Air International 2015-01

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MAY 2012

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INTERNATIONAL

Red Stealth

For the best in modern military and commercial aviation

www.airinternational.com

JANUARY 2015 Vol.88 No.1

Re tir es

INTERNATIONAL

KL M

RAF A400M • DUTCH F-35A • CHINA’S FC-31

A380

FREE Super Jumbo Supplement

Polar Flyers

the British Antarctic Survey

Eagles to Lions

Israel Inaugurates the M-346 Lavi

736 Naval Air Squadron Fast-jet Maritime Aviation

A Systems Thinking Approach to Accident Investigations

Su-35M Flanker Vectors at Zhuhai

JAS 39 Gripen

On a New Front Line

F-35B Lightning’s New Weapons

Lima F_P.indd 1

26/11/2014 09:19

GIVE THE G THAT L IFT ALL YEASTS AR! A s ub Intern scription to

News

LEADING NEWS STORIES

08 BREAKING NEWS

04 HANDS ON, AT LAST AIR International’s Mark Ayton attended

More coalition aircraft deploy to fight ISIL, Boeing starts Dreamliner green diesel tests, France confirms plan to order A330 tankers, RAF Reapers in action over Iraq, and the first SH-2G Sea Sprite is handed over to the RNZAF.

16 

GENERAL NEWS

Fifth J-20 flown, Nigerian interest in the Scorpion, Japan selects RQ-4 Global Hawk, E-2D Hawkeye and V-22 Osprey, and Mi-171A2 commences flight testing. FRONT COVER: This month’s big topic is the A380 featured in a free supplement. Olivier Corneloup/AirTeamImages LEFT INSET: Piotr Butowski MIDDLE INSET: Edwin Borremans RIGHT INSET: Lockheed Martin

the acceptance ceremony for the RAF’s first A400 Atlas.

AIR ational gift this makes a grea t Christm a s. See pag es

10 FC-31 Piotr Butowski describes the Shenyang FC-31, following its public debut at Airshow China in Zhuhai during November.

36 for det and 37 ails.

14 LIGHTNING, ASRAAM AND PAVEWAY IV Mark Ayton reports on the first F-35B trials of UK-specific weapons.

18 AGGRESSORS, THE SIXTY WHISKEY AND JSTARS Robert F Dorr provides the latest stories from around the US Air Force.

22 LIGHTNING, ROMEOS AND SEA DRAGONS Rick Burgess gives the latest top

news stories from the US Navy and Coast Guard.

24 EAGLES TO LIONS Shlomo Aloni details the Israeli Air Force M-346 Lavi trainer following its official inauguration. 28 Su-35 IN CHINA Piotr Butowski outlines the latest on the protracted sale of the Sukhoi Su-35 to China.

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Features

38 DUTCH GORILLAS

Arnaud Boxman and Kees van der Mark visited the Dutch F-35A Lightning II team at Eglin Air Force Base.

45 

A380 SUPPLEMENT

Tom Allett joined the retirement celebrations for KLM’s MD-11 fleet.

82 SOUTH PACIFIC TEXANS

Nigel Pittaway finds out about the T-6 Texan’s capabilities with the Royal New Zealand Air Force.

86 SYSTEMS THINKING

Dr Simon Bennett considers the benefits of a systems-thinking approach to accident investigation.

TURNS THE CORNER 72 LIGHTNING STRIKES AGAIN 90 TANKER Ian Harding spent a day with 736 Naval Air Squadron at RNAS Culdrose home of Royal Navy fast jet operations.

Editor Mark Ayton [email protected]

Assistant Editor Mark Broadbent [email protected]

Sub Editors Sue Blunt, Carol Randall

Marketing Manager Shaun Binnington

Designer Dave Robinson

Marketing Assistant Amy Donkersley

Production Manager Janet Watkins Ad Production Manager Debi McGowan

Nigel Pittaway assesses the KC-30A in Royal Australian Air Force service.

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Executive Chairman Richard Cox

CHANGING THE FACE OF FLYING 94 THOMSON:

Tom Allett reports how Thomson Airways is reinventing itself from airframe choice to destination report.

INNOVATIVE NEW YORKER 96 THE

Andreas Spaeth discovers the world of US airline JetBlue.

100 ONE SEVEN ONE

Stefan Degraef and Edwin Borremans profile Swedish Air Force JAS 39 Gripen operations.

108 POLAR FLYERS

Mark Broadbent looks at the British Antarctic Survey Air Unit.

Editor’s Secretary Vanessa Smith [email protected] part of it may be reproduced in any form or stored on any form of retrieval system without the prior permission of the publisher. 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 Distribution by Seymour Distribution Ltd • T. +44 (0)020 7429 4000 • Printed in England by Warners

736 Naval Air Squadron/Royal Navy

AIR International highlights aspects of the Airbus A380 super jumbo in service.

OF THE WESTERN TRI-JETS 80 LAST

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NEWS REPORT

“D

elivering capability is more than just the kit,” said Air Commodore Jon Ager, Assistant Chief of Staff Capability Delivery (Air Mobility and Air Enablers) and the Senior Responsible Owner for the UK’s A400 programme. “We are using a Defence Line of Development, which we call TEPID OIL comprising eight specific lines: Training, Equipment, Personnel, Infrastructure, Doctrine, Organisation, Information and Logistics.” A Defence Line of Development is a matrix-based approach used by the Ministry of Defence to manage all major acquisition programmes. Air Cdre Ager is responsible for all eight lines and delivering critical capability milestones on the programme. He told AIR International: “The first three milestones are considered to be a tranche capability. We gave ourselves a self-imposed milestone zero, which was our ability to accept an aircraft, and logistically support and maintain it. Delivery of the first UK aircraft and our ability to operate it formed milestone one. That meant having all of the pieces required across the eight lines in place with people qualified, and a release

to service [RTS] for the aircraft, so that on day one we had a capability. The aircraft arrived on the Monday [November 17] and it flew on the Tuesday – quite an exception.” According to Air Cdre Ager, the RAF took a novel approach to gaining a RTS for the Atlas. “We formed a body of evidence [about 90%] for our own aircraft based on a French Air Force aircraft and we ran a shadow release to service process. We then certified our aircraft [serial number ZM400, MSN

Hands On... ...At Last

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15] as if it were the French aircraft and then evaluated the differences. This meant we did not have to seek another RTS so the CAS [the RTS authority] was able to sign it off. “Our next milestone, UK initial operating capability [IOC] will be predicated on a critical mass of seven aircraft but at that point [in 2015] not all of them will at Brize. Some will be in Spain undergoing UKspecific modifications.” Completion of milestone zero and one will

AIR International’s Mark Ayton was at RAF Brize Norton for the acceptance ceremony of the Royal Air Force’s first A400 Atlas

Please send all news correspondence [email protected]

NEWS REPORT give the RAF a critical number of aircraft and trained crews, with logistics and maintenance support in place, to enable it to sustain a deployed detachment in a permissive environment for a period of about two weeks. The RAF’s ability to deploy the A400 into non-permissive roles will be achieved by introducing incremental increases of capability for the tactical roles required. Ager explained: “We are stretching the envelope to the way we wish to fight the aircraft in the future to the point when all of its capabilities are integrated so it can replicate or exceed the capabilities of the C-130J.” In addition to the training facility, the RAF has brand new dispersals for A400, a temporary maintenance facility (a hangar previously used for VC10) and the groundwork for a new three-bay A400 maintenance repair and overhaul facility is complete. The facility is expected to be fully commissioned in the fourth quarter of 2016.

courses will train instructors. Course minus one is already running and two thirds complete and course zero starts in January 2015. Course one, the first run for ab-initio students, will start in June 2015. Approximately 90% of the initial course will be carried out in the full-motion simulator. A second sim will be commissioned in 2016, the same year a cargo load trainer arrives. Once fully equipped, the training facility will comprise two full mission simulators, a cargo hold trainer, a load master work station trainer, one cockpit maintenance operations simulator and a suite of computerbased training equipment. In addition, three part-task trainers (mock-ups of the back of the aircraft) will also be

delivered to Brize for use by the air mobility units based at the RAF’s air transport hub. AIR International spoke to Wg Cdr Dorian James, Officer Commanding No.24 Squadron, about the roles crews will be trained for. He said: “Every A400 crew will be capable of carrying passengers, freight and the majority of the loads required by the UK military on worldwide operations. Other roles will include flying with night vision goggles, operating from semi-prepared runways, having the capacity to

Operational Conversion Unit No.24 Squadron, the C-130J Hercules Operational Conversion Unit based at Brize, now also trains pilots, crewmen and maintainers on the A400 Atlas. Much of the unit’s ground-based training is given in the brand new training building which opened in May 2014. Its first two A400

Main Image: Atlas C1 ZM400

on the dispersal at RAF Brize Norton on November 18 following its first local sortie. Paul Crouch/RAF Brize Norton Photo Section Top: The crew of Atlas C1

ZM400 are marshalled to parking following its first local sortie on November 18. Paul Crouch/RAF Brize Norton Photo Section

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NEWS REPORT

ATLAS FACTS AND FIGURES All 22 aircraft expected by 2018 All current C-130J capabilities expected by 2022 The first RAF pilot to fly the aircraft was a test pilot assigned to No.206(R) Squadron, the test and evaluation unit based at Boscombe Down No.206(R) Squadron’s A400 flight will be resident at Brize until late 2015 No.24 Squadron’s C Flight is the operational conversion unit: a second flight will transition from C-130J to A400 in 2016 Training tempo with two flights in operation planned to be two crews every six weeks There are currently six A400 pilot crews assigned to No.206(R) and C Flight C Flight will eventually get 18 pilots and 18 crewmen Standard crew for strategic task is targeted to be three and increased to meet the tactical demand No.70 Squadron is the first operational squadron No.30 Squadron is expected to be commissioned as the second operational squadron in 2017 No dedicated special forces squadron – both operational squadrons will conduct the role By 2018 the total number of crews assigned to both operational squadrons and the training squadron will be approximately 60 Test and evaluation, operational evaluation and all training for the next two years will be shared between No.24 and No.206(R) Squadrons

conduct search and rescue with a command and control role, and medical evacuation. “Tactical roles will include low-level flying down to 250ft day and night, all forms of airdrop – parachuting, container delivery system and heavy loads – and natural surface operations. Maritime reconnaissance, predominantly around the Falklands, will be the first tactical skill set crews with the greatest aptitude will learn with training starting in 18 months.” He said later the same crews would learn special forces roles, high-altitude parachute drops, air-land refuelling, which involves landing somewhere then off-loading fuel predominantly for helicopters, and operational low-lying for evading IR threats. Wg Cdr James expected 50% of low-level training to be done in the simulators including low-level formation and special forces training.

Pilot Training Squadron Leader JJ Jackson joined the A400 course design team in 2012 and attended the International Training Centre at Seville in November 2013, spending four months completing his type-rating course. During that time Sqn Ldr Jackson contributed to writing and designing a military syllabus using his experience of strategic airlift gained as a C-17 pilot with No.99 Squadron. He said: “We are currently trialling the courseware with a guinea pig course called minus one on some new A400 instructor

pilots. That will allow us to tweak the course in preparation for course zero which begins in January for pilots destined for No.70 Squadron – the first operational A400 unit,” he said. Course zero will involve ground school (a mix of classes led by instructors and computerbased training), two phases, basic and advanced, each split between simulators and flying and an applied flying phase at the end. The basic phase teaches the student to fly the A400 with 33 sims and six flights. Once complete, he or she takes a progress test to check they have adapted to the A400 from their previous type, either the C-17 or C-130J. Next is the advanced phase which introduces military style flying and a range of emergency drills. It involves nine sims and three flights. The applied phase involves flying with night vision goggles, landing on strips, and operating from austere locations. According to Jackson, the tactical phase of the A400 course will be geared to a wider range of scenarios to meet the needs of operational theatres that differ from Afghanistan and Iraq.

Crewmen Training All A400 crewmen will undertake a 22-week course with No.24 Squadron comprising 14 weeks of ground school followed by an eight-week flying phase. Experienced

The initial plan for flight operations with aircraft ZM400 will involve one local refresher trip, a second flying approaches at airports around the southern UK to gain familiarity with the flight management system, then sectors flown to destinations in the UK and Europe including the French Air Force A400 base at Orleans-Bricy and eventually simple routes through Europe to RAF Akrotiri Cold weather trials at Bardufoss air base, Norway are planned for January 2015 followed by Oceanic flights across the Atlantic in the first quarter of 2015 including the Falklands, and hot and high operations in mid-2015. All events are dependent on the number of aircraft and crews available The date for full operating capability declaration has yet to be released by the RAF

Atlas C1 ZM400 taxies to the runway for its first local sortie on November 18. Steve Lympany/ RAF Brize Norton Photo Section

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Please send all news correspondence [email protected]

NEWS REPORT instructors from C-17 and Hercules are currently going through evaluation courses for the ground school phase (the flying phase will also be evaluated now that the first aircraft is available to use). Results will be used to finalise a full syllabus. The first course should start in June 2015. Eventually seven will run each year, catering for 18 crews. For a loadmaster, the A400 reads as an impressive performer based on its payload capability, automated weight and balance calculation and how quickly it can be loaded. Master Aircrew Ian Price explained how No.24 Squadron would gain flight experience. He said: “Initially we will fly with simple loads to European destinations to build-up our experience with the aircraft and develop our strategic airlift capability over the coming months. Next year we hope to trial and write the standard operating procedures for the aircraft’s initial air drop capabilities gradually building up to full capability in 2018.” Personnel from the RAF’s Joint Air Delivery Test and Evaluation Unit (JADTEU) are working with Airbus on the initial stages of air drop for personnel and stores.

LXX Squadron No.70 Squadron stood down as a C-130K unit in 2010. The plan was for the unit to stand-up again as the first operational RAF A400 unit four years later. Responsibility for standing up the squadron falls to its new boss, Wg Cdr Simon Boyle who

explained the processes ongoing at Brize. He said: “At this moment in time Airbus leads the testing with input from 206; and 24 is training the trainers who will then deliver individuals to 70 Squadron. From the outset, we should be using A400 as a very capable strategic transport aircraft. Its strap line is tactical capability but with the strategic reach, delivering equipment, stores, personnel directly to the point of need. “That process starts now with crews from 24 and 206 Squadron and myself [Wg Cdr Boyle is currently the only qualified pilot assigned to 70 Squadron] gaining experience in understanding how we are going to use the aircraft initially in the strategic transport role. We will roll-out its other capabilities beyond that.” The RAF’s A400 IOC declaration is decoupled from the one declaring 70 Squadron operationally capable. The squadron’s ability to operate the aircraft is dependent on getting qualified personnel and will draw upon the small cadre of qualified individuals assigned to the three squadrons. Wg Cdr Boyle explained the approach being taken. “We are looking at that process holistically to begin with. Crews from each squadron will conduct test and evaluation and training of 70 Squadron crews until the point in 2015 when we will declare ourselves as limited combat ready so that we can be tasked for global air transport missions. “Once defensive aid system upgrades are fitted we will move to operating in nonpermissive environments in an inter-theatre capacity [in and out of theatre] before conducting limited deployed ops. Tactical disciplines will then be introduced before we look at the higher end roles and deploying with a greater footprint for a longer period of time ahead of 2022 when the C-130J is planned to go out of service,” he said. None of the above will be possible without an engineering department whose ongoing build-up is to a different timeline and with different requirements to those of pilots and crewmen. All courses are mapped out and aligned with the planned delivery of more aircraft, software upgrades and the capability milestones mentioned earlier.

Please send all news correspondence [email protected]

FAVOURITE SYSTEMS Pilot: “The normal law and the alternate law system, which allow almost carefree flying. Other aircraft types require constant monitoring of the flight parameters. The A400 looks out for you. I can be looking out at a contact on the ground and know that the aircraft will stop me from over speeding, over stressing, pulling too much G, or over banking the aircraft. That’s a huge advantage for a military aircraft when flying around at low-level because it frees up extra capacity to perform the mission rather than purely monitoring the aircraft’s systems.” Loadmaster: “The aircraft’s kneeling function which avoids height or overhang issues with vehicles and loads during loading.”

Programme Overspend The November 27 A400 acceptance event was a good day for the Royal Air Force and its contractors supplying the aircraft, infrastructure and training service, and that was good to see. The A400 is set to be a good asset for the RAF and will no doubt go on to prove itself in many roles around the world over the coming decades, but at what cost? Based on the most recent figures to be published by the UK’s National Audit Office in its Major Projects Report 2013, dated February 2014, the UK A400M programme was 73 months behind schedule and £571 million over budget for the demonstration and manufacture phase. The two statistics compare the forecast for the cost to completion and the expected in-service date at the time of government approval (for A400 acquisition), with those dated March 31, 2013. The overspend amounts to £25.95 million for each of the 22 aircraft on order and excludes the cost of two new contracts awarded on March 4, 2013: the training service support contract and one covering the development, manufacture and installation of the defensive aids system.

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Breaking News

Vietnamese Air Force’s First C295M Delivered

Vietnamese Air Force (VAF) C295M (8901)/EC-004 (c/n S-123) at Malta International Airport on December 1 after arriving from the factory at Seville-San Pablo Airport, Spain, on its delivery flight. The aircraft is the first of three on order. Andre Abela

WB-57 in Djibouti

A National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Martin WB-57F Canberra has been operating from a base in Djibouti throughout much of the second half of 2014. While there has been no official announcement

about the aircraft’s mission, there is speculation it is operating as a communication relay using the BACN (Battlefield Air Communications Node) system or mapping conflict areas in the region. David C Isby

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NEWS BY NUMBERS

MORE MC-130JS FOR 7TH SOS An additional two Lockheed Martin MC-130J Commando IIs have joined the US Air Force’s 352nd Special Operations Group/67th Special Operations Squadron ‘Night Owls’ at RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk. The aircraft, 12-5759 (c/n 5759) and 12-5760 (c/n 5760), departed on delivery from the factory in Marietta, Georgia, on December 5. It brings the unit’s current strength to seven of the type and a further five will eventually complete the Night Owls’ re-equipment.

3

JMSDF TH-135S DELIVERED Airbus Helicopters handed over a further three TH-135 training helicopters to the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF) between October and December. They are the 11th, 12th and 13th to enter JMSDF service.

4

UH-60M BLACK HAWKS ARRIVE IN TAIWAN An initial batch of Sikorsky UH-60M

Black Hawks has been delivered to Taiwan. The four helicopters arrived at the port of Kaohsiung on December 3, after being shipped by sea from the USA. Sixty UH-60Ms are being acquired for the Republic of China Army.

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EGYPTIAN APACHES DELIVERED A US embargo on supply of military equipment to Egypt has been lifted allowing deliveries of AH-64 Apache attack helicopters to the country’s air force. A photograph released by the Egyptian Air Force on November 25 shows all ten on the dockside at an unspecified Egyptian port, after being shipped by sea from the US.

200

MH-60R SEAHAWKS DELIVERED The 200th Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk anti-submarine helicopter has been delivered to the US Navy. The helicopter, serial number 168098, was handed-over on November 12 and will enter service with Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 72 (HSM72) ‘Battle Cats’ at Naval Air Station North Island, California.

Additional Aircraft Deploy Transatlantic ATC Improvements for Missions Against ISIL

French Air Force Mirage 2000D 666 ‘133-IQ’ lands back at an unspecified Jordanian air base on December 6 after carrying out the first armed reconnaissance mission over Iraq along with a second example of the type. Armée de l’Air

Two French Air Force Dassault Mirage 2000Ds have carried out their first mission over Iraq. Operating from an air base in Jordan, they flew an armed reconnaissance mission on December 6 as part of Operation Chammal, France’s contribution to the operations against ISIL in Iraq. Three Mirage 2000Ds from Base Aérienne 133 Nancy-Ochey arrived on November 28 in Jordan for missions against ISIL. Six are scheduled to deploy, with the remaining three due to follow in a few weeks. In addition, the US Air Force has moved some of its A-10C Thunderbolt IIs from Afghanistan to Kuwait for operations against

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ISIL in Iraq and Syria as part of Operation Inherent Resolve. US Central Command announced on November 24, that the 332nd Air Expeditionary Group was activated on November 17 to work with coalition forces on missions in the region. The first combat aircraft for the 332nd landed at Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base, Kuwait, between November 17 and 21. They comprised several A-10Cs from the Indiana Air National Guard’s 122nd Fighter Wing/163rd Expeditionary Fighter Squadron ‘Blacksnakes’ at Fort Wayne Air National Guard Station, Indiana, which had previously provided close air support operations in Afghanistan.

NATS and Nav Canada have introduced a shared oceanic air traffic control system for flights across the North Atlantic. The Gander Automated Air Traffic System Plus (GAATS+) was implemented in early December at the companies’ respective Prestwick, Scotland and Gander, Newfoundland control centres. GAATS+ features automatic data exchange and integrates conflict prediction and alerts. It gives controllers a snapshot of current

and planned traffic tracks and route profiles, helping them plan safety clearances and the most efficient routings. The system is the foundation for the COAST (Collaboration on Oceanic Airspace Systems and Tools) programme, which aims to improve the integration of ATM system information between the two agencies. This will include ground and satellite-based automatic distribution systembroadcast (ADS-B) technologies. Mark Broadbent

France Confirms Plans to Order 12 A330 MRTTs

France’s defence minister, JeanYves Le Drian, has confirmed plans to purchase 12 Airbus Defence and Space A330 multi-role tanker transports (MRTTs) for the French Air Force. In an announcement on November 20 he said the type will be named Phénix (Phoenix) in French service. Airbus confirmed first delivery is due in 2018, followed by the second a year later. with the remainder entering service at a

rate of one or two per year. A contract, yet to be signed, has been agreed between the French defence procurement agency, the Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA – General Directirate of Armament) and Airbus Defence and Space. Le Drian said the 12 A330 MRTTs will replace four older aircraft types in French service, including 11 C-135FRs, three KC-135RGs, three A310s and two A340s.

Please send all news correspondence [email protected]

Breaking News

LAN Chile’s A321

Farewell

To Dave

Dave Willis, AIR International’s long time news editor, has finally sought a fresh challenge in aviation publishing. He produced some cracking news sections and we wish him the best of luck in his new venture.

RAF Reaper in First Action over Iraq LAN Chile’s initial Airbus A321-211 (CC-BEA, msn 6364) receiving the water cannon salute on December 5 after arriving at Santiago Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport on its delivery flight. The jet, to be flown on domestic Chilean routes, is the first of 48 A321s that will be operated by the carrier. Airbus

Boeing 787 Green Diesel Test

Boeing 787-8 ZA004 (N7874) tested Boeing’s on-going ecoDemonstrator programme. Joe Walker

Boeing 787-8 ZA004 (N7874) has tested ‘green diesel’ biofuel made from vegetable oil, waste cooking fats and animal fats as part of the company’s ecoDemonstrator Program. A blend of 15% green diesel and 85% Jet A1 powered the aircraft on a flight from Paine Field at Everett, outside Seattle. Captain Mike Carriker, Chief Pilot, Product Development and 777X, Boeing Test and Evaluation, said ZA004 “performed just as it does with conventional jet fuel”. Boeing said the wholesale cost of green diesel, supplied by Finnish company Neste Oils, is about $3 per gallon and that the production capacity of 800 million US gallons (three billion litres) in the US,

Europe and Asia means it could provide 1% of the global jet fuel supply. The ecoDemonstrator Program fast-tracks the development and use of new efficiency-enhancing technologies and methods into new and in-service Boeing types. Other innovations tested on ZA004 during the 2014 campaign included icephobic coatings, realtime wind sensing, flight trajectory optimisation, electronic flight bag applications, a ceramic matrix composite nozzle and a resin infused aft engine pylon fairing. A Thomson Airways Boeing 757 will be used for the next ecoDemonstrator trials in 2015. Mark Broadbent

Please send all news correspondence [email protected]

The UK Ministry of Defence announced the first airstrike by an RAF General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper UAV over Iraq on November 10. The strike, between November 8 and 9, was against insurgents emplacing improvised explosive devices (IEDs) near Baiji, the site of Iraq’s largest oil refinery. David C Isby

First RNZAF SH-2G(I) Super Seasprite Handed Over The first SH-2G(I) Super Seasprite helicopter for the New Zealand Defence Force has been handedover by Kaman Corporation. The helicopter was accepted by the New Zealand Ministry of Defence at Kaman’s Bloomfield, Connecticut, facility, the manufacturer stated on December 1.

Additional aircraft were scheduled to be accepted by the MoD within a few weeks. The first three aircraft are due to arrive in Auckland in early 2015, with the remaining expected by the end of the same year. Ten ex-Royal Australian Navy SH-2s are being acquired – two for spares only.

India Wants Four More P-8Is The Indian Navy is interested in acquiring an additional four Boeing P-8I Poseidon maritime reconnaissance aircraft. They were included as an option to the original order, it was

announced on November 24, as the sixth aircraft of the the initial deal was delivered at INS Rajali in Arakkonam, Tamil Nadu. The remaining two P-8Is will be delivered in 2015. David C Isby

GOT A NEWS STORY, PHOTO OR FEATURE ?

Last Brazilian Mi-35 Deliveries

AIR International is keen to hear from readers who have news stories, photos or features of modern civil and military aviation for inclusion in the magazine. Please contact AIR International at the following address [email protected]

Delivery of the final three Mil AH-2 Sabre (Mi-35M) attack helicopters to the Brazilian Air Force has been completed. They arrived in the country at Porto Velho on November 26 on an An-124. This brings Brazil’s total fleet of the type to 12, all based at Porto Velho and operated by 2°/8° GAv.

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FC

NEWS REPORT

The Shengyang FC-31 fighter made its public debut at Air Show China in Zhuhai during November. Piotr Butowski provides an overview

T

he FC-31’s debut at Zhuhai included an eight-minute flight demonstration. On landing, the aircraft deployed a large brake chute before taxiing back to parking well outside the show area.

Aircraft 31001

is commonly referred to as the J-31 but other less common designations are the J-21 and project 310. An early model of the aircraft was marked as the F-60. Another similar export designation is the FC-1 – the joint Chinese and Pakistan fighter flown by the Pakistani Air Force as the JF-17 Thunder. The aircraft’s classification has changed since the last show at Zhuhai when official information described the jet as “almost

equivalent to typical fourth generation”. This year it was dubbed the Fourth-Generation Multi-purpose Medium Fighter. In the West, the FC-31 is classed as a fifth-generation fighter. The Chinese system deems it to be a fourth-generation aircraft.

One of Three Shengyang’s FC-31 currently demonstrates just one of the three canonical features typical of Western fifth-generation aircraft:

The black-painted aircraft, number 31001, built by the 601st Aircraft Design Institute of the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC) is the first and only FC-31 in existence. It first flew at Shenyang on October 31, 2012. The infrequent number of pictures of the aircraft posted on Chinese websites appears to indicate it is undergoing a gradual flight-test programme. At this year’s show the aircraft’s designation was revealed as the FC-31. At Air Show China 2012 it was presented as the Advanced Fighter Concept. Speculation continues about the aircraft’s real name because FC-31 is an export designation. It

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Please send all news correspondence [email protected]

-31

NEWS REPORT

Main image: The FC-31’s nose-flap tips generated strong vortices in the warm and humid air of Zhuhai. All images Piotr Butowski Right: After each display, the FC-31 taxied back to its hangar well away from the public area. Opposite bottom: The aircraft’s landing distance was short and assisted by a twin brake chute.

stealth. Super cruise and sensor fusion (the other two) are unknown capabilities in the FC-31. Advanced computing and sensors may yield the latter but there seems less chance of a high-performance engine providing super cruise performance coming out of the Chinese industrial base right now. Externally, the FC-31’s configuration mirrors that of a scaled-down Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor. Its detection by radar is minimised by an internal weapons bay and its shape is designed to reduce radar wave reflection. The wing and tail plane have the same leading and trailing-edge angles. The air inlets have no diverters. Some of the doors and their junctions are tooth-shaped. The aircraft’s ability to fuse its sensor data appropriately depends on the functionality and stability of millions of lines of computer code, much of which has still to be written. There are no sensors visible on aircraft 31001, the current concept demonstrator, and it is doubtful whether radar is fitted. Modern sensors, such as active electronically scanned array radar and an

electro-optical sight, together with datalink and self-defence systems, are currently undergoing trials on new versions of Chinese Flanker fighters also made by the SAC company, so there should be no development issues for integrating them on the FC-31. A half-size model displayed in the AVIC hall differed considerably in form to aircraft 31001. The model featured a completely redesigned empennage and cropped wing tips. An electro-optical sensor, angular in shape, appeared under the forward fuselage, externally similar to the F-35’s AAQ-40 Electro Optical Targeting System. A full-scale mock-up of the FC-31’s forward fuselage displayed a sphericalshaped optical sight in front of the cockpit, similar to the IRST used by the Russian PAK

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FC-31 SPECIFICATION Wing span: 11.5m (37.7ft) Length: 16.9m (55.4ft) Height: 4.8m (15.7ft) Nominal take-off weight with no external stores: 17,500kg (38,580lb) Maximum speed: M 1.8 (2,205km/h) Ceiling: 54,000ft (16,500m) Combat radius with no external stores: 1,250km (675nm) Combat radius with a drop tank: 2,000km (1,080nm) Take-off run: 400m (1,312ft) Landing run: 600m (1,968ft)

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NEWS REPORT

Above: Aircraft 31001 performed a short take-off

with afterburners at Zhuhai. The main landing gear legs retract and rotate forward similar to the MiG-29 Fulcrum. The front landing gear leg also retracts forwards. Note tooth-shaped landing gear doors. This image The FC-31 is powered by two Russian Klimov RD-93 turbofans which generate smoke so typical of this series of engine.

FA fighter. Its head can rotate when not in use to minimise the aircraft’s radar cross section. The mock-up also featured small windows in the fuselage sides, supposedly to cover sensors of an ultra-violet missile launch and approach warning system. The cockpit also featured a wide-angle head-up display in place of the conventional type displayed at Zhuhai in 2010.

Weapons Bay

This image & below: The FC-31’s display pilot presented a series of simple manoeuvres including a single roll.

The half-size model had a single wide weapons bay with its folding doors opened, housing four PL-12 (SD-10) medium range air-to-air missiles carried side-by-side. The bay appeared to be similar in design to the type used on the J-20 heavy fighter. A large poster showed a different missile payload comprising what looked like four PL12D or PL-21 long-range, air-to-air missiles with ramjet propulsion. The distinguishing heads of the missiles were not visible. Other types of ordnance compatible with the FC-31 were on display including the LD-10 anti-radiation missile and small classes of guided-bombs. Also on show was the Russian Kh-58UShKE, an anti-radiation missile adapted for internal carriage, which is known to be offered to China for its new fighters.

Engines Similar in size to the Russian MiG-29 Fulcrum, the FC-31 is powered by two Russian Klimov RD-93 turbofans; a derivative of the MiG-29’s RD-33 engine, used also by the JF-17. The Liyang Aero Engine Corporation (LYAC), based at Guizhou, is working on a new 9.5-tonne (93.1kN/20,940lb) class engine, believed to be designated the WS19, which would overcome the limitations of the FC-31’s 1980s’ era RD-93 power plant. Alternative future engine options available to Shengyang are the upgraded 9.3-tonne (91.2kN/20,500lb) Klimov RD93MA and an entirely new design of the 9.5-tonne class AI-9500F engine produced by Ukrainian company Ivchenko-Progress.

Low Priority The openness with which the FC-31 was displayed at Air Show China (four years ago

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NEWS REPORT

only a mock-up of its cockpit was on show and two years ago just a large model) is evidence of its export status. It appears to be a private venture by SAC in need of more funding because only one FC-31 aircraft exists. There are four aircraft flying in the simultaneous development programme of the Shengyang J-20. Possible orders from either the People’s Liberation Army Air Force or the People’s

Liberation Naval Air Force (in a carrier-based version) are denied by officials although Pakistan is understood to be the most probable foreign customer. Some may consider the FC-31 to be a future rival on the international market to the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II. The markets for the two aircraft are, however, entirely separate because for political reasons there are no nations that can

consider both types as alternatives. As a commercial programme, the FC31 could pose a threat to the Russian MiG-35 on the world market. Both the Russians and the Chinese tend to sell their defence equipment to nations that distance themselves from the United States and Europe; often those lacking large military budgets.

Above middle left: A half-size model in the AVIC hall had a completely redesigned empennage and

cropped wing tips.

Above middle right: A mock-up of the FC-31’s cockpit features a wide, centrally-positioned multifunction

display. A head-up display, a data input panel and perhaps another auxiliary display were also fitted.

Top left: This wide internal weapons bay housed four medium range air-to-air missiles carried side-

by-side.

Top right: An optical sight, similar in shape to the IRST (infrared search tracker) used by the Russian

PAK FA fighter, is fitted to a full-scale mock-up of the FC-31’s forward fuselage. Right: The half-size model features an under nose angular electro-optical sensor, which is externally similar to the F-35’s AAQ-40 Electro-Optical Targeting System.

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13

Lightning, ASRAA and Paveway IV

NEWS REPORT

AIR International’s Mark Ayton reports on the first phase of F-35 flight testing carrying UK-specific weapons

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n November 21 a joint UK test team involving personnel from the Royal Air Force, Royal Navy, BAE Systems and MBDA, successfully completed initial aircraft handling trials for the ASRAAM air-to-air missile and Paveway IV precision-guided bomb on F-35B Lightning II BF-02. The nine flights were flown between October 29 and November 21 at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, by Lockheed Martin’s F-35 test pilot Billie Flynn and Sqn Ldr Andy Edgell from the Royal Air Force. According to J.D. McFarlan, Lockheed Martin’s Vice President for F-35 Test & Verification, the trials involved a joint UK Ministry of Defence and industry team, working alongside the US Department of Defense and Lockheed Martin. Prior to the first flight, BF-02 underwent electromagnetic environmental effects (E3) testing in the anechoic chamber at Pax River while loaded with ASRAAM and Paveway IV test articles. The E3 testing demonstrated

that the test weapons were not affected by electromagnetic interference and had no compatibility problems allowing the flight clearance to be released. The ASRAAM test articles used are known as Dummy Air Training Missiles and the Paveway IVs were Ballistic Standard Test Vehicles. For the first four flights, BF-02 was configured with ASRAAMs on the outboard pylons only, and for the remaining five flights Paveway IV was on each inboard and intermediate pylon and an ASRAAM on each outboard pylon. The test articles are identical in fit and form to operational weapons. All nine were flutter test flights designed to show if the weapons affect the way the aircraft performs and handles: the first step to integrating both weapons onto the F-35B. The next phase of flight test scheduled for late December involves more flutter testing with the Paveway IV and empty ASRAAM launchers. Weapon environmental testing is scheduled for the second quarter of 2015 followed by the initial Paveway IV separation tests currently scheduled for mid 2015. Initial ASRAAM separation tests are currently planned for 2016.

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NEWS REPORT

ASRAAM (ADVANCED SHORT RANGE AIR-TO-AIR MISSILE)

The Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM) is a highly manoeuvrable, heatseeking, ‘fire-and-forget’ missile designed to provide dominance in within visual range (WVR) engagements. ASRAAM is the fastest and therefore the most capable short-range air-toair missile in the world. ASRAAM is capable of tracking in all aspects (head-on, side-on and tail-on) to get the first shot off and the first kill, to have a high average velocity, which enables the missile to fly a long way and still be able to pull high g manoeuvres, and have a short launch time. The missile’s thermal batteries come up very quickly so there is no protracted dialogue between the pilot

pushing the button and the launch. Built with a 6.5-inch diameter fuselage, wider than other short-range missiles, the propulsion system housed within the fuselage contains more fuel than other SRAAM missiles, which burns very fast. Because there are no wings or strakes to slow it down aerodynamically the missile retains speed over its envelope. The ASRAAM has a low-drag design, with four small tail fins that all deflect independently in the airflow across the missile and use lifting body aerodynamics to turn. Stability is maintained by a high-speed autopilot, while the IR seeker provides tight and accurate guidance. ASRAAM does not use thrust vector control. To further increase its speed and range, the missile is powered by a high-impulse dual-burn, solid rocket motor, which gives instantaneous acceleration off the rail and a high average velocity, yet has a low signature. ASRAAM can be designated by the aircraft’s radar or any other sensor that can feed the missile with the target information. The seeker detects the whole target scene,

producing an image similar to a monochrome TV picture. The wide field of view allows the missile to be fired at very high off-boresight angles, and the seeker has a lock-on capability, in either lock-before or lock-after-launch modes of up to about 90° off-boresight. Sophisticated digital signal-processing and imaging algorithms allow ASRAAM to detect, identify and target particular areas of its target aircraft, including the engines, cockpit or wings, further enhancing the missile’s lethality. After launch, the missile accelerates to speeds in excess of Mach 3 while being guided to the target using its IR seeker. It can pull up to 50g off the launch rail, allowing it to engage high off-boresight targets. The 10kg (22lb) high-explosive fragmentation warhead can be triggered by a laser proximity fuse or by an impact fuse. The ASRAAM missile is 2.9m (9ft 6in) long, weighs 88kg (194lb), has a diameter of 165mm (6.5 inches) and fins with a span of 450mm (17.7 inches). ASRAAM will be carried on stations 1 and 11 of the UK’s F-35Bs.

1&2 F-35B BF-02 during the first flutter test mission of the Paveway IV precision-guided bomb, in this case Ballistic Standard Test Vehicles, flown by Lockheed Martin’s test pilot Billie Flynn on November 13, 2014. Layne Laughter/Lockheed Martin 3 F-35B BF-02 loaded with two ASRAAM Dummy Air Training Missiles over the Eastern Shore of Maryland on November 10 during a flutter test mission from NAS Patuxent River flown by Squadron Leader Andy Edgell. Michael Jackson/Lockheed Martin

PAVEWAY IV PRECISION-GUIDED MUNITION The Paveway IV weapon comprises various components. From front to tail these are a laser detector, colloquially called the birdie head, which sits on two floating gimbals. The detector aligns to the wind which is the velocity vector of the weapon. When the weapon is falling, regardless of manoeuvre or angle of attack, the detector remains fixed on the target. The next component aft of the detector is the fairing containing the GAINS, which is part of the ECCG (enhanced computer control group). The GAINS (GPS-aided inertial navigation system) accurately determines the position of the weapon throughout the flight and provides an allweather, day-night guidance capability. The GPS-feed allows corrections to be made to remove any drift out of the inertial measurement unit. Then there’s the CAS (control actuation system), a pneumatically-driven system (powered by gas) which gets charged immediately after release from the aircraft. The system comprises two pairs of canards that steer the weapon through either full deflection or trail commands from the guidance system, often referred to as a bang-bang control. Solenoids pressurise the canards which ‘bang’ into the required position. When the control command is complete the solenoid is closed and the canards return to their trail position. The moving canards displace and drive the pitch, at a given number of degrees per second, to steer the weapon as it works through the guidance loop. Because the CAS uses a minimum number of parts (a gas bottle, a couple of valves and piping) the weapon’s guidance is very reliable.

