05 Sep 23. Royal Navy ships participate in collective simulation demo. The UK Royal Navy’s (RN’s) aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth as well as Type 23 frigate HMS Kent and Type 45 destroyer HMS Diamond participated in a collective synthetic training demonstration against a peer adversary as part of Phase 2 of the RN’s Platform Enabled Training Capability (PETC).
Conducted at HM Naval Base Portsmouth in June QinetiQ alongside BAE Systems and Inzpire connected all three platforms simultaneously via satellite communications to enable delivery of the synthetic training environment, according to a QinetiQ announcement on 4 September.
The trial, based on real-world geographies of the High North, involved simulating peer adversary platforms and weapon profiles to stimulate the ships’ sensors. The three crews, situated in their respective control rooms, collectively responded to the presented threats to defend the aircraft carrier. The scenario integrated above water, surface, and underwater threat data – some of which were completely new to the ships’ personnel. (Source: Janes)
05 Sep 23. Mateship Thrives in Inaugural Exercise. For the first time, the ADF and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), with the support of the United States Marine Corps (USMC), have conducted Exercise Alon, focusing on combined amphibious operations.
Multiple ships, aircraft and about 2400 personnel – including 1200 from the ADF, 1000 from the AFP and 150 US Marines – participated in the exercise in the Philippines from August 14 to 31.
ADF Chief of Joint Operations Lieutenant General Greg Bilton attended two key activities and said the exercise was a significant activity within Indo-Pacific Endeavour that increased interoperability, deepened people-to-people links and enhanced defence cooperation.
“I was extremely proud to see how the ADF, AFP and USMC worked so closely in this complex training and know that we will continue to build on our already close relationships,” Lieutenant General Bilton said. “I’d like to express my gratitude to the Philippines for graciously hosting us and for their very kind hospitality.”
The exercise included combined force integration in Darwin and on board HMAS Canberra, an air assault exercise and a combined amphibious assault exercise across the Philippines.
The Palawan air assault exercise in Rizal on August 21 simulated combat scenarios, enhancing the forces’ preparedness and operational readiness across air, sea and land. More than 600 soldiers from the ADF, AFP and USMC, and RAAF F-35A Lightning II and E-7A Wedgetail aircraft supported this exercise.
In the combined amphibious assault exercise in Zambales on August 25, a combined amphibious landing force was launched from Navy ships to secure beach landing sites.
Assets from across the three nations supported the drills, including HMA Ships Canberra and Anzac, the Philippines’ Tarlac-class landing platform dock BRP Davao Del Sur, RAAF F-35A Lightning II aircraft, an Australian Army M1A1 Abrams tank, USMC MV-22B Osprey, a parachute insertion and two Philippine Marine Corps amphibious assault vehicles.
Defence Attaché to the Philippines Colonel Paul Barta said Australia and the Philippines had a long history of defence cooperation. ”Mateship is a key part of Australian history and culture. In the Philippines, the equivalent term is bayanihan,” Colonel Barta said.
“Exercise Alon has provided the opportunity to deepen already strong ties and add complexity in training. It was tremendous to see ADF members working alongside their AFP and USMC counterparts in the Philippines, sharing experiences and learning from each other – a clear manifestation of mateship and bayanihan.
“A lot of time and effort has gone into the planning and execution of this exercise, and the demonstration of our nations training together in complex scenarios is a great outcome.”
(Source: https://www.defense-aerospace.com/Australian Department of Defence)
05 Sep 23. QinetiQ, Inzpire and BAE Systems Deliver Next Synthetic Training Concept Demonstration to the Royal Navy. A team from QinetiQ, Inzpire and BAE Systems has delivered a further demonstration under Phase 2 of the Platform Enabled Training Capability (PETC) to the Royal Navy.
Delivered in late June, the complex synthetic collective training demonstration was operated from Portsdown Technology Park delivering training to three platforms docked at HM Naval Base in Portsmouth: HMS KENT, HMS DIAMOND and HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH, operating together.
Connecting into the three platforms simultaneously via satellite communications, the QinetiQ, Inzpire and BAE Systems team enabled the delivery of the complex synthetic collective training environment, through scenarios adapted and delivered by a dynamic White Force. This allowed the crews of the three ships to conduct realistic training against a peer adversary.
Lieutenant Commander Stephen Gowling, SPARTAN Programme Officer and PETC lead for the Royal Navy said, “The PETC concept poses a significant increase to the synthetic training capability for the Royal Navy, transitioning our ability to train and prepare our warfighting teams for the current threats faced in today’s rapidly evolving maritime battlespace. Whilst the use of simulation to train our Ship’s crews is far from new, the ability to train them collectively across multiple geographically dispersed units, from their own organic operations room, will be a step change. Through the development of PETC, we aim to provide our Maritime Task Groups (MTGs) an ability to train against realistic and representative threats in an immersive environment, whenever and wherever. The utility of PETC as a training enabler will be relevant across all tiers of training, in time, supporting the ability of the RN to effectively train as they fight.”
