ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE BASE DARWIN, Australia -- Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 212 recently deployed here to participate in the second phase of Southern Frontier 2003.
Since relieving Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 242, the Lancers have been able to conduct valuable core competency training they are not usually able to do in the Western Pacific region.
"Southern Frontier has been a very good training exercise for everyone in the squadron," said Lt. Col. James Bright, VMFA-212 commanding officer. "We have been flying to the Delamere Range, which has great targets and is large enough for us to fly multi-plane, opposed and highly-explosive ordnance strikes."
During the opposed strikes, Bright said the Lancers fly simulated battles against Australia's 75th F/A-18 Squadron based at RAAF Base Tidal.
"The 75th Squadron is assisting us in our training by flying as an opposing force, and their support has been very beneficial," said Bright.
In addition to the rare training opportunity the pilots have received while dropping live ordnance, they have had the additional bonus of conducting low altitude flights over Australia.
"During the low altitude training we are flying 300 feet off the ground at 500 knots, and this type of training is crucial to getting the pilots ready for real-world contingency operations," said Bright. "Any time that you have the chance to drop live ordnance, it is not only good training for the pilots, but also gives the ordnance and maintenance crew members an opportunity to load and handle the munitions."
With the support of Marine Aircraft Group 12, Marine Wing Support Squadron 171 and Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 12, Bright said the Lancers have been able to conduct their flight training to its fullest extent.
"We are out here to support the Lancers in any way we can," said Cpl. Gregory Scott, MALS-12 aviation ordnance technician. "We are working a lot of hours, but we are helping the pilots get ready for combat operations. This is also good training for us because we don't work with live ordnance everyday, so this deployment has been a good opportunity for everyone involved."