Royal Air Force Engineers Support on Operations

Royal
Air Force personnel from 903 Expeditionary Air Wing are working 24 hours a day, 7 days
a week to keep the aircraft flying in support of counter-Daesh operations. With
the RAF currently operating at its highest tempo in 25 years, it is the skill
and dedication of its personnel that keep its jets in the air. The Tornado
Detachment work around the clock maintaining and preparing the Tornados for their missions over Iraq and Syria.

The
Squadron’s Junior Engineering Officer said: “Our airmen are working 12 hour
shifts week in, week out to make sure the jets are prepared for their next flight.
It’s hard work but we all know how important our contribution is to the
overall achievement of the mission.”

“Working
on an older jet, like Tornado, can be tough but it’s a rewarding challenge,”
said one Aircraft Technician. “I have worked with Tornados for five
years and it’s a great platform – really capable in what it can do”.

With
RAF Tornados providing the Coalition with some of the most advanced weaponry
and air surveillance, the Squadron’s tempo is showing no signs of slowing up.
The RAF has carried out over 1,000 airstrikes as part of the Coalition fight
against Daesh in Iraq and Syria and the personnel working behind the
scenes make it all possible.

“It
usually takes up to 16 people to get one wave of jets airborne,” said one
Aircraft Technician. The team consists of Survival Equipment Specialists,
Aircraft Technicians (Mechanic), Aircraft Technicians (Avionics), Weapons Technicians,
Line Supervisors and Aircraft Maintenance Mechanics. The team works under the
direction and supervision of the Junior Engineering Officer who has the final
say on engineering decisions on the jets preparing for take-off. The team is on
standby to provide quick reactive engineering support to the jets as the crews
fire them up ready for take-off.

“Pre-flight
checks can identify if there are any issues with a jet. All our technicians work hard to
fix these as quickly as possible to keep the mission on track,” said the
Squadron’s Flight Sergeant. The squadron’s technicians work tirelessly to prepare the aircraft for each mission, and nothing
demonstrates their hard work more than watching a Tornado soar off in to the
night skyline.

Editor: Flt Lt Laura McDonald

© MOD Crown Copyright 2017

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PM congratulates Capt. Amarinder Singh on taking oath as Punjab CM

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Aids to Navigation (AtoNs) between the Directorate General of Lighthouses & Lightships (DGLL), Ministry of Shipping, Government of India and the Department of Shipping, Government of Bangladesh.

Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has been apprised of the Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) signed between India and:

The Royal Air Force
supported the swearing in of the new Lieutenant Governor of Jersey.

On Monday 13 March
2017, former Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton, was
sworn in as Lieutenant Governor of Jersey. The occasion was marked by a
ceremony at the Royal Court and then a church service at the Parish Church of
Saint Helier. Personnel from the Queen’s Colour Squadron (63 Squadron Royal Air
Force Regiment), LXX Squadron Royal Air Force, and Royal Air Force Music
Services travelled to Jersey to support the event.

The Queen’s Colour
Squadron provided a Lining Party in Royal Square for the new Lieutenant
Governor as he made his way from the Royal Court to the Parish Church of Saint
Helier. In the evening, the Queen’s Colour Squadron performed a Continuity
Drill Display followed by a Sunset Ceremony. A flypast was conducted by LXX
Squadron in an A400M Atlas aircraft as the Union Flag was lowered. Guests were
afterwards hosted for dinner by the Lieutenant Governor in Government House
with the Royal Air Force Salon Orchestra providing an ensemble of music. Flight
Lieutenant Matt Bowerman, Queen’s Colour Squadron Second-in-Command, was the
Parade Commander and the Lieutenant Governor took the salute.

The Lieutenant Governor
is appointed by Her Majesty the Queen, for a five year term, to be her personal
representative and impartial adviser. His responsibilities include representing
the Queen on ceremonial occasions, hosting royal, ambassadorial and VIP visits
and being a point of contact between the Island’s authorities and the UK
government. Air Chief Marshal Dalton’s appointment to the role was announced on
20 December 2016 following the end of General Sir John McColl’s tenure.

The Queen’s Colour
Squadron (63 Squadron Royal Air Force Regiment), based at Royal Air Force
Northolt, are the Royal Air Force’s only ceremonial unit. Custodians of the
Queen’s Colour for the RAF in the United Kingdom, they are responsible for
representing the Royal Air Force at the highest profile ceremonial occasions;
providing Guards of Honour for our own Royal Family, as well as visiting
royalty, heads of state and dignitaries. The Squadron also has an operational
role as 63 Squadron, Royal Air Force Regiment. The RAF Regiment are responsible
for providing Force Protection to deployed airmen and aircraft. Air Chief
Marshal Dalton is the current Honorary Air Commodore of the Royal Air Force
Regiment, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year.

The Airbus A400M
Atlas, flown by LXX Squadron based at Royal Air Force Brize Norton, has been in
service in the Royal Air Force since November 2014. Capable of carrying a load
of 25 tonnes over a range of 2000 nautical miles, the A400M supports the
deployment of the Joint Rapid Reaction Force and gives the RAF a tactical and
strategic-airlift aircraft capable of supporting all three services and is
interoperable with other nations.

Editor: Flt Lt Doug McCorkindale

© MOD Crown Copyright 2017

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