Australian Defence Force Counter Terrorism Exercise

Posted on | by Caroline Teames
01/05/2016

01/05/2016: The 2nd Commando Regiment conducted a five day counter-terrorism training exercise in Sydney to rehearse the Australian Defence Force’s (ADF) response capability to terrorist threats.

Exercise Mars Olympics saw around 500 ADF members join forces with over 200 NSW Police and other emergency services to resolve a number of scenarios at various locations including Holsworthy Barracks, the Illawarra Regional Airport and civilian infrastructure in Sydney’s west between 30 November – 4 December 2015.

The exercise is an annual event that helps ensure Australia has among the best counter-terrorism response capabilities in the world.

 Credit: Australian Ministry of Defence:12/3/15

 

 

NATO’S Quick Deployable Command Center

Posted on | by Caroline Teames
01/01/2016

01/01/2016: The Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC) is NATO’s quick deployable command centre.

The ARRC is usually based in Gloucester UK, however it is seen deployed in Lielvarde, Latvia on exercise Arrcade Fusion.

Commanded by Lieutenant General Tim Evans, the exercise tests the ARRC’s ability to set up a large headquarters quickly and efficiently, and also to control simulated troop formations in a fictional security or humanitarian crisis.

Credit:Natochannel:11/17/15

Raptors in Crown Royal 16-1 Exercise: Honing Combat Readiness

Posted on | by Caroline Teames
12/31/2015

12/31/2015: According to Senior Airman Solomon Cook from the 325th Fighter Wing Pubkic Affairs in a piece published on 11/10/15:

Tyndall participated in exercise Crown Royal 16-1 Nov. 2 through6 to improve warfighting skills by simulating a deployment of 15 F-22 Raptors.

“The purpose of the exercise was to hone skills and improve processes,” said Frank LaBroad, 325th Fighter Wing exercise plans chief. “Additionally, it validates readiness to provide overwhelming combat power when and wherever it is needed. In this rendition of Crown Royal, aircraft were prepared for deployment; more than 400 personnel accomplished training and medical screening to ensure worldwide qualifications and cargo preparation for shipment.”

An F-22 Raptor taxis on the flight line Nov. 5 in preparation for takeoff during the Crown Royal 16-1 exercise. In this portion of Crown Royal, aircraft were prepared for deployment; more than 400 personnel accomplished training and medical screening to ensure worldwide qualifications and cargo preparation for shipment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Solomon Cook/Released
An F-22 Raptor taxis on the flight line Nov. 5 in preparation for takeoff during the Crown Royal 16-1 exercise. In this portion of Crown Royal, aircraft were prepared for deployment; more than 400 personnel accomplished training and medical screening to ensure worldwide qualifications and cargo preparation for shipment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Solomon Cook/Released

Because of the amount of personnel needed from the wing to prepare the 95th Fighter Squadron aircraft and material for the exercise, Crown Royal 16-1 marked the largest combat deployment exercise ever conducted at Tyndall.

Although exercise operations are complete, the evaluation and review of the exercise is still ongoing.

“The results of the exercise are not in at this time,” LaBroad said. “There are lessons learned and improvements will be made, and they will be tested and validated in future exercises.”

“Tyndall’s Airmen continue to impress, they worked tirelessly to ensure aircraft are the best they can be, personnel are medically qualified, cargo is properly configured for shipment,” LaBroad added. “The importance of conducting exercises is to get the combat power from Tyndall to where it is needed is a perishable skill set.”

At the conclusion of the exercise, 325th FW leadership spoke highly of Tyndall’s performance.

“I am extremely proud of the way the entire team Tyndall and the 325th FW performed during this exercise,” said Col. Joseph D. Kunkel, 325th FW vice wing commander. “We have a lot to be proud of; this is something that is unprecedented in F-22 history. A single squadron being able to generate as many aircraft and get them out the door is something we can really take pride in.”

 http://www.tyndall.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123463154

HMAS Perth Undocking Timelapse

Posted on | by Caroline Teames
12/28/2015

12/28/2015: HMAS PERTH is being undocked following the completion of the docking phase of IMAV 06 at the AMCCUF at Henderson WA.

Whilst docked major maintenance tasks have been conducted on the ships underwater fittings and appendages as well as the ships hull receiving new antifoul coatings.

Production work will continue for several weeks post undocking as the ships crew and contractors set to work the ships systems in preparation for the ship to return to sea.

A team of ANZAC SPO personnel have been working closley with the Ships Crew, contractors from NSM Australia and other key industry players for several months the ensure successful completion of the project.

Credit: Australian Ministry of Defence:11/3/15

The HMAS Perth class is a core asset for the Australian Navy which is enabled by one of the best frigate radars in the world.

According to a story published in the Sydney Morning Herald in 2014:

Most modern radars really do work like the ones in the movies: they spin around, creating the familiar green line moving around a circle like a clock hand in fast-forward.

The problem with such radar for self-defence systems – shooting down incoming missiles – is the system can only check a particular direction every few seconds as the radar swings around.

With the fearsome weaponry carried on modern warships, every second counts in a fight – future sea battles might not last very long.

In the backstreets of Fyshwick, the light-industrial suburb of Canberra reputed for its brothels and adult entertainment shops, an Australian-owned firm has created a technology that is already giving the Royal Australian Navy that few-second edge.

