Australia’s Heron Remotely Piloted Aircraft, which has been in Afghanistan since 2010, has a reputation as one of the most reliable and effective platforms of its type operating in the Middle East, according to the Commanding Officer of the Heron Detachment, Wing Commander (WGCDR) John McMullan.
“We have achieved 20,000 hours in less than four years, which is an immense amount of intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance support to soldiers on the ground,” WGCDR McMullan said.
The senior Air Force officer in the Middle East, Group Captain (GPCAPT) Tony McCormack, recently visited the Heron Detachment at its compound inside Kandahar Airfield in southern Afghanistan to celebrate the milestone.
“This is a great achievement for the whole Heron team,” GPCAPT McCormack said. “I’m extremely proud. The guys and girls who fly this capability have worked magnificently, day and night, providing an asset for our special forces and task group personnel. The Heron is considered an intelligent aircraft and it is easy to see why, given the saturated air space it works within, the importance of its mission, and the quality and training of the team responsible for keeping it airborne.”
GPCAPT McCormack said the team boasted an impressive mix of personnel from across Defence.
“When you look around the Heron Detachment you see Air Force, Army and Navy personnel, contractors and locally engaged interpreters,” he said.
“The whole package is just one team – it works seamlessly and it’s just fantastic. It’s the shape of the ADF to come.” WGCDR McMullan said his team’s motivation and success came from the knowledge that the Heron provided a tangible difference on the battlefield.
“I believe I have one of the easiest jobs in theatre because, truly, my people roll out of bed every single morning knowing they are directly going to enhance security for Australian soldiers on the ground,” he said. “So they are all very, very easy to motivate, and I have to say our morale is always excellent.”
Photo: Royal Australian Air Force Air Component Commander Group Captain Tony McCormack stands alongside members of the Heron Remotely Piloted Aircraft Detachment (Rotation 13) following the completion of 20,000 flying hours in Afghanistan.
Source: RAAF