A Discreet Affair

This is the home of a lesser known, but significant, participant in the Australian aerospace sector. Spanning both civilian and Defence sectors, the company undertakes a broad range of activities that range from flight operations and manufacturing to ongoing service and support. And while their name may not be high profile, as the world’s largest operator of the Learjet, their fleet and their operation is impressive. They are ‘Air Affairs Australia’.

ABOVE: Air Affairs Australia special mission Learjet configured with Firescan Airpod under the wing. Many of their Learjets have been modified with hard points on the wings and special mission cabling and consoles. AIR AFFAIRS

Humble beginnings

You can never judge a book by its cover and at first glance, the Air Affairs facility is testament to that. The large, modern, glass-fronted office is typical of the entrance to any company in an industrial estate, however the first hint of something different is the need to be granted entry onto the site with first need to register and show proof of identity. There is no mistaking the wall of screens that display feeds from security cameras around the facility.

Air Affairs CEO Chris Sievers started his working life as an apprentice sheet metal worker with Trans Australia Airlines (TAA) before joining Stillwell Aviation, the Australasian distributor of the Learjet, where he was involved modifying Learjets for special mission roles and, in a first, for military training. After six years at Stillwell, he began supplying specialist aircraft services under contract to the Royal Australian Navy before establishing Air Affairs in 1995.

‘The company undertakes a broad range of activities that range from flight operations and manufacturing to ongoing service and support’

The company has now grown to employ 170 personnel, operates over 20 aircraft and fulfils substantial contracts with governments, defence forces and multinational companies. While Air Affairs started from humble beginnings, Chris maintains an intimate and thorough knowledge of the operation at all levels.

There is also a tangible level of genuine enthusiasm which is apparent when I board a golf buggy to tour the facility. Yet another subtle reminder of the substantial size of Air Affairs and its Nowra base.

Targets and more

The concept of ‘target towing’ is not a new one. As a training aid for fighter pilots, the opportunity to engage a target, towed behind a host aircraft has long proved beneficial. However, the fabric drogues of the past have been replaced many years ago by sophisticated hard-bodied targets, both in tow and free flying form, and now missiles have joined the ranks of the ordinance used in what is now a sophisticated exercise.

The Learjet has been pivotal in this role as a target towing aircraft for decades and today is better than ever able to provide realistic threats for surface-to-air, air-to-air missiles and for medium and large calibre guns. The targets can be further augmented with devices such as light, smoke and active and passive radar and are a far cry from the early days of a cloth drogue.

As I approach the apron, the long line of twin-engined Learjets is impressive to say the least. Immediately identifiable by their sleek form, T-tail and tip tanks, the aircraft possess an endurance of three hours plus reserves and the ability to provide their special missions role at a speed range of 200 to 350 knots IAS. Flown by ex-military pilots, the advantages of a single type are several, such as maintaing a spare parts inventory, crew checking and training as well as maximising the availability of an aircraft when needed.

‘The onboard imaging systems are capable of mapping fires through dense smoke, both day and night’

In its current Jet Aircraft Support Contract, Air Affairs’ Learjet 35 and 36 series corporate jets have been modified to carry underwing equipment, reeling machines, miss distance scoring equipment, command and control telemetry units, military radios and tracking cameras for a range of tasks across all three services of Defence.

At first glance, they may seem like any other business jet, with their wing hard points, special mission wiring and UHF radio less than obvious. However, the sight of a white pod beneath the wing announces its true purpose. Up to two MTR-101 Reeling Machines can be carried, with each extending forward of the Learjet’s leading edge. Built by Air Affairs, the MTR-101 is designed to accommodate a range of tow targets using tow cables of various diameters that can extend up to 30,000 ft, or more than 9 km. Controlled by an operator via a console in the aircraft cabin, the target is deployed by a launcher arm which when extended offers a stable launch, clear of aircraft-generated turbulence. Additionally, the extended position ensures that separation exists between the tow cable and the tow aircraft through the range of manoeuvres that are called for across a range of training scenarios. A camera on the pod monitors the launch and recovery of the target, while a removable spool allows a quick change of the tow cable on the ground should it be shot off in flight.

