R I A LYSISOWN RUSSIA’S STRATEGIC STRIKES

SY NA OTD
L L A SHO BRITISH TYPHOONS JOIN THE FIGHT
FU R’
NCE
‘FE Volume 17 • Number 2 AMERICA’S BEST-SELLING MILITARY AVIATION MAGAZINE

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ft.
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irc
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‘BLACKJACK’ boost for

UK air power

ATTACK
TYPHOON • F-35B • P-8 poseidon
INTERVIEW WITH SENIOR RAF OFFICER

Russia’s mighty
TU -160 in detail

IN THE
NEWS:
super hornets for
blue angels?
RAFALE CHINA ORDERS NEW
ON THE ‘FLANKERS’
FRONT
LINE
FEBRUARY 2016 UK £4.50

USAF FIGHTERS
A FORCE IN TRANSITION

RICHTHOFEN
EUROFIGHTER EXPANSION

RED TAILS OVER ALABAMA EMBRAER SUPER TUCANO VS

BEECHCRAFT AT-6 WOLVERINE
Embraer F_P.indd 1 16/12/2015 09:08
February 2016 • Vol 17 • No 2

30 Piotr Butowski presents a timely review of the

Tu-160 ‘Blackjack’ as it makes its combat debut

IN THE NEWS INDUSTRY REPORT 70 ‘RICHTHOFEN’ ON THE RISE

6 HEADLINE NEWS
LIGHT ATTACK:
Super Tucano meets the Wolverine
Boeing ends C-17 production, RAF Typhoons
in Syria action and China buys Su-35
8 US NEWS
Blue Angels set to receive Super Hornets and
all the latest unit and deployments news
14 WORLD NEWS
News from Europe and around the globe
including Argentina’s Mirage farewell, plus
all the latest military losses
82 SUPER TUCANO
Santiago Rivas explores Embraer’s
highly-capable Super Tucano, one of
the most popular advanced trainers
and light attack aircraft in service today
The Taktische Luftwaffengruppe ‘Richthofen’
is currently still subordinate to Taktisches
Luftwaffengeschwader 31 ‘Boelcke’, but
the Eurofighter unit is looking forward to
regaining its independence in 2016, as
Stefan Petersen describes
78 BUDDY WING
Training between the Republic of Korea Air
Force and the United States Air Force is a
near-daily occurrence in the Korean theatre.
Jake Melampy investigates one such training
program — known as ‘Buddy Wing’

96 CUTTING EDGE
20 Combat Aircraft’s monthly column reporting
from the front line of aerospace technology,
by David Axe

90 HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLVERINE

Though Embraer claims that its A-29 Super Tucano is the most successful turboprop light attack
and advanced training aircraft on the market, it has strong competition in the shape of the
Beechcraft AT-6 Wolverine. Jon Lake reports

COMBAT REPORT:
RUSSIA’S SYRIA MISSION
Combat Aircraft evaluates November’s Su-24
‘Fencer’ shoot-down by a Turkish F-16 and the
recent strategic missions over Syria

40 RAFALE ON THE
FRONT LINE
Henri-Pierre Grolleau details how the
Dassault Rafale has been at the forefront of
French combat operations in Africa and the
Middle East

46 RED TAILS OVER ALABAMA

Jamie Hunter meets the 187th Fighter Wing,
a proud and famous unit flying some of
the oldest F-16s in the US Air Force. With
exclusive images from Jim Haseltine

54 A FORCE IN TRANSITION
PLUS SUBSCRIBE AND

SAVE
Despite its push for an all-stealth fighter
fleet, the US Air Force will need to maintain
Our ‘Under the Radar’ column details the
its older fighters for the foreseeable future, to
UK defense review
re-evaluate longer-term plans and be open
to some radical options, as Jamie Hunter
argues
Subscribe to Combat
ON THE COVER: Aircraft Monthly and
62 UK AIR POWER The mighty ‘Blackjack’. In this issue we make great savings on
Jamie Hunter meets Air Vice-Marshal Gary review Russia’s Tu-160 strategic bomber cover price.
Waterfall to discuss how the recent Strategic as it makes it combat debut.
Defence and Security Review (SDSR) made Sergey Krivchikov See pages
huge strides for British combat air power 60 and 61 for details.
 COMBAT EDGE | FIND US ON
The US Marine Corps theoretically has
an IOC-declared F-35B squadron at its
disposal and ready to deploy should
the mission require it. Jamie Hunter
Inset: Piotr Butowski in the cockpit of a
Tu-160 in 1991. via Piotr Butowski
04
AIR POWER
UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT
A
S I WRITE my final
editorial of 2015,
military air power is
arguably seeing its
most intense level of
public interest and
expert scrutiny in decades.
From the beyond visual range (BVR)
air-to-air ‘kill’ of a Russian Su-24 ‘Fencer’, to
long-range strategic strikes by Russian
bombers, and the British vote to join the
offensive air campaign in Syria — this is all
front-page news.
For the likes of Combat Aircraft, it means
bringing you the expert opinion and
analysis behind the headlines, cutting
through the inaccuracies of mainstream
journalism to provide facts and valuable
views. The ability of our writers to discuss
pertinent topics with senior officers and
end-users, as well as with industry, helps
to offer that balanced opinion.
www.combataircraft.net
Looking ahead to 2016 there will be
several milestones, not least the US Air
Force’s plan to declare initial operating
capability (IOC) with the F-35A in the
summer. The arrival of advanced Russian
surface-to-air missile systems in Syria has
led some to suggest that now is the
perfect time to press the F-35 into
combat action. Dodging advanced
integrated air defense networks is what
the F-35 is all about. Indeed, the US
Marine Corps has already declared IOC
with the F-35B, but continues to operate
AV-8B Harrier IIs in the Operation
‘Inherent Resolve’ theater.
IOC signals that a type could be
deployed for combat if required. Surely, if
there was a pressing requirement to
deploy F-35s, then it would and could
happen. It would seriously mess with the
careful plans that are in place to establish
and deploy squadrons, but it should be
feasible. We must
therefore surmise that the
operational imperative does not
warrant the involvement of the
Marines’ newest fighters, and that
politicians and military leaders have
received sufficient reassurance that the
lethal 400km-range S-400s do not pose a
threat.
To keep track of the latest breaking
news and analysis in the world of military
air power, you can visit our social media
sites and our website:
www.combataircraft.net
Jamie Hunter,
Editor
E-mail: jamie.hunter@keypublishing.com
February 2016
 FEBRUARY 2016 | COMBAT EDGE

CONTRIBUTOR PROFILE PIOTR BUTOWSKI

A
lways journalist specializing in Soviet/
interested in Russian aviation history. Currently he is
aviation, Piotr focused on the present and future status
Butowski has of Russian air power, aviation industry and
been a published aviation technology. He has visited most Russian
writer since 1978. In 1990 aircraft design bureaus, many production
he became a full-time plants and some military air bases, and
aviation writer and fortunately speaks fluent Russian.

05

February 2016 www.combataircraft.net

 [NEWS] HEADLINES

C-17: LAST OF THE LINE

FINAL GLOBEMASTER III LEAVES LONG BEACH
C-17A A7-MAN departs Long Beach on November 29, 2015
en route to Boeing’s facility at Kelly Field in San Antonio,
Texas. The last Globemaster III will receive post-
production modifications before it enters
service with the Qatar Emiri Air Force. Boeing

06
CHINA ORDERS Su-35
FIRST EXPORT SUCCESS FOR ADVANCED ‘FLANKER’

A
FTER WHAT as announced by Sergey Chemezov,
FELT like head of Russian state technologies
endless rounds corporation Rostec.
of negotiations The deal — estimated to be worth
and repeated $2 billion or around $83 million per
rumors, Beijing unit — makes the People’s Liberation
and Moscow finally signed a contract Army Air Force (PLAAF) the first
on November 19 for the delivery of foreign customer of the aircraft,
24 Sukhoi Su-35 fighters to China, and is one of the largest military
Su-35S ‘Bort 08’ seen during its last demonstration at the Zhuhai
Airshow in 2014. In the background is Shenyang’s demonstrator
for the FC-31/J-31 program. via Chinese internet
aircraft contracts signed between the
countries in recent years.
While there are still some
reservations about the accuracy of
the announcement, it is the most
reliable evidence of a contract so
far, especially since Beijing rarely
makes such deals public. The
PLAAF reportedly first announced
its interest in the Su-35 in 2008.
According to Russian reports, China
requested further information
in 2011, and by late 2012 a
preliminary agreement had been
signed. However, it took more than
three years of further negotiations
to hammer out the terms of
technical and financial conditions
prior to delivery, which will begin
in 2016.
Speculation quickly suggested
that China was in fact only
interested in the Su-35’s 117S
engine and that the deal is
otherwise ‘political’. However, it
seems there is another reason
behind the delayed contract
signature. According to some
reports, the PLAAF demanded
major changes compared to the
Russian version, in particular
the use of Chinese cockpit
instrumentation, avionics and the
ability to use Chinese weapons.
A day before the deal was
struck, the Ufa Engine Industrial
Association (UMPO) reported
a meeting with Chinese

www.combataircraft.net February 2016

 HEADLINES [NEWS]

T
Typhoons prepare to leave
HE 279TH AND RAF Lossiemouth in the early
last C-17A built by hours of December 3.
Crown Copyright
Boeing departed
from Long Beach
Airport, California,
on November
29, marking the end of aircraft
production at the plant. Destined
for operation by the Qatar Emiri Air
Force, the Globemaster III made a
final flyover of the complex before
departing for San Antonio, Texas,
where it will receive post-production
modifications at another Boeing
facility. The C-17A will be delivered
to Qatar in early 2016. The aircraft
is one of 10 Globemaster IIIs that
Boeing built after announcing it
would end C-17A production. One of
those aircraft remains unsold and is

RAF DEPLOYS TYPHOONS

stored at San Antonio.

OPERATION ‘SHADER’ EXPANDS INTO SYRIA

representatives. Russian officials
then confirmed that both sides
would further expand co-operation
in the field of aircraft engines, and
that this might also include the
AL-41F-1S (117S) used on the latest
Su-35s. Col Gen Xu Qiliang, the vice
chairman of the Central Military
Commission of China, confirmed
that China is interested in further
strengthening its relations with the
Russian engine industry.
Questions still remain over the
Su-35 contract: is it actually only a
F
OLLOWING A so-called Islamic State (IS) inside Lossiemouth Wing and increasing
VOTE in the British Syria. A pair of the six Tornado GR4s the Tornado detachment to
parliament on already deployed to RAF Akrotiri, eight jets. The Typhoons joined
December 2 to Cyprus, subsequently launched the the Tornados and flew their first 07
expand UK operations first mission into Syrian territory missions on December 4, each
in the Middle East that same evening, attacking IS- Typhoon carrying four Paveway IV
under Operation ‘Shader’, the controlled oil wells in eastern Syria. bombs, plus AIM-120 AMRAAMs
Royal Air Force immediately joined The RAF moved fast to bolster its for self-protection, again striking
coalition partners engaged in Cyprus detachment by adding six the large oilfield at Omar in eastern
air strikes against targets of the Tranche 2 Typhoon FGR4s from the Syria.

ISRAELI SKYHAWK RETIRES

framework for the acquisition of the
117S powerplant, why were only
24 Su-35s bought, and what does it
tells us about the status of China’s
own engine programs? However, it
brings benefits for both sides. Russia
finally has a first export customer
for the Su-35 and, regardless of the
small numbers involved, the PLAAF
will receive a new fighter that brings
new capabilities. The Su-35 provides
China with an insight into the latest
Russian avionics and propulsion
systems, it gives the PLAAF the first
chance to explore thrust-vectoring
engines, and deepens Sino-Russian
co-operation.
According to an un-named top
manager in one of the companies
involved, the contract does not
imply license production of the
Su-35 in China and the ‘customer will
receive the aircraft in a ready-to-use
condition.’ Andreas Rupprecht
AHIT BOWS OUT
ON DECEMBER 13 the Israeli Air
Force staged a ceremony to mark
the retirement of the McDonnell
Amit Agronov
Douglas A-4 Skyhawk (known
locally as Ahit — eagle) after 48
years of service. Once the backbone
of the Israeli attack fleet, with over
300 examples acquired from 1972,
the Skyhawk was also responsible
for advanced jet training, latterly
with the Air Force Academy at
Hatzerim. The last squadron has
now replaced the ‘Scooter’ with the
Aermacchi M-346 Master, locally
known as the Lavi (lion). The first
cadets to complete their initial
training on the M-346 graduated
last June. The final A-4 inventory
included single-seat A-4N and two-
seat TA-4J aircraft serving together
with 102 ‘Flying Tigers’ Squadron.
ALSO THIS MONTH...
Super Hornets for Blue Angels
NAVAIR draws up conversion plans
for demo team. See US News
Argentina retires Mirage
Farewell to a Falklands veteran.
See World News

February 2016 www.combataircraft.net

 [NEWS] UNITED STATES
The Blue
Angels will
trade in their
old Hornets for
Super Hornets.
US Navy/MCS1C
Andrea Perez
NAVY MISSILE TRIALS
INITIAL FLIGHT-TESTING OF the
Lockheed Martin AGM-158C Long
Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM)
began at NAS Patuxent River,
Maryland, on November 3. The initial
airworthiness test was conducted
08 by an F/A-18E equipped with a
mass simulator vehicle designed to
evaluate in-flight structural loads of
F/A-18F BuNo 166968 of VX-31 ‘Dust Devils’ carries the new
AGM-84N Harpoon Block II+ over the Naval Air Warfare Center’s Sea
Test Range. The Navy plans to deliver the Block II+ variant to the
fleet in 2017. US Navy
UNMANNED UPDATE
Fire Scout completes
operational assessment
The unmanned Northrop Grumman
MQ-8C completed a three-week
operational assessment at Naval
Base Ventura County/NAS Point
Mugu, California, on November
20. During the assessment the Fire
Scout made 11 flights totaling 83.4
flight hours that evaluated its system
performance against maritime and
surveyed land targets. Based on the
Bell 407 airframe, the MQ-8C will
www.combataircraft.net
the LRASM on the Super Hornet. The
precision-guided anti-ship stand-
off missile, which will be deployed
operationally in 2018, will provide a
flexible, long-range, advanced, anti-
surface capability against high-threat
maritime targets.
The US Navy has also conducted
the first free-flight test of the new
deliver twice the endurance and
three times the payload capability
as the existing MQ-8B, which utilizes
a Schweizer 333 airframe. It has
a range of 150nm (278km) and a
payload capacity of more than 700lb
(318kg). The MQ-8B has flown more
than 16,000 hours and is currently
deployed aboard the Littoral Combat
Ship USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) in the
Pacific. The MQ-8C has logged 427
flights and more than 730 flight hours
since its first flight in October 2013.
network-enabled AGM-84N Harpoon
missile system over the Pacific
Sea Range near NAS Point Mugu,
California. The inert Block II+ missile,
which was installed on an F/A-18F
flown by air test and evaluation
squadron VX-31, will be capable
of receiving in-flight updates that
improve targeting and its ability to
engage moving maritime targets. The
latest Harpoon variant is expected
to enter fleet service in 2017. The free-
flight missile event was the first end-
to-end functional test from pre-flight
to target impact and proved that the
missile could receive target location
updates through its network-enabled
datalink from an F/A-18 while in
flight. After receiving the updates
the missile successfully acquired a
moving ship target using its active
radar seeker and autonomously
guided itself to impact the target. The
missile, which had already undergone
152 lab-test sessions, 15 aircraft
It is currently scheduled to conduct
its initial ship-based testing in fiscal
year 2017.
RPA expansion planned
Air Combat Command announced
plans to improve its ability to operate
its fleet of remotely-piloted aircraft
(RPAs) in an attempt to normalize
operations and ensure long-term
mission success. Amongst the
140 tasks being undertaken, the
command will double the number of
ground tests and 16 flight tests, will
complete developmental testing
throughout fiscal 2016. The AGM-84N
Harpoon Block II+ also features a new
GPS guidance kit that will enhance its
navigation capabilities.
In related news, Lockheed Martin
has received a $9.1-million contract
to integrate the extended-range
AGM-158B Joint Air-to-Surface
Standoff Weapon (JASSM) with the
B-52H. The Stratofortress will be the
fourth aircraft to carry the turbofan-
powered cruise missile, which has
a range of 500nm (926km). The
bomber will carry the JASSM-ER both
internally on its rotary launcher and
externally on wing pylons. It is already
capable of carrying the shorter-range
baseline JASSM missile on the wing
pylons. Integration with the B-1B and
the F-16C is already under way and
should be completed by 2018. The
effort to equip the F-15E with the
missile will follow.
RPA squadrons and create a
new wing ‘to normalize organizational
and command and control structures
relative to other weapon systems’.
In addition, it will standardize the
squadron, group and wing structure
and assign RPA units to new locations
that could include overseas facilities.
The command will increase RPA
manning by 2,500-3,500 airmen and
streamline processes to better enable
reserve component forces to support
the mission.
February 2016

SUPER HORNETS FOR BLUE ANGELS
BOEING SET TO MODIFY AIRCRAFT FOR DEMONSTRATION TEAM
N
AVAL AIR
SYSTEMS
Command
(NAVAIR) has
starting initial
planning work
to enable the US Navy Flight
Demonstration Squadron (USNFDS),
the Blue Angels, to transition
from the F/A-18 Hornet to the
An EA-18G
electronic
warfare officer
demonstrates
use of the
Windows-
based tablet
in the rear
cockpit of
a Growler.
Boeing
GROWLER EMBRACES THE TABLET
THE US NAVY and Boeing have
demonstrated an advanced
targeting processor, an open
architecture high-bandwidth
data link and a Windows-based
tablet integrated with the mission
system, to enhance the EA-18G
Growler’s ability to detect targets
over longer distances and share
information more rapidly. ‘This
enhanced targeting capability
provides our aircrews with a
significant advantage, especially
in an increasingly dense threat
environment where longer-range
targeting is critical to the fight,’
comments CAPT David Kindley,
US Navy F/A-18 and EA-18G
program manager. Use of the
tablet device integrated with the
aircraft mission system was a first
February 2016
F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. Boeing is
set to receive a contract to cover
the development of engineering
changes required in order to modify
the Super Hornets to Blue Angels
team configuration. The effort is
known officially as ECP 6480 ‘Navy
Flight Demonstration Squadron
(Blue Angels) Super Hornet
Conversion’.
for a Navy aircraft. Growlers will
be retrofitted with the upgrades
while the technology will be
included as standard on all new
aircraft currently in production.
Dan Gillian, Boeing F/A-18 and
EA-18G programs vice-president,
added: ‘This long-range targeting
technology is essential as we
advance electronic attack
capabilities for the conflicts of
today and tomorrow.’
The work is part of the
ongoing Fleet Experimentation
(FLEX) initiative to expand the
capabilities of the EA-18G in
working with other platforms
such as the E-2D Hawkeye to
evolve capabilities to passively
identify and develop target-
quality tracks.
The Blue Angels currently operate
a mix of single-seat F/A-18A and
F/A-18C aircraft as well as two-seat
F/A-18Bs and F/A-18Ds. The team
has operated the ‘legacy’ Hornets
since transitioning from the A-4F
Skyhawk in 1986. Conversion to the
F/A-18C/D began in 2010. Its current
inventory includes three F/A-18As,
15 F/A-18Cs, a single F/A-18B and
UNIT NEWS
Newest fighter squadron
formed
The second of the original 10
detachments assigned to the
495th Fighter Group at Shaw AFB,
South Carolina, was elevated
to full squadron status on
November 8 when Detachment
176 was activated as the 378th
Fighter Squadron. The squadron
is stationed at Dane County
Regional Airport-Truax Field in
Madison, Wisconsin, alongside
the Air National Guard’s 115th
Fighter Wing. Its active-duty pilots,
maintainers and support personnel
share the responsibility for flying
and maintaining the F-16Cs
assigned to the Air Guard’s 176th
Fighter Squadron as an associate
unit. The activation is a part of the
USAF’s Total Force Integration (TFI)
program that aligns active-duty and
reserve components to increase
overall mission efficiency.
Tanker unit to grow
Air Force Reserve Command’s 931st
Air Refueling Group at McConnell
AFB, Kansas, will be elevated
to wing status in early 2016. In
addition, the wing will establish
several groups including the 931st
Operations Group, which will
assume responsibility for the 18th
Air Refueling Squadron, and two
new squadrons will be activated
as the 905th and 924th Refueling
Squadrons. The moves come as part
of the plan to transition McConnell’s
22nd Air Refueling Wing from the
UNITED STATES [NEWS]
two F/A-18Ds. The Super Hornets
will likely require several of the
changes that were made to the
earlier Hornets including removal of
the gun and missile launchers and
modifications to the fuel system that
will allow the aircraft to conduct
sustained inverted maneuvers,
as well as provision of a smoke
generating system.
KC-135R to the KC-46A. The
newly-designated 931st Air
Refueling Wing will be the first
associate wing to operate the
Pegasus, and will gain nearly 400
personnel under the expansion.
McConnell is scheduled to be the
first main operating base (MOB) 09
for the KC-46A; the 22nd ARW is
scheduled to begin receiving the
new tankers in late 2016.
‘High Rollers’ transition
The Nevada Air National Guard’s
152nd Airlift Wing is upgrading its
Hercules fleet and is transitioning
from the C-130H2 variant to the
C-130H2.5 and H3. When the
transfers are complete in early
2016, the ‘High Rollers’ will operate
two of the former and six of the
latter models. Based in Reno,
Nevada, the unit has flown the
Hercules since 1996. The C-130H2s
first arrived in 2002.
Skytruck transfer
Air Force Special Operations
Command’s fleet of C-145A
Skytrucks was reduced to the
planned complement of five
aircraft when two of them
were transferred to the Arizona
Department of Public Safety.
The PZL M28-05s retained their
assigned civil registrations when
they were formally re-registered
to the agency on November 10.
Nine additional C-145As have been
placed in storage at Davis-Monthan
AFB, Arizona.
www.combataircraft.net
 [NEWS] UNITED STATES

A 1st FW F-22 leads an RAF Typhoon

and a French Air Force Rafale C from
the 4e Escadre de Chasse.
USAF/SrA Kayla Newman

FUTURE
FIGHT
LANGLEY HOSTS INAUGURAL ‘TRILATERAL’ EXERCISE

IN BRIEF JSTARS RECAPITALIZATION MOVES FORWARD

EMARSS award
The US Army has selected the
L3 Communications Mission
Integration Division to carry out
modifications associated with
10
the Enhanced Medium-Altitude
Reconnaissance and Surveillance
System (EMARSS) program.
It awarded the contractor a
$129.7-million contract to modify
13 quick-reaction capability
King Air aircraft to EMARSS
configuration. The work will be
carried out in Greenville, Texas,
and should be completed by
November 23, 2019.
THE USAF’S PLAN to replace its fleet
of 16 E-8C Joint Surveillance Target
Attack Radar System (JSTARS) aircraft
moved a step closer to reality on
December 10, when the Pentagon’s
under-secretary of defense gave
authority for the program to move
to the next phase in the acquisition
cycle. The Milestone A approval
allows the program to proceed into
the technology maturation and risk
reduction phase.
The E-8C replacement program
was formally launched in August
2015 when the USAF awarded
three separate competitors pre-
engineering and manufacturing
development contracts worth
around $31.4 million, but it was
denied a Milestone A approval
in September. The Air Force now
intends to release a request for
proposals (RFP) for the engineering
and manufacturing development
contract early in 2016, with an award
for the EMD effort following in 2017.
As part of the efforts the service
will also award ‘up to two radar risk
reduction contracts’.
The service’s initial plans called for
the new aircraft to achieve initial
operational capability in fiscal 2022,
but that milestone has been pushed
back to fiscal 2023.
Although the JSTARS system
is currently fielded on Boeing
707 airframes, the replacement
will make use of a much smaller
platform. Northrop Grumman,
which is teamed with Gulfstream
Aerospace and L-3 Communications,
intends to offer a Gulfstream G550,
while Lockheed Martin is working
with Bombardier and its proposal
will be based on the latter’s Global
6000 business jet. Boeing plans
to offer a modified version of its
737-700 commercial airliner. The
air force plans to begin retiring
the E-8C fleet in 2019 and to fully
replace it by 2026.

Final MH-65D conversion
completed
The US Coast Guard Aviation
Logistics Center finished
conversion of the final MH-65C
to MH-65D configuration in
late November 2015. Upon
completion, tail number 6532
departed Coast Guard Base
Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and
was delivered to Coast Guard Air
Station Kodiak, Alaska.
Seahawk contract
Sikorsky Aircraft has received
a $354.2-million contract that
covers the purchase of 29 MH-60R
helicopters for the US Navy. The
Fiscal 2016 effort is part of the fifth
year of a multi-year contract.
‘FORGING SABRE’
MILESTONE
HERCULES F-15SG Strike Eagles from the 428th Fighter Squadron ‘Buccaneers’
DELIVERY at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, deployed to Luke AFB, Arizona, on
November 19, to operate alongside fellow Republic of Singapore Air
LOCKHEED MARTIN DELIVERED Force (RSAF) F-16C/Ds from the 425th Fighter Squadron. Exercise
the 2,500th Hercules airlifter on ‘Forging Sabre’, involving the two US-based RSAF squadrons, was
December 11 when HC-130J held between December 1-13. USAF/SrA James Hensley
serial 13-5782 made the short
flight from Dobbins Air Reserve
Base in Marietta, Georgia, to
Moody AFB in Valdosta. Upon
arrival at Moody, the Hercules
joined the fleet of the 347th
Rescue Group’s 71st Rescue
Squadron. Lockheed delivered
the first production Hercules to
the US Air Force in 1956 and the
aircraft has been in continuous
production for more than 60
years.

www.combataircraft.net February 2016


S
IMPLY DUBBED
‘TRILATERAL
Exercise’ or ‘Trilat’,
the 1st Fighter
Wing at Joint Base
Langley-Eustis,
Virginia, hosted this ‘anti-access/
area denial’ exercise in the first
two weeks of December. It
brought together the wing’s
F-22 Raptors with eight Royal
Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon
FGR4s from No XI Squadron and
six French Air Force Rafale Cs
between December 2-18. Col Pete
Fesler, commander of the 1st FW
comments: ‘The RAF and French
Air Force are our vital strategic
CAG-BIRD CORNER
‘BLACK ACES’ LOW DOWN
VFA-41 ‘Black Aces’ has completed application of a special color
scheme to mark the squadron’s 70th anniversary. Its ‘CAG-bird’
F/A-18F (BuNo 166842/NG-100) is seen at low level in California on a
training mission from NAS Lemoore in late November. Norman Graf
UPGRADED SENTRY DEPLOYED
AN UPGRADED BLOCK 40/45 E-3G
Airborne Warning and Control
System (AWACS) aircraft began the
type’s first combat deployment on
November 18 when it departed
Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, for the
US Central Command area of
operations and assignment to
the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing.
Tinker’s 552nd Air Control Wing
operates 27 Sentries, of which
nine have been upgraded to the
latest E-3G configuration. The
wing accepted the first production
model in June and achieved initial
February 2016
partners and allies in the current
fight against extremism, and
will be in any foreseeable future
conflict. The trilateral exercise
gives us an opportunity to train
together in realistic counter-air
and strike scenarios. This training
is critical to ensure that we have
day-one inter-operability for
future contingency operations.’
F-15E Strike Eagles from the 4th
Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson
AFB and resident T-38 Talon
companion trainers from the
71st Fighter Training Squadron
performed ‘Red Air’ duties in
an array of simulated adversary
scenarios.
operational capability in July.
Although the newest variant has
already taken part in counter-
narcotics and domestic air defense
missions in support of US Southern
Command and US Northern
Command, this deployment was
the first to a combat zone. Five
additional Block 30/35 E-3B/Cs
will be upgraded annually until all
have been modified. Operated by
the 968th Expeditionary Airborne
Air Control Squadron, the Sentry
conducted its first combat mission
on November 21.
UNITED STATES [NEWS]
AFSOC SETS OUT AC-130J AMBITIONS
US AIR FORCE Special Operations
Command (AFSOC) has set out
broad plans for its new AC-130J
‘Ghostrider’ gunships. Lt Gen Brad
Heithold, commander of AFSOC,
has said that high-energy lasers are
likely to be a future capability of
the AC-130J. ‘I believe we can put a
high energy laser — offensive and
defensive — on an AC-130 by the
close of this decade,’ he recently
BACN EXTENDED
THE USAF RECENTLY extended
operations of the EQ-4B and
E-11A Battlefield Airborne
Communications Node (BACN)
platforms through June 2016
and awarded a $120-million
contract to Northrop Grumman
to support the systems in
Afghanistan. The fleet, which
includes four Bombardier Global
Express E-11As and three Block
20 EQ-4B Global Hawk remotely-
piloted aircraft, provides a
DEPLOYMENT NEWS
Moody Combat King II deploys
The 23rd Wing’s 71st Rescue
Squadron began its first deployment
with the HC-130J when two Combat
King IIs departed Moody AFB,
Georgia, on November 27. More than
60 aircrew, support and maintenance
personnel are supporting Operation
‘Inherent Resolve’. The squadron,
a component of the 347th Rescue
Group, received its first HC-130J
in July 2013 and retired its last
HC-130Ps in September 2015.
Air Guard deployment plans
Air National Guard F-15Cs will
replace the 23rd Wing’s A-10Cs
during the next Theater Security
Moody ‘Hogs’ in Europe
The 74th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron deployed eight A-10C Thunderbolt
IIs to Europe in December. The A-10s arrived initially at Papa Air Base, Hungary,
on December 2 for a two-week stay as part of a Theater Security Package
(TSP), before moving on to Ämari Air Base, Estonia. Tamás Martényi
told reporters. Use of air-launched
mini-drones is also on the cards. This
involves current testing of a Coyote
UAV installed in the Common Launch
Tube already used by KC-130J
Harvest HAWKs to launch Griffin
missiles. The mini-UAV will scan for
targets to be relayed back to the
AC-130J ‘mother ship’, which can
attack with maximum stand-off to
minimise exposure to ground threats.
communications link between
ground forces operating in rugged
terrain. The service is apparently
looking to further extend these
operations through January 2017.
Developed in response to a Joint
Urgent Operational Need, the
BACN provides the capability to
exchange information between
disparate tactical datalink systems,
utilize voice relay, bridge between
different voice systems and share
data via an airborne server. It has
been deployed since 2009.
11
Package (TSP) rotation to
Europe. The Eagle deployment will
initially be led by the Massachusetts
ANG’s 104th Fighter Wing in March
2016 and the California ANG’s
144th Fighter Wing will assume the
responsibility in June. The rotation
will be the fourth European TSP
and the second F-15 package since
tensions with Russia increased
over its incursions into Ukraine.
The deployment will be the first
for the Fresno-based 194th Fighter
Squadron since its conversion to
the F-15C began in 2013. The unit
expects to achieve full operational
capability with the Eagle in early
2016.
www.combataircraft.net
 UK DEFENSE BOOST
On November 23 the British Prime Minister delivered a
speech and report that put UK defense back on an upward
trend in the face of renewed threats around the globe.
report: Jamie Hunter
B
ACK IN 2010 the British
military took something
of a battering in the
government’s first
Strategic Defence and
Security Review (SDSR).
It was to kill off the British Harrier force
and, equally controversially, end the
BAE Systems Nimrod MRA4 program. It
effectively axed UK carrier strike and
maritime patrol — two major
capabilities — in a single blow.
The intervening years have seen two
significant factors at play. Global security
considerations have placed an increased
burden on British armed forces, both in
the form of Russian actions and the rise
12 of the so-called Islamic State (IS). In
addition, the British economy is in a
TAKING A LOOK AT THE HOTTEST TOPICS IN MODERN AIR POWER
stronger position than it was back in
2010. Prime Minister David Cameron said
that the economy ‘remains strong’ and
BK-4 is the UK’s latest
F-35B, seen during
initial acceptance
flying in December.
Carl Richards
www.combataircraft.net
12-13 Under The Radar C.indd 12
that the government is in a position to
‘restore’ the armed forces to strength and
invest in national security as ‘threats to
the country are growing.’
The cull of the Royal Air Force’s
maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) was always
controversial for an island nation. The
end of the Nimrod MRA4, planned for a
production run of nine aircraft, meant
that an off-the-shelf solution would need
to be found, as and when finances
allowed. It was one of those capabilities
with no solution other than to be
‘gapped’. The intervening years have seen
British Nimrod experts being re-posted
under Project ‘Seedcorn’, mainly flying
with the US Navy.
The ‘gapping’ of MPA resulted in the UK
frequently turning to allies as and when
an urgent need arose for maritime patrol
— we’ve seen news reports of US Navy
P-8 Poseidons, P-3 Orions of various
nations, and French Atlantiques being
deployed to the UK in response to a
number of clandestine maritime threats
in recent years. It all served to make a
case to renew the UK’s own maritime
patrol capability as soon as was
financially practicable.
The appearance of two Japanese
Kawasaki P-1 maritime patrollers at the
2015 Royal International Air Tattoo
fuelled speculation that options for
regenerating a British MPA capability
were on the table and that these were
being evaluated. Indeed, newspaper
reports in the lead-up to the SDSR
suggested that a firm announcement on
an MPA was likely.
Rumors had persisted that a lease deal
for P-8s might be a possibility. However,
the formal announcement went much
further and confirmed that the UK was
set to purchase a fleet of nine Poseidons,
to be home-stationed at RAF
Lossiemouth in Scotland.
February 2016
17/12/2015 21:15

