RAF Regiment Training Wing

RAF REGIMENT

TRAINING WING

The RAF Regiment Training Wing at RAF Honington is responsible for Phase 0 (Attract & Select), Phase 2 (Role Specific Training) and Phase 3 (Leadership, Command, Continuation and Specialist) training for RAF Regiment Gunners and Officers – delivering safe, realistic, robust and operationally focussed training to over 2000 personnel per year.

On 26 Oct 22 Squadron Leader Rich May handed over the role of Officer Commanding Regimental Training Squadron (Advanced) to Squadron Leader James Mitchell. Squadron Leader May leaves RAF Honington for MOD Main Building whilst Squadron Leader comes across from the Force Protection HQ to the RAF Regt Trg Wg. We wish them both the very best in their new roles. In August, students of the Junior Regiment Officers’ Course 127 deployed on Ex CENTURION’S EAGLE, an overseas exercise to RAF Akrotiri. Primarily hosted by 15 Squadron RAF Regiment, the students were given an insight into how the Squadron is delivering Air Force Protection to support ongoing operations, including a wide range of briefings from 903 Expeditionary Air Wing and the Army Operations Watchkeeper including how the British Army’s maritime boat patrols assist with protecting the coastline surrounding RAF Akrotiri. The opportunity to conduct their own squadron level combat estimate for RAF Akrotiri briefed to Officer Commanding 3 FP Wg provided an early understanding into the potential role they might be executing in the future.

Late September saw students at Honington deploy on Ex CENTURION’S TRIDENT which is a fundamental introduction to Flight level tactics. All students were given multiple scenarios that encompassed enemy force engagements, casualties and other injects to hone their skills to take forward in the latter stages of the course. Among these patrols, students were exposed to various Flight level orders across a range of mission specific scenarios ranging from Defensive, Ambush and Raids. The final days of the exercise focused on the Tactical Sergeant role and how this differs from the Flight Commander role. Looking towards the future, students now have the fundamental knowledge to move onto the later stages of the course and ultimately assist them in passing their final

Squadron Leader Rich May hands over the role of Officer Commanding Regimental Training Squadron (Advanced) to Squadron Leader James Mitchell

assessments in late November.

The 3-week Pre-Parachute Selection Course aims to prepare, condition and select volunteer personnel in their physical aptitude, endurance, determination and fitness to carry out military tasks related to duties on Airborne Specialist roles within the RAF Regt. Thirty-two students attempted this punishing programme in October which consists of numerous loaded marches, runs, PT circuits, logs and stretcher events. The course has a high attrition rate and by the end of week 2 student numbers were reduced to 9 ahead of the second conditioning week delivered at Sennybridge Training area. where the remaining students must complete every test within the allocated times. The last event on the course is the Steeplechase at RAF Honington, which the final 8 students successfully passed who are now eligible to not only earn their military parachute wings but the right to apply for specialist roles within the Tri-Service community.

Training Support Flt, 4001 Flt and the RAF Regiment Recruitment and Selection Flt have been maintaining a consistent output in their support to training delivery and recruitment events. What is known as the ‘summer season’ for RRRSF with their engagement at the Royal International Air Tattoo, the British Grand Prix, National Armed Forces Day along with sporting and expo events such as the Arnold Festival seem a distant memory. The team have now turned all of their attention to outreach into schools and colleges and at National Skills and careers events, with the most recent examples being a STEM event at Thorpe Park and the Skills Cyrum expo at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff where in excess of 20000 people attended over 4 days.

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