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EUROPE'S MILITARY TRANSPORTS:
PART 1
OCTOBER 2016
ISSUE #343
Gripen Nest
Officially the World's NUMBER ONE Authority on Military Aviation | www.airforcesmonthly.com
Såntenäs
Swedish
Superbase
FORCE
REPORT
Silent Warriors
Royal
Danish
Air Force
Always
Vigilant
Saving Lives
with 202(R)
Sqn
Aéronavale’s
Veteran
Warrior
Retires
Farewell
SEM
EXERCISE
REPORT
Big Thunder
Down Under
UK £4.80
www.airforcesmonthly.com
Pitch Black 2016
F-35 Lightning II
Latest
•
‘Grim Reapers’ Back at Sea
•
‘Green Knights’ Lead the Way
CONTENTS
October Issue 343
46
Glad to be Back!
VF-101 'Grim Reapers' Back on Deck
News
28
Always Vigilant
All the world’s military
aviation news, by region
4-5
Headlines
6-9
United Kingdom
10-11 Continental Europe
12-17 North America
18
Latin America
19
Africa
22
Middle East
23
Russia and CIS
24-25 Asia Pacific
27
Australasia/Contracts
Dylan Eklund visited North
Wales to learn about the role
of the RAF’s only Search and
Rescue Training Unit and explain
its plans for the future.
DeBoer witnessed, was to
complete the third phase of
F-35C development testing.
76
Sunset for
Aéronavale’s SEMs.
52
Gripen Nest
34
‘Green Knights’ and
the Lightning II
The US Marine Corps air
assets will be revolutionised
with the arrival of the F-35B
into service, Ted Carlson/
Fotodynamics investigates
the unit taking the lead role –
VMFA-121 ‘Green Knights’.
Martin Scharenborg and
Ramon Wenink/Global
Aviation Review Press visited
Såntenäs Air Base, the cradle
of Gripen flying and home of
the Swedish Hercules fleet.
Gert Kromhout looks back
over the final years of service
of the Super Étendard
Modernisé (SEM) and its
retirement ceremony in July.
84
FORCE REPORT
Royal Danish Air Force
Søren Augustesen reviews
the Royal Danish Air Force
as it prepares to bring the
F-35 Lightning II into service
and begin operations
with the MH-60R.
60
European Air Force
Transport Survey
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40
Holding the Line at
Luts’k
With their home base undergoing
some repairs, Ukraine’s Su-24
Fencers
deployed to Luts’k to
fly some live-fire exercises.
Vladimir Trendafilovski assesses
this potent strike aircraft.
In this, the first instalment of a
four-part series, Alan Warnes
and other
AFM
contributors
examine Europe’s military
transport fleet, detailing
which nations are operating
the latest types and which
now need to upgrade.
90
Attrition
AFM’s
Dave Allport reports
on the world’s latest
military accidents.
70
EXERCISE REPORT
Pitch Black
94
Base Watch
46
Glad to be Back!
After a ten-year gap, the ‘Grim
Reapers’ of VF-101 returned
to the aircraft carrier. The
unit’s mission, as James
The largest air exercise in the
southern hemisphere, Pitch
Black 2016 involved air arms
from ten nations and 2,500
personnel. Chen Chuanren
reports on the biennial event.
A snapshot of recent military
visitors to air bases around
the UK and abroad.
96
Debrief
Reviews of recently published
books on military aviation.
60
European Air
Transport Survey
Part One
98
Comment
AFM’s
view on military aviation.
Cover:
A JAS 39C Gripen carries
a typical wartime load of two
RBS-17F anti-ship missiles,
two AIM-120s and a pair
of IRIS-T AAMs.
Martin
Scharenborg and Ramon Wenink/
Global Aviation Review Press
www.airforcesdaily.com
#343
OCTOBER 2016
3
ARTICLE SUMMARY
NEWS
HEADLINES
Grobs and Phenoms Being Readied for MFTS
Above:
The second UK MFTS Embraer EMB-500 Phenom 100, ZM334 (c/n 50000375), with its military serial taped over and wearing test registration PR-PHK, on the
ramp at São José dos Campos.
Affinity Flying Training Services
FFINITY FLYING Training
Services’ first Grob 120TP
Prefect for the UK Military
Flying Training Services (MFTS)
contract has made its maiden
flight. The aircraft, ZM300 (c/n
11099), test registration D-ETPJ,
took to the air for the first time
from the manufacturer’s factory
in Germany at Tussenhausen-
Mattsies, Bavaria, on August 31.
A second Prefect, ZM301 (c/n
11100), has also been completed
and was due to follow it into the
air soon afterwards. They are
the first of 23, serials ZM300 to
ZM322, for the MFTS contract
and will be operated from two
Lincolnshire airfields – RAF
Barkston Heath and RAF Cranwell
– replacing Grob Tutor T1s in
the elementary training role.
Over at the Embraer factory
in Brazil, another element of
MFTS is coming together with
completion of the first two
Phenom 100s, ZM333 (c/n as
yet unconfirmed) and ZM334
(c/n 50000375, test registration
PR-PHK). Images published
on August 14 on the Affinity
website showed both to be
A
complete and awaiting flight
testing at the factory in São José
dos Campos, São Paulo State.
Five Phenoms, serials ZM333 to
ZM337, will be delivered to RAF
Cranwell for MFTS, replacing
King Air 350s currently in use
for multi-engine training.
An initial course capability (ICC)
with the Prefect is expected
to be achieved in December
2017, while Phenom 100 ICC
is anticipated in mid-2018.