The latest SDSR re-affirmed the
commitment to the carriers — HMS
Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince
of Wales — with the carrier strike
capability being ‘accelerated’
Carrier comeback
The other major ‘gapped’ British air power
capability was carrier strike. The
decommissioning of HMS Ark Royal and
the scrapping of Joint Force Harrier meant
that the ability to project air power at sea
would be dead until 2020 and the arrival
of the first of two new Royal Navy aircraft
carriers. The latest SDSR re-affirmed the
commitment to the carriers — HMS Queen
Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales — with
the carrier strike capability being
‘accelerated’.
The UK’s second F-35B squadron (809
Naval Air Squadron) will now receive
aircraft far earlier than previously planned
and will be available alongside No 617
Squadron from 2023 with a total of 24
aircraft. The SDSR also underlined the UK
commitment to purchase 138 F-35s
throughout the life of the program, a
figure many thought was unattainable. In
reality, the full program of record will likely
involve aircraft that will be bought much
February 2016
12-13 Under The Radar C.indd 13
UK DEFENSE REVIEW | UNDER THE RADAR
further down the line and may be used to
replace part of the Eurofighter Typhoon
force. Nonetheless, it represents a
welcome return to investment in combat
air power.
The UK has now received four F-35Bs
(c/n BK1-4), and the first 14 operational
F-35Bs have already been authorized
under the Main Gate 4 approval process,
10 having been contracted to date. Of
those operational jets so far contracted,
the first four are to be built under the
low-rate initial production (LRIP) Lot 8
contract, with the second batch of six
following in LRIP 9. The full order of 138
aircraft is currently planned to be
approved in the Main Gate 5
announcement in 2017.
No 617 Squadron ‘Dambusters’ will
return to the UK from its initial re-
formation in the US in the summer of 2018
and in December of that year will declare
initial operating capability for land-based
operations. The second unit, 809 NAS
‘Immortals’, will be established ahead of
sea trials aboard HMS Queen Elizabeth in
2018. Full operating capability (land and
maritime) for the F-35B will be declared in
2023. Under previous plans, the UK had
committed to just 48 F-35Bs, of which only
eight would have been ready for use on
the carriers by 2023.
Typhoon reprieve
Threatened cuts for the RAF Typhoon force
were reversed by the SDSR to an extent, in
as much as the early Tranche 1 aircraft will
not now be retired by 2020. Under the
latest plans, the RAF will have seven
front-line Typhoon squadrons by 2025.
The resurgence of combat air power is
something that could not have been
foreseen five years ago. The retention of
the Tranche 1 Typhoons is particularly
significant. These aircraft have only been
in service for a maximum of 10 years and
extending their service life to 2030
represents a sensible way to produce the
increased combat air ‘mass’. While
recognizing that these early Typhoons
are best suited for the air-to-air role, it
means that the multi-role Tranche 2 and
Tranche 3 aircraft are freed up from quick
reaction alert duties in order for them to
soak up the weight of the RAF’s force 13
projection effort.
For more on the SDSR see our report on
page 62.
www.combataircraft.net
17/12/2015 21:15
 [NEWS] WORLD

ARGENTINA RETIRES MIRAGE

O
FAA BIDS FAREWELL TO A FALKLANDS VETERAN
N NOVEMBER
29 the Fuerza
Aérea Argentina
(FAA) retired its
Dassault Mirage
combat fleet with
a public event at Tandil, home of the VI
Brigada Aérea.
The ceremony placed a strong
emphasis on the 1982 war for the
Falkland Islands (or Malvinas, as they
are known in Argentina). During the
Falklands War the VI Brigada Aérea
lost 13 aircraft, and to mark this each
aircraft involved in the retirement
event carried an emblem depicting
the islands. One, wearing the 1982-
era camouflage scheme, even wore
markings in recognition of British ships
sunk during the campaign.
The FAA began Mirage operations
in 1972, but the number of airworthy
aircraft has gradually diminished and
since 2012 only one ‘Mirage’ squadron
14 has been active, equipped with a
mix of Mirage III and Israel Aircraft
Industries (IAI) Dagger and Finger jets.
Only a few of these were acquired
new, the majority being purchased
second-hand.
The IAI aircraft were not original
Mirages, but Israeli versions of the
Mirage 5 ground attack aircraft, albeit
with components provided primarily
by France, and known in Israel as
the Nesher. After retirement from
Israeli service they received upgrades
before being sold to Buenos Aires as
Daggers and Fingers between 1978
and 1980.
Further second-hand Mirages
were supplied by Peru. Argentina’s
President Cristina Fernández de
Kirchner underlined this fact during
a visit by her Peruvian counterpart,
Ollanta Humala. Kirchner spoke
of a ‘very special love for Peru’ and
stressed Peru’s ‘invaluable help for
the Argentine Air Force during the
Falklands War’. She also recalled that
‘Peru provided Argentina with combat
aircraft and pilots’. The aircraft came in
the form of 10 Mirage 5P Mara fighters,
intended to replace Falklands losses.
To commemorate this, one of the two
aircraft that received ‘retro’ camouflage
colors was painted in a Peruvian
Mirage 5 scheme.
Until the procurement of new
combat aircraft for the FAA, only
the IA-63 Pampa is available as a
‘transitional’ fighter. The critical
situation as regards provision of a true
Mirage successor has been imposed
upon the FAA partly by external forces.
After the end of Argentina’s military
rule in December 1983, acquisition of
a new fighter was for many years not
a priority for successive democratic
governments. Then came serious
financial problems and the collapse of
the economy, including bankruptcy in
the early 2000s.
At times, a new acquisition has
also been hindered from outside
Argentina’s borders, for example
when it expressed interest in the Saab
Gripen. The United Kingdom was
quick to make it clear that it would
veto such a move, since a considerable
portion of the Gripen’s components
are of British origin. Political
considerations with regard to the UK
and the United States meanwhile
prevented the supply of second-hand
Spanish Air Force Mirage F1s.
An obvious solution might have
been to revive the old Israeli-Argentine
connection. Accordingly, the two
Above: Dagger T serial C-630 performs at Tandil in specially-applied
Peruvian-style camouflage. Alexander Golz
countries signed an agreement for
the supply of 14 IAI Kfir Block 60s from
Israeli Air Force reserve stocks, valued
at approximately €300 million. Before
delivery these were to be repaired
and modernized by IAI, including the
addition of new EL/M-2052 radars
from its Elta Systems subsidiary. After
a change of government in Argentina,
however, the contract has yet to be
implemented. The FAA has criticized
plans for the first six aircraft to be
delivered after a wait of 18 months
and without weapons. Furthermore,
Israel insists on carrying out the
upgrade work domestically.
Perhaps the future of fighters at
Tandil will have to depend on Russian
or Chinese technology in order
to circumvent political obstacles.
Alexander Golz

Below: Finger IIIB serial C-408 was returned to its original camouflage, as
worn during the Falklands War, including ship-kill markings on the port
side of the nose. Alexander Golz

www.combataircraft.net February 2016

 WORLD [NEWS]
via Chinese internet
FIRST ITALIAN
F-35A DELIVERED
IN AN EVENT that marked the
delivery of the first Joint Strike
Fighter outside the United States,
an initial Lockheed Martin F-35A
for the Italian Air Force (AL-1)
was delivered on December 3
at the final assembly and check
out (FACO) facility at Cameri.
This makes Italy the sixth nation
to receive the F-35. AL-1 was
rolled out in March and first flew
on September 7. Italy’s first two
pilots have begun F-35 flight
EIGHTH J-20 UNDER TEST
ON NOVEMBER 24, in a surprising the aircraft features a modified December 3, previous prototype
training at Luke AFB, Arizona, development, Chengdu flew the canopy with a somewhat enlarged ‘2016’ was transferred to Xi’an-
where Cameri-built F-35As will eighth prototype J-20 fighter, ‘2017’. ‘bubble’, and the original head- Yanliang, meaning that seven of the
be delivered in 2016 to support The aircraft was rolled out the same up display (with a slightly larger eight aircraft are now at the China
international pilot training. day. Compared to earlier prototypes, frame) has also been reinstated. On Flight Test Establishment (CFTE).

SPAIN CUTS
ATLAS FLEET
SPAIN HAS COME to an agreement
with Airbus Defence and Space to
reduce its initial purchase of A400M
transports to 14. It will seek to offload
the remaining 13 aircraft to which it is
committed. The Spanish Air Force will
receive 14 A400Ms from 2016-2022. 15
If a buyer cannot be found for the
surplus examples, a decision will then
be made on the fate of the second
tranche of aircraft.
Egypt is understood to be close to
placing an A400M order and may
take the surplus Spanish aircraft.
Cairo might buy up to 12 aircraft A model of KAI’s twin-engined KF-X proposal for a new-generation stealthy fighter to replace Republic of
Korea Air Force F-4s and F-5s from 2025. Dr Andreas Zeitler
for €1.8 billion. Jordan, Mexico and
the United Arab Emirates are also
interested in the A400M. Spain is to INDONESIA SIGNS PARTNERSHIP
purchase three A330 Multi-Role Tanker
Transports (MRTTs) in 2016. DEAL WITH KOREA FOR KF-X
KOREA AEROSPACE Industries for the Indonesian share of design According to a report in the Korea
PHILIPPINE FA-50S (KAI) and Indonesia have agreed and development and will receive Times, the government in Seoul is
ARRIVE an investment deal for the KF-X one of the six planned prototypes. facing increasing calls to re-start
Korea Aerospace Industries future fighter. It covers proposed The KF-X is intended to enter KF-X and to cancel the F-35 deal,
(KAI) has begun deliveries of the investment and work-share production in 2025. Indonesia in light of current and anticipated
FA-50PH light combat aircraft to the arrangements for the development intends to buy 50, while South technology transfer issues. DAPA
Philippines. The first two FA-50PHs of the twin-engined stealthy fighter. Korea will require an initial 120. has apparently already considered
left KAI’s Sacheon facility, arriving South Korea will ultimately pay Meanwhile, a possible blow has the costs involved in canceling
at Clark Air Base, Philippines, on for 80 per cent of engineering and been dealt to the KF-X program the $6.33-billion F-35 buy, with an
November 27. Manila ordered 12 development costs, with Indonesia by a US decision not to sign off estimated figure of $1.2 billion, or
FA-50PHs under a $420-million deal. covering the remainder (worth $1.5 on the transfer of 21 technologies alternatively reducing the number
The remaining 10 aircraft will be billion). used in the Lockheed Martin F-35 of F-35s to be purchased from 40
delivered by 2017. KAI is the preferred developer for Lightning II until 2016. These to 20.
It is reportedly planned to arm the KF-X but awaits a contract from technologies have been requested In related news, reports from
the FA-50PHs with Israeli weapons. the Defense Acquisition Program by Seoul for use in the KF-X project Japan indicate that Mitsubishi
Ultimately, the aircraft will be based Administration (DAPA) to complete and were supposed to be included Heavy Industries aims to fly its
at Basa AB in Pampanga, Subic AB development. PT Dirgantara in the offset deal in return for ATD-X fighter demonstrator during
in Zambales and at Puerto Princesa Indonesia (PTDI) will be responsible Korea’s purchase of 40 F-35s. the first quarter of 2016.
City, Palawan.

February 2016 www.combataircraft.net

14-18 World News C.indd 15 17/12/2015 21:25

 [NEWS] WORLD
SECOND J-11D FLIES
NEW IMAGERY REVEALS DESIGN CHANGES
via Chinese internet
ROTARY ROUND-UP
Bulgarian ‘Hind’ back in service
The Bulgarian Air Force has
returned to airworthy condition
16 a single Mi-24V attack helicopter.
The overhauled and life-extended
aircraft, serial ‘142’, was cycled
through its overhaul at the TEREM-
Letets rotorcraft maintenance
facility at Sofia Airport. The engines,
main gearbox and auxiliary power
unit were overhauled in Russia
and the aircraft received new
main and tail rotor blades plus
explosion-protected bladder fuel
tanks. This Mi-24V (c/n 150724) was
manufactured at Rostov-on-Don
in February 1986. The helicopter
will be approved for operation
for seven years or 1,000 flight
hours, whichever occurs first. The
cost of the work is put at around
€2.39 million. The factory flight-
check flights of the ‘Hind-E’ were
completed on November 20. At
the end of the same month it was
handed over to its home unit, the
24th Air Base at Kumovo.
Alexander Mladenov
Caracal works towards
Exocet capability
Helibras has successfully completed
the first phase of integration tests of
the Airbus H225M (AH-15B) Caracal
helicopter with the MBDA AM39
www.combataircraft.net
Operating Mi-24V serial ‘142’ will allow the Bulgarian Air Force to
retain its attack helicopter expertise until the procurement of a new-
generation helicopter for close air support and anti-armor operations.
Alexander Mladenov
Exocet Block 2 Mod 2 long-range
anti-ship missile. In order to prepare
the helicopter/missile combination
for Brazilian Navy service, Helibras
conducted integration tests in a
three-week period, involving several
simulated launches. In early 2016,
bench analysis will resume, paving
the way for the missile to be flight-
tested on the prototype in Brazil.
Greece to buy Chinooks
The Hellenic Ministry of Defense
has decided to fund the acquisition
of 10 ex-US Army Boeing CH-47D
helicopters. A total of $125.8 million
has been earmarked for the project,
which was initially approved by
Athens in October 2013, then by the
US State Department in December
2014. The heavy-lift helicopters will
be bought through Foreign Military
Sales channels. The Hellenic Army
currently operates a fleet of 14
CH-47Ds.
Indian ‘Hinds’ for Afghanistan
India is to supply Afghanistan with
four former Indian Air Force Mi-25
attack helicopters. The refurbished
aircraft will be handed over to
the Afghan National Defense and
Security Forces (ANDSF) by early
2016. Under a strategic partnership
agreement signed in 2011, New
Delhi has already provided the
ANDSF with three unarmed Cheetal
light utility helicopters.
German H145Ms delivered
Airbus Helicopters has delivered
the first two H145M special
operations helicopters to the
German Army. The aircraft were
handed over at Donauwörth on
December 8. They will eventually
be operated from Laupheim by
Germany’s special operations
command, the Kommando
Spezialkräfte (KSK), which has 15
examples on order. The German
Army’s H145M (LUH SOF) version
is equipped with a fast-roping
system, cargo hooks, hoists,
a pintle-mounted door gun,
ballistic protection and electronic
countermeasures.
Chinook HC6 deliveries complete
Boeing delivered the 14th new-
build Chinook HC6 at RAF Odiham
on December 7, completing
current orders for the United
Kingdom. Delivery of the aircraft
brings the Royal Air Force Chinook
fleet to 60 aircraft, comprising 38
HC4s (upgraded HC2/2As), eight
HC3s (in the process of upgrade to
HC5 standard), and 14 HC6s.
Deliveries of the 14 Chinook HC6s
began in December 2013. The Mk6
is essentially similar to the CH-47F,
with the addition of a number of
UK-specific upgrades.
February 2016

THE FIRST PROTOTYPE of the
Shenyang J-11D — the next-
generation Chinese ‘Flanker’
— performed its maiden flight
on April 29, 2015, but since then
regrettably few images have been
released. These showed the type’s
canted radome, similar to that of the
J-10B, which reportedly features a
new active electronically-scanned
array (AESA) radar developed by
the 14th Institute. In addition, the
airframe seems to include a greater
proportion of composite materials,
especially in its wing and tail
sections, and apparently includes
a radar-absorbent coating in order
to reduce its radar cross-section.
Other features are a modernized
fly-by-wire system, perhaps based
on that of the new J-16, and a flight
refueling probe on the port side of
FIRST Il-76MD-90A FOR
RUSSIAN AIR FORCE
The Russian-made Il-76MD-90A has an entirely new, lighter and
stronger wing, and more powerful and efficient PS-90A-76 engines.
The avionics and most systems have been replaced or upgraded,
and the take-off weight and maximum payload increased.
Piotr Butowski
ON DECEMBER 2 the first Ilyushin
Il-76MD-90A was handed over to
the Russian Ministry of Defense at
the Ulyanovsk aircraft factory. The
next day the military transport
flew to its permanent base at the
610th Transport Aviation Crew
Conversion and Combat Training
Center in Ivanovo. The aircraft is
named Victor Livanov, after the
Ilyushin general manager from
1997 to 2014.
The aircraft, serial 01-05, is
the fifth Il-76MD-90A built by
Aviastar-SP at Ulyanovsk. The
previous example, 01-01, is a
static test airframe; 01-02 is the
first flying prototype, used for
February 2016
the fuselage, as a result of which the
infra-red search and track dome is
slightly offset to the starboard side
of the windshield. Flight-testing
is continuing under strict security
with almost no information being
published, but the second
prototype was said to have
performed its maiden flight on
October 27, and reports state that
both have been transferred to the
China Flight Test Establishment.
With this new type under test, it
remains to be seen what role the
J-11D and Su-35 will play in the
future Chinese air arsenal. While
the general status of the J-11D
project is unclear, most observers
assume it to be a mid-life upgrade
for the J-11B’s remaining years in
front-line service.
Andreas Rupprecht
tests, while 01-03 and 01-04 were
delivered to Beriev at Taganrog
in 2014-15, where they are will
be used as prototypes of new
special duty aircraft, including
the A-100 airborne early warning
platform.
The Russian government
decided to move Il-76 production
from Tashkent, Uzbekistan, to
Ulyanovsk in December 2006.
Since 1973 the Tashkent plant
had manufactured 950 examples.
Aviastar-SP is also assembling a
first Il-78M-90A tanker derivative
of the Il-76. Its maiden flight is
scheduled for May 2016.
Piotr Butowski
AVIAKOR DELIVERS ITS FIRST Tu-95MSM
THE RUSSIAN AIR Force has received
its latest modernized Tupolev
Tu‑95MSM strategic bomber, named
Dubna. Work on the aircraft was
carried out by the Aviakor aviation
plant at Samara, and saw installation
of advanced radar and GLONASS
navigation equipment, and the
capability to carry an expanded array
of weapons, including up to eight
externally mounted Kh-101 or Kh-102
MIRAGE
2000D
UPGRADE
THE FRENCH MINISTRY of Defense
is to extend the service life of the
French Air Force’s Dassault Mirage
2000D strike fighter fleet, and
has provided additional funds of
€160 million. A mid-life upgrade
will be carried out on at least 45
Mirage 2000Ds, from a total of 71
in use. Another 10 may be similarly
upgraded at a later date. The
updated 2000D will be expected
to remain in service into the 2030s.
The package is likely to address the
radar and avionics, and integrate
MICA infra-red-guided air-to-air
missiles. Other options include
integration of the new MICA NG
and the Sagem AASM precision-
guided weapon.
UNMANNED NEWS
Washington signs off Global
Hawk for Japan
The US State Department has
approved the sale to Japan of the
Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global
Hawk remotely-piloted aircraft
(RPA). Under a $1.2-billion deal,
the Japan Air Self-Defense Force
will receive three RQ-4 Block 30 (I)
RPAs with the Enhanced Integrated
Sensor Suite (EISS).
Seoul wants stealth strike UAV
South Korea has unveiled plans to
develop a new, stealthy unmanned
aerial vehicle (UAV). Capable of
high-altitude operations, the
aircraft will be tailored to counter
North Korea’s long-range artillery
and mobile missile systems.
Armament will include sub-
munitions stores to attack multiple
WORLD [NEWS]
cruise missiles. The upgrade process
took around three months. Another
bomber is currently undergoing
modernization and will be completed
before the end of 2015; in December
2015, a third will be delivered to the
factory for upgrading.
Dubna is not the first Tu-95MSM,
but the first to be adapted at Samara.
Previously, the same work was carried
out by the Taganrog factory.
ISRAELI
F-35 BUILD
PROGRESSES
NORTHROP GRUMMAN HAS
delivered a center fuselage for the
first Israeli F-35A Lightning II, AS-1, the
company announced on November
18. It was produced on the F-35
Integrated Assembly Line at Palmdale.
AS-1 is being built as part of the eighth
low-rate initial production (LRIP) lot
of F-35s. Israel has ordered 33 F-35As
under the US government’s Foreign
Military Sales program. Reports
suggest that it is looking to increase its
17
Lightning II purchase and may seek to
add a squadron of F-35B short take-off
and vertical landing (STOVL) variants.
In December 2016 the Israeli Air
Force will receive its first two F-35As,
and initial deliveries will be made to
Nevatim air base.
smaller targets. The program
is currently being run as a
theoretical research study by the
South Korean military, which will
launch applied research from 2017
to 2019.
Italian Reapers to be armed
Italy has decided to weaponize its
Air Force’s General Atomics MQ-9
Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles
(UAVs). The US State Department
has approved a possible Foreign
Military Sale of weapons and
related equipment, valued at
around $129.6 million. Italy has
requested 156 AGM-114R2 Hellfire
II missiles, 30 GBU-12 laser-guided
bombs (LGBs), 30 GBU-38 Joint
Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs),
30 GBU-49 Enhanced Paveway
LGBs, and 30 GBU-54 Laser JDAMs.
www.combataircraft.net
 [NEWS] WORLD
LOSSES
Compiled by Tom Kaminski
• An F-16 operated by the United
Arab Emirates Air Force reportedly
crashed while trying to land at al-
Anad air base in southern Yemen’s
Lahij province on December 12.
• A US Marine Corps MV-22B
operated by reinforced Marine
Medium Tilt-rotor Squadron
166 (VMM-166(R)) suffered a
landing mishap on the deck of the
amphibious transport dock USS
New Orleans (LPD 18), which was
operating in the Pacific Ocean near
Camp Pendleton, California, on
December 9. The Osprey was carrying
22 Marines along with a four-person
crew when the mishap occurred. No
injuries were reported. The squadron,
which is serving as the Aviation
Combat Element for the 13th
Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU),
was participating in a Certification
Exercise (CERTEX) with the USS Boxer
(LHD 4) Amphibious Ready Group.
• Two pilots aboard a US Army
18 AH‑64D were killed when the
helicopter crashed during a routine
training flight in a rural area of
Tennessee on December 2. The crash
occurred near the Cumberland River
IN BRIEF
Re-engined Pucará flies
On November 24, FAdeA (Fábrica
Argentina de Aviones) flew the
first upgraded IA-58H Pucará. The
updated aircraft is powered by new
Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-62
engines. The Argentine Air Force
hopes to upgrade 20 of its existing
Pucará ground attack aircraft to
IA‑58H standard, extending their
service into the 2040s. The first of the
aircraft to fly, AX-561, has also been
fitted with re-worked wings from
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).
Australia orders PC-21
Australia has signed a contract with
Lockheed Martin Australia to provide
and support the new Australian
Defence Force Pilot Training System.
At a cost of $1.2 billion, Lockheed
Martin Australia will deliver 49 Pilatus
PC-21 aircraft, seven flight simulators,
a modern learning environment for
www.combataircraft.net
in rural Fredonia about 12 miles
(19.3km) south of Fort Campbell,
Kentucky. The helicopter and its
crew had been assigned to the 101st
Combat Aviation Brigade’s 2nd
Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment.
• Mi-17 serial 3288, operated by the
Egyptian Air Force, crashed near
Cairo on November 28. Four crew
were injured when the helicopter
went down during while conducting
a surveillance mission in the Ismailia
province near Giza.
• A US Air Force F-16C assigned
to the 54th Fighter Group’s 314th
Fighter Squadron at Holloman AFB,
New Mexico, crashed north-west
of Salinas Peak in the San Andres
Mountains during a training mission
in military airspace over the White
Sands Missile Range on November
25. The pilot ejected successfully
before the fighter came down
in rugged terrain near Truth or
Consequences, around 45 miles
(72km) north-west of Holloman.
The 54th FG is assigned to the 56th
Fighter Wing at Luke AFB, Arizona.
• A US Air Force MQ-9A that had
been launched by the 451st Air
students, updated courseware, and
related support for an initial seven-
year term. The first courses will begin
in early 2019.
Bangladesh receives Yak-130s
The Bangladesh Air Force has
received Yakovlev Yak-130 combat
trainers and AgustaWestland AW139
rescue helicopters. The new types
were handed over together at BAF
Bangabandhu Base in Dhaka on
December 6. In 2013 Bangladesh
signed a deal with Russian state arms
export agency Rosoboronexport to
buy 24 Yak-130s. The two AW139s
will be used for maritime search and
rescue.
Luftwaffe joins anti-IS fight
After Germany’s Bundestag approved
the deployment of combat aircraft in
support of the coalition fighting the
so-called Islamic State (IS) in Syria,
Expeditionary Group at Kandahar
Air Field, Afghanistan, crashed in
a remote area around 300 miles
(483km) away, near Bagram Air Field,
on November 24.
• Pakistan Air Force FT-7PG serial
03-689 crashed in Kundian in the
Mianwali district of Punjab province
on November 24. The combat trainer
was being flown on an operational
flying training mission from PAF
Base M. M. Alam. Trainee pilot Fg
Off Marium Mukhtiar and instructor
pilot Sqn Ldr Saqib Abbasi ejected
after directing the jet away from
populated areas. Both received
multiple severe injuries. An Alouette
III from 86 Squadron was scrambled
to the crash site. Marium succumbed
to her injuries in hospital, becoming
the first female PAF fighter pilot to
die in the line of duty. Saqib survived.
Waseem Abbas
• Two pilots and two crew assigned
to the First Army, Division West’s 2nd
Battalion, 291st Aviation Regiment
were killed when their Black Hawk
helicopter went down in the north-
east portion of the Fort Hood training
area on November 23. UH-60L serial
87-24651 had been assigned to the
US Army Reserve Command’s 7th
Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment at
Fort Hood, Texas.
• A Russian Air Force Su-24M was
shot down by a Turkish Air Force
the first Luftwaffe aircraft departed
for Incirlik, Turkey, on December 10.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel
made six reconnaissance-configured
Tornados as well as an A310 MRTT
tanker available for operations over
Syria and northern Iraq. The initial
deployment is planned to last until
December 2016. The German Ministry
of Defense recently admitted that
only 29 of the Luftwaffe’s 66 Tornados
are currently airworthy. In 2014, 38 of
89 Tornados were operational.
Turkey receives final Peace Eagle
Boeing delivered the last of four
Peace Eagle airborne early warning
and control (AEW&C) aircraft to
the Turkish Air Force at Konya on
December 9. The final aircraft features
upgraded software and the ground
support segment, and the previously-
delivered Peace Eagles will also
receive the upgrades.
F-16C on November 23 and crashed
in a mountainous area around 3
miles (5km) from the Turkish border
inside Syria. Turkey claimed that the
Russian strike aircraft had violated its
airspace over the town of Yayladagi
in Hatay province and ignored
multiple warnings. Although both
crew ejected, one pilot was killed and
the second was rescued by Russian
special forces personnel. A Russian Air
Force Mi-8AMTSh helicopter was hit
by small arms fire while attempting
to locate the pilots of the downed
Su-24 in a nearby government-held
area in Syria’s Latakia province, killing
a Russian marine. The personnel were
evacuated by a second Mi-8. See our
report in this issue for full coverage.
• AH-64D serial 08-5562 operated
by the US Army’s 4th Battalion,
2nd Aviation Regiment crashed in
a mountainous area near Wonju,
Republic of Korea after striking high-
voltage power transmission lines
on November 23. Both pilots were
killed in the crash, which occurred
around 50 miles (80km) east of Camp
Humphreys.
• A J-10A (reportedly serial ‘6-19’)
operated by the People’s Liberation
Army Air Force crashed in the Anji
county of Zhejiang Province in China
on November 19. Although the
pilot reportedly ejected, he did not
survive.
Germany joins
multi-national tanker
Germany has announced plans to join
the Multi-national MRTT Fleet (MFF)
under which a fleet of A330 Multi-Role
Tanker Transports (MRTTs) will be
shared by the Netherlands, Norway,
and Poland. Germany is likely to sign a
related contract in the second quarter
of 2016, with the option to procure
three aircraft.
Special missions Antonov
Antonov has announced new variants
of the An-132/An-148 transports, as
well as teaming with Saudi Arabian
industry. Saudi Arabia has joined the
program for the An-132. Antonov
and Taqnia Aeronautics will offer local
operators four An-148-100EM medical
aircraft, as well as four intelligence,
surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR),
and two jamming versions of the
An-132.
February 2016
 officially the world’s number one military aviation magazine
AirForces Monthly provides the best
military aviation news coverage from
around the globe and is essential
reading for anyone seeking a well-
informed view. Devoted entirely to
modern military aircraft and their air
arms, AirForces Monthly has built up
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Founded on the F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet,
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 COMBAT REPORT | RUSSIA IN SYRIA

RUSSIAN
Equipped with cruise missiles, Tu-160 ‘Blackjacks’
circumnavigated Europe, while medium-range Tu-22M3
bombers conducted carpet-bombing of areas of Syrian

AIR
oil industry occupied by terrorist militia. Despite the fatal
shooting-down of a Su-24M in November, the Russian Air
Force has only stepped up its activities to reinforce the Bottom: Russian
Tu-95MS long-
Assad regime and continues to build up its forces in Syria.

