Brunei Muara, Tuesday, 06 September 2016 - The exercise was held from 5th – 6th September 2016 took place at Bt. Agok area, involving 11 Air Force Officer Cadets from the 15th Intake of the Officer Cadet School. The exercise was a means of exposing the Cadets to the workings of a Manned Portable Air Defence System (MANPADS) under the supervision of 77 Squadron – Air Defence Training Squadron a subdivision of No. 7 Wing of Royal Brunei Air Force and was mainly headed by Capt (U) Muhd Yusra bin Awg Jafar. The exercise was conducted only after a weeklong preparation involving theory and practical sessions regarding air defence, air threats, and lessons on the MANPADS.
The exercise was carried out in a progressive manner that made it easier for the Cadets to understand the normal procedure taken during deployment. As is the norm, before operating on new equipment, it is important for one to understand what one is working with in order to be able to operate it properly and maximise its capability. Therefore, the exercise began with a theory and practical test to assess the Cadets’ understanding of the MISTRAL – a missile that is mounted on a MANPADS to act as a Very Short Range Air Defence System (VSHORAD). This included identifying different components of the MISTRAL and stating its purposes, and the setting up of the MISTRAL firing station itself.
The 11 Air Force Officer Cadets were divided into 2 detachments and were further given the responsibilities as that in a normal detachment: detachment commander, first gunner, second gunner, and second-in-commanding detachment (2ic). It was through this division of roles were the Cadets able to allocate the various tasking that needed to be completed and prevented any overlapping tasks. This emphasized the importance of efficiency especially when the country’s air defence is on the line.
Out in the field, Cadets had the opportunity to run through an entire firing sequence where a Bolkow Bo-105, compliments of the Royal Brunei Air Force, simulated an air threat. Cadets took to their respective positions at the firing station, at the sentry trench, and at local defence shellscrapes in order to counter the posed air threat. It was during this time that the Cadets were honoured with the presence of Maj (U) Peter bin Ulat, the Commanding Officer of No. 2 Wing who came to pay a visit to observe the progress of the on-going exercise.
