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IN THE NEWS
6 HEADLINE NEWS
US Air Force aggressor contract awarded,
South Korea’s KF-X unveiled, and US Army
Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA)
contenders revealed
8 US NEWS
‘Green Mountain Boys’ go F-35,
MQ-25 Stingray flies, plus latest unit and
deployment news
16 WORLD NEWS
News from Europe and around the globe
including the UK’s ‘WESTLANT’ carrier trials
plus all the latest Military Losses
12 THE OPS DESK
Scott Wolff ’s monthly column evaluates the US
Air Force fighter force
20 READY ROOM
Combat Aircraft’s regular column, looking at the
stories behind the US Navy and Marine Corps
headlines, by Rick Burgess
NEW HORIZONS:
USAF FIGHTER FUTURE
24 DIGITAL CENTURY SERIES
Jon Lake investigates the US Air Force’s
radical new acquisition strategy for its
Next Generation Air Dominance fighter
32 REPLACE OR RETAIN?
Senior US Air Force officials are
highlighting the need to divest some
legacy platforms that are costly and
possibly no longer fit for purpose. Jon
Lake explains how this may prove difficult,
as unsuccessful attempts to retire the A-10
Thunderbolt II have demonstrated
38 A FORCE UNDER PRESSURE
Jamie Hunter and Tom Kaminski detail the
latest status of the US Air Force’s fighter
aircraft inventory as the F-35A production
ramp-up slips
46 RED HAWK:
SOLVING THE PILOT CRISIS
Jamie Hunter reveals how the US Air Force
is evaluating how the Boeing/Saab T-7A
Red Hawk program could be accelerated
and used to tackle two burgeoning
problems that the air arm is facing…
50 WILD FRONTIERS
Eielson AFB, Alaska, is pivotal to power
projection in the region. It might seem an
unusual home for a crack aggressor squadron,
but it’s actually the perfect location, as Frank
Crébas and Rich Cooper discover
3 contents C.indd 3
INSIDE
December 2019 • Vol 20 • No 12
60 RUSSIAN POWER PLAY
NEW LAUNCH Dmitriy Pichugin reports from Exercise ‘Tsentr’,
an annual showcase of Russian military
SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE! power, pulling together regional allies for a
comprehensive series of war games
As part of your subscription, you can now enjoy even
more Combat Aircraft, more often, with the launch of 64 ‘MARKET GARDEN’ REMEMBERED
Key.Aero — Your Aviation Destination. The commemoration of Operation ‘Market
Visit www.key.aero and use your customer ID and email Garden’ has evolved into a wider training
address to register today for your exclusive access. exercise that has been built around this
important anniversary, as Frank Visser and
Ludo Mennes discover
88
ROTARY REVOLUTION 66 LIGHTNING STRIKES IN ICELAND
Bell has revealed its entrant into the US Army Italy deployed F-35A Lightning IIs
Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) operationally for the first time in October
competition — the 360 Invictus — with Sikorsky’s to undertake the NATO air policing mission
rival Raider X following. safeguarding Iceland’s airspace, with Giovanni
Colla being granted exclusive access to the
detachment
70 ‘SANDY FLEECE’
Michael Keaveney meets the Royal Canadian Air
Force’s 401st Tactical Fighter Squadron during
its deployment to Texas this summer for its
annual force-generation detachment to work
alongside US forces
74 ‘FULCRUM’:
FREE CALENDAR THE STORY OF A RUSSIAN CLASSIC
The MiG-29 rightfully deserves its place as one
of the all-time classic fighters. In the first of a
two-part series, Alexander Mladenov charts
its development and how today there is only
modest commercial demand for the type
82 LEBANESE LIGHT ATTACK
The Lebanese Air Force’s 7 Squadron is now
well established operating the A-29B Super
Tucano, as Dirk Jan de Ridder and Menso van
Westrhenen report
92 BIG SHOT: EUROFIGHTER SALUTE
Combat Aircraft’s new feature showcasing
military aviation’s best images each month
AIR POWER 94 CUTTING EDGE
David Axe’s column looking at the latest
2020 technological developments in military
aerospace
THE BEST IMAGES
OF THE YEAR FROM 96 FLASHBACK
COMBAT AIRCRAFT Combat Aircraft’s trip down memory lane; this
month it’s the Northrop F-20 Tigershark
ON THE COVER | PAGE 24
Your Aviation Destination
An artist’s impression of a
Lockheed Martin ‘Skunk Works’
Next Generation Air Dominance See
fighter. In this issue we look at page 99
what the future holds for the
fighter fleet of the world’s most for full SUBSCR
EXCLUSIBER
powerful air arm. details IVE
Lockheed Martin
24/10/2019 15:53
 COMBAT EDGE // FIND US ON

An F-35A bears down on an F-15E

during training. The USAF is gearing
up to buy more Eagles to help mitigate
slower than expected delivery rates
of F-35s. Jamie Hunter

04 December 2019 // www.Key.Aero

4-5 Combat Edge C.indd 4 23/10/2019 15:18

 CONTRIBUTOR OF THE MONTH
JON LAKE
J
ON LAKE IS a
long-established
aviation journalist
and writer and
regular contributor to
Combat Aircraft. He is
the twice-winner of
CAN THE USAF CHANGE THE
WAY IT DOES BUSINESS?
T
HE US AIR Force is trying
to change the way it does
business in order to become
more effective and more
efficient. Our cover story in
this issue details how a new
family of advanced fighter aircraft — the
so-called ‘Digital Century Series’ — is
being evaluated as one solution for
future fighter requirements. However,
can an air arm that was unable to justify
the cost of restarting production of
its formidable, combat-proven F-22
Raptor really hope to build small fleets
of new fighters that embrace evolving
technology? Developing an aircraft like
a Boeing T-7A Red Hawk can be done
relatively quickly and cheaply, but these
are no F-35s. The kind of performance,
technology and expense required
to eclipse the likes of the Raptor and
Lightning II will be very difficult to realize
in short production runs of new fighters.
In reality, even though the USAF
is trying to change the way it goes
about its work, its hands are tied. It is
mandated to fulfill too many roles and
faces too much political pressure that
often stymies its ability to evolve with
the times.
The award of a $6.4-billion contract
for adversary air services is a good
example of an air force reacting to meet
burgeoning needs — in this case the
requirement is to train its pilots to deal
with a low-cost, yet meaningful, ‘Red
Air’ threat. It’s actually a spend-to-save:
taking this mission away from its front-
line fighters and squadrons and giving it
to contractors with cheaper-to-operate
fleets of older jets.
4-5 Combat Edge C.indd 5
the Aviation Journalist of the
Year Award and in this issue he
evaluates how the US military
needs to evolve and make
difficult decisions in order
to modernize. This includes
potentially retiring old aircraft.
While the market for contractor air
services from commercial companies is
currently in the ascendancy, this is likely
to be a brief window of opportunity. The
aircraft these contractors are offering
have a finite service life, and often the
cost of operating them while generating
an acceptable level of profit is marginal.
Throw in a major servicing schedule and
it might just be cheaper to park them
and look for a new aircraft.
The fact is that there is a small pool
of fighters that meet the criteria of cost
and performance. Even an early-block
F-16 — the most obvious candidate
for a decent aggressor opponent
— is deemed to be too costly for
most contractors to even consider.
Moreover, the risk of operating an F-16
is compounded by the fact that each
one carries the extremely hazardous
hydrazine liquid that feeds the electrical
systems and emergency power unit.
Changing the way the USAF meets
its demands is necessary, but fraught
with difficulty. It will need to look at
buying new platforms in a far more
sophisticated way, and possibly from
further afield, if it is to generate the kind
of competition that helps an air force
keep on top of its required tasks now
and into the future.
For the latest breaking military aviation
news, go to www.Key.Aero
Jamie Hunter,
Editor
E-mail: jamie.hunter@keypublishing.com
www.Key.Aero // December 2019 05
23/10/2019 15:19
 [NEWS] HEADLINES
USAF AWARDS HUGE
AGGRESSOR CONTRACT
SEVEN COMPANIES SELECTED FOR MULTI-SITE ADVERSARY REQUIREMENT
T
HE US AIR Force’s Air
Combat Command (ACC)
awarded seven companies
contracts worth $6.4 billion
on October 18 to provide
contracted adversary
air (ADAIR) over the next five years.
The seven companies awarded
contracts are Air USA, Airborne Tactical
Advantage Company (ATAC), Blue
Air Training, Coastal Defense, Draken
International, Tactical Air Support
(TacAir), and Top Aces.
As part of the Combat Air Forces
Contracted Air Support (CAF CAS)
FARA ENTRIES REVEALED
SEVERAL COMPANIES HAVE revealed
their designs for entry into the US
Army’s Future Attack Reconnaissance
Aircraft (FARA) competitive
requirement. The Bell 360 Invictus
was revealed on October 2 and it
features a fly-by-wire flight control
system and a lift-sharing wing that
reduces rotor lift demand in forward
flight and enables high-speed
maneuverability. The helicopter’s
four-blade main rotor will be based
on Bell’s 525 Relentless rotor system
and will be less than the army 40ft
(12.19m) maximum diameter. The
army’s rotor diameter limitation is
intended to ensure the FARA can
maneuver between buildings in
urban combat. As mandated, the
helicopter will be powered by the
GE Aviation XT901 turboshaft that
was developed under the Improved
Turbine Engine Program (ITEP).
The engine will drive a four-blade
main rotor and shrouded tail rotor.
The rotorcraft will have a top speed
greater than 185kts (343km/h) and
a combat radius of 135nm (250km)
with more than 90 minutes of time
on station. Armament will include
a 20mm cannon, an integrated
munitions launcher and a 1,400lb
(635kg) payload. The 360 Invictus is
06 December 2019 // www.Key.Aero
6-7 Headlines C.indd 6
program, the companies will supply
contractor-owned, contractor-
operated (COCO) aircraft to support
air-to-air combat training from
October 2019 to October 2024. In
addition, some of the companies
will fly close air support (CAS) sorties
for Joint Terminal Attack Controller
(JTAC) training.
The approved vendors will now
have to bid against the operational
taskings laid out for the 12
operating locations for the adversary
requirement and nine locations
for JTAC training. According to the
currently in the preliminary design
phase and if Bell is selected to build a
prototype it will fly in late 2022.
Sikorsky Aircraft lifted the
curtain on its offering for the FARA
competition on October 14. Known
as the Raider-X, the counter-rotating
coaxial rigid-rotor compound
helicopter is a development of the
contractor’s S-97 Raider prototype,
which is currently undergoing
flight testing. The Raider-X is about
20 per cent larger than the S-97.
It has a 14,000lb (6,350kg) gross
weight compared with the S-97’s
11,000lb (4,990kg). It will have 39ft
(11.89m) diameter main rotors, which
represents a 5ft (1.52m) increase over
the S-97. In addition to the four-blade
coaxial main rotors, the aircraft will
feature a pusher propulsor. The
Raider-X is powered by a single T901
turboshaft. Although Sikorsky has not
released a top speed, the Raider-X
will exceed the FARA’s 180kts
threshold maximum speed.
Karem Aircraft, which is teamed
with Northrop Grumman and
Raytheon, has offered the army a
winged, high-speed compound
helicopter that features an actively
controlled main rotor. Named for its
40ft (12.19m) diameter active rotor,
requirement, the USAF is seeking
30,000 adversary sorties and 10,000
CAS/JTAC training sorties per year.
The aggressor services have been
budgeted for the following bases:
Eglin AFB, Florida; Joint Base Pearl
Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii; Hill AFB,
Utah; Holloman AFB, New Mexico;
Joint Base San Antonio-Kelly Field,
Texas; Kingsley Field, Oregon; Joint
Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia; Luke
AFB, Arizona; Nellis AFB, Nevada;
Seymour Johnson AFB, North
Carolina; Tucson International Airport,
Arizona; and Tyndall AFB, Florida.
An artist’s rendering of the Karem Aircraft AR40, which is being offered
by a team that includes Northrop Grumman and Raytheon. The FARA
requirement has also drawn offerings from Bell and Sikorsky Aircraft.
Karem Aircraft
the AR40 will reportedly exceed the Like the Raider-X entry, the AR40
threshold speed requirement by features side-by-side seating and
about 20 per cent, meaning it would additional room is provided behind
likely reach 215kts (398km/h). Like the cockpit for future growth that
the Sikorsky design it is powered could include mission equipment or a
solely by the T901 turboshaft. cabin for personnel. Karem’s teaming
The AR40 features a single main arrangement includes Northrop
rotor, wings and a uniquely designed Grumman’s Scaled Composites
tail rotor that swivels to provide subsidiary for airframe production
anti-torque control at low speeds, and support. Its Mission Systems
and propulsion for higher forward division will provide the avionics and
speed. The main rotor features a rigid, cockpit integration and Raytheon will
hingeless hub and has three stiff, perform mission-system integration.
lightweight blades. At high speed The US Army expects to award
the wing takes the load from the two contracts for FARA prototypes
main rotor. in 2020 to support a fly-off in 2023.
23/10/2019 15:19

Draken International has been supporting
training at Nellis AFB, Nevada, since 2016
using its A-4K Skyhawks (pictured) and L-159
‘Honey Badgers’. Draken International
SOUTH KOREA UNVEILS
ITS KF-X MOCK-UP
NEARLY FOUR YEARS after South
Korea’s KF-X project officially
kicked off, a mock-up of the new
fighter was unveiled at Seoul
ADEX 2019, which was held from
October 15-20. Designed by Korea
Aerospace Industries (KAI), the
new aircraft will eventually enter
service with the Republic of Korea
Air Force (ROKAF) in the second
half of the next decade.
The twin-engine design
somewhat resembles the F-35,
though it is slightly longer at
55ft (16.9m) but has an almost
identical wingspan of 37ft
(11.2m). KAI describes it as an
‘affordable mid-class fighter’ and
claims maintenance costs will be
half those of the F-35. It will be
available in single and tandem-
seat configurations, with the mock-
up depicting the former.
The aircraft will be powered
by a pair of General Electric
F414 turbofans and it will have
a maximum take-off weight of
56,438lb (25,600kg), with an all-
up payload capacity of 16,975lb
(7,700kg) on 10 hardpoints. As an
6-7 Headlines C.indd 7
indicative loadout, the mock-up
carried a pair of external fuel tanks,
two laser-guided bombs, two
IRIS-T missiles and, under the belly,
four Meteor missiles. Fitted on the
right-hand ‘shoulder’ was a Sniper
targeting pod, and an M61 Vulcan
20mm cannon was situated on the
port side.
South Korean firm LIG Nex1
is developing a long-range air-
launched cruise missile specifically
for use on the KF-X. On display at
Seoul, the air-to-ground missile
looks similar to the Taurus KEPD
350 already used by the ROKAF,
and it presumably has comparable
performance parameters.
KAI noted that its blue-ribbon
fighter is ‘designed for future
growth’. Thus, follow-on blocks of
the KF-X should feature internal
weapons carriage.
The KF-X is enjoying technical
input from foreign entities,
including Lockheed Martin as
a technical partner. However,
because the US did not grant
export approval for some sensitive
systems, South Korea has been
NGAD DESIGN
OFFICE CREATED
THE USAF HAS established an
Advanced Aircraft Office for its
Next Generation Air Dominance
(NGAD) program. The office is tasked
to develop the so-called ‘Digital
Century Series’ initiative under the
NGAD program —see also page
24 in this issue. The program was
originally intended to develop
a family of systems based on a
traditional advanced fighter that
would replace the F-22A some
time after 2030. The USAF’s latest
vision will transform how the next
generation of combat aircraft is
designed, built and sustained and
calls for introducing multiple new
aircraft within five-year cycles. The
NGAD program is now focused
on development of a new aircraft
design process that uses digital
design and manufacturing tools
in order to reduce the current
10-to-15-year development cycle for
A mock-up of the KF-X was unveiled
and put on display at Seoul ADEX 2019.
Gordon Arthur
forced to rely on local talent or
to look elsewhere. For example,
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI)/
Elta is supporting development of
the fighter’s active electronically
scanned array (AESA) radar. This
AESA radar has a reported range
of 68.4 miles (110km) and is being
developed by Hanwha Systems.
The first working radar is to be
unveiled in the second half of
2020, though testing on the KF-X
will not occur until 2023.
Hanwha is also developing the
electro-optical targeting pod, infra-
red search and track (IRST) system
and radio frequency jammer. LIG
Nex1 is contributing the electronic
countermeasures, head-up display
(HUD), datalink and radios.
As well as the full-size mock-up
that was on show outdoors, KAI
exhibited a separate replica of
the fighter’s cockpit. It boasts a
HEADLINES [NEWS]
ALSO
THIS
MONTH...
MQ-25 flies
Boeing’s new carrier air wing
tanker enters testing.
See US News
F-35B on HMS Queen Elizabeth
Operational squadron embarks
for latest sea trials.
See World News
advanced aircraft to five years. The
USAF recently reduced its 2020-2024
spending plan for NGAD from $13.2
billion to $6.6 billion by eliminating
the launch of the F-X aircraft
development program within the
five-year plan and re-focusing its
sights on creating new technologies.
20 x 8in (50 x 20cm) touchscreen
display that integrates with the
pilot’s helmet and HUD.
Indonesia is contributing
financially to this $7.4-billion
project, with up to 48 KF-X fighters
earmarked for its use. Jakarta is
supposed to be paying 20 per
cent of the project cost, although
it is believed to be in arrears and
the two sides are attempting to
renegotiate terms.
According to officials, the project
is on schedule and a critical
design review was successfully
passed in September this year.
The current timeline demands a
KF-X prototype to be ready in the
first half of 2021, with the maiden
flight supposed to happen shortly
afterwards. If the program runs
smoothly, the KF-X is scheduled to
be ready for the ROKAF by 2026.
Gordon Arthur
www.Key.Aero // December 2019 07
23/10/2019 15:19
 [NEWS] UNITED STATES

ADVERSARY ‘CHECKERBOARD’ ‘GREEN MOUNTAIN

BOYS’ GO F-35
During a recent deployment from MCAS Beaufort, North Carolina, to
Tulsa International Airport, Oklahoma, VMFA-312 ‘Checkerboards’
showcased F/A-18C Hornet BuNo 164274. The squadron applied the
adversary paint scheme to the aircraft partly due to the fact that
it is no longer considered a deployable airframe. While deployed to
Tulsa, from October 15-17, the unit conducted dissimilar air combat
training (DACT) against F-16Cs from the 138th Fighter Wing’s 125th FIRST LIGHTNING II FOR THE AIR NATIONAL GUARD

T
Fighter Squadron, Oklahoma ANG. Ralph Duenas

HE VERMONT AIR National changing homeport to Sasebo, Japan,

Guard’s 158th Fighter Wing
received the first two of an
eventual inventory of 20
F-35As when the fighters
landed at Burlington
International Airport on September
19. The wing’s 134th Fighter Squadron
‘Green Mountain Boys’ is the first Air
National Guard (ANG) unit to operate
the Lightning II.
Meanwhile, the amphibious assault
ship USS America (LHA 6), which is
recently conducted operations in
the eastern Pacific Ocean with more
than a dozen F-35Bs operated by
Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 122
(VMFA-122). The initial two ships of the
America class — the other being USS
Tripoli (LHA 7) — feature expanded
aviation support capabilities that
include a larger hangar deck and
expanded aviation fuel and munitions
storage. The ships will reportedly
accommodate 16 to 20 F-35Bs

USAF
CONSIDERS SUPER HORNETS AND GROWLERS
NEW ROLE ACHIEVE READINESS GOAL
FOR C-5M
WHILE THE USAF struggled to meet being in the primary mission aircraft which leveraged best practices
the October 1 deadline to achieve inventory (PMAI). from commercial industry to
THE USAF IS considering an 80 per cent mission-capable (MC) The mandate for the USAF, US Navy update and improve specific
modifications for its C-5M readiness rate for its fighter aircraft, and US Marine Corps to improve the maintenance practices in squadrons
fleet that would allow the on September 24 the Commander MC rates across their F-16, F/A-18, and intermediate and depot
Super Galaxy to support Naval Air Forces (CNAF) announced F-22 and F-35 fighter and strike Fleet Readiness Centers. Reforms
large-scale aeromedical that F/A-18E/F and EA-18G fleets had fighter fleets was implemented by were also made to supply chain
evacuation missions. The role achieved that goal. former Secretary of Defense James management, engineering practices,
is currently carried out by The US Navy’s accomplishment Mattis in September 2018. At the governance activities and safety.
C-130s, C-17s, and KC-135s. The followed the implementation of time, the fleets had achieved rates NSS-A reforms will also be applied
Globemaster III is the largest reforms that were carried out across of 70, 50, 51.7 and 49.6 per cent, to improve and sustain readiness
aircraft currently tasked with naval squadrons, maintenance and respectively. and safety for each type, model and
the mission and can carry supply depots and other commands To achieve the goal, the series of naval aircraft. The USAF
up to 60 stretcher patients. over the past year. The milestone Naval Aviation Enterprise (NAE) recently revealed that only the
The C-5 plan would nearly includes 343 Super Hornets and implemented the Naval Sustainment active-duty F-16 fleet would achieve
double the service’s medevac 95 Growlers that are identified as System-Aviation (NSS-A) initiative, the MC goal by the deadline.
capacity for a single aircraft.
As the largest airlifter in the
USAF’s fleet, the C-5M’s cargo
compartment could provide
the capability to evacuate more
than 100 patients. Air Mobility
Command (AMC) began
evaluating the Galaxy in this
role in December 2018 when
it conducted a flight at Travis
AFB, California. A second test
was held at Scott AFB, Illinois,
in March 2019. The most recent
evaluation took place during
AMC’s multinational ‘Mobility An F/A-18E Super Hornet attached to VFA-86
Guardian’ exercise at Fairchild ‘Sidewinders’ during recent operations aboard
AFB, Washington, in September. the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). US Navy/
MCS3C Michael Singley

08 December 2019 // www.Key.Aero

8-11 US News C.indd 8 23/10/2019 16:01

 UNITED STATES [NEWS]

along with two MH-60S helicopters, This image: F-35A serial 17-15266 arrives at Burlington International Airport, Vermont, on September 19 for the
giving them an impressive offensive Vermont Air National Guard’s 158th Fighter Wing. Dave O’Brien
capability. The so-called ‘Lightning
Inset: F-35As from the 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin AFB, Florida, fired AIM-9X missiles for the first time while
Carrier’ concept, which increases participating in a short-notice Weapons Standardization and Evaluation Program (WSEP) tasking from
the number of fighters deployed September 17-19. Conducted as part of Exercise ‘Combat Archer’, the event saw pilots from the wing’s 58th
aboard an LHA or LHD, was first Fighter Squadron fire seven live AIM-9Xs. USAF/A1C Heather Leveille
operationally tested aboard the USS
Wasp (LHD 1) in April during Exercise
‘Balikatan 2019’. The America had
previously conducted operations with
12 F-35Bs under a proof-of-concept
demonstration in November 2016.
Beginning with the USS Bougainville
(LHA 8), the later ships of the class will
be equipped with a well deck that
allows them to support landing craft.

UNIT NEWS
The US Navy has
started establishing
the infrastructure to
support its new
CMV-22s. USMC
Osprey wing established
Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Wing
(COMVRMWING) One was officially
established during a ceremony
at NAS North Island, California,
on October 10. The wing initially
assumed the responsibility for
fleet logistics multi-mission
squadron VRM-30 and a training
detachment at MCAS New River,
North Carolina, but it will ultimately
control the three squadrons that
will operate the navy’s planned
fleet of 50 CMV-22B tilt-rotor carrier
onboard delivery (COD) aircraft. The
COD-configured Ospreys will be
tasked to move high priority cargo
and provide passenger transport
services in support of carrier strike
groups and task forces.
Intended as a replacement for the
current fleet of C-2A Greyhound
aircraft, the Osprey will provide
increased range, speed and
payload capabilities that provide
the fleet with significant increases
in capability and operational
flexibility over the Greyhound. Fleet
logistics multi-mission squadron
VRM-30 is scheduled to make its first
deployment aboard USS Carl Vinson
(CVN 70) in 2021. Transition from
the C-2A to the CMV-22B should be
complete by 2028.
Macdill wing redesignated
The 6th Air Mobility Wing was
redesignated as the 6th Air
Refueling Wing at MacDill AFB,
Florida, on October 1. The move
follows the inactivation of the
wing’s 310th Airlift Squadron on
September 30. Between July 2011
and September 2012, the squadron
received three C-37As that provided
executive airlift for senior officers
and other government officials.
The 310th flew its final mission in
July 2019. Two of the squadron’s
Gulfstream Vs were reassigned
to the 65th Airlift Squadron at
Ramstein Air Base, Germany, and
the third was transferred to the 76th
Airlift Squadron at Joint Base Pearl
Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. The wing’s
redesignation is in line with its main
role of air refueling.
Squadrons reactivated
• The 420th Flight Test Squadron
was reactivated at Edwards AFB,
California, on October 4. The unit,
which is a component of the 412th
Test Wing, will support testing of the
Northrop Grumman B-21A bomber.
The squadron had previously
tested the B-2A as part of the
same wing and will be tasked with
planning, testing, analyzing and
reporting on all flight and ground
testing of the Raider. The B-21A is
expected to make its first flight in
December 2021 from Air Force Plant
42 in Palmdale, California, where
production will be carried out, to
Edwards.
• The USAF reactivated the 356th
Fighter Squadron under the 354th
Fighter Wing at Eielson AFB, Alaska,
on October 10. The ‘Green Demons’
previously operated the A-10A as
part of the 354th Fighter Wing at
Myrtle Beach AFB, South Carolina,
until it was inactivated in June 1992.
The squadron is the first of two
that will operate the F-35A as part
of the 354th Operations Group.
Assignment of the Lightning IIs
to the wing will herald a return to
an operational combat mission.
Since 2007, the wing has primarily
supported training that includes
the ‘Red Flag-Alaska’ exercise. The
first F-35As will arrive at Eielson in
spring 2020.
• The 97th Air Refueling Squadron
was activated under the 92nd
Air Refueling Wing’s Operations
Group on October 18. The
squadron will operate 12 KC-135Rs
that are being relocated to
Fairchild AFB, Washington. The
Stratotankers were made available
by the delivery of newer KC-46As
to Air Mobility Command. When
deliveries are completed Fairchild
will be home to 59 of the legacy
Stratotankers.
• The 58th Operations Group
Detachment Two was activated
at Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, on
August 23. The unit will make the
initial preparations for training
associated with the USAF’s new HH-
60W Combat Rescue Helicopter. It
will be responsible for validating
training, ensuring appropriate
facilities and equipment are
available and standing up formal
training for the HH-60W, which is
scheduled to begin by March 2021.

