By
FLTLT Keith Evans
 |
|
High-speed
cine footage is taken of an F-111 during Miniature Munitions
Technology Phase Two trials.
|
|
Photo
by CPL Pete Gammie
|
 |
|
AC
Owen Geddes from No. 381 Expeditionary Combat Support Squadron,
does a daily service on the BAK-12 Airfield Arrester System
at the Woomera base activation trials.
|
|
Photo
by LAC Michael Lucas
|
AFTER
almost two years absence, the skies of Woomera came alive to the
sound of fast jets as the Aerospace Operational Support Group
(AOSG) resumed air operations in the Woomera Prohibited Area.
Involving an F/A-18 and F-111, AOSG conducted testing activities
in support of the Joint Direct Attack Munition- Extended Range
(JDAM-ER) and Miniature Munitions Technology Phase Two trials.
The JDAM-ER is a guided munition based upon the Mk 82 500lb General
Purpose bomb, fitted with the Boeing GBU-38 JDAM global positioning
system-aided tail kit and the Defence Science and Technologydeveloped
Kerkanya wing kit.
The tests conducted on the Woomera Test Range were part of Project
Air 5425, a Concept Technology Demonstrator project involving
the Air Force, Boeing and Hawker de Havilland.
The tests were conducted to demonstrate integration with the F/A-18
and range and accuracy capabilities of the new JDAM-ER.
In addition, AOSG, and the US Air Force Research Laboratories
conducted flight testing of the inert miniature munitions Powered
Low Cost Autonomous Attack System (PLOCAAS) subpack prototype
and the Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile instrumented store.
The purpose of the tests was to gather carriage and separation
data of stores from an aircraft’s weapons bay.
The PLOCAAS subpack stores are part of a family of miniature munitions
designed to be carried in future shallow internal weapons bays
such as the Joint Strike Fighter.
The USAF does not have an available platform capable of supersonic
release of weapons from an internal weapons bay, but our F-111s
retain this capability.
The deployment was codenamed X-Wing Delta 04-1 (“X” denoting the
experimental nature of the activity and “Delta” to link the flight testing activities to ARDU’s famous 60-year-old “delta”-style
unit patch).
The three-week deployment, which began in mid-June, involved more
than 120 personnel and six different aircraft platforms.
More than 60 sorties were flown either as part of the trials
or in support of the two major activities. Of particular note
was the reactivation of the Woomera Test Range, which includes
the recently upgraded Range Control Centre and the Woomera Airfield Base.
“This deployment was a big activity for AOSG, and the growing
use of the AOSG Woomera airbase, instrumented range facilities
and the general range capabilities as a specialist Defence trials
and training area is opening an exciting new chapter in the future
of the AOSG Woomera Test Range,” Detachment Commander Squadron
Leader Lindsay Campbell said.
In line with the evolving Joint Forces Air Component Command air
operations systems, deployment airops were effectively managed
in the field using reach-back airops command and control to ARDU
airops at Edinburgh, further proving and enhancing the operational
effectiveness of conducting operations out of Woomera.
Support for the deployment included air traffic services from
No. 44 Wing Detachment Edinburgh, health support from Area Health
Service – South Australia, runway barrier support from No. 381
Expeditionary Combat Support Squadron and SECPOL support from
CSU-EDN.
An ARDU UH-1H Iroquois provided search and recue operational support.
“Despite the large number of differing entities, all elements
worked extremely well together throughout the entire deployment,
showcasing the ‘one team’ approach within Defence,” SQNLDR Campbell
said.
Analysis and reporting of the information from the trials is under
way.
