Air Forces Monthly UK 2014-02

February 2014 Issue #311

AFGHANISTAN: LESSONS FROM THE BASTION DISASTER

Officially the World's Number One Military Aviation Magazine | www.airforcesmonthly.com

Australian Airpower Country Report

Exclusive!

UK ROYAL NAVY SUPER HORNET RHINO PILOT

A modern air force with punch

BRAZIL BUYS GRIPEN AND RETIRES ITS MIRAGES

A PRIDE OF OSPREYS

Exclusive interview!

JF-17 FUTURE PLANS

USMC's latest V-22 Sqn

PAF’s Air Commodore Mahmood Khalid

RUSSIA'S AWACS: EXERCISE REPORTS FROM A-50 MAINSTAY BRAZIL, ISRAEL & CORSICA 01_UKCover_Feb.indd 1

FEBRUARY 2014 £4.60

X-47

Northrop Grumman’s futuristic X-47 unmanned demonstrator

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CONTENTS 28 The Robot and the Cat Mike Wilson looks at the sea trials of Northrop Grumman’s X-47 unmanned demonstrator, deemed to be the future of US naval aviation.

30 A Brit Flying the Rhino Lewis Gaylard talks to a Royal Navy pilot flying the US Navy’s Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, affectionately known as the ‘Rhino’.

36 HELISAF – Spanish SAR in Afghanistan

Spain withdrew the last of its helicopters from Afghanistan in November – Erwan de Cherisey flew with its MEDEVAC team last summer and describes what its activities were in theatre.

For daily news stories please visit www.airforcesdaily.com e-mail the news team at [email protected]

42 No More Mirages over Brazil

The Dassault Mirage 2000 was retired from the Brazilian Air Force at the end of December. Santiago Rivas recounts its South American career.

46 Toucan’s Nest – Brazil's Air Force Academy

Dirk Jan de Ridder describes how pilots of South America’s largest air arm are trained.

50 The Last Bastion

Tim Ripley looks at the lessons from the disaster at Camp Bastion in September 2012 that left a US Marine Corps Harrier squadron devastated and officers removed from post.

54 Mainstay – Russia’s Eyes and Ears in the Sky

The Beriev A-50 is perhaps the most important system in the Russian military’s airborne inventory. Alexander Mladenov reports.

62 INTERVIEW: Thunder over the Desert

In an AFM exclusive, at the Dubai Airshow Georg Mader spoke to Air Commodore Mahmood Khalid of the Pakistan Air Force about current and future plans for the Sino/Pakistani FC-1/JF-17 Thunder fighter.

News 4 5 6-7 8-9

10 - 11 14 - 15 16 17 18 - 19 20 21 - 23 24

Editorial Headlines UK UK News Special: RAF Philippines Airlift Europe North America Latin America Middle East Africa Russia & CIS Asia Pacific Australasia

68 A Pride of Ospreys

Ted Carlson/Fotodynamics. com reports on the US Marine Corps’ newest Osprey squadron, the ‘Lucky Red Lions’.

Below: After ten years of being a 'stopgap' fighter, the Mirage 2000 has been retired from the Brazilian Air Force. Santiago Rivas

Subscribe and Save Subscribe to AirForces Monthly and make great savings on cover price. See pages 12 and 13 for details.

42 REGULARS 25 Attrition 27 New Contracts 74 COVER STORY Country report: Australia The large but sparsely populated continent continues to take an important part in international military operations around the globe. Nigel Pittaway describes the country’s increasingly modern aircraft assets of its three armed forces.

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86 Exercise report: Cruzex 2013 – Brazilian Blend

Dr Séan Wilson/Prime Images, assisted by Paul Mulligan, reports from Natal Air Base in Brazil on the seventh edition of Exercise Cruzeiro do Sul (Exercise Southern Cross – CRUZEX).

90 Exercise report: Blue Flag – Out of the Blue in Israel Four countries took part in Exercise Blue Flag at the end

of November – Yissachar Ruas reports for AFM.

92 Exercise Report: Serpentex – Corsican Co-operation

Jan Kraak flew to Corsica to report on this multi-national exercise headed by the French Air Force.

94 Postcard from... Brunei Gordon Arthur visited the BRIDEX Air Show.

96 Ops Board

All the events and airshows of the coming months.

98 And Finally… Farewell, Fenton

Mick Britton pays tribute to RAF Church Fenton in North Yorkshire, which closed at the end of 2013.

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EDITORIAL

A volatile fighter market

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HE END of 2013 was marked by a flurry of international fighter competition announcements, beginning with the South Korean decision to dump Boeing’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet in favour of Lockheed Martin’s F-35A Lightning II, to the shock of Brazil choosing Saab’s Gripen NG over Dassault’s Rafale. In between Eurofighter was told its bid to supply the United Arab Emirates with up to 60 Typhoons was being rejected, leading to glum faces at the factories in Munich and Warton, and adding to those in Mérignac, France. Brazil’s choice came out of the blue. After years of prevarication on its F-X – then F-X2 – programmes, a firm decision by the government still seemed months, if not years away, despite the Brazilians having courted Dassault ever since former French President

Editor: Gary Parsons Assistant Editor: Jerry Gunner Editorial contact: [email protected] Military News Editor: Dave Allport

World Air Forces Correspondent: Alan Warnes Military News Analyst: Steve Rush Editor’s Secretary: Julie Lawson Chief Designer: Steve Donovan Assistant Chief Designer: Lee Howson Production Editor: Sue Blunt Deputy Production Editor: Carol Randall Sub Editor: Norman Wells Advertising Manager: Ian Maxwell Production Manager: Janet Watkins Marketing Manager: Martin Steele Mail Order Subscription Manager: Roz Condé Commercial Director: Ann Saundry Executive Chairman: Richard Cox Managing Director & Publisher: Adrian Cox

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Nicolas Sarkozy announced an agreement had been reached in 2009. The reason Rafale was ultimately rejected has not been disclosed by Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, but it is well known that she is not a great fan of the military and wants to concentrate spending on internal matters, so cost would have been a prime consideration. Added to that, Saab’s willingness for industrial offsets, technology transfer and the possibility of Embraer building Gripens under licence, it’s a win-win situation for Brazil and the Swedish company, which now has the entire South American market potentially in sight. It’s also a blow for Boeing and the US, which had been thought to be easing Dassault out of pole position for the Brazilian contract with its Super Hornet offer. Brazil claimed in September that the Copies of AirForces Monthly can be obtained each month by placing a standing order with your newsagent. In case of difficulty, contact our Circulation Manager. Readers in USA may place subscriptions by telephone toll-free 800-676-4049 or by writing to AirForces Monthly, 3330 Pacific Ave, Ste 500, Virginia Beach, VA23451-9828. We are unable to guarantee the bonafides of any of our advertisers. Readers are strongly recommended to take their own precautions before parting with any information or item of value, including, but not limited to, money, manuscripts, photographs or personal information in response to any advertisements within this publication. Postmaster: Send address corrections to AirForces Monthly, Key Publishing Ltd, c/o Mail Right International Inc. 1637 Stelton Road B4, Piscataway NJ 08854. Printed in England by Warners (Midlands) plc, Bourne, Lincolnshire. AirForces Monthly (ISSN 0955 7091) is published monthly by Key

US National Security Agency had tapped the phones of its senior politicians and it is rumoured that this may have scuppered the deal. Whether the accusation is true or not, it’s something that could dog other international competitions for the Americans over the next few years. But what the last few weeks have really proved is that nothing can be taken for granted until the ink is dry on the contract – which could mean that the production lines for Typhoon, Rafale and Super Hornet might have to close sooner, rather than later. Cover: RAAF F/A-18A+ by Australian Defence Forces, X-47 by Northrop Grumman, AV-8B by US Marine Corps and MV-22B by Ted Carlson/Fotodynamics.com

GARY PARSONS, EDITOR Publishing Ltd and distributed in the USA by Mail Right Int., 1637 Stelton Road B4, Piscataway, NJ 08854. The entire contents of AirForces Monthly is a copyright of Key Publishing Ltd and cannot be reproduced in any form without permission. The Editor is happy to receive contributions to AirForces Monthly. Please note that all material sent to the Editor is forwarded at the contributor’s own risk. While every care is taken with material, the publishers cannot be held responsible for any loss or damage incurred. All material rates available on request. Submitted material (especially illustrations) should have the contributor’s name and address clearly marked and a stamped addressed envelope should be enclosed if it is required to be returned. All items submitted for publication are subject to our terms and conditions, which are regularly updated without prior notice and are freely available from Key Publishing Ltd or downloadable from www.keypublishing.com. All digital imagery should be at least 300dpi

Top: Eurofighter's Typhoon seems to have lost out in the United Arab Emirates contract - despite the setback it is still battling for Middle Eastern orders. Key - Gary Parsons

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06/01/2014 12:54

NEWS HEADLINES

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Gripen NG Wins Brazil’s FX-2 Fighter Competition

Above: Artist’s impression of the Saab Gripen in Brazilian Air Force markings. SAAB

AFTER MORE than a decade of deliberation, it was announced on December 17 that the Saab JAS-39E/F Gripen NG has been selected by the Brazilian Government to fulfil the Brazilian Air Force’s (Força Aérea Brasileira – FAB) FX-2 fighter requirement. Brazilian Defence Minister Celso Amorim and FAB Commander Brigadier Juniti Saito confirmed the news at a press conference. The Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and Dassault Rafale had been in the running – however, it is thought the Super Hornet was sidelined because the US was unwilling to allow the major technology transfer that Brazil required. Then a few days before the announcement was made, local media reports suggested the Rafale had also been dropped, leaving the

way clear for the Gripen NG. Dassault responded by saying “We regret that the choice has gone in favour of Gripen, an aircraft provided with many items of equipment of third party origin, especially US, and that does not belong to the same category as Rafale. It is a lighter, single-engine aircraft that does not match Rafale in terms of performance and therefore does not carry the same price tag. This financial rationale fails to take into account either the Rafale’s cost-effectiveness or the level of technology offered.” The FAB requirement is for 36 aircraft, but it is anticipated that the initial order will be for 12, with the remainder to follow at a later date. The Brazilian Government and Saab are believed to be discussing the lease of 12

second-hand JAS-39C/Ds as a stop-gap between the retirement of the Dassault Mirage 2000C/B fleet (see pages 42-45) and the delivery of the first Gripen NG, expected in 2017. The plan is to receive the leased Gripens by mid-2014 and operate them with 1º Grupo de Defesa Aérea at Anápolis air base near Brasilia. The Swedish defence minister, Karin Enström, said a proposal was to have been presented to the Brazilian Government in early January. In addition to its success in the FX-2 competition, Saab also announced that it has received a SEK16.4 billion production order to modify 60 existing Swedish Air Force Gripen Cs to Gripen E configuration between 2014 and 2026, with initial deliveries in 2018.

RAF’s II(AC) Squadron to Re-equip with Typhoon UK MINISTRY of Defence officials announced on December 13 that one of the oldest units in the Royal Air Force, No II(AC) Squadron, is to be re-equipped with the Eurofighter Typhoon. The squadron has been training for its imminent tour of duty flying Tornado GR4s in Afghanistan. The move is part of a transformation of the RAF’s combat air capability that will see the Panavia Tornado GR4 replaced by Typhoon and Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II fighters. Based

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at RAF Marham, Norfolk, II(AC) Squadron celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2012 and its standard will transfer to the new Typhoon unit at RAF Lossiemouth, Moray, on April 1, 2015. The move was announced by the Minister of State for the Armed Forces, Mark Francois, who said it was part of the planned realignment of the RAF’s Tornado Force, under which all GR4s will leave the service by 2019. He added: “I can announce that it will formally disband as a Tornado

squadron on March 31, 2015 and will re-equip to form a new front-line Typhoon squadron based at RAF Lossiemouth the next day.” The newly re-formed II(AC) Squadron will become the fifth front-line RAF Typhoon squadron. The relocation of II(AC) Squadron will leave just IX(B) and 31 Squadrons at RAF Marham, although the future of the Tornado Operational Conversion Unit, XV(R) Squadron, currently based at RAF Lossiemouth, has not been confirmed.

BAE Systems Confirms UAE Typhoon Deal Is Off BAE SYSTEMS revealed in a press release on December 19 that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has decided against purchasing the Eurofighter Typhoon. The company and the UK Government had been in high-level discussions with the Government of the UAE regarding a range of defence and security capabilities, including Typhoon. BAE Systems said: “The UAE has advised that it has elected not to proceed at this time. All parties have invested significant effort in drawing up Typhoon proposals for the UAE and, recognising the risk, scale and complexity of such a transaction, the Group had not built this prospect into its planning assumptions. BAE Systems stands ready to work with the UAE to address any future requirements.” The Typhoon had been competing with the Dassault Rafale for the prospective UAE Air Force and Air Defence (UAEAF&AD) order for 60 new fighter aircraft, which could be worth an estimated $6 billion. The UAEAF&AD has been examining its options to replace the current Mirage 2000-9 fleet for some years, but latterly the competition had come down to a choice between the Rafale and Typhoon. Previously, the Rafale had been selected as the preferred type, but lengthy negotiations failed to achieve any agreement on a deal. As a result, the Typhoon came back into the running a couple of years ago when, on the eve of the 2011 Dubai Air Show it was revealed that the UAE had asked the Eurofighter consortium to submit an offer and it then appeared favourite to win the contest.

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NEWS UNITED KINGDOM

Osprey Nests at Sculthorpe

Marshall's Danish and Norwegian C-130J Contracts

MARSHALL AEROSPACE announced on December 19 that Norway and the Denmark have each awarded Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group (Marshall ADG) a contract for the inspection and maintenance of the Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 Super Hercules fleets of the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) and the Royal Danish Air Force (RDAF), respectively. These contracts resulted from an innovative collaborative procurement process between the Norwegian Defence Logistics Organisation and the Danish Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation. Marshall ADG began working with Norway in 1977 and Denmark in 1996. The RNoAF and the RDAF each have four C-130J aircraft, which will now be covered by these collaborative enabling contracts. The initial contract awards from both countriescover a period of four years, but include options to extend them out to seven years. Denmark began C-130J operations in 2004, Norway followed in 2008.

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Above: A Bell-Boeing CV-22 Osprey from the 352nd Special Operations Group was parked at Sculthorpe airfield on December 7. The aircraft was believed to have been awaiting repair. James Shilling

ONE OF the US Air Force’s new Bell-Boeing CV-22B Ospreys belonging to the 7th Special Operations Squadron, 352nd Special Operations Group (SOG), based at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk ,spent several days at the former RAF Sculthorpe airfield in North

Norfolk in early December, apparently awaiting repair. The aircraft landed on December 4 and was positioned near the old control tower after landing with a “clattering noise”, according to a local farmer. Sculthorpe is regularly used by the 352nd SOG for training,

being part of the Stanford Training Area in Norfolk. The Osprey made a check flight on December 9, but immediately returned and was seen being worked on by maintenance personnel over the next few days. It flew back to RAF Mildenhall on December 17.

RN Commando Force Trains its Final Sea King ‘Junglies’ THE FINAL Royal Navy Commando Helicopter Force (CHF) Sea King HC4 helicopter course by 848 Naval Air Squadron student pilots and aircrews received their ‘wings’ at a ceremony at RNAS Yeovilton in Somerset. Eight new naval aviators received their wings on December 19 from Rear Admiral Russ Harding OBE, Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (Aviation & Carriers). No 848 NAS had trained aircrew since 1995 when it replaced 707 NAS as the Commando Flying Training Squadron. The unit provided upwards of 200 trained pilots, aircrewmen, engineers and technicians for the two frontline squadrons of the CHF – 845 and 846 NAS – each year until recently, when the latter disbanded last March. The ceremony, conducted in the squadron’s hangar, was attended by members of the 848 Malayan Association, the origins of which lie in naval ship-toshore operations in the jungles of Malaya during the 1950s conflict – as a result members of the CHF are known as ‘Junglies’. The stand-down of 848 NAS is part of the CHF’s transition to the Merlin, 25 of which are being transferred from the RAF. CHF crews are already training at RAF Benson in Oxfordshire and the

first unit to re-form, 846 NAS, is expected at RNAS Yeovilton in the ‘third quarter of 2014’, according to a recent response published in the official record of parliamentary proceedings, Hansard, by Philip Dunne, Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology. In the meantime, 845 NAS is flying the last eleven Sea King HC4 airframes, but will convert

to the Merlin from August 2015, with the Sea King being withdrawn by March 31, 2016. The ex-RAF Merlin HC3/3A fleet will undergo a ‘marinisation’ programme at AgustaWestland’s Yeovil facility from 2016 to become the HC4 with folding rotor blades and tail. Full conversion of all 25 aircraft is due by March 2022. LEWIS GAYLARD

The last 848 NAS Sea King personnel stand proudly in front of a Sea King HC4 at RNAS Yeovilton on December 19. Lewis Gaylard

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RAF Chinook Helps Repair Middlesbrough Sea Defences

Above: RAF Chinook HC3 ZH902 from RAF Odiham, Hampshire, lifting sandbags into a 100ft (30m) breach in sea defences in Middlesbrough, Teesside, before the arrival of the high tide on December 8. Crown Copyright/MoD/Cpl Jimmy Wise

SOLDIERS AND airmen joined the massive effort to help communities affected by flooding up and down the east coast of the UK in early December. In one operation an RAF Chinook HC3 helicopter, ZH902, from RAF Odiham, Hampshire, lifted

tonnes of sandbags into a 100ft (30m) breach in sea defences in Middlesbrough, Teesside, before the arrival of the high tide. Group Captain Richard Maddison, Station Commander at RAF Odiham and head of the Chinook Force, said: “This

is a fantastic example of the adaptability and capability of the Support Helicopter Force and its personnel. The Chinook is a truly adaptable aircraft, capable of operating day and night in adverse weather and environments.”

Last TwoSeat RAF Typhoon

Right: Eurofighter Typhoon T3 ZK383 only began flying operations at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire, on December 3 with 29(R) Squadron, despite being delivered to the base on July 3. It is the last twin-seat aircraft for the RAF, as all Tranche 3 deliveries will be single-seater machines. Tim Senior

Lithuanian at Lakenheath

Left: An unusual visitor to RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk on December 28 was Lithuanian Air Force Alenia C-27J 06 (blue), one of just three in service with the Baltic air arm. The F-15Cs of the US Air Force’s 493rd Fighter Squadron, 48th Fighter Wing, based at Lakenheath were due to take over the Baltic Air Policing duty on January 6 and the movement was to carry essential equipment to the Lithuanian base of Šiauliai International Airport. Another trip was made by a C-27J on December 30. Mike Kerr

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RAF Voyagers Begin Air Bridge Flights to Afghanistan MINISTRY OF Defence officials have revealed that the RAF’s new Airbus Military A330 Voyager multi-role tanker transport (MRTT) aircraft have begun regular flights to Camp Bastion, Helmand province, Afghanistan, operating from their base at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire. Two Voyagers have started flying to and from Helmand to support the operational airbridge that transports all personnel to and from theatre. The first flights, which took place months ahead of schedule, commenced on November 17, but were not publicised until December 20. The Voyager is capable of carrying 300 passengers over a 6,000 mile (9,700km) range and 111 tonnes of fuel, some of which is used for air-to-air refuelling. Major Peter Jennings, who is currently on operations in Afghanistan, said: “Having previously flown on different RAF aircraft, they do not compare to Voyager – it’s streets ahead!” Six aircraft are in service and the core fleet of nine aircraft is on track to follow by May. Fourteen Voyagers will be delivered by September 2016 as part of the contract with AirTanker.

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NEWS SPECIAL REPORT ASIA PACIFIC

OPERATION PATWIN Dr Dave Sloggett reviews the RAF’s response to the disaster that beset the Philippines as Super-Typhoon Haiyan devastated the islands in the early hours of November 8

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HE SCENES portrayed in the media were little short of apocalyptic. Typhoon Haiyan cut a swath across the Philippines, leaving in its wake death and destruction on a scale rarely seen before. When it finally passed, nearly 6,000 people had been killed and over 25,000 injured. Damage, estimated to be in the billions of dollars, had been wrought on the already impoverished communities of the archipelago. The forecasters had been worried from the moment the typhoon was created. Off the tiny islands of Micronesia in

the Pacific the conditions were almost perfect for the creation of a super-storm, one that would enter the record books. With little in the way of meteorological activity to disturb its creation, the initial small low pressure area started to track westwards across the Pacific, gaining in intensity as it approached the Philippines. By the time it made landfall on the evening of November 8, the typhoon was developing winds with a sustained speed of 195mph (310kmh). This was clearly no ordinary typhoon. In this part of the world, the 98 million inhabitants of the islands have grown accustomed to the occasional major storm. Tropical Storm Washi, which came ashore in December 2011, killed 600 people and left a trail of widespread destruction on Mindanao. Throughout history an event of that nature is not unusual. But, what has occurred over the last 12 months could

hardly be described as usual. In December 2012 Typhoon Bopha also tracked across Mindanao with winds reaching over 175mph (280kmh). Over 170,000 people fled their homes to seek refuge in evacuation centres, and 1,901 people were killed, with nearly another 1,000 remaining unaccounted for, almost a year later. Damage was estimated at $1 billion. Both events were classified as Category 5 super-typhoons – Haiyan, however, claimed an unprecedented number of lives and has been subsequently described by meteorologists as the most powerful typhoon ever to make landfall. It was, as one meteorologist noted during a television documentary, “off the scale”. Typhoon Haiyan came with a storm surge that was the equivalent of a 15ft (4.5m) tsunami hitting the islands. One father, interviewed on television, spoke of how he had been unable to save the lives of his seven children in the tidal surge. His family had survived the winds and rain, but were overwhelmed by the impact of the storm surge. Without doubt the surge

contributed to the creation of a humanitarian disaster. It was clear, from the outset, that a huge international relief effort would be needed to help the islanders rebuild their shattered lives. Responding to the unfolding situation, the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) quickly requested that the RAF’s 99 Squadron at Brize Norton in Oxfordshire mobilise a Boeing C-17A Globemaster III to take an initial load of relief supplies and mechanical equipment to the Philippines. The all-up weight of this first payload was 94,000lbs (42 tonnes). On the outbound journey the aircraft routed via the Middle East into Singapore, which became the forward operating base for subsequent missions into the Philippines. Given the length of the flight from RAF Brize Norton, another crew was flown out to Singapore by a civilian airline to take over flying the load into the military airport of Mactan-Cebu in the Philippines. DFID’s minister, Secretary of State for International Development Justine Greening, also flew down from Malaysia to the Philippines to observe the relief effort first hand. Asked to describe the

Left: The RAF’s deployed C-130J Hercules, ZH888, on another intra-theatre mission from Mactan-Cebu airport in the Philippines. Russell Watkins/DFID Right: C-17A ZZ177 from 99 Squadron is prepared at RAF Brize Norton for its first mission to the Philippines in the early hours of November 15. Greg Caygill

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For daily news stories please visit www.airforcesdaily.com e-mail the news team at [email protected]

most difficult part of the mission, Squadron Leader David Blakemore said: “Sitting in a hotel room in Singapore pouring over charts and flight plans without any idea of what payload we would be flying into the Philippines, or where we might land, was a challenge.” Once the aircraft had completed a turn-around at Singapore it made its first sortie into the Philippines, landing at 1700hrs local time on November 16 after a three-and-a-half hour journey from Singapore. On the approach to Mactan-Cebu the crew could see the scale of the flooding but not the scale of the wider disaster that had unfolded. The cargo of 4x4 vehicles, forklift trucks and JCB diggers was quickly unloaded alongside life-saving supplies, including temporary shelters, blankets and water purification tablets. The aircraft then headed back to a logistical hub in Dubai that was created from international efforts to improve response times to natural and man-made disasters. The second load again weighed approximately 42 tonnes, occupied 14 pallets in the cavernous cargo bay of the C-17 and was quickly delivered to the relief workers in the Philippines. A third flight, which used a previously-planned visit to Malaysia to support an RAF detachment on exercise with the Royal Malaysian Right: The second aid shipment from the UK also included another consignment of 4x4 vehicles. Crown copyright/ RAF Mobile News Team

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Ormoc airport was badly damaged by Typhoon Haiyan. An RAF team helps with handling incoming supplies brought by the C-130J. Russell Watkins/DFID

Air Force, was also loaded with additional relief supplies and flown into the Philippines. Alongside the C-17, the RAF also deployed a Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules from 47 Squadron at Brize Norton to fly supplies from the Mactan-Cebu hub out across the archipelago. During its ten days in the Philippines the Herc adopted the call sign ‘Pag-asa 47’, which translates as ‘hope’. The C-130 is ideal for this kind of hub-and-spoke operation and over the course of the ten days

the RAF aircraft flew more than 230 tonnes of aid to communities cut off by the disaster. The RAF team from 1 Air Mobility Wing (AMW) was made up of just 37 people – they arrived in the Philippines from Brize Norton on November 19 and working closely with the relief agencies in the country prioritised the delivery of aid and moved 478 passengers to places of safety at the request of the Philippines Government. The C-130 was flying three, and sometimes four missions a day

carrying 10 tonnes of aid each time. On one occasion food and water were delivered to the airport of Ormoc on the eastern Visayas islands in the archipelago. Looking back on the experience, Sqn Ldr Calvin Bailey, the Hercules detachment commander, said: “When we arrived we saw Filipinos who had lost everything and everyone just wanted to make sure the aid was delivered as quickly as possible.” He went on to stress that there was no sense of demarcation of who did what jobs, saying the medical team, RAF Police and RAF Regiment personnel deployed had all been involved in loading the aircraft. Taking pride in the work of his team members, Sqn Ldr Bailey said: “They have been absolutely outstanding during our time in the Philippines.” Also commenting on the experience was Senior Aircraftsman Greg Wade, who noted: “When we arrived it was pretty chaotic at some airfields, with people trying to get out of the badly damaged areas and the relief agencies trying to get aid in.” However, for him the whole deployment had been an extraordinary experience – it was, he said, a very rewarding “to be at the sharp end of getting that aid to the people who needed it most.” As the military now steps back from the initial relief effort and the crews from 99 and 47 Squadrons return to their normal duties, commercial operators have stepped into the breach to help the long-term reconstruction of the island.

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NEWS EUROPE

Eight New EC135T2+s for Spanish Army

Above Eurocopter EC135T2+ EC-031 (c/n 775) occupies the Eurocopter España apron at Albacete, Spain, on December 4. It is the first of eight to be handed over to CEFAMET. Roberto Yáñez

THE SPANISH Government authorised the purchase of eight brand new Eurocopter EC135T2+ helicopters for the Spanish Army Aviation (Fuerza Aeromoviles del Ejercito de Tierra - FAMET) at the

beginning of December. They will be delivered to the Spanish Army Aviation Training Centre (Centro de Enseñanza de las FAMET) at Colmenar Viejo, Madrid, which already operates four of the type.

Under the €49 million contract the first two helicopters were due to be handed over by Eurocopter España by the end of 2013 and the remaining six should be delivered between 2014 and 2015. ROBERTO YÁÑEZ

Aero Vodochody to Develop New L-169 Trainer CZECH AIRCRAFT manufacturer Aero Vodochody revealed on December 11 that it is developing the L-169, which the company describes as a radical modernisation of its L-39 Albatros trainer and light attack aircraft. Compared to the more recent L-159 Advanced Light Combat Aircraft, it will also have longer range and include more Czechmanufactured equipment.

A prototype is expected to make its first flight in 2015. Externally, the basic design will be much the same with most of the upgrading being internal. This will include increased internal fuel capacity, with fuselage tanks taking up to 2,865lbs (1,300kg), while a ‘wet’ wing will carry a further 1,323lbs (600kg). Range will be increased by an extra 320nm (600km), compared

to the L-159 ALCA’s 830nm (1,570km) without additional fuel tanks and 1,340nm (2,530km) with tanks. The L-169 is being designed primarily as a two-seat training aircraft, but with a secondary combat role. Target customers are existing L-39 operators that are purchasing state-ofthe-art combat aircraft, such as the Su-30, and need a more modern lead-in fighter trainer.

Bolivian Falcon in the Netherlands The sole Falcon 50EX of the Bolivian Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Boliviana), serial FAB002 (c/n 289, the former F-HUNT), visited Rotterdam Airport between December 11 and 12. Carlo Kuit

Alenia Aermacchi Confirms Polish M-346 Order

ON DECEMBER 23 Alenia Aermacchi confirmed Polish defence ministry plans to order the M-346 trainer aircraft to train Polish Air Force pilots. The contract for eight M-346 aircraft plus support is worth €280 million and

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includes an option for Poland to buy four more aircraft and training devices. Final contract signature is expected in early 2014. Delivery of the eight M-346 aircraft to the Polish Air Force will take place in 2016-2017

and they will be based at Deblin-Irena, where its 41 Baza Lotnicza Szkolnego (air base school) currently undertakes jet training with the TS-11 Iskra, which the new type will replace (see Polished Spark, AFM November 2013).

Norway Approves Six More F-35As NORWAY IS to order a further six Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters following approval on December 11 by the Norwegian parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee. Parliament authorised purchase of these additional aircraft for the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) at a cost of approximately 4 billion Norwegian krona ($654 million), according to officials. They are scheduled for delivery to the RNoAF in 2018. Under a revised procurement plan the RNoAF will receive six aircraft each year from 2017 through to 2024, giving an eventual total of 52 aircraft. Each yearly purchase will have to be approved separately.

News briefs TURKEY’S GOVERNMENT is to order 15 Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) Hürkus-B basic training aircraft for the Turkish Air Force (Türk Hava Kuvvetleri), the country’s undersecretariat for defence industries announced on December 26. In addition TAI will begin to design and develop the Hürkus-C close air support, reconnaissance and surveillance variant for the Turkish Armed Forces. ALL FIVE of the first batch of Panavia Tornado ECRs to be modified under the RET8 mid-life update programme have been delivered back to the Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare Italiana - AMI). Fifteen are to be upgraded for the AMI in three batches of five and the second batch is currently with Alenia Aermacchi at its factory in Turin. THE FIFTH and final VIP-configured W-3WA Sokol serial 1018 for the Polish Air Force arrived at WarsawOkecie, Poland, on December 23 to serve with the Eskadra Smiglowcow (helicopter squadron), part of 1 Bazy Lotnictwa Transportowego (BLTr – air transport base). The first W-3WA – 1014 – was delivered on February 8, 2013, and the first four Sokols have since flown around 700 hours. ROYAL NETHERLANDS Air Force (RNLAF) 334 Squadron DC-10 T-255 completed its final mission on the last day of 2013 and will be used for spare parts for the remaining two KDC-10s in the fleet. Five months ago the Netherlands stated that budget cuts would see it and Gulfstream (V-11) retired by December 31 - however, the Gulfstream will remain flying until April while the defence ministry considers options and investigates other financial sources to maintain it in service. MAURICE HENDRIKS THE RNLAF'S AB412s of 303 Squadron at Leeuwarden will remain in service for another year until January 1, 2015 due to delays with the NH90 programme, the Dutch defence ministry confirmed in early January.

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For daily news stories please visit www.airforcesdaily.com e-mail the news team at [email protected]

Norway Signs for 16 AW101s to Replace Sea Kings

A FORMAL contract was signed in Oslo on December 19 between the Norwegian Government and AgustaWestland for the purchase of 16 AW101 helicopters, plus support and training, valued at approximately £1 billion (€1.15 billion). They are needed to meet the Norwegian allweather search and rescue helicopter (NAWSARH) requirement. The contract also includes an option for six more aircraft. Deliveries to the Royal Norwegian Air Force will start in 2017 and continue through to 2020. They will be assembled at AgustaWestland’s Yeovil facility in Somerset, UK. The Norwegian choice was

based on the range offered by the AW101 – up to 200 nautical miles (370km) from shore – and its speed, which is claimed to provide faster response times than the existing Sea Kings. “It is a great Christmas present to the Norwegian people,” said Minister of Justice and Public Security, Anders Anundsen. The aircraft will be equipped with an advanced SAR package including a multi-panel AESA surveillance radar system from Selex ES that provides 360° coverage, four-axis digital Automatic Flight Control System (AFCS), two rescue hoists, searchlight, electrooptical device and a fully integrated avionics and mission system. The large cabin doors and rear ramp make it easier

for personnel, survivors and equipment to access the cabin, which has stand-up head room throughout. AgustaWestland will provide initial support and training services, including spares at each of the operating bases, and aircrew training. It will then provide performance-based logistic support to deliver approximately 90,000 flying hours across the fleet of 16 helicopters over an initial 15-year period. In support of pilot training a full-flight simulator will be available in Norway from 2016 in advance of the delivery of the first aircraft. Maintenance will be provided by Norwegian companies AIM Aviation and Kongsberg Defence Systems.

First Dutch Pilot Flies F-35A

Spanish Air Force Retires Last SAR F27-200MPA

The final Spanish Air Force (Ejército del Aire) search and rescue-configured Fokker F27-200MPA maritime patrol aircraft, D.2-03, operated by 802 Escuadrón, returns from its last flight to be greeted by a traditional water cannon arch from the base fire tenders at Las Palmas/Gando Air Base on December 13 after 34 years of service. The type has been replaced by two SAR-configured CN-235 VIGMA (Vigilancia Marítima, or Maritime Surveillance) aircraft, converted from standard transport aircraft already in the Spanish Air Force fleet. Ejército del Aire

Poland Leases Two ERJ170s for VIP Flights POLAND’S DEFENCE ministry signed an agreement on December 21 to charter two Embraer ERJ 170-200LRs for four years to provide transport for the country’s highest ranking VIPs. The ministry says the aircraft will be “painted in colours proudly representing the Polish Republic” and will be stationed at Warsaw-Chopin Airport. They will be reserved exclusively for the use of the Polish Chancellery – the president, the prime minister, the Sejm (lower house of parliament) and Senate (upper house of parliament). The agreement followed a competitive

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tender by the Inspectorate of Armaments, but it was not announced which company has won the contract. Poland disbanded its previous VIP unit, the 36th Specjalny Pułk Lotnictwa Transportowego (SPLT – special air transport regiment) ‘Obronców Warszawy’, on January 3, 2012, in response to the findings of the investigation into the loss of one of the unit’s Tupolev Tu-154Ms that crashed in April 2010, in Smolensk, Russia, killing all 96 on board. Fatalities included the country’s president, his wife and various major political and high-ranking military leaders.

THE FIRST Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) pilot to fly the F-35 Lightning II took to the skies at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, in the first RNLAF F-35A, F-001 on December 18. Major Laurens J W Vijge, the RNLAF F-35 Integrated Training Center training lead, completed his first flight after 210 hours of classroom training and 13 flights in the simulators. “The jet handles great and is very easy to fly – in fact, it’s actually easier to fly than the simulator,” said Vijge. The RNLAF has also detailed its initial plans for F-35 - the first unit to form will be 323 Squadron, which will lose its F-16s on November 1 and transfer to Edwards AFB in California to be the test and evaluation unit. The first Netherlands-based unit will be 322 Squadron at Leeuwarden, but no date for its formation has yet been set. Dutch MOD

Hungarian Gripens Celebrate 10,000 Hours

The Hungarian Air Force’s 14-strong Saab JAS 39 fleet passed 10,000 flight hours on December 17 and to celebrate 13 Gripens flew in close formation over their home base at Kecskemét (one Gripen was undergoing its 800-hour overhaul). The fleet – 12 single-seat JAS 39Cs and two twin-seat ’Ds – has been in service since January 2008. One of the first pilots trained is approaching the 1,000-hour milestone. Istvan Toperczer

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NEWS NORTH AMERICA

Textron AirLand Scorpion Completes Maiden Flight

Textron AirLand Scorpion light attack aircraft prototype N531TA (c/n 721001) during its maiden flight. Textron AirLand

THE MAIDEN flight of the new Textron AirLand Scorpion light attack aircraft prototype, N531TA (c/n 721001), took place on DEcember 12 at McConnell Air Force Base, Wichita, Kansas. Designed as a low-cost strike/ intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft, the aircraft got airborne at 1030hrs Central Time and stayed aloft for approximately 1.4 hours. The flight was completed according to plan, with the crew conducting a range of handling manoeuvres during the sortie. The prototype was built in secrecy by Cessna Aircraft in Wichita and is designated the Cessna Model E530 by the company. Textron AirLand noted that the flight marked one of the fastest developments of a US-built tactical jet, progressing from initial design to first flight in less than 24 months. Textron CEO Scott Donnelly said: “When the design phase began less than two years ago, we were confident that we would deliver a uniquely affordable, versatile tactical aircraft by taking

advantage of commercial aviation technologies and best practices. Today’s flight met all expectations, and keeps us on track towards certification and production.” Scorpion’s first flight was crewed by pilot Dan Hinson, an engineering test pilot with over 5,000 flight hours in 79 different types of aircraft, and co-pilot David Sitz. “Having flown many tactical aircraft throughout my 23-year career with the US Navy and with aircraft manufacturers, I can say that the Scorpion compares very favourably to more costly aircraft currently used for low-threat missions,” said Hinson. “It showed impressive stability and responsiveness closely matching all of the predicted parameters for today’s manoeuvres – it’s going to be a highly capable aircraft for the ISR and homeland security mission set.” Scorpion’s development was undertaken in secrecy and its existence not announced until September 16. It is intended as a demonstration aircraft, designed to accommodate the budget constraints and shifting

mission requirements of the US Department of Defense and US partner nations. Powered by twin turbofan engines generating 8,000lbs (35.58kN) of thrust, the manufacturer states that the Scorpion will transition easily between low speed and high-subsonic speed as needed for diverse missions, such as irregular warfare, border patrol, maritime surveillance, emergency relief, counter-narcotics and air defence operations. The aircraft has a cruising speed of up to 450kts (833km/h) with a ferry range of 2,400nm (4,440km) and service ceiling of 45,000ft (13,720m). It can carry an internal payload of up to 3,000lbs (1,360kg) as well as wing-mounted precision munitions. There are three hardpoints under each wing with a capacity of 1,750lbs (794kg) on the inner pylon, 950lbs (430kg) on the centre one and 400lbs (181kg) on the outboard pylon. Standard empty weight will be 11,800lbs (5,352kg), maximum take-off weight 21,250lbs (9,639kg) and maximum internal fuel load 6,000lbs (2,722kg).

