IS THIS THE END OF SHARPENING THE

THE F-35... AGAIN? FOXHOUND’S CLAWS

'KNIVES OUT' FOR THE JSF RUSSIA’S LONG-RANGE MiG-31BM

NEW SERIES EVERY BASE EVERY UNIT

ALABAMA
STATE ALLIES OF
ATHENS

REPORT
FRENCH JETS IN
MAJOR GREEK
EXERCISE

USMC IN
DIXIELAND’S THE UK
AIR POWER ‘TAKING’ A
BRITISH MOOR
LIGHTNINGS
ON LIZZIE

US ARMY
HELICOPTERS
IN DUNKIRK

THE FRENCH
CANADA’S CONNECTION
AURORA
FIGHTING ILLEGAL FISHING
Volume 22 No 7 JULY 2021
07
UK £5.30

TO SINKING SUBMARINES 9 772041 748128

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671 AFI promo fp.indd 91 21/07/2020 09:40
 COMBAT EDGE // FIND US ON
US AIR POWER PIVOTS
BACK TO EUROPE
T
HE SHEER NUMBER of
deployments of combat
aircraft and subsequent
exercises from mainland
USA over the last few weeks,
particularly to Europe, has
been phenomenal.
Two that caught my eye were the
dozen USAF/388th FW (Fighter Wing)
F-35A Lightnings to France and the ten
USMC/VMFA (Marine Fighter Attack
Squadron)-211 F-35Bs deployed to the
Royal Navy’s HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft
carrier (see headlines, page 6).
As I write this, both sets of jets are
working with RAF Typhoons and French
Air and Space Force Rafales in Exercise
Atlantic Trident to push on with fourth/
fifth-generation fighter integration.
Both the Typhoons (under Project
Centurion) and the Rafale F3R upgrade
make them more capable than earlier
versions involved in fourth/fifth-gen trials
at Langley AFB, Virginia, in 2017. I wonder
what these enhancements will bring to
the tri-partite nations’ tactical plans.
Undoubtedly, the USAF will be very keen
to learn more about the enhanced Rafale
too, with its new RBE2 AESA (Airborne
THIS IS JUST THE TIP OF THE
ICEBERG WHEN IT COMES TO
DEPLOYMENTS, AS THE US MILITARY
TRIES TO ENSURE INTER-OPERABILITY
WITH HOST NATIONS
Electronic Scanned Array) radar and very
impressive data-fusion set up; particularly
following the French jet’s phenomenal
export success in recent years to Egypt,
India, Qatar and Greece.
The US does like to understand how to
fight these systems and will therefore be
trying to glean as much information as
possible about the F3R during their stay
at Mont-de-Marsan, in southern France.
The French are no slouches when it comes
to intelligence gathering either, so the
security ramifications for both sides will
be fascinating.
We must not forget the USS Iwo Jima
landing helicopter dock (LHD) was in
European waters too, with its complement
of AV-8B Harriers and other aviation
assault assets. Several of its MV-22B
Osprey tilt-rotors and CH-53E helicopters
were involved in sorties to the UK, which
included Okehampton Camp during April
(see Marines on the Moor, page 44). The
Ospreys also flew parties of VMFA-211
personnel out to HMS Queen Elizabeth
(more on page 74).
In addition to Atlantic Trident, we have
Steadfast Defender 21 drills currently
under way. The exercise is seeing the
many US Army/1st Combat Aviation
Brigade helicopters – which were shipped
by sea to Dunkirk, France, in March/April
– involved in maneuvers with eastern
European countries (see The French
Connection, page 24).
All that is just the tip of the iceberg
when it comes to US deployments, as the
military tries to ensure inter-operability
with host nations.
It will, of course, just be shrugged off by
the likes of Russia and China, but it’s clear
the US justifiably, still wants to continue
policing the world.
Finally, as the new Group Editor, Modern
Military, at Key Publishing, my team and I
will aim to provide you a comprehensive
and topical insight into the workings
of the US air arms, not just in Combat
Aircraft Journal, but in our sister magazine
AirForces Monthly and our new, weekly Air
Warriors podcasts on our Key Aero portal.
Below: One of ten Alan Warnes
VMFA-211 F-35Bs Group Editor, Modern Military
deployed to the Royal
Navy’s HMS Queen
Elizabeth aircraft
carrier taxies out of Visit our website at
www.key.aero/combataircraftjournal
the way as another
lands. USMC/1st Lt Contact the team at
Zachary Bodner editor@combataircraftjournal.com
www.Key.Aero // July 2021 3
 July 2021 • Vol 22 • No 7
IN THE NEWS
The US Navy conducts a captive-carry
flight of an Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided
Missile – Extended Range on an F/A-18
Enhanced capabilities for the USAF’s
MQ-9A Reaper are undergoing operational
assessment with the New York Air National
Guard’s 174th Attack Wing
US Army Reserve Command will
permanently relocate four Cessna UC-35A
operational support aircraft to Joint Forces
Training Base Los Alamitos, California
Just weeks after delivery to Eglin AFB,
Florida, two USAF F-15EX Eagle IIs deploy to
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, to
participate in exercise Northern Edge 21

20 FORCE REPORT: ARGENTINE

NAVAL AVIATION
Having once been part of the most powerful
naval aviation nation in Latin America, the
Argentine air arm is now trying to recover
from decades of limited investment,
reports Santiago Rivas

24 THE FRENCH CONNECTION

Jean Francoise Auran provides an insight as
how the French recently supported the
US Army’s 1st Combat Aviation Brigade
(CAB) rotation to Europe
28
26 INSIGHT: REWINGING
THE WARTHOG
Politics has saved the A-10 Thunderbolt II
from retirement so far, but an ongoing USAF
study may end the debate over its lifespan, as
Rob Coppinger reports

28 STEALTH SUNSET?
Will a fourth-generation fighter supplant the
700 cancelled Joint Strike Fighters? Jon Lake
asks if this marks the end for the F-35

34 AIRCRAFT PROFILE:
CP-140 AURORA
Tom Kaminski takes a look at the career of
Canada’s maritime patrol aircraft that, through
good management, has stood the test of time

44 MARINES ON THE MOOR

Ian Harding sits it out at Okehampton Camp
in the UK, as the US Marine Corps makes a
surprise visit 66 Andrey Zinchuk
 SEE PAGE 99 FOR
FULL DETAILS

48 STATE REPORT: ALABAMA

In a new series, Tom Kaminski reviews all the
current military installations in the US.
Here, he looks at the Yellowhammer State

60 EXERCISE REPORT:
INIOCHOS 2021
Babak Taghvaee reports on France’s
involvement in Europe’s largest air drill, while
Vincent Martens zooms in on some of the
other aircraft participating

66 TYPE REPORT: MIG-31BM

The upgraded MiG-31BM is Russia’s principal
long-range fighter-interceptor. The growing
fleet has become even more lethal in recent
years, reports Alexander Mladenov

Boeing
74 VMFA-211 JOINS ‘BIG LIZZIE’
CAJ reports on the arrival of the USMC’s
F-35Bs on the UK’s HMS Queen Elizabeth

76 EYES OF THE TIGER

Kedar Karmarkar meets Captain Jim 'Guido'
DiMatteo to discuss Tactical Air Support’s
enhanced F-5 Advanced Tiger and the world
of adversary fighters

82 HOW NOT TO BE SEEN

Chris Croot investigates the history of visual
camouflage and explains how it still has a
place in today’s battlespace

88 LEGACY PROFILE: A-4 SKYHAWK

When the A-4 Skyhawk entered service with
the US Navy 65 years ago, it was the birth
of a legend. Report by Bertie Simmonds

24 Babak Taghvaee 96 CUTTING EDGE

David Axe reports on the UTAP-22 launch
on April 29 - a major advance for the
USAF’s tactical drone program

ON THE COVER
Alabama ANG F-16C
87-0336 spits out
flares as it heads for
the clouds. The unit is
the only military fast-jet
operator based in
Alabama, the first state
to be covered in our
state-by-state review
Zinchuk 34 CWO Mike Kaehler (RCAF Ret.) James Haseltine
‘AVENGERS’ DEPLOY ON
HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH
VMFA-211 SETS OUT
ON BOARD THE ROYAL
NAVY CARRIER ON ITS
FIRST OPERATIONAL
DEPLOYMENT
Right: Lt Col Andrew D’Ambrogi, the
commanding officer of Marine Fighter Attack
Squadron 211 (VMFA-211) ‘Wake Island
Avengers,’ conducts carrier qualifications
in F-35B Lightning II 169621 CF-01 aboard
HMS ‘Queen Elizabeth’ at sea, off the coast of
the UK, shortly after arriving on board on May
2 USMC/3rd MAW/1st Lt Zachary Bodner
TEN US Marine Corps F-35B
Lightning IIs from Marine Fighter
Attack Squadron 211 (VMFA-
211) ‘Avengers’ at Marine Corps
Air Station Yuma, Arizona, have
deployed aboard the Royal Navy
aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth
(R 08) for a 28-week Carrier
Strike Group (CSG) deployment
– the vessel’s first operational
deployment. The aircraft initially
flew to the UK, landing at the USAF
base at RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk, in
two flights of five aircraft each on
April 26 and 27.
After the carrier had left its base in
Portsmouth, Hampshire, on May 1,
six of the VMFA-211 F-35Bs flew out
USAF F-35As DEPLOY TO FRANCE
US AIR Force F-35A Lightning IIs
and airmen from the 4th Fighter
Squadron (FS) have deployed
to Base Aérienne 118 Mont-de-
Marsan, France.
The 12 aircraft and personnel
from the unit – comprised of active-
US Air Force F-35A Lightning IIs, assigned to the 4th Fighter Squadron, Hill Air Force Base, Utah,
taxi in after arrival at Mont-de-Marsan, France, on May 10 USAF/Staff Sgt Alexander Cook
6 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero
to it the next day, followed by three
more on May 3. The final aircraft
due to fly had to abort due to a
technical problem.
The VMFA-211 aircraft were joined
by eight Royal Air Force F-35Bs
from the famous 617 ‘Dambusters’
Squadron at RAF Marham, Norfolk,
making this the largest ever
at-sea deployment of the type.
The CSG initially participated in
the two-week-long Exercise Strike
Warrior off northwest Scotland,
involving more than 20 warships,
3 submarines and 150 aircraft
from 11 nations. The culmination
of Strike Warrior will see the CSG
certified ready for its maiden
duty airmen from the 388th Fighter
Wing (FW) and reservists from the
419th FW at Hill Air Force Base,
Utah – arrived at the French air base
on May 10. During their time in the
European theater, the 4th FS aircraft
will participate in multiple events,
deployment, dubbed CSG21. This
will see the Wake Island Avengers
remain with the carrier as it travels
to the Mediterranean, Indian Ocean
and Asia Pacific.
The task group will visit 40
nations, including India, Japan,
Republic of Korea and Singapore,
in a deployment covering 26,000
nautical miles and undertaking in
excess of 70 engagements, visits, air
exercises and operations.
The group will also join exercises
with French carrier FS Charles De
Gaulle (R 91) in the Mediterranean
and navies and aircraft from allies
such as the US, Canada, Denmark,
Greece, Israel, Italy, Japan and UAE.
including exercise Atlantic Trident
21, underscoring the steadfast US
commitment to the region and
enhancing interoperability with
NATO allies and partners.
Atlantic Trident 21, taking place
at Mont-de-Marsan between May
While the carrier was in UK
waters, two USMC MV-22B Ospreys
from Marine Medium Tiltrotor
Squadron 162 (VMM-162) ‘Golden
Eagles’ visited the ship. They were
ferrying in VMFA-211 personnel and
equipment from RAF Mildenhall,
Suffolk. The Ospreys are assigned to
the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit
(MEU), Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready
Group, on board the amphibious
assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7),
also a part of CSG21.
See page 74/75 for VMFA-211’s
arrival on the HMS Queen Elizabeth
For more on HMS Queen Elizabeth’s
deployment, listen to our Air Warriors
KEY PODCASTS
NEW podcast at key.aero/podcasts
17-28, is a joint, multinational
exercise involving service members
from the US, France and the UK. It
is aimed at enhancing fourth- and
fifth-generation aircraft integration,
combat readiness and fighting
capabilities, through air operations
in a contested multinational joint
force environment.
This is the 388th FW’s third
deployment to Europe. The first was
a 34th FS deployment to the UK at
RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk, in 2017.
The second was a 421st FS Theater
Security Package deployment to
Aviano Air Base, Italy, in 2019.
F-15E TESTED WITH FIVE JASSM
Above: US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle 98-0132 ‘ET’ was loaded with five JASSMs (more than double its current certified quota) at Eglin Air Force
Base, Florida, on May 11. This formed part of the Project Strike Rodeo trials USAF/53rd Wing
The US Air Force’s 85th Test and
Evaluation Squadron at Eglin
Air Force Base, Florida, recently
evaluated the potential of
increasing the capability of the
F-15E to carry AGM-158 Joint
Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles
(JASSMs). An evaluation conducted
on May 11, as part of the Project
Strike Rodeo munitions proof-of-
concept, saw weapons personnel
CARRIER MOVES
Above US Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II 169619 ‘DC-56’ from VMFA-122 prepares to launch from the USS ‘Makin Island’ (LHD 8) on May 6, in
the Gulf of Alaska, during Exercise Northern Edge 21. While deployed on the ship, the VMFA-122 aircraft are assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor
Squadron 164 (Reinforced) US Navy/Petty Officer 3rd Class Ethan Morrow
In preparation for the ship’s
upcoming $3bn mid-life refueling
and complex overhaul (RCOH), the
aircraft carrier USS John C Stennis
(CVN 74) was moved across the
James River from Naval Station
Norfolk, Virginia, to Newport News
Shipbuilding on May 6. The ship
has not deployed since arriving
in Norfolk in May 2019. It will be
the seventh Nimitz-class nuclear-
powered aircraft carrier to undergo
a RCOH, which is expected to be
completed in 2025.
load five JASSMs onto a Strike Eagle.
Currently, the F-15E is only certified
to carry two of the weapons.
The idea originated during a
January 2021 Weapons and Tactics
discussion in response to a scenario
that involved using the strike aircraft
to deliver the standoff missiles in a
highly contested environment.
Loading the JASSM on the F-15E’s
conformal fuel tank station required
The aircraft carrier USS George
Washington (CVN 73) is currently
nearing the end of its RCOH, which
began in August 2017. Completion
was delayed by the COVID-19
pandemic but the ship will return to
the fleet in 2022.
The USS Theodore Roosevelt
(CVN 71) Carrier Strike Group and
Carrier Air Wing 11 (CVW-11),
along with the USS Makin Island
(LHD 8) Amphibious Ready Group
and its embarked 15th Marine
Expeditionary Unit, conducted
the development of a special
loading tool and procedures.
The squadron had previously
conducted test flights of an F-15E
loaded with six Joint Direct Attack
Munitions (JDAM) on a single side
of the aircraft. That evaluation
increased the number of precision-
guided weapons that the Strike
Eagle could carry to a total of 15.
Tom Kaminski
operations in the Gulf of Alaska as
part of the Indo-Pacific Command’s
Exercise Northern Edge 21 from
May 3-14. The aircraft deployed
aboard the amphibious assault
ship included F-35Bs operated by
Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 122
(VMFA-122) ‘Werewolves’. As part of
the exercise, the Marines conducted
Expeditionary Advanced Base
Operations (EABO) at Joint Base
Elmendorf-Richardson, Eielson AFB,
Fort Greely’s Allen Army Airfield and
Cold Bay Airport. Tom Kaminski
USAF PLANS
TO CUT 443
FIGHTERS
FROM FLEET
BY FY2026
An 8% cut in F-35A purchases
is being proposed by the US Air
Force, as part of its forthcoming
future years defense plan,
according to a May 14 report in
Air Force Magazine, which cited
talking points prepared for Chief
of Staff Gen Charles Q Brown Jr.
The reasons given are that
sustainment costs for the type
have proved to be well above
those expected, and because the
USAF would prefer to wait for the
more advanced Block 4 variant.
See Stealth Sunset, p28-33.
Under the proposal, the
USAF will request 48 F-35As in
fiscal year (FY) 2022, followed
by 43 each year from FY2023
to FY2026. Over that five-year
period, this will give an overall
purchase of 220, compared to the
previously planned 240.
Air Force Magazine also noted
that the FY2022 budget talking
points said that congressional
approval will be sought to retire
421 legacy aircraft through to
2026 but acquire only 306 new
fighters to replace them. The
savings from operating a smaller
fleet would go towards acquiring
new systems, including the
Next-Generation Air Dominance
fighter later this decade and a
new MR-X multi-role fighter in
the 2030s.
The retirement plan would
include a complete phase-out
of the 234-strong F-15C/D Eagle
fleet by the end of FY2026,
while 124 aircraft from the F-16
fleet would also go – mostly
from the earliest models still in
service. This would leave 812
remaining in service by the end
of 2026. The A-10C Thunderbolt II
would also be cut from 281 total
aircraft to 218, ending in FY2023.
Meanwhile, up to FY2026, 84
F-15EXs would be acquired.
www.Key.Aero // July 2021 7

RARE DEPLOYMENT OF RCAF CH-148
CYCLONE TO THE NETHERLANDS
A ROYAL Canadian Air Force
Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclone
(military-configured S-92) made
an extremely rare visit to Europe,
where it was hosted for a two-
week period by Naval Air Base De
Kooy in the Netherlands.
The CH-148, serial number
Royal Canadian Air Force CH-148 Cyclone 148805 in a low hover at De
Kooy during its visit to the Netherlands in late April Stephan de Bruijn
LAST EX-RAAF INTERIM FIGHTERS ARRIVE IN CANADA
ARRIVING AT Montréal-Mirabel
International Airport, Quebec,
on April 29 were the last of 18
former Royal Australian Air Force
F/A-18A/B Hornets that will enter
operational service with the Royal
Canadian Air Force (RCAF). Referred
to by the RCAF as Interim Fighters,
the Hornets will be updated
to Canadian standards before
entering service.
The Canadian government
announced its intention to pursue
the purchase of supplemental
F/A-18 aircraft from Australia
on December 13, 2017. The two
governments subsequently signed
an agreement permitting Canada
to purchase 18 flyable and up to
US ARMY RESERVE RELOCATES JETS
US ARMY Reserve Command
is permanently relocating four
Cessna UC-35A operational
support aircraft to Joint Forces
8 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero
148805, operated from the base
in late April during maintenance
of its parent ship, the frigate
HMCS Halifax (FFH 330), at the
nearby Dutch naval port of Den
Helder. HMCS Halifax is part of the
Standing NATO Maritime Group 1
(SNMG 1) – the embarked CH-148
seven non-flyable aircraft, the latter
as spare parts and training aids.
The initial pair of Hornets arrived
at 4 Wing/CFB Cold Lake, Alberta,
on February 16, 2019, following
participation in a Red Flag Exercise
at Nellis AFB, Nevada.
The jets were formally transferred
by the government of Australia to
Canada five days later. The RCAF
carried out the first flight of one
of the Interim Fighter aircraft on
May 22, 2019 and declared initial
operational capability on June 28
that year. From November 17, 2019,
the remaining 16 Interim Fighters
were delivered to the L3Harris
Technologies facility at Montréal-
Mirabel International Airport.
Training Base Los Alamitos,
California. The jets have been based
at Fort Hood, Texas, but are being
moved this summer.
is assigned to its Helicopter Air
Detachment (HELAIRDET) and
is from 12 Wing’s 423 Maritime
Helicopter Squadron, CFB
Shearwater, Nova Scotia. It was
flown to De Kooy to continue
training flights. Stephan de
Bruijn/Wim Sonneveld
The operational aircraft comprise
12 single-seat F/A-18As and six
two-seat F/A-18Bs.
The aircraft will supplement
The last arrival of the former Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18A/Bs, being unloaded from an
Antonov An-124 at Montréal-Mirabel International Airport on April 29
Canadian Armed Forces
The Citation Ultras are operated
by a detachment from Company
C, 6th Battalion, 52nd Aviation
and the move will mean that the
US COAST GUARD
UPDATES FLEET
OF DOLPHINS
TRANSITION OF US Coast
Guard Air Station Barbers Point,
Hawaii, from the MH-65D to the
upgraded MH-65E Dolphin was
completed on April 10, when
its third updated helicopter was
delivered to Kalaeloa Airport on
Oahu. Tail number 6548 was the
18th of 98 Dolphins to undergo
Service Life Extension work and
receive avionics upgrades.
Sector/Air Station North
Bend, Oregon, became the
fourth operating location to
transition to the MH-65E when
tail number 6537 arrived there
on April 23. The Coast Guard
plans to convert all 98 aircraft
to the MH-65E configuration
by the end of fiscal year 2024.
Air Stations Houston, Texas;
Miami, Florida and Port Angeles,
Washington have all previously
completed the conversion.
Tom Kaminski
Canada’s existing 76 Hornets and
will allow the fleet to remain in
service until 2032.
Tom Kaminski
detachment will be collated with
the main body of the company
and its Beechcraft C-12V King Airs
at Los Alamitos. Tom Kaminski
 F-15EX EAGLE IIS DEBUT IN NORTHERN EDGE 21
ONLY A matter of weeks after
delivery to Eglin Air Force Base,
Florida, the first two US Air Force
F-15EX Eagle IIs (serial numbers
20-0001 ‘ET’ and 20-0002
‘OT’) deployed to Joint Base
Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, to
participate in exercise Northern
Edge 21, which was held from
May 3-14.
The purpose of the F-15EX’s
participation in Northern Edge is
to allow for “immediate deep-end
testing in a complex jamming
environment to gather essential
test data for what works and what
needs improvement,” according to a
USAF press release.
The USAF said it is critical
to expose the F-15EX to this
environment now to make changes
early on and allow for an aggressive
test and fielding timeline.
Major Aaron Eshkenazi, F-15EX
pilot with the 85th Test and
Evaluation Squadron, said: “At
Northern Edge we’re assessing
how the F-15EX can perform in a
jamming environment, to include
GPS, radar and Link 16 jamming.
The other main goal is assessing
the EX’s interoperability with fourth
and fifth generation assets.
“With more than 60 aircraft
airborne during every vul
(vulnerability period – a period of
time when an aircraft is vulnerable
to harm) at Northern Edge, we’re
putting the jet in the role it will
perform in once it’s fielded and
seeing how it does.
“So far, it’s been performing
really well.”
While at Northern Edge, F-15EX
pilots, test engineers and others
from both the 85th TES, 53rd Wing
and 40th Flight Test Squadron,
96th Test Wing, are gathering test
data points and accomplishing
test objectives. These include:
Performance of technological
advancements and subsystems,
such as the advanced cockpit
system, large area displays and
the new helmet, the digital
Helmet Mounted Cueing System
for the F-15EX; Eagle Passive
Active Warning Survivability
System performance defending
both the F-15EX itself and other
joint fourth and fifth generation
platforms; Overall radar
performance, and Interoperability
with other platforms.

Both of the US Air Force F-15EX Eagle IIs on the ramp at Joint Base Elmendorf-
Richardson, Alaska, on May 4 while participating in Northern Edge 2021
USAF/1st Lt Savanah Bray

NEW TOP ACES GERMAN ADVERSARY TRAINING CONTRACT

CANADIAN-BASED Top Aces The company announced the Aces has already been providing Over the last four years, Top Aces
has been contracted by the agreement on April 26, saying that advanced airborne training to the has made significant investments
Bundeswehr (German Armed the contract will become effective Bundeswehr for the past six years. It in R&D to develop a proprietary
Forces) to continue to provide fast on January 1, 2022. Operating out plans to invest over CDN$100m in Advanced Aggressor Mission
jet adversary air training services. of the Wittmundhafen Air Base, Top furtherance of the new contract. System (AAMS) that allows for
the use of state-of-the-art Active
Electronically Scanned Array (AESA)
radar and Infrared Search-and-
Track (IRST) systems on a variety of
aircraft types, including Top Aces’
A-4N Skyhawk and F-16 Fighting
Falcon. The AAMS allows its aircraft
to simulate the most advanced
capabilities of modern-day
opponents in air-to-air combat.
Flight testing and certification
of the AAMS on Top Aces’ A-4N
Skyhawk have been completed,
enabling the company to begin
delivering AAMS missions
to Germany.
In addition to its current Alpha
A new addition joining the already strong Top Aces A-4N Skyhawk detachment of seven aircraft at Wittmundhafen, Germany, is two-seat TA-4J Jets and A-4N Skyhawks, Top Aces is
C-FGWT ‘499’ (c/n 13499, ex N250WL, Israeli DF/AF 749, US Navy/152853) which arrived at the base on May 6 after an overnight stop at Glasgow
Prestwick Airport, Scotland, following its transatlantic crossing via Iceland. It will have a dual role, being used both for company pilot training and in the process of taking delivery of
to support the Bundeswehr on military training missions. It is seen here departing Prestwick for Wittmundhafen on May 6 Chris Melaisi 29 ex-Israeli Air Force F-16A/B Netz.

www.Key.Aero // July 2021 9

 USMC ENDS OPERATIONS WITH
LEGACY KC-130T
The US Marine Corps (USMC) has
finally ended operations with the
legacy KC-130T Hercules after 60
years of service.
US Naval Air Systems Command
announced on May 5 that the
USMC had divested itself of the final
aircraft – BuNo 164105 ‘NY-105’,
which was operated by Marine
Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron
452 (VMGR-452) ‘Yankees’ at
Two-seat F/A-18F 165932 ‘SD-122’ during thecaptive
carry flight test of the AARGM-ER on April 22 at NAS
Patuxent River US Navy
US NAVY AARGM-ER TESTING ON SUPER HORNET
The US Navy has completed a
captive carry flight of the Advanced
Anti-Radiation Guided Missile –
Extended Range (AARGM-ER) on an
F/A-18 Super Hornet.
US Naval Air Systems Command
announced on May 7 that the sortie
had taken place on April 22 at Naval
Air Station Patuxent River located
in St Mary’s County, Maryland, in
support of the first live fire event
10 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero
Stewart Air National Guard
Base (ANGB), New York. The unit
is under the command of the
4th Marine Aircraft Wing/Marine
Aircraft Group 49 (MAG-49) at
Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst
in New Jersey, and forms MAG-49
Detachment B at Stewart.
The aircraft departed from
Stewart ANGB on April 14 to join
the US Navy’s Fleet Logistic Support
due to take place this spring.
The aircraft used was two-seat
F/A-18F 165932 ‘SD-122’ operated
by Air Test and Evaluation
Squadron 23 (VX-23) ‘Strike’ at Pax
River. It marked the first time the
AARGM-ER demonstrated could
communicate with the F/A-18E/F.
The Separation Test Vehicle (STV)
used its hardware and software to
facilitate the controlled free flight.
US Marine Corps KC-130T BuNo 164105 ‘NY-105’ departing
Stewart Air National Guard Base, New York, on April 14 for
Naval Base Ventura County, Point Mugu, California US Navy
Squadron 55 (VR-55) ‘Minutemen’
at Naval Base Ventura County, Point
Mugu, California. VMGR-452 is now
transitioning to the new KC-130J
variant, which is replacing the
elderly KC-130T. Henceforth, USMC
VMGR units will only fly the new
KC-130J model.
Eight of the USMC KC-130Ts have
already been retired and are in
storage with the 309th Aerospace
The Super Hornet conducted
a series of aerial maneuvers to
evaluate compatibility of the
AARGM-ER with the Super Hornet.
The test points completed during
this flight substantiated F/A-18
carriage compatibility.
AARGM-ER is being integrated on
the F/A-18E/F and EA-18G Growler.
It will also be compatible for
integration on the F-35.
Maintenance and Regeneration
Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force
Base, Arizona. Eight have now
been transferred to US Navy Fleet
Logistics Support Squadrons, five
have gone to US Navy Air Test and
Evaluation Squadrons, one became
a ground instructional airframe and
another was written off. Two more
were sold to the Philippine Air Force
and delivered in 2016.
POSEIDON LRASM
INTEGRATION
CONTRACT
Boeing has been awarded a
contract to integrate the AGM-
158C Long-Range Anti-Ship
Missile (LRASM) onto the US
Navy’s P-8A Poseidon.
The US$73.95m deal was
awarded by US Naval Air
Systems Command on April 21
and provides for the design,
development and testing of
software and ancillary hardware
for LRASM integration. An
initial US$5.32m of funding
from US Navy fiscal year 2021
was released at the time of the
contract award. Completion is
expected in October 2024.
LRASM is a derivative of
the US Air Force’s AGM-158B
Joint Air-to-Surface Strike
Missile Extended Range
(JASSM-ER) weapon.
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 RARE COLOMBIAN ELINT ECN235 AT D
The Fuerza Aérea Colombiana’s (FAC; Colombian Air Force) rarely seen electronic intelligence
ECN235M-100 ‘Phobos’, serial number FAC1262, on approach to Davis-Monthan Air Force
Base, Arizona, on May 8. The heavily modified aircraft, operated by Escuadrón de Combate
Táctico 113 ‘Fantasma’ at Palanquero, Puerto Salgar, was participating in the Red Flag-
Rescue 2021 exercise held at the base from May 7-21, along with four FAC A-29B Super
Tucanos from Escuadrón de Combate 211 Grifos at Apiay-Villavicencio Ned Harris

ARGENTINA’S NEW 737-700

Secondhand Fuerza Aérea Argentine (FAA; Argentine Air Force) Boeing 737-76N T-99, c/n 33420/1459, ex 2-ACSM, SE-RJR, ET-ALQ, seen here on
May 10, was recently acquired by the FAA to boost its depleted transport fleet. It was delivered to the FAA at El Palomar, Buenos Aires, on April 27
and is operated by I Brigada de Transporte Aéreo/II Escuadrón with the name Islas de Malvinas (Falkland Islands) on the nose Rafael A Baires

US AIR FORCE E-4B BRINGS SECDEF TO UK

‘SWAMP FOX’ F-16s
IN SAUDI ARABIA
Right: USAF/South Carolina Air National
Guard F-16CM 92-3914 from the 169th
Fighter Wing’s 157th Fighter Squadron
‘Swamp Fox’ at McEntire Air National Guard
Base arrives at Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi
Arabia, on April 14. It was one of 12 aircraft
from the unit that had arrived at Moron Air
Base, Spain, on April 12 before continuing to
USAF Boeing E-4B 73-1677, callsign ‘Titan 25’, from the 1st Airborne Command and Control Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, the Middle East. The deployment will be under
arriving in the UK at London Stansted, Essex, from Brussels, Belgium, on April 15. It brought US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J Austin III for a the control of the 378th Air Expeditionary
meeting with his UK counterpart, Ben Wallace. The aircraft departed that same afternoon for Andrews AFB, Maryland Richard Vandervord Wing USAF/Senior Airman Samuel Earick

12 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero

AT DAVIS-MONTHAN USMC F/A-18Ds HEAD
TO SAUDI ARABIA...

