MILITARY ROYAL NAVY CARRIER AIR WING
Carrier air wi
Heard of the UK’s new carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth and the F-35B Lightning II fighter,
but what about a UK carrier air wing? Ian Harding has, and visited Royal Naval Air
Station Culdrose to see it in action
W
ith a new era of carrier
aviation on the horizon, Royal
Naval Air Station Culdrose in
Cornwall recently launched
its first exercise to ensure
the station is carrier ready. Held between
November 13 and 22, 2017, Exercise Kernow
Flag (Kernow is Cornish for Cornwall) was a
ten-day exercise aimed at preparing it further
for operations on board HMS Queen Elizabeth
(R08), the Royal Navy’s brand-new flagship
aircraft carrier. Kernow Flag was staged while
HMS Queen Elizabeth was underway during
two months of sea trials.
Home to carrier aviation
Employing over 3,000 personnel, Culdrose
has a crucial role to play training aircrew, flight
deck operators and other carrier support staff,
as well as providing aircraft to support future
carrier operations. Commanding Officer of
Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose Captain Dan
Stembridge, a naval aviator with extensive
experience of carrier operations on the Sea
Harrier FA2 and F/A-18E Super Hornets from
US Navy super carriers, explained: “RNAS
Culdrose is essential to the delivery of the
UK’s carrier strike capability. For us to be
Merlin HM2s prepare to touch down on HMS Seahawk’s flight deck attended by Royal Navy flight deck handlers. All photos Ian Harding unless stated
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able to deliver our part in this, we need to
ensure our personnel have the right skills
and mindsets required for aircraft carrier
operations. Culdrose will provide the vast
majority of the aircrew for the carrier task
group that will protect the carrier alongside
Type 45 destroyers, Type 23 and Type 26
frigates, submarines and the new RFA class
tankers. During the ten-day exercise, we
flew over 600 hours around the clock, in five
different aircraft types operating with ships
and submarines in order to prove our carrier
abilities. Throughout Kernow Flag, the air
station operated as if it was on board HMS
Queen Elizabeth, and tested all aspects, from
engineering to the supply chain through to
the front end of flying.”
Carrier culture
Discussing Kernow Flag with AIR International,
Culdrose Operations Officer and Exercise
Control (EXCON) Battle Force Commander
Lieutenant Commander Craig Whitson-
Fay said the event took a year to plan and
represented a major undertaking involving
aircrew, engineers, flight deck operators, fire
crews, logistics, chefs, administration staff
and contractors: “The exercise enabled us
to relearn some of the carrier lessons we
have lost. It brought us closer together as a
naval air station as we practised those skills
operating with fixed and rotary-wing aircraft.
With HMS Queen Elizabeth operating close
to Culdrose, our job as the carrier air wing
was to work up the aircrew, engineers and
all the support functions to ensure we can
launch and recover aircraft on time. This will
ensure the ship is fit for purpose and can
deliver whatever effect is required on time.
Kernow Flag was less about the operational
aspects of the aircraft and how specific tactics
are performed – our squadrons understand
their specialist roles well – and more
about changing operational cultures and
behaviours.”
Following the loss of the Harrier GR9s
and therefore a fixed-wing carrier capability
in 2010, Fleet Air Arm rotary-wing carrier
operations have been very different. There
are certain space limitations and operational
constraints that apply aboard a carrier when
fixed and rotary assets are combined that do
not apply when operating from a land base
or a single-spot ship. In these situations, the
rotary component has more operational
freedom and latitude.
 ROYAL NAVY CARRIER AIR WING MILITARY

wing work-up

An F-35 Ground Training Aid (GTA) is towed into position on deck by Royal Navy flight deck handlers. Built of fibre-glass, GTAs are dubbed faux fighters and enable
handlers to get used to the size and weight of a real F-35B; each GTA is fitted with water tanks to simulate fuel and weapons loads between 16 and 24 tonnes. Four
are assigned to the School of Flight Deck Operations.

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MILITARY ROYAL NAVY CARRIER AIR WING
Lt Cdr Whitson-Fay explained: “Operations
to and from the flight deck are constrained
and tightly controlled to the minute, so that
fixed and rotary-wing assets can operate in
the same space. We have a whole generation
of good naval aviators who are not used
to operating within such tight constraints.
Kernow Flag was about us relearning
the lessons of old, operating within tight
constraints, starting with the basic steps of
departing and arriving back on time, to the
minute.