Aft of the ECCG is the warhead, the main part of the weapon, which forms its primary structure. Developed specifically for Paveway IV, the warhead has two main features: the capability to penetrate hardened targets such as bunkers while being ‘insensitive’ to fire and bullets. In the event that the bomb ignites in an accident situation it will burn out and neither detonate or propel thanks to its insensitive munitions features, which include the ability to vent. Positioned immediately behind the warhead is the fuse designed to withstand the forces imposed on the bomb when penetrating a hardened target, which is why it contains no mechanical moving parts. The design of the fuse enables it to survive the same penetration and force as the warhead. It continues to function throughout the delay used in postimpact detonation. Target information can be updated at any time and transmitted to the weapon. What’s more, a Paveway IV can be employed using one of three detonation modes: • Height of burst, enabling the altitude at which the bomb detonates above the ground to be selected. • Point impact where the bomb detonates on impact. • Post-impact delay in which the bomb detonates a set time after it has penetrated the target. The F-35’s stores management system enables the pilot to program the weapon’s fuse, impact angle and heading.

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Military

French NH90s deploy to Mali

The two French NH90s after arriving at Gao, Mali, on November 3. Armée de l’Terre

France has deployed its NH90 Caiman helicopters to Mali for the first time. Two of these helicopters

(from 1er Regiment d’Helicopteres de Combat based in Phalsbourg) arrived in Gao on November 3

A-10 Retirement Controversy Continues Senator John S McCain (Republican of Arizona) has said “the fight is far from over” in a US Air Force desire to retire its A-10s. The incoming chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), commented as Fairchild A-10 Warthogs were back in action in Iraq, as announced by the US Air Force in a press release on August 24. The quick workup was undertaken by the 122nd Fighter Wing, Indiana Air National Guard before deploying to the Gulf. In an unofficial proposal to Congress the air force is seeking a short-term compromise of disbanding three squadrons with

72 A-10s instead of planned ‘vertical cuts’ of all A-10s. It would reportedly free technicians for retraining on Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighters. The F-35 programme office has stated that the failure to retire A-10s has jeopardised the USAF schedule to achieve F-35A initial operational capability in August 2016. Congress has been reluctant to accept the air force view that retiring the A-10 is the optimal way to accommodate force structure cuts. Secretary of the Air Force, Deborah Lee James, stated in July that the service needs to establish a record of ‘consistency’ to restore credibility with Congress. David C Isby

to support Operation Barkhane, the French mission in the Sahel region of Africa. They left France

on October 28, flying 32 hours to get to Mali, with stops in Malaga, Gran Canaria and Dakar. They were accompanied by support equipment and 15 maintenance technicians. The NH90 deployment marks the type’s combat debut and comes less than a year after entering French Army service. The NH90 TTH transport helicopters can carry up to 20 people and give twice the range of the two Pumas they replace in Mali, while also providing better protection. Guy Martin

A400M Mission to Africa

The Armée de l’Air has deployed one of its Airbus A400M transports to the Central African Republic (CAR) for the first time. The aircraft departed its home base at Orléans-Bricy and flew on to N’Djamena in Chad before landing at Bangui Airport on November 7 and unloading 7.4 tons of supplies for Operation Sangaris forces. The aircraft is pictured departing Bangui. Armée de l’Air

Fifth J-20 Prototype Flown

Nigeria Interested in Scorpion jets The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has shown interest in acquiring a squadron of Scorpion multirole jets from Textron AirLand to fight Islamist Boko Haram. Textron AirLand can deliver aircraft 18 months after receiving an order, but there is concern the United States may block the sale due to Nigeria’s human rights record. AVM Ojuawo said the NAF’s ability to combat insurgents was handicapped by obsolete and unserviceable aircraft. It flies seven Mi-24s for counter-insurgency duties as well as a dozen MB-339s and 12 Alpha Jets. Eleven F-7Ni fighter jets and nearly two-dozen L-39ZA Albatros trainer/light attack

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jets round out its combat fleet, but most of these are several decades old and cannot launch precisionguided weapons. Textron AirLand is aggressively marketing the Scorpion, which first flew in December 2013, as a private venture. It is billed as very cost effective to buy and operate, with a price tag of $20 million and operating costs of $3,000 an hour, versus $2,000 an hour for an F-16. A multitude of sensors and weapons can be carried under the wings, in an internal bay and on two retractable sensor mounts, making the aircraft suitable for missions as diverse as maritime surveillance to counter-insurgency. Guy Martin

The fifth prototype Chengdu J-20, 2013, during its maiden flight on November 29. via Chinese internet

China has flown the fifth Chengdu J-20 stealth fighter prototype, serial number 2013. The aircraft made its maiden flight on November 29 from the factory at Chengdu. No clear images have yet appeared of the new prototype. However, from what is available, it seems to differ from the previous two – 2011 and 2012 – in not having a

pitot tube. It also has the same modification as 2002 after having a radar installed. There seems to have been quite a bit of progress this year, with 2011 appearing in March, 2012 in July and now 2013 in November. In addition, the sixth prototype, 2014, has already been seen at Chengdu, but has yet to fly. Andreas Rupprecht

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Military

Kuwait Air Force C-130J at Brize Norton

Kuwait Air Force (KAF) KC-130J Hercules KAF326 lands at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire on December 1 after a flight from Athens, Greece. Three of the type are in KAF service and were all delivered between last August and September. Rick Ingham

F-35 Lot 8 Agreement Agreement between the Department of Defense and Lockheed Martin for F-35A Joint Strike Fighter low rate initial procurement (LRIP) lot 8, was finalised on November 21. The contract, for 43 aircraft for $4.7 billion, represents a 3.5% reduction in unit cost over the previous LRIP lot. Initially announced last October, lot 8 comprises 19 F-35As for the US Air Force, six F-35Bs for the US Marine Corps (USMC) and four F-35Cs, three for the US Navy and one for the USMC. International sales include the first two F-35As for Israel, the first four F-35As for Japan, two additional F-35As for Norway and two F-35As for Italy. The F-35 Joint Program Office plans to negotiate the agreement for LRIP lots 9 and 10 together from January 2015. David C Isby

Czechs Seeking New Transport Aircraft The Czech Republic is interested in acquiring one or two Lockheed C-130 Hercules or other similar transport aircraft to carry equipment and palletised cargo on long-range deployments. In addition, two more Airbus C295 transports may be ordered in the spring to join four currently in service. One of these is committed to support the Multinational Observer Force in the Sinai and another is on overhaul. David C Isby

Mi-171A2 Commences Flight Testing

The first Mi-171A2 prototype, OP-1, making its maiden flight on November 25. Russian Helicopters

After protracted ground testing and hover checks, the first Mi171A2 prototype, OP-1, has begun its flight testing programme. The helicopter made its maiden flight on November 25. The sortie was dedicated to checking the main systems and, according to the pilot, Salavat Sadriev, the helicopter demonstrated flawless performance.  The first Mi-171A2 will be used to evaluate the functionality and reliability of the new KBO-17 avionics system, including its integration with the VK-2500PS-03 engines, as well as checks of the new electrical system. The first full test flight of OP-1 was conducted after a series of ground

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trials with engines running and an initial hovering flight was made in October, followed by a cycle of hover tests. The new rotor system and engine were evaluated in advance on a Mi-171LL test-bed.   The results of the first phase with the Mi-171LL flying test-bed have shown that the new rotor system, combined with the more powerful engines, brings a 20% increase in lift and lower vibration levels when using the traditional vibration damper. The test-bed also confirmed the claimed maximum speed of 148kts (280km/h).  The new main rotor system used in the Mi-171A2 design has composite main rotor blades as well as new main rotor hub and

swash plate. The X-shaped tail rotor provides increased stability in the hover, which translates to better controllability in highcrosswind conditions and a 20% reduction in noise.  As well as the KBO-17 flight/ navigation avionics system, the helicopter features the PKV-171A dual-channel, fully-digital, four-axis autopilot. The new avionics system also takes over the flight engineer’s duties, due to its high level of automation, which will enable the Mi-171A2’s crew to be reduced to just the pilot and co-pilot.  The KOS-17 enhanced vision system is another new feature and uses nose-mounted, forwardfacing TV and infrared cameras for day/night operations. The full range of design improvements planned for the productionstandard Mi-171A2, including the new main and tail rotor as well as increased-area fin and horizontal stabilizer, will be implemented in the second prototype, Mi-171A2 OP-2.  It will also feature an additional package of optional equipment, including an external cargo hook for up to five tonnes, with an integral weight-meter, air-conditioning unit, 24 energy-attenuating passenger seats and new-design Pall dust filters with up to a 97% cleaning rate. This helicopter is currently being assembled at the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant in Tomilino. Alexander Mladenov

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Aggressors, the Sixty W by Robert F Dorr Military officials and local communities are squabbling over the future of the 18th Aggressor Squadron (AGRS), which operates 18 Block 30 F-16C and F-16D Fighting Falcons at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. The distinctively painted F-16s act out the role of enemy aircraft – often MiGs – in mock war games. Because Eielson is a ‘preferred alternative’ location for a combat wing of 48 F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters (meaning the base has been chosen for the new F-35A unless something changes), the air staff in the Pentagon fears it may not have sufficient bed-down space to continue hosting the aggressor F-16s. A new study is under way to choose from three possible futures for the 18th AGRS – keeping them at Eielson or moving them to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, or to Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. Elmendorf is extremely crowded and would have difficulty offering adequate ramp space. Putting the 18th AGRS at Nellis would mean consolidating the aggressor force. While this might offer some monetary savings, not everyone agrees that putting all adversary aircraft in the same place is a good idea. In September, the air force deactivated the F-15 Eagleequipped 65th Aggressor Squadron at Nellis because of Pentagon budget cuts, leaving the F-16 as the only adversary aircraft in inventory. The F-16-equipped 64th AGRS at Nellis is the only other adversary squadron today. Unlike the 18th, it doesn’t travel to other bases and regions to teach and replicate air combat threats. Life has been ‘on again, off again’ for the 18th AGRS: the squadron was granted a reprieve after being scheduled for deactivation in 2012, but was grounded for three months in 2013 as a cost-saving measure. An official working on the study at Eielson told AIR International the aggressors are “low hanging fruit” because they are not counted

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as “foxhole strength” in the Pentagon’s master war and mobilisation plan, and believes the aggressors should stay at Eielson. “Being here allows easy access to airspace, does not tax limited air-to-air refuelling assets and encourages optimal threat replication because the F-16s can fly ‘clean’, without drop tanks.” A decision is not expected until the F-35A programme is closer to fielding an operational aircraft.

The HH-60W Rescue Craft The US Air Force announced on November 24 that its new Combat Rescue Helicopter (CRH) will be designated HH60W and nicknamed ‘Sixty Whiskey’. A popular name will be chosen later. The rotorcraft is the latest variant in the successful Black Hawk series of helicopters built by Sikorsky in Connecticut. The service issued a $1.28 billion contract to Sikorsky to launch an eventual $7.9 billion purchase of 112 HH60Ws to replace the current fleet of around 100 HH-60G Pave Hawks. The purchase was decided without an industry competition. Almost unnoticed is the fact that the new HH-60W will closely resemble the HH-60D Night Hawk, a muchmodified UH-60A Black Hawk (serial number 82-23718) which made its ceremonial first flight on August 1, 1985. The Pentagon once planned to buy 243 HH-60Ds, the prototype making 198 test flights and demonstrating at bases all over the United States. Ultimately, the air force decided it did not need the radar and navigation equipment offered by the

HH-60D and eventually purchased 105 of the simpler HH-60G Pave Hawks – which are widely considered short-ranged, unstable and underpowered for the combat rescue mission. The US Army, with deeper pockets at the time, liked the HH-60D for special operations duty and purchased it as the MH-60K. Short-range work in Afghanistan and Iraq “has atrophied the brain of any right thinking air force type who knows that speed and range are going to be very important in the future, especially in the Pacific”, retired Colonel Ken Pribyla told AIR International. He worked on the HH-60G purchase in the 1990s and oversaw rescue planning in the Pentagon. “Right now, we have troops working on missions of 14 hours, going from the Mediterranean into Africa.” Pribyla said a longerlegged aircraft such as the CV-22 Osprey will be needed for combat rescue in conflicts of the near future. In 2007, the air force chose the robust and long-ranged HH-47 Chinook as an HH60G replacement. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who did much to weaken the air force during his stint as Pentagon boss from 2006 to 2011, successfully recommended in early 2009 that the HH-47 programme be killed. While many agree with Pribyla that a new CRH should be robust and offer long range, most in the combat rescue community are pleased to be getting a new aircraft of any kind after years of trying.

Improving JSTARS Although funding is not yet assured, the US Air Force

plans to launch a competition this summer to upgrade or replace its E-8C JointSTARS (Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System) aircraft. With four people on the flight deck and 18 mission specialists in the main cabin, a JSTARS crew monitors enemy ground movements over wide areas. The E-8C aircraft, a version of the Boeing 707-320B airliner, are all assigned to the Georgia Air National Guard’s 116th Air Control Wing at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. “We think our time has

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NEWS COLUMN

y Whiskey and JSTARS

The US Air Fprce announced on November 24 that its new Combat Rescue Helicopter will be designated HH-60W – which, nicknamed the Sixty Whiskey, will replace the current HH-60G Pave Hawk shown. SSgt Jake Barreiro/US Air Force

come,” a civilian who works on the JSTARS programme told AIR International. Several years ago the air force planned to purchase a replacement aircraft derived from the Boeing 767-200 airliner and designated E-10A, but after it died in a budget dispute a plan was launched to re-engine the E-8C fleet. That plan was abandoned in 2013 after just one airframe (the test ship operated by Northrop Grumman from its Melbourne,

Florida, facility) received new powerplants, replacing TF33-PW-102Cs with Pratt & Whitney JT8D-219 turbofans. Northrop Grumman handled the mission equipment work on the E-8C. The company will enter the new competition armed with additional experience from the company-developed radar now flying on RQ4B Block 40 Global Hawks and from its work on the cancelled E-10A’s command and battle management

system – and is expected to propose a mission system mounted aboard a Gulfstream 550, similar to the airframe used by Israel for airborne warning and control duties. Within the JSTARS community, airmen have long complained that their needs are too low on the air force’s roster of procurement priorities, never quite reaching the point where serious funds become available. Officials called attention

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to JSTARS with an unusual statement telling how an E-8C provided ground targeting information to F-16s and AH-64D Apache attack helicopters in November during Exercise Caroline Thunder, a multi-state, joint US Army and Air National Guard training event. The exercise struck many as similar to the kind of warfare taking place in Operation Inherent Resolve, the ongoing effort against the Islamic State, in Syria and Iraq.

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Military

Lady Ann

Specially painted MV-22B Osprey BuNo 168029/‘YW00’ ‘Lady Ann’ of Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 165 (VMM-165) ‘White Knights’ at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California on November 21. The squadron was officially designated as VMM-165 on April 11, 2011 and completed its transition to the Osprey in 2012. Its first combat tour was undertaken to Afghanistan between August 2013 and February 2014. Paul Ridgway

Fist of the Fleet F/A-18E Super Hornet BuNo 166959/‘400’ of Strike Fighter Squadron 25 (VFA-25) ‘Fist of the Fleet’ is seen at low level during a training sortie from Naval Air Station Lemoore, California. The insignia, comprising a black fist clenching a red lightning bolt on a field of gold, was created in June 1949. Each of the four battle stars represent a war in which VFA-25 has flown in combat: World War Two, Korea, Vietnam and the Middle East. Strike Fighter Squadron 25, traces its history back to 1943 when it was commissioned as Torpedo Squadron 17 operating TBM and SB2C attack bombers from USS Hornet (CV-8) a Yorktown-class carrier. The squadron completed its transition to the F/A-18E Super Hornet in the fourth quarter of 2012 and is part of Carrier Air Wing 9 (CVW-9) assigned to the USS John C Stennis (CVN 74). Dan Stijovich

Green Purple Fox

Albatross at Test Pilot School Grumman HU-16 Albatross BuNo 141262/N7025N lands on runway 22L at Edwards Air Force Base, California on November 19. It was one of four classic aircraft (the others being a CM-170 Magister, a MiG-15 and an SNJ-5) used by the US Air Force Test Pilot’s School for one phase of its current course. The aircraft, built in 1955, is registered to Sea & Air Adventures of Wilmington, Delaware. Paul Ridgway

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Long-time CH-46E Sea Knight operator Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 364 (HMM-364) ‘Purple Foxes’ was re-designated on October 9, 2014 as part of its transition to the MV-22B Osprey. One of the squadron’s final helicopters, CH-46E BuNo 153369/’PF19’, was still active at the unit’s base Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, California on November 20, 2014. The squadron flew the Sea Knight between 1967 and 2014. Between November 1967 and February 1971 the unit was deployed to Vietnam during which time it flew 119,309 sorties, amassed 33,413 hours, carried 243,084 passengers, over 10,000 tons of cargo and conducted 16,368 Medevac missions. Paul Ridgway

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Military

Combat Talon Says Goodbye

The final low-level flight by a Lockheed Martin MC-130H Combat Talon Hercules in UK air space took place on December 2. Assigned to the 7th Special Operations Squadron based at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, MC130H 88-1803 flew through Wales in the UK’s Low Fly Area 7. It will be re-assigned to Hurlburt Field in Florida. Peter R Foster

Eddy’s Globemaster

C-17A Globemaster III 03-3121 from the 418th Flight Test Squadron seen on a low-level test flight from Edwards Air Force Base in California. The aircraft recently suffered a mishap while flying an airdrop mission and is currently under repair at Edwards. It was probably testing equipment for the Special Operations Low Level II mission suite fitted to modified aircraft and used by an elite group of C-17 crews based at Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina. Details of the modifications remain classified but are believed to include communication and lighting systems. Paul Ridgway

Californian Eagle F-15C 82-0028 from the California Air National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing seen at low level on a training mission from its home station, Fresno Air National Guard Base, on October 30. The wing started transitioning to the F-15C Eagle in November 2013 having previously flown the F-16 Fighting Falcon since October 1, 1989. Dan Stijovich

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NEWS COLUMN

Lightnings, Romeos & Sea D by Rick Burgess

The US Department of Defense has ordered six F-35Bs and four F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter aircraft for the US Navy and US Marine Corps. The ten aircraft are part of the eighth low rate initial production contract (LRIP 8) for 43 aircraft of all three types for all three US armed services and partner nations valued at $4.7 billion announced on November 23. The contract does not include F135 engines, which will be ordered separately from Pratt & Whitney. Unit costs for the LRIP 8 aircraft will be $102 million for the F-35B and $115.7 for the F-35C: deliveries should begin in the early part of 2016. Orders for navy and marine corps’ aircraft through to and including LRIP 8 total 50 F-35B Short Take-Off Vertical Landing variants and 26 F-35C Carrier Variants. To date 33 F-35Bs and 13 F-35Cs have been delivered to the US Marine Corps and US Navy respectively.

Romeos and Sierras Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation was awarded a $535 million contract modification to build MH-60R and MH-60S Seahawk helicopters. As part of a 2012 multi-year procurement decision the navy has ordered 29 MH-60R and eight MH-60S versions, authorized in the fiscal 2015 budget. Earlier this year, the navy had proposed elimination of the 29 new Romeos in conjunction with its plan to retire 11 Ticonderoga-class cruisers, each of which can carry two MH-60Rs. A decision on the cruisers has not yet been made. In addition, contract termination of the MH-60Rs would have affected the army’s procurement of H-60 Black Hawks and incurred significant termination fees. The navy has a requirement for 251 MH-60Rs, of which 200 had been delivered by midNovember 2014. The 200th was delivered to Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 72 (HSM-72) ‘Proud Warriors’ at

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Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida. In addition the Royal Australian Navy has received five of 24 Romeos on order and fabrication has begun on the first of nine MH-60Rs for the Royal Danish Navy. The requirement for the MH-60S stands at 275, of which 258 had been delivered by October, and the type’s production is expected to be complete by December 2015. When the littoral combat ship (LCS) USS Fort Worth sailed from Naval Base Coronado Island to the Western Pacific on November 17, it marked the first composite aviation detachment deployment of the MH-60R with the MQ-8B Fire Scout vertical take-off unmanned aerial system. Detachment 1 of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 35 (HSM-35) ‘Magicians’ is operating the aviation detachment embarked on Fort Worth consisting of one Romeo and one Fire Scout on the ship’s first deployment. HSM-35, based at Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado, California, is the first squadron assigned to operate both the MH-60R and MQ-8B. The mission packages designed for the LCS class ship include anti-submarine, anti-surface and mine countermeasures roles carried out by the two rotarywing types.

Sea Dragon Squadron to Re-Activate The navy will resurrect a helicopter minecountermeasures squadron next year for the purpose of training crews to operate and maintain the service’s MH-53E Sea Dragon minecountermeasures helicopters. Helicopter MineCountermeasures Squadron 12 (HM-12), the MH-53E replacement training squadron disestablished in 1994, will be re-activated on October 1, 2015 at Chambers Field on Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia. The squadron will take over the training role from the Airborne Mine Countermeasures Weapon Systems Training School, which will be disestablished the same day. HM-12 will take custody of five MH-53E helicopters assigned to a detachment of HM-14 for fleet replacement instruction and will train crews for the two operational squadrons also based at Norfolk: HM-14 ‘The World Famous Vanguard’ and HM15. The syllabi will include advanced tactical and weapon system training. HM-14 and HM-15 ‘Blackhawks’ are combined active-duty and reserve squadrons that maintain MH-53E detachments in Japan and Bahrain for mine

countermeasures duty and fleet logistics.

Coast Guard Spartan The US Coast Guard has taken delivery of its first C-27J Spartan for modification to a maritime patrol and transport aircraft. It is the first of 14 C-27Js acquired from the US Air Force, which retired the aircraft as a cost-cutting measure. The acquisition programme has allowed the coast guard to truncate its order of Airbusbuilt HC-144A Ocean Sentry maritime patrol aircraft to 18: half of the planned procurement. The twin-turboprop C-27J was delivered to the Coast Guard Aviation Logistics Center at Elizabeth City, North Carolina, where it will undergo modification to HC27J standard configured with the mission systems required for its new maritime role. US Special Operations command will receive the remaining seven of the 21 Aleniabuilt C-27Js on strength. These are relatively new aircraft, with the first delivery to the US Air Force taking place in September 2008. As part of the deal with the air force, the coast guard will give up seven of its 23 HC130H Hercules, which will be converted for fighting forest fires. One of the HC-130Hs will be the former EC-130V, which was modified in the early 1990s with an E-2C Hawkeye

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a Dragons

radome for coast guard service before it was transferred to the air force, then to the navy, and then back to the coast guard.

Navy Receives Ex-Marine KC-130Ts The US Navy Reserve has acquired five former Marine Corps KC-130T Hercules tanker/transports to supplement its fleet of 19 C-130Ts. Five T-models have been transferred from Marine Aerial Refueler/ Transport Squadron 234 (VMGR-234) ‘Ranger’ based at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas, to Fleet Air Logistics Squadron 55 (VR-55) ‘Minutemen’ at NAS Point Mugu, California. The Forth Worth-based marine squadron is transitioning to the KC-130J Super Hercules and VR-55 has transferred all but one of its C-130Ts to other navy squadrons.

Operational MQ-8C Fire Scout

An MH-53E Sea Dragon assigned to Helicopter Mine Countermeasure Squadron 15 (HM-15) ‘Blackhawks’ prepares to land aboard the multi-purpose amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7). Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Zane Ecklund/US Navy

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Northrop Grumman Corporation has delivered the first operational MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopter to the US Navy. The MQ-8C is an upgraded version of the MQ-8B, using the larger Bell 407 airframe (rather than the Schweizer 333) with the avionics suite of the B-model giving twice the endurance and three times the payload of the MQ-8B. The MQ-8C is scheduled to make its first ship-board flight tests aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham this winter, and its first deployment aboard a littoral combat ship in 2015. Northrop Grumman built 30 MQ-8Bs and is under contract to build 19 MQ-8Cs, including two test aircraft. The navy plans to purchase a total of 70.

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NEWS REPORT

Shlomo Aloni details the Israeli Air Force M-346 Lavi trainer following its official inauguration

Eagles to Lions

T

he Israeli Air Force (ILAF) inaugurated the M-346 Lavi (Lion) trainer at Hatzerim Air Base on November 6, 2014, after accepting the fifth aircraft. The original inauguration planned for July 9 was delayed due to Operation Protective Edge: the Israeli air campaign against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The Programme Israel ordered 30 Lavi trainers on July 19, 2012 to replace two types: the A-4 Ahit (Eagle) used for undergraduate pilot and weapon system officer training, and the F-16A/B Netz (Sparrowhawk) used for postgraduate training. Deliveries started on July 9, five had been accepted by November 6 of last year and four more are scheduled for delivery by January

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2015 when the first training courses will start. The ILAF is currently using the new aircraft for instructor training. Israel’s acquisition of the Lavi is a hybrid programme: it acquired the aircraft from Alenia Aermacchi but also exploited US foreign support funding to purchase systems such as the engines, which are delivered to the Italian manufacturer prior to production. An Israeli company named Tor, a joint venture between Israel Aerospace Industries and Elbit, are under contract with the ILAF to provide simulator and aircraft maintenance services. Tor receives payment for both services on an hourly basis.

The Aircraft The concept of replacing older training aircraft with the Lavi is designed to smooth progression from the advanced flying training stage to frontline fighters. The M-346 Lavi offers performance and

systems on a par with fourth- and fifthgeneration combat aircraft. The ILAF considers the Lavi cockpit’s man-machine interface, including its helmet-mounted display, as superior to those of its fourth-generation fighters such as the F-15 and F-16, and

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s onboard virtual training system simulates radar warning receiver, dispensation of chaff and flares and carriage of the Barad (Hail) precision-guided munition and Bareket (Emerald) Litening pod. The aircraft’s fly-bywire system can simulate the Lavi in a heavy weapons payload configuration.

The Syllabus

perfectly adequate to prepare pilots for its forthcoming fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II. Israel’s funky new jet has a basic weapons carriage capability and an extensive virtual training potential. The latter includes a virtual radar system that enables realistic air combat training in scenarios of up to 2 v 2 via data link between aircraft. The

Flying School Course 170 will be the first to attend Lavi training in January 2015: first as undergraduate cadets in term one (January to June), then as postgraduate pilots on the operational training unit (OTU) course during term two (July to December), and finally as postgraduate students in the basic operational qualification course. The latter will succeed the current Advanced OTU Course run by the South Defenders Squadron 116 – during term one (January to June 2016) prior to assignment to fighter squadrons.

The new syllabus will comprise circa 100 sorties all flown in the Lavi and 60 simulator events, at one base, instead of 180 sorties (about 60 per term) in two aircraft types (the A-4 Ahit and the F-16 Netz) at two bases (Hatzerim and Nevatim). The Lavi Simulator Centre at Hatzerim includes two 330° field of view full motion tactical simulators, two 220° field of view static simulators and four static avionics simulation stations. Both of the tactical simulators and the two static examples are linked to enable simultaneous training. Introduction of the advanced simulators has enabled the ILAF to scale down the number of sorties flown throughout the syllabus. According to the ILAF, the Lavi will replace the A-4 Ahit in service with Flying Tiger Squadron 102 at Hatzerim and supersede two F-16 Netz units at Nevatim: the Golden Eagle Squadron 140 and the South Defenders Squadron 116.

Main image: While military service personnel maintain Ahit aircraft and simulators at Hatzerim, Tor employees, mostly retired ILAF personnel now maintain Lavi jets. All images Shlomo Aloni Top middle: A-4 Ahit and M-346 Lavi trainers assigned to Flying Tiger Squadron 102 flyover Hatzerim on November 6, 2014. Top right: Aircraft 110, the fifth Lavi to be accepted by the ILAF, taxies past Ahit 708 at Hatzerim Air Base after its delivery flight from Italy on November 6.

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Military

ROKAF Tanker Programme Delay

South Korea’s 1.4 trillion won (US$1.26 billion) project to acquire four air refuelling aircraft has been delayed because offset offers by the three competitors have not met requirements, according to an official from the Defense Acquisition Program Administration on November 23. “It seems that the plan to choose the model in December will be delayed because offset deals offered by bidders fall short of our goal, although price negotiations have reached the final stage,” the official told South Korean media. The ROKAF wants the tanker to enter service between 2017 and 2019. Contenders for the contract are Airbus Defence and Space (with the A330-200 multirole tanker transport), Boeing (KC46A Pegasus) and Israel Aircraft Industries (767-300 multi-mission tanker transport). Nigel Pittaway

A Custom-ised King Air 350 A US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Beech 350 King Air on approach to its base at Naval Air Station North Island, California, on November 13. The type is the latest addition to the CBP inventory, with 30 on order from Sierra Nevada Corporation, which installs the sophisticated sensor suite. Fifty of the type are required to replace a range of older King Air variants. Paul Ridgway

Israel Reduces Second F-35 Buy Israel’s plans to buy a second Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter squadron has been reduced to 13 aircraft from a proposed order of 31. Deliveries of the second batch will start in 2019, according to a cabinet committee decision announced on November 24. This cut will bring Israel’s total

F-35A order to 32 aircraft. Israel’s interim force structure goal remains 50 F-35s, which may increase if the type is selected to replace the General Dynamics F-16C/D. The cut occurred just two weeks after Israel’s ministry of defence secured agreement with the US for a 31-aircraft order. David C Isby

Initial Batch of Peruvian Mi-191Sh-Ps Delivered

One of the first four Peruvian Mi-171SH-P helicopters seen during its factory check flight at U-UAP. Russian Helicopters

Russian Helicopters reported on December 2 that it had just delivered the first four Mi-171Sh-P tactical transport helicopters to the Peruvian Ministry of Defence. Manufactured at the Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant (U-UAP) in Eastern Siberia, these have been handed over nearly one month in advance of the original delivery schedule. The four Mi-171Shs were ferried to Peru in an An-124 heavylift aircraft, and taken on strength by the Army Aviation brigade. On December 9, the new helicopters will take part in a military parade, organised to celebrate the national Army Day. Rosoboronexport of Russia is the

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main contractor in the deal that was agreed in December 2013 and covers 24 helicopters. Eight Mi-171Sh-Ps were due to be delivered in 2014 and the rest will follow in 2015. In addition to the helicopters, Rosoboronexport will set up a servicing centre in Peru to maintain the combat readiness of the rotarywing fleet, which is heavily used to combat drug manufacturers and smugglers, as well as insurgent organisations. The Mi-171Sh-P version as selected by the Peruvian Army Aviation service features new systems and extensive armour protection, while

the flight/navigation suite allows operations in Instrument Flying Conditions (IFR). The cargo cabin can accommodate up to 26 fullyequipped troops and is equipped with two side doors and a rear ramp making it possible to deliver an assault party within seven to eight seconds. Peru’s previous big order for Russian-made military helicopters dates back to July 2010 – six Mi-171Shs and two Mi-24Ps had been taken on strength by October 2011. Since the late 1970s Peru has received more than 100 Sovietand Russian-made helicopters. Alexander Mladenov

Details of Additional RAAF C-17A Buy The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) has provided further details of Australia’s request for additional Boeing C-17A Globemaster III aircraft (see More C-17As for Australia, November, p6). The DSCA notification to Congress on November 12 requested a possible sale of up to four C-17As and equipment including 19 Pratt & Whitney F117-PW-100 engines, four AAQ-24V Large Aircraft Infra-Red Countermeasures systems, four small laser transmitter assemblies, four systems processors, one ALE47 countermeasures dispenser system and one AAR-47 missile warning system, plus technical documentation, training and support. The estimated cost is $1.609 billion. “Australia is an important ally and partner that contributes significantly to peacekeeping and humanitarian operations around the world,” the DSCA notification said. “Australia’s current heavy lift capability consists of six C-17A aircraft. The proposed sale of additional C-17As will further improve Australia’s capability to deploy rapidly in support of global coalition operations and will greatly enhance its ability to lead regional humanitarian and peacekeeping operations.” Australian Defence Minister David Johnston’s office has confirmed two aircraft will be acquired, and consideration of purchase of the second pair will be part of the Defence White Paper process, due for release in the second quarter of 2015. RAAF C-17As have recently been involved in delivering military supplies to besieged villages in Northern Iraq, and the repatriation of bodies of the victims of the MH17 shoot-down in Ukraine. Nigel Pittaway

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Military

Export of JF-17?

Pakistan and China are close to completing a deal to export the Chengdu/Pakistan Aeronautical Complex JF-17 (FC-1 Dragon) fighter to an undisclosed country in the Middle East, according to chief executive of sales and marketing, Air Commodore Khalid Mahmood of the Pakistan Air Force. Speaking at Airshow China 2014 in Zhuhai, Mahmood said the deal was yet to be concluded. Mahmood noted that the Pakistan Air Force is upgrading 50 of its JF-17s to Block II configuration, which includes installing a fixed airto-air refuelling probe and updated avionics, as well as a mission software upgrade. The first of the upgraded aircraft was scheduled for delivery in December 2014.

Special Colours for German Army Bo105

German Army Bo105 87+51 from Kampfhubschrauberregiment 36 (KHR36) ‘Kurhessen’ at Fritzlar was painted in a special colour scheme for the fly-out of the type from the base on November 26. The type has been in service at Fritzlar since 1978, but KHR36 will hand over its remaining Bo105s at the year-end to the Heeresfliegerwaffenschule (German Army Aviation School) at Buckeburg and then operate only the Tiger UHT helicopter. Matthias Grägel

Nigel Pittaway

Poland Halfway on MiG-29 Upgrade Poland has completed a planned upgrade of 16 of its 32 MiG-29 Fulcrum fighters. The achievement was marked by a ceremony at Minsk Mazowiecki Air Base on November 21 that also recognised the type’s 25 years of Polish Air Force service. The upgrades were carried out by the 2nd Military Aviation Plant at Bydgoszcz. At the ceremony, deputy defence minister Czesław Mroczek said that the remaining MiG-29s will not be upgraded, but that 18 Sukhoi Su-22 Fitters will be modernised by the end of the current plan in 2022. David C Isby

Russian Bomber Development The first upgraded Tupolev Tu-160 Blackjack bomber has made its initial test flight, lasting two hours 40 minutes, at the Kazan aircraft factory. The rest of the fleet will also be upgraded at the factory, including new radar and navigational equipment. Separately, static testing for the new engine for the Tupolev PAK DA bomber (which will replace the Blackjack) has started at Kuznetzov’s Samara facility. The bomber’s first flight is currently planned for 2020. David C Isby

Indonesia to Base Fighters at Tarakan Indonesia will deploy detachments of General Dynamics F-16s and Sukhoi Su-27/Su-30s to Tarakan Air Base in Borneo in response to claimed Malaysian border violations, officials announced on November 10. Jakarta, Makassar, Medan, Pontianak and Surabaya were also identified as requiring three fighter detachments for air policing duties by the Commander of the National Air Defense Command, Air Vice Marshal Hadiyan Sumintaatmadja, speaking at Biak on November 17. David C Isby

Rwanda Acquires Two New Mi-17s Rwanda has taken delivery of two new Mil Mi-17 helicopters and will deploy them to South Sudan, where they will operate with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). They were unveiled in mid-November and on November 26 departed for their deployment to South Sudan together with another two – bringing the number of Rwandan Mi-17s in South Sudan to eight.

to Japan Selects E-2D, Global Hawk and Osprey Pakistan purchase Hinds Japan has announced its longexpected selection of the BellBoeing MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor, Northrop Grumman RQ-4A Global Hawk unmanned air vehicles (UAV) and Northrop Grumman E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft. The Global Hawk, which will have the capability to be

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MORE UPGRADED MIG-31BM DELIVERIES

fitted with Japanese-designed infrared sensors for ballistic missile detection and tracking, was the favourite in competition with the Global Atomics Guardian Extended Range (ER) UAV. The decision to procure the Northrop Grumman E-2D Advanced Hawkeye rather than the Boeing E-7 airborne early warning

NEWS BY NUMBERS

A further two upgraded Mikoyan MiG-31BM Foxhound fighters were delivered to the Western Military District on November 11 to be operated by the Russian Air Force’s 790th Fighter Regiment based at Borisovskiy Khotlivo Air Base. The 60-aircraft upgrade programme is scheduled to be completed in 2019. David C Isby

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HAL DHRUV DELIVERED TO NEPAL

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi handed over a single example of the HAL Dhruv Mk II Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) to Nepalese Prime Minister Sushil Koirala in Kathmandu on November 26. The Dhruv will be used by the Nepalese Army. Nigel Pittaway

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aircraft was not unexpected. The earlier model E-2C Hawkeye is already in Japanese service and the E-2D was previously considered the front-runner in the competition, which is thought to reflect the importance the Japanese Air Self Defense Force places on commonality with the US military. David C Isby

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RUSSIAN FLANKERS DEPLOY TO CRIMEA Russia deployed 14 Sukhoi Su-27SM and Su-30 Flanker fighters to Belbek Air Base in the Crimea on November 16. They will equip a fighter regiment forming part of the 27th Mixed Air Force Division, which will be the headquarters for the Russian Air Force units based in the Crimea. David C Isby

Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Asif says the government has given final clearance to purchase an unspecified number of Mi-35 Hind gunships from Russia. This follows the historic visit of Russian Defence Minister General Sergey Shoigu to Pakistan on November 20. The long-awaited deal had been under consideration by the government for months after Russia lifted the arms embargo imposed on Pakistan. Once a final deal is sealed, the helicopters are expected to fulfil a long- standing requirement to supplement and eventually replace the ageing fleet of Bell AH-1F/AH-1S Cobra gunships in service with the Army Aviation Wing. The purchase of Hinds is expected to play a pivotal role in the country’s fight against militants. The Cobras form the mainstay of the wing’s attack capability, providing close air support to ground troops in troubled regions bordering Afghanistan. Waseem Abbas

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NEWS REPORT

Su-35 in C

R

ussian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin told the press in midOctober that China would sign a contract for Sukhoi Su-35 fighters in November, saying “there will be a meeting of the joint Russian-Chinese committee on militarytechnical co-operation to finalise the deal. But there have been similar announcements before: the finalisation of the Chinese purchase of Su-35s has been ‘just around the corner’ for many years. Now it seems it’s been postponed again. The contract hadn’t been signed by the time of Airshow China at Zhuhai on November 1116, which coincided with a visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Beijing. During the show, however, Sukhoi’s First Deputy Director, General Boris Bregman, told the press he thought the contract would be signed at the end of 2014 or at the beginning of 2015, there being no obvious political or technical reasons to hinder it.

Russian Service At Zhuhai, Sukhoi presented Su-35S RF93648 tail number 08 – painted in dark grey camouflage and light grey on the underside – which since February has been operated by the Russian Air Force’s 23rd Fighter Regiment at Dzemgi near Komsomolsk-onAmur, the first operational Su-35S unit.

