BAWDSEY
An early date for your diary is 26-28 January and it should be an event not to miss!

During its time as a radar research centre and as an operational station for Chain Home radar, it was known by the acronym BRS - Bawdsey Research Station. Special event callsigns with BRS as the suffix have been applied for to recognise this.

Over the weekend of 26 to 28 Feb 2010, they will be on the air on HF, 6m and VHF, operating CW, SSB and possibly some digital modes too. The callsign requested is GB75BRS, since this operation will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Daventry Experiment, which resulted in radar development in the UK being based first at Orfordness, then at Bawdsey.

Later in the year Bawdsey will operate on two weekends to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the start and end of the Battle of Britain in 1940. The callsign GB70BRS has been requested. These weekends will be 5/6 June, and 18/19 Sept. Operating bands and modes will be as for the January event.

Members of the public, and students from the school now based at the Manor, will be welcomed at any of the events, where there will also be display materials relating to Bawdsey's history during this period.

A special QSL card will be issued to those making contact with either of the stations, and a parchment certificate will be available on request to stations that make contact with both callsigns.

Information about the stations, operation and QSL arrangements can be found on their web site at;
http://www.bawdseyresearchstation.org.uk.

No 1 AIR CONTROL CENTRE COME HOME
The last members of the RAF's No 1 Air Control Centre (1ACC) to serve in Afghanistan returned home to their base at RAF Kirton-in-Lindsey in Lincolnshire, just in time to enjoy Christmas.

Fig 1: 1 ACC Arrive at RAF Brize Norton. 1ACC has been continuously deployed to Afghanistan for three years, and whilst based at Camp Bastion for the last three years, were the UK's only ground-based tactical radar unit to provided close air support and persistent situational awareness to International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) troops. Control also involved the integration and control of air movements of many different aircraft types from a host of ISAF nations. Their role also involved ensuring air support was deployed as soon as possible when troops on the ground came under Taliban attack as well as clearing airspace for the medical evacuation of injured personnel. Just prior to returning to the UK for a landing at RAF Brize Norton, 1ACC handed over to the United States Marine Corps. During the hand over ceremony, the RAF ensign was lowered and the radar symbolically stopped turning.

I attended the homecoming parade of 1AA in Kirton on Lindsey (Fig 2/3) and talked to numerous members of the unit including the CO, Wing Commander Mark Presley. The part they played in Afghanistan is critical, but goes undetected or understood by many. To try and correct that situation, I requested a unit brief so that I can report back on their mission, equipment and men. So, watch this space.

Fig 2: Above Left: Waiting for their dads

Fig 3: Above Right: No 1ACC take the salute in Kirton In Lindsey homecoming parade.

90 SIGNALS UNIT DEPLOY ON OPERATIONS
While 1 ACC were returning from Afghanistan, 90 Signals Unit, a unit based at RAF Leeming, was preparing to deploy to Afghanistan. It is their personnel who ensure that vital communications are kept up and running around the clock in Afghanistan.

Fig 4: 90 SU cables and connections. Whilst on Operations, No. 3 Field Communications Squadron, Tactical Communications Wing, which is part of 90 SU, maintain and fix intricate communications equipment to the highest standards in tough, dusty conditions with weather extremes. The squadron will also be pioneers for 90 SU, as they are the first to deploy on a four month tour - instead of the normal ten weeks, and are part of a new roulement which is designed to maximize training time for personnel, whilst at the same time provide continuity to the operational environment.

Fig 5: A tent for a 90 SU workshop The unit provides deployed personnel for many tasks that many take for granted such as airfield navigation aids, computer services and telecommunications. Over the next four months, 3 Sqn will be responsible for the provision of services, many of which are mission critical, and cover a wide range of complex systems, ranging from satellite ground terminals to highly complex data exchanges and servers. I must admit it would be nice to be embedded with them. Now that's an idea!

AIR FORCE 1
Yet again users of both scanners and Mode S receivers were privy to AF1 whilst it routed eastbound across the Atlantic enroute to Copenhagen for the Climate Summit.

