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Tonga Defence Services Aviation
His Majesty's Armed Forces (HMAF) is the military of Tonga. It is composed of three operational components and two support elements (logistics and training groups). The mission of HMAF is to: "Defend the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Tonga". The HMAF is partially supported by defence co-operation agreements with Australia, the United States, China, India, and New Zealand. The co-operation aims at capacity development through training of HMAF personnel in leadership, academic and trades while support for infrastructure development is another part of the security co-operation. Since 2001, members of HMAF have supported the coalition of the willing in Operation Iraqi Freedom, the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, and the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands. History The military history of Tonga extends from World War I to the present day, with Tonga participating in World War I, World War II, and the Afghan war, among other conflicts. Component ...
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Coat Of Arms Of The Tonga Defence Services
A coat is typically an outer clothing, garment for the upper body, worn by any gender for warmth or fashion. Coats typically have long sleeves and are open down the front, and closing by means of Button (clothing), buttons, zippers, Hook-and-loop fastener, hook-and-loop fasteners (AKA velcro), toggles, a belt (clothing), belt, or a combination of some of these. Other possible features include Collar (clothing), collars, shoulder straps, and hood (headgear), hoods. Etymology ''Coat'' is one of the earliest clothing category words in English language, English, attested as far back as the early Middle Ages. (''See also'' Clothing terminology.) The Oxford English Dictionary traces ''coat'' in its modern meaning to , when it was written ''cote'' or ''cotte''. The word coat stems from Old French and then Latin ''cottus.'' It originates from the Proto-Indo-European language, Proto-Indo-European word for woolen clothes. An early use of ''coat'' in English is Mail (armour), coat of mai ...
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World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many nations mobilising all resources in pursuit of total war. Tanks in World War II, Tanks and Air warfare of World War II, aircraft played major roles, enabling the strategic bombing of cities and delivery of the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, first and only nuclear weapons ever used in war. World War II is the List of wars by death toll, deadliest conflict in history, causing World War II casualties, the death of 70 to 85 million people, more than half of whom were civilians. Millions died in genocides, including the Holocaust, and by massacres, starvation, and disease. After the Allied victory, Allied-occupied Germany, Germany, Allied-occupied Austria, Austria, Occupation of Japan, Japan, a ...
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Citabria
The Citabria is a light single-engine, two-seat, fixed conventional gear airplane which entered production in the United States in 1964. Designed for flight training, utility aircraft, utility and personal use, it is capable of sustaining aerobatic stresses from +5g to -2g-force, g. Its name, "airbatic" backwards, reflects this. Production history The Citabria was designed and initially produced by Champion Aircraft Corporation, and was a derivative of designs the company had been building since acquiring the 7-series Aeronca Champ, Champ from Aeronca Aircraft, Aeronca in 1954. The model 7ECA Citabria entered production at Champion in 1964. The 7GCAA and 7GCBC variants, added in 1965, were joined by the 7KCAB in 1968. In 1970, Champion was acquired by AviaBellanca Aircraft, Bellanca Aircraft Corporation, which continued production of all of the Champion-designed variants. Bellanca introduced two designs with close connections to the Citabria: The 8KCAB Decathlon and the 8 ...
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Beech 18
The Beechcraft Model 18 (or "Twin Beech", as it is also known) is a 6- to 11-seat, twin-engined, low-wing, tailwheel light aircraft manufactured by the Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas. Continuously produced from 1937 to November 1969 (over 32 years, a world record at the time), over 9,000 were built, making it one of the world's most widely used light aircraft. Sold worldwide as a civilian executive, utility, cargo aircraft, and passenger airliner on tailwheels, nosewheels, skis, or floats, it was also used as a military aircraft."Beechcraft D18S Twin Beech."
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Military Band
A military band is a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind instrument, wind and percussion instruments. The conducting, conductor of a band commonly bears the title of bandmaster or music director. Ottoman military bands are thought to be the oldest variety of military marching bands in the world, dating from the 13th century. The military band is capable of playing ceremonial and marching music, including the national anthems and patriotic songs of theirs and other nations, both while stationary and as a marching band. Military bands also play a part in military funeral ceremonies. There are two types of historical traditions in military bands. The first is military Field Music (military), field music. This type of music includes Bugle (instrument), bugles (or other natural instruments such as natural trumpets or natural horns), bagpipes or Fife (musical instrument), f ...