Sukhoi test pilot Sergei Bogdan gave a flying display making full use of the fighter’s vectored-thrust engines and sophisticated control system. By late November the Russian Air Force had 25 Su-35S fighters from a contract for 48 signed in August 2009. The Dzemgi unit has 15 and there are four assigned to the 4th Combat Training and Aircrew Conversion Centre at Lipetsk and six at the Akhtubinsk test centre. Three more are expected to be delivered to the 23rd Fighter Regiment by the end of the year, taking its total to 18. The next examples will go to the Tsentralnaya Uglovaya regiment. Sukhoi meanwhile operates two prototypes.

What China Wants The Russians offered China the Su-35 back in 2006. Eight years would seem like enough time to finalise an agreement, but there’s a wider issue at play. It’s rumoured the Chinese are not really interested in the Su-35, but rather in buying other equipment such as a large batch of AL41F1S (izdeliye117S) engines and perhaps even a licence for producing the powerplant. Rated at 31,967lbf (142.1kN) of thrust, the AL-41F1S is needed by the Chinese for its newest J-15 carrier-based and J-16 multirole fighters (indigenous developments of the Su-27 and Su-30), although it may be underpowered for the latest J-20 fighter. Buying a batch of Su-35s could, however, be a condition of securing the engines, and

Above: Su-35S ‘08’ during a display at Airshow China, Zhuhai. All images Piotr Butowski Opposite: Su-35S ‘08’, with China’s new Y-20 transport parked behind. Main image: Preparations on Su-35S ‘08’ during Airshow China.

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n China negotiations have come down to the number of aircraft. Russian media said Sukhoi would not agree to sell less than 48 – but on March 25, 2013, Chinese Central Television announced China would sign a contract for 24. The fact that state media reported on the agreement was a surprise in itself – China had never previously commented on the possible sale, news about it only coming from the Russians. Perhaps the Chinese report was a way of exerting pressure on Moscow to sell 24 aircraft instead of 48.

Flankers in China The last time the Russians delivered combat aircraft to China was in 2004, by which time the Chinese had bought 36 Su27SK single-seat fighters (in two batches, in 1992 and 1996), 38 Su-27UBK two-seat combat trainers (1992-2002), 76 twoseat Su-30MKK fighters (2000-2003) and 24 two-seat Su-30MK2 multirole fighters (2004). In 1998, the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC) began licencemanufacturing Su-27s as the J-11 from parts delivered from Komsomolsk-on-Amur. After SAC had mastered the production of the Flanker, it ceased direct purchases of the type from Russia and talks over buying a further 24

NEWS REPORT

Piotr Butowski provides the latest on the protracted sale of the Sukhoi Su-35 to China

Su-30MK2s or more advanced Su-30MK3 fighters ended. The J-11’s licensed production ended in 2004 after the Russians had delivered 95 sets of parts. The Chinese refused to use an option to buy 105 more sets and continued production of their own, without components from Russia. SAC developed the J-11B which features indigenous WS-10A engines, sensors and weapons. The first batch of J-11Bs entered service with the People’s Liberation Army Air Force in 2007; the J-11BS is its two-seat combat training version; the latter is believed to have entered service in 2011. The Russians also wanted to sell carrier-based fighters to China for its Liaoning aircraft carrier and arranged special

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displays of the Su-33 and Su-27KUB for a Chinese delegation in 2005. But China instead launched the indigenous J-15 programme, using a Su-33 prototype bought in Ukraine in 2004. The first J-15 assembled at SAC made its maiden flight on August 31, 2009 after which series production began. In 2013 two prototypes of the new, two-seat J-16, a heavy multirole fighter development of the Su30MK2, started flight tests. It features an indigenous radar (reportedly an active electronically scanned array), electronic countermeasures system and air-toground weapons.

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Commercial

Etihad’s First A380 Etihad Airways’ first Airbus A380-800 A6-APA (msn 166) at Hamburg in November. HAMFive/AirTeamImages

Etihad Airways will shortly take delivery of its first Airbus A380-800 A6-APA. The United Arab Emirates flag carrier will place the aircraft on one of its three daily Abu Dhabi-

Delta Opts for Airbus

Delta Air Lines has ordered 25 Airbus A350-900s and 25 A330900neos to replace its remaining Boeing 747-400s and some of its 767s. The A350-900s will be delivered to the US major from the second quarter of 2017 and the A330-900neos from 2019. The A350s will supersede the ex-Northwest Airlines 747s on routes to Asia and the A330s the 767s used on transatlantic services and some US west coast-Asia flights. Delta said the new types would be 20% cheaper to operate per-seat. The airline had studied the widebody aircraft market since the spring and narrowed its options to the A350 and Boeing 787 (see Selection Nears for Delta Widebodies, November, p32). Mark Broadbent

Airlink To Retire J41s South African Airlink is to phase out its seven BAE Jetstream 41 aircraft, which will be replaced by Embraer ERJ-135s. Specialist remarketing company Cockley Brake has been put in charge of selling the J41s, together with engine, propeller and airframe spares, a flight simulator and pilot and engineer conversion training. It is unclear exactly when the Jetstreams, used for flights in South Africa and to Mozambique, will be retired. SA Airlink operates 11 Avro RJ85s, 14 ERJ-135s and two ERJ-145s. Guy Martin

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Heathrow frequencies on December 27, replacing an A340-600. The European Commission has approved Etihad’s equity investment in Alitalia. The Gulf airline will take a

49% stake in the Italian flag carrier, with the transaction due to be concluded by the end of the year. Alitalia’s CEO Gabriele del Torchio said Etihad’s investment “will provide

financial stability and a foundation for long-term growth” at the airline, the seventh in which Etihad has purchased an equity stake. Mark Broadbent

Y-12 to the USA

The Y-12F displaying at Zhuhai during Airshow China in November. Piotr Butowski

Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation announced during Airshow China at Zhuhai that it had signed an agreement for 20 Y-12 turboprop passenger aircraft with an undisclosed US

customer. The type will become the first Chinese civil aircraft to be operated in the United States. Y-12s will be used for both passenger and cargo flights plus sightseeing trips between Las

Vegas and the Grand Canyon. About 200 Y-12s have been produced since 1985. The latest Y-12F 19-seat version took part in the flying display at Airshow China. Piotr Butowski

Flying Doctor King Airs Australia’s Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) Queensland Section has ordered two Beechcraft King Air 350C Heavy Weight aircraft, which feature an enhanced payload of 1,400lb (635kg). The first example is due to arrive in Australia in April 2015 and will be fitted with a comprehensive suite of medical equipment before

entering service. The King Airs will be used for aeromedical emergency retrieval services and inter-hospital patient transfers between RFDS regional bases along the Queensland coast, from Brisbane to Cairns, and westwards to locations including Mount Isa and Charleville. RFDS Queensland Section Chief

Executive Officer Nino Di Marco said: “The new additions to our fleet will be immensely beneficial to our patients both in terms of their comfort and the timeliness of our operations. The increased flying distance of the King Air 350s will provide our flight operations team with more flexible transport options.” Nigel Pittaway

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Commercial

Russia’s Civil Output Target

Russia aims to increase its civil aircraft production to make the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) competitive with Boeing and Airbus by 2025, the Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said at a conference in Moscow on November 19. UAC’s output should increase its civil aircraft output by between 30% and 50%, he said, adding that this will require an increase in labour productivity of nearly 7.5 times compared with 2012. The MS-21, to be renamed the Yakovlev Yak-242 and expected to enter production in 2017, is a critical part of the programme. A new engineering facility is to be created at the Irkutsk Aircraft Plant where the airliner will be built. David C Isby

Air Austral’s New Livery

Air Austral Boeing 777-300ER F-ONOU (c/n 35783) departs Manchester where it was repainted by Air Livery with the airline’s new paint scheme, which includes a waterfall design on the tailfin. The aircraft arrived at its Sainte-Marie base on the Indian Ocean island of Réunion on November 27. Charles Cunliffe

Superjet’s VNAV Certification

The Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company (SCAC) SSJ-100 Superjet has become the first Russian aircraft to receive a supplemental type certificate for vertical navigation (VNAV) functionality. The clearance was granted by the Aviation Register of Interstate Aviation Committee. VNAV systems, which can be used during all stages of a flight and at airports with nonprecision approach equipment, calculate a flight’s vertical profile in accordance with the assigned flight path, accounting for aircraft

performance and speed and height restrictions on the route. They also give recommendations to pilots during climb and cruise and assist in fully-automated descents and final approaches. The SSJ-100’s VNAV functionality was tested on the ‘electronic bird’ integration bench and in flights from Zhukovsky on SSJ-100 RA-95003. SCAC said it was pursuing VNAV certification for the SSJ-100 Long Range version and approval for the system from the European Aviation Safety Agency. Mark Broadbent

S3’s Zero-G Flights

Swiss Space Systems (S3) is giving the public an opportunity to experience zero gravity (zero-g) flights. Its Airbus A300 will undertake a global tour, starting in Switzerland in the second half of 2015, before continuing to Canada and the United States and points in Asia, the Middle East and Europe in 2016. The US leg will include visits to California and Colorado (at locations yet to be announced) and 25 flights from the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. Zero-g flights involve an aircraft being flown through a parabolic profile. The jet climbs at 45o from 24,000ft (7,315m) to 34,000ft

(13,411m) and, as it noses over at the apex of the parabola and descends back to 24,000ft, passengers experience around 25 seconds of weightlessness. Fifteen parabolas will be performed on each of S3’s flights. The cheapest ticket costs €2,000 ($2,494) and customers can pay €5,000 ($6,237) for a ‘premium zone’ ticket which S3 says includes “special activities such as playing with liquids and balloons”. The flights from the KSC will include microgravity research experiments and tests on an interactive communications system designed for life science payloads. Mark Broadbent

Azul Starts International Flights The specially-marked A330-200 PR-AIV is one of the A330s used for long-haul flights by Azul Brazilian Airlines. Lucio Dacu/AirTeamImages

Azul Brazilian Airlines became the latest low-cost carrier to launch long-haul intercontinental flights when it started daily services on December 2 from São Paulo/ Campinas to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The airline was scheduled

to add seven weekly frequencies from the Brazilian city to Orlando on December 15. Azul is using three Airbus A330-200s (PR-AIZ, PR-AIV and PR-AIY) for the routes, which operate from a new US$1.5 billion (£955 million) terminal at Campinas.

Please send all news correspondence [email protected]

The carrier is due to receive three more A330-200s and, from 2017, five A350-900s as it expands its long-haul network. Azul will also operate 63 A320neos for its short and medium haul network. It is buying 35 from Airbus

and leasing 28 others (20 from AerCap and eight from GECAS). The new jets, to be delivered between 2016 and 2023, will each be configured with 174 seats and be powered by CFM International LEAP-1A engines. Mark Broadbent

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NEWS COLUMN

Detecting A by Mark Broadbent A prototype volcanic ash detector has been installed in a British Airways Boeing 747-400 as efforts continue to improve the monitoring of ash particles in the world’s airways and prevent future travel disruption. The device, named ZEUS after the Greek god, has been developed by the UK Met Office and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). It’s the first system of its kind fitted to an aircraft flying long-haul services. The technology was used for the first time on a HeathrowJohannesburg flight in the autumn – data from the trip has been downloaded and is now being analysed by Met Office scientists. The system will continue to collect data from the jumbo’s flights for the next year.

Icelandic Eruption When the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland erupted in April 2010, a cloud comprising what the Iceland-based Institute for Earth Sciences later estimated as 100 million cubic metres of airborne tephra (tiny fragments of volcanic material) rose to 30,000ft (9,144m). Carried by westerly winds, the plume spread south and east to cover most of Europe. There was enormous disruption to air travel: airspace in more than 20 countries was completely closed for six days and some 100,000 flights were cancelled. The BAE 146-300 Atmospheric Research Aircraft

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(G-LUXE) based at Cranfield in Bedfordshire (jointly operated by the Met Office and NERC as part of the Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements) monitored the size and distribution of the ash layers to help inform air navigation services providers’ (ANSPs) decisions on reopening airspace as the ash dispersed.

Electrostatic Charge The impact of the Eyjafjallajökull

eruption showed improvements were needed in both monitoring and forecasting how volcanic ash spreads, and led the Met Office and NERC to develop a new device capable of detecting small amounts. A first prototype of ZEUS was tested on G-LUXE and, in 2012, aboard a Flybe Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 on flights in Europe. Those trials fed into the development of an advanced version that’s now installed in the BA 747.

ZEUS works by measuring the difference between the level of electrostatic charge on an aircraft in normal conditions and when it flies through airspace where volcanic ash is present. “ZEUS was developed after a pilot in a research aircraft noticed that static levels created by low levels of volcanic ash in the atmosphere caused his hair to stand on end,” a Met Office statement revealed.

Please send all news correspondence [email protected]

g Ash This image: The ZEUS ash detection system will operate on a British Airways Boeing 747-400 for one year. Steve Flint/ AirTeamImages Bottom: Low-cost airline easyJet is introducing AVOID ash detectors into its Airbus fleet in 2015. Rui Alves/ AirTeamImages

NEWS COLUMN

planning flight operations and post-flight inspections of their aircraft and engines. Ian Lisk, the Met Office’s Head of Natural Hazards, said: “While further development is still required, we’re delighted with progress with this prototype volcanic ash sensor to date and the findings we’ve so far received from the tests are very promising.”

‘Pioneering’ British Airways Captain Dean Plumb commented: “We were very keen to be involved in this pioneering research. Aircraft regularly encounter small quantities of ash in flights around the world, perfectly safely, and pilots use expert forecasts to plan their routes to avoid more dense ash clouds. “ZEUS has the potential to provide a clearer picture of ash distribution and could be used to inform decision-making processes in the event of future volcanic eruptions.” Any future system would complement the Met Office’s London Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC), which provides advice for airlines and ANSPs on the likely dispersion of ash clouds emitted from eruptions originating in Iceland and the northeast Atlantic.

AVOID ZEUS isn’t the only new ash-

detecting technology. Low-cost carrier easyJet announced in July 2014 it would introduce Airborne Volcanic Object Identifier and Detector (AVOID) detection units into its aircraft in 2015. Developed by Nicarnica Aviation in collaboration with easyJet and Airbus, AVOID is essentially a modified airborne weather radar that uses infrared sensors to detect tephra particles at altitudes between 1,500m (4,921ft) and 15,000m (49,212ft) and up to 100km (62 miles) ahead of the aircraft. The system transmits information to pilots, airlines’ operations control centres and ANSPs in real time, opening the opportunity for the aircraft’s flight path to be changed to avoid airspace with high ash concentrations. AVOID was tested by Airbus in November 2013 using one of the A400M Atlas flight test aircraft, which released a tonne of artificial ash between 9,000ft (2,743m) and 11,000ft (3,352m). One of Airbus’ A340-300 test aircraft fitted with the AVOID technology then flew towards the ash cloud, identifying and measuring it from around 37 miles (60km) away Nicarnica announced in July 2014 it had signed a partnership with Elbit Systems to integrate the AVOID system into Elbit’s ClearVision Enhanced Vision System.

Density and Distribution The idea is that information from ZEUS will be downloaded and correlated with flight data, such as prevailing weather, speed, altitude and location, to help scientists determine volcanic ash density and distribution. In turn, the Met Office says that could create more accurate ash forecasting – assisting ANSPs make better decisions and airlines in

Please send all news correspondence [email protected]

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Commercial

VistaJet Challenger 350

A VistaJet Bombardier Challenger 350 departs Farnborough, Hampshire on November 19. The Swiss bizjet charter operator was expecting to operate four examples of the type by the end of 2014. Six more are due to be delivered to the company in 2015. Ian Harding

Royal Air Maroc 747 Replacement Royal Air Maroc will in the next couple of months issue an invitation to tender for a new aircraft to replace its sole Boeing 747 (CNRGA, c/n 25629). The Moroccan

2

Q400S FOR AIR COTE D’IVOIRE

NEWS BY NUMBERS

Air Cote d’Ivoire has received two Bombardier Q400 NextGen turboprops it ordered in December 2013. The Ivory Coast’s national airline has options on another two examples. The carrier, 65% owned by the Ivory Coast government, 20% by Air France and 15% by Goldenrod, launched in November 2012 and currently serves 19 destinations in West Africa. It also operates three Airbus A319s, one A320 and one Embraer 170. Chief Executive Officer Rene Decurey recently said the airline planned to acquire an additional three to six Airbus types by 2017. Guy Martin

3

A319S FOR FASTJET TANZANIA Fastjet Tanzania has leased an Airbus A319 (msn 226, previously operated by South African Airways) from ICBC Leasing, bringing its total of the type to three. Fastjet has been granted an air service permit to begin operations in Zambia, from where it plans to operate to destinations in eastern and southern Africa. The carrier has also been awarded Ugandan Fifth Freedom traffic rights and, once it gets its Ugandan Air Operators Certificate, will be able to begin domestic and international operations from there to Johannesburg, Juba, Nairobi and Kigali using Tanzanian aircraft. Guy Martin

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flag carrier said the Airbus A380 was the leading contender but Boeing is expected to offer its latest 747-8 Intercontinental. The new aircraft will be tasked with

3

AW139S TO INDONESIA

AgustaWestland has sold three AW139 intermediate twin helicopters to undisclosed Indonesian government and commercial operators for use in the support of the offshore oil and gas industry. The aircraft will be delivered in 2015 and 2016.

scheduled operations, occasionally transporting the royal family and shuttling visitors to Mecca on Muslim Hajj pilgrimage flights. The airline will also in 2015

issue a request for proposals to manufacturers for new singleaisle aircraft as part of its plans to increase its fleet from 47 to 105 aircraft by 2025. Guy Martin

Avicopter Unveils AC3X2

Nigel Pittaway

7

E175S FOR SKYWEST SkyWest Airlines is to operate seven Embraer E175s in an expansion of its capacity purchase agreement with Alaska Airline. The E-Jets will be the first examples to wear Alaska’s livery. Three will be delivered in summer 2015 and the remainder in Q1 2016. Their first routes, starting in July 2015, will be Seattle-Milwaukee, Seattle-Oklahoma City and PortlandSt Louis. Mark Broadbent

50

ENVOY ERJS RE-ASSIGNED American Airlines is to transfer 50 Embraer ERJ-145s from its Envoy regional arm to carriers flying services for the American Eagle brand. Fifteen will go to Trans State Airlines and 20 to Piedmont Airlines. The first will be transferred in the spring. Mark Broadbent

Avicopter presented a mock-up of its AC3X2 twin-engine, nine-seat helicopter of the three-ton class, during Airshow China at Zhuhai. The prototype’s maiden flight is scheduled for 2018. Piotr Butowski

Twin Otter Sales Push Viking Air is set to push sales of its Twin Otter Series 400 STOL utility aircraft in sub-Saharan Africa after appointing Mauritius-based Thor Aviation as sales representative for the region. The company will market the type in Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique,

Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Sidney, British Columbia-based Viking Air sees a vast market potential for the type in the region due to its ability to reliably perform in rugged and remote locations with minimal maintenance requirements. Mark Broadbent

Please send all news correspondence [email protected]

Commercial

Patroller in Civil Airspace

The Sagem Patroller on approach to Toulouse-Blagnac. Sagem

Sagem’s Patroller UAV has demonstrated the feasibility of operating unmanned systems in civil airspace alongside manned

aircraft, in trials at ToulouseBlagnac in southwest France. An unspecified École Nationale d’Aviation Civile (ENAC) aircraft

flew near the Patroller to test the UAV’s anti-collision systems, which include an electro-optical sensor and an automatic risk

Comlux Commits to 737 BBJs Swiss VIP charter operator Comlux Aviation ordered two Boeing Business Jets (BBJ) MAX 8s at the Middle East Business Aviation (MEBA) show in Dubai. This represents the first BBJ MAX order from a European company. The aircraft will be delivered in 2019 and are expected to be used for Middle Eastern and European clients. They will replace one of

Comlux’s three Airbus ACJ319s and its ACJ320 which make up the operator’s large-size, long-range fleet. Comlux has flown ACJ320s since starting operations in 2003. This is Boeing’s third order for the BBJ MAX since its April 2014 launch; the other two customers remain undisclosed. Boeing Business Jets said during MEBA that the orders for 13

aircraft of all types accrued in 2014 were the most in a year since the 2008 economic downturn and the resulting decrease in business aircraft sales. Thirty percent of the sales have come from Middle Eastern customers, who have placed commitments for the bizjet versions of the Boeing 747-8, 777 and 787 as well as 737s. Separately, Lufthansa Technik

Frontier Airlines ATR Customer Lion Air Group Boeing Customer Ryanair SBMC Aviation Capital Unidentified customers Unidentified customers VIP customers VIP customer Virgin Atlantic Airways Bombardier Customer China Express Airlines Falcon Aviation Holdings Petroleum Aviation Services Embraer Customer SkyWest Airlines

Aircraft A320neo A330-900neo A350-900 A321ceo

Number 35, purchase agreement 25 25 9

Date December 1 November 20 November 20 November 24

Aircraft ATR72-600

Number 40

Date November 27

Aircraft 737 MAX 200 737 MAX 8 737 737 737 737 787-9

Number 100 (firms September 8 agreement) 80 10 30 2 1 1

Date December 1 November 10 November 11 November 18 November 18 November 25 November 25

Aircraft CRJ900 NextGen Dash 8 Q400 CRJ900 NextGen

Number 16 plus 8 options (confirms previously undisclosed customer) 3 1, purchase agreement

Date November 8 November 10 November 10

Aircraft E175

Number 7

Date November 24

Compiled by Mark Broadbent

Please send all news correspondence [email protected]

Mark Broadbent

revealed in early December that it is currently undertaking the cabin completions on two head of state 747-8 aircraft. The German company will have worked on 19 747 family aircraft since its first 747SP for a Middle Eastern government customer in the mid1980s. It is in “concrete talks” for completions with further Jumbo customers. Mark Broadbent

Mi-171A2 Flies

COMMERCIAL ORDERS Airbus Customer Azul Brazilian Airlines Delta Air Lines

collision function. The Patroller also performed approaches to the airport to prove its ability to comply with air traffic control procedures. France’s air navigation safety agency, the Direction de la Sécurité de la Navigation Aérienne, and Rockwell Collins (which manufactures the Patroller’s avionics) were also involved in the trials, which were part of Sagem’s contribution to the Operational Demonstration of RPAS (remotely piloted aircraft systems) in European Airspace (ODREA) project. ODREA is part of the European Commission’s Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) programme to modernise civilian air traffic management.

Russian Helicopters’ Mil Mi171A2 heavy-lift helicopter made its first flight on November 25. A video posted by the company on its YouTube channel showed the flight started with a hover, before the pilot, Salivat Sadriev, Russian Helicopters’ commander and test pilot first class, completed a turn above the helipad. The Mi-171A2 then accelerated forwards from the hover and climbed to altitude. The type, the latest variant of the long-running Mi-8/Mi-17 family, has two 2,700shp (1,985kW) VK2500PS-03 engines equipped with full authority digital engine control. A glass cockpit features a Kret KBO-17 avionics suite. The main rotor blades, main rotor hub and swash plate are made from composites. The Mi-171A2, which will be able to carry 24 passengers, is primarily marketed for domestic civil operators. Certification is scheduled for 2015. Mark Broadbent

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MILITARY F-35A LIGHTNING II

M

ajor Laurens-Jan Vijge of the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) made history on December 18, 2013, when he became the first Dutch pilot – as well as the first non-US pilot – ever to fly the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II, the type selected to replace the F-16 MLU (Mid-Life Update) within the RNLAF. That day, Maj Vijge flew the first-built Dutch F-35A (AN-01, RNLAF serial F-001 and FMS 09-5008) from Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, for a 70 minute training sortie. He is one of

four RNLAF pilots selected to participate in the tri-national F-35 Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E) programme, to be conducted at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in 2015-2019. A total of 36 RNLAF personnel – pilots, aircraft technicians and support personnel – will be involved in the OT&E. All of them get their training at the F-35 Integrated Training Center, hosted by the US Air Force’s 33rd Fighter Wing (FW) at Eglin, before moving on to Edwards to take on their new, challenging jobs.

Programme Involvement Although it took until September 17, 2013, for the Dutch government to announce its final decision to replace the current

RNLAF fleet of 61 F-16s with at least 37 F-35As, the nation has been committed to the F-35 programme for much longer. On June 5, 2002, the Netherlands signed an $800 million contract to become a Level 2 partner in the System Development and Demonstration phase of the Joint Strike Fighter, as the F-35 was still known then. Signing of a Memorandum of Understanding for participation in the Production, Sustainment and Follow-on Development phase followed on November 14, 2006, and on May 30, 2008, Parliament decided to take part in the initial OT&E phase. This decision put the Netherlands in a rather unique position, as it is one of only three nations participating in the F-35 OT&E – the others being the US and the UK, the

Dutch Gorillas Gorill 38

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s

F-35A LIGHTNING II MILITARY only Level 1 partner. “I believe that we are very fortunate in joining the OT&E here in the US, because we would never be able to conduct such an expensive and complex programme on our own,” said Maj Vijge. Col Bert de Smit, commanding officer of the Netherlands F-35 OT&E Detachment, added: “We have two main goals with our OT&E participation: to validate the F-35A to make sure it meets the Dutch requirements for a new combat aircraft; and to develop and lay down procedures, tactics and possible shortcomings to enable the F-35A to enter RNLAF service for both training and real-time operations in a efficient, effective and safe manner.”

Test Aircraft Participation in the OT&E required acquisition of at least two test aircraft by the Dutch MoD. Because a final decision on the F-16 replacement aircraft had not been taken at the time, this meant that two F-35As needed to be bought ahead of the aircraft that would actually replace the F-16 fleet – which could technically still be of another type. The RNLAF has always favoured the F-35 as its future fighter. Several candidate comparison reports – two of which were ordered by the Dutch Parliament – all mentioned the F-35A as the most suitable aircraft to replace the F-16. Yet acquisition of F-35s

has been politically controversial for more than a decade in the Netherlands, mainly due to the high investment costs and a number of critical reports published both in and outside the country. After much debate, the Dutch Parliament nevertheless agreed upon the procurement of a single LRIP (Low Rate Initial Production) lot 3 F-35A (AN-01) in April 2009, while the final go-ahead for the acquisition of a second test aircraft from LRIP 4 (AN-02) was given in April 2011. Aircraft AN-01 made its maiden flight 2 from Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas, on August 6, 2012, and was handed over to the Dutch MoD on July

Arnaud Boxman and Kees van der Mark spoke with Dutch pilots and technicians at Eglin Air Force Base about the preparations being made to participate in the tri-national F-35 Operational Test and Evaluation programme

1 1 F-35A F-002 is one of two Lightning IIs acquired by the RNLAF for test purposes. All images Kees van der Mark and Arnaud Boxman unless noted 2 The 58th Fighter Squadron badge.

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Liz Kaszynski/Lockheed Martin

1

25, 2013. The next day, a US Air Force pilot ferried the Dutch jet to Eglin, accompanied by two RNLAF F-16s assigned to the 148th Fighter Squadron (FS) at Tucson Air National Guard Base, Arizona. Aircraft AN-02 (RNLAF serial F-002, FMS 10-5019) took to the air for the first time on June 27, 2013, and was delivered on September 12, 2013. Both aircraft were held in flyable storage pending the final decision on F-16 replacement. Between August and November 2013, AN-01 was briefly involved in the F-35 development programme at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, where it was used for 2 ground tests with simulated lightning strikes. 3 While at Eglin, the RNLAF jets and personnel are integrated into the 58th FS ‘Gorillas’. As an LRIP 3 aircraft, AN-01 was delivered with Block 1B software, whereas AN-02 had the Block 2A version installed when delivered. Both versions differ in many aspects, as Col De Smit explained: “The G limit of the Block 1B aircraft is a bit more restricted than in the 2A version,” he said. “Furthermore, almost all sensors can be used in the 2A, which is not the case in the 1B variant. Therefore, the start-up procedures for both versions differ.” In February 2014, AN-01 entered a concurrency modifications programme with the Ogden Air Logistics Complex at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. It returned to Eglin in mid-June. Next, AN-02 entered the modification programme in July and was expected back at Eglin in November. Finally, AN-01 will be brought to Block 2B software standard in mid-December. The second aircraft relocates to Edwards towards the end of December, still with Block 2A software fitted – it will be modified to 2B standard in early 2015. When delivered, AN-02 was already fully instrumented, including additional, orange-coloured wiring used for

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F-35A LIGHTNING II MILITARY

test purposes. This jet is likely to stay the RNLAF’s dedicated test aircraft, also after 2019. For its participation in the OT&E, the first aircraft will also be instrumented.

Focus on Training The Dutch government’s proposal in September 2013 to acquire at least 35

1 Col Bert de Smit puts on his Generation II helmet before a continuation training sortie in a US Air Force F-35A. 2 Once the RNLAF detachment moves to Edwards Air Force Base, it will lose the support of Lockheed Martin technicians during day-to-day operations. 3 Assisted by an US Air Force crew chief, Col Bert de Smit on walk-around prior to a mission in a 58th Fighter Squadron F-35A. 4 One of the 58th Fighter Squadron F-35As at rest outside its sun shelter after a day’s flying at Eglin.

additional F-35As and the subsequent approval by a majority in the Parliament on November 6, 2013, cleared the way for the MoD to focus on the training of personnel selected to participate in the F-35 OT&E. “When we commenced training here at Eglin at the end of 2013, we were about a year behind schedule compared to our 4

RE-BIRTH OF 323 SQUADRON The Dutch Defence White Paper published in September 2013 revealed the government’s intention to reduce the number of operational RNLAF F-16 squadrons from four to three in 2014. Consequently, 323 Tactical Training, Evaluation and Standardisation (TACTES) Squadron was formally de-activated at Leeuwarden Air Base on October 31, 2014. Colocated 322 Squadron took over the TACTES role, which includes organising the Fighter Weapons Instructor Training courses for the European Participating Air Forces within the F-16 community (comprising the air forces of Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Portugal) as well as the annual Frisian Flag exercises. On November 4, just four days after its de-activation, 323 Test, Evaluation and Standardisation Squadron,

as it is now called, was re-established as the first RNLAF F-35 squadron at a ceremony held at Eglin Air Force Base. During the ceremony, the commanding officer (CO) of Leeuwarden Air Base, Col Gerbe Verhaaf, handed over 323 Squadron’s standard to Col Bert de Smit, CO of the Netherlands F-35 OT&E Detachment. One of the other three F-35 pilots will become 323 TES Squadron’s CO in the near future. The squadron’s resurrection allows the 323 number plate – used within the RNLAF almost continuously since the squadron’s inception on November 15, 1948 – to live on. Back in 1948, it was the first operational Dutch squadron equipped with jet fighters when it started operating the Gloster Meteor F4. Now it is the first Dutch unit flying the F-35A, the RNLAF’s latest jet.

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MILITARY F-35A LIGHTNING II

RNLAF F-35 SERVICE INTRODUCTION According to current plans, the RNLAF should receive at least 37 F-35As, including the two test aircraft delivered in 2013. Eight aircraft will enter service annually in 2019-2022, with the final three delivered in 2023. At the same time, the RNLAF’s F-16 fleet will gradually be reduced from 61 in 2019 to 55 in 2020, 45 in 2021, 34 in 2022, and finally 24 in 2023. The last F-16s are expected to

retire in 2024. Like the F-16s, the majority of the F-35s will fly from the two main operating bases at Leeuwarden and Volkel in the Netherlands, while five should be based at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, for pilot training. Delivery of the first F-35As to an operational RNLAF squadron is expected to be in the course of 2019, when Leeuwarden-based 322 Squadron converts to the

OT&E partners,” said Col De Smit. “But we have worked hard to make up for lost time, and I am confident that we will be ready by the end of this year, in time to start the test phase in January as planned.” Col De Smit continued: “For us, Eglin is an intermediate stop on our way to Edwards. Once we proceed to the Californian base, we will have gained enough F-35-related knowledge and proficiency. Eglin-based RNLAF personnel are scheduled to relocate gradually to Edwards between October and January. While preparing for the OT&E, we have two main activities: train all personnel involved here at Eglin, and prepare our stay at Edwards. The latter includes arranging infrastructural aspects such as building working spaces, including the use of standard containers similar to the ones we use when deploying abroad for an 1 operational mission, and installing our own computer network. But we are also working on agreements between the partners on how to co-operate within the OT&E programme.” After concluding his conversion in January, Maj Vijge continued his training to become an F-35A instructor pilot (IP). As such, he played a major role in the conversion of the other Dutch pilots. The second RNLAF pilot to convert was Col De Smit, who took an F-35A to the air for the first time on April 8, 2014. The other two Dutch pilots involved in the OT&E programme are Maj Ian Knight – who made his first flight in the new jet

2

42

1,2&3 This weapons loading trainer is among devices used by maintainers for hands-on training at Eglin’s Academic Training Centre. 4 A bi-lateral agreement on the use of each other’s jet permits Dutch pilots to fly in US F-35As during their training at Eglin, while US Air Force pilots are allowed to fly the RNLAF jets. 5 Maj Laurens-Jan Vijge became the first Dutch pilot to fly the F-35A on December 18, 2013.

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new jet. Benefitting from the experience of Dutch participation in the OT&E programme, 322 Squadron is scheduled to gain its initial operational capability status in 2021. Volkel-based 312 and 313 Squadrons will be next in line to convert to the F-35A. Dutch F-35 pilots will be trained at Luke starting in 2018/2019, whereas aircraft technicians undergo their F-35 training at Eglin Air Force Base.

on October 1 – and Maj Pascal Smaal. All four Dutch pilots have a lot of operational experience in the F-16 and are qualified weapons instructors. They are among the few non-US Air Force pilots converting to the F-35 with the 58th FS at Eglin; the only other foreign pilot being the first Australian pilot scheduled to fly the F-35A in early 2015 (see Non-US Pilots at Eglin p43). Once the 56th FW at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, commences F-35A training in the Spring of 2015, all pilots from partner nations that acquired the ‘A’ version of the aircraft will get their training at Luke, alongside US Air Force pilots. Although training at Eglin will continue, Luke will be the US Air Force’s main location for F-35A pilot training, with 144 aircraft assigned. The first operational RNLAF pilots are

3

expected to enter their F-35 conversion at Luke in 2018/2019.

Learning to Fly the F-35A “For experienced fighter pilots, converting to the F-35 only takes a couple of months,” according to Col De Smit. “The syllabus is still constrained, due to the Block 1B and 2A software versions and the related flight envelope limitations of the aircraft.” When the 26th and final F-35A was delivered to the 58th FS at Eglin on May 28, 2014, nine aircraft had Block 1B software fitted and 17 had Block 2A. “In their current versions, the jets are not able to fly all missions yet,” said De Smit. “But they will gain a lot more capabilities when future software blocks become available. Because of the constraints, we do not fly BFM [basic fighter manoeuvres] and ACM [air combat manoeuvring] missions yet, and we perform no weapon deliveries either. The use of avionics is also limited for the time being.” Pilot training at Eglin starts with five weeks of academic classes in the Academic Training Centre (ATC), with the aid of interactive courseware, electronically mediated lectures and a pilot training aid. Next are four weeks of device training, with a single session in the ejection seat maintenance trainer and 18 rides in the 360° dome full mission simulator (FMS), four of which are located in the ATC. “The FMS is very representative of the real jet in many respects, much more so than the

F-35A LIGHTNING II MILITARY

4

NON-US PILOTS AT EGLIN Apart from the four Dutch pilots and Sqn Ldr Andrew Jackson, who is the first Australian pilot learning to fly the F-35 at Eglin, the only other non-US F-35 pilots trained at Eglin are four from the UK. Because the UK acquired the F-35B variant, they went through their conversion with Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501 (VMFAT-501) ‘Warlords’, which was also part of the 33rd FW at Eglin until its move to Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina, this Autumn.

5

F-16 unit level trainers at our squadrons,” said Col De Smit. “Of course the FMS has to provide very realistic training, because you cannot fly with an IP in the backseat since there is no dual seat version of the F-35. In the FMS, you learn to fly the aircraft and get to know the landing, emergency and instrument procedures. Due to the high quality of the simulator training, my step from my last FMS ride to flying the real jet for the first time was a very small one. I would even say that the aircraft is easier to fly than the simulator, due to the feedback you get when flying. “Being this well prepared, I experienced no surprises whatsoever during my first flight. I found it relatively easy to convert from the F-16 to the F-35. Because both are Lockheed Martin products, there are many similarities between the two types. When comparing performance, I would say that the F-35 turns like an F-16 with pylon tanks; but it climbs, descends and accelerates like a clean F-16. The power of the aircraft is really impressive. The Generation II helmet is also phenomenal. It is very stable when moving your head and much more comfortable than the JHMCS [Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System] helmet we use in the F-16.”

Six Sorties In the training syllabus the Dutch pilots went through, it takes no more than six sorties in

the F-35A to finish the conversion. These are usually flown in three weeks. “We start with general flying, local procedures and pattern flying, and add instrument flying in the second and third sortie,” said Col De Smit. “After that, it is time for more mission-related trips: the fourth sortie focuses on air-to-air, the fifth on air-to-ground missions. The latter includes engaging ground targets using the aircraft’s tracking system, as well as practicing formation approaches. The final sortie is a check ride. All six sorties are flown together with an instruction pilot, who flies a second jet as your wingman.” Initially, there was also a taxi ride between the simulator missions and the first sortie in the real jet. This was done to familiarise the pilot with the procedures, including start-up, taxiing and shut-down. But the taxi ride was recently cancelled from the syllabus, because in the end it did not seem to add much. “It was rather disappointing to taxi to the runway, only to return to the flight line without taking off that day,” according to Col De Smit.

Cooperation It did not take long for Maj Vijge to become familiar with the F-35. “I flew ten sorties in February as part of my IP and continuation training. By March, I felt really comfortable

British pilots, Wg Cdr Jim Beck (CO) and Lt Cdr Ian Tidball, are already serving with the RAF’s No.17 Test and Evaluation Squadron at Edwards. Sqn Ldr Frankie Buckler will move to Edwards in 2016. Together with some 65 British maintenance and support personnel, they will work alongside the Dutch OT&E team and their US colleagues in the Joint Operational Test Team (JOTT). The fourth UK pilot trained at Eglin, Flt Lt Hugh Nichols, is an instructor pilot with VMFAT-501 at Beaufort.

in the cockpit. Flying the F-35 became a routine, I now recognize the aircraft’s behaviour and sounds, and react to them automatically. I even tend to forget how things worked in the F-16. For me, these are indications that the jet has been designed very well. This also applies to the complete F-35 training system, if you ask me.” Maj Vijge arrived at Eglin in 2012, well ahead of the rest of the RNLAF personnel, in order to prepare their training. “For a long time, I was that single Dutch guy in the 58th Fighter Squadron. But due to the way we work within the Dutch F-16 community, I did not find it difficult to blend in to a US Air Force squadron. We use more or less the same standards, allowing our pilots and maintainers to adapt to their way of training relatively easily. The other way around, I believe it’s good for the US personnel to get used to cooperating closely with our people, because that is what we will be doing at Edwards as well.”

