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WHAT’S
AFOOT?: CPO Geoff Taff going through a hatch onboard HMAS
Farncomb during Exercise Kadadu 7.
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Photo:
LAC Owen
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Ships,
patrol boats, a submarine and aircraft from six nations are completing
the final phases of Exercise Kakadu 7 off the Top End. A total
of 1700 defence personnel are participating in the maritime exercise
held off Northern Australia in the period July 26 to August 12.
This is the seventh exercise in a series of multi-national exercises
and brings together Defence personnel from Australia, New Zealand,
Singapore, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.
Visiting forces include Indonesian frigate KRI Fatahillah, Malaysian
frigate KD Jebat, Papua New Guinean patrol boats HMPNG Ships Tarangau
and Dreger and the Singaporean corvettes RS Ships Valiant and
Valour, a Singapore Air Force F- 50 and a Royal New Zealand Air
Force P3K Orion maritime patrol aircraft.
Observers from the navies of India, France, the Republic of Korea
and Thailand were also expected to visit during the exercise.
Australia’s commitment to Exercise Kakadu included units from
the RAN and the RAAF.
Participating RAN units included: HMA Ships Adelaide, Ballarat,
Kanimbla, Westralia and Warrnambool, HMA Submarine Farncomb, and
three Seahawk helicopters. Up to 600 air force personnel and up
to six F-111 aircraft turning RAAF Base Scherger near Weipa in
North Queensland from a bare base into a fully functional military
airfield.
Up to eight RAAF F/A18 fighter aircraft operated from RAAF Base
Tindal and up to 10 RAAF Hawk aircraft, and an RAAF AP- 3C Orion
operated from RAAF Base Darwin.
Support was also provided by three Pel-Air aircraft, a Raytheon
support aircraft, Air Target Services, Defence Maritime Services,
HMAS Coonawarra and operations staff from the RAN, RNZN and RAAF.
The new Maritime Commander Australia, RADM Davyd Thomas, officially
opened the exercise on July 26.
