RAAF Base Scherger is one of the Royal Australian Air Force's three 'bare bases'. Located near Weipa in Queensland, it was opened in 1998. As a 'bare base' Scherger's role is to provide the RAAF and other services with the necessary infrastructure to support forward deployed forces during a crisis. The base is named in honour of Air Chief Marshal Sir Frederick Scherger who was the Australian Chief of the Air Staff (now known as Chief of Air Force) from March 1957 to May 1961.

While the base has the capability to host over 400 personnel it is normally only manned by 3 Air Force personnel who are responsible for caretaker duties. During peacetime RAAF Base Scherger hosts, on average, one major exercise per year in which the base is fully activated through the arrival of RAAF units based elsewhere in Australia.

References

• Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Report of Visit to Defence Establishments in Northern Australia
• Airport Scherger
• Exercise Kakadu VII
• Air Force News: "Going Active"