Training the Maintainers Along with the pilots, the 32 remaining RNLAF personnel for the OT&E were also trained at Eglin. They included 20 aircraft technicians, two maintenance officers and four IT specialists working with the F-35’s Autonomic Logistics Information System, as well as six specialists in fields such as logistics, intelligence, analysis and operations.

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MILITARY F-35A LIGHTNING II

F-35 OT&E DETAILS The tri-national initial OT&E programme at Edwards Air Force Base officially starts on January 1, 2015, with Block 2B software tests and evaluation carried out in 2015/2016. In the course of 2016, the F-35s go through software and concurrency modifications, before the second part of the OT&E, dedicated to the Block 3F software standard, is held in 2017/2018. The OT&E programme is expected to run until 2019, when the evaluation report will be finalised. At Edwards, the Joint Operational Test Team (JOTT) will eventually have 23 F-35s at its disposal. Within the JOTT, each of the five participating air arms operates the test aircraft in its own unit. The six US Air Force F-35As are assigned to the 31st Test and Evaluation Squadron,

and the two RNLAF F-35As to 323 Test, Evaluation and Standardisation Squadron. Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 22 (VMX-22) ‘Argonauts’ will have six F-35Bs available while two, and later three, F-35Bs from the UK will be operated by the RAF’s No.17 Test and Evaluation Squadron. Finally, six US Navy F-35Cs are scheduled to join the rest of the aircraft at Edwards for the Block 3F test phase in 2017/2018. At Edwards, the US Navy jets will operate within a detachment from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 9 (VX-9) ‘Vampires’ based at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California. Throughout the F-35 OT&E, an estimated 2,200 test sorties will be flown from Edwards, as well as 10,000 sorties to develop tactical and training procedures, and

Like the pilots, the maintainers took their academic classes in Eglin’s ATC, using interactive courseware and electronically mediated lectures. For academic hands-on training, the ATC’s aircraft system maintenance trainer, ejection seat maintenance trainer, and weapons loading trainer were available. Unlike the pilot training, which is tailored to experienced pilots, the maintainers training has a much more general approach, also aiming at technicians with basic knowledge. Col De Smit said: “The maintainers we selected to become the first Dutch F-35 aircraft technicians have worked on F-16s for years. As a result they experienced the pace of the training programme as being too slow.” Nevertheless, there was a lot for them to learn as well, as the Dutch OT&E boss confirmed: “The period at Eglin was a good opportunity for our maintainers to gain on the

a further 700 or so support sorties. The OT&E will include 36 missile firings, 120 weapon drops and the use of 22,000 25mm rounds. The OT&E will also require numerous rides in a full mission simulator – not so much to train the pilots but to establish whether the F-35A is really capable of flying complex missions. Although Edwards will act as the primary base during the OT&E, there will also be 12 deployments to aircraft carriers, amphibious ships and other airfields. The latter include Alpena Air National Guard Base (ANGB), Michigan; Volk Field ANGB, Wisconsin; Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona; Naval Air Station Lemoore; California; and Duke Field, Florida. Primary range to be used is the Nevada Test and Training Range.

job experience on the F-35 before moving on to Edwards. Which is important, because at Edwards we will be pretty much on our own as far as maintenance support from Lockheed Martin is concerned.” One of the aspects that is new to the Dutch technicians is the low observable coating of the aircraft. The fact that only one of the Dutch F-35s was available at Eglin during most of 2014 did not really hamper training of the Dutch pilots, since a bi-lateral agreement allows them to fly US Air Force jets as well. But the limited presence of the RNLAF aircraft did affect the on-the-job training of Dutch technicians, since by airworthiness regulations they are only allowed to work on Dutch jets.

On to Edwards By January, the Netherlands F-35 OT&E

Detachment, including 323 Test, Evaluation and Standardisation Squadron (see ReBirth of 323 Squadron p41), will be in place at Edwards to start Dutch participation in the test programme. Edwards is not unfamiliar ground to the RNLAF: since 2009, a team of three RNLAF people and a civil technical engineer employed by the National Aerospace Laboratory NLR have worked within the F-35 Integrated Test Force at Edwards to take part in the Developmental Test and Evaluation phase. And in the mid 1990s, the RNLAF was involved in the F-16 MLU DT&E programme, also ran at Edwards. “Even for the US forces, this OT&E programme is bigger than they have previously completed with any other aircraft [see panel on this page]. Another novelty for them is working with international partners from the start,” according to Col De Smit. “Capability-wise, we make a huge step from the F-16 to our first fifth generation jet. Participating in the OT&E gives us the chance to prepare its service introduction thoroughly. Once we reach the operational capability status with the F-35, we want to be ready to fly complex missions during out-of-area operations, and be able to manage all related maintenance and logistical aspects. This approach enables us to reach that level of preparation. Of course there will be issues left that we have to deal with once we operate the F-35 in the Netherlands – for instance, how to interact with our fighter controllers.” According to Col De Smit, a lot has happened in the past year, with RNLAF personnel learning to work with the F-35A at Eglin and meanwhile preparing for Dutch OT&E participation at Edwards. But there is much more to come in the next four years, when the F-35’s capabilities gradually become available with the release of new software versions, and the aircraft matures to its full operational potential. Or as Col De Smit concluded: “We are now learning to crawl. Once we fly the Block 2B jet we walk, and with the Block 3F configured aircraft we will be running.”

A 58th FS F-35A about to emerge from its sun shelter on Eglin’s flight line at the start of another training sortie.

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A380

super jumbo in service The Network The Airports The Aircraft The Cabins

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super jumbo in service A380

47

A380 F

take-off weight and carries the most people of any passenger airliner ever made. No wonder it gets the kind of widespread recognition from members of the public as the Boeing 747 or Concorde. By December 2014 a total of 144 A380s had been delivered to airlines across the globe. These aircraft have now carried

a combined 65 million passengers. On average, an A380 takes off or lands somewhere every four minutes. This special publication focuses not just on the aircraft but on how the A380 is being used by airlines, the features provided for customers on board and how airports handle it. Mark Broadbent Editor

Steve Flint/AirTeamImages

ew airliners can make people stop and look, quite like the A380 does. Europe’s super jumbo is not the largest aircraft – that’s the giant one-off Antonov An225 Mryia – but it’s still an aircraft of superlatives. It has the widest wingspan, the greatest

48 The Aircraft

63 On Board

52 The Engines 56 The Cockpit 57 Building the Giant 58 The Network

67 Connectivity

Incremental improvements as the global fleet grows

Enhancing performance

The A380’s advanced glass cockpit

How an A380 is assembled

Round the world, hub-to-hub

Suites, apartments and fine dining – the A380 is a flagship for network airlines

Staying in touch on the super jumbo internet access, mobile phone coverage and live TV

68

Airports

The A380’s impact on airport infrastructure and air traffic control

70 The A380 in Numbers

Facts, figures and specifications of the largest passenger airliner ever built

Editor: Mark Broadbent Designer: Dave Robinson Sub Editors: Sue Blunt, Carol Randall, Norman Wells & Paul Watson Advertising Manager: Ian Maxwell Production Manager: Janet Watkins Commercial Director: Ann Saundry Executive Chairman: Richard Cox Managing Director & Publisher: Adrian Cox Acknowledgements: Airbus, Engine Alliance, Heathrow Ltd, JLS Consulting, Lufthansa, Manchester Airport, NATS, Qatar Airways, Rolls-Royce, Singapore Airlines. Published by Key Publishing Ltd, PO Box 100, Stamford, Lincolnshire, PE9 1XQ, UK Tel: +44 (0)1780 755131 Subscription: [email protected] Website: www.keypublishing.com

A380 super jumbo in service

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AIRBUS CONTINUES TO DEVELOP THE A380 AS THE GLOBAL FLEET EXPANDS

T

his distinctive airliner is now more than seven years into its operational career – the first revenue flights were conducted by Singapore Airlines in October 2007 – and is used by 12 airlines. The latest operator is Qatar Airways, which began flying the type on revenue services in October. A 13th airline, the United Arab Emirates’ flag carrier Etihad Airways, is scheduled to put the ‘super jumbo’ into service just after Christmas on its Abu Dhabi-London Heathrow route. While it’s now established in service, Airbus continues to develop its flagship product with structural changes and new cabin options.

Wing Twist “The aircraft as originally designed achieved a very good aerodynamic performance,” John Roberts, UK Chief Engineer for the A380 told AIR International. But several aerodynamic changes have been made to enhance performance, which included tweaking the wing’s angle of attack by 1.5 degrees. “The exact shape of the wing during flight affects the fuel burn,” Roberts explained. “The shape is determined by the loading in flight and the preshaping created during manufacture. It was shown that a minor change to the shape created in manufacture would give an improved profile in flight. “It is referred to as a twist change as it’s the relative position of the wing tip to wing root whilst in the manufacturing jig. This modification was successful and is now in service.”

THEA

Gust Load Alleviation Another aerodynamic improvement was a gust load alleviation function. This sees the ailerons deploy during turbulent conditions to distribute gusts across the wings and ensure the airflow across the huge 72.72m (238.5ft) span remains optimal to minimise drag. “The system is so sensitive that we can move the flight controls based on sensing the gust conditions and the general air conditions around the aircraft,” explained Tom Williams, Executive Vice President Programmes, during a presentation at Airbus’ 2013 Innovation Days trade briefing in Toulouse. This technology is also being used by Airbus on its A350 XWB and the longer-range version of the A330. A further innovation was the use of a high-pressure hydraulic system. “Operating at 5,000psi, [this] reduces the use of hydraulic fluid lines and the size of actuators that operate the aircraft’s primary flight control system,” said Airbus, when it announced the innovation in 2012.

Weight Variants The A380’s standard maximum take-off weight (MTOW) is 560,000kg (1,234,558lb), but Airbus has expanded the number of weight variants available for the type. Customers can now choose from nine options, from 490,000kg (1,080,265lb) all the way up to 575,000kg (1,267,658lb). Airbus says the latter option, introduced in 2013 and achieved by making structural reinforcements to the aircraft’s centre wing box, belly

super jumbo in service A380

49

EAIRCRAFT

Seating Options Modifications haven’t been limited to the aircraft’s structure. An Airbus spokesperson told AIR International the company is “pursuing innovations that will improve the aircraft’s productivity” for airlines. An optional 11-abreast economy seating configuration is available both as a line-fit and as a retrofit on in-service aircraft. “This enables airlines to add up to 30 more economy seats on the A380’s main deck, thus allowing them to offer even more competitively-priced seats, whilst maintaining the industry-leading 18in (457mm)-wide seat comfort for long-haul travel,” an Airbus spokesperson told AIR International. Williams explained during his presentation at the 2014 Innovation Days that the space for the extra seats was found by slightly reducing the thickness of the cabin sidewall lining. “On the sidewalls of the A380 you’ve got a pretty deep section, you don’t have to go in too much [in order to get the extra space],” he said. Another new seating option is a nine-abreast premium economy layout

on the main deck. This, the Airbus spokesperson explained, “allows airlines to improve their revenue potential and differentiation with a new cabin product, while keeping a highly efficient use of the cabin”.

Flexibility Providing different payload variants and seat layouts is designed to maximise the A380’s flexibility, Williams explained during his 2013 Innovation Days presentation. “What we’re trying to do is to offer customers different options to make different permutations on different routes for those customers that want better long range [performance], for customers looking for regional routes or even a mix on the same aircraft,” he said.

A380neo Might this continual innovation lead to a new engine option (neo)? That question has been on the minds of analysts and the media for months. Emirates, which accounts for over a third of A380 orders, is keen to see Airbus re-engine the aircraft. The Gulf airline’s President, Sir Tim Clark, was quoted in June by multiple media outlets as saying a re-engine “is definitely worth having” as it could provide “an improvement in economics of up to 10-12%”. In an interview broadcast by industry resource Routes on its website during

Steve Flint/AirTeamImages

fairing and fuselage, enables airlines to fly 500 nautical miles (900km) further or carry eight tonnes more payload. Roberts told AIR International the work continues to finesse the A380’s performance. “Current studies cover a wide range of airframe improvements,” he said. “Examples include possible material and aerodynamic changes to wingtip devices.”

A380 super jumbo in service

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A380 INNOVATIONS

Wing Twist

Singapore Airlines

This involved moving the wing’s angle of attack by 1.5 degrees to improve aerodynamic flow.

Gust Load Alleviation

Ailerons deploy to distribute gusts across the wings in turbulent conditions.

Cabin

Weight Options

New nine-abreast and 11-abreast seat layouts are available, both as line-fit and retrofit options.

Airbus offers nine maximum take-off weight options for the aircraft, ranging from 490,000kg (1,080,265lb) to 575,000kg (1,267,658lb).

the World Routes Strategy Summit in Chicago in September 2014, Clark said the Gulf airline may order, “another 60 or 70 on top of the 140” if the A380 was re-engined. Speaking at the 2014 Innovation Days, Williams said: “I don’t feel any rush for us to make a decision [on a neo]. The backlog is still good enough and we’ve got campaigns that we’re still pursuing. If we’re going to do something we’d have to be convinced it’ll be significantly better. The aircraft has got great range and capability today, it’s got a lot of assets in the marketplace.”

Stretch Williams said there was also no urgency over producing an A380-900, the stretched version of the aircraft that could potentially seat nearly 900 passengers. “There’s an awful lot you could do with the real estate that exists today before you have to worry about stretching,” Williams said in response to a question on the subject. “If you’re going to do a stretch, the question would be ‘what’s the business case?’. Step one is to optimise and make good use of the real estate that’s already there and then maybe in the future look at what you could do.”

ORDERS AND DELIVERIES Customer Air Austral Air France Amedeo Asiana Airlines British Airways China Southern Airlines Emirates Airline Etihad Airways

Ordered 2 12 20 6 12 5 140 10

Kingdom Holding Company Korean Air Lufthansa Malaysia Airlines Qantas Airways Qatar Airways Singapore Airlines Thai Airways International Transaero Airlines Unidentified Virgin Atlantic Airways Totals

1 10 14 6 20 10 24 6 4 10 6 318

Delivered 0 (delivery dates TBC) 10 0 (delivery dates TBC) 2 8 5 55 0 (first delivery due December 2014) 0 10 12 6 12 3 19 6 0 (first delivery due 2015) 0 0 (first delivery due 2018) 148

Data correct to December 2014. Figures: Airbus Orders and Deliveries spreadsheet and Planespotters.net

Backlog Airbus still has 171 A380s to deliver from its current backlog (see Orders and Deliveries) with most of these going to Emirates, which is due to receive 85 more. Some orders have been removed from the backlog. In July 2014 Skymark Airlines’ purchase order for six was cancelled. “Airbus terminated the contract when Skymark made it clear that it was not going to perform its contractual obligations,” an Airbus representative told Reuters. In a statement, Skymark said its business environment had been affected by “increased competition and the depreciation of the yen”. The Skymark cancellation came after Airbus revealed at a January 2014 press conference in Toulouse that had it removed Kingfisher Airlines’ commitment for five A380s from the backlog. The Indian airline has not operated since 2012 after having its licence suspended by India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

Deliveries An Airbus spokesperson told AIR International that in 2015 the company expects to deliver around 30 A380s. Most of these will be for existing customers, but will also include the first aircraft for the Russian carrier Transaero Airlines, which has ordered four. Virgin Atlantic Airways was one of the first to commit to the A380 on the type’s launch in December 2000, when it ordered six, but it has deferred deliveries several times (the last occasion, in 2013, pushed them out to 2018). That’s prompted media speculation on whether Virgin intends to take the aircraft at all. In November the airline’s Chief Executive Officer Craig Kreeger said during the World Travel Market conference in London: “Having those options in the event that the world changes and it makes sense [for Virgin] to take the A380, is always something nice to have.” Media reports in 2013 said Air Austral, based on the French island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean, had dropped plans to use the two A380s it ordered back in 2009. When asked by AIR International about this order, Airbus replied: “Our discussions with individual customers remain confidential.” Both Air Austral’s and Virgin Atlantic’s commitments are still in the A380’s backlog.

VLA Market In its latest Global Market Forecast, released in the summer, Airbus predicts there will be 6.7 billion air passengers by 2032, up from 2.9 billion in 2014, and demand for 7,800 widebodies. Boeing, which produces the only current competitor to the A380 in the so-called very large aircraft (VLA) class (those with 400-plus seats) in the form of the 747-8 Intercontinental, has a similarly rosy view of future

Simon Gregory/AirTeamImages

super jumbo in service A380

with slot constraints at some hub airports, will “act as a tailwind in the demand for the [A380] going forward,” because it will drive a need for high-capacity aircraft. Airbus believes its notional 1,500 aircraft will make up 19% of future widebody sales. Which of those visions is correct? Independent aviation consultant John Strickland from JLS Consulting told AIR International: “It’s not truly possible to say what’ll happen in 20-30 years’ time with economic ups and downs, and natural disasters. “We see the long-term trend growing, but we couldn’t have predicted 20 years ago that fairly small but long-range aircraft, like the 787 and A350, would be around.” Only over the long term can it be judged which company’s vision will be proved – or, indeed, if the reality is a combination of both, with VLAs flying certain high-volume trunk routes where market characteristics demand them and twin-jet widebodies fly on others. In the meantime, work continues to improve Europe’s twin-deck giant. “We look to continuously develop it to make it even more efficient,” Airbus told this magazine. “We will continue to listen to the market, to know and anticipate what our customers want, and study how we could further improve our products through different kinds of incremental A380 innovations, even if not all the ideas are followed through.”

growth. In its latest Current Market Outlook to 2033, published in the summer, the American company predicts there’ll be a need for 8,600 widebodies. But the two manufacturers have different projections on how many VLAs will be required. Airbus says that out of its notional 7,800 future widebodies, there’ll be a need for 1,500 VLAs. By contrast, Boeing predicts there’ll be a need for less than half that number, 620. The different projections stem from contrasting business models. Boeing sees only a niche role for VLAs (they make up 7% of its 8,600 widebodies estimate) because it believes the dominant future trend in long-haul air travel will be using twin-engine widebodies on point-to-point routes, cutting out hubs and the need for very high-capacity aircraft. “The new generation of efficient widebody airplanes is helping airlines open new markets that would not have been economically viable in the past,” Boeing adds in its Current Market Outlook. On the other hand, Airbus believes in the growth of what it calls ‘aviation megacities’, which it classifies as airports that handle more than 10,000 long-haul passengers a day. The European company says in the Global Market Forecast there are now 42 such cities worldwide and their number is set to rise to 89 by the 2030s. An Airbus representative told AIR International these factors, combined Weimeng/AirTeamImages

Thai Airways International’s colourful livery. Anthony Guerra/AirTeamImages

THE ENGINES CHRIS KJELGAARD REVIEWS NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN THE TWO ENGINE TYPES POWERING THE A380

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he second of the two Airbus A380 engine types to enter service, the Engine Alliance (EA) GP7200 is unique in being the only large turbofan engine designed and manufactured as a 50/50 design collaboration between two major commercial manufacturers – GE Aviation and Pratt & Whitney (P&W). The arrangement means the posts of Engine Alliance’s President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) swap between the two parent companies every three years. GE Aviation’s Dean Athans, EA’s current President, is about halfway through his three-year term and P&W executive Mike Zapatka is concurrently serving as CFO. EA has made the two-spool GP7200 an unusual design in that it incorporates technologies from two successful, but competing, large turbofan families. These are the GE90 – the GE parts of the GP7200 engine are a 15% physical scale-down (and a 25% thrust scale-down) from the mighty GE90-115B, the world’s most powerful jet engine – and the PW4000 family. More specifically the GP7200 is derived from the PW4098 (the highest-thrust PW4000 version) which powers many Boeing 777-200ERs. P&W makes the GP7200’s 24-blade fan – which, at 116in (2,946mm), is four inches larger in diameter than the fan of the PW4098 so as to meet London/ Heathrow’s stringent noise requirements, but is otherwise very similar. It also makes the fan casing and the GP7200’s low-pressure module, which consists of five low-pressure compressor (LPC) stages, six low-pressure turbine (LPT) stages and the low-pressure spool which connects them and drives the LPC stages using the power developed by the LPT. GE meanwhile makes the GP7200’s core – its nine high-pressure compressor (HPC) stages, single-annular combustor and two high-pressure turbine (HPT) stages. Three suppliers – MTU and Safran subsidiaries Snecma and Techspace Aero – are sub-contractors for the GP7200 programme while Safran subsidiary Aircelle makes the engine’s exhaust nozzle.

GP7200 Reliability With 76 GP7200-powered A380s in service by late November and another customer, Etihad Airways, due to begin operating its first in December, GP7200s (mainly the 72,000lb/320kN-thrust GP7272 version) have now accumulated more than 425,000 flight cycles and some 3.2 million flight hours. To date, the GP7200 has won more than 50% of total A380 engine sales. Although the engine has garnered seven customers so far compared with the Rolls-Royce Trent 900’s ten, Emirates chose the GP7200 to power its first 90 A380s and could choose it again for the additional 50 it’s ordered – for which it hadn’t, by November, announced an engine choice. All three large Middle East-based airlines to have ordered the A380 have selected the GP7200 as have Air France, Korean Air, Russian carrier Transaero Airlines and lessor ILFC. Although GP7200 engines were involved in two in-flight shutdowns in 2012, one for a compressor issue and the other for an HPT problem, Engine Alliance’s President Athans told AIR International in November the turbofan’s latest 12-month rolling reliability average showed there had been “zero rates” of in-flight shutdowns, aborted take-offs or other reliabilityaffecting events during that time. Since the last in-flight shutdown in 2012, GP7200 dispatch reliability has been running better than 99.9%.

HPT Improvements Despite this, EA’s main recent focus for the GP7200 has been to develop HPT modifications “aimed at [improving] durability, particularly for engines operating in and out of the Middle East”, Athans said. The mods – which have already been certificated and were to be introduced by a service bulletin in December – have been thoroughly tested on all the GP7200s to have recently come off the final assembly line at P&W’s

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Emirates is the lead customer for the GP7200. Steve Flint/AirTeamImages Left: A GP7200 under inspection Engine Alliance

Middletown, Connecticut, facility. So far, in-service GP7200s are typically seeing their first engineering shop visits (mainly for HPT blade and other HPT part replacements) after 1,800 to 2,000 flight cycles, according to Athans. But because the very long-range A380 typically operates an average of one cycle a day, or 365 cycles a year, and the first customer’s engine only entered service (with Emirates) in 2008, only now are most early GP7200s starting to have their first shop visits. Athans said the new HPT modifications – some of which are in the combustor, some in the HPT stage 1 nozzle module and some in the HPT stage 2 nozzle module – are aimed at improving durability performance incrementally to ‘push out’ HPT durability to 3,000 cycles. One of the improvements has involved grinding HPT blade shrouds in a new way to produce a “special lobed ground [of each shroud], not a perfect circle”, reducing the clearance between the blades and the casing of the highpressure turbine. The EA plans for the improvements eventually to give customers 3,500-cycle HPT durability in the hot, harsh and sandy Middle East environment where many A380s fly. All in-service engines will be eligible for these upgrades and the company will provide kits for customers to retrofit the mods in 2015,

ACC Software Upgrade Athans revealed the EA has also been working on a software upgrade to improve the GP7200 HPT’s active clearance control (ACC) system during climb, when the engine is working hardest. It will reduce the temperatures of the metal parts in the HPT during climb (when the engine is working hardest) and improve fuel burn by taking cooler air from the HPC and focusing it on the HPT casing and flange, reducing their expansion. According to Athans the upgrade will reduce the clearances between the lining of the turbine casing and the HPT stators and blades, “preventing the hot gas [flowing around each rotating blade tip] from focusing on the outer flow path” created by too-large gaps between the

casing and the tips. Such gaps cause loss of overall engine efficiency and higher than desired metal temperatures, Athans saying the software upgrade optimises [tip] clearance without causing any unintended rotor-stator contact. The EA expects it to produce measurable performance benefits in the existing GP7200 fleet by the fourth quarter of 2015. “It will have a very quick benefit in terms of fuel burn and durability,” said Athans. When Airbus flight-tested the software upgrade on its development A380 in January 2014, only one engine’s digital engine control unit was modified, the other three retaining their existing configuration. “The pilots immediately saw a noticeable difference in fuel burn on the engine Engine Alliance that had it,” he remarked.

New Developments? But EA may have far more up its sleeve. Although Athans said it isn’t looking at any aircraft other than the A380 for its GP7200 development, he revealed that “in the past year, seeing our demand grow, we’ve expanded our engineering team and expended some resources on [studying] potential developments”. The work has proved fruitful. Athans said EA can’t take any decision to perform large-scale development of the GP7200 – or provide a ‘neo’ (new engine option) – without its partners mutually approving a sensible business plan. However, he added: “We’ve done the work and created a product strategy with specific options for what Airbus might request. Our engineering team which studied [GP7200 developments] has made assumptions at several levels of potential scope and has produced various development scenarios. “Airbus is going to determine the scope. The neo is one scope choice, a new engine with a whole new installation and pylon, but Airbus could choose [from] a whole range of scopes. It could be an interim solution. For instance, if Airbus asked for certain noise, weight or fuel-burn targets in the existing installation, we’ll be able to go to our studies and pick one that’s a good match.” Given Athans’ confidence in EA’s ability to do this, perhaps it isn’t coincidental that, three days before AIR International interviewed him on November 18, he was in Dubai.

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The Rolls-Royce Trent 900 The Rolls-Royce Trent 900 is normally available with a maximum takeoff thrust of 72,000lb (320kN) like its competitor, the Engine Alliance GP7200, but it is nevertheless very different from its rival. Resulting from Rolls-Royce’s 45-year experience with three-spool large turbofan engines, the Trent 900 is a fourth-generation development of this highly successful family – which itself represents a major evolution of R-R’s earlier, long-lived, RB211 series of three-spool engines. The Trent and RB211 are unique among large-turbofan engines in having three spools. All other large turbofans have two: a low-pressure (LP) spool linking the fan, low-pressure compressor and low-pressure turbine stages; and a high-pressure (HP) spool, which links the HP compressor and the HP turbine stages. However, all Trent and RB211 engines also have an intermediate-pressure (IP) spool, linking IP compressor and IP turbine stages. The Trent 900 was the first family member to be designed so that its HP spool rotates in the opposite direction to the counter-clockwise rotation of both the LP and IP spools. This helps make the engine core airflow more efficient aerodynamically in terms of compression as it enters the HP compressor and in power generation as it passes through the turbine stages. Although the Trent family’s three-spool designs usually make them heavier than comparable two-spool engines, the presence of their IP modules means their LP spools can rotate more slowly than in two-spool designs in order for the LP turbine to produce the power required to drive all the initial compressor stages. Since the LP spool is also directly linked to the fan, two-spool designs don’t drive the fan at its optimally efficient rotation speed, which is

relatively slow compared to that of the LP turbine. However, Trent engines’ LP spools drive the fan at speeds closer to its optimal rotation speed, making them very efficient for their weight and competitive in performance with two-spool designs.

Engine Architecture Offering a bypass ratio of approximately 8.7 (meaning that the fan produces 8.7 times as much thrust by moving cold air – which never enters the engine core – than the hot core air produces), the Trent 900 has a single-stage LP compressor, an eight-stage IP compressor and a six-stage HP compressor. Behind its compressor stages – which compress the air entering the core by a factor of 39 before it enters the combustor – is a single-stage annular combustor. This mixes the compressed air and fuel, ignites it and exhausts it as a very hot gas. The gas then enters a single-stage HP turbine, then a single-stage IP turbine and then a five-stage LP turbine, which drives the 116in (2,946mm)-diameter fan at the front of the engine and the LP compressor stage behind it. The fan has 3D swept blades, whose tips rotate supersonically – reducing the effect of inlet-air shock waves and making the fan quieter and more efficient. The Trent 900’s fan-containment system is an alltitanium structure and doesn’t feature the additional Kevlar wrap normally used, making the fan casing lighter and smaller. Peter Johnston, Head of Marketing, Trent fleet, cites Rolls-Royce’s Phase 5 combustor technology, employed in all Trents, as a particularly valuable technology. Trents use a single-stage fuel-spray nozzle and single-annular design

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China Southern Airlines uses Trent-powered A380s on its Beijing-Guangzhou shuttle, among other routes. Airbus perfect as an engine company can get.” With 71 Trent 900-powered A380s in service by late November and this fleet having accumulated “just over 420,000” flight cycles and “heading towards four million flight hours”, Trent 900 dispatch reliability is running at 99.9%, above Airbus’ target figure. Trent 900 customers, Singapore Airlines and Lufthansa, achieve extremely high reliability rates with their A380s and Qantas, too, has recorded good service levels since the 2010 incident: the Australian carrier has introduced A380s on its Dallas/Fort Worth-Sydney service, currently the world’s longest non-stop commercial flight. The Trent 900 is also a quiet engine, outside and inside the cabin. Trent 900-powered A380s meet London Heathrow’s stiff QC2.0 take-off and QC0.5 final approach noise standards. According to Johnston, so quiet is the perceived noise of Trent 900s inside the A380 cabin that passengers on China Southern Airlines’ Beijing-Guangzhou A380 shuttle service – a short sector which requires little fuel and very de-rated take-off thrust – sometimes aren’t aware their aircraft has actually taken off.

Enhanced Performance Packages

Trent-powered A380s are now in use on Qantas’ Sydney-Dallas/Fort Worth service, currently the world’s longest non-stop commercial flight. Kavin Kowsari/AirTeamImages

(competing engines use more complex two-stage fuel nozzles and twinannular combustors). The Phase 5 combustors enable the engines to meet ICAO’s future CAEP 8 standards for emissions of nitrogen oxides many years before any current in-service aircraft will actually be required to do so. This makes the Trent 900 “a future-proof engine” in terms of emissions performance, said Johnston.

Reliability Headlines were created with the in-flight shutdown on a Singapore Airlines A380 in September 2009 and the uncontained failure of an IP turbine stage on a Qantas Airways A380 on November 4, 2010. The latter incident created one of the most memorable episodes of airlinepilot flying skill ever, as the crew struggled for hours to bring the crippled super jumbo back for a safe landing at Singapore. Since then, the Trent 900 has been notably problem-free. In the past three years there have been virtually no Trent 900 reliability incidents, according to the manufacturer. Thai Airways International put its first A380 into service in October 2012 and ever since then hasn’t experienced any flight cancellation or delay caused by a Trent 900 problem. “British Airways is very close to the same metric and it’s the same with Malaysia Airlines,” said Johnston. (Their respective A380 service entry dates were September 24, 2013 and July 1, 2012.) China Southern Airlines’ and Asiana Airlines’ experiences have been problem-free too, since their first A380s respectively entered service in October 2011 and June 2014, according to Johnston: “For aircraft entering service in the last two to three years, operations have been as close to

R-R’s development of the Trent 1000 for the Boeing 787 and the Trent XWB for the Airbus A350 XWB has enabled the manufacturer to introduce technologies developed for these newer engines into the Trent 900. It has done so in the form of two Enhanced Performance (EP) packages for in-service and new-build Trent 900s, as part of its continuous improvement programme for the engine. The first EP package, introduced in 2012, focused on reliability and efficiency, and produced about a 1% specific fuel consumption (SFC) improvement. This package included a variety of modifications: elliptical rather than round compressor-blade leading edge profiles; a more sophisticated turbine active clearance control (ACC) system; reduced gaps between LP turbine-blade tips and the turbine casing; a new coating for the HP compressor drum; and an upgrade to the engine’s control software. Together these tweaks resulted in a fuel-efficiency improvement “worth $400,000-$500,000 per year per aircraft,” said Johnston. Continuing work on engine durability enhancement – aimed at increasing average time on wing – led R-R to add an EP2 package into new-build engines from the beginning of 2014. This offers an additional 0.8% SFC improvement for equipped engines. (Industry analysts reckon the Trent 900 and GP7200 are now running neck-and-neck in terms of fuel-efficiency.) EP2 (like EP, capable of retrofit) has introduced coating improvements for Trent 900 HP turbine blades; improved aerodynamics throughout the IP compressor; new work on fan blade-tip clearance control; and “an even more sophisticated turbine-case cooling system”, according to Johnston. This introduces IP compressor-derived air into cooling manifolds on the turbine casing’s exterior and, as an improvement over the ACC work in the original EP, enables the amount of cooling air to be modulated to offer variable cooling, rather than merely providing ‘on’ and ‘off’ capability. R-R has now built “quite a lot” of EP2-equipped Trent 900s, though the first aircraft to have all four built to EP2 standard only recently flew from Toulouse to Hamburg to have its interior installed, before delivery in early 2015. “We’ve done a lot of test-bed work with EP2 and we’re very confident in its performance,” said Johnston. As a result R-R, which measures Trent 900 reliability via a ‘disruption index’ that gives different weightings to different reliability-reducing events, “can see from graphs that the disruption index is trending downwards very steadily since the first EP entered the fleet,” he said. Regarding the possibility of R-R developing the Trent 900, or even a new engine for an A380neo, Johnston said: “As a company we continually discuss future programmes with airframers and invest in engine research and technology to ensure we are ready to respond to airframer requests A380 when they are made.”

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THE COCKPIT KEY FEATURES OF THE A380’S FLIGHT DECK

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he A380’s cockpit has eight 5.9in x 7.8in (1,500mm x 2,000mm) interactive displays: two for primary flight information, two for navigation, one for engine parameters, one for systems and two that can be customised to the pilots’ preferences. Thales head-up displays show critical flight information symbols superimposed onto external visual cues (the landscape, the horizon and runways) in the pilots’ forward field of view. Live pictures streamed from external cameras mounted under the nose and on the tailfin can be displayed on one of the screens, and assist the flight crew with ground steering. A graphical representation of airport runways and taxiways helps with navigation. Directly above the LCD screens are the autopilot, speed, direction and altitude controls. On the ceiling above the crew is a panel for hydraulics, electrics, fuel pumps, air conditioning, pressurisation and fire systems. The central console between the pilots’ seats is home to the navigation and communication buttons. The crew uses a keyboard control unit and a track-ball cursor on the console to manipulate the flight management systems; each pilot also has their own keyboard on a pull-out tray. A380s have side-stick control columns, as with other Airbus types. Pilots can transition between the A380 and other aircraft by completing

a Cross-Crew-Qualification, which highlights the variations in systems and handling between families. A Brake-to-Vacate system allows the pilots to select a runway exit while the aircraft is on final approach. The auto-flight, auto-brake and flight controls regulate deceleration after touchdown to enable the A380 to reach the specified exit at the optimum speed. The A380’s cockpit is paperless. Flight maps, navigation, airport charts and technical manuals are displayed electronically on a Sagem Onboard Information System which, Sagem explains on its website, “collects, centralises and compiles all the data related to the flight and provides external communication, data calculation and storage capacities”. Networked servers support the avionics, information and documents related to flight operations. They also provide security for the flow of avionics and IFE data between the aircraft and the ground and for the onboard wireless connectivity. A Central Data Acquisition Module records and analyses up to a million aircraft performance parameters and generates over 100 different maintenance reports to highlight the condition of the aircraft and any possible technical faults. A380s also have a Data Loading and Configuration System for downloading and managing the on-board A380 computer software.

Above: A moving map (left) and live pictures from on-board cameras (right) help A380 pilots with situational awareness during taxiing. Felix Gottwald/AirTeamImages

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BUILDINGTHEGIANT THE AIRBUS ASSEMBLY LINE AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF AN A380

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that transport them along a 59 mile (95km) stretch of the River Garonne ach A380 is built at the Toulouse-Blagnac Final Assembly Line to Langon. Transfer to six outsize-load trucks follows (one vehicle each (FAL), but the production process is pan-European. In France, for the front fuselage, central fuselage, aft fuselage, tailplane and wings) the Saint-Nazaire factory builds, assembles, equips and tests for the drive in convoy to the FAL. front and central fuselage sections. The Saint-Eloi plant in Toulouse manufactures and integrates pylon and nacelle components and the Nantes facility builds centre wing boxes, ailerons and air inlets. Assembly Process Nose sections, including the cockpit, are produced in Méaulte. Fuselage sections are positioned at a workstation on the FAL before There are four factories in Germany. The forward and rear a tool jig surrounds the aircraft. The three fuselage sections, wings, fuselage sections are built in Hamburg, the wings’ high-life systems horizontal and vertical stabilisers, engine pylons, landing gear and electric in Bremen, vertical tailplanes in Stade and all the electronic racks are all joined together. communications and cabin management systems at Buxtehude. The aircraft is moved to a second workstation, known as Station 30, for Fuselage sections, horizontal tailplanes, tests on electrics, hydraulics, the on-board Top: Asiana’s first A380 in the jig on the Toulouse FAL. Airbus tail cones and main landing gear doors computer, mobile parts, the landing gear Bottom: Painting an A380 takes ten days. Airbus are made at Getafe near Madrid. The and fuel tanks. The engines are installed Below: Electrics and hydraulics are among aircraft systems Illescas plant, also to the south of the and run up and the aircraft is flown. checked out at Station 30. Airbus Spanish capital, manufactures sections The A380 is taken to Hamburg for of the rear fuselage and landing gear cabin furnishing and painting – the latter components. Rudders, spars and large, process alone takes ten days and involves complex structural components (such as 30 people. Afterwards the aircraft is the belly fairing) are built at Puerto Real, transferred to one of two delivery centres southern Spain. (European and Middle East customers’ Wings are produced at Broughton, aircraft remain at Hamburg, those for outside Chester in the UK in a process that Asian airlines return to the Toulouse and involves milling wing skins, manufacturing the centre there). A team of around the stringers and wing box assembly and seven specialists (from engineering, before integrating the components. Filton, quality, maintenance, flight operation, outside Bristol, manufactures components etc.), under the authority of a delivery for the wings, landing gear and fuel team leader, ensure the aircraft complies systems and has research and technology with the contractual specification. teams working on these sections. The process involves ground checks on external surfaces, bays and cabin visual inspection, aircraft and cockpit systems By Sea to Toulouse and engines and an acceptance flight Some components, such as the vertical which checks cabin systems and the fin and the nose section, arrive at the aircraft’s handling. Any snags identified Toulouse FAL in one of Airbus’ Belugas, in any areas are rectified. but so large is the A380 that most The customer accepts the aircraft and sections are transported to southern documents confirming it meets the type France by road and sea. They are taken certificate and technical specification. by truck from the production sites to A Certificate of Airworthiness is issued, the nearest port and loaded onto roll-off the title deeds transferred to the ships to Pauillac, near Bordeaux. customer and the aircraft prepared for After the voyage the sections are A380 its delivery flight. moved onto specially designed barges

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here’s a relatively modest number of A380s in operation – 148 as of early December – compared with the thousands of twin-jet widebodies flying long-haul. But the European superjumbo’s global presence is growing: the type is currently used on over 80 services between more than 40 destinations. Twelve airlines now fly A380s. Qatar Airways has become the latest operator – it put its first example (registered A7-APA) into service in October. The other A380s in use are flying with Asiana Airlines (two aircraft), Air France (ten), British Airways (eight), China Southern Airlines (five), Emirates (53), Korean Air (ten), Lufthansa (12), Malaysia Airlines (six), Qantas Airways (12), Singapore Airlines (19) and Thai Airways International (six). A 13th operator, the United Arab Emirates flag carrier Etihad Airways, is scheduled to introduce its first example (A6-APA) just after Christmas.

