The Interim Red Air Aggressor Training Service (IRAATS) delivered its first ‘Operational Readiness Training’ sortie to the Royal Air Force on 20 December, 2022.
The Royal Air Force say here that an L-159E ‘Honey Badger’ aircraft provided threat replication to a Typhoon from 41 Test and Evaluation Squadron in the training airspace over the North Sea.
“The opportunity to train against dissimilar aircraft flown by experienced pilots, and using unfamiliar tactics, is considered essential operational training for front-line squadrons. The first of its kind in the UK, IRAATS will see civilian company Draken Europe deliver a medium to fast-speed aggressor training service using its fleet of civil-registered Aero Vodochody L-159Es, a Czech-built light multi-role combat training aircraft.”
Air Commodore ‘Cab’ Townsend, RAF’s Senior Responsible Owner for the capability, was quoted as saying:
“I am absolutely delighted to announce that the RAF’s exciting new ‘Red Air’ aggressor service has delivered its first training sortie to the Combat Air Force. This capability will truly challenge our Combat Air pilots, training them more effectively for future operations. The contract was delivered through competition in a very short timescale, from inception to contract signature, and done so by a whole force team. It is timely, affordable, deliverable and provides Defence with excellent value for money.”
The RAF add that this sortie was the first training delivered by IRAATS, and the programme will now build to full operating capability with eight L-159Es from January 2023.
The contract was awarded back in April.
🚨 BREAKING NEWS | Draken Europe has won a six-year contract to provide 'aggressor' aircraft and pilots for RAF pilots to "fight" against. The new 'Interim Red Air Aggressor Training Service' (IRAATS) will use the L-159E Honey Badger, replacing the retired Hawk T1s in this role. pic.twitter.com/rMfrjtTEuq
— George Allison (@geoallison) April 8, 2022
What is Dissimilar Air Combat Training?
Dissimilar air combat training (DACT) is a type of military training that involves the use of aircraft from different branches of the military or from different countries. The purpose of DACT is to improve the combat readiness and capabilities of military pilots by providing them with the opportunity to engage in simulated air-to-air combat with aircraft that have different capabilities and characteristics than their own.
During DACT, pilots fly against aircraft that are different from their own in terms of size, speed, agility, and armament. The goal of DACT is to expose pilots to different types of aircraft and to help them develop tactics and strategies for engaging and defeating a wide range of potential adversaries.
DACT can be conducted in a variety of ways, including using live aircraft, simulators, and computer-generated simulations. It is often conducted as part of military exercises or drills and can involve pilots from different branches of the military or from different countries.
DACT is an important part of military training because it helps pilots to stay sharp and to be ready for the wide range of challenges they may encounter in real-world combat situations.
Was a red air capability and aggressor squadron not the previous plan for tranche 1 typhoon?
It was rumoured, but unsure if ever anything concrete.
Article says value for money. Is there a comparison available for operation of 100 Sqn Hawk vs a contractor service?
As usual with cuts, the requirement does not go away. So long term, will this cost more, given the requirement for profit?
😎 Correct
And not just 100 Sqn, 736 NAS too. So 8 aircraft replace 2 squadrons worth.
And do these 8 aircraft have the capacity to train JTACSTU too? And provide aggressor AC to the fleet for Thursday war?
Just seems like doing more or the same with less, while taking an asset off the books while the need remains.
I hope, assume availability is better than Hawk T1.
I can’t see how long term it’s cheaper. Those private aircrew and ground staff won’t be working for minimum wage or paltry pension pots. Far from it! Unlike forces personnel they can up sticks easily and go where the best money is on offer. I can’t see how maintenance of a small niche fleet is cheaper either, logic would say the cheapest fleet to run would be to piggy back aggressor aircraft buys on your fast jet training fleet, preferably using a type used by other countries, economies of scale, lots of spares available in mass with ongoing manufacturer support.… Read more »
In theory it’s cheaper because it’s ‘pay-as-you-go’ – i.e. you don’t pay when your not using the service. It depends on how much use they get – I assume Drakken are guaranteed a minimum number of flying hours.
Cost analysis by the DOD in the USA proves otherwise – Drakens contract with A4s and L159s replaced two aggressor F15 squadrons at Nellis and was cost effective as was the Draken Ex military pilots against serving USA fighter pilots with masses of experience at peace time and at war
No pension contributions, no NI contributions, no holiday pay for a start. I expect it does work out cheaper
And I forgot, IX Sqn also has an aggressor role I think with FGR4.
