SURGE SETS PACE FOR AFGHAN OPS
05 February 2010
THE Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton, flew into Afghanistan as front line RAF personnel step up their role in preparation for a surge in troop numbers .
As part of his latest fact-finding tour CAS also travelled to Afghan capital Kabul where he was briefed on current operations by the Deputy Commander of ISAF, Lieutenant General Nick Parker and the ISAF Joint Command.
Flying into Kandahar Airfield he also got the opportunity to meet many of the personnel with 904 Expeditionary Air Wing.
904 EAW, commanded by Gp Capt Terry Jones, has responsibility for the Tornado, Hercules and Reaper Detachments as well as all the engineering, administration and logistics support for the RAF fixed wing assets and personnel. The CAS was very keen to meet people and listen to their experiences on Operations.
The CAS also had the chance to visit Bastion Airfield, home to 903 EAW, which runs the airfield and also parents some of the units who contribute to Air Operations over Afghanistan.
The visit gave the opportunity for the CO of 903 EAW, Gp Capt Al Gillespie, to brief the CAS on the ever-expanding capacity of the airfield and how the hard work of the personnel deployed there had made it possible for the airfield to increase capacity to more than 13,000 aircraft movements the previous month.
The airfield is the hub for coalition forces in Helmand Province and is seeing increasing demands for aircraft and freight as US and coalition troop numbers increase.
At Bastion, the CAS chatted to RAF crews deployed as part of Joint Helicopter Force (Afghanistan).
He also experienced helicopter operations first-hand, when he flew between Kandahar and Bastion in a Merlin helicopter.
The CAS was accompanied by Air Marshal Simon Bryant AMP, AVM Lord Maxwell Beaverbrook and AVM Baz North AOC 22 Gp, who were all pleased to be able to talk to RAF personnel on deployment including RAF Reservists.
l up for it: Top, RAF Benson Merlins ready for take off at Kandahar, below, the CAS chats to groundcrew from IX(B) Sqn deployed as part of 904 EAW at Kandahar Airfield.