AF1 flew in company with 'Jade 66', an E-4 Airborne Command Post, 'SAM 93' a C-32A and 'SAM 50050, a C-20 together with two KC-10 tankers who provided fuel between Nantucket Island and Saint Johns.

Whilst AF1 remained in Copenhagen, the Command Post remained at RAF Mildenhall, until AF1 departed for Washington. When it did depart, a long standing procedure was broken for some reason. The E-4 Command Post is always airborne at the same time and in the same general area as AF1. However in this case, the E-4 took to the air from Mildenhall only after AF1 had crossed Scotland and had started its Oceanic crossing.

Should you have wondered if the package routed near you, here are the flight plan route and timings:

UN545 BABAN 05:30
UN545 MOLAK 05:40
UN537 MAC 05:57
UP600 GOW 06:02
UP600 3PTH 06:07
UP600 FINDO 06:08
UP600 PTH 06:08
UP600 ADN 06:15
UP600 FORTY 06:27
UP600 KLONN 06:36

CARDIFF AIRPORT (EGFF)
A brief change to keep your records up to date is that Cardiff Approach frequency has been changed from 126.625 MHz to 119.150 MHz with immediate effect. The tower has also changed from 125.000 MHz to 133.100 MHz.

ITT DEFENCE LTD
In June 2009 the ITT Corporation's Communications Systems business announced its ITT Defence Limited business unit has received a $16 million contract from General Dynamics United Kingdom Ltd, for additional VHF "manpack" radios and ancillaries.

That order for radios and ancillaries went almost unnoticed by those with an interest in the military communication hobby, but that contract was in addition to the 35,000 units already supplied by General Dynamics UK, the prime contractor, and was part of the United Kingdom's BOWMAN tactical communications program. But who is ITT Defence Limited and what do they provide?

Based in Basingstoke, it is a wholly owned subsidiary of the ITT Corporation USA, and was formed in 1993 as a Systems Integration Company with particular interest in Tactical Communications, and since then has manufactured and delivered all the VHF and UHF radios for the UK BOWMAN Programme. ITT is claimed therefore to be the world leader in VHF radios and has supplied multiple government agencies with sophisticated and advanced VHF and UHF radios. These individual products can be broken down as follows:

SOLDIER
The ITT Wearable Soldier Radio Terminal (WSRT) is the new generation of communication capability for the dismounted Soldier, linking him/her to each other and therefore bridging the mounted to dismounted gap.

Like almost all modern military hardware, the WSRT is a software definable radio capable of supporting both narrow and wideband waveforms, and therefore supports both current and future capability needs.

SPEARNET
SpearNet radio is the newest of the ITT family of tactical communications systems, and is optimized for digital, network-centric communication. It is claimed to be a very powerful communication tool providing a seamless, self-healing ad-hoc networking and multi-hop routing capability. This facility allows multiply force effectiveness by increasing net size and identification automatically.

SpearNet's mobile ad hoc network provides voice, integrated GPS with Situational Awareness reporting, and data transfer (100 - 1500 kbps) across dismounted networks spanning 6 km. This allows voice/data communications within difficult environments such as tunnels, ship cargo holds, fast moving vehicles and buildings.

SpearNet also includes SIP/VoIP for interconnection with telephone networks. This provides the ability, when connected with a backhaul capability such as SATCOM and a SIP server, for the user to speak directly and securely with his in-country commanders. Also available are high speed data transfer (>1 Mbps for video surveillance or mission plans) and selectable GPS position reporting.

The radio can also be used with a vehicular adapter via a 20W power amplifier, which increases the point-point and overall networking range of the system up to a minimum of 8 km point - point range. A networking range of 30 - 40 km can also be expected with properly placed relays.

The vehicular adapter has two Ethernet and one USB vehicular intercom, vehicular loudspeaker, and remote control unit interfaces.

SINCGARS
Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS) is a Combat Net Radio (CNR) designed to meet needs for a flexible and secure combat radio. Through a carefully planned evolution, SINCGARS and its associated router has grown to become the linchpin of the U.S. Army's emerging Tactical Internet. The SINCGARS system, which was once a voice-only radio that broadcast messages up and down the chain of command, has evolved into a software-defined, open architecture system with networking capabilities. It now offers clear, secure voice and data communications that provide situational awareness and transmit command and control information across entire battlefields. Four generations of SINCGARS have been deployed to U.S. forces over the past decade with the total number of SINCGARS deployed worldwide in excess of a 375,000 units.

