AUF WIEDERSEHEN US ‘WARHAWKS’ F-16s PREP GERMAN EXIT

THE MAX IS BACK

FIGHT FOR TRUST
STARTS NOW

MILITARY | COMMERCIAL | BUSINESS | UNMANNED | ENGINES | SYSTEMS & FUTURE TECHNOLOGY

GRIPENS ON
GUARD
THAI FIGHTERS’ UNIQUE
MARITIME MISSION
PLUS
SAAB
CEO ON
GLOBAL
GROWTH NORTHERN
PLANS
FLIGHTS
CANADIAN CARRIERS TAKE ON
WORLD'S TOUGHEST MARKET
FEBRUARY 2021 Vol 100 No 2 £5.30

MERLIN RETURNS
NAVY HELICOPTER WEAVES ITS MAGIC

SEOUL-MATES MERGER CREATES KOREAN POWERHOUSE

La_Jetee_FP.indd 1 21/12/2020 10:41:44
 Welcome

“T
ruth is stranger than fiction”,
penned the American humourist
Mark Twain, and in the run-up
to the confirmation of Joe Biden
as the next president his words
seem particularly apposite.
As Americans processed the
long-term implications of the mob assault on Capitol
Hill and the threat of further insurrection, aviation
industry eyes have focused on the USA with renewed
interest as seemingly routine processes and events
are turned on their heads in the military and civil
aviation sectors.
Peace has been breaking out in the Middle East.
Israel signed agreements with both Bahrain and the
UAE in September, in an event hosted by Donald
Trump - paradoxically to normalise diplomatic
relations - and earlier this month Qatar and Saudi
Arabia patched up years of animosity.
Could it lead to Middle East militaries working
together to defeat Iran, without the need for US
military intervention, asks military editor-at-large
Alan Warnes? The UAE expects to sign a deal with
the USA for up to 50 F-35As in coming weeks.
Israel is already on contract for 50 of the type and
the rest of the Gulf Co-operation Council (Qatar,
Oman and Kuwait) is set to take delivery of nearly
200 cutting-edge fighters over the next two to
three years.
The UN arms embargo on Iran expired in October
leaving the Tehran regime free to buy from the likes
of China or Russia. Previously, it has expressed
interest in Russia’s Su-30 and Yak-130 aircraft, and
its S-400 air-defence system. Following the success
‘Preparation’ will be important now for Boeing after Company-owned
its 737 MAX was ‘ungrounded’ by US regulators and Yak-130 development
a handful of other markets, but ‘trust’ must become aircraft/demonstrator, '01
Red' (c/n 94206201001),
its byword. Before the first fare-paying passengers takes off for a display
were taking to the skies, AIR International was onboard flight during the 6th
an exclusive American Airlines charter (see Chris International Military
Sloan’s account on pages 58-63), representing the -Technical Forum (Army
first time the MAX had carried members of the public 2020) at Kubinka Air
in 20 months. Our commercial group editor Gordon Base last August. Free
of a former UN arms
Smith noted that as might be expected, the airline
embargo, could Iran now
pulled out all the stops to ensure everyone on board be interested in purchasing
felt safe and comfortable. Experts from across the the Russian type? UAC
company were at hand on the ground and in flight.
While American’s efforts and overall transparency
are commendable, the real challenge will arguably
come now that fare-paying scheduled operations
are slowly restarting. Sorting the technical issues on
the MAX could feel relatively easy compared with the
battle for public trust which has only just begun.
As this edition of the magazine went to press it
was being reported that nine American states were
battling with the new coronavirus variant, and new
travel lockdowns were in place across swathes of the
world. While truth is, indeed, stranger than fiction,
you can depend on the AIR International team to bring
you a compendium of aviation facts.
In these tough times at home and abroad, we hope
you enjoy our February selection.
Carol Randall
Associate Editor, Commercial Aviation
AUF WIEDER
SEHEN US ‘WA
RHAWKS’ F-16
s PREP GERMA
N EXIT

of UAVs in the recent Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,

it's likely they'll be high on the wish list, too. If wishes MILITARY |
THE MAX IS
BACK
FIGHT FOR TRUS
STARTS NOW T

do turn into purchases, the rest of the Middle East,

COMMERCIA

GRIPENS
L | BUSIN
ESS | UNMANNED
| ENGINES | SYST
EMS & FUTU

GUARD ON
RE TECH
NOLOGY

including Israel, will need to be prepared.

THAI FIGH
MARITIMETER S’ UNIQUE
MISSION

NORTHERN
COVER IMAGE: A pair of Royal Thai CANADIAN CARR
WORLD'S TOUG
FLIGHTS
IERS TAKE ON
HEST MARKET
Air Force Gripens patrol over the
MERLIN RETU
UK £5.30

Gulf of Thailand Analayo Korsakul RNS

Aus $14.75

NAVY HELICOPT
ER WEAVES
Can $16.75

ITS MAGIC
SEOUL-MATES
2 USA $12.75

MERGER CRE
Vol 100 No

ATES KOREAN
POWERHOUS
E

February2021 3
Contents
64
06 COMMERCIAL NEWS
Airbus unveils its latest concept as it continues to study
hydrogen-powered aircraft, JetBlue Airways takes delivery of
its maiden Airbus A220, an upgraded variant of the
Dornier 328 turboprop is in development, and
London/Stansted-based Titan Airways becomes the first
European carrier to use the A321P2F.
10 MILITARY NEWS
In this month’s military news, the first two T-345As
(M-345 High Efficiency Trainer) are handed over to the Italian
Air Force by Leonardo, and a USAF B-52H Stratofortress
bomber joins forces with Royal Saudi Air Force F-15SA
Advanced Eagles over the Middle East.
14 UAV FOCUS
The British Army trials 30 BAE Systems/UAVTEK-developed
nano ‘Bug’ drones, UK-based Royal Mail makes its maiden
delivery via UAV as part of a consultation period, and Boeing
and the US Navy flight test the MQ-25 T1 test asset with the
Cobham Mission Systems 31-301 aerial refuelling store.
16 ROTARY FOCUS
The first pair of NHIndustries NH90s bound for the Qatar
Emiri Air Force have started maiden flights, customers
of the Airbus Helicopters H135 can now select alternate
gross weight options, and several manufacturers undertake
development projects in the urban aerial mobility sector.
18 BUSINESS FOCUS
French aerospace manufacturer Dassault Aviation unveils its
Falcon 6X long-range business jet, an undisclosed customer
places a US$267m order with Bombardier for ten Challenger
350s, and Embraer completes the first conversion of a
Legacy 450 to Praetor 500 standard in Europe.
4 February2021
20 TECHNOLOGY FOCUS
DARPA confirms the airborne retrieval testing of three
Gremlins UAVs is nearing success, while British Airways
announces a partnership with ZeroAvia to explore how
hydrogen-powered aircraft can play a leading role in the
future of sustainable flying.
22 GENERAL AVIATION FOCUS
Piper delivers its first Pilot 100i following type certification
approval, Austrian-based Diamond Aircraft achieves a
landmark 500th example of its popular DA40 NG, and the
FAA issues a new airworthiness directive for Superior Air
Parts (SAP) and Lycoming-built O-360 and IO-360
four-cylinder piston engines equipped with an
SAP-manufactured crankshaft assembly.
24 RUSSIAN REVIEW
Russian aviation expert Piotr Butowski details the top
2020 highlights from the Russian Federation, including
commissioning the first new-generation Su-57 fighter and the
maiden flight of the Il-114-300 regional passenger aircraft.
26 JOURNEY’S END FOR SERBIA’S MiGs
Between 1962 and 1986, the former Yugoslav Air Force
received a total of 261 MiG fighters from Russia. By 2020,
only one of them remained, but that was then lost in a fatal
accident later that year. Aleksandar Radic reports on the
demise of a Cold War legend.
32 INNOVATIVE DESIGNS, UNPRECEDENTED TIMES
As the relentless global march of coronavirus goes on,
many people are anxious about returning to air travel. But
there is hope on the horizon. Tom Batchelor explores the
technological innovations that could improve safety and help
restore passenger confidence.
 SUBSCRIBE
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AIR International
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See pages 48 and
49 for details
36 SAAB’S GLOBAL FIGHTER PROGAMME
Alan Warnes discusses the new-generation Gripen programme
with Micael Johansson, the president and CEO of Saab, and
Major General Carl-Johan Edström, the commander of the
Swedish Air force.
42 NORTHERN FLIGHTS
Controversial travel restrictions on inbound passengers
to Canada have prompted alarm, but innovation and
consolidation are at the forefront of an industry fightback.
Mark Broadbent discovers how.
50 CONCEPT INSIGHT
This month, Khalem Chapman examines the Bell FCX-001
experimental concept helicopter, which boasts advanced
thermal engine cores that will drive an anti-torque system
making for more control and simpler vehicle operations.
52 AUF WIEDERSEHEN, WARHAWKS
The F-16CM and DM Block 50 Fighting Falcons have been
in service with the United States Air Force’s 480th ‘Warhawks’
Fighter Squadron at Germany’s Spangdahlem Air Base since
2010. But, as Babak Taghvaee explains, that is all set to
change… eventually.
58 MAXIMISING THE TRUST
It has taken 20 challenging months for the 737 MAX to be
recertificated, but it will take Boeing far longer to repair its
broken trust. Chris Sloan steps on board a special 737 MAX
flight – the first in the US since March 2019 – to examine
whether the manufacturer has turned a corner.
64 TALKING TECH WITH EMBRAER
Gordon Smith speaks with Martyn Holmes, the new chief
commercial officer at Embraer Commercial Aviation, to
42
52
find out more about the company’s bold new corporate
strategy for the coming decade.
68 THE MERLIN’S MAGICAL RETURN
After waiting four-and-a-half years, the Royal Navy’s
Commando Helicopter Force is finally transitioning to the
new Commando Merlin HC4/4A. Ian Harding takes a close
examination of the major modifications to the aircraft and its
painstaking transition period.
76 HELL AND BACK WITH HIPS AND HINDS
Having survived combat in both the Mi-8/17 ‘Hips’ and Mi-24
‘Hinds’ during several African conflicts, Al J Ventner gives us
a candid firsthand description of his experiences flying these
iconic Russian multi-role helicopters.
82 THE GRIPENS GUARDING THE GULF COVER STORY
Thailand may be famous for its tropical beauty and stunning
beaches, but for a decade now the Royal Thai Air Force
(Kong Tab Arkard Thai) has been operating Asia’s only fleets of
Saab JAS-39 Gripen and Saab 340 AEW aircraft, as
Analayo Korsakul reports.
86 SIDESTICKS AND SOFT STOPS
Bell expects to receive FAA certification for its all-new 525
Relentless in 2021. The aircraft promises a step-change in
capability for commercial helicopter operators and future
corporate and military applications, as Byron Ward, VP of the
525 programme, explains to Paul E Eden.
92 A CHANGE IN KOREA
Korean Air’s plan to take over Asiana Airlines represents
a major shake-up in the Asia-Pacific aviation industry.
Why is it happening and what are the regional and global
ramifications? Mark Broadbent finds out.
February2021 5
COMMERCIAL News by Mark Broadbent

Are pods the future?

European giant Airbus is
studying a distinctive ‘pod’
A STRIKING recent announcement from
Airbus proposes an aircraft with six
engine concept Airbus
removable engines. Looking unlike any
other in-service commercial aircraft, the
company is investigating the radical
-looking ‘pod’ configuration as part of its
ZEROe concept studies.
Distributed fuel cell systems that deliver
thrust from propulsors arranged along the
wing is not a new concept, but Airbus’
design is novel because it uses hydrogen
fuel cells.
Each pod is a standalone engine
containing a composite propeller, electric
motors, hydrogen fuel cells, power
electronics, a liquid hydrogen fuel tank, a
cooling system and auxiliary equipment.
Airbus explained: “Hydrogen and air
are supplied to the fuel cells to generate
electric current. Power electronics convert
the current to power the electric motors.
Thanks to this energy the motor shaft
rotates, thereby turning the propeller.”
The configuration has removable fixtures
enabling each pod to be disassembled
and reassembled, which the manufacturer
said “could provide a practical and rapid
solution for maintenance and potentially
hydrogen refuelling at airports”.
Airbus’ vice-president of
zero-emission aircraft, Glenn Llewellyn,
commented: “This configuration is a
great starting point to nurture further
inquiry into how we can scale up
hydrogen technology to commercial
aircraft. This is one option, but many
more will be conceptualised before we
make a final selection, a decision that
is expected by 2025.”

Embraer eyes turboprop launch BRAZIL’S EMBRAER is considering a turboprop
airliner for the sub-150 seats segment of the
commercial aircraft market.
During the presentation of the company’s
20-year forecast, Embraer Commercial
Aviation vice-president marketing, Rodrigo
Silva e Sousa, confirmed the manufacturer
Embraer’s turboprop has been examining the concept and said the
airliner concept Embraer airframer is “talking to partners that may be
interested in investing to make it viable”. Sousa
explained: “We are still analysing different
possibilities but we’re talking about 70 to 100
seats. There is a big opportunity to bring to the
market an aircraft that is more efficient, faster,
more comfortable [and which is also] more
environmentally friendly.”
The company’s CEO, Arjan Meijer,
emphasised that the focus is on bringing an
efficient and sustainable product to market
and that Embraer plans to use conventional
turboprop engines rather than hybrid-electric
or fully electric powerplants.
Meijer said: “If we had up to 5% hybrid energy
on this aircraft, we would probably increase the
operating cost by 15%, so at this point in time
it’s costing a lot of money to get a little bit of
fuel efficiency and CO2 reduction.
“The technology is not there yet.”
Sousa nevertheless envisages “robust
demand” for a new turboprop to succeed
older regional jets, including those in the
United States limited in size by airline scope
clauses to 50 seats. He said: “The turboprop
can replace those aircraft with a much more
comfortable cabin.”
Noting what he called a “bad perception”
around the passenger cabin aboard turboprops,
Sousa said the potential new aircraft would be
“a completely different proposition that may
[cause] airlines to rethink”.
Embraer has not produced a turboprop
airliner since completing EMB 110 Bandeirante
light twin production in 1990, with the
company’s airliner output since then centred
on ERJ135/140/145s and E-Jets.
See ‘Talking tech with Embraer’, pg 64-67.

CHINA AIRLINES will become the latest carrier to retire the Boeing
747-400 from passenger services, phasing out its last example on
February 5, 2021. Only four -400s have been used by China Airlines for
passenger flights over the past year, although the airline will retain its 18
-400Fs. The carrier has operated 747s since 1977.
LUFTHANSA AVIATION Training (LAT) is to develop a custom pilot training
programme to qualify pilots to fly the in-development Lilium Jet. Described by LAT
as an “industry-first partnership” the initiative will “harness technologies including
virtual reality, opening possibilities to recreate the programme worldwide” to
create a pipeline of qualified pilots to support the company’s growth.

6 February2021
 News COMMERCIAL

Fresh start for Do 328

A NEWLY launched European commercial
aircraft original equipment manufacturer,
Deutsche Aircraft, is developing an upgraded
version of the Dornier 328 turboprop airliner
called the D328eco.
Established by 328 Support Services GmbH
(328SSG), itself a subsidiary of Sierra Nevada
Corporation, Deutsche Aircraft plans to
introduce the type for commuter and
multi-role markets by 2025. The Dornier 328’s
type certificate, production rights and support
arrangements were acquired by 328SSG
in August 2019.
Deutsche Aircraft says it “will lead the way
in a new era of clean aviation” with a “more
efficient, cost-effective and environmentally
friendly” model. It gave few specific technical
details but said the new variant would
combine “state-of-the-art flight deck design
and capabilities offered by the latest avionics
suite” and “single pilot operation for greater
operational efficiency”.
Pratt & Whitney PW127S engines compatible
with sustainable aviation fuels will be used and
there will be a revamped cabin. The aircraft
will be produced at a new final assembly line in
Leipzig, Germany.
Deutsche Aircraft claimed the D328eco “will
pave the way to zero emission flight within
the next 15 years, much faster than any other
OEM, outpacing 2050 international guidelines”.
The company added: “Traditional large-scale
hub and spoke operations will be restructured as The new Dornier 328
the demand for short-haul, point-to-point, turboprop variant is due in
low-emission transport grows. Airlines will resize 2025 Deutsche Aircraft
their fleets to accommodate smaller, more
efficient and more eco-friendly aircraft, and seek
to open underserved routes with direct services
through right sizing operations.”
Deutsche Aircraft managing director,
Dave Jackson, added: “The COVID crisis
has dramatically impacted the industry and
our planet faces major challenges which
we are already starting to experience. But
as we plan to rebuild the sector, we can
recalibrate and refocus on developing new
products and processes that are much more
environmentally friendly.”

AEROSPACE HEAVYWEIGHTS Honeywell

and magniX are now partners in the novel
Bio Electric Hybrid Aircraft (BEHA) from
UK start-up Faradair Aerospace.
Honeywell will supply gas turbine and
generator technologies, avionics and
flight control systems while electric
motors specialist magniX will supply
two magni500 e-motors and associated
magniDrive control system technology.
Other new partners in the project are
Cambridge Consultants, which will
bring their knowledge and expertise in
hybrid propulsion architecture, and Nova

‘Electric jet age is here’

Systems, which will assist with the early
prototype’s certification.
Faradair founder and managing director,
Neil Cloughley, said: “The age of the
electric jet has begun,” adding that the
new partners’ input “will enable us to
deliver the BEHA prototype by 2024 and
subsequent Part 23 certification for
operational trials from 2026”.
The BEHA will initially be a hybrid with
the aim to evolve it into an electric aircraft
when power generation technology can
deliver the power density levels required.
Faradair, which recently relocated to a
new base at IWM Duxford, Cambridgeshire
aims to deliver 300 BEHAs by 2030.
The firm explained: “Of these, 150
aircraft will be built in firefighting
configuration, 75 as quick change
(passenger to cargo) aircraft deployed at
general aviation airfields globally, and 50
as pure freighters. The final 25 aircraft Faradair aims to deliver
will be demonstrated in non-civilian 300 BEHAs by around the
year 2030 Faradair
government roles, including logistics,
border and fisheries patrol and drug
interdiction.”
Talks are advancing with investors and
aircraft finance organisations to move the
BEHA programme forward.

AIRLINES CAN now refuse to carry so-called ‘emotional support
animals’ inside aircraft cabins after a US Transportation Department
ruling that only specially trained guide dogs can do so. The ruling
clamps down on some travellers having their pets accompanying them,
claiming they are needed for emotional and psychological well-being.
VOLGA-DNEPR Airlines has resumed flights of Antonov An-124-100 aircraft used
to transport super-heavy and outsize air cargo. Operations have restarted after
the company completed technical checks and implemented service directives on
its fleet following a November 2020 emergency landing and runway excursion.
The incident followed an uncontained engine failure on the aircraft.

February2021 7
COMMERCIAL News by Mark Broadbent
Flight options cut
Lockdown means INTERNATIONAL TRAVELLERS arriving into
Luton-based easyJet is England must show a negative COVID-19
focusing on select UK test result before being granted entry, in
routes Airbus
new rules set to come into effect as AIR
International went to press.
Carriers had already begun cutting
January schedules amid unparalleled
coronavirus rates owing to the spread of
a new variant. The tightened entry criteria
Titan takes ex-Thomas Cook Airbus
Ex-Thomas Cook A321 STANSTED-BASED Titan Airways has
G-DHJH will be operated by introduced Airbus A321P2F converted
Titan Airways as G-POWY freighter, G-POWY (c/n 1238), into service,
(c/n 1238) ST Engineering
becoming the first European operator of the
Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW) conversion.
The firm’s managing director, Alastair
Willson, explained: “Titan Airways has been
an Airbus operator since 2013.
“The A321P2F will enable us to utilise all
the benefits of this type into our air freight
activities including best-in-class economics,
reduced noise, a lower carbon footprint and
AIR GREENLAND'S December order for a single Airbus A330-800 was the
only A330 Family aircraft purchased last year and the first example of
the variant ordered since April 2019. To be delivered by the end of next
year, the jet will replace A330-200, OY-GRN (c/n 230), in flying the
airline’s flagship service between Greenland and Denmark.
8 February2021
was announced by the UK government
on January 8, just days after the country
entered a third national lockdown.
Low-cost carrier easyJet is focusing on
select domestic services between London,
Bristol, Liverpool, Birmingham, Newcastle,
Belfast and Scotland, and is serving few
international destinations.
Fellow budget firm Ryanair said on
real-time health monitoring, ensuring the
highest levels of reliability.”
Titan will receive a further two A321P2Fs
from Dresden-based EFW, jointly owned
by ST Engineering and Airbus. Conversions
are undertaken in Singapore, but to meet
rising cargo aircraft demand EFW is to open
additional conversion sites in China, the
US and Germany, increasing its conversion
capacity to 25 slots per year by 2023.
The A321P2F offers 14 main-deck and ten
lower-deck containerised pallet positions
AMAZON AIR will further expand its fleet with 11 more Boeing 767-300s.
Four former WestJet examples will be converted to freighters for service
later in 2021, with seven converted ex-Delta Air Lines jets introduced
in 2022. Amazon is experiencing a surge in orders, thanks to COVID-19
pandemic lockdowns stimulating its business.
January 7: “New COVID-19 restrictions
could reduce February and March traffic
to as little as 500,000 passengers
each month. In response, Ryanair will
significantly cut its flight schedules from
January 21 which will result in few, if any,
flights being operated to/from Ireland or
the UK from the end of January.”
British Airways has permanently axed 15
long-haul destinations in North America, Africa,
Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.
Elsewhere, some optimism remains.
Despite cutting European and Asian
routes, United Airlines is resuming some
services from Los Angeles and San
Francisco to Caribbean and Latin American
countries from February.
Qantas Airways hopes to resume
international services from July 2021,
but Australian deputy prime minister,
Michael McCormack, emphasised only the
country’s government would decide when
international air travel is reintroduced.
During a web briefing on January 7,
the World Health Organization’s regional
director for Europe, Dr Hans Kluge, said:
“We were prepared for a challenging start
to 2021 and it has been just that. This
moment represents a tipping point in the
course of the pandemic where science,
politics, technology and values must form
a united front to push back this persistent
and elusive virus.”
up to a 28,000kg payload, with EFW saying
there is “further potential” to increase payload
in future conversions.
Titan is leasing G-POWY from US lessors
BBAM. The jet was previously G-DHJH and
was used by Thomas Cook Airlines (and
predecessors MyTravel Airways and Airtours)
from new in June 2000. After Thomas Cook
collapsed in September 2019, it was stored
briefly at its former Manchester base, moving
to Sharjah, UAE then Singapore in December
2019 for conversion by ST Aerospace.
 News COMMERCIAL

LEFT: JetBlue’s initial A220

on its first flight Airbus

A220 into the JetBlue
THE US carrier JetBlue Airways now has
the Airbus A220, having received its initial
-300 example, N3008J (c/n 55099).
Delivered from Airbus’ Mobile, Alabama
factory to the airline’s New York/JFK base
on December 31, it had conducted its first
flight earlier that month.
It is the first of 70 A220s JetBlue has
737
MAX:
Boeing
to pay
ordered to replace its Embraer E190s. “open the door to new markets and routes
$2.5bn
Compared with the E190, the A220 offers that would have been unprofitable. BOEING HAS agreed
nearly 30% lower direct operating costs per “The A220 covers a wide mix of new with the US Department
seat due to the new aircraft’s lower fuel burn and existing market possibilities with of Justice (DOJ) to
and maintenance costs, the airline said. excellent economics on short, medium pay US$2.5bn in fines
Noting the A220’s 3,350nm range and and even potentially transcontinental and compensation to
40% lower fuel burn per seat over the E190, markets. This will allow for better overall settle a federal criminal
JetBlue reported the new aircraft would aircraft utilisation.” charge for defrauding
the Federal Aviation
Administration’s (FAA)

Heathrow expansion back on Concept artwork for Heathrow’s third

initial evaluation of its
737 MAX aircraft.
The company has
entered into a Deferred
runway Heathrow Airport Limited Prosecution Agreement
which includes a
fine of US$243.6m,
compensation to
airline customers
of US$1.77bn and a
US$500m
crash-victim fund for
the relatives of the 346
passengers who died in
two 737 MAX crashes.
“The tragic crashes of
Lion Air Flight 610 and
Ethiopian Airlines Flight
302 exposed fraudulent
and deceptive conduct
by employees of one
of the world’s leading
commercial airplane
manufacturers,”
said Acting Assistant
Attorney General, David
P Burns, of the DOJ’s
LONDON’S HEATHROW Airport expansion Heathrow Ltd, the airport’s owner, to submit a runway was illegal. That verdict was a response Criminal Division.
has been cleared – amid pandemic-induced planning application for the third runway via a to an appeal into the UK government’s initial For more on the 737’s
lockdowns and travel restrictions. Development Consent Order. 2016 decision to approve the development future, see MAXimising
A December 2020 UK Supreme Court The court’s ruling overturned a February 2020 lodged by environmental campaigners, local the trust, pages 58-63.
ruling on a third Heathrow runway allows UK Court of Appeal judgement that the third residents’ pressure groups and London councils.

BRITISH ANTARCTIC Survey’s de Havilland Canada Dash 7 and Twin
Otter types flying supplies in Antarctica are being supported by operational
management systems provided by Biggin Hill-based Centrik. Its systems
are providing the ability to complete risk registers, safety reports and audits,
monitor pilot training, issue report findings and initiate and track workflows.
THREE BOEING 777Fs were delivered to Qatar Airways Cargo on one
day on January 1, 2021. The handovers included the 200th 777F delivery
since the type’s 2011 debut, with 24 of those aircraft operated by the
Doha-based cargo operator. According to Boeing, the 777F can fly
4,970nm and carry 102,010kg payloads.

February2021 9
MILITARY News by Dave Allport

Spain bids
farewell to
Hercules
fleet
DURING A ceremony at Zaragoza Air
Base on December 21, the Spanish Air

Mysterious C-295s
Force bid a fond farewell to the C-130
Hercules – or T.10, to use its Spanish
military designation. This marked the
end of 47 years of service by the type

delivered to US
in Spain, where it has been replaced
by the Airbus A400M.
The Spanish Air Force operated a
fleet of seven C-130Hs, five KC-130H
tankers and a single C-130H-30. Only
Anonymous-looking new Airbus C-295 EC-003 (c/n S-188, allocated N291LH) callsign ‘CASA988/AED988’ on approach to Getafe, one aircraft was lost, on May 28,
Spain, on December 16 after flying over from Seville/San Pablo Airport prior to departing for Lajes and onwards to the USA. The 1980, but two of the C-130Hs have
aircraft was one of three departing from Seville on that date, the other two, EC-002 (c/n 189, to be N292LH) ‘AED989’ and EC-006
been in storage for several years.
(c/n S-191, to be N293LH) ‘AED991,’ routed direct to Lajes. The following day all three, wearing the same overall military-style
grey scheme, continued to St John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. They are believed to be for L3Harris Technologies in Disposals have already begun, with
Greenville, Texas José Ramón Valero departure of two of the KC-130Hs,
TK.10-5 and TK.10-6, from Zaragoza
on December 17 on delivery to the
Uruguayan Air Force. They arrived in
Montevideo on December 20 and 19,
respectively, and have received serials
594 and 595, respectively. Uruguay’s
first mission with the newly acquired
aircraft was on January 3, when 594
carried out a cargo flight to Antarctica.
Another departure has been C-130H
T.10-03, which made a somewhat
shorter journey, departing from
Zaragoza on December 29 to join the
Spanish Air Force Museum at Cuatro
Vientos. This aircraft had made its last
operational flight on November 23,
when it returned home from a mission

Indian Navy
to Afghanistan and the Middle East. Of
the other surviving aircraft, Peru has
reportedly shown interest in acquiring

unveils Seahawk
two of the KC-130Hs, but it is thought
that no deal has yet been signed.

The first Indian Navy LOCKHEED MARTIN has released the first
MH-60R Seahawk, IN751 photograph of an Indian Navy Sikorsky
Lockheed Martin
MH-60R Seahawk in full colours. The
picture showing the helicopter, wearing
serial number IN751 and Indian roundels,
painted in an overall grey colour scheme,
was released on December 4 to coincide
with Indian Navy Day 2020.
India had selected the S-70B Seahawk
in 2014 – also on December 4 – to replace
its elderly Sea King fleet. It later decided
to order 24 MH-60Rs instead through the
Foreign Military Sales process. On April 2,
2019, the US Defense Security Cooperation
Agency (DSCA) announced that the sale had
been approved by the US State Department.
The Indian government approved the
acquisition on February 19, 2020, with a
government-to-government deal with the
US following on February 26, 2020. On May
14, 2020, Lockheed Martin was awarded a
US$904.8m contract to produce and deliver
21 MH-60Rs to India, plus three for the US
Navy. The latter will replace an initial three
that are being diverted to the Indian Navy
from US Navy production to enable early
delivery for training of Indian Navy aircrews.
On July 28, 2020, a further US$18.1m
contract awarded to Lockheed Martin
provided for the modification of the three Lot
14 MH-60Rs to Indian Navy configuration.
The first Indian MH-60R deliveries are due in
spring 2021.

TEXTRON AVIATION was awarded an $11.4m US Army Contracting
Command Foreign Military Sales contract on December 11 for a
Beechcraft King Air 250 aircraft for Panama. Estimated completion date
is June 13, 2022. It is assumed it will be operated by Panama’s National
Naval Air Service, but its planned role is unknown.
TWO ADDITIONAL RAF Tutor T1s have gained experimental colour schemes
and been delivered to MOD Boscombe Down, Wiltshire, for trials. They
are G-BYXG (overall deep blue) and G-BYUE (black and blue) which were
repainted by Air Livery at Norwich Airport, Norfolk, then flown to Boscombe
Down on November 23 and 24, 2020, respectively. The first of three trials
aircraft, G-BYXH (yellow and black) is operating from RAF Wittering.

10 February2021
 News MILITARY

Austria retires
Saab 105s
AFTER COMPLETING more than 50 years of
service, the Saab 105ÖEs of the Austrian
Air Force have been withdrawn from
service. The last operational flight took
place on December 31, 2020, when two
aircraft, 1129/RI-29 and 1140/BJ-40 in
special ‘Golden Tiger’ 50th anniversary
colours, took off from Fliegerhorst (Air
Base) ‘Vogler’ at Linz-Hörsching for the
last time. Following a one-hour sortie, they
landed back at the base to be greeted by
a traditional water cannon salute from the
airport fire service.
Austria ordered 40 Saab 105s in the
late 1960s, to be delivered in two
batches of 20, with the first three
arriving at Hörsching on July 2, 1970. Of
these,12 have been lost through attrition,
although it has been 17 years since the
last accident, on April 17, 2003.
A celebration had been held at the
base on December 11 to mark 50 years
of operations by the type and say Austrian Air Force Saab
farewell prior to its official retirement. 105ÖE 1140/BJ-40 showing
off its special ‘Golden
The event marked completion of more
Tiger’ 50th anniversary
than 156,500 flight hours and almost colour scheme, along with
254,000 missions, and also saw the 1114/GD-14 in a ‘Black
formal unveiling of the ‘Golden Tiger’ Tiger’ scheme, during a
livery. After the December 11 ceremony, sortie on November 21,
the Saabs continued to operate briefly in 2020 Bundesheer
the air surveillance role until January 1,
2020, when the duties were handed over
to the Austrian Air Force’s Eurofighters.

