junglies in jordan

Transcription

junglies in jordan

P
E
S
I SA S E
L
T
E
UAKE
Y
1
,
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2
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4 P
1 CO
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THE JHC DELIVERING JOINT SUCCESS ON OPER ATIONS
JUNGLIES
IN JORDAN
TRAINING FOR WAR
JUNGLIE
STYLE
16 AIR ASSAULT BRIGADE
NEARLY TWO YEARS HAS PASSED SINCE THEIR LAST EXPERIENCE
OF FLYING IN DEMANDING DESERT CONDITIONS
MAKE THE
MOST OF
STANTA
EXERCISE
ACTIVE
EAGLE
MERLIN…
A DECADE
IN THE SKIES
PUTS PARAS PUT
THROUGH THEIR PACES
THE FIRST MERLIN HELICOPTERS WERE DELIVERED IN 2001
J O U R N A L
O F
T H E
J O I N T
H E L I CO P T E R
CO M M A N D
Issue 1, 2014
42
20
15
6
34
OPERATIONS
Merlin a Decade in the Skies ...................... 6
845 NAS and 659 Sqn AAC on
Op Patwin, a Truly Joint Effort… ................... 8
TSW Keeping the Military Airborne .......... 9
Army Air Corps (AAC) Fixed Wing (FW)
Manned Airborne Surveillance (MAS) .........10
TRAINING
2 PARA Train with CHF ............................. 14
Junglies in Jordan ..................................... 15
European Helicopter Tactics
Instructors Course ............................................ 18
16 Air Assault Brigade Make
the Most of STANTA ................................. 20
PARAs Take on Gruelling Army Test ........ 24
Joint Helicopter Operations on Cougar 13 ....25
4 LZDZMAGAZINE | ISSUE 1, 2014
Exercise Active Eagle puts PARAs
Through Their Paces ..................................... 26
PARAs Dropped on Target by RAF .............. 28
The Future Looks Good for the CHF ........... 30
HERITAGE
RAF Odiham The Royal Review ..................... 37
Inchanadamph Memorial ................................. 38
Remembrance Sunday 2013 .......................... 39
PEOPLE
New Commanding Officer
for Wildcat Squadron .................................... 29
King of the Junglies Immortalised on Canvas ....31
RNAS Mounts Engagement
Event with Horse-Riders ................................ 32
Crewman Flies for an Accumulated
Total of Seven Months .................................. 33
Training for War Junglie Style ...................... 34
Army’s Airborne Sappers
Restructure for the Future ............................ 35
The Final Helicopter Flight from Germany ...... 36
EQUIPMENT
Chinook Mk4 Media launch ........................... 42
HONOURS & AWARDS
848 NAS Win Breitling Trophy ...................... 43
More than 50 Medals Presented ........................44
Operational Honours List 41 .................................45
SPORT & CHARITY
FAA Gallop to Victory
Over the RAF .................................................. 46
On Yer Bike Jack ............................................ 46
THE JHC DELIVERING JOINT SUCCESS ON OPERATIONS
EDITORIAL
Editor: Sqn Ldr Tom Draper
E: JHC-RPS-Media-SO2@mod.uk
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SALES
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Designer: Chris Keller
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EDITORIAL SUBMISSION DATE:
Thursday 20th March 2014
Please submit all entries for the next issue
by no later than the date stated above.
COVER CREDIT
© MoD Crown Copyright
MESSAGE FROM
THE COMMANDER
Welcome to the first
edition of LZDZ in 2014.
A
s I write, JHC is helping our
civil authorities with flood
relief. We have deployed
flying and ground units
as part of a broader MOD effort, and
our tasks include aerial surveys and
helping communities try to manage
the effect of the water on their homes
and businesses. But while busy here
at home, JHC has been just as active
overseas too. The immense impact
of Cyclone HAIYAN in the Philippines
needed an immediate international
response. JHC’s share of the UK effort
involved the tasking of 845 NAS, 659
Sqn AAC and the Joint Helicopter
Support Sqn from HMS ILLUSTRIOUS.
Our highly successful relief effort
began as soon as the ship had
repositioned at full speed from an earlier
major exercise in the Indian Ocean.
That we were able to plan and execute
2 such diverse missions, both at nonotice and nearly 7,000 miles apart,
speaks volumes for the flexibility, spirit
and value of the units of the Royal Navy,
Army and Royal Air Force that make
up this Joint command. And in paying
tribute to the enormous effort we are still
making on operations in Afghanistan,
I am proud of how well our Civil
Service and military community in JHC is
continuing to rise to every new challenge.
I hand over command of the JHC
to Maj Gen Richard Felton on 28th
March. I wish him, and each of you,
every success for the future.
AVM Carl Dixon, Comd JHC
DISCLAIMER This publication is copyright Lance Publishing Limited and may not be reproduced or transmitted in
any form in whole or in part without prior written permission of Lance Publishing Limited. While every care has been
taken during the preparation of this magazine, Lance Publishing Limited cannot be held responsible for accuracy of
the information herein or for any consequence arising from it. Views Expressed in this publication are not necessarily
those of the Royal Air Force or the Ministry of Defence. All images © Crown Copyright unless otherwise stated.
VISIT: WWW.LZDZONLINE.CO.UK
ISSUE 1, 2014 | LZDZMAGAZINE 5
Operations
ME R L IN
A DECADE IN THE SKIES
With the first Merlin helicopters being delivered in 2001, the
Merlin Force spent the next two years training relentlessly to
operate the technologically sophisticated aircraft.
O
n 31st March 2003 they
achieved IOC and a day
later they deployed to
Bosnia in support of Op
OCULUS: the start of the Merlin Force’s
enduring commitment to operations
that has lasted for over ten years.
The Merlin deployed to Bosnia in support
of the UK’s continuing commitment to
Peace Support Operations in the Balkans
Region as part of the Stabilisation Force.
The SFOR logo was painted to the side of
the aircraft and, from its base at the Banja
Luka Metal Factory, the Merlin immediately
set to work providing aviation support in the
form of moving troops and supplies by air.
This routine support helicopter tasking
was supplemented by more interesting
tasks such as those of 24th April 2003,
which saw multiple flights to downtown
Sarajevo, the former Yugoslavian
capital, to transport air conditioning
units from Sarajevo Airport to the roof
of the 21-floor UNIS Twin Towers. As
time passed it was clear that the Merlin
was proving to be a highly dependable
and capable asset, taking on more
sophisticated night tasking and the
casualty and medical evacuation role.
After returning from Bosnia in late 2004,
the Merlin Force retrained and redeployed
in March 2005, this time to Iraq in support
of Op TELIC. Self-ferrying the 4,500 mile
journey in just four days, the Merlin Force
was capable of undertaking in-theatre
training and limited operational tasking
within a day of arrival! In its first month in
Iraq, the Merlin Force had flown over 300
hours, which saw the achievement of FOC
ahead of schedule. Quickly proving a key
asset for Land Forces, the Merlin Force
maintained aircraft and crews at high
readiness to support operations by day and
night, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Its numerous roles included the lifesaving Incident Response Team that often
deployed to the middle of a fire-fight to
extract injured personnel and civilians.
These unprecedented acts of bravery
earned two aircraft captains the DFC: Flt
Lts Michelle Goodman and Kevin Harris.
Following a return from operations in
Iraq in late summer 2009, the Merlin Force
quickly re-equipped and crews retrained
to deploy to Afghanistan in support of Op
HERRICK. The impressively swift turnaround
of aircraft and crews was largely thanks to
the excellent training undertaken during Ex
MERLIN VORTEX in the Californian desert.
This saw crews obtain all the necessary
environmental qualifications and experience
to allow them to deploy with confidence
to Afghanistan, where IOC was achieved
almost a month ahead of schedule.
Throughout the past ten years, the
Merlin has assisted in providing the
backbone of support to operations
and played a hugely significant
part in ensuring mission success.
Gp Capt Colman
Delivering a high readiness capability
on 30 minutes notice to move meant that
the Merlin Force covered all manner of
short notice reactive tasking. The standard
troop and supply movements remained but
were complemented with rapid casualty
evacuation and becoming the platform of
choice for the Counter Improvised Explosive
Device Team - once again delivering life
saving helicopter support to Land Forces.
Flying over 18,000 hours in the dust and
heat of Helmand, the Merlin Force flew its final
sortie at the end of May 2013, having moved
over 7,900 tonnes of kit and transported over
130,000 troops. After a recovery operation, the
Force has now all returned home to RAF Benson
where it is busy training Royal Navy crews in the
operation of the Merlin aircraft in preparation
for its transition to a maritime role in 2016.
The Merlin Fce Comd, Gp Capt Nigel
Colman, has a wealth of experience of
support helicopter operations and led the
Merlin Force to Afghanistan as the OC
78 Sqn. Having deployed on operations
in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Iraq and
Afghanistan, Gp Capt Colman is only too
aware of the significance of the Force’s
achievements over the past ten years.
He said: “Throughout the past ten years,
the Merlin has assisted in providing the
backbone of support to operations and
played a hugely significant part in ensuring
mission success. The Force’s contribution
to life saving, force protection, deliberate
operations and enabling the dispersal
of people and equipment has been
simply outstanding. The professionalism,
dedication and sheer bravery of the
Merlin Force’s aircrew and engineers
has been of the very highest order and
this marks the end of a truly exceptional
decade-long contribution to operations in
support of Defence’s commitments.”
Operations
845 NAS AND 659 SQN AAC ON OP PATWIN
A TRULY JOINT EFF
WRITTEN BY: LT TOM MORRIS 845 NAS
As images of the devastation
wrought by typhoon Haiyan
flashed across the television
screen of the Wardroom on
board HMS ILLUSTRIOUS,
the sense of shock at the
suffering inflicted was
palpable. Yet there was also a
sense of foreboding amongst
the Joint Helicopter Force
(Contingency) (JHF(C));
perhaps there would be more
to the end of our COUGAR
13 deployment than just the
cruise back through the Med
and the continental landaway that had been planned.
E
lements of 845 NAS and 659
Sqn AAC have been embarked
for the four month duration
of COUGAR 13 as JHF(C).
The Task Group had been conducting
counter-piracy operations off the coast
of Africa, but with news of the storm
ravaged Philippines, Lusty was re-tasked
to provide Humanitarian Aid and Disaster
Response under the guise of Op PATWIN.
As Lusty, steamed rapidly East, sailing
across six time zones in as many days, aircrew
and deck teams prepared for the tasking
they were about to face. Crews honed the
art of lifting underslung loads (USLs) from
the deck, an indispensable part of the aid
effort that was to come, and conducted briefs
on the prevalent environmental conditions.
ngineers fervently toiled on the aircraft day
and night to ensure the three Sea King Mk4s
and three Lynx Mk7s would have the best
chance of remaining serviceable for the 16
days Lusty had been committed to PATWIN
(with the possibility of being extended).
On 25th Nov, after a colossal onload of
aid stores in Singapore, Lusty arrived on
station off the Island of Panay to take over
from HMS DARING. The first activity was
to understand the situation on the ground
and make an assessment as to where
the aid could be best utilised. The area
of destruction left in the wake of Haiyan
was so extensive the six helicopters of
JHF(C) together with a Royal Navy Merlin
needed to be carefully managed in order
to maximise our effect and target those
communities that needed help the most.
To that end the aircraft took to the
skies to reconnoitre the area. Capt Dave
Macklin of 659 Sqn AAC said: “Initially it
was difficult to know where to start as there
was such a widespread area and hundreds
of tiny isolated island communities that
had been affected. However, utilising the
expertise of personnel from the Department
for International Development (DFID), we
were able to highlight areas we felt might
benefit most from the aid we could bring.”
The next step was to put assessment teams
ashore to engage with the local population,
decide how best we could assist, targeting
the type of aid delivery, be that food supplies,
reconstruction materials, or shelter, and
then undertake any preparations required to
enable the delivery of supplies. Instrumental
in this process was the expertise of Mobile
Air Operations Teams (MAOT) from CHF and
the RAF. They quickly proved to be adept at
operating in devastated communities, ensuring
small confined areas were prepped to receive
USLs from a multitude of aircraft types, including
US Navy V-22 Osprey. Primarily this meant
finding landing sites where rotor downwash
would not create further damage on the
fragile wooden huts predominant in the island
settlements, as well as clearing areas of debris
leftover from the typhoon. Lt Jon Ford said of
his experience on the ground: “The welcome we
got when we first landed was amazing. It’s really
satisfying to be able to assist a group of people
who have suffered so much and support them in
rebuilding their lives. It’s a completely different
environment from anything I’ve ever worked
in before, but building on the fundamentals
learned on previous operations we were able
to ensure a large amount of aid was safely
delivered into some very challenging locations.”
Once the situation on the ground was
better understood, the considerable task
of moving all the aid ashore began. Loads
were rigged on the flight deck and teams
constructed dependant on need: these included
FORT…
reconstruction and distribution teams made
up of ships company, Royal Marines, Army
engineers and DFID staff as well as specialist
UK medical teams. The Sea King, Lynx and
Merlin aircraft worked untiringly from dawn
until dusk amid 40 degrees heat and 90
percent humidity ferrying stores ashore,
together with hundreds of passenger moves.
The aid reached the most remote locations
where access would have been unfeasible
was it not for the versatility of a helicopter.
Lt Dan Howes, a Sea King pilot from 845
NAS, on his first operational deployment
post training explained “It was very
challenging and rewarding; building on
all of the skills learnt in training from load
lifting, to confined areas and mountain
flying techniques, we were able to ensure
even the most isolated communities
got the assistance they needed.”
Lt Simon Jones, spoke of the challenges
faced in moving this ashore; “It’s been an
immense effort with some really long days
and some very challenging flying. It’s been
extremely satisfying to make a difference
and deliver aid to where it’s needed most.
The Sea King has allowed us to get aid to
some of the most remote islands which
would otherwise have been inaccessible.”
