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Exercise
Overview |
By
Andrew Stackpool and Graham Davis
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Photo
by LACW Jacqui Bull
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Eligibility
criteria now applies to living-in accommodation
arrangements.
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Members
without dependants who are required to live-in
will be given priority over those who choose
to live-in.
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THE
Phantom came first, screeching low across the ocean with its twoman
crew seeking a clear shot which would “take out” one of the warships
weaving below them.
Next, three F5 Freedom Fighters came in for the “kill”, then a
Jaguar. It occurred a few nautical miles off Jervis Bay in the
Eastern Area Exercise Area as part of the annual Exercise Ocean
Protector, conducted from February 1 to 11.
More than 1400 maritime and aviation military personnel from Australia
and New Zealand took part. To make the exercise more intense,
and to create an aura of “goodies and baddies”, the F-111s from
No. 82 Wing were dubbed Phantoms.
The Hawks from No. 78 Wing were named F5 Freedom Fighters and
the Hornets of No. 81 Wing became Jaguars. Also taking part were
B707s from No. 84 Wing and Orions from No. 92 Wing.
Five F-111 pilots and navigators from RAAF Base Amberley plus
some Air Force co-ordinators from RAAF Base Edinburgh spent several
days on HMAS Melbourne.
Air
Component Commander Group Captain Gavin Davies, 82WG OC, said
he decided to redefine aircraft “to introduce some alternative
parameters in the aircraft to better meet the Navy/ air objectives”.
“So, the intellos came up with different types that would provide
different profiles, parameters, weapons and limitations. The choice
of aircraft was incidental, not aimed at any specific threat or
real-world air force. Also, this gave Navy some different threats
to manage and some new problems and considerations for my Air
Force planners. It also assisted in building the graduated complexity
of the exercise,” GPCAPT Davies said.
“I think the aircrews enjoyed the challenge and the change. It
allowed them to do something different, say as a pair of junior
aircrew with a similar profile before stepping up to higher, more
demanding profiles.
“For the strike aircraft, in the early phases we had the more
junior guys leading, but as the packages became larger and more
complex, more senior guys came in with the juniors on the wing.
This provided a springboard for the next maritime strike period
when they will lead.
“This was a clearly defined and graduated work-up period. Overlaid
on this was the opportunity for Air Force to provide a freeplay
element. And that was what 82WG and the [Air Operations Centre]
a t RAAF Base Amberley did in planning the air involvement.
Rather than responding to a series of set-piece events, the AOC
determined what assets, armed with what, were required to achieve
Navy’s tasking, including over-the-horizon targeting.”
GPCAPT Davies said including the AOC in the exercise was important
“as we exercised what we had learned from the Gulf – that was
that the AOC provides a more coherent control for the exercise
when overlaid on the Navy’s demands”.
He said its success showed Amberley was well placed to support
Glenbrook in major operations. The exercise was the lead-in to
Exercise Tasmanex, now on in New Zealand.
76SQN
find it’s easy to simulate
92WG’s decision to
be home a good one
