Exercise Diamond Storm 24, one of the most challenging training activities of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), was concluded in the country’s Northern Territory on June 27, 2024.

The three-week exercise is the culminating phase of part of a series of exercises that comprise the six-month long Air Warfare Instructor Course (AWIC). 

AWIC encompasses a range of academic activities and practical exercises that expose the candidates to complex scenarios, broadening and improving their skills.

Exercise Diamond Storm tested the planning and decision-making skills of candidate Air Warfare Instructors across nine distinct roles and categories, including fighter combat, surveillance roles, air mobility, intelligence and combat control teams.

Image: Australian Defence

During the course of Exercise Diamond Storm 24, flying missions were conducted in the air spaces around Darwin, Tindal, Curtin, Bradshaw Field Training Area, and Delamere Air Weapons Range. 

AWIC candidates have gone through immersive training environment to conduct complex mission scenarios, integrating platforms including F-35A Lightning II, F/A-18F Super Hornet, EA-18G Growler, E-7A Wedgetail and ground-based C2 capabilities, C-130J Hercules, P-8A Poseidon, KC-30A, and Combat Controllers.

Image: Australian Defence

“People are our most important capability, and AWIC graduates aviators who are world-class air power practitioners,” Air Commodore Adrian Maso, Commander of Air Warfare Centre said in a statement.

“During Exercise Diamond Storm 24, the candidate instructors combined their own experience with what they have learned in AWIC’s academic study, and practiced through a live training curriculum,” Maso added.

According to the Australian Department of Defence, the instructors will return to their respective workforces as “humble, knowledgeable, and approachable experts within their fields of expertise.”

“The skills and experience they gain on Exercise Diamond Storm 24 give us confidence that we can credibly respond to contemporary threats in our region, in accordance with Australia’s strategy of denial,” Maso said.

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