Tiger-schemed US Marine Corps F/A-18D Hornet 164901 ‘WK-01’ from Marine All Weather Fighter
Attack Squadron 224 (VMFA(AW)-224) ‘Fighting Bengals’ at MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina,
arriving at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on May 8. It is one of 12 jets which routed
through Naval Station Rota in Spain on their way to PSAB. They are part of a US CENTCOM
dynamic force deployment detachment to the region aimed at promoting security and stability
within the USCENTCOM area of responsibility USAF/Senior Airman Samuel Earick

...WITH KC-46As IN SUPPORT

US Air Force KC-46A Pegasus 18-46050, callsign ‘Gold 33’, from the New Hampshire Air
National Guard’s 157th Air Refueling Wing/133rd Air Refueling Squadron ‘Wildcats’ at Pease
Air National Guard Base approaches to land at Moron Air Base, Spain, on May 6. It arrived
along with a second aircraft from the unit – 16-46018 ‘Gold 32’ – while supporting the
VMFA(AW)-224 F/A-18Ds that were deploying to Saudi Arabia. These were the first KC-46As
to visit Moron on an operational mission Antonio Muñiz Zaragüeta

RAF RIVET JOINT RETURNS AFTER UPGRADE

RAF/51 Squadron RC-135W Rivet Joint ZZ665, callsign ‘Shiner 50’, arrives at its home base, RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire, on May 13, after nearly 19 months being modernized with a state-of-the-
art glass cockpit by L3Harris at Greenville, Texas. It routed home via a refueling stop at Bangor, Maine, in the early hours. The aircraft left RAF Waddington for Greenville on August 19, 2019, for the
upgrade. It is the second of the three RAF aircraft to undergo this enhancement, following ZZ664, which re-entered service last year, leaving just ZZ666 awaiting similar treatment Michael Hiley

IWO JIMA OSPREYS AT MILDENHALL

US Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey 168666 ‘YS-13’ from Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 162
(VMM-162) ‘Golden Eagles’ on USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) at RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk, on May 10.
It was ferrying personnel and equipment to HMS Queen Elizabeth (R 09) Ryan Dorling

www.Key.Aero // July 2021 13

 An impression of the L3Harris/Air Tractor
Sky Warden L3Harris
L3HARRIS LAUNCHES SKY WARDEN ISR AIRCRAFT
L3Harris Technologies and Air
Tractor have teamed to produce
the AT-802U Sky Warden,
describing the new ISR variant
as an affordable, production-ready
aircraft designed for airborne
intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance (ISR) and
MQ-9 GHOST REAPER CAPABILITIES
UNDERGOING TESTING
Enhanced capabilities for the
US Air Force’s General Atomics
Aeronautical Systems Inc (GA-ASI)
MQ-9A Reaper are undergoing
operational assessment with the
New York Air National Guard’s
(ANG’s) 174th Attack Wing
(ATKW) at Hancock Field Air
National Guard Base, Syracuse,
New York.
On May 6, the Wing announced
that it has partnered with
multiple Department of Defense
contractors and academia to lead
the effort in establishing new
and additional capabilities for the
Reaper. These include battlefield
and airspace communications
An MQ-9 Reaper with three Ghost Reaper pods awaits take-off
at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base, New York, on April 14,
2021 US Air National Guard/Staff Sgt Megan Fowler
14 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero
other missions in extreme combat
environments. L3Harris announced
the variant, based on the Air Tractor
AT-802, on May 6.
Originally an agricultural aircraft, it
has been developed for fire-fighting
and military roles and other variants
have included the previously
enhancements as well as target
identification tracking and
processing. The initiative is known
as the Ghost Reaper concept.
Three separate pods are involved
in the testing – the Northrop
Grumman Freedom Pod, GA-ASI
Centerline Avionics Bay Pod and
Ultra Electronics Rosetta Echo
Advanced Payloads (REAP) Pod.
Each pod is manufactured by a
contractor that specializes in its
unique function, using expertise
from previous programs.
The pods will help the
MQ-9 play an increased,
more prominent role
in the command and
offered AT-802L Longsword ISR and
light strike aircraft promoted at the
2017 Paris Air Show.
The Sky Warden hosts L3Harris’
family of communications, sensors
and airborne ISR solutions. It says
the multi-mission platform provides
agility and flexibility to identify,
control arena of the battlefield. It
will be able to receive and pass
information to and from older
fourth-generation and newer
fifth-generation aircraft.
This role is solely an ANG
mission and has been funded
by The National Guard and
Reserve Equipment Account
funds. From May 3-14, the pods
demonstrated their capabilities
on board a 174th ATKW MQ-9,
focusing on a higher level of
integration with additional air
and ground-based assets during
Pacific Command’s premier
exercise, Northern Edge at Eielson
Air Force Base, Alaska.
track and react to counter threats
and merges the capabilities of
larger ISR and armed aircraft into
one package. It is capable of take-
off and landing on unimproved
airstrips, allowing the aircraft to
be deployed and co-located with
special mission operators.
TWO USAF
C-130Hs
DONATED TO
CHILE
A pair of US Air Force C-130H
Hercules are being transferred to
the Fuerza Aérea de Chile (FACh,
Chilean Air Force) to supplement
its transport fleet. The first, serial
number 74-1674 (c/n 382-4631),
arrived at Base Aérea El Bosque,
Santiago, Chile, on April 22,
still in the full markings of its
previous operator, the Montana
Air National Guard/120th Airlift
Wing’s 186th Airlift Squadron
‘Vigilantes’ from Great Falls Air
National Guard Base, Great Falls
International Airport, Montana.
The aircraft brought a cargo of
donated COVID-19 relief supplies
of 87,000 personal protection
items. It is due to take up FACh
serial 993, previously worn by a
long-since retired C-130B.
The US government has
supplied both aircraft free of
charge through the Excess
Defense Articles program,
authorisation for which was
granted on May 3, 2019. The
second C-130H will be delivered
within the next few months.
 USMC’S 60TH KC-130J DELIVERED
The US Marine Corps (USMC)
has taken delivery of its 60th
Lockheed Martin KC-130J
Hercules, the US Naval Air
Systems Command announced
on April 29.
Delivery took place on March 31,
when the aircraft, Bureau Number
170037 ‘BH-037’ (c/n 382-5909),
departed from the Lockheed
Martin factory in Marietta,
Georgia, bound for Marine Aerial
Refueler Transport Squadron 252
(VMGR-252) ‘Heavy Haulers’ at
Marine Corps Air Station Cherry
Point, North Carolina.
FIRST TWO AIRCRAFT FOR SECOND
EIELSON F-35A SQUADRON
The first two aircraft for the
second of two combat-coded
US Air Force F-35A Lightning II
squadrons at Eielson Air Force
Base in Alaska, have been delivered
to the base.
The 355th Fighter Squadron
(FS) ‘Fighting Falcons’ received its
One of the first two F-35A Lighting IIs to be assigned to the 355th Fighter Squadron, 19-5536
‘AK,’ taxies in at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, on April 29 after its delivery flight from Fort Worth
USAF/Staff Sgt Kaylee Dubois
This latest KC-130J incorporates a
number of capability improvements
compared to earlier aircraft,
providing better navigational
performance, a modernized cockpit
and other key upgrades. The aircraft
was accepted by the Tactical Airlift
Program Office (PMA-207) after
being outfitted with the updated
Block 8.1 cockpit and AN/AAQ-24
Department of Navy (DoN) Large
Aircraft Infrared Countermeasure
(DoN LAIRCM). These upgrades
improve survivability and address
obsolescence issues.
The Block 8.1 cockpit upgrade
first two F-35As at Eielson on the
evening of April 29, when they
flew in from the factory in Fort
Worth, Texas.
Both had originally been allocated
for the Turkish Air Force and
were already on the production
line when the US Government
includes a new flight management
system complying with the latest
Communications, Navigation,
Surveillance and Air Traffic
Management mandates. It features
enhanced GPS capabilities, better
communications systems and
improvements to the KC-130J’s
friend-or-foe identification
technology. The addition of
DoN LAIRCM, a laser-based
self-protection system designed
to defend against surface-to-air
infrared missile threats, increases
aircraft and aircrew survivability in
the event of an airborne attack.
170037 ‘BH-037’ (c/n 382-5909), leaving Marietta, Georgia
on March 31 on delivery to Marine Aerial Refueler Transport
Squadron 252 (VMGR-252) ‘Heavy Haulers’ at Marine Corps Air
Station Cherry Point, North Carolina US Navy/Lockheed Martin
cancelled the Turkish F-35 contract
in 2019. Following this move, they
were re-allocated for the USAF. They
comprised serial numbers 19-5534
‘AK’ (c/n AT-15) and 19-5536 ‘AK’ (c/n
AT-17) and were originally allocated
serials 18-0015 and18-0017
respectively for Turkey.
The 355th FS was reactivated at
Eielson on December 18, 2020 as
the second F-35A squadron with
the 354th Fighter Wing.
It had previously been an F-16C/D
unit based at Naval Air Station
Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base
until being de-activated two days
before it was re-formed in Alaska.
However, the Squadron
has previously been based at
Eielson, operating the A-10A
Thunderbolt II, but it ceased
operations with the type when the
last three A-10As flew out of the
base on August 15, 2007.
The USMC’s program of record for
the KC-130J comprises a total of
86 aircraft, of which the remaining
26 are scheduled to be delivered
over the next five years. The
KC-130J has been progressively
replacing the legacy KC-130T in
USMC service.
The final USMC KC-130T was
transferred to the US Navy on
April 14 – see USMC ends operations
with legacy
KC-130T, p10.
The 60th KC-130J for the US Marine Corps,
US ARMY’S
3-17TH CAV
BEGINS AH-64E
V6 CONVERSION
One of the latest US Army units
to begin conversion from the
AH-64D to the new AH-64E
is the 3rd Squadron, 17th
Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Combat
Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry
Division. On April 12, the unit
said that pilots assigned to the
Regiment are being trained at
Hunter Army Airfield, Savannah,
Georgia, by the Program
Executive Office for Aviation
Apache project office’s New
Equipment Training (NET) team.
The first six-week class to
familiarise aircrew with the new
model ran from March 24-April
19. Rotations will continue until
October 2021. Training is being
carried out on the most recent
Version 6 (V6) of the AH-64E.
www.Key.Aero // July 2021 15
 Maj Gen Chad P Franks, 15th Air Force commander and his crew
taxi in HH-60G Pave Hawk 87-26009 at Hurlburt Field, Florida,
on May 5 at the end of its retirement flight, from NAS Pensacola,
Florida. The helicopter is to be displayed at the Hurlburt Field
Memorial Air Park USAF Senior Airman Robyn Hunsinger

USAF HH-60G RETIREMENTS BEGIN

The delivery of new HH-60W and
replacement HH-60G helicopters to
the US Air Force (USAF) has allowed
the service to begin retiring the
Pave Hawks that have flown the
greatest number of hours.
On May 5 HH-60G Pave Hawk,
serial number 87-26009 completed
its final flight when it arrived at
Hurlburt Field, Florida, where it
will be put on display at the base’s
Memorial Air Park.
On March 28, 1999, this particular
HH-60G recovered USAF pilot Lt Col
Darrell Patrick Zelko, whose F-117A
Nighthawk had been shot down
by a Serbian S-125 Neva/Pechora
surface-to-air missile during a strike
mission in support of Operation
Allied Force eight hours earlier.
During that mission, the HH-60G
was operated by the 55th Special
Operations Squadron under the
designation MH-60G and flown
by Capt Chad P Franks, who now
serves as the commander of Air
Combat Command’s 15th Air Force.
Maj Gen Franks also had the honor
of piloting the helicopter on its final
flight from NAS Pensacola, Florida,
to Hurlburt.
Prior to its retirement ‘009
had been assigned to the 563rd
Rescue Group’s (RQG) 66th Rescue
Squadron at Nellis AFB, Nevada.
Then designated as an Aerospace
Rescue and Recovery Squadron
(ARRS), the 55th was the first
unit to operate the MH-60Gs and
was stationed at Hurlburt Field.
It flew Pave Hawks in support of
Operations Just Cause, Desert
Shield, Desert Storm, Provide
Comfort, Northern Watch and Allied
Force before its inactivation in
November 1999.
The unit was reactivated at
Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, on
March 14, 2003, as the 55th Rescue
Squadron (RQS) and is currently
assigned to the 355th Fighter Wing
as part of the 563rd RQG.
While ‘009 will be preserved at
Hurlburt Field, another Pave Hawk,
91-26356, will join the aircraft
displayed at Moody AFB’s President
George W Bush Air Park in Georgia.
It was last operated by the 347th
RQG’s 41st RQS at Moody.
Meanwhile, HH-60G serial
92-26464, which had also been
assigned to the 41st RQS, was
trucked to Davis-Monthan AFB,
Arizona, arriving on March 11.
It was the first Pave Hawk from
Moody to be placed in storage with
the 309th Aerospace Maintenance
and Regeneration Group (AMARG).
The squadron’s transition to the
new HH-60W Jolly Green II began
with the arrival of the first pair of
helicopters on November 5, 2020.
The first HH-60G to go into
storage with AMARG at Davis-
Monthan, 89-26204, had arrived
from the 66th RQS at Nellis AFB
on February 5, 2021. As of April,
five HH-60Gs were at AMARG for
storage. The other three comprise
87-26013 (arrived February 11,
ex-66th RQS), 90-26237 (March 4,
ex-301st RQS at Patrick Space Force
Base, Florida) and 92-26461 (March
26, ex-66th RQS). Tom Kaminski

JAMAICA DEFENCE FORCE BELL 505 DELIVERIES COMPLETED

Bell Textron has completed
delivery of six Bell 505 Jet Ranger X
helicopters to the Jamaica Defence
Force (JDF) Air Wing.
Announcing the final delivery
on May 11, the manufacturer also
noted that this sixth JDF example
was also the 300th Bell 505 to
be delivered. Their arrival came
remarkably quickly, the order
having only been announced by
All six of the Jamaica Defence Force Air Wing’s Bell 505 Jet Ranger X helicopters, comprising, Bell on February 8, 2021.
front to rear, JDF H-49, JDF H-46, JDF H-47, JDF H-48, JDF H-50 and JDF H-51 Bell Textron Four of the helicopters – JDF H-46,
JDF H-47, JDF H-48 and JDF H-49
– are painted in a largely white
scheme with yellow trim, while
the remaining two, JDF H50 and
JDF H-51, wear an overall dark
green camouflage color scheme.
The Force’s sixth Bell 505 will
support public safety missions
to serve the citizens of Jamaica
and be operated by its Caribbean
Military Aviation School (CMAS) to
train the international rotorcraft
pilots of tomorrow.

16 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero

TRITONS AVOID THE STORM SEASON
The US Navy is temporarily
operating the MQ-4C Triton high-
altitude, long-endurance (HALE)
unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)
from Japan for the first time. The
first of two Tritons deployed from
Andersen AFB, Guam, to Misawa
Air Base, Japan, on May 15 and will
JAPAN’S FIRST GLOBAL HAWK FLOWN
The first RQ-4B Global Hawk high-
altitude, long-endurance (HALE)
unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)
for the Japan Air Self-Defense
Force (JASDF), pictured during
its maiden flight on April 15 from
Northrop Grumman
RECENT LOSSES
• TURKISH AIR FORCE KT-1T
Woongbi serial number 10-05
‘05’ ditched in the sea off Foca
on April 9 during a training flight
from the 2nd Main Jet Base at
Izmir-Cigli. Both pilots were
rescued.
• An AZERBAIJAN AIR FORCE
Mi-17-1V crashed in mountainous
terrain in the Kalbajar region
on April 14. It was not reported
whether there were any injuries or
fatalities.
• A KAZAKHSTAN AIR DEFENCE
FORCE Su-30SM, from the 504th
Air Base at Taldykorgan, crashed
on approach to the 609th Air Base
at Balkhash in the Karaganda
region on April 16. The crew
ejected safely.
operate in Japan throughout the
annual typhoon season. The US
Navy’s Unmanned Patrol Squadron
19 (VUP-19) normally operates
two MQ-4Cs from Andersen. The
USAF RQ-4B Global Hawks that
are stationed at the Guam base
have relocated operations to Japan
Northrop Grumman’s facility in
Palmdale, California. The company
had been awarded a US$489.9m
contract on November 19, 2018, to
produce and deliver three RQ-4Bs
to the JASDF.
• PERUVIAN ARMY Mi-171Sh-P
serial number EP-685 ditched into
the waters of the Rio Vilcanota, near
Miaria, Cusco province, on April 17.
Five of those on board were killed,
five others rescued with minor
injuries and two were missing.
• GABONESE ARMY AS332M1
Super Puma serial number
TR-KCX crashed on Apr 18 while
attempting an emergency landing
in the Minkébé National Park. All 16
on board survived.
• ROMANIAN AIR FORCE MiG-21
LanceR-C serial number 5917 from
Escadrila 711 Aviație Luptă crashed
on Apr 20 near Dedrad, during
a training mission from Baza 71
Aeriana Câmpia Turzii. The pilot
ejected safely.
annually during the storm season
since 2014. During 2020, operations
were conducted from Yokota Air
Base, near Tokyo.
The Global Hawks, which
are operated by the 319th
Reconnaissance Wing’s 4th
Reconnaissance Squadron, were
• An ETHIOPIAN AIR FORCE Mi-35
from 21 Squadron crashed on
April 20 near Abiy Addi in Tigray
province, northern Ethiopia. All
three crew were killed.
• An AIR FORCE OF ZIMBABWE
Agusta-Bell 412 from 8 Squadron
crashed into a house in the Hukuru
area of Arcturus on April 23. All
three crew and a child on the
ground were killed. A second child
and her mother were injured.
• A US NAVY MQ-8B Fire Scout,
operated by HSC-21, crashed into
the side of the littoral combat ship
USS Charleston (LCS 18) and fell into
the sea just after taking off from
the vessel in the western Pacific on
April 26. It was not recovered.
• PHILIPPINE AIR FORCE
MD520MG Defender serial number
15-410 ‘410’ from the 15th Strike
Wing/18th Attack Squadron
joining the Tritons in Japan from
the end of May. The Tritons’
expeditionary Forward Operating
Base (FOB) was moved from NAS
Patuxent River to Japan in mid-April
to support the Maritime Patrol and
Reconnaissance Fleet this summer.
Tom Kaminski
crashed in Barangay Taytay on
April 27. The pilot was killed.
Three other crew were injured.
• A MYANMAR AIR FORCE
Mi-35 was shot down by Kachin
Independence Army rebels
on May 3. This happened near
Moemouk township, Kachin
State. All three crew were killed.
• An AFGHAN AIR FORCE
MD530F Cayuse Warrior was
written-off in Kandahar Province
on May 10. There were no
fatalities, but crew were injured.
• CHINESE PEOPLE’S ARMED
POLICE-Forestry Corps Changhe
Z-8AWJS serial number WJ56038
crashed into Erhai Lake in Dali
City, Yunnan Province, on May 10,
while attempting to scoop water
for fire-fighting operations. Two
crew members were killed; the
other two were missing.
www.Key.Aero // July 2021 17
 R Y
I VE INT S
E L R N
D L P TIO
E E L IP
A
FR ON SCR
U B
S

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FORCE REPORT // ARGENTINE NAVAL AVIATION
W
ITH MORE THAN 100
years of experience,
Argentina’s naval
aviation capability
was not only one of
the oldest in Latin
America, but was for many years the
biggest and most powerful. Now, after
more than 30 years of little investment,
the service is only a shadow of its former
glory. But the missions continue, despite
the limitations of the aircraft’s aging
avionics, for example. The Naval Aviation
Command (Spanish acronym COAN)
reports into the Readiness and Training
Command (COAA). This upper command
20 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero
PROT
also has under its control the commands
of the fleet, marine infantry, submarine
force and naval transport, in addition to
the naval areas and bases. The COAN is
organized into three Argentine Navy air
bases, each of them with one or more
navy air squadrons.
Punta Indio NAB
Punta Indio naval air base (BAPI) has under
its command Naval Aviation Squadron 1
(NAS 1) and Arsenal Aeronaval 1, with the
latter in charge of aircraft maintenance.
NAS 1 has three subordinate units – the
Navy Aviation School (ESAN), the Maritime
Surveillance Squadron and the Navy Aerial
Photography Group. The latter is also Above: The Naval
Aviation School
equipped with Beech B-200 Super King
received 15 T-34C-1s
Airs; one is used for general purposes, in 1978, of which four
and the other two for aerial surveillance, were lost in the 1982
Falklands War and ten
modified to house vertical cameras.
are still on strength.
The ESAN used to train all the naval Now they are to be
aviators, then a decade ago some cadets modernized and there
is also interest in
started to undergo basic training with
buying more examples
the Argentine Air Force, but that was All photos, author
abandoned a few years later. Today, the
cadets graduate from the Naval School,
apply to naval aviation and the selected
candidates are sent to the ESAN. Basic
training is performed on the fleet of ten
old Beechcraft T-34C-1 Mentors purchased
in the late 1970s. After successfully
OTECTING
the South Atlantic Having been the most powerful naval aviation
nation in Latin America, the Argentine air arm
is now trying to recover from decades of lack
of investment, reports Santiago Rivas

completing the course, pupils will
continue to the advanced stage, covering
aerobatics, gunnery, and bombing.
Once they graduate as naval aviators, the
pilots receive ‘navalization’ training, this
covers flying in the maritime surveillance
role, close air support with marine units
and anti-surface mission with the surface
fleet.
There had been interest in acquiring
a batch of surplus US Navy T-34Cs since
2016, to reinforce the fleet and for spares
support, but no budget was allocated.
The existing Mentors also have a light
attack capability met by 125kg Mk 81
bombs, Twin MAG pods and seven-tube
LAU32A rocket launchers. Instead of
buying new T-34Cs, a modernization
program was launched by the Argentine
Air Force in 2020 that is expected to see
the navy aircraft modified with new radios,
instruments, and navigation systems this
year.
The air force has announced that the
IA-100B Malvina basic trainer program
will deliver 12 aircraft to the ESAN
between 2023 and 2025, but the navy has
little interest.
The Maritime Surveillance Squadron
created on April 1, 1996 at Almirante
Zar naval aviation base (BAAZ) in Trelew,
Chubut province, moved to Punta Indio
in 2008. Initially there was aspirations for
a batch of B-200T Super King Airs, but
in 1994 a decision was taken instead to
locally modify the Navy Reconnaissance
Squadron’s four existing Beech 200s. The
programme was referred to as Project
Cormorant and carried out by Arsenal
Aeronaval 1 at Punta Indio.
Work began in 1996 and was completed
five years later. It saw the Beech 200s
modified with Bendix RDR 1500
surveillance radars, new bubble windows
in the rear part of the fuselage, a tactical
computer, new radios, and an Agiflite
camera connected to satellite navigation.
They were also given the capacity to

www.Key.Aero // July 2021 21

 FORCE REPORT // ARGENTINE NAVAL AVIATION
drop smoke markers, flares, and a life raft
as well as other improvements.
The last example was also modified
with extra fuel tanks just behind the
engine nacelles.
Comandante Espora NAB
The Comandante Espora naval aviation
air base (Spanish acronym BACE) hosts
the bigger Naval Aviation Squadron (NAS
2). Under BACE’s responsibility come the
main naval aviation workshops such as
the Comandante Espora naval aviation
armory (ARCE). BACE also hosts the Naval
Air Force Training Center 2, which runs
courses in addition to Naval Aviation
Squadrons 2 and 3. NAS 2 has two units
under its command, mainly dedicated
to anti-submarine warfare (ASW). One
of the units is the navy’s anti-submarine
squadron, equipped with four Grumman
S-2T Trackers.
Unfortunately, only one Tracker is
operational, and another is being
Above: A Super Étendard Modernisé stands with a
Super Étendard. The jets delivered by the French Navy
still wear those colors, except for the roundels and
badges. At least two are being run occasionally at
Comandante Espora Base’s runway
22 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero
overhauled. Six S-2E Trackers arrived in
Argentina during 1978 and were used
in the 1982 Falklands War. One was lost
in 1990 and four were modified during
that decade with Garrett TPE331/15AW
turboprops and other improvements. The
modernization of a fifth was started in
Argentina but never finished.
In recent years, they have received some
updates and there are plans to install a
pod with an infra-red camera, to fulfill
search and rescue (SAR) and night-time
maritime surveillance.
Despite the navy’s anti-submarine
squadron not operating from a carrier
since 2004, it still trains for carrier
operations at one of the runways at BACE.
The unit expects to get a replacement
for the Trackers in the near future, but so
far – as with so many other replacement
programs – nothing has been purchased.
The other unit of Squadron 2 is the
2 Naval Helicopter Squadron, which
is equipped with Sikorsky Sea Kings.
Five Sikorsky S-61D-4 arrived between
1972 and 1976, of which two are now
withdrawn from use.
The unit also has two Agusta Sikorsky
ASH-3D that were received in 1987 and
modified in the early 2000s to fire AM-39
Exocet missiles.
To reinforce the fleet, nine Sikorsky
UH-3H Sea Kings were purchased from US
surplus – four were put into service and
the remaining five use as spares.
Two of the Sea Kings are used for
Antarctic campaigns on board the
icebreaker ship ARA Almirante Irízar for
general purpose duties. While the unit
keeps some ASW and anti-surface warfare
capacity, they mainly perform transport,
logistic support, deploy special forces,
SAR, and support the marine forces.
The type is now nearing the end of its
operational life and a replacement is now
being sought with different options being
considered. The purchase of two extra
UH-3H Sea Kings from US stocks is under
consideration.
The Naval Aviation Squadron (NAS) 3
runs the only fighter unit of the force,
No 2 Naval Fighter and Attack Squadron
equipped with Dassault Super Étendards. Left: A Beech T-34C
The Argentine Navy purchased 14 armed with 250lb
bombs during an
examples, five had arrived in 1981 prior to exercise. While the
the Falklands War. aircraft are mainly
The remaining aircraft arrived after the used for training, they
also have the mission
conflict and, over the years, three were lost of close air support
in accidents. Due to a lack of any budget, and light attack,
they were grounded in 2011. using bombs, 70mm
rockets, and Twin MAG
Since France started retiring the type, Pods for two 7.62mm
the COAN has shown interest in buying a MAG machine guns

Above: One of the
COAN P-3B Orions.
The type is now
grounded due to
corrosion in the main
wing spars, but at
least one is to be
recovered
Right: One of the four
operational UH-3H
Sea Kings. While the
Navy has now started
the process to buy
another two, they also
still have two S-61D
and two Agusta AS-
61D on strength but
out of service
dozen Super Étendard Modernisé (SEM).
A lack of budget, together with
bureaucracy, delayed the purchase of
any further SEMs. In 2017, after France
had retired the type, the last five SEMs
to be operational were acquired by the
Argentine Navy. Delivery was postponed
but they eventually arrived in early 2019.
Further delays surrounding the Martin-
Baker ejection seat cartridges impeded
their return to service, but the aircraft did
make some taxi runs on the runway at
BACE.
Now the plan is to return the SEMs to
service this year.
The 1 Naval Aviation Helicopter
Squadron is the other unit of NAS 3,
equipped with four Eurocopter AS-555SN
Fennecs, delivered in 1996 to replace the
Aérospatiale Alouette IIIs. The Fennecs
have a Telephonics RDR1500B radar,
a Thales Avionics Nadir 10 navigation
system with satellite navigation, VHF
omnidirectional range and instrument
landing system, automatic direction
finding, transponder and a Sagem 85 T31
three-axis autopilot. While they do not
carry weapons for attack, they can operate
a MAG machine gun on one of the side
doors. This is mainly to support surface
boats on interception operations.
With the purchase of the new offshore
patrol vessels, four Airbus Helicopters
AS365N Dauphin helicopters were
expected to be bought to boost their
capability, but again the budget was not
allocated in time. The navy wants to buy a
bigger helicopter to replace the Fennecs
for embarked operations.
Almirante Zar (BAAZ)
The southernmost unit of naval aviation
is Naval Air Force 3, located at BAAZ.
Under its command are Naval Aviation
Squadron 6, the Almirante (Admiral) Zar
Naval Aviation’s armory for maintenance
and the Naval Air Exploration Squadron
(NAES). From the late 1950s, the NAES
operated different versions of the
Lockheed Neptune. In the 1980s, came
specially modified Lockheed Electras and,
from 1997, Lockheed P-3B Orions. The
P-3Bs have been modernized since their
arrival which has included the addition
of new computers and a turret with FLIR
and TV cameras. A local company, INVAP,
digitalized the radar and tested the FLIR/
TV turret.
For offensive missions, the Orions usually
carry torpedoes as well as bombs and
depth charges, but rarely use them. One
of the Orions has been modified to fire
AM-39 Exocet missiles, but there have
been no tests. After corrosion was found
on some of the spars of the Orions’ wings,
the fleet had been grounded by 2017.
One of them was sent to the air force’s
factory to have the wing changed and
that work is expected to start this year. In
2016, the military asked the government
to buy at least two Airbus Persuaders to
start replacing the Orions, but this was
not approved. Two years later, the US
government was asked about the sale of
four P-3C Orions. Approval was received in
2019, but the Argentine government has
not gone ahead with this order.
Governments not taking decisions
and orders being delayed are frequent
challenges for the Argentine Navy’s
aviation arm, along with aging fleets.
The stop and start history of naval
aviation would make the development
of any comprehensive fighting force as
challenging as the conditions of the South
Atlantic itself.
www.Key.Aero // July 2021 23
 1ST CAB // OPERATION MUSKETEER
THE FRENCH
CONNECTION
The 1st Combat Aviation Brigade’s recent rotation saw US Army equipment
arrive at Dunkirk for the first time in decades, reports Jean Francoise Auran
O
PERATION MOUSQUETAIRE
MUSKETEER occurred
between late February and
early March this year. Across
30 days or so, part of the US
Army’s 1st Combat Aviation
Brigade (CAB)/1 American Infantry
Division (AID) shuttled between Dunkirk
and Calais airport in northern France.
The 1st CAB from Fort Riley, Kansas,
moved to Germany, Poland, and Latvia
to replace the 101st CAB.
The ‘Demon’ Brigade (based at Fort Riley)
arrived at the port of Dunkirk on March 6,
on board the ARC Endurance, chartered
by the US Navy Military Sealift Command.
The 50,000-ton ro-ro (roll on-roll off ) was
loaded with 55 helicopters, 610 vehicles
and 312 containers.
The aviation brigade
comprised
24 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero
approximately 50 UH-60 and HH-60 Black
Hawks, 10 CH-47 Chinooks, 25 AH-64
Apaches and 1,800 wheeled vehicles and
pieces of equipment. Some of them used
other European ports. Another portion
of the brigade's equipment arrived in
Alexandroupoli, Greece, in late February
on board freight trains.
France, as a host nation, provided
Below: The ARC protection and support to the visiting
‘Endurance’
– carrying 1st US troops. The Musketeer operation
CAB, 1st Infantry is an interdepartmental effort under
Division equipment, the leadership of the préfet (a state's
helicopters, and
vehicles – arrives at representative in a department or region)
the port of Dunkirk for defence and security. A similar process
on March 6, 2021, in took place in Bordeaux and La Rochelle
support of Atlantic
Resolve and Operation back in July 2020.
Mousquetaire in Police and (mainly) gendarmerie
Dunkirk, France supervised the static and mobile
US Army/Staff
Sgt Benjamin protection, with the gendarmerie's
Northcutt specialised units providing naval
Both military and airport firefighters
were present in case of any emergency
Jean Francoise Auran
patrol teams as well as anti-drone
capabilities. Simultaneously, the French Air
and Space Force organised air traffic.
French infantry units were deployed
in both facilities, to protect the assets. A
French Air force liaison officer, a helicopter
pilot, was dispatched to Calais airport
to co-ordinate with the US crews. Calais
airport was cleared for official air traffic.
The Fuel Service of the Armies (Service de
l'Énergie Opérationnelle) provided fuel for
the US aircraft.
Calais airport, with its 5,000ft-long
runway, used to receive many British
planes and passengers, but COVID-19 and
Brexit have, of course, had an impact.
Heading east
The logisticians unloaded the helicopters
and stored them in a vast area inside the
harbour. On March 8, the first helicopter

flew from Dunkirk to Calais airport, 12
miles to the west. Calais airport was too
small to accommodate all the helicopters,
so the first to arrive began their movement
towards the east, a few days after making
it to France, freeing up space.
They reached Germany after several
stopovers in France. Albert Airport in
Picardie and Etain in Lorraine ensured
the reception and fuel resupply for all the
US choppers. The weather was erratic,
and the CAB team had to face snow, low
temperatures, and storms, which caused
some damage to the accommodation
tents. Poor visibility and fog sometimes
hampered the movement of the
helicopters to their deployment area.
UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters belonging
to the 3-1 Assault Helicopter Battalion
(AHB) arrived in Lielvārde AB, close to Riga
in Latvia, on March 26, 2021. The AH-64
Apaches assigned to 1-1 AB. (Gunfighters)
reached their destination – the Forward
Operating Base (FOB) in Powidz, Poland.
The 3-1 AHB (TF Nightmare) flew to Mihail
Kogălniceanu in Romania.
An entirely female crew flew a CH-
47 Chinook helicopter from Calais to
Illesheim, in Germany. The 101st CAB
officially transferred authority over to the
1st CAB, 1st Infantry Division, on April 1,
2021, at Storck Barracks in Germany. All
the host nations provided secured staging
areas within Europe for the 1st CAB.
Future commitment
The brigade is deploying to Europe to
support Atlantic Resolve and conduct
bilateral and multinational training events
with more than a dozen NATO allies
and partner nations in the European
Deterrence Initiative (EDI) framework. A
Division Headquarters (Forward) has been
Above: An AH-64D operational in Poznan, Poland, since 2019.
Apache is offloaded The command co-ordinates the
from the ARC
‘Endurance’ at functioning of US forces on NATO's
Dunkirk US Army/ eastern flank, as part of the Atlantic
Staff Sgt Benjamin Resolve operation. This deployment also
Northcutt
underlines Franco-American co-operation
and the interoperability of the two armies.
This is the first time in more than 60
years that US Army equipment has
arrived in Europe through the Dunkirk
Left: The gendarmerie and Calais regions. For Washington, this
mobilized several
hundred agents for meant testing the major European ports'
the American troops’ logistical capacity on the Atlantic coast,
security – a team is the Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean Sea,
seen here patrolling
Calais airport to accommodate an allied landing. This
Gendarmerie type of operation requires fine-tuned
co-ordination, due to national laws and
diplomatic clearance needed, despite the
NATO standardization efforts.
This could mark the last landing of an
American airmobile brigade via the port of
Dunkirk, because the US Army has altered
its operational procedures and, from now
Below: About 55 US
Army helicopters on, brigades will equip themselves in the
arrived onboard the theater with prepositioned equipment.
ARC ‘Endurance’ and
were then assembled For more on the 1st CAB’s arrival in
ready to fly east France, see AirForces Monthly, July 2021.
Babak Taghvaee
www.Key.Aero // July 2021 25
 INSIGHT // ON A WING AND A WARTHOG

ON A WING &
A WARTHOG
K
Politicians have saved the Fairchild NOWN MORE WIDELY by The A-10 first flew in the early 1970s
its nickname, Warthog, and its primary role has been close air
Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II from the Fairchild Republic support (CAS). The Thunderbolt II's 30mm
retirement so far – now a USAF study may A-10 Thunderbolt II has GAU-8/A Gatling gun can fire 3,900 rounds
end the argument over its lifespan demonstrated it is just as a minute to defeat an array of ground
adaptable and enduring as targets including tanks. The A-10 can
FAIRCHILD REPUBLIC A-10 THUNDERBOLT II its animal namesake: the A-10 has also carry out combat search and rescue,
Primary Function Close air support
evaded death by defense cutbacks over air interdiction, armed reconnaissance,
Contractor Fairchild Republic/A-10 Prime Team
many years. suppression of enemy air defenses, and
Power Plant Two General Electric TF34-GE-100 turbofans
Despite the United States Air Force’s special forces support, and it can counter
Thrust 9,065lb from each engine
Wingspan 57ft 6in
multi-year efforts to retire its A-10 fleet of sea operations in low and high-threat
Length 53ft 4in 281 examples (see ’CAS over Washington environments, day or night. It also
Height 14ft 8in DC’, opposite page), Northrop Grumman has the capability to carry electronic
Weight 29,000lb was awarded the $185.7m indefinite- countermeasures. While the Warthog
Maximum
51,000lb
delivery, indefinite-quantity (ID/IQ) A-10 only flew 30% of the USAF’s Operation
Take-off Weight
aircraft structural integrity program (SIP) Desert Storm sorties in 1991, it achieved
Fuel Capacity 11,000lb
legacy VII contract last November. more than half of the confirmed Iraqi
Payload 16,000lb
At the same time, Boeing was carrying equipment losses and fired 90% of the
Speed 365kt
Range 695nm
out the $999m ID/IQ A-10 wing precision-guided Maverick missiles.
Ceiling 45,000ft replacement contract the USAF awarded The 2019 wing award and 2020
Armament One 30mm GAU-8/A seven-barrel Gatling gun; up to it in August 2019. The air force has ordered structural integrity contract will see the
16,000lb of mixed ordnance on eight under-wing and 44 wing sets from Boeing so far, while lifespan of the fleet’s airframes extended
three under-fuselage pylon stations, including 500lb
under a previous 2007 contract awarded into the 2030s. The A-10 has also been
Mk-82 and 2,000lb Mk-84 series low/high drag bombs,
incendiary cluster bombs, combined effects munitions, to the US aerospace prime, 173 wing the recipient of congressionally directed
mine dispensing munitions, AGM-65 Maverick missiles sets were delivered. Boeing reports that funds for research and development and
and laser-guided/electro-optically guided bombs; infra-
upgraded wings are more durable and for further modernization. “Keeping the
red countermeasure flares; electronic countermeasure
chaff; jammer pods; 2.75in rockets; illumination flares; efficient, and easier to maintain. That 2007 fleet modernized and flying for decades
and AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles. upgrade work was expected to keep 173 to come is one of my top priorities,” said
Crew One A-10s flying until 2030. US House of Representatives member

KEEPING THE FLEET MODERNIZED AND FLYING FOR

DECADES TO COME IS ONE OF MY TOP PRIORITIES

A-10C Thunderbolt II 80-0173 currently serves with Air Force Reserve Command’s 924th Fighter Group/47th
Fighter Squadron ‘Dogpatchers’ at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. Boeing manufactured new wing sets for 173
A-10s from 2011 to 2018, following which it gained a contract for an additional 44 in 2019 Boeing

26 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero


Above: Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt IIs from the 354th Fighter Squadron at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, fly on a training
mission over the Berry Goldwater Range in Arizona USAF/Snr Airman Jesse Shipps
Left: On the nose of the A-10 is a 30mm GAU-8 Avenger seven-barrel Gatling gun which is used to pierce heavy armor
USAF/Snr Airman Joshua Strang
for Arizona, Ann Kirkpatrick, in a July 15,
2020 statement, regarding Fiscal Year (FY)
2021 defense funding – which began in
October 2020.
Congressional munitions
Kirkpatrick and her political allies have
been fighting the Warthog retirement
argument, which has been that multi-role
fighters can do the CAS role. The Lockheed
Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon has been used
for CAS and is intended to be replaced by
the F-35 Lightning II. The justification for
the A-10’s retirement was also that the
F-35 could take on the Warthog’s CAS role.
A USAF tactical aircraft (TACAIR) study
now under way could heavily influence
that ongoing debate. In February, USAF
chief of staff, Gen Charles Q Brown said
the TACAIR study would examine the force
structure for the 2030s and inform his
FY 2023 budget proposal. The legislative
battle for Brown’s FY 2023 force structure
begins in a few months, but already
Kirkpatrick is working to repeat her 2020
A-10 successes (see box, below).
The pro-A-10 politicians may want to
draw on a cost analysis which found that
"replacing the A-10 before its service life
ends in 2035 would cost at least $20.9
billion". That 2019 analysis, authored
by political economy professor Richard
Zeckhauser and US Navy CAPT John
Green, concluded that beyond the
A-10’s service life of 2035 “looms a cost
effectiveness problem for long-term CAS
requirements”. The study asked: “Will
the air force further extend some A-10s,
procure successor attack aircraft, or rely
solely on advanced multi-role fighters?
Until then, retaining the battle-tested
Warthog is a dominant solution.”
Modernization
Funding includes modernization, but
the USAF Life Cycle Management Center,
which oversees the A-10s sustainment, did
not explain what that could mean.
Throughout its 40 operational years,
the A-10 has been improved. The first
production A-10A model was delivered
to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona,
in October 1975. The A-10 was given an
inertial navigation system in the 1970s,
a low altitude safety ground collision
avoidance system in the 80s and night
vision imaging in the 90s. The Warthog’s
original manufacturer, Fairchild Republic,
became a legacy company of Northrop
Grumman in 1987. For many years after,
Northrop worked with Lockheed Martin
Systems Integration under the umbrella
of the A-10 Prime Team. This team and
its partners upgraded the A-10 and,
in 2005, the entire A-10 fleet became
C models – with improved fire control
system, electronic countermeasures,
upgraded cockpit displays, a moving
map display, hands on throttle and stick,
digital stores management, Litening
and Sniper targeting pods, situational
awareness data link and satellite
Below: The Fairchild navigation guided weapons. Lockheed-
Republic A-10C
Thunderbolt IIs was Martin and Boeing were not available for
the first US Air Force comment about the A-10 or programs
aircraft designed for
close air support. It
they have been awarded. The A-10Cs are
is a survivable twin- flying in operational squadrons from Air
engine jet aircraft National Guard (ANG) and USAF bases.
that can be used The ANG bases are Gowen Field, Idaho;
against all ground
targets, including Fort Wayne, Indiana; Warfield (formerly
tanks and other Glenn L Martin), Maryland; and Selfridge
armored vehicles, in Michigan. The USAF bases are Davis-
day or night; as the
pilots have night- Monthan; Eglin, Florida; Moody, Georgia;
vision goggles. The Whiteman, Missouri; and Nellis, Nevada.
A-10 has excellent
maneuverability
There are also A-10s at Osan air base
at low air speeds in South Korea. The A-10’s anti-armor
and altitude, and is capability in a Korean conflict has been a
a highly accurate key selling point for the type. Zeckhauser
weapons-delivery
platform. It can loiter and Green’s analysis said war with North
near battle areas for Korea is a serious possibility, according to
extended periods and the 2018 National Defense Strategy.
operate under 1,000ft
ceilings with 1.5 mile Northrop’s SIP covers engineering
visibility. Its wide services until November 2030 and the
combat radius and Boeing contract is expected to last until
short take-off and
landing capability October 2030. Long before, Brown’s
permits operations in TACAIR study or Kirkpatrick’s interventions
and out of locations decides whether the Warthog continues
near front lines
USAF/SSgt to stampede America’s enemies or is
Steve Thurow finally put out to pasture.

