RAF Lakenheath 2022 A year to remember

USAF F-35
expansion
African
Drone The story so far
Warfare
And how the
CIA ‘shreds’
top targets

Taiwan’s
F-5 Tigers
For 60 years the
island’s defender Himalayan
RUSSIA-
Predator
India’s Light
UKRAINE WAR Combat
Helicopter
A reputation
in tatters
UK £5.60

02

9 770955 709327
#419 February 2023

Russia’s Su-34 Fullback

 SPECIAL MAGAZINES
Essential reading from Key Publishing

NEW FOR 2022 REGIONAL AIR POWER REVIEW VOL.5 8 0 TH A N N I V E R S A R Y I S S U E - 1 9 4 2 - 2 0 2 2 NEW INSIDE THE US NAVY’S FIGHTER WEAPONS SCHOOL

W
US AIR FORCES
NE
THE REAL
IN EUROPE ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
TOPGUN ★
AIRFORCES OF THE WORLD NORTH AMERICA

22

● A-10C
ISBN 978-1-80282-224-3

9 781802 822243

● B-2 SPIRIT
LESSONS
● F-22 IN COMBAT
£8.99

● F-35C Vietnam – Libya

● U-2
– The Falklands –
Iraq – The Balkans

FROM THE MAKERS OF

★ OVERPAID AND
OVER HERE
CARIBBEAN ISLAND FORCES How the USAAF helped
THE NEED FOR SPEED
FROM THE MAKERS OF

turn the tide in WW2

CANADA’S ROYAL AIR POWER All the friendlies from F-4 to F-35
MEXICO’S MARITIME PATROLS ★ IN FROM THE COLD
NATO’s Iron Curtain patrols,
CUBAN MiGS STILL IN THE GAME from the beginning HOME-FLOWN BOGIES
The aircraft that play the enemy
★ USAFE NOW
Aircraft, Wings and FROM THE MAKERS OF

European Bases

£8.99

22
ISBN 978-1-80282-223-6

9 781802 822236
CT-155 HAWK EC725 DA42

US AIR FORCES IN EUROPE

£8.99 ISBN 978-1-913295-38-7

PEOPLE | BASES | AIRCRAFT | MISSIONS

22

TECHNICAL INSIGHTS • AIR POWER ANALYSIS • FORCE STRENGTHS 9 781913 295387

AIRFORCES OF US AIR FORCES BRITISH THE REAL

THE WORLD: IN EUROPE AIRPOWER TOPGUN
NORTH AMERICA Chronicles 80 years of An overview of the nation’s
current inventory of aircraft,
Celebrates TOPGUN’s people and
Insight into aircraft types with the air America’s flying services. sets its achievements in the global
arms of the North American continent. helicopters, sensors,
and weapons. context of US Naval Aviation.

£8.99 inc FREE P&P* £8.99 inc FREE P&P* £8.99 inc FREE P&P* £8.99 inc FREE P&P*

B-52H AT
ALL ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE B-52H YOUR COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE USAF
Y
SU S L
E AR

NEW ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO TODAY’S HEAVY LIFTERS

IS ERCIA

US AIR FORCE
NEW
NIVPE

MILITARY
AN S
BOEING

THE

75 TRANSPORTS
AIRCRAFT
ASSESSED
STRATOFORTRESS
Every type in
current service AND FORCE MULTIPLIERS
TANKERS
Airbus A400M
GLOBAL
Boeing
KC-46

STRIKE POWER Airbus

A330 MRTT
Why the 70-year-old aircraft is
still the USAF’s biggest stick
Leonardo
C-27J
STRATEGIC
TRANSPORTS

USAF
Airbus
£.8.99

A400M
22

OPERATIONS Lockheed Martin

ISBN 978-1-80282-456-8

C-130J
9 781802 824568

From Post-War to
MILITARY TRANSPORTS

RECORD- Cold War and beyond Embraer

KC-390

BREAKING MOVING TARGETS

BOMBER
US AIR FORCE AT 75
TACTICAL TRANSPORTS

How will America react to Leonardo

ISBN 978-1-80282-331-8
BOEING B-52H STRATOFORTRESS
22
ISBN 978-1-80282-338-7
C-27J
Details of the longest
22
new Russia and China threats? 9 781802 823318 Airbus
bombing mission in history

75
£8.99
9 781802 823387 C-295
£8.99

Latest reports on
£8.99
Russian, Chinese, and
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED 2014
Ukrainian types
Antonov AN-178

UPGRADES & THE FUTURE WHERE THEY ARE WINGS & SQUADRONS
Keeping the Buff viable Deployment of the B-52H fleet All today’s B-52 units

THE H-MODEL AND NOTHING BUT! THE AIRCRAFT THE WEAPONS THE OPERATIONS

B-52 USAF AT 75 MILITARY USAF YEARBOOK

Detailed histories of every unit
that operates the B-52H, with
We look back at how the USAF
came to be, and at its history
TRANSPORTS 2022
flying suit badges and aircraft The eagerly awaited translation of This popular annual publication
since then. We also look at the represents the ultimate guide to
insignia, and individual aircraft real challenges that a best-selling special from Spanish
histories, too. aviation giants Avion Revue. US Air Force air power in 2022.
it faces today.

£8.99 inc FREE P&P* £8.99 inc FREE P&P* £8.99 inc FREE P&P* £8.99 inc FREE P&P*

HOW TO ORDER
(+44)1780 480404 shop.keypublishing.com/specials

Also available to download – search ‘Aviation Specials’

on Pocketmags.com or your native app store
*Prices correct at time of going to press. Free 2nd class P&P on all UK & BFPO orders. Overseas charges apply. Postage charges vary depending on total order value.

