Download - Royal Australian Navy

234 australian maritime issues 2009: spc-a annual
need to be forecast and the extra aircraft prepared and moved to the flightdeck. As
flying hours increase, maintenance and battle damage repair will need management,
and parts of the deck may be required for helicopters not immediately available for
operational flying. Without maintenance time, the number of available helicopters
will gradually diminish.
In many ways the operation of an LHD flightdeck is more complicated than that of
a strike carrier. In the latter, launches and recoveries tend to happen in planned
pulses of activity; in an LHD they can be non-stop and may continue for days,
including at night and in adverse weather. This must be taken into account in the
provision of manpower, with most tasks ‘doubled up’. Yet even with the flightdeck
party in two watches there will be occasions - such as the initial assault or the early
stages of humanitarian relief operations - when both watches might be required
simultaneously. Again the need to use both watches and for how long is a judgement
decision.
The Australian LHDs will routinely operate both Fleet Air Arm and Army Aviation
helicopters. The latter will need to spend sufficient time embarked to be familiar
with deck operations. Thought needs to be given to the number of different types
that might embark; these will include Army Chinooks and Tigers, Navy Seahawks
and joint force multi role helicopters (MRH-90s). Chinooks provide a very significant
load-lifting ability but take up a lot of deck and their blades cannot be folded. The
blades may have to be removed to stow the aircraft into a smaller area of deck parking
space. Good procedural knowledge will be essential, especially when instrument
recoveries prove necessary at night, in adverse weather or sand-storms. To prepare
for this, the ADF will need to emphasise a joint approach to getting full value from
the LHD’s flightdeck and flying patterns. It should not be assumed that someone
from a non ship-orientated background will slot into the deck operating technique
immediately, but there is no reason why they should not do well once briefed and
trained. In 1956 the first ever helicopter assault was conducted by the RN’s 845
Squadron and the Joint Royal Air Force/Army Helicopter Development Unit. Joint
operations work well when all participants accept the need for differing operational
techniques to suit the environment from which they are flying.
In an example of the attention to detail required, the provision of assault life jackets
(ALJ) may seem trivial, but their inadequate management can cause problems. They
are worn by all troops and passengers in sticks that fly over water and are designed
so that as the helicopter goes ‘feet dry’ over land the wearer can remove a locking
pin in the ALJ straps to slide out of them as they leave the seat to disembark. The
aircrew must ensure that ALJs come back to the ship with the helicopter; otherwise
if they are taken ashore by troops and discarded, later serials might be limited by
the low numbers available on board until sufficient are collected and brought back.
Good ALJ discipline is one of the hallmarks of good amphibious operations.