LAC Simon Evans spoke of the welcome
received as the helicopters touched down
bringing much needed aid; “Everywhere
we went the smiles on peoples’ faces when
we arrived was truly touching. These are
people who have suffered enormously and
their taking the time to thank us means a
lot. To know that what we have done is so
appreciated makes up for our being away
from our friends and family back home.”
JHF(C) personnel helped provide food,
rebuild schools and homes, clear fallen trees
and mend fishing boats. In total 340 tonnes
of aid (including 10 cubic tonnes of drinking
water to islands whose supply has been
cut off or contaminated; 15,869 bales of
tarpaulin – enough to re-roof almost 8,000
homes, and 154 tonnes of bespoke loads
containing reconstruction materials, clothes,
blankets, electrical generators, and boat
repair kits) was delivered to the island clusters
around Panay, Negros and the Concepcion
islands. As JHF(C) headed home, and the
Philippines begins its road to recovery, the
messages of thanks laid out on the beach
and the resilience of the Filipino people will
live long in the memory of a job well done.
TACTICAL SUPPLY WING
KEEPING
THE MILITARY
AIRBORNE
Tactical Supply Wing (TSW)
is keeping all military
helicopters at Bastion airfield,
Afghanistan in the air.
T
SW provides 24-hour aviation
fuel support to the JAG’s
rotary wing assets and visiting
coalition helicopters Bastion.
RW assets are the lynch pins of tactical
mobility, typically operating at much lower
heights and speeds than the fixed-wing
aircraft. A vital role in Afghanistan, where
they are in high demand and short supply,
the quick turn around of aircraft is essential.
TSW personnel are constantly ready
and waiting, and at a moments notice will
sprint to designated refuelling spots, to
carry out Rotors Turning Refuelling (RTR)
of coalition helicopters. In addition, the
Wing manages all of the UK’s aviation fuel
destined for rotary assets. On average, TSW
will refuel more than 300 aircraft each week,
pumping over 300,000 litres of AVTUR.
They are also ready to deploy a Downed
Aircraft Response Team (DART) within
30 minutes, recovering an aircraft from
anywhere within the Area of Operations,
whether that be refuelling the aircraft or
defueling it in order for it to be transported
back to a Main Operating Base (MOB).
The TSW detachment deployed on
OP HERRICK is made up of 19 personnel
from Supply, Engineering and Military
Transport (MT) backgrounds, from SAC
to the OC, all are trained in expeditionary
and tactical fuels management
along with helicopter handling,
ensuring each individual is capable of
delivering this fundamental service.
Supplier, SAC Joanna Tomsett, is on her
second deployment to Afghanistan, her first
with TSW. She said: ‘I am really enjoying
TSW, there are lots of different parts to
the job, and that keeps things interesting.
Working with helicopters, I feel a lot more
involved in it all. We work as a close knit
team on TSW, train as a team in the UK and
then deploy together. The guys are great.’
Supplier, SAC Matt Duff, deploying
with TSW for the second time, said: ‘We
fulfil a vital role here in Afghanistan,
providing fuel support for battlefield
aircraft to move troops around the area of
operations and its great to feel that we are
directly contributing to each operation.’
MT Driver, Cpl Neil Sinclair on his
second deployment with TSW said: ‘The
main job out here is delivering fuel to
the aircraft and that takes priority over
everything we do.’ He added: ‘The best
thing about the job is actually putting
the fuel into the aircraft. A lot of people
may actually question why they are here
in Afghan, but you really get a feeling
of worth doing this job. We refuel an
aircraft and know that it is going to
collect an injured person, bringing
them back for treatment. It really does
give you a sense of achievement.’
The detachment’s commander WO Gaz
Barlow said: ‘TSW is all about teamwork.
We train together and work together. It
is even more important as we deploy as a
formed unit… and it really does work.’
Operations
A
n Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)
can operate relatively cheaply,
with minimal risk to people (when
controlled) and it has a greater
endurance. But the value of aerial ISTAR should
not just be about cost, risk and endurance, or
even what its narrow-fielded sensors can look
at. What MAS can deliver is more about what an
on-board trained eye can see, understand and
communicate in the heat of a three dimensional
battle, enhanced with the same electronic
transmitted view of the ground available to the
UAV and a wider peripheral view to provide
context to the narrow field view. MAS is also
more flexible with its rapid ‘anywhere’ leadin to launch, it is fully self-deployable and
by replenishing en-route it can reach many
remote areas of our worldwide UK national
interests and land at suitable secluded landing
strips discreetly, often unmonitored and with
a zero or minimal footprint on the ground.
MAS can collect intelligence autonomously
and process it immediately and intellectually
if necessary and is not susceptible to the risk
of a malfunctioned programme, a poor radio
signal or severed satellite link. There are fewer
political implications and more freedom of
movement for a MAS platform at the moment
and there is nearly always a human interface
between the platform and the ground tactician,
commander or even a political decision maker.
In short, while the ‘drone army’ has proliferated
and is absolutely necessary at present,
with battle space available for it in existing
theatres, UAVs can only be supplementary
to MAS platforms in the real world. 5 Regt
AAC meets the present and future demands
of organic MAS while continuing to adopt
the mind-set of ‘soldier first’ in its delivery,
but it is backed up by seasoned specialists in
aviation, both on the ground and in the air.
5 REGT AAC BACKGROUND
In addition to operating the Gazelle, 5
Regt AAC delivers the British Army’s only
Intelligence Surveillance Target Acquisition
and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) through fixedwing (FW) MAS. The Regt was formed on 01
Oct 1993 from the renamed Northern Ireland
Regt located at Aldergrove, from where it
provided vital aviation support to Operation
BANNER. However, since the cessation of
Northern Ireland operations in 2007, the
Regt continues to field helicopters and FW
aircraft primarily from Aldergrove under the
command of the Aviation Reconnaissance
Force (ARF). But its scope of operations and
exercise support remain UK and worldwide,
with more recent persistent overseas
operations from the FW fleet in Iraq (20042009), Afghanistan (2010-2012). The overseas
commitment also includes command of 29
(BATUS) Flight, which in addition to the key
casevac, range safety and command and
WRITTEN BY: CAPT CHARLIE ROBERTS, 651 SQN, 5 (MAS) REGT AAC
ARMY AIR CORPS (AAC)
FIXED WING (FW) MANNED
AIRBORNE SURVEILLANCE (MAS)
Manned Airborne Surveillance is about exploiting the human
gut instinct, applying individual discretion and delivering
an immediate on-site tactical interpretation. It allows the
opportunity for experienced ground and air tacticians to look
beyond the electronic field of view, to peek at the peripheries and
assess the bigger picture, or to take an instant second glance.
control (C2) role, also provided ISTAR
support from Gazelle to the Lead Armoured
Task Group during the Prairie Lighting and
Prairie Storm series of Exercises in 2013.
As 5 Regt AAC reaches its 20th
Anniversary, the history of the AAC’s
FW MAS actually stretches as far back as
August 1941, when 651 ‘Premier’ Sqn AAC
(the first AAC Sqn) was formed at Old
Sarum, Salisbury from the RAF. The Sqn
first deployed the Auster Mk1 on active
service in November 1942, to Algeria and
then Tunisia, as part of Operation TORCH.
It’s main duties were the direction of
artillery fire (AOP), reconnaissance and light
liaison; effectively the first use of Army FW
MAS. It later operated various FW platforms
all over North Africa, The Middle East and
Southern Europe primarily providing AOP
and reconnaissance support. The Northern
Ireland Regt operated a number of MAS
platforms during Op BANNER, notably the
Gazelle and the Britten-Norman Islander, which
remain in service today. The Northern Ireland
Regiment was renamed 5 Regt AAC on 1st
October 1993. The MAS capability was further
bolstered with the newer BN2T Defender
4000 aircraft in 2004. These all weather,
twin-engine platforms have become reliable
workhorses that are versatile in role but have
been continually modified to deliver the most
focused ISTAR capability for a light aircraft.
5 REGT AAC TODAY
Today, the Regt’s current fleet of 15 x BN2T
light FW aircraft includes 3 (becoming 4 in
2014) Islanders, which are focused on UK
homeland security operations and 9 Defenders
that facilitate UK and an overseas operational
contingency role on an enduring basis. Army
FW MAS assets are presently attributed to
6 operational task lines (5 UK based and
1 worldwide contingency role) and they
concurrently deliver vital specialist training
to various government agencies, including
support to the Police Service Northern Ireland
(PSNI) from its HQ at Aldergrove. However,
commensurate with the Regt’s motto “Nothing
Is Impossible” the Regt also delivers much
more to meet the MOD’s needs: During the
London 2012 Olympics, Defender crews from
651 Sqn, 5 Regt AAC provided a key security
role forward operating from RAF Odiham
in Hampshire from where crews flew daily
missions, prior to and during the Olympics.
Army FW assets also delivered important MAS
support to the Civilian Authorities in the lead
up to this year’s high profile G8 Summit (Op
SPONSOR) held in June 2013 at Enniskillen,
Northern Ireland. Indeed RHQ 5 Regt AAC
provided the overall Aviation Coordination
and command for fixed and rotary wing assets
from US Presidential Flight, PSNI, Contractors,
JHC, and the Gardaí Siochana. There were over
200 aviation movements in a 36 hrs period
during the decisive phase of Op SPONSOR.
5 Regt AAC also continues to provide
its ‘grass roots’ FW MAS support to the
‘Field Army’, particularly during collective
training: Defender crews delivered MAS to
Ex JOINT WARRIOR from 24th April to 1st
May 2013 providing ISTAR support to 16
Air Asslt Bde. At times it was a significant
force multiplier for 2 Para BG, allowing them
to effectively patrol large areas of ground
surrounding their position on West Freugh
Airfield, in hilly South-West Scotland, with a
much needed valuable over-watch. Defender
contributed a large amount of ISTAR
through Imagery Intelligence (IMINT), with
Full Motion Video (FMV) down-linked live to
commanders who could make easier tactical
decisions. Additionally, from this digital
FMV imagery, hard products were created
by the Reconnaissance Intelligence And
Geographic Centre (RIGC) Northern Ireland
(also part of 5 Regt AAC); these unique
products included detailed overlaid analysis
information to supplement recce reports.
This gave commanders more awareness
and effectively contributed towards their
decision-making processes. As a C2
platform Defender was also able to facilitate
an airborne talk through (ABTT) significantly
enhancing and extending the reach of C2
to 16 Air Asslt Bde BG commanders.
The Regt also provided FW MAS to Ex
BAVARIAN CHARGER from 24th May to
7th June 2013. Supporting 20 Armd Bde,
Defender delivered ISTAR to the 5 RIFLES
and QDG BGs. The exercise took place in
and around the Grafenwoehr and Hohenfels
training areas in Southern Germany. 5 Regt
AAC deployed two Defender aircraft with
organic ground support elements to provide
a single task line of up to six hours tasking per
day. Defender was again primarily employed
using FMV down-linked to commanders
throughout the FIND, FIX and STRIKE phases
of the exercise, which culminated in a full
Helicopter Assault Force (HAF) attack on
a complex Enemy position. The crew was
able to first recce the ground, including the
route, the target locations and the landing
sites before providing vital battlefield
Situational Awareness during the final attack.
SUMMARY
5 Regt AAC remains fully focused on
bringing MAS to the masses, whether this
is with the field Army or specialist units; it
has a fully developed capability supported
by aircrew and groundcrew who are the
subject matter experts in MAS. With the
Regimental motto in mind, “Nothing is
Impossible,” the Regt will continue to rise
to the challenge of the increasing ISTAR
demand in the UK and overseas.
Operations
Group Captain Richard Maddison,
Station Commander RAF Odiham & RAF
Chinook Force Commander said: “This
is a fantastic example of the adaptability
and capability of the Chinook Force and
all its support personnel. The Chinook
Force has continuously supported national
resilience and military aid operations since
it was introduced into the RAF in 1981.
It is a truly adaptable aircraft, capable
of operating day and night in adverse
weather and environment. The aircraft,
however, would not be able to reach
its true versatility without the support
of the thousands of service and civilian
personnel stationed at RAF Odiham.
Everyone, be it aircrew or engineers,
administrators or caterers, pull together
to achieve one aim, and that is to enable
the Chinook force to be able to provide
this level of support to the British public
24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
A JOINT EFFORT ON
OP PITCHPOLE
RAF CHINOOK HELICOPTER USED TO DEPLOY
TROOPS AND EQUIPMENT TO ISLE OF WIGHT IN
SUPPORT OF FLOOD RELIEF EFFORTS
AS thousands of military personnel continue to contribute to
flood relief efforts across affected parts of the United Kingdom,
the Royal Air Force has deployed its Support Helicopters
to assist the rapid deployment of troops and equipment.
O
n Saturday, 15th February
2014 a Chinook helicopter
crewed by personnel from 27
Squadron, RAF Odiham was
called to transport 22 Reservists from 7th
Battalion, The Rifles to flooded areas in
the Isle of Wight. The Chinook Helicopter
returned later the same day transporting
two military Land Rovers with their drivers
and equipment to Newport where they
would be used by Reservists to help with
the flood relief taking place on the Island.
Friday’s storm created further tidal
flooding and ground flooding in areas
across the island affecting local residents.
The personnel from 7 Rifles were called
to assist the civilian authorities and local
communities with tasks including distributing
sandbags and engineering services to help
bring some respite to those affected. A
specialist helicopter handling team from the
Joint Helicopter Support Squadron, RAF
Odiham were called to prepare the under slung
loads prior to their transportation to the island.
Defence Minister Mark Francois said: “I am
delighted that we have been able to provide
further assistance to those affected by the
flooding in the Isle of Wight. With thousands
of military personnel already playing their part
in efforts to help flood-affected communities
we are also using reservists, such as 7 Rifles,
who are getting stuck in and playing their part
to support the relevant civilian authorities
to provide whatever support we can.”