www.Key.Aero // December 2019 09

8-11 US News C.indd 9 23/10/2019 15:19

 [NEWS] UNITED STATES
STINGRAY PROTOTYPE FLIES
BOEING COMMENCES FLIGHT-TEST PROGRAM
T-7A MILESTONE
THE USAF’S NEW Boeing T-7A
Red Hawk trainer passed its
Critical Design Review (CDR)
in September 2019, just 12
months after Boeing received
the development contract,
meaning the design of the
aircraft has now been frozen.
The two prototypes have
made more than 100 flights
in support of the program
including more than 30 since
they returned to the air in
June 2019.
Assembly of the first
Engineering Manufacturing
Development (EMD) aircraft
will begin in 2020. The test
program will include five
final-configuration aircraft
in addition to the two
production-representative
prototypes. Under current
plans, the first T-7A will arrive at
Randolph AFB, Texas, in 2023.
Among the changes made to
the design is the incorporation
of the ACES 5 ejection seat.
‘WOLFHOUND’ REPLACEMENT CONSIDERED
US AIR FORCE Special Operations
Command (AFSOC) has reportedly
shown interest in acquiring a
replacement aircraft for its fleet of
non-standard Fairchild Dornier 328
10 December 2019 // www.Key.Aero
8-11 US News C.indd 10
HH-60W
PRODUCTION
APPROVED
THE DEPARTMENT OF Defense
(DoD) gave its approval for the
Sikorsky HH-60W Combat Rescue
Helicopter (CRH) to enter low-
rate initial production (LRIP) on
September 24. Four instrumented
HH-60Ws are currently supporting
testing at Sikorsky’s Development
Flight Center near West Palm
Beach, Florida. The production
approval followed demonstrations
conducted during rigorous USAF
performance and flight load survey
testing. The CRH flight-test team
completed more than 70 hours of
envelope expansion flights that
provided the USAF with the data
necessary to execute the Milestone
C decision.
The USAF plans to acquire
113 UH-60M-based HH-60Ws as
replacements for its current fleet of
HH-60G Pave Hawks. Five HH-60Ws
comprising four engineering
developmental models and the first
turboprops. Operated under the
non-standard designation C-146A,
the ‘Wolfhounds’ are used to conduct
discreet transport missions of special
operations personnel as part of
of five System Demonstration and
Test Articles (SDTA) are currently
supporting testing. The SDTAs will
be used for initial operational test
and evaluation (IOT&E) efforts.
The first LRIP production lot is
expected to include 10 HH-60Ws
for delivery in February 2021.
The USAF is already looking at
upgrades for the HH-60W that will
incorporate numerous new systems
such as a Distributed Aperture
Infra-Red Countermeasures
(DAIRCM) system, a degraded visual
environment system (DVES) to
the Foreign Internal Defense (FID)
mission. Just over 100 Do 328s were
built and fewer than 60 remain in
service worldwide, with AFSOC
being the largest single operator of
Boeing carried out the first test
flight of its prototype MQ-25
unmanned refueling aircraft on
September 19. Boeing
All four engineering
development model
HH-60Ws fly a
formation hover test
at Sikorsky Aircraft’s
Development Flight
Center near West
Palm Beach, Florida,
on September 5.
Sikorsky Aircraft
sense/display uncharted en route
and terminal terrain, obstacles,
and wires and enhance aircrew
situational awareness, a video
datalink for live-streaming full-
motion video from supporting
assets and to transmit onboard
sensor video to ground teams, plus
other improvements. Although
the CRH is a substantial upgrade
to the HH-60G, some systems
being considered are already in
use on the Pave Hawk, but were
not available when the CRH
configuration was baselined.
the type. Sierra Nevada Corporation
(SNC) recently revealed plans to
restart production of the aircraft in
Leipzig, Germany. SNC’s 328 Support
Services subsidiary delivered the
C-146As to the USAF and it currently
holds the aircraft’s type certificate.
23/10/2019 16:01

B
OEING COMPLETED THE
first flight of its prototype
MQ-25 unmanned
refueling aircraft at
MidAmerica St Louis
Airport in Mascoutah,
Illinois, on September 19. The
company-owned test asset, known
as T1, caarried the civil registration
N234MQ. The MQ-25 completed an
FAA-certified autonomous taxi and
take-off and flew a pre-determined
route during a two-hour flight that
validated the aircraft’s basic flight
functions and operations. Boeing
test pilots operated the MQ-25
from a ground control station at the
airport, which is adjacent to Scott
AFB. T1 received its experimental
airworthiness certificate from the
FAA in September, verifying that the
air vehicle meets requirements for
safe flight.
DEPLOYMENT NEWS
A P-3C of VP-40 ‘Fighting Marlins’ after landing at NAS Whidbey Island
at the conclusion of a six-month rotational deployment.
US Navy/MC2 Marc Cuenca
Final Orion
deployment concludes
Patrol Squadron 40 (VP-40)
completed its final deployment
with the P-3C when its flight
crews and aircraft returned to NAS
Whidbey Island, Washington, on
October 10. The ‘Fighting Marlins’
is the last operational active-
duty patrol squadron to fly the
Orion. The squadron’s final Orion
deployment began on March 29,
2019 and included split operations
in support of the US Fifth Fleet at
Sheikh Isa Air Base, Bahrain, and
the US Seventh Fleet at Kadena
Air Base, Japan. VP-40 retired
the US Navy’s last SP-5B Marlin
flying boats in 1967 prior to its
transition to the Orion. Following
its return to Whidbey Island the
squadron began preparations for
retiring the P-3Cs and transiting to
the P-8A, which is scheduled for
completion in May 2020. The US
Navy has already received nearly 90
8-11 US News C.indd 11
UNITED STATES [NEWS]
The Stingray will continue to
support testing in advance of
NAVAL ROTORCRAFT STUDIES UNDER WAY
NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS Command NAVAIR plans to award multiple Pre-
the delivery of the first of four
released a Request For Information Milestone A, Concept Advancement
Engineering Development Model
(RFI) associated with a US Marine Contracts in Fiscal Years 2020-23.
aircraft beginning in Fiscal Year 2021.
Corps Attack Utility Replacement Under these efforts, contractors
Boeing is developing the MQ-25
Aircraft on September 16. The will ‘mature select engineering
under an $805.3-million Engineering,
service is seeking details regarding and software development
Manufacturing and Development
air vehicle and engine design, environments and technology bases’
contract awarded in August 2018.
mission systems development, and ‘study potentials of air vehicle
In related news, the National
prime systems integration design, engine design, and systems
Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
and engineering and software integration’.
(NGA) has awarded Boeing’s
development, as it evolves the The US Navy plans to conduct its
‘Phantom Works’ a contract to study
Attack Utility Replacement Aircraft own analysis of alternatives (AoA)
the possibility of integrating the
(AURA) program. The high-speed for a sea-based version of the FVL
company’s Multi-Mission Pod (MMP)
AURA will replace the USMC’s aircraft that could replace its fleet of
with the MQ-25A as well as the P-8A
current UH-1Y/AH-1Z fleet. The MH-60 helicopters and unmanned
multi-mission maritime aircraft.
program is similar to efforts being MQ-8B/C rotorcraft. A study that is
Developed for the P-8A using internal
conducted for the US Army-led already under way by the Center
research and development funding,
Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program. for Naval Analyses will create a new
the pod is designed to carry multiple
Differences between the AURA and concept of operations for navy
payloads, including communication
the FVL’s Future Long Range Assault helicopters that will support the AoA
and electronic intelligence receivers
Aircraft (FLRAA) include a higher study team. The team will submit
and other capabilities.
threshold speed for the former. the final AoA during FY 2021.
‘BUFFs’ back in Europe primarily deployed to bases in
Four 2nd Bomb Wing B-52Hs Bahrain and El Salvador, the unit’s
deployed from Barksdale AFB, P-8As also conducted operations in
Louisiana, to RAF Fairford, England, the Pacific region. The squadron’s
on October 10, as part of a bomber 12 combat aircrews flew more
task force (BTF) rotation. According than 3,000 operational hours and
to Air Force Global Strike Command completed 16 detachments to
(AFGSC) ‘the BTF missions enable 10 different locations within the
crews to maintain a high state of 7th Fleet, including Sri Lanka, Fiji,
readiness and proficiency’. The Brunei and Singapore. Operations
deployment was also intended to in El Salvador contributed to the
exercise AFGSC’s ability to conduct seizure of $3.7 billion in narcotics.
bomber operations from a forward
of the planned fleet of 138 P-8As.
‘T-Bolts’ head east
operating location in support of US
Orions will continue in service with
The latest F-15E Strike Eagle
Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) and
reserve patrol squadrons VP-69 and
US European Command (EUCOM). deployment rotation to the
VP-62 at Whidbey Island and NAS
The Air Force Reserve Command’s Middle East saw the 389th
Jacksonville, Florida.
307th Bomb Wing conducted Expeditionary Fighter Squadron
(EFS) ‘Thunderbolts’ deploying
a similar deployment during
Fighter squadrons to
September. from Mountain Home AFB, Idaho,
Saudi Arabia
via RAF Lakenheath, UK, in early
The Department of Defense has
‘Fighting Tigers’ back home October (see image below). A total
deployed two fighter squadrons
The ‘Fighting Tigers’ of Patrol of 18 jets flew east in three waves,
and an Air Expeditionary Wing
Squadron 8 (VP-8) completed with the last leaving Lakenheath
(AEW) to Saudi Arabia in response
a six-month deployment and on October 12 for their undisclosed
to a request from the commander,
returned home to NAS Jacksonville, operating location, to relieve the
US Central Command. Additionally,
Florida, in early October. Although 335th EFS ‘Chiefs’. Peter R. Foster
two Patriot batteries and one
Terminal High Altitude Area
Defense (THAAD) system will
be deployed. The moves are in
response to increased rhetoric and
threats from Iran. F-22 Raptors have
arrived at Prince Sultan Air Base
(PSAB), and F-15Cs from the 125th
Fighter Wing, Florida ANG, are also
known to have been operating
from the base, which is located
near Riyadh.
www.Key.Aero // December 2019 11
23/10/2019 15:19
 BY SCOTT WOLFF
BRINGING YOU THE LATEST TALK
FROM AROUND THE SQUADRONS
N
OT TO BE confused with
air superiority — which
is a (perhaps temporary)
tactical condition — air
dominance is a strategic
objective wherein a force
has complete, uninhibited control of the
airborne battlespace. That is to say, the
opposing air forces have been rendered
totally ineffective and impotent.
Within the US Department of Defense
(DoD), there is an article of faith that
asserts that American forces have not
been attacked from the air in 60-plus
years. Like all articles of faith, however,
that one does have its caveats, and —
while that is a discussion for another
time — it reasserts the overwhelming
mandate for air dominance in the
battlespace. The harsh reality of our
time is, without the presence of modern
(fifth) generation low-observable fighter
aircraft, supremacy in the air will be
both elusive and fleeting.
The big picture
A commission responsible for
reviewing the US National Defense
Strategy document concluded recently
that America’s military power — a
combination of its sustainability,
capability, and readiness — has
plummeted to a rather grave, alarming
level. Consequently, the United States’
ability to come to the aid of its allies
and execute its own national security
objectives is in serious doubt. The fear is
that if the DoD doesn’t act promptly, a
dire situation is only going to degrade to
12 December 2019 // www.Key.Aero
12-15 Ops Desk C.indd 12
a catastrophic level, with a ripple effect
lasting long into the future.
That is a hard pill to swallow.
At a time when power competition
in strategic regions around the globe
is experiencing a massive resurgence,
America’s military dominance is
vanishing. While Russia and China
are flexing their muscles and looking
to expand their influence, regional
instability is still a menace to South-west
Asia, the Middle East, and the Korean
peninsula. Throw in some trans-national
terrorism for added flavor, and you’ve
got yourself a caustic feast guaranteed
to cause problems.
From 1990 to 2016, the US Air Force
total aircraft inventory plunged more
than 45 per cent from 9,907 to 5,369
aircraft. The US has become a victim of
its own success. It has forgotten what
it’s like to lose, and dangerous thinking
by ‘the Old Guard’ in the halls of the
Pentagon has led to the belief that less
is more, and future technologies (which
is how fifth-gen was viewed at the time)
was a throwback to days gone by. I
remember bristling at the mention of
the F-22 being a ‘Cold War relic’ by senior
leadership.
As a result of that thinking, the fighter
The USAF was
hamstrung component across the DoD was reduced
in its F-22 by nearly half. The US military has gone
Raptor from more than 3,000 down to barely
procurement
— it wanted more than 1,700. Among that number,
(and needed) there are approximately 300 F-35s and
800 jets — it less than 200 F-22s. In rough math, it
received just
187. means nearly 90 per cent of US fighters
Jamie Hunter are aging ‘legacy’ airframes.
Because
those jets
have been
handling the
workload for
the last 30 years,
so-called ‘fifth-gen’ is wildly
misunderstood, underfunded and, until
recently, underutilized. Even the B-2A
Spirit became a victim of that mindset.
If you’ll recall, 132 aircraft were going
to be fielded. How many does the USAF
actually have? Only 20!
To complicate matters, one must
consider the threat laydown in potential
hostile nations. It’s cringeworthy
— surface-to-air missile systems
with advanced active electronically
scanned array (AESA) radars and missile
technology dangerous enough to
keep ‘legacy’ platforms pegged back
at a great distance or chewed into
ribbons if they enter the MEZ (missile
engagement zone) without the right
supporting assets.
The cost of doing business
‘Legacy’ fighters designed and built
in the 1970s and 1980s, while still
capable and formidable, are ill-suited
to face down emerging technologies
being fielded by potential aggressors.
The advent of new sensors, new
weapons, and new electronic warfare
systems keeps these fighters lethal
and relevant in their given arena of
combat, but they still lack — to a
23/10/2019 19:36
 EVERY
SUIT A
TUXEDO
THE NEED FOR, AND COST
OF, FIFTH-GENERATION AIR POWER

The
latest
budget request for
FY 2020 includes
procurement of
eight of Boeing’s
impressive F-15EX,
which — despite its
advanced sensors,
sensor fusion, and
weapons capabilities
— is still an F-15
www.Key.Aero // December 2019 13

12-15 Ops Desk C.indd 13 23/10/2019 19:37

 large degree — the sensor fusion, These different-era fighters are not
performance characteristics, and ‘all interchangeable, as some would like
aspect’ low-observable technology which them to be. There are organizations
would allow them to penetrate and out there — both public and private
operate within heavily defended, even — which believe the US as a nation
denied airspace. can maintain a position of tactical
On top of that challenge are factors superiority without the likes of the
relating to service life. For example, F-22 and F-35. While laughable on the
most of the F-15C fleet will ‘time out’ on surface, the undertone denotes a lack
structural integrity in the next decade of understanding of what a Raptor
due to the sheer number of hours on and Lightning II bring to the fight, Below left to
the airframes — and their engines. giving policy-makers and procurement right: While
the F-15C is a
Resourcing is and has always been an specialists a dangerously shortsighted benchmark
issue, and as mentioned in previous assessment of the need. fighter, it has
columns, procurement dollars have been Compounding that is a level of had its day. New
F-15EXs will
spent heavily on acquisition and not disconnect regarding the unit and provide suitable
on sustainment, so the bill demanding sustainment costs of the F-22 and F-35. one-for-one
payment is a heavy one. Math is a funny thing that way — you replacements
for the homeland
None of this is a scenario anticipated can get the numbers to tell any story defense
by the US Air Force. The original number you want them to. But buried in there mission, but in
of F-22s to be fielded was nearly 800, somewhere is the truth about the the contested
environment
and nearly 1,800 F-35s. Both designs actual costs of accomplished national many say they
incorporate low-observable technologies, objectives under a construct demanding will be easy prey
advanced sensors, and eye-watering the utilization of darn near every despite their
new defensive
performance characteristics in platform available. aids systems.
comparison to their predecessors. To an extent, fifth-gen aircraft cost Jamie Hunter
Production of the F-22 was cut short a the DoD less in their employment,
The USAF simply
decade ago at 187 aircraft. Crashes have because they require fewer specialized doesn’t have
reduced that number even more. Delays support assets in the battlespace than the funding to
and cost overruns in the F-35 have also ‘legacy’ aircraft. Fewer aircraft airborne recapitalize all
of its ‘legacy’
meant extending the service life of other to accomplish similar missions — after platforms — and
airframes beyond their originally planned all, where the rubber meets the road so aircraft
limits. The latest budget request for FY is achieving strategic and tactical such as the
F-15E Strike
2020 includes procurement of eight objectives defined for a particular Eagle will still
of Boeing’s impressive F-15EX, which battlespace. So, yes, they are very need to carry
—despite its advanced sensors, sensor expensive to build and maintain. Yes, the weight of
less-demanding
fusion, and weapons capabilities — is their current per-hour flying cost is well missions. USAF/
still an F-15. above those of ‘legacy’ jets. MSgt Russ Scalf

14 December 2019 // www.Key.Aero

12-15 Ops Desk C.indd 14 23/10/2019 20:11

 What’s the most important metric in
waging aerial warfare? Mitigating risk
to men and women prosecuting the
mission and increasing their chances of
mission success. Fewer pilots required,
fewer maintainers, and fewer support
personnel needed to make it all happen.
In the power competition with near-peer
threats abundant, achieving mission
success under the existing construct and
with limiting factors is breathtakingly
expensive.
What is the solution?
At the end of the day, thanks to decades
of sustained combat operations dating
back to Operation ‘Desert Storm’,
combat air forces in the US are stretched
far too thinly and are receiving far too
little support. Throw in the staffing crisis
in the fighter community, and you have
a very real problem.
12-15 Ops Desk C.indd 15
As mentioned in a previous column,
the USAF has never been as small, nor
has it been as minimally resourced, as it
is right now, since before it became its
own independent service.
If your capacity is limited, the
responsible solution is to increase your
bang for every buck spent. While it
would be foolish to have every suit in
your closet be a tuxedo, the need for
fancier threads is undeniable. I’d rather
have a smaller number of specifically
tailored getups sure to send a powerful
message and achieve the desired
effect, rather than attempt to meet the
requirement with a wider variety of less
impactful components, which would
cost me more in the long run.
It is a strong argument to increase
the procurement of fifth-generation
assets and continue to support — and
expedite if possible — the development
of emerging technologies for Next-
Generation Air Dominance (NGAD).
It’s a tough argument in this time of
constrained budgets, limited availability
of critical resources and infrastructure,
and oversight from individuals
or organizations with little to no
understanding of what warfighters really
need. Politics plays a huge role, and it’s
incumbent upon the US DoD to educate
policymakers with facts, not rhetoric.
We owe it to our men and women
serving to make sure they have the best
equipment money can buy. It can’t and
won’t all be the latest generation, but
Above: The there is certainly a need for more of it
F-22 and F-35 than the DoD is currently planning for.
provide the
advanced edge Let us hope we are not as short-sighted
the USAF needs as our past experience has shown us to
if it has to go be, and should we put those men and
into a high-
threat conflict. women into harm’s way, let us bring as
Jamie Hunter many home as we possibly can.
www.Key.Aero // December 2019 15
23/10/2019 20:11
 [NEWS] WORLD
FRENCH KC-130J DELIVERED
THE FRENCH AIR Force (Armée
de l’Air) welcomed its first
KC-130J to Base Aérienne 123
Orléans-Bricy on September 19.
The aircraft is the first of two
KC-130Js that will be operated
alongside a pair of C-130J-30s
by Escadron de Transport 2/61
(Transport Squadron 2/61)
‘Franche-Comté’ and will provide
aerial refueling support for special
forces helicopters. The second
The first of two KC-130Js for the French Air
Force taxies following its arrival at BA 123
Orléans-Bricy on September 19. Armée de l’Air
‘LITTLE BIRDS’ FOR THAILAND
THE US DEFENSE Security
Cooperation Agency (DSCA)
recently notified the US Congress
of the potential sale of eight Boeing
AH-6i light attack/reconnaissance
helicopters and associated
equipment to Thailand in a deal
worth around $400 million. The
‘Little Birds’ would replace seven
16 December 2019 // www.Key.Aero
16-19 World News C.indd 16
KC-130J is expected to arrive at
Orléans in 2020. The C-130J-30s
were delivered in 2017 and 2018
and are operated alongside the
French Air Force’s existing fleet of
14 C-130Hs. The KC/C-130Js will
eventually be stationed at Base
Aérienne 105 Évreux-Fauville,
France, which will also be home
to the German Air Force’s planned
fleet of three C-130J-30s and
three KC-130Js.
AH-1F Cobra attack helicopters that
have been in service with the Royal
Thai Army since the 1980s. The
Thai government also requested
AGM-114R Hellfire missiles and
laser-guided Advanced Precision Kill
Weapon System (APKWS) rockets,
M134 Miniguns, and other systems,
weapons, and equipment.
NEW VERSIONS OF P-1 PLANNED
KAWASAKI HEAVY INDUSTRIES
(KHI) plans to develop an
electronic warfare version of its
jet-powered P-1 maritime patrol
aircraft. The aircraft is intended
as a replacement for the Japan
Maritime Self-Defense Force
(JMSDF) P-3s that are equipped
for electronic intelligence
and optical surveillance. The
JMSDF’s 81st Air Reconnaissance
Squadron operates five OP-3Cs
MORE DUTCH F-35S CONFIRMED
THE DUTCH GOVERNMENT has
confirmed plans to purchase
nine additional F-35As at a cost
of around $1.09 billion, bringing
total procurement for the Royal
Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) to
46 Lightning IIs. The additional
fighters will permit the air force
to deploy at least four F-35As on
RNLAF F-35A F-007 (17-5306) at Luke AFB, Arizona, in early October. The
jets recently received new RNLAF markings on the tailfins. Nate Leong
and four EP-3Cs from Iwakuni
Air Base. Whereas the OP-3Cs are
equipped with an electro-optical
sensor and imaging radar, the
EP-3s are designed to collect
radio signals. The Japan Ministry
of Defense issued a request for
proposals for replacing both
versions of the Orion in 2018.
Japan plans to replace its entire
fleet of P-3Cs with more than 80
of the four-engine P-1s.
long-term missions and react more
quickly to conflicts. The aircraft will
also support the fielding of a third
operational Lightning II squadron.
The Netherlands — which had
originally committed to the
purchase of 85 aircraft — expects to
receive the last of 37 F-35As already
on order in mid-2023.
24/10/2019 15:53

UK LIGHTNING IIS OPERATE
FROM HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH
‘WESTLANT’ OPERATIONAL TRIALS GATHER PACE
I
N PREPARATION FOR
operational testing aboard
the aircraft carrier HMS Queen
Elizabeth (R08), three Royal Air
Force F-35Bs departed RAF
Marham on October 9, en route
to MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina.
The Lightning IIs were accompanied
by a Voyager tanker from RAF Brize
Norton. The first phase of Operational
Trials (OT-1) is being conducted in the
Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Virginia,
as part of ‘WESTLANT 19’.
The Queen Elizabeth’s carrier strike
group includes the Type 45 destroyer
Left: Deck crew maneuver F-35B serial ZM149 on the flight deck of the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen
Elizabeth shortly after a UK Lightning II made its first landing aboard the ship on October 13. Crown Copyright
AUSSIE HORNETS RETURN
SIX ROYAL AUSTRALIAN Air Force
F/A-18As returned to RAAF Base
Williamtown, Australia, after
completing the first air combat
exercise on Japanese soil. The
Hornets from No 77 Squadron
participated in Exercise ‘Bushido
RAAF POSEIDON DELIVERED
THE ROYAL AUSTRALIAN Air Force
(RAAF) accepted its 11th P-8A
maritime surveillance aircraft from
Boeing in Seattle, on September
27. The Poseidon is currently
undergoing verification and
validation testing and will join
the 10 aircraft already delivered
to RAAF Base Edinburgh, South
Australia, in January 2020. Australia
16-19 World News C.indd 17
HMS Dragon, the Type 23 frigate
HMS Northumberland and the tanker
RFA Tideforce. Merlin HM2 and HC3/4
helicopters from 814, 820 and 845
Naval Air Squadrons (NAS) were
embarked aboard the carrier while
Wildcat HMA2 helicopters from 815
NAS operated from the escorts.
On October 13, the F-35Bs
touched down on the Queen
Elizabeth, marking the first time
that UK Lightning Force jets have
landed on the 65,000-ton ship.
Flight operations formally began
the following day when the aircraft
Guardian’ at Chitose and Misawa
Air Bases from September 11 to
October 8. Here, F/A-18A serial
A21-23 flies in formation with
Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-15J
and F-2A fighters along with a U-4
VIP jet during the exercise.
Australian Department of Defence
plans to acquire 15 P-8As and 12
have already been ordered.
In related news, an RAAF P-8A
arrived at the Australia’s main
operating base in the Middle East on
October 15. During the deployment,
the Poseidon will support the
international maritime security
mission supporting merchant
vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
made their first take-offs from the
carrier. Three F-35Bs operated by No
17 Test and Evaluation Squadron at
Edwards AFB, California, have also
embarked aboard the carrier and are
set to be joined by as many as four
US Marine Corps F-35Bs.
The UK will declare initial
operating capability for carrier
strike by the end of 2020. The HMS
Queen Elizabeth will embark No 617
Squadron and a squadron of US
Marine Corps F-35Bs during its first
operational deployment in 2021.
Tom Kaminski
ADVANCED HAWKEYES
FOR FRANCE
FRANCE’S MINISTER OF defense
has confirmed plans to acquire
three E-2D airborne early
warning and control aircraft
for the French Navy at a cost
of around $1.09 billion. The
Advanced Hawkeyes will replace
three older E-2Cs and delivery is
planned for 2027-28.
CANADIAN SAR AIRCRAFT ROLLED OUT
AIRBUS MILITARY ROLLED out the
first CC-295 Fixed Wing Search and
Rescue (FWSAR) aircraft for the Royal
Canadian Air Force (RCAF) from the
paint hangar at its facility in Seville,
Spain, on October 8. Based on the
C295W airframe, the aircraft will
replace the RCAF’s fleet of six CC-115
The first of seven CC-295 Fixed Wing Search and
Rescue (FWSAR) aircraft on order for the Royal
Canadian Air Force was rolled out of the Airbus
paint hangar in Seville, Spain, on October 8. Airbus
WORLD [NEWS]
ORIONS FOR ARGENTINA
THE ARGENTINE NAVAL Aviation
Command will acquire four
retired P-3C maritime patrol
aircraft from the US under the
terms of an agreement with
the US Department of Defense.
Although Argentina received
six P-3Bs between 1997 and
1999, none of these Orions
are currently serviceable.
Because the aircraft required
major structural upgrades, the
government determined it was
more cost effective to acquire
newer aircraft. Before making the
decision to acquire the Orions,
the government considered
the purchase of two new Airbus
C295MPA aircraft. The Orions will
likely be drawn from storage in
Tucson, Arizona and deliveries
should begin in 2020.
JAPANESE PEGASUS
ENTERS PRODUCTION
BOEING BEGAN ASSEMBLING the
first KC-46A aerial refueling tanker for
Japan at its 767 production facility in
Everett, Washington on September
11. It received a Foreign Military Sales
contract from the USAF in December
2017 and an option for a second
Pegasus was converted in December
2018. Once assembly is completed,
the unique mission systems will
be installed at the contractor’s
modification center in Everett and
flight testing will commence at
Boeing Field.
Buffalo and 13 CC-130Es that are
currently used in the SAR role. Seven
CC-295s are currently undergoing
testing or in production in Seville. The
Canadian government ordered 16
CC-295s in December 2016 and the
initial aircraft made its first flight on
July 4, 2019.
www.Key.Aero // December 2019 17
24/10/2019 15:53
 [NEWS] WORLD
Formosa Military Image Press

‘BRAVE EAGLE’ TRAINER UNVEILED

ADVANCED JET TRAINER FOR REPUBLIC OF CHINA AIR FORCE

T
AIWAN’S AEROSPACE
INDUSTRIAL
Development Corporation
(AIDC) rolled out the
prototype Advanced Jet
Trainer in Taichung on
September 24. Named the Yung Yin
or ‘Brave Eagle’, the Advanced Jet
Trainer is based on the contractor’s
F-CK-1 Ching-Kuo Indigenous
Defense Fighter (IDF) and is powered
by a pair of Honeywell F124-200TW
engines. The non-afterburning
engine is a derivative of the TFE-
1042-7 that powers the F-CK-1. The
prototype is scheduled to make
its first flight in June 2020. Four
prototypes will support ground
and flight testing and a production
run of 64 aircraft is planned.
Limited production and deliveries
to the Republic of China Air Force
(ROCAF) will begin in 2021 and run
through 2026.
Development of the aircraft,
which had previously been known
as the XT-5 ‘Blue Magpie’, began in
February 2017. It was developed
jointly by the National Chung-Shan
Institute of Science and Technology,
the Republic of China Air Force,
and AIDC. In service, the T-5 Brave
Eagle will replace the ROCAF’s AIDC
AT-3 and Northrop F-5E/F that are
respectively used as advanced and
lead-in fighter trainers.