FORCE’S
range strategic
bombers struck
Syria for the

R
report: Stefan Büttner first time on
November 17,
marking a clear

WAR ON
ELEASED BY THE Su-30SM fighters began increasingly to
escalation in
Russian Ministry of be used in the air-to-ground role. The Russian activities
Defense (MoD) at number of long-range radar-guided inside Syria.
Dr Séan Wilson
irregular intervals, the R-27R air-to-air missiles carried as

TERROR
numbers of sorties and standard was reduced from four to two. Above left to right:
targets attacked by the Four OFAB-250-270 high-explosive/ Su-24M ‘Fencers’
at Latakia have
Russian Air Force’s so-called Special fragmentation bombs were instead
started carrying
Purpose Aviation Brigade stationed in carried under the fuselage and air extensive
Latakia provide conclusive evidence of intakes. The two infra-red-guided R-73s mission marking
tallies behind the
an escalating campaign. While in the continued to be carried under the wings.

LONG-
cockpit. MO RF
first few weeks an individual aircraft Some confusion surrounds the via syria.mil.ru
was likely to carry out an air-to-ground Su-24Ms at Latakia, relating to their
A Su-30SM crew
mission on average once a day, this has exact identities and the distribution

RANGE
arrives on the
steadily increased. More than two flights of the basic Su-24M and upgraded flight line for the
per aircraft are now achieved each day. Su-24M2 versions. As of September 20 next mission.
MO RF via

MISSIONS
The number of targets attacked during
each flight has also risen. The increase
in sortie rates was made manifest
the squadron comprised 12 aircraft,
syria.mil.ru
which originally belonged to the 6980th
Guards Air Base at Chelyabinsk-Shagol. Inset right: The

AND
high point
20 from November 4 by the appearance It is possible that in November up to
of Operation
of mission markings on the aircraft. A six more Su-24M2s arrived from the ‘Reprisal’ was
single red star indicates 10 missions, and 277th Bomber Aviation Regiment at undoubtedly

‘FENCER’
the long-range
a whole row of such stars painted near Churba near Komsomolsk-on-Amur.
bombing
the cockpit makes a clear statement. This would explain changes to the ‘Bort’ mission, in
In the second half of November numbers of the aircraft, in order to avoid which two

DOWN the capabilities of fighter and aircraft

controllers at Latakia were improved
any duplication of identities. A similar
situation has been observed with two
Tu-160s flying
from Engels
circumnavigated
Europe before
significantly with the deployment of the Mi-24P helicopters at Latakia. On the
being escorted
appropriate radar systems (‘Odd Group’ other hand, an attempt by the Russians
through Syrian
height-finder, ‘Spoon Rest’ rangefinder, to conceal the identities of their assets airspace by
and Parol IFF). Earlier that month the from prying eyes cannot be ruled out. Su-30SMs. MO RF

www.combataircraft.net February 2016


Operation ‘Reprisal’
When a Metrojet Airbus A321-231
airliner was blown up in the skies over
Egypt on October 31, it was clear that
Russia was now a target for the terrorist
militia of the so-called Islamic State (IS).
The 224 passengers killed were mostly
Russian citizens. Almost as soon as
the cause and the culprit were clearly
identified, the Russian Air Force’s Long-
Range Aviation arm swung into action.
In Operation ‘Reprisal’, Tu-95MS6 and
Tu-160 strategic long-range bombers
completed their first real combat
missions. Also involved was the veteran
Tu-22M3 medium bomber, used for
carpet-bombing — the oldest Russian
aircraft in the Syrian war.
With aircraft drawn from various
units, a reinforced squadron of 12 to 14
Tu-22M3s operated out of Mozdok and
flew two waves each day. The missions
were repeated daily, and
once over Syria air cover was
provided by the Su-30SMs
from Latakia. The average
load per aircraft consisted
of just 12 OFAB-250-270
bombs in the weapons bay,
which represented only one-
third of the maximum able to be
February 2016
RUSSIA IN SYRIA | COMBAT REPORT
carried. In addition, the BD-45K pylons
earmarked for Kh-22 missiles were
removed from beneath the wings to
save weight and reduce drag. Since
the target areas were around 2,200km
(1,367 miles) from the remote strategic
air base at Mozdok, the actual range
of the Tu-22M3 — long a closely-
guarded secret — was made apparent.
It is possible that the Tu-22M3s made
occasional use of larger bombs or
even Kh-15 air-to-surface missiles, as
apparently indicated by some poor-
quality TV recordings.
The sorties flown by the five
Tu-95MS6s and between three and six
Tu-160s were somewhat different. A
total of 83 cruise missiles — comprising
examples of the Kh-555 and the
new Kh-101 — were launched from
airspace over south-western Iran and
the Mediterranean Sea, targeting
oil industry in Syria. Lasting eight to
nine hours, the non-stop flights were
mainly carried out from the home base
of Russia’s long-range bomber arm,
Engels. Such missions extended over
6,500km (4,039 miles) and saw the
aircraft delivering different types and
numbers of cruise missiles. What little
that can be confirmed regarding loading
configurations is that the weapons
bay of each Tu-160 and Tu-95MS6
accommodated six Kh-555s or Kh-101s.
During one mission on November 19, it
is likely that a single cruise missile was
brought back to Engels, having not been
expended. Why the Tu-95MS6s landed
with weapons bay doors open remains
unclear. Not all of these missiles reached
their targets, as demonstrated by one or
more that crashed along the route.
Iranian airspace witnessed some
interesting meetings of aircraft from
a bygone era. The Islamic Republic of
Iran Air Force took the opportunity to
accompany the Russian long-range
bombers with its F-4E Phantom IIs 21
and F-14A Tomcats. It is possible that
Russian Su-27SM3s were also involved,
with aircraft from the 3rd Mixed Guards
Aviation Regiment at Krymsk flying
escort, probably for the Il-78M tanker
aircraft as they staged over Iran.
November 20 saw what was
undoubtedly a highlight in the history
of Long-Range Aviation. Two to four
Tu-160s departed Engels for the Naval
Aviation base at Olenegorsk (used as a
stop-over for Russia’s strategic long-range
bombers). From there they would hit
targets located some 9,500km (5,903
www.combataircraft.net
 COMBAT REPORT | RUSSIA IN SYRIA

22
Tu
16-

Olenegorsk
0

LONG-RANGE
60

STRIKES
-1
Tu

BOMBER TRACKS Engels

FOR NOVEMBER 20 Tu
-22
MISSIONS M3

Mozdok
Krymsk

Su-34/Su-27SM3

Il-78

www.combataircraft.net February 2016


miles) distant in Syria. In the process
the aircraft circled Europe in a counter-
clockwise direction, before returning to
Engels after a flight of about 13,000km
(8,078 miles) lasting 16 hours and 20
minutes. It is likely that four to eight
Il‑78Ms from Ryazan were on station
in the area of the Norwegian Sea to
provide air refueling, but more detailed
information is not available. Norwegian
F-16s from Bodø and Royal Air Force
Typhoons from Lossiemouth intercepted
the ‘Blackjacks’ on their way into the
Atlantic.
Until a point shortly before the
bombers reached Gibraltar, everything
appeared to be routine — after all, similar
flights have been conducted in the recent
past. In the eastern Mediterranean two
Su-30SM fighters from Latakia were
waiting to escort the bombers as they
continued over Syria. Finally, each Tu-160
launched four Kh-555 missiles at targets
in the province of Idlib.
At the same time, Tu-154M RA-85155
of the 223rd Flight Detachment from
Moscow-Chkalovsky was reportedly
orbiting south of Cyprus in support of
these strikes. It may have been used as
an airborne command post, a platform
for TV recordings, or as a means of
navigation support for the Su-30SMs.
The same day saw long-range missions
being launched from Frontal Aviation
airfields in Russia. Eight Su-34s and four
escorting Su-27SM3s flew two sorties
from Krymsk, hitting targets around
2,500km (1,553 miles) away in the Syrian
provinces of Deir ez-Zor and Ar-Raqqah.
These also took place with the support of
Il-78M tankers operating over Iran.
The four-day reprisal was completed
with the renewed use of 18 ship-based
3M14T Kalibr cruise missiles. As was
the case with the first such launches on
October 7, the missiles were fired from
four Gepard- and Bujan-class corvettes of
the Caspian Flotilla.
February 2016
RUSSIA IN SYRIA | COMBAT REPORT
‘FENCER’ SHOOTDOWN ANALYSIS
Cross-examining information released by both sides, Tom Cooper unravels
whether the Su-24 shoot-down was the result of belligerence, or a simple
breakdown in communications between Russian and Turkish armed forces.
Less than two weeks after their deployment
to Syria, and only a few days after the
Left page, launch of the Russian military intervention
clockwise from in that country, Russian Air Force Su-30SM
top: Tu-22M3s fighter-bombers violated Turkish airspace at
carpet- least twice, once on October 3 and again on
bombed October, 5, 2015. What is more, the Russian
targets with jets locked their radars on to Turkish Air
OFAB-250-
270 bombs.
Force F-16C Fighting Falcons under way
Yevgeni north of the border, in an aggressive and
Kazhenov reckless fashion.
Moscow subsequently issued a de
The launch facto apology for the border violations
of a Kh-555 and explained them as a navigational
conventional error. However, reflecting on the Russian
cruise missile lock-ons, the Turkish government warned
from a that it might apply wartime rules of
Tu‑95MS6
engagement (RoEs), irrespective of who
strategic
bomber. was penetrating its airspace.
The MS6 In an effort to reduce tensions, the Russian
designation Air Force deputy commander-in-chief, Maj
applies to Gen Sergey Dronov, visited Ankara to meet
Tu‑95s without representatives of the Russian government
underwing and the Turkish Air Force on October 15.
hardpoints. Among other things, an agreement was
MO RF reached to use the usual international
‘guard’ frequency, 121.5, as well as an
A video
screen-grab additional, ‘special’ frequency of 243MHz
of a Tu‑160 as a direct communications link between
dropping a Russian and Turkish aircraft. Dronov
Kh-101 on the explained that older Russian combat aircraft
November 17 are not equipped with radios that can listen
mission. MO RF to the ‘guard’ frequency. Furthermore, he
via syria.mil.ru agreed to provide flight plans for Russian
aircraft formations that would be operating
Below: A
close to the Turkish border at least 12 hours
Kh-555 cruise
missile leaves in advance.
the bomb bay Nevertheless, a Russian-made unmanned
of a Tu-95MS6. aerial vehicle (UAV) was shot down inside
Apparently, Turkish airspace only a day later. Despite
the weapons Moscow’s denials, the government in
bay of the Ankara felt prompted to issue a clear threat
‘Bear’ can only that it would shoot down any military
accommodate aircraft violating its airspace. The same
four of these
weapons —
threat was publicly repeated via diplomatic
perhaps due channels and through Turkish media about
to the size of 35 times in the course of the following
their ‘strap-on’ 30 days.
fuel tanks. Ever since the outbreak of violence in
MO RF Syria in 2011, the Turkish Air Force has
maintained intensive combat air patrols
(CAPs) along the 1,200km (746-mile)-long
border. Usually, Turkey maintained up
to five CAP stations whenever Russian
aircraft were airborne over Syria. Additional
fighters were scrambled if Russian aircraft
approached the border. Most of the Turkish
fighters were either F-16C Block 40s from
181 and 182 Filo, based at Diyarbakır (8
AJÜ), or F-16C Block 50s from 132 Filo at
Konya (3 AJÜ).
On November 18, Russian fighter-bombers
began supporting a ground offensive
by militias fighting for the Syrian regime
against an area held by Syrian Turkmen
insurgents. This was in the north-eastern
corner of the Syrian province of Latakia, only
30km (18.6 miles) from the Turkish border.
While describing this action as ‘bombing
militants of the IS, mostly natives of the
Russian Federation’, Russia used a large
number of cluster bombs and incendiary
bombs to hit local Turkmen villages, driving
a wave of refugees over the border into
Turkey in what many said was a breach
of Article 51 of Protocol I to the Geneva
Convention regarding attacks on civilians.
Turkey not only protested against attacks
on its minority living in Syria, but also
demanded a meeting of the UN Security
Council. The international community
ignored Ankara’s requests.
As the fighting on the ground heated
up, and Turkmen insurgents repelled
repeated attacks by militias loyal to the
regime in Damascus, Russia moved in its
ground troops, reinforced by the Russian Air
Force, without much success. The Turkmen
insurgents repelled all further ground
offensives, and gained a few additional
mountain peaks.
Steps to disaster
On the morning of November 24, around
09.42hrs local time, Turkish radars detected
23
the take-off of two unknown aircraft from
Hmeimin air base, or Bashar al-Assad
International Airport, 25km (15.5 miles)
south of Latakia, and less than 50km (31
miles) south of the southernmost tip of the
Turkish border.
The two aircraft climbed to an altitude
of 5,791m (19,000ft) and entered an orbit
above the town of Jisr al-Shughur, in Syria.
They were widely separated, one circling
south of the southernmost part of the
Turkish border, and the other nearly 10km
(6.2 miles) further west. Because — contrary
to the agreements between the Russian
and Turkish Air Forces of October 15 —
Russia did not announce that its aircraft
would be flying close to the border, Turkey
was unaware of their nationality. As the
aircraft approached the frontier and flew
an orbit parallel to it, the Turkish Air Force
began radioing warnings on both the guard
and specially-agreed frequency used for
communication with the Russian Air Force,
demanding that the unknown machines
divert south immediately.
Over the following five minutes, the Turks
issued 10 warnings via radio. Because Russia
had failed to announce its mission, and
since the two aircraft did not show any kind
of reaction, the Turkish Air Force command
responsible made a call to Ankara to
request clearance to open fire. Considering
the circumstances, the Turkish government
and military concluded that the unknown
aircraft were Syrian, and a pair of F-16s
Continued on page 25
www.combataircraft.net
 COMBAT REPORT | RUSSIA IN SYRIA
A dark day —
‘Fencer’ shootdown
It had been building up for a while, and
the result was inevitable. Turkey had
repeatedly issued diplomatic protests
and warnings. An agreement on rules and
procedures for military aircraft over Syria
apparently existed only between Russia
and the United States. It was unavoidable
that Russian aircraft movements and air
raids along the border between Syria and
Turkey would lead to a serious incident.
On the morning of November 24, pilot
Lt Col Oleg Anatolyevich Peshkov and
his navigator Capt Konstantin Muratkin
boarded their Su-24M2 ‘83 White’ at
24
Su-24
CRASH SITE
Ras Al Basit
Qastal Maaf
Syria
www.combataircraft.net
Latakia, armed with four OFAB 250-270
fragmentation bombs for another air-to-
ground mission. Once again, this would
bring them to the small area of Turkish
territory, just a few kilometers wide, that
protrudes into Syria to the west of Jisr al-
Shughur. In this area, Turkmen rebels are
active against the Assad regime and serve
as a protective force for Turkey. Officially,
this was an air-to-ground attack against
the terrorist militia of the self-styled
Islamic State.
But Peshkov and Muratkin were not
alone in the area. On the other side of
the border, two Turkish Air Force F-16Cs
from the 8th Main Jet Base at Diyarbakır
(8 AJÜ) were on patrol. The tragedy began
TURKEY
F-16 LAUNCH
Syria-Turkey border
Yayladagi
Nibh Almur
MISSILE IMPACT POINT
Kuljok
SYRIA Rabia
‘FENCER’
SHOOTDOWN
to unfold when the Russian flight crew
changed course (again?), flying westwards
POSITION after a wide loop — heading directly
towards the now infamous strip of
territory.
The Turkish airspace controllers
responded by issuing radio
messages on the international
emergency frequency, adding
that the aircraft was to turn left
in a southerly direction. These
Su-24 FLIGHTPATH
messages were repeated several
times. Meanwhile the F-16s received
Bidama a new course from the Turkish fighter
controller, heading exactly towards
the area where the Su-24M would cut
through the strip of Turkish territory.
The warnings to the Russian crew were
repeated in quick succession but it was
already too late. The intruder had only
just over-flown Turkish territory when
an air-to-air missile was fired. The missile
(either an AIM-9 Sidewinder or AIM-120
AMRAAM — accounts differ) reached its
target as the aircraft passed again over
February 2016

Syria, a maximum of 7km (4.3 miles) after
leaving the strip of Turkish land.
The aircraft was hit, the crew ejected
and, under the eyes of the world, came
down, apparently externally undamaged
but trailing fire. It impacted the ground
and went up in a fireball on Syrian soil
about 4km (2.5 miles) south of the
border. The scenes that followed were
shocking: while Muratkin reached the
ground alive, Peshkov was targeted by a
hail of bullets fired from the small arms of
at least a dozen fighters on the ground.
Around 15 minutes after the shootdown
one Mi-24P and two Mi-8AMTSh
helicopters took off from Latakia on a
combat search and rescue (CSAR) mission
to extract Capt Muratkin. Presumably
the surviving crew member landed in
no-man’s land and headed successfully in
a south-westerly direction, towards Syrian
troops who were moving swiftly into the
area.
Once it had arrived, the Russian CSAR
mission also came under defensive fire
from the ground, during which a member
of the marine infantry, Private Alexander
Posynitsch, lost his life. Mi-8AMTSh
‘252 Yellow’ was abandoned after an
emergency landing, and its crew and
accompanying marines made their way
on foot toward the Syrian armed forces.
To make matters worse, rebel opposition
in the area were equipped with BGM-71
TOW anti-armor missiles. It took only
a few minutes before one of these
American missiles scored a direct hit on
the nearly brand-new Russian transport
helicopter.
In the course of one day, Russia had
lost two servicemen and two aircraft. In
principle, it is perhaps not surprising that,
as time goes on, Russian interpretations
of the shootdown increasingly tell a
contradictory story.
February 2016
RUSSIA IN SYRIA | COMBAT REPORT
Continued from page 23
airborne on a CAP station over the Turkish
province of Hatay was given clearance
to open fire if the aircraft tried to violate
Turkish airspace.
Consequently, when the two unknown
aircraft both turned west, the F-16s went
into action. The unidentified aircraft to the
west passed through Turkish airspace but
did so before Turkish interceptors were in
a position to open fire, and then turned
south. Shortly before the unknown aircraft
to the east entered Turkish airspace, the
lead F-16 fired one AIM-120C AMRAAM,
an active radar-homing, medium-range
air-to-air missile from beyond visual range
(BVR). The two unknowns were up-sun
relative to the F-16s, between 15 and 20km
(9.3 and 12.4 miles) away — Turkish sources
Left page: have not revealed more details — and thus
The Su-24M2 ‘invisible’ to the Turkish pilots, whose RoEs
lost on do not require a visual identification.
November 24 The firing of the AMRAAM was a de
returning to facto ‘snap-shot’, taken under difficult
Latakia after circumstances as the two unidentified
a bombing
machines were moving perpendicular
mission
earlier to the F-16s. Most pulse-Doppler radars
the same — including the AN/APG-68 on Turkish
month. At Fighting Falcons — have a problem
the time, the tracking targets under such conditions
markings on because of well-known issues with the
the fuselage so-called ‘Doppler shift’. Nevertheless,
indicated the missile approached its target and
that it had proximity-fused underneath it, spraying its
flown 50
fuselage and wing with shrapnel.
sorties.
Streaming burning fuel, what transpired
MO RF via
syria.mil.ru to be Russian Su-24M2 ‘83 White’ flipped
out of control and plunged towards the
Above: The ground. The aircraft crashed into hills just
stricken south of the Turkish border. The crew,
‘Fencer’ was consisting of Lt Col Oleg Peshkov and Capt
captured Konstantin Muratkin, ejected while still at
in its final a significant altitude. Almost immediately,
seconds
the two Russians came under fire from
by a local
cameraman. a group of Jihadists who were Turkish
MO RF via citizens and members of the Turkish
syria.mil.ru nationalist organization Grey Wolves, sided
with the al-Qaida-linked Jihadist group
Jabahat an-Nusra, which is fighting against
the Syrian regime. It is generally assumed
that they killed Lt Col Peshkov with
machine-gun fire while he was still under
his parachute, but final confirmation of this
act — which would constitute a war crime
— is still pending.
The Russian combat search and rescue
(CSAR) operation was launched about
three hours later, with two pairs of
helicopters deployed to search for the
downed crew, each pair comprising
one Mi-8ATMSh CSAR helicopter and
one Mi-24 gunship. In the course of this
effort, Mi-8 ‘252 Yellow’ (RF-95601) was
hit by ground fire and forced to make an
emergency landing. One of the 12 crew
members and Russian marines on board,
Private Alexander Posynitsch, was shot in
the neck and killed. After the helicopter
was evacuated, it was knocked out by a
BGM-71A TOW anti-tank missile fired by
Turkmen insurgents from the 1st Coastal
Division of the Free Syrian Army.
The crew of the downed helicopter,
and Capt Muratkin, were — according to
Russian media — subsequently extracted
by a team of 12 Syrian and six Hezbollah
‘special forces’ operators.
A stab in the back?
The reaction of Russian officials and media
to the downing of the Su-24M2 and the loss
of the Mi-8ATMSh was fierce. The Turkish
decision to open fire on the Sukhois, which
violated Turkish airspace for ‘only’ about
2km (1.2 miles) over a duration of about 17
seconds, was declared an aggressive over-
reaction, while President Vladimir Putin went
on record to call it a ‘stab in the back.’
Ever since, Moscow has stubbornly denied
that the Turkish authorities radioed any kind
of warnings, and insists that the Sukhois did
not enter Turkish airspace.
On the contrary, Russia claims that the
Turks set up an ‘ambush’, and that the F-16s
violated Syrian airspace in order to shoot
down one of the Sukhois, supposedly
deploying an AIM-9X Sidewinder for a
rear-quarter attack at short range. However,
not only do the three maps of this incident
published by the Russian MoD between
November 24 and 27 contradict each other,
and show maneuvers no Su-24M could ever
fly, but some other Russian statements do
not add up.
Firstly, as mentioned above, the Turkish
Air Force has flown intensive CAPs over
Hatay province for four years. There is no
evidence of any kind of unusual behavior
by the Turkish F-16 pilots: they flew orbits 25
at medium altitude, in clear view of Russian
radars, although the latter are stationed
low on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea,
their work massively hampered by 2,000m
(6,562ft) mountains north-east of Latakia.
Secondly, Turkish radio warnings were
heard by at least one Dutch commercial
pilot under way over the area. The same
pilot stated that he could track the F-16s
with the radar of his airliner at the time the
warnings were aired, and that both Turkish
fighters were well within their airspace.
Thirdly, the tactical procedure for
engagements in which RoEs do not
demand a visual ID of the target dictates
that F-16 pilots deploy their longer-ranged
weapon — in this case an AIM-120 —
first, and long before any AIM-9. From
that standpoint, it would be absurd for
them to start some sort of a pursuit and
violate Syrian airspace in order to catch
the Sukhois and attack with Sidewinders
from short range, no matter how slowly the
bombers were flying.
Indeed, considering the various reactions
from Turkey, it appears that the entire
incident was caused by a regrettable
breakdown in communications. Most likely,
the responsible Russian officers at Latakia
failed to announce the sortie by their
Su-24s along the Turkish border (otherwise
the Turkish Air Force would have known
the identity of two ‘unknown aircraft’ right
from their take-off ) and then decided to
ignore the warnings given by the Turkish
side. Tom Cooper
www.combataircraft.net
 COMBAT REPORT | RUSSIA IN SYRIA

A SHORT HISTORY OF
SYRIAN-TURKISH
BORDER INCIDENTS
• October 21, 1989: Two Syrian
Arab Air Force MiG-21MFs penetrated
20km (12.4 miles) into Turkish airspace
to shoot down a Britten-Norman BN-2L
transport of the provincial Land Registry
Directorate, killing all five on board.
• June 22, 2012: A Syrian SA-3 SAM site
near Latakia shot down Turkish Air Force
RF-4ETM Isik reconnaissance fighter serial
77-0314 after it violated Syrian airspace
over the Mediterranean Sea. The crew
of Capt Gökhan Ertan and Lt Hassan
Hüsseyin Aksoy were killed.
• September 16, 2013: Two Turkish Air
Force F-16Cs shot down a Syrian Arab Air
Force Mi-17 helicopter that penetrated
Turkish airspace over Hatay province,
using an AIM-9X Sidewinder missile. At
least one of the Syrian crew bailed out and
landed safely by parachute.
• March 23, 2014: Two Turkish Air Force
F-16Cs shot down a Syrian Arab Air Force
MiG-23MF that violated Turkish airspace
over Hatay province, using an AIM-9X
Sidewinder missile. The Syrian pilot
ejected safely.
• May 16, 2015: Two Turkish Air Force
F-16Cs shot down a UAV of unknown
origin after it violated Turkish airspace
over Hatay province, using an AIM-9X
Sidewinder missile. Tom Cooper
26

Although the firing units initially flown Above: NATO’s air

defense of the
to Latakia were limited to only two Syrian border
(instead of 12) 5P85SM2-01 launchers, is entrusted
the commitment had been achieved in to the F-16C
Fighting Falcons
limited time — the S-400 was allegedly of the Turkish
already in Syria by mid-day on November Air Force, one of
26. The deployment of this far-reaching which claimed
the Russian
anti-aircraft system was no real surprise. ‘Fencer’ shot
Since at least the first half of November, down in late
an optional additional component November.
Alexander Golz
of the S-400 had been in permanent
operation in Latakia. The 96L6 (‘Cheese Left: Russia’s
Board’) acquisition radar, with a detection ground-based
air defenses at
range of over 300km (186 miles), has Latakia consist
been operated by Russian air defense of modern S-400
troops since 2007 and was presumably (seen here)
and Pantsir-S1

The Russian response

Only a few hours later came Russia’s first
military response to the shootdown. It
was announced that all air-to-ground
operations would be immediately
provided with a fighter escort. Obviously,
this requirement could not be satisfied
by the four Su-30SMs stationed in
Latakia. Furthermore, it was made clear
that ground-based air defenses would
be significantly reinforced. To this end,
the guided-missile cruiser Moskva (of
being used to provide a wide-ranging air surface-to-air
situation picture for the Pantsir-S1 (SA-22 missile systems.
‘Greyhound’) SAM system used for airfield MO RF via
syria.mil.ru
the ‘Slava’ class) was ordered to coastal defense since the start of the Russian
waters in the region of Latakia. Special operation. Right: With
emphasis was placed on this warship’s Generally, the 96L6 acquisition radar multiple bomb
racks below
far-reaching S-300F Fort (SA-N-6 (or ‘all-altitude detector’) supplies target the fuselage,
‘Grumble’) surface-to-air missiles (SAMs). data to the 36N85 (‘Tomb Stone’) missile this Su‑34 can
While the cruiser reached the operational guidance station of the S-300PMU-1/2 carry between
four and eight
area the following day, Russia meanwhile Favorit (SA-20 ‘Gargoyle’) and the 92N2 FAB-500M-54
prepared to send to Syria at least one (‘Grave Stone’) missile guidance station high-explosive
An‑124 transport carrying elements of of the S-400 Triumf. Notably, the 92N2 free-fall bombs.
MO RF via
an S-400 Triumf (SA‑21 ‘Growler’) SAM missile guidance station, which is strictly syria.mil.ru
system. necessary for operations (as well as the