DARPA VTOL X-Plane Development Contracts Awarded THE US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) X-Plane programme for a high-speed aircraft with the hover capability of a helicopter has progressed to its first stage. The overall VTOL X-Plane programme is a 52-month, $130 million effort to fly an experimental aircraft capable of exceeding 300kts (555km/h) with a hover efficiency of 75% or better, and a cruise lift-to-

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drag ratio of ten or more. The initial design programme is divided into three phases and two contractors – Sikorsky Innovations and Aurora Flight Sciences – were selected in early December for the $47 million phase 1. Both will undertake a six-month conceptual design and 16-month preliminary design and technology maturation programme to try to become the preferred partner for the following phases. Sikorsky Innovations is teamed with Lockheed Martin’s Skunk

Works for development of its unmanned rotor-blown wing concept, which is a unique integration of fixed wing aerodynamics and advanced rotor control to provide a low complexity configuration capable of meeting the DARPA programme goals. Although Aurora has not issued any statement regarding the award, US Senator Thad Cochran put out a news release confirming that the company had been given a $14 million contract to complete phase 1.

US Army Activates First Special Ops Gray Eagle Unit US ARMY Special Operations Command announced on December 5 that E Company, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) (Airborne), was activated in November to operate the General Atomics MQ-1C Gray Eagle unmanned air system (UAS) – becoming just the fifth to do so and the first in special operations. Currently, each Special Forces group has a UAS platoon operating the RQ-7 Shadow, designed to provide UAS support at brigade level. The MQ-1C Gray Eagle brings enhanced capability and is able to support troops at the Theater Special Operations Command level. Sgt First Class Jason Guenther, US Army Special Operations Aviation Command UAS Non-commissioned Officer in Charge, explained: “There’s no comparison between the Shadow and Gray Eagle. The Shadow is geared towards a specific area of operations. The Gray Eagle can go anywhere; it has greater endurance and a larger range.” The Gray Eagle can carry multiple payloads, including radars, signals intelligence, Hellfire missiles and a camera with HD resolution, which Guenther says provides such high quality, that “At 15,000ft you can read a licence plate.” E Co, 160th SOAR (A), is temporarily stationed at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, home of the US Army Intelligence Center, until construction work on new accommodation at Fort Campbell, Kentucky is complete. The new company will eventually have 12 Gray Eagles on strength.

Boeing and Saab Team for New USAF T-X Trainer BOEING AND Saab AB announced on December 6 that they have signed a joint development agreement to design and build an advanced, cost-efficient T-X “family of systems training solution” for the competition to replace the US Air Force’s ageing T-38 trainer. The US Air Force T-X programme plans to replace the T-38 with a new advanced pilot training system and about 350 aircraft. The solution from Boeing and Saab is being described as a completely new aircraft to meet the needs of the US Air Force. It had been thought that the new team was to offer a version of Saab's JAS 39 Gripen NG, but this was discounted.

www.airforcesmonthly.com

06/01/2014 16:37

For daily news stories please visit www.airforcesdaily.com e-mail the news team at [email protected]

Oldest US Air Force CV-22B Osprey Flown to USAF Museum

USAF Bell-Boeing CV-22A Osprey 99-0021 ‘ET’, the oldest example of the type in the US Air Force inventory, arrived at the National Museum of the US Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, on December 12 for preservation. The aircraft was previously assigned to the 413th Flight Test Squadron (FLTS) at Hurlburt Field, Florida, but was retired there on October 31. USAF/Don Popp

New Jersey Army National Guard Re-equips with UH-72A Lakota

ANOTHER US Army unit has begun re-equipping with the Eurocopter UH-72A Lakota. On December 12 the 1-150th Assault Helicopter Battalion, New Jersey Army National Guard, received its first example at the Mercer Army Aviation Support Facility in West Trenton, New Jersey.

The Lakota will continue the mission of performing counterdrug and medical evacuation as well as humanitarian and disaster relief. The type is replacing ageing UH-1 and OH-58A/C aircraft that are increasingly costly to maintain and operate. The helicopter will

be equipped with the Security and Support Battalion Mission Equipment package and is equipped with state-of-the-art advanced technologies such as an electro-optical/infrared sensor, searchlight, data display and collection systems and downlink capability.

New Army King Airs

Two new special mission Beechcraft 350ER King Airs for the United States Army night-stopped at Prague's Václav Havel aiport, Czech Republic on Dececember 25 / 26. They were 13-00282 c/n FL-797, formerly N81847 when registered to the US Army Special Projects Office at Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama and 13-00283 c/n FL-663 N63563 then N427UX. They used callsigns ‘Crook 23 and 32’ respectively. The Crook callsign has been associated with the secretive B Company of the 1-214th AVN. Václav Kudela

Colourful RSAF F-16Ds at Luke

Lockheed Martin F-16D 96-5035 is one of two Republic of Singapore Air Force ‘Vipers’ that have had their tails painted to mark the RSAF reaching a milestone of 50,000 flying hours at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, where 425th Fighter Squadron ‘Black Widows’ is part of the US Air Force’s 56th Fighter Wing. Each tail is different – the other, 96-5034, can be seen on page 25 of January’s issue. Jeff Welker

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News briefs BEECHCRAFT DEFENSE Company and FlightSafety International have delivered the last of 131 T-6 aircrew training devices (ATD) produced for the US military’s ground-based Joint Primary Aircraft Training System (JPATS) to Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas. Beechcraft and FlightSafety began delivering the T-6A and T-6B devices to US Air Force and US Navy bases in 2000. They are intended to bridge the gap between academics and aircraft sorties. TEXTRON INC is to take control of Beech Holdings LLC, the parent of Beechcraft Corporation, for approximately $1.4 billion. Beechcraft Corporation – formerly Hawker Beechcraft, which filed for bankruptcy in 2012 – is a manufacturer of business, special mission, light attack and trainer aircraft, including the T-6 Texan II trainer and AT-6 light attack aircraft. The transaction, which was unanimously supported by Beechcraft’s board of directors, was announced on December 26 and is expected to close during the first half of 2014, subject to conditions including regulatory approvals. THE US Department of Defense agreed to transfer 14 new Alenia C-27J transport aircraft from the Air Force to the Coast Guard, which will save about $600 million by cancelling more buys of Airbus Military HC-144A maritime patrol aircraft. The Coast Guard has committed to buy 18 HC-144As, but had an option on another batch of 18, which will now be cancelled. A SIGNIFICANT milestone in the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules programme was reached on December 18 when the 300th example of the type was delivered. The aircraft, MC-130J Commando II 11-5737 (c/n 5737), was flown out of Marietta, Georgia, on its delivery flight on the start of its delivery flight to the 352nd Special Operations Group 67th Special Operations Sqn 'Night Owls' at RAF Mildenhall. US ARMY Contracting Command awarded Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation a $724 million contract on December 23 to fund year-three procurement of 33 UH-60M Black Hawk and 24 HH-60M helicopters. The award was a modification to the $2.8 billion contract signed in July 2012 for the eventual manufacture of up to 916 UH-60/MH-60 helicopters for the US Army, US Navy and Foreign Military Sales. NORTHROP GRUMMAN’s testbed Boeing E-8C Joint STARS aircraft 90-0175 ‘JS’ (T-3) was retired on January 1. It made its maiden flight on November 20, 1967, and was delivered to Qantas. After passing through various commercial owners, it was eventually sold to the USAF for conversion to E-8 configuration, which was completed in 1990. It was exclusively used as a testbed with Northrop Grumman at Melbourne International Airport, Florida. The aircraft, using callsign ‘Canoe 03’, was flown from its base at Melbourne to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, where it will be placed in storage at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group facility.

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NEWS LATIN AMERICA

Colombian Air Force Finally Retires its Last T-34 Mentor

Above: One of the last T-34s in Colombian Air Force service. Santiago Rivas

THE BEECH T-34 Mentor was finally retired from Colombian Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Colombiana - FAC) service on December 5 when the last operational aircraft, T-34A FAC 2321, carried out its last flight at the Escuela Militar de Aviación (EMAVI – military aviation school) at

News briefs THE URUGUAYAN defence ministry has purchased a second Eurocopter AS365N2 Dauphin II for emergency medical evacuation missions. The Uruguayan Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Uruguaya) will operate and maintain the Dauphin on behalf of the country’s Unidad de Seguridad Vial (Road Safety Unit). The second-hand Dauphin II was purchased for $4.2 million from Eurocopter Chile SA and is equipped as an air ambulance, however it also has a VIP cabin kit that can be installed for operation as a presidential transport. It will also be given a search and rescue capability. A delivery date has not yet been confirmed. ERNESTO BLANCO CALCAGNO THE URUGUAYAN Naval Aviation (Aviación Naval Uruguaya - ANU) has returned its sole Helibras HB355F2 Esquilo to service after a three-year refurbishment. The helicopter – 071 (c/n 5334) – was built in 1986 by Helibras for the Brazilian Navy (Marinha do Brasil), which designated the type UH-13, and donated this helicopter to the ANU in October 2006. ERNESTO BLANCO CALCAGNO ON NOVEMBER 3 the Bell Helicopter Textron Company granted the Colombian Air Force’s (Fuerza Aérea Colombiana) Air Maintenance Command certification for converting the UH-1H to Huey II standard. Nineteen helicopters of Comando Aéreo de Combate Nº 4 will be upgraded. JUAN CARLOS CICALESI EUROCOPTER’S BRAZILIAN subsidiary, Helibrás, flew the first production upgraded Brazilian Army (Exército Brasileiro) AS550A2 Fennec (HA-1 Esquilo) on December 19. The helicopter, serial EN-1019 (c/n 2676, formerly EB-1019), will be delivered back to the Army in May.

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Base Aérea Militar 1 Cali. The flight marked the end of almost 60 years of FAC T-34 operations. The first of 50 aircraft was delivered in 1954 to start replacing the Boeing Stearman PT-17 Kaydet. In 1970 six ex-US Navy T-34Bs were also acquired as attrition replacements,

followed by ten more in 1977. After over 30 T-34s had been lost in accidents, in 1990 the best of the surviving aircraft were upgraded and re-engined. Finally, in March 2013, the FAC began replacing the last seven active T-34s with new Lancair T-90 Calimas, 25 of which have been ordered.

Colombian Air Force’s New Learjet A RECENT addition to the inventory of the Colombian Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Colombiana – FAC) has been second-hand Learjet 60 FAC 1214 (c/n 60-066, ex N176KS), which was first noted in service on November 8 when it appeared at the FAC 94th anniversary display in Bogotà. It is operated by Grupo de Vuelos Especiales (Special Flight Group) 82/ Escuadrón de Transporte Especial (Special Transport Squadron) 821 as part of the Comando Aéreo de Transporte Militar (CATAM – Military Air Transport Command) at Base Aérea Militar 7 El Dorado, Santa Fé de Bogotà. The aircraft was seized by the Colombian Dirección de Impuestos y Aduanas Nacionales (DIAN – National Tax and Customs Directorate) and then donated to the FAC. At that time the aircraft was said to have been “not properly airworthy” and Bogotà-based company Central Charter de Colombia SA was contracted to refurbish it at a cost of 1,200 million pesos ($620,000). ALFONSO GLADE

Peru Finalises Order for Mi-171Sh Helicopters PERU’S MINISTERIO de Defensa (Ministry of Defence) has completed negotiations to purchase 24 Ulan Ude-built Mi-171Sh helicopters from Russia for the Armed Forces of Peru. The deal also includes supply of a flight simulator to train pilots locally, who had previously trained abroad. The first helicopters are expected to arrive in the second half of 2014 and the remainder will follow in 2015. Russia will establish a regional helicopter maintenance and repair centre in Peru, due to open in the first quarter of 2016 and by 2018 . It will have expanded to include a major overhaul capability for all Latin American countries. The agreement includes provision for co-production in Peru of various components for the Mi-171. The new Mi-171Sh helicopters will be split between the FAP’s Grupo Aéreo No 3, Peru’s Army Aviation Brigade (Primera

One of the Mi-171Sh helicopters previously delivered to the Peruvian Air Force (Fuerza Aérea del Perú - FAP) during a pre-delivery test flight in Russia. Peru’s defence ministry has now concluded a deal for a further 24. Ulan Ude Aviation Plant

Brigada de Aviación del Ejército Peruana) and the Naval Aviation Command (Comandancia de la Aviación Naval), all of which are based at Lima-Callao. Six previously delivered examples are already in Peruvian service, three being with the FAP

and three with the Army. The helicopters are being acquired for use in the fight against drug trafficking and terrorism, for which they have been specially configured for operations in rugged terrain and offshore areas.

RUAG Confirms Venezuelan Dornier 228 Orders RUAG AVIATION has confirmed that it will supply ten Dornier 228s to Venezuela. Configured for passenger transport, they will be operated by the Venezuelan Military Aviation (Aviación Militar Bolivariana) and deployed to connect remote villages

with regional hubs across Venezuela. RUAG said that ten aircraft are involved in the deal, of which eight will be new production Do 228 New Generation variants, while the remaining two will be second-hand Dornier 228-212s. The pre-owned

aircraft are scheduled for delivery by early next year, with the first of the new production examples following by the third quarter of 2014. The aircraft will be operated by Grupo Aéreo de Transporte No 9, based at Puerto Ayacucho, Amazonas.

www.airforcesmonthly.com

06/01/2014 15:23

NEWS MIDDLE EAST Iraqi Signs for 24 KAI T-50IQ Golden Eagles

KOREA AEROSPACE Industries (KAI) signed a contract with the Iraqi defence ministry on December 12 for the supply of 24 KAI T-50IQ Golden Eagle advanced jet trainer and light attack aircraft. The package includes training for Iraqi pilots and is worth more than $1.1 billion. KAI says it will deliver the first aircraft to Iraq in April 2015, with all 24 set to arrive over the following 12 months. Iraq’s aircraft will be based on the more advanced FA-50 light attack variant, which can be armed with up to 9,920lb (4,500kg) of air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles, 20mm cannon and precision-guided bombs along with various other munitions. It can be used in both the light attack or advanced trainer role, and has already begun entering service with the Republic of Korea Air Force. The contract also includes an option, worth a further $1 billion, for KAI to supply follow-on support to the Iraqi Air Force for over two decades. KAI faced stiff competition for the contract from other competitors, including Aero Vodochody with the L-159, BAE Systems with the Hawk AJT, and Yakovlev with the Yak-130.

News briefs A ROYAL Air Force Chinook helicopter made a forced landing near Jericho, close to the Jordanian border in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, following a technical malfunction on December 8. No casualties were reported, with all the crew safe and well, according to the UK Ministry of Defence and the helicopter was undamaged. Israeli military personnel assisted the RAF crew with repairs so that the Chinook could continue its flight to Cyprus – it had been undertaking a routine training exercise in Jordan and was en route from Amman to Cyprus when it was forced to make the emergency landing. A FURTHER two Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) Eurofighter Typhoons departed BAE Systems’ factory airfield at Warton, Lancashire, on December 13 for delivery. The aircraft – singleseat 1009/ZK384 (CS021/362) and two-seat 1011/ZK388 (CT014/377) – passed through Toulouse and Malta to refuel before continuing to King Fahad Air Base in Taif. Both are destined for 10 Squadron, part of 2 Wing. These are the ninth and tenth aircraft to be delivered from the second tranche of RSAF Typhoons, which comprises 48 aircraft, split between 36 singleseat and 12 twin-seat Typhoons. The next pair is likely to be two-seat 1010/ ZK387 (CT013/370), which made its maiden flight on October 21, plus single-seat 1012/ZK385 (CS022/384), which first flew on November 7.

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Blizzards in Middle East Prompt Rescue Efforts

Above: Between December 12 and 15 Israel (along with neighbours Egypt, Jordan and Syria) experienced the fiercest snowstorm in 22 years. The Israeli Air Force (IAF) responded quickly to provide assistance, flying several women in labour to nearby hospitals and conducting search and rescue efforts around a river in Gerrar that had flooded and trapped schoolchildren in a van. Two electricity transformers were also damaged in the Samaria region and the Israel Electric Corporation, in conjunction with the IAF, lifted two replacements by Yasu’ur 2025 helicopters (pictured) to the remote location. Yissachar Ruas

Iranian ASH-3D Refurbished After 14 Years in Storage

DURING A ceremony at the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (IRIN) base at Bandar Abbas, the world’s oldest operational Agusta ASH-3D was returned to active service. Between 1971 and 1981 18 Sikorsky S-61Bs (built under licence by Agusta) plus two AS-61A-4s were acquired for the Imperial Iranian Air Force and Imperial Iranian Navy Aviation. The ASH-3Ds operated from Bandar Abbas in the transport, search and rescue and anti-submarine warfare roles. Five were wired to use the Sistel Sea Killer Mk 2 long-range anti-ship missiles and were equipped with powerful SMA/ APS series radars inside a ventral radome under the fuselage. After the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s budget cuts and US sanctions led to most of Iran’s fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters being withdrawn from service or cannibalised for spare parts. In 1997 8-2301 – the first in service – was withdrawn and by 2000 only seven ASH-3Ds were still airworthy.

ASH-3D 8-2301 during a post-overhaul engine test on January 30, 2013. Babak Taghvaee

In 2007 the IRIN was given a budget to restore eleven stored ASH-3Ds during a ten-year programme. The first to be done was 8-2303, which had been in storage since 1994 and was re-delivered in 2009. Following this, three more (8-2307, 8-2308 and 8-2309) were delivered in 2010, 2011 and 2012. In April 2011, 8-2301 was brought back from storage and over the next 20 months all the wiring was replaced, new T.58-GE-100 engines were fitted and new US-made avionics incorporated. It was delivered for functional check

flights in January 2013 and came back to its home base in October. On November 30 a ceremony was held at Bandar Abbas heliport to re-accept the ASH-3D into service. The technical commander of the IRIN, Rear Admiral Abbas Zamini, said “35,000 man-hours of work has gone into ’301 and 89,000 parts have been replaced during the restoration process”. In April 2012 three more ASH-3Ds commenced refurbishment – the first will be re-delivered in the summer of 2014, followed by the other two in 2015. BABAK TAGHVAEE

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06/01/2014 15:28

NEWS AFRICA

First Algerian EH101s Delivered

AgustaWestland EH101 Mk642 ZR351 (c/n 50250), one of two for the Algerian Air Force (Al Quwwat Al Djawia Al Djaza’eria/Force Aérienne Algérienne). It will become 7T-WVD and left on delivery on December 5 along with ZR350/50249/7T-WVC. Greg Caygill

SAAF Gripens Gain Long-Term Support Contract

SAAB HAS been awarded a SEK 180 million ($27.3 million) four-year support contract for the South African Air Force (SAAF) JAS 39 Gripen fleet by the South African arms acquisition agency Armscor. The announcement was made on December 19. Operations of the SAAF Gripens have previously been supported by Saab through short-term interim support contracts and the last of these had lapsed in April 2013. “Signing of the support contract marks the start of a deeper and extended relationship between Saab, Armscor and the South African Air Force,” said Magnus Lewis-Olsson, head of Saab’s Sub-Saharan Africa market area. The SAAF has a fleet of 26 Gripens, but a shrinking defence budget has led to problems in supporting them. In March 2013 South African Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula reported that 12 Gripens had been placed in long-term storage, effectively grounded because their operating budget was “stripped to the bone” and the SAAF could not afford to operate them. On September 3, General John Bayne, director of combat systems for the SAAF, clarified the situation, saying that 12 Gripens had initially been placed in storage but after discussions with Saab it was determined that a far less costly option was to fly all of the Gripens occasionally to maintain their airworthiness in a rotational preventative maintenance programme. He said all 26 aircraft were managed in this way, and they were all available for flying.

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South Sudan Evacuations as Tensions Rise A ROYAL Air Force Boeing C-17A Globemaster III was sent to South Sudan on December 19 after the UK Government’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office offered to evacuate British nationals amid increasing conflict in the African state. The aircraft left RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire and flew to South Sudan’s capital, Juba. A few days later US forces repositioned in East Africa to react to the ‘deteriorating security situation’ in South Sudan - US Africa Command moved elements from Moron in Spain to Camp Lemonnier,

Djibouti, including US Marine Corps MV-22B Ospreys and C-130 transports. Four US service members had been hit by small-arms fire when three US Air Force Special Operations Command CV-22B Ospreys attempted to land in Bor, South Sudan to evacuate US citizens on December 21. On December 24 the UN Security Council approved a temporary increase in UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) forces’ strength to 12,000 military and 1,323 police, up from the current 7,000, to counter the recent increase in violence.

Last Egyptian F-16 Ready for Delivery

Above: The last Lockheed Martin F-16C Block 52 for the Arab Republic of Egypt Air Force, 9766 (c/n JJ-16 FMS 10-1016), was seen flying from Forth Worth in Texas in early December. Under the Peace Vector VII programme Egypt has ordered 20 F-16C/D Block 52s – 16 single-seat F-16Cs and four twin-seat F-16Ds – but deliveries were suspended in October due to continuing civil unrest in the country, with four of each variant delivered at that time. No timescale for delivery of the remaining 12 has been set. Ruvan Gonzales Jr

SAAF Strengthens UN Intervention Brigade in Democratic Republic of the Congo A CHRISTMAS Day deployment of South African Air Force (SAAF) Rooivalk Mk I Block 1F helicopters was made to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It helped the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo - FARDC), to re-take the town of Kamango from Muslim extremist guerrillas of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF-NALU) based in nearby Uganda. The SAAF contingent is part of a 1,200-strong battalion that makes up part of the UN’s Force Intervention Brigade (FIB) of three battalions each of South Africans, Tanzanians and Malawians. Describing an attack, Rooivalk pilot Danie Bellignan, said: “It’s difficult to describe the feeling, ’cause while you’re doing the attack it feels like just another training mission. You’re rolling in on the target, you can see that they’re shooting at you, the muzzleflashes look like blowtorches, continually firing at you, you see the tracers coming past you, but it doesn’t really register. You just concentrate on the target, keeping the diamond indication for the rockets on the target; breaking off, setting up again. Then, when you get back about half-an-hour later, you start shaking.” This appears to confirm intelligence information indicating that rebels are armed with 20mm and 30mm anti-aircraft guns. Another possibility could be that the guns are 12.7mm (50 calibre) or even 14.5mm heavy machine guns.

‘This appears to confirm intelligence information indicating that rebels are armed with 20mm and 30mm anti-aircraft guns.’ This follows an earlier announcement by MONUSCO, the United Nations force in DRC, that it would deploy the FIB against the FDLR – a large Rwanda-based rebel group fighting in the jungle of both North Kivu (bordering Uganda) and South Kivu Province (bordering Rwanda). The hardcore of the group is made up of the Hutu-based Interahamwe, rebels generally held responsible for the 1994 Rwanda genocide. Denel Oryx helicopters of the SAAF are also operating in DRC, both in UN overall white and SAAF camouflage, as well as other aircraft of the SAAF. CHRISTOPHER SZABO

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06/01/2014 16:21

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French Deploy to Central African Republic with US and UK Help

French ALAT SA330Ba Pumas in the Central African Republic. EMA/Armée de Terre

SEVEN FRENCH military helicopters were deployed to the Central African Republic (CAR) to support France’s Operation Sangaris in December. On December 5, the French President Francois Hollande authorised the military operation, intended to strengthen his nation’s military presence in the region to prevent a humanitarian disaster within the country. Under the authority of UN Security Council Resolution 2127, an African Union-led international support mission has been mandated to provide security, restore stability and protect the population. The UN announcement came on the day that Bangui suffered a series of organised attacks, the worst the city has seen during the crisis. At least 105 people were reported killed. More than 400 French soldiers had already been deployed to Bangui in the CAR since the end of March last year. In late November they were joined by 250 more and by December 8 the total had risen to 1,600 personnel. On December 5, the French military secured control of Bangui/M’Poko Airport to enable aircraft movements safely in and out of the country. Aerial support was initially provided by two French Army Aviation Corps (Aviation Légère de l’Armée de Terre – ALAT) SA342 Gazelles. The following day, four ALAT SA330Ba Pumas from the French Forces in

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Gabon, based at Libreville, flew in to the capital city of Bangui to provide further support. They have now been joined by two French Air Force (Armée de l’Air – AdlA) AS555AN Fennecs; one from Escadron d’Hélicoptères 5/67 (EH 5/67) at Base Aérienne (BA) 115 OrangeCaritat and one from EH 3/67 at BA107 Villacoublay, which were airlifted into Bangui on board an Antonov An-124. The AdlA also used its Rafales, six of which were already deployed to N’Djamena, Chad, for Operation Serval, for reconnaissance missions over the CAR, including missions over Bangui and Bossangoa, with their Reco NG pods. An RAF C-17A Globemaster III transport aircraft left the UK on December 5 to support the French military effort to quell fighting in the CAR. The C-17A, from 99 Squadron, took off from RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, to collect military equipment from a French base before flying to Bangui. It was the first of three planned RAF airlifts by 99 Squadron to help French armed forces supporting African Union troops in their bid to stabilise the country. The former French colony has descended into chaos after mainly Muslim rebels seized power in March, leading to tit-for-tat sectarian violence with the Christian majority. The RAF airlifts have included armoured personnel carriers loaded at the French Air Force base at Istres-Le Tubé near Marseilles. The

unloading operation in Africa was watched by thousands of refugees who formed a human wall beyond the razor wire strung around the aircraft unloading area. As a ring of wary French troops and RAF police stood guard the crowds looked on as the huge jet was emptied. “The crowds looked very peaceful, but from a security point of view it was a situation that could change easily,” said RAF Police Flight Sergeant John Cookson. A section of gunners from 63 Squadron, RAF Regiment, was also on the flight. The danger posed by the city’s volatile situation was learned by the French to their cost – two paratroopers had been killed near the airport on December 2. Despite the deaths, FS Cookson, of 3 Police Wing, RAF Henlow, Bedfordshire, said there seemed to be much goodwill from most of the population towards the French, who had started to calm the violence of the previous week that left up to 300 dead in the capital.. Aircraft captain Flt Lt John Le Cornu used the C-17A’s steepangle approach capability for the landing. He said: “It was similar to an approach into Afghanistan, so I was considering the possibilities of ground fire. Someone may have fancied taking a pot-shot at us. This sort of job is ideal for the C-17. It’s what it was designed for.” Capitaine Stephane Quince, an AdlA C-130 exchange pilot,

who was on board for liaison and translation tasks, said: “This mission is very good for the relationship between the AdlA and RAF. These vehicles are very important to the troops on the ground and delivering them via the C-17 is really helpful because we do not yet have the capacity to do this.” She added that the AdlA had taken delivery of its first A400M transport aircraft, but it was not ready for operations, leaving the C-130s to ferry smaller loads to Bangui. President Hollande, who paid a flying visit to the country on his return from Nelson Mandela’s funeral in South Africa on December 15, said 1,600 troops were on the ground to help 6,000 African Union troops. The US military also provided airlift support to enable African forces to deploy promptly to the CAR. Two US Air Force C-17A Globemaster IIIs flew about 850 troops from Burundi to the republic. Assistant Pentagon Press Secretary Carl Woog said in a statement: “[French Defence] Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian requested limited assistance from the United States military to support this international effort. In the near term, France has requested airlift support to enable African forces to deploy promptly to prevent the further spread of sectarian violence in the Central African Republic. In response to this request, [Defense] Secretary Chuck Hagel has directed US AFRICOM to begin transporting forces from Burundi to the Central African Republic, in co-ordination with France.”

French Atlas Deployed THE FRENCH Air Force undertook its first operational mission with its new Airbus Military A400M Atlas on Sunday, December 29. The aircraft involved, 0008/F-RBAB, took off from Base Aérienne 123 OrléansBricy at 1030hrs for a flight to Bamako Airport, Mali, where it landed 6hrs 40mins later. The A400M was transporting 22 tons of equipment for French personnel participating in Operation Serval. On December 31 the aircraft left Bamako for Gao in northern Mali carrying French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and his entourage to visit French troops.

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06/01/2014 15:16

NEWS RUSSIA

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First Russian AF An-148 Last Russian AF Su-34s from Delivered, First FSB One Flown 2008 Order the initial flight-test phase A CEREMONY was held on of the aircraft had been December 6 at the ZhukovskyDelivered completed. Delivery of all 15 Gagarin Air Force Academy at The final batch of series production Sukhoi Su-34 Fullback front-line bombers, ordered under a 2008 state contract for 32 aircraft to the Russian Air Force, was handed over on December 16. The transfer happened at the Novosibirsk branch of the Sukhoi Company – the V P Chkalov Novosibirsk aircraft plant (NAZ) where the type is built. The aircraft then took off and flew to unspecified deployment bases. Sukhoi is now producing Su-34 aircraft under the 2012 state contract announced on March 1, 2012, which covers 92 additional Fullbacks.

Monino to formally transfer the first of 15 Antonov An-148100Es to the Russian Defence Ministry. The delivery took place after the aircraft was flown in from the factory of manufacturers, the Voronezh Aircraft Manufacturing Company (VASO), at Voronezh. The maiden flight of the first Russian Ministry of Defence An-148-100E, 61718 (c/n 42-05), took place on September 12 at the factory airfield. After six flights VASO announced

aircraft is scheduled between 2013 and 2017, with four more to follow this year, another four in 2015, three in 2016 and the final three in 2017. On November 30, an An-148100E, RA-61719 (c/n 42-06), the first of two for Russia’s Federal Security Service – the FSB – made its maiden flight at Voronezh. The aircraft is configured in a threeclass layout and will be used primarily to transport senior FSB officials. The second is scheduled for delivery by the end of this year.

Third Mi-38 Prototype Flies with Klimov Engines RUSSIAN HELICOPTERS and United Engine Corporation have successfully started testing the third prototype Mi-38, 38013, the first fitted with Russian-built Klimov TV7-117V engines. It made its maiden flight on November 29. Alexander Mikheev, CEO of Russian Helicopters, said the new engines were specially developed for the Mi-38: “Thanks to its TV7-117V engines, the

Mi-38 [now] has a significantly broader range of potential applications, which will make the helicopter even more attractive to existing and new customers.” The new TV7-117Vs generate 2,500-3,000hp (1,865-2,238kW) and are based on the TV7-117, with which they are more than 90% compatible. The TV7-117V improves safety by making emergency power of 2,8003,750hp (2,088-2,797kW) available

when necessary. The engine features a new FADEC system. Certification of the Mi-38 is expected to be completed in 2015 with series production starting the same year at the Kazan Helicopter Plant, a Russian Helicopters company. The fourth prototype – and last before series production launch – is currently being assembled. It will be fitted with a shock-resistant fuel system and enlarged window openings.

News briefs RUSSIAN AIRCRAFT manufacturer Sukhoi completed the 2013 State Defence Order on December 24 with delivery of the final batch of Su-34 Fullback frontline bombers to the defence ministry of the Russian Federation. The Su-34s are part of a second production contract announced on March 1, 2012, for 92 aircraft. The previous five-year contract signed in December 2008 for 32 aircraft was completed on December 16. RUSSIAN AIR Force commander Lt Gen Viktor Bondarev has confirmed Russia will place a “large order” for additional Yakovlev Yak-130 Mitten combat training aircraft. During a December 25 visit to the Irkut Corporation’s Irkutsk Aviation Plant, he also confirmed the Russian Air Force will soon form a new aerobatic display team with Yak-130s. Russia has taken delivery of 12 Yak-130s built by Sokol at its Nizhny Novgorod production plant, and 30 manufactured by Irkut as part of a 55-aircraft order. DELIVERY OF the second Antonov An-140-100 to the Russian Navy took place on December 21 when RF-08852 (c/n 13A009) was handed over at the JSC Aviacor Aircraft Plant in Samara. This An-140 is in a mixed cargo and passenger transport configuration and will be allocated to the Baltic Fleet. It is the first of three cargo-configured An-140s ordered by the Russian Navy under a contract last April. Aviacor says that it plans to deliver the next An-140 to the Russian Ministry of Defence in the second quarter of 2014. DURING A visit to Sukhoi’s Yuri A Gagarin Aircraft Plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur on December 25, Russian Air Force commander Lt Gen Viktor Bondarev revealed that the Russian Air Force received a total of 12 Sukhoi Su-35S Flanker-E multi-role fighters during 2013. According to Bondarev ten of the 48 ordered by the Defence Ministry under a contract signed on August 19, 2009 had already been delivered.

Mi-28N Enters Russian Air Force Service The third Mi-38 prototype, 38013, during its initial hover tests at the National Helicopter Development Centre in Tomilino, Moscow. The tests on November 13 were followed by a maiden flight 16 days later. Russian Helicopters

Georgian Army to Replace Soviet Helicopter Fleet GEORGIAN DEFENCE Minister Irakli Alasania has revealed that the defence ministry plans to completely replace its fleet of Soviet attack and transport helicopters. He told a media presentation in Tbilisi on December 27 that the helicopters would all be withdrawn in 2014 and a fleet replacement programme from the US would begin. Alasania noted, however, that negotiations were also under way with other countries, implying that some of the new helicopters could

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be acquired from elsewhere, with France specifically mentioned. The minister said that the Soviet-era helicopters, primarily small numbers of Mi-8/17s and Mi-24s, were increasingly expensive to maintain, with procurement of spare parts becoming problematical. He claimed it was almost impossible to obtain spares without involvement in corrupt deals, resulting in the decision to acquire new helicopters from other sources.

He said the Georgian Army Aviation Brigade (formerly the air force, but transferred to army control in 2010) will renovate and expand its existing US utility helicopter fleet, which comprises eight Bell UH-1H Iroquois that entered service in 2001. Six were supplied by the US from US Army Europe stocks while the remaining two were donated by Turkey. No specific details of how many new helicopters are to be acquired were revealed.

RUSSIAN HELICOPTERS announced that the Mi-28N Night Hunter combat helicopter officially entered service with the Russian Defence Ministry on December 27. The helicopter has been operated by the Russian Armed Forces for several years, with a dozen delivered since 2005, but has officially been under acceptance testing until now. “The fact that the defence ministry has officially accepted the Mi-28N testifies that the Night Hunter meets the requirements for a combat helicopter and is ready to enter into service with the Russian Air Force,” Alexander Mikheev, CEO at Russian Helicopters, said. Various potential export customers have shown interest in the Mi-28N and an international version – the Mi-28NE – is being offered by the company.

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06/01/2014 15:08

NEWS ASIA PACIFIC USMC F-35Bs Demonstrated to Singapore TWO US Marine Corps Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning IIs were demonstrated to senior Singaporean defence officials at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, on December 10. The aircraft, 168720 ‘VK-02’ and 168724 ‘VK-06’ from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 (VMFA-121) ‘Green Knights’ flew in from their base at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, mid-morning. They were then put on static display while the type’s capabilities were explained to the Singapore delegation, which was visiting Luke to observe Exercise Forging Sabre, a Singapore Armed Forces exercise taking place at the base and on the Barry M Goldwater training range. Singapore has been considering purchasing the F-35 for some years and the demonstration of the F-35B variant appears to confirm reports earlier this year that it is Singapore’s preferred option. The country’s Defence Minister, Dr Ng Eng Hen, who was with the delegation at Luke, said: “Singapore is seriously looking at the F-35s to replace our F-16s. We’re in no particular hurry, because our F-16s are still very operational, and they’re due for upgrades. And during my visit here to Luke Air Base, the US Marines were kind enough to demonstrate the F-35B, and it’s quite an engineering marvel.” Assuming a deal is done, it is thought likely that the initial purchase will be for around 12 aircraft. Unconfirmed reports suggest that a total of around 75 may eventually be acquired.

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Lone Merlin Delivers 100+ Tonnes of Aid

Above: The sole Royal Navy Merlin HM1 on HMS Illustrious, operated by 01 Flight of 829 Naval Air Squadron, drops relief supplies in the Philippines during Operation Patwin. MOD Crown Copyright/Royal Navy

During the two-week Operation Patwin, the UK military response to the natural disaster in the Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan, the sole Merlin HM1 helicopter of 01 Flight, 829 Naval Air Squadron (NAS) was airborne daily from HMS Illustrious. Beginning on November 25, the Merlin carried underslung loads and landed at otherwise inaccessible, sites. During the fortnight on station around the remote Visayas islands, the Merlin flew for 75 hours – more than twice the monthly average – shifting 100 tonnes of aid. “The flying has been quite challenging,” said pilot Lt Jon Maumy. “Trying to land such a big aircraft in small, confined areas is all about crew co-operation and patience –

we need to ensure we don’t damage the aircraft, or more importantly the surrounding areas we are here to help.” There was just one set of aircrew (two pilots, one observer and one aircrewman) supported by a dozen technicians and maintainers aboard HMS Illustrious, from where Leading Aircraft Controller Gillian Dowds safely directed the round-the-clock helicopter operations. The flight was taking part in counter-piracy operations off the Horn of Africa – something for which Merlin is ideally suited thanks to its sensors – when the Prime Minister David Cameron ordered Illustrious to assist with the international aid effort in the Philippines.

Chinese Special Forces in Exercise with Thai Army

Above: Three People’s Liberation Army Aviation Corps Mil-17 Hip helicopters deployed to Central Thailand in early December to work with three Royal Thai Army Mil-17s during a 14-day exercise aimed at sharing tactics and bolstering ties between Thailand and the People’s Republic of China. Held every three years, the first exercise in this series took place Guangzhou in 2007. David Bignell

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Indian Air Force’s Tejas IOC Declared INDIA’S DEFENCE Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) announced that the indigenously developed Tejas Light Combat Aircraft was inducted into Indian Air Force (IAF) service on December 20. This comes after a delay of over two decades and numerous cost overruns. The aircraft has also been granted initial operational clearance (IOC) stage II – stage I having been granted in January 2011. Full operational clearance is not expected until at least the end of 2014. The DRDO said that an initial batch of 40 Tejas Mk Is will be delivered to the IAF, while it and manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) continue to improve the aircraft.

Philippine Air Force Finally Agrees Deal for More UH-1Hs AFTER THREE failed attempts, the Philippine Department of National Defence (DND) has selected a winner in the competition to supply 21 Bell UH-1H Iroquois helicopters to boost the depleted Philippine Air Force (PAF) fleet. Colonel Miguel Okol, a PAF spokesman, confirmed on December 29 that a joint venture between US company Rice Aircraft Services and Canada’s Eagle Copters has been awarded a 1.3 billion pesos ($29 million) contract. Delivery of the first helicopters is required within six months, although it could come within weeks.