First USMC Hercules

US approves Scorpion
sale to Kazakhstan
ON DECEMBER 23, the US Defense Security
Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced that
US State Department approval had been
granted for a possible Foreign Military Sale
to the government of Kazakhstan of King Air
B300ER Scorpion aircraft with intelligence,
surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR) mission
systems and related equipment for an
estimated cost of $128.1m. The DSCA had
notified Congress of the possible sale on the
previous day.
The deal comprises two King Air B300ER
Scorpion aircraft, three Raytheon AST TITAN
communications intelligence (COMINT)
arrives at Cambridge depot
sensor suites (two installed, one spare)
and three Leonardo Osprey 30 active
electronically scanned array (AESA) radars
(two installed, one spare). Also included
would be three WESCAM MX-15HDi electro-
optical infrared turrets and sensors (two
installed, one spare) and three Sierra Nevada
Small SWAP auto electronic intelligence
US Marine Corps KC-130J Hercules 165810 ‘BH-810’, from Marine Aerial
(ELINT) systems (two installed, one spare), Refueler Transport Squadron 252 (VMGR-252) ‘Heavy Haulers’ at Marine
plus secure communications, fixed and Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, arrives at Cambridge Airport,
transportable ground control stations, UK, on December 18. This was the first USMC aircraft to be inducted into
support, integration, training and spares. the Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group facility at Cambridge for depot-
The principal contractor will be the Sierra level maintenance after the company had been awarded a ten-year contract
to support the 66-strong USMC Hercules fleet on October 1, 2020 – see
Nevada Corporation, Hagerstown, Maryland.
November issue, page 12 Marshall ADG

WIND DOWN of flying operations at RAF Linton-on-Ouse, North
Yorkshire, was completed on December 1 with the departure of the last
active aircraft, comprising Tutor T1s G-BYUD, G-BYWA, G-BYXT and
G-BYYB, operated by Yorkshire University Air Squadron. They left for
their new home at RAF Leeming, also in North Yorkshire. The official
closure of the base took place on December 31.
THREE ANTONOV An-178 military transport aircraft have been ordered
for the Ukrainian Air Force. A memorandum for co-operation between the
Ukraine Ministry of Defence and Antonov was signed on December 29.
Delivery of the first An-178 is scheduled for 2023. This will be the first time
since independence 29 years ago that the Ukraine military has received
domestically produced aircraft.

February2021 11
MILITARY News by Dave Allport

Spanish Pilatus PC-21 takes flight

The first Pilatus PC-21, E.27-01/10239/HB-HWA ‘792-01’ (c/n 314), destined for the Spanish Air Force, took off for its maiden flight from Stans in Switzerland on December 14,
2020. Currently, Spain has 24 of the single-engine turboprop trainer aircraft on order from Pilatus under a contract signed on January 30, 2020 Stephan Widmer

Italy eyes
$500m
AISREW
sale
THE US Defense Security Cooperation Agency
(DSCA) announced on December 15, 2020,
that US State Department approval had
been granted for a possible Foreign Military
Sale to the Italian Air Force of Gulfstream
G550 aircraft with airborne intelligence,
surveillance, reconnaissance, and electronic

New King Air 350i

ISR-configured Beechcraft warfare (AISREW) mission systems and
King Air 350i N503DE, related equipment for an estimated cost of
callsign ‘Crook 23,’ at $500m. The DSCA notified US Congress of the
Belfast International proposal on the same day.

heads for Iraq

Airport, Northern Ireland,
on December 21 making
a fuel stop while heading
downrange from the US for
a deployment to Erbil, Iraq.
The civilian-style colour
scheme is routinely used
to hide the true purpose
of this type of aircraft, but
the numerous additional
aerials and sensor
housings are a clear
indication of its military
role Colin Gordon
A NEW intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance (ISR) Beechcraft King Air 350i
was deployed to Iraq during December. The
aircraft, N503DE (c/n FL-1051), was registered
to Sparks, Nevada-based Straight Flight
Nevada Commercial Leasing, a division of
Sierra Nevada Corporation, on September 8,
2020. It is believed that it is being operated on
behalf of US Special Operations Command.
The aircraft was first reported in Canada,
leaving Canadian Forces Base Goose Bay,
Newfoundland and Labrador, on December
20 for Keflavik, Iceland. The following day
it routed via Belfast, Northern Ireland, to
RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, in the UK. On
December 22 it left via Palermo, Italy, to RAF
Akrotiri, Cyprus. The final leg of the journey on
December 23 took it from there via Amman,
Jordan, to its final destination, Erbil Air Base,
Iraq. It used callsign ‘Crook 23’ throughout the
ferry flight. Crook callsigns are regularly used
by US Army King Airs.
The aircraft is one of two King Air 300/350s
newly registered to Straight Flight Nevada, the
other being N982FL (c/n FL-982) registered
on September 18, 2020. They join five other
ISR-configured King Air 300/350s with the
company, four of which (N356ER, N358ER,
N60125 and N6147U, have been operated for
several years. The fifth, N1112B, is a more
recent acquisition, registered to the company
on May 13, 2020.
Italy’s requirement is for the purchase of
articles and services to support the integration
of two AISREW mission systems onto two Italian
Ministry of Defence-provided G550 aircraft.
This will include four multi-functional information
distribution systems – joint tactical radio system
(two installed and two spares), three embedded/
GPS/INS (EGI) with GPS security devices,
airborne (two installed, one spare) and four
RIO communications intelligence systems (two
installed, two spares). Also included are missile
warning sensors, AN/ALE-47 countermeasure
dispenser sets, MX-20HD electro-optical
and infra-red systems, Osprey 50 AESA
radars, AISREW ISR equipment, secure
communications equipment and identification
friend or foe systems, plus aircraft modification
and integration, training and logistics support.
The principal contractor will be L3Harris, based
at Greenville in Texas.

SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT was awarded a $507m US Army Contracting
Command contract on December 9 for UH-60M/HH-60M Black
Hawks. The quantity of aircraft was not announced, but the estimated
completion date was given as June 30, 2022. The deal was financed by
Fiscal Year 2021 US Army aircraft procurement funding.
BELL BOEING was awarded a $170.4m contract by US Naval Air Systems
Command on December 9, which adds scope for the production and delivery
of one CMV-22B to the US Navy. It also exercises options for V-22 Common
Configuration Readiness and Modernization (CC-RAM) Lot 4 requirements.
Additionally, it provides for maintenance interval inspections, repairs, shipping
and support of the programme. Completion is expected by September 2024.

12 February2021
 News MILITARY

End of an
era at BAE
Brough
CHRISTMAS EVE marked the end of an era at
BAE Systems’ factory in Brough, East Yorkshire,
when it formally ceased aircraft production
at the site after 104 years. The last aircraft
produced were components for the nine Hawk
jet trainers for the Qatar Emiri Air Force, final
assembly of which is completed at the company’s
Warton, Lancashire, facility. When the factory

US bomber joins
re-opened after the Christmas shutdown, with a
reduced workforce, its focus had changed from
manufacturing to engineering, which still includes
support for the worldwide fleet of Hawks.

Saudi Eagles
Brough, Britain’s oldest remaining aircraft
factory, was founded by Robert Blackburn. It
began manufacturing in 1916 and Blackburn
Aircraft, as it was originally known, went on to
produce more than 80 different aircraft types,
including the Blackburn Buccaneer, the HS
US Air Force B-52H Stratofortress 60-0022 ‘LA’ from the 2nd Bomb Wing’s 96th Bomb Squadron ‘Red Devils’ at Barksdale Air Force
Harrier, the Hawk and even the forward and
Base, Louisiana, flies in formation with Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF)/92 Squadron F-15SA Advanced Eagles 9241 and 9244 from
centre fuselage of the HS Trident airliner. It Dhahran over the Middle East on December 10, 2020. The B-52H was one of two that flew an almost 40hr round-robin mission from
also became a centre for the modification and Barksdale to train with the RSAF aircraft as part of a Dynamic Force Employment mission. They were later joined by two USAF/391
upgrade of RAF and Royal Navy F-4 Phantoms. st Fighter Squadron F-15Es, 90-0242 ‘MO ‘and 90-0243 ‘MO’, on temporary deployment to Al Dhafra Air Base, UAE Saudi MOD

Middle Wallop ceases UK Apache training

ARMY AIR Corps (AAC)/7 (Training) Regiment’s Apache
Helicopter Training Unit (AHTU), 673 (AHTU) Squadron
at the Army Air Corps Centre Middle Wallop, Hampshire,
formally ceased all operations on December 11. All eight
of its Apache AH1s performed a final formation flypast at
Middle Wallop on December 8 before they departed for
Wattisham Flying Station, Suffolk.
These Apaches will initially be distributed between the
squadrons of Wattisham’s resident 3 and 4 Regiments. This
will only be short-term, however, as before too long they will
be shipped to the US to be stripped of useful equipment at
the Boeing facility in Huntsville, Alabama. The components
removed will then be transported to the Apache production
line in Mesa, Arizona, where they will be re-used as part of
the manufacture of new AH-64Es for the AAC.

First Belgian Saab AEW&C aircraft

A400M
delivered return to Sweden
BELGIUM TOOK delivery of its first Airbus
A400M , CT-02 (c/n 106), on December
22, 2020, when it was flown from the final
assembly line at Seville-San Pablo Airport,
Spain, to Brussels-Melsboek Military Airport.
The aircraft is the first of seven on order, which
will be operated by the Belgian Air Force’s
15 Transport Wing/20 Squadron-Tactical
Transport Flight. This was the second A400M
to be delivered to Melsbroek, having been
preceded by the sole Luxembourg Armed Forces
example, which arrived on October 7, 2020. As United Arab Emirates Air Force Saab 340B AEW&C 1332 at Larnaca Airport, Cyprus, on December 18, after arrival in the early
hours of the morning from Wejh, Saudi Arabia, along with a second example of the type, 1331. They departed in the evening for
Luxembourg does not have its own air force, this
Rome-Ciampino, Italy, en route back to Saab in Linköping, Sweden, having been replaced following the delivery of two Saab
aircraft will be operated on its behalf by Belgium, Bombardier 6000 GlobalEyes in April and September 2020. Saab announced on January 4, 2021, that the UAE had signed a
whose second aircraft is due in early 2021. contract for two more GlobalEye systems on December 30 G Palmer/Big G Cyprus

AUSTRALIA’S MINISTER for Defence, Senator Linda Reynolds,
announced on December 30 that the country’s maritime patrol
capacity will be boosted with the acquisition of two more Boeing P-8A
Poseidons. This will bring the total Royal Australian Air Force fleet
size of the type to 14. The move is part of the government’s planned
AUS$270bn investment in defence capability over the next decade.
A NEW Cessna 208B Grand Caravan EX, N425HP (c/n 208B-5549), has
been delivered to the Zambia Air Force (ZAF). The aircraft was acquired
through Textron Aircraft’s Africa distributor Africair. It arrived at Tenerife Sur-
Reina Sofia Airport for a night stop on December 9, after routing from the
factory in Wichita, Kansas, via Bangor, Maine. Wearing ZAF markings, but no
serial, it continued its delivery flight via São Tomé et Principe on December 10.

February2021 13
UAV FOCUS by Mark Broadbent

Test time for the T1

Cobham Mission Systems’ BOEING AND the US Navy have been flight
Aerial Refuelling Store testing the MQ-25 T1 test asset with the
visible on the MQ-25 T1 Cobham Mission Systems 31-301 aerial
test asset
refuelling store (ARS) – the same ‘buddy’
Dave Preston/Boeing
air-to-air refuelling system that is used by US
Navy F/A-18 Hornets and Super Hornets.
The initial flight was conducted by Boeing in
December, with test pilots operating from a
ground control station at MidAmerica St Louis
Airport in Mascoutah, Illinois. Further test sorties
on the aerodynamics of the aircraft at various
points of the flight envelope with the ARS
mounted under the wing were undertaken in
subsequent weeks and eventually progressed to
extension and retraction of the hose and drogue
used for refuelling.
US Navy Unmanned Carrier Aviation
programme manager, Captain Chad Reed said:
“Having a test asset flying with an ARS gets
us one big step closer in our evaluation of how
MQ-25 will fulfil its primary mission in the fleet.”
The Boeing-owned T1 test asset is a
predecessor of the engineering development
model MQ-25 produced under a 2018 contract
award. Boeing describes T1’s use as “early
learning and discovery”, to lay the foundation for
development and test of the MQ-25.
Last year the US Navy exercised an option for
three additional MQ-25 air vehicles, bringing
the total number of aircraft Boeing is initially
producing to seven. The US Navy intends to
procure more than 70 MQ-25s to replace the
F/A-18s that currently perform the tanking role.

Zephyr on the breeze again

The latest Airbus Zephyr AIRBUS DEFENCE and Space recently
test flights took place completed a new test-flight campaign for its
in Arizona Airbus
Zephyr High Altitude Platform
Station/Pseudo Satellite (HAPS) in Arizona.
The flights analysed “aircraft agility, control
and operations to build upon previous
campaigns”, the company reported.
According to Airbus, the testing’s
particular focus was on lower altitude
flying in “early-stage transition to the
stratosphere” as well as the validation of a
new flight planning tool suite. It also looked
at “operational concepts through multiple,
varied flights in short succession”.
Fitted with new software control systems
and specific flight test instruments, the
Zephyr achieved all test objectives, Airbus
said, “showcasing a more resilient and
capable aircraft”.
Two previous Zephyr test flights, both
from Wyndham in South Australia, ended in
failure. One system crashed in March 2019
in poor weather conditions. Six months
later a second aircraft broke up in flight
after an uncontrolled spiral descent caused
by turbulence, according to an Australian
Transport Safety Bureau investigation report
published last September.
Airbus did not disclose any results from
the latest round of tests in Arizona. In a
statement the company’s Head of Unmanned
Aerial Systems, Jana Rosenmann, said
further improvements will be made to the
aircraft ahead of a “full flight programme”
in 2021.
Zephyr is another solar-powered HAP/
HAPS system, which is intended to operate
far above weather and air traffic. It aims to
provide communications relay, intelligence,
surveillance and reconnaissance, maritime
surveillance, border patrol, forest fire
detection/monitoring and navigation.

THE KRATOS XQ-58A Valkyrie recently flew in formation at the Yuma Proving
Ground in Arizona with an F-22 Raptor and an F-35 Lightning from the 46th
Test Squadron at Eglin AFB. The test was led by an integrated Advanced
Battle Management System team involving Air Force Research Laboratory
and Life Cycle Management Center personnel.
14 February2021
COUNTER-UAS solutions developer DroneShield recently had several of
its systems for drone detection tested out during the US Army Defense
in Depth Exercise. The company’s DroneSentry, DroneSentry-X, RfPatrol
and DroneGun systems were used in “multiple operational scenarios”
in an urban environment”, the company said, to provide situational
awareness and real-time alerts.
 UAV FOCUS

‘Bugs’ join the Army

BAE SYSTEMS, in collaboration with
UAVTEK, has developed a nano ‘Bug’ drone.
Thirty of the nano UAVs, each weighing
196g – similar to a smartphone – have
been delivered to the British Army for
a trial. The recently revealed Bug has a
2km range and a 40-minute battery life.
Using BAE’s “stealthy low visual profile” it
can operate in strong winds of more than
43kts. It was demonstrated in October at
the Army Warfighting Experiment (AWE20)
event hosted by the MOD’s
Future Capability Group.
James Gerard, Principal Technologist
at BAE Systems’ Applied Intelligence
business, said: “In even the toughest
weather, the Bug can deliver vital
tactical intelligence on what’s around
the corner or over the next hill, working
autonomously to give troops a visual
update. Combined with our other
information advantage products, this
video feed could be shared multi-domain, According to BAE, “emphasis is placed on [small or medium-sized enterprise] The Bug weighs about the
enabling commanders on land, sea and innovations which push the boundaries of and the team has shared procedural same as a smartphone
air to increase their situational awareness technology and military capability, testing knowledge to improve our engineering BAE Systems
and inform their decisions.” a range of prototype systems by putting processes and practices.”
Innovations at the annual AWE event are them in the hands of the user whilst giving The teams are now working on the
designed to explore emerging technologies invaluable military feedback to suppliers”. next developments of the Bug, exploring
and identify specific capabilities. The focus Jenna Copley, Director at UAVTEK additional sensing equipment and
in last year’s event was agile command, explained: “BAE Systems has been capabilities and looking at how to integrate
control, and communication. extremely supportive of us as an SME it with other military equipment.

Drone’s first post

ROYAL MAIL is exploring the viability of drone
delivery to rural communities on the Isle of Mull
in the Inner Hebrides. An initial delivery was
made to the Rubha Nan Gall lighthouse on the
Scottish island in December ahead of a wider
consultation and operational trial.
The organisation is the first UK parcel
carrier to test UAV technology for delivery. A
consortium of established UK drone companies
including DronePrep and Skyports, along with
location code firm what3words is involved in
the project.
Royal Mail stated the trial “will help to
identify opportunities to support postmen and
postwomen in delivering to very remote areas
and addresses in the UK”.
Residents use the DronePrep software to
assess the viability of their property for drone
delivery, which will pinpoint a suitable landing
location in a 3 x 3m square area.
Speaking in a video about the trial,
postwoman Rosalyn Hopton, commented:
“There is an opening for a drone to get to
people faster than we could on foot.”
DronePrep CEO, Gareth Whatmore, said that
the collaboration presented “a huge opportunity
for us all to learn more about how drones can
complement and supplement existing Royal
Mail delivery services”.
Skyports’ drones have previously delivered
medical supplies to NHS Scotland in response
to COVID-19. The company has also been
selected by UK Research and Innovation to
participate in a project to establish the UK’s
first commercial drone corridor in open and
unrestricted airspace in an area south of
Reading, Berkshire. airspace as manned aircraft on key industry Drone delivery tests are
Flight trials along a 8km-long corridor are use cases in healthcare, emergency services under way in Scotland
Royal Mail
scheduled for the coming summer to show and infrastructure and includes deliveries
how drones can operate safely in the same and inspection.

NORTHROP GRUMMAN completed the first flight for the Global Hawk
Ground Station Modernization Program at Edwards Air Force Base,
California in December 2020. The company says it has “transformed both
the human-machine interface and the underlying software” on the aircraft’s
ground control system to enhance interoperability with other assets and
responsiveness to ad-hoc taskings.
TRANSPORT CANADA has ordered a single Elbit Systems Hermes 900
Starliner UAV for patrol missions along Canada’s coast. A C$36.2 million
deal covers a single airframe for various tasks including detection of oil
pollution, ice patrol and reconnaissance, wildlife survey and fisheries
patrol, among others. The Hermes will be delivered by December 2022.
February2021 15
ROTARY FOCUS by Mark Broadbent

First NH90s for Qatar

There are 28 NH90s TWO INITIAL NHIndustries NH90 helicopters
destined for the Qatar for the Qatar Emiri Air Force flew just before
Emiri Air Force Leonardo
the end of 2020.
Leonardo’s Venice Tessera facility was the
venue for the maiden sortie by the Gulf state’s
first NH90 NATO Frigate Helicopter (NFH)
on December 15, with the customer’s NH90
Tactical Troop Transport (TTH) example flying
from Airbus Helicopters’ Marignane plant
in France three days later. Crews evaluated
general handling and conducted basic systems
checks on both flights.
Qatar has ordered 28 NH90s, comprising
16 TTHs for land operations and 12 for naval
missions. It has an option for a further 12
helicopters in a mixture of variants, with its
contract also including support, maintenance,
training of aircrews and maintenance
technicians, and associated infrastructure
including simulators and training aids.
Acceptance of the first NH90s by the Qatar
Emiri Air Force is scheduled to start before the
end of this year, with the final example planned
for delivery in 2025.
Within the NHIndustries consortium, Airbus
Helicopters is responsible for assembling and
delivering the TTHs, with Leonardo supplying
the NFHs, but the Italian company is the prime
contractor for the Qatar agreement and is
accountable for integrating various avionics
and sensor payloads into all the helicopters.
These systems include the Leonardo LEOSS-T
HD electro-optical system, a high-definition
mission video recorder, automatic identification
system, tactical video link and full HD display
for cabin consoles.

Single-pilot
operation is now
authorised on
the H135
More H135 options
Airbus Helicopters AIRBUS HELICOPTERS H135 customers can
now select an alternate gross weight (AGW).
Operators can choose to use an increased
maximum take-off weight of up to 120kg,
extend range by 75nm or endurance by up to
40 minutes. An option on all new H135s, the
AGW can also be applied as a retrofit to H135s
with Helionix avionics already in service.
Additionally, the manufacturer has recently
certified single-pilot instrument flight rules (IFR)
operations for H135s. This enables customers
to choose between removing the co-pilot’s side
of the instrument panel to increase the single
pilot’s field of view or retaining it to install
specific supplementary equipment.
According to the manufacturer the H135’s
single-pilot IFR cockpit “will further boost
the capabilities of the H135 in several
missions, including aerial work, utility and law
enforcement.” More than 1,400 H135 family
helicopters have been delivered globally and fly
with 300 customers in 60 countries.

NHV GROUP has sold its six remaining Airbus Helicopters AS355
Dauphins to Air Greenland. All will be handed over to their new
operator in the early part of 2021. NHV fleet manager, Frederik Deley,
said that “the time is right to give [the AS355s] a new purpose” as the
company consolidates its operations with the Airbus H175/H145s and
Leonardo AW169/AW139s.
KUWAIT IS to purchase eight Boeing AH-64Es and upgrade 16 D-model
Apaches to the E model in a US$4bn deal confirmed in a December 29, 2020
listing by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency. The sale also includes
the supplying of General Electric T700-GE-701D engines and AGM-114
Hellfire missiles, as well as numerous control, radar, warning, navigation, target
acquisition and countermeasures systems.

16 February2021
 ROTARY FOCUS

Victory for
Valor tests
BELL HELICOPTER recently demonstrated two
capabilities — a newly installed Lockheed
Martin Tactical Common Datalink (TCDL) and
sling load operations — using a V-280 Valor at
its Arlington, Texas flight research centre.
For the TCDL demonstration, Bell successfully
transmitted information between the V-280 and
a ground station, including flight data such as
airspeed, altitude and attitude. A Bell statement
said: “By employing on-board sensors and
TCDL the V-280 showed it would be able to
provide targeting information to enhance the
lethality of precision long-range weapons.”
The V-280 also transmitted data collected
by the Lockheed Martin Pilotage Distributed
Aperture Sensor System in real time, including
video of the sling load cargo. Bell said this
enabled “pilots, crew, and supervisors to
Data transmission and
sling load tests were
conducted with the V-280
monitor the sling load demonstration as if
Valor Bell Helicopter
looking through the bottom of the aircraft,
whether on board or on the ground.” Multiple
cargo lifts were used to show procedures, the
co-ordination of air and ground crews, and load
behaviour for operations with sling loads.

Hailing the air taxi!

A NUMBER of companies are forging ahead
on projects to develop new electric vertical
take-off and landing (eVTOL) systems in the
burgeoning urban aerial mobility (UAM) sector.
Embraer is looking at a concept of
operations for air taxis in Melbourne, with its
dedicated UAM unit Eve – set up in October –
working with air navigation services provider
Airservices Australia.
The Brazilian airframer aims to develop
an eVTOL to fly passengers between fixed
landing pads in cities and suburbs, and
is investigating how to safely integrate
these aircraft into air traffic management.
This follows the Australian government’s
discussion paper exploring eVTOLs and
unmanned systems in the country’s airspace
and the challenges and opportunities
presented by their large-scale introduction.
Meanwhile, Volocopter has set a
goal to launch eVTOL services with its
VoloCity system on a tourist route in
Singapore by 2024. The German company
will build a 50-strong team of pilots,
engineers, operations specialists and
business managers in the city-state, from
where it plans to operate cross-border
regional flights from 2026. It also plans
comprehensive static and flight tests to
achieve certification.
Another recent eVTOL development is Joby
Aviation’s acquisition of Uber Elevate. Joby is
developing an eVTOL capable of transporting
four passengers and a pilot at 173kts up
to 130nm on a single charge. It wants to
introduce a “fast, quiet and affordable” air
taxi service by 2023 and says the purchase Volocopter plans
enables it to take advantage of Uber’s services in Singapore
experience in ‘on-demand’ urban mobility. from 2024 Volocopter

AUSTRIAN EMERGENCY services provider ÖAMTC Air Rescue is to
receive five further Airbus Helicopters H135s from early next year,
expanding its fleet to a total of 28. ÖAMTC Air Rescue CEO, Reinhard
Kraxner, commented: “The reduced pilot workload combined with the
four-axis autopilot will be a valuable asset for our crews that rescue
patients often in challenging environments.”
RUSSIAN HELICOPTERS has started assembling the first prototype
Mi-171A3 offshore helicopter at the company’s Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant in
Buryatia. The Mi-171A3 has several differences from the Mi-171A2, from
which it was developed. These include a new airframe with a crash-resistant
fuel system, upgraded avionics for offshore and Arctic operations and
composite materials to reduce weight.

February2021 17
BUSINESS FOCUS by Dave Willis

Challenger boost for Bombardier

Bombardier has received
an order for ten Challenger
350s as the firm continues
to place business aviation
at its core Bombardier
BOMBARDIER ENDED 2020 on a high, after
securing a fleet order for ten Challenger 350
super-midsize business jets. The contract,
announced on December 23, was one of
the largest of the year, with a list value of
US$267m, although the customer has not
been disclosed.
Last year was notable for a dearth of
multiple aircraft deals, as fleet operators
came to terms with lower levels of demand
while the COVID-19 pandemic took hold. With
vaccines beginning to become available, fleet
operators have started to assess their aircraft
requirements for the post-coronavirus
environment. The recent firm order may be
the first of a number of large options placed
for business aircraft from fleet operators in
the coming months.
The order is a welcome boost to Bombardier,
which spent much of 2020 reorganising its
corporate structure to concentrate solely on
business aviation, as well as reducing costs,
a process that is expected to be completed
early this year. The company continues to
invest in its service network. On January 4 it
announced it had completed acquisition of all
shares in the Berlin Service Centre at Berlin’s
Brandenburg Airport from former partners
Lufthansa Technik and ExecuJet. Construction
continues at Biggin Hill in Kent on a new
service centre, which will cover 23,226m2 and
be able accommodate up to 14 Global 7500s.
It is due to open in the first quarter of 2022.
Divestment of non-business aviation divisions
continues, with the sale of railstock producer
Bombardier Transportation to Alstom expected
to be completed on January 29.
Even after selling its non-core assets,
the company will have a debt of US$4.5bn.
Bombardier does not anticipate introducing
any new aircraft for at least five years, as it
has recently refreshed its Global and Learjet
ranges. During 2021 the company estimates
it will hand over 100 to 120 new business
jets; in 2019 it delivered 142.

Continental traffic dips

TRAFFIC FIGURES released by the European Business
Aviation Association (EBAA) highlighted that business
flight operations across the Continent had fallen by
25.7% on average in November 2020, compared with
2019. This was a further decrease on October’s figure,
which was down 16.6% year-on-year.
The decline has been most marked in the UK and
Italy. British operations were down 7% in August,
but fell to 44% in November, compared with the
same months in 2019. Rising cases of COVID-19
saw much of the UK placed under stricter lockdown
measures during November.
The initial dip because of the pandemic started in
March, reaching its nadir in April when activity was
76% below that of the previous year across Europe. It
remained low into June before recovering. By August,
traffic was down only 0.7% over 2019, but it has
significantly fallen each month since.

Checking In AI has aviation covered!

Do you hold a passionate opinion
about a civil or military aviation issue
or a view on AIR International’s content?
We are listening. Particularly in such
extraordinary times, we enjoy a lively
dialogue with you through our news,
features and analysis.
Get in touch at airinternational@keypublishing.
com and start the subject line with Checking In.
Carol Randall, Associate Editor,
Commercial Aviation
AS A loyal subscriber for 50 years, I want to
express my complete satisfaction with AIR
International’s editorial direction. I’ve seen it
morph from aviation history to a wide spectrum
of news on all-important current aerospace
developments. AI does a superior job of
selecting the most important topics and one
does not need to be an industry insider to
subscribe. Plus, it has a human touch lacking in
some business-oriented aerospace magazines.
A case in point is ‘Cruise Britannia’ (December,
pg 52-57), the tragic story of the five Sullivan
brothers during the vicious Guadalcanal
campaign. Few Americans remember this story,
but you did.
Meeting deadlines with staff working remotely
is a daunting challenge in the face of this
coronavirus calamity. Thank you all for your
dedication. Keep sending my AIR International!
Dave Taylor, Florida, USA
More power to you
I ENJOY the magazine, thank you. One aspect that
really frustrates me is missing simple technical
information — stuff I would find really interesting.

18 February2021
 BUSINESS FOCUS

LONDON BIGGIN Hill

Airport in Kent will
complete a number of
improvements to its
infrastructure aimed
at strengthening its
appeal to business
aviation. This March,
work will start on a new
terminal building, an
air traffic control tower
and a 54-room four
star hotel. Approval is
also being sought to
add new instrument
approach systems at
both ends of Runway
03/21, which is
estimated to increase

Falcon’s virtual reveal

traffic by around 10%.

GULFSTREAM
AEROSPACE announced
on December 16 it had
Aircraft manufacturer, Dassault Aviation, has unveiled its new Falcon 6X long-range business jet during a closed-door ceremony held in the delivered the first G600
Charles Lindbergh Hall at its Bordeaux/Mérignac plant in France. A traditional rollout could not be held as a result of COVID-19 restrictions, long-range business jet to
resulting in a virtual launch event that was held on December 8, 2020. The prototype, F-WAVE (c/n 03), is expected to make its maiden flight in the an undisclosed customer
coming months after completing a ground test programme. Service entry for the Falcon 6X is expected to take place in 2022 Dassault Aviation in Europe. The aircraft

European Praetor
was certified by the
European Union Aviation
Safety Agency on May
11, as a variant of the

500 upgrade first

GVII (the GVII-G600, the
other model being the
GVII-G500).

A GROUND-BREAKING
Brazilian aerospace conglomerate, Embraer,
for Aerion Supersonic’s
has completed the initial conversion in headquarters
Europe of a Legacy 450 to a Praetor 500 for complex at Melbourne
an undisclosed customer. International Airport,
The conversion work was undertaken at the outside Orlando,
manufacturer’s service centre at Le Bourget, Florida occurred on
located just outside Paris in France, and has
December 10. The
increased the total number of such upgrades
to 11 as of mid-December, 2020. Other 44.7-hectare campus
Legacy 450s have been modified at Windsor – known as Aerion
Locks in Connecticut, Fort Lauderdale in Park – will include
Florida and Sorocaba in Brazil. facilities for research,
The modifications involve adding winglets, design, production,
updating the Collins Aerospace Pro Line
interior completion and
Fusion cockpit avionics and EV2S enhanced/
synthetic vision system, reinforcing the wing delivery of Aerion’s
ribs and making significant changes to the AS2 supersonic
fuel system Embraer business jet.

An example is ‘Higher-power CH-47 under test’
(November, pg 16). No mention of the power of
the current GE engine nor its replacement.
Aubrey Waddy, by email
Ed: We hear you, Aubrey. The power of the current
Honeywell T55-GA-714C is 6,000shp and the
proposed replacement from GE is 7,500shp.
Honeywell is also working on uprating the T55.
Figuratively speaking
REGARDING THE UK only deploying 4 x F-35s
aboard QE for CSG Joint Warrior 20-2 ‘Cruise
Britannia’ (December, pg 52-57). Based on
reported US ‘mission ready’ rates for the F-35 of
60% ish, I assume the RAF is similar. So, 15 RAF
F-35s at Marham, with 60% available for ops,
equals nine. The RAF states that five aircraft are
required by 207 Sqn for operational conversion
to ensure sufficient aircrew for the 2021
deployment, leaving four for 617 Sqn to deploy
on QE. I gather from sources — I live near RAF
Marham— that a fifth RAF aircraft was aboard
QE during the exercise, though it is believed it
replaced an unserviceable aircraft.
Mike Clemo, by email
AI’s military aviation editor-at-large Alan
Warnes replies: You’re spot on, Mike!
With three additional F-35Bs having been
delivered on November 30, 2020 after the CSG
Joint Warrior exercise ended, the readiness levels
should increase by at least one.
This will rise even further as more are delivered,
so by CSG 21 we could see six on the HMS Queen
Elizabeth, augmented by USMC jets.
To date, 21 have been delivered to the UK: 18
to RAF Marham, while the other three are based at
Edwards AFB, California working with the test and
evaluation unit (17 Sqn).

