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Air Force | Air Power | National Defence | Space | Cyber

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Autumn 22 Vol 4 No 1

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C-390 MILLENNIUM

UNBEATABLE COMBINATION

RAPID RECONFIGURATION AND MISSION FLEXIBILITY.

When it comes to humanitarian missions, the rapid reconfiguration, speed and flexibility of the C-390 Millennium has proven indispensible for the Brazilian Air Force. During the height of the COVID pandemic, they employed the C-390 to deliver vital medical supplies, including ambulances and liquid oxygen, to remote communities in the Amazon Basin. After the 2021 Haiti earthquake, a C-390 was used by the Brazilian Air Force to deliver 10.5 tonnes of medicines, food and health equipment to help victims and support the emergency relief operation. And when a devastating explosion occurred in the port area of Beirut, Lebanon, the Brazilian Air Force got vital medicines and food supplies ‘on the ground’ in just under 16 hours. Proven in the field and in the toughest of environments, the C-390 has now been chosen by the Portuguese and Hungarian air forces to lead their humanitarian missions.

#C390UnbeatableCombination embraerds.com

Volume 4 No 1 Autumn 2022

index

2 COVER STORY Air to Air Refuelling Key Force Multiplier

COVER THEME: AIR TO AIR REFUELLING

6

Inside the KC-30A

FEATURES 16 Planning the next Loyal Wingman 20 A Question of Choice and Strategy - F-35A Acquisition 25 Hercules Reaches 85,000 Flying Hours 28 A High-Flying Career Change 32 Uncertainty Over Darwin Port 35 Privatising the Drone Sky 45 Senior Appointment Follows Family Tradition

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10 CAE Defence and Security

47 56

New Legal Milestone for RAAF End of An Era - F/A-18 A/B Classic Hornet

SPACE 26 Human Space Launches within 5 Years 38 ISS Above - One Giant Leap 50 What's All The Hype - Defence Space Command CYBER 58 Embedding Atoms One By One

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Lani Pauli, Eve Massingham, Charles Page, Defence News, Malcolm Davies, Jack Ryan, Kerryn Caulfield, Charles Miranda, John Coyne Flying Officer Robert Hodgson, QLD RSL, Jake Goldenfein, Thao Phan, Eve Massingham, Evan Morgan, Ulas Yildrim, Dominic Giannini.

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Digital version: australianairpowertoday.com.au Hard copy: To receive a complimentary copy airpower@flightpublishing.com.au Above: Two RAAF F/A-18 Hornets fly in refuelling formation with a KC-30A Multi Role Tanker Transport during an Australian Defence Force showcase rehearsal in preparation for the Australian International Airshow at Avalon, Victoria. Defence image.

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41

Airbus & RAAF Partners to Support Boom

Looking Beyond Lab Coats Australia & UK Collaborative Partnership FIXED WING 64 History 66 Relocation 76 Transition 80 Defence 82 On The Radar 85 Books 88 Back Page 58 61

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AIR TO AIR REFUELLING

Key Force Multiplier

A RAAF KC-30A Multi Role Tanker Transport aircraft (right) and two United States Air Force B-1 Lancer bomber aircraft fly in formation over the Northern Territory. Defence image.

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Air-to-air refuelling stands as one of the key force multipliers which allows projecting military power far beyond their national boundaries. Because the receiver aircraft can be topped up with extra fuel in the air, air refuelling can allow a take-off with a greater payload which could be weapons, cargo, or personnel: the maximum take-off weight is maintained by carrying less fuel and topping up once airborne.

Alternatively, a shorter take-off roll can be achieved because take-off can be at a lighter weight before refuelling once airborne.

For today's short combat radius platforms in particular, the growing frequency of sorties flown at everlonger distances away from carriers or ground bases has increasingly made refuelling an essential mission component. The requirement for air-toair refuelling is likely to increase in the future as there is a greater requirement for persistence. Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) and Command and Control (C2) assets, for example, are increasingly likely to demand air-to-air refuelling services to enhance situational awareness. The Falklands conflict of 1982 highlighted the necessity for air-to-air refuelling, particularly for the successful prosecution of an air war at long range.

Of all air power force multipliers, air-to-air refuelling is amongst the most significant. It provides an essential capability that increases the range, endurance, payload and flexibility of all capable receiver aircraft, and is especially important when forward deployment is limited or unavailable, or air base operations limitations impose constraints. "To support overseas deployments anywhere in the world at short notice air-to-air refuelling is only becoming more important," says James Kemmitt, product management director at Cobham Mission Systems - one of the world's leading refuelling technology suppliers.

Refuelling technology Two approaches are currently used for aerial refuelling: the flying boom, where a retractable long thin tube extends

A RAAF E-7A Wedgetail carries out the first operational air-to-air refuelling from a RAAF KC-30A MRTT aircraft on operations above Iraq. Defence image.

from the tanker into a receptacle on the receiving aircraft. The boom is what will run the fuel from the tanker to the receiver.

A slightly easier aerial refuelling method is the drogue probe, a drogue fire hose with a parachute on the end comes out of the tanker, while the receiver extends a thin probe into the parachute, like a bullseye. The probe and drogue is simpler to adapt to existing aircraft, and the flying boom, which offers faster fuel transfer but requires a dedicated boom operator station.

A colourful history The first airborne refuelling occurred in 1921 between two biplanes. With a five-gallon fuel canister and at an altitude of some 1,000 feet, Wesley May worked his way down the right wing of a plane flown by Frank Hawks; he then climbed onto the left wing of another plane and eventually poured the fuel into its gas tank. Although an impressive stunt, it did not obviously represent a practical way to refuel while airborne.

On June 27, 1923, above Rockwell Field in San Diego, the US Army Air Service used two Airco DH-4B biplanes to try out a less extreme approach. The refuelling aircraft a DH-4B carrying Lieutenants Virgil Hine and Frank Seifert passed gasoline through a

hose to another DH-4B flying beneath it carrying Lieutenants Lowell Smith and John Richter.

A compelling practical reason to carry out aerial refuelling was slow to emerge, and early demonstrations became little more than record setting attempts.

On January 1, 1929, a six-man crew commanded by US Army Air Corps Major Carl Spaatz took off in a modified Fokker C-2A called Question Mark. The airplane bore the symbol as the team’s answer to the question: “How long do you plan to stay up?”.

On January 7 the answer proved to be 150 hr. 40 min.

Alan Cobham, the British pioneer of long-distance flying, spent much of the 1930s developing systems intended to permit long-distance

The first aerial refuelling on 27 June 1923. The DH-4B biplane remained aloft over the skies of Rockwell Field in San Diego, California, for 37 hours. Wiki Commons

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USAF A-7 Corsair IIs refuelling from a KC-97. Wikipedia.

nonstop commercial flights. He would go on to establish Flight Refuelling Ltd (FRL) as a company in 1934. His early experiments were conducted using the Airspeed AS.5 Courier, before he developed the “looped-hose” gravityfeed method in the mid-1930s and created a system of connectors that increased safety and made refuelling a more easily repeatable process.

However, the loop-hose system p r o v e d u n w i e l d y a n d d i ff i c u l t , particularly in bad weather. With a two-and-a-half-inch diameter refuelling hose, the FRL developed system transferred fuel at a rate of only 110 gallons per minute. With new highspeed, high-altitude jet bombers coming online, capable of operating at night and in bad weather, it quickly became apparent something better was needed.

Interestingly enough, in the 1940s Boeing already had a better system in mind. The company developed a "flying boom," which featured a telescoping pipe with fins at the nozzle end.

The fins were termed "ruddervators" because they functioned as both rudders and elevators. The boom operator, sitting in the B-29's converted tail turret, literally flew the boom into a receptacle on the upper fuselage of the receiver aircraft. This design allowed more positive control of the airto-air refuelling operation and with the boom's four-inch diameter, it offered much faster fuel transfer.

Cobham developed a new system, which went into trials with the Royal Air Force, and on August 7, 1949, was used during the setting of a new 4

endurance record for a jet aircraft when a Meteor F.3 was refuelled from an Avro Lancaster. The connectors used the new “probe and drogue” system.

FRL’s refuelling equipment was modified by Boeing for the US Strategic Air Command, which saw the flexible hose replaced by a boom with rudders that could be “flown” by the operator.

Initially developed to permit refuelling at altitude, with operators in pressurized cabins, the system also increased the fuel transfer rate. It was used on the Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter, the first production tanker aircraft and the concept remains in use by the US Air Force, RAAF and the air forces of Iran, Israel, the Netherlands and Turkey.

Training Training A typical air-to-air refuelling mission starts with a pre-mission brief where crews are updated on the mission profile and what is expected from the sortie.

From there, crews conduct individual crew briefs, complete the

Air Refuelling Officers from 33SQN operate the refuelling boom on the KC-30A MRTT or the F-35A Lightning II enroute to RAAF Base Tindal. Defence image.

33SQN Aircraft Technician, Leading Aircraftman Richard Harrison, performs routine maintenance on an air-to-air refuelling drogue. Defence image.

flight authorisation process and then ‘step’ to the jet for departure.

Mission exercises like Cope North and Talisman Sabre are vital in the learning of air-to-air refuelling.

Flying Officer Delchau, an Air Refuelling Officer from Number 33 Squadron, said “Exercise Talisman Sabre has been a great learning experience.

“Assisting with mission planning, understanding the tactical air picture and communicating with other squadrons and their crew on different aircraft has been challenging, but rewarding.

“The exercise taught me a lot about operating with foreign military aircraft, their expectations and how a combined air war would be coordinated with dislocated units.

“The role of air mobility officers extends far beyond operating the airto-air refuelling systems.

FLGOFF Delchau, however, agreed the most heart-racing part of his day job was doing a refuel flight – the last few seconds before directing the boom into contact with a receiver aircraft.

“If you blink, all of a sudden there could be four jets on our wing and another four checking in to get gas and that takes a lot of coordination.”

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Flight Lieutenant Dunn who was part of Exercise Cope North 21 says “The KC-30A is usually one of the first jets to enter the airspace and one of the last to leave,”.

“Fully integrated in the planning process, the tanker planner helps shape the mission profile by working out fuel requirements, tanker availability and any limitations, and then comes up with the airborne refuelling plan," FLTLT Dunn said.

“All of our co-pilots cycled through the position – it was a big learning curve for them and a great opportunity for their professional development.

“They’ve begun to understand how we integrate with partner forces, how a typical planning cycle works for a large force employment mission, and what great capabilities the KC-30A brings to the table.”

“We also had two junior air refuelling operators who achieved their day fighter boom qualification and one aircrew member who achieved his B Category KC-30A captain categorisation.”

“We'd expect to be airborne for approximately four hours, refuel a combination of US F-35A Lightning IIs, F/A-18 Hornets, F-16 Fighting Falcons and EA-18G Growlers, and offload around 45,000 litres of fuel.

“We’d also expect to hold contingency fuel for any issues that the fighters may have during the sortie or on recovery to Andersen Air Force Base.

“Once all fighters and other air assets are safely on their way home, we’ll recover as well, and when we’re back on the ground, our maintainers refuel the aircraft, conduct any maintenance required and have the tanker ready to launch for the next wave.”

By the end of the exercise, callsign ‘Willowbank’ had flown a total of 17 missions and offloaded 318,000 litres of fuel to US fighter aircraft.

Although pilots and boom operators undergo rigorous refuelling training, it nevertheless remains stressful.

To that end, both Airbus and Boeing have worked on automatising the boom operation. Peter Thomas, senior lecturer in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Hertfordshire in England, and a specialist on air-to-air

refuelling of unmanned aerial vehicles, says that “if you want to automate the system you must outperform what a human can do, which is using his eyes to gage where the boom must go and couple up with the receiver.”

In April 2020 Airbus successfully completed the world’s first fully automatic air-to-air refuelling operation with 120 dry fuelling contacts with a Portuguese Air Force F-16 fighter jet which needed no modifications at all to use the system. (A dry contact means they don’t actually transfer fuel.)

The tech allows the boom operator to simply activate the system and then supervise while the computer takes control of the boom, maintaining the right angle and distance to fly it to within centimetres of the receiver aircraft. The boom’s telescope is then extended into the receiver, the fuel transferred, then automatically disconnected and the boom brought away.

More recently history was made when the U.S. Navy conducted its first ever air to air refuel between a manned aircraft and an unmanned tanker on June 4 2021, with a Boeing-owned MQ-25 Stingray test vehicle performing its first mid-air tanking mission with a Navy F/A-18E-F Super Hornet.

The test mission out of MidAmerica Airport in Mascoutah, Illinois, proved the unmanned tanker could successfully use the Navy’s standard probe-anddrogue aerial refuelling method.

During the initial part of the flight, the F/A-18 test pilot flew in close formation behind MQ-25 to ensure performance and stability prior to refuelling. The manoeuvre required as little as 20 feet

of separation between the two aircraft, both flying at operationally relevant speeds and altitudes. When the MQ-25 drogue was extended, the F/A-18 pilot moved in to “plug” with the unmanned aircraft and receive the scheduled fuel offload.

Future of AAR From remote vision systems to drones, aerial refuelling technology has made leaps in recent years. If perfected, it could have a lasting impact on the future of military aviation.

From Vietnam through to the Falklands and Iraq, aerial refuelling has been used by air forces in conflict for well over half a century.

Tankers continue to play an important role in serving bombers, fighter jets and, more recently, drones.

According to market intelligence firm Stratview Research, the global aerial refuelling systems market could reach a value of $671.9m by 2024, owing to increasing demand and more funds being allocated to their development.

Recent developments around the world suggest that going unmanned is a primary goal for new refuelling technology. Flying tankers in perfect sync with a receptacle aircraft at hundreds of miles of an hour – not to mention hooking up pipelines with highly combustible fuels – requires vast reserves of precision and patience.

If perfected, unmanned or autonomous refuelling solutions could help take the pressure off pilots and human boom operators, as well as reducing risk to personnel involved.

US Navy, Boeing conduct first-ever aerial refuelling with unmanned tanker. US Navy.

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INSIDE THE KC-30A

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The KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) serves as an airto-air refuelling aircraft that also provides the RAAF with strategic airlift capabilities. It was first flown by the RAAF in September 2011.

The RAAF currently has six KC-30A aircraft operated by No 33 Squadron, based at Amberley. Since 2014, one additional KC-30A was deployed in the Middle East under Operation Okra.

The KC-30A was selected in April 2004 to fulfil Project AIR 5402 for five aircraft equipped with wing-mounted pods for hose and drogue refuelling and a fuselage centreline refuelling boom. The acquisition contract for the aircraft was signed with then aircraft manufacturer EADS CASA in December 2004.

The MRTT is a substantially modified military derivative of the Airbus A330-200 airliner, which can

carry a fuel load of more than 100 tonnes, and transfer part of that load to compatible aircraft.

The KC-30A MRTT can remain 1,800 km from its home base, with 50 tonnes of fuel available to offload for up to four hours. In its transport role, the aircraft is capable of carrying 270 passengers and can accommodate 34,000 kilograms of military and civilian cargo pallets and containers.

In 2018, Air Force then Chief of Joint Operations, Air Marshal Mel Hupfeld said the reliability and large air-to-air refuelling capability of the KC-30A has added tangible value to the Australian and coalition forces, with their large demand for aerial refuelling.

"The KC-30A has been a significant force multiplier for the Air Force and has proven itself over Iraq as part of Operation Okra," AIRMSHL Hupfeld said.

The KC-30A is equipped with two

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forms of air-to-air refuelling systems, including an advanced refuelling boom system mounted under the fuselage of the aircraft and a hose and drogue refuelling pod underneath each wing.

These systems are controlled by an air refuelling operator on the flight deck, who can view refuelling on 2D and 3D screens.

Advanced mission systems are also fitted to the aircraft. They include the Link 16 real-time data-link, military communications and navigation suites, and an electronic warfare self-protection system for protection against surface-to-air missiles.

AIRMSHL Hupfeld said, "Just one KC-30A can support the deployment of four fighter aircraft over 5,000 kilometres and has the versatility to refuel a range of different aircraft types.

From Australian C-17A Globemaster IIIs to US Marine Corps AV-8B Harriers,

British Eurofighters and French Dassault Rafales, the KC-30A can keep these planes in the air efficiently and effectively."

During Exercise Arnhem Thunder in July 2021, less than an hour into a daytime mission, Air Force pilots Flight Lieutenant Kristen Crick and Flying Officer Danny Kitcher refuelled four F/A-18F Super Hornets and two EA18G Growlers.

Whether it’s dragging fighters through the airspace or anticipating where they might need us for a top-off, we remain flexible and work together so they can meet their mission objectives.”

For the two pilots, the best things about flying the KC-30A were the variety and the people.

“We’re able to do passenger and cargo moves, hose-and-drogue and boom refuelling, and formation flying,” FLGOFF Kitcher said.

FLTLT Crick said: “Flying the KC30A means you’re always working with a crew and 33SQN is full of good characters”.

“While the KC-30A is first and foremost an air-to-air refuelling system, given our multi-role, we’re not only working with receiver pilots for air-toair refuelling, but also looking after passengers, and making sure we provide a comfortable service to get them to their next domestic or international destination,” FLTLT Crick said.

Left: KC-30A MRTT pilots, FLTLT Crick and FLGOFF Kitcher after completing a mission during Exercise Arnhem Thunder 21.

Right: 33SQN personnel with a KC-30A MRTT in the Middle East.

Defence images.

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CAE Defence & Security CAE is an enduring member of the Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF) KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) Enterprise Partnership. Our role is to deliver training to ensure the safety and mission readiness for the aviators that employ this capability. The MRTT Training system is supported by simulation devices with the first KC30A full-flight and mission simulator to RAAF Base Amberley delivered by CAE in 2010. Three years later this device became the world’s first A330 MRTT simulator formally qualified to level D, the highest qualification for flight simulators, and accredited by the Australian Defence Force Airworthiness Authority. We currently have three devices on the KC-30A program to include the Full Motion Simulator (FMS), as well as the Part Task Trainer (PTT) and an Integrated Procedures Trainer (IPT).

It has been our privilege to train more than 400 students in support of the RAAF KC-30A program. Supporting

170 courses over the course history, our onsite staff of instructors, maintenance and operations personnel have provided over 43,000 hours of training to students.

CAE continues to supports to the RAAF (33 Squadron, Heavy Lift Air Supply Program Office [HALSPO] and 86 Wing) by providing Through Life Support (TLS). CAE maintains and upgrades simulators and ongoing engineering support, as well as facilitating training for students both classroom and via our Pilot and Air-toAir Refuelling Instructors.

How does the training help prepare aircrew for future roles?

Students exiting initial flight training or other RAAF platforms can utilize the conversion type training of the KC-30A training system to transition to the A330 / MRTT. In addition to the conversion and categorisation training courses, CAE also delivers Squadron

approved Cyclic and Currency training in support of 33 Squadron operational requirements. This supports the RAAFs temporal model to Raise, Train and Sustain capability.

CAE develops and delivers several A330 MRTT air refuelling officer parttask trainers (ARO PTT) to air forces around the world, to include the RAAF and UAE Air Force. The CAEdeveloped ARO PTT is a sophisticated, high-fidelity training device designed to train the air refuelling officer – often called the boom operator – on the demanding tasks of a refuelling mission in a safe, cost-effective synthetic environment. The trainer features a seven-channel CAE Medallion-6000 visual system combined with stereographic 3D goggles and displays to provide a realistic 3D view of the boom itself and approaching receiver aircraft. Using the ARO PTT, crews practice the procedures and techniques of air refuelling operations to become proficient, thus significantly reducing the amount of airborne training required.

How are emerging technologies having an impact on training?

The needs of all training cannot be met in a single solution. CAE has a scalable scope of synthetic-based training solutions to include immersive environments, mixed reality, AR/VR, Learning Management Systems and traditional classroom instruction. This comprehensive learning ecosystem leverages our experience and capabilities to ensure that training needs are met at every scale. For example with the A330 MRTT, training can include fuel transfer, boom extension/retraction and fuel 10

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delivery system malfunctions. We have delivered several programs that included scalable levels of fidelity, from basic air-to-air refuelling procedures to very high fidelity training systems based on actual flight test data.

Military customers worldwide are seeking solutions to train mariners, soldiers and aviators faster, more efficiently and in secure environments.

CAE is the world’s leading platform agnostic training and simulation pure play; ensuring mission readiness by integrating solutions across all five battlespace domains. We have 75 years of experience and expertise in modelling and simulation that provides our military customers an unparalleled training experience in digital ecosystems that enhance mission readiness.

Additionally, CAE leverages advancements in AI, cloud computing, immersive synthetic environments, and adaptive learning to provide an agile ecosystem. For example,

we are involved in programs such as the Mission Command System Common Operational Picture for the U.S. Special Operations Command and the Single Synthetic Environment for the UK Strategic Command where cloud-based synthetic environments can offer decision support, what-if course of action analysis, and faster than real-time simulation.

