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RAAF Air Warfare Instructor Course personnel have trained alongside US Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bombers as part of Exercise Diamond Storm.
The exercise with the USAF 393rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, hosted at RAAF Base Amberley, saw the US bombers work alongside RAAF F-35 Lightning II aircraft, as well as air-to-air support, ground-based refuelling and security and logistics support.
“The Air Warfare Instructor Course is vital to ensure the preparedness of Royal Australian Air Force personnel and to train the next generation of experts in integrated air power effects to enable a collective strategy of denial in our region,” said the Royal Australian Air Force’s Director General Air Combat Operations, Air Commodore Pete Robinson.
“The inclusion of the B-2 stealth bomber in the exercise is a clear example of the strong relationship and trust between Australia and the United States and proves our ability to develop practitioners who can operate at the high end of an international force.
“On the ground, our aviators at RAAF Base Amberley provided security and logistics support in a short window that reinforced our deepening interoperability and force posture initiatives that are vital to enable advanced and agile air domain effects.
“It clearly demonstrates that our closest partner sees the value of our high-quality training and that we can seamlessly support each other.”
The US squadron welcomed the exercise, with its commander saying they were “honoured” to work alongside Australian counterparts.
“This high-end, all domain integration is invaluable to maintaining a top-of-state readiness, our always-ready global strike capability and integrated lethality with our coalition partners,” the commander said.
“This exercise reinforces that the United States does not face the challenging international environment alone.
“Our combined network of allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific is an asymmetrical advantage that our adversaries will never match.”
Held every two years, the RAAF describes the Air Warfare Instructor Course as a “six-month intensive training activity that graduates experts in air domain integration as part of an integrated, focused force”.
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