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New officers come through
By FLTLT Amanda Bentham
25 June 2009
THE morning of June 5 was a proud day at RAAF Base East Sale when 43 junior officers graduated from their 16-week Initial Officer Course (IOC 02/09). Forty-eight newly appointed junior officers started the course on February 16. Their number included three senior airmen who had decided to start a new career in the commissioned ranks. Two students from opposite ends of the age spectrum were FLGOFF Clare Backwell and CHAP Dean Quilty, with almost 30 years separating their birth dates. FLGOFF Backwell, the youngest member, transferred from the Army to the Air Force after graduating from ADFA, and CHAP Quilty, the oldest, arrived with extensive experience as a minister from Canada.
FLGOFF Backwell will now train as a logistics officer. She said she joined the military because she saw it as an interesting career that would enable her to gain valuable experiences and skills through the changing nature of service in the ADF. CHAP Quilty is posted to the Combat Support Unit at East Sale as the base chaplain. He said that in this role, he looked forward to being able to assist in the mentoring and provision of support to future junior officers under training only months after having undergone similar experiences himself.
Air Force News website
41 Wing Leaves Giant Footprint
11 June 2009
By LAC Aaron Curran
THE Control and Reporting Centre (CRC) in Afghanistan is a shining example
of a unit deployment to an operational area successful in more ways than one.
Comprised of only 70 Air Force personnel and based at Kandahar Airfield, the CRC
took over tactical command and control of the air in southern Afghanistan from the US Air Force in August 2007.
The people who have deployed to the CRC have been part of a unique Air Force unit
– 41WG – the only unit deployed as a whole to Afghanistan.
Small in number, the footprint they have left with the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is considerable. Their professionalism, dedication and work ethic has impressed their ISAF allies. Apart from the outstanding work they have done over the past two years, the striking thing about this unit is it cohesiveness
and the close working relationship among its members.
CO WGCDR Nathan Christie noted that morale at the CRC was an outstanding
feature. “I have been impressed with the cohesiveness and attitude of the team here,” he said. “Just to see and feel how close-knit a unit we are, especially being from disparate parts of the Air Force, has impressed me. “You don’t see any ‘us-and-them’ here – we work together to achieve the mission and I am not just saying that, it has been amazing.” The CRC is made up of personnel not
only from 41WG, but also from the wider Air Force and is based at Camp Palomino,
isolated by the runway from the bustling main camp at Kandahar.
“We are reasonably self-contained as a unit, as the main camp is about 6km away,”
WGCDR Christie said. However, some members of the CRC note the isolation as a positive force for unit cohesion.
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Aero-medical evacuation testing on Hercules
The
airworthiness of new aero-medical evacuation (AME) equipment is being
trialled and tested at RAAF Base Richmond on No. 37 Squadron C-130
Hercules. Testing agencies include Air Lift Systems Program Office and
Health Services Wing, and the trials will deliver AME methods which
provide high quality care while still allowing the aircraft to be flown
safely.
More at the Defence website.
Control and Reporting Centre in Afghanistan: Ops room
Air Combat Officers operate out of the Control and Reporting Centre (CRC) at Camp Palomino, Kandahar Airfield.
More at the Defence website.
No 38 SQN King Air on the production line
27 May 2009
Faster, more reliable and more cost-effective transport will be ushered in at Number 38 Squadron (38SQN), when the unit takes delivery of eight Hawker Beechcraft King Air 350 aircraft over the coming year.
Bringing an end to the de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou’s outstanding 45 years of service to the Royal Australian Air Force, the interim King Air project also represents the end of a small but important chapter in Army’s history, with the cessation of all Army fixed-wing aircraft operations after more than four decades of continuous service.
Wing Commander Stewart Dowrie, leader of the Air Lift Group King Air Transition Team, said the three King Air 350s currently flying with Army would be transferred to 38SQN in November 2009.