EDITORS NOTES
The Puma HC Mk2 helicopter is in the latest
addition to the RAF Support Helicopter fleet
and provides battlefield commanders with lift
capability in all terrains, all weather, day and
night. Upgraded from the Puma HC Mk1, the
HC Mk2 has a state of the art glass cockpit,
an increased fuel capacity, upgraded engines
and the ability to carry up to 16 fully equipped
troops or up to 2 tonnes of equipment. The
low rotor downwash and small footprint of
the aircraft also means that it is ideal for
operating in the urban environment. The
Puma HC Mk2 is operated by 33 and 230
Squadrons, collectively known as the Puma
Force, based at RAF Benson in Oxfordshire.
PUMA HELICOPTER FORCE
JOIN FLOOD RELIEF EFFORTS
The RAF’s Puma Helicopter
Force joined UK flood relief
efforts yesterday, supporting
efforts on the ground from
the skies above the south.
R
eplicating the role they
played in operational
theatres such as Iraq,
the Puma HC Mk2
helicopters from RAF Benson in
Oxfordshire supported aid commanders
on the ground by providing aerial
visibility of flooded areas.
The Puma Force was notified yesterday
morning that it should stand ready to assist
at short notice, and the first call came in
a short while later. The first aircraft lifted from RAF Benson at 12.10pm and spent over three
hours transiting across the flooded Thames Valley area, assisting aid commanders in assessing
the flood damage and the next stages of the
flood relief effort. The second aircraft lifted
early in the afternoon and spent almost two
hours providing additional reconnaissance
above the overflowing River Thames.
Flight Lieutenant Tim Barry, a pilot with
33 Squadron who flew one of the sorties,
explained: “Two aircraft were tasked and flew
to a number of different locations, primarily
located within the Thames Valley area, to carry
out airborne reconnaissance and observe how
the flood and relief operation has progressed.
The tasking also helped identify those areas
most as risk and in need of further aid.”
Wing Commander Mark Biggadike,
the Officer Commanding of 33 Squadron,
explained how the upgraded Puma HC Mk2
has been of assistance: “The Puma HC Mk2
2 PARA ASSIST
FLOODING VICTIMS
Colchester-based troops
came to the assistance of
residents of the Tostock
area on Friday morning.
T
he soldiers, from 2nd Battalion
the Parachute Regiment,
were on their way back
from a training exercise in
Thetford, when they saw a number
of cars submerged in flood-water.
The PARAs jumped into action
and were able to help residents move
the cars into a safe area, before
heading back to Merville Barracks, the
home of 16 Air Assault Brigade.
The soldiers had been on a
mobility exercise near Thetford and
was the perfect platform to carry out
the reconnaissance tasks. Its increased
fuel capacity and more efficient engines
allowed the passengers on board an
extended time to assess the various areas
suffering from, and in danger of, flooding.
The Puma Force is dedicated to using its
new helicopter to provide any assistance
needed amongst some of the worst
flooding seen in the UK in living memory.”
With no immediate change in the
weather predicted, the Puma Force has
placed several crews on standby in direct
support of the flood relief effort for the
next two weeks, with this commitment
extending further should the rainfall
continue. These crews will be ready to
fly at short notice, providing helicopter
support to wherever it is needed within a
matter of hours of receiving the call.
happened to come across the
situation quite by chance.
2 PARA’s recent training has honed
their military skills as part of the Air
Assault Task Force, a high-readiness
organisation ready to deploy anywhere
in the world at short notice.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
16 Air Assault Brigade is the British
Army’s largest brigade with 7,400
soldiers, combining the speed and
agility of airborne and air assault troops
with the potency of Apache attack
helicopters. The brigade deployed
to Afghanistan between October
2010 and April 2011 and since its
return has focused across a number
of commitments, most significantly its
core role as the Air Assault Task Force
(AATF), ready to deploy on operations
anywhere in the world at short notice.
16 Brigade is not currently tasked
with any flood assistance duties.
Training
2 PARA
TRAIN
WITH
CHF
In a display of jointery in
action, whilst utilising
Magilligan ranges in
Northern Ireland for some
air gunnery training
845 NAS from CHF also
used the opportunity
to offer helicopter
familiarisation trg to the
soldiers of 2 PARA.
O
ver two evenings
platoons from the
Reservist Para unit had
the opportunity to work
and fly with the Junglies, adding
immense value to their training.
Training
Nearly two years since their last experience of flying in
demanding desert conditions, CHF headed to the sand, heat
and mountains once again to top up their flying skills.
Training
T
his time, however, the
destination was not Afghanistan
but southern Jordan as the
aircrew and engineers of 845
NAS have been undergoing training for
the first time with the venerable ‘Junglie ‘
Sea King Mk4. With the support of several
key external elements, Ex PASHTUN
COMMANDO will serve to maintain the
ability of front line Sea King units to operate
under any conditions in which they might
be deployed globally. Wintering in Norway,
and on exercise in the desert of Jordan
throughout the summer, CHF continues to
demonstrate just how versatile the airframe
and crews of its squadrons remain.
The emphasis for this exercise has been
on familiarising and honing the unique
skills that are required to fly in the searing
heat, and dust laden environment of the
desert. In Jordan, the crews, engineers
and ground support teams have found
an ideal environment to test these skills.
With day time temperatures soaring in
to the mid 40s, mountain peaks topping
5,000ft, and enough dust to make your
trusty Dyson quiver in the corner, the
conditions provide everything needed to
complete the required training package.
Take some time to look out of the window,
flying through the deep valleys of the Red
Mountains, with Wadi Rum surrounding
you in all directions, and you realise that
this is both a great training environment,
and a superb place to fly. The exercise will
culminate in crews gaining an Environmental
Qualification that will see them ready in
all respects for future commitments.
Between 2007 and 2011, the Sea
Kings of 845 and 846 NAS flew more
than 3,800 sorties over Afghanistan
safely ferried around more than 80,000
troops and delivered over 700 tonnes
of ammunition, water and other supplies to
various outlying bases. So many of the crews
have already completed several theatre tours
in Afghanistan, and are well accustomed to
the procedures and complexities of carrying
out effective landings, load lifting and night
navigation in low light conditions and heavy
recirculating dust. However, there are a good
number of more junior aircrew who are yet
to be tested in these exacting conditions.
Lt Chris Gayson said “I was initially quite
apprehensive and unsure what to expect
from the hostile desert environment.
Nevertheless, I couldn’t wait to get started
and add to the skills I had already learned in
flying training. The prospect of losing all
visual references during the final approach
was a touch unsettling, but under the
watchful eye of experienced instructors, I
was able to apply the techniques and get
to grips with desert flying. As if landing
in a dust cloud wasn’t a big enough
challenge, the syllabus soon progressed
on to load lifting and formation landings
by day and night. Completing desert
training in itself is extremely rewarding,
but the most satisfaction is gained
from knowing that the skills I have
learned will allow me to contribute
to future commitments with CHF.”
The prospect of losing all visual
references during the final approach
was a touch unsettling, but under the
watchful eye of experienced instructors,
I was able to apply the techniques
and get to grips with desert flying.
Lt Chris Grayson
With the aircraft lined up for an approach
to the flat, relatively featureless desert, the
crew enters a period of heavy workload
in which cooperation between pilots and
aircrewman is vital in order to make a safe
and accurate landing. The following is an
aircrewman’s account of a typical desert
landing. “As we turn on to the approach
heading, the final checks are made. Perhaps
most important is making sure the windows
are shut in the front, and we have our
protective goggles on in the back. The
pilot calls ‘running in’ and the anticipation
of what is to come builds. The ‘happy’
calls from the handling pilot are frequent
(hopefully), and there is one last check of the
area for any obstructions that might ruin our
day. The dust cloud starts to build and advance
from the tail as the aircraft slows down for the
landing. As we inform the front seats of the
impending ‘brownout’ and its position relative
to the aircraft, one thing becomes immensely
obvious. No matter how many dust landings
you do, the taste of dust and sand in your
mouth is never pleasant, and neither is the
moment when the dust cloud passes the cargo
door, reducing visibility to almost zero.”
Key to the success of training serials is the
Mobile Air Operations Team. MAOTs, are
committed to providing essential support
by day and night. As the engineers ready
the aircraft, and aircrew scrabble to find
enough sweat rags and water to see them
through their sorties, MAOTs have already
positioned themselves deep in the desert
training area. They have marked out landing
sites that will provide crews with the necessary
ground references to give that warm, fuzzy
feeling when undertaking load lifting.
Needless to say, the Sea King can be
a character, and the aircraft’s engineers
are more than used to working with and
around it’s tendencies to challenge them
with both the expected, and unexpected.
Without wishing to sound like a British Rail
spokesman talking about the ‘wrong type of
snow,’ the characteristics of the dust in
Jordan have put an extra burden on the
aircraft, and the teams who have worked
tirelessly to keep up the pace of flying.
As Det Cdr, Lt Cdr Edwin Adams has
been extremely satisfied with the experience
gained, and training value of being in
Jordan. “Ex PASHTUN COMMANDO is
proving hugely beneficial for all members
of the detachment. Clearly the main aim
is to train and refresh aircrew in desert
flying techniques, for which I have never
experienced an environment so challenging
and similar to that in Afghanistan. Just as
valuable though, is the exposure to the same
conditions for all of the support elements
of the CHF. Operating in hot and high
conditions brings significant challenges to
not only our aircraft engineers, but also the
MAOT, Fuel Troop and aircraft handlers
who man a FARP in the mountains, CHF
Sigs (supported by 21 Sigs) who provide a
re-broadcasting station from the training
area, Survival Equipment section conducting
survival and evasion training and the MT
section, keeping the fleet of vehicles
serviceable in this harsh terrain. Even the
medical team and stores department
have their challenges to overcome, with
ambient conditions and difficulties in
working with other nations. It is an amazing
yet very tough environment to train in,
yet as ever, the members of CHF rise to
the challenges and produce the goods,
training hard so that we can fight easy.”
Beyond the training aspect of Ex
Pashtun Commando, Jordan has some
world renowned cultural sights to explore.
During some hard earned downtime,
personnel had the opportunity to explore
the World Heritage site of Petra, a mere
hop from the detachment’s base in Aqaba.
Following a six week stint in Jordan,
845 NAS and its Sea Kings will be taking
their freshly trained crews and engineers to
participate in Ex Cougar 13. This will serve
to add to recent amphibious capability
building, and along with Arctic and Desert
training will ensure that CHF will be ready
to commit to contingency operations
wherever they may be in the future.
The Sea King continues to be a reliable
and trusted aircraft, wherever it may be
taken, and will continue to be called upon
for the foreseeable future. In the meantime,
other CHF aircrew have been undertaking
their own period of desert training in
Jordan as part of their conversion on to
the Merlin helicopter. This will ensure that
when the Sea King is finally retired for
some hard earned rest, CHF will undergo
a smooth transition to the Merlin and
remain capable and skilled in providing
support in all environmental conditions.
Training
EUROPEAN
HELICOPTER
TACTICS
INSTRUCTORS
COURSE
The Tactics and Training desk on R&S Wing were
tasked by the JHC to support the European Defence
Agency with running first European Helicopter Tactics
Instructors (EHTI) Course earlier this year.
A
s one of the few
organisations in the world
to run bespoke Helicopter
Tactics Instructor Courses,
the TT desk took up the challenge with
enthusiasm. Whilst that enthusiasm
was dampened a little when they
realised the ground phase would be
run at RAF Linton-on-Ouse in North
Yorkshire, it didn’t stop the team from
providing the best course possible.
The trainees included aircrew from
Germany and Sweden on types such as
the UH-1 or Huey, the enormous
CH-53 and the SuperPuma. There were
also observers from Austria, Hungary
and Estonia and in total operators
from nine different types of Battlefield
and Attack helicopter. The experience
levels included Flight Engineers not
long out of training to old hands
with at least 7,000 hours on type.
Using Qualified Helicopter Tactics
Instructors from the Puma, Merlin and
Chinook fleets, the course delivered a two
week ground school teaching EW, Evasion
Training and other operations, which
included mission sets such as Helicopter
Assault and Vehicle Interdiction. Following
the classroom phase, the tactics training
simulator complex at RAF Linton-on-Ouse
was used, having been modified especially
for the course to include an EW suite and a
Fast Jet station. With the crewman on Virtual
Reality head-sets, the ability to conduct
full crew training was outstanding and it
wasn’t long before all the crews were taking
part in complex multi-ship mission sets
against a range of air and ground threats.
Following ground school, the best
was still to come. Early in May, the entire
detachment made its way to Vidsel Range
in Northern Sweden to conduct the flying
element of the course. Not too far South
of the Arctic Circle, the range is quite
simply enormous, not dissimilar to the
size of Switzerland. The population is
approximately Zero; therefore, the ability to
fly without constraint is remarkably high.
During the first week, 100 Sqn Hawks
were co-located with the detachment
and were able to provide a high level of
effective training in how to fight against
and evade a fast jet air threat. Such
training was continued in the second
week against the Swedish Gripen; a
highly capable 4th generation fighter.
When the trainees had got over the
shock that they could actually evade such
a threat successfully, we moved onto
training the esoteric discipline of EW.
The academic phase continued
into Vehicle Interdiction and four
ship assaults, Convoy Escort and
Mutual Support. Towards the end
of the flying phase, the missions
became more complex and utilised
more assets with trainees not only
having to apply everything they had
learnt in a dynamic environment,
but also to try and instruct it.
By the end of the course, all the
trainees had reached the required
standard and were awarded their
certificates at an excellent graduation
dinner in a log cabin in very much the
Swedish style. It would have been fair
to say the celebrating went on until
the sun came up, apart from the fact
Using Qualified Helicopter Tactics
Instructors from the Puma, Merlin
and Chinook fleets, the course
delivered a two week ground school
teaching EW, Evasion Training and
other operations, which included
mission sets such as Helicopter
Assault and Vehicle Interdiction.
it never actually went down. However, as
every silver lining has a cloud, there were a
few unhappy faces at dinner that evening.