In the case of a shot not actually hitting the target, miss distance indicator systems can calculate how close the shot came. The ‘Mini Marque’ acoustic system measures the distance between a supersonic projectile or missile and the tow target in any firing situation, be that air-to-air, air-to-ground, or ground-to-air. The target towing operator can then present the firing results in real time for up to six targets simultaneously.

As with so many aspects of Air Affairs operation, the ongoing maintenance of their Learjet fleet is conducted in-house. From basic component maintenance to the extensive 12-year inspection, Air Affairs is accredited to conduct the full range of maintenance actions upon the Learjets and their Beech King Air 200 fleet, which is also utilised on civilian contracts.

The two aircraft types combine to provide high altitude fire mapping services Australia-wide – a role that the company has served in for more than twenty years. Capable of operations up to 40,000 ft, the onboard imaging systems are capable of mapping fires through dense smoke, both day and night. The systems utilised by Air Affairs permit onboard processing of the image data to provide firefighting authorities with the much-needed information as soon as is practically possible. The upload and enhancement process is usually completed within a few minutes of having overflown the bushfire.

‘We are committed to work with governments, both state and federal, to contribute our part of an evolving national aerial firefighting fleet’ CHRIS SIEVERS

Additionally, Air Affairs has an alliance with Careflight International to provide a range of aeromedical services both in Australia and abroad. Utilising specially configured Learjet 35 and Learjet 60 aircraft, the service is available 24 hours a day and seven days a week, with a response time to deployment being as little as 60 minutes to conduct retrieval operations throughout Australia and the South Pacific region.

All flight operations are monitored from a command centre equipped with a wall of screens. These screens display security cameras, weather, aircraft readiness status and a pictorial display along a timeline of where and when which aircraft are to be tasked into which specific role. It is effectively the command and control centre of Air Affairs Australia and like every other facility, it has an unmistakable air of professionalism.

Overall, beyond the tarmac, the company’s facility houses 6,500 square metres of floor space and as impressive as the Learjet and King Air fleet may be, there is much more to see.

Forefront of the firefront

The devastating fires ravaging Australia this season have drawn world attention. Their scope and intensity are on a scale that defies living memory. Tireless firefighters on the ground tackle the flames and embers head-on and yet there is more to this picture than is immediately apparent.

On any given day or night, high above the raging fires, a unique, high tech ‘eye in the sky’ keeps watch, working round the clock to provide critical fire propagation and mapping data to the various firefighting agencies. This data provides highly valuable intelligence in the form of real-time imagery of the fire expanse and progression to assist incident management teams plan and deploy tactical firefighting assets safely and effectively. Air Affairs Australia is in its 25th year of providing this important information and has recently seen a significant increase in demand for the wide area, tactical surveillance product that their ‘Firescan’ service delivers.

From humble beginnings involving one aircraft, Air Affairs Australia’s Firescan capability has grown to become a true national service, operating four dedicated aircraft from its nominated operating base in Nowra, NSW, under contract from the National Aerial Firefighting Centre (NAFC). Last fire season, Air Affairs Australia’s Firescan teams conducted operations in every state of Australia, except the NT, delivering almost 500 operational sorties and over 2,500 images from its specially designed thermal imaging systems.

Chris Sievers, Chief Executive Officer of Air Affairs Australia said, ‘Firescan’ is an important part of our business, which we committed to 25 years ago with a vision of one day achieving a national and international service. The Air Affairs team was established using aerial bushfire surveillance experts which I am extremely proud of. We must now grow together with the fire agencies to meet evolving environmental challenges, to make certain we continue to contribute to the community that relies so much on us. We are committed to work with governments, both state and federal, to contribute our part of an evolving national aerial firefighting fleet.”

Air Affairs Firescan operation involves over 40 highly skilled personnel, including specially trained aircrew, aircraft maintenance engineers, imaging and remote sensing specialists, design engineers, machinists and a team of hard working support staff, all managed by a dedicated operations team at its state-of-the-art National Flight Operations Centre in Nowra.

