Exercise Swift Pilot at RAF Wittering gave Mobile Air Movements Squadron and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office successful practice
A training exercise at RAF Wittering has given personnel the chance to put their skills into practice ahead of deployment.
Exercise Swift Pirate, which has run at the Cambridgeshire station from Monday and is finishing tomorrow (June 4), has seen heavy aircraft, such as the Globemaster C-17, take to the skies.
The aim of the exercise is to train Mobile Air Movements Squadron (MAMS) personnel in loading and off loading freight and passengers from aircraft.
It is the squadron’s job to carry out these vital functions wherever they are needed around the world.
Sqn Ldr Maddie Smith, officer commanding UK MAMS, said: “It’s been going brilliantly. The weather always has an impact on morale.
“It’s been such a great opportunity to work with live aircraft and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).”
Sqn Ldr Katherine Ingram, deputy commander of No 1 Air Mobility Wing (1AMW), added: “Everyone has been enjoying it and can see the relevance of the training as it basically mimics reality.”
Exercise Swift Pirate has been a regular feature at RAF Wittering for some time, however it is the first training exercise that both the FCDO and 1AMW have been involved with together.
While their paths continuously cross on deployment, Sqn Ldr Smith believes completing the exercise together has been a great practice for both squadrons and ‘feels like something they should have been doing for a while’.
The FCDO helps to recognise the needs of the people on the ground at a location, which would be different for a young girl compared with a 65-year-old man.
Sqn Ldr Smith said: “If 20 pallets of stuff is coming in and another 40 pallets of stuff arrives we are good at loading it but we don’t know how to prioritise.
“To have them on locations, they know what’s got to go where.
“We are essentially training in how we would operate and working closely to build relationships and understanding, so when we do it for real we get the best out of a situation which isn’t particularly nice.”
Sqn Ldr Ingram added: “The FCDO is a consistent companion working with the MAMS at Brize Norton. When UK MAMS is deployed they are the main point of contact.”
Recent deployments have involved going to a cyclone in Mozambique as well as covid-related drop-offs of ventilators and oxygen cylinders.
Operation Swift Pirate also includes a significant human security angle.
The Ministry of Defence is signed up to the United Nations Security Resolution to prevent breaches of human rights, with the exercise helping personnel to quickly establish if something is not right and allowing them to understand what it might be.
Sqn Ldr Ingram said: “It’s a top responsibility military personnel have to recognise human rights violations and respond.
“There’s four main considerations, which include human trafficking, modern day slavery, the use of children in armed conflict - children under 18 - and conflict related to sexual violence.
“They are all things if people see they need to report it.”
During Exercise Swift Pirate, the engines of the aircraft remained on the whole time loading took place, simulating what would happen in deployment if the plane were to land in a location without power or electricity.
The C-17 Globemaster is a long range, heavy-lift strategic transport aircraft used in combat, peacekeeping or humanitarian missions worldwide, and usually has two pilots and a loadmaster.
It is able to transport large, complex items of equipment like Chinook helicopters, military vehicles and other heavy specialist items.
Before vehicles are loaded onto the transport aircraft, the squadron uses Pafway scales - which can hold 10,000 lbs and are easily transported to location - to weigh each axel of the vehicle so that once on board, weight is distributed evenly to ensure a safe flight.
Sqn Ldr Smith said: “They take the weight from each corn
ines in ‘reverse thrust’, which slightly reduces the noise while loading, although ear defenders are still required, and allows the plane to travel backwards on the runway.
Due to the pandemic, the personnel are required to wear face masks on a plane to prevent the spread of Covid-19, something Sqn Ldr Smith says they have adapted to without a problem.
Powerful Typhoon jets from RAF Coningsby have also landed at RAF Wittering this week, adding an extra layer of authenticity as the airfield takes on the role of an underused airstrip in a foreign country.
It is the first time since RAF100 in 2018 that fast jets have operated from RAF Wittering.
Flt Lt Glyn Ward, who is based at RAF Wittering, said that everyone at the station has been looking forward to seeing the Typhoons after meticulous work to ensure the runway was ready.
He said: “There’s different considerations with big aircraft.
“We have to be very careful to check the pavement is strong enough because of the sheer size and weight of them.”
Flt Lt Ward was among those who spent more than two hours walking up and down the runway to ensure there were no stones or debris which could cause damage.
With its long runway and wide taxiways, RAF Wittering’s spacious airfield can accept UK military aircraft of any size.
“The turning area allows us to simulate the austere environment we might be working in.
“Depending on where, it may not be lush and green but it gives the idea of what we might need to be working with and without,” said Sqn Ldr Smith.
l Visit the stamfordmercury.co.uk to watch a video of the operation.
“Depending on where, it may not be lush and green but it gives the idea of what we might need to be working with and without,” said Sqn Ldr Smith.
Visit the Stamford Mercury YouTube channel for a video of Operation Swift Pirate.