EXERCISE REPORT
RED FLAG
Su-25SM3 FROGFOOT IN DETAIL
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April 2017 #349
GUNSHIPS Officially the World’s Number One Authority on Military Aviation
APACHES, HINDS AND MANGUSTAS IN EUROPE
FORCE REPORT
PLUS • Pumas in the desert • Ukraine’s Fulcrums • Air Tractor in Libya • Dogfights at Gando
APRIL 2017 UK £4.90
BANGLADESH AIR FORCE
Textron FP.indd 1
28/02/2017 09:08
COMMENT
After many years of stagnation, Russia's Mi-28N programme is finally making solid progress, and the type is currently in action supporting Moscow's campaign in Syria. Alexander Golz
Gunship renaissance T
HERE’S NO mistaking the fearsome presence on the cover of this issue as anything other than the AH-64 Apache. As AFM’s team of correspondents continue their in-depth study of the rotarywing gunship fleets across NATO’s European member states, the attack helicopter is coming back into prominence. While armed helicopters were first proven in France’s war in Algeria, the attack helicopter as we know it today became firmly established during America’s campaign in Vietnam. By the end of the Cold War, AH-1 Cobras and AH-64 Apaches were expected to hold the line should Warsaw Pact armoured formations ever roll across the border. The collapse of the Soviet bloc was quickly followed by the Apache’s combat debut in Operation Desert Storm, but in the years since, ‘tank-plinking’ has moved down the list of priority missions for attack helicopters. Instead, the aircraft have been more likely to find themselves undertaking peacekeeping taskings, such as the on-going United Nations Editor: Thomas Newdick World Air Forces Correspondent: Alan Warnes Editorial Contact:
[email protected] Attrition: Dave Allport Group Editor: Nigel Price Chief Designer: Steve Donovan Assistant Chief Designer: Lee Howson Production Editor: Sue Blunt Deputy Production Editor: Carol Randall Advertising Manager: Ian Maxwell Production Manager: Janet Watkins Group Marketing Manager: Martin Steele Mail Order & Subscriptions: Liz Ward Commercial Director: Ann Saundry Executive Chairman: Richard Cox Managing Director & Publisher: Adrian Cox Copies of AirForces Monthly can be obtained each month by placing a standing order with your newsagent. In case of difficulty, contact our Circulation Manager. Readers in USA may place subscriptions by telephone toll-free 800-428-3003 or by writing to AirForces Monthly, 3330 Pacific Ave, Ste 500, Virginia Beach, VA23451-9828. We are unable to guarantee the bonafides of any of our advertisers. Readers are strongly recommended to take their own precautions before parting with any information or item of value, including, but not limited
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Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). In Mali, Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) AH-64Ds will give way to German Heeresflieger (army air corps) Tigers this summer. While gunships are ideal for providing convoy escort and armed over-watch in counterinsurgency warfare, these aircraft still have a role to play on the more traditional battlefield. Recent proof of their enduring value came with the deployment to Europe of 20 AH-64Ds from the US Army’s 1-501st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion ‘Iron Dragons’. For the next few months, these aircraft will rotate around bases in Eastern Europe under Operation Atlantic Resolve. They will visit places where local communities feel the threat from a reenergised Russian military most keenly. Despite the gunship’s shift towards asymmetric scenarios, it remains a powerful force in conventional armoured warfare, where advanced technology has long been a valuable counter to sheer weight of numbers. to, money, manuscripts, photographs or personal information in response to any advertisements within this publication. Postmaster: Send address corrections to AirForces Monthly, Key Publishing Ltd, c/o Mail Right International Inc. 1637 Stelton Road B4, Piscataway NJ 08854. Printed in England by Warners (Midlands) plc, Bourne, Lincolnshire. AirForces Monthly (ISSN 0955 7091) is published monthly by Key Publishing Ltd and distributed in the USA by Mail Right Int., 1637 Stelton Road B4, Piscataway, NJ 08854. The entire contents of AirForces Monthly is a copyright of Key Publishing Ltd and cannot be reproduced in any form without permission. The Editor is happy to receive contributions to AirForces Monthly. Please note that all material sent to the Editor is forwarded at the contributor’s own risk. While every care is taken with material, the publishers cannot be held responsible for any loss or damage incurred. All material rates available on request. Submitted material (especially illustrations) should have the contributor’s name and address clearly marked and a stamped addressed envelope should be enclosed if it is required to be returned. All items submitted for publication are subject to our terms and conditions, which are regularly updated without prior notice and are freely available
More quietly, changes have been afoot in the British Army’s attack helicopter community, where the implementation of a new structure will ensure there are more Apache AH1s available for rapid deployment to support the British Army’s reaction force and high-readiness brigades. The future looks bright for military helicopters in general. Recent analysis projects that the $21.7bn global military rotorcraft market will reach $28.1bn by 2026. And with considerable numbers of AH-1s, Mi-24s, early-model AH-64s and other legacy types requiring replacement, gunships are likely to account for a significant proportion of that spending.
Thomas Newdick Email at:
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#349 APRIL 2017
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CONTENTS April Issue 349
Give the gift that lasts all year A subscription to AirForces Monthly makes a great gift. See pages 18 and 19 for details. 4
APRIL 2017 #349
36 Exercise Report: Red Flag
40 Desert dust-ups
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Features 03 Comment
AFM’s opinion on the hot topics in military aviation.
08 Striking out
Glenn Sands visits RNAS Yeovilton as 815 Naval Air Squadron retires its Lynx HMA8s.
40 Desert dust-ups
Joe Copalman visited El Centro in Southern California, where RAF Puma crews preparing for Afghanistan undergo the two-month Imperial Zephyr pre-deployment exercise.
52 Arizona testers
Laguna Army Air Field lies deep in the Arizona desert. The airfield is part of one of the largest military installations in the world – the Yuma Proving Grounds (YPG) – as Frank Crébas explains.
76 Greek multi-mission legends
Home to six Hellenic Air Force units, Elefsis hosts no fewer than nine aircraft types, with roles encompassing cargo transport, VIP transport, airborne early warning, combat search and rescue and firefighting. Mark Rourke reports.
84 Ukraine’s MiG-29 experts
Vladimir Trendafilovski examines the operations of Ukraine’s defenders of Kiev.
96 Su-25SM prepares for the fight Tomislav Mesarić examines the capabilities of the Su-25SM3, which represents the most advanced Frogfoot in Russian service.
98 Coming Up
Details of what to look forward to in your AFM next month.
News by Region
Cover: A Hellenic Army Aviation AH-64DHA Apache low down and looking for trouble. In this issue AFM continues its review of European helicopter gunships. Ioannis Lekkas Left: Spanish Air Force air combat during the DACT exercise in Gando is covered in detail in this issue. Giovanni Colla
All the world’s military aviation news. 6-7 Headlines 10-11 United Kingdom 12-13 Continental Europe 14-17 North America 20-21 Latin America 22 Africa 24-25 Middle East 26 Russia and CIS 28-29 Asia Pacific 30 Australasia
Regular features 32 INTEL REPORT: Industry looks to the East AFM’s Alan Warnes reports from the International Defence Exhibition (IDEX).
36 EXERCISE REPORT: Red Flag turns up the heat
The first participation by US Air Force F-35A Lightning IIs in Red Flag has driven planners to raise the complexity of the simulated warfighting exercise, as Dylan Eklund reports.
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48 EXERCISE REPORT: Combat in the Canaries
Spanish Hornets and Typhoons meet Italian Typhoons at Gando air base.
56 SURVEY: European gunships
AFM correspondents continue their review of Europe’s helicopter gunships, covering Greece to Poland in this second instalment.
66 FORCE REPORT: Bangladesh
Bangladesh’s potent and professional air
force is increasingly active internationally through participation in UN missions.
90 Attrition
Dave Allport details the world’s latest military accidents.
94 FLASHPOINT: ‘Dusty’ goes to war In the first of a new series, Arnaud Delalande reports on the secretive Libyan war record of the Air Tractor – an adapted crop-duster.
#349 APRIL 2017
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NEWS
Headlines
AERO INDIA 2017
Indian fighter requirement takes shape
Saab offers LCA assistance
SAAB HAS proposed a sensor-package upgrade for the Tejas Mk1A. Offered in partnership with Indian industry, the package will be based around a Saab-developed active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar and integrated electronic warfare (EW) suite. According to the Swedish firm, the radar employs “Gallium Nitride (GaN) and Silicone Carbide (SiC) substrates in combination with the latest generation of exciter/receiver and processor technology, giving optimum installed performance in a dense signal environment”. The EW suite would include front-end and fin-tip radar warning receiver antennas and an external AESA jammer pod. Self-protection is based on wideband digital RF memory (DRFM) technology. The EW systems units have no ITAR-restricted (International Traffic in Arms Regulations) components.
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Above: The Tejas has been rejected by the Indian Navy for its carrier-borne fighter requirement (see India rules out Naval LCA, February 2017, p29), but the IAF has 123 examples on order. KH2014 is the fourth Limited Series Production aircraft. Gordon Arthur
THE LATEST edition of Aero India, the biennial airshow held at Yelahanka Air Force Station on the outskirts of Bengaluru (Bangalore), took place from February 14-18. One of the key areas of interest at the show was the emerging Indian Air Force (IAF) requirement for an initial batch of 100 single-engine fighters
following an air force expression of interest issued last year. With the IAF being restricted to the purchase of just 36 Rafale fighters (due for first delivery in September 2019), there remains an urgent need to fill glaring gaps, as at least eight to ten squadrons of aircraft are to be phased out by 2020.
With production of the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) continuing to be delayed and 123 on order so far, the air force needs a new fighter that will be acquired under the ‘Make in India’ initiative. There are two contenders – the Saab Gripen E and the Lockheed Martin F-16V Block 70. Saab brought three Gripen
C/Ds to India, plus a mock-up of the E, while the USAF lent a pair of ‘legacy’ F-16s. A winning bidder will be required to perform assembly in India, which is likely to be a bigger challenge for the American competitor than the Swedish one given perennial US security restrictions. Gordon Arthur
ERJ-145 AEW handed over
Above: The IAF received KW3556 (ex PT-ZND), the first of its three Embraer ERJ-145 AEW platforms, on February 14, with the DRDO fitting its radars and mission systems. Gordon Arthur
THE EMBRAER ERJ-145based airborne early warning (AEW) platform was officially handed over to the Indian Air Force (IAF) on the opening day of Aero India. The aircraft, named Netra
and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), is still in initial operating capability (IOC) configuration. This aircraft carries
an indigenous active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar mounted dorsally atop the fuselage. The radar has a listed range of 186 miles (300km) and it covers a 240° arc. The
IAF will acquire three such Embraer AEW platforms. This $358m project was sanctioned in 2004, but the project has endured a six-year delay for unspecified reasons. Gordon Arthur
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Planned Su-30MKI upgrade DETAILS HAVE emerged of the major upgrade planned for the Indian Air Force (IAF) Su-30MKI fleet. Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) officials confirmed the company will be one of the primary contractors involved in the programme. Indian defence minister Manohar Parrikar said Russia and India were expected to sign a formal contract later this year, once the technical requirements had been finalised. Alexander Artyukhov, CEO of Russia’s United Engine Corporation, said that the company has offered the AL-41F-1S turbofan to re-engine the IAF Su-30MKIs. The powerplant, which is currently being installed on the Su-35, offers 18% more thrust than the Saturn AL-31F that is fitted in the Su-30MKI. HAL company chairman T Suvarna Raju said the upgrade would be carried out in two phases, with a contract for phase one expected to be signed within 90 days. He did not say what would be included in the initial deal. Dubbed the ‘Super Sukhoi’, the upgraded IAF Su-30MKI will feature a modernised cockpit, along with an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, plus advanced avionics and sensors. The IndoRussian developed BrahMos supersonic cruise missile will also be integrated. After an upgraded prototype has been built in Russia, the remaining aircraft are expected to be modernised in India by HAL. The IAF has ordered 222 HAL-built Su-30MKIs, in addition to 50 produced in Russia. HAL has manufactured 183 to date. The order will be completed by 2020 and the company is currently able to produce 12 aircraft annually. Dave Allport
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Indian Hawk developments
Above: As denoted by the tail markings, the Hawk-i is the 100th Hawk assembled by HAL. However, it has been upgraded in a bid to convince the IAF to modernise its Mk132 fleet. Gordon Arthur
HINDUSTAN AERONAUTICS Ltd (HAL) demonstrated the Hawk-i, the result of work carried out independently by the state-owned company. HAL has built 99 Hawk Mk132s for the IAF and Indian Navy, while the Hawk-i is the 100th aircraft constructed on the Indian assembly line. HAL described it as “the first indigenously upgraded Hawk Mk132”, and said the project gave the organisation a chance to expand the aircraft’s capabilities and promote self-sufficiency.” Among the Hawk-i’s improvements are a new mission computer and data transfer units, digital
map generation, secure voice communications and data link, configurable cockpit human machine interface and an embedded virtual training system. HAL hopes the Indian military will invest in such an upgrade for its Hawk fleet, which has now surpassed 100,000 flying hours in service. BAE Systems and HAL also displayed their joint Advanced Hawk on static display. The Advanced Hawk demonstrator aircraft (ZJ100) was making its international debut in its new configuration and features Anglo-Indian colours. “It takes the best features from Hawks
around the world,” said David Corfield, a BAE Systems spokesman. Corfield explained that the Advanced Hawk gives far better fighterlike handling – including 13% more thrust from the Rolls-Royce Adour 951 engine, 30% more lift, 25% tighter turns and 17% faster climbs. The Advanced Hawk features a new wing, which adds active leadingedge slats and combat flaps. It also incorporates a large-area display in the cockpit, in-flight refuelling probe, new hardpoints for smart weapons, a laser designator pod and new self-protection systems. Gordon Arthur
IAI proposes 767-300ER tanker
ISRAEL AEROSPACE Industries (IAI) is offering its Boeing 767-300ER based Multi-Mission Tanker Transport (MMTT) to meet an Indian Air Force (IAF) requirement for six new tanker aircraft. A new tender for a tanker is expected soon, after the Indian defence ministry cancelled plans to acquire the Airbus A330 MultiRole Tanker Transport (MRTT) last June. This was the second time the tanker procurement tender had been terminated since 2007.
Lightning II debuts in Australia
Above: RAAF F-35A Lightning IIs A35-001 and A35-002 en route to Avalon on March 3 for the Australian International Airshow. CPL Craig Barrett/Commonwealth of Australia
TWO EXAMPLES of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF)’s F-35A have visited Australia for the first time. The aircraft, A35-001 and A35-002, arrived at RAAF Base
Amberley on February 27 after a transpacific ferry flight via Hawaii and Guam during which they were supported by an RAAF KC-30A tanker. Using the callsigns ‘Bolt
1’ and ‘2’, the aircraft were flown by SQNLDR David Bell and WGCDR Andrew Jackson. The latter is the first RAAF pilot to qualify on the aircraft. The two pilots
have been serving as instructor pilots at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona since 2014. The aircraft were scheduled to depart Amberley for their return to Luke on March 8.
#349 APRIL 2017
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NEWS
United Kingdom - Special Report
Glenn Sands visited RNAS Yeovilton as 815 Naval Air Squadron prepared to retire its Lynx HMA8s from service.
Striking out F
Two of the last 815 NAS Lynx HMA8s during a farewell formation flight on January 26. The aircraft will be stripped down to provide spares for the Wildcat. Glenn Sands
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or those that have flown and maintained the versatile Lynx, March 2017 will be tinged with sadness as the last allBritish military helicopter is retired after 40 years. “If you could cut anyone in half within this building, I expect they’d bleed Lynx, or at least OM15 hydraulic fluid,” joked Commander Philip Richardson, the Commanding Officer of 815 NAS. It’s a bold statement but a valid one for the 250 personnel within the squadron at Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton, Somerset. Lynx Flight 208 served aboard HMS Portland in the South Atlantic on the type’s swansong, ninemonth deployment. The final seven Lynx HMA8s
will be retired from Royal Navy service at the end of March and replaced by the Wildcat HMA2. For many pilots and observers, there’s excitement in moving away from the analogue technology of the HMA8 to an all-digital maritime attack helicopter in the form of the Wildcat. Still, it’s hard for many to let go. Cdr Richardson, having amassed 2,300 hours on the type, explained his affection for the veteran helicopter: “I have a huge love for the Lynx. It’s agile, responsive, fun to fly… it can be quite slippery but it has great manoeuvrability and responsiveness on the deck, which is its working environment. I know it sounds crazy,
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Lynx HMA8 ZD262/‘301’ from 815 NAS – squadron motto ‘Strike Deep’ – lifts from the helipad to conduct sidedoor air gunnery practice over the sea at the Lilstock range in west Somerset. Rich Pittman
but I really have an affinity and relationship with this helicopter. You feel it when you’re flying it. It’s like I have an understanding with it, but I have no doubt we will develop the same relationship with the Wildcat.” Royal Navy Lynxes have operated around the world in combat and on humanitarian missions. As Cdr Richardson recalled, it’s these latter missions that give the aircrews the most satisfaction: “I remember being woken by a captain at 0200hrs, when we were operating in the Med. The ship had received a report that seven people were in the water, 100 miles down our navigational track. It was really rough and windy, and none of the commercial ships in the vicinity could launch their sea boats to rescue them. So, it was a case of ‘what could we do?’ “Within 26 minutes my Lynx was out on the flight deck, having been pulled out the hangar and its rotors unfolded. The deck was rocking and rolling in a huge sea state so my observer and I were catapulted off the deck in the helicopter by a huge wave. In what’s best described as terrible conditions we flew down to the survivors’ location. It was challenging but we managed to rescue some of these people, sadly not all of them. Before we left the area, we dumped all our lifesaving equipment into the water for the others to hopefully swim to. As we headed back
to the ship through the murk, I had complete faith that we could land safely on what was a small pitching flight deck in the dark. I managed it with what I’d term a rather ‘positive’ landing.”
Rewarding work
Such comments were echoed by the last observer to qualify on the Lynx HMA8, Lieutenant Max Cosby: “I only started flying training in 2014, when I joined 702 NAS. That took just over a year and in February 2015 I got my Observer Wings, which ultimately meant my course was the very last to qualify on type. In July, I deployed across to the Caribbean for six months as part of a ship’s Flight, which comprised a pilot and a senior observer. “What I remember most are the disaster relief operations we flew. By far the most rewarding was on Dominica. The ship was actually on a twoweek stand-down period, and three days into that, Tropical Storm Erica hit the island, washing out bridges and roads. So, we set sail to go and provide assistance. We got in there and dropped off supplies and stores to remote villages that had lost everything. This kind of operation is hugely rewarding.” At the time of the author’s visit, Lt Cosby was two weeks away from fully qualifying as an observer on the Wildcat. He said operating the two helicopters was as different as making a phone call on an old-style
Built as a Lynx HAS2 in 1979, XZ691 served in the Falklands War in 1982, attacking the Argentine ship ‘Rio Iguazu’ with Sea Skua missiles on June 13, causing it to run aground. In 1993 the helicopter was converted to HMA8 standards by Westland and will be one of the last examples to be retired. Glenn Sands
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Nokia ‘brick’ to using a latest-generation iPhone. “The real challenge is taking all the Lynx experience that 815 Squadron has and converting it into Wildcat experience. We have 40 years of Lynx knowledge passing around everyone; the goal is to build up a similar pool of information as quickly as we can on the Wildcat.” In his current role, Cdr Gus Carnie holds a unique position; he’s the last Lynx Wildcat Maritime Force Commander. On March 31, he’ll become the Wildcat Force Commander and the HMA8s will be no more. A veteran Lynx pilot with 1,500 hours on type, the transition to the Wildcat within the force is a realisation fulfilled for Gus. “Some may look at the Wildcat as simply a Lynx Mk10, but it’s not. It’s a completely new aircraft in terms of capability. We’ll go from this little darting blob on a radar screen and the Captain trying to find bits and pieces to relay back to the ship, to a proper ISTAR [intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance] platform.” While the home of the Wildcat will always be at the back of a destroyer or frigate, Cdr Carnie is keen to see the Wildcat play its part within the carrier task group when it becomes a reality in 2020. He predicts that Wildcats will provide the inner defence cordon, supporting Crowsnest-equipped Merlins and P-8 Poseidons. Despite the new technology and enhanced operating capabilities that the 28 Wildcats will bring to the Fleet Air Arm, the experiences and memories of flying the Lynx are still fresh, as Cdr Carnie recalled: “You had the ability to turn it on its nose, even turn it upside down, and it would never let you down. There were a few times I lost an engine but it kept going and got me home. I never thought at any time when flying the Lynx that I’d be falling out of the sky. “The Wildcat brings a capability that is so far ahead of the Lynx. Of course, the Lynx will never be forgotten – it’s still out there in the fleet with many other navies and I doubt the records it has set will ever be beaten.”
#349 APRIL 2017
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NEWS
United Kingdom
New codes for RAF Typhoon Force
Typhoon T3 ZJ814 ‘814’ recovers to RAF Lossiemouth, Scotland on February 21. Niall Paterson
ROYAL AIR Force Typhoon T3 ZJ814 of No 29 (Reserve) Squadron, based at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire, is among the first to appear with the new code system for the RAF Typhoon Force. The aircraft retains its No 29 (Reserve) Squadron markings but now wears the last three digits of its serial (‘814’) on the tail; previously, the code ‘BH’ had been applied in this position. Eventually, all RAF Typhoons will have their respective ‘last three’ digits applied instead of the traditional two-letter designation. The number codes are intended to ease the work of maintainers while on operations. Currently, some RAF Typhoons have the same letter code, a problem that will be removed with the introduction of the numerical system.
First Tranche 3 Typhoon for ‘Lossie’
Above: The first Tranche 3 jet for RAF Lossiemouth, ZK372 ‘BB’, arrived in Scotland on January 20. John Reid
AN INITIAL Tranche 3 Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 has been introduced to service with
the Royal Air Force’s No 1 (Fighter) Squadron at RAF Lossiemouth, Scotland. ZK372 (c/n BS133) arrived
Attack Helicopter Force restructuring THE ARMY Air Corps Attack Helicopter Force is being asked to increase the force elements at readiness that it provides to support the field army brigades of 3rd Division as well as the specialised air assault and amphibious battlegroups. Under the original Army 2020 plan, the Attack Helicopter Force saw its fleet of Apache AH1 helicopters shrink from 66 to 50 airframes, with the
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consequent reorganisation of the two attack helicopter regiments into two, rather than three, deployable Apache squadrons each. Readiness of the regiments alternated annually: one year of training was followed by a year at readiness. Of the two squadrons at readiness one was assigned from 16 Air Assault Brigade to the Air Assault Task Force and one to the 3 Commando
Brigade from the Lead Commando Battlegroup. The new Army 2020 Refine plan brings a ‘permanent readiness’ model which sees 4 Regiment permanently aligned with 16 Air Assault and 3 Commando brigades, while 3 Regiment is assigned to 3rd Division. Beginning this year, 664 Squadron is specialising in land-air assault and 656 Squadron in maritime
at Lossiemouth in January still wearing the ‘BB’ codes it had worn while stationed at RAF
Coningsby, Lincolnshire, where it had latterly been assigned to No 29 (Reserve) Squadron.
operations in support of amphibious operations. For 662 and 663 Squadrons, the new focus will be support of 3rd Division. From around 2019, the British Army expects to provide two brigades at readiness every year under the new Force Generation Cycle: one armoured infantry brigade and one of the new so-called ‘strike’ brigades. No 3 Regiment will be
tasked with supporting these formations, and regenerating the tactics and skills needed to confront a ‘near-peer’ enemy in high-intensity conflict. Further changes could be on the way as the Army Air Corps is expected to complete a review of its infrastructure needs later this year. It is likely that either Wattisham or Middle Wallop will be closed. Gabriele Molinelli
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No 206(R) Squadron special scheme
Above: Operating from MOD Boscombe Down on February 24, ZH866 had the undercarriage doors removed, reportedly for brake testing. Jonathan Warner
THE ROYAL Air Force’s No 206 (Reserve) Squadron has applied a centennial scheme to Hercules C6 ZH866
‘866’ (c/n 5414). In April 2009, the Heavy Aircraft Test and Evaluation Squadron (HATS), based at MOD Boscombe Down,
Wiltshire, became No 206(R) Squadron, of which ‘B’ Flight is currently located at the RAF's air transport hub at RAF
Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, specialising in Hercules test and evaluation duties. The squadron traces its lineage back to No 6
GrandNew delivered to No 32(TR) Squadron
Philip Stevens
THE ROYAL Air Force’s new Agusta 109SP GrandNew GZ100 (GZ-IOO) was recently put through its paces on the Salisbury Plain Training Area. The RAF announced delivery of the helicopter to No 32 (The Royal) Squadron on February 11. The new helicopter’s civilian registration and military
registration represent the 100 years that the squadron has been in existence. Meanwhile, the ‘GZ’ identification code was used by the unit during the Battle of Britain, when it flew Hurricanes from RAF Biggin Hill. The AW109SP will replace the squadron’s existing AW109E helicopter –
it benefits from more powerful engines, enhanced avionics and various safety enhancements. According to Officer Commanding No 32(TR) Squadron, Wg Cdr Steve Courtnadge: “As 32 Squadron enters its second century of operations, the AW109SP will be a vital element in our operational
No 99 Squadron supports Barkhane THE ROYAL Air Force’s No 99 Squadron has provided heavy-lift assistance to the French armed forces’ counter-insurgency operations in sub-Saharan Africa. A C-17 Globemaster
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III and crew from No 99 Squadron, based at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, contributed supplies to Operation Barkhane in Niger. According to an MOD statement
the aircraft delivered “several pallets of cargo” to Niamey Airport. In March 2016, during the UK-France Summit in Paris, UK Defence Secretary Michael Fallon
output. This helicopter will provide a highly efficient, point-to-point military transport service that will truly complement our multi-engine aircraft.” The acquisition of the helicopter and engineering support are provided under contract by Sloane Helicopters Ltd of Sywell, Northampton.
announced the provision of monthly strategic airlift support in the form of C-17 flights picking up freight from France and delivering it to the sub-Saharan region.
Squadron, Royal Naval Air Service, formed on November 1, 1916 as a fighter unit on the Western Front.
UK and US strengthen maritime ties
THE UNITED Kingdom Minister for Defence Procurement Harriett Baldwin has signed a Boeing P-8A maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) declaration with her United States counterpart, Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Work. An MOD statement said that: “both nations have committed to deepen their defence co-operation when operating in the North Atlantic region.” Under the agreement, the UK and US plan to share logistics and support bases and also to optimise the use of the Poseidon, particularly when it comes to operations in Europe The Royal Air Force will receive the first of nine P-8As at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland in 2019. “Backed by a rising defence budget and a £178bn Equipment Plan, the P-8A programme will provide us with enhanced surveillance capabilities,” said Baldwin.
#349 APRIL 2017 11
NEWS
Continental Europe
Rafale M launches ASMP-A
Greece plans F-16 upgrade, eyes F-35
THE FRENCH defence ministry has announced a successful test launch of an ASMP-A cruise missile from a Marine Nationale (French Navy) Rafale M. The fighter took off from Avord air base in central France on February 14 and conducted a four-hour mission that included successive aerial refuellings, low-altitude flight, terrain following, and launch of an inert Air-Sol Moyenne-Portée – Amélioré (ASMP-A, improved air-to-surface medium-range) weapon over the Biscarrosse missile test range. The mission constituted the operational assessment of the ASMP-A on the Rafale.
THE GREEK defence ministry has unveiled plans to upgrade its existing F-16 fleet and purchase F-35s. According to aides of Defence Minister Panos Kammenos, the decision
has been taken based on recommendations by military leadership. The defence minister has signed a letter of request to the US to pave the way to upgrade the entire fleet of Hellenic
Air Force F-16C/Ds to F-16V standard. As well as extending the service life of the F-16s, the move is intended to increase compatibility with the F-35, which will be acquired subsequently.
The Hellenic Air Force’s 347 Mira recently celebrated its 40th anniversary at Nea Anchialos air base. This Block 50 F-16C received special tail markings including the squadron emblem and ‘Perseus’ name on the vertical stabiliser. Konstantinos Ntasios
First German NH90s arrive in Mali THE FIRST two Heeresflieger (German Army Aviation) NH90s have arrived in Mali. The helicopters were flown in from Leipzig/ Halle Airport, Germany, on board an An-124
to join the UN-led Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) – see Germany takes on Mali role, March 2017, p10. They forward deployed to Gao on
February 1. The full German deployment will comprise four NH90s and four Tigers, which will remain until mid-2018. They are replacing Dutch Apaches and Chinooks, of which the final two
Apaches arrived back at Gilze-Rijen Air Base in a C-17A on January 31. The Chinooks were scheduled to return at the end of March, following which the Tigers will then arrive. Dave Allport
An NH90 from Transporthubschrauberregiment 10 (Transport Helicopter Regiment 10) is unloaded at Bamako, Mali, on January 29. Bundeswehr/Christian Thiel
European tanker fleet expands THREE ADDITIONAL NATO members – Belgium, Germany and Norway – have joined the alliance’s Multinational MultiRole Tanker Transport (MRTT) Fleet programme. Officials from the three
12 APRIL 2017 #349
The total cost of the upgrade is put at around $1.7-$2bn and will be pursued via Foreign Military Sales channels.
countries signed a Declaration of Intent on February 16, thereby joining the Netherlands and Luxembourg in the expanding Multinational MRTT Fleet, which is sponsored by the
European Defence Agency (EDA). The Netherlands and Luxembourg launched the initiative last July, and the first two A330 MRTT aircraft are due to be delivered in 2020.
Ultimately, as many as eight MRTTs will be acquired for the venture. The aircraft will be based at Eindhoven Air Base in the Netherlands and also at Cologne-Bonn Airport, Germany.
