RAFALO UPDATE – NOVEMBER 2013
This is the latest edition of the RAFALO Update, which includes information on changes to the Service. If you
have anything you wish me to cover, please advise in the usual way via Adrian.morris941@mod.uk
Operational Honours and Awards List (Afghanistan) – October 2013
Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC)
Flight Lieutenant Timothy Edward TROTT – RAF Odiham
Queen's Commendation for Bravery in the Air (QCBA)
Flight Lieutenant Christopher GENT – RAF Odiham
Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service (QCVS)
Air Commodore Stephen Dennis FORWARD – RAF High Wycombe
Wing Commander Ruth Ann Frances HARRIS - SHAPE
Group Captain (now Air Commodore) Bruce Haakon HEDLEY MBE – RAF Waddington
Flight Lieutenant Neil Malcolm MERRITT - Thiepval Barracks
Squadron Leader James Richard ROWE – RAF High Wycombe
Corporal Scott SHARKEY – RAF Lossiemouth
Air Rank Appointments List.
Air Commodore A M Turner CBE to be promoted Air Vice-Marshal and to be Air Officer
Commanding No 22 (Training) Group and Chief of Staff Training, Headquarters Air Command in July
2014 in succession to Air Vice-Marshal M G Lloyd CB who is retiring from the Service.
Air Commodore J C Bessell to be Commander Joint Forces Logistic Operations in the Joint Forces
Command in February 2014 in succession to Commodore C L Walker.
Acting Air Commodore C E J Brazier was promoted Air Commodore on 8 August 2013 and will be
appointed Head Military Strategic Effects in the Ministry of Defence in February 2014 in succession to
Air Commodore I N Wood whose next appointment is yet to be announced.
Group Captain D J E Cooper to be promoted Acting Air Commodore and to be Director Air
Operations, Headquarters ISAF Joint Command, Kabul, Afghanistan with effect from 9 November
2013 in succession to Air Commodore C E J Brazier.
Group Captain A K Gillespie to be promoted Acting Air Commodore and to be Air Officer
Commanding No 83 Expeditionary Air Group and United Kingdom Air Component Commander, Al
Udeid, Qatar with effect from 14 December 2013 in succession to Air Commodore P J Beach whose
next appointment is yet to be announced.
Group Captain J E Linter OBE to be promoted Acting Air Commodore and to be Director Combined
Air & Space Operations Centre, Al Udeid, Qatar in May 2014.
EQUIPMENT
809 Naval Air Squadron (NAS). Following the announcement of No. 617 Sqn as the first Lightning II
operational squadron, the Navy Board has decided that the next sqn will be 809 AS. Both sqns will
eventually be based at RAF Marham and will be jointly manned by RN and RAF personnel. CNS and CAS’s
agreement on sqn numbers ensures that each Service has an opportunity to maintain their sqn histories and
traditions while developing a world class joint capability for the future.
809 NAS has a proud history and has served extensively at sea in both the Mediterranean and Far East
theatres during World War II. The Sqn earned battle honours for the part it played in the invasions of North
Africa, Italy and the South of France, and the liberation of Rangoon and Malaya. Furthermore, it has
operated in both embarked fighter and strike roles and provided support to amphibious landings. 809 NAS
was the last RN Buccaneer sqn, based at RAF Honington operating aircraft later flown by the RAF. Once
reformed flying the Sea Harrier; the Sqn saw action during the Falklands Conflict of 1982.
SAR. Agusta Westland and Bristow Group have signed a contract for 11 AW189 search and rescue (SAR)
helicopters to deliver SAR services around the UK. Agusta Westland will also provide training, maintenance
and support. The aircraft will be built at Yeovil and operated by Bristow with a phased introduction to service
between 2015 and 2017. Bristow Helicopters was awarded a contract by the Department for Transport in
March to provide SAR for ten years.
F-35 Lightning II. The F-35 Lightning II has begun a second set of sea trials on a US aircraft carrier just
days after the short take-off, vertical landing version completed its 500th vertical landing. The 18-day trials,
known as Developmental Test 2, saw the F-35B variant, the one to be operated by the RAF and Royal Navy,
operating on USS Wasp. It is the second of three planned tests on a carrier aimed at defining and expanding
the F-35B’s shipboard operating envelope.
Next Generation Fleet Tankers. The basic design of the four ships of the Military Afloat Reach and
Sustainability (MARS) Tanker project has now been completed The contract was signed last year with
Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering of South Korea with the first ship scheduled to be delivered to
the UK in late 2015, followed by the other three in stages by mid-2017. The first tanker is due to enter service
in 2016. In addition to accommodation for the 63 RFA crew, there will be an extra 45 berths to be used by
those in training, or an embarked flight or force protection personnel. The ships will be able to operate
helicopters up to the size of a Chinook and aviation facilities will include a hangar for Merlin, a workshop,
stores and magazine, and a dedicated aircrew briefing room.
A400M. The A400M Atlas transport aircraft has received its type acceptance at the contractual Initial
Operating Clearance standard from OCCAR, the Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation, on behalf of
the launch nations (UK, Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain and Turkey). It is the last step
before acceptance of the first serial aircraft and its subsequent delivery to the French Air Force. The first UK
aircraft is due for delivery in Sep 14 with the final aircraft delivered in 2021.
