Philip Smart | Adelaide

Nowra based air defence training support company Air Affairs Australia has teamed with Canada’s Discovery Air Defence Services to deliver fast-jet “Red Air” adversary training for the ADF under a two-year trial starting later this year.

From the third quarter of 2017, Air Affairs and Discovery will operate three Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet aircraft on RAAF air defence training, Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) training for the Australian Army and anti-surface training for the RAN. Operations, maintenance and logistics for Alpha Jets in RAAF Base Williamtown and at Albatross Aviation Technology Park (AATP) Nowra will be supported by an integrated Air Affairs and DA Defence team.

“Discovery has updated the ex-military (and now Canadian civil registered) aircraft with modern Martin Baker ejection seats and Dassault Canopy Escape systems.”

“The capabilities and expertise of both companies will be combined to deliver highly representative threats and training to produce specialist trained and competent RAAF, Army and Navy combat personnel,” Air Affairs managing director Chris Sievers said.

The Alpha Jet is a twin-engine two-seat trainer or light attack aircraft. Dassault and Dornier built 480 between 1973 and 1991, equipping more than a dozen air forces.

For their air defence training role, Discovery has updated the ex-military (and now Canadian civil registered) aircraft with modern Martin Baker ejection seats and Dassault Canopy Escape systems. The Alpha Jets have also been equipped with a modernised Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) and Tactical Navigation avionics suite and are capable of flying combat training sorties from low level to high altitude at near supersonic speeds.

Air Affairs has provided training support, including aerial target towing and tactical flight mission services to the ADF since 2015, using seven modified Lear 35/36 aircraft. The company provides aircraft operations and maintenance under Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) certification, operating from purpose-built facilities at Nowra. The new fast-jet element will be an add-on to Air Affairs’ existing contract.

Air Affairs also manufactures target towing reeling machines, airborne pod systems and airborne tow / drone target systems, including the Phoenix Unmanned Aerial Target Drone.

Canada’s Discovery Air Defence Services was the brainchild of three former Canadian Air Force CF-18 Hornet pilots, who began the company in 2000 as an aviation consultancy to the Canadian Department of National Defence. In 2005 the company won Canada’s Contracted Airborne Training Services (CATS) contract, providing air defence training with Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jets.

This early success was followed by a second Canadian contract in 2006 to provide “slow jet” Special Mission support using modified IAI Westwind aircraft. In 2014 Discovery won a five-year air defence training contract with the German defence forces. In 2016 the company surpassed 60,000 flying hours of air defence training since its inception.

Discovery is now considered the world’s largest civil operator of ex-military jets, flying 16 Alpha Jets and 10 modified McDonnell Douglas A-4N and TA-4J Skyhawk aircraft in the airborne training services role.