February2021 19
TECHNOLOGY FOCUS by Dave Allport
ZeroAvia partners with BA to
explore hydrogen-powered aircraft
ZeroAvia’s modified Piper PA-46-350P Malibu Mirage executive aircraft, G-HYZA, taking off from Cranfield Airfield in
Bedfordshire on September 24, 2020 to conduct the world’s first ever hydrogen fuel cell-powered flight of a commercial-
BRITISH AIRWAYS announced on December
12 that it has teamed up with ZeroAvia in a
project to explore how hydrogen-powered
aircraft can play a leading role in the future of
sustainable flying. The collaboration, which
BA says reflects the importance it places on
sustainability, will see ZeroAvia embedded
in the heart of the airline. The team will work
remotely alongside mentors and experts to
explore the transformational possibilities of
moving from fossil fuels to zero-emission
International Air Response
DARPA Gremlins take flight
C-130A Hercules N120TG
attempts to recover a
Gremlins during a test
at the Dugway Proving
Ground in Utah DARPA
THE US Defense Advanced Research Projects
Agency (DARPA) announced on December
10, 2020, that attempts at airborne retrieval
of three unmanned air vehicles, nicknamed
Gremlins, were just inches away from success
in it’s latest flight test series on October 28.
Each X-61A Gremlins Air Vehicle (GAV) flew
for over two hours, validating all autonomous
formation flying positions and safety features.
Nine attempts were made at mechanical
engagement of the GAVs with the docking
20 February2021
grade aircraft ZeroAvia
hydrogen to power the airline’s future fleet.
The announcement came in the same
week the airline retired its final 747
aircraft, four years earlier than planned,
to make way for the A350 and 787
Dreamliner, which are between 25-40%
more fuel efficient.
ZeroAvia recently completed the world’s
first hydrogen fuel cell-powered flight of a
commercial-grade aircraft using a modified,
six-seat Piper PA-46-350P Malibu Mirage
bullet extended from the rear ramp of a C-130
Hercules aircraft, but relative movement was
more dynamic than expected and, ultimately,
each GAV safely parachuted to the ground.
The Hercules used for the tests was 65-year-
old veteran C-130A N120TG, owned by
International Air Response of Mesa, Arizona.
Scott Wierzbanowski, programme manager
for Gremlins in DARPA’s Tactical Technology
Office, said: “We came within inches of
connection on each attempt but, ultimately,
executive aircraft, G-HYZA. This flew for the
first time after conversion on September
24, 2020, from ZeroAvia’s research and
development base at Cranfield Airfield,
Bedfordshire. The aircraft completed taxi,
take-off, a full pattern circuit and landing.
In 2021, ZeroAvia expects to further
demonstrate the credibility of its
technology at longer ranges and using
larger aircraft. The company expects
to achieve the commercialisation of
hydrogen-electric power for aircraft as
early as 2023, with flights of up to 500
miles in up to 20-seater aircraft. By 2027,
it plans to have powerplants in service
that are capable of powering commercial
flights of over 500 miles in aircraft with
up to 100 seats and, by 2030, more than
1,000 miles in aircraft with 100+ seats.
The partnership with BA is part of parent
company IAG’s Hangar 51 technology
accelerator programme. At the end of the
programme, research and findings from the
process will be shared and the ZeroAvia
and Hangar 51 teams will consider how the
partnership will progress in the longer term.
BA CEO Sean Doyle said: “British
Airways is committed to a sustainable
future and achieving net zero carbon
emissions by 2050.”
it just wasn’t close enough to engage the
recovery system.”
Nevertheless, hours of data were collected
over three flights, including aerodynamic
interactions between the docking bullet and
GAV. Efforts are already underway to analyse
that data, update models and designs,
and conduct additional flights and retrieval
attempts in a fourth deployment this spring.
Wierzbanowski said: “We were so close
this time that I am confident that multiple
airborne recoveries will be made in the next
deployment. However, as with all flight testing,
there are always real-world uncertainties and
challenges that have to be overcome.”
The goal of the Gremlins programme is to
demonstrate air launch and air recovery of
four GAVs within 30 minutes. The capability
of safe, effective and efficient air recoveries
will dramatically expand the potential uses of
unmanned aircraft in conflict situations.
The GAVs can be equipped with a variety
of sensors and other mission-specific
technologies. They can also be launched from
various types of military aircraft, keeping those
less expendable assets beyond the range of
adversary defences. After air retrieval of GAVs,
they would be transported back to the ground
where crews could prepare them for another
mission within 24 hours.
 TECHNOLOGY FOCUS

France conducts 1,000kg Hammer tests

SAFRAN ELECTRONICS and Defence One of the new 1,000kg
versions of the AASM
announced on December 11 that the new
Hammer falls away from
1,000kg version of its AASM Hammer air- a Dassault Rafale during
to-ground modular weapon had successfully the recent successful
completed its first two inert separation tests separation test Dassault
from a Dassault Rafale at the Cazaux flight test
centre. Safran said the separation dynamics
seen during the two firings were in line with
simulations. These industrial validation tests
were designed to check the correct sequencing
of components of the wing hardpoint and
the weapon, as well as the wing deployment
mechanism on the range extension kit.
Live firing tests will be held in 2021 as part
of the final development and qualification of
the weapon. Rafale will be able to carry up
to three of the new AASMs, which can be
launched from an extended stand-off range.
Qualification is planned for 2022, leading to
service entry on the new Rafale F4 standard.

Reapers display automatic take-off, landing

THE US Air Force Lifecycle Management Center’s
MQ-9 Program Office announced on December 14
that it had achieved a milestone in the successful
completion of testing for its automatic take-off and
landing capability (ATLC) on October 6, 2020. ATLC
allows the USAF’s MQ-9 Reaper fleet to perform
with automated inputs from sensors onboard the
platform, creating a more flexible and dynamic
weapon system to meet current and future
operational requirements.
Additionally, the successful testing of ATLC
validated the ability to conduct an automated
landing of the MQ-9 under a lost-link scenario,
increased weight configurations and heavy
crosswinds, as well as the capability of the MQ-9
to perform aerial runway surveys of potential divert
locations while in flight.
The MQ-9 team said that it had faced significant
challenges in completing development and
testing of the ATLC programme due to COVID-
19. In addition to manpower shortages due to
travel restrictions and quarantine policies, runway
closures at multiple primary and back-up locations
put execution of flight testing in jeopardy.
However, the MQ-9 Program Office and
Detachment 3 were able to make use of their
partnership with the Test Resource Management
Center (TRMC), High Speed Systems Test (HSST)
Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) based range,
SkyRange, team to execute the flights in a timely
fashion. Utilising TRMC/HSST SkyRange facilities
at the Southern California Logistics Airport (SCLA),
the MQ-9 Team and contractor General Atomics
Aeronautical Systems Inc (GA-ASI) were able to
conduct ATLC testing at the civilian runway in
Victorville, California.
The partnership between the MQ-9 Program
Office and TRMC/HSST SkyRange added an
important test outlet, among other needs,
allowing rapid solutions for unplanned or planned
deviations. This collaborative effort resulted
in the completion of ATLC three weeks ahead
of schedule and the capability being ready for
integration in the next release of weapon system
software updates.

USAF B-1B conducts standoff missile test

US Air Force B-1B Lancer 85-0075 ‘ED’, assigned to the 412th Test Wing’s 419th Flight Test Squadron at Edwards Air Force Base, California,
carries out an external release demonstration at Holloman AFB, New Mexico, on December 4, 2020, with an inert AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface
Standoff Missile (JASSM) that had been attached to an external pylon normally used to carry a Sniper targeting pod. The JASSM is normally
carried internally by the B-1B and the trial was intended to increase flexibility in bomber payloads USAF/Giancarlo Casem

February2021 21
 GA FOCUS by Martin Needham and Thomas Haynes

Small Fly!
The organisers of AERO
Friedrichshafen – one of Crankshaft issues
ground 192 aircraft
Europe’s largest General
Aviation trade shows – are
continuing to plan this
coming April’s event with
a “full programme”.
The announcement came
after the International Paris
Air Show – scheduled
for June 2021 – was
cancelled owing to the
pandemic and uncertainty
about the viability of large
-scale events. Organisers
said major players in
the industry – including
Diamond, Tecnam, Piper
and Textron – had all
committed to attending.
AERO head, Roland
Bosch, said: “We are
pleased about the loud
and enthusiastic response
by the industry. This
underlines the relevance
of AERO Friedrichshafen
and the need for
face-to-face interaction.” Around three-fifths of the 192 affected engines are
installed in certificate aeroplanes such as the Cessna 172 Martin Needham
Kansas-based Textron
Aviation launched THE US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) excessive residual white layer of iron nitride informed customers that the Texas-based
a new variant of its has issued a new airworthiness directive (AD) forming on the assemblies. This white layer firm is working on a response to the issue. In
popular Beechcraft after it was discovered that a batch of 192 is brittle and can lead to spalling or fatigue February 2019, SAP ran a mandatory
King Air 200 series Superior Air Parts (SAP)-produced crankshaft cracking of the crankshaft assembly as a result buy-back scheme for XP-382 and XP-400
with the introduction assemblies were found to be defective. of the normal mechanical loads during engine series engines after several powerplants were
of the King Air 260
The AD, which has been adopted by the operation. The FAA's analysis concluded that found to have detonation problems.
turboprop. Featuring
European Union Aviation Safety Agency all three SAP crankshaft assembly failures Of the 192 affected crankshaft assemblies,
the latest improvements
(EASA), was prompted by three crankshaft were the result of this fatigue cracking.” 115 are understood to be installed on type
to the cockpit and the
failures that resulted in the loss of engine The regulator added that its risk analysis certificated aircraft while the other 77 power
cabin already seen in
power where the pilots involved were required indicates that “100% of crankshaft assembly homebuilt and experimental aeroplanes.
the firm’s other types,
production of the to make emergency landings. failures will destroy the engine”, adding SAP-built crankshafts are fitted as
aircraft is under way. Explaining its decision, the administration that failing to act could result in 28 aircraft standard to both the Superior Air Parts
The announcement stated that: “The FAA determined that the losses and potentially cause as many as XP-360 and Vantage series of engines,
comes hot on the crankshaft assembly failures resulted from the 53 fatalities. while they are also available as a
heels of the recently manufacturing process at SAP's crankshaft Responding to the AD, Scott Hayes, SAP’s replacement component for Lycoming
introduced King Air 360 vendor during 2012 and 2014 causing vice president of sales and marketing has O-360, IO-360 and AEIO-360 models.
(see ‘AIR International’

Diamond celebrates
January 2020), which
received its type
certification
last October.
Ron Draper, president

500th DA40 NG
and CEO of
Textron Aviation,
said: “We place an
immense value on our
conversations with our
customers, and the CHRISTMAS ARRIVED early for Austria’s More than 2,200 examples of the DA40 Reinhard Schwaiger, team leader of
investments we make in Diamond Aircraft as it confirmed the 500th family – which also comprises Lycoming Civil Aircraft Sales at Diamond Aircraft,
our aircraft are a direct
DA40 NG had rolled off the company’s IO-360 and Thielert TAE 125-powered models said: “This is a very exciting milestone for
result of listening to
Weiner Neustadt production line. The – are presently in worldwide service, with a Diamond Aircraft. The DA40 NG is the
their input. I’m proud
milestone came little more than a decade significant number of those in high utilisation ideal aircraft for both private pilots and
of the impressive effort
after the 168hp AUSTRO AE300-powered commercial fleet operations. As well as flight training operators globally. [It] offers
by our team for taking
a legendary aircraft and variant was certificated in April 2010. enjoying popularity with flying schools, several a superb balance of performance and
adding technological The 500th example of the four-seat militaries also use the type, including the efficiency while being very reliable and
advancements.” composite aircraft was handed over to an air forces of Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, durable. Congratulations to the proud new
undisclosed operator at the end of 2020. Bolivia, Ecuador and Jamaica. customer of this jubilee DA40 NG.”

22 February2021
 GA FOCUS

Pilot perfects Piper’s Small Fly!

training portfolio
Air Race E has
confirmed that a
second British team
has joined the series.
Team Bandit Racing
was added to the list
due to compete in
The Piper Pilot 100i is the fifth aircraft to be certified from the the inaugural season,
Florida-based firm’s training stable Piper Aircraft/Jim Barrett currently expected to
be contested in 2022.
Two other competitors
from Canada and
France were also
added in December
2020, meaning that
there will likely be at
least 15 teams involved
once the series gets
underway. At the
present time, very
little is known about
the new UK entrant
and which aircraft
they will be flying.
However, Yorkshire
-based Team Condor,
which announced its
participation in 2019,
is understood to be
planning to race a
modified Cassutt IIIM,
G-AXDZ. The aircraft
was one of three
Cassutt Speed Ones
built by Tom Storey
trading as Airmark
PIPER HAS received type certification for, The Pilot 100i completes the Vero Beach, Both variants are powered by a Continental between 1969 and
and handed over, its first Pilot 100i, the latest Florida-based manufacturer’s portfolio of IO-370 four-cylinder piston engine. 1972. It raced under
variant from its near 33,000-strong Cherokee training aircraft, which also includes the Simon Caldecott, Piper president and CEO, the names Will o’
dynasty. The Piper PA-28-based type is the Archer TX and Diesel-powered Archer DX said of the achievement: “We are excited the Wisp, Firestreak,
second of two versions optimised for flying (which has retractable landing gear) and the to add the Pilot 100 series to our training Screwball and White
schools to enter service. twin-engined Seminole. The most noticeable product line at a price point that provides Lightning during the
Launch customer, American Flyers – which differences between the 100i and the entry optimal economics for all operators. During 1980s and 1990s,
operates six training facilities across Texas, level Pilot 100 are the additional rear seat these uncertain times, our team has remained during which time it
Arizona and New Jersey – received its maiden and Garmin GFC500 autopilot. Optimisation focused and worked diligently to bring was flown by Andrew
Pilot 100i in December 2020. The three-seat, for flying schools is evident from the deletion to market an aggressively priced, proven Chadwick in handicap
IFR-capable, autopilot-equipped aircraft was of the baggage door as well as the lack of trainer that offers the advanced systems and and formula one races.
supplemented by seven further examples all air conditioning. Additionally, there are no performance that flight schools and airline
arriving by New Year’s Day. instruments on the left-hand side of the panel. programmes of all sizes desire.” Czech light aircraft
manufacturer, BRM
Aero, has received

MAHEPA Hy4
European Union Aviation
CTLS certified Safety Agency (EASA)
type certification for its

makes maiden flight

THE MODULAR Approach to Hybrid Electric
Propulsion Architecture (MAHEPA) consortium
has successfully demonstrated the technology
developed through the partnership by flying its
Hy4 aircraft for the first time.
On November 6, 2020 the hybrid-electric
aircraft flew from Maribor airport in Slovenia.
Over the subsequent two weeks, the Hy4
performed more than 35 take-offs and
landings, flying for approximately two hours
each time, to observe powertrain functionality
and return critical test data.
THE FLIGHT Design CTLS and CTLSi have
new Bristell B23. While
received European Union Aviation Safety
the type looks similar to
Agency (EASA) certification, enabling the
the classic Bristell LSA,
Rotax 912iSc-powered two-seater to be the next-generation
MAHEPA is a pan-European partnership used for pilot training. The certification of
involving Slovenia’s Pipistrel Vertical Solutions, example features an
the aircraft was amended to include several extended fuselage and
Compact Dynamics, DLR and H2Fly of upgrades, including a Dynon SkyView HDX tail, an aluminium rudder
Germany, the Politecnico di Milano, Delft touchscreen display and an autopilot. The and larger flaps and
University of Technology, the University of aircraft’s new powerplant – the Rotax horizontal stabiliser. The
Maribor and the University of Ulm. 912 iSc Sport engine – also meant that airframer has targeted
The Hy4 comprises two Pipistrel Taurus the type required a new noise certificate. the B23 at the training
gliders with a hydrogen fuel cell-powered Acceptance flights were undertaken by market by strengthening
electric motor mounted in the middle. The first EASA staff near the European regulator’s its landing gear. It can
qualification tests and data dissemination show headquarters in Cologne, Germany during also be upgraded to
that the Hy4 powertrain architecture allows an the recertification process. meet IFR requirements.
upscaling of the modular technology.
February2021 23
 RUSSIAN REVIEW
Russian aviation journalist and photographer Piotr Butowski
reports on the latest aerospace news and technology
developments from the Russian Federation
Russia’s Aviation milestones
Contracts and commissions
O
ne of the most significant events in military
aviation last year happened at the very end
of 2020, with the commissioning of the first
new-generation Sukhoi Su-57 fighter in late
December. At the time of writing, full details
had yet to be released about the Su-57, but
many other important milestones had been
passed during the previous 12 months. The Russian aviation
industry completed several large contracts to supply military
aircraft, as per the State Armament Programme for 2011-2020.
In the final days of November, Sukhoi’s Komsomolsk-on-Amur
Aviation Plant (KnAAZ) in eastern Russia concluded a contract
to build 50 Su-35S Flanker-E aircraft that was agreed in
December 2015, when it handed over the remaining three of
these fighters to the Aerospace Forces.
24 February2021
Su-35S ‘11’ arrived with Su-35S ‘08’at Lipetsk. The pair were the last of 49 in a
contract for 50 of the aircraft to arrive at the evaluation centre Russian MoD
One of them, tail number ‘10’, remained at the Dzyomgi air
base in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, where the 23rd Fighter Aviation
Regiment is stationed. The other two Su-35S fighters, numbered
‘08’ and ‘11’, were flown to the evaluation centre at Lipetsk,
about 350km south of Moscow.
The task of the 4th State Air Personnel Preparation and Military
Evaluation Centre of Russia’s tactical aviation at Lipetsk is to train
instructors from operational units that are set to receive the new
aircraft. The instructors then train the pilots at their regiments.
Between November and December, the Novosibirsk Aviation
Plant, also owned by Sukhoi, handed over the last two Su-34
Fullback fighter-bombers to the Aerospace Forces to honour
a contract for 92 aircraft signed in February 2012. This pair of
Su-34s are additional orders to replace aircraft lost in service.
Just like the latest Su-35S Flanker-Es, these Su-34 Fullbacks
were also sent to the Lipetsk centre.
The two plants each received further orders in the summer.
The KnAAZ has a contract for six Su-35Ss to complement the
aircraft that were scrapped, plus an order for a further 20 for
another operational unit. Likewise, the Novosibirsk plant received
an order for 24 aircraft for delivery in 2021-2023. The third
Russian tactical combat aircraft production facility, the Irkutsk
Aviation Plant, belonging to the Irkut Corporation, was awarded
a contract for 21 Su-30SM2 fighters and 25 Yak-130 jet trainers.
Two of the new Su-35S fighters, '08' and '11', were flown to the evaluation centre
at Lipetsk. Meanwhile, tail number '10' remained at the Dzyomgi air base in
Komsomolsk-on-Amur Russian MoD

PD-14 powerplant
takes to the air
T
he civilian sector of the Russian aviation industry
was busier than its military counterpart at the end
of 2020. On December 15, the initial
MC-21-310, '73055' (c/n 21012), powered with
Russian PD-14 turbofan engines took flight for the
first time from the airfield of the Irkutsk Aviation
Plant (see AIR International, January, pg 42-43).
The aircraft’s crew comprised chief pilot Vasily Sevastyanov,
co-pilot Andrey Voropayev and test engineer Alexander Solovyev.
The flight lasted 85 minutes at an altitude of up to 11,500ft and
speeds of 242kts. The '73055' example is the fifth flying MC-21;
the four previous MC-21-300 test examples are fitted with Pratt
& Whitney PW1431G-JM engines.
According to a statement by Denis Manturov, Russia’s Minister
of Industry and Trade, the initial MC-21-300 variant with Pratt
& Whitney engines is due to obtain Russian certification by
the end of this year, later than previously planned for 2020.
The MC-21-310 version with PD-14 engines is to get Russian
certification and be ready for delivery in 2022. The international
certification, scheduled for one year after the Russian equivalent,
Il-114-300 is
airborne
The Il-114-300’s maiden flight from
Zhukovsky lasted seven minutes UAC
O
n December 16, a new regional turboprop
passenger aircraft, Il-114-300, took off for the
first time at Zhukovsky. Just seven minutes
aloft was long enough for President Vladimir
Putin to boast about the flight at the annual
press conference the following day. The
public debut of Il-114-300 has already been
announced for the MAKS 2021 exhibition in August this year.
The initial Il-114-300, ‘54114’ (c/n 1033830030), was an
overhauled and modernised Il-114 produced in Tashkent in
January 1994 and exhibited at Farnborough later that year. The
maiden flight of the first completely new aircraft made entirely in
Russia is scheduled to take place later this year.
In June, assembly of its fuselage sections began at the
Lukhovitsy plant outside Moscow. If the tests go smoothly, the
Il-114-300 could enter service in 2023. During a meeting with
Putin in August, United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) president, Yuri
RUSSIAN REVIEW
ABOVE: Russian reveal: the first
MC-21-310 ‘73055’ is rolled out
at the Irkutsk Aviation Plant
Marina Lystseva-Irkut
RIGHT: The PD-14 engines on the
MC-21-310 supplant Pratt &
Whitney versions
Marina Lystseva-Irkut
has been impacted by COVID-19 constraints as it requires EASA
specialists to be present in Russia, which is difficult at present.
The Irkut MC-21 is a qualitative leap compared with previous
aircraft manufactured in-country. It promises 8% lower fuel
consumption and 5% lower operating costs on a typical 1,850km
route than the re-motorised Airbus A320neo.
The first Il-114-300 during assembly in
Lukhovitsy. It’s public debut will be
at MAKS 2021 in August UAC
Slyusar, said: “We plan to produce up to 12 aircraft per year.”
The biggest improvements in the new Il-114-300 are the Klimov
TV7-117ST-01 turboprop engines that increase take-off power
to 3,100hp, the upgraded Russian avionics suite TsPNK-114M2
and a redesigned passenger cabin. The type will be able to
carry 68 people over a distance of 1,400km, or 2,700km with 50
passengers, cruising at 259-269kts. There is also an Il-114-300T
freighter version and the Il-114-300L (Lyzhy skids) for use in the
Arctic. An extended-fuselage Il-114-400 version will be built if a
proposed 4,000hp turboprop engine is made available.
At its first flight, Minister of Industry and Trade, Denis Manturov,
said: “Up to 100 Il-114-300s for civil aviation, government
customers and export will be made by 2030.” UAC is also
promoting the Il-114MP maritime patrol aircraft with the Kasatka
‘killer whale’ mission suite combining surveillance radar, an
electronic intelligence system and magnetometer, as well as
depth charges, torpedoes, and anti-ship missiles.
February2021 25
Journey’s
for Serbia’s MiGs
e
Between 1962 and 1986 the former Yugoslav Air Force
received a total of 261 MiGs from Russia. By 2020, only one
remained – but that was lost in an accident. Aleksandar
Radic reports on the demise of a Cold War legend

A
ccording to official data,
the Serbian Air Force and
Air Defence (SAF&AD)
have 26 MiG-21 aircraft
still on strength. That
number is listed in
the report submitted
to the Organisation for Security and
Organisation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna
every December, as part of the Annual
Exchange of Military Information.
The data covers the technology in the
inventory, but the number of MiG-21s
actually in service now is zero. The only
surviving MiG-21, a dual-seater MiG-
21UM, 16185, crashed on September
25, 2020. That morning two pilots were
tasked with checking the weather
situation above central Serbia before
flying operations started. Tragically, the
pair were killed when their MiG-21UM hit
the ground near Loznica, in the western
part of Serbia, while at low-level.
The current government in Serbia is
authoritarian and takes care to publish
only positive information. Therefore, there
is no official confirmation of whether the
MiG-21 jets will continue to fly.
At the time of writing, the last remaining
aircraft available is MiG-21UM, 16180,
but the question remains whether it can
be returned to operations, spare parts
allowing. That is why the last flight of
aircraft number 16185 will most likely
close the chapter on MiG-21 jets in
SAF&AD service.
Last MiG-21s in service
There are now ten MiG-29s being used
in the 101st Fighter Aviation Squadron
(FAS), and another four are expected to
arrive from overhaul in Belarus. They are
flown by pilots of three flights who have
previously undergone retraining on the
MiG-29 or have recently been transferred

26 February2021
ss end
from the Soko J-22 Orao and G-4 Super
Galeb aircraft.
Five pilots, who are in their late 20s,
have been trained in Russia. In the 101st
FAS/4th Flight, there remains several
MiG-21 pilots who are older than 40,
and who are not destined to convert
to the MiG-29. They are the reason
why the last pair of MiG-21UMs (16180
and 16185) were the last MiG-21s, of
all versions received in Yugoslavia, to
remain in service.
No 16185 left the production line on
December 1, 1986, only ten months
before the arrival of the first MiG-29
In the 1999 NATO air attack, 25 MiG-21bis fighters,
one MiG-21M recon and six MiG-21UM trainers
were destroyed on the ground
The last Serbian MiG-21 jets are with the 4th Flight, 101st Fighter Aviation Squadron. The unit formed
in 2006, having evolved from the 126th Squadron. The demon emblem on the MiG-21UM nose was
inherited from the disbanded 126th
All images by Dimitrije Ostojic
aircraft. It was last overhauled in 2016 in
the Serbian Moma Stanojlovic plant at
Batajnica Air Base, with its life extended
to 2026, or 750-850 hours of flight.
Because of maintenance problems, it
was grounded on May 11, 2018, for two
years, before flying again on May 7, 2020.
During the summer, routine training
was renewed for the pilots of the 101st
FAS until the accident in which the
commander of the 4th Flight and the
intelligence officer of the squadron were
both killed.
Now stored at Batajnica AB, the
remaining MiG-21s are waiting for
the final decision on their status.
The likelihood is that they will be
decommissioned and at best, will find a
new home in a museum or displayed in
some public place.
Looking for a replacement
Replacing these obsolete Cold-War era
aircraft has long been on the cards for
the SAF&AD. The first attempt to do so
was in autumn 2010, when it was agreed
to purchase modern multi-role combat
aircraft. The Serbian Ministry of Defence
sent a Request for Information (RFI) to
the world’s leading manufacturers.
February2021 27
 condition of nine aircraft manufactured
between 1980 and 1982. All had reached
the 30-year service life expiration date.
The Russians came in March 2013 and,
after inspecting the aircraft, proposed
to extend their airframe lives for another
five years, but after an overhaul. During
their stay, the two MiG-21bis remaining
airworthy also reached the 30-year
service milestone and were grounded.
The ministry considered the Lockheed interrupted and most of the aircraft had It meant, from the morning of March
Martin F-16C/D, Eurofighter and the reached their expiration date, set for 30 26, 2013, there was no more QRA alert.
Rafale, as well as the Sukhoi Su-30 and years after rolling off the production line. With no decision to go ahead with the
MiG-29M. The Chinese responded to In the second half of 2012, the 101st FAS overhaul, a temporary solution was
the request with the FC-1/JF-17. The had only two single-seaters, (17407 and devised, to return these two MiG-21bis
procurement was abandoned during early 17409) available for Quick Reaction Alert back to service. The aircraft approved
2011, with the official explanation being (QRA) and two two-seaters numbers (16178 to fly were 17407, until June 2014, and
that the infrastructure of the SAF&AD and 16180) for routine training. During duty 17409 until September 2015, the ten-year
was not prepared for a leap into the new alerts the MiG-21bis were armed with only anniversaries of their last overhaul.
generation of aircraft. two instead of four infrared R-60 air-to-air
In summer 2012, a political change missiles (AA-8 Aphids), because it had been Serbian Air Force MiG-21s
occurred in Serbia. The pro-democratic determined that more missiles were not MiG-21bis
parties were defeated in the elections and needed for air policing. No MSN Date built
a coalition led by the Serbian Progressive 17126 75049666 02/06/1987
Party, which grew out of radical nationalist Extending the life 17136 75061240 22/04/1978
circles in the 1990s, took power. Towards the end of 2012, the SAF&AD
17158 75061810 11/05/1978
On September 2, 2012, during the command realised resources were
17161 75073970 18/06/1979
occasion of the 100th anniversary of the running out and there was no choice but
17162 75073987 19/06/1979
SAF&AD, the new political leaders watched to work on a MiG-21bis life extension.
17163 75073991 16/06/1979
the air demonstrations from the VIP box. Negotiations for new technologies faltered
17169 75074095 22/06/1979
A prototype MiG-29M2 and the Russian because funds were not available – a new
Swifts aerobatic team flew in from Russia, approach was needed. 17170 75074105 23/06/1979
which had ambitions to enter the Serbian The number of pilots qualified for MiGs 17171 75074207 24/06/1979
market, and as a result, negotiations had been declining from year to year, and 17202 75083505 28/05/1980
opened with RSK MiG for the new the topic of how to train new young pilots 17205 75083611 27/05/1980
modernised MiG-29. while trying to continue financing the QRA 17210 75083745 13/06/1980
This was Plan A but, in the meantime, was discussed. This led to the SAF&AD 17218 75091045 27/08/1981
the command of the SAF&AD prepared a initiating a plan to keep the MiG-21 for 17221 75091087 26/08/1981
Plan B which was to extend the service another ten-year overhaul cycle. 17222 75091095 12/10/1981
life of MiG-21bis and ’UM. At the time, In November 2012, RSK MiG was asked 17227 75093604 09/04/1982
most of the MiG-21 fleet was grounded to send an expert team to extend the 17229 75093657 11/04/1982
because regular overhauls had been MiG-21’s service life, having reviewed the 17232 75093709 21/04/1982
17407 75095264 24/03/1983
17409 75095293 25/03/1983
MiG-21M
22823 964806 24/10/1971
MiG-21UM
16174 516999144 21/01/1979
16178 516999148 16/02/1979
16180 516999384 31/10/1981
16182 516999396 04/02/1982
16185 516999513 01/12/1986*
*lost in an accident 26/09/2020

28 February2021
 When the life of MiG-21 17409 expired,
101 FAS was left with just four MiG-29s
for QRA. Due to maintenance issues, it
meant only one or two aircraft could fly
and, if needed for QRA, there were no
aircraft available for pilot training.
Consequently it was decided to integrate
R-60 air-to-air missiles on the MiG-
21UM. From 2016, MiG-21UM jets with
two under-wing missiles were used in the
QRA. They were often in a mixed alert
unit, with one MiG-29 and one MiG-21.
Problem solved
After several agonising years, the problem
of modernising the 101st FAS was
eventually solved when it was agreed to
acquire six second-hand Russian Air Force
MiG-29s. In the last week of December
2016, technical support for the renovation
of four SAF&AD MiG-29s, along with the
procurement of six additional aircraft,
were contracted. It caused a capability
gap that was filled by the MiG-21UM in
2017 and 2018.
During the summer and autumn of 2018,
the MiG-29s were returned to service and
the burden of the QRA was no longer with
the MiG-21UM. Later, in 2019, a contract
was signed for the overhaul and delivery of
another four MiG-29s from Belarus.
With 14 MiG-29s on the inventory it
looked like the career of MiG-21UM would
be over, but it was decided to continue
flying the two-seaters (16180 and 16185)
until their flying time had expired, while a
third aircraft, 16178, would be used as a
spares donor.
The crash of 16185 served to make the
MiG-21 life extension plan meaningless.
The jet’s statistics show that Yugoslavia,
and later Serbia since 2006, received 261
MiG-21s as improved versions appeared. CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:
It started with MiG-21F-13 (designated Aircraft number 16174 is one of nine MiG-21UMs
the L-12 in Yugoslavia), and was followed that were converted to become non-combat aircraft
in 1996
by procurement of MiG-21PFM (L-14),
MiG-21M/MF (L-15) and MiG-21bis (L-17) Dual-seat MiG-21UMs were used in the fighter
aircraft. In addition to the dedicated squadrons for conversion training from subsonic
reconnaissance MiG-21R (L-14i), aircraft; pilots regaining currency after a flying
Yugoslavia modified the MiG-21M/MF for break; as well as for checking flight qualities,
US-made KA-112A long-range panoramic weather flights and other auxiliary tasks
aerial cameras.
The only remaining MiG-21 in the SAF&AD, 16180,
One fifth of all aircraft (50) were two- could potentially still fly in 2021. However, it will
seaters, the MiG-21U (NL-12), MiG-21US probably never take off again because the fatal
(NL-14) and MiG-21UM (NL-16). An attempt crash of 16185 extinguished any enthusiasm to
in the 2000s to modify two MiG-21bis extend the career of obsolete Cold War technology
(17407 and 17409) for British-made Vinten
cameras ended with a decision to return MiG-21UM 16185 (c/n 516999513) was the last MiG-
21 produced in the former USSR, at the 31st plant in
both aircraft to their basic purpose due to
Tbilisi in December 1986. It was the final MiG-21 to
lack of resources. be put into service by the Yugoslav Air Force
During the 1991 and 1992 civil war, the
MiG-21s were used as attack aircraft,
most often armed with unguided 57mm
and 128mm rockets, BL-755 cluster
bombs, 240mm S-24B rockets and
100kg/250kg and bombs.
Seven MiGs did not return from their
combat missions – these comprised five
MiG-21bis on attack missions and
February2021 29
 two MiG-21Rs. Croatian air defences
shot down three of these aircraft, using
Strela-2M (SA-7 Grail) and Igla-1 (SA-16
Gimlet) man-portable air defence system
(MANPADS) missiles, one with a Strela-
1M (SA-9 Gaskin) surface-to-air missile
and the remaining two most probably with
12.7mm machine guns. In one case, it is
believed the pilot was hit by anti-aircraft
artillery while flying at a low altitude,
causing his jet to subsequently stall and
crash.
From June 1992, MiGs were held on
QRA at multiple bases in anticipation of
a potential surprise NATO attack. When
this finally materialised on March 24, 1999,
the decision was taken by the air force to
keep their Cold War-era jets on the ground.
Although the aircraft were armed with air- concentrated at Batajnica AB, where they ABOVE: Between 2015 and 2020, the QRA
to-air missiles and deployed in several remain today. The Moma Stanojlovic plant occasionally had two dual-seaters – one MiG-21UM
and one MiG-29UB. When the MiG-29s became
locations, there were no attempts to use and a warehouse in the town of Pancevo
operational again in 2018, the need for air policing
them in combat. holds eight MiG-21SMTs in store, all of with the MiG-21 disappeared
In the NATO air attack, 25 MiG-21bis which came from the Iraqi Air Force. They
fighters, one MiG-21M reconnaissance had arrived from Iraq for general overhaul BELOW: The sun sets on the MiG-21 at Batajnica,
aircraft and six MiG-21UM trainers were in 1989 and 1990. where MiG-21s have operated for 58 years under
destroyed on the ground in six locations: Three aircraft are in the Iraqi camouflage Yugoslavian and, after 2006, in Serbian markings
Batajnica, Priština, Niš, Golubovci, scheme but flew with Yugoslav markings
Ponikve and Dubinje. In 2003, a few in 1991. They have been grounded since
damaged aircraft (three MiG-21bis, two the beginning of 1992 and, along with the
MiG-21M and one MiG-21UM) were other Iraqi MiGs, remain stored until a
decommissioned due to the cost of decision on their fate is determined. A
repairing them. sentiment that also applies to the
After the war, all the MiG-21s were SAF&AD’s MiG-21 fleet.

