Air Force
‘Consilio et manu’
(To advise and to strike)
No. 2 Squadron (SQN) Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF)
was formed on 20 September 1916 as 68SQN (Australian) at Kantara in Egypt
and retitled 2SQN Australian Flying Corps on 26 October 1916. The squadron
has a long and distinguished record of service, and this year marks its
90th anniversary. Dr Sanu Kainikara traces the
history of the squadron and discusses its transition to the cutting edge
technology of the Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) unit
for Project Wedgetail.
2SQN crew after the first bomb mission in Vietnam.
Photo provided by Air Force.
Long and impressive wartime service
From Egypt, the unit moved to the United Kingdom in January 1917 and
deployed to Baizieux in France on 23 September 1917, equipped with DH-5
aircraft. The unit was part of the 13th Army Wing Royal Flying Corps supporting
the British 3rd Army. The first Australian air combat in France occurred
on 2 October 1917 when four aircraft of ‘A’ Flight engaged
a German two-seater over St Quentin with no decisive result. The unit
took part in the battle of Cambrai from 20 November to 7 December 1917
and claimed its first aerial victory on 22 November 1917, when Lt Huxley
shot down an Albatros DV. The squadron was re-equipped with SE-5A fighters
by the end of the year and continued to take part in operations until
the end of the war.
The unit returned to Australia on 1 July 1919, having been disbanded
on 18 June 1919. No 2. SQN was re-formed as a unit of the RAAF at Point
Cook, Victoria, on 10 January 1922 with cadre staff only, but was once
again disbanded on 1 July of the same year because of budget cuts. Thereafter
it was re-formed at Laverton, Victoria, on 3 May 1937 as a General Reconnaissance
Squadron, initially equipped with two Hawker Demon aircraft with the addition
of a few Bulldogs, Ansons and Wirraways later. By the outbreak of World
War II the unit was fully equipped with Ansons and commenced maritime
escort and antisubmarine patrols in Australian coastal waters mainly in
the Bass Strait.
In June 1940 the squadron was reequipped with Hudson aircraft and moved
to Darwin on 6 December 1941, with one flight operating from Penfoei airfield.
No. 2 SQN took part in anti-submarine patrols and attacks on shipping
in December 1941 and January 1942. However, the unit suffered some casualties.
When a number of aircraft were destroyed on the ground by enemy air raids
the unit was withdrawn initially to Darwin. When Darwin itself was attacked,
the unit withdrew further back to Daly Waters in February 1942. Operations
against Japanese shipping and positions were continued throughout 1942.
For its operations around Timor, Ambon and other islands in the Banda
Sea, the unit was awarded the United States (US) Presidential Citation
on the recommendation of General MacArthur on 24 August 1942. Subsequently
the squadron was re-equipped with Beauforts in December 1943 and B-25
Mitchells in May 1944. In August 1944 the unit badge, consisting of a
magpie (Australian Piping Shrike) linked with the Fleur de Lys, and the
motto ‘Consilio et manu’, meaning ‘To advise and to
strike’, was approved.
At the end of World War II, the unit returned to Laverton and was disbanded
on 15 May 1946 after a long and impressive wartime service. On 23 February
1948, 21SQN was reumbered 2SQN, once equipped with Liberator and Dakota
aircraft. Between October 1949 and February 1950 the unit participated
in Operation Cumulative, which was aimed at testing the Royal
Air Force strategic bomber planning for long-range missions. The squadron
also provided support for British atomic tests in Operation Hurricane
(October 1952, Monte Bello Island) and again in Operation Totem
(October 1953, Emu Field).
In January 1954, the unit transitioned to Canberra bombers and moved
to Butterworth in Malaysia in July 1958 as part of the British Commonwealth
Strategic reserve in South-East Asia. It took part in operations in the
Malayan Peninsula from September 1958 to August 1959 (Operation Firedog).
No. 2 SQN was deployed to Phan Rang Air base in South Vietnam in April
1967, undertaking its first operational mission on 23 April 1967. During
the operations in Vietnam, the unit undertook day and night low-level
bombing missions against a wide range of targets, including bunkers, sampans,
bridges and other structures. The last mission was flown on 31 May 1971.
Two aircraft were lost during the operations and several damaged by anti-aircraft
defences. For its role in the Vietnam operations, the unit was awarded
the Royal Vietnamese Navy’s Cross of Gallantry with Palm and the
US Air Force Outstanding Unit Award.
The unit returned to Amberley on 5 June 1971 and was designated with
the role of aerial photography/reconnaissance. It was employed extensively
in aerial survey of Papua New Guinea, Sumatra and Kalimantan, Irian Jaya
and northern Australia from 1973 to 1982—Operations Skai Piksa,
Gading and Cenderawasih. The unit flew the last operational
mission on 26 July 1982 and was deactivated on 31 July 1982 when the Canberra
aircraft were withdrawn from service.
New and essential capability
The squadron was designated as the Airborne Early Warning and Control
(AEW&C) unit for Project Wedgetail and reformed in Williamtown on
18 January 2000.
AEW&C has been used by major air forces around the world for a number
of years and is becoming more widespread, with several smaller air forces
acquiring the capability. Today, AEW&C is widely acknowledged as an
essential force multiplier in modern warfare and contingency operations.