CAS OVER WASHINGTON DC

The United States Congress blocked the A-10’s retirement in FY
2015, but the Department of Defense and USAF reintroduced
the plan in the FY 2016 budget.
Congress continued to resist the retirement plan and
for FY 2021 spending, which began last October, Arizona
Representative Ann Kirkpatrick provided the Warthog close
political support. She secured A-10 funding in the FY 2021
National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) appropriations
bill. Every year there is an NDAA which funds the US military.
Kirkpatrick’s NDAA funding halted the USAF’s stated intention
to retire 44 of the oldest A-10s, mostly from Arizona’s Davis-
Monthan Air Force Base. Kirkpatrick’s funding also supported
modernization for the A-10.
In April, Kirkpatrick restarted her efforts to defend the A-10 for
the FY 2022 NDAA. Any FY budget is debated from February
when the draft is published until its expected vote in September
for an October implementation. However, after Presidential
elections the timetable is delayed while the new administration
beds in. Kirkpatrick’s FY 2022 NDAA resolution calls the A-10
the most effective, efficient close air support attack aircraft and
seeks Congress’ continued support for future fiscal years.

www.Key.Aero // July 2021 27

 STEALTH S
STEALTH CRISIS // USAF

Will a new tactical aircraft study lead to F-35 production being capped at 1,050 aircraft
and will a new fourth-generation fighter supplant the 700 cancelled Joint Strike Fighters?
Jon Lake asks if this could be the beginning of the end for the F-35

T
HE KNIVES ARE out for the
Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint
Strike Fighter, at least among
aviation’s chattering classes. It’s
nothing new for the F-35, the
world’s most expensive weapon
system, with its catastrophically high
support, sustainment and operating costs
and a litany of technical problems, delays
and difficulties.
Bullying F-35?
The F-35 experiences regular flurries of
criticism after each new revelation – often
revealed via Government Accountability
Office (GAO) reports or through the release
of test-and-evaluation documents or after
high profile criticism of the aircraft from
politicians or senior officers.
On March 5, Adam Smith, chair of the US
House Armed Services Committee, said
of the F-35 program that: “I want to stop
throwing money down that particular
rathole. What does the F-35 give us?
And is there a way to cut our losses? Is
there a way to not keep spending that
much money for such a low capability
because, as you know, the sustainment
costs are brutal… How can we get a mix
of fighter-attack aircraft that’s the most
cost-effective – that doesn’t make us have
to rely on the F-35 for the next 35 years?"
Also in March, General Mark D Kelly,
the head of the US Air Force’s Air Combat
Command, expressed doubt as to whether
F-35 availability was improving and
whether its US$36,000 hourly operating
cost was coming down and said he was
not “brimming with confidence” that cost
and availability targets would be achieved.
During April, Lieutenant General
Clint Hinote, the USAF's Deputy Chief
of Staff for Strategy, Integration, and
Requirements, said that there was no
value in including the current Block 3A
F-35A in wargames simulating future
high-end conflicts, including a putative
American military response to a Chinese
invasion of Taiwan. “Every [F-35] fighter
that rolls off the line today is a fighter that
we wouldn’t even bother putting into
these scenarios," he averred.
To be fair, there are a host of politicians,
lobbyists and other cheerleaders who
regularly take to their blogs or social
media to defend the aircraft and to try to
dismiss criticism. Pro-F-35 lawmakers are
already seeking additional funds for the
Block 4 modernization program, to invest
in F-35 sustainment, spare parts and to

28 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero

SUNSET?

support the integration of new weapons clean-sheet fourth-generation design) Above: An F-35
and capabilities. Some will even push to instead. And while a new a Tactical Lightning II assigned
to the 61st Fighter
fund the procurement of F-35s in excess of Aircraft (TacAir) study is planned to be Squadron at Luke Air
the Pentagon’s own budget request. completed in time to feed into the fiscal Force Base takes off,
On the other side, journalists, columnists, year 2023 budget process, it is far too for a mission USAF/
Staff Sgt Staci Miller
analysts and commentators have eagerly early to accurately predict what the
seized upon statements by former report’s conclusions may be. Pork barrel
assistant secretary of the Air Force for politics will inevitably intervene and may
Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, Will significantly deflect the air force from its Left: As a Colonel,
Roper and new USAF Chief of Staff Gen chosen path, whatever that path turns out General ‘CQ’ Brown
commanded the
Charles ‘CQ’ Brown as evidence that F-35 to be.
8th Fighter Wing at
production will be dramatically cut back. Kunsan Air Base,
“The US Air Force Just Admitted Difficult decisions South Korea. Brown
brings hard-won
The F-35 Stealth Fighter Has Failed,” Perhaps most importantly, the USAF
experience of the F-16
one distinguished and respected is unlikely to be able to afford to fulfil to his new role as Air
commentator gushed, in response to previous Chief of Staff General Dave Force Chief of Staff,
especially in facing
a profusion of reports that the USAF Goldfein’s goal of growing the force from
the growing Chinese
was considering capping production 312 to 386 operational squadrons by threat USAF/Senior
of the F-35A and procuring new-build, 2030. General Brown reportedly believes Airman Barry Loo
new-generation F-16s, (or a new that the USAF is hurtling toward “the

www.Key.Aero // July 2021 29

 STEALTH CRISIS // USAF
most difficult force structure decisions
in generations” and that hard choices
must be made. This could include
the cancellation of programs and the
retirement of some entire aircraft types.
Brown has expressed the view that
the air force can no longer count on the
dominance it has enjoyed since the early
1990s, and that a war against Russia or
China could entail combat loss rates
similar to those suffered in a major conflict
like World War Two. Brown believes that
his service must work hard to accelerate
change, adopting new technologies faster
than its potential adversaries, because
“good enough today will fail tomorrow”.
“We must reframe platform-centric
debates to focus instead on capabilities,”
Brown wrote in a recent paper. “Programs
that once held promise but are no longer
affordable or will not deliver needed
capabilities on competition-relevant
timelines, must be divested or terminated.”
Counting the costs
Brown did not specifically point at the
F-35, but the description certainly fits,
albeit imperfectly! Even with Lockheed
Martin working hard to reduce the
average cost per flight hour of the F-35A
from US$34,000 to US$25,000 by 2025, it
remains an unaffordable aircraft to many.
Although procurement cost of the F-35
has been dropping and the unit price of
the aircraft is now at an affordable or
near-affordable level, operating,
support and sustainment costs remain
I WANT TO STOP THROWING MONEY
DOWN THAT PARTICULAR RATHOLE
- ADAM SMITH, CHAIR OF THE US HOUSE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE, MARCH 5
30 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero
Above: It once prohibitively high and are the source of and landing F-35A aircraft, and this
seemed likely that the growing frustration and anger among remains the official ‘program of record’.
Fighting Falcon would
fulfil only two roles in senior officers and their political masters. However, a new fighter roadmap has been
support of the F-35. Fifth-generation fighters typically drawn up by the Air Force Warfighting
Here, a QF-16 Full have higher maintenance requirements Integrating Capability (AFWIC), which
Scale Aerial Target
from the 82nd Aerial than legacy fighters (in part due to the argues legacy platforms like the F-15 and
Targets Squadron demands of their low observable coatings F-16 should continue to play a crucial
one of those uses, and surface treatments), and require more role in the USAF force mix, and this new
flying over the Gulf of
Mexico during its first frequent maintenance and servicing while roadmap would cap F-35A deliveries
unmanned flight at offering significantly lower availability at “about 1,050 jets” – representing a
Tyndall Air Force Base, compared to fourth-generation aircraft. 720-aircraft reduction.
Florida USAF/Master
Sgt J Scott Wilcox In January 2021, Roper complained that Roper told reporters on January 14:
the F-35A was “a long way from being an “That’s why other tactical aviation
Below: What was affordable fighter that we can buy in bulk”. options are appealing to have in the mix
meant to be. The General Brown has characterized the F-35 so that the air force has options. There’s
USAF’s tactical as a boutique, high-end fighter in the competition. There’s pressure on industry
fighter force was once
intended to be ‘all- same class as the F-22. It is perhaps worth to improve.” Roper also made it clear that
stealth’. Here an F-22 remembering that the air force ended F-22 he thought that buying new F-16s could
Raptor from the 325th production prematurely, after just eight be an alternative.
Fighter Wing flies
alongside an F-35A test aircraft and 187 operational aircraft There would be a precedent for such a
Lightning II from the had been built – far short of the 750 ATFs course of action. Though it had not taken
33rd Fighter Wing that the USAF had originally envisaged. delivery of an F-15 since 2001, when the
over Florida’s Emerald
Coast USAF/1st Lt The air force has not officially abandoned last F-15E Strike Eagle was built, the USAF
Savanah Bray plans to buy 1,763 conventional take-off has now purchased an initial eight F-15EX
Eagle IIs from Boeing as part of a US$1.2bn
contract, placed as part of the US Fiscal
Year 2020 defense budget. Over the next
five years, 72 more will follow and the
USAF is set to procure at least 144 F-15EX
Eagles under an indefinite-delivery/
indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract worth
up to US$22.89bn.
These will replace ageing F-15C/Ds,
which were originally due for replacement
by F-35As. The F-15EX has modern
avionics, an active electronically scanned
array (AESA) radar and a dramatically
increased war-load able to carry up to
12 AAMs, for example. But perhaps most
crucially, it features a modern Open
Mission Systems processor that will allow
near-real-time software updates to meet
emerging threats.
Evergreen F-16
The F-16 was initially scheduled to be
retired in 2025, also to be replaced by the
F-35 Lightning II. Delays to the F-35 forced
the USAF to revise these plans and initiate
a Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) to
keep the F-16 in service until at least 2048.
More than 1,300 F-16s remain in active
service, including some 232 ‘Pre-Block’
(Block 25 and Block 30) F-16C/Ds. These
could be replaced by attritable unmanned
aircraft in the 2024-27 timeframe, perhaps
based on the Unmanned Aircraft Systems
(UAS) developed for the Skyborg program
(see Cutting Edge, p96).
But buying new F-16s could also be
an option, even though the USAF’s
Above: A USAF F-16 last Fighting Falcon (Block 50 F-16C
Fighting Falcon leads 01-7053) was delivered on March 18,
four F-35A Lightning
IIs from the 34th 2005, apparently the last of 2,231 F-16s
Expeditionary Fighter produced for the USAF since 1978.
Squadron, usually More advanced F-16 variants have been
based at Hill AFB,
Utah. They are seen delivered to the UAE (in the shape of the
here at Kunsan Air Block 60 F-16E/F) and are being built for
Base in 2018
USAF/Senior Airman
Taiwan, Bahrain and Slovakia (Block 70),
Colby L Hardin while advanced variants have also been
offered to India, most recently as the F-21.
Taiwan and Greece are also upgrading
earlier variants to the new F-16V Block
70/72 configuration.
The Block 70/72 variant features the AN/
APG-83 AESA radar (which is also
being retrofitted to some USAF F-16s), a
modern commercial off-the-shelf -based
(COTS) avionics subsystem, a new
Embedded GPS/INS (EGI), a high-volume,
high-speed data bus, AN/APX-126
Advanced IFF, a new Center Pedestal
Display/Center Display Unit (CPD/
CDU), Link 16 datalink, full NVIS/ JHCMS
II (Night Vision Imaging System/Joint
Helmet-Mounted Cueing System II)
compatibility and an Automatic Ground
Collision Avoidance System (Auto GCAS).
But while Roper seemed open to
acquiring new F-16s for the USAF, General
Brown (himself a former F-16 pilot) says he
is “open to looking at other platforms to
see what that right force mix is”.
Clean-sheet design
During a Defense Writers Group
roundtable, Brown explained: “I want to be
able to build something new and different
that’s not the F 16 – that has some of those
capabilities but gets there faster and uses
some of our digital approach.”
Brown wants an aircraft with an open
mission systems architecture and with
enough computing power to allow
software codes to be updated very
quickly. He believes that the F-16 lacks this
kind of open mission systems capability
and is tied to an old-school approach to
operational flight program updates, which

LESS INTEREST IN STEALTH FRONT-LINE FORCE

Radical options are clearly being
considered, and the TacAir study
will aim to establish the right mix
of aircraft, what capabilities they
should have and how many aircraft
of each type will be required. To
ensure affordability, the study will be
run in concert with the Pentagon’s
Cost Assessment and Program
Evaluation (CAPE).
But while we will have to wait to
learn exactly what the study finds, it
can already be seen that there does
seem to have been a continuing
and accelerating shift away from the
USAF’s original plan to deploy an
all-stealthy frontline force, consisting
of B-2 bombers, F-22 air dominance
fighters, and F-35 tactical fighters.
The bomber side of the plan was
the first to go, of course, when B-2
production was capped at 21 aircraft
in 1992. This was instead of the 165
aircraft originally planned – a figure
trimmed subsequently to 132, and
later 75 bombers.
A planned 750 F-22s was reduced
to 648 aircraft as part of the 1990
Major Aircraft Review led by then
Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney
and the total was then cut to 339
in 1997 and further scaled down to
277 in 2003 and to 183 operational
aircraft in 2004. In the end, the USAF
received 195 F-22s (eight test and 187
operational aircraft).
The USAF originally planned to
recapitalize its fleets of legacy A-10C
Thunderbolt IIs, F-15C/D Eagles and
F-16 Fighting Falcons, replacing all
of them with 1,763 F-35A Lightning
IIs, and with the NGAD fighter
joining the force down the line. But
that plan seems to be under threat,
especially insofar as the F-35
is concerned.
In recent years, the value of
non-stealthy, fourth-generation
fighters has increasingly been
recognized, and the concept of
fourth/fifth-generation teaming
has been embraced more widely.
This has in part been a simple
acceptance of reality – cutbacks
to the F-22, and the slow pace
of the F-35 program has forced
a continuing reliance on legacy
aircraft types, while F-35
sustainment costs may make the
original plan unaffordable. There is
also a growing realization that the
USAF has the wrong mix of aircraft
for the lower-end fight – something
for which stealth fighters are
arguably particularly poorly suited.
The idea that only stealthy fighters
can provide a meaningful capability
now seems very old-fashioned
and out of favor, and the once
unthinkable idea that the USAF could
procure further F-15s and F-16s is
now firmly back on the table.
Fourth-generation fighters enjoy
some attributes that the F-35 does
not share. They can carry bigger
weapon loads and more AAMs
to the fight, and some may enjoy
superior performance or have more
advanced sensors or may be able
to use rapidly reprogrammable EW
equipment to protect them against
enemy air defenses.
Some believe that this kind of
‘digital stealth’ is more effective
than traditional stealth in
countering an evolving threat, since
an LO aircraft’s shape, structure and
surface coatings cannot be changed,
whereas jammers can be upgraded
or replaced relatively easily.
This attribute has clearly been
recognized by the USAF, which
has revealed “expanded plans
to blend legacy fourth- and
fifth-generation fighters to meet a
range of mission sets".

www.Key.Aero // July 2021 31

 STEALTH CRISIS // USAF
prevent the kind of operational agility
that the USAF needs. Some have even
suggested that the open architecture
avionics and mission software could be
ported across from the NGAD.
“I want to entertain a clean-sheet design
of something that’s not necessarily
fourth-gen but may not be completely
fifth-gen either,” he said. ”There’s some
other low-end type things in our
high-end fight. If we’re going to do
software-defined and we have the
capability to do something even more
capable for cheaper and faster, why
not? That’s what we’ve learned with our
e-series approach with the T-7, and, what
we learned with the NGAD. Let’s not just
buy off the shelf, let’s actually take a look
at something else out there that we
can build.”
This was the first time that a senior USAF
officer has spoken about introducing
another fourth-generation aircraft into
its inventory – something that would
bring down the 28-year average age of
the current air force fighter fleet while
remaining affordable. Speaking about the
average age of his fighter aircraft, Brown
observed: “That’s not going to compete
well with adversaries.”
A clean-sheet design for a new
“four-and-a-half-gen or fifth-gen-minus”
fighter seems certain to be one option
that will be examined by the TacAir
study, and would be an aircraft whose
Above: The Block capabilities would lie somewhere
70/72 F-16V could
be a potential
between those of the F-16 and stealthy
solution to the USAF’s fifth-generation fighters.
requirement to replace Some have questioned the need for
its oldest F-16C/Ds,
especially if an
a new airframe design, since airframe
open-architecture performance has not progressed far in
mission system recent years, and the fighter types now
is developed
Lockheed Martin
in service remain viable in performance
terms but need better signature
management/reduction and better

OTHER TACTICAL AVIATION

OPTIONS ARE APPEALING TO
HAVE IN THE MIX SO THAT THE AIR FORCE
HAS OPTIONS. THERE’S COMPETITION.
THERE’S PRESSURE ON
INDUSTRY TO IMPROVE
- WILL ROPER, FORMER ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE FOR
ACQUISITION, TECHNOLOGY AND LOGISTICS

32 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero

 integration of sensors, weapons and Above: F-35A with model-based design and digital
Lightning IIs from the
datalinks. All they lack is true LO capability, 34th Fighter Squadron engineering, rapidly moving from concept
the argument goes, and there are other at Hill Air Force Base, to deployment to meet dynamically
ways to skin that cat! Utah and F-15C evolving threats. Brown likened aircraft
Eagles from the 493rd
Fighter Squadron such as the F-35 to exotic sportscars,
Digital debate stand by to take off urging that a humbler pick-up truck might
This is to ignore, however, the for a training sortie be appropriate for some missions.
at RAF Lakenheath,
major improvements in assembly/ UK USAF/Staff Sgt “I want to moderate how much we’re
manufacturing, airframe weight and Emerson Nuñez using those aircraft,” he said. “You don’t
volume and cost that can be leveraged drive your Ferrari to work every day, you
Below: An XQ-58A
by using digital and model-based design Valkyrie low-cost only drive it on Sundays. This is our ‘high
processes. These can make a new type unmanned aerial end’ fighter, we want to make sure we
cheaper than an existing aircraft – one vehicle launches at don’t use it all for the low-end fight.”
the US Army Yuma
lesson from the Boeing/Saab TX proposal, Proving Ground, on Gen Brown has, however, remained
where the all-new T-7A Red Hawk met all December 9, 2020. notably silent on the subject of light attack
the USAF’s requirements and did so more Many believe than aircraft, though these could be considered
an inexpensive
cheaply than the T-50 or the M-346. attritable unmanned to be the quintessential pick-up trucks
The requirement could see the USAF aircraft like this will for that low-end fight. The months ahead
embracing Roper’s vision for a ‘Digital be the most likely could be very interesting indeed, and we
replacement for early
Century Series’ of fighters, with small model F-16s USAF/ could yet see another fast jet fighter type
fleets of new aircraft types, produced Staff Sgt Joshua King being added to the USAF inventory.

The Department of the Air Force awarded a contract

of nearly US$1.2bn for its first lot of eight F-15EX
fighter aircraft on July 13, 2020. When operating
alongside fifth-generation fighters, the F-15EX will
bring massive quantities of ordnance to the fight,
and its kinetic performance will give its missiles
maximum reach Boeing

www.Key.Aero // July 2021 33

 STILL GOIN
AIRCRAFT PROFILE // CP-140 AURORA
40 YEARS ON
O
Above: The latest N MARCH 11, the Royal
reincarnation of the
Aurora. A CP-140M Canadian Air Force (RCAF)
(serial 140108) CP-140 Aurora marked the
approaches CFB 40th anniversary of its first
Greenwood, Nova
Scotia, at the end operational flight. Having
of its first post- stood the test of time, the
modification flight on current 14-strong fleet of this maritime
February 21, 2020.
Canada DND patrol aircraft (MPA) can look ahead to
another decade of operations.
While the US Navy and several
international customers are replacing their
turboprop-powered P-3 Orions with jet-
powered Boeing P-8As, Canada has only
just recently announced plans to begin its
search for a new MPA. The reason being
that the Canadians have kept the Aurora
relevant, not letting it be bypassed by
ever-modernizing threats, as the RAF did
with its Boeing E-3D Sentry.
Originally procured as a replacement for
the Royal Canadian Air Force’s Canadair
CP-107 (CL-28) Argus, which was based
34 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero
on the Bristol 175 Britannia transport,
the Lockheed CP-140 has served Canada
as an MPA since entering service in
1982. When delivered, the Aurora was
primarily assigned to provide surveillance
of Canada’s coastal waters and Arctic
regions, and tasked with anti-surface and
anti-submarine warfare (ASuW and ASW)
plus limited intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance (ISR) missions.
Today, while still tasked with those
missions, it also serves as Canada’s primary
airborne ISR aircraft. The MPA delivers a
range of maritime, littoral and overland
surveillance capabilities for domestic and
deployed missions in support of Canadian
sovereignty and international objectives.
It is also tasked with strike co-ordination,
naval gunfire support (NGS), over-the-
horizon targeting, search and rescue (SAR)
and disaster-relief missions. On top of all
that, the aircraft also provides vital support
to government agencies combating illegal
immigration and fishing, pollution and
drug trafficking.
When it all began
Canada selected Lockheed’s model L-385
as the basis for its new Long Range Patrol
Aircraft (LRPA) on November 27, 1975.
Lockheed and the Canadian government
signed a contract for 18 anti-submarine
warfare aircraft on July 21, 1976. The
government also placed an order for
two Data Interpretation and Analysis
Centers (DIAC) that were located at CFB
Greenwood, Nova Scotia, and CFB Comox,
British Columbia.
Initially known as the CP-3C Orion, the
aircraft was designated the CP-140 in
accordance with the Canadian Forces
Administrative Order and the name Aurora
was assigned in January 1977. Although
the CP-140 utilized the airframe of the
NG STRONG
From anti-submarine warfare
to combating illegal fishing,
Canada’s maritime patrol aircraft
has had an illustrious career.
Tom Kaminski uncovers the key
to the Aurora’s success

Left Flanked by
a CP-107 Argus,
the first CP-140
was rolled out at
Lockheed’s Burbank,
California, facility on
January 25, 1979.
The 18 Auroras and
three CP-140As that
followed represented
the last of 650
P-3-based aircraft
produced in Burbank.
Serial 140101 was
the first aircraft to
complete the AIMP
(Aurora Incremental
Modernization Project)
upgrade in 2004
Lockheed

www.Key.Aero // July 2021 35

 AIRCRAFT PROFILE // CP-140 AURORA
IMPROVING
ALL THE TIME
Approved in October 1999, AIMP
Block I brought the CP-140 fleet to a
common configuration that provided
a baseline for subsequent upgrades.
It replaced the high frequency (HF)
radio and added an Iridium Satellite
Communication (SATCOM) system, plus
a new DRS Technologies EAS-3000F
Flight Data Recorder/Cockpit Voice
Recorder/Crash Position Indicator.
Additionally, the original AN/ARR-
76 sonobuoy receiver system (SRX)
was replaced by the more capable
Flightlines Electronics AN/ARR-502(V)3
99-channel SRX.
Modifications to the airframe
replaced the main landing-gear fittings,
installed strobe lights and removed
the windscreen rain-removal system.
However, plans to enhance the AN/
APS-506 radar's track-while-scan and
imaging modes by incorporating a Scan
Converter were cancelled when the
decision was made to replace it with
the Telephonics AN/APS-143(v)3.
A contract was awarded to IMP
Aerospace & Defence, the Block I
prime contractor, in December 1999.
Initial operational capability (IOC) was
achieved on December 2003 and final
operational capability (FOC) followed in
December 2005, when the final Block I
aircraft was returned to service.
Block II was carried out in two phases.
It replaced the outdated navigation and
communication management system
and radios. Contracts for the Block II
A Navigation and Flight Instrument
Modernization Project (NFIMP) and
Block II B Communication Management
Systems (CMS) were issued separately
to prime contractors CMC Electronics
in June 1999 and Thales Systems
Canada in June 2002. IMP Aerospace
was tasked as a sub-contractor and was
responsible for the installation design,
wiring harness production, carrying out
the installation and flight testing.
36 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero
ALTHOUGH THE CP-140 UTILIZED THE AIRFRAME OF
THE LOCKHEED P-3 ORION, THE AURORA FEATURED
DIFFERENT MISSION SYSTEMS BASED ON THOSE OF
THE US NAVY’S S-3B VIKING
Lockheed P-3 Orion, the Aurora featured
completely different mission systems,
based on those of the US Navy’s S-3B
Viking carrier-based ASW aircraft. The
systems included the Texas Instruments
AN/APS-506 (AN/APS-116A) search radar,
which provided 240º coverage; CAE AN/
ASQ-501 Magnetic Anomaly Detector
(MAD), and the UNIVAC AN/AYK-502 (AN/
AYK-10) digital processing computer.
Lockheed rolled out the first Aurora on
January 25, 1979, at its Burbank, California,
facility and the aircraft carried out its
maiden flight on May 22, 1979, displaying
the civil registration N64996. It led to
CP-140 serial 140101 being delivered
to the RCAF on May 29, 1980, during a
roll-out ceremony at CFB Greenwood. It
was preceded by serial 140104, which had
arrived at the Nova Scotia base several
days earlier.
The first aircrew conversion course
began earlier at Burbank in March 1980. A
crew from 405 Maritime Patrol Squadron
flew the Aurora’s first operational patrol
mission on March 11, 1981 and, exactly
three months later, on June 11, the first
aircraft for 407 Maritime Patrol Squadron
was delivered to CFB Comox, British
Columbia. Plans originally included 24
Above: CP-140 serial aircraft, however, procurement was halted
140110 on the ramp after only 18 were purchased and the final
at CFB Comox, British
Columbia, in August Aurora delivery occurred in July 1981.
1986. The Auroras
were initially delivered
in a high-visibility
Arctic surveillance
Although budget cuts prevented Canada
paint scheme that
later gave way to a from acquiring six additional CP-140s, the
gray tactical scheme
government did purchase the final three
Author’s collection
P-3C airframes produced on Lockheed’s
Burbank production line on June 20,
1989, at a cost of C$254 million. The
‘green’ aircraft were fitted with a limited
equipment suite – which enabled them to
conduct Arctic and maritime surveillance
missions – by IMP Aerospace in Halifax,
Nova Scotia, after deliveries began in 1991.
Assigned the designation CP-140A and
named Arcturus, the Arctic Maritime
Surveillance Aircraft (AMSA) were primarily
Below: Serial 140114 used for environmental and fishery
‘GX-N’ of 415 surveillance, polar patrol, utility missions
Squadron about to and flight crew training.
depart RAF Fairford
on July 26, 1999, The limited systems equipping the
after participating Arcturus included the Texas Instruments
at the International AN/APS-507 (AN/APN-134) surveillance
Air Tattoo. It carries
radar and communication systems.
enlarged squadron
markings and a Controlled from a dedicated operator
badge marking the
station, unique to the CP-140A, the radar
75th anniversary of
the Royal Canadian provided the aircraft with an effective
Air Force Chris Lofting surface surveillance capability.
 NEW AVIONICS
The Navigation and Flight Instrument Modernization Project (NFIMP) provided the
pilot and co-pilot stations with four new Electronic Flight Instruments, including an
Electronic Flight Director Indicator, Electronic Horizontal Situation Indicator (EHSI)
and Control Display Units (CDU). As well as this, the EHSI and CDU were provided at
the Navigator-Communicator station. The NFIMP also equipped the Aurora with two
Honeywell Embedded Global Positioning System Inertial navigation systems, a new
Automatic Flight Director System, new Radar Altimeter and Altitude Warning System
and Aircraft Collision Avoidance System. The communication management systems
phase replaced the existing communications systems with updated UHF, VHF, HF and
SATCOM capabilities by installing an AN/AIC-42 digital intercommunication system,
Honeywell Air Sat 1 AN/ARC-234 V/UHF SATCOM radio, three AN/ARC-210 VHF/UHF
radios, three HF 121BD radios and an AN/ARC-511 VHF-AM radio.

