U.S., Australian forces team up in realistic training

  • Published
  • By Capt. Yvonne Levardi
  • Kenney Headquarters Public Affairs
HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hawaii (AFPN) --  Three Air Force B-1 Lancers recently flew more than 7,000 miles and 16 hours to participate in the Royal Australian Air Force’s Aces South exercise, providing realistic training for the coalition partners. 

“It was a tremendous success for all parties,” said Lt. Col. Thomas Curran, commander of the 34th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron. “We got very positive feedback from the host unit and met all our training objectives.” 

The colonel’s assessment was echoed by Capt. Matt Brooks, a 34th EBS assistant director of operations. 

“Every mission, 34th EBS B-1s were ‘on time, on target’ which was important to the success of our mission and the overall training objectives of the Australian forces,” Captain Brooks said. 

The Aces South exercise involved large-force employment for the RAAF Weapon School. The B-1s each flew one sortie as simulated Red Air bombers conducting anti-ship strikes off the southeast Australian coast during the three-day exercise, Colonel Curran said. Blue Air forces consisted of Australian F/A-18 Hornets and F-111 Aardvarks flown by the weapon school students. 

“We flew with a variety of RAAF fighters, including the F/A-18s, F-111s and Hawks,” Colonel Curran said. “The training closely replicates the types of mission profiles we fly in support of operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom."

The “Green Lightning” missions the B-1s flew were more than 16-hour round-robin missions from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, to Australia. KC-135 Stratotankers from Wisconsin and Mississippi Air National Guard units refueled the bombers in-flight.

For many of the new aircrew, this was their first experience flying 16-hour plus missions, Colonel Curran said.

“It was also a chance to integrate with dedicated air-to-air escorts and other support assets, while going against a very capable adversary,” Colonel Curran said. “This training is priceless for us.” 

“The B-1 aviators who flew the missions brought back a wealth of lessons learned and information that we can use to make ourselves a better combat unit and integrate better in the future with our allies,” Captain Brooks said. 

Having B-1s in their exercise will help improve training and experience for the RAAF flyers as well, said Wing Commander Chris Huet, Commanding Officer of the No. 2 Operational Conversion Unit, RAAF.

“Our fighter combat instructors are the RAAF equivalent of Air Force weapons instructors and the training we give them is the most advanced we give any of our operators,” he said.

“As we are a small force, any additional aircraft can add to the realism and complexity of the scenarios. The B-1 in particular is an aircraft type distinctly different to those we currently operate. It will present a different problem for our aircrew and fighter controllers to solve,” Wing Commander Huet said.

The RAAF fighter and strike aircraft train with USAF units about two to four times per year, Wing Commander Huet said. Two of the most significant exercises they participate in are Red Flag at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., and Pitch Black and Talisman Saber in Australia. This was the first time the B-1s had participated in a RAAF exercise in Australian territory. 

The RAAF weapon school benefits from combined training in many ways, Wing Commander Huet said. They can measure performance against experienced Air Force units to give them a good idea of their capability. Also, the aircrew are exposed to different aircraft and tactics, making training more realistic. 

“We are exposed to slightly different ways of doing things and are able to learn from our friends how better to do our job,” he said. “Finally, we are able to create and maintain relationships that help us to work side by side with our allies in operations around the world.” 

“I think the perspective we gained and the relationships we fostered will be a major benefit to any future operations with the Australian forces,” Captain Brooks said. “In the end, we all walked away from the exercise with some great lessons learned that will make us all better combat aviators.”