Bun fight at UK ranges.....
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Bun fight at UK ranges.....
The following article has just hit the wires....., so future range practice should be booked well in advance......, that is of course, if the budget can stand up against the prices that the US will pay...! Wonder who will get priority now...!!!!
"QinetiQ has secured a contract worth up to £2.5m with the United States Air Forces Europe (USAFE) for air combat training of US aircrews. The contract is similar to QinetiQs Long Term Partnering Agreement (LTPA) with the UK MOD to operate its test and evaluation ranges over a 25-year period as, like the LTPA, it includes options to provide range services over a multi-year period.
USAFE is responsible for combat weapons training of US aircrew assigned to its units based in Europe. The training focuses on precision guided munitions and air to air and air to ground missiles and the contract with QinetiQ will allow a large portion of the training to be completed within Europe.
QinetiQs range services and aerial target systems will provide USAFE aircrews with a significant level of tactical training not available on any other European Range. The Air Range danger areas at Aberporth in Wales and the Hebrides and West Freugh in Scotland will provide designated large practice areas for air to air missile engagements as well as defensive countermeasures and combat search and rescue missions. USAFE will also be able to use the Air Ranges to develop complex training scenarios to include the weapons and battlefield elements that aircrews would expect to encounter in real combat conditions.
Mirach, QinetiQs new aerial target system, operated from the MOD range at Aberporth will be used as the target of choice for air to air missiles - Mirach can also be deployed to the Scottish range sites. QinetiQs sophisticated mobile instrumentation will assist in exercise planning and will monitor and track the munitions fired by the US aircrew. To facilitate the increased scope of USAFE training activity on the UK MOD ranges, QinetiQ has purchased a number of surface targets along with an instrumented barge for data capture.
Discussions are currently ongoing between USAFE, the RAF and QinetiQ for joint NATO forces training on UK ranges. Such training would further enhance operational capability and create more realistic scenarios.
GengisK
"QinetiQ has secured a contract worth up to £2.5m with the United States Air Forces Europe (USAFE) for air combat training of US aircrews. The contract is similar to QinetiQs Long Term Partnering Agreement (LTPA) with the UK MOD to operate its test and evaluation ranges over a 25-year period as, like the LTPA, it includes options to provide range services over a multi-year period.
USAFE is responsible for combat weapons training of US aircrew assigned to its units based in Europe. The training focuses on precision guided munitions and air to air and air to ground missiles and the contract with QinetiQ will allow a large portion of the training to be completed within Europe.
QinetiQs range services and aerial target systems will provide USAFE aircrews with a significant level of tactical training not available on any other European Range. The Air Range danger areas at Aberporth in Wales and the Hebrides and West Freugh in Scotland will provide designated large practice areas for air to air missile engagements as well as defensive countermeasures and combat search and rescue missions. USAFE will also be able to use the Air Ranges to develop complex training scenarios to include the weapons and battlefield elements that aircrews would expect to encounter in real combat conditions.
Mirach, QinetiQs new aerial target system, operated from the MOD range at Aberporth will be used as the target of choice for air to air missiles - Mirach can also be deployed to the Scottish range sites. QinetiQs sophisticated mobile instrumentation will assist in exercise planning and will monitor and track the munitions fired by the US aircrew. To facilitate the increased scope of USAFE training activity on the UK MOD ranges, QinetiQ has purchased a number of surface targets along with an instrumented barge for data capture.
Discussions are currently ongoing between USAFE, the RAF and QinetiQ for joint NATO forces training on UK ranges. Such training would further enhance operational capability and create more realistic scenarios.
GengisK
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Just out of pure curiosity - who actually owns the ranges these days? Are they still part of the Defence Estate or did the MOD effectively give them away like they did the married quarters?
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
The places where weapons can be dropped in the UK are either air weapons ranges of which there are five and on other ranges such as Aberporth run by Quinetiq.
The air weapons belong to the MOD and operational control will remain with HQ 1 Gp RAF. Provision of ground services will fall to Defence Training Estates a new organisation subsumming the Army Training Estate and RAF ranges on 1st April. Other MOD training estate, such as Lulworth Cove and Spadeadam will transfer some time after October.
The Quinetiq ranges are not part of the MOD training estate. If they are still MOD Estate, and I think they are, they are possibly under DLO or DPA as trails and testing ranges but here I am guessing.
The air weapons belong to the MOD and operational control will remain with HQ 1 Gp RAF. Provision of ground services will fall to Defence Training Estates a new organisation subsumming the Army Training Estate and RAF ranges on 1st April. Other MOD training estate, such as Lulworth Cove and Spadeadam will transfer some time after October.
The Quinetiq ranges are not part of the MOD training estate. If they are still MOD Estate, and I think they are, they are possibly under DLO or DPA as trails and testing ranges but here I am guessing.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
The places where weapons can be dropped in the UK are either air weapons ranges of which there are five and on other ranges such as Aberporth run by Quinetiq.
The air weapons belong to the MOD and operational control will remain with HQ 1 Gp RAF. Provision of ground services will fall to Defence Training Estates a new organisation subsumming the Army Training Estate and RAF ranges on 1st April. Other MOD training estate, such as Lulworth Cove and Spadeadam will transfer some time after October.
The Quinetiq ranges are not part of the MOD training estate. If they are still MOD Estate, and I think they are, they are possibly under DLO or DPA as trails and testing ranges but here I am guessing.
The air weapons belong to the MOD and operational control will remain with HQ 1 Gp RAF. Provision of ground services will fall to Defence Training Estates a new organisation subsumming the Army Training Estate and RAF ranges on 1st April. Other MOD training estate, such as Lulworth Cove and Spadeadam will transfer some time after October.
The Quinetiq ranges are not part of the MOD training estate. If they are still MOD Estate, and I think they are, they are possibly under DLO or DPA as trails and testing ranges but here I am guessing.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
What size is a GBU24? The main difficulty with GBU is the hazard impact area if they malfunction.
The UK air weapons ranges are cleared to 2 000lb. Jurby used to be cleared to 12 000lb and we used West Freugh (MOD PE) for 7 000lb.
If the weapon safety trace fits then it can be dropped. There are conditions under which a Paveway can be dropped safely on an AWR.
The UK air weapons ranges are cleared to 2 000lb. Jurby used to be cleared to 12 000lb and we used West Freugh (MOD PE) for 7 000lb.
If the weapon safety trace fits then it can be dropped. There are conditions under which a Paveway can be dropped safely on an AWR.
