'Wedgetail' mission crew monitor Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft technology during Exercise Armchair Warrior.

WHAT could be considered the first manned mission involving the Air Force's latest Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft, the Boeing 737 "Wedgetail", has taken place as part of Exercise Armchair Warrior.

A group of pilots and AEW&C mission crew from the Canberra-based No. 2 Squadron took part in the exercise, which offered a sneak peek at the new Multi-role Electronically Scanning (MESA) radar - the "Wedgetail's" primary sensor - in action.

The "Wedgetail", to be based at RAAF Base Williamtown, will provide the Australian Defence Force with a significant boost in capability.

The first "Wedgetail", based on a B-737 airframe, is due to roll off the production line at Renton, Seattle, US, in October.

The recent simulated exercise was driven by a tool developed by the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) known as the Wedgetail Capability Modelling Environment (WCME).

Exercise Armchair Warrior displayed a variety of tactical scenarios in the form of friendly, enemy and neutral tracks overlaid on a map of the exercise area.

"Enemy" controllers introduced realistic threats to test AEW&C tactical procedures and operators' decision-making processes.

It was the first time steps had been taken to develop tactics for the aircraft ensuring 2SQN have these procedures in place before the commencement of operations in 2007-2008.

The exercise also gave the proposed Wedgetail mission crew the chance to work together through the three-day exercise, a task they performed effectively and efficiently.

Participants in the exercise said the performance of the WCME tool had exceeded expectations, proving its tactical usefulness and providing operators and developers with ideas on how to improve future exercises.

"We started Exercise Armchair Warrior not knowing what we didn't know about the sensors and mission systems of the 'Wedgetail'," one operator said.

"Now we've seen the system in action, albeit in a simulated sense, we are staring to understand what we don't know."

The exercise also gave 2SQN a better understanding of what needs to be achieved in the years leading up to the delivery and operation of the aircraft.