James Anderson, Senior Campaign Manager for QinetiQ said, “Building on the first PETC demonstration held in February 2022, which validated the use of the capability on a single platform, this next trial aimed to prove the ability of the approach to deliver a high-end collective training exercise across multiple platforms. The combined strengths of QinetiQ’s management of the synthetic environment and communications, BAE Systems’ integration of the digital shadow of the combat management system into the ships, and Inzpire’s design of the scenario and delivery of the White Force and After Action Review, resulted in a strong outcome. I was proud to see how the organisations worked together, along with RN staff as a single team, to deliver the demonstration.”
Alongside teams from QinetiQ, Inzpire and BAE Systems, the demonstration was attended by a team from Fleet Operational Standards and Training (FOST) and a number of high ranking Royal Navy personnel.
As an alternative to fully live or shore-based synthetic training, PETC is allowing the Royal Navy to demonstrate how synthetics can be used to create a fully immersive training environment within a ship’s own operations room. The use of this synthetic training environment aims to allow for the delivery of training whilst on deployment, across a number of vessels that may not be geographically close by, presenting opportunities for ships from multiple international forces to practice training together. PETC therefore aims to provide more opportunities for training alongside international partners within a wartime environment, whilst offering significant time and cost savings to the customer, as well as environmental benefits due to the ships and crews not having to travel to the same extent for the synthetic collective training, compared with live training. (Source: ASD Network)
05 Sep 23. Inzpire’s Collective Training Division (CTD) has secured a two-year contract to deliver subject matter expertise support to 20 Squadron’s (Sqn) Qualified Weapons Instructor (Command & Control) Course (QWI (C2)) at RAF Boulmer. Synthetic and live training experts from across CTD will be providing specific command and control and battlespace management support and assisting with all phases of the QWI (C2) course including planning, creating courseware, building exercise scenarios and supporting the execution of live and synthetic training. In addition to QWI (C2) support, Inzpire’s experts on 20 Sqn will assist with the Combat Ready Operators Course (CROC), which teaches qualified operators from 19 and 20 Sqns how to provide advanced tactical air command and control and battle management, including tactical control of fighter aircraft in complex, heavily contested joint air operations scenarios. The CROC includes 20 Sqn’s capstone synthetic training event Exercise CERBERUS REVENGE, which prepares students to plan and control during major live flying exercises and global contingent operations.
The QWI (C2) works closely with the QWI (Combat Air) (QWI (CA)), which has stood up to deliver a combined QWI course for Typhoon and Lightning pilots based at RAF Coningsby and RAF Marham respectively; Inzpire already has staff embedded at both locations carrying out a similar role to those at Boulmer. The two courses come together to train on Exercise STORM WARRIOR over the summer prior to students completing Exercise COBRA WARRIOR – the RAF’s capstone training event – which is designed and delivered by Inzpire on 92 Sqn at the Air and Space Warfare Centre.
20 Sqn will therefore benefit from Inzpire’s extensive experience delivering QWICs for the UK’s Typhoon, Reaper and F-35 fleets, creating training coherence across multiple RAF Combat Force Elements.
Richard Tattersall, Head of Collective Training Division, said: “We are honoured that 20 Sqn has trusted us to design and deliver another front line QWI Course.
04 Sep 23. Iran Adds Russian Combat Trainer Jets to Air Force, Reports Say. Iran’s air force has received a batch of advanced Russian combat trainer jets to “improve the training and combat capability of the air force,” local media reported Saturday.
“A number of Yak-130 training aircraft entered the country and joined the Shahid Babaei Air Base in Isfahan” in central Iran, according to Tasnim news agency.
The agency, quoting the army’s public relations department, said the arrival of the Yakovlev Yak-130 came as part of the Islamic republic’s “arms contracts with the Russian Federation.”
Russia and Iran are both under international sanctions that restrict trade but have over the past year forged strong ties in various sectors including military cooperation.
In March, Iran announced that a deal had been reached to buy Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets from Russia.
Ukraine and many of its Western allies have accused Tehran of supplying Moscow with weapons for use in its war against Kyiv. Iran has consistently denied the allegations.
In May, the United States said Iran and Russia are “expanding their unprecedented defense partnership.”
U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said at the time that Iran had delivered more than 400 drones to Russia since August last year.
He added that Tehran was seeking to buy attack helicopters, radars and Yak-130 aircraft from Russia.
Iran currently has mostly Russian MiG and Sukhoi fighter jets that date back to the Soviet era, as well as some Chinese aircraft, including the F-7.
Some American F-4 and F-5 fighter jets dating back to before the 1979 Islamic Revolution are also part of its fleet.
(Source: https://www.defense-aerospace.com/ Voice of America News)
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