Media release photo: Senior Airman Mackenzie Cooper.

The inaugural KC-30A multi-role transport tanker (MRTT) of the Australian Defence Force has concluded its mission in Spain, having undergone significant enhancements in communications and cyber capabilities. This aircraft, a modified Airbus A330 serving air-to-air refuelling and strategic airlift roles for the Royal Australian Air Force through No. 33 Squadron at RAAF Base Amberley, Queensland, has successfully completed a two-year Heavy Air Lift Systems Program Office (HALSPO) initiative.

The upgrades encompass secure high-frequency and very high-frequency radios, encryption devices, and tactical data link improvements. Anticipated benefits include enhanced communication safety and efficiency, improved command, control, and situational awareness, along with a substantial 300% increase in KC-30A data throughput.

Group Captain Brent Taylor, Officer Commanding 86 Wing, emphasised the significance of these advancements in augmenting combat air mobility capabilities. He noted that the modernization efforts would enable better integration and operations with other Defence and allied aircraft.

The rest of the Royal Australian Air Force’s KC-30A fleet is slated to undergo similar upgrades by 2025.

The KC-30A MRTT is equipped with two air-to-air refuelling systems: an advanced refuelling boom system on the tail and all-electric refuelling pods under each wing. These systems are controlled by an air refuelling operator in the cockpit using 2D and 3D screens. The aircraft can transfer over 100 tonnes of fuel to various platforms, including F/A-18A/B Hornets, F/A-18F Super Hornets, E/A-18G Growlers, E-7A Wedgetails, C-17A Globemaster III, P-8A, and other KC-30As.

Group Captain Russell Barton highlighted the challenge of integrating and adapting U.S. technology to a European platform during the project that now ensures enduring relevance, reliability, and state-of-the-art capability.

Hi Ray

Thanks to you and your team for the work you put into Frontline.

I have just read the article on the 17^th Construction Squadron in Frontline 13/12/23.

I am writing is see if you have contact with those that put the article together the reason being we are trying to make contact with Lancelot (Lance) Norman Sanderson 1734180 who served in 1969 with the Royal Australian Engineers 17^th Construction Squadron in Vietnam

Lance was a member of the Coolum Beach Surf Club before joining the army and his mates from that time would like to make contact if Lance can be found and is interested.

I am a current member of the Coolum Surf Club and ex 3RAR.

Thanking you in advance

Regards

Basil Caffery

Written by: Lana Starkey and Colleen Harkin

Millennials’ support for ‘socialism’ would wane if they were taught more of its true nature and tragic history, report IPA Research Fellows Lana Starkey and Colleen Harkin.

Long branded narcissistic, entitled, and politically apathetic, the ‘Me me me’ millennial generation—those born between 1980 and 2000—are now the largest voting group in Australia. If the polls are correct, their attitude towards politics can be summed up in three red emblazoned words: ‘Tax the rich’. In 2021, ‘the world’s most famous left-wing millennial’, New York Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, attended the exclusive Met gala ball wearing an ivory Brother Vellies gown with the provocative slogan emblazoned in red across the back. The stunt drew a mixed reaction with some criticising it as hypocritical while others praised Ocasio-Cortez for audaciously demanding the uber-rich cough up at their own exclusive event. Whatever the effect, the stunt was appropriately glib, and along with a rise of socialist-leaning candidates across the Anglosphere over the same period, it prompted a reassessment of generation Y’s political preferences, hitherto considered largely incoherent.

To continue reading this article click the link below.

Learn From Sad History – IPA – The Voice For Freedom

A number of weeks ago, our Association was advised by Noel McLaughlin, Chair of the RAAC Corporation, that there was an issue with Aged Care that affects veterans with DVA entitlements. The issue also affects war widows – that is widows of veterans who were either TPI or EDA, and widows who may have been issued with Gold Cards.

Basically, when any person moves into Aged Care, they are required to sign a Deed of Agreement. This apparently extinguishes the rights of the person (veteran) to pursue medical and dental treatments under their entitlements provided by the DVA. Once a veteran signs an agreement to enter aged care, that veteran is bound by the terms and conditions to use all medical/pharmaceutical/psychological and any other treatment processes the company operating the aged care facility provides. This also applies to ‘war widows’!

It is important to note, that signing the Deed of Agreement does not affect a member’s pension entitlements. Veterans will continue to receive their fortnightly pension.

The Association had experienced this situation first-hand when transport had been requested for a senior officer – in a nursing home – to attend the 50th Commemorative event for the end of the Vietnam War. DVA indicated that it was not their problem as the person concerned was living in an aged care facility, and ‘My Aged Care’ (a Federal Government department) should provide the transport. My Aged Care denied the request.

This issue has been raised at the Ex-Service Organisations Round Table (ESORT) as a matter of significance as My Aged Care has no appreciation or understanding of the unique nature of military service and the physical, psychological and cognitive/neurological consequences of service to the nation. In essence, actions such as these remove the level of comfort and security blanket that veterans, including many of us, rely on as we enter our twilight years.

