EXERCISE LOOBYE WORDS AND PHOTOS BARRIE COLLINS Bradshaw Field Training Area in the NT played host to Exercise Loobye in August – a joint exercise with the United States Marine Corps and the ADF. The exercise involved more than 2500 troops in the field and a number of support staff from various units from within the Marine Rotational Force - Darwin (MRF-D) and the Australian Defence Force – primarily infantry and artillery with air support from the USMC MV-22 Ospreys and AH-1Z Venoms with a RAAF C-17A Globemaster for cargo transportation. The objective of the exercise was to attack, clear and use an enemy airfield so that the C-17 could land and deploy its cargo a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS). HIMARS would then be used to destroy an enemy location that was used to fire anti-ship missiles on friendly shipping. Acting on relayed information from a drone, an air attack on the airfield quickly and accurately dispersed enemy ground troops and destroyed their posts and emplacements. Shortly thereafter, Ospreys came into view, landed, and deployed USMC assault troops. This was followed by other landings with ADF members being deployed.
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The airfield was secured in an hour, prisoners processed and dispersed from the area, and preparations made to land the C-17 and deploy HIMARS. Upon landing, the C-17 taxied to a location suited for the ramp to be lowered. Once the dust had settled, HIMARS was quickly on the ground and ready to go. Communication between the HIMARS crew and the C-17 were maintained and boxy-looking vehicles drove to their pre-designated launch area. Shortly after that, a HIMARS missile was on its way to a target more than 50 kilometres away, where anoter drone reported a successful destruction of the enemy target. Mission successful, the HIMARS vehicle and crew returned to the C-17, loaded up, and were off to another location, ready to bring more rain on a haples enemy position. I had a unique opportunity to witness this interaction between the Australian and United States military forces and saw them work seemlessly, ever keen to help one another out. There were definitely smiles all round and a lot of weary soldiers at the end of this day.
CONTACT Air Land & Sea – Issue 71 – September 2021
