When the main clearance phase of Op MOSHTARAK was launched from Camp Bastion Airfield three weeks ago, the RAF completed 167 air moves and coordinated 90 aircraft in just four hours.
But the RAF’s involvement in the operation didn’t begin and end there. They have been integral to the planning and conducting of all aspects of the operation for months in advance.
Camp Bastion Airfield, the fifth busiest UK-run airfield, is run by the RAF’s 903 Expeditionary Air Wing (903 EAW).
On the day Operation MOSHTARAK launched, RAF personnel helped ensure the US Marine Corps deployed to their objective to take Marjah and that 1,200 UK and Afghan troops were airlifted to secure the Nad ‘Ali and Showal areas of central Helmand province.
Group Captain Al Gillespie, Officer Commanding 903 EAW, said: “It was our job to ensure the troops got to the landing zones safely.”
Both in intent, and in reality, that is exactly what happened.
The RAF though were of course involved in the planning for the operation weeks ahead of the launch day.
Squadron Leader in charge of operations, Danny Endruweit, said that with so many helicopters involved in the airlifts, ranging from Chinook CH47s, Merlins, Sea Kings, Apache, Canadian Griffins, Black Hawks and Lynx, “precise planning was key”.
Air Traffic Controllers from 903 EAW were fully aware of the enormity of the task ahead of them when they came on shift the night of the operation.
Flying Officer Nicky Hark was Air Traffic Controller Officer-in-Charge of the shift that night. She said: “As a first tourist, I considered it a privilege to be involved and that it was miles away from my job at RAF Northolt.
“I wasn’t really daunted by the lift. In fact it was easier than a normal shift, mainly because things are usually unpredictable. With this shift everything was planned and allowed us capacity for any unplanned elements to occur.”
Sergeant ‘Ed’ Winchester, the tower controller, added: “While the shift was probably the most personally rewarding thing I have done in my career, I was conscious that it was the biggest concentration of moves ever undertaken within the RAF.
“We had to ensure that every single helicopter went out and came back safely.”
During the deployment of the troops, little resistance was met as helicopters arrived at their landing sites. This allowed for the plan to be followed to the letter.
Squadron Leader Liz Parker, the Air Traffic Control Executive Officer, who was based in the Joint Helicopter Force Ops Room all night, talked of complete calmness throughout the operation. She said:
“We all couldn’t believe how smoothly it had gone. In the morning we just shook hands with each other and went to breakfast; it was very surreal.”
Group Captain Gillespie was delighted with the efforts of his whole team, including the Visiting Aircraft Handling Section, the Tactical Communications Wing, No 2 Mechanical Transport Squadron, and the firefighters – who were put on enhanced alert for the period; all elements of the team worked hard throughout the night.
Meanwhile, based at Kandahar Airfield, are the attack aircraft of the RAF under the command of 904 EAW.
Air Commodore Stuart Atha, the Air Officer Commanding No 83 Expeditionary Air Group, which both 903 and 904 EAW are part of, said:
“My direction to the Commanding Officer of 904 EAW was to provide Brigadier James Cowan [Head of Task Force Helmand] with intimate and persistent support throughout Op MOSHTARAK.”
Air Commodore Atha said that soldiers and airmen came together well in advance to conceive the plan, adding:
“In the preparation phase the key was to understand what the insurgents were doing, what they were saying to each other, and where they were moving.”
He said that this was done by bringing together the whole range of ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance) capabilities, including images gathered from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, the RAPTOR pod mounted on the Tornados, and information fed from the ground. This was done for months before the operation was launched.
Images from ISTAR capabilities were taken of the intended helicopter landing sites for the main assault every day for weeks in advance. These were not only used to prepare the helicopter pilots but also to analyse activity such as the laying of IEDs.
Air Commodore Atha said: “On the day, the months of planning paid off, in that we had a carefully choreographed plan that was executed.” He said that providing cover for the helicopters inserting the troops were Tornado GR4s operating side-by-side with A-10s from the US Air Force. He added:
“For every single helicopter landing site we had a fast jet with a targeting pod examining the site before the troops arrived and watching as the troops were unloaded, looking for enemy activity or threat, and providing that attack overwatch to protect the troops unloading.”
Summing up the RAF’s role in the operation, Air Commodore Atha said:
“The men and women of the RAF are making a contribution that is valued, varied and significant. But perhaps the most important lesson I take from MOSHTARAK is that when we are working in support of the Army, when soldiers and airmen work together, we are at our best.”
