Proposed changes to Defence Airspace in the Northern Territory

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    Closed consultation
    NT
    Start 10/10/2025
    AEDT 11:00
    End 06/11/2025
    AEDT 17:00

    Submit feedback to

    Joint Airspace Control Cell  Royal Australian Air Force
    Australian Defence Force
    adf.airspace@defence.gov.au

    This advisory AvSEF looks to update the aviation community on proposed changes to Defence airspace in the Northern Territory.

    The issue

    This proposal notes the following key issues:

    • Current Defence airspace requirements necessitate partially activating R262A, M263E, M240A and M240D during large military exercises in the Northern Territory.
    • Defence is making an application to CASA in order to subdivide these volumes to provide clearer depictions in Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP) and reduce the use of partial activations when special use airspace (SUA) is not required within 40 nautical miles (NM) of Darwin Airport (YPDN).
    • Included in this change proposal will be the reapportionment of the M263A and M263B boundary from 45NM to 40NM Darwin to align with the subdivision above as well as renumbering the M263,M240 and R262 series of airspace volumes.

    Purpose

    This advisory AvSEF is to inform the aviation community on the subdivision and reapportionment of six SUA volumes in the Northern Territory. The subdivision of R262A, M263E, M240A and M240D will allow Defence to reduce the amount of ‘partial’ SUA activations for large-scale air exercises and increase flexibility in activating the smallest volumes possible to contain dangerous activities. 

    The reapportionment of M263A and M263B will allow for the boundary between these two airspace volumes to align with the remainder of the subdivisions proposed. This change will contribute to enhancing non-participant awareness on the boundaries of hazardous activities and reducing the likelihood of infringement upon these activities.

    Proposal

    Defence conducts yearly large-scale military air activities in the vicinity of YPDN which necessitates the activation of large swathes of SUA. In recent years a number of configurations of airspace have relied upon partial activations of R262A, M263E, M240A and M240D to ensure that Darwin Air Traffic Control maintains their existing Class C airspace boundary of 40NM instead of using the entirety of each airspace volume that begin at 25NM YPDN.

    It is expected that activation of airspace in this manner will continue for the foreseeable future and in an effort to increase safety and reduce complexity, Defence is applying to subdivide each of the volumes described above. This change proposal will provide the following benefits:

    • Permanent airspace boundaries defined and depicted in AIP, including charts.
    • Reduced Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) length and complexity with dimensions contained in AIP.
    • Airspace volume available for electronic flight bag display, increasing aircrew awareness.
    • Reduced amount of ‘Partial’ activations that can be misinterpreted for previous or different ‘partial volumes’.
    • Reduced lead-time for activation due to air traffic mapping system requirements.
    • Reduced complexity of AIP Supplement documents used for large-scale military exercises.
    Defence proposes the following amendments

    R262A

    Creation of an additional airspace boundary at the 40NM DN/DME distance to divide R262A into two portions and renumbering of R262B and R262C to ‘RXXXC’ and ‘RXXXD’:

    RXXXA (25-40NM)

    Conditional Status: RA2

    Military Flying/Non-Flying

    Lateral Limits: 124426S 1303742E then along the counter clockwise arc of a circle radius 25.00NM centre 122524S 1305423E (DN/DME) – 124920S 1304639E – 130327S 1304117E then along the clockwise arc of a circle radius 40.00NM centre 122524S 1305423E (DN/DME) – 125549S 1302738E – 124426S 1303742E

    Vertical Limits: NOTAM - NOTAM

    Hours of Activity: NOTAM

    Administering Authority: FLTCDR 452SQN DARWIN

    RXXXB (40-80NM)

    Conditional Status: RA2

    Military Flying/Non-Flying

    Lateral Limits: 125549S 1302738E then along the counter clockwise arc of a circle radius 40.00NM centre 122524S 1305423E (DN/DME) - 130327S 1304117E – 134106S 1302655E then along the clockwise arc of a circle radius 80.00NM centre 122524S 1305423E (DN/DME) – 132616S 1300054E – 125549S 1302738E

    Vertical Limits: NOTAM - NOTAM

    Hours of Activity: NOTAM

    Administering Authority: FLTCDR 452SQN DARWIN

    M263A and M263B

    Reapportionment of the M263A western boundary to a 40NM radius Darwin to align with the other changes proposed in this advisory notice:

    MXXXA (25-40NM)

    Military Flying/Non-Flying

    Lateral Limits: 121407S 1301509E – 121911S 1302938E then along the counter clockwise arc of a circle radius 25.00NM centre 122524S 1305423E (DN/DME) - 123235S 1302953E - 123651S 1301511E then along the clockwise arc of a circle radius 40.00NM centre 122524S 1305423E (DN/DME) – 121407S 1301509E

    Vertical Limits: NOTAM - NOTAM

    Hours of Activity: NOTAM

    Administering Authority: FLTCDR 452SQN DARWIN

    MXXXB (40-80NM)

