In January – February 1979 , two No . 37 Squadron C-130Es evacuated Australian and other foreign embassy staff from Tehran , shortly before the collapse of royal rule during the Iranian Revolution . The same year , the squadron began operations with two ex-Qantas Boeing 707s , handing them over to No . 33 Flight ( later No . 33 Squadron ) at the beginning of 1981 . No . 37 Squadron transported the Popemobiles on John Paul II 's 1986 tour of Australia ; its other unusual cargoes have included a stud bull presented to the Chinese government , kangaroos and sheep to Malaysia , and an exhibition of China 's Entombed Warriors . In February 1987 , the unit again joined No . 36 Squadron , along with No . 33 Squadron , as part of a re-formed No . 86 Wing under the newly established Air Lift Group ( later Air Mobility Group ) . The following year , No . 37 Squadron achieved 200,000 accident-free flying hours on the Hercules . The Australian public had the experience of flying in the C-130s when the aircraft were employed by the Federal government to provide transport during the 1989 Australian pilots ' dispute that curtailed operations by the two domestic airlines . In December 1990 and January 1991 , a detachment of C-130s from Nos . 36 and 37 Squadrons flew missions to Dubai in support of Australia 's naval contribution to the Gulf War . No . 37 Squadron transported Australian troops to Somalia as part of Operation Solace in January 1993 , and provided a shuttle service between Kenya and Somalia during May . No . 486 Squadron was disbanded in October 1998 , having transferred its C-130 maintenance functions to Nos . 36 and 37 Squadrons . No . 37 Squadron began re-equipping with new-model C-130J Hercules in September 1999 . Its aircraft formed part of a detachment of C-130s supporting INTERFET forces in East Timor between September 1999 and February 2000 , under Operation Warden . The squadron was awarded the Gloucester Cup in 2001 , the same year it took delivery of its twelfth and final C-130J . Five C-130s of Nos . 36 and 37 Squadrons participated in relief efforts following the Bali bombings in October 2002
Bali bombings
2002 Bali bombings
No. 37 Squadron RAAF