By
CPL Andrew Hetherington
Volume 48, No. 6, April 20, 2006
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Two
F/A-18 aircraft escort a New Zealand Air Force Boeing 757
above Darwin.
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Photo by LAC Steve Duncan
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TWO
F/A-18s were launched from their home at RAAF Base Tindal on April
6 to intercept and escort a civilian aircraft to RAAF Base Darwin,
after intelligence indicated the aircraft was carrying potentially
dangerous cargo.
The aircraft landed voluntarily, and the cargo – identified
as sensitive radiological material that could be associated with
Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) – was disposed of by the
Army Incident Response Regiment (IRR) and the Australian Radiation
Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA).
This was not a real life incident, but Exercise Pacific Protector
(EX PP06).
The first Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) air interdiction
exercise held in the Asia-Pacific region, EX PP06 brought together
representatives from 32 countries.
Six countries participated in the exercise and 26 others sent
delegates and observers.
The PSI, established in 2003, is an international arrangement
designed to combat illegal trafficking of WMD and related materials.
EX PP06 Director GPCAPT Dean Carr said 20 PSI multilateral training
exercises had been conducted world-wide since September 2003.
“This latest exercise demonstrated how specific actions can
be taken to intercept suspicious cargo but only after careful
consideration of national and international legal authorities.”
GPCAPT Carr said Air Force’s role was significant in running
the exercise.
“The two F/A-18s were from 75SQN and took off from Tindal,”
he said.
“They then flew an interdiction mission to escort the target
aircraft to RAAF Base Darwin.
“Once on the ground the passengers were able to disembark
the aircraft with assistance from other Air Force ground personnel.
Additional Air Force personnel allowed the exercise to run smoothly,
providing assistance in the areas of logistics, traffic control
and security.
“EX PP06 has illustrated how well the ADF can work closely
with Australian Government agencies, such as Customs and AQIS,
as well as representatives from international agencies from the
United States, United Kingdom, Singapore, Japan and New Zealand.”