The entire course had enjoyed it all so
much, they were hoping to fail so that they
could come back and do it all again. We
were very happy to disappoint them!
Training
16 AIR ASSAULT BRIGADE
MAKE THE
MOST OF
STANTA
Stanford Training Area
(STANTA) is maintained by
the Defence Infrastructure
Organisation (DIO), which
is responsible for managing
and maintaining MoD’s land
and properties. At 35 sq
miles the ranges cover two
per cent of Norfolk and are
used 350 days every year by
an average of 80,000 troops.
L
t Col Tony Powell, Dep Comd DIO
Ops Trg East, said: “DIO’s priority
is to support our Armed Forces
as they prepare for operations.
STANTA has been a key location for training
for Afghanistan but with the end of combat
operations in 2014 that demand is falling,
freeing up capacity for different uses. The size
and nature of STANTA means that it offers
excellent training facilities, ideal conditions and
the perfect setting for specialised exercises.”
The following articles show how
units from nearby 16 (Air Asslt)
Bde have been making the most of
the ranges on this situation.
7 RHA IN ACTION
Despite being the subject of restructuring
under A2020, which you will have read
about in the previous issue of LZDZ, the
gunners of 7 Para Regt RHA have been
busy preparing for their role as part of the
training and haven’t worked on them since,
so it’s good to refresh them. It’s important
for our role that our infantry skills are as
professional as our work on the gun line.”
F (Sphinx) Para Bty, one of the unit’s two gun
batteries, remained on STANTA for Ex SPHINX
RESOLVE which you can read about next.
Air Assault task Force (AATF) and were
some of the first to exercise on STANTA.
INFANTRY MASTERCLASS
FOR AIRBORNE GUNNERS
From crossing rivers to setting ambushes,
an exercise has sharpened the soldiering
skills of 7 (Para) Regt RHA. Ex CYPHER
BAYONET has seen the gunners show their
ability to perform as infantry soldiers as well
as their core artillery role. The week long
training on STANTA, has seen troops practise
manoeuvring across hostile countryside and
living in the field for prolonged periods.
7 Para Regt RHA’s main commitment
is to provide a gun battery at high
readiness to deploy for operations
as part of 16 (Air Asslt) Bde.
Lt Col Will Lynch, CO 7 Para RHA, said:
“The ethos of the Army is that of soldier
first and specialist skills and capabilities are
secondary. Our role within 16 (Air Asslt) Bde
places even more emphasis on the need for
our gunners to be adaptable and self-reliant
soldiers who are able to do whatever role is
asked of them. This has been a demanding
exercise that has challenged our soldiers to
use skills that they may not have thought
about since learning them in basic training.”
Gnr Matt Hills said: “We are an artillery
unit but it’s important that we’ve got all
our basic soldiering skills right because we
may need them on operations. This has
been tough training because it’s taken us
out of our comfort zone. We’ve been living
out of our rucksacks, carrying all our kit
and rations, and covering a lot of ground
on foot to practise our patrolling.”
Gnr Joshua Benson said: “It’s been good
to get out in the field for realistic and testing
training that is very different to gunnery.
I was taught these infantry skills in basic
ARTILLERY FIRES AGAIN
AT NORFOLK RANGES
Ex SPHINX RESOLVE saw 7 (Para) Regt RHA
fire the first artillery shells at STANTA for more
than a decade. The training is part of F (Sphinx)
Para Bty’s preparations to be part of the AATF.
The gunners were joined by French soldiers
from 35e Régiment d’Artillerie Parachutiste
(35e RAP) for the week-long exercise.
The battery’s Fire Support Teams
(FST), which co-ordinate artillery, fast air
and attack helicopter support to troops
on the ground, have been working out of
observation posts to identify targets for its
six 105mm Light Guns to engage. Troops
have been living in the field and constantly
moving to set up different gun positions.
Bty comd Maj Chris Coton said: “This
exercise has been about going back to
the basics of field soldiering and gunnery
and I am delighted at how the battery
has performed. It has been tough training
to polish our core artillery skills and my
soldiers have shown their versatility and
readiness for the challenge of contingency
operations. This is our second week out on
STANTA, following on from an infantry skills
package, and it has provided a demanding
and different environment to train in.”
Gnr Joshua Benson said: “Our approach
is about working fast and aggressively to get
the gun in and out of action. We practise our
This exercise has
been about going
back to the basics
of field soldiering
and gunnery and
I am delighted at
how the battery
has performed.
Maj Chris Coton
skills and drills thoroughly in barracks,
but nothing beats getting out and firing
with live ammunition. Most of the gunnery
I’ve done has been at Otterburn and it’s
good to work in different surroundings.”
A six-strong French FST joined the
exercise to learn about British equipment
and techniques as part of the CJEF,
a partnership between 16 (Air Asslt)
Bde and 11e Brigade Parachutiste (11e
BP) for contingency operations.
C/Sgt Sebastien Pommier, of 35e RAP,
said: “It’s been good to work together.
We have the same role, skills and ethos as
the British and it is important that we train
together so that we can deploy together.”
CONTINUED >>
Training
CONTINUED >>
For its range
and purpose,
Javelin is the
most precise
and powerful
weapon available
to the infantry
soldier. It gives
the commander
on the battlefield
a lot of confidence
to know that this
weapon is within
their armoury…
Capt Ruari Hahndiek
PARATROOPERS PUT JAVELIN ON
TARGET AT NORFOLK RANGES
Whilst 7 (Para) RHA were the first to fire
artillery on STANTA in over a decade, their
comrades in 3 PARA weren’t far behind in
making their own mark on the ranges.
Paras launched the Javelin on the
ranges, the first time the anti-tank missile
has been fired at the Norfolk training
area. Troops from 3 PARA, fired four of
the highly accurate and potent missiles
as the culmination of a training course
for the unit’s anti-tank platoon.
3 PARA was the first unit to fire Javelin
on operations in 2006 in Afghanistan
and now is a key part of the Army’s high
readiness force for contingency operations.
STANTA has provided a key location for
troops preparing for Afghanistan. With
the end of combat operations looming
in 2014 the demand on STANTA has
fallen, freeing up capacity for different
training, such as Javelin firing.
The missile is intended primarily
to destroy tanks and light armoured
vehicles, but also provides a potent, allweather, day or night capability against
fixed defences, such as bunkers and
buildings. It is designed to be both
operated and carried by a two man crew.
Platoon commander Capt Ruari
Hahndiek said: “For its range and
purpose, Javelin is the most precise
and powerful weapon available to the
infantry soldier. It gives the commander
on the battlefield a lot of confidence
to know that this weapon is within
their armoury and able to deal with
armoured vehicles and bunkers with
little risk of collateral damage.”
Pte Ashley Bowers fired one of
the missiles. He said: “I’ve learnt a lot
about Javelin in training but this is the
first time I’ve seen it fired for real, let
alone fired one myself. Firing it really
helps you understand its capabilities
and I’m massively impressed. With the
rest of the platoon watching there’s
a lot of pressure to hit the target and
the missile didn’t let me down!”
APACHES FIRE FIRST SHOTS
AT NORFOLK RANGES
Soldiers who fly and maintain the
Apache have also made the most of
training closer to home as they prepare
to deploy on operations in Afghanistan.
Ex Pashtun Sword saw 654 Sqn, 4 Regt
AAC carry out the first live firing of the
Apache’s 30mm cannon at STANTA.
Ground crew were tested at rearming
and refuelling the Apache at a Forward
Arming and Refuelling Point (FARP).
The unit, based at nearby Wattisham,
will be deployed on a four month tour of
Helmand Province as you read this, as part
of the permanent Apache deployment in
Afghanistan with all live firing training in the
UK previously carried out at Otterburn in
Northumberland or Castlemartin in Wales.
Maj Nick English, OC 654 Sqn, said:
“We’ve been working towards this
tour since March, including training in
California and with the units we will
deploy with. This exercise is a final polish
of our individual skills and drills to ensure
we are ready to go. It’s great to use
STANTA because it’s on our backdoor
and we can train while staying at home
in Wattisham. The logistics are easier
and it’s important to give everyone as
much time as possible with their families
before we go away for four months.”
The Apache’s role in Afghanistan is
to protect troops on the ground, other
helicopters and land convoys and provide a
near all-weather precision strike capability.
Maj English said: “This is the squadron’s
fourth tour and our role has changed as
Afghan forces have taken full responsibility
for security. Apaches are flying fewer
missions in support of troops on the ground,
because the Afghans have to be able to
operate with the capabilities they will have
after international troops withdraw. But if
they need it we are there as a last resort.”
Among the troops deploying is Air Tpr
Greg Downham, a Reservist from 6 Regt
AAC. The 25-year-old from Thetford is
an installation engineer for BT in civilian
life. He said: “I joined the Reserves to
do something different and working as
ground crew on the Apache is both a
fantastic opportunity and challenge. I’ve
been training with the unit full time since
early July and I’m really looking forward
to testing myself in Afghanistan.”
Air Tpr Dan Cunningham, is deploying
on his fourth tour in six years with 654
Sqn. He said: “The training has again been
very thorough and I’ve been able to pass
on my experience from previous tours to
the younger guys. We will be away for
Christmas, but we’re with friends and it’s a
really nice atmosphere in Camp Bastion.”
DIO
DIO is responsible for managing and maintaining land and properties, as well as
providing related support services, to meet the current and future needs of the
MOD and personnel at home and abroad, and to support current operations.
Its work includes providing, supporting and improving: operational units; single living and service
family accommodation; training areas and historic military sites. DIO actively manages these and
supporting services, such as soft facilities management and guarding, to ensure the needs of Defence
are met, value for money is achieved, heritage protected and environmental goals achieved.
3 PARA
3 PARA’s core role is to alternate with 2 PARA
as the lead unit in the AATF, which is ready
to deploy anywhere in the world to conduct
the full range of military operations. 3 PARA
is training to take on the AATF role from
May 2014, with the unit’s airborne infantry
bolstered by artillery, engineers, medics
and logisticians from 16 (Air Asslt) Bde.
Training
PARAS
TAKE ON
GRUELLING
ARMY TEST
Colchester-based paras have faced up
to one of the Army’s toughest tests.
A team from 2 PARA came away
with a silver award after taking
part in Ex Cambrian Patrol –
a mind-and-muscle sapping
challenge over 48 hours in the
Welsh Black Mountains.
T
he annual event is a highlight in
the calendar with more than 1,000
troops participating in 100 teams
from Regular and Reserve units of
the British Army, as well as overseas entrants.
The exercise is split into seven phases with
teams marching 55km carrying full personal kit
and equipment, weighing in at some 60lbs, on the
two-day patrolling mission. Navigating both by day
and night, the patrols face many challenges including
observation and reconnaissance of enemy
forces, river crossings in full kit without
access to boats, first-aid and defensive
shooting under attack.
The teams’ military
skills, stamina and
dedication are
JOINT HELICOPTER
OPERATIONS ON
COUGAR 13
Army Apache helicopters joined Navy Sea King, Merlin
and Lynx helicopters onboard HMS Illustrious for two
weeks in the Gulf as part of the Cougar 13 deployment.
T
constantly evaluated with gold, silver or
bronze medals or certificates of merit
awarded. 2 PARA was one of 37 teams
awarded silver medals for their performance.
Pte Connan Cuthbertson, said: “I always
wanted to join the Army, since I was young.
This will be hard graft but it’s nothing the
Paras can’t handle. We’re used to this kind
of challenge and it’s a good bit of phys
(physical fitness) for us. I got called to do this
last week so it was a bit last minute, but I’m
fit and ready to go. You want to test yourself
on military skills, fieldcraft and fitness,
because that’s what soldiering is all about.”
Pte Stephen Riley, said: “I think this will be
a good training exercise and the fact that so
many teams from around the world enter tells
you something. We’re expecting a mixed bag
to be thrown at us to see how we cope, on
top of the recce patrols and section attacks.
It’s a long distance with a lot of weight and
I’m not too worried about coping with things
like sleep deprivation - you just have to
push through that and it’s part of the job.”
The event has been running since
1959 and is run by 160 (Wales) Bde on the
Sennybridge Training Area in south Wales.
Organiser WO2 Stephen Eaves said:
“This year’s event has been another
big success and there were a record
number of initial entrants. There is a huge
amount of work that goes into making
this exercise as realistic and demanding
as possible. It’s the ultimate challenge for
the modern-day soldier and patrols who
complete Cambrian can be rightly proud
of their achievements. For those who
may have fallen short, the opportunity
is always there to enter next time.”
he Apaches from 656 Sqn,
4 Regt AAC joined Illustrious in
the waters off the United Arab
Emirates as she took part in Ex
Sea Khanjar. This is the first time UK Apache
helicopters have operated in the Gulf.
During the Libya conflict in 2011
Apaches flew from the deck of HMS
Ocean, making repeated strikes
against Col Gaddafi’s forces.
The Apaches, personnel and equipment
of 656 Sqn arrived on Illustrious to augment
the existing air group, demonstrating
how well the AAC is starting to integrate
with navy warships and squadrons – a
role that will need to be developed
further, especially as the new aircraft
carriers come into operation.
Within two days of their arrival
the Apaches were ready for their first
operational sortie alongside the ship’s
Sea King, Merlin and Lynx helicopters.
OC 656 Sqn, Major Piers Lewis, said: “The
Royal Navy have been very patient with us
learning their way of business. Together,
we have proved the superb capability the
Apache can deliver when working with the
ship, its air surveillance helicopters and
the Army and Navy Lynx aircraft. I can only
imagine what could be achieved when
Apache operates with the new Wildcat
helicopter and HMS Queen Elizabeth.”
EX COUGAR 13
The Cougar 13 deployment departed the UK in August and operates in the Mediterranean, Red Sea, the
Gulf, and Horn of Africa. It involves exercising with partner nations, and demonstrating the UK Armed
Forces’ capacity to project an effective maritime component anywhere in the world as part of the Royal
Navy’s Response Force Task Group, commanded by Commodore Paddy McAlpine OBE ADC Royal Navy.
