Page 16 - Cormorant Issue 20 2017

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Air Combat Power Visit 2016
Lt Cdr Adam Northover
THE EARLY END OF weekend leave to trek north to the icy (well, damp!) wastes of Lincolnshire was compensated by
comfortable accommodation and the opportunity to explore one of the country’s prettier historical cities. The
following day ACSC 20 was hosted by the Royal Air Force at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire for the Air Combat Power Visit (ACPV).
Deputy Commander Operations (DCOM Ops),
Air Marshal Atha stated that the ACPV was an opportunity for the service to showcase their people, equipment and capabilities that often operated above and beyond the sight and awareness of
those on the ground or at sea. The aspiration was
that the uninitiated left with a deeper knowledge of the fundamental roles of air power, so that we may better understand how best to employ them and incorporate them into operations.
RAF Coningsby, the home to the UK’s Euro ghter Typhoon force, was completely given over to the whole event. The scale was vast, but such scale was necessary in order to convey the breadth and complexity of RAF operations, from articulating the Expeditionary Air Wing Concept, to brie ng
on Combat Air Power, as well as how the Service ‘Deploy and Sustain’ their equipment and forces, and much more.
ACSC 20 was comprehensively briefed on the capability of the Typhoon ghter, as well as its limitations and what development is taking place
to increase its versatility as a ground attack and reconnaissance aircraft. The Tornado ground attack
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and reconnaissance aircraft, in its swansong, and scheduled to be removed from service over the next few years was also present. The course was also briefed on the ‘game-changing’ F-35B Lightning II soon to enter both the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.
The experience was enhanced by the opportunity to meet a broad spectrum of serving men and women, from those who had been in the service a matter of months, to those ‘old hands’, each articulating their subject matter expertise with a bright enthusiasm, clearly energised with their roles and the future. They afforded the course insight into the capabilities and limitations of the equipment, by way of well delivered brie ngs, demonstrations, and aircraft and equipment tours.
Some of the course were lucky enough to be spirited away for Hawk familiarisation ights on the Hawk T1 training aircraft, whilst the remainder were presented with a series of air displays from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Spit re and the Typhoon, demonstrating its manoeuvrability (and its volume!).
It was a privilege to see the Spit re being put through its paces up close, and only a year after the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, a de ning event in World War II history.
In terms of ISTAR, the team were briefed on the MQ-9 Reaper Remotely Piloted Air System (RPAS), Sentinel and the E3D, as well as the role of the Joint forces Intelligence Group (JFIG). It was particularly pleasing to speak to the crew of a US Navy P8 Poseidon to understand the return of the Maritime Patrol Aircraft capability to the RAF after almost a decade, as promised in the 2015 Strategic Defence
Some of the
course were lucky enough to be
spirited away for Hawk familiarisation ights... ◆◆◆