We are consistently working to innovate our solutions to increase defence readiness. Our industry requires a continual evaluation of capabilities and adaptive learning to meet new requirements leveraging advanced technologies. In November, CAE was awarded a Defence Innovation Hub contract to develop a deployable augmented reality 3D virtual modelling tool that is designed to assist defence with AI enabled decision support to planning. The Australian Defence Force is focused on improving situational awareness, and improved simulation, modelling and

training. CAE supports the evolution of training and recognizes the critical role immersive environments play in ensuring mission readiness.

CAE is at the leading edge of digital innovation providing training and mission support solutions across multi-domain operations – air, land, maritime, space and cyber. We are committed to being our customer’s partner of choice to help elevate safety, efficiency and readiness so that our customers can achieve their best performance.

Matthew Sibre Managing Director, Indo-Pacific Region CAE Defense & Security Above: Operating from the CAE KC-30 simulator at RAAF Amberley, a 33SQN pilot approaches a United States KC-135 simulated aircraft. This image has been digitally manipulated.

Left: Mr Mervin Sayseng, a Simulator Software Engineer with CAE monitors the training room during Coalition Virtual Flag 16. Defence images.

11

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Canberra’s largest property developer, Geocon Group, recorded an incredible result for 2021, with residential property sales, exchanges and settlements exceeding all expectations and pre-Covid figures.

Reflecting these remarkable results, Canberra investors have benefited from the highest capital city gross annual yields and the leading total investment returns inclusive of yield and capital growth over 2021, with the ACT not looking to slow down in 2022.

More opportunities for apartment investors in Australia’s capital city Responsible for delivering more than one third of new apartments in the national capital, Geocon is shaping Canberra’s skyline, and is an industry leader in large scale, high-rise residential and commercial developments.

In Canberra’s city centre, Geocon completed its Metropol project in October 2021, with few remaining apartments available to move-in now. Designed by acclaimed architects – Fender Katsalidis – the three-building precinct offers premium residential amenity in a convenient, central location.

After the immense success of Metropol, it’s no surprise Geocon has commenced work on a second city-based project, Allara Street. The new blue-chip precinct is currently in the community consultation phase and is scheduled to launch early April 2022. Delivering on Geocon’s brand promise, Allara Street will create ample and affordable opportunity for buyers and investors alike.

In Belconnen, Nightfall represents the final chapter of Geocon, and Australia’s, largest mixed-used precinct – Republic. Topping out in November 2021, the community-led Nightfall building prepares to welcome buyers and tenants from April 2022, showcasing an array of high-end amenities for residents to use as an extension of their home. Selling successfully to investors and owner-occupiers, few 2 bedroom apartments remain from $534,900.

With the booming suburb of Woden undergoing an extensive decade-long reinvigoration, Geocon is currently constructing a once-in-a-generation opportunity with a master planned, amenity rich precinct - WOVA. Boasting 802 apartments, WOVA will bring connectivity and community to the landmark revival. Construction has commenced with the completion of WOVA penned for 2024. 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments at Woden’s most sought after precinct, WOVA, start from $399,900.

In Tuggeranong and Gungahlin, Geocon has partnered with Empire Global to deliver two landmark projects. Based in Tuggeranong, Aspen Village offers lake views, unrivalled amenity, and access to government employment hubs in Greenway, while The Establishment in Gungahlin promises a connected lifestyle with access to the Hibberson Street light rail only a five-minute stroll from resident’s doorstep. 1, 2 and 3-bedroom residences now selling off the plan from $367,900 and $325,395 respectively.

With another solid year in prospect, Canberra house prices are set to increase by between 8% and 10% over 2022 with unit prices likely to increase by 5-7%.

Canberra rents will also continue to surge, rising again by 10%+ over the year - for both houses and units (My Housing Market Report, December 2021).

Leading property economist and c o m m e n t a t o r, D r A n d r e w W i l s o n , anticipates that Canberra will maintain its position as the “top performer for total gross investment returns”.

“Canberra is set maintain its position as the strongest capital city economy with the lowest unemployment rates and highest wages - which will be enhanced in a postlockdown economic surge through 2022 and boosted by increasing federal government spending directly assisting the local public sector. The strong local economy will continue to fuel rising housing demand and buyer capacity.” explains Dr Wilson.

Furthermore, “higher returns for investors also provide advantages for the Canberra market compared to other capitals and again offers a positive driver for demand and higher prices.

With another solid year in prospect, Canberra house prices are set to increase by between 8% and 10% over 2022 with unit prices likely to increase by 5-7%.

Canberra rents will also continue to surge, rising again by 10%+ over the year - for both houses and units.” said Dr Wilson.

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Lessons learnt in fuel safety In order to conduct safe and reliable air operations, Air Force requires confidence in the entire fuel supply chain – from the refinery to the wing-tip of the aircraft.

To minimise the risks, Headquarters Air Command has developed a Core Risk Profile (CRP) for the Air Force aviation fuel capability.

Safety occurrences and issues relating to aviation fuel have been well reported for many years. However, risk management has often been focused and context dependent, with no overarching reference covering the entire system.In response to this issue, the Air Force Safety Board requested a detailed risk assessment of the Air Force aviation fuel capability.

Analysis of Defence Fuel Supply Chain Event reports highlighted inconsistent fuel handling practices, frequent maintenance/construction induced incidents, and investigations lacking key information.

This analysis, coupled with other reporting and data, informed the development of a CRP, which broke down the data, identifying four notable hazards – loss of fuel containment, ignition of fuel vapour, loss or degradation of fuel supply and loss of fuel quality control.

In doing so, the CRP laid the foundations for how best to minimise these risks across the refinery to aircraft wing-tip continuum.

Flying Officer Jay Fitzpatrick, fuel capability adviser with Headquarters Combat Support Group, was influential in the development of the CRP. “The CRP will be adopted as the primary reference for Air Force aviation refuelling risk management and assurance activities,” FLGOFF Fitzpatrick said.

“This will ensure the risk to personnel – as well as capability, mission, financial, reputation and environment – is eliminated or otherwise reduced so far as reasonably practicable.”

At the local level – for aviation fuel operators – there have been many improvements identified in

the CRP. These include changes to fuel sampling procedures, the introduction of new equipment, and the development and implementation of improved decontamination processes.

However, safety in the workplace requires a proactive approach from all involved.

Ongoing reporting of safety events and issues is vital. Risk management – prior to and during – tasking needs to be maintained. Strict adherence to the Permit to Work process is essential.

Defence has a moral and legal

obligation to ensure risks to the health and safety of personnel arising from military operations are eliminated or otherwise minimised so far as is reasonably practicable. Advances in fuel risk assessment and safety procedures is just one example of how we aim to meet this obligation.

Below: 2SQN Aircraft Technician Samantha Woods monitors tank levels while refuelling an E-7A Wedgetail during Exercise Gauntlet Strike, RAAF Tindal.

Defence image.

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F eat ure

Planning the next Loyal Wingman

A recent test flight of Boeing Australia’s Airpower Teaming System, the second such flight in the ‘Loyal Wingman’ program, which currently has two test aircraft, saw the first aircraft retract its undercarriage for the first time and the second aircraft take its first flight. A total of six have been ordered. A new final assembly is to be established at Wellcamp Airport near Toowoomba in Queensland, providing a boost to the state’s defence industry sector.

This is an important milestone for the test program of the new capability that demonstrates developments that may be more important for the Australian Defence Force than the acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines in 20 years’ time.

The Loyal Wingman is groundbreaking in a number of ways.

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First, and perhaps most important, it is the first combat aircraft developed and designed for the Royal Australian Air Force since World War II. It represents a new type of capability for the RAAF through crewed–autonomous teaming technologies, allowing aircraft such as the F-35A Lightning II, F/A-18F Super Hornet and E-7A Wedgetail to ‘plug and play’ with the Loyal Wingman as a networked force. It’s set to offer ‘fighterlike performance’ with a range of more than 2,000 nautical miles (3,700 kilometres) and a modular design to allow a range of different types of missions including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, communications relay, and both kinetic and non-kinetic strike capabilities. Its use of smart and trusted autonomy will mean that it’s not a ‘remotely piloted’

drone but operates with a high degree of independence alongside crewed platforms without adding needless burdens to aircrew.

With the assembly facility in Queensland, the Loyal Wingman project creates the potential for a flourishing aerospace industry that supports not only the manufacture of the aircraft itself, but also the rapid development of new types of air combat capabilities.

It’s this future development potential that needs to be explored quickly. In the context of the AUKUS agreement, much attention has been placed on Australia’s decision to pursue nuclear powered general purpose attack submarines (SSN) and the challenges of getting them within a reasonable timeframe. But there’s a strong case

Fe a tu r e

to be made that Australia can’t afford to stand still on long-range deterrence and strike while waiting potentially decades for the SSNs to arrive.

An alternative path for the ADF to project power needs to be considered.

Developing and evolving a secondgeneration Loyal Wingman is a logical next step.

The first-generation Loyal Wingman that is now being tested is a small tactical aircraft which will offer the RAAF greater combat mass than it is currently able to field. Quantity has a quality of its own, and Australia’s approach to RAAF force structure needs to break away from traditional sizing limitations that have been largely static since the 1980s and the arrival of the F/A-18 A/B ‘Classic Hornet’. It’s time for a larger and more

powerful air force in the face of growing threats from a rising China. The Loyal Wingman gives a path to that larger future force.

Alongside greater mass must come greater range and performance. The Loyal Wingman’s declared range of 3,700 kilometres would translate to an unrefuelled combat radius of approximately 1,200 kilometres depending on payload and mission profile. That’s roughly comparable to that of the F-35A Lightning 11. That range does need to be extended, in order to solve the challenges posed by the extensions of China’s anti-access and area-denial envelope.

Ideally, this challenge would be eased via host-nation support or through airborne refuelling, but it’s possible that support from countries in the region won’t be forthcoming in a crisis, particularly if they’re pressured

by China not to offer it.

There are also challenges when it comes to aerial refuelling. China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force is developing longer-range capabilities.

The Pentagon’s 2021 China military power report notes the continued development of the PLAAF’s longrange J-20 fighter. The Royal United Service Institute’s Justin Bronk notes that the J-20’s mission is to attack vital combat-enabler platforms such as the KC-30A refueller and the E-7A Wedgetail Early Warning and Control aircraft.

The J-20’s range of up to 2,700 kilometres means that, if deployed to bases in the South China Sea, it could potentially strike airborne refuellers operating out of northern Australia. The PLAAF’s long-range bomber capability is also being rapidly developed. The H6N bomber is now operational and can carry air-launched ballistic missiles with a range of 3,500 kilometres that could strike targets as far south as Pine Gap in the Northern Territory. We could lose bases through missile strikes as quickly as through diplomatic coercion.

As ASPI’s Marcus Hellyer notes, RAAF airborne refuellers extend the time on station of platforms such as the F-35A and extend their range by about 500 kilometres. The risk is

that increasingly long-range PLAAF airpower will place these airborne refuellers under threat. So, they must be defended. The logistical challenges increase as fighters need to defend the tankers and, in turn, need the tankers to stay on station.

There are two options for managing this dilemma. The first is acquiring longer-range fighters. The proposed US Air Force next-generation air dominance (NGAD) and US Navy F/A-XX programs could potentially deliver such a capability for the RAAF, but likely not until the 2030s. The second is to use the Loyal Wingman as a basis for a future multirole vehicle that can undertake both longer-range strike and long-range air defence missions as part of an integrated air and missile defence system, such as that envisaged under Project AIR 6500.

Certainly, the first-generation Loyal Wingman could be employed on oneway flights to contest PLAAF forces in the South China Sea through electronic warfare missions, for example, and offer a forward line of combat air power while leaving crewed platforms to the rear. But the performance and payload of the Loyal Wingman as it is currently configured would leave it vulnerable to higher performance crewed PLAAF fighters such as the J-20, as well as the J-11 and J-16.

Evolving the Loyal Wingman into a second-generation platform with greater range, payload and performance to expand the RAAF’s tactical and operational air defence and strike capabilities is a clear path forward. It should take full advantage of rapid digital design and development to produce an evolved aircraft not in decades, but in years, noting that the current aircraft went from concept to first flight in three years. In confronting the growing challenge posed by a much more capable PLAAF, the RAAF needs to think in terms of hemispheric airpower projection. That’s a job for Loyal Wingman 2.

Malcolm Davis is a senior analyst at ASPI. He is on Twitter at @Dr_M_Davis.

Defence image.

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F eat ure

“You don’t drive your Ferrari to work every day, you only drive it on Sundays. This is our ‘high end’ [fighter], we want to make sure we don’t use it all for the low-end fight”. - Charles Brown Jr

A Question of Choice and Strategy - Australia’s F-35A Acquisition As the F-35A Lightning II assumes the role of Australia’s core fighter jet, debate around its acquisition rages. The F-35A should be seen as a necessary acquisition that fulfills a ‘jack of all trades, fighter’ role for the RAAF. Limited by resources and size the F-35A was the best, and largely only, option available to the ADF that guaranteed long term Defence interests.

Having an estimated per unit cost of $126 million1, ballooning to $475 million per unit when factoring in lifetime support, it would appear the Australian Government has opted for a garage of 72 Ferrari’s to replace the F/A-18 Classic Hornet – but is this necessarily a mistake? Critiques regarding cost3, capability 4 and relevance 5 of the F-35A program contain some merit in their arguments. Even the USAF, who house the world’s most advance air platforms, estimated that, despite the F-35A, by 20305 they would “not [be] capable of fighting and winning against … potential adversary capabilities”.

The first question to ask is one 20

of choice – what was the alternative to the F-35A? In light of cost and timeline concerns commentators have suggested a wide range of alternatives.

These range from airframe alternatives such as the F-22 Raptor6 to waiting until 2030 to take advantage of unmanned autonomous systems. In terms of F-22’s, removed from the fact that the US have never exported a single airframe7, the costs associated with restarting their production was so high8 that even the USAF deemed it unreasonable. Other options, like F-16 Falcon or F-15 Eagle, would certainly be more cost effective however they are not up to scratch capability wise.

As 4th generation platforms the F-16 or F-15 are unsuited to the modern battlespace where stealth and sensor integration is becoming critical.

Future unmanned systems will be crucial force multipliers for the RAAF, however they are also not a reasonable alternative to the F-35A. As Chief of Air Force, Mel Hupfeld has noted9, systems such as Boeing’s Loyal Wingman, of which Australia

may purchase three 10 , inherently form part of “a manned-unmanned team approach”. As such, it has been specifically designed to work alongside a manned fighter platform, not in replacement of one. This synergy, which relies on sensor integration and advanced programming, is inherently suited to the F-35A when compared to a more traditional fighter such as the F-16 due to a focus on interoperability and ISR capabilities.

Perhaps beyond 2040, when it is first expected the RAAF will consider an F-35A replacement11, the technology and trust in unmanned systems will see them as a viable alternative to manned 5th gen platforms – but that is not the case currently. To make the most of developing unmanned technology the RAAF requires the most advanced fighter available, which arguably was (and is) the F-35A. The second major question to address is one of strategy. As early as 2006 Lockheed Martin’s Vice President of Strategy predicted that; “The F-35A would be four times

Fe a tu r e

more effective than legacy fighters in air-to-air combat, eight times more effective in air-to-ground combat, and three times more effective in reconnaissance and suppression of enemy air defences.”

In essence if an aircraft can handle the high end of the conflict spectrum it can subsequently handle the low-end.

As a small force the RAAF does not have the same luxury of variety that the USAF enjoys. When our entire F-35A fleet could be housed on a single US aircraft carrier12 our jets should fulfil our most pressing strategic objectives at the cost of lesser goals. Designed expressly for high-end, high-tech conflict13 Australia’s F-35 acquisition suggests a priority shift away from low intensity conflicts, such as the Iraq and Afghanistan campaigns in which the F/A-18 served. While they may be used in similar counter-insurgency operations, that is certainly not their key role.

The 2020 Defence Strategic Update 14 makes clear that military modernization in the Indo-Pacific has accelerated faster than envisaged.

Regional actors such as China are increasingly acquiring and building their own advanced jets, as seen with recent Shenyang J-1615 and Chengdu J-2016 advancements. Subsequently the future battle space is unlikely to replicate the environment of air supremacy experienced in the Middle East. Therefore the procurement of jets tailored to this dynamic makes little sense. Acquired long before the ‘drums of war17’ began beating, the F-35A is a tangible indicator of the ADF’s long term concern of fighting a modern war – as it should be. While the F-35A can contribute to the ‘lowend fights’ experienced in the Middle East, outboard weapon stations and a 25mm cannon see to that, this would fulfil General Brown's concern of daily driving our Ferrari’s. To prevent this the 23 strong fleet of F/A-18F Super Hornets will likely act as the daily driven ‘Ford’ to the F-35s weekender ‘Ferrari’ until their end of life in 2030.

Beyond this point it is possible, as ASPI

suggest, that a further F-35 squadron may follow 18. However, should the ADF still desire aircraft suited to the low-end fights of the past two decades, which have a focus on CAS and strike, alternatives such as F-15E Strike Eagle will need to be explored.

With the modern airspace beginning to contain advanced fighter platforms, such as China’s J-20 and Russia’s PAK-FA, Australia has kept ahead by acquiring the F-35A. With national strategy preparing for the possibility of high-intensity conflict as an immediate concern the F-35A stands out as the most preferable choice. That the F-35 program was likely designed as a replacement for the F-16 and F-18A/B, and that it presents a significant jump to 5th generation capabilities, signing on to the F-35A program was a sensible way to progress Australian airpower – albeit in an environment with few other choices.

3. Thorn, A. (2021) Comment: Should Australia explore alternatives to an F-35 top-up?, Australian Aviation, 27 May 2021.

Jack Ryan Air and Space Power Centre

16. Xuanzun, L., Sheng, Y., Wei, F., Shumei, L. and Luwen, L. (2021) China’s J-20 stealth fighters with domestic engines dazzle crowd at Airshow China opening, GT Global Times, 28 Sep 2021

Defence images.

1. Toohey, B. (2020) King of Lemons Australia swindled

by Lockheed Martin and its joint strike fighter, Michael West Media: Independent Journalists, 26 Sep 2020 2. Hebert, A. (2011) Lies, Damn Lies, and the TrillionDollar F-35, Air Force Magazine, 1 Jul 2011

4. Axe, D. (2021) The U.S. Air Force Just Admitted The F-35 Stealth Fighter Has Failed, Forbes, 23 Feb 2021 5. Enterprise Capability Collaboration Team (2016) Air superiority 2030 flight plan, US Air Force, May 2016 6. Kuper, S. (2020) US President allegedly approves sale of upgraded F-22 to Israel, Defence Connect, 3 Nov 2020 7. Makichuk, D. (2020) Why no foreign nation can buy the F-22 Raptor, Asia Times, 7 Apr 2020 8. Hollings, A. (2021) Why the US can’t just start building more F-22s, Business Insider, 29 Jun 2021 9. Reichmann, K. (2021) Loyal Wingman Takes First Flight in Australia, Aviation Today, 2 Mar 2021 10. Green, A. (2021) Australian-made Loyal Wingman air combat drone with AI-driven targeting system completes first test flight, ABC News, 2 Mar 2021 11. Australian Department of Defence (2020) 2020 Force Structure Plan, Commonwealth of Australia, 18 Jun 2020 12. Editorial Team, How Many Planes Does an Aircraft Carrier Hold? (Countries Compared), Aero Corner, 13. Lockheed Martin, F-35 Lightning II, 14. Australian Department of Defence (2020) 2020 Defence Strategic Update, Commonwealth of Australia, 1 Jul 2020 15. Yeo, M. (2021) China to show off its new electronicattack jet, Defence News, 25 Sep 2021

17. DW Contributor (2021) Australia: Security official warns of ‘drums of war’, DW Akademie, 27 Apr 2021 18. Davis, M. (2020) Australia’s air force should already be planning to replace the F-35, ASPI: The Strategist, 19 Aug 2020

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Fe a tu r e

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E-Plas supplies many, varied industries, each with their own unique demands. From orthotics and nuclear medicine to mining, ship building, transport, manufacturing, food production, bulk handling and many more. This broad business base provides E-Plas with a strong and sustainable foundation from which we continue to grow and adapt to an everchanging industrial landscape. This includes supplying many specialised polymer materials suitable for critical applications specific to the aeronautics and defence industries.

RAAF Hornet. Dreamstime image.

We offer a number of advanced engineering plastics suitable for critical aeronautical applications.

For example, PEEK or Poly Ether Ether Keytone, which has exceptional mechanical properties including high strength and a very wide temperature range, performing very well in extreme heat through to extreme cold.

Another outstanding performer in aeronautical applications is Sustamid FR. This is a flame retardant Nylon for demanding applications where fire is an extreme hazard.

We have many invaluable antistatic materials in our Tivar UHMW-PE range from MCAM, such as Tivar 1000 ESD. The ESD stands for electrostatic dissipative. Also, TIVAR® ECO UHMW-PE which exhibits excellent abrasion and corrosion resistance, outstanding impact strength, minimal moisture absorption and a low coefficient of friction. Other specialised products include Tivar AST which is an anti-static ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene with extra dimensional stability. Our Rochling Sustaplast range includes a number of anti-static Acetal (POM) materials including three different grades of Sustarin C ESD from anti-static through to conductive.

