Royal Australian Air Force [RAAF] News, Discussions and Updates
This is a discussion on Royal Australian Air Force [RAAF] News, Discussions and Updates within the Air Force & Aviation forum, part of the Global Defense & Military category; Just for a change of pace. Does anyone know about the RAAF No.4 Squadron and whether RAAF is in process ...
Just for a change of pace. Does anyone know about the RAAF No.4 Squadron and whether RAAF is in process of shopping around for new aircraft to supplement or evolve the Squadron's current mission?
Just for a change of pace. Does anyone know about the RAAF No.4 Squadron and whether RAAF is in process of shopping around for new aircraft to supplement or evolve the Squadron's current mission?
(and yes, I did a search and came up blank)
cheers
w
When I checked the RAAF site, there was no listing for No. 4 Squadron, when I went digging, I did find out that it is based at RAAF Base Amberley where it uses the PC-9/A in the strike/recon role. However, according to Wiki, No. 4 Squadron is supposed to be the training unit for Forward Air Controllers, according to the RAAF site...
Quote:
There are also four modified PC-9/A(F) aircraft in grey paintwork fitted with smoke grenade dispensers for target marking. These aircraft are based at RAAF Base Williamtown, near Newcastle, and are used to train ADF Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTACs, formerly forward air controllers), who coordinate air support to troops on the ground.
So I am left wondering, which unit are you actually asking about? The one doing forward air controller training, or the unit at Amberley that is doing something but is not mentioned?
-Cheers
________________
"I'm doing the same thing I do every night, Pinky..." comment from one lab mouse to another.
Just for a change of pace. Does anyone know about the RAAF No.4 Squadron and whether RAAF is in process of shopping around for new aircraft to supplement or evolve the Squadron's current mission?
(and yes, I did a search and came up blank)
cheers
w
Hey,
4 Sqn is based at RAAF Base Williamtown, near Newcastle and are still working up (though selection 2/10 was recently cancelled...) They provide the FACDU (Forward Air Control Development Unit) role for RAAF (the smoke grenade equipped PC-9A's) but there are no plans to equip them with an "operational" combat aircraft contained within the Defence Capability Plan.
There IS a plan to replace the PC-9A however, as it is getting a bit long in the tooth. No types or numbers have been yet mentioned and it is unlikely an operational role will be envisaged given funding realities in the current term...
4 Sqn also provide RAAF's contribution to the ADF JTAC (Joint Terminal Attack Controller) capability (the positions within RAAF are known as "Special Operations Air Specialist") and are in the process of getting their guys specwarrie qualified, though some have deployed already into Afghanistan. The guys have to do SFET (Special Forces Entry Test) and a lot of the Commando courses, but they are air power delivery specialists and only tooled up, in order not to place too great a burden on our already stretched special operations forces. They are NOT trying to replicate the PJ capability etc inherent within USAF...
4 Sqn is based at RAAF Base Williamtown, near Newcastle and are still working up (though selection 2/10 was recently cancelled...) They provide the FACDU (Forward Air Control Development Unit) role for RAAF (the smoke grenade equipped PC-9A's) but there are no plans to equip them with an "operational" combat aircraft contained within the Defence Capability Plan.
There IS a plan to replace the PC-9A however, as it is getting a bit long in the tooth. No types or numbers have been yet mentioned and it is unlikely an operational role will be envisaged given funding realities in the current term...
4 Sqn also provide RAAF's contribution to the ADF JTAC (Joint Terminal Attack Controller) capability (the positions within RAAF are known as "Special Operations Air Specialist") and are in the process of getting their guys specwarrie qualified, though some have deployed already into Afghanistan. The guys have to do SFET (Special Forces Entry Test) and a lot of the Commando courses, but they are air power delivery specialists and only tooled up, in order not to place too great a burden on our already stretched special operations forces. They are NOT trying to replicate the PJ capability etc inherent within USAF...
Hope this helps...
Ahh. So that is where the new AC(x) guys are hoping to find a potential future customer. At the moment with the cost-cutting drums beating, everyone is scrambling to shore up their business case for new platforms. I like it; "If they train for it, we can follow". Thanks Digg.
They passed over at about 1.10pm and were proceeded by 4x F-111's flying in a single line type formation, these were followed by a smallfast little fighter, which I suspect was a Hawk Mk 127, but I wasn't close enough to confirm and the 5x Shornets brought up the rear in a five ship "V" formation.
One pass and then they were gone towards Ipswich/Amberley. Perhaps fuel was a factor, who knows?
Luckily, I had walked out of my office in Buranda today to give a mate a jump start out in the car park, and lo and behold, just as i walked out in the open I saw the 5 supers fly over
Thats a pretty nice convoy, I wonder when Nz will see something like it again.
Hope to see them out at Richmond soon, when ever they clear up all those C-130 lying around, I swear they have all of them there, 15+ sitting on the tarmac, more in the hangers?
Well we are all planed up with our F-111's, F-18 Sh, F-18 regulars and C-17's. Time to launch at NZ,...
They passed over at about 1.10pm and were proceeded by 4x F-111's flying in a single line type formation, these were followed by a smallfast little fighter, which I suspect was a Hawk Mk 127, but I wasn't close enough to confirm and the 5x Shornets brought up the rear in a five ship "V" formation.
One pass and then they were gone towards Ipswich/Amberley. Perhaps fuel was a factor, who knows?
I was sitting on my balcony at Kangaroo Point havin a smoke...and they flew right over my joint! Fuckin nice...yes, it was a hawk... it was flying on the left side of the formation and it was was rolling its wings... you could really see the size difference...they looked good (just hope they don't ding any of these jets)!
NZ? I thought we were launching at Japanese whalers or Asylem Seeker boats or whatever the flavour of the month is at the moment.
Japanese Asylem whalers.. The bastards. I think they will be first deployed again Scientologies cruise ships as soon as they can get an equiry going on that issue (seems to have died off).
I wonder if these will be ready for the next red flag event? Thats a USAF show (I think), so it should be interesting to see how these navy crates fly.
Has any one got any info on the Caribou replacement?
The way it looks to myself that there is only really 3 aircraft that would be in the running for the job,
C27J Spartan
CH-47F Chinook
V-22 Osprey
Even tho the osprey looks the goods and is able to land and take off from unprepared airfield, i think price and maintenance looks set to be the killer of this aircraft.
A CH-47 can also land and take off from unprepared fields but will not have the range of a caribou used to have but will come in extremely handy for a pacific island solution when the need arises.
The C27J Spartan looks the most useful of the three types it can carry a useful load over distance but really lacks the short landing capability of the Caribou when you look at a Papua New Guinea deployment perspective.
All three can deploy paratrooper’s, airdrop supplies and in the Spartans case limited short take and landing from unprepared fields.
I believe if we were to go the V-22 or the CH-47F way RAAF will most likely have to go for a one for one replacement that’s, even to say that they want to get back into rotary assets again, RAAF most likely would like to go C27J Spartan,12 Spartans and when C130-H Hercules are retired replaced with four more C-17 Globemaster III,C130J are about halfway through there service life and will last a while longer with replacement with either more J’s or Airbus A400M,LM might upgrade the old Hercules to make it more completive with the A400M.
Army will probably need more than the seven CH-47F Chinooks announced in the past few day’s time will tell.
Starting the debate should all CH-47F be in RAAF colours or a mixed fleet between Army/RAAF?
, No. 4 Squadron is supposed to be the training unit for Forward Air Controllers, according to the 