405/22

405 Aviation Specs FP.indd 49 06/10/2022 16:30:40

Comment
2023 – more war ahead?
I
t is a sign of the times that the main headline
news on December 26 – on the BBC, at least
– centred around the military. While many of
us were relaxing with family and friends, the
top three news reports were dominated by war
or the threat of war.
Ukrainian drones had just attacked Engels
Air Base and 71 Chinese air force/navy
fighters and bombers had crossed Taiwan’s
Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), while
North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong-
un had sent drones into South Korea, with at
least one pushing its way through to Seoul.
Then just after midnight on New Year’s Day,
the Ukrainians attacked and killed “hundreds”
of Russian conscripts at Makiivka in the
Donetsk region, within range of the Ukraine’s
US-made long-range HIMARS.
For this last incident, it would seem that
operational security had been breached owing
to the use of mobile phones. With members
of the Ukrainian military getting increasingly
skilled with their HIMARS, the Russians will
Above: ‘Hundreds’ of Russian troops were killed when Ukraine attacked using the US HIMARS system after unauthorised mobile phone use gave their location
away Sgt. 1st Class Richard Frost/ DVIDS
Editor – Modern Military Aviation: Simon Lee
Group Editor at Large: Alan Warnes
Deputy Editor: Khalem Chapman
Assistant Military Editor: Dave Allport
Assistant Military Editor: Josef Campion
Group Production Editor: David Taylor
Production Editors: Sally Hooton, Sue Parslow,
Suzanne Roberts, Sue Rylance
Ad & Ed Production Manager: Debi McGowan
Design: Lee Howson, Tracey Croft,
Molly Eastwood, Dominique Maynard
Head of Marketing: Shaun Binnington
Advertising: Andrew Mason, Debi McGowan
Head of Design: Steve Donovan
Head of Operations and eCommerce: Karen Bean
Head of Finance: Peter Edwards
Group CEO & Publisher, Aviation: Adrian Cox
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Copies of AFM can be obtained each month by placing a
standing order with your newsagent. In case of difficulty,
contact our Circulation Manager (subs@keypublishing.com).
Readers in the USA can place subscriptions by visiting
www.imsnews.com or calling toll-free 757-428-8180
Alternatively, you can subscribe in writing to:
AFM,
International Media Service,
PO BOX 866,
Virginia Beach 23451,
USA.
www.Key.Aero
have to be more tactically astute than that!
Back in November, the Russian MoD said
that explosions at two air bases in Crimea
were caused by troops smoking close to fuel
dumps. Shocking, really, for such a modern
military to lack such basic common sense.
It’s obvious that the Russian leadership
has never bothered too much with OPSEC
or tactics because, as we saw in Georgia in
2008 and more recently in Syria, they have
tended to just bludgeon the enemy into
submission with firepower and numbers.
Should China attack Taiwan – which, sadly,
is looking increasingly likely – it will try to
ensure air superiority quickly, which the
Russians have been unable to do in Ukraine.
However, unlike Ukraine, we are likely to see a
counter-offensive involving a “coalition of the
willing” led by the US and involving several air
forces that attended Exercise Pitch Black in
Australia last year. That could turn very ugly.
When it comes to North Korea, anything is
possible, but South Korea would again be
ADVERTISERS
We are unable to guarantee the bonafides of any of our
advertisers. Readers are strongly recommended to take
their own precautions before parting with any information
or item of value, including, but not limited to, money,
manuscripts, photographs or personal information in
response to any advertisements within this publication.
USPS ID STATEMENT
AirForces Monthly, ISSN 0955-7091 (USPS 6119), is
published monthly by Key Publishing Ltd, PO Box 100,
Stamford, Lincs, PE9 1XG
The US annual subscription price is $72.99. Airfreight and
mailing in the USA by agent named World Container INC,
150-15, 183rd St, Jamaica, NY 11413, USA.
Periodicals postage paid at Brooklyn NY 11256.
Postmaster: Send address changes to AirForces Monthly,
Air Business ltd, C/O World Container INC 150-15, 183rd St,
Jamica, NY 1143, USA
Subscription records are maintained at Key Publishing
Air Business Ltd is acting as our mailing agent.
SUBMISSIONS
The Editor is happy to receive contributions to AFM. Please
note that all material sent to the Editor is forwarded at
the contributor’s own risk. While every care is taken with
material, the publishers cannot be held responsible for any
loss or damage incurred. All material rates available on
request. Submitted material (especially illustrations) should
have the contributor’s name and address clearly marked and
a stamped addressed envelope should be enclosed if it is
supported by the US should the unthinkable
happen, which is always possible when you
have someone like Kim Jong-un involved.
Sending a drone down to Seoul was more
symbolic than gaining anything militarily,
but I did enjoy the RoKAF’s apology for not
shooting it down.
Given all this and the growing violence in so
many African countries – Chad, Democratic
Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria
and Mali – as well as the continued threat of
Iran, the possibility of another war in Yemen
and the uncertainty that still exists between
Azerbaijan and Armenia, one suspects that
2023 is likely to be even more unpredictable
than 2022.
Alan Warnes, Group Editor at Large
Visit our website at
www.key.aero/airforcesmonthly
Contact the team at
editor@airforcesmonthly.com
required to be returned. All items submitted for publication
are subject to our terms and conditions, which are regularly
updated without prior notice and are freely available from Key
Publishing Ltd or downloadable from www.keypublishing.com.
All digital imagery should be at least 300dpi and 10 x 8
inches (25.4cm x 20.3cm) in size.
Postal address: Key Publishing Ltd, PO Box 100, Stamford,
Lincs, PE9 1XQ, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1780 755131
Fax: +44 (0)1780 757261 Website: www.Key.Aero
DISTRIBUTION
Seymour Distribution Ltd, 2 Poultry Avenue, London, EC1A 9PP.
Tel: +44 (0)20 7429 4000 Fax: +44 (0)20 7429 4001
The entire contents of AirForces Monthly is © copyright, and
no part of it may be reproduced in any form or stored on
any form of retrieval system without the prior permission of
the publisher: Adrian Cox
To find a stockist near you,
visit www.key.aero
Next Issue
On sale from February 16, 2023
Sign up for our free email newsletter at www.Key.Aero
February 2023 // 3
Contents
Regulars
03 Comment
AFM’s monthly opinion about
the most recent and noteworthy
military aviation topics
06 News
• Headlines (p6) • UK (p8) •
Europe (p10) • North America
(p14) • Latin America (p18) •
Australasia (p19) • Asia-Pacific
(p20) • Airbus Updates (p22)
February 2023 #419
all Eagle unit to welcome the new
fifth-generation capability
60 Unit Report: On
top of the world
The Lama Squadron in Argentina
is one of the few helicopter units
on the continent equipped for
high-altitude rescue missions.
Santiago Rivas explains how they
can operate above 16,500ft

38 Exercise Report: 64 Fleet Report:

France's Red Flag
Nine air powers gathered for
the French-led Volfa-2022
exercise. Babak Taghvaee
reports on the high-intensity
operations carried out
42 Base Tour: Fighting
48th flies high
Bob Archer visits RAF Lakenheath
where the 48th Fighter Wing is
continuing to transition from an
Taiwan’s Tigers
After almost 60 years of service,
the Republic of China Air Force’s
F-5s are due to be phased out.
Peter Ho examines the impact
the jet has had in ensuring the
defence of the island nation
70 Force Report:
Watching the skies
On the frontline of NATO’s Baltic
air policing duties, Estonia is a
72
small country that is keeping
a watchful eye out for further
Russian aggression. Jean-
François Auran details the air
force that was created just
three decades ago and fields
no combat aircraft