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We are local manufacturers, making custom machined components at our main facility in Ravenhall. E-Plas Manufacturing’s highly skilled team of CNC engineers perform the invaluable role of transforming our customers concepts into reality. From one-off samples and machinery replacement parts to large scale production runs, we are here to realise your finished product.

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Fe a tu r e

Hercules reaches The RAAF has surpassed 850,000 flying hours with the C-130 Hercules transport aircraft.

The milestone was achieved on January 21 by a No. 37 Squadron crew flying a C-130J Hercules from RAAF Base Richmond to Amberley.

Since 1958, generations of RAAF aviators flying four different variants of the Hercules have provided airlift support to Defence.

Commanding Officer No. 37 Squadron Wing Commander Anthony Kay said the 850,000-hour milestone was passed during a mission for Operation Tonga Assist 22.

“It comes as no surprise that this milestone should occur during a mission to provide important assistance to our Pacific family,” WGCDR Kay said.

“Generations of our Hercules workforce have carried urgent relief supplies over long distances to remote airfields, often at short-notice, and for long periods away from their family.

“The impressive scope of what we’ve achieved within those 850,000 hours is a testament to the service of thousands of people who have crewed RAAF Hercules, and kept them flying.”

850,000 flFLying hours The aircraft that flew the 850,000th hour – serial A97-467 – is one of 12 C-130J Hercules operated from RAAF Base Richmond since 1999.

The current fleet was preceded by 12 C-130As from 1958 to 1978; 12 C-130Es from 1966 to 2000; and 12 C-130Hs from 1978 to 2012.

Throughout those 850,000 hours – the equivalent of more than 97 years airborne – RAAF aviators have flown Hercules missions to every continent, including Antarctica.

“It’s probably not really possible to properly determine the distance our crews have travelled since 1958, or the amount of cargo they have carried in that time,” WGCDR Kay said.

“The number of passengers carried runs into the millions, and includes Defence personnel on operations, civilian communities, heads of government, celebrities, and even animals requiring urgent air transport.

“A considerable number of Australians, whether they are Defence or civilian, have either flown on a RAAF Hercules, or been the recipient of aid delivered by one of our aircraft.”

The passenger experience of flying

inside a Hercules has remained largely consistent since 1958, but in recent years the fleet has been upgraded to deliver greater connectivity.

This improves the airlift support available to Defence, and has modernised opportunities for those on board.

“Crew and passengers flying on future Hercules missions can conduct mission planning and remain globally connected throughout their flight, wherever they may be deployed,” WGCDR Kay said.

“These upgrades will inform not only how we operate the Hercules, but how we may also upgrade and develop other air mobility platforms into the future.”

Flying hours • C-130A (1958 to 1978) – 148,063.6 hours • C-130E (1966 to 2000) – 307,007.9 hours • C-130H (1978 to 2012) – 244,618.4 hours • C-130J (1999 to Present) – 150,310.1 hours* *As of 21 January 2022. Defence image.

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S pa ce

Human Space Launches Within 5 Years ASA Reveals Plan Australia’s $12 billion plan to join the international space race comes with a pledge of when humans could be launched, and how we will develop our own rover.

Ten years ago, talk of spaceports and lunar landings or rocket ships taking Australians to the stars was pretty much all pie in the sky.

But Australia’s fledgling space program will this year take a giant leap forward with a series of rocket launches and satellite projects to seal the future of the $12 billion industry.

And the recently minted Australian security alliances, the AUKUS with the UK and US and the Quad with India and Japan, will be expanded to “shape” space tech collaboration.

Australian Space Agency head Enrico Palermo has outlined his 2022 plans to accelerate the national space program which he said would see human space launches from here within five years.

Mr Palermo, who took the role in

Worked has commenced on the Arnhem Space Centre under construction from NASA. ELA.

2021 after 14 years at Virgin Galactic departing as chief operating officer, said Australia was just starting develop a brand as an emerging “space nation”.

“I see 2022 as us really starting to arrive as a space nation in international forums,” he said. “The world wants to work with Australia that’s clear and the agency team in the first three years built those bridges … now we will turn it into active activity and partnership.”

That includes with NASA in Arnhem Land near Nhulunbuy mid year for

Australian Space Agency head Enrico Palermo. ASA.

26

a series of multiple rocket launches, NASA’s first launch from a commercial launch pad outside the US. This comes on top of a signed agreement with NASA to also see an Australian-made rover included in a future mission to Mars.

There are now close 150 spacerelated organisations in Australia, 90 alone in South Australia and he said his challenge was to ensure they could be tied together for collaborations, to avoid duplication, including with the new Defence Space Division.

Mr Palermo singled out Gilmour Space Technologies and Black Sky Aerospace from Queensland as also advanced in their plans for launches.

In 2022 space would be included into AUKUS and Quad Dialogue “priority” negotiations where Earth observation data and technology could be shared for peaceful regional use and would open the market for Australia’s space industry.

He said all the data Australia receives for everything from weather bureau stats for forecasts to mapping came from foreign satellites and from a national security perspective this needed to change.

But he said Australia needed to move with an “increased sense of urgency”

Sp a ce

to make the most of opportunities for international collaborations, with more investment. Austrade was already fielding foreign interest for launches, attracted by the orbits that can be reached more easily from Australia.

“We have a real opportunity for Australia to be a regional hub for human space flight activities, I truly believe that and that’s a position we should grab. Our estimates are that it’s a very large market opportunity human space flight both professional and private space travel. We are a great launch base for that … if it’s a domestic developer we are a few years off but arguably if we create the right conditions we could see international operators bring their technology to Australia.”

“Today with Space X, Blue Origin Virgin Galactic, three entities, Boeing is intended to fly Starliner and a few others up and coming. So you have internationally four entities flying commercial rockets with people on board into space so the market is there, the technology is there and there is an opportunity for us.”

CALL FOR ‘SPACE TRADIES’ The nation’s network of TAFEs has been called on to create “space tradies” from high school graduates to help further develop Australia’s space industry.

Young engineers working on rockets at Gold Coast based Gilmour Space Technologies. Gilmour Space Technologies.

Already most top universities including Swinburne University, and UNSW and the ANU offer industry relevant training but the Australian Space Agency has said the shift has to start from high school as a trade interest.

“Many of the careers that need to be filled now and into the future require the hands-on learning of places like our TAFES, we need space apprentices, we need space tradies,” ASA boss Enrico Palermo said.

“We also have a responsibility

to ensure that the workforce we are creating is diverse … You’d be hard pressed to find a six or seven-year-old who is not totally in awe of space. What we need to do is maintain that awe and interest through high school and into tertiary education.”

AUSSIE SPACE ROVER Next month applications close for The Moon to Mars Trailblazer Program where up to $50 million in government funding is up for Australian business and researchers to develop and build a small space rover.

The rover will head to the Moon with NASA as early as 2026.

The semi-autonomous rover will collect lunar soil and deliver it to NASA that will attempt to extract oxygen, a key step towards establishing a sustainable human presence on the Moon. It will also support future missions to Mars.

Charlies Miranda

Artist’s impression of an Australian-made rover exploring the lunar surface. NASA image.

27

C over Th eme

A HIGH-FLYING CAREER CHANGE From office jobs to securing cargo in RAAF aircraft around the world, Leslie Elms’ and Kirstan Wallace’s career changes are ones they haven’t looked back from.

By Lani Pauli

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Fe a tu r e

From office jobs to securing cargo in RAAF aircraft around the world, Leslie Elms’ and Kirstan Wallace’s career changes are ones they haven’t looked back from.

The desire to find work with purpose isn’t uncommon, and for two Amberleybased C-17 Loadmasters, swapping their nine-to-five to ensure the safe passage of cargo for the RAAF is a career switch we’re a little less used to hearing about.

For Leslie Elms, logging off from his career as an IT professional to join the RAAF in 2013 is the best decision he’s made.

“I’d worked in IT for eight and a half years and was at a crossroads, needing a challenge - something more exciting,” he says.

“I wanted to do something outside of the office, at the other end of the spectrum to what I had been doing and so at the age of 32, I joined the RAAF.” Colleague Kirstan Wallace, who left the advertising and media industry to join the RAAF five years ago, couldn’t deny a feeling there was something more for her to achieve professionally.

“I had always dreamt of being able to fly around the world and had a keen interest in the aviation industry,” she explains.

“The push I needed to enlist via RAAF’s Direct Entry Scheme came after a conversation with my Nan’s friend who was in the Air Force and was telling me stories of her time in the UAE and the USA. “Being a part of the RAAF has allowed me to experience so many new places and cultures first hand.”

SECURING TAKE-OFF Leslie started his service as an Airfield Defence Guard, where he says he built his military foundation before taking the steps to his current role as a C-17 Loadmaster.

“As a loadmaster I’m responsible for ensuring the cargo in the aircraft is restrained correctly, that the weight and balance of the aircraft is accurate and can allow the plane to fly safely.

“I’ve had some amazing experiences that I would never have had if I never signed up to wear the uniform.”

JUST ANOTHER DAY IN THE “OFFICE” “When I joined I did so as an Airfield Defence Guard and during that time was deployed to the UAE, it was an eye-opening experience,” Leslie says.

“Now as a Loadmaster, our trips are a lot shorter. We call them milk runs. We carry the equipment to a destination and spend a few weeks at most there before coming home.”

Still, not everyone can say a work trip took them to Antarctica, somewhere Leslie never imagined he’d get to say was a part of his career, either.

“We had three hours on the ice before leaving and we worked for two hours and 50 minutes of that. I made the most of my last 10 minutes and can say I’ve made a snow angel on the Antarctic,” he says.

“It was the most compact 10 minutes and just an amazing thing I have been able to do in this job and a memory that will stay with me for a lifetime.”

For Kirstan, who has always had the ‘travel bug’, being with the RAAF has meant she has been able to see the world and help people who need it the most.

“I’ve been able to travel while representing my country and playing a part in helping people who need it the most. For example, delivering humanitarian aid to countries hit by natural disasters or supporting the medical evacuations of Australians following the New Zealand volcano eruption in 2019.

Opposite: Kirstan Wallace in her ‘office’, a Boeing C17 Loadmaster.

Left: Duel Duxes of the ADG Basic Course Aircraftmen Leslie Elms (right) and Tim Crellin are presented the AC Terence Toole Memorial Trophy by then Deputy Chief of Air Force, Air Vice Marshal Gavin ‘Leo’ Davies. Defence images.

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“Those days are tough but you are making sure Australians are coming home for the care they need.”

IT’S HARD WORK AND IT'S WORTH IT Leslie said he wouldn’t sugar coat it or “sell a rainbow” to anyone considering a career in the RAAF but the fantastic opportunities outweigh it all.

“It’s a chance to expand yourself, meet some great people and forge amazing friendships along the way.

“The positives definitely outweigh the hard times, and it is another family you can’t get in any other work environment.”

WEARING THE UNIFORM WITH PRIDE The RAAF having recently reached its 100th year, both Leslie and Kirstan feel a sense of pride being in the service as the milestone was commemorated.

“It’s pretty special for me and knowing what I’ve done; to play a small part in our Air Force’s history is a big deal,” Kirstan says.

“I’ve seen so many changes in the five years I have been in service so I’m looking forward to how the Air Force evolves in the future as well.

Leslie agrees that it’s a time to reflect on the people who have served and the ways the RAAF has changed.

“We’re a fifth generation Air Force now and it’s a marvel to think of the contrast from the days when they would ride on horseback to the technology we use daily.

“It’s exciting to think what our next aircraft platform will be and what is built in the next 10 or 20 years.”

RECOGNISING LEGACY Being a member of RSL Queensland represents continuing the legacy of military services for Leslie.

“It is recognising all the men and women who have served their country and continue to support and celebrate everyone that puts on a uniform.”

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A CAREER BUILT ON DEVELOPING THE NEXT GENERATION He’s flown with the GovernorGeneral and a Prime Minister, but for Steven Voll, the biggest reward of his 30-year career in the Royal Australian Air Force has been seeing new recruits graduate and forge successful careers of their own.

In 30 years of service to the RAAF, Warrant Officer Airfield Defence Guard Steven Voll has some great stories. From flying with Australia’s Governor General and then Prime Minister John Howard to training more than 600 new cadets his career has kept life interesting.

When he describes his day-to-day life at RAAF Base Amberley, he says there’s a lot of making sure the command team and training teams are working well together.

“The Air Force is made up of well over 14,000 air men and women who come from all different diverse backgrounds,” he says.

“And what we’re trying to do as an employer of choice is to recognise the needs of all those members and significant cultural barriers and make sure we can give our workforce the best

Fe a tu r e

“I’ve been a weapon trainer for aircrew and then as my career developed further, I was an instructor at the Defence Force Academy and I was involved in wider postings.”

During his career, Steven has been deployed multiple times including stints in Qatar, Papua New Guinea, and Afghanistan.

“At the end of the day, what underpins a successful deployment is obviously the information and preparation you get from the service, but the support that you have from your family, that is the number one priority.”

But for Steven, perhaps the biggest highlights of his career has been his involvement in training the new guard of service men and women.

“Being a Corporal instructor and seeing them graduate and succeed in their careers is really important,” he says.

Two of the new generation coming through the ranks include his two sons who are both in the Defence Force.

“I’m at the top of where I can be as a Warrant Officer,” he says. “I'm very happy with what I’ve achieved.

“For me, I have sons who are serving in the Army and to see your children succeed is amazing. I’m as proud as punch.”

A MULTI-GENERATIONAL AIR FORCE “It is a huge milestone. It’s not just about the Air Force coming of age, it is recognition that the Air Force has evolved into a fifth generation and very capable air force,” Steven says.

“We’ve got men and women Aviators who are devoted to that duty and we’re all ready to work together in a joint force. It’s amazing the new technology and equipment that is coming through and the facilities.”

MATESHIP FOR MEMBERSHIP

opportunity to integrate, to display their culture and what they can add to the Air Force and the joint capability.”

FROM ARMY TO RAAF Steven started his Defence career in the Army and says it was after being inside a C130 that his passion to fly was reignited.

“I had ridden in the Iroquois helicopter as well and I fell in love with the Air Force. I got involved in airfield defence and I absolutely loved it and here we are 32 years later,” he says.

Steven has been a member of Ipswich RSL Sub Branch for five years and wishes he’d joined sooner.

“It’s about friendship and socialisation,” he explains of what RSL Queensland means to him.

“We’re people who’ve got like-minded interests or have given in their service. So not only is there an advocacy component, but there’s mateship and you’d be amazed at the conversations you have with some people, including younger veterans.

“It’s ex-servicemen and women helping others and using their experiences, good or bad, to assist others to go forward.”

This article first appeared in QLD RSL Magazine, reprinted with permission.

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Lost opportunities mounting as uncertainty over Darwin port lease continues

It seems we’ll be waiting until at least sometime in the first quarter of 2022 for the Government to decide on the future of the Port of Darwin lease. In the meantime, the lost opportunities resulting from the lack of a coherent strategy for Australia’s most important northern port are starting to stack up. These opportunities don’t relate to overly simplistic debates about symbolism or passive intelligence collection; rather, they’re tied to fundamental challenges like national resilience and preparedness. Some recent US and Australian Government announcements on liquid-fuel storage in Darwin illustrate these costs.

Let’s start at the beginning. Despite its vastness and remote geography, northern Australia has only limited capacity for bulk liquid-fuel storage. There’s little surplus capacity in the storage that does exist and it relies on just-in-time supply chains underpinned by dated assumptions. The storage capacity at Darwin’s Vopak Terminal, for example, was built on a 1996 assessment of fuel requirements.

For the Australian and US militaries, liquid-fuel supply is a challenge, but jet-fuel security is northern Australia’s Achilles’ heel. The ships supplying jet fuel to the region depart from Singapore and then arrive at Darwin’s port. The fuel is then transferred from the port to the Vopak Terminal, where almost all of northern Australia’s jet fuel is stored. The fuel for RAAB Base Tindal is then transported the 300 kilometres from Darwin to Katherine by trucks owned and operated by private companies.

For most of the year, airlines are the biggest consumers of jet fuel in Australia’s north. The Australian Defence Force’s use of 30 million litres annually pales in comparison with the commercial aviation sector’s consumption of 125 million litres.

It’s during major military exercises, when consumption rates rise rapidly, that the jet-fuel supply chain in northern Australia gets stretched, even though exercises are planned years in advance. Even in peacetime, jet fuel from Singapore is subject to availability and weather conditions.

Despite this vulnerability, there’s no legislated or mandated requirement for a strategic reserve of jet fuel to be held in northern Australia. And it’s hard to find a commercial driver for the development of such reserve capacity without government intervention.

So, considering the increased strategic uncertainty and greater US military presence in northern Australia, what’s the plan?

In February 2020, the government announced that it was investing an extra $1.1 billion in RAAF Tindal, including An artist’s impression of the planned new United States fuel farm at East Arm. increased fuel storage. That decision Crowley Solutions

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Darwin Port and Harbour.

was arguably a costly band-aid solution to a supply-chain problem that can’t, and won’t, be fixed by market forces.

Then, in April last year, Energy Minister Angus Taylor announced that the Government would establish a national oil reserve. Australia spent $94 million to buy oil at a historically low price. The investment has exposed one of the problems with Australia’s national liquid-fuel supply chains: a lack of bulk storage capacity.

In May 2020, Taylor announced the Government’s three-part fuel-security package. The first part restates the Government’s commitment to establish a Government-owned oil reserve for domestic fuel security. The second is a commitment to work with the private sector to develop options to increase local storage as quickly as possible.

The third involves the Government considering a temporary change to fuel standards, though details on what impact that would have are scant.

Then, in September 2020, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that the Government would spend $200 million on competitive grants to build an additional 780 megalitres of onshore diesel storage. In July 2021, as part of this program, the government announced that it would fund 50% of the Northern Territory Airport Development Group’s $60 million project to build an 80-megalitre diesel storage facility.

In September this year, the US Government awarded a tender to construct a $270 million fuel storage facility in Darwin to support US Defence operations in the region. This new 300-megalitre facility will be owned and operated by Florida company Crowley Government Services.

Historically, the US has been reluctant to make such investments outside of its sovereign territory.

It’s hard not to conclude that this investment was a sign of a lack of US confidence in the Australian Government getting strategic liquidfuel reserves right in northern Australia.

The net result of all this activity is the expenditure of more than $330 million in Darwin, and another considerable sum at RAAF Base Tindal, on liquidfuel storage. It appears, though, that each of these decisions occurred within bureaucratic siloes. Worse than that, it remains unclear whether these measures will address our most important northern airbase’s fuel supply-chain vulnerabilities. Would the outcome have looked any different if those involved had used a collaborative approach that synchronised their efforts and investments?

Liquid-fuel storage is just one component of a future Darwin Port and Harbour strategy. The broader strategy for the Darwin port and harbour, however, is no clearer than that for

liquid-fuel storage and resilience.

Today, everyone seems to have a plan for Darwin’s Port and Harbour: the Northern Territory Government, Defence, the US Government, gas plant operator INPEX, port lessee Landbridge and the broader private sector. And many of those plans have very real budgets. However, there’s little evidence to suggest that the various ambitious visions are in any way shared, let alone aligned. The uncertainty about the future of the port lease has added further confusion.

Still, the real problem is a lack of a coherent, single strategy.

It’s now time for a national discussion on the role of Darwin Port in Australia’s long-term strategic future.

We need to do some big thinking about Darwin Harbour, and the Government needs to decide whether it

The Australian Defence Force’s use of 30 million litres annually pales in comparison with the commercial aviation sector’s consumption of 125 million litres. wants to force a change in the existing port’s ownership or to build a new joint naval port instead. The Federal and NT Governments must produce a national security and economic strategy for Darwin Port and Harbour. And this strategy needs to have appropriate funding attached. Without that, further opportunities will be lost and resources wasted.

John Coyne is head of the Northern Australia Strategic Policy Centre and the strategic policing and law enforcement program at ASPI. He is on Twitter at @johncoyne14.

Image: Department of Defence.

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Privatising the Drone Sky Delivery Promises Comfort and Speed but at a Cost to Workers and Communities Drone delivery company Wing recently celebrated 100,000 deliveries with an unusual burst of media fanfare.

Australia is at the forefront of Wing’s plans, with the company’s two biggest trial sites running in Canberra and Logan in Queensland.

Wing tells a simple story of barista coffee and roast chooks dropped on your driveway at a moment’s notice.

Short on Vegemite for the kids’ brekky?

Hop on the app, order, and a drone will lower a new jar to your doorstep before the toast is cool. All quick, contactless, and COVID-safe.

But the real story is much more complex. Drone delivery at scale will transform the skies, change expectations for speedy delivery, and hide the labour that makes it possible.

Owned by Alphabet, the parent company of Google, Wing has huge resources. New drone regulations are already being written, and Wing is setting itself up to be the backbone of a new aerial infrastructure.

How Wing works Wing operates much like many app delivery platforms. After signing up, customers use the smartphone app to place their orders. Orders are then packed at local base stations and flown to their destinations by Wing’s drones.