140105 ‘Y-LQ’ of 405 Squadron pictured at RAF Kinloss on September 12, 1999, whilst
participating in that year’s Fincastle ASW Competition. Chris Lofting

The Arcturus also featured an optical Comox Air Force Museum at 19 Wing/CFB three phases are already complete and the
window in the auxiliary escape hatch, for Comox in Lazo, British Columbia. final block is currently being implemented.
handheld photography and four observer The AIMP actually began in 1998 but,
stations with bubble windows. While it Multi-mission aircraft work was halted by the DND in September
did not carry weapons, the Arcturus could The Royal Canadian Air Force is now in 2007, to determine whether the Aurora
deploy two Survival Kit Air Droppable the final phase of its C$1.93 billion ($1.53 fleet should be upgraded or replaced.
(SKAD) or Arctic SKADs from the weapons billion) Aurora Incremental Modernization Ultimately, the DND opted to retain
bay. Deliveries to the Canadian Forces took Project (AIMP), providing 14 CP-140s the CP-140 and, three months later, the
place from December 1992 to April 1993. with new mission systems, sensors program was restarted with plans to
Bowing to fiscal pressures, as early as Below: CP-140M and capabilities, which will extend its upgrade ten aircraft.
140114 heading
2000, Canada’s Department of National out of CFB Comox, operational service life to 2030.
Defence (DND) made plans to reduce British Columbia, for Executed in a phased approach, AIMP Investing in upgrades
the Long Range Patrol fleet from 21 a training mission on integrates 23 individual projects that The first CP-140 upgraded to Block II A
April 8, 2021
aircraft to just 16, by retiring two Auroras CWO Mike Kaehler combine to turn the CP-140 into a true configuration made its maiden flight on
and the three CP-140As. The CP-140As (RCAF Ret.) multi-mission aircraft (MMA). The first May 6, 2004, in Halifax. The upgraded
were the first to go, with serial 140119
being assigned to CFB Greenwood as a
grounded instructional trainer in 2005. The
aircraft was later placed on static display at
Greenwood in July 2016.
Serials 140120 and 140121 were
respectively placed in storage with the
USAF’s 309th Aerospace Maintenance and
Regeneration Group at Davis-Monthan
AFB, Arizona, in March and February 2011.
Withdrawn from service in 2015, CP-140
serial 140102 was delivered to the National
Air Force Museum of Canada at 8 Wing/
CFB Trenton, Ontario in September 2018.
Serial 140107 joined the collection of the

www.Key.Aero // July 2021 37

 AIRCRAFT PROFILE // CP-140 AURORA
CP-140 subsequently supported a highly
rigorous flight test program conducted by
CMC Electronics, IMP Aerospace and an
RCAF Flight Test Team.
The DND accepted the prototype in
December 2005, marking the successful
completion of the avionics suite’s flight
testing. The Block II aircraft achieved IOC in
February 2008 and FOC followed in March
2012, when the final updated aircraft
(serial 140109) was returned to service.
In November 2004, Lockheed Martin
was awarded a C$14.5 million contract
to integrate the L3 Wescam MX-20
electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensor
and associated systems on five CP-140s.
The MX-20 replaced the Aurora’s chin-
mounted OR-5008 FLIR, which was a
derivative of the Texas Instruments OR-89.
Ultimately, between 2005 and 2008, the
sensor was installed on all 18 Auroras.
The MX-20’s gyro-stabilized systems
provided the capability for standoff
identification of vessels at night. Its
turret is equipped with three heat- and
light-sensitive cameras that can capture
full-color, 360º video and still imagery in
daylight or at night.
Initially installed as a stand-alone system,
and limited to video and still photographs,
the MX-20 was later integrated with an
overland electronic missions suite (OEMS)
– three laptop computers that interfaced
with other CP-140 mission systems.
As well as enhancing situational
awareness, the OEMS enabled smart-
cueing of the EO/IR system and assisted
target prioritization. Imagery could be
digitally stored, and analyzed both in-
flight and downloaded upon landing. The
tactical common data link (TCDL) enables
video to be directly transmitted to remote
video receivers (RVRs) or surface terminal
equipment (STE) that can actually take
control of the camera.
The OEMS also receives maritime
automatic identification system (AIS)
38 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero
A CP-140 from 14 Wing at CFB Greenwood, Nova Scotia, conducts low-level operations over the Atlantic Ocean during exercise Cutlass Fury on
September 11, 2019. Crews from all four RCAF Aurora squadrons participated in the ASW exercise Canada DND/Corporal David Veldman
CP-140 OPERATORS – APRIL 2021 equipment – being replaced on 14
Wing Squadron Location Aircraft Auroras, and the integration of a pair of
AWC 434 OT&ES CFB Trenton, Ontario dedicated MIL-STD-1553B avionics and
LRPOTEF CFB Greenwood, Nova Scotia CP-140M mission data buses. Additionally, the AN/
14 Wing 404 LRP&TS CFB Greenwood, Nova Scotia CP-140M ASQ-508 magnetic anomaly detector
405 LRPS CFB Greenwood, Nova Scotia CP-140M (MAD) replaced the earlier system.
415 LRPFDS CFB Greenwood, Nova Scotia CP-140M The MX-20 EO/IR sensor that was
19 Wing 407 LRPS CFB Comox, British Columbia CP-140M installed earlier was fully integrated,
data that provides real-time position enabling data to be transmitted via the
and movement of shipping traffic within ARC-234, in real time, to the ground-based
line of sight (LOS) range. This delivered a All Source Intelligence Centre (ASIC), a
significant improvement in the Aurora’s Photographic Exploitation Detachment
capabilities to monitor shipping, and is (PED) or directly to troops in contact (TIC).
extremely useful in domestic missions, On September 27, 2011, the first Block
including maritime surveillance and III-modified CP-140 (140114) was delivered
fisheries monitoring. Since February 1994, to 14 Wing/CFB Greenwood, Nova Scotia.
Auroras have (under Operation Driftnet) GDC subcontracted with L-3 Integrated
supported Canada’s Department of Systems to complete modifications on
Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) by conducting a prototype and two ‘kit-proof’ aircraft.
Below: CP-140 serial patrols to combat illegal fishing in the Production kits were produced and
140118 landing at
Marine Corps Air North Pacific Ocean. installed by IMP.
Station Kaneohe The Block III also saw the integration of a
Bay, Hawaii, on July
8, 2018. The Aurora
Next steps Lockheed Martin AN/ALQ-217 Electronic
was participating Block III, awarded in May 2002, saw the Support Measures (ESM) system. It
in the biennial Aurora get an integrated mission system. featured a revised wingtip antenna
Rim of the Pacific Developed by prime contractor General installation, compared to the earlier
(RIMPAC) exercise
and conducted over a Dynamics Canada (GDC), it led to the versions of the aircraft. Both systems
dozen ASW missions, mission computer and associated multi- comprise four receiver antennas that are
totaling more than purpose displays and sensors – including used to passively detect radio frequency
100 hours of flying
time Canada DND/ radar, electronic support measures (ESM), (RF) emitters in a full 360º area around the
Sgt Devin VandeSype and acoustic detection and processing aircraft. Lockheed Martin supplied the AN/
CP-140M serial 140108 touches down at CFB Greenwood, Nova Scotia, at the conclusion of its first post-Block IV modification flight on February 21, 2020. The Aurora was the first of 14 CP-140Ms to
receive the latest series of upgrades. Modifications were carried out at IMP Aerospace’s facility at Halifax Stanfield International Airport Canada DND

ON PARADE: CP-140

Above: CP-140 serial 140110 is wearing the Aurora’s original high-visibility white over grey paint scheme. All 18 Auroras were
delivered in this scheme but the three CP-140A Arcturus aircraft entered service wearing the later tactical grey scheme.

Above: CP-140M serial 140108 serves as the prototype for the Aurora Incremental Modernization Project (AIMP) Block IV
configuration and wears the RCAF’s current tactical grey colour scheme.

Above: CP-140 serial 140111 received a modified tactical grey scheme that featured the government’s official ‘Canada Wordmark’
and a stylized Eagle’s head on the nose when 405 Squadron visited RAAF Base Edinburgh, South Australia for the annual Fincastle
Trophy competition in 2001.

Above: Operated by 415 Squadron CP-140 serial 140114 was painted in these marks to honor the RCAF’s 75th Anniversary in
1999. The tactical grey scheme included RAF roundels and codes worn by the squadron while serving with the Coastal and Bomber
Commands during the Second World War. All illustrations, Ryan Dorling

www.Key.Aero // July 2021 39

 AIRCRAFT PROFILE // CP-140 AURORA
ALQ-217 ESM systems under a US$47.3
million Foreign Military Sales contract
from US Naval Air Systems Command.
Along with threat detection, the new ESM
suite provided a secondary electronic
intelligence (ELINT) capability.
Block III also replaced the AN/APS-506
radar system with a new AN/APS-508
Aurora Imaging Radar System (AIRS).
Developed by Telephonics Corporation
and MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates,
the AN/APS-508 was based on the AN/
APS-143(v)3 multi-mode imaging radar
and integrated an identification friend or
foe (IFF) system. With advanced multi-
mode surveillance/imaging capabilities,
including a ground moving-target
indicator (GMTI) mode, the system is
capable of SAR/ISAR imaging, small target
detection and SAR Transponder (SART)
beacons detection.
The ISAR mode delivered the capability
to detect, classify and track ships at sea
– significantly enhancing the Aurora’s
effectiveness in performing SAR,
sovereignty, counter-drug, and fisheries
and pollution patrol missions in blue water
in littoral areas.
In August 2014, the US approved the
sale of six AN/AAQ-24 Large Aircraft
Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM)
systems for incorporation on the Aurora.
The LAIRCM system provided the Aurora
40 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero
fleet with defensive countermeasures
capable of detecting shoulder-fired missile
(MANPADS) launched from the ground –
tracking the incoming missile and using a
laser beam to jam its guidance system.
Block III also provided a major upgrade
to the aircraft’s data management systems
(DMS) – installing a new AN/ASW-503
mission computer and two large multi-
purpose displays at each mission station.
The redesigned mission area also includes
two rear-facing Acoustic Sensor Operator
(ASO) stations at the aft end of the area.
A pair of forward-facing Non Acoustic
Sensor Operator stations is located at
the forward end. Three outboard-facing
stations on the port side of the aircraft are
provided for the Tactical Communications,
Tactical Navigation and Navigator-
Communicator mission crew.
The program also replaced the OL-5004/
AYS acoustic processor with a General
Dynamics Canada Modular VME Acoustic
Signal Processor (MVASP) and Fast Time
Acoustic Analysis System. MVASP provides
the capability to detect, localize/fix,
classify and track subsurface and surface
vessels from passive, active and multi-
static active acoustic sonobuoy data.
The genesis of the computer and sensor
upgrade can be traced to 2001, when
General Dynamics Canada was awarded
a contract to replace those systems
AUROR
Besides its traditional homeland
sovereignty missions, Canada’s Aurora
fleet has been called upon to support
many international missions. The CP-140’s
earliest deployments included Operation
Sharp Guard, which began in October
1993 and concluded in April 1994.
Operating from NAS Sigonella, Italy, the
CP-140s conducted armed missions over
the Adriatic that enforced an economic
embargo against the former Yugoslavia.
Operation Apollo marked the first
deployment for the Block I configured
CP-140, when a pair of aircraft departed
Above: Originally Canada for the Persian Gulf region on
delivered to 14 Wing
December 27, 2001. The LRP Detachment
at CFB Greenwood
on April 2, 1981, conducted its last mission in support of
CP-140M serial coalition operations on June 19, 2003.
number 140115 While deployed, the Auroras completed
was one of three around 500 missions and logged more
Auroras to receive than 4,300 flying hours.
a Block III interim Between mid-October and mid-
beyond-line-of-sight December 2004, two CP-140s operating
(iBLOS) satellite from NAS Sigonella flew 40 surveillance
communication
missions over the Mediterranean Sea,
system and be
deployed to the Middle in support of Operation Sirius. The
deployment was part of Canada's
East Canada DND
contribution to NATO’s Mediterranean
anti-terrorism Operation Active
Endeavour, which initially began in the
eastern Mediterranean in October 2001.
Since November 2006, Auroras have
conducted rotational patrols in the
Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico and Pacific,
as part of Operation Caribbe. The missions
support the multinational campaign to
stem the flow of drugs and smuggling
in the Caribbean, eastern Pacific and
the international waters around Central
Below: A line of America. During the first ten years of
CP-140s and operations, the CP-140s deployed 39
CP-140As operated
times and flew 2,138 hours. In January
by 407 Squadron
share the ramp at 2012, the operations were integrated
19 Wing/CFB Comox, with the US Joint Interagency Task Force
British Columbia, South’s (JIATFS) Operation Martillo. The
in September 2006. deployed aircraft normally conduct
Known as ‘Demon operations from Comalapa, El Salvador.
Squadron’, 407 In June 2009, two CP-140s fitted
Long Range Patrol with high-resolution Applanix DSS-
Squadron continues 439 Digital Sensor System (DSS)
to operate as the sole
mapping cameras were tasked with
Aurora squadron on
the west coast of photographing the terrain of a large
Canada Canada/DND area of southern Afghanistan, while
ORA DEPLOYMENTS
operating on highly precise grid-like routes.
The DSS was installed in a lower fuselage
bay that originally contained a large-
format KS-501A film-camera system, used
for maritime reconnaissance. The images
were used to create accurate maps for
Canadian Forces and its coalition partners.
With assistance from the Canadian Forces
Intelligence Command’s Mapping and
Charting Establishment (MCE), the Aurora
crews captured more than 23,000 images
covering over 38,610sq miles (100,000km²)
in just one month. The effort was conducted
under Operation ‘Athena’, in support of the
International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
A pair of Block II Auroras from 405 and
407 Long Range Patrol Squadrons was
deployed to NAS Sigonella, as part of Task
Force Libeccio under Operation Mobile, in
March 2011. The task force was Canada’s
contribution to NATO Operations Odyssey
Dawn and Unified Protector, during Libya’s
Civil War. The LRP Air Expeditionary Unit
was primarily tasked to fly maritime patrol
missions over Libyan waters to enforce a no-
fly zone. The deployment was supported by
aircraft from 405 and 407 Long Range Patrol
Squadrons with 100% serviceability. The
Auroras initially operated over water, before
taking on the littoral regions and finally over
land, beginning on September 22, 2011.
The sorties included 12 Strike Coordination
and Armed Reconnaissance Coordination
(SCAR-C) missions. During Operation Apollo,
SCAR-C missions, the CP-140s employed
their EO/IR sensors to ‘acquire and verbally
indicate targets for multi-role fighter aircraft
and to serve as spotters for offshore NGS
(Naval Gunnery Support) missions.’
In October 2014, two CP-140Ms and a
Deployable Mission Support Centre (DMSC)
were tasked to provide overland ISR support
as part of the Canadian Armed Forces
contribution to the fight against the Islamic
State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Iraq and
Syria under Operation Impact. Prior to the
deployment, IMP Aerospace integrated an
Interim Beyond-Line-of-Sight (IBLOS) satellite
communications system on the Auroras.
Serial 140115 was handed over to the RCAF
in December 2014 just days before the
deployment. L-3 Electronic System Services
(ESS) was responsible for the design that
Above: A tactical integrated the ViaSat VR-12 Mobile Satellite
communications System under a Quick Reaction Capability
officer sends (QRC). The IBLOS enabled secure high-speed
communication data streaming from the aircraft to ground
messages while
stations via satellite.
conducting a
surveillance mission Operating from Ali Al Salem Air Base in
over Iraq on board a Kuwait, Air Task Force-Iraq’s LRP Detachment
CP-140 Aurora during flew its final Aurora mission on December
Operation Impact on 11, 2017. A second aircraft was withdrawn
September 10, 2016 earlier in May 2017. During the deployment,
DND the aircraft flew 881 sorties, totaling 7,500
hours and crews observed nearly 6,000
points of interest. Much of the information
was processed by the DMSC that was set up
in Kuwait. The ISR information gathered by
the CP-140 is processed by personnel in the
DMSC and disseminated as required.
On September 15, 2017, a CP-140M
operated by 407 Long Range Patrol
Below: An aircraft Squadron along with a DMSC deployed from
technician from Air 19 Wing/CFB Comox to Barbados, to support
Task Force - Iraq hurricane relief in the Caribbean as part
marshals a CP-140 of Operation Renaissance Irma Maria. The
Aurora aircraft during aircraft and personnel were tasked to collect
the Operation Impact imagery of the devastation in the region
deployment to Kuwait that enabled Canada’s partner nations to
on January better assess and respond to the aftermath
4, 2017
of Hurricane Irma. The aircraft, crew, and
DND
DMSC were mission-capable within 24 hours
of arrival. During the ten-day deployment,
the CP-140 detachment flew 37 hours and
collected imagery of the hardest hit islands,
comprising the Turks and Caicos, Montserrat,
Dominica, British Virgin Islands, and Anguilla.
In May 2018, an Aurora was deployed
to Japan under Operation Projection
Asia-Pacific to support surveillance and
monitoring activities that countered North
Korean maritime smuggling efforts.
Between early-March and late-April 2019, a
CP-140 was deployed to support security and
stability in Middle Eastern and East African
waters, as part of the counter-terrorism and
anti-smuggling operations conducted in the
Horn of Africa region, under the auspices
of the multi-national Combined Task Force
150 (CTF 150). Operating from Seychelles
International Airport, on Mahé island, east of
Somalia, the Aurora carried out patrols over
the Persian Gulf and the east coast of Africa,
as part of Canada’s annual support under
Operation Artemis.
Auroras commenced supporting the
multinational implementation of UN Security
Council sanctions imposed against North
Korea, as part of Operation Neon in October
2018 and October 2019. Operations were
conducted from Kadena Air Base, Japan.
An Aurora and crew from 19 Wing’s 407
Maritime Patrol Squadron were deployed
during November and December 2020.
Operating from El Salvador, the crew flew
around 90 mission hours, in support of the
US-led JIATFS and Operation Martillo.
Most recently, in January 2021, a CP-140
and about 40 RCAF personnel departed for
Central America in support of Operation
Caribbe. Across four weeks (concluding on
February 25, 2021), Air Detachment-Caribbe
conducted monitoring and detection duties
in support of the US-led enhanced counter-
narcotics operations in the region.
www.Key.Aero // July 2021 41
 AIRCRAFT PROFILE // CP-140 AURORA
to enhance detection and tracking of
submarines and surface vessels. The first
CP-140 (serial 140108) equipped with the
DMS, acoustic suite subsystem, integrated
mission system and reconfigurable crew
stations arrived at CFB Greenwood on
March 12, 2010. The first Block III-modified
CP-140 (serial 140114) was delivered there
on September 27, 2011.
The Block III aircraft achieved IOC on
January 31, 2014, when four aircraft were
in service. FOC was achieved following the
return to service of CP-140 serial 140110
on June 26, 2019. Once equipped with
the Block III modifications, the upgraded
Auroras received the designation CP-140M.
Hit by COVID
Block IV is providing 14 CP-140Ms with
three key features that comprise high-
bandwidth beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS)
satellite communication, Link 16 datalink
and the Leonardo Miysis directional
infrared countermeasures (DIRCM) self-
defense system.
The Block IV’s requirements definition
was approved in March 2013 and a
contract was awarded in October 2015. In
February 2016, General Dynamics Mission
Systems Canada was issued a contract
amendment associated with the CP-140
Block IV upgrade program.
IOC was planned for November 2020
but delays brought on by programmatic
complexities, instrumentation issues and
COVID-19 caused that milestone to be
pushed back to spring 2022. Accordingly,
the Block IV variant is expected to reach
FOC in spring 2024, rather than November
2022, as had been planned.
Modification of the Block IV prototype
aircraft started on November 6, 2017
and integration testing began
42 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero
on December 13, 2018. The prototype’s
ground test readiness review was
conducted on April 29, 2019, clearing the
way for the start of ground testing.
Flight testing began on February 21,
2020. The initial flight began at Halifax
Stanfield International Airport and
concluded at CFB Greenwood, with
the initial phase of flight testing being
concluded by April 30, 2021.
Modifications to the proof-of-fit aircraft
were completed on serial 140111 and the
Aurora conducted its first flight at Halifax
on July 20, 2020. IMP Aerospace should
have delivered the first production aircraft
in April 2021. Work on additional CP-140s
is already underway at the contractor’s
Halifax facility.
Meanwhile, testing is being conducted
by the DND’s Aerospace Engineering Test
Establishment (AETE), Long Range Patrol
Operational Test and Evaluation Flight
(LRPTEF) of the RCAF Air Warfare Center’s
(AWC) 434 Operational Test and Evaluation
(OT&E) Squadron and 415 Long Range
Patrol Force Development Squadron
(LRPFDS) at Greenwood.
Life extension
Despite the reduced purchase of just 18
Auroras, the operational requirements
assigned to the CP-140 remained
unchanged and the RCAF was required
Below: Delivered in to stretch its fleet to achieve its goals. As
April 1993, CP-140A a result, the heavily tasked Aurora fleet’s
serial 140121 was the
last of three produced usage was nearly double that of the US
and the final P-3- Navy’s P-3 fleet and it began reaching its
based airframe to fatigue service life earlier than planned.
roll out of Lockheed’s
Burbank, California, The Aurora Structural Life Extension
facility. It has been Project (ASLEP) provided an additional
stored at Davis- 15,000 flying hours to the aircraft’s service
Monthan AFB, Arizona,
since December 2010 life – equating to another 20-25 years
Tom Kaminski of service. It also reduced maintenance
expenses. The ASLEP was approved in
May 2008 and Lockheed Martin was
issued a $156 million contract to produce
life extension kits in November 2008.
Work on the first upgraded aircraft was
completed when serial 140112 was rolled
out on December 9, 2011. It arrived at CFB
Greenwood in March 2012. The ASLEP met
IOC on April 11, 2012. FOC was achieved
in January 2020. The ASLEP kit installation
process took about eight months, on
average, to complete. The program initially
included just ten aircraft but four more
were added in 2014.
The ASLEP has resulted in the aircraft’s
outer wings, the center-wing lower section
and horizontal stabilizers, plus wing
and horizontal stabilizer leading edges
all being replaced. Other components
have been enhanced with improved
corrosion-resistant materials. The final
ASLEP modifications began on February
21, 2018 when serial 140114 was inducted
in Halifax. By April 2020, the program had
been carried out on all 14 Auroras.
A different direction
One of the CP-140s that was not
modernized is, however, currently being
equipped with upgraded engines and
propellers. The project provides the
Aurora’s 4,910shp (3,661kw) Rolls-Royce
(Allison) T56-A-14LFE turboprop engines
with the Series 3.5 modifications. As well
as reducing fuel consumption by 8-10%,
the upgrades are likely to improve engine
reliability by 20-25%.
Meanwhile, the CP-140’s original
four-blade propellers will be replaced by
eight-blade NP2000s, while a prototype
electronic propeller control system (EPCS)
will be installed. Both are produced by
Collins Aerospace Systems.

A CP-140M, serial 140105, flies over CFB Comox, British Columbia, for a training mission on May 12, 2020. Currently serving with 19
Wing’s 407 Long Range Patrol Squadron, the Aurora was originally delivered in August 1980 CWO Mike Kaehler (RCAF Ret)
The NP2000 equips the US Navy’s T56-
powered E-2C/D and C-2A aircraft, and is
being installed on US Navy C-130Ts and
selected USAF C-130Hs.
Although the powerplant and propeller
upgrades were not part of the ASLEP or
the AIMP, they are being looked at as part
of obsolescence management and fleet
sustainment efforts. A decision regarding
fleet upgrades will follow flight testing of
the prototype.
Personnel and capabilities
The Aurora fleet is stationed at 14 Wing/
CFB Greenwood, Nova Scotia, and 19
Wing/CFB Comox, British Columbia. The
CP-140Ms are operated by 404 Long
Range Patrol and Training Squadron
and 405 Long Range Patrol Squadron at
the former, and 407 Long Range Patrol
Squadron at the latter.
Between 1981 and 2005, the Aurora
was also flown by 415 Long Range
Patrol Squadron from Greenwood. The
squadron, which flew Canada’s last Argus
flight on July 24, 1981, later stood down
on July 29, 2005.
Re-established as 415 Long Range Patrol
Force Development Squadron on June
5, 2015, the squadron is now an integral
part of the Aurora modernization project.
Its Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E)
Flight is responsible for evaluating the
effectiveness and suitability of new or
upgraded systems related to the
CP-140M. Those efforts are carried
out on behalf of the DND’s Aerospace
Engineering Test Establishment.
The CP-140 has a range of 5,000nm
(9,260km) and an endurance of 10-12
hours. Its normal crew complement of ten
is comprised of the aircraft commander, a
co-pilot, flight engineer, tactical navigator,
a navigation/communications (NavCom)
operator, three airborne electronic sensor
operators (AESOPs) and two ASOs.
For longer duration missions, two extra
personnel are added – comprising one
more pilot and either an additional AESOP
or NavCom, depending on the duration or
distance of the mission.
For anti-submarine warfare missions,
the Aurora carries several types of air-
droppable passive and active sonobuoys
that complement the MAD for submarine
detection. The devices are deployed via
three pressurized sonobuoy launch tubes
(PSLTs) and 36 external tubes. Racks at the
rear of the aircraft provide storage for 56
sonobuoys that are dispatched through
the PSLTs. Additionally, a general-purpose
chute located behind the three PSLTs
enables deployment of smoke markers or
illumination flares.
Although the CP-140A retained the
sonobuoy tubes, only the PSLTs and the
general-purpose chute were operational.
The Aurora’s offensive capabilities
include up to eight Mark 46 anti-
submarine torpedoes that can be carried
in the weapons bay. Although the aircraft
has the capability of carrying weapons
externally, the CP-140 is not currently
fitted with wing stations.
Additionally, it can deliver a SKAD or
Arctic SKAD from the weapons bay. The
SKAD is deployed upon impact with the
water and forms a large life raft, complete
with supplies and survival equipment.
Looking ahead
Although the Aurora’s tenure with the
RCAF is safe for at least the next ten years,
in February 2018, the DND joined the
international Maritime Multi-Mission
Aircraft forum, which includes France,
Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and Turkey.
The NATO nations are collaborating to
develop a plan for recapitalizing their
respective maritime patrol fleets with
a new anti-submarine warfare and ISR
platform. Launched in June 2017, the
Below: Aurora serial Multinational Maritime Multi-Mission
140114 was the Aircraft Capabilities (MMMAC) program
last to receive life could result in the development of a new
extension mods
under the ASLEP designed aircraft – Saab, Bombardier and
Canada DND Airbus have all expressed interest.
www.Key.Aero // July 2021 43
 MARINES
USMC // VMM-162

ON THE
MOOR
I
Ian Harding sits it out at Okehampton Army Camp in the UK’s Dartmoor T IS SELDOM that any significant
National Park, as the United States Marine Corps makes a surprise visit military aviation event takes place
Left: Members
nowadays without some prior
of the 24th MEU knowledge in the public domain.
trained openly on But that’s just what happened
Dartmoor every
day between April
during the morning of Saturday
10-17. Dartmoor’s April 10, when two United States Marine
changeable weather Corps (USMC) Sikorsky CH-53E Super
conditions certainly
provided a tough test
Stallions appeared over England’s
for the unit rugged southwest coast near the
seaside town of Bude in Cornwall.
The two huge helicopters operated by
VMM-162 (REIN) serving off the USS Iwo
Jima (LHD-7 – landing helicopter deck-7)
were heading to Okehampton Army Camp
located on Dartmoor National Park, in the
neighboring county of Devon.
All eyes had been focused on the
forthcoming exercise Joint Warrior 2021-
1, scheduled for May 7-21, the largest
Below: Two VMM-162s
MV-22B Ospreys get military exercise in Europe. Little was
set to touch down at known of the Iwo Jima’s movements. By
Okehampton Camp, the time military enthusiasts had worked
as troops prepare to
embark All images out where these two rare and unusual
by Ian Harding helicopters were heading, they had gone.

Above: Captured departing from one of the ranges located within the Dartmoor
National Park on April 15, 168653/YS15
Below: MV-22B Osprey 168323/YS14 is seen departing Farnborough Airport,
Hampshire, after a brief visit on April 12

44 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero

USS SAN ANTONIO (LPD-17)
The ship’s aviation element comprised three Bell
UH-1Y Venoms and four Bell AH-1Z Vipers (VMM-
162 (REIN) as follows:
UH-1Y Venom: 169239/YS-30, 169240/YS-31,
169290/YS-32
AH-1Z Viper: 169279/YS-40, 169499/YS-41,
169501/YS-42, 169512/YS-43
USS IWO JIMA SERIAL LIST*
MV-22B VMM-162 [x12?]
168300/YS00 CAG markings, 166723/YS02,
166741/YS03, 168333/YS04, 168298/YS12,
168666/YS13, 168323/YS14, 168653/YS15,
168638/YS16, 168605/YS17
AV-8B VMM-223 [+1?]
164551/51, 165312/53, 165310/54,
165312/55, 165427/56, 165597/57
CH-53E VMM-162 [4?]
?/YS20, 162001/YS21, ?/YS22, 163060/YS23
MH-60S HSC-26 [+1?]
168577/HW-24, ?/60
*Taken from confirmed sightings plus images
posted by the USS 'Iwo Jima'
After dispatching their passengers and
equipment they headed back to the ship,
located in the Celtic Sea, south of Ireland.
Unknown to all was that two VMM-162
Bell Boeing MV-22B Ospreys had already
visited the camp earlier. With absolutely
no information available, the question was
what was happening?
Dartmoor training
What was ahead became clearer on
Monday April 12 when VMM-162 – one
component of the Aviation Combat
Above: Each flight Element (ACE) assigned to the USS Iwo
to and from the Jima Amphibious Ready Group (ARG)
USS ‘Iwo Jima’ took
approximately one and the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit
hour, with aircraft (MEU) – completed shuttle flights to and
spending around from Okehampton Camp. Two MV-22Bs
30 minutes on the
ground. As you (callsign ‘Vortex 11/21 Flight’), and two
can see, the HLS is CH-53Es (callsign ‘Blackout 21 Flight’) were
located on a steep dropping off personnel and equipment
incline which, given
the wind direction, from the 24th MEU.
proved to be rather Elsewhere on the same day, a pair of
a test MV-22Bs completed two short afternoon
missions into Farnborough Airport,
Hampshire, about 40 miles from London.
USS IWO JIMA (LHD-7)
Commissioned in 2001, the Wasp-
class amphibious assault ship USS Iwo
Jima (LHD-7) departed its home in
Mayport, Florida, with the 24th Marine
Expeditionary Unit (MEU) and its Aviation
Combat Element (ACE) on March 25. it
was later joined by the Harpers Ferry-
class dock landing ship USS Carter Hall
(LSD-50), and the amphibious transport
dock ship USS San Antonio (LPD-17),
which make up the USS Iwo Jima ARG.
From an aviation perspective, the USS
Iwo Jima’s embarked ACE comprises Bell
Boeing MV-22B Ospreys from VMM-
162 Golden Eagles (‘YS-0x’ and ‘YS-1x’),
a Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron
(HMH) detachment with Sikorsky CH-53E
Super Stallions (‘YS-2x’), a Marine Light
Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA) with
Bell UH-1Y Venoms and Bell AH-1Z Viper
(‘YS-3x’ and ‘YS-4x’) detached aboard
the USS San Antonio, plus a detachment
AV-8B Harrier IIs from Marine Attack
Squadron (VMA) 223 Bulldogs (‘YS-5x’).
The USS Iwo Jima also has MH-60S
from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron
During the following week, elements of
the 24th MEU trained openly on Dartmoor
with the only additional ACE support flight
into the area being one afternoon MV-22B
mission on Thursday April 15. This landed
at another location on Dartmoor before
proceeding to Glasgow Prestwick Airport
in Scotland.
One Bell UH-1Y Venom and a Bell
AH-1Z Viper assigned to VMM-162 (REIN)
briefly operated in the vicinity of the
Okehampton Camp before the Venom
landed, while the Viper appeared to
(HSC) 26 Chargers (‘HW-xx’) assigned.
With regard to the USS Iwo Jima’s
progress, having departed the United
States’ eastern seaboard on March 25, the
ship was located mid-Atlantic Ocean on
April 5 before sailing into the Celtic Sea,
south of Ireland, from where it launched
its operations into Okehampton Camp
between April 10-18, while the USS San
Antonio docked at Her Majesty’s Naval
Base Plymouth on Sunday April 18 to
replenish supplies.
After training was completed at
Okehampton Camp, the USS Iwo Jima
sailed towards US Naval Station Rota,
Spain (April 23-27, 2021), for its mid-
deployment voyage repair (MDVR).
This also provided the crew with some
welcome rest and recuperation after a
month at sea.
The questions regarding whether the
USS Iwo Jima ARG would participate in
Exercise Joint Warrior appeared to have
been answered in early May, as the ARG
headed north, later appearing off the
Scottish coast (Fraserburgh) on May 4.
www.Key.Aero // July 2021 45
 USMC // VMM-162
ARG HEADED
TO SCOTTISH
HIGHLANDS
On May 5, the USS Iwo Jima ARG was
reported operating in the North Sea
and the Moray Firth, an area located
north and east of Inverness, Scotland.
Operations started in earnest two
days later on May 7 when six aircraft
from VMM-162 (REIN) comprising two
MV-22B (callsign ‘Vortex’) and two CH-
53E (callsign ‘Blackout’) from the USS
Iwo Jima, and one UH-1Y and a AH-1Z
(callsign ‘Shockwave’) from USS San
Antonio flew to Leuchars Station, Fife,
and the surrounding area.
Much of their focus was the Barry
Buddon Training Camp and its
extensive military training area.
Known as RAF Leuchars until
2015, the facility is now a British
Army installation. With both CH-
53Es operating from and to HMA
Albion (L14) – one of the UK’s two
amphibious assault ships leading
the first UK deployment of its Littoral
Response Group (North) – it was
reasonable to assume the USS Iwo
Jima would participate in Exercise
Joint Warrior before heading for
its next area of operation – the
speculation being that would be in
the Middle East.
provide overhead top cover. These two
helicopters are attached to the US Navy's
amphibious transport dock ship USS
San Antonio (LPD-17), which docked at
Her Majesty’s Naval Base Devonport,
Plymouth, on Sunday morning, April 18.
During the previous evening, April 17,
46 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero
one MV-22B diverted into Royal Naval What appears certain, based on events Above: Having
departed Naval
Air Station Culdrose, Cornwall, with a and brief discussions with ground
Station Norfolk,
technical problem that took some time to personnel, is that this adventurous Virginia, on March
30, the US Navy’s
resolve. It eventually returned to the USS exercise to one of the UK’s toughest
amphibious transport
Iwo Jima on May 1 with another Osprey. environments, provided the 24th MEU
dock ship USS ‘San
with excellent training ahead of their Antonio’ (LPD-17)
Brief encounter future operations. arrived at HMNB
Devonport, Plymouth,
As troops from the 24th MEU gathered British aviation enthusiasts can only
on April 18 to
on the Okehampton Camp Helicopter hope they return in the future. replenish its stores.
Landing Site on Sunday April 18, it was Three each of the UH-
1Y/AH-1Zs are visible
soon apparent that the 24th MEU’s
24TH MARINE
on deck
departure was imminent.
EXPEDITIONARY
The ship recovery started with a flight of
three MV-22Bs (‘Vortex 11 Flight’) followed
closely by ‘Blackout 21 Flight’ comprising
two CH-53Es.
UNIT (MEU)
The 24th MEU has its headquarters Below: Due to their
Both flights returned later in the at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, flexibility and speed,
afternoon. North Carolina. it is no surprise the
As quickly as this training exercise had It contains various ground combat Ospreys made several
and logistics units as well as an ACE, visits to other British
begun, it was over and we were none the locations including
Medium Tilt-Rotor Squadron (VMM)
wiser as to its name (if there was one), RNAS Culdrose,
162 Reinforced (REIN). The 24th Mildenhall, Leuchars,
and which United Kingdom Command MEU also includes a Light Armored and Prestwick
structure had co-ordinated this rare and Reconnaissance detachment. in addition to
interesting event. Okehampton
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206 AFM Latest FP.indd 9 18/05/2021 16:03:53

 STATE REPORT // ALABAMA

INSIDE THE

HEART
DIXIE
OF

In a new series Tom Kaminski

reviews all the current
military installations in the US
states. Here, he looks at the
Yellowhammer State – Alabama

48 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero

 L
Above: KC-135R OCATED IN THE southeastern December 1819; today, its military aviation (AS) currently operates the C-130H2
serial 58-0106 region of the US, Alabama has a organizations include some of the nation’s version of the Hercules but was recently
operated by Alabama
Air National Guard’s long association with aviation. most important training facilities. tapped to transition to a new mission as
117th Air Refueling The home of the Tuskegee the Formal Training Unit (FTU) for the MH-
Wing’s 106th Air
Refueling Squadron
Airmen, during World War Cradle of airpower 139A Grey Wolf helicopter. Then known
conduct operations Two the nation’s first African Maxwell-Gunter AFB is the sole active duty as the 357th Tactical Airlift Squadron, it
with a flight of F-16Cs American pilots were trained at the US Air Force base in Alabama. Situated in was the last of two Air Force Reserve units
from Alabama’s 100th Tuskegee Army Air Field and nearby Montgomery, it is home to the 42nd Air to operate the de Havilland Canada C-7A
Fighter Squadron.
Assigned to the 187th Griel, Kennedy, Moton and Shorter Base Wing and the Air University. Caribou. It transitioned to the C-130E
Fighter Wing the ‘Red Fields. Many of the more than 900 pilots In 1910, the Wright brothers opened version of the Hercules beginning in
Tails’ carry the legacy were assigned to the 332nd Fighter the US’s first commercial flight school on 1983 and the final Caribou was retired in
of the Tuskeegee
Airmen of World War II Group’s 99th, 100th, 301st, and 302nd land that is now part of the base. Today January 1984.
Jim Haseltine Fighter Squadrons, which initially saw the only flying unit resident is the Air Force The 757th received factory-fresh
combat over Italy. Reserve Command’s (AFRC) 908th Airlift C-130Hs from 1986 but transitioned to
The state became the 22nd of the 50 Wing/Operations Group (AW/OG). the later C-130H2 when phase-out of the
US states more than 100 years ago in The organization’s 357th Airlift Squadron oldest H-models began.