30 February2021
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 Innovative
designs
With coronavirus still prevalent around the world, many former flyers
are anxious about returning to airline travel, fearful they could catch the
disease. But there is hope. Tom Batchelor explores the innovations that
could help restore passengers’ confidence

A
irlines have scrambled
to make their aircraft
‘COVID-secure’ since
the coronavirus outbreak
began to spread around
the world at the beginning
of 2020. The pandemic
has forced carriers to find innovative
ways to appeal to hygiene-conscious
consumers, with adaptations made to
both their soft and hard products for an
era of air travel that is already looking
very different to pre-virus times. Airports,
too, have pioneered new technology
from robots to disinfection booths. Both
businesses must tread a thin line between
safeguarding the health of their customers
and staff, while avoiding overly draconian
measures that only add to a sense of fear
in the travelling public.
Luckily for airlines, there are factors
inherent in aircraft design that substantially
reduce the risk of on-board virus
transmission. Research by Airbus, Boeing
and Embraer has shown that existing
airflow systems control the movement of
particles in the cabin, limiting the spread of
viruses with high-efficiency particulate air
(HEPA) filters, with the natural barrier of the
seatback and the downward flow of air all
playing a part.
The International Air Transport
Association (IATA) reported in September
that, since the start of 2020, just 44 cases
of coronavirus had been registered in
which transmission is thought to have
been associated with a flight. With some
1.2bn passengers having travelled over the
same period, that amounts to roughly one
case for every 27m passengers.
“We recognise that this may be an
underestimate, but even if 90% of the
cases were unreported, it would be one
case for every 2.7m travellers,” said Dr
David Powell, IATA’s medical adviser. He
added that the vast majority of published
cases occurred before the mandatory
wearing of face coverings inflight.
Aside from mask-wearing, Dr Powell
said that managed queuing, contactless
processing, reduced movement in the
cabin and simplified onboard services were
“among the multiple measures the aviation
industry is taking to keep flying safe”.

32 February2021
unprecedented
times
ABOVE LEFT: The UV wand is suitable for cleaning
flight decks as it doesn’t use any type of
instrument-breaking liquid Paul Weatherman/Boeing
ABOVE RIGHT: At Doha’s Hamad International Airport,
thermal screening helmets carry out contactless
temperature measurements on passengers using
infrared imaging Hamad International Airport
Bruno Fargeon of Airbus Engineering
was equally confident that flying remains
a safe way to travel. “The way that air
circulates is filtered and replaced on [the]
aircraft [and] creates an absolutely unique
environment in which you have just as
much protection being seated
side-by-side as you would standing six
feet apart on the ground,” he said.
A recent World Health Organization
report concurred that the risk of inflight
transmission was “very low, given the
volume of travellers and the small number
of case reports”. So, experts have
concluded that, from a virus-transmission
perspective, flying is inherently low risk.
But airlines and airports, acutely aware
that there is no room for complacency,
have been working on additional
measures to reassure passengers and
reduce the risk still further.
Elbow-operated doors
One of the most eye-catching – or, more
accurately, ‘arm-catching’ – innovations
comes in the form of a redesigned
lavatory door. Catches, knobs, locks,
buttons and ledges are all high-touch
surfaces where coronavirus could
be passed between passengers, so
Japanese airline All Nippon Airways
(ANA) partnered with aircraft interior
manufacturer JAMCO to design a way of
allowing passengers access to the toilet
without having to physically touch the
door with their fingertips.
Billed as the world's first hands-free
lavatory door, the ‘elbow doorknob’
began trials in mid-June at the ANA
lounge at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. As the
name suggests, it comprises components
that allow people to unlock and open
the toilet door using their elbows. The
product is currently in the development
and testing stage, but ANA said the
design aims to reassure passengers while
also creating a clean and comfortable
flight experience.
It works with a handle that extends
outwards from the door, enabling
passengers to easily hook their elbow in
and slide it sideways to move the door.
The lock mechanism on the inside is
oversized, allowing it to be moved across
using an arm or elbow. JAMCO said it
would enable a passenger with
washed-clean hands to return to their
seat without touching another surface.
The company is also working on a
change to toilet designs to incorporate
easily identifiable tabs which can be
used to lift and close the lid, replacing
the conventional design which forces
passengers to touch the seat itself.
Socially distanced seating
Another area where the aviation industry
is tackling the pandemic head on is
through aircraft seating. Screens, covers
and even entirely new seating layouts
February2021 33

are all being investigated as ways to offer
physical barriers and provide more space
between passengers.
While some carriers – such as Delta
Air Lines – have opted to block the
middle seats in a bid to enforce some
form of onboard social distancing, other
parts of the world have taken a different
approach. In Malaysia and Indonesia,
for example, only half of the seats on
board a commercial jet can be sold to
the public. The picture is more mixed in
Europe, where no such restrictions are in
force, but some carriers have recognised
the potential for money to be made in an
era when airliners are unlikely to be full.
Eurowings, for instance, has trialled an
optional charge of €18 for customers to
keep the middle seat free – the carrier
said thousands of people had already
opted for this.
Airlines for Europe (A4E), which
represents more than a dozen carriers on
the continent, has warned that physical
separation on board, including leaving
middle seats free, is not viable for the
industry as it would reduce the maximum
number of passengers on board to
between 50-66% of aircraft capacity:
“Due to high operating and other fixed
costs, airlines require aircraft to be at
least 77% full in order to break even.”
The difficulty of enforcing social
distancing in a densely packed aircraft has
34 February2021
opened up opportunities for designers
to rethink how cabins are constructed.
London/Biggin Hill Airport-based RAS
Completions, which specialises in airframe
interiors, is trialling an anti-coronavirus
protective shield that it says would allow
airlines to fill the middle seat without
compromising on safety. Dubbed a
‘personal protective window’, it consists
of two plastic discs that extend outward
from the headrest, preventing any airborne
droplets from reaching passengers sitting
on either side.
Roger Patron, the business development
manager at RAS Completions, said the
protective windows can be installed in
as little as two minutes and take just
seconds to clean between flights: “So far,
protection solutions all remove the use of
the middle seat, which isn’t a viable,
long-term financial option for most
airlines,” he said. Crucially, the units do
not prevent access to drop-down oxygen
masks and the seat recline is unaffected.
Other design firms have suggested
more radical changes to the cabin
layout. Aviointeriors, which has attracted
headlines in recent years with its Skyrider
standing seat prototype – a proposal
that was mooted for ultra-high density
configurations – has designed Glassafe,
a more substantial protective shield that
wraps right around the passenger’s seat,
creating a cocoon-like space.
ABOVE: Academic studies have verified that using
Ultraviolet C light on surfaces is effective in killing
off coronavirus Honeywell
LEFT: US-based operator JetBlue Airways teamed
up with Honeywell to use the latter’s UV Cabin
System to clean cabins in less than ten minutes
on turnarounds at New York/JFK and Florida’s Fort
Lauderdale/Hollywood Airport Airbus
BELOW: Autonomous robots have also been roped in
to help reduce face-to-face contact between airport
staff and passengers Hamad International Airport
The second of the Italian company's
COVID-inspired designs is the Janus seat,
which reverses the middle of each row of
three so that a third of those onboard are
facing backwards. Aviointeriors said the
design “ensures the maximum isolation
between passengers seated next to each
other”. Each chair is surrounded on three
sides by a high shield that “prevents
the breath propagation to occupants of
adjacent seats”, while the shield itself can
be manufactured with different degrees of
transparency to maximise privacy.
Magic wand
In September 2020, a study released
by Japanese researchers at Hiroshima
University confirmed that using Ultraviolet
C light on surfaces effectively kills the
COVID-19 virus, opening up a new
method of onboard cleaning that is quick
and safe to use on electrical components.
Good news for Boeing, who had spent
the summer developing a hand-held
wand that emits UV light to neutralise
bacteria and viruses, alongside an
anti-microbial coating for interior surfaces.
The US manufacturer said that an aircraft
could be cleaned with this wand rather
than alcohol or other disinfectants,
protecting sensitive equipment that could
be damaged by liquid products.
Mike Delaney, who leads Boeing's
Confident Travel Initiative, said: "The UV
 RIGHT: Japanese-based All Nippon Airways (ANA)
has been one of the leading airlines to invest heavily
in technical innovations, both before and after the
arrival of the pandemic v1images.com/Marek Horák
BELOW: ANA, in partnership with JAMCO, have
developed an aircraft toilet door with handles
that can be opened using an arm/elbow – reducing
any further contaminant risk once the occupant
washes their hands ANA/JAMCO
wand… quickly disinfects surfaces on
an aircraft and further strengthens other
layers of protection for passengers and
crew." Using a self-contained kit that
resembles a small suitcase, cleaning
crews can pass UV light over high-touch
surfaces, sanitising everywhere the light
reaches. The UV wand is particularly
effective in compact spaces and can
clean a flight deck in less than 15
minutes. Boeing engineer Jamie Childress
said the wand worked by matching the
resonant frequency of the molecular
bonds on the outside of the microbes.
“The UV light destroys all known microbes
by literally making them explode,” he said.
Boeing is not the only company hoping
to tackle coronavirus with UV light.
JetBlue teamed up with Honeywell to trial
their own version of a UV light cleaning
system which is in use at New York/JFK
and Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood Airport.
Joanna Geraghty, JetBlue's president
and chief operating officer, said: “As we
look to add additional layers of protection
by utilising cutting-edge technology, we
have identified the Honeywell UV Cabin
System as a potential game-changer
when it comes to efficiently assisting in
our efforts to sanitise surfaces on board."
Air supply
High-efficiency particulate air filters have
been used to purify cabin air at high
altitudes for decades, but the need for
even more effective filtration has shot
to the fore in recent months. Modern
aircraft have sophisticated cabin air
filtration systems designed to the same
standards as hospital operating theatres,
with many filtering 99.9% of airborne
particles. According to IATA, the risk of
virus transmission on airliners is likely to
be lower than in many other confined
spaces, such as buses, trains or cinemas,
precisely because of those filters.
On American Airlines’ fleet of Airbus
A320s and Boeing 737s, for example,
air is filtered through a pair of HEPA
filters located near the forward cargo
compartment. On the carrier’s larger 787
family of aircraft, air is filtered through a
trio of HEPA filters, one located towards
the centre of the jet’s ceiling and two
near the forward cargo compartment.
Meanwhile, on the airline’s largest
widebody, the 777, there are eight HEPA
filters: four near the forward cargo
compartment and two over each aisle
near the middle of the aircraft cabin.
Ben Thiesse, American’s senior engineer
for the Airbus A320 Family of aircraft,
commented: “Over the past several
years, American Airlines has been further
improving [its] HEPA filters by adding
a layer of activated carbon to provide
additional removal of fumes, odours and
volatile organic compounds.”
There are other, more subtle aircraft
design features that add further layers of
protection. Fundamentally, the
face-to-face interactions between
passengers are limited by the seating
pattern which is forward-facing, while
seatbacks act as a physical barrier to
air movement from one row to another.
Fresh air entering the cabin is exchanged
20-30 times per hour on most aircraft,
compared to two or three times an hour
in the average office.
A recent US Department of Defense
study found that for a seated passenger
wearing a face covering, an average of
0.003% of air particles within the area
around a person’s head were infectious,
even when every seat was occupied.
Given the fact that now nearly all flyers
are required to wear face masks on board
flights following recommendations from
both IATA and ICAO, there has been a
strong, complementary focus on technical
innovations at airports.
Tech heads
Qatar’s Hamad International Airport
(Doha), for example, is using thermal
screening helmets to carry out
contactless temperature measurements
of passengers in the terminal. Elsewhere,
at Hong Kong’s Chek Lap Kok Airport,
autonomous cleaning robots are
being deployed alongside a full-body
disinfection booth that carries out a
sanitising procedure in less than a
minute, although the facility is currently
reserved for use by staff who take part
in public health and quarantine duties
for arriving passengers. Meanwhile,
Scotland’s Edinburgh Airport has
upgraded its security tray system to
include antimicrobial technology that the
manufacturer, Leidos, says will “prevent
reproduction of a broad spectrum of
bacteria, including… antibiotic-resistant
bacteria like MRSA and VRE, by 99.99%”.
With COVID-19 showing no signs of
disappearing, innovation in aircraft
and airport design is likely to be an
increasingly important tool in convincing
people to keep flying. Many innovations
are still in the trial stage, but travellers can
expect to see significant changes to cabin
layouts in the years to come.
February2021 35
 M
icael Johansson has
been the president
and CEO of Saab
since October 2019.
Having worked with
the Swedish company
for the past 35 years,
he hit the ground running, particularly
as his previous role was deputy CEO-
senior executive VP from January 2017.
However, the onset of COVID-19 last
March meant he was forced to confront
situations he had never faced before.
Meeting at the NATO Days in Ostrava air
show in the Czech Republic in September
2020, Johansson told AIR International:
“Setting up crisis management teams
and contingency initiatives to make sure
that operations were up and running was
Saab
eyes global outlook
36 February2021
a major response to the pandemic. My
biggest satisfaction was how the Saab
personnel reacted.
“The approach in Sweden was
different from others because we had
no lockdown, but there were still several
measures we had to take. We had to
ensure continued manufacturing and
developing, as well as supporting our
customers. That was really satisfying
to see because people had to go
in-country, then quarantine for two
weeks, to support a delivery that
couldn’t be made otherwise, or to
conclude contracts.”
Gripens in Brazil
One of Johansson’s biggest priorities
has been working with the Brazilian
Saab boss Micael Johansson
talks with Alan Warnes about the
company’s Gripen programme, and
they discuss modernisation plans with
Major General Carl-Johan Edström,
commander of the Swedish Air Force
Air Force (FAB), after the Brazilian
government bought into the new-
generation Gripen programme in
October 2014. This $5.4bn deal included
delivering 28 single-seat Gripen Es and
eight dual-seat Gripen Fs.
The first FAB single-seat F-39E
Gripen took flight in August 2019, then
commenced its sea journey to Brazil in
September 2020, and made its first flight
for Brazil on September 24, 2020, just
three days after arriving.
“The Gripen's arrival in Brazil and its
first flight in Brazilian airspace are major
milestones in the Gripen programme,”
said Johansson. “The delivery of the
first aircraft meant the world could see
the project’s success. Besides that,
we have also shown the successful
collaboration between Brazil and
Sweden will further strengthen the ties
between our two countries.
“The development of this contract
has seen a broad technology transfer
programme to Brazil through solid
partnerships with the FAB and the local
defence industry. We are pleased to be
able to continue on this journey alongside
so many qualified and committed
professionals from both countries.”
The first flight, on September 24, saw
the aircraft fly from Navegantes airport
(Santa Catarina State) to the Gripen
Flight Test Center (GFTC) at Embraer’s
facility at Gavião Peixoto in São Paulo
State. The GFTC is integrated with the
test programme running in full phase at
Saab’s Linköping facility since 2017.
Additional activities in Brazil will include
testing of the flight control system
and the environmental control system,
to ensure that the aircraft meets the
challenges of operating efficiently in the
country’s tropical climate. The unique
technical features of the Brazilian aircraft
will also be checked out there, including
weapons integration and the Link BR2
communication system that provides
encrypted data and voice communication
for the aircraft.
There will be two 100% Brazilian test
aircraft: one single seater Gripen E,
which joined the test campaign in August
2019, and a two-seater Gripen F. The
other Gripen E test aircraft in Sweden
(37-8, 37-9 and 37-10) have certified, for
example, tactical systems such as the
IRST (Infra-Red Search and Track) sensor
and the [Leonardo] AESA radar, and the
flight envelope and critical ground tests,
which are valid for the Brazilian aircraft.
“In 2021 we will continue with the flight
test campaign at the GFTC. The next
aircraft is due to arrive in Brazil in late
2021,” said Johansson.
On the aircraft production split, Saab
is responsible for building 13 Gripen
E/Fs entirely in Sweden, as well as
eight aircraft partially manufactured
but completed in Brazil with the
participation of Brazilian technicians
and engineers. Another fifteen aircraft
will be fully assembled in Brazil at
Embraer’s plant in Gavião Peixoto. The
first Gripen F is expected to join the
flight test campaign in 2023.

MAIN IMAGE: The first series production Gripen E, 6002, with Brazil’s first F-39E Gripen, 4100,
wearing the colours of the Brazilian flag Saab INSET PIC: Saab president and CEO Micael
Johansson (right) with AIR International’s Alan Warnes at the Ostrava Airshow, Czech
Republic, in September 2020. (They removed their COVID masks for this shot.) Alan Warnes

February2021 37
 CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE:
Another first during 2020 was the delivery of two
GlobalEyes to the UAEAF&AD, to be followed by
a third later this year. In addition, Saab signed a
contract for two further examples on December 30,
2020, which should be delivered by 2025 Saab
Major General Carl-Johan Edström has
been the commander of the Swedish air
force since September 2019 SwAF
Saab president and CEO Micael Johansson says
options for the Czech Gripens extensions could
include upgrading the C/Ds or acquiring the newer
E/Fs or even operating a mix of the two Alan Warnes
The Swedish Air Force SK 60s are expected
to soldier on until 2025, when the JAS 39C/D
Gripens replace them in the LIFT role Alan Warnes
38 February2021
A global outlook
The Czech Republic is currently looking at
replacing the JAS 39C/D Gripen in 2027
or 2029. Johansson was keen to stress
that the Swedish Air Force will continue
flying its JAS 39C/Ds well beyond 2030.
“If the Czech Air Force wants to go in that
direction [then] we can support it with
upgradeable steps, or if they want Gripen
E/Fs we could go in that direction,” he
explained. “We see it as the Gripen
system, and if you are in the family there
are many ways forward; they could even
have a mix of C/Ds and E/Fs if required.”
At the end of 2020, the United Arab
Emirates Air Force and Air Defence
(UAEAF&AD) signed a $1.08bn deal
for two more GlobalEye Airborne Early
Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft.
A requirement for these additional two
GlobalEyes had been announced at the
Dubai Airshow in November 2019.
Was Micael surprised by that
announcement? “We knew they needed
more capability,” he said, “so it was
encouraging when they made the
announcement.”
The additional two aircraft follow a pair
ordered in a $1.27bn contract, announced
in November 2015, and a third in February
2016 for $234 million. The first two
aircraft were delivered in 2020, with the
third presumably following in 2021. Saab
has had a presence in the UAE since
2009, when the UAEAF&AD bought a pair
of 340 Erieyes.
“They have been using them
substantially and we have a team
in-country supporting the aircraft,” he
said. Asked if Saab had learnt a lot
about the sensors and systems over the
ten years they’ve flown the Eriyes, he
observed: “I would say so, understanding
the sort of situational awareness these
force multipliers have given them and
not using the fighting capability for the
wrong things.”
The UAE looked at an AEW&C platform
for over ten years, with both Northrop
Grumman pushing the E-2D Hawkeye and
Boeing the E-7 Wedgetail, but in the end
the Swedish solution was the one they
opted for: “We were working with them
for a long time on their capability needs
and now they are really skilled as an end-
user. The UAEAF&AD shaped their own
requirements and how the capability
would be deployed, what it looked like,
its endurance and whether the platform
had a low [logistical] footprint, rather than
a really big one. They considered how
much communication was needed with
the ground and other platforms, as well
as data fusion. They were involved in
assigning all of the requirements.”
Sweden and FCAS
Sweden is a partner in the UK’s Future
Combat Air System (FCAS), of which
Saab is an important player. Johansson
is pleased that the company is involved:
“We have always taken steps very early
on to ensure we don’t lose our new
technologies and capabilities edge,
albeit usually in Sweden rather than with
international partners. I think it’s important
we took steps to be part of something
going forward, even when we are in the
development and production phase of
the Gripen E.
“It’s not unusual for us to look that far
ahead to accomplish things. Working with
UK and its industry, under the umbrella
of Sweden-UK and possibly Italy, will also
bring new technologies into the Gripen.
The aircraft is very upgradeable, with an
architecture to support that. Since the
UK has invested a lot of money into new
technologies, it makes sense we do as well.
Then what will happen in the ‘systems of
systems’ approach in FCAS in decades to
come I don’t know, because at the moment
we are only in the concept phase.”
Swedish Air Force
The Gripen is also the focus of future
modernisation in the Swedish Air Force
(SwAF), according to force commander
Major General Carl-Johan Edström, who
joined Johansson in our conversation.
“The 2019 Defence White Paper
stipulated the future Gripen force should
not drop below 90, 60 being the new
single-seat Gripen E, while the remainder
of the fleet would be made up of Gripen
C/Ds,” said Edström. “That is the bare
minimum needed to face the increasing
threats we have today. It means we will
keep around 45-60 Gripen C/Ds, with
15 of them used for advanced jet training
from about 2025.”
Commander Edström added: “There are
six Gripen squadrons at the moment, but
“We need at least
six Gripen E and two
Gripen C/D squadrons
to face current threats”
Major General Carl-Johan
Edström, commander of
the Swedish Air force
to be able to train and get enough pilots
into the system to face those threats, we
need eight squadrons: six Gripen E and
two Gripen C/D, including an advanced
training unit of C/Ds. Longer term, we will
reactivate F 16 Wing at Uppsala Air Base,
home to the Swedish Air Staff (SwAF HQ).
We could also start the advanced flying
training unit and two additional squadrons
at the facility, but we don’t need to make
a decision until closer to 2025.
“We also support the export markets.
The Czech Air Force (CzAF) has been
flying the Gripen for 15 years and reached
nearly 30,000 flight hours. They do a
great job with such a small fleet. I use the
CzAF as an example to SwAF personnel
when explaining the need to the increase
flying from of each platform by as much
as 50%. We do that in co-operation with
Saab and FMV – the Czechs have done
what we need to do.
“We are now lining up in a much
better way with Czech Republic and
Hungary. Two years ago, the C/D was
going to stop flying in Sweden in 2024,
but now we will continue flying them well
past that and upgrade them. Beyond
2030, we will need to replace the C/
Ds, just as the Hungarian and Czech air
forces will, and we could easily switch to
the Gripen E/F together.
“When I talk to European air force
chiefs, they agree you can no longer
have big bases, to effectively ‘place all
your eggs in one basket’. You need to
find a way of handling dispersed ops and
fighters that that can be turned around
quickly. The Czechs and Hungarians are
lucky – they have an aircraft that has
been designed exactly for these ops and
looking into the future its perfect.
“Nearer term, the SwAF is looking to
retire its Saab SK 60s jet trainers, but this
will come in several steps. First, we hope
Saab has a plan to keep them flying until
2025, that’s crucial for us.”
Commander Edström, a former Viggen
and Gripen pilot who spent much of his
flying career at Luleå-based F 21, then
explained: “We will replace the basic flying
training part of the SK 60’s work with a
new propeller aircraft, but keep them in
the advance/lead-in fighter training role
until 2025 at least. We will then replace
the SK 60 LIFT with Gripen C/D, so the
system will go from basic training aircraft
to Gripen ATA (advanced training aircraft)
until 2030, when we will look at a new
advanced jet trainer.”
Johansson confirmed that Saab would
be doing its best to sell the new Saab/
Boeing T-7A Red Hawk to the SwAF.
Commander Edström added: “We
February2021 39

are in the middle of the basic training
aircraft procurement now with FMV and
hope to sign a contract somewhere
early next year.”
Edström declined to say which
companies he had been talking to, but
did confirm that, if everything works
to plan, the aircraft will start flying with
his air force in 2022 and training pilots
in 2023 – but there could be a year’s
postponement: “We are looking at both
side-by-side and tandem-seat aircraft. We
are trying to find a cost-effective solution
when it comes to the trainer, with a basic
simulation set-up.”
Modernisation plans
The S100B Argus airborne early warning
aircraft – or ASC 890 as the SwAF knows
it – is now more than 20 years old. “It’s
a capability we need as part of our
defensive stance,” said Edström. “We will
look to replace that aircraft, but we need
the right economic conditions, so I can’t
say when it will be replaced. The focus
is on keeping the capability and, at the
40 February2021
same time, looking at what’s out there.”
Interestingly, Johansson reminded
Edström that Saab had a solution already:
the GlobalEye.
“I’m proud and relieved to be in
charge of an air force of a country
which builds its own fighters and AEW
aircraft,” said Edström. “We haven’t
decided on the solution, but the
GlobalEye has a capability that blows
your mind. While the ASC 890 is more
air force-focused, the GlobalEye is
more than that. It has capabilities that
will fulfil the needs of Sweden’s army
and navy. For a small armed forces
like we have in Sweden, we have to
think ‘joint’ and we have very good
co-operation with Army and Navy when
facing difficult questions.
“Our C-130H tactical airlifters are very
old. We are looking into a service life
extension programme (SLEP) to take them
beyond 2030 and will start searching for
a replacement around 2025. The SLEP
solution is still being evaluated but the
work should start in 2023/24 – most of the
LEFT: JAS 39C Gripens are expected to continue in
service with the Swedish Air Force well past 2030.
The aircraft’s open architecture avionics system
allows them to be upgraded relatively easy — the
example shown here at F 21 Luleå in May 2019 is
fitted with the Meteor BVRAAM Alan Warnes
BELOW: The Swedish Air Force has ordered 60
single-seat JAS 39E Gripens. This example is one of
Saab’s test aircraft, 39-8, which has been heavily
involved in the Brazilian programme Saab
cockpit systems will neeed to be replaced.
“We know the Baltic Sea region is
‘crowded’ – not just by the Russians, but
all the nations – and NATO has national
security interests in that quite small and
specific area. It’s important for us to
show that we are responsible for building
security in our surrounding area together
with our allies. What’s most important
for the Swedish Air Force is to fulfil its
mission and show it is securing our
country 24/7, 365 days a year.”
Checking In
The Swedish Air Force and Saab
obviously work well together, both
in the domestic and export market.
Do you see the aerospace industry
and government working well with
the air force in your country?
Share your view at
airinternational@keypublishing.com
under the subject heading Checking In.
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N rth flights
Controversial travel restrictions on inbound passengers to Canada have
prompted alarm, but innovation and consolidation are at the forefront of an
industry fightback. Mark Broadbent discovers how

All passengers arriving in Canada from overseas, on aircraft such as this Air Canada Boeing 787,
must provide written or electronic proof of a negative COVID-19 test Air Canada

“C
allous and written or electronic proof of a
impractical.” negative COVID-19 molecular
That’s the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test
International taken within 72 hours before departure.
Air Transport A Canadian government statement
Association explained: “Without a negative
(IATA) verdict on COVID-19 test, travellers will be denied But in IATA’s view, “it is completely
a revised COVID-19 testing requirement boarding onto their flight… Persons who unrealistic to mandate that airlines
for air travellers introduced in Canada are travelling from a country where check passengers’ compliance with the
from January 7. The nation’s government PCR testing is unavailable will be new rule, as it cannot be the [operator’s]
gave seven days’ notice of the measures required to report to a designated role to determine if a passenger tried
introduced in one of aviation’s toughest Public Health Agency of Canada their utmost to get tested or not”.
global markets. Under the new rules, quarantine facility for the duration of The association added: “No
all arriving passengers must provide their mandatory 14-day quarantine.” explanation has been provided as to

42 February2021
hern
why [the] PCR is the
only acceptable test,
given that this is not readily
available in many countries.”
Existing travel restrictions
and quarantine requirements will
be maintained by the Canadian
government, which (at the time of
writing) has no plans to adjust the
14-day quarantine rule nor eliminate
the temperature checks that airlines
are required to perform on passengers
bound for Canada.
The economic damage from Canada’s
strict measures, imposed in March
2020, means there is a C$10bn
year-on-year drop in the aviation
industry’s direct contribution to
Canadian GDP, IATA claims.
It reported: “Less measurable but
equally tragic is the impact that these
tunnel-vision policies to close Canada
off from the [rest of the] world are having
on individuals [who are] separated from
families or those struggling to cope with
[job] unemployment.
“The way forward is through a
well-planned and co-ordinated
introduction of testing inbound
travellers, as a replacement for
quarantine measures. At current
infection levels, testing travellers will
ensure that opening borders will not
pose additional risk of contagion in
Canada. We challenge the government
to prove otherwise.”
The association asked Canada’s
executive to co-ordinate testing
requirements with airlines “to achieve
realistic implementation timelines” and
outline a policy roadmap for testing to
replace quarantine measures.
February2021 43
 departure seats in December 2020
compared with 12 months earlier. There
were significant year-on-year reductions
in capacity at Canada’s largest airports:
Toronto/Pearson (75%), Vancouver (71%),
Calgary (69%), Montréal/Trudeau (75%),
Edmonton (76%), Winnipeg (77%), Halifax
(74%) and Ottawa (84%).
Regional services also suffered.
On January 11 this year, Air Canada
suspended all flights until further notice at
Sydney, Nova Scotia and Saint John, New
Brunswick as well as other routes in the
Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island and
Nova Scotia provinces.
This followed WestJet’s October 2020
decision to cut 80% of capacity to

A December statement from the National

Airlines Council of Canada (NACC), which
represents Canada’s largest carriers, Air
Canada, Air Transat, Jazz Aviation and
WestJet, said: “Since March [2020] our
industry has invested millions of dollars in
new procedures and safety measures to
address the pandemic and ensure safety
of travel. Our industry has also led the
development and launch of COVID-19
testing projects in Canada.”
Additionally last December, Canadian
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the
federal government is engaged with
provincial authorities in Ontario and
Québec to potentially introduce new
testing programmes.
IATA thinks the focus should be “taking
steps to safely live with COVID-19”.
It asked: “What is the point of
implementing testing if it does not
result in a lifting of border closures
nor quarantine requirements? After
nine months of closed borders and
confinement, we cannot afford to move
in the wrong direction with the disastrous
implementation of a counter-productive
testing policy.”

