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| Days of thunder By Mark Tanzer Edition 4908, 17 May, 2007 |
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By day and night, the squadron operated 10 F/A-18s from RAAF Base Townsville. The busy three weeks of operations from mid-April to early May involved 3SQN supporting the Army’s Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) course, as well as conduct training to qualify a number of pilots in advanced strike. But night flying was the main aim of the exercise, honing NVG (night vision goggles) skills and familiarising pilots with delivering high explosive (HE) onto targets at night in often challenging terrain. 3SQN CO WGCDR Joe Iervasi said the Townsville Field Training Area (High Range), west of the base, was an ideal range for the exercise. “Because of its mountainous terrain, High Range is really good from a tactical perspective,” WGCDR Iervasi said. “It’s important that we have that in our training to maintain skills that are crucial to the way we need to operate.” He said the 150-strong exercise contingent enjoyed being at Townsville, and appreciated the support received from the base and local community. “On Anzac Day, we had a contingent march in the town of Ingham, and they had a great time. The squadron also had an aircraft perform a fly-past over both the Townsville and Ingham Anzac Day marches,” WGCDR Iervasi said. He said the squadron deployed technicians to cover the various trades, including armament, avionics, aircraft structural fitters, logistics and supply, aircraft life support fitters, as well as engineers, administration and air defence officers. “The exercise presented an opportunity to conduct a physical deployment of the squadron to a remote and less familiar locality to practise high explosive operations in a dispersed arrangement,” WGCDR Iervasi said. “Not only do the crews experience an increased operational tempo, they operate in a potentially hazardous environment with HE munitions on a far greater scale than in their parent location of Williamtown. “Much greater precaution has to be taken in approaching work around aircraft and the general environment when HE is involved. “3SQN was also operating alongside FACDU and the SASR for the purpose of providing close air support for the JTAC course,” he said. “This was a prerequisite course for the forward observers going into theatres of operation, such as Afghanistan. “It provided the participants with real-time attack mechanisms of fighter aircraft and artillery attacking designated targets. “It also provided the squadron a sense of achievement and contribution to the overall scope of ADF operations.” NVG operations were generally done four to five times a year for two weeks each time. “High explosive operations are conducted at Arhnem Thunder-type exercises which we attempt to conduct on a twice yearly basis,” WGCDR Iervasi said. |
