Exercise Jericho Dawn shows off air/land integration

RAAF and the Australian Army, with support from Northrop Grumman, successfully conducted a firepower demonstration and a combat-team quick-attack demonstration at Puckapunyal to display the powerful effects of integration of air and land operations, during Exercise Jericho Dawn.

CAPTION: An Australian Army M1A1 Abrams tank fires during Exercise Jericho Dawn 2016. Photo by Sergeant Pete Gammie

The live fire exercise allowed RAAF and Army operators, together with Defence and industry representatives, to observe the combined air and land capabilities in two scenarios.

The operators demonstrated the current capabilities, before trialling new ways to improve air-land integration, including the way that aircraft and vehicles connect and translate information through different communication networks.

Chief of Air Force Air Marshal Leo Davies said that the demonstration showcased existing air-land operations technologies and processes, and the operational gains that have already been achieved through better integration of systems and information.

“Through today’s demonstration we were able to provide a visualisation of the effects of some of the Australian Defence Force’s capabilities,” Air Marshal Davies said.

“The lessons identified from the activity will help shape Defence’s future capability decisions and improve existing training activities.

“Demonstrations such as today are an important means of testing and displaying joint effects.

“We are building on the Air Force’s international reputation for being good at what we currently do, and asking important questions about taking Air Force’s contribution to joint operations even further.

“If this kind of training exercise shows us something we can do that would help Air Force, Army and Navy fight better as a team, then that’s what we will pursue.”

The Australian Army’s Head Modernisation and Strategic Planning Major General Gus McLachlan said that greater air-land integration is an important step towards the Army and the ADF working in a joint, combined and interoperable environment.

“Our Army is focussed on two key areas to ensure improved air-land integration. The first is to deliver better communication systems to ensure an agile, efficient and timely response to an intelligent, well-armed and motivated adversary,” Major General McLachlan said.

“The second is to advance how we plan and conduct air-land operations to deliver the right effect, at the right place, at the right time.

“The demonstration highlights how we can better harness the strengths of our team by digitally connecting air and land platforms.

“This increased connectivity enhances awareness and communication.  It gives a common operating picture, so we are better able to plan and execute joint operations into the future.”

Chief Executive Australia Ian Irving said Northrop Grumman has unparalleled expertise developing and deploying airborne gateways that ensure resilient communications of disparate networks and enable a fully networked battlespace.

“We’ve applied this key capability for more than a decade in numerous operational programs, exercises and demonstrations and have seen how effective and transformational networking a diverse force of assets can be,” Mr Irving said.

“Northrop Grumman congratulates Air Force and Army on their initiative in undertaking this technology demonstration and we look forward to continuing to support the ADF as it builds interoperability in its current and fifth-generation force.

“As demonstrated during the Jericho Dawn exercise, the ability to share information and situational awareness from various sources across diverse platforms and domains is critically important in facilitating joint and coalition operations.”

Capabilities involved include RAAF’s C-17A, AP-3C, KC-30A, E-7A Wedgetail and FA-18 Hornet aircraft, as well as the Army’s air-land enablers from the 16th Air Land Regiment, Tiger armed reconnaissance helicopters from 1st Aviation Regiment, and vehicles and equipment from the Combined Arms Training Centre.

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