Your Aviation
Destination
See page 24 SUBSC
for full details EXCLURIBER
SIVE

30

4 // February 2023 www.Key.Aero


72 Exercise Report:
Striking back
For three weeks in November,
the Netherlands was invaded by
an enemy – one which had to be
repelled by a multinational NATO
force. Ludo Mennes reports on
Exercise Falcon Autumn
84 Retirement Report:
Target achieved
The Swiss air force has withdrawn
its last Pilatus PC-9. Philippe Rey
reflects on the end of its target-
towing operations
86 Aircraft Report:
Himalayan predator
India’s Light Combat Helicopter
entered service in October 2022.
Atul Chandra has followed the
lengthy development since the
prototype’s maiden flight and
provides details of this unique
attack helicopter
www.Key.Aero
92 Just a nice pic...
AFM shows off Croatia’s soon-
to-be outgoing MiG-21bis-D fleet
after it was cleared to return to
flight operations on December
28, following its grounding three
weeks prior following a crash
94 Attrition
Dave Allport details the month’s
most significant military aviation
mishaps from around the world
98 Next Issue
A preview of what’s on the
modern military aviation agenda
in next month’s issue of AFM
Features
30 Russia’s services. In the first of a two-
heavy hitter part feature, Gerard Keijsper
Alexander Mladenov reviews the focuses on the operational units
status of the Su-34 Fullback, the of the USAF F-35 fleet
enhancement plans for the type
and its controversial operations 78 Hunting
in the ongoing war in Ukraine the hunters
Unmanned aerial warfare is now
50 USAF powers a major factor in global conflicts,
to fifth-gen as Al Venter, who has been
The F-35 is the first aircraft to embedded in a NATO Special
serve in three different versions, Forces counter-insurgency unit
planned from the outset in all US in Central Africa, explains
84
Above: A Swiss PC-9 equipped with an RM-24
towing a target up to 900m behind the aircraft. The
Swiss Air Force has now retired its PC-9 fleet Swiss Air Force
Left: A UH-60M Black Hawk and CH-47F Chinook of the US Army’s 12th CAB
arrive at the water lock Ossesluis to drop off troops of the Royal Netherlands
Army’s 13th Infantry Battalion Northern Skies Aviation Below: The Su-34
Fullback remains a core programme for the Russian tactical aviation branch,
providing a significant share of air arm’s strike potential Giovanni Colla
Front Cover: A USAF-operated F-35A Lightning II belonging to the 62nd Fighter
Squadron ‘Spikes’ at Luke AFB, Arizona, pulls up into the vertical during a
sortie. The unit is charged with providing advanced fighter training for F-35A
pilots and crews Jim ‘Hazy’ Haseltine
February 2023 // 5
NEWS Headlines

Dutch F-16s return to Eur

FOUR of the 11 Royal
Netherlands Air Force jets
that for 32 years had trained
F-16 pilots in Arizona, arrived
at Charleroi, Belgium on
Thursday December 15. This
was fewer than originally
expected: six F-16s had
arrived at Lajes (Azores)
ready to make the next leg
to Europe, but two failed to
leave. The other five F-16s
remain at their temporary
Florida home.
Having failed to sell the
surplus former Tucson-
based F-16s to Draken
International, the Royal
Netherlands Air Force flew
the four aircraft (F-16AM
J-004 and J-101 marked
‘148 FS’ plus F-16Bs J-067
and J-210) from Florida
to the SABCA facility in
Belgium to be stored
until their future has been
determined.
The F-16 training unit,
with the 148th Fighter
Squadron, 162nd Fighter
Wing at the Tucson ANGB,
Arizona was shut down
(See Viper’s Last Bite,
Oct p58-63) after the
graduation of the last new
F-16 pilots on July 29. With
the Department of Defense
wanting the aircraft off their
property, it was agreed the
11 F-16AM/BMs would
be flown to Draken’s main
base at Laker-Linder IAP in
Lakeland, Florida in mid-
August. The original ten
aircraft had been joined by
a F-16BM, J-882 last May.
Draken agreed to buy
them from the Netherlands
in June 2021 but when
the time came to sign the
contract, Draken’s Red
Air work had fizzled out.
By March 2022, the firm
had lost its US Adversary
Air contracts, resulting
in a 61% fall in revenue.
It needed to work out a
plan for future growth,
but obviously that did not
include the former Royal

Four former Royal Netherlands

Air Force F-16AM/BMs arrived at
Charleroi on December 15, where
SABCA will store them until a new
role is found for them. Of the 11
that are due to return to Europe,
two are stuck in Lajes (Azores) and
the other five are still in Florida
Marco de Groot

Nearly 400 F-35s to be built under new me THE F-35 Joint Program
Office and Lockheed
Martin rounded off 2022 by
finalising a $30bn contract
for the production and
delivery of up to 398 F-35s
for US and Foreign Military
Sales customers under
Low-Rate Initial Production
(LRIP) Lots 15-17.
Announced on December
30, this newly signed
agreement will see
Lockheed Martin produce
145 F-35s under LRIP
Lot 15 and 127 aircraft
in LRIP Lot 16. The deal
comes with an option to
produce and deliver a
further 126 F-35s under
LRIP Lot 17 and will include
the first examples of the
Lockheed Martin will produce 398 F-35s under LRIP Lots 15-17, which includes the first fifth-generation multi-role
aircraft for Belgium, Finland and Poland. The aircraft will also receive the TR-3 update prior stealth fighter for Belgium,
to being delivered to their respective customers Lockheed Martin/Liz Kaszynski Finland and Poland. On
November 14, 2022, the
Belgian Ministry of Defence
revealed that production of
its first F-35A had started at
Lockheed Martin’s facility in
Fort Worth, Texas.
The aircraft produced
in LRIP Lots 15-17 will
be the first to include the
modernised Technical
Refresh-3 (TR-3) hardware,
which is needed to
power the type’s Block 4
capabilities. Among other
things, the TR-3 update
includes a new integrated
core processor with greater
computing power when
compared with F-35s
already in use, along with
the addition of an enhanced
memory unit and a
panoramic cockpit display.
The awarding of this
$30bn production contract

