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BEST IN THEIR FIELD
and GNR Shannon Joyce
Edition 1171, July 26, 2007 |
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RED CARVING: An aerial view of construction progress on the 16th day of the construction of the airfield.
Pictures: Gnr Shannon Joyce |
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| LANDED: An Australian C-17 taxis down the unsealed Nackeroo airfield towards a turning apron at Bradshaw Field Training Area. |
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| ON A ROLL: US personnel operate three rollers to compact the soil during the Joint Rapid Airfield Construction project. |
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| JOB WELL DONE: Joint Rapid Airfield Construction Taskforce Commander Lt-Col Stuart Yeaman farewells JRAC Deputy Commander Maj Pat Stogner, of the US Army, at the taskforce headquarters. |
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“THE best unsurfaced airfield I’ve ever landed on,” said a US pilot after touching down on Australia’s newest airfield at Bradshaw Field Training Area in the NT.
Nackeroo Airfield was officially opened in a storm of red dust when an Australian and US C-17 landed on the airstrip on June 29.
It took 215 ADF and US engineers less than four weeks to construct the 1.3km-long airfield.
Named after the NT’s famous World War II surveillance soldiers, Nackeroo Airfield provides unloading aprons for two C-17s with a third aircraft on the runway.
CO 6ESR Lt-Col Stuart Yeaman said the venture proved the Joint Rapid Airfield Construction capability.
“The project was finished well ahead of schedule,” Lt-Col Yeaman said.
“The time saved was drawn from some excellent work, both technical and practical, that enabled the construction team to produce a very high quality output very efficiently.”
Beginning on June 3, the project used new technologies, including remote-control plant equipment, such as bulldozers that could be operated up to 300m away; GPS-enabled plant equipment, with an accuracy down to 20mm; deployable communications systems; and an on-site office that coordinated and monitored progress through a computer.
Lt-Col Yeaman said coupling the technology with good leadership and hard work enabled the efficiency of the project.
“The supervisors and young officers were crucial in deploying the right resources to the right locations at the right time,” he said.
“This was very much a team achievement but also built on the back of some very good leadership at the junior level.”
The exercise wasn’t all work and no play, however, with personnel introduced to Australian bush food and survival techniques.
“The US personnel enjoyed an opportunity to experience life in the outback and time with the indigenous community,” Lt-Col Yeaman said.
“Their exposure to bush-tucker included boab nuts, wallaby tail, crocodile and barramundi. It was a good chance to see something different and nobody went away hungry.”
At its opening, CAF Air Marshal Geoff Shepherd said the airfield was an example of the type of construction that engineers would need to undertake to expand a forward base for strategic or heavy lift air transport.
“The ADF is still developing Bradshaw Field Training Area, and an airstrip which can accommodate Australia’s newly acquired C-17s is a major boost for the facilities here,” Air-Mshl Shepherd said.
“The airfield has now been certified and will be available for future training activities and exercises involving Australian personnel.”
The Deputy Commander of the JRAC taskforce, US Maj Patrick Stogner, said the US engineers were impressed with our Army and Air Force engineers.
“The JRAC mission included six different services from two nations constructing an airfield in an extremely remote location, using new technologies that have never been used before on a project of this scale, under a very tight timeline,” Maj Stogner said.
“Not to mention that we experienced several days of rain during the project. It truly was a team effort that defined our success.” |
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