On arrival, the packages are lowered to customers by winch, automatically detaching from the drone before it returns to the base station.

Unlike the hobby drones you might see above parks and beaches, Wing’s delivery drones can operate out of the operator’s line of sight. Flight is fully autonomous, with one pilot monitoring several flights at once and able to take over or land if necessary.

How that will scale up in volume and frequency isn’t clear. So far, the trial sites in Canberra and Logan offer clear and uncomplicated airspace and a flat, regular urban environment.

Wings launches delivery service in Canberra and Logan City Queensland. Alphabet.

For customers, all this promises a swift, seamless and contactless experience.

Deloitte’s economic modelling on the drone industry in Australia notes that drones enable further automation of work. But behind every promise of “autonomous” or “automated” technology are hidden human workers.

Whose labour does it save?

One of Wing’s major promises is unbelievably fast delivery on demand.

Wing boasts an average delivery time of roughly 10 minutes. Their quickest time recorded – from order placement to product in hand – is 2 minutes and 47 seconds.

This is a remarkable acceleration in the pace and expectation of delivery.

Ordinary mail might take days or weeks, but thanks to the “Amazon effect” private delivery services have already shifted expectations from nextday to same-day and now even one or two hours.

While Wing’s drones are autonomous, the service still relies

on human labour. Pilots monitor flight paths, packers parcel up the products, and maintenance staff take care of the hardware and software. All of these workers must perform to satisfy the 10 minute delivery time.

Amazon warehouses and food delivery apps have shown us how such punishing timelines can be dangerous for worker safety and devastating for morale. For precariously employed or gig economy workers, missing targets can mean instant termination.

And the repercussions of 10-minute delivery may spread beyond Wing. If consumer expectations change, rival delivery companies (who may not be using automated drones) will feel pressure to keep pace.

Deloitte modelling from 2020 suggests drone delivery could cost less than half the current rate of an e-bike delivery. In the Canberra trial, some products at least are delivered for the same as in-store prices. How those delivery costs will be distributed between Wing, businesses, workers and customers once the pilot programs are over, however, is unclear — but if the likes of UberEats are anything to go 35

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Ravens in Canberra have taken to attacking Wing’s delivery drones. Ben Roberts / YouTube

by, it may well end up being businesses and especially delivery workers who carry most of the cost.

Closing the sky Drone delivery may also have hidden environmental costs. Keeping cars and trucks off the road might cut energy consumption, but mining lithium for batteries and supplying energy for data centres may reduce or eliminate those gains.

Getting sandwiches via drone could also mean more packaging and waste, as well as potential risks to birds and habitats from heavy aerial traffic.

But a bigger question for the public is about the skies above our heads.

Do we want to live under a cloud of drones?

At present, most of the time people are free to enjoy the skies above their homes and communities. Kids can fly kites and enthusiasts can fly their own drones. Drone delivery risks privatising a new layer of that common space, and handing it over to Alphabet and others.

Building the legal and technical architecture to control the skies To privatise a new part of the sky, Australia’s drone regulations will have to change. The current rules are highly restrictive, built from a patchwork of international, federal and state laws developed primarily for aeroplanes.

Apart from hobbyists with constant line of sight, operating in limited times and places, each drone use requires explicit permission from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.

New commercial applications are pushing this system beyond breaking

point. They often require operation beyond visual line of sight, near populated areas, in a broad range of conditions, and without constant pilot supervision.

Bouyed by economic modelling from Deloitte suggesting the drone industry could be worth around $15 billion by 2040 (with e-commerce and deliveries making up about $600 million), the Australian government is pushing to modernise drone regulation.

This means reappraising rules around environmental impacts, noise, safety, insurance, security and privacy.

The resulting changes will benefit different companies and business models. For example, more flexible noise standards will benefit commercial applications like delivery. This means the big question is how different stakeholders are influencing the development of these new laws.

Capturing the standards for unmanned traffic management Alongside new regulations, new digital infrastructures are being developed to manage increasingly congested and “automated” skyways.

Wing is heavily involved, providing a flight planning and safety app for drone operators, a system for remote drone identification, and an “unmanned traffic management” service.

Owning the broader traffic management system is clearly part of the long-term business strategy.

As Google has shown with its Android operating system, building infrastructure (even if it’s open source) can create a real commercial advantage..

Wing’s approach fits neatly with the Australian government’s desire for a market-based strategy to develop and implement its first unmanned traffic management system over the next 5 years. The trial programs in Canberra and Logan will help the company develop more comprehensive skyway traffic platforms that will govern airspace safety, communications standards, data management, and everything else needed to keep autonomous aerial commerce ticking over.

Policymakers know commercial development of communication infrastructure creates competition risks. However, they may not have the tools and expertise to enforce equal and fair access to skyway infrastructure.

And at present, the fundamental question of whether we want drone deliveries crowding our sky at all is completely off the table.

Taking flight As we have seen with the likes of Uber and Airbnb, reining in tech companies once they are already running is hard.

With Australia modernizing its aviation laws, Wing is well positioned to protect its agenda and make itself essential to future evolutions of the law.

The COVID-19 pandemic is also helping companies like Wing to accelerate their agenda, as they can promise less congestion, less consumer mobility, and less social contact.

While city skies crowded with delivery drones might be far away, the groundwork is being laid right now.

Communities, businesses and workers need to be a much bigger part of the process of deciding if they want that future.

Getting sushi delivered by drone for lunch might seem like a neat idea, but the real price may have little to do with what gets charged to your card.

Michael Richardson, Senior Research Fellow, UNSW Jake Goldenfein, Senior Lecturer, The University of Melbourne Thao Phan, Research Fellow, Monash University The Conversation http://theconversation.com.au

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ISS Above - One Giant Leap Looking up has been the focus of recent Hollywood productions.

If you look up at night, you might see a little bright light moving across the night sky. Not a plane, but a very special satellite - The International Space Station (ISS).

Liam Kennedy, an inventor from Britain, based in California, has created a product that uses the technology available and allow him to inspire his grandson in understanding the International Space Station, how it uses technology and learn about human endeavours outside of earth.

He developed the ISS-Above as an educational tool to show these outcomes. ISS-Above is an Education Partner with the ISS National Lab and this product is now used in educational areas globally.

Where is the Space Station right now? How fast it is going? When will it be in my skies? Can I see it? When?

Who's on board?

These are just some of the questions that the ISS-ABOVE answers. When you have one in your home, school or office, it's an ever-present reminder of the International Space Station (ISS), its location, the humans onboard, the view of the Earth “from there” and facts and figures about this most significant of human scientific achievements.

• The Space Station passes you by 5-8 times every single day • When and where to look to see the Space Station - it's visible when the solar panels catch the light, so around dusk and dawn. The ISS-Above tells you when and where to look, both by flashing like crazy and displaying information about the pass on the info screens • Who’s up there right now - each Expedition typically had a crew of 6 and lasts 6 months. Three astronauts change out every 3 months so there's continuity for the crew • What the orbit of the Space Station looks like and where it is right now - at a glance you can see the ISS image on the world map. As the ISS always travels from West to East, you'll be able to see when it is in darkness, when in daylight and what part of the Earth it's over right now • Lots of stats and data about the Space Station • What the astronauts see when they look out of the cupola - the ISS-ABOVE streams live video from an external camera on the Space Station whenever the ISS is in sunlight. That's 46 minutes out of every 92.

The ISS-Above is a fun and educational device that connects people to the International Space Station, and specifically to the humans on board. This product brings this magnificent human scientific achievement into homes, education institutions and offices. ISS Above imagery leaves us in awe at the beauty and fragility of the planet we call home.

The ISS-ABOVE is a single-board computer that calculates where the International Space Station is at all times. Hook 38

it up to a monitor and it displays screens with information that show you where the ISS is and when you can see it in your skies. At certain times of day/month (around dawn and dusk) the ISS looks like a very bright star moving steadily across the sky for a period of 6-10 minutes.

Live video is provided from a camera on the ISS that allows students to view the earth from the ISS. The live video allows viewing of clouds as well as the topography. The camera also allows observation of cyclones, and other activity on earth such as the Black Summer bushfires that ravaged Australia in 2019/20.

What is the International Space Station?

The ISS is a large spacecraft in orbit around Earth. It is a home where crews of astronauts and cosmonauts live, work and play. The space station is also a unique science laboratory. It orbits Earth at an average altitude of approximately 408 kilometres. It travels at around 28,000 kmph. Those onboard the ISS get to see 16 sunrises and sunsets every day as they orbit Earth every 90 minutes.

• ISS is larger than a six-bedroom house • ISS has an internal pressurised volume equal to a Boeing 747 • The solar array wingspan 240 ft, is longer than a Boeing 777 • Fifty-two computers control the systems on the ISS • More than 115 space flights were conducted during the station’s construction • More than 100 telephone-booth-sized rack facilities operate the spacecraft systems and research experiments • The ISS weighs almost one million pounds (almost 460 Tonnes)- equivalent of more than 320 automobiles • The ISS is almost the length of an American football field including the end zones • 3.3 million lines of software code on the ground support 1.8 million lines of flight software code.

• Eight miles of wire connects the electrical power system How Old Is the Space Station?

The first piece of the ISS was launched in November 1998. A Russian rocket launched the Russian Zarya control module.

About two weeks later, the space shuttle Endeavour met Zarya in orbit. The space shuttle was carrying the U.S. Unity node. The crew attached the Unity node to Zarya.

More pieces were added over the next two years before the station was ready for people to live there. The first crew arrived on November 2, 2000. People have lived on the space station ever since. More pieces have been added over time. NASA and its partners from around the world completed initial construction of the space station in 2011.

There are continued maintenance and upgrades to the ISS with the latest Russian multi-purpose Module Nauka arriving in late July 2021.

Sp a ce

How Big Is the Space Station?

The space station has the volume of a six-bedroom house or the pressurised space of two Boeing 747 jetliners. It is able to support a crew of six people, plus visitors. On Earth, the space station would weigh almost 460 tonnes.

It includes laboratory modules from the United States, Russia, Japan and Europe.

Why Is the Space Station Important?

The space station has made it possible for people to have an ongoing presence in space since the arrival of the first crew in the year 2000. The space station's laboratories allow crew members to do research that could not be done anywhere else. This scientific research benefits people on Earth. Space research is even used in everyday life and the results are products called "spinoffs." Scientists also study what happens to the body when people live in microgravity for a long time. NASA and its partners have learned how to keep a spacecraft working well. All of these lessons will be important for future space exploration.

Recently, funding for the ISS has been extended until 2030.

Engaging and educating the global community Lessons learned in the past by the space industry include the importance of educating and inspiring of communities so that there is an understanding of the spinoffs and importance of work being undertaken. The ISS Above certainly does this.

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The ISS camera view of the earth is always popular with the kids especially when it is flying over Australia and some of the regions are identified. For any educational group with an interest is Space, I couldn’t recommend the ISS Above more highly”. — ISS-Above Owner, Tasmania, Australia “It’s incredible to watch, live, our beautiful earth and marvel at the fact that people are actually living and working so far above us. Our friends and family have gone from not being at all engaged in ISS activity to actively becoming totally fascinated and very interested!” — ISS-Above Owner, Worcestershire, UK For more information check out this link https://onegiantleapaustralia.com/iss-above/ 39

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C o ve r Th e m e

Airbus & RAAF Partners to Support Boom Airbus Defence & Space has secured a contract from the RAAF to use data analytics to better support the air refuelling boom system used by service’s A330 multi-role tanker transports (MRTTs).

The company says that by using data analytics, maintenance costs will be reduced and fleet availability improved.

The A330 MRTT is designated KC-30A in Australian service.

“The Central Data System plays a key role, allowing operators to draw on the flight data recorded by the Mission Recording System and provides information outputs about issues registered during the flight and recommended maintenance actions to fix them,” says Airbus.

The KC-30A’s Central Data System stems from a collaboration between Airbus, the Australian government, and support provider Northrop Grumman Australia.

Canberra’s A330 MRTTs can refuel other aircraft via the boom or through hose-and-drogue pods beneath the aircraft’s wings. The boom, however, is of critical importance given that most of the RAAF’s fleet in the 2020s, including the Lockheed Martin F-35A, will use the boom method for air-to-air refuelling.

The exceptions are the Boeing F/A18A/B, which was retired, the F/A-18F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler.

These aircraft refuel via the hose-anddrogue method.

Moreover, the boom is widely used by allied air forces with whom the RAAF cooperates.

Airbus says the initiative is based o n t h e c o m p a n y ’s S m a r t F o r c e digital services suite, which aims to improve troubleshooting, optimise maintenance, and enable predictive maintenance for military fleets.

“The Central Data System delivers a significant capability benefit for the KC-30A aircraft and demonstrates the strong commitment within the KC-30A enterprise to innovation and improvement,” says Group Captain Scott Parry, commander of Australia’s Heavy Air Lift Systems Program Office.

Greg Waldron www.flightglobal.com

RAAF KC-30A MRTT aircraft from 33SQN refuels 11SQN P-8A Poseidon for the first time off the QLD coast in Sept 20. Defence images.

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An AI-flown military aircraft is being designed in Australia.

Are our laws equipped to protect us?

Last September, Boeing announced it would design and build a new military aircraft in Queensland, a first in Australia for over 50 years.

The “Loyal Wingman” is an uncrewed craft that flies in teams with other crewed and uncrewed aircraft to provide surveillance and reconnaissance support to a mission.

But it could also be fitted with weapons.

It completed its first test flight last March and plans are to have the production facility up and running in just a few years.

Although a lot of defence forces have used uncrewed aircraft (including drones) for a long time, they have primarily been remotely piloted from the ground. The test of the Loyal Wingman involved pre-programmed flying with human oversight.

However, the Loyal Wingman is ultimately being designed to use artificial intelligence to complete flights without real-time human oversight.

This raises questions of whether our laws are adequate to protect us from a host of concerns involving health, safety and data collection when autonomous aircraft systems are in the skies.

What are the advantages of autonomous aircraft?

Defence forces around the world are investing heavily in these types of artificial intelligence technologies.

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Unlike remotely piloted systems that require sizeable teams on the ground, these craft can be deployed in large numbers by small teams. This could exponentially increase the size of a country’s air force – an invaluable thing.

Further, these uncrewed aircraft are a fraction of the cost of one flown by a human crew. So, while they are not designed to be disposable (they still cost a few million dollars each), they are ultimately expendable in return for the right military advantage.

Although current spending on autonomous projects in Australia is small in relation to the overall defence budget, it is increasing.

Defence leaders are increasingly becoming aware of both the opportunities these systems present to the Australian Defence Force (ADF), as well as the challenges posed by other militaries exploiting them.

Legal questions about autonomous craft The Loyal Wingman test flight took place at the remote South Australian Woomera Range Complex. The new drone test facility at Cloncurry, Queensland, will also likely host test flights in the future. That facility is specifically designed to support the testing of new autonomous military technologies.

But what happens when the crafts need to move beyond these specially equipped facilities in remote areas?

What does this mean for everyday Australians?

Occasionally, we see tanks and

Fe a tu r e

other military vehicles on our roads.

We see warships in our ports and hear fighter jets in our skies. We know that while these military vehicles have a war-fighting role, they also need to exist safely in our communities. This allows the ADF to train with them or move them between military bases, as well as to training or conflict zones.

There are a number of legal considerations for the design and deployment of any uncrewed autonomous military aircraft in our skies. These include privacy, noise, occupational health and safety, the environment and public liability.

For instance, our Defence Aviation safety regulations, set by the Defence Aviation Safety Authority in the Department of Defence, would need to be amended to allow these types of craft to be flown over Australia (currently only remotely piloted craft can be) and to determine whether they could be weaponised.

Although amending the regulations is a relatively simple process – they are updated every six months – such a significant policy shift cannot be undertaken lightly or without consideration of the wider implications of allowing autonomous devices in our skies.

Then there’s the personal data these craft could inadvertently collect through their surveillance and reconnaissance sensors while in the sky.

The Australian privacy principles outlined in the Privacy Act 1988 cover incidentally collected information such as this. Although this is also an issue for crewed aircraft, the sheer volume of data that could potentially be collected from a large number of uncrewed, autonomous aircraft rings alarms bells.

This could require the ADF to report data breaches to those whose information is collected, and even pay compensation.

There are also environmental concerns, such as the possibility of an uncrewed autonomous aircraft unintentionally starting a bushfire on the ground.

In Germany, strict aviation rules contributed to the abandonment of one very expensive, autonomous, military drone project because the

craft could not obtain clearance to fly in civil aviation airspace due to safety concerns.

Australia is only starting to consider these issues. For example, a current project is working on new standards for designing, testing and operating autonomous aircraft safely in the skies. This is primarily focused on commercial drones, but could set best practices for all autonomous craft.

The ADF and the law The military is not always covered by the same rules as the rest of society.

There are lots of exclusions for ADF members from the general application of Australian laws.

This means military vehicles and technologies can be excluded from certain government inquiries.

For example, the recent Federal Government review into aircraft noise did not cover military drones.

New civilian technologies in Australian skies have already faced a host of questions. For example, the Google Wing delivery drone designers have had to take measures to deal with noise concerns (and swooping ravens) in the Brisbane and Canberra suburbs where they are currently operating.

Safety concerns have also had to be carefully considered.

The law is constantly being updated to keep pace with technology. For instance, a court recently set an important precedent by ruling that artificial intelligence systems can be legally recognised as an inventor in patent applications.

It’s not unreasonable to imagine circumstances could require a change to some defence safety aviation rules to allow for greater use of artificial intelligence in our skies.

Over the coming years, much thought will need to go into ensuring the ADF can safely and effectively get their autonomous craft to the starting line in a way that is workable under the Australian legal system and for the Australian public.

Eve Massingham Senior Research Fellow, Law and the Future of War, The University of Queensland The Conversation https://theconversation.com/au

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Senior Appointment Follows Family Tradition It was a special family moment when Wing Commander Naomi Gill was appointed commanding officer of 27 Squadron at Townsville RAAF Base. Not only is she the first female officer to be the senior Australian Defence Officer on base, she is also commanding the same unit where her mum once served.

WGCDR Gill was born in Hobart where her father served as an infantry soldier and it was not long before the family made the first of many military postings to Townsville.

“We got posted up to Townsville when I was one.

“I spent a lot of my time in Townsville and there were a few postings to Canberra in there as well.”

While in Townsville she went to Wulguru State School then to St Patrick’s College for year 8.

When the posting as Commanding Officer to 27SQN became available WGCDR Gill put her hand up straight away.

“My postings had never really worked out to come back to Townsville so when the opportunity came up to be CO of 27SQN I put my hand up.” she said.

“I have been selected for the job and I am really looking forward to the

next couple of years here and I always wanted to come back, I loved living in Townsville and growing up here.”

In her new role WGCDR Gill sees herself as a role model for both sexes.

“I think there are a lot of amazing females out there, both in the military and out of the military that are really good role models for many females and males these days as well.”

She said becoming the squadron commander was an important moment for her family.

“Mum joined the RAAF as a reserve officer to start with and was posted to 27SQN so when we were posted up here with my dad in the army.

“She is very proud. The day I told her I had been selected she cried so she is extremely proud to see me here.”

It was seeing her mum as an RAAF officer that prompted Naomi to join the ranks of the RAAF herself.

“I actually chose the air force because my mum was in the Air Force and she joined as a Personal Capability Officer.

“I actually saw what an amazing career she was having and how much she enjoyed being in the Air Force and I decided I wanted to give it a go.

“I then joined as a Personal

Capabilities Officer as well and I have loved every minute since.”

Now 15 years later she is back in Townsville and looking forward to her two year tenure as CO of 27SQN. “There has been some great work done with the Squadron in the last couple of years under WGCDR Matt Green.

“I will really just continue with that and ensure Townsville understands that it is not just the Army here, there is also the Air Force which is great and that we are a joint force under the ADF Joint Capabilities.”

“My tenure is for two years and I am looking forward to my two year tenure and I know it will go very fast so I want to make the most of it while I am here.

“This year is the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea which we played a good part in from the RAAF in Townsville that is coming up and we also have the Freedom of Entry march which was cancelled last year that could be a possibility as well.

“It is a great privilege to be in command of the Squadron and particularly in a location such as Townsville.”

Evan Morgan Townsville Bulletin Picture Evan Morgan

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Fe a tu r e

New Legal Milestone for RAAF The Royal Australian Defence Force marked a new legal record in December, when five new Air Force legal officers were admitted to the ACT Supreme Court on the same day.

Flight Lieutenants Courtney Westphal and Felicity Shearer, and Pilot Officers Allisha Harvey, Rachel Ibbotson and Jarrad Salmon all took part in the formal ceremony, which took place on 10 December, and represented the most number of ADF officers to be admitted at the same court on the same day.

Following the ceremony, their names were entered on the roll of legal practitioners.

ADF Director General Military Legal Service, Air Commodore Patrick Keane said being admitted was a significant moment in a Legal Officer’s career.

“It’s the culmination of years of study and on-the-job practical training that then gives legal officers the right to practise, and every ADF Legal Officer must be admitted to practice before an

Australian supreme court,” AIRCDRE Keane said.

