Man breaks into RAAF Base Darwin and steals vehicle - ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation

The man who allegedly broke into RAAF Base Darwin and stole a car is still on the run. (Flikr: Kenhodge13)

A man allegedly broke into RAAF Base Darwin yesterday, assaulting a defence force member and stealing a car.

The military base went into lockdown following the incident — the second lockdown in as many months.

The alleged offender has not yet been caught and police investigations are continuing.

A man who allegedly unlawfully entered a defence base in the Northern Territory, assaulted a defence force member and stole a car is still on the run from police.

In a statement a defence spokesperson said the incident occurred at RAAF Base Darwin yesterday afternoon and "lockdown procedures and protocols were implemented". 

They said RAAF Darwin security, the Joint Military Police Unit, Northern Territory Police and Australian Federal Police attended the incident.

Northern Territory Police confirmed officers responded to a report of a stolen vehicle in Winnellie about 4:30pm yesterday.

Police said officers pursued the car after it was spotted travelling southbound on the Stuart Highway, but officers eventually lost sight of the vehicle.

Police investigations are continuing.

Police investigations into the incident at RAAF Base Darwin are continuing. (ABC News: Shaun Kingma)

The security breach comes halfway through major upgrades to the base, worth almost $160 million.

In May 2025, a Department of Defence spokesperson wrote in a statement, the improvements were designed to "enhance security, community safety and resilience" by installing a new "high-capacity" main entrance.

"The upgrades will improve the base's ability to support the significant number of personnel, aircraft and support elements that operate from RAAF Base Darwin during major activities and exercises," they said at the time.

Construction is expected to be completed by mid-2027.

The base is undergoing a $160 million upgrade, with enhanced security one of the aims. (ABC News: Michael Donnelly)

This week's incident is the second on the base in recent weeks, with a lockdown triggered by a training exercise early last month.

More than half a dozen military and civilian police cars swarmed the base in Winnellie about 9pm on August 4 following reports of a security incident.

Eyewitnesses said the alarm lasted for about an hour, with the word "lockdown" repeatedly broadcast in an automated message.

In a statement at the time, the Australian Defence Force said the lockdown was the result of "military personnel conducting training with specialist equipment" and it was resolved within half an hour.