FrancoGerman C-130J unit takes shape GERMANY HAS signed off on a series of equipment and capability initiatives including establishment of a Franco-German air transport unit that will jointly operate C-130J Hercules. An accord was signed during a meeting of NATO ministers in Brussels on February 15. Under the plan, Germany will provide four-to-six C-130Js, and France up to eight (four of which are currently on order). A joint training unit will be established at Évreux air base, France, and the transport unit is to be operational by 2021, to coincide with the retirement of the C-160 from Luftwaffe service. In related news, Germany is negotiating with the Czech Republic and Switzerland with a view to jointly operating some of the 13 A400M transports that it had planned to sell. Germany originally aimed to buy 60 A400Ms, before cutting orders to 53. In 2011, the German parliament approved a plan to sell the 13 surplus aircraft. The aircraft would be based in Germany and would be made available to other countries as required.
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Luftwaffe A319CJ at Lossiemouth
LUFTWAFFE AIRBUS A319CJ 15+01, from the Flugbereitschaft des Bundesministeriums der Verteidigung (Ministry of Defence Transport Wing) based at Cologne-
Dutch KDC-10 joins Inherent Resolve
THE ROYAL Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) KDC-10 tanker fleet has begun contributing to Operation Inherent Resolve. A first sortie was flown on February 1, during which multiple aircraft were refuelled over a five-and-a-half-hour period. Around 30 Dutch airmen and the tanker deployed from their home base of Eindhoven to Kuwait just days before the initial mission. The RNLAF previously contributed tanker support to operations in Afghanistan in 2004 and again during Operation Unified Protector in Libya in 2011.
CH-53G retrofit
GERMANY IS to retrofit 26 CH-53 transoport helicopters to ensure they can remain in service until at least 2030. The project will replace obsolescent components with new parts to improve maintenance. Airbus Helicopters has been contracted to carry out the work, which will begin at the company’s Donauwörth facility, Germany this year and will be completed by 2022.
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Bonn Airport, Germany, on approach to RAF Lossiemouth, Scotland, during a recent visit. The Airbus arrived from Zurich, Switzerland, for a stopover and following
its departure the Airbus crew requested a training approach to Lossiemouth before departing to an unknown destination in Norway. The aircraft is one of two A319CJs
that serve with the unit alongside five A310-304s in different versions, two A340-300s, four Bombardier G5000s and three AS532 Cougars. Niall Paterson
NATO seeks AWACS successor
NATO HAS begun the process of developing a follow-on capability to replace its current fleet of E-3A Airborne Warning And Control System (AWACS) aircraft once they are retired around 2035. On February 15, defence ministers from the alliance signed an agreement to develop a future AWACS surveillance capability. NATO began looking at options for its long-term AWACS needs at the Warsaw Summit in 2016. A concept-stage study will run until around 2022, after which a decision will be made on potential procurement.
Italian Harrier IIs on TLP
THE FIRST of four Tactical Leadership Programme (TLP) courses scheduled for 2017 took place at Albacete air base, Spain, between January 30 and February 24. Among the fighter contingent,
the course attracted Armée de l’Air (French Air Force) Mirage 2000-5Fs, Mirage 2000Ds, Mirage 2000Ns and Rafale Bs; Marine Nationale (French Navy) Rafale Ms; Hellenic Air Force
F-16C/Ds; Aeronautica Militare (Italian Air Force) Eurofighters and AMX; and resident Ejército del Aire (Spanish Air Force) Eurofighters. In addition, three AV-8B+ Harrier IIs from the
Marina Militare (Italian Navy) at Grottaglie also participated, including MM7214/1-08, seen on short finals to Albacete on February 1 after the first mission of the course. Roberto Yanez
Royal Norwegian Air Force at Virgo 2017
CONFIGURED FOR special forces support, two Bell 412HPs (serials 145 and 164) from 339 Skvadron, Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) took part in Exercise Virgo 2017 on the Salisbury Plain Training Area (SPTA) earlier this year. Exercise Virgo provides participating units with the opportunity to work together during various different special forces scenarios, including aerial insertion/extraction procedures. This is the second year in succession that the RNoAF has been involved. Thomas Howe
#349 APRIL 2017 13
NEWS
North America
Constant Phoenix’s European mission
VMFA-122 slated for F-35 transition
IN LIGHT of the better serviceability of the AV-8B Harrier II fleet, the US Marine Corps has taken the decision to remove one of its Harrier squadrons from the F-35 transition schedule, and replace it with an F/A-18 unit. The chosen Hornet unit is Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 122 ‘Werewolves’ based at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina. The unit making way for it is Marine Attack Squadron (VMA) 311 ‘Tomcats’, based at MCAS Yuma, Arizona, which will continue to operate the Harrier II. VMFA-314 ‘Black Knights’, at MCAS Miramar, California will be the first USMC squadron to switch to the F-35C carrier variant. Previously, VMA-311 had been next in line to move to the Lightning II, following the transitions of VMFA-121 and VMFA-211. Once VMFA-122 has converted to the F-35B, the squadron will move to Yuma. The Harrier force has seen a 23% increase in ‘ready base aircraft’, the service’s metric for aircraft ready to fly. The USMC expects to keep the Harrier operational until 2026.
14 APRIL 2017 #349
Above: WC-135C 62-3582 heads out from RAF Mildenhall at 11.50hrs on February 22 for its first sortie during its current deployment. Justin Ward
US AIR Force WC-135C 62-3582 Constant Phoenix has flown several sorties over the Baltic and Mediterranean during a deployment to RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk. The atmospheric collection aircraft arrived in the United Kingdom on February 17, leading to much speculation as to
why it was in Europe. Some sources suggest the deployment was in reaction to possible nuclear tests by Russia. For its first sortie on February 22, 62-3582 departed Mildenhall in a north-easterly direction, supported by a pair of KC-135R tankers from Mildenhall’s 100th Air
Refueling Wing. The three aircraft were then sighted on the Virtual Radar Server flying along the east coast of Scotland, now accompanied by another KC-135 and an RC-135W Rivet Joint. In early January, reports emerged of a spike in iodine levels in northern Europe. Although iodine can be present in the
atmosphere for various reasons, it can also result from some kind of nuclear incident or test. In recent years, the WC-135s have been more often associated with transits through Kadena Air Base. North Korea’s emergence as a nuclear power has made Constant Phoenix a familiar site at the Japanese base.
US Army helicopters arrive for Atlantic Resolve Above: During February 18-19 the 20 AH-64Ds arrived by ship in Bremerhaven for Operation Atlantic Resolve. The first Apache to conduct a hover flight after disembarking was AH-64D 03-05416. Oliver Jonischkeit
A TOTAL of 49 US Army helicopters have arrived in Europe for a ninemonth deployment in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve. The helicopters from the 10th Mountain Division’s Combat Aviation Brigade at Fort Drum, New York were unloaded from the ship Endurance at the port of Bremerhaven, Germany on February 11. They comprise 12 CH-47F
Chinooks, 12 medevacconfigured HH-60Ms and 25 UH-60L/M Black Hawks operated by the brigade’s 2-10th Assault Helicopter and the 3-10th General Support Aviation Battalions. The rotorcraft were accompanied by 350 vehicles and 1,800 personnel from the 10th CAB. Additionally, the 1-501st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion deployed
20 AH-64Ds from Fort Bliss, Texas to Illesheim, Germany. The ‘Iron Dragons’ will reinforce the 10th CAB. The battalion’s Apaches were flown to Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas, where they were prepared for shipment to Europe at the Port of Corpus Christi. Although the main force of helicopters will be based in Illesheim and Katterbach, Bavaria,
five UH-60s will operate from Lielvārde air base, Latvia, and five UH-60s will be stationed at Mihail Kogălniceanu air base, Romania. Whereas Army Aviation units that previously rotated to Europe have been attached to the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade for command and control, the 10th CAB will be responsible for its own units.
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T-X update
Above: On February 20, Lockheed Martin’s T-50A TX-1 accomplished an initial test flight in the US from the company’s Greenville final assembly and check out facility. Lockheed Martin
LEONARDO HAS decided to compete for the US Air Force’s T-X competition with its T-100 jet trainer following Raytheon’s decision to terminate its partnership with the Italian company.
Boeing pitches Block 3 Super Hornet to US Navy
AS PRESIDENT Donald Trump and the US Navy weigh up the future fighter composition of the carrier air wing, Boeing has launched the latest version of its F/A-18E/F, the Block 3 Super Hornet. The new aircraft is intended to complement the F-35C and will be equipped to serve as a ‘smart node’ within networkcentric warfare. While previous Advanced Super Hornet offerings focused on stealth, the Block 3 adds conformal fuel tanks and a long-range infrared search and track. Boeing is hopeful that the US Navy may include the Block 3 Super Hornet in its budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2018. Earlier this year, President Trump called for the Deputy Secretary of Defense to compare F-35C and F/A-18E/F operational capabilities and assess the extent to which an advanced Super Hornet “can provide a competitive, cost-effective fighter aircraft alternative”.
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Leonardo’s US-based subsidiary Leonardo DRS will be prime contractor for the bid. Leonardo DRS will continue to work with CAE USA in the design and development of the T-100 ground-based training
system. Honeywell Aerospace will provide the aircraft’s twin F124200 turbofan engines. The T-X Request for Proposals (RFP) was released on December 30 last year and the USAF
is expected to award a contract later this year for up to 350 new aircraft to replace the T-38. Meanwhile, one of the other key contenders in the running for T-X, Lockheed Martin
‘Test Hawk’ in Germany
has flown its second production-ready T-50A from its Advanced Pilot Training (APT) operations centre in Greenville, South Carolina, following transfer from its test facility in South Korea. AVIATION AND Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center Aviation Development Directorate (AMRDEC ADD) EH-60L Black Hawk 87-24657 was recently seen in Germany during a month-long European NATO Degraded Visual Environment (DVE-M) flight trials event. After flight trials during brownouts in sandy Yuma, Arizona, last year, the recent tests in Manching, Germany, focused on fog and smoke. The German military flight test centre, WTD 61, was also involved in the trials work. At the end of February the EH-60 evaluated its systems in snow and whiteout conditions in the Alps. Dr Andreas Zeitler
Fort Bragg CH-47Fs return from Djibouti FOUR US Army CH-47Fs have returned to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, after completing a previously unannounced five-month deployment to Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti. The first two helicopters from B Company ‘Flippers’, 3rd Battalion, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, arrived back at Pope Army Airfield, Fort Bragg, on board a US Air Force C-5M on February 8. The remaining two followed on another C-5M on February 14. In late September last year, with no publicity and less than six weeks’ notice, the Chinooks, along with 85 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division, had deployed to support Combined Joint Task ForceHorn of Africa (CJTF-HOA).
Details of the mission have been made public now they have returned. The CH-47Fs operated out of Camp Lemonnier to support CJTF-HOA, replacing US Air Force pararescue units. Together with personnel from the 82nd Airborne Division, they provided air assault, air movement, attack, reconnaissance, personnel and casualty evacuation capabilities. This included working with US Navy ships operating off the African coast. The mission also included Pathfinder soldiers from F Company, 2nd Assault Helicopter Battalion, on their final deployment. On their return, this unit disbanded on February 24 at Simmons Army Airfield, Fort Bragg. Dave Allport
Above: One of the CH-47Fs returning from Djibouti being unloaded from a USAF C-5M at Pope Army Airfield, Fort Bragg, on February 14. US Army/Capt Adan Cazarez
#349 APRIL 2017 15
NEWS
North America
USS George H W Bush launches strikes in OIR
‘Screaming Eagles’ P-3 with ‘retro’ badge
THE FIRST strike missions in support of Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) have been launched by the USS George H W Bush Carrier Strike Group (GHWBCSG) from the eastern Mediterranean. The initial offensive missions were launched from the carrier on February 13. VADM Christopher W Grady, commander, US Sixth Fleet, said: “The precision-strike operations being carried out by the Bush Carrier Strike Group in the eastern Mediterranean Sea continue to demonstrate the tremendous warfighting capability and flexibility of the US Navy.” The GHWBCSG entered the Mediterranean on February 2 and includes the USS George H W Bush (CVN 77) with embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8. The most recent aircraft carrier strike group to operate in the Sixth Fleet area of operations was the Dwight D Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, which conducted strikes from the eastern Mediterranean in support of OIR from June 28 to July 7 and December 6-12 last year, completing 1,899 sorties under OIR.
A RECENT visitor to RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk, was P-3C BuNo 161587 of Patrol Squadron (VP) 1 based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington, and using the callsign ‘VVQE587’.
The aircraft wears an unusual badge on the tail, representing one of the squadron’s antecedents, Patrol Bombing Squadron (VPB) 128 that was active in World War Two. It is thought the aircraft was
on its way home after a deployment in the Middle East. VP-1 recently deployed to Shaikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain and Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti and the squadron also detached
two aircraft to Kadena Air Base, Japan. The P-3Cs involved in the latest deployments are BuNos 159326, 161404, 161408, 161414, 161587, 162317, 162318, 162998, and 163295. Ryan Dorling
Whidbey’s search and rescue Seahawk
SELDOM SEEN outside its home of Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington, is the
base’s MH-60S BuNo 165775/‘FW-775’ (s/n 70-2718). The aircraft is painted in a red-and-
white scheme and is dedicated to the search and rescue role. The helicopter was seen
during a flyby at Seattle’s King County International Airport/Boeing Field on January 25. Joe G Walker
‘Jersey Devils’ deploy to Korea AROUND 200 airmen and 12 F-16s of the 119th Fighter Squadron from the 177th Fighter Wing, Atlantic City Air National Guard Base, New Jersey, have deployed to Osan Air Base, South Korea, in support of a US Pacific Command Theater Security Package. The deployment is the first movement of military assets to South Korea since the inauguration of President Donald Trump. Left: F-16C 86-0327 ‘AC’ assigned to the New Jersey Air National Guard’s 177th Fighter Wing is manoeuvred into a HAS at Osan AB. US Air Force photo/SSgt Victor J Caputo
16 APRIL 2017 #349
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F-35 prepares for deployment
Above: The 33rd Fighter Wing fired the first live AIM-120 AMRAAMs from an operational F-35A during a weapons system evaluation at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. The event happened on January 31, two weeks after loading and releasing the first live air-to-ground weapons in Air Education and Training Command. AMRAAMs were loaded into four aircraft and the three primary missiles were launched successfully. USAF/SSgt Peter Thompson
AIR COMBAT Command chief Gen Hawk Carlisle has announced that US Air Force 388th Fighter Wing F-35As will deploy for a first overseas
A-10s safe until 2021
US AIR Force Chief of Staff Gen David Goldfein has confirmed that the flying branch will retain the A-10C in service until 2021, after which it will seek to deploy a “family of systems” to fulfil close air support requirements. While Goldfein suggested that such a concept could include different platforms, ranging from B-1Bs to US Army AH-64 attack helicopters or the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), the USAF is also examining a potential new light attack aircraft for missions in “uncontested” environments. Goldfein confirmed the USAF wants a low-cost, “off the shelf” system requiring minimal or no changes, but he also said it is not yet a programme of record.
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deployment “in the spring to summer”. Gen Carlisle said the initial Theater Security Package (TSP) would either be a “short deployment to the Pacific,
and a longer deployment to Europe,” or vice-versa. The USAF declared initial operational capability with the F-35A last August. Following the TSP
this year, the Lightning II will deploy for combat in the Middle East in the “not too distant future”, Gen Carlisle confirmed. The F-35A is expected
Marine Corps UC-12W in Europe
US MARINE Corps UC-12W BuNo 168204/‘8204’ assigned to Marine Transport Squadron (VMR) Belle Chasse has been in Europe for some time, operating between USMC facilities. Although a frequent visitor to the
two MV-22 facilities at Morón Air Base, Spain and Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy, the aircraft is believed to operate out of Stuttgart. The aircraft is part of Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW) 4 and is home-based at Naval Air
Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans, Louisiana. Fitted with Aviation Survivability Equipment (ASE) missile approach warning sensors, the aircraft was photographed landing at Morón on February 10. Bob Archer
to achieve full combat capability in 2018 when its Block 3F software comes online, although 3F is currently running behind schedule.
First flight for UH-60V NORTHROP GRUMMAN has announced the maiden flight of the UH-60V Black Hawk helicopter. The aircraft, which took to the air at Huntsville, Alabama on January 19, updates the existing analogue cockpit of the UH-60L with the Integrated Avionics Suite – a complement of digital electronic instrument displays provided by Northrop Grumman. The UH-60V programme will see Northrop upgrade US Army UH-60Ls under a contract awarded in 2014. Working with the US Army Prototype Integration Facility and prime contractor Redstone Defense Systems, Northrop completed the cockpit design and development effort within 29 months of the original contract award.
#349 APRIL 2017 17
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NEWS Argentina plans MAFFS equipment for firefighting AS PART of the country’s National Fire Management Plan, Argentine Minister of Defence Julio Martínez and Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development, Sergio Bergman, have announced plans to equip Fuerza Aérea Argentina (FAA, Argentine Air Force) C-130 transports as firefighting aircraft. The aircraft will be outfitted with the Modular Airborne Firefighting System (MAFFS) allowing conversion for firefighting in only a few hours. MAFFS provides a capacity of 2,420 Imp gal (11,000 litres). The system is already in use with the Força Aérea Brasileira (FAB, Brazilian Air Force), and the Fuerza Aérea de Chile (FACh, Chilean Air Force) also plans to acquire two examples. Juan Carlos Cicalesi
Latin America
Firefighters gather in Chile
Above: FACh Gulfstream IV 912 ‘leadplane’ from Grupo de Aviación No 10 at Pudahuel air base, Santiago. Álvaro Romero
RECENT FIREFIGHTING efforts in Chile have involved both military and civilian aircraft from both local and foreign operators. Local assets included Fuerza Aérea de Chile (FACh, Chilean Air Force) KC-130R serial 999, tasked with carrying supplies from Santiago and firefighters
to afflicted areas. The Russian Government sent Il-76TD RA-76841, while the Força Aérea Brasileira (FAB, Brazilian Air Force) provided two C-130Ms (FAB 2475 as the support aircraft, and FAB 2479 equipped with the Modular Airborne Firefighting System [MAFFS]).
Interestingly, FACh Gulfstream IV 912 was used as a ‘leadplane’ to guide 747-400 N744ST operated by Global SuperTanker. Other liaison aircraft involved included Aviación Naval (Chilean Naval Aviation) C295MPA/ASW 502, using forward-looking infrared equipment,
Chilean P-3 overhaul begins
Above: Work has begun to overhaul the Chilean Navy’s P-3s, which are 52 years old on average and have been in Chilean service for 23 years. Tally H via Juan Carlos Cicalesi
CANADA’S IMP Aerospace has a begun major refurbishment and upgrade of the Aviación Naval (Chilean Naval Aviation)’s two P-3s to keep them in service until 2037. Both P-3s departed Concón air base and arrived at Halifax Stanfield International Airport on January 22 for overhaul under the
20 APRIL 2017 #349
Albatros IV project – a $37m contract having been signed last October. Under Albatros IV, IMP will upgrade the wings and horizontal stabilisers and replace the current Allison T56-A10 engines with T56-A14 engines. As part of the deal, the Rockwell Collins Flight2 integrated avionics suite will be introduced, adding
new communications, navigation and surveillance equipment (see Cockpit upgrade for Chilean P-3s, February 2017, p20). Chile originally operated eight Orions (serials 401 to 408), comprising two P-3A anti-submarine aircraft and six UP-3A transports. The two aircraft remaining in
service are assigned to the Escuadrón de Exploración Aeromarítima VP-1 (Air-sea Exploration Squadron VP-1) and one has been converted as a VIP transport. The Chilean P-3s have each exceeded 19,000 hours of flight, the maximum recommended by manufacturer Lockheed Martin.
Ejército de Chile (Chilean Army) CN235M 216, and the recently refurbished FACh DHC-6-100 Twin Otter 940. The sole FACh S-70A-39 (H-02) primarily flew from Talca airfield. Most fixed-wing aircraft flew from Grupo de Aviación No 10 at Pudahuel air base, Santiago.
Israel to upgrade Honduran aircraft
THE HONDURAN National Congress has approved plans to refurbish fixedwing combat aircraft and helicopters of the Fuerza Aérea Hondureña (FAH, Honduran Air Force) with Israeli support. A co-operation agreement will see Israeli industry refurbish FAH aviation assets. Honduran and Israeli officials confirmed the deal when they met last December. The total package, valued at $209m, includes a military communication system and the construction of a large patrol vessel. The repair, refurbishment and upgrade work will cover ten F-5E/Fs, ten A-37Bs, nine T-27 Tucanos, six Bell 412s, six UH-1Hs and two Hughes 369D helicopters.
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KC-390 tanker trials EMBRAER HAS completed the first dry refuelling contact of a receiver aircraft with its KC-390 airlifter. The initial trials of the aircraft’s aerial refuelling system involved one of the prototype KC-390s and a Força Aérea Brasileira (FAB, Brazilian Air Force) F-5 as receiver. The Tiger II plugged into both refuelling hoses during a sortie near Santa Cruz air base, Rio de Janeiro. The contacts, which took place on February 19, followed proximity testing with two F-5s late last year. Trials have also proven the KC-390’s lowspeed capability, which is required for refuelling helicopters. The next phase of testing in 2018 will focus on operations from austere runways including snow and ice.
Second batch of FAM UH-60Ms Brazil calls time on under test carrier
Mariano García Rodríguez
THE SECOND batch of UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters for the Fuerza Aérea Mexicana (FAM, Mexican Air Force) is undergoing its final stages of testing and pilot training at Fort Rucker, Alabama. The airframes in the second
batch are equipped with air particle filters and forward-looking infrared equipment, unlike the first group of six delivered in late 2015. It is unclear if the six new machines will equip a new squadron on the Pacific coast or will join the remaining
M-models at Escobedo air base/Monterrey International Airport. After these deliveries, a third and final batch of six UH-60Ms will bring the FAM fleet to a total of 18, with deliveries expected in 2018. Mariano García Rodríguez
Upgraded Venezuelan Hinds arrive
THE BRAZILIAN Navy has dropped plans to modernise its sole aircraft carrier, São Paulo (A 12), the Brazilian defence ministry has announced. The vessel, which originally served the French Navy as Foch, will be demobilised in the coming three years after navy feasibility studies revealed that it would take a decade to upgrade the ship, and that the project faced technological and cost risks. According to a statement from the Directorate of Communications and Information Technology of the Navy: “After several attempts to recover the operational capacity of the São Paulo, the admiralty concluded that a modernisation programme would require high financial investment, contain technical uncertainties and would require a long completion period.” Acquisition of a new carrier and naval aircraft becomes the navy’s third priority, after its submarine and Tamandaré-class corvette programmes. The navy now hopes to develop and locally build two aircraft carriers each displacing approximately 50,000 tonnes.
Chile plans Basler BT-67 purchase Venezuela was the launch customer for the Mi-35M derivative and the ten aircraft were originally delivered to the Venezuelan Army in 2006-07. FANB
THE FIRST upgraded Mi-35M2 attack helicopters have been redelivered to the Fuerza Armada Nacional Bolivariana (FANB, Venezuelan Army). The FANB received three
Mi-35M2 helicopters upgraded in Russia by Rostvertol, a subsidiary of Russian Helicopters. The aircraft arrived at El Libertador air base in Palo Negro, Aragua state, on January 25. The
Hinds were delivered on board an Antonov An-124-100 operated by a private cargo airline. Rosoboronexport was contracted by the stateowned Venezolana de Exportaciones
e Importaciones (VENXINCA, Venezuelan Import and Export Company) to conduct repairs and major inspection of ten Mi-35Ms. Juan Carlos Cicalesi
Argentina abandons fighter acquisition ARGENTINA’S DEFENCE minister Julio Martínez has ruled out the purchase of new fighters for the Fuerza Aérea Argentina (FAA, Argentine Air Force) in the short
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and medium term. In a public announcement on February 1, Martínez dismissed any chance of the potential purchase of any type of fighter due to budgetary
constraints. Martínez said the decision was taken after consultation with President Mauricio Macri. While the Kfir, Mirage F1 and even the MiG-29 Fulcrum were confirmed
as having been under study last year, all of these options have now been officially discarded due to the country’s dire economic situation. Juan Carlos Cicalesi
THE FUERZA Aérea de Chile (FACh, Chilean Air Force) is to purchase two BT-67 aircraft from Basler Turbo Conversions. They will be powered by the standard BT-67 Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 turboprops. The new BT-67s will operate in Antarctica and improve flight connections with the continent. It is intended that the two aircraft will be permanently based in the southernmost Magallanes Region of Antarctica with the crews being assigned by the FACh contingent at Punta Arenas air base. Juan Carlos Cicalesi
#349 APRIL 2017 21
NEWS
Africa
LNA returns MiG-23BNs to service THE ATTRITION rate of the Libyan National Army Air Force (LNA/ AF) MiG-23 fleet over the past year has been high, with five losses and two pilots killed, and only four aircraft overhauled. However, in recent months two aircraft have been prepared for their return to service. On January 15 the LNA/ AF lost its sole operational MiG-23ML, 26453, shot down in the Ganfouda/ Bosnib area of Benghazi. Less than a month later, LNA/AF technicians completed the return to service of MiG-23BN 9119. This will join MiG-23BN 4136, previously the only Flogger operational with the 1070th Squadron. On January 4 last year MiG-23ML 6472 crashed due to technical problems, but the pilot ejected safely. Just over a month later militants of the Shura Council of Mujahideen in Derna brought down MiG23ML 6132 while it was
Kenyan Air Tractor deal in doubt
US CONGRESSMAN Ted Budd (Republican) has launched a campaign to prevent the sale of 12 Air Tractor AT-802L turboprops to Kenya (see Africa News, March 2017, p20). While the proposed sale was approved by the US State Department, Budd alleges that there are potential irregularities with the $418m deal, based on the fact that previous military AT-802s and Archangels underwent systems integration by IOMAX, not L3 Technologies. Congressman Budd represents North Carolina where IOMAX is based and is attempting to stop the sale pending a Government Accountability Office investigation into the deal. The Kenyan package also includes two AT-504 trainers. In a statement, Budd claimed: “This is at least the third instance [IOMAX] was passed over, despite its ability to deliver a more cost-effective option.”
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Above: Following MiG-23BN 9119, which returned to service in February, serial 8772 will be the next ‘Flogger’ to join the LNA/AF. via Arnaud Delalande
carrying out air strikes on the port city on February 8. The LNA/AF lost what was then its last Flogger in service when MiG-23UB 7834 was shot down over Garyunes on the same day. Two weeks later,
MiG-23ML 26453 officially re-entered LNA/AF service. It was followed by two MiG-23BNs, 8985 and 4136, which made their first post-overhaul flights on April 30 and May 4, 2016 respectively,
after ten years in storage. On July 6, 2016, 8985 crashed west of Benghazi. Two further Floggers are currently being overhauled: MiG-23UB 8008 and MiG-23BN 8772. Arnaud Delalande
Rooivalk displays at Durban
A pair of white-painted Rooivalks (serials 671 and 676) from 16 Squadron, from Air Force Base Bloemspruit, flew during South Africa’s Armed Forces Day display, this year held in the port city of Durban on the east coast. Flypasts on February 18 saw the involvement of almost every South African Air Force type. Aircraft taking part operated from Durban’s King Shaka International Airport, Virginia Airport and AFB Durban (visiting rotorcraft only, after the closure of the co-located Durban International Airport in mid-2010 left it with no active runway). Clinton Barnard
Mwari enters production PARAMOUNT GROUP has announced the production launch of the Mwari reconnaissance and strike aircraft “following [a] surge in customer demand for capability”. The two-seat Mwari is a weaponised version
of Paramount’s AHRLAC intelligence-gathering aircraft. A first production aircraft is expected to be completed in June or July. Paramount Group and its partners are nearing the completion of a new AHRLAC factory at the
Wonderboom Airport Complex, north of Pretoria in South Africa. The factory will produce the AHRLAC unarmed base aircraft, with Mwari military and mission systems being integrated in a separate facility.
First Tunisian OH-58Ds arrive TUNISIA’S FIRST six OH-58D Kiowa Warriors have arrived in country after a period of crew training in the United States. The Tunisian Government announced the aircrafts’ arrival on February 4, when a ceremony was held at Gabès air base. The Tunisian Air Force is acquiring 24 surplus US Army OH-58Ds from the US Government as Excess Defense Articles. The remaining helicopters were due for delivery in March. Training of Tunisian aircrew and maintenance personnel began in the US on August 13 last year using the first six OH-58Ds (see Tunisians Training on OH-58Ds at Roswell, December 2016, p19). Dave Allport
New and used A-29 Super Tucanos for Nigeria THE NIGERIAN Air Force (NAF) has announced it will receive three Embraer A-29 Super Tucano attack and counter-insurgency aircraft from Brazil. The Brazilian Government approved Embraer’s sale of the former Brazilian Air Force aircraft. According to the NAF, the aircraft will “boost its operational capabilities in tackling insurgence and militancy in the country”. The Brazilian Government authorised its air force to transfer the aircraft to Embraer Defence and Security for onward delivery to the NAF. Nigerian acquisition of the A-29 was first considered in 2015 and appropriated in the 2016 Budget. The NAF also intends to purchase new A-29s from Sierra Nevada Corporation in the United States.
