Space control

Report: Joe Clapson
Pictures: SSgt Ian Houlding

THE ability to fly aircraft at 1,000mph in an airspace littered with 45kg rounds being fired from the ground is a skill British Forces have had to master in Afghanistan.

The role of the Forward Air Controller (FAC) in coordinating such precise integration between air and land forces is vital and requires intensive training.

Such an impressive education starts in the classroom, but mastering the art of calling air power towards the enemy on the ground requires more practical experience. Luckily for those learning their trade, the large-scale Exercise Flying Rhino, held in – and over – the Czech Republic, is on hand.

The three-week programme – the British Army’s largest land-air military exercise – is carried out by 1st (UK) Armoured Division and the Royal Air Force, using one-third of the Nato ally’s airspace.

Commander Royal Artillery 1st (UK) Armoured Division, Brig Richard Haldenby, overseeing this year’s exercise, said: “It’s the largest FAC training we have and we are here to prepare for Afghanistan, working on air-land integration.

“Ten years ago air-land control was the sole preserve of a few special cases but now people are used to working with the air – it’s not an ‘us-and- them’ culture.”

The fast-paced European deployment saw more than 2,000 UK troops linking up with military personnel from the Czech Republic, Denmark, Lithuania, Slovakia and the United States in an operational environment.

On one occasion three AS90 self-propelled guns sped into position ready to cause devastation anywhere within their 24.7km range, while the RAF’s supersonic Tornado GR4 fleet were on standby to fly into action.

The trainee FACs, operating with front-line troops, were required to coordinate the assets safely.

Bdr Craig Underwood (17 Battery, 26 Regt RA) said: “I take fast air on to the targets. The exercise is geared towards getting people like me combat-ready and it’s a great opportunity to go live.

“It gives me the skills to be ready for combat and without them I could not deploy in the role, so it’s a very good thing for my career.”

A total of 96 FACs from the different nations were taught in the Jince military training area, with 29 from the UK set to deploy on Op Herrick in the near future.

With 1,077 radio commands delivered in just two weeks of the exercise, training was as intense as it will be in a war zone.

Wg Cdr Steve Reeves, CO of 14 Sqn RAF, said: “A Tornado can fly at a speed of around 1,000mph and can fly in at 600mph at 100ft.

“So an FAC has to think pretty quickly and be able to deconflict the fire from the ground.”
Explaining the nature of his role, Lt James Well (159 Battery, 26 Regt RA) said: “It can be quite high pressure but you practice so much before you’re allowed on operations that it is no more stressful than normal.

“The entire focus of the training is to ensure there’s no extra pressure on us.”

Mimicking the situation in Helmand province, a battlegroup HQ was set up at Namest Airbase with operatives working at computers providing real-time information to soldiers on the ground.

State-of-the-art software and other digital technology was also used to provide intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance without actually launching unmanned aerial vehicles into the sky.

Speaking about the relationship between Army and RAF personnel within the battlegroup HQ, Maj Matt Murphy (RA) said: “The joint HQ really has been excellent and has been invaluable in learning a lot from each other – we have learnt to understand how the Tornado operates and the RAF now understand a lot more about the land environment we possess.

“The language of the two forces is completely different so this has been an opportunity to learn what we are both talking about, which is obviously a good thing for everyone involved.”

The goal at the heart of Ex Flying Rhino was improving battle-space management, with slick communication and efficient partnership between the Army and RAF the ultimate aim.

Sgt Maj Col Ryan (12 Regt RA), an expert in the field, was called in to advise 20 Brigade on using the different skills to maximum effect.

“Everything we do in Afghanistan is to do with battle-space management – getting guns firing as things move through the airspace has to be watertight. It’s a moving beast and very complex. In the past air may have been working separately to land but now the RAF and the Army have never worked as closely since World War Two.”

Such a unified effort was imperative to the logistics of the exercise with 32 aircraft, 600 vehicles and thousands of Servicemen and women being moved into the training area.

With FACs acting as the eyes and ears on the ground and seamless communication between all personnel, the exercise showed that the distance between land and sky is not that great after all.