“A key element of the exercise was to
create complexity and extra confusion that
the ship’s personnel will encounter as they
aim to meet the carrier and their squadron’s
flight programmes, plus the objectives of the
specific operation they are supporting. All
three elements must come together for the
ship to operate and function, but it’s not just
about aviation; maintenance and engineering
must also work effectively. Logistics, supplies
and administration must be tested and
personnel need to eat.
“Without these elements working together
there is no aviation capability. We therefore
set out our daily plan, worked out where the
conflicts of interest were and aligned them
so that aircraft could leave and arrive back on
time.”
New generation
Lt Nick Allen, a Merlin pilot assigned to 820
Naval Air Squadron (NAS) and one of the new
generation of aircrew to benefit from the
exercise, was one of the first pilots to land
a Merlin on HMS Queen Elizabeth during
recent sea and deck trials. He previously
flew from HMS Ocean (L12) and explained
the importance of Kernow Flag from an
“During the ten-day exercise, we flew over 600 hours around
the clock, in five different aircraft types operating with
ships and submarines in order to prove our carrier abilities.”
Commanding Officer of Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose, Captain Dan Stembridge
A typical flight deck scene of the future
with Merlin HM2s and an F-35, in this
case a Ground Training Aid.
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operational perspective: “The important part
of this exercise was testing and experiencing
the time-critical elements first hand. It all
starts with the daily flight programme. If
fixed-wing movements are scheduled [Hawk
T1As], rotary assets cannot move from the
deck at the same time. Our operating time
on deck is therefore limited, because of their
[fixed-wing] long take-off and departure
profile. In general, we would be able to
operate from the deck approximately ten
minutes either side of fixed-wing aircraft.
“We therefore apply the procedures
used during land-based or single-spot ship
operations. In terms of our [rotary-wing]
planning and briefing, for an average sortie
we brief 75 minutes prior to launch. With 30
minutes to go, we walk to the aircraft. For
a more complicated sortie the brief may be
done further in advance, and that brief can
itself take some hours to prepare.
“During Kernow Flag, we received a strict
time slot for departure, and if we couldn’t
meet that time for any reason, communication
guidelines were stringently applied to
maintain deck safety. For future carrier
operations, we would talk directly with the
flight coordinator in the operations room
who would then decide if we should stand
down or if our flight will be rescheduled. This
process was simulated at Culdrose using a
separate communications channel within our
own squadron. Our designated operations
personnel then called it in with exercise
control, who then took the decision whether
to depart or stand down.”
Aviation
Every front-line squadron based at Culdrose
participated in Kernow Flag: 814, 820, 824
and 829 NAS flying the Merlin HM2, the Sea
King ASaC7-equipped 849 NAS, Hawk T1As
from 736 NAS and Avenger T1s from 750
NAS. Aircrew from all four Merlin squadrons
were pooled, as they will be during carrier
operations. Ships assigned to Flag Officer
Sea Training operating in training areas of the
south coast, a Walrus-class submarine from
the Royal Netherlands Navy, and Royal Navy
fast patrol boats were also involved. Some
anti-submarine warfare (ASW) serials involved
Dutch NH90 NFH helicopters that were
deployed to Culdrose to conduct deep-water
ASW training.
Objectives
A sense of realism was at the heart of the
three exercise objectives: achieve 350 flying
hours during the period; achieve 60% aircraft
serviceability across engineering; and only
operate using a similar deployed stores pack
used on current deployments. This tested both
engineering capability and the supply chain
to ensure they fit and function correctly, so
personnel could adjust and react to life aboard
a carrier and second-guess scenarios.
It was essential for a live exercise to take
place so the results and lessons learned could
be closely scrutinised to help determine the
correct number of Merlin helicopters required
given the number assigned to overseas
operations, developmental testing and in
planned maintenance. Nine Merlin HM2s were
assigned to Kernow Flag; the Fleet Air Arm has
a fleet of 30.
Command and control
Nerve centre for Kernow Flag was EXCON,
with the primary role of replicating planning
and decision-making functions undertaken

Two F-35B Ground Training Aids, a Merlin HM2 and two Sea Harrier FA2s on the dummy deck, dubbed HMS
Seahawk, during Exercise Kernow Flag. Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose photo section/Royal Navy
by a Battle Watch team in conjunction with
its air operations centre. The Battle Watch
team had responsibility for delivering a daily
flying programme within the evolving exercise
scenario. EXCON also ensured key personnel
were able to continually assess and appraise
the Task Group’s position relative to the set
objectives, and to identify and learn lessons as
the exercise progressed.