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NEWS
Middle East
Israeli Air Force revises helicopter training
Second batch of F-15SA deliveries
THE ISRAELI Air Force (IAF) has announced changes to its helicopter-training programme and plans to acquire new training rotorcraft. The training syllabuses for transport and combat helicopter pilots have now been integrated within the IAF Flight Academy. Helicopter pilots will be separated into transport and combat helicopter trades upon graduation from the academy, and not at the outset of the advanced stage of training. All advanced training will now be undertaken on the UH-60 Yanshuf, since the differences between the Bell 206 Sayfan training helicopter and the frontline AH-64 Peten and Saraf were judged too great. Lieutenant Colonel Matan, Commander of the Helicopter Division in the IAF Flight Academy, said: “The decision to unite the advanced stage of helicopter flight training and perform it on the Yanshuf resulted from the assumption that graduates would graduate at a higher level after completing the new programme. In addition, we, as a flight academy, will be able to accurately foresee the appropriate integration path for them according to their skills, performance, character and preferences. “When the cadets complete their training and arrive at the operational combat helicopter squadrons, they will have better foundations, because among other things, the Yanshuf and AH-64 helicopter have similar characteristics.” Lt Col Matan also confirmed that the IAF plans to further overhaul rotarywing training with the introduction of a new helicopter for the academy around 2020.
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A SECOND batch of F-15SA Advanced Eagles has been delivered to the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF). Although four aircraft departed the Boeing factory airfield
at St Louis, Missouri, one suffered a technical problem and turned back. The three remaining jets landed at RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk, on the afternoon of
February 9, led by 12-1041 using the callsign ‘Retro 31’. The other two aircraft that stopped over in the UK were 12-1043 and 12-1045. Deliveries of RSAF
Advanced Eagles got under way when the first four aircraft landed at Lakenheath on December 10 (see Saudi F-15SA deliveries commence, February 2017, p24).
12-1041 ‘Retro 31’ just after landing on RAF Lakenheath’s runway 6 on February 9. Ryan Dorling
Latest L-159s for Iraq
Left: The Iraqi Air Force has taken delivery of an additional pair of L-159 Advanced Light Combat Aircraft (ALCA). Serials 5910 and 5911 joined the 115th Squadron at Balad Air Base on March 3. The Iraqi order consists of two twinseat L-159T1 (serials 5901 and 5902) and 10 singleseat L-159A aircraft (serials 5903 to 5912). The first two aircraft were delivered to Iraq on November 4, 2015 and deliveries should be completed this year IQAF
Israeli 707 visits Germany
An interesting visitor to Manching air base, Germany, was Israeli Air Force 707-3J6C Re’em 272/4X-JYV from 120 Squadron. Using the callsign ‘IAF 014’, the tanker-transport arrived on February 5 for a 90-minute stopover during which it was loaded with cargo and then continued on to Frankfurt Airport the following day. The ultimate destination of the Re’em was Charleston AFB, South Carolina. Dietmar Fenners
Iraqi Air Force targets Syria THE IRAQI Air Force (IQAF) has launched air strikes within Syria for the first time. The initial raids saw F-16IQs strike targets of the so-called Islamic
State (IS) in the Abu Kamal area on February 24. The targets in question were linked to the planning of IS attacks in Baghdad and the rural area of Rutbah,
Iraq. Although the country operates independently of the US Combined Air Operations Center Air Tasking Order, the Pentagon confirmed that
Iraq informed the US-led coalition about the strike in advance, and the US helped provide intelligence. The Syrian Government was also notified in advance.
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Russia and UAE plan joint fighter programme DURING THE course of the IDEX defence show in Abu Dhabi (February 19-22), Russia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced they will partner in the joint development of a new fifth-generation lightweight fighter. The programme has been launched with the signature of a military industrial co-operation agreement between Moscow and the UAE. According to Sergey Chemezov, Chief Executive of Russian military-industrial complex Rostec, the new fighter will be based on an advanced version of the MiG-29. However, Yuri Slyusar, head of the United Aircraft Corporation, said it was still undecided whether it would be a singleengine or twin-engine design. Development of the new aircraft is to take between seven and eight years. It has been suggested the joint project is a response to US unwillingness to export the F-35 to the Gulf state. Chemezov also indicated that the UAE is in talks with Rostec for the supply of Su-35 fighters.
First flight for fifth Adir
The fifth F-35A Adir for the Israeli Air Force, AS-5, 905, completed its maiden flight on February 24 at Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth facility in Texas. The first two Adirs, AS-1, 901 and AS-2, 902, arrived at Nevatim Air Base on December 12. Israel has 50 F-35As on order. Carl Richards
IOMAX seeks to seal Egyptian deal IOMAX HAS carried out negotiations with the Egyptian defence ministry to ensure that it provides its Archangel
Block 2 aircraft to meet an expected Egyptian order for ten of the borderpatrol aircraft. IOMAX has been concerned
that the deal could go to Air Tractor and L3 Technologies, which are offering the similar AT-802L. IOMAX says
it also expects Egypt to place an order for an upgrade for 12 AT-802s that were donated by the UAE.
Second Iranian Navy F27 undergoes upgrade
Predator XP delivered to UAE
THE UNITED Arab Emirates (UAE) has received all the Predator XP unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that it ordered from American manufacturer General Atomics Aeronautical Systems. The total number of systems delivered and details of their payloads have not been disclosed, but the UAVs are operated under the designation RQ-1E. The UAE’s $197m order for the unarmed Predator XPs and related ground-control stations was first announced in February 2015.
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Above: F27-600 5-2603 at IACI facilities before being sent to the company’s Fokker 27 overhaul hangar in February 2017. Nashenas
FOKKER F27-600 5-2603 of 15 Squadron, Islamic Republic of Iran Navy Aviation (IRINA) has begun an avionics upgrade at the Iranian Aircraft Industries (IACI) facility at Mehrabad International Airport. Work is being undertaken
after a $350,000 contract was signed between the Iranian Navy and IACI in December. The aircraft is one of four F27s in IRINA service and was previously used for logistic support, personnel and cargo transport between Iranian
Navy bases and Tehran. In 2013, 5-2603 was allocated to IRINA oil pollution control and search and rescue missions. The upgrade comprises a digital weather radar and display, new UHF/VHF radios,
NorthStar developing armed 429 NORTHSTAR AVIATION is working on an armed version of the Bell 429 helicopter to meet the requirements of an
undisclosed customer in the Middle East. A model of the aircraft was on display at IDEX and development will draw
upon the company’s experience of the 407MRH light attack and utility helicopter in service with the UAE. The
new navaids, including a GPS-integrated moving map, ground-proximity warning system and a traffic collision avoidance system. Completion of the avionics upgrade is planned for January 2018. Babak Taghvaee
new aircraft will feature open architecture to allow customer-specific sensor fits. Weapons will be carried on four stations.
#349 APRIL 2017 25
NEWS
Russia & CIS
Russia’s Naval Task Force returns
Above: Russian Navy MiG-29KR ‘49 Blue’ returns to Severomorsk-3 after flying off the carrier ‘Admiral Kuznetsov’ in Kola Bay. Russian MoD
THE RUSSIAN aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov and its air group has returned to the Northern Feet harbour of Severomorsk after
completing operations against targets in Syria during its combat cruise in the eastern Mediterranean. The Syria mission began when the Naval Task Force
sailed on October 15 last year and the carrier returned to Kola Bay off Severomorsk on February 8. It was the Russian Navy’s first large-scale voyage
to the Mediterranean. On February 3 aircraft and helicopters from the warships returned to Severomorsk-3 air base. According to state media,
New An-140
ANOTHER NEW An-140100 transport aircraft has been delivered to the Russian Navy. The Pacific Fleet received the aircraft on February 14. This is the fifth Russian Navy example. The first, RF-08851/‘07 Black’ (c/n 12A008), was delivered on April 17, 2013. The second, RF-08852 (c/n 13A004), followed on December 21, 2013. The third, RF-08853 (c/n 14A005) arrived on December 25, 2014, and the fourth, RF-08854 (c/n 16A011) on May 24 last year. Dave Allport
Eighth upgraded Russian Navy Il-38N delivered
US Consulate
Fourth Huey II delivered to Kazakhstan BELL UH-1H-II Huey II ‘04 Red’, the fourth for the Kazakh Air Force, has been handed over by the US Diplomatic Mission. The delivery, which took place in Almaty on January 27,
follows the third example, ‘03 Red’, delivered on April 8 last year. The helicopters are being converted to Huey II standard by US Helicopters in Ozark, Alabama, before delivery,
with at least eight known to be on order and an eventual total of 12 likely to be acquired. They are being operated by Military Unit 53975 at Pervomaika air base. Dave Allport
Blackjacks on patrol
Above: Tu-160 RF-94108 ‘Vladimir Sudets’ as seen from one of Lossiemouth’s quick reaction alert Typhoon FGR4s that were scrambled to monitor the bombers while they were in the UK area of interest. At no point did the Russian aircraft enter UK territorial airspace. Crown Copyright
NATO FIGHTERS from three nations intercepted a pair of Russian Aerospace Forces Tu-160s as they skirted the airspaces of the respective countries. During the long-range mission on February 9,
26 APRIL 2017 #349
during the course of the mission Russian carrier aircraft flew 420 sorties, including 117 at night, and struck more than a thousand targets in Syria.
two Tu-160s flew down the Norwegian Sea between the UK and Iceland, around the coast of Ireland, and into the Bay of Biscay, before returning to Russia via the same route. The Blackjacks were
intercepted by Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s – two each from RAF Lossiemouth and Coningsby – two Armée de l’Air (French Air Force) Mirage 2000-5Fs from Lorient and two Rafales from Saint-Dizier, and Ejército del Aire (Spanish
Air Force) F/A-18 Hornets. Tanker support was provided to the Typhoons by an RAF Voyager and to the French fighters by a C-135FR. An Armée de l’Air E-3F AWACS was also launched to monitor the bombers’ progress.
AN EIGHTH upgraded Il-38N has been delivered back to the Russian Navy. The aircraft, ‘22 Yellow’, arrived at the 859th TsBP i PLS MA VMF (Centre for Combat Application and Crew Training for Naval Aviation) at Yeysk on February 1. It had been formally handed over the previous day at Zhukovsky, where it was also officially named Victor Potapov in honour of the Commander of Naval Aviation from 1988-94. Potapov himself, along with various other senior officials, was present at the ceremony. The event culminated in the departure of the aircraft for its home base. It had arrived at Zhukovsky in April 2016 to be upgraded by the Ilyushin Design Bureau facility. During the ceremony at Zhukovsky, the Chief of Russian Naval Aviation, Major General Igor Kozhin, said that 30 Il-38s will be upgraded to Il-38N standard. This is a slight increase on previous reports that suggested the total would be 28. Kozhin said the programme would continue until 2025, when the final aircraft is scheduled to be completed. Dave Allport
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NEWS
Asia Pacific
Two-seat JF-17B progresses
Above: As well as the two-seat cockpit, the JF-17B has a larger tail and a modified nose to house the AESA radar. Alan Warnes
WITH THE JF-17B Thunder due to fly within the next couple of months, a model of the FC-1B (China’s local designation) was displayed on the China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation (CATIC) stand at February’s IDEX show (see also Intel Report, p32-35). There are currently three dual-seaters being built
Taiwan’s advanced jet trainer project
THE TAIWANESE Government has launched a project to develop and fly a prototype indigenous advanced jet trainer by 2020. The programme calls for local industry to produce 66 aircraft to replace existing AT-3 Tzu Chung and F-5E/F trainers of the Republic of China Air Force (RoCAF). After a first flight in 2020, the new aircraft is expected to be ready for service by 2025. The design may be based on the Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) XT-5 concept, which was derived from the AIDC Indigenous Defense Fighter (IDF). The RoCAF previously evaluated the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50 and Leonardo M-346. In 2014 AIDC signed a memorandum of understanding to buy 66 M-346s for around $2.1bn, but this has not progressed.
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by Chengdu Aircraft Corporation – one for CATIC and two for the Pakistan Air Force. The aircraft have a taller tail, accommodating flight controls as part of a new three-axis fly-bywire system. The dualseater will have the same operational capabilities as the single-seat JF-17A. The second cockpit has been cut into the fuselage
fuel tank section but extra fuel cells have been added elsewhere to compensate. The nose is slightly larger too, allowing for future integration of an airborne electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. Initially, however, the dual-seaters will fly with the pulse-Doppler KLJ-7. Meanwhile, CATIC told AFM that it is unlikely a radar offered by Leonardo
would be accepted, simply because neither side would be likely to give up their source codes. This leaves two Chinese options, the Nanjing KLJ-7A and another unit being developed by Aviation Industry of China (AVIC). According to CATIC, the latter will be the first AESA radar in the world with an air-cooling system. Alan Warnes
Indonesian AW101 acquisition saga continues CONTROVERSY CONTINUES to surround the acquisition by the Tentara Nasional Indonesia-Angkatan Udara (TNI-AU, Indonesian Air Force) of an AW101 helicopter. The AW101 Srs 641, H-1001 (c/n 50248) arrived at Jakarta/Halim Airport on January 29 (see Indonesian Air Force AW101 delivery, March 2017, p27). However, it
was not handed over to the TNI-AU, but towed into a hangar at Halim, and apparently impounded by the Indonesian Police. On February 7 the TNI-AU Chief of Staff, Air Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto, promised to conduct an investigation into the procurement of the helicopter, one of three that were to have been bought under an
order initiated by his nowretired predecessor, Air Marshal Agus Supriatna. Despite the acquisition having twice been rejected by President Joko Widodo, the purchase went ahead. On February 17, the Antara news agency reported it had been told by AM Tjahjanto that he had determined the purchase was in order. Dave Allport
China’s FC-31 now being marketed overseas
THE IDEX exhibition held in Abu Dhabi in February saw a large presence from CATIC (China National AeroTechnology Import and Export Corporation). Among the products displayed at its stand was the FC-31 fighter. There are two FC-31 Gyrfalcon prototypes flying. The PT-1 demonstrator paved the way for several improvements to the second flying prototype, PT-3, which flew for the first time on December 23 last year (see Second prototype FC-31 airborne, February 2017, p28). PT-3 adds new features including a larger internal weapons bay, for up to six SD-10A missiles. The aircraft’s canopy is now one complete section rather than two, and it has a single, large multifunction display in the cockpit. CATIC told AFM: “We are now starting to market the aircraft at international exhibitions and hope to take a model of the latest prototype, PT-3, to the Paris Air Show in June. We want to export the aircraft as well, but this will only come on the back of sales to China’s military.” Alan Warnes
Latest Afghan PC-12 delivery
Pilatus PC-12/47E serial 1450 is the latest example of the type to be delivered to the Afghan Air Force, which has 18 on order. Following systems integration by Sierra Nevada Corporation, 1450 flew to Wick, Ireland, then continued to Bucharest/Otopeni and is photographed at Prague. Although wearing the US civilian registration N450NX, the Afghan registration YA1450BS has already been confirmed. Václav Kudela
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JASDF pilot flies first F-35 mission
Pakistan increases AW139 fleet LEONARDO HAS revealed that the Pakistan defence ministry has placed orders for additional AgustaWestland AW139 twin-engine helicopters. The number involved was not disclosed. In common with previous AW139s delivered to Pakistan, the aircraft will be used for search and rescue (SAR) and medical evacuation missions, as well as combat SAR. Deliveries are expected to start in the middle of the year.
JASDF F-35A 69-8702 on approach to Luke AFB on February 8. Rolf Flinzner
A FIRST Japan Air SelfDefense Force ( JASDF) pilot has flown a sortie in a 944th Fighter Wing F-35A at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. The pilot for the February 7 mission was Lt Col
Nakano. During the flight, Lt Col Nakano was accompanied by Lt Col Sean Holahan, 944th Operations Group Detachment 2 ‘Ninjas’ commander, who also flew a JASDF F-35A.
Lt Col Nakano said: “This is an historical event for JASDF and my career as a pilot. My first flight was perfect. The weather was fine and the jet was great. I’ll never forget this day.” The fourth and final
JASDF F-35 was scheduled to arrive at Luke the following week. Over the next year the 944th FW will train three classes of JASDF F-35 pilots and graduate several dozen JASDF maintainers.
Philippine FA-50PHs delivered
Above: New Philippine Air Force FA-50PH 17-005 arrives at Clark Air Base, Pampanga, on February 22, following its delivery flight. PAF
TWO ADDITIONAL FA-50PH lead-in fighter trainer/light attack aircraft have been delivered to the Philippine Air Force (PAF). The aircraft, serials 17-005 and 17-006, the
Mittens for Myanmar DELIVERIES OF the Yak-130 have begun to Myanmar. The first three aircraft were delivered in midFebruary after making their maiden flights in November 2016 in Russia. The first three examples of the advanced trainers carry the serials 1801, 1802 and 1803. The total number of Yak-130s ordered by Myanmar is unknown, but an initial contract for the first aircraft was signed in June 2015.
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fifth and sixth for the PAF, arrived at Clark Air Base, Pampanga, on February 22. After initial acceptance checks, they were due to be flown to Basa Air Base,
Pampanga, where the type is operated by the 5th Fighter Group’s 7th Tactical Fighter Squadron ‘Bulldogs’. The FA-50PH recently completed its first combat
mission in PAF service. On January 26 the type carried out a surgical air strike as part of a military offensive against terrorists in Butig, Lanao del Sur. The operation
resulted in Isnilon Hapilon, commander of the jihadist Abu Sayyaf terror group, and seven others being seriously wounded, while an estimated 15 terrorists were killed. Dave Allport
Fifth Thunder squadron established
The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has stood up its fifth JF-17 squadron. No 14 Air Superiority Squadron, known as ‘The Tail Choppers’, is based at PAF Base Minhas and is the second to re-equip with Block 2 JF-17 aircraft. However, it is the first to fly the Block 2 operationally with the air-to-air refuelling probe fitted. Prior to re-equipping with the Thunder, No 14 Squadron had operated the F-7P since September 1993. The official ceremony on February 16 also recognised the Kamra-based Pakistan Aeronautical Complex’s feat of building and delivering 16 aircraft to the PAF in 2016, for the second consecutive year.
#349 APRIL 2017 29
NEWS
Australasia
First Australian PC-21 deliveries
Above: The first RAAF PC-21, A54-001/HB-HWA (c/n 234), taxies out for departure from Stans-Buochs Airfield, Switzerland, on February 10 to begin its delivery flight. Stephan Widmer
PILATUS AIRCRAFT has delivered the first two Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) PC-21 trainers. The aircraft, A54-001/ HB-HWA (c/n 234) and A54-002/HB-HWB (c/n 235), departed StansBuochs, Switzerland, on February 10. On February 19, after various stopovers, they arrived at RAAF Base Darwin, Northern
Territory. Following a night-stop, they continued across Australia on the final legs of their delivery flight to No 2 Flying Training School at RAAF Base Pearce, Western Australia. Lockheed Martin Australia has been contracted to supply 49 of these aircraft to the RAAF under an AUS$1.2bn deal signed on December
4, 2015. The first aircraft made its maiden flight at Stans on July 21, 2016 (see First RAAF PC-21 Flown, September 2016, p40), followed by the second on August 8 – see Second Australian PC-21 Flown, October 2016, p27. The next five aircraft, A54-003/HB-HWC (c/n 236), A54-004/HB-HWD (c/n 237), A54-005/ HB-HWE (c/n 238), A54-
Reaper offered to Australia
GENERAL ATOMICS Aeronautical Systems has launched a bid to provide the MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) to meet Australia’s Project Air 7003 requirement. The so-called Team Reaper Australia brings together a number of contractors including General Atomics, Cobham, CAE Australia, Raytheon Australia and Flight Data Systems. “We have been working closely with the Australian Defence Force [ADF] to understand the operational needs of AIR 7003 and are confident that our RPA system solution will provide mature, persistent, interoperable support to Australia’s warfighters,” said Linden Blue, CEO of General Atomics. Air 7003 will provide the ADF with a mediumaltitude long-endurance RPAS, and will include aircraft and ground control elements.
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006/HB-HWF (c/n 239) and A54-007/HB-HWG (c/n 240), are all now in flight test at Stans. The latter was the latest to fly, taking to the air for the first time on February 16. By that time, A54008/HB-HWH (c/n 241), A54-009/HB-HWI (c/n 242) and A54-010/ HB-HWJ (c/n 243) were also complete, but not yet flown. Dave Allport
THE ROYAL Australian Navy has announced signature of a contract with Schiebel to supply two Camcopter S-100 maritime rotarywing unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and three years of follow-on contractor logistics support. They will be used to support trials and evaluation activities. The Royal Australian Navy released an international Request for Tender (RfT) in February 2016 for a UAS capability, known as Navy Minor Project 1942, which is valued at AUS$16m. The contract was signed at the end of December 2016. In-country support for the system is being provided by BAE Systems in Nowra and Unmanned Systems Australia in Brisbane.
RAAF Growlers delivered to Australia THE FIRST four Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) EA-18G electronic attack aircraft have been delivered to RAAF Base Amberley. A46-305, A46-306, A46307 and A46-308 touched down at the Queensland base on February 21, with support from a KC-30A tanker from No 33 Squadron. Two Growlers made the
EA-18G Growlers arrive at Avalon for the 2017 Australian International Airshow. Commonwealth of Australia/ CPL Ben Dempster
Royal Australian Navy selects Camcopter
type’s public debut in Australia when they arrived at Avalon near Melbourne on February 28 to participate in the Australian International Airshow. Defence Minister Marise Payne and RAAF chief Air Marshal Leo Davies welcomed the aircraft at Avalon. The jets are among 12 on order for the RAAF’s No 6 Squadron at Amberley.
Second RAAF Poseidon to Jacksonville
Above: P-8A A47-002 (c/n 62289) during a test flight from Boeing Field/King County International Airport in February. Brian Worthington
AFTER UNDERGOING test flights at Boeing Field/King County International Airport, Seattle, Washington in February, the second P-8A
for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), A47-002 (c/n 62289) was delivered to Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida. The Poseidon is the second
of a planned total of 15 aircraft the Australian Government committed to in the 2016 Defence White Paper, with 12 already contracted to be delivered
by March 2020. After official handover to the RAAF at Jacksonville it is expected that A47-002 will be delivered to RAAF Base Edinburgh, South Australia.
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INTEL REPORT AFM’s Alan Warnes headed to the International Defence Exhibition (IDEX), held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre and one of the biggest defence shows in the world.
Right: GlobalEye meets the UAE’s ‘swing-role surveillance system’ requirement. An order for a third aircraft was announced at IDEX. Below: The penultimate Archangel to be delivered to the UAE was on the IOMAX stand in the centre pavilion. All photos Alan Warnes
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Industry looks to the East
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ITH MORE than $5bn of sales announced in the five days from February 19-23, the biennial IDEX is a place where defence companies want to be. This year there were in excess of 1,200 exhibitors. For those wanting to do business, the message was louder and clearer than ever before: if you are not prepared to work with local partners, be flexible, or transfer technologies, you are wasting your time. The days of a straight sale appear long gone. With a track record of innovation, Saab is playing a leading role in shaping the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) air defence requirements. By selling the Bombardier G6000 GlobalEye to the UAE, the Gulf nation now has what the Swedish contractor describes as a ‘swing-role surveillance system’. Saab told AFM: “The UAE wanted a swing element [moving from one role to another instantly] and the GlobalEye meets their dynamics for a flexible mission system.” For decades, Northrop Grumman marketed its E-2C/D Hawkeye as an airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) solution for the UAE, joined later by Boeing’s 737AEW&C. The latter scored success in the late 2000s with sales to Australia, South Korea and Turkey. The US giants failed, mainly because of inflexibility when it came to transferring technology, as the UAE desired. It was not necessarily their fault, more the US Government’s unwillingness to sell sensitive systems controlled by International
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Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), which are designed to stop sensitive technologies falling into the wrong hands. It has become a barrier to many US companies trying to close defence deals, although it is easy to understand why such rules are needed. Many contractors try to include as few ITAR systems on their platforms as possible, which is what Saab is doing with GlobalEye. The airframe is provided by Canada’s Bombardier and utilises Italy’s Leonardo Seaspray 7500 maritime radar and a forwardlooking infrared turret system from UK-based FLIR Systems. The centrepiece is the new Erieye ER (Extended Range) S-band active electronically scanned array (AESA) multimode radar. This is claimed to have a detection range improved by 70% over the previous-generation model, which has a maximum stated range of 300 miles (480km). Saab closed a deal in 2010 with the UAE Air Force and Air Defence (UAEAF&AD) for two ex-Swedish Air Force Saab 340 Erieyes, enabling the UAE to finally study AEW&C technologies at close hand. Saab pulled the rug from under the opposition’s feet when the big bucks were up for grabs. The sale of two GlobalEye MultiRole Surveillance Systems (MRSS), worth $1.27bn, was announced at the Dubai Airshow in November 2015. Saab announced another AEW&C sale worth $236m on January 4 this year, saying the
system “provides access to a detailed situational awareness that for example can be used for border surveillance, search and rescue operations and for tackling terrorism and organised crime”. Saab did not disclose the customer at the time, but on the second day of IDEX a UAE spokesperson announced a third GlobalEye was being purchased. The fact the UAE is willing to pay a high price – $1.5bn for the three GlobalEyes – suggests a customer that does not put up with second best. Saab works differently to other contractors. For a start, it has a reputation for being personable. Secondly, Sweden has a relatively small industrial base compared with the US, so can be willing to provide generous offsets. If it’s technology transfer you want, Sweden can provide it – as Brazil discovered with its Gripen deal. The UAE will see the GlobalEye deal as an investment for the future.
Etimad’s LAISR Beech 350
Further down the scale, Etimad Holdings, which specialises in homeland security, is another example of what the UAE is trying to do. In a sealed-off area at IDEX, it presented a large model of a Beech 350 clearly modified as a SIGINT/ COMINT special mission aircraft. A spokesman said the Beech 350 model represented “a UAE solution for the UAE”. Although major US companies such as Sierra Nevada Corporation, Dynamic International and MAG Aerospace also specialise in this area, the UAE wants to develop its own system. It appears Etimad is working with an international partner to plot the way ahead. That partner is likely to be Inmarsat, which is working on the L-band Asymmetric Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (LAISR) system, successfully tested in March 2015. Inmarsat’s website describes the system as “being available to US customers in June 2015”. The company claims “the innovative new LAISR service will meet the high-speed, beyond line-of-sight (BLOS) connectivity requirements of airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions across the globe. It will also provide guaranteed
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INTEL REPORT
Weapons upgrade for JAC UH-60s
Parked on the docks next to the NavDex exhibition was a UH-60L Black Hawk (serial 2635) configured for the Army Battlefield Helicopter (ABH) role via a limited upgrade. It was armed with a 7.62mm machine gun and Hydra 70 rocket pod mounted on external stores pylons on both sides and a FLIR Systems 260HD turret, although this will be upgraded to 380HD standard in the near future. Both the pilot and co-pilot can slew the systems integrated with the FLIR EO/IR turret. The work has been contracted to Global
Aerospace Logistics (GAL). Inside the UH-60L was an auxiliary fuel tank providing an extra 30mins of fuel, boosting its endurance to 3.5 hours. According to one of the crew, the dust-covered helicopter had recently returned from operations in Yemen. Meanwhile AMMROC is understood to be upgrading the 40 UAEAF&AD/JAC UH-60Ms with a fully integrated weapon system. These will be armed with Talon laser-guided rockets and Hellfire missiles in addition to the 7.62mm gun and Hydra rocket
pods. Weapons will be mounted on the larger External Stores Support System (ESSS) with its four station pylons, but only 18 of the 40 JAC UH-60Ms will be configured at any one time. Helmet-mounted displays are integrated in the upgrade, reducing pilot and co-pilot workload in the heat of battle. The UH-60Ms are undergoing the more extensive upgrade since they have a ‘glass’ cockpit and are easier to work on. The concept was validated at Yuma Proving Grounds in Arizona last year.
A UH-60L upgraded to ABH configuration, with two 7.62mm machine guns, two Hydra 70 rocket pods and FLIR Systems 260HD turret in the nose. All 20 UAEAF&AD UH-60Ls are expected to undergo the upgrade.
L-band data transmission rates up to 10Mbps”. Judging from available marketing material, the company promoting the system was Abu-Dhabi-based Advanced Integrated Systems. This company provides border solutions adapted for specific border types, terrains and populations. It also offers services for intelligence and law enforcement agencies.
EDIC and AMMROC
The formation of the Emirates Defence Industries Company (EDIC) by Tawazun Holding and Emirates Advanced Investment Group on December 2, 2014
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was a bid to harmonise the UAE’s defence industry. It now has 12 subsidiaries and aims to prevent companies competing with each other and to help transfer skills and technologies. Chairman Homaid Al Shemmari announced at the time of launch: “We are positioning the sector for more growth and to maximise our potential.” Just over two years later, the subsidiaries have been allocated, but they are now in a state of transition again. Key personnel who pushed through the changes, may, as one source said, “not be the people who can take them forward”.
AMMROC is a classic example of what EDIC wants to do. The AbuDhabi-based joint venture owned by Mubadala, Sikorsky and Lockheed Martin was formed to provide the best maintenance service and support for military customers across the South Asia, Middle East and North Africa (SAMENA) region. It is building a massive maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) centre at Nibras Al Ain Aerospace Park. In late December 2014, another US company, AAR Airlift, was selected by AMMROC to support the design, outfitting and integration of key areas of its state-of-the-art facility in Al
Ain. AMMROC will set up its component repair and depotlevel maintenance facilities there but needs assistance in building the infrastructure more than 1.2 million square feet. Randy Martinez, President and CEO of AAR Airlift Group, told AFM at IDEX: “We have the biggest independent MRO facility in North America, and the third largest in the world so have the skills to put the systems in and to repair subcomponents that need to be transferred from other sites.” AMMROC has ambitious plans, despite a six-month delay to opening the massive facility in 2018. One insider told AFM that while the company initially wanted to sell its MRO capabilities to the SAMENA region, it is now concentrating all its efforts on working with the UAE’s massive inventory. With 45 different variants of platforms, spanning 36 types totalling more than 500 aircraft, it needs to recruit extra expertise. Implementation of common procedures is at the top of the company’s requirement to meet that goal: work on eight platforms that take up most of the volume – the A330 MultiRole Tanker Transport, AH-64, CH-47, C-17, C-130, F-16, Mirage 2000 and UH-60 – is now under way. Transferring work from the facilities at Al Dhafra and GAMCO/ Emirates at Al Ain is the priority. Further types operating with the UAE military that will be maintained by AMMROC at Al Ain include the A109, AW139, AT-802, Archangel, SA330, AS350, AS365, AS550, AS565, Bell 407 (training/special mission), Cessna 172 Skyhawk, Cessna 208, CN235, Dash 8, Diamond DA42, Grob 115, Hawk Mk51, Hawk Mk102, King Air, MB339, Piaggio P180, PC-7, PC-21, Seeker and Twin Otter/Guardian. For the time being, it appears that AMMROC is overhauling UAEAF&AD aircraft, while Global Air Logistics (GAL) – another of the 12 subsidiaries – will continue work on Joint Aviation Command (JAC) platforms.
