AirForces Monthly – September 2019

56 // September 2019 #378

Assorted Australian Army

and RAN surface elements

were also involved.

To ensure these resources –

pilots, aircraft, radars and support

personnel – work effectively, the

AWIC evolves as an intense series

of exercises of which Diamond

Storm is the final major integration

phase. At this point, No 2 OCU

fighter students are under intense

pressure in their training syllabus

at Williamtown. The exercise in

the Northern Territory introduces

them to more branches of the ADF

and coalition partner nations – this

year only the United States was

involved as an external ‘player’.

The Diamond series of

manoeuvres enable the course

candidates to return to their home

base armed with new knowledge

as subject matter experts and help

train other squadron members.

MRCU

Diamond Storm flight operations

were supported by No 114

Mobile Control and Reporting

Unit (MRCU), the history of which

stretches back to World War

Two. AFM was shown around the

unit’s infrastructure by WGCDR

Brett Risstrom who explained

the functions of airspace battle

management and some of the

Operated by Top Aces, Alpha Jet A C-GLTO ‘069’ takes off for a sortie

during Diamond Storm 2019. These nimble jets provided a Red Air adversary

training capability alongside Hornets and F-15Cs. Also among the ‘bad

guys’ was a Raytheon-operated Learjet 35A from the company’s Electronic

Warfare Training Services division. CPL Colin Dadd/Commonwealth of Australia,

Department of Defence

The pilot of a No 75 Squadron F/A-18A drops a 1,000lb GBU-16 Paveway II

laser-guided bomb during a Diamond Storm sortie. Commonwealth of Australia,

Department of Defence

Exercise

Report Diamond Storm 2019

http://www.airforcesmonthly.com

54-58 ExRepDiamondStorm AFM Sep2019.indd 56 8/5/2019 10:36:11 AM