6 // February 2023 www.Key.Aero


Europe European FCAS industrial
agreement signed
Netherlands Air Force.
Instead, the Netherlands
government and Lockheed
Martin want to create a
F-16 training unit that they
could offer to Romania and
Bulgaria. Romania currently
has 17 ex-Portuguese Air
Force F-16s and is set
to start taking delivery
of the surplus 32 Royal
Norwegian F-16s this
year. The plan was that
the Lockheed Martin/
Dutch government initiative
would train Romanian Air
Force pilots, and even
perhaps Bulgarian pilots
as the BuAF awaits the
Block 70s. Bulgaria is
also looking at an interim
air defence capability –
if, as is likely, the MiG-29
Fulcrums retire next year
– until the delayed F-16
Block 70s arrive in 2025.
The F-16 training initiative
is also looking to include
Draken, Airbus, Aerostar,
Sabca, DERCO, Fokker
and Aeronautical Field
Sustainment, but as we
head to press the exact
make-up of the support
remains unclear.
Alan Warnes
mega-deal
marked a strong end
to 2022 for the F-35
programme. The global
Lightning II fleet grew by
141 last year and now
stands at 894 aircraft.
Lockheed Martin had
initially planned to deliver
148 aircraft in 2022, but
due to the imposing of a
temporary pause in F-35
flight operations (which is
still in effect) the necessary
acceptance flight tests
on the remaining seven
aircraft could not be
completed. Deliveries of
the type to customers
were halted after an F-35B
suffered a landing mishap
at Joint Reserve Base
Fort Worth – the home of
Lockheed Martin’s F-35
production facility – on
December 15.
www.Key.Aero
DASSAULT AVIATION’s
Chairman and CEO Eric
Trappier announced on
December 1 that a major
step forward has been
made on the Future
Combat Aircraft System
(FCAS) after reaching an
industrial agreement with
Airbus on the Next-General
Fighter (NGF) aircraft, a
key component of FCAS.
Trappier said: “The FCAS is
a political project launched
by President Emmanuel
Macron and Chancellor
Angela Merkel in 2017,
and at a standstill since
summer 2021. So, yes,
today it is done. We have
an agreement with Airbus.
“We’ll now be able
to move into the next
phase of studies, known
as 1B, to prepare for
the development of a
demonstrator, which
should fly around 2029…
We have been confirmed
in our role as prime
contractor and architect of
the aircraft, and we have
obtained protection for our
industrial know-how and
technologies… Being the
architect of a new fighter
aircraft is very motivating
for our company, our
teams, those of Airbus,
our main partner, Indra,
and our long-standing
partners, Safran, Thales
and MBDA, not to
mention our ecosystem
of subcontractors, in
all three countries,”
said Eric Trappier.
Just over two weeks
later, on December 16,
France’s Delegation
Générale de l’Armement
(DGA – General Directorate
of Armament) awarded
the €3.2bn contract to
Dassault Aviation, Airbus,
Indra, EUMET and their
industrial partners for the
Demonstrator Phase 1B
of FCAS on behalf of the
governments of France,
Germany and Spain. This
will cover work on the
FCAS demonstrator and
Dassault Aviation CEO, Éric Trappier Dassault
its components for about
three-and-a-half years. The
contract follows intensive
discussions the last three
months to create a solid
basis for co-operation
between industry and
the governments of
the three countries.
It follows related
successful Phase 1A
demonstrators’ R&T
work and development
activities. This
enabled identification
of key technologies
and the launch of
the demonstrators’
developments. Paving the
way for the development
phase of the programme,
demonstration phase 1B
will allow continuation of
flying demonstrators and
required cutting-edge
technologies development
and maturation as well
as project architectures
consolidation, with
in-flight demonstrations
targeted in the next
phases by 2028-2029.
The programme is
made up of a set of
systems: New Generation
Fighters teaming with
Remote Carriers and
connected through a
Combat Cloud. In order
to meet the ambitions
and challenges of such a
programme, what Dassault
describes as “an adapted
and efficient industrial
organisation” has been
set-up and built around
technological pillars.
Subscribe to www.Key.Aero for breaking news stories.
Email the news team at editor@airforcesmonthly.com
Each pillar is under the
leadership of an industrial
champion acting as
prime, working in close
co-operation with its main
partners and leveraging
each nation’s aeronautical
industrial ecosystems.
In addition to their prime
role per pillar, Airbus,
Dassault Aviation and
Indra act as national
co-ordinators to ensure
the overall coherence of
the demonstrators
and the overall
programme’s steering
and work consolidation.
The industrial
governance of the Phase
1B is organised per
domain as follows:
NGWS Consistency,
Demonstrations and
Consolidation – with
Airbus, Dassault Aviation
and Indra Sistemas as
co-contracting partners
New Generation
Fighter (NGF) – Dassault
Aviation for France as
prime contractor, and
Airbus as main partner
for Germany and Spain
New Generation Fighter
Engine – 50/50 Joint-
Venture EUMET, between
Safran Aircraft Engines
for France and MTU Aero
Engines for Germany – as
prime contractor and ITP
for Spain as main partner
Unmanned systems,
Remote Carrier (RC) –
Airbus for Germany as
prime contractor (see
A330 to control UAVs,
p22), MBDA for France
and Satnus for Spain
as main partners
Combat Cloud (CC)
– Airbus for Germany
as prime contractor,
Thales for France and
Indra Sistemas for Spain
as main partners
Simulation – Airbus,
Dassault Aviation and
Indra Sistemas as
co-contracting partners
Sensors – Indra Sistemas
as prime for Spain, and
Thales for France and
FCMS for Germany
as main partners
Enhanced Low
Observability (stealth) –
Airbus as prime contractor
for Spain, Dassault
Aviation for France and
Airbus for Germany
as main partners
Common Working
Environment – Airbus,
Dassault Aviation, Indra
Sistemas and EUMET as
co-contracting partners
Although the European
FCAS programme has
an equal share between
the three countries,
France will have overall
responsibility for running it.
Spain’s Defence Ministry
has stated it will spend
€2.5bn on the programme,
of which €525m will be
invested this year. The
new system is planned
to start replacing French
Rafales along with German
and Spanish Eurofighters
from around 2040.
Meanwhile, the UK
continues to follow its
own FCAS path with
its own future fighter,
previously known as
Tempest. On December
9, it announced a new
collaboration agreement
with Italy and Japan on
what is now referred to
as the Global Combat
Aircraft Programme
(GCAP) – see UK, Italy
and Japan join forces for
new fighter programme,
p8. This merges the
Anglo-Italian Tempest
February 2023 // 7
NEWS
UK, France take on simulated air
threat in Exercise Griffin Dawn
RAF-OPERATED Typhoon
FGR4s and F-35B
Lightning IIs recently
joined forces with Rafale
C/D (F3-R) multi-role
fighters from l’Armée de
l'Air et de l'Espace (FASF;
French Air and Space
Force) to respond to a
simulated air threat during
Exercise Griffin Dawn.
As part of the exercise,
the British and French
fighters met over the
North Sea to practice a
co-ordinated response
to a potential threat from
an adversary aircraft
operating in or near
A French Rafale is joined by RAF
F-35Bs and Typhoon FGR4s over
the North Sea as part of Exercise
Griffin Dawn on December 6, 2022
État-Major des Armées
Royal Navy completes life-extending Merlin HC4/4A upgrade
THE MODERNISATION
of the Royal Navy
Commando Helicopter
Force's (CHF's) 25-strong
Merlin HC3/3A helicopter
fleet to HC4/4A standard
has been completed.
Upgrade work was
performed an all 25
helicopters – comprising
19 HC3s and six HC3As –
extending the Commando
Merlin fleet's service life
to 2030 and enhancing
its ability to support
operations carried out by
the Royal Marines and
other UK military forces.
8 // February 2023
United Kingdom
UK, Italy and
Japan join
home airspace. While Anglo-French partnership control (C2) capabilities.
forces for
new fighter
an unspecified number
of British Typhoons and
that commits both
nations to being able
During the exercise, RAF
personnel joined their
programme
F-35Bs were joined by to deploy a significant French counterparts at the IN A significant new
French Rafales to form a number of air-, land- and Centre Air de Planification development, the UK is
Blue Air force – with air- sea-based capabilities et de Conduite des to collaborate with Italy
to-air refuelling support with more than 10,000 Opérations (CAPCO; Air and Japan as part of an
provided by a FASF- personnel for a variety Operations Planning and international coalition to
operated A330-243MRTT of taskings that include Conduct Centre) near develop a next-generation
Phénix multi-role tanker peacekeeping, bilateral Lyon, from which they combat aircraft. The new
transport – the part of the defence or the provision co-ordinated with the agreement, announced on
Red Air threat was played of humanitarian aid. RAF’s No 11 Group Joint December 9 by UK Prime
by RAF Eurofighters. While designed to be a Force Air Component – the Minister Rishi Sunak
Exercise Griffin Dawn challenging exercise for UK’s equivalent to CAPCO and Defence Minister
successfully tested airborne assets and their – at RAF High Wycombe, Ben Wallace, sees the
the effectiveness of respective crews, this Buckinghamshire, formation of a new
the Combined Joint exercise also provided an to provide C2 to the partnership known as the
Expeditionary Force opportunity for the C-JEF air assets involved Global Combat Aircraft
(C-JEF), which is an to train its command and in Griffin Dawn. Programme (GCAP). It
merges the UK-Italian
Tempest programme with
Japan’s F-X fighter.
The aircraft is expected
to fly by 2035, with the
intention of producing a
next-generation fighter
enhanced by a network
of capabilities such
as uncrewed aircraft,
advanced sensors,
cutting-edge weapons
and innovative data
systems. Joining forces
with Italy and Japan
will enable sharing of
costs and expertise,
while ensuring the RAF
remains interoperable
with its closest partners.
PM Rishi Sunak said: “It
is anticipated that more
likeminded countries may
buy into GCAP in due
course, or collaborate
on wider capabilities –
boosting UK exports. The
combat aircraft developed
As part of the upgrade, to the Merlin. "These support operations, this through GCAP is also
a new folding main rotor upgrades mean that upgrade allows the Merlin expected to be compatible
head and folding tail was many consider the Merlin HC4/HC4A to embark and with other NATO partners’
fitted to each helicopter, HC4/HC4A to be the operate from both Queen fighter jets.”
allowing for two Merlins world's most advanced Elizabeth-class aircraft The UK, Italy and Japan
to sit side-by-side in one amphibious battlefield carriers, amphibious will now establish the
of the Queen Elizabeth- helicopter," Defence assault ships, Duke-class core platform concept
class aircraft carriers' Equipment & Support, the (Type 23) frigates and and set up the structures
onboard lifts when the procurement arm of the eventually Daring-class needed to deliver the
type is supporting Carrier UK Ministry of Defence, (Type 45) destroyers. project, ready to launch
Strike Group operations said in a statement. Leonardo Helicopters the development phase
around the globe. As a helicopter that is performed the upgrade in 2025. Ahead of the
An improved defensive charged with carrying out under the Merlin development phase,
aid suite with a system multiple roles, including Life Sustainment the partners will also
that warns against and search and rescue, Programme (MLSP) agree the cost-sharing
locates hostile laser- counter-narcotics, anti- at its facility at Royal arrangements based on a
guided weapons has piracy, maritime security Naval Air Station (RNAS) joint assessment of costs
also been integrated on and hurricane relief Yeovilton in Somerset. and national budgets.
www.Key.Aero
 FEBRUARY ISSUE
OUT NOW!
FEATURING:

