Royal Air Force Regiment personnel have been controlling United States F/A-18 Hornet fighter aircraft in an air-land integration exercise in the US, known as exercise Eagle Lighting.
The exercise was designed to hone the skills of the Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTAC) and signalers who are the ground troops that direct combat aircraft engaged in close air support from forward locations.
The controllers and signalers deployed to the US Naval Air Warfare Development Centre in Nevada to train on the close air support ranges alongside their US counterparts.
During the two-week exercise RAF Regiment gunners carried out vital continuation training with the US F/A-18 Hornet. They conducted high intensity controls to maintain their qualifications whilst developing and testing their skills in complex training scenarios.
“Deploying to the US gives the JTACs exposure to controlling foreign aircraft. Each JTAC had to ensure that they can safely deconflict up to 8 aircraft in the stack at any one time whilst integrating rotary wing and indirect fires to achieve the ground commander’s intent. The US offers a unique opportunity to work within a complex battle space against some highly sophisticated threats, something that is hard to replicate in the UK due to the size of the training areas,” Flight Lieutenant Horstwood, RAF controller, commented.
“The RAF’s JTACs and signallers are highly trained force elements who support RAF and Joint operations worldwide. Working and training alongside our US allies gives us the opportunity to exchange knowledge and ensure we can operate together as part of NATO,” Flight Sergeant Tunstead from the Naval Air Warfare Development Centre added.
