International visitors got a taste of life on board HMAS Warramunga, complete with helicopter landings, jet flybys and an adrenaline-pumping gun-firing exercise.
Members from Japan’s JS Ariake, Indonesia’s KRI I Gusti Ngurah Rai, and Singapore’s RSS Supreme spent a day on board the Anzac-class frigate as part of a personnel exchange program during Exercise Kakadu.
The participants enjoyed the crew’s hospitality and several activities while on board, including a ship tour, watching an MH-60R helicopter land and take off from the flight deck, and a Lear jet fly-past.
But the highlight of the day for the visitors and crew was the force protection exercise.
Boatswains Mate Chief Petty Officer Luke Horsburgh said the aim of the exercise was to target hostile fast-attack craft threatening the ship and approaching at high speed.
“It’s an effective activity to show our international friends that Warramunga is battle-ready and also to give them a chance to integrate with the weapons crew,” Chief Petty Officer Horsburgh said.
The international visitors, and sailors from the ADF Gap Year program, fired F89 Minimi and EF88 Austeyr rifles and .50 calibre machine guns.
Japanese helicopter pilot Sub-Lieutenant Hiroaki Ozaki, who was in Australia for the first time, said he enjoyed touring Warramunga and working alongside the crew during the force protection exercise.
“Today, on the ship, I had a lot of fun and my favourite part was operating the guns,” Sub-Lieutenant Ozaki said.
He was also keen to give a shout-out to the talented chefs.
“I enjoyed lunch very much, it was very, very tasty,” he said.
For Ensign Jalaas Lovryan, of the Indonesian Navy, firing the flare during the simulated attack was his favourite part of the day.