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Minerva Reef
The Minerva Reefs () are a group of two submerged atolls located in the Pacific Ocean between Fiji and Tonga. The islands are the subject of a territorial dispute between Fiji and Tonga, and in addition were briefly claimed by American Libertarians as the centre of a micronation, the Republic of Minerva. Name The reefs were named after the whaleship ''Minerva'', wrecked on what became known as South Minerva after setting out from Sydney in 1829. Many other ships would follow, for example ''Strathcona'', which was sailing north soon after completion in Auckland in 1914. In both cases most of the crew saved themselves in whaleboats or rafts and reached the Lau Islands in Fiji. History The reefs were first known to Europeans by the crew of the brig ''Rosalia'', commanded by Lieutenant John Garland, which was shipwrecked there in 1807. ''The Oriental Navigator'' for 1816 recorded Garland's discovery under the name Rosaretta Shoal, warning that it was “a dangerous shoal, on which ...
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Royal Yacht
A royal yacht is a ship used by a monarch or a royal family. If the monarch is an emperor the proper term is imperial yacht. Most of them are financed by the government of the country of which the monarch is head. The royal yacht is most often crewed by personnel from the navy and used by the monarch and their family on both private and official travels. Some royal yachts have been small vessels only used for short trips on rivers or in calm waters, but others have been large seaworthy ships. History Depending on how the term is defined royal yachts date back to the days of antiquity with royal barges on the Nile in ancient Egypt. Later the Vikings produced royal vessels. They followed the pattern of longships although highly decorated and fitted with purple sails (purple sails remained standard for royal vessels the next 400 years). In England, Henry V sold off the royal yachts to clear the Crown's debts. The next royal vessels in England were built in the Tudor period wit ...
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Tanker (ship)
A tanker (or tank ship or tankship) is a ship designed to transport or store liquids or gases in Bulk liquids, bulk. Major types of tanker ship include the oil tanker (or petroleum tanker), the chemical tanker, Cargo ship, cargo ships, and a gas carrier. Tankers also carry commodities such as vegetable oils, molasses and wine. In the United States Navy and Military Sealift Command, a tanker used to refuel other ships is called an oiler (ship), oiler (or replenishment oiler if it can also supply dry stores) but many other navies use the terms tanker and replenishment tanker. Tankers were first developed in the late 19th century as iron and steel hulls and pumping systems were developed. As of 2005, there were just over 4,000 tankers and supertankers or greater operating worldwide. Description Tankers can range in size of capacity from several hundred tonnage, tons, which includes vessels for servicing small harbours and coastal settlements, to several hundred thousand tons, f ...
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Pacific Maritime Security Program
The Pacific Maritime Security Program is a program initiated by Australia to aid the neighbouring Pacific Island nations, such as Timor-Leste, Fiji, Palau, Kiribati and Tonga. The program includes the maintenance of port facilities, training, and the transfer of 21 Guardian-class patrol boats. The program was initiated under the 2018 Boe Declaration on Regional Security. Overview According to the website of the Australian defence ministry, the program is aimed towards increasing regional maritime security in the Pacific, and is a continuation of the older Pacific Patrol Boat Program. The allocated spending is $2 billion AUD over 30 years, and will include shipbuilding, aerial surveillance of the region, and improvements to coordinations between the various nations. Australia has pledged 21 Guardian-class patrol boats to 12 Pacific nations and these are planned to be delivered between 2018 and 2023. As of late 2022, 15 such vessels have been delivered. Impacts and criticism Accor ...
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Guardian-class Patrol Boat
The Guardian-class patrol boats are a class of small patrol vessels designed and built in Australia and provided to small South Pacific Ocean countries as part of the Australian Government's Pacific Maritime Security Program. The class is designed to be updated replacements for the s provided to its allies from 1987 to 1997. Australia provided twenty-two Pacific Forum vessels to twelve nations. They were designed to use commercial off the shelf components, to make them easier to maintain for the small nations that would operate them. Australia stood ready to help with training and maintenance, during the duration of the program, because Australia's external security issues were eased if it could count on its sovereign neighbours having resources to police their own external security. Austal was commissioned to build 19 Guardian-class boats in 2016. Austal's contract allows it to market the design to additional customers. Subsequently, an additional three vessels were ordered ...
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VOEA Savea (P203) - RAN-IFR 2013 D3 74
VOEA ''Savea'' (P203) was a Pacific Forum patrol vessel operated by the Tongan Maritime Force from 1989 to April 2019. ''Savea'' was replaced in June 2019 by , which was designed and built for the Tonga Maritime Force by Australia. Background When the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea extended maritime nations' exclusive economic zone (EEZ) to , Australia designed and built 22 patrol vessels for 12 of its fellow members of the Pacific Forum. Australia provided the patrol vessel free of charge, and helped build port facilities and provide training. This allowed its neighbour to exercise sovereignty over their EEZ, intercept smugglers, and poaching fishers, and provide emergency services. Australia replaced ''Savea'' and her two sister ships with two slightly larger and more capable vessels between 2019 and 2020. Design The vessels displace 162 tonnes, and are built using commercial off-the-shelf Commercial-off-the-shelf or commercially available off-the-s ...
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