The RAAC Corporation has advised that this issue is being addressed by a number of ex-service organisations. DVA has been advised that Billy Hughes stated in 1917, that ‘when you come back, we will look after you’. Senator Millen, during the Second Reading speech of the Australian Soldiers’ Repatriation Bill 1917, stated ‘I have put before the honourable senators a proposition representing the duty we owe to these returned soldiers’.

We can only hope that DVA addresses this issue to ensure that the rights of veterans are not trampled.

Russ James Secretary
1st Armoured Regiment Association

Climate change minister Chris Bowen is urging News Corp to dismiss columnist Andrew Bolt following a controversial column in which Bolt asserted that Australians are weary of “kowtowing to the primitive.” Bolt criticized Bowen’s actions at the Cop28 climate summit in Dubai, accusing him of connecting the government’s tribalism and anti-oil stance. The summit concluded with nearly 200 countries agreeing to transition away from fossil fuels.

In his address at the summit, Bowen emphasized the importance of respecting Indigenous people’s knowledge and traditions in addressing climate change. Bolt dismissed these remarks as “brainless posturing,” questioning the selective nature of Bowen’s respect and whether it extended to non-white Indigenous groups.

Bolt further criticized Bowen’s stance by contrasting it with what he perceived as the abandonment of “primitive” beliefs by non-Indigenous societies through reason and science. He specifically targeted Aboriginal people, mentioning a legal challenge against a gas project based on the disturbance of a crocodile believed to inhabit the area since the Dreamtime.

Bowen responded on social media, condemning Bolt’s characterization of First Nations people as “primitive” and calling for his dismissal by News Ltd. Bolt defended his position, clarifying that he referred to the belief in a crocodile deity, not the Aboriginal people themselves.

The column also delves into the federal court dispute between Tiwi Islanders and Santos over a proposed gas pipeline, where Indigenous beliefs about the Crocodile Man and the Rainbow Serpent were presented as evidence.

Bolt, known for opposing emissions reduction measures and dismissing climate science, has a history of promoting views contrary to mainstream climate science.

The United States has formally requested Australia to deploy a naval warship to the Middle East in response to recent attacks carried out by Iranian-backed rebels. The request follows concerns of the Israel-Hamas conflict spreading across the region, heightened by Yemen’s Houthi Militia launching missile and drone attacks targeting southern Israel and commercial ships in the Red Sea.

Confirming the request, Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers emphasized Australia’s existing involvement in maritime security in the region. The request came after the U.N. General Assembly’s non-binding resolution for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict, with Australia supporting the resolution along with 151 other countries.

Houthi rebels, sponsored by Iran, claimed responsibility for an attack on a Norwegian oil tanker, warning of targeting any ships traveling to or from Israel. The U.S. Defence Department reported three commercial ships being attacked by rebels in international waters, leading to the downing of a U.S. destroyer by missiles.

Labor MP Josh Burns acknowledged the complexity of the situation, pointing out Iran’s use of proxies like Hamas and Hezbollah to destabilize the region. Liberal Senator Jane Hume expressed Australia’s readiness to stand by its allies in the Middle East, particularly supporting Israel.

Australia, along with New Zealand and Canada, has called for urgent international efforts toward a sustainable ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese issued a joint statement expressing concern about the humanitarian conditions in Gaza and urging Hamas to release its hostages. The statement mourned the loss of innocent lives on both sides of the conflict.

After two years’ hard work, the Greek Spitfire is nearly complete. But will she fly? For the final days, all hands are on deck to get the project finished on time. Several people will be in attendance including the owners and investors of this passion project and veteran George Dunn hoping who is hoping to see his Spitfire fly again. Emotions are running high as they prepare for the maiden flight. Will it fly? Or will they see their hard work plummet? Hidden away in a little-known workshop at one of Britain’s most important wartime airbases, a team of dedicated engineers and enthusiasts are working round the clock to bring a national icon back to life. Over the course of a year and £2 million at stake, there’s no room for error as Peter Monk and his engineers try to turn a 1943 Mark IX Spitfire from rusty remains into the flying legend. This is the Spitfire Factory.

As Alexei Navalny disappears from the public eye in Russia, his spokesperson suggests it’s a Kremlin tactic to intensify his isolation during President Putin’s re-election campaign. Concerns grew after prison officials reported his absence from the inmate roster, and his associates have been unable to reach him for a week. Although the authorities confirm his transfer from the prison colony, they withhold information on his new location, following the secretive nature of Russian prison transfers. Navalny’s spokesperson fears the authorities will maintain the secrecy to limit his influence, especially after Putin’s recent announcement to seek another term. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismisses concerns about Navalny’s whereabouts, emphasizing that tracking inmates is not a priority. The U.S. expressions of concern are rejected, as Navalny remains imprisoned, serving a sentence he claims is politically motivated. Navalny, arrested in 2021 after recovering from nerve agent poisoning, has been a prominent critic of corruption and a key opposition figure.