Demonstration flight became real mission mid air

A demonstration flight for an upgraded RAAF Hercules transport aircraft became a mission to support flood-affected communities in regional NSW.

CAPTION: Flying Officer Johnathan Gough, a Combat Systems Officer with No. 37 Squadron, stands in front of a C-130J Hercules aircraft which is fitted with a Litening sensor pod on its wing. Story by Eamon Hamilton. Photo by Corporal Kylie Gibson.

No. 37 Squadron launched a C-130J Hercules on November 15 to showcase how it could use sensors and network systems in a disaster-relief scenario.

Flying Officer Johnathan Gough, a Combat Systems Officer with No. 37 Squadron, said the upgrades provided greater awareness for crew and commanders alike.

“We were able to livestream footage to a number of senior leaders in Sydney and Canberra and demonstrate the capability we can provide in future operations,” Flying Officer Gough said.

“During the demonstration, we were requested to directly support an actual disaster taking place at Forbes, where some flooding was affecting the local population.

“We were able to provide quite a lot of updated imagery and live video feed to Commander Joint Task Force 629 and other parties during that situation.”

As part of a prototype trial, C-130J Hercules – serial number A97-448 – has been equipped with an AN/AAQ-28(V) Litening pod underneath its left wing.

The pod was previously used by the RAAF F/A-18A and B Hornet fleet and can record video in day and night-time conditions.

Also under prototype, A97-448 has been enhanced to include an augmented crew station in the cockpit, where a Combat Systems Officer can operate the Litening pod and various other aircraft systems.

These include a Ka-Band Satellite Communications (SATCOM) antenna, which allows high-speed data sharing around the globe.

RAAF Hercules crews have supported operations since 1958 and recent prototype upgrades are designed to trial many of the ways that No. 37 Squadron could provide relevant and credible air mobility missions in future operating environments.

“Historically the Hercules has been used in direct support of really large-scale humanitarian assistance and disaster-relief operations,” Flying Officer Gough said.

“This trial has shown we can also provide a direct line of communication and livestream video footage of the area while the mission is conducted.

“It enables the crew to have a higher situational awareness of the area, or other senior leaders and relevant third parties to have a view of what we’re doing in real time.”

This potentially includes crews surveying damage to local infrastructure or a drop zone, and providing video to a headquarters on the ground.

During disaster-relief operations, the C-130J can airdrop supplies or land on semi-prepared airstrips to deliver up to 19 tonnes of supplies and relief equipment. Alternatively, crews can evacuate people from remote regional areas.

Flying Officer Gough, who joined No. 37 Squadron in late 2020, said it was exciting to bring new roles and capability to the Hercules.

“The Hercules has been around for a long time and our roles and capabilities are already very extensive and varied,” Flying Officer Gough said.

“The introduction of the camera, SATCOM and the augmented crew station has opened up a whole new world of possibilities.

“What we had to rely on other platforms to provide us during our regular mission sets, we can now provide ourselves – it’s an all-encompassing capability.”

Commander Air Mobility Group Air Commodore Carl Newman said that one RAAF Hercules had provided a test bed to trial enhanced air mobility with the Litening pod and augmented crew station.

“Prototyping is a cost-effective way to enable innovation and allows scope for testing capabilities with a higher risk of failure but with potential high benefit,” Air Commodore Newman said.

“This enhanced air mobility demonstration will inform the future capability development of our medium fixed-wing airlift fleet.

“The wider C-130J fleet has evolved significantly since it was introduced in 1999, with many of these upgrades having made a significant impact to how we conduct operations.

“No. 37 Squadron will be continue to deliver a first response in future Indo-Pacific operations, and it is critical that it flies these missions whilst networked to a larger response.”

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