Light plane makes emergency landing at airforce base

A light aircraft has been forced to make an emergency landing at an airforce base north of Newcastle after experiencing problems with its landing gear.

"A short time ago, the plane performed a wheels-up landing," NSW police said in a statement early on Monday afternoon.

The civilian King Air plane reported in-flight technical issues to air traffic control at the Royal Australian Air Force Base in Williamtown, located next to Newcastle Airport, about 10.40am, police said.

The small plane, which is capable of carrying around a dozen people, had been circling above the airport for more than two hours before making the emergency landing.

The aircraft is listed as being operated by Eastern Air Services and was a short way into its flight to Port Macquarie, about 200km north of Newcastle, when the issue was detected.

The Defence Department said emergency services at RAAF Base Williamtown had been providing support to the aircraft.

Police are due to address media from the RAAF base on Monday afternoon.