Air Warfare Centre
Encyclopedia
The Air Warfare Centre, known as the AWC, is a Royal Air Force
research and testing organization based at RAF Waddington
in Lincolnshire
in the United Kingdom
. It has a training branch nearby as a lodger unit of RAF Cranwell
and other branches elsewhere, including at, High Wycombe, Brize Norton, Boscombe Down, Coningsby and Odiham
AWC's motto is "Arma Judicare Consilium Dare" which means To test the weaponry and give advice.
by developing and implementing operational-level and tactical-level air doctrine
. Additionally, the Air Warfare Centre is home to the tri-service Defence Electronic Warfare Centre which contributes to the operational capability of the three British armed forces by providing Electronic Warfare support directly to the Permanent Joint Headquarters
in Northwood and to various operational units. The Commandant of the Air Warfare Centre is Air Commodore
Edward Stringer who took over from Air Commodore Julian Stinton in November 2009.
The Air Warfare Centre Mission is to contribute to the military capability of Air Command
by developing and implementing operational and tactical doctrine and providing essential and timely integrated mission support to RAF operational units in peace and in war. Additionally, the Air Warfare Centre, as host to the collocated Defence Electronic Warfare Centre, contributes to the military capability of all 3 Services by providing Electronic Warfare
(EW) support direct to Permanent Joint Headquarters
(PJHQ) and all operational units.
, Army
, RAF and civilian personnel. Operational level Doctrine and Development (D&D) issues are addressed as part of the remit of the Doctrine and Collective Training staff of the Operations Division, in addition to their responsibilities for providing (in conjunction with the Liaison Officers from the Royal Navy, Army and USAF) operational support to air and joint headquarters and training tasks. The great majority of the remainder of Air Warfare Centre personnel provide: tactical level mission support in the form of production and maintenance of the Defence Electronic Warfare Database; Electronic Warfare Operational Support (EWOS) for all aircraft, ships and some Army units; operational evaluation of all aircraft types, associated equipment and weapons through the various Test and Evaluation Squadrons; administration and instruction of all joint air warfare courses. Scientific support to all Air Warfare Centre activities is provided by the Operational Analysis staff.
There are 6 separate, albeit integrated, areas of responsibility as follows:
, both in conceptual terms and in practical terms: it is also responsible for shaping, and preparing for, the Test and Evaluation (T&E) of new capabilities to the Air environment, such as Joint Combat Aircraft
). Operations Division is responsible for the development of Air Command and Control capability through workshop, study and experimentation. In addition, it provides Tactical Leadership and Combined Qualified Weapons Instructor training, and it co-ordinates the activities of the Command and Battlespace Management (Air) Working Group. Within Operations Division, the Information Operations Group is responsible for Operational Security (OPSEC) training and the integration of kinetic and non-kinetic effects within collective training exercises.
), 7006(VR) Squadron, 7010(VR) Squadron and 7630(VR) Squadron RAuxAF and is Operational Sponsor for the Operations Support (Intelligence) Specialisation and Intelligence Analyst (Intelligence) Trade.
, the tri-service Rotary Wing Test and Evaluation Squadron (RWTES) and the Empire Test Pilot School (ETPS) at MOD Boscombe Down, and 17 (R) Sqn and 41 (R) Sqn
at RAF Coningsby
. Much of its activity at Boscombe Down is conducted in partnership with the defence science and technology company, QinetiQ
, as part of the Aircraft Test & Evaluation Collaboration (ATEC). The Heavy Aircraft Test Squadron
was formerly responsible for testing heavy aircraft.
, the Unmanned Aerial Systems T&E Squadron, the trials coordination cell and all military personnel employed as fixed/rotary-wing mission systems / air launched munitions specialists who directly support Air T&E activity. This division are also the prime interface between the AWC, QinetiQ and the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
T&E Simulation and Training Project Team, providing a focus for MOD programmes at Boscombe Down supported under the Long Term Partnering Agreement. The T&E Division is commanded by the AWC’s principal engineer and is responsible to the Commandant AWC for all professional engineering matters.
mission is "To enable the delivery by air of manpower, machines and materiel through development, trials and training, in order to enhance Defence Capability.”
The Unit is located at RAF Brize Norton
and comprises 124 [Royal Navy, Army, Royal Air Force and Civil Service] personnel commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel.
in 1922, "Remember that the one thing to which you should at all times apply your thoughts and brains is the expansion of the power of material and personnel without increasing either".