www.combataircraft.net February 2016


55K6 command unit based on a Ural-
5323 truck chassis?), remained invisible
to photographers and television crews
on November 26. The system parameters
allow a maximum distance of 120m
between the launchers and missile
guidance station and a maximum of
500m between the missile guidance
station and the acquisition radar.
Only on December 6 was the existence
of the 92N2 missile guidance station (on
an MZKT-7930 vehicle) confirmed by
photos. This clearly demonstrated the
operational readiness of the S-400 air
defense system. At the same time the
number of 5P85SM2-01 launch pads was
doubled.
One day after the ‘Fencer’ shoot-down
Lt Col Oleg Anatolyevich Peshkov was
posthumously declared a Hero of the
Russian Federation by a presidential
decree, while Capt Konstantin Muratkin
and Private Alexander Posynitsch both
received Order of Courage Medals. The
transfer of Peshkov’s body from Ankara
to Moscow, as well as a funeral in Lipetsk,
took place around the end of the month.
Another significant improvement in air
defense capabilities became apparent
on November 30. Previously, Su-34s
operating from Latakia were used
exclusively as platforms for precision
and free-fall offensive armament. Now,
with the addition of two R-27 and two
R-73 air-to-air missiles on each ‘Fullback’,
the Su-34 demonstrated its multi-role
capability. The air-to-air armament of the
Su-34 is the same as that carried by the
Su-30SM in its optional fighter-bomber
role. For the first time since the start
of operations, there was a move from
February 2016
partial utilization of armament capacities
towards maximum load-outs and the
use of almost all the weapons pylons
available on each aircraft.
Expanding
capabilities
The use of a possible second Russian
airfield in Syria remains unclear. At the
end of October an An-124 (RA-82037)
from the 566th Transport Aviation
Regiment at Seshcha landed at the mixed
fighter-bomber base at Shayrat, not far
from Homs in western Syria. At the same
time, one of the two runways received a
major overhaul including a new bitumen
RUSSIA IN SYRIA | COMBAT REPORT
Above: The covering over most of its length. One-and-
fighter escort a-half weeks later, four Mi-24s and a single
detachment
at Latakia Mi-8 were seen at the base, and later these
consists of were officially declared as the 22nd Air
pilots and Force Brigade. However, they may well
technicians
drawn from belong to the Syrian armed forces.
the 120th From December 5 to 8, medium-range 27
Mixed Tu-22M3 bombers from a reinforced
Aviation
Regiment at squadron (including aircraft from Ryazan
Domna. Their and Shaikovka) again left Mozdok for
Su-30SM bombing sorties over Syria. At least
fighters
were only in Syrian airspace, daily air cover was
delivered provided again by Su-30SMs from Latakia.
from the Irkut Over three to four consecutive days, 60
factory at the
end of 2014. sorties hit 30 targets in the provinces of
MO RF via Deir ez-Zor and Ar-Raqqah, using free-fall
syria.mil.ru OFAB-250-270 bombs. This campaign
was completed by a third wave of sea-
launched cruise missiles. Submerged in
the Mediterranean between Cyprus and
Syria, a ‘Kilo III’-class submarine fired four
Kalibr-PL cruise missiles against two ‘large
terrorist points’ in the area of Ar-Raqqah.
In addition to the possible increase in
numbers of Su-24Ms at Latakia, in early
December more combat aircraft were
flown direct to Syria without stop-overs
or aerial refueling. This relocation began
on December 4. A few days earlier, when
Tu-154M RA-85155 from the 223rd
Aviation Department flew from Moscow-
Chkalovsky to Astrakhan-Privolshskiy,
several hours of training flights were
observed, involving Su-34s in the
territory around Astrakhan. Specifically,
these comprised around a dozen similar
oval loops flown along legs measuring
30 by 70km (18.6 to 43.5 miles), allowing
www.combataircraft.net
 COMBAT REPORT | RUSSIA IN SYRIA
the Su-34 crews to train for a long-haul
flight of over 2,600km (1,616 miles). The
actual deployment from Astrakhan to
Latakia took place on December 6 and
was probably accompanied by Il-76
RA-78768. The number of Su-34s at
Latakia was therefore doubled from four
to eight.
A few days later, further changes
appeared within the Mi-24P combat
helicopter squadron, which now
included at least one Mi-35M.
Altogether there are now 50 to 60
Russian aircraft permanently stationed
in Syria, including examples of the
Su-24M/M2, Su-25SM/UB, Su-30SM,
Su-34, Mi-8AMTSh, Mi-24P, Mi-35M
and Il-20M. In mid-December, the total
number of sorties since September 30
exceeded 4,000. Of these, fewer than
half were flown against IS targets.
SHOOT TO KILL — A VIEW FROM THE COCKPIT
Craig Dark, a former Royal Air Force fighter pilot with front-line experience on the F-4
Phantom, English Electric Lightning and Tornado F3, provides his personal view of the
Su-24 shootdown, and how the engagement may have played out.
From a pilot’s perspective, the tragedy of
the downing of the Russian Air Force Su-24
is perhaps the helpless feeling that it could
28 have been avoided.
Hard facts remain difficult to gather in
an age of information overload. Details of
the actual engagement are sketchy, with
conflicting reports as to which weapon was
fired by the Turkish Air Force F-16C. As a
former air defense pilot, this fact seems to
be the missing part of a complex jigsaw.
Understandably, the Turkish Air Force
is flying aircraft that are live-armed (in
peacetime most air forces don’t fly with
live weapons purely on cost grounds, due
to the lifespan of live weapons). What
is less clear is whether the aircraft were
scrambled to engage a specific threat or
were sitting on CAP waiting for a target to
enter their airspace.
The area in question is a difficult section
of sky to patrol, being a toe shape that
protrudes into Syria, forcing fighters
to adopt a search pattern that makes a
traditional intercept extremely difficult. The
Russian Air Force claims that an agreement
between the US and Russia signed in
October 2015 dictated that Russia must
give details of where and when its air force
would be operating, fueling the theory that
this information may have been passed on.
The Turkish F-16s will have had strict rules
of engagement, but they would appear
in this case to have been applied using a
fairly broad brush — any aircraft crossing
into Turkish airspace risks being engaged
and destroyed, presumably after warnings
have been issued by voice via radio. This
begs the question of whether the ‘intruder’
would also have been shot down had it
www.combataircraft.net
S-400
ENGAGEMENT
ZONE
Cyprus
been a transport aircraft, or an aircraft
that was lost or suffering communications
failure. This returns us to the initial question
of which weapon type was fired.
The missile debate
If, and this has not been verified, the F-16C
shot a long-range AIM-120 AMRAAM, the
pilot may have seen the Su-24 at more
than 40 miles (64km) on radar, locked the
target and fired well beyond visual range.
Once locked, the missile would have fired
and self-guided, giving little warning to the
Su-24 crew of what was about to happen.
When you look at the geography, it
would require considerable skill for a
single-seat fighter pilot to engage at
long range a target that may have only
clipped the defended airspace and to
hope the wreckage fell on the ‘right’ side.
It would need exceptionally good ground
controllers or airborne early warning to
feed information to the pilot that the target
he was engaging was hostile.
If, on the other hand, the weapon fired
was an AIM-9 (I believe this to be more
likely), and we understand the Su-24
was engaged at approximately 20,000ft
(6,096m), then the F-16 would need to be
visual with the target and probably firing
from within 5 miles (8km).
An AIM-9 can be fired without radar
guidance and it is possible the Su-24 was
even unaware of the fighters’ presence,
as there are no indications it took evasive
action or fired decoy flares. Normal rules
of engagement lay down strict rules
for engaging other aircraft — normally,
‘is it committing a hostile act?’, namely
dropping weapons, firing guns or even
Turkey
LATAKIA
Syria
Lebanon
Jordan
flying at supersonic speeds in your
airspace. Certainly, a live-armed Su-24
flying over anyone’s airspace would not
be considered friendly, but the F-16 may
have had other options — flying alongside
the Su-24 as a show of presence or even
firing its gun to show intent may have been
a more diplomatic way of warning the
Russian bomber to leave Turkish airspace.
Fighter pilots are not ‘trigger-happy’,
and any weapon release is a step-by-step
process of making weapons live and then
obtaining authority to shoot from ground-
based controllers or AWACS.
With little information, speculation can
be a dangerous thing. What’s clear now is
that Turkey is going to defend its airspace,
and that the need for some form of joint
airspace co-ordination is crucial. A simple
and effective solution would be to place
a 10-mile (16km) buffer zone or ‘no-fly
zone’ around the area to prevent further
tragedies.
It is hard to apportion blame, as both
sides seem to have been at fault — one
could consider the outcome if a fully-
loaded Turkish F-16 had strayed into
Russian airspace.
These are dangerous times in an area that
is literally a kill zone — one country needs
to grasp the situation and take control
of the airspace to avoid future ‘blue on
blue’ incidents. Another solution would
be to divide the airspace into ‘kill boxes’,
with each country allocated a different
box that would give them the freedom of
autonomous operations. If lessons are to
be learnt then command and control of
the region needs to be co-ordinated more
closely. The incident also highlights the
perils for aircrew flying in a war zone that
operates outside the normal boundaries of
conflicts we have seen in the past.
February 2016
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 TYPE REPORT | Tu-160 ‘BLACKJACK’

‘BLACKJACK’
ATTACK
The operations launched by Russia’s strategic
aviation arm over Syria on November 17, 2015
saw the first ever combat use of the Tupolev
Tu-160 and Tu-95MS long-range heavy
bombers. We present a timely review of the
Tu-160, Russia’s most lethal combat aircraft.

report: Piotr Butowski

30

www.combataircraft.net February 2016

30-39 Blackjack C rev.indd 30 17/12/2015 21:22

 T
HE DAY AFTER Moscow’s
official acknowledgment
that the Metrojet
Airbus A321 crash
in the Sinai was the
result of a terrorist act,
Russia’s strategic air arm performed
its first strikes against targets in Syria.
According to the Russian Ministry of
Defense, during a four-day period from
November 17 to 20, Tu-160s flew 10
sorties (in addition to six by Tu-95MSs
and 96 by Tu-22M3s). The Tu-160s alone
launched 48 Kh-101 and 16 Kh-555
cruise missiles.
During the missions targeting Syria, the
Tu-160s operated from their permanent
base at Engels near Saratov. They
approached their targets over the Caspian
Sea and launched their missiles over
Iranian territory, close to the Iraqi border.
The exception to this mission profile was
that conducted on November 20. That day,
two Tu-160s took off from Olenyegorsk
air base on the Kola Peninsula in northern
Russia, flew round Norway and the United
Kingdom, entered the Mediterranean
via Gibraltar and flew over the entire
Mediterranean Sea to launch eight
Kh-555 missiles against targets in Syria.
Then, passing over Syria, Iraq, Iran and
the Caspian Sea, they returned to their
home base at Engels. The sortie covered
February 2016
30-39 Blackjack C rev.indd 31
a distance in excess of 13,000km (8,078
miles. While over Syria, the Tu-160s were
escorted by Russian Air Force Sukhoi
Su-30SM fighters flying from their base
in Latakia.
‘Blackjack’ origins
The Tu-160’s history begins on November
28, 1967 when the Soviet government
launched a competition for a supersonic
strategic bomber able to cruise at
3,200-3,500km/h (1,988-2,175mph) and
achieve a maximum range of 16,000-
18,000km (9,942-11,185 miles). Weapons
intended for the new bomber comprised
two 4,500kg (9,921lb) supersonic Kh-45
missiles or 24 Kh-2000 short-range
attack missiles. In 1972, scaled-down
requirements called for a speed of
2,500km/h (1,553mph), later reduced
still further to 2,000km/h (1,243mph),
combined with a maximum subsonic
range of 14,000-16,000km (8,699-
9,942 miles).
In 1976-77 the bomber’s armament
was revised when Russia learned about
the United States’ work on the AGM-86
strategic cruise missile. Instead of heavy
Kh-45s, the Soviets opted for six to 12
subsonic Kh-55 missiles, while 12-24
Kh-15 missiles (a further development
of the Kh-2000 project) were selected as
the alternative weapon. However, the size
Tu-160 ‘BLACKJACK’ | TYPE REPORT
of the armament bay (11.28m or 37ft in The service life
length) remained the same. Since it was of the Tu‑160’s
engines is
designed for the Kh-45 (10.8m or 35ft 5in a limiting
in length) it remained much larger than factor, and
is necessary for the Kh-55 (6.04m or 19ft upgraded NK‑32
powerplants are
10in in length). now planned.
Within the Tupolev design bureau the Yevgeni
new aircraft received the designations Kazhenov
izdeliye 70 and izdeliye K. The first
prototype, 70-01, made its initial flight
on December 18, 1981, piloted by
Boris Veremey. In February 1982, it
performed its first supersonic flight. A
speed of 2,200km/h (1,367mph) was
attained during tests; however, in normal
operations speed is limited to 2,000km/h
(1,243mph).
Several derivatives of the basic aircraft
were considered but none came to
fruition. These included the Tu-160PP
(postanovshchik perekhvatchik, jammer
and interceptor), an electronic warfare
escort aircraft and interceptor armed with
long-range air-to-air missiles, intended to
hunt transport aircraft carrying supplies
from the US to Europe, and the Tu-160R
Rakonda strategic reconnaissance
aircraft. The enlarged Tu-160M
bomber project of the 1980s
was to be armed with
two Kh-32 supersonic 31
missiles in order
to target
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 TYPE REPORT | Tu-160 ‘BLACKJACK’

Bottom: The 16 US aircraft carriers; another armament as one of Tu-134UBL crew trainers. The deal, signed in Yalta, involved the aircraft
operational option was the Kh-90, a future hypersonic Tu‑160 met Western aircraft for the first at Pryluky that were in the best technical
Tu‑160s,
including missile. The Tu-160V (vodorod, hydrogen) time in May 1991, when encountered condition. Of the remaining 11 Ukrainian
RF‑94105/’06’ was to be fueled by liquid hydrogen. The by F-16A Fighting Falcons of the Royal aircraft, 10 were scrapped and one, ‘Bort
pictured here, Tu-160SC (space carrier) was a projected Norwegian Air Force’s 331 Skvadron, while 26’, put on display in the aviation museum
operate from
Engels. An commercial version for use as a launch flying along the Norwegian coast near at Poltava. The ex-Ukrainian bombers
additional test platform for the Burlak space vehicle, Tromsø. Upon the disintegration of the arrived at Engels between November 5,
aircraft is based similar to the US Pegasus. At one stage, the USSR, the Pryluky-based aircraft remained 1999 and February 21, 2000. The next
at Zhukovsky.
Yevgeni Tu-170, a variant of the Tu-160 adapted for in the newly-independent Ukraine. example, serial 8-02 (Alexandr Molodchiy,
Kazhenov carrying conventional weapons only, was The next six airframes were assigned to ‘Bort 07’) arrived at Engels on May 5, 2000.
under consideration. the 1096th (re-numbered 121st in 1994) One more, serial 8-03 (Vitaliy Kopylov, ‘Bort
Right: With its
retractable in- After two flying (70-1 and 70-3) and one TBAP at Engels between February 1992 08’) touched down there on April 29, 2008.
flight refueling static (70-2) prototypes built by Tupolev and June 1994. This was the only Tu-160 Russia decided in 2000 to repair and
probe extended, in Moscow, the next 33 aircraft (including unit in the country, and its half-dozen introduce to service serial 2-02, built in
a Tu-160 moves
in for a night one static airframe) were completed at the aircraft remained Russia’s sole operational 1986 and then used by the Tupolev design
refueling from KAPO plant in Kazan. The first Kazan-built Tu-160s until October 6, 1999, when bureau for test work. After six years of
an Il-78. Tu-160, serial 1-01, flew on October 10, Moscow bought eight from Ukraine. The repair the bomber was transferred to
Sergey Krivchikov
1984; this and some of the next aircraft to
Bottom right:
The Tu-160’s
be completed were utilized for test work.
At the time of the collapse of the Soviet
Tu-160s IN SERVICE
similarities ‘Bort’ number Serial Registration Individual name
with the B-1B Union, production was at a rate of three
‘02’ 7-02 RF-94102 Vasiliy Reshetnikov
are apparent airframes per year. Manufacturing came
in this view. ‘03’ 7-03 RF-94101 Pavel Taran
to the end in 1994, leaving a number of
Both feature ‘04’ 7-04 RF-94112 Ivan Yarygin
a blended unfinished examples at the Kazan plant.
‘05’ 7-05 RF-94104 Aleksandr Golovanov*
fuselage/wing Two were subsequently completed, serial ‘06’ 8-01 RF-94105 Ilya Muromets
center section 8-02 in 1999 and 8-03 in 2007. Reportedly, ‘07’ 8-02 RF-94106 Aleksandr Molodchiy
and variable-
geometry wings two other unfinished airframes, serials ‘08’ 8-03 RF-94115 Vitaliy Kopylov
and tandem 8-04 and 8-05, still remain at the factory. ‘10’ 6-01 RF-94100 Nikolay Kuznetsov
armament bays. ‘11’ 6-02 RF-94114 Vasiliy Senko
Yevgeni
Kazhenov In service ‘12’ 6-03 RF-94109 Aleksandr Novikov

In April 1987, an initial two Tu-160s (serials ‘14’ 3-04 RF-94103 Igor Sikorsky
32
‘15’ 6-05 RF-94108 Vladimir Sudets
2-03 and 3-01) arrived at the type’s first
‘16’ 5-03 RF-94107 Alexei Plokhov
operational unit, the 184th Heavy Bomber
‘17’ 5-04 RF-94110 Valery Chkalov
Aviation Regiment (TBAP) at Pryluky, in
‘18’ 5-05 RF-94111 Andrey Tupolev
the Ukrainian SSR. The unit’s bombers ‘19’ (formerly ‘87’) 2-02 RF-94113 Valentin Bliznyuk
launched Kh-55SM cruise missiles for – (formerly ‘63’, ‘342’) 4-01 – Boris Veremey
the first time in July 1987. At the end of
‘Bort 01’ (s/n 7-01; Mikhail Gromov) crashed in 2003. Aircraft numbers ‘09’ and ‘13’ not assigned.
1991, the regiment had two squadrons of
* Previously Ilya Muromets.
Tu‑160s, for a total of 19 aircraft, as well

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 Tu-160 ‘BLACKJACK’ | TYPE REPORT

the regiment at Engels in July 2006, and

named Valentin Bliznyuk after the aircraft’s
chief designer. Russian Air Force Tu-160s
are otherwise all named after ‘strongmen’,
whether a mythic popular hero (Ilya
Muromets), a wrestling champion (Ivan
Yarygin), or well-known pilots and air
commanders.
The Tu-160 was officially commissioned
into service on December 30, 2005.
Although the Soviet and Russian Air
Forces had flown the bomber since 1987,
operations were formally considered to be
on a trial basis.
Two Tu-160s have been lost. In March
1987, serial 1-02 crashed after suffering
engine failure soon after take-off from
Zhukovsky; the crew, led by Valeriy Pavlov,
ejected and survived. On September 18,
2003, Mikhail Gromov (‘Bort 01’) crashed
near Stepnoye, 40km (25 miles) east
of Engels, killing the four crew under
the command of Lt Col Yuri Deyneko.
The aircraft fell apart in mid-air during
the approach to land, at an altitude
of 1,200-1,500m (3,940-4,920ft). The
catastrophe was caused by a failure of the
venting system in the fuel tanks — after
expending the fuel, the wing torsion box
broke under the unexpected pressure.
At present, the Russian Air Force has 16 33
Tu-160s assigned to the base at Engels,
but some of these are under overhaul
and upgrade at the Kazan plant. One
further aircraft, serial 4-01 Boris Veremey
(named after the first pilot to test the
Tu-160 in 1981), belongs to Tupolev and is
based at Zhukovsky where it is operated
without a tactical number. It previously
wore ‘Bort’ number ‘63’ and then had ‘342’
applied as an identifier for the Tu‑160’s
debut international presentation at Le
Bourget in June 1995. The aircraft is
used as a prototype for future upgrades.
Several other non-airworthy airframes at
Zhukovsky are probably beyond repair.

Mission profile
The Tu-160 was designed as a multi-
mode bomber for both intercontinental
and theater-level missions. In its primary
intercontinental mission as a strategic
cruise missile carrier, the Tu-160 flies at
Mach 0.77 and an altitude of 11,000-
12,000m to attain its maximum range
of 12,300km (7,643 miles) with six cruise
missiles — range can be extended
through the use of aerial refueling.
When operated at the theater level,
the aircraft can penetrate enemy air
defenses flying at a speed of 2,000km/h
(1,243mph) at high altitude, or 1,030km/h

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 TYPE REPORT | Tu-160 ‘BLACKJACK’

34
(640mph) at low level with automatic
terrain-following.
The US Air Force’s B-1B Lancer and the
Tu-160 have many common features: both
aircraft have a blended fuselage/wing
center section and variable-geometry
wing. The arrangement of the fuselage
interior is also similar, with tandem
armament bays, as well as four engines
installed in two nacelles below the wing
roots. Both aircraft share the same,
cruciform empennage. However, the
differences are significant, too. First, the
Tu-160 is much larger than the B-1B. The
wing of the Tu-160 (angles, aspect ratio
and pivoting point) resembles that of the
Tu-22M, rather than the Lancer. Capable
of reaching Mach 1.2 at high altitude, the
B-1B is a near-supersonic aircraft; while the
Tu-160 has adjustable air intakes designed
for Mach 2.0 flight, the B-1B’s intakes
are fixed.
The Tu-160’s weapons are carried
exclusively inside the fuselage in two
tandem weapons bays, each 11.28m (37ft)
long, 1.92m (6ft 4in) wide and 2.4m (7ft
10in) deep. Basic armament for strategic
missions comprises six (or a maximum
of 12) Raduga Kh-55SM (AS-15 ‘Kent’)
long-range subsonic cruise missiles.
These are installed on one (or two)
six-round MKU6‑5U (izdeliye 9A829K2)
rotary launchers, one in each of the bays.
Alternative air-defense suppression
armament comprises up to 24 Raduga
Kh-15 (AS-16 ‘Kickback’) short-range Mach
5 attack missiles on four short MKU6-1U
(9A827K2) revolving drum launchers fitted
in tandem pairs in each bay.
From around 2003, the Tu-160 was
adapted to use non-nuclear Kh-555
missiles, these being conversions of older,
nuclear Kh-55s. In around 2011-12 the
bombers began to be adapted to use
the new nuclear Kh-102 and non-nuclear
Kh‑101 missiles; the nuclear version can
attain a maximum range of 5,000km
(3,107 miles) while the conventional
missile carries a heavier warhead and less
fuel, having a range of 4,000km (2,485
miles). The Kh-101/102 is 1.4m (4.6ft)
longer and 1,000kg (2,205lb) heavier than
the Kh-55SM. As a result, it was necessary
to develop the new, stronger 9A-829K3
six-round rotary launcher for the Tu-160’s
armament bay. Reportedly, as of late
2015 around five Tu-160s were capable of
carrying Kh-101 and Kh-102 missiles.
The aircraft has a Buk-K (beech)
targeting/navigation suite developed
by the Elektroavtomatika company, This image:
The Tu-160’s
controlled by eight Orbita-20 computers.
maximum range
This provides for semi-automatic flight of 12,300km
to the missiles’ launch area, preparation (7,643 miles)
with six cruise
and launch of the missiles, and return
missiles can
to base. The Leninets Obzor-K (izdeliye be extended
U008) navigation/attack radar and through the
use of aerial
Sopka (hill) terrain-following radar are
refueling, as
installed in the nose, while the OPB-18 seen here in a
TV/optical bombsight is located in a demonstration
with an Il-78
fairing under the nose. The Sprut-SM
tanker.
(octopus) missile initialization and launch Piotr Butowski
system is designed to control the use
Right top to
of cruise missiles. The SVVI-70 pre-flight
bottom: The two
data management system, coupled with ‘Blackjack’ pilots
Russian strategic aviation’s Sigma mission use fighter-style
control columns,
planning system, was introduced in the
with the cockpit
second half of the 2000s. The aircraft is retaining its
equipped with the K-042K astro-inertial original layout.
Piotr Butowski
long-range navigation system that plots its
current position on the map, the GLONASS A Tu-160 flies
satellite positioning system (used for the over Red Square
escorted by a
first time in Russia on the Tu-160), ARK-22
pair of MiG-31s.
radio direction finders, DISS-7 Doppler Piotr Butowski
radar, long-range radio navigation
system, Kvitok instrument landing system,
SVS‑2ts-4 air data system, and other items.
Cockpit instrumentation is conventional.
The L232 Baikal self-defense system
combines Ogonyok (light) infra-red and

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 Tu-160 ‘BLACKJACK’ | TYPE REPORT

35
Kiparis (cypress) radar warning sensors,
SPS-171/SPS-172 Geran-1DU/-2DU and
AG-56 Sevan radar jammers, and APP-50
chaff/flare dispensers (in total, 24 three-
round launchers), all of which are located
in the fuselage tail cone.

Walk-round
The Tu-160 is a four-engined, all-metal,
low-wing monoplane with variable-
geometry wings. The fuselage and center
section of the wing form a common
shape with an appended empennage
and movable wing panels. The long and
narrow fuselage/wing center section
(LERX type), blended for stealth, is sub-
divided into four compartments: nose
(radar unit, crew cockpit and nose landing
gear unit), front (fuel tanks and front
weapon bay), center (main undercarriage
units, engine nacelles and rear weapon
bay), and rear (fuel tanks and equipment).
The variable-geometry wing has slight
anhedral. The main structural strength
element of the aircraft structure is the
central wing stringer, 12.4m (40ft 8in) long
and 2.1m (6ft 10in) wide, interconnecting
both wing-pivoting nodes. The stringer is
fabricated in two halves, upper and lower,
milled from titanium alloy and welded

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 TYPE REPORT | Tu-160 ‘BLACKJACK’

together in a vacuum chamber according

to a unique engineering process. The
outer, movable panels can be set at three
manually selected positions: 20° for take-
off and landing, 35° for cruise, and 65°
for supersonic flight. Each movable wing
Tu-160 SPECIFICATIONS
Dimensions
Wingspan 35.6m (116ft 9.5in) at 65° sweep
50.7m (166ft 4in) at 35° sweep
55.7m (182ft 9in) at 20° sweep

panel has four-section leading-edge slats, Maximum length 54.1m (177ft 6in)
Height 13.1m (44ft)
a three-section double-slotted trailing-
Length of engine nacelle 13.28m (43ft 7in)
edge flap, and aileron; five-section spoilers
Wing area 232m2 (2,497 sq ft) fully swept
are installed ahead of the flaps. With the
293m2 (3,154 sq ft) fully spread
wings fully swept, the inner section of Tailplane span 13.25m (43ft 6in)
each three-section trailing-edge flap is Wheelbase 17.88m (58ft 8in)
raised to become a large aerodynamic Wheel track 5.4m (17ft 9in)
fence between the wing and the fixed Weights
glove to improve directional stability. The Empty 117,000kg (257,941lb)
mid-mounted slab (taileron) tailplane Maximum take-off 275,000kg (606,270lb)

can be deflected symmetrically or Maximum landing 155,000kg (341,716lb)

Performance
differentially. The all-moving upper section
Maximum speed 2,000km/h (1,243mph)
of the tail fin, above the tailplane, forms
Maximum speed at sea level 1,030km/h (640mph)
the rudder. The flight control system is of
Cruising speed Mach 0.77
the quadruple analog fly-by-wire type, Approach speed at 140 tonnes weight 260km/h (162mph)
with a stand-by mechanical system. Use of Take-off distance 900-2,200m (2,953-7,218ft) at 150-275 tonnes weight respectively
the mechanical control system is limited Landing distance 1,200-1,600m (3,937-5,250ft) at 140-155 tonnes weight respectively
since the aircraft is statically unstable. Maximum climb rate 4,200m (13,800ft) per minute
The hydraulically retractable Service ceiling 15,600m (51,181ft)
undercarriage has twin nosewheels (1,080 G limit +2

x 400mm) retracting rearwards and two
six-wheel (1,260 x 425mm) main bogies
(three tandem pairs) retracting into the
wing center section between the weapon
bay and engine nacelles. Three drag
36
Service range without in-flight refueling, Mach 0.77
12,300km (7,643 miles) with 5 per cent fuel reserve
and six Kh-55SM missiles dropped mid-range
Maximum theoretical range 13,950km (8,668 miles)
Maximum duration without
15 hours
in-flight refueling
Combat radius at Mach 1.5 2,000km (1,243 miles)

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 Tu-160 ‘BLACKJACK’ | TYPE REPORT

37

chutes with a total area of 105m2 (1,130 sq length is 7,453 mm (293in). The engine Left: A fabulous
ft) are located in the tail. nozzles are automatically adjustable; the photograph
taken on the
The crew of four is seated in the nose air intakes are adjustable as well, using a runway at
in a common pressurized cockpit. The vertical wedge for each pair of engines. Engels. The L232
commander/pilot occupies the front The aircraft is provided with a TA-12 Baikal self‑
defense system
port-side seat, with the co-pilot on his auxiliary power unit. and APP‑50
right-hand side. Fighter-type sticks are The aircraft can carry 140,600kg chaff/flare
used rather than the usual wheels or (309,970lb) of T-8 fuel in 13 tanks located dispensers are
all located in the
yokes. The rear seats are occupied by the inside the fuselage/wing center section tail cone.
navigator/offensive weapons operator and in the movable wing panels. The fuel Yevgeni
and the navigator/electronic warfare/ transfer system is used for balancing the Kazhenov
communications operator. Each crew aircraft when accelerating to supersonic Above: The
member is seated on a Zvezda K-36L.70 speeds. The retractable probe for the flight general tactic
‘zero-zero’ ejection seat, which ejects refueling system is mounted in the upper for the Tu‑160
to penetrate
upwards. The cockpit is accessed via the part of the aircraft nose. enemy air
nose undercarriage bay. defenses
The propulsion system consists of four Tu-160M upgrade involves high‑
speed, high‑
Kuznetsov NK-32 (izdeliye R) turbofans The first improvements to be applied level flight or
positioned under the wing center section to operational Tu-160s consisted of the going down ‘in
in widely-separated pairs, this to make aforementioned new weapons: Kh-555, the weeds’ using
the automatic
room in the fuselage for the weapons Kh-102 and most recently Kh-101 cruise terrain‑
bays. The nacelles protrude far beyond the missiles. The aircraft type designation has following
wing trailing edge. Each engine is rated not been changed as a result of these system.
Sergey Krivchikov
at 137.3kN (30,865lbf) dry and 245.18kN adaptations. An update of the bomber’s
(55,115lbf) with afterburning. The NK-32 is equipment is being conducted, both
a three-spool turbofan with a bypass ratio simultaneous with the addition of the
of 1.36:1; it has 3+5+7 compressor stages new armament and independently
and 1+1+2 turbine stages. The engine of it. The M1 stage of the upgrade is
weight amounts to 3,650kg (8,047lb), inlet currently being implemented, under
diameter is 1,455mm (57.3in), and overall which the aircraft is being fitted with

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 TYPE REPORT | Tu-160 ‘BLACKJACK’
the K-042K-1 astro-inertial navigation
system with BINS-SP-1 inertial navigation,
ANS‑2009-1 (ANS-2009M is planned in
the second stage) astro-navigation, and a
navigation computer. Other new systems
include a DISS-021-70 navigation radar,
A737DP satellite navigation receiver,
ABSU-200-1 (ABSU-200MTs is intended
at a later date) autopilot, and S-505-70
communication suite. The UKBP design
bureau in Ulyanovsk is providing a new
data display system. The М1 upgrades are
being conducted by the KAPO facility at
Kazan and are carried out together with
major overhauls. Tupolev announced
that the first upgraded aircraft, ‘Bort 18’
Andrey Tupolev, was flown at Kazan on
November 16, 2014 and then handed
over to the Air Force on December 19,
2014. Two subsequent aircraft, ‘Bort 02’
Vasiliy Reshetnikov and ‘Bort 11’ Vasiliy
Senko, were undergoing repair and M1
upgrade in Kazan during 2015.
The complete Tu-160M (izdeliye
70M) upgrade affords further systems
improvements, including replacement
of the Obzor-K radar with a new radar
from the Novella family, made by Zaslon
(a company known as Leninets until
October 2014), and probably designated
38 NV1.70. For some time it was planned to
install in the Tu-160M a radar designed
by Tikhomirov NIIP on the basis of the
Irbis radar from the Su-35 fighter, but
in 2013 this idea was abandoned. New
weapons may be expected for the
Tu-160M including the medium-range
subsonic Kh-SD and supersonic Kh-MTs,
and a hypersonic missile, if and when
this is ready. According to a United
Aircraft Corporation statement, the initial
technical design of the Tu-160M was
completed on October 23, 2014.
The service life of the Tu-160’s engine
is shorter than that of the airframe,
meaning that further operation of
the bomber — and particularly new
production of the Tu-160M2 — will
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30-39 Blackjack C rev.indd 38
require a supply of new powerplants. This image: On the ground
For some years, the Kuznetsov company the Tu-160 is much larger
than the B-1B. Three drag
of Samara has been preparing to restart ‘chutes deploy from the
engine production in the form of the tail. Yevgeni Kazhenov
upgraded NK-32 series 2, and a final
Bottom left: Capable of
contract with the Ministry of Defense reaching Mach 1.2 at
was concluded in August 2014. An initial high altitude, the Tu-160
batch of new-production engines is set features adjustable air
intakes. Piotr Butowski
to be ready for tests in 2017, after a break
of nearly 25 years.
New-build Tu-160M2
On April 29, 2015, during a visit to the
aircraft production plant in Kazan, the
Russian Minister of Defense Sergei
Shoygu unexpectedly presented the
idea of resuming series production of
the Tu-160 bomber — rumors of this
had emerged a month or two earlier.
According to commander-in-chief of
the Air Force Viktor Bondarev, the first
new Tu-160M2 will fly during 2021, and
in 2023 series production will begin at
a rate of three aircraft per year. In total
the Air Force needs at least 50 new
Tu‑160M2s, which are expected to serve
at least 40 years.
In September 2015 the Russian
government requested the assignment
of 3.796 billion rubles (about $60 million)
from the budget before year-end in
order to prepare documentation and
launch production of the Tu-160. It is
likely that the new Tu-160M2 will feature
equipment and weapons similar to those
included in the second-stage Tu-160M
upgrade. Powerplants will come in
the form of newly-produced NK-32‑2
engines, but the timescale makes
unlikely that any other major changes
will be incorporated in the new
‘Blackjack’.
The recent combat debut of
the ‘Blackjack’ has reinforced
plans to resume serial
production. Yevgeni Kazhenov
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 Tu-160 ‘BLACKJACK’ | TYPE REPORT

