explosives, such as an artillery shell, attached to a detonating mechan ...

(IED's). Armourers are also responsible for the maintenance of all small arms used by the RAAF and generally run the maintenance workshops in all RAAF base armouries. Alternative names include "Gun Plumber" and "Cracker Stacker" Distinctly independent of the other aircraft trades, their motto has been "Without armament there is no need for an airforce"Pg 48
Air Armament Mission
"Flight" Magazine, 7 November 1946, Retrieved 30 July 2011. since

Lord Trenchard Marshal of the Royal Air Force Hugh Montague Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard, (3 February 1873 – 10 February 1956) was a British officer who was instrumental in establishing the Royal Air Force. He has been described as the "Father of the ...

uttered the words prior to

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, although armourers didn't actually exist then. In the early nineties the armament mustering (along with other RAAF aircraft technical trades) was disbanded and all were rolled into two musterings: Avionics and Aircraft. Engine fitters and Airframe fitters became Aircraft Technicians while Instrument Fitters, Electrical Fitters and Radio Technicians became Avionics Technicians. The only mustering which could not fit neatly into either (due to the multi disciplinary nature of their work) the gunnies were given the choice of going to either mustering. Of the 400 or so in the whole of the RAAF only a handful elected to become Aircraft Technicians. The bulk of them were rolled into the Avionics Technician category. This was, at the time, considered a controversial decision given the highly specialised skills required to be an armourer. In the late 2000s the RAAF re-established the Armament mustering with the first class graduating from the RAAF College, School of Technical Training

RAAF Base Wagga RAAF Base Wagga (formerly RAAF Base Forest Hill) is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military air base located southeastAeronautical Chart of the town of Wagga Wagga, in the suburb of Forest Hill, New South Wales, Australia. The base is ...

in 2008/09.

Notes

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External links

"Australian Armourers' Association"
Royal Australian Air Force