Reconnaissance photographer, CPL Ro Burke, from No. 1 Squadron prepares a film magazine before take off.

Pilots, navigators, fighter controllers and an intelligence officer faced their final showdown late last year in Exercise Aces North.

Based out of RAAF Base Tindal, Aces North is part of the Fighter Combat Instructor (FCI), Fighter Combat Controller (FCC) and Fighter Intelligence Instructor (FII) courses, run approximately every two years.

It is the last assessment phase for the students who have been through an intense six months of training before being awarded their coveted qualifications, and allowed them to perfect their skills as part of a large force deployment against high quality opposition.

Group Captain Bill Johnson, Officer Commanding No. 78 Wing, explained FCI, FCC and FII courses represent the pinnacle of tactical achievement for a fighter operator.

'It is highly demanding for the students both academically and physically and the Air Force and the graduates can be justifiably proud of their achievements,' he said.

An impressive package of aircraft took part in Aces North, including F/A-18 Hornets, F-111s, Forward Air Control PC-9s and a Caribou detachment.

An exercise of this scale depends on the contributions of a wide variety of people and each one of them is essential - from Air Lift Group moving people and equipment interstate, to the ground crews maintaining the squadrons and 322 CSS providing the day-to-day essentials at RAAF Tindal.

The air war
Aces North is not driven by an intelligence scenario, but rather a scripted syllabus of 'rides' each student must pass before moving on to the next phase. Nonetheless, the competition was fierce.

Squadron Leader 'General' Patten, an instructor FCC, explained the students have been working in tandem throughout the course.

'Our aim is to have expert fighter controllers who can direct and manage large packages of aircraft in combat scenarios and then feed that knowledge back in at the unit level,' he said.

F-111 crews coin FCI course
F/A-18 and F-111 crews have traditionally worked closely but for the first time F-111 pilots and navigators graduated from the FCI course.

Squadron Leader Phil Parsons, from No. 1 Squadron said, 'This is a great opportunity to maximise the interoperability of the F-111 and F/A-18 so that we achieve composite air combat power.'

This will be a forerunner of things to come when Hornets and F-111s will come under the banner of Air Combat Group this year.

Ground force
A rapid tempo in the air signified a swift pace on the ground, as jets were refuelled, repairs made and weapons reloaded and, as planned it all came together as aircraft were turned around between sorties.

Squadron Leader Daniel Reid, Senior Engineering Officer No. 2 Operational Conversion Unit, explained, '…without the skills, dedication and sheer hard work of the guys on the ground, the aircrew would never be given the chance to demonstrate their skills in the air'.

Happy endings

After the final debriefs of the exercise and the last grades given out, the news was good - every one of the students had passed and were awarded their patches as the Air Force's newest FCIs, FCCs and FIIs.

By FLTLT Christine Bradley