39

With flaps and slats fully

deployed for landing the
Tu-160’s wing resembles
that of the Tu-22M.
Alexander Golz

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 COMBAT REPORT | RAFALE

A Rafale C flies
high above Mali
during an Operation
‘Barkhane’ mission.
Henri-Pierre Grolleau

40

www.combataircraft.net February 2016


The Dassault Aviation Rafale has been at the forefront of
French combat operations in Africa and the Middle East
since 2013 and 2014 respectively. Recently, the fighter
entered the fray in a new theater of operations, pursuing
militants of the so-called Islamic State in Syria.
A
report: Henri-Pierre Grolleau
FTER SUCCESSFUL
ENGAGEMENTS in
Afghanistan and
in Libya, French
Air Force (Armée
de l’Air) and Navy
(Marine Nationale) Rafales are currently
fighting on four fronts simultaneously.
In so doing, they demonstrate the
scale of the French commitment to
combating terrorism: in the Sahara,
where jihadists have been pushed
back into Libya; in the Central African
Republic, where inter-religious unrest
has led to countless massacres; in the
Lake Chad area, where Boko Haram has
tried to expand its influence; and in Iraq
and Syria, where the self-proclaimed
caliphate of the Islamic State (IS) is
progressively gaining ground.
The intervention in Libya had barely
ended when the situation in Mali began
to deteriorate. In January 2013, France
was forced to react to block a jihadist
push south towards Bamako, the capital
of the country, and home to a large
French community. The beginning of
Operation ‘Serval’ is well-documented,
and four Rafales were involved right from
the start: they carried out a strike mission
on day three of ‘Serval’, launching from
Saint-Dizier in eastern France, destroying
21 targets with clinical accuracy and
landing in N’Djamena, the capital of Chad,
9hrs 35mins later. The strategic reach of
the Rafale was demonstrated on that
occasion, the fighter thus confirming its
role as a long-range, hard-hitting, fast-
reaction combat tool.
The Rafales then flew alongside pre-
positioned Mirage 2000D strike fighters
and Mirage F1CR reconnaissance fighters
to pound the terror group’s support
infrastructure and training facilities.
Rafales provided top cover to ground
troops that were rapidly moving north
to re-conquer the main cities in northern
Mali: Kidal, Gao and Timbuktu. The Rafale
detachment at N’Djamena eventually
peaked at nine airframes, while the Mirage
F1s and some of the Mirage 2000Ds
temporarily moved to Bamako to make
space for the additional Rafales.
February 2016
RAFALE | COMBAT REPORT
From ‘Serval’ to
‘Barkhane’
In July 2014, the mandate of the ‘Serval’
force — which until then had been
strictly limited to Mali — was expanded
to cover Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Mali,
Niger and Chad, a huge area more than
nine times the size of continental France.
Simultaneously, the name of the mission
was changed from ‘Serval’ to ‘Barkhane’, a
French scientific word meaning ‘elongated
dune’. A second forward operating base,
with Mirage 2000s and Harfang and
Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)
was established in Niamey, the capital of
Niger, to help overcome the ‘tyranny of
distance’ in the Sahara. From there, the
Mirage 2000s cover the western part of
the theater while the N’Djamena Rafale
detachment handles all the taskings in
the eastern part. However, if required, the
Rafales can cross into the west, primarily 41
for dedicated reconnaissance missions.
The size of the Rafale detachment in
Chad is adjusted as required, and the
number of deployed fighters varies
depending on the needs of the forces
on the ground. If a major operation is
planned, reinforcements are rapidly flown
in from France. In recent months, the
number of Rafales in Chad has hovered at
around three or four airframes, with jets
regularly being rotated back to France
for deep maintenance and to spread
the flying hours over a larger number
of airframes. Both single- and two-seat
examples are deployed in theater and can
be drawn from any of the three front-line
Rafale units to create a common, multi-
squadron pool.
Due to the huge distances involved
in Africa, missions are invariably flown
with tanker support, and two C-135FRs
from Groupe de Ravitaillement en Vol
(GRV) 2/91 ‘Bretagne’ are permanently
deployed in theater, one at N’Djamena
and one at Niamey. For nearly two years,
until a C-135FR was permanently based at
Niamey, US Air Force KC-135 Stratotankers
flying from Morón, in Spain, also provided
air-to-air refueling capabilities.
The Rafales usually fly in formations
of two aircraft, each composed of
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 COMBAT REPORT | RAFALE
42
UNIT RESHUFFLE
The Armée de l’Air’s recent announcement
that it would re-establish the escadre (wing)
structure will lead to huge changes within
French Air Force units, including the Rafale
squadrons. The escadres were all disbanded
in the early 1990s, providing the squadrons
with a significant degree of autonomy.
With the creation of the Escadrons de
Soutien Technique Aéronautiques (ESTAs,
large maintenance squadrons at each base
that brought together all engineers and
airframes within a single entity, leaving
fighter squadrons without any maintainers
or aircraft), some problems arose. While
Rafale availability undoubtedly benefited
from the appearance of the ESTAs, the
link between aircrews and engineers was
somewhat diminished. To help reconstruct
the bond between mechanics and aircrews,
the best solution was to re-create the
wings and Gen Denis Mercier, the outgoing
French Chief of Air Staff, worked hard to
bring the escadres back to life.
According to the latest information
available, the 4e Escadre de Chasse, re-
formed on August 26, 2015 at Saint-Dizier,
will eventually be composed of three
renumbered fighter squadrons:
• Escadron de Chasse (EC) 1/4 ‘Gascogne’
(previously EC 1/91 ‘Gascogne’);
www.combataircraft.net
one equipped with a Pod Reco NG
reconnaissance system, and one
configured as a bomber with either four or
six 500lb GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided
bombs (LGBs), or four to six Hammer
(Highly Agile, Modular Munition Extended
Range) precision weapons of the Sagem
AASM (Armement Air-Sol Modulaire, or
modular air-to-surface weapon) family.
The bomber also carries a Damoclès
targeting pod under the starboard
air intake for surveillance and target
illumination. Because of the significant
distances between their base and the
Left: Rafale
Cs engaged areas being monitored and the troops
in ‘Barkhane’ being supported, the Rafales are typically
missions have fitted with massive 2,000-liter external fuel
typically been
fitted with tanks (three for the bomber-configured
the Damoclès aircraft, and two for those equipped with a
targeting pod Pod Reco NG under their centerline pylon).
and GBU-12s.
Henri-Pierre The 30M791 30mm cannon remains a
Grolleau key asset for operations in the Sahara
and all Rafales are always flown with a full
Below: A Rafale
taxies out at allocation of 125 rounds, each 30 x 150
N’Djamena air shell offering about the same destructive
base in Chad. power as a hand grenade. The cannon
Henri-Pierre
Grolleau is routinely used for close air support
(CAS) missions, and is highly praised for
Inset: A Rafale C its extreme accuracy during high-angle
pilot pre-flights
his Rafale prior dive attacks.
to an Operation
‘Barkhane’ Central African Republic
mission.
Henri-Pierre In December 2013, France launched
Grolleau Operation ‘Sangaris’ in the Central African
• EC 2/4 ‘La Fayette’ (to form as the
second nuclear deterrence squadron);
• Escadron de Transformation Rafale
(ETR) 3/4 ‘Aquitaine’ (previously ETR 2/92
‘Aquitaine’).
EC 1/7 ‘Provence’, currently based at Saint-
Dizier, will move to Al Dhafra in the United
Arab Emirates, while EC 3/30 ‘Lorraine’,
presently stationed in the UAE, will move
to Mont-de-Marsan. Three squadrons will
eventually call Mont-de-Marsan home and
all will belong to the 30e Escadre de Chasse
that was re-created on September 3, 2015:
• Escadron de Chasse et
d’Expérimentation (ECE) 1/30 ‘Côte d’Argent’
(formerly EC 5/330 ‘Côte d’Argent’);
• EC 2/30 ‘Normandie-Niemen’;
• EC 3/30 ‘Lorraine’.
All tactical codes painted on each side of
the nose of the Rafales will change too. Until
recently, Rafales wore the number of the
base (113 for Base Aérienne 113 at Saint-
Dizier, 118 for BA118 Mont-de-Marsan, and
104 for BA104 Al Dhafra) followed by two
letters (for example 118-GP for single-seater
serial number C137, at Mont-de-Marsan).
This will soon be consigned to history, and
all fighters will revert to their wing codes
(for example 30-GP), as used by the Armée
de l’Air until the mid-2010s.
February 2016
 RAFALE | COMBAT REPORT

Republic (CAR) in an effort to put an end a HOT anti-tank missile at a positively- been involved in a bitter fight with the
to vicious fighting between Christians identified house used as a shelter by group since early 2015, and France
and Muslims that had led to massacres hostile elements. has provided some support. Armed
on both sides. French troops poured into units from Chad, Cameroon and Niger
the area with aerial support provided by Boko Haram mission lack modern intelligence, surveillance
Rafales from N’Djamena, which is just Boko Haram is a Nigerian terror group and reconnaissance (ISR) equipment,
over an hour’s flight time from Bangui, the known for its campaigns of violence. however, and they have relied on foreign
capital of the CAR. In April 2014, it hit the news when 276 assets instead. While the French Ministry
Although the situation in the CAR is schoolgirls were kidnapped in Chibok, of Defense remains tight-lipped on
now progressively improving thanks to prompting protests worldwide. In this subject, it is widely accepted that
deployment of the ‘Sangaris’ force and the recent months, Boko Haram has been Rafales equipped with the Pod Reco NG
UN Minusca (Multi-dimensional Integrated extremely active, attempting to increase have taken part in the operations from
Stabilization Mission in the Central African its presence in Chad, Cameroon and N’Djamena, providing much-needed
Republic), violence sometimes still flares Niger, three close allies of France. Armed imagery and intelligence to allied ground
up unexpectedly. At N’Djamena, Rafales forces from these countries have all forces in the area.
always stand ready to back French and
UN troops in the country should the need
arise to complete intelligence, surveillance,
target acquisition and reconnaissance
(ISTAR) or kinetic missions. Thanks to the
ideal location of the base in N’Djamena,
they can easily switch from operations
against terrorists in the north to combat
missions in the CAR. In this country, a
show of force at 100ft and 550kt is usually
enough to defuse a situation and send the
protagonists away from UN and French
troops, or away from each other.
Sometimes, insurgents do not quieten
down, however, and kinetic action is
required. This happened in early August 43
2015 when Rafales had to fire 30mm gun
salvoes and drop a GBU-12 while a French
Army Aviation Gazelle helicopter fired

February 2016 www.combataircraft.net

 COMBAT REPORT | RAFALE
Iraq involvement
France’s involvement in the latest military
action in Iraq began on September 19,
2014 when Escadron de Chasse (EC) 3/30
‘Lorraine’ Rafales attacked their first IS
target, a logistics dump south of Mosul.
Operation ‘Chammal’ was then officially
launched as part of the wider, multi-
national ‘Inherent Resolve’ effort. France
thus became the second partner in the
coalition fighting against IS when it joined
the United States.
On October 5, 2014, the number of
Armée de l’Air Rafales available in the
theater was increased from six to nine, all
stationed at Al Dhafra, in the United Arab
Emirates. That November, they were joined
by three Mirage 2000D strike fighters
based in Jordan, and another three arrived
the following month.
The number of Armée de l’Air Rafales
later returned to six when nuclear aircraft
carrier Charles de Gaulle (R 91) arrived in
the Persian Gulf. The vessel and her carrier
air group actively participated in the
combat operations with 12 Rafale Ms, nine
Super Étendard Modernisés (SEMs) and
one E-2C Hawkeye from February 25 to
April 18, 2015, working alongside F/A-18C
Hornets, F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, EA-18G
44 Growlers and E-2C Hawkeyes from the
USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). The number of
French fighters in the area then peaked
at 33 aircraft (six Mirage 2000s, nine SEMs
and 18 Rafales).
Since the beginning of ‘Chammal’, Iraq
has proven to be an incredibly complex
battlefield, with constant difficulties in
identifying who is who on the ground due
to a frustrating lack of reliable intelligence
sources in the field. IS militants, Iranian
forces, Shia militias and Kurds all operate in
the same area, sometimes using the same
types of equipment. As a consequence,
French pilots respect stringent rules of
www.combataircraft.net
‘French President
François Hollande
decided that
targets in Syria
should be
attacked due to a
significant rise in
the perceived level
of threat regarding
the risk of an
attack against
French interests’
engagement (RoEs) and limit themselves
to the use of precision weapons to
minimize the risk of collateral damage.
In Iraq, Rafales undertake strike co-
ordination and reconnaissance (SCAR)
and air interdiction missions, either hitting
targets of opportunity or conducting
deliberate, pre-planned attacks. The
Rafales also fly in support of Kurdish
Peshmerga groups trained by French
instructors. While Rafales in Africa operate
without air-to-air armament, the aircraft
routinely carry Mica IR/EM infra-red/
radar-guided air-to-air missiles when
flying from Al Dhafra or from the Charles
de Gaulle in the Persian Gulf. The volatile
situation in the area dictates the need for
self-protection weapons, and the ‘fire-and-
forget’ Mica is more than enough to deter
local fighters from challenging French
aviators.
Syria role expands
For nearly a year, France restricted itself
to combat operations in Iraq only, in
order to avoid siding with either IS or
the regime of Bashar al-Assad. However,
French military intelligence and secret
services constantly monitored what was
going on in Syria. In early September
2015, taking advantage of remarkably
accurate data provided by the intelligence
community, French President François
Hollande decided that targets in Syria
should be hit due to a significant rise in
the perceived level of threat regarding the
risk of an attack against French interests.
In anticipation of the first French strike in
Syria, 12 ISR missions were flown by the
French armed forces, allowing targets
to be autonomously and independently
determined.
The initial strikes in Syria were
conducted on September 27, 2015 against
an IS training camp south of Dayr al-Zawr,
in eastern Syria, close to the Al Bukamal
checkpoint between Syria and Iraq. The
raid was launched on the eve of the UN
conference in New York attended by
Barack Obama, François Hollande and
Vladimir Putin. Five Rafales were involved.
The French Ministry of Defense would not
confirm where they came from, but their
likely departure base was Al Dhafra. They
were accompanied by a C-135FR and by
a Marine Nationale Atlantique 2 maritime
patrol aircraft used as an overland strike/
ISTAR/command and control (C2) tool.
The faithful Atlantique 2 can be used as
a bomber too, taking advantage of its
GBU-12 delivery capability.
The following week a second raid was
carried out near Raqqa by two Rafales,
thus confirming the French commitment
to supporting combat operations in the
area. According to unconfirmed sources,
up to six French jihadists may have
February 2016
 RAFALE | COMBAT REPORT

been killed during the first two attacks.

Although the subject is highly sensitive,
targeting French citizens who have made
the decision to travel to Syria is a widely
accepted solution to prevent them coming
back to France and perpetrating ‘lone wolf’
terrorist attacks. Armée de l’Air Mirage
2000D/Ns based in Jordan are involved in
the fight as well.
The next three targets in Syria were oil
and natural gas production/distribution
facilities used by IS to smuggle fuel into
neighboring countries, mainly from oil and
gas fields in northern Iraq. The purpose of
the three successive strikes carried out by
Mirage 2000D/Ns was to help starve IS of
financial resources and damage its support
infrastructure.
After the terrorist attacks in Paris in
mid-November, the deadliest attack in
continental France since WW2, strikes
described as ‘massive’ were launched by
the French Air Force against a command
post, an ammunition dump and training/
recruiting and logistics centers around
Raqqa, signaling the beginning of a long
campaign by French fighters. In all, 10
Mirage 2000s and Rafales and two support
aircraft were involved in that mission,
hitting two target areas with 20 guided Left page: France
was the first
weapons, the largest French raid since nation after the 45
the war in Libya in 2011. No details are US to commence
available, but additional tanker support air strikes on
IS positions
is thought to have been provided by the in Iraq. Here a
USAF. Two repeat operations were carried Rafale C takes
out in the following 48 hours, marking the on fuel from a
RAAF KC-30A.
start of a long-haul campaign to try and Commonwealth
bring IS to its knees. of Australia/
The Rafale has matured to become an Sgt Murray Staff
incredibly flexible and powerful combat Left top to
tool that has successfully been engaged bottom: The
throughout an area extending from the Rafale has
acquitted itself
Sahara into Somalia and the Middle East, well in combat
and further out into Afghanistan. Just prior operations,
to the Paris attacks in November it was turning its
hand to a
officially announced that the carrier Charles variety of roles.
de Gaulle would leave her Toulon home Henri‑Pierre
port to return to the fight against IS in Syria. Grolleau
Now stationed in the Mediterranean with The code 104
18 Rafales, eight SEMs, two Hawkeyes, two worn by this
Dauphins, one Alouette III and one Air Force Rafale C denotes
BA104 at Al
Super Puma on board, the carrier increases Dhafra. Shortly,
the number of French fighters deployed in however, all
the area to 38, plus eight in Niger and Chad fighters will
revert to their
and seven in Djibouti. These 53 airframes wing codes.
represent a huge effort by the French Sirpa Air
armed forces. The first operational missions
An incredible
were launched from the Charles de Gaulle image of a
on November 23. At the time the carrier French Rafale
was sailing in the eastern Mediterranean, B over the Iraqi
capital Baghdad
probably off Lebanon, to reduce transit during a night
times to and from Syria. mission. Sirpa Air

February 2016 www.combataircraft.net

 B
UNIT REPORT | ALABAMA ANG
AGRAM AIR BASE,
Afghanistan, summer
2014. Two US Air National
Guard F-16s get airborne
and climb fast to take up
station high above the
rugged terrain, on call to support ground
forces. The call of ‘troops in contact’ (TIC)
comes, and desperate voices on the
ground tip off the ‘Viper’ drivers that the
enemy is ‘danger-close’ — they scream for
air support as the clatter of semi-
automatic gunfire beats into the
microphone. The pilots crane their necks
to get their eyes on target, whirling over
the stricken troops, bringing their 500lb
precision bombs to bear, or unleashing a
volley of 20mm cannon fire.
Ensuring that a squadron of 27-year-old
F-16 Fighting Falcons is ready to respond
when the call to action comes is no mean
feat, especially while deployed to a
combat zone in Afghanistan. The 187th
Fighter Wing, Alabama Air National Guard,
executed what many have called a
textbook deployment to Afghanistan in
2014, achieving the highest F-16
mission-capable (MC) rate in Bagram’s
recent history. During the unit’s six-month
stay there, the overall MC rate for the
46 187th Maintenance Group was an
impressive 86.2 per cent. In July 2014,
maintenance met or exceeded all goals set
for trackable metrics and achieved a 90.2
per cent MC rate. The squadron didn’t miss
a single air tasking order (ATO) sortie.
During those intense sorties, the F-16s
with ‘Alabama’ emblazoned across their
tails dropped 221 bombs and fired 18,000
rounds of ammunition, supporting a
remarkable 342 TIC situations.
Col Randal Efferson, commander of the
187th FW, is justifiably proud of his men
and women’s efforts. ‘Our deployment
lasted from April to November and it was
the first stand-alone, ‘organic’ deployment
by a single ANG wing, with just our
equipment and personnel covering the
six-month deployment. We employed a
combination of GBU-38/54 JDAMs [Joint
Direct Attack Munitions], including the
new, lower-frag (V)5 GBU-38. We did a lot
of employment with our 20mm cannon
with a combination of high- and low-angle
strafe. Our pilots got down in the weeds
when they needed to in order to support
the ground troops.’
‘All the preparation work is what allowed
us to do what we did down-range’,
comments Lt Col Adrian Meyer. Indeed,
the wing’s 100th Fighter Squadron had to
quickly become familiarized with the new
www.combataircraft.net
Helmet-Mounted Integrated Targeting
(HMIT) and associated upgrades
introduced under the latest SCU-8
(Software Component Upgrade 8)
capability update for its weary Block 30
F-16C+ ‘Vipers’. ‘It was a phenomenal effort
on all the maintenance, both back-shop
and flight line, working together’, said
Meyer. Lt Col John Cobb added: ‘During
our missions, we faced challenging
situations caused by weather,
mountainous terrain and complex tactical
scenarios. Because of the great
performance of our maintenance,
ammunition and weapons troops we had
a safe, reliable and effective jet every time
we flew. We were able to fly every mission
tasked to us, and that really built our
confidence as well as the confidence of
the ground forces we supported.’
Col Len Borowski, the 187th Operations
Group commander, derives
understandable satisfaction from the
Afghanistan deployment. ‘It was an
historic mission for the ANG overall,
because of the timeframe we were
deployed and the fact that we did that
mission completely in-house.’
Sweet home Alabama
Back home at Montgomery, the squadron
is a living, breathing, hive of activity.
Borowski says: ‘Under the Operations
Group we have three squadrons: the 100th
Fighter Squadron, the 377th Fighter
Squadron, and the 187th Operations
Support Squadron, plus we have a
detachment with one RC-26B.’
In September 2007 the wing’s 160th
Fighter Squadron was re-designated as
the 100th FS in honor of the famous
squadron of the Tuskegee Airmen, bright
red tails being applied to at least two of its
aircraft in recognition of the heritage
behind the squadron identity. The move
was the opening phase of the Total Force
Integration (TFI) effort at this wing,
bringing together Guardsmen with
Reserve and active-duty airmen. Further
cementing the TFI effort in November
2015 was the re-activation of the 377th FS
(formerly known as Detachment 100 of
the 495th Fighter Group, 9th Air Force at
Shaw AFB, South Carolina) as a full
active-duty fighter squadron associated
with the 187th FW, but assigned to the
495th FG.
‘Our two fighter squadrons share the 18
PAA [primary assigned aircraft]’, Borowski
continued. ‘The TFI initiative means that A pair of striking
red tailed 100th
more and more units are becoming FS F-16C Block 30s
associate units, with the active-duty Air flying over Alabama.
February 2016
 ALABAMA ANG | UNIT REPORT

RED TAILS OVER ALABAMA

47

The 187th Fighter Wing is

a proud and famous unit
flying some of the oldest
F-16s in the US Air Force.
Having completed a
highly successful combat
deployment in 2014, its
sights are set firmly on
the future.
report: Jamie Hunter
photos: Jim Haseltine

February 2016 www.combataircraft.net

 UNIT REPORT | ALABAMA ANG

48

‘In Afghanistan
we did a lot of
employment
with our 20mm
cannon with a
combination of
high- and low-
angle strafe. Our
pilots got down in
the weeds when
they needed to in
order to support
the ground troops’
COL RANDAL EFFERSON

www.combataircraft.net February 2016


Force associating Air National Guard and
Air Force Reserve units. The active-duty
force sends pilots and maintainers to
augment our wing and we use our
experience to bring these young guys up
to speed. Our RC-26 detachment is
dedicated to a little bit of everything, from
special operations to counter-drug
missions to homeland defense. We used to
have dual-qualified pilots that flew the
F-16s and the RC-26, but now we have
dedicated RC-26 pilots.’
Back in 1988 the 187th FW started to
retire its F-4D Phantom IIs, trading them in
for F-16s. Col Borowski is what they call a
‘Guard baby’: having enlisted into the ANG
in 1987, he then went to college and was
selected to become a pilot after he
graduated. Now he has over 3,000 hours
on those very same F-16s. ‘I started flying
the F-16 in 1992 and back then this unit
rarely deployed; that was true of all ANG
fighter units. We’d go for maybe two or
three weeks every few years, but from
1994 onwards that changed and since
then we have been on the road quite a lot,
partly because of the total force mentality.
I’ve deployed eight times to combat zones.’
‘Viper’ evolution
Things have evolved significantly since
Borowski first got airborne in an F-16. ‘Back
then it was a day VFR [visual flight rules]
fighter with one sensor — the radar. Now
we have the radar plus the targeting pod,
night vision goggles [NVGs] and the
helmet sight. The pilot has to do an
incredible job of absorbing all that
February 2016
ALABAMA ANG | UNIT REPORT
information from the various sources,
process it and have good judgment to
make good decisions’. He added: ‘Fighters
are constantly undergoing upgrades to
meet evolving threats and we could still
‘grow’ the F-16, but the problem is the life
of the airframe. We are coming to the
twilight years of our Block 30 airframes
and there’s a cost-benefit equation of how
much money the government is willing to
pump into these older airplanes.’
Col Efferson added: ‘Our maintainers are
world-class. Their jets are very old but they
are also very well-maintained. The
challenge is that we are increasing the
inspections and maintenance that [are] Left: AIM-120
required.’ and AIM-9-
The wing’s 23 assigned ‘Vipers’ are all toting Alabama
‘Vipers’ break
Block 30 F-16C/D+ aircraft that have been for the camera.
upgraded to SCU-8 standard. The
addition of the ‘plus’ denotes that they Bottom left
to right: The
have passed through the Falcon STAR new Scorpion
structural upgrade, which increases Helmet-
airframe life to 10,800 effective flight Mounted
Integrated
hours (EFH). Efferson says of the latest Targeting
standard: ‘We received SCU-8 just prior to (HMIT) system
our Afghanistan combat deployment and and the Center
Display Unit are
we were the first unit to receive this shown to good
upgrade. It gives us the new [Raytheon] effect.
Center Display Unit [CDU], which is a
Active-duty and
good-size MFD [multi-function display] in ANG pilots fly 49
the middle, plus the new Helmet- alongside each
Mounted Integrated Targeting [HMIT] other seamlessly
at the 187th FW.
system’. The latter is a cheaper and less
complex alternative to the more Col Randal
traditional Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing Efferson,
commander of
System (JHMCS), and is based on the the 187th FW.
Gentex Scorpion helmet. USAF
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 UNIT REPORT | ALABAMA ANG

A pair of 100th Fighter Squadron Block 30 F-16Cs from the

Alabama Air National Guard. Jim Haseltine

50

www.combataircraft.net February 2016


The SCU-8 jets are able to carry the
GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb, but
Efferson’s unit has not had the
opportunity to train with or use these new
weapons. He is, however, glowing when
discussing the benefits of the new helmet
and new display. ‘The CDU gives us a
moving map and we can also put our
targeting pod imagery on it — that huge
MFD, 8 x 10in, gives us a much larger
picture to look at’. Efferson continues: ‘I
love the new helmet. It’s lightweight plus
[unlike JHMCS] it’s compatible with our
NVGs. The information is displayed on a
monocle over our right eye and the NVGs
just fold down in front of that monocle.
We love it day or night. We can fly with our
normal day visor and just swap that out
with the NVGs in flight. It gives us great
situational awareness, plus we can look
down at our tactical display — everything
correlates. Visual station-keeping is much
easier — we just look inside, do what we
need to do, and take a quick peek outside
to see who you are targeting and who
your wingman is targeting. It’s beautiful.’
The 187th F-16s have plenty of
capabilities at their disposal and have
largely been optimized for the close
air support (CAS) mission in
recent years. They have the
Situational Awareness
DataLink (SADL) that
provides intra-flight
data on wingmen
and Link 16
February 2016
ALABAMA ANG | UNIT REPORT
tracks, while ‘nine-line’ briefs from Joint
Terminal Attack Controllers (JTACS) can be
sent as text messages to be ‘hand-jammed’
into the jet’s navigation system.
The squadron’s jets are slated to receive
the SCU-9 upgrade, but as Efferson says
this will be a mainly software-orientated
‘drop’ to add a little more capability and
refinements. The only possible major
hardware update coming down the
pipeline for the older Block 30 F-16s could
be the addition of an active electronically-
scanned array (AESA) radar for the
homeland defense mission, but as the
187th FW does not hold the alert mission
it is unlikely to receive this Urgent
Operational Need (UON) upgrade. When
asked if he’d like to receive the AESA
upgrade, Efferson quipped: ‘You’re asking
a fighter pilot — of course I’d love an AESA
radar. It gives us a much better capability.
But, in reality, at this unit we are good for
our present-day missions in the places we
are being sent.’
Future focus
The majority of training conducted by
the two fighter squadrons is kept
‘in-house’, although Col Borowski says
that the pilots regularly get to train with
locally based F-15 Eagles and A-10 51
Thunderbolt IIs. ‘We do a lot of CAS
training with JTACs, who are based down
in Meridian, Mississippi, which is
coincidentally right near our operating
airspace’, he says. ‘CAS has been the focus
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 UNIT REPORT | ALABAMA ANG
52
of our combat operations, at least since
the first Gulf War. We do have FAC-A
[forward air controller — airborne]-
qualified pilots, but we don’t see that
mission set employed very much these
days. It’s more about working with the
guys on the ground.
‘After we returned from our
Afghanistan deployment, we deployed
for a month to Nellis AFB, Nevada, to
support the USAF Weapons School. Not
having the alert mission here made it
easier to do that. That mission can soak
up a lot of resources for the alert
squadrons. We are one of three ANG
F-16 wings that does not have an active
alert role.’
Indeed, the unit has again been on the
road recently with a deployment to
Câmpia Turzii, in Romania, that ended in
November 2015. This saw the 100th FS
F-16s flying alongside Romanian MiG-21
LanceRs and reflected the fact that the
Alabama National Guard has partnered
with Romania since 1993 as part of the
www.combataircraft.net
Above: Alabama
‘We are trying to posture to get the action — 187th
FW ‘Vipers’
F-35 here at the wing. We think we
gaggle around
a KC-135R of
the 106th ARS,
are the best choice for the F-35’ Alabama ANG.
Above left:
COL RANDAL EFFERSON A 100th FS
F-16C eases
State Partnership Program, which pairs concept the USAF is using right now, effortlessly into
Guard units with different nations to mixing active-duty with ANG and Air the vertical and
improve both military and civil Force Reserve Command, is the way of punches out
decoy flares.
understanding. the future, especially as we move to the
Now that Romania has committed to F-22 and the F-35. In fact, we are trying Right: The Block
purchasing Portuguese F-16s, the pilot to posture to get the F-35 here at the 30 F-16 may
be showing its
training will partially be completed in wing. We think we are the best choice age, but it will
the US. ‘This is an exciting time to be for the F-35.’ remain a great
working with the Romanian Air Force Several factors influence Efferson’s workhorse in
many units for
and we look forward to training with rationale on this, including the fact that the foreseeable
these pilots when their F-16s are the wing does not hold the alert future.
delivered’, commented Lt Col Doyle mission, meaning that an F-35 transition
Pompa, commander of the 377th FS. here would not bring the added
Looking to the future, Col Efferson and requirement to position an alert
his team are well aware of the studies detachment at Montgomery.
that are under way regarding the next He added: ‘Air Combat Command is
batch of F-35 units. ‘I think the total force looking to bed-down F-35 Operations
February 2016
 ALABAMA ANG | UNIT REPORT

[Ops] 5, 6 and 7 shortly, and those three

new F-35 squadrons are going to go to
the Guard and Reserve forces’. Following
on from the initial decisions to position
F-35As at Hill AFB in Utah, Eielson AFB in
Alaska, RAF Lakenheath in the UK, and
with the Vermont ANG, units five and six
will be ANG outfits, due to receive F-35s
in 2022 and 2023 respectively. The
seventh is expected to go to the
Reserves, and that decision lies with the
strategic basing committee. Its
deliberations will address and evaluate a
host of factors, including local weather,
existing infrastructure, cost for bed-
down, airspace, and others.
Col Efferson says: ‘One of the good
things about Montgomery is that we have
a total force association with active-duty
pilots and maintainers working alongside
us’. He sees his old Block 30 F-16s as a big
reason why his squadrons should convert
directly to the F-35. ‘Our jets are the oldest
in the inventory. If we receive F-35s, our
old F-16s will just go straight to the
boneyard. Other units have newer F-16s,
and so their jets would be retained and
would have to be moved to other wings.
Us switching straight to the F-35 avoids
that double change.’
Time will tell as to whether these factors 53
mean the Alabama ANG is in line for the
Lightning II. There’s a huge appetite here
for the new mission, and the wing is well
placed to embrace it with the enthusiasm
and professionalism that it requires.

