Air Warfare Instructor Course students were assisted by Air Force’s fleet of surveillance, air control and reconnaissance capabilities during Exercise Diamond Shield 24 in March.
3 Control and Reporting Unit (3CRU) and the E-7A Wedgetail participated in the exercise to provide a live “big picture” of the battle space, providing students with mission critical situational awareness.
3CRU provided effective and timely communications and intelligence from multiple locations along the east coast of Australia throughout the exercise.
The unit’s air battle managers and air surveillance operators used advanced electronic equipment to monitor the airspace to identify and analyse aircraft and surface vessels. The information was then relayed to support fast-jet aircrew.
Air Battle Manager FLGOFF Daniel Avramovski said the exercise gave 3CRU the opportunity to see how their skills would be utilised in a tactical scenario.
“Over Diamond Shield, 3CRU integrated with other platforms and systems such as the E-7A, to provide persistent air battle management and a surveillance picture that acted as a conduit for information between strategic, operational and tactical stakeholders,” FLGOFF Avramovski said.
“As a weapons director, I provided tactical information about the air picture over the radio to fighter aircraft to enable them to make the best decisions going into the air battle.”
The crew on board the Wedgetail delivered intelligence support from the air as the exercise aimed to combine the people, platforms and practices that allow Air Force to deliver world-class strike capabilities.
Exercise Director Group Captain Martin Parker said it was important that a range of Air Force assets participated.
“Contemporary threat scenarios and the problem sets that we give to the students of the course are wicked problems. They are unable to be solved by any one capability,” Group Captain Parker said.
“This requires teamwork across all of the air components capabilities to bring best effect, to mitigate each other’s weaknesses and amplify our strengths.”
Both capabilities are critical components of modern air operations, especially in the Indo-Pacific region. The missions undertaken during Exercise Diamond Shield 24 advanced teamwork between aircraft and personnel, creating a dynamic fighting force able to operate effectively in the region.