The RFTG is the United Kingdom’s high readiness maritime force, comprising
Royal Navy ships, submarines, aircraft and a landing force of Royal Marines, at
short notice to act in response to any contingency tasking if required.
Training
ACTIVE
EAGLE
E
X
E R C I S E
PUTS PARAS THROUGH THEIR PACES
From helicopter assaults to dealing with public disturbances, the Army’s rapid
reaction force has been put through its paces. Ex Active Eagle has seen the
2 PARA Battlegroup, which is based around the airborne infantry of 2nd Bn The
Para Regt with the attached artillery, engineering, signals, aviation, logistics
and medical support from 16 Air Assault Brigade needed to conduct operations,
undergo demanding and varied training at STANTA Ranges in Norfolk.
T
he 2 PARA BG is currently
serving as the Air Assault
Task Force (AATF), which is
ready to deploy anywhere in
the world at short notice to conduct the
full spectrum of military operations, from
non-combatant evacuation operations
to war fighting. Active Eagle happens
in the middle of the year-long AATF
commitment to provide a run out for the
battlegroup, ensuring it is ready to deploy
and provide refresher training on key skills.
The exercise saw the AATF deployed
to extract European citizens from a
fictional country with longstanding
frictions along sectarian lines and
dealing with a terrorist threat.
The 2 PARA BG converged on Rock
Barracks in Woodbridge to mount for
the operation before being inserted
into STANTA by parachute or helicopter.
Scenarios the troops had to deal with
included protecting an embassy against
a rioting crowd who bombarded them
with abuse, petrol bombs and missiles
and assaulting a village to free local
police under siege from insurgents.
The two-week long training concluded
with live fire battle runs that saw troops
manoeuvring across hostile countryside
by day and night, with fire support from
105mm Light Guns, 81mm mortars and
Apache attack helicopters and surveillance
from RAF GR4 Tornado fast jets.
Lt Col Dawson OBE MC, CO 2 PARA,
said: “This exercise is designed to corral
within one scenario the multifaceted
challenges that the AATF may face. It
gave the opportunity to run out the planning
team’s functions within the headquarters
and access to a broad range of assets.
Combined with challenging and enjoyable
training, it has resulted in a confirmation
of our readiness for any challenge that
may require our intervention.”
Cpl Dan Bradley, a member of 2 PARA’s
Patrols Platoon, who parachuted in to set
up covert observation posts monitoring
movements at an insurgent position. He
said: “We work ahead of the main body of
troops to establish where enemy forces are
and what their pattern of life is to inform
the commander’s planning. Our role is all
about seeing without being seen and is
a real test of the basic soldiering skills of
living in the field and camouflage. I’ve been
on two tours of Afghanistan and this is a
very different style of working – we move
on foot carrying all our kit and supplies –
but the experience of operations has
put us in a good place to adapt.”
Pte Daniel Lee, said: “I’ve only been in
2 PARA for eight months and this exercise
has taken me a step up from what I learnt
in training. We’ve really worked hard on
a lot of different skills. I found the public
order drills particularly enjoyable and
challenging. The adrenaline of facing
rioters means that time seems to be going
both quickly and slowly and it’s important
to work together and keep your discipline.”
Active Eagle runs in parallel with Ex
Active Chariot, which tests the supply
and maintenance support provided
to the AATF. The former RAF base at
Sculthorpe was established as a logistics
base from which to sustain the 2 PARA
BG, which was operating 30 miles away,
with supply depots, medical facilities and
workshops set up in derelict hangars.
Training
PARAS
DROPPED
ON TARGET
BY RAF
Paratroopers have practised
a combat-style parachute
jump as part of joint training
between the British and
French Air Forces. Ex Capable
Eagle saw B Coy, 2 PARA
carry out a jump from an
RAF C-130J Hercules. The
50 paratroopers jumped
in Overhead Assault
Mode, wearing body
armour and webbing with
weapons and daysacks
strapped to their legs.
Force (AATF), which is held ready to deploy
anywhere in the world at short notice to do
anything from disaster relief to war fighting.
Maj Adam Wilson, OC B Coy, said:
“An overhead assault jump is the perfect
way to get a company of paratroopers on
the ground within a matter of minutes.
If the situation demands it, the speed of
the descent and the equipment we are
carrying mean that we would be ready
to start fighting as we hit the ground.”
RAF air loadmaster Sgt Gavin Livingstone
said: “We like working with the Paras.
They are very good at what they do on the
ground, but are happy to place themselves
in our care when it comes to parachuting.”
P
oor weather, including
gusting winds at the Wiley
Sike drop zone (DZ) in
Cumbria was a problem and
the Hercules, from Brize Norton-based
47 Sqn, had to climb from its low-level
approach as cloud threatened visibility.
The plan was to find a gap in the
weather nearer to the DZ. While the
Paras hooked up their static lines and
were checked by a team of Parachute
Jump Instructors (PJI) the aircraft
dropped to jumping height. Five passes
later at 600ft and B Coy was on the
ground, while the C-130J hugged the
ground on its return to RAF Leeming.
For the Colchester-based paratroopers,
the jump was an opportunity to practise a
key skill for their role in the Air Assault Task
People
The jump was part of Ex Capable Eagle,
a joint exercise held by the RAF and the
French Armée de l’Air at RAF Leeming
in North Yorkshire. The training saw a
700-strong British-French Expeditionary
Air Wing practising how they would work
together to support a country facing
political and military instability.
NEW
COMMANDING
OFFICER FOR
WILDCAT
SQUADRON
Lt Cdr Graeme Spence
has taken over as CO 847
NAS just as the Squadron
prepares to convert onto the
new Wildcat AH1 which will
replace the Lynx Mk7/9A.
L
t Cdr Spence, an experienced
CHF operator since 1996, was
quick to express his delight
in assuming command. “I am
incredibly honoured and privileged to be
given the opportunity to command the first
operational squadron to fly the Wildcat
AH1 in service. It will be an immense
challenge but one that the Fleet Air Arm
is ready and capable of achieving.”
Lt Cdr Spence’s first tour was with 846
NAS, flying Sea King Mk4 helicopters in
numerous locations around the world
ranging from Norway to Australia. In
addition, he undertook his first operational
tour of duty serving in Northern Ireland,
flying support helicopter missions
predominantly in the “bandit country”
of South Armagh. “At the time, flying in
Northern Ireland was very demanding for
all pilots, especially inexperienced ones as
I was. Although I didn’t know it then, but
I learnt so many skills in that environment
that I would subsequently rely on in later
years both in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
Converting to the Lynx Mk7 and Mk9,
his second tour was spent on exchange
as the Flt Cdr with the AAC’s 653 Sqn. He
later re-joined 846 NAS as a Flt Cdr and
returned to the Sea King, operating around
the world before being appointed to 771
NAS, where he qualified as a Search and
Rescue captain. Returning to CHF as a Flt
Cdr on 845 NAS, he deployed twice to Iraq.
After almost five years out of the
cockpit he returned to flying duties in 2011
as the Snr Pilot and ExO of 847 NAS. This
period saw him flying operational tours
in the Libya campaign and Afghanistan,
operating the Lynx Mk7 and Mk9A.
“Returning to the Lynx, after such a
long time was hugely enjoyable. The last
two years were incredibly busy, supporting
operations and exercises around the
world, and I feel that my feet have hardly
touched the ground. Taking the time
now to convert onto this new aircraft
offers a welcome respite from front line
duties allowing everyone on 847 NAS
to catch their breath before resuming
their very high readiness status.”
Training
THE FUTURE
LOOKS GOOD
FOR THE COMMANDO HELICOPTER FORCE
F
CHF and the Royal Marines were given a glimpse of tomorrow as their future
form of transport joined them on deployment for the first time in Albania.
or many years the Royal
Navy’s amphibious forces,
have been delivered into
battle in the Sea Kings of
CHF. These iconic helicopters will be
retired after nearly 50 years’ service by 2016
to be replaced by another Green Giant the
much more modern and powerful Merlin.
This distinctive aircraft joined the
commandos in Albania during the opening
major exercise of the Navy’s headline
deployment of the year, Ex Cougar 13.
Although the FAA has been flying Merlins
since the late 1990s, it’s a different version –
designed principally, though not exclusively,
for submarine-hunting. The RAF has been
flying the battlefield versions of the Merlin
– the Mk3 and Mk3A – for the past decade
and has extensive experience of operations in
Iraq and Afghanistan. For the past 18 months,
they’ve been passing on that experience to
CHF air and ground crews at RAF Benson
ahead of the Sea Kings’ retirement.
The Cougar 13 deployment to the
Mediterranean and Middle East provided the
first opportunity for the Merlins and Marines,
in the form of 3 Cdo Bde, to work together
in the field. Having leapfrogged across
People
central Europe to Tirana, the Merlins
from 78 Sqn – comprising RN and RAF
personnel – trained with a detachment
of RAF Leeming Hawks from 100 Sqn
before leaving the airbase for the field.
The CHF team provided personnel to
help the Merlins attune to the austere
environment, supplying vehicle mechanics,
drivers, signallers, chefs and stewards,
experts in aviation operations, setting up
refuelling stations, a field kitchen, a signals
HQ to maintain contact with flagship HMS
Bulwark – basically everything they’ve been
doing for decades with the Sea Kings.
From this makeshift set-up, the Merlins
were expected to work seamlessly with
the staff aboard Bulwark – who have a
vast operations room and impressive
communications suite at their disposal –
and meet the front-line demands of the
marines, ferrying men and material around
southern Albania during the crux of the
exercise, as the commandos pushed in
from the coast around the port of Vlorë.
The Merlin Mk3 can carry two dozen
troops with kit, or in a ‘flying ambulance’
role, 16 casualties on stretchers. It can
also lift artillery pieces, Land Rovers, or
five tonnes of equipment underslung
if required. It doesn’t have a sonar and
submarine hunting kit like its Royal Navy
counterpart – but it does have a rear
ramp for troops to climb on and off. The
RAF Merlins found themselves sharing
Albanian skies with AAC Lynx from 659
Sqn and FAA Lynx of 815 NAS operating
from the deck of veteran carrier HMS
Illustrious, one of ten RN and RFA vessels
taking part in the Cougar deployment.
All told, Albanian Lion proved a very
useful pointer as to how tomorrow’s
CHF will look. “The success of the RAF’s
detachment has begun to inform CHF
and the Comd UK Task Group as to how
it will operate the Merlin in the future,”
said CHF’s Lt Gareth Plunkett. “There’s
still some way to go to achieve the full
capability of the force equipped with their
Sea King Mk4s, but once the Merlin is
adapted for maritime operations, the CHF
will continue to be at the forefront of the
RFTG air power. The exercise was also a
great success for 78 Sqn; they deployed
into the field and operated jointly from an
austere location to support 3 Cdo Bde.”
The entire CHF force is going through
the transition to new helicopters: the
two front-line Sea King squadrons,
845 and 846 NAS, plus the ‘feeder’
training squadron 848 are switching
to Merlin, while 847 NAS, who provide
battlefield reconnaissance and support,
have just retired their Lynx and are
converting to the successor Wildcat.
KING OF
THE JUNGLIES
IMMORTALISED
ON CANVAS
A recently completed
painting of Sea King ZA298
by accomplished military
artist and army veteran Tony
Byrne from Bideford in Devon
was presented to 845 NAS.
S
ea King ZA298, or King of the
Junglies, as it is colloquially known
is no stranger to the world of
media. It was the central focus of
a BBC documentary, The Sea King - Britain’s
Flying Past presented by the renowned
television correspondent Jon Sergeant. This
particular aircraft, which is still flying today,
has seen service in all of the major conflicts
since the Falkland’s war and has been hit
by enemy fire on a number of occasions.
The most recent was in Afghanistan
where it was hit and badly damaged by
an RPG round fired by the Taliban.
On completion of the presentation to
845 Sqn’s XO, Lt Cdr Matthew Punch, Tony
explained, “I approached 845 Sqn some time
back to see if they would be happy for me to
produce a painting of this iconic aircraft. It
was a tremendous honour and privilege to be
told they would be delighted for me to do so.
The work took over three months to create
and was an incredible challenge, especially as
it was my first painting of a Junglie Sea King.
The response to the finished product has
been fantastic and at times overwhelming.”
Lt Cdr Punch added, “In many ways
ZA298 epitomises the Junglie Ethos. She
has travelled the world, been to the frontline
of most conflict regions over the past 30
years and, when at home, continued to
work tirelessly for training and exercises,
all this with a smile on her face. There is
good reason she has become known as
the King of the Junglies. Tony is clearly an
extremely talented individual doing excellent
work for many service charities. We are
pleased that he has captured ZA298 in such
impressive fashion. I, and 845 NAS thank
him for his excellent gift. The Squadron
will be using it as a feature in our future
charity auction and expect it to bring in
a very good price for a good cause.”
Unlike many artists, Tony has
considerable first hand experience of
painting military aircraft as he had served
with the Army Air Corps working on Scout,
Gazelle and Lynx helicopters although
he has painted a variety of aircraft from
Concorde to the Vulcan bomber.
This painting along with ten limited
edition prints signed by Junglie Aviators
will soon be displayed within the Squadron
before being sold at auction to support
a number of Service charities.
TONY BYRNE BIOGRAPHY
In September 1977, Tony enlisted as a
Boy Soldier in the Junior Leaders Regt
RA. He qualified as a Basic Gunner on
25 pdr Field Gun and was posted West
Germany where he qualified as a Gunner in
the Rapier AD Missile System. In 1985 he
transferred to the AAC working on Scout,
Gazelle and Lynx helicopters. Tony left
the Army from the RMCS in 1990 due to
injuries he’d sustained whilst serving.
In 1992 he was diagnosed with PTSD
and it took a number of years of persistent
nagging by a welfare worker from the charity
“Combat Stress” to get him to Tyrwhitt House,
Surrey where he could be treated. He was
then encouraged to paint by the Occupational
Health Team and soon found he had an innate
ability to paint aviation related topics.