Services slashed
Canadian carriers, along with thousands
more globally, made deep cuts to their
networks after passenger numbers
collapsed due to travel restrictions
imposed amid the pandemic.
Data from industry resource Routes
shows Air Canada and WestJet,
respectively, offered 73% and 75% fewer

airports in the Atlantic Canada region,

and Air Canada in June last year
indefinitely suspending 11 routes in the
region and closing its bases in Bathurst
and Wabush.
Cuts by the major Canadian carriers
matter because Air Canada, Air
Transat, Jazz and WestJet between
them directly employ more than 60,000
people and, pre-COVID-19, carried 80
million passengers annually, according
to NACC figures.
Derrick Stanford, Atlantic Canada
Airports Association (ACAA) president

44 February2021
 “We have a long hard road ahead of us to rebuild air
access. Repercussions will be felt for years”
Monette Pasher, Canada Airports Association

and Saint John Airport CEO, commented:
“This is the third major round of cuts to
air service for our region. Service has
been whittled down to an unsustainable
level for our airports. Our industry cannot
survive and operate in these conditions
and we are seeing the worst-case
scenario playing out.”
A December ACAA statement reported:
“The result will further fracture the viability
of people who need to efficiently move
in and out of these communities… We
could be looking at the end of some of
our small regional airports if solutions are
not found.”
Monette Pasher, Canada Airports
Association executive director, added: “We
are down to bare bones for air service,
which makes each of these cuts more
devastating because they cut at the heart
of communities, and they cut [regions] off
from the rest of the country. We are going
to have a long hard road ahead of us to
rebuild air access. Repercussions will be
felt for years to come.”
A Toronto Star column commented
in December: “Welcome as that relief
has been, it doesn’t begin to cover the
airlines’ enormous capital and
non-personnel operating costs.”
It said: “Ottawa is also making any
additional airline support it provides
conditional on the carriers providing
immediate cash refunds to customers
whose flights were cancelled due to COVID,
rather than vouchers on future flights.
“In attempting to rescue the entire
industry in one package, Ottawa has
been trying to negotiate with too many
parties at once. With its elaborate plan
to rescue the entire aviation industry…
still a work in progress, Ottawa risks the
failure of Canada’s airlines by withholding
state rescue funds that other major world
carriers long ago received.”
The current C$300m threshold makes
federal support unavailable for the
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:
WestJet is planning to resume services to more than
50 destinations Ed Turner/Boeing
Canadian carriers made deep cuts to their networks
to cope with the collapse in passenger numbers,
including regional routes Air Canada
Bombardier delivered the initial customer Learjet 75
Liberty light jet in October 2020 Bombardier Aircraft
Air Canada Rouge resumed fare-paying flights in
November 2020 Air Canada
Capacity fell 75% year-on-year at Toronto/Pearson to
December 2020 Air Canada
Air transport has a critical role in transporting
supplies to communities like those in remote parts
of Canada Air Canada

Rescue and relief

Some countries have given substantial
assistance to national airlines in the
pandemic. Large European carriers
such as Lufthansa, Air France-KLM,
Norwegian, Alitalia, TAP Air Portugal, SAS
and Finnair have benefitted from direct
state aid, loan guarantees, equity and job
protection schemes.
Canada’s government has not provided
such extensive measures, although
the country’s largest carriers qualify
for a federal wage subsidy programme
available for organisations with revenues
of C$300m or more.

February2021 45
 various smaller Canadian airlines serving
niche markets, from Porter Airlines
at downtown Toronto/Billy Bishop to
operators flying lifeline routes to remote
communities unserved by road or rail
connections, such as those in Canada’s
Northwest Territories.
Weathering the crisis
A May 2020 analysis by the CAPA Centre
for Aviation consultancy observed:
“Canada’s approach to offering
assistance to airlines is hard to decipher.
It appears that smaller airlines in Canada
could be left to their own devices to find
financing to weather the crisis.”
The regional Nunavut government
invested C$24m in two airlines serving the
Northwest Territories: the 100% Inuit
-owned carrier, Canadian North, which
flies ATR 42s and Boeing 737s, and the
ATR 42/72-equipped Calm Air. Canadian
North’s CEO, Chris Avery, told
Nunatsiaq News that the subsidies
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP:
Boeing 737-400-equipped Off We Go started flights
in December 2020 Nolinor Aviation/OWG
State aid is unavailable to smaller carriers such as
Porter Airlines Bombardier Aircraft
Air Transat’s acquisition by Air Canada is due to
complete in February 2021 Air Transat
After-market services and engineering support are
now Bombardier’s focus Bombardier Aircraft
46 February2021
kept the carrier going in 2020.
Despite making deep cuts to regional
services, some larger operators are
tentatively restoring some capacity.
Air Canada’s Rouge subsidiary resumed
operations in November 2020 on a
Toronto/Pearson-Cancun route. WestJet
planned to reintroduce 57 links by the
end of January comprising 33 Canadian
destinations, ten in the US, six in Mexico,
six in the Caribbean, one in Europe
and one in Central America. As AIR
International went to press, the carrier
announced: “On January 21, pending
Transport Canada’s reopening of the
skies to the MAX aircraft, we are planning
to operate three weekly round trip
flights between Calgary and Toronto on
our MAX. We currently operate up to
six daily roundtrip flights between the
two cities allowing for guest flexibility in
choosing an alternative flight.”
The carrier, which received 13 MAX 8s
prior to the FAA's March 2019 grounding
order, plans to phase in additional routes
through its winter flight schedule by April.
Establishing a completely new airline in
the middle of a pandemic is a bold move,
but passenger and freight charter carrier,
Nolinor Aviation, did so in July when it
launched 737-400-equipped OWG (Off
We Go). Originally due to start operations
the following month, OWG’s inaugural
scheduled revenue flight from
Toronto/Pearson to Santa Clara Abel
Santamaria Airport, Cuba took to the
skies on December 18.
The airline stated it has studied the
different categories of airlines emerging in
recent years and concluded OWG is not a
low-cost or ultra-low-cost airline. Its vision
is “to reduce an air transport service to its
simplest components”.
What this actually means is unclear,
with the airline’s marketing staff talking
about “taking its travellers to heart” and
“providing a positive flight experience”.
The carrier’s 737-400s each have 158
seats in all-economy configuration, with
the cabins having been refurbished with
new slimline seats and LED mood lighting.
Air Transat takeover
Years of record traffic growth for airlines
ended with the global pandemic and
the uniquely deep downturn led IATA to
forecast a total industry-wide loss of more
than C$80bn for 2020.
Consolidation has inevitably followed,
with AirAsia Japan, Cathay Dragon,
ExpressJet Airlines, SunExpress
Germany, Tigerair Australia and Trans
State Holdings among those to cease
operations last year.
In Canada, the pandemic has helped drive
a consolidation process that began
pre-COVID-19: a takeover of the leisure
carrier Air Transat by Air Canada. Backed
by Air Transat’s shareholders in October
2020, the takeover was approved by the
Superior Court of Québec two months later.
The deal was expected to conclude
in February, although its final approval
depends on a European Commission
investigation to assess its impact on
prices, service quality and competition on
Europe-Canada flights.
Speaking when the investigation was
announced last May, Margrethe Vestager,
the EC’s competition commissioner,
said: “This is a challenging time,
especially in markets severely impacted
by the coronavirus outbreak, but a
return to normal and healthy market
conditions must be based on markets
that remain competitive.”
Bombardier repositions
Away from the airlines, the biggest
changes in Canada’s aviation industry in
recent years have involved manufacturers.
Bombardier significantly slimmed down
its aerospace presence in the late 2010s,
divesting the Dash 8 turboprop to De
Havilland Aircraft of Canada, the CRJ
regional jet to Mitsubishi Aircraft and the
CSeries (now A220) to Airbus. It also sold
its Belfast wing factory and composite
manufacturing facilities in the US and
Morocco to Spirit AeroSystems.
This has left Bombardier Aircraft
producing Learjet, Challenger and Global
business jets, with aftermarket and
support provision for operators of
these aircraft another important part of
its business.
A recent milestone was the first delivery
in October of the Learjet 75 Liberty.
With 2,080nm range, this six-seat light
jet can fly routes such as Las Vegas to
New York and Seattle to Washington DC
nonstop. Another Bombardier business
jet received a boost just before Christmas
with the sale of ten Challenger 350s to an
undisclosed customer.
On the services side, in January
Bombardier completed the acquisition
from Lufthansa Technik AG and ExecuJet
Aviation AG of a service centre at
Berlin’s Brandenburg Airport to support
customers in Europe, Russia, Africa and
the Middle East.
Elsewhere, in October the company
announced the opening of a new service
centre in Melbourne, Australia to support
customers in Asia.
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to
innovations on the Dash 8 turboprop.
Manufacturer De Havilland Aircraft of
Canada has introduced the Simplified
Package Freighter cargo conversion kits
for -100/-200/-300/-400 models, enabling
operators to remove seats and carry up
to 8,146kg of freight and respond to the
increased demand for cargo capacity.
The Dash 8-400 also became the first
regional aircraft to be recertified to the
latest ICAO Chapter 14 noise standards.
De Havilland Aircraft of Canada’s parent
company is Longview Aviation Capital
Corporation, which also owns Viking
Air, the manufacturers of the DHC-6
Twin Otter utility and CL-415 amphibious
aircraft. In 2020, Viking delivered the initial
CL-415EAF (Enhanced Aerial Firefighter)
variant to the Bridger Aerospace Group.
Indonesia’s Ministry of Defence has
ordered six examples of the follow-on
CL-515 for delivery from 2024, but the
development timeline of this new model
has been pushed back due to the
coronavirus pandemic.
Survival mode
Indeed, the pandemic means the overall
focus for Canadian aerospace remains,
as almost everywhere, simply on
sustaining operations.
Jim Quick, president and chief executive
officer of the Aerospace Industries
Association of Canada, the national
body representing Canada’s aerospace
manufacturing and services sector,
commented: “We are disappointed with
the lack of recognition of the severity of
the challenges that we are facing.
“Although many in political leadership
have advised us that support is coming,
we are nonetheless disappointed it is
taking so long.”
Finally, he added further: “We have
been told that our recommendations
and advice is appreciated, and we
will continue to press the government
to announce the support as soon as
possible. Together, with our provincial
aerospace colleagues, we will continue
to work with parliamentarians across the
country regarding the upcoming stimulus
to ensure that [the] aerospace [industry]
can continue to serve Canadians and,
indeed, the world.”
February2021 47
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 BellFCX-001
In a bid to give us a glimpse of the next generation
of rotorcraft, Bell has designed the FCX-001 – an
extraordinary concept helicopter just brimming
with cutting-edge technologies. Khalem
Chapman looks into the future
Flight controls and a virtual cockpit
Notably, the flight deck of the FCX-001 features
just one seat for the pilot and marks a departure
from traditional multifunction displays. Instead, the
pilot wears a headset and uses augmented reality
technology to create a virtual workspace.
“We see pilots of the future controlling the
aircraft with the aid of augmented reality and
an artificial intelligence computer assistance
system,” the company said. “This takes us from
computer-augmented piloting, much like
we have today with fly-by-wire systems, to
optionally-piloted vehicles where the pilot assumes
the role of safety and mission officer aboard the
aircraft while the computer flies [it]. This is the
stepping stone to the fully autonomous, unpiloted
vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) air vehicles.”
Bell explains that after the system receives
digital commands from the pilot, it evaluates
and calculates the best method for fulfilling that
specific command. Redundancies will be in place
just in case the aircraft’s safety is compromised.
50 February2021
Hybridised propulsion
Another unique feature of Bell’s
FCX-001 concept is its inclusion of
a hybridised propulsion system. This
combines the advanced thermal
turbine engine cores used to power
the helicopter’s main propulsion
systems with electric distribution
and motors to drive the anti-torque
system. According to the firm, this
hybridised format provides “more
control, simpler vehicle operations
and maintenance.”
Bell is also exploring the use of
advanced carbon fibres, sustainable
materials and structures for energy
management purposes. This intends
to allow for external, vibrational and
system energy to be harvested and
converted into electricity that can be
stored and distributed for the motor.
A cabin of the future
To give a sense of scale, the FCX-001 mock-up
presented at Heli-Expo 2017 is slightly larger than
Bell’s 412 utility helicopter. Though it was configured
for eight people (along with the pilot), the company
has stated that the platform would be capable of
accommodating a maximum of 12.
The firm adds that the FCX-001 employs conceptual
modular flooring systems that enable the seating
configuration to be rapidly changed and customised
in line with passenger, cargo or mission requirements.
The concept also features LED lighting that can have
its colour and brightness customised, depending on the
passenger’s preferences.
Passengers would also have access to the
same augmented reality technology to access
entertainment or conduct work. To further increase
comfort, Bell concludes that the FCX-001 is fitted
with 360° pop-down air ventilation systems.
1 Concept
IT MAY look like something the special effects team has dreamt up for a science fiction blockbuster, but Bell’s
FCX-001 is very much a real-world concept and one that could revolutionise rotorcraft for the better.
With the FCX-001, Bell continues its 86-year legacy of pioneering helicopter design, technologies and

Insight
innovation. As opposed to being a future production aircraft, the company intends to use this concept to
explore emerging technologies with a view of reducing noise, while enhancing the safety and performance of
rotorcraft to improve the experience of pilots and passengers.
Unveiled at the helicopter industry’s largest trade show – Heli-Expo – in Dallas, Texas, on March 7, 2017,
the FCX-001 is not just futuristic in design, but also in the technologies it will employ. From the inclusion of
an advanced anti-torque system, a virtual cockpit and morphing rotor blades, the concept offers the world an
early look at the future of helicopter design and technologies. However, the research and development being conducted by Bell today is unlikely to
appear in rotorcraft for a few years yet.
During the unveiling Bell highlighted the importance of the FCX-001 as a “3D roadmap for delivering safer, smarter and more efficient rotorcraft
solutions.” The president and CEO of Bell, Mitch Synder, added: “Being a pioneer in the aircraft industry is in our DNA and we want to share this renewed
passion with the world. The FCX-001 points the way for our future – a renewed focus on innovative solutions and technologies.”

A digital rendering of Bell's futuristic FCX-001

concept in flight Bell

Advanced landing gear

Morphing rotor blades
One of the more attention-grabbing
aspects of the FCX-001 is its employment
of five morphing main rotor blades. Much
like a variable-sweep wing aircraft, this
technology enables the tip of each rotor
blade to move between different flight
regimes – something that Bell claims
will optimise the aircraft’s efficiency and
performance, while reducing noise output.
The company adds: “Bell is a pioneer in
this area, having developed the tiltrotor
concept of one geometry for airplane
mode flight. Now we explore individual
morphing geometries such as blades, inlets,
aerodynamic surfaces, whether through
advanced actuation or materials, or both,
to push beyond the enhancements that we
originally created.”
As part of the FCX-001 concept, Bell noted
that it is exploring how advanced materials
and actuation can facilitate the functionality
Advanced anti-torque system of a landing gear with non-traditional
While traditional helicopters typically employ
geometries. With regards to this, the firm
two rotors – a main one on top of the
added that “as an example, actuation can
aircraft and a tail rotor or Fenestron – the
improve manoeuvrability and absorb landing
FCX-001 will just feature one. The concept
energy for improved safety and comfort in
features a new, advanced anti-torque
ground operations.”
system that is currently being developed by
Bell to eliminate the need for a tail rotor.
This technology is not entirely new, given
that MD Helicopters Inc (MDHI) has already
developed a similar system – known as the
“Being a pioneer in the
NO TAil Rotor (NOTAR) – for its MD 520N,
aircraft industry is in
MD 600N and Explorer series of production
helicopters. However, Bell claims that its
anti-torque concept “will change the safety,
our DNA and we want
noise and performance parameters of
vertical lift aircraft forever.”
to share this renewed
The inclusion of an anti-torque system
is a notable departure from Bell products
passion with the world.
that are currently in production. Embedded
in the tail boom, the vented system
The FCX-001 points
employs multiple fans to counter the torque
generated by the main rotor, while giving
the way for our future
it the ability to thrust in either direction.
The anti-torque system is also designed
– a renewed focus on
to enhance safety, reduce noise output
and provide an additional thrust vectoring
innovative solutions
capability for control, allowing the FCX-
001 to fly without the need for a horizontal
and technologies”
stabiliser as well.
Mitch Synder, president and CEO of Bell
February2021 51

O
n July 29, 2020,
outgoing US President
Donald Trump and
the former Defense
Secretary Mark Esper
announced plans
to withdraw almost
a third of the 36,000 American forces
stationed in Germany.
As part of their strategy, 5,600 out
of the 11,800 troops to be removed
from Germany will be repositioned in
another NATO country in Europe. This
will include the 480th Fighter Squadron
of the United States Air Force (USAF)
currently housed at Spangdahlem, in the
west of Germany.
The unit specialises in SEAD
(suppression of enemy air defence) and
operates 25 F-16CM Block 50B/C/D
multirole fighter jets and two F-16DM
Block 50D conversion trainers. They will
all relocate to Aviano Air Base in Italy,
although no timeline has yet been given.
Some insiders say it won’t happen for
another five years.
This feature will cover the recent
history of the unit since being
reactivated in 2010, as well as its
Operation Inherent Resolve deployment
against the Islamic State in 2016.
Reactivation of the 480th
In 2009, the USAF planned to inactivate
the 22nd and 23rd Fighter Squadrons
in Spangdahlem AB, and use their
personnel – plus some of their aircraft –
to reactivate the 480th FS nicknamed as
‘Warhawks’. As the result, the drawdown
of both the 22nd and 23rd Fighter
Squadron began in April 2010 when 20
F-16C Block 50s and an F-16D Block
50B of the squadrons were transferred
52 February2021
to the 179th
FS, 148th FW
of the Minnesota
Air National Guard
making the 179th FS
the first ANG unit to
receive F-16 Block 50.
In early 2010, the 22nd
FS flew 23 F-16CMs and two
F-16DMs (among them F-16D
Block 50C, serialled 91-0464, c/n
CD-19, which was transferred to the
416th FLTS at Edwards AFB), while
nine others were absorbed by the
179th FS between April 27 and 30. The
remaining 14 F-16CMs and one F-16DM
of the 22nd FS were later joined by
the disbanded 23rd FS F-16C/D Block
50s to form the 480th FS on August
13, 2010. While F-16DM, 90-0843 was
subsequently transferred from 480th FS
to 179th FS in April 2011.
The 23rd FS in early 2010 had 23
F-16CMs and three F-16DMs. Nine
F-16CMs and one F-16DM were
transferred to 179th FS, while the other
14 F-16CMs and two F-16DMs were
transferred to 480th FS. The 480th FS
also lost two F-16CMs in accidents after
its reactivation: 91-0366 (former 23rd
FS) on August 11, 2015 and 91-0340
(former 22nd FS) on October 8, 2019.
The first, 91-0366 crashed in a forested
area in southern Germany near US Army
Garrison Bavaria in Grafenwoehr during
a training sortie from Spangdahlem
AB. The reason was determined as
structural failure of the bearing cage
resulting in engine control malfunction.
The second, 91-0340, crashed due to a
technical failure at around 3.15pm local
time near the town of Zemmer-Rodt.
The reason was partial electrical power
Auf W
WA
loss,
forcing
the pilot
to rely on
the primary
and stand-by
instrumentation which
were not accurate enough to
help him to land in Spangdahlem
AB in bad weather conditions, thus
forcing him to eject.
Libya, Iraq and Afghanistan
The 480th FS had been scheduled
to go multirole, but with SEAD as its
primary task. Like many other USAF F-16
squadrons, the 480th FS deployed to
the Middle East war zone to support US
troops. Before that the unit’s aircrews
participated in several NATO exercises
including the three-week long Thracian
Star with the Bulgarian Air Force and
also Exercise Red Flag 11-2 at Nellis
AFB, Nevada, from January 22 to
February 4, 2011.
The 480th FS saw action for first time
after its reactivation in March 2011 when
it deployed to Aviano Air Base, Italy on
March 19, 2011 to take part in Operation
Odyssey Dawn in order to establish a
no-fly zone over Libya.
f Wiedersehen
ARHAWKS The F-16CM and DM Block 50s have been
in service with the USAF’s 480th ‘Warhawks’
Fighter Squadron at Germany’s
Spangdahlem Air Base since 2010.
But as Babak Taghvaee explains,
that will change… eventually

F-16D Block 50s 91-0472 is one of only two dual-

seaters serving the 480th. With it, carrying less fuel,
the F-16Ds carry a centre-line external fuel tank All
images by Babak Taghvaee unless stated

February2021 53
 On March 21, 2011, the F-16CJs
armed with AGM-88B HARMs (High-
speed Anti-Radiation Missiles) flew
alongside F-15E Strike Eagles of
492nd and 494th Fighter Squadrons
to protect them from potential missile
launchers or other threats.
A few months after it participated in
the war against Libyan army and air
force factions loyal to dictator Muammar
Gaddafi, the 480th FS became the
USAF’s last fighter squadron to deploy
its jets to Iraq before US troops were
withdrawn. In the summer of 2011, 16
F-16CJs, 32 pilots and 190 maintainers
were deployed to Iraq to provide
joint support for the withdrawing US
troops and their allies during Operation
Red Dawn. Over the six-month long
deployment to Balad Air Base, north of
Baghdad, which lasted until November
2011, the 480th FS pilots flew 9,000
hours and completed 2,259 sorties when
they protected 11,378 service members
and apprehended 121 insurgents. These
sorties included convoy, base and task
force mission protections.
On April 7, 2013, the 480th deployed
to Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, in
support of contingency operations for
approximately six months to provide air-
to-air combat and air-to-surface attack
capabilities. The 480th had prepared for

THE FIGHTING FALCONS OF THE 480TH

ABOVE: USAF 1st Lt Russel
Model S/N C/N Delivery to USAF Former unit Delivery to 480th FS Combat history of 480th FS
Blair, 480th Fighter Squadron,
F-16C Block 50B 90-0813 CC-13 March 31, 1993 22nd FS August 13, 2010 Odyssey Dawn (2011) flies alongside the port wing
F-16C Block 50B 90-0818 CC-18 February 8, 1993 22nd FS August 13, 2010 Odyssey Dawn of fellow 480th FS pilot,
F-16C Block 50B 90-0827 CC-27 June 11, 1993 22nd FS August 13, 2010 Capt Dominic Collins, above
F-16C Block 50B 90-0828 CC-28 May 26, 1993 22nd FS August 13, 2010 Odyssey Dawn Germany on July 1, 2020
USAF/Senior Airman Kyle Cope
F-16C Block 50B 90-0829 CC-29 May 28, 1993 22nd FS August 13, 2010 New Dawn (2011); Inherent
Resolve (2016)
F-16C Block 50B 90-0833 CC-33 June 21, 1993 22nd FS August 13, 2010 Inherent Resolve
F-16C Block 50C 91-0338 CC-36 June 21, 1993 22nd FS August 13, 2010
F-16C Block 50C 91-0342 CC-40 July 6, 1996 22nd FS August 13, 2010 Odyssey Dawn; Inherent Resolve
F-16C Block 50C 91-0343 CC-41 July 21, 1993 22nd FS August 13, 2010 Odyssey Dawn; Inherent Resolve
F-16C Block 50C 91-0344 CC-42 July 29, 1993 22nd FS August 13, 2010 Inherent Resolve
F-16C Block 50C 91-0351 CC-49 August 27, 1993 22nd FS August 13, 2010 Odyssey Dawn
F-16C Block 50C 91-0352 CC-50 September 22, 1993 22nd FS August 13, 2010 Odyssey Dawn; Inherent Resolve
F-16C Block 50C 91-0358 CC-56 September 27, 1993 22nd FS August 13, 2010 Odyssey Dawn
F-16C Block 50D 91-0360 CC-58 May 7, 1993 23rd FS August 13, 2010 New Dawn; Inherent Resolve
F-16C Block 50D 91-0361 CC-59 July 21, 1993 23rd FS August 13, 2010 Odyssey Dawn; Inherent Resolve
F-16C Block 50D 91-0402 CC-100 November 29, 1993 23rd FS August 13, 2010 Odyssey Dawn; Inherent Resolve
F-16C Block 50D 91-0403 CC-101 December 16, 1993 23rd FS August 13, 2010 Odyssey Dawn; Inherent Resolve
F-16C Block 50D 91-0407 CC-105 December 18, 1993 23rd FS August 13, 2010 Odyssey Dawn
F-16C Block 50D 91-0412 CC-110 January 30, 1994 23rd FS August 13, 2010 Odyssey Dawn; Inherent Resolve
F-16C Block 50D 91-0416 CC-114 March 18, 1994 23rd FS August 13, 2010 Odyssey Dawn
F-16C Block 50D 91-0417 CC-115 March 2, 1994 23rd FS August 13, 2010
F-16C Block 50D 91-0418 CC-116 February 18, 1994 23rd FS August 13, 2010 New Dawn
F-16D Block 50D 91-0472 CD-27 December 21, 1993 23rd FS August 13, 2010 Odyssey Dawn
F-16D Block 50D 91-0481 CD-36 June 29, 1994 23rd FS August 13, 2010
F-16C Block 50P 92-3918 CC-160 April 27, 1995 23rd FS August 13, 2010 Odyssey Dawn
F-16C Block 50 96-0080 CC-202 December 4, 1998 23rd FS August 13, 2010 Odyssey Dawn
F-16C Block 50 96-0083 CC-205 August 1999 23rd FS August 13, 2010 Odyssey Dawn; Inherent Resolve

54 February2021
more than four months for this deployment
through multiple exercises with the most
recent being Red Flag 2013. Five months
later, the 480th with its 200 airmen
returned home between September 15
and 21 from what was described as a
“deployment to Southwest Asia in support
of Operation Enduring Freedom”.
IS terrorists
In September 2014, the USAF F-16s
became involved in Operation Inherent
Resolve (OIS) against IS, the so-called
Islamic State, and over the next two
years, coalition forces with Viper support
regained 10,000km2 and liberated up
to five cities, including a supply centre,
captured by the terrorists. The 480th
EFS (Expeditionary Fighter Squadron)
had deployed to Jordan in April 2016
and went on to become the most active
fighter squadron of the USAF, involved
in OIS. According to Lt Col Timothy
Murphy, commander of the 480th EFS,
the squadron broke an air force record
on September 16, 2016 when it dropped
its 1,909th precision guided munition,
thus exceeding the most ever delivered
by an F-16 unit within a six-month period,
and used its M61A1 Vulcan guns against
Islamic State 27 times.
The six-month long deployment of the
480th EFS at Jordan came to its end on
October 12, 2016 when its six F-16CMs
(90-0829, 91-0342, 91-0344, 91-0352,
91-0361 and 96-0083) returned to
Spangdahlem AB. In addition to these
examples, the unit employed six further
BELOW: F-16C 91-0402 taking part in the SEAD
exercise, Inihios 2019, at Andravida Air Base, Greece
F-16CM-50-CFs during the operation
(91-0343, 91-0352, 91-0360, 91-0402,
91-0403 and 91-0412) which had returned
home after rotational changes.
In 2019, the 480th FS joined in with
three major international exercises in
Greece, Germany and Israel. Before their
participation, an FTD (Flying Training
Deployment) course was held in Monte Real
Air Base, Portugal. In total, 18 F-16C/Ds from
the unit deployed to the base to operate
alongside Portuguese Air Force F-16AM/
BMs between January 28 and February 22.
The FTD served to enhance readiness and
improve interoperability between the US
and NATO allies across Europe and also
enabled the 52nd FW to test its ability to
efficiently deploy and operate in unfamiliar
areas. The first major exercise, which the
480th FS participated in was Inihios 2019.
Hosted at Andravida AB, Greece, between
April 1 and 12, the exercise involved 87 fixed-
wing aircraft including 83 fighters from the
air forces of Greece, Israel, Italy, the US and
the United Arab Emirates, and was focused
on DEAD (destruction of enemy air defence)
and SEAD missions. The 480th FS deployed
seven F-16CM-50-CFs to the base (90-
0813, 90-0818, 91-0402, 91-0412, 91-0416,
91-0417 and 96-0083) with aerial refuelling
support provided by a KC-135R of the
126th ARS, 100th ARW based at RAF
Mildenhall, Suffolk.
In May 2019, the 480th FS was involved
in Exercise Formidable Shield in Scotland,
that led to F-16s and personnel deploying to
RAF Lossiemouth where they practised joint
operations. The purpose of the manoeuvres
was to improve allied interoperability and
perform integrated live-fire and missile
defence exercises.
A month later, in June, the F-16CM-50-
CFs of the 480th FS took part in Exercise
Astral Knight 19 which made use of several
locations in Europe and involved over 900
airmen. Hardware comprised EF-2000
Typhoons, F-35As and a G550 AEW&C
from the Italian Air Force, and from the
USAF, E-3G AWACS, B-52H strategic
bombers and F-16CM-40-CFs of 31st FW
(based in Aviano AB, Italy), F-35As of 388th
FW/ 419th FW, KC-135Rs of 100th ARW
and 171st ARW, KC-10As of 514th ARW
and F-16CM-30-CFs of 457th FS, 301st
FW. The exercise goal was to support the
collective defence and security of NATO
allies and US Forces in Europe.
Blue Flag
The third and last major exercise which
480th FS participated in during 2019
was Blue Flag at Ovda Air Base, Israel,
between November 3-14. In all, 250
airmen and 11 F-16CM-50-CFs from the
480th FS were deployed. The fighters
comprised 90-0818, 90-827, 90-0828,
91-0338, 91-0342, 91-0343, 91-0344,
91-0351, 91-0403, 91-0417 and 92-3918.
Blue Flag was a biennial exercise,
hosted by Israel, that provided US airmen
and members of allied nations with
the opportunity to practise in a unique
environment and build multinational
partnerships; Blue Flag-2019 participants
included the US, Israel, Germany, Greece,
and Italy.
February2021 55
 ABOVE: KC-135R tops up F-16C 91-0360 over the south of Iraq on April 29, 2016. Under the left wing is a 500Ib GBU-38 JDAM equipped with a DSU-33 proximity sensor
(white), accompanied by a 500Ib GBU-54 laser JDAM equipped with a black SDU-38 laser seeker loaded on a BRU-55/A twin bomb rack under the right wing. It also has
four GBU-39 SDBs under the right wing as well as a pair of AIM-9Xs and two AIM-120D air-to-air missiles USAF/Staff Sgt Douglas Ellis

RIGHT: F-16C 91-0343 just prior to an airstrike in Syria on April 21, 2016. This specific jet dropped 134 precision guided bombs during Operation Inherent Resolve
USAF/Staff Sgt Larry Reid Jr

BELOW: For training missions, the F-16C/Ds of the 480th FS are regularly fitted with the AN/ASQ-T50(V) Tactical Combat Training System (TCTS) under the left wing, a
CATM-9M captive training missile under the right wing, and a pair of CATM-120C on their wingtips. They also have a Sniper advanced targeting pod and an AN/ASQ-213A
HARM Targeting Pod (HTS) installed
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the
480th FS was unable to take part in as
many international exercises during 2020.
The unit's F-16CM-50-CFs were mostly
involved in exercises from their home
base, such as the large force live-firing
exercise within the confines of the North
Sea training range on May 27. Multiple
US Air Forces in Europe wings took the
opportunity to demonstrate the USAF's
ability to work with different aircraft.
Later, on July 1, various wings from
across USAFE and Air Forces Africa
joined in a large force exercise hosted by
Spangdahlem Air Base over southwest
Germany. Participating aircraft and
units included F-16C/D Fighting Falcons
assigned to the 480th Fighter Squadron,
and F-16s from the 510th FS at Aviano
AB. There were also 494th FS/48th FW
F-15Es from RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk;
C-130J-30 Hercules of the 37th Airlift
Squadron at Ramstein AB, Germany,
and 100th ARW KC-135Rs from RAF
Mildenhall. The exercise focused on
aircrew integration on multiple platforms
with a view to enhancing readiness and
increasing proficiency to ensure the
collective defence of the NATO alliance.
On July 29, 2020, the then US Defense
Secretary Mark Esper announced that