Hub to Hub Much of the A380’s network is concentrated on the trunk routes between the largest airports, such as Heathrow, Dubai, Los Angeles, Paris CDG, Frankfurt, Singapore and New York JFK. Flights between these hubs provide high passenger volumes, as traffic numbers show. For example there were 1.3 million fliers on the Paris CDG-JFK route in 2013, according to US Department of Transportation figures. While Civil Aviation Authority numbers show over 1.1m travelled on the HeathrowSingapore route and 1.3m to Hong Kong. It’s no surprise to see hub-to-hub flights forming the bulk of the A380’s network (see Routes section). Airbus says the type is now present at nine of the ten busiest airports by passenger numbers. Lufthansa told AIR International that “assigning an A380 to an existing route means a capacity increase of at least 35%” and Singapore Airlines

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THE GIANT AIRCRAFT’S GLOBAL PRESENCE IS GETTING BIGGER (SIA) told AIR International: “our A380s operate the long-haul routes which can benefit from additional capacity”. SIA substituted the Boeing 777-300ERs and Airbus A340s previously employed on all three of its daily Singapore-Heathrow flights with A380s. It also operates the type for its two services per day to Frankfurt. Meanwhile, Emirates flies A380s on all five of its daily Heathrow-Dubai rotations, and British Airways on its double-daily frequencies to Los Angeles.

Network Planning But while there are big traffic flows at hubs, independent aviation consultant John Strickland from JLS Consulting explains volume is far from the only factor when airlines select A380 routes. “Network planners pick up data about traffic flows and whether they’ve got a high percentage of point-to-point or feed,” he said. “They look at

traffic characteristics on a route – is it business, is it leisure, is it both – at how many slots they’ve got and how they want to use them. “They look at long-term trends predicted in certain markets, like macroeconomic growth, analyse which countries are developing new linkages, assess what’s happening with their competitors and trends that create opportunities or threats.” Other aspects must be considered beyond market characteristics. “Limitations in traffic rights, as well as the ability of airports to handle the A380 are factors that have a higher meaning than for other aircraft types,” Lufthansa told AIR International.

The Right Routes The consequence is that while A380s are ideal for many markets, the type isn’t suitable for others. Surprisingly, perhaps, the latter includes

Emirates flies A380s from Dubai to over 30 points worldwide including Manchester, from where A6-EDI (c/n 028) is shown taking off. Simon Willson/ AirTeamImages

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Heathrow-JFK. That’s the world’s busiest intercontinental air route – over three million people travelled on it in 2013 according to the CAA – and is therefore seemingly perfect for A380s. But BA doesn’t operate the aircraft on the route currently and that’s because those customers value frequency. “There’s a lot of high-margin business travel, it’s almost like a bus service route with people wanting to fly early, later or change

substituted its Boeing 747-8Is for the A380 on its daily Frankfurt-Delhi service, while Emirates now uses A380s on its Mumbai service instead of twin-jets.

Hub and Spoke With 53 in service, Emirates has by far the most A380s of any one airline. Its growth over the last decade – in 2004 it carried ten million passengers, in 2013 it flew 44m – has been achieved by developing a dense network of connections (currently 143 points in 83 countries) feeding a major hub. “If you go to Dubai you can probably eliminate one connection,” Strickland observes. “You haven’t got to go to, say, Amsterdam and then to Bangkok and then somewhere else. Emirates offers permutations, a one-stop shop in a way.”

plans,” Strickland explains. To cater for that, BA runs nine return HeathrowJFK flights a day using Boeing 747-400s and Boeing 777s. “Decant the passengers from three of the existing jets into two A380s and you diminish the perceived value of that offering,” observed travel industry expert Simon Calder in the Independent.

Understanding Demand The Heathrow-JFK route’s characteristics show how network planners must understand the nature of demand on each individual route – and how those patterns change – to correctly assign capacity and achieve optimal load factors. Shifts in demand have led to A380s being withdrawn from some routes. Air France pulled the type from its Paris to Singapore and Tokyo flights, Korean from its Seoul to Frankfurt and Hong Kong rotations and Lufthansa from its Frankfurt to Tokyo and Los Angeles services. And Thai, which intended to start using A380s on one of its two daily Bangkok-Heathrow flights in 2013, instead kept with 747-400s. Traffic trends in certain markets also explain why some airlines only roster A380s on certain frequencies – for example Air France operates the type on one of its five daily Paris-JFK flights and BA flies it on three out of its ten weekly Heathrow-Singapore frequencies – or seasonally on some routes, such as Air France’s Paris CDG-Abidjan and SIA’s SingaporeAuckland services. But should demand rise, capacity can be increased and in this respect the A380 is ideal for airlines wanting to boost seat numbers. “If you get people using connections, you can later rapidly grow by filling up on the A380,” Strickland says. That’s happening right now on routes to India. Lufthansa in November

The A380 plays a pivotal role in that hub-and-spoke business model by providing capacity from Dubai not just to the largest hubs, but also to points such as Barcelona, Houston and Manchester. While these airports don’t have as many passengers as the largest hubs, they still have substantial traffic flows (respectively 35m, 40m and 20m) and large population catchment areas nearby. The flights at Manchester, for instance, benefit from the substantial Asian population in northern England and the Midlands. “When you have large volumes of people who want to go home to see family in countries like India and Pakistan, the A380 is a great way to move people in large numbers,” Strickland notes.

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Schedules Airbus says the A380 offers up to 30% more seats per slot than any other widebody and that ability gives airlines the opportunity to optimise schedules. “It’s about getting passengers through hubs at the right times,” said Dr Kiran Rao, Airbus Executive Vice-President Sales and Marketing, during a presentation at the company’s Innovation Days in Toulouse in June 2014. “When it comes to long-haul sectors passengers have a preference.

is “absolutely perfect” for optimising slots at Heathrow, where the two runways operate at 99% capacity. Strickland says a good example of the A380’s value in this respect is BA’s Heathrow to LA service: “BA used to operate three flights a day to Qatar Airways’ first A380, A7-APA (c/n 145), at Heathrow in October. The Gulf carrier has since received two further examples. Steve Flint/AirTeamImages

LA on the 747-400 and they now do two on the A380. They’ve freed up an aircraft and a slot to do something else.”

They don’t want to fly at eight o’clock in the morning, they want to fly at ten o’clock at night when they’ve had a day’s work and they can sleep on the flight. “There are banks of flights that are more important and in order to maximise the number of passengers who fly on those routes the size of the A380 is important. The A380 delivers the right number of passengers at the right time.”

Transcontinental Some airlines utilise the A380 for slot optimisation on relatively short transcontinental trunk routes. Emirates flies the aircraft on its daily service to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (a sector of 1,188 miles/1,912km) and on its Kuwait City frequency which, at 811 miles (1,306km) and one hour and 45 minutes, is currently the shortest A380 flight in both distance and time. In Asia, Thai operates its A380s on one of its triple-daily trips from Bangkok to Hong Kong (1,071 miles/1,723km) and its flights to Tokyo (2,858 miles/4,600km) and Osaka (2,614 miles/4,207km). Korean uses it on the connection from its Seoul hub to Hong Kong (1,301 miles/2,095km) and China Southern on routes from Beijing to Guangzhou (1,339 miles/2,156km), Kunming (1,662 miles/2,676km) and Shenzen (1,347 miles/2,168km).

Slot Constraints Airlines say the A380’s capacity has enabled them to cope with slot constraints by moving in one flight the number of travellers it would take multiple frequencies to do with a smaller-capacity type. Willie Walsh, the chief executive of BA parent company International Airlines Group, told The Guardian newspaper in October that the A380

Philippe Noret/AirTeamImages

Mario Aurich/AirTeamImages

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One of Asiana’s routes is Seoul to Los Angeles, where HL7626 (c/n 155) is seen landing in September 2014. Andy Martin/AirTeamImages

Strong Loads Many airlines are reporting good results with the A380. Emirates, Korean and BA average load factors are over 90%, SIA’s more than 80% and those of Air France, Malaysia Airlines and Thai around 80%, according to figures shown by Airbus at its Innovation Days. Lufthansa told AIR International: “Load factors vary, as for all other aircraft types, between markets, seasons and economic cycles, but in general we are very satisfied with the load factors and we are able to sell the additional capacity.”

New Routes The coming months will see frequency increases on existing services, and new routes opened. A380s will from January 5, 2015 take over a second of Qatar Airways’ three daily rotations from Doha to Paris CDG, the airline having put the type on flights to the French capital in November. Etihad will receive its second and third examples in 2015, enabling the UAE airline to make its three daily Abu Dhabi-Heathrow rotations an all-A380 operation (replacing the Airbus A340-600s on the route) and

place the double-decker on some of its JFK and Sydney frequencies. BA will place A380s on five of its 14 weekly flights to San Francisco in the summer schedule that starts in March. Lufthansa is planning to fly A380s on its Frankfurt to Mumbai route once infrastructure improvements at the Indian airport are completed. Russia’s Transaero Airlines, scheduled to start flying A380s in 2015, has yet to formally confirm the route network and frequencies for its aircraft. But when the carrier unveiled its A380 seating configuration its chief executive Olga Pleshakova told USA Today it would use the type “on the most popular routes…so it’s Moscow to Thailand, Moscow to the Dominican Republic and also to Barcelona in Spain”. No other airlines have yet indicated future routes for their A380s, but Lufthansa told AIR International that it was “in close co-operation with airports that are planning to upgrade their infrastructure to A380 compatibility and will adjust the network accordingly in the future”. The expansion of the A380’s network over the last seven years has shown if demand is sufficient on a particular route, the superjumbo is likely to be placed on it. With 174 more examples to be delivered, it A380 seems the A380’s global footprint is set to keep expanding.

A380 ROUTES Air France

Paris CDG to Abidjan (winter 2014/15), Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Los Angeles, Miami, New York JFK, San Francisco (summer only), Shanghai (summer only), Washington DC

Emirates Airline

Dubai to Amsterdam, Auckland, Brisbane, Bangkok, Barcelona, Beijing, Dallas/Fort Worth, Frankfurt, Hong Kong (via Bangkok), Houston, Jeddah, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait City, London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Los Angeles, Manchester, Asiana Airlines Seoul to Hong Kong and Los Angeles Mauritius, Melbourne, Milan (from December 2014), Mumbai, Munich, New York JFK, Paris British Airways CDG, Rome, San Francisco, Seoul, Heathrow to Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, Johannesburg, Los Angeles, Miami Toronto, Zürich & San Francisco (starts 2015), Singapore, Washington DC

Korean Air

Seoul to Atlanta, Los Angeles, New York JFK, Paris CDG

Qatar Airways

Doha to Bangkok, Heathrow, Paris CDG

A380 Etihad Airways

China Southern Airlines

Beijing to Shenzhen, Guangzhou to Beijing, Los Angeles and Sydney (the latter seasonal, December 2014-February 2015)

Abu Dhabi to Heathrow (starts December 2014, rising to triple-daily in 2015), New York JFK and Sydney (both starting in 2015)

Lufthansa

Frankfurt to Beijing, Delhi, Houston, Johannesburg, Miami, Mumbai (planned for 2015), New York JFK, San Francisco, Shanghai, Singapore

Malaysia Airlines

Kuala Lumpur to London Heathrow and Paris CDG

Qantas Airways

Melbourne to London Heathrow and Los Angeles (both via Dubai) and Sydney to Dallas/Fort Worth, Hong Kong, London Heathrow (via Dubai), Los Angeles

Singapore Airlines

Singapore to Auckland (winter 2014/15), Beijing, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, London Heathrow, Los Angeles (via Tokyo), Melbourne, Mumbai, Delhi, New York JFK (via Frankfurt), Paris CDG, San Francisco (via Hong Kong), Shanghai, Sydney, Zurich

Thai Airways International

Bangkok to Frankfurt, Osaka, Paris CDG, Tokyo Information is accurate to December 2014. Please visit the airlines’ individual websites for full details on frequencies and seasonal changes.

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ON BOARD

SUITES, APARTMENTS AND FINE DINING - THE A380 IS A FLAGSHIP FOR NETWORK AIRLINES

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t the turn of the century, when the A380 was still at its A3XX concept stage (it was renamed on its industrial launch in December 2000), a glossy TV ad for the aircraft was broadcast on European and North American channels. The voiceover asked if any of the Seven Wonders of the World had a cinema, a casino and a gym. It was a peg on which hung the closing line: “You’ll find all these things on the Airbus A3XX, where wonders never cease.” No A380s have those features aboard yet. But other ‘wonders’ mentioned in the ad – a shower, a spa and bedrooms – have been introduced. And fliers travelling in first and business classes enjoy lie-flat seats, lounges and fine dining.

Enclosed Suites Passengers flying first class on A380s with four carriers – Emirates Airline, Etihad Airways, Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Qantas Airways – occupy fully enclosed suites with sliding doors and window blinds. The seats in these cabins convert into fully lie-flat beds at the touch of a remote control button. Passengers also have a vanity table, a mirror, a mini-bar, a widescreen HD TV, reading lamps, storage space,

Above: Qatar Airways’ bathroom. Qatar Airways Top: Etihad’s A380s have nine first class apartments. Etihad Airways

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Bathrooms and Lounges First and business passengers on all A380s have the use of spacious bathrooms. Those on Emirates’ jets were the only ones to have a shower aboard – a distinction they no longer hold after Etihad’s introduced them for customers in its Residence and First Apartments. Most A380s have lounge and bar areas, some of them with suitably glamorous names – Korean Air’s is called the Celestial Lounge and Etihad’s is The Lobby. Qatar Airways, on announcing the cabin features for its A380s, said the lounge aboard provides “an escape from the typical airplane environment...developed to make [passengers] feel like they are in their own executive club”. Some other operators have features unique to their A380s: Air France’s aircraft have an electronic art gallery and Korean’s a duty free shop selling high-end drinks, perfumes and cosmetics.

Boosting Yield

Above: Emirates’ bathroom and shower. Emirates Airline Below: The stairs between decks on a Korean Air A380. Angelo Bufalino/AirTeamImages

The number of passengers in the first and business classes enjop luxuries is relatively small. Analysis of airlines’ configurations shows these seats typically make up between 10% and 20% of the total capacity aboard A380s. And industry body IATA’s Premium Travel Monitor shows these travellers represent less than 6% of the overall, global number of air passengers. Travelling in first and business unsurprisingly doesn’t come cheap, as a search by AIR International on airlines’ websites for flights in January 2015 showed. On SIA, for example, a return trip from Heathrow to Singapore travelling in a first class suite on the A380 was priced at £6,538. The cost for a suite on Qantas return flights from Sydney to Dallas/Fort Worth (at

ETIHAD A380 LUXURY The United Arab Emirates’ flag carrier, Etihad Airways – which in late December 2014 will become the next airline to put the A380 into service – has created arguably the most opulent cabins yet seen in the superjumbo.

(769mm) reclining lounge seat. First Apartments also have an adjustable 24in (609mm) flat screen TV, vanity and drinks cabinets and a wardrobe. The nine first-class passengers also have the use of a bathroom,

The jewel in the crown is The Residence, a three-room suite on the upper deck designed for two VIP guests travelling together. It features a living room, bedroom and en-suite bathroom including a shower. The bedroom has an 82in-long (2,082mm) double bed, a custommade mattress, a bedside unit, a wardrobe, under-bed stowage for hand luggage and a 27in (685mm) flat-screen HD TV. The living room includes a semi-circular sofa, a marquetry dining table and a 32in (812mm) TV. Guests are served by a personal butler trained by the Savoy Butler Academy in London. Immediately behind The Residence are nine First Apartments, fully-enclosed private suites which each provide 3.6m2 (39sq ft) of space. An ottoman opens out into an 81in (2,057mm) full-length bed and there’s a separate 30.3in

including a shower. The upholstery in The Residence and First Apartments includes Italian leathers made by Poltrona Frau, whose products feature in Ferrari sports cars. Passengers in these two classes will be able to pick from an à la carte menu, with dishes freshly cooked aboard by a chef. Behind the First Apartments are 70 Business Studios, each with 22in-wide (558mm) seats (featuring in-seat massage) which convert to fully-flat, pneumatically-adjustable 80.5inlong (2,047mm) beds. Plus there’s an 18in (457mm) touchscreen TV, an ottoman for storage and a reading lamp. While passengers flying in economy won’t benefit from the luxuries in the other classes, their Economy Smart Seats include a so-called ‘fixed wing’ headrest and adjustable lumbar support.

complimentary amenity kits (including sleeper suits, socks, slippers and toiletries) and a turndown service offered by cabin crew.

Ambience Airlines understandably pay close attention to achieving a certain ambience in first class. On its website, SIA claims the use of “leather and wood finishes, created in soothing natural hues, enhances the sense of serenity” for passengers travelling in the suites. While not all operators’ A380s have enclosed cabins, other airlines have invested in touches intended to provide a luxurious atmosphere on theirs. For example the first class seats aboard the aircraft of Qatar Airways, which put the type into service in autumn 2014 on flights to London/Heathrow and Paris/CDG, are made from woven fabric, leather and engraved copper. And Lufthansa told AIR International its first class cabin features “noisecancelling carpets and curtains and an air humidity system developed by our Lufthansa Technik VIP division and originally used for private jets”.

Fine Dining Food and drink is also part of airlines’ attempts to create the right mood, and some carriers have come up with culinary innovations to set their A380s apart. Etihad and Qantas have chefs aboard their aircraft who prepare dishes to order from à la carte menus. Qantas also offers an eight-course tasting menu and has an on-board sommelier. Emirates A380s feature what the airline calls “regionally-inspired menus” appropriate for each route the aircraft flies. Those on Brisbane to Singapore flights, for instance, offer dishes with Asian flavours. SIA, meanwhile, has a ‘Book the Cook’ service that lets passengers build their own personal gourmet menu. First and business on Air France A380s feature menus created by the country’s leading chefs, the latest being the triple Michelin-starred Régis Marcon. On its website the carrier even describes the aircraft as “an ambassador of fine French cuisine and lifestyle”.

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First and business class passengers can use bar and lounge areas, like this one in Qatar Airways’ aircraft. Qatar Airways

8,578 miles/13,804km, the world’s longest non-stop air route) was £9,230. And on British Airways, a return Club World (business class) ticket from Heathrow to LA on the A380 was listed at £3,308. But in paying such prices for the perks of first and business, premium passengers generate a high yield (the revenue earned per passenger per kilometre) which boosts airlines’ revenues. Carriers don’t disclose the yield performance of their aircraft, but Airbus says in its A380 marketing material that airlines using the type can increase yields by 30%, adding: “Routings regularly demonstrate a superior yield, capturing the best quality traffic in a given market 80% of the time.” And sales information for the A380 on the website of Dublin-based aircraft lessor Amedeo says the type’s average yield is $3.10 per revenue passenger kilometre.

aircraft is very popular, especially when introduced into a new market. It is one of the most advanced aircraft, offering a quiet and comfortable environment for air travel.” When Transaero Airlines, due to take delivery of its first A380 in 2015, announced its cabin for the aircraft, the carrier’s Chief Executive Officer, Olga Pleshakova, remarked: “When developing the interior design of our A380s we strived to make full use of the advantages of this type of aircraft.” Those ‘advantages’ also include maximising the number of seats aboard. Most A380s are configured with between 450 and 520 seats (although Korean’s have just 407 and Lufthansa’s 526). Transaero’s A380s are set to carry 652, the most in any passenger airliner ever. There’ll be 12 Imperial (first class), 24 business and 616 economy seats.

Space and Comfort

Movies, Music, Games

The A380’s two decks provide 5,145 sq ft (478m2) of floor space. That A380s feature some of the latest in-flight entertainment (IFE) products. provides flexibility for airlines in configuring their aircraft – as the variety Etihad, Lufthansa and SIA aircraft are configured with the Panasonic eX3 of seat layouts proves – and enables system, which provides 750 hours of them to provide ample room for all on-demand entertainment (including passengers. Words such as ‘space’ TV, movies, audio and games) and and ‘comfort’ feature in promotional mobile and internet connectivity to material with every A380 operator. every seat aboard. It’s equipped with Some carriers say this is tempting video touchscreen handsets, enabling travellers to specifically book flights passengers to play games or view the on the A380. “People go out of moving map while watching a movie. their way to fly on it,” says Emirates Air France and BA jets have the President Sir Tim Clark in a video on Thales TopSeries system which the Airbus website. offers films, TV shows, music, radio, Lufthansa’s experience is similar. podcasts and games, lets travellers “We have seen passengers booking stay up-to-date with breaking news flights just because of the A380 and has a 3D moving map which operating,” a spokesman from the includes a globe with satellite imagery. German airline told AIR International. “The A380 can convince the market On-board Cameras [to fly on a route] because it is a Other features common throughout External cameras, including one mounted on the tailfin, stream modern and innovative aircraft.” the A380 are LED mood lighting, with views of the outside world during the flight. BaoLuo/AirTeamImages And SIA told this magazine: “The colours changing at different times

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of day, and the streaming of live pictures to each IFE system from three external cameras. One shows the scene ahead, a second presents the view beneath the aircraft and a third the view from the top of the tailfin. Passengers can watch the images from these cameras during all phases of the flight, bringing a unique perspective – especially for take-off and landing.

Future Innovation Speaking in a video on Airbus’ website, Emirates’ Sir Tim Clark observed: “The population is becoming extremely aspirational [and] very knowledgeable and they are exposed to changes in fashion [and]

consumer electronics. We’re required to keep changing the products we offer to keep people interested. The lifecycle of a product is much shorter now. We have to recognise that people become bored.” These wider trends are reflected by some operators looking to enhance the IFE experience by improving connectivity aboard their aircraft (see Connectivity). Clark said Emirates will revisit the interior cabin design of its aircraft, adding: “The important thing is we provide the same levels of comfort and not compromise the beautiful spatial aspects of this aeroplane.” And the room available means Emirates and the other operators have A380 the freedom to be creative with their configurations.

SEAT LAYOUTS Air France

516 passengers: nine in Premie`re (first class), 80 in Affaires (business, with seats laid out 2-2-2), 38 in Premium Voyageur (premium economy, 2-3-2) and 389 in Voyageur (economy, 3-4-3). Premie`re is on the lower deck, Affaires and Premium Voyageur on the upper deck and Voyageur on both.

Asiana Airlines

495 passengers: 12 first, 66 in business (1-2-1 layout) and 417 in economy (3-4-3). The first seats are on the lower deck and business on the upper deck, with economy on both (106 seats upstairs and 311 downstairs).

British Airways

469 passengers: 14 first, 97 Club World (business), 55 World Traveller Plus (premium economy), 303 World Traveller (economy). The lower deck has first, 44 Club World (2-4-2 layout) and 199 World Traveller (3-4-3) seats. On the upper deck are 53 Club World (2-3-2), 55 World Traveller Plus (2-3-2) and 104 World Traveller (2-4-2).

China Southern Airlines

506 passengers: eight first, 70 business and 428 economy. The lower deck has first and 376 economy seats, the latter laid out 3-4-3. The business seats (2-4-2) and remaining 76 economy are on the upper deck.

Emirates Airline

Emirates A380s have two configurations

Economy class on the Emirates A380. Olivier Corneloup/AirTeamImages

– one with 489 seats (14 first, 76 business and 399 economy) and the other with 517 (14 first, 76 business, 427 economy). In both set-ups, the first class and business seats (2-4-2 layout) are on the upper deck and economy (3-4-3) on the lower deck.

Etihad Airways

498 passengers: two in The Residence, nine in First Apartments (first class), 70 in Business Studios (business class) and 417 in economy. The Residence, First Apartments and Business Studios are on the upper deck and the economy seats (3-4-3 layout) on the lower.

and the remaining 70 economy are on the top.

Singapore Airlines

SIA A380s have two-seat configurations – one with 471 seats (12 first, 60 business, 399 economy) and the other with 409 (12 first, 86 business, 311 economy). The 471-seat layout has first and 88 economy seats (3-4-3) on the lower deck, with the business and remaining economy seats on the top. The 409-seat layout has first and economy on the lower deck and business on the top.

Qantas Airways

407 passengers: 12 first, 94 Prestige (business class), 301 economy. First and all the economy seats (the latter laid out 3-4-3) are on the lower deck, with all the Prestige seats (2-2-2) on the top.

484 passengers: 14 first, 64 business, 35 premium economy and 371 economy. First and 341 economy seats (3-4-3) are the lower deck, with the upper deck holding all the business (2-2-2), premium economy (2-4-2) seats and the remaining 30 economy seats.

Lufthansa

Qatar Airways

Korean Air Lines

526 passengers: eight first, 98 business, 420 economy. First and business (the latter in 2-2-2 layout) are on the top deck and economy (3-4-3) on the lower deck. A revised configuration will be introduced in spring 2015, featuring eight first, 78 business, 52 premium economy (a new class) and 374 economy.

Malaysia Airlines

494 passengers: eight first, 66 business, 420 economy. First and 350 economy seats (3-4-3 layout) are on the lower deck. Business (2-2-2)

517 passengers: eight first, 48 business and 461 in economy. First and business (2-2-2) are on the upper deck along with 56 economy seats (2-4-2). The lower deck is entirely economy, with 409 seats laid out 3-4-3.

Thai Airways International

507 passengers: 12 in Royal First, 60 Royal Silk Business and 435 in economy. First, business (1-2-1) and 58 economy seats (the latter in 2-4-2) are on the upper deck while the lower deck is alleconomy (3-4-3 layout).

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CONNECTIVITY

Lufthansa’s D-AIMF departs Miami. The German carrier’s aircraft feature the Panasonic Global Communications Suite. Suresh Atapattu/AirTeamImages

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any passengers expect to send e-mails, browse the web and access social networks during their flight. This trend was reflected in Honeywell Avionics’ 2014 In-flight Connectivity Survey, in which 66% of 1,000 US air travellers said the availability of Wi-Fi directly affects their choice of airline. With the A380 a flagship for its operators, it’s unsurprising many ‘super jumbos’ are being configured with data pipes and satellite communications (satcom) links that make connectivity possible. “Two thirds of A380 customer airlines have already selected connectivity for both mobile telephony and internet services,” an Airbus spokesperson told AIR International. Airlines choose whether they want the connectivity hardware built into the aircraft during assembly (so-called line-fit installs) or retrofitted into jets already in service during maintenance overhauls.

OnAir The first connectivity products certified for the A380 were provided by Swiss-based company OnAir (owned by the global IT firm SITA) and include Mobile OnAir and Internet OnAir. Mobile OnAir gives passengers with an international roaming subscription on their mobiles the ability to make and receive calls and send and receive texts. Internet OnAir lets flyers connect to the on-board Wi-Fi by using their personal smartphones, laptops and tablets to launch their web browser just as they would in a Wi-Fi hotspot on the ground. There’s also an option for OnAir’s services to be offered on seatback inflight entertainment systems

Panasonic GCS In 2013 an alternative option was certified for the A380 – the Panasonic Avionics Global Communications Suite (GCS) – which provides broadband internet coverage through a portal called eXConnect so that passengers can browse the web, compose and send e-mails and access social media. Another portal, eXPhone, lets flyers use their smartphone or tablet to make and receive phone calls, send and read texts and e-mails, use GPRS services and browse the web. The service is offered by Panasonic in conjunction with AeroMobile, a UK mobile telephony provider.

Live TV The GCS is, notably, the first connectivity system to provide live global TV streaming via the eXTV product, which delivers uninterrupted programming from eight channels: Al Jazeera, BBC World News, CNBC, CNN International, Euronews, NHK World Premium, Sky News Arabia and Sport 24, the latter broadcasting live Premier League and Bundesliga

football, Formula One races and grand slam tennis. On its website, Panasonic says eXConnect, eXPhone and eXTV can operate either as standalone products or integrate into the company’s eX2 and eX3 seatback IFE systems.

Ku band The GCS is able to carry live TV because it uses data transmitted by fourth-generation InstelSat-5 geostationary satellites, which transmit over the high-frequency Ku band of the electromagnetic spectrum. Live TV isn’t currently offered by OnAir because its services use Inmarsat’s third-generation SwiftBroadband (SBB) satellite constellation, which transmits across the lower-bandwidth L band. However, in July 2014 Inmarsat launched the first of three new satellites that will provide global Ka-band coverage via a network called Global Xpress (GX). The second and third are due to launch in early 2015. OnAir signed a contract with Inmarsat back in 2012 to distribute GX to the aviation market, meaning that when GX coverage goes global (early in the second half of 2015, according to Inmarsat’s website), OnAir will be able to deliver high-speed broadband and live TV too. An Airbus spokesperson told AIR International that, with the A380’s satcom equipment being ARINC 791-compliant (the industry standard for Ku and Ka band satcom systems aboard aircraft), A380 operators using OnAir should be able to add Ka band connectivity “in the very near future”. Qatar Airways and Thai Airways International are among carriers to have selected OnAir for their A380s. Lufthansa was the launch customer for the GCS on the type – the system was a line-fit into the German airline’s 12th A380, delivered in April 2014, and retrofits are under way on those previously delivered. Etihad Airways has also opted for the GCS.

Ancillary Revenues Connectivity presents opportunities for airlines to boost ancillary revenues earned from the extras customers buy during flights. In its marketing material Panasonic says the GCS “gives an airline the flexibility to choose passenger portal services that best meet their unique branding and revenue generation goals, [such as] passenger-paid access to the internet, or through advertising-supported content, e-commerce opportunities and sponsored internet sessions”. Passengers are not the only beneficiaries of the connectivity aboard the aircraft. It can also help airlines monitor and transmit operational data in real time to the airline’s ground teams and manage items such as logbooks, documentation and information. The systems can also assist cabin crew or A380 pilots in highlighting issues in real time to the airline’s ground teams.

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irports are spending tens of millions of pounds to accommodate the A380 which, with its 79.75m (261.6ft) wingspan, is classified by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as a Code F aircraft. Airports handling the type must have 60m (196.8ft)-wide runways with 7.5m (24.6ft) ‘shoulders’ on both sides, 25m (82ft)-wide taxiways and a minimum 57.5m (188.6ft) clearance to ground objects. Airports wanting to handle A380s have to modify infrastructure. Runways, taxiways and aprons need to be widened and reinforced, lighting and signage repositioned and new aircraft stands built or upgraded. That’s meant considerable investment, even at airports handling relatively few A380s. At Manchester, for example, there’s only one arrival per day (an Emirates flight, from Dubai) but an airport spokesman told AIR International £10 million ($157m) was spent making the airfield Code F compatible. Airport operators have also needed to improve terminals to cope with the influx of passengers an A380 can bring (anything from 407 to 526, depending on the airline). Work has included enlarging gate holds, arrivals halls and baggage reclaim carousels and remodelling areas of customs, immigration, security and retail outlets.

New Facilities The upgrades were most extensive at large hubs handling multiple daily A380 flights. Heathrow now has 29 contact gates and 11 remote stands for the 120 A380 departures it handles every week. The airport’s operator, Heathrow Ltd (formerly BAA), invested £165m ($260m) in building a new Pier 6 at Terminal 3 which can handle four A380s simultaneously. There are also A380-compatible stands at Terminal 4, the revamped Terminal 2, The Queen’s Terminal (opened in June 2014) and Terminal 5’s two satellite buildings, T5B and T5C, to where underground automated people movers transfer passengers from the main T5. A US$1.5 billion (£951m) upgrade of the Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport introduced nine A380compatible gates. Aéroports de Paris, the operator of Paris Charles de

Gaulle, built a new satellite to Terminals 2E and 2F, the Galerie Parisienne, which has six A380 gates.

Concourse A At Dubai International, Concourse A was opened in January 2013. This US$3.5 billion (£2.2 billion) facility was the first terminal purpose-built for A380s and was primarily designed to cater for Emirates’ growing A380 fleet (53 aircraft by November 2014, with plans to fly 90 by 2017). Concourse A has 20 contact gates and 13 remote stands. Each gate has triple air passenger boarding bridges (APBBs) – two are connected to the lower deck and the third to the top deck. Triple APBBs are also used at Heathrow, Frankfurt, LA and Singapore. The terminal covers 528,000m2 (5,680,000ft2), is 645m (2,116ft) long, 90.8m (297ft) wide and 42m (137ft) high in the centre from apron level. It has 11,000m2 (118,403ft2) of retail space, including 14 restaurants and three bars, first and business class lounges, 15 spa treatment rooms, a 32-room five-star hotel and a 170-room four-star hotel.

Further Upgrades Improvements continue at airports the world over to cope with the expanding A380 network. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport has reconfigured two gates with new APBBs, enabling it to simultaneously handle two A380s. Qantas Airways and Emirates began flying the type to the Texas airport in September and October respectively. A spokeswoman from Heathrow Ltd told AIR International the company will widen Bravo and Sierra taxiways, respectively on the northern and southern sides of the west London hub, to handle A380s. The Bravo upgrade work alone will cost £55 million, she said. Two Indian hubs, Delhi and Mumbai, are now Code F-compliant. Emirates began flying A380s into the airports in July and, once work is complete to make a second gate at Mumbai compatible, Lufthansa plans to add the jet on flights to that city too. The Massachusetts Port Authority is spending US$30 million on improving Boston-Logan International Airport’s Terminal E to make it suitable for A380s. The work involves reconfiguring three existing gates’

ATAIRPORTS

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super jumbo in service A380 space to add two new air bridges, as well as upgrading gate holds, immigrations, customs and concessions areas and upgrading taxiways.

Wake Vortex A380 operations have also impacted on air traffic control too. The aircraft’s maximum take-off weight means it sits in ICAO’s ‘super heavy’ wake turbulence category. Air navigation services providers (ANSPs) must enforce wider separation minima than for other types because of the larger wake vortex A380s generate. For arrivals, there must be six nautical miles (11.1km) between an A380 and a widebody (or ‘heavy’) following behind, seven nautical miles (13km) to ‘medium’ aircraft (e.g. 757s or 767s) and eight nautical miles (14.8km) to ‘light’ types (A320s, 737s, regional jets). For departures, a ‘heavy’ taking off behind an A380 is held for three minutes – that rises to four minutes if the next departure is a ‘medium’ or ‘light’ type. These minima are a particular issue at slot-constrained airports such as Heathrow, where the two runways operate at 99% capacity, according to its operating company. A spokesman from NATS, the UK’s ANSP, told AIR International: “Our controllers and arrivals management tools help to identify the ideal sequence to maximise capacity and time-based separation will make us more resilient to strong headwinds, but this does not fully mitigate the effect on capacity of the wake vortex requirements.”

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A380 TURNAROUND The A380 turnaround sequence is like any other airliner – unloading bags and cargo, cabin cleaning, catering, security checks, water replenishment, refuelling and loading new bags and cargo. The aircraft’s size means, a Manchester Airport spokesman told AIR International, that “there’s just much more of it to do, it requires more people and equipment”. A typical A380 turnaround takes two hours. It takes up to 45 minutes for a full passenger load to board so

all cabin cleaning and replenishment activities need to be completed within 75 minutes. One of the biggest challenges, the spokesman said, was replenishing the containers and trolleys across all the galleys on the main and upper decks. Catering vehicles with standard scissor lifts can deliver food containers to the main deck. Those containers can then be moved to the upper deck via catering lifts inside the aircraft. However, many airports use trucks with scissor lifts capable

of delivering supplies directly to the top deck, 8.4m (26ft) up. Other specialised ground vehicles used for A380s are fourwheel drive tractors, such as the Schopf F396P, Goldhofer AST-1X, GSE Europe AM 500XL and JBT AeroTech Expediter 600. These machines respectively provide 448hp (330kW), 490hp (365kW), 643hp (480kW) and 630hp (469kW), giving them the power to move the A380’s substantial weight on the apron without using conventional towbars.

Improving Efficiency NATS said work to improve this situation is under way via the RECAT-EU initiative in partnership with Eurocontrol, the Civil Aviation Authority, ICAO and the US Federal Aviation Administration. RECAT-EU, developed by Eurocontrol, is a new specification underpinned by research into wake vortices at major hubs aiming to redefine separation minima to increase runway efficiency while maintaining safety. “The science has moved on since the original categorisation by ICAO and we hope to optimise the separations [for the A380],” the NATS spokesman said. “The very large aircraft categorisation is one issue where it is hoped that, as far as possible, the current perceived inefficiencies can A380 be mitigated.”

THE A380 HAS A BIG IMPACT ON AIRPORTS AND AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL

Above: Many airports, like Paris CDG pictured here, use catering trucks capable of reaching the top deck and multi-level boarding bridges. Anthony Guerra/AirTeamImages Top: Airports have had to widen and strengthen runways, taxiways and aprons to accept A380s. Felix Gottwald/AirTeamImages Main image: Concourse A at Dubai has 20 A380-compatible gates. Emirates Airline Below: Specialised towbarless tractors are needed to move A380s for pushback. Ingrid Friedl/Lufthansa

A380 super jumbo in service

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THEA380IN 148 65

million passengers since 2008

aircraft

12

1.5

million flying hours

703,500 3

operators*

* Etihad Airways is scheduled to become the 13th operator in December 2014.

325,545

litres fuel volume

the number of cars that can be parked on the A380’s wings

93-95.9

decibels of noise on take-off

87-89.9

*decibels of noise on landing * According to UK Quota Count noise measurements

8,578 miles (13,804km)...

...the longest non-stop air route, Sydney to Dallas/Fort Worth, which Qantas Airways A380s took over in October 2014

...the thrust the A380’s engines deliver at take-off is equivalent to the power of more than 3,500 family cars

220 windows

super jumbo in service A380

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NNUMBERS

off

0

he cars

0

320 miles...