“We have a real advantage in this transition because Army’s 173 Surveillance Squadron has developed a mature and highly effective capability that we can use as the nucleus of the new 38SQN,” Wing Commander Dowrie said.
“Another five brand new aircraft will then be brought in to 38SQN in the first half of 2010 to round out a fleet of eight aircraft.
“The first of these new aircraft, to be assigned the Australian Defence Force (ADF) serial number of A32-651, is currently on the Hawker Beechcraft production line in Wichita, Kansas.”
The King Air 350 will redefine how 38SQN does business, and increase the range of options for the delivery of Air Lift Group’s customers to their destinations.
“While it won’t be able to land on the types of very short airfields the Caribou has become famous for, the King Air will offer a new range of opportunities to the ADF.
“The King Air is more than twice as fast and is capable of flying more than double the range of the Caribou.
“It also has a pressurised cabin, which allows it to cruise at altitudes of up to 35,000 feet.
“Moving people across vast distances such as northern Australia and throughout Southeast Asia and the South Pacific is exactly what the aircraft is designed for,” he said.
The change in airframes at 38SQN will be managed by the Air Lift Group B300 Transition Team, working closely with Defence Materiel Organisation’s Training Aircraft Systems Project Office (TASPO), which already manages ADF King Air contracts with Hawker Pacific Australia.
Read more on the Defence website
Making light work of a big job
By FLTLT Jaimie Abbott
IS THERE anything a C-17 can’t move? The mighty aircraft has again proved its logistical worth by transporting a Tactical Air Defence Radar System (TADRS) from RAAF Base Darwin to RAAF Base Williamtown. It took two C-17 trips to transfer all the equipment from Australia’s Top End to the Hunter, but it was certainly faster than the usual journey by road. The 41WG-operated radar system is one of the core sensors used for air-battle management.
Controllers use the equipment to help provide a three-dimensional air picture to in war environments and exercises. 41WG has four of the radar systems – two at Williamtown, one in Afghanistan and the other at Bathurst Island. Maintenance officer FLGOFF Brendan O’Sullivan, 3 Control and Reporting Unit (3CRU), said the system was put to good use during its time in Darwin, featuring in Exercises Pitch Black and Aces North. It’s no easy task transporting a system so large via an Australian military aircraft, and 3CRU’s SGT Jason Roberts was part of the team that ensured the pieces of the jigsaw fitted together.
“It’s not a case of just throwing the radar on to the C-17,” SGT Roberts said. “We have to assess the size and weight to determine the best way to restrain it.” A giant crane awaited the equipment when it returned to Williamtown and it took a team of 10 to move it to Duckhole Hill, 2km north of the base. OC 41WG GPCAPT Daryl Hunter said this was the first time the radar had been transported using the Air Force’s own heavy-lift capability.
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Herc rescue mission
By FLGOFF Eamon Hamilton
CREWS from 37SQN flew through tough conditions to assist the rescue of two yachtsmen from the Tasman Sea on May 21. Using night-vision goggles, the crew of the C-130H was instrumental in marking the position and providing on-scene command and control for the crew members of the 53-foot sloop Sumatra.
This was despite six-metre swells and poor weather conditions, with broken cloud down to 1000 feet. The Sumatra had begun taking water and sinking early that morning, 320 nautical miles east of Brisbane.
Initial assistance was rendered by an Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) Dornier 328. But strong sea swells hampered attempts by the Dornier to drop a water pump tob the yacht. Arriving on scene at 1630hrs, the Hercules crew had good communication with the yacht.
With the 37SQN crew watching diligently above, it was a long two hours as the Merchant Vessel Scarlett Lucy battled through sea swells to get to the Sumatra.
The yachtsmen – both aged in their 70s – boarded a dinghy for the rescue. One member fell out of the dinghy, however, and spent 45 minutes in the swell before he too was rescued.
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RAAF support for international exercise in Malaysia
Royal Australian Air Force personnel and aircraft have arrived in Malaysia to participate in Exercise Bersama Shield 2009.
