Posted on 01/27/2011 8:58:26 AM PST by sukhoi-30mki
Australia's Super Hornet Training Accelerates
Posted by David A. Fulghum at 1/27/2011 9:14 AM CST
Australias long-serving F-111s were retired late last year, but some of their veteran aircrews are turning their strike experience to creating the first two squadrons of the 24-aircraft, F/A-18F Super Hornet force.
The F-model Super Hornet has a two-person crew, like the F-111, and a portion of the latters navigator-bombardiers are being retrained as weapons systems officer (WSO) cadres and aircrews for the F/A-18F. WSOs will be a sub-specialty within the larger, RAAF category of Air Combat Officer which was instituted about five years ago. If Australia decides, as planned, to turn 12 of the F-model aircraft into EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft, another ACO specialty will be added for electronic warfare officers.
The second F/A-18F unit is standing up as No. 6 Sqdn. which will serve as the RAAFs primary Super Hornet operational training unit.
We take the crews pilots and WSOs and turn them into functioning crews before feeding them into No.1 Sqdn, says Wing Commander Terence Deeth, No. 6 Sqdn.s commander. Deeth is a former F-111 WSO who was part of the first two crews to go through the new aircrew training program. With retirement of the F-111, theres only one place for WSOs to go. The [training process for Super Hornet] is in its infancy. At the moment, were doing the same sorts of things as [those training for the older] classic F/A-18s. We have the capacity to do it a little bit better.
That understates the advanced capabilities of the Super Hornet which comes equipped with a Raytheon-made, active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar that can pull small targets out of ground clutter for precision strike attacks. It also serves as an air-to-air radar with more than twice the range of a conventional radar and the ability to find low-observable cruise missiles, for example. The design of AESA radars cuts maintenance by about 90% and the need for support personnel. Radars are expected to last the lifetime of the aircraft without replacement or removal.
There are many more capabilities available from the F-model within the fast-jet force air combat group than there ever was the the F-111, Deeth agrees. Were looking to exploit those [data transfer] capabilities. Its all about network-centric warfare.
Aircrew candidates go through pilot and WSO training and are then screened based on the RAAFs requirements and personal assessments of their skills and aptitude. A key determinant is interaction in a crew environment. Once they finish the F-model transition course, they go to No. 2 Sqdn.
The difference between what the U.S. Navy does and what we are doing here is that we are training from the first day as a crew and they go all the way through that way, Deeth say. That comes from our experiences with the F-111.
So far, WSOs have come from the F-111 force which offered a pool of experienced, fast-jet crewmen. A two-crew class started training in Jan., and the first new WSOs also begin training early this year. Classes will provide crews for both 1 and 6 sqdns.
The Aardvark is still one of my favorite airplanes.
Thanks for the link
The Aussies LOVED that plane, for good reason. Once the bugs were worked out, it became a very capable platform. I got a chance to talk to an Aussie about this at Oshkosh a few years back, and he waxed poetic about it...:)
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