Image Gallery 2008
18 June 2008
RAAF’s control and reporting centre is ISAF's eyes over Afghanistan
The sky above Afghanistan is not a place for the faint hearted.
A tight airspace is filled with every kind of military aircraft imaginable, all trying to move unrestricted, trying to support operations against Taliban extremists.
The Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF) Control and Reporting Centre (CRC) in Kandahar, is taking responsibility for this monumental task, by managing this busy airspace and providing air battle management tasks over Afghanistan in support of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
The unit running the CRC, which has the distinction of being the only complete RAAF unit on deployment inside Afghanistan, is providing everything from aircraft coordination through to the detection, tracking, identification and reporting of all airborne objects.
They are giving the coalition the clearest picture possible of what is happening in the air at any moment in the war zone, 24 hours a day seven days a week.
Wing Commander Thompson, Commanding Officer of the CRC says the unit, primarily from 41 Wing RAAF Base Williamtown, shouldn’t be confused with air traffic controllers.
“While Air Traffic Controllers abide by stringent rules and regulations to control the movement of aircraft, the CRC conducts Air Battle management which covers the positioning of aircraft for battle, both air to air and air to ground,” she said.
Using the state-of-the-art TPS-77 radar, the RAAF Air Combat Officers (ACO) are demonstrating they are among the most capable airspace managers in the world, dealing with upwards of 12,000 separate aircraft a month.
“What we do is affecting the whole Afghanistan airspace”, the Wing Commander said.
The approximately 75 personnel who make up the unit are immensely proud of the contribution they’re making to ISAF air operations and as an important component of Australia’s contribution to help prevent acts of terrorism around the world.
| 20080614adf8115142_014 Flight Sergent Paul Edwards (37) of Yeppoon, QLD is the Maintenance Manager for all equipment used at the RAAF Control and Reporting Centre (CRC) in Kandahar, Afghanistan. (Date taken: 14 June 2008) Low-Res | Hi-Res |
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| 20080614adf8115142_016 Flight Sergent Paul Edwards (37) of Yeppoon, QLD is the Maintenance Manager for all equipment used at the RAAF Control and Reporting Centre (CRC) in Kandahar, Afghanistan. (Date taken: 14 June 2008) Low-Res | Hi-Res |
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| 20080614adf8115142_020 Australian and US personnel work together to coordinate the busy Afghanistan air battle space from the Operations Cabin at the RAAF Control and Reporting Centre (CRC) in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Corporal Sam Triffitt (27) of Port Maquarie QLD, Lieutenant Colonel Kenny Ford of Dallas, Texas and Flying Officer Jesse Newman (25) of Alice Springs NT, on watch in the Operations Cabin in the CRC. (Date taken: 14 June 2008) Low-Res | Hi-Res |
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| 20080614adf8115142_025 Corporal Sam Triffitt (27) of Port Maquarie NSW keeps the Afghanistan air battle space radar picture up to date from the Operations Cabin. (Date taken: 14 June 2008) Low-Res | Hi-Res |
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| 20080614adf8115142_028 Air Combat Officer Flying Officer Jesse Newman (25) of Alice Springs NT at the RAAF Control and Reporting Centre in Kandahar, Afghanistan. (Date taken: 14 June 2008) Low-Res | Hi-Res |
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