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NEWS ASIA PACIFIC

Second Batch of Taiwanese AH-64Es on Delivery

Above: The second batch of six Republic of China Army Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardians stopped at Marana Regional airport near Tucson, Arizona, on December 3 en route to San Pedro, California, and eventual shipping to Taiwan. The first batch of six was delivered to Taiwan in early November and the remaining 24 will follow in 2014. The latest six were serialled 1100015/815 to 11-00020/820. They arrived in Taiwan at the port of Kaohsiung on January 2. Keith Charlot

Philippine Navy’s First Three AW109 Powers Delivered THREE NEW AgustaWestland AW109E Power helicopters were inducted into service with the Naval Air Group of the Philippine Navy on December 19 at the headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo in Quezon City. The helicopters had been delivered to Villamor Air Base on December 8, following which two had been delivered to Danilo Atienza Air Base/Sangley Point Naval Base, Cavite, by December 11 for testing, while the third followed on December 12. AgustaWestland had announced on March 28 that it had signed a contract with the Philippine Navy for three AW109E Power maritime helicopters, with options on a further two. Local reports indicate that the remaining two, which will be armed versions, will be delivered during the first quarter of 2014, suggesting that the two options have now been turned into firm orders. Philippine Navy aircrew have already completed six months of training on the type in Italy. The helicopters will operate from shore bases and the Navy’s two recently acquired Gregorio Del Pilar-class frigates, the BRP Gregorio Del Pilar (PF 15) and BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PF 16), which are the former US Coast Guard Hamilton-Class high-endurance cutters USCGC Hamilton (WHEC 715) and USCGC Dallas (WHEC 716) that were commissioned into Philippine Navy service on December 14, 2011, and November 22, 2013, respectively. Under a contract announced on November 6 the Philippine Air Force (PAF) ordered eight AW109Es for delivery this year; they will be used to perform a range of duties, including homeland security, armed reconnaissance and close support. The PAF’s AW109 Powers will feature a combination of weapon systems, including two 0.50 calibre machine guns and rocket launchers.

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MCAS Futenma to be Relocated by 2022 AFTER YEARS of fierce local opposition, the governor of Okinawa, Japan, Hirokazu Nakaima, has given approval for the relocation of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to Okinawa’s Henoko district. Built in a once rural setting, MCAS Futenma is now in the centre of Ginowan, a densely populated area. In addition to rotational units, the air station is home to two USMC MV-22B Osprey units, Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 262 (VMM-262) ‘Flying Tigers’ and VMM-265

‘Dragons’, plus Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152 (VMGR-152) ‘Sumos’ equipped with KC-130J Super Hercules, and a Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron with UC-12W and UC-35D aircraft. Local people had protested over the relocation, arguing US forces should be removed entirely. In a statement released on December 27, US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, said: “I welcome the governor of Okinawa’s decision to approve the landfill permit

Japan’s Defence Plan Includes 17 Ospreys JAPAN’S CABINET has approved a five-year defence plan, along with a new security strategy, as part of a changing defence posture. The plan makes provision for the acquisition of 17 Bell Boeing MV-22B Ospreys, three surveillance UAVs (expected to be Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawks) and 28 Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters. The plan, covering the years 2014 to 2019, also suggests purchasing three new transport/aerial refuelling aircraft and four airborne

early warning aircraft, plus other weapon systems. The new posture is aimed at strengthening protection of Japan’s more remote islands from possible attack and increasing defences against ballistic missiles. The Ospreys would form part of a US Marines-style amphibious quick reaction force that could be deployed to repel any invasion of its outer islands. Defence spending was cut by 3% in the previous five-year plan, but now it is intended to increase spending by 5% over the next five years.

Indian Air Force Orders Six More C-130J-30 Hercules INDIA SIGNED for six additional Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 Super Hercules on December 27 in a $1 billion deal under a US Foreign Military Sales contract. The order will see deliveries to the Indian Air Force (IAF) within the next three years. The IAF already operates six C-130J-30s, flown by 77 Squadron ‘Veiled Vipers’ as part of 28 Wing at Hindon Air

Force Station (AFS), Ghaziabad. As with the first six, the next half dozen will be configured to support special operations forces and be based at Panagarh AFS in West Bengal, which currently does not have any resident aircraft. Panagarh will also house the Indian Army’s new mountain strike corps of 80,000 soldiers supported by the resident Super Hercules.

request to build the Futenma Replacement Facility at Camp Schwab-Henoko Bay, which is a critical part of the realignment of US forces on Okinawa and [our] on-going re-balance to the Asia-Pacific region and ability to maintain a geographically distributed, operationally resilient, and politically sustainable force posture in the region. Moving forward with this plan will reduce our footprint in the most populated part of Okinawa and let us return significant land south of Kadena Air Base.”

India Terminates VVIP AW101 Contract INDIA’S DEFENCE ministry scrapped a contract to buy 12 AgustaWestland AW101 VVIP helicopters for its air force (IAF) on January 1, after a year of controversy over alleged irregularities in the deal. Following signature of the €560 million contract, AgustaWestland had delivered three AW101s to India, airfreighted out of the UK to Palam Air Force Station in separate An-124 flights during December 2012. A further nine were due last year, however, they were put on hold pending the outcome of investigations into alleged corruption during the acquisition process, which AgustaWestland has denied since they first surfaced. In response, AgustaWestland issued a statement the following day: “AgustaWestland still finds that neither the termination notice by the Ministry of Defence nor the show cause notice, from which this termination notice stems, offers an adequate basis to take any action against the company. The termination notice received yesterday will have to be discussed within the framework of a fair arbitration process.”

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New Aircraft Delivered to Indonesian MOD PT INDONESIAN Aerospace (PT DI) handed over 12 aircraft and helicopters to the Indonesian defence ministry and Basarnas, the national search and rescue service, on December 17. The deliveries comprised three C295 military transport aircraft, seven Bell 412EP and two AS365N3+ Dauphin II helicopters in search and rescue (SAR) configuration. The three C295s with be operated by the Indonesian Air Force (Tentara Nasional Indonesia – Angkatan Udara - TNI-AU) and based at Halim Perdanakusuma, Jakarta, with Skadron Udara 2. Six of the Bell 412EPs are to join the Indonesian Army (Tentara Nasional Indonesia – Angkatan Darat - TNI-AD), while the seventh is for operation by the Indonesian Police Flight Division (Subdirektorat Polisi Udara) and will be based at the police headquarters in Jakarta.

JASDF Rebuilding TsunamiDamaged F-2B Fighter Fleet MORE THAN two years after the devastating tsunami that flooded the Japanese Air SelfDefense Force (JASDF) air base at Matsushima, it has emerged that the Japanese defence ministry is rebuilding many of the 18 resident Mitsubishi F-2B fighters submerged by floodwaters there on March 11, 2011. At the time, the entire airfield was swamped with seawater to a depth of more than 6ft (2m), resulting in salt water damage to every aircraft on the base, including 18 F-2Bs from 4 Kokudan/21 Hikotai, the based conversion unit that uses the F-2B. The Japanese defence ministry later announced that, after spending 13.6 billion yen ($130.69 million) assessing whether the aircraft could be repaired, it had determined

that 12 were damaged beyond repair. It said the remaining six would be repaired at a total cost of 80 billion yen ($1 billion), which was more than the original cost of building the aircraft. Since then, the position appears to have changed and more of these aircraft are now to be rebuilt. Lockheed Martin announced on December 19 that, in co-operation with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, it has delivered the first F-2 aft and leading edge flaps as part of the restoration plan for the F-2B fleet. The US manufacturer now says that the JASDF is planning to repair 13 of the 18 damaged aircraft. The remaining five will be stripped for spares, with undamaged components being saved for use on other aircraft.

Indian Air Force Retires Its Last MiG-21FLs

The formation flypast at Kalaikunda Air Force Station on December 11 to mark the retirement of the last MiG-21FLs in Indian Air Force service. The aircraft involved comprised C1149, C1151, C1160 and C1174. Sanjay Simha

A FORMAL retirement ceremony was held on December 11 at Kalaikunda Air Force Station, West Bengal, for the final 15 MiG-21FLs (Type 77s) remaining in Indian Air Force (IAF) service with the MiG Operational Conversion Unit (OCU). After bidding farewell to the aircraft, Air Chief Marshal N A K Browne, Chief of the Air Staff, said: “I have the greatest professional regard for the MiG-21. Its agility cannot be matched by any of the presentday fighters. Today’s event marks a watershed moment in IAF’s history as we reach the end of nearly five decades of remarkable operational service rendered by this iconic

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fighter.” Four of the surviving MiG-21FLs performed a final flypast in box formation, while another, C1125, was towed out onto the parade square during the event to the tune of Auld Lang Syne. The youngest pilot, Flt Lt L Nagarajan, symbolically handed over the last Form 700 (the aircraft’s maintenance data log) to ACM Browne to mark the end of operations with this variant. Several newer variants of the MiG-21 still remain in IAF service, including the MiG-21bis, MiG-21M, MiG-21MF and two-seat MiG-21UM. In addition, 125 MiG-21bis have been upgraded to MiG-21UPG Bison to extend their service

lives. India purchased 874 MiG-21s of all marks, of which 264 are still flying. The first six entered service in April 1963, heralding the arrival of the IAF’s supersonic era. At its peak the MiG-21 constituted almost 60% of the IAF’s combat strength. Today, around 80% of currently serving IAF pilots have flown the MiG-21FL and 90% have flown at least one of the MiG-21 types during their flying careers. The type celebrated 50 years in IAF service in 2013. The Bisons will now remain operational for an extra two years until at least 2019, to cover for delayed service entry of the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft.

News briefs US AIR Force officials have announced the 451st Air Expeditionary Wing (AEW) at Kandahar Airfield (KAF), Afghanistan, was due to deactivate in January as part of the overall drawdown of US forces in Afghanistan. The 451st AEW comprised four groups, but will reorganise as the 451st Air Expeditionary Group (AEG) at KAF and report to the 455th AEW at Bagram Airfield, it was revealed on December 18. It will continue to provide surveillance and reconnaissance, and command and control. AN AGREEMENT has been finalised by BAE Systems with the US Government for upgrade of the Republic of Korea Air Force’s (ROKAF) fleet of KF-16 aircraft through the US Department of Defense’s Foreign Military Sales programme. “This agreement marks a significant expansion of our F-16 modernisation business and we’re eager to get to work,” said Erin Moseley, president of BAE Systems’ Support Solutions sector, after the December 23 announcement. He said being chosen by Korea last year showed that the company is “a viable and experienced provider of fighter jet upgrades and systems integration.” BAE Systems will upgrade 134 KF-16C/D Block 52 aircraft at the company’s facility in Fort Worth, Texas. A FURTHER four KAI T-50i Golden Eagles have been delivered to the Indonesian Air Force (Tentara Nasional Indonesia – Angkatan Udara – TNIAU) at Iswahyudi Air Base. They were the ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth aircraft delivered and the first in a tactical camouflage scheme. All eight of the previous deliveries had been in the blue and yellow colours of the TNIAU’s Elang Biru display team. Indonesia has ordered 16 weapons-capable T-50i trainers under a $400 million contract signed in May 2011. All are joining Skadron Udara 15 at Iswahyudi, where they are replacing the squadron’s Hawks. A SECOND prototype of China’s new Xian Y-20 military airlifter, 20002, made its maiden flight from Xian’s Yanliang flight test centre on December 16. The first Y-20 prototype, 20001, made its maiden flight on January 26, 2013. ROLL-OUT OF the 50th Block 1 JF-17 (serial number 13-150) was celebrated on December 18 by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) at Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) Kamra. The PAF also took the opportunity to announce the start of production of the Block 2 aircraft with 50 jets on order. (See pages 62 – 66 for an interview with the chief of JF-17 production). CHINA’S NEW Z-20 medium-lift utility helicopter, which bears a striking resemblance to Sikorsky’s S-70 Black Hawk, made its maiden flight on December 23. The prototype, serial 20001, made a low hover test at the Hongdu Aircraft Industry Group airfield in Nanchang. The Z-20 has a five-blade main rotor, four-blade tail rotor and is intended for service with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Aviation Corps, eventually replacing the current Mi-17/ Mi-171 and S-70 Black Hawk fleets.

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NEWS AUSTRALASIA

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Royal Australian Navy’s First Two MH-60Rs Handed Over

Above: The first two Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Sikorsky MH-60R helicopters, N48-001/168814 ‘01’ and N48-002/168815 ‘02’, were handed over at Lockheed Martin’s facility in Oswego, New York, on DEcember 10. Lockheed Martin

DURING A ceremony at the Lockheed Martin facility in Oswego, New York, on December 10, the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) accepted its first two Sikorsky MH-60R helicopters – N48-001/168814 ‘01’ and N48-002/168815 ‘02’ – from the US Navy. Manufactured by Sikorsky and provided with advanced mission

systems and sensors by Lockheed Martin, the MH-60R was ordered to meet the Australian Defence Force’s requirement for a fleet of 24 new-generation, multi-role naval combat aircraft. “The Seahawk ‘Romeo’ is an evolutionary step forward from the Seahawk ‘classic’ it replaces,” said Rear Admiral Tony Dalton, who heads the Australian Defence Organisation’s

Helicopter Systems Division. “The Romeo builds on the known and trusted Seahawk air vehicle, incorporating state-of-the-art sensors in an open architecture, integrated mission system.” Lockheed Martin expects to complete outfitting a further three MH-60Rs for the RAN in early 2014 and all 24 are expected to be handed over to

Australia’s Defence Materiel Organisation by the end of 2016. The RAN currently operates 16 S-70B-2 Seahawk helicopters, acquired in the 1980s, which will be progressively replaced by the new model. Both helicopters left Oswego the next day for Naval Air Station Jacksonville in Florida for training of RAN aircrew.

Maiden Flight of First Australia Extends Afghan Heron C-27J Spartan for RAAF Deployment to July

Above: The first C-27J Spartan for the Royal Australian Air Force, A34-001/I-EASC (c/n NC4179), undertaking ground runs at Turin-Caselle, Italy, on December 5 in readiness for its maiden flight, on December 18. Commonwealth of Australia

THE ROYAL Australian Air Force’s (RAAF) first C-27J Spartan, A34-001/I-EASC (c/n NC4179), successfully completed its maiden flight in Italy on December 18. Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal Geoff Brown, said the C-27J will significantly improve the air force’s ability to provide air power to smaller runways in the region that cannot be reached by larger aircraft. “The C-27J is the missing piece in our airlift capability. The C-17A Globemaster and C-130J Hercules provide medium and heavy airlift – however, we need a battlefield airlifter to ensure we can land at the locations throughout Australia with smaller runways to provide air power when and where it is needed most.” The C-27J Spartan has common infrastructure, engines, avionics and cargo handling systems with the C-130J Super Hercules.

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The C-27J Spartan replaces the Caribou, which was retired from service in 2009. A $322 million order for ten C-27Js was placed with L-3 Communications Integrated Systems through the US Foreign Military Sales Joint Cargo Aircraft programme office in May 2012. The first two are scheduled to be delivered to the RAAF in 2015, with planned initial operational capability following in late 2016. They will be operated by 35 Squadron, a former Caribou unit that was re-established on January 14, 2013, at RAAF Base Richmond, New South Wales, under the command of Wg Cdr Brad Clarke with just 25 personnel. It is due to grow to approximately 250 members after the first C-27Js arrive in 2015. No 35 Squadron will send the first aircrew and maintenance personnel to train on the C-27J in the US in 2014.

AUSTRALIA’S DEPARTMENT of Defence announced on December 10 that the Heron Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) deployment to Afghanistan, providing high resolution intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) support, will remain in theatre until July 2014. The Heron has operated in the Middle East area of operations since January 2010, providing ISR support to missions in Uruzgan province and southern Afghanistan. With the end of Australia’s presence in Uruzgan approaching, the Heron detachment will shift focus to support coalition operations in Regional Command South during the final period of transition of security responsibility to Afghan National Security Forces and the Afghan elections scheduled for April 5 next year. Australia’s Chief of the Air

Force, Air Marshal Geoff Brown, said the Heron had provided the Royal Australian Air Force with experience and knowledge essential for using unmanned platforms in its future fleet. The Heron RPA is capable of medium altitude long endurance flights, using multiple sensors simultaneously to provide high resolution ISR capabilities. Heron RPA can conduct operations in excess of 24 hours, with a maximum speed of more than 100kts (180km/h) and at altitudes of up to 32,800ft (10,000m). The Australian Heron detachment has included personnel from the air force, army and navy of various specialisations including pilots and air combat officers, payload operators, intelligence officers, imagery analysts, engineers, administration, logistics and other specialist staff.

News briefs AUSTRALIA CONCLUDED its military mission in Uruzgan province, Afghanistan, on December 15 with the final Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel leaving Tarin Kowt. The last remaining ADF members left on two Royal Australian Air Force C-17A Globemaster III flights to Al Minhad, United Arab Emirates. Although its combat mission has ended, the ADF will continue to support the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) with more than 400 military personnel remaining in Afghanistan to provide

further training and advisory support for the Afghan National Security Forces. AUSTRALIA’S ACTING Prime Minister, Warren Truss, announced on December 26 that the Australian Defence Force would provide two Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) aircraft, a C-17A Globemaster III and C-130J-30 Super Hercules, to move United Nations personnel into South Sudan. Both aircraft were equipped and crewed ready to support the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and operate in the threat environment expected.

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ATTRITION

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Accident Reports D: Dec 6, 2013 N: Turkish Aerospace Industries T: TAI Anka UAV

US Navy/HSC-12 MH-60S Seahawk 167837 ‘NF-613’ seen after its crash landing in Miura City, Japan, on December 16, 2013.

This indigenously developed unmanned air vehicle (UAV) was lost in a crash during a daytime flight while undertaking operational flight testing from Batman Air Base in southeastern Turkey. A technical investigation is under way, but the cause has yet to be determined. TAI-operated Anka, 10-001 ,crashed at Sivrihisar, Eskisehir, during an acceptance flight on September 27, 2012. D: December 12 N: Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force T: Shenyang J-8

The aircraft crashed on a hill top near Fu Tang village, An Ji county, Hu Zhou, Zheijiang province, at 1911hrs. The pilot was killed in the crash, which occurred during a night training flight. There were no casualties on the ground. Unconfirmed reports say the aircraft was a J-8F Finback II from the 93rd Air Brigade, based at Suzhou. D: Dec 13 N: Indian Navy/INAS 344 T: IAI Malat Heron I

A third incident in four months involving an INS Parundu aircraft occurred when this UAV crashed close to Indian Naval Station Parundu, Uchipuli, Ramanathapuram district. It was returning to the base after a routine surveillance mission and came down in a coconut grove next to a residential area at around 1510hrs due to a technical problem. In earlier incidents, Indian Navy Chetak IN480 made an emergency landing on September 17 near the base, at Therpogi, after engine failure, but no injuries were reported and on October 16, Chetak IN481 was forced to land at Dhanushkodli at the southern tip of Rameswaram island. Two pilots and a diver on board were unhurt.  D: Dec 13 N: US Army/Tennessee ArNG/A/ 1-230th Air Cavalry Squadron T: OH-58D Kiowa Warrior

An ‘extremely hard’ forced landing was made by the helicopter just before 1900hrs Eastern Standard Time in West Knox County, Tennessee,

according to Army National Guard officials. The helicopter, from the Tennessee Army National Guard’s A Company, 1st Battalion, 230th Air Cavalry Squadron at Jackson Army Aviation Support Facility, McKeller-Sipes Regional Airport, Jackson, was on a night training mission at the time. Both pilots walked away from the crash with minor injuries but the impact caused a fire which engulfed the helicopter in woods in suburbs near Knoxville, north of highway I-40, by the intersection of Yarnell Road and Carmichael Road. The crew was taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center for treatment. The OH-58D came down close to several houses but there were no reports of injuries to anyone on the ground or damage to property. D: Dec 14 N: Russian Air Force T: MiG-31 Foxhound

D: Dec 16 N: US Navy/HSC-12 T: MH-60S Seahawk S: 167837 ‘NF-613’

A distress signal was sent out by the crew at 1531hrs after they discovered a transmission problem while flying out of Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan. The MH-60S then crashed while attempting an emergency landing on an open area of reclaimed land in Miura City, about 10 miles (16km) south-west

of Yokosuka Naval Base, opposite Jogashima island on the southern part of the Miura Peninsula. The helicopter rolled onto its side, tearing off the rotor blades and tail section. Two of the four crew members suffered non lifethreatening injuries – one had a broken leg and the other bruises – and were taken to hospital in Yokosuka. No damage was reported in the surrounding area and there were no injuries to anyone on the ground.

Two crew ejected safely before the Foxhound crashed in the Primorye region of Russia’s Far East after taking off at 0507hrs Moscow time from the 4-6983rd Aviation Base at Centralnaya Uglovaya-Artem. The aircraft crashed 16 miles (26km) from the base and no one on the ground was injured. The Russian Defence Ministry later stated that one of the aircraft’s two engines had failed just before the crash. Russian military sources indicate the aircraft had only recently completed overhaul. D: Dec 15 N: US Navy/HSM-46 T: MQ-8B Fire Scout S: 167791

In a second MQ-8B accident in recent months the unmanned air vehicle crashed into the sea at 1610hrs at an unspecified location. Another Fire Scout sustained Class A damage on October 24 when it made a hard landing coming down from the hover during a test flight at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland.

Wreckage of the Turkish Land Forces S-70A-28 Black Hawk following its crash on December 17 which killed four soldiers on board.

D: Dec 17 N: Turkish Land Forces T: S-70A-28 Black Hawk

Four soldiers on board were killed in a crash that destroyed this helicopter. The Black

Hawk struck high tension cables during a routine training flight and crashed into a field near the village of Ogulbey, about 11 miles (18km) south of Ankara city centre.

D: Dec 17 N: Russian Air Force T: Kamov Ka-226

Substantial damage occurred when the helicopter was forced to land at 1350hrs in Sharlykskogo in the Orenburg region, 37 miles (60km) west of Kumertau, Russia. The helicopter had departed from the factory at Kumertau-

Abbreviations: D: Date N/U: Nationality/Units T: Type S: Serials

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ATTRITION Accident Reports Vorotnyovka on its delivery flight and was en route to Samara (Kryazh) when smoke in the cockpit prompted the emergency landing. The helicopter, which was one of a group of five, rolled over onto its side and caught fire. None of the three crew members were reported injured.

Royal Malaysian Air Force S-61A-4 Nuri M23-15 sits precariously on a steep slope following its emergency landing on December 22.

D: Dec 17 N: US Army/3-1st AVN T: UH-60 Black Hawk

Six US military personnel were killed when this helicopter crashed in southern Afghanistan after developing engine problems. One person on board survived the crash, according to US defence officials. The International Security Assistance Force said that there was no insurgent activity in the area at the time and the cause of the engine failure is now under investigation. The helicopter came down in the remote district of Shajau in Zabul province. The personnel killed in the crash in Bahar, Afghanistan, were identified as Chief Warrant Officer 2 (CWO2) Randy L Billings, CWO2 Joshua B Silverman and Sgt Peter C Bohler,

D: Dec 22 N: Royal Malaysian Air Force T: Sikorsky S-61A-4 Nuri S: M23-15

who were all assigned to the 3rd Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment, 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry

A technical fault prompted an emergency landing while the helicopter was on a security mission in Pulau Perak near

Kedah. The three crew escaped unharmed but the helicopter rolled onto its side and appears to have sustained extensive damaged.

Division, Fort Riley, Kansas. Also killed were Sgt 1st Class Omar W Forde, assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kansas; Staff Sgt Jesse L Williams, Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, Regimental Support Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany and Spc Terry K D Gordon, 1st Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kansas.

No further details are known and the accuracy of the reports cannot be confirmed. Uganda has denied that any of its aircraft are involved in the fighting in South Sudan.

D: Dec 20 N: United Nations T: Unidentified helicopter

Policia Nacional Colombia Bell 206L-4 LongRanger PNC-0923 seen after its was blown apart by a suspected FARC bomb on December 23.

D: Dec 23 N: Policia Nacional Colombia T: Bell 206L-4 LongRanger S: PNC-0923

The helicopter was destroyed in an apparent attack by Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) rebels at El Santuario (The Sanctuary) in Briceño municipality. The helicopter had just dropped off its PNC passengers when it is believed FARC rebels planted an

explosive device which blew up the LongRanger at the location in the Antioquia department of Colombia. Pilot Captain Juan Gabriel Ramirez Castro suffered lacerations to his hands and arms while aircraft technician Patrolman Diego Garzón Gil had bruises and lacerations to the knees and abdomen. The crew’s injuries were not serious. It is believed the attack was carried out by the FARC’s Front 36. 

An unidentified UN helicopter sustained significant damage and was forced to make an emergency landing after coming under fire in South Sudan. It was attempting to evacuate UN personnel and civilians from a base in Yuai, Jonglei state, but had to be abandoned after landing and remained unable to fly.  D: Dec 21 N: Ugandan Air Force T: Su-30MK2

Unconfirmed reports suggest that one or possibly two of three Su-30MK2s that were bombing the positions of General Peter Gatdet Yak in Bor, Jonglei state, South Sudan, may have been shot down.

D: Dec 21 N: US Air Force/1st SOW/8th SOS T: 3 x CV-22B Ospreys

Four American military personnel were injured when three US Air Force Special Operations Command CV-22B Ospreys were fired on with small arms fire from unknown forces. The personnel were attempting to evacuate US citizens from the town of Bor, South Sudan, at the request of the US State Department, by US Africa Command utilising forces from Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa. The Ospreys came under fire as thy approached the town with damage caused to all three aircraft and injuries to four personnel. The evacuation attempt was then aborted and the aircraft diverted to Entebbe, Uganda, where the wounded were transferred to a US Air Force C-17A Globemaster III and flown to Nairobi, Kenya, for medical treatment. All four service members were reported to be in a stable condition shortly after they arrived in hospital. Additional material from: Donny Chan, Scramble/Dutch Aviation Society and Asagiri Yohko.

Abbreviations: D: Date N/U: Nationality/Units T: Type S: Serials

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Attrition Updates February 26, 2010 (not February 28) was the date of the ground fire involving USAF/509th Bomb Wing B-2A Spirit 88-0332 ‘Spirit of Washington’ at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. After temporary repairs and being flown on August 18, 2011, to Northrop Grumman’s facility in Palmdale, California, an extensive rebuild has now been completed. Following re-delivery to Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, the aircraft made its first post-rebuilt training sortie from there on December 16, 2013. (May 2010/December 2011) March 11, 2011: The 18 JASDF/21 Hikotai F-2Bs that were damaged in the tsunami at Matsushima Air Base are believed to have been as follows: 03-8103, 03-8104, 03-8106, 23-8107, 23-8108, 23-8109, 23-8110, 23-8111, 23-8114, 33-8116, 33-8117, 33-8118, 33-8119, 33-8120, 33-8121, 33-8122, 43-8127, and 53-8131.  Lockheed Martin announced on December 19, 2013, that it is now commencing delivery of parts to assist in rebuild of some of these airframes. The company says that 13 of them will be repaired, while the others will be stripped for spares. (May 2011, June 2011 and September 2011) September 14, 2012: The six USMC/VMA-211 AV-8Bs that

Above: US Air Force/509th Bomb Wing Northrop Grumman B-2A Spirit 88-0332 ‘WM’/‘Spirit of Washington’ landing at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, on December 15, 2013, after its first training flight following a three year nine monthrebuild. The aircraft had been extensively damage by an engine fire on February 26, 2010, at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. US Air Force/Staff Sgt Alexandra M Boutte Left: US Marine Corps AV-8B 165422 ‘CF-01’ from Marine Attack Squadron 211 (VMA-211) ‘Avengers’ undergoes wing replacement at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, on September 1, 2012. Two weeks later, on September 14 this was one of six aircraft from the unit destroyed during a Taliban attack on the base. USMC/Sgt Keonaona C Paulo

were destroyed during the attack on Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, have now been identified as 165422 ‘CF-01’, 165568 ‘CF-02’, 165570 ‘CF-03’, 165578 ‘CF-04’, 164570 ‘CF-07’ and 165591 ‘CF-08’. (November/December 2012)

of the latest military aircraft New Military Contract Awards Details contract awards worldwide New Contract Award Summary Air Force/Organisation

Company

Number and Type

Contract Date

Delivery Date and Notes

Brazil-Sao Paulo Military Police

AgustaWestland

1 x AW109 GrandNew

December 16

2014

German Landespolizei Baden Württemberg 6 x Eurocopter

EC145T2

December 11

2015-2016

Indian Air Force

Lockheed Martin

6 x C-130J-30

December 27

Within three years

Iraqi Air Force

KAI

24 x T-50IQ Golden Eagles

December 12

From April 2015

Nepalese Army

Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant

2 x Mi-17V-5

December 30

2014

Royal Norwegian Air Force

AgustaWestland

16 x AW101

December 19

2017-2020, includes six options

Peruvian MOD

Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant

24 x Mi-171Sh

December 18

2014-2015. To be split between air force, army and navy

Peruvian Air Force

Alenia Aermacchi

2 x C-27J Spartan

December 18

Not announced

Philippine Air Force

Rice Aircraft/Eagle Copters 21 x UH-1H

December 29

From June 2014. Second-hand helicopters

Saudi Arabian National Guard

Sikorsky

8 x UH-60M Black Hawk

December 20

By March 31, 2016

Spanish Army

Eurocopter España

8 x EC135T2

December 1

2013-2015

US Air Force

Lockheed Martin

18 x C-130J-30 Super Hercules

December 6

By October 31, 2016. Long-lead funding only

US Army

General Atomics

? x MQ-1C Gray Eagle

December 6

By September 30, 2016. FY2014 full-rate production order

US Army

EADS North America

6 x UH-72A Lakota

December 6

By December 31, 2014

US Army

Sikorsky

33 x UH-60M Black Hawk

December 23

By June 30, 2015

US Army

Sikorsky

24 x HH-60M Black Hawk

December 23

By June 30, 2015

US Army

Boeing

28 x CH-47F Chinook

December 26

By December 31, 2020. 22 rebuilds, six new

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NORTHROP GRUMMAN X-47

The robot

& the Cat

Mike Wilson looks at the sea trials of Northrop Grumman’s X-47 unmanned demonstrator

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HE TAILLESS, strike fighter-sized X-47B returned to sea for the third time in early November for seven days aboard the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), known as the ‘TR’ or ‘Big Stick’, which steamed off the coast of Virginia. This latest at-sea demonstration was to assess the air vehicle – or system – in terms of its navigation, control and the carrier interface in a dynamic weather environment, such as higher wind and sea states. Naval Air Systems Command’s (NAVAIR) unit PMA-

268 is responsible for managing the unmanned combat air system demonstrator (UCAS-D) programme. Captain Beau Duarte, PMA-268 programme manager, reported: “We’re flying in higher winds both right down the angle and in front of the aircraft. Wind speeds are 28 to 36 knots. We’re introducing more stress on the airframe and control responses. “The great thing about the X-47 is that it flies a very precise navigational path, so any deviations of the aircraft and control responses we can attribute to the wind, not the aircraft itself. That’s something we can’t do with manned aircraft. In addition, we continue our refinement of deck operations and test the digitisation of the carrier, and a new objective for this test is the wave-off functionality from

the control tower. We’ve done that from the LSO [landing signals officer] platform as well as the mission operator stations.” On its first day aboard ship the air vehicle executed two launches, multiple intentional waveoffs, six touch-and-goes and two traps, according to programme officials, who added: “The X-47B air vehicle did exactly what we expected it to do.”

Not all plain sailing

Day two, however, was a different story. The deck operators taxied the X-47B from a spot just forward of the island to just behind the catapult 2 shuttle when they had a communications problem which meant they were unable to get it out of ‘flight idle’. The UAV was secured in place so Northrop Grumman technicians could safely isolate the fault. Some 90 minutes later, they reported it was good for launch. Navy officials later said electromagnetic interference had caused command and control problems. Once again, the deck operators taxied the air vehicle to the catapult 2 shuttle. With the carrier steaming into a cold, stiff wind, the aircraft’s launch bar was attached to the shuttle. The engine was increased to maximum power and the X-47B launched into the late afternoon sky. It flew autonomously straight ahead, parallel to the ship’s course, for several miles before making a turn to port for the downwind leg – when it was intercepted by an F/A-18C Hornet from VX-23 acting as the safety chase aircraft. The pair then flew high above the carrier before each made an arrested landing. During the downtime between the first attempted launch and the second successful one, Rear Admiral Mathias Winter, Programme ExecBelow: Ready for launch. Steam rises from the catapult as the pressure builds just moments before the X-47B is propelled from the USS Theodore Roosevelt. Mike Wilson

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utive Officer for Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons, pointed out that “the X-aircraft is an experimental aircraft. [We are in] exploration and discovery mode in understanding how it operates, the technical design dependencies and all aspects of its modes and functionality. It’s the reason we do test and evaluation. “Test and evaluation is predominately landbased and happens at facilities like Patuxent River, Maryland, for US Navy aircraft. For unmanned carrier aircraft, we have to do that here at sea to be able to demonstrate, evaluate and discover the design capabilities, issues and opportunities. It’s important we learn today. That learning will make sure we go forward and identify, modify and understand the root-cause factors to make these systems more effective and suitable in the future. “The navy is committed to unmanned aviation and its capabilities because of its ability to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, an affordability constant that provides the flexibility and the adaptability to change out sensors for missions. We have our broad maritime capabilities with our Triton unmanned systems blended with our P-8 Poseidon and the FireScout unmanned systems with our H-60 helicopter – which will be integrated onto our littoral combat ships; and as we go forward with the technology of X-47 we’ll then integrate unmanned aviation into our carrier environment and to our manned carrier air wings. We anticipate seeing unmanned aviation flying from the decks of our carriers within the next three to five years.” Navy officials noted that “a major objective for the UCAS-D programme is to demonstrate a

X-47B 168604 ‘NG-502’ as it overshoots the Roosevelt during November’s trials. Mike Wilson

digitised carrier-controlled environment to allow for robust communications between the aircraft and all carrier personnel involved with launching, recovering and controlling the aircraft. Current and future test events will continue to mature unmanned technologies and refine concept of operations to further inform unmanned carrier requirements.” Carrier-based tests of the X-47B began in December 2012 with operations aboard USS Harry S Truman (CVN-75) and resumed in May aboard USS George H W Bush (CVN-77), where it completed its first carrier-based catapult launch followed by its first carrier-based arrested landing in July. In September the programme completed an autonomous aerial refuelling test using Calspan Corporation’s Learjet modified with an inert refuelling probe, outfitted with the X-47B’s navigation, command and control,

and vision processor hardware and software. In the seven days aboard the ‘TR’, the air vehicle performed 26 landings, 21 touch-and-goes, afm five traps and seven intended wave-offs.

Next steps In the coming year, the programme plans to evaluate the X-47B ‘s integration into carrier cyclic operations with an air wing. First, the programme team will conduct a mock virtual carrier simulation with several air wing aircraft to continue learning how to operate the UAV system aboard ship with multiple aircraft. The programme will then join an air wing aboard a carrier at sea. Rear Admiral Winter would like to see at least one air vehicle system added to the Naval Air Warfare Center – Aircraft Division test and evaluation fleet at Patuxent River, because he believes the navy will continue to learn how to operate unmanned air vehicle systems in the carrier environment for decades to come.

“The navy is committed to unmanned aviation and its capabilities because of its ability to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week” www.airforcesdaily.com

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BRITS IN THE US NAVY

Right: Lt Col Phil Kelly, strapped into his Super Hornet. Via author Below: Lt Col Phil Kelly taxies his Super Hornet from VFA-213 ‘Fighting Black Lions’ on the deck of the USS George H W Bush. USN/Lt Caroline Johnson

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Brits flying the Rhino Lewis Gaylard talks to a Royal Navy pilot flying the US Navy’s Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, affectionately known as the ‘Rhino’

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n the modern world of high-performance, fast-jet aircraft there are very few that can compare with the US Navy’s current multi-role combat aircraft, the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. It is a larger, more advanced derivative of the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18C/D Hornet originally produced in the 1980s. This new twin-engine, carrier-based fighter has become the backbone of the US Navy since the legendary Grumman F-14 Tomcat retired in 2006. It is known as either the Rhino or Super Bug to those who fly it.

Co-operation across the sea

Since 2009 a few elite Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm (FAA) pilots have flown with the US Navy on a skill generation initiative to provide the maritime leaders for the UK F-35 Joint Strike Fighter programme. They have been operational in ten US Navy Carrier Air Wings, which incorporate 25 squadrons, . The FAA pilots have deployed across the Pacific and the Atlantic, the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf, seeing the full pace of operations required in those areas. The future RN aircraft carriers of the Queen Elizabeth Class will provide just such a presence when deployed globally. Lt Col Phil Kelly, Royal Marines, has been placed with Carrier Air Wing Eight (CVW-8) on the USS George H W Bush, part of Carrier Strike Group Two (CSG-2), as the senior RN aviator flying in the USA.

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BRITS IN THE US NAVY

“In the past few years I have been exposed to the extremes of naval aviation, operating in challenging conditions and simulated threat environments in preparation for cruise. We have conducted squadron-level training in air-to-air and air-toground detachments, basic ship/air integration with a month-long period, advanced carrier air wing ops fully integrating all eight squadrons into a cohesive force, culminating in the Carrier Strike Group month-long war-fighting exercise certifying the force of ships and aircraft ready to deploy.” With the first task of being able to gain the coveted US Navy ‘Wings of Gold’, the training regime to convert to the Rhino is a long, stressful process. Remembering that the majority of FAA pilots have been trained to fly the Harrier short take-off and vertical landing flight envelope, it is quite a culture shock to re-train to ‘cat and trap’ (catapult and arrested landing) operations. No longer are you able to ‘stop and then land’, but rather the dramatic, bone-shaking, nerve wrecking ‘land and then stop’!