CANADIANS ON CALL

KADENA
The RCAF at Prestwick, Scotland, is distributing
#30
hundreds of tons of aid to Ukraine. Stewart STATE
REPORT

EAGLES
Marshall caught up with the team.
NEVADA
STATE
SNAPSHOT FROM SOUTH KOREA REPORT
Topguns and BEGINNING OF THE END
mysteries
A CAJ correspondent returns from South Korea
TAIWAN’S
with some impressive shots of military assets. QUANDARY
A lack of air-to-air
missiles

USMC BUFFING
AN ABRUPT BEGINNING EXPEDITIONARY
OPERATIONS UP THE
Barely a month after the USAF announced that Reshaped for Chinese
aggression B-52
For a new era
Kadena Air Base would lose its F-15C/D Eagles, PLUS of operations

they are heading home. Tom Kaminski reports. B-21 GOES

PUBLIC
JUST
UK £5.50

£W 5.10
MISSILES MATTER TO TAIWAN
Volume 24 No 02 FEBRUARY 2023

USAF’s sixth gen bomber unveiled

With unease over China’s possible invasion of its
HEN
ORDER YOU
tiny island neighbour, David Axe examines Taipei’s
Also available for £5.50
dilemma over its air-to-air missile arsenal. DIRECT
from and other
...PLUS MUCH MORE! leading newsagents