IOMAX details Archangel
The 23rd and latest IOMAX Archangel delivery, of 24 on order, was among the exhibits in the static display.
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‘In association with…’
The North Carolina-based company held an impromptu press conference detailing the aircraft and the fates of the AT-802 Border Patrol Aircraft (BPA) delivered previously. The last of the 24 Archangel precision-strike aircraft (based on the Thrush S2R-660 agricultural aircraft) will be delivered to the UAEAF&AD in March. Final delivery comes 27 months after contract award. IOMAX confirmed the aircraft was the culmination of seven years of co-operation with the UAE military to design a purpose-built, economical, longendurance ISR/strike aircraft. Delivery of the final Archangel, serial 2383, will complete orders for 48 armed ISR platforms ordered by the UAE. The initial delivery of 24 AT-802 BPAs took place between 2010-12 and these were initially employed by the Special Operations Command, before the programme was reassigned to the air force. IOMAX explained that soon after, it received a request from the
UAE Panther on parade
Above: The Joint Aviation Command/Navy operates eight AS565MB Panthers, fitted with a disc-shaped array under the nose for anti-submarine/anti-surface warfare. This example is fitted with four AS.15TT anti-shipping missiles.
UAEAF&AD to provide a proposal for an additional enhanced ISR/ strike aircraft. After extensive analysis of lessons learned from the AT-802 BPA, both parties agreed the necessary enhancements would require a different technical approach. Consequently, the Thrush S2R660 platform was selected and
Mock attack Joint Aviation Command helicopters put on an impressive performance during the opening ceremony at IDEX. Most JAC types, including an NSA407MRH, two AH-64Ds, two UH-60Ms,
one CH-47F, one AS565SB, one AS565MB and one SA330, participated in a mock anti-terror operation over the estuary outside the arena, complete with gunfire. The UAE Navy SA330 Puma dipped a sonar into the water, close to
designated as ‘Archangel’ to replace the earlier AT-802 BPAs. Six of the UAE’s initial 24 AT-802 BPA aircraft are now operated by the Royal Jordanian Air Force. An additional 12 are in the process of being transferred to the Egyptian Air Force for border security work. The remaining six AT-802 BPAs are believed to be
operated by 222 Squadron, while the Archangels are employed by 333 Squadron; both types based at Al Minhad. Surprisingly, the company suggested at least six Archangels are being flown in eastern Libya, although photo evidence suggests these aircraft are AT-802s (see also ‘Dusty’ goes to war, p94-95).
the docks, while a Navy AS565SB Panther lifted off the deck of a UAE Navy vessel. The two AH-64Ds used their guns to fire at the ‘terrorists’, while a pair of UH-60Ms backed them up with 7.62mm machine guns.
Above: A JAC CH-47F hovers over the water during the opening ceremony. Right: A JAC/Navy Puma lowers its sonar into the water in a rare display of this type in the anti-submarine role.
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RED FL EXERCISE REPORT RF 17-1
O
F THE FOUR Red Flag exercises held each year at Nellis AFB on the outskirts of Las Vegas, the first is the most challenging, drawing in all capabilities to best replicate air warfare in the 21st century. The US, British and Australian units invited to Red Flag 17-1 between January 23 and February 10 were faced with the most difficult exercise to date with an adversarial threat of unrivalled sophistication and lethality – designed above all to push the F-35. Having declared initial operating capability in August 2016, the 34th Fighter Squadron (FS) ‘Rams’ from Hill AFB, Utah, gave a statement of intent by deploying
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13 of their 17 F-35As to Nellis. Speaking in the second week of the three-week exercise, the squadron’s commander, Lieutenant Colonel George Watkins, expressed surprise at how Red Flag had changed since he last took part: “Previously, as an F-16 pilot, I’ve been to four Red Flags, and as recently as a year-and-a-half ago. I’ve never seen a Red Flag like this where they put up so many advanced threats against us. “They’ve ramped up the level of the threat. It’s a much more difficult adversary that we’re fighting against here as a team than we would have fought against a year-and-a-half ago. They’ve stepped up the number
of aggressor aircraft fighting against us and the amount of jamming, as well as the skill level of the adversaries they’re trying to replicate against us. “There’s a marked difference in this Red Flag that, I believe, is because of the integration with the F-22, the F-35 and all the fourth-gen players, and we’re able to bring that all together for this fight. They needed to challenge all of us as we’re fighting together.”
SAM hunting
The defensive counter-air and air interdiction sorties flown by the 34th FS were similar to those of the other participants, but the dynamic targeting
missions – which involved the Lightning pilots seeking targets ‘on the fly’, detecting the threats and then striking them – saw the stealth fighter’s unique capabilities come to the fore. Lt Col Watkins continued: “Some of the advanced SAMs [surface-toair missiles] that are out there, if we’d had anything like that in the scenario [in previous years] we’d concentrate on just going after that one SAM, and we’d put all our effort into that. We’d have to launch a lot of standoff weapons and peel it back from there. “In this Red Flag we’ve seen three or four of those advanced SAMs in one scenario. We don’t know necessarily where they’re at, so we can’t simulate hitting
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FLAG
The first participation by US Air Force F-35A Lightning IIs in Red Flag has driven planners to raise the complexity of the simulated warfighting exercise, as Dylan Eklund reports from Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.
TURNS UP THE HEAT
Top: Red Flag 17-1 was the first edition of the famous Nevada exercise for the US Air Force’s expanding F-35A fleet. One of 13 Lightning IIs sent to Nellis from Hill AFB was serial 13-5075/‘HL’ seen here. Dylan Eklund Above: One of the cornerstones of Red Flag 17-1 was integrating fourth- and fifth-generation assets. Typhoon FGR4 ZK321/‘EG’ was among the eight No 6 Squadron jets deployed from RAF Lossiemouth. Dylan Eklund
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them with standoff weapons before the vul [vulnerability period] even starts. “So we’re locating them, and that’s an integrated, cross-domain approach using cyber, using space and assets like the Rivet Joint and the Wedgetail, fusing all that information together to find a target location. “Between the Block 50s [F-16s] and the F-35s we’re finding that location and are able to use some of the F-22 standoff [capability] as well as the stealth capability of the F-35 to get close enough to those targets where we can drop on them. “It would be impossible for even a Block 50 to target that missile system from their aircraft
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EXERCISE REPORT RF 17-1 as it would be too dangerous for them to get that close.” Reserve personnel from the 466th FS ‘Diamondbacks’, an integral part of the 388th FW at Hill, deployed with the 34th FS to Nellis and were fully involved in the exercise play. Lt Col Dave DeAngelis, who, as commander of the 419th Operations Group Det 1, is the Reserve Detachment Commander at Hill AFB, echoed Lt Col Watkins’ views: “At times there are some high-end threats on the initial ‘maul’ of Red Flag when we first start flying, so the F-35s and F-22s will go in initially and take out some of those threats: and that enables the fourth-gen aircraft to push when there are lower [end] threats out there.” “Against the complex integrated air defence systems [IADS] we’re able to go out and find their general location before using our synthetic aperture radar to map to determine where the SAM site is. We carry two GBU-31 JDAMs [Joint Direct Attack Munitions], so can put a 2,000lb bomb on the site. “In my previous experience as an F-16 guy we just used to try and shoot HARMs [AGM88 High-speed Anti-Radiation Missiles], which have smaller warheads and are not necessarily as capable. Now, with the F-35, we’re able to find the particular site and put down a 2,000lb bomb, which is usually more effective against an IADS.” The increased complexity of this latest Red Flag also brought benefits for the fourth-generation squadrons deployed, as Lt Col DeAngelis explained: “At times they gave us taskings on convoys, and we were able to go and neck that down and get into a smaller area and find where that particular convoy was. “On our dynamic tasking vul, my number three ended up finding the convoy we were searching for, and we were able to [assign] some of our fourth-generation Typhoons who were able to take [it] out.”
Kill ratio
For the national media congregating at Nellis to quiz a panel of selected spokespersons, the focus inevitably fell on the F-35 contingent. With the Lightning II returning to the headlines following President Trump’s expressed concerns about the programme’s costs,
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Above: Royal Air Force Sentinel R1 ZJ692 returns to Nellis from an IADS hunt on February 1. Nate Leong Right: A 37th BS B-1B takes off from Nellis. As well as integrating with the F-35A for the first time, the 37th BS used Red Flag 17-1 to validate the Lancer’s newly installed Link 16 system. Dylan Eklund Below: A trio of VAQ-134 ‘Garudas’ EA-18Gs takes on fuel from RAF Voyager KC2 callsign ‘Snow 01’ for the very first time in an exercise scenario. Kevin Bell
Red Flag 17-1 participating units Type Squadron B-1B 37th BS EC-130H 41st ECS E-8C 12th/16th ACCS F-15C 159th FS/FL ANG F-16CJ 77th FS F-16C 176th EFS/WI ANG F-22A 27th FS F-35A 34th FS HH-60G 55th RQS KC-135R 92nd ARW RC-135V 343rd RS EA-18G VAQ-132 EA-18G VAQ-134 Royal Australian Air Force C-130J No 37 Squadron E-7A No 2 Squadron Royal Air Force Sentinel R1 No V(AC) Squadron Typhoon FGR4 No 6 Squadron Voyager KC2 Nos 10/101 Squadrons Hercules C4 No 47 Squadron RC-135V No 51 Squadron
Location Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona Robins AFB, Georgia Jacksonville ANGB, Florida Shaw AFB, South Carolina Truax Field ANGB, Wisconsin JRB Langley-Eustis, Virginia Hill AFB, Utah Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona Fairchild AFB, Washington Offutt AFB, Nebraska NAS Whidbey Island, Washington NAS Whidbey Island, Washington RAAF Base Richmond RAAF Base Williamtown RAF Waddington RAF Lossiemouth RAF Brize Norton RAF Brize Norton RAF Waddington
F-16Cs of the Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 176th FS flew at Nellis as an Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, presumably ahead of deployment ‘downrange’ or as part of a TSP. Dylan Eklund
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journalists were keen to obtain the current tally of airto-air kills on the exercise. “There are some threats out there that make it through because of the sheer numbers and the advanced missiles they’re shooting at us, so we’ve had one or two losses so far in our training,” said Lt Col Watkins. “Right now, we’re counting a 15-to-1 kill ratio for aggressors to F-35s.” He was quick to put the figure in context: “The F-35 is currently limited to an internal missile load-out so we’re not carrying as many missiles as the F-22 and we’re also designed for the air-to-ground mission. “We’re doing very, very well but the kill ratio is not something that’s going to shock anybody; we’re not an air-to-air player.” Despite the caveats applied to the kill ratio, and the implication the figure was perhaps not as high as might be expected, the media were quick to
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pronounce the superiority of the F-35; but, conversely, some observers suggested the figures were misleading. Arguably, a more telling statistic would have been how many aircraft were lost to SAMs. After the successful completion of the exercise, the USAF announced that the 34th FS will deploy on a Theater Security Package (TSP). Major General Jerry Harris, Vice Commander, Air Combat Command, confirmed to the House Armed Services Committee that the initial TSP would be in the US Pacific Command (PACOM) area of responsibility. Although no timeline was given, there appears to be a significant window of opportunity for the 34th FS. The unit’s next scheduled exercises are not until August, when it will take part in Combat Hammer and Combat Archer from Hill AFB over the Utah Test and Training Range.
Royal Air Force
The RAF came to the exercise in force with the inaugural participation of both the RC-135W Rivet Joint and Voyager multi-role tanker transport. One of each type joined a Sentinel R1, Hercules C4 and Typhoon FGR4s from No 6 Squadron, whose Officer Commanding, Wing Commander Billy Cooper, was keen to stress the benefits to personnel of the exercise. “One of the big things for us is we’re going to have this fourth/ fifth-gen mix in the future and it’s critical that we not only learn about the aircraft’s capabilities but also about working together as individuals,” he said. “It’s important not to forget the human element of what happens here on Red Flag. “We spend quite a bit of time looking at each other’s cockpit displays in debrief to try and understand what level of situational awareness the other
participants have. So I have an idea what the F-35 pilot sees in his cockpit and he knows what I’m capable of doing from my cockpit in the Typhoon because we’ve had that level of integration here on Red Flag.” Based at RAF Lossiemouth, Scotland, No 6 Squadron deployed eight Typhoon FGR4s to Nellis, flying two waves of six aircraft each day, as Wg Cdr Cooper explained: “The majority of what we’re doing is air-toair fighting, but as a swing-role platform we’re carrying bombs on some of the missions as well. Some of the time we’ve been using the F-35 to find some of the integrated air defence systems, and on occasion the Typhoon will be dropping the bombs on those targets. “A lot of the time we’re out at the front of the package providing air-to-air cover and quite often the F-35 is providing some of the Link 16 picture which we’re able to use to generate situational awareness for us. “These sorts of exercises are critical for us to gain the experience to be able to develop our tactics and operating procedures so that we’ll be able to operate effectively in future.” And the No 6 Squadron CO was impressed with the Lightning II: “The capabilities of the F-35 are well documented, but to see it in practice on these very realistic exercises is really very exciting, and it’s a fantastic future for the UK.”
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RAF PUMA FORCE IN CALIFORNIA
thern ntro in Sou r e C l E m o fr fo an repor ts s preparing Joe Copalm here R AF Puma crew th Imperial Zephyr n w California, undergo the two-mo n Afghanista ent exercise. m pre-deploy
T R E S E D S P U T S DU B
RITISH SUPPORT for NATO’s continuing Resolute Support mission did not end completely in December 2014 when UK forces ceased combat operations in Afghanistan with the close of Operation Herrick. With insurgent ambushes and improvised explosive devices still a threat to NATO convoys, the Royal Air Force maintains a detachment of three Puma HC2 support helicopters in Kabul – known as the Toral Aviation Detachment. This transports personnel and equipment between the numerous allied support bases and Afghan National Army facilities throughout the region.
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Above: Most of the Puma crews at El Centro for Imperial Zephyr were training for an upcoming deployment to Afghanistan in support of NATO’s Operation Resolute Support. All photos Joe Copalman This picture: A MAOT team watches as a Puma descends on a desert landing site to pick up an underslung load.
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RAF PUMA FORCE IN CALIFORNIA
Flying in Afghanistan, and particularly in Kabul, is challenging, with ‘hot and high’ conditions degrading the performance of helicopter engines, which produce less power, and rotor blades, which have less air to ‘grip’. Furthermore, the country’s ubiquitous dust and the degraded visual conditions created by rotor downwash during landing present numerous hazards. While the recently upgraded Puma HC2 has proven to be a solid performer in those demanding conditions, the RAF’s Puma Force (split between Nos 33 and 230 Squadrons at RAF Benson, Oxfordshire) must still prepare for these Afghan deployments to ensure aircrews are up to the challenge.
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Since 2009, Naval Air Facility El Centro (NAFEC) in Southern California has hosted the Joint Helicopter Force (US), a branch of Joint Helicopter Command (JHC) that facilitates pre-deployment and desert environmental qualification (EQ) training for the UK’s helicopter forces. With temperatures and terrain closely resembling those of Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, the area around El Centro is ideal for this training. El Centro provides further advantages over previous JHC deserttraining sites in North Africa and the Middle East in the form of the additional security
attendant with operating from US bases and the close proximity of world-class medical facilities should a mishap occur.
Imperial Zephyr
The Puma Training Flight, a component of No 33 Squadron, recently deployed to El Centro for Exercise Imperial Zephyr, a two-month pre-deployment desert EQ workup for Puma crews preparing to go to Afghanistan. AFM spoke with two Puma Force pilots during this deployment: ‘Jim’, the Puma Training Flight’s training officer, and ‘Dave’, a prior Merlin pilot who is transitioning to the Puma – to gain their insights of Imperial Zephyr.
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RAF PUMA FORCE IN CALIFORNIA
“Although the high levels in terms of base altitudes aren’t the same, it’s nice and hot here. We can come here all year round and get decent training; get our guys trained to get out to Afghanistan.”
Though El Centro, being situated below sea level, cannot offer the 6,000ft (1,828m) elevation of Kabul, it is still considered a good location to train for the Afghan deployments. As Jim explained: “Although the high levels in terms of base altitudes aren’t the same, it’s nice and hot here. We can come here all year round and get decent training; get our guys trained to get out to Afghanistan.” As to what makes El Centro well suited for this training, Jim continued: “It’s a lot of things. It’s the heat, the dust, the terrain. Here is ideal because you’ve got a lot of good training areas, a variety of different desert scenarios within 20-30 miles of El Centro.” Dave praised the area’s suitability for lowlevel training: “In the UK, we practice a lot of low flying, from 100ft down to 50ft, and down to concealed approach and departure where we can be down as low as 10ft. Out here, what’s great is that it’s nice and flat. In the UK, it’s quite densely populated, so we’re always climbing for farms or horses or whatever. “Out here you can actually get used to what the picture looks like at 50ft and do that for
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maybe 20 to 30 miles. Then, on the flipside, once that’s done, you hit the dunes out to the east and then you’re into a whole different challenge where you’ve got a monochromatic hidden ridge, then beyond that the mountains, and you go into mountain-flying techniques. In terms of low-flying training, it’s excellent.” Mountain flying is a skill Puma Force crews work on in the UK, but the Puma Training Flight still includes it in the syllabus when flying from El Centro. Jim elaborated: “We try to do mountain training wherever we can, because wherever you go, the mountains are slightly different. The mountains in the UK are glacial, so they tend to be more rounded, but have different features you have to work in. Here, they’re more jagged. So it’s good, and the more variety we can get for the guys, the better. Operating out of El Centro provides that for us.”
Getting dirty
The centrepiece of Imperial Zephyr is, of course, dust landings. As a transport
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RAF PUMA FORCE IN CALIFORNIA
Above: A Puma HC2 egresses a canyon at high speed. The upgrade from the HC1’s Turmo 3C4 engines to the more powerful Makila 1A1 has given the HC2 an abundance of power in ‘hot and high’ flying conditions. Right: While the mountains surrounding El Centro lack the high elevation of Kabul, the Puma Training Flight still seizes on opportunities to conduct mountain-flying training during Imperial Zephyr deployments. Below: The Puma Training Flight trains HC2 crews to perform dust landings first as single cabs, then as pairs.
Puma Training Flight Outside of the ‘op of the moment’ in Afghanistan, the Puma Force is primarily tasked with moving soldiers from the British Army throughout any battlespace UK forces might operate in. To this end, desert environmental training is just one piece of a much larger puzzle preparing Puma crews for worldwide contingency operations. As Jim, the Puma Training Flight’s training officer explained: “We are definitely Arctic-trained. We’re also day-and-night mountain trained, and we’re hoping to get back into jungle training with the guys here shortly.” The Puma Training Flight manages all the training events that support these qualifications, along with other specialist training such as rappelling, fast-roping and nap-of-the-earth fl ying.
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RAF PUMA FORCE IN CALIFORNIA
Right: A Puma in the flare just moments before touching down at a desert landing site. In addition to the brown cloud of fine dust particles, thousands of small rocks are kicked up by the rotorwash.
helicopter, the Puma is frequently called upon to insert troops or deliver cargo to remote, austere locations, often where no improved surfaces exist. In desert environments, recirculation of dust churned up by rotor downwash degrades visibility, making landings particularly dangerous, as pilots lose sight of visual ground references. In these situations, crew co-operation becomes paramount, and Imperial Zephyr was designed to strengthen that co-operation as crews prepare for deployment. The Puma is operated by a crew of three – two pilots, with one flying the aircraft and the other serving as aircraft commander and operating all the mission systems – and an aircrewman in the rear. He manages passengers, handles internal and underslung cargo, operates the machine gun (if fitted), and gives the pilots situational awareness beyond their forward-facing field of view. During dust landings, the aircrewman is absolutely critical. As former Merlin pilot Dave explained: “When it comes to making approaches to landing, I’d say the crewman, their eyes, are the most important. We would be listening to their patter – the tone and the speed and the cadence of their voice, and it will affect what we do with the aircraft, especially in the absolute
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Above: A Puma Training Flight engineer sprays distilled water directly into the intake of an operating engine to purge any sand or dust particles that may have made it past the centrifugal sand filters mounted in front of the intakes. Right: Puma aircrew are in charge of running the back of the ‘cab’, and have many responsibilities, including briefing passengers, voice marshalling the pilots into confined LZs, managing underslung load operations, and manning the Puma’s 7.62mm machine guns.
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RAF PUMA FORCE IN CALIFORNIA
Puma HC2 upgrade Though the RAF’s Pumas are more than 40 years old, the HC2 upgrades are significant enough that Puma Force crews refer to it as their ‘new’ helicopter. Performance-wise, the Puma received a 35% more powerful engine in the Turbomeca Makila 1A1, the same turboshaft that currently powers the Super Puma. “You’ve got the engines out of a 9.5-tonne aircraft in an aircraft that’s 7.4 tonnes on take-off, hence why it’s a pretty good platform for Kabul,” explained Jim. He continued: “It’s a bit overpowered, in fact. There’s a bit too much power for the gearbox on this aircraft, so we have to be fairly careful about not damaging the gearbox when we put power into it too quickly.” The Makila engines are also 25% more fuel-efficient than the Turbomeca Turmo 3C4 engines used by the HC1, which, along with increased fuel capacity, give the HC2 three hours’ endurance, and the ability, according to the MOD, to carry twice as much as the HC1 over three times the distance. The HC2
Above: MAOT team members work closely with a Puma aircrewman who is looking through a hatch in the bottom of the cab. When under the aircraft, MAOT crews use hand signals to communicate with the Puma crewman, who is constantly updating the handling pilot with any necessary adjustments in height or position in order to safely achieve a successful hook-up.
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upgrade is expected to enable the RAF to operate the Puma until 2025. Another area where the HC2 is expected to excel is in personnel recovery (PR). With the UK lacking a dedicated PR asset such as the US Air Force’s HH-60G Pave Hawk, British forces rely on all JHC assets to be able to provide a limited rescue capability if called upon to do so. As Jim explained: “This aircraft is really good for PR thanks to its capabilities and the systems on board, so it’s one of the issues that we’re working on next.” A USAF HH-60G pilot serving an exchange tour is aiding the Puma Force by sharing his knowledge of PR tactics, techniques, and procedures. This particular iteration of Imperial Zephyr was intended to transition into a US-based coalition-type PR exercise, with an RAF Medical Emergency Response Team (MERT) working aboard the Puma HC2s as they would on actual PR operations. However, that exercise was cancelled and postponed to a later date.
final stages of an approach. We have the numbers – airspeed and altitude – that we need to fly to, that’s between the left seat and the right, but ultimately, our ears are tuned in to what the crewman is saying. We have to kind of make the aircraft do what he says, in particular with underslung loads and approaches. We can get the aircraft set up into the hover in the dust cloud, but ultimately it will be the crewman in the back that will be fine-tuning us.” As part of the HC2 upgrade, the RAF’s Pumas were equipped with an automatic flight control system (AFCS), which, among other tasks, can perform automated dust approaches. When engaged, the AFCS will bring the aircraft through the optimal ‘gates’ – combinations of forward airspeed and altitude – that determine the rates at which the Puma safely descends and decelerates. Jim described the process: “We’ll get to a point on the approach where the aircraft will fly itself towards a hover at 25ft. The only person who will have any visual references will be the crewman. The cockpit’s a complete brownout; we’re looking at nothing. The crewman in the back can see the ground, he’ll call ‘Clear below,’ at which point we’ll override the system and take it to the ground.” Discussing the benefits of such a system, Jim explained: “It takes something that was in the past from the skill sets of the most experienced pilots, and it means our more junior pilots can go out and put the aircraft in [to a dust landing zone] in very low-light conditions.” Use of the AFCS for automated landings, while handy, is far from ubiquitous. “We’re still teaching the guys to fly manual dust landings,” Jim said. “Sometimes it’s going to be slightly quicker to land from a manually flown approach. But for us, if you suspect that you’re going to have a complete brownout, or for flying conditions which we call ‘red illum’ where there’s no moon, particularly over the desert, that’s when we’ll tend to use the automated system for approaches.” While there are several different types of
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RAF PUMA FORCE IN CALIFORNIA blade tape being changed every few days and blades themselves being replaced several times during the exercise.
Keeping current
NAF El Centro offers the Puma Training Flight the right combination of high temperatures, nearby ranges for weapons training, and local desert landing sites with various types of sand in which to practise brownout landings.
landings, Puma crews must demonstrate proficiency on – in order to be considered desert qualified – day and night, single and pairs, automated and manual, and so on. There is no set number of flights required. “We use objective-based training,” explained Jim. “If somebody meets the standard and they show they can do it, that’s it. They’re signed off.” The dust landings provide training for more than just the flight crews. The Puma Force engineers, who deployed to El Centro to keep the three Pumas on detachment airworthy, received excellent training in how to maintain the cabs in a hot, dusty environment, with the engines, rotor blades, and avionics all being susceptible to elements. The Puma is fitted with centrifugal sand filters in front of the engine air intakes. While these perform relatively well as removing sand particles from the air being sucked into the engines, sand can and does find its way in. To clear this, engineers regularly ‘flush’ the engines by shooting distilled water directly into the unfiltered air intake of each engine while the engine is running (but rotors not engaged). The rotor blades bear the brunt of the physical wear caused by dust landings. Rotor blade leading edges nearest the tips are covered with a protective tape to shield them from damage caused by rocks and pebbles churned up by downwash. Explaining the effects of dust on rotor blades, Jim said: “It’s quite caustic, and it depends on where you go as to how caustic the sand and dust can be. To give an example, two years ago I went to Jordan and the sand was eating through the blades – even with the tape on – in about 30 dust landings. “It’s a very harsh, crystalline sand you’ve got there. Here, the rocks and sandstone are much finer as far as the structures of the crystals go, and this doesn’t seem to do quite so much damage.” Despite the sand surrounding El Centro being slightly easier to work with, it still wore on the Pumas’ rotor blades, with
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Above: A MAOT team member from the Joint Helicopter Support Squadron gives a Puma crew a thumbs-up, indicating the underslung load is properly connected and the helicopter can safely depart the LZ.
Along with those crews going through desert EQ training in preparation for upcoming Afghan deployments, Imperial Zephyr also saw non-deploying Puma crews getting their desert quals as well. As Jim explained: “We’ve got a two-year currency cycle for dust landings, so we have some more pilots here who are just coming back to refresh their currency. We have two courses here – one course for the guys who have never been before or who have never flown the Puma before in dust, and then there’s very short course for people just getting their currency.” In addition to the desert EQ training, Imperial Zephyr also afforded Puma crews the opportunity to complete some desert survival, evasion, resistance and escape (SERE) refresh training. “Normally they would have a full SERE course in the desert,” said Jim. “But all the guys here are just revalidating, so they had a brief one-afternoon training, just a re-eval of the basic techniques and the kit they carry.” Additionally, Puma Force crewmen made good use of the nearby ranges for some live-fire aerial gunnery training with the Puma’s 7.62mm General Purpose Machine Gun. ‘Russ’, a Puma crewman, said: “Each crewman has been able to complete their day and night Annual Combat Marksmanship Test. The ranges here are large and easy to access, but for us the biggest positive is their proximity to NAFEC. This is notoriously difficult in the UK, where a two-hour transit is required just to make it to the range!” As the Toral Aviation Detachment continues to provide necessary lift support to NATO and Afghan personnel in and around Kabul, the training conducted at El Centro will remain critically important for the Puma Force. Whether it is hauling an average of 1,500 passengers a month or carrying humanitarian supplies as underslung loads, Puma Force crews are providing almost a quarter of the total NATO lift support while making up only 12% of the allied rotor capacity in-country.
MAOT A Mobile Air Operations Team (MAOT) from the Joint Helicopter Support Squadron (JHSS), based at RAF Odiham, Hampshire, supported exercise Imperial Zephyr. JHSS is comprised of British Army and RAF personnel who provide a critical link between the services during deployed operations. This can range from advising battlegroup command staff on the capabilities of the JHC aircraft at their disposal to being out in the field performing underslung load operations. In the pathfinder role, MAOT troops scout out and validate landing zones (LZs) for JHC rotary-wing aircraft. As ‘Joe’, a MAOT team leader on detachment at El Centro with JHSS, explained: “We make sure the LZs are safe for operations, giving the aircrew that warm, fuzzy feeling knowing it’s safe to go into that site.
“If there are any hazards we can identify, we’ll remove them prior to the aircraft actually coming into the site.” Additionally, MAOT troops can mark LZs using a number of methods, ranging from coloured panels or smoke grenades in daylight to infrared chemlights and other means at night. Describing the MAOT’s duties during Imperial Zephyr, Joe explained: “Out here, we’re operating in teams of three to four men, and we can be split between two locations. We have signallers with us, so we can speak to the aircraft and let them know if there’s something they need to be aware of. And, of course, we also mark the landing sites.” Of the exercise, Joe concluded: “This is a great training opportunity for us to gain a vast amount of exposure to the Puma Force.”
