Ground control

These air traffic controllers are a ground force to be reckoned with as they take part in a Battlefield Airspace Operations Course. Photo by LAC Kirk Peacock

MEMBERS of No. 44 Wing went bush for the final field phase of the Battlefield Airspace Operations Course (BAOC).

Devised by 44WG, the BAOC takes military air traffic controllers from throughout Australia and trains them in the various aspects of Battlefield Airspace Management, according to course director Squadron Leader Dave Shepherd.

“These people bring with them their core air traffic skills and we get them to adapt those skills into the tactical environment”, SQNLDR Shepherd said.

All are volunteers, as a position on BAOC is eagerly sought after.

The course began with a program of lectures at RAAF Base Darwin, followed by visits and briefings at Defence establishments within the Darwin-Katherine area.

Course participants then received training on specialised communications equipment.

The course culminated with the field phase, where the BAOC students put into practice all that they had learnt about Battlefield Airspace Management, and took part in a Ground Combat Course.

Temperatures climbed to the high 40s which, combined with only a few hours sleep a night, made the course difficult.

“The BAOC is designed to be testing. The students graduate with a good understanding of what to expect when they are deployed out into the field to conduct Battlefield Airspace Management,” SQNLDR Shepherd said. “Traditionally, the BAOC has been conducted within the Hunter Region of NSW, however, at the start of the year it was decided to relocate the course to the NT to expose the course members to the environment in which they would expect to operate.”

The course move followed an invitation from Squadron Leader Steve Laredo, of RAAF Tindal Air Traffic Control, to run the course at the base.

Although the BAOC is new to the area, 44WG has a strong link with the Northern Territory, operating radar sites centred around the Adelaide River area.

Since the advent of the BAOC, the roles for Tactical Air Traffic Controllers have expanded greatly and BAOC graduates are in demand from all three ADF services.

BAOC graduates have served in East Timor, as part of the Army’s Parachute Battalion, within Army Brigade Headquarters, and within Air Force Air Operations Centres. Recently, a team of BAOC graduates has been accepted as ship’s company aboard RAN vessels to support Battlefield Airspace Management within amphibious operations.

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