February 2016 www.combataircraft.net

 A
FEATURE | USAF FIGHTERS

DECADE AGO, THE The delay in the arrival of these F-35s from nearly one million at its zenith. Air
then chief of the means the USAF has a front-line fighter Combat Command leaders are concerned
US Air Force, Gen force far smaller than expected, and that the fighter unit tally may drop
T. Michael ‘Buzz’ an unexpected reliance on ‘legacy’ below 50 squadrons, thereby increasing
Moseley, was platforms — its F-15 Eagles and F-16 the burden on aircraft, personnel and
lobbying hard to Fighting Falcons. families. Fewer squadrons lead to more
avoid curtailing F-22 Raptor production Today’s USAF has just 54 fighter deployment rotations, not to mention
and making the case for an all-stealthy squadrons. Its personnel levels are at an intensifying the burden on a fighter force
fighter and bomber force. The Air Force all-time low: just 310,000 people, down in transition to fifth-generation platforms.
was already falling well short of the
original 750 Raptors that it wanted, but
was looking ahead optimistically at a
This image: combat force of Raptors, B-2 Spirits,
Air Combat future bombers, and F-35 Lightning IIs.
Command is
weighing up the Today, as budgets have dwindled, things
pros and cons have changed dramatically.
of upgrading Production of the mighty Raptor was
its F-15Cs in a
comprehensive curtailed at 187 operational jets despite
program to its huge promise. The fighter earned a
allow them to reputation for its high price tag rather than
serve until 2040
and beyond. its supreme capabilities. What is more,
Jamie Hunter F-35 low-rate initial production (LRIP)
delivery rates have been sharply reduced
Inset: Former
USAF chief amid concerns over maturity and the cost
of staff Gen of the program, meaning fewer F-35s are
Moseley was arriving on squadron flight lines in the
a staunch
supporter of the near term, although the USAF still aims to
F-22. US DoD take on 1,763 Lightning IIs.

54

www.combataircraft.net February 2016

 USAF FIGHTERS | FEATURE

A FORCE
IN TRANSITION
Despite its push for an all-stealth fighter fleet, the
55

US Air Force will need to maintain its older fighters

for the foreseeable future. It might also have to
re-evaluate longer-term plans and be open to
some radical options.
report: Jamie Hunter

February 2016 www.combataircraft.net

 FEATURE | USAF FIGHTERS
More squadrons are thus in down-time as
they re-equip and spin back up.
It seems ridiculous to think that the
mighty USAF has just one active-duty
F-16C/D wing in the continental US —
the 20th Fighter Wing at Shaw Air Force
Base, South Carolina. The F-16 wing at Hill
AFB, Utah, is in transition to the F-35, and
there are zero active-duty F-15C wings
in the US. The USAF’s three remaining
active-duty Eagle squadrons are overseas
at Kadena, Japan, and Lakenheath, UK.
As one senior USAF officer remarked: ‘We
have a lot of fourth-generation [fighters]
that we are trying to upgrade to make
them last and replace them with fifth-
generation’. And it’s not just the aircraft.
The USAF is packed with weapons, tactics
and procedures all geared toward fourth-
generation capabilities.
Two factors have seriously hindered the
USAF’s efforts to modernize. Industry
has failed to meet targets and blown
budgets, and stubborn lawmakers
have continually insisted on
pegging the USAF back and
enforcing rulings that forbid
56
www.combataircraft.net
certain ‘legacy’ platforms from being The availability
retired. The A-10 Thunderbolt II argument of F-35As to
recapitalize
is one that divides senior officers and USAF fighter
observers alike. The A-10 is providing a squadrons
sterling capability in current operations, has increased
more slowly
but the USAF argues it can survive without than initially
the ‘Hog’ on its books. Some say the US planned.
Army remains the staunchest proponent Jim Haseltine
of the A-10. Others argue that the type
is simply too vulnerable to operate over
future battlefields.
‘Warthog’ fans say the F-35 ‘doesn’t do
CAS’ — close air support. The argument
at senior levels within the USAF is that the
F-35 can indeed ‘do’ CAS, but that isn’t the
point. F-15E Strike Eagles and F-16s are
still going to be around — and they can do
CAS. Moreover, the USAF has been forced
to test the F-35 in the CAS role as Congress
says it has to prove and demonstrate
that the aircraft has this capability. This
has pitted the F-35 in a head-to-head
comparison with the A-10C. Initial results
look encouraging for F-35 proponents as
the aircraft demonstrates non-traditional
ways to suppress threats, without having
to get ‘down in the weeds’ and put its
February 2016

pilot in harm’s way. Indeed, justification
of the desperate need for the F-35 has
been highlighted by developments in
the current fight in Syria, in the light of
recently-deployed Russian S-300PMU
and S-400 surface-to-air missile (SAM)
systems. These lethal air defense systems
are exactly what the F-35 was designed to
hide from.
Events in Syria have seen USAF officials
voicing sharp criticism of Russia’s tactics
and capabilities. Generals point to
F-22s having dropped over 400 GPS-
guided weapons in Syria, compared
with Russian activities that have seen
the non-precision use of all manner of
weapons including cluster munitions.
It’s clear that the Russian jets regularly
operate in close proximity to aircraft such
as the Raptors, but they remain oblivious
to the presence of the stealthy fighters.
It will be interesting to see how the
introduction of advanced Russian long-
range SAM systems in Syria affects USAF
air operations in the region.
‘Ramping up’ F-35
The F-35 remains the cornerstone of
the USAF’s fighter modernization effort.
Leaders now openly acknowledge that
the F-35 is not the ‘be-all and end-all’
fighter and that it can be beaten by an
F-16 in basic fighter maneuvers (BFM).
Not important, say some officers — the
F-35 will never be in a dogfight scenario,
February 2016
USAF FIGHTERS | FEATURE
57
they contend, and it will always kill BVR, Therefore, the USAF is pushing hard
beyond visual range. to move from the current LRIP blocks to
The USAF’s 1,763 F-35As are likely to full-rate production. This is slated to begin Above: The
comprise roughly half of all Lightning in 2019. It should allow the USAF to ramp USAF is looking
at new ways
IIs being built. One officer commented up to receiving 60 aircraft per year in 2020 to introduce
recently: ‘It’s late, it’s over budget, but it’s and to 80 from then until 2038. incremental
fantastic!’ It’s not all about the F-35, though. While upgrades for its
Block 40/42 and
So, what is the USAF actually doing the USAF is acutely aware that in recent 50/52 F-16C/Ds.
right now? In 2015 it took 26 F-35s. These years it has been heavily involved in Jamie Hunter
immature, early-production aircraft are operations in permissive environments
Inset: USAF
going to need a lot of upgrading to such as Afghanistan rather than facing a F-16s appear
keep them credible — they are akin to a high-end threat, it recognizes that it must increasingly
pre-MLU (mid-life upgrade) F-16A. This maintain both high-end and low-end weathered,
but they will
year (2016) the USAF is slated to receive forces that can ‘take the fight east or west’ potentially
44 F-35s and it aims to get to 60 per year as the need arises. soldier on for
by 2020. These figures reveal that it is Therefore, the USAF aspires to retain a another 25
years or more.
still going to take a very long time to sensible chunk of its fourth-generation USAF/SSgt Joe W.
recapitalize its fighter fleet. fighter capability for many years to come, McFadden
www.combataircraft.net
 FEATURE | USAF FIGHTERS
and enable those fighters to be ready for
either scenario — keeping them credible.
The USAF operates some of the oldest
F-16s still flying anywhere. It will be in the
same situation in 30 years’ time with its
early F-35s. Converting two units per year
to the F-35 means that USAF F-16s will
need to stick around for, potentially, up
to a further 30 years! The Air Force is thus
very keen to re-engage its planned F-16
capability upgrades.
Upgrading the ‘Viper’
The USAF still holds ambitions to
upgrade 300 of its newest F-16s in order
to retain a balanced force of lower-end
F-15C/Es and F-16s for the ‘CAS fight’
and a high-end capability with F-22s
and F-35s. Lockheed Martin is putting an
F-16 through stress and fatigue testing
so as to design a service life-extension
retrofit kit. This would allow Block 40/42
and 50/52 jets to fly for as many as 12,000
hours, well beyond the type’s original
design service life of 8,000 equivalent
flight hours (EFH).
The USAF scrapped its Combat Avionics
Programmed Extension Suite (CAPES)
upgrade and associated service life-
58 extension plans for those 300 ‘Vipers’
under sequestration budget caps in the
last fiscal year, but it preserved funding
over five years to replace their mission and
display computers.
In March 2015, US Northern Command
issued an Urgent Operational Need (UON)
to fit Air National Guard Block 30 F-16s
assigned to the Aerospace Control Alert
(ACA) mission with a non-integrated
www.combataircraft.net
active electronically-scanned array (AESA)
radar suitable for the air-to-air mission One officer commented
or a fully-integrated radar capable of
supporting all the F-16’s roles. The effort of the F-35 Lightning II
specifies the installation of a system
that requires ‘minimal to no structural,
recently: ‘It’s late, it’s
electrical, or environmental cooling
system modifications’. The notice also
over budget, but it’s
says that the system should achieve initial fantastic!’
operational capability by the first quarter
of Fiscal Year (FY) 2017.
The USAF argues that full integration center pedestal display. CAPES was Below: The
of the radar will permit the retention of intended to be a joint program between potential for the
upgraded F-15
the F-16’s complete range of missions for the USAF and Taiwan, which is now Eagle to carry up
a marginally increased cost. USAF chief performing the upgrades unilaterally. An to 16 air-to-air
missiles could
Gen Mark Welsh said at that time: ‘We incremental upgrade path for the USAF
mitigate its
need to develop an AESA upgrade plan now appears more likely rather than a lack of stealth
for the entire fleet’. Addressing the House single project such as CAPES, especially attributes in
the future fight.
Armed Services Committee, he added as the baseline capability going into the
Jamie Hunter
that the USAF had budgeted $25 million F-16V will be applicable to USAF upgrades.
in FY 2016 for integration of an air-to- Inset: Strike
air-only radar, but would prefer to spend Buy new or upgrade? Eagles are
already being
$75 million, if it can find the money, for a In expectation of the USAF needing to earmarked for
fully-integrated AESA. extend the life of its Eagle force, Boeing the close air
has produced a menu of options for the support role.
The SCU-8 upgrade of the ANG’s Block
Jamie Hunter
30 F-16s is already nearing completion. It existing F-15C fleet, as detailed in last
includes the Scorpion helmet-mounted month’s issue of Combat Aircraft. The F-15 Right:
Re-starting
integrated targeting (HMIT) system, 2040C is a ‘significant upgrade’, according
F-22 Raptor
beyond-line-of-sight satcom, a new color to one senior USAF officer. Clearly it is an production
display and the GBU-39 Small Diameter option under evaluation, but the USAF could be an
option to fill the
Bomb (SDB). will have to be selective — it surely will
medium-term
The wider USAF requirement is likely not be able to upgrade all of its ‘legacy’ fighter needs
to tap into the current F-16V project platforms and afford the F-35s it requires. of the USAF.
Lockheed Martin
that Lockheed Martin is running for the The F-15 2040C taps into the Advanced
Republic of China Air Force. F-15 that Boeing has developed and the
It integrates the Northrop upgrade will not come cheap, although it
Grumman AN/APG-83 does offer some unique capabilities that
Scalable Agile Beam Radar have understandably got the USAF’s
(SABR) and a new cockpit attention — not least the ability to
February 2016

carry 16 air-to-air missiles. The latter in
particular is an attribute the F-35 does
not share.
A senior USAF officer recently
described the 2040C as ‘a great capability’,
but added that Air Combat Command has
also studied buying ‘a wing’ of maybe 72
F-16s or F-15s, or perhaps even an open
competition for F/A-18E/F Super Hornets.
The ‘initial look’ reportedly indicated that
a purchase such as this would come in at
a higher cost than buying F-35s ‘in bulk’,
and that upgrading some of the current
fleet might be the best option to maintain
fighter numbers in lieu of slower-than-
anticipated F-35 deliveries. Significantly,
it marked the first time that this renewed
‘look’ at buying new fourth-gen platforms
compared to upgrading existing assets
had been publicly discussed — even if it is
unlikely to happen.
Every dollar that goes toward buying
new or upgrading existing fourth-
generation fighters could have a direct
effect on the F-35 program. That could
mean reducing procurement figures
or stringing out plans. Either way, it
acknowledged that such plans have at
least been considered — a world away
from a decade ago, when the USAF
leadership flatly refused to consider
buying a single new F-15.
If ever there was a time to also re-visit
abandoned plans, then surely the current
Air Combat Command studies should
at least evaluate re-starting F-22 Raptor
production. Lockheed Martin retained the
tooling for the F-22 after the production
line in Marietta, Georgia, shut down
February 2016
in 2012. Maybe it’s time to look at a
5.5-generation fighter to meet — or slot
in ahead of — the Next-Generation Air
Dominance (NGAD) requirement.
A return to Raptor production is
hardly likely to keep Lockheed Martin’s
shareholders happy. All the difficult
development work was completed years
ago and this isn’t the time for industry
make-work in designing a new fighter
airframe. Those who have been close
to the F-22 acknowledge that a few
refinements would arguably result in the
ultimate super-fighter. Maybe, then, the
NGAD initiative should actually look at
an F-22C for the USAF and even a more
advanced ‘Super Hornet-style’ F-35E for
the Navy? Porting an F-35 cockpit and
equipment such as its helmet-mounted
display or the distributed aperture system
across to the F-22 would represent a
proven and relatively risk-free solution for
USAF fighter needs in the medium term.
Preservation of F-22 tooling was
intended to support a future service life-
extension program, but it also implicitly
kept open the option of re-starting
production if required. Rand’s Project
USAF FIGHTERS | FEATURE
Air Force analytical group concluded
that resuming Raptor production after
a two-year break would significantly
increase costs, but it calculated that a
75-aircraft run over five years would cost
an estimated average of $227 million per
airframe. Arguably, the USAF would need
far more aircraft than this, which could
serve dramatically to reduce the unit cost.
Regardless of future initiatives, the
reality is that F-35 procurement will
likely be pruned (or elongated) — not
cut as radically as were the F-22 or B-2,
but trimmed nonetheless. The trend
seems inevitable. This will probably be
coupled with modest upgrades for at
least some of the ‘legacy’ fighter force,
meaning that a number of Fighting
Falcons or Eagles will remain in service 59
until post-2040. Many would question
their credibility that far out. However,
overall, the USAF fighter squadron
complement will continue to dwindle,
so the case for increased inter-service
co-operation must surely continue to be
made, especially when addressing the
air-to-ground strike role in uncontested
environments.
www.combataircraft.net
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 FEATURE | UK AIR POWER

62

UK AIR POWER
ON THE RISE
The UK Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) gave
a boost to the Royal Air Force in particular, the air arm being
promised a modest increase in its ‘combat air mass’ as it
faces expanded operations in the Middle East.
report: Jamie Hunter

www.combataircraft.net February 2016


A
IR POWER IS rarely out
of the UK’s headlines
right now. In the weeks
preceding the Strategic
Defence and Security
Review (SDSR) — made
public by Prime Minister David Cameron
on November 23 — there had been much
speculation regarding the shape of the
British armed forces over the coming five
years. Military aviation was to feature
strongly. The vote in the House of
Main image: The RAF has
Commons on extending British air strikes
been given the green
light to increase the into Syria similarly captured the front
Typhoon force to seven pages, and Eurofighter Typhoons were
front-line squadrons.
quickly drafted into operations alongside
Jamie Hunter
Tornado GR4s.
Inset above: Air Vice- So, what does it all mean for the Royal
Marshal Gary Waterfall,
Air Force and British air power?
Air Officer Commanding
No 1 Group.
Crown Copyright SDSR — good news
for the RAF
One of the headlines from SDSR 2015 was
the decision to accelerate deliveries of
Lockheed Martin F-35Bs, and a
reconfirmation of the UK’s long-term
commitment to purchase 138 Lightning IIs
throughout the life of the program. Other
significant decisions related to the
expansion of the Typhoon force and the
decision to purchase nine Boeing P-8
Poseidon multi-mission maritime
aircraft (MMAs).
The impetus to increase ‘combat air mass’
within the RAF had been increasing
steadily throughout 2015. It started with
February 2016
UK AIR POWER | FEATURE
the announcement that the re-formed
No 12 (Bomber) Squadron would extend
its service with the Tornado GR4 until
March 2017 as a result of the current
Operation ‘Shader’ against the so-called 63
Islamic State (IS).
The retention of three front-line
squadrons within the Tornado GR4 force
had already signaled a step-change in the
argument over fighter aircraft ‘mass’. Back
in 2009, senior RAF officers foresaw a
front-line force of five Typhoon units and a
single F-35 unit by 2020 — just six
operational squadrons. As SDSR 2010 hit
the RAF hard, it was clear that the financial
‘black hole’ in the British defense budget
was going to have a profound effect on
the RAF combat aircraft fleet.
Fast-forward to 2014 and things were
changing — the ‘black hole’ had
reportedly gone and defense was getting
itself back on track. The 2014 re-formation
of No 12(B) Squadron was anything but a
temporary step, and a clear sign that
politicians were supporting an upswing in
RAF front-line strength.
What this means is that with the Tornado
GR4’s out-of-service date remaining on
track for April 2019, the Typhoon force will
be expected to fill this void, not just in
terms of capability but also unit strength.
Rumors circulated that SDSR 2015 might
see the RAF return to a front-line strength
of up to a dozen squadrons, but in reality
that was wildly ambitious and would have
presented a host of challenges in terms of
www.combataircraft.net
 FEATURE | UK AIR POWER
finances and personnel. On November 23,
the Prime Minister announced that the
SDSR would actually add two more
front-line Typhoon squadrons and include
a huge investment in future capabilities
for the type. These new units will take the
RAF back to its original seven-squadron
Typhoon plan and allow the effective
replacement of the remaining
Tornados by 2019.
Typhoon on the rise
Original plans for the RAF involved
purchasing 232 Typhoons to equip seven
operational squadrons to give a front-line
inventory of 137 available fighters. Despite
cutting back on its Tranche 3 commitment
by only ordering 40 aircraft in this batch,
the RAF is now expected to operate these
alongside 67 Tranche 2 and ‘around 30’
original Tranche 1 Typhoons. The latter
number is where the RAF has found
additional airframes with which to equip
the two extra units, as previous plans had
called for the Tranche 1 Typhoons to be
retired by 2020. These will now be retained
to enable the establishment of the two
more units within the Typhoon force.
Speaking in his office shortly after the
SDSR announcement, Air Officer
64
‘The Tornado is really good at what it
can do and the Typhoon is really good
at what it can do, so there is no need to
work together this time around as they
did over Libya’
AVM GARY WATERFALL
www.combataircraft.net
Commanding No 1 Group, and the senior
officer overseeing the RAF’s combat
aircraft, AVM Gary Waterfall told this
magazine: ‘[The] Typhoon is going to be
the cornerstone, the heavyweight, of our
combat air mix even when the F-35
comes into town. This is why we are
spending so much time harnessing our
fourth- and fifth-generation capabilities
— working with the US F-22 Raptors
when we have Typhoons deployed to the
US and increasingly working with the
F-35 as that continues to develop.
‘We are going to retain our Tranche 1
Typhoons out into the 2030s; however,
we are not going to turn those aircraft
into the real multi-role assets that our
Tranche 2 and 3 aircraft are becoming.
We are going to have an enduring need
for QRA [quick reaction alert] in the UK,
in the Falkland Islands and in other
countries, as we have demonstrated with
our commitment to the Baltic Air
Policing mission. Retaining sufficient
Tranche 1 jets to equip two front-line
squadrons will give us that ability.
Meanwhile, in recognition of the worth
of our Tranche 2 and 3 aircraft, the
out-of-service date for those aircraft has
moved right to 2040, ensuring we get
February 2016

the maximum return from our
investment in those aircraft.’
It is the Tranche 2 and 3 airframes that
are being lined up to replace the
Tornado GR4s, which have provided
sterling service for the UK. This January
the RAF marks 25 years of sustained
combat operations by the Tornado,
dating back to Operation ‘Granby’ in
1991. By the time it bows out in 2019, the
Tornado GR4 will have seen 37 years in
operational service.
Project ‘Centurion’ is about forging a
suitable replacement for the GR4, in the
February 2016
shape of the multi-role Typhoon. By 2019,
the RAF expects to have embodied both
the Phase 2 and Phase 3 Enhancements
(P2E/P3E) onto its Tranche 2/3 aircraft,
which will include the ability to employ
MBDA Meteor air-to-air missiles, the
Storm Shadow stand-off cruise missile
and the Dual-Mode Seeker (DMS)
Brimstone weapon that has proved so
effective on the Tornado. In addition,
these aircraft will subsequently receive
the long-awaited Captor-E active
electronically scanned array (AESA or
E-Scan) radar.
UK AIR POWER | FEATURE
‘CENTURION’ TYPHOON
By December 2018 the Royal
Air Force plans to be operating
Typhoons at a sufficient standard
to enable replacement of its
Tornado GR4s. At the Farnborough
International Airshow in 2014
Eurofighter made a number of
notable announcements, all of
which were crucial to the program.
The event saw the signing of an
integration contract for the MBDA
Storm Shadow stand-off cruise
missile under ‘Contract 4’ that
includes BAE Systems, Airbus Space
and Defence, and Alenia Aermacchi
collaborating to integrate the
weapon onto the aircraft as part
of the P2E enhancement package.
BAE Systems has also conducted
guided firing trials of the MBDA
Meteor beyond visual range air-
to-air missile (BVRAAM) on the
Typhoon. This is part of the P2E
flight-test campaign being run by
BAE Systems, and which forms part
of a NATO Eurofighter and Tornado
Management Agency (NETMA)
65
Left page: contract to integrate the Meteor
MBDA’s Storm onto the Typhoon by the end of
Shadow
2016.
stand-off cruise
missile forms The P2E trials will include full
part of the integration of the Storm Shadow
forthcoming
cruise missile to enable the P2E-
P2E capability
upgrade. standard Typhoon to be fielded
BAE Systems/ before the end of 2017.
Jamie Hunter
BAE Systems is moving ahead
Above and with integration of the MBDA
inset left: A
Brimstone 2 air-to-ground precision
vision of the
future and the weapon onto the Typhoon, with
P3E-standard what it called an ‘effective route to
Typhoon. This
Brimstone 2 integration (under the
is denoted by
the carriage of P3E initiative) for the RAF by 2018.’
Brimstone 2 The SDSR specifically mentioned
missiles on the
support for the capability upgrade
triple launcher.
BAE Systems/ afforded by the E-Scan radar
Jamie Hunter for the Typhoon, although this
Left: The UK’s sits outside the current Project
Strategic ‘Centurion’ initiative. Farnborough
Defence and
Security
2014 saw the public unveiling of
Review the prototype Euroradar CAPTOR-E
signaled active electronically-scanned array
support for
the eagerly-
(AESA) radar fitted to BAE Systems’
awaited Instrumented Production Aircraft 5
E-Scan radar (IPA5, serial ZJ700). A second aircraft
program for
the Eurofighter.
(IPA8) in Germany is a new-build
Jamie Hunter Tranche 3 twin-seater also slated to
join the E-Scan test program.
www.combataircraft.net
 FEATURE | UK AIR POWER

66

Above: One ‘[The] Typhoon is going to be formidable training. We don’t know yet where we are The challenge now for the RAF and for
of the six RAF
in all roles by the end of the decade’, going to base these two additional industry will be to ensure that the
Typhoon FGR4s
deployed to RAF comments Waterfall. ‘Our force of seven squadrons, but activating a third main Typhoon’s capabilities are all available on
Akrotiri, Cyprus, squadrons will see the Tranche 1s operating base [MOB] for [the] Typhoon time and that the squadrons are similarly
on December 3.
predominantly focused on the air-to-air would be inefficient, and so where possible equipped and ready. AVM Waterfall
Crown Copyright/
Sgt Emily Burns and air policing role, with the Tranche 2/3 we will look to station them at our existing comments: ‘We have got a real
bulk concentrating on multi-role MOBs [Coningsby and Lossiemouth]. conundrum coming up. We are in contact
Right: Tornados
operations. ‘What is remarkable in this defense in Operation ‘Shader’ and everything we
— now in the
form of GR4s ‘The Tranche 1 squadrons that are review is that we are looking for billions of read says this is rightfully going to be a
— have been in focused more on the air-to-air role could pounds’ worth of efficiencies and investing long affair in order for us to achieve the
constant combat
start to lead in some of the ‘Red Air’ those billions back into capability aims we need. So, when the Tornado
operations for
the UK since aggressor training that has been discussed. upgrades under our Future Support leaves the service the Typhoon needs to
1991. I’d struggle to see us having a dedicated Operating Model [FSOM]. This involves take over the full mantle. We need to
Crown Copyright
squadron of ‘Red Air’ Typhoons as it has elements such as extending our mean balance the Tornado out-of-service with
Inset: The UK much more to do than just that, but with time between servicing from the original the incremental growth of the Typhoon
expects to have the combat air mass we will have we can 400 flight hours now out to 700 flight force. That means we need to set up
24 F-35Bs ready
look at prioritizing work on certain hours. This means the aircraft will spend those Typhoon squadrons toward the
for deployment
by 2023. squadrons. We will only train ‘live’ when we less time in the depot and more time on back end of this decade to have them
Jamie Hunter cannot use the simulator to provide that the line and available for operations.’ established. Where we are with Project

www.combataircraft.net February 2016


‘Centurion’ is at the right pace because
we have a Typhoon squadron
operationally deployed, plus we have air
defense of the UK and the Falklands
Islands to cover, plus we are also set to
return to the Baltic Air Policing mission
next year.’
Operation ‘Shader’
The British government’s decision to
extend Operation ‘Shader’ from Iraq to
include air strikes in Syria was met with
the immediate deployment of six
Typhoons from RAF Lossiemouth to join
an increased force of eight Tornado GR4s
at RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus. British operations
against the so-called Islamic State
terrorists have pressed the well-
publicized Phase 1 Enhancement
(P1EB)-standard Typhoons into their first
combat operations.
February 2016
UK AIR POWER | FEATURE
Syria marks a significant step forward
for the Typhoon force and an improved
situation for RAF combat air power, as
AVM Waterfall explains: ‘Cast your mind
back to Operation ‘Ellamy’ over Libya in
2011. Back then we had a Typhoon force
that had hibernated its air-to-surface
capability. The Tranche 1 jets had a very
capable yet rudimentary air-to-surface
capability with the Litening II laser
designator pod [LDP] married to the
EPW2 [Enhanced Paveway 2 GPS/
laser-guided bomb]. Now we have a
fully-functioning multi-role fighter in the
Tranche 2 Typhoon. It harnesses the
HMSS [Helmet-Mounted Sighting
System], the Litening pod, the Paveway IV
bomb plus other sensors. In addition, we
have trained really well in this
environment with P1EB and we have
deployed one of our squadrons to
67
www.combataircraft.net
 FEATURE | UK AIR POWER
Exercise ‘Red Flag’ to flex our air-to-
surface skills in a contested and degraded
environment.’
This means that the RAF is not looking to
operate its Tornados and Typhoons
together this time around as it did over
Libya. ‘There is no longer a need to bring
Tornado and Typhoon together’, adds
Waterfall. ‘The Tornado is really good at
what it can do and the Typhoon is really
good at what it can do, so there is no need
to work together.’
The Tornados are in the final stages of
their operational career, but still have
much to contribute. Waterfall continues:
‘Our Tornados have a finite number of
flying hours, aircrews and tradesmen, so
we have to pace ourselves. We could have
thrown everything at this operation in the
past few weeks, but we have to ask if we
can maintain that. Is it fair and right to
have people deployed from now until
2019? No, we have to put ourselves into a
steady basis and that’s not always just
about the number of aircraft on the
flight line.
‘It’s a very complex operating
environment in the region. I am really
impressed with the measured approach
by everyone who needs to be involved in
68 the operational world. It’s very easy to look
in at the ingredients from the armchair
and think this looks like a Tom Clancy
novel, but rest assured that the
engagement that’s going on in the
operational space is really good.’
Lightning plans
With No 617 Squadron ‘Dambusters’ set to
return to the UK in 2018 — the RAF’s
centenary year — as a fully-fledged F-35B
unit, the UK is accelerating its plans for the
www.combataircraft.net
Lightning II as set out in the SDSR.
Waterfall explains: ‘We are going to set up
[the second F-35] squadron earlier than
initially planned’. The Royal Navy unit
— 809 Naval Air Squadron — is now due
to be established with 12 aircraft by 2023.
‘We expect to have in the order of 42
aircraft delivered by 2023 to give us the 24
operational aircraft in two squadrons’, he
continued. ‘We are on track to bring
No 617 Squadron back here to RAF
Marham in the summer of 2018. It will be
the dawning of a new era and we will have
an operational capability by the end of
that year. Four new aviators have just
joined our F-35 program and by Easter we
will have 40 engineers in situ at Marine
Corps Air Station Beaufort, [South
Carolina]. It won’t be long before we start
receiving one aircraft per month as we
start building up our Lightning force.’
A very high level of planning and detail
is going in to managing the British combat
air power equation over the coming
decade. A finite budget and resources
must be carefully managed to achieve
operational output in a challenging time.
The transition to a Project ‘Centurion’-
standard Typhoon and the F-35B would be
complex in peacetime, let alone in times of
conflict. The Tornado’s sterling service is
now set to be mirrored by that of the
Typhoon, as it in turn ‘spins up’ operations
alongside the F-35.
Dovetailing with the manned element
is, of course, the UK’s remotely-piloted air
systems (RPAS) component. Protector is a
new program that was briefly outlined in
SDSR and may see the selection of a new
variant of the Predator B, which will meet
European airworthiness initial
certification standards in 2017. It makes
use of both the Predator B and the
Advanced Cockpit Ground Control
Station (GCS) to achieve a certifiable
Predator B system. This will provide the
RAF with a platform permitted to operate
in UK airspace. Waterfall says: ‘Our [MQ-9]
Reaper UOR [Urgent Operational
Requirement] is brilliant at the job it was
selected for. We are now far more mature
with our understanding of RPAS, so we
are going to increase that automation,
but we will stop short of total autonomy.
For example, Protector will have a
sense-and-avoid capability, it will
automatically take off and land, and
possess a better ability to operate in poor
weather. But it is still going to be an air
vehicle that is flown by people; it is just
that those people will be remote from it.’
AVM Waterfall described the decision to
purchase nine Boeing P-8 Poseidons as
‘brilliant’. He added, ‘the days of sub-
hunting are definitely not over and we will
now be able to contribute to the
Above: The new
international arena and keep our seas safe RAF Protector
as well as our skies. We expect to receive project is likely
the first P-8 by the end of the decade to be to involve the
Predator B
stationed at RAF Lossiemouth’. He system.
explained that the RAF is advancing its P-8 General Atomics
planning and already looking ahead to
Left: The RAF
development of the platform beyond the will receive nine
core maritime patrol mission, as well as the P-8 Poseidons
more immediate concerns such as a under plans
laid out in the
training squadron, test and evaluation and SDSR as the UK
deep maintenance requirements. ‘Over re-establishes
the coming year we need to work out how its ‘gapped’
maritime patrol
we put the right people and the right capability.
assets in the right place.’ Jamie Hunter
February 2016
 • NE Produced by Key Publishing with

