RAAFA WA WINGS 2020 Autumn
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AUTUMN 2020 WINGS NO.1 72 VOLUME unmanned SCIENCE AND aerial targets PHOENIX JET & TECHNOLOGY XQ-58A VALKYRIE HYPERSONIC RESEARCH ADDITIVE METAL TECHNIQUES ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT A FIFTH-GENERATION SUPER BASE AIR FORCE ASSOCIATION CELEBRATING 100 YEARS defencebank.com.au 1800 033 139 1234 5678 1234 5678 Everything a cadet needs, and then some. Created especially for cadets - our Cadet Saver is fee free. • Your choice of camo Visa Debit card. • Visa payWave. • Apple Pay, Google Pay™, Samsung Pay, Fitbit Pay and Garmin Pay. • Online banking. • Award-winning app. Then, on top of all that, a healthy interest rate on your savings. .00 p.a.% 2 Variable rate.* Talk to us today to find out more. *Terms and conditions, fees and charges may apply in certain situations. Interest rate is current as at 27 April 2017 and is subject to change without notice. Before acquiring any product please read the Products and Services – Conditions of Use (DPS) available from www.defencebank.com.au to consider whether any product is right for you. Defence Bank Limited ABN 57 087 651 385 AFSL / Australian Credit Licence 234582. CONTENTS. defencebank.com.au 1800 033 139 ON THE COVER Air Affairs Australia Pty Ltd Phoenix HP Drone set for launch 39 at the Jervis Bay Range Facility. Photo by Rob Power CONTENTS THE NEW-LOOK WINGS AUTUMN volume 72 / NO.1 WINGS TEAM 1234 5678 1234 5678 4 FROM COMMANDER FLEET AIR ARM 1234 5678 1234 5678 WINGS MANAGER Ron Haack 5 FROM THE PRESIDENT EDITOR Sandy McPhie 6 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ART DIRECTOR Katie Monin ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE Sue Guymer 8 MILITARY AVIATION ASSISTANT EDITORS 14 INDUSTRY NEWS Mike Nelmes (history) 20 THE 3RD INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION John Kindler, AO AFC (industry news) Additive metal technologies Everything a cadet needs, Bob Treloar, AO MiD (military aviation) 24 ROBOTICS & THE FUTURE CONTACT An expanding field of engineering E [email protected] 28 NAVY DRONES and then some. W raafapublications.org.au Maritime Tactical Unmanned Aircraft 50 A RAAFANSW Publications Pty Ltd Salamander Bay LPO, PO Box 656 32 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Salamander Bay 2317 Hypersonic research; Defence space Created especially for cadets - our Cadet Saver is fee free. capabilities; & electric planes DIGITAL EDITION 36 THE EVOLUTION OF THE PHOENIX To read this publication online, go to • Your choice of camo Visa Debit card. • Visa payWave. Unmanned aerial targets • Apple Pay, Google Pay™, Samsung Pay, Fitbit Pay and Garmin Pay. www.raafapublications.org.au/wings, 39 VALKYRIE FLYING HIGH • Online banking. • Award-winning app. or www.raafa.org.au/wings-archive Drone mimics enemy jet fighters DISCLAIMER 40 CENTREFOLD Then, on top of all that, a healthy interest rate on your savings. Information in the articles in this magazine was current at time of publication but more recent developments should be checked Pull out and keep with the relevant Defence and other authorities for currency and any changes to conditions. Content appearing in this publication 44 A FIFTH-GENERATION SUPER BASE does not necessarily reflect the views or have the endorsement Edinburgh Defence Precinct % of the Department of Defence or the publisher. While every effort .00 p.a. has been made to ensure accuracy and currency in the articles 50 THE GREAT AIR RACE PART IV presented, reliance should not be placed on the information The final leg Variable rate.* contained without reference to the relevant authorities. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the written consent 58 A GROWING DISPLAY of RAAFANSW Publications. No responsibility is accepted by the 2 publisher for the accuracy of advertisements or information. The SA Aviation Museum 34 68 MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP Talk to us today to find out more. 60 WARIES & STORIES 70 CADETS NEWS The Ubon story part III 73 AIR FORCE ASSOCIATION NEWS 64 HISTORY Halifax bomber crew remembered 76 LAST FLIGHT AIR FORCE ASSOCIATION 66 PERSONAL FINANCE 78 BOOK REVIEWS *Terms and conditions, fees and charges may apply in certain situations. Interest rate is current as at 27 April 2017 and is subject to change without notice. Before acquiring any product please read the Products and WINGS VOLUME 72 NO.1 | 03 Services – Conditions of Use (DPS) available from www.defencebank.com.au to consider whether any product is right for you. Defence Bank Limited ABN 57 087 651 385 AFSL / Australian Credit Licence 234582. WELCOME. COMMANDER FAA MESSAGE FROM COMMANDER What has been most pleasing has been the commitment and desire to assist our communities by Defence and contracted personnel. Even though the initial recall of personnel occurred during the middle of the Christmas holidays, personnel willingly and fleet air arm overwhelmingly committed to assist where possible. The professionalism, resilience and courage of our people awe-inspiring efforts of the RFS, CFA helping our fellow