LATEST NORWEGIAN LIGHTNING IIS
THE ROYAL NORWEGIAN Air Force
welcomed three additional F-35As to
Ørland Main Air Station on September
12, when serials 5291, 5292 and 5293
were delivered to 332 Skvadron. The
Three PC-21 trainers operated by the RAAF’s Roulettes display team
during the first public display with the new aircraft at RAAF Base Point
arrival brings the squadron’s fleet Cook, Victoria, on October 3. Australian Department of Defence
to 15 Lightning IIs. A further seven
Norwegian F-35As support training
efforts with the USAF’s 62nd Fighter
Squadron at Luke AFB, Arizona.

Crown Copyright/Royal Navy

FIRST LANDING ABOARD ROULETTES FLY FIRST PC-21 DISPLAY

PRINCE OF WALES
THE ROYAL NAVY aircraft carrier
HMS Prince of Wales (R09) began its
initial sea trials when it left Rosyth
Dockyard, Scotland on September 19.
The ship welcomed its first aircraft on
THE ROYAL AUSTRALIAN Air Force’s very first performance at the same
(RAAF’s) Roulettes aerobatic display
team conducted its first public
base in 1970 when it was equipped
with MB-326K jet trainers. The team
display since transitioning from the transitioned to the PC-9/A in 1989
Pilatus PC-9/A to the more capable and flew its final public display
September 23 when Merlin HM2 serial
PC-21 at RAAF Base Point Cook with that aircraft during the 2019
ZH856 from 820 Naval Air Squadron
in Melbourne on October 3. The Australian International Airshow
landed on the carrier. The ship is the
20-minute performance included at Avalon Airport in Victoria, in
second of two new carriers built for
five PC-21s. The team conducted its March 2019.
the Royal Navy.

18 December 2019 // www.Key.Aero

16-19 World News C.indd 18 24/10/2019 15:53


LOSSES
Compiled by Tom Kaminski
• An MFI-17 trainer operated by the
Pakistan Air Force was destroyed in
an emergency landing on October
19. The Mushshak flipped over after
the crew landed in a paddy field near
Wazirabad, in Punjab’s Gujranwala
district. Both pilots escaped with
minor injuries.
• A Turkish Army S-70A suffered
a hard landing while conducting a
medical evacuation mission near the
border city of Ras al-Ayn in Syria’s al-
Hasakah governorate on October 18.
The Black Hawk was later intentionally
destroyed in an air strike by Turkish Air
Force F-16C.
• Venezuelan Air Force Su-30MK2
serial 0457 (c/n 79810386309)
crashed immediately after take-off
from Captain Manuel Ríos air base
in El Sombrero, Guárico state, on
October 16. The fighter, which had
been assigned to Fighter Air Group
11, crashed during its initial climb.
Although both crew reportedly
ejected, neither survived.
• Seven crew and passengers aboard
an Afghan Air Force Mi-17V-5 were
killed when the helicopter crashed
near Mazar-i-Sharif, in the northern
Balkh province, on October 15.
• CT-114 serial 114071 operated by
the Royal Canadian Air Force’s 431
The XQ-58A Valkyrie pictured during a second test
flight June 11, 2019. USAF/2nd Lt Randolph Abaya
VALKYRIE DAMAGED AFTER THIRD TEST FLIGHT
THE EXPERIMENTAL XQ-58A
Valkyrie ‘Loyal Wingman’ unmanned
aircraft was damaged upon
landing after its third flight at the
US Army Yuma Proving Ground,
Arizona, on October 9. The mishap,
which occurred after the XQ-58A
had landed, was apparently
caused by high surface winds
and a malfunction of the aircraft’s
provisional flight-test recovery
system. Rather than landing
like a conventional aircraft, the
prototype XQ-58A is recovered by
parachute and lands on its belly
using an airbag cushion system
16-19 World News C.indd 19
Air Demonstration Squadron crashed
in a pasture near Brooks, Georgia,
on October 13. The team had been
preparing for a performance at
Atlanta Air Show at the Atlanta Motor
Speedway when the mishap occurred.
The pilot of Snowbird 5 ejected safely
before the aircraft came down around
13 miles (21km) southwest of the
racetrack.
• An Ethiopian Air Force Su-27UBK
crashed immediately after take-off
from Debre Zeit air base/Harar Meda
Airport after suffering an apparent
engine fire on October 11. Both
pilots were killed in the mishap that
occurred near Denkaka.
• Cessna 210N serial FAH-290
operated by the Honduran Air Force
crashed on October 11, following an
engine failure. Neither pilot aboard
the Centurion II was seriously injured
in the crash, which occurred near La
Lima, Cortés.
• An-72 serial EK-72903 (c/n
36572020385) operated by the
Congolese Air Force crashed near
Punia, in the Democratic Republic of
Congo on October 10, killing four crew
and four passengers. The airlifter was
en route between Goma Airport and
N’djili International Airport when it
was reported missing. The wreckage
deployed from within the airframe.
Employment of the prototype’s
cushion system was planned
for only the initial test series.
The damage to the Valkyrie was
determined to be fully repairable.
The Valkyrie was developed by
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions
in partnership with the Air Force
Research Laboratory (AFRL), under
the lab’s Low Cost Attritable Strike
Demonstration program. The
XQ-58A met 56 planned and two
additional test points during the
90-minute flight that included
envelope expansion.
was located in a forest around 185
miles (300km) west of Goma the
following day.
• Russian Aerospace Forces An-12BK
serial RF-95428 was heavily damaged
in a gear-up landing at Yekaterinburg-
Koltsovo Airport, Russia on October
10. None of the six crew and 11
passengers suffered serious injuries.
• US Air Force F-16C serial 90-0833
from the 52nd Fighter Wing’s 480th
Fighter Squadron crashed in a
wooded area near Spangdahlem
Air Base in Germany on October 8.
The pilot ejected safely before the
fighter went down south of the base,
near Zemmer.
• Mi-8MT serial 6104 (c/n 93104)
operated by the 1st Squadron of the
Polish Army’s 25th Air Cavalry Brigade
was heavily damaged when it rolled
onto its side while landing at Łęczyca-
Leźnica Wielka air base in central
Poland on October 3. The mishap
occurred during a night training flight
and no serious injuries were reported.
• The pilot of Mexican Air Force Bell
206L serial 1679 was killed when the
LongRanger crashed near Tamazula
de Gordiano in Jalisco on October 3.
Three other personnel escaped serious
injury. The helicopter was supporting
counter-drug operations at the time of
the mishap.
• A student and instructor pilot
assigned to US Navy training
squadron VT-21 made a successful
emergency landing at Naval Auxiliary
Landing Field Orange Grove, Texas,
after their T-45C suffered an engine
fire on September 30. The Goshawk
suffered significant damage as a result
of the mishap.
• AW109SP serial 1909 (c/n 22374)
operated by the Mexican Air Force’s
Special Air Transport Unit was
damaged in a hard landing at Military
Air Base No 1 General Alfredo Lezama
Álvarez in Saint Lucia on September
30. The VIP helicopter was conducting
a training mission at the time of
the mishap and no serious injuries
were reported.
• MiG-29AS serial 6526 operated by
the Slovak Air Force crashed in poor
weather conditions on September
28. The pilot ejected safely before the
fighter came down near village Nové
Sady, in the Cerovini district of Nitra.
• A Senegalese Air Force Mi-35
crashed while supporting UN
peacekeeping operations as part
of the Multidimensional Integrated
Stabilization Mission in the Central
African Republic (MINUSCA) on
WORLD [NEWS]
September 27. Three of the four
personnel aboard the helicopter
were killed when it went down
while landing near Bouar in the
western portion of the Central
African Republic.
• Both pilots aboard an Indian Army
SA315B Chetak were killed when
the helicopter struck a hillside while
landing at Yonphula Airport in Bhutan
near Trashigang, on September 27.
The helicopter was flown by an Indian
Army officer and a student from the
Royal Bhutan Army when the mishap
occurred in foggy weather conditions.
• The pilot of a US Army UH-60A+
was killed and three other crew were
injured when the helicopter crashed
while conducting a medevac mission
at Fort Polk, Louisiana, on September
26. The Black Hawk, which was
assigned to C Company, 1st Battalion,
5th Aviation Regiment, went down on
a training range at the Joint Readiness
Training Center.
• Both pilots aboard an Indian Air
Force MiG-21UM ejected safely
before the fighter crashed near
Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh on
September 25. The fighter, which
had been operated by the Tactics &
Combat Development Establishment,
came down around 6 miles (9.7km)
from Gwalior/Maharajpur Air Force
Station, while attempting to land.
• A US Army AH-64D from the
12th Combat Aviation Brigade’s 1st
Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment was
damaged after severing several high-
voltage power lines near Linden, north
of Frankfurt, Germany, on September
24. The crew was able to land safely in
a field near Windelsbach.
• F-16BM serial FB-18 operated by the
Belgian Air Component crashed near
Lorient in Morbihan, Brittany, France
after suffering engine problems on
September 19. Both pilots ejected
safely although one was entangled in
high-voltage power lines, until rescued
by emergency services personnel.
• T-35C serial E.26-05 operated by
the Spanish Air Force General Air
Academy’s 791 Squadron crashed into
the Mar Menor lagoon near Santiago
de la Ribera on September 18 while
conducting touch-and-go take-offs
and landings at Murcia-San Javier
Airport. The mishap occurred while
the crew was attempting to make an
emergency landing at the air base
following an apparent engine failure.
The instructor and student pilot were
both killed when the Pillán went down
around 0.2 miles (300m) offshore.
www.Key.Aero // December 2019 19
24/10/2019 15:53
 READY ROOM
THE STORY BEHIND THE US NAVY HEADLINES
US NAVY
CARRIER
AIR WINGS
ARE GROWING
O
BSERVERS OF US naval
aviation regularly focus on
the structure of the carrier
air wing (CVW) and how
it evolves. Changes are
usually small and almost
imperceptible, that is until one looks
back and realizes how much today’s
CVWs have changed from how they
looked a decade ago, for example.
Looking ahead, the US Navy is
planning some big changes as it
brings in three new aircraft types on
carrier decks and retires another. The
complement of aircraft attached to a
CVW also is on the rise — set to grow
from 66 to 75.
Air wings change as missions change,
as aircraft capabilities increase, as type
20 December 2019 // www.Key.Aero
20-22 Ready Room C.indd 20
RICK
BURGESS
footprints (spotting factor) change, aircraft, either 12 or nine in the case of
and as the deck size evolves. All of the A-3B, depending on the size of the
these factors combine to affect the flight deck. The USS Enterprise (CVN 65) This image:
makeup of a CVW. made one Vietnam War deployment Aircraft from
For two decades since 1950, a CVW with four A-4 Skyhawk-equipped Carrier Air Wing
Five (CVW-5)
usually consisted of five tactical VA squadrons plus the regular CVW overfly the USS
combat aircraft squadrons, initially complement of other squadrons and Ronald Reagan
four fighter squadrons (VFs) and one detachments. (CVN 76). US
Navy/MCS2C
attack squadron (VA) — shifting to In the early 1970s, with the advent of Kaila V. Peters
two VF and three VA squadrons — the ‘CV Concept’ and the demise of anti-
plus various specialized detachments submarine carriers, air anti-submarine Right: Each CVW
currently contains
of heavy attack, night attack, early warfare (ASW) squadrons (VS) and one 12-aircraft
warning (VAW), electronic warfare helicopter anti-submarine squadrons F/A-18F squadron,
(VAQ), refueling, photographic (HS) were added to air wings, an initially a similarly
equipped single-
reconnaissance, and electronic unpopular change with increasingly seat F/A-18E
reconnaissance (VQ) aircraft and crowded flight decks and too many Super Hornet
helicopters. By the late 1950s, the larger missions. Some VS squadrons were put unit, plus two
with 10 F/A-18Es.
carriers also carried a full squadron of ashore during deployments to free up US Navy/ MC3
A3D/A-3B or A3J/A-5A heavy attack deck space for the rest of the CVW. The Michael S. Singley
23/10/2019 15:21
 By the late 2000s, the F-14s had been
retired and the CVW settled on four
VFA squadrons, each deploying with 11
F/A-18 Hornet or Super Hornets, plus
a VAQ electronic attack squadron with
four EA-6B Prowlers or EA-18G Growlers.
The VS squadron was gone, but in short
order the six-aircraft HS ASW helicopter
squadron was replaced by an 11-aircraft
helicopter maritime strike squadron
(HSM) and an eight-aircraft helicopter
sea combat squadron (HSC). The HSM
kept five MH-60Rs on deck and assigned
six to the escorting ships, while the HSC
squadron kept six MH-60S helicopters
on the carrier and two on a logistics ship.

Air wing today

The same CVW model largely exists
today, with some minor exceptions in
the works. Four VFA squadrons deploy
a total of 44 F/A-18E/Fs. In most CVWs,
the VFAs include one with 12 two-seat
F/A-18F Super Hornets, another with
12 single-seat F/A-18E Super Hornets,
and two with 10 F/A-18Es. These Block I
and Block II Super Hornets also handle
the tanking responsibilities. With the
retirement of the navy’s last carrier-
based F/A-18C Hornets earlier this year,
only one CVW now has an F/A-18C
squadron assigned — a US Marine Corps
fighter attack (VMFA) squadron that will
continue to operate the F/A-18C for a
time. (Earlier, the USMC had supplied a
total of four F/A-18A+ or F/A-18C VMFA
squadrons to the CVWs.) Four EA-18Gs
equip a VAQ squadron and four E-2Cs
equip a VAW squadron.
Recently, the navy has determined that
the ideal EA-18G squadron allowance is
seven aircraft, but until the production

electronic warfare detachment was

succeeded by a full electronic warfare
squadron (VAQ).
By the late 1980s, the navy began
to experiment more with the tactical
squadrons, with a few carriers having
a pair of VF units with F-14s, two VAs
with A-7 Corsairs (also with a tanking
role) or two strike fighter VFAs with
F/A-18s, plus two VAs with A-6s, the
latter with a tanking role as well.
By the time the A-6 was retired in
1996, the S-3 Viking had assumed
the tanking role. By the late 1990s,
the VS squadrons gave up their ASW
role. The ES-3A Shadow electronic
reconnaissance aircraft were retired
prematurely, eliminating a dedicated
VQ role from the carrier.

www.Key.Aero // December 2019 21

20-22 Ready Room C.indd 21 23/10/2019 15:21

 READY ROOM // CARRIER AIR WINGS
run can meet that aspiration the
complement has nudged up to five. With
the introduction of the E-2D Advanced
Hawkeye, the VAW squadrons are also
increasing their aircraft allowance to five.
The CVW also deploys with a two-aircraft
C-2A Greyhound carrier onboard delivery
(COD) detachment of a fleet logistics
support squadron (VRC). As such, the CVW
deploys with 66 or 67 aircraft.
Changes afoot
The changes in work will result in a
70-aircraft CVW in 2021. In each CVW,
one 10-aircraft VFA squadron will
begin switching from the F/A-18E to
a similarly equipped squadron with
the F-35C. VFA-147 is the first unit to
do so and is scheduled to deploy in
2021. One of the VFA squadrons in
each CVW will upgrade to the Block
III version of the Super Hornet, which
will feature conformal fuel tanks, an
22 December 2019 // www.Key.Aero
20-22 Ready Room C.indd 22
infra-red search-and-track sensor, a new group still will be at the 75-aircraft level.
mission computer, new cockpit displays, By this time each CVW will include a
a new datalink, and low-observable 10-aircraft F-35C squadron. The US
characteristics. The VAQ squadron will Marine Corps is acquiring the F-35C
increase to seven EA-18Gs and three specifically to operate in the air wings,
CMV-22B Osprey tilt-rotor transports Above: A first with VMFA-314 ‘Black Knights’ now in
marine fighter
will replace the two C-2A COD aircraft attack squadron transition, and at current planning it
beginning in 2020. — VMFA-314 will likely have two or more VMFA F-35C
By 2025, the CVW will start to increase ‘Black Knights’ squadrons in the CVW rotation. By 2030,
— is undergoing
to 75 aircraft with the addition of the conversion to the navy expects all of its Super Hornet
MQ-25A Stingray unmanned aerial the F-35C and squadrons in CVWs to be equipped with
refueling aircraft. After extensive it will be one of
the units that
Block III-standard aircraft.
consideration, the navy decided to embarks as part The years 2025 to 2030 will see a large
develop the MQ-25A only as a tanker, of a US Navy CVW. degree of stability in the air wings, but
but after a period of bedding in its remit US Navy/LCDR there are three more initiatives on the
Darin Russell
may expand. For now, the MQ-25s will horizon. A Block II EA-18G Growler is
deploy as five-aircraft detachments of Below: The Boeing under development. The navy is also
fleet logistics multi-mission squadrons MQ-25 will deploy beginning to look at a future replacement
as five-aircraft
(VRM) and will be part of the VAW detachments for the MH-60R/S Seahawk. Then there is
community for administrative purposes, under fleet the question of a new strike fighter or air
as the C-2 detachments are now. logistics dominance concept to replace the Super
multi-mission
The navy is looking out to the CVW squadrons (VRM). Hornet. In a US Navy air wing, nothing
of 2030, when this impressive aviation Boeing ever stands still.
23/10/2019 15:21
 MILITARY SPECIALS ESSEN T IA L R E AD I NG F R O M KE Y P U B L I S H I NG

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611 Military Specials fp.indd 2 19/09/2019 11:34


The US Air Force is setting out a radical new acquisition strategy for
its Next Generation Air Dominance fighter — but what will it look like?
REPORT Jon Lake
D
R WILL ROPER, the assistant
secretary of the US Air Force
for acquisition, technology
and logistics, has confirmed
that the service’s next fighter
program, known as NGAD
(Next Generation Air Dominance), will
be developed and acquired using a new
strategy that is intended to produce
relatively small numbers of aircraft in a
record-breaking timescale. This strategy
has been compared with the process
used in the late 1950s, which saw the
rapid development and deployment of six
new fighter types (the so-called ‘Century
Series’) from five different manufacturers
in the space of just five years — most of
them went from first flight to operational
service in less than three years.
24 December 2019 // www.Key.Aero
24-29 Next Gen USAF C.indd 24
CHANGING THE WAY
THE USAF DOES
BUSINESS…
The need for change
Recent fighter programs have taken
decades to develop and field. The
Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter
took 15 years from the first flight of the
X-35 prototype in 2000 to when the type
achieved initial operational capability.
Moreover, the cost of what was once
intended to be a ‘Common Affordable
Lightweight Fighter’ ballooned
alarmingly.
A decreasing market led to consolidation
and mergers within the US aircraft
industry, rendering just a handful of
companies capable of undertaking a
major fighter program and therefore a
monopoly for those in such a position.
A procurement approach that could
reverse the trend of longer development
timelines, increased procurement and
through-life costs has obvious appeal.
The original vision for NGAD would have
taken many years to develop along the
traditional lines. In its 2016 ‘Air Superiority
2030’ study, the USAF outlined a complex
arrangement of systems, with a host of
networked sensors, weapons, drones
and other platforms to supplement a
long-range, stealthy manned fighter
known as Penetrating Counter Air (PCA)
acting as the primary sensor-shooter and The Air Force
NGAD’s central node. Such an ambitious Research
requirement would normally take decades Laboratory at
Wright-Patterson
to realize, and Dr Roper doesn’t believe AFB, Ohio, issued
that decades are available in the face of a this image
rapidly evolving high-end threat. of a possible
configuration for
His official biography reveals that a future fighter.
Roper was the founding director of the AFRL
23/10/2019 19:41

Pentagon’s Strategic Capabilities Office,
which ‘imagines new — often unexpected
and game-changing — uses of existing
government and commercial systems:
Dr Will Roper is
the assistant extending their shelf-life and restoring
secretary of surprise to the military’s playbook.’ It is
the air force perhaps not surprising that it should
for acquisition,
technology and be Roper who is pushing this new and
logistics. USAF revolutionary procurement strategy.
24-29 Next Gen USAF C.indd 25
A new approach
Roper says that civilian innovation is
outpacing military innovation, and
that with revolutionary technologies
becoming more readily available to
the US and its adversaries alike: ‘We’re
in a world where the ‘Century Series’
approach makes more sense.’
He has said: ‘We’ve got to kill the major
defense acquisition program as it is
today and replace it with something
that looks more like the ‘Century Series’
development.’
Roper has characterized the original
‘Century Series’ as having made
rapid progress on a narrow front by
successively introducing a series of
similar aircraft one after another, with all
manufacturers innovating quickly and
with each type advancing the state-of-
the-art. He has spoken admiringly of an
air force that kept multiple contractors
in business and in vigorous competition
by awarding multiple smaller contracts
rather than a single massive deal.
He has acknowledged that not all of
these aircraft were successful, but insists
that the approach underpinning them
had ensured alternatives were available
when one design performed poorly.
Although the new NGAD program
office (under Col Dale White, the
Program Executive Officer for the newly
created Advanced Aircraft Directorate)
will determine the final acquisition
strategy — including the length of
the development cycle, procurement
quantities and contracting mechanisms
— Roper’s so-called ‘Digital Century
Series’ approach is expected to
inform the re-shaping of NGAD: he is
understood to have set a target of five
years for industry to design, develop
and produce a new fighter, and to adopt
a rapid approach that will see multiple
companies developing small batches
of fighters.
Roper has said that in setting ‘a
cadence of how fast we think we build a
new airplane from scratch’ his estimate
is five years, but that he is hoping for an
even more rapid cycle in order to meet
future threats.
Successive configurations
Judging by the public statements and
open-source documents and briefings so
far, the ‘Digital Century Series’ would be
built up around a series of modular design
elements and common systems that will
allow a succession of different aircraft
configurations to be built, each featuring
new capabilities, and emerging every few
years. The key would be to take the best
available technologies to build the best
fighter that industry can produce at that
time, rather than maturing technologies
over a longer period of time in pursuit of
an ‘ultimate long-term solution’.
Instead of trying to produce an
aircraft to meet an unknown future
threat, the ‘Digital Century Series’ would
www.Key.Aero // December 2019 25
23/10/2019 19:41
 TECHNOLOGY // USAF NEXT GENERATION FIGHTER
rapidly produce aircraft with the latest
technologies.
Roper believes this approach will
impose huge uncertainty on near-peer
competitors like Russia and China. He
asks: ‘What would an adversary do facing
an air force that it knew could design a
new airplane every four years?’ He asked
one audience to imagine a new fighter
emerging every four or five years, as the
F-200, F-201, F-202, for example. It would
be ‘vague and mysterious’ as to exactly
what equipment and capabilities each
aircraft might have, but it would be clear
that each would be a real program with
real airplanes flying.
Successive aircraft could incorporate
different capabilities: the F-200 might
be optimized around a revolutionary
capability, like an airborne laser, while
the F-201 might prioritize state-of-the-
art sensors and could make greater use
of artificial intelligence. Another aircraft
might be an unmanned weapons truck.
Instead of developing and finalizing
one design and then building hundreds
or even thousands of identical copies,
the USAF would run a competition,
soliciting bids from those aerospace
companies capable of building combat
aircraft (Boeing, Lockheed Martin and
Northrop Grumman) and perhaps from
some smaller companies that might
26 December 2019 // www.Key.Aero
24-29 Next Gen USAF C.indd 26
ANALYSIS — HOW IS THIS
APPROACH POSSIBLE?
Thanks to the involvement of Sweden’s
Saab, which perfected model-based
design and assembly on its JAS 39
Gripen E, Boeing used a digital design
to produce the prototype T-7A Red
Hawk trainer with such precision that
parts were joined without shims, using
a single master tool and reducing the
manual labor required for manufacture
and assembly by 80 per cent! This
allowed Boeing’s clean-sheet T-X design
to be competitive with contenders that
were based on existing designs.
The ‘Digital Century Series’ will also
make use of open systems architecture,
with plug-and-play hardware and with
be able to offer unique technologies
and which could build smaller runs of
aircraft — perhaps including Textron
and Scaled Composites. The USAF would
then downselect the most promising
The F-35 is highly design (probably after the evaluation of
advanced and high-fidelity models and simulations of
capable, but
development production and sustainment solutions).
timelines and Next, it could place a contract for a small
overall costs are
in the firing line.
number of aircraft and then immediately
USAF/SrA restart the competition. Perhaps as
Alexander Cook many as 72 aircraft would be built (at a
mission systems separate from the
flight controls ­— thus not requiring
such extensive testing and re-
certification whenever a line of code is
changed. Using an open system would
allow the avionics developed for one
aircraft type to be migrated to the
next and would allow third parties to
develop software for the aircraft.
Finally, the ‘Digital Century Series’
is likely to exploit agile software
development techniques, evolving
requirements and solutions through
the collaborative and iterative effort
of the developers and the customer/
end user.
rate of about 24 per year), with options
for more if a design showed particular
promise. Fighter manufacturers would
revise their designs, incorporating any
new technologies and capabilities, and
the USAF would select another winning
design, probably from a different bidder.
The benefit of a
new approach
Under the new concept, any adversary
would need to work out exactly what the
A procurement
approach
that could reverse
the trend of longer
development
timelines, increased
procurement and
through-life costs has
obvious appeal
23/10/2019 19:41
 USAF might be bringing to the fight,
and with what improved capabilities.
‘How certain are you that you’ve
got the best airplane to win?’ asks
Roper. ‘How do you deal with a threat
if you don’t know what the future
technology is? Be the threat — always
have a new airplane coming out.’
Instead of trying to produce a fighter
with a 30 or 40-year life, capable of
flying for 20,000 hours, the members
of the ‘Digital Century Series’ could
be manufactured with significantly
shorter design lives, perhaps 6,000
flying hours or less. That could
allow the use of lighter, cheaper
structural designs, and might permit a
company to avoid a full-scale fatigue-
testing program.
Much of the heavy sustainment
effort and cost currently borne by
the USAF to keep geriatric aircraft
flying might become unnecessary.
Roper wants to identify the ‘sweet
spot where we are keeping airplanes
long enough to make a real difference
but not so long that we’re paying
a premium to sustain them or are
not able to refresh them with better
aircraft’.
This kind of agile development
has been made possible by a
range of new technologies. Digital
engineering, including high-fidelity
modeling of the production process,
and of through-life support and
sustainment, allows dramatic time
Right top to and cost savings and enables the
bottom: best possible use of manpower and
A USAF F-105 tooling. A manufacturer can optimize
Thunderchief pilot
climbs into the assembly methods even before the
cockpit of this first piece of metal has been formed,
‘Century Series’ or before the first wrench has been
fighter.
USAF turned. When parts are assembled for
the first time in the real world, there
F-35 Lightning
will be no surprises, everything will fit,
II pilots are the
managers of a everything will line up, and no one will
complex suite of find they are scraping their knuckles
fused sensors.
because it hadn’t been realized that
Jamie Hunter
a particular bracket would get in the
The Air Force way. Assembly line workers will be as
Research
Laboratory wants
‘up to speed’ building the first aircraft
to develop new as they would normally be when
fighters in smaller building the hundredth example.
numbers, each
embodying the
latest technology. A modern effort
Lockheed Martin Some believe that the original ‘Century
The F-105 Series’ fighters represent a particularly
Thunderchief was poor model for a modern program.
one of the so- While some point to a set of designs
called ‘Century
Series’ fighters. that pushed the art of the possible
USAF and which resulted in a succession of

www.Key.Aero // December 2019 27

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 TECHNOLOGY // USAF NEXT GENERATION FIGHTER
fighters becoming operational in short
order, others take a more nuanced view.
Though a succession of high-
performance fighter designs were
rushed into service in a very short
timescale, and though several of the
aircraft achieved iconic status, none
were very effective and most were
highly flawed.
Whereas the ‘Digital Century Series’
aircraft conceived by Roper are intended
to have relatively short lives by design,
most of the original fighters were
short-lived largely because they weren’t
very good and weren’t worth keeping
in service!
Nor was the original ‘Century Series’
a small-scale effort, producing 5,531
aircraft for a huge USAF of that time.
The culture back then encouraged a
high-risk approach, accepted poor
levels of safety and poor operational
performance and tolerated failure.
Rushed into service quickly, many
of the ‘Century Series’ fighters then
required extensive redesign or major
modification, at massive cost.
The ‘Digital Century Series’ will require
innovative funding. Today, a contract
is typically awarded to the company
that can provide the most capability
28 December 2019 // www.Key.Aero
24-29 Next Gen USAF C.indd 28
at the lowest price. Design and early
development work may have to be
undertaken at that company’s own
risk, and it will be rewarded only when
platforms are mass-produced and
sustained over extended periods.
A new strategy will have to be
found to support and incentivize
multiple companies which may be
simultaneously contracted to design an
aircraft that will then be purchased from
only one contender, and then only in
very limited numbers. This will almost
certainly require more funding up front
during the design phase. The policy will
very deliberately seek to sustain a larger-
than-required industrial base, with
some wasteful duplication of design
capabilities.
Roper has acknowledged the difficulty:
‘I think the theory is sound, it’s the
funding required and how big an
industry base we can sustain,’ he said. ‘I
don’t want to leave companies out, but I
also don’t want to go so big that we fail
because of funding.’
Some worry that the proposed ‘Digital A long development timeline, as seen
with the F-35, means adversaries
Century Series’ approach may over- have plenty of opportunity to
emphasize the development of new counter the technology. USAF/
air vehicles, and that the development Airman Brooke Moeder
and integration of new sensors, radars,
23/10/2019 19:42
 communications equipment and
weapons may suffer. Others fear that it
marks a backward step, away from seeing
new aircraft more as weapons systems
than as platforms.
Roper has claimed that his proposals
have received a ‘good response’ from
the congressional defense committees,
but has acknowledged that there has
also been some skepticism. The House
Armed Services Committee has already
recommended halving NGAD funding
from $1 billion to $500 million in the
fiscal 2020 budget request, and some
suggest this demonstrates that it may be
difficult to persuade Congress to fund the
new approach.
The director of global power programs
in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of
the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology
A Lockheed
Martin ‘Skunk and Logistics, Maj Gen David Krumm,
Works’ image responded to the halving of NGAD
of a new fighter funding by suggesting that the USAF may
concept. Col Dale
White is now in need to do a better job of explaining the
charge of the ‘family-of-systems’ concept upon which
new program NGAD is based. Others believe that this
executive office
for advanced is relatively easy to understand and that
aircraft. the ‘Digital Century Series’ procurement
Lockheed Martin concept presents a far more challenging
prospect to ‘sell’ to politicians.

