, for whom the airfield was named in 1946 Tindal was initially built for the RAAF as ''Carson's Airfield'' in 1942. The airfield was constructed by the
US Army's 43rd Engineer General Service Regiment. Its purpose was to provide a base for
Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bombers that could strike at Japanese targets in
Papua New Guinea and the
Dutch East Indies, but the turning tide of the war rendered this unnecessary and no aircraft were deployed there before the cessation of hostilities. In 1946, the airfield was renamed in honour of
Wing Commander Archibald (Archie) Tindal, the first RAAF member killed in action on the Australian mainland during World War II; he died while manning a machine gun against Japanese raiders
bombing Darwin on 19 February 1942, and was buried at the
Adelaide River war cemetery. In 1959, the
Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sir
Frederick Scherger, proposed building a second airfield in the Darwin area. Like Tindal, he had been in Darwin when it was bombed by the Japanese in 1942, and believed that Australia's defences in the north needed to be strengthened. Following a survey, Tindal was selected in May 1963 as being close enough to
RAAF Base Darwin to afford mutual protection, but far enough from the coast to be defensible and to avoid the effects of tropical cyclones. Other factors, such as being outside the projected nuclear fall-out zone should Darwin be targeted by a nuclear weapon, as well as an adequate water supply and suitable road and rail connections, also influenced the decision. Conceived as an "Un-Manned Operational Base" (later to be known as a
bare base), Tindal was to have no permanent staff and very few buildings. Essentially it would consist of a runway, taxiways and
hardstanding along with the minimal infrastructure, such as electricity and water, to permit it to be activated when required. The base was ready to support RAAF units by early 1968, though work expanding its facilities continued through 1968 and 1969. The opening was originally planned for July 1988 but was delayed due to difficulties finding a date suitable to both Hawke and the Minister for Defence,
Kim Beazley. Since its establishment, Tindal has remained the RAAF's main operational base in the Northern Territory. It has regularly hosted other units for exercises and supported the Australian-led intervention during the
1999 East Timorese crisis, and No. 75 Squadron's deployment for the
2003 invasion of Iraq. In keeping with Tindal's position in the northern area of operations, it is manned exclusively by uniformed personnel. In 2004, it was awarded the RAAF's
Hawker Siddeley Trophy for most proficient base of the previous year. == Upgrades ==