...the length of the wiring in an A380 if laid end to end

A380 SPECIFICATIONS Length Fuselage width Wingspan Wing sweep Height Track Wheelbase Cabin width Cabin volume Seat capacity Freight Bulk hold volume Total volume Range Maximum speed

72.72m (238.5ft) 7.14m (23.2ft) 79.75m (261.6ft) 33.5° 24.09m (79ft) 14.34m (47ft) 31.88m (104.5ft) 6.54m (21.4ft) main deck, 5.80m (19ft) upper deck 775m3 (27,369ft3) main deck, 530m3 (18,717ft3) upper deck 525 (three-class), 853 (maximum), though airlines configurations range from 407 seats to 526 38 LD-3 containers and 13 pallets, all carried underfloor 14.3m3 (504ft3) 184m3 (6,497ft3) 15,700km (9,755 miles) Mach 0.89 (677mph/1,089km/h)

WV001 Maximum ramp weight Maximum take-off weight Maximum landing weight Maximum zero fuel weight

512,000kg (1,128,766lb) 510,000kg (1,124,357lb) 394,000kg (868,621lb) 372,000kg (820,119lb)

WV002 Maximum ramp weight Maximum take-off weight Maximum landing weight Maximum zero fuel weight

571,000kg (1,258,839lb) 569,000kg (1,254,430lb) 391,000kg (862,007lb) 366,000kg (806,892lb)

WV003 Maximum ramp weight Maximum take-off weight Maximum landing weight Maximum zero fuel weight

512,000kg (1,128,766lb) 510,000kg (1,124,357lb) 395,000kg (870,826lb) 373,000kg (822,324lb)

WV004 Maximum ramp weight Maximum take-off weight Maximum landing weight Maximum zero fuel weight

562,000kg (1,238,998lb) 560,000kg (1,234,588lb) 391,000kg (862,007lb) 366,000kg (806,892lb)

WV005 Maximum ramp weight Maximum take-off weight Maximum landing weight Maximum zero fuel weight

562,000kg (1,238,998lb) 560,000kg (1,234,588lb) 386,000kg (850,984lb) 366,000kg (806,892lb)

WV006 Maximum ramp weight Maximum take-off weight Maximum landing weight Maximum zero fuel weight

575,000kg (1,267,658lb) 573,000kg (1,263,248lb) 393,000kg (866,416lb) 368,000kg (811,301lb)

WV007 Maximum ramp weight Maximum take-off weight Maximum landing weight Maximum zero fuel weight

492,000kg (1,084,674lb) 490,000kg (1,080,265lb) 395,000kg (870,826lb) 373,000kg (822,324lb)

WV008 Maximum ramp weight Maximum take-off weight Maximum landing weight Maximum zero fuel weight

577,000kg (1,272,067lb) 575,000kg (1,267,658lb) 394,000kg (868,621lb) 369,000kg (813,506lb)

All data from Airbus Aircraft Characteristics document

Roman Becker/AirTeamImages

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WEIGHT VARIANTS Airbus offers nine different weight variants (WVs) from which A380 customers can choose: WV000 Maximum ramp weight 562,000kg (1,238,998lb) Maximum take-off weight 560,000kg (1,234,588lb) Maximum landing weight 386,000kg (850,984lb) Maximum zero fuel weight 361,000kg (795,869lb)

MILITARY 736 NAVAL AIR SQUADRON

F

ew words are necessary to describe the sense of occasion as 736 Naval Air Squadron’s newly painted Hawk T1A wearing its historic ‘lightning strike’ tail markings is positioned on the squadron’s flight line for the first time. The unit, known as just ‘736’, is back and the moment, in August 2014, confirms the progress the Fleet Air Arm’s (FAA’s) newest and currently only fast jet naval air squadron

(NAS) has made since it was re-formed on June 6, 2013. Its reincarnation has gone almost unnoticed after personnel worked tirelessly to rebuild the squadron and, most importantly, the Royal Navy’s (RN’s) fast jet spirit. AIR International visited 736 at Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) Culdrose, near Helston in Cornwall, and RNAS Yeovilton, Somerset to hear the story to date. With the Royal Navy’s two Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers and F-35B Lightning Force (LF) looming large on the horizon, it was imperative the FAA firmly

re-established its carrier strike operational expertise within the navy’s command structure. The difficult decision made by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) in the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review to scrap Joint Force Harrier (JFH) put the future of RN fast jet aviation in jeopardy and there was understandably reticence to advertise the squadron’s rebirth some 42 years after it was disbanded in 1972. However, on its return it absorbed both the Fleet Requirements and Aircraft Direction Unit (FRADU) based at Culdrose and the

Royal Navy Hawks in close formation. During Flag Officer Sea Training serials, 736 NAS Hawks adopt attack profiles that are as aggressive as weather conditions permit. All air-to-air images 736 Naval Air Squadron/Royal Navy, all others author

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Lightning Strikes Again

Ian Harding visits 736 Naval Air Squadron at RNAS Culdrose to assess the importance of its role to Royal Navy fast jet operations

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MILITARY 736 NAVAL AIR SQUADRON Royal Navy Hawk detachment (formerly Naval Flying Standards Flight, or NFSF) at RNAS Yeovilton, all under a Royal Navy commanding officer. Three months later, on September 9, 2013, the MoD announced 809 NAS was to reform (at a date as yet unknown) as the first naval air squadron to operate the Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter. The official revival of naval fast jet aviation is under way now with 736 as its first fully ‘dark blue’ squadron (a unit under Royal Navy command) of the new era.

Re-commission Despite the anguish among seasoned aviators caused by the decision to phase out the JFH at the end of 2010, RN aircrew preferred to focus on the positives ahead. “It’s been a painful period during the past few years, but decisions were taken to regain control of this autonomous outfit with a military CO, squadron number and clear lines of responsibility embedded within Naval Command,” explained Lt Cdr Tim Flatman, 736’s commanding officer – an experienced former Sea Harrier and Harrier GR9A pilot; and instructor with No.19(R) Squadron at RAF Valley in Wales. “With the LF on the horizon, the RN currently has personnel of various ‘trades’ in the US on reciprocal exchanges but, until now, nowhere in the UK for them to gain that Royal Navy fast jet experience,” he said. “While we absolutely need aviators to fly fourthgeneration fighters, we also need people who have delivered and supervised in a UK regulatory environment. The capability gap between JFH and LF is huge and it was always going to be tough to plug without retaining a fast jet hub within the navy’s current command structure. This benefit flows from the new structure.” As 809 NAS prepares to stand up, 736 is an extremely useful resource for the LF’s future development. The reality is the squadron is the only one where navy personnel can currently obtain UK maritime fast jet exposure. The FAA now has a fast jet home and identity which the squadron is helping to re-establish. Throughout our conversations, I sense the tangible desire to take every future opportunity available to ensure the FAA is prepared for the Lightning II’s introduction and the return of US-based personnel who will require a platform to help bridge that yawning capability gap.

New Identity Following an understandably low-key start, the benefits of becoming a full naval air squadron are clear. The unit now has direct interaction with key military ‘enablers’ including UK Defence Permanent Joint Headquarters at Northwood in London, Navy Command HQ, Maritime Warfare Centre, Air Warfare Centre and Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST). The squadron can ‘plug into’ them directly to gather information and proactively plan and develop its tactical experience more effectively. As FRADU, its major role was supporting FOST, but 736 now offers much more. The FAA’s fast jet identity has been sorely missed and the squadron will play a pivotal role in re-establishing the experience and expertise needed for the future.

1 2

Squadron Assets The squadron currently operates 14 BAE Systems Hawk T1/T1As at two locations, Culdrose and Yeovilton. The Hawk’s out of service date has recently been extended from 2015 to 2020 and its replacement remains under review. Since re-forming, the squadron’s operations have primarily been 3 concentrated at Culdrose, 4 although a permanent detachment (‘A’ Flight) of two aircraft and personnel (pilots plus Babcock’s Hawk maintenance engineers) is retained at Yeovilton for logistical and contractual reasons. From an operational perspective, this structure makes sense as it enables the aircraft’s equipment programme and manpower to be more focused and resourced. Lt Cdr Flatman explained: “As a ‘new’, relatively small squadron, we’ve taken a fresh look at our future challenges and, 15 months on, we know what we need – processes, capability, manning, training etc – where we want to be and what we have to do to meet these.” Pilot resourcing remains a critical factor in meeting the challenges and was especially so at the outset when the squadron met its core customer requirements with just eight pilots, 5 including reservists who provided flying hours 6 whenever they could. Pilot flying hours alone amounted to 20-30 hours per month each, which is high by military fast jet standards. By September 2014, pilot numbers had decreased to seven, including one civilian contracted pilot, but plans are in place to increase the number with the addition of full time reserve service crews.

1 Lt Walker briefs 736 pilots including the CO. 2 With a wealth of experience on the Hawk, the squadron’s ground crew and engineers remain critical to maintaining flight operations. 3&4 Flight and ground crew turn an aircraft around quickly in preparation for an afternoon FOST mission. 5 The Thursday War is a key weekly event for 736. Lt Walker (front) and Jim Taylor prepare for their mission over the UK’s South West Approaches. 6 Lt Cdr Tim Flatman completes his pre-flight routine ahead of a Flag Officer 7 Sea Training event. 7 Squadron ground crew at RNAS Culdrose (seen here) and at RNAS Yeovilton have responded well to the challenges of an increased workload. 8 As Royal Navy fast jet pilots return from tours in the United States, 736 NAS could provide the bridge for those transitioning to the F-35B Lightning II over the next few years. 9 AIR International was on hand when 736’s newly painted jet was towed on to the Culdrose flight line for the first time last July.

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736 NAVAL AIR SQUADRON MILITARY By mid-2015, the expectation is all pilots on 736 will be military, removing any contractual issues. Meanwhile the squadron has a highly experienced team of some 30 engineers (employed by Babcock) working across both locations.

Fast Jet Regeneration Among other roles, the NFSF based at RNAS Yeovilton has a responsibility to contribute to the growth of the navy’s fast jet pilot cadre as it builds towards the Lightning II. The regeneration process includes converting suitable rotary-wing pilots to fast jet cockpits. AIR International spoke to former Harrier, Tucano and now Hawk instructor pilot Lt Carl Syson, who was training two very experienced rotary pilots with more than 5,000 rotary hours each. Both were on the Air 309 course (conversion to fixed-wing pilots). “Both have completed their ground training at RAF Valley and are now simply learning to fly the Hawk,” Lt Syson said. “Today’s two sorties included general handling and some instrument flying. If successful, these pilots will continue to complete navigation, formation

PILOT PROFILE Lt Dan Walker joined the Royal Navy in 2002, training as an SKASaC Observer. Following three years frontline service with the ASaC Force, he began flight training as a fast jet pilot (under Air 309) in 2008 before joining the Harrier OCU at RAF Wittering in 2010. He rejoined the RN and the ASaC Force in 2011, following the decision to scrap the Harrier in 2010, completing his rotary flight training in 2012 and becoming a navy reservist flying FRADU’s Hawks at Yeovilton before joining 736 NAS.

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flying and low-level attack formation etc. “Following the loss of the Harrier we’ve been reviewing this course, ratifying it to determine if it’s suitable for what we now want to do. The standard required for the Harrier was very high but having lost the platform we now have to retain the standard that pilots achieve and then make sure our conversion course works.” The students’ experience is being used as a barometer for the current training course to see if it remains relevant. Training standard operating procedures (SOPs) will need to be ‘tweaked’ because the Royal Navy is seeking a different end product looking towards the Lightning II. “If suitable, these guys will return to 736 and, depending on what level of training is then required, they may go to the US or RAF Valley to continue,” Lt Syson added.

Customers As the Royal Navy’s only maritime aggressor squadron, 736 will continue to provide airborne threat simulations to its two major ‘defence customers’, the Royal Navy’s task fleet or foreign ships undergoing predeployment operational work-up at sea as part

of FOST (now based in Plymouth, Devon) and the Royal Navy School of Fighter Control (or ‘D School’) at Yeovilton. D School incorporates training support for Royal Navy observers in the airborne early warning (AEW) role and instruction of the new breed of ship-based fighter controllers, or ‘Freddies’. FOST and D School represent around 50% and 40% of 736’s current workload respectively. The remaining 10% of operational flying is in support of other defence units such as the Royal Marines’ 3 Commando Brigade (with close air support, or CAS); other rotary units based at Culdrose and Yeovilton during their field training; and trials work with ships. Royal Marines support represents a growth area for 736 given the nature of recent warfare in the Middle East, as contract pilot Les Tuckfield confirmed. A very experienced former RAF fast jet pilot, having flown Tornados and Harriers and spent four years with the Royal Australian Air Force flying Hawks, he is also a commercial pilot (747s with Cathay Pacific and 777s with Emirates). “My last such mission involved providing 9

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MILITARY 736 NAVAL AIR SQUADRON CAS to marines undertaking an assault on Okehampton camp [Devon],” he said. “They had their own hostile forces on the ground and they held us off before calling us in for an air strike. The CAS environment we face is either permissive or non-permissive, depending on whether the scenario includes simulated hostile air defence systems or not.”

Tactical Aspirations Lt Cdr Flatman’s thoughts are set firmly on the future: “Our first year was focused on massaging what we had operationally before moving it to where it is now. Our next step is to ensure we are well positioned to achieve what the navy wants us to do during the next five years. The support we’ve received from Culdrose and Navy Command has been massive and I couldn’t have imagined we’d develop as much as we have.” As the first maritime aggressor squadron of the new era, 736 will have carte blanche to do what it considers necessary to give existing ‘customers’ the best service they can. Enhancing threat simulation is central to the unit’s future aspirations and the key now is how it deliver it. The pilots’ Harrier skill base and operational experience will enable them to deliver dissimilar air combat training and

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combat air-to-air threat simulation (Red Air), provided the resources planned for come to fruition. The Lightning II’s arrival will create a unique, bespoke and very demanding set of threat simulation challenges which 736 is preparing for despite the Hawk T1’s limitations. The unit can provide a bridge to the new aircraft by providing a breeding ground for some of those people transitioning to the first Lightning II squadron and for F-35 personnel returning to the UK in the next few years. Having flown F/A-18s and F-35s in the US, 736 could become part of pilots’ ‘managed’ transition to the Lightning II. As a fully ‘dark blue’ squadron, its value is in providing UKbased fast jet expertise both in the air and on the ground. If a requirement to train personnel in a certain way emerges prior to Lightning II, then 736 has the qualifications and expertise to deliver it. That said, credibility is important and the squadron recognises it needs to develop its air-to-air credentials. There’s a tactical benefit not only for the navy and existing customers but also the wider service community as currently only the RAF’s No.100 Squadron at RAF Leeming in Yorkshire provides ‘aggressor’ training – and demand for it is set to grow as UK forces return to

‘contingent’ operations after the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Culdrose will have a big part to play as the navy’s fast jet aviation hub during the transition to Lightning II and carrier-based operations. The base has been gearing up for years and its preparations are well advanced. It’s home to the Sea King ASaC7 Force (airborne surveillance and control, or SKASaC), charged with providing fleet AEW, and the Merlin HM2 fleet which provides anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare and, in the future, AEW (replacing the SKASaC). It also hosts the School of Flight Deck Operations where future aircraft carrier operators are preparing for embarked operations on HMS Queen Elizabeth. In June 2014, Culdrose reintroduced the CAG concept – incorporating its Merlin HM2 fleet to support the process – and it’s expected that 736’s operational training role will develop to reinforce it.

2014 Exercise Programme As a fully-fledged military unit, 736 has moved quickly to address future tactical requirements in addition to its core work. In the past, it has participated in the biannual Joint Warrior multinational exercise, first in October 2013 and again in April 2014.

During Joint Warrior 14-2 (October 6-17, 2014), five of its aircraft were at Prestwick Airport in Scotland for the exercise, tasked with roles including offensive counter air, defensive counter air, threat simulation, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and CAS. Royal Navy Sea Harrier and Harrier GR9 pilots developed close working relationships with the Culdrose ASaC Force (849, 854, 857 Naval Air Squadrons), an association which declined during the hiatus in embarked fast jet operations – but 736 is now working hard to rekindle the link through the introduction of the Carrier Air Group (CAG) concept and the Carrier Strike Capability Development programme. Stage two of 736’s development included taking part in a ‘live’ tactical exercise to develop tactical training procedures. Then, having completed its first cross-country overseas navigational flight training exercise to Norway in May, 736 attended its first Combined Qualified Weapons Instructors (CQWI) course at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire, and RAF Leeming, Yorkshire, between July 7 and 21. The squadron’s pilots last attended a

CQWI when they were within JFH, so the invitation represented an important first step. To enhance air-to-air qualifications within the team, three pilots attended, including two CQWI first-timers who completed five missions during the course and worked closely with No.100 Squadron throughout. All 736 NAS pilots have now attended a CQWI, with mutual benefit for both the squadron and the Air Warfare Centre. The squadron confirmed it will attend a future Tactical Leadership Programme in Spain to gain large-scale combined air operations (COMAO) experience, but only when resourcing levels allow. Elsewhere, this process of ‘reaching out’ to military enablers continues apace. A recent example was 736’s first deployment and participation in Operation Cougar 14/Exercise Albanian Lion from September 8-17, 2014. The squadron deployed alongside Culdrosebased Merlin HM2s (from 820 NAS) and other UK rotary assets deployed aboard HMS Ocean as part of the Royal Navy’s Response Task Force Group (RTFG). They were then joined by French, US and Albanian forces in this annual eastern Mediterranean exercise. The Royal Navy’s

RFTG is its expeditionary force, which is maintained at high readiness and able to be deployed in emergency situations: its last was to support the Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan in October 2013; and, before that, off the coast of Libya (June 2011) as part of Operation Ellamy.

Albanian Lion The squadron sent three Hawks to Tirana Air Base, Albania, for the two weeks of Cougar 14/Exercise Albanian Lion. “We were the enemy aggressors during the initial phases of the exercise, attacking shipping and causing problems for the RFTG,” Lt Cdr Flatman explained. “We then switched to providing CAS for the TACPs with 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines and the Albanian forces on the ground. “Everyone was excited about this deployment, particularly the Albanians who retired their fast jets after the Cold War. We’ve worked closely with 3 Commando Brigade in the past, supporting these Cougar deployments, and it’s something we’re keen to be part of in the future.” During the detachment, the 736’s four pilots provided the only ‘fast air’ in the exercise

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MILITARY 736 NAVAL AIR SQUADRON and conducted 30 sorties, including some challenging and realistic CAS serials.

Thursday War To gain an insight of its operations, AIR International accepted an invitation to follow Lt Dan Walker throughout his ‘Thursday War’ preparations. The Thursday War is one of three weekly mini-COMAO exercises (the first is on Tuesdays, two are on Thursdays). The first thing to note was the sheer scale of Lt Walker’s workload. Twelve-hour-plus days are normal and, with just seven pilots, everyone is fully involved in the routine – which is a tough ask, but of huge benefit to team spirit and morale. The aim is that all aircrew should be qualified to plan an event like a 1 Thursday War, and this is reflected in the briefing process we witnessed. Each involves eight jets (four Hawks and four Dassault 20 Falcons) flying varied and demanding profiles. Tuesday’s operations provide the lead into the full Thursday War, but in all respects they are separate events. With the jets flying within a small area, the planning process is complex.

Operations Planning A Thursday War is driven by dedicated FOST staff based in Plymouth, which provide operational sea training for all Royal Navy surface ships, submarines and Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels. It has established a worldwide reputation for excellence and, as a consequence, works with an increasing number of NATO and other foreign partners. The training event we observed was a good example, comprising five ships – three NATO frigates from Belgium, Portugal and Germany, 2 one UK destroyer (HMS Dauntless) plus a ‘high-value’ UK tanker around which the other to achieve; it’s up to 736 and Cobham ships formed a protective screen. [which provides the Falcon] to decide how Although they’re at varying stages of we achieve it,” he said. “Mission height for preparedness, each ship must achieve certain example is largely transparent to the ship’s operational standards before being eligible to crew and FOST staff. FOST tell us the time participate in a Thursday War. The German we need to be on top of them and how many frigate for example had been in ‘work-up’ aircraft will provide the threat simulation. stage for three weeks while, in contrast, this “During the exercise, ships’ operations was the first week for HMS Dauntless. room personnel are looking at a 3D picture. The squadron’s role is to attack the ships We [FOST/736/Cobham] co-ordinate time being assessed while embarked FOST and aim to saturate their radar picture with staff will test their crews’ response and numbers. Our height doesn’t necessarily performance – in particular the Principal Air matter to them for this.” Warfare Officer, or PWO(A), operations room, The first attack against the ships occurs fighter controllers and the captain. By the end almost immediately after FOST staff are in of their FOST training they should be ready position to record the event. and well prepared to deploy on operations. Thursday Wars are conducted in the FOST Dynamic UK southwest approaches on the Flight We joined Lt Walker in the briefing Information Region boundary between UK and room as he briefed the first wave French airspace. Although an exercise ‘war’, of four 736 pilots, which included each event is closely choreographed and for the CO – no pressure! Each good reasons. For example, incoming raids has their pilots log provided will be ‘planned’ for a certain time against by FOST. This describes the a particular ship because the attack will be specific aerial profiles FOST linked to a specific training event for the ship’s requires – and from these, 736 Bridge Warfare Team. and Cobham produce another The aircraft of 736 simulate missile briefing document with their attacks to test a ship’s capability to defend interpretation of them. Today’s itself against hostile sea-skimming threats. was a ‘B2’ profile involving four Although the squadron doesn’t have much Cobham Falcons and four Hawks. influence over the precise exercise profiles, Lt “One of Cobham’s Falcons launched Walker confirmed, “we have a lot of latitude” early and took up a position in the southwest over the mechanics of how they deliver a approaches,” Lt Walker said. “One of specific effect. our Hawks formated on their wing, which “They [FOST] tell us the effect they want

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1 The squadron’s A Flight maintenance team based at RNAS Yeovilton are a highly experienced bunch of lads. 2 Man and machines ... Lt Cdr Tim Flatman, Commanding Officer of 736 NAS, which operates 14 Hawk T1/T1As from two locations, RNAS Culdrose and RNAS Yeovilton. A Flight maintains a permanent detachment of two aircraft at the latter. 3 The Hawk continues to serve the Royal Navy well, but the cockpit is a demanding setting for the aggressor pilot.

736 NAS HISTORY The squadron was formed at RNAS Yeovilton on May 24, 1943 before moving to RNAS Culdrose in 1950 and operating a range of piston aircraft until it disbanded there in August 1952. It re-formed at RNAS Lossiemouth in June 1953 as a training squadron using the Sea Vampire and Hawker Sea Hawk. The unit’s famous ‘lightning flash’ tail markings first appeared on its Supermarine Scimitar F1s which it flew from 1959 until 1965 when it again disbanded. It re-formed shortly after with the Blackburn Buccaneer S2, training both RAF and Royal Navy aircrew on the type, and stood down again in 1972. Forty-one years later it re-formed at Culdrose flying the Hawk T1.

736 NAVAL AIR SQUADRON MILITARY

information provided by the CAP aircraft or use the PAAMS (Principal Anti Air Missile System) fitted to Type 45 destroyers. Information flow between the CAP and the ship’s PWO(A), who drives its anti-air warfare plan, will be high and the ‘safe’ decision may be for the CAP to engage the other aircraft rather than allowing them to get too close to the ships. Communication between all parties will be by voice (using a simulated guard frequency), computer link or via a Link 16 network in the future. At the end of the exercise, FOST, 736 and Cobham formation ‘leads’ debrief together to confirm what was achieved.

Future Demands

appeared as one radar dot to the ships. At a set range, the Hawk simulated a missile launch against them by dropping down to low level, flying towards them at around 410mph. “The Falcon used its radar jamming pods, attached to its wing, to disrupt the ships’ electronic warfare capability, protecting the Hawk as it simulated the missile attack. Hopefully the ship’s radar systems work out what ‘missile’ is inbound to take the appropriate action. “Having separated from the Falcon, a flight of four Hawks will then attack the ships from the coast – with simulated weaponry comprising rockets, dumb bombs – and strafe.” Images confirm the ship’s ‘screen’ is tight. As the four-ship transits above them, they deconflict by height, time and geography. To meet FOST requirements, all four attack one ‘target’ at one time. “Some Hawks will adopt a high dive into the target before releasing their weapons. Some attack at very low level over the radar horizon to simulate a strafe attack,” Lt Walker added. “Meanwhile a ‘battle’ flight of two approached the ships at low level from the land before releasing simulated free-fall bombs.” The attack profiles are always as aggressive as the weather conditions permit. Their s SOP limits their dive angle

There will always be a requirement to satisfy its two main customers, but given more resources 736 has the experience and potential to fulfil a wider range of operational and tactical requirements. As a ‘service’ supplier, it makes sense for 736 to continue developing its ‘business’ 3 profile, focusing more on air-to-air threat simulation for the benefit of all its customers. It is a ‘win-win’ situation. ‘Red Air’ threat to 20º if the weather is poor. If instrument simulation across UK services is limited to meteorological conditions apply, the war is No.100 Squadron, but demand on this type of conducted in high-level ‘sanctuaries’ and service must surely increase with the advent vertical manoeuvring is restricted. Fuel and of the F-35B Lightning II. Ultimately, defence diversion airfield issues (RAF Valley in this decisions will be based on cost benefit case) may ultimately influence the type of analysis, the value of the work undertaken and ‘war’ fought. the security threat faced. In good weather conditions, aircrew might The investment case for 736 is compelling apply a 40-50º nose-down attack angle to and, dare I say, essential for the future carrier enhance accuracy. Such a steep angle can be strike capability. Given the FAA’s bright a “little bit nasty”, as one pilot put it. new future, hopefully the unit’s potential will “Approaching from the land, the Falcons be realised – future expansion would stay out in the southwest approaches represent a logical next step. simulating weapons carriers,” Lt Walker said. “At other times, they will simulate land-based TELARS (Transporter Erector Launcher units) launching something like a SCUD missile against the ships. It gets pretty heavy for the ship’s crew at times.” Following their four-ship attack, one of the Hawks became the British destroyer’s asset providing it with combat air patrol (CAP). The ship’s fighter controller then vectored it to investigate and target a Falcon acting as a weapon carrier. The fighter controller might ask the CAP aircraft to release simulated weapons against the remaining three Hawks or act as a ‘smart’ fighter providing the ships with airborne information. A ship could choose to release specific anti-aircraft weapons based on the

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COMMERCIAL McDONNELL DOUGLAS MD-11

T

hey once played a major role in bringing air travel to the masses but, the last of the western-built widebody tri-jets has retired from passenger service. The three-engined McDonnell Douglas MD11 never achieved the sales success of its first-generation widebody tri-jet ancestor, the DC-10, primarily because it arrived on the market at a time when ETOPSequipped ‘big twins’ were becoming the aircraft of choice for airlines. Nevertheless, the MD-11 still earned its place in aviation history. It was the last of the Western-built widebody tri-jet airliners and the final in the famous

Douglas-designed Dc-Jets series that once flew with so many of the world’s airlines. KLM had operated ten MD-11s since 1993 but the fleet was reduced to just four aircraft by last summer. The type’s retirement had an extra significance for Dutch flag-carrier KLM as it marked the end of its 80-year partnership with aircraft manufacturer (McDonnell) Douglas. It had all begun in 1934 with KLM’s first DC-2, and later that year its legendary PH-AJU “Uiver” (Stork) won the handicap section of the London to Melbourne race. KLM remains the only airline to have flown all of the US company’s series-built passenger-carrying airliners. The DC-1 was never available commercially, but the rest of Douglas airliners from the DC-2 through to the MD-11, including

1 1 KLM operated a fleet of ten MD-11s between 1993 and 2014. PH-KCB (c/n 48556), ‘Maria Montessori’ acted as the standby aircraft on the last day of passenger operations. She was floodlit to enhance a twilight photo-session after the flying had ended. Frits van den Berg 2 MD-11 PH-KCD (c/n 48558) ‘Florence Nightingale’ taxies in after the second of the three flights on November 11. Matthijs Caspers

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the very rare DC-5, all flew with KLM or its subsidiaries.

Last flights KLM had the honour of operating the last scheduled passenger MD-11 service overnight on October 25-26 when KL672 flew from Montréal to Amsterdam, but it had already planned further commemorative flights that would enable the type to bow-out in style. On September 15, KLM had announced three farewell MD-11 flights, over the Netherlands from its Amsterdam base. Maintaining the ‘11’ link as much as possible, all round trips were set for November 11 (11/11) with tickets costing €111. Equipped with 285 seats, 24 were reserved for VIPs and the press in business class while 261 in

McDONNELL DOUGLAS MD-11 COMMERCIAL economy (783 over the three flights) went on sale the following day – at 1111 in the morning of course. They sold out in approximately three minutes!

Widespread interest On November 11, hundreds of excited passengers gathered at the special MD-11 check-in desk in Schiphol’s Departure Hall 1. It was a great day to go flying; the clear blue sky matched KLM’s colour scheme and we were soon being bussed out to a remote parking stand where PH-KCD, ‘Florence Nightingale’ awaited. The Dutch Dakota Association’s DC-3, PH-PBA, a sister-ship of the DC-2s that KLM operated in the 1930s and ’40s, sat alongside, while a back-up MD-11, PH-KCB, ‘Maria Montessori’ stood by in case ‘Florence’

became unserviceable. It wasn’t just aircraft enthusiasts who wanted to mark the type’s departure; many with a professional link to the MD-11 were also keen to be part of this special day. The flight deck was manned by four pilots; Captain Erwin Gabel, Vice President of KLM’s MD-11 and A330 unit; Captain Charley Valette, Training Manager; Captain Ad Ooijevaar, Senior Type Rated Examiner MD-11 and Captain Nico Verdoes. Most of the cabin crew on board had asked to be rostered for the flight, including Senior Purser Erik Meÿer who flew on KLM’s second-ever MD-11 service and had remained on the tri-jet fleet ever since. Among VIPs on board was retired McDonnell Douglas test pilot Tom Melody who commanded the MD-11’s maiden flight in 1990. Having

Last of the Western

Tri-jets Tom Allett joined the retirement celebrations for KLM’s MD-11 fleet

received an invitation from KLM to join the last day celebrations, Captain Melody told AIR International: “It was a nice surprise to be invited and I’m delighted to be here, but I’m also a little sad to see the MD-11 go.” I joined the second of the day’s three flights, KL9897. After pushing back at 1300 we were soon taxiing past hundreds of airport staff who lined almost the entire route out to our southerly departure runway, 18L. Even more well-wishes gathered at the best photography vantage points outside the perimeter fence. With no hold baggage to weigh us down and a relatively light fuel load of just 33,000lbs ‘Florence’ was considerably lighter at take-off than she would be on one of her more usual long-haul journeys. She positively leapt into the air from Schiphol’s runway 18L and the following wide right-hand turn took us out to the west. With the power set at 90% and a speed of 240kts we levelled off at 2,000ft (610m) and were soon flying over the Formula 1 racetrack at Zandvoort in northern Holland. With the cabin seatbelt signs off, we continued south along the coast, passing the town of Noordwijk, then over Rotterdam’s harbour before turning east. With all on board delighted to be there, a party atmosphere prevailed throughout the flight. Farewell messages were written across several overhead baggage bins and cabin bulkheads; my favourite being the nostalgic “Fly DC-Jets” – recalling the famous logo and slogan which towered above Douglas’ Long Beach manufacturing facility for more than 50 years. Climbing to 3,000ft (915m) we passed the city of Utrecht and, soon afterwards, the former Dutch Royal Palace of Soestdijk ‘slipped’ beneath our port wing. As we neared the end of our circular route some of the cabin crew led a mini conga dance around the rear of the aircraft…if only it was always that much fun to fly! It couldn’t last of course and, after we passed the Aviodome aviation museum at Lelystad and flew out over the waters of the Ijsselmeer, the call came to return to our seats as we turned back towards Schiphol. Touchdown was greeted by everyone cheering and waving their arms in the air, but the need to have your seatbelts on meant that the TV crews missed the moment and we had to recreate it for the cameras as we taxied in! Appropriately, the sun was poignantly setting on the MD-11 as it landed after its third and final flight of the day. After leaving the runway it joined the end of a procession led by several airport ‘ops’ vehicles and the Dutch Dakota Association’s DC-3, which followed for the full length of the outer taxiways around Schiphol. As the MD-11 approached its parking stand, the airport’s fire service delivered a final watercannon salute. Since that memorable send-off, KLM’s PH-KCB ‘Maria Montessori’ has already been flown out to the Southern California Logistics Airport, also known as Victorville airfield, but the last aircraft, ‘Florence’ won’t join her sisters in storage until mid-January 2015. Though the end of the MD-11 era was tinged with some sadness for supporters and operator alike, KLM looks forward to introducing the first of its 294-seat Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners in the coming year. In the meantime, KLM will deploy its Airbus A330 and Boeing 777 airliners on applicable passenger routes until the new aircraft are delivered.

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MILITARY ROYAL NEW ZEALAND AIR FORCE T-6C TEXAN II

South Pacific T

S

even Beechcraft T-6C Texan IIs have now been delivered to the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF). Three arrived at RNZAF Base Ohakea on November 29, joining two sent in August and another pair in October. The remaining four will be delivered by mid-2015. The Texans each made a 17-day flight to New Zealand from Beechcraft’s factory at Wichita, Kansas, a journey of more than 22,000 miles (35,405km). The pair delivered in October took time out of their schedule for a media viewing in Tamworth, Australia when AIR International spoke to Beechcraft Chief Pilot J D O’Malley about the T-6Cs and their epic delivery flights.

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It’s possible more will be seen in southern hemisphere skies in the future as Australia is expected to select a new trainer to replace its Pilatus PC-9/A and civilian-owned Pacific Aerospace CT-4B Airtrainers.

Texan Cockpit Beechcraft’s T-6 family traces its origins back to the Pilatus PC-9, which began in 1995 with the selection of the T-6A for the US Air Force’s Joint Primary Aircraft Training System. Next came the T-6B for the US Navy. The T-6C is the latest version and has been sold to Mexico, Morocco and New Zealand. Beechcraft has also developed the AT-6 light attack version with a strengthened structure and the same weapons management system as the A-10C Thunderbolt II. The T-6C is powered by a 1,600shp

(1,200kW) Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A68 engine, flat-rated to 1,100shp (820kW), driving a four-blade propeller. Beechcraft brochure figures quote a maximum speed of 316 knots (585km/h) or 270 knots (500km/h) at low level) and a maximum altitude of 31,000ft (9,448m). The aircraft is fully aerobatic and stressed to +7g and -3.5g with a guaranteed airframe life of 18,720 hours. The tandem cockpit includes Martin-Baker Mk.US16LA zero-zero ejection seats and hands-on-throttle-and-stick flight controls. Each position has an Esterline CMC Cockpit 4000 avionics suite with three 5in x 7in (127mm x 177mm) multifunction displays (MFDs) and an integrated up-front cockpit control panel with a head-up display (HUD), which can be configured for either F-16 or F/A-18 symbology. There are three hardpoints under each wing

c Texans MFD Modes O’Malley explained how the cockpit and mission software can be used in the entire training regime: “It’s the same airplane but we have the capability to ‘dumb down’ the avionics to reduce the amount of information presented to a basic flight student. We have numerous dedicated modes for the MFDs and HUD. “For ab initio students you can de-clutter the displays, so all they have is the basic information – airspeed, altitude and attitude. As the syllabus progresses you can start throwing more at them and putting more information at their disposal. You can

actually overwhelm a student early on if they’re not ready for it. “The T-6 has a power management unit [PMU]. We call it a poor man’s FADEC [full authority digital engine control] but students can get excited sometimes and, with turboprops, if you’re not careful you can over-torque or over-temp the engine. The PMU lets them move the throttle from idle to max and it schedules the fuel flow so they can’t over-torque or over-temp. They can’t hurt the engine.”

Cost Savings Downloading advanced training from frontline fighters or advanced jet trainers to turboprops has significant cost benefits, says O’Malley. “The US Navy is really big about taking training from the F-18 down to T-45, and from the T-45 they want to put it into

their T-6Bs,” he said. “The 20 hours they can cut out of the F-18, which costs between $20,000 and $30,000 an hour to operate, saves them a lot of money. “A lot of our international customers ask for it and we want to be able to do ab initio training and some sort of top-level advanced training before the students go on to their next airplane.” The T-6C, he added, costs between US$300 (£191) and US$400 (£254) per hour to operate, depending on local fuel and maintenance costs.

Royal New Zealand Air Force

and a centre pylon plumbed for external fuel tanks. Mexican aircraft (designated T-6C+) differ from the baseline T-6C with the inclusion of an analogue weapons control panel

As more Beechcraft T-6C Texans are delivered to the Royal New Zealand Air Force, Nigel Pittaway finds out about the trainer’s capabilities

Weapons Training Software on the T-6C makes use of synthetics for weapons training. “We have two simulators on board – for air-to-air and air-to-ground. For air-to-air you actually have

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Beechcraft

MILITARY ROYAL NEW ZEALAND AIR FORCE T-6C TEXAN II

RNZAF T-6C TEXAN II FLEET

a little airplane that flies a pre-programmed pattern in your HUD, a two-dimensional delta-wing airplane,” O’Malley explained. “You can tell it to start off with turns to the right or left, and the goal for the student is to track it, put his pipper on it and shoot the gun. The computer keeps track of how long the student tracks the airplane. It runs for about two-and-a-half minutes and the little airplane can manoeuvre around, so the student has to follow it. “A similar air-to-ground training system uses simulated bombs, guns or rockets. Our scoring system is based on a continuously computed impact point [CCIP] and there’s also a dive-toss mode with CCIP and a manual mode. “Those are not scored by the computer but you can always practise them. You don’t need a real range to go [and] practise – we designate an area clear of buildings, mark that point and have the student practise dropping bombs, shooting guns and rockets. The computer calculates dive angles and records all that information and we bring it back.”

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Beechcraft is developing a Base Product Upgrade (BPU) which will add electronic moving maps, a portable flight planning system (PFPS), integration of a survivable crash recorder, enhanced ground proximity warning system (EGPWS) and automatic dependent surveillance – broadcast (ADS-B).

Kiwi Texans New Zealand’s then defence minister Jonathan Coleman announced on January 27, 2014 that Beechcraft had been awarded a contract to supply 11 T-6Cs as part of a NZ$154m order to include simulators, classroom and computer-based training packages. Flight simulators and ground-based training devices will be installed at Ohakea by sub-contractor CAE and maintenance and support will be provided over 30 years by New Zealand-based Safe Air. The system will be operational for the first trainee intake in early 2016 and will produce up to 15 graduate pilots and 12 qualified flying instructors per year.

Serial

Delivered

Ex US Reg.