The USAF stood

up a new program
office responsible
for developing its
next-generation
fighter aircraft on
October 2. Boeing

www.Key.Aero // December 2019 29

24-29 Next Gen USAF C.indd 29 23/10/2019 19:42

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 32 December 2019 // www.Key.Aero

32-37 USAF divestment plans C.indd 32 24/10/2019 11:03

 THE NEED TO DIVEST OLD AIRCRAFT…

The B-1B Lancer

is in the firing Senior US Air Force officials are highlighting the need to divest
line and could
be retired early. some legacy platforms that are costly and possibly no longer fit
The force is
experiencing
for purpose. Achieving this may prove difficult, as unsuccessful
poor levels of
availability and
attempts to retire the A-10 Thunderbolt II have demonstrated.
high support
costs. USAF/TSgt
John Winn REPORT Jon Lake

www.Key.Aero // December 2019 33

32-37 USAF divestment plans C.indd 33 24/10/2019 11:03

 FORCE REPORT // USAF INVENTORY

E
NSURING ARMED FORCES
receive the equipment they
need ought to be a relatively
simple matter — balancing
requirements against what
the budget can allow. It seems
obvious that the forces themselves are
the best initial point of decision-making
to determine exactly what is needed, Left:
and when. But it’s seldom as simple. Despite repeated
efforts to stretch
Powerful local interests, public affection out the F-15C,
and even nostalgia can frequently sway at least some
decisions and lawmakers, prompting examples will
now be replaced
them to fight to fund platforms and by brand-new
capabilities that the military may Eagles. USAF/
actually not need, or that they may be TSgt Matthew
Fredericks
happy or even eager to see retired in
favor of recapitalization efforts. Below:
Aging aircraft that have provided Sometimes, an aircraft that has Grumman F-14 Tomcat, which gave way Some argue
that buying
sterling service in past wars and reached the end of its useful life may to the Boeing Super Hornet in carrier air new ‘legacy’
campaigns frequently win the affection still have an eye-catching, headline- wings. The new Super Hornet — now platforms such
of a grateful public. That vote of grabbing and unique capability, and known as the ‘Rhino’ — lacked the range as the F-15EX
is shortsighted
confidence may not have the depth it can be hard for the ill-informed to performance of the F-14, and had no as they will not
of knowledge to be able to gauge understand how newer aircraft may not direct equivalent to the Tomcat’s AIM-54 be survivable in
whether such aircraft are still militarily only ‘still get the job done’, but can even Phoenix air-to-air missile in terms of high-end conflict.
However, a two-
useful, let alone whether increasing offer real improvement. absolute range, yet the Boeing fighter tier fleet offers
costs, growing obsolescence and a was an all-round improvement over a more flexible
declining operational ‘edge’ mean that Old iron its predecessor. Its advanced sensors approach to
tackling different
funds would be better diverted to more This particular phenomenon can be provide better situational awareness; missions.
modern, more competitive platforms. illustrated by the much-loved US Navy its weapons provide a higher kill Jamie Hunter

34 December 2019 // www.Key.Aero

32-37 USAF divestment plans C.indd 34 24/10/2019 11:03

 Above: probability, while the aircraft is also more McSally) was a former A-10 pilot and and would produce immediate cost
The front line of
maintainable, more supportable, with far squadron commander. savings sufficient to pay for 44 of the
USAF air power,
but all aging lower operating costs. Improved handling While the A-10 does enjoy some new fighters.
platforms. A qualities make the Super Hornet easier unique capabilities — including a high
KC-135R leads
a formation of
to operate from a carrier, also providing degree of survivability in the event Tough choices
48th Fighter Wing greater safety, too. In fact, the navy of small/medium-caliber hits, good Sometimes, difficult choices have to
F-15Es and an retired the Tomcat fairly swiftly and with low-speed agility, a large number of be made, as Dr Michael Griffin, the US
F-15C. USAF/TSgt
relatively little pushback, despite its public weapons stations, and the powerful Undersecretary of Defense, intimated at
Matthew Plew
popularity. GAU-8 Avenger 30mm cannon — few a recent conference: ‘Which do you think
Below: More recently, USAF efforts to retire of these are essential in today’s largely the Chinese leadership would fear more
The C-5M Galaxy
the A-10 Thunderbolt II have been medium-level operations. Only now is — 2,000 conventional strike missiles
force has recently
completed a huge repeatedly thwarted by Congress and by the type safe and being lined up for the possessed by the US and its allies in the
avionics upgrade a public campaign to save the aircraft. kind of connectivity and performance Western Pacific and capable of ranging
and re-engining
Some politicians sought to save the that would be required in a near-peer Chinese targets, or one new carrier,
project, but
the type could ‘Warthog’ to win popularity, others cited campaign. The USAF always argued because those two things cost about the
be phased out the contribution it made supporting that retiring the aircraft would free up same amount of money.’
according to
troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, and at nine squadrons-worth of personnel The retention of older platforms
recent studies.
USAF least one (Arizona Republican Martha to help man the growing F-35 force, (and even the acquisition of further

www.Key.Aero // December 2019 35

32-37 USAF divestment plans C.indd 35 24/10/2019 11:04

 FORCE REPORT // USAF INVENTORY
previous-generation aircraft) is
sometimes seen as a means of
‘bulking out’ force structure.
Procurement of new Boeing
F-15EX fighters promises to
allow US air defense units
to be recapitalized quickly
(conversion from the tired F-15C/D will
be relatively straightforward) and
without disrupting the build-up of the
F-35 force, its supporters insist. But
others are more critical. Retired air force
general and former F-15 pilot David
Deptula says that the F-15EX will be
‘unable to survive against the threats of
biggest concern in our national defense
strategy.’ Deptula, who is the dean of the
Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
in Virginia, says ‘trying to adapt aircraft
that belong in museums to warfare in
the 21st century is a mistake’.
Dr Will Roper, the assistant secretary of
the air force for acquisition, technology
and logistics, has warned against relying
on older solutions: ‘A lot of our programs
are in sustainment long past the
original design life, we’re even kicking
around the idea that there needs to
be a ‘milestone E’ where the program
is truly elderly and we’re having to do
Herculean tasks to keep airplanes flying
that should have been retired a long
time ago,’ he said.
Roper added that to be a cutting-edge
air force ‘you need to be working in the
pediatric side of the hospital, not the
geriatric side’. This means getting to the
point where a design life would be set
at the start, and retirement set for when
that date was reached. Types would
have an initial date when they become
operational, and a defined expiration
date. ‘If we haven’t built a better system
by then we’re not competing over the
long term over the threats we face,’
he insisted.
What could happen next?
The signs suggest the USAF may retire
some of its older aircraft fleets soon.
Acting Secretary of the Air Force Matt
Donovan quoted Dr Mark T. Esper, the
new US Secretary of Defense as saying
that he would be open to ‘divesting
legacy capabilities that simply aren’t
suited for future battlefields’. Donovan
said Esper had ‘set the department
of defense on a path to divert funds
away from programs that don’t have as
much value into programs that increase
critical warfighting capabilities’ and
he declared: ‘No reform is too small,
36 December 2019 // www.Key.Aero
32-37 USAF divestment plans C.indd 36
too bold or too
controversial to be
considered.’
Donovan insisted that the air
force is leading the way with bold
(and probably controversial)
changes to its future budget,
adding that it will likely have
to divert ‘funding and allegiance’
away from legacy programs that are
incompatible with future battlefields,
and into ‘the capabilities and systems
that our nation requires for victory’.
Donovan also quoted USAF chief
of staff Gen David Goldfein as saying:
‘Victory is not a birthright but has to be
fought for,’ adding: ‘Our air force today is
not guaranteed to prevail.’
Donovan added: ‘If we continue to
invest in current technologies to simply
grow our force we are not guaranteed
victory. If we force the required changes, to an ‘earlier-than-planned’
move away from systems and capacity retirement, while other potential
that we cannot afford to keep and ‘victims’ could include the Rockwell B-1B
reinvest in the technologies that we Lancer (currently slated for retirement in
need for the future, we will win.’ the mid-2030s), the Lockheed U-2S, the
It is not just the civilian leadership Northrop RQ-4 Global Hawk and perhaps
of the Department of Defense who even the B-52H. These types all (at least
are pushing to get rid of some older notionally) ‘duplicate’ capabilities offered
platforms and capabilities. Lt Gen by other, often more modern platforms,
Timothy Fay, the USAF’s deputy chief or by other means.
of staff for strategy, integration and The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy may also
requirements, said that under the be vulnerable to these kinds of force
national defense strategy the US has reductions, with the resulting shortfall
to focus on the high-end fight against in heavy lift being filled by using civilian
a peer or near-peer adversary: ‘Which freighters in the short term, and by
means that we have to divest some of the acquisition of a new airliner-based
the old to get to some of the new.’ freighter in the medium term.
Fay said investment should be Then there are types that require
concentrated in four major areas: ‘Multi- replacement before being retired, like
domain command and control; space; the E-3 Sentry and the E-8 Joint STARS,
generating combat power; and ‘logistics or the remaining fleet of ‘legacy’ C-130
under attack’.’ Hercules variants and the sprawling fleet
It remains to be seen which current of C-135 variants.
USAF aircraft are vulnerable to this kind Whatever choices are made, there will
of divestment. Only by removing an be howls of protest from a wide variety
entire aircraft type from service can real of interest groups and from members
savings be leveraged, since these are to of Congress eager to curry favor with
be realized by removing support and local industry and/or their electorate.
type-specific infrastructure costs. The It’s a story that will not go away any
A-10 Thunderbolt II remains vulnerable time soon.
24/10/2019 15:19
 USAF efforts to retire the A-10
Thunderbolt II have been
repeatedly thwarted by Congress
and by a public campaign to save
the aircraft

The A-10C has survived repeated retirement

proposals, and is now in line for a significant
upgrade. USAF/MSgt Russell Scalf

www.Key.Aero // December 2019 37

32-37 USAF divestment plans C.indd 37 24/10/2019 15:19

 T
HE US AIR Force’s fighter
aircraft fleets are hurting. A
mixture of weary legacy aircraft
from the 1970s and ’80s,
coupled with a succession of
delays for the F-35 Lightning II
program, have resulted in a dire situation.
Making matters worse, the Pentagon
now says that a decision to start full-rate
production of the Lockheed Martin F-35
might be delayed from the end of 2019
until as late as January 2021.
Under Secretary of Defense for
Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen
38 December 2019 // www.Key.Aero
38-43 USAF Fighter survey C.indd 38
Lord said in October that the F-35 is
still engaged in its protracted initial
operational test and evaluation
(IOT&E) and that this was unlikely to be
completed by the end of 2019. It’s the
mandated hurdle that the aircraft must
complete successfully in order to attain
full-rate production. Lord said the F-35
Joint Program Office had signed off
on a ‘program deviation report’ linked
to a ‘schedule threshold breach in the
Milestone C full-rate production decision
of up to 13 months’, citing ongoing
difficulties in the Joint Simulation
Environment. Lord said that IOT&E was
otherwise progressing well.
Speaking to Combat Aircraft this
summer, USAF chief of staff Gen David
Goldfein, said: ‘When we stopped
[producing] the F-22, the plan was to put
that money into an accelerated plan for As F-35A
the F-35. If that plan had been executed deliveries fail
at the time we canceled the F-22, I should to ramp up
in line with
have 1,100 F-35s on the ramp today. I requirements,
have less than 300. So I’ve got four fourth- the F-15EX will
generation [aircraft types] that are part be procured to
directly replace
of the inventory that I’ve got to maintain F-15C Eagles.
into the 2030s to keep the capacity I Jamie Hunter
24/10/2019 11:03
 Combat Aircraft details the
latest status of the US Air Force’s
fighter aircraft inventory as the
F-35A production ramp-up slips and
older fighters are in desperate need of
replacement.
REPORT Jamie Hunter with Tom Kaminski
need to be able to meet combatant
commander requirements. One’s not
going to make it — and that’s the F-15C.
It’s too old and I’m not going to be able
to fly it for many more years.’
The reality is that the USAF hasn’t
been receiving F-35s at the pace it
wanted them, F-22 production was
nothing like what it should have been
and the latest slip in full-rate F-35
production is only going to make
matters worse.
The immediate solution is a move
to recapitalize the F-15C/D Eagle via
38-43 USAF Fighter survey C.indd 39
brand-new F-15EX Advanced
Eagles off the ‘hot’ Boeing
production line in St Louis,
Missouri. While many point to
the F-15’s age and the fact that it isn’t
a ‘fifth-generation’ stealth fighter,
this latest variant offers some potent
capabilities including an advanced in-
built electronic warfare self-protection
system and the promise of up to 16
air-to-air missiles. While it’s not an
F-35, the F-15EX has a sensible role to
play as an efficient one-for-one F-15C
replacement.
www.Key.Aero // December 2019 39
24/10/2019 11:03
 FORCE REPORT // USAF FIGHTER SURVEY

FACT FILES (ACC) test units. Some F-15Ds are already

F-15C Eagle
Once slated to be replaced wholesale by
the F-22 Raptor, the 40-year-old F-15C
has been at the vanguard of USAF air
superiority for nearly five decades. It
has continued in service alongside the
undisputed champion of the skies — the
Raptor — with no other option on the
table as F-35 deliveries failed to ramp up at
the expected rate. The USAF fleet currently
includes 212 F-15Cs and 23 F-15Ds that
were fielded from 1979. The bulk of these
fighters are assigned to Air National Guard
(ANG) units but 89 F-15Cs and six F-15Ds
are flown by three front-line operational
squadrons and Air Combat Command
being retired, either heading for the
boneyard or being sold to Israel.
The most significant recent upgrade
is the addition of the Raytheon AN/
APG-63(V)3 active electronically scanned
array (AESA) radar, which has combined
potently with the AIM-120D variant of
the Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-
Air Missile (AMRAAM). But the Eagle is
severely lacking in ability to operate in
a contested environment. Indeed, the
amount of work required to get the F-15C
fleet out to 2040 — as was once mooted
— was deemed to be prohibitively
expensive.
Eagles were originally ‘lifed’ to 4,000
hours and the USAF had looked at a raft
of structural upgrades — including new
wings and engines — that were needed
to keep the Eagles in the air. It was the
cancelation of the F-15C portion of the
Eagle Passive/Active Warning Survivability
System (EPAWSS) that hinted a change in
policy was on the cards. EPAWSS was vital
to the F-15C — which is now proving to
be extremely vulnerable in exercises such
as ‘Red Flag’.
Boeing’s Talon HATE was being
developed as a means for Eagles to share
Link 16 data both ways with F-22 Raptors,
yet the only sign of recent upgrade
progress has been the addition of the
Lockheed Martin Legion infra-red search
and track (IRST) pod, which has been
integrated under a $208.3-million contract.
The USAF now says it will abandon
further F-15C upgrades in favor of the
F-15EX, which will slot neatly into the
existing infrastructure to revitalize some
of the current F-15C squadrons. F-15EX
will feature the AN/APG-82(V)1 AESA
radar and the Advanced Missile and
Bomb Ejection Racks (AMBERs) to enable
carriage of 16 AIM-120Ds.

F-15E Strike Eagle

The F-15E is currently serving as the
bastion of USAF air power in the Middle
East under Operation ‘Inherent Resolve’. A
Squadron Location Aircraft Wing/Group Command Tail code rotating presence of 18 aircraft is keeping
57th Wing/ the six front-line squadrons constantly
17th WPS Nellis AFB, Nevada F-15E ACC WA
USAFWS
40th FLTS Eglin AFB, Florida F-15C/D/E 96th TW/OG AFMC ET ‘on the hook’ employing the full suite of
44th FS Kadena AB, Okinawa F-15C/D 18th Wing/OG PACAF ZZ
67th FS Kadena AB, Okinawa F-15C/D 18th Wing/OG PACAF ZZ capabilities available to the F-15E — air-
85th TES Eglin AFB, Florida F-15C/E
53rd Wing/53rd
ACC OT to-air and air-to-ground.
TEG
Seymour Johnson AFB, First flown in December 1986, the F-15E
333rd FS (FTU) F-15E 4th FW/OG ACC SJ
North Carolina
Seymour Johnson AFB,
fleet currently includes 218 aircraft. Most
334th FS (FTU) F-15E 4th FW/OG ACC SJ
North Carolina are at Suite 8E standard, which adds the
Seymour Johnson AFB,
335th FS F-15E 4th FW/OG ACC SJ Advanced Display Core Processor (ADCP)
North Carolina
Seymour Johnson AFB,
336th FS
North Carolina
F-15E 4th FW/OG ACC SJ II, a new common mission computer that
389th FS Mountain Home AFB, Idaho F-15E 366th FW/OG ACC MO enables the aircraft to host both AIM-9X
391st FS Mountain Home AFB, Idaho F-15E 366th FW/OG ACC MO
53rd Wing/53rd
Left: Block I and II as well as the GBU-53/B
422nd TES Nellis AFB, Nevada F-15C/D/E ACC OT The six F-15E
TEG
Small Diameter Bomb II (SDB II). It has
433rd WPS Nellis AFB, Nevada F-15C/D
57th Wing/
ACC WA
Strike Eagle
USAFWS squadrons are been described by the USAF as a critical
RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk,
492nd FS
England
F-15E 48th FW/OG USAFE LN currently focused mission-processing capacity for EPAWSS,
RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk, on rotating
493rd FS F-15C/D 48th FW/OG USAFE LN which is now under development as part
England six-month
494th FS
RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk,
F-15E 48th FW/OG USAFE LN deployments of Suite 9.
England
Klamath Falls Airport-
to the Central ADCP II also paves the way for new
550th FS
Kingsley Field, Oregon
F-15C/D 56th FW/OG AETC Command theater
displays for the F-15E, which are seen
Air National Guard units of operations.
114th FS
Klamath Falls Airport-
F-15C/D 173rd FW/OG AETC Jamie Hunter as a major unfunded modernization
Kingsley Field, Oregon
NAS JRB New Orleans, requirement for the weapons system
122nd FS F-15C/D 159th FW/OG ACC JZ
Louisiana Right: operator (WSO). The Raytheon AN/
Portland International
123rd FS
Airport/ANGB, Oregon
F-15C/D 142nd FW/OG ACC At least one APG-82(V)1 AESA radar, combined with
Westfield Barnes Airport/ F-16C/D squadron
131st FS
ANGB, Massachusetts
F-15C/D 104th FW/OG ACC MA
is permanently EPAWSS, will increase the Strike Eagle’s
159th FS
Jacksonville International
F-15C/D 125th FW/OG ACC deployed survivability in high-threat environments
Airport, Florida
Fresno-Yosemite
to Bagram, to enable it to better counter current and
194th FS International Airport/ANGB, F-15C/D 144th FW/OG ACC Afghanistan, to
California provide close future air-to-air, ground-to-air and infra-
Air Force Reserve Command units air support to red threats.
84 TES (see Note 1) Eglin AFB, Florida F-15C/E 926th Wing/OG ACC OT
Seymour Johnson AFB, 944th FW/414th
coalition forces Despite a relatively small fleet, the
307th FS (see Note 1)
North Carolina
F-15E
FG
ACC SJ on the ground.
706th FS (see Note 1) Nellis AFB, Nevada F-15C/D/E 926th Wing/OG ACC WA USAF/SSgt Keifer F-15E continues to bring a true multi-role
1 Classic associate squadron utilizes aircraft assigned to host wing. Bowes capability to missions ranging from ‘night

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 Tail
one’ low-level strike, to close air support Squadron Location Aircraft Wing/Group Command
code
and deep interdiction. In addition, the Det 1, 56th OG Tucson International Airport, Arizona F-16C/D 56th FW/OG AETC AZ
AATC Tucson International Airport, Arizona F-16C/D (Blk 32) 57th Wing/USAFWS ACC AT
F-15E is a lead integration platform for the USAF ADS Nellis AFB, Nevada F-16C/D (Blk 52) 57th Wing ACC
new B61-12 guided nuclear weapon. USAF TPS Edwards AFB, California NF-16D 412th TW/OG AFMC
8th FS Holloman AFB, New Mexico F-16C/D (Blk 40) 56th FW/54th FG AETC HO
13th FS Misawa AB, Japan F-16C/D (Blk 50) 35th FW/OG PACAF WW

F-16 Fighting Falcon 14th FS Misawa AB, Japan F-16C/D (Blk 50)
F-16C
35th FW/OG PACAF WW

The F-16C/D Fighting Falcon is where the 16th WPS Nellis AFB, Nevada (Blk 42/52), 57th Wing/USAFWS ACC WA
F-16D (Blk 52)
USAF finds its ‘combat mass’. This versatile, 18th AGRS Eielson AFB, Alaska F-16C/D (Blk 30) 354th FW/OG PACAF AK
35th FS Kunsan AB, Republic of Korea F-16C/D (Blk 40) 8th FW/OG PACAF WP
agile, lightweight fighter fills some niche 36th FS Osan AB, Republic of Korea F-16C/D (Blk 50) 51st FW/OG PACAF OS
roles such as suppression of enemy air 40th FLTS Eglin AFB, Florida
F-16C (Blk 25/40/42/50), F-16D
96th TW/OG AFMC ET
(Blk 40/50
defenses (SEAD) and today comprises 50 55th FS Shaw AFB, South Carolina F-16C/D (Blk 50) 20th FW/OG ACC SW
per cent of the USAF fighter fleet. 64th AGRS Nellis AFB, Nevada F-16C/D (Blk 25/32/42) 57th Wing/57th ATG ACC WA
77th FS Shaw AFB, South Carolina F-16C/D (Blk 50) 20th FW/OG ACC SW
The aircraft first flew as the YF-16 in 79th FS Shaw AFB, South Carolina F-16C/D (Blk 50) 20th FW/OG ACC SW
80th FS Kunsan AB, Republic of Korea F-16C/D (Blk 40) 8th FW/OG PACAF WP
February 1974 and was selected to fulfill 82nd ATRS Tyndall AFB, Florida QF-16A/C 53rd Wing/53rd WEG ACC TD
the USAF’s Air Combat Fighter (ACF) 82nd ATRS Det. 1 Holloman AFB, New Mexico QF-16A/C 53rd Wing/53rd WEG ACC
85th TES Eglin AFB, Florida F-16C/D (Blk 40/50), QF-16C 53rd Wing/53rd TEG ACC OT
requirement. The F-16A first flew in 309th FS Luke AFB, Arizona F-16C/D (Blk 25) 56th FW/OG AETC LF
310th FS Luke AFB, Arizona F-16C/D (Blk 42) 56th FW/OG AETC LF
December 1976 and initial deliveries to 311th FS Holloman AFB, New Mexico F-16C/D (Blk 42) 49th Wing/54th FG AETC HO
Luke AFB, Arizona, began in August 1978. 314th FS Holloman AFB, New Mexico F-16C/D (Blk 42) 49th Wing/54th FG AETC HO
316th FS (see Note 1) McEntire JNGB, Eastover, South Carolina F-16C (Blk 52) 20th FW/495th FG ACC
Operational F-16As first arrived at Hill
355th FS (see Note 1) NAS JRB Fort Worth, Texas F-16C (Blk 30) 20th FW/495th FG ACC TX
AFB, Utah, in January 1979. Subsequent
367th FS(see Note 1) Homestead ARB, Florida F-16C (Blk 30) 20th FW/495th FG ACC FM
variants comprised the Block 30/32, which 377th FS (see Note 1)
Montgomery Regional Airport-Dannelly
F-16C (Blk 30) 20th FW/495th FG ACC AL
Field, Alabama
remain in service today with aggressor, Dane County Regional Airport-Truax Field,
378th FS (see Note 1) F-16C (Blk 30) 20th FW/495th FG ACC WI
ANG and Air Force Reserve Command Madison, Wisconsin
416th FLTS Edwards AFB, California F-16C/D (Blk 30/40/42/50) 412th TW/OG AFMC ED
(AFRC) units, Block 40/42s, which were the 422nd TES Nellis AFB, Nevada F-16C/D (Blk 42/52) 53rd Wing/53rd TEG ACC OT
480th FS Spangdahlem AB, Germany F-16C/D (Blk 50) 52nd FW/OG USAFE SP
first variants that were compatible with 510th FS Aviano AB, Italy F-16C/D (Blk 40) 31st FW/OG USAFE AV
the LANTIRN AN/AAQ-13 navigation and 555th FS Aviano AB, Italy F-16C/D (Blk 40) 31st FW/OG USAFE AV
Air National Guard units
AN/AAQ-14 targeting pods, and Block AATC
Morris ANGB/Tucson International Airport,
F-16C/D (Blk 32/42/52) USAFWS ACC AT
Arizona
50D/52D aircraft that carry the AN/ASQ- Montgomery Regional Airport-Dannelly
100th FS F-16C/D (Blk 30) 187th FW/OG ACC AL
213 HARM Targeting System (HTS). The Field, Alabama
112th FS Toledo Express Airport, Swanton, Ohio F-16C/D (Blk 42) 180th FW/OG ACC OH
latter allows autonomous employment of 119th FS
Atlantic City International Airport/ANGB,
F-16C (Blk 30) 177th FW/OG ACC NJ
New Jersey
the AGM-88 High-speed Anti-Radiation 120th FS Buckley AFB, Aurora, Colorado F-16C (Blk 30) 140th FW/OG ACC CO
Missile (HARM) to conduct the ‘Wild 121st FS JB Andrews-NAF Washington, Maryland F-16C/D (Blk 30) 113th Wing/OG ACC DC
125th FS Tulsa International Airport, Oklahoma F-16C/D (Blk 42) 138th FW/OG ACC OK
Weasel’ suppression of enemy air defenses Morris ANGB/Tucson International Airport,
152nd FS (FTU) F-16C/D (Blk 42) 162nd Wing/OG AETC AZ
Arizona
(SEAD) mission. 157th FS McEntire JNGB, Eastover, South Carolina F-16C/D (Blk 52) 169th FW/OG ACC
In 2005, Lockheed Martin delivered the 175th FS
Sioux Falls Regional Airport-Joe Foss Field,
F-16C/D (Blk 40) 114th FW/OG ACC
South Dakota
last of 2,231 F-16s to the USAF. The ‘Viper’ Dane County Regional Airport-Truax Field,
176th FS F-16C (Blk 30) 115th FW/OG ACC WI
Madison, Wisconsin
remains the service’s primary multi-role Duluth International Airport/ANGB,
179th FS F-16C (Blk 50) 148th FW/OG ACC MN
fighter and around 941 F-16C/Ds remain Minnesota
JB San Antonio-Kelly Field, Lackland AFB,
in service. The inventory is primarily 182nd FS (FTU) F-16C/D (Blk 30) 149th FW/OG AETC SA
Texas
Morris ANGB/Tucson International Airport,
composed of Block 30/32, 40/42 and 195th FS (FTU)
Arizona
F-16C/D (Blk 25/32) 162nd Wing/OG AETC AZ

50/52 models. However, a small number Air Force Reserve Command units
69th FS (see Note 2) Luke AFB, Arizona F-16C/D (Blk 25/42) 944th FW/OG AETC LF
of older Block 25s continue to support test 84 TES (see Note 3) Eglin AFB, Florida F-16C/D (Blk 40/50), 926th Wing/OG ACC OT
93rd FS Homestead ARB, Florida F-16C/D (Blk 30) 482nd FW/OG ACC FM
and training missions. 457th FS NAS JRB Fort Worth/Carswell Field, Texas F-16C/D (Blk 30) 301st FW/OG ACC TX
The F-16 fleet has received multiple 466th FS (see Note 3) Hill AFB, Utah F-16C/D (Blk 40) 419th FW/OG ACC HL
706th FS (see Note 3) Nellis AFB, Nevada F-16C/D 926th Wing/OG ACC WA
upgrades that include the Common 1 Active associate unit.
Configuration Implementation Program 2 AETC gained associate unit operates F-16C/D in support of 56th FW.
3 Classic associate squadron utilizes aircraft assigned to host wing.
(CCIP), which provided enhanced mission
capabilities and integrated a common
avionics configuration on Block 40/42 and
50/52 fighters.
Modernization plans include a service-
life extension program (SLEP) that will
extend the airframe structural life for
300 aircraft from 8,000 to around 12,000
equivalent flight hours (EFH). The Ogden
Air Logistics Complex’s (OO-ALC’s) 573rd
Aircraft Maintenance Squadron completed
structural modifications on the first aircraft
at Hill AFB, Utah, in April 2018. Once the
program reaches full-production, the
OO-ALC plans to complete each SLEP in
nine months at a unit cost of $2.4 million.

