Page 4 - Eagle Eye Summer 2022

RAF Wyton
Cambridge Half
Marathon Team
By Mike Pastor, RAFA
The RAFA fundraising team would like to extend our thanks to AS1 Lucy Goulding and the RAF Wyton Cambridge Half Marathon Team. The Team consisted of 17 personnel from RAF Wyton including 7 members of 1 ISR Sqn!
The team fundraised £1549.48 (including Gift Aid) for the RAF Association. The money raised will help RAFA to continue to provide compassionate support to members of the RAF family who need it most, as well as supporting their families.
Running a half marathon is a huge commitment. 13.1 miles of tarmac is no joke, and the team from Wyton acquitted themselves with grit and determination, as well as a fantastic sense of humour. The team all did a brilliant job, training though the worst months of the year, and running a great race on the day. RAFA HQ are both thankful and proud.
The Wyton Team has raised the largest amount of money from any single event for RAFA so far this year: a terrific achievement!
The Cambridge Half Marathon will now become a regular feature within RAFA HQ events from 2023 on, inspired by the achievement of the RAF Wyton team.
RAFA recognised AS1 Lucy Goulding for being the driving force behind the event, and thanked the team for every pace they took, and every pound raised.
The RAFA HQ consider the RAF Wyton Cambridge Half Marathon Team to be a truly excellent bunch!
TIW 20th Anniversary
By WO Bingham
The 1st of April 2022 marked the 20th anniversary of the formation of the Tactical Imagery-Intelligence Wing (TIW) based a RAF Marham. Formed from II (AC), XIII and 39 (No.1 Photographic Reconnaissance Unit (PRU)) Sqn Reconnaissance Intelligence Centres (RIC) with No. 41(F) Sqn RIC based at RAF Coltishall later joining in April 2003. The formal grouping of what were previously four separate RICs brought benefits in ensuring a more coherent and flexible approach implementing a common set of standards and training. Traditionally the Wing was considered part of the role known as tactical reconnaissance or ‘tac recce’, as technology and techniques evolved, the role of TIW changed to cover a broad range of Intelligence, Surveillance, Target-Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) tasks.
The main sources of imagery came from the Reconnaissance Airborne Pod for Tornado (Raptor) on the Tornado GR4 and the Digital Joint Reconnaissance Pod (DJRP) fitted to the Jaguar, Harrier, and Tornado GR4. The analysts specialised in the exploitation of Electro- Optical (EO) and Infra-Red (IR) imagery and the latter stages of wet film from the Canberra PR 9, producing Intelligence products for customers in direct support of deployed operations, reach back operations, exercises, and routine training. TIW had a constant presence on deployed and supporting Ops throughout its existence from Op RESINATE (South) maintaining no-fly zones in Iraq during the formation of the Wing, to having personnel serving in seven different locations for Op TELIC and overlapping commitments on Op VERITAS, Op HERRICK, Op ELLAMY and later Op TURUS and Op SHADER. To enable this the Wing maintained and operated a fully deployable vehicle mounted imagery analysis capability. TIW was also engaged in the exploitation of Full Motion Video (FMV) collected by the Predator,
Reaper, and Combat Air assets and this shaped the way this operational output is conducted today.
The foresight to form TIW cannot be underestimated at that time and it revolutionised the way defence conducted processing, exploitation, and dissemination (PED) of Imagery Intelligence. TIW laid the foundations upon which No 1. Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance, Wing was established on the 1st of April 2016, where TIW merged with 54 Signals Unit, C Flt 5(AC) Sqn, Engineering Support Sqn and a year later RIGC in Northern Ireland to form the Wing. It undoubtedly leaves great memories for those that served on TIW and a lasting legacy with the exacting standards, professionalism, team ethic and work ethos that has been brought forward to 1 ISR Wg, being the pillars that made TIW such a success.
4 eagleye