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ADVERTORIAL
T
HE DEVELOPMENT and production of the Su-35 (Russian designation Su-35S) 4++ generation super-manoeuvrable multi-role fighter is one of the top priority programmes of the Sukhoi Company, a United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) subsidiary. The final stage of the State Joint Acceptance tests is now underway. The flight tests fully proved the required primary specifications of the aircraft and its suite of on-board equipment. The tests also demonstrated its super-manoeuvrability, confirmed stability and controllability, and established the powerplant parameters and navigation system operability. Maximum speed at low level is 1,400km/h, or 2,400km/h at altitude. The service ceiling is 18,000m. The radar target detection range is over 400km in the air-to-air mode, which considerably exceeds that of current in-service aircraft. The phased array radar detects targets at a longer range and can simultaneously track and engage a greater number of threats (tracking of up to 30 and engagement of up to eight aerial targets, tracking of four and engagement of two ground targets, plus an option of simultaneous monitoring air and
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Su-35 Multi-Role Fighter ground situations). The on-board optical sensor suite detects and tracks several targets at a range of more than 80km. All work associated with the State Acceptance tests of the new fighter has proceeded according to the approved plan. Operational suitability tests proved to be a success and included employment of live guided and unguided airborne munitions. The flight test results confirm that the performance of the Su-35/Su-35S is far superior to that of similar in-service foreign counterparts, and that the on-board equipment performs a wide range of missions and tactical tasks. The aircraft specifications greatly exceed those of fourth and 4+ generation tactical fighters such as the Rafale, Typhoon and upgraded F-15, F-16 and F/A-18, as well as the F-35. The Su-35/ Su-35S is a potent rival to the F-22. The Su-35/Su-35S employs many of the advanced technologies used in the PAK FA advanced fighter. In some respects, the Su-35/ Su-35S is a platform for optimising the advanced technologies used in fifth-generation aircraft currently under tests. This applies in the first instance to a new avionics suite integrated with an information control system (ICS)
and developed using the latest information technologies. The ICS employs standby multiple processor computers and high-speed information exchange channels ensuring complex processing of information obtained from surveillance and targeting systems and providing situational awareness to the pilot in challenging combat situations. The Su-35/Su-35S makes extensive use of situational awareness technologies across the full spectrum in real-time, exploiting the capabilities of the communication system, the aircraft’s radar, optronic surveillance and reconnaissance systems as well as various ground-based control systems. In addition, the aircraft is fitted with new engines (similar to those of the PAK FA) featuring increased vectored thrust and a built-in auxiliary powerplant (BIAPP). The Su-35/Su-35S can carry a wide range of airborne guided munitions for target engagement at short, medium and long ranges as well as unguided weapons. The aircraft can carry an 8,000kg combat load. Series production of the Su-35S fighter takes place at Sukhoi’s Y A Gagarin Aircraft Plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur (KnAAZ). The Sukhoi Company is currently fulfilling a state contract for delivery of a batch of fighters for the Russian Aerospace Forces until 2020. Another contract provides for the delivery of a batch of aircraft for China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force until 2018. Talks are underway with a number of foreign customers regarding draft contracts for the delivery of super-manoeuvrable multi-role Su-35 fighters.
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EXERCISE REPORT DACT 2017
Spanish Hornets and Typhoons met Italian Typhoons when Gando air base in the Canary Islands staged its annual air combat exercise earlier this year. Giovanni Colla and Remo Guidi were there.
O Above: Lieutenant Colonel Raffaele Catucci was the Italian Air Force Detachment Commander at DACT 17. Giovanni Colla Top: Locally based F/A-18CX C.15-88 ‘46-16’ (ex Bu161953) was present at Gando with a special colour scheme commemorating 50 years of Ala 46. Remo Guidi
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FFERING ACCESS to D79, a very large area of unrestricted airspace some 70 miles (113km) south of the Canary Islands, Gando is an ideal location for the Dissimilar Air Combat Training (DACT) exercises. January 13 saw the arrival of Ejército del Aire (Spanish Air Force) air assets at the base for the latest DACT instalment. The Spanish contingent comprised three Typhoons from Ala 11 at Morón, eight Typhoons from Ala 14 at
Albacete, six EF-18Ms from Ala 12 at Torrejón, six EF-18Ms from Ala 15 at Zaragoza, plus six F/A-18CXs from the local Ala 46. Completing the Spanish Air Force contingent was a single Ala 31 KC-130H (equipped for airto-air refuelling), one Dassault Falcon 20ECM from Grupo 47 (for electronic warfare duties), plus one AS332 Super Puma and one CN235M from the local 802 Escuadrón that provided search and rescue coverage. On the same day, January 13, three Aeronautica Militare
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Canaries Combat in the
(AM, Italian Air Force) F-2000s – one from each wing, 4º, 36º and 37º Stormo – landed at Gando to take part in the exercise. A KC-767A tanker from 14º Stormo at Pratica di Mare supported the Italian Typhoons. Lieutenant Colonel Raffaele Catucci, Italian Air Force Detachment Commander, explained: “We sent a predeployment team on January 9 to prepare for the arrival of the main body – staff and aircraft – that arrived, supported by our tanker, four days later. The KC-767A took off from Pratica di Mare carrying specialists, technical officers and other crews while the three Typhoons left Trapani air base and rendezvoused with the KC-767A in the D115 area east of Sardinia.”
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Flight time was 4hrs 30mins with three aerial refuelling ‘hook-ups’ by each fighter. Completing the air assets, a NATO E-3A AWACS monitored the simulated air combat for the duration of the exercise.
An energetic take-off by F-2000A MM7310 ‘36-32’. For deployment to Gando, single Italian Typhoons were drawn from each of the three operational wings: 4º, 36º and 37º Stormo. Giovanni Colla
Control authority
The exercise was planned and co-ordinated by the Mando Aéreo de Combate (MACOM, Spanish Air Force Air Combat Command) as part of the Spanish Air Force’s advanced training. On the ground, the management of flight operations was entrusted to the personnel and systems of the Grupo de Alerta y Control (GRUALERCON, Department of Early Warning and Control) at Gando. It was responsible for monitoring all
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EXERCISE REPORT DACT 2017
tactical aspects of the missions, debriefing the mission with the pilots, as well as keeping the ‘shot log’, which validated the shots taken in simulated air combat. During the first weekend, flight crews and personnel involved in the exercise took part in theoretical training and mission co-ordination, discussing tactics, weapons and different systems in use. The exercise-proper started soon after the theoretical phase, as Lt Col Catucci commented: “We went immediately into very complex missions; for example, in the main wave there were no fewer than 26 aircraft in the air. Unlike other national and international exercises, we are in a purely air-to-air scenario. There is no suppression of enemy air defences or air-to-ground – here at DACT we have only one focus, air-to-air training.” The Spanish DIREX (DIRector of the EXercise) structured the event around two daily sorties each lasting two hours. The morning ‘shadow wave’ saw the first take-off around 11.00hrs,
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while the main afternoon wave began at 15.00hrs. Flight operations were designed to develop progressively, with the difficulty and complexity of the scenarios increasing each day. During the morning mission, the main area of the exercise, D79, was divided into two sub-areas (east and west of D79, with a ‘no-fly zone’ in between) and there were two separate 6-v-8 and 6-v-6 engagements. The afternoon mission used all of the D79 area for one main event, with 26 aircraft tasked in a single, bigger mission. In total there were around 50 take-offs each day.
Red Air un-caged
“The Air Tasking Order for the mission was provided to the participants the day before,” said Lt Col Catucci, “but the scenario was not revealed until the next morning.” Once the intelligence cell released the scenario, the mission commander could start
planning the mission in detail. Unusually, all DACT participants flew both as Blue Air and Red Air. “There was an agreement between the two parties, and our Italian Typhoons provided some flight hours as Red Air, but we flew most of the missions as Blue Air,” noted Lt Col Catucci. Compared to other exercises, the Red Air at DACT is given greater freedom to work without restrictions. “We were able to simulate aircraft very similar to the Eurofighter like the latestgeneration F-16C Block 52+ with the AMRAAM and also Eastern bloc aircraft like the MiG-29 and Su-35,” added Lt Col Catucci. The exercise concluded on January 26 and Gando’s next DACT exercise is scheduled for November 2018. Acknowledgements: The authors would like to thank the Italian Air Force Public Affairs Office, Spanish Air Force PAO and Lt Col Raffaele Catucci.
Clockwise from left: An F-2000A pair, MM7321 ‘37-12’ and MM7289 ‘4-5’ representing 37º Stormo and 4º Stormo, respectively. Giovanni Colla A Spanish Air Force F/A-18CX (the new local designation for the former F/A-18A+) ejects flares over the Atlantic. Giovanni Colla Resident at Gando is CN235M-100 T.19B‑09/D.4-02, the revised designation indicating conversion to CN235-100 VIGMA configuration for marine surveillance. CN235s were on standby for airsea rescue missions during the exercise. Giovanni Colla Typhoon C.16-28 ‘11-08’ is operated by Ala 11 at Morón and was one of three examples from this unit at Gando. Niels Quist
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YUMA PROVING GROUNDS
Arizona Laguna Army Air Field lies deep in the desert, just north of Yuma, Arizona. The airfield is part of one of the largest military installations in the world – the Yuma Proving Grounds (YPG) – as Frank Crébas discovers.
I
N THE BLISTERING desert heat of southern Arizona, the US Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC) operates a collection of aircraft and helicopters that support the various test programmes in this busy military region. Driving around in the desert here you are likely to bump into a state-of-the-art tank or a new howitzer conducting trials in the rugged terrain. The Yuma Proving Grounds – not to be confused with the nearby Marine Corps Air Station Yuma – have a worldwide reputation for testing new technology and the ATEC team here calls upon a variety of support aircraft. This includes a single Cessna 208 Caravan, four UH-60A Black Hawks and, until October 20, 2016, four UH-1H Iroquois. The last US Army ‘Hueys’ were retired in October, 42 years after they first entered service.
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“I am sure going to miss the Huey,” reflected Ralph Arnold, chief of the flight services division at Laguna. “While in most aircraft you are managing [the system], you have to fly the Huey. Also, it is easy to maintain and it sounds cool,” he added, referring to the distinctive ‘thump’ of the type’s twin main rotor blades. Arnold, now a Department of the Army Civilian (DAC) pilot and his team provide local aerial support for the test site. “When somebody has a system that needs aviation support to test or develop something, they bring it here and we provide the aerial support that they need to get their test done. That can be anything from a proof-of-concept test, all the way to operational testing, post-development and operations
Main image: Veteran UH-1H 74-22443 during one of its final sorties from Laguna Army Air Field late last year. All photos Frank Crébas
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YUMA PROVING GROUNDS
testers testing. We do a little bit of everything. Now the Hueys are gone, we have four UH-60s and a Cessna 208 Caravan that we also use as a test vehicle. In addition to that we have CASA 212s that we use to support the military free-fall school. “We are pretty busy with just eight pilots. During our missions we carry out photo support, act as surrogate UAS [unmanned aerial system] and sometimes carry a sensor for tests. But we also might end up flying overhead recording scores during tests for new weapons. Also, we are involved with the testing of new parachutes for the paratroopers. A while ago they needed to do a malfunction analysis on a new chute. Obviously you don’t rig a person to a malfunctioning parachute, so our engineers
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Above: Flight crew prepare for a mission over the Yuma Proving Grounds in a UH-1H. Unlike the UH-60, the UH-1 was certified for operation by a single pilot.
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YUMA PROVING GROUNDS
developed a rack and tied up the parachute. We took it up to 6,000ft and released it so they could test how the malfunctioning parachute descended.” The four Hueys that flew here until October 20 played an important role, but they have now been replaced by the four UH-60As. “The army doesn’t have a support structure for the Huey any more and it was therefore too expensive to maintain them,” Arnold observed. “Even though we have harvested a bunch of spares when the army got rid of […] UH-1s in the past. We could easily continue to support them for a while if we wanted, but the command decided that we all have to be on the same airframe. Initially the Hueys where set to be replaced by the Lakota, but
this changed over time. We received a few [Lakotas], but among the challenges we had with the Lakota was that it comes with a civil certification and maintenance contract. “That didn’t work for us, because we couldn’t do any modifications to the airframe. It would cost too much money to modify and certify the aircraft to do what we do. We had the UH-72 for only a few years. Ultimately the army pulled ours to send them to the flight school at Fort Rucker, Alabama, where they were in the process of replacing the TH-57 Creek. We weren’t all too disappointed. In August 2015, we received our first UH-60A.” The Black Hawk, too, brings challenges. “You could fly the UH-1 with just one pilot, while in the UH-60 we now need two,” explained Arnold. “Also the Huey was so much easier from start to finish. You could be gone in a Huey in a minute! In a Black Hawk it takes as long as five-to-seven minutes to get airborne.” With the new Trump administration in place, defence-spending increases will likely result in the Yuma Proving Grounds becoming an even busier place in the coming years. Above: The sole Cessna 208 Caravan on strength at Yuma Proving Grounds undergoes maintenance in a hangar at Laguna Army Air Field. Below: After a brief period operating the UH-72 Lakota, four UH-60A Black Hawks replaced the UH-1Hs in service with the ATEC at Yuma Proving Grounds.
“The Huey was so much easier from start to finish. You could be gone in a Huey in a minute! In a Black Hawk it takes as long as five-to-seven minutes to get airborne.”
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YUMA PROVING GROUNDS
The old and the new on the flight line at Laguna Army Air Field.
Free-fall school The United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) utilises Laguna Army Air Field for its free-fall school and has two C-27 Spartans and two older C-41As (CASA C212200 Aviocars) in use. “The army owns five C-41s,” said Ralph Arnold. “We had three of them for a long time until one was sent to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. They’ve now got three at Fort Bragg and we have the remaining two. The CASAs here are used exclusively for the military free-fall school. We, as the flight services division, provide all the labour to maintain and fly them while SOCOM takes care of the
C-27J 10-27026 is one of seven Spartans received by the United States Special Operations Command after the US Air Force relinquished them.
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C-27 operations.” The C-41 is rumoured to be in line for replacement by the C-27, but this too isn’t all good news as far as Arnold is concerned. “At this level we say we don’t want to get rid of the CASAs because they are cheap to fly and they make more sense for a couple of the phases in the free-fall school. There is also a big difference in operating costs. A C-27 flying hour will cost around $5-6,000 while a C-41 flies for $1,500 per hour.” He added: “But both types are not ideal for all profiles we fly.”
One of two C-41As on strength with the unit, 90-00168 is operated by the United States Special Operations Command’s free-fall school at Laguna Army Air Field.
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FLEET SURVEY GUNSHIP HELICOPTERS PART 2
EuropeanGu
Greece
Apache on the prowl
T
he first of 20 AH-64A Apaches ordered by the Elliniko Aeroporia Stratou (EAS, Hellenic Army Aviation) arrived in Greece in June 1995. In a deal worth $675m, all had been delivered by the end of the year. The army had previously relied on old Bell UH-1 helicopters fitted with door-mounted machine guns for its offensive capability. A 2003 order for 12 Block II Apache Longbows (locally designated AH-64DHA)
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modernised the army’s gunship capabilities. However, it was not until February 2010 that the helicopters were officially accepted into service, due to contract disagreements related to Greece’s financial difficulties. Of the 32 Apaches delivered, one AH-64A and three AH-64DHAs have been lost. The most recent accident, on September 20 last year, involved an AH-64DHA that ditched in the Aegean Sea.
Top: An EAS AH-64A hovers over a lake close to its Stefanovikio base. Above: An Apache pilot checks the helicopter’s avionics. All photos Chris Lofting
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Gunships PART 2
Both crew were rescued. The AH-64As fly with 1 Tagma Epithetikon Elikopteron (1 TEEP, 1 Attack Helicopter Battalion), and the AH-64DHAs with 2 TEEP. The two battalions have been consolidated under 1 Taxiarchia Aeroporias Stratou (1 TAXAS, 1 Army Aviation Brigade) at Stefanovikio, about 200 miles (320km) north of Athens, 2 TEEP moving in from Megara in 2012 to join the resident 1 TEEP. Both units fly by day and night over the whole of Greece, including the Aegean islands. They regularly co-operate with Greek Special Forces and participate in national and international exercises.
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AFM correspondents continue their review of Europe’s helicopter gunships, covering Greece to Poland in this second part.
An AH-64DA taxies out at Stefanovikio for a night mission.
The EAS once planned for two 24-aircraft Apache battalions, but the country’s parlous economic situation rendered this impossible. Plans to upgrade the entire A-model fleet to a configuration similar
to that of the AH-64DHA (which led to four D-model options not being exercised) were first mooted in 2006. In 2010, the upgrade’s scope was reduced to just 12 aircraft, with Boeing urging the Greek Government
Gunship ORBAT 1 Tagma Epithetikon Elikopteron (1 TEEP, 1 Attack Helicopter Battalion)
AH-64A
2 TEEP
AH-64DHA
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FLEET SURVEY GUNSHIP HELICOPTERS PART 2 to find the necessary funds. But modernisation plans were not included in Athens’ five-year spending plan for 2006-10 or subsequent years, and the upgrade has failed to come to fruition. In recent years the Hellenic Armed Forces have formed a strong relationship with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), leading to several relatively high-profile exercises taking place between the two nations. It is rare to see the Greek military operating outside its homeland, but the burgeoning relationship saw the Greek Army deploy to Israel’s Ramon Air Base in early September 2015 as part of Exercise Blue and White Glory. The activity involved AH-64s, CH-47 Chinooks and NH90s conducting a variety of attack missions and simulated rescues of downed pilots over the Negev Desert alongside the IDF. Israeli sources have stated that the co-operation is an outcome of geopolitical developments in the region, mainly the severance of bilateral defence ties with Turkey, which had previously been considered Israel’s regional partner. A major contributing factor for the EAS is Israel’s use of both the AH-64A and D, albeit in different configurations to the Greek Apaches. It is unlikely that Greece will take advantage of its newfound co-operation with Israel and its impressive aerospace industry to upgrade its Apache fleet, however. There is likely to be little or no change to the attack helicopter fleet while the Greek Government has far more pressing demands on its budget. Mike Green
Inventory AH-64A
19
AH-64DHA
9
Italy
Upgrading the Mangusta A FTER A series of in-depth Esercito Italiano (EI, Italian Army) studies, Agusta began design work on a new combat helicopter in 1978. Basing its plans on Cold War requirements, the army called for an aircraft armed with TOW missiles and tailored for the anti-tank mission. It had to be small, nimble and light. The result was the A129 Mangusta, the first purposedesigned European attack helicopter, the initial prototype of which recorded its official maiden flight on September 15, 1983 (preceded by an actual first flight on September 11). Development took around seven years, including four prototypes and a ground test vehicle. An order for 60 helicopters saw the first Mangusta delivered to the Aviazione dell’Esercito (AVES, Italian Army Aviation) at Viterbo on October 6, 1990.
Units and upgrades
Above: In the mid-2000s, Stefanivikio’s ramp was rebuilt to house the Greek Apaches.
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The first production batch comprised 15 helicopters to an initial configuration, lacking FLIR and with a limited HeliTOW fire-control system. They were delivered to the Centro Aviazione (Aviation Centre) for operational evaluation and training, before 49º Gruppo Squadroni
‘Capricorno’, 5º Reggimento ‘Rigel’ at Casarsa re-equipped. In 1996, 48º Gruppo Squadroni ‘Pavone’, 7º Reggimento ‘Vega’, at Belluno converted, 49º Gruppo simultaneously moving to 7º Reggimento. After the first 45 helicopters were delivered, budgetary problems halted production, but opened a development window for a new configuration for a third and final batch of 15 helicopters. Feedback
from overseas deployments, including work in Somalia, and the end of the Cold War, had suggested the need for new capabilities and equipment. Separately, Agusta had begun work on the more capable and versatile A129 International. Featuring more powerful 1,362shp Allison/ AlliedSignal LHTEC T800 engines, a strengthened airframe, new transmission, five-bladed main rotor, larger fuel tanks and a
Gunship ORBAT Unit
Base
Variant
1º Gruppo Squadroni ‘Auriga’
Viterbo
AH-129C*
27º Gruppo Squadroni ‘Mercurio’, 5º Reggimento ‘Rigel’ Casarsa
AH-129C/D
48º Gruppo Squadroni ‘Pavone’, 7º Reggimento ‘Vega’
RiminiAH-129C/D Miramare
Mission Prima Parthica/Air Task Group Griffon
Erbil, Iraq AH-129D
*On loan from other units as required
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new chin turret mounting a 20mm M197 Gatling gun, the International’s maximum takeoff weight increased to 11,233lb (5,100kg). The International failed to attract export orders, however, but the Italian Army was keen to introduce some of its improvements into its third production batch. The prototype of this new version, known to the Army as the A129 EES (Elicottero Esplorazione e Scorta, escort and scout helicopter) was ready in 1998. It lacked the International’s new engines, some of its avionics improvements and AGM114 Hellfire missiles, and its maximum take-off weight was increased to only 10,132lb (4,600kg). In December 1998, the Armamenti Aeronautici e per l’Aeronavigabilità (ARMAEREO, Airworthiness and Aviation Armaments Agency) approved the production of the third batch to EES, or CBT (Combat) standard, with the introduction of a new FLIR, a Northrop Grumman LISA-200 INS/ GPS, and provision for new external fuel tanks and asymmetric underwing loads. The first series production A129 CBT, officially designated A129C in service, was delivered to AVES in October 2002 and assigned to its training unit, 1º Gruppo Squadroni ‘Auriga’ at Viterbo. The two A129 battalions had been reorganised in 1998, 49º being reassigned to 5º Reggimento, while 48º
Top: Two 7º Reggimento ‘Vega’ AH-129C helicopters in the Alps near Bolzano airport. Their crews were training for a deployment to Afghanistan. Riccardo Niccoli Above: The Centro Addesramento at Viterbo includes a number of AH129Cs for flying training. It operates Mangustas when needed, sometimes on loan. Mike Green Right: Flying livefire trials in Sardinia, this AH-129D is loaded with underwing Spike-ER missiles. Leonardo via Riccardo Niccoli
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The nose of an AH-129D shows the new Toplite III OTSWS. The M197 and its ammunition feed are also prominent. Leonardo via Riccardo Niccoli
moved to Rimini-Miramare. During 2000, both units and their parent regiments were integrated into the new ‘Friuli’ Airmobile Brigade. During A129C production, Agusta retrofitted the existing aircraft to the same standard. Subsequently a new contract was signed, equipping the entire fleet with a new self-defence suite, including an ELT-157 radarwarning receiver, MILD 5 missile launch warning system, and chaff and flare dispenser system. Under ARMAEREO’s new Mission Design Series introduced in 2006, the A129C was officially redesignated AH-129C.
Operations
The Mangusta was first deployed on peacekeeping operations, in Somalia, in 1993-94. In 200506 it operated in Iraq under
Operation Antica Babilonia (Ancient Babylon), while ten AH-129s were deployed to Afghanistan in 2009-14. In 2010 a new Mangusta upgrade was launched, aimed at modernising and sustaining some equipment, and introducing new weapons systems. The work included the Rafael Toplite III Observation, Targeting, and Spike Weapon System (OTSWS), integrated by AgustaWestland and Selex ES. A state-of-the-art electro-optical system, OTSWS comprises CCD-TV cameras, a third-generation FLIR and a laser designator/rangefinder. The system includes SpikeER, a multi-purpose missile with a range of around 8,748 yards (8,000m) that can be launched in ‘fire-and-forget’ mode and ‘fire, observe and
update’ modes, thanks to a fibre-optic wire. Spike is carried in four-round launchers. The upgraded Mangusta is designated AH-129D. A first modified helicopter completed testing with AgustaWestland in December 2012, and the first series helicopter was delivered to 5º Reggimento ‘Rigel’ in September 2013. There are plans to convert 32 Mangustas to AH-129D standard by 2018, with the remaining 16 helicopters remaining as AH-129Cs. The latter will mainly be used for training and for less demanding operations, while the D-models will be employed in complex situations and overseas missions. The AH-129D was deployed to Afghanistan in November 2014, to enable weapon system testing in a difficult environment. Since May 2016, four AH-129Ds have been used in Iraq to protect the Italian forces fighting against the so-called Islamic State in the Mosul area, and for personnel recovery missions, in teams that included UH-90 helicopters. With the Mangusta fleet at 48 helicopters, surplus machines will be withdrawn. The type is nonetheless destined to serve for at least another ten years, following an Italian parliamentary decision of November 2016 to move ahead with a new combat helicopter that should be in AVES service by 2025. Riccardo Niccoli
Inventory (Planned by 2018) AH-129D
32
AH-129C
16
#349 APRIL 2017 59
FLEET SURVEY GUNSHIP HELICOPTERS PART 2
Netherlands
Effective and efficient
Apaches
T
HE KONINKLIJKE Luchtmacht (KLu, Royal Netherlands Air Force, RNLAF) took delivery of 30 Boeing AH-64D Apaches in 1998-2002, but had started Apache operations two years earlier with 12 AH-64As leased from the US Army and flown by 301 Squadron. The ‘Alphas’ arrived at Gilze-Rijen in November 1996 and the last six were returned to the US in February 2001, after the majority of the RNLAF’s own Apaches had been delivered. Eight RNLAF Apaches (serials Q-02, Q-03, Q-06, Q-07, Q-11, Q-12, Q-27 and Q-28) never reached the Netherlands, having been delivered from the Boeing factory in Mesa, Arizona, to Fort Hood, Texas, for training; the RNLAF had established the Netherlands Apache Training Detachment (NATD) at Hood Army Airfield (AAF) in 1998. The remaining 22 AH-64Ds entered service with 301 and 302 Squadrons at Gilze-Rijen.
60 APRIL 2017 #349
Five flights
As the result of force reductions announced in 2003, 302 Squadron stood down in 2005 and 16 of the 22 Netherlandsbased Apaches were assigned to 301 Squadron, along with the disbanding unit’s personnel. The remaining six Apaches were declared surplus for budgetary reasons. Efforts to sell them failed and in 2006 the government authorised the stored Apaches to become operational reserves for the RNLAF. They have since been modified to the same standard as the other aircraft and returned to 301 Squadron’s operational strength. Today, 301 Squadron has five flights, named Diablo, Havoc, Hawkeye, Phoenix and Thunder. Like the other Dutch helicopter squadrons, it is assigned to Defence Helicopter Command (DHC), which officially stood up on July 4, 2008. The squadron has 20 Apaches in its inventory. Two
have been lost: Q-20 went down in Afghanistan on August 29, 2004, due to miscommunication between the pilots about who was in control of the helicopter; and Q-15 crashed in Mali with the loss of both crew on March 17, 2015, after a technical failure. The NATD was transformed into the Joint Netherlands Training Detachment (JNTD) and declared operational on January 1, 2012. Around the same time, the Dutch detachment moved from Hood AAF to Robert Gray AAF, and added three CH-47F(NL) Chinooks to its fleet, which were joined by a fourth in 2015. The JNTD was redesignated as 302 Squadron and formally integrated into the DHC on November 25, 2013. It facilitates five high-quality, realistic joint air assault training courses for Royal Netherlands Army air assault infantry and Royal Netherlands helicopter crews every year. In addition, the squadron conducts two annual
initial mission qualification courses for Apache and Chinook flight crews. After concluding their basic training with the US Army’s Flight School XXI at Fort Rucker, new Apache and Chinook pilots proceed to 302 Squadron.
Overseas deployments
Since the late 1990s, Dutch Apaches have been involved in several NATO and United Nationsled international operations. The first was in 1998-99, when 301 Squadron deployed two AH-64As to Bosnia-Herzegovina to support Stabilisation Force (SFOR) ground troops. The ‘Delta’ made its mission debut in 2001, when four 302 Squadron aircraft operated in Djibouti from February to June, providing air cover should an extraction of Dutch troops serving the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) be required. The helicopters were delivered straight to Africa
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A Dutch Apache fires unguided 70mm (2.75in) folding-fin aerial rockets at the Bergen-Hohne training grounds in northern Germany, during the annual Helicopter Weapons Instructor Course.
Flying over Uruzgan province in southern Afghanistan, this 301 Squadron AH-64D has AMASE pods on its wings. Dutch Apaches supported ISAF troops almost continuously between March 2004 and November 2010. All photos Kees van der Mark
Gunship ORBAT 301 Squadron
Gilze-Rijen
302 Squadron
Robert Gray AAF, Fort Hood, Texas
Inventory AH-64D
28
from the factory in Mesa on board a US Air Force C-5B. As part of the Stabilisation Force Iraq (SFIR), six Apaches from 301 and 302 Squadrons deployed to Tallil Air Base, Iraq, between May 2004 and April 2005. The largest international commitment to date was the almost continuous presence of 301 Squadron’s Apaches in Afghanistan between early 2004 and late 2010, supporting the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). After operating six AH-64Ds from Kabul International Airport between March 2004 and March 2005, the squadron returned in April 2006, flying from Kandahar Airfield in support of the Dutch ground forces building up Dutch bases in Uruzgan province. In October 2006, the Apaches relocated from Kandahar to the Dutch-Australian Army base near Tarin Kowt, Uruzgan, where they remained until November 2010. After redeploying to Afghanistan in 2006, the six (later five) Apaches flew more than 1,200 missions and 7,000 hours for ISAF. Currently, four AH-64Ds – and three 298 Squadron CH-47Ds – are operating out of Gao in Mali, supporting UN-led
Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) ground troops. The Apaches started operations in Africa in May 2014 and will remain in the region until replaced by Heeresflieger Tigers in the first half of this year (see Continental Europe News, March 2017, p10).
