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Aviation History
1986
1986 - 0892.PDF
DEFENCE Mallet Blow strikes again OTTERBURN Air force pilots from Denmark, the UK, the USA, and West Germany put their bombing skills to the test this month over Otterburn train ing range in the North umbrian hills. Four times a year the Royal Air Force organises the Mallet Blow exercise to allow aircrew to practise attacks against ground targets, and to provide realistic training for attacking aircrew, defending fighter squadrons, communications and jamming personnel, and surface-to-air missile units. This month's Mallet Blow was the second in the 1986 series, and was largely organised by Sqn Ldr Adrian Irwin of the Royal Air Force's Strike Command. "Organis ation starts about two months before each exercise, when we formally invite other air forces to take part. Apart from ourselves, the Danes, West Germans, and Americans usually participate," says Sqn Ldr Irwin. This results in a mixture of Panavia Tornado GR.ls of the Luftwaffe and RAF; Sepecat Jaguars, British Aerospace Harriers, and Buccaneers of the RAF; General Dynamics F-16s of the Royal Danish Air Force; and General Dynamics F-llls of the USAF. A team of RAF and British Army personnel arrives at Otterburn a few days before the exercise to set up the targets. Two ranges are used, Bravo and Charlie, and are alternated daily during the week-long exercise. Bravo is the interdiction range. Pilots have to aim at a bridge or at one of more than 70 derelict vehicles scattered across the firing area, simu lating a deployed motor rifle regiment. Charlie, the counter-air range, offers a simulated runway and SAM site. Mallet Blow has been oper ating since 1980, when it replaced Hammer Blow, and organisers are faced with the problem of how to update and improve it for aircrew. "You could think up some new targets, but there are restrictions. The National Park, for instance, won't allow us to throw targets all Above The Ferranti laser target marker used with aircraft such as the RAF's Jaguar, Harrier, and Tornado. The portable system works with a laser ranger marked target seeker inside the aircraft. On lock-on, signals are sent to the headup display and a "T" symbol indicates the exact target position. Left Tornadoes from the Luftwaffe and the RAF regularly take part in Mallet Blow 12 over the place," says Sqn Ldr Irwin. More experienced pilots might regard Mallet Blow as a chore, but younger aircrew find it a useful challenge. "Let's face it, anyone who comes here, fires a weapon, and misses has something to learn," points out Sqn Ldr Irwin. The aircraft, having been allocated time on target slots by Strike Command, enter the range singly or in formations of up to eight. All weapons are inert—environmental restric tions will not allow live firings—and usually consist of small practice bombs that produce a flash and/or smoke for visual reference and scoring. The Harriers fire rockets, other RAF aircraft drop 1,0001b retarded bombs, and the USAF drops 5001b retarded bombs. Some 170 sorties take place each day, and a team records every flight on video tape. The tapes are dispatched to the relevant units after the exer cise so that pilots can assess their own attacks, and compare them with the way other pilots used the terrain. Each aircraft's score is radioed to Strike Command immediately after the attack, then relayed to the pilot's base. Mallet Blow is not a competitive exercise, so the scores between squadrons and air forces are not officially compared. It is purely tactical, with the emphasis on creating a realistic wartime environ ment. Every aircraft that attacks the "enemy" ground forces has first to elude defending screens of fighters, such as RAF Phantoms and Lightnings, en route to the targets. FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL, 19 April 1986
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