Us Fighter Drops Bomb On Nt Base

The Age

Saturday August 13, 2005

LINDSAY MURDOCH

A BOMB dropped from a US fighter jet taking part in an exercise in the Northern Territory struck the ground and exploded close to an Australian Deforce Force building.

All bombing operations at the vast Delamere Air Weapons Range south of Darwin have stopped since the bomb hit on Thursday night.

The defence department said in a statement yesterday that initial reporting indicated the bomb dropped by a US Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet had caused some damage. The building was occupied but

"emergency procedures were activated and no personnel were injured during the incident", the department said.

It said the RAAF Directorate of Flying would conduct an investigation with the US Marine Corps.

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

Five hundred US marines from Japan-based aviation units are taking part in their annual exercise called "Southern Frontier".

They are using 15 F/A-18 Hornets and two Hercules transport planes in the exercise that is being mainly run from the RAAF's base at Tindal, near Katherine.

© 2005 The Age

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