This year the service will add a fifth aircraft, and will, for the first time, operate from a dedicated a Fire Intelligence Unit (FIU) in three states, greatly enhancing timely delivery of critical imagery to local firefighting agencies. As part of its continuous improvement program, Air Affairs is committing significant investment into refining and further improving the Firescan product, with new mission systems, sensors and communications infrastructure, to better integrate with evolving tactical requirements and to help firefighting agencies meet the challenges of the future.

Phoenix and Alpha Jets

Not all targets are towed and with the rise of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) across the aerospace spectrum, Air Affairs’ presence is felt in the target drone space. Still, it is a not a new concept in Australian skies, dating back to the 1950s and the GAF Jindivik with a bloodline that flowed through the BAE-supplied Kalkara drone to the newest remotely piloted target, the Air Affairs Phoenix Jet.

Available in various configurations, a number of the orange delta-winged targets are lined up along the walls of the facility in various states of maintenance. Designed, manufactured and serviced by Air Affairs, the composite structure aircraft provides a mid-performance training solution for a variety of gun and air defence missile systems. Powered by a jet engine and with a maximum speed of 330 knots, the Phoenix can carry a large range of various payloads.

Launched from a catapult and recovered by parachute, the Phoenix are controlled by a ground-based operator to provide a realistic threat simulation with enhancements such as Acoustic Missed Distance Indicators (MDI), smoke, and IFF, while infrared (IR) and Luneburg lenses can be fitted to suit a range of weapons systems. Air Affairs Australia has also been involved with operating the larger and faster, V-tailed MQM-178 Firejet UAV target.

Up until the recent completion of the contract, Air Affairs was also responsible for three Alpha Jets to deliver Fast Jet Adversary Air capability. Teamed up with Top Aces in Canada , the jets were based at RAAF Williamtown and provided Red Air for the RAAF, Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) training for the Australian Army and fast jet surface training for the Royal Australian Navy.

‘The certificates of approvals for the supply of services, fabrication, testing and more fill the office wall at the facility’

Behind the scenes

To keep such an expansive fleet airborne, a broad range of support services is required. Furthermore, Air Affairs Australia not only maintains its fleet and equipment but in many cases, it designs, modifies and manufactures it. The support services include a nearby advanced manufacturing facility located in a 3,000 square metre purpose-built facility. Housing CNC machines and sophisticated measuring machines, the facility performs a large range of tasks including the manufacture of its own training equipment.

Back at the Albatross facility, there is a rescue hoist workshop that accommodates a modern testing rig and repair facility. A welding and fabrication workshop has a range of tooling to cut, weld, form and fabricate a range of components. There is an electrical and electronics workshop which undertakes work on the target drones across the range of design, manufacture, test and repair. Complex wiring harnesses are manufactured to military standards and an environmental chamber is available to test components. The underwing stores rack, so pivotal to a range of Air Affairs’ operations, is manufactured in Nowra, while the assembly shop alongside houses target tow equipment, target drones, air pods and reeling machines.

Air Affairs Australia is also contracted to provide Common Services Support (CSS) to the Royal Australian Navy’s fleet of helicopters. Life rafts, flight suits, battery maintenance and a Helicopter Corrosion Control Facility (HCCF) all fall under the umbrella of their varied areas of support. The certificates of approvals for the supply of services, fabrication, testing and more fill the office wall at the facility and are a written representation of the skilled workforce and capability of Air Affairs Australia.

A discreet affair

Many in the aviation field are aware that aerial target towing takes place off the coast of Nowra. However, as the fleet of Learjets is operating off the coast, towing targets or making runs on vessels, there are few witnesses to their activity.

When they are mapping fires at high altitude, their work is not obvious from the ground and the Phoenix Jet is catapulted skyward in remote Woomera, South Australia or some other site away from the populace.

Even more subtle are the numerous support tasks performed by the majority of their near 200-strong workforce. Highly skilled and highly specialised, they not only keep the Air Affairs projects operational, but provide a range of services to external customers.

Certain elements of the operation are undoubtedly kept secure by virtue of their Defence origins, but even Air Affairs Australia’s commercial roles do not seem to attract the attention that a company of its scale would normally draw. Even so, the dedicated team continue to design, manufacture, test and operate, meeting the demanding standards of governments, military customers and multinational companies alike.

Air Affairs Australia is a far-reaching company of substance and yet, it remains a discreet affair.