Page 26 - The Cormorant 2018
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  What RAF100 means to me Wing Commander Adam Blackwood
THE CENTENARY GIVES ME pause to think about the RAF’s global influence. The officers and airmen of 1918 could not have foreseen the phenomenal evolution in technology that gives us the edge today; however, the
nature of the Service that they founded endures. Our culture, organisation and technical assuredness are testament to their foresight and their early
appreciation of the nature of airpower organisation. Staff College brings airmen together from around the world and it is humbling to see reflections of ourselves in officers from countries as diverse as Pakistan, Australia, Oman and Malaysia. The RAF is recognised globally as not just the oldest independent air force, but also as a brand and a brotherhood, whose core principles and ideology represent what an air force should be. For me,
RAF 100 is a celebration of this worldwide collective of air forces, sharing common traditions, purpose and a spirit of technical endeavour. While
our forebears would not have anticipated the scale of technology that has emerged, they would recognise the same spirit that they instilled in 1918, and which still resonates globally.
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Air Combat Power Visit Lieutenant Colonel Iain Wallace
ON THE 24TH AND 25TH of October 2017 the Royal Air Force kindly hosted ACSC 21 at the Air Combat Power Visit (ACPV), RAF Coningsby.
The primary aim of the ACPV was to demonstrate RAF current and future capabilities to ACSC students and to meet the
overall aim of the Air Week: ‘To understand how the RAF develops, resources, and generates military capability to be delivered at the Operational Level’.
The visit commenced with an excellent opening address by Air Officer Commanding Number 1 Group, Air Vice-Marshal Mayhew, who outlined the RAF’s strategy: focus on our people; deliver on operations; and grow our front-line. These three core elements of the strategy permeated throughout the visit as the golden threads which
tied each of the stands together and provided a
real sense of consistency of messaging. In terms
of the ACPV structure, it was delivered under four themes: Combat Air; Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR); Air Mobility; and other expeditionary capabilities grouped as Deploy & Sustain, with each theme being introduced by a one star sponsor.
There was no escaping the draw of the fast jets during the combat air theme and the Course was presented with the past, the present and the future; the Tornado, Typhoon and F-35B Lightning II respectively. Comprehensive briefs on the capability of the Typhoon highlighted its current limitations and what developments are taking place to increase its versatility as a ground attack and reconnaissance aircraft. The Course was also briefed on the ‘game- changing’ F-35B, soon to enter service with both the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.
    


















































































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