CENTAUR

Fig 6: Centaur High Capacity Data Radio (Matt Welch) The Centaur family of VHF and UHF data radios provide fully secure connectivity in both voice and data modes for the international market. Based on the Bowman system, operational benefits include very low probability of interception, resistance to jamming and interference and open architecture IP data networking.

BOWMAN
ITT Defence Limited is supplier of the VHF and UHF radios, associated networking capability and data backbone for BOWMAN, which is now the main MoD Tactical Communication System, which now provides the infrastructure for the UK Battlefield Digitisation Programme, and is the main VHF and UHF radios deployed with British forces not only in Iraq and Afghanistan, but on world wide operations and exercises.

On a more personal level, one of ITT system engineers is known too many in our environment and may well be known to you. Andy Digby, an ITT Senior Lead Systems Integration Engineer is also a fully qualified Radio Amateur, who regularly operates on the H.F. S.S.B. & C.W. amateur bands worldwide, and the VHF and UHF bands within Europe, where he uses the callsign 'GØJLX'. Andy also teaches Amateur Radio (including Morse Code) at all three UK licence levels to would-be amateurs and is also a Morse code examiner. Andy also holds foreign Amateur Radio licences as well and is an active member of 'FISTS' the UK-based International Morse Preservation Society.

EA-18G
The US Navy's first electronic airborne attack aircraft to be manufactured in more than 35 years, has just achieved its initial operational capability, after Electronic Attack Wing, U.S. Pacific Fleet officially declared the first EA-18G electronic attack squadron, VAQ-132, "safe for flight operations".

Following the ceremony at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington, the Navy can now effectively employ the EA-18G aircraft for operational missions to take full advantage of its airborne electronic attack capabilities.

The EA-18G aircraft combines the two-seat, twin-engine F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Block 2 with the Improved Capability III electronics receiver system from the EA-6B Prowler, to provide next-generation electronic attack capability. The aircraft also retains all of the Super Hornet's multi-mission capabilities and the capability to perform a wide range of enemy defence suppression missions.

Integrating the latest electronic attack technology, the Growler combines the ALQ-218 receiver, ALQ-99 jamming pods, communication countermeasures and satellite communications. Along with the electronic attack suite, the Growler also features the APG-79 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, a 'game-changing' radar in its own right.

The first potential deployment of the Growler is slated for 2010, while the Navy expects the Prowler-to-Growler transition to be completed by 2013.

MC-12
You may recall that I recorded the first USAF MC-12 passing through the UK enroute for operational deployment.

In a recent ceremony at Bagram airfield in Afghanistan, the USAF have now confirmed that the aircraft '09-0623', to be the first of an undisclosed number of aircraft for the new 4th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron based there.

The MC-12 is much more than just a fleet of aircraft, its pilots, and maintainers. It also consists of equipment and personnel that collect and broadcast full-motion video and signals intelligence, as well as crews that process, exploit, and disseminate the information. In addition, the MC-12 encompasses a host of communication experts that support and maintain the added capability that the aircraft brings to NATO to fight against terrorism.

MERLIN
Last month I said our friendly Merlin Crew Man, 'Benson Gareth' was deploying to Afghan, and would keep us up to date on his progress.

Well, following deployment the unit and some Merlin's were flown out in Tristar and C17, the unit is now set up and working hard.

Within days of Gareth's arrival, troops began an offensive to push back insurgents operating south of Sangin. The operation lasted some 48 hours and was conducted in the dangerous 'Green Zone'.

The operation to establish the base began in the early hours of the morning, when the lead platoons of A Company, 3rd Battalion 'The Rifles' (3 RIFLES), left Forward Operating Base (FOB) Nolay under the cover of darkness and infiltrated the close terrain of the heavily cultivated area to the north.