Don’t forget it’s not just speed that wins the fight – Radar capability and pilot experience are equally important and Draken have a great set up to make our RAF pilots even better
The Hawk T1 jets are expensive to maintain due to their age and obsolescence in supply chain spares and repairs. The natural and expected outcome previously was that the requirements would be taken up by the new Hawk T2, Unfortunately only 28 T2s were bought exclusively for training (compared to 176 T1s) so other service requirements like DACT, RAFAT etc have soldiered on with T1 with no UK replacement. Shambles really. Even the training is suffering now with the on-going problems with the T2 RR Adour engines. What angers me is the narrative put out by the RAF that everything… Read more »
Exactly. A mere 28. The MoD/HMG are past masters at spin, it takes sites like this for posters to expose as much of it as possible for what it is.
That in itself changes nothing, however, it gives some satisfaction at least exposing stuff.
It appears the only time HMG/MOD change tact from their shameful actions (like the 2% spend commitment) is when the US exposes it and shames the UK Government of the day takes action. I wonder whether it’s because the MOD see Finland, Sweden coming into NATO and Norway buying increased amounts and they see it as an opportunity to keep cutting? At the present rate, the UK will end up as the 4th Military in Europe behind Germany, France and Poland. Shameful, bloody shameful. If only I could have 5 minutes with Fishy Rish/Jeremy Cnut and tell him what’s on… Read more »
👍
The uk will be the biggest country and economy in Europe by 2040’s so that’s unlikely if we maintain the 2%.
That’s a bold statement. What kind of time travel machine did you use to get to 2040. Can I borrow it to see the results of the 2.30 at ascot.😀😀
More seriously where did u read this. I’m genuinely interested
it’s down to simple demographics, Germany’s population is more aged than ours less people working and more receiving pensions and it’s only getting worse, this has been a phenomenon known for years, though overall the UK will drop in the world league table as populous countries like India and Brazil etc become more productive.
Here’s one forecast:
https://www.pwc.co.uk/press-room/press-releases/regions/northern-ireland/world-in-2050.html
Thanks. It’s from 2017 but offers an i interesting view. If and it’s a big if the uk can remain a large player in the financial game and get import/export issues back to pre brexit it should be ok.
So you don’t want to spend the money needed to defend yourselves and want to do what Germany and some other EU countries do and leech on the American taxpayer for your defense?
Yawn
Start protesting by writing to your MP. If enough people on sites like this start doing that significant numbers of MPs will begin to take defence seriously.
I thought that Navy Lookout were seriously premature in renaming the site and there are lots of people on there worried by stealthy cuts too. Sometimes it is worth mobilising.
You do have to question how RAF are spending their budgets. – Forces pay is not going up – planes have not increased in cost massively Why the inability to train pilots? It, like NHS, is mostly to do with too rigid budget pots. So the ultimate Squadron doesn’t have a space budget so they can’t move there. However, they are being paid where they are. Often the cost £Xm is quoted as the cost of a fast jet pilot but at the qualification rate we are seeing that is a tiny part of the RAF’s multi billion pound budget.… Read more »
Armed Forces personnel will receive a 3.75% increase (3.5% for senior officers) in base pay for financial year 2022/23.
Draken will help immensely with the training these Draken ex military pilots and aircraft are great and reliable and be invaluable to the RAF at this time
They are also underpowered so don’t really replicate the types of aircraft the Russians and Chicoms have.
You forgot the buzzword soup
– synthetic training
– blended experience: maybe they do catering?
I agree the biggest threat by far is RAF lack of training capacity.
Daft paying pilots to fly desks who want to fly. Virtually impossible to have too many qualified pilots as every war shows….as every game possible is rotated in and out of use….
The L159 is more than a match for the Hawk also the radar is far better on the L159 as the RAF will find out. Note these pilots are mostly USA ex military fighter pilots with years of experience including F35 and top gun instructors amongst them. They WILL give the RAF a run for their money. Costs will be significantly less than home squadron overheads as the USA military found out on their cost analysis when they used them as aggressors and they have masses of spares both at home in the USA and also in the Czech Republic… Read more »
Correct should never dispanded 100 sqn
Hawk T1A does not have radar, unlike the L159E, so it’s comparing apples and oranges. The Honeybadgers can simulate all-weather fighters.