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 REPORT | GERMAN EUROFIGHTER

70

Eurofighter serial 31+01 in

formation with live-armed QRA
jets 30+98 and 30+79. Note the
‘Richthofen’ badge on the nose and
the ‘Boelcke’ badge on the fin.

www.combataircraft.net February 2016


GERMAN EUROFIGHTER | REPORT
The Taktische Luftwaffengruppe
‘Richthofen’ is currently still subordinate
to Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 31
‘Boelcke’, but the Eurofighter operator
is looking forward to regaining its
independence in 2016.
report and photos: Stefan Petersen
ICHTHOFEN
ON THE RISE
February 2016
T
HE EUROFIGHTER WITH
the two sets of insignia
quickly works its way
past the A-4 Skyhawk
until it is flying slightly
offset on its port side.
A few hundred meters further back,
another Eurofighter sporting the famous
red ‘Richthofen’ letter ‘R’ on the nose and
the ‘Boelcke’ sword on the fin turns in
behind the A-4N, ensuring protection
for the lead jet of the two-ship quick
reaction alert (QRA) North.
‘That is the standard procedure when
an unidentified aircraft is intercepted or
emergency assistance is to be provided for
an airplane with loss of communication’,
explains Oberstleutnant (Lt Col) Gero
Finke in the cockpit in front of me.
We observed the maneuver some
distance away from our two-seater in the
restricted zone of Temporary Reserved
Airspace (TRA) 201, with another single-
seater as number two on our wing. ‘On
an Alpha scramble, which is a genuine
scramble, the QRA flight lead would
now try to make contact over the guard
frequency or with the aid of internationally
agreed visual signals’, I hear my pilot say
over the intercom. ‘The intercepted aircraft
then has to follow and will either be led to 71
a suitable landing site or else be escorted
back to international airspace beyond the
German border.’
Luftwaffe Eurofighters, two in the north
of Germany and two in the south, are on
stand-by for such QRA missions 24 hours a
day, seven days a week.
Our trainer, the three other Eurofighters
and a Skyhawk belonging to the civilian
company Discovery Air Defence (see
Combat Aircraft December 2015), which
provides target facilities, all took off from
www.combataircraft.net
 REPORT | GERMAN EUROFIGHTER
72
Wittmund air base in northern Germany,
home of Taktische Luftwaffengruppe
‘Richthofen’ (TaktLwGrp ‘R’), which
is under Finke’s command. After
relinquishing its F-4F Phantom IIs, the
former air wing was downgraded to
group status in 2013 and assigned to
Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 31
‘Boelcke’ (TaktLwG 31 ‘B’) at Nörvenich.
This organizational change allowed the
valuable air base at Wittmund, ideally
situated near plentiful exercise airspace
over the North Sea, to be preserved under
the Bundeswehr reforms of 2011. But
the period of subordination will come to
an end in 2016. ‘Defense Minister Ursula
von der Leyen has decided to give up
the plan to relocate Eurofighter training
www.combataircraft.net
to Holloman Air Force Base in the US’,
Finke explained to Combat Aircraft in an
interview before our flight. ‘As a result,
we have the resources to equip four fully
functional wings in Germany, and in mid-
2016 the group in Wittmund will revert to
wing status again.’
Independent status
When announced in April 2015, the
surprising news was naturally greeted
with optimism — in the group itself,
in the surrounding area, and not least
among the very active association of
former ‘Richthofen’ wing members. ‘Being
subordinate had been mentally difficult
for the proud ‘Richthofeners’, but in the
end that was what saved us’, the group
commander said. In fact, the mission
performed at Wittmund is the most
important in TaktLwG 31 ‘B’. ‘QRA North
takes priority — everything is geared
towards that’, stresses Oberstleutnant
Stefan Kleinheyer. The commanding
officer of the ‘Boelcke’ wing visits the
group once a month. According to him,
the second most important task is flight
training operations at Nörvenich, and in
third place the training flights at Wittmund
— when shared resources allow them.
Nine jets are stationed at Wittmund: the
two QRA aircraft plus two spares and five
more single-seaters. The group manages
to generate an average of eight sorties
a day with this small fleet. ‘On weekdays
QRA Tango [training] scrambles are
February 2016
 GERMAN EUROFIGHTER | REPORT

launched twice a day, for which we try
to create a reasonable exercise scenario’,
says Finke. Because of the Discovery Air
aircraft at the base, a set-up of 2-v-4 is
often possible — the QRA jets, two other
Eurofighters and two Skyhawks.
Our mission is a mere 2-v-3. The two-
seater does not actually belong to the
Wittmund inventory, but has been lent
out temporarily for training purposes
by TaktLwG 31 ‘B’. ‘We have 13 jets at
Nörvenich, among them two or three
two-seaters’, says Kleinheyer. All the
wing’s Eurofighters are Tranche 2 aircraft.
In Nörvenich they also fly two rounds
per day, usually with eight aircraft in the
morning and six to eight in the afternoon.
‘The squadron operation centers work
closely together so that we can plan joint
action in the TRA 202 airspace between
Wittmund and Nörvenich’, the CO says.
The short aerial distance of only 350km
(217 miles) was the main factor for
the decision behind the ‘Boelcke’ wing
taking on ‘Richthofen’ as its subordinate
fighter group. ‘That helps when it comes
to exchanging personnel and materiel
between both bases and increases
operational flexibility’. Kleinheyer is
confident that the synergies and the
shared team spirit will persist even after
Wittmund becomes independent again
in 2016.
However, this will be a long process.
‘First of all the necessary infrastructure
has to be created. In order to be able to

73

Above: Live-
armed QRA jets
fly with IRIS-T
short-range air-
to-air missiles.

Right inset: An
A-4N Skyhawk
of Discovery
Air Defence
Services is
‘intercepted’ by
a Eurofighter
during a
training
scramble.

Right: Lt Col
Gero Finke
flies two-seat
Eurofighter
serial 30+24 in
close formation.

February 2016 www.combataircraft.net

 REPORT | GERMAN EUROFIGHTER

accommodate the 35 Eurofighters that

are expected to form the final inventory,
we have to put the western shelter
loop into operation again’, says Finke.
Had ‘Richthofen’ remained a group, as
originally planned, its fleet would only
have been 20-aircraft strong. ‘Other new
structures that will be needed are a noise
abatement building, a maintenance
hangar and modern housing for the
squadrons and the QRA’, says the
Oberstleutnant. At the moment both
routine and QRA flying operations are run
from the old building of the former 2nd
Staffel, which is currently home to the
group’s only flying unit, the Einsatzstaffel
(Operational Squadron). All jets are parked
in the eastern shelter loop.
‘When we are back to wing status we
will have two flying squadrons again and
the maintenance and repairs resources
currently pooled in the Technische Staffel
[Technical Squadron] will be divided up
again too’. His group currently has 730 Right: A sharp
personnel, and the target as a wing is three-ship of
Wittmund-
around 900. ‘Then we will need more based
technicians, but above all we will need Eurofighters.
more pilots.’
Below:
Eurofighter
New blood serial 30+98
Finke expects increasingly to be assigned leaves its
74
QRA shelter
young flyers straight out of jet training at for a ‘Tango’
Sheppard AFB in Texas. ‘But we will also scramble.

www.combataircraft.net February 2016

 GERMAN EUROFIGHTER | REPORT

75

need experienced personnel — flight

leads and instructor pilots — to build up
a healthy, future-oriented age structure
and also be able to provide appropriate
basic and continuation training for the
young guys’. And to run the Fighter
Weapons Instructor Course (FWIC) for
Eurofighter pilots: ‘The first six-month
course of this type will begin at the end Right top to
of 2015 and for organizational reasons bottom: The
‘Richthofen’
will be held at Laage air base, but the badge is
aim is to eventually install it here at shown clearly
Wittmund.’ in this view of
Eurofighter
In addition to Finke there are currently serial 31+01 as
just 10 pilots at Wittmund: another four it flies over a
are undergoing Eurofighter conversion wind farm near
Wittmund.
training at TaktLwG 73 ‘Steinhoff’ at
Laage. ‘Of course that means a high The pilot steps
workload for the pilots with QRA status, down from
Eurofighter
and continuation training suffers because serial 30+98
almost all of the flying they do is QRA inside one of
sorties’, says Finke. At the moment it is Wittmund’s
hardened
not possible to remedy training deficits aircraft shelters.
in the simulator as the Aircrew Synthetic
Training Aids (ASTA) facility at Wittmund Returning to
Wittmund after
is undergoing an upgrade to an improved a local training
visual system. But once that is in place, this mission.

February 2016 www.combataircraft.net

 REPORT | GERMAN EUROFIGHTER

‘QRA North
takes priority
— everything is
geared to that’
OBERSTLEUTNANT
STEFAN KLEINHEYER

will be the Luftwaffe’s most state-of-the-

art Eurofighter simulator.
As things stand, the ‘Richthofen’ group
is only able to provide 70 per cent of the
necessary QRA personnel. The rest come
from the appropriately-qualified portion
of the 33 pilots at Nörvenich,
who commute to the North Sea
for QRA service. ‘And even after
Wittmund is back to wing status again,
that will continue to be the case for an
interim period’, says Kleinheyer. ‘It will take
some time before the ‘Richthofeners’ are
completely self-sufficient’.
The process of beefing-up the
engineering side is much easier than
the aircrew side: ‘It is not that we are
‘engineering-light’ in the ‘Richthofen’
76 group; actually, the technical component
is able not just to maintain the aircraft but
also to repair them’, says the CO. It is even
possible to carry out 200-hour inspections
of the jets at Wittmund.
One thing Kleinheyer and Finke know
for sure: when the group reverts to wing
status by name, this will only be the
signal for the build-up. Neither of them
can predict when the process will be
completed. But from the middle of 2016
on, the ‘Richthofeners’ will at least be
able to make their own decisions again,
without having to consult TaktLwG 31 ‘B’.
For Gero Finke that is a really important
fact — and Stefan Kleinheyer fully
understands why. ‘At Nörvenich we know
only too well how they must feel about
being subordinate. After all, ‘Boelcke’ is a
proud wing with a long tradition, too!’

Wittmund is
now slated to
accommodate 35
Eurofighters.

www.combataircraft.net February 2016

 GERMAN EUROFIGHTER | REPORT

77

February 2016 www.combataircraft.net

 EXERCISE REPORT | BUDDY WING

78

BUDDY WING
It should come as no surprise that training between the
Republic of Korea Air Force and the United States Air Force
is a near-daily occurrence in the Korean theater. Combat
Aircraft investigates one such training program — known
During the ‘Buddy Wing’ exercise held
in June 2015, the RoKAF’s 20th Fighter
Wing from Seosan AB deployed to Kunsan
to train alongside the 8th Fighter Wing,
Above:
Brothers in arms
— ‘Wolfpack’
F-16CMs fly
alongside RoKAF
KF-16s of the
USAF. RoKAF pilots, maintainers, and
20th Fighter Wing
as ‘Buddy Wing’. support personnel integrated with the 8th from Seosan AB.
FW airmen in all aspects of the exercise, Jake Melampy

I
report: Jake Melampy
N A PART of the world where
tensions run high and the very
real threat of war looms daily, it is
inevitable that military forces train
rigorously. Following the declared
ceasefire that put an end to the
fighting of the Korean War, the Republic of
Korea Air Force (RoKAF) has continually built
its military forces and increased training to
the point where it is now razor-sharp.
including mission planning, briefing,
Right: Following
execution, and debriefing. the cancellation
The ‘Buddy Wing’ exercise, held multiple Capt Matt Kimmel of the 35th Fighter of a BAE Systems
times each year, is hosted on an alternating Squadron was the 8th FW’s project officer contract, a
possible upgrade
basis by US forces at Osan or Kunsan Air for ‘Buddy Wing 15-4’. ‘‘Buddy Wing’ package for 134
Bases and by the RoKAF at one of its bases. exercises provide training scenarios that KF-16C/Ds from
Each exercise lasts roughly five days. The sharpen our diverse skill sets’, he says. Lockheed Martin
and Northrop
combined fighter exchange program ‘This is a great way to integrate with our Grumman was
provides pilots from both air forces with RoKAF partners both in the air and on the approved by
an opportunity to disseminate ideas and ground. We focused on different aspects the US State
Department in
practice combined tactics in order to fight of air-to-air and air-to-ground tactical July 2015.
and fly as one seamless force. training between the 8th Fighter Wing and Jake Melampy

www.combataircraft.net February 2016

 BUDDY WING | EXERCISE REPORT

the 20th Fighter Wing. Some examples of
the training include defensive counter-air
and air interdiction scenarios. Defensive
counter-air involves defending a point or
area against enemy fighters, where one
enemy force attempts to take down the
opposing force. Air interdiction scenarios
consist of fighting your way into enemy
territory and expending ordnance on
enemy ground targets.’
Korean perspective
Capt Min-Gyu Han was one of the RoKAF
pilots deployed to Kunsan as part of
‘Buddy Wing 15-4’. ‘For more than 60 years,
the RoK/US alliance has continued to be
one of the strongest alliances in modern
history’, he said. ‘I come to Kunsan every
year for training, and each time I know
that the combined US/RoK training will
serve as a great opportunity to learn and
understand our similarities, differences,
and tactical operations of both forces.’
For the USAF pilots, ‘Buddy Wing’
exercises are invaluable in understanding
their Korean allies, despite the cultural
challenges. ‘This is my first ‘Buddy Wing’,
and I gained a lot of insight on how the
US and RoK air forces integrate together’,
said 1st Lt Brad Leffler, an F-16C pilot with

The Korean KF-16 upgrade is long-overdue, and

the current program will bring these aircraft up to
a standard exceeding the USAF F-16s in the region,
including an AESA radar. Jake Melampy

79
 EXERCISE REPORT | BUDDY WING
the 35th FS at Kunsan AB. ‘We train and
work together, and we also learn from
our strengths and weaknesses. If the time
comes to take the fight north, we will
80 work better as a combined force. We may
operate differently during the execution
of various formations, but we train on
very similar tactics. At the end of the day,
we all work together to accomplish the
same mission. The fundamental purpose
of practicing together is to tighten up our
combined wartime readiness.’
Capt Bong Seop Kim, a 20th FW KF-16
pilot, agrees that the ‘Buddy Wing’ is
a great chance for RoKAF and USAF
pilots to exchange knowledge about
their tactics and weapons systems.
‘When we work together as a combined
military, we can exert such power…’
Kim said. ‘We may face obstacles, to
include the language barrier and other
challenges during combined operations,
but we overcome these barriers
through continued discussions and
understanding each other’s differences
and cultures. As two countries, we create
and carry out combined operations to
deter the same enemy. By co-ordinating
with each other through programs
such as this ‘Buddy Wing’ training as
well as other combined operations,
these experiences add to the success of
combined operations and the continued
success of the RoK/US alliance.’
Capt Kimmel added that another aspect
of the ‘Buddy Wing’ exercises is enhancing
www.combataircraft.net
personal partnerships. ‘This exercise
[‘Buddy Wing 15-4’] provided not only the
tactical integration with our counterparts,
but also provided an opportunity to create
new friendships as we — the United States
Air Force and RoKAF — got to know each
other at various social events outside of
the flying operations here.’
‘Viper’ meet
During ‘Buddy Wing 15-6’ in July, the
80th FS deployed four F-16s from Kunsan
AB to Jungwon AB to fly alongside
the RoKAF’s 19th FW. Flying to a base
other than Kunsan enabled the pilots
of the 80th to train in unfamiliar
airspace, offering a unique challenge
to some of the less senior pilots from
the squadron. ‘For at least four of our
younger wingmen, it was their first time
operating at an airfield to which they
are not accustomed’, explained Capt
Dan Wynn, 80th FS pilot and ‘Buddy
Wing 15-6’ project officer. ‘Despite this
challenge, they were still able to execute
flawlessly and gain valuable insight from
the experience.’
Capt Wynn says the ‘Buddy Wing’
program is a great method of learning
how to interact with the RoKAF. ‘Overall,
for a very small force and a small
contingent operation out at Jungwon
AB, we were able to safely execute our
training together, achieve all of our
training requirements, learn from one
another, and really integrate on that
February 2016
 BUDDY WING | EXERCISE REPORT

combined level. It was a very valuable flight patterns, tactics, and terminologies.
experience for all of the pilots here.’ ‘If the time comes I now have a more thorough
Echoing Leffler, Capt Mike Arnold of the
80th FS also says the program assists in to take the fight understanding of why US pilots fly in
certain formations.’
overcoming cultural and language
barriers between the two nations. ‘It
north, we will The ‘Buddy Wing’ program is well-liked
by all who have been able to participate,
helps out because if someone doesn’t
understand the way some things are said,
work better as a and will continue for the foreseeable
future. Indeed, from November 16-20,
then we can use a different type of combined force. 2015 the F-16Cs of the 35th FS took part
wording and pass that along, which in the latest edition, ‘Buddy Wing 16-7’,
allows us to be more sharply in tune to We may operate held at Kunsan AB. This time, the RoKAF’s
what’s being communicated while we’re F-15K Slam Eagle pilots had the chance
differently during
Left: RoKAF
F-15K Slam airborne. So, if we ever have to go to war, to work with their USAF allies. ‘It’s very
Eagle crews walk
in from a ‘Buddy
Wing’ mission in
then we have a more robust
understanding of how we can operate the execution interesting to work with the US Air Force’,
explained Maj Young Hwan Ahn, an
November. USAF together.’
From the RoKAF point of view, ‘Buddy
of various F-15K pilot with the 11th FW. ‘Training
together is more effective than training
Below:
‘Buddy Wing
16-7’ was held
Wing 15-6’ gave their pilots an excellent
experience flying with the USAF and
formations, but separately because it gives us an
opportunity to ask questions about
at Kunsan AB
in November within USAF airspace, says Capt Bonhyuk we train on very things we might not initially understand.
and saw F-15Ks Koo, a KF-16 pilot with the Jungwon- If we go to war together, the training we
operating
alongside ‘Wolf
based 19th FW. ‘If we don’t have a chance similar tactics’ conduct during the ‘Buddy Wing’
Pack’ F-16CMs. to train together, it would be more exercises will help us co-ordinate
USAF difficult to understand the differences in 1ST LT BRAD LEFFLER better.’

81

February 2016 www.combataircraft.net

 INDUSTRY REPORT | LIGHT ATTACK

SUPER
TUCANO
A BRAZILIAN SUCCESS STORY

Building on its experience with the EMB-312 Tucano

turboprop trainer, Embraer developed the more capable
Super Tucano, one of the most popular advanced trainers
and light attack aircraft in service today.
82

report: Santiago Rivas

A pair of Chilean Super Tucanos at

sunset. Chile received its first examples
in 2009. Cees-Jan van der Ende

www.combataircraft.net February 2016


T
HE MARKET FOR
turboprop light attack
aircraft and advanced
trainers currently has few
serious bidders. Embraer
and Beechcraft lead the
way, thanks to the EMB-314 Super Tucano
and the AT-6 Wolverine respectively. The
Super Tucano has proved a successful
light attack prospect with a growing list
of foreign customers: 190 examples have
been delivered to date (including 99 for
the Brazilian Air Force), and there are
orders for 30 more.
Winning the contest for the US Air
Force’s Light Air Support (LAS) program,
which is providing 20 aircraft to the
Afghan Air Force, was an important
milestone for the Super Tucano,
especially as it beat off competition from
the more likely ‘American’ option, the
AT-6. Embraer’s design is an attractive
proposition for smaller air forces that are
unable to afford jet fighters, and the
Brazilian turboprop offers a cheap
solution that nonetheless incorporates
the latest technology. This is evidenced
by the examples of Angola, Burkina Faso,
the Dominican Republic, Mali, Mauritania
February 2016
LIGHT ATTACK | INDUSTRY REPORT
and Senegal, all of which have purchased
small quantities.
The Super Tucano emerged as a
development of the successful EMB-312
Tucano with new capabilities including
improved ground attack potential, an
air-to-air role against helicopters, and an
enhanced ability to intercept fixed-wing
‘slow-movers’. Knowledge gained in the
development of the Royal Air Force’s
Shorts Tucano — which was more
powerful than the original model —
showed what could result from allying the
basic aircraft with a new engine. By that
time, Colombia had gained considerable
experience using the Tucano against
drug-smuggling aircraft and guerrillas, and
this was exploited by Embraer to define
what air forces were looking for in order to
fight the increasing threats posed by drug
traffickers, smugglers and terrorists. The
basic requirements called for an aircraft
offering more power, increased weapons
carriage, and more modern equipment
compared to the basic Tucano.
Tucano of the Future
Launched in the late 1980s, the project
was initially designated EMB-312F (Tucano
83
of the Future), and added some of the
features of the Shorts Tucano, including
the airbrake. However, the engine was to
be more powerful, and different versions
of the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A and
the Garrett TPE331 were studied. When
the EMB-312F title was later applied to
French Tucanos, the project was re-named
as the EMB-312H Super Tucano. A series
production Tucano was modified with a
1,250shp PT6A-67 engine, a fuselage
extended by 1.31m (4ft 3in) at the rear,
and an airbrake. In this form it made its
first flight on September 9, 1991. Two
years later two new prototypes were built,
this time with more changes, including a
new cockpit design, a new canopy, and a
1,300shp PT6A-68A powerplant.
The Brazilian Air Force (Força Aérea
Brasileira, FAB) became interested in the
new aircraft for its SIVAM (System for the
Vigilance of the Amazon) program, which
required a platform able to intercept illegal
flights and to conduct light attack over the
Amazon area. At the same time, the
EMB-312H could be used to replace the
EMB-326 Xavante as an advanced trainer
for new fighter pilots with the 2º/5º Grupo
de Aviação (GAv) ‘Joker’ squadron at Natal
www.combataircraft.net
 INDUSTRY REPORT | LIGHT ATTACK

air base. A contract was duly signed on

August 18, 1995 with an initial order for 50
single-seat A-29As (with an extra fuel tank
replacing the second seat) and 50
two-seat A-29Bs. With this move,
development of the final version began.
The FAB’s request entailed more changes,
which were introduced on the prototypes,
including two additional underwing
pylons, a cockpit compatible with night
vision goggles (NVGs) and two liquid-
crystal displays, forward-looking infra-red
(FLIR), new avionics, two-axis autopilot,
inertial navigation system and GPS,
tactical UHF and VHF radios, radar warning
receiver, missile approach warning system,
head-up display, hands on throttle and
stick (HOTAS) controls, helmet-mounted
display, Martin-Baker Mk10LCX ejection
seats, smart weapons capability, and the
capacity to carry two Mectron MAA-1
Piranha air-to-air missiles (AAMs).
Tests led to further modifications in
1998, among them a new wing, increased
weapons capacity, two internal 12.7mm
(0.5in)-caliber machine guns with 200
rounds each, reinforced landing gear, and
a new location for the air conditioning
system, with an air intake above the
fuselage instead of below. Protection was
84 installed on the engine air intake to allow
operations from un-prepared airfields. The

aircraft was re-engined with the 1,600shp

PT6A-68/3 and the canopy modified
once again.
On June 2, 1999 the final version was
flown for the first time, now with the
designation EMB-314 Super Tucano. The
aircraft received the Brazilian military
designation A-29 and series production
began three years later, on receipt of a
final FAB order for 99 aircraft. The first of
these officially entered service in 2004.
The 2º/5º GAv currently uses the A-29 for
advanced training, while the 1º/3º GAv,
2º/3º GAv and 3º/3 GAv at Boa Vista, Porto
Velho and Campo Grande respectively,
employ the type for light attack, the
interception of illegal aircraft, and
reconnaissance.
On October 1, 2012 the Esquãdrao de
Demonstração Aérea (EDA, better known
as the Esquadrilha da Fumaça) received
the first two from a total of eight Super
Tucanos to replace its Tucanos. However,
one of these (FAB 5966) was lost in an
accident on August 12, 2013.

FAB combat missions

The FAB has used the Super Tucano on
operations against illegal runways,

www.combataircraft.net February 2016

 LIGHT ATTACK | INDUSTRY REPORT

85

destroying them with bombs, and to well as the Israeli-made Lizard laser- Attack Munitions, and GBU-39 Small Above: The Força
intercept abnormal flights that cross its guided bomb (LGB), but these have not Diameter Bombs. Aérea Brasileira
operates a mix of
borders. In most cases the aircraft been adopted for operational use. single-seat A-29As
intercepted are carrying drugs. In some In 2013 Embraer unveiled a proposal for Export success and two-seat
instances A-29s have shot down the the Recce Pod SAR (Synthetic Aperture The Dominican Republic was the first A-29Bs, as seen
here. The former
intruders, while others have been Radar)/P-Band Scanning and Detection foreign country to begin negotiations carries an extra
damaged and forced to land. The A-29s store. Developed by Orbisat, this pod can for a Super Tucano purchase, but in the fuel tank in the rear
operate together with Embraer R-99A be installed on the aircraft’s belly upon the end Colombia emerged as the launch cockpit position.
Cees-Jan
airborne early warning aircraft and with request of the customer. customer. Twenty-five examples were van der Ende
ground radar stations, which guide them Although not in use in Brazil, the Super received from December 14, 2006 for
to the suspect aircraft and maintain overall Tucano is also equipped to carry AIM-9 service with Escuadrones de Combate Far left top to
bottom: The Super
command of the operation. The Super Sidewinder AAMs, AGM-65 Maverick and 211, 312 and 611 of the Fuerza Aérea Tucanos of Ecuador
Tucanos usually operate with live Delilah AL air-to-surface missiles, Paveway Colombiana (FAC). The aircraft wear have one of the
ammunition for their internal guns. LGBs, GBU-38 and GBU-54 Joint Direct serials running from FAC 3101 to 3125. most interesting
color schemes.
Although the locally-built Piranha missile Together with the
has been tested, it has not been used Chile operates a dozen Denel Cheetahs
operationally. The FAB is expecting to two-seat A-29Bs. they form the
Cees-Jan van der Ende combat air arm of
introduce the MAA-1B version of the the Fuerza Aérea
Piranha on its combat aircraft, but Ecuatoriana.
development is progressing very slowly. Santiago Rivas
For ground attack the A-29 employs A Colombian Super
M117, Mk81, 82 and 83 bombs, 70mm Tucano armed with
rockets carried in seven-round launchers, three Indumil IMC
Xué 250lb iron
and SUU-20 training stores that carry four bombs ready for a
70mm rockets and six BDU-33 mission at Apiay Air
practice bombs. Base. Colombia is
the most combat-
The FAB has tested a GPS guidance kit experienced A-29
for the Mk81, 82 and 83 bombs that was operator.
developed by local company Britanite, as Santiago Rivas

February 2016 www.combataircraft.net

 INDUSTRY REPORT | LIGHT ATTACK
These were the first Super Tucanos to
see combat, when they went into action
against communist guerrillas on January
18, 2007. Colombia also made the first
use of the type with LGBs, employing
both the Lizard and Paveway types. The
Colombian Super Tucanos have been
used continuously in combat, mainly
employing LGBs and ‘dumb’ bombs, and
operating at night with the use of NVGs
86 and FLIR. Colombia has found that the
aircraft’s modern equipment makes it
very well-suited to operations both day
and night, but it lacks the endurance
and firepower of the OV-10 Bronco. On
July 11, 2012 serial FAC 3122 was lost in
an accident.
www.combataircraft.net
On May 12, 2013 six Colombian Super
Tucanos were deployed from Barranquilla
with the support of a KC-767 and a C-130H
Hercules to the Royal Canadian Air Force’s
4 Wing at Cold Lake in Alberta for the
‘Maple Flag’ exercise. This marked the
type’s debut deployment outside
the country.
While the primary mission of the
Colombian Super Tucano is
unconventional warfare, growing tensions
with Venezuela and the prospect of a
possible peaceful solution to the internal
war in Colombia have led to the Super
Tucano squadrons increasing their training
for conventional operations. The Super
Tucano is employed as an escort for
combat search and rescue missions, and
for close air support. The environment for
this type of mission is very different, and
might see them operating against an
enemy equipped with radars, surface-to-
air missiles and interceptors. Crews have
been required to enhance their training to
avoid being detected, intercepted and
shot down.
After Colombia, the Dominican Republic
received its first Super Tucano from a final
order of eight on December 18, 2009, in
order to replace the A-37B Dragonflies
retired in 2002 by the Escuadrón de
Combate. The Dominican Super Tucanos
were given serials in the range FAD
2900 to 2907.
February 2016