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 FORCE REPORT // USAF FIGHTER SURVEY
Squadron Location Aircraft Wing/Group Command Tail code
Ultimately, the project could modify, JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam,
19th FS (ASSOC) F-22A 15th Wing/OG PACAF HH
repair or replace life-limited airframe Hawaii
27th FS JB Langley-Eustis, Virginia F-22A 1st FW/OG ACC FF
components on as many as 841 F-16s. 53rd Wing/
31st TES (see Note 1) Edwards AFB, California F-22A ACC ED
The USAF is also replacing the AN/ 53rd TEG
43rd FS (FTU)
Tyndall AFB, Florida F-22A 325th FW/OG ACC TY
APG-68 mechanically scanned radar (see Note 2)
JB Elmendorf-Richardson,
installed on ANG F-16Cs that support the 90th FS
Alaska
F-22A 3rd Wing/OG PACAF AK

air defense mission with the Northrop 95th FS (see Note 3) Tyndall AFB, Florida F-22A 325th FW/OG ACC TY
94th FS JB Langley-Eustis, Virginia F-22A 1st FW/OG ACC FF
Grumman AN/APG-83 Scalable Agile 411th FLTS Edwards AFB, California F-22A 412th TW/OG AFMC ED
53rd Wing/
Beam Radar (SABR) active electronically 422nd TES Nellis AFB, Nevada F-22A
53rd TEG
ACC OT
scanned array (AESA) system. It 433rd WPS (see Note 1) Nellis AFB, Nevada F-22A
57th Wing/
ACC WA
USAFWS
initially awarded Northrop Grumman JB Elmendorf-Richardson,
525th FS F-22A 3rd Wing/OG PACAF AK
Alaska
a $244-million contract to provide 72 Air National Guard units
systems. The incorporation of an upgraded 149th FS (see Note 4) JB Langley-Eustis, Virginia F-22A 192nd FW/OG ACC FF
JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam,
radar in as many as 300 F-16Cs remains 199th FS
Hawaii
F-22A 154th Wing/OG PACAF HH

under consideration. Air Force Reserve Command units

301st
301st FS (see Note 2 and 4) Tyndall AFB, Florida F-22A ACC TY
Early F-16s also serve as Full Scale FW/44th FG
JB Elmendorf-Richardson,
Aerial Targets (FSAT). Two Block 15 302nd FS (see Note 4)
Alaska
F-22A 477th FG PACAF AK

F-16As, two Block 25 and two Block 30 706th FS (see Note 4) Nellis AFB, Nevada F-22A 926th Wing/OG ACC WA
1 Squadron utilizes aircraft assigned to host wing.
F-16Cs were initially modified by Boeing 2 Unit temporarily located at Eglin AFB, Florida.
Global Services and Support to QF-16 3 Unit dispersed to other operating locations.
4 Associate squadron utilizes aircraft assigned to host wing.
configuration. The USAF has placed
orders for 121 QF-16s and funding for an
additional 19 was provided in the Fiscal
2019 National Defense Authorization Act.

F-22A Raptor
While the USAF fighter community may
be in a tight spot, few disagree that the
F-22 Raptor is the world’s finest air-to-air
fighter. Delivery of the first combat-coded
Raptors began in May 2005 and the last
of 187 production F-22As was delivered
to the 3rd Wing at Joint Base Elmendorf-
Richardson, Alaska, in May 2012.
Raptors from the 1st Fighter Wing’s 94th
Expeditionary Fighter Squadron flew
the fighter’s first ‘kinetic’ combat mission
delivering 1,000lb (454kg) Joint Direct
Attack Munitions (JDAM) against IS targets
in northern Syria on September 22, 2014.
Since production began, the fighters
have received a number of evolutionary
upgrades known as increments. The
latest is Increment 3.2 with enhanced
electronic protection and improved
communications that include a Link
16 receive mode. Enhanced combat
identification and targeting capabilities
were added under the Increment 3.2A
software upgrade. Increment 3.2B delivers
improvements to the intra-flight datalink
and enhanced stores management
system (ESMS). Additionally, it upgrades
emitter geo-location and electronic
protection capabilities and provides
AIM-9X Block II and AIM-120D integration.
Upgrades began in 2018 and 143 Raptors
will receive the upgrades at a cost of
around $1.5 billion. Communications
upgrades including the Multifunctional
Information Distribution System-Joint
(MIDS-J) will allow the fighter to meet
Tactical Mandates (TACMAN) by 2020.
Once Increment 3.2B modifications are
complete, the F-22A fleet will comprise
139 combat-coded Block 30/35s, 32
training Block 20s, 12 development test/
operational test (DT/OT) Block 20/30/35s
and two pre-block test aircraft. The Block
30/35s will include 39 Block 20 aircraft
from Lots 3 and 4 that will be upgraded.
Damage inflicted by Hurricane Michael
on October 10, 2018, forced the USAF to
move Raptor operations from Tyndall AFB
to other locations. The formal training unit
(FTU) has moved to nearby Eglin AFB, but
it is likely to permanently relocate to Joint
Base Langley-Eustis.
F-35A Lightning II
The Block 3I version of the F-35A achieved
initial operational capability at Hill AFB,
Utah, on August 2, 2016. At that time,
the fighters were limited to delivering
GBU-31 and GBU-32 JDAMs, GBU-12
Paveway II LGBs and the AIM-120C missile
from the internal stations. The Block 3F
operational flight program software
received fleet release in August 2017
and deliveries began with Lot 9 aircraft
the same month. It provided the aircraft
with ‘full warfighting capability’. The
multi-phase Block 4 software will address
deficiencies identified during the Block
3F development and provide a series of
incremental upgrades. Efforts include
the integration of a new processor and
a new electro-optical sensor along with
integration of the B61-12 nuclear weapon,
which will make the F-35A variant a Dual
Capable Aircraft (DCA).
F-35As from the 4th Expeditionary
Fighter Squadron commenced the USAF’s
first combat deployment with the type Above:
on April 11, 2019, as the unit deployed F-22 Raptors from
to Al Dhafra, United Arab Emirates for the 325th FW
at Tyndall AFB,
Operation ‘Inherent Resolve’. The deployed Florida, have been
aircraft made their first ‘kinetic’ strikes dispersed to Eglin
during combat on April 30. and other Raptor
main operating
The USAF will field 960 combat-coded bases since a
F-35As to 44 squadrons at 31 operating hurricane struck
locations. Ultimately, the USAF plans to the station on
October 2018.
acquire 1,763 F-35As by 2038. The service USAF/A1C Valerie
plans to field F-35As to both the Pacific Seelye

42 December 2019 // www.Key.Aero

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 Squadron Location Aircraft Wing/Group Command Tail code
and to Europe in 2020 and 2021. RAF 4th FS Hill AFB, Utah F-35A 388th FW/OG ACC HL
Lakenheath, England, and Eielson AFB, 6th WPS Nellis AFB, Nevada F-35A
57th Wing/
ACC WA
USAFWS
Alaska will each receive two squadrons 53rd Wing/53rd
31st TES (see Note 1) Edwards AFB, California F-35A ACC OT
TEG
of Lightning IIs. Up to three squadrons of 34th FS Hill AFB, Utah F-35A 388th FW/OG ACC HL
F-35As will be stationed at Tyndall AFB, 58th FS Eglin AFB, Florida F-35A 33rd FW/OG AETC EG
61st FS Luke AFB, Arizona F-35A 56th FW/OG AETC LF
Florida, from 2023. 62nd FS Luke AFB, Arizona F-35A 56th FW/OG AETC LF
63rd FS Luke AFB, Arizona F-35A 56th FW/OG AETC LF
Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint 421st FS Hill AFB, Utah F-35A 388th FW/OG ACC HL
Reserve Base, Texas, was named as the 422nd TES Nellis AFB, Nevada F-35A
53rd Wing/53rd
ACC OT
TEG
preferred location for the first AFRC-led 461st FLTS Edwards AFB, California F-35A 412th TW/OG AFMC ED
F-35A unit in January 2017. The 301st Air National Guard units
134th FS Burlington IAP, Vermont F-35A 158th FW/OG ACC VT
Fighter Wing is expected to receive its first Air Force Reserve Command units
69th FS (see Note 2) Luke AFB, Arizona F-35A 944th FW/OG AETC LF
Lightning IIs in the mid-2020s. 466th FS (see Note 3) Hill AFB, Utah F-35A 419th FW/OG ACC HL
The first aircraft for the 158th Fighter 706th FS (see Note 4) Nellis AFB, Nevada F-35A 926th Wing/OG ACC WA
1 Squadron utilizes aircraft assigned to host wing.
Wing, Vermont ANG, arrived at Burlington 2 AETC gained associate unit operates F-35A in support of 56th FW.
3 ACC gained associate unit operates F-35A alongside the 388th FW.
International Airport on September 19. In 4 ACC gained associate unit operates F-35A alongside 422nd TES.
December 2017, the USAF had selected
Wisconsin’s 115th FW at Dane County
Regional Airport-Truax Field in Madison,
and Alabama’s 187th FW at Montgomery
Regional Airport-Dannelly Field, as the
preferred locations for the next two ANG
F-35A bases. Deliveries should begin
in 2023.

Above:
An F-35A
Lightning II
assigned to the
4th Expeditionary
Fighter Squadron
receives fuel from
a KC-10A Extender
assigned to
the 908th
Expeditionary
Air Refueling
Squadron over
Iraq in August
2019. USAF/SSgt
Chris Thornbury

Right:
CENTCOM
released
imagery of two
F-35As that
flew Operation
‘Inherent Resolve’
missions in full
external loadout
in May 2019. The
aircraft carried
six GBU-49s, a
pair of AIM-120
AMRAAMs and
two AIM-9X
Sidewinders. USAF

www.Key.Aero // December 2019 43

38-43 USAF Fighter survey C.indd 43 24/10/2019 11:03

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 INDUSTRY REPORT // BOEING T-7A RED HAWK
A
S THE US Air Force seeks to
add new fighter squadrons
to its ranks and also tackle
the tricky problem of a
pilot shortage crisis, the
rise of the Boeing/Saab
T-7A Red Hawk (the new official name
for the T-X) advanced jet trainer couldn’t
be timed better. A new study for the
USAF says the key to expanding its fleet
of fighters could lie in developing the
T-7A as a low-cost, lightweight fighter.
The study was one of two reports by
the MITRE Corporation (a not-for-profit
organization managing research in
support of government agencies) in
answer to a Congress directive for an
independent analysis of the USAF’s
aim to increase in size, in order to
meet the demands of the US National
Defense Strategy.
The corporation’s senior principal
systems engineer David Gerber said
that less-demanding missions such as
homeland defense should not soak up
precious hours for advanced fourth and
fifth-generation fighters, saying that this
kind of role could easily be assumed by
a developed variant of the T-7A.
While this is a reasonable idea at first
glance, a considerable amount of work
46 December 2019 // www.Key.Aero
46-48 Red Hawk C.indd 46
would be required to equip the T-7A
with the tools it would need to act as
a light fighter — a radar and air-to-air
missiles as a bare minimum. In fact, the
USAF is actually looking to get the T-7A
to work at addressing its immediate
needs in a far swifter manner.
The ‘Air Force We Need’ initiative
suggests increasing USAF fighter
squadrons from 55 today to 62 by the
mid-2020s. One of the major hurdles
towards this ambition, as well as aircraft
on the flight line, is manning. In budget-
constrained times, the Red Hawk
offers far lower up-front acquisition
and through-life support costs than
advanced fighter aircraft, so it may have
a role to play in low-threat missions.
However, more immediately it could
present a clever solution to getting new
pilots into those front-line squadron
cockpits faster.
Pilot Training Next
Air Education and Training Command’s
(AETC’s) Pilot Training Next (PTN) initiative
is an experimental program focusing on
understanding how airmen learn, as well
as exploring, and potentially prototyping,
a new flying training environment
that integrates various technologies
to produce pilots in an accelerated and
‘learning-focused’ manner.
Brig Gen Jeannie Leavitt, Air Force
Recruiting Service commander said in a
recent media release: ‘The fact is we are
looking at a whole new way of learning
in a non-standard way from the air force
perspective.’ PTN incorporates more
immersive and engaging academics,
scenario- and competency-based models
for training validation and artificial
intelligence instruction.
The third PTN class, which starts in
January 2020, will for the first time
incorporate the use of a T-6B Texan II to
test the ability to train formal training
unit-ready pilots using moving map,
synthetic radar, air-to-air and air-to-
Boeing has ground symbology as well as detailed
two initial T-7A downloadable debriefing files.
aircraft that are
supporting the In fact, this is exactly the kind of
Engineering and approach Air Combat Command (ACC)
Manufacturing could be looking to leverage when it
Development
process. Some comes to the T-7A. The air force could
speculate that ‘download’ elements of the formal
the aircraft training unit (FTU) — the squadrons
doesn’t possess
the performance that convert new ab initio pilots to their
characteristics front-line aircraft types — to lower the
to enable it to cost of training and expedite the overall
effectively turn its
hand to homeland process, an obvious use for the Red Hawk.
defense. Boeing Essentially this would accelerate the path
23/10/2019 19:40
 The US Air Force is evaluating how the Boeing/
Saab T-7A Red Hawk program could be
accelerated and used to tackle two burgeoning
problems that the air arm is facing…

REPORT Jamie Hunter

SOLVING THE PILOT CRISIS

www.Key.Aero // December 2019 47

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 INDUSTRY REPORT // BOEING T-7A RED HAWK
from basic training to being a mission-
ready fighter pilot.
The T-7A could therefore offer a neat
solution to both of these air force
problems. The technology embedded
in the T-7A represents a major advance
in training over the T-38 Talon that it is
replacing, but it could additionally offer
a far swifter path for new pilots to their
front-line cockpits — and it’s a prospect
that the USAF is taking seriously.
Procured under the T-X competition,
the T-7A is initially aimed at a plan of
delivering 351 aircraft and associated
training systems under Boeing’s winning
$9.2-billion bid. The initial aircraft were
originally slated purely for Undergraduate
Pilot Training within AETC, but there are
several avenues that will offer additional
buys from the USAF, and that may
actually see aircraft being used in a far
more dynamic way in order to address
the current shortfalls that face the air
force. Boeing has mooted light attack and
aggressor training opportunities for the
T-7A and it says it has already identified
locations for hardpoints under the wings.
However, that would appear to be more
of a ‘phase two’ opportunity. Right now,
the USAF needs pilots, and it needs
them fast.
Realizing the potential
The T-38 Talon recapitalization program
that gave rise to the T-7A has gone
from being a lower priority project, to
being one that can potentially alleviate
48 December 2019 // www.Key.Aero
46-48 Red Hawk C.indd 48
two major issues the USAF is currently
facing. However, Boeing/Saab will need
to deliver, and deliver fast with the
T-7A — there will be no appetite for the
kind of engineering problems that have
plagued Boeing’s KC-46A tanker.
Boeing says it has already been able
to leverage some of the innovative
technology and investment made in
T-7A on the commercial and defense
side, without going into specifics. One
example of this cross-pollination may
be found in the latest Super Hornet
Software Configuration Set H14. This
features embedded synthetic training
modes, and with a new large-area display with its Engineering and Manufacturing
planned under the Block III upgrade. It’s Development (EMD) phase under
an example of where the T-7A meets the an initial $813-million contract that
front line, with more to come. Students includes Boeing and its partner Saab
Above:
and instructors will have ‘switchology’ for building and delivering five aircraft
Accelerating
simulated release of both air-to-air and the path of new plus seven simulators to Joint Base San
air-to-ground weapons and the aircraft is pilots to front-line Antonio-Randolph, Texas, from 2023
cockpits to help
complemented by a Boeing-developed to commence initial instructor pilot
the USAF alleviate
ground-based training system. Speaking its pilot shortfall training. Two batches of low-rate initial
about the T-7A cockpit, Boeing test and build new production (LRIP) and eight full-rate
squadrons could
pilot Matt ‘Phat’ Giese said: ‘This is a production lots of aircraft will follow —
become a primary
reconfigurable display with multiple focus for the T-7A but some of these may now be diverted
tactical and administrative or navigation Red Hawk. Jamie to support ACC’s new initiative.
Hunter
displays that can be presented. You can The homeland defense mission,
see the F-22 [side] stick [on the right] and Below: The T-7A potential aggressor use and even a
on the left is an F-16 throttle.’ is named the Red future with the USAF Air Demonstration
Hawk, a tribute
Boeing’s Thom Breckenridge, vice team, the Thunderbirds, is further down
to the ‘Tuskegee
president of international sales, told Airmen’, who the track. In the meantime, the T-7A has
Combat Aircraft earlier this year that the were the first an important role to play in its initial
African-American
company expects a global market for configuration, expediting the path of
aviators in the US
some 2,600 advanced jet trainers in the Army Air Corps. new pilots to the squadrons that so
era of the T-7A. The aircraft is progressing Boeing desperately need them.
23/10/2019 19:41
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693 CAM self subs fp.indd 49 24/10/2019 14:07

 Eielson AFB, Alaska, is central to power projection in the region.
It might seem an unusual home for a crack aggressor squadron,
but it’s actually the perfect location.
REPORT Frank Crébas and Rich Cooper

AGGRESSORS IN ALASKA
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 T
HE LAST FRONTIER: a place
where wilderness still reigns
supreme, a place where
extreme weather and
subsistence living is not just
a pastime but a cherished
way of life. It’s where aviation is weaved
into the tapestry of life in a unique way;
simply put, without the Alaskan ‘bush
pilots’ there’d be no way in or out of
many remote villages.
The sheer grandeur of Alaska is
something to behold — weighing in
at twice the size of Texas — and then
you combine the rugged terrain, the
everyday reliance on aviation, and the
50-59 18th AGRS C.indd 51
dynamic elements of snow and ice bathed
under the heavenly Northern Lights and
it all combines to create a majestic, yet
unforgiving landscape.
In the midst of these surroundings is
a flying unit that is almost as unique as
the surroundings it inhabits: the ‘Blue
Foxes’ of the 18th Aggressor Squadron
(AGRS), with its F-16 ‘Vipers’ cloaked in
a mix of stunning camouflage schemes
that blend into the arctic whites and the
lush foliage, the wide blue vistas and the
gray-out skies. This is one of the US Air
Force’s two current aggressor squadrons,
both flying the Fighting Falcon, but from
very different homes. One hailing from the
famous desert flight-lines of Nellis AFB,
Nevada (see Combat Aircraft July 2019),
and the other here, in the wilds of Alaska,
where it aims to make the military fighter
training environment as challenging and
demanding as the surrounding natural
living environment.
Being a USAF aggressor is a serious
business. The workspaces at Eielson AFB,
near Fairbanks, and home to the 18th
A sight sure to AGRS, are a hive of activity. Yet there is
strike fear into
any regular a relative calm here. Perhaps the quiet
squadron pilot confidence of being an elite pilot in
— a formation of one of the finest military training areas
aggressor ‘Vipers’
pushing into the permeates the atmosphere in a different
fight.Frank Crébas way than the usual bustle associated with
www.Key.Aero // December 2019 51
23/10/2019 19:38
 SQUADRON SHOWCASE // 18TH AGGRESSOR SQUADRON

such an in-demand unit. The relaxed scene

continues outside the squadron buildings, The obligatory
hand gesture as
too, with giant moose content to roam the
a ‘Blue Foxes’
local roads and the base perimeter with pilot taxies out
relative impunity. Indeed, it is necessary at Eielson.
Frank Crébas
to ensure all flight-line gates are closed
before moving off in case of a wildlife
incursion — one of these huge brutes
was seen casually roaming around the
main gate area of the base upon Combat
Aircraft’s arrival.

Aggressor playground
The 18th AGRS is unique in that it
is assigned to the Pacific Air Forces
(PACAF) and is based outside the
Continental United States (OCONUS).
Flying the Block 30 variant of the
F-16C/D, it is a subordinate unit of the
354th Fighter Wing (FW) at Eielson. Its
roots can be traced back to activation in
1940 as a Southwest Air District Pursuit
Squadron. The squadron first arrived hours with 10 jets in just three months, Top: The Alaskan appropriately — swapping out its Block
in Alaska during the 1942-43 Aleutian as well as the unit’s airmen accounting aggressors fly 40 F-16s with the Kunsan, Korea-based
1980s-vintage
campaign after it was re-equipped with for two Distinguished Flying Crosses, Block 30 F-16C/ wing for its Block 30s in the process. This
P-38 Lightnings. The jet era began for and a Silver Star) and homeland ‘Noble Ds. These have move was complete by August 14, 2007.
the unit in 1952, with F-86 Sabres under Eagle’ participation. received few The job of the aggressors has not
upgrades in
Air Defense Command, and the modern When the Eielson-based ‘Cope recent times, changed much since then — retaining
history of the 18th Fighter Squadron Thunder’ exercise transitioned to with podded the ‘know, teach, replicate’ mantra for
(FS) tells tales of Operation ‘Southern become ‘Red Flag-Alaska’ in 2006, the systems being the recreating threats better than any other
only significant
Watch’ (with F-16s), Operation ‘Enduring decision was taken to expand the advance. squadron and providing challenging,
Freedom’ (notably flying 3,200 flight aggressor provision and morph the unit Frank Crébas realistic replication, training, and test

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 India). It is here that they will take full Nellis’ airspace would fit in a small corner
advantage of the barren landscape to of ours — its entirety is unbelievable.’
work in the vast unpopulated east of the The 18th AGRS was the focus of
state, where the entire airspace is made significant local and governmental
up of 18 permanent Military Operations attention in 2013, when it was slated
Areas (MOAs), 11 high-altitude training to move from Eielson to Joint Base
areas, and three restricted areas (R2202, Elmendorf-Richardson, near Anchorage.
R2205, R2211), giving a total ‘playground’ It was a response to a proposal to
of some 68,000 square miles — or roughly consolidate all fighter units there under
the size of Oklahoma. The squadron also the sequestration budget-constraint
deploys to PACAF bases and locations period, during which time the squadron’s
(Guam and Australia for example) and jets remained grounded for a period of
even partners with its Nellis brothers as three months. Civic leaders from both
and when required. locations fought strongly against the
support alongside insightful academics ‘We’re uniquely placed to train the move and had their voice strengthened
and briefings. Pacific Air Forces,’ said Maj ‘Cougar’ by the Alaskan Congressional Delegation,
Eielson itself is located 26 miles Hunger, a former 48th FW F-15E pilot which implemented a funding freeze
Above: An ALQ- southeast of Fairbanks, a large beacon and now operations director with the ‘AK’ on the Defense Appropriations Bill to
188 electronic
attack training of civilization that sits around a six-hour aggressors. ‘At their PACAF bases, they move the squadron and also delayed the
pod on the wilderness drive north of Anchorage. don’t have the large, unrestricted over- promotion of a lieutenant general until
centerline station. It hosts the famed ‘Red Flag-Alaska’ land ranges that they need, so when they the USAF addressed the concerns of the
Frank Crébas
exercises three to four times a given year come here it’s incredible training for them move. It worked, and the widespread
Below: (for around 10 days at a time, with up to — they aren’t used to aircraft coming opposition caused the Department of
Refurbishment 70 sorties twice a day). This is where the through mountains at low level and Defense to withdraw its recommendation
of the hangars
resulted in 18th AGRS comes into its own as it pushes having an enemy pop up. It’s certainly one — the ‘Blue Foxes’ remained at Eielson.
the 18th AGRS out threat-replication missions as ‘Red of the best ranges in the entire world — ‘Two squadrons of F-35 Lightning IIs will
operating from Air’ for the participating units (often with not only in terms of size and threat set-up, arrive here at Eielson next year,’ added Maj
a flight line this
summer. large foreign contingents from nations but also the fact that it is so unpopulated Hunger. ‘These assets, alongside a wing of
Frank Crébas such as Japan, Republic of Korea, and with few avoidance areas. For example, F-22 Raptors to the south, and combined

www.Key.Aero // December 2019 53

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 SQUADRON SHOWCASE // 18TH AGGRESSOR SQUADRON
with all the other aspects on the ground
and in the air in our neighborhood, really
add to the domestic training environment.’