The AEW&C aircraft increases the radar horizon significantly in comparison
with ground-based systems. It can also deploy to the designated area of
operations much faster while retaining the capability to rapidly redeploy
to other areas of interest to cater for changed strategic or tactical
situations. A normal airborne radar can cover a large volume of low-level
airspace and can ‘see’ about 250 km at the surface. The AEW&C
aircraft cruising at an altitude of 10, 000m can maintain surveillance
over a surface area of 400, 000 km at any given time. Over a typical nine-hour
mission the aircraft is capable of covering over 4 million km.
The AEW&C aircraft can also be employed as a mobile communications
relay point, enhancing the ability of widely spread units to communicate
with each other. It is designed to fuse information from many different
sources to form a single picture of the operational situation, and to
then disseminate it at a fast pace to friendly units, greatly enhancing
their ‘situational awareness’.
The Government placed a contract with Boeing in December 2000 for the
development and supply initially of four Boeing 737 AEW&C aircraft,
and exercised the option to purchase an additional two aircraft in May
2004.
The program provides a holistic surveillance, warning and control capability
to the RAAF and consists of five primary segments:
- Airborne Mission Systems
- AEW&C Support Facility
- Operational Mission Simulator
- Operational Flight Trainer
- Mission Support Segment, which also includes Initial Support Period
for operation, maintenance and support plus through-life support and
the building to house the ground segments.
Aircraft and mission systems
The aircraft that will house the AEW&C is the Boeing 737-700 increased
gross weight variant, and will have a flight crew of two, with a maximum
of ten mission crew. The aircraft has a state-ofthe- art flight deck,
avionics and navigation equipment. It also has a flying boom receptacle
and a fixed probe providing dual in-flight refuelling capability. The
aircraft has a maximum take-off weight of 77, 110 kg with a range of 3,800
nautical miles and time on station estimated at nine hours.
The aircraft will be equipped with 10 multi-role/multi-purpose mission
consoles. The computers use advanced signal-processing algorithms to analyse,
categorise and prioritise the available data, which is then presented
to the mission crew on an integrated situation display. The open-system
architecture that is employed creates the opportunity for future upgrades
and extensions when necessary. The systems installed are compatible and
interoperable with the E-3 and 767 Airborne Warning and Control System
(AWACS) aircraft.
The mainstay of the AEW&C is its radar, which currently makes it
one of the most advanced early warning aircraft in the world. The Multi-role
Electronically Scanned Array (MESA) radar is a system that offers several
operating modes and electronic beam steering of the antenna, which replaces
the rotating antenna normally found on AWACS. The antenna is therefore
lighter in comparison, very compact and incorporates a much better aerodynamic
design. MESA provides 360-degree coverage, with a range of over 300 km,
and can track 3000 targets in the air or on the surface simultaneously.
Since the MESA beam is electronically steered, the radar, which operates
in the L band (1 to 2 GHz, wavelength 15–30 cm), is extremely flexible.
It can swivel through 360 degrees in about 10 seconds but also has other
operating modes. It is capable of carrying out a more intensive search
in a 120-degree sector by increasing the energy to that sector by about
30 per cent and increasing the range to around 400 km. The sector can
be further reduced to 60 degrees and the range increased even further.
An integrated identification friend or foe (IFF) system uses the same
aperture as the primary radar and thereby avoids target correlation problems.
The IFF has an operational range exceeding 400 km. The AEW&C aircraft
are also fitted with a comprehensive self-defence system that includes
the Nemesis Directional Infrared Countermeasures system capable of engaging
approaching infra-red missiles. In addition the aircraft has Electronic
Warfare Self-Protection and Electronic Support Measures subsystems.
Enhancing operational capability
The AEW&C being delivered to the RAAF is a completely new system,
far more sophisticated than any in current service or being developed
elsewhere and at least a generation ahead of the antiquated AWACS. It
is full of new cutting-edge technology and therefore carries with it an
inherent developmental risk. This capability is critical to Australia
maintaining its fighting edge in the air. Opting for the additional two
aircraft ensures that the AEW&C will be able to provide sustained
and simultaneous coverage to all operational requirements. The system
will have many roles. It will be the eyes and ears for fighter aircraft
on combat missions, support strike aircraft with information, provide
coverage for naval ships and maritime activities, and support the land
forces as well. While being vital for the defence of Australia, they will
also be a coveted asset when operating in coalition with our allies, providing
the Government with the wherewithal to make high-value, high-visibility
contributions to global coalitions at low risk and low cost.
The process to integrate this new capability into the service and enhance
the Australian Defence Force’s (ADF) operational capability is already
under way. A number of innovative methods to realise the full potential
of the system are currently being implemented. The Defence Science and
Technology Organisation is assisting the Squadron in developing operational
concepts and training methods.
Project Wedgetail will deliver a major new capability for the ADF. This
capability will significantly multiply the effectiveness of our existing
force structure and help Australia maintain a capability edge well into
the future. The AEW&C will truly be the ‘eyes of the nation’.
The motto of 2SQN—To advise and to strike—is truly well founded
in this new capability that the unit will bring to bear in the near future.
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