In November 2009 the Chilean Air Force
took on the initial example out of 12
aircraft for Grupo 1, with serials FACH 451
to 462. These are used for light attack and
advanced training, replacing the old A-37B
and, partially, the Enaer/CASA C-101. The
Chilean aircraft were the first to have a full
‘glass’ cockpit, with three displays
instead of two.
January 2010 saw Escuadrón de
Combate 2313 of Ala 23 of the Ecuadorian
Air Force beginning to receive aircraft
from an initial order of 24, later reduced to
18. These were used to replace the A-37Bs
at Manta air base. In the past, Ala 23 also
operated the Strikemaster and the T-33,
which were not officially superseded,
leaving the Super Tucano as the only
attack aircraft at the base once the A-37s
were finally retired in February 2011. The
Ecuadorian Super Tucanos are armed with
Lizard LGBs, 70mm rockets and ‘dumb’
bombs. The Shafrir 2 AAM was tested on
the aircraft, but this missile was phased
out shortly thereafter.
Ecuadorian Super Tucanos use the FLIR
turret and NVGs for night operations, and
Ala 23 is the Ecuadorian combat unit
best-qualified to operate at night (the
only other combat unit is Escuadrón de
Combate 2112 equipped with Denel
Cheetahs). FAE 1016 was lost in an
accident on March 19, 2012 when the
engine failed during take-off.
One interesting customer for the type
was the US private security firm
Blackwater (through its subsidiary EP
Aviation LLC), now called Academi, which
acquired a single example in 2008 for
training. This aircraft, registered N314TG,
was delivered without weapons. It was
later sold to Tactical Air, armed and
February 2016
received a FLIR turret for use in the
Imminent Fury program (see below).
Orders continued with three examples
for Burkina Faso, these being delivered
during 2011 with registrations XT-MEA,
‘MEB and ‘MEC.
In 2012, Embraer announced the sale of
six EMB-314s to Angola (serials R-701 to
706), and three to Mauritania, while in the
same year the Indonesian Air Force
received the first four from an order of
eight aircraft (with serials TT-3101
onwards). The second Indonesian batch
was delivered in 2014 and a deal for a
second batch of eight is being negotiated.
Three aircraft were donated to
Mozambique by the Brazilian government
in March 2014, and the African country
has announced its intention to purchase
another three.
A three-aircraft order came from Senegal
on April 10, 2013, while on June 17, 2015
the company announced the sale of six
examples to the Mali Air Force, followed
two days later by the announcement of
the sale of five to the Ghana Air Force.
Imminent Fury and LAS
After its experiences in Afghanistan and
Iraq, the US Navy began to show interest
in a new counter-insurgency (COIN)
platform, and launched the Imminent Fury
program. The Navy decided to test the
Super Tucano, using the example
operated by Tactical Air, which had made a
good impression during trials with the
Navy since 2008. The aircraft received the
wing machine guns the following year
and was tested with different types of
weapons and systems.
From January 25-28, 2011, the Tactical
Air Super Tucano was demonstrated to the
LIGHT ATTACK | INDUSTRY REPORT
US Air Force at Kirtland Air Force Base,
New Mexico, as part of the Light Air
Support (LAS) system demonstration, with
the intention of deploying a fleet of
aircraft specifically to train partner nations
in COIN and counter-terrorism operations.
The US Navy program was later re-named
Combat Dragon II but failed to lead to a
definition phase, while the USAF
meanwhile progressed with LAS. Hawker
Beechcraft joined the competition with 87
the AT-6, an armed version of the Texan II,
which was then under development. Top left to right:
Pilots equipped
On December 30, 2011 the USAF with night
announced selection of the Super Tucano vision goggles
as the winner of the LAS program, with 20 prepare for a
night mission
aircraft to be ordered under a $355-million at Manta Air
contract. The aircraft were to be built in Base, Ecuador.
the US by Sierra Nevada at Jacksonville, Santiago Rivas
Florida and would be delivered to the The 81st Fighter
Afghan Air Force. In January 2012 the Squadron at
program was halted after Hawker Moody AFB
currently
Beechcraft filed a lawsuit. During the operates the
activity surrounding this, the USAF Afghan Air
discovered that its internal contract Force A-29s in
a training role.
documents were not in order, and decided USAF
to terminate the existing LAS deal in
March. A new request for proposals was This Super
Tucano
issued on May 4, 2012. Finally, on February simulator gives a
27, 2013 the LAS contract, now worth good impression
$427 million, was awarded again of the front
cockpit, which
to Embraer. includes three
The first aircraft assembled in the US was large multi-
rolled out on September 25, 2014 with the function head-
down displays
US serial 13-2001. This version has and a head-up
additional armor plates on the sides of the display.
cockpit and below the engine, as well as Santiago Rivas
different communications equipment and Left page: A
other minor changes. Brazilian A-29B
By November 2015 Sierra Nevada had starts up for a
night mission.
delivered 13 of the 20 aircraft on order, all Cees-Jan
of which were assembled at a new plant in van der Ende
www.combataircraft.net
 INDUSTRY REPORT | LIGHT ATTACK

Cees-Jan van der Ende Jacksonville. The company will continue

deliveries at a rate of one per month. The
USAF’s 81st Fighter Squadron is now
training Afghan pilots at Moody AFB,
Georgia, after the unit was re-activated in
January 2015.
The most recent order for the Super
Tucano was placed on behalf of the
Lebanese Air Force. Confirmed in
November 2015, it covers six aircraft to be
built in the US by Sierra Nevada at a cost of
$172.5 million. They will be equipped with
AN/ALE-47 countermeasures dispensing
systems and AN/AAR-60(V)2 missile
launch detection systems.
With increasing interest among possible
customers in the Middle East, Embraer
sent a demonstrator, PT-ZNV, to the Dubai
Airshow in November 2015, marking the
first appearance of the Super Tucano in
the United Arab Emirates.
Bolivia, Guatemala, Honduras, Nigeria,
Paraguay and the UAE have all shown
interest in the Super Tucano and been
involved in recent negotiations, but none
has placed orders as yet.
Despite overtures from Venezuela about
buying the aircraft, the ongoing US
embargo against the Chávez government
has prevented any sale, since many of the
88 Super Tucano’s components are US-built.
As of November 2015 the worldwide
Super Tucano fleet had racked up more
than 230,000 flight hours, including
33,000 hours in combat, according to
Embraer.

EMB-314 (A-29) SUPER TUCANO AND AT-6 WOLVERINE SPECIFICATIONS COMPARED

EMB-314 (A-29) Super Tucano AT-6 Wolverine
Engine One 1,600shp (1,193kW) Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-68-3 turboprop One 1,600shp (1,193kW) Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-68D turboprop
driving a five-blade Hartzell variable-pitch propeller driving a four-blade Hartzell variable-pitch propeller
Performance*
Maximum level speed 557km/h (301kt) 585km/h (316kt)
Maximum cruise speed 530km/h (286kt) 500km/h (311mph)
Service ceiling 10,668m (35,000ft) 9,448m (30,997ft) clean
Range 1,568km (974 miles) at 9,144m (30,000ft) with maximum fuel and 30 3,195km (1,985 miles) ferry range with four external fuel tanks
minutes of reserves
Dimensions
Length 11.42m (37ft 5in) 10.16m (33ft 4in)
Wingspan 11.14m (36ft 6in) 10.4m (34ft 2in)
Height 3.9m (12ft 9in) 3.25m (10ft 8in)
Weights
Empty 2,420kg (5,335lb) 2,671kg (5,890lb)
Maximum external load 1,500kg (3,307lb) 1,864kg (4,110lb)
MTOW 3,600kg (7,937lb) clean 4,536kg (10,000lb)
Armament
One 12.7mm (0.5in) machine gun in each wing with 200 rounds per gun. Six underwing pylons for stores including GBU-12 and GBU-58 LGBs, APKWS
Four underwing and one ventral pylon for a variety of weapons including and Talon laser-guided rockets. Future weapons expected to include
GIAT NC621 20mm gun pods, Mk81, Mk82 and Mk83 bombs, MAA-1 12.7mm (0.5in) gun pods, GATR laser-guided 70mm rockets, AGM-114P+
Piranha AAMs, BLG-252 cluster bombs, SBAT-70/19 or LAU-68A/G rocket Hellfire anti-tank guided missiles, and G-CLAW tube-ejected unitary area
launchers, MLB bombs, electronic countermeasures pods, training targets, munition.
reconnaissance pods, etc.
* EMB-314 performance figures all at maximum take-off weight (MTOW) and ‘clean’.

www.combataircraft.net February 2016

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 INDUSTRY REPORT | LIGHT ATTACK
Though Embraer claims that its A-29 Super Tucano is the
most successful turboprop light attack and advanced
training aircraft currently on the world market, it faces
strong competition in the shape of the impressive
Beechcraft AT-6 Wolverine.
T
report: Jon Lake
HE WOLVERINE IS a
structurally-strengthened
derivative of the T-6 Texan
II trainer and was designed
for a wide spectrum
of missions including
manned intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance (ISR), training, and light
precision attack, while also offering
non-traditional capabilities for homeland
defense and civil support missions. The
aircraft can be used to quickly transition
pilots between basic flight training
missions and complex net-centric light
attack and armed reconnaissance tasks,
and can provide an excellent stepping-
90
www.combataircraft.net
stone for air forces aspiring to a fast jet
combat aircraft capability.
The AT-6 was originally dubbed Coyote
(at least internally), but it is now known as
the Wolverine, or sometimes as the AT-6
Light Attack. The aircraft is a purpose-built
derivative of the T-6 advanced trainer that
has been fully optimized for light attack
and armed reconnaissance. As such the
aircraft is built on what Russ Bartlett,
president of the Beechcraft Defense
Company, calls ‘the good bones of the
T-6 trainer’. It is optimized for inexpensive
operation, enjoying great commonality
with the United States’ existing pilot
training infrastructure.
Nine hundred T-6 Texan IIs have been
Above: An built or are on order (752 of them for use
AT-6 flies by the US Department of Defense), and
alongside an
A-10C during the type serves with, or has been ordered
testing at the by, nine customer nations — Canada,
Air National Greece, Iraq, Israel, Mexico, Morocco, New
Guard and Air
Force Reserve Zealand, the United Kingdom and the US.
Test Center in
Arizona. JPATS origins
Jim Haseltine
The basic T-6A Texan II was developed
Left: N610AT to meet the US Department of Defense’s
during its Joint Primary Aircraft Training System
2010 visit to
the UK for the (JPATS) requirement, which aimed to
Farnborough find a replacement for the US Air Force’s
International Cessna T-37B ‘Tweet’ and the US Navy’s
Airshow.
Beechcraft/ T-34C Turbo Mentor. The aircraft was not
Jamie Hunter an entirely ‘clean-sheet’ design, but rather
February 2016

THE WOLVERINE
was developed from the Swiss Pilatus
PC-9 trainer, itself a more powerful and
refined derivative of the Pilatus PC-7.
More than 250 PC-9s have been delivered
to Angola, Australia, Bulgaria, Chad,
Croatia, Cyprus, Germany, Ireland, Mexico,
Myanmar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia,
Switzerland and Thailand.
While the USAF’s T-6As had a federated
analog cockpit, the US Navy T-6B
added a digital ‘glass’ cockpit with
six multi-function displays, hands on
throttle and stick (HOTAS) controls and
a head-up display, while the CT-156
Harvard II is a version of the T-6A used
by the NATO Flying Training in Canada
(NFTC) scheme.
February 2016
HUNGRY LIKE
Some of the T-6s delivered have been
armed versions. Twenty of the Hellenic
Air Force’s T-6As were built to T-6A
NTA standard, for example, capable of
carrying external fuel tanks and a range of
unguided weapons including gun pods,
rocket pods and bombs, while retaining
the federated analog cockpit of the USAF’s
T-6A. Morocco’s T-6C has a ‘glass’ cockpit
like that used by the US Navy’s T-6B, and
has a stores management system and
underwing hardpoints, while the Mexican
T-6C+ has further weapons capabilities.
The AT-6 Wolverine is powered by
a 1,600shp Pratt & Whitney Canada
PT6A‑68D engine. This affords an
unequalled power-to-weight ratio
LIGHT ATTACK | INDUSTRY REPORT
91
among turboprop light attack aircraft,
translating into what Beechcraft claims to
be a higher airspeed and Mach envelope
for the carriage and employment of
external stores than is available on any
other aircraft in its class. But where the
Wolverine really comes into its own is in
its proven US combat avionics systems
and sensors, which make the aircraft
fully compatible with all fielded US Joint
Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) digital
voice/data capabilities and their NATO
equivalents.
Furthermore, with its FAA-certified CMC
Esterline Cockpit 4000 primary flight
and flight management system avionics,
and a Lockheed Martin combat mission
www.combataircraft.net
 INDUSTRY REPORT | LIGHT ATTACK

‘The aircraft deployed to Nellis for two weeks

system as used in the A-10C Thunderbolt
II, the cockpit ‘represents a very ‘F-16-like’
environment, with a very similar pilot/
vehicle interface. This, says Bartlett, results
in a cockpit that would be familiar to any
F-16 pilot.’
92
Sensors and weapons
The aircraft is equipped with an L-3
Wescam MX-15Di turret, similar to that
used on the MC-12W Liberty. This contains
color and infra-red cameras, a laser
designator, laser illuminator, and laser
rangefinder, giving the AT-6 an organic
capability to find and designate targets,
which the Wolverine can then engage
using a wide range of precision-guided
weapons thanks to the four Mil Std
1760-wired, smart weapon-compatible
underwing hardpoints. The HMP-400 0.5in
(12.7mm)-caliber gun pods, Hydra 70mm
unguided rockets, Mk81/82 iron bombs,
GBU-12/58 laser-guided bombs (LGBs),
AGM-114K/M/P and R Hellfire anti-tank
missiles, BAE Systems/General Dynamics
Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System
(APKWS), Raytheon/EAI Talon laser-guided
rockets and Orbital/ATK GATR laser-
guided 70mm rockets have already been
cleared for use on the aircraft. It is also
expected to be able to deliver the Textron
Systems’ G-CLAW tube-ejected unitary
area munition.
The Wolverine is fitted with proven
high-end communications and datalink
equipment that give full interoperability
in US and NATO command and control
environments.
from April 12, 2010, and flew six missions,
totaling 17.5 flying hours. One lasted 4.5 hours.
On another sortie the AT-6B landed on a remote,
dry lake-bed and refueled on the ground from an
MC-130P Combat Shadow tanker’
Despite these structural and avionics
changes, the AT-6 Wolverine is said to
retain 85 per cent commonality with the
baseline T-6A/B trainer as used by the
USAF and US Navy.
Today’s Wolverine was originally
developed to meet the USAF’s Light Attack
and Armed Reconnaissance (LAAR) or
OA-X requirement of July 2009, building
on earlier work dating back beyond 2006.
The aircraft has since been developed in
an iterative fashion. The LAAR requirement
aimed to produce a dedicated light attack
aircraft that would cost less than $1,000
per hour to operate, rather than using
fast jets at far below their full potential
and costing more than $10,000 per flying
hour (the F-15E Strike Eagle’s operating
cost was calculated at $44,000). The
competition was originally expected
to result in an order for up to 100 LAAR
machines, with a total purchase price of
$2 billion. At the time it was anticipated
that some of the 100 LAAR aircraft would
equip an initial 24-aircraft USAF squadron
and later a whole special operations wing.
In addition to its own LAAR platform, the
USAF was expected to procure further
aircraft for supply to some US allies who
had neither the budget nor the expertise
to operate types like the F-16, and who
were conducting their own irregular
warfare and counter-insurgency (COIN)
campaigns.
The LAAR requirement did not specify
turboprop power, but did place great
emphasis on low operating costs, making
a turboprop the most likely solution. It
specified that the successful candidate
must be derived from an existing, ‘in-
production’ aircraft type and dictated
that it should be simple enough to be
operated by a ‘partner nation’ such as Iraq
or Afghanistan.
As well as the AT-6 and Super Tucano,
a new-build derivative of the twin-
turboprop OV-10 Bronco (proposed by
Boeing), an armed version of Aermacchi’s
jet-engined M-346 Master advanced
trainer, and even Air Tractor’s AT-802U
— a militarized crop-duster — were put
forward to meet the requirement.

www.combataircraft.net February 2016

 LIGHT ATTACK | INDUSTRY REPORT

Left: This pair of Spiral development of an innovative approach between an MC-130P Combat Shadow tanker.
Wolverines (the Beechcraft flew the first of its company- government and industry. Such teamwork The team assessed the suitability of the
second of which
is the newest funded AT-6 prototypes (c/n AT-1, N610AT) promised to be essential for LAAR. aircraft for the training of pilots from
AT-6, N630LA) on September 10, 2009. The aircraft was Although Beechcraft had built its two partner nations.
demonstrates heavily instrumented, being used for AT-6B prototypes with company funds, Spiral Two of the demonstration began
some of the
stores that are envelope expansion and for performance these were soon flying government- in August 2010, and employed the second
being tested and handling qualities assessments with funded sorties as part of a $15.4-million prototype, delivering live laser and GPS
on the type various external stores configurations. The demonstration and evaluation program guidance-aided munitions at the Gila
including
GBU-12s, the second, production-representative, AT-6B run by Detachment 11 of the National Bend test range in Arizona. These sorties
Advanced prototype (AT-2, N620AT), also company- Guard Bureau and the Air National Guard/ included use of the Scorpion helmet-
Precision Kill funded, made its maiden flight on April 5, Air Force Reserve Command Test Center mounted cueing system. It was estimated
Weapon System
(APKWS) and 2010. It was the first to be powered by a (AATC) in Tucson, Arizona. that the aircraft had cost just $1,000 per
0.5in (12.7mm)- 1,600shp engine, the initial aircraft having This program was conducted in four flight hour to operate.
caliber gun had a 1,100shp powerplant. The AT-6B also phases known as spirals. Spiral One, using After displaying the first aircraft at the
pods. Beechcraft/
Paul Bowen had the new mission avionics suite, based the first AT-6B prototype, was flown with 2010 Farnborough International Airshow,
on that of the A-10C. simulated bombs and guns, and included Beechcraft modified it to the full-standard
Inset: A 500lb Even before the second prototype joined participation in the Joint Expeditionary AT-6 configuration by installing the same
GBU-12 laser-
guided bomb the test program, on September 15, 2009, Forces Exercise 10-3 (JEFX 10-3) at Nellis 1,600shp engine that was installed on
is dropped Beechcraft announced that it was teaming Air Force Base, Nevada. This saw the the second AT-6 prototype, giving the
during testing. with Lockheed Martin in responding to aircraft undertaking realistic irregular company two aircraft for a new round of
Beechcraft/
Jim Haseltine the LAAR requirement. Lockheed Martin warfare sorties against ground targets trials in 2011, during which they dropped
Systems Integration in Owego, New York, in mock-war conditions, with a strong 500lb GBU-12 and 250lb GBU-58 LGBs.
Bottom: was appointed as the mission systems focus on net-centric warfare and use of Spiral Three was completed in
Raytheon/EAI
Talon laser- integrator for the aircraft, making use of the datalink. September 2012 at Eglin AFB and saw the
guided rockets the company’s experience in integrating The aircraft deployed to Nellis for two employment of more than 265 bombs
have already the A-10C’s precision engagement weeks from April 12, 2010, and flew six and rockets, as well as firing 3,000 rounds
been cleared
for use on modification. Not only was this a relevant, missions, totaling 17.5 flying hours. One from the AT-6’s 0.50-cal gun pods. The
the aircraft. state-of-the-art and combat-proven lasted 4.5 hours. On another sortie the trials included test firings of the APKWS
Beechcraft/ precision-strike capability, but it also AT-6B landed on a remote, dry lake- and Talon laser-guided rockets plus a
Jim Haseltine
gave the Owego division experience bed and refueled on the ground from further round of trials with the Gator and 93
Hellfire missiles.
Spiral Four in September 2013 saw the
AT-6 trialing the Single-Channel Ground
and Airborne Radio System Situational
Awareness (SINCGARS SA) Waveform
capability. The SINCGARS SA Waveform is a
software-controlled high frequency radio
designed to provide digital communication
and global positioning services (GPS) in
both fixed and mobile configurations vital
for military armed reconnaissance. The
dual ARC-210 Warrior radios of the AT-6
were configured to securely and directly
communicate simultaneously with three
different Joint Terminal Attack Controllers

February 2016 www.combataircraft.net

 INDUSTRY REPORT | LIGHT ATTACK

(JTACs). The success of the SA Waveform in

the AT-6 is designed to further advance its
future mission tactics in close air support
(CAS), combat search and rescue (CSAR)
and combat search and rescue task
force (CSARTF).

LAAR exclusion
In November 2011 it was announced
that the Beechcraft AT-6B had been climb and cruise performance, and Above: The
excluded from the LAAR competition, and carried more fuel, while it could carry an Wolverine is
94 equipped with
the USAF confirmed that the Embraer electro-optical/infra-red (EO/IR) turret an L-3 Wescam
A-29 had been awarded the contract on without sacrificing a weapons station. MX-15Di turret
December 30, 2011. The manufacturer continued to highlight under its belly.
Beechcraft/
Selection of the Brazilian aircraft their aircraft’s six weapons stations and Jamie Hunter
prompted a series of protests from unlimited 6g airframe, while pointing out
Beechcraft, initially forcing work on the that rough-field, grass and gravel runway Left: The cockpit
of the AT-6 was
A-29 to stop. Embraer was re-awarded the capabilities had been demonstrated. designed with
contract on February 27, 2013, whereupon In response, Embraer pointed to its A-10 pilots in
Beechcraft challenged the award again. aircraft’s wider-track, longer-wheelbase mind. Indeed, it
used contractors
This time, though, the USAF pressed undercarriage (with its big, low-pressure from the A-10C’s
ahead, and the United States Court of tires) and greater ground clearance to precision
Federal Claims upheld the Air Force’s claim superior rough/uneven runway engagement
modification.
decision to proceed. operating characteristics. It claimed that Beechcraft
In its protests, Beechcraft pointed out the A-29’s bigger, taller, wider canopy
that the USAF was spending over $125
million more (or more than 40 per cent) for
what it labeled as a ‘less capable, foreign-
manufactured airplane with weapons
and systems unfamiliar to, and outside
the control of, the United States military’.
It charged that the requirement had been
‘written to favor the competition’s aircraft’,
and questioned ‘whether the Embraer
aircraft with its foreign-made weapons
can be certified to US military standards
in time to provide the mission-capable
aircraft per the contract.’
Hawker Beechcraft CEO Bill Boisture
contended that the AT-6 met all threshold
and five of seven objective requirements,
and claimed that it had better take-off,

www.combataircraft.net February 2016


gave its crew a significantly better
all-round view. It contended that the
aircraft’s built-in, wing-mounted FN M3P
0.5in-caliber machine guns represented a
significant advantage, while the forward-
mounted AN/AAQ-22 Star SAFIRE II
surveillance and targeting turret offered
a better field of view and fewer blind
spots, and the five-bladed propeller was
significantly quieter.
In commenting on the contract award,
the US Government Accountability
Office (GAO) said that in order to meet its
proposed offer targets, the AT-6 would
have had to experience a 40 per cent
increase in maximum gross take-off
weight, noting that ‘experience’ showed
that anything over 20 per cent would
impose a serious risk of certification
delays, with implications for service life.
The GAO identified a number of other
issues and revealed that the AT-6 was
rated as exceptional, but ‘high-risk’, while
the A-29 was rated as exceptional and
‘low-risk’.
When the decision was made, in 2011,
there were just two AT-6s flying — all
prototypes — and 166 A-29s, which
already had a long operational career,
making perceptions of relative risk a
critical factor.
The best-value element of the
competition had three categories, in
which capability was the most important
factor, followed by past performance,
with cost in third place.
The decision clearly still rankles with
Russ Bartlett, president of the Beechcraft
Defense Company, who told the author
at the recent Dubai Airshow: ‘We had a
superior aircraft that was 100 per cent
technically compliant and for 30 per
cent less money’. He pointed out that it
had been ‘a tough decision to protest a
decision by our biggest customer.’
February 2016
Bartlett, an extremely experienced
former F/A-18 Hornet pilot,
acknowledged that the A-29 may
have marginally better rough-runway
characteristics, and described having
the internal guns as ‘cool’, but claimed
that Embraer’s other claimed advantages
were not relevant, and were ‘not a
combat discriminator’. He expressed
the opinion that he would prefer to be
delivering precision-guided weapons
from height rather than trying to engage
them with guns ‘down in the weeds’.
In the end, losing the LAAR competition
did not mean missing out on orders
running into hundreds of aircraft. Instead,
15 aircraft were to be ordered for the
Stateside training of allied pilots under
LAAR, while just 20 Embraer A-29s were
purchased for supply to the Afghan Air
Force under the Light Air Support (LAS)
program. The Afghan pilots trained
using their own aircraft, which were
temporarily operated by the newly re-
activated 81st Fighter Squadron based
at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, LAAR
having seemingly fallen by the wayside.
The 20 Afghan Air Force aircraft were
built by US-based prime contractor Sierra
Nevada in Jacksonville, Florida. Six of the
LAS-winning machines were subsequently
ordered for the Lebanese Air Force.
Crucially, the USAF has abandoned any
plans to form a dedicated COIN air wing
and to procure around 100 LAAR/OA-X/
LAS aircraft to equip it. The A-29 seems
destined to remain a little-known and
very short-lived rarity in USAF service,
limited to training a handful of overseas
air forces. And without the boost in
credibility and momentum that a large
USAF order would have endowed on the
selected aircraft, the A-29 and AT-6 seem
destined to slug it out for what remains
of the light attack and ISR market.
LIGHT ATTACK | INDUSTRY REPORT
Beechcraft clearly believes that there is
still a market to fight for, and, undeterred
by defeat, the company has continued to
develop and promote its own light attack
offering. Indeed, a third AT-6 (AT-3) flew in
August 2013 and was the first production
aircraft, first registered as N630LA on
October 23, 2013. AT-3 has now joined the
program and it was this example that was
displayed at Farnborough in 2014, and
at Paris, the Royal International Air Tattoo
and the Dubai Airshow in 2015.
Beechcraft remains confident in
the Wolverine, which it says offers its
operators a robust and interoperable air
power solution at a fraction of the cost
of traditional (fast jet) tactical aircraft,
with lower operating costs and greater
versatility than unmanned aerial systems.
At the same time, the type is fully
networked, and has advanced survivability
features, rendering it less vulnerable than
many rivals in its class.
Iraq, which already operates 15 unarmed
T-6A trainers and six Special Mission King
Airs, is understood to be Beechcraft’s
main target as launch customer for
the Wolverine. Industry journal Flight
reported in November 2015 that a letter
of offer and acceptance for six of the light
attack turboprops was being prepared 95
for the Iraqi government. The US State
Department approved a possible deal for Below left
up to 24 aircraft in May, and these would to right: The
AT-6 has
be delivered in increments of six. demonstrated
Securing a launch customer will allow its ability to
Beechcraft to begin the process of military operate from
austere strips.
type certification, completion of which Beechcraft/
will make the Wolverine more attractive to Paul Bowen
foreign buyers. To this end, the company is
Below: Textron’s
believed to be exploring the possibility of offerings in the
using the new Non-DoD Military Aircraft close air support
Airworthiness Accreditation program — a sphere include
its Scorpion and
USAF initiative that will allow companies the AT-6.
to self-fund the certification process. Jim Haseltine
www.combataircraft.net
 HACKING TEST CANCELLATION
COULD LEAVE F-35 VULNERABLE
T
HE JOINT PROGRAM
Office overseeing
development of the
Lockheed Martin F-35
Joint Strike Fighter
recently cancelled an
important ‘penetration’ test of the stealth
warplane’s automated logistics network
— because that test could allegedly
‘damage’ the system.
The test would have involved a team
of cyber warfare specialists, playing the
roles of enemy hackers, infiltrating the
Automated Logistics Information System.
ALIS is integral to the F-35’s design,
which leans heavily on a complex
software suite including some 30 million
lines of code driving its sensors and
combat systems. As planned, ALIS would
BY
frequently update the JSF’s software.
DAVID That’s a potential advantage for F-35
AXE operators — assuming ALIS is a ‘secure
information environment’, as Lockheed
Martin claims.
DISPATCHES FROM THE FRONT LINE OF AEROSPACE TECHNOLOGY
96 If it’s not secure, ALIS is a possible back
door for enemy hackers to gain access to
F-35s all over the world. But it’s possible
the JSF’s developers will never know — at
least, not before enemy cyber warriors
exploit the system’s vulnerability for
themselves. The program office ‘did not
initially approve a cyber-vulnerability
test due to the lack of a risk assessment
related to operational F-35 assets’, a
program office spokesperson told Dan
Grazier, a fellow with the Project on
Government Oversight, a watchdog
group in Washington DC.
Grazier pointed out that the whole
point of testing is to reveal vulnerabilities
so that developers can fix them before
an opponent can exploit them during
wartime. The danger is that, in some
Lockheed Martin
future conflict, potentially thousands
of F-35s could run software that’s
susceptible to modification — even
hijacking. ‘That simply raises obvious and
disturbing questions about what could
happen in combat’, Grazier wrote.
Reporter Austin Wright from the
Washington DC publication Politico first
reported the test cancellation. ‘Those
who are pushing for the drills to be
conducted as planned say there’s irony in
the program office’s concerns that cyber
tests could damage the fighter program
and disrupt real-world F-35 operations’,
Wright wrote.
‘Such concerns, they say, are exactly
why the tests are necessary for the
Lockheed Martin-built [airplane] that’s
often described as a flying computer and
‘ALIS is clearly
fragile. So fragile
that the program
office is scared to
let its own hackers
attack the system
even in a mock
cyber assault, as
a successful hack
could impair the
roughly 100 F-35s
already in service’
is intended to ensure the [US] Navy, Air
Force and Marine Corps can maintain air
dominance for decades to come.’
The ALIS network has been the subject
of controversy before. Intended to
connect thousands of F-35 maintainers
in a worldwide network that monitors
the radar-evading fighters, diagnoses
problems and speeds the delivery of
spare parts and software updates, ALIS
has proved to be unreliable.
In 2014, Lt Gen Christopher Bogdan,
then head of the JSF program office,
admitted that development of the
logistics system was ‘way behind’. Marine
Corps maintenance crews aboard the
USS Wasp assault ship during an F-35
trial deployment discovered that ALIS
couldn’t handle large data files. As many
as 80 per cent of the purported issues
ALIS identifies are false positives — in
other words, maintenance problems that
aren’t actually problems at all.
ALIS is clearly fragile, so fragile that the
program office is scared to let its own
hackers attack the system even in a mock
cyber assault, as a successful hack could
impair the roughly 100 F-35s already
in service with US Air Force, Navy and
Marine Corps training squadrons and the
Marines’ first front-line squadron, which
became operational in July 2015.
The JPO’s reluctance to test the logistics
systems is a symptom of the decision by
the US government and its F-35 partners
to develop the new aircraft ‘concurrently’
with production. That is to say, Lockheed
Martin would begin producing F-35s
before the fighter’s design was complete.
Early F-35s would eventually cycle
through a depot maintenance for updates.
And if indeed ALIS is vulnerable to
infiltration, F-35 users are running out of
time to fix the problem. Lockheed Martin
built around 100 JSFs in 2015 and could
produce increasing quantities every year
against planned orders totaling more
than 3,000 F-35s for the United States
and its allies.
February 2016
 SPECIAL US NAVY & MARINE CORPS
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This 100 page publication is a must-have for any
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