“Each service would usually welcome a couple of new legal officers each year, so to have five at one time being admitted to the ACT Supreme Court is momentous.

“There is a lot of interest in joining the Military Legal Service and it says a great deal about the calibre and commitment of these new lawyers that they have succeeded in being admitted not just to legal practice, but to military legal practice.”

The newly admitted Legal Officers will become part of the joint legal team and continue to build their skills through practical training. In time, they will go on to further study and complete a master’s degree in military law as their careers progress.

AIRCDRE Keane said their admission signified the beginning of their contributions to Defence’s legal capability.

“They’ll be posted to single-service and joint units where they’ll advise on the full gamut of legal issues in support of ADF activities under the mentorship of more senior military lawyers. This includes joint operations, personnel management, discipline and WHS, sometimes all on the same day,” AIRCDRE Keane said.

“We are on the cusp of exciting new developments in military law, including the introduction of new capabilities in space, AI and augmented systems.

“So while our new Air Force Legal Officers will become experts in support of air power, they will also become experts in legal support across the joint force as a joint and integrated capability.”

ADF Legal Officers work in strategic, operational and tactical environments covering a range of legal matters from discipline and administrative law through to operations, maritime and international law.

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Australia opens hypersonics centre to support defence research The facility has been developed as part of the Government’s A$3bn Defence investment programme.

The Australian Government has opened a purpose-built centre at Eagle Farm in Brisbane to support the research and development of hypersonic weapons capabilities.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton opened the Australian Hypersonics Research Precinct, which required a A$14m investment to develop.

The facility will allow Defence, industry, universities and other international partners to study the use of hypersonic technology using flight test vehicles.

Dutton said: “It’s a complex technological challenge to build vehicles capable of flying at five times the speed of sound that skim the stratosphere to target any location on

the planet.

“The technology that is developed here will help us to better defend against the malign use of this technology and give us the ability to strike any potential adversaries from a distance and deter aggression against Australia’s national interests.

“It enables Defence researchers to develop and characterise sovereign hypersonic technologies and generate ‘true’ hypersonic flight conditions at large scale in a classified laboratory.”

Thales Australia, a subsidiary of French defence technology conglomerate Thales Group, has welcomed the opening of the precinct.

Thales Australia CEO Chris Jenkins said: “We look forward to the expansion of the defence ecosystem at Eagle Farm, where Thales currently has around 150 highly skilled and

experienced staff supporting ADF programmes.”

The centre has been established as part of the Government’s A$3bn investment across defence innovation, science and technology for the next ten years.

The precinct can house more than 60 staff and provides space for industry, academia and government teams to work on defence projects involving high-speed and hypersonic flight research and technologies.

Earlier this month, the RAAF received its first upgraded Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules aircraft.

The jet has been modified to Block 8.1 standard hardware and software, which includes safety improvements intended for the RAAF’s No 37 Squadron aviators.

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S pa ce

What's All The Hype Defence Space Command

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Sp a ce

Since the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957 by the USSR, space has been a strategic area of interest largely accessible only by select nations with large industrial bases. In recent decades, though, improved technology and innovative approaches have reduced costs and increased the availability and variety of space services and products from nonstate providers. As a consequence, access to the space domain has been democratised, and become more integrated, for most countries and societies, including Australia.

Indeed space-based technologies are critically relied upon by the modern day society. Navigation through global navigation satellite systems is a case in point. In fact, space-based technologies play such an important role in everyday life that in its National Space Strategy, the UK government estimates the loss of access to global Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) services for just five days could lead to an economic loss of £5.2 billion (London Economics, 2017; National Space Strategy, 2021).

Where one nation stands to gain advantage, competition and conflict are inevitable. Such is the human condition. In this context, Defence has come to the realisation that it can no longer be a passive consumer of space-based technologies and must be able to operate tangible assets and sovereign capabilities to maintain Australia’s security and prosperity into the future. This is why Defence has decided to establish a Space Command in January 2022. The purpose of this blog is to argue that for the Space Command to be successful, it must not be a copy and paste of other military commands.

As one of the first military branches dedicated for the space domain, the US Space Force is a good place to look for initial ideas for Space Command’s organisation. In this context, Chief of Space Operations of the US Space Force General John Raymond accepts that ‘space is hard’ (Raymond, 2021) and suggests that ‘agility, innovation and boldness’ are the traits of space forces (Space Capstone Publication, 2020). Arguably those may have been the traits of any military force at

their inception. However, hierarchical structures coupled with no-fail bureaucracies appear to have paved the way for risk aversion and slow response times (Shoebridge, 2021).

In such environment, the delivery of capabilities is measured in terms of years while innovative ideas are stifled through endless governance.

So, how does Space Command weave agility, innovation and boldness into its fabric and ensure that it remains consistently like a start-up in its ‘Day 1’ (Slater, 2021)? The answer to that question may come from outside the military. The establishment of Space Command represents an exceptional opportunity for Defence. Tensions within the space domain continue to rise due to a congested and contested realm prompting General Raymond to declare space as a warfighting domain (Washington Post Live, 2021).

With this backdrop, the opportunity to establish a new command is likely to be a once-in-a-generation activity with long term consequences (McInnes, 2021). Defence must approach this ‘hard problem’ deliberately, and design within Space Command’s foundations the bedrocks of agility, innovation and boldness and prevent it from being bound by traditional Service limitations.

The elements of organisational design are one mechanism that can be used to establish Space Command.

Organisational design elements are routinely used in large businesses to transform their business models.

Organisational design encompasses

many elements beyond ‘culture’ and ‘structure’ linking organisational goals and strategy; resources and competencies of the organisation’s people; the functions, activities and roles of the organisation; its systems and processes; its organisational boundaries; structure; and association with technology; as well as its external environment. By making them work in cohesion, the result is greater than the sum of each element observed through the organisation’s culture reflected as a feedback loop. More importantly, each element of organisational design provides tangible levers for the Executive to pull and shape the behaviour of their people. The following paragraphs provide some examples on how Space Command can use the various organisational design elements to create an agile, innovative and bold culture from the outset.

A goal or strategy focussing on a ‘fail fast’ philosophy is generally associated with lean start-up methodology. A fail fast philosophy leads to rapid testing and implementation. It seeks to take the stigma out of the negative perceptions due to failure by emphasising that the knowledge gained from failed attempts increases the likelihood of success. For instance, after SpaceX’s Starship SN9 exploded upon landing, its principal integration engineer John Insprucker said ‘we got a lot of good data, and the primary objective — to demonstrate control of the vehicle in the subsonic re-entry — looked to be very good, and we will take a lot out of 51

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Sp a ce

that’ (Howell, 2021). Up until the failure of SN9, SpaceX had multiple failures, each costing approximately US$100 million in lost revenue while prototypes were rapidly developed for testing and intentionally pushed to fail (Howell, 2021). SpaceX finally achieved a successful launch and landing with SN15. The knowledge and trust gained through SpaceX’s failures and rapid implementation were the reasons behind NASA approaching SpaceX for a US$2.9 billion contract to build a lunar lander by 2024 (Lopatto, 2021).

In this light, the Space Command will need to implement a strategy based on a philosophy that inspires agility, innovation and boldness that should be relayed to its staff and external stakeholders from the beginning.

However, such strategy will likely become ‘shelf ware’ without other supporting elements.

Systems and processes are important tools that highlight the things that the organisation cares about and how they should be handled in certain situations such as the understanding of risk and allocation of resources (Yildrim, 2021). In this context, Defence’s existing principle of no-fail and highly bureaucratic One Defence Capability system would run against Space Command’s desire for agility and innovation during its early stages. The One Defence Capability model encompasses four phases during which acquisition processes can take years to reduce the risk of project trouble such as failures

and cost blowouts (Shoebridge, 2021). Defence’s structures and business processes have been built incrementally over decades influencing not only the organisation but also the mental models of its personnel, pushing them towards risk aversion.

There are rare exceptions of the model working relatively fast such as the recent acquisition of four extra CH-47 Chinook helicopters (ADM, 2021).

Arguably this was achieved using a known platform to fill a capability gap requiring rapid remediation due to the grounding of the Defence’s MRH90 helicopters. Accordingly, Space Command will need to operate outside the One Defence Capability program for agility and innovation by developing a robust system to communicate its purpose, reasons for risk taking and readily identify lessons behind failures including those intentional ones.

Notwithstanding, if the internal systems and processes contradict and clash with the environment, within which the organisation exists, they will become redundant.

Understanding the organisation’s boundaries and environment can enable equifinality in achieving outcomes. For instance, implementing a ‘fail fast’ mantra may not be palatable for a government organisation due to the previously mentioned capability lifecycle processes. However, Jeff Bezos the founder of Amazon and Blue Origin argues that while failures may attract negative attention initially, a single big winning bet can easily cover for the previous failures as the teams learn and push boundaries (Gilbert, 2019). Accordingly, rather than doing it all in-house an option might be to

cooperate more closely with industry and partners to share the burden of rapid learning. This might alleviate the overall public’s concerns on the use of tax payer funds for perceived failures and it can also be a means to rapidly grow Australia’s space industry. In this context, Space.

Command will need to find new ways to do business to inculcate agility, innovation and boldness into everyday functions which may include hybridisation of the existing capability management systems via proxies. Such methods can then give room for the organisation’s culture to differentiate itself from the existing norms of sister Services. The establishment of the Space Command presents an opportunity to design from a blank canvas. It does not need to be a copy and paste of other military commands – in fact, it must not be if it is to truly succeed. Space Command should make deliberate decisions on its organisational design by working through each element that will enable the Executive to bypass the constraints of traditional Services.

Further, it should accept the discomfort of innovation and try new ways of doing business. Such actions will ensure that Space Command is agile, innovative and bold, and the conditions for future success will be set from the beginning.

Ultimately, a true representation of Space Command’s successful establishment will be observed when it is considered as part of Australia’s national power and used as such by the Government.

Ulas Yildrim Air Power Development Centre Defence images.

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Sp a ce

Going High Tech in Space On the ground, sound waves travel at around 340 metres per second. An aircraft is Supersonic when it exceeds the speed of sound. Hypersonic speed is more than five times the speed of sound – or ‘Mach 5’ – which is just over 6,000 kilometres per hour. At Mach 5 and above, friction caused by molecules flowing over the hypersonic aircraft can generate temperatures in excess of 2000˚Celsius. Suffice to say that Brisbane-based aerospace engineering start-up, Hypersonix Launch Systems, is choosing its materials to cope with these extremes.

Founded in 2019, Hypersonix Launch Systems aims to provide sustainable satellite launch services from Australia using hypersonic scramjet technology. In a short time, and in the shadow of the pandemic, the Hypersonix team of close to 20 aerospace engineers and material specialists has developed reusable scramjet engine technology for engines that are powered by sustainable green hydrogen fuel.

Dr. Michael Smart, Co-Founder, Chief Technology Officer and Head of Research & Development with Hypersonix is a recognised world leader in scramjet technology having worked as Research Scientist at the NASA Langley Research Center (Scramjet Branch) before returning home to Brisbane. His alma mater is the Centre of Hypersonics at the University of Queensland which is recognised globally as one of the leading university-based research groups in the field of Hypersonics. Dr Smart maintains that as access to space becomes cheaper and more frequent, space junk and rocket emissions from chemical propulsion are increasingly polluting the stratosphere. Developing multi-mission spacecraft powered by green hydrogen which is generated in an environmentally sustainable process using solar power to extract hydrogen from water is a prudent solution.

“Scramjet engines are a type of jet engine, and rely on the combustion of fuel and oxygen from the air to produce thrust. We’ve developed our green hydrogenpowered SPARTAN scramjet engine using Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMC) to withstand the high temperatures experienced by space vehicles during the journey through space and particularly during the controlled re-entry phase. The high-temperature load lasts only around 20 minutes per flight, and for reusability, at least 30 cycles would be sufficient. CMCs have a high strength-to-weight ratio even at high temperature, high thermal shock resistance and toughness. Carbon fibre reinforced Silicon Carbide(C/ SiC) can be used up to 1500 °C.,’ advised Dr Smart.

Hypersonix’s SPARTAN is capable of accelerating from Mach 5 to Mach 12; or five to twelve times the speed of sound. The Delta-Velos vehicle that features the SPARTAN engine will fly over 2500 km without emitting CO2 or other noxious gases before landing like a conventional aircraft on a runway and in a condition to do it all again.

Dr. Smart maintains that Hypersonix has no ambition to become vertically integrated: ‘Our core knowledge is scram jet engines and how to develop sustainable hypersonic aircraft. We

are actively seeking research and development as well as for durability and high temperature resistance for multi-use launch vehicles and engines and their components.” The company has recently developed collaborative partnerships with the University of Southern Queensland, Boeing Australia, Siemens (for multiphysics computational fluid dynamics software) and the industrial gas company – BOC Ltd. The Federal Government recognises that the New Space Economy is being driven by private investment in start-ups and private technology interests. It is priming the sector through grant assistance and by setting a relevant legal and regulatory framework that meets international obligations and facilitates growth in industry while maintaining safe and secure operation in space and on earth. Its goal is to triple the sector’s contribution to GDP to $12 billion and to create an additional 20,000 jobs by 2030. Last year, Hypersonix received an Accelerating Commercialisation Grant from the Australian Federal Department of Industry, Science, Energy & Resources.

Kerryn Caulfield Composites Australia kerryn@compositesaustralia.com.au

55

F eat ure

1983 The first RAAF Hornet, A21-101, makes its first public appearance at the McAir plant at St Louis on October 29, 1983.

1984

The first RAAF Hornets to arrive in Australia. Partially disassembled A21-103 and A21-104 are flown inside a USAF C-5 Galaxy from St Louis, Missouri, arriving at Avalon, Victoria, on June 6, 1984.

1985

Assembled in Australia, the A21 103 is rolled out by by Government Aircraft Factories, Avalon, Victoria.

A21-103 makes its first flight at Avalon on February 26 in the hands of McAir test pilot Rudi Haug.

Air Force accepts A21-103 on April 30.

It is formally handed over on May 4 and delivered to 2OCU at RAAF Base Williamtown on May 17.

The first 14 aircraft were all allocated to 2OCU to enable the commencement of Hornet instructor training.

END OF AN ERA -

F/A-18 A/B CLASSIC HORNET 56

Two aircraft, A21-101 and A21-102, are ferried in a non-stop, recordbreaking trans-Pacific, 15-hour flight on May 17.

The 12,360km flight from US Naval Air Station Lemoore, California, to RAAF Base Williamtown, is made possible by in-flight refuelling from USAF KC-10 tankers. The flight is led by by 2OCU CO WGCDR Brian Robinson.

Fe a tu r e

1990

2004

CO 75SQN WGCDR Ross Fox is killed in a mid-air collision between two F/A18 Hornets 40km northwest of RAAF Base Tindal on August 2.

All four ACG aircraft come together near RAAF Base Williamtown to demonstrate Australia’s air combat capability; the PC-9, Hawk-127, F/A18A Hornet and F/A-18F Super Hornet.

2002 Hornets provide air defence for several high-profile events in Australia since the September 11 attacks. Hornets patrol over the CHOGM at Coolum Beach, Queensland. It is the first time RAAF aircraft have flown air defence sorties over Australia since WWII. A detachment of Hornets patrol over Canberra during US President George W. Bush’s visit in October.

The first operational deployment of RAAF Hornets takes place from November 2001 to May 2002 under Operation Slipper. Following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Australian Government agrees to deploy F/A-18s to protect the major USAF air base on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia, which is used to mount operations in Afghanistan.

Four 77SQN Hornets and 70 personnel depart for the island on November 9.

3SQN pilots and ground crew relieve the 77SQN personnel in early February 2002. The detachment returns to Australia on May 21, 2002.

Air Force celebrates 20 years of successful F/A-18 Hornet operations.

A21-026 is painted in celebratory ‘Year of the Hornet’ anniversary paint scheme.

Hornets patrol over Sydney during the September APEC leaders meeting.

2011 Eight Hornets are deployed from RAAF Base Williamtown to RAAF Base Pearce in October to protect the CHOGM meeting in nearby Perth.

Hornets operate over Canberra and Darwin during a visit by US President Barack Obama.

2014

On March 21, F/A-18A Hornet A21-022 drops a Mk 82 GBU-12 500lb bomb, the first bomb dropped by the RAAF in combat since the Vietnam War and the first dropped by an RAAF fighter aircraft since the Korean War. On April 12, five RAAF F/A-18A Hornets fly close air support profiles in direct support of the Australian Army’s SAS Regiment for the first time since the Vietnam War.

CAF AIRMSHL Geoff Brown and the Worimi people launch the Worimi jet.

2017 3SQN bids farewell to the Hornet with a formation flight before transitioning to the F-35A. It is the first squadron to make the transition.

2019

The Final F/A-18A/B Hornet flight under the 2OCU banner takes place in December before all Hornet conversion training ceases.

2020 77SQN ceases Hornet operations in December and transitions to the F-35A Lightning II in January 2021.

2003 In February, 14 Hornets from 75SQN are deployed to Iraq under Operation Falconer as part of Australia’s contribution to the war on terror. It is the first operational deployment of Australian fighters since the Korean War and the Hornets peform above expectations.

By the end of the operation, they have flown 1937 missions, equalling 14,780 flying hours and delivering about 1600 munitions.

2021 F/A-18 Hornets launch close air support missions from RAAF Base Amberley in support of the G20 Leaders Summit in Brisbane.

An F/A-18A Hornet takes on a Formula One demonstration car and driver, Daniel Ricciardo, at RAAF Base East Sale as part of a Defence Force recruiting campaign.

One of the largest line-ups of F/A18A/B Hornets to taxi at one time, takes place at RAAF Base Darwin during Exercise Pitch Black.

2015 F/A-18A/B Hornets begin the first of their deployments to Operation Okra.

After 35 years serving Australia, the F/A18A/B Hornet is officially farewelled during a ceremony at RAAF Base Williamtown. The last 75SQN Hornets from RAAF Base Tindal are shut down at RAAF Base Williamtown.

Courtesy of Air Force News Defence images.

57

C yber Se cu rity

Looking Beyond Lab Coats At the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA), young Air Force officers from across the country are proving that science isn’t just about lab coats and chemical experiments.

Officer Cadets Josephine Curtis, Elliot Parker and William Farrell are studying a Bachelor of Computing and Cyber Security with the University of NSW Canberra.

Despite each joining the Air Force to pursue different specialisations and careers, each trainee feels lucky to have been able to pursue their passion for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) through study.

Officer Cadet Curtis said the Air Force was a workplace that fostered significant advancement in technological capabilities and offered the opportunity to work in a highly technical field while making a difference and giving back to the Australian community.

Officer Cadet Parker said the Air Force had an amazing culture, where new ideas and innovation were valued, and everyone had a shared focus on achieving the mission.

When challenged with the question ‘What does a scientist look like to you?’, they were quick to respond.

“When I think of a scientist, the first thing that comes to mind is a chemist or physicist wearing a lab coat and working in a lab doing crazy experiments,” Officer Cader Curtis said.

“Since commencing a degree in STEM I now know that scientists come in a vast range of forms and perform all kinds of incredible jobs in a range of environments.”

58

Air Force Officer Cadet's (L-R) Josephine Curtis, William Farrell and Elliot Parker, from the Australian Defence Force Academy, who are training to become Cyber Security Officers, at the UNSW Cyber Range in Canberra. Defence image.

Officer Cadet Farrell said a scientist was someone who watched and listened with discipline.

On top of study, these trainee officers are completing three years of initial military training.

Whether they are preparing for a room inspection, out in the field for a leadership exercise, or doing physical training on the obstacle course, one thing is for certain: these officer cadets aren’t your average university students.

When not behind a computer screen or completing their military training you can find Officer Cadet Curtis on the netball court, Officer Cadet Parker on the running track and Officer Cadet Farrell on the slopes or writing music.

Upon graduating as cyber specialists, Officer Cadet Farrell will leave for RAAF Base East Sale’s Air Academy where he will study an aircrew role, while Officer Cadet Curtis will begin training as an Intelligence Officer.

Officer Cadet Parker will commence training for one of the Air Force’s newest roles, CyberSpace Warfare Officer.

‘I am the most excited about the future of the cyber and space capability that Defence is developing. I would love to one day work in Australian cyber capability,” Officer Cadet Farrell said.

Armed with a firm understanding of computing and cyber security, they are set up to succeed wherever their Air Force career’s take them.

C y b e r Se cu r i ty

Embedding Atoms One By One Quantum Computing Research A University of Melbourne-led team has unveiled a new method to reliably and affordably develop quantum computers by embedding atoms “oneby-one” onto silicon wafers to build quantum devices.

According to a spokesperson from the University of Melbourne, the technique of building parts “atom by atom” is said to “create large scale patterns of counted atoms that are controlled so their quantum states can be manipulated, coupled and read-out”.

The findings were published in an Advanced Materials paper and were developed by Professor David Jamieson and his team from UNSW Sydney, Helmholtz-Zentrum DresdenRossendorf (HZDR), Leibniz Institute of Surface Engineering (IOM) and RMIT. According to Professor Jamieson, the team’s goal is to develop a large quantum device with this scalable method.

