24 NAVY NEWS, OCTOBER 2010
Allow Harrier pilot Lt Chris ‘Casper’ Roy to explain... Exercise Harding Flame is a bi-annual deployment by the Harrier Operational Conversion Unit to RAF Akrotiri, where student pilots can fi nish their training by utilising the perfect weather and easily-accessible weapons range. For the 2010 exercise, it was decided that rather than just taking two twin-seat aircraft as normal, 800 would deploy as a full squadron – and for four weeks instead of two. Despite the fact that the Harrier force is no longer in Afghanistan it would be very wrong to think that they were not contributing to the war effort. In fact, since coming home the main focus of Joint Force Harrier fl ying has been to provide as much close air support training to deploying army brigades as possible. So it was decided to offer the Army the chance to send Joint Tactical Air Controllers –
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JTACs – to Cyprus where 800 would provide day and night close air support for four weeks – as well as achieving other qualifi cations for its pilots.
Naturally the Army jumped at the chance of having a dedicated Naval Harrier squadron at their disposal...
“This is what the Harrier does best; versatile and deployable, we can be airborne and giving
direct support to the troops on the ground faster than most other aircraft,” explains Cdr Dave ‘Tinsel’ Lindsay, Commanding Offi cer of 800 Naval Air Squadron. “Five years of operations in Afghanistan have honed our skills to the point where we are able to give some of the best training and support to our Army from one of the best close-air- support aircraft in the world.
“But we cannot be complacent, this detachment has provided a unique opportunity for us to work directly alongside our Army colleagues, discussing tactics and each other’s performance on a daily basis. “With this relationship and friendship now established, we can continue to develop this truly formidable partnership between warriors in the air and on the ground.” The principal diffi culty with close air support missions in the UK is the transit time to and
from the ranges where the exercises take place – and the notoriously fi ckle UK weather. Not so in Cyprus where 800 were able to fl y two-hour missions from RAF Akrotiri in perfect weather.
This allowed unparalleled levels of training both for the JTACs and the pilots of 800, many of whom had not fl own on operations in Afghanistan. For the air controllers, having two jets – both equipped with sniper targeting pods – to play with for two hours at a time, three times a day and once at night, allowed them to get more controls from one mission than many had seen during a full day on the range in the UK. The excellent facilities at RAF Akrotiri – including a mock Afghan village – allowed six JTACs to achieve ‘combat ready’ status before deploying on Operation Herrick.
Fifty ‘live’ controls (with a bang) were achieved using CRV-7 rockets and an
incredible 356 ‘dry’ controls (no bangs) in just two weeks. That’s a staggering amount compared to exercises in the UK. One tremendous advantage of 800 and the JTACs operating from the same base, building and even accommodation was the fact that face-to-face briefi ngs and debriefi ngs took place for every mission. That simply doesn’t happen in the UK because of the distances involved from the
EPTEMBER 2010 and 800 Naval Air Squadron fi nd themselves in Cyprus at RAF Akrotiri for four weeks! Terrible you cry: WAFU’s
sunning themselves again... But fear not. 800 are actually supporting the war effort in Afghanistan.
squadron’s base at RAF Cottesmore to the ranges. Harding Flame allowed for a huge sharing of techniques and experiences and helped to enhance air-land integration between the Royal Navy and the Army. “The training has been of spectacular value,” says Capt Guy Disney of the Light Dragoons.
“The ability to have access to instant debriefi ngs proved to be key. It has been great to work alongside the Navy.”
With the jets loving the hot climate and remaining serviceable, the fl ying rate was
extremely high, but this didn’t mean there was no time for fun and games. The usual beach party barbecues were mixed with sea fi shing, go-karting and a fun few days spent with B Company, 2nd Battalion Royal Anglicans. These fi ne soldiers brought what can only be described as a plethora of equipment for the sailors to fi re on the local range. Despite the scary prospect of matelots with machine-guns on the range, no-one was killed (!) and a healthy respect for the soldiers was guaranteed by watching the Fire Support Group lay down a staggering amount of fi re-power before running in the mid-day Cyprus sun carrying and setting up a Javelin missile system...
Despite all this sounding like another excuse for WAFUs to have a good time, the honest truth is that this kind of dedicated close-air-support training just isn’t available to Army brigades in the UK. The chance to operate alongside our Army colleagues has allowed 800 Naval Air Squadron
to reach a new level of air-land integration with a much better understanding of what is required from the squadron to support ground operations. The exercise has also been a good reminder for the Army that training the troops who are about to deploy to Afghanistan is – and will remain – a top priority for the Harrier force and 800 NAS.
“Cyprus has provided an ideal opportunity for the squadron to train alongside Army joint tactical air controllers in surroundings which were often arduous – but realistic,” says Cdr Lindsay.
“The friendships and respect we have established for each other will pay absolute dividends in any future confl ict, in whichever part of the world it occurs. “As our motto says, ‘Never Unprepared’; this is an ethos ingrained into every pilot, engineer and maintainer. We will be ready for whatever an uncertain future may hold.”
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