www.Key.Aero // July 2021 49

 STATE REPORT // ALABAMA

UNITS OF THE
ALABAMA AIR
AND ARMY NATIONAL
GUARD OPERATE
The squadron regularly supports transport US government officials and Above: A pair of
CH-47Fs from the
FROM THREE CIVIL
airborne paratrooper training carried security forces.
out by the Airborne and Ranger Training Awarded on September 24, 2018 in
110th Aviation
Brigade’s 1st AIRPORTS LOCATED
Battalion 223rd
Brigade’s 1st Battalion, 507th Parachute
Infantry Regiment (PIR) at Fort Benning,
a deal worth US$2.4bn, the program
provides for up to 84 helicopters,
Aviation Regiment
depart Florala
THROUGHOUT
Georgia. The MH-139A announcement
came on November 20, 2020 when
training devices and associated support
equipment. The new helicopter closes
Municipal Airport,
Alabama, during THE STATE
a training mission
General Tim Ray, Commander of Air Force the capability gaps of the UH-1N Hueys
in February 2016. ALABAMA TAIL NUMBERS
Global Strike Command (AFGSC) said: “As in speed, range, endurance, payload Located southwest of 117th ARW/106th ARS
the lead command for the Air Force's MH- and survivability to support the AFGSC’s Dothan near the state
line with Florida, the KC-135R: 57-1453, 57-1473, 58-0004, 58-0066,
139 helicopter fleet, bringing the MH-139 intercontinental ballistic missile missions. 58-0073, 58-0106, 61-0318, 63-7984, 63-8007,
airport is often visited
FTU online is an important step to ensure Other mission capabilities include civil by helicopters from 63-8035
the nation’s Nuclear Triad remains safe, search and rescue, airlift support, National the Army’s training 187th FW/100th FS
fleet Antonio F-16C: 86-0326, 86-0341,86-0346, 87-0217,
secure, effective and ready.” Capital Region (NCR) missions, as well as
Gemma-More 87-0218, 87-0219, 87-0220, 87-0221, 87-0222,
survival school and test support. The Air
87-0232, 87-0263, 87-0271, 87-0272, 87-0276,
Welcoming the Grey Wolf Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) 87-0282, 87-0283, 87-0322, 87-0332, 87-0336,
The Boeing-Leonardo/AgustaWestland expects to spread the aircraft across 87-0342, 88-0151, 88-0398, 88-0399, 88-0400
F-16D: 87-0379, 88-0151
AW139 Grey Wolf will replace the USAF’s Malmstrom AFB, Montana; F E Warren AFB,
908th AW/757th AS
fleet of 63 veteran UH-1N Twin Huey Wyoming; and Minot AFB, North Dakota,
C-130H: 88-4406, 89-1187, 89-1188, 89-1055,
helicopters, beginning this year. A multi- which will each receive 11 for the nuclear 91-9141, 91-9142, 91-9143, 91-9144
mission helicopter based on Leonardo’s security role. CAE Dothan Training Center
proven commercial AW139 helicopter, A further 30 aircraft will be based at Joint C-12U: 85-51262, 85-51263, 85-51264,
the Grey Wolf is designed to protect Base Andrews, Maryland, for the NCR’s 85-51265, 85-51266,85-51267,85-51268,85-
intercontinental ballistic missiles and Continuation of Government/Continuity 51270,85-51271, 85-51272

AH-64D serial 98-5063 from the 1st Battalion, 14th Aviation Regiment (1-14th AVN)
fires a 2.75in (70mm) rocket during a training mission over Fort Rucker, Alabama in May 2007.
The ‘Tomahawks’ operate from Fort Rucker’s Hanchey Army Heliport Greg L Davis

50 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero

of Operations (COG/COOP) support Above: Red Tail F-16C
mission. The helicopters will support VIP serial 87-0332 from Tennessee
the 187th Fighter
and aeromedical evacuation missions Wing’s 100th Fighter
at Yokota AB, Japan, and the Air Force Squadron carries
survival, evasion, resistance and escape the name ‘City of Huntsville
Huntsville’ and Redstone Arsenal
school at Fairchild AFB, Washington, which was marked for the
• Redstone AAF

will each gain four MH-139As. The two commander of the

initial rotorcraft will continue to support 187th Fighter Wing.
Previously designated
ongoing testing of modifications and as the 160th Fighter
software at Eglin AFB, Florida. The MH-139 Squadron the 100th
Alabama Georgia
‘schoolhouse’ will operate the remainder. carries on the history
and traditions of the
They are being built by Leonardo’s Tuskegee Airmen of
AgustaWestland Philadelphia Corporation World War Two. The
Birmingham
Birmingham Shuttleworth
in Pennsylvania, with final outfitting being squadron flew F-4D International Airport
Phantoms prior to • Sumpter Smith JNGB
carried out by Boeing at its nearby Ridley its transition to the • AASF #2
Park facility. Fighting Falcon
Jim Haseltine
National Guard operations
Units of the Alabama Air and Army Tuskegee
National Guard operate from three civil
Montgomery
airports located throughout the state. Maxwell-Gunter AFB
Situated in the northeastern part of the Montgomery Regional
Airport Dannelly Field
state capital, Birmingham-Shuttlesworth • AASF #1
International Airport is home to the
Sumpter Smith Joint National Guard
Evergreen
Base. The 117th Air Refueling Wing (ARW) Ozark
NOLF Evergreen/
is one of two Air Guard flying wings in Middleton Field
Alabama. Its 117th Operations Group Mobile Dothan
(OG) is responsible for the 106th Air
Mobile Regional Brewton Fort Rucker
• USCG Aviation • Cairns AAF
Training Center NOLF Brewton/Brewton • Hanchey AHP
Refueling Squadron (ARS), which has • AASF #1 Municipal Airport • Know AHP
• Lowe AHP
operated the KC-135R Stratotanker as part
of Air Mobility Command (AMC) since
Florida • Shell AHP
Dothan Regional Airport
NOLF Foley
October 1994 when it transitioned from NOLF Summerdale
the McDonnell Douglas RF-4C. Beginning
in August 2020 a number of the unit’s Gulf of Mexico
Stratotankers were attached to the 340th

www.Key.Aero // July 2021 51

 STATE REPORT // ALABAMA
Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, as Below: JRC-12G 169th AVN], which has operated six heavy- units in seven states and territories.
80-23380 operates as
part of the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing a chase/verification lift CH-47F helicopters since receiving the Lakotas first entered service with the
at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. aircraft during icing first examples in 2012. Alabama unit in January 2010 replacing
In late 2020, the 117th ARW supported test conducted over Headquartered in Windsor Locks, OH-58 Kiowas. Produced by Airbus
Lake Superior near
‘Savannah Shift’ and ‘Neptune Falcon’ Duluth, Minnesota Connecticut, the battalion is responsible Helicopters in Mississippi, the twin-engine
dissimilar air combat training and joint- in March, 2007. for three flight companies equipped with UH-72A is flown by two pilots and can
interoperability exercises. The former was Then assigned Chinooks and Black Hawks. Four UH-72A carry up to eight passengers or loads
to the US Army
conducted in Savannah, Georgia, from Aviation Technical Lakota light utility helicopters are assigned weighing up to 3,253lb (1,476kg).
September 11 to 24 while the latter ran Test Center at Fort to Detachment 1, Alpha Company, 1st
from October 16 to 24. Rucker, the Huron is
currently assigned
Battalion, 114th Aviation Regiment (Det Dannelly Field units
The joint base also hosts the 99th ARS, a to the Redstone Test 1 A/1-114th AVN) and used in the the Like the Birmingham facility, Montgomery
geographically separated unit (GSU) of the Center’s Aviation security and support (S&S) role. Regional Airport-Dannelly Field supports
USAF’s 6th ARW at MacDill AFB, Florida. flight Test Directorate The battalion is responsible for Lakota Air and Army Guard operations.
Greg L Davis
The unit was activated in October 2009 as
part of the USAF’s ‘Total Force Integration’
initiative. The active duty association
assigns additional manpower to ANG
and AFRC squadrons permitting the unit
to increase its operational tempo and
optimizing the use of its aircraft. Aircrew
assigned to the active associate squadron
fly the 117th’s Stratotankers.
Alabama’s Army National Guard Aviation
Support Facility #2 (AASF) is also located
at the joint base. Units assigned to the
AASF comprise Bravo (-) Company, 1st
Battalion, 169th Aviation Regiment [B(-)/1-

52 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero

 South Carolina. Activated in November
2015, the 377th is one of eight squadrons
that reports to the 495th FG. Reporting
to the 20th Fighter Wing at Shaw AFB,
the 495th is responsible for seven active
associate fighter squadrons located
alongside ANG and AFRC units.
Although the 100th FS has operated the
Fighting Falcon since transitioning from
the F-4D Phantom to the F-16A in 1988, it
will begin exchanging its F-16Cs for F-35A
Lightning IIs in 2023. The unit was initially
identified as a potential F-35A operator
in December 2017. Wing personnel
completed a three-month deployment
to Southwest Asia in January 2018,
during which the 100th Expeditionary
Fighter Squadron conducted close-
air support and defensive counter-air
operations and delivered more than
100 weapons in support of Operation
Inherent Resolve as part of the 407th Air
Expeditionary Group.
Army Guard units, located at Dannelly
Field’s AASF #1, include the 1st Battalion
131st Aviation Regiment, A/1-131st AVN
(ASLT), which operates the UH-60A+/L in
Above: MH-60T Assigned to the 187th Fighter Wing’s ops the assault role and Det. 2 C/1-111th AVN
CGNR 6027 departs
group, the 100th Fighter Squadron (FS) (AA). Activated in September 2016, the
from Jeremiah
Denton Airport on flies the F-16C+ in support of Air Combat latter unit flies the latest HH-60M variant
Dauphin Island, Command (ACC). Known as the ‘Red of the Black Hawk in the air ambulance
Alabama, during a
Tails’, the squadron carries on the legacy role, and is a component of the 1st
training mission.
The Jayhawk served of the Tuskegee Airmen and had been Battalion, 111th Aviation Regiment in
as the prototype for designated as the 160th FS until 2007. The Jacksonville, Florida.
the MH-60T variant
100th was one of the squadrons assigned A single fixed-wing C-12U-3 Huron is
and following initial
testing was assigned to the 332d Fighter Group, which was operated by the Det 4, B/2-641st AVN,
to the Coast Guard activated at Tuskegee Army Air Field in which is also known as Operational
Aviation Training
February 1942. Support Airlift Command (OSACOM)
Center in Mobile
Ted Carlson Also based at Dannelly Field, the 377th Detachment 5. Headquartered in Salem,
Fighter Squadron is an active associate Oregon, the 2-641st is one of two theater
unit that works side-by-side with the fixed-wing battalions that were recently
187th’s guardsmen. It is a GSU of the organized around the individual state
495th Fighter Group (FG) at Shaw AFB, flight detachments.

Left: HC-144A CGNR 2302 from the Coast Aviation

Training Center conducts a homeland defense
mission over the Gulf of Mexico near Alabama in
May 2008. The training center currently operates
three HC-144Bs that support both training and
operational mission Ted Carlson
Right: MH-65D CGNR 6533 (c/n 6182) from Coast
Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile, Alabama,
lands at Stennis International Airport, Bay St Louis,
Mississippi, during a training mission in December
2019. The center currently operates a mix of nine
MH-65D/E versions of the Dolphin Short Range
Recovery (SRR) Helicopter Carey Mavor

www.Key.Aero // July 2021 53

 STATE REPORT // ALABAMA
Mobile support ALABAMA BASES
Located in the southwest corner of Tail
Location Command Unit Aircraft Notes
Alabama, Mobile Regional Airport-Bates Code
Montgomery Regional Airport/Dannelly Field
Field is home to the Army Guard’s AASF #3.
178th Fighter Wing/Operations Group 100th Fighter Squadron F-16C/D AL
The facility supports B/1-131st AVN (ASLT),
495th Fighter Group 377th Fighter Squadron F-16C/D AL {1}
which is the second of three Black Hawk
AASF #1 Alabama Army National Guard A/1-131st AVN (ASLT) UH-60A+/L
companies assigned to the 1st Battalion.
Det. 2 C/1-111th AVN (AA) HH-60M
Each assault company normally has ten Det. 4 B/2-641st AVN/OSACOM Det 5 C-12U-3
UH-60Ms assigned. Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport
The US Coast Guard Aviation Training 117th Air Refueling Wing/Operations Group 106th Air Refueling Squadron KC-135R
Center (ATC) has been located at the same 6th Air Refueling Wing/Operations Group 99th Air Refueling Squadron KC-135R {2}
airport since it was commissioned as Coast AASF #2 Alabama Army National Guard B(-)/1-169th AVN (HH) CH-47F
Guard Air Station Mobile on December 17, Det. 1 A/1-114th AVN (S&S) UH-72A
1966. The facility had previously housed Mobile Regional Airport/Bates Field
the Air Force Reserve’s 908th Tactical Airlift AASF #3 Alabama Army National Guard B/1-131st AVN (ASLT) UH-60A+/L
Group and its Fairchild C-119s. The ATC is US Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Training Division (TRADIV) HC-144B, MH-60T, MH-65D/E

tasked both as the service’s aviation and Operations Division (OPDIV) HC-144B {3}
Maxwell-Gunter AFB
capabilities development center and as an
908th Airlift Wing/Operations Group 357th Airlift Squadron C-130H2
operational air station.
Redstone Army Airfield/Redstone Arsenal
The Training Division’s three branches
Redstone Test Center (RTC) Aviation Flight Test Directorate (AFTD) CH-47F, UH-60A+/L/M/V, {4}
provide instruction for the MH-60T,
HH-60M, AH-64D/E, UH-72A
MH-65D/E rotary-wing and HC-144A/B C-12C, JRC-12G, T-6D
fixed-wing fleets. Additionally, the TRADIV Hanchey Army Heliport, Fort Rucker
provides Coast Guard aviators with 110th Aviation Brigade 1-14th AVN AH-64D/E
recurrent training that includes annual Lowe Army Heliport, Fort Rucker
week-long refresher training in one of the 110th Aviation Brigade 1-212th AVN UH-60A+/L/M
ATC’s flight simulators. 58th Special Operations Wing/Operations
23rd Flying Training Squadron TH-1H {5}
Its Operations Department provides Group
Cairns Army Airfield, Fort Rucker
a fixed-wing response capability that
Air Traffic Services Command (ATSCOM) Flight Check Section C-12S
supports the Eighth Coast Guard District,
USAMRDC USAARL Flight Systems Branch HH-60M {6}
which is responsible for operations
US Army Reserve Command (USARC) Det. 1 B/2-228th AVN C-12U
spanning 26 states, including the coastline
110th Aviation Brigade 1-223rd AVN CH-47F, UH-72A, UH-60A+ {7}
along the Gulf of Mexico from Florida Dothan Regional Airport
to Mexico, the adjacent offshore waters CAE USA Dothan Training Center C-12U, G120TP
and outer continental shelf as well as the Notes
inland waterways of the Mississippi, Ohio, {1} Active associate squadron, assigned to the 20th Fighter Wing’s 495th Fighter Group at Shaw AFB, South Carolina. Operates
Missouri, Illinois, and Tennessee aircraft assigned to the 187th Fighter Wing. {2} Active associate squadron, assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing’s Operations
Group at MacDill AFB, Florida. Operates aircraft assigned to the 117th Air Refueling Wing. {3} OPDIV shares aircraft with the TRADIV.
river systems.
{4} Operates various aircraft types on an ‘as-required’ basis to support testing. {5} 58th Special Operations Wing is located at Kirtland
The OPDIV began flying operational AFB, New Mexico {6} US Army Medical Research & Development Command {7} CH-47Fs are also stationed at Knox AHP, UH-60A+
missions with the Ocean Sentry in operated by the US Army Air Ambulance Detachment (USAAAD)

54 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero

Above: Beechcraft early 2009. Aircraft allocated to the ATC The US Army’s varied flight test which will compete for the FLRAA, as
delivered four currently include four MH-60Ts, nine MH- organizations, which included the well as the development of the Sikorsky
specialized variants
of the Texan II
65D/Es and three HC-144Bs. The ATC also Aviation Technical Test Center (ATTC), RAIDER X and the Bell 360 Invictus.
trainer to the US operates a large number of simulators. were consolidated at Redstone as part of Developed under the FARA program,
Army Redstone the 2005 Base Realignments and Closures flight testing of the latter two is expected
Test Center in June
2015. The T-6Ds
Army facilities (BRAC) Commission recommendations. to begin in 2023. Sikorsky conducted a
replaced several The United States Army operates two Formed through a merger of the US Army demonstration of its S-97 Raider prototype
T-34Cs that had important aviation training and test Aviation Development Test Activity (ADTA) at Redstone on April 13. The company-
been operated by
RTC’s Aviation Flight
facilities in Alabama. and the Aviation Engineering Flight owned prototype is being used to prove
Test Directorate Located at the Redstone Arsenal in Activity (AEFA) in October 1990, the ATTC out systems and technology that will be
beginning in Huntsville, the Redstone Army Airfield was at Fort Rucker until August 2009 when used on the Raider X.
September 2015.
The final Turbo
supports the Redstone Test Center’s (RTC) its assets relocated to Redstone. Redstone is also home to the Army’s
Mentor mission Aviation Flight Test Directorate (AFTD). The AFTD is already involved in flight Prototype Integration Facility (PIF),
occurred earlier Reporting to the US Army Test and testing of prototypes built by Bell and which serves a rapid development and
on August 28
Beechcraft
Evaluation Command (ATEC), the service’s Sikorsky-Boeing for the Army’s Joint fabrication center for aviation and missile
primary flight test center operates more Multirole Technology Demonstration system projects. Reporting to the US Army
than 40 rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft (JMR-TD) program, which is a pre-cursor Aviation and Missile Center at Redstone,
comprising variants of the CH-47, UH/HH- to the Future Vertical Lift Future Long- the government-owned, government-
60, AH-64, UH-72 and C/RC-12. Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) and operated facility opened in 2002. The
Its diverse inventory includes four Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft PIF’s projects are not just limited to the
Beechcraft T-6D Texan II trainers produced (FARA) programs. AFTD experimental US Army and it has recently been tasked
specifically for the center, serving as test test pilots are supporting testing of the to develop the modifications required to
support platforms. The aircraft entered Bell V-280 Valor and Sikorsky-Boeing convert former Army UH-60Ls to HH-60G
service in 2015 replacing the Beechcraft SB-1 Defiant (for more on these see sister- configuration for the USAF under service’s
T-34Cs on loan from the US Navy. magazine Air International, July issue), Combat Loss Replacement program.

WHILE PENSACOLA IN FLORIDA IS KNOWN AS THE HOME

OF US NAVAL AVIATION TRAINING, ALABAMA HOSTS
NO LESS THAN FOUR NAVY OUTLYING LANDING FIELDS

Above: CAE uses five Grob 120TPs in the US Army Fixed Wing programme at Dothan. The Irish Air Corps recently announced they were sending pilots to train there too CAE
Left: T-6B BuNo 166064 from training air wing TAW-5 conducts a training mission at Naval Outlying Landing Field (NOLF) Brewton, Alabama in October 2018. Located at
Brewton Municipal Airport, the NOLF is one of four facilities in Alabama to relieve traffic at Naval Air Station Whiting Field in Milton, Florida. The Texan II wore a chrome
yellow paint scheme as part of the commemoration of the Centennial of Naval Aviation Antonio Gemma-More

www.Key.Aero // July 2021 55

 STATE REPORT // ALABAMA
The PIF has also modified former
US Army HH-60Ls to a specialized
configuration for the US Customs and
Border Protection Air & Marine Operations.
Additional work in support of the PIF is
carried out by SES and Yulista Aviation at
facilities in nearby Huntsville.

Flight schools
Located in Daleville, the US Army Aviation
Center of Excellence (USAACE) at Fort
Rucker is the service’s primary aviation
training facility. The Army Aviation School
began relocating from Fort Sill, Oklahoma
to the post in August 1954 and the first
class began at Fort Rucker that October. On
1 February 1955, the Army Aviation Center
was officially established at Fort Rucker.
Today the center’s 110th Aviation
Brigade (Training) is responsible for three
unique battalions comprising the 1-14th
AVN, 1-212th AVN and 1-223rd AVN. Fort
Rucker’s 23 aviation facilities comprise five
base fields, 17 stagefields and a forward
arming refueling point. The stagefields are Above: A UH-72A combat skills phases of the Initial Entry
heliports that support daytime and or day/ operated by the Rotary-wing (IERW) training. Whereas
Alabama Army
night flight operations. Lowe is located on Fort Rucker, Shell AHP
National Guard lands
Situated at Hanchey Army Heliport at a forward landing is situated west of the base in Enterprise,
(AHP), the 1-14th is tasked with training area near Hanceville, Alabama. Overall responsibility for the
in February 2017.
all AH-64D/E Undergraduate Flight School IERW program is assigned to the 1-223rd
The Lakota was
XXI (FSXXI) aviators and all graduate supporting a 117th Aviation Regiment at Cairns Army Airfield
aviators that are Instructor Pilots and Air Refueling Wing (AAF) and Knox AHP. Positioned south
survival course in a
Maintenance Test pilots. Operating from of Fort Rucker Cairns is the only facility
rural area north of
Lowe and Shell AHPs, the 1-212th Aviation Birmingham Alabama capable of handling fixed-wing aircraft
Regiment trains aviators in the UH- Air National Guard/ operations and is the US Army’s busiest
TSgt Jeremy Farson
60A/L/M aircraft and provides evaluation airfield, averaging more than 1,000 aircraft
flights for advanced instrument and basic movements each day.

TH-1H serials 73-21760 and 74-22502 are

among 28 Hueys operated by the USAF’s 23rd
Flying Training Squadron from Lowe Army Heliport
at Fort Rucker. Both Hueys served with the US Army
before being upgraded to Huey II configuration by
Bell Helicopter’s US Helicopter subsidiary in Ozark,
Alabama Ted Carlson

56 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero

 Above: A flight of IERW training has been provided by and flight engineers to operate the CH-
three UH-60A+s Amentum Services at Fort Rucker since 47F aircraft and oversees primary and
assigned to the 110th
Aviation Brigade’s 1989. The three-phase IERW course instrument evaluations and all fixed-wing
1st Battalion, 212th completed its transition from the Bell qualification courses. While Chinook
Aviation Regiment TH-67A to the Airbus UH-72A, when operations are carried out at Knox AHP,
(1-14th AVN) lands
at Florala Municipal the final Creek flight was carried out on fixed-wing training is conducted by CAE at
Airport, Alabama, February 17, 2021. In September 2020, the nearby Dothan Regional Airport on Grob
during a training US Army accepted the last of 463 Lakotas 120TPs and C-12Us. Known as Flatiron,
mission in August
2015. The Army has from Airbus. More than 200 UH-72As the battalion’s US Army Air Ambulance
disposed of more support the IERW program at Fort Rucker. Detachment (USAAD) also operates UH-
than 400 of its first In addition to newly produced helicopters, 60As from Cairns. The airfield is also home
generation Black
Hawks under a which were first delivered in March 2015, to the US Army Aeromedical Research
program managed
LOCATED IN
the fleet includes a large number that Laboratory’s (USAARL) Flight Systems
by the Black Hawk were repurposed from the light utility Branch (FSB), which conducts flight testing
Exchange and
DALEVILLE, Sales Team (BEST).
Operations associated
to the training mission by Science and
Engineering Services (SES) in Huntsville,
associated with the air ambulance mission.
After being replaced by a newer HH-60M,
THE US ARMY with the program
are carried out at
Alabama. The Lakota was first used in the
IERW program in January 2016.
the laboratory’s JUH-60A flying test bed
was recently retired and offered for sale
the Science and
AVIATION CENTER OF Engineering Services
Inc (SES-I) West Cairns operations
via the US Army Black Hawk Exchange and
Sales Team (BEST) program.
EXCELLENCE (USAACE) facility in Huntsville,
Alabama, which Known as the ‘Spartans’, the 1-223rd The Flight Check Section of the Army’s
serves as the BEST conducts flight instruction and manages Air Traffic Services Command (ATSCOM)
AT FORT RUCKER Aircraft Consolidation
Facility Antonio
operations at Cairns Army Airfield and operates C-12S serial 12-00277 from

IS THE SERVICE’S Gemma-More Knox AHP. The battalion trains Aviators Cairns. It is responsible for conducting

PRIMARY AVIATION
TRAINING
FACILITY

UH-60M serial 05-20002 assigned to Company F, 1st Battalion, 212th Aviation Regiment (F/1-212th AVN) conducts a training mission
near Fort Rucker in May 2007. The ‘Eagles’ conduct Black Hawk training from Lowe and Shell Army heliports. This early UH-60M was later
converted to MH-60M configuration for service with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment Greg L Davis

www.Key.Aero // July 2021 57

 STATE REPORT // ALABAMA
flight inspections of Army airfields and
tactical air traffic control (ATC) facilities.
Based on the Beechcraft King Air 350ER,
the ‘one-off’ C-12S conducts in-flight
inspection of the navigational aids and
landing systems using an automated flight
inspection system. It replaced a similarly
equipped JC-12D in January 2017.
The flight test section is one of two
fixed-wing units that operate from
the facility. The second is the US Army
Reserve Command’s Det 1 B/2-228th
AVN, which operates the C-12U in the
theater fixed-wing role. The unit’s battalion
headquarters is located at Joint Base
McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey.
Helicopter pilot training
The USAACE is also responsible for the
world’s largest helicopter simulator
facility. Operated by General Dynamics
Information Technology under contract
to the Army, Warrior Hall in Daleville
houses more than 40 flight training
simulators that support FSXXI and USAF
training efforts. Advanced flight training
is conducted in the contractor-owned,
contractor-operated (CO/CO) facility
with high fidelity, full-motion, full-visual
UH-60A/L, UH-60M, CH-47F and TH-1H
simulators as well as UH-72A fixed-based
flight simulators. Warrior Hall provides
training of 1,220 IERW and 1,100 Graduate
students annually.
Fort Rucker’s Lowe AHP is home to the
USAF’s 23rd Flying Training Squadron,
which was activated in January 1994.
Assigned as a GSU to the 58th Special
58 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero
Above: Operations Wing’s Operations Group at
The Alabama Air Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, the squadron
National Guard’s
117th Air Refueling provides specialized undergraduate
Wing’s 106th Air helicopter pilot training (SUPT-H) for USAF
Refueling Squadron helicopter pilots destined for the special
has flown the
KC-135R since operations, combat search and rescue,
transitioning from the missile support and distinguished visitor
RF-4C in 1994. The airlift missions.
wing’s Stratotankers
are also flown by the The unit operates the TH-1H version
99th Air Refueling of the venerable Huey helicopter. All 28
Squadron, an active Hueys had previously served with the US
duty squadron
stationed alongside Army before being passed on to the USAF
the Air National Guard and upgraded to Huey II configuration by
unit in Birmingham Bell Helicopter’s US Helicopter subsidiary
Jim Haseltine
in nearby Ozark, beginning in 2005.
Known as the ‘Home of Army Aviation’,
Fort Rucker also houses the US Army
Aviation Museum. Its collection comprises
more than 160 aircraft that include the
largest number of helicopters held by a
museum worldwide. More than 50 fixed
and rotary-wing aircraft are displayed in
the museum.
CAE Dothan Training Center
Opened in 2017, the CAE Dothan Training
Center provides fixed-wing flight training
to the US Army, USAF, US Navy and other
customers. Academic and simulator
training is delivered at the state-of-the-art
training center, while live flying training
is conducted at the adjacent Dothan
Regional Airport.
More than 800 US Army, Navy, Marine
Corps and USAF pilots are trained
annually at the CAE Dothan Training
Center. In addition to ten US Army-owned
twin-turboprop C-12U-1 aircraft, the
training center utilizes six company-
owned Grob G 120TP aircraft that support
live-flying training.
In addition to supporting the Army’s
Initial-Entry Fixed-Wing (IEFW) training
program, the center delivers recurrent
training for the US Army, Navy, Marine
Corps and USAF C-12 pilots alongside US
Army and USAF C-12 Aviator Qualification
(AQC), Instructor Pilot and Aviator
Refresher Courses.
In March 2021, CAE received a contract
to provide military pilot training to 14
students from the Irish Air Corps. Phase 2
simulator and live training with the Grobs
will be carried out in Dothan.
NOLF
While Pensacola in Florida is known as
the home of US Naval Aviation training,
Alabama hosts no less than four Navy
Outlying Landing Fields (NOLF) that
support rotary and fixed-wing instruction
carried out by Training Air Wings TAW-5
and 6 at NAS Whiting Field and NAS
Pensacola respectively. Those facilities
comprise NOLF Barin in Foley, NOLF
Brewton/Municipal Airport, NOLF
Evergreen/Middleton Field and NOLF
Summerdale. Serving as auxiliary fields,
the NOLFs support training flights permit
students to conduct operations in less
congested environments away from the
busier home station airspace.
The addition of the MH-139A training
mission in 2023 will reinforce Alabama’s
hold of the unofficial role as the world’s
rotary-wing training capital.
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 EXERCISE REPORT // INIOCHOS 2021
ATHENS Babak Taghvaee reports on the role of the French Air and Navy forces at
the recent Iniochos 2021 exercise organized by the Hellenic Air Force
E
Above: One of three UROPE’S LARGEST AIR drill,
Rafale Bs of Escadron Iniochos 2021, involving
de Chasse 2/4
151 fixed wing aircraft and
(Fighter Squadron
2/4) ‘La Fayette’ seven helicopters, was held in
that participated in Greece by the Weapons Tactics
Iniochos 2021 was
School of the Hellenic Air
352 ‘4-FS’
All images, author Force (HAF) between April 12 and 22.
The aircraft from participating nations
Cyprus, France, Greece, Israel, Spain,
the United States and the United Arab
Emirates (UAE) included 109 fighters, 25
cargo aircraft, eight tankers, two airborne
early warning and control aircraft, two
liaison aircraft, a maritime patrol aircraft,
seven helicopters and two UAVs. Among
them were 16 fighters belonging to the
French Air and Space Force (FASF) and the
French Naval Aviation force (Aéronavale).
It was the first time in the history of
Iniochos’s annual medium-scale Invitation
exercises (INVITEX) of the HAF that the
FASF, the Aéronavale as well as the
60 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero
Spanish Air Force (Ejército del Aire) had
participated, with 11, five and seven
fighters respectively.
The exercise was a great opportunity
for French Mirage 2000D and Rafale
B/C/M fighter pilots and weapon systems
operators to increase their interoperability
skills (senior pilots) as well as basic combat
skills (junior pilots).
Here, we review the missions performed
by the FASF, as well as the French naval
pilots, during this ten-day exercise.
The deployment phase
The FASF took part in the exercise with
three Rafale Bs, three Rafale Cs and five
Mirage 2000Ds, while the Aéronavale
participated with five Rafale Ms. The
fighters deployed from Saint-Dizier, Mont-
de-Marsan, Nancy and Landivisiau to
Andravida. While the Rafale Ms performed
buddy refueling on their way to Greece,
the Mirage 2000Ds and Rafale B/Cs of the
FASF were refueled by an Airbus A330-243
MRTT en route to deployment over the
island of Corsica.
An Airbus A400M Atlas heavy cargo
aircraft, serial number 0095 (callsign
‘CTM2064’), airlifted ground equipment
and groundcrew for the aircraft to
Andravida Air Base. A second A400M,
serial number 0008 (callsign ‘CTM1033’),
airlifted another batch of equipment and
groundcrew to Greece the next day.
On April 16, the FASF used a C-130H-30
Hercules (5140 ‘61-PD’) of ET02.061
'Franche-Comte' to transfer several inert
bombs for use by the Mirage 2000Ds and
Rafale B/C/Ms from Evreux to Andravida.
During the exercise, a CN235M-200
of ET01.062 Vercors,serial number 128
‘64-IK’ (‘F-RAIK’) plus two CN235M-300s
of ET03.062 ‘Ventoux’ with serial numbers
197 ‘64-HE’ and 200 ‘62-HH’ , were used