SAVE 20% when you subscribe to

Simply enter discount code CAJAFM23 at the checkout page when ordering from
shop.keypublishing.com/casubs
*Min. spend £30. Not valid on Direct Debits. Offer ends 28th February 2023
Alternatively, give us a call on (UK) 01780 480404 or (Overseas) +44 1780 480404
Lines open 9.00am - 5.30pm • Free P&P* when you order online
*Free 2nd class P&P on all UK & BFPO orders. Overseas charges apply. Postage charges vary depending on total order value.
580/22 b
580 Combat Latest FP.indd 56 20/12/2022 10:28:56
NEWS
Swedish Gripens set to
receive major upgrades
THE SWEDISH Defence
Materiel Administration
(FMV) signed a SEK3.5bn
(£280m) deal with Saab on
December 16 to upgrade
its fleet of JAS 39C/D
Gripen multi-role fighters.
A myriad of upgrades are
included in the contract,
with the relevant work
scheduled to take place
between 2023 and 2029.
The deal also allows
the FMV to put forward
additional upgrade orders
within the first year.
Sweden’s current JAS
39C/D fleet will be fitted
with the more advanced
GE Aviation/Volvo
Flygmotor RM12 (F404-
GE-400) afterburning
turbofan engine, which
will help to enhance
Spain retires last Orion
AFTER ALMOST 50
years of operational
service, the Spanish Air
and Space Force (SASF)
retired its final Lockheed
P-3M Orion maritime
patrol aircraft (MPA) on
December 17.
The aircraft (serial
P.3M-12 ’22-35’) was
the last of three Orions
remaining in Spanish
military service at 22
Gruppo (Group) of Ala 11
(11 Wing). Spain retired
its first P-3M on January
20, 2021, followed by the
second on April 25, 2022.
The third completed
The final Spanish Air and
Space Force P-3M Orion
receives a water salute
upon landing after its
final flight at Morón de
la Frontera Air Base on
December 17, 2022 SASF
10 // February 2023
Europe
the Gripen’s flight
performance envelope.
The fighter aircraft will
also receive a more
effective electronic
warfare system, combined
with a new weapons
payload capability.
In addition, the legacy
Gripens will be integrated
with Saab's PS-05/A Mk
5 active electronically
scanned array (AESA)
radar, which will provide
the JAS 39C/D fleet with
an increased detection
and tracking range.
According to Saab, the
platform will also receive
an “upgraded and future-
proof” avionics system,
which will include faster
software updates for
sensor functions.
the fleet’s final flight at
Morón de la Frontera Air
Base in Seville during
a retirement ceremony
attended by the SASF’s
Chief of Staff, Gen Javier
Salto Martínez-Avial.
There may now be a
lengthy capability gap
in the SASF’s ability
to conduct maritime
patrol and long-range
search and rescue (SAR)
operations. Spain is due
to replace the Orions
with Airbus Defence and
Space’s C295 MPA. This
platform will contain the
latest Fully Integrated
This upgrade means
the Swedish Air Force's
Gripen fleet will be more
compliant with the latest
generation of fighter
aircraft being fielded
in the battlespace.
It will enhance the
interoperability between
the legacy JAS 39C/D
with the more modern JAS
39E/F – the latest variant
of the Gripen family –
which will soon enter
operational service.
Commenting on the
contract award, Jonas
Hjelm – head of Saab’s
Aeronautics division –
said: “This upgrade will
provide the Swedish Air
Force with a significantly
stronger fighter capability.
The contract is a big
Tactical System (FITS)
and mission-specific
systems used for anti-
submarine operations.
It’s also likely these
aircraft will be fitted with
a magnetic anomaly
detector (MAD) system.
The Spanish Ministry
of Defence (MOD) has
yet to sign the order with
Airbus, however. The
company is in the final
stages of defining the
C295 MPA configuration,
with the firm expecting
an aircraft configuration
freeze and contract
signature with the
leap ahead in terms of
radar performance and
functionality, both for the
hardware and software,
and will future-proof the
operational capability of
Gripen C/D.”
On the same day,
Saab announced it will
be maintaining and
supporting the Gripen fleet
until 2025, with an option
for the Swedish Armed
Forces to place further
orders for support and
maintenance until 2027.
This package includes
the provision of spare
parts, aircrew and ground
support equipment, along
with repair and training
services. Maintenance will
be provided at each of
Saab’s six facilities.
Spanish MOD in Q1
2023. The country’s
defence budget has
allocated €580m for
the procurement of four
C295 MPAs between
2023 and 2028.
Meanwhile, the Spanish
MOD is also planning
to replace its fleet of
CN-235M Maritime
Surveillance Aircraft
(MSA) with the C295
MSA, which all parties
believe would be a
natural replacement for
this mission. This will
likely come after the
C295 MPA acquisition.
Italian Army
receives
final UH-90A
LEONARDO
HELICOPTERS delivered
its 60th UH-90A – the
local designation for the
NH90 Tactical Transport
Helicopter (TTH) – to the
Italian Army on November
25, completing deliveries
of the type to the service.
Manufactured at
Leonardo’s Tessera
facility in Venice,
Italy, the final UH-90A
was delivered during
an official handover
ceremony attended
by high-ranking
representatives from the
Italian Army, the Italian
Secretariat of Defence
and the NATO Helicopter
Management Agency, as
well as NHIndustries and
Leonardo Helicopters.
The Italian Army
was one of the initial
operators of the NH90
and remains as one of
the largest employers of
the type. Almost 31,100
flight hours have been
logged on missions in
Italy and abroad since it
entered service in March
2008. The UH-90A is
operated by five Italian
Army squadrons at
three different bases:
251°, 252° and 253°
Squadrone (Squadron)
at Rimini-Miramare; 272°
Squadrone at Casarsa
della Delizia; 526°
Squadrone at Viterbo.
Missions performed by
the UH-90A comprise
tactical troop transport,
logistics support, special
operations, cargo
resupply and hoist
operations. In addition,
the helicopter performs
medical evacuation and
light tactical vehicle
transport missions.
While 60 aircraft were
initially ordered – with
the first being delivered
in December 2007 – the
Italian requirement still
calls for a fleet of 150
UH-90As, although it
seems unlikely that any
additional orders will be
made in the near future.
www.Key.Aero

Could Putin arm Belarusian jets
with nuclear weapons?
FEARS THAT the
Belarusian Air Force
and Air Defence Forces
could become nuclear
capable have been raised
after Russian President
Vladimir Putin announced
that its jets were being
converted to carry
“special warheads”.
On a visit to Minsk on
December 19, Putin said
Russia will continue
training Belarusian pilots
to fly jets refurbished to
carry such weapons.
A Belarusian MiG-29
(Bort No ’18 Red’) returns
to base after a training
mission Belarusian MOD
Italy retires its MQ-1C Predator
A+ fleet after 18 years of service
AFTER 3,800 sorties and
over 31,000 flight hours
logged, the Aeronautica
Militare (AM; Italian Air
Force) retired its fleet
of General Atomics
Aeronautical Systems Inc
(GA-ASI) MQ-1C Predator
A+ remotely piloted
aircraft systems (RPAS) on
December 19, 2022.
The retirement
ceremony was held by
32° Stormo (Wing) at
Amendola Air Base (AB)
after the final RPAS
was transferred from
61° Gruppo (Squadron)
– a detachment of 32°
Stormo at Sigonella AB in
Members of 28° Gruppo pose in front of two of the AM’s now-retired MQ-1C Predator A+ RPAS Italian Air Force
www.Key.Aero
At a meeting with
Belarus’ President
Alexander Lukashenko,
Putin said: “I think it
would be possible to
continue implementing
the proposal made by the
Belarusian President to
train crews for Belarusian
combat planes, which
have already been
retooled to potentially
use air-based munitions
with a special warhead.”
The Belarusian air
arm currently operates
Sicily. The ceremony was
attended by high-ranking
AM officials, including the
General of the Air Force
Alberto Biavati, who
praised the hard work
performed by the men
and women who operated
the RPAS. Interestingly,
he also noted that
70% of all the MQ-1C
flights carried out were
operational and just 30%
were for training purposes
– making the platform
unique compared to the
AM’s other aircraft.
Delivered to the AM
in December 2004,
the MQ-1C first saw
four Sukhoi Su-30SM
Flanker-H and eight
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-
29BM (Belarus Modified)
Fulcrum multi-role
fighters, along with 67
Su-25 Frogfoot-A/B
ground attack/strike
jets and 26 MiG-29
Fulcrum-B/Cs.
Defence experts fear
the move could signal
a build-up to Belarus
joining Russia in a
fresh offensive against
neighbouring Ukraine.
in-theatre combat
operations in January
2005. The Predator A+
served as an intelligence,
surveillance and
reconnaissance (ISR)
platform in locations
such as Afghanistan,
the Horn of Africa, Iraq,
Kosovo, and Kuwait.
It performed missions
in support of close air
support and combat
search and rescue
disciplines, supporting
the security of convoys
in hostile environments
and monitoring areas of
interest, remaining on
station for long periods
Subscribe to www.Key.Aero for breaking news stories.
Email the news team at editor@airforcesmonthly.com
Lukashenko revealed
that Russian-donated
ground-based air
defence systems had
become operational in
his country. Addressing
Putin, he said: “Today
we’ve put the S-400
[air defence] complex
that you transferred to
Belarus into a state of
combat-readiness, as
well as, most importantly,
the Iskander complex,
which you have also
handed over to us...”
of time, which manned
aircraft were not capable
of doing. The RPAS
also served on home
soil with contributions
to controlling national
In Brief
borders, search and
rescue, and public order
operations, as well as
providing international
security during G7, G8
and G20 summits.
The Italian air arm’s
RPAS ISR operations are
now being performed
by the more modern
MQ-9A Predator B. The
AM operates a fleet of
five Predator Bs acquired
between 2008 and 2009.
New aircraft and
helicopter for
Ireland’s Garda
Air Support unit
IRELAND’S MINISTER
for Justice Simon Harris
announced on January
3 that €21.5m will be
invested in the Garda Air
Support Unit (GASU) for
an additional helicopter
and fixed-wing aircraft.
The new, and as yet
undefined fixed-wing
aircraft will be another
high-wing twin-engine
aircraft and will replace
the current Britten-
Norman BN-2T Islander
– serial 254 (c/n 4008). It
will be purchased using
the Brexit Adjustment
Reserve to enhance
the GASU’s ability to
support policing on the
ground, security, and
surveillance operations.
An additional H135
helicopter will increase
the unit’s fleet to
three. Equipped with
integrated police mission
equipment, it is expected
to be operational later
this year. The fixed-wing
aircraft is scheduled to
enter operational service
in 2024.
The aircraft will support
missions in border
patrol, counter-terrorism,
organised crime, and
human/drug trafficking.
THE LUFTWAFFE
announced on December
8 that the last three of
its Transall C-160Ds
were due to depart at
0800hrs the following
morning for a new
home with a civilian
company in Australia. As
previously reported, the
aircraft (50+55/VH-TIT,
50+83/VH-RPR and
50+88/VH-RFW), were
registered in Australia
on September 15 last
year to Wieland Aviation
Group in New South
Wales after being sold
by the Bundeswehr –
see Australian company
acquires three former
German Transalls, AFM
November, p28.
February 2023 // 11
NEWS Europe