Two of a kind
Lt Col Jason ‘Majik’ Monaco is the
squadron commander of the 18th
AGRS. He talked through the differences
between the Nellis and Eielson-based
aggressors: ‘The 64th [AGRS] at Nellis is
primarily an Air Combat Command asset
and a major part of Exercise ‘Red Flag’. We
are a PACAF squadron and an integral part If I roll
of ‘Red Flag-Alaska’, which differentiates
in the type of airspace, geography daylight and we can see the Northern
Right: The Eielson
aggressors
behind
and participant units. We also travel a
little more than the 64th, with regular
Lights all the time — and it can get
pretty awesome through NVGs [night-
get to fly over
breathtaking
you in a
deployments to Guam for ‘Cope North’, vision goggles].
scenery in
the vast Joint regular-
Hawaii for ‘Sentry Aloha’ or Australia for Lt Col Monaco continued: ‘Both US Pacific Alaska
example — we have a little more flexibility Air Force aggressor squadrons have Range Complex
in Alaska. Frank
painted F-16 it’s
to operate as free agents to go on the painted jets to serve a purpose — the
road for PACAF requirements. Of course, young squadron ‘Blue Air’ pilot will look
Crébas
one thing, but
Below left to
we also fly in very different weather
conditions. It might reach 50-below
at us in the merge and see that it’s an
unfamiliar scheme, recognize that it’s
right: A light snow
flurry greets a
if I do it in one
here whilst Nellis might hit 120 [degrees
Fahrenheit]!
not part of their force, so they can attack
it. Nellis has more desert colors and
crew chief as he
marshals a ‘Viper’ that’s painted
for the morning
At Eielson, the temperatures swing from
28° Celsius (82° Fahrenheit) down to -50°C
we’ve got more splinter Arctic schemes.
These work well with the mountains
‘go’.
Rich Cooper
like a Su-57 it’s
(-58°F), with multiple weather precautions in the winter and our dark green and
Lt Col Jason quite another
— not least the pilot’s flying gear. ‘The brown jets are amazing at hiding out ‘Majik’ Monaco,
temperatures are extreme,’ added Maj here in the summertime, low down in commander of the Maj ‘Cougar’ Hunger
Hunger. ‘We won’t actually fly to the north the Yukons. 18th AGRS.
Rich Cooper
in the dead of winter due to the rescue ‘We are also slightly smaller than the
elements involved. We have specialist Nellis set-up, in that we do not have The Alaskan
flying kit and we all must undertake Arctic a space or cyber aggressor operation, aggressors
wear a range of
survival training — we go out into the nor an Adversary Tactics Group, but we schemes, with
woods for a couple of days and nights. I pool all intelligence resources. We are splinter designs
wore the specialist winter flying boots at a little smaller than a combat squadron now becoming
the preferred
minus 30 and my feet were actually hot! too, with just under 20 pilots. We finish.
We have short days, maybe four hours of have 21 aircraft [19 C-models and two Frank Crébas

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 www.Key.Aero // December 2019 55

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 SQUADRON SHOWCASE // 18TH AGGRESSOR SQUADRON

D-models], as well as a complement

of ground control intercept [GCI]
controllers as part of our organization
— each maintaining the required
aggressor training and mindset.
‘We are generating a lot of sorties, with
around 5,000 projected flying hours per
annum, and that’s pretty robust for a
small unit.’ Referring to the huge USAF
contracted aggressor requirement,
Monaco said: ‘Right now, there is no
requirement for contracted aggressors
up here, though we have flown with
the guys from Draken International
when we deployed to Nellis. It’s been
interesting to see the [plan for the]
65th AGRS to stand up with the F-35
at Nellis, and there’s a probability of

56 December 2019 // www.Key.Aero

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 ALASKAN
communities as we are almost increasing
the size of the fighter wing by 50 per
cent [around 1,300 additional active duty

LIGHTNING personnel]. One advantage that Eielson

has is the noise footprint was a minimal
concern during the impact study.
The 18th AGRS is currently operating ‘We are adding two squadrons of 24
from a regular flight line at Eielson aircraft each, plus keeping the aggressor
instead of its traditional hangars while F-16s and there’ll be no change to the
construction work and modifications current mission for a total of 64 fighters.
to the all-weather hangars are being This has driven a lot of construction work,
completed in preparation for the arrival including two new 16-bay all-weather
of the F-35 Lightning II in Alaska. shelters for the new fighters, as well
Col (ret’d) Kevin Blanchard, a former as renovating some older shelters and
A-10 pilot based at Eielson, is head of facilities and installing six F-35 simulators.’
the F-35 integration effort there. He said: This represents growth for the region
‘The US Air Force decided that the first and indeed for the US Air Force overall.
operational F-35 unit would be at Hill The two new squadron numberplates
AFB [Utah] and the second unit would have just been announced. The first
that happening here, but that’s all ‘Our
be amission is to know,
part of PACAF. teach and
They looked at basing training in orderupfor
one — standing in them
October to2019
knowwith what
speculation right now.’ replicate, ’ Maj Hunger underscores.
in Japan, Hawaii, Korea and Alaska and ‘We to expect if they went to combat.
aircraft arriving from April 2020 — will be ’
getnarrowed
to know the down basedbyonworking
threat base support
with the
The 356th
threatFS,iswhich is historically
everything aligned
to an aggressor.
Life as a ‘bad guy’ An astonishing
theand feasibility
US and of operational
international training
intelligence
ranges and eventually settled it on
to the
‘We live354th
thatFW. Theand
threat second
have
355th FS, which was the A-10 squadron
will be the into
it baked
Above the 18th AGRS’ ready room shot of an 18th agencies and attending specific our DNA, but we use it wisely,’ noted Maj
Eielson [notably for the size and quality that stood down at Eielson in 2007 and
hangs a large wooden plaque with the AGRS F-16C on conferences. Once
of the ranges]. Onceweselected,
know that we had to Hunger. ‘We will
its first F-35s takebethe opportunity
online to sit
in Fiscal Year
clear instruction of what this unit trains the flight line at threat, we are expected
go through the environmental to teach, so we
impact with
2021. our combat squadrons to understand
Eielson under the
USAF fighter pilots to do: ‘Train Blue to aurora borealis in putstudy in late 2014,
our members so the actual
through decision
a rigorous Blanchard
what techniquesadded: and‘Operating
tactics theyany are using
kill people and break their stuff with October. that allowed
process so thatus to move
they forward give
can actually was a fighter
so that here
we are in the winter is atheir
maximizing challenge,
training.
Rich Cooper little over a year after Eielson was down- but we have the right buildings and
impunity in their own backyard. Have at that information to our own air force, In addition, the guys here are not going to
selected in April 2016. equipment. It’s not so much the aircraft,
you!’ The latter is the unit’s motto from Inset: Aggressor navy ‘Next,
and marine
we startedpilots, as well
planning foras our
the fairly be
butaggressors their wholelimits.
more the maintainers’ careerBut— after
its past combat squadron days, and is pilots are coalition partners. After we know
large construction and personnel project. that their tour with us, they are
the jets perform great in the cold, so going to go
really big within the unit. The personnel drawn from It was
threat andbigger
teachthan
thatnormal
threat,because, unlike
we replicate we have
back intothetheweather
combatshelters
air forcessetand
to awe
across combat
yell it on every conceivable occasion. squadrons and thatmost other
threat. Weplaces
take where theseriously.
this very F-35 might constant
make sure[warm] temperature.
they take We’ve to
their knowledge
be coming in to replace a current unit, had success with everything from F-4s,
During the brief, as they step to the jets, they become We replicate it not only in the air but their squadrons. They also have an open
this is an additional asset to the base so to A-10s, F-16s and F-22s here in Alaska
in the bar when people pass each other aficionados of alsosignifi
fromcantGCIs, too, like anwas adversary connection backso toweus as well,nothing
so that
how to play the construction required. with that model, expect
— always, and usually in combination bad guys. would. So, when a ‘Blue Force’
As was the negotiation with the is with
local they reach
different.’ out and say ‘my squadron is
with their customary two-finger sign. Rich Cooper us, they’re getting accurate and realistic going to X location, can you perform a

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 SQUADRON SHOWCASE // 18TH AGGRESSOR SQUADRON
teleconference with us to tell us more
about the threat in that area so we can
understand it a little bit more?’ — it’s a
great flow of information.’
Enemy state of mind
Walking through the halls of memorabilia
that bear a characteristic retro
communism flavor, it’s interesting to hear
from Maj Hunger as to when the pilots
adopt the ‘enemy’ mentality for real: ‘We
have our flying and communications
standards that we operate to. For example,
as soon as we take off and do our check-in
with each other or our controllers [on the
radio], it’s specifically foreign adversary
[procedures], and whilst these are spoken
in English they are executed and mirror
those of an adversary force.’
The aggressors take detail seriously, so
this would be down to individual radio
calls and how the fight is set up. Hunger
explained: ‘Whereas a ‘Blue Force’ would
use AWACS [Airborne Warning and Control
System] or GCI [built around a] ‘bullseye’
to build a 3D conceptual picture of the
battlespace, we use BRA [bearing, range
and altitude], which is more challenging
to gain situational awareness whilst in a
formation and I have to think a lot more
about where people are. Furthermore,
familiar terms such as ‘four-ship wall of
Eagles’ would be replaced by differing
comms terms such as ‘column’ or ‘row’
formation. We mirror what we know and
how adversaries operate.’
Among the most striking aspects of an
AGRS are the schemes on their jets, as
Maj Hunger explained: ‘We have unique
colored aircraft for good reason. If I roll
58 December 2019 // www.Key.Aero
50-59 18th AGRS C.indd 58
behind you in a regular-painted F-16
it’s one thing, but if I do it in one that’s
painted like a Su-57 it’s quite another.
All our jets are going to transition to the
splinter version of the camo as we have
noted that many adversary countries are
going this way. Again, such detail helps
us as we step to a F-16 painted with a red
star; it focuses our mind on the task ahead.’
Pilot Capt Darrell ‘Hank’r’ Cherf added:
‘It’s true to say that it is a different mindset
here. We want to present a difficult
problem to solve and if we are successful
in a fight, then we had a good problem
set and we hope the ‘Blue’ guys have
learned from it. If you win, you don’t
learn anything.
‘If we don’t put up a fight, no one learns
anything. So, in everything we do — if
the more difficult problems and the
more tactically complicated scenarios we
present result in us winning — it’s good
that it’s during a simulated environment
and not during an actual air-to-air
engagement with live weapons. They
can peel back the onion and ask why
they didn’t achieve their objectives. As
we continue to hone the ‘Blue Air’ edge,
they will come out having seen very
Above: A crisp line difficult problem sets and they will have
abreast formation
of ‘Blue Foxes’
the skills and abilities to solve them in the
— high above real world.’
a thick cloud All this will happen on a daily,
layer that has
blanketed the
mission-by-mission, engagement-by-
Alaskan wilds. engagement, turn-by-turn basis. Capt
Frank Crébas Cherf explained the daily work of an
Below: It’s rare
aggressor pilot at Eielson: ‘We show up
to see aggressor at the mass co-ordination brief in the
‘Vipers’ carrying morning. ‘Blue’ [forces] will receive all
targeting pods
but the 18th AGRS
the admin, the weather, the training
uses the Sniper rules, departure times and then we
as an infra-red separate. They go into their own brief
search and track
(IRST) sensor.
and we go into ours led by ‘MiG-1’, the
Rich Cooper ‘Red’ mission commander. This is when
Acknowledgment: The authors wish to thank Lt
Col Jason Monaco, Capt Darren Cherf, Stephanie
Cherf, Lt Kitsana Dounglomchan and all others in
the 18th AGRS and 354th FW for their assistance
in the production of this feature.
23/10/2019 19:39
 INTERVIEW WITH
China have a large export industry the F-22s, for example, then it’s a lot
and their aircraft tend to have specific more bespoke and reactive.’
doctrines and fighting styles and

AN AGGRESSOR
Capt Darrell ‘Hank’r’ Cherf talks to Combat Aircraft about life
on the 18th AGRS.
CA: What are the minimum
qualifications to become an
aggressor pilot?
DC: ‘You need to undergo a transition
course for the F-16 so you know the
‘Viper’ specifics. We take A-10, F-15,
F-16, F-22 and F-35 guys. When they
get here they undergo a mission
qualification phase before they’re
ready to go.’
CA: Are there any specific threat
nation specialists within the 18th
AGRS, or can anyone replicate
anything?
DC: ‘Our entire squadron has a
collective knowledge of aircraft and
nations. We each have a wealth of
knowledge so don’t individually
specialize.’
CA: As you work from a threat
replication guide, does this make
you predictable for experienced
pilots or those who have flown
against you before?
DC: ‘During ‘Red Flag’ it’s all about
exposing the youngest wingman
to our level of training. But there’s
enough tactical problem sets out
there presenting different formation
sets, decoys, maneuvers and altitudes
to employ — and especially with the
Alaskan airspace offering mountains,
low-level nooks and crannies to
exploit — that there’s a mass of
different pictures and problems for
them to solve. Even experienced pilots
need to have a very good game plan,
not only as an individual, but as a
whole package to solve the problems
we cause them.’
CA: Are you out to replicate a
specific threat or air force?
DC: ‘We go out to replicate certain
types of aircraft. Not necessarily
country-specific. Of course, Russia and
tactics and we will try to replicate
that.’
CA: Can you explain how you
replicate another airframe with an
F-16?
DC: ‘There’s different radars, weapons
and systems on board and we have
a rough guideline on what we can
and can’t do. The ‘Blue Force’ will have
a list of potential threats that they
could encounter in which areas of the
range, with an element of surprise in
there too. This will usually vary from
location to location and they might
say, for example, ‘MiG-21s could
be operating from this area’, which
will mean that the replicated threat
would be all about a short-range
‘kill’, and they might expect high-rate
launches, whilst a totally different
threat could be right next door.’
CA: Can squadrons request that
you replicate a specific threat?
DC: ‘Yes. During a ‘Red Flag’ there’s
a lot of requests ahead of time due
to the amount of different aircraft
involved and their own objectives.
But if we’re doing local missions with
CA: Is it difficult to restrict yourself
in a fight?
DC: ‘Some of our threats are radar
limited or power limited. I’ll be sitting
there and if I was replicating an F-16 I
would approach the fight differently,
so yes, you have to be very aware
of what you are doing and why.
Sometimes we will go all-out, max
capability fights and often that will be
against ourselves to keep our skillsets
as high as possible and this is useful
for when our pilots go back to the
combat squadrons.’
CA: How do young pilots cope with
seeing an aggressor for the first
time?
DC: ‘It’s very different to flying against
an in-house component made up
from within your own operational
squadron. When you come here, and
you undertake those all-important
first three flights against a professional
adversary, it’s immediately apparent
there’s so much more going on and so
much happening in the air. It can be
quite overwhelming and hard to gather
situational awareness and determine
who is good and who is bad.’

we get a gameplan devised to test them.’
He said it could be a plan to press their
electronic attack capabilities, or what he
calls ‘Avalanche east or west’ — which
effectively means having a lot of aircraft
together at a certain point.
Post-mission, the two sides go into
their respective debriefs before they
congregate for a playback of the entire
mission. Cherf said: ‘We can pinpoint
exactly what happened in terms of
missile shots and ‘kills’. ‘Blue’ will then
have their final debrief to evaluate how
their gameplan fared and what needs
improving or what went right and they
need to continue to do. We look and see
if there were any missed opportunities
to train and see if we could have made
it more difficult for them. Ours is not
necessarily about how do we win,
but moreover how do we train better
next time.’

To read more about USAF aggressors,

the July 2019 issue of Combat
This image: Wearing an arctic aggressor scheme, Aircraft featured a showcase of
a ‘Viper’ blasts out of Eielson. Rich Cooper the 64th Aggressor Squadron at
Nellis AFB, Nevada. Read this and
Inset: Outbriefing at the ops desk — aggressor hundreds of other features by visiting:
drivers get ready to head out and play havoc with www.Key.Aero
the ‘blue’ forces. Rich Cooper

www.Key.Aero // December 2019 59

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 60 December 2019 // www.Key.Aero

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 Exercise ‘Tsentr’ is an annual showcase of Russian military
power, pulling together regional allies for a comprehensive series
of war games.

REPORT AND PHOTOS Dmitriy Pichugin

T
HE RUSSIAN MILITARY’S largest in the Central and Southern Military
exercise of the year took place Districts of Russia, as well as the Caspian
over five days from September Sea and neighboring states.
16-20. Exercise ‘Tsentr’ Alongside Russian forces, other
Su-34 (‘Center’) was conducted participants included units from China,
‘Fullbacks’ under the leadership of Gen Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan,
taxi out at
Chelyabinsk
Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the Tajikistan, Pakistan and India, mainly
during ‘Tsentr general staff and first deputy minister involving ground troops. In total, 128,000
2019’. The of defense. The scale of the exercise personnel and around 600 aircraft were
exercise
involved
means that it serves as an annual involved, with a heavy emphasis on
two Su-34 demonstration of military readiness elements of the Eastern Military District,
squadrons in Russia, and it specifically revolves plus Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS)
working closely
with ‘Fencer’
around strategic command and control Long-Range Aviation and a variety of
units. including six combined-arms ranges tactical units.

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 EXERCISE REPORT // ’TSENTR 2019’

62 December 2019 // www.Key.Aero

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 This image: A Su-34 from
the 559th Bomber Aviation
Regiment (BAP) gets airborne
from Chelyabinsk.
Above left to right: This
Su-24M is carrying highly
unusual wing stores in the
shape of a pair of AAP-500
(Aviatsionnyi Aerozolnyi
Pribor, literally airborne
aerosol device) smokescreen
generator pods. These are
designed to obscure the
battlefield, but can also
impede the use of laser-
guided bombs.
A Su-24M trails its twin drag
’chutes upon returning to
Chelyabinsk.
Su-24MRs conducted post-
strike tactical reconnaissance
of the ‘Tsentr’ battle areas.
This example also carries an
SRS-14 Tangazh electronic
intelligence (ELINT) pod.
Air assets
Various VKS aircraft played key roles in
‘Tsentr’, with a distinct air-to-ground
emphasis. This brought together Tu-22M3
‘Backfires’, Su-34 ‘Fullbacks’, and Su-24M/
M2 ‘Fencers’, which conducted live
weapons events alongside tactical ground
assaults with Mi-8 ‘Hip’ and Mi-26 ‘Halo’
battlefield support helicopters and Il-76
transport aircraft disgorging swarms of
paratroopers on the Donguz training
ranges in the Orenburg region. Operating
above these elements, MiG-31 ‘Foxhounds’
and Su-35S ‘Flankers’ provided top cover.
During the final phase of the exercise,
the airfield at Chelyabinsk/Shagol was
active with two squadrons of Su-34s, one
from the resident and newly equipped
2nd Composite Aviation Regiment (2
SAP) plus visitors from the 559th Bomber
Aviation Regiment (BAP) at Morozovsk.
Chelyabinsk-based Su-24M/M2 bombers
flew alongside Su-24MR reconnaissance
‘Fencers’. While the strike aircraft flew
with unguided OFAB-250 bombs, it was
also reported that the ‘Fullbacks’ were
testing new internal electronic warfare
equipment.
‘Tsentr 2019’ was designed to illustrate
how Russian forces can combine with
allied assets to fend off aggressors.
Indeed, the scenario was that of a rogue
state attempting to seize territory within
Russian national borders. Russian Defense
Minister Sergei Shoigu said ‘Tsentr’ was not
directed at other specific countries and
that it focused on countering the threat
from international terrorism.
Standard fare for training exercises
are the OFAB-250 bombs.

Mi-28 ‘Havocs’ unleash 80mm S-8

rockets on the range at Donguz.
Dmitri Sribnyi

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 EXERCISE REPORT // ‘FALCON LEAP’

O
PERATION ‘FALCON LEAP’
ran from September 10-21

‘MARKET GARDEN’
as an offensive airborne
assault operation under the
supervision of the Royal

REMEMBERED
Netherlands Air Force’s
(Koninklijke Luchtmacht’s, KLu’s) 336
Squadron at Eindhoven. More than
1,200 paratroopers from nine countries
participated in the event, which
culminated with commemorations for
the 75th anniversary of Operation ‘Market The commemoration of Operation ‘Market Garden’ has evolved into a wider
Garden’, the Allied offensive to free Arnhem training exercise that has been built around this important anniversary.
from German occupation in 1944.
The initial plan was to include a dozen REPORT AND PHOTOS Frank Visser and Ludo Mennes
aircraft: two US Air Forces in Europe
C-130Js, two US Air National Guard C-130s,
a Royal Air Force C-130J, one Luftwaffe
C-160D Transall, two Dutch C-130H-30s,
Aeronautica Militare (Italian Air Force)
C-27J and C-130J, one Siły Powietrzne
(Polish Air Force) C295M and a Belgian Air
Component C-130H. However, operational
commitments forced the removal of six
participants, which, according to Major
‘Satu’ (full name withheld for security
considerations), who was this year’s air
mission commander, nearly forced the
entire event to be canceled. A round of
re-planning saw a renewed commitment
— including the addition of a US Marine
Corps KC-130J — but as ‘Satu’ said: ‘It does,
however, painfully show that air forces do
not have ample air transport capacity.’
The first week was dominated
by formation flying and dropping
cargo bundles. The second week was
completely reserved for paradropping
and the participating aircraft changed
configurations to support a plan to deploy
1,000 paratroopers in one mission.
Maj ‘Satu’ said: ‘We flew different types
of formations like echelon, line abreast,
trail, but mostly flew fluid trail and vic
[three-ship] formations.’ The latter was
the formation flown by Dakotas during
‘Market Garden’ in 1944. This year’s event
culminated on September 21 as 1,000
paratroopers marked the anniversary.
Maj ‘Satu’ concluded: ‘Through this
exercise, we have shown air forces
that ‘Falcon Leap’ is more than just a
commemoration. Various training goals
can be achieved during the exercise. The
joint practice with airborne troops of
various army units is so important.’

Related content
A detailed report on Operation ‘Falcon
Leap’ will appear in the December
issue of our sister publication
AirForces Monthly.

64 December 2019 // www.Key.Aero

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 This image: One of two Dutch
C-130H-30s that took part in
Operation ‘Falcon Leap’.

Bottom left to right: Maj ‘Satu’, a

C-130H flight commander at 336
Squadron.

‘Falcon leap’ included some 323

military freefall jumps.

The view from the rear ramp.

The participants flew the exact
same route used during Operation
‘Market Garden’ in 1944.

www.Key.Aero // December 2019 65

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 Italy deployed F-35A Lightning IIs
operationally for the first time in October
to undertake the NATO air policing mission
safeguarding Iceland’s airspace, and
Combat Aircraft was granted exclusive
access to the detachment at Keflavík.
REPORT AND PHOTOS Giovanni Colla
W
ITH ITS REMOTE
geographical location
and total lack of
organic air defense
capabilities, Iceland
relies completely on
its NATO allies for air policing. A periodic
presence of NATO fighter aircraft at
Keflavík air base is viewed as being
sufficient to maintain the integrity of its
airspace. In contrast with the Baltic Air
Policing (BAP) mission, which involves
continuous coverage, the Icelandic
government has consistently only
requested an average of three annual
deployments, with each lasting for three
to four weeks.
In late September, the Italian Air Force
(Aeronautica Militare, AM) spearheaded
the third Icelandic fighter detachment
of 2019 under its Task Force Air (TFA)
32nd Wing, dubbed Operation ‘Northern
Lightning’. As the name alludes, this saw
six F-35As from the 13° Gruppo of the 32°
Stormo at Amendola heading north to
patrol Iceland’s airspace.
‘It marks the first time modern fifth-
generation fighter aircraft have deployed
for a mission under NATO command and
control,’ said Col Stefano Spreafico, the
Task Force Air commander. ‘For Italy it is
the fifth time — and the second time in
66 December 2019 // www.Key.Aero
66-69 F-35 in Iceland C.indd 66
2019 — we have supported this NATO
mission in Iceland.’ The AM has previously
deployed Eurofighter F-2000As for
the mission.
Working alongside the Icelandic
Coast Guard, the TFA came under the
leadership of the Comando Operativo di
Vertice Interforze (Italian Joint Command
Operations) and was supported by around
130 personnel.
Col Spreafico added: ‘The planning for
this mission began in the first months
of the year and we received official
confirmation for it in mid-July.’ A team
from Amendola began to work on
specific requirements including scramble
operations that focused on the Icelandic
scenario. An advance party then flew to
Iceland on September 23 to set up a force
protection team, a headquarters and the
necessary communications equipment.
The six jets were then deployed as four
aircraft on September 25 and a further
pair the following day — flying direct from
Italy. The entire move was supported by
four KC-767A and eight C-130J missions,
while a P-72A from the 41° Stormo
Two 32° Stormo
provided search and rescue cover. F-35As fly over
typical Icelandic
Bedding down terrain during
‘Northern
The detachment declared full operational Lightning’ in
capability (FOC) on October 2, two days October.
24/10/2019 11:02
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 OPS REPORT // ‘NORTHERN LIGHTNING’

68 December 2019 // www.Key.Aero

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 ahead of schedule. During a ceremony
held at Keflavík on October 5, Lt Col
Wilhem May from NATO’s overseeing
Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC)
in Uedem, Germany, handed over the
mission readiness certificate to the
detachment commander. It was an
important signal of Italy’s ability to swiftly
deploy a mid-size detachment of F-35s to
a relatively austere location.
The meat of the mission involved a pair
of Lightning IIs, each armed with a pair of
live AIM-120C-5 Advanced Medium-Range
Clockwise from Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs), holding
top left: 24-hour quick reaction alert (QRA) from
The F-35s were October 2-24.
housed in the
existing hardened Explaining the reasoning behind
aircraft shelters allocating F-35s to this relatively
at Keflavík during benign mission, Task Group Lightning
the deployment.
commander Maj Giuseppe (full name
The pilots withheld for security considerations)
‘stepped’ to the commented: ‘The added value of the F-35
jets fully kitted out
and prepared for is its ability to take information — even
the cold Icelandic from a distance of the unidentified aircraft
climate. — and pass it in real time to the command
Mission planning and control chain. Therefore the aircraft
in the operations allows me — even before making the
block at Keflavík. VID [visual identification] — to have the
A fabulous shot of necessary information, after which we
a pair of F-35As can complete the intercept to check all
on a mission the other data that is requested from us
from Keflavík in
October. in flight.’
Speaking of the other general training
Right: Col missions that were being flown over the
Spreafico, the
Task Force Air island, Maj Giuseppe added: ‘The large
areas allow us to do good training for pure
commander.
The added value of the F-35 is its
ability to take information — even from a
distance of the unidentified aircraft — and pass
it in real time to the command and control chain
66-69 F-35 in Iceland C.indd 69
air-to-air missions — the only limitation
is that we don’t have support from other
assets. Since this is the first deployment
of the F-35, we are focusing a lot on the
integration of the aircraft within the NATO
defense system, in particular by exploiting
all the digital features of the aircraft [for
information sharing] through the datalink.’
The detachment also continued the
tradition of working with the Icelandic
Coast Guard (ICG), which maintains the
ground-based air defense picture of the
local airspace and also provides search
and rescue cover. Maj Giuseppe added:
‘During the deployment we have a
program to train slow-mover intercept
missions thanks to the support of ICG
helicopters.’
This first deployment was observed as
being a tough test for the F-35s, but the
increased capacity to collect and share
information in real time was viewed as a
major benefit. The climatic conditions also
served as a useful test for the ability to
adapt to any temperatures. Maj Giuseppe
concluded: ‘The aircraft can move from the
extreme heat of Arizona to the cold of this
part of the world. The F-35 is ready to go in
all weather conditions.’
The authors would like to thank
the Aeronautica Militare and Stato
Maggiore Difesa Public Affairs
Office, Col Stefano Spreafico, Maj
Giuseppe, Maj Andrea Colotti, Manfred
Reudenbach and Michael Wawrzyniak
and the Icelandic Coast Guard.
www.Key.Aero // December 2019 69
24/10/2019 11:02
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 The Royal Canadian Air
Force’s 401st Tactical Fighter
Squadron deployed to Texas
this summer for its annual
force-generation detachment
to work alongside US forces.