for transportation of personnel and
commanders of FASF between France
and Greece. Meanwhile, on April 8, a
CN235-200 flew from Evreux to Andravida
with callsign ‘CTM2030’ and ‘CTM3940’
on April 19, while 128 ‘64-IK’ flew with
callsign ‘CTM2022’ on April 12. Finally,
197 departed Evreux for Andravida
with callsign ‘CTM1140’ on April 16 and
‘CTM2040’ on April 18.
The execution phase
While Iniochos 2019 was designed by the
School of Tactics of Weapons to be more
focused on SEAD (Suppression of Enemy
Air Defense) and DEAD (Destruction of
Enemy Air Defense), this year’s exercise
planned to cover the full spectrum of
missions currently performed by the
HAF, giving the air powers of France,
Israel, Spain, the US and the UAE the
chance to simulate Composite Air
WE CAN CONFIRM THAT THE FRENCH
MIRAGE 2000DS REMAIN AT A GOOD
LEVEL OF INTEROPERABILITY AND
THEIR CREW ARE COMBAT PROVEN
- MAJOR THIBAULT, COMMANDER OF FIGHTER SQUADRON 3/3 ARDENNES
Operations (COMAO) and improve their Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR); Time-
interoperability skills during wartime. Sensitive Target destruction; Dynamic
According to the commander of HAF's targeting (Interdiction) of a High Value Air
School of Tactics of Weapons, participants Asset; Combat Air Patrol; and Slow Mover
employed 12 different types of missions: Force protection.
Offensive Counter Air Operations (OCA); During the exercise, HAF’s F-16 and
Air Defense Operations (ADO); Counter Mirage 2000-5 pilots as well as those of
Surface Force Operations (CSFO) including FASF’s Mirage 2000Ds and the USAF’s
Air Power Contribution to Land Ops F-16s practiced inflight refueling in
(APCLO); Air Power Contribution to southern Greece over the Mediterranean.
Maritime Ops (APCMO); Reconnaissance; In total, a KC-135R of USAF’s 100th ARW,
Left: Five Mirage
2000Ds of Escadron
de Chasse 3/3
(Fighter Squadron
3/3 Ardennes) were
used in the exercise,
and 680 ‘3-XM’ is
seen here departing
Andravida AB on
April 19
www.Key.Aero // July 2021 61
 EXERCISE REPORT // INIOCHOS 2021
62-3551, logged six inflight refueling
missions when it was on deployment at
Souda, Crete, during the exercise. They
were performed on April 12, 13, 15, 16, 20
and 22 during which more than 100 F-16
pilots and 30 Mirage 2000 pilots practiced
inflight refueling.
The French strike force
The FASF's 11 fighters comprised three
Rafale Bs of Escadron de Chasse 2/4
(Fighter Squadron 2/4) ‘La Fayette’, three
Rafale Cs of Escadron de Chasse 2/30
(Fighter Squadron 2/30) ‘Normandie-
Niemen’ and five Mirage 2000Ds of
Escadron de Chasse 3/3 (Fighter Squadron
3/3) ‘Ardennes’. Of these, the latter logged
the highest number of sorties – more
than100 with a total of 150 flying hours,
according to the squadron commander.
"Iniochos 2021 has been the first major
international exercise we’ve participated
in for three years (except for the TLP
course),” said Major Thibault, Commander
of Fighter Squadron 3/3 ‘Ardennes’. “It
was a great challenge to remain at this
high level of interoperability. The Greek
landscape offered us a lot of opportunities
to use terrain masking. As there was a real
GBAD [Ground Based Air Defense] system
on Kalamata air base, we could assess
if our tactics were efficient. The variety
of different fighting areas (over the sea,
mountains) gave a great opportunity to
experience low-level flights for our young
62 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero
pilots. Mirage 2000Ds took part in several
COMAOs jointly with Mirage 2000s, F-4s,
F-15s and F-16s of other participants.”
He added: “We came with some young
pilots for their first participation in this
kind of exercise, which taught them a lot
of lessons. Also, we gave some mission
commanders specific missions. The
actions conducted during the exercise
tested our air combat and air strike
capacities in an international
context. As a result, we can
confirm that the French Mirage
2000Ds remain at a good level of
interoperability (thanks to the data
link L16) and their crew are combat-
proven.”
Rafale Ms in action
The Aéronavale took part with five
Rafale M multirole fighter jets of 12F
Squadron. Despite being navy pilots,
the 12F airmen had the opportunity to
carry out all the missions that their FASF
counterparts performed on Rafale B/Cs
during the exercise. They were deployed
to Andravida on the same day as the
FASF fighters (April 8) and they were
stationed in the hardened aircraft shelters
previously used by 339 MPK (disbanded in
October 2017).
The commander of 12F Squadron said
the unit had two objectives. Firstly, it gave
some junior pilots the chance to fly basic
air-to-air missions against F-16s (USAF
Above: A complex
air operation was
carried-out by four
Hellenic Air Force or HAF) and basic
F-4Es and two Rafale air-to-ground missions
Bs and two Rafale Cs in the Peloponnese. Secondly,
of the French Air and
Space Force (FASF) it provided training in
operational readiness flying
and in leading some complex missions in
a contested environment, using all the
capabilities of the Rafale F3-R Block
including Meteor missiles for air-to-
air engagements (12F was mission
commander during
two COMAOs)
Deployment of the five Rafale Ms
to Greece was in itself a simulation
of a combat operation. “Concerning
our deployment to Andravida AB, we flew
Above: Lieutenant
Commander
from NAS Landivisiau located in northwest
Sébastien ‘Gringo’, France directly to Greece,” said Lieutenant
Commander of Commander Sébastien (‘Gringo’),
12F Squadron Commander of 12F Squadron. “Our
endurance was sufficient enough to fly
directly to Greece. Nevertheless, we used
a Rafale M for buddy-buddy refueling in
order to increase our endurance because
we planned a mission north of Crete
before landing [in Andravida]. To be
Below: A CN235M-200 accurate, we flew a training mission that
cargo aircraft of ET was a long-range strike and had four F-16
1/62 ‘Vercors’, 128
‘64-IK,’ was used from [Hellenic Air Force] 335 Sqn, Araxos
for transportation AB, as opponents.”
of aircraft spare He added: “During Iniochos 2021, we
parts and personnel
between Evreux in flew various types of missions such as
France and Andravida entry force, anti-surface warfare, high
value assets protection and attack.
Surface-to-air threats were also deployed
on the ground and ships at sea to make
the exercise more realistic. For the side
waves, we flew some 8v4 as swing rollers
(delivering our SBU-38/54/64 bombs then
acting as air-to-air assets with our Meteor
and MICA missiles) as well as BFM [basic
fighter maneuvres] or ACM [air combat
maneuvring] flights.
“We flew BFM/ACM flights against the
F-16Cs of USAF's 510th Fighter Squadron.
Iniochos also gave us the opportunity to
fly basic missions as well as very complex
ones. Some of our junior pilots have less
than 100 hours flying the Rafale, so we
gave them the opportunity to improve
their skills flying DACT (Dissimilar Air
Combat Training) missions.” He added:
“It’s like learning music before playing
a symphony... you have to know your
scales. That was the goal of those sorties;
work the basics against different types of
fighters.”
Lieutenant Commander Sébastien
explained about some of the COMAOs:
“We flew some mixed flights (two Rafale M
+ two M2000D) during some side waves. more logistic support mission when it Above: One of two an F-16E of the UAE Air Force, plus an EF-
Those flights were division-led (leading flew back crews and equipment of EC2/30 Mirage 2000-5BG 18BM of the Spanish Air Force, an F-16D of
Mk IIs of the Hellenic
four aircraft) training. The typical mission to Mont-de-Marsan Air Base Air Force’s 331 Mira the HAF and a Rafale M of the Aéronavale
was us being escorted by four USAF F-16s on April 29. involved in the daily flew behind the formation. During this,
versus four HAF M2000-5s acting as Reds. On April 25, 128/ ‘64-IK’, a CN235M-200 missions of Iniochos Emirati and Israeli pilots flew together for
2021 was 508
So, we would carry some SBU-54 (Laser/ of the FASF, was used for transportation the first time in aviation history.
GPS) that would be lasered on the targets of a group of Aéronavale personnel from
by the M2000D because we did not bring Andravida to Evreux after the end of Monitored by the Turkish
any targeting pods to Greece. the exercise and redeployment of their All flying activities related to both
“At the same time, the M2000D would aircraft to Landivisiau. formations was monitored by E-7T
drop their own GBU-49s. We would act AEW&C serial number 13-004, callsign
as close escort for the M2000D for the Unity over the Acropolis ‘TUAF42’, of the Turkish Air Force's 131 Filo
ingress, meaning we dealt with some air On April 22, a day before the start of (Squadron) flown from the 3rd Main Jet
threats not targeted by the USAF F-16s. the redeployment, a formation flight Base at Konya, in Turkey between 1000hrs
After dropping our bombs, we would of five aircraft led by a HAF F-16D Block and 1700hrs local time.
switch to an air-to-air role, helping the 50 flew over the Acropolis in Athens The aircraft was also eaves-dropping
USAF F-16s or taking their role if they had and the Aegean Sea as a symbol of on the exercise activities during April 19,
run out of missiles or fuel allowing the the interoperability and unity of the 20 and 21 while flying in missions circling
whole package to egress safely.” participants of the exercise. over western Turkey at 30,000-31,000ft.
In addition to the HAF’s F-16D (083) Another E-7T of 131 Filo, serial number
The redeployment phase leading the formation, a Rafale B (351 13-002, was used for a similar mission by
After two multinational seven-ship ‘4-FR’), a Rafale C (120 ‘30-GE’) and a the Turkish Air Force on April 14.
formation flights on April 22, the exercise Mirage 2000D (627 ‘3-JO’) of the FASF as Iniochos 2021 helped Cyprus, Greece,
came to its third and last phase. While well as an F-16C Block 40 (89-2030) and Israel, France and UAE bring their air
the Israeli Air Force’s fighter jets returned an F-16D Block 40 of the USAF (90-0800) powers together and prepare their crews
to Israel on April 22, the FASF, the and a Mirage 2000-5BG Mk 2 of the HAF for any potential threats they might face
Aéronavale, Spanish Air Force, USAF and (508) flew in the formation. At the same in the regions around the Aegean Sea and
the UAE Air Force redeployed on April 23. time, HAF EMB145H AEW&C serial number the eastern Mediterranean in the near
During their return fight on April 23, two 757 (callsign ‘OURAN41’) monitored the Below: Two F-16Cs future.
C-135FR tankers, serial no 735 (callsign airspace around them. of the USAF’s 510th Iniochos 2021 once again proved the
FS and two Rafale
‘FAF4017’) and 740 (callsign ‘MARCO27’), A second multinational arrow formation Ms of the Aéronavale HAF has reached the capability of the
from the Escadron de Ravitaillement en was flown over Greece in the afternoon were used by the world’s major air powers, by holding a
Vol 4/31 (Air Refueling Squadron 4/31) that saw an F-4E Phantom II of the HAF’s junior pilots of complex multinational air drill that could
their squadrons for
‘Sologne’ flew from Istres, and connected 338 Mira lead the flight, while an F-15I and Dissimilar Air Combat be considered almost equivalent to the
with the French fighters over Corsica. an F-16I of the Israeli Air Force as well as Training (DACT) Red Flag exercises of the United States.
Three Airbus A400M heavy cargo
aircraft of the FASF’s Escadron de
Transport 2/64 (Transport Squadron
2/64) ‘Anjou’ serials 0095, 0102 and 0073,
brought back the groundcrews and
aircraft ground equipment of the six
Rafale B/Cs and five Mirage 2000Ds, as
well as five Rafale Ms of the Aéronavale
back to their bases between April 24 and
29.
On April 24, 0095 flew from Andravida
to Saint-Dizier while 0102 returned to
Landivisiau. The next day, 0073 flew back
to Nancy, while 0102 was used in one

www.Key.Aero // July 2021 63

 EXERCISE REPORT // INIOCHOS 2021

BEST OF THE REST

Above: For Search
and Rescue role the
Cyprus Air Force again
sent one of their
AW-139 helicopters
to Andravida.
Vincent Martens zooms in on some of the combat aircraft that were present Squadron 460 has
three examples and
at Exercise Iniochos in Greece took part in the whole
exercise; in Iniochos
2019, the same
helicopter returned to
Cyprus after one week
due to operational
needs back home
Below: The ‘elephant
walk’ was organized
by the Air Tactics
Center on Sunday
April 18. The
spectacle took place
late afternoon and
lasted for 1½ hours.
Each participating
country delivered
three aircraft of all
The United Arab Emirates Air Force and Air Defence sent six Desert Falcons to Greece. This F-16F is captured returning to base after a late afternoon mission. variants, resulting in
The UAE flew either the morning or afternoon mission. One aircraft, 3054, was the spare and never flew during the exercise. All aircraft came from 33 aircraft taxiing on
3 Shaheen Squadron at Al Dhafra the runway and one
hovering helicopter

Nice ’n’ low! In between the exercise missions, local movements were also planned such as a test flight for this Phantom, seen here departing the runway.
While the line-up of old and decommissioned F-4s is getting longer in the former 339 Squadron area, the Iniochos exercise produced a remarkable 13
flying F-4E AUP (Avionics Upgrade Program) jets

64 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero

The Israeli contingent this year included the F-15I and F-16I. The Fighting
Falcons came from 107 Squadron (Knights of the Orange Tail Squadron) at Hatzerim.
Six aircraft appeared during the weekend in time to participate in the ‘elephant walk’,
a once-in-a-lifetime event for many Images by Vincent Martens

Left: The HAF’s 331

Mira at Tanagra sent
four of the latest
modernized Mirage
2000s, two -5EGs and
two -5BGs. The sister
unit, 332 Mira, will
lose all the older EG
and BG models when
it receives Rafales
soon. Since February/
March, HAF pilots
have been conversion
training at Mont-de-
Marsan in France

Throughout the exercise, formations were flown

by all participants almost every day. Two of these
four Hellenic Air Force F-4Es are using the older
J-79 engines of the former RF-4Es – you can
guess which ones from the smoke trails!

Left: The 510th

Fighter Squadron
from Aviano AB in
Italy sent a large
contingent, of 14
Vipers, to Andravida,
including the unit’s
only F-16CM painted
in the Have Glass V,
color scheme, with
Radar Absorbent
Material (RAM).
A USAFE C-130J-30
and a Hellenic
Air Force C-130H
deployed personnel
from Aviano to the
Greek base

www.Key.Aero // July 2021 65

 TYPE REPORT // MIG-31BM

SHARPENING THE
Foxhound
CLAWS
The speedy Foxhound features
a robust airframe mainly made
from steel alloys and designed to
withstand high aerodynamic and
thermal loads resulting from a
low-altitude supersonic flight for
prolonged times
All photos, Andrey Zinchuk

66 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero

E T
nd’s
The upgraded MiG-31BM is the
principal long-range fighter-
interceptor in Russia. The
growing fleet has become
even more lethal in recent years,
reports Alexander Mladenov
HE MIG-31BM FORCE, operated
by the Russian Aerospace
Forces (VKS) and Russian
Naval Aviation (AVMF), is the
mainstay of the homeland
air defense in Russia. Set
to continue in this role into the next
decade, the twin-engine, twin-fin and
steel-airframe monster, known as the
Foxhound by NATO, is in a class of its own
as a heavyweight long-range fighter-
interceptor at supersonic cruise speeds.
Equipped with a powerful electronic-
scan radar and new-generation long- and
medium-range active radar-guided
air-to-air missiles (AAMs), in addition to
highly agile heat-seeking AAMs for close
combat, the long-legged Foxhound is
also suitable for operations from austere
bases in harsh winter conditions and can
perform intercepts at distances of 647nm
to 1,079nm (1,200-2,000km).
Among the main tasks of Russia’s
recapitalised and beefed-up Foxhound
fleet operated by the AVMF and VKS is
the support of the country’s ongoing and
increasingly ambitious military
expansion and natural resources
exploration strategy in the Arctic.
Resurgent ‘Foxhound’ force
In the face of the renewed and intensifying
tensions with the West, by early 2021
the Russian military fielded a total fleet
of some 130-plus life-extended and
upgraded MiG-31BMs, ordered under
no fewer than four separate contracts
in 2007, 2011, 2014 and 2019. The
fleet of enhanced and heavily armed
fighter-interceptors with an average age
exceeding 30 years is now set to remain in
active service until at least the mid-2030s.
The MiG-31 is enjoying a rediscovered
significance as a valuable military and
political tool for power projection in the
arsenal of the Russian military machine.
The once mighty and feared Foxhound
force fielded during the Soviet era has
undergone times of serious crisis in the
1990s and the early- to mid-2000s, but
then the type saw a gradual resurgence
of its capabilities and increase in the
numerical strength.
As of February 2021, as many as four
MiG-31BMs have been lost in various
accidents, with three of these operated
by the 712th IAP, a two-squadron fighter
regiment stationed at Kansk-Dalny airfield
in eastern Siberia. At least three more are
known to have suffered heavy damage
and it is not yet known if any these will be
returned to service.
www.Key.Aero // July 2021 67
 TYPE REPORT // MIG-31BM
Upgrade effort bearing fruit
The large-scale avionics update for the
enormous 1980s-vintage Foxhound to
the enhanced MiG-31BM configuration,
initiated in the late 2000s, covers updated
mission avionics together with the
integration of new weapons. Slated for
eventual completion by 2023, the effort
is intended to cover the vast majority of
the MiG-31s in active service or held in
reserve, except for the surviving MiG-
31DZs, which are slated to be upgraded
to a completely different standard – the
MiG-31K – able to launch Kinzhal ballistic
missiles against land and sea targets.
The BM-upgrade has been fielded in
three sub-versions due to the different
MiG-31 derivatives being cycled through
a program that primarily focuses on
68 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero
significant radar improvements for
longer-range detection and tracking
performance, combined with enhanced
jamming resistance. The Foxhound
upgrade effort covered the aircraft of all
VKS frontline squadrons, a total of seven
in addition to one operational conversion
and combat training (also known as
instructor-research) squadron.
Frontline Foxhound units have an
authorized strength of 12 airframes, but
the actual number can vary from 12 to
14 jets. In addition, the AVMF is fielding
two more squadrons fully equipped with
MiG-31BMs, while its third squadron is
only partially equipped, with up to four
newly upgraded Foxhounds by early 2021,
while the remainder are non-upgraded
MiG-31DZs slated to serve for a while.
Above: The primary The massed-manner BM-standard
mission of the long- upgrade, which also includes airframe
legged and speedy
MiG-31BM is air overhaul, was launched in the early
defense in the remote 2010s under two contracts running in
northern territories parallel. The first of these, dated August
and regions in Siberia
and the Far East that 2011, called for the delivery of 60 aircraft,
lack ground-based air with completion set for 2019, but in
defense, as well as fact its completion didn’t take place
around Moscow
until December 2020. Unit price for the
Below: Externally the overhaul and upgrades undertaken at
MiG-31BM can be NAZ Sokol (Nizhniy Novgorod Sokol State
distinguished from
its non-upgraded Aircraft Plant) was set at about RUB 600
brethren by the rear- million (equating to US $11.9 million at the
view periscope on the then exchange rate).
top of the front canopy
and the two short The second contract, inked in November
pylons under each 2014, covered 53 more, the last of which
wing to carry both the were reported delivered in 2018. The work
R-73 and R-77-1
on the aircraft covered by the second
contract was split between NAZ Sokol
and 514 ARZ, a maintenance, repair and
overhaul (MRO) plant in the city of Rzhev,
northwest of Moscow.
The third upgrade contract, currently
running, was inked in 2019, but no further
information has been released aside from
the works schedule, with completion set
for 2023. However, it is highly likely that
this contract will also cover overhauls and
upgrades of a number of early MiG-31BMs,
together with work on non-upgraded
aircraft of the baseline version.
As of early 2021, the VKS fleet of
upgraded Foxhounds numbered about
100 to 110 aircraft, in addition to about
28 more operated by the naval air arm.
A significant proportion of the AVMF’s
upgraded Foxhounds are early MiG-31BMs Right: All of the
with in-flight refuelling capability that are upgraded MiG-31BMs
have been provided
set to be cycled through overhaul, life- with time between
extension and other upgrades. overhauls of ten years
While in 2014 as many as 18 MiG-31BMs and 1,000 flight
hours, but in order
were handed over to the Russian military, for the fleet to last
2015 deliveries numbered 11 and the until the mid-2030s
2016 figure was 17. Then the delivery rate another overhaul
is due
accelerated, with as many as 22 in 2017
and 23 in 2018, before a decrease to ten in Right: The MiG-
2019 and another ten in 2020. At least five 31BM’s arsenal
includes R-77-1
more are expected to be taken in 2021. active radar-guided
In addition to the upgrade works, RSK air-to-air missiles,
MiG is currently busy with the airframe used for knocking
out air targets at
life extension of the active Foxhound fleet, medium and short
carried out under a separate research ranges, giving the
program, divided into two phases. fighter an enhanced
lethality when dealing
According to the Russian newspaper with manoeuvring
Izvestia, the first of these to be completed targets in complex
this year is set to extend the service life BVR scenarios
to 3,000 flight hours. Currently the fleet,

NEW MISSILES FOR

manufactured in the late 1980s and the
early 1990s, is cleared for 2,500 flight
hours only.
The second phase, slated for completion
in mid-2022, is set to further extend the
figure to 3,500 flight hours and, at the
current utilization rates, it would allow
the upgraded Foxhound fleet to remain in
widespread service until the mid-2030s. In
April 2015, Russia’s then deputy defense
minister responsible for the procurement,
Yury Borisov, claimed that the MiG-31
has ample life extension potential and its
service life could eventually be extended
up to 45 or even 50 years.
As well as all this, the MiG-31’s engine
manufacturer, ODK Permiskie Motori,
declared during 2018 that it is ready to
resume the manufacturing of key spare
parts for the D-30F engine in a prompt
manner. The existing engine inventory
and supplies of repair kits are deemed
sufficient to support 30 to 40 more years
of Foxhound operations.
HIGHLY ENHANCED
MIG-31BM LETHALITY
The new R-37M (NATO AA-13 Axehead)
long-range, active radar-guided AAM
provides a substantial boost to the lethality
of the upgraded Foxhound fleet.
In February 2012, the then VKS
commander-in-chief, Colonel General
Alexander Zelin, revealed to the Russian
press that the RVV-BD, a newly developed
Below: Today, all long-range AAM by the Tactical Missile
MiG-31-equipped
Corp (KTRV) was in its final testing and
units stand on quick
evaluation phase. Known as the K-37M
reaction alert (QRA)
for homeland air (Item 610M) during its development and
defense. Reaction testing, upon entering regular service the
time from a scramble RVV-BD received the new designation
order to take-off is R-37M. The first launch from the MiG-31BM
eight minutes. When was reported in 2011 and the missile’s state
aircrews are wearing testing effort was completed in early 2014.
high-altitude pressure The first production-standard examples are
suits, this increases
believed to have been taken on strength by
to ten minutes
the Russian military in 2014.
Weighing 1,124lb (510kg) and fitted
with a 132lb (60kg) blast-fragmentation
warhead, the R-37M sports a two-stage
solid-fuel rocket motor, enabling it to
engage targets at a maximum distance of
110nm (200km). Just like its predecessors
R-33 and R-33S, it is carried semi-recessed
under the MiG-31BM’s belly, on four AKU-
410-1 catapult launcher units.
Using inertial guidance after launch with
mid-course radio correction, the R-37M’s
active radar seeker (said to be based on the
one originally developed for the R-77-1)
is switched on during the terminal flight
phase for precise guidance on target.
Compared to the R-33, the new missile was
designed to be more agile in order to score
hits on small-size manoeuvring targets
while offering improved resistance against
both passive and active jamming.
Using a lofted trajectory, the R-37M
can fly at Mach 6, able to hit targets
manoeuvring at up to 8g at altitudes
between 49,000- 82,000ft (15,000-
25,000m). Interestingly, the R-37M has
not been seen suspended on MiG-31BMs
operated by the VKS and AVMF front-line
units.
The active radar-guided R-77-1 (NATO
AA-12 Adder) can be carried on the
four underwing pylons also used by
the heat-seeking R-73, when equipped
with AKU-171E launchers. An increased-
range derivative of the baseline R-77, the
much more capable R-77-1 uses inertial
guidance after launch with mid-course
radio correction, allowing its lethal range
in high altitude, head-on engagements
to extend to 59nm (110km). Targets flying
between 66,000-82,000ft (20,000-25,000m)
and turning at up to 12g, can be engaged.
R-77-1s were seen carried by a frontline
Foxhound for the first time in 2018.
The upgraded Foxhound can also carry
up to four R-73 AAMs (AA-11 Archer) on
wing pylons instead of the R-77-1s, or in
a combination of two R-77-1s and two
R-73s. This heat-seeking missile is equipped
with a true all-aspect seeker with nitrogen
cooling and digital signal processing for
greater sensibility and better resistance to
jamming. It can be cued either by the MiG-
31BM’s radar or the IRST in head-on and
tail-on attacks, and there is an option for
visual aiming by the pilot in the boresight
mode. The maximum range in low-level
engagements is 1.2nm (2.2km) tail-on and
6.47nm (12km) head-on, while in high-level
intercepts the respective ranges increase to
6.5nm and 17nm (12km and 31km).

www.Key.Aero // July 2021 69

 TYPE REPORT // MIG-31BM
BM upgrade specifics
The upgrade to the MiG-31BM standard
– as offered by RSK MiG for the first time
in the late 1990s and further refined
in the early- to mid-2000s – primarily
focused on introducing an upgraded
radar with much improved detection and
tracking performance, combined with
new air-to-air missiles and better tactical
data presentation to both the pilot and
the weapons system operator (WSO),
known in Russia as the navigator-operator.
Intended to turn the Foxhound into a
more effective long-range interceptor, the
upgrade endowed the type with a vastly
improved overall beyond-visual-range
(BVR) combat capability.
The MiG-31BM sports a substantial
potential for countering low-observable
manned and unmanned strike and
reconnaissance aircraft at subsonic and
supersonic speeds, in addition to low-
flying cruise missiles. RSK MiG even claims
the upgraded Foxhound is capable of
engaging hypersonic air vehicles flying at
speeds of up to Mach 6 and altitudes of up
to 82,000ft (25,000m).
At the heart of the BM-standard upgrade
is the Tikhomirov NIIP S-800AM Zaslon-AM
(also dubbed N007AM) passive electronic
70 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero
MIG-31BM
WEAPONS
PAYLOAD
Passive radar-guided long-range
AAMs: 4 x R-33S
Active radar-guided long-range
AAMs: 4 x R-37M
Active radar-guided medium-range
AAMs: 4 x R-77-1
Infrared-guided short-range
AAMs: 4 x R-73
Gun: 1xGSh-6-23 six-barrelled
Gatling-type with a 9,000rpm rate
of fire and 260 rounds
scanning array (PESA) radar. Utilising the
newly added Baget-55-06 computer, the
upgrade retains the existing fixed phased-
array antenna controlling the agile radar
beam electronically for faster and more
accurate pointing in space. The radar’s
maximum detection range increases to
130nm (240km) in head-on encounters
against large-size fighters flying at
medium and high altitudes.
The Zaslon-AM retains the same angular
coverage of its 1970s-vintage predecessor,
scanning an area out to 70º on each side
of the centreline and to 60º below and
above the nose. However, with hugely
increased processing power and refined
software, the Zaslon-AM can now track
up to 24 air targets simultaneously and
provide data for engaging six of them
with radar-guided AAMs such as the
older-generation R-33S, as well as the
new-generation R-37M and R-77-1. The
lock-on range of the upgraded Zaslon-AM
against low-flying cruise missiles, such
as the BGM-109 Tomahawk, is claimed
to have been extended to about 22nm
(40km), representing a 30% improvement
in detection/tracking performance.
In contrast, the original N0007 Zaslon
set is only able to track up to ten targets
and could simultaneously engage four of
them with long-range AAMs. Its claimed
detection range is up to 54nm (100km)
against fighter-sized targets flying at
medium and high altitudes, extending
to 108nm (200km) against bomber-size
targets in head-on encounters; in tail-on
engagements the ranges are 22nm (40km)
and 23-43nm (60-80km). When employed
against low-flying bomber-size targets,
Zaslon’s range is up to 65nm (120km) in
head-on intercepts.
Just like its predecessor, the upgraded
Zaslon-AM has extensive resistance to
jamming allowing the MiG-31BM to
Above: The average
operate effectively in an environment
age of the VKS’ MiG-
31 fleet, including
of dense electronic countermeasures.
This ability is further enhanced by the
upgraded aircraft, is
currently exceeding 30 use of targeting options provided by the
years, but the fleet is
enhanced digital datalink suite, which
relatively little-used
and, with a service provides information on targets seen
life extension to by the radars of other MiG-31s in the
3,500 hours, it will be
group intercept operations, as well as by
rendered good for use
until the mid-2030s airborne or ground-based early warning
and control systems. The crew is also
Top: By March 2021,
able to look up at some of the tracked
the much-touted
expansion of the targets while looking down on others,
number of the VKS with relaxed restrictions to the missile
‘Foxhound’-equipped
acceptable launch region, so the weapons
regiments and
squadrons had not control system could enable missile
been achieved as the launches against widely spaced targets.
2018/2019 plan had
The MiG-31BM also sports a pair of
been cancelled or
delayed, most likely R-800L UHF/VHF new-generation comms
due to the lack of radios, and its navigation suite has been
enough personnel
enhanced through the addition of an
integrated A-737 satellite-navigation
receiver with a combined GLONASS/
NAVSTAR capability for improved
positioning accuracy.
Ongoing obsolescence issues
In August 2014, Yury Beliy, the then
director general of Tikhomirov NIIP, the
design authority for both the original
Zaslon and the upgraded Zaslon-AM,
revealed that the process of integrating
the MiG-31BM’s radar with a new-
generation long-range missile had been
protracted. The last firing trials of this
new and much more lethal radar/missile
combination were completed in 2013.
Beliy also claimed that the ’BM upgrade
in its present form is being viewed as
insufficient for solving all of the avionics
and equipment obsolescence issues, as
the upgraded Foxhound still retains an
old-generation infrared search-and-track
(IRST) sensor alongside a legacy self-
protection equipment and cockpit layout.
The MiG-31BM comes equipped with
the original 1970s-vintage 8TP retractable
IRST sensor under the nose for an
additional degree of electronic counter-
countermeasures (ECCM) capability.
Integrated with the radar through the
mission computer, it can detect air targets
at up to 22nm (40km) at high altitudes in
tail-on engagements, scanning through
600º left and right, and 60º up and 150º
down relative to the aircraft’s centerline. In
addition to target detection, the 8TP can
cue the seekers of the new R-73 AAMs.
The BM’s pilot cockpit remains little
changed as it only received a small LCD
AS OF EARLY 2021, THE VKS FLEET OF UPGRADED
‘FOXHOUNDS’ NUMBERED ABOUT 100 TO
110 AIRCRAFT, IN ADDITION TO ABOUT 28 MORE
OPERATED BY THE NAVAL AIR ARM
Below: In April 2015,
Yury Borisov, Russia’s
then deputy defense
minister responsible
TYPE DEVELOPMENT
Based on the overall aerodynamic
for procurement,
configuration of its predecessor, the MiG-
hinted that the MiG-
31’s service life could 25 Foxbat, the MiG-31 is a heavyweight
eventuallybe extended fighter-interceptor which sports a
to 45 or even 50 years. shoulder-wing airframe layout, combined
The oldest baseline with a slim basic fuselage blended into two
MiG-31s upgraded huge rectangular air intake trunks with
to the new standard wedge inlets. The type’s maximum speed
are known to have is Mach 2.83 at high altitudes and the
been built in 1987 Foxhound is advertised as being capable
of supersonic cruising at Mach 2.32 (1,348
knots/2,500km/h) with afterburner,. The
type is also well-suited to going supersonic
in the climb.
The powerplant consists of a pair of
Solovyev D-30F afterburning turbofans
installed in a considerably strengthened
fuselage made with extensive use of
stainless-steel alloy to allow for prolonged
high-speed flight at low levels. The D-30F6
afterburning turbofans are each rated
at 93.1kN (20,930lb st) dry and 151.9kN
(34,170lb st) with afterburning. The internal
fuel volume is about 20,250 litres.
The specific fuselage shape – in terms of
the combination of the front fuselage and
air intakes – also provides a fraction of the
lift generated by the MiG-31’s airframe,
believed to be about a quarter of the
overall lift. The airframe structure is built
from a mix of stainless steel (about 50%),
aluminium (33%) and titanium alloys
(13%), while the composite materials have
Below, left: The
a share of 1%.
annual training
requirements of the The pilot and the WSO sit in individual
VKS’ Fighter Aviation cockpits, under rearward-hinged canopies.
branch call for at The rear cockpit accommodates the WSO,
least 100 flight who is responsible for operating the
hours for each sophisticated navigation system, sensor
combat-ready MiG-31 suite and long-range missiles. His cockpit
pilot and WSO, is also equipped with a telescopic control
equating to between stick, rudders and a retractable periscope
80 and 100 sorties
for use by an instructor pilot. This, in turn,
allows all operational MiG-31s to be used
for pilot conversion and continuation
training without the need to develop a
dedicated training version. The WSO’s
canopy is blended into a shallow dorsal
spine fairing and has side glazing only.
The first MiG-31, prototype, dubbed
Ye-155MP, took to the air on its maiden
flight on September 16, 1975, in the
capable hands of Mikoyan OKB’s famed
chief test pilot Alexander Fedotov. Two pre-
series aircraft were then built in 1977 for
participation in the flight test effort, while
the type’s production was launched at the
GAZ-21 aircraft plant in Gorky (now known
as NAZ Sokol plant in the city of Nizhny
Novgorod) in 1977, with first deliveries
to the Soviet Air Defence Forces (I-PVO)
reported in 1980. A total of 349 baseline
MiG-31s (also known as Product I-01) were
produced between 1976 and 1988, in three
main versions.
The MiG-31DZ (I-01DZ) is a slightly
improved Foxhound derivative featuring
a retractable air-to-air refuelling probe.
In total, 101 MiG-31DZs were originally
built between 1989 and 1991. The MiG-
31B (I-01B) is a further-refined derivative
with in-flight air refuelling probe and
an improved N007 Zaslon-A radar set,
enhanced R-33S long-range AAMs and an
A-723 long-range navigation system. This
last production-standard derivative was
launched in 1990, with 69 produced until
April 1994. Additionally, 42 of the baseline
MiG-31s were upgraded to this enhanced
standard, receiving the new designation
MiG-31BS. The last MiG-31Bs were rolled
out in Nizhny Novgorod in 1994, and the
total production run of the Foxhound
family hit 519 aircraft.
www.Key.Aero // July 2021 71
 TYPE REPORT // MIG-31BM
display, added in the upper right-hand
corner of the instrument panel, to present
tactical information. The WSO’s cockpit, on
the other hand, sports more differences
compared to older-generation MiG-31s
as it received two newly added large
LCDs used for tactical and navigational
information to replace the original huge
circular CRT tactical display, flanked by two
small rectangular displays.
The upgraded Foxhound retains the
old-generation SPO-15LM (L006) radar
warning receiver (RWR), a 1970s-vintage
system, and lacks chaff/flare dispensers.
As a result, in its current configuration,
the upgraded interceptor is deemed
ill-suited for offensive air superiority
missions in highly contested airspace
facing an opponent using fourth- and
fifth-generation fighters. In its new guise
the MiG-31BM still remains tailored for
homeland defense missions, where its
main targets would be strategic bombers
in addition to sea- and air-launched cruise
missiles, or else tactical fighters on deep
strike missions.
Externally the MiG-31BM can easily be
distinguished from its non-upgraded
brethren by the presence of a rear-view
periscope on the top of the front canopy
and the two short pylons under each
wing for suspension of R-73 and R-77-1
launcher rails. The aircraft upgraded
from MiG-31Bs between 2007 and 2013,
72 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero
dubbed Type 28-BM, feature a semi-
retractable air refuelling probe on the port
side of the front fuselage.
There is also a second sub-version,
upgraded from the MiG-31BS derivative,
fielded for the first in frontline service in
about 2014. Known as Type 58-BM, this
version can be distinguished by the lack of
the air refuelling probe. And finally, there
are MiG-31BMs upgraded from baseline
MiG-31s, dubbed Type 78-BM, fielded in
service for the first time in 2015.
Testing and fielding
RSK MiG launched initial development
work on the MiG-31BM upgrade in 2001,
using two of the latest production MiG-
31Bs converted into prototypes of the
enhanced version. The first of these took
to the air in its new guise in September
2005, and in December that year it was
handed over to the VKS’s 929th State
Flight Test Centre at Akhtubinsk for the so-
called joint state testing and evaluation.
Completion of the effort’s first stage was
reported in November 2007, thus making
AT THE HEART OF THE BM-STANDARD UPGRADE
IS THE TIKHOMIROV NIIP S-800AM ZASLON-AM
(ALSO DUBBED N007AM) PASSIVE ELECTRONIC
SCANNING ARRAY (PESA) TECHNOLOGY RADAR
Below: The MiG-31’s it possible to begin with the production-
airframe structure standard upgrade under a contract signed
comprises a mix of
50% stainless steel, in April of that year.
33% aluminium One more pre-production upgraded
alloys and 13% Foxhound was delivered to the 929th
titanium alloy; the
composite materials’ GLITs and the first two production-
share accounts standard upgraded MiG-31BMs were
for a mere 1% handed over on March 20, 2008, to the
VKS’s 4th Combat Training and Aircrew
Conversion Centre, to be operated by its
Savastleika-based branch. The Foxhound-
equipped research-instructor squadron
at Savastleika eventually received a
fleet of five MiG-31BMs, while the next
fleet increase didn’t take place until
2015, when the branch took eight more
enhanced Foxhounds, but these were in a
sub-version converted from the MiG-
31BS which lacked an in-flight refuelling
capability.
The first frontline unit of the VKS to
take upgraded Foxhounds on strength
was a component squadron from the
458th IAP, a fighter regiment stationed at
Kotlas-Savatya, north of Moscow, which
received a fleet of nine examples. After