In 2010 his painting “Holiday in St Ives”
which was exhibited at the Armed Forces
Art Society at the Mall Galleries, The Mall,
London. Tony has undertaken a number
of commissions amongst them 19 Sqn RAF
Valley, 22 Sqn SAR RAF Chivenor. The Red
Arrows and Royal Navy Lynx aerobatic
team Black Casts have also endorsed his
work.. More recently he has completed a
commission for a painting of Concord and a
BA747-400.He has also donated a painting
of an Apache helicopter landing at RAF
Fairford for “Holidays for Heroes” which
will be used to raise funds. Most recently
the Devon RBL has requested a painting to
commemorate the 100th Anniversary of WWI.
People
RNAS YEOVILTON
MOUNTS ENGAGEMENT
EVENT WITH HORSE-RIDERS
Welcoming leading
representatives of the
horse-riding community
and members of the media,
senior aviators from RNAS
Yeovilton, including CHF,
offered an open and informal
forum in September for an
exchange of information
about military flying and the
interaction with horse-riders.
C
dre Alexander, CO of RNAS
Yeovilton, welcomed the
guests and outlined the
operations that take place
at the Air Station and the units that fly
helicopters in the local areas. He said, “Our
aircrew are doing today’s business often
in extremely demanding environments.
Low flying is essential in reducing the
risk to helicopters and this is the case
whether the operational theatre involves
war-fighting operations, peace-support or
peace-keeping duties, or even humanitarian
relief. We have to train the way we plan to
operate and that entails low flying training in
the Somerset and the adjacent counties.”
Cdr Neil Thompson, who is in charge
of flying operations at RNAS Yeovilton,
talked about the challenges of low-flying,
the limitations imposed on low-flying in
helicopters in the UK and the aircrew’s
awareness of the impact of low flying.
“Our task is to train our aircrew as to be as
professional and effective as possible but
we also have a responsibility to the local
communities and we won’t fly lower than
is necessary for the task and, wherever
possible, we vary our flight paths to
distribute the disturbance.” He said, “If
the aircrew see horses with riders, they
will do all they can to avoid them but, in
some cases, last-minute manoeuvring
near the horse can be more disturbing
than a gentle climb to increase height.”
The event was held in the main flying
briefing room of 848 NAS that trains all Sea
King aviators and engineers of the CHF. CO
848 NAS, Cdr Richard Sutton, explained how
aircrew are trained and gave some insights
into the challenges of operational low flying.
“Flying training and particularly low flying
is a highly technical challenge, it requires
regular practice and is tightly controlled,”
he said, “We are flying our guests to show
them how difficult it can be to see horses
and their riders; particularly if they don’t help
us by wearing high-visibility garments.”
Yeovilton’s programme of engagement
with the horse-riding community is founded
on a highly productive collaboration with
the British Horse Society (BHS) that has
provided unstinting advice and support.
The Society was strongly represented with
Sheila Hardy, the Senior Executive of the
Safety department and David Prince, the
Senior Executive for Communications
attending. Bridgwater College’s
Cannington Equestrian Centre and
Bicton College Equine Centre were
represented by Michael (Pepsi) Kohler
and Alex Robinson-Barr respectively.
Pepsi Kohler said, “The day was
absolutely fantastic and very informative.
I now appreciate the role that our
helicopters play and understand their
training needs. If there is one message
I will reinforce, it is the need for horse
riders and their horses to be more easily
seen by wearing high-visibility attire. Alex
Robinson-Barr echoed Pepsi’s themes and
added, “I felt privileged to be given such
an amazing insight into what the aircrew
do and experiencing the flight. You just
don’t appreciate how busy they are and we
- the riders - usually focus on our concerns
and our pursuit of safety without realising
what a challenge it is for the helicopters
to operate effectively and safely.”
The Community Relations Officer,
Jeremy Greenop, who is the Air Station’s
focal point for engagement with horseriders said, “Ideally we would have invited
many more people to the event but a
key part of the day was the flight in a Sea
King helicopter and we were limited to
20 guests on this occasion. I hope the
journalists who attended will help spread
the word. We take our responsibilities
very seriously but we all have to be
realistic: low-flying is a crucial facet of
our operational proficiency and, with an
average of more than four horses per
square kilometre over the whole of the
UK, low-flying helicopters will, from timeto-time, encounter riders on horses. It is
important that both aircrew and riders
understand the needs of the other.”
Julie Garbutt, the BHS’s South West
Regional Development Officer has
worked closely with the Air Station on
the programme for engagement and
the development of their respective
Websites. Julie said, “We and all military
aircrew have a shared interest, and
that is the safety of riders and aircrew.
My work with the Naval Air Station
at Yeovilton epitomises the respect
we have for each other. They have a
very important job to do and it is a
testament to their commitment to the
local communities that they elect to
engage as extensively as they do. This
has been a most successful event and we
were delighted to be able to assist.”
Similar engagement activity
has also been undertaken at
RAF Odiham and Benson.
M
ark, 39, joined the
RAF in October 1995
and following basic
training trained firstly
in the Wessex helicopter and then in
the Chinook helicopter. Since then he
has served on operations, carried out
evacuations of civilian personnel and
been on many training exercises. Some
of the places he has been are Norway,
Jordan, Morocco, America, Oman, Belize
and Northern Ireland as well as serving
on Operation TELIC three times and
Operation HERRICK five times to date.
Aside from his flying he has also instructed
new Chinook crewmen and women.
Mark reached the 5,000 hour
milestone half way through his fifth tour
in Afghanistan. When asked about the
achievement of flying over five thousand
hours he said “it was 5,000 hours well
spent with great aircraft and great
people.” Mark, who is one
of very few crewmen to
have achieved this laudable
milestone, did so flying on
a tasking sortie moving
personnel around Helmand.
Once he has landed he was
met by the other Chinook
crewmen, women and
pilots who applauded him.
MACR Mark “Ginge” Bradley of B Flt,
As a crewman he is
18(B) Sqn, has accrued a total of over 5,000
responsible for the safe
hours flight time in a Chinook helicopter
carriage of the passengers
whilst serving on Op HERRICK, the
and freight that the
equivalent to seven months of flying.
Chinook carries. This
includes the loading and unloading
of freight and passengers, providing
force protection with the weapons
systems fitted to the aircraft, assisting
the pilots with navigation and whilst
deployed assisting medical staff
during IRT (Immediate Response
Team) shouts if required.
CREWMAN FLIES FOR
AN ACCUMULATED
TOTAL OF SEVEN
MONTHS
People
WRITTEN BY: ELISE TARR
TRAINING FOR WAR
JUNGLIE
STYLE
Royal Navy personnel from CHF based at RNAS Yeovilton
are completing their fifth and final week military training
or AIR 338 military acquaint course as it is known.
T
he course is designed to
equip naval personnel with
essential military field craft
and infantry skills to survive
alongside ground troops around the
world and to be able to operate and fight
effectively as a maritime expeditionary
aviation force. Every member of the
CHF, excluding Royal marines, has to
undertake this intensive five-week course.
During the initial three week phase the
trainees focus on learning various skills
including basic field craft techniques,
such as cooking rations, and learning
how to utilise their SA80 weapons to the
highest military standard. During this
period personnel also receive theoretical
and practical training in battlefield first
aid, survival techniques, operational
law, equipment care, navigation and
surviving and operating in a chemical or
biological threat zone, they also develop
their personal fitness and expand their
knowledge of their new Unit – CHF.
The fourth week combines all the skills
learnt into a tactical field exercise and the
fifth week will see Sea King helicopters
added to the mix so that personnel can
practise the skills to become a Junglie –
failure will result in the students having to retrain or being withdrawn from the CHF cadre.
Fifth week scenarios carried out in
the depth of Langport Range TA include
casualty extraction drills, mine strikes and
aviation operations within a simulated
FOB. During their drills personnel will
practice the iconic Arctic huddle under
the downdraft of the mighty green giant
that is the Sea King helicopter and will also
learn aircraft embarking and disembarking
technique, essential when making rapid
movement in Operational scenarios.
Sgt Nick Bachelor an aircrewmen with
845 NAS, explained how, “The huddle
provides the Pilot of the aircraft a visual
reference that is impossible to have in
environments such as the desert and the
arctic where there are no trees or prominent
features to aid the pilot or aircrewman.”
It is the experience of the RM specialist
instructors from CHF that equip personnel
with the relevant and imperative field skills to
operate safely in the land environment.
Lt Gareth Plunkett, who is responsible for
military training described how, “One of the
benefits of the course is that it brings many
different trades and elements together
from around the navy. It includes everyone
from trainee pilots and air crewmen
through to signallers, chefs, stewards and
logistics personnel. Individuals could have
been employed in a frigate or destroyer
prior to joining CHF so it is a real shock to
the system when they have to learn how
to rapidly adapt to survive and operate
in the field. To achieve this we have to
provide high quality professional training
and through life personal development.
Training ensures safety, efficiency and
ultimately operational success which has
been demonstrated in the Falklands War, the
Former Yugoslavia, Iraq and Afghanistan.”
The training at Langport is tough and puts
personnel out of their comfort zone, especially
in recent temperatures that have exceeded 30
degrees centigrade. However it is an effective
way to prepare them for even more challenging
conditions, such as the arctic cold weather
survival course in northern Norway and
frequent environmental training courses in such
diverse places such as Arizona and Jordan.
For PO (AET) Brian Lilley, it is the second
time that he has undergone this course.
Soon to be joining the front line on 845 Sqn
he explained how despite the course being
ARMY’S AIRBORNE SAPPERS
RESTRUCTURE
FOR THE FUTURE
In the last issue of LZDZ you
will have read about how
A2020 was effecting 7 RHA
and 13 AA Sp Regt RLC.
A
tough, “It progresses naturally and has
never been at an excessive tempo. But
you are always thinking about the next
objective as your comrade’s life could
be dependent on you making the right
decision.” He always reminds himself
that “In a situation where you might be
really fatigued usually the person you’re
helping is in a worse situation than you
are. You will recover, they might not.”
Logs Michelle King, will soon be part of
CHF’s logistics department once her training
is successfully completed. The fourth week
was her favourite as she put all her field skills
together in a tactical environment. “It was
emotional to start with but by the end of the
week a lot was achieved. I now know how
to go on patrol and take command of small
groups; it was fun and a great experience.”
It is the success of the Air 338 military
acquaint course and the dedicated
personnel involved with administrating the
course that ensures CHF are ready for all
eventualities be it on exercise or at war.
THE AUTHOR
Ms Elise Tarr has recently completed a
placement with CHF to gain an insight
into the RN media organisation and
to interview and report on the work
of CHF. She is an undergraduate at
Kingston University and is currently
studying Media and Cultural Studies.
further element of 16 (Air
Asslt) Bde has celebrated
the achievements of its
sappers in Afghanistan as
it is placed into suspended animation
as part of the A2020 reforms. A
reorganisation of Woodbridge-based
23 Engr Regt (Air Asslt) has seen 12
(Nova Scotia) HQ and Spt (Air Asst)
Sqn mothballed. The disbandment was
marked with a parade at Rock Barracks,
which also saw ten members of the
sqn who have recently deployed to
Afghanistan presented with OSMs.
The troops deployed from March
to September to run a resources cell in
Camp Bastion. Their role was to ensure
that engineers working with troops
on the ground had the equipment
and material they needed, as well as
preparing 170 shipping containers of
kit for return to the UK in support of
the drawdown of British forces.
Maj Gen Davis CBE, DG AR and T,
presented the campaign medals
before 12 Sqn marched off the
parade square and into history.
12 Sqn can trace its history back to
1784 when a Corps of Royal Military
Artificers unit was formed to build
fortifications at Halifax in Canada. Under
different identities and including at
least five previous periods of suspended
animation the squadron has served with
distinction in the Crimea, Boer War,
First and Second World Wars, Korea
and Aden and was disbanded in 1999.
It was reformed in 2002 with the
creation of 23 Engr Regt (Air Asst) and
has deployed on operations in Iraq and
Afghanistan. Since returning from a third
tour of Afghanistan in 2011 the squadron
has supported the regiment’s standing
commitment to provide close combat
engineering to 16 (Air Asslt) Brigade.
12 Sqn’s specialist capabilities reconnaissance, resourcing and bridging
– will be retained and shared between 9
and 51 Para Sqns, providing two larger
and self-sufficient squadrons to deploy
on contingency operations. Most of its
troops will move to other roles within
23 Engr Regt (Air Asslt) and some will
be posted to other units, while the
regiment is gradually reducing in size
by approximately 130 personnel.
Lt Col Jason Hones, CO 23 Engr Regt
(Air Asslt), said: “This parade has been a
bittersweet occasion. It is sad to see 12
(Nova Scotia) HQ and Support (Air Assault)
Squadron disband after 229 years of
service, however we are celebrating the
work of its personnel recently deployed to
Afghanistan, and know that it can return
to the order of battle if ever needed in
the future. 12 Sqn has disbanded and
re-emerged in a new guise many times
throughout its long history; this may
not be the last time that the squadron
will exist. Looking to the future, this
reorganisation means that the Regiment
has retained its capabilities in a leaner
structure and is fully ready to meet the
military engineering needs of the British
Army’s only very high readiness contingent
force – the Air Assault Task Force.”
L/Cpl David Bourner was among the
soldiers on parade to have deployed to
Afghanistan. He said: “It was my first
operational tour and it was exactly what
I expected from the training. We pulled
together well in Afghanistan and the
work was hard but rewarding. Today’s
parade was a poignant occasion and
it’s only right to send the squadron
off in the proper, formal fashion.”
People
D
THE FINAL
HELICOPTER
FLIGHT
FROM
GERMANY
After 20 years the last
1 Regt helicopter flight left
Gütersloh on Friday bringing
to an end a long association in
Germany stretching back to
1975 when the regiment first
formed up in Lower Saxony.
