Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), Friday 4 December 1953, page 2


Air Weapons Contest

At Canberra

Ace marksmen among R.A.A.F. fighter and bomber crews will be busy at an air weapons contest, to be fired at Canberra be-tween December 7 and 11. Seven teams from fighter bases and three from bomber units will compete in the exercise, known as "Operation Dead Eye."

More than 30 aircraft will be based on Canberra R.A.A.F. Sta-tion and will use the ranges as-sociated. Each team will have two aircraft plus one reserve and a small specialist ground crew.

This weapons accuracy compe-tition stimulates keen interest in weapons training, with conse-quent achievements in accuracy.

Operation "Dead Eye" is divid-id into two divisions—fighter and bomber, with the fighter section further subdivided between Mus-tang and Vampire fighters.

Mustang teams will contest dive bombing, rocketry, air-to-air and air-to-ground "live" gunnery; Vampires will be used in air-to-air and air-to-ground "live"

gunnery.

Bombing and gunnery checks will be made on the competing Lincoln bombers. Bombing con-tests will be carried out both by

day and night, and bomber gun-ners will compete in air-to-air and air-to-ground 'live" gun-nery, in addition to fighter ver-sus bomber contests with camera

guns.

The McCauley Shield (donated by the A.O.C. Home Command. Air Marshal J. P. J. McCauley) will go to the most proficient tearn in the fighter section, and the Bladin Trophy (donated by Air-Marshal F. M. Bladin, form-er Air Member for Personnel) would be for the most proficient

bomber team.

In the Mustang section, teams will compete from No. 23 (City of Brisbane) Squadron, No. 24 (Cïty of Adelaide) Squadron,

and R.A.A.F. East Sale.

No. 22 (City of Sydney) Squad-ron, which is in process of con-version from Mustang fighters to Australian-built jets, will enter a team of Vampires. Also entered in the Vampire section are No. 2(F) Operational Training Unit, No. 21 (City of Melbourne) Squadron, and No. 25 (City of

Perth) Squadron.

In the bomber division, teams are entered for Nos. 2 and 6 Bomber Squadrons, Amberley, and R.A.A.F. East Sale.

The air weapons contest fol-lows the recently completed skill-at-arms contest for ground staff. In this early contest completed this week at Anzac Range, Liverpool, N.S.W., five teams (each of an officer and six airmen) representing all com-mands with the Air Force were competing in the use of pistol, rifle, sub-machine gun and Bren

gun.

The Hewitt Trophy (presented by Air Vice-Marshal G. E. Hew-

itt, Air Member for Supply and

Equipment) was won by No. 1 Initial Flying Training School, Archerfield, Queensland.