The Green Zone is a heavily irrigated and fertile area either side of the Helmand River, frequently used by insurgents to gain access to the Sangin bazaar, often intimidating and threatening local Afghans as well as laying improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on their way through. Normally, the area is ripe for insurgent attack, but with the maize recently harvested, reducing cover for the insurgents, A Company's forward element were able to make a beeline for a key crossing point on a canal which dissects the southern Green Zone, and is where the insurgents must cross if they are to infiltrate from their safe havens in the south east.

With the Viking armoured vehicles of Egypt Squadron, 2nd Royal Tank Regiment (2 RTR), and the Manoeuvre Operations Group (MOG) following up to provide extra muscle, the area was quickly and conclusively isolated. Meanwhile, B Company, 3 RIFLES, had conducted a similar move, again accompanied by the MOG, south from FOB Jackson into the north eastern part of the same area.

Having secured the ground, it was then the job of the Royal Engineer Search Advisor (RESA) and the improvised explosive device disposal team, to clear the area of booby traps and legacy munitions, which are strewn across this area of operation. While all this was going on, the Riflemen in the security cordon took the time to reassure the local Afghan people, that what was being done would bring further security to their community.

Only one Viking attracted insurgent attention throughout the operation. They came under a short period of fire from insurgents, frustrated that they were powerless to do anything to disrupt the progress that was all too obvious for them to see. Next it was the turn of the Combat Engineers with their armoured plant to get involved. They were supported by a team from 10 The Queen's Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment and their armoured DROPS (Demountable Rack Offload and Pickup System) vehicles full of supplies.

This new base has now been added to the list that Gareth and the Merlin's will now support. At this time I have not received any photos and do not want to use official ones. So, watch this space.

MARITIME EXERCISE POMPEY
Commencing Saturday 5th December through Thursday 10 December, a Naval Amphibious Exercise involving a major Warship and its associated landing craft took place in the Browndown / Stokes Bay areas of the Central Solent. The majority of the Amphibious Exercise was conducted from a Warship lying at anchor between Spithead Number 10 Anchorage (SW of Gilkicker Point) and the beach at Browndown.

The exercise was conducted by both day and night and included a number of Landing Craft and other small boats operating between the Warship at anchor, and to or from the foreshore at Browndown.

Due to the closeness to the festive period I was unable to attend, but did you? If so, did you catch any comms?

RADAR ON BOEING
In a ceremony a Boeing and a Raytheon employee completed installation of an APY-10 radar antenna on P-8A Poseidon test aircraft T2 during December at the Boeing Developmental Centre in Seattle. T2 is the P-8A program's primary mission system test aircraft.

Following completion of the next phase of radar installation and additional instrumentation, T2 will enter the U.S. Navy's flight test program in early 2010. During flight test, Navy and Boeing pilots will verify the performance of all aircraft sensors.

Boeing's industry team is building and testing five anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft as part of a System Development and Demonstration contract awarded in 2004.

The P-8A Poseidon is a long-range anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft capable of broad-area, maritime and littoral operations. It is being developed for the U.S. Navy who plans to purchase 108 P-8A's to replace its fleet of P-3C aircraft. The first aircraft will begin formal flight test in 2009 and initial operational capability is slated for 2013.

ANOTHER DELIVERY FLIGHT
I reported last month on the first of two pairs of Texan T-6 aircraft (Fig 7 on delivery from America to Israel, for use by their Air Force. Well, the first pair of T-6 trainers for the Iraqi air force followed very soon after they had left Wichita, Kansas.

The route for their delivery flight included stops in Des Moines, Iowa and Toronto. After their Oceanic crossing, they night stopped at Wick then headed towards Aberdeen tracking SE towards FORTY. The hex codes were 7281F5 (YI-501) and 7281F6 (YI-502). Following their channel crossing, they night stopped at Antwerp. I lost track of them after that. Did you snag them on the scanner?

That's it until January. I hope you enjoyed the start of the New Year and will continue to have a successful year scanning. But, remember that being in possession of a scanner capably of receiving radio messages which you are not licensed for, could be considered illegal, therefore cannot be recommended or condoned.

Your thoughts and views would be appreciated, as would your requests for subjects to be covered. Please email your thoughts.

Pat