Above: A Super Hornet from VFA-213 chained down right at the extremities of the USS George H W Bush. US Navy/ MC3 Joshua Card Top: The Super Hornet is set to be the backbone of the navy’s strike force until sufficient F-35Cs have entered service in the middle of the next decade. Royal Navy pilots are among the elite flying the aircraft on the front line. USN/MCSA Ignacio D Perez Below: Lt Col Kelly makes his final cockpit checks before departing to the carrier from NAS Oceana. US Navy

and the simulator really helps. Flying the jet on airto-ground missions really lets you see the range of ordnance that it can carry. It has ‘dumb’ bombs and advanced weapons with GPS and laser guidance. These can be used against a wide array of targets placed in the desert ranges at NAS El Centro in California or NAS Fallon in Nevada. Towns built of shipping containers provide training using targeting pods and downlinks. “NAS Key West in Florida hosts the main air-to-air detachments. It is a great place to be based for a detachment. The beautiful islands have a host of things to keep the naval aviator busy when not flying. The weather allows training all year round and the air space suits the advanced missions flown. Training is taken to a very high level to prepare for any adversary, with engaged air-to-air manoeuvring being the absolute highlight. The Super Hornet has carefree handling, but it is a challenge

Learning the ropes

Being the lead FAA pilot in the US Navy, Lt Col Kelly is well placed to give an insight into this training process: “Arriving at VFA-106, or VFA-122, Super Hornet training is daunting. Located at NAS [Naval Air Station] Oceana and NAS Lemoore respectively they are the Fleet Replacement Squadrons for the USN Hornet and Super Hornet fleets. They train all new pilots, pilots transitioning from other types and re-qualify previously qualified pilots. The standard course lasts about a year and covers the multitude of mission sets that the aircraft can do. Royal Navy aviators are either brand new ‘ab initio’ pilots or transitioning from the Harrier GR9, and may even have some Sea Harrier FA2 experience. The welcome from the USN has, according to Lt Col Kelly, been exceptional – the British students have been integrated fully into classes going through the course, forming friendships that will last a lifetime. “The challenges of the course are measured and you are ready for them when they come,” said Lt Col Kelly. “The preparation for each phase in lectures 32 #311 FEBRUARY 2014

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to use its maximum performance. Significant time is taken to help you understand how to handle the power of the twin afterburning engines – and exceptional nose authority – that allow you to use your helmet-mounted cueing sight to kill the enemy quickly. “Preparation for landing on the aircraft carrier comes at the end of the course and is extremely intense. It starts with lectures and simulators to drive home the risks and basic techniques. "Time spent on field carrier landing practices is intense, with the focus on achieving a consistent and repeatable approach to the ‘carrier box’ at the practice airfield. The lights are turned off at the airfield, just leaving the lights on the ‘carrier deck’ when the students reach the end of their ‘bounce’ phase. “Flying out to the aircraft carrier for your first ‘trap’ is exciting. When you are called down from the overhead for your turn, your heart beats out of your chest as you mentally prepare for the hardest spot landing you have ever done. The anticipation is tempered by how busy you become following the procedures and checks to get the jet ready to land. The first thing you put down is the hook. “The first trap is just like a car crash – you slow from 135 knots to zero in less than 200 feet! You have

“The initial qualification is ten traps during the day with a few touch and goes, and then four at night. It is done over two days and is exhilarating. By the end you are exhausted, but happy when you are told you are ‘a qual’” been flying the ‘ball’ so intently that the landing comes as a shock. Immediately the handlers are directing you to power back and check that your hook is clear of the wires, and then direct you to raise it. You then power up and taxi out of the ‘LA’ [landing area] and, to your horror, straight to one of the bow catapults. You feverishly go through your checks to prepare for the cat shot and before you know it, you are under aggressive acceleration from zero to 150 knots that does not compare to anything at a fairground – they should make a ride like it, but they would probably have to medically clear everyone to go on it. “Once you are airborne you are turning almost straight away downwind to do it all again. Then you have to do it all at night – that is either easier for you or exceptionally harder, depending on your outlook. Some people prefer the calm serenity of the night flying, but the errors that can be made are much less forgiving at night. It can scare the life out of you!

“The initial qualification is ten traps during the day with a few touch and goes, and then four at night. It is done over two days and is exhilarating. By the end you are exhausted, but happy when you are told you are ‘a qual’. "Some people get stuck on board the carrier after giving another aircrew their jet to continue with, but some are lucky enough to get ‘shot to the beach’. Landing ashore on what you might think is a massive runway feels like the easiest thing you have ever done, and then you remember that you have carrier-pressurised tyres and the brakes don’t seem to work! Luckily, the long roll-out deals with that, but it is not a nice feeling. “However, the feeling of qualifying as a fleet pilot to join a squadron on a nuclear aircraft carrier is the best. You are joining an exclusive club of ‘tailhookers’ who know the pleasure of flying a good pass or the terror on a dark and stormy night at sea just before you land. Training takes over and you continue to learn to become a better naval aviator.”

The Super Bug The US Navy began evaluating the Super Hornet in 1999 leading to the first operational squadron being formed in June 2001 and deploying into combat aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in July 2002. In April 2005, Boeing delivered the first Block II Super Hornet, complete with the world’s fi rst tactical multi-mode active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, the Raytheon APG-79. It is one of the most advanced radar systems in use today and has intrinsic technical features that offer revolutionary increases in capability, reliability, image resolution and range. It has given the Super Hornet substantially increased aerial power over its ancestors with its active electronic beam scanning, which enables the radar beam to be steered at nearly the speed of light; it optimises situational awareness for the pilot and provides superior air-to-air and air-to-surface capability, making the Rhino less vulnerable to enemy threats. Integrating the APG-79 AESA radar, an advanced targeting forward-looking infrared system, a joint helmet-mounted

cueing system, multifunctional information distribution system, an advanced highcapacity computer system and all-‘glass’ cockpit has provided the pilot with intuitive situational awareness and capability. Two versions of the ‘Super Hornet’, the single-seat ’E and the two-seat ’F models, are in service with the US Navy. Both are true multi-role aircraft, able to perform virtually every mission, including air superiority, day/ night strike with precision-guided weapons, fighter escort, close air support, suppression of enemy air defences, maritime strike, reconnaissance, forward air control and tanker missions. With eleven weapons stations, the Super Hornet is able to carry over 400 different configurations of air-to-air and air-to-ground ordnance. For example, a typical basic load-out for a self-escort strike mission is an advanced infrared targeting pod, one AIM-120 AMRAAM, two AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, a 20mm cannon and an external fuel tank. This still leaves six under-wing weapon stations available to carry a variety of ordnance and

stores. Two General Electric F414-GE-400 engines power the Super Hornet, and enable it to achieve Mach 1.8. A full authority digital electronics control (FADEC) allows for unrestricted engine response in any phase of fl ight. The F/A-18E/F has exceptional combat manoeuvrability, unlimited angle of attack, high resistance to spins and departures, and ease of handling and training. Its reconfigurable digital fl ight control system can detect damage to, or full loss of, a flight control and still facilitate safe recovery. In August 2013, Boeing and Northrop Grumman began fl ight tests with a prototype of an Advanced Super Hornet with conformal fuel tanks, an enclosed weapons pod and radar signature reductions. These, along with other planned advanced technologies that include enhanced engines, internal infrared search and track, and a next-generation cockpit is Boeing’s counter to Lockheed Martin’s F-35 in the international fighter market.

Safe return – Lt Col Kelly ‘trapping’ on board the USS George H W Bush after a mission in a VFA-31 F/A-18F. Juan David Guerra

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BRITS IN THE US NAVY Turn and burn

The F/A designation of the Super Hornet indicates a dual fighter and attack role. These are the primary mission sets that the aircrew must learn to a very high level; they must become second nature. The air combat manoeuvring (ACM) role is probably the most glamorous, most gladiatorial sortie a fast-jet pilot will undertake. It is, however, more than just simply ‘kick the tyres and light the fires’. “Launching off the deck of the aircraft carrier into your allocated airspace, you accelerate to conduct the fight,” said Lt Col Kelly. “You get ready for a ‘set’ on pre-briefed altitudes and speeds. The fight starts with the first shot from the briefed manoeuvre. You pull as hard as you can, straining every fibre in your body as you reach the max ‘g’ that the aircraft automatically limits, and it really hurts. You strain to look over your shoulder to assess what your adversary has done and what you need to do next. All this time the twin afterburners are driving you hard through the sky – if you unload the jet it accelerates fast, as the energy is added at a rapid rate. The follow-on manoeuvring becomes a blur that you know you should remember for the debrief, and depending on who you are fighting, you either start to feel more comfortable as he or she appears more in front of you, or strain even harder if they start to move behind you. Most fights are balanced on a fine edge, as all pilots are trained to fly the jet to its limit. All too soon, fuel becomes your biggest worry as the afterburners have used most of it in the last few frantic minutes. Eventually someone has to call ‘bingo’ to stop the fight and return to the ship. “Any sustained period of flying ACM takes a real toll on the body, totally exhausting you at the end of each day. The flying is the most fun you can have in a jet that is designed to be probably the best handling fighter in certain speed ranges. It takes you to the limits of human and system performance to give you every advantage possible for when you face a true enemy.” Although it may be the less glamorous Right: Last chance – a VFA-87 Hornet, moments before it traps the wire. Juan David Guerra

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role, in the modern world of war, the ground attack mission is deemed to be vital. With the need to hit targets from greater distances, so enabling the attacker to avoid being engaged by ground or air defences, and the demand to keep collateral damage to the absolute minimum, it is a demanding undertaking for the aircrew. With modern high-tech avionics and the latest cutting-edge ordnance at the pilots’ disposal, the ability to successfully complete the ‘mud-moving’ mission is paramount: “Flying in the high desert of the NAS Fallon ranges, the target arrays seem like tiny dots on the valley floors between the sand-coloured mountains that are capped with snow,” remarked Lt Col Kelly. “The Super Hornet copes well with the altitude and the very hot or cold conditions, depending on what time of year you visit. Live bombs are loaded; rounds are fed into the 578-round drum for the M61 Vulcan nose-mounted Gatling gun as the jets are prepared for combat training. Walking around the fully-loaded jet is a flurry of remembering where each wire should be attached and what each setting should be for fuses and laser codes. Climbing into the jet in a sweaty mess, the engines are started. Quickly your hands flash around the cockpit setting up software navigation waypoints, datalinks, reference points and areas. The weapons register with the jet and appear on your load screen telling you they are ready. “Taxiing down to the hold is a welcome relief as the air conditioning starts to work. Rolling onto the runway for take-off as number two of a section lets you see his twin afterburners light just before he disappears into a jet-induced heat haze. As you start your roll a few seconds later, you see him appear above the haze and climb away. The speed counts up quickly as you check your hydraulics and flight control system to make sure you don’t take any system airborne that is not working fully. As you lift off, you raise the gear and flaps and life becomes serene as you fly after your lead. “As you approach the target area you prepare all the systems for the weapon you intend to deliver. You focus intently on capturing the target with your targeting pod, or by looking out of the window into the target area. You try to count shapes on the ground and work out the relative orientation to make sure

you have the right one designated. You roll in for your attack, diving steeply and losing thousands of feet per minute – you have seconds to line up and release the weapon before you have to pull out of the dive and strain against the ‘g’ onset during recovery. “When it goes well it feels great. When it doesn’t work out, you have to turn around as tightly as you can and pitch in again for another go. By this time you are dripping with sweat as the air conditioning fights to keep you cool. The Joint Terminal Attack Controller [JTAC] then tasks you to switch to gun and engage a moving target. You roll in for another diving pass, this time staring at the gun aiming symbol in the heads-up display, desperately trying to keep it on the target. You fire the gun for what feels like a really short time, but hundreds of bullets have left your jet. You can’t see where they impact, as you have to pull up immediately. “On returning to base you review your flight recorder tapes to see where you can get better to make sure you can support soldiers and marines effectively. Repeated training enables you to become proficient and you start to feel at home in this dynamic environment. The training pays real dividends in combat, where the stress levels are much higher and you almost revert to muscle memory to execute attacks.” It has been hard training for Lt Col Kelly and the rest of the FAA team, but they have built into a cohesive and effective force ready to deploy to operations in any part of the world. The way the USN trains its forward-deployed force is impressive. The leadership of the CSG, carrier air wing, ship, and surface task group work exceptionally well together afm setting the tone for all others to follow.

Future force

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HELISAF SPANISH SAR IN AFGHANISTAN

Spanish SAR in Afghanistan Spain withdrew the last of its helicopters from Afghanistan in November. Erwan de Cherisey was embedded with the Spanish Air Force’s MEDEVAC Super Puma team last summer and describes what its day-to-day activities were 1

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T IS Monday June 3 at a little past 0930hrs at Forward Support Base (FSB) Herat in western Afghanistan. Aérospatiale AS332 Super Puma HT.21-01/803-13’s Makila turbines burst into life with a roar. Captain ‘MB’ and his co-pilot go through the last pre-flight checks in the cockpit while we sit in the cabin, waiting for the mission to begin. To my left is the unit’s doctor, behind me the flight mechanic, and in front of me behind his FN MAG 7.62mm machine-gun is the door gunner, an air force NCO who, like most of the crew, is a veteran of a number of previous Afghan deployments. Behind him, seated by the right-hand door, are two sappers (zapadores paracaidistas, the Spanish Air Force Special Forces), each armed with an assault rifle. Leaning against the two stretchers in the rear of the cabin are the nurse and the technician tasked with operating the various life support equipment on-board. Like the rest of us, they wear a bulky Level IIIA bulletproof vest that affords a high level of protection and a Kevlar helmet. Everyone but me carries a sidearm and “just in case”, the doctor points me to the Heckler & Koch (H&K) G-36 rifles (“one for each of us”) stored behind my back. The enervating 40°C heat eases slightly as we begin to taxi towards

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1: Gunner’s-eye-view along the barrel of the 7.62mm general purpose machine gun. 2: Shoulder patch for Camp Arena Forward Support Base, Herat, Afghanistan. 3: Shoulder patch for EZAPAC, the Escuadrón de Zapadores Paracaidistas, Spain’s airborne sappers. 4: The HELISAF shoulder patch. 5: AS332-B1 Super Puma HT.21-02/80314 in flight near Herat. All images by Erwan de Cherisey unless specified.

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the runway, followed closely by our escort aircraft another Super Puma HT.21-02/803-14 armed with a lethal .50 FN M3M heavy machine-gun. Minutes later, both helicopters take to the air, vertically ascending for a few moments before accelerating forward, nose down, dashing away from the FSB at high speed and low level. Both aircraft keep a close formation on their way to Provincial Support Base (PSB) Qala i Naw, in the neighbouring province of Baghdis, the home of the Spanish Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT). Both helicopters are assigned to HELISAF, the Spanish Air Force’s (Ejercito del Aire - EdA) sole rotary wing detachment in Afghanistan. Its mission is to provide a medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) capability to the International Security Assistance Force’s (ISAF) Regional Command West (RC-West) (under Italian command with its headquarters at FSB Herat) and Spanish forces in Afghanistan (ASPFOR). At the time of AFM’s visit HELISAF had three Super Pumas on strength, although these seldom all flew together. The standard mission pattern was two helicopters, one for the medical team and its equipment while the other acted as an armed escort. The flight AFM joined during its visit to HELISAF was a training sortie, not an operational

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‘Everyone but me carries a sidearm and “just in case”, the doctor points me to the Heckler & Koch G-36 rifles - “one for each of us” - stored behind my back’

Ala 48 (48 Wing) The Spanish Air Force Ala 48 was created formally in 1992 by combining two flying squadrons, 803 and 402. The 803 Squadron was established in 1965 at Getafe AB, as a SAR unit, initially flying a mix of Agusta-Bell AB205As and AB206 JetRangers, the latter replaced later by Sud Aviation SA316 Alouette IIIs. It started flying SA330 Pumas in 1973, receiving its first AS332-B nine years later. The squadron still flies five of these, along with two AS332-B1s delivered in 1992. Fixed-wing aircraft on strength within 803 Squadron comprised Casa C212s for SAR and maritime surveillance duties, but these were withdrawn in 2008. They were replaced

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by a number of Casa (now Airbus Military) CN235100MPA VIGMAs. The 402 Escuadrón de Fuerzas Aéreas (air force squadron) was formed in 1978, taking over the aircraft and duties performed by the helicopter unit in charge of royal, government and VIP flights, which then operated SA330s and AB205s. In 1982 it received two AS332-Bs, later followed by four more modern AS332M1s and, more recently, two AS532UL Cougars. Nowadays, all rotary-wing aircraft belonging to 803 and 402 squadrons are concentrated at Cuatro Vientos, while the fixed-wing platforms operate from Getafe. Over the years, Ala 48’s members and aircraft (mainly 803 Squadron’s) have been involved in a number of international operations not only in Afghanistan but also in Djibouti, Africa, as part of the anti-piracy Operation Atalanta and in Italy during Unified Protector, when it provided support to the ongoing combat operations in Libya against Gaddafi’s forces.

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SPANISH SAR IN AFGHANISTAN mission. Nevertheless, there was no difference in terms of crew, flight pattern or equipment embarked aboard the Super Pumas.

Days past: a brief history of HELISAF

The HELISAF detachment started its operations on June 1, 2005, from FSB Herat with the aim of providing MEDEVAC cover in western Afghanistan at a time where such a capability was non-existent in that part of the country. Over the next six years this Spanish unit was the only one in the whole RC-West, its aircraft providing vital MEDEVAC support not only to ISAF and Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) troops but also local civilians. During this time HELISAF’s medical personnel, comprising flight surgeons from the Spanish Air Force, nurses from the Ala 48 (48 Wing) and 49 or 802 Escuadrón (Squadron) and support technicians from the air force’s Medical Air Evacuation Unit (Unidad Médica de Aeroevacuación - UMAER), had to deal with countless evacuations from the forward edge of battle, in the middle of some seriously ‘hot’ combat zones. They provided both initial care to the wounded as well as stabilising them during the return flight to hospital. In 2011, the deployment of three American MEDEVAC UH-60s at Qala i Naw meant that HELISAF was no longer alone and, consequently, forward evacuations became a less frequent part of the detachment’s duties with the transporting of already stabilised patients from one hospital to another taking greater prominence.

The people who made it happen

HELISAF’s flight crews, mechanics and support personnel came mostly from Ala 48's 803 and 402 Escuadróns, based at Cuatro Vientos air base in the suburbs of Madrid. Some unit personnel were also from Ala 49's 801 Escuadrón, flying Pumas, Casa C212s and Airbus Military CN235MPAs VIGMA tasked with search and rescue (SAR) and naval surveillance duties located at Palma de Mallorca in the Balearic Islands, and 802 Escuadrón, a combined AS332/532/CN235 VIGMA SAR/Naval Patrol unit based at Las Palmas in the Canary Islands. In 2013 HELISAF comprised 42 members, including eight pilots, four flight mechanics, four gunners, two doctors, two nurses, two technicians for life support equipment, eight airborne sappers, one armourer, eight maintenance technicians and one secretary for the paperwork! Personnel would be assigned

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Above: Gunners scrutinize the ground beneath as their aircraft flies near Herat. Coalition aircraft are under constant threat from insurgents on the ground.

to ISAF for three months with Ala 48’s usually deploying every year for a new tour of duty. Prior to its deployment to Afghanistan, the relieving group would train for three months, to prepare for the environment and conditions it would encounter once in-country and the missions it would be conducting. Part of the preparation was spent training intensively in the use of night vision goggles (NVGs), helicopter landings in dusty areas as well as the technique for firing door-mounted weapons. HELISAF lost no personnel in Afghanistan, but serious damage was sustained by AS332-B1 HD.2112 on September 28, 2008, while it was attempting to land to pick up a wounded Afghan policeman.

Above: Two stretchers mounted on the inside of the Super Puma’s cabin. Below: One of HELISAF’s AS332-Bs taxying in at FSB Herat. A .50 FN M3M machine gun is deployed at the cabin door.

HELISAF’s AS332 Super Pumas

The Super Pumas deployed in Afghanistan as part of HELISAF all belonged to the Spanish Air Force’s 803 Escuadrón. This unit fields two versions of the Super Puma: five AS332-Bs and one of the more modern AS332-B1s (a second is awaiting repair following the 2008 incident). The primary missions of 803 Escuadrón comprise personnel recovery (PR), SAR, combat search and rescue (CSAR), medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) and support to the air force’s special forces (Escuadrón de Zapadores Paracaidistas - EZAPAC). Although capable of carrying out CSAR duties as well as transport or VIP flights, HELISAF was officially a MEDEVAC unit and its three Super Pumas were fitted out for this specific type of mission. At the time of AFM’S visit to Herat, last June, three AS332-Bs were assigned to the unit. Originally received by the Spanish Air Force between 1983 and 1985, each aircraft has an unrefuelled endurance of four-and-a-half hours. Missions in Afghanistan rarely last that long, owing to the proximity of the combat zones. Because of the high threat level in the area and the peculiarities of the physical environment the Super Pumas assigned to HELISAF were all modified with a variety of specific equipment, with the aim of maximizing their protection and optimizing their capabilities during deployment. Each was fitted with an armoured floor and armour plating on the fuselage to pro-

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tect the cabin and cockpit. Two external ballistic plates were also fixed either side of the fuselage to provide the pilot’s upper body with protection against small arms up to 7.62mm. To preserve the helicopters’ turbines from the ever-present dust, sand filters were mounted on the engines’ intakes while heat dispersers were installed on each side of the exhaust pipes to reduce the heat signature of the aircraft. All Spanish AS332s are fitted with a complete set of electronic counter-measures (ECM) namely the SAAB Integrated Defensive Aids Suite (IDAS), integrated by the Swiss company RUAG. This comprises a radar warning receiver (RWR), a missile approach warning system (MAWS) connected directly to the helicopter’s chaff and flare dispensers which allows their automatic release (although this can also be done manually) and a laser warning system (LWS) to detect any laser illumination and, therefore, potential targeting of the aircraft. HELISAF’s AS332s were also fitted with side mounted weapons, a .50 FN M3M for the escorting aircraft and a 7.62 mm FN MAG for the MEDEVAC chopper. When operating in Afghanistan, HELISAF’s pilots resorted to tactical low-level flying at an altitude of 100 to 200 feet above ground level (AGL), climbing to around 2,000 feet when approaching a town or populated area. The climb was necessary to remain outside the effective firing envelope of small arms fire and RPGs. Because of the vital need to operate around the clock 365 days a year, all HELISAF pilots were fully trained and proficient in night flying. Standard equipment comprised third generation binocular ANVIS 9 NVGs. Towards the end of the deployment the Israeli-made Elbit ANVIS HUD, a helmet-mounted head-up display (HUD) offering similar capabilities to that of the Eurocopter EC665 Tigre’s Thales TopOwl, and which can also be used for day flying was added. A forward-looking infra-

One of HELISAF’s Super Pumas in its hangar at Herat.

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Escuadrón de Zapadores Paracaidistas EZAPAC is the Special Forces unit of the Spanish Air Force. Its origins date back to 1946 and the advent of the first aviation troops of the Spanish Air Force, which would later evolve into the 1st Parachute Squadron (1er Escuadrón de Paracaidistas) in 1953 (later, in 1965, Escuadrilla de Zapadores Paracaidistas). The unit saw action for the first time in early 1958, still as the 1er Escuadrón de Paracaidistas, when it participated in the last phase of the Ifni war, in Spanish Sahara (today'S (today'S Western Sahara). Troops jumped from French transport aircraft during the combined French-Spanish counter offensive that drove off Moroccan insurgents who had been attempting, since October 1957, to cause major disruption within Spanish-held territory in a bid to fast-track independence. Years later, in 1975, the Escuadrilla de Zapadores Paracaidistas, as it was known by then, would again see action in the Spanish Sahara, this time deploying to Gando in the Canary Islands to provide support to the evacuation of the colony, prior to its handover to Morocco.. Morocco The next decade would see the unit undertake extensive training, with the assistance of the USAF, in a bid to master new capabilities such as high altitude low opening (HALO) and high altitude high opening (HAHO) parachute jumps with oxygen. It also honed its skills in CSAR, escape and evasion, extraction from hostile territory and related activities, making it the leading outfit in this domain in Spain. This expertise resulted in the unit, as early as 1983, being tasked with training air crews in the techniques, something it still does today. In 1989 the Escuadrilla carried out its first international mission, in Namibia, followed by the Balkans during the 1990s and Rwanda in 1994. Also in 1989, the unit was officially reorganised as the special operations component of the Spanish Air Force. Eight years later it was renamed Escuadrón de Zapadores Paracaidistas (EZAPAC).

Today the unit is still headquartered at Alcantarilla AFB, Murcia, and divided between a Special Forces Flight (Escuadrilla de Fuerzas Especiales), an Operational Support Squadron (Escuadrilla de Apoyo Operativo), a Training Flight (Escuadrilla de Instrucción) and a General Secretariat (Secretaria General) which acts as a headquarters structure, with a number of subsections tasked with matters such as intelligence, operations planning, etc. As with all special forces units, training is long and extreme with only 30 to 40% of applicants earning the coveted green beret worn by all EZAPAC personnel. In Afghanistan, the squadron provided three tactical air control parties (TACP: callsign ‘Bullfighter’) which, along with four teams from the Spanish Marines, provided the ASPFOR (Spanish Forces) with the capability to request and co-ordinate air strikes, etc. Initially deployed at Qala i Naw in support of the Spanish units at the PSB, the EZAPAC’s teams relocated to Herat, following Qala i Naw’s handover to the ANSF. EZAPAC was also tasked with providing security to all HELISAF’s flights, eight sappers being attached to the MEDEVAC unit for such purpose. Whenever the AS332s took off for a sortie, a pair of sappers could be found aboard each aircraft. As soon as the MEDEVAC Super Puma had landed to pick up the wounded the men of EZAPAC would position themselves on the LZ to secure it and cover the extraction of the casualty. This process took from five to 15 minutes generally, depending on the state of the wounded, the conditions at the LZ, etc. In Afghanistan EZAPAC men were armed with the Heckler & Koch G-36C 5.56mm short assault rifle, fitted with EoTech holographic sights and laser designators. Some rifles were also fitted with under-muzzle AG-36 40mm grenade launchers. Sappers also carried a 9mm H&K USP pistol as a sidearm. All EZAPAC personnel departed Afghanistan for the last time and headed back to Spain on November 1. 1.

red ball could also be fitted on the left side of the aircraft when needed. Speaking about night flying in Afghanistan, Captain MB explained that the greatest difficulty encountered was the monochromatic rendering of the desert environment provided by the ANVIS NVG, which was aggravated by the wind and the ever-present dust making it extremely difficult to determine accurately the topography of the area overflown. As a result it became necessary to resort much more frequently to the radar altimeter to maintain a constant altitude in flight. As an added precaution Spanish Super Pumas always maintained a higher altitude than during daytime, between 300 and 500 feet AGL when outside populated areas. Night landings in dusty environments (pretty much everywhere in rural Afghanistan) and the consequent brown out, the dust agitated by the helicopter’s moving rotor blades, were another highly challenging element of operations. To supplement the Super Puma’s own navigation suite, HELISAF’s pilots employed the Samsung Galaxy III tablet for in-flight cartography and the Garmin 296 portable GPS. All aircraft in the unit were also fitted with an Iridium satellite communication system. The AS332’s maintenance cycle had to be adapted to take into account the peculiarities of the Afghan environment, particularly the ever present dust and the accelerated wear it causes. Every ten flight hours the rotor blades were carefully and thoroughly washed while the turbines’ compressor #311 FEBRUARY 2014

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SPANISH SAR IN AFGHANISTAN

Above: On board an AS332-B over Baghdis province, a captain from Ala 48’s 803 Escuadrón serves as a nurse. All Spanish MEDEVAC Super Pumas carried a doctor, a nurse and a technician who operate life support equipment on the aircraft. Erwan de Cherisey

blades were inspected with an endoscope to find signs of unusual damage or wear. Engine or rotor blade changes were conducted on site, along with the 200 hours inspections, but the helicopters were sent back to Spain for their 500 hour checks.

Saving lives: a look at some of the unit’s missions

All MEDEVAC sorties began with HELISAF receiving

an alert either by telephone or the chat system employed by ISAF forces in Afghanistan. The message would contain information on the location and condition of the wounded as well as a briefing about the situation in the area (potential insurgent activity, etc) the helicopters were expected to arrive. HELISAF’s command would then assess the upcoming mission’s complexity, analysing the different routes and flight paths to the objective in line with the available intelligence. A rapid briefing of the flight crew (pilot, co-pilot, flight mechanic and gunner) and on-board medical personnel (doctor, nurse and technician) would then take place. This would be followed quickly by last-minute preparations before heading for the aircraft, which would usually take off within 15 minutes of receiving the initial alert. Aircraft almost always flew in pairs but, on the rare occasions when only one Super Puma was available for the sortie, a support helicopter to act as escort was requested from either the Italian Task Force ‘Fenice’, the helicopter unit deployed at Herat equipped with Agusta A129 Mangustas, Sikorsky HH-3F Pelicans (which were eventually replaced by the new NHI UH-90A (NH90 TTH) and Boeing CH-47 Chinooks) or the Spanish army aviation helicopter unit in Afghanistan ASPUHEL. It was essential that the landing zone (LZ) be secured by the time the MEDEVAC chopper arrived to pick up the casualties. The escort aircraft would overfly it first, to pinpoint potential threats, and then circle

War stories Captain MB, then chief of the air component of HELISAF, told AFM about some of the unit’s missions that stood out most vividly in his memory. In July 2008, a suicide attack took place in Delaram District, Farah Province, to the South of Herat in broad daylight. The bomber used an explosive vest and killed a large number of people, wounding even more. In those days HELISAF was the sole MEDEVAC unit in the whole RC-West and thus, as soon as the alert reached the detachment, two Super Pumas were scrambled. The pair of helicopters flew south for 120 miles (192km), landing on a stretch of Highway 1 which had been cleared of all traffic to receive the aircraft. As they stepped out of their AS332s, members of the medical team were met with an Afghan truck loaded with 43 wounded, some of them very badly, others less so. They had to sort through the casualties giving priority to the most severely injured. Four were loaded on stretchers and these, plus another six casualties, were squeezed aboard the two choppers. The return flight to Herat had to be made at a higher altitude than usual to compensate for the increase in load – there wasn’t enough fuel remaining to make the journey at the usual low level. All wounded made it safely to the FSB where they were met and attended to by personnel from the Role 2 Spanish Military Hospital. Hospital. The ten people rescued in that three hours and 40 minutes mission were the greatest number of casualties ever evacuated by HELISAF in a single trip, a record that remains. A few weeks later in August HELISAF conducted its most dangerous mission, according to Captain MB. In the middle of the night, an Italian motorised patrol was attacked by insurgent forces in Siavashan, some four miles (6.5km) to the north-east of FSB Herat. One of the Italian light armoured vehicles was hit badly and a request for a MEDEVAC was forwarded to HELISAF. Two Super Pumas were on their way in a matter of minutes, despite the enemy still being present all around the area where the initial contact had

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taken place. The helicopters arrived quickly at the LZ which had been marked by members of the patrol, assisted by the quick reaction force (QRF) which had been dispatched to support them. Just as they were about to land, both Super Pumas came under sustained intense enemy fire and had to withdraw back to the FSB while Italian A129s were scrambled to suppress the threat, neutralising the remaining Taliban attackers. Meanwhile, back on the ground, the HELISAF crews checked their aircraft and, having determined that the battle damage was not enough to stop them flying, took off again for the LZ. The rescue chopper was finally able to land and take the wounded back to the FSB. Not every mission involved military action and, by his own admission, the one that made the deepest impression on Captain MB took place in Bala Morghab, Baghdis Province, North of PSB Qala i Naw, in May 2010. HELISAF’s AS332s were scrambled after a three-year-old Afghan girl fell down a well, injuring herself badly. The Spanish helicopters departed Herat as quickly as possible since there was no precise information on the wounds sustained by the child and it was feared her life could be in immediate danger. Having reached the town and landed, the medical personnel diagnosed a fractured arm and severe neck contusions, which prompted the decision to go ahead with the toddler’s evacuation. Waiting for the Spaniards were the girl’s father and grandfather as well as a translator, who recounted the events and how the town’s people had managed to extract the child from the well using a bucket on a rope. They told the doctor and nurse that the grandfather would travel with the child to Herat. The MEDEVAC AS332 took off and, along with its escort, flew back to the FSB where the young girl was transferred to the Role 2 and treated for her injuries. Captain MB remembers vividly the child’s stoicism after her accident as well as her father’s apparent lack of concern for her eventual fate.

Above: An H&K G-36C fitted with an under-barrel 40mm grenade-launcher is carried by an EZAPAC trooper. Erwan de Cherisey

around the LZ providing air cover while the Super Puma landed and recovered the wounded. Two casualties could be accommodated on stretchers and a number of additional seated wounded might be carried depending on the heat and altitude which impact considerably on the helicopter’s performance. Occasionally the escort aircraft would take on wounded, with the MEDEVAC AS332’s nurse transferring aboard to care for them. As soon as the casualties were loaded into the helicopter(s) the medical personnel started treating them, using the advanced life support equipment installed aboard: artificial breathers, various types of perfusions, multipurpose monitors to follow the patient’s vital signs (blood pressure, cardiac rhythm, etc) and aspirators. When it returned to the FSB, the Super Puma would be met by staff from the Spanish Military Role No 2 hospital who would take over the casualties and proceed with their transfer to hospital. It should be remembered that the most important rule in any MEDEVAC situation is that of the ‘Golden Hour’, which says that to ensure a casualty’s best chance of survival, he/she must be in hospital within 60 minutes of being wounded. In HELISAF (as well as all the other MEDEVAC units in Afghanistan) this was, and still is, an immutable law.

HELISAF and the withdrawal from Afghanistan

On October 7 HELISAF conducted its last mission, before being deactivated after more than eight years of continuous operation in western Afghanistan. During this period it flew no less than 5,912 hours in 1,877 missions and evacuated 1,030 people. For the men and women of Ala 48, deploying with HELISAF was more often than not a duty repeated every year, which allowed them to build up highly valuable operational experience. The Spanish Air Force’s Super Pumas were not restricted to evacuation of ISAF and ANSF personnel and, on many occasions, the aircraft were sent to pick up wounded civilians who probably would have died if not for the timely arrival of the team. Despite these achievements, the work of HELISAF made few headlines outside military circles and little has been said about the continuous work done by the unit’s personnel, its professionalism or exceptional preparation. HELISAF was a pioneer unit in RC-West, the first of its kind in this part of Afghanistan and the sole MEDEVAC component to operate there afm for several years. www.airforcesmonthly.com

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BRAZIL'S MIRAGES RETIRE

No more Mirages The Dassault Mirage 2000 was the last member of the Mirage family to serve with the Brazilian Air Force and retired at the end of December. Santiago Rivas recounts its South American career

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over brazil

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19/12/2013 12:24

I

N 1970, the Brazilian Air Force (Força Aérea Brasileira – FAB) signed a contract with French manufacturer Dassault for 12 Mirage IIIEBRs and four IIIDBRs, which would become the backbone of the country’s air defence for over 30 years. The jets operated with 1º Ala de Defesa Aérea (air defence wing) based at Anápolis Air Base, near Brasilia. During the 1980s the wing was renamed 1º Grupo de Defesa Aérea (GDA – air defence squadron) and eight more aircraft were ordered – six Mirage IIIDBRs and two IIIEBRs – with improved avionics and canard ‘wings’. But by 1999 the jets were tired and the FAB launched its ‘F-X’ programme to acquire a new-build combat aircraft for interception, but also with an attack capability. Among the options were the Mirage 2000-5, Sukhoi’s Su-35 Flanker, Lockheed Martin’s F-16C/D Block 50, the RAC MiG-29 and Saab’s JAS-39 Gripen, all of which were tested intensively. In the meantime there was a last addition to the

‘first-generation’ Mirage fleet with the purchase in 1999 of a pair of two-seat Mirage Vs from Zaire and two single-seaters from the French Air Force (Armée de l’Air). The two-seaters were designated Mirage IIIDBR (F-103D in FAB service).

Above: Ground crew install chaff and flares in dispensers on a Mirage 2000. FAB/Johnson Barros Below: The two Mirage F-2000Bs survived until the end of the type’s career. FAB 4933 refuels in November 2013. Sargento Rezende

The fighters competing for F-X visited Brazil in 2000 to be tested by the FAB. Among the pre-selected candidates were the JAS-39 Gripen, Mirage 2000 and Su-35. Although the Russian jet was initially preferred, the leading candidate emerged as the Mirage 2000, with Dassault offering the prospect of licence production by Embraer in Brazil. Furthermore, its introduction as a replacement for the Mirage III offered a straightforward transition. While the F-X programme continued, it was decided the Mirage III would have to be retired before the end of 2005 and the FAB began looking for a stopgap fighter until a definitive replacement could be purchased. It was offered ex-Israeli Air Force IAI Kfirs and Royal Netherlands Air Force F-16s, but they were not seriously considered. By 2005 the F-X programme was still not concluded, mainly as a result of political and economic problems. Brazil examined the options of extending the life of its Mirages or continuing without a

‘Brazil acquired ten former Armée de l’Air single-seat Mirage 2000Cs and a pair of twin-seat Mirage 2000Bs for €73.2 million in a contract signed in July 2005’

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BRAZIL'S MIRAGES RETIRE manned interceptor. Finally, the decision was taken to buy a batch of 12 second-hand Mirage 2000C/B fighters from the Armée de l’Air. The FAB’s Mirage IIIEBR/DBR fleet was retired after the signing of the Mirage 2000 contract in mid-2005. In the course of 33 years’ service they had flown 67,000 hours. Pending the arrival of their replacements, Brazil’s defence was entrusted to the Northrop F-5E Tiger II.

Mirage 2000s in Brazil

Brazil acquired ten former Armée de l’Air single-seat Mirage 2000Cs and a pair of twin-seat Mirage 2000Bs for €73.2 million in a contract signed on July 15, 2005. Payment was made in six instalments from 2005 to 2010 and covered the aircraft plus training and logistics. In FAB service the Mirage 2000C was designated F-2000C and the two-seater was known as the F-2000B. A group of pilots from the 1º GDA went to France in March 2006 for their training on the new model, starting at BA 102 Dijon for basic training and then progressing to BA 115 at Orange to learn to be instructors. On April 4, the first two, Major Grolla and Captain Mioni, performed their first solo flights – followed on June 6 by the others, Commander Braga and Captains Breviglieri, Leite and Braga. Training ended that October. The first two Mirages 2000s – single-seat FAB 4940 (ex 25) and twin-seat FAB 4932 (ex 502) – were handed over to the FAB at Orange on August 10. They arrived at Anápolis on September 4 after a ferry flight from France that included a stop at Dakar and saw the jets cover 9,000km (5,600 miles) in a total flight time of 11 hours and 20 minutes, including several aerial refuelling sessions.

Mirage F-2000C with a Chilean Air Force F-16A MLU. Santiago Rivas.

On arrival they were displayed to the Brazilian President, Lula da Silva, and immediately introduced into service. That October they were followed by FAB 4941 (ex 29) and 4942 (ex 34), deliveries continuing through to August 2008.

