By Danielle Coe
New Zealand Defence Force ties with Fiji were re-established last month. The RNZAF went to the island nation for Exercises Tropic Astra and Tunex Astra. It was the first time the Air Force has been to Fiji since 1999.
And at the end of August eight New Zealand Army instructors began running a three-month officer cadet training course for 36 cadets from the Republic of Fiji Military Forces. The New Zealand instructors are being assisted by 10 RFMF instructors.
The renewed relationship will help maintain security in the South Pacific, and allow New Zealand to work more closely with its Pacific neighbours.
The New Zealand Army instructors are providing training in battle craft and leadership principles. The focus of the three-month course is to produce junior officers who will be capable of leading a Platoon-sized (30 people) group, and who have the potential to advance to positions of further responsibility.
For the RNZAF it was the first time one of its most recently formed squadrons, the Operational Support Squadron (OSS), responsible for air movements, communications, air security, and deployable refuelling, was able to fully practise its capability.
Based on the edge of the Nadi airfield, more than two hundred people took part in exercises Tropic Astra and Tunex Astra over two weeks.
For No.3 Squadron Tunex Astra gave aircrew the chance to reacquaint themselves with the subtle differences involved in flying helicopters in the tropics. The Iroquois don’t perform as well in a hotter environment, with the heat and humidity affecting the engines and aerodynamics.
"We really notice the differences when we’re doing emergency training, like engine-offs , as the helicopter is limited on power," said Squadron Leader Stu Brownlie. The physiological affects of the heat is another important factor for both aircrew and maintenance personnel to monitor.
"The guys need to be mindful of hydrating and keeping out of the sun during the heat of the day," said Warrant Officer Dennis Moratti.
For the maintainers, compared with working in New Zealand the biggest difference comes when it’s time to pack up the helicopters.
Rigorous New Zealand bio security requirements meant dismantling the camp and preparing the aircraft for return to New Zealand take a huge amount of effort. "We have to depanel the aircraft and get in with the vacuum cleaners and pick all the seeds out. Then we wrap it tail-first with glad wrap," said Warrant Officer Moratti. Over two hundred flying hours were set aside for the exercise, with most of the flying in support of local communities. The four Iroquois operating out of Nadi were used to transport building material to remote locations and books to schools under aid programmes.
While in Fiji all aircrew were also required to undergo tropical survival training. Working with members of the Fijian Army, RNZAF Survival School instructors provided refresher courses in both jungle and sea survival. Tunex Astra, a communications exercise ran for the first half of the deployment. Twenty people took part in Tunex, which was run from three locations. As well as working from the main camp in Nadi, Communications technicians worked from a camp at Queen Victoria School, and another one in the highlands. Split into three groups, they rotated between each site practising working in a tactical environment.
The focus of the exercise was on both long and short-range communications.
"To do this, we used line of sight systems (VHF and UHF) and long distance HF radio systems," said Warrant Officer Tony Johnstone.
The exercise also allowed communications technicians the opportunity to gain experience in the use of tactical satellite systems.