REPORT AND PHOTOS

Michael Keaveney

T
HE ROYAL CANADIAN Air
Force’s 401st Tactical Fighter
Squadron (TFS) is based
at Cold Lake, Alberta, and
it is Canada’s oldest flying
squadron, having celebrated
its centenary on November 20, 2018.
The unit deployed en masse to NAS
Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base, Texas,
earlier this year for its annual ‘Sandy
Fleece’ exercise, which included 13
CF-188s supported by a CC-130HT
Hercules tanker and a quartet of Alpha
Jets operated by Top Aces, the civilian
adversary training company.
Squadron commander Lt Col F. G. Rock
told Combat Aircraft: ‘We go on multiple
detachments, but we do ‘Sandy Fleece’
once a year. Normally, we are training
across the spectrum of mission sets.
However, on this exercise we decided to
take a phased approach. We started with
basic fighter maneuvers [BFM].’ This was
a mix of 1-v-1 and 2-v-2 engagements.
‘The last week centered around
defensive counter-air,’ he added. Most
of the training utilized local ranges such
as the Brownwood Military Operations

Main image: 401 Squadron

detached 13 CF-188s to NAS Fort
Worth Joint Reserve Base for a
high-intensity period of dissimilar
training under ‘Sandy Fleece’.

Left: CF-188B serial 188926 was

loaned from the 410th TFS for the
deployment.

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 UNIT REPORT // 401ST TFS

CF-188 pilots made use of the

location to fly air-to-air training
missions against the resident US
Marine Corps Reserve Hornets
and USAF Reserve Command
F-16s.

It’s not just about the number

of hours that we flew or the
sorties, it’s the plan that we put together
and how the logistics, maintenance
and aircrews executed it without any
significant obstacles
Lt Col F. G. Rock

Top Aces Alpha Jets joined the detachment to provide additional

dissimilar air combat assets under the Contracted Airborne
Training Services (CATS) contract.

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 Bottom: This
Area (MOA) and the bombing range
located at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. The CANADIAN
FIGHTER INSIGHT
CF-188A carries a squadron used this programmed
laser-guided GBU- training detachment to work alongside
10 for a mission
to the Fort Sill the resident VMFA-112 ‘Cowboys’ — also
ranges. flying ‘legacy’ Hornets, and the 457th FS Interview with Lt Col F. G. Rock.
‘Spads’ flying F-16Cs. Lt Col Rock said:
Inset right: The CA: What are the plans for the 25 Germany in the 1980s, except on a
401st TFS was the ‘We flew BFM with VMFA-112 during the
surplus F/A-18s that Canada is much smaller scale. It was interesting
only Canadian first week — with the 457th there was a purchasing from Australia? to see how some of our fairer-weather
squadron that mix of BFM and some ACM [air combat Rock: ‘As it stands right now the plan NATO partners reacted to the cold of
fought in the
maneuvering]. is to incorporate them into each of Norway. The 401st and the other Arctic
Battle of Britain.
At that time it was ‘We achieved a 96 per cent sortie the squadrons, so essentially all the countries had no problem operating in
known as No 1 squadrons will go up in the number of that environment.’
completion rate. It’s not just about the
Squadron, but it aircraft [they have available].’
was changed to number of hours that we flew or the CA: What were the main issues you
No 401 Squadron sorties, it’s the plan that we put together CA: In Canada you have extreme cold faced during ‘Operation Impact’
to alleviate and how the logistics, maintenance weather to deal with, how do you — the Canadian contribution to
confusion with adjust when you deploy to warmer ‘Inherent Resolve’ in the Middle East?
its Royal Air Force and aircrews executed it without any
climates such as south-west Asia? Rock: ‘Most of the fighting in Syria and
counterparts. The significant obstacles.’ Looking ahead to
Rock: ‘There is a skill that comes with Iraq had died down by the time we
port stabilizer 2020 and the next iteration of ‘Sandy
of serial 188731 operating in the cold and inclement arrived, and there was less frequent
marks ‘Operation Fleece’, Rock said: ‘We actually have weather. I think it gives us an edge in bomb dropping. However, the targets
Impact 2016’, an operational mission this fall, and terms of our adaptability. In theater were more challenging. The enemy
when the 401st we’ll have to see how that will play in there are challenges, like sand that was getting better at concealing its
TFS flew missions gets into everything and heat that activities and hiding amongst the
from Kuwait, determining when the best time will be
makes electronics fail. An example of population. One of the problems we
being deployed to go on a force-generation detachment. being able to adapt to an environment, faced in Iraq was ensuring there was no
there from We will be deployed conducting NATO ‘Trident Juncture 2018’ was held in collateral damage, which at times made
October 8, 2015
air policing in Europe from September to Norway and it was representative of some of the strikes impossible
through to March
2016. December.’ the ‘Reforger’ exercises held in West to conduct.’

www.Key.Aero // December 2019 73

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 The Polish Air Force retains
a fleet of heavily upgraded
MiG-29s with the 1. Eskadra
Lotnictwa Taktycznego (1.elt)
at Miñsk Mazowiecki and the
41.elt at Malbork. Bartek Bera

74 December 2019 // www.Key.Aero

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 PART ONE
The MiG-29 rightfully deserves its place as one of the all-time classic fighters. However, while
development of enhanced derivatives continues, there is only modest commercial demand for
the type, with slow-rate production expected to be maintained until the mid-2020s.

REPORT AND PHOTOS Alexander Mladenov

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 FIGHTER FOCUS // MiG-29 ‘FULCRUM’
T
HE MIG-29 (NATO reporting
name ‘Fulcrum’) was originally
designed by Mikoyan in
the then Soviet Union as a
replacement for the variable-
geometry ‘swing wing’ MiG-23
as well as late MiG‑21 derivatives. When
it entered service with the VVS (Voenno-
Vozdushniye Sily, Soviet Air Force) in
1983 it was regarded as a fairly capable
lightweight air defense fighter with a nod
to ground attack, but notably with shorter
range than the ‘Flogger’.
Series production for the domestic
market commenced in early 1982,
followed in 1987 for export customers.
The so-called ‘classic’ versions — using
the original airframe design — were
maintained in low-rate production until
2016. Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG
(RAC MiG), the design authority and
manufacturer — successor to what the
West called the Mikoyan Design Bureau
— says the total number of ‘classic
Fulcrums’ built is slightly above 1,600. The
twin-engine/twin-fin fighter achieved a
76 December 2019 // www.Key.Aero
74-81 MiG-29 pt1 C.indd 76
pretty good export record worldwide. of new-generation MiG-29M/M2s and
The ‘Fulcrum’ has been delivered new MiG-35s in addition to refurbished
or secondhand to at least 23 foreign older variants.
countries while the air arms of eight states
(including Russia) took on strength their Above: An early Countering the West
‘Fulcrum’ fleets following the break-up of production Launched in 1969, the Soviet Union’s
MiG-29 in the air.
the Soviet Union in 1991. Owned by OKB ambitious Prospective Frontal Fighter
Today the type is soldiering on with MiG, it was used program had the chief aim of producing
the air arms of 24 countries, while export for air display a capable air-superiority fighter with
purposes in the
continues at a slow pace through sales late 1980s. performance that would eclipse America’s
MiG OKB McDonnell Douglas F-15. The MiG,
Sukhoi and Yakovlev experimental design
Below: This is
the first MiG-29 bureaus were invited to participate in
prototype, the competition and each submitted
distinguished by conceptual designs. Soon after Yakovlev
the original nose
leg position, was ejected from the effort, MiG and
which caused a Sukhoi continued head-to-head in the
serious engine high-stakes game.
intake ingestion
issue and Senior figures at MiG subsequently
was therefore suggested the mutually beneficial
relocated further idea of dividing the effort into two
aft. MiG OKB
separate programs — a new-generation
Left: The original heavyweight fighter and a lightweight
analogue model. Indeed, the US Air Force had
MiG-29 cockpit.
Alexander already chosen a similar approach with
Mladenov the F-15 and the General Dynamics
23/10/2019 15:20

F-16. In 1971, MiG was awarded the
responsibility of designing the lightweight
fighter — known as the LPFI, while Sukhoi
embarked on what would eventually
become the Su-27.
The lightweight fighter design was
dubbed 9-12 within the design bureau.
It introduced a distinctive blended wing/
body configuration — the so-called
integral aerodynamic configuration
— with mid-mounted wings and large
leading-edge root extensions (LERXes).
The outward-canted tailfins were
installed on the outer sides of the widely
spaced engines.
The powerplant consisted of two RD-33
new-generation afterburning turbofans
designed by the Klimov engine design
bureau in Leningrad (now St Petersburg),
each rated at 42.44kN (11,100lb st or
4,326kgf) at military power and 81.4 kN
(18,300lb st or 8,298kgf) at full afterburner
setting. Such a rating would grant the new
fighter a thrust-to-weight ratio of about
1:1 at its normal take-off weight.
The fighter also featured a rather
complex foreign object damage (FOD)
protection system, using wedge-type
main intakes featuring doors that
automatically closed when taxiing and
taking off; the engines were then supplied
with air via auxiliary intakes situated on
the upper LERX surface.
The fighter’s mechanical, hydraulically
activated flight control system was
designed to be extremely reliable and
optimized for high agility.
‘Fulcrum’ into test
A batch of four prototype aircraft was
initially built by MiG in Moscow to
participate in an extensive
flight-test program,
with the first (‘901’)
74-81 MiG-29 pt1 C.indd 77
SMART
Below: A
significant
AVIONICS
shortcoming
of the RD-33
engine is the
distinctive smoke
trail generated Major advances in avionics technology
at certain made by the otherwise rather
power settings.
rudimentary Soviet radio electronics
Alexander
Mladenov industry in the second half of the
1970s and early 1980s paved the way
Right: The for the MiG-29 to benefit from a fairly
baseline MiG-29 sophisticated (for the time) SUO-29
had a very multi-channel weapons control system
serious flaw — (WCS). Additionally, it introduced digital
very short range processors for the first time on a MiG-
that gave a developed front-line fighter.
real-world combat
The WCS had three main sensors with
radius of between
215nm and the Phazotron N019 Rubin pulse-Doppler
324nm (400km radar (also known as the RLPK-29) at
and 600km). its heart. Featuring a twist-Cassegrain
Andrey Zinchuk antenna, the radar featured a search
range against a fighter-sized target of
38nm (70km) head-on (in the forward
hemisphere) and 19nm (35km) tail-on
(in the rear hemisphere), while bomber
targets could be detected at up to 57nm
(105km). The radar was made capable of
tracking 10 targets simultaneously and
recording its maiden flight on October
6, 1977 at Ramenskoye airfield in the
capable hands of the company’s famous
test pilot Alexander Fedotov. No fewer
than 14 prototypes and pre-series
aircraft were eventually drafted into the
exhaustive program, which continued
until October 1983 and was split into
prioritizing those that posed the greatest
threat for a subsequent lock-on and
single-target engagement.
The second principal component of
the SUO-29 was the OEPrNK-29 optronic
system, which sported a high-altitude
tracking range of up to 18km (10nm)
in tail-on engagements. The system
integrated an OEPS-29 infra-red search
and track sensor (IRST) coupled with a
laser rangefinder; both of which were
slaved to the radar and missile infra-red
seeker heads. The third element was the
groundbreaking Schmel-3UM helmet-
mounted sight, which was slaved to the
radar, the IRST and the seeker heads
of the heat-seeking missiles for an all-
encompassing weapons system.
The baseline MiG-29 lacked an
internal or pod-mounted radar jammer,
and the only electronic warfare (EW)
equipment on board was the SPO-15LM
radar warning receiver (RWR). This is an
analogue device, capable of providing
360-degree coverage in azimuth and
30 degrees up and down in elevation,
issuing warnings in case of a lock-on from
airborne, ground or naval fire-control
radars.
factory testing by MiG followed by joint
state testing undertaken by the air force
amassing a total of 2,330 sorties.
Production at the Znamya Truda factory
was launched in 1982, and the first
production examples were rolled out
early the following year from the final
assembly line situated in the town
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23/10/2019 15:20
 FIGHTER FOCUS // MiG-29 ‘FULCRUM’
The MiG-29 retained
the Soviet tradition of
datalink equipment
to feed intercept
information to the
aircraft. The E-502-
20 Biryuza system
enables this to be
performed in ‘director
mode’, using intercept
data processed by
a ground station.
Alexander Mladenov
of Lukhovitsi, south-east of Moscow.
Some 70 MiG-29s were built to the initial
standard, sporting sizeable ventral fins,
but the aircraft built in subsequent
production batches lacked these; however,
they featured the BVP-30-26M 32-round
overwing chaff/flare dispensers extending
forwards from the base of the fins. This
so-called second production standard also
added extended control surface deflection
for improved control at high angles of
attack (AoA) and differential tailplanes,
78 December 2019 // www.Key.Aero
74-81 MiG-29 pt1 C.indd 78
together with extended-chord rudders,
while small strakes were fitted onto each
side of the nose probe acting as vortex
generators for improving high-AoA yaw
stability. Both the initial and subsequent
MiG-29 production standards of the early
and mid-1980s received a common NATO
reporting name — ‘Fulcrum-A’.
The first deliveries took place in 1983 to
the Lipetsk-based 4th TsBPiPLS (Combat
Training and Aircrew Conversion Center)
for the training of an initial instructor
cadre and the pilots for the first front-line
squadrons.
A family of
improved ‘Fulcrums’
The second production variant of the
single-seat MiG-29 is known under the
internal designation 9-13, or ‘Fulcrum-C’.
It introduced a bulged spine aft of the
cockpit that was initially designed for
increased internal fuel carriage. In the
event, the additional volume was mainly
used to house the Gardeniya-1 active
radar jammer, with internal fuel capacity
increased slightly by 63 US gal (240 liters).
The variant also boasted an increased
air-to-ground ordnance load, reaching
7,053lb (3,200kg).
The prototype ‘Fulcrum-C’ took to the
air for the first time on May 4, 1984 and it
entered mass production two years later.
It was followed by yet another upgrade in
the second half of the 1980s that gave rise
to the 9-13S, better known as the MiG‑29S.
23/10/2019 15:20

‘FULCRUM’
FANGS
The MiG-29’s built-in 30mm GSh-301
single-barrel cannon — mounted in the
port wing root — provides 150 rounds
with a rate of fire of 1,400–1,800rpm with
applications for air-to-air and ground
attack strafing.
R-27R1 (AA-10 ‘Alamo’) semi-active
radar-homing missiles give a beyond-
visual-range (BVR) capability. The
weapon’s maximum range in head-on
attack is 27nm (50km), reduced to
10.8nm (20km) in tail-on engagements
at high altitude. When fired at low level,
the R-27R1’s head-on and tail-on ranges
are reduced to 8.1nm (15km) and 2.7nm
(5km) respectively. There was also an
IR-seeking version of the ‘Alamo’ (R-27T1),
but this could only be used by improved
‘Fulcrum’ derivatives from the MiG-29S
onwards.
The R-73 (AA-11 ‘Archer’) is the MiG-
29’s most capable within-visual-range
74-81 MiG-29 pt1 C.indd 79
Taking to the air for the first time in
January 1989, the MiG-29S further tackled
(WVR) weapon, boasting a 45-degree
the lack of range by adding plumbing for
off-boresight capability for pre-launch two 304-US gal (1,150-liter) underwing
cueing, while employing a very tanks — providing a maximum ferry range
sensitive, true all-aspect IR seeker. It also
features digital signal processing for
better resistance to jamming, while the
of 1,564nm (2,900km).
The new N019M Topaz-M radar offered
an improved head-on detection range
maximum range at low level is 1.2nm
(2.2km) tail-on and 6.47nm (12 km) head- of 54nm (100km) against fighter-size
on. At high level, the tail-on and head-on targets and could track 10 targets, offering
ranges are 6.5nm and 17nm (12km and dual engagement capability as well
30km) respectively. as more measures to deal with active
The MiG-29 can also use the R-60M/
MK (AA-8 ‘Aphid’) lightweight missile,
radar jamming. The Topaz-M worked in
optimized for dogfights. Its IR seeker conjunction with the new R-77 (AA-12
has limited all-aspect targeting and the ‘Adder’) beyond-visual-range (BVR)
maximum range when launched tail-on is Left page middle
left to right: The missile to better exploit the long-range
4.3nm (8km), while at low altitude this is engagement capability.
improved MiG-
reduced to 1.1nm (2km). 29S, SD and SMT
For ground attacks, the baseline MiG-29
The list of other novelties incorporated
can use R-27RE
was able carry up to 4,409lb (2,000kg) of and R-27TE air- in the design of the MiG-29S included a
unguided ordnance, including various to-air missiles. refined flight control system to provide
freefall and retarded bombs, weighing up Alexander even better turn performance. However,
to 1,102lb (500kg) each, as well as 57mm, Mladenov
the MiG-29S completed its test program
80mm and 240mm rockets. The aircraft
built for the VVS and some Warsaw Pact A selection of the in September 1992 soon after the Soviet
guided ordnance Union’s dissolution and consequently
countries (such as Bulgaria) were also
offered for the
wired to deploy a single RN-40 free-fall MiG-29SMT/UPG only 16 were manufactured and taken on
nuclear bomb. including the strength by the domestic customer.
Kh-35U anti-ship
missile in the
center and the A lack of home support
Kh-31A high- The end of the Cold War triggered a
speed anti-radar significant downturn in Russian appetite
missile next to
it. Alexander for fighter projects and the Ministry
Mladenov of Defense discontinued any further
MiG-29 procurement on cost grounds,
Left page bottom:
Undelivered forcing MiG to become entirely reliant on
MiG-29s held in export markets. In a desperate effort to
storage at the render the tired MiG-29 more attractive
factory airfield at
Lukhovitsi were to demanding customers, a number of
eventually sold to enhanced derivatives were developed.
export customers The MiG-29SE (9-13SE) and MiG-29SD (9-
at very affordable
prices or as debt- 13SD) incorporated a package of stepped
resettlements. improvements that were aimed at existing
This Slovak customers. These could be adopted
‘Fulcrum’ was
delivered under individually or as a group and included
the debt write-off the N019ME Topaz-ME radar for RVV-AE
scheme. (R-77) compatibility as well as underwing
Andrey Zinchuk
fuel tanks and optional Western-supplied
Left top to bottom: communication, navigation and
Thanks to a high- identification avionics.
lift aerodynamic
configuration, The MiG-29SD, which lacked the bulged
the MiG-29’s spine, was built through conversion of
take-off run is existing 9-12 airframes in 1994-95 for the
exceptionally
short — only 820ft Royal Malaysian Air Force (Tentera Udara
(250m). Diraja Malaysia, TUDM). Notably, the SD
Andrey Zinchuk featured a Western-standard bolt-on
The pronounced in-flight refueling probe. The Malaysian
hump on the MiG- MiG-29s also received the N019ME and
29SMT changed R-77 missiles, becoming locally known as
the sleek and
elegant ‘Fulcrum’ MiG-29Ns, while the two two-seaters for
lines and is said Malaysia were designated as MiG-29NUB.
to have seriously The MiG-29SM (9-13SM) was another
affected the
fighter’s agility. ‘flat-spine’‘Fulcrum’ — boasting
Andrey Zinchuk multi-role capabilities and ability to
www.Key.Aero // December 2019 79
23/10/2019 15:20
 FIGHTER FOCUS // MIG-29 ‘FULCRUM’
employ the Kh-29T (AS-14 ‘Kedge-B’)
TV-guided missile and the KAB-500Kr TV-
guided bomb.
Definitive
‘humpback’ ‘Fulcrum’
The MiG-29SMT was the last of the
first-generation ‘Fulcrum’ family, the
prototype of which made its maiden
flight on April 22, 1998. The SMT’s most
prominent feature was a ‘humpback’
housing conformal fuel tanks behind
the cockpit that — in the eventual
production configuration — featured
two cells to accommodate 370 US gal
(1,400 liters) and 127 US gal (480 liters)
respectively, representing a 30 per cent
internal fuel uplift compared with the
9-12 variant, for example. The MiG-
29SMT was also offered as a sub-version
that lacked the dorsal tanks as the 9-18,
and these were sold in new-build form
to Eritrea, Sudan and Yemen.
The initial MiG-29SMT configuration
included the Phazotron N019MP1 radar
featuring a synthetic aperture mode
for high-resolution mapping. In the
air-to-air mode, the radar retained the
dual-target engagement capability for
firing the RVV-AE active-radar guided
BVR missiles and the extended-range
R-27RE/TE.
In 2000, RAC MiG integrated the more
capable N010M Zhuk-ME radar (later
known as the FGM-129) on the SMT
and offered this for export. This radar
was also used in the MiG-29K/MiG-29M
family and it at last offered a true
multiple-target engagement capability
and fighter tracking at 81nm (150km).
The most radical advance was the
introduction of a wide array of air-to-
surface precision-guided munitions.
The SPO-150-1 Pastel’ radar homing and
warning sensor (RHAWS) was another
80 December 2019 // www.Key.Aero
74-81 MiG-29 pt1 C.indd 80
The N019 pulse-Doppler radar used a twist-Cassegrain
antenna and was suitable for supporting single-target
engagements with R-27R1 missiles. Alexander Mladenov
new system offering functionality for
cueing the Kh-31A high-speed anti-
radiation missile.
The launch customer for the MiG-29SMT
was Yemen, with the first deliveries of new
‘flat-spine’ aircraft taking place in 2004:
as many as 18 single-seat aircraft were
ordered plus a pair of two-seaters. Soon
afterwards Sudan and Eritrea followed
suit with 12 (including two two-seaters)
and two aircraft respectively. Then, in
March 2006, the biggest export order for
the MiG-29SMT followed; it came from
Algeria. The North African nation ordered
28 single-seat ‘humpback’ jets plus six
MiG-29UB twin-seaters in a deal valued
at about $1.3 billion. The first fighters
were delivered in early 2007, but by May
this process ground to a halt following
the unilateral termination of the contract
by the Algerian authorities. The official
reason was quoted as being the discovery
of used parts in the supposed new-build
‘Fulcrums’. The 10 delivered SMTs and five
UBs were promptly returned to Russia in
late 2008.
In a move to aid an ailing RAC MiG, the
entire batch was diverted to the Russian
Aerospace Forces (VKS) and in January
2009 the first pair joined the 4th Combat
Training and Aircrew Conversion Center
at Lipetsk, while the 14th Guards Fighter
Regiment (IAP) at Kursk-Khalino took its
first MiG-29SMTs the following month. A
follow-on contract for 16 more single-seat
SMTs — under a $530-million deal —
was signed on April 15, 2014 with all the
aircraft delivered by 2016. The air force
also took four new-build MiG-29UB(R)
two-seaters.
In Russian service these ‘batch two’ jets
are officially known as MiG-29SMT(R) and
— like the Algerian aircraft — they were
constructed using existing airframes that
dated back to the early 1990s and were
held in storage at Lukhovitsi.
SMT upgrade packages were also sold
to at least three export customers. Peru is
reported to have taken eight kits in 2012,
priced at $106.7 million, while Syria got
four in 2011.
Myanmar is known to have become
the last customer opting to buy non-
upgraded MiG-29Bs and MiG-29SEs,
ordering 18 ‘flat-back’ aircraft plus two
MiG-29UB two-seaters, with deliveries
competed in 2012.
The ultimate
‘classic Fulcrum’
India is by far the largest customer for
upgrade packages for ‘classic Fulcrums’.
It has incorporated a highly customized
Top: A upgrade based on the SMT for its legacy
MiG-29SMT(R)
from the later fleet, adding Zhuk-2ME radar and the new
batch for the VKS OLS-UEM infra-red/electro-optical (IR/EO)
toting five-round search and track system.
rocket packs
for S-13 rockets. The Indian MiG-29UPG also adds the
Andrey Zinchuk Samtel-Thales Avionics TopSight-I helmet-
TWO-SEAT
‘FULCRUMS’
The twin-seat MiG-29UB used the same basic airframe as the
single-seater. While it lacked a radar it retained the IRST and
full close-range air combat capability. A mock-up was built
in 1979, while the first two-seat prototype took to the air for
the first time on April 29, 1981.
MiG-29UB production was completed at Sergo
Ordzhonikidze (formerly known as State Aviation Plant No
21) in the city of Gorky, later renamed Nizhni Novgorod.
This battered VKS MiG-29UB two-seater is attached to the
Lipetsk combat training center. Andrey Zinchuk
23/10/2019 15:20
 The MiG-29’s OEPS-29 optronic system is restricted to use in visual meteorological
conditions and it is advertised as being useful for emission-free tail-on intercepts. This is
MIG-29 OPERATORS,
a MiG-29SMT(R), delivered to the VKS in 2015. Andrey Zinchuk
PAST AND PRESENT
Country Variant
Algeria MiG-29, MiG-29UB
Azerbaijan MiG-29, MiG-29UB
Belarus MiG-29, MiG-29BM, MiG-29UB
Bulgaria MiG-29, MiG-29UB
Bangladesh MiG-29, MiG-29UB
Chad MiG-29
Cuba MiG-29, MiG-29UB
Czechoslovakia
MiG-29, MiG-29UB
(Czech Republic)
Eritrea MiG-29, MiG-29SMT, MiG-29UB
Egypt MiG-29M, MiG-29M2
East Germany
MiG-29, MiG-29UB
(Germany)
MiG-29, MiG-29UB, MiG-29UPG,
India
mounted sight and display (HMSD) 2011 and the initial batch of three jets was MiG-29K, MiG-29KUB
system, Elettronica ELT-568 Virgilus radar handed over in December 2012. Perhaps Iraq MiG-29, MiG-29UB
jammer, together with the indigenous more significantly, the first MiG-29UPG Iran MiG-29, MiG-29UB
Tarang MkII RHAWS and Bharat Dynamics upgraded in India took to the air for the Kazakhstan MiG-29, MiG-29UB
Hungary MiG-29, MiG-29UB
chaff and flare dispensers, plus new RD-33 first time in early 2015.
Sudan MiG-29SMT, MiG-29UBT
Series 3M engines. The story of the Indian ‘Fulcrum’
Syria MiG-29, MiG-29SMT, MiG-29UB
The $952-million Indian ‘Fulcrum-A/B’ doesn’t end there. In July 2019, Vladimir
Slovakia MiG-29, MiG-29AS, MiG-29UB, MiG-29UBS
upgrade contract was inked in March Drozhkov, the deputy director of the MiG-29, MiG-29SMT, MiG-29UB, MiG-
Soviet Union (Russia)
2008 and initially included 62 aircraft, Russian Federal Service for Military- 29UBT, MiG-35S, MiG-29KR, MiG-29KUBR
including 53 single-seaters and nine Technical Cooperation, disclosed Malaysia MiG-29N, MiG-29NUB
two-seaters — extending their lives out that India had requested 21 attrition Moldova MiG-29, MiG-29UB
Myanmar MiG-29SE, MiG-29UB
to 3,500 flight hours. The contract called replacement MiG-29s to be sourced
Peru MiG-29, MiG-29SMT, MiG-29UB
for the first six MiG-29s (four single-seaters second hand from surplus Russian stocks.
Poland MiG-29, MiG-29UB
and two twin-seaters) to be completed at It comes as the latest chapter in the
Romania MiG-29, MiG-29UB
RAC MiG’s Moscow plant, while the rest fascinating story of the ‘classic’ Turkmenistan MiG-29, MiG-29UB
of the fleet was to be upgraded locally MiG-29 ‘Fulcrum’ family. MiG-29, MiG-29M1, MiG-29UB,
Ukraine
by the air force’s 11 Base Repair Depot MiG-29UBM1
(BRD) in Nasik, using kits. Next month Uzbekistan MiG-29, MiG-29UB

The maiden flight of the UPG Advanced ‘Fulcrums’ Yemen MiG-29SMT, MiG-29UBT
— MiG-29M and beyond. Yugoslavia (Serbia) MiG-29, MiG-29UB
was reported on February 4,

The Indian Air Force

has implemented a
comprehensive upgrade
for its ‘Fulcrums’ along the
lines of the SMT variant.
Angad Singh

www.Key.Aero // December 2019 81

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 The Lebanese Air Force is so satisfied
with the Super Tucano’s efficiency
and effectiveness that it is already
looking at options to buy more aircraft.