Stop-gap

As the intention was only to have a stopgap fighter, the jets were some of the oldest Mirage 2000C/ Ds in service with the Armée de l’Air, coming from the S3 batch equipped with the Snecma M53-5 engine of 5,500kg (11,500lb) of thrust (8,800kg [18,400lb] with afterburner). They were equipped with a Thomson CSF RDI Series J2 radar for air-to-air operations with a range of up to 150km (94 miles) and a limited capacity for air-to-ground missions; the Thomson-CSF Serval radar warning receiver; a Dassault Sabre RF jammer in place of the landing parachute; and a Dassault Éclair manually-oper-

ated chaff and flare dispenser under the tail. Linked through a Digibus 2084 databus was a Sagem ULISS 52 inertial navigation system, a TRT radio altimeter, a Dassault Electronique Type 2084 computer, an LMT NRAI-7A identification friend or foe transponder and a Sextant Avionique Type 90 air data computer. For communications the fighters had TRT ERA 7000 VHF and UHF radios and TRT ERA 7200 UHF for secure communications. Weapons in the sale included MATRA Magic II and MATRA Super 530D missiles and DEFA 553 30mm cannon which hold 125 rounds each. On July 11, 2008, Dassault, Snecma and Thales signed a contract with the Brazilian defence ministry for the maintenance of the aircraft and the purchase of ten MATRA Super 530D missiles (plus four for training), 22 Matra Magic II missiles (plus six for training), 3,750 30mm rounds, 288 chaff and 64 flare cartridges. The missiles, formerly with the Armée de l’Air, were overhauled to extend their service life. Ten 1,300-litre ventral tanks and six 2,000-litre wing tanks were also purchased. At the same time, France offered another batch of 12 aircraft, together with a plan to modernise them and the dozen already in service, but the offer was turned down. This second batch was later offered to Argentina, which also rejected it.

Operations

Training on the aircraft was focused over the restricted airspace to the north of Anápolis and co-ordinated by the Brasilia Control Centre. Meanwhile one aircraft was kept on permanent five-minAbove: A Mirage F-2000C and an F-2000B taxi to the runway. Santiago Rivas Below: For the trip between Brazil and Chile the Mirage F-2000C used 2,000-litre wing fuel tanks. Santiago Rivas

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Above: FAB 4944 during air-to-air refuelling. Soldier Delgado Left: Mirages return after a mission. Santiago Rivas

Mirage 2000C/Bs in Brazilian Air Force service Serial c/n

Notes

4932

19

Mirage 2000B Ex 505 Retired Dec 2013

4933

153 Mirage 2000B Ex 513 Retired Dec 2013

4940

78

Mirage 2000C Ex 25 Retired Dec 2013

4941

96

Mirage 2000C Ex 29 Retired in 2012

4942

140 Mirage 2000C Ex 34 Retired in 2012

4943

ute alert in one of the shelters close to the end of the runway. Shortly after achieving full operational readiness, six aircraft took part in Exercise Cruzex IV at Natal Air Base, in north-east Brazil, between November 1 and 14, 2008. They flew with Armée de l’Air Mirage 2000Cs and 2000Ns and South American air forces. In March 2012, two F-2000Cs visited Chile, the type’s only flight outside Brazil during its career, attending the FIDAE 2012 air show in Santiago from March 27 until April 1. During an air parade over Brasilia on July 2, 2012, a pair of F-2000s made a very low flypast over the downtown area of the city at almost supersonic speed, breaking the windows of the Justice Supreme Court and other nearby buildings. The final outing for the F-2000 was Exercise Cruzex VII between November 5 and 14, 2013.

Future

The F-X programme evolved into ‘F-X2’ in January 2008 – seven years after the original request had been issued. The new programme envisaged the purchase of at least 36 aircraft in a first phase, with deliveries around 2015, but with a longer-term intention of acquiring around 120 by 2024 to replace the Mirage 2000, AMX and F-5 Tiger II. Brazil wants to build the aircraft – or at least parts of them – at Embraer’s facilities with a complete technology transfer. The three contenders for the programme are now the Dassault Rafale, the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and the Saab Gripen NG. In 2009 President Lula da Silva announced, before the competition was over, that he would buy the Rafale, leading to complaints from Saab and Boeing. As a result the decision was delayed and, www.airforcesdaily.com

42-45_Mirages_Feb_jg_GP.indd 45

during his last days of presidency, da Silva said he would transfer responsibility for the decision to the new president. In turn the new president, Dilma Rousseff, announced she was delaying the decision until 2012 due to budgetary problems, which also led to a reduction of 40 billion reais (about $24 billion) in the defence budget. She also required more information to make a final decision, including Embraer’s opinion. Moreover, the discussion on cost would take place after the aircraft type was selected (the budget for F-X2 being some $8 billion). Despite rumours to the contrary, she proclaimed the competition would not be opened to other participants. The budget favours the Gripen, which is reportedly the cheapest at around $6 billion; the Super Hornet offer is about $7.7 billion and the Rafale the most expensive at $8.2 billion. In April 2011 FAB officials went to the United Arab Emirates to inspect a batch of Mirage 2000-9s for sale. Despite no official statement being issued, rumours within the air force suggested the intention was to buy them and cancel the F-X2, with a

Mirage 2000C Ex 32 Retired in 2012

4944

15

Mirage 2000C Ex 15 Retired in 2012

4945

68

Mirage 2000C Ex 22 Retired in 2012

4946

13

Mirage 2000C Ex 13 Retired Dec 2013

4947

158 Mirage 2000C Ex 36 Retired in 2012

4948

154 Mirage 2000C Ex 35 Retired Dec 2013

4949

Mirage 2000C Ex 21 Retired Dec 2013

new ‘F-X3’ tender to be launched. Despite a final decision on F-X2 being awaited, the FAB decided to retire the F-2000s on December 31 as they were reaching their end of their service life and an overhaul was considered too expensive. The original plan had been to fly each jet for 1,000 hours and retire them by 2011, but the six airframes in best condition – two F-2000Bs and four F-2000Cs – were selected in 2012 for service until the end of 2013 while the others were retired. The air defence of Brazil will be now taken over by F-5EMs from the three units that operate the type – 1º Grupo de Aviação de Caça, 1º/4º and 1º/14º Grupo de Aviaçãos. Meanwhile a major and five captains from 1º GDA will be trained on the F-5 at Anápolis to keep them current on jet fighters until a replacement arrives. In the meantime, 1º GDA will be a unit with no aircraft. According to sources inside the FAB, it is considering the purchase of a batch of US Air Force F-16s as another stopgap - Brazilian pilots reportedly tested the model during a recent visit to the United afm States.

Above: The two Mirage F-2000Bs were extensively used for training and combat missions. Santiago Rivas

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Brazil's pilot Training

toucan's Nest

Dirk Jan de Ridder describes how the pilots of South America’s largest air arm are trained

Brazil's Air Force Academy

Below: The T-27 is more suitable for aerobatics than the T-25, which very easily loses airspeed and altitude during such manoeuvres. All images by the author unless stated

T

he history of Brazil’s Air Force Academy (Academia da Força Aérea – AFA) is closely linked to that of its air force. For many years Brazilian military aviation was divided between the army and the navy. But when the Brazilian Air Force (Força Aérea Brasileira - FAB) was established in 1941, it took control of all military aircraft, and pilot training was centralised at the School of Aeronautics at Dos Afonsos just outside Rio de Janeiro. Because of the lack of space for growth around the airfield, a search for a new location began only a year later: Pirassununga, in the state of São Paulo, was chosen and construction of the first hangars started during the late 1940s. But it was not until the 1960s that the first few pilots began training there, and 1971 that the AFA (as it had been renamed in 1969) moved to Campo Fontenelle, as the base is

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officially known. The AFA trains future leaders of the Brazilian Air Force in the fields of aviation, supplies and infantry. Every year thousands of candidates apply for admission, but only around 200 of the best are selected. In August 2013, 759 cadets were being trained at the AFA, including nearly 500 aviators (18 of them women). After four years’ study, cadets leave with two degrees – either a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical sciences and a major in military aviation; logistics sciences with a major in aviation; or military science with a major in air force infantry. Courses include exercises in basic ground combat and command and leadership as well as emergency parachute jumping (in the first year), sea survival training (second year) and jungle survival training (third year). www.airforcesmonthly.com

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Left: Cadets start performing aerobatics in formation when they fly the Tucano during their last year at the academy.

With increased demand in recent years, the AFA is training more students than ever, leading to a need for additional instructor pilots (IPs). Transferring them from frontline squadrons would have only shifted the problem, so in 2009 reserve officers began to be taken on as IPs. Squadron operations may now be commanded by a major or lieutenant colonel with very experienced reserve colonels as their subordinates training students to fly. As for flight units, apart from two training squadrons, the AFA comprises a support unit flying two www.airforcesdaily.com

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H-50 Esquilho (Eurocopter AS350) helicopters for search and rescue, two C-95 Bandeirantes for liaison duties and a gliding club operating 14 gliders and two G-19A Ipanema (Embraer 202) tugs. The club only flies at weekends. The FAB’s air demonstration team, the Esquadrilha da Fumaça (Smoke Squadron), is working up on its brand new A-29 Super Tucanos. While based at Pirassununga, the team technically doesn’t form part of the AFA. The air base is split into two sections, the two run-

ways in the western section being used by the T-27s and a single runway on the eastern side by the T-25s. The taxiways, ramps, hangars, lecture and dining halls, sports facilities and all other infrastructure sit between the two sections. This area also houses the cadets. The military land where the airfield is located has a 24-mile (38km) perimeter enclosing 500 houses, a water treatment plant and the only military farm in Brazil, which provides dairy products, meat and sugar cane to several air bases. The Aviator Officers Graduation Course – taken by future pilots – is regarded as the most difficult and demanding flying course in the Brazilian armed forces. Cadets follow a very strict timetable. Those scheduled for a morning flight or a #311 FEBRUARY 2014

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BRAZIL'S PILOT TRAINING

simulator session wake up at 0430hrs, one-and-ahalf hours before everyone else. After discussing the flight schedule, briefings commence at 0600hrs with the first take-offs starting an hour later. Nonflying classes start at 0700hrs. For both groups, the morning programme ends at 1130hrs with a daily parade. The cadets assemble in four groups, based on their year in the course, and on special occasions the parade ends with a fly-by of military aircraft. During AFM’s visit it was performed by four T-27 Tucanos one day and, on the next, by a six-ship of A-1 AMXs which landed and refuelled before continuing their journey to exercise Cruzex. After lunch, classes continue from

1330hrs. Physical fitness training is scheduled between 1620hrs and 1800hrs before cadets have dinner. After 2000hrs is free time when many opt to study or prepare for the next day’s flight. Cadets typically fly from February until October. From May to July, winter weather such as fog may cause some flights to be cancelled in the morning, but otherwise the climate is pretty much ideal for flying. Flight operations have finished by the time the rainy season starts in October. Pirassununga is the FAB’s busiest airbase, and very likely the busiest in South America. There are normally 200 take-offs and full-stop landings a day. Cadets had already stopped flying when AFM visited in the last quarter of 2013 but there were still up to 100 daily flights made by IPs and foreign students – and Brazilian Navy lieutenants who come to Pirassununga purely for flight training before moving to the US for carrier qualification. Brazilian Army pilots used to be trained at the AFA as well. Foreign students come from all over Central and South America as well as countries including Nigeria, Pakistan and Portugal. They either take the complete officer course or, if they have already completed officer training in their own country, they follow a shortened course focused on flight training. Every FAB pilot has been trained at Pirassununga, so they all have a special bond with the AFA. One instructor described the academy as the perfect place to make friends and build a network in the pilot community. IPs arriving at Pirassununga will work with some of their previous instructors or fellow cadets, and when they return to an operational

squadron will be welcomed back by students they once taught to fly. Most IPs have fond memories of their time as cadets, but probably none of them would want to do it all over again! Before they are accepted as IPs, they generally need about two to three years’ operational experience. Their backgrounds vary as much as the future careers of the cadets they train. Some have many years’ experience flying the Embraer A-29 Super Tucano over the most remote parts of the Amazon; others have been responsible for the seizure of thousands of kilos of drugs while patrolling the border in an Embraer E-99 or R-99. Several have stayed at the academy throughout their careers, acquiring 3,000-plus hours of airborne teaching experience. Every 100 hours of instruction flights earns an IP a star on their flight suits, so they are easily recognisable, although some choose not to wear them. There are more than 100 IPs, but there’s a big difference in the number of hours they fly. Several have desk jobs, flying only once or twice a week, while the number of full-time IPs on each aircraft type is around two dozen. A small number also instruct on both types of training aircraft. During their second and fourth years, cadets fly the SCAN T-25 Universal and Embraer T-27 Tucano. They are divided into four groups (esquadrilhas) named after constellations. The esquadrilhas of 2° EIA (Esquadrão de Instrução Aérea – flight training squadron) operating the T-25 are called Aquila, Centaurus, Leo and Orion. The T-27 squadron, 1° EIA, consists of Antares, Castor, Sirius and Vega. Most IPs are assigned to one or two esquadrilhas.

T-27 Tucano Embraer’s T-27 Tucano is one of the world’s most successful military turboprop trainers. The aircraft was a direct result of a US boycott of sales of defence equipment to Brazil in the mid1970s. Instead of turning to US manufacturers to replace the Cessna T-37 with more than 100 new

aircraft, the FAB was forced to find a domestic solution. The Tucano first flew in 1980 and in 1982 the air force placed an order for 118 aircraft with options for 50 more. The T-27 replaced the T-25 in the advanced training role in 1985. Besides being a training aircraft, it has been

extensively used in the Amazon carrying 12.7mm machine-guns, rockets and bombs during border patrol, counter-insurgency operations and interceptions of illicit flights. In 2013, the AFA celebrated the aircraft’s 30th anniversary in service as an advanced training aircraft.

Below: A two-ship formation of Tucanos flying between the clouds at 15,000ft. Aerobatics are performed by cadets both in the T-25 and T-27, but instructors consider the latter easier to fly.

‘Pirassununga is the FAB’s busiest airbase, and very likely the busiest in South America. There are normally 200 take-offs and full-stop landings a day’

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To celebrate 30 years of operating the Tucano the FAB has painted T-27 1361 in this special ‘Toucan’ paint scheme. FAB/Johnson Barros

Primary and advanced flying training

Cadets start their flying training in their second year at the AFA, getting 50 hours on the T-25 over five months. Powered by a Lycoming O-540 300hp engine, the T-25 features side-by-side seating, ideal for primary flight training. The arrangement enables the IP to give instructions easily and assess what the student is doing and looking at. Both the T-25A and T-25C are used; the main difference is the T-25C has different avionics and is more suitable for navigation training flights. The primary course is sub-divided into dual instruction in basic manoeuvres, aerobatics, formation flight and navigation. Each phase includes flights with an instructor and finishes with one or more solo flights. What makes the AFA unusual is that cadets go solo after only 13 flight hours, a major challenge for many of them. In order to select

only the very best, about a third will be eliminated from the course, most during pre-solo on the T-25. Three strikes and they’re out. Cadets are normally allowed to stay at the AFA if they are taking the supplies or infantry course, but many only want to become pilots, so they leave. The T-25 has been in service for more than 40 years, but it is cheap to fly, easy to maintain and still doing a good job. Its sturdy landing gear is ideal for primary flight training and there is no shortage of spare parts. The maintenance team always aims to have 60% (about 25) of the airframes available for flight. There are no plans to replace the aircraft, simply because there is no need to - it is a very straightforward, low-tech machine, which is all that’s needed to assess and train pilots. The course has no flying element in the third year and unless a cadet joins the gliding club they will not log any air force-sponsored flight hours - this

T-25 Universal The Sociedade Construtora Aeronáutica Neiva (SCAN) T-25 Universal was designed as a primary training aircraft with a secondary ground attack role. After the retirement of the Cessna T-37C Tweet in 1979, the AFA started using the

Brazilian-made T-25 for its advanced flying course. Later replaced both as an advanced trainer and as a counter-insurgency aircraft by the Tucano, it is still used at the Air Force Academy for basic flight training.

While the T-27 can fly IFR above clouds, the T-25 is only allowed to do so when there are gaps in cloud cover, in accordance with visual flight rules (VFR). The T-25 syllabus includes formation flying, but not complicated manoeuvres or aerobatics.

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is not the practice in most flying schools and IPs admit it is not ideal, but every year a sufficient number of very capable pilots graduate – and that’s what matters. Those who can’t handle the course simply aren’t good enough. Cadets start ground school in preparation for converting to the T-27 at the end of the third year, and they must be ready to begin flying it in their fourth and final year when they arrive back from leave at Pirassununga. Over the next nine months they will log nearly 110 hours, learning more complex aerobatics, formation flights with four aircraft, IFR (instrument flight rules) navigation and night flying. At the end of the course, each student makes a 14-hour trip to Natal in northern Brazil and back to test their navigation skills.

Graduation

At the end of their time at the academy, cadets indicate their preference to become a fighter, helicopter or transport pilot. It might be thought most would opt to fly fighters, but actually the choices made are quite equally divided. The FAB’s fighter jet fleet is small, offering few vacancies and limited flying hours and helicopter or transport pilots may well have better career opportunities after leaving the air force. A cadet’s preference will be taken into consideration, but the final decision will depend on their skills and service requirements. Only around 30 of the best end up on the fighter course and even then there is no guarantee they will fly jets as the FAB operates more A-29 Super Tucanos (considered fighters) than A-1s and F-5s combined. After graduating, fighter pilots transfer to Natal in the north-western tip of Brazil to learn to fly the A-29 as a tactical aircraft before continuing to fly it with an operational squadron or converting to the A-1 or F-5. Helicopter pilots fly the H-50 Esquilo (AS350 Ecureuil) from the same base. Future transport pilots have multi-engine training on the C-95 Bandeirante (Embraer 110) at Fortaleza and may get to fly airborne early warning, patrol or reconnaissance aircraft, for which they will have specific training after afm joining their first operational squadron. #311 February 2014

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AFGHANISTAN: CAMP BASTION ATTACK

The Last Bastion PGSS

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Tim Ripley looks at the lessons from the disaster at Camp Bastion in September 2012 that left a US Marine Corps Harrier squadron devastated

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n October 2013 two senior US Marine Corps officers were forced to retire after a damning report into the Taliban attack at Camp Bastion in September 2012 that resulted in the death of two marines and the destruction of six McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harriers. The attack has been described as the “worst day for US Marine aviation” since the Vietnam War.

Critical report

The US Department of Defense’s Central Command (CENTCOM) report provided an insight into the attack itself and the challenges involved in defending a huge air base in the heart of a war zone. US military analysts had access to a huge amount of information from the defenders of Camp Bastion, but crucially they were able to interrogate the sole-surviving Taliban insurgent who had been captured amid the carnage during the early hours of September 15, 2012. Camp Bastion was supposed to be an impregnable fortress and a safe haven for all the vital supplies, helicopters and combat aircraft needed to keep NATO troops fighting in the towns and villages of Helmand. By the summer of 2011 it had grown to cover around 40 square miles (104km2) in area with a perimeter of nearly 28 miles (45km) of razor-wire fence. The base, which was then home to 28,000 coalition troops and civilians, had become officially known as the Camp Bastion, Leatherneck and Shorabak (BLS) Complex, with Bastion being run by the British, Leatherneck by the US marines with Shorabak controlled by the Afghan National Army. Each force was responsible for the security of its own part of the base, which made co-ordinating security plans and operation very challenging, according to US investigators.

The attack

The debriefing of the Taliban insurgent revealed that approximately 17 days before the attack the prisoner attended a gathering with his comrades in a compound in Pakistan to be trained in weapons, physical fitness, communications, individual movement techniques and breaching a chain link fence, among other things. He said he did not know the other attackers until he arrived at the training compound. A few days before their departure, an unknown individual responsible for briefing the attackers went to Helmand and returned the next day with a sketch map of Camp Bastion, which he used to brief the group’s members on their approach route and perimeter breach point. This was the first time the detainee learned of the specific target of the attack, according to the report. On September 13 the attackers moved across the border into Afghanistan in pairs and met up in Kandahar City. They were then taken by truck to a safe house, about an hour away from the sprawling BLS Complex, which was their target. Weapons, ammunition, clothing and radios arrived shortly after. The next night the same truck took the attackers to

Above: Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting Marines fight the fuel pit fires during the insurgent attack on Camp Bastion on September 14, 2012. US Air Force Left: American and Coalition Forces attend a memorial service in honour of Sgt Bradley W Atwell at Camp Bastion on September 20, 2012. Atwell was an aircraft electrical/ instrument and flight control technician who was killed while repelling the enemy attack. US Marine Corps/Sgt Keonaona C Paulo

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AFGHANISTAN: CAMP BASTION ATTACK

Commanders Held to Task

The two US Marine Corps commanders forced to retire as a result of the September 2012 attack were Major General Charles ‘Mark’ Gurganus, commanding officer of Regional Command South-West (RC[SW]) and Major General Gregg Sturdevant, commander of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. The report cited that their “underestimation and overconfidence led them to a failure of imagination, which prevented them from anticipating and countering a dismounted attack on the BLS complex”. It said that not enough information on enemy capabilities was known, and there were too few measures to stop the enemy gathering information on the complex. Above: One of the destroyed AV-8Bs at Camp Bastion on September 15, 2012.

the drop-off point east of the BLS Complex. The group of 15 then took between 90 minutes and two hours to walk to the base. They initially followed a small wadi – a low desert valley – from the east and then crawled a short distance to a position behind a pile of sand, just short of the fence line. After cutting the fence with wire cutters the attackers crossed the boundary road one at a time – Tower 16, approximately 490ft (150m) south-west of the breach point, was unmanned. The attackers then split into three groups of five. The detainee told interrogators that the first group’s objective was to destroy VMA-211’s Harriers and their hangars; the second group was to destroy a helicopter squadron and what they thought were tents near the helicopters; and the third group, led by the detainee, planned to kill the inhabitants of tents located across the airfield. At 2209hrs the Taliban attackers started trading small arms fire with guards in two watch towers and within minutes US Marine Corps pilots and mechanics from VMA-211 working on the Harriers in temporary hangars just 490ft (150m) from the perimeter fence were diving for cover as the insurgents raced towards them, spraying AK-47 fire. Some marines picked up weapons to return fire, but it was too late – the Taliban were already throwing grenades under the $24 million jets, setting several ablaze. It had been widely reported soon after the attack that rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) had been used, however the US Joint Combat Assessment Team (JCAT) reported that F-1 anti-personnel grenades destroyed the six aircraft, indicating the attackers had been able to get very close to the aircraft before being detected in order to accurately place or roll grenades underneath each one.

Virtually all of the marines working on the flight line at the time responded to the attack, as well as other marines living nearby in the base. Several buildings were set on fire and multiple explosions were heard on Lima Ramp, where VMA-211 was based. In the desperate fighting, the commanding officer of the Harrier squadron, 40-year-old Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Raible and 27-year-old mechanic Sergeant Bradley Atwell were killed, and nine other marines injured.

The defence

While the 41 marines of VMA-211 were fighting for their lives around Lima Ramp, a 15-strong quick reaction force of RAF Regiment gunners raced to start their heavily-armed Jackal patrol vehicles. Speeding along Bastion’s 10,000ft (3,000m) runway, Sergeant Roy ‘Doc’ Geddes recalled: “As I moved onto the airfield I could already see some Harriers on fire. We were soon engaged with the enemy, who used small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades – however, my gunners were quick to react and returned fire, suppressing the enemy position.” The RAF men and the Taliban became locked in a “big fire fight”, according to an RAF officer. The Brits, marines and Taliban were trading fire at close range, with the RAF gunners alone firing off 10,000 rounds. The Taliban returned fire with a barrage of RPGs, slightly injuring seven Britons, including Geddes who was hit by rocket fragments. Another 15-strong RAF squad and more US marines were sent to reinforce Geddes’ team as the battle raged for almost four hours. As the ground forces moved in to contain the insurgents, a British Army Air Corps Boeing WAH64 Apache AH1 attack helicopter of 662 Squadron –

callsign ‘Ugly 51’ – arrived overhead to try to locate the attackers. The Taliban gave away their position by opening fire on the Apache, which responded with a burst of 55 rounds of 30mm cannon fire. A US Marine Corps aviation attack team of a Bell AH-1W Super Cobra and UH-1Y Huey from HMLA469 were scrambled, even though their flight line was taking enemy fire, to continue the hunt for the enemy. As they patrolled over the base at 2330hrs, the two helicopters met a barrage of RPGs, but ‘Righteous 54 and ‘55’ made two strafing runs against the insurgents, claiming five kills. They remained on station for more than two hours providing top cover and giving a running commentary on the action to US and British commanders. The Huey crew also straffed an insurgent heavy machine gun team with 200 rounds of 0.50 cal machine gun fire, killing three of them. In two more attack runs, the Huey gunners fired off another 100 rounds of 0.50 cal and 600 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, killing four more attackers. With the insurgent force debilitated by the helicopter strikes, the RAF Regiment and US marines began a ground sweep of the area occupied by the insurgents and ended any final resistance.

A heavy price

As dawn broke the scale of the disaster became apparent. Three refuelling tanks were still ablaze. Two US personnel had been killed and eight others were wounded; eight UK personnel were wounded and so was one civilian contractor. It emerged in the October report that the attack inflicted damage to more aircraft than was revealed at the time. As well as the six destroyed AV-8B Harriers, two others were severely damaged, together with a C-12 Below: An HH-60G Pave Hawk from the 26th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron executes a mission at Camp Bastion. The sprawling nature of the base is clearly evident. US Air Force/ Senior Airman Tyler Placie

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Huron liaison aircraft, three USMC MV-22B Ospreys, a US Air Force C-130E Hercules and a UK Royal Navy Sea King AsaC7. Two UK Jackal vehicles were badly damaged, five aircraft sun shelters were destroyed and four others damaged. There was widespread damage to concrete runways, aircraft parking ramps and taxiways, as well as VMA-211’s hangar/ maintenance facility. Only heroic action by US and UK forces on the scene prevented greater loss of life and equipment, concluded the report. VMA-211 was effectively put out of action in the worst loss of aircraft in a single incident for the US military since the Vietnam War. The bodies of 14 dead Taliban, dressed in US Army uniforms, were found in the debris along with an arsenal of PKM machine guns, AK 47 rifles and RPGs.

Above: Lance Cpl Harrison York, an AV-8B Harrier II Plus maintainer with Marine Attack Squadron 211, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward), salutes Capt Stephen White, a Harrier pilot, as he taxies in to the Camp Bastion flightline on September 26, 2012. The aircraft bears the name of Lt Col Christopher Raible, the squadron’s commanding officer, who was killed during the attack. USMC/Sgt James Mercure Left: Lt Col Christopher K Raible, one of the two marines killed in the attack. USMC Below: Lance Cpl Ethan Burk stands in front of a concrete barrier that was riddled with bullets on the night Camp Bastion was attacked. Despite being wounded during the attack, Burk and another Marine manoeuvred out of the kill zone to inform the British Army’s quick reaction force of the insurgents’ fighting position. US Air Force/Sgt James Mercure

The lessons

Senior British and American officers who saw the battle scene were shocked. RAF Group Captain Jeff Portlock, then the Bastion Base Commander, and other RAF officers expressed a grudging admiration for the Taliban’s audacity and efficiency. “We faced an effective military operation,” said one. “This is the first time they have penetrated Bastion. This was an efficient, well-planned military operation.” John Roggio, a respected US-based analyst specialising in jihadist insurgent tactics, called the attack “one of the jihadists’ most effective and costly assaults on a major coalition base since the Afghan war began in 2001”. In the October 2013 report it is evident that the attackers were able to penetrate the base because of a series of shortcomings in its defences. Beyond the perimeter fence, surveillance of the desert consisted of guards in a series of watchtowers and a persistent ground surveillance system (PGSS) (see panel). The area that needed to be covered was more than 40 square miles and the single PGSS could only monitor a small part at any one time. On the night of the attack only eleven of the 24 watch towers were manned because British, Tongan and US personnel had been diverted from guarding the perimeter to deal with an earlier security incident inside the base. These personnel were manning entry control points (ECP) and monitoring locals as they moved around the base. Since the previous March a spate of so-called green-on-blue, or insider attacks, in which Afghans had turned their weapons on NATO troops, had led to base commanders becoming pre-occupied with this threat. Vehicle patrols in the desert around the base had also been reduced to free up personnel to bolster efforts against the ‘insider threat’. The report stated that commanders believed the “primary threats against the BLS complex to be a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) attack against an ECP, an insider threat attack, and indirect fire (IDF). Due to the BLS Complex’s geographic isolation, the lack of explicit intelligence indications and warnings, and the absence of past direct attacks, the vast majority of leaders interviewed as part of this investigation did not expect a dismounted attack of the nature encountered on September 14/15, 2012.” Once the attack got under way, the key to the successful defence was the prompt response of the RAF Regiment quick reaction force (QRF) and the determined resistance put up by VMA-211’s ground personnel. The US Marine Corps doctrine of every member being a “rifleman first, a specialist second” www.airforcesdaily.com

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paid dividends because the aircraft technicians – led by their brave squadron commander – were able to prevent the insurgents from advancing further into the camp. The role of the US and British attack helicopters in tracking down and killing the insurgents cannot be underestimated. The USMC investigators and senior British officers were very critical of the divided command arrangements between US Marine Corps and the RAF Regiment. The report said that as a consequence any improvements to Camp Bastion’s defences and security had to go through several levels of bureaucracy to get agreed. British Army Lieutenant General Adrian Bradshaw, then deputy commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, described

this arrangement as a “sub-optimal command and control solution”.

Situation today

Since the attack a year ago a series of enhancements have been made to security at the BLS Complex and more troops assigned. Protecting large air bases in war zones is no easy matter, particularly when faced with determined, highly-skilled and well-organised attackers who have good intelligence on the vulnerabilities of their target. The Camp Bastion attack was a huge wake-up call for US and British commanders in Afghanistan. Taliban insurgents have proven to be serious opponents who afm need to be taken very seriously indeed.

Sgt Arturo Fernandez, a crew chief with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 267, watches from his perch on a UH-1Y Huey as it safely returns to Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, after providing close-air support for coalition forces conducting counterinsurgency operations. US Air Force

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Mainstay

BERIEV A-50 MAINSTAY

Russia’s Eyes & Ears in the Sky I The Beriev A-50 is perhaps the most important system in the Russian military’s airborne inventory, reflected in the type’s intense workload and the importance attached to its upgrading. Alexander Mladenov reports

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N EARLY 2011, the Russian Air Force’s (Voyenno-Vozdushniye Sily – VVS) airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) force entered a new era thanks to the introduction of the long-awaited upgraded Beriev A-50U. By mid-2013 there were two A-50Us on strength, with a third expected by the year-end and a fourth slated to follow suit in 2014. Compared to the classic A-50, with its 1980s vintage bulky and energy-consuming electronics, the A-50U is considered a much more capable AEW&C platform, albeit not as advanced as the latest Western systems packed with enormous processing power and featuring lightweight active phased array radars, passive electronic and signal

intelligence gear. Nevertheless, the A-50U upgrade could be regarded as a huge leap forward for the VVS, at last introducing a range of 21st century computing and display systems, married to the existing powerful radar.

Development and fielding into service

The ambitious development programme for a new generation AEW&C system, which came to be known as the A-50 Mainstay, was launched in 1973 in the then Soviet Union. Beriev Design Bureau (now known as TANTK Beriev), in Taganrog, southern Russia, was appointed as the design authority

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Above: Six fighter controllers and tracking operators sit at their work consoles inside the rear cabin of a non-upgraded A-50. Russian MoD via Alexander Mladenov Below: The second RuAF A-50U ‘Red 33’ (RF-50602, MSN 41-05) is the first Mainstay to receive the overall dark grey camouflage introduced across the RuAF fleet since late 2011. TANTK Beriev via Alexander Mladenov

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and main integrator of the system which was to be based on the Ilyushin Il-76MD Candid-B four-engine airlifter. The A-50 received the Shmel mission suite, developed by the Moscow Research Institute of Instrument Engineering (now Vega Radio Engineering). Beriev manufactured three prototypes for a flight test and evaluation programme, using Il-76MD airframes, constructed originally at the aviation plant in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The first A-50 prototype made its maiden flight on December 19, 1978, in Taganrog without the mission system. The type’s development and testing effort proved to be a rather protracted and difficult undertaking. This was especially true of the joint state testing phase, mainly due to the low reliability of the over sophisticated Shmel mission suite caused by the poor dependability and performance of Soviet electronics. The A-50 was approved for launch into full-scale production in December 1984 and the experimental operation of the type was launched that same year, with one aircraft deployed permanently to Severomorsk-1 airfield near Murmansk on the Kola Peninsula, from where it operated between 1985 and 1988. The Soviet Air Defence Forces (Voisk PVO), responsible for the integrated air defence system of the Soviet Empire, consisting of fighterinterceptors, SAM systems, early warning radars and command-and-control (C2) centres, formally took on strength its first Mainstay in 1985. However the type was not commissioned as a fully-capable system until 1989, integrated with the C2 centres of the Voisk PVO fighter-interceptor regiments. As many as 25 A-50s, including three prototypes, are reported to have been rolled out between 1985 and 1992. The basic aircraft were produced at Tash-

kent and then ferried to Beriev’s facility in Taganrog for installation of the Shmel suite. The main mission of the A-50 force during the Soviet era was control and guidance of Voisk PVO fighter-interceptors towards targets detected by the Mainstay’s own radar. This modus operandi called for deployment of the A-50 in regions lacking ground radar coverage, mainly in the Arctic zone, where Soviet military planners expected massed low-level penetration of cruise missile-carrying USAF strategic bombers. In 1985 the first A-50s were taken on strength by the 67th Independent Airborne Early Warning Squadron (67th OAE) of Voisk PVO , based in Siauliai in the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic; later in the decade the squadron was expanded to form an independent aviation regiment – the 144th OAP. In October 1989 the AEW&C regiment was relocated to Berezovka airfield on the Kola Peninsula, above the Arctic Circle. This allowed the A-50s to cover the whole of Russia – from Kaliningrad in the west to the Kamchatka peninsula in the east and from Nova Zemlya in the north to the North Caucasus Mountains in the south.

Post-Soviet changes

In August 1998 the VVS’s sole AEW&C regiment saw a significant transformation and relocation – this time it moved to Ivanovo-Severnyi airfield north of Moscow, where a new AEW&C unit was formed, the 2457th Aviation Base for Combat Operations of AEW aircraft (Aviabaza Boevogo Primeneniya Samolotov Dalnego Radiolokatsionnogo Obnaruzheniya). On December 31, 2009, yet another round of changes was made to the

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BERIEV A-50 MAINSTAY VVS’s AEW&C force. This led to the Ivanovo-based A-50 unit being reformed as an AEW&C Combat Employment Aviation Group within the structure of the VVS’s 610th Aircrew Conversion and Combat Training Centre at Ivanovo-Severnyi which, in turn, is subordinated to the VVS’s 4th State Aviation Personnel and Operational Training Centre. The aviation group’s fleet consists of 17 A-50s in active service with two squadrons plus at least two more examples held in long-term storage. Currently, the A-50’s group maintains nine aircraft ready for mission, or deployed to forward operating locations, at any given time. The A-50 is so highly prized by the VVS because of the lack of continuous ground radar coverage in Russia’s vast far northern territories, where its radar system is used as a capable gap-filler wherever and whenever needed. The role has been particularly important in recent years because of Russia’s new policy of beefing up its economic and military presence in the resource-rich and remote territories beyond the Arctic Circle. This activity requires considerable logistics support as well as air policing. Another important peacetime mission of the VVS’s A-50 force is supporting the joint state testing and evaluation effort of new aircraft types, such as the Su-35S and T-50, as well as the S-400 new generation long-range SAM system and new ground- and sea-based electronic warfare systems. The list of secondary real world missions, some of which have been conducted already in real world operational environments, is extensive. It includes air-to-air refuelling support and monitoring of the operations of the VVS’s strategic bombers and their fighter escort, while operating in international airspace in the northern Atlantic and the Pacific (forward-deployed to Anadyr, a port town and the administrative centre of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia), as well as managing large transport formations of aircraft approaching forward airstrips or drop zones to deliver troops and combat vehicles. The VVS AEW&C force was involved actively in realworld operational missions during the two wars in the breakaway republic of Chechnya, in 1994-1995 and 1999-2000, as well as the war with Georgia over the territory of South Ossetia in August 2008.

A-50 facts and figures

The second A-50EI for the Indian Air Force, serial KW-3552, during its flight test phase. TANTK Beriev via Alexander Mladenov

The A-50 has a normal take-off weight of 383,800lb (190,000kg) with 121,200lb (60,000kg) of fuel on board. When on station, it typically loiters at 10,000m (32,808ft), following a figure-of-eight flight path with a distance of 54nm (100km) between the centres of the two orbits. Without air refuelling, the Mainstay is limited to remaining on station for only four hours at a distance of 540nm (1,000km) from base. The Mainstay features a vastly improved navigation system compared to that of the basic Candid-B. Its flight/navigation suite enables automatic or semi-automatic flight on a pre-planned route and automatic flight in a pre-designated loitering area. In addition to the figure eight flight profile, the system is capable of flying two more automated loitering profiles – racetrack and shuttle pattern. The aircraft’s sophisticated flight management system enables wings-level gentle turns while flying a pre-programmed pattern to create optimal conditions for radar operation, keeping the antenna level all the time. The flight/navigation suite is also capable of feeding the Shmel mission system with a set of flight data including ground speed, pitch and roll angles, barometric altitude and current geographic co-ordinates. This information is used during the target data processing

procedure for setting up the positions of the detected targets and generating the overall tactical situation picture on operators’ displays. The A-50 is equipped with an air refuelling probe installed ahead of the windshield. It is noteworthy that, during the testing and initial service years, aerial refuelling was not practised as it proved very difficult for the A-50 aircrews – the reason being that the large rotodome interfered with the wake turbulence created by the Il-78 tanker, causing severe buffeting. In addition, the low reliability of the Shmel mission system rendered extended endurance missions useless as, back in the 1980s and early 1990s, the tactical crew engineers had to fi x as many as ten mission suite failures in flight by replacing malfunctioning line replaceable units (LRUs). In the 1990s, however, the A-50 community mastered air refuelling from Il-78M tankers, using the PAZ-1M hose/drum unit installed on a cranked pylon on the port side (to lower the mounting point of the pod which, in turn, lowered the drogue to move it away from the fuselage-induced turbulence). Air-to-air refuelling extended the A-50’s time on station to seven hours and the reliability of the electronics improved to a level corresponding to the extended endurance.

