Inside Williamtown RAAF base are dozens of speciality planes the public rarely get a glimpse into. They sit, perfectly ordered and functional, waiting for their next use.
But outside the public eye, Australia is leading the pack with military aircraft. British and American defence personnel are being flown into Williamtown specifically to learn about one of our country's best planes, the Wedgetail E-7A.
As part of the Newcastle air show, the Newcastle Herald was taken inside this important aircraft on Sunday morning to learn more.
Wedgetails are, at their core, guttered Boeing 737s with more fuel and engine capacity. But walking inside one feels entirely different to boarding a commercial aircraft.
At the front of the plane, just past the cockpit, ten computer screens are mounted on the walls. Fluffy beige chairs with seatbelts and keyboards are next to them.
Wing commander Sam Thorpe of No.2 Squadron, who is responsible for crews onboard, said the set up is designed so people can work mid-flight.
"All the screens are exactly the same," he said, explaining that if one screen goes down, a person can log into one directly next to them and continue on tasks.
This aircraft is clearly designed for hard work. A small rest bay of just eight seats makes up the middle of the cabin. Beyond that, storage areas and generators sit. The crew don't often go to the back of the plane.
At capacity, the Wedgetail can hold 21 people and stay in the air for an incredible amount of time. They usually carry three pilots so swaps can be made mid-flight.
In fact, a Wedgetail holds the record for the longest time a Boeing 737 has stayed continuously in air during a military sortie. One flew over Iraq and Syria for 17.2 hours during 2014.
And the powerful plane is capable of coordinating a joint air, sea and land battle. It can coordinate attack and defence out of the same aircraft at the same time, and it is built very similarly to commercial 737s, so parts are interchangeable.
"If we got a flat tyre in Fiji for example, we could probably buy a tyre off [Fiji airways]," Mr Thorpe said.
These qualities have made it the crown jewel of military aircrafts, so to speak, and allied countries are now eyeing off the Wedgetail. Australia currently has six of the planes, the first of which was delivered to the Australian RAAF in 2009 after several years of training.
A Wedgetail is sitting "in bits" at a Royal Air Force (RAF) base in England, waiting to be built. The United States Air Force (USAF) will have two off the ground in about 2027, replacing older Boeing 707 models.
But first, there is work to do. Dozens of RAF and American soldiers are being taught how to use the plane at Williamtown in one of the closest cross-country training programs to date.
"We're a true coalition force here at No.2 Squadron with RAF and USAF personnel embedded across maintenance and air crew," Mr Thorpe said. "We are leading the world in integration of [these] operations."
Mr Thorpe said all going well, military personnel from any of the three countries will be able to get in another allied nation's Wedgetail to fly it.
A RAF member has been recently approved by Mr Thorpe to sign off on flights made by RAAF aircraft - a level of responsibility very rare for someone who is not an Australian citizen.
The RAAF plan to use Wedgetails until about the late 2030s, when an upgrade will likely be needed.