“We believe we ultimately could make large-scale machines based on single atom quantum bits by using our method and taking advantage of the manufacturing techniques that the semiconductor industry has perfected,” Professor Jamieson said.

To develop the chip, the researchers have to be precise to within the nanometre.

“The technique takes advantage of the precision of the atomic force microscope, which has a sharp cantilever that 'touches' the surface of

a chip with a positioning accuracy of just half a nanometre, about the same as the spacing between atoms in a silicon crystal,” a spokesperson from the University of Melbourne explained.

During the process, the team would “drop” an atom through a hole in the cantilever onto its correct position on the chip. The sound of the atom colliding with the silicone enabled the researchers to know when the atom was in place, enabling the researchers to construct items with single atoms more precision than previous trials.

“One atom colliding with a piece of silicon makes a very faint click, but we have invented very sensitive electronics used to detect the click, it's much amplified and gives a loud signal, a loud and reliable signal,” Professor Jamieson explained.

“That allows us to be very confident of our method. We can say, ‘Oh, there was a click. An atom just arrived. Now we can move the cantilever to the next spot and wait for the next atom’.”

UNSW's Professor Andrea Morello, co-author of the paper, explained that resulting prototype was a qubit “chip”, which was later used in experiments to understand the scalability of the process.

“This will allow us to engineer the quantum logic operations between large arrays of individual atoms, retaining highly accurate operations across the whole processor,” Professor Morello said.

“Instead of implanting many atoms in random locations and selecting the

ones that work best, they will now be placed in an orderly array, similar to the transistors in conventional semiconductors computer chips.”

The University of Melbourne’s Dr Alexander (Melvin) Jakob, first author of the paper explained that the equipment used was designed as part of an internationally collaborative process.

“We used advanced technology developed for sensitive x-ray detectors and a special atomic force microscope originally developed for the Rosetta space mission along with a comprehensive computer model for the trajectory of ions implanted into silicon, developed in collaboration with our colleagues in Germany,” Dr Jakob said.

“With our Centre partners, we have already produced ground-breaking results on single atom qubits made with this technique, but the new discovery will accelerate our work on large-scale devices.”

It is hoped that quantum computers will be able to process new ways of breaking cryptography, optimising finance and even potentially vaccine development.

The University of Melbourne project was supported by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology, the US Army Research Office as well as a grant from the University of Melbourne Research and Infrastructure Fund. The project utilised the Australian National Fabrication Facility at the Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication to conduct the experimentation.

Courtesy University of Melbourne

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This premium location is almost on the doorstep of the Port of Townsville and is less than 15 minutes’ drive to Lavarack Barracks and RAAF Base Townsville, making it a convenient place for Defence personnel to reside.

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C y b e r Se cu r i ty

Australia and UK collaborative partnership Australia and the UK have entered a cyber and critical technology partnership on the eve of landmark talks.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne and UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss signed the partnership when they met in Sydney on 20th January, agreeing to maintain an open, free and peaceful internet.

The new agreement will deliver a co-ordinated cyber sanctions regime, and a commitment to work with countries in the Indo-Pacific on cyber capabilities.

"An open, safe and secure cyberspace, and technologies that work for people, not against them, is key to our combined future," Senator Payne said.

She said it would impose greater costs on "malign actors who would undermine the region's prosperity and security for their own ends".

Defence Minister Peter Dutton and UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace met Thursday evening, before all four ministers came together as part of the bilateral AUKMIN talks on Friday 21st January.

It will be the first 2+2 ministerial meeting hosted in Australia since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The two British secretaries also met with Prime Minister Scott Morrison at Kirribilli House on Thursday night.

Mr Dutton said while some may underestimate the value, strength and depth of the Australia-UK relationship, Britain continues to have one eye on

the Pacific region amid increasing instability. "(The UK) are an important partner for us as a smaller country with only 25 million people. If we are going to deter countries from aggressive behaviour then we are best to do that with strong friends and allies," he told 2GB radio.

Discussions will span ways to bolster co-operation in defence capability, cyber security and critical technology, while the promotion of human rights and gender equality will also be on the agenda.

"It is really about our working together, our close collaboration, the work we are doing on the nuclear submarine program," Mr Dutton said.

"There is (also) a big focus on cyber. Both Australia and the UK get regular attacks from Russia and China and Iran so there is a lot of scope for discussion about how we can ... stop that activity and fight back against it."

The executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute said he would be looking for indications of more joint military exercises, cooperation on technology like nuclear propulsion, and the possibility of a British ship operating out of an Australian port.

Peter Jennings says it is possible Britain wanted a more permanent presence in the region given an increasingly aggressive China.

"The consequential European countries understand one of the big strategic problems they face is China," he told Sky News.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne has signed a cybersecurity pact with her British counterpart Liz Truss

"They think it is important to have more military presence in this area."

Mr Jennings said the actions of China - including its increasing military build up and exercises staging amphibious assaults on islands - point to increasing hostility towards Taiwan.

"The more we can do to persuade China that it is too dangerous and it is not a sensible thing for them to be contemplating the better the chances we can keep the peace," he said.

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Final Homesites Sell at Potter’s Lane for Raymond Terrace Record!

McCloy Group’s Potter’s Lane located off Rees James Road in Raymond Terrace has now sold out, with a homesite in the final stage fetching a local land record of $390,000. The boutique community was the first of its kind in the area and paid a humble nod to the history of the site throughout its 5-year development First launching in July 2016, Potter’s Lane found its name from the first settler of the region, James King, who became well known for the beautiful pottery he produced on the land.

Complements to this history are well paid throughout the new community with statement public art and pottery sculptures included at key entries and shared community facilities.

Potter’s Lane quickly became quickly known for its impressive park and playground facilities, above average block sizes and as an affordable land offering within Port Stephens.

“It has been great to see so many young families enter the property market and build their family homes at Potter’s Lane. The housing options here are affordable and residents have enjoyed the location, giving the community the ability to live close to work opportunities without the added complexity that comes with living in the

larger CBD areas” commented James Goode, Development Director.

When speaking with the Moxey family, the Joint Venture partners in the project, Mrs Moxey shared her positive sentiments on the experience.

“From my first meeting with the team at McCloy Group I found them to be thorough, well explained and very experienced in development. One element I am extremely pleased with was their consideration in retaining elements of the land that were significant to its past. I would highly recommend anyone who’s looking to

develop a parcel of land to be in touch with the team at McCloy Group.”

Now complete, the McCloy Group have shared thanks to residents both old and new and the wider community which had so warmly welcomed Potter’s Lane.

“Being able to bring this new housing opportunity to Port Stephens alongside the Moxey family has been a positive and rewarding experience.

Credit should also be paid to the residents for the quality homes built here, which all contributed to the excellent reputation of Potter’s Lane in the area” noted Mr Goode.

If you are still in the market for land for your dream home, the McCloy Group remain active in the Region, with sister sites The Bower and The Gardens making progress at Medowie.

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63

Hist ory

EDGAR EDWARDS Survived the War, but not the

Peace

by Charles Page One of the most tragic aspects of WWII was the loss of service men and women just before or just after the war ended. Flight Sergeant Edgar Bruce Edwards was one of those who survived the war, but not the peace.

Edwards was a wireless air gunner killed in a Catalina crash two months after the Japanese surrender. He was born in Wagin, Western Australia on 29 May 1925, and schooled by correspondence at the family property Toomanning. He later attended Piesseville State School, and Narrogin School of Agriculture.

With his preference for the RAAF, Edgar enrolled in 80 Squadron Air Training Corps on 3 April 1943. After enlisting in the RAAF on 3 July 1943 he was posted to 5 Initial Training School, Clontarf, Perth. From there he proceeded to 1 Wireless Air Gunners School, Ballarat, where he trained on the Anson and Wackett. Further training, on Fairey Battles took place at Air Gunnery School, West Sale, and Edgar qualified as wireless operator air gunner on 9 June 1944.

After a short stint at 2 Air Observers School, Mount Gambier, Edgar joined 35 Squadron, which operated a mixed fleet of transport aircraft, including the Douglas C-47 Dakota. Then on 8 January 1945 he was posted to 3 Operational Training Unit, Rathmines, where he converted onto the Catalina.

The RAAF received 168 Consolidated Catalinas, and formed Nos 11, 20, 42 and 43 Squadrons, plus Communication Units, and Air Sea Rescue Flights. The Catalina was also used by QANTAS on the PerthCeylon ‘Double Sunrise’ flights, and

by US Navy Patrol Wing 10, based 64

in Crawley, Perth. RAAF Catalinas played a crucial role locating and shadowing the Japanese task force in the Battle of the Coral Sea, and Battle of the Bismarck Sea. The ‘Black Cats’ also bombed Japanese shipping, and mined harbours throughout the SouthWest Pacific and South China Sea, even up to Hong Kong, and Wenchow, China.

On 21 April 1945, Edgar Edwards joined 11 Squadron at Rathmines, flying Catalinas on sea patrols and mine laying in Manila Bay. He also flew on operations from Darwin, and ferry flights from Lake Boga. Edgar’s CO assessed him as a good crewman and a good operator.

On 30 August 1945, Edgar joined 42 Squadron, based at Melville Bay, operating Catalinas. The squadron had been mostly involved in mine laying operations, but with the war over, it now carried out reconnaissance flights over Japanese occupied areas and evacuation flights for released POWs and other personnel. Edgar flew the first of his three operational sorties on 18 September, and flew a total of 78 hours with the squadron, before his fatal flight.

Edgar ’s final trip was a non operational flight from Melville Bay to

Manila to bring POWs home. On 10 October 1945, at 1702 hrs he departed in Catalina A24-365, along with two other Catalinas. Edgar’s aircraft was a Boeing built Catalina PB2B-2, with a high tail, and radome. It was captained by Flt Lt Ronald Carter, who was a highly experienced pilot, with 1560 hours, including1000 hours on Catalinas.

The flight was delayed by 27 minutes due to a slight mechanical defect, and contact was lost with the other two Catalinas. Regular position reports were sent out, and after about ten hours the Catalina was nearing the Philippine islands. The aircraft was flying at 1300 feet, just below the cloud base of 1500 feet, with moderate turbulence and rain showers, and still three hours until daylight.

At this point the navigator required a drift check and the captain left the cockpit to assist on the radar. Copilot William Williams was now flying the Catalina from the right seat.

Williams was an experienced flying instructor, with 2147 hours, and had been assessed as above average. He had converted onto the Catalina at 3 OTU, and flown on several operations with 11 Squadron and 42 Squadron.

Consolidated Catalina PB2B-2 (a variant built by Boeing in Canada) of 43 Squadron.

RAAF.

H i sto r y

Submarine chaser. USN.

Over the intercom, the captain requested a turn to starboard, so that the drift could be checked. However, during the turn, the aircraft lost speed.

A normal cruising speed would have been around 108 knots, with a stall speed of 65 knots, but the stall speed would be increased in a turn, thus decreasing the margin. This combined with the gusty conditions, to place the Catalina in a vulnerable situation.

The Captain called over the intercom, ‘Watch your airspeed, Bill’. The aircraft needed a burst of power from the two Pratt and Whitney engines, but it was too late. Suddenly, the aircraft gave a shudder and rapidly nosed down towards the sea. The navigator then felt a slight ‘G’ force indicating the aircraft was pulling out, but the Catalina crashed into the sea, breaking off the wing and rolling over upside down.

Wireless Operator John White had been asleep in the bunk, until rudely awakened by the crash.

Water immediately filled the bunk compartment, but White found an opening, and pushed himself through the gushing water and into the choppy sea. Meanwhile, fitter Torrens Hawkes had escaped on his third attempt by swimming down and away from the obstructions and surfaced near the tail, where he met White. The two then released the dinghy from the broken, partly submerged, port blister.

Navigator Ronald Condie escaped through an open hatch and slid along the keel to the port blister, where he met White and Hawkes who had by now inflated the dinghy.

In the meantime, flight engineer Stewart Evans had been knocked unconscious in the crash and went

down with some of the wreckage, but miraculously bobbed up after three or four minutes, gasping for breath and calling for help. White and Hawkes heard his gurgled call for help and pulled him into the dinghy, where he was violently ill, having ingested salt water, oil and petrol.

The four surviving crew members could hear the wreckage crunching in the swell, and searched for the three missing crew. At first light they continued the search for over three hours, but found nothing but small wreckage, and the wing, supported by the floats. The Catalina had come down east of the Philippine island of Mindanao, approximately 8 degrees North 127 degrees East.

After their unsuccessful search, the four survivors began paddling the dinghy westward to the mountainous island of Mindanao, which was visible some 30 to 40 miles away.

Approximately six hours later, Hawkes sighted a ship’s mast, and after 15 minutes, fired a distress flare. This was seen, and two US Navy submarine chaser ships soon pulled up alongside the dinghy. ‘Subchasers’ were small wooden hulled ships of around 100 tons, armed with AA guns and depth

charges. One of the ships offered to search for the missing crew members, but it was decided there was no hope, and it was presumed that the three missing crew had gone down with the wreckage.

The survivors were taken aboard subchaser SC 722 and given first aid for abrasions, lacerations, and bruises, and Evans for concussion. The ship headed for Davao, Mindanao, but the next day, a US Navy Martin Mariner flying boat landed alongside the ship and flew the four men to Jinamoc Island seaplane base in San Pedro Bay, Leyte Gulf. Following treatment at the US Naval Hospital, the same aircraft flew them to Morotai on 15 October, and after overnighting, a RAAF Catalina flew them to Darwin.

The three missing crew: Flt Lt Ronald Rose Carter, Flt Lt William Havilah Williams, and Flt Sgt Edgar Bruce Edwards were listed as missing believed killed on 11 October 1945. As per National Security (War Deaths) Regulations, they were considered casualties of war, and granted War Death Certificates in 1947. All three airmen are commemorated at the Australian War Memorial, and the Labuan Memorial, Panel 32. Edgar Edwards is also commemorated on the Honour Board and Book of Remembrance at RAAF Pearce. Early in 1946, the four Catalina squadrons were disbanded, but their service and the deeds of the crews are ever remembered.

Sources: NAA – A705, A9301, Edwards, Edgar Bruce AWM Commonwealth War Graves Aircraft of the Royal Australian Air Force, Big Sky Publishing.

Martin PBM-5 Mariner. World War Photos.

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Welcome spirit alive for defence families in Brisbane Catholic Education John* has moved more times than he can remember. The Year 8 student at Mt Maria College Mitchelton says he has finally found a school community where he feels like he belongs.

“My dad is in the Defence Force and we move around a lot,” said John. “Due to his postings around the COVID-19 pandemic, I have hardly seen him this year. It’s hard but it helps to have people who understand, and support from my teachers and my school’s Defence School Mentor.”

John is part of Mt Maria’s Defence School Mentor program put in place for Defence families. Located close to the Gallipoli Barracks at Enoggera, Mt Maria College provides Defence students and their families a safe environment to learn and thrive.

Sally Lawler, who has been the college’s Defence School Mentor for seven years, works with more than 70 students from Defence and Veteran families.

She supports students right from the start with enrolment transition from interstate or international schools and continues her care, particularly through times of parental absence.

“We are hands-on, right from the get-go,” says Ms Lawler. “It’s crucial we make our families feel welcome right from the start.

“We partner students up with a ‘buddy’ for orientation to ensure they feel supported and connected. We ‘walk along the path’ with students

Sally Lawler, Defence School Mentor, Mt Maria College Mitchelton with Defence students.

and families until they feel ready and comfortable,” she added.

Ms Lawler supports students through the challenges they may face, such as friendship, peer groups, social and emotional wellbeing, and disruptions to learning.

“Essentially, I raise awareness of the unique needs of the defence families due to their military lifestyle.

My main aim is to provide unity for Defence and Veteran families to feel connected with other families within our school community. ‘Family Spirit’ is one of our school’s charisms and that’s how we want everyone to feel at Mt Maria – part of a family.”

Ms Lawler, who is from a military family herself, says community-building is essential for Defence families, and the whole school community benefits greatly from the program.

“These students have lived in incredible parts of the world and have had experiences other students haven’t. We try to build on these successes and put these students in leadership roles, and the rewards are two-fold.

“Last year I watched a group of senior students who started the program in 2016 grow into incredible young adults and become mentors to their younger peers. It was a really

proud moment to see them excel in their leadership capabilities and shine.

“If we can alleviate the challenges that our families have, where the whole family feels connected, our job as a school is done. Having this program in place helps strengthen our small and caring community at Mt Maria.”

Brisbane Catholic Education schools proudly participate in the Defence School Mentor (DSM) Program and are committed to providing a range of services and support assisting children of Australian Defence Force (ADF) families make the smooth transition to a new Catholic school, form friendships and feel connected.

Brisbane Catholic Education (BCE) schools from Ipswich to Mitchelton work closely with both the RAAF Base at Amberley, and the Australian Army Barracks at Enoggera, to provide care for Defence families moving to Queensland. Currently, nine BCE schools have a Defence School Mentor role to support and assist many Defence families successfully transition into their respective school communities.

For more information about enrolling at Brisbane Catholic Education schools, or to find a school near you, visit www.bne.catholic.edu.au. *name has been changed.

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Catholic schools offer safe and welcoming environments for all students and families. The wellbeing and safety of our students is our number one priority and our positive and inclusive environment allows them to be the best they can be, every day.

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R e l o ca ti o n

Relocating At this time of year, many ADF members and their families will be relocating. This means many additional tasks to fit into an already busy time of year. Making a ‘To-do’ list can help you plan what needs to be done and keep track of your progress. Here are some tips to make the move a bit smoother.

Entitlements

The first step to a successful move is to know what your entitlements are. The Toll Defence Relocation Guide and the DHA Tenant Handbook will help you navigate this process and alert you to helpful services like fast disconnection and reconnection services for your utilities.

Reconnaissance

You, or your spouse, may be entitled to a house hunting trip to visit the new posting location to find a Service residence or home for which rent allowance is payable.

An advance visit also gives you a chance to check out schools, recreation and other local facilities.

Be aware that if, after receiving a house hunting allowance, you reject a reasonable offer of service residence or rented home, you must repay any money received for the house-hunting trip.

Moving out costs

Defence will cover the cost of packing and moving your household contents and larger items like motor vehicles.

Running down things like food, cleaning products and toiletries means you’ll have less to move and less wastage.

Any money you save could be put towards restocking at the other end.

The property you’re leaving, including gardens and other outdoor areas, must be left clean and in an acceptable condition. It’s up to you whether you do this yourself or pay someone to help you. If the DHA property has carpet, you will be charged for carpet cleaning after you move out. You may also be charged for things like repainting and

garden maintenance for issues not considered fair wear and tear.

If you disagree with an assessment DHA has a complaints resolution p r o c e s s , s e e t h e D H A Te n a n t Handbook for details.

Moving in costs

The cost of living in your new location may be higher or lower than your current location, especially if you are moving between a capital city and a regional area, in or out of Darwin or other remote area. If you are moving into somewhere particularly hot or cold, consider the impact cooling or heating will have on your utility costs.

Now might be a good time to reassess your current budget and make adjustments so that you are better prepared financially for the move.

If you’ve had items in storage that are moving with you, chances are they’ll need a good clean. Furniture like lounges or mattresses may benefit from a professional clean.

Houses come in different sizes and layouts so you may need to buy new furniture to better fit the space.

Consider selling what you don’t need and using the money to purchase items you do need.

Restocking your pantry, cleaning supplies and other things will increase your costs initially, however a larder allowance is available to help with these costs.

Family

Arriving in a new location means finding new healthcare providers. If you have private health insurance your insurer may have lists of appropriate providers in the new area.

If you have children with special needs or health conditions, talk to the new school to make sure care or health plans are in place.

If you’re travelling with your family, you’ll need to factor in additional costs of food while you’re on the road. You’ll

receive an allowance, but staying within that allowance can be hard if you haven’t planned ahead.

Also consider the cost of posting Christmas presents to family and friends. It may be more cost effective to shop online and have items delivered directly.

Pets

If you have pets, find out the registration requirements in the state you’re moving to. Be aware of any additional costs you may incur above your entitlement for things like extra kennelling or quarantine. Be aware also of state restrictions on pet ownership, e.g. some suburbs have cat containment areas and rabbits are not allowed as pets in Queensland.

Cars

If you move states and take motor vehicles with you, you’ll need to register them in the new state. In some states this will require a roadworthy certificate. If you are driving an older vehicle it may actually be cheaper to sell your current vehicle and buy another one when you reach your destination. Research your options before making any decisions.

Insurance

You’ll need to notify your car and home contents insurer(s) that the location of your insured possessions has changed. Your insurance premium may go up or down as a result of the move.

If it goes up you will have to pay extra.

If your premium goes down, you should get a refund.

Connect

Defence Families Australia is a community of people who understand, and have experience, of what Defence families go through. Connect with other families in your new posting location to share your experiences and get tips from others to make resettling a little easier on you and your family.

Good luck with the move!

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Catholic High School servicing the Williamtown RAAF Airbase

San Clemente a Catholic High School in central Newcastle servicing Mayfield, Waratah, Lambton, Tighes Hill, the inner City, Stockton and west through to Fletcher, catering for young people from years 7 to 10.

