The Joint Air Delivery Test and Evaluation Unit (JADTEU) is located
at RAF Brize Norton and comprises of 124 [Royal Navy, Army, Royal Air Force and Civil Service] personnel commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel.
Its chain of command is through the development division of the RAF Air Warfare Centre which comes under Chief of Staff Operations (COS(Ops)) HQ Air Command. The unit is parented for administration purposes by RAF Brize Norton.
The unit, comprising of 5 lead sections and support staff, undertakes a wide variety of tasks as follows:
- Airportability Section: Conduct operational test and evaluation loading trials in order to produce amendments to associated Aircraft Publications.
- Aerial Delivery Section: The Aerial Delivery Section at JADTEU is responsible for trialling equipment for aerial delivery suitability, and trial and develop new aerial delivery systems.
- Airborne Trials Section: The delivery of personnel by parachute, both overtly and covertly, to land or sea.
- Helicopter Section: JADTEU Helicopter Section is responsible for the assessment and trial of all equipment that is to be underslung from UK military helicopters.
- Training Section: The training of Helicopter Abseiling/Fast Roping Instructors and Unit Emplanement Officers for all 3 services, MOD agencies and foreign governments.
- Engineering Support Section: Provides specialist engineering support and airworthiness advice to JADTEU trials sections, Industry and MOD Project Teams.
JADTEU’s primary output is the management of the status of twenty two Air Transport Aircraft Publications which detail the procedures to be followed and the equipment needed to safely and effectively deliver personnel and materiel. This it does through the conduct of operational trials and evaluation on behalf of sponsors. In addition it provides advice / recommendations to MOD sponsors, agencies, civilian industry and foreign governments on all air transport matters.
ISO 9001: JADTEU received ISO 9001 Accreditation on 19 March 1997 which means that we meet the requirements of the international standard for quality assurance. More recently we have become ISO 9000:2008 compliant.
DAOS: Within the Design Approval Organisation Scheme (DAOS), JADTEU has Design Approval Status, from the UK MOD Defence Equipment and Support Agency (DE&S), for aerial delivery systems and other air transport related equipment.