Download - Royal Australian Navy

NAVY ENGINEERING BULLETIN MARCH 2003
47
another 4 advanced chill & firing
runs. Thanks to the high degree of
equipment availability and
technical support provided by the
professional, dedicated gun and
system maintainers at West Head,
PWOFAC staff merely turn up for a
shoot, wing off one or two
hundred rounds, then go home!
A further interesting challenge for
the PWOFAC FCO is the chance to
become involved in the initial
warfare training for the SEACC
Phase 3 & 4 officers posted to
WATSON. This involvement
provides an opportunity to revisit
basic recording requirements,
ammunition and fuse selection,
ballistic input determination and
calculation, and gunnery safety
rule determination and
application. This ties neatly into
the assistance also given to the
Mk 92 Operators and ANZAC FCO
preparatory course (when
requested). The increased
awareness of Gunnery Command
decision making that we gain
from our exposure to PWO
training, allows us in turn, to
provide greater realism to the
training that is given to trainee
FCO'S.
A posting to the PWOFAC is not
for every FCS streamed
technician. We are employed, first
and foremost, to deliver
Command and Control drill
training and instruct FCS
operation, capabilities and
limitations. We are, realistically,
posted out of branch with respect
to the day to day Weapons
Electrical Engineering activities
and events. We work with and for
Warfare Officers and liase with
AIO staff regarding the majority of
our activities. The challenge set
for ET's posted to PWOFAC is to
become acknowledged subject
matter experts on all aspects of
gunnery operation including
76mm / Mk 92, 4.5" / M22 (yes
we still use them!) and 5" / 9LV-
453. A good working knowledge
of Harpoon, SM1 and Sea
Sparrow is highly desirable, an
engaging instructional technique
is mandatory, and the ability to
relate well with both junior and
senior SMN officers is particularly
advantageous.
If you seek a professionally
challenging shore role, with the
undoubted opportunity to
conduct advanced and unusual
gunnery serials that few ships at
sea today are conducting, then a
draft to the PWOFAC should be
high on your posting preference
form. And, let's face it, if we
Techo's don't teach the PWO how
best to use our Weapon Systems
and Sensors, who will?