The Australian Air Task Group's (ATG) E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft was displayed at Australia’s main air operating base in the Middle East region for coalition partners, it was announced on 9 June.
Most of the attendees at the capability display were US Air Force (USAF) personnel. The ATG operates as part of a US-led coalition in the Middle East. It operates the E-7A Wedgetail as well as six F/A-18A Hornets and a KC-30A multi-role tanker transport air-to-air refuelling aircraft. The ATG also has personnel embedded in the US 'KingPin' Tactical Command and Control Unit and the Combined Air and Space Operations Centre.
Ft Lt Adam Nelson, E-7A Wedgetail co-pilot, ATG, said: ‘It was a great opportunity for us to further strengthen the network between us and our coalition operators, and command and control partners. It was especially good to meet those operating the USAF E-3 Sentry command and control aircraft, as well as those working within the 'Kingpin' US Tactical Command and Control Unit – between us and them we control all of the airspace over Iraq and Syria.
‘We’ve not only had E-3 aircrew and KingPin controllers; we’ve also had a lot of operators such as USAF F-22, F-15 and C-17 pilots. When seeing our aircraft inside and up-close, the USAF personnel seemed very interested in the technological differences between the RAAF E-7A and the USAF E-3 – being a newer aircraft means that we have a lot more system integration, leading to a different crew operating model. It was a good to be able to show some of the USAF aircrew – people we regularly work with while airborne – some of our capabilities and limitations first-hand.’
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