San Clemente boasts a rich history and is proud to offer a diverse, holistic education in the context of a caring community.

Visit our website mayfieldsanc@mn.catholic.edu.au to learn more.

SAN CLEMENTE MAYFIELD

R e l o ca ti o n

Coping with military life The Australian Defence Force has special requirements that are accepted

by ADF members as conditions of service, but families are also directly affected by the challenges of military lifestyle and increased deployment commitments.

Defence knows these military commitments sometimes impact as much on the family as they do on the serving member.

Some of these expectations include: • Conforming to a regulated lifestyle • Being physically and medically fit • Adhering to the military structure • Being trained and qualified for the job • Being ready to serve anywhere, anytime • Abiding by military law and regulations Separation and relocation are key features of a military lifestyle. Defence knows that members perform at their best when they are confident that life at home will run smoothly while they are away. The best way to achieve this is by planning ahead about family requirements during separations and relocations, and having access to appropriate support services.

Family readiness is just as important for single members. Informing and involving parents, siblings, friends and other people who are important to you when preparing for relocations, separations and the unique demands of military service, are critical to sustaining these relationships.

Without the emotional and practical support of their families, ADF members simply could not do the job they are required to do. An ADF member has to be confident that their family is healthy and happy before they can wholeheartedly commit to doing their job well. A series of group programs that help Defence families manage stressful situations such as deployment, parental absence from home, and moving house have been developed.

FamilySMART is a series of group programs designed to help the partners of ADF members identify and build on their strengths, learn techniques to cope with the stressors and challenges of the military lifestyle, and become more resilient, self-reliant and proactive.

The programs target challenging aspects of Defence life such as deployment, relocations, partner absence from home, or reuniting with a partner who is returning after a long time away.

TeenSMART workshops are for Defence teenagers to help them manage issues arising from deployment and relocation.

During the workshops, Defence teenagers can meet and share their stories about being part of a military family. They can also learn some ideas and tactics to help them stay connected to their parents while they are away on deployment, and meet new friends when they move to a new posting location.

The workshop will also cover other things, like managing change and coping when feeling stressed out.

There will be some tips and hints for handling emotions, and some great relaxation techniques, too.

KidSMART comprises a set of fourweek programs for primary aged kids to help them manage issues arising from posting, relocation and deployment. The KidSMART mascots, Tyler Turtle and Sam Super, will help kids learn how to manage change, stay connected with friends and meet new people.

The workshops will also cover other things, like helping children to cope when feeling stressed or anxious, particularly during times of parental absence and deployment. Kids can learn some techniques for handling emotions and relaxation, too.

Sessions are once a week for 1 to 1.5 hours per session and all children

receive a story book to take home.

Contact the Defence Family Helpline on 1800 624 608 for more information or to sign up for a program.

Defence’s in-school Aides and Mentors are positioned in schools across Australia to provide support to the children of mobile Defence families.

Aides are positioned in primary schools and Mentors in secondary schools.

Aides and Mentors are funded by Defence but are employed by the local state or territory department of education.

The Aides and Mentors’ activities include: • Assisting children and families to integrate into the new school and local community.

• Coordinating welcome and farewell community activities for relocating families.

• Smoothing the transition between schools and different education systems (including minimising the impact of relocation on children’s learning outcomes).

• Monitoring the social, emotional and academic wellbeing of Defence students.

• Helping students develop selfconfidence, self-reliance and resilience • Directing students to programs, services or opportunities that suit their needs.

• Enhancing awareness and appreciation of the unique Defence lifestyle in schools and communities • Providing support to children during times of parental absence.

The Aides and Mentors can provide extensive support to Defence children but are not teachers and do not work with one child on a long-term basis.

To find out which schools have inschool Aides or Mentors in place, visit the DCO website at www.defenc4e. gov.au/dco or contact the all-hours Helpline on 1800 624 608.

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R e l o ca ti o n

Overcoming the challenges of frequent relocation Australian Defence Force (ADF) families often have to relocate every few years, which can be both an exciting and a daunting prospect – some big decisions need to be made, the most important one being where you’re going to live. Children’s education, distance to work for both the member and spouse/partner, home insurance and lifestyle preferences are all factors to be considered.

RAAF partner for more than 20 years, Michelle Hoare believes that Defence families need to be well informed and should try to plan their move.

‘Our first move was a bit of a blur for me,’ she says. ‘Luckily my husband grew up in a military family and knew how to manage it all. Once we had children, it added more complexity than when we moved as a couple.’

Planning and being organised weeks prior to moving decreases the anxiety associated with the many deadlines looming. Michelle suggests starting to run your fridge and pantry down to avoid wasting food in the final packing at the end.

‘The less you have to move, the less you have to unpack. We have a bit of a rule that if you haven’t used it in the last posting it’s time to let it go.

‘The hardest moves for us were when our daughters were younger. Long travelling days often create very tired children. And adults. Ensuring everyone remained well fed was key to happy children in unfamiliar surroundings. I’d collect small toys and card games to provide the girls with entertainment on short notice.’

ADF partners face a number of challenges balancing their careers with the demands of military life. A recent survey of ADF families reported 58% of civilian partners found it difficult to re-establish their own employment following relocation.

‘With frequent relocations, sometimes the resume of an ADF partner can be lengthy and varied. I think it’s good to consider the transferable skills gained from managing relocations. Skills such as versatility, resourcefulness and adaptability make ADF partners effective project managers. These types of skills are invaluable to a potential employer.’

Over the years, Michelle has learnt the art of balancing career with the demands of frequent relocation.

‘I managed to secure a job in Sale, Victoria and then we were reposted to Canberra. Assuming my employer would decline my request, I asked to work remotely. But she agreed and we trialled working remotely for three months. It pays to think outside the box because I ended up working for that

organisation from Canberra, Townsville and Canberra again for eight years.’

So what is the easiest part of the move?

‘Updating our insurance policies’, says Michelle. ‘Before we discovered DSH Insurance, we were with a few other providers over the years. After a discussion with my father-in-law (who is a Vietnam veteran), we discovered that DSH Insurance was also available to us. It’s now a lot easier just to change our address with the same organisation each time we move.

Moving home?

Getting your home and contents insurance sorted can be stressful – DSH Insurance is here to assist dsh@dva.gov.au | 1300 552 662.

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Reloc atio n

THIS IS IPSWICH GRAMMAR SCHOOL Ipswich Grammar School is the oldest grammar school in Queensland and a Prep to Year 12 independent day and boarding school. Our distinctive culture, borne out of our 158-year heritage and traditions, sets us apart from other boys’ schools.

Our boys live and breathe our motto – Labore Et Honore – to work hard with honour. We challenge our staff and our boys to be exceptional performers every day and we invite you to be part of our community.

With over 150 years of experience in teaching boys, we understand what makes them tick.

Over this time we have developed and implemented innovative approaches to address the specific learning needs of boys with focused curriculum, specialist teachers and a unique approach to teaching called ‘Explicit Teaching’.

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Every day for our boys is stimulating, unique and exciting. We tap into their sense of wonder and curiosity about the world around them. By tailoring programs and activities to meet our students’ specific needs, we ensure every boy has the opportunity to reach his full academic, cultural and social potential.

Today’s world is ever-changing.

We embrace innovation and the challenges it brings. We encourage our boys to explore exciting new possibilities, exposing them to different opportunities and experiences that will set them on the path to being confident, connected lifelong learners who also possess strong moral values.

We foster an encouraging environment that delivers more than exceptional academic results. Our GPS status sees boys from Years 5 to 12 take part in various activities

between member schools. Whether it is sport, debating, the arts, literacy, or the sciences, our boys are given the opportunity to excel and network in any field. They are supported by staff from various backgrounds that bring world-class knowledge and experience to the classroom, playing field, and laboratories.

R e l o ca ti o n

Providing a simpler posting experience PostingConnect is an on-line platform designed by Defence to streamline the posting process for ADF members and their families.

It is available for eligible ADF members and families to assist them with their domestic postings. It connects to a range of other posting services, including Toll and Defence Housing Australia (DHA), and allows families to manage all their posting requirements from a central location.

After going through several rounds of testing and feedback, the PostingConnect platform has been improved and new features added to better serve members and their families. Following a pilot of the platform with a small group of posting members, it’s now being progressively rolled out to Defence members undertaking postings.

Serving member Alex Vella was

involved in the initial pilot and feedback sessions.

“Since I have only been posted a couple of times, it’s all a bit daunting trying to figure out what to do and who to contact,” said Alex.

“PostingConnect is a user-friendly system that will make the posting process more efficient—it’s definitely made it easier for me. It provides a checklist and allows me to tick tasks off and make sure that I’m not missing anything along the way.”

Having seen the platform evolve through its multiple iterations, Alex acknowledged the numerous improvements that had been made.

“The new tasks and information is great, especially for families and partners who may not understand the process or language used within Defence.”

The refinement of the platform and

the introduction of new features were also noticed by other participants who provided valuable feedback.

“I can see the changes made based on all the feedback I originally gave, which is great,” said Alex.

PostingConnect is being progressively released to posting members. Eligible members will receive an email on the Defence intranet inviting them to use the online platform for their posting, shortly after their posting order is issued. ext.defence.gov.au/ postingconnect

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Transition

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Battery World powers on to deliver sustained growth and plans to reach new heights in celebration of 25 years The strength and resilience of the Battery World franchise model has again been highlighted with the release of trading results.

Battery World’s extensive network has continued to experience impressive growth of 4.2% from April 2021 – October 2021 with customers backing small businesses and buying local – where Battery World is recognised as an essential service.

The leading battery retailer, which celebrates 25 years in business in 2022, has helped deliver critical products and services to many industries, including the Defence Force which has relied on the network for a range of batteries to power trucks, buses and other vehicles, and battery replacements (fitment) for fleets. Battery World has also supplied batteries for radar tracking, drones, flight simulators and scissor lifts.

Battery World Ipswich Franchise Partners, Ruthie and Howdie Farrar, 76

have been a part of the network since 2009 but prior to joining, were members of the Royal Australian Air Force. Ruthie’s time as a Defence Force member has armed her with the relevant skills to run and grow a successful business and today is proud to continue supporting the Force with the provision of quality batteries.

The tenacity of each Franchise Partner to power their communities in their time of need is testament to the meaningful and rewarding service they want to provide.

Battery World is always looking for passionate, community-driven individuals who pride themselves on delivering exceptional customer service and being experts in their field, to join the network and continue to grow the brand into new territories.

In 2021, Battery World increased the number of stores nationwide to 111 with the addition of new stores, and existing Franchise Partners expanding

their investments into Fawkner (VIC), Rothwell (QLD) and Gungahlin (ACT).

The Maddington (WA) and Ipswich (QLD) stores were relocated to bigger premises, there was a change of ownership for the Erina (NSW), Tweed Heads (QLD) and Parramatta and Ryde (NSW) stores, and a new store in the Hawkesbury region of NSW. This growth in the brand’s national footprint means Franchise Partners can help power the passion of more customers, communities, and industries. batteryworld.com.au

Tr a n si ti o n

Planning for Transition It’s important that you start to prepare for transition as early as possible as there can be a lot to consider. The civilian environment is very different to the ADF, but transition doesn’t need to be a daunting experience. Help is available for current and ex-serving members as you move through the transition process and as you settle into the civilian community.

A vital step when preparing to leave the ADF is to mentally prepare yourself for the change that lies ahead and also to set realistic expectations of what your future life will look like.

• Talk to friends or family who have made the transition. Ask them what their experience was like and what they would have done differently.

Remember, even if they had a negative experience, you can use this to ensure that your transition experience takes a more positive route.

•

Connect with informal groups on social media that are set up by veterans as support networks

• Take advantage of transition information and services provided

by Defence N=Member and Family Support.

• Seek professional assistance services tailored for transitioning veterans.

• Make sure that you register to attend a Transition Seminar.

These expo-style events will not only provide you with relevant information about many aspects of transition (e.g. superannuation, family services, etc), but also give you the opportunity to meet with the support organisations that are available to you through transition and beyond.

Career Planning THINK ABOUT THE RIGHT CAREER FOR YOU The first step is to determine what type

of work you would like to do. Consider the skills you have gained during your time in the ADF as well as what you have an interest in and where you want your career to take you. You may even like to brainstorm different industries that interest you and do some research about roles within this industry. Think about asking family and friends for their input, as they may have ideas that you hadn’t considered.

Once you have an idea of what you would like to do, research the qualifications and skills someone in this field/industry requires in order to perform their role. This will allow you to identify any gaps or areas where you may require further training.

Don’t be afraid to think outside the box. If there currently is not a demand or opening for the type of work you really want to do, you may be able to plan an alternate pathway to your preferred job.

It’s a good idea to speak with specialists in the employment and recruiting space to get an understanding of the current job market. This will allow you to make informed decisions about your career pathway as you will gain an understanding of what it will take to get there. You should ask questions such as: • Are jobs in my chosen field/industry in high-demand at the moment or is it a competitive environment? What skills or qualifications will help to

set me apart from other applicants?

• What qualifications do I need to obtain or training do I need to complete in order to be considered for this industry or career pathway?

• What skills that I have gained through service will be of most relevance in this field/industry/role.

• What is salary like in this industry/ role and how are salary packages generally structured?

PRIOR LEARNING RECOGNISED Engage with the ADF Transition and Civil Recognition Project for assistance with civilian recognition of your transferable military skills and training, including recognition of prior learning. The project team can also assist you to navigate the Vocational Education and Training environment and discuss options for obtaining further qualifications and understanding the skills you offer to civilian employers.

FIND A MENTOR A mentor can play an important role in your transition and future career development. They can be a role model, coach or just someone to listen. A mentor who has experienced the transition process will be able to provide advice, guidance, share expertise and networks to assist you to adjust to the civilian workplace or to find employment. Your mentor could be from your organisation, an ex 77

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In the interest of public health and safety, pest control is a declared essential service that ensures homes and businesses are kept safe and hygienic by eliminating pests such as cockroaches and rodents that spread disease and cause sickness and health issues for people and pets.

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Building Inspections and install pre and post construction termite prevention systems.

They are an approved supplier of pest control services for the NSW Government and a preferred supplier for both public and private schools in NSW. They are also active members of the Australian Environmental Pest Managers Association, so you can be assured that they operate ethically and all products they use are approved by the AVPMA are applied in an environmentally safe manner.

We Specialise In: General Pest Treatments German Cockroach Infestation Treatments Rodent Management Systems Termite Inspections, Termite Eradication and Termite Preventative Installations Pre-Purchase and Pre-Sale Timber Pest Inspections Pre-Construction Termite Protection Installations Bird Removal and Bird Proofing Installation COVID Sanitation Services

Tr a n si ti o n

service organisation, your networks or a professional organisation: • find someone who has the strengths and skills you want to emulate • study the person, get to know people who know them • arrange an informal catch up, don’t pressure them by asking them to be your mentor straight up • contact them after your meeting and stay in touch • let the relationship evolve organically.

SELF-EMPLOYMENT AND STARTING YOUR OWN BUSINESS You may also be considering selfemployment (a contractor or consultant for example) or starting your own business or a franchise business. The previous steps of doing your research and speaking with career specialists still apply, and there are a number of additional resources available to people who are considering this path.

‘Enterprise for Veterans’, run by The Princes Trust Australia runs

workshops and boot camps that promote enterprise skills and help military veterans to transition into selfemployment.

Buying a Franchise – there are numerous government both federal and state sites that can assist with what you need to know.

Build your networks Whether you are looking to start your own business or enter paid employment, it’s a good idea to start building networks that align with your career goals.

Networking is about building relationships by establishing and interacting with people to exchange information and develop professional and social contacts, whether defence or non-defence. Your networks will be able to assist you with information and advice to assist in your job search.

You can meet people through exservice organisations, sporting or other interest groups or even through your existing social networks.

It is also important to set realistic expectations about your career path following service. You may have a clear idea of what kind of career you want to pursue or you may have no idea where to start. Either way, there are organisations available to you that can help you to navigate the steps towards your end goal.

It’s a good idea to speak with specialists in the employment and recruiting space to get an understanding of the current job market. This will allow you to make informed decisions about your career pathway as you will gain an understanding of what it will take to get there.

The ADF has developed a series of resource documents that provide general guidance on core job tasks and demonstrated skills at rank across the ADF. These resources identify likely key priority skills sought by civilian employers applicable at each rank and gained through ADF training and experience. https://www.defence.gov. au/adc/adftcr/ADF_transition.asp /defence.gov.au/adc/adftcr/veterans.asp

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D efence

AUSTRALIA-JAPAN DEFENCE FORCES TO OPERATE TOGETHER ‘SEAMLESSLY’ Prime Ministers Scott Morrison and Fumio Kishida recently signed a Reciprocal Access Agreement, ensuring "Australia's Defence Forces and Japanese forces can act and operate together seamlessly."

The RAA was signed in a virtual meeting, with the RAA scheduled to deepen the military ties between the two nations via greater defence and security cooperation.

The agreement is designed to support the ongoing challenges faced by both Australia and Japan in the Indo-Pacific and ensure the preservation of the international rules-based order.

The Prime Minister's Office has confirmed that the Australia-Japan RAA will result in further joint military exercises, humanitarian assistance missions and maritime domain awareness.

Throughout the meeting, the leaders also discussed a raft of other measures including kick-starting the hydrogen energy industry with $150 million government in government investments.

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The meeting between the two was scheduled to take place in person, however, was moved online due to growth in Australia’s COVID cases.

BAE SYSTEMS WELCOMES NEW F-35 CONTRACT BAE Systems Australia recently welcomed the announcement of a new F-35 Air Vehicle Support Services contract to establish sovereign maintenance and supply chain support for the Australian fleet at RAAF Bases Williamtown, NSW, and Tindal in the Northern Territory.

Maintaining and sustaining the global F-35 capability will create around 360 new direct jobs at BAE Systems Australia over the next 10 years and develop a specialist supply chain across Australia

of more than 70 SMEs by According to Defence, the 2025. hardware and software modifications improve the BAE Systems has provided accuracy of the Hercules’ fast jet maintenance and navigation systems, upgrades to RAAF aircraft especially during landing from its Williamtown facility in remote areas across the for almost three decades and Asia-Pacific region. It also employs nearly 460 people in includes safety upgrades the precinct. ensuring the ongoing The new AVSS contract will protection of the RAAF’s employ 46 BAE Systems No.37 Squadron personnel.

Australia staff, providing The recent upgrades also direct, on-the-ground support provide enhanced friend-orto RAAF personnel sustaining foe identification systems and the F-35. The company will guarantee that the aircraft have around 130 people remain in compliance with working to support F-35 global air traffic management aircraft maintenance by regulations. the end of the year, having also recruited 25 former Jetstar technicians during NEXT GEN the downturn in commercial WARHEADS a v i a t i o n c a u s e d b y DELIVERED TO COVID-19.

RAAF Locally manufactured nextgeneration warheads have been accepted into service The first RAAF C-130J by the RAAF. Hercules to undergo the Block BLU-111(AUS)B/B warheads 8.1 hardware and software have been delivered to No. upgrade has touched down 3 Squadron at No. 81 Wing in RAAF Base Richmond, RAAF Base Williamtown.

Defence announced.

T h e 5 0 0 - p o u n d The initial upgrades were (227-kilogram) highundertaken by Lockheed explosive warheads were Martin and the US Air Force configured by armament in the United States, with technicians as a Paveway the remaining 11 aircraft II laser guided bomb before expected to undergo being loaded onto the F-35A upgrades locally at RAAF Lightning II for a training drill.

Base Richmond with the support of Airbus Australia T h e B L U - 111 ( A U S ) B / B Pacific. warheads, built with improved

HERCULES UPGRADE

D e fe n ce

ONGOING SUPPORT TO TONGA The Australian Defence Force is supporting the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)-led effort to support the Government of Tonga following the eruption of Tonga’s Hunga TongaHunga Ha’apaiunderwater volcano on 15 January 2022. s a f e t y c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s , Mulwala facility in regional replace the Mk82 500lb New South Wales, to rapidly explosives. accelerate sovereign guided weapons manufacturing The next-generation capability. warheads are expected to be used as the primary 500lb Thales’s investment in new high-explosive warhead large-scale preparation and for RAAF operations and mixing equipment will enable training exercises. a 500% increase in the size of rocket motors able to be Local production of manufactured at Mulwala, t h e B L U - 111 ( A U S ) B / B supporting production of commenced following the advanced guided weapons successful delivery of the and hypersonic weapons.

BLU-126(AUS)/B, 500lb low-collateral bomb, which Building on Thales’s 25demonstrated capacity to year in-country legacy of produce reduced sensitivity manufacturing world-leading warheads using locally sovereign munitions for the manufactured ingredients Australian Defence Force for the explosive fill.

(ADF) and strategic Defence Industry partners, the new Use of the BLU-111(AUS)B/B equipment will deliver a is expected to extend beyond step-change in Australia’s operation by the F-35A fleet, sovereign capacity to produce likely extending to the Hawk guided munitions, enabling 127 lead-in fighter, F/A-18F the manufacture of more than Super Hornet and future 90% of the ADF’s current platforms like the unmanned strategic rocket propulsion MQ-9B Sky Guardian. inventory and delivering the capability to manufacture THALESfuture guided and hypersonic ACCELERATING weapon systems.