Draken also has F-1M mirages so it seems they were specifically after something slower.
This is excellent news, which for once shows, genuine progress towards dealing with the poor state of the RAF’s training system in getting newly commissioned recruits through Flying training through to frontline Squadron service. Lets hope this is the start of a reinvigorated training system that continues on an upwards trajectory from 2023 and beyond.
Teesside airspace has certainly been very busy lately, been seeing a lot of Merlins, Atlas’s and Drakens other planes coming and going. Miss the days of seeing the E3 sentry doing practice runs towards the airport.
Yup I too have noticed an increase in mil type traffic heading in and out of DTV airport.
Hi folks hope all is well.
In a similar theme, can you experts inform me of the time it takes the RAF to scramble for incoming unidentified aircraft approaching the UK. I know there is constant readynes, what is the time from ground to air?
Many thanks
Cheers
George
It will ultimately depend on the type and nature of the threat as it develops. But once the scramble order has been given the prepped QRA jet(s) can be airborne in a matter of minutes and these are then replaced immediately.
Seriously? I really hope anyone with actual knowledge of this really resist the temptation to answer! It’s a bloody secret or at least it should be
It’s not really a secret, Sky news run an article about QRA not long ago.
And an excellent one it was too. The phone to “London” I found fascinating.
👍 Hope you had a good Christmas mate. I saw an article in the Telegraph the other day saying the Defence Secretary has secured an above inflation increase in defence spending for 24/25 amounting to an extra 1.5Bn. Its not exactly 3% but in the current financial climate its probably the best that can be hoped for in the short term rasing defence spending to £50.1Bn.
Hi mate. Was pretty crap actually, but hey ho, I hope yours was better.
I didn’t see that article. It’s a positive given the circumstances, and yes we need to be realistic.
I also think longer term promises can be ignored as the government making them won’t be there.
Yes, I always took the 3% thing with a large pinch of salt. I think the next election will be closer than many expect. For Labour to do really well, they need the Scottish vote, which they don’t have. All those Glasgow and East Coast areas voted Labour back in 2010, not anymore.
To be fair mate, I hope they get them if it means the SNP back in its box.
I agree mate. Would be the best thing for the whole UK.
👍
I’m inclined to prefer Unionist candidates to stand down in each others’ strong areas by agreement, so we can begin to cut a few heads off the SNP viper.
Ah yes, the union vote is split 3 ways.
Would wipe out plenty of SNP seats.
Bit of good news. at lest it will partly offset of inflation. Hopefully if we can just get some program such as Ajax back on track we could be moving forward
Definitely Simon. It looks increasingly like Ajax will stay. The Army must be certain the long term capability it will provide is worth the pain today.
Hopefully, the Army really needs Ajax to work, any thing else would be a disaster. and very harmful to requests for further funds
Times vary. From the pilot leaving the HAS to getting airborne can be as little as 3 minutes. Crews are normally put on standby in the cockpit when they get Intel from the control and reporting centre at RAF Boulmer, and the national Air and space operations centre at RAF High Wycombe. The threat is then evaluated, and a decision is made if we need to launch the QRA jets or not. This is not sensitive information, it’s open source on the Internet. The RAF website explains the process.
I know some on here who have more knowledge will say it’s a good idea, but this is what overseas and visiting Air Forces are for. Imagine if we had a PMC as opposing forces for us in the Royal Marines? Not only would that not be the type of military we would expect to roll over in any event, it’s not the best we could be training against. It’s akin to Manchester City training against a League 2 side all the time when they have a Champions League final coming up, albeit this training is to save the lives… Read more »
We do work other Air Force’s and carry out lots of DCAT with other units and aircraft types. But they are not always available all of the time, they have their own operational requirements to meet. While I would have preferred this service to remain as part of the RAF, we are not the only nation to use an external company for aggressor training. And this aircraft will provide a wider capability to replicate compared to Hawk T1. And its not just about aircraft type performance, but simulating tactics. I don’t know the cost benefits compared to using our own… Read more »
Is this the same company the DOD/ USAF dispensed with thier service with? 🤔
Yes, I believe so. They ended the contract at Nellis as the L-39’s do not provide adequate experience, given their relatively docile performance.
Is the aircraft chosen a challenging opponent for a Typhoon? We should have bought some ex-Soviet kit or some F16s etc.
If the aggressor aircraft is not on a par with the RAF aircraft how good will the training be?
