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Talisman territory
The TS07 adventure wraps up, as FLGOFF Skye Smith reports.
Volume 49, No. 12, July 12, 2007 |
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More than 2000 RAAF members are back home after experiencing three weeks of warfighting action in Australia’s biggest exercise with the US.
Exercise Talisman Saber 2007 (TS07) involved US Air Force, Navy and Marine assets, with some 20,000 US and 7500 ADF personnel participating in training for sea, air and land battles.
The biennial exercise – held out of the Townsville, Rockhampton and Shoalwater Bay training areas – provided the RAAF the opportunity to interact with its US allies and focus on the operational-level planning and conduct of high-end warfighting.
“RAAF Base Townsville’s versatility in supporting a cross section of demanding air movements was demonstrated during Talisman Sabre,” WGCDR Micka Gray, Task Unit Headquarters Deputy Commander for Townsville, said.
Eight F/A-18s from 77SQN and a B707 fuel tanker from 33SQN joined local Caribous from 38SQN for the exercise.
The US Marine Corps VMFA 212SQN flew
F/A-18s and were supported by KC-130 air-to-air refuelling aircraft operating out of Rockhampton.
The USAF 353 Special Operations Group operated specialist transport aircraft, including helicopters, supported by air-to-air refuelling
C-130 and KC-135 tankers.
The exercise aircraft were primarily operating in the over-water airspace to the south-east of Townsville down to the Shoalwater Bay Training Area near Rockhampton. They coordinated with a US Navy aircraft carrier-based force, including F/A-18 E/F aircraft.
The training provided participants with high complexity air combat training opportunities by engaging with allied militaries.
“During the exercise the fighter aircraft took off from Townsville, met an air-to-air refuelling tanker for a top-up, fought through combat air patrols and conducted simulated attacks on enemy ships and ground targets before fighting back out,” 77SQN F/A-18 pilot FLTLT Trent Schurmann said.
A typical Hornet sortie for the exercise took about three hours in the air, combined with about 10 hours of thorough mission planning and debriefing.
“The mission planning was a key part of ensuring the best possible training value was achieved and ensured that the missions were conducted safely,” 77SQN CO WGCDR Tim Churchill said.
The exercise also provided the opportunity to test and train new capabilities, such as the Joint/Combined Training Capability (JCTC).
TS07 is the first major exercise in Australia that linked several training areas into the one scenario using the JCTC capability.
Training activities being conducted in the Northern Territory and in the US were linked via the Internet, with the activities in Shoalwater Bay co-ordinated by the Combined Air Operations Centre in Canberra.
Under JCTC, there was a range of live, virtual and constructed training. Live missions used actual aircrew and aircraft; virtual missions used aircraft cockpit simulators, and constructed missions were created on computer programs and injected into the overall scenario.
Some of the many advantages of JCTC, according to WGCDR Gray, were that less people and aircraft were required to participate in complex activities without the associated risk.
As well as the aircraft operating out of Townsville, there were also a range of aircraft in Rockhampton, Amberley, Brisbane and Williamtown, along with aircraft carriers and soldiers in a variety of locations around Australia. |
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FRAGILE: 2OCU avionics technician CPL Dean Mackay prepares an odour sample of liquid oxygen after replenishing the oxygen vessel at RAAF Base Townsville.
Photo by LACW Melina Mancuso |
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ON COMMS: CPL Aaron Green from 1CCS with the tools of his trade at the Shoalwater Bay Training Area.
Photo by CPL Chris Moore |
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SEE YA: A 38SQN Caribou prepares for take-off at RAAF Base Townsville during TS07.
Photo by LACW Melina Mancuso
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PASTEL POWER: A 77SQN Hornet heads into the sunset to meet up with a B707 for an air-to-air refuelling mission during Exercise Talisman Saber.
Photo by CPL Gary Dixon
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MAPPED OUT: F/A-18 pilots from 77SQN and 2OCU discuss mission planning during Exercise Talisman Saber at RAAF Base Townsville.
Photo by LACW Melina Mancuso
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MOVING ON UP: 321ECSS ground support fitters LAC Matt Wright and CPL Scott Carpenter make their way to check the runway arrestor cable at RAAF Base Townsville.
Photo by LACW Melina Mancuso |
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POWER UP: 33SQN aircraft technician CPL Darren Atkinson operates an aircraft generator for a B707 in preparation for air-to-air refueling missions during the exercise.
Photo by CPL Gary Dixon
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DIFFERENT CUISINE: LCPL Ranganbay from the US Marine Corps and AC Justin Walley from 321ECSS cook up a storm for the troops in the RAAF Base Townsville airmen’s kitchen.
Photo by LACW Melina Mancuso
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DOWN THE AISLE: 33SQN Crew attendant CPL Chantal Reid travels to the back of a B707 aircraft to serve light refreshments before a planned mission to refuel four F/A-18s during the exercise.
Photo by LACW Melina Mancuso
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