The Mainstay, in both upgraded and nonupgraded forms, is a highly-prized RuAF asset. Andrey Zinchuk via Alexander Mladenov

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The upgraded A-50U retained the radar assembly and rotodome of the basic A-50, married to all-new processing and display hardware. The modified Mainstay also boasts improved datalinks and new automated intercept facilities. Alexander Mladenov

Extensive airframe modifications

The huge rotodome assembly carried on the A-50’s spine necessitated a plethora of extensive fuselage modifications in order to keep the aircraft stable and controllable. There are some handling differences compared to the original Il-76MD which are noticeable particularly on landing. The most evident aerodynamic alterations are the large horizontal strakes, added to the aft section of the main undercarriage fairings, each 7ft 6½in (2.30m) wide and which have two principal roles. The first is to improve the aircraft’s stability in pitch while the second is to stop radar returns, reflected from the ground, reaching the antenna. This reduces radar ‘clutter’ and makes target selection easier. The Il-76MD’s glazed nose has been replaced with a large dielectric panel and only small gold-plated window remains. To satisfy the power-hungry radar system the A-50 has an AI-24UBE power unit, rated at 480kW, installed inside the port undercarriage fairing. The base of the fin has a large ram-air intake for cooling the numerous electronic components onboard. The fully pressurised and radiation-proof rear cabin has ten workstations for the tactical crew and is crammed with electronic systems accommodated in racks. Radiation protection measures include installation of metallic netting onto the fuselage walls and the gold-plated windows. The total weight of the electronic systems in the rear cabin is about 22,000lb (10,000kg) and there is no space available even for a basic lavatory, while the total mission system (including the radar antenna assembly) weighs in the region of 44,000lb (20,000kg). Before switching on the mission electronic systems, following engine start-up on the ground, the rear compartment temperature is required to be 15oC. This, in turn, necessitates prolonged cooling on hot summer days and heating in winter. The radar is switched on when the aircraft has climbed 3,000m (9,840ft) above ground level. The radar antenna is accommodated inside the large ‘saucer’ rotodome of 33ft 5in (10.2m) diameter and 8ft 2in (2.5m) maximum thickness, mounted on two de-iced pylons aft of the wing trailing edge www.airforcesdaily.com

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about 10ft (3.2m) above the fuselage, near the aircraft’s centre of gravity. The rotodome assembly is made of two radio-transparent fibreglass sections and a metal torsion box, onto which both the main radar antenna and the identification friend or foe (IFF) antenna are attached. The pylons’ shape was designed to improve the aircraft’s directional stability.

System heart, eyes & brain

The 3D radar is the heart, eyes and brain of the aircraft’s Shmel mission system. It uses a mechanically scanned slotted-array antenna with horizontal slotted waveguides and rotates at 12 rpm. Despite its age, the radar has an impressive ability to detect and track small, low-flying aircraft. The 360° Shmel centimetre wavelength radar is advertised as being capable of detecting targets the size of bomber and transport aircraft at high altitude of up to 350nm (650km) and fighters up to

124nm (230km) at low altitude and 162nm (300km) at high. Cruise missiles with a radar cross-section (RCS) of 1m2 (10.76sq ft) can be detected at up to 116nm (215km) and large ships to the radar horizon, stretching out to about 216nm (400km). Target positioning accuracy is within 1.34nm (2.5km). The A-50’s radar can also find radar-contrast ground targets – for instance a tactical ballistic missile launcher can be detected at 162nm (300km) and a main battle tank column up to 135nm (250km). The Shmel radar system, superseded by the enhanced Shmel-M in the late 1980s and early 1990s, is claimed to be able to track between 50 and 60 targets simultaneously (140 targets for the enhanced Shmel-M) and can control up to 12 friendly fighters, giving datalinked targeting information. The radar has two principal modes of operation – quasi-continuous and pulse. The former is used for air target detection and tracking while the latter is employed for detection of sea and land targets. The radar can also work in an interleaved mode by alternating the quasi-continuous and pulse modes: this is useful for detecting both air and sea/land targets at the same time. The air-to-air mode uses extensive Doppler filtering of the received signals to distinguish between the target returns and the background clutter in look-down situations when detecting and tracking low-flying targets. The system performs further processing and grouping of the target returns in order to establish azimuth, elevation, range and heading. The Shmel’s computing system uses an array of four interconnected BTsVMA-50 digital processors, operating in the fault-tolerant mode; this means that if one processor stops functioning it does not cause total system failure. The system will continue operating, albeit with reduced capabilities. The processors deal with real-time data covering the entire system including target detection, identification, display, datalink operation and generation of all-aspect fighter guidance commands. The display system, managing the circular CRT displays on the mission consoles of the tracking operators and fighter controllers, provides a moving picture within a fixed frame: this means that both the targets and the A-50 itself are displayed as moving objects relative to a fixed reference point

Above: The radar system of the A-50U has more processing power than its predecessor and is advertised as being capable of detecting smaller targets; it also boasts vastly improved maritime surveillance capabilities. Alexander Mladenov

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Beriev A-50 Mainstay

Indian A-50EI system The most modern Candid-derived AEW&C aircraft is the A-50EI, developed for India jointly by Beriev and Israel’s IAI radar and electronic warfare (EW) subsidiary Elta Systems. The project began in June 1997 when Rosvooruzheniye (the predecessor of Rosoboronexport, Russia’s arms export authority) signed an agreement with IAI to develop an AEW&C system based on the A-50 airframe and equipped with Elta’s Phalcon radar system. Designated as the AI-50I it was targeted initially for sale to China, which ordered some in 1999, and IAI and Beriev launched a full-scale development programme immediately. However in 2000, following pressure from the US, Israel cancelled the contract, said to have been worth about US $1 billion. All work stopped in July 2000 and the solitary A-50I prototype, modified by Beriev and sent to Israel for the integration of the Phalcon radar system, was returned to Russia in 2001. The following year this particular aircraft was sold to China, where the local defence electronics industry integrated its own airborne radar system, the KJ-2000. That was not the end of the story though, because India expressed a keen interest in the idea. In 1999 Russia had offered the A-50E, outfitted with an export version of the original Shmel mission system and then in April and May 2000 a VVS A-50 conducted a demo tour in India and,

on the ground. When operating in the slaved mode to a ground-based C2 centre, the A-50’s datalink systems can downlink selected tactical information by applying a number of pre-selected criteria – ie only targets flying above or below a pre-set level, targets detected in a designated sector of interest or only targets identified as enemy, etc. A two-way datalink is used for intercept control: the Mainstay downlinks steering commands to the fighter, while the fighter itself uplinks information on the status of its weapon control system and fuel load to the A-50. The A-50 is also equipped with electronic intelligence (ELINT) and signal intelligence (SIGNIT) systems for detecting radio-emitting sources (such as radars and communications radios) and locating the source within a broad range of frequencies. This area is still highly classified, but it is believed that the A-50’s SIGINT system for communication intercepts the frequency range from 50 to 500 MHz, while the ELINT gear is able to cover a range between 0.5 and 18 GHz. The Mainstay also has a radar jammer for self-protection, together with a radar warning receiver (RWR) and strap-on chaff/ flare dispensers on both sides of the tail section. The communications suite includes a plethora 58 #311 February 2014

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over ten sorties, the Indian Air Force (IAF) evaluated the system. In the event the IAF rejected the A-50E proposal and, instead, requested an A-50-based derivative fitted with Elta’s EL/M-2075 Phalcon radar system and Israeli-supplied ELINT and SIGNIT systems. After an initial reluctance to allow development of the system, the Russian authorities gave their consent in June 2001. In March 2004 India, Russia and Israel signed a contract covering the delivery of three A-50EIs, at a total price of US $1 billion. The A-50EI version, tailor-made for the IAF, utilised newly-built Il76TD airframes powered by PS-90A-76 turbofans. The contract called for the first delivery in 2006, but the technical complexity of integrating the new mission equipment caused a considerable delay. The first A-50EI (MSN 94-02), modified by Beriev, made its first flight in the final configuration on June 5, 2008, and was handed over to the IAF in May 2009. The second A-50EI, MSN 94-03, followed in March 2010 and the third, MSN 94-04, in March 2011. The entire Indian A-50EI fleet, wearing serials KW-3551 to -3553, is assigned to No 50 Squadron at Agra. In November 2012 it was announced that India wanted to order two more A-50EIs, priced at US $800 million. A prolonged period of negotiation followed and the order document is expected to be signed in early 2014.

The EL/M-2075 AESA radar system has three antennas for 360° coverage in azimuth, installed inside the A-50EI’s fixed radome. The L-band radar system (frequency range of 1,280 to 1,400 MHz) has 22 available operating frequencies. It has a maximum detection range of 189 to 216nm (380 to 400km) and is claimed to be capable of tracking between 60 and 100 targets simultaneously. Each array has 864 active transmit/receive modules, which also provide electronic steering of the radar beam in both azimuth and elevation. This particular steering method makes it possible to switch between air-to-air and air-to-surface modes instantaneously. The SIGINT/ELINT gear, also supplied by Elta, enables detection, classification and establishing the position of air and ground targets emitting electromagnetic energy in the frequency range between 0.5 and 40 GHz. The system has a range of up to 270nm (500km) and the ELINT/SIGINT operator can sort all the intercepted signals and identify the emitters using a library of 500 radioemitting sources, uploaded before the mission. The data gathered by the ELINT and SIGINT systems are fused and cross-correlated with data derived from the radar for reliable target identification at extended ranges. The A-50EI also uses a Thales-supplied IFF system and Russian-supplied on-board datalinks, integrated by Vega.

Above: Indian A-50EI KW-3552 takes fuel from a RuAF Il-78M tanker in April 2009 during factory trials in Russia. Ilyushin via Alexander Mladenov Below: The self-protection suite of the Mainstay includes a radar jammer together with a radar warning receiver and strapon chaff/flare dispensers on both sides of the tail section. Alexander Mladenov

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of line of sight (LoS) datalinks for exchanging data with different facilities and secure voice and telegraphy radios in the HF and UHF/VHF bands. The HF radios are useful up to 1,080nm (2,000km) and VHF/ UHV radios and wide-band LoS tactical datalinks are good up to 216nm (400km). The radios use antennas installed on the fuselage in an effort to ensure electromagnetic compatibility between numerous emitting sources. There is also a satellite communications terminal that uses a large antenna situated under a fairing ahead of the wing centre section for communicating with ground C2 centres at distances exceeding 1,080nm (2,000km).

Combat employment

The Mainstay is just one part of an integrated air defence system. It is capable of detecting, identifying and establishing the position of air, land and sea targets and downlinking its radar picture to ground- and sea-based C2 centres. The controllers aboard the A-50 are tasked with managing friendly fighters either by encrypted datalinks or voice commands via radio. They can also manage strike packages or fighter sweeps in contested airspace. Other tasks carried out by the VVS’s A-50s include monitoring high-value air assets, such as headof-state aircraft or aircraft transporting special cargoes, and controlling shipping. The aircraft can also be used as an early warning radar facility or remote sensor platform, supplying a recognised air picture to a ground-based C2 centre responsible for overall battlefield management. It can carry out these tasks autonomously, acting as a C2 cell in its own right, or as part of a bigger picture using information transmitted by datalink and radio. It can also perform both functions at the same time. The A-50’s flight crew comprises two pilots (commander and co-pilot), navigator, flight engineer and radio operator. The 10-strong tactical crew in the rear compartment is made up of a system commander, a senior fighter controller, two fighter controllers, a senior tracking operator, two tracking operators, a system engineer, a radar engineer and a communication suite engineer. The system commander manages the tactical crew’s workflow and communicates with ground- and ship-based C2 centres. The tracking operators monitor the air, land and sea situation in the designated areas of interest on their tactical situation indicators, adjusting the operation of the automatic target acquisition/tracking and identification (ID) systems and performing manual tracking and ID of selected targets in complex tactical situations when the automatic modes have been rendered unusable or are unsuitable. The system displays relevant target information in a label next to the target symbol on the controller’s screens; reference number (assigned by the operator), heading, altitude and speed plus IFF status, while friendly fighters also uplink information about fuel state and the mode of the weapon control system. Fighter controllers are tasked with managing intercepts, mission control of strike packages and guidance of friendly fighter escorts. The three engineers, occupying the forward-facing consoles, monitor the entire system and perform in-flight fault isolation and rectification of the A-50’s mission system, radar and communication suite.

Above: Most, if not all, of the processors, chips and other important hardware components of the A-50U’s new mission suite is of Western origin. NPO Vega is responsible for its integration with the system. Alexander Mladenov

during the late 1990s were intended to add new capabilities, such as reliable detection and tracking of low-flying helicopters and integrating modern data exchange terminals for the system’s ground users to expand the user base down to the ground force’s division level. Data fusion – fusing radar target data with data derived from on-board ELINT and SIGINT systems – to achieve more reliable target recognition was another goal. Another requirement was to facilitate operations by two or more A-50s simultaneously, with one aircraft acting as the master and the others as slaves supplying

radar picture and supporting the intercepts and air traffic control operations dictated by the tactical crew aboard the master Mainstay. These enhancements were implemented during the A-50U upgrade programme, originally designed in the early 2000s and tested until 2009 on a prototype aircraft Bort number ‘Red 33’ manufacturer’s serial number (MSN) 58-05. Modern hardware replaced most, if not all, of the 1980s vintage processing and display systems. The final report on completion of the A-50U’s test and evaluation effort was signed by then VVS Commander-

Enhancing the Mainstay

The upgrades applied to the A-50’s mission system www.airforcesdaily.com

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Above: Russian Air Force Mainstays are cleared for air-to-air refuelling from the Il-78M tanker. Alexander Mladenov

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BERIEV A-50 MAINSTAY in-Chief, Col Gen Alexander Zelin, in October 2009. The first upgraded example, ‘Red 47’ Russian state aircraft registration RF-92957, MSN 40-05, was handed over to the VVS on October 31, 2011, while the second, Red 33/RF-50602, MSN 41-05 manufactured in 1984, followed suit in December 2012. These examples entered upgrade at Beriev’s plant in Taganrog in late 2008 and early 2011 respectively. Red 33 was the first upgraded Mainstay to sport the new style dark grey camouflage that has been introduced across the VVS fleet since late 2011. The testing and evaluation effort for the A-50U is reported to have taken five years and no less than 800 flights. The new hardware is said to have extended the maximum detection range of the system’s radar greatly, thanks to better processing, while the number of targets that can be tracked simultaneously has increased to 300. The tactical crew members are provided with new consoles featuring large high-resolution liquid crystal displays, capable of showing much more data than the CRT-based circular displays they replaced. Last, but not least, the new significantly smaller and lighter mission system left room for a crew rest facility, a small galley and a toilet – amenities lacking on legacy Mainstays. Another advantage of the weight reduction is the ability to take off with more fuel, thus allowing additional time on station. The majority, if not all, of the new processors and other important hardware used in the upgraded Shmel mission suite are said to be of Western origin, as the Russian electronics industry is still deemed illsuited to offer high-performance domestic equivalents. The new processing systems occupy just one equipment rack while the old equipment required no less than seven. The A-50U’s satellite communication system was also improved in terms of reliability, speed and the volume of data it can handle. The upgraded, more powerful, radar system has given the Mainstay a greatly increased target set and vastly improved maritime surveillance capabilities. It is understood these new targets include low-flying and hovering helicopters as well as lowobservable (stealth) aircraft, cruise missiles and UAVs; it can also work reliably in conditions of dense jamming created by enemy electronic warfare systems. In addition the more powerful processors, together with new software, enable detection and tracking of air targets flying tail-on relative to the A-50 at much greater ranges than was possible in the past. The new jam-proof communication suite has turned the enhanced Mainstay into a complete battle management system.

Above: The A-50 typically loiters at 10,000m (32,808ft), following a figure-eight flight pattern with a distance of 54nm (100km) between the centres of the two orbits. Alexander Mladenov

The first A-50U for the VVS is reported to have attained operational capability in February 2012. VVS plans foresee upgrading one A-50 to A-50U standard each year and the type is set to remain in service for 15 to 20 more years.

A-100 – the shape of things to come

Beriev and Vega are now busy developing an all-new AEW&C platform for the VVS. Designated as the A-100, it is advertised as utilising a raft of advanced radar and data processing technologies to detect, identify and track stealth targets and non-strategic ballistic missiles, while retaining high capabilities for target detection and recognition in the air-tosurface mode. The A-100 is designed for joint operations with the VVS’s Gen 4++ and Gen 5 fighters such as the Sukhoi Su-35S, Su-30SM, MiG-29K and the T-50, establishing a powerful integrated airborne reconnaissance/strike system. This is also required to provide targeting information for ship- and landbased long-range SAM systems, enabling over-thehorizon launches against low-flying targets. The radar system designed by Vega employs active electronically scanned array (AESA) technology with three fixed antennas for 3600 coverage, integrated with new-generation sophisticated ELINT and SIGINT systems. The VVS requirements called for the A-100’s radar to boast double the range of the A-50U and for the mission suite to be capable of tracking a greatly increased number of targets and controlling many more fighter incepts at the same time, using automated and jam-proof datalinks. The A-100 will be based on the airframe of the new generation Il-76MD-90A transport aircraft, a Candid derivative powered by fuel-efficient

Aviadvigatel PS-90A76 turbofans providing some 25% more range and endurance than that of the classic Il-76MD, on which both the A-50 and A-50U are based. The Il-76MD-90A features a modern flight/navigation system and cockpit with eight LCD displays as well as a digital autopilot and highly accurate satellite navigation system. Design, development and testing of the first components of the A-100 mission system commenced in 2011 and the original plan was to complete by 2014. This proved to be optimistic and the first flight tests of the system, installed on an Il-76MD-90A, are now scheduled for 2017. At the beginning of the development effort, the A-100’s missions systems were designed for installation on the classic Il76MD airframe and in 2009 an aircraft was allocated for airborne trials of the new equipment, but has not flown. The subsequent decision in 2011 to use a more advanced Candid, with an all-new and largely digital avionics suite, created additional delays because of the need to redesign some mission system components and ensure its electromagnetic compatibility with the Il-76MD-90A’s digital flight navigation suite and digital engine control. According to an article in Russia’s influential newspaper Izvestiya, dating from February 2013, there were still a good many unresolved issues with the A-100’s mission suite that could cause additional delays to the programme. For instance, citing unnamed sources within the VVS, the article stated Vega has proposed a single-band AESA radar system instead of the two-band specified by the VVS, while the new generation ELINT and SIGINT systems were still in an early stage of development and their technical documentation was yet to afm be approved by the Russian Air Force.

Below: The Mainstay takes part in all large Russian Air Force exercises. ‘Red 51’ is seen at Kant in Kyrgyzstan during ‘Rubezh-2004’. Andrey Zinchuk via Alexander Mladenov

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INTERVIEW AIR CDRE MAHMOOD KHALID

Thunder overthedesert In an AFM exclusive, Georg Mader spoke to the Pakistan Air Force’s Air Commodore Mahmood Khalid at the Dubai Airshow about current and future plans for the Sino/Pakistani FC-1/JF-17 Thunder fighter

A

IR CDRE Khalid, a veteran F-16 pilot, is the Deputy Chief Project Director for JF-17 for the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) HQ in Islamabad and the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex in Kamra. AFM: Many in the West had, or still have, the impression the JF-17 Thunder was first developed by Chengdu as the FC-1. When the PLAAF [People’s Liberation Army Air Force] decided not to accept it into service, it seemed to have been offered, or ‘given’, to Pakistan, with some local modifications. Is that the case, or a wrong impression? Air Cdre Khalid: This is incorrect for what became the Thunder. We needed aircraft to replace our ageing fleet of F-6s, F-7s and A-5s, as well as Mirages, which were becoming obsolete. As we’d developed light trainers like the Mushshak and co-developed a jet training capability with the Chinese around the K-8 Karakoram, we had an industrial base. We also maintained and overhauled all our aircraft ourselves. It was logical to go for a fighter aircraft to our specific requirements. We had the knowledge and capability to go for a co-development with the Chinese right from the start.

Above: Air Cdre Khalid by the JF-17 in the static park at Dubai. PAF Below: One of three Thunders at Dubai, 12.138, taxies out for another display. Georg Mader

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by China. According to the initial contract, 58% of the Thunder is from Pakistan and 42% imported from Chengdu and its suppliers. The first operational jet was ready in 2007 and by 2009 we had ten aircraft. From then on, series production in the final assembly line at Kamra has speeded up. There, all flight testing takes place and the first operational squadron, No 26, was formed in May 2010.

Above: An array of weaponry on display with the JF-17 in the static park at Dubai. Georg Mader

So we joined together and signed into this programme in 1999. The contract was always based on co-design, co-development and co-qualification. A large number of our specialists went to China and both teams worked together. The first prototype was ready very quickly – in just two-and-ahalf years from the drawing board to the first flight in September 2003. Six prototypes were built for certifying the avionics, initial weapons integration, fatigue analysis etcetera. In all, only the first nine aircraft were manufactured in China and then flown to Kamra, where our Pakistan Aero-

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nautical Complex [PAC] is based. Local production started with a small batch of aircraft to mature our production process and for the assessment of operational capability and fine-tuning of the aircraft. AFM: So its parameters – the design shape and avionics – were a combined effort and not a preset Chinese one? Where is the

final assembly line and what’s the tempo of production? Air Cdre Khalid: Yes, everything is a co-team effort – it was not a finished design presented to us. Of course, China was the lead nation, but we soon established some facilities and capabilities to tailor and develop the avionics ourselves, which are manufactured by Pakistan and

AFM: Is the plant at Kamra a private enterprise or government-controlled? Air Cdre Khalid: The whole project is controlled by the air force HQ. I am number two in the project. We task the industrial part to the Kamra complex, which is all under the control of the defence ministry except for small, niche manufacturers who work for us. AFM: How many JF-17s will the PAF have in the end? Will

“At the moment there are two fully operational JF-17 squadrons and a third is forming”

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INTERVIEW AIR CDRE MAHMOOD KHALID here in Dubai a regular Block 1 squadron aircraft? Air Cdre Khalid: Yes, from the Black Panthers Squadron.

the introduction of the F-16C/DBlock-52s change or alter numbers in the Thunder programme? Air Cdre Khalid: No. At the moment there are two fully operational JF-17 squadrons and a third is forming. An exact number of how many there will be in the end is hard to predict, but we plan to build between 150 and 250 airframes of the type, including exports. With 16 to 20 per squadron, that might give the PAF between seven and ten squadrons. AFM: You mentioned there’s a flight testing establishment at Kamra. Is this just for post-production acceptance, or does it undertake ongoing development work, like an operational evaluation unit? Air Cdre Khalid: Its job is twofold – to integrate new weapons and to validate the implementation of indigenously developed avionics, because we’re constantly integrating new systems for future blocks. AFM: Regarding the avionics suite, the fire control radar is a key Chinese component – is that correct?

Below: JF-17 12.142 taxies past one of its rivals for Middle Eastern fighter sales, Dassault’s Rafale. Georg Mader

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The JF-17 is an agile performer, as demonstrated by the vapour generated at the leading edge of the wing in the dry Dubai air. Mike Kerr

It has a mechanical antenna? Air Cdre Khalid: Yes – it’s the KLJ7V2, but also co-developed with us. At this moment it is mechanically scanning, but in future blocks there’ll be an E-scan radar fitted. It’s under preparation. AFM: So there’s no need to ‘Westernise’ or replace some electronics? Air Cdre Khalid: As I said, there are proposals and considerations to replace the existing radar and early warning [EW] systems, but at the moment we’re happy with the performance of the current Chinese systems and have no plans to replace these with other third-country alternatives. I must emphasise the KG300G EW pod [produced by the China Electronics Technology Corporation (CETC)] is a powerful and reliable system, no there’s no need to replace it urgently. AFM: Are you happy

with the Russian Klimov/Sarkisov RD-93 engine? What about the need for a replacement in future blocks, such as the Chinese Liyang/Guizhou WS-13 or Western powerplants? Air Cdre Khalid: First, the RD-93 is a very robust engine. We have flown it for 7,000 hours without a problem. Solid agreements are in place between the Chinese and the original Russian designers of the RD-93 to guarantee the supply of enough engines for our needs. Regarding the future, yes, upcoming improvements might demand a more powerful engine. We’re currently satisfied, but potential export customers may want another – like the EJ200, which is a good engine. If a customer wanted our design but with that powerplant, we would negotiate. If the new Chinese engine you mentioned is reliable and available, then fine. AFM: Is the JF-17 on display

AFM: How many blocks do you think there’ll be in the Thunder programme? Air Cdre Khalid: Currently the last few from Block 1 are in the final stages of assembly. In parallel we’re discussing the plans for the future Block 3 variant, now that the Block 2 model has a mature configuration. Block 3 now exists in the form of a conceptual design and a list of mission requirements, but with no concrete choice in the configuration of the onboard systems. Given the consideration that we intend to go for a new block with enhanced capabilities after every 50 airframes, we could easily see a Block 4 or even a Block 5. Each time the modifications and capabilities should be implemented before the next block comes. That’s the philosophy. AFM: What is the daily operational configuration of these Block 1 aircraft? Air Cdre Khalid: When the type first entered service it only flew with PL-5EII WVR-AAMs [within visual range air-to-air missiles] and fuel tanks, but the aircraft is now flying with SD-10 BVR [beyond visual range] AAMs, C-802A anti-ship missiles, the EW pod and several types of general purpose [GP]

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and precision-guided bombs. The JF-17 is qualified for QRA [quick reaction alert] duty. We can go straight up and shoot at the enemy. In standard configuration we carry two PL-5EII missiles, two SD-10 missiles and two or three fuel tanks. The aircraft would have the capability to carry four SD-10 missiles, but we decided to stay to the present configuration. However, a digital weapons interface is available on all hardpoints, which gives us a lot of flexibility for the carriage of ordnance. AFM: You said the Kamra test establishment undertakes constant weapons integration. Are all the weapons and models you displayed in front of and under the aircraft at Dubai integrated? And did you need the Chinese industry or Chinese engineers to achieve that? Air Cdre Khalid: The aircraft initially had the basic weapons capability of a short-range AAM, a long-range BVR AAM, the C802AK against shipping and GP bombs of 500, 1,000 and 2,000lbs. In a second category – also integrated, tested and available – are the GPS-guided, winged bombs such as the LS-6 or similar GPS-directed ammunition from Pakistan and China. The laser-guided weapons are integrated as well. All aeromechanical integration, flight testing and release tests are done by our own personnel and specialists, without any Chinese input. We can buy a weapon on the free market and integrate it on the JF-17 on

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The high-profile PAC Kamra presence in the static park at Dubai. Georg Mader

our own. A customer comes along with a foreign weapon? Fine. It’s their job at Kamra to integrate it. AFM: Under the right on the display aircraft wing is a mock-up of a large white air-to-ground weapon, the parameters of which remain rather sketchy so far – can you say more? Air Cdre Khalid: This is the CM-400AKG, a brand-new weapon [designed and developed by China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC)] and only revealed at the Zhuhai airshow in November 2012. It is a mature and tested anti-ship weapon that’s part of the operational weapon set of the JF-17 for Block 2. It’s not conceptual, it’s in service – a hyper-speed missile that’s very difficult to intercept, hitting its target at Mach 4-plus or above. Its kinetic impact alone is enough to destroy any high-value target, like an aircraft carrier.

AFM: From what we know, the PAF should have begun integrating its nuclear-capable Ra’ad ALCM [air-launched cruise missile] onto the JF-17. Is this a prime target for Block 3? Air Cdre Khalid: No. Regarding the Ra’ad, but also the H-4 glide bomb, we’re primarily talking about [modifying] the wiring on Block 1 and Block 2 aircraft which are currently in, or about to enter, service – not just the forthcoming Block 3 variant. This makes good sense, to get on with the wiring as well as flight trials of these weapons on all JF-17s. All subsequent production aircraft will have these modifications integrated from the outset and there’ll be no need for retrofits that result in long downtimes and lower available numbers. AFM: Does this mean the death of the PAF’s legacy nuclear deter-

rence platform, the Mirage V? Air Cdre Khalid: Not necessarily. Ra’ad on the Thunder will certainly add to our stealthy ingress capability, due to the low cross-section of the cruise missile, and the JF-17 certainly is a better and more modern platform – about which there should be no debate. When it achieves full operational capability with the Ra’ad, that role will of course be withdrawn from the Mirages. But that doesn’t mean that they’d be retired; they do a lot more than ‘just’ carry Ra’ads. AFM: How about maintenance – are you self-reliant with everything? Air Cdre Khalid: Yes, fully self-reliant. When it comes to maintenance the PAF has operational, intermediate and depot levels, just like everywhere in the West. Since JF-17 is a new aircraft, there’s not been any depot-level

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INTERVIEW AIR CDRE MAHMOOD KHALID maintenance yet, but we’re in process of establishing this. AFM: At the Zhuhai airshow in China, one could see both the JF-17 and the Chinese Chengdu J-10 manoeuvring in the sky. The JF-17 is a lighter fighter of course, but do you see it being superior in air-combat manoeuvring? A large delta wing like the J-10’s is probably not that helpful in subsonic agility? Air Cdre Khalid: Well, it may have seemed to have outdone the J-10 in airshow manoeuvres, but I know the Chengdu designers who have worked on the JF-17 as well as the J-10. Overall the J-10 certainly is a more powerful aircraft, but it seems to me that the JF-17 had won the crowd, maybe because of our superior piloting? But to be serious, we have very good experience in dissimilar combat against different types of aircraft in ‘multi-bogey’ engagement scenarios. During air combat manoeuvres with the PLAAF, for example, PAF JF-17s were up against Chinese Su-27 Flankers in a number of encounters and achieved favourable results. AFM: Is there the possibility of an FC-20 export version of the J-10 to Pakistan? Do you imagine that this could happen, maybe at the cost of the Thunder programme? Air Cdre Khalid: My personal thoughts? Wishful thinking. But while this would be decided at a higher level than mine, from what I know or can see, an FC-20 or whatever will not be introduced into the PAF, at least not in the near to midterm future. Why? The PAF is amidst the build-up of the JF-17 squadrons – just last March, President Zardari honoured and awarded more than 30 air commodores, group captains, wing commanders and squadron

leaders for the successful launch of the Thunder into the PAF fleet. No other ’plane gives us this much capability at this cost. It’s already carried out well over 10,000 sorties and, with towards 50 delivered, a third squadron is forming. In-flight refuelling from an Il-76 has been done. In parallel, the introduction of the Block 52 F-16s is happening, with systems like the Goodrich recce pod to master. So this means we’re well served by fast jet assets and there’s no real need to add a third platform, especially when the J-10 is also a fourth-plus generation jet we already have, and our planners and analysts should be focusing on the future fifth generation! But, as said, all this is beyond my daily business or responsibility. AFM: Earlier this year at Paris, and again here at Dubai, one could see a large model of a two-seat FC-1 on the CATIC/AVIC stand. As you seem not to have needed a two-seater so far, would you like to have some anyway? Air Cdre Khalid: Unfortunately, what I would like is of low priority. But seriously, I can tell you myself that the JF-17 is very easy to fly, even easier than the F-16. So our pilot training is not dependent upon a two-seat version. We designed it with the concept that we’ll have a good simulation component, mirroring the three large displays and full HOTAS [hands-on-throttle-and-stick]. Not every type out there has, or needs to have, its own two-seater. However if some customer wants the twin-seat version, plans for production – as you saw at the Chinese presentation – are at an advanced stage. But detailed questions you’ll have to address to AVIC or CAC, since this is concerning what they call ‘Fighter China-1’ or ‘Fierce Dragon’.

AFM: You have mentioned customers several times – this creates the clear impression that you are here to present JF-17 to the export market. Are you allowed to do this? What weight do AVIC, Chengdu or CATIC have when it comes to export? Air Cdre Khalid: Of course we’re trying to export the design – the programme meant a considerable financial investment for Pakistan. But export policy is made jointly by us together. There’s no independent sales and marketing for the Thunder. For international sales we have a joint sales and marketing team with our Chinese friends. It doesn’t necessarily mean we all have to sit together on every meeting, but the Chinese side will always know what we’re negotiating and we’ll always know what they’re negotiating. We don’t leave them behind, and they don’t leave us behind. When we offer this aircraft to a customer, he makes his own choice in what weapons or avionics he wants. Then we get together to decide how to answer this or that demand; and if we’re able or willing; or how we would answer various ‘must’ and ‘shall’ criteria. Then a contract could be prepared. AFM: I’ve heard your aircraft mentioned in context to Argentina, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Serbia, Venezuela and similar niche markets. I remember an interview you gave last March to a Croatian colleague. Are you specifically marketing to such ‘non-aligned’ nations or generally to a whole region, like here in the Middle East? Air Cdre Khalid (smiling): Your intel is impressive! Yes, these are all potential markets from where interest in the Thunder was expressed to us. Pakistan is also looking for export orders from several Arab countries as an affordable, low-cost option, below

the US$30 million class. We took the aircraft to Farnborough, to Zhuhai and also the Turkish Air Force anniversary show in 2012. I think we also should go to Le Bourget in 2015. Several nations are interested in the JF-17, but have not yet placed any orders. I think this is largely due to the current turmoil in the Middle East, which has put a brake on procurement plans in some countries. But we see this as only a temporary setback. We need to further show to the markets how reliable and safe the Thunder is with its quadruple FCS [flight control system]. We’ve only lost one aircraft in an operational sortie, due to pilot error. AFM: So all in all, that means you foresee a bright future for the Thunder in Pakistan and abroad? Air Cdre Khalid: Of course! The JF-17 is a matter of national pride with the aircraft on track to become the backbone of the PAF for decades to come. We talked about the F-16 in the beginning – look at how far it has come from what it was in 1976 when it first flew as the lightweight fighter study. Compared to it the Thunder is just at the beginning of this lifespan: if you like, we’re still in the F-16’s 1970s! Therefore we’re likely to see quite a few modifications on this aircraft. Look at how far Turkey’s modernised F-4 and F-5 fleets have come over the decades. But unlike them, we ‘own’ the JF-17 with all the source-codes and have a lot more freedom to develop and try out new things. That suggests modifications on a far grander scale. JF-17 will fly and perform like the F-16, and when the latest avionics and some Western weapons can be fitted on it, the aircraft will be of no lesser value than the latest US aircraft in the PAF inventory. There’s a bright future for the afm Thunder, I am convinced.

Above: A model of China’s prospective FC-1 twin-seater design was on show in the exhibition halls. Georg Mader

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Military Flight Training F_P.indd 1

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USMC VMM-363 LUCKY RED LIONS

A Pride of

Ospreys Ted Carlson/Fotodynamics.com reports on the US Marine Corps’ newest Osprey squadron

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Right: The MV-22B is no slouch. Its speed gives the Osprey a new capability for the Marine Corps medium-lift community. All images by the author

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he newest Bell-Boeing MV-22B Osprey unit in the west coast’s Marine Aircraft Group 16 (MAG-16) and 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (3rd MAW) is Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 363 (VMM363), nicknamed ‘Lucky Red Lions’. Assigned the ‘YZ’ tail code, the squadron was formerly a Sikorsky CH-53D unit based at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. In 2012 it traded in its CH-53Ds and moved to MCAS Miramar, California, to transition to, and master, the MV-22B. The controversial Osprey is now proving to be reliable and hundreds have been produced, flying daily around the world. Sure, there were some initial teething problems, not uncommon for new and revolutionary designs. Today, the bugs have been worked out and the aircraft is settling in with the marines. Within the MV-22B community there are Block A, B and C airframe variants and a Block A-to-B modification is underway where, funding dependent, all Block As will be upgraded to B standard. All remaining Block As in the US Marine Corps (USMC) inventory reside currently with its New River, North Carolina-based training unit VMMT-204 ‘Raptors’. All MV-22Bs now coming off the production line in Amarillo, Texas, are Block C aircraft. There are no plans to upgrade Block Bs to Cs at present. Ultimately each squadron will have eight Block B and four C variants. The C modifications are essentially a mission kit, which is not needed on every aircraft. Current developments include a new weapon

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USMC VMM-363 lucky red lions system known as the interim defensive weapon system (IDWS) - a 7.62mm machine gun sited on the underside of the aircraft and compatible with any Osprey block variant. With only eight systems within the fleet, although 12 more are planned, they are currently prioritised for deploying squadrons. As the weapon system becomes more widespread, it will be more commonly found with fleet squadrons undergoing training.

Lions’ plan of attack

VMM-363 is unique in that it achieved an operational capability and then the majority of the squadron personnel were posted, so it had to start all over again. On May 10, 2012, it was re-designated from Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 363 (HMH-363) to VMM-363 at MCAS Kaneohe Bay

Above: Two of VMM-363's new Ospreys fly over scenic Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah. Below: Two Lucky Red Lions Ospreys cruise over the Needles area in South Dakota during a cross country trip.

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A pair of VMM-363 Ospreys depart Rapid City, South Dakota, on a mission. The V-22 acceleration from stop to over 200 knots is incredibly quick.

and transferred its CH-53s to HMH-362. There were only five officers and no enlisted personnel in the new squadron at that time. From May until August VMM-363 underwent an exponential growth cycle at MCAS Miramar, bolstering the squadron numbers and attaining initial operating capability (IOC). Then the majority of personnel were transferred to VMM-262 ‘Flying Tigers’, at MCAS Futenma, in Okinawa, Japan, under MAG-36, 1 MAW. The Lucky Red Lions had to re-bolster its numbers and re-train once again, which is now in process. Having re-completed IOC, and with eleven Ospreys now on hand, it is working towards mid-operating capability (MOC) and then full operational capability (FOC) later. The aircraft received for the re-build of the squadron are in need of significant maintenance, so the unit is focusing on making them all flight-ready before FOC qualifications. It is concentrating on training, such as maintenance, and taking the time to do it right and ensure the maintainers are trained to the best standards possible.