the regiment’s disbandment in December
2009 as part of an abrupt structural
reform of the Russian air arm, the precious
MiG-31BMs were handed over to a newly
established fighter squadron assigned
to what was then known as the 6964th
Air Base at Monchegorsk, which lies
close to the Russian Northern Fleet bases
on the Kola Peninsula in the country’s
northwestern territories.
In late 2014, the unit became the 98th
SAP (Composite Air Regiment) and, during
the same year, it received three further
MiG-31BMs, while in 2016 the regiment
was moved under AVMF control, assigned
to the Northern Fleet’s 45th Air & Air
Defence Army (A&ADA). In 2019, the
98th SAP got a second fighter squadron,
equipped with 12 upgraded Foxhounds,
only in a sub-version lacking in-flight
refueling capability.
The second-frontline regiment that
took upgraded Foxhounds on strength
is the two-squadron 712th IAP stationed
at Kansk-Yuzhny in Siberia, assigned to
the 14th A&ADA. In January 2013, the
Russian MoD reported that the regiment
had completed its re-equipment, with 24
aircraft delivered, all of them in the Type
28-BN subversion.
Then the 790th IAP, stationed at
Khotilovo airfield north of Moscow,
assigned to the 6th A&ADA, began
trading its two squadrons of MiG-31s and
MiG-31DZs for a fleet of 24 MiG-31BMs,
with the vast majority of these being Type
58-BM/78-BM aircraft, lacking the in-flight
refuelling capability. The re-equipment
of its two component squadrons was
reported to have been completed in
December 2014.
After that came the upgrade of the 22nd
IAP at Tsentralnaya Uglovaya in Russia’s Far
East region, assigned to the 11th A&ADA.
It received an unusually large fleet of
24 jets, used to equip a single squadron
(and possibly slated at the time to equip
is the fighter-interceptor squadron of the
317th OSAP at Yelizovo on Kamchatka
Peninsula. However, this process proved
protracted and only three or four Type 78-
BMs were taken as of early 2021.
In 2019, the Russian MoD extended the
scope of the MiG-31BM upgrade program
by placing a new contract for overhauled
and upgraded Foxhounds. Undertaken at
NAZ Sokol, the work is expected to involve
30 to 40 more MiG-31s. According to
Yury Slyusar, president of United Aircraft
Corporation (the parent company of RSK
MiG), the entire non-upgraded MiG-31
fleet of the Russian MoD is slated to be
Above: MiG-31’s another one in foreseeable future, eventually cycled through the upgrade
production totalled but then some of these aircraft were program, with the effort’s completion
519 aircraft, of which
349 (produced at the transferred to the AVMF), with the first expected by 2023. The modified MiG-
Sokol plant between examples taken in 2015. 31BMs could be used for fully equipping
1976 and 1988) were The last VKS unit to trade-in its non- the existing MiG-31 squadron at the 317th
built in the initial
production-standard, upgraded Foxhounds for upgraded Type OSAP, and possibly another squadron
colloquially known as 58-BM/78-BM long-range interceptors was will be formed in the same regiment in
the ‘vanilla MiG-31’ the two-squadron 754th IAP stationed at foreseeable future. The VKS will also get
Perm-Bolshoye Savino, assigned to the newly-upgraded Foxhounds, mainly for
14th A&ADA, eventually re-equipped with attrition replacement, but it could not be
24 MiG-31BMs in 2017-2018. The third ruled out that there will be also upgraded
AVMF squadron began converting to the Foxhounds for at least one newly-
upgraded aircraft in February 2019 – this established frontline squadron.
Right: The combined
active MiG-31BM fleet
in the current VKS
and AVMF inventory
is about three times
smaller than that
operated during
the Soviet era, but
renewed tension
between Moscow
and the West mean
the long-legged
interceptor will keep
its significance as
the primary airborne
air defense asset for
years to come
MIG-31 OPERATORS
VKS: Directly-reporting units
929nd GLITs Akhtubinsk MiG-31BM, MiG-31K
Branch of the 4th GTsPAPVI Savastleika MiG-31BM
6th Air & Air Defence Army – Western MD
790th IAP (two squadrons) Khotilovo MiG-31BM
14th Air & Air Defence Army – Central MD
712th IAP (two squadrons) Kansk-Yuzhny MiG-31BM
794th IAP (two squadrons) Perm-Bol’shoe Savino MiG-31BM
11th Air & Air Defence Army – Eastern MD
22nd IAP (one squadron) Tsentralnaya Uglovaya-Artem MiG-31BM
Russian Naval Aviation service
98th SAP (two squadrons) Monchegorsk MiG-31BM
317th OSAP (one squadron) Yelizovo MiG-31, MiG-31DZ, MiG-31BM
Abbreviations
Fighter Aviation Regiment (IAP); Composite Aviation Regiment (SAP); Independent Composite Aviation Regiment
(OSAP); State Flight-Test Centre (GLITs); State Personnel Training and Aircraft Field-Testing Centre (GTsPAPVI)
www.Key.Aero // July 2021 73
 USMC // VMFA-211

THE AVENGERS
JOIN ‘BIG LIZZIE’
CAJ reports on the arrival of VMFA-211 on the Royal Navy’s HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier

F
ROM MAY 2-3, the USMC’s
Marine Fighter Attack
Squadron 211 (VMFA-211)
–based at MCAS Yuma,
Arizona – deployed aboard
HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08)
for its first operational tour. The ‘Wake
Island Avengers’ jets had arrived at RAF
Marham, Norfolk, UK, on April 26-27,
then flew to the carrier, where they
will work alongside the RAF’s 617 Sqn
Above: Unlike US ‘Dambusters’ in what is the largest fifth-
aircraft carriers, generation carrier air wing in the world.
HMS Queen Elizabeth Upon arrival, Lt Col Andrew D’Ambrogi,
is equipped with a
ramp from which the the commanding officer of VMFA-211,
F-35Bs take off said: “Moving the Marines, aircraft and
equipment to the United Kingdom
required co-ordinated planning, complex
logistical effort, diligent maintenance and
seamless execution.”
Right: Lt Col He continued: “Now that we have
Andrew D’Ambrogi, arrived in the United Kingdom, we are
commanding
officer of VMFA 211, reintegrating with our UK counterparts
climbs out of his and focused on providing both the
F-35B on May 2. He commodore of [Combat Carrier Strike
replaced the previous
commander, Lt Col Group 2021 (CSG-21)] and US combatant
Joseph Freshour, who commanders with ready, combat-capable,
deployed the unit to fifth-generation aircraft.”
HMS Queen Elizabeth
last October, during While Yael Lempert, US Embassy Chargé
CSG 21’s first outing d’Affaires, said: “We have no closer ally

74 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero

 Left: With its air-
brakes up, preparing
to land on deck, there
is no mistaking this
is a USMC F-35B
All images, USMC
photographer 1st Lt
Zachary Bodner
Right: As this F-35B,
169621 ’CF-01’
halts on its parking
spot, the newly
applied HMS Queen
Elizabeth titles are
clearly evident on the
aircraft’s tail

Above: This VMFA-211 F-35B, 169607 ’CF-06,’

touches down just after its sister aircraft
than the United Kingdom. Together,
we stand committed to protecting our
shared security, addressing security
challenges in the Indo-Pacific and
beyond, and reaffirming our steadfast
commitment to the NATO alliance."
The six-month cruise will see CSG-21
head to the Far East, through the Suez
Canal, after final work-up trials.
Just like the work up last year, VMFA-211
For more on HMS Queen Elizabeth’s
deployed ten F-35Bs to work alongside
deployment, listen to our Air Warriors
eight from 617 Sqn ‘Dambusters’
KEY PODCASTS

NEW podcast at key.aero/podcasts

An MV-22B Osprey with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, lands on board the carrier on May 10. The Ospreys transported Marines and equipment assigned to
VMFA-211 from RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk, UK, to join CSG 21. Visible behind is one of the new Royal Navy Crowsnest Merlin HM2 airborne surveillance and control helicopters

www.Key.Aero // July 2021 75

 TACTICAL AIR SUPPORT // F-5AT
THE EYES OF THE
TIGERKedar Karmarkar meets Captain Jim
'Guido' DiMatteo, US Navy, to discuss
Tactical Air Support’s enhanced F-5
Advanced Tiger and the competitive
world of adversary fighters
O
NE HEARS THE familiar
howl of jet engines and,
looking up, sees a pair of
what appear to be F-5 Tiger
fighters overhead in the
break, preparing to land.
Reminiscent of F-5 Tiger jets assigned
to US Navy and Marine adversary
squadrons like the VFC-13 ‘Saints’, VFC-
111 ‘Sun Downers’ or VMFT-401 ‘Snipers’,
these F-5 Tigers are actually from Tactical
Air Support Inc. In that moment, there is
a realization, a prickling under the skin,
that these jets are very different cats –
hiding new sharpened claws.
About Tactical Air
Tactical Air has its main operating base
at Reno-Stead Airport in Reno, Nevada. A
former Air Force Base nestled in the hills of
76 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero
Above: A spare the North Valleys area, it is not far from the
F-5AT sits on the famous Lake Tahoe that borders the states
ramp at sunset
of California and Nevada.
All images by author
Tactical Air is diverse with many
different operations – adversary air
being the primary one. Their goal is to
provide adversary air support to both
the USAF and the US Navy. The Navy
4th generation contract is with NAWDC
(Naval Aviation Warfighting Development
Center) at NAS Fallon, near Reno. Their
principal role is to support NAWDC/
TOPGUN programs. Additionally, they
support Air Wing workups, Strike Fighter
Advanced Readiness Programs (SFARPs),
and any other programs that TOPGUN is
responsible for.
Since they support many TOPGUN
programs, they station a permanent
detachment of their F-5AT (Advanced
Tigers) at NAS Fallon. They also have a
permanent detachment at Kingsley Field
Air National Guard Base in Klamath Falls,
Oregon to support Red Air missions for the
F-15s at the 173rd Fighter Wing.
Meet the Captain
I had the opportunity to discuss Tactical
Air Support and its adversary support
program with Captain Jim 'Guido'
DiMatteo, US Navy (Retired), an adversary
pilot who also holds the role of Director
of Communications as well as being an
executive member of their Strategy Team.
He is one of those individuals who has
had an amazing career not only in the
Navy but also in the corporate world.
Joining the Navy in 1985, Guido served
for 26 years, accumulating around 6,000
hours in fighters ranging from the A-4

Skyhawk, F-14 Tomcat, F-5E Tiger, F-16
Fighting Falcon and the F/A-18 Hornet.
He has the distinction of having the
most adversary flight time in the history
of the US Navy, the Marines and the Air
Force. Guido served as the Commanding
Officer for both VFC-13 'Saints' and VFC-
111 'Sun Downers', which fly the F-5E/F/N
Tiger II in the adversary role.
Later, he held the position of US Race
Director for the International Red Bull
Air Races for 14 years until 2019 when
the series went through a restructuring.
COVID-19 has temporarily impacted the
return of Air Racing, which is now projected
to begin again in 2022. Guido joined the
AirVenture, Oshkosh team in 2012 where
he was responsible for Flight Operations,
Features & Attractions at AirVenture, which
is the world’s largest airshow. In 2015, he
WE ARE BASICALLY ‘BANDITS FOR HIRE’
AND CAN SUPPORT WHATEVER BANDIT
ROLE THE NAVY OR USAF NEEDS US TO
SIMULATE FOR THEIR TRAINING
CAPTAIN JIM ‘GUIDO’ DIMATTEO, US NAVY
Insert: Captain Jim was named the Director of Breitling Jet
‘Guido’ DiMatteo, Team, and also flew as part of the team for
US Navy (Retired),
their two-year American tour.
an adversary pilot
with Tactical Air
Support and executive Bandits for hire
member of their
Guido gave an insight into some of
Strategy Team
US Navy the details of Tactical Air Support’s
detachment at Moffett Field in California.
He said: "Sometimes TOPGUN does not
have any tasking at Fallon so, with the
Navy's agreement, we support other
Squadrons at other bases. In this case, we
received a request to support the F-35
Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS), the
VFA-125 'Rough Raiders', based out of NAS
Lemoore. We are basically 'Bandits for hire'
and can support whatever Bandit role the
Navy or USAF needs us to simulate for
their training.
“It can range from very complex Air
Wing/TOPGUN kind of scenarios to basic
fighter maneuvering (BFM) training for
the FRS. When we fly out of Moffett Field,
we utilize the Warning areas adjacent to
the Central Valley in the Pacific Ocean –
called Whiskey areas – which are pieces
of the airspace carved out for non-
regulatory special use airspace that
include use as a Military Operating Area
(MOAs) for military training.
“The F-35s gave us an option of staging
from Lemoore or meeting them directly
in the Whiskey areas off the coast. By
operating out of Moffett Field, we are most
efficient with regard to time on station
and fuel. We are closer to the Whiskey area
ranges from Moffett than Lemoore – we
save over 100 miles in transit alone. That
translates to us optimizing our fuel for
more training time with the F-35s.”
www.Key.Aero // July 2021 77
 TACTICAL AIR SUPPORT // F-5AT
He continued: “They take off from
Lemoore, we take off from Moffett and
meet them in the range. They go back and
land in Lemoore and we recover back at
Moffett. This allows us to provide them
with more training by having a couple
more set-ups before everyone goes
back home. I appreciate the support the
California Air National Guard gave us for
staging from Moffett."
Detailing how the FRS operates, he said:
"A typical way the FRS works is that they
have a certain class/group of pilots going
through air-to-air training at one time.
When they reach a certain level – BFM
being one example – the students need
to do a recommended number of hops to
proceed to the next level.
“Typically, the air-to-air curriculum that Above: The monocle deck – our avionics panel that integrates
requires Tactical Air as Bandits lasts for used by the Scorpion many displays into a single large 14-inch
HMCS to display the
about two weeks. The number of sorties glass screen. We also have the Argus
HUD information to
can vary in a day – it can be four-turn-four- the pilot is visible Radar-Warning Receiver (RWR), which has
turn-four [four aircraft launching in one in this shot as the a 360º detection of radar threats.
pilot prepares for
hop three times a day], or anything below “All of these upgrades are different
taxiing out
that. We prep ourselves at Tactical Air to from any F-5 that was ever built before,
support the requirements appropriately Left: Groundcrew including the newer F-5s that the Navy
giving the thumbs up
for that two-week detachment period." recently bought from the Swiss Air
to the pilot to taxi out
Supporting the Navy entails a lot for a training mission Force. Additionally, we are building out a
of travel, as Guido revealed: "We just proprietary data-link capability to pass on
returned from supporting the Super targets and other information between
Hornet FRS (which is VFA-122 'Fighting the F-5ATs. This is something of a fourth/
Eagles' based at NAS Lemoore) in NAS fifth-generation generation capability,
Key West, Florida and we rolled right into which is far beyond the capabilities of the
supporting the F-35 FRS at Moffett. In two current F-5 E/F.
weeks, we go back to NAS Key West to “We are also in the midst of integrating
support VFA-122 again." a long-range Infra-Red Search-Track
(IRST) capability in the AT. Finally, L3Harris’
Enhancing the Tiger Venom Adversary Air software suite
The F-5 Advanced Tiger (AT) is the most integrates with all of the above to give
developed F-5 on the planet. Guido said: the Red Air pilot enhanced Situational
"The F-5AT that we have has the same Awareness (SA) to replicate the fifth-
body of the F-5E/F Tiger – it is the same generation threat. The debrief is as
design with the same fuselage, engine important as the training that is imparted.
and hydraulics, and so forth – but other The Venom includes a mission recording
than that, everything inside is different. Below: F-5AT takes and debrief system as well that records the
The avionics and weapons systems are off, lighting the Garmin Integrated Flight Deck display and
afterburners
the most important thing in any fighter, for the training the video from the pilot’s HMCS display
irrespective of the aircraft design. So, we mission with VFA-125 on a portable drive that crews can use to
have ripped out all the old avionics and
replaced them with a state-of-the-art suite
that includes many different components.
“For example, we have the Scorpion
Helmet-Mounted Cueing System (HMCS)
that can simulate the high-off-boresight
air-to-air missiles – that is an incredible
fourth/fifth-generation capability of a
fighter and not something that you would
expect in an F-5.
“The F-5AT boasts the Duotech's
Nemesis II purpose-built radar that can
replicate the threats we need to simulate.
The Tiger also has a Garmin-3000 flight

78 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero

provide timely debrief to Blue Air pilots
right after the training mission.”
He continued: “Some of the most
advanced current generation fighters in
the world have these capabilities today
and especially the near-peer or peer
adversaries have been sporting these
capabilities for a while. Even though we
have very low-time F-5s, the airframe is
still a third-generation fighter, but the
capabilities that we can simulate in the
F-5AT are of fourth-to-fifth gen fighters.
“It becomes very critical that the Super
Hornets/F-16s/F-15s and especially
the F-22s and F-35s have their Bandits
realistically represent the fighters of the
near-peer or peer air forces in the world.
For example, it makes no sense at all for
a Pro NFL Football team to be practicing
against a high school football team. That
would not provide the proper training.
Thus, at Tactical Air we are continually
advancing the capabilities of the F-5AT in
innovative and creative ways to ensure we
bring capability and value to our military."
F-5AT comparisons
Many older fighters are used today by
adversary air services companies. The
most common among them are fighters
Above: California Air of the previous era like the A-4 Skyhawk,
National Guard hosted L-159 Honey Badger, Mirage F1, Kfir and,
Tactical Air Support
just this year, the F-16 Viper. That is mainly
Inc’s detachment at
Moffett Airfield to keep the operating costs low on the
airframes compared to their capabilities.
When asked for his thoughts, Guido
said: "All of these airframes have certain
advantages and some drawbacks. For
example, an A-4 Skyhawk cost per flight
hour is low and it can stay on-station for a
long time. On the other hand, it cannot go
supersonic, it does not have a good radar
and it does not offer high-off-boresight
air-to-air missile simulation.
“The F-5AT can go supersonic and has
significantly better advanced capabilities,
as we mentioned before. Some will say
that our limiting factor is fuel. To ensure
it does not impact the training we can
provide our Blue Fighters, we carry
additional fuel in a centerline drop tank
which enables us to fly sorties of 1.5 to 1.8
hours at tactical airspeeds with no issues.
“We manage our fuel to optimize
training – so in this case staging out
of Moffett translates into additional
Below: Plane training for the F-35s. The F-5 also has
Captain and the the added safety and reliability of two
pilot preparing the
Advanced Tiger for a engines instead of one engine like many
training mission of the other adversary platforms. This is
especially nice when we fly well off the
coast of California or Key West and fight
over the open waters of the ocean at day
and night.
“If you analyze all the benefits and
the tradeoffs, we believe the F-5 is the
best airframe for the adversary mission
and with our significantly advanced
capabilities it brings a definitive
improvement in training to the Blue Force.
We have the best of all worlds where
we have the operating cost of a third-
generation fighter, but we provide threat
presentations of 4-4.5 generation fighters."
Two important requirements for
adversary air are, firstly, to provide
simulation of a bogey having a fourth/fifth
generation sensor suite that includes the
radar, high-off-boresight capability, RWR
and IRST; and secondly, the appropriate
flight characteristics of the bogey aircraft
itself, which are dictated entirely by
their design, aerodynamics, thrust of the
engine, and the flight control system.
The former set of requirements with
the sensor suite are relevant more in
the Beyond Visual Range (BVR) scenario
while the latter are more relevant in the
Within Visual Range (WVR) scenarios
especially used in Dissimilar Air Combat
www.Key.Aero // July 2021 79
 TACTICAL AIR SUPPORT // F-5AT
Right: Pilot of the
F-5AT hopping in to
prepare for a sortie
Below: An F-5AT
pilot pre-flights the
Advanced Tiger prior
to preparing for a
training mission
80 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero
Training (DACT). DACT often involves two
differently designed fighters battling it out
in a close-in dogfight – what fighter pilots
call a "knife fight in a phone booth".
The adversary world
Guido picked up these points: "I have been
doing this for a long, long time now in the
adversary world. We used to always talk
about post-merge maneuvering – the 1v1
type dogfight. We always used to focus on
the turn rate and turn radius capabilities in
that close-in arena. This was a significant
percentage of our training in the past.
“In recent years, due to the evolution
of technology, even though we continue
to train to the post merge ‘dogfighting’,
our focus is more on using the different
sensors and systems that provide the
complete SA of the battlefield, usually
resulting in more of a BVR fight.
“When comparing aircraft in the BFM
regime we like to talk about turn rate
and turn radius performance. The only
commercial adversary jet today that
is better than the F-5AT in turn rate/
turn radius is the F-16, but that comes
at a significantly higher cost. Of course,
as a fighter pilot in the Blue Force it is
important that you train to every scenario
that could happen in the real world.
Sometimes the rules of engagement (ROE)
keep changing within a day or within
hours and it may happen that the ROE will
change requiring you to VID (visually ID)
the adversary before engaging.
“Sometimes the scenarios might start as
docile as a normal intercept and can grow
volatile in the blink of an eye, possibly
requiring you to use your BFM training.
So, the curriculum at TOPGUN and other
Weapons Schools, include training to all
scenarios that can possibly develop.
“Our job as Red Air is to expose those
scenarios to the Blue Fighters and
regularly train to all of them. We present
the threat as realistic as we can and then
we debrief the Blue Fighters on how well
they did – we point out some things that
they did well and some things they need
to work on. The intention is to make the
Blue Fighters aware of the adversary’s
tactics, developing the knowledge and
muscle memory of exactly what to do
in each scenario so they ensure the Blue
Fighters’ victory.”
F-5AT and beyond
Going into the details of the development
of the F-5AT, Guido said: "It was the vision
of our CEO, R C Thompson (callsign: Dawg)
who was a former Skipper at TOPGUN
back in the day. He wanted to replicate the
TOPGUN/Center-of-Excellence mindset
and training approach by bringing it to
the commercial sector. The objective was
to provide a more affordable and more
current threat representation than the
Navy could provide.”
He continued: “Tactical Air Support first
started with the ACES program (Advanced
Capabilities & Expert Solutions), which
takes our exceptionally qualified cadre
of instructors and maximizes combat
capability by providing warfare analysis
and assessments, weapon system
technical publications and aircrew/
academic training.
“Our cadre is made up of former USAF/
US Navy Weapons School instructors
and graduates, TOPGUN instructors and
graduates, former operational squadron
commanders as well as test pilots and
even a couple of astronauts.
“We have a lot of expertise within the
company. Combining that with innovative
and forward thinking, it really makes
Tactical Air a fun and exciting place to
work. We can rapidly prototype and
develop the capabilities of our adversaries
with purpose-built systems.
“The focus is on our open architecture
approach to development allowing
us to bring both capability and value
to our military.” He explained: “If an
adversary develops a capability in their
fighter platforms, because of our open
architecture we can rapidly prototype that
threat presentation on our systems and
bring it to the range quickly to provide
Above: F-5AT touches the corresponding level of training to
down in the dark after our forces. We have an entire Tactical Air
sunset returning from
a training mission division that innovatively and continually
investigates how we can provide
increased and more advanced capabilities
at a better value than anyone else.”
Guido outlined an example: “We are
aggressively exploring LVC – Live, Virtual
and Constructive, technology that
considerably enhances training while
substantially reducing cost. So, think of
it as if you are a Blue Force pilot and you
are seeing multiple targets on your radar.
You have a couple of targets that are high
and fast flyers – you must deal with the
tactics to address those targets but maybe
in actuality those two high and fast flyers
are not actual aircraft, rather they are
constructive or virtual targets.
“This innovative technology will
significantly enhance training while at the
same time be more cost-effective,”
he continued. “Augmented Reality is the
Below: F-5AT taxies
out at sunset next step, beyond LVC, of the evolution of
with the imposing the threat presentation in the adversary
historical hangar at
world. Tactical Air is involved in all facets of
Moffett Airfield in the
background this exciting technology.”
Diversification plans
It is a company with a strategy, but, as
Guido explained, diversification is at its
heart: "Providing adversary air – Red Air
– is the part of our company that most
people are familiar with. But there are
many other very significant aspects…
“One of the challenges that the Navy/
USMC are looking at right now is
upgrading their fleet of adversary F-5N
Tiger IIs in VFC-13, VFC-111 and VMFT-401.
They are exploring upgrading their F-5Ns
and bringing them up to the Tactical Air
F-5AT capability.
“We are perfectly positioned to help
the Navy/USMC achieve those goals.
Lastly, there are numerous international
operators of the F-5 Tiger as well and they
are looking at us to help them upgrade
the capabilities on their F-5s. So, if you look
at the entire spectrum, we are much more
than just a Red Air company. Tactical Air is
a fun and exciting place to be."
Guido is optimistic. He concluded: "We
are enthusiastic about the future; we are
just getting started and the possibilities
are endless."
www.Key.Aero // July 2021 81
 TECH REPORT // HISTORY OF CAMOUFLAGE
HOW NOT
TO BE
SEEN Chris Croot investigates the history of camouflage and
how it still has a place in today’s battlespace
M
AN HAS BEEN trying to
hide from his enemies for
millennia, using more and
more advanced methods
to remain concealed. The
ability to remain hidden
has benefits for both hunter and hunted
alike and in the world of military aviation
the stakes often couldn’t be higher.
During the birth of aerial conflict, visual
identification marked the difference
between life and death, but as
technology has advanced, how relevant
are these colors and patterns today?
What is camouflage?
Simply, camouflage is the disguising of
someone or something to either blend
82 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero
into the surroundings or appear
as something different. It
works by using color, pattern,
and materials to distort the
item’s shape, in particular the
disruption of straight lines.
The principle dominates
the natural world; a tiger’s stripes or a
leopard’s spots work by breaking up the
cat’s shape, while zebras form large groups
using their stripes to make it difficult for
predators to identify an individual animal.
Along with their markings, an animal’s
colors can hide them from both predator
and prey. Countershading is the way in
which darker colors on the upper side
and lighter colors on the underside of the
animal counteract the illuminating effect
Below: During the Cold War, RAF Vulcans switched from the high-level to of the sun. Sharks are a great example of
low-level nuclear strike role. As a result, they lost their brilliant anti-flash white countershading; their dark gray and white
coloring in favor of the tactical grey and green scheme worn by Harriers and
Tornados All images by Chris Croot coloring allows them to almost disappear
against the blue hues of the ocean.
In rudimentary forms, these two natural
methods have been used by
military powers from as
early as the fourth
century and,
during the
Napoleonic
Wars, troops
began wearing
green or brown fabric
uniforms in an attempt to
reduce their visibility on the
battlefield. This practice of using
single-colored uniforms continued
until the World War Two when the
German Wehrmacht introduced a mottled
pattern for its troops.
History of air camo
World War One saw the birth of aerial
combat in a form that is still recognizable
today. Unarmed aircraft were used
to conduct reconnaissance of enemy
positions and spot the fall of artillery.
These slow flying machines were highly
visible to gunners on the ground
because of the yellow coloring of the
dope and varnish used to strengthen the
linen and cotton which covered the wings
and fuselage.
As the war progressed it became
increasingly important to make serious
attempts to hide aircraft from the enemy
both in the air and on the ground. Aircraft
are at their most vulnerable when parked
in the open or taxiing, so disguising them
within the surrounding landscape offers
the best chance of survival.
Prior to the outbreak of hostilities, British
research establishment the Royal Aircraft
Factory had begun trials to create dopes
that provided better UV protection for the
linen coverings. The chemical composition
of these dopes could be adjusted to
produce a green/brown color, ideal for
camouflaging aircraft from above. The
lower surfaces of the aircraft received a
lighter finish for blending into the sky.
The Germans had also been developing
ways to disguise their aircraft. In 1916,
they began fielding aircraft painted in
Buntfarbenaufdruck (multi-color print)
or ‘lozenge camouflage’ – so called as
the colored blocks were lozenge shaped.
Gloss black has adorned the Although very different from patterns
majority of the RAF’s training fleet
since the late 1990s. Now retired, recognizable today, this was surprisingly
the Tucano was one of the first effective at disguising aircraft against both
types to receive the livery the sky and the battlefield below.
However, it was perhaps the French who
debuted aircraft with a more recognizable
multi-tone camouflage pattern, applying
various tones of green and brown to their
Spad and Nieuport fighters.
Aircraft continued to receive camouflage
patterns during the inter-war years with
new themes being developed to best suit
the area of operations and aircraft role.
The Royal Air Force’s (RAF’s) fighters were
given two-tone, dark brown and green
upper surfaces and a white/duck-egg blue
shade on the underside. British bombers
were painted in a similar fashion, but the
lower surfaces and fuselage sides were
black to better disguise them against the
night sky. During the latter stages of the
war some bombers were given lighter
hued undersides as it transpired the sky
over German cities was illuminated by the
lights below.
The Luftwaffe gave the bulk of its
Western European fleet a two-tone, dark
green livery (later evolving to a green/
gray) divided by angular lines in stark
contrast to the RAF’s free-flowing style.
In 1941, the Luftwaffe began using a
pattern of random lines and swirls on
its fighters intended to better blend the
darker upper surface colors with the light
gray fuselage. This design was particularly
effective when applied to night fighters; a
light gray undercoat and darker patterning
helped disguise the aircraft against the
glow of German cities below.
Mottled paint schemes were also
introduced, proving very effective with the
shifting light shades of the desert theater.
As air superiority swung in favor of the
Allies, the need for the Luftwaffe to keep
its remaining aircraft hidden while on the
ground became imperative.
This sparked a shift to a scheme more
comparable with the aforementioned
colors and patterns used by the RAF. As
well as in Europe and North Africa the
Luftwaffe was engaged in combat over
the Eastern Front, taking on the forces of
Soviet Russia. Aircraft flying in support of
Operation Barbarossa initially deployed
in the European green-gray scheme, but
as the campaign dragged on into winter,
variations of an all-white covering were
implemented.
Desert and snow are not the only
environments dominated by a particular
color; aircraft operating over the sea also
need appropriate camouflage. The US
Navy’s combat aircraft fighting in the
Pacific were painted in a variety of blues
ranging from a uniform one-layer scheme
to a tricolor scheme.
www.Key.Aero // July 2021 83
 TECH REPORT // HISTORY OF CAMOUFLAGE
The RAF’s photo-reconnaissance Spitfires
delivered vital intelligence on German
movements by flying missions deep over
enemy-held territory and were a prized
target for the Luftwaffe. Although many
Spitfires had an all-over sky-blue covering,
some (alongside Mosquitos of the RAF’s
Photographic Reconnaissance Unit)
sported a rather unusual shade of pink.
This rather clever method stemmed
from the time of day and altitude at which
these particular aircraft would operate.
Flying during sunrise and sunset when the
sky develops a pinkish hue or at medium
levels among the cloud, the ‘Camoutint
Pink’ aircraft would more or less disappear.
The birth of the jet age and the
development of air-to-air/surface-to-air
missiles didn’t end the vital role of
camouflage in aerial combat. Perceived
Soviet aggression during the Cold War
prompted NATO to station thousands of
combat aircraft in West Germany, ready to
respond to any feared invasion.
These fighters and bombers had to be
positioned relatively close to the border in
order to intercept the Soviets and launch
counter strikes. Being so close to the front
line put bases at risk from airstrikes during
an initial offensive, so aircraft continued to
receive brown/green/gray camouflage as
well as regularly being covered by netting
while in their revetments.
German World War One markings are clearly visible
on this replica Fokker DR1 Triplane. Markings such
as the Iron Cross allowed pilots to quickly identify
friend from foe during the heat of combat
84 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero
An ingenious way to keep aircraft hidden
was to disperse them to satellite operating
bases throughout the German countryside.
These aircraft would be hidden in the
forest to operate from the nation’s existing
motorway infrastructure when required.
Although it was the RAF’s Harrier that
would become synonymous with this
type of operation, Sweden’s own Bas
(Flygbassystem – Air Base System) 60 and
Bas 90 highway operations remained
in use until the late 1990s. Finland and
Sweden resumed road-based drills in
2015 in response to Russia’s annexation
of Crimea and continued posturing in
Eastern Europe.
Camouflage remained dominant on US/
NATO tactical aircraft during the Cold War
and into the early 90s. In the Vietnam War,
USAF strike platforms such as the Republic
F-105 Thunderchief, wore a multi-tone
green scheme, helping to hide the aircraft
from patrolling MiG-17/21s as they
flew low over the jungle. Other notable
examples would be the USMC OV-10
Broncos, which deployed for Operation
Desert Storm wearing a two-tone desert
brown scheme and the USAF's ‘Europe
One’ green patterning.
Fifty shades of gray
Gray: the color is synonymous with
modern military aviation; airshow line-ups
and exercise flightlines are dominated
by fighters, transporters, tankers,
bombers, and intelligence, surveillance
and reconnaissance (ISR) platforms all
sporting a shade of gray. But this comes as
a product of technological advancement
rather than any attempt to reduce costs.
The continuing development of radar
and radar-guided missiles significantly
reduces the likelihood of combat aircraft
coming within visual contact with each
other prior to engagement, reducing the
value of multi-color camouflage schemes.
Above: World War Two Of course, it cannot be guaranteed that
desert camouflage aircraft will not come within-visual-range
typically consisted
of varying shades of (WVR), so their paint schemes would
browns and yellows need to offer some protection. Gray is
as demonstrated the most effective ‘catch-all’ color for
on this Spitfire LF
Ixe belonging to the modern military aircraft; rendering them
Battle of Britain almost invisible against the sky (which is
Memorial Flight often hazier than one may think) while
providing visual disruption against a wide
range of terrain.
Western fighters started receiving
gray schemes in earnest in 1978, when
the USAF’s new McDonnell Douglas
F-15 Eagles began arriving at squadrons
painted two-tone gray (aircraft delivered
from 1976-’78 arrived in an ‘Air Superiority
Blue’, which pilots criticized for being too
easy to spot). It should be noted US naval
aircraft had been operating with two-tone
grey countershading schemes since the
early 1950s, schemes that – following
some modification – remain in use today.
After the F-15 came the Lockheed
Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon and another
McDonnell Douglas product, the F/A-
18 Hornet. Both of these aircraft were
introduced with countershaded gray
color schemes and it wasn’t long before
European strike/ground attack jets
followed suit, especially after the Cold War.
Jaguar, Tornado, Typhoon, Mirage, Gripen,
Rafale and even MiG-29s were either
repainted or delivered from the factory in
shades of gray.
Although many frontline
combat aircraft use
countershading to reduce their
chances of identification, once two
aircraft are within visual range and have
determined each other hostile, a dogfight
will ensue.
To increase survivability, some aircraft
have a ‘false canopy’ painted on the
underside of the fuselage. This simple
yet highly effective tool is a form of
automimicry, a self-imitation trick used
by animals such as fish and moths to
confuse predators about their proximity
and direction of travel. False canopies
are intended to cause momentary pilot
confusion while trying to determine
where the other aircraft is heading.
The method has been modified to
include painting a countershaded
diamond on the top surface of some
delta-winged aircraft such as the Atlas
Cheetah. This makes judging the distance
and orientation of the aircraft much more
difficult. The effect when combined with
a false canopy can prove to be quite the
visual illusion.
To see or not be seen
Despite the energy and research that
goes into effective camouflage patterns,
there is the paradox of needing to be
Above: This USAF easily identifiable by friendly forces. At the
CV-22B Osprey outbreak of World War Two, RAF fighters
clearly shows a
countershaded were given a stark 50/50 black and white
paint scheme. underside aimed at making the aircraft
With the majority easier to recognize by air defense gunners
of their operations
conducted under the on the ground. This was revised in June
cover of darkness, 1940 and fighters were repainted with
these Ospreys have the aforementioned duck-egg/white
a particularly dark
upper surface colored underside. The Germans too were
concerned about the threat of fratricide
and so regularly adorned their fighters,
typically Messerschmitt Bf 109s, with
bright yellow noses – earning them the
nickname ‘yellow-nosed b*stards’ among
RAF Fighter Command pilots.
During the build-up to Operation
Overlord in 1944, concerns that both
aircrew and ground-based troops may
misidentify aircraft began to surface.
It was feared the Allies’ fledgling IFF
Below: The two-tone
gray scheme applied (Identification Friend or Foe) system would
to these Royal Navy be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of
Wildcats is designed aircraft supporting the invasion. To help
to replicate the dark
colors of the North identify friendly aircraft, the painting of
Sea and Atlantic vertical black and white strips on wings
Ocean where these and fuselage sections was approved by Air
helicopters will
spend most of their Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory
service lives on May 17. Security surrounding the
Test the effectiveness of false canopies for
yourself: glance once at this image of a Canadian
CF-188 Hornet and try to determine if the aircraft
is upright or upside-down
invasion was understandably
tight, so ground crews were only
instructed to paint the ‘invasion stripes’ on
their aircraft a few hours before D-Day.
As a result, many of the stripes were
crudely applied with whatever brushes
were to hand and lacked the refinement
of typical squadron markings. These
markings were removed towards the end
of 1944 as the Allies established forward
operating bases in France that were
vulnerable to German attack.
Nationality and unit markings are key
identification tools that first started
appearing on military aircraft around
1912. The French applied the national
cockade (a circular, colored ribbon emblem
traditionally worn on headgear to identify
friendly soldiers on the battlefield) to the
wings and tails of their aircraft, prompting
other nations to do the same. The notable
exception was Germany – rather than
using a roundel, it instead chose the black
cross that had been used by the Prussian
Army since 1871.
These distinctive, colorful markings
evolved throughout World War Two; US
and Soviet stars, Japan’s rising sun and
the Luftwaffe’s swastika became instantly
recognizable in conflict theaters across
the globe.
As aircraft colors became more
monotone, so did their markings. Color is
www.Key.Aero // July 2021 85
 TECH REPORT // HISTORY OF CAMOUFLAGE
becoming less common on combat aircraft
and when it is used is far more subdued
than during the 20th century. Notable
exceptions being commemorative and/or
NATO Tiger Meet schemes. Even strategic
assets such as tankers and transports
tend to wear low-visibility black or gray
markings; low-vis markings reduce the risk
of compromising an aircraft’s camouflage
while ensuring the legal requirements for
recognition are met.
High-vis training
There are other situations in which it
is beneficial that aircraft are seen not
hidden. One is training. The nature of pilot
and aircrew instruction means training
aircraft are typically operated from busy
airfields or in areas of high air traffic. Since
the 1920s, the RAF has trialed numerous
color schemes to improve the visibility of
training aircraft, from bright yellow in the
1930s to silver with ‘dayglo’ orange panels
introduced in the 1950s and 1960s. Red
and white banding was the norm from the
early 1970s until 1998 when the change to
gloss black was made.
Bright colors are not always visible
against a similarly bright sky even if they
are of a color which, in theory, contrasts
so starkly with blue. Although the red
and white scheme offered both safety
and maintenance improvements over its
predecessor (the ‘dayglo’ painted panels
faded quickly and the adhesive alternative
was expensive), a spate of collisions in
the 1990s forced the defense ministry in
Britain to act.
Trials concluded that a glossy black
finish produced the most obvious visual
footprint, ideal for an environment
where pilots spend most of their flight
looking outside the cockpit. Black has
since been adopted by numerous
nations as the dominant color for their
training platforms.
Although designed for combat,
operational military aircraft spend more
time flying and training in friendly airspace
86 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero
than in hostile surroundings. During the
Cold War, mid-air collisions were one of
the major causes of NATO losses. With
such a concentration of aircraft operating
in relatively close proximity throughout
West Germany, the chances of collision
were significantly increased.
In the late 1980s and early 90s, the RAF
trialed painting the vertical stabilizers
of Tornados and Harriers in an attempt
to make its jets more visible. Green, red,
white, and black were tested with varying
degrees of success, some pilots noted in
certain light the white made the tail seem
to disappear – somewhat disconcerting!
Active/adaptive camouflage
Presently, there are no combat aircraft
in the public domain that can become
truly invisible to the human eye. Active/
adaptive camouflage is yet another
tactic seen in nature and is achieved in
one of two ways. Counter-illumination
is used by some marine species such as
squid to disguise themselves against the
varying tones of light in the sea. When
viewed from below, animals living in the
mesopelagic (mid-water) such as squid
appear darker than the surrounding water,
making them visible to predators and
prey. To counter this, these animals use
bioluminescent photophores to lighten
their undersides.
In 1943, the US Navy began
experimenting with active camouflage
by mounting a series of adjustable
“Yehudi” lights to the leading edges of
aircraft. It was hoped these would mask
submarine-hunting aircraft. The crew of
the submarine wouldn’t be able to clearly
Above: Color still identify the aircraft until it was too late.
makes an appearance
on modern combat Although the trials proved surprisingly
aircraft from time to effective, a Grumman Avenger equipped
time. This specially
marked SAAB Gripen
with Yehudi lights was able to close to
of the Czech Air Force within 2.7km of a ship before being
wears a Tiger Meet/ detected (at the time aircraft could be
Czech national flag spotted as far away as 19km). The system
hybrid on the tail
was never put into active service.
Ongoing development of radar made
efforts to ’hide’ aircraft redundant, but the
advent of stealth means the technology
is becoming relevant again. Enter the
remarkable feat of nature that is color
change. Chameleons and octopuses can
replicate the colors and some textures of
their surroundings and this near perfect
mimicry could be significant for military
vehicles. Any major developments in
invisibility will remain classified for years to
come, but some advances are beginning
to surface. Tests on small, unmanned
vehicles have involved using screens and
OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) to
project the surrounding colors, while a US
Defense Intelligence Research Document
(DIRD) discussed using metamaterials to
manipulate and absorb visible light.
BAE Systems’ ADAPTIV technology
allows vehicles fitted with panels to
change their shape when viewed by an
infrared camera. The individual modules
form a honeycomb structure, illuminated
Below: USAF
F-15C Eagles wear to create a shape completely different
a varying gray from the host vehicle. A tank fitted with
pattern better suited
the panels could project the thermal
to their role as air
superiority fighters. outline of a large car, for example, or the
The F-15E Strike technology could in theory change the
Eagle instead wears
shape and heat signature of an aircraft
a solid dark gray
scheme, more tailored into a cloud, decreasing the likelihood of a
to its attack role heat-seeking missile engagement.
Unverified reports given to Popular
Science (popsci.com) suggest a new type
of aircraft skin that becomes optically
transparent when subject to an electrical
charge is under development at the
famously secretive Groom Lake – Area 51.
The material can allegedly change color
and brightness instantly so the aircraft is
hidden over varied terrain or in cloud.
Whatever the future of optically invisible
aircraft, counter-illumination will probably
be at the root. Not bad for a technology
pioneered more than 70 years ago.
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LEGACY PROFILE // A-4 SKYHAWK
HAIL
THE
T
HE TIME-WORN PHRASE, ‘It’s
not the size of the dog in the
fight, but the size of the fight
in the dog’, perfectly sums
up the McDonnell-Douglas
A-4 Skyhawk, which was one
warplane that truly belied its size.
Measuring a shade over 40ft in length
and with a wingspan of just 27ft 6ins (so
small that no wing-fold mechanism was
required for storage on even the smallest
carrier deck), this diminutive jet – quickly
nicknamed ‘Scooter’ – would give stellar
service to the United States Navy and
Marine Corps for 47 years.
With a brochure ‘clean’ top speed of
around 670mph, the A-4E Skyhawk could
theoretically lug 8,500lb of ordnance to a
target – around 500lb more than a World
War Two B-17G Flying Fortress.
Its capabilities ensured export success,
with almost 3,000 being built for the
US and eight other nations, some even
buying their Scooters second-hand.
Throughout the A-4’s life, many airframes
were re-worked into improved models,
88 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero
SUPER S
with uprated engines and equipment,
often helping to nurture indigenous
aviation industries as a direct result.
From its roots as a replacement for the
A-1 Skyraider on the decks of US carriers,
the Skyhawk blossomed: a lightweight
and relatively inexpensive attack aircraft (it
cost around a quarter of the price of an F-4
Phantom II), it was to become a nuclear
bomber, a tanker aircraft and it would also
be an ‘Iron Hand’ machine to tackle surface
to air missile sites.
Later, it would be transformed into
a two-seat training jet in which many
generations of aviators would earn their
wings. It was to become an agile adversary
aircraft, a forward air control machine, a
target tug, and in blue and gold it would
be the mount of the Navy’s Blue Angels
display team. It could even kill MiGs.
THE FIRST MACHINE, THE XA4D, WAS ROLLED OUT
IN JUNE 1954 AND WEIGHED JUST 7,896LB –
SOME 270LB BELOW DOUGLAS’ OWN ‘EMPTY’ TARGET
By the end of the 1940s, the US Navy Above: A view of a
single-seat Skyhawk
needed both a replacement for the A-1
from a two-seat TA-4
Skyraider and a machine to carry some of All images DoD
the new, lighter-weight nuclear weapons
that were then in development.
Genius and genesis
Military jet aircraft – even those aboard
the navy’s carrier decks – were getting
heavier and more complex and one
talented aircraft designer felt this shouldn’t
necessarily be the case.
Edward H Heinemann was chief designer
at Douglas, despite never having a formal
engineering degree and was the man
behind some of its legendary aircraft,
including the A-20 Havoc, A-26 Invader
and Dauntless of World War Two, through
to jets such as the A-3 Skywarrior, F4D
Skyray and F3D Skyknight night fighter. He
R SCOOTER
When the A-4 Skyhawk entered service with the US Navy 65 years
ago, it was the beginning of a legend: this diminutive warrior served a
number of nations in many conflicts. Report by Bertie Simmonds

