Flamethrower
Fire streaks across a midnight sky in the remote South Australian desert as the Army’s anti-aircraft experts put their ultimate weapon to the test. Capt Al Green goes in for a closer look.

16 AD Regt personnel prepare a missile for firing.

Gnr Daniel Griffiths establishes an RBS70 anti aircraft missile post on the range.

Gnr Robert Dawson looks for the target during a tracking run in preparation for firing.

An RBS70 anti-aircraft post opens fire during a night shoot at the Woomera rocket range in South Australia.

The vast emptiness of Woomera’s stony deserts and ancient salt lakes provided an ideal environment for 111 AD Bty to test the accuracy of the RBS70.

The gunners made that environment their own as they tested the weapon system’s capability both day and night in the bitterly cold desert during Exercise Raptors Claw.

It’s the ability to operate with 24-hour capability in extreme environments that Battery Commander Maj Michael Webbe sees as essential to keeping the troops and their equipment relevant to the tasks they train for.

“On ops the threat is constant, and by proving RBS70 as night capable we’re leading the way with this system”, he says.

With only 12 missiles fired by the battery a year, each live missile must count and in this case, despite freezing winds, the accuracy rate was high. While many soldiers may only fire one missile in their career, they are well versed on realistic simulators and thus accurate when it comes to the real thing.”

Accuracy is helped by the fact that striking a target is an integrated team effort, one assisted by the Very Low Level Auto Cuing System. The process begins with a Portable and Target Acquisition Radar with a range out to 23km that gives controllers an air picture to work from. Through a secure digital data link the firer is allocated a target aircraft and a series of tones are used to help guide the firer onto target.

Air Defence units work closely with the other services. 16 AD Regt, of which 111 AD Bty is a part, is currently preparing to operate jointly with the RAAF on Exercise Pitch Black in July.

The unit’s operating environment also includes maritime operations, evidenced during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq where RBS70s provided full time protection to HMAS Kanimbla and Manoora.

Maritime operations also proved the versatility of the weapon detachments. In the lead-up to maritime operations in the gulf, the troops successfully adapted to a rocking platform with a successful live-firing from the deck of the HMAS Kanimbla.

In the Middle East the troops had to be switched on to both airborne and seaborne threats as terrorists had previously used small boats packed with explosives to attack shipping.

The RBS70 packs plenty of punch with a kilogram of HE and 3000 ball bearings. A direct hit and the shaped charge can punch through reinforced steel and, if detonating in proximity, the charge works like a flying claymore – an excellent deterrent to anyone thinking of picking on an otherwise lightly armed ship.

The high tech weapons system needs support, so RAEME techs are never far away. On the shoot at Woomera, checks were carried out to ensure both readiness and field inspection capability. The capability can also be ramped up with the deployment of a Medium Maintenance Shelter fitted to a UniMOG. This offers a clean room, with advanced operations such as the ability to change circuit cards and repair refrigeration systems.

Underlying this high tech environment there is a strong awareness that it’s the soldiers and officers working together as a team that is the key to successful air defence. So from helping each other hump the heavy components up a mountain to identifying, tracking and engaging targets, this group of specialist gunners are providing the Army and Australia big bang for their buck.

RBS70 Very Low Level Air Defence Weapon System
Produced by – Bofors, Sweden. Purpose – 24-hour Ground Based Air Defence (GBAD) coverage. Range – 8km. Missile velocity – MK 2.2 (about 2628km/h). Transport options – Man-packable. Features – Undetectable, unjamable, smokeless, fast – superior to heat-seeking GBAD systems. Training – Firers conduct at least 1200 engagement simulations before live fire.