It’s also the end of British
military flying in Germany
stretching back to 1945.
uring their time at Gütersloh
elements of the Regiment have
deployed on operations 17 different
times, the most recent occasions
being Op PROTEGO and Op HERRICK 18.
With the Regiment rebasing to the UK
next year, where they convert to the Wildcat
Helicopter, 1AAC under the command of
Lt Col Paul Tedman hosted a number of
events over the week to formally mark the
cessation of British military flying in Germany.
The three highlights were the presentation
of OSMs to a cohort of personnel from 661
Sqn and the Helicopter Handling Detachment
who had only days before returned from
Afghanistan, a “mini-heroes” parade to
recognise the children of deployed personnel
where the regiment awarded them with their
own medals and the final farewell flight.
Whilst in theatre 661 Sqn completed over
1,000 flying hour in support of operations
against insurgents and their engineers
proudly achieved the highest serviceability
levels on deployment. The Helicopter
Handling Detachment worked hard
managing the Helicopter Landing sites.
In his address to the medal parade Brig
Sexton, Dep Comd JHC and professional
head of the AAC, congratulated everyone on
what had been a hard tour in a challenging
environment and extended his personal
thanks to all the families for the support they
provide. He concluded by adding “Wear
your medals with pride, enjoy your deserved
leave and look forward to the exciting future
that awaits you in the Wildcat era.”
Speaking after the “mini-heroes” parade
Cpl Matthew Garvin commented “it is fantastic
that the Regiment have held this parade
for our children, our families are incredibly
important and it’s great to see that the children
are recognised and not forgotten about.”
Concluding the week’s events Commander
Royal Artillery (CRA) HQ 1st (UK) Armoured
Division, Brig Simon Humphrey, addressed
THE ROYAL REVIEW
Wear your medals
with pride, enjoy
your deserved
leave and look
forward to the
exciting future
that awaits you in
the Wildcat era.
Brig Sexton, Dep Comd JHC
1AAC on parade saying “it is an immense
privilege for me to be here today to formally
mark this significant event - the cessation
of British military flying in Germany. The
Regiment has a proud record over the last
20 years and it is important that we take
the opportunity to reflect with pride on
all of those achievements. Well done.“
CRA also took the opportunity of the
occasion to recognise formally in front
of the Regiment the award of a Queen’s
Commendation for Bravery in the Air to
Major John Tymon for his outstanding
airmanship and command that averted the
loss of life following a catastrophic engine
failure during a routine assessment flight
in December 2011. Further information
on this can be found in this issue.
To mark the last flight of the Lynx from
Gütersloh it was wholly appropriate that
Major Tymon, led the helicopters on a
final farewell past the air traffic control
tower and his watching colleagues.
In the spring of 1953, Nos
54 and 247 Sqns moved out
temporarily while Odiham
was prepared for its most
spectacular event, the Review
of the Royal Air Force by Her
Majesty the Queen on July 15th.
A
huge tented town was erected
on the south side of the airfield
to house the 3,000 officers
and men brought into Odiham
to do the preparatory work, while on the
parade square a Bessoneaux hangar was
erected to provide extra messing facilities.
The 1,200 Service personnel and 318
meticulously marshalled aircraft on parade
represented every RAF Command in
Europe and some Commonwealth units,
while overhead flew 47 separate formations
at 30-second intervals, starting with a
single Sycamore helicopter and finishing
with a Supermarine Swift. A grand total
of nearly 1,000 aircraft, of which 641 were
Heritage
RAF ODIHAM
in the air - a spectacle which will
assuredly not be repeated in Britain.
Exactly 60 years to the day since
the Royal Review in 1953, RAF Odiham
had the pleasure of hosting another Royal
visitor. His Royal Highness the Duke of
Gloucester – Honorary Air Commodore and
first cousin to The Queen was invited to
present Honours and Awards to recipients
from the Station. After the ceremony the
His Royal Highness met the recipients
and their families before continuing
with the rest of his Station visit.
Heritage
INCHANADAMPH
MEMORIAL
In the summer issue of LZDZ you will have read about
how a Chinook was used to lift the stores required to prepare
the ground for the installation of the UK’s remotest war grave.
I
n the following article read
how RAF Odiham’s aircraft
and personnel returned to
Inchanadamph (this time without
hiking through the snow) to assist with
the final placement on the memorial.
The memorial marks the crash
site and graves of an RAF crew killed
during World War II. It was flown
onto a remote mountainside in the
Scottish Highlands by a Chinook.
The crew of six were all killed when
their Anson plane crashed on Ben More
Assynt on 13th April 1941. Due to the
inaccessibility of the crash site, the crew
were buried on the mountain – their final
resting places marked with a cairn.
In 2012, the Commonwealth War Graves
Commission (CWGC) decided to replace
the existing cairn, which had deteriorated
in the harsh climate, with a granite
marker weighing some 600 kilograms, to
identify and protect the aircrew’s burial
site from becoming lost or disturbed in
the future. 2,000ft up, the site on Ben More
Assynt is one of the Commission’s most
remote sites in the UK and the logistics of
replacing the cairn have proved challenging.
With support from the twin rotor RAF
Chinook helicopter the memorial was carried
by underslung load to the site. MACR Steve
Macdonald from JHSS at RAF Odiham
said: “It’s a very humbling experience. I
can honestly say that in my 30 years in the
Royal Air Force it’s one of the most fantastic
projects I’ve been involved in because there
are very few places where the crews are
actually buried where they crashed and now
these men will always be remembered.”
The granite memorial now serves as a
permanent reminder of: Plt Off William
Drew, Sgt Jack Emery, Sgt Harold
Arthur Tompsett, Fg Off James Henry
Steyn (DFC), Sgt Charles McPherson
Mitchell and FS Thomas Brendon
Kenny who were killed in the crash.
The families of the crew have been informed
throughout the project and for Bernie
Tompsett – nephew of Sgt Harold Arthur
Tompsett – the installation of the new marker
has been a great comfort. He said, “It was a
time when so many families learned of the
tragic loss of their loved ones… Perhaps
we are fortunate that they came to rest
in such a beautiful part of Scotland.”
REMEMBRANCE
SUNDAY 2013
The CWGC’s Peter Francis added, “The
Commission is delighted that we have
been able to carry out this work and we are
very grateful to all the organisations and
individuals who have so generously assisted
in the project. We couldn’t have done this
without them. The new stone will secure the
grave site for years to come and help honour
the sacrifice of six brave young men.”
All over the country sailors,
soldiers and airmen from
all elements of JHC joined
their communities to mark
Remembrance Sunday on
10th November 2013, as
well as holding events on
the 11th November 2013, the
anniversary of the Armistice.
A
cross Essex and Suffolk troops
from 16 (Air Asslt) Bde were
on parade alongside civic
dignitaries, veterans and
the public for services at war memorials
in towns and villages near their bases at
Colchester, Wattisham and Woodbridge.
16 Air Asslt Bde’s senior chaplain Rev
Alan Steele MBE said: “Remembrance
Day and the acts of commemoration
which are held on 11th November to
remember those who have lost their lives
in the service of their country are of great
importance both to the Nation and to the
Armed Forces. In the communal silence
which falls across the land at 11am, we
reflect on the sacrifice of young men and
women who died to secure peace within
these shores; we gratefully remember the
national heritage which we have received
from our forebears and for which so many
paid such a high price, and we solemnly
commemorate those who have died, not
only in the First and Second World Wars,
but also in the conflicts of more recent
years. It is an honour for the personnel of
16 Air Assault Brigade to stand alongside
the communities of Essex and Suffolk to
commemorate the Fallen together.”
In Colchester, a private ceremony
was held at Merville Barracks’ Memorial
Garden for families of 16 Air Asslt Bde
soldiers killed on operations to lay wreaths
and pay tribute to their relatives.
The focus then shifted to the town
centre, where the traditional Remembrance
service and 11am silence was held at the
War Memorial in High Street. Led by the
Band of The Parachute Regiment, some 80
soldiers from 2 PARA and 13 (Air Asslt) Spt
Regt RLC marched through the town centre
alongside veterans and youth organisations.
The town’s Army Reserve units were
represented by a marching contingent of
40 troops from 36 (Eastern) Sigs Sqn and B
Sqn, 254 Med Regt. A further 120 soldiers,
representing all 16 Air Asslt Bde units based
in Colchester, attended the service. The
troops were headed up by Brig Borton DSO
MBE, Comd of 16 (Air Asslt) Bde, and Col
Newman MBE, Comd of Colchester Garrison.
The regiments based at Wattisham all had
soldiers at neighbouring towns and villages.
3 Regt AAC had approximately 40
troops marching and a flypast by an Apache
attack helicopter at a Remembrance
service in Bury St Edmunds, with smaller
contingents at services at Stowmarket,
Needham Market, Aldeburgh and Barking.
4 Regt AAC had 200 troops parading
through Ipswich before a service at the
cenotaph in Christchurch Park, including
an Apache flypast. Smaller contingents
were at services in Barking, Ringshall,
Long Melford and Battisford.
7 (Air Asslt) Bn REME sent soldiers
to Hadleigh, as well as smaller
contingents to morning services in
Lavenham, Claydon and Bilderston.
In Woodbridge a marching contingent
of 30 sappers from 23 Engr Regt (Air Asslt)
and 61 Field Sqn, 33 Engr Regt, both
based at Rock Barracks, joined the service
in the town, and also supported services
at the town’s Grove Court care home
and in Boyton, Alderton and Melton.
Fighting for
The Forces
and Their Families
I’ve read recently on some military website
forums that there appears to be a debate
on the payment of widows’ pensions for
life. I wanted to make a contribution to
the discussion but am not sure of the facts
behind the issue – what is that all about?
This is a matter that affects only those on the
AFPS75 pension scheme, and it is, in short, a
matter of forcing widow’s, widowers or civil
partners who are awarded a dependant’s
pension as a consequence of their spouse’s/
partner’s death, and the cause of that death is
not attributable to their service. If later the
owner of that dependant’s pension elects to
remarry or cohabit (with somebody of the same
or opposite sex), they are obliged to surrender
their dependant’s pension. In other words the
MoD is forcing these dependants to choose
between the financial security their Service
partner earned for them and have no future
happiness in love, or surrender the benefit their
Service partner earned for them for the sake of
a second loving relationship. This archaic
attitude has already been acknowledged as
being socially unacceptable by the MoD and
Treasury since it no longer demands such a
draconian measure on the dependants of those
who receive benefits under the AFPS05 pension
scheme or the new AFPS15 pension scheme
– they keep their dependant’s pension’s for
life, regardless of their social activities.
sector pensioners. There are 10’s of thousands
of Service men and women who are today still
serving on the AFPS75 pension scheme who are
unknowingly saddling (in many cases) the wives
and husbands they have yet to meet with this
dreadful burden. The change is not, as some
would like the serving community to believe, a
change that will benefit only those who have
retired from the Armed Forces – far from it. 1st
April 2015 sees the introduction of a brand new
pension scheme for all public sector employees;
here is a golden opportunity to get rid of this
dreadful rule once and for all from everybody
who is in receipt of a dependant’s pension from
that date onwards (no retrospection is sought).
If not we are going to start to get dependants
who have entitlement to a portion of the AFPS75
pension scheme and AFPS15 pension scheme,
some can be kept for life but some cannot – how
much is the administration of all that going to
cost – probably less than the cost of allowing the
retention of dependant’s pensions for all.
What is regrettable is that the MoD insists it will
not make retrospective changes to the pension
scheme, when a retrospective change is not what
is being sought, and the Treasury claim that if
they make this concession to the Armed Forces
then they will have to make it for all other public
All Armed Forces personnel, serving or retired
are eligible to join the Forces Pension Society and
enjoy the benefits such membership offers. If you
are not already a member, and would like to join,
visit our website at www.forcespensionsociety.org
or call us on 020 7820 9988.
68 South Lambeth Road, Vauxhall, London, SW8 1RL
Tel: 020 7820 9988
Email: memsec@forpen.co.uk
www.forcespensionsociety.org
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Equipment
STOP P
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THE FIR ISSUE GOES
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HELICO NEW
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11.
CHINOOK
MK4
MEDIA
L AUNCH
The latest Chinook aircraft has been shown off to
journalists at a recent media day on Salisbury Plain.
D
elivery of the Chinook Mk4
means that the RAF now
has an enhanced capability
with the state-of-the-art
cockpit and avionic mission system. This
means an improvement to situational
awareness and therefore flight safety.
A host of national and defence
trade journalists attending the
media day for Op Herrick 19 saw the
Chinook conduct a role demo where,
accompanied by an Apache flying
‘top cover,’ it lifted a light gun from a
‘FOB’ that was being dismantled. They
later got the opportunity to take a
tour of the aircraft before undertaking
a flight and receiving a brief on the
finer points of the £280m upgrade.
Speakers at the briefing were Capt
David Childs RN, Head of the Chinook
programme within DE&S, Gp Capt Dom
Toriati, Stn Cdr RAF Odiham and Chinook
Fce Comd, and the Managing Director of
contractor Boeing UK, David Pitchforth.
Capt Childs explained the reasoning
behind the upgrade by saying: “I
wanted aircrews to be able to walk out
to any Chinook and fly any mission.”
The Chinook is a vital piece of equipment
for the Armed Forces and continues to
serve them effectively across the world,
including in Afghanistan. Capt Childs added
that the Chinook Mk4 programme being
undertaken while the aircraft were deployed
to Afghanistan added logistical problems.
“It was akin to changing the wheel on a
car whilst it was driving at 70 mph… but
we have managed to succeed” he said.
The upgraded aircraft will have an
enhanced night operational capability
by providing a new integrated cockpit
display and avionic mission system, known
as Project Julius. The integrated Cockpit
Display and Mission Avionics System
design will reduce crew workload and
aircrew fatigue, and increase situational
awareness. In common with the other
marks, the Mk4 is able to transport up
BREITLING
TROPHY
Honours & Awards
848 NAS WIN
On 30th August CHF’s 848 NAS were presented with the
Breitling Trophy by Mr Gavin Murphy, Sales Director of
Breitling UK. This prestigious award is presented annually
to the Naval Air Squadron achieving the best overall
assessment during a Naval Flying Standards inspection.