Forward planning on a rolling 72-hour basis,
EXCON was also responsible for booking
aircraft, helicopters, airspace and ensuring
communications and frequencies were
maintained to enable the ship’s company to
complete its tasks.
Lt Cdr Whitson-Fay spoke about the
preparedness to deal with emergencies that
can arise aboard a ship: “Aircraft become
unserviceable and a solution must be found.
The key is ensuring everyone gets the right
information at the right time to take action.
Whatever the situation, we task the most
appropriate assets to meet the threat, taking
account of the variables at the time. If it’s a
submarine threat, our Merlin’s will be tasked;
if there is an increased air threat, our Sea King
ASaC7s [Crowsnest-equipped Merlin HM2s
in the future] supported by our jets [F-35B
Lightning IIs in the future] will do that; if it’s a
surface threat, then tasking may comprise a
combination of types.”
EXCON’s planning for Kernow Flag included
a variety of potential mission eventualities
with interaction from air, surface and sub-
surface assets, so the future Task Group could
anticipate repelling an aggressive force to
stabilise a region.
While ASW and anti-surface warfare
missions involving Merlin and Sea Kings
featured prominently, other important types
of missions were practised. These were air
defence, humanitarian assistance, search
and rescue using patrol boats, vertical
replenishment, replenishment at sea,
underslung load (USL) lifts and manoeuvres to
deter jet ski attacks.
Action stations
On day one, multiple aircraft departed
Culdrose at 11:00hrs to simulate a mass
ROYAL NAVY CARRIER AIR WING MILITARY
embarkation on to an aircraft carrier at sea;
six Merlin HM2s, two Sea King ASaC7s, four
Hawk T1As and one Avenger T1 performed a
formation fly past over the aircraft carrier HMS
Seahawk (RNAS Culdrose), before elements
of the rotary-wing contingent landed on a
dummy flight deck.
Awaiting them were Royal Navy flight
deck handlers, all initially trained at Culdrose
and presently training on board HMS Queen
Elizabeth. The dummy deck used for the
exercise is a permanent facility used by the
Royal Navy School of Flight Deck Operations
based at Culdrose. Each year, the school trains
over 2000 personnel in flight deck operations
in a realistic confined environment using both
ground training aircraft, which include F-35
replica aircraft, and live Sea Harrier FA2s.
Mission intensity grew as the simulated war
developed. Week one saw basic flying and deck
activity indicative of a carrier air wing making
preparations for combat. Programme and
A Merlin HM2 assigned to 820 Naval Air Squadron with HMS Queen Elizabeth titles.
tasking during the first week included basic
simulated deck operations, fast jet air defence
serials, winching, USL lifts and combined anti-
submarine exercise (CASEX) serials. Operational
tempo further increased over the weekend
when Merlin and Sea King ASaC7s conducted
SAR and winching exercises with four P2000
patrol boats and large-scale inert CASEX
missions. Two Merlin HM2s operating in unison
as a dip-gang, a reference to the type’s primary
ASW role, hunting for an inert submarine using
a Lockheed Mk39 EMATT (Expendable Mobile
ASW Training Target). This is a programmable
unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) used to
simulate the acoustic and magnetic signatures
of a submarine for ASW training. An EMATT
UUV can be programmed on predetermined
nautical headings, to change route, speed up,
slow down and emit different sounds just as a
live submarine would to disguise its presence.
The latest version of the Mk39 has a maximum
speed of 8kts (14km/h) and can operate to
depths of 600ft (183m) with an endurance
of up to ten hours, depending on the speed
programmed.
Week two featured a SWARMEX, a swarm
exercise, involving multiple jet skis and small
fast boats attacking a ship underway in
Falmouth Bay countered by Merlin helicopters
armed with M3M machine guns to repel the
swarm, which in a real scenario could involve
jet skis and fast boats each packed with high
explosives.
Another large-scale CASEX involved
Dutch NH90s and Merlin HM2s working
cooperatively to hunt and strike the Dutch
Walrus-class submarine.
Acid test
Kernow Flag was a demanding exercise
designed to test man, machine and processes.
The ten-day event represented the next stage
of the ongoing process of carrier development
by Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose. Primarily
about developing operational culture and
behaviour, its acid test will be the lessons
learned by both the Fleet Air Arm and the
Royal Navy and a clearer view of the future.
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