82 December 2019 // www.Key.Aero

82-87 Lebanese A-29s C.indd 82 24/10/2019 11:00

 L
IGHT ATTACK IS a subject that Ralph Blok
has been the focus of much
attention in the US over recent
years. On the domestic side
The Lebanese Air Force’s it has made little progress.
7 Squadron is now well However, international allies
have been able to reap the benefit of
established operating this push to field such types.
the A-29B Super Tucano In June 2015, the US government
approved a Foreign Military Sale for six
as a supreme and Embraer/Sierra Nevada Corporation
versatile light attack (SNC) A-29B Super Tucanos and
associated equipment, parts and
platform.
logistical support to Lebanon for an
estimated cost of $462 million. The
REPORT AND PHOTOS deal included two spare PT6A-68A
turboprop engines, eight AN/ALE-47
Dirk Jan de Ridder and countermeasures dispensing systems,
Menso van Westrhenen 2,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon

www.Key.Aero // December 2019 83

82-87 Lebanese A-29s C.indd 83 24/10/2019 11:00

 FORCE REPORT// LEBANESE AIR FORCE A-29 SUPER TUCANO
Systems (APKWS), eight AN/AAR-60(V)2
missile launch detection systems, ferry
support, and personnel training in the
US. The first ‘in seat’ training sortie of a
Lebanese pilot was conducted with an
81st Fighter Squadron instructor pilot
at Moody AFB, Georgia, in March 2017.
Upon completion of the program, 12
pilots and some 20 maintainers stood
up their own fully functional A-29B
squadron at Hamat air base in Lebanon.
Hamat was constructed in the
mid-1970s as a civilian airport, but
never used as such. Until 2017, its
only residents were the Al Quwwat
al-Jawwiya al-Lubnania (Lebanese
Air Force, LAF) Puma helicopters of 9
Squadron, that were able to continue
operations there despite significant
damage to the runway. This has since
been resurfaced, paving the way for
the first two twin-seat A-29B Super
Tucanos to arrive in October 2017,
to kick-start the re-emergence of 7
Although it lacks the Hunter’s speed, the A-29
is a far more potent prospect on many levels
84 December 2019 // www.Key.Aero
82-87 Lebanese A-29s C.indd 84
A HISTORY
OF
CONFLICT
Being located in the heart of a tense
region in the Middle East, Lebanon has
a history that features many conflicts.
The country was torn apart by civil war
between 1975 and 1990. This more or
less blended into the South Lebanon
conflict between 1985 and 2000, which
saw Christian proxy militias supported
by Israel Defense Forces fighting against
Lebanese Muslim guerrillas led by the
Hezbollah militant group. A period of
relative peace and stability lasted only a
few years until 2007’s conflict with Fatah-
al-Islam, a radical Islamist group that had
formed in a Palestinian refugee camp
in Lebanon.
Although the Lebanese Air Force had
operated fighter jets before, including
the Dassault Mirage III and Hawker
Hunter, it had by then become an all-
helicopter force. Some Hawker Hunters
were urgently returned to service in
2008. Also, the need arose to modify
UH-1 ‘Huey’ helicopters and make them
able to deliver 500lb Mk82 and 1,000lb
Mk83 bombs. It also marked the start of a
search for new fixed-wing attack aircraft.
In 2009, the first of three AC-208 Combat
Caravans was delivered, followed by IAR-
330 Puma multi-role attack helicopters
a year later. In 2013 a new war, this time
with so-called Islamic State and Al-Nusra
terrorists, started along the north-eastern
border with Syria. The militants held
pockets of land straddling the border.
The Lebanese Air Force played a
decisive role, with its Combat Caravans
and Puma helicopters attacking the Below:
terrorists in fortified positions. With the As night falls,
the A-29 Super
support of the Syrian Army from the
other side of the border in August 2017, Tucano becomes
the Lebanese government regained an even better
combat aircraft.
full control of the Lebanese territory,
During CA’s
hopefully marking the start of a long visit the A-29s
period of peace and stability in the attacked targets
country and region. ‘illuminated’
by the AC-208
Combat Caravan.
24/10/2019 11:00
 Squadron. The remaining four aircraft
followed in May 2018, just days after
the second Lebanese pilot training class
graduated at Moody.
A quantum leap
The Super Tucano was acquired to
effectively replace the Hawker Hunters
that were ultimately retired in 2014
due to a lack of spare parts for the
ejection seats. Although it lacks the
Hunter’s speed, the A-29 is a far more
potent prospect on many levels. It was
designed for close air support (CAS) and
counter-insurgency and with a cost per
flying hour slightly lower than the Puma,
it incorporates modern avionics and
weapons systems. Commander of the
Lebanese Air Force, Brig Gen Ziad Haykal
said the aircraft provide ‘value to the LAF
capabilities not previously found in the
national air force’.
None of the current Super Tucano
pilots have previous experience on the
82-87 Lebanese A-29s C.indd 85
Hunter. Only the highest-ranking officers the Hawker Hunter and rocket pods of
used to fly the few airworthy airframes the Dassault Mirage III.
during the type’s final years. All Super
This image:
Lebanese A-29s
Tucano pilots have previous experience Potent strike force
can be equipped in the Cessna AC-208 Combat Caravan, The BAE Systems Advanced Precision Kill
with a mix of a militarized version and the only other Weapon System (APKWS), first delivered
guided and fixed-wing asset in the LAF. It was in February 2019, perfectly fills a gap
unguided rockets,
laser-guided heavily used in the fight against Al-Nusra between relatively cheap unguided
bombs, AGM-114 and so-called Islamic State (IS) terrorists rockets and the expensive AGM-114
Hellfire missiles, from 2013. Pilots told Combat Aircraft Hellfire. It’s an add-on kit that swiftly
machine guns as
well as external that they launched many AGM-114 turns unguided Hydra 70 2.75in rockets
fuel tanks, Hellfire missiles during their time on the into laser-guided munitions — ideal for
providing a lethal Combat Caravan. It is the aircraft’s only striking both moving and static targets
combination
for any type of (and very expensive) weapon. while minimizing collateral damage.
mission. Besides the AC-208, the LAF was Pilots can use the ‘plug-and-play’ system
essentially an all-helicopter force before with minimal instruction as if they are
Below left to right:
An A-29 Super the A-29s arrived. The only other assets launching unguided rockets. Lebanon is
Tucano taxies used in offensive operations were the the first military user of the system on a
back to the ramp Gazelle helicopters, equipped with turboprop aircraft.
at Hamat air base.
anti-tank missiles, plus the multi-role Five hardpoints under the wings
Maj Charbel IAR-330SM Pumas, which were donated and fuselage allow carriage of up to
Yazbeck, acting to Lebanon by the United Arab Emirates 3,000lb (1,361kg) of weapons, including
squadron
commander for in 2010. The latter have locally modified conventional or laser-guided bombs
the A-29s. wing stubs equipped with the gun of and Hellfires, or up to three external
www.Key.Aero // December 2019 85
24/10/2019 11:00
 FORCE REPORT// LEBANESE AIR FORCE A-29 SUPER TUCANO
fuel tanks. The aircraft also features two
.50-cal machine guns with 200 rounds
each, giving the aircraft a broad range of
effects that the cews can bring to bear.
The Super Tucanos are able to
operate out of all three military air
bases in Lebanon. As well as Hamat
they visit Beirut International Airport
and Baadaran airstrip in the deep
south of the country, but even when
operating from their home base they
are able to reach any part of the country,
depending on the configuration they
are flying in.
Lebanon was the first country to
operate the AC-208 Combat Caravan
alongside the A-29 (Afghanistan will
be the second). Tactics and procedures
were developed in co-operation with
a US air advisor. Although still lethally
86 December 2019 // www.Key.Aero
82-87 Lebanese A-29s C.indd 86
equipped with Hellfire missiles, the
AC-208 has evolved more towards an
ISTAR (intelligence, surveillance, target
acquisition and reconnaissance) role as
the A-29s have bedded down. During
CA’ s visit, one night a Combat Caravan
flew circles at a distance of several
kilometers around the live firing range
located right next to the air base. Its
crew would illuminate targets for the
Super Tucano pilots to attack with the
aid of their night-vision goggles. It
enabled a couple of pilots to drop their
first weapons at night. They commented
later that doing this at night was
actually easier than during the daytime,
because they were able to focus on the
target while the darkness masked any
distractions. The squadron continued to
employ cannon and launch rockets for
PILOT
TRAINING
Lebanese pilots are typically trained on
the PC-21 in Saudi Arabia, or the T-6
Texan II in the US, with a few having
also completed the T-38 Talon course.
The training of Lebanese A-29 pilots
and maintainers with the 81st Fighter
Squadron at Moody was only intended
as a phase to get the ball rolling, with a
course now up and running at Hamat.
The only major item of equipment now
lacking is a simulator, for which pilots
will continue to travel to Moody as
there are no acquisition plans. About a
dozen USAF ground personnel still
support the squadron in various
positions, but the unit already is and
will remain completely self-sufficient.
24/10/2019 11:00
 the remainder of the week in a live firing
campaign, something that is completed
twice a year. Another live firing range
is located in the mountains nearby
and this is suitable for Hellfires and live
bombs, but it is only accessible during
the summer when it is not covered in a
thick blanket of snow.
Future plans
The Lebanese government is looking
to buy a further pair of A-29s very soon,
with another two to four to hopefully
follow after that. Meanwhile, the air base
Maj Charbel is continuing to be further modernized.
Yazbeck and one
of his students Its single runway will be joined by a
walk back to the parallel taxiway so that fixed-wing
office after the aircraft won’t have to taxi across the
student’s first live
gunnery training runway before and after landing. A
mission. second ramp will be built to separate the
82-87 Lebanese A-29s C.indd 87
Super Tucanos from the helicopters. In
addition, a batch of six MD530G scout-
attack helicopters will be delivered to
Lebanon. No one was willing to confirm
whether they would be based at Hamat,
but looking at the weapons storage
facilities, the base’s expansion plans and
the live firing range a mere minute’s
flight time from the air base, it seems a
likely option.
In a very short time, Hamat will have
transformed from an airfield that was
only suitable for helicopter operations
into what will be the Lebanese Air
Force’s primary hub for light attack.
Lebanon has seen peace since before
the Super Tucanos arrived, but here the
next conflict is never far away. It is now
up to 7 Squadron to be prepared for the
worst and to hope for the best.
www.Key.Aero // December 2019 87
24/10/2019 11:01
 BELL 360 INVICTUS AND SIKORSKY
RAIDER X REVEALED FOR US ARMY
HELICOPTER CONTEST

nozzles carrying the efflux away from the

Bell has revealed its entrant for the US Army Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft rear fuselage skin).
(FARA) competition. Its sleek, winged design, the 360 Invictus, combines novel The Bell version of a canted Fenestron or
‘fan-in-fin’ will undoubtedly be designed
features with an overall shape that recalls the canceled RAH-66 Comanche. The Bell
with the aim of minimizing noise and risk
offering was followed by other bids, including Sikorsky’s Raider X. of damage. Of equal importance will be
preventing visibility of rotating tail rotor
REPORT Joe Coles and Ron Smith elements to threat radars, at least from

T
HE US ARMY launched a major
design competition for its
Future Attack Reconnaissance
Aircraft (FARA) on October
3, 2018, with a request to
industry that came under a
larger plan to procure a family of Future
Vertical Lift (FVL) aircraft from the early
2030s. Almost exactly a year later, on
October 2, 2019, Bell revealed its entrant
to the competition. The 360 Invictus
is Bell Helicopter’s proposal for the
US Army FARA requirement for a new
armed scout helicopter. The name is (at
least partly) a reference to the poem
‘Invictus’ by William Ernest Henley, an
ode to survival and stoicism in the face
of adversity. It was widely read by US
prisoners of war in North Vietnamese
prisons, sometimes written with rat
droppings on toilet paper!
Bell released artist renditions of the
360, and from a general point of view
there appears to be a similarity with the
canceled RAH-66 Comanche, notably
the shaped fuselage, internal weapons
carriage and some attention to infra-red
signature (such as the offset exhaust
a frontal aspect. The latter consideration
also applies to the closely faired rotor
head assembly shown in the Bell artist’s
impression. We can also expect attention
to be paid to corner reflectors, screening
of sensors, metalized transparencies and
the choice of materials and treatments in
rotor blade construction.
The manufacturer states: ‘This design
is based on Bell’s 525 Relentless rotor
The striking system which has been tested and proven
artist’s rendition at speeds in excess of 200kt true air
that was released speed (KTAS).’ The only comment made
with the Bell 360
Invictus unveiling. by Bell that can be related to potential
Bell Helicopter for optionally manned capability is that

88 December 2019 // www.Key.Aero

88-91 Technology Bell 360 C.indd 88 24/10/2019 10:59

 it adds: ‘fly-by-wire flight control system
— synthesizes technologies, reduces
pilot workload and provides a path to
autonomous flight.’
In terms of the appearance, the weapon
bay shown looks small — it is hard to
reasonably envisage more than four
weapons being carried internally on an
aircraft of this size. Bell commented that
it could be ‘armed with a 20mm cannon,
integrated munitions launcher with ability
to integrate air-launched effects, and
future weapons, as well as the current
inventory of munitions.’
The nacelle fairings suggest that the
front face of the engines will be shielded
from view, but that extreme measures
have not been taken in respect of infra-red
suppression. This leads to speculation that
a variable-cycle engine approach might
be under consideration to provide the
required dash speed. Bell talks in terms
of a supplemental power unit without
defining this further. For maximum
compliance, Bell would be looking for
a sustained cruising speed of 180kts.
The 360 will be powered by a single
engine derived from the General Electric
Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP).

Mission performance
Sikorsky’s Bell says the Invictus will offer a combat
Raider X artist radius of 135nm (250km) with over 90
impression — its minutes of time on station and the ability
speed is claimed
to give this to hover out of ground effect at 4,000ft
offering a real and 95° Fahrenheit, which is a pretty
edge. Lockheed standard US Army requirement. The clean
Martin/Sikorsky
wing surface (devoid of weapons and

www.Key.Aero // December 2019 89

88-91 Technology Bell 360 C.indd 89 24/10/2019 10:59

 TECHNOLOGY // FUTURE ATTACK RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT
weapon mounts) is consistent with a degree
of unloading the rotor at speed, something
Bell’s press release confirms. This also avoids
the typical clutter of corner reflectors that
would have an adverse impact on radar
cross-section (RCS).
‘Bell is committed to providing the
US Army with the most affordable,
most sustainable, least complex, and
lowest risk solution among the potential
FARA configurations, while meeting all
requirements,’ said Keith Flail, vice president
of Advanced Vertical Lift Systems at Bell.
This perhaps raises more questions than
answers, in what looks like a credible and
relatively low-risk project. That credibility is
consistent with a relatively straightforward
approach to addressing the FARA
requirements.
It is unclear to what degree there is a
requirement to avoid radar detection, the
specific nature of ‘air launched effects’ and
the likelihood of integration of loitering
missiles or armed/unarmed unmanned
vehicles. Though information sharing will
be key to FARA, it will be interesting to see
how reliant on cross-element information
sharing operations will be in reality.
Boeing too
will join FARA,
but it is staying
silent on what its
offering will be
90 December 2019 // www.Key.Aero
88-91 Technology Bell 360 C.indd 90
INVICTUS
TARGETING
The Bell 360 Invictus artwork leaves
questions unanswered about target
acquisition and identification. There is
a relatively small nose-mounted sensor,
which is low-set and would result in
exposing the helicopter above the
skyline if it is used for target acquisition.
The ability to detect, recognize and
identify a target depends on how
many pixels the object occupies
on the display, and at what level of
contrast. This depends on MRTD —
minimum resolvable temperature
difference. The laws of physics for
optical systems dictate that resolution
of such a system depends on the ratio
or ‘aperture to wavelength’. Given a
The S-97 particular infra-red (IR) wavelength, it
therefore just depends on diameter
Raider high-
speed FARA of the sensor. If the IR aperture is no
demonstrator larger than, say, that of the Apache
first flew in sensor, the performance will not be
May 2015 and any better. This already gives the
its technology Apache an issue in that Hellfire and
forms the basis
Longbow both outrange its existing
of the Raider
sensor identification capability. The
X. Lockheed
Martin
‘fundamental’ performance of the
sensor will be determined by its
diameter. Clever image processing
software and multi-spectral sensing
might allow better inferences to be
made, but won’t increase the actual
resolution of the sensor.
In restrictive rules of engagement,
someone needs to be closer (and
potentially in harm’s way) if positive
identification is mandated. It’s not clear
how Invictus is supposed to support
non-line of sight engagements —
raising questions about networked
operations and reliance on other
entities for target location, and positive
identification (it should be noted that
this is a generic problem, and is not
exclusively specific to Invictus as a
solution to FARA).
Also, a desire to reach out farther
(than Hellfire) implies non-line of sight
operations, or at least third-party
targeting and networked options. The
same target acquisition question also
surely arises if the aircraft is to be used
in an optionally unmanned mode.
The Bell statement: ‘Provisioned for
enhanced situational awareness and
sensor technologies’ leaves open the
possibility that these are deliberately
not shown in the current artworks.
24/10/2019 11:00
 Raider X joins the fray
Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky subsidiary
unveiled its rival FARA design, the Raider
X, on October 14. This is based on the
company’s S-97 Raider compound coaxial
helicopter, but matched with X2 rigid
rotor technology for a higher level of
maneuverability, improved low-speed
hover and acceleration. The differing
solutions to the high-speed requirement
and the success of each will be revealing.
Sikorsky claims its helicopter will be
faster, and with a bigger weapon load; Bell
counters that theirs will be more reliable
and cheaper to acquire and maintain.
The team of AVX Aircraft and L-3
Communications Integrated Systems
launched its contender earlier this
year, with a further team comprised of
Above: The S-97
Raider features
Sikorsky’s Collier-
award winning
X2 Technology
that enables it to
reach speeds of
more than 220kt.
Lockheed Martin
Karem Aircraft, Northrop Grumman, and
Raytheon having also presented a design,
see Headlines p6-7. Boeing too will join
FARA, but it is staying silent on what its
offering will be — a tactic that has proven
effective for the company in competitions
such as the T-X trainer and the US Navy
MQ-25 carrier air wing tanker.
It is believed that a downselect to
two contractors could come as early as
March 2020. This would be followed by
the construction of design competitive
prototypes, followed by a government-
sponsored fly-off in 2023-24. Combat
helicopter programs are notoriously prone
to cancelation, but if FARA can survive
— and it’s a high priority for the army
right now — the winner will receive an
extremely lucrative order.

Right: The FARA

concept from AVX
Aircraft and L-3
Communications
is based on
heavily modifying
the OH-58 Kiowa.
AVX Aircraft

www.Key.Aero // December 2019 91

88-91 Technology Bell 360 C.indd 91 24/10/2019 11:00

 BIG SHOT // ITALIAN EUROFIGHTER

This remarkable (and most definitely not composite) photograph was taken at Gioia del Colle air base on September 25 by Combat
Aircraft correspondent Giovanni Colla. The image was taken with the assistance of the Aeronautica Militare (Italian Air Force) during
the change of command ceremony for the 36° Stormo’s 12° Gruppo as Lt Col ‘Ponch’ passed leadership of the squadron to Maj ‘Mono’.
Capturing the moment the four Eurofighter F-2000As passed over the static jet was accomplished via some very careful planning and
the result is quite simply stunning. Giovanni Colla

92 December 2019 // www.Key.Aero

92-93 Big shot EF C.indd 92 23/10/2019 15:19

 www.Key.Aero // December 2019 93

92-93 Big shot EF C.indd 93 23/10/2019 15:19

 The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air
Force (PLAAF) could assign the DR-8 to conduct
The Chinese
post-strike reconnaissance in support of People’s Liberation
China’s DF-21D ‘carrier-killer’ anti-ship ballistic
missile and the DF-26 ballistic missile, the same Army Air Force could
newspaper reported.
The same Beijing rehearsal provided the first assign the DR-8 to
evidence of a new type of Chinese anti-ship
missile. The H-6N variant of China’s venerable conduct post-strike
H-6 bomber — itself a clone of the Soviet Tu-16
reconnaissance in support
DISPATCHES FROM THE FRONT LINE ‘Badger’ — first appeared over Beijing during
preparations for the anniversary celebrations. of China’s DF-21D ‘carrier-
OF AEROSPACE TECHNOLOGY The H-6Ns feature an under-fuselage recess
BY DAVID AXE that could accommodate a single, very large killer’ anti-ship ballistic
missile. The new munition, possibly a variant of
the DF-21D, could pose a serious danger to US missile and the DF-26
CHINA
Navy vessels operating in the Western Pacific.
Aircraft carriers in particular could be at risk. ballistic missile
REVEALS NEW
The DF-21D is more than 30ft long and weighs
around 32,000lb. It can travel as far as 1,300 this UAV [the DR-8] entered into service a while
miles with a 1,200lb warhead. ago’, Shi said.

SUPERSONIC At least four H-6Ns are assigned to a PLAAF

bomber brigade in China’s Central Theater
China debuted other new military systems at
the Beijing commemorations, including the Sharp

RECON DRONE Command region, according to analyst Joseph

Trevithick.
Sword armed UAV. Sharp Sword is one of China’s
‘oldest’ modern drone types, having first appeared

A
China already possesses a wide array of anti- in photos in 2013.
NEW, APPARENTLY VERY fast ship weaponry including air-launched cruise Powered by a single jet engine and resting on
drone type made its first public missiles and land-based DF-21Ds. The emergence tricycle landing gear, the Sharp Sword sports
appearance at a rehearsal for a of the DR-8 and H-6N packing a possible air- the flying-wing shape shared by several US-
national celebration in Beijing on launched DF-21D could hint at a new anti-ship made armed-drone prototypes. The flying wing
September 21. capability to complement existing systems. planform, also used by the B-2 stealth bomber, is
The long, narrow unmanned aerial The H-6Ns would launch their DF-21Ds. ideal for radar-evading designs.
vehicle (UAV), reportedly designated DR-8 — DR-8s could speed in to inspect the damage. Beyond its basic shape and possible radar-
but also referred to as the WZ-8 — appears to The Chinese military already has begun evading qualities, not much is known about
be configured for supersonic flight. It is likely a experimenting with the DR-8, Shanghai-based the Sharp Sword drone. But the Pentagon in
reconnaissance craft. military commentator Shi Lao told South China a 2013 report warned that ‘the acquisition
The DR-8 appeared on a trailer during a Morning Post. and development of longer-range unmanned
rehearsal for the October 1, 2019 celebrations ‘The PLA had been using the drone — which aerial vehicles […] and unmanned combat
commemorating the 70th anniversary of the can reach strategic locations as far away as the aerial vehicles, will increase China’s ability to
founding of the People’s Republic of China. Western Pacific, including Guam — for some conduct long-range reconnaissance and strike
‘The DR-8 would be expected to play a key role time’, the newspaper reported, citing Shi. ‘In fact, operations.’
should there be a conflict with US aircraft carrier
strike groups in the South China Sea or Western
A pair of the new DR-8 supersonic
Pacific,’ South China Morning Post reported. reconnaissance UAVs appeared on flat-bed
The newspaper compared the DR-8 to a trucks during Beijing’s October 1 parade.
supersonic American reconnaissance drone Gordon Arthur
that last flew more than four decades ago. The
Chinese UAV ‘loosely resembles’ the Lockheed
D-21, the newspaper pointed out.
The US Air Force and intelligence agencies
deployed the D-21 for missions over China
during the Cold War. Several of them crashed
over the People’s Republic, leaving wreckage
‘scattered in various locations across the
country’, according to the report. One of the
crashed D-21s is on display at the Beijing
Military Museum.
Zhou Chenming, a Beijing-based military
commentator, told the newspaper that the
DR-8 could travel faster than the Mach-3.3 D-21,
helping the Chinese drone to penetrate enemy
air defenses.

94 December 2019 // www.Key.Aero

94 Cutting Edge C.indd 94 24/10/2019 10:59

 HEATHROW AIRCRAFT
ENTHUSIASTS’ FAIR
This popular event, now in its 27th year, will feature stalls buying, selling and exchanging any aircraft
related items. Models, books, magazines, printed matter including postcards, slides and photographs,
DVD’s and memorabilia should all be available in abundance.

SUNDAY 24th NOVEMBER 2019

10.30 - 15.00
KEMPTON PARK RACECOURSE
STAINES ROAD EAST,
SUNBURY-ON-THAMES, MIDDX., TW16 5AQ
For local buses see www.tfl.gov.uk or www.traveline.org.uk
Nearest Station: Kempton Park (on site)
Massive Free Car Park
Bring along your surplus items to sell or exchange!
This event will be a MUST for all aircraft enthusiasts

Enquiries and Stall Bookings:

CARL McQUAIDE
07903 848726
Email: speedbird707@aol.com
www.aircraftenthusiastfair.co.uk

Take a look at our ABC

certificate. It shows our
circulation has been
independently verified to
industry agreed standards. So
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ABC. See it. Believe it. Trust it.

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01780 755131 or
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095_COM_DEC19_ad.indd 1 24/10/2019 12:15:16

 FLASHBACK // F-20 TIGERSHARK

Seen taking off at Edwards AFB,

California, during testing in August
1984, this is the third F-20 Tigershark
prototype, registration N44671.
Michael Grove

96 December 2019 // www.Key.Aero

96-97 Flashback C.indd 96 24/10/2019 10:59

 T
HE NORTHROP F-20
Tigershark was a
development of the F-5E
Tiger II, privately funded
by the manufacturer and
known initially as the F-5G.
Development began in 1975 and
the aircraft was broadly pitched as
a potential competitor to the F-16,
featuring a single General Electric
F404 engine — which provided vastly
improved overall performance — and
a modern avionics suite including an
AN/APG-67 multi-mode radar.
The F-20 was developed mainly for
the FX initiative — designed to develop
advanced fighter aircraft for export to
allied nations without compromising
core US-only technology.
Unfortunately for Northrop, export
restrictions were relaxed under the
Reagan administration and the F-16
became more widely available on the
international market.
Taiwan, which had produced the
F-5 under license, was a front-runner
to purchase the Tigershark, but amid
tensions over Chinese relations the
F-20 deal was quashed by the US
government. Other export ambitions
to Bahrain, Morocco and South
96-97 Flashback C.indd 97
Korea failed to be realized. Indeed,
the success of the F-16 and its wide
availability was the principle undoing
of the Tigershark, even on the domestic
market, as the F-16N outmuscled
the F-20 for a US Navy adversary
requirement.
Northrop built three F-20s. The first
was registration N4416T, which made
its maiden flight on August 30, 1982.
The second prototype (N3986B) flew
for the first time a year later and was
the first to be equipped with the full
avionics fit.
The first aircraft crashed on October
10, 1984, during a demonstration
flight in South Korea, killing pilot
Darrell Cornell. The second prototype
then crashed in May 1985 at Goose
Bay, Canada, killing another Northrop
pilot, Dave Barnes. The third aircraft
(N44671) is the only surviving
example and today it resides at the
California Science Center in Los
Angeles. A fourth prototype featured
specific modifications for South
Korea, but it was never completed
before the entire project was
canceled in 1986 due to a number of
reasons, principally the F-20’s lack of
customers.
www.Key.Aero // December 2019 97
24/10/2019 10:59
 NEW LOOK JANUARY ISSUE: ON SALE GLOBALLY FROM DECEMBER 5 (ON SALE DATE MAY VARY BY REGION)

Boeing/John D. Parker
KC-46 PEGASUS
TOO IMPORTANT TO FAIL…
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• US Navy T-45 training
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98 December 2019 // www.Key.Aero

98 Next Month C.indd 98 24/10/2019 15:34

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