Page 30 - Australian Defence Magazine Sep-Oct 2022

30 DEFENCE BUSINESS AWIC22
SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2022 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
where it doesn’t make sense to do that,” WGCDR Hagstom said during Diamond Storm.
“It’s a very well-integrated set of events to make sure that we have the right platforms integrating with the right ele- ments across the course. More is not always better, so it’s more – or the right platforms integrating in the right way to solve the right tactical problem.”
After graduation, the candidates return to their parent units and become the force integration specialists within the organisation.
“They will be the tactical leader in the squadron and across multiple units when it comes to integration out- comes, so they have a pretty large sphere of influence when they go back,” WGCDR Hagstrom explained. “They will be those key experts in each of the individual platforms that, if they then need to integrate, know exactly who the right people across the other platforms and systems in Air Force to talk to.”
LIGHTNING STRIKES
Aside from the P-8A Maritime Combat Instructor and 4 Sqn Combat Control Instructor courses, AWIC 22 includ- ed the first F-35A Lightning II Fighter Combat Instructors course. Planning for the integration of the 5th generation capabilities the F-35A brings to the fight involved leverag- ing the expertise of Air Combat Groups No.81 Wing, which oversees the three operational squadrons and the Opera- tional Conversion Unit.
“81 Wing has done a mountain of work in understand- ing the platform and then understanding what they need from a technical mastery standpoint. What we have had to digest is, how the F-35A works with the other platforms and then from an integration standpoint, understand what
scenario do we need to set up? how complex does it need to be? what training aids need to be out there to deliver that integration?
“That’s been the focus of our scenario design – and it’s the same with P-8 and our Combat Control Instructor ca- pability – it’s about appreciating what they require for their own technical mastery and then how we design a scenario that enables them to then take that technical mastery and integrate it across the platforms.”
The F-35A FCI course involved students from 2 OCU, but another first during AWIC 22 was the use of the Light-
ABOVE: The RAAF’s 5th generation F-35A Lightning II participated in the biennial AWIC series for the first time this year
BELOW: RAAF EA-18G Growlers and F/A-18F Super Hornets refuel from a KC-30A during a Diamond Storm 22 mission
NIGEL PITTAWAY
NIGEL PITTAWAY