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
research and testing organization based at RAF Waddington
RAF Waddington
RAF Waddington is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire, England.-Formation:Waddington opened as a Royal Flying Corps flying training station in 1916 until 1920, when the station went into care and maintenance....
in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It has a training branch nearby as a lodger unit of RAF Cranwell
RAF Cranwell
RAF Cranwell is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire close to the village of Cranwell, near Sleaford. It is currently commanded by Group Captain Dave Waddington...
and other branches elsewhere, including at, High Wycombe, Brize Norton, Boscombe Down, Coningsby and Odiham
AWC's motto is "Arma Judicare Consilium Dare" which means To test the weaponry and give advice.
History
It was established in October 1993 and serves RAF Air CommandRAF Air Command
Air Command is the only Command currently active in the Royal Air Force. It was formed by the merger of Royal Air Force Strike and Personnel and Training Commands on 1 April 2007, and has its headquarters at RAF High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire....
by developing and implementing operational-level and tactical-level air doctrine
Doctrine
Doctrine is a codification of beliefs or a body of teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the body of teachings in a branch of knowledge or belief system...
. Additionally, the Air Warfare Centre is home to the tri-service Defence Electronic Warfare Centre which contributes to the operational capability of the three British armed forces by providing Electronic Warfare support directly to the Permanent Joint Headquarters
Permanent Joint Headquarters
The Permanent Joint Headquarters is the British tri-service headquarters from where all overseas military operations are planned and controlled. It is situated at Northwood Headquarters in Northwood, London....
in Northwood and to various operational units. The Commandant of the Air Warfare Centre is Air Commodore
Air Commodore
Air commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Edward Stringer who took over from Air Commodore Julian Stinton in November 2009.
The Air Warfare Centre Mission is to contribute to the military capability of Air Command
Air Command
Air Command may refer to:* Royal Canadian Air Force, known as Air Command from 1968 to 2011* RAAF Air Command * RAF Air Command * Air Command International Gyrocopter manufacturers....
by developing and implementing operational and tactical doctrine and providing essential and timely integrated mission support to RAF operational units in peace and in war. Additionally, the Air Warfare Centre, as host to the collocated Defence Electronic Warfare Centre, contributes to the military capability of all 3 Services by providing Electronic Warfare
Electronic warfare
Electronic warfare refers to any action involving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum or directed energy to control the spectrum, attack an enemy, or impede enemy assaults via the spectrum. The purpose of electronic warfare is to deny the opponent the advantage of, and ensure friendly...
(EW) support direct to Permanent Joint Headquarters
Permanent Joint Headquarters
The Permanent Joint Headquarters is the British tri-service headquarters from where all overseas military operations are planned and controlled. It is situated at Northwood Headquarters in Northwood, London....
(PJHQ) and all operational units.
Structure
Based at RAF Waddington, and eleven other locations throughout the UK, the primary mission of the Air Warfare Centre is the provision of timely integrated mission support to the front line. The Defence Electronic Warfare Centre is an integral part and is jointly staffed by Royal NavyRoyal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
, Army
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
, RAF and civilian personnel. Operational level Doctrine and Development (D&D) issues are addressed as part of the remit of the Doctrine and Collective Training staff of the Operations Division, in addition to their responsibilities for providing (in conjunction with the Liaison Officers from the Royal Navy, Army and USAF) operational support to air and joint headquarters and training tasks. The great majority of the remainder of Air Warfare Centre personnel provide: tactical level mission support in the form of production and maintenance of the Defence Electronic Warfare Database; Electronic Warfare Operational Support (EWOS) for all aircraft, ships and some Army units; operational evaluation of all aircraft types, associated equipment and weapons through the various Test and Evaluation Squadrons; administration and instruction of all joint air warfare courses. Scientific support to all Air Warfare Centre activities is provided by the Operational Analysis staff.
There are 6 separate, albeit integrated, areas of responsibility as follows:
Development Division
Development Division is responsible for de-risking the future of airpowerAirpower
Airpower or air power comprises the application of military strategy and strategic theory to the realm of aerial warfare. Airpower is difficult to define and lacks a widely agreed definition as it represents a "complex operating environment that has been subjected to considerable debate".British...