56 February2021
almost 12,000 troops would be relocated
out of Germany. This is likely to see the
480th FS transfer from Spangdahlem AB
to Aviano AB where the 510th FS with
24 F-16CM-40s and two F-16DM-40s is
based alongside the 555th FS with its 25
F-16CM-40s and one F-16DM-40.
There were also plans to move the
100th Air Refueling Wing KC-135Rs and
the 352nd Special Operations Wing
CV-22 Ospreys from RAF Mildenhall to
Spangdahlem – but this won’t happen
now. According to Esper at the time,
having the F-16 Block 50s based in Italy
moves them closer to the Black Sea
region and therefore increases their
capability to conduct dynamic force
employments and rotational deployments
to NATO's south-eastern flank.
Two days after the announcement
of plans to withdraw a third of US
troops from Germany, Colonel David
C Epperson, Commander of the 52nd
Fighter Wing said: "There are lots of
questions about if we lose a fighter
squadron in Spangdahlem Air Base, [but]
at this time, there are no plans to close
Spangdahlem. We have a very important
mission here and not all of that mission is
dedicated to the fighter squadron itself.
There are lots of questions about if we
lose a fighter squadron in Spangdahlem
Air Base, [but] at this time, there are no
plans to close Spangdahlem
Colonel David C Epperson,
Commander, 52nd Fighter Wing
We will continue to build on other mission
sets, and we will continue to make sure
we maintain a robust presence in the Eifel
region for the time being."
The 52nd FW units support the
mission to provide strategic, theatre
and contract commercial air mobility
capability for Europe, Africa and
Southwest Asia. Spangdahlem's
726th Air Mobility Squadron provides
command and control, logistics and aerial
port capabilities to every Air Mobility
Command aircraft transiting through
Spangdahlem AB. The base primarily
deals with C-17 and C-5 aircraft but
KC-135R tankers of the US Air National
Guard are often handled by the unit.
The USAF has 20 B61 nuclear bombs
stored at Büchel Air Base, located
within 20km of Spangdahlem. The 52nd
Munition Maintenance Group (MMG)
with its subordinate 702 Munitions
Support Squadron is facilitated at the
German air force base to maintain the
weapons. In case of war, these bombs
can be used by some of the 40 Tornado
IDS strike bombers of the Taktisches
Luftwaffengeschwader (TLG-33, 33rd
Tactical Air Force Wing) after receiving
authorisation from the US government.
The author visited Spangdahlem Air
Base during the first two weeks of
August 2020 and witnessed a high
level of activity from the 480th FS. The
facility’s training programme usually
spans five days a week with between
20-24 sorties per day (when there is
good visibility), covering basic fighter
manoeuvres, such as one-versus-one
engagements, or ‘dogfighting’.
The fighters also flew advanced combat
manoeuvres , including two aircraft
versus four or more. For this, they were
equipped with CATM-9M and CATM-
120C captive training air-to-air missiles.
Some other F-16 pilots practised air-
to-ground missions using the AN/
AAQ-33 Sniper advanced targeting
pod, while others undertook electronic
warfare ‘operations’ using their Northrop
Grumman AN/ALQ-131 Electronic
Countermeasures (ECM) pods.
The 480th FS continues to fly multirole
missions in the defence of the US and
allied countries, whether that involves
training from its home base, participating in
overseas exercises or in real missions, such
as taking the fight to the Islamic State. For
the foreseeable future all that will be carried
out from Spangdahlem air base.
Checking In
Spangdahlem’s 480th FS F-16C/
Ds are destruction of air defence/
suppression of enemy air defence
dedicated jets. Who else in Europe
has jets specifically in this role?
Share your views at
airinternational@keypublishing.com
under the subject heading Checking In.
February2021 57
MAXimising t
It has taken 20
challenging months
for the 737 MAX to be
recertificated, but it will
take Boeing far longer
to repair its broken trust.
Chris Sloan steps on
board a special 737
MAX flight – the first
in the US since
March 2019 – to
examine whether the
manufacturer has
turned a corner

O
n December 2, 2020
– 630 days since the
Boeing 737 MAX was
grounded worldwide
– American Airlines
flight 9750 departed
from Dallas/Fort Worth
Airport en route to Tulsa, Oklahoma,
with 140 passengers on board. This
demonstration flight for the press was
the first time the public had flown aboard
the beleaguered Boeing jet since the
US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
grounded the MAX on March 13, 2019.
The flight itself was remarkable for
feeling routine – just what any airline
would have wanted. What was Boeing’s
best-selling commercial aircraft of all time,
peaking at 5,263 gross orders, claimed
346 lives in two separate crashes within
five months of each other – inflicting
unspeakable pain upon the families
of those lost and plunging the storied
manufacturer into the gravest crisis in its
104-year history.
During the grounding, investigators
from the FAA and beyond discovered
numerous problems, which delayed the
reintroduction of the jet. These ranged
from issues with the Maneuvering
Characteristics Augmentation System
(MCAS) software to non-compliant wiring
bundles in the vertical stabiliser. All of this
obliterated the reputation of an aircraft
that was out-delivering its manufacturer’s
promises – MAX customers had been
pleased with a 99.4% dispatch reliability
and 15% reduced fuel burn compared
with its predecessor.
The pilot of the media flight, captain
Peter Gamble’s message on the inflight
PA was a remarkable admission that
you’d never normally hear in-flight:
“Aviation is built around a chain of safety.
When it breaks, it’s up to those of us in
the industry to mend it and bring it back.”
Cancellations, compensation
The catastrophe radiated outward to 79
carriers that operated 384 examples, all
of which were dealt a significant loss of

The demonstration flight lifts off from Dallas/Fort

Worth bound for Tulsa, Oklahoma – a distance of
approximately 235 miles
All images American Airlines unless stated

58 February2021
g the trust
capacity. Most affected were Southwest
and American, at that point the MAX’s
largest operators in the world. The pain
rippled to the FAA, whose lax oversight of
the MAX’s certification made it, along with
Boeing, Lion Air and Ethiopian, entailed
in the tragedy. Boeing, the US’ largest
exporter, sustained stunning damage to
its bottom line.
According to The Seattle Times, the
manufacturer removed 595 “now-dubious
MAX orders from the backlog and
outright cancelled a further 448” during
2020. Between lawsuits, rework,
re-engineering, airline compensation,
accounting charges, the ongoing storage
and maintenance of 450 aircraft, halted
“If our pilots and safety teams are confident the
plane is safe, so are we” David Seymour, American Airlines
production at Renton and strangled cash
flow with deliveries stopped, roughly
US$20bn and counting has vanished from
Boeing’s books.
The company has paid out millions
and millions of dollars in confidential
compensation claims to its airline clients.
American alone used US$30m of its
compensation toward a 2019 employee
profit-sharing fund while Southwest
Airlines will be compensated US$1m for
each of the 281 MAX jets it has ordered.
This is to mitigate the new regulations
requiring simulator training for all pilots set
to fly the MAX.
Scott Hamilton, of Leeham News
and Analysis, noted: “The 737 MAX
accounts for 40% of Boeing’s profits.” If
we consider the US$281m in penalties
that we’re aware have been allocated to
Southwest to the approximate US$60m
cost of each airliner, those penalties
alone equal almost five aircraft. Hamilton
added: “It will take the rest of the decade
for Boeing to repair its balance sheet, at
least.” To say nothing of the incalculable
damage to the reputations of both the
company and its single-aisle jet.
Rebuilding trust
After 20 months, the long, painful road to
recovery for the Boeing 737 MAX began
with two simple words for all stakeholders
in the programme: rebuilding trust. “It's
February2021 59
 going to take time for the public to learn to
trust the 737 MAX. The best thing for the
plane is to perform, day in, day out, without
any major incidents, certainly nothing
safety-related,” said Henry Harteveldt,
principal of Atmosphere Research.
The FAA and its Brazilian equivalent,
ANAC (National Agency Civil Aviation
Administration), were the first to clear the
MAX back into service on November 20 and
25, respectively. The US regulator issued
an Airworthiness Directive (AD) specifying
design changes that must be made before
the aircraft returns to service.
It stated: “These actions do not allow the
MAX to return immediately to the skies. The
FAA must approve 737 MAX pilot training
programme revisions for each US airline
operating the MAX and will retain its authority
to issue airworthiness certificates and export
certificates of airworthiness for all new 737
MAX aircraft manufactured since the FAA
issued the grounding order. Furthermore,
airlines that have parked their MAX aircraft
must take required maintenance steps to
prepare them to fly again.”
The European Union Aviation Safety
Agency (EASA) and Transport Canada
were expected to follow in January.
However, the Civil Aviation Administration
of China has yet to announce when it is to
release the type into service. With
US/Chinese relations at their lowest point
for more than a decade, the MAX will
become a political hot potato, especially
as China is working to create its own
aerospace industry and the indigenously
developed COMAC C919 is due to enter
service later this year with OTT Airlines.

On your marks...
Regulatory approval set off a furious pace
of activity to restore the MAX to the skies.
In the last full month before the type
was grounded, it operated 25,391 flights
according to travel data and analytics
expert, Cirium. As AIR International went
to press, Cirium indicated just 649 MAX
flights had been filed, a number expected
to rise to just over 1,000.
By necessity, MAX operators are taking
a deliberate, slow, phased-in approach,
but they have little other option – pilots
require retraining and fleets need to
be retrieved from storage and made
airworthy after more than a year and a
half on the ground. The MAX returns
to a world and an industry upended by
COVID-19, but Henry Harteveldt believes
this plays to the MAX’s advantage: “The
cloud of COVID is reducing the number
of people who will be travelling so it will
give the airlines that are able to return it to
service enough time to work through any
teething problems that may exist.”
American Airlines placed the initial firm
order for the MAX in 2011 and was also
first to announce a return-to-service
towards the end of last year. It rostered
a single, daily round-trip between Miami,
Florida, and New York’s LaGuardia

60 February2021
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: the only way to truly build confidence is
More than 64,000 man-hours have been spent maintaining American Airlines’ 24 MAX jets since the FAA issued by flying it. You don’t build that back by
its grounding order in March 2019
sitting on the ground,” said American’s
Dallas/Fort Worth-based American Airlines was the first airline to indicate an interest in a fourth-generation chief operating officer, David Seymour.
737, ordering 100 in 2014 AirTeamImages.com/Dipankar Bhakta Still, not every passenger will be ready
to fly a MAX. American, along with other
The author snapped a picture of the MAX’s wing in-flight – a view few will have seen for more than 20 months airlines, is being transparent by alerting
Via author passengers that they are travelling on
a MAX and will give them the option
Around 95 members of TechOps staff work on the MAX fleet each day
to change their flight or get a refund
More than 1,900 anti-deterioration engine runs have been completed since March 2019 if they’re not comfortable. “We will be
transparent and flexible to win customer’s
The media demonstration flight and subsequent tour of American Airlines’ Tulsa TechOps facility enabled trust. If a customer doesn’t want to fly on
members of the press to speak to those responsible for returning the carrier’s jets to service a MAX, they don’t have to,” said Seymour.

beginning on December 29. With five to
six aircraft in service at launch, the airline
plans to have its initial batch of 24 MAXs
and eight newly delivered examples in the
air by end of the February. The MAX will
traverse the AA network from its Miami
base as additional destinations including
Boston, New York/JFK, Washington
DC (Reagan National) and Caribbean
hotspots are added.
Back in the driving seat
Line pilot training began on December
2, 2020 with pilots each receiving two
hours in the simulator. New training
requirements include instruction on the
MCAS and high angle-of-attack (AOA)
operations that can activate the system.
Non-normal scenarios such as manual
trimming on go-arounds, stabiliser trim,
unreliable airspeed and runaway stabiliser
are part of the package.
Chris Hurrell, American Airlines’ 737
fleet captain, detailed the three levels
of system changes covered in training:
“The first is if the flight control computer
monitors show a difference of 5.5° or
more between the two AOA readings,
they will shut down the MCAS for the
duration of the flight. Secondly, if a high
AOA is sensed, it will only allow the MCAS
to activate once. Third, if this one-time
event happens, a snapshot of where the
trim indication is will be taken and the
aircraft can never be in more nose-down
trim than the pilot has elevator authority.”
American, which has received 34 aircraft
from its 100-strong order, is moving most
aggressively. “We didn’t intend to be
first to put the MAX back in the air. But
Recertification
As the media flight ended and we taxied
to the company’s Tulsa maintenance
base, American’s MAX 8 fleet was spread
across the airfield waiting for their turn to
be modified for recertification. Airliners
don’t make money on the ground, which
is another reason that American Airlines
is anxious to get the MAX back in the
air. “During the flight ban,” an American
tech ops employee said, “the MAX was
maintained even more frequently than if it
was flying. We powered up and ran them
every ten days.” In fact, during our visit,
two MAXs were already going through
their first C checks.
It will take six to eight days for a MAX to be
brought up to the new standard. The new
MCAS software updates take four to six
hours, while certain flight control systems
need rewiring and there are other FAA
directives that each aircraft needs to be
compliant with for it to be certified to fly again.
Once the engineering work is completed,
each jet is put through a two-hour
Operational Readiness Flight (ORF).
Training for the 2,700 737 MAX line pilots
began in early December with the goal of
having it completed by the end of March.
They are subjected to classroom and
simulator sessions, with handling
runaway stabiliser trim and MCAS
scenarios a priority.
Seymour said: “If our pilots and safety
teams are confident the plane is safe,
so are we.” The MAX is the most heavily
scrutinised aircraft in history, and some
say it is (now) the safest. But will that be
enough? Noted airline industry analyst,
Robert Mann, said: “Ultimately, the
[Boeing 737] MAX will recover. There is
clearly trust to be regained – regulatory,
airline, equipment, operations.
“But trust won't be enough, it must be
verified in day-to-day operations, and in
the future via renewed focus on design,
man-machine interface, and training.”
Brazilian firm GOL pipped American
Airlines to the post, reintroducing the
MAX on December 10 with a connection
from São Paulo to Porto Alegre. The
airline – which has ordered 95 examples
– tentatively began reintroducing the
jet with two MAX 8s flying five to six
services per day. Ahead of reintegrating
the beleaguered jet, GOL worked with

February2021 61
 Boeing to retrain 140 of its pilots and
meet all the technical and operational
requirements outlined in the plan approved
by both the FAA and ANAC.
The airline’s CEO, Paulo Kakinoff,
reaffirmed his faith in the MAX: "We are
pleased about the return [of the aircraft]
to our network. The MAX is one of the
most efficient aircraft in aviation history
and the only one to undergo a complete
recertification process, ensuring the
highest levels of safety and reliability.”
Then on December 21 Mexican flag
carrier, Aeroméxico, became the second
airline to put the MAX into service on
domestic rotations. Meanwhile, United,
WestJet and Air Canada are also
gathering momentum with their plans to
reintegrate the narrowbody into service
over the first half of 2021. Southwest has
stated it won’t restart MAX operations
until all 9,700 of its Southwest Airlines
Pilots Association-represented line
pilots have received their simulator and
classroom training. Speaking at a Wings

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:

American Airlines’ 24-strong pre-grounding order
fleet has since grown with more jets introduced
during December and January

American’s Boeing 737 MAX 8s are fitted out in a

two-class, 172-seat layout

The media demonstration flight carried 140

passengers which included airline employees,
stakeholders and members of the press

The airline returned the type to fare-paying service

on December 29 between Miami and New York’s
LaGuardia Airport

A rear view of the CFM International LEAP-1B engine

that powers the Boeing 737 MAX

It takes between four and six hours to update the

MCAS software

62 February2021
Club event, CEO Gary Kelly believed this
would be no later than April 1, 2021.
Soon to become the first new MAX
operator post-grounding, Alaska Airlines
was to receive the first of 45 MAX 9s on
order in January, with a network debut in
March. The 178-seat, three-class airliners
will initially fly from Seattle to Los Angeles
and San Diego, and from Portland to Las
Vegas and Los Angeles.
Moving forward
With the talk of billions in losses, Boeing
was recently handed a reprieve by Ryanair.
The firm added a further 75 737 MAX
200s to its 135-strong commitment – the
first significant firm order for the type since
its grounding. No doubt having leveraged
the situation for as good a bargain
basement bulk buy as Boeing could
offer, the carrier’s chief executive Michael
O’Leary said the cost of the cut-price
commercial jets “was not enough”, calling
it a “modest discount”.
With many customers deferring and
cancelling orders, Ryanair’s deal will
play a pivotal role in ramping the MAX
production rate up from the current
“The only way to truly
build confidence is by
flying it. You don’t build
that back by sitting on
the ground”
five-per-month to a planned 31 by the end
of 2022. A dramatic increase, this is still
a far cry from the 47-52 jets rolling off the
production line every four weeks in late
2018 and early 2019.
The gravity of the two tragedies which
led to the grounding order is not lost
among these positive developments.
Captain Alan Johnson, American Airlines’
senior manager for flight standards, said
“we’re trying to honour the sacrifice of the
346 souls, moving forward”.
Many criticised the media flight as a
publicity stunt, particularly the families
of the victims. Michael Stumo, father
of 24-year-old Samya Rose Stumo
who was killed on ET 302, said: “Many
comments were received by the FAA
from engineers, pilots and aviation
organisations that there are still
problems to fix on the MAX. The
promotional flight is arranged by the
American Airlines marketing team
simply because the company made the
mistake of buying more MAX aircraft
than almost any other airline."
Ben Baldanza, former Spirit Airlines
CEO, said it’s imperative to return the
jet safely: “The MAX’s significance to
the airlines is important because many
are flying much older 737s and adding
the [Airbus] A320 would be more
complicated. Also, the MAX came about
precisely because the A320neo sold so
well, and this scrapped Boeing's decision
to build an all-new plane. Airlines that
have already bet on it, don't really have
an alternative to it.”
As for the future, he added: "The [MAX]
was selling very well prior to the crashes
due to its excellent economics. Assuming
the engineering problems are fixed, and
the new training protocols clear up any
pilot concerns, I see no reason why [firms]
won't want or continue to order it."
February2021 63
 S
tarting a new job is often
a fraught affair, but when
your role is to sell aircraft
in the middle of a global
pandemic, it certainly
adds an extra level of
spiciness to opening
proceedings. This most challenging of
assignments has been designated to
Martyn Holmes, chief commercial officer
of Embraer Commercial Aviation, who
started his new position in August last
year as part of a wider restructuring of
the senior management team.
While 2020 was a turbulent year for the
aviation sector, it was particularly tricky for
Embraer. In December 2017, the industry
was rocked by a Wall Street Journal report
that claimed Boeing and the Brazilian firm
were in previously undisclosed talks about
a possible joint venture. Within hours
the relevant parties confirmed the scoop
and it set the scene for more than two
years of boardroom discussions about
the precise nature of a possible deal. The
potential prize for Boeing was cementing
its status as the world’s biggest airframer
and reinforcing its arsenal following
Airbus’ emerging interest in Bombardier’s
C-Series narrowbody programme. For
Embraer the benefits were less clear-cut,
but still tangible – who wouldn’t want to

Talking t
jump into bed with the biggest name
in the business, right?

TOP: Belarusian flag carrier Belavia became the

latest E2 operator in December 2020 Embraer

RIGHT: KLM is expected to receive its

first E2 jet later this year. In time they will
replace the existing E1 examples KLM

64 February2021
 Alas, 2020 was the year that the divorce
papers arrived before the wedding vows
were even confirmed. The collapse of the
proposed deal sent shockwaves through
an industry that was only just coming to
terms with the scale of the coronavirus
crisis. In addition from some rather frosty
public comments made by both firms, the
aftermath of the failed deal for Embraer
was complicated, as Holmes alluded: “To
be frank, carving Embraer Commercial
Aviation out [of the parent group] to be
ready to go into Boeing was a hugely
time-consuming, costly and complex
exercise. If in hindsight we knew that
COVID was going to come along in March
2020, would we really have stopped
production in January and February?
No, we would not. On the bright side, it
means we can start again. [The Boeing
deal] is behind us and we’re focusing
forward. We always looked at the Boeing
deal as making sense, but it wasn’t
‘Plan A’ or ‘Plan A’. We were existing as
Embraer before, we always knew we
could go back to Embraer again, and
that’s what we’re doing.”
Ever the optimist, Holmes suggested
that among all of the upheaval, the
combination of the failed partnership talks
with Boeing and the COVID-19 crisis had
generated a certain energy and renewed

tech
momentum within the business. “It really
has been an opportune time to carve
back in. We’ve always been agile – we’re
a smaller company than some of our

with
Embraer
Despite the recent
uncertainties, Embraer
Commercial Aviation
has a bold new strategy
for the coming decade.
Gordon Smith talks to
new chief commercial
officer Martyn Holmes
to find out more
February2021 65

major competitors – but that size gives
us an agility and intimacy with [airline]
customers and a real sense of purpose
and I’m really excited by that.”
Pressed on how much more there is
to do to bring the commercial aviation
division of Embraer back into the fold,
Holmes confirmed that the bulk of the
work has been completed. “We’ve
made great strides. I wouldn’t say we’ve
completely concluded, but we’re getting
there. We’ve had our heads down
over recent months, working on our
strategy for the coming decade and the
reintegration to make sure it’s right.”
Renewed relevance
Irrespective of when the formal reintegration
is completely finalised, some analysts
have pondered what sort of company will
emerge from the fog of the failed merger.
While Boeing is still on the back foot
following the MAX crisis and a tsunami of
allegations regarding its wider processes
and procedures, Airbus is in a relatively
stronger position, buoyed by strong
demand for its new generation of narrow
and widebody jets. Where does this leave
aviation’s jilted bride? “I see our sector
relevance really increasing with the need
for airlines to have an adaptable fleet. We
now know that ‘black swan’ events [those
that come as a surprise and yield major
impact] come around at a relatively regular
frequency. So what we offer at below 150
seats is flexibility for airlines to have different
capacities and manage their strategy, and
that’s before you consider our efficiency
66 February2021
and sustainability on top of that,” noted
Holmes. “You have to remember that
Embraer has a product offering that we’ve
never had before. We now go up to 146
seats – it was previously closer to 124. The
E195-E2 – which was only certified in 2019
– offers 25% operating cost savings relative
to a larger narrowbody. In the past, there
would have been a compromise on seat
cost, but that is now virtually eliminated.
We now provide a tool for airlines in their
fleet and network planning which means
that they can have all that, combined with
the very low trip costs of the E190-E2 and
even down to the E175-E2. This flexibility
and adaptability with an aircraft family which
is the most efficient, quietest, and cleanest
narrowbody family out there. We’re giving
airlines the ability to plan for profitability, and
that is going to be key as we move forward
in this new world. If you can be flexible,
adaptable and environmentally conscious
with the right sustainable aircraft and hunt
down profit – that for me is an exciting time
for us and our relevance.”
The E2 is its flagship product for Holmes
and the wider Embraer Commercial
Aviation team, and it is immediately
apparent upon speaking to the firm’s
representatives that hopes for the jet are
sky high. The announcement by KLM
at the 2019 Paris Air Show for upwards
of 30 examples of the largest E195-E2
variant was no doubt welcome within
the four walls of Embraer’s São José
dos Campos headquarters, but Holmes
believes the impact will be felt elsewhere
too. “It was very important, especially
from an external perspective. We speak
to a lot of airlines and they know the
credibility of the aircraft, but there’s
nothing quite like getting those deals
and the aircraft into service. It is about
getting the message out there that the
world has never seen an aircraft quite
like this, and KLM is going to be great at
helping us promote it. We already have
great [airline] customers on the platform,
but I’ve no doubt that when we sit down
in 12 months we’ll be talking about other
customers that will join the E2 family.”
With the 2019 KLM order arguably one of
the last significant commitments for the E2
series, there were questions even before
the coronavirus crisis about customer
interest in the new jet. Did the long-running
Boeing negotiations subdue orders? “It
definitely added an element of uncertainty
for some airline executives – they wanted
to see how things worked out and if they’d
end up doing a deal directly with Boeing,”
confirmed the CCO. “Had it not been for
the pandemic, coming out of [the Boeing
deal] would’ve been a good catalyst to
re-engage some of that earlier dialogue,
although it’s worth remembering that the
conversations [with potential customers]
continued, but it was whether people
wanted to go to ‘the final line’.”
A new turboprop?
One product that has certainly got the
industry talking in recent months is the
prospect of a new Embraer turboprop.
The firm tweeted a rendering in October
2020, resulting in already-fevered
speculation being cranked up about its
propeller-powered ambitions. Holmes
would not go into detail on the firm’s
plans, but did confirm to AIR International
that discussions with potential suitors
are ongoing. “A new platform such as
the turboprop would be on a partnership
basis. Obviously, we haven’t launched it
yet, but it could be an exciting prospect
and we’re openly discussing it.” Asked
to further define what Embraer was
looking for in a potential partner, he said
possible synergies were paramount.
“We’ve undertaken 20 or so platforms
as Embraer over the past 20 years.
We’re very, very good at developing
programmes and delivering them on time,
on spec and to budget. Our ambition is
to grow, and to give customers solutions
that really add value. So if we see
something such as the turboprop which
we believe could be very interesting,
our next step is to talk to those in the
industry where our combined forces
could bring this to market. The reality is
that different parties can bring different
things. It is looking at where we could
combine certain synergies and strengths
as well as risk and revenue sharing. We
know that these programmes take a lot of
investment, so we’re looking at working
with people on that.”
Is Embraer’s possible foray into the

turboprop market an acknowledgement
that jet aircraft aren’t suited to every
mission? “For certain routes, sector
lengths, and airfields, the turboprop can
be a more efficient run, but anyone who
says that a [particular] larger narrowbody,
turboprop or a regional jet fits all journeys
is not treating the audience with enough
respect. You could imagine a turboprop
that’s got the same fuselage as the E-Jet,
so there’s passenger comfort but also the
ability to carry on baggage. Then there
are considerations around advanced
technology, so the aircraft is much quieter
than passengers have been used to,
and let’s be honest, [current] turboprop
technology is dated. The market is crying
out for what we could possibly have to offer
and the economic savings are quite
eye-watering. They really are the type
of thing that will make airline executives
say, ‘okay, when can you do this?’. We’ve
talked to a number of airlines and shown
them what the potential could be, and their
question is often ‘when?’ rather than ‘if’.
When we speak to potential partners they’re
excited as well, so watch this space...”
Embraer’s new turboprop programme
is still in its extreme infancy. Meanwhile,
could the green agenda – gaining
momentum pre-pandemic – be falling
down the priority list for airlines, travellers
and manufacturers, post-COVID?
Not according to Holmes: “I see the
environment as being core to our offering
going forward. Our new aircraft family
is 20% more fuel-efficient than the E1.
Being green is very much front and
centre of our thoughts and we’re talking
to a number of technology innovators
globally about our pipeline, but this
does not have to divergent from airlines
talking about profitability – it is actually
part of it. Lower fuel burn is of course
lower CO2, but is also lower cost. We’re
looking at the turboprop, but we’re also
looking at the future when electrification
and hybrid technology is ready to come
to the market. We put the technology in
when it’s ready. What we’re doing now
is talking to a whole supply chain of
innovators, from those [with products] that
are far from being ready, through to those
nearing completion in the near term. We
are making sure that when the tech is
ready, we get it in as quickly as we can.”
The recent publication of Embraer’s
ten-year market outlook outlined the
company’s forecast for the global aviation
landscape – but what about closer to
home? Unsurprisingly, Holmes believes
Embraer’s fortunes are on the up as the
benefits of being part of a wider business
are leveraged. “We’ve defined a strategy
from 2021-2025 as we reintegrate
commercial aviation into the rest of the
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:
A render of Embraer’s E2-Jet family
of aircraft Embraer
A new turboprop wouldn’t be Embraer’s first
foray into the propeller aircraft market Embraer
Could this be the shape of things to
come for Embraer? Embraer
Helvetic Airways took delivery of its first
E2 example in October 2019 Helvetic Airways
group. You’ve got defence, executive,
you’ve got EmbraerX – our innovation
centre – as well as services and support.
“This isn’t a sprint, and I have ultimate
confidence on where we are going to end
up. We have an excellent product and
the services and support for it. On top of
that we’ve teams which are recognised
globally for their customer focus and a
company that is fully behind it. Embraer is
very special; we love to bring customers
in because once they get a taste of the
‘special sauce’, when they come out and
meet the people and see what we can
do, it really is something quite compelling.
I think we’re very strong competition and
I think we’ll do very well. Ultimately, I think
many airlines want to see that competition
in the marketplace and want to see that
drive for innovation. We’re already the
leader in the sector below 150 seats, and
our intention is to maintain that.”
February2021 67
magical r
The Merlin’s

Air-to-air with ‘Furious Flight’ as they return

home to RNAS Yeovilton after completion of
In 2014, the RAF transferred its fleet of Merlins to
F-35B Lightning II trials (WESTLANT 18) on
HMS Queen Elizabeth All Images by Ian Harding
the Royal Navy. After major modifications,
the helicopter is now ready to serve
the Commando Helicopter Force,
as Ian Harding explains
68 February2021
return
A
fter a wait of four-and-a-
half years, the Royal Navy’s
Commando Helicopter
Force (CHF) is transitioning
to the new Commando
Merlin HC4/4A. Back
in March 2016, the last
Westland ‘Jungly’ Sea King HC4 was retired,
and today 14 of an eventual 25 Merlin’s (13
HC4’s and one HC4A) have already been
upgraded and delivered to 845 and 846
Naval Air Squadrons based at Royal Naval Air
Station Yeovilton in Somerset. A further eight
are at Leonardo Helicopters’ Yeovil factory
awaiting upgrades, leaving just three to
enter the conversion programme.
Mapping the Merlin
Replacing the much loved ‘Jungly’ Sea
King HC4 was never going to be an easy
task. In terms of complexity, the legacy
Merlin’s transition from the Royal Air Force
to Royal Navy service, coupled with a
number of subsequent life sustainment
upgrade programmes, was not
February2021 69
 dissimilar to the RAF’s Chinook fleets
which required modernisation.
Entering service with the RAF at Benson
in 2001, the legacy Merlin first saw action
in the Balkans in 2003, before deploying to
Iraq in 2004, where they primarily supported
coalition forces in the medical evacuation
role until the UK departed in 2009. In
2007, six additional Merlin helicopters were
received from Denmark (HC3A variant) as
an Urgent Operational Requirement.
This move enabled the RAF to deploy
the Merlin to Afghanistan as a support
helicopter in 2009, a move that ultimately
allowed the Sea King from AEW (Airborne
Early Warning) duties to return home in
2011. A year before the Merlin’s return
from Afghanistan in 2013, a decision
had been taken to transfer the RAF’s 28
Merlin HC3/HC3As to the Royal Navy’s
CHF. Over the next two years, RAF
personnel played a vital role transitioning
Commando Helicopter Force air and
ground crew to the Merlin.
Part one of this process was completed
when command for the Merlin fleet was
transferred to the Royal Navy in a ceremony
at Benson on September 30, 2014. This
move saw the first RAF Merlin squadron (78
Squadron) disband and the Royal Navy’s
Merlin training squadron (846 NAS) stand
up at Yeovilton in March 2015. Having
operated as part of CHF for an interim
period, 28(AC) passed its operational
reins to 845 NAS in July 2015, which then
followed its sister unit during June 2016.
In all respects, this proved a testing
period for CHF, with all its aircraft
effectively changing at once: Lynx CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: Helicopters) had been awarded the
to Wildcat and Sea King (HC4) to Three helicopters, including one Merlin HC3, are contract to convert 25 former RAF
Merlin (HC3/3A). Despite this ongoing shown here running in to support Royal Marines Merlin HC3/3A helicopters for maritime
on the ground as part of an exercise
development, Merlin still had to fulfil operations. At this point, the process of
its duties. This resulted in the Chinook 846 NAS Commando Merlin HC4 captured landing at transitioning them from the RAF to Royal
spending more time at sea than Portland heliport (formerly RNAS Portland) in Dorset Navy command was already advanced.
it normally would have during the to refuel having supported Royal Marines in the local Valued at approximately £455m, the
conversion of the Merlin fleet. area. Note the 352nd Special Operations Group CV- Merlin Life Sustainment Programme
22B Osprey in the background (MLSP) has two primary elements. First,
Life sustainment The Commando Merlin HC4 made its public debut
a life sustainment package to resolve
In January 2014, the UK’s Ministry at RNAS Yeovilton, home to Commando Helicopter legacy obsolescence up to the types
of Defence (MoD) announced that Force, on May 24, 2018 planned 2030 out-of-service date (OSD).
AgustaWestland (AW, now Leonardo This is similar to the major upgrade of 30
Merlin HM1 to HM2 standard completed
by the company in July 2016. Second,
an optimisation package to enable the
aircraft to operate more effectively from
aboard ships. Leveraging from more than
ten years of system design, as well as
development and operational evaluation,
the HM2`s capabilities have been
transformed. This latest major upgrade
programme included the tail fold system,
initially developed for Royal Navy’s HM1
and the Italian Navy EH101 programmes.
Future modifications to be considered
will likely include an air-to-air refueling
capability, to extend its endurance further
during aircraft carrier deployments aboard
HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) and HMS
Prince of Wales (R09).
The MLSP involves the upgrade of two
variants, namely 19 HC3 to HC4 standard