The training provided is of an extremely high standard. And this aircraft provides much better high altitude performance compared to Hawk T1. But it’s much more about tactics then pure performance. BVR and managing the battle space is how fights are won or lost. Its not just about ACM performance.
Its a good aircraft for the role it’s in. Pity the RAF/FAA didn’t just get 24+ airframes and run them as needed. Even it’s a back up trainer.
I wonder where the Honey Badgers are stabled, there appears to be RAF stuff going on a Teesside AP ??
Interestingly you can actually trace Draken Europes pedigree back to the RN FRADU. Draken purchased Cohbam aviation services, which gave them their in into the UK airo sector. Cobham aviation was one of the fragments of the destruction of Cobham PLC. Which was sold off by its shareholders to Advent international ( a U.S. private equity/asset stripping firm, the Cobham chair and major shareholder tried to stop it but our glorious government decided to let that asset strippers take down yet another large UK company). The link comes as Cohbams original name was flight refuelling the company who ran the… Read more »
I know I come off critical on this website… But what in the actual hell is the UK doing? It’s like a unilateral disarmament for the last 40 years. It’s just very frustrating. And then the goofy government mouth pieces always postulating about how everything is world-beating and we are so very excited… Who believes that anymore?
Certainly not our enemies. That’s why Russia, China & Iran are so confident.
Not anymore. The NATO response has shown who has the real capability and depth. And we haven’t even fired a shot at anyone, not directly from NATO forces anyway. At the start of the Ukraine invasion, many on this website didn’t think we had anything in the locker to send to Ukraine, but we stepped up yet again like we always do. And shown we have large amounts in reserve and can provide capability only bettered by the Americans due to having a vastly larger economy and defence budget.
Well, no. Our ammo stocks across NATO are taking a huge hit and even the arsenal of democracy is struggling. So, not sure I agree with you.
Furthermore, the attrition of personnel and materiale on both sides would see the UK struggling.
The US and Poland are probably the only countries that could absorb those kinds of losses.
A war between NATO and Russia would not be a war of attrition. It would look a lot like Gulf war 1.
Dave, that’s a steep ask.
How long did it take for the Alliance to assemble forces for the main effort? Russia will stand still?
Russia will never be defeated until the whole of Russia is defeated. Russia will stand still?
Change can only come if we economically castrate China, choke off the petrol dollars (of terrorism), and decouple Gas from Electric prices.
We, the free world need to dominate China, put her back in her box and enable The Ukraine to destroy Orcs.
Job jobbed.
Happy Christmas and safe New Year.
You’re right David Russian pilot training is useless the NATO weapons aircraft and pilots are far superior in every aspect. F35 and Eurofighter, Typhoon, F15EX would eliminate any Russian fighter encountered.
So far the Ukraine war has not seen anything even resembling the combined arms warfare from all services that the UK and Nato is capable of.
Long range fires, ships being sunk, counter air war, precision strikes etc. Yes there would be losses but looking at Ivans performance so far against NATO weapon hand me downs they wouldnt last long…probably days before they considered a bucket of sunshine . If that happened it all gets very fraught!
Fraught?
Surely. You mean fried… 😉
I think you’re looking at things with rose tinted glasses Robert. Our stocks are seriously depleted as are the rest of Nato. I’d hardly pat ourselves on the back for not shedding NATO blood when it has cost both Ukraine & Russia so much blood & Ukraine immense suffering & damage; while it needn’t have happened in the first place had the US & UK not guaranteed at the start we’d not send troops, effectively giving Putin a green light. That’s no way to deter an aggressor, so naive, so dumb of Biden & Boris. HMG spin & military/strategic/realpolotic reality… Read more »
So what you are saying is you would happily have seen NATO drawn into a conventional conflict with Russia? That pledge would not have stopped Putin deploying his troops across the border. He thought it would be over in a few day’s. NATOs supply of weapons to Ukraine is made this a winnable conflict for Ukraine and decreasing the threat of Russia. Putin could stop this anytime he wants and saved thousands of lives. The mistake the West has made is being to cosy with Putin over the last 20 years and duped into believing Russia was now a sensible… Read more »
I think taking the threat or deterrent of NATO forces getting involved off the table at the outset was a huge mistake that enabled Putin to be so bold. That’s what I’m saying. Since then we’ve been making every effort not to get involved militarily but we might rue the day we stood off & allowed Putin to roll in free of NATO intervention or the ambiguous possibility of it. I agree fully with you that Putin could stop this any time he chooses but chooses not to & is bent on escalating & issuing madman threats liberally. We indeed… Read more »
For once I can agree with you.
