RUSI Joint Force Harrier Sea Based Power Projection

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RUSIJoint Force HarrierSea Based Power
Projection

• Capt Jeremy Millward MBE RN
• Capt Harrier/Jaguar

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• Joined Royal Navy in 1975
• Rotary Wing to 1984
• Canberra Exchange to 360 Sqn
• Sea Harrier from 1986
• CO 800 NAS 94 - 97
• FA2 into Ops
• Staff tours in FONA/MOD
• Sea Harrier Force Commander
• 3 1Gp as Captain Harrier/Jaguar for last 3 yrs
• Not an A/G specialist but leading a new breed of
  maritime-minded Fast Jet exponents to deliver the
  mission

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Scope

• Short summary of JFH Re-brigade task
• Current assessment of progress to deliver
  sea-based Power Projection (MarStrike)
• Focus on core operational outputs
• eg Force Elements at Readiness
• Summarise core development areas

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Doctrine/Mission

• CinCSTC
• Precise campaign effects, at range, in time
• Carrier Strike CONOPS
• ..the air element should be capable of
  delivering the full range of effects from both
  the land and sea base.

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Op HERRICK - Afghanistan

• Close Air Support and Recce roles
• Exceptional agility, flexibility and capability
• Bombs/Rockets/TIALD/Recce Pod
• Troops in Contact
• Shows of Force

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JFH Balance of Investment (2002)

• Critical path - maintain Offensive Strike
  Capability until JCA / CVF.
• Op risk assessment - increase in embarked
  offensive aircraft would offset loss of Air
  Defence layer.
• Most pragmatic / affordable route - one mark of
  Harrier to OSD (2018).

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• Last Sea Harrier FA2 Sqn (801 NAS) decommissions
  31 Mar 06
• 25 yrs of excellent service
• Harrier GR7/9 becomes the only UK Fast Jet
  available to operate from a sea base for next
  decade

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The Task (3yrs in)

• Strategy basing established
• Transition to 4 FL Sqns reaching key milestones
• 300 RN aircrew, engineers, support personnel
  established at Cott/Witt
• Required competencies on track
• Coincident with major organisational change and
  tight resource
• Catalysed FLEET Marstrike activity
• Joint Force Harrier OC sustained

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Harrier GR9 capability

• Highlights
• Precision Guided Bomb (PW4), Brimstone, TIALD
  500, Secure voice, JRP Increased Thrust
  (Pegasus Mk 107).
• New avionics/software to support future weapons
• Capability Insertion over next 4 years
• CAP A - Initial capability (mainly hardware)
  delivered
• CAP B - Software and recover
• CAP C - Software / Precision Weapons
• CAP D/E - 2008 Datalink improvements planned

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GR9 Overview
SEP 06 24 GR9 ISD
GO TO WAR WITH GR9
GO TO WAR WITH GR7
GR 7 / GR7A
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Carrier Hardware to support MarStrike role

• HMS ILLUSTRIOUS from refit as Strike Carrier
  now at Very High Readiness.
• 3rd mast Satellite comms
• Magazine revision
• Planning Space revision
• EO compliant lighting
• Revised Approach
• and Recovery aids

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Carrier Strike
..the air element should be capable of
delivering the full range of effects from both
the land and sea base.

• Optimisation of CVS for MarStrike role
• Revised Command and Control arrangements
• GR7/9 Weapons clearances
• Approach clearances
• Communications and Information flow
• Planning / Briefing facilities
• Intelligence support
• Logistic Support
• Aim to create a well-found, sovereign, Deployed
  Operating Base

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Core Development Areas MarStrike

• Develop the JFH warfighter mindset
• Sustain coherency between FLCs
• Exploit programming opportunities
• Land centric/Asset rich/High quality
• Catalyse Fleet warfare branch development
• Demonstrate capability in testing C2 environments
• Minimise deployment footprint

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CVS/JFH Operational Employment

• Falklands 82
• Adriatic 94 - 97
• Gulf in 98
• Sierra Leone 00
• Agile, flexible, capable force
• 3 environments, 2 services, single vision