, both in conceptual terms and in practical terms: it is also responsible for shaping, and preparing for, the Test and Evaluation (T&E) of new capabilities to the Air environment, such as Joint Combat Aircraft
Joint Combat Aircraft
The Joint Combat Aircraft is the official designation of the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence used for the F-35 Lightning II, formerly the Joint Strike Fighter, and the result of the Joint Strike Fighter Program.-Programme history:...
Operations Division
Operations Division co-ordinates and provides Integrated Mission Support (IMS) for operations, training and trials. Included in the Division's responsibilities are the development, dissemination and teaching of Air Environmental Doctrine, Air Warfare Training and the co-ordination of Synthetic Command and Control Training as well as wargaming, developing air tactics and weaponeering (92 SqnNo. 92 Squadron RAF
No. 92 Squadron, also known as No 92 Squadron, of the Royal Air Force was formed as part of the Royal Flying Corps at London Colney as a fighter squadron on 1 September 1917. It deployed to France in July 1918 and saw action for just four months, until the end of the war. During the conflict it...
). Operations Division is responsible for the development of Air Command and Control capability through workshop, study and experimentation. In addition, it provides Tactical Leadership and Combined Qualified Weapons Instructor training, and it co-ordinates the activities of the Command and Battlespace Management (Air) Working Group. Within Operations Division, the Information Operations Group is responsible for Operational Security (OPSEC) training and the integration of kinetic and non-kinetic effects within collective training exercises.
Operations Support Division
Operations Support Division provides timely, fused, all-source operational air intelligence support and intelligence planning. It acts as the focus for targeting issues and supports the Air Warfare Centre's Integrated Mission Support responsibilities. It is responsible for the management of the Defence Electronic Warfare Centre and specifically for the maintenance and segmental development of the database, as well as the provision of associated data and information to all 3 Services, including the provision of the national Electronic Order of Battle. The Division encompasses 591 Signals Unit (RAF DigbyRAF Digby
RAF Digby is a Royal Air Force station which, since March 2005, has been operated by the Ministry of Defence's Joint Service Signals Organisation, part of the Intelligence Collection Group. Formerly a training and fighter airfield, it is currently a tri-service military signals installation located...
), 7006(VR) Squadron, 7010(VR) Squadron and 7630(VR) Squadron RAuxAF and is Operational Sponsor for the Operations Support (Intelligence) Specialisation and Intelligence Analyst (Intelligence) Trade.
Operational Analysis (OA) Element
The Operational Analysis Element supports all the divisions of the AWC. It conducts studies and provides scientific and technical advice on any issue which affects the conduct of air operations. It plans, directs and manages activities to meet the scientific studies and advice requirements of Air Command. The work includes the support of test and evaluation of aircraft, weapons (air-to-air, air-to-surface and surface-to-air), countermeasures and associated systems involving the design, management, analysis and reporting of flight and ground trials. Direct support of front line operations comprises advice to HQs and tactical advice to squadrons including targeting (weapon to target matching and collateral damage modelling) and threat assessment. Higher level analysis tasks include information and influence operations, psychological effects studies and campaign effectiveness assessment.Flying Division
Flying Division is responsible for integrating air power expertise with test, evaluation, tactical-development and operational-employment activities, in order to deliver capability in support of current operations, while developing capabilities to meet requirements of the future. To achieve this, it conducts flight and ground tests to assess, develop, evaluate, and clear aircraft for the front line, together with airborne weapons and sensors. As well as trialing new or modified systems and software in order to ensure they are safe and effective, Flying Division also ensures they are delivered with mature tactics ready for operational deployment. It also conducts developmental and research flying. Flying Division is supported by, and delivers its activities through, 206 (R) SqnNo. 206 Squadron RAF
No. 206 Squadron was a Royal Air Force unit employed, until 2005, in the maritime patrol role with the Nimrod MR.2 at RAF Kinloss, Moray. It was announced in December 2004 that 206 Squadron would disband on 1 April 2005, with half of its crews being redistributed to Nos. 120 and 201 Squadrons, also...