O wad some Pow’r the giftie gie us
To see oursels as ithers see us!
It wad frae mony a blunder free us,
An’ foolish notion:
What airs in dress an’ gait wad lea’e us,
An’ ev’n devotion!
Not everything can be like it was in the 80s. Even the mighty US military is much smaller today then it was at the hight of the Cold War. Cuts are frustrating, but we do have some genuinely first class kit and capability. And British influence around the world is still a force to be reckoned with. The training and doctrine this country provides is still what other nations aspire to be like. The British Armed Force’s reputation overseas is still the penical of what nations look up too. We had a saying in the RN. We might not be… Read more »
It sounds twee, but the fighting spirit of both a nations armed forces and it population at large are fundamentally important in any victory in a major war or campaign. The Uk has pretty much proven it’s got ( with 82 being an example that pretty much made the USSR re-evaluate it’s likely chances of winning a European war). The problem comes when for whatever reason a nation misjudges another nations fighting spirit, which is what Putin has done with Ukraine.
You don’t come off critical at all, as that would mean you have reasoned arguments, you just come off as a sad jealous UK hating saddo! Maybe a Brit squaddie banged you out for talking when you should have been listening, or maybe Mrs Esteban just simply got banged….who knows what put that large chip on your shoulder, no one really cares. But you need to get over it, move on and man up 👜
Interesting. Perhaps it is time for the army to update its OPFOR vehicles – CVR(T)s Sturgeon and Salamander and LandRovers.
Good Morning Gents. Slightly off subject why do the Honey Badgers not have swept wings? Is that just down to the age of the design? From memory, even some very early British Jets-from the Fifties had swept wings
It’s not an ancient design, the L159E was aquired by Drakken in 2014, and are upgraded ex-Czech airforce aircraft, built in the late 1990s. Yes the L159 evolved from the L-39 Albatros, which was built from the late 1960s- to the ’80s, but is a new design. As a subsonic advanced trainer / light attack aircraft swept wings are not a major requirement.
Hardly a worthy opponent for a Typhoon or F35 and certainly NOT representative of the type of opponent aircraft the UK may face. It would have been better to retain some legacy Typhoons and operate them as an red force unit with a secondary UK air defence role.
Depends how they are flown, and what they are simulating. Most British training areas are used for low-level and maritime training (due to the weather and geography), wheras other NATO training areas speciliase in air-to-air combat (in Italy and the US). At least the L-139 has an air-to-air / air-to-ground radar, unlike Hawk.
Swept wings evolved to allow transonic and supersonic flight. If top speed is 500 knots or less, unswept wings are fine, giving greater lift and manoeuvrability at low altitudes. Tornado had variable wings- maximum sweep for high speed at altitude with unswept used for take off and landing. Aeralis are proposing a choice of wings for their new jet- straight for the basic trainer and swept for advanced training and light combat.
Aeralis the Lego of aircraft. Put a bit here, swap that bit and it’s 5 in 1.
I can’t see it working. Could u imagine how hard and complicated it would be. It will need to have a flight control system that can deal with different wings, cockpits, engines and what ever other bits are planned to be changeable. Then all these different bits are going to need to be stored.
There is a reason this hasn’t been done before.
I wish them lots of luck.
Thank you James and Peter for your explanations. Remember the variable sweep Tornado and F111 well Pete- a technology that seems to have gone out of favour!
What no one has mentioned is the nationality of the pilots.
Now, add in a training opportunity for Ukrainian pilots and not only do you have dissimilar aircraft but pilots with real world experience of flying soviet tactics. Just a thought.
So which private company provides this service?
Draken
Is Drakken etc based at DTV ( Teesside) airport, I’ve seen a few unfamiliar airframes in recent weeks over that way?
Yes, they also opporate Falcon 20 business jets as EW platforms from there and Bournemouth Airport in Dorset. On that note does anyone know of plans for the L159s to opporate from Bournemouth? The Falcons there would often work with 736NAS Hawks providing aggressor work for RN ships in the Channel. With the Hawks out of service what plays the part of missiles/fast air? As for L159s not being a match for Typhoon/F35 they don’t always have to be. Some of the training they provide will be for the OCUs and In training Fighter Controllers. You don’t need to waste… Read more »