The exercise aims to practice the interoperability of air, ground and naval forces under the auspices of the Five Power Defence Arrangements – involving Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, United Kingdom and New Zealand.
Eight F/A-18 Hornet strike fighter aircraft from 75 Squadron at RAAF Base Tindal and approximately 50 personnel will work from the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) Base Butterworth for the duration of the exercise.
An Adelaide-based Air Force AP-3C Orion crew has deployed from RAAF Edinburgh to participate in the exercise. The Orion will be used for surveillance, anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare and strike direction.
Bersama Shield 2009 is being conducted over Peninsula Malaysia and South China Sea until the 29th May.
AP-3C Orion Detachment Commander, Squadron Leader Baz Laing said that the AP-3C Orion is arguably the world’s most capable maritime patrol aircraft.
“Exercise Bersama Shield 09 is an excellent opportunity to develop and confirm our traditional maritime high-end war fighting skills, whilst practicing our interoperability with four other nations,” Squadron Leader Laing said.
F/A-18 Detachment Commander, Wing Commander Robert Chipman said exercises such as Bersama Shield provide excellent training opportunities.
“It allows the Royal Australian Air Force to test and practice deployment capabilities so that it can operate away from its home base,” said Wing Commander Chipman.
A RAAF C-17A Globemaster provided strategic airlift, transporting Air Force personnel and equipment to Malaysia.
Media contact: Defence Media Liaison: 02 6265 3343 or 0408 498 664
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New era has begun
12 May 2009
Prime Minister Rudd promises a more powerful Defence Force
By Michael Brooke
THE FUTURE ADF will be better equipped, fully networked and better positioned to meet Australia’s air power requirements as a result of the 2009 Defence White Paper. Titled ‘Defending Australia in the Asia Pacific Century: Force 2030’, the White Paper was launched by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon on board HMAS Stuart at Fleet Base East in Sydney on May 2.
Defence Science and Personnel Minister Warren Snowdon, Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Support Dr Mike Kelly, CDF ACM Angus Houston, CN VADM Russ Crane, CA LTGEN Ken Gillespie and CAF AIRMSHL Mark Binskin attended the launch. Mr Rudd said it was the first Defence White Paper specifically prepared to meet the challenges to Australia’s defence and security in the 21st century and confirmed the Government’s commitment to the defence of Australia and the security and stability of the region. It represents more than 14 months of hard work and the complete re-examination of Defence strategy, capabilities, business processes and resources. “The White Paper explains how the Government plans to strengthen the foundations of Australia’s defence and also provides an indication of the level of resources required over the coming years,” Mr Rudd said. “It also notes the increasing uncertainty of the strategic environment, and better positions Defence to respond to the broad range of possible conflicts and contingencies likely to impact upon Australia’s future security.”
It provided a clear view of how much strategic risk Australia was prepared to bear, and how much military power we should seek to develop. “The more Australia aspires to have greater strategic influence beyond our immediate neighbourhood – that is to say the ability to exert policy influence that is underpinned by military power – the greater the level of spending on Defence we need to be prepared to undertake,” he said. “If we want to back up strategic influence with military power, we have to be prepared to invest the resources required, and to be content that the security benefits outweigh those costs.” In terms of military power, the Defence policy meant that Australia had the capacity to act independently where we had unique strategic interests at stake, lead military coalitions where we had shared interests at stake, and to make tailored contributions to military coalitions where we shared a wider strategic interest with others. As a result, the ADF of the future will be a more potent force, particularly in the key areas of undersea and antisubmarine warfare, surface naval warfare, air superiority, strategic strike, special forces, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and cyber defence.
The Government also plans to invest about $30 billion over the next decade to remediate the shortfalls and underinvestment in the Defence Budget. Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon said in order to adjust Australia’s view of challenges in the future, the Government intends to prepare a new Defence White Paper every five years. “This five yearly White Paper development process will be the centrepiece of the Government’s new strategic riskbased approach to defence planning,” Mr Fitzgibbon said.