Upgrades
Dutch Apaches have been – and still are – subject to several modification programmes. By 2009, all had the new Lockheed Martin Arrowhead Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (MTADS/PNVS) fitted. This can be used in combination with the Integrated Helmet and Display Sight System (IHADSS). For the deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, the RNLAF introduced 13 Terma-built Apache Modular Aircraft Survivability Equipment (AMASE) systems in 2004, carried in wing-mounted pods. The equipment was acquired as an interim solution and will be replaced by a US-built integrated electronic self-defence system similar to that acquired for the Dutch Chinooks, in a programme set to run until 2025. The entire fleet is also
subject to Block II modification with the installation of new communications equipment, including HF radio, replacement of some analogue systems with digital equivalents, upgrade of the identification friend or foe (IFF) system to Mode 5 standard, and installation of a blue forces tracker and new data modem. Fort Hood-based Q-03 was the Dutch Block II prototype, modified by Boeing in Mesa, Arizona. It was handed back to the Defensie Materieel Organisatie (DMO, Dutch Defence Materiel Organisation) during a ceremony on November 14, 2013, and re-entered service with 302 Squadron the following month. Boeing modified the eight Fort Hood-based Apaches, but the RNLAF’s Logistics Centre at Woensdrecht is upgrading the Gilze-Rijen based aircraft. Work on 301 Squadron’s Apaches started in the summer of 2014 and the first upgraded helicopter (Q-18) returned to the unit on May 28, 2015. The Block II upgrade programme is scheduled for completion by 2019. Finally, in a separate programme also lasting until 2019, Apache weaponry is set for improvement. Kees van der Mark
Apache Demo Team
The Apache Demo Team has become a familiar sight at airshows in the Netherlands and abroad. The team used specially painted Q-17 from 2011-14, but it has since been returned to its standard colours.
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In 2002, the RNLAF became the first air arm to fl y a full Apache display routine. The Apache Demo Team continued fl ying until 2005, when it won the Sir Douglas Bader Trophy for the best individual fl ying display at the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford. Due to operational deployments, it was not until 2010 that the team re-formed and it remains active. It had a specially painted AH-64D at its disposal for the 2010-14 seasons (Q-19 in 2010, and Q-17 thereafter).
#349 APRIL 2017 61
FLEET SURVEY GUNSHIP HELICOPTERS PART 2
Poland
Hind soldiers on A LTHOUGH APPROACHING obsolescence, the Mi-24 remains Poland’s most potent helicopter. Four brand new Mi-24Ds first entered Polish service, landing at Leżnica Wielka on September 20, 1978, where the 37. Pułk Śmigłowców Transportowych (37th Transport Helicopter Regiment) was based. The unit became combat ready in mid-1979, but the Hinds were not publicly revealed for four years. The Hind squadron was later redesignated as 8. Eskadra Śmigłowców Szturmowych (8. EŚS, 8th Attack Helicopter Squadron), subordinated to 49. Pułk Lotnictwa Wojsk Lądowych (49th Army Aviation Regiment) at Pruszcz Gdański. By the end of 1984, 16 more Mi-24Ds had been delivered (tactical numbers 13, 14, 15, 16, 74, 75, 76, 77, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 84 and 85, subsequently
62 APRIL 2017 #349
renumbered 013, 014, 015, 016, 174, 175, 176, 177, 456, 457, 458, 459, 460, 461, 584 and 585, respectively). That same year, the helicopters were upgraded with the Ł-166W Ispanka active infrared interference system and ASO-2W flare dispensers.
Mi-24W
In April 1986, 3. EŚS was subordinated to 56. Pułk Śmigłowców Bojowych (56. PŚB, 56th Combat Helicopter Regiment) at InowrocławLatkowo and began conversion to the latest Hind variant, the Mi-24V, designated Mi-24W in Polish service. The first four of 16 delivered landed in Poland on April 21, 1986, flown by Russian pilots, as all the Mi-24Ds had been. By June 24, all the Mi-24Ws (727, 728, 729, 730, 731, 732, 733, 734, 735, 736, 737, 738,
739, 740, 741 and 742) had been delivered to Inowrocław. In the following June 733 crashed, leading to the purchase of aircraft 956 from the USSR; it was delivered in May 1991. Shortly afterwards, a fiveship Mi-24W display team (including a solo) was formed at Inowrocław. Its formal debut was during an airshow at Poznań-Ławica on August 25, 1991. The team gained popularity and performed at most of Poland’s major airshows until 1998, although it never had an official name. After it disbanded, the team’s
traditions were transferred to Pruszcz Gdański, where 49. PŚB was based with Mi-24Ds. A four-ship team officially known as Skorpiony (the Scorpions) flew between 2000 and 2007, displaying for the first time during the Radom Air Show in 2000. Today, only a twoship formation flies at the important Polish shows.
More Mi-24Ds
A few years after the country’s reunification, in the mid-1990s the German Government decided to dispose of former East German military
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The accompanying photos were taken during the regular Mountain Flight Training exercise, which sees four to six ‘Hinds’ deploy to Nowy Targ, near the Tatra Mountains, close to the Slovakian border. All photos Rich Cooper
equipment. equipment equipment. This included the Mi-24 Hinds that had served the Nationalen Volksarmee (National People’s Army) before the collapse of the Berlin Wall. Hungary and Poland were offered the helicopters, the
Inventory
Hungarians reacting first. They chose the best, more up-todate Mi-24W and Mi-24P aircraft, leaving the Poles with older Mi-24Ds. Poland took 18, delivered by train, complete with all their navigation and radio systems, and weapons including
UB-32 unguided rocket pods and 9M17P Falanga (Skorpion) antitank guided missiles. Two were used as a spare parts source. Wojskowe Zakłady Lotnicze 1 (WZL-1, Military Aviation Maintenance Works No 1) at Łódź overhauled the other 16 for service with 49. PŚB at Pruszcz Gdański, alongside the original Mi-24Ds delivered from Russia. The ex-German helicopters received new tactical numbers and the first, 167, was delivered to Pruszcz Gdański on October 23, 1996. As more helicopters arrived, 49. PŚB added a second squadron in 1997. Ironically, of Hungary’s Mi-24W and Mi-24P helicopters, only Mi-24Ps 335 and 336 saw service. The rest were stored for many years and never flew again. In 2001, 3. Eskadra Śmigłowców Ratownictwa Bojowego (3rd Combat Search and Rescue Squadron) was formed under 49. PŚB, equipped with four Mi-24D (later joined by one Mi-24W) and four Mi-2RL helicopters. At the same time, talks were held on the possible modernisation of 40 Mi-24s, but in the event only a few were modestly upgraded with thirdgeneration night-vision goggle
Gunship ORBAT
Mi-24D
13
49. Baza Lotnicza (49. BL, 49th Air Base)
Pruszcz Gdański
Mi-24D/W
Mi-24W
15
56. Baza Lotnicza
Inowrocław
Mi-24D/W
Above: During Mountain Flight Training the ‘Hinds’ are flown in around three or four daily waves to train for low-level flying in mountainous terrain under the watchful eye of instructor pilots. Left: Mi-24D 272 was one of six Mi-24Ds that underwent a limited upgrade for service in Iraq.
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#349 APRIL 2017 63
FLEET SURVEY COMBAT HELICOPTERS PART 2 (NVG) capability, Garmin 155XL GPS navigation system, TACAN, ILS and integrated HF/VHF/ UHF radio equipment. Their engines were replaced with TW3117WMA-SBM1Ws, offering a longer time between overhaul. The active and passive selfdefence system was also upgraded, with the KT-01AW Adros replacing the obsolete Ł-166W, while some aircraft also received exhaust gas diffusers. The initial upgraded helicopter, Mi-24W 730 was flown again for the first time in December 2006 and delivered to Inowrocław in late March 2007.
Combat ops
At the end of 2004, Polish Hinds were selected to support the Polish military contingent in Iraq. Six Mi-24Ds (174, 213, 271, 272, 276 and 277) went through a limited upgrade before heading to Kuwait and onward to Iraq, where they became operational on January 23, 2005. The type served in Iraq for five years, 12 aircraft – 174, 213, 271, 272, 276, 277, 456, 457, 458, 459, 460 and 461 – rotating through the detachment, although only nine returned to Poland at the mission’s conclusion. Three aircraft were harvested of useful spares and remained in Iraq, 276 and 277 being left as hulks, while 213 was destroyed. Back home, the Mi-24 fleet was in decline. The majority of withdrawn aircraft were Mi-24Ds; in 2011, only 15 of these remained in service. As of 2008 the Polish defence
Delivered in the first half of the 1980s, Mi-24D 461 was upgraded for operations using night-vision goggles and served with the Polish military contingent in Iraq.
ministry was planning to buy 12 Mi-24W or Mi-24P helicopters, but the idea was abandoned.
W to Afghanistan
For many years, the Mi-24D had flown only with 49. PŚB at Pruszcz Gdański, while 56. PŚB operated the Mi-24Ws at Inowrocław, but now the variants were mixed between the two regiments. The changes were necessary because in January 2009, after another minor upgrade, the Mi-24W was sent to support Polish military operations in Afghanistan. Its primary armament in-theatre comprised the chinmounted, four-barrelled YakB12.7mm gun, UPK-23-250
underwing gun pods containing 23mm GSz-23 guns, 7.62mm PK machine guns fired from the cabin windows and UB-32A pods for 57mm S-5 unguided rockets. Three Mi-24Ws were written off as a result of the Afghanistan operation. Aircraft 742 was blown up by US troops after being damaged, Mi-24W 727 was damaged in transit and was written off in Poland together with 737, which had been damaged in a landing accident in Afghanistan. In 2011, 56. PŚB at Inowrocław was redesignated as 56. Baza Lotnicza (56. BL, 56th Air Base), while 49. PŚB at Pruszcz Gdański became 49. BL. Both units were subordinate to
Above: The Polish ‘Hind’ fleet is set to serve until around 2022, after which it will be replaced by a new combat helicopter to be procured under the Kruk (Raven) programme. Among the contenders are the Bell AH-1Z Viper, which will likely face competition from the Airbus Helicopters Tiger, Boeing AH-64E Apache and the Turkish Aerospace Industries T-129.
64 APRIL 2017 #349
1. Brygada Lotnictwa Wojsk Lądowych (1. BLWL, 1st Army Aviation Brigade). In 2012, Poland exhausted its anti-tank guided missile stockpile. Initial attempts to secure new stocks for the Mi-24 failed. The Mi-24D had been able to fire the laser-guided 9M117P Skorpion and radioguided Falanga (AT-2 Swatter) missiles, but these were seldom used in practice and replaced by the radio-guided 9M114 Kokon and Shturm-W (AT-6 Spiral) used on the Mi-24W. The helicopters could also carry FAB, OFAB and BETAB bombs weighing up to 500kg (1,100lb), or other underwing stores up to a maximum load of 2,646lb (1,200kg). The Hind has suffered several accidents in 35 years of Polish service, but only two Mi-24 crew have died (in 2003 and 2009). Time is now running out for the type, although in late 2016 13 Mi-24W and 15 Mi-24D helicopters remained in service. The latter will no longer be overhauled and will be gradually withdrawn from service. The Mi-24W will operate until at least 2022, after which a new combat helicopter will be introduced under the Kruk (Raven) programme. In December 2016, the government announced that it would buy 16 attack helicopters in 2017, for deliveries between 2019-22. A second batch of 16 helicopters will be purchased subsequently. Marcin Przeworski
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FORCE REPORT Bangladesh Air Force
M O D E E FRTHESKIES a l a ir e s sio n na ll y f o r p an d a t io ote n t t i v e in te r n ns , a s p ’s h c s er. is sio ly a a de B a n g l i n c r e a s i n g o n i n U N m r r o l l d i s co v s i i a t f o r ce h p a r t i c i p a a n d I a n C is throug Westerhu r Ro g i e
F O
66 APRIL 2017 #349
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‘In association with…’
T
HE YOUNGEST country in the Indian subcontinent, Bangladesh is often portrayed as being politically turbulent in the face of economic, social and geographic challenges. But its proud people are eager to improve standards, and the same can be said for the Bangladesh Air Force (BAF), which began life 45 years ago with just a handful of aircraft. Headed by Air Chief Marshal Abu Esrar since June 12, 2015, the BAF has more than 14,000 personnel. It’s organised into 24 directorates under three branches – Operation and Training, Maintenance and Administration – and uses five main air bases, a heliport at Paharkanchanpur and a
single radar base. Although it had earlier been used as a forward operating base for deployments, in 2011 Cox’s Bazar was designated as the fifth main operating air base. Currently it has no flying units and it will be a while before all facilities are in place to host aircraft on a permanent basis. By late 2016, runway extensions were in progress and major construction works under way on the base buildings. Almost all the air force’s fighters are stationed at BAF Base Bangabandhu/Kurmitola (having moved here in the 1980s from nearby Bashar/ Tejgaon), which shares its runway with Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
FAST JET UNITS 5 Squadron ‘Defenders’
As Bangladesh’s first fighter unit, 5 Squadron used to be called the ‘First Supersonics’. Now known as the ‘Defenders’, it formed as 507 Squadron on January 31, 1972, soon after the country gained independence. The squadron initially flew a single T-33, followed just five weeks later by the first of a pair of F-86E Sabres. These three ex-Pakistan Air Force jets flew for only a few months before being withdrawn in September 1972. It would be another 11 months before the
squadron took delivery of a new type – six MiG-21MFs and a pair of two-seat MiG-21UMs, their first flight being logged on August 2, 1973. For fighter conversion the squadron also adopted Shenyang FT-5s, first flying the type on December 5, 1979. The FT-5s remained in service until 1986 and the BAF’s last three surviving Fishbeds had been withdrawn by 1989 – when the first of 16 Chengdu F-7MBs and nine two-seat FT-7MBs arrived to replace the
35 Squadron F-7BGI serial 2721 and two-seat FT-7BGI 2703. The BAF maintains a constant air defence alert facility rotated between different squadrons. All photos Dr Andreas Zeitler, unless otherwise stated
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#349 APRIL 2017 67
FORCE REPORT Bangladesh Air Force
BANGLADESH AIR FORCE – SQUADRON EMBLEMS 1 Squadron
8 Squadron
9 Squadron
11 Squadron
21 Squadron
25 Squadron
35 Squadron
101 Squadron
Above: 35 Squadron ‘Thundercats’ F-7BGI 2722 is representative of the latest batch of F-7s delivered to Bangladesh.
MiG-21s. They were divided between 5 and 35 Squadrons. The BAF bought another 16 F-7s in 2005 – 12 of the more advanced F-7BGs and four two-seat FT-7BGs. The first batch, flown by Bangladeshi pilots, arrived at Kurmitola on March 29, 2006 followed by the second, final batch in September. Assigned to 5 Squadron, their primary task is air-to-air although they’re also used in the air-to-ground role.
8 Squadron ‘Vigilance, Valour, Victory’
Bangladesh’s most advanced fighter is the MiG-29. Eight, including a pair of two-seaters, were delivered in 2000 and assigned to 8 Squadron, which flew its first mission on March 1 that year. The unit re-formed on December 28, 1976 and flew the Shenyang F-6 (until 1996) and FT-6 (until 2000), both
BANGLADESH AIR FORCE – AIR ORDER OF BATTLE Squadron
Company
Location
1 Squadron
AW139, Mi-17-1V/Mi-171/Mi-8AMT/Mi-171Sh
BAF Base Zahurul Haque, Chittagong
3 Squadron
An-32A/B
BAF Base Zahurul Haque, Chittagong
5 Squadron
F-7BG/FT-7BG
BAF Base Bangabandhu Kurmitola, Dhaka
8 Squadron
MiG-29B/MiG-29UB
BAF Base Bangabandhu Kurmitola, Dhaka
9 Squadron
Bell 212
BAF Base Bashar Tejgaon, Dhaka
11 Squadron
PT-6
BAF Base Matiur Rahman, Jessore
15 Squadron
K-8W, L-39ZA
BAF Base Matiur Rahman, Jessore
18 Squadron
Bell 206L
BAF Base Matiur Rahman, Jessore
21 Squadron
Yak-130
BAF Base Zahurul Haque, Chittagong
25 Squadron
F-7MB/FT-7MB
BAF Base Zahurul Haque, Chittagong
31 Squadron
Mi-17/Mi-171
BAF Base Bashar Tejgaon, Dhaka
35 Squadron
F-7BGI/FT-7BGI
BAF Base Bangabandhu Kurmitola, Dhaka
101 Special Flying Unit
Mi-171/Mi-17/Mi-17-1V/C-130B/L-410
BAF Base Bashar Tejgaon, Dhaka
Flying Instructor School
PT-6
BAF Bogra
68 APRIL 2017 #349
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‘In association with…’
Left: As the BAF’s premier air defence fighter, 8 Squadron’s ‘Fulcrum’ is a prized mount. The BAF is reportedy in the market for another eight new multi-role fighters, plus four options. Rogier Westerhuis via BAF Below: The first Bangladeshi Yak-130 took to the air at Irkutsk on April 29, 2015. 21 Squadron’s Yak-130s replaced the A-5IIIs and FT-6s with the unit, 16 examples being delivered between September 2015 and last year. Bottom: One of four two-seaters acquired in 2005, 5 Squadron’s FT-7BG F944 arrived together with 16 single-seat F-7BGs. The BG model includes NATOstandard hardpoints that can carry Western-style weaponry, two cannon, radar and a partially ‘glass’ cockpit equipped with an electronic flight information system (EFIS).
types having been donated by Pakistan. The first batch of MiG-29 pilots trained in Russia, while MiG company test pilots also provided instruction in Bangladesh. BAF pilots have meanwhile used the Royal Malaysian Air Force’s MiG-29 simulator for combat training: the jet’s N019 fire-control radar provides a beyond-visual-range capability, which the F-7BG lacks. Overhauled in Ukraine, the BAF fleet is expected to be in service for at least another ten years.
21 Squadron ‘The Avengers’
The only unit specialising purely in the air-to-ground role is 21 Squadron which, established on July 15, 1986, flew 16 Nanchang A-5III ground-attack aircraft delivered from 1991. Originally set up in Chittagong, the squadron moved to Kurmitola in 1991, before the country’s infamous cyclone, remaining there until returning
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to Chittagong in 2000. With the withdrawal of the F-6, the remaining FT-6s were allocated to 21 Squadron and used for training A-5 pilots. With no two-seat version of the A-5III, new pilots had to take their first flight in a Fantan solo. Some of the squadron’s A-5IIIs and FT-6s were overhauled in China, while others underwent a life extension programme, before all were replaced by the Yak-130 in 2015: deliveries of the 16 ordered began in September that year and were completed in 2016.
25 Squadron ‘Trendsetters’
After its inception on November 27, 1989, 25 Squadron operated the F-6/FT-6. In October 1995 the BAF received eight L-39ZA Albatros jet trainers and assigned them to the squadron as the operational conversion unit. One crashed in April 2012, killing one of its two pilots.
The aircraft transferred to 15 Squadron in 2013, and in their place the unit received F-7MB/ FT-7MB jets formerly with 35 Squadron, using them for advanced jet conversion training.
35 Squadron ‘Thundercats’
In 1989 the first of 16 Chengdu F-7MBs and nine two-seat FT-7MBs arrived to replace the MiG-21, and were assigned to 35 Squadron ‘Thundercats’ – which had formed on January 11, 1990. The MiG-21’s retirement left 5 Squadron without aircraft, so 35 Squadron shared its Chinese jets with the unit until 2006. The primary roles of 35 Squadron are offensive air support, close air support and air interdiction, for which the aircraft can use its cannon and carry a variety of air-to-ground weaponry. Secondary tasks are training and air defence; infrared-guided missiles are carried for the latter.
The squadron frequently uses the BAF gunnery range to practise its air-to-ground role and once a year is involved in live-firing exercises over the sea, the F-7MB towing a target banner. In common with all other BAF squadrons, the unit often works with the army and navy. In November 2011 the then Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Ziaur Rahman, announced the BAF had ordered another 16 F-7s, comprising 12 single-seaters and four dual-seaters. The new jets were the latest version of the F-7, designated F-7BGI/FT-7BGI. Some of their equipment is specific to Bangladesh and they have an improved cockpit layout and a modern GPS. The F-7BGI/FT-7BGIs were delivered to 35 Squadron between 2012 and 2013, their introduction enabling the F-7MB/FT-7MBs to move to Chittagong to join 25 Squadron, which assumed the advanced jet conversion role.
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TRANSPORT AND COMBAT SUPPORT UNITS
Nepal
Chittagong composite base
BAF Base Zahurul Haque in Chittagong is a composite station, home to helicopter, fighter, transport and training squadrons. Strategically located, it affords good access to the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) as well as the Bay of Bengal. The Bay is rich in natural resources, ownership of some of which is disputed with Myanmar (formerly Burma). Meanwhile, the CHT is an area that, until a peace treaty in 2007, saw 20 years of insurgency and violence between government forces and tribal rebels fighting for greater autonomy. On April 29, 1991 BAF Base Zahurul Haque was severely hit by one of the country’s worst cyclones, which killed around 140,000 and left around 10 million people homeless. A 15ft (4.6m) surge of seawater swept through the airfield, destroying around 40 aircraft and helicopters and leaving the BAF short of equipment to assist those affected. On May 10, the US launched Operation Sea Angel, one of
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India Bogra
Bangladesh Dhaka/Hazrat Shahjalal Intl Tejgaon
India
Dhaka
Jessore
Chittagong/ M A Hannan Intl
Bay of Bengal
Myanmar
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the biggest military disaster-relief operations ever staged. Since 1991 the BAF has implemented a comprehensive evacuation plan for the rapid movement of all airworthy aircraft and helicopters. For example, during the 2011 cyclone season all airworthy aircraft and helicopters were twice evacuated to Dhaka. Around the base, ramps of up to 20ft (6m) height have been constructed to accommodate unairworthy aircraft.
1 Helicopter Squadron ‘Pioneers’
Above: 1 Helicopter Squadron ‘Pioneers’ began life as the very first BAF flying unit. Its latest equipment comprises two AW139s, including 613 (c/n 31613). Top: Receipt of the 16 F-7BGI/FT-7BGI versions, between 2012 and 2013, allowed the earlier F-7MB/FT-7MBs to adopt the advanced jet conversion role. Serial 2702 is one of 35 Squadron’s two-seat FT-7BGIs. Below: The older F-7s – this is F-7BG 942 in the markings of 5 Squadron ‘Defenders’ – are still considered an effective aircraft for point defence, thanks to their light weight and rapid acceleration.
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No 1 Helicopter Squadron, one of two BAF units flying the Mi-17 and its sub-variants, formed as ‘Kilo’ Flight on September 28, 1971, at that time still in Dimapur, in India, where the nascent BAF was set up with Indian assistance. It later became 501 Squadron and in 1973 assumed its current designation. Beginning life with the Alouette III, the unit received the Mi-8 in 1973, the type remaining in service until the mid-1990s. In 1995 the BAF took on the first of 35 Mi-17s of different variants, and from 1998 the squadron operated Bell 212s: one flew in the search and rescue (SAR) role, painted in a highvisibility scheme and equipped with hoist and long-range radio. The main task for 1 Squadron is tactical ground support, and it provides logistical support to the army and other government organisations, working mostly from isolated locations in the CHT. The squadron is also used for reconnaissance work and plays a major role in relief and disaster management. In July 2014, AgustaWestland announced a contract with the Bangladesh defence ministry
UN operations It’s not widely known that Bangladesh has long been a main contributor to United Nations peacekeeping missions, a role in which all four services (air force, army, navy and police) take part with personnel as well as equipment. The Bangladesh Army first deployed in 1988, followed by the BAF in September 1995 when one Bell 212 with 17 BAF personnel were sent to Kuwait for the UN IraqKuwait Observation Mission (UNIKOM). The BAF’s contribution to the mission lasted for almost eight years, ending only a few days after the outbreak of the Iraq War in March 2003. In its time in Kuwait the contingent expanded to 40 personnel and flew approximately 16,000 hours. Beginning in October 2003 the air force took part in the UN Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET), with two Bell 212s, and in July 2003 deployed an Aviation Unit and an Airfield Support Unit to Bunia in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for the UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC). In June 2010 it sent a C-130B Hercules to the DRC where the BAF contingent also has fi ve Mi-17s. Three Bell 212s deployed to Chad in October 2010 as part of the UN Mission in Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT) before being redeployed to Ivory Coast nine months later, from where they operated until May 2015 under the UN Mission in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI). The BAF began its UN mission in Mali on June 11, 2013 and subsequently sent three Mi-171Sh helicopters to support the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) locally. More recently, in support of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) in Haiti, it provided a Bangladesh Utility Aviation Unit contingent – comprising 110 personnel and three Mi-171Sh helicopters – in September 2015.
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for two AW139 helicopters to be operated by the BAF for maritime SAR and other utility missions. The two aircraft were delivered before the end of 2015 and serve with 1 Squadron.
3 Squadron ‘Unicorns’ No 503 Squadron, which later became 3 Squadron, formed on December 30, 1971, equipped with the DHC-3 Otter. From 1973 it flew the An-24 and An-26. The An-24 was withdrawn in 1977 and the An-26 soldiered on until 1989 when it was replaced by the An-32. The smallest BAF flying squadron, 3 Squadron originally operated two An-32s, followed in 1995 by a third. Currently all three – two An-32As and an An-32B – are in use for transport duties including casualty evacuation (casevac) and medical evacuation (medevac). They also conduct maritime surveillance and patrol roles and, fitted with four hardpoints, can carry bombs. The squadron assists in relief and disaster operations and was heavily involved in supporting the local population after major cyclones such as Cyclone Sidr in 2007 and Aila in 2009. To get relief items to those who need them, the unit has developed small parachutes that can carry up to around 13lb (6kg), enough to support a family for several days.
Above: Four different versions of the Mi-17 are operated, including the Mi-171, which can carry weapons. An initial batch of three examples is believed to have been delivered by May 2006, followed by a further three in 2012. Below: A long-term Antonov operator, 3 Squadron ‘Unicorns’ is the exclusive preserve of the ‘Cline’, including An-32A 1701 ‘S3-ACA’ (c/n 1701), one of three An-32s in service.
9 Squadron ‘Scorpions’
Equipped with the Bell 212, 9 Squadron formed as 17 Squadron
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Left: An initial pair of Mi-171Sh helicopters is believed to have been delivered in January 2012. In April 2014 Rosoboronexport announced an order for five more examples with deliveries believed to have begun during April the following year. An attrition loss occurred on May 13, 2015. Below: Four 1960- and 1961-built ex-US Air Force C-130Bs were delivered in January 2002. One example was stored before being repaired and overhauled by AIROD at its facility in Subang, Malaysia in spring 2013 and returned to service.
in November 1975 and assumed its current identity in 1982. It flew the Alouette III until the arrival of the first of ten Bell 212s in 1977, and later received three more in VIP/VVIP configuration and one equipped for SAR. The squadron supports the army, navy and police, using the Bell 212 for transport, tactical reconnaissance and support of special forces, and the helicopters can carry sidemounted machine guns for the counter-insurgency role. Also involved in disaster management and relief operations, 9 Squadron plays a role supporting communities during floods or in other emergencies and supports United Nations missions overseas.
31 Squadron ‘Beyond the Call of Duty’
Created in January 1981, 31 Squadron operated the Bell 212 until the arrival of 12 Mi-8s helicopters in 1983 (which it shared with 1 Squadron), the last being withdrawn in 1995. By that time, the squadron had taken delivery of three Mi-17s, which entered service in 1991, and more have arrived since. Currently Mi-17s are operated in four different versions; the latest delivery comprised five Mi-171Sh helicopters in December 2015. The Mi-17 is mainly used for tactical ground support, transport, reconnaissance, casevac and medevac. All Mi-171s can carry weapons but the Mi-171Sh is a dedicated combat-transport helicopter
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with more firepower, ideal for combat assault missions and combat search and rescue (CSAR). It can carry a nose gun, three machine guns in its doors and a range of rockets and bombs.
101 Special Flying Unit ‘Excellence and Beyond’
The only composite BAF unit is the 101 Special Flying Unit, based at Bashar with a mix of Mi-17s, four C-130B Hercules and three L-410s. It consists of two flying wings: a Helicopter Wing and a Transport Wing. Established in April 2001, 101 SFU’s primary missions are to transport VIPs and VVIPs and carry out special operations. It was originally equipped with Mi-17 and Bell
212 helicopters and an An-32 twin-engined transport. Of the Mi-171s currently with the unit, two are Ulan-Ude-built Mi-17-1Vs in VIP configuration, painted in a special blue/white livery. Delivered in March 2006, their sole task is (V) VIP flights. The other Mi-171s and the C-130Bs fulfil a dual role, and when used for the transportation of (V)VIPs are configured accordingly. These old C-130Bs came from surplus USAF stocks, and although their wings have been modified to have the same structure as ‘H’ models, their engines are original. In addition to transport tasks, they are used for UN operations in Africa and play a key role in disaster management, locally and abroad.
International support missions have included flights to Pakistan after the October 2005 earthquake, flying a medical team and supplies to Burma (Myanmar) after Cyclone Nargis in May 2008, and transporting two Bell 212s to assist Sri Lanka and the Maldives shortly after a tsunami. The unit’s three L-410UVP-E20 aircraft, delivered in 2015, are used for multi-engine conversion for the transport crews.
Flight cadet training Aircrew training for the BAF began on December 4, 1974 with the creation of the Cadets Training Unit in Bashar. In 1977 it moved to Jessore as the Cadet Training Wing before becoming, in 1982, the Bangladesh Air Force Academy.
Above: Of 16 examples of the Bell 212 delivered to the BAF from 1980, BH971 (c/n 30971) is one of perhaps six that remain in use with 9 Squadron. The aircraft have been widely deployed on UN and humanitarian duties, including to the Maldives after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
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Above: 101 Special Flying Unit’s three L-410UVP-E20 aircraft are used to convert transport crews to multi-engine types. The first aircraft was delivered in April 2015; the second and third examples followed in May and June of the same year.
Potential cadets undergo military and academic training concurrently and later begin flying training. They take threeyear degree courses with a graduation curriculum set up by the National University. Flying training is delivered by the Flying Training Wing, which comprises three squadrons flying the Nanchang PT-6, the K-8W, L-39ZA; and, for helicopter conversion, the Bell 206L. The BAF’s first female pilots began training in the autumn of 2014.
