Tour

847 NAS’S SCOTTISH SUMMER TOUR

The ‘wings’ of the Royal Marines undertook live firing in Scotland amid their first taste of operating from the Navy’s new carriers.

Written By: Lt Dave Lewis RM

Three Commando Wildcats from 847 Naval Air Squadron (NAS), based at RNAS Yeovilton in Somerset, decamped to Scotland for training, at sea and ashore, to hone their unique skills on Ex JOINT WARRIOR and Ex TERMINAL STRIKE.

The Squadron performs a myriad of duties, from acting as the ‘flying eyes’ of Royal Marines on the ground, to providing them with Close Air Support, transportation of troops and equipment, to calling in air and naval gunfire strikes.

First the aircrew had to get used to safely taking-off from, and landing on, HMS Prince of Wales’ huge flight deck. Qualifying/re-qualifying the aircrew fell to training officer Lieutenant Paul Smalley, 847’s only Qualified Helicopter Instructor (QHI).

“It was challenging to train all the crews for their deck landings: eight during the day, eight at night and another eight landings using night vision for each pilot. But with a record number of deck landings achieved in such a short space of time, the whole detachment was trained and ready to fight in no time.”

So, what is it like taking off from Britain’s biggest warship at night?

“It was dark. That’s the only word that came to mind as I pulled the collective and lifted from HMS Prince of Wales,” said Lieutenant Josh Terry, who’s now qualified for operations at sea.

Wildcat pilot Captain David Lewis RM added: “The sheer size of the vessel was impressive, but with the help of the ships company to point us in the right direction, the Squadron found its feet and got to work.”

Chief Petty Officer Stuart Connell, one of the three Watch Chiefs, oversaw roundthe-clock engineering efforts to meet the demanding exercise programme and training schedule. “The ship was extremely welcoming and supportive, which helped lift morale when things didn’t go to plan,” he said.

847’s Logistics Officer Lieutenant Ben Scott added: “The exercise had many ups and downs which were a huge challenge to deal with. Ensuring the squadron had its aircraft, personnel and engineering support at the right place and time was a very rewarding experience.”

The squadron’s Commanding and Executive Officers, Majors Chris Eden and Rich Moore, were involved in the ‘business end’ of the exercise: bringing fire and fury down on the Scottish ranges, directing the guns of a Dutch warship.

“With a Commando Wildcat flown from a Queen Elizabethclass carrier, calling in guns from an allied Dutch ship, all choreographed by the Task Group HQ embarked in Albion, this was 847’s role in Ex JOINT WARRIOR at its finest.” The storm of steel continued as Ex JOINT WARRIOR ended and 847 remained in Scotland for its biannual live shoot on the ranges near Lossiemouth, Ex TERMINAL STRIKE.

The exercise serves to maintain the skills of the UK’s Joint Terminal Aircraft Controllers (JTACs) – personnel from all three Services who are responsible for coordinating firepower from the air. This involves managing helicopters and fast jets ‘in the stack’, culminating with the ‘sharp end’ – weapons on target.

847 has two weapons in its arsenal: the 7.62mm GPMG and the .50 Cal M3M. The shoots received a 100 per cent pass – not just for their marksmanship but also for the safety and ground organisational work of Petty Officer (Aircrewman) Arron Tobin.

Not only can the Commando Wildcat be used for close air support, 847 is rumoured to be the only Squadron in the country which is fully operational for Forward Air Controller (Airborne) (FAC(A)) operations. This is where service and family integration came into its own; while Captain Tom Arkell RM was down in the weeds in a Commando Wildcat calling in attacks, an RAF FGR4 Typhoon from Lossiemouth was overhead at 10,000 feet dropping simulated Paveway IV bombs and launching Brimstone missiles.

“It is a true honour to see the realisation and synergy of joint fires,” said Tom. “It’s been a great month for me with two life milestones achieved: getting married and conducting airborne forward air control with a Typhoon.”

Overall, the two exercises underlined the utility of the Commando Wildcat to Littoral Strike and the importance of the men and women responsible who make such a variety of missions possible.