It recognises the professionalism and excellence within
the squadron, marking them out as the best in the FAA.
to 40 men or 10 tonnes of supplies.
As a vital support helicopter for our
forces, the Chinooks will help to deliver
Future Force 2020, which will meet the
strategic demands laid out in the SDSR.
Gp Capt Dom Toriati said: “The
Chinook is the stalwart of the JHC lift
capability, with three years service in
Iraq and 12 years in Afghanistan. It’s very
much part of our national resilience. With
the addition of digital capability, there
is more situational awareness, which
is a real step forward for the Force.”
Media were shown first hand how
the dust of the English countryside
rises in the last part of the Chinook’s
descent, which can make locating the
ground and landing safely very difficult.
This is exacerbated in more dusty
terrains like Afghanistan. Gp Capt
Toriati added: “For the last 100ft on
the approach it’s like you are trying to
keep ahead of a billowing cloud of fine
talcum powder, sometimes at night.”
PROJECT JULIUS SUMMARY
Project JULIUS will introduce a digital
‘glass’ cockpit and a new crewman’s
workstation across our current fleet
of Chinook helicopters. This involves
the installation of flat panel and digital
displays in place of analogue dials and
gauges, providing improvements such as a
moving map display, an on-board mission
planning system and the third-crewman’s
position being integrated into the cockpit.
The installation of the new equipment
is undertaken at the Vector
Aerospace plant in Fleetlands.
T
he award of this trophy is
testament to the high level
of flexibility demonstrated
by all members of the Sqn
in surging to meet the required output
placed upon them whilst still maintaining
the highest possible standards within
the FAA. 848 NAS were inspected in
November 2012, having just completed the
Olympic Sy task throughout the summer
and ongoing student pilot and engineer
training commitment. Despite being
denuded of summer leave, the whole
Squadron worked together as a team to
ensure that safety, standards and practices
continued throughout the whole of 2012.
The Navy Flying Standards Flight Report
specifically noted that professionalism
and skill were clear across a broad
range of flying and ground disciplines.
To win the award amongst such strong
competition within the FAA is a real
honour and recognition of the continued
hard work, dedication to excellence and
the exemplary ethos within the Sqn.
CO 848 NAS, Cdr Rich Sutton MBE
RN said “As an ex Naval Flying Standards
Officer, I am acutely aware of the fierce
competition and the high standards that
need to be achieved to be awarded the
Breitling trophy. 848 NAS has been the
largest Sqn in manpower terms within
the Fleet Air Arm for several years and
to consistently operate with such high
standards and practices, meet it’s own
operational tasks and train the next
generation of ‘Junglies’ is a fantastic
achievement of which all Squadron
personnel should be very proud.”
The presentation of the award was
made to Lt Mike Brown, who received the
trophy on behalf of everyone at 848 NAS.
Honours & Awards
MEDAL S
PRESENTED
Personnel and families at RAF Benson celebrated the presentation of over 50 medals when AVM
Matt Wiles, the Chief of Staff Personnel and Air Secretary of the RAF, completed his formal
visit to the Station by presenting 58 medals at a special ceremony in the Officers’ Mess.
T
he first to be presented
was the Clasp to the OSM
(Afghanistan), which was
presented to MAcr Duncan
Baker of 230 Sqn. This is awarded to
those personnel who have completed 30
days continuous service on Op HERRICK
after previously being award the OSM
(Afghanistan) for contribution to the
task from areas outside the country.
Following this, 36 OSMs with
Afghanistan Clasp were presented to
personnel from across the Station. This
medal is presented to those who have
completed 30 days continuous service
on Op HERRICK duties in Afghanistan.
THE RECIPIENTS OF THE
MEDAL WERE:
Flt Lt Ellie Hoogewerf, 230 Sqn
Flt Lt Alexander Jupp, 230 Sqn
Flt Lt Andrew ‘Jack’ Longbottom,
28 (AC) Sqn
Flt Lt Iestyn Morgan, Fce HQ
FS Eamon Geraghty, Eng Wg HQ
CPO Scott Verow, 28/78 Sqn
Engineering (Eng)
Sgt Kevin Botley, 78 Sqn
Sgt Kev Cooper, Base Support Wg (BSW)
Sgt Darren Culshaw, 28 (AC) Sqn
Sgt Adam McLeish, 28 (AC) Sqn
Sgt Alan Sumner-Smith, BSW
LAET Tristan Hoddy, 28/78 Sqn Eng
Cpl Andy Pickford, 78 Sqn
Cpl John Seal, 28/78 Sqn Eng
Cpl Andrew Severn, Engineering
and Logistics Wg (ELW)
Cpl Daniel Toole, ELW
SAC James Banks, ELW
AET Keiron Boyce, 28/78 Sqn Eng
AET James Connaughton, 28/78 Sqn Eng
SAC(T) Colin Dickens, Puma
2 Servicing Flt
AET Martin Duck, 28/78 Sqn Eng
SAC Darren Goodger, ELW
SAC Adam Graham, 78 Sqn
SAC Aaron Isbister, ELW
SAC Jordan Jones, 78 Sqn
SAC Dan Lowe, ELW
SAC Christopher MacKenzie,
28/78 Sqn Eng
SAC Seth Oswald, 28/78 Sqn Eng
SAC Luke Pepper, 230 Sqn
AET James Redhead, 28/78 Sqn Eng
SAC Simon Seath, 28/78 Sqn Eng
SAC Sam Smith, ELW
SAC Kimberleigh Smith, ELW
SAC Ben Talbot, Engineering
and Logistics Wing
SAC(T) William Watson, Puma
2 Servicing Flt
SAC Thomas Wemyss, ELW
The NATO Non-Article 5 Operation UNIFIED
PROTECTOR LIBYA medal was presented
to SAC Daniel Robins of BSW for serving on
the United Kingdom’s supporting operation
for the NATO operations to protect civilians
and civilian populated areas under threat
of attack in Libya, Operation Ellamy.
In addition, Flt Lt Paul Newman MBE
of 28 (AC) Sqn, FS Peter Clowes of
ELW and Sgt Kev Cooper of BSW were
presented with the ACSMl 2011, which
is awarded to personnel who complete
720 days aggregated campaign service
in those theatres of operations for which
the GSM, an OSM or the Iraq Medal has
been awarded. This is the equivalent of
spending almost two years on operations!
The LS&GCM is awarded for
completing 15 years reckonable service
with irreproachable character and
conduct and are worthy of distinction.
THE AWARD WERE
PRESENTED TO:
PO Chris Brannagan, 28/78 Sqn Eng
PO David Brickell, 28/78 Sqn Eng
FS Jon Radcliffe, the Medium
Support Helicopter
Aircrew Trg Facility
Sgt Michael Knock, ELW
Cpl Rachel Anderson, 230 Sqn
Cpl Sam Beasant, ELW
Cpl Carl Careless, 230 Sqn
Cpl Terry Duke, ELW
Cpl Glyn Hardisty, ELW
Cpl Mark Houghton, 28/78 Sqn Eng
Cpl Matthew Kramer,
28/78 Sqn Eng
Cpl Mark Nuttall, 33 Sqn
Cpl Shona Ririe, 33 Sqn
Cpl Timothy Willoughby,
28/78 Sqn Eng
JT Mark Stack, 33 Sqn
OPERATIONAL
HONOURS LIST
The following members of
the JHC received Honours
and Awards in Operational
Honours List 41:
DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS
Flt Lt Trott, RAF Odiham
QUEEN’S COMMENDATION FOR
BRAVERY IN THE AIR (AFGHANISTAN)
Flt Lt Gent, RAF Odiham
QUEEN’S COMMENDATION FOR
BRAVERY IN THE AIR (REST OF WORLD)
Maj Tymon, 1 Regt AAC
JOINT COMMANDER’S
COMMENDATION (AFGHANISTAN)
Maj Ball, Sqn Ldr Best and Sgt
(now SSgt) Holmes
JOINT COMMANDER’S
COMMENDATION (REST OF WORLD)
Maj Bland and Maj Lord
MAJ TYMON
A Regimental Qualified
Helicopter Instructor has been
recognised for his bravery
during an emergency.
M
aj John Tymon, a Captain
at the time, was conducting
a routine pilot training
assessment in Germany
when a loud explosion was heard that led to
the cockpit quickly filling with acrid smoke.
An engine had disastrously failed, this
caused significant damage and severed the
fuel pipe resulting in a severe fire. John, of
1 Regt AAC, quickly assessed the situation
and, as smoke was obscuring not only the
identification of a suitable landing area but
also the aircraft’s instruments, he ordered
the crewman to open the rear door; this
briefly allowed him to see a field to fly the
stricken aircraft towards. However, such was
the poor visibility in the cockpit that a tree
was only identified in the closing moments
of approach, John reacted instantly, taking
evasive action and carried out a landing on
a ploughed field, which only added to the
complexity of the task. With the engines
shut down, he ordered the evacuation of the
aircraft before the fire completely destroyed
the aircraft. From the point of explosion to
landing took only thirty seconds. Throughout
these initial stages, John remained utterly
calm and professional, issuing clear
instructions that provided assurance to
his crew. His outstanding airmanship and
command undoubtedly saved the lives of
his crew and civilians in the vicinity. Yet
his actions did not stop there. Ensuring all
crew members were a safe distance away
he undertook a casualty assessment on a
crewman who had suffered an injury and,
using his skills as a German speaker, liaised
with the emergency services which were
arriving on the scene to set up a cordon
to preserve vital evidence. His citation
praises his: “Invaluable actions that allowed
the successful control of the incident and
showed incredible foresight, professionalism
and dedication, beyond that expected
particularly in the immediate aftermath
of such an accident. It continues: “John
Tymon’s actions in this most demanding of
flying emergencies were nothing short of
exceptional. History cites previous similar
examples of the situation he faced, and
unfortunately, on those occasions aircrew
lives have been lost. “His actions that day,
without question, prevented the loss of life.
I have not seen such a compelling case for
recognition at the hugest possible level.”
A further 15 years exemplary service
results in the award of the Clasp to
the LS&GCM which was presented
to FS Nik Smith of ELW and Chf
Tech Philip Milburn of 230 Sqn.
The Stn Cdr Gp Capt Nigel Colman, who
hosted the awards ceremony, commented,
“I am once again thrilled to witness so
many dedicated servicemen and women
receiving their hard-won medals, whether
it be for operations, long and distinguished
service or indeed a combination of the
two. The success of the Armed Forces
depends upon the quality of its people
and we have seen a group of extremely
deserving individuals, supported as ever
by their families and friends, rewarded and
thanked for their valuable contribution.”
Sport & Charity
PICTURED: Project leader Gregg Pearson accepting the bikes
from CHF Head of Royal Navy Police CHF MAA Bryn Martin.
FAA GALLOP
TO VICTORY
OVER THE RAF
The first ever FAA v RAF
polo match took place at
RMAS Sandhurst making
it a truly tri-service event,
saw a member of CHF
in the winning team.
T
he FAA Polo team, sponsored
by SERCO, is selected from
the RN Polo Assoc and for
such an auspicious occasion
was made up of Lt Bob Santrian (team
captain) from CHF, Lt Tom Burrows
on exchange at RMAS Sandhurst, Lt
Hironobu Suzuki from RAF Cranwell and
representing the RNR, Surg Cdr Bowen.
The match proved to be extremely
exciting and entertaining for both
players and spectators with the speed
of the FAA‘s team dominating most of
the play. A four chukka match saw the
FAA demonstrate formidable team
work and good communication skills
and, apart from a worrying third chukka
where the opposition threatened to
turn the tables, managed to hold the
RAF at bay on a well manicured pitch.
Lt Tom Burrows proved his total
commitment, some might say suicidal,
by plummeting off and crashing
through the goal posts whilst trying
to score (the only fall of the day), the
ball eventually being coaxed through
the posts by the team’s highest
handicapped player Lt Hiro Suzuki.
A final score of 3½ - 7 saw the
FAA team victorious, finishing in time
honoured fashion with cheers for both
teams. On completion Mr Neil Wilmott
from SERCO presented prizes and
accepted a coveted FAA Polo shirt as a
mark of thanks. The jubilant FAA team
are now fully committed to making
this event an annual occasion.
ON YER
BIKE JACK
Hope2Cycle is a charitable community partnership promoting
cycling, recycling, health and wellbeing in the beautiful
area of North Dorset and beyond. It has a fantastically
dedicated team of skilled and trained volunteers.
F
or two years, personnel from
the CHF have taken time
out to rescue abandoned
bicycles from their base
at RNAS Yeovilton for refurbishment
at Hope2cycle. The re-cycling team at
Hope2Cycle include people that are
socially excluded or recovering from
health related problems. The Charity
enables them to be employed in a work
setting and also offers work experience
and volunteering opportunities
This year the CHF team, lead by Hd of
RN Police Bryn Martin rounded up and
donated over 40 bikes to the charity said,
“We believe it is extremely important
to support our local community and this
particular charity has been identified as a
deserving cause.” Adding, “Hope2Cycle,
was originally set up in Sherborne
approximately three years ago. As well
as providing valuable work experience
and training they provide an excellent
service in bike sales and maintenance.
Due to the success of the Sherborn
project the charity now has workshops
in Shaftesbury and Bournemouth.”
On receiving the bikes project leader
ex-serviceman Mr Gregg Pearson said
“These bicycles will be a great help to our
charity. After a month of very good sales
they will help replenish stock and provide
us with lots of spares to repair some of our
other bikes. Re-conditioned bikes can be
seen on our website at www.hope2cycle.
org.uk and there are some fantastic
bargains to be had. We also provide
cycle hire and maintenance training.”

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