11 Squadron
Basic flight training and teaching cadets the principles of aeronautics are the tasks of 11 Squadron, which formed in 1982
to fly the PT-6. A first batch of four, delivered in 1977, has since been supplemented by more than 50 additional aircraft. Some of them have been modified with ADF and a Garmin GPS system. In December 2014, Bangladesh’s prime minister announced the procurement of 12 new PT-6s. Sightings of two previously unknown examples (2701 and 2702) last December suggest they have been delivered, but are likely to be refurbished, second-hand trainers. Basic flying training, which in Bangladesh includes night flying, takes around 120 hours, after which students are selected to fly fighters, helicopters or transport aircraft. Every year, 11 Squadron
has two classes with around 10 to 15 cadets in each. It also accepts student pilots from Bangladesh’s navy and army. Pilots from Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Iraq have also trained with the BAF. The Flying Instructor School at Bogra uses the PT-6 too, and receives administrative and operational support from Jessore. Its course includes an academic syllabus as well as a flying curriculum of around 72 hours.
15 Squadron
Pilots selected for fighter or transport streams go on to train with 15 Squadron – which, established on October 25, 1977, flew the Magister for 20 years before converting to 12
Above: Two new PT-6s – 2701 and 2702 – were first seen in last December. These are likely to be part of a batch of 12 new PT-6s announced in December 2014. Right: The K-8W serves alongside the ageing Albatros with 15 Squadron. Nine Karakorums were delivered in September 2014.
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ex-USAF T-37Bs transferred from 25 Squadron in Chittagong, which had been delivered to the BAF in 1996. The jet conversion course took 35 to 40 hours and included formation flying. The T-37Bs retired in December 2011: their ejection seat cartridges had passed their expiry date and when two out of three of them failed during tests, it was decided to ground the jets. An interim replacement involved reallocating 25 Squadron’s L-39ZAs to 15 Squadron in 2013 when the F-7MBs moved from Kurmitola to Chittagong. Nine
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new K-8W Karakorums were delivered during September 2014 as a permanent solution, though the L-39ZAs were still active last December. The L-39 can carry a cannon and rocket pods, bombs and airto-air missiles. In its previous service with 25 Squadron, the type trained new flying officers selected for the fighter stream who had successfully completed the jet conversion course with 15 Squadron. Advanced jet conversion then prepared them to join any of the operational fast jet squadrons. The 110-hour conversion took the new pilot from basic handling stages through to night flying, air combat manoeuvring, air-toground and formation flying. The BAF gains valuable knowledge from having operational conversion unit (OCU) students and instructors attending similar courses countries such as the US, China and Saudi Arabia.
Above: While this L-39ZA continues to wear the markings of Chittagong-based 25 Squadron, satellite imagery confirms the transfer of these aircraft to 15 Squadron at Jessore in 2013. Below: Of 42 examples of the PT-6 originally in service at least four have been written off.
18 Squadron
Rotary-wing conversion is overseen by 18 Squadron, which has operated four Bell 206L Long Rangers since being formed on April 1, 1982. Conversion involves between 50 and 70 flying hours plus four weeks’ ground school and the squadron supports army, navy and foreign pilot training. After the conversion the pilot officer will be assigned to one of the operational helicopter squadrons where he or she converts onto the Bell 212 or Mi-17.
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Greek multi-mis Home to six Hellenic Air Force units, Elefsis hosts no fewer than nine aircraft types with roles encompassing cargo transport, VIP transport, airborne early warning, combat search and rescue and firefighting, as Mark Rourke reports.
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VERYTHING IS achieved through diligence”, is the proud wording on the emblem of the Hellenic Air Force’s (HAF) 112 Pteriga Makhis (PM, 112th Combat Wing). Greek dramatist Menander’s (342292 BC) quotation befits the mission statement of the unit under the Diikissi Aeroporikion Mataforn (Air Transport Command), located at Elefsis air base. The air base, 15km (9.3 miles) west of Athens, has the largest number of personnel in the HAF and contains its most diverse fleet. Commander of 112 PM, Brigadier General Tzallas, explains the mission statement of the wing as sustaining “a high level of effectiveness and readiness – through the appropriate structures, personnel training, maintenance of the available assets and available equipment – to assume and conduct all assigned tasks successfully, including execution of all air operations and handling of emergency situations”.
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Training is, of course, a priority when it comes to undertaking its diverse roles, as the wing’s Force Protection Director, Colonel Peros explains: “Training of personnel takes place at Elefsis. Our wing has a high degree of autonomy regarding the training of the flight crews, engineers, ground personnel and almost everyone that serves in the base, with initial and follow-up programmes. “The initial training for flight crew members – once they’ve left Kalamáta [the HAF’s primary aircrew training station] and arrived here and been assigned an aircraft type – is conducted at the Operational Conversion Unit [OCU] on the squadron that operates that type of aircraft and speciality.” The OCUs use aircraft specific to squadrons, and pilots or crew usually become qualified within four to six years.
VIP specialists
For the local population, perhaps the most familiar aircraft types at Elefsis are those operated by Mira Metaforas Ypsilon Prospon 352 (MMYP, VIP Transport Squadron) ‘Cosmos’, which transports Greek Government officials and heads of state. Its aircraft are also used for repatriation missions involving Greek citizens overseas as well as medical emergencies. Deputy commander of 352 Mira, Lt Col Ioannis Giannakakis, has enjoyed an impressive career in the HAF. After flying more than 2,000 hours on the F-4E Phantom II with 337 Mira, he had tours with NATO’s Allied Joint Force Command Naples and the Combined Operations Centre at Larissa in northern Greece. His role in Naples was particularly rewarding, as he was Air Officer Commanding (AOC) for Operation Unified
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HELLENIC AIR FORCE - ELEFSIS
mission legends
Protector, responsible for controlling aviation elements over Libya. He then became an aide de campe to the Greek President, providing advice on military matters involving the HAF. Three aircraft of two types are operated by 352 Mira – a Gulfstream V delivered in March 2003 supported by two Embraer 135s – one of which is an ERJ-135LR for long-range missions. The ERJs first arrived from Brazil in January 2000. The colonel told AFM what it’s like to fly the Embraer after a career in fighter jets: “I think it’s right on time for me. When I was young, with my blood running faster in my veins, the F-4 was the best choice… Fully manual, difficult to handle, dangerous. A real fighter! Now, getting closer to my 50s, safety and
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Top: The jewel in the crown of the HAF ‘force multipliers’ is the EMB-145H fleet operated by Elefsis-based 380 MASEPE. Serial 374 (c/n 145374, formerly PP-XHL), is one of four examples that entered service from 2009. Above: The flight deck of one of 352 Mira’s two VIP-configured Embraer 135s. All photos Mark Rourke
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HELLENIC AIR FORCE - ELEFSIS comfort is my aim. Fully automatic, safe and reliable, the ERJ is the choice. Travelling all over the world is an additional benefit!”
Spartans and firefighters
Also based at Elefsis is 354 Mira Taktikon Metaforon (MTM, Tactical Transport Squadron) ‘Pegasus’ which has eight C-27J Spartans on strength. Twelve of the turboprop transports were originally ordered in January 2003 but four were cancelled and delivered to Mexico. Delivered from August 2005, the C-27Js are among the HAF aircraft most commonly seen outside Greece, by virtue of their tactical airlift role. The C-27J is heavily utilised not only for local missions but also within the wider framework of NATO, the European Union and the United Nations. But the Spartan’s
secondary missions – medical evacuation and maritime patrol – have recently assumed greater importance, especially with the influx of refugees from the Syrian conflict arriving in Greek-controlled coastal areas. Another resident squadron at Elefsis, 355 MTM ‘Ifestos’ (Hephaestus – the Greek god of fire), is equipped with the survivors of 20 Canadair CL-215s to have served with the HAF. The firefighting amphibian has been in use for 40 years, the first of four arriving in December 1975. Two more arrived in 1977, and by 1990 the inventory comprised 16 examples. Four more were added in 1997 when Greece purchased secondhand CL-215s that previously served with the Yugoslavian Air Force. During the firefighting season, typically spring and summer, the unit’s aircraft
Above: Immaculate Gulfstream V serial 678 in the hangar at Elefsis. Top: Without doubt the most charismatic aircraft on the Elefsis flight line is the piston-engined CL-215 amphibian, which can also be found at work fighting fires in France, Turkey and Israel. Serial 1073 (c/n 1073, formerly C-GKDT), was delivered to the HAF in the early 1990s. Below: An early victim of Greek financial woes was the Spartan fleet, slashed from a planned 12 to the current eight aircraft. These versatile turboprops are frequently employed in support of NATO, EU and UN missions and have recently added maritime patrol to their repertoire.
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HELLENIC AIR FORCE - ELEFSIS Greece bought 12 C-130Hs from 1975 and five C-130Bs in 1992, including serial 300 (c/n 3604). Four of these B-models remain in active service, having undergone a modest upgrade.
are deployed to strategic locations, with detachments based at Andravida (three aircraft), Nea Anchialos (two) and Samos (two) while the rest of the fleet is at readiness or in maintenance at Elefsis. Highlighting the dangerous work involved, at 1109hrs on June 26 last year, CL-215 serial 1111 was damaged beyond repair when its number one engine caught fire during a mission near Dervenochoria in the northwest Attica region. After making an emergency landing the crew escaped before fire consumed the aircraft. Co-pilot Lieutenant George Badikos explains the attraction of flying the CL-215 on such missions: “After 350 hours of flight training at Tatoi [Cessna T-41D] and Kalamáta [T-6A Texan II and T-2 Buckeye] I chose to begin a career in firefighting at Elefsis with the old but trusted CL-215s.
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“I knew and understood the age of the aircraft may be a drawback but its role and contribution in the HAF and the Greek state is enormous. “Greece’s position in the southeast of Europe means high temperatures for more than half the year, so fires are very common – and costly in money and human lives. That gives us the push we need to keep on going to complete the difficult and dangerous task of firefighting.” With no big lakes available in Greece for water pick-ups, the CL-215 pilots have to take the aircraft to the open sea. “We then arrive at the fire, which more often than not is in uneven terrain, and we drop to below 100ft to save anything from forests to trees and houses, as well as the firefighters
on the ground that are in lethal danger. “After almost seven years and 800 hours, I’ve flown over the entire Greek terrain, picked up water from the sea and operated on almost 300 firefighting missions – and I’m a year away from becoming a first pilot. Even though I’ve not flown a jet fighter, our last piston-engine firefighter fills me with confidence and I’m proud of doing this ‘extreme sport’! “The experience of these extreme flights, the very low water drops and the feeling of picking up water from the Aegean can’t be compared to a thousand hours on fighter jets. So we keep on hoping for safe water landings and fewer fires!” Greece has also deployed the CL-215 – as well as the more modern CL-415s that equip 383 Mira at Thessalonki-Makedonia – to other countries for fire suppression
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HELLENIC AIR FORCE - ELEFSIS duties, including France, Turkey and Israel. In Greece itself, August 2007 saw the worst forest fires in recent history, with 355 MTM in the thick of the action in the Peloponnese. Crews with experience from that period provide valuable input to the training of new aircrew recruits, two to four of which join the squadron each year.
Transport workhorse
The backbone of the HAF transport fleet comprises a mix of C-130B and C-130H Hercules belonging to 356 MTM ‘Iraklis’ (Hercules). Officially at least, 15 Hercules remain in service. The ten survivors of the C-130H fleet (two were written off in February 1991 and December 1997) began an Avionics Upgrade Program (AUP) in conjunction with L-3 Communications’ SPAR Aerospace subsidiary and Hellenic Aerospace Industry (HAI) in 2005. The upgrade also covered the C-130B fleet, five of which were recovered from US Air Force stocks in 1992. Of the B-models, serial 296 has been withdrawn from service and
now serves as an instructional airframe. Completed in 2010, the upgrade included modifications to the GPS/inertial navigation system, autopilot, weather radar and digital engine control system. Meanwhile the electronic warfare system was improved, incorporating a new missile proximity warning system and selfprotection suite; the electronics upgraded; and a partial glass cockpit added. A Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) completed the AUP along with an Electronic Flight Information System (EFIS) and a Flight Management System (FMS). Of the 15 C-130s to undergo the
‘Recent deployments include flood relief in Pakistan in 2010 and support missions after the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, the school siege in Beslan in 2004 and the Turkish earthquake in 1999.’
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HELLENIC AIR FORCE - ELEFSIS AUP, all but three were completed by HAI at Tanagra, north of Athens. As with most countries committed to UN and NATO operations, the HAF transport fleet, and the C-130s in particular, sees much use for humanitarian operations. Recent deployments include flood relief in Pakistan in 2010 and support missions after the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, the school siege in Beslan in 2004 and the Turkish earthquake in 1999. Greek obligations to NATO require three aircraft to be ready for missions involving the nation’s rapid-reaction forces (Force Delta) while another is available to respond to the NATO Response Force (NRF) within five days’ notice. Two of the 356 MTM’s C-130H
Hercules (serials 741 and 747) are meanwhile configured as electronic warfare aircraft.
Search and rescue
Responsible primarily for SAR missions, 358 Mira Erevnas Diasosis (MED, Search and Rescue [SAR] Squadron) ‘Faethon’ (Phaethon) includes a VIP flight equipped with Bell 212s. These three smart-looking blue and white helicopters undertake local flights in support of 352 Mira. Though headquartered at Elefsis, the squadron is deployed to six other bases: Larissa, Limnos, Tanagra, Souda, Araxos and Nea Anchialos. Its principal equipment is the AB205A-1, although three A109Es are also available for the medical evacuation (medevac) role. Using the AB205, most SAR work involves daylight operations, leaving the AS332C-1 Super Pumas of 384 MED ‘Puma’ for more demanding night and bad weather roles. Delivered from 1970, at least 13 AB205s remain in use, including two transferred from the Hellenic
Army. One of them made the news on November 10 last year when the HAF transported a 33-year-old patient of Chinese descent from the freighter Hoegh Shanghai 45nm (83km) off Kalamáta. The Super Pumas of 384 MED are used for more difficult SAR tasks such as combat search and rescue (CSAR), special operations and medevac flights day and night and in all weather conditions. The unit has 12 AS332C-1s on strength, four of which are assigned to Hellenic Coastguard duties. The helicopters
Above: Despite the arrival of the turboprop CL-415, the ageing CL‑215 remains at the forefront of HAF firefighting operations. Left: Minus rotors, engine and transmission, AS332C-1 Super Puma serial 2780 undergoes heavy maintenance at Elefsis.
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are routinely detached to operational areas and are normally only at Elefsis for maintenance or training. All 112 PM SAR missions are carried out in co-operation with the SAR Joint Co-ordination Centre, which has responsibility for search and rescue operations within the Athinai (Athens) Flight Information Region (FIR).
Eyes in Aegean skies
The other flying squadron at Elefsis is not actually part of 112 PM but is hosted by the wing. The unit, 380 Mira Aeroporiko Systema Enaeriou Elenchou & Epitiris (MASEPE, Airborne Early Warning and Control Squadron) ‘Uranos’ (sky), it operates the EMB-145H
equipped with the Erieye radar system. Purchased in 1999 from an Embraer, Ericsson and Thales joint venture, the jets arrived in 2004 but were not accepted until February 2009. To prepare the HAF for this new role two Saab S 100B Argus, employing a similar radar system, were leased from the Swedish Air Force between mid-2001 and December 2003. Captain Ilias Tsitsios of 380 MASEPE says the Embraer twin-jet has improved interoperability with the various Hellenic combat units: “The EMB-145H AEW&C is a platform capable of connecting via voice (UHF, VHF, and HF) and data link (Link 11 and Link 16) with naval, ground-based and airborne assets. “So it provides a common ‘reference
datum’ via which assets with different operational capabilities can be connected to exchange real-time vital information in secured/redundant networks. “As a result, the [aircraft] has improved interoperability with regard to volume of data exchanged, time, range and number of participants.” As for the wing’s challenges, Col Peros, as Force Protection Director, points to “the specificity, the diversity, the wide range and the polymorphic nature of our missions”. Statistics provided by the wing indicate that between 2011 and 2015, the assigned squadrons flew a total of 28,144 missions, involving 47,794 sorties. In all, these amounted to an impressive 64,370 flight hours.
Top: The HAF has 15 C-130B/Hs in service, though in various states of operational readiness due to ongoing updates with HAI at Tanagra. Two C-130Hs have been written off (748 on February 5, 1991 and 750 on December 20, 1997). Above: Embraer 135 serial 135L-484 carries the name ‘Nefeli’ (cloud). Left: Greek Army Aviation C-12R/AP serial 402 (c/n BB-1733) pays a visit to Elefsis. This cameraequipped aircraft is assigned to the 4th Army Aviation Battalion (4 TEAS) at Megara and is one of two examples acquired in 1999.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Brig Gen Tzallas, Col Peros, Caroline Makropoulos, Sgt Strantzas, Lt Col Ioannis Giannakakis and Lt George Badikos for their assistance in producing this article.
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40 BRTA - UKRAINE Previously in storage, MiG-29 type 9.13 ‘19 White’ returned to duty in 2014. It was originally ‘39 Blue’ with 161 iap at Limans’ke, a unit that disbanded in 2002. Note the small shark emblem applied on the intake – an identical emblem is found on Mi-8MT ‘41 Yellow’ of 12 okrema brihada Armiys’koyi Aviatsiyi (obrAA, independent army aviation brigade). All photos Sergey Smolentsev
UKRAINE’S MIG-29
EXPERTS Vladimir Trendafilovski examines the operations of Ukraine’s resurgent 40 brTA, the defenders of Kiev. 84 APRIL 2017 #349
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MONG THE highest readiness Povitryani Syly (PS, Ukrainian Air Force) units and arguably the service’s most effective MiG-29 Fulcrum operator, 40 brihada taktichnoyi aviatsiyi (brTA, tactical aviation brigade) resides at Vasyl’kiv air base which is just 12 miles (19km) from Kiev’s outskirts and less than 18 miles (29km) from its centre. It has defended the capital for the past 23 years. Events in the spring of 2014 confirmed 40 brTA’s status as a premier Zbroyni Syly Ukrayiny (ZSU, Ukrainian Armed Forces) aviation unit when the ZSU mobilised all its assets against a possible imminent attack from the Russian Federation. The Vasyl’kiv brigade not only detached aircraft for combat duty in the so-called anti-terrorist operation (ATO) zone in the Donbas area, but also lent a helping hand to 204 brTA,
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a MiG-29 brigade only recently evacuated from the occupied Crimea (see Ukraine’s Superbase Kul’bakino, June 2016, p36).
Becoming elite
As a fighter unit defending the country’s capital, 40 brTA was especially fortunate during the 2000s, escaping the worst of Ukraine’s economic troubles that left minimal funds for fuel and aircraft maintenance. Most PS fighter units relied on barely sufficient resources for their basic assignments (including maintaining QRA), let alone for pilot training. However, partly because it was also used as a trials unit, as well as defending Kiev, 40 brTA remained a priority for fuel and aircraft maintenance. Although its situation was less than ideal, compared with other PS MiG-29 units it had more
operational aircraft and its pilots achieved higher than average annual flying hours. Since 2005, the unit has also operated L-39C Albatros two-seaters for basic flight training tasks and these were important in keeping flying hours up. Far more fuel efficient than the Fulcrums, the L-39s enabled 40 brTA’s pilots to spend time in the air (two per flight) while conserving MiG-29 resources. The concept worked for 40 brTA, but it was not until 2010 – when funds enabled delivery of freshly overhauled L-39Cs and modernised L-39M1s – that other PS tactical aviation units were able to adopt it. The process was completed by 2013, and 40 brTA received three L-39M1s from the Odes’kyy Aviatsiynyy Zavod (OAZ, Odessa Aviation Plant) to replace L-39Cs reassigned to other units. The brigade had received a major boost in 2008-09, when 9 brTA at Ozerne
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MiG-29 type 9.13 ‘31 Blue’ is a former 9 brTA aircraft and received a Ukrainian Falcons scheme for its performance over Kiev during the August 24, 2009 Independence Day parade. It was restored to duty in 2014 and still wears the old scheme.
re-equipped with Su-27s and many of its surplus MiG-29s were divested to 40 brTA. With a need to restore the operational capabilities of the air force’s two other MiG-29 units in time for the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, 40 brTA transferred at least four MiGs to 204 brTA at Bel’bek, which was suffering from the worst availability of the MiG-29 units.
The jets were overhauled at the Lvivs’kyy Derzhavnyy Aviatsiynyy Remontnyy Zavod (LDARZ, Lviv State-owned Aircraft Repair Plant) before they were handed over. In 2010, 40 brTA began taking delivery of four upgraded MiG-29MU1 airframes, plus a MiG-29 type 9-13 and two MiG-29UBs overhauled at LDARZ; all had been delivered by the end of 2013. A modern KTS-21M
simulator accompanied the MiG-29MU1s, enabling various mission scenarios to be practised in the sim, including formation flying and weapons delivery. Each 40 brTA pilot accumulates a minimum of 30 hours in the simulator annually.
Combat over the Donbas
In April 2014, 40 and 114 brTAs each detached a flight of four MiG-29s to Dnipropetrovs’k International Airport, a forward deployment base for aircraft operating in the Donbas ATO zone. They were soon joined by 204 brTA pilots who joined with colleagues from all three units to fly the pooled aircraft. These maintained constant combat air patrols in support of ground forces and frequently flew show-of-force passes. As hostilities in the Donbas gained momentum during summer 2014, the MiG29s flew air-to-ground sorties against rebel supply columns. The weapon of choice was the 80mm (3.15in) calibre S-8 series Above left: The Vasyl’kiv flight line at dusk, with aircraft being checked and prepared for night flights. First in line is MiG-29MU1 ‘11 Blue’, followed by MiG-29 type 9.13 ‘31 Blue’. Left: While Vasyl’kiv air base is a frequent transit stop for army aviation helicopters from units based in western Ukraine on flights to or from Donbas, 40 brTA in turn provides flights of MiG-29s to the forward deployment base at Dnipropetrovs’k International Airport.
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40 brTA history
Above: MiG-29MU ‘11 Blue’ is the second modernised aircraft, delivered in early 2010. It is also a former 161 IAP aircraft (ex ‘07 Blue’). Note the 1,500-litre PTB-1500 auxiliary fuel tank between the engine nacelles.
unguided rocket, although bombs were also used. These efforts began on August 5 and the last was flown on August 29, when combat missions over the region were halted owing to the overwhelming presence of Russian-built surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems on the battlefield. At the peak of the operation, as many as five aircraft each flew up to three sorties per day. Two MiG-29s were lost to enemy action: 40 brTA’s ‘02 Blue’ on August 7 and 114 brTA’s ‘53 White’ on the 17th – both pilots ejected safely and escaped capture. Both units continue their presence at Dnipropetrovs’k, ready for immediate intervention over the ATO zone. With the 2014 conflict over, 40 brTA was assigned its first L-39M and a fourth L-39M1 in 2015, both after undergoing overhaul and modernisation at OAZ. The L-39M adds a new capability, its front cockpit replicating that of the MiG-29 and
Modernised L-39
The first of Ukraine’s upgraded L-39C variants, the L-39M1 officially entered service in 2009. Compared to the L-39C, it has a more powerful 4,079lb (18.14kN) thrust AI-25TLSh engine replacing the old AI-25TL and a solid-state BUR4-1 flight data recorder in place of the original SARPP-12, both of domestic manufacture. The latest L-39M variant officially entered service in 2015 as a further development of the L-39M1, equipped with the BTK-39 training complex. This simulates standard MiG-29 and Su-27 operating procedures up to weapons employment, reducing fighter pilot training costs and enabling pilots to accumulate more
enabling realistic training in basic MiG-29 flight procedures, including simulated or actual weapons employment, at a fraction of the cost of using the fighter. In an interesting turn of events, the third PS MiG-29 unit, 114 brTA at Ivano-Frankivs’k, was prioritised for Fulcrum deliveries in 2016 and received five MiG-29 type 9.13s from overhaul at LDARZ. By the end of November 2016 it had nine MiG-29s from the last five years’ output of overhauled machines, while 40 brTA had only four (the most recent were MiG-29UBs ‘90 White’ and ‘99 White’, which arrived from LDARZ in 2013). Nevertheless, 40 brTA’s operational MiG fleet equalled that of 114 brTA thanks to the large number of aircraft returned from storage since March 2014. Colonel Volodymyr Kravchenko, 40 brTA’s commander, said his unit could place between 10 and 12 MiG-29s at full combat readiness with just an hour’s notice.
flight hours. Among other features, the BTK-39 includes an ILS-39 head-up display (HUD) in the front cockpit, two multi-functional displays (MFDs – MFI-1 in the front cockpit, MFI-2 in the rear cockpit), a PUBR control box (used to switch between combat modes) and an SN3700-03 satellite navigation system. The design authority for the upgrade, OAZ exclusively produces the L-39M1 and L-39M at Odessa. To date the PS has received 13 L-39M1s (including three 204 brTA aircraft previously impounded at Bel’bek in the Crimea) and two L-39Ms. Of these, four L-39M1s and both L-39Ms are with 40 brTA.
L-39M1 ‘102 Blue’ is one of three such aircraft delivered by OAZ to Vasyl’kiv in 2013 after its airworthy L-39Cs were transferred to other units. The ‘PS’ and ‘U-240’ inscriptions in Cyrillic script denote that this is a training aircraft (U) of the air force (PS) belonging to the 2nd squadron (2) of 40 brTA (40). The newer L-39Ms have the additional letter ‘M’ added after the ‘U-240’.
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The new-style emblem of 40 brTA (left) and an older version (right). The latter was introduced in the mid-2000s, when 40 brTA became a PS unit, and is based on the original 40 vynyshchuval’ne aviatsiyne krylo (vakr, fighter aviation wing) marking. Each of the unit’s two squadrons also has its own badge. The unit, today known as 40 brTA or ‘unit A1789’, began its existence as the Soviet 92 Istrebitel’nyy Aviatsionnyy Polk (IAP, fighter aviation regiment) at Uman airfield, Ukraine, on June 16, 1940, a date still celebrated as 40 brTA’s anniversary. Taking an active role in World War Two, 92 IAP was awarded the Order of the Red Banner in April 1945 for its performance in the Budapest offensive. The decoration remained part of the unit’s full title (latterly, 40 ordena Chervonoho Prapora brihada taktichnoyi aviatsiyi) until November 18, 2015, when it was removed under Ukraine’s de-communisation process, which outlawed Communist-era symbols and awards. In 1987, 92 IAP became a MiG-29 operator and in January 1992 its personnel swore allegiance to the independent state of Ukraine. Based at Mukacheve, close to the borders with Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, 92 IAP immediately took up QRA under the supervision of the local Viys’ka Protypovitryanoyi Oborony (VPPO, Air Defence Force) commander. The period following the country’s independence was difficult for every Ukrainian aviation unit as they were constantly downsized or re-formed, and 92 IAP was no exception. By the late 1990s its structure, subordination and numerical designation had changed many times. But the most important change came in July 1993, when it relocated to Vasyl’kiv to replace the disbanded MiG-25 unit that had previously defended Kiev. In late 1999 it was itself almost disbanded, but instead transferred to the VPPO as its sole fighter unit, designated 40 vakr and reporting directly to the VPPO commander. After re-forming into a brigade in 2004, on December 1 of that year it returned to PS control when the VPPO was amalgamated with the air force. Since then it has reported to the Povitryane Komanduvannya ‘Tsentr’ (PvK ‘Tsentr’, Air Command ‘Centre’), also at Vasyl’kiv, and is tasked with defending the central part of Ukraine, including the capital. It has two fighter aviation squadrons with a total, including stored aircraft, of 40 MiG-29s and 12 L-39s (the latter operated solely by its 2nd squadron). In addition, the former 9 brTA, re-formed in 2011 as 39 okrema aviatsiyna eskadryl’ya taktichnoyi aviatsiyi (oaeTA, independent tactical aviation squadron) at Ozerne with ten Su-27s and two L-39s, is directly subordinated to it. The aircraft storage facility at the former Hayok (Bila Tserkva) heavy bomber base is also maintained by 40 brTA.
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MiG-29MU1 The MiG-29MU1 is an upgraded MiG-29 type 9.13 Fulcrum-C, the earlier variant being the standard single-seat PS MiG-29 variant today. The upgrade, designed by LDARZ and undertaken there during overhaul, is very similar to Ukraine’s Su-27 modification programme (see Future-proofed Flanker, September 2016, p78). Improved, more-reliable parts replace some original components in the MiG’s N019 Rubin radar, increasing target detection range by
30%. The original A-323 navigation unit has been significantly bolstered with the inclusion of the SN-3307-01 satnav system. A modified R-862M1 VHF/UHF radio and ICAO-compatible A-511 transponder enable operations from civilian or Western military facilities. Finally, a modified Tester-U3-L flight data recorder and Ekran-13M-4 pilot warning system have been fitted, both with solidstate memory. Officially entering service in late 2009, the MiG-29MU1 was based on a
package LDARZ had implemented on MiG-29s exported to Azerbaijan in 2006 and 2007. The only PS MiG-29MU1 operator, 40 brTA, has six aircraft. The MiG-29 upgrade effort was placed on hold when hostilities erupted in 2014, conserving funds and enabling LDARZ to focus on producing overhauled standard aircraft for 114 and 204 brTAs. The modernisation process began again in 2016, with the first two new MiG-29MU1s joining 40 brTA in December.
MiG-29MU1 ‘11 Blue’ moments before take-off. The small white antenna associated with the satcom system is clearly visible on the spine, behind the pilot’s cockpit. This is a tell-tale feature of the MiG-29MU1.
Above: MiG-29UB ‘99 White’ immediately after take-off, with landing gear and instructor’s periscope retracting. The aircraft took part in the large training meet organised for young MiG-29 pilots at Ivano-Frankivs’k and Luts’k air bases from October to December 2016.