, the tri-service Rotary Wing Test and Evaluation Squadron (RWTES) and the Empire Test Pilot School (ETPS) at MOD Boscombe Down, and 17 (R) Sqn and 41 (R) Sqn
No. 41 Squadron RAF
No. 41 Squadron of the Royal Air Force is currently the RAF's Test and Evaluation Squadron , based at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire. Its official title is "41 TES". The Squadron celebrates its 95th anniversary in 2011, and is one of the oldest RAF squadrons in existence.-First World War, 1916–1919:No...
at RAF Coningsby
RAF Coningsby
RAF Coningsby , is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire, England. It has been commanded by Group Captain Martin Sampson since 10 December 2010.-Operational units:...
. Much of its activity at Boscombe Down is conducted in partnership with the defence science and technology company, QinetiQ
QinetiQ
Qinetiq is a British global defence technology company, formed from the greater part of the former UK government agency, Defence Evaluation and Research Agency , when it was split up in June 2001...
, as part of the Aircraft Test & Evaluation Collaboration (ATEC). The Heavy Aircraft Test Squadron
Heavy Aircraft Test Squadron
The Heavy Aircraft Test Squadron at MoD Boscombe Down was responsible for the flight testing of heavy aircraft . Prior to the title of Heavy Aircraft Test Squadron the flight testing of multi-engined aircraft was conducted by 'B Squadron'...
was formerly responsible for testing heavy aircraft.
Test and Evaluation Division
T&E Division are responsible for the Joint Airborne Delivery T&E Unit, Number 56(Reserve)SquadronNo. 56 Squadron RAF
Number 56 Squadron is one of the oldest and most successful squadrons of the Royal Air Force, with battle honours from many of the significant air campaigns of both World War I and World War II...
, the Unmanned Aerial Systems T&E Squadron, the trials coordination cell and all military personnel employed as fixed/rotary-wing mission systems / air launched munitions specialists who directly support Air T&E activity. This division are also the prime interface between the AWC, QinetiQ and the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
T&E Simulation and Training Project Team, providing a focus for MOD programmes at Boscombe Down supported under the Long Term Partnering Agreement. The T&E Division is commanded by the AWC’s principal engineer and is responsible to the Commandant AWC for all professional engineering matters.
Joint Air Delivery Test and Evaluation Unit
The JADTEUJoint Air Delivery Test and Evaluation Unit
The Joint Air Delivery Test and Evaluation Unit is located at RAF Brize Norton and comprises 124 [Royal Navy, Army, Royal Air Force and Civil Service] personnel commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel....
mission is "To enable the delivery by air of manpower, machines and materiel through development, trials and training, in order to enhance Defence Capability.”
The Unit is located at RAF Brize Norton
RAF Brize Norton
RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, about west north-west of London, is the largest station of the Royal Air Force. It is close to the settlements of Brize Norton, Carterton and Witney....
and comprises 124 [Royal Navy, Army, Royal Air Force and Civil Service] personnel commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel.
Conclusion
The Air Warfare Centre has given the RAF a coherent mission support organisation for the first time in its history. However, the application of air power is an evolving science and in a similar way the Unit continues to evolve to meet any future challenges. Its guiding principle may be aptly summarised in the quotation from Lord Trenchard at the opening of the RAF Staff College, AndoverRAF Staff College, Andover
The RAF Staff College at RAF Andover was the first Royal Air Force staff college to be established. Its role was the training of officers in the administrative, staff and policy apects of air force matters.-Foundation:...
in 1922, "Remember that the one thing to which you should at all times apply your thoughts and brains is the expansion of the power of material and personnel without increasing either".
Commandants
- Air CommodoreAir CommodoreAir commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Stuart PeachStuart PeachAir Chief Marshal Sir Stuart William Peach KCB CBE FRAeS is a senior Royal Air Force officer, currently serving as the first Commander of Joint Forces Command. He was Chief of Joint Operations from March 2009 until taking up his current appointment in December 2011.-Biography:Peach was...
2000-2003 - Air CommodoreAir CommodoreAir commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Chris NickolsChris NickolsAir Marshal Christopher Mark Nickols CB CBE MA is a senior officer in the Royal Air Force who is currently Chief of Defence Intelligence.-RAF career:...
2003-2005 - Air CommodoreAir CommodoreAir commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Tim Anderson 2005-2007 - Air CommodoreAir CommodoreAir commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Julian Stinton 2007-2009 - Air CommodoreAir CommodoreAir commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Edward Stringer 2009-2011 - Air CommodoreAir CommodoreAir commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Stu Evans 2011 - date