The TriStar aircraft fleet, comprising 2 MK C2/2a, 1 K1 and 4 KC1 is scheduled to reach its Out of Service
Date on 31 Mar 14. The Tristar system (consisting of the aircraft, equipment – both installed and held as
spares) support equipment (consisting of integration, training, test, instructional rigs and facilities), ground
support equipment and support infrastructure will be disposed of.
Merlin and Apache Engine Contract. A six year contract with Roll-Royce Turbomeca worth £367 million
will provide engine maintenance and essential support for the Army’s Apaches and the Merlin helicopters
used by the RN and RAF. The Apaches and Merlins are powered by the same RTM322 engines. The new
contract will help reduce the number of major repairs needed on the airframes, improving availability for
tasking. Work will be carried out at four bases where the Apaches and Merlins operate – RAF Benson,
RNAS Culdrose, AAC Wattisham and AAC Middle Wallop – and at company sites in the UK and France.
Tranche 3 Typhoon. The first Tranche 3 Typhoon has been weighed-in AT BAE Systems’ military aircraft
business in Warton to confirm it meets the rigorous design standards. The aircraft, British single seat number
116 tipped the scales at 23,500kg. All aircraft can vary in mass due to fluctuations in components such as
paint, wiring and sealant, making periodic weigh-ins necessary for military and civil jets to determine the
correct centre of gravity pre-flight. The upgraded aircraft will become a multirole fighter –capable of shifting
between air-to-air and air-to-ground attacks without having to stop to reconfigure its weapons. The RAF will
receive 40 of the jets as soon as they are ready.
Afghanistan Equipment Redeployment. So far more than 1,080 vehicles and pieces of major equipment
have been redeployed to the UK, alongside 1,570 containers of materiel from Afghanistan. Under current
plans around 3,345 vehicles or items of equipment and around 5,500 containers of materiel will be returned
by the conclusion of the British combat mission in Afghanistan at the end of 2014.
General
Defence Ministerial Team. Following the Government reshuffle the Defence ministerial team is now:
Secretary of State for Defence – The Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP
Minister of State for the Armed Forces – The Rt Hon Mark Francois MP
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology
(including Defence Exports) – Philip Dunne MP
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans –
Anna Soubry MP
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and Minister for International Security Strategy – Dr Andrew
Murrison MP
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and the Lords spokesman on Defence – Lord Astor of Hever
RAF team keeps rotors turning in Afghanistan. An RAF team is providing pit-stop-style refuels at Camp
Bastion to keep military helicopters in the air over Afghanistan. On front line operations in Afghanistan
helicopters are in high demand. The 'rotary wing assets', in military language, are the lynchpins of tactical
mobility, able to operate at much lower heights and speeds than fixed-wing aircraft. In a theatre environment
the quick turnaround of aircraft at the pumps is essential. The RAF Tactical Supply Wing provides 24-hour
aviation fuel support to both UK and visiting coalition helicopters from the flight line at Camp Bastion airfield.
RAF firefighters train Afghan counterparts. RAF firefighters serving in Afghanistan have been training
Afghans to take the lead for fire safety in Camp Shorabak, Helmand province. For the past few months Flight
Lieutenant Kevin Baker has been watching the training of local Afghans in the garrison support unit at
Shorabak. Flt Lt Baker is the theatre fire officer for Camp Bastion, which is next to Camp Shorabak. Flt Lt
Baker said: "I've been very impressed with how quickly they've picked up the techniques and the willingness
they've shown to get involved." During each visit Flt Lt Baker assisted Colonel Shazie, the Afghan fire chief,
in developing command and control elements which are crucial to a modern fire service
Christmas Post. The Armed Forces are urging the British public to keep the postal system clear for families'
mail at Christmas. Members of the public are being asked to show their support through Service charities at
Christmas rather than overloading the British Forces Post Office (BFPO) with unsolicited mail to Afghanistan.
There is now under 100 days to go until Christmas, and in the run-up to the festive season the BFPO
receives a high volume of gifts and parcels to be sent on to personnel on operations – primarily Afghanistan,
but also all around the world. Maybe RAFA should cease the opportunity….
New pilots join the Red Arrows. The 2 newest members of the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red
Arrows, for 2014 have been announced. Flight Lieutenants Stewart Campbell and Joe Hourston, who have
both previously flown operations with the RAF in Afghanistan, will stay with the Red Arrows for 3 years. They
will begin training in the coming weeks and will be part of the aerobatic team's famous 9-aircraft formation in
2014 – displaying in front of millions of people at home and overseas and representing the speed, agility and
precision of the Royal Air Force
New Defence Centre for Languages and Culture (DCLC). A new DCLC has been established at the
Defence Academy’s Shrivenham site. The DCLC succeeds the DSL at Beaconsfield (the site of which is
being sold) as Defence’s primary outlet of language training. The new address is: Defence Centre for
Languages and Culture, Defence Academy of the UK, Shrivenham, SWINDON, SN6 8LA. Staff located at
Chicksands remain unaffected by the change.
Yours, In friendship
Ady Morris