One of the Navy’s Anzac-class frigates, the HMAS Perth, has already been fitted out with the CEA Technologies-built ”phased array radar”, the eyes and ears of the ship’s self-defences.

The HMAS Perth is arguably now the most advanced warship of its kind in the world, able to shoot down incoming missiles skimming the sea surface at supersonic speeds with unrivalled consistency.

With interest now coming from the US, Canada and Spain, among other countries, the radar system could bring Australia more than $1 billion in exports in coming years, the firm says.

Defence Minister David Johnston, an irrepressible enthusiast for the technology, hosted a briefing Thursday night at the Australian Defence Force Academy to plug the system to potential buyers.

It is one of those ideas that sounds obvious in retrospect: phased array panels, arranged hexagonally, watching all directions at once. There is no five-second delay while the radar swings around for a second or third look.

”This is a game-changer. It’s not just world-leading, it’s world-beating,” said RAN Commodore Stuart Mayer, the chief of staff at Navy Headquarters.

 http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/radar-technology-a-potential-export-earner-as-it-gives-navy-a-battle-edge-20140227-33n2j.html

Exercise Predators Run: Australian Army Combined Arms Exercise

Posted on | by Caroline Teames
12/26/2015

12/26/2015: Units of the 1st Brigade conducted combined arms attacks with support from the Royal Australian Air Force during Exercise Predators Run, at the Cultana Training Area in South Australia on Tuesday, 20 October 2015.

Infantry dismounts were coordinated with firepower from M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks, M113 Armoured Personnel Carriers, artillery and mortar support, and Royal Australian Air Force FA-18 Hornets in order to enhance Australian Defence Force members’ warfighting skills within a combined arms environment.

Exercise Predators Run is part of the 1st Brigade’s “Predator” series of exercises, designed to prepare soldiers for operations as the Brigade moves towards the force generation cycle “Ready” phase in 2016.

 Credit Australian Ministry of Defence:11/6/15

 

 

 

 

C-27J Spartan in the RAAF

Posted on | by Caroline Teames
12/22/2015

12/22/2015: Instructors from the RAAF School of Administration and Logistics Training (RAAFSALT) have taken students through the first C-27J Spartan Air Movements Course at RAAF Base Richmond.

The course is intended to provide students with the necessary training to conduct ground loading related functions of the C-27J. In RAAF service, the C-27J will be loaded with cargo and personnel from larger airfields.

The aircraft will then fly these loads to airfields which cannot physically support larger transport aircraft.

Internally, the C-27J can accommodate up to three military pallets containing cargo.

Alternatively, it can be loaded with vehicles such as the G-Wagon or Land Rover 110.

Credit: Australian Ministry of Defence:11/4/15

According to the RAAF:

The C-27J Spartan battlefield air lifter will improve Air Force’s ability to move people, equipment and supplies in Australia and our region. With the capacity to carry significant loads and still land on airstrips that are not suited for the C-130J Hercules, the C-27J Spartan will undertake a range of missions.

The 10 C-27J Spartans will be equipped with missile warning systems, electronic self-protection and battlefield armor allowing them to operate freely in high-threat environments.

The aircraft will be based initially at RAAF Base Richmond when they are delivered in 2015, until facilities at their permanent home at RAAF Base Amberley are completed.

The C-27J complements the capabilities of the current C-130J Hercules and C-17A Globemaster aircraft and uses common C-130J Hercules infrastructure and aircraft systems such as engines, avionics and the cargo handling systems.

The new aircraft will provide battlefield airlift but are also capable of conducting airlift in our region. They can operate from rudimentary airstrips in Australia and overseas and can support humanitarian missions in remote locations.

In our region, the C-27J can access over 1900 airfields compared to around 500 for the C-130 Hercules aircraft. Within Australia, the C-27J can access over 400 airfields compared to around 200 for the C-130J Hercules aircraft. 

The flexibility of the C-27J allows it to undertake a wide range of missions from delivering ammunition to front line troops to undertaking aero-medical evacuation of casualties.

http://www.airforce.gov.au/Technology/Future-Acquisitions/C-27J-Spartan-Battlefield-Airlifter/?RAAF-X+uk8a9VAAM3WxS8ueGxVwnuL3bxuN6b

Long Range Raid Training

Posted on | by Caroline Teames
12/20/2015

12/20/2015: U.S. Marines with Battalion Landing Team 2/1, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), shield a simulated casualty from the debris of a U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey during Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Plams, California, Oct. 30, 2015.

COMPTUEX provides the MEU ARG the opportunity to integrate naval training while also allowing focused, mission-specific training and evaluation for the Marines and their Navy counter parts.

13th Marine Expeditionary Unit:10/30/15

  • In the second photo, U.S. Marines with Battalion Landing Team 2/1, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), return to the USS Boxer after conducting a raid on a simulated hostile village during Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) at sea, Oct. 30, 2015
  • In the third photo, U.S. Marines with Battalion Landing Team 2/1, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), load a Marine Corps CH-53 at the evacuation site of a raid operation during Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Plams, California, Oct. 30, 2015
  • In the fourth photo, U.S. Marines with Battalion Landing Team 2/1, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), talk strategy before conducting a raid on a simulated hostile village in search of high value targets during Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Plams, California, Oct. 30, 2015.
  • In the final photo, U.S. Marines with Battalion Landing Team 2/1, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), move tactically towards enemy targets as they conduct a raid on a simulated hostile village during Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Plams, California, Oct. 30, 2015