Australians and State Emergency Service. Aircraft highlights the extraordinary men and were used to map fire fronts, move women we have in Defence. While equipment and emergency services it was a privilege to contribute to the personnel, carry out search and rescue collective national effort by supporting (SAR) operations, evacuate residents our fire and emergency services, the under threat of the fire front and to efforts, resilience and determination conduct medical evacuations for those of the state authorities and firefighters injured in the fires. Notably, the FAA alongside the emergency services has also been involved in providing personnel have been truly inspirational. additional SAR support in the recent As our support requirements slowly flood emergency. diminish with Operation Bushfire At the time of writing this article Assist, the Fleet Air Arm will continue the FAA has supported Operation to focus upon providing lethal Bushfire Assist by flying more than maritime aviation capabilities at sea 635 hours. A large proportion of through the provision of rotary-wing those hours were flown in December support within the broader Maritime in challenging and hazardous Task Groups. We have a busy year conditions. Flying was exceptionally ahead delivering what Government demanding, visibility very poor, and at requires use to do. Growth of our times required flight on Night Vision workforce is being enabled by a range S COMMANDER OF Devices during the day. The missions of innovative approaches to the way the Fleet Air Arm, it is a we develop and train our people. privilege for me to be able the crews flew and successes they achieved were amazing and required Undoubtedly it has been a busy to contribute to Wings. start to the year for the ADF. ANoting the publication in March, it tenacity, astute judgment and Commodore Don Dezentje would be customary in the past to leadership to achieve safely. This was Commander Fleet Air Arm speak of the return to work after the case for all aviation crews across Royal Australian Navy the Christmas New Year period and the three services. outline our challenges and outlook for the busy year ahead. The summer of 2019/2020 has, however, been Royal Australian Navy Fleet Air Arm aircraft on somewhat different. standby at RAAF Base Williamtown as part of the Elements (not just aviation) from firefighting efforts in NSW. Photo by ABIS across all of Defence, supported by Leo Baumgartner. our industry partners, were called into action to assist the Australian community in the bushfire emergency. Unprecedented numbers of people, equipment and resources have been brought to bear across multiple states. Since mid-November, the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) has been heavily committed. From a Fleet Air Arm perspective, MRH90, MH-60R and EC 135 helicopters have been provided by both day and night to support the 04 | WINTERAUTUMN 20192019 WELCOME. PRESIDENT’S CORNER A VERY WARM New Year’s welcome to all our readers and contributors; we look forward to providing another year of interesting and entertaining Wings editions. As for quite a few other Australian institutions, 2020 marks a very significant milestone for the Air Force Association (AFA, formerly Royal Australian Air Force Association). Founded as the Australian Flying Corps Association and later as the Australian Flying Corps and the RAAF Association, it has been in continuous operation for a century. During that time, our service men and women have been involved in myriad operations: global warfare, warlike conflicts, humanitarian, natural disasters and peacekeeping. Recently we witnessed the historic first callout of the Reserves and the deployment of Defence personnel to provide a range of support services during the catastrophic bushfires that ravaged eastern states. The Association’s first concern has always been the welfare of serving and former serving members with a focus on Air Force veterans. Last year, AFA responded to the recommendations of the Productivity Commission inquiry into compensation and rehabilitation for veterans and Robert Cornall’s Scoping Study into veterans’ advocacy. Cornall’s report was largely supported. The Productivity Commission’s Report contained some concerning proposals, although several of its recommendations were supported. I have amplified those concerns, together with a summary of the major actions currently being pursued by AFA in the ABOVE Members of 16th Regiment Emergency Association section of this edition (see page 69). Support Force take a break during Operation Bushfire Assist to feed 12 young koalas at the I would like to take the opportunity now, to thank our business and industry Cleland Wildlife Park at Mt Lofty, SA. The koalas partners who continue to support the ADF and its Veterans. Without that support, were moved from Kangaroo Island as part of Wings would not be possible and by all accounts the magazine is making a valuable the SA Government's new Wildlife and Habitat Recovery Task Force to establish a disease-free contribution to the positive perception of the ADF and the RAAF, in particular.