WEAPONS MANUFACTURING CAPABILITY

and program and logistical support.

According to the DSCA, the deal would support the “foreign policy and national security objectives” of the United States.

The Lockheed Martin-built missiles are expected to bolster the Australian Army’s armed reconnaissance and anti-tank warfare mission The Australian Defence capabilities.

F o r c e c o n t r i b u t i o n , This is the latest of a number named Operation TONGA of foreign military sales ASSIST 22, includes air announced in recent months, r e c o n n a i s s a n c e u s i n g including the Commonwealth P-8A Poseidon maritime government’s request to patrol aircraft, airlift support purchase up to 40 Sikorskyusing C-17A Globemaster built UH-60 Black Hawks to III and C-130J Hercules replace the Australian Army’s transport aircraft, as well as fleet of 47 Airbus-built MRHthe deployment of HMAS 90 Taipan helicopters.

Adelaide with embarked supplies, helicopters and The request has been made as part of a provisional Army engineer contingent. assessment process designed to inform a HELLFIRE MISSILE prospective purchase.

ORDER APPROVED

Six Black Hawk helicopters could be available from S i k o r s k y ’s 2 0 2 2 g l o b a l production line, with the remaining helicopters T h e D e f e n s e S e c u r i t y potentially delivered by 2026.

Cooperation Agency (DSCA) This followed the approval has confirmed the prospective of an additional 12 MH-60R sale of 800 Hellfire AGM- Multi-Mission (Seahawk) 114R2 Missiles to Australia helicopters for approximately for US$108 million ($150 US$985 million ($1.3 billion) million). and the sale of a the sale of The US State Department has sanctioned the sale of Hellfire missiles to the Australian Defence Force.

The deal includes the provision of technical assistance, spare parts, repair and return, storage,

a Boeing-built US Navy EA18G aircraft for an estimated US$125 million ($170.8 million).

It represents a significant acceleration and scaling up of Australia’s guided weapons manufacturing capability to produce large rocket motors essential for advanced guided missiles.

Thales Australia has announced a $6 million investment in stateof-the-art advanced manufacturing equipment at the Commonwealth owned Courtesy Thales Australia.

Defence images.

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On T h e Rad ar

A JUMBO EXPERIENCE

HARS Aviation Museum 54 Airport Road, Shellharbour Airport Albion Park Rail, NSW Open 7 days a week 9:303:30, except Christmas Day www.hars.org.au

CARRY THE SPIRIT FORWARD

What’s included? Entry to a 3-course dinner, pre-dinner cocktails. Complimentary Spitfire Association 60th entry to the airshow on 5 Anniversary March.

The Spitfire Association celebrates a belated 60th Anniversary on the weekend of 5 March. A celebratory dinner will be held in conjunction with Temora Aviation Museum, NSW, and will take place in the Museum hangar with the Spitfires. Guests to include Chief of Air Force and other dignitaries. The weekend includes flying displays on both days of the Spitfires and the first flight since 2008 of Temora’s Canberra bomber not to be missed.

An opportunity to be part of history and make your contribution to helping Australia remain resilient.

We look forward to you joining us in Temora to remember the gallant efforts of our RAAF Spitfire pilots and support crews. In doing so we “Carry the Spirit Forward” for the founders of our Spitfire Association and Spitfire Memorial Defence Fellowship. Get your ticket and join us for dinner in the hanger with the Spitfires.

Cost: $250. Discounts for Limited numbers. tables available. Financial Temora Aviation members of the Spitfire Museum, NSW A s s o c i a t i o n r e c e i v e 5 March significant discounts, so if https://www.eventbrite.com. you’d like to join, please au/e/spitfire-associationgo to our online shop at 60th-anniversary-dinnertickets-163334232085 -spitfireassociation.com

Just over an hour drive south from Sydney Airport, an amazing display of almost 50 aircraft await visitors to a guided tour of the uniquely interactive HARS Aviation Museum. Some of the museum highlights include a Boeing 747-400, a replica of Charles Kingsford Smith’s 1920 Southern Cross, Lockheed Super Constellation, DC-3/C-47 aircraft, DC-4 in 1950s Qantas livery, Convair 440 in TAA colours, two Fokker F27500 Friendships, a Morava used by Ansett-ANA and PBY Catalina. Well worth a visit.

Allow around two hours for a comprehensive tour.

EXPLORING INNOVATIVE APPROACHES In a dynamic and uncertain geostrategic environment, it is imperative small and middle powers build resilience in their ability to generate timely, effective and

AUSTRALIA’S 1st OFFICIAL AIR RACE Commemoration of the Serpentine Aerial Derby Centenary is scheduled for 20 March 2022.In 1920, Serpentine was chosen as the starting point of Australia's first official air race in which four airmen all of whom had served in the Australian Flying Corps in the First World War competed to promote the 82

relevant air and space power.

Credible air and space power that enables Australia to shape, deter and respond requires resilient support systems together with an organisational culture that embraces innovation. The Air and Space Power Conference 2022 will explore resilient and innovative approaches to achieve national and regional advantage in air and space power.

Air & Space Power Conference Virtual & Physical National Convention Centre Canberra | 22-23 March www.airpower.airforce.gov. au/events/aspcon22_event

EXCITING FUTURE FOR SPACE Australia’s space sector has an incredibly exciting future as it continues to transform and grow into a globally respected space industry.

As we continue to see Australia’s space industry expand its relationship through national and international space activities, it presents multiple business opportunities for those who are involved in the Australian space ecosystem and looking to break into the domestic and global supply chain.

'Second Peace Loan'. As part of the celebrations, the skies over the Serpentine Airfield will roar into life with heart-stopping aerobatic and historical warbirds presented by Paul Bennet Airshows. Tickets on sale now.

Serpentine Air Race Loddon Valley Highway, Serpentine VIC 20 March serpentineairrace.com.au

O n Th e R a d a r

The Australian Space Summit will offer the opportunity to engage and hear directly from the space experts and industry professionals that are committed to evolving Australia’s space industry.

On the 26 and 27 of March, the skies above Scone will roar to life with amazing airborne displays. With so much to see and do you’ll need the whole weekend to experience this amazing This physical event will festival. deliver relevant insights Set to be an incredible alland market intelligence to ages event, and sure to help better shape business have something to excite decisions and will provide and entertain everybody, topical information for the full i n c l u d i n g W a r b i r d s , breadth of the space sector. aerobatics, amusement End the day in style at the rides, aviation museum, Australian Space Awards sky diving, street food, 2022. Join us for an evening local markets, display cars, of celebration right after the adventure flights, helicopter Summit, where we recognise rides. Tickets on sale now. the top professionals and Save by booking online and businesses who have led avoid queues on entry. the charge throughout the past year. Network with your fellow peers and industry leaders on this very exciting night of nights.

Australian Space Summit 2022 The Star Event Centre, Pyrmont, NSW 24 March https://www.careersin. space/event/meeting-ornetworking-event-australianspace-summit-2022/

Warbirds Over Scone Scone Airport, NSW 26-27 March warbirdsoverscone.com.au

ACTION PACKED AIRSHOW KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE SKIES. Something extraordinary is coming to the NSW Central Coast

sights and sounds of an action-packed airshow. Just an hour’s drive from Sydney or Newcastle, this event will be a great weekend out amongst the beautiful Central Coast region, with literally tonnes of entertainment on of naval aviation from its offer. beginnings to the present No matter whether you’re a day. The current exhibition die-hard aviation enthusiast 'Wings over Water' tells or just looking for a fun the story of naval aviation weekend out with the family in Australia, with aircraft and kids, there will be from the 20th Century, something for everyone at the ranging from a World War Central Coast Airshow. The One Sopwith Pup to an A4 airshow is expected to draw Skyhawk jet fighter. large crowds to the region, The exhibition also includes provide a significant boost examples of allied and foreign to the local economy and aircraft, including the MiGinspire the next generation 17 fighter. Showcases and of Australian aviators. audio-visual displays add to Tickets for this historic event the stories of these aircraft and those who flew and fixed are on sale now. them. Individual displays Central Coast Airshow include the US 135th Assault Central Coast Airport, Helicopter that incorporated Warnervale NSW the RAN Helicopter Flight14-15 May Vi e t nam and a special https://centralcoastairshow. exhibit on Admiral Sir Victor com.au Smith. The Museum's flight simulator provides a 'virtual EXPLORE experience', for all ages, on HISTORY OF NAVY what it is like in the pilot's seat. Come and have fun.

AVIATION

We’re thrilled to announce the return of the Central Airshow, between 14 The Royal Australian Navy ROARING TO LIFE Coast and 15 May 2022. invites you to visit the Fleet Warbirds Over Scone returns The skies over Central Coast Air Arm Museum at HMAS for its biggest year yet.

Airport, Warnervale, will roar Albatross Nowra. Explore it’s absolutely jam-packed! into life with the unforgettable and experience the story

GET UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL The ANZAC Weekend Airshow brings amazing aircraft, aerobatic demonstrations and displays to West Sale Airport, Gippsland. Showcasing wings of all shapes and sizes, get up close and personal with some incredible machines including RAAF,

Fleet Air Arm Museum

Nowra, NSW Tuesday-Sunday 10am-4pm https://www.navy.gov.au/ heritage/museums/fleet-airarm-museum

aerobatic, commercial and recreational aircraft.

Featuring a wide range of displays, activities, live music and local produce, this is an event not to be missed. Check the website closer to the event as more details become available closer to the date.

ANZAC Weekend Airshow West Sale Airport, Gippsland VIC, 23-24 April https://saleairshow.com.au

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and sustaining an effective force, its people, its tools of the trade, its involvement in operations and peacetime activities, and how it looks to the future.

THEN NOW ALWAYS Royal Australian Air Force Illustrated History 1921-201 Big Sky Publishing Pages: 460 in hardcover RRP: $59.99 ISBN: 9781922615053

Commemorating the 100 Year Anniversary of the Royal Australian Air Force, Then. Now. Always covers the story of the AFC and the RAAF during time of both war and peace, with carefully researched text relating to various stages of the life of the RAAF.

The Royal Australian Air Force has come a long way since its early beginnings in the Australian Flying Corps, an element of the Australian Army.

These historical facts have been combined with interesting personal adventures to provide a holistic view of the RAAF story, and is illustrated throughout with an extensive range of both black and white, and colour photographs.

From its birth as a fledgling little brother of the other two services, the RAAF has developed over the years in its elements of raising, training

A must have addition to any military history collection documenting the evolution of one of the great air forces of the world.

THE DIGGERS OF COLDITZ The Classic Australian POW Story About Escape From The Inescapable Authors: Jack Champ, Colin Burgess Simon & Schuster Australia Pages: 336 in paperback RRP: $22.99 ISBN: 9781760855178

Colditz Castle was Nazi Germany’s infamous ‘escapeproof’ wartime prison, where hundreds of the most determined and resourceful Allied prisoners were sent.

Despite having more guards than inmates, Australian Lieutenant Jack Champ and other prisoners tirelessly

codenamed Operation Chastise, now regarded as one of the most dangerous and audacious bombing raids of World War II – an attack on the formidable, well-defended dams of Germany’s Ruhr Valley.

AUSTRALIA’S DAMBUSTERS Flying Into Hell With 617 Squadron Author: Colin Burgess Simon & Schuster Australia Pages: 336 in paperback RRP: $35.00 ISBN: 9781760859237

On the evening of 16 May 1943, nineteen modified Lancaster bombers from 617 Squadron R A F, u n d e r c o m m a n d o f youthful Wing Commander Guy Gibson, roared into the night sky from their Lincolnshire base.

They were on a top-secret Bomber Command mission,

Slung beneath the belly of each aircraft was one of the war’s greatest secrets – a bouncing bomb. Against the odds, and flying straight and level into the teeth of terrifying enemy fire, they succeeded in breaching the two principal dams. Many of the 133 airmen involved that fateful night hailed from Australia, and several would be counted among the 56 who would not return to base next morning.

Australia’s Dambusters offers a truly comprehensive account of the most famous bombing raid of the war through words and stories of courageous Australian airmen and others who flew on this and later perilous missions, remembered and forever immortalised as the Dambusters.

THE FREEDOM CIRCUS Author: Sue Smethurst Penguin Books Pages: 320 in paperback RRP: $22.99 ISBN: 9781760890322

When Sue Smethurst first sat down with her grandmotherin-law and asked how she survived the Holocaust, she was shooed away. Mindla was in a Melbourne Jewish nursing home with other survivors, her body ageing but mind still razor sharp.

As death began approaching Sue became a little pushier.

carried out their campaign to escape from the massive floodlit stronghold, by any means necessary.

In this riveting account – by turns humorous, heartfelt and tragic – historian Colin Burgess and Lieutenant Jack Champ, from the point of view of the prisoners, tell the story of the twenty Australians who made this castle their ‘home’, and the plans they made that were so crazy that some even achieved the seemingly impossible – escape!

Well worth the read, hard to put down, helps us better understand what our diggers went through, attempting to return home to family and friends, knowing death was never too far away. This is an updated version from first publish 30 years ago. It contains added detail, including pen pictures of many of the men involved.

Diggers of Colditz delivers exciting and inspiring stories of courage, sacrifice and determination by Australian and allied POWs.

She knew Mindla’s life had to be recorded and they were running out of time.

Each week she’d bring cake from her favourite shop in St Kilda, a bottle of the brightest nail polish she could find, a handful of old pictures and her tape recorder. They’d chat and paint Mindla’s nails. With each ‘chat’ her story unfolded.

It was beyond anything Sue could have imagined.

The tale of how Mindla and her husband Michael Horowitz, a circus performer for the famous Staniewski Brothers, escaped from Poland with their young son and embarked on a terrifying journey through the USSR and Middle East to Africa and ultimately to safety in Australia, is nothing short of extraordinary.

The Freedom Circus is an epic story of courage, hope, humanity, survival and, ultimately, love.

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F eat ure

m u e s u M n o i t a i v Wirraway A

RARE WARBIRDS ON SHOW Pokolbin has a new, high-flying tourist attraction. It's early days, but potentially the sky's the limit for the unusual Wirraway Aviation Museum, tucked in opposite Cessnock Airport, in Pokolbin's wine country.

Opened quietly in October 2018, the Wirraway museum is a bit of a misnomer as it showcases a variety of fascinating warbirds, including even some with metal patches denoting old bullet holes. Entry is free.

The lone CAC Wirraway, a World War II training aircraft which is the real star of the show here for site owner and famous Hunter Valley airshow operator Paul Bennet. And it's a very rare relic, said to be one of only three still flying in Australia out of more than 700 built.

In its drab green livery, the legendary Wirraway (an Aboriginal word meaning 'challenge') is unobtrusive within the museum's hangar, hidden between three other aircraft while two other magnificent warbirds stand outside.

And yet, looks are deceiving. The WWII trainer (19391946) is credited with being the foundation of Australian aircraft manufacturing. It was the first aeroplane made by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC). Later it was modified into a wartime 'emergency fighter' known as the Boomerang.

Yet, as painted up here to resemble Wirraway A20-176, it instantly recalls its fame as Australia's unlikeliest fighter, for "doing the impossible": a humble pilot trainer which, despite the odds, surprised and shot down a vastly superior Japanese 'Zero' enemy aircraft near Buna, New Guinea, in 1942. It was an amazing feat as the Wirraway was used only for reconnaissance missions. It was never intended as a frontline combat aircraft even in those desperate early war days.

The enemy aircraft shot down was actually a Nakajima aircraft of the Imperial Japanese Army/Air Force, but an impressed US General Douglas MacArthur awarded Aussie

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pilot Jack Archer with a Silver Star for combat valour (and surviving).

Better still, Archer and his observer were then also given 12 bottles of beer by the Australian High Command as a reward. Six they drank and the others they sold.

Some 755 Wirraways were built as pilot trainers and general-purpose aircraft. Of these, only 15 are now registered. Only five are airworthy, with three being worked on and the rest are static, including one in storage in Florida.

But only three are flying at present and the Museum has one.

Nearby, with its unique folded wings, as it would travel on a US aircraft carrier, is the yellow-tipped, black Grumman Avenger dating from 1942. It was created initially for the US Navy. One WWII Avenger pilot rescued in 1944 later became US President George H.W.Bush.

The Avenger was the biggest single-engine torpedo bomber the Allies had. It was developed in the wake of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour in December 1941. That's why it was called the Avenger.

Six Avengers took part in WWII's Battle of Midway. Five were shot down and one came back, badly damaged.

The Avenger and Wirraway both call the Museum their full-time home, although depending on when you visit, you could catch even more. A whole roster of other warbirds regularly rotates in and out of being on display. At the time of writing, a Curtiss P-40E Kittyhawk and a red-nosed North American T-28 Trojan trainer are sitting amongst the regular occupants. Recently, the Museum has housed a Hawker Hurricane and North American Mustang, just to name a couple more.

Parked outside the hangar is another strange beast.

It's the graceful, if gaudy (painted bright yellow), Yak-52 Soviet aircraft whose design dates from 1976. It was used to train Russian pilots for MIG jets and is capable of some impressive aerobatics.

Despite housing such an intriguing collection of historic aircraft, the Wirraway museum isn’t just about static exhibits.

In fact, it’s quite hands-on at the hangar.

Hoping to excite, inspire and educate the regions next generation of pilots and aviation enthusiasts, visitors can also find Aerohunter Flight Training and Aerohunter Adventure Flights located at the museum.

Aerohunter Flight Training is for those curious about taking their first steps toward learning to fly. Visitors can get started with a Trial Introductory Flight over the beautiful Hunter Valley Wine Country and can keep learning with Aerohunter all the way through to a recreational pilot’s certificate.

Meanwhile, Aerohunter Adventure Flights is just for the

Fe a tu r e

thrill-seekers. Remember that Yak-52 trainer mentioned before? Those looking for some instant adrenaline can get strapped in and taken on a range of adventure flights full of turns, loops, rolls and more.

And yes, even the extremely rare Wirraway and Avenger can be booked for an adventure flight, for the serious enthusiast after a special and surreal chance to relive aviation history.

This means all of the aircraft on display at the museum are in airworthy condition. What’s more, they regularly fly in airshows across the country, providing a rare chance for people to experience the sights and sounds of these oldschool machines in action.

One such event is the bi-annual Hunter Valley Airshow, which calls the Wirraway Museum and Cessnock Airport home and attracts 15,000 visitors over two days. The event sees an incredible variety of aircraft and attractions flock to the region for a huge aviation festival.

With plenty to offer, the unique Wirraway Museum, launched from humble beginnings, has its sights set on becoming the heart and hub of the Hunter Valley’s burgeoning aviation industry.

The Wirraway Museum is located at 40 Grady Rd, Pokolbin NSW and is open 7 days. To reach the Aviation Museum from Cessnock Aerodrome, tourists must drive in a virtual U-shape: up Broke Road, then down De Beyers Road, then turn left to the very end of Grady Road. The Museum is a must see in the Hunter Valley.

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B ack Pa ge

The world's largest plane with six Boeing 747 engines

The world’s largest airplane, longer than a football field, has completed its third flight from Mojave Air and Space Port in California in January.

The Stratolaunch is designed to transport hypersonic vehicles and facilitate easy access to space. Here's all you need to know about the world's biggest airplane.

Built by Stratolaunch The plane named 'Roc' has a wingspan of 117 metres and is powered by 6 Boeing 747 engines.

Founded by Paul Allen Stratolaunch, the aerospace firm was founded by the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.

Stratolaunch's Roc carrier plane Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen established Stratolaunch in 2011 with the idea that Roc would be used to launch satellites in mid-air.

Carry and launch supersonic vehicles The Stratolaunch plane being groomed to carry and launch supersonic vehicles high up in the sky.

Carry up to 550,000 pounds The Stratolaunch plane, powered by six huge Pratt & Whitney turbofan engines, the aircraft is intended to carry 88

up to 550,000 pounds to an altitude of 35,000 feet.

Concept aircraft Stratolaunch was designed by Mojave, California-based Scaled Composites, which specialises in concept aircraft.

Roc carrier plane Stratolaunch plane will be able to launch rockets from a high altitude, presenting an alternative to conventional ground launches.

Stratolaunch plane speed During its latest test flight, the aircraft flew for more than four hours, reached an altitude of 7160m and an indicative airspeed of 180 knots.

Changing role After the death of Allen in October 2018, The company was sold in October 2019 to its current owners, who recast Roc's role.

Initial goals of launching satellites With initial goals of building an aircraft for launching satellites mid-air, the company’s new owners, shifted the immediate vision for the behemoth plane to be a launch platform for hypersonic vehicles that travel five times faster than the speed of sound.

It’s a new dawn for TAOT We’re now completing mid-life upgrades to the Transportable Air Operations Towers, having delivered the capability more than 10 years ago as prime systems integrator.

These upgrades ensure the RAAF has the latest technology to support deployed operations in defence of Australia for years to come.

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