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In December 2016, 40 brTA unexpectedly received its first overhauled MiG-29s since 2013, a pair of upgraded MiG-29MU1s, the first to come out of LDARZ since late 2012. In addition, a second L-39M arrived from OAZ.
High tempo
The unit has been able to maintain regular training, despite the poor weather typical of Ukraine’s winter. The work includes lowlevel, ground-attack and air-to-air sorties – the unit’s aircraft flying at least two or three times per week when weather permits. The Ukrainian media visited 40 brTA on November 23, 2016, for one of the events marking the ZSU’s 25th anniversary (on December 6). Journalists were shown the KTS-21M simulator and MiG-29s ‘11 Blue’ and ‘31 Blue’ conducted a QRA training launch. On their return to base, ‘11 Blue’ performed a breathtaking low-level display over the main runway, including a barrel roll at high speed and extremely low altitude. Such manoeuvres had been frowned upon prior to 2014, but are now standard PS techniques, since they provide a high probability of defeating modern Russian-built SAM systems. Between October and December 2016, 40 brTA took part in a large training exercise at Ivano-Frankivs’k for the MiG-29 pilots who had graduated during the year, providing instructor pilots and two MiG-29UBs. The exercise moved to Luts’k reserve air base to be closer to the Povurs’k range, and the final, live weapons stage involved many MiG-29s from Ivano-Frankivs’k. All graduates received the ‘pilot 3rd class’ qualification, becoming fully combat capable.
KTS-21M simulator
Produced by Lviv-based Market-MATS, the KTS-21M is a stationary MiG-29 full mission simulator. Built using components of the Soviet-era KTS-21 dating from the 1980s, it retains the original MiG-29 cockpit, but the bulky, obsolete processing unit has been replaced with a state-of-the-art system featuring upgradable software. In addition to the MiG-29 cockpit that emulates the real aircraft’s handling and is provided with 180° horizontal and 45° vertical graphics, the KTS-21M has a secondary pilot workplace equipped with a commercial joystick, throttle and two PC monitors. The secondary station provides minimal visualisation of the cockpit instruments and out-of-cockpit area but allows control of a second aircraft for
formation work or to present the target aircraft during air-to-air combat training. There is also an instructor’s station, providing full control over the two pilot workplaces and simulator systems, enabling the instructor to change the mission and flight parameters at will, and introduce failures in either pilot position. The KTS-21M entered service in 2008. So far, its only PS users have been the Spetsializovanyy Tsentr Boyovoyi Pidgotovky Aviatsiynykh Fakhiftsiv (STsBP AF, Specialised Combat Training Centre for Aviation Specialists) at Mykolayiv and 40 brTA. Elsewhere, 114 brTA’s original KTS-21 is unserviceable, but its pilots are known to have periodically used the KTS-21M prototype at the manufacturer’s facilities.
Above: A 40 brTA pilot demonstrates the main pilot’s workplace in the KTS-21M simulator – a fully functional MiG-29 cockpit – during the presentation to Ukrainian media on November 23, 2016.
Active 40 brTA aircraft Serial No
Construction No
Type
Remarks
01 White*
-
MiG-29MU1
Delivered in 2016
02 White*
2960731641
MiG-29MU1
Delivered in 2016
03 Blue**
2960729011
MiG-29MU1
-
04 White*
2960729036
MiG-29MU1
-
10 White
2960721109
MiG-29 (9.13)
Restored aircraft
11 Blue
2960728505
MiG-29MU1
-
19 White
2960729355
MiG-29 (9.13)
Restored aircraft
20 White
-
MiG-29 (9.13)
Restored aircraft
21 White
2960728507
MiG-29 (9.13)
Restored aircraft
26 White
-
MiG-29 (9.13)
Restored aircraft
29 Blue
2960731233
MiG-29MU1
-
31 Blue**
2960731638
MiG-29 (9.13)
Restored aircraft
33 White*
2960731642
MiG-29 (9.13)
Restored aircraft
35 White
2960728171
MiG-29 (9.13)
Restored aircraft
90 White*
50903024156
MiG-29UB
-
91 Blue**
50903017533
MiG-29UB
-
94 White
2960721096
MiG-29 (9.13)
Restored aircraft
99 White*
50903024178
MiG-29UB
-
101 Blue*
934642
L-39M1
-
102 Blue*
934649
L-39M1
-
103 Blue*
934672
L-39M1
-
107 Blue*
934704
L-39M1
Delivered in 2015
109 Blue*
-
L-39M
Delivered in 2016
110 Blue*
934673
L-39M
Delivered in 2015
* In grey digital scheme. ** In Ukrainian Falcons scheme
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F-16 CRASH REPORT
Above: USAF F-16CM 88-0518 ‘HL’ crashed at Bagram, Afghanistan, on March 29, 2016. USAF
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HE USAF’S Air Combat Command has released results of an Aircraft Accident Investigation Board (AAIB) report into the loss of an F-16CM in the CENTCOM region on March 29, 2016, which found the cause to be an engine hardware malfunction. Although it does not identify the location of the crash, as previously reported in Attrition (see AFM, May 2016), the incident is known to have been at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan. The aircraft was 88-0518 ‘HL’ from the 388th Fighter Wing’s
421st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron ‘Black Widows’ at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. The malfunction resulted in an “uncommanded engine rollback” shortly after take-off at 2027hrs local time which triggered an unrecoverable compressor stall. The pilot immediately executed a climb, ejected and only sustained minor injuries. The F-16 was destroyed and the estimated total government loss for this incident has been valued at more than $29m. The crash happened on a two-ship alert scramble from
Bagram. Just after take-off, the pilot witnessed a large explosion around the front of his aircraft, followed by a loud grinding sound and two big thumps, accompanied by significant vibration – at which point the jet was about 20ft (6m) above the runway and travelling at around 200kts. Recognising degraded thrust, the pilot instigated a climb. At 880ft (268m) above the ground, and with rapidly decreasing airspeed and climb rate, he ejected. Despite being in full afterburner, the aircraft crashed
eight seconds later in a rural area within a mile of the runway. The AAIB reported the cause to be material failure of at least one stage-two low-pressure turbine blade in the General Electric F110 engine, which induced an unrecoverable compressor stall. This rendered the engine incapable of providing necessary thrust to maintain continued flight. Evaluation of the engine concluded that the failure was caused by a turbine blade breaking loose, which damaged the other blades within the engine.
Accident Reports D: Jul 15, 2016 N: US Navy/VAQ-131 T: EA-18G Growler S: 168776 ‘AJ-504’ While on the flight line at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington, this aircraft sustained significant engine control system and engine damage after ingesting of PKP (Purple-K Powder), a dry chemical fire suppression agent. Despite the damage, the aircraft is considered repairable. D: Oct 13 N: US Navy/VQ-3 T: E-6B Mercury S: 164408 ‘408’ During a sortie from its home base at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, a bird was ingested
into the No 2 engine of this aircraft, which landed safely without injury to the crew. Inspection revealed damage to the engine compressor blades was such that it’s been categorised as a Class A mishap, with repairs estimated to cost more than $2m. D: Dec 13 N: Indian Air Force/77 Squadron T: C-130J-30 Super Hercules Taxiing for a night mission at Thoise airfield in Ladakh, this C-130 was badly damaged when one wing and a propeller hit a pole and other ground obstructions. A report in the Times of India on February 22 revealed the details.
Above: F-15DJ Eagle 92-8097 on the runway at Naha on January 30. JASDF
Abbreviations: D: Date N/U: Nationality/Units T: Type S: Serials
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Sources say the crew apparently followed what they thought was the centreline of the taxiway but were mistaken and the aircraft did not have sufficient clearance. It was piloted by Gp Capt Jasveen Singh Chatrath, the commanding officer of 77 ‘Veiled Vipers’ Squadron, who has since been relieved of his post. D: N: T: S:
Jan 19, 2017 US Navy/VAW-124 3 x E-2C Hawkeye 165298 ‘AJ-602’, 164483 and 165295 Three E-2Cs all sustained Class A damage in ground incidents, the US Naval Safety Center listing the cause as “improper engine oil utilisation” without giving further details. Officials have since confirmed, however, that a lubricant not approved or specified for their engines had been used, causing damage over a period of time. The aircraft were three of the four assigned to Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 124 ‘Bear Aces’ at Chambers Field, Norfolk, Virginia. With the unit due to deploy as part of Carrier Air Wing Eight (CVW-8) aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H W Bush (CVN 77), all six engines were replaced to prevent delays, and the aircraft joined the carrier on time on January 21. D: Jan 30 N: Japan Air Self-Defense Force/9th Kokudan/204th Hikotai T: F-15DJ Eagle S: 92-8097 The nosewheel of this Eagle detached while it was attempting to take off from runway 36 at Naha at 1320hrs local time. The jet came to a stop on the southern part of the airfield’s only runway, which is used jointly by the JASDF base and Naha Airport, causing its closure for two hours and forcing at least 60 commercial flights to be cancelled or diverted before the Eagle was removed. No injuries were reported and damage to the aircraft appeared to be minor. D: Jan 30 N: Royal Saudi Naval Forces T: AS565MB Panther An unmanned remote-controlled boat filled with explosives struck
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near the Odessa gas field, this aircraft is thought to have been fired on from a gas drilling platform. Back at its base, inspection revealed a 1.2-inch (3cm) bullet hole from small arms fire – believed to have come from one of two Ukrainian platforms captured by Russian troops.
Above: A video still taken from aboard the ‘Al Madinah’ (702) shows the terrorist boat just before it hit the ship and exploded alongside the Royal Saudi Naval Forces AS565MB Panther on the flight deck.
the rear port side of the Royal Saudi Navy frigate Al Madinah (702). One of three such craft being used by Houthi rebels to attack the ship off the Yemen port city of Al-Hudaydah, it hit adjacent to the flight deck and exploded, killing two crew and injuring three others. The ensuing fire was put out and the ship continued its patrol before returning on schedule to King Faisal Naval Base on February 5. But it seems likely that shrapnel from the explosion damaged the Panther, which was lashed down on the flight deck at the time. D: Jan 31 N: French Navy T: Alouette III During a training flight from Base Aérienne Paul Klein, Tontouta, New Caledonia, this helicopter crashed near the Tontouta River at 1641hrs. A Puma rescued the four crewmembers, two of whom were seriously hurt, taking them to a medical facility.
D: Jan 31 N: US Army/101st Airborne Division T: UH-60 Black Hawk Four soldiers were injured when this Black Hawk force-landed with an in-flight fire just after 1100hrs at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. The UH-60 was destroyed. D: Jan 31 N: US Army T: RQ-7B Shadow UAV This UAV lost connection with its ground station during a sortie from Fort Huachuca, Arizona. A search failed to find it but nine days later, on February 9, a hiker found the Shadow, missing one wing and stuck in a tree in mountains west of Denver, Colorado, about 600 miles (965km) away. D: Feb 1 N: Ukrainian Navy T: An-26 S: ‘10 Yellow’ During a training flight over the Black Sea in Ukrainian airspace
D: Feb 3 N: Swedish Armed Forces T: A109E (Hkp 15) During a night training mission, a large bird struck this helicopter with sufficient force to smash and penetrate the cockpit window. It hit the pilot in the face, who was wearing nightvision goggles. This caused injuries serious enough that he could no longer fly. The co-pilot took over and landed safely at nearby Sveg Airport, Härjedalen. D: Feb 5 N: Syrian Air Force T: Su-22M-3 While returning to Neyrab air base, the aircraft crashed on approach, killing pilot Colonel Bassel Saleh. The jet was one of two Fitters deployed to Neyrab a few days earlier from Dmeir air base. D: Feb 9 N: Botswana Defence Force T: C212-300 Aviocar Shortly after take-off from Thebephatshaw Air Base for a flight to Gabarone-Sir Seretse Khama International Airport, the aircraft crashed about 2.5 miles (4km) from the airfield. All three crew were killed.
Above: RC-135W Rivet Joint ZZ665, of the RAF’s No 51 Squadron, makes an emergency landing at Offutt AFB on February 11 after diverting from Nellis AFB with an undercarriage problem. USAF/Delaine Stafford
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Above: Rockwell Commander 695 FAC-5553 at the side of the runway at José María Córdova International Airport, Rionegro, after its landing incident on February 17. José María Córdova International Airport.
D: Feb 10 N: Libyan National Army Air Force T: Mi-24P Two crewmembers were killed when this Hind crashed in the region of the Mabruk oil field, Sirte. A third crewman on board was missing, presumed killed. The helicopter was undertaking air strikes against a Benghazi Defence Brigades (BDB) convoy south of Sirte at the time. During the last radio contact with the Mi-24P, the pilot reported being under heavy ground fire. The BDB claimed they had shot it down. D: Feb 11 N: RAF/No 51 Squadron T: RC-135W Rivet Joint S: ZZ665 Taking part in Exercise Red Flag at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, the aircraft had an undercarriage fault indication and the crew diverted to Offutt AFB, Nebraska, where USAF maintenance personnel are familiar with the type. The RAF requested fieldlevel maintenance assistance from the 55th Maintenance Group, which had the only jacks available for the type. Although the undercarriage retracted, it would not lock. A faulty main undercarriage sequence valve was the cause. The RC-135 was fully mission capable again by February 14. D: Feb 12 N: Algerian Air Force T: Unidentified helicopter During a routine two-ship patrol mission from Ain Arnet, the helicopter crashed in a field in the Ksar El-Abtal municipality, Sebhka, Sétif Province, following a malfunction. Both
crewmembers escaped but were injured and transported to a medical facility at Ain Arnet by the second helicopter. D: Feb 14 N: US Air Force T: MQ-9 Reaper This RPAS was destroyed in a crash at Al-Manin, Marib Province, northern Yemen, Houthi forces claiming to have shot it down. Images of the wreckage showed what appeared to be the remains of a Hellfire missile and a Gilgamesh geo-location system, an electronic surveillance device used by the US military Joint Special Operations Command to locate targets for air strikes by tracking mobile phone signals. D: Feb 15 N: Royal Thai Air Force/ 23 Wing/231 Squadron T: Alpha Jet Instructor pilot Squadron Leader Sukothai Somsrisai was seriously injured after ejecting from the aircraft at around 1115hrs at low altitude over Loei Province during a training flight from 23 Wing’s base at Udon Thani. His student, Flying Officer Puri Julapallop, made a safe emergency landing back at Udon Thani.
Somsrisai was taken to hospital, where he was said to be in critical condition. RTAF spokesman AVM Pongsak Semachai said that, because of the low-altitude ejection, the instructor’s parachute had not fully opened when he hit the ground. D: Feb 17 N: Colombian Air Force T: Turbo Commander 695 Jetprop 980 S: FAC-5553 On landing at José María Córdova International Airport, Rionegro, the aircraft veered to the right – due to a problem with the starboard undercarriage – and slightly damaged the nosewheel. The three crewmembers on board were uninjured. D: Feb 17 N: Swiss Air Force/PC-7 Team T: PC-7 Turbo Trainer Flying as part of the PC-7 formation display team on the second day of a training exercise over the Ski World Championship 2017 in St Moritz, the aircraft clipped a cable supporting an overhead television camera suspended above the finish line. The camera fell to the ground in the middle of the empty finish line area, which interrupted the
D: Feb 23 N: Afghan Air Force T: MD530G-1 S: 261 This helicopter had to make a forced landing and rolled over when it hit the ground in the Dasht-e-Archi district of Kunduz. Although the Taliban controls the area, the crew was rescued safely by a second helicopter. The Taliban then destroyed the MD530. D: Feb 23 N: Belarusian Air Force and Air Defence Corps T: MiG-29 During take-off at 1500hrs from Bobruisk air base in the Mogilev region, the aircraft suffered an engine fire. A defence ministry statement said the jet remained within the confines of the airfield “due to the skilful actions of the pilot”. Local media reports said the fire occurred moments before take-off and the pilot retracted the undercarriage to stop the aircraft quickly. It slid down the runway on its belly before coming to a halt, when the pilot ejected. D: Feb 23 N: Hamas T: Unidentified UAV After taking off from the Gaza Strip and flying towards the Mediterranean Sea, this unmanned aerial vehicle was intercepted by an Israeli Air Force F-16, which monitored it for a few minutes before shooting it down over the sea. D: Feb 24 N: Royal Jordanian Air Force T: F-16 This jet crashed in the Najran region of Saudi Arabia, near the Yemeni border. The pilot, 1st Lt Adnan Naeem Abdulaziz Nabas, ejected safely and landed in Saudi territory. The F-16 was striking Houthi rebels in Yemen as part of the Saudi-led military coalition.
Additional material from: Donny Chan, Scramble/Dutch Aviation Above: Afghan Air Force MD530G-1 261 after its crash on February 23 in Kunduz. Society and Asagiri Yohko.
Abbreviations: D: Date N/U: Nationality/Units T: Type S: Serials
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JAGUAR AT WAR
The attack on Udbina airfield, Operation DENY FLIGHT RAF Jaguars rolling in to dive attack with 1000lb bombs Signed by the Jaguar pilots who flew the mission. Signed & Numbered edition: £75.00 Artist’s Proof with Sqn badge drawing: £120.00 Remarque with Jaguar drawing on border: £235.00 Canvas print (30x20 ins) on stretcher: £300.00 ARITST’S PROOFS & REMARQUES ARE MULTI-SIGNED Print Size: 27x19ins, 700x4800mm - Add £8 P&P (UK) Ordering is easy, Phone 01362 860890, or visit:
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FLASHPOINT
‘Dusty’ goes to war In the first of a new series, Arnaud Delalande reports on the secretive Libyan war record of the Air Tractor – an adapted crop-duster.
B
EGINNING IN 2014 the United Arab Emirates (together with Egypt) has covertly provided aircraft, helicopters, spare parts and technical support to the Libyan National Army (LNA), the military arm of one of two major factions vying for power in Libya. Since the launch of the LNA’s Operation Dignity in May 2014, the UAE has supported the Tobruk Government and General Khalifa Haftar, the main commander of the LNA. On August 17, 2014, two unidentified aircraft bombed a camp belonging to the
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Misrata Hattin Brigade in Wadi Rabie and one of the brigade’s ammunition stores near Tripoli International Airport. One week later, senior American officials speaking to the New York Times revealed that Egypt and the UAE had secretly launched two bombing raids against Islamist-allied militias fighting for the control of Tripoli, the Libyan capital. However, the two countries denied any direct action by their forces in Libya. In 2015 the UAE donated two of its Schiebel S-100 Camcopter unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to the Libyan National Army Air Force (LNA/AF). In June of the same year, the UAE also deployed at least one Air Tractor AT-802U light attack aircraft (serial 2287) to an unidentified Libyan air base. The aircraft’s national markings were hidden, and it was probably joined by another example in the following months. On June 4, 2016, the Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council, a coalition
of Islamist militias that opposes the LNA, released photos of what they claimed to be a “US-made bomb used by Emirates aircraft” in Benghazi in eastern Libya. In fact, this was a Mk82 bomb made in Turkey and fitted with a Paveway guidance kit. This may be the first evidence of the engagement of the Air Tractor in Libya. Indeed, satellite imagery provided by Airbus Defence and Space revealed the presence of six Air Tractors and three UAVs – probably Chinesemade Wing Loong/Pterodactyl Is – at Al-Khadim Air Base in Marj province in July. In early September, Terra Server imagery confirmed the presence at the base of four AT-802s and three Wing Loongs, together with two UH-60 helicopters. By October, the number of Air Tractors at Al-Khadim seems to have been reduced to three (the fourth may have been in flight when the photo was taken) and no more Wing Loongs could be seen on the tarmac, suggesting they had left
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Libya or been relocated to another base. Development of the base accelerated between October and November with the construction of new shelters and reconstruction of a parking area.
Bombings escalate
Above: A still from a video dated November 22, 2016 showing an Air Tractor bombing targets in the Ganfouda area of Benghazi. via Arnaud Delalande Left: Evidence of UAE Air Tractors in Libya first came to light in June 2015 when AT-802U serial 2287 was photographed at an unknown Libyan air base together with local personnel. The aircraft’s national markings were obscured. via Arnaud Delalande Below: Remains of a Turkish-made Mk82 bomb and Paveway guidance kit that came to light in June 2016 may have provided the first proof of offensive operations by Air Tractors in Libya. via Arnaud Delalande
The UAE’s Air Tractor fleet
Above: In April last year two new IOMAX Archangels routed through Malta on delivery to the UAE Air Force and Air Defence. They arrived at Luqa via Jerez in Spain, before heading for Jordan. Ruben Zammit
The UAE Air Force and Air Defence has received a total of 24 AT-802Us, six of which were donated to Jordan in 2013. At least three more were supplied to Yemen in October 2015 and Emirati personnel began to train Yemeni pilots at Al Anad Air Base. As of April 2016, 12 UAEAF&AD AT-802s were flying combat sorties over Yemen as part of the Saudi-led coalition. Four
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of the light strike turboprops were located at Jizan Air Base in southern Saudi Arabia. The first two aircraft in Libya were likely among the last three units delivered to the UAE. After the transfers to Jordan (six) and Yemen (three), it was expected that the 15 remaining Air Tractors would be retired from UAEAF&AD service with the arrival of 24 new IOMAX
Archangels. The Archangel is an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and light attack aircraft similarly based on an agricultural aircraft airframe. However, in December 2016, satellite photos showed three AT802Us deployed at Assab Airport in Eritrea together with five UAEAF&AD Mirage 2000-9s, Win Loongs and various helicopters.
On September 26 last year the Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council claimed that Air Tractors had been involved in 27 bombing missions in the Benghazi neighbourhood of Ganfouda in the previous three months. Its militants claimed that 18 civilians had been killed in eight air strikes on October 4-5 – two carried out by Air Tractors, three by Wing Loongs and three by LNA/AF MiGs (probably MiG-23s). The group claimed on November 4 that AT-802Us had flown 13 bombing missions in the past month. Based on these allegations, AT-802s may have been used on 85% of the bombing missions in the Benghazi area. The limited contribution of LNA/AF aircraft and helicopters is corroborated by the LNA’s own reports, which confirmed six of the nine air strikes claimed by
the militants. This suggests that the figures from the Shura Council are fairly accurate. On November 12, the Shura Council published the first photo of an AT-802 flying over the Ganfouda area of Benghazi. The aircraft carried out a raid that reportedly killed at least four civilians. Furthermore, the Benghazi Medical Centre reported the death of 17 people on November 14 during the course of nine air strikes by Wing Loongs and six by LNA/AF MiGs and helicopters. In the first half of November, a total of 44 raids were carried out in Ganfouda, including six by AT-802s, 17 by Wing Loongs and seven by LNA/AF MiGs and helicopters. At least nine reconnaissance missions were carried out by S-100 Camcopters. In January 2017, reports began to circulate that the pilots deployed to fly the Air Tractor at al-Khadim are not from the Emirates, but are private contractors (most of them American) working for a private military contractor. Whatever the identity of those flying the AT-802s in Libya, the former cropduster – known as ‘Dusty’ by those who fly it – has clearly established a niche in the country’s on-going civil war.
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Su-25SM FROGFOOT UPGRADE
prepares for the fight Tomislav Mesarić examines the capabilities of the Su-25SM3, which represents the most advanced Frogfoot in Russian service.
I
N EARLY JANUARY 2017 a poor quality photograph of an Ilyushin Il-76 transport leading four Su-25s appeared on social media, accompanied by speculation that they were on their way to Hmeymim air base in Syria. A few days later, Russian Ministry of Defence spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov confirmed the rumour, emphasising that the aircraft were part of a planned rotation in the war zone, not reinforcements. Indeed, a similar number of Su-24M bombers subsequently withdrew from Hmeymim. The small number of aircraft involved suggests that the deployment might be a combat evaluation of a new system, in which case the jets could represent the latest Su-25SM3 standard – of which five examples were apparently delivered to the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) in 2016. Other sources claim the Su-25SM3 will deploy to theatre no earlier than August or September. Whatever the case, the Su-25SM3 will be used in Moscow’s campaign in Syria. However, the question of how
Above: Russian special forces in Syria using the binocular laser rangefinder and the ruggedized tablet computer that are among the equipment used by forward air controllers to call in air strikes. Russian TV
the type fits into operations over Syria remains unanswered.
Free-fall Su-24M
Although the Su-24M was designed as a battlefield air interdiction platform, it has been first choice for VKS strike missions since the Syrian campaign began; its SVP24 nav/attack suite enables it to hit targets with reasonable accuracy using cheap free-fall bombs (Russia has few guided bombs). It is also compatible with the Metronome command and control system. The first such equipment in Russian service, Metronome was tested during the Caucasus-2012 exercise. It involves a forward air controller using range-finding
binoculars to acquire target co-ordinates. These are inserted into a ruggedised tablet computer, along with additional standardised target information (type, fortification level, air defences, etc), and then sent by R-853-V2M radio to a battalion command post for authorisation. If the battalion commander authorises the request for air support, the co-ordinates are forwarded to the nearest SVP-24 equipped aircraft (in some operational scenarios, information is sent to the aircraft directly or via an airborne command post, such as the Ilyushin Il-22M). This system of data transfer not only significantly simplifies and shortens the targeting process, but improves safety by eliminating the possibility of introduced errors, since the co-ordinates and other data remain in their original form all the
Right: ‘50 Red’, RF-95489, is among the first upgraded Su-25SM3 aircraft for the Russian Aerospace Forces. Five examples were reported delivered as of December 2016. Evgeny Volkov
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FROGFOOT UPGRADE way from forward air controller to cockpit. The primary difference between the Su-25SM (SM1, SM2 and SM3 variants) and Su-24M is in how their nav/attack suites are employed. The Su-24M’s SVP-24 is primarily used in a ‘bomb on co-ordinates’ capacity, limiting it to stationary targets, although its crew does not have to acquire the aim point at any stage of the attack. Co-ordinates are entered into the aircraft’s ballistic computer, generating flight direction commands that crews follow until the targeting solution is achieved; at this point the bombs are released automatically.
Distinguishing features of the Su-25SM3 variant are the forward-facing sensor under the cockpit and the V-shaped antenna below the tail. Evgeny Volkov
Bombing capability
Used at low altitude and within range of the differential GLONASS ground station (range is typically 150km [93 miles]) the system is said to achieve accuracy close to that of guided bombs, at 10 to 15m (33-49ft) CEP (circular error probable). From higher altitudes, above the threat of man-portable air defence systems (MANPADS) – 4,000 to 5,000m (13,12316,404ft) – accuracy deteriorates to several tens of metres. The decline in accuracy comes through the length of time the bomb is exposed to variations in wind speed and direction (it takes three times longer for a bomb to reach a target from 5,000m than it does from 500m). In contrast, the Su-25SM’s 25SM-1 Bars nav/attack suite is used for ‘bomb-ontarget’ work. Thus it is used to strike moving targets, but the pilot has to visually acquire the aim point before the attack, making for a much higher workload. However, improvements in the model’s man-machine interface, including a headup display (HUD) and colour LCD screen with moving map and overlain tactical information, have eased the burden. The Su-25SM can also employ a much wider selection of guided weapons, but it is not clear how the VKS will capitalise on the capability when it is so short of guided weapons that they are reserved
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for high-value targets. Dropping free-fall bombs from low altitude, the 25SM-1 Bars reportedly achieves accuracy very close to that of the Su-24M/SVP-24. (The SVP24 on the Su-24M uses GLONASS/GPS data but modifies the targeting solution using additional data. The Su-25SM relies solely on the GLONASS/GPS position when used in bomb-on-coordinate mode.) From higher altitudes, accuracy deteriorates considerably more, since the equipment relies solely on satellite navigation positioning data. Attacking from lower altitudes, where the Su-25SM’s nose-mounted laser rangefinder could deliver an improved targeting solution, would increase accuracy, but expose the aircraft to MANPADS. This is probably why the latest Su-25SM3 is equipped with the Vitebsk-25 active self-protection system, which uses a laser to blind the sensitive IR guidance heads of incoming missiles. The SM3 also features the new SOLT25 (СОЛТ-25) nav/attack suite with laser/
TV/IR sensor, which has improved on the 25SM-1 Bars, for operations in challenging weather/visibility conditions. Combined with the other enhancements embodied in the Su-25SM3, SOLT-25 should place the type on a par with, if not ahead of the Su-24M/SVP-24 as a free-fall bomber. Nonetheless, the Su-25SM3 appears to lack Metronome’s rapid targeting capability. Although it is equipped with the latest communications system, based on the frequency-hopping R-999 radio (roughly equivalent to US Have Quick radios), its compatibility with Metronome has yet to be announced. It may be possible to use an Il-22M orbiting close by as a communications node, translating and retransmitting data between Metronome and the Su-25SM3. Perhaps we’ll learn more once the Su-25SM3 is confirmed as operating in Syria – and the VKS may make a decision on whether to upgrade further aircraft to this latest standard.
#349 APRIL 2017 97
NEXT ISSUE
Coming up in AFM In the May issue of AirForces Monthly we mark 30 years of Israel’s F-15 Baz, a fighter that remains as relevant today as it did when it first entered service. The May issue is on sale globally from April 20.*
Photo: Yissachar Ruas * UK scheduled on-sale date. Please note that overseas deliveries are likely to be after this date.
98 APRIL 2017 #349
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KOREAN WAR
North Korea’s invasion of South Korea in 1950 was the start of a three-year-long war that saw Russian and Chinese backed North battling American and United Nations forces in the skies over the 38th Parallel. This 132-page special tells the story of those brave airmen through a series of remarkable interviews and historical analysis. FEATURING: Helicopter Angels The Korean War saw useable helicopters enter the battlefield for the first time The Superfortress Arrives When it came to heavy bombing against North Korean targets, the World War Two-era B-29 was the best the USAF could muster Corsairs and Night Fighting Tigercats The US Marine Corps’ carrier-borne fleet of fighter and attack aircraft joined the fray in August 1950 and were immediately put into action
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