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we have to do more with less. “There is a common misconception about the V-22 and its defensive weapon systems. The CH-46 and CH-53 have tail guns and door guns - although we have a tail gun, the most effective weapon system on the V-22 is its speed and its range. If they are applied correctly, you have less of a requirement for defensive systems such as guns. It is a paradigm shift. With the innate new capability set of the V-22, the role has significantly shifted and is different enough from the CH-46 and CH-53, which makes us efficient and as effective as we are. “When we look at the range and speed, and what we are trying to get done on the battlefield, it is immeasurable against any other rotorcraft out there. The same is true of the defensive weapon systems; our requirement is different from what existed before. The game that is being played today is different than before. Additional operational testing needs to occur regarding tactical deployment of the system, but the IDWS [remote controlled 7.62 mm mini-gun] could be used in a wagon-wheel defensive posture while other assets

Once designated FOC, VMM-363 will return to MCAS Kaneohe Bay and be assigned back to MAG-24, 1 MAW. It will take at least a dozen (or more) Ospreys with it when it returns to Hawaii, slated to happen around FY2015. Its role in Hawaii will be more expeditionary-oriented, rather than the typical east and west-coast fleet units (which are also tasked to host marine expeditionary units [MEUs]). VMM-363 will be prepared to support MEUs if tasked, but won’t necessarily be integrated into another squadron, that being different to how other V-22 units operate.

Semper Fi Osprey drivers

“There is a constant movement of aircraft within the MAG, depending on the needs such as forward deployed aircraft in theatre, reserve squadrons, units returning, and in training,” commented Lt Col David ‘Zorro’ Lane, Commanding Officer of VMM-363. Lt Col Lane, who has been in the V-22 programme since 1999 and has over 2,000 V-22 flight hours, took over the role from Lt Col Timothy ‘Dirk’ Miller on December 5. “We look at the maintenance required on the newly-received aircraft transfers as an opportunity to train and prepare our maintainers, gaining invaluable experience. Although not always an ideal situation, there is an associated training value. Between the normal deployments, the MEUs and HMX-1, there is a significant drain on manpower available. This is not only in the V-22 community, but is pretty much Marine Corps-wide. Looking at the resources we have, the planning aspects, we are working hard and the tax dollars spent are used wisely; but it is hard because www.airforcesdaily.com

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Above: A duo of VMM-363 Lucky Red Lions MV-22Bs hover by the Devil’s Tower National Monument in Wyoming. The power of the Osprey is superior to its predecessor, the iconic CH-46E ‘Phrog’. Right: LCpl Gardenersauceda keeps a watchful eye on traffic. The typical Osprey crew consists of four - two pilots and two crewmen.

VMM-363 history Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 363 (HMM-363) was activated on June 2, 1952 at Santa Ana, California, brought on by demands of the Korean War. It flew the Sikorsky HRS-1 and took part in Operation Desert Rock, the first atomic test to use ground troops. On September 1, 1965, HMM-363 engaged in its first combat mission in Vietnam, by now flying the Sikorsky H-34. Close ties between the squadron and Republic of Korea (ROK) forces were developed in Operation Flying Tiger, in which the famed Tiger Division was airlifted to Hill 78 and proclaimed the most successful Korean offensive of the war. HMM-363 was later reorganised and designated Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 363 (HMH-363) after being equipped with 13 new Sikorsky CH-53As, which took over the role of the heavy lift helicopter in the Vietnam War. In 1992, for its outstanding service in Operation Restore Hope supporting marine forces in Somalia and the Joint Task Force including deploying 162 personnel and ten aircraft in less than four weeks, the squadron was awarded the Joint Meritorious Unit Award, the Meritorious Unit Commendation and the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal. HMH-363 relocated to Kaneohe Bay in 1996 and established itself as the premier assault support helicopter squadron for MAG 24.

below are doing the insertions or extractions. “VMM-363 is the first squadron that has not been a CH-46 unit to make the transition [to the MV-22]. Having a capable asset like the V-22 forward based expands the capability set. Being able to self-deploy in the Osprey is a powerful projection tool that our leaders can take advantage of. Some of the operations out of Afghanistan and forward deployed arrears in Iraq have been a great example of what we can do with the V-22, and some of the other services recognise that.” The VMM-363 Operations Officer is Maj Brian ‘Lone Wolf’ Friestman – he was a CH-53D/E pilot before the V-22 transition and, in the past, served with HMH-463, HMH-363, and HMX-1 (flying the VH-3D and VH-60N). “In the past 60 days, we have accepted nine aircraft,” he said. “Some were transfers and some needed moderate maintenance work, including serialisation, acceptance, functional check flights and more. It is a manpower drain, and lately we have focused on having flyable aircraft. There are maintenance training programmes and qualifications being stood up and executed. We are building up and have not had enough personnel on hand, although we already declared IOC prior to transferring a significant number of personnel to VMM-262. “Our maintenance numbers are actually good, considering how much work was needed for the aircraft received. There is some genius and logic behind giving a squadron standing up aircraft in need of work; it essentially allows the unit to get maintenance squared away. Ultimately there #311 February 2014

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USMC VMM-363 lucky red lions

Above: A VMM-363 Osprey flies over the desert. The marine corps' Ospreys have proved themselves repeatedly in theatre, having become a valuable asset in combat zones such as Afghanistan. Below: A squadron Osprey taxies out from its home base at MCAS Miramar, California. The ramp is now filled with V-22s which have proven to be reliable aircraft.

should be a balance between maintenance and supporting flight schedules, and that allows for aircrew training in the process. Then the squadron can continue to move forward. “Ideally our squadron will receive its first IDWS in the spring of 2014. It will probably take us three to four days to install the system - experienced units can actually install it in about a day. Due to the limited assets that will be equipped with it, the opportunities need to be selected wisely.” Capt David ‘Cliff’ Verhine is the newest member of VMM-363. He served with VMM-161 for nearly three years, ‘growing up’ in the V-22 ranks, progressing from Tiltrotor Second Pilot (T2P) to a Night Systems Instructor and completing his first combat deployment in Afghanistan. “Having been with VMM-161 from the transition through an Operation Enduring Freedom deployment (OEF), I really learned a lot - going through the growing pains, being one of the new guys, and then eventually progressing in flight qualifications and having skills to offer to another squadron [VMM-363]. These were all great experiences that I intend to share while serving as the VMM-363 Pilot Training Officer. “I had the opportunity to take the MV-22B into combat in Afghanistan, which exceeded all my 72

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expectations for sure. Growing up as a T2P I always knew that we were slated for an OEF deployment, but you never really heard much about what was going on over there - you just kind of kept your focus on the tasks at hand. Fast-forward two years, and I’m sitting in the right seat of a multi-million dollar aircraft with a crew about to head into the fray. It really makes you take an introspective look and ask yourself the hard questions. “We went to Afghanistan in July 2012 and relieved

an east coast unit, VMM-365 ‘Blue Knights’. We completed the deployment in January and turned over with another east coast unit, VMM-264 ‘Black Knights’. Since then, west coast VMM-165 ‘White Knights’ has swapped out for 264, tentatively being the last west coast squadron to deploy there. “The MV-22B performed beautifully in Afghanistan as far as I’m concerned. Speed, payload and operational flexibility combined with a pilotfriendly flight control system and a precision nav-

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Above: Major Bill ‘Sticks’ Walker (left) and Capt Chris ‘Bean’ Perez (right) at the helm of an Osprey. The glass cockpit and navigation systems are contemporary and ergonomic. Below: Ospreys are rated as all-weather aircraft and perform well in the instrument flight rules environment.

igation suite allowed us to perform everything the ground combat element asked of us. “Throughout our deployment we had a few lines of general support [GS] every day, which consisted of moving pax, mail, and cargo around the battlefield, which was really no different from other assault support platforms in-country. The major difference, however, was that we were able to move more cargo in less time - all while remaining out of the engagement envelope for most of the enemy’s weapons systems due to the higher altitude operating capability provided by the Osprey’s performance. “In addition to GS, we also performed nearly every mission set required of an assault support aircraft. Our bread and butter consisted of lifting combat troops into and out of zones so they could close with and destroy the enemy. I’ll never forget my first extract of combat troops - it was a low light-level night and we were ‘dash two’ of a three-plane division and upon entering the landing zone an insurgent fired a rocket-propelled grenade [RPG]. Fortunately he missed, it sailing over the top of the aircraft by about 100ft [30m], which was still too close for comfort. I’ll never forget those two blinding flashes [launch and detonation]. It was at that point I knew www.airforcesdaily.com

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the deployment was going to be very interesting. Over the course of the next six months, my aircraft was engaged four or five more times, mostly with small arms. At first you kind of get worked up about it, but eventually the crew chief is like… ‘aaaaaand we’re getting shot at again, sir’. I guess it helps to joke about it. Looking back, maybe it wasn’t too funny. Although I never came back with holes in my aircraft, others in my squadron weren’t so lucky. I can tell you, however, that the Osprey handles battle damage quite well and quickly returned to the fight. “The operating environment in Afghanistan is quite challenging. You have significant terrain to deal with, coupled with high altitudes and dusty landing zones. Although all these factors require detailed flight planning, they also allow the Osprey to flex its operational muscles. I will say, however, that out of all these factors the brownouts are probably the most challenging. Unlike operating in CONUS [continental US], where we conduct multiple reduced visibility landings, you have to be ‘on’ right out of the gate with your first landing or risk waving off, which we generally try to avoid since it results in longer times spent in a weapons engagement zone. “I was at Camp Bastion on September 14 when 15 Taliban insurgents broke through the wire at about

2200hrs that night. I was woken up by the sound of a C-130 Hercules waving off, but he sounded off course, as he was flying right over my ‘can’. Immediately I heard the ominous thump, thump, thump of RPGs exploding in the distance. I cracked the door open and heard the buzz of machine gun fire, both incoming and outgoing. We all immediately donned our gear and headed to the flight line. As I looked north, I could tell the Harrier line was in quite a fight. “Within seconds an RPG impacted our fuel pits, instantly igniting thousands of pounds of aviation fuel. Of course chaos ensued as the insurgents swept down the flight line firing salvos of RPGs and ripping off round after round of 7.62mm from PKM [Pulemyot Kalashnikova Modernizirovannyĭ] and AK-47 guns. Unfortunately, they got the drop on us that night, but all the marines and sailors on the Bastion flightline stood tall in the face of danger and ran to the fight. Every marine, from pilot to avionics technician, was a rifleman that night. I think the way we responded - the way we came together - is one of my proudest moments of the deployment. Unfortunately two marines made the ultimate sacrifice and we all owe them our afm gratitude for their heroic actions.” #311 February 2014

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COUNTRY REPORT AUSTRALIA

Small, Above: The RAAF has two F/A-18F Super Hornet squadrons, Nos 1 and 6, both resident at RAAF Base Amberley. All images by Nigel Pittaway unless stated Below: Airbus Military KC-30 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) A39-005 is stationed at RAAF Base Amberley in Queensland. Five are currently in service with the Royal Australian Air Force.

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USTRALIA MAY not possess the largest air arms in the world, or even in the Asia-Pacific region, but they are well-equipped, well-trained and able to punch above their weight, as evidenced in ongoing operations in the Middle East Area of Operations (MEAO). Closer to home, the Australian Defence Force has participated in United Nations operations in East Timor and the Solomon Islands (among others) and Australia is also a founding member of the Australia, New Zealand United States Security Treaty (ANZUS) alliance and the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) with the UK, Malaysia, Singapore and New Zealand. Australia is a large island nation with a relatively small population of 23 million. Its coastline, including islands, measures almost 37,500 miles (60,000km)

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and so it’s a maritime nation, heavily reliant on shipping and offshore oil and gas reserves. As a consequence it has a primary operational environment (POE) covering 12% of the earth’s surface and stretching from the eastern Indian Ocean to Polynesia and from the Equator to Antarctica. Defence posture has evolved from the ‘Fortress Australia’

policy of the 1980s and 1990s into one of participation in coalition operations in its areas of interest. A recent ‘Force Posture Review’ notes the country’s strategic outlook will be influenced by the rise of ‘new’ powers such as China and India. An example of this evolution to an expeditionary force are the two large Landing Helicopter Dock

(LHD) vessels currently under construction – and the resultant transformation of the army from a land force to being capable (with air and naval support) of projecting force ‘over the beach’. Royal Australian Air Force Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal Geoff Brown, said: “Our geography and the Global Commons are very important to us. The maritime

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Country: Australia Services: Royal Australian Air Force, Royal Australian Navy Naval Aviation Force, Australian Army Aviation Corps

l, but deadly Australia’s Forces Australia is a leader in its region and continues to take an important part in international military operations around the globe. Nigel Pittaway describes the country’s increasingly modern armed forces aerial assets

strategy means that if anything goes wrong in our area of interest, anywhere from Saudi Arabia across to the west coast of the United States, we will have some interest in the stability of the Global Commons. We focus on that, together with our overall deployable capability, to react to whatever hotspot there may be.”

Royal Australian Air Force

The RAAF has maintained a high operational tempo for almost 15 years, beginning with the establishment of airbridge operations between Darwin and Dili during the UN-led International Force for East Timor (INTERFET) operations in 1999 and continuing through more than a decade of operations in the MEAO. RAAF McDonnell Douglas

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A special 70th anniversary paint scheme for 77 Squadron was applied to F/A-18A Hornet A21-49 in 2012.

F/A-18A Hornets deployed into the MEAO for coalition strikes against Iraq in 2003 and today a detachment of Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 Super Hercules still supports Australian and coalition ground forces in Afghanistan and will continue to do so at least until the end of the year. Throughout this time, ongoing humanitarian and disaster relief (HADR) operations have kept the airlift fleet busy. Recent operations have seen Boeing C-17As based in Japan on post-tsunami relief efforts and in New Zealand following earthquakes which severely damaged the city of Christchurch. In the past 15 years, almost every RAAF platform has either been upgraded or replaced and the process will continue well into the next decade. The organisation has transformed from the ‘platform-centric’ service it was in the 1980s and 1990s into one of the most technologically advanced, network-capable and integrated air arms in the world.

Australian Army Aviation Corps (AAAC) Order of Battle Squadron

Type

HQ Land Command

Location HQ: Victoria Barracks (Sydney) NSW

HQ Training Command 16th (Aviation) Brigade

HQ: Gallipoli Barracks QLD

1st Aviation Regiment

Robertson Barracks (Darwin) NT

161 Reconnaissance Sqn

Tiger ARH

162 Reconnaissance Sqn*

Tiger ARH

5th Aviation Regiment

Will become fully operational in 2016 RAAF Townsville QLD

A Sqn

MRH 90

B Sqn

S-70A-9

Will receive MRH 90 from 2015

C Sqn

CH-47D

To be replaced by CH-47F 2014-2017

6th Aviation Regiment

Holsworthy NSW

171 Aviation Sqn

S-70A-9

To receive MRH 90 from 2017

173 Aviation Sqn

Kiowa

To become S-70A-9 training unit in 2014

Army Aviation Training Centre

Oakey QLD

Army Helicopter School

Kiowa, S-70A-9

School of Army Aviation

S-70A-9, Tiger ARH, Kiowa

1st Division Headquarters (1 Div HQ) 20th Surveillance & Target Acquisition Regiment 132 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Battery

RQ-7B

Black Hawk training to transfer to 173 Sqn/6 Avn Regt Holsworthy in 2014

Gallipoli Barracks, Enoggera QLD

The bulk of air combat capability is made up of 71 F/A-18A/B Hornets, which have been upgraded with AN/APG-73 radar, enhanced mission computers and communications systems, Link 16 datalink, Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS) and modern weapons. They were bolstered from 2009 by 24 Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornets to fill a precision strike capability gap left by the retirement of the F-111C. The recent introduction of the Boeing E-7A Wedgetail Airborne Warning and Control (AEW&C) capability has greatly enhanced air combat operations and will continue to do so as it matures in service. Wedgetail, coupled with the Vigilare network-centric command and control system (NC3S), will underpin RAAF operations for many years to come. Vigilare, which achieved final operating capability status in February 2013, fuses information received from surveillance and air traffic control radars with Link 16 data from Wedgetail and other network-capable platforms into an integrated air picture. “The Vigilare system is important to our overall defence force, because it takes 245 inputs from 45 different systems and integrates them into one air picture that takes us across the whole north of Australia,” said Air Marshal Brown. “Together with the [Jindalee] over-the-horizon radar network, it gives us a serious intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability.” Looking to the future, the ‘classic’ Hornets will be replaced by Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning IIs early next decade,

This RAAF Tindal-based 75 Squadron F/A-18A Hornet, A21-38, was specially painted to commemorate the unit’s 70th anniversary in 2012.

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with the first aircraft scheduled to be ready for delivery later this year; meanwhile Boeing EA-18G Growler airborne electronic attack aircraft will arrive over the next two years and a mix of Boeing P-8A Poseidons and, in all likelihood, Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Tritons will replace the existing AP-3C Orion fleet. A new trainer will be acquired which, together with the attendant training system, will deliver enhanced pilot training while the Alenia Aermacchi C-27J Spartan will replace the battlefield airlift capability lost with the retirement of the venerable Caribou a few years ago. “We have most of the capabilities we require either on line or in the pipeline,” said Air Marshal Brown. “I think the RAAF is the most powerful air force south of China and east of India.”

Air Combat Group

Of the four force element groups (FEGs) within the current order of battle, Air Combat Group operates the fast jet fleet and is the tip of the offensive spear. Headquartered at RAAF Williamtown, New South Wales, ACG oversees three subordinate wings currently flying the Hornet, Super Hornet, Pilatus PC-9/A(F) JTAC training platform and BAE Systems Hawk Mk127LIF lead-in fighter trainer. Among upgrades to the F/A18A/B has been the integration of the Lockheed Martin AGM-158A Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) which, together with the Raytheon AGM-154C Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) on the US Navy-standard Super Hornet fleet, confer a long-range precision strike capability. Air Marshal Brown explained: “We achieved FOC [full operational capability] on JASSM in June last year with a 2,500nm

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Above: Classic Hornet A21-10 from 2 Operational Conversion Unit based at RAAF Base Williamtown. Below: The difference in size between the two variants of Hornet is evident here. The F/A18F, A44-212, has a larger leading-edge root extension and wingspan among many other features.

future decisions – around 2030. Shortly after the Super Hornets were ordered, the RAAF decided to pre-wire the final 12 for possible conversion to EA-18G configuration, and a decision to proceed was taken in 2012. But ministerial concerns over an air combat capability gap occurring between ‘classic’ Hornet retirement and delayed F-35A service entry has resulted in the purchase of 12 new-build Growlers, to be delivered from 2015. No 6 Squadron, the current F/A-18F training unit, will convert to the airborne electronic attack role and pass its strike jets to an expanded No 1 Squadron. “The decision to acquire an additional 12 Growlers makes the whole air combat capability a lot more robust,” said the RAAF chief. “In the meantime the classic Hornet has just finished its upgrade programme and is now flying with the [Elta] EL-8222 jamming pods and [Saab] BOL countermeasures dispensers and Link 16 – and you just look at the difference a networked fleet makes. It’s quite an impressive capability.”

Surveillance and Response Group

[4,630km) round trip to the range at Woomera [South Australia] and, together with JSOW and the normal range of GBU weapons, I think we’re relatively well placed with our strike capability.” The F-35A will equip three fighter squadrons and an

operational conversion unit (OCU) from 2020, and a further tranche may also replace the recently-delivered Super Hornets at the end of that decade. Accordingly 72 F-35As are being acquired but the final total may reach 100 – depending on

Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) has assumed greater importance than ever in the age of network-centric warfare and the RAAF’s Surveillance and Response Group (SRG) at RAAF Williamtown oversees three aircraft-operating wings which include the new Boeing E-7A Wedgetail AEW&C capability and the Lockheed AP-3C Orion force. Despite development

Above: An order for 24 F/A-18Fs was signed in 2008, deliveries starting in 2010. The Australian Government planned to convert 12 into EA-18G Growlers but has since decided to keep the F/A-18Fs and order 12 new Growlers.

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Left: The pilot of F/A-18F Super Hornet A44-216 demonstrates the power of its twin General Electric F414 engines. Below: The Roulettes, the RAAF display team since 1970, have flown seven PC-7 aircraft since 1989. They are part of the RAAF Central Flying School and operate from RAAF Base East Sale in Victoria.

problems, chiefly with its Northrop Grumman Multi-Role Electronically Scanned Array (MESA) radar, Wedgetail is now settling into service and has performed very well in recent exercises at home and abroad. “Despite initial problems I think it’s turning out to be a great capability and it performed particularly well in the Red Flag series last year. Some aspects are still under development but I’m certain I have a robust capability,” asserted Air Marshal Brown. “The green [basic] aeroplane is

very reliable and the radar is now quite stable. Overall we just find more things to do with it and ways to improve it.” Eighteen of the 19-strong Orion fleet have been upgraded to AP-3C configuration but will nevertheless reach the end of their operational lives around the turn of the decade. They will be replaced by the P-8A and a high-altitude long-endurance UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) platform – most likely the MQ-4C. “The P-3 is still a robust capability that’s working pretty hard now on the illegal immigration problem,” noted the Air Marshal. “But we’ve withdrawn them from the MEAO which has allowed us to get back to the high-end warfare skills of anti-submarine [ASW] and anti-surface warfare [ASuW].” One Orion not upgraded has now been retired after what a defence department spokesperson described as “recent work concerned with supporting testing of systems and tactics to inform ongoing AIR 5276 (AP-3C upgrade) and AIR 7000 (P-8A/MQ-4C acquisition) capability requirements”. The RAAF has leased IAI Heron unmanned systems from a Canadian civil contractor to meet an urgent requirement in Afghanistan for more strategic ISR than that delivered by the army’s tactical UAS (unmanned

ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE (RAAF) Order of Battle Location

Squadron

HQ Air Command

Squadron

Type

HQ: Glenbrook NSW

Air Lift Group

HQ: RAAF Richmond NSW

Air Combat Group

HQ: RAAF Williamtown NSW

78 Wing

RAAF Williamtown

84 Wing

Richmond NSW Canberra (formerly RAAF Fairbairn) ACT

2 0CU

F/A-18A, F/A-18B

To convert to F-35A from 2020

76 Sqn

Hawk Mk.127

RAAF Pearce WA

79 Sqn

Hawk Mk.127

81 Wing

RAAF Williamtown

3 Sqn

F/A-18A, F/A-18B

Will receive two F-35A for OT&E in 2018

77 Sqn

F/A-18A, F/A-18B

RAAF Tindal NT

75 Sqn

F/A-18A, F/A-18B

82 Wing

RAAF Amberley QLD

1 Sqn

F/A-18F

6 Sqn

F/A-18F

Will convert to EA-18G from 2015

4 Sqn

PC-9/A(F)

RAAF Williamtown

Surveillance & Response Group

HQ: RAAF Williamtown NSW

42 Wing

Williamtown NSW

2 Sqn

E-7A Wedgetail

92 Wing

Type

34 Sqn

737-BBJ, Challenger 604

RAAF Richmond NSW

35 Sqn

C-27J

To begin receiving C-27J from 2015

37 Sqn

C-130J-30

285 Sqn

C-130J-30

86 Wing

Borrows aircraft from 37 Sqn as required RAAF Richmond NSW

33 Sqn

KC-30A

RAAF Amberley QLD

36 Sqn

C-17A

RAAF Amberley QLD

38 Sqn

King Air 350

Aerospace Operational Support Group Aircraft Research and Development Unit

RAAF Townsville QLD HQ: RAAF Edinburgh SA

F/A-18A, F/A-18B, PC-9/A, S.70A-9 & operates other types as required

Training Group RAAF Edinburgh SA

Location

HQ: RAAF Williams (Laverton) VIC

ADF BFTS

CT-4B

Tamworth NSW Civilian contract

2 FTS

PC-9, PC-9/A

RAAF Pearce WA

10 Sqn

AP-3C

11 Sqn

AP-3C

292 Sqn

AP-3C

RAAF Amberley QLD - Borrows aircraft from 10 & 11 Squadrons as required

CFS

PC-9/A

RAAF East Sale VIC Also administers ‘Roulettes’ aerobatic team

5 Flight

Heron

Administers ADF Heron Detachment at Kandahar (Civilian partnership)

32 Sqn

King Air 350

Provides aircraft for RAAF School of Air Warfare (formerly School of Air Navigation)

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Above: Hawk Mk127LIF A27-30 deploys its airbrake. It is from 76 Squadron at RAAF Base Williamtown. Below: Hawk A27-33 at RAAF Base Williamtown. Australia is a member of the Hawk User Group so the jet, which is expected to be in service until at least 2023, is subject to a continuing series of upgrades to keep it current.

aerial system) capability; they are operated by No 5 Flight, which transferred from ACG to SRG in April 2013. “The only reason we stood Heron up in ACG was that it was needed in a hurry and SRG was busy with their MEAO commitment. We used fighter pilots in initial deployments because they

understood the complex tactical situation, but it’s an ISR capability which, now mature, fits better in SRG,” explained Air Marshal Brown. “It’s being used for 1,000 hours a year in Afghanistan and is a very useful capability that we’d like to actually keep. We realise we need some sort of medium UAS capability and we’re looking

at what our options are there.”

Air Lift Group

Arguably the busiest of the force element groups, Air Lift Group, based at RAAF Richmond, west of Sydney, in New South Wales, has supported a Hercules detachment in the MEAO for almost 12 years and a regular C-17A shuttle

service between Australia and Afghanistan – and continues to provide airlift, aeromedical evacuation and HADR services throughout the Asia-Pacific region. It also introduced the C-17A to service, retired the Caribou and older C-130H fleet and is now conducting operational test and evaluation (OT&E) of the Airbus Military KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport. It will also begin introducing the C-27J Spartan in the battlefield airlift role from 2015. The KC-30A has had a troubled development too, but is now beginning to show its mettle. Air Marshal Brown announced the achievement of IOC for probe-and-drogue refuelling in February 2013 and it is now cleared for use with the Hornet and Super Hornet fleets. “The KC-30A has a significant deployment capability – about 270 people – and we’re now using the probe-and-drogue method extensively; in fact we offloaded 1,000,000lbs [453,592kg] of gas during the recent Aces North exercise,” he said. “But we’ve still got quite a few things to solve with the boom.” Certification of required boom improvements is currently being undertaken by an aircraft retained in Spain and RAAF OT&E will begin early in 2014. Improvements to the C-130J-30 maintenance system have

Two 76 Squadron Hawk Mk127LIFs return to their hardened aircraft shelters after a training mission at RAAF Base Williamtown.

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recently resulted in extra aircraft availability on the flightline, a significant achievement given the fact that tactical airlift capability rests with the 12-strong fleet until the C-27J comes along. “We’ve had the C-130J-30 for about ten years now and availability is reasonable, so we’re in pretty good shape,” said the Air Marshal. “The advantage of the C-27J is that it will get us into four times as many airfields around Australia and three times as many in the region. Since the retirement of the Caribou we’ve missed that tactical airlift component.”

Training Group

Training Group, based at RAAF Williams (Laverton) in Victoria, is responsible for the training of RAAF air and ground crews, administering the Australian Defence Force Basic Flying Training School (ADF BFTS), No 2 Flying Training School (FTS), the Central Flying School (CFS) and the RAAF School of Technical Training (RSTT). In addition, it oversees operation of No 32 Squadron, which operates Hawker Beechcraft King Air 350s supporting air combat officer training at the School of Air Warfare at East Sale in Victoria. Flight screening and basic flying training are carried out in conjunction with BAE Systems Australia Flight Training on the PAC CT-4B Airtrainer at Tamworth in New South Wales. Military students are administered by the ADF BFTS, but instructors are a mix of civilians and military personnel. All three services send their pilot candidates to Tamworth for a twenty-four and a half-week

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Above: The RAAF’s dedicated forward air control unit is 4 Squadron at RAAF Base Williamtown. It also provides joint terminal attack controllers (JTACs) to support Special Operations Command. Below: The CT-4 Airtrainer has been in use with the RAAF since 1972. Its primary role is as a basic trainer with the Basic Flying Training School at Tamworth, New South Wales.

ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY (RAN) Order of Battle Squadron

Type

HQ Maritime Command

Location HQ: Potts Point NSW

Naval Aviation Force

HQ: HMAS Albatross (Nowra) NSW

723 Sqn

AS.350BA, Bell 429

725 Sqn

MH-60R

808 Sqn

MRH 90

816 Sqn

S-70B-2

Beginning workup at NAS Jacksonville Also maintains a Flight at HMAS Stirling WA. To begin conversion to MH-60R 2016

long basic training course, where each student flies around 64 hours. On successful completion, RAAF and Royal Australian Navy students go to the other side of the country to RAAF Pearce, Western Australia, for advanced training on the Pilatus PC-9/A, but army candidates remain at Tamworth for a ten-week Interim Pilot Training (IPT) course before undergoing rotary-wing conversion within the army training system. The Central Flying School at East Sale is responsible for instructor training and flying standards and provides aircraft and pilots for the ‘Roulettes’ aerobatic team. The entire fixed-wing flying system will be replaced by a new Pilot Training System in the second half of the decade, which will introduce a single platform, but will be an integrated syllabus making greater use of simulation and other synthetic training aids.

Above: Pilatus PC-9 A23-11, in a high-visibility scheme, belongs to the Aircraft Research and Development Unit (ARDU) at RAAF Base Edinburgh. The ARDU is responsible for the test and evaluation of aircraft, weapons and navigation aids used by the RAAF.

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Country: Australia Services: Royal Australian Air Force, Royal Australian Navy Naval Aviation Force, Australian Army Aviation Corps

Royal Australian Navy Naval Aviation Force

Formerly known as the Fleet Air Arm, the Royal Australian Navy Naval Aviation Force (RAN NAF) is tasked with providing helicopter support to the fleet. It is shorebased at HMAS Albatross (Nowra) south of Sydney with a facility at Garden Island in Western Australia. Rotary-wing conversion training is conducted in-house with 723 Squadron at Nowra on the Aérospatiale AS350BA Ecureuil. Together with Raytheon Australia, the squadron also provides Retention and Motivation Initiative (RMI) flying on the Bell 429 Global Ranger. The current RMI is a four-year contract which began in 2012 to provide graduate, former trainee pilots with operational-style flying on a modern glass cockpit helicopter before they progress to a frontline squadron. This was made necessary a few years ago by the failure of the Kaman SH-2G(A) Super Seasprite to enter service, which resulted in a logjam of newly trained crews and a lack of squadron placements. The ADF has a rotary-wing training project under way which, like its fixed-wing counterpart, will introduce a modern glass cockpit platform and a modern training system for both navy and army candidates. Known as the Helicopter Aircrew Training System (HATS), it will be based at Nowra and is due to begin training its first candidates around the end of 2016. A shortlist of industry teams, led by Australian Aerospace (Eurocopter EC135), Boeing Defence Australia (also EC135) and Raytheon Australia (Bell 429), are now working on their final bids for the system. The maritime support helicopter role is filled by 808 Squadron

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Above: The Royal Australian Navy’s 816 Squadron flies Sikorsky S-70B-2 Seahawks, such as N24-006, from its Adelaide-class frigates. The unit will convert to the MH-60R in the near future: the first two were handed over on December 10.

with the NHI MRH 90 Taipan multi-role helicopter which is being assembled in Brisbane by Australian Aerospace, a Eurocopter subsidiary. The MRH 90 programme for both

the navy and army is running three years late due to a range of technical and sustainment issues which have resulted in it being placed on the government’s ‘Projects of Concern’ list.

Above: The Royal Australian Navy has 13 Aérospatiale AS350BA Ecureuils in service. One was lost on May 15, 2011, damaged beyond economical repair during a landing accident; no injuries resulted. Below: Boeing CH-47D Chinook A15-106 is from the Australian Army Aviation Corps’ 5th Aviation Regiment. CH-47Fs have been ordered as replacements with the first two scheduled to arrive in Australia this year.

The delays, together with the need to retire the incumbent Westland Sea Kings in the shipboard utility helicopter role, have left the navy without an operational support helicopter capability since December 2011. A series of agreements to remedy the Taipan’s deficiencies have now been signed by the Commonwealth of Australia and Australian Aerospace, as prime contractor, and there’s confidence that the programme will be removed from the Projects of Concern category in the first half of this year. No 808 Squadron, formally commissioned in July last year, is now working towards navy IOC, which represents one helicopter embarked at sea. Anti-submarine warfare from the RAN’s upgraded Adelaide (FFG) and Anzac (FFH) class frigates is currently the preserve of 816 Squadron flying the Sikorsky S-70B-2 Seahawk, but

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COUNTRY REPORT AUSTRALIA the Lockheed Martin/Sikorsky MH-60R will replace the older helicopter during 2016. The MH-60R will also have an ASuW role, left unfilled with the failure of the Seasprite project, and will be armed with the Lockheed Martin AGM-114N Hellfire and US Navy-standard Mk54 lightweight torpedo. Australia’s first MH-60R made its first flight in the US in late June 2013 and, following systems installation and integration with Lockheed Martin in Owego, New York, was handed over on December 10th and flown to Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville for delivery to the RAN. No 725 will be the MH-60R training squadron and the first Australian personnel are currently undergoing training with HSM-40 at Naval Air Station Mayport, Florida. The contingent will remain in the US to leverage training off the US Navy until returning home with the first seven of the 24 helicopters in December 2013. Flight trials aboard one of the navy’s upgraded Anzac-class frigates will begin in 2015 and the first flight embarkation, representing IOC, will follow in August of that year.

Above: The MRH 90 is among the RAAF’s newest acquisitions. There are 47 on order, with around 25 delivered by the end of 2013. Left: A few surviving Bell 206B-1 Kiowas are used by the Australian Army Aviation Corps’ Special Operations Command. Right: Tiger ARH A38-006 is one of 22 in use with the army. The helicopter has been significantly delayed and, at the time of writing, still hadn’t achieved its IOC despite the fi rst ones being handed over in 2004. Below: The Australian Army Aviation Corps has 35 S-70A-9 Black Hawks in service. This example, A25-101, nicknamed ‘Pegasus’, performs an aggressive manoeuvre during a fi repower demonstration at an air show. Below right: The Australian Army’s 5 Flight uses IAI Heron unmanned aerial vehicles at Kandahar in Afghanistan.

‘With the transition from what is now essentially a land army to an expeditionary force capable of conducting amphibious operations, the role of army aviation has to expand to meet the new challenge – which will mean a major focus on shipboard operations over the next few years’

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Country: Australia Services: Royal Australian Air Force, Royal Australian Navy Naval Aviation Force, Australian Army Aviation Corps

Australian Army Aviation Corps

As with the other services, army aviation is in the process of transformation from earliergeneration helicopters to state-of-the-art machines which are revolutionising the way it conducts operations. For the first time since the retirement of the obsolescent ‘Bushranger’ Iroquois gunships in 2008, the Australian Army Aviation Corps has an offensive capability in the form of the Eurocopter Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH). Meanwhile new battlefield helicopters are entering service to replace the older Sikorsky S-70A-9 Black Hawk and the latest version of Chinook medium-lift helicopter will begin replacing existing CH-47Ds over the next few years. With the transition from what is now essentially a land army to an expeditionary force capable of conducting amphibious operations (with the delivery of the two Canberraclass LHDs from 2015), the role of army aviation has to expand to meet the new challenge – which will mean a major focus on shipboard operations over the next few years. From an operational perspective the Army Aviation Corps is administered by 16 Aviation

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Brigade, headquartered at Gallipoli Barracks, Enoggera in Brisbane, Queensland, which oversees three aviation regiments (AVN REGT or AVN). Army Training Command oversees rotary-wing training at the Army Aviation Training Centre (AAvnTC) at Oakey in Queensland and a battery of tactical UAVs reports to Headquarters of the Army’s 1st Division at Enoggera.

1st Aviation Regiment The 1st Aviation Regiment at Robertson Barracks near Darwin in the Northern Territory is home to the corps’ Tiger ARHs, all 22 of which have now been delivered and are currently working through OT&E. The first Tigers

were handed over as far back as December 2004 but the weapons system is not due to achieve final operating capability until 2016. An army spokesperson said 161 Squadron should be declared as an operational ARH squadron late in 2013 – with 162 Squadron becoming operational during the course of 2014, “prior to declaration of Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter FOC”. Despite its long gestation the Tiger, armed with AGM-114M Hellfires, 70mm unguided rockets and 30mm cannon, is now performing well on exercises and is regarded as potentially providing an awesome capability.

5th Aviation Regiment

Army IOC for the MRH 90 Taipan in

the battlefield airlift and support roles is now expected either late in 2014 or early 2015. The delays have caused many problems, not least of which are the resultant bottlenecks in the training pipeline caused by a lower than anticipated rate of effort and the need to keep the Black Hawk in service for at least three years longer than anticipated. Operationally, the Taipans will be assigned to ‘A’ and ‘B’ Squadrons of the 5th Aviation Regiment based at Townsville in north Queensland. The regiment is the army’s battlefield mobility organisation and a third squadron, ‘C’, currently operates six CH-47D Chinooks for medium-lift operations. The small Chinook force has been heavily involved in

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Afghanistan almost every year since the first deployment in 2006. One aircraft was destroyed in a crash in Afghanistan in May 2011 and two ex-US Army airframes were subsequently acquired and refurbished as attrition replacements – but another was damaged in a heavy landing in Afghanistan in the middle of last year. The CH-47Ds are being replaced by seven CH-47Fs between 2014 and 2017.

Above: Australia’s C-17 Globemaster IIIs are stationed at RAAF Base Amberley. A41-206 is one of six in service, deliveries having begun in 2007. They fly a regular shuttle service between Australia and Afghanistan. Below: The Boeing 737-7ES AEW&C Wedgetail has recently entered RAAF service. This one, N378BC, wears its pre-delivery Boeing registration. It is now in service with 2 Squadron at RAAF Base Williamtown wearing serial A30-001.

6th Aviation Regiment

With the introduction of the MRH 90 from 2007, a number of Black Hawks were transferred to a newlyformed 6th Aviation Regiment at Holsworthy, south-west of Sydney, and dedicated to special forces support. The helicopters, operated by 171 Aviation Squadron, are a regular sight around Australia’s east coast cities as they practise urban operations with local commando units and will be the last to retire from active service in 2017. No 173 Aviation Squadron began flying the elderly Australianbuilt Bell 206B-1 Kiowa after relinquishing its King Air 350s to the RAAF in November 2009. They are operated in a similar manner to the Navy’s RMI in that they provide operational experience, albeit it on a ‘steam-driven’ helicopter, to graduates of the Army Aviation Training Centre while they wait for the Tiger and Taipan to attain sufficient rates of effort. The squadron will become the Black Hawk training unit by the end of 2014 as Taipan training accelerates. An army spokesperson said: “Kiowa operations at 173 Aviation Squadron were planned to cease at the end of 2013 as a result of maturing Tiger and Taipan rates of effort.” It is expected that Black Hawk aircrew training will relocate from the AAvnTC at Oakey to the 6th AVN REGT,

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Holsworthy, from January 2014.”