Further down the line, basic
flying training will be carried
out on a fleet of ten Beechcraft
T-6C Texan IIs, serials ZM323
to ZM332, for which ICC is
planned for December 2018.
These will replace the Shorts
Tucano T1s at RAF Linton-on-
Ouse, North Yorkshire, but the
latter will close and the Texans
will operate from RAF Valley,
Anglesey, in order to rationalise
the number of training bases.
Twenty-nine Airbus Helicopters
H135s are being acquired for the
rotary-wing element of MFTS.
They will be called Junos in UK
service and are expected to
achieve ICC in April 2018. The
first example made its maiden
flight on July 29 – see
First H135
for UK MFTS Flown,
September,
p6. It will be transferred to
the manufacturer’s UK facility
at Oxford-Kidlington Airport,
Oxfordshire, in October for
outfitting with its MFTS-specific
equipment. The Junos will
replace the Squirrels currently
used by the Defence Helicopter
Flying Training School at RAF
Shawbury, Shropshire. For the
search and rescue training role,
three Airbus H145s, to be known
as Jupiters in MFTS service,
will replace Bell 412 Griffins at
RAF Valley. These are planned
to achieve ICC in April 2018.
Above:
The first Grob 120TP Prefect for the UK MFTS contract, ZM300 (c/n 11099), carrying test registration D-ETPJ, about
to take to the air for the first time from the manufacturer’s factory in Germany at Tussenhausen-Mattsies, Bavaria, on
August 31.
Affinity Flying Training Services
Fourth CH-53K King Stallion Flown
A FOURTH prototype CH-53K
King Stallion has joined the flight
test programme. Maiden flight
of this additional development
helicopter from West Palm
Beach, Florida, was announced
by Sikorsky on September 2.
The first three CH-53K heavy
lift helicopter Engineering
Development Models
(EDMs) made their first
flights on October 27, 2015;
January 22, 2016, and June
21, 2016, respectively.
The US Marine Corps plans to
acquire 200 CH-53Ks, the first
four of which are scheduled
for delivery next year. An
order for long lead parts and
materials has also been placed
for a further four, which are
scheduled for delivery in 2019,
when USMC initial operating
capability is anticipated. The
Marine Corps intends to stand
up eight active duty squadrons,
one training squadron and one
reserve squadron with the type.
4
OCTOBER 2016 #343
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ARTICLE SUMARY
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Portugal Pepares First Romanian F-16s
PORTUGAL IS preparing the
first of 12 former Força Aérea
Portuguesa (FAP – Portuguese
Air Force) F-16A/Bs for delivery to
the Forţele Aeriene Române (FAR
– Romanian Air Force). During a
visit to Base Aérea No 5 at Monte
Real, home of the FAP F-16 fleet,
Portuguese President Marcelo
Rebelo de Sousa, was shown
progress on the FAR F-16s.
Completed and out on the
ramp during the President’s
visit on September 2 was F-16B
15137, still wearing its FAP
serial but painted in a new
three-tone grey camouflage
scheme. It has not yet had FAR
nationality markings applied.
First deliveries to Romania are
planned for later this year.
The FAR is acquiring 12
F-16A/B Mid-Life Update aircraft
from the FAP, comprising
nine single-seat F-16As and
three twin-seat F-16Bs.
A contract for them was
signed on October 10, 2013
– see
Romania Finalises
Purchase of F-16s from Portugal,
December 2013, p10.
Below:
CAE Grob G120TPs D-EGAP and
D-EGAQ arriving at Dothan Regional
Airport, Alabama, on July 27 for the
new US Army fixed-wing flight training
programme.
CAE Inc
Above:
Former Portuguese Air Force (FAP) F-16B MLU 15137 at Base Aérea No 5 at Monte Real on September 2 after painting
in Romanian Air Force camouflage.
FAP-EMFA
First Grob 120TPs Arrive for US Army Training
CAE USA has taken delivery
of the first three of six Grob
G120TP aircraft that will be
used for the United States
Army Fixed-Wing Flight Training
programme. The company
announced their arrival on
August 31, although delivery
to their new base at Dothan
Regional Airport, Alabama, had
taken place over a month earlier,
on July 27. The company has
begun training its initial cadre
of instructor pilots to prepare
for the first students in 2017.
CAE also announced it is
making good progress on
constructing the new Dothan
Training Center. The facility
will provide training for more
than 450 US Army fixed-wing
aviators annually, as well as
US Air Force C-12 aircrews.
The original contract, awarded
on June 4, 2015, covers an initial
two years, with six one-year
options extending it to March
2024. As part of this deal, CAE
USA is constructing the new
company-owned and operated
training centre in Dothan, which
is near Fort Rucker, Alabama
and the US Army’s Aviation
Center of Excellence (USAACE).
The Dothan Training Center will
support Army Fixed-Wing Flight
Training and be up and running
in early 2017, ready for the start
of operations in the spring.
Rare Visit of PLAAF Y-9
to Thailand
Left:
Chinese People’s Liberation
Army Air Force Shaanxi Y-9 10156
was a rare recent visitor to Thailand,
arriving for the ASEAN Military
Humanitarian Exercise 2016 (AM-
Hex 2016) at Chonburi, which began
on September 1 and ended on
September 9. This is believed to be
one of the first times that a Y-9, an
improved and stretched version of
the Y-8, has been seen outside China.
Also involved were three unspecified
helicopters from China, a Royal Thai
Air Force (RTAF) C-130, C295 from
the Indonesian Air Force and two
Super Pumas from the Republic of
Singapore Air Force.
RTAF
www.airforcesdaily.com
#343
OCTOBER 2016
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