Is The RAAF Seeking Combat Effectiveness
Daniel Cook
Australian Defence Force
The 2024 Air and Space Power Conference delivered the inaugural Clear to Launch Junior Aviator Symposium (CTLJAS).
Rush Hour on the Freeway: Quick Wins and Integrated CapabilityLeith RobertsAustralian Defence ForceFirst, be patient.
The Multi-Skilled Aviator – What does this mean? Michael LaneAustralian Defence Force
Welcome back on the rollercoaster!
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is changing.
This time last year, in my first gig as a reservist, I had the pleasure of presenting to the 20th Australian International Aerospace Congress (AIAC20) on the topic of the MQ-4C Triton airworthiness program. Specifically, I spoke about how it had been structured in lieu of any formal recognition of the United States (US) Navy as a competent design organisation for Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) or any formal airworthiness certification of the design basis for the Triton system itself.
It is a relatively common trend that solving an organisational strategic issue reveals another.
With the implementation of digital technology, came the resistance to change and
implementing change agents brought about the awareness of having a safe-to-fail culture.
The 'poor man's air force' is a term for employing commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hobbyist drones or uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) to strategic level military effect, and that effect cannot be understated (Waters, 2018; Nadeau, 2022; Shift, 2023). The ability for terror organisations to coordinate multiple layers of effects, including using COTS drones, to destroy Command and Control (C2) nodes in Israel causes alarm. Couple this with the use of COTS drones for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, strike and battle-damage assessment missions, and the threat posed by what are essentially toys is alarmingly real.
