The Big Pictures

A Royal Australian Air Force F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, off the coast of New South Wales.

F-35A

• Despite it being a

Public Holiday and in the middle of Defence’s

Christmas stand-down,

Australia’s F-35A Lightning II fleet officially achieved Initial

Operational Capability on 28

December 2020. • Also confirmed in December is that all

Australian F-35A initial pilot training is now conducted in Australia, with more than 30 jets and six networked simulators in place at RAAF Base Williamtown and four more simulators joining the network at

RAAF Base Tindal this year. • Three new F-35As arrived at RAAF Base

Williamtown on 11 February, bringing the total fleet to 33. The new delivery is enough to see two operational squadrons fully equipped, plus training aircraft. • The delivery in February, called Exercise

Lightning Ferry 21-1, was conducted from

Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, beginning on 27 January to RAAF Base Williamtown, supported by an RAAF KC-30A multirole tanker transport from No. 33 Squadron and a No. 36 Squadron C-17A Globemaster.

Photo by Corporal Dustin Anderson 66

An Australian Army Staff Cadet fires an M72A1 66mm rocket launcher at Majura Training Area, Canberra.

Staff Cadets from III Class at the Royal Military College Duntroon recently completed their initial training in high explosives, qualifying with F1 Grenade, 66mm Light Direct Fire Support Weapon, Claymore anti-personnel weapon and SL40 grenade-launcher. III Class is the first phase of officer training in the Australian Army, which lasts six months. This initial phase is designed to provide Staff Cadets the fundamentals of soldiering and the skills they will need for a career in the Australian Army.

E-7A Wedgetail A30-005 from No. 2 Squadron departs from RAAF Base Darwin into a pink Northern Territory sunset for a night mission during Exercise Arnhem Thunder 21. As one of the Royal Australian Air Force’s largest domestic training exercises for 2021, Arnhem Thunder focused on high-end collective training and involved multiple force-element groups (FEGs). Operating out of RAAF Bases Darwin and Tindal, Arnhem Thunder 21 provided excellent opportunities for cross-FEG interoperability, high-end air-power missions as well as practising rapid airbase activation. Exposure to large scale offensive counter air scenarios in an away-base environment is of vital importance to the training outcomes of RAAF elements. Approximately 40 aircraft and more than 500 RAAF personnel deployed on Exercise Arnhem Thunder 21.

PRETTY IN PINK

Photo by Corporal Sagi Biderman

An Australian soldier from the Red Berets parachute display team drops into Circular Quay carrying the Australian National Flag to help kick-start Sydney’s Australia Day festivities on 26 January 2021. The four-person Red Berets team landed safely on water targets in Circular Quay, thrilling crowds lining the harbour.

BIG PICTURES

Royal Australian Air Force military working dog Ulf of No. 3 Security Forces Squadron is off to see the veterinarian – an annual event across Australia, to ensure that all RAAF MWDs are fit for duty. MWDs and their handlers provide security, crime-prevention patrols, emergency response and intruder detection on RAAF bases and in deployed locations.

An F/A-18F Super Hornet departs RAAF Base Darwin as a super Moon rises over the Northern Territory during Exercise Arnhem Thunder 21.

TOO

A21018 conducts an aerial display in Townsville during Exercise Talisman Sabre 21. In celebration of their mascot, the Australian magpie, No. 75 Squadron applied a black and white commemorative paint scheme to F/A-18A Hornet A21-018. The aircraft was scheduled to sport its new colour scheme until retiring, ahead of the squadron’s transition to F-35A Lightning II in 2022. The squadron adopted the magpie as its mascot because it is a belligerent defendant of its young with the courage to attack. No. 75 Squadron operates out of RAAF Tindal in the Northern Territory.