www.Key.Aero // July 2021 89

 LEGACY PROFILE // A-4 SKYHAWK

was also behind the A-1 Skyraider which Segundo design staff to give them a pep private aircraft. On the outside, the A4D
was the popular if slow carrier-based talk: “I think we can do this, but it will take Skyhawk (A-4 from 1962, following the
piston-engine attack machine. His designs a tough son-of-a-bitch to do it – that is me. change in aircraft designations) had a
saw him nicknamed ‘Mr Attack Aviation’. I want you all on my team, if anyone wants delta-wing planform, but with a traditional
Heinemann’s Skyraider had already set to leave, there is the door.” No one moved. tail unit. Anything that Heinemann
the bar for his ‘light is right’ ethos, being That summer, Douglas representatives could make smaller and lighter, he did
5,000lb lighter than its competitor, the had seen first-hand the conditions that so: four black boxes of avionics and their
Martin AM Mauler. Navy and Air Force aircraft were working associated wiring were condensed into
So much so, that in the early 1950s, in and being worked on over in Korea. what Heinemann called the ‘biscuit’, saving
the El Segundo division of Douglas Indeed, Heinemann himself had been 55lbs of weight.
Aircraft Company detailed how weight, dispatched to do the very same during The nose wheel and main undercarriage
complexity and cost could actually be World War Two. – which was long to give the A-4 the best
reversed on modern combat aircraft. Simplicity then was the watchword, and angle of incidence for take-off – would
Heinemann’s reasoning was that if many Navy and Marine pilots were asked retract forwards and come down with the
weight and avionics/equipment was for their feedback into the design of the aid of gravity and airflow, thus putting less
added to an aircraft (and performance new machine. stress on the hydraulic system, allowing
and range had to stay constant) then Inside the diminutive attack aircraft, the it to be lighter. Any sub-contractor who
the machine’s size had to increase by a conditions were cramped – you basically Below: An A4D-2 produced a part over the specified weight
factor of ten. So, add a single pound of ‘wore’ the A-4 (named Skyhawk officially Skyhawk of VA-83 was shown the door – until they’d hit the
refuels an F8U-1P
equipment and the rest of the airframe in February 1954) and the control panel Crusader of VFP-62 target. Even the Douglas ejection seat was
had to increase by 10lb to keep that wasn’t much more complicated than in a in 1961 re-designed from one on the F4D Skyray
same performance.
This was somewhat ironic as Douglas
was designing/building the huge
Skywarrior at the time, which could launch
from a carrier at weights around 68,000lb.
With curiosity piqued, the US
Department of Defense asked Heinemann
to give a presentation in early 1952 and in
June the Navy asked Douglas to produce
two prototype XA4D-1 attack aircraft
of just 12,000lb empty (later pushed to
14,000) and a gross weight of 30,000lb.
Speed of the aircraft should be around
576mph with combat range in the region
of 896 miles – and all for around $1 million
per aircraft. It would carry an unspecified
weapon of some 2,000lb – an atom bomb.
Legend has it that Heinemann claimed
to be able to make the Douglas jet go
around 100mph faster, be half the weight
specified and still cost less. He then
sketched his design and sat down the El

90 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero

 to use only 80 parts instead of 240 and to
weigh just 40lbs, not 92.
The first machine, the XA4D, was rolled
out in June 1954 and weighed just 7,896lb
– some 270lb below Douglas’ own ‘empty’
target weight. It was powered by a Curtiss-
Wright J65 engine – a licensed British
Bristol Siddeley Sapphire.
A world-beater
Compared with today’s concerns of F-35
cost over-runs, late service entry and
issues with reliability and capability, the
A-4 was almost a model of production
perfection. The Skyhawk even broke a
world speed record, when the XA4D-1
hit 695.16mph around a 310.5-mile
course with Lt Gordon ‘Gordo’ Gray at the
controls – he would also make the first
Above: A VMA-214
carrier landings on the USS Ticonderoga in
A-4M Skyhawk: of
September 1955.
note are the Mk 12
Colt 20mm cannons Changes were made during production
in the wing roots, and in subsequent versions, including a
which would often
framed forward windscreen, the ‘sugar-
jam in combat and
the leading edge slats scoop’ jet-pipe fairing, nuclear flash shield,
the single-skin ‘tadpole’ rudder (saving yet
more weight), a straight and then angled
refueling probe, a ‘buddy-buddy’ refueling
system so the A-4 could act as a tanker,
and (from the A-4E-onwards) five pylons
for more ordnance and the introduction of
a dorsal ‘hump’ that would contain more
advanced avionics.
Later versions, such as the A-4M (called
Skyhawk II) produced for the Marines for
use in the 1970s-1980s would add more
advanced electronic countermeasures
and the associated receivers scabbed on
the tail and nose, where sat an Angle-Rate
Bombing System lens.
A-4 SKYHAWK:
A PILOT’S VIEW
David ‘Frosty’ Olson earned his Naval
Aviator wings in August 1969 and, as well
as being a Vought Corsair II pilot, spent a
lot of time in the cockpit of the A-4 as an
adversary pilot.
He said: “The A-4 was a small aircraft
and had a small cockpit. I flew the A-4
after several years flying the larger A-7
and, being six-feet one, the first few
flights felt like putting a size 11 foot into
a size eight shoe! One of my friends told
me of bombing ‘up north’ in Vietnam
in heavy flak, he’d turn sideways in
the cockpit to reduce frontal area
to shrapnel.
“Several of the more senior pilots
during my early career had flown the A-4
in Vietnam: they liked it because it was
a pretty stable platform, good power
response (turbojet not turbofan) and it
could take damage: with lost hydraulics
the pilot could manually disconnect the
hydraulics and still control the aircraft
with flight control cables to ailerons,
rudder, and elevator.
“Adversary in the A-4 was fun, even
if it came down to one of two outcomes:
the flat scissors and the rolling scissors.
We would pull into vertical forcing
the overshoot.
“As the other pilot pulled up, we would
continue into a sort of loop, roll over at a
very slow airspeed using rudder to push
the A-4 back down. If we could point our
nose at the other aircraft we could get
a high deflection shot, up to a head-on
shot. Of course, we were losing energy
(speed and altitude) the whole time
we did this.
“An A-4 was great in a slow fight (the
‘phone booth’) but lacked the thrust-
to-weight of a modern fighter with
afterburner. So our training was to
emulate slow speed fighter performance.
Adversary flying was fun, but fraught with
dangers. Here are a few examples...
“Those wing slats would extend
simultaneously as the angle of attack
(AoA) became high enough. Asymmetric
slat extension was, well, ‘special’ as it
slammed one’s helmeted head into the
canopy. On one such occasion, during
an aggressive, high-G turn, one slat
extended asymmetrically. I immediately
went nose down into a tight spiral –
yes, I thought I was going to die… My
opponent could only gulp, ‘are you OK?’
“In a two-versus-one, two aircraft may
enter a horizontal scissors and the third
will attempt to close for a firing solution.
The problem is the turning aircraft are
flying near stall and forward velocity
is real slow.
“From the perch, the third aircraft will
attempt to enter at speeds twice to three
times that of the others. In one case, I was
in the back seat of the TA-4. As our slow
speed scissors progressed, something in
the back of my mind kicked in. ‘Where is
the other guy?’ I looked over my shoulder.
“Oh crap, he was coming in way too hot.
He pulled into us and directly in front. I
took the stick and pushed it full forward.
The last thing I recall was his wing-plan
filling the windscreen…
”I had the same when flying against an
F-16 flown by the USAF’s Safety General!
As he approached from behind, no one
had told him about the A-4’s ability
to really tighten the turn, forcing the
overshoot. He watched in horror as we
disappeared under his nose and he hit
our jet-wake. ‘My God, did we hit the little
guy?’ he exclaimed.
”He asked if he’d violated the 500 feet
‘Rules of Engagement’. ‘Yeah, kinda,’
mumbled we more junior types.
“Finally, there was the Super Fox –
with a big, 12,000lb thrust motor and
nearly one-to-one thrust to weight. The
standard A-4 could allow near to slight
Mach-plus flight, but in reality even in a
dive it couldn’t. But the Super Fox – oh
boy! I pushed it up and up and as I neared
0.9 Mach I encountered a violent back-
and-forth yawing.
“In my mind, the vivid picture of an F-4
many years before that disintegrated
from pilot-induced oscillations at Mach
entered my mind – I figured that was
the end of my adventure pushing that
particular envelope.
”Another lesson learned!
”With the Super Fox you could
accelerate to 450kts, pull up into a loop
and then roll out at the top and pull up
into a second loop – but you were pretty
slow at the top.
“The adversary squadron was the
apotheosis of my naval aviation career
before I became an Air Boss on the
USS Enterprise and in the last months
we got some Northrop F-5s from
TOPGUN as they had moved over to the
newer F/A-18.
”While I mention ‘Top Gun’, that
movie created quite a nice image for us
adversary pilots: we had red stars on our
patches and had become legends in our
own minds…”
www.Key.Aero // July 2021 91
 LEGACY PROFILE // A-4 SKYHAWK
A more ‘blown’ canopy also increased
overall visibility.
With the initial versions, the projected
$1 million per aircraft cost was actually
around $850,000. Also, it used a third
fewer parts and was half of the weight of
its contemporaries.
Of course, the Scooter would put on
weight and capability during its life, but
even the last models were still small and
compact compared with the opposition.
Early Skyhawks could carry around 6,000lb
of ordnance on three weapons pylons.
This would increase to 9,200lb for the last
A-4M version, which also carried double
the 20mm ammo than earlier models.
Engines would also change and power
would increase.
That original J65 would pump out
5,970lb of thrust and other engines
such as the General Electric F404 (on
92 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero
Above: The Scooter Singapore’s A-4SU Super Skyhawk) were
was a popular used, producing 10,800lb, while the most
aircraft in US Navy
service over four powerful Scooters would have a Pratt &
decades. This is A-4E Whitney J52-P408 at their heart pushing
151023 ‘UE-06’ when out more than 11,000-12,000lb of thrust.
operating with VC-5
‘Checkertails’ Despite the capability of the successive
models of the A-4 Skyhawk, it was
effectively complemented or replaced
in the light attack role by the Vought A-7
Corsair II on carrier decks, even if
the humble A-4 would outlive its
supposed successor.
Scooting off to war
Being a true ‘Cold War’ warrior, the initial
purpose of the A-4 series was in light
attack, as well as the delivery of a small
Below: 1979, the last nuclear weapon.
of 2,960 A-4s rolls Thankfully, it was never used in the latter
off the McDonnell-
role, but it would prove to be a major
Douglas production
line – an A-4M weapon in the conflict in South East Asia.
With the A-4’s service entry with the
US Navy starting in October 1956, by
the time of the Vietnam War it was a
relatively mature platform and one that
represented a significant proportion of
a carrier wing’s air power, with A-4B, C, E
and F models used for the duration.
Initial weapons used would include
the two 20mm Colt cannons, buried in
the wing-roots, 2.75 and 5-inch diameter
Zuni FFAR (Folding Fin Aircraft Rocket).
Iron bombs from the low-drag Mk 80
family were used as well as some box-
tailed M57s of Korean War vintage.
With the advent of air-to-ground
missiles, the AGM-12 Bullpup would be
used and later napalm, Fuel-Air Explosives,
retarded Mk 84 Snakeye bombs and the
AGM-62 Walleye TV guided bomb.
Towards the very end of the conflict,
A-4Fs with laser designators in the nose
would even employ laser-guided
‘smart’ bombs.
The US Marine Corps would also use
models of the A-4 for close support of the
troops on the ground. Some would use
either JATO (Jet Assisted Take-Off) bottles
attached to the rear fuselage or the
SATS (Short Airfield for Tactical Support)
‘catapult’ system to use smaller airfields,
or if operating at higher weights.
Such practices meant that the Marines
could get closer to the battle area – and
more quickly.
Figures show that around 200 Skyhawks
were lost in Vietnam to enemy action, but
so many more would make it back to the
carriers or their bases on land, albeit with
considerable damage.
Thus beginning the legend of the
Scooter being a tough warplane.
Export success
Ironically, the need for a two-seater
Skyhawk wasn’t realized until after a
decade of single-seater service.
Redesign of the standard A-4E saw
the fuselage lengthened by 28 inches
to accommodate the two seats/controls
along with an enlarged, blown canopy
replacing the more cramped original.
The resulting TA-4E/F and later J models
(revised J52 engine, changes to internal
equipment and external pylons) were
used mainly in the training role, but also
as adversary aircraft and some combat
missions, especially in the ‘Fast FAC’
(forward air control) mission, where they
would often mark targets for other aircraft.
The two-seater was displayed at the
1965 Paris Air Show, helping stir up export
orders, the first being from Argentina in
that year, which would take A-4B/P/Q
models for its Air Force and Navy.
These would be employed against the
UK task force in the Falklands War and
would sink several ships, including HMS
Ardent, HMS Antelope and HMS Coventry.
This was despite operating at extreme
range and often carrying bombs which
weren’t fused for delivery at low level.
Other orders would come from Israel,
Australia (A-4G) New Zealand (A-4K),
Malaysia (A-4PTM), Indonesia (A-4E) and
latterly Brazil.
Israel’s use of the Skyhawk was most
notable as it was the largest operator of
the type outside of the US and it was the
first American aircraft to be bought for the
Israeli Air Force. Douglas first had contact
from Israel as early as 1963, but it wasn’t
until 1966 that the first order for 48 (later
increased to 90) A-4H model Skyhawks
was approved by the US government,
which would begin delivery the following
year. The IAF grew to love the tough
Scooter and employed them in the War of
Attrition (1967-1970) and the Yom Kippur
War of 1973. The H would be joined by
surplus A-4Es from US Navy stocks in 1971.
Changes to the H included the
replacement of the 20mm Colt with the
French 30mm DEFA cannons. With the
Skyhawks (called Ahit – ‘Eagle’ in IAF
service) being almost constantly in
action, many changes and advancements
came off the back of this combat
experience, most notably to improve the
Scooter’s survivability in the face of surface
to air missiles.
The onset of the improved A-4M
Skyhawk II prompted the IAF’s own
version – the A-4N. Again, the 30mm DEFA
Above: Scooters would be used and – over the course
when in service of decades of service – much internal
as an adversary
aircraft would sport a equipment would be locally developed.
number of weird and The most striking feature of the late-
wonderful use H and Ns would be the extended
paint schemes
tail pipe called the ‘Barrel’ which helped
survivability when struck by infra-red SA-7
portable SAM systems.
The last Ahits were retired in 2015 after
48 years of service.
Angel and adversary
The Scooter had also shown that it could
down MiGs, with at least three kills in
Vietnam (one by LCDR Theodore ‘TR’
Swartz with Zuni rockets in May 1967) and
a number in the Middle East, including
two by Colonel Ezra Dotan in 1970. Both
encounters were against the agile MiG-17
and it was this machine that the Skyhawk
would simulate.
For the early part of the Vietnam conflict,
Below: The A-4’s the big, powerful fighters and interceptors
agility made it a
perfect fit for the Blue of the US Navy and the USAF were found
Angels display team to have a poor return against the likes of
www.Key.Aero // July 2021 93
 LEGACY PROFILE // A-4 SKYHAWK
the MiG-17, 19, and later the MiG-21. In
response, the US Navy began the Naval
Fighter Weapons School, known more
famously as TOPGUN, and the plentiful A-4
was a natural choice for use.
The first use of an A-4 in the adversary
role was as early as 1968: flown by
experienced instructors, often stripped
of non-essential equipment (they would
be around 1,500lb lighter) and with the
later, increased thrust engines, they could
beat the more powerful F-4 Phantom IIs
and later Grumman F-14A Tomcats. The
thrust-to-weight ratios on these machines
approached that of unity – 1:1.
The aircraft used included two-seaters,
A-4E, F and later M models and they
THE NEED FOR A TWO-SEATER SKYHAWK WASN’T
generally carried gaudy and attractive
color schemes replicating those of MiG
REALIZED UNTIL AFTER A DECADE OF
users, in addition to being small and hard SINGLE-SEATER SERVICE
to spot. While the US Navy signed off its
last A-4 in 1999, the final A-4 adversary Above: A training superfluous equipment and using the
aircraft was retired in 2003. TA-4J operated by powerful J52-P408 could perform vertical
VT-7 seen in 1994.
That agility and speed that was so handy Until the arrival of the
maneuvers and use its high roll rate to
for the adversary role would come into T-45 Goshawk, the good effect in front of an audience.
good use in the 1970s-1980s. A number twin-stick Skyhawk An inverted fuel system and smoke
was the trainer
of squadrons had used the A-4 in air of choice
generating system was used and the wing
displays, including the Naval Air Reserves, slats were locked to prevent asymmetric
which had a team called the Air Barons. deployment. The Angels would use the
They were unique in displaying with drop A-4F from 1974 until it was replaced at
tanks and often performing ‘buddy-buddy’ the end of 1985 by another McDonnell-
refueling in front of the crowd. Douglas product (the firms merged in
From 1969, the Blue Angels had used the 1967), the F/A-18 Hornet.
F-4J Phantom, but a series of accidents,
including a fatal in mid-air, meant that The Scooter today
a new machine was needed: one that Below: VA-164 A-4E The Skyhawk is a bona fide jet legend. The
was not as thirsty since the world was Skyhawk 151194 en Bantam Bomber, Heinemann’s Hot Rod,
route to a target in
in the middle of the 1973 oil crisis. The the Mongoose, the Super Fox, the Super
Vietnam in 1967. It
A-4 was the perfect fit, being replaced carries Mk 82 bombs Skyhawk and the Fightinghawk – they all
by the A-7 Corsair in some squadrons and Bullpup missiles. stem from that humble little jet that first
It is now preserved in
and therefore available in numbers. The flew on June 22, 1954.
the Pacific Coast Air
A-4F or ‘Super Fox’ was stripped of any Museum While the last of the 2,960 rolled off the

94 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero

Right: Brazil is one assembly lines back in 1979, today – in
of the last operators
of the venerable 2021 – the Skyhawk is still in service with
A-4 Skyhawk. The the Argentine Air Force. The Fightinghawk
Brazilian Navy aircraft is a Lockheed Martin product, based on
are upgraded former
Kuwait Air Force the A-4M airframe, completely rewired
A-4KUs and TA-4KUs, and refitted with more modern defense
which are locally systems and the AN/APG-66V2 radar,
designated as the
AF-1 in Brazil which replaces the Angle Rate Bombing
US Navy System in the nose.
The Brazilian Navy became a Skyhawk
customer as late as 2014, when 20 low-
hour Kuwaiti A-4KU and three TA-4KUs
were purchased. Meanwhile, a number of
export models are still flown, owned by
private companies, to provide adversary
services to the US military.
Below: By 1972 the
A-4 had been in Almost 67 years after the machine’s
service almost 20 first flight, the little Skyhawk is still a
years, but was still
flying legend, outlasting many of its
crowding the decks of
US Navy carriers such contemporaries and even its supposed
as the USS Hancock replacements.

www.Key.Aero // July 2021 95

 SKYBORG’S
‘DRONE WITH A BRAIN’ TAKES FLIGHT
The UTAP-22 subsonic UAV launches from
Tyndall AFB, Florida, on April 29 USAF
DISPATCHES FROM THE FRONT LINE
OF AEROSPACE TECHNOLOGY
BY DAVID AXE

T
HE TEST AT Tyndall Air Force Base (AFB)
in Florida is a major advancement for
what is arguably the most important
tactical drone program in the world.
While other air forces are working
on highly autonomous fighter-style
unmanned aerial vehicles, the US Air Force’s
so-called Loyal Wingman is probably the most
sophisticated. The April 29 test for the first
time mated the computerized control systems
and artificial-intelligence algorithms with a
maneuverable, jet-propelled airframe.
The Air Force Research Laboratory (ARFL) at
Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio is developing the
computers and AI under the auspices of the
Skyborg program. Skyborg in theory is compatible
with a wide array of drone types. The April test
paired the computers and algorithms with a
UTAP-22 Mako, a 20ft-long subsonic
UAV manufactured by San Diego-based
drone-maker Kratos. "Skyborg is a vessel for AI technologies that countries are working on the AI and airframes
The AI Mako flew for 2hrs 10mins. “The could range from rather simple algorithms to for wingman-style drones. In March, Boeing
[autonomy core system] performed a series of fly the aircraft and control them in airspace to and the Royal Australian Air Force completed
foundational behaviors necessary to characterize the introduction of more complicated levels of the first test flight of their Airpower Teaming
safe system operation,” the air force stated. AI to accomplish certain tasks or subtasks of the System drone at the Woomera test range in
“The ACS demonstrated basic aviation mission," said Matt Duquette, an AFRL engineer. southern Australia.
capabilities and responded to navigational Regardless of the degree of autonomy a Loyal The 38ft-long, single-engine vehicle flew along
commands, while reacting to geo-fences, adhering Wingman drone ultimately demonstrates, it’s US a pre-programmed flight path while under the
to aircraft flight envelopes and demonstrating military policy for a human operator to approve close supervision of operators on the ground. The
co-ordinated maneuvering. It was monitored any use of weapons. RAAF hopes to acquire ATS drones to bolster the
from both airborne and ground command and firepower of its manned fighters.
control stations.” Profound potential The Russian air force, meanwhile, is hard at
The air force aims to deploy combat-ready Loyal work on its own wingman drone, the 46ft-long
Little human control Wingman drones in the next few years. The Hunter-B. In trials over the Ashuluk range in
In other words, the AI proved it can safely fly technology has profound potential. For now, southern Russia in January, the Sukhoi-made
and maneuver. An operational version of a Skyborg is mostly for ground-attack missions. In a Hunter-B dropped an unguided 1,100lb bomb
Skyborg-equipped Loyal Wingman drone would separate but closely related effort, the US Defense from its internal bay.
accompany manned fighters into combat, adding Advanced Research Projects Agency is developing Russia’s wingman drone is the first to deploy live
their sensors and weapons to the capabilities of algorithms specifically for air-to-air dogfighting. In weapons. But the ability to drop a bomb or fire
the human crews. computerized trials in August, the AlphaDogfight a missile is less important in the development of
Depending on their level of autonomy, the Loyal code swiftly gunned down a human F-16 pilot. autonomous fighters than their code is. It’s the
Wingman drones may require very little human The air force could easily take the code that software that will make or break wingman drones.
control. The fighter crews or controllers in other comes out of AlphaDogfight and add it to On that front, the US Air Force is making steady
planes or on the ground, could issue general Skyborg. That way, the Skyborg-controlled drones progress. “Follow-on events will demonstrate
commands to the drones – go here, look there, would be able to battle enemy planes, too. The direct manned-unmanned teaming between
shoot these types of targets – while the Skyborg AI way forward for autonomous fighters is clear. manned aircraft and multiple ACS-controlled
handled the actual maneuvers. The basic technology is proliferating. Several unmanned aircraft,” the service explained.

96 July 2021 // www.Key.Aero

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