While travelling up Australia’s eastern seaboard, the crew conducted routine maintenance exercises honing small-arms safety skills, participating in flight-deck operations with embarked MH-60R Seahawk helicopters, and completing whole-of-ship damage-control exercises.

Tasks included integrating the embarked flight, which involved the aircraft, aircrew and maintenance team, and the ship’s flight-deck operations’ team, as well as naval gunnery and anti-submarine warfare.

Commanding Officer HMAS Arunta Commander Samuel Woolrych lauded the efforts of crew members.

“It’s been an intensive time since leaving our home port, but the ship and flight crews have come together well into one integrated team,” CMDR Woolrych said.

“We have ensured individual and collective skill proficiency is up to standard and we have the whole team working as one.

“We are well-trained, confident in each other, know our ship, and are ready for any possible task.”

VIEW ALL

Following the training exercises, HMAS Arunta has completed a routine logistics port visit in Darwin before departing for the regional peace deployment, aimed at supporting Australia’s contribution to preserving security and stability in the Indo-Pacific.

This marks the first regional presence deployment for 2022, expected to bolster interoperability with partners in the south-east Asia and north-east Indian Ocean regions.

Meanwhile, the Royal Australian Air Force is participating in Exercise Cope North 22, linking up with the United States Air Force and the Koku-Jieitai (Japan Air Self-Defense Force) in Guam and other islands in Micronesia.

The exercise aims to bolster interoperability through humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) training exercises involving both air and ground forces.

The RAAF has deployed E-7A Wedgetail, C-27J Spartan, KC-30A Multi Role Tanker Transport and F-35A Lightning II aircraft, as well as a contingency response squadron focused on HADR training.

[Related: Exercise Cope North 22 in full swing]