Army aviation training centre

Oakey, near Toowoomba, west of Brisbane, is the ‘home’ of army aviation and the location of the Army Aviation Training Centre, which oversees training on all the service’s helicopters. Graduates from the ADF BFTS at Tamworth progress to the

Army Helicopter School for rotary-wing conversion on the Helicopter Qualification Course (HQC), flying the Kiowa, and then the Operational Type Transition Course (OTTC) on Black Hawk and, in the future, MRH 90. The training, though overseen by the AHS, is delivered by Boeing Defence Australia under the Army Aviation Training and Training Support (AATTS) contract first

signed in 2007. Boeing operates and maintains the Black Hawks and Kiowas at Oakey and also provides a pair of civil-registered Bell 412s for loadmaster training. This training regime will be replaced by the combined army/navy HATS in 2016. The School of Army Aviation provides post-graduate training in the tactical employment of aviation systems and forces

Above: Both AP-3C Orion squadrons, Nos 10 and 11, are resident at RAAF Base Edinburgh. In RAAF service since 1977, the Orion has undergone several upgrades to maintain its efficiency.

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Country: Australia Services: Royal Australian Air Force, Royal Australian Navy Naval Aviation Force, Australian Army Aviation Corps

as well as the development of Army Aviation Corps doctrine. With the displacement of the Black Hawk by Taipan in the coming months and the subsequent declining need for the Kiowa in the post-graduate role, 171 Squadron will take over the Black Hawk training role until the type is withdrawn in 2017. “Black Hawk training conducted at Holsworthy Military Base will be delivered and overseen by qualified personnel from the Army Aviation Training Centre,” said the army spokesperson. “Members undertaking this training will be under the command of, and administered by, the 6th Aviation Regiment (as 173 Squadron) but will remain under the technical control of the AAvnTC, who remain responsible for the content and standards of this training. The transfer of this training will include the transfer of a number of Black Hawk training appointments, such as qualified flying instructors, who will deliver the training.” The army’s tactical unmanned aerial vehicle systems were acquired under a phase of Joint Project 129 and fast-tracked to meet an urgent operational need for ISR at a tactical level in Afghanistan. This resulted in an off-the-shelf purchase of the AAI RQ-7B Shadow 200 tactical unmanned aerial system (TUAS) which is operated by the 132nd Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Battery of the 20th Surveillance and Target Acquisition Regiment, reporting to HQ 1st Division. The Shadow system replaces the Insitu Pacific Limited ScanEagle which was operated under civilian contract in Afghanistan afm as an interim solution.

Above: The Boeing 737-700 BBJ is used by the RAAF to transport VIPs and government officials. Both aircraft are assigned to 34 Squadron based at Defence Establishment Fairbairn, outside the nation’s capital, Canberra. Left: Three Bombardier CL-604 Challengers are assigned to 34 Squadron at Defence Establishment Fairbairn as VIP transports. Below: The Royal Australian Air Force’s Beechcraft King Air 350s belong to 32 Squadron at RAAF Base East Sale. They are mainly used for air logistic support which includes training and transport operations. Bottom: The C-130J Super Hercules fleet is stationed at RAAF Base Richmond.

“We’ve had the C-130J-30 for about ten years now and availability is reasonable, so we’re in pretty good shape”

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EXERCISE REPORT CRUZEX 2013

Brazilian blend

Dr Séan Wilson/Prime Images, assisted by Paul Mulligan, reports from Natal Air Base in Brazil on the seventh edition of Exercise Cruzeiro do Sul (Exercise Southern Cross - CRUZEX)

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02/01/2014 14:49

Location: Natal Air Base, Brazil Particpants: FAB, FACh, FAC, FAE, RCAF, FAU, AMB

C

RUZEX HAS usually been held every two years since its inception in 1999. This year – the sixth in the series – saw a change in the biennial tradition, as the previous exercise had been held in 2010. Organised by the Brazilian Air Force (Força Aérea Brasileira - FAB), it represents South America’s largest multi-national exercise. Taking part between November 4 and 15 were 92 aircraft from eight countries, with Portugal acting as an observer. Unfortunately the Argentine Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Argentina), which was scheduled to participate with six A-4AR Fightinghawks and a single KC-130H Hercules tanker, cancelled at the last minute. To compensate the FAB sent additional F-5EMs to join the main contingent at Natal Air Base, in the state of Rio Grande do Norte in north-eastern Brazil. The base is CRUZEX’s regular host, with the exception of 2002 and 2006 which were held at Canoas and Anápolis respectively. Speaking prior to the start of CRUZEX, exercise director Brigadier Mario Luis da Silva Jordão explained its importance: “There has been a tremendous evolution of knowledge and incorporation of doctrines. We are able to bring more countries,

increasing the interaction among the air forces and the exchange of knowledge and standardisation, so that the Brazilian Air Force in particular can operate on the international stage and in joint actions along with other air forces around the world. CRUZEX has been growing in importance in the international scene, bringing to the Brazilian Air Force a great deal of important benefits. “[This year] there will be missions called ‘package missions’. They are joint missions involving a great number of aircraft – up to 75. So the planning is highly complex. We will also incorporate [for the first time] our AH-2 Sabre helicopter. There will be an increase in the air transport missions, using C-130 aircraft, and the participation of Special Forces.”

Coalition operations

In a change to previous CRUZEX exercises, which have involved command and control (C2) training, this year’s exercise focused solely on aircrew needs. Previous scenarios have centred around fictitious countries going headto-head in a simulated war, with various FAB types acting as the Red Force. This year the format was altered and the main objective was

Top: Two FAB A-1As refuelled successfully from the Colombian Air Force KC-767 for the first time during CRUZEX. Above: Following the retirement of the FAB’s F-2000 fleet the air defence mission will be undertaken by the F-5EM – until the arrival of the first of 36 Saab Gripen NGs ordered in 2013. Left: Gassed and ready to go, four F-16Cs from the 121st Fighter Squadron Capital Guardians.

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EXERCISE REPORT CRUZEX 2013

to have the participants operate as a coalition. As such, the morning missions consisted of a large strike package whose objective was to attack targets located within a multi-threat environment. Using simulated weapons only, missions were conducted mainly over the states of Paraiba, Pernambuco and Rio Grande do Norte. During each mission a team of fighter pilots, at the Third Integrated Centre for Air Defence and Air Traffic Control (CINDACTA III) in Recife, monitored aircraft movements using the region’s radar network. They provided an initial validation of shots fired during weapons engagements. During the mission debriefing this information was then cross-checked with the data gathered from the aircraft’s

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Above: The FAB’s F-2000 made its fi nal appearance at CRUZEX. The type was retired at the end of 2013. Bottom: A morning ‘package mission’ gets under way. A-37Bs from the Colombian Air Force's Escuadrón de Combate 311 Dragones taxi past an FAB Mirage F-2000 and similar Dragonflys from the Uruguayan Air Force's Escuadrón Aéreo N°2 Caza. FAB AMXs are ahead of them.

Sabre rattling Making its CRUZEX debut was the Mi-35M Hind-E, Brazil’s first dedicated attack helicopter. The FAB ordered 12 Mi-35Ms, designated locally as the AH-2 Sabre, in 2008 under a contract valued at $150

million. So far Rostvertol has supplied nine helicopters, operated by 2°/8° Grupo de Aviação (Aviation Group) Poti, with the remaining three expected to be delivered before 2014.

onboard systems, which this year included GPS data for the first time, and this was all displayed as an animation of the battle. FAB F-5EMs and F-2000B/ Cs, as well as Chilean, USAF and Venezuelan F-16s, acted as either Red or Blue Force at various times throughout the exercise. All other participants operated solely as Blue Force. While the morning ‘package missions’ were devoted to sorties involving air-to-air combat, ground attack, combat search and rescue and insertion of Special Forces, the afternoon wave focused on 2v2 and 4v2 aerial engagements between USAF F-16Cs, Chilean F-16A/Bs and FAB F-5EMs and F-2000B/Cs. The USAF brought 15 District of Colombia Air National Guard F-16C pilots from the 113th Wing, 121st Fighter Squadron 'Capital Guardians', based at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland to Natal. The US pilots flew 53 sorties, with a KC-135R tanker stationed at Recife conducting eight missions. Although the US is shifting its attention to the Pacific theatre, the USAF considers it is still important to train alongside South American countries. Colonel Keith ‘Coma’ Colmer, Air National Guard Adviser to 12th Air Force (AF South) and US detachment commander, explained: “We feel very strongly about maintaining our relationships in the South American AOR [area of operations]. We feel strongly that the future and security of the Americas relies

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02/01/2014 16:49

Location: Natal Air Base, Brazil Particpants: FAB, FACh, FAC, FAE, RCAF, FAU, AMB

CRUZEX 2013 participants Type

Squadron

Base

Note

Força Aérea Brasileira (Brazilian Air Force) 3°/10° GAv Centauro

Santa Maria

1°/16° GAv Adelphi

Santa Cruz

1x A-1B

3°/10° GAv Centauro

Santa Maria

1x A-1M

1°/16° GAv Adelphi

Santa Cruz

3x A-29A

3°/3° GAv Flecha

2x A-29B

3°/3° GAv Flecha

3x AH-2

2°/8° GAv Poti

Porto Velho

5x A-1A

2x C-105 Above: Uruguayan Air Force IA-58 Pucará, from Escuadrón Aéreo N°1 Ataque at Durazno, prepares for take-off.

very heavily on the alliances we have here. CRUZEX is our one opportunity to interact with all the air forces in one place. It’s a great opportunity for us to build friendships and to share training techniques so that when we work together in the future, whether it’s for humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, or operations in other countries, we have that mutual bond. “Sometimes the bonds we have as aviators transcend international politics and I’m very happy to be here flying alongside Venezuelan pilots during this exercise. It’s a great opportunity at our level, military to military, pilot to pilot, to be able to engage each other and build some bonds and friendships.”

First and last timers

This year Canada, Colombia and Ecuador participated operationally for the first time. For the Ecuadorian Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Ecuatoriana - FAE) A-29B Super Tucano pilots the journey from Eloy Alfaro to Natal involved stopovers in Tabatinga and Manaus. Fourteen FAE pilots had the opportunity to participate in air interdiction missions. The Colombian Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Colombiana) deployed six A-37B Dragonflys, refuelling five times from their KC-767-200 ER MMTT Jupiter tanker on the

journey to Manaus and a further five times on the final leg to Natal. For the tanker crew this was an important opportunity to standardise their procedures with yet another air force. Colonel Carlos Silva, Commanding Officer of Escuadrón de Transporte 811, explained: “Our goal is to have a regional influence throughout the Americas. That’s why we recently participated in Red Flag and Maple Flag [in the US]. CRUZEX is one of the most important exercises because it allows us to operate alongside air forces similar [in capability] to the Colombian Air Force. The US and Canadian Air Forces are superior and there is a lot that we have to learn from them. “Our first goal was to be able to safely cross the Amazon jungle with six aircraft. During the exercise it was important to be able to coordinate, plan and accomplish the missions together with the other countries and form stronger bonds so that if, for example, one day America needs us we know that we will be able to work together. All of these goals have been accomplished. “This was our first time refuelling Brazilian Air Force aircraft. The Brazilian pilots were very professional and all procedures have now been standardised which again brings us to a afm very high level of safety.”

Campo Grande

1°/9° GAv Arara

Manaus

1°/1° GT Gordo

Rio de Janeiro-Galeão

2°/1° GTT Cascavel

Dos Afonsos

2x E-99

2°/6° GAv Guardião

Anápolis

2x F-2000B

1° GDA Jaguar

3x F-2000C

1° GDA Jaguar

2x C-130M

Operated from Recife (PE)

Anápolis

1°/14° GAv Pampa

Canoas

1°/4° GAv Pacau

Manaus

1x F-5FM

1°/14° GAv Pampa

Canoas

1x H-1H

1°/8° GAv Falcão

Belém

1x H-34

3°/8° GAv Puma

Dos Afonsos

On SAR alert in Caicó (RN)

4x H-60L

7°/8° GAv Harpia

Manaus

One on SAR alert at Natal (RN)

2x KC-130M

1°/1° GT Gordo

from Rio de Janeiro-Galeão Operated Recife (PE)

3x RA-1A

1°/10° GAv Poker

Santa Maria

1x SC-105

2°/10° GAv Pelicano

Campo Grande

16x F-5EM

On SAR alert at Recife (PE)

Fuerza Aérea de Chile (Chilean Air Force) 5x F-16A MLU

Grupo de Aviación Nº8

1x F-16B MLU

Grupo de Aviación Nº8

1x KC-135E

Grupo de Aviación Nº10

Antofagasta Operated from Recife

Santiago

Fuerza Aérea Colombiana (Colombian Air Force) 6x A-37B

Escuadrón de Combate 311 Barranquilla

Dragones

1x KC-767-200

Escuadrón de Transporte 811

Operated from Recife

El Dorado

Fuerza Aérea Ecuatoriana (Ecuadorian Air Force) Escuadrón de Combate 2313

Eloy Alfaro

Halcones

436 (Transport) Squadron

CFB Trenton

Canucks Unlimited

6x F-16C

121st Fighter Squadron

JB Andrews

Capital Guardians

1x KC-135R

197th Air Refuelling Squadron

Phoenix Sky Harbor IAP 'Copperheads'

Operated from Recife (PE)

3x A-29B

Royal Canadian Air Force 2x CC-130J USAF

Fuerza Aérea Uruguaya (Uruguayan Air Force) 3x IA-58

Escuadrón Aéreo N°1 Ataque

3x A-37B

Escuadrón Aéreo N°2 Caza

Durazno

Aviación Militar Bolivariana (Venezuelan Air Force) 4x F-16A

Above: An Ecuadorian Air Force A-29B Super Tucano returns from an air interdiction mission.

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Grupo Aéreo de Caza 16

El Libertador

Dragones

FAB unit abbreviations: Grupo de Aviação (GAv) - Aviation Group, Grupo de Defesa Aérea (GDA) - Air Defence Group, Grupo de Transporte (GT) - Transport Group, Grupo de Transporte de Tropas (GTT) - Troop Transport Group

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EXERCISE REPORT ‘BLUE FLAG’

Out of the Blue

Four countries took part in Exercise Blue Flag in Israel at the end of November Yissachar Ruas reports for AFM

Right: One of the Block 52 Vipers form the Hellenic Air Force’s 115 Combat Wing at Souda Bay on Crete blasts into the desert sky. Yissachar Ruas

I

SRAEL HAS been forging new military links with friendly nations in the past couple of years as well as reinforcing old alliances. Exercise Blue Flag, held in the nation’s southern desert at Ovda air base, demonstrated that perfectly. Visiting aircraft included eight McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagles from the US Air Force in Europe’s 492nd Fighter Squadron, part of the 48th Fighter Wing based at RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk, supported by US-based Boeing C-17As. Greece provided Block 52 Lockheed Martin F-16Cs and ’Ds from 340 Squadron ‘Aegean Fighters’ usually based with the 115 Combat Wing at Souda Bay on Crete while Italy sent AMX light attack aircraft and Panavia Tornado ECRs. The Italians used their new Boeing KC-767A tankers for air-to-air refuelling and to carry the fast jets’ equipment. The home nation sent five flying units to Ovda including ‘The One’ Squadron, ‘The Bat’ Squadron and ‘The Knights of the Orange Tail’ Squadron which all fly the Lockheed Martin F-16I Sufa (Thunderstorm), ‘The Knights of the North’ Squadron with its

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Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Baraks (Lightnings) and ‘The Knights of the Twin Tail’ Squadron and its F-15 Baz (Falcons). Ovda-based ‘The Flying Dragons’ Squadron played a key part with its F-16 Netz (Hawks). This mix of types, a cross-section of Israeli Air Force (IAF) fighters and attack aircraft, gave the exercise planners plenty of scope when concocting different scenarios. Following a cooling of diplomatic relations with nearby Turkey, Israel is no longer invited to send aircraft to Exercise Anatolian Eagle, staged by the

Turks at Konya Air Force Base, and there are no other nearby large-scale air defence exercises the IAF can take part in. This is why the Jewish state decided to institute Blue Flag, which it hopes to run every other year. An indication of the importance Israel attached to Blue Flag was that its airspace south of Tel Aviv, almost half the country, was closed to non-exercise traffic while it was running. This gave the warplanes free rein over a massive area. Ovda was chosen to host Blue Flag mainly because of its proximity to extensive training areas and ranges; no sooner has a jet taken off than

it is in the exercise area. Another factor in its favour is that it is home to the based Flying Dragons, which was the host for the exercise and is also the IAF’s aggressor squadron. This elite unit’s pilots are selected from other IAF squadrons based on their air combat skills. The Flying Dragons, also known as ‘The Red Squadron’, is considered a training unit and falls under the same sub-command as the IAF flight school. Its airmen get into character, behaving and dressing as their potential opponents, wearing red undershirts and using Arabic call-signs over the radio.

Above: One of the Tornado ECRs taking part, MM7052 ‘50-02’, from 50º Stormo’s 155º Gruppo ET, was the first of 15 Italian Air Force ECRs to go through a mid-life update programme. It was redelivered back after the work in April 2013. USAF/Master Sgt Lee Osberry

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02/01/2014 10:35

Location: Ovda Air Base, Israel Particpants: IAF, USAF, HAF, AM

The Hebrew script on the nose of F-15C Baz 802 from the Tel Nof-based Knights of the Twin Tail Squadron means ‘panther’. It carries markings on its nose that suggest it has no less than four ‘kills’ to its credit. Yissachar Ruas

Change

A source inside the IAF said it has begun flying one-day missions that include training sorties to foreign countries in the area - apparently this is more cost-effective than having to deploy for a lengthy period of time to another nation and Israel now trains regularly with countries in the region such as Italy, Greece, Romania and Bulgaria. Israeli jets deployed to Decimomannu on Sardinia for exercise Vega in 2010 and 2011 and the Italians visited Ovda in 2012 with EF-2000s and last January with AMXs and Tornado (see Down in the Desert, AFM April, 2013). The IAF has invested much in improving Ovda’s infrastructure to enable it to handle an exercise of this scale. It has also staged exercises with the Italian, Hellenic and Polish air forces at the base and a full-scale test run was performed with IAF squadrons in January 2013. A new debriefing system has been introduced which facilitates more lessons to be learned from the increasingly complex training scenarios being flown. More than 20 foreign observers

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attended Blue Flag, among them the commanders of the Cypriot and Bulgarian Air Forces and several foreign ambassadors. The Israelis hope what they saw will prompt them to send hardware and personnel to future exercises at Ovda. Meanwhile the Polish Air Force, which trained at Ovda in 2012, cancelled its participation at the last moment citing budget constraints.

Pilot’s view

Pilots from the four participating nations spoke to the press during

the event. Captain Berra of the USAFE’s 492nd Fighter Wing, said: “We’re here to increase our partnership with one of our closest allies in an effort to help promote stability in the region.” Major Amit of the Knights of the Twin Tail Squadron emphasised: “Blue Flag is now part of the IAF’s training plan going forward and allows the IAF to train for every possible scenario… the sorties are generic yet complex as foreign forces are working alongside Israeli aircraft in large numbers.” Asked about the potential for conflict with Iran and its

Above: An Italian Air Force AMX takes off while IAF F-15s taxi out at Ovda. Yissachar Ruas Below: A Flying Dragons Netz with its red training missile in place prepares to leave the revetments. Yissachar Ruas

ramifications for Blue Flag, the major said there was absolutely no connection between the two, adding that the IAF is capable of any mission handed down to it by the government with or without foreign assistance. When questioned about the type of mission profiles flown at Blue Flag, he replied: “The first week was used by the foreign air forces to make familiarisation flights inside the range and to perform basic tactical manoeuvres so that they could better understand the Ovda Range and how to use it to the best advantage. During these missions the participants flew against various radar and surface-to-air missile [SAM] threats, performed low-level flying missions and dropped various types of ordnance. During the last two days of the first week, they began flying missions with IAF combat cover. This type of profile saw different foreign formations flying alongside IAF fighters which were tasked with defending them.” During the second week, activity was increased and featured large formation flying assignments involving up to 40 aircraft. The international ‘Blue’ force was tasked with missions such as ground attack against ‘Red’ targets while evading SAM threats and opposing ‘Red’ aircraft along the route to the target. Every evening a ‘planning board’ of aviators from each squadron devised the scenarios to be played out the following day. Each mission was led by a mission commander, either local or foreign, who oversaw the planning, execution and debriefing of each sortie. AFM asked Major Amit how many sorties were flown over the course of Blue Flag. He explained there was one package launched each morning and afternoon with the complexity increasing as the two weeks progressed. Asked if the IAF was satisfied with the results of the exercise, he said expectations had been exceeded: “The objective the IAF set was to improve the operational capabilities of all the participants while providing a quality training profile and upholding a high safety standard.” The major added that the IAF attaches great importance to such exercises and believes there are mutual benefits to all the participants. “The feedback we received was positive and the participants agreed it was challenging afm and well organised.”

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EXERCISE REPORT SERPENTEX '13

Corsican co-operation Jan Kraak flew to Corsica to report on this multi-national exercise

E

XERCISE SERPENTEX 2013, held between November 25 and December 13 at Solenzara air base on the island of Corsica, involved more than 800 troops from France, Belgium, the US, the UK, Canada, the Czech Republic, Italy, Slovenia and Spain. Serpentex is designed to prepare tactical air control parties (TACP) and aircrew for close air support (CAS) missions during deployments to Afghanistan. A TACP team usually consists of a forward air controller (FAC) – also known as a joint terminal attack controller (JTAC) – a national forward observer (NFO), communications officer, one or more snipers

Enter the Reaper

Another first at Serpentex was the introduction of another intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) asset. An Italian Air Force MQ-9 Reaper from 32° Stormo at Amendola flew missions from its home base, although many had to be cancelled because of bad weather which prevented the UAV entering the assigned corridor between Italian and French airspace. This was the first time an Italian RPA had flown as an ISR platform for French fighters.

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for protection and a medic. The exercise has proved to be an effective training tool. This year’s Serpentex director, LieutenantColonel Olivier Aribaud, explained: “One of the biggest advantages is that we can bring so many different participants together and all learn from each other.” Serpentex has evolved over the past few years as new aspects of recent operations have been integrated into the missions flown in the exercise. This year included strike co-ordination and reconnaissance (SCAR) missions for the first time. These differ from CAS in that fighters fly in assigned kill-boxes and scout for potential targets to engage – requiring tactical reconnaissance skills from the pilots who have to communicate with mission commanders to get the ‘green light’ before engaging.

DACAS

Another first for Serpentex was the use of digitally-aided CAS, or DACAS. The Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC) at Solenzara used the Starlinx program, enabling the controllers to follow the mission in real-time and assign the best aerial assets to fit the specific demands of the TACP. British and American air support operations centre (ASOC) units provided this real-time support to the exercise TACPs – theirs are currently the only armed forces to use dedicated ASOC units. Lt-Col Aribaud explained: “The ASOC members have a lot of experience and can improve the optimal use of available ground and air assets during operations.” The UK ASOC was created in 2008 after lessons learned in Afghanistan showed that British forces needed a

co-ordinating support structure to help FACs and pilots in the field. Wing Commander Dougie Donnelly of the UK ASOC added: “When a FAC calls in for support we make sure that the right aircraft gets there in time.” The main role for ASOC is support for CAS, but it also operates in air interdiction or SCAR missions. “SCAR is easier for us because there’s no guy on the ground, so you don’t have to establish an interface and there’s no danger for our own forces,” added Wg Cdr Donnelly, who was very positive about the UK ASOC’s participation: “It’s a great opportunity to work with so many different aircraft and nations because it helps everybody to further integrate work methods in a coalition environment and, at the same time, it allows my less experienced personnel to train in realistic scenarios.”

Right: A Mirage 2000D takes off for a CAS mission. The aircraft is carrying a practice GBU-12 bomb on its centreline station. Top: A Rafale from EC 1/7 takes off from Solenzara with the Corsican mountains in the background. This Rafale C is carrying a laser-guided training round under its right wing, used to simulate laser-guided bombs. All images by the author

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Location: Solenzara AB, Corsica Particpants: France, Belgium, US, UK, Canada, Czech Republic, Italy, Slovenia

Right: A French Air Force Mirage 2000D Weapons Systems Officer checks the data on his tactile pad at briefing before an early morning flight. The crews of two 2000Ds flew a CAS mission against simulated targets in the Corsican mountains. The tactical air control party (TACP) team was made up of French army and air force, and USAF, personnel. Below: A CF-188 Hornet from 409 Squadron, RCAF, takes off for a late afternoon/evening sortie carrying a laser-guided training round and a Sniper pod.

Air assets

Many squadrons from different nations participated in Serpentex. French Air Force fighters were divided into a Rafale detachment, led by EC 2/30 from Mont-deMarsan, and a Mirage 2000D detachment from Nancy with EC 3/3 as lead squadron. All operational Rafale and Mirage 2000D squadrons participated with crew and aircraft over the three-week exercise. At the end of the second week two Rafale Bs flew back to Saint-Dizier and were replaced by two Mirage 2000Ns from Istres. The French Army sent four Gazelles from 3 RHC based at Étain to participate during the third week. According to Lt-Col Aribaud, the helicopters trained with fighters in the joint air attack team (JAAT) role: “We realised the co-ordination between helicopters and fast jets during recent operations in Libya and Mali could be improved. The air force and army don’t necessarily use the same procedures. Last year we organised Exercise Vampirex at Mont-de-Marsan, which was one of the first joint exercises. By training here at Serpentex we’re continuing to further improve the interoperability.”

Commander ‘David’, who worked in the CAOC during the exercise, explained that crews would train for three scenarios most likely to occur during operations. “Basically we train air interdiction, SCAR and a mix of deliberate and dynamic targeting during which a helicopter crew can identify a target, call in the jets and designate the target for the incoming fighters.” The Canadian contingent, the largest foreign detachment at Solenzara, was under the command of 2 Wing, normally based at Bagotville and responsible for organising and supporting deployments outside Canada. The detachment commander, Lt-Col Luc Girouard, explained the three main goals for Serpentex: “First there’s the aspect of global engagement, which means we train with other forces in a coalition environment. The second is the use of the expeditionary structure under the command of the Air Expeditionary Wing (2 Wing) from Bagotville and the third is all the tactical objectives, such as flying CAS for the pilots, guiding coalition ’planes by the FACs and an exchange with the France Air Force on training aspects.” The Royal Canadian Air Force

detachment consisted of six CF-188 Hornets from 409 Squadron (4 Wing), based at Cold Lake, and one CP-140 Aurora from 14 Wing, Greenwood. The Aurora was based for two weeks at Sigonella, Sicily – a logical choice, according to Lt-Col Girouard: “It’s a P-3 base, which makes it a good platform to operate from and they have all the spare parts you might need.” To transport crew and equipment for the 200-personnel deployment, the RCAF used a CC-130J and a CC-150 Polaris. A French Navy Atlantique II replaced the CP-140 for the last days of the exercise. All fighters flew in pairs during the exercise. Each day included either three or four waves of six Mirage 2000Ds plus six Rafales and two Hornets. The EC 3/3 squadron commander, Lt-Col Olivier Saunier, explained that the French and Canadian jets flew their missions separately: “We don’t fly mixed two-ships because even though we’re used to flying COMAOs [composite air operations] we’re more likely to fly with two Rafales or 2000Ds operating with different TACPs during operations.” The Canadian Hornets flew three sorties of two fighters each day. The Hornet detachment commander, Major ‘Tom’ from

409 Squadron, said: “Basically our primary role in any global expeditionary context is CAS. The biggest learning advantage for us in this exercise is that we can train CAS in a mountainous environment both during the day and at night. This is something that we don’t train very often. Our secondary role is SCAR, which involves a lot of communication with the CAOC. As we don’t have a dedicated ASOC unit in Canada we see this exercise afm as a great opportunity.”

MAEWTF Besides aerial assets and TACPs there were also simulated groundto-air threats to make the scenarios more realistic. The Multinational Aircrew Electronic Warfare Tactics Facility (MAEWTF), based at Ramstein in Germany, provided an AN/VPQ-1 tactical radar threat generator (TRTG) for Serpentex. According to the MAEWTF’s Tim Giles, the TRTG can perform two roles: “We can run a tactical program, which basically means we act as the bad guys for aircrew and we simulate different kinds of threats, or we can run a co-operative program during which we work with the aircrews while they’re performing their mission.” Below: The majority of the participating fighters in Serpentex on the Solenzara flightline. There are eight Mirage 2000Ds, seven Rafales, four CF-188s and a visiting Luftwaffe C160 Transall in view.

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POSTCARD FROM BRUNEI

Best of BRIDEX Right: An F-15SG of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) soars vertically into the sky as it releases a volley of flares on the opening day. All images by the author Left: One of the first four Sikorsky S-70i Black Hawks newly delivered to the RBAirF demonstrates its manoeuvrability. The helicopters have been configured to Bruneian requirements, which include a nose-mounted weather radar and a starboard rescue hoist.

Gordon Arthur visited the BRIDEX Air Show in Brunei

B

RUNEI DARUSSALAM – the ‘Abode of Peace’ – hosted the fourth International Defence Exhibition (BRIDEX) between December 3 and 6. The biennial event is primarily an exhibition, but an air show was added to spice things up this year and attracted aircraft from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the USA, which sent two US Marine Corps Bell-Boeing MV-22B Ospreys that had recently participated in disaster relief missions in the Philippines. Despite the small scale of the event, there were some interesting aircraft in both the air show and public open days at Rimba Air Force Base, which adjoins Bandar Seri Begawan International Airport, the only airport in the whole of the sultanate! The most significant exhibit was the debut of the Royal Brunei Air Force’s (RBAirF) new Sikorsky S-70i Black Hawk helicopters. Brunei ordered 12 in December 2011 to replace incumbent Bell 212 and Bölkow Bo 105 types and the first four were delivered in early December. The RBAirF will use the Black Hawks for air mobility, tactical airlift, maritime and border surveillance, disaster relief and special operations. The remaining eight will be delivered by the end of 2014 and Brunei has afm options for a further ten.

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Above: Taking off from Brunei’s dual-use (and sole) airport is a new CN-235-220 maritime patrol aircraft of the Indonesian Navy. Below: The Royal Thai Air Force flew a pair of Saab JAS-39 Gripen fighters to Brunei, although neither of them participated in any flying displays.

www.airforcesmonthly.com

02/01/2014 11:05

OPS BOARD If it’s a major military airshow or exercise being held around the world, here’s the place to find it with our new operations board, which will be updated every month. With sequestration affecting airshows in the US, we strongly advise you check before making travel plans! Date

Exercise/Event

Location

Remarks

Jan 13 – Feb 7

TLP 2014-1

Spain – Albacete

www.tlp-info.org

Jan 16 – 18

Bahrain Airshow

Bahrain – Sakhir AB

www.bahraininternationalairshow.com

Jan 26

Tauranga City Air Show

New Zealand – Tauranga

www.taurangaairshow.co.nz

Jan 27 – Feb 14

Red Flag 14-1

USA – Nellis AFB, Nevada

www.nellis.af.mil

Feb 3 - 21

Iceland Fighter Meet

Iceland - Keflavik

www.nato.int

Feb 11 – 16

Singapore Airshow

Singapore - Changi

www.singaporeairshow.com.sg

Mar 3 – 14

Red Flag 14-2

USA – Nellis AFB, Nevada

www.nellis.af.mil

Mar 7 – 14

Exercise Tactical La Fayette Weeks

France - Istres

French Air Force Mirage 2000Ns

Mar 9

Tyabb Air Show 2014

Australia – Tyabb, Victoria

www.tyabbairshow.com.au

Mar 10 – Apr 4

TLP 2014-2

Spain – Albacete

www.tlp-info.org

Mar 15

Air Show

USA – MCAS Yuma, Arizona

www.yumaairshow.com www.mwrtoday.com/elcentroairshow

Mar 15

Air Show

USA – NAF El Centro, California

Mar 21 – 22

Palmdale Air Show

USA – Palmdale, California

Mar 22 – 23

Thunder Over The Empire

USA – March ARB, California

TBC - www.marchfieldairfest.com

Mar 25 – 30

FIDAE

Chile – Santiago

www.fidae.cl

Mar 29 – 30

Wings Over South Texas

USA – Brownsville, Texas

www.wost2014.com

Mar 31 – Apr 11

Exercise Frisian Flag

Netherlands – Leeuwarden

European air forces exercise

Mar 31 – Apr 11

Exercise Joint Warrior 14/1

UK – RAF Lossiemouth

May include Fincastle 14 maritime competition

Apr TBC

Exercise Green Shield

France – Nancy

Joint training with Royal Saudi Air Force

Apr 1 – 6

Sun ‘n’ Fun Fly-in

USA – Lakeland, Florida

www.sun-n-fun.org

Apr 8 – 11

Recce Meet

France – Mont-de-Marsan

Final exercise for French Air Force Mirage F1CR

Apr 12 – 13

Fort Smith Regional Air Show

USA – Fort Smith, Arkansas

TBC - www.airshowfortsmith.com

Apr 15 – 17

ABACE 2014

China – Shanghai

www.abace.aero

Apr 18 – 20

Warbirds Over Wanaka Airshow

New Zealand – Wanaka

www.warbirdsoverwanaka.com

Apr 23 – 26

Marrakech Aero Expo & Air Show

Morocco – Marrakech

www.aeroexpo-morocco.com

Apr 26 – 27

Fort Worth Air Power Expo 2014

USA – Fort Worth, Texas

TBC - www.airpowerexpo.com

May 3 - 4

Shawfest

USA – Shaw AFB, South Carolina

TBC - www.shawairexpo.com

May 3 – 4

Spirit of St Louis Air Show

USA – St Louis, Missouri

www.spirit-airshow.com

May 5 – 30

TLP 2014-3

Spain – Albacete

www.tlp-info.org

May 6 – 8

SOFEX

Jordan – Amman-Marka AB

www.sofexjordan.com

May 10 – 11

Vero Beach Air Show

USA – Vero Beach, Florida

www.veroairshow.com

May 12 – 22

Exercise JAWTEX

Germany - TBA

May 17 – 18

MCAS Cherry Point Air Show

USA – Cherry Point, North Carolina

TBC - www.cherrypointairshow.com

May 20 – 25

ILA 2014

Germany - Berlin-Schönefeld

www.ila-berlin.de

May 21

USNA Air Show

USA – US Naval Academy, Maryland

May 23

USNA Graduation Flyover

USA – US Naval Academy, Maryland

May 22 – 25

KADEX

Kazakhstan – Astana AFB

Public days 24/25

May 24

Llandudno Air Show

UK – Llandudno, Wales

www.llandudno-air-show.org.uk

May 24 – 25

Bethpage Jones Beach Air Show

USA –Jones Beach State Park, New York

www.jonesbeachairshow.com

Flt Lt Jamie Norris was due to participate in the Bahrain airshow just as this issue of AFM hits the newagents shelves in the UK. It will be one of his last displays before handing over the reins to Flt Lt Noel Rees for the 2014 UK season. Key - Gary Parsons

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www.airforcesmonthly.com

06/01/2014 15:30

AND FINALLY

Farewell, Fenton Mick Britton pays tribute to RAF Church Fenton in North Yorkshire, which closed at the end of 2013

T

HE TURN of the year brought the closure of another RAF station with a distinguished history when Church Fenton, situated beside the River Wharfe, midway between Tadcaster and Selby in North Yorkshire, shut its gates for the last time. Constructed as part of the pre-Second World War expansion plan of the RAF on farmland owned by the former West Riding County Council, the base opened in 1937 to accommodate fighters that would defend West Yorkshire and the North Midlands. The first resident units were 72 Squadron, initially equipped with Gloster Gladiators,

and 213 Squadron with Gloster Gauntlets, although the latter was soon replaced by 64 Squadron equipped with Hawker Demons. At the outbreak of war 72 Squadron, now re-equipped with Spitfires, recorded the station’s first victories when they shot down a pair of Luftwaffe Heinkel He-115s into the North Sea on October 21, 1939. On August 15, 1940 the Hurricanes of Fenton’s 73 Squadron exacted a heavy toll on the Luftwaffe as it attempted to raid Northern England from Scandinavia. After the Battle of Britain the first American Eagle Squadron (71) formed at Church Fenton, which subsequently became an Operational Training Unit for night fighting and witnessed the formation of squadrons from other Allied nations, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Poland. The end of hostilities brought

a de Havilland Hornet wing (comprising 19 and 41 Squadrons) for a couple of years before the ‘golden age’ of the station when its wing comprised three famous fighter squadrons (19, 85 and 609 [RAuxAF]), all equipped with the Gloster Meteor. As the jets became bigger and more powerful they required longer runways, and Church Fenton was deemed unsuitable for the role of a modern fighter base so it was transferred to Training Command in 1959. Hunting Jet Provosts of 7 Flying Training School (FTS) arrived in 1962 and stayed until 1966, when the FTS disbanded leaving just the Chipmunks of the Primary Flying School and Leeds University Air Squadron (UAS) until the station was closed for the first time in 1972. It continued to operate as a relief landing ground for nearby RAF Linton-on-Ouse. The re-formation of 7 FTS in 1979

to meet the demand for pilots to fly the new Panavia Tornado brought a reprieve for the base as it was selected to introduce the Jet Provost’s replacement, the Short Bros Tucano, into service in 1990. In 1992 the Tucanos were established at Linton and in 1995 the Yorkshire UAS, joined later by the Joint Elementary Flying Training Squadron, moved in from nearby RAF Finningley. It is unlikely there will be any reprieve this time. The YUAS has moved to Linton and Church Fenton will probably be best remembered by many for the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Families Association (SSAFA) airshows held over four decades – the last afm of which took place in 1994.

Below: An ATC cadet takes a flight at RAF Church Fenton last November. This famous airfield, largely unchanged since the Second World War, closed at the end of December, its fate uncertain. No 2447 (Calder Valley) Sqn ATC

Next Issue of AFM on Sale February 20th* *UK scheduled on sale date. Please note that the overseas deliveries are likely to be after this date.

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www.airforcesmonthly.com

02/01/2014 10:49

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