Job Details

Other Ranks (Non Technical)

It's dusk. You're skimming metres over the Indian Ocean at 600Kmh. Out of the blue, you detect a new contact on your radar.

Is that small dot an enemy submarine or a school of dolphins? Your fellow crew members aboard the AP-3C Orion Maritime Patrol aircraft eagerly await your analysis. As you direct the aircraft to fly on top of the contact you use the Magnetic Anomaly Detector to assist in classification. It's a giant school of fish. So no cause for alarm. Your aircraft resumes its patrol. You're an Airborne Electronics Analyst - an AEA.

So what is an AEA?

To put it simply, you're part of a team with responsibility for the surveillance of Australian and International waters. You're involved in search and rescue operations, the detection and identification of warships, illegal fishing boats and large merchant vessels. You are also involved in conducting above and below surface warfare.

Airborne Electronics Analysts are a unique breed. They are highly trained people who work with some of the most sophisticated electronic surveillance equipment in the world. The majority of your working day is spent aboard a long-range AP-3C Orion aircraft. An Orion crew consists of two Pilots, two Flight Engineers, a Navigator/Communicator, a Tactical Coordinator, a Sensor Employment Manager, and a unique team of AEAs. As an AEA you are continually receiving and analysing information that is crucial for the success of the mission. The aircraft's tactical employment is directly determined by your analysis of incoming data.

AEAs work with a complex suite of sensors. Radar is used in surface surveillance, searching for small targets such as submarine periscopes, weather analysis, terrain avoidance, classifying contacts for Harpoon missile targeting and search and rescue. The Electro Optics system is used to detect heat signatures of targets. It can be used to analyse and classify targets day and night. The Magnetic Anomaly Detector (MAD) systems detect changes in the earth's magnetic field caused by large metal objects, like submarines. There's also Electronic Surveillance Measures (ESM), Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) and acoustic sensors.

As you learn more about AEAs you'll discover what an important role they play in Australia's defence. When you join an operational flying squadron (No 10 or 11 SQN) at RAAF Base Edinburgh, you become part of an elite team, one of the best in Australia. Each crew member has a vital role to play and this is why there is a strong bond between the members of a maritime crew.

If it all sounds quite involved, you're right. That's why we only select the best. The hours are long. The conditions are great. When you're an Airborne Electronics Analyst, you are the eyes and ears of Australia.