70 February2021

and six HC3A to HC4A standard. The
six HC3A aircraft came from Denmark
in 2007. Having been purchased from
AW approximately ten years after the UK
received its Merlin HC3`s, the six HC3A`s
naturally incorporated a number of enhanced
technical features over their UK counterparts,
owing to its role in Denmark as a specialist
search and rescue (SAR) platform.
For example, while the two variants were
both powered by Rolls-Royce Turbomeca
RTM322 engines, they had different power
rating structures. The UK HC3 also had
a four-tank fuel system compared to five
for the former Danish HC3A, and the
respective cockpit and window layouts
were significantly different. Externally,
the HC3A could be easily distinguished
from the HC3 by its distinctive nosecone,
which was designed to house a weather
radar. The MLSP addresses most of the
differences, including the nosecone. Under
the MLSP, two distinct conversion phases
are being undertaken.
MLSP phase 1
Seven aircraft were converted to ‘interim’
HC3 (also referred to as iMk3) standard,
enabling the CHF to maintain embarked
operations and bridge the capability
gap between the Sea King OSD, set for
March 2016, and the service introduction
of the Merlin HC4/HC4A in early 2018.
The critical design review (CDR) for the
upgrade was concluded by June 30,
2014, with the first aircraft (T1) arriving
at Leonardo Helicopters facility in Yeovil
for upgrade on October 23, 2014. Key
features of the work included:
• A ground crew-controlled folding
main rotor head (non-folding tail)
• New fast roping and abseiling points
• New lashing points for deck security
• A modified undercarriage to allow
deck operations
• Additional radio
• I Band Transponder
The iHC3 first flight took place on March
24, 2015, six months before the aircraft`s
initial release to service on September
30. Initial operating clearance (IOC)
came exactly one year after the aircraft’s
first flight on March 24, 2016. All seven
aircraft were delivered to the MoD and
Royal Navy’s 845 and 846 NAS ahead of
a schedule, which the MoD themselves
considered “demanding”. Since their
validation,t hey have continued to provide
UK defence with a maritime counter-
terrorism capability.
MLSP phase 2
This sees 25 aircraft converted to full
HC4/HC4A standard. The CDR for
this phase was March 31, 2015, with
the first aircraft (TI#1) arriving at Yeovil
approximately four months later on
August 5, 2015. Additional modifications
made to the iHC3 focused primarily on
the upgrade of the cockpit and ship
optimization. The modifications include:
• Key features of avionics design,
including upgraded aircraft
management and mission computers
(AMMCs), General Dynamics tactical
processor (derived from the AW159
Wildcat), five 10in x 8in General
Electric integrated display units (IDUs),
three BARCO touchscreen units
(TSUs) for controlling the aircraft’s
systems and mission equipment, two
cursor control devices for the tactical
displays, a new communication
suite (derived from the Merlin HM2
Communication Control and Intercom
System) with a specific radio fit for
the HC4/HC4A requirement, I-Band
Transponder System navigational
equipment (again similar to the
February2021 71
 HM2 only here being integrated into
the aircraft avionics)
• An integrated defensive aids suite
with additional chaff dispensers
mounted in the roof of the aircraft
• Additional systems for civil airspace
operational requirements, including
a civil twin global positioning system
and a dual VHF omni-directional range
/instrument landing system
• A folding main rotor head and tail
pylon, which is cockpit-controlled
• A fast roping and abseiling beam
The first HC4 made its initial flight on
October 24, 2016, with delivery to RNAS
Yeovilton taking place on April 25, 2018.
The first HC4A completed its maiden
flight on January 31, 2020, then delivered
to Yeovilton on November 9, 2020. The
final aircraft to arrived will be an HC4 and
this is scheduled to take place in March
2022. The approved full operational
capability (FOC) date is March 2023.
72 February2021
As operational frontline aircraft, legacy
Merlin HC3/HC3As are still classed as
being ‘in-service’ when they arrive at
Yeovil for upgrade and have to adhere
to each aircraft`s specific maintenance
schedule, so some receive depth
maintenance at Yeovil before entering the
HC4/HC4A upgrade programme.
Ship optimisation
It was important the HC4/HC4A
incorporated a tail fold system to enable
embarked operations. As a consequence,
the HC4/HC4A has an automatic main
rotor and tail folding system with BERP
III blades, which is identical to the HM2.
While the iHC3 blade fold was completed
manually by the ground crew, who
connected an external controller into the
aircraft to fold the blades, the HC4/HC4A
main rotor and tail fold can be done
automatically from the cockpit.
To complete the tail fold, Leonardo
Helicopters replaced the module between
the rear fuselage, cabin and tail pylon
with a new unit incorporating the tail fold
hinges and modified tail rotor driveshaft.
While the gearbox and transmission of
the legacy HC3/HC3A and upgraded
HC4/HC4A are the same, Leonardo has
fitted an index motor to the front of the
main ’box, which rotates the rotor head
to the correct position to allow the main
rotor blades to fold. This is the same
system as is fitted to the HM2 and export
utility aircraft, including the Italian Navy`s
amphibious support helicopter (ASH)
variant of the AW101.
In addition, the HC4/HC4A has received
the revised undercarriage introduced
on the iHC3, but further uprated with
higher gas pressures to permit maritime
operations above 14,600kgs (32,187 lbs).
The HC4/HC4A retains the twin-wheel
configuration of the HC3/3A (the HM2
has a single-wheel undercarriage). Unlike
the HM2, the HC4/HC4A will not have a
harpoon deck securing system.
Merlin commonality
Phase 2 will eliminate most of the
differences currently existing between the
HC4 and HC4A, including the nosecone
that was such a distinctive feature of the
legacy HC3A. It means the engine and
transmission power ratings and the nose-
mounted EO/IR (electro optical/infrared)
turret will be common to both types.
Elsewhere, the HC4A now has a
hydraulic, rather than electric, hoist and
the cabin port door slides open, rather
than being pushed. The cabin egress
windows will be standardised across
the fleet to the former legacy HC3
configuration, to ensure exiting the aircraft
in an emergency is smoother.
Inside the cabin, an HM2 pilot would
instantly be familiar with the HC4/HC4A
cockpit, but the mission and tactical
system information is very different. The
HC4 retains the HC3 heavy-duty cabin
floor and four-tank fuel system, whereas
the HC4A has the HC3A standard floor
and five-tank system. From an external
viewpoint, the HC4/HC4A fleet is easily
distinguished from the legacy fleet in
that it has received an all-over grey paint
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT:
Commando Merlin HC4A ZJ990/AA is shown
completing a test flight at Leonardo Helicopters’
Yeovil site in late October 2020. The first HC4A was
delivered to RNAS Yeovilton on November 9, 2020.
The nosecone, which was a distinguishing feature
of the Merlin HC3A, has been replaced

An 845 NAS Commando Merlin HC4 during a

confined area landing

CHF played a pivotal role supporting the Carrier

Strike Group and HMS Queen Elizabeth during initial
WESTLANT 18 trials. Three Commando Merlin HC4s
(’Furious Flight’) are shown here aboard the carrier
prior to their return journey to RNAS Yeovilton

Two key components of the new design are the

automatic main rotor and tail folding system. CHF’s
new marinised Commando Merlin HC4s have been
adapted to support the fleet in a manner which
would have been impossible previously

scheme in common with the Royal Navy’s
HM2 Fleet. More than 95% of the HC4/
HC4A internal wiring is new.
Trials programme
Four aircraft participated in the trials
programme. The core element of
flight trials covering the HC4 lasted
approximately 13 months, ending in
November 2017, and was conducted
utilising three HC4 aircraft. As mentioned
earlier, the first aircraft completed its
initial flight on October 24, 2016, with
the second trials aircraft joining the
programme on March 9, 2017.
The third aircraft joined in May 2017,
primarily focusing on electro magnetic
compatibility trials. As part of the test
programme, ship-helicopter operating
limits (SHOL) trials were conducted
during summer 2017.
The fourth trials aircraft was the only
HC4A (ZJ995). This aircraft completed
its first flight on January 31, 2020 and
was used to cover specific differences
between the HC4 and the HC4A. All trials
aircraft are brought up to final variant
configuration before delivery to the
frontline’s operational fleet.
The Commando Merlin HC4/4A was
not a ‘traditional’ flight test programme in
the sense that test pilots had to test the
capability and envelope of the rotorcraft
and its systems. Although the UK Military
Aviation Authority (MAA) considers the
HC4/HC4A as a new aircraft, Leonardo
Helicopters confirmed that almost every
element has been previously tested
and flown during almost 30 years of the
Merlin`s development. Thus the company
have not expanded the aircraft’s flight
envelope, as it is already proven, and
class its flight testing as more a ‘flight and
check’ programme. Despite the aircraft`s
extensive history and longevity, the Merlin
was designed before the latest MAA rules
and regulations came into being, so the
company must certify the HC4/HC4A
against these latest requirements.
Flight training
Leonardo Helicopters signed a separate
MLSP training contract with the MoD
in March 2015 to deliver two flight

It was important the Commando Merlin

HC4/HC4A incorporated a tail fold system
to enable embarked operations

February2021 73
 LEFT:
Commando Merlin HC4 ZJ122/’F’ departs the
Leonardo Helicopters site at Yeovil on a test flight in
October 2017. Note the flight instrumentation probe

BELOW:
In the twilight of their career, two 845 NAS Merlin
HC3As circle overhead as the light fades in Norway

training devices: a flight navigation and
procedures trainer and a rear crew trainer.
Leonardo’s responsibility was to ‘train the
trainers’ leaving the Royal Navy to train its
own aircrew and maintenance personnel.
Unlike the AW159 Wildcat training
contract, Leonardo has been contracted
to deliver the training system, but will
Baltic to participate in the United States-
led BALTOPS exercise.
During the WESTLANT 19 exercise, 845
NAS also played a pivotal role on board
HMS Queen Elizabeth, focusing more on
operational flying within the carrier task
group rather than simply supporting basic
F-35B flight training.
as it is tasked to operate from either
land or sea, in austere conditions and in
the harshest environmental conditions
imaginable. CHF now has in its inventory
a strategic aircraft to conduct the full
spectrum of military tasks.
The Commando Merlin has been chosen
by the Royal Navy to support the first

Within three months of delivery, 845 NAS had successfully deployed three
Commando Merlins on board the aircraft carrier HMS ‘Queen Elizabeth’
not be operating the training facility. In June 2019, the first Commando and future deployments of the UK’s first
Instead, this responsibility will rest Merlin HC4 was delivered to 846 NAS, aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth.
with the Royal Navy and Commando which is responsible for training. Further This will ensure that its operational
Helicopter Force at Yeovilton, which is deliveries to the squadron enabled them profile and performance will remain in
in the process of receiving these state- to complete their first Commando Merlin the spotlight now and in the future. It
of-the-art rear and front seat training ab -initio training in September 2019. will undoubtedly continue the proud
simulators from CAE Canada. The Commando Merlin HC4/4A meets operational tradition that was inaugurated
the exacting requirements of the CHF by the ‘Jungly’ Sea King.
Operational service
In service, 845 Naval Air Squadron
quickly demonstrated the value of its
new mount following delivery of the first
Commando Merlin during May 2018.
Within three months of delivery, the
squadron had successfully deployed
three Commando Merlin’s on board HMS
Queen Elizabeth (R08) during the carrier’s
maiden First of Class F-35B Lightning II
flight trials on the United States’ eastern
seaboard (WESTLANT 18).
Working alongside Culdrose-based
Merlin HM2s, 845 NAS provided deployed
search and rescue (DSAR) and joint
personnel recovery for the two American
F-35Bs deployed from Naval Air Station
Patuxent River in Maryland, plus lift
capability for the carrier force.
Checking In
The Merlin is currently set to fill
More recently, 845 NAS deployed three the airborne early warning and
Commando Merlins aboard RFA Lyme anti-submarine role, but do you
Bay and RFA Argus to work alongside know who is the prime contractor
the Royal Marines of 45 Commando and for these missions?
30 Commando during exercise Baltic
Protector. Stage one of this tested the Share your view at
UK-led joint expeditionary force off the airinternational@keypublishing.com
under the subject heading Checking In.
Danish coast, before moving into the

74 February2021
 MAIL ORDER 529/20

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Helland

76 February2021
ndback with Hips and Hinds

Having flown Mi-8/17 ‘Hips’ and Mi-24 ‘Hinds’ in some

of the hairiest missions of the civil war in Sierra Leone,
Al J Ventner has nothing but praise for the ruggedness
and resilience of these iconic Russian helicopters

T
here is much to be said for
the Russian Mi-17 medium
transport helicopter, which
made its first flight in 1975.
It proved so effective and
reliable in its utility role
that around 12,000 of
these twin-turbine machines were built.
Given the codename ‘Hip’ by NATO, this
helicopter is the military version of the
Mi-8 — it’s basically the same airframe but
with different engine models fitted — and
has seen service at one time or another in
about 60 countries.
One dramatic case in point was former One of the UN Hips currently giving top cover in the
South African Air Force pilot turned Central African Republic All images by Al J Ventner

February2021 77
 mercenary Neall Ellis’s ferrying of
troops, ammunition supplies and food
to government forces isolated in jungle
camps by the rebels during the civil war
in Sierra Leone from 1991-2002. Without
his efforts — flying solo in a lone Mi-17
dubbed ‘Bokkie’ and later a battered and
outdated Mi-24 that leaked when it rained
– Foday Sankoh’s Revolutionary United
Front (RUF) would almost certainly have
taken Freetown, Sierra Leone’s capital, and
thereafter the country.
Sierra Leone
As it was, according to General Sir
David Richards, then in command of a
rescuing British force sent to Freetown in
2000 and now known as Baron Richards
of Herstmonceux, the conflict was an
extremely close-run thing prior to the
arrival of his troops and a large Royal
Navy force that included two helicopter
carriers, HMS Illustrious and HMS Ocean.
Three other Royal Navy ships involved
in that West African war were the Argyll,
Chatham and Iron Duke.
In an exchange of notes with Richards
while he was still Chief of the General
Staff, he acknowledged the role of this
exceptional mercenary fighter. “Neall
Ellis is a great man,” he told the author.
“I and everyone in Sierra Leone owe him
much.” It is possibly the first time ever
in the modern era that a senior military
British commander has praised a so-called
soldier of fortune.
An interesting sidebar is that Ellis (or
Nellis as he is sometimes known) and his
78 February2021
‘Bokkie’, together with his side-gunner
Hassan Delbani and further support from
some irregular volunteers, went on to make
$1m from extricating marooned civilians to
safety from behind rebel lines.
Elaborating on this extremely dangerous
series of ‘snatches’, Ellis explained that
they would go in after dark and fight their
way to where groups of refugees — men,
women, children and “sometimes more
infants than we could count” — were
gathered and ferry them to safety. As Ellis
recounted, the Mi-17, already a couple of
years past its last service date, “gave us
all we needed to get by... but just.”
He had originally been handed the
helicopter “in lieu of pay” by Lt Col Tim
Spicer, CEO of Sandline International,
after the private military company
had been ousted from West Africa by
British parliamentarians. This followed
disclosures that the Hip had been
‘unofficially’ serviced by Royal Navy
technicians from a warship moored in
Freetown harbour.
Shooting from the Hip CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:
Though not developed as a combat In a remote corner of the Central African Republic,
helicopter, the Mi-17 has slotted into with a UN Hind hovering overhead, a fighting column
combat roles many times: in 1999 by India is deployed to oust rebels from a village
against Pakistan (in the first phase of the
A Sierra Leone Air Wing Mi-24V gets ready for
Kargil War); extensively in Sri Lanka’s war
take-off. By 2008, this helicopter was lying derelict
against Tamil Tiger guerrillas, where seven at Cockerill Barracks in Freetown
Mi-17s were destroyed in operations by
the insurgent force; in Cambodia’s Khmer A French mercenary side-gunner on board Ellis's
Rouge offensive of 1996; by Executive Mi-24 during the civil war in Sierra Leone
Outcomes (EO) mercenaries in both the
Former British SAS operative Fred Marafano about to
Angolan and Sierra Leone civil wars; and
board Ellis's Hind at Freetown's Aberdeen Barracks
by both pro-Gaddafi and anti-Gadaffi Consequently, at four in the morning, it could, the drama that followed was
forces in the 2011 Libyan uprising. There a pair of Mi-17s left Saurimo and arrived about as hairy as it gets. Though it soon
have also been numerous appearances in at the designated landing zone (LZ) at became light, a heavy mist still clung to
other conflicts across four continents. first light. Heavy mist obscured visibility, the slopes of all surrounding hills.
Many were armed with both rockets which according to the pilots was scary “It was really tough,” recalled one of the
as well as machine guns in combat because the region was undulating and pilots. “We would feel our way across
areas, though not as extensively as the a mountain or two in the immediate area the top of the forest and then suddenly a
Soviet Hind/Mi-24 gunship, which could hardly helped. Since the cockpit crew mountain would sort of appear out of the
have twin rocket pods mounted on their had not brought night-vision goggles, mist in front of us. At last, Charlie spotted
winglets, as well as a four-barrelled they were forced to rely on the fleeing the strobe and he gave me bearings.”
12.7mm Gatling in the nose. party’s strobe light. Finally, using their Meanwhile, the guys below had reached
The Mi-17 very often has Soviet PKM or GPS sets, they were able to close in and a small clearing, but the LZ wasn’t big
RPD machine guns protruding on both establish comms. enough for his rotors to make a clear
sides towards the rear, as was the case With JC Linde at the controls and Charlie descent without causing some kind of
with ‘Bokkie’. Tait's machine offering what support damage. The South Africans took the
An international leader in heliborne
transport, the Mi-17 was powered by
Klimov TV3-117MT engines, whereas the
Mi-8 (a more advanced version) was fitted
with the Klimov TV3-117MTV and, during
the Cold War, there were also sensors for
chemical and nuclear warfare. Nowadays,
the MT seems to have fallen out of favour
and the helicopters are currently fitted with
the MTV engine, which is better suited to
‘hot and high’ flying.
Over the decades, the Hip has proved
inordinately rugged. In Africa, where
they were put to good use by various
mercenary elements, there are many
examples of these helicopters taking
heavy fire but, although sometimes
crippled, they almost always managed to
limp back to base.
In one Angolan operation involving a pair
of Mi-17s, one of them was forced down
by enemy gunfire with a full complement
of troops on board, while the other
managed to land nearby, pick up the
stranded passengers from the first and
head back to base. The lives of almost
40 combatants and two full air crews
There are many examples of these helicopters
were saved, which was remarkable given
that the handbook clearly states that the
taking heavy fire and, although sometimes crippled,
Hip’s load limit is 22.
Another incident involving Mi-17s was
they almost always managed to limp back to base
when EO, the South African mercenary
group, was operational out of the
diamond-rich town of Saurimo in the
north-east of Angola and close to the
Congo border.
EO's commander back at home base
received an urgent call from Simon
Witherspoon, a former Special Forces
operator who, in his day, was one of
best operatives in any man’s army.
Witherspoon and several others had been
dropped in a particularly hostile area in a
bid to harass guerrilla supply lines. What
emerged later was that Witherspoon,
Rich Nichol and their two trackers were
running hard from an enemy follow-up
team through an unusually dense stretch
of jungle. It didn’t take Witherspoon
long to realise that the rebel adversaries
were closing in. Since the South Africans
weren’t familiar with the area, there was
the possibility of them being ambushed
by other enemy soldiers deployed further
out. As he was to argue afterwards, they
all had radios.

February2021 79
 helicopter in anyway and the pilot used
his rotors to carve a passage through
the bush. It would have worked but for
one tree that was sturdier than the rest,
causing damage to the blades. Yet they
were still not down on the ground.
The pilot continued: “In trying to
hover, I found that the chopper had
become seriously unstable. Meanwhile,
Witherspoon and the boys had emerged
from the bush and shouted that we were
still too high, so I beat the trees for a few
more seconds and finally we were able to
get them on board.
“As I pulled power, the chopper began
to vibrate, and it was quite violent. The
shaking continued as I gained altitude and
I was forced to lower collective to decrease
power and it was then that I decided to put
her down. If I didn’t, I was pretty bloody
sure that the old bird would break up.”
Just then, the crew spotted a stretch
of water. To buy time from their pursuers
– they must have been well within RPG
range by the time they lifted off – the
skipper decided to put his wheels down
on the far side of a river. The moment
they landed, he knew he had brought
the helicopter down in water. They had
landed in a swamp. “The tail boom
immediately began to sink,” he recalled.
With Tait still circling nearby and having
been given time to inspect the damage,
they decided they might just be able to
make it back to base, almost 200km
away. Finally, the men set about extricating
the machine from the mud, and though
it took time, they got clear. “We had to
80 February2021
fly at reduced speed the rest of the way.
Anything over 90 knots and the chopper
began to vibrate almost uncontrollably and
yaw all over the place. Obviously, our light
load helped.”
Downed by MANPAD
After EO forces had taken the diamond
fields at Cafunfo in northeast Angola, South
African mercenary pilot Juba Joubert had
his Mi-17 take a hit from a ground-to-air
missile, probably a Strela MANPAD.
Though the air crews had been assured
the area around the diamond town had
been cleared of threat, these veterans of
guerrilla campaigns were cautious. When
headed for the sharp end, they flew high
and came down fast, invariably in a spiral
and as steep as their rotors would allow.
It was the same on the way out again:
straight up and a swing away after the
required altitude had been achieved.
On that day, combat veteran Arthur
Walker sensed that ground activity was
becoming more intense, so he decided
that he and Joubert should put down at
an old disused airstrip on the outskirts of the missile’s contrail heading straight for
Cafunfo. After the two Hips had delivered the circling choppers.
their two-and-a-half ton loads and taken Walker saw it first, but it happened in
aboard a couple of dozen casualties, they the blink of an eye and there was no
took off again. As Walker noted: “There’s time for evasive action. At Mach-2, the
no hanging about when you’ve got people missile shot past his nose and headed
throwing things at you.” for his wingman, hitting the Hip’s exhaust
Both machines were about 180m in just above the starboard engine. Joubert
the air when the brilliant white flash of a felt an enormous blast above his head
missile being launched from the opposite and then set about trying to rectify the
bank was spotted from the ground. situation. Even immobilised, he still
“SAM!” somebody shouted, pointing at managed to land his helicopter safely.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:
Chopper down! One less Mi-24 in Sierra Leone after
a bird strike
An East African brown-out involving a Hip
The author strapped into the gunner’s front bubble
seat of an Mi-24 during the gruelling civil war in
Sierra Leone that ran from 1991-2002
A Senegalese Hind gets a salute prior to heading out
from Bangui, Central African Republic
The infamous Neall Ellis in his Mi-24 cockpit
Talking about the incident afterwards,
both pilots extolled the ruggedness
of this Soviet-type helicopter for not
being immediately knocked out of the
sky, let alone being blown apart by the
blast. Walker maintains that no Western
helicopter would take that kind of
punishment and come out of it airworthy.
Ellis elaborated on his own experiences
with Hips and Hinds in Sierra Leone:
“The Mi-8/17 is a very reliable and basic
helicopter, a real workhorse.”
The machine’s basic systems are easily
maintainable under primitive conditions in
the field by a qualified ground crew and
are not subject to the demands of the
complex computerised avionics that are
found in most Western helicopters.
“That means the aircraft can be left
unprotected in the sun and rain, which is
Australian broadcaster Mike Corcoran said that he
saw a message addressed to Ellis that said: “If we
ever catch you, we’ll cut your heart out and eat it”
usually the case in the majority of African
countries,” Ellis said.
Flying the Hind
While flying under the Mi-24’s front bubble
with Neall Ellis during Sierra Leone’s
civil war, we almost always used our full
weapons load while out, to the extent that
we were sometimes presented with prime
rebel vehicle-led targets on the way back
to base but were unable to respond.
I was always astonished by the way that
Ellis was able to react, almost on impulse,
even while monitoring his GPS, watching
fuel levels and a host of other dials in the
cockpit, as well as keeping a sharp eye
open for potential birdstrikes, which had
already caused at least two accidents.
He would spot a target in thick jungle
— we always flew just over the top of the
forest giants — swing the chopper around
and fire a clutch of rockets, usually four at
a time. If it was a ‘technical’, most times
with a heavy machine gun mounted, he
would rarely need a second pass.
It was different when we hit enemy
bases. In one concerted attack against
the RUF rebel headquarters at Makeni, a
fairly large town in the interior, he came
in higher than usual, put our nose down
and let rip. Then he made a broad circle
and did it again, four times in all, by which
time he had expended about half of our
57mm or 80mm rockets and most of the
12.7mm Gatling HMG loads, mounted in
the Hind’s nose immediately below where
I was strapped in.
To me, the relatively low-paced circling
hover to get into position to hit targets
again and again was terrifying. We were
totally exposed to ground fire in the
minute or two that it took to complete
the turn, but Ellis never wavered. I could
usually handle four such attacks, after
which I would suggest that enough was
enough! To which Neall would respond:
“What’s up, Al? You nervous?”
After every action, senior Sierra Leone
staff officers — as well as their British
‘advisors’, some quite senior — would
sidle down to Neill Ellis’s ops centre to
talk to him. He was the best source of
intelligence in the region. Tucked in his
cockpit, Ellis missed very little of what
was going on in the jungle below. His
reports were invariably an accurate,
reasoned and balanced assessment of
the activities of enemy ground forces.
Years of flying in primal environments –
including a dozen or more lengthy spells
during South Africa’s Border War – added
another distinctive edge to his reports.
That he was invariably spot-on, just about
everybody concurred. For instance, from the
air he could judge a man’s actions simply
by watching him: how he walked, what he
was carrying, whether he was being evasive,
and if he was friend of foe. Unlike most
of us, Nellis could ‘read’ the bush. Some
officers would even get him to ferry SAS
operators about the country, even though
Whitehall had given explicit instructions
for them not to have anything to do with
“that bloody mercenary.”
At the height of the Sandline scandal over
London’s links to mercenaries hired by the
Sierra Leone government, The Sunday
Telegraph reported that British officials would
have quickly avoided Nellis. “Today,” said
the newspaper, “he is the toast of Freetown.
British army officers, United Nations soldiers
and government troops cannot praise
his operations too highly.” Indeed, Neall’s
biography, Gunship Ace, published in 2012,
is today on the prescribed reading lists of
several US military academies.
In Ellis’s hands, the Mi-24 was a deadly
weapon. It was a carrier of Special Forces,
a platform for intelligence gathering and
an instrument of psychological warfare, it
dropping British leaflets into rebel camps.
Indeed, the Hind was causing so much
damage in Sierra Leone that, just before I
left the country, the rebel command from
its Liberian headquarters upped the price
on the Ellis’s head to $2m. Australian
broadcaster Mark Corcoran, who
reported on the conflict for Sydney’s ABC
network, said that he saw a message
addressed to Ellis that said something
along the lines of “If we ever catch you,
we’ll cut your heart out and eat it.”
Of course, that sort of threat appealed
enormously to Ellis. In fact, said Corcoran,
he found it flattering!
February2021 81

The Gripens F
guarding the Gulf
Thailand may be famous for its tropical beauty and
stunning beaches, but something in the air also
makes it unique, as Analayo Korsakul reports
82 February2021
RTAF Gripen and Saab 340
AEW flying together over the
Gulf of Thailand All images by
Hiranphan Sukasom unless stated
or a decade now, the Royal
Thai Air Force (RTAF – Kong
Tab Arkard Thai) has been
operating Asia’s only fleets of
Saab JAS-39 Gripen fighters
and Saab 340 AEW (airborne
early warning) aircraft.
Both serve Wing 7 at Surat Thani located
near the Gulf of Thailand and are tasked
with safeguarding sovereign air space
across Southern Thailand, close to the
South China Sea and Andaman Sea, as
well as the entrance point to the Strait of
Malacca. This maritime region is among
BELOW: RTAF Gripen, Saab 340 and Saab 340 AEW
during a Wing 7 combat-ready ceremony in 2013
 For the anti-shipping role, the RTAF Gripens
are armed with the RBS-15F, as seen here

the biggest choke points in the world. The

Strait of Malacca, a narrow 2.8km-wide
sea lane connecting the Pacific and Indian
Oceans, is a gateway between the East
and the West and accounts for a quarter
of global trade. It means Wing 7 is never
short of work.

Maritime capability
One of the crucial factors that saw the
Gripen being selected is its maritime
domain capability. As well as the 12
examples ordered in 2008, the Swedish
Air Force transferred 12 older RBS-
15F anti-shipping missiles to the RTAF
until the more modern Mk.3 model was
available. It marks the first time the RTAF
has had a real maritime strike capability,
something it has longed for since the F/A-
18D order was cancelled during the 1997
Asian financial crisis.
The Gripen works closely with the
This Saab 340 transport 70202 was later configured into a ELINT/ECM aircraft along with a second example,
Saab 340 AEW in this role. The RTAF 70207 Analayo Korsakul
also agreed an operational framework
alongside the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) Diameter Bombs, but nothing has range missile in the RTAF as the service
to co-ordinate operationally during any materialised yet. has acquired the rights to code and
conflict. It ensures RTN frigates and As for the threat in the sky, the Gripen’s integrate the missile on its chosen.
helicopter carriers can act as a fighter main weapon of choice is the AIM-120C The RTAF’s newly upgraded F-5s have
controller to direct Gripens to the for its beyond-visual-range operation. also been adapted to operate with the
maritime target. The IRIS-T has replaced the AIM-9M IRIS-T. Meanwhile, the superior MBDA
The RTAF has also ordered the upgrade Sidewinder as the primary within-visual- Meteor BVRAAM (beyond visual range
of its air command and control system
from Saab, enabling radars and sensors
from both service branches to be
integrated via the ‘Link-T’ national tactical
datalink. This was developed from Saab’s
technology transfer package, to create a
common operational picture.
Besides the fancy anti-ship missiles,
not much has been done to step up the
ground attack capability. The Gripen,
which is equipped with a Litening
targeting pod, still uses unguided 500lb
Mk 82 and 2,000Ib Mk 84 bombs as
well as the laser-guided 500Ib GBU-12
Paveway II. There was a talk of acquiring
the GBU-31 JDAM and GBU-39 Small

RIGHT: This RTAF Gripen pilot wears a Saab/BAE

Systems Cobra Helmet Mounted Display System as a
standard unit. The Cobra is integrated with IRIS-T to
maximise the missile’s capability

February2021 83
 No 701 Sqn ‘Shark’ is now operating seven single-seat
Gripen Cs. One was lost in a fatal accident but the unit
expects to bolster the number back to eight in 2023

air-to-air missile) is now being considered feature had existed, this tragic accident operations in October 2019. This is a
as a future option. could have been avoided. remarkable milestone, given that the initial
For a more capable missile, upgrade work The remaining 11 aircraft continue to delivery of six Gripens was eight years
has to be done. A recent 2020 RTAF soldier on with 701 Sqn ‘Shark’ which earlier, in February 2011, under the Peace
white paper called for the Gripens to be celebrated 10,000 hours of Gripen Suvarnabhumi programme. A second
upgraded with the new MS-20 (Mission
System) during 2020/21. With it will come
CBRN (chemical, biological radiological
and nuclear) protection, datalink for close
air support, new software for the PS/05
radar, small diameter bombs (SDBs) and
Meteor support.
One of the features the RTAF will benefit
from is the automatic ground collision
avoidance system (AGCAS) – the RTAF
lost one Gripen and its pilot during an
aerial display during a 2017 Children’s Day
open house show (organised nationwide
every second Saturday of January). Later
investigations confirmed that the pilot
had suffered from vertigo. If the AGCAS

Surat Thani Province

The world knows Surat Thani Province for
the beauty of Koh Samui island and the
famous full moon parties at Koh Phangan. ABOVE: Puttapong ‘Cotto’ Polchiwin (left) and Charoen ‘Tonic’ Wattanasrimonkol (right), seen here in 2014,
were two of the original four Gripen pilot-instructors of the RTAF, and are now group captains. ‘Cotto’ is Wing 7
Located 650km south of Bangkok, the Commander, while ‘Tonic’ is Wing 1 Commander
province is one of the economic centres of
southern Thailand. BELOW: A Gripen C on patrol over the Gulf of Thailand fitted with IRIS-Ts on the wing rails for within-visual-
However, most holidaymakers are unaware range combat, and two AIM-120C AMRAAMs for beyond visual range Analayo Korsakul
that Surat Thani also hosts the only fighter
wing in the south, at Wing 7, not far from
its famous beaches. Unsurprisingly, when
the Swedish Air Force asked if any of its
pilots and technicians were interested in
being stationed at Surat Thani, there was an
unusually high number of applicants.
The air base also acts as one of the back-
up air command and control centres for the
RTAF, and fulfilled precisely that role during
the 2011 flood in Thailand that destroyed all
the air command and control systems
in Bangkok.
Surat Thani International Airport shares
a runway with Wing 7, so if you are lucky
enough to visit, don’t forget to glance over
to the other side of the runway for a chance
to see the Gripens and Saab 340.