Germany commits to F-35A purchase

THE BUNDESWEHR
(German Armed Forces)
announced it will
procure a total of 35
F-35A Lightning II fifth-
generation multi-role
stealth fighters after
its budget committee
approved the close to
€10bn purchase on
December 14.
With deliveries expected
to take place between
2026 and 2029, the
F-35As have been
purchased to replace the Russian invasion of Lt Gen Ingo Gerhartz, the succeed the Tornado IDS
the Luftwaffe’s (German Ukraine last February. Inspector of the Luftwaffe, in all of its current roles,
Air Force) ageing fleet Germany is the ninth said the first German ranging from ground
of Tornado IDS ground foreign military sales pilots should be trained attack/interdiction and
attack/strike aircraft. customer to join the on the F-35A at Luke AFB, strike operations to
This plan was initially F-35 programme. The Arizona, in 2026. maintaining Germany’s
announced on March package agreement He added that nuclear deterrent as
14, 2022, and comes as includes aircraft, engines, Germany's first Lightning part of NATO's Nuclear
part of Germany's newly role-specific mission II is expected to arrive Sharing Arrangements.
injected €100bn defence equipment, spare parts, in-country in 2027 with The F-35As will be
budget to modernise and training, weapons and all the aim of declaring operated by Taktisches
overhaul its armed forces the required technical and operational readiness the Luftwaffengeschwader 33
that was announced by logistical support to make following year. (TaktLwG 33; Tactical Air
German Chancellor Olaf the F-35A an operational In operational Luftwaffe Force Wing 33) at Büchel
Scholz just weeks after weapon system. service, the F-35A will Air Base.

Latvia receives Black Hawk pair In Brief

AIRBUS DEFENCE and
Space delivered its 20th
A400M Atlas to France’s
Directorate General of
Armaments (DGA) on
November 22. The aircraft
(serial 0075/F-RBAT) will
join the rest of the French
Air and Space Force’s
(FASF) A400M fleet at
THE LATVIAN Air Force received its first two UH-60M Black
Orléans-Bricy AB (BA123).
Hawk utility helicopters (serials 105 and 106) on December France has 50 A400Ms on
11, at Lielv rde Air Base in Rembate Parish, Ogre, via a order and is expecting to
USAF-operated C-17A Globemaster III. Latvia purchased receive 25 examples by the
a total of four UH-60Ms through the US foreign military
sales process in 2018. The deal, worth some €175m, was
end of 2025.
approved by the US State Department and Congress. The FRANCE’S DGA
last two are to arrive before the end of 2023 Latvian Air Force accepted delivery of
the tenth modernised
Atlantique 2 (ATL2) on
December 12, after
the maritime patrol
aircraft (serial unknown)
received its Standard 6
upgrade from the FASF’s
Aeronautics Industrial
Service (SIAé).
This aircraft will soon
be delivered to Lorient/
Lann-Bihoué AB, where
it will be operated by the
French Navy’s Flottille
21F/23F. In total, 18 ATL2s
will receive the Standard
6 upgrade.
THE NINETH
A330-243MRTT Phénix
multi-role tanker transport
for the FASF has been
handed over to the DGA.
Delivery of the aircraft
(serial 049/F-UJCO) was
announced on December
15 and comes after
verification flight test
operations were conducted
by the DGA. The FASF
has 15 A330-243MRTTs
on order in total and is
expecting to receive three
more examples by the end
of this year.

Turkey’s first ‘unmanned fighter’ takes flight

While Baykar’s Bayraktar
Kizilelma UCAV briefly took
flight during a ground test
on December 3, the initial
prototype (registration
TC-ÖZB) got airborne at the
Akinci Flight Training and Test
Centre for its official first flight
on December 14, 2022 Baykar
BAYKAR MARKED a
significant milestone
in the development of
its Bayraktar Kizilelma
unmanned combat
air vehicle (UCAV) on
December 14, after
15:17hrs (local time). The
successful completion
of the Kizilelma’s first
flight comes just weeks
after the Turkish defence
firm completed a series
of automatic taxi and
running tests at the facility
– the first of which was
successfully carried out on
November 20.
While this milestone does
mark the official first flight
of the Kizilelma, it is not
the first time the platform
has been airborne.
On December 3, the
prototype briefly got
the initial prototype TC-ÖZB) took off for airborne over the runway
successfully completed the first time at 1459hrs at the Akinci test centre
its maiden flight from the (local time) and remained before it safely returned to
Akinci Flight Training and airborne for 18 minutes the ground.
Test Center in Tekirda , before it landed back at While Baykar maintained
Turkey. The prototype the Akinci Flight Training that the test was a
UCAV (registration and Test Centre at success, it remains
unclear whether the
Kizilelma’s brief few
seconds in the air was
a planned action or
accidental. In any case,
it highlighted that the
platform’s developers
were itching for it to grace
the skies for the first time.
The type is expected to
enter service with both the
Turkish Air Force and the
Turkish Navy.
When operational, the
type will be largely used
to carry out air-to-air
combat missions in a
similar manner to manned
fighter aircraft, with Baykar
stating that the UCAV will
be capable of performing
“aggressive manoeuvres”
– a capability that is
not found on the more
traditional UAVs.

12 // February 2023 www.Key.Aero

 AIR POWER

N
YEARBOOK 2023

EW
This year’s US Air Force Yearbook
NEW INSIDE AVIATION’S GLOBAL SUPERPOWER
provides insight to all the US Air

UNITED
AIR FORCE
Force mission sets with coverage
of fighter, special operations,
transport, and trainer aircraft. The STATES FROM THE MAKERS OF
edition provides stories on air
AIR POWER YEARBOOK 2023
refuelling operations with the KC-
RED FLAG
46 in service with the Air National Special repo
on the USAF’rt
toughest wars
Guard, air mobility with one of the games

USAF’s largest reserve associate

wings, close air support with the
A-10C Thunderbolt II, arctic F-35 F-15C
operations, an overview of special Homeland defence
with the Massachusetts
operations, and insight to the latest Air National Guard

flight training with Air Education GLOBAL

and Training Command marking TANKERS
Worldwide refuelling
over four million flight hours with with New Hampshire
ANG’s KC-46s
the T-6A Texan II trainer.
A-10C THUNDERBOLT II
How a 50-year-old aircraft sets the
standard for close air support
US Air Force
Yearbook 2023 is
packed with reviews and
SUBS
CRI
analysis standing as the CALL BERS
ultimate guide to US Air YOUR FOR
£2.00
UK£8.99

Force air power in D IS C

FOUR MILLION FLIGHT HOURS AND COUNTING. LIFE WITH THE T-6A TEXANSO OFUAETC
2023.
NT!

ORDER DIRECT ALSO AVAILABLE FROM

ALL LEADING NEWSAGENTS
AND

£8.99
Free P&P* when you order online at
PLUS FREE P&P *
*Free 2nd class P&P on all UK & BFPO orders.
Overseas charges apply.

Call UK: 01780 480404

shop.keypublishing.com/usafyb2023 Overseas: +44 1780 480404

529/22

529 USAF YB FP RHP.indd 104 28/11/2022 10:17:56

NEWS
USAF ushers in era of the Raider
THE USAF ushered
in a new age of sixth-
generation combat aircraft
with the public unveiling
of the B-21 Raider stealth
bomber at Northrop
Grumman’s production
facilities at Palmdale,
California, on December 2.
The hotly anticipated
public rollout of the
USAF’s new stealth
bomber comes as tensions
across the world – ranging
from Chinese and North
Korean aggression in the
Indo-Pacific region to the
ongoing Ukraine-Russia
War – continues to build.
The first B-21 (referred to
Head on with the world’s first sixth-generation combat aircraft and the initial example of the USAF’s second-generation stealth
bomber: the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider. Unveiled to the public for the first time on December 2, 2022, this aircraft will
ultimately replace the Rockwell B-1B Lancer and Northrop Grumman B-2A Spirit in USAF service Northrop Grumman
US Army opts for Valor to replace Black Hawks
IN A major announcement,
the US Army revealed
on December 5 that it
has awarded the hotly
anticipated Future Long
Range Assault Aircraft
(FLRAA) contract to Bell
Textron and its V-280
Valor tiltrotor – a platform
that will eventually replace
the service’s Black Hawk
helicopters and shape
the future of US Army
Aviation operations.
The market-defining
FLRAA award – worth
an initial US$1.3bn –
marks the US Army’s
largest helicopter
procurement decision
in more than 40 years.
Follow-on production
contracts could see the
programme’s worth grow
to the range of US$70bn.
The decision to select the
V-280 Valor, a second-
generation tiltrotor, is not
just a major win for Bell
Textron domestically,
but also a victory for the
14 // February 2023
North America
as ‘T1’, or ‘Aircraft 001’)
was rolled out in front
of high-ranking military/
government officials
and journalists who had
been invited to Northrop
Grumman’s Palmdale
production facilities to
attend the event in person,
as thousands more
watched the unveiling via
a live stream provided
by the company.
Heralded by Northrop
Grumman and the USAF
as the aircraft that will
form the future backbone
of US airpower, the B-21
will be the face of a
family of systems that will
firm on the world stage,
given that many US allies
and partner nations
are likely to follow the
Army’s lead when seeking
to replace their own
assault/utility helicopter
fleets, many of which
are currently operating
a variant of the UH-60.
A subsequent media
roundtable between
US Army officials and
reporters provided
Bell’s first Valor prototype (registration N280BH, c/n 60105).
The tiltrotor has a compound fuselage with a V-shaped tail
instead of a tail rotor. There are side doors instead of a ramp
and retractable tricycle landing gear. The V-280 will be the US
Army’s first tiltrotor aircraft Bell Flight
deliver new capabilities
and greater flexibility to
the US air arm via the
advanced integration
of data, sensors and
weapons. Referred to as
the world’s first sixth-
generation combat aircraft
(to be unveiled at least),
the USAF will benefit from
the highly low observable
design of the B-21, as
well as the platform’s
information advantage and
digital open architecture
backbone capabilities.
This initial aircraft (‘T1’)
is currently undergoing
an extensive ground test
campaign and is set to
additional details. Maj Gen
Robert Barrie – the US
Army’s Program Executive
Officer for Aviation – said
that an initial contract
obligation, valued at
US$232m, will be given
to Bell Textron over the
next 19 months, allowing
the company to continue
working on the preliminary
design of the aircraft and
deliver virtual prototypes
of a potentially model-
complete the platform’s
maiden flight sometime in
2023. Another five B-21s
are known to be in various
stages of production with
Northrop Grumman in
Palmdale, where the firm
produced the USAF’s
fleet of B-2A Spirit stealth
bombers from 1987-
2000. Along with the
supersonic-capable B-1B
Lancer, the B-2A will
ultimately be phased out
and replaced by a planned
fleet of “at least 100”
B-21s with an average
procurement unit cost
requirement of US$692m,
according to the USAF.
based system by 2025.
Officially launched
in 2019, the FLRAA
programme falls under
the umbrella of the US
Army’s Future Vertical
Lift initiative to modernise
the capabilities and
aviation assets used
by the service, and
pitted the Valor against
Sikorsky-Boeing’s
Defiant X compound
coaxial helicopter.
On December 28,
the Sikorsky-Boeