Job Details

Australian Defence Force Academy, Officer

Maritime Aviation Warfare Officers selected for service as Naval Aviators in the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) are employed as deep warfare specialists. You will operate as part of a crew performing a variety of missions including maritime warfare, surveillance and reconnaissance, and Search and Rescue. To put it simply, you are an integral part of a team with responsibility for the defence of Australia.

You will be employed as part of a cockpit crew who will operate the Navy’s advanced combat helicopters. While the pilot's primary concern is to fly the aircraft, the Maritime Aviation Warfare Officer's role is as the Mission Commander, responsible for the tactical employment of weapon and sensor systems, tactical communications, navigation and cockpit duties. You will be trained as a skilled warfare officer capable of undertaking a variety of airborne anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare sorties by coordinating multiple air and surface units in order to achieve successful attacks and providing critical intelligence directly to your ship and other maritime forces.

The role of Maritime Aviation Warfare Officers differs markedly from Air Force Air Combat Officers. In addition to their Mission Command and warfare skills, Maritime Aviation Warfare Officers are employed as co-pilots, forming a unique crew composition in the front seats of the Navy’s helicopter force. Recognition of this fact is also reflected in your salary which mirrors pilot qualification and capability based pay and allowances. Operating from Navy warships at sea, the Naval Aviator team provides the airborne capability to fulfill the Navy’s mission to ‘Fight and Win in the Maritime Environment’.

The Navy's current front-line helicopter is the Seahawk which is equipped to extend the combat radius of the ships from which they operate. By detecting and locating surface vessels or submarines through their electronic systems the Seahawk can engage targets or can coordinate multiple attacks by their ship to accurately guide other weapon systems.

The Seahawk is the forerunner for an increased number of naval helicopters planned to enter service in the near future. The next decade will see significant changes in the FAA with new sophisticated helicopter types coming on line that will employ cutting edge technologies and advanced weaponry. These state of the art helicopters will be launched from the latest generation of Navy warships such as the Air Warfare Destroyer and will be capable of acting independently to undertake a wide variety of missions. As the Maritime Aviation Warfare Officer, you will be responsible for ensuring that your crew and your helicopter can successfully complete a mission and safely return to your ship.

To achieve these skills, Maritime Aviation Warfare Officers undertake a rigorous regime of fixed wing and rotary wing training that will prepare you to act as a co-pilot with the necessary skills to safely navigate and operate aircraft sensors. Upon completion of this training you will undertake tactical training on aircraft such as the Seahawk. Once you are qualified, you will be at sea, doing the job.

Aircraft that you will have the opportunity to fly include:

• Sikorsky S-70B-2 Seahawk helicopter (Crew: 1 Pilot, 1 Maritime Aviation Warfare Officer, 1 Aircrewman);
• New generation of advanced Naval combat helicopters (Crew: 1 Pilot, 1 Maritime Aviation Warfare Officer, 1 Aircrewman); and
• Aerospatiale Squirrel AS350B helicopter (Crew: 1 Maritime Aviation Warfare Officer, 1 Pilot).

Should you choose to make this job a long term career, it will provide many opportunities to broaden your education and experience that will equip you for the role of higher management as a senior officer in the Royal Australian Navy.