    Military Flying/Non-Flying

    Lateral Limits: 120216S 1293608E – 121407S 1301509E then along the counter clockwise arc of a circle radius 40.00NM centre 122524S 1305423E (DN/DME) – 123651S 1301511E – 124809S 1293554E then along the clockwise arc of a circle radius 80.00NM centre 122524S 1305423E (DN/DME) – 120216S 1293608E

    Vertical Limits: NOTAM - NOTAM

    Hours of Activity: NOTAM

    Administering Authority: FLTCDR 452SQN DARWIN

    M263E

    Creation of an additional airspace boundary at the 40NM DN/DME distance to divide M263E into two portions:

    MXXXE(25-40NM)

    Military Flying/Non-Flying

    Lateral Limits: 123235S 1302953E then along the counter clockwise arc of a circle radius 25.00NM centre 122524S 1305423E (DN/DME) – 124426S 1303742E – 125549S 1302738E then along the clockwise arc of a circle radius 40.00NM centre 122524S 1305423E (DN/DME) – 1235651S 1301511E – 123235S 1302953E

    Vertical Limits: NOTAM - NOTAM

    Hours of Activity: NOTAM

    Administering Authority: FLTCDR 452SQN DARWIN

    MXXXF (40-80NM)

    Military Flying/Non-Flying

    Lateral Limits: 124809S 1293554E – 123651S 1301511E then along the counter clockwise arc of a circle radius 40.00NM centre 122524S 1305423E (DN/DME) - 125549S 1302738E – 132616S 1300054E then along the clockwise arc of a circle radius 80.00NM centre 122524S 1305423E (DN/DME) – 124809S 1293554E

    Vertical Limits: NOTAM - NOTAM

    Hours of Activity: NOTAM

    Administering Authority: FLTCDR 452SQN DARWIN

    M263 Renumbering:

    As a result of the above changes to the M263 series, M263F and M263G will be renamed ‘MXXXG’ and ‘MXXXH’ respectively with no amendments to their dimensions.

    M263A, M263B, M263E and R262A Proposal

    M240A

    Creation of an additional airspace boundary at the 40NM DN/DME distance to divide M240A into two portions:

    MXXXA (25-40NM)

    Military Flying/Non-Flying

    Lateral Limits: 120017S 1305453E - 114513S 1305433E then along the clockwise arc of a circle radius 40.00NM centre 122524S 1305423E (DN/DME) – 115307S 1311842E – 120513S 1310935E then along the counter clockwise arc of a circle radius 25.00NM centre 122524S 1305423E (DN/DME) - 120017S 1305453E

    Vertical Limits: 5000 - NOTAM

    Hours of Activity: NOTAM

    Administering Authority: FLTCDR 452SQN DARWIN

    MXXXB (40-80NM)

    Military Flying/Non-Flying

    Lateral Limits: 114513S 1305433E – 110502S 1305339E then along the clockwise arc of a circle radius 80.00NM centre 122524S 1305423E (DN/DME) – 112050S 1314257E - 115307S 1311842E then along the counter clockwise are of a circle radius 40.00NM centre 122524S 1305423E (DN/DME) – 114513S 1305433E

    Vertical Limits: 5000 - NOTAM

    Hours of Activity: NOTAM

    Administering Authority: FLTCDR 452SQN DARWIN

    M240D

    Creation of an additional airspace boundary at the 40NM DN/DME distance to divide M240D into two portions:

    MXXXE (25-40NM)

    Military Flying/Non-Flying

    Lateral Limits: 120513S 1310935E – 115307S 1311842E then along the clockwise arc of a circle radius 40.00NM centre 122524S 1305423E (DN/DME) – 121423S 1313341E – 121853S 1311903E then along the counter clockwise arc of a circle radius 25.00NM centre 122524S 1305423E (DN/DME) - 120513S 1310935E

    Vertical Limits: 5000 - NOTAM

    Hours of Activity: NOTAM

    Administering Authority: FLTCDR 452SQN DARWIN

    MXXXF (40-80NM)

    Military Flying/Non-Flying

    Lateral Limits: 115307S 1311842E – 112050S 1314257E then along the clockwise arc of a circle radius 80.00NM centre 122524S 1305423E (DN/DME) – 120220S 1321238E - 121423S 1313341E then along the counter clockwise are of a circle radius 40.00NM centre 122524S 1305423E (DN/DME) – 115307S 1311842E Vertical Limits: 5000 - NOTAM

    Hours of Activity: NOTAM

    Administering Authority: FLTCDR 452SQN DARWIN

    M240 Renumbering:

    Because of the above changes to the M240 series, the following volumes will be renamed with no amendments to their dimensions:

    • M240B – ‘MXXXC’
    • M240C – ‘MXXXD’
    • M240E – ‘MXXXG’

    • M240F – ‘MXXXH’

      M240A and M240D Proposal

    Submitted by

    Joint Airspace Control Cell Australian Defence Force
    adf.airspace@defence.gov.au