84 February2021
batch of six Gripens came in 2013 and
the squadron was declared combat ready
later that year.
The RTAF has invested heavily into its
maintenance capability. Aside from 13
pilots at the inception, 60 Thai technicians
studied and completed on-the-job training
with the Swedish Air Force. They came
back to form a linchpin maintenance team
that, in some demanding situations, can
ensure all aircraft are combat ready.
In November the team was involved in
a capability demonstration that came in
the form of an ‘elephant walk’ by all 11
Gripens and one Saab 340 AEW lining up
for a mission during a national defence
exercise. The standard scenario has
two Gripens sitting ready for the QRA
(quick reaction alert), while the other
nine perform a variety of air, ground and
maritime strike missions simultaneously.
‘Shark’ and ‘Orca’
What makes 701 Sqn ‘Shark’ and its
Gripens so special is that they work as a
team with the two Saab 340 AEWs and
six Saab 340s transport/ELINT aircraft
of 702 Sqn ‘Orca’. This is one of only
two airborne early warning squadrons
in South East Asia, the other being the
Republic of Singapore Air Force’s 111 Sqn
operating the Gulfstream G550 AEW&C.
The Saab 340’s airborne early warning
capability is provided by its Erieye radar.
Together they act as a flying radar
within the Thai air defence network, and
therefore are not AEW&C aircraft. But
this should come in 2021, when the RTAF
upgrades its Saab 340 AEWs with an air
command and control capability to the
radar. This will help stretch operational
range beyond the air defence network
coverage, acting as a ‘quarterback’ for
Gripen and RTN warships by providing
greater situation awareness well beyond
the shore. That will supplement the
electronic warfare and signal intelligence
BELOW: The ‘elephant walk’ of Wing 7 comprises all 11 Gripens from 701 Sqn and one Saab 340 AEW from 702 Sqn, as seen here during a national defence exercise in
November 2020 Wing 71 via Analayo Korsakul
A pair of Gripen patrol over an oil rig in the Gulf of Thailand. No 701 Sqn is the only RTAF unit with a maritime
strike capability
capability installed in two of the six 340s.
The RTAF bought second-hand Saab
340s and hired the team from a local
company, R V Connex, to design and
install the EW/SIGINT equipment.
This new capability benefited from the
technology transfer package from Saab.
The other two 340s are used for the
training and transport role.
Since this is the continent’s only
Gripen fleet, examples frequently take
part in various exercises and airshows
in Malaysia and Singapore. Each year,
they participate with the USAF, US Navy
and Republic of Singapore Air Force in
Exercise Cope Tiger and Cobra Gold, and
every two years with the Royal Australian
Air Force (RAAF) and various air forces
during Exercise Pitch Black in Australia.
The Gripens also took part in the
secretive Exercise Falcon Strike, with
the PLAAF (People’s Liberation Army Air
Force) to face China’s leading fighter. The
results were impressive!
Information later emerged from Falcon
Strike 2015 that the J-11 did a very good
job during within-visual-range training
(16 Gripens downed against the J-11’s
zero losses); the Gripen also performed
much better in the beyond-visual-range
environment. It swept away 19 J-11s at a
cost of only three Gripens, thanks to the
Thai pilot’s superior situational awareness,
better electronic warfare capabilities and
datalink. That trend continued throughout
the exercise. It was a wake-up call for the
PLAAF to overhaul its training syllabus,
and it then decided to send more
advanced J-10A/Cs to the subsequent
exercises in 2017 and 2019.
The RTAF plans to procure an additional
Gripen C in 2023 to replace the one
that had been lost – if the aircraft is still
available on the production line. The
Lockheed Martin F-16ADFs serving 102
Sqn and the F-16A/Bs with 103 Sqn are
ageing – their replacement programmes
are aimed to start in 2023 and 2028,
respectively. Both the F-16V and Gripen
E/F will be strong favourites although if
the price of the Lockheed Martin F-35
Lightning II comes down, the situation
could become more complicated.
High budgetary estimates for the MS20
upgrade suggest the RTAF may procure
a new weapon system, along with the
upgrade package that could be adequate
for at least another 10-15 years. In which
case, the sunny skies and blue seas of
Thailand will continue to be protected
by the ‘Shark’ and ‘Orca’ at the ocean
gateway, where East meets West.
February2021 85

At first glance, Bell’s 525 leaves an
impression of sleek lines and huge
windows. A true 21st-century helicopter,
it has all the capability to match its
futuristic looks Bell Flight/Sheldon Cohen
“I
’ve been with Bell for 31
years,” said Byron Ward,
vice-president of Bell’s
525 programme. “So I’m a
seasoned Bell person – I’ve
ridden the rollercoaster on a
lot of really great aircraft.”
Right now, that means the Bell 525
Relentless, a 21st-century machine set to
shake up a market contested by several
86 February2021
Sidesticks a
popular models, among them the Airbus
Helicopters H225 and Sikorsky S-92.
Think of a Bell commercial helicopter
and the chances are the JetRanger or
Huey spring to mind, but the Relentless
is much larger. Sleek looks and a
surprisingly elegant profile make the 525
appear considerably less ‘agricultural’
than some of its competitors, belying
the fact that it is a 9.3-tonne machine,
capable of seating 16 passengers in
generously proportioned 20in wide seats.
In designing the 525, Bell has kept
a careful focus on the needs of the
oil and gas market, where an all-new
aircraft is more than welcome. The basic
specifications in the table on page 91
allow a comparison between the primary
incumbents in the arena, but Ward readily
admits that range, speed and other data
s and soft stops Bell expects to receive FAA certification for its all-new 525
Relentless in 2021. The type promises a step-change in
capability for commercial helicopter operators and future
corporate and military applications, as Byron Ward, vice
president of the 525 programme, explains to Paul E Eden

mean little when it comes to serving
offshore oil rigs at night and in poor
weather. Operating safely in challenging
conditions is the real test of a rig support
helicopter’s mettle.
“Oil and gas is a principle thrust for
the aircraft and representatives from
the industry were among the primary
members on our customer advisory
panel,” he explained. “They told us we
needed to create an aircraft that could
take care of the environment, so that the
pilots could concentrate on where they
need to go, not on what the environment
is doing to the aircraft.
“That necessitated a different approach to
the way the [type] flies. You need a heavily
stabilised aircraft and the only way to do
that is by making the transition to
fly-by-wire with the authority to take care of
gusts, with [great] sideward and rearward
flight capability, lots of tail rotor and flight
control authority, so that pilots can land
on platforms where there is little option for
approaching from an alternative direction.”
Fly-by-wire
Bell is setting the standard for
fly-by-wire operation in a commercial
helicopter application, since the 525

February2021 87
 CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE:
The Relentless boasts a simple, uncluttered cockpit
arrangement, thanks in part to its incorporation of
sidestick controllers Bell Flight/Sheldon Cohen

A large-diameter, five-bladed main rotor provides

the Relentless with low rotor disc loading, reducing
downwash. This is particularly important for SAR
and casevac/HEMS operators Bell Flight

Even equipped for the somewhat utilitarian mission

of oil and gas support, the Relentless offers
comfortable accommodation. Byron Ward, the Bell
525 programme vice president, said that even with
16 seats installed, every passenger can touch an
emergency exit from their seat Bell Flight/Sheldon
Cohen

The Garmin G5000H avionics suite installed in

the Relentless includes four primary and three
secondary screens, including this touchscreen
in the central console Bell Flight/Sheldon Cohen

is the first such machine. That means
there are regulatory challenges, but
Ward is convinced that the combination
of the stability it provides with the 525’s
roomy cabin will provide a safer, more
comfortable passenger experience than
previously available.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
has determined that additional scrutiny of
the 525’s fly-by-wire system is necessary, a
decision that reflects on its uniqueness to
commercial rotary wing aviation rather than
any doubts it has over Bell’s engineering.
Ward was previously V-22 programme
manager and noted the company’s
expansive fly-by-wire experience, not only
on the tiltrotor, but also the BA609 (now
AgustaWestland AW609), V-280 and 360
Invictus. “We consider the control laws for
rotorcraft a core technology,” he explained
and added: “We’ve leveraged that for
the 525. But it is the first commercially
certified fly-by-wire helicopter, and other
regulatory authorities, including European
Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and
Transport Canada, have also been heavily
interested in the process.” To date, he
said that certification has gone well.
Ward draws a significant safety
comparison between current FAA Part 29
certification, which requires dual safety
systems on commercial helicopters. This,
he believed, means that, over the lifecycle of
an entire fleet, it is statistically possible that
at least one aircraft will suffer a dual failure.
“That’s simply not allowed when you make
the decision to go to fly-by-wire. If you’re
going to make a step change in safety, you
have to commit to it and fly-by-wire is a
logical by-product of that. As a redundancy
example, our three flight-control computers
each have twin computing lanes, each of
them compared to the other; it’s slightly
more expensive, but the safety, capability,
reliability and maintenance advantages are
documented from our military aircraft.”
Despite this, it has to be acknowledged
that Bell suffered a fatal accident in July

88 February2021
2016, when the first Relentless prototype
suffered a well-documented inflight incident.
The causes and findings from the event
have made the 525 a better machine, but
also informed changes to Bell’s standard
flight test regime, including the installation
of cockpit video cameras and use of
cockpit voice recorders (CVR). Discussing
the accident, Ward said: “The knowledge
from the accident was leveraged into the
V-280 programme and will also inform the
Invictus. We take into account any flight test
knowledge gains to ensure that our future
flight test endeavours are safer.”
With much of the flight and certification
tests completed by late 2020, Ward noted:
“We’re focused on certifying the 16-seat
configuration first. We believe passengers
who are apprehensive about flying out to a
rig in a helicopter should arrive comfortable
– it’s a big advantage of the Bell 525, it
makes the passenger really comfortable,
with great ergonomics and visibility.”
In fact, even for a helicopter of its size,
the Relentless has notably large windows,
providing an excellent view out as well as a
bright cabin. Ward also noted that, should
evacuation be necessary, pushing out the
windows in an emergency provides plenty
of space for escape.
The same is true of the cockpit windows
– which is just as well, since the 525’s fully
loaded Garmin G5000H avionics suite and
fly-by-wire control system mean its pilots
have a great deal more opportunity to fly
‘eyes out’, watching the mission, rather than
looking down to monitor instruments.
From rigs to riches
When airspeed, power or other limits
are reached, the Relentless signals the
limitation to its eyes-out pilots via ‘soft
stops’ in the sidesticks, which the crew
feel and react to, without having to look
down at a cockpit screen. It’s important
to note the mention of ‘sidesticks’ as the
lack of cyclic controls between the pilots’
knees enables the installation of seats
that rotate inwards, affording cockpit
access via the main cabin door. Since
cockpit doors are not required, the side
windows could be made much larger,
albeit jettisonable in case of emergency.
Bell has designed what Ward described
as a ‘very simple’ cockpit. He said
that while the oil and gas industry is
the initial focus, the Relentless will be
very attractive to corporate and VIP
operators, as well as the military, where
it is an obvious fit for long-range search
and rescue (SAR) and troop transport.
The cockpit is configured to easily
accept mission avionics. The airframe is
marinised as standard, with no further
preparation necessary for shipborne
operations, and is fully compatible with
night-vision goggles.
A long list of optional equipment includes
electric winches and weather radar, while
comprehensive Iridium satellite connectivity
provides a variety of communications
possibilities and, more importantly,
allows owners to monitor the health and
maintenance requirements of their 525
fleets in real time.
Transition training
There seems every likelihood that
potential customers will welcome the
525’s extensive standard equipment
list and the options Bell provides for
role customisation, but there’s more to
a purchasing decision than the aircraft
alone. Operators moving away from a
legacy helicopter fleet will take a long
hard look at the pilot training costs,
especially given the type’s very different,
sidestick-equipped cockpit.
“The training programme for the
Relentless is typical for any of our Part
29 aircraft,” Ward said. “We’ve had
S-92 and H225 pilots come in and fly
it. Initially there’s an ‘Oh my gosh, it’s a
sidestick’ reaction, but after two hours of
classroom training they go ahead and fly
the aircraft and say that it is immediately
intuitive. Some say they have to get rid of
their old, bad habits and learn to fly in a
simplified fashion.”
Looking ahead to the post-COVID-19
world of aviation, operators are also
increasingly concerned over efficiency. As
well as using less fuel in order to save
February2021 89
 money, sustainability is increasingly about
using less fuel as a means of reducing
carbon emissions over an aircraft’s life,
with any money saved an added bonus.
Bell began internal discussions over
what became the Relentless around 2010,
when sustainability was less important,
but Ward claimed customers can still
expect savings on emissions compared
with similar aircraft, in particular the
S-92 which, he said, Bell considers the
baseline in the class.
“Back in 2010/11,” he said, “the
European operators on our customer
advisory panel were already leaning
heavily towards sustainability. And the
great thing about designing an aircraft
that’s sleek, aerodynamic, fast and fuel
efficient is that it uses less gas. We
burn 30% less fuel than an equivalent
ABOVE: A helicopter that will accommodate 16 passengers in comfort inevitably offers luxurious options for VIP S-92 and generate 21% less CO2 per
and corporate configurations. The large cabin windows are particularly evident in this mock-up view Bell Flight
passenger mile.”
MAIN IMAGE: All four Relentless prototypes came together for this formation photo early in September 2020. Since it is certified as a direct
The aircraft’s retractable undercarriage combines with its clean airframe to deliver considerable fuel burn replacement for Jet-A1, sustainable
savings compared with helicopters offered by Bell’s competitors Bell Flight/Jay Miller alternative fuel will further reduce the

90 February2021
525’s carbon emissions. A separate APU
means the cabin may be air conditioned
or heated, and ancillaries can be run on
the ground without starting an engine.
He is reluctant to discuss customer
details, but concedes that first deliveries
are likely to go to an oil and gas operator:
“We’re very much interested in launching
into the North Sea and I believe we may
have some announcements in 2021.”
The delivery timeline depends on
certification. Ward noted: “We’re finishing
up on certification testing this year [2020]
and have a little bit of flight test that’s
bleeding over into next year. We’ll turn it
over to the FAA in the summer.”
New commercial aircraft in the 525’s
class appear once every ten or 15 years
and, typically, take a decade to certify.
With its emphasis on new-generation
flight control and safety systems, Bell
has taken a genuine leap ahead with the
Relentless, in a market where the lineage
of some competitor aircraft leads all the
way back to the mid-1960s.
Whether it is safely delivering rig workers
over the North Sea, carrying corporate
passengers or plucking casualties from
the ocean, the Relentless promises a new
paradigm in large helicopter capability.
“We believe it will remain contemporary
for two decades to come,” Ward said
confidently. “And we think it delivers a
decisive advantage.”
Future rotary: did you see Bell’s
FCX-001 on pages 50-51?

Comparative Specification Data

Type Bell 525 Bell 214ST Airbus Helicopters H175 Airbus Helicopters H225 Leonardo AW189 Sikorsky S-92
Overall length 19.75m/64ft 9¾in 18.95m/62ft 2¼in 18.06m/59ft 3in 19.50m/64ft 17.57m/57ft 8in 20.88m/68ft 6in
Main rotor diameter 16.61m/54ft 6in 15.85m/52ft 14.80m/48ft 7in 16.20m/53ft 1¾in 14.60m/47ft 11in 17.17m/56ft 4in
Height 5.54m/18ft 2in 4.84m/15ft 10½in 5.34m/17ft 6in 4.97m/16ft 4in 5.07m/16ft 7in 4.70m/15ft 5in
Passengers 16-19 16-17 12-18 19 16-19 19
Maximum range (km/ 1,074/580* 833/450 1,083/590 841/454€ 907/490## 998/539
nm)
Maximum cruising speed 296/160* 241/130 267/144 262/142€€ 287/155$ 280/151
(km/h/kts)
Weight (tonnes/lb) 9.3/20,500** 7.9/17,500# 7.8/17,196# 11/24,251# 8.3/18,298 or 8.6/18,960$$ 12.6/27,700#
Engines (x2) CT7-2F1 CT7-2A PT6C-67E Makila 2A1 CT7-2E1 or Aneto-1K$$$ CT7-8A
Power (shp) 1,714*** 1,625 1,776• 2,101• 1,870 or 2,422$$$ 2,520
Key *ISA conditions at sea level **Gross weight with maximum internal load ***Maximum continuous
•Take-off #Maximum take-off ##With internal auxiliary fuel tank
€Standard fuel, sea level €€Recommended cruising speed $ISA conditions at maximum gross weight and sea level
$$Maximum gross weight. Higher weight for AW189K $$$AW189K

February2021 91
 Korea
A change in

Asiana is to be taken over

by Korean Air Airbus

92 February2021
 ​ orean Air’s plan to take over Asiana Airlines represents a major shake-up
K
in the Asia-Pacific aviation industry. Why is it happening and what are the
regional and global ramifications? Mark Broadbent finds out

I
n November last year, the parent
company of Korean Air, Hanjin KAL,
announced a deal to buy a majority stake
in Asiana Airlines for 1.8 trillion South
Korean won (US$1.6bn).
“Given the crisis the airline industry
is currently facing, it is unavoidable to
restructure the entire market” a statement
from the carrier revealed.
It continued: “The main reason behind
Korean Air’s decision to acquire Asiana
Airlines… is to stabilise the Korean
aviation industry, which is suffering from
the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Asiana was under financial pressure
before the crisis struck. Challenges from
low-cost carriers (LCCs), unfavourable
currency rates and lower passenger
numbers due to travel restrictions
between South Korea and Japan, caused
by a trade dispute, all had an impact. A
35.1 billion won (US$32m) operating loss
in 2019 deepened to 368.3 billion won
(US$338m) a year later.
The airline’s former parent company,
the Kumho Asiana Group, officially put
Asiana up for sale in July 2019. Several
suitors including Aekyung Group, the
parent company of budget airline, Jeju Air,
expressed interest.
Ownership and development
Last July, the Hyundai Development
Company received regulatory approval
to acquire the carrier. However, the deal
fell through two months later and

February2021 93
 CLOCKWISE FROM RIGHT:
Seoul-based Korean Air (first two pictures) is fifth
in global rankings for international scheduled cargo
tonne-kilometres Boeing
Asiana’s colourful livery will probably remain flying
for a few years yet Airbus
A Korean Air A380 in 2011; the carrier is currently
only operating one of its ten examples Airbus
Asiana came under the control of its key
creditors including the state-owned Korea
Development Bank (KDB).
A Hanjin KAL statement noted the new
ownership structure “will ensure job
security for employees at both airlines as
well as relevant industries and support the
development of Korea’s aviation [sector]”.
Under the complex agreement, KDB
will invest 800 billion won (US$736m) in
Hanjin KAL, which will immediately loan
that amount to Korean Air. The airline
will use 300 billion won (US$276m) to
acquire perpetual convertible bonds from
Asiana, with another 300 billion won to be
used as a down payment on the Asiana
acquisition price.
Hanjin KAL said it chose to receive the
KDB funding by issuing new shares rather
than borrowing from the bank to “maintain
a stable financial structure”. South Korea’s
state bank shares give it a 10% stake
in Hanjin KAL and voting rights on the
company’s board.
Final regulatory approval for the deal is
required, but it is expected to close during
2021. One hurdle cleared in December
94 February2021
2020 was the Seoul Central District Court
dismissing a challenge lodged by an
activist investor group and shareholder in
Hanjin KAL to block the deal. This move
enabled Hanjin KAL to issue the shares.
Why the deal?
Enhancing Korean Air’s competitiveness
is a key reason for the merger. An airline
statement commented: “In general,
countries with a population [of] less
than 100 million have [one] full-service
carrier. However, [South] Korea has two
full-service [operators], which gives it
a competitive disadvantage compared
to countries like Germany, France and
Singapore with a single major airline.”
Analysis by the Sydney-based CAPA
Centre for Aviation consultancy noted:
“There are very few alternative paths
available that would retain Asiana as
a strong competitor. There is limited
appetite for outside investment into
airlines, thanks to COVID-19, particularly
for carriers that were financially shaky
before the pandemic.”
Without the deal Asiana would be facing
“dramatic downsizing, perhaps eventual
collapse”, the consultancy stated, and the
Korean government “obviously decided
that reducing competition was preferable
to mass job losses”.
“The government’s support for a merger
of this magnitude would have been difficult
to imagine before COVID-19. This is yet
more evidence that the pandemic has
shaken up industry norms,” CAPA added.
Traffic momentum
According to figures published by Asiana
in its latest available full-year results,
Korean Air held 22.9% and Asiana 19.3%
of the domestic South Korean air travel
market in 2019. The carriers’ share of
domestic routes rose to 48.1% if their LCC
subsidiaries – Asiana’s Air Busan and Air
Seoul and Korean Air’s Jin Air – are
added on, according to CAPA.
International routes from the country
were dominated by Korean Air (a 22.2%
share) with Asiana operating 15.3%
of services. Nearly half of all air cargo
(48.1%) from the country was flown by
Korean Air, with Asiana flying 25.2%.
 In numbers

1.8
Trillion won purchase of Asiana
by Hanjin KAL

Acquiring Asiana will, CAPA said,

“expand Korean Air’s already leading
share” and the carrier itself says the
the smaller operators disappearing.
The Asiana name seems likely to follow
10 Tenth largest global carrier
when merger complete
suit one day, although the complexity

takeover will create “great momentum to
restructure the Korean aviation market”.
Data published by the International Air
Transport Association (IATA) in its 2019
World Air Transport statistics report
shows Korean Air was the 18th largest
airline if measured by revenue passenger
kilometres at 80.2 million – although the
141
of large corporate takeovers means its
colourful Kumho Asiana wing motif livery will
probably remain flying for a few years yet.
Korean Air president, Kee Hong Woo,
quoted by CAPA, said: “After integration,
we will be able to operate our fleets, routes Destinations served by
and schedules more flexibly and efficiently. combined carrier
We can also maximise synergies by

figures also show 19 million passengers
were carried, a figure which sounds
less impressive.
If Korean Air and Asiana had merged in
2019 the combined carrier would have
become the tenth largest airline globally
by passenger kilometres. Even
accounting for the impact of the
252
sharing both airlines’ infrastructure such as
cargo terminals, flight training centres and
maintenance facilities.”
Korean Air’s 2019 annual results showed
61% of its passenger services that year
were in the domestic South Korean Aircraft in combined fleet
market while information analytics agency (as of December 2020)
OAG reported that Korean Air and Asiana

800
coronavirus downturn, Korean Air said it both operate to 59 cities.
expects to enter the top ten airlines once Integration clearly presents an opportunity
the acquisition is completed. for consolidation although CAPA cautioned
Korean Air said the deal gives it that planners will have to “avoid being
“competitiveness to compete with dragged down by adding duplicative
global mega airlines” and “may lead to services or excess capacity”. Billion won investment in Hanjin
an increase in joint ventures with global The consultancy said there would be a KAL by Korea Development Bank
airlines and greater transfer demand, degree of overlap to be addressed.
which will also spur the growth of the
domestic aviation industry”.
Freight is another important aspect
of the acquisition. CAPA noted: “Both
carriers are particularly strong in cargo,
and the merger will amplify their position.
Korean ranks fifth globally in terms of
international scheduled cargo
tonne-kilometres and Asiana 23rd,
according to IATA data. When added
together, they would be third on the list,
behind only Qatar Airways and Emirates.”
Cargo revenue grew 59% year-on-year
according to Korean Air’s Q3 2020
figures. There was a 3.6% annual rise in
capacity with increased e-commerce and
transportation of more medical supplies
including personal protective equipment
– PPE – joining the regular shipments of
IT products and car parts.

Merger challenges
Previous waves of airline industry
consolidation, especially in the United
States where carriers such as Northwest,
Continental and US Airways were
overtaken by competitors, show that
mergers usually result in the identities of

February2021 95
 Key Facts
Korean Air
Established 1962
Hubs Seoul Incheon International Airport,
Gimpo International Airport
Current fleet 165 aircraft comprising ten A220s, 29
A330s, ten A380s, 26 737s, 21 747s, 54
777s, ten 787s, five EC135s (subsidiary Jin
Air operates 24 737s and four 777s)
Upcoming deliveries 30 737 MAX 8s, ten 787-9s, ten 787-10s
Network 121 destinations in 43 countries
But it noted: “For deals of this magnitude
regulators sometimes require carveouts
[divesting part of the business while
retaining shareholdings] to address
dominance in certain markets.”
Consolidation will also involve decisions
about the fleet. Both Korean Air and
Asiana operate some common types
including Airbus A380s and A330s, and
Boeing 777s and 747Fs.
However, there are also some significant
differences. Korean Air largely uses 737s
for short-haul and has purchased the
MAX, while Asiana operates A320s/A321s.
Both airlines have ordered A321neos, and
Korean operates ten A220s.
96 February2021
Asiana Airlines
1988
Seoul Incheon International Airport,
Gimpo International Airport
84 aircraft comprising four A320s, 18 A321s, 15
A330s, 13 A350s, six A380s, 12 747-400s, seven
767s and nine 777s (subsidiary Air Busan operates
24 A320 Family aircraft and Air Seoul six A321s)
23 A321neos, eight A350-900s, nine A350-1000s
80 destinations in 26 countries
For long-haul, Korean Air has ten 787
Dreamliner examples (with ten more -9s
and the same amount of the larger -10
on the way) alongside the A380s and
A330s. Meanwhile, Asiana operates
13 Airbus A350-900s and has ordered
more -900s and the larger -1000.
According to CAPA: “Close scrutiny of
the two fleets will be needed to avoid
the added costs of complexity. Some
degree of rationalisation will have to
occur for Korean to realise the potential
benefits of greater scale.”
On the other hand, as OAG’s analysis
put it: “For many carriers a mix of aircraft
types and more importantly the flexibility
to right size capacity to new market
sizes will be an important factor in the
recovery phase; the new Korean Air may
just have struck lucky on that point.”
Fate of the A380s
Given the widespread uncertainty over
the size and timing of any rebound in
global air travel demand after COVID-19,
there is a general question over exactly
how many very high-capacity airliners
such as the A380 will be needed by
major network airlines, especially with
the fuel-efficient twin-engine types such
as the A350 and 787.
Already many large carriers with A380s
such as Lufthansa and Qantas have
parked their super jumbos as they
embark on recovering from the air travel
downturn. Korean Air and Asiana are
no exceptions. Of the 16 super jumbos
operated between them, just one, a
Korean Air jet, was in active service in
December last year.
Other questions are raised by the
merger. Will Asiana’s Air Busan and Air
Seoul low-cost carrier subsidiaries be
retained or merged with Korean Air’s Jin
Air unit? And what of carrier alliances?
Asiana is a Star Alliance member, but
Korean Air is in SkyTeam. OAG noted that
if Asiana switches to SkyTeam, Seoul’s
Incheon International Airport will suddenly
become “a larger access point into the
whole of North East Asia” for the alliance.
“Suddenly, from having a 33.6%
capacity share in 2019, SkyTeam will
have a majority share of approximately
51.2%, a position the alliance could only
have dreamed of prior to the merger,”
the analytics agency continued.
Another factor in the merger process
is identified by CAPA: “Korean Air is
taking on a financially troubled and
heavily indebted company. This would
be a difficult enough prospect at any
time, but Korean Air will be coping
with the assimilation at the same time
as it attempts to recover from the
coronavirus-related downturn.”
It believes there is a “slim margin for
error” with the takeover, “particularly
if international demand remains
depressed for longer than expected”.
Completing the deal and satisfying
regulators “will require a balancing act”.
Enhancing Korean Air’s competitiveness is a key
reason for the merger Airbus
However, CAPA said the merger offers
a huge upside if completed successfully.
It “could turn Korean Air into one of the
airline industry’s most powerful players.
It could also help Korean Air to more
fully realise its ambition of turning its
Incheon hub into one of the world’s
major connecting airports”.
Consolidation offers possibilities
for Incheon, noted the OAG analysis:
“Geography always wins. Opened
in 2001, Incheon has always had the
potential to become one of the major hub
airports in the world, but has perhaps
been in part held back from achieving
that objective with two moderately sized
carriers with similar networks.”
Citing Seoul’s geographic position, the
consultancy said the merger is a chance
to reschedule some international traffic
flows. It gave examples of Korean Air
and Asiana operating separate services
from Incheon to European destinations
such as Frankfurt and Paris within two
hours of each other. OAG said: “Under a
combined operation the possibilities of
double-daily, night and daylight services
will improve connectivity.”
Seoul is also handily positioned for
tapping into business in China. According
to OAG, before the COVID-19 pandemic
there were routes from Incheon to 44
Chinese cities and 34 of them were
operated by either Korean Air or Asiana.
Korean Air’s third-quarter 2019 results
showed around 12% of its ticket sales
and 12% of its cargo routes were to
China in that three-month period. Even
with the spectre of COVID-19, routes to
China represented 13% of Korean Air’s
passenger business in the third quarter
of 2020, up from 8% a year earlier.
More broadly, OAG said the Korean
Air merger could be the first example
of further changes in the global airline
industry as it adjusts to post-virus realities.
It asked: “Could Emirates and Etihad
[merging] finally be a play; could Singapore
Airlines acquire Malaysia Airlines; is there
one final US consolidation in the tier two
operators, and how many mid-size legacy
European carriers would love an approach
from someone?”
The merger in South Korea, it
said, might be “the tip of a global
consolidation iceberg”.
February2021 97
 INTERNATIONAL

The Team
Gordon Smith Group Editor, Commercial Aviation
Carol Randall Associate Editor, Commercial Aviation
Martin Needham Assistant Editor, Commercial Aviation
Thomas Lee Assistant Editor, Commercial Aviation
Mark Broadbent Contributing Editor
Thomas Haynes Digital Reporter

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Month
Dave Robinson, Debbie Walker & Martin Froggatt Design
Steve Donovan Head of Design

Sue Blunt Production Editor

David Taylor Associate Production Editor
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Andrew Mason Commercial Sales Manager,

Commercial and Military
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