2013 Townsville Bombing Exercise
- Photo-Essay -
”Celenne de Bomb”
Armament Fitter Leading Aircraftwoman Celenne Moncada
completes final adjustments to the Vertical Ejector Rack of a 3SQN
Hornet.
3SQN Commanding Officer, WGCDR Tim Alsop, said, "
I can’t overstate how impressed I was with the way our techos rose
to the challenge – often working until 3 or 4am to ensure we could
meet the tasking."
“BLACK DAGGER”
Hands-down winner of our “How Cool is My Codename” competition is “Black Dagger” - the moniker describing 3SQN’s 2013 jaunt “up north” to rain bombs on the Sunshine Super-State!
[Given NSW’s never-ending ‘State of Origin’ NRL embarrassments, any sort of revenge is sweet!]
Joint Terminal Attack Controller students experience a
show of force by a No. 3 Squadron F/A-18 Hornet during Exercise
BLACK DAGGER.
Fondly referred to by Canberra bureaucrats as “BD02/13”, this exercise was conducted over the period 20 September to 11 October 2013, and was the live-fire component of number 50/51 Joint Terminal Attack Controller ("JTAC") Course, conducted by No.4 Squadron, RAAF Base Williamtown. The aim of the JTAC course is to graduate selected ADF personnel in the planning, briefing, controlling and reporting of Close Air Support (CAS) on the battlefield for the ADF and major coalition partners. The course qualifies selected ADF personnel to be JTACs. The Live Fire Exercise (LFX) took place at Townsville Field Training area, utilising F/A-18A Hornets from Number 3 Squadron that were deployed to RAAF Base Townsville for the duration of the exercise.
An F/A-18 Hornet from No.3 Squadron lands at RAAF Base
Townsville after another support mission during Exercise BLACK
DAGGER.
[Photos and text above courtesy of
ADF Website.]
Formation
Takeoff from Townsville Airport towards Castle Hill.