NZ1401

22/08/14

N2824B

NZ1402

22/08/14

N2826B

NZ1403

29/11/14

N2841B

NZ1404

08/10/14

N2842B

NZ1405

08/10/14

N2845B

NZ1406

29/11/14

N2846B

NZ1407

29/11/14

N2847B

NZ1408

To be delivered 2015

NZ1409

To be delivered March 2015

NZ1410

To be delivered March 2015

NZ1411

To be delivered 2015

Seventeen Days to Ohakea The ferry flights from Wichita to Ohakea are planned to take account of prevailing weather and geopolitical issues. O’Malley said a westbound route through Alaska and Russia would cut five days off the trip, but both weather and political considerations currently make it unviable, hence the long eastbound journey through Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The first delivery flights, in August, called at RNZAF Whenuapai near Auckland to clear customs and meet government ministers before continuing south to Ohakea. The second, in October, went directly to Ohakea and subsequent flights have also bypassed Auckland – all have used Beechcraft service centres or fixed base operators, with routine maintenance carried out by ferry crews. Pilots for the second ferry flight were O’Malley, James Bearman, Jim Dallas and Don Parker, Dallas joining in Bangkok after another pilot was required back in the US. The flight left Wichita on September 22 and reached Ohakea 17 days and 22 flights later, albeit it with an extra overnight stop and a 1 Brisbane-Tamworth flight added in Australia for promotional purposes. The aircraft were fitted with external tanks and, although brochure figures claim a range of 1,382 nautical miles (2,559km) in this configuration, flew 700-800 nautical mile (1,296-1,481km) sectors to take weather into consideration, particularly on the North Atlantic crossing. O’Malley said of the trip: “We went from Wichita to Des Moines, Iowa, to clear customs and from there to Ottawa for the night. Next day we flew to Goose Bay in Canada. “The following day we looked at the weather for Greenland and Iceland and, luckily on this trip, it was clear in the main, so we stopped in Narsarsuaq on the southern

ROYAL NEW ZEALAND AIR FORCE T-6C TEXAN II MILITARY Calcutta to Bangkok and on to Singapore for another overnight. “From Singapore we flew on to Bali and a two-night crew rest period before flying to Darwin. Yesterday we were going to spend the night in Cairns but looking at the winds we thought it would be too much of a challenge to get up at four o’clock in the morning to get here – so we went to Brisbane, spent the night and flew to Tamworth.” After the media event the aircraft returned to Brisbane and then on to Norfolk Island and finally Ohakea.

Winter Crossing 2

tip of Greenland. Narsarsuaq is on a straight line between Goose Bay and Keflavik, so we refuelled there and went on to Iceland. “Our plan for the next day was direct to Stansted but the winds weren’t favourable and we changed our plan to stop at Glasgow for fuel before going on to Stansted and spending the night. “The next day we went into Rome and took a crew rest day there. From there we went to Heraklion in Greece, spending a night there, and then to Jordan; that was an interesting flight because we have to avoid the Sinai Peninsula right now, so we had to go through Egypt and then back up to Jordan. The next day we went to Dubai. “From Dubai we went into Ahmadabad, got gas, and on to Calcutta where we spent the night. The next day we went from

Referring to November’s ferry flights, O’Malley said: “The North Atlantic is always a challenge, especially in the winter time. The weather conditions are deteriorating at that time of year so it’s probably the most challenging part.” Jim Dallas, who’s been on all three ferry flights and also took a T-6 to the Farnborough International Airshow, noted: “We’ve had a great trip. I’ve done three North Atlantic crossings in the T-6s this year and not one of them has had a weather delay.” According to the RNZAF’s ‘T6 to NZ’ blog, which reports on the Texans’ progress to the southern hemisphere, two RNZAF pilots (Squadron Leader Paul Stockley and Flight Lieutenant Stu Anderson) were involved in the November deliveries. The route was similar to the previous trips, with transits via Greenland, Iceland, the UK, Rome, Chania (Greece), Amman, Dubai,

Ahmedabad, Calcutta, Bangkok, Singapore, Bali and Darwin.

Project Air 5428 The T-6C is one of two aircraft types being considered for Australia’s Pilot Training System under the Project Air 5428 requirement for a complete fixed-wing pilot training system for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Two industry consortiums are competing: BAE Systems Australia, Beechcraft and CAE have formed around the T-6C; and ‘Team 21’ – comprising Lockheed Martin, Pilatus and Hawker Pacific – with the PC-21. The original timeline called for the first RAAF course to begin in 2015, replacing the Pilatus PC-9/A for advanced flight training and the CT-4B in the flight screening and basic flight training roles. A draft request for tenders was released to industry in 2013 and closed in February 2014 with a decision expected before the end of 2014. But the project is behind schedule and 2014’s Australian federal budget documents reveal the PC-9/A will not finally retire until the end of 2019. The winning platform will also be operated by the Roulettes aerobatic team and in the Joint Terminal Attack Training (JTAC) role with No.4 Squadron at Williamtown. Modifications to the baseline T-6C, if it is selected, will include a slightly enhanced software suite (used on the US Navy’s T-6B), expanded data input into the aircraft’s data module, data recording system modifications and, for its Roulettes role, an increased inverted flight time of 60 seconds and a 15-minute three-coloured smoke system.

3 4 1 The fuel tanks added to the wings for the journey are visible on the two T-6Cs delivered in October. Nigel Pittaway 2 The Texan’s cockpit software can be used in different stages of training, ranging from the initial phases to simulating combat scenarios. Nigel Pittaway 3 T-6C NZ1404, formerly N2842B. It was delivered in August 2014. Royal New Zealand Air Force 4 Beechcraft Chief Pilot J D O’Malley. Nigel Pittaway

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COMMERCIAL ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION

SystemsT T

here are two ways to investigate accidents. First, identify the single most important failure. Secondly, identify as many failures and contributory factors as time and resources allow. Sociologists call the first method the reductionist approach and the second the systems approach. In recent years the systems approach has gained traction, partly because it produces more insights. On September 2, 2006 RAF Nimrod MR2 XV230 crashed in Afghanistan, killing all on board. On September 3, 2006 a Board of Inquiry (BoI) was convened. Besides identifying the ‘probable physical causes’ of the accident, the BoI also

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Dr Simon Bennett considers the benefits of a systems-thinking approach to accident investigation

sThink ing Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777-200ER 9M-MRD (c/n 28411) at Stockholm-Arlanda Airport, Sweden in May 2009. It was shot down over Ukraine on July 17, 2014 operating as flight MH17 between Amsterdam and Kuala Lumpur. Europix/AirTeamImages

identified possible contributory factors, including an under-estimation of the risks associated with airframe modifications. Put simply, the Nimrod Safety Case (NSC) was found wanting. Building on the BoI report, Mr Charles Haddon-Cave QC’s 2009 Independent Review into the Broader Issues Surrounding the Loss of the RAF Nimrod MR2 Aircraft XV230, identified a range of systemic factors, including the following. Significant failings within the ‘system of systems’ (composed of BAE Systems, QinetiQ and the Nimrod Integrated Project Team) charged with delivering the NSC. Errors of fact in the NSC went unnoticed or unreported. Team members’ quiescence may

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COMMERCIAL ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION and support Operations Herrick and Iraqi Freedom outweighed the perceived negative consequences of losing an airframe and 14 personnel? All systems – including those like the MoD that deliver security – are subject to internal and external pressures that can render system behaviour unpredictable. Large systems are complexly interactive. Non-linear interactions, where identical inputs generate non-identical outputs, are commonplace. The MoD is a large and complex system par excellence. Because of non-linear interactions, the system may behave unpredictably (in the argot of systems theory, the behaviour of the system-asfound will deviate from that specified for the system-as-designed). Eurocontrol describes the down-side of organisational complexity in this way: “In complex systems, outcomes are often emergent, and not simply a result of the performance of individual system

procurement and asset-management practices that, according to HaddonCave, caused the Ministry to suffer “deep organisational trauma”. Outsourcing ruptured the Ministry’s organisational culture. A cultural shift within the MoD that elevated financial criteria over safety criteria. According to Haddon-Cave, an underpressure MoD evolved a safety culture, “that allowed ‘business’ to eclipse airworthiness”. During the accident’s decades-long gestation period (SCPs that, according to Haddon-Cave: “Increased the potential for ignition”, were fitted in the late 1970s, and an air-to-air refuelling capability was added during the Falklands War) the RAF operated a variety of reporting systems. Personnel may have drawn attention to the possibility of fuel coming into contact with heat sources such as the SCP duct prior to the loss of XV230. If reports were raised, it is reasonable to ask why no remedial action was taken. Was it that the MoD’s determination to liberate the Falklands

components. Hence, system behaviour is... often not as expected”. Put simply, unpredictable and complex interactions within the MoD (for example, between competing agendas) may have impeded its error-reporting systems. The Haddon-Cave review of the immediate and proximate causes of the loss of XV230 is an excellent example of a systems-theoryinformed accident investigation. It should be required reading for all air accident investigators. Haddon-Cave was not the first systems-theory-informed investigation, however. The first was conducted by The Honourable Mr Justice Virgil P Moshansky into the 1989 Dryden accident, where wing ice brought down a Fokker F28 passenger aircraft. Despite significant opposition from the aviation establishment, Moshansky conducted a no-holds-barred systems investigation that encompassed both the immediate circumstances of the accident and the culture of Canada’s commercial aviation sector. Moshansky observed: “It

would have been a simple matter to assign the blame to pilot error... as had been done in approximately 80% of aviation accident investigations... A conscious decision was made to... investigate fully the impact of human factors throughout the aviation system upon the events at Dryden.” Something of a systems-theory purist, instead of identifying a ‘probable cause’ from an exhaustive list of failings, Moshansky made 191 recommendations. For Moshansky, Dryden was a systems accident. It originated in the economy, organisation and culture of Canada’s aviation system. “This accident was the result of a failure in the air transportation system,” he observed in 1992.

MH17

Simon Willson/AirTeamImages

have been caused by groupthink – a process whereby, over time, the members of a tightknit in-group begin to think and act in the same way. The Kennedy Administration’s 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion – a poorly planned anti-Castro coup – resulted from groupthink within the President’s inner circle. A failure to actively learn from past incidents, such as the November 2004 rupture of the Supplementary Cooling Pack (SCP) duct in Nimrod XV227. The fire that brought down XV230 is thought to have started when spilled fuel came into contact with an element of the SCP. A failure to respond to warnings. In 1998 the Nimrod Airworthiness Review Team highlighted the problem of, “ever reducing resources and... increasing demands; whether they be operational, financial, legislative or merely those symptomatic of keeping an old aircraft flying”. Government-inspired reform of the MoD’s

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The loss of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 also resulted from a failure of the aviation system. It was a systems accident, the causes of which included both an error of judgment – a missile battery mistaking Malaysia’s 777-200 for a hostile aircraft – and policy decisions, including Ukraine’s decision to allow passenger aircraft to overfly a war-zone and Malaysia Airline’s decision to take advantage of the Ukrainian authorities’ concession. Attributing the disaster to a missile battery crew’s error of judgment alone is too simplistic. The causes of the MH17 loss lie in the politics, economics and risk calculations of the aviation system’s component parts. Specifically, in the agendas of its regulatory agencies, air navigation service providers, airlines, customers and investors. It was the aviation system that put MH17 in contested airspace. It was the aviation system that exposed MH17’s 298 passengers and crew to the risk of shootdown. The launching of the missiles was just one of a number of errors-of-judgment that brought down MH17. Had it not been in eastern Ukraine it would not have been shot down. Had the aviation industry internalised the lessons of past incidents and accidents, it probably would not have allowed flights through contested airspace. Reductionism – attributing the loss to either the Ukrainian or Russian military – gives us half the story. Systems-thinking gives us the whole story. It shows us that the disaster originated in the interactions between the aviation system’s component parts, including: • Malaysia Airlines • The International Civil Aviation Organisation • Eurocontrol • The European Civil Aviation Conference • The State Aviation Authority of Ukraine • The Ukrainian State Air Traffic Service Enterprise • The Flexible Use of Airspace concept (which holds that “airspace should no longer be designated as military or civil airspace, but should be considered as one continuum”) • The shareholder agenda (maximise profit and dividend) • The passenger agenda (generally to pay as little as possible for a ticket)

Unheeded Lessons In his 1982 book Major Technical Risk: An Assessment of Industrial Disasters,

ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION COMMERCIAL Iran Air Airbus A300-200 EP-IBS (msn 080) at Tehran-Mehrabad International is one of 18 delivered to the carrier that included EP-IBU (msn 186): the aircraft shot down by the USS Vincennes over the Persian Gulf on July 3, 1988. Mohammad Razzazan/AirTeamImages

Dr Patrick Lagadec noted: “The disaster must not be seen like a meteorite that falls out of the sky on an innocent world; the disaster, most often, is anticipated, and on multiple occasions. By force of deafness and blindness, misfortune unfolds... The history of disasters is the history of the irresponsibility of the public powers.” Most often, disasters are foretold. This is certainly the case with the type of aviation disaster known as the shoot-down. It will be shown that the destruction of MH17 over the Ukrainian village of Hrabove on July 17, 2014 “was anticipated, and on multiple occasions”. For example: in 1983, a Soviet Su-15 Flagon fighter shot down a Boeing 747 operated by Korean Air Lines. Flight KAL007, en route from Anchorage to Seoul and carrying 269 passengers and crew, strayed into Soviet airspace around the time of a US military reconnaissance sortie. The flight was at 35,000ft (10,668m) when the Su15’s missile hit. The Soviets initially denied responsibility. The flight-plan of KAL007 saw it skirt some of the Soviet Union’s most sensitive military installations, specifically those on Sakhalin Island and the Kamchatka Peninsula. Although not war-zones, Sakhalin and Kamchatka were hot-zones that should not have been overflown. The Soviets claimed that KAL007, “flew deep into Soviet territory for several hundred kilometres, without responding to signals [radio calls] and disobeying the orders of interceptor[s]”. It is possible that wider events, such as the US deployment of Pershing II missiles to Europe and NATO’s imminent Exercise Able Archer, skewed perceptions of KAL007, increasing the likelihood of a shoot-down. Events shape perceptions. Our beliefs and experiences influence how we interpret the things we see. In 1988, a missile fired from the USS Vincennes brought down an Iran Air Airbus A300 en route from Tehran to Dubai. All 290 passengers and crew were killed. The aircraft was intercepted in Iranian airspace over the Strait of Hormuz. Prior to the shoot-down, there had been a confrontation between Iranian small boats and the Vincennes’s helicopter. The shoot-down occurred in the context of the long-running Iran-Iraq war (that saw the United States favour Iraq), attacks on United States warships and attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait. These events may have

persuaded the USS Vincennes’s crew that they were watching a military aircraft flying an attack profile rather than a civilian aircraft navigating an air corridor. Crew members said they believed they were tracking an Iranian F-14 Tomcat fighter. Events shape perceptions. In hindsight, regional aviation authorities should have diverted aircraft around the Strait of Hormuz hot-zone. In 2001, Siberia Airlines flight 1812 was destroyed by an errant Ukrainian surfaceto-air missile. The missile, fired during a military exercise, is thought to have overshot a target drone. It exploded close to the Tu-154M. Seventy-eight passengers and crew perished. Following this incident, Ukraine reportedly banned the testing of such systems for a period of seven years. Flight 1812, from Tel Aviv to Novosibirsk, was intercepted at an altitude of 36,000ft. These shoot-downs were system accidents. While those who pushed the firing button were the instigators, it was the aviation system that placed the aircraft in jeopardy. Had those aircraft not been overflying hot or live-firing zones they would not have been destroyed. A systemsthinking interpretation of the KAL007, IR655, Flight 1812 and MH17 shoot-downs suggests that risk-taking is an emergent property of an aviation system predicated on free-market competition and associated profit-seeking behaviours. Other things being equal, the shorter an airliner’s route, the more profitable the service. Inevitably a compromise must be struck between the need to keep passengers safe and the need to make a profit. An industry that was excessively risk-averse would atrophy. A question is put: how much involuntary risk should passengers bear? The answer reflects both ethical and economic considerations.

Understanding Failure Blaming shoot-downs on wilful negligence or vindictiveness is the easy option. Blamism panders to the perhaps understandable impulse to exact revenge. Blamism is the wrong response, however, because blaming individuals obscures the underlying causes of error. Regarding shoot-downs, systemsthinking encourages us to think about how a civilian airliner transiting an air corridor could be mistaken for a legitimate target. Specifically, it encourages us to reference cognitive science.

Our interactions with the world around us are mediated by cognitive structures known as mental models. A mental model is a predisposition. It leads us to perceive our environment in a certain way. Mental models reflect our experiences and understandings. In routine work situations, they are influenced by things such as career path, role, position, mission statements, organisational cultures, peer-interactions and esprit-de-corps. In the military they are influenced by personal observation, intelligence reports, briefings, life-threatening encounters and beliefs about the character of the enemy. Preconceptions about the Soviets persuaded many German soldiers that it was better to surrender to the Americans, British or Canadians. Influenced by propaganda and first and second-hand accounts, members of the Wehrmacht developed a shared mental model of the Soviets as vengeful. According to the University of Western Australia’s John Cordery, shared mental models: “Are knowledge structures that a team uses in order to help it understand and react to its operating environment.” Within the team there resides “shared knowledge related to the job or task”, and “shared knowledge about the values and attitudes of team members”. At the beginning of November 2014, a Virgin Galactic spacecraft experienced a ‘serious anomaly’ that sent it crashing earthwards, killing a test pilot and badly injuring another. The National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation will be informed by systemsthinking. Hopefully, the Board’s investigation will examine one of the programme’s key assumptions – that, with time and effort, space travel can be made almost routine. The same belief permeated NASA’s Shuttle programme, until the Challenger and Columbia disasters broke the Agency’s routinisation mind-set. The belief that space travel can be routine produced at least one identical outcome in both the Shuttle and Virgin Galactic programmes – the non-provision of an engineered crew escape system. In conclusion, reductionism – settling for simple answers to complex questions – serves us badly. The half-answers produced by reductionism mean that latent weaknesses persist – ready to catch us out at some future date. It is far better to eschew blamism in favour of the holism and inclusivity of systems-thinking. As the saying goes, the Devil is in the detail.

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Tanker Turns

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Nigel Pittaway discovers how the Airbus KC-30A is making its mark in Royal Australian Air Force service

fter a long and troubled development, the Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF’s) Airbus KC-30A MultiRole Tanker Transport (MRTT) has matured into an extremely capable and reliable hose-and-drogue refueller and strategic airlifter. Such is the confidence in the aircraft that even though it’s still some time away from achieving final operating capability (FOC) and remains on the Australian Government’s ‘Projects of Concern’ list, one of the RAAF’s five KC-30As is currently supporting coalition airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq. Thanks too to rectification of problems with the fly-by-wire Aerial Refuelling Boom System (ARBS) – which is now in its final certification phase with Airbus Defence and Space – the KC-30A has now ‘turned the corner’ and is likely to be removed from the Projects of Concern list. Australia’s Minister for Defence, David Johnston, sampled a KC-30A sortie in 2014 when he flew from Canberra to Darwin during the Pitch Black air defence exercise, which involved refuelling RAAF F/A-18A

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Hornets. He said he would like to see two more KC-30As purchased, possibly as early as 2015, as part of Australia’s Defence White Paper process.

Ukraine]. It didn’t miss any tasking with the deployment of Super Hornets over to the Middle East either, so we’re achieving very high serviceability levels.”

Overcoming Problems

Combat Operations

Australia’s KC-30As were acquired under Project Air 5402 but, although the first two were handed over in June 2011, problems with both the ARBS and the underwing Cobham Mk905E pods significantly delayed the aircraft’s introduction to service. The type, however, achieved initial operating capability for hose-and-drogue and air logistics support (ALS) operations in February 2013 and three of the five have also undergone an avionics upgrade known as Wave 2. “The KC-30A has been a very adaptable platform for our needs and has changed the dynamics inside Air Mobility Group [AMG] and the Australian Defence Force with the volume, speed and reach which it can facilitate,” said Air Commodore Warren McDonald, the AMG’s commander. “Recently we were averaging 93% serviceability through a fairly heavy period which included Pitch Black, Arnhem Thunder and Operation Hawick [the repatriation of flight MH17 victims from

The deployment of a KC-30A to Iraq is testament to the faith the RAAF leadership has in the aircraft, particularly given that two of the five are currently with the manufacturer at Getafe in Spain for ARBS certification. Operated by No.33 Squadron, the first KC-30A sent to the Middle East (A39-002) departed its Amberley base on September 21, followed later by a second aircraft (A39-003). They were sent to support the deployment of six No.1 Squadron F/A-18F Super Hornets to Al Minhad Air Base in the United Arab Emirates – all the aircraft, together with an E-7A Wedgetail AEW&C platform, forming an Australian Air Task Group (ATG) under Operation Okra. After overnight stops at Pearce in Western Australia and Diego Garcia, the second aircraft returned to Amberley while A39002 continued with the fighters to the UAE, arriving on September 24. The first combat mission into Iraq was flown in support of coalition strike packages on October 1. A week later the KC-30A had flown eight

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ns the Corner

Confidence Prior to Operation Okra, Amberley underwent runway repairs in November 2013 and July 2014, No.33 Squadron deploying to Darwin on each occasion. AIRCDRE McDonald credits these deployments to a relatively austere airfield a long way from home as one of the factors that gave planners the confidence in a single-aircraft combat deployment thousands of miles from Australia. “The first Darwin deployment helped us resolve a lot of issues because we had to face them in a deployed environment and we learned that you can operate this aircraft for extended periods away from a maintenance base,” he said. “That’s been a game-changer, and when they had to do it a second time they got a chance to go back over the lessons learned. That’s why they’ve come out of the blocks fast in the Middle East and been able to provide a capability within days of getting over there.”

Clearances Before their Middle East deployment the KC-30As had only been cleared to transfer fuel to RAAF Hornets and Super Hornets, but operational contingency clearance has now been granted to US Navy and Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornets, Super Hornets and EA18G Growlers, EA-6B Prowlers and AV-8B Harriers as well as RAF Tornado GR4s and French Air Force Rafales. The first non-RAAF aircraft to refuel from the aircraft over Iraq were a pair of Rafales. “The French were very forward-leaning and keen to utilise the aircraft,” AIRCDRE McDonald revealed. “Obviously they’re going down the same path as we are with the KC-30, and it takes a bit more time for other countries to come on board, but there’s a signal of willingness to expand the capability and we’re actively working in that space. So the team back here, along with all the appropriate agencies, have been working to bring the capability to a high level.”

Dialogue The Royal Air Force has Voyagers deployed to the Middle East and the UAE Air Force operates its own version of the MRTT, which was in Australia for Pitch Black, so

dialogue between the three partners has been beneficial. “We’re keen to continue our engagement with the UAE to understand how we can assist each other, given our locality,” AIRCDRE McDonald explained. “We have a good relationship that we can build there with the KC-30. While we’re in theatre we can get to understand each other’s issues and how we may be able to collaboratively bring that capability forward, particularly with the UK over there at this stage as well.”

Airbus Defence & Space

seven-hour sorties and 50 flying hours – of which six missions had been in support of ATG operations – and transferred almost 400,000lb (181,437kg) of fuel to RAAF and coalition aircraft using its underwing pods. It is currently tasked with six missions a week.

Exercises Even before going to Iraq, the Australian KC-30A fleet had achieved impressive operational statistics during exercises and operations. From an ALS perspective it recently conducted the longest RAAF flight ever, from Darwin to Dallas, and another from Sydney to Anchorage in support of a C-130J-30 Hercules deployment to Red Flag Alaska. During Pitch Black, limited ramp space in Darwin meant one KC-30 supported RAAF Hornet operations from Amberley, a daily round trip of around 3,100 nautical miles (5,741km). It also performed concurrent tasking during the period. “Between August 4 and 22, that aircraft

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MILITARY AIRBUS KC-30 flew 16 missions, flying 132 hours, conducted 138 contacts with receiver aircraft and offloaded more than 125 metric tonnes of fuel. And it had a serviceability rate of 100%,” AIRCDRE McDonald noted.

Pod Remediation The RAAF has recently been working with Airbus Defence and Space, and Cobham, on an incremental remediation programme for the Mk905E pods. AIRCDRE McDonald said the decision to stay with the Mk905E avoids a further testing regime over and above that required for the rest of the modifications. Rectification work included replacing hoses with more clearly marked items to indicate the fuel transfer zone when a fighter is connected to the basket. “Looking into the sun, it was a challenge to understand exactly where the 1 fuel transfer zone was in relation to the length of the hose,” AIRCDRE McDonald explained. “When a fighter approaches the receiver aircraft and then moves forward there are a couple of things at play. First there’s hose reel response, which is one of the most critical parts of hose and drogue refuelling. “If you approach the hose too quickly or set up some oscillation it could damage the aircraft or hose, and that’s the key focus of a lot of engineering effort: to make sure it responds correctly. That’s also the largest body of work required when we’re doing clearance envelopes for different aircraft and for any changes to the pod.”

Reel Response Other upgrades included the replacement of control units to improve hose reel response and the improvement of the coupling, which engages with the receiver’s probe and is designed to eliminate spray or leakage. “Several other issues saw it pretty much [become] a rework of the entire pod, but the programme has been very successful and the hose and drogue system is now working 2 well,” AIRCDRE McDonald said. “They were tested by [the] ARDU [Aircraft 1 RAAF Super Hornets tanking from the KC-30A during their journey to the Middle East. Sgt Andrew Research and Development Unit], our testing Eddie/RAAF 2 French Air Force Rafales were the first non-RAAF aircraft to refuel from the KC-30A organisation, very recently and the test pilot’s over Iraq. Sgt Mick Davies/RAAF 3 An air refuelling operator refuels two F/A-18Fs over Iraq. Sgt Mick response was that there were basically no Davies/RAAF 4 Almost 300 connections with receiver aircraft have tested the upgraded boom refuelling issues and even a junior pilot would have no system. Airbus Defence and Space 5 A KC-30A at Al Minhad after returning from an Operation Okra problems tanking from the aircraft. mission. Sgt Andrew Eddie/RAAF “We performed various spot checks of 3 the current receiver clearance and it tested perfectly. The hose reel response was as expected, if not better, and the test pilot could determine no aberration that would cause a problem.” So the KC-30A has a ‘partial’ clearance, but work was under way at ARDU in October to expand it to a ‘full’ clearance. “Currently the hose-and-drogue is being tested for the F/A-18 at a walking pace,” continued the air commodore. “We’re going to take that to a faster engagement rate, to be more indicative of combat or operational requirements. “We’ve had no issues with our pilots tanking off it at this stage. In fact our ab initio F/A-18 pilot had no difficulty associated with it, but we also want to make sure we have a full envelope we can offer to our allies. That should be complete – and the test report written – by the end of November. “We’re successfully conducting operations in the Middle East now. [The tankers] took

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AIRBUS KC-30 MILITARY our F/A-18Fs across to the UAE without flaw and quickly began operations. I think that’s testament to how far we’ve matured in that capability, and also to No.33 Squadron, which has worked very hard to ensure the platform is stable and can be supported over there.”

ARBS Boom Rectifying the ARBS system has been the biggest obstacle to the KC-30A achieving FOC. For many years, the only RAAF boomcapable receiver was the F-111C, and even today only the KC-30 itself, the C-17A and Wedgetail require the system. But by 2023

experienced in the past, but reported the updated ARBS was now “a different boom altogether”. It scored the highest possible rating throughout almost the entire operating envelope and only slightly lower in some minor areas of envelope handling qualities. “[The boomer] basically said it goes wherever you point it and – for a 16m boom which has its own flight control laws and is really an aircraft attached to the back of an aircraft – he was very complimentary and could only see that we’ll move forward in the right direction in boom operations,” added AIRCDRE McDonald.

task trainer at Amberley is being modified to simulate the handling qualities of the improved boom; and training and sustainment activities are increasing. In August a KC-30A will head to Edwards Air Force Base, California, to begin trials with an F-35A from the US Air Force test fleet ahead of the type’s first deliveries to Australia at the end of 2018. Another project will integrate the Northrop Grumman Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures System (LAIRCM) into the KC-30A, which has been delayed by the focus on pod and boom issues.

Maintenance

AIRCDRE McDonald concluded: “We’ve got a very capable piece of equipment that will serve us very well. It has a promising future for boom operations. I would characterise [it] as on track for delivery in 2015 with the maturing of hose-and drogue-support and capability. “By the end of 2015 we’ll have expanded the envelope to include the vast majority of our aircraft for hose-and-drogue operations and be well on track for any boom operations required inside the ADF and, indeed, with our coalition partners. “It takes people aback just how capable it is, and how far it can get and refuel and then return. There are even people inside the air force who are still surprised today by what it can do.”

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the situation will have swung 180 degrees with the introduction of the P-8A Poseidon and 72 F-35A Lightning IIs – and, depending on future decisions around the longevity of the Super Hornet, the RAAF may only have 12 Growlers and, at most, 36 aircraft that require pods to refuel in flight. Between March and July 2014 the updated ARBS underwent a rigorous flight test programme including more than 160 hours of testing and almost 300 connections with receiver aircraft. “Airbus Defence and Space has put in a very large effort to make sure the boom performed the best it possibly could, and it certainly did,” McDonald enthused. “People tend to quickly gloss over the complexity associated with engineering something like this: sticking a 16m [52ft] boom on the back and asking it to fly within a centimetre of other aircraft and then offload over 4,000 litres of fuel a minute. They also tend to gloss over the complexities of its separate flight control laws and just how far it has come.” Australia has engaged the services of a highly experienced ex-US Air Force boom operator to report on the latest series of upgrades. AIRCDRE McDonald said the ‘boomer’ was cautious about going into the retest programme, given the difficulties

The two KC-30As in Getafe, A39-001 and A39-005, will remain there until early 2015 for heavy maintenance checks before heading to Australia. The former will be flying there for the first time, having been the only one of the five modified in Spain and – because Australia was the lead A330 MRTT customer – spending its time in flight test there. The second (A39-005) arrived at Getafe in March 2014 to act as receiver during the testing and certification process. “That was another conscious effort – to put two aircraft there to go through the test programme. It’s a big decision given the cost and the capability you lose when you take one out of the order of battle,” AIRCDRE McDonald noted. “But it’s proved the right decision. People got in behind it and the Chief of Air Force backed it.”

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Upcoming Milestones The next milestone will be an Airworthiness Board meeting in Australia in March, at which a special flight permit to begin boom operations in Australia will be requested. A decision is expected the following month. In the meantime the ARBS modification is being rolled out across the fleet; the part

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COMMERCIAL THOMSON AIRWAYS

Thoms From airframe choice to destination resort, Thomson Airways is reinventing its entire holiday offering. Tom Allett reports

Changing the Fac

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homson Airways announced its fleet renewal decisions on the same day as it revealed wide-ranging plans for its aircraft cabins and customer service. The airline, part of the TUI Travel group, is the UK’s third largest and, together with its tour operator partner, First Choice, unveiled a five-year vision to “change the face of holiday flying”. These, it says, will be achieved through introducing new aircraft, more long-haul destinations and ‘out of the box’ on-board product and service concepts.  Thomson Airways currently operates 61 aircraft; a mixture of Boeing 737, 757, 767 and 787s to 73 destinations in 20 countries. It was the first British airline to operate the

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787 Dreamliner and a recent order for two more will give it a fleet of ten of the newgeneration jets. A simultaneous order for 47 new Boeing 737 MAX means the average age of its fleet will be reduced to just five years by 2020.  A multi-million pound refresh will also be implemented across the existing 737 and 757 aircraft this winter to enhance comfort, service levels and provide “a more contemporary on-board environment”.  The extra 787s will enable Thomson to increase long-haul capacity and fly to new destinations, including the only direct flight from Europe to Costa Rica in November 2015.  Other destinations currently being considered by Thomson and its associated travel company First Choice include expanding operations in the Eastern Caribbean to islands such as St Lucia and Antigua, in the Antilles to Bonaire and Curacao and South East Asia

to Vietnam and Malaysia.   On a recent 787 press trip to Palma the airline’s Managing Director, John Murphy, told AIR International that its (currently) seven 787s were burning nearly 20% less fuel than the company’s 767s would over the same distance. The 737 MAX was expected to be around 14% more fuel efficient than the current 737 fleet. That’s obviously good for the company’s bottom line but it hopes a revolution inside the cabin will be the real winner. What is described as ‘social seating’ features in plans for the 737 MAX fleet. This includes a Family Booth concept with space for four to six people sitting around a table at the back of the aircraft and Duo Seating for couples, where three pod style seats become two with a table for Champagne. The latter comes with in-seat electrical charging points and mood lighting for a more spacious and

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ace of Flying luxurious start to a holiday. Other in-flight innovations include an on-board kids’ club, bringing Thomson and First Choice’s child care expertise into the cabin with a fully trained member of the crew to help parents and carers keep children entertained with arts, crafts and quizzes relating to the destination. Thomson Airways will also trial putting staff known as HolidayMakers on short and mid-haul flights. They will be members of the Thomson or First Choice resort team with extensive knowledge of all there is to do at the destination and can offer advice and recommendations to customers. In the summer of 2014 the airline trialled an initiative with its Luton-based crews by equipping them with iPads. It enables staff to share destination information during the flight, giving customers an opportunity to make special requests, book excursions or restaurants and effectively ‘pass the baton’ to

the Thomson and First Choice resort team. Cabin staff with iPads can be seen on other airlines but this was the first time I had been offered the chance to order lunch at our destination restaurant from an online menu while airborne at 43,000ft. It worked, and also in reverse. I used the same tool to order an in-flight drink for the return sector some two hours before even leaving for the airport. Thomson said it will equip all of its cabin crew with iPads over the year ahead. In terms of in-flight entertainment, new content and channels designed specifically for holidaymakers will be supplied. These will include a bedtime story channel for children, teenage content and destination “inspiration channels” on long-haul flights.  Thomson said room upgrades, advance check-in and resort experience bookings will also be available through the iPad system. David Burling, Managing Director of TUI UK & Ireland, said Thomson’s airline business had traditionally been categorised in the charter sector which was often perceived as the poor relation to scheduled flights which, he added, “in reality, bears little resemblance to the Thomson Airways experience today”. He continued: “Our overall goal is to make travel experiences special and, as the flight marks both the start and end of the holiday, we see it as an integral part of the whole holiday experience. “That is why we want to define and lead a new category of flying – the holiday airline category.  This describes an airline designed for the specific needs of the holidaymaker and fully connected to the holiday experience in the destination. “We’ll achieve this by continuing to invest in our fleet, in state-of-the-art aircraft like the 787 Dreamliner and 737 MAX, in our on-board technology connecting the flight experience to that in resort and in product and service innovations that are entirely relevant to the holidaymaker both today and tomorrow.”

1 Thomson Airways originally was due to take delivery of eight of the 13 Dreamliners ordered by the TUI Group. Now it will take ten of an expanded order for 15 aircraft. 2 In its 737 MAX fleet Thomson plans to introduce what it describes as social seating. This includes a Family Booth concept with space for four to six people sitting around a table at the back of the aircraft. Both images Thomson Airways

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Innovative The

New Yorker

JetBlue positions itself as a hybrid between a low-cost carrier and a traditional legacy airline, as Andreas Spaeth discovers

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light B6 226 from New York JFK to Los Angeles on June 15, 2014 was a milestone for JetBlue. For the first time a brand new, Sharkletequipped Airbus A321-231, delivered from the Airbus factory in Hamburg, was deployed on a coast-tocoast flight. In the forward cabin, 16 passengers had the pleasure of experiencing the launch of its new luxury cabin, Mint. Its looks more reminiscent of the premium seating classes on an Asian or Middle Eastern carrier flying long-haul, than that

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of a US domestic airline. There are 12 seats which can be converted into beds measuring 2.03m (6.6ft) in length. Four others are contained in proper private suites with sliding doors. Adding to the experience are multi-course gourmet menus from New York restaurants, wines grown in exclusive vineyards, freshly-brewed espressos and cappuccinos, and organic ice cream. Prices start at US$599 and go up to a maximum of US$999 one way; there isn’t a surcharge for the suites. American Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines typically charge between US$1,000 and US$2,500 for a lie-flat seat in the front cabin on coast-tocoast flights.

Market Scope “There is a huge market of people willing to pay a fair price for a better product,” said Robin Hayes, JetBlue’s President, in an interview with AIR International at the airline’s headquarters in Queens, New York. “There’s a lot more demand for the product than we are able to carry.” At the moment, Mint is offered by JetBlue on the two routes from its main hub at JFK to Los Angeles (seven daily flights) and San Francisco (five daily). Eleven of the 28 A321s the airline has ordered will be fitted with the cabin. “That’s how many we need for both routes, nine aircraft will be delivered this year and two in early 2015, but we can convert

JETBLUE AIRWAYS COMMERCIAL

ve our other A321 orders to this configuration,” Hayes explained. JetBlue will use the A321 to drive its planned annual 5-6% growth rate, having relied on the smaller A320 for its fleet before. Underlining the strategy, the airline’s 18 existing A320 orders were recently converted into commitments for the A321, in line with the wider industry trend towards buying larger aircraft. The A321s arrive equipped with Sharklets; without them, the routes from New York to California couldn’t be operated without a weight penalty. The airline’s existing A320s will be retrofitted with Sharklets, starting in 2015.

The Niche When JetBlue took off for the first time on February 11, 2000, its motto was “we serve the underserved”. New York was chosen as the base because passengers from the Big Apple suffered from below-average flight options. JetBlue offered a bigger seat pitch, free live TV on board and even free snacks and drinks, and all that while charging lower equivalent fares than the established legacy carriers. “When David Neeleman founded JetBlue, the mission was ‘Bringing humanity back to

With 70 daily departures Fort Lauderdale, where this A320 (N536JB) is pictured, is one of JetBlue’s major hubs. Suresh Atapattu/AirTeamImages

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COMMERCIAL JETBLUE AIRWAYS A321s there’s even a self-service bar which includes the carrier’s trademark blue corn chips. There are hundreds of live TV and radio channels and high-speed ‘Fly-Fi’ internet connectivity, all of which are free – although the airline said in a November press release that it was exploring “a unique new monetisation strategy including partnerships with communications company Verizon, the Wall Street Journal, Time and others”. The airline’s entire A320/A321 fleet will have Fly-Fi in the first half of 2015, with installations into the airline’s 60-strong Embraer E190 fleet beginning thereafter. JetBlue in 2014 earned the JD Power award for highest customer satisfaction from North American air passengers for the tenth year in a row.

Hybrid Carrier But can JetBlue still be considered a lowcost carrier at all after it introduced the 1 E190 regional jets and the premium class on air travel’. “The founders wanted to build a kind of Southwest Airlines with frills in New York,” observed Hayes, who will take over from Dave Barger as the airline’s Chief Executive Officer in February 2015. Today JetBlue is the fifth-largest US carrier with a 200-strong fleet and 30 million passengers carried in 2013. “And there are still so many things that we do that are unique in the airline industry,” he added. JetBlue offers a generous seat pitch in economy class (which it calls ‘core’, in contrast to other US carriers which call it ‘coach’). The minimum legroom is 33in34in (838mm-863mm), up from the industry average of 30mm-31in (762mm-787mm). Passengers also get as many free soft drinks and snacks as they like; in the

JETBLUE AIRWAYS FACTS AND FIGURES IATA code: B6 ICAO code: JBU Ownership: Lufthansa (19%), floated publicly Operations started: February 11, 2000 Employees: circa 12,000 Passengers carried: 2013 – 30.5m, 2012 – 29m, 2011 – 26.4m Fleet: 130 Airbus A320-200s, 8 Airbus A321-200s, 60 Embraer 190s Orders: 11 Airbus A320-200s, 30 Airbus A320neos, 20 Airbus A321-200s, 53 Airbus A321neos, 21 Embraer 190s Hubs: New York-JFK, Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, San Juan Route network: 86 cities in the USA and 14 countries Caribbean, Central and South America Profit: 2013 – US$168m, 2012 – US$ 128m, 2011 –US$ 86m

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JETBLUE AIRWAYS COMMERCIAL

1 A third of JetBlue’s destinations are international including St Maarten in the Dutch Antilles, where N594JB is seen on final approach. Renato Serra Fonseca/AirTeamImages 2 Los Angeles is the airline’s west coast hub. Andy Martin/AirTeamImages 3 A321 N929JB arriving at Los Angeles in September 2014. Andy Martin/ AirTeamImages 4 The Mint premium cabin will 3 feature on 11 A321s initially. JetBlue

transcontinental routes? “JetBlue has no desire to mimic ultra-low cost carriers like Spirit or Allegiant, and network carriers have a different model as well,” responded CEO Barger in an earnings conference call with investors in 2014. “JetBlue wants to occupy a middle space, there is room for more than two models on the industry landscape and we are proving that.” What was formerly known as the ‘Southwest effect’, the general lowering of fares at an airport once a low-cost carrier appears, is surpassed by JetBlue today, according to the airline’s executives. “It’s now a ‘JetBlue effect’ – in Boston we saw a reduction in fares of 30-40%, on average it’s about a quarter, our average fare is at about US$160,” Hayes said. JetBlue’s most important hub is New YorkJFK with up to 167 departures a day, all from the modern and spacious Terminal 5, opened in 2008. The complex actually includes the historic TWA terminal, the future of which is still unclear. Terminal 5 is currently getting six new international arrival gates. Other important hubs are Boston with 120 daily departures, Fort Lauderdale (70) and Orlando (66), San Juan in Puerto Rico (51) and Long Beach, near Los Angeles (32).

Embraer Fleet JetBlue has tried to concentrate its E190 fleet at Boston to gain efficiency. “We used to have E190s on the west coast, but pulled them back,” Hayes said. Originally, the E190s were purchased for long-haul ‘thin’ markets where demand didn’t justify the use of a larger type. “But the cost footprint of the aircraft is higher than we had expected, so we find it works better on the high-frequency short markets,” Hayes explained. “Instead of three-hour markets, we use it now on 30- to 60-minute flights on high-frequency routes, like Boston to Washington DC – its reliability is good.” Recently, JetBlue expanded operations at leisure-oriented hubs such as Fort Lauderdale, therefore the share of business travellers on the airline’s services lies at a fairly low 20%. The airline’s presence at Washington National Airport has also increased to 30 daily departures, after JetBlue acquired slots that had to be released by American Airlines and US Airways as part of their merger concessions.

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exchanging passengers mostly at JFK. The Singapore Airlines codeshare, for example, benefits the Asian carrier because, in Hayes’ words: “JFK was a dead end before, and now we have our network in front of that” – the agreement has enabled JetBlue to add US domestic connectivity for its partner. After arrival and passing through immigration and customs, transfer passengers have to take the AirTrain to go to Terminal 5 and then pass through security there. The German flag carrier Lufthansa invested in JetBlue in 2007 by acquiring a 19% stake. Back then there was talk of operational co-operation at JFK, Boston and Orlando. Not so now. “In terms of customers we

feed backwards and forwards, it’s pretty minimal,” Hayes conceded. Thomas Scharfenberger, Lufthansa’s Regional Director Sales Northeastern USA, revealed the real stumbling block: “Our partner United wouldn’t be happy about a closer cooperation with JetBlue.” Still, Hayes said, “JetBlue is a young, upstart, entrepreneurial airline, Lufthansa is a strong legacy carrier, we can learn a lot from each other.” Whether it concerns the handling of weather-related airport closures or the experiences of Lufthansa’s low-cost arm Germanwings, JetBlue has often gained from the European airline’s input. And Lufthansa can benefit too: after all, JetBlue is one of the most profitable US airlines.

International Flights Of JetBlue’s 850 daily flights to 86 cities, about a third head towards the Caribbean, Central and Latin America. Furthermore, the airline has established a dense network of codeshare partnerships. It now has 33 such agreements with international carriers,

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All images Edwin Borremans

Stefan Degraef and Edwin Borremans profile Swedish Air Force JAS 39 Gripen operations with 171 Squadron based at Ronneby air base in southern Sweden

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wo Sukhoi Su-24 Fencer fighter-bombers operating from an air base in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad violated Swedish airspace on September 17, 2014 close to the island of Oland in the Baltic Sea. The two jets had flown through Polish territorial waters/airspace at low-level. The Su-24s spent about 30 seconds flying one kilometre within Swedish airspace. Sweden said it was the most serious violation of its national airspace by Russian military aircraft in eight years. The Flygvapnet (Swedish Air Force) deployed two JAS 39C Gripens to Visby Airport on Gotland, Sweden’s largest island in the Baltic Sea, in response to the increasing air activity by the Russian Air Force in the Baltic region and the high number of air policing missions flown by NATO fighters based in Lithuania and Estonia. On October 28 a large Russian Air Force formation, comprising two MiG-31 Foxhounds, Su-34 Fullbacks, one Su-27 Flanker and two Su-24 Fencers transited the Baltic Sea to Kaliningrad. The flight plan was filed and all Russian aircraft used transponders in accordance with international regulations but no radio contact could be established. Fighters from various nations around the Baltic, and those deployed by NATO, responded immediately. In late October the suspected presence of an unidentified foreign sub-surface craft in Kanholmsfjärden in Stockholm’s archipelago triggered a full search by the Swedish Navy and the creation of a no-fly zone over the search area. The actions clearly illustrate Sweden’s unease with the resurrection of Cold War-era like military tension around the Baltic. One of Sweden’s primary assets to deter

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foreign incursions is the capable, but much downsized, air force equipped with four operational JAS 39 Gripen squadrons based at Luleå-Kallax (in the north) and Ronneby-Kallinge in the south. Since 2005, 171 Squadron, later joined by 172 Squadron, has operated Sweden’s most modern variant of the JAS 39 Gripen as part of the F17 ‘Blekinge Flygflottil’ at Ronneby-Kallinge air base.

Cold War, Peace Dividend and Multi-national Operations

Sweden was neutral during World War Two and in the post-war era developed a powerful air force. In the 1960s it had 50 frontline squadrons dispersed around the country, equipped with indigenous fighter aircraft. Generations of SAAB J32 Lansens, J35 Drakens and J37 Viggens roared through Swedish airspace to deter any foreign aggression. If needed, all squadrons operating fighter, ground-attack and reconnaissance jets were tasked to leave their peacetime home bases and deploy to, and operate from, reserve air bases and highway airstrips (BAS/Flygbasförband doctrines); often well masked in the wooded countryside. Sweden’s attention was to the east and the fear of being confronted with a powerful Soviet and Warsaw Pact air and sea armada from the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea: the Soviet Union, Poland and East Germany. One infamous example occurred in October 1981 when the Soviet Navy’s S-363 Whiskeyclass diesel submarine became stranded within two kilometres of the Swedish Navy’s main base at Karlskrona, close to Ronneby air

base, and within Swedish territorial waters. It was most likely on a stealthy reconnaissanceintelligence gathering mission. Frequent airspace incursions from the east were simulated by large numbers of SAAB Sk60 trainers used during exercises as light attack aircraft, flying halfway across the Baltic Sea before returning to the Swedish homeland to test the response of air defence assets: air operations centre, ground-based radars and fighter units. Overall situational awareness and a quick response were vital to detect and destroy possible airborne threats leading the Swedish Air Force to develop tactical

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Stefan Degraef and Edwin Borremans profile Swedish Air Force JAS 39 Gripen operations with 171 Squadron based at Ronneby air base in southern Sweden

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ground-based and airborne datalink systems. The end of the Cold War and the independence of the Baltic States diffused the military force structure in the region. The huge financial peace-dividend, triggered by defence cutbacks all over Europe, gradually decimated the overall size of the Swedish Armed Forces. Countless air bases and Flygflottilj (air wings), including six flying the Viggen were disbanded. A large number of reserve bases were inactivated. Five fighter wings (F4 at ÖstersundFrösön, F7 at Såtenäs, F10 at Ängelholm, F17 at Ronneby and F21 at Luleå-Kallax) were due to re-equip with Sweden’s last Cold War-fighter, the SAAB JAS 39 Gripen. Eventually, only two operational wings (F17 and F21) and one training wing (F7) received the type. European air forces faced much diminished duties after the end of the Cold War. In a changing world, many air arms established new roles and the Swedish Air Force looked beyond national borders and joined multi-national peacekeeping and enforcement operations, most notably NATO’s Operation Unified Protector over Libya in 2011. This new strategy made the air force leaner and meaner through the optimisation of its command and control centres, Gripen upgrades and out-of-area operations. The Swedish Armed Forces were caught cold in January 2013 when the Russian Air Force sent waves of bombers across the Baltic Sea in a large scale simulated attack on Sweden and Stockholm. During the Cold War such an event would have triggered a wellrehearsed and chain of defensive events.

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On this occasion no Swedish Air Force JAS 39C Gripen was scrambled to intercept the incoming aircraft. A negative response in the national press and public criticism urged the Swedish Air Force to rethink its operational doctrine with a shift once more on national defence. The four operational Gripen squadrons based at Ronneby and Luleå once again operates from airfields dispersed around the country and during crisis situations will be Sweden’s most important aerial deterrent.

F17’s 1st Division Formed on July 1, 1944 as a maritime attack unit, the 1st Division (codenamed Qvintus Röd) of the Ronneby-Kallinge based F17 Blekinge Flygflottilj, 171 Squadron was reroled several times in its operational history, becoming a JA37 Viggen unit in 1993. Introduction of the JAS 39 to F17 was accelerated after budgetary cutbacks reduced the number of Gripen wings. Conversion of both of the F17 squadrons started in 2002 when aircraft were received from F10 at Ängelholm, which was disbanded on December 31 that year having operated the JAS 39A and B models since 2000. The Ronneby wing received multi-role JAS 39C and Ds in 2005. These aircraft have been continuously upgraded ever since. Today 171 Squadron operates aircraft configured with MS19 software allowing then to carry the Diehl BGT IRIS-T infrared short-range air-to-air missile, the Raytheon Enhanced Paveway II, a 500lb (227kg) dualmode GPS and laser-guided bomb. The multi-role capability of the JAS 39C enables 171 Squadron to perform air defence, air-to-ground, anti-ship and reconnaissance missions.

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For air defence and air policing missions, the Gripens are armed with wingtip-mounted IRIS-T and AIM-120C AMRAAM missiles, supplementing the internally-mounted singlebarrel Mauser BK27 20mm cannon. The new IRIS-T replaced the AIM-9L Sidewinder-missile, designated the Rb74 in Swedish Air Force service. Gripen pilots fly frequent gunnery missions over the Baltic Sea to gain and retain their air-to-air gunnery qualifications. Acoustic and wooden target darts are towed by a yellow-coloured Learjet 35A operated by Saab Nyge Aero based at Nyköping. The Gripen force is augmented by two SAAB100D Argus Airborne Surveillance and Control aircraft, equipped with the ASC-890 Erieye system, operated by 72 Squadron based at Linköping-Malmen. These airborne surveillance aircraft are linked to the Swedish Air Force ‘StriC’ command and control system. It is the heart of a force-wide network of information gathering assets ranging from UAVs and SAAB 102B Korpen signals intelligence aircraft, to ground-based air defence radar

JAS 39 GRIPEN MILITARY and information warfare units. This Advanced Air Battle 2020 concept, triggered by the Swedish Armed Forces Dominant Battlespace Awareness doctrine, is based on network-based information gathering by the high-capacity data fusion network known as ASIS and free access to its tactical information at all levels. Pilots posted to 171 Squadron start operational training with air-to-air tactics instruction during a course comprising up to 30 missions. During an advanced operational training course, new Gripen pilots often train with their more experienced colleagues flying SAAB Sk60A trainer and light attack aircraft from F17’s Sambandsflygrupp (Communication Flight). The experienced pilot uses the slow-speed superior horizontal manoeuvring capabilities of the Sk60 to force the less experienced pilot to exploit the Gripen’s capabilities into a 3 three-dimensional engagement by climbing out of and diving into the Sk60’s ‘to be killed’ and ‘kill’ zones. To allow active participation in international military operations and to improve interoperability with coalition air forces, the Swedish Air Force decided in October 2005 to install MIDS Link 16 tactical datalink terminals in the majority of its Gripen fighters and S100B early-warning and surveillance aircraft. Link 16 is in addition to the Swedish Tactical Information Datalink System fitted to all aircraft.

Air-to-Ground Capabilities Gripen squadrons use 500lb (227kg) GBU-12 laser-guided and GBU-49 dual-guided (GPS/ laser) Paveway II bombs for the offensive counter air, air interdiction and close air support roles flown to support the Swedish Army. They replace older AGM-65A and AGM-65B Maverick air-to-ground missiles which were designated the Rb75 in Swedish Air Force service. Targets are ‘painted’ by the pilot using a 4 Rafael Litening III targeting pod mounted below the right air-intake. During regular training sorties pairs of Gripens take-off from Ronneby to practise air-to-ground strikes against targets on the Ravlunda army range 120km (75 miles) away. Guided by a ground-based forward air controller, one Gripen attacks the target with the Mauser gun while the second aircraft scans the area for ground and air threats. Other ranges near Hammaren and Älvdalen, located in middle Sweden, are also used by Ronneby squadrons. Live weapon drops are conducted during deployments to Vidsel air base located in Sweden’s extreme north, a facility housing the 1,650km2 (637 sq mile) North European Aerospace Test range owned by the government-run Swedish Defence Material Administration. The base hosts frequent deployments of Swedish and international fighter squadrons, and aerospace companies testing their air-to-ground weapons in realistic tactical conditions. 5 The region is remote and mostly uninhabited. Gripen pilots are allowed to 1 A technician awaits the pilot’s command to attach the crew boarding ladder to the aircraft. fly as low as 600ft (182m) during summer 2 A Rafael navigation and targeting pod fitted to a JAS 39C Gripen. 3 A crew chief cleans the windand 100ft (30m) with snow cover in the shield. 4 A crew chief checks the hydraulics. 5 An armourer prepares to load 27mm ammunition into the linked belts that feed the Mauser cannon. wintertime.

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Both Ronneby squadrons frequently send pilots to F21 at Luleå-Kallax which is located 90km (55 miles) from Vidsel for low-level training to reduce noise complaints from the more populated southern regions of the country. The vast almost unlimited airspace over Sweden’s high north allows F21 to organise weekly cross-border training with Royal Norwegian Air Force F-16AM Fighting Falcons and Finnish Air Force F-18C/D Hornets; staging complex but realistic air war-scenarios. Whenever possible both squadrons based at Ronneby try to participate in the weekly air wars to complement their regular training exercises with Royal Danish Air Force F-16AM Fighting Falcon squadrons and other types deployed to Siauliai air base in Lithuania as part of the NATO Baltic Air Policing commitment. The Swedish Gripen’s attack role includes maritime strike and anti-ship warfare aimed at countering maritime invasion and safeguarding Sweden’s sea lanes. Armament for maritime roles is provided by the Saab Bofors Dynamics Rbs15F subsonic

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fire-and-forget sea-skimming missiles mounted on the under wing stations, which is capable of being launched at low-level. The Rbs15F allows the pilot, often operating as part of a four-ship attack formation, to stay undetected before and after launch. In 2004 Saab Bofors started development of a land-attack version of the Rbs15 using GPS and a derivative of the JAS 39 terrainreferenced navigation system to improving its accuracy. Complementing its attack capabilities, the JAS 39 is also used for reconnaissance using a centreline-mounted SPK39 (Spaningskapsel 39) modular reconnaissance pod. Developed by Saab Avionics and Danish company Terma A/S, the SPK39/V houses a CA270V electrooptical sensor with a 360o rotation window giving horizon-to-horizon coverage, a solid data recorder and a datalink to downlink the images generated to the Swedish Air Force network. Eight pods were purchased so Gripen pilots also use the Litening III targeting pod for reconnaissance. According to the FMV, the pod has medium-

to highaltitude capability, can store images digitally and has a modular design for easy updates. The SPK39 weighs 750kg (1,653lb), is 4.57m (14.9ft) long, 635mm (25in) wide and 685mm (27in) high. The pod first flew on a SAAB test Gripen in March 2005 and its service introduction followed in May 2007 with F17 at Ronneby. The aircraft’s reconnaissance and intelligence gathering capabilities were well proven during Sweden’s participation in Operation Unified Protector over Libya, during which the Gripens captured countless reconnaissance images with the SPK39 and Litening III pods that were vital to the combat objective. Pilots regularly undertake air-to-air refuelling in training areas over the Baltic Sea with the Swedish Air Force Tp84T (C-130H

MILITARY JAS 39 GRIPEN Hercules tanker) from the Såtenäs-based TSFE (Transport and Specialflygenhet). Gripen’s air refuelling capability was released to operational service in the summer of 2009 and allows the type to participate in joint international out-of-area operations and boost the fleet’s flexibility. Today, most Gripen pilots are qualified to air refuel with the Tp84T, Luftwaffe Airbus A310 MRTTs, Koninklijke Luchtmacht (Royal Netherlands Air Force) KDC-10s and US Air Force KC-135R Stratotankers.

International Operations Since the end of the Cold War, Sweden has placed an emphasis on participating in international peace-keeping operations. In 2000 the Swedish Air Force created its own rapid reaction unit, abbreviated to SWAFRAP, to be placed under United Nations, European Union or NATO Partnership for Peace programme direction. Initially a squadron of AJSF37 Viggen fighters and a Tp84 Hercules were assigned to SWAFRAP. When the last Viggens were withdrawn, the rapid reaction task was passed to the Gripen force in 2004 until SWAFRAP disbanded late in 2007. On January 1, 2008 Sweden, Estonia, Finland and Norway created the Nordic Battle Group (NBG). Sweden assigned eight JAS 39Cs to the NBG and formed a unit called Stridsflygenhet 01 (SE01, or Combat Aircraft Unit 01) staffed by pilots and ground crew from F21. Since then elements of F21 and F17 (including 171 Squadron in 2011 and 2015) have been assigned on a rotational basis. The concept was first tested when seven JAS 39s from 171 Squadron and 100 support personnel deployed to RAF Fairford in the UK for exercise Crown Condor. The event was designed to allow SE01 to practise and evaluate its capability to operate as independently as possible from homeland-support at an out-of-area base. During the exercise the Swedish pilots worked with the RAF’s Tornado GR4equipped No.12(B) Squadron. Frequent training detachments are made to the United Kingdom, the United States and the Netherlands. Swedish Gripens frequently participate in the RAF-led exercise Joint Warrior at RAF Lossiemouth, Moray, to train in complex scenarios, making use of the dedicated electronic warfare range at Spadeadam in Northumbria. Joint contingents from F17 and F21 have participated in the US Air Force Exercise Red Flag at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, and Elmendorf in Alaska to make use of the ranges, exercise tactical profiles and use the simulated air defence systems and dedicated aggressor squadrons that are not available in Sweden.

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The Gripen force is unable to deploy to the United States each year because of financial and logistical constraints, so its annual air war training is gained at exercise Frisian Flag staged by the Koninklijke Luchtmacht at Leeuwarden Air Base. The sole setback during these valuable international training events is Sweden’s non-NATO status which hampers pilots’ access to NATO-only information; sometimes valuable for the planning and execution of missions. Operation Unified Protector (OUP), the NATO-led air campaign over Libya in 2011, marked the operational and international debut of the Swedish Gripen force. Following a decision by the Swedish Parliament on April 1, 2011 to join OUP and sponsored by Denmark as its NATO ‘godfather’, a Gripen detachment designated FL01 and crewed by pilots of 171 Squadron was deployed to Naval Air Station Sigonella in Sicily. The first two-ship mission to monitor and enforce the no-fly zone over Libya was flown by FL01 from Sigonella on April 6 supported by the Tp84T tanker. NATO asked Sweden to re-role the Gripen for reconnaissance missions after fully understanding the aircraft’s capabilities. At the same time the Swedish Parliament lifted some of its initial restrictions placed on the type of operations performed by Gripen pilots. Tasks subsequently included counter-air orientated reconnaissance missions screening airfields and mobile surface-to-air missile sites. The second contingent known as FL02 was staffed by pilots of the Luleå-based 212 Squadron but lacked the Tp84T tanker. The Gripen pilots had to air refuel from NATO tankers (Armée de l’Air or French Air Force KC-135FRs). The Swedish contingent at Sigonella suffered one setback during what it called Operation Karakal – a lack of JP-8 jet fuel for the Gripen’s Volvo Aero RM12 engine on a base run by the US Navy which does not use that grade of fuel. The Swedish Air Force was forced to send JP-8 to Sicily. There were a total of 650 operational sorties and about 2,000 flying hours in seven months during which the aircraft captured millions of reconnaissance images that provided invaluable for mission planning.

Ronneby Operations Both F17 squadrons man a 24/7 Quick Reaction Alert tasked to launch when needed to intercept foreign military fighter and reconnaissance aircraft (mostly Russian) over the Baltic Sea. Swedish Air Force Gripens frequently exercise with NATO jets based at the Siauliai air base as part of NATO’s Baltic Air

Policing mission, to safeguard the airspace of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania from foreign aircraft incursions and violations. Known as Baltic Region Training Exercises (BRTEs), they are designed to standardise and train prevailing air policing rules of engagement. The exercise usually involve helicopters or transport aircraft from one of the Baltic States’ air force simulating a communicationloss aircraft requiring either NATO and/ or Swedish fighter aircraft to launch within minutes to intercept the unknown intruder. On occasion, Ronneby squadrons deploy to Siauliai during a BRTE and perform additional dissimilar air combat training with the NATO fighters. Although Sweden and NATO’s air policing interests over the Baltic Sea are more or less similar – deterring and intercepting Russian electronic reconnaissance aircraft and assisting communication-loss aircraft – each party still independently evaluates the necessity to launch its fighters. During BRTE 19 (September 30 and October 1) four F17 JAS 39Cs deployed

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for the first time to Amari Air Base in Estonia to train with NATO’s BAP leet of Portuguese and Dutch F-16s, Luftwaffe EF2000 Eurofighters, Canadian and Finnish F-18 Hornets.

Gripen Future The Swedish Air Force is starting to upgrade its current JAS 39C and JAS 39D force to MS20 standard with the integration of the new MBDA Meteor beyond visual range airto-air missile and Boeing’s GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bomb, a 250lb (110kg) precisionguided glide bomb. MS20 software will also make the SPK39 modular reconnaissance pod compatible with night-time operations; add a new chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) protection for the pilot; and integrate a ground collision avoidance system. In December 2013, the Swedish Defence Material Administration, responsible for all purchases by the Swedish Armed Forces, contracted Saab by signing a $2.5 billion contract to start serial production of the advanced JAS 39 Gripen E variant.

The contract covered the conversion between 2013 and 2026 of 60 JAS 39Cs to E standard with new active electronically scanned array radar, advanced avionics, a more powerful General Electric F414G turbofan engine, increased stores capabilities and additional fuel tanks for increased range. All JAS 39D models will remain in service until completion of the E conversion programme, pending a decision on their suitability for lead-in trainers for the E-Gripens. At a later date the number of C-model upgrades was raised to 70. On June 11, 2014 the Swedish Parliament cancelled the C model rebuild programme and opted to build new E models. For years to come the capable and nimble JAS 39 Gripen will remain Sweden’s main fighter aircraft, one that is easy to operate from peacetime air bases and wartime road bases. The Gripen force is well linked into the nation’s military network and should remain as a force to be reckoned with, and a valuable partner, during joint international operations with allied air forces.

The integrated Helmet Mounted Display provides the pilot with flight parameters, sensor data, target cueing and weapons status.

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ntarctica has been described as a place of superlatives. It is the highest, driest, coldest and windiest continent on Earth. It has the harshest winter, with six months of darkness, and the planet’s largest ice sheet that’s three miles (4.8km) thick in places. The continent has exerted a powerful hold on the imagination since its discovery in 1820. The quest to reach the South Pole, won in 1911 by the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen – who disappeared without

trace in 1928 while piloting a rescue flight in the Arctic – was one of the greatest adventures of 20th century exploration. Today, more than 50 years after the 1962 Antarctic Treaty laid out the conduct of the international presence and scientific research on the continent, the desire to understand Antarctica and its influence on our planet is undiminished. Its scale – it is roughly the size of the United States – and harsh climate means there are areas where nobody has ever visited, nor gone within 100 miles (160km). Antarctica’s forbidding terrain, brutal weather and remoteness – it’s more than 1,100 miles (1,770km) away from the nearest

population centre – means air support is critical in providing the supply and logistics lifelines to the frozen continent.

Antarctic Air Unit The British Antarctic Survey (BAS), an environmental research centre based in Cambridge, is responsible for the UK’s national scientific activities on the continent. The BAS Air Unit was established in the 1960s to provide dedicated support for operations. It was initially staffed by Royal Air Force pilots before civilian aviators gradually took over from the early 1970s. It currently flies four de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otters and a single DHC Dash 7, all resplendent in a

Polar Flyers The British Antarctic Survey Air Unit plays a crucial role supporting research in Earth’s last great wilderness. Mark Broadbent reports

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BRITISH ANTARCTIC SURVEY COMMERCIAL distinctive black and red livery. The Twin Otters were purchased directly from the manufacturer during the 1980s; the Dash has been used since 1994. All are registered in the Falkland Islands, a British Overseas Territory, with regulatory oversight provided by Air Safety Support International, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the UK Civil Aviation Authority. The Twin Otters are currently maintained by Rocky Mountain Aircraft in Calgary and the Dash 7 by Voyageur Airways in North Bay near Toronto, Ontario. The aircraft are ferried from Canada to Antarctica by the air unit’s nine pilots in time for the start of the polar summer in October. They operate until the

end of the season in March before returning to Canada. Darkness and severe cold prevent flying at all other times of the year.

Intercontinental Dash The centre of the BAS Air Unit’s operations is Rothera Research Station on the Antarctic Peninsula, which has a 2,952ft (900m) gravel runway, hangars, maintenance facilities and an operations tower proving a 360° view to help ensure the safe passage of flights in and out of the airfield. The Dash 7 transports passengers, food, spare parts and some scientific equipment to Rothera from Mount Pleasant Airfield in the Falklands and Punta Arenas in southern

Chile, which are respectively 1,155 miles (1,860km) and 1,012 miles (1,630km) away. Flights are dependent on the weather and only permitted when there are good conditions at a diversion airport on the Antarctic Peninsula. The Dash is important to the BAS because it transports people and supplies from South America to Rothera in around five-and-a-half hours instead of the four days to two weeks it can take by sea. Poor weather and sea ice mean ships don’t get into Rothera until mid-December, the middle of the Antarctic summer. The rapid link provided by these flights, which take place every two weeks on average, “attracts high-

The BAS Dash 7 provides the intercontinental link to Rothera from South America. Graeme Nott via British Antarctic Survey

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profile scientists to BAS”, said Rod Arnold, Head of the Air Unit, in an interview with AIR International. The Dash has several modifications from the type’s standard configuration to enable it to carry out its intercontinental air-bridge role, including long-range fuel tanks with a jettison system, a large cargo door and a strengthened floor. The aircraft seats up to 16 passengers and can carry loads of up to 4,409lb (2,000kg). 2

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Into the Continent Personnel and equipment are taken deeper into Antarctica from Rothera, to the Halley Research Station, 900 nautical miles (1,666km) away to the northeast across the Weddell Sea, or to the SkyBlu Logistics Facility 400nm (814km) to the southeast. The latter has a 3,937ftlong (1,200m) groomed blue ice runway, permanently marked by flags, that’s suitable for wheeled aircraft.

The Twin Otters have wheels and skis which enable operations from snow, Rothera’s gravel strip or the ice at Sky-Blu. The Dash only operates to Sky-Blu and provides major operational benefits. Arnold explained: “You can fly direct from Rothera with a payload of 8,500lb [3,855kg], drop it off and return having used no fuel in the field and you’ve done that in something like fiveand-a-half hours.” In comparison, it takes the Twin Otters a

BRITISH ANTARCTIC SURVEY COMMERCIAL full day to do the same journey (with a fuel stop at the Fossil Bluff Logistics Facility on George VI Sound), carrying 1,800lbs (816kg).

Field Research

Pete Bucktrout/British Antarctic Survey

Once at Halley or Sky-Blu, research parties and everything they’ll need to survive and work – the specially-designed pyramid tents able to withstand ferocious winds and winddriven ice particles, as well as food, fuel, SkiDoos, sledges and scientific equipment – are flown to remote field research camps by the Twin Otters. Typically two or three of these aircraft are forward-deployed from Rothera to Halley and Sky-Blu for these tasks. These aircraft are also used to re-supply the field camps, return scientists once they’ve completed research, maintain equipment at remote unmanned sensing stations and lay depots and fuel stockpiles for future field parties. The Twin Otter’s rugged construction, renowned short take-off and landing (STOL) performance in remote environments is ideal for this type of flying. The skis take away some of the aircraft payload as they weigh close to 800lb (363kg), so the BAS Twin Otters have an increased gross weight of 14,000lb (6,350kg) compared to the type’s standard 12,500lb (5,670kg). That gives them a useful cargo and fuel payload without compromising range.

Airborne Science The air unit’s aircraft are more than just transport workhorses. Two of the Twin Otters (VP-FAZ and VP-FBL) are instrumented with airborne surveying and sensing equipment to help scientists investigate Antarctica’s ice and geology. VP-FAZ is a Meteorological Airborne Science Instrumentation (MASIN) aircraft used to study boundary layers and cloud. 3 Temperature and water vapour sensors and a turbulence probe take detailed 1 A BAS Twin Otter flying low over a striking crevasse field. Peter Convey/British Antarctic Survey measurements of temperature, dew 2 The Rothera hangar is the BAS Air Unit’s base in Antarctica. Pete Bucktrout/British Antarctic Survey 3 The Twin Otters deliver fuel drums to forward locations and research camps. British Antarctic Survey point and winds; there are also radiation

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BAS AIR UNIT FLEET 4x DHC-4 Twin Otter VP-FAZ, VP-FBL, VP-FBC, VP-FBB

Maximum take-off weight

21,320kg (47,002lb)

6,530kg (14,000lb)

Maximum speed

230kts (425km/h)

130kts (240km/h)

Wingspan

28.4m (93.1ft)

19.8m (64.9ft)

Length

24.5m (80.3ft)

15.7m (51.5ft)

Range

1,500km (932 miles)

1,435km (891 miles)

Data: British Antarctic Survey

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instruments and a downwards-looking infrared thermometer. The wing pylons carry a cloud and aerosol spectrometer, water vapour and carbon dioxide sensors, an optical particle counter and a cloud condensation nuclei counter.

Remote Sensing Twin Otter VP-FBL is instrumented for airborne geophysics, which involves remotely sensing the ice and rocks. Ice-penetrating radar pulses radio waves through the ice sheet on to the rocks beneath it, helping build a picture of both the ice and the nature of the underlying geology. This aircraft has wingtip-mounted magnetometers (to measure the strength and direction of magnetic fields) and a gravity system, which assesses the minute differences in the Earth’s gravitational field caused by rocks’ varying densities. The

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Dash can also carry wingtip magnetometers and the gravity system for aerial surveys. Missions are flown along a grid pattern to systematically cover a pre-planned survey area. Dr Tom Jordan, an aerogeophysicist, explained to AIR International: “If you’ve got a rock under the ice that’s full of lots of magnetic minerals, it will act as an amplifier, making the earth’s magnetic field stronger as you fly over that particular point. “If you fly over a rock type that’s got no magnetic minerals in it, the magnetic field will be lower. By flying the grid pattern, we can join together all our measurements to build up a map of how strong the magnetic field is and what that tells us about the geology under the ice.” Other systems can be mounted in the Twin Otters’ floor hatch openings as research needs dictate. These include a laser range finder to measure ice floe topography, video

and digital SLR cameras to provide visual references for the data sets or count birds, penguins and seals, and a hyperspectral suite of imaging equipment for geology or vegetation studies. Airborne sensors can be dropped through the hatches or towed behind the aircraft. Normally research flights are flown by a single pilot and one operator, who sits in the back controlling the sensors and viewing the read-outs they provide using a control console or tablet computer. The BAS survey network lets multiple operators view and use the equipment installed on the aircraft.

Discoveries VP-FBL has helped with recent significant discoveries in Antarctica. In January 2014, British scientists announced they’d found a trough deeper than the Grand Canyon in the Ellsworth Subglacial Highlands, an ancient

mountain range in West Antarctica under several miles of ice. The readings from the aircraft’s radar gathered during survey flights alongside satellite data determined the Ellsworth Trough, as the feature was named, is 1.8 miles (3km) deep, more than 186 miles (300km) long and up to 15 miles (25km) wide in places. Earlier, in the 2008 and 2009 summer seasons, VP-FBL was used as part of a multinational research programme to map the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains, a range in Eastern Antarctica hidden under 2.4 miles (4km) of ice. The Gamburtsevs were discovered by Soviet scientists in 1958 but the Twin Otter’s remote-sensing technology helped to reveal, for the first time, the detail of a jagged landscape with sharp peaks as high as 9,186ft (2,800m) and valleys as deep as 2,624ft (800m). Dr Jordan described the experience of flying over the ice during these flights: “The pilot can look out of the aircraft and see flat white as far as the eye can see. By looking at my screen inside [which provides readouts from the radar], I can tell him that he’s flying over a mountain range the size of the Alps that’s completely covered by ice.”

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Dash Upgrade Antarctica has unique operational challenges (see Antarctic Flying) and, to ensure it remains fit for its role, in 2010 the Dash’s cockpit was upgraded in Canada

3 1 With the Twin Otters’ skis weighing close 800lb (363kg), the aircraft have an increased gross weight of 14,000lb (6,350kg) to give them a useful cargo and fuel payload. Brian Thomas/British Antarctic Survey 2 The Dash 7 on the blue ice runway at Sky-Blu. Ian Potten/British Antarctic Survey 3 A glaciologist uses ground-based GPS and the Twin Otter to survey the flow of the ice sheet. David Vaughan/British Antarctic Survey 4 A Twin Otter and the Dash 7 flying close to Rothera Research Station. Pete Bucktrout/British Antarctic Survey

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ANTARCTIC FLYING

Adam Bradley/British Antarctic Survey

Antarctica is one of the most demanding places to fly. The weather, terrain, operating in the field with no support and flying into areas that have never been landed on before, poses a unique operational challenge. Alan Meredith, the BAS Air Unit’s Chief Pilot told AIR International: “There are some areas where you can fly for five hours and see nothing but white, which has a certain beauty on its own, but also there are some spectacular mountain regions. Each has its challenges. There’s the issue of whiteout in the flat white nothingness and the challenges of mountain flying. It’s a spectacular place to fly and the photographs you see don’t do it justice.” BAS Air Unit operations are supported by a weather forecaster at Rothera, seconded from the UK Met Office, who uses real-time weather data generated by a satellite ground station. “We use the technology to plan ahead,” said Rod Arnold, Head of the Air Unit. “It enables us to not leave our aircraft out exposed to big storms. We can move our aircraft to miss out on the worst of the conditions and make the best use of weather windows.” Meredith said pilots flying in the Antarctic require certain qualities. “You need to be self-reliant, have a huge amount of common sense and know when to stop. You’ve got to be level-headed and think ahead. You have to be able to imagine what could go wrong and put things in place to ensure it doesn’t. “You also need to be able to command, and that’s not just the aircraft. A lot of the pilots are older than the [research] personnel so if you’re out at a field camp and something goes wrong, they’ll look to you. You have to have leadership ability and earn respect,” he said. BAS staff heading to Antarctica - including pilots - undertake before they go first aid and field training courses in the UK. Once they arrive, the pilots undergo an extensive training programme to learn about flying in the environment. With BAS Twin Otter operations being single-pilot, there’s a building-block approach to increase expertise steadily. Meredith said: “First we teach them to fly on skis, then we send them out on training sectors with another pilot and then give them runs delivering fuel. After that, we send them out as a single pilot but with another aircraft so they’re not on their own. They gradually build up to being fully qualified in mountain flying. It takes two years to get them to where they can walk into a briefing in the morning and they’ll be able to do 95% of tasks on the tasking board.” The air unit currently has nine pilots. They have a variety of backgrounds including bush flying, airlines, survey work, instructing and operating fast jet and transport aircraft in the military. This wide spectrum of experience provides strengths in different areas, enabling the unit to carry out a variety of assignments ranging from intercontinental flying with the Dash 7 to operating from unprepared landing strips at field camps with the Twin Otters. The broad experience base also helps maximise safety. “People are willing to share both good and bad experiences,” Meredith explained. “They’re more likely to ask for help if they need it and listen to people around them.” In Antarctica, he added, “it’s important that people aren’t scared of asking if they’re unsure, reporting when it goes wrong and happy discussing among their peers. Building a safe environment is key because everything you do in Antarctica carries a greater risk than equivalent activities elsewhere.”

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by Voyageur Airways, an operator and maintenance organisation, to enhance crews’ situational awareness. The updated cockpit features four largeformat Universal Avionics EFI-890R flat-panel displays and specialised flight management systems. The latter include multi-mission management software, terrain awareness and warning and synthetic vision systems, radio control units, application server units 2 for charts and checklists, and an electronic

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1 The Dash 7 over the mountains of the Antarctic Peninsula, close to Rothera Research Station. British Antarctic Survey 2 A BAS Twin Otter undergoing refuelling at the Sky-Blu ice runway under the midnight sun. John Dudeney via British Antarctic Survey

document display. Alan Meredith, the BAS Air Unit’s Chief Pilot, said at the time the upgrade “future proofed this airframe for which there is no obvious alternative that meets the BAS’ operating criteria”. The Dash 7 has been out of production since 1988 and the lack of another type on the market which can fly intercontinental services but still has STOL capabilities means there’s a question mark over how the air unit will maintain the Antarctic air-bridge in the future. The worldwide Dash 7 fleet has reduced to 32 aircraft out of the 115 built. The only other operators are the US Army (ten), TransCapital Air (eight), Air Tindi (five), Voyageur (four) Air Greenland (three) and Transport Canada (one). The declining user base and a shrinking spares pool will mean the Dash will become less cost-effective to operate in the long term, Arnold said. The Twin Otters are slightly different. With over 600 in use worldwide and the type still being built (in Series 400 guise, by Viking Air), spares are plentiful and support is comprehensive “We’re nowhere near the life of the fuselages, we only use around 600 flying hours per year and you can re-life [parts], so they’re good for the foreseeable future,” Arnold explained. The wings of the highesthoured aircraft are scheduled for replacement in around two years’ time, he added. This will be the first structural modification on the BAS’ Twin Otters in 32 years of operations, a testament to the type’s durability. Arnold said the aircraft will continue to be cost-effective to operate for many more years. The involvement of these aircraft in mapping the Gamburtsevs and finding the Ellsworth Trough, together with the Dash’s continued use in maintaining an air-bridge, highlights the BAS Air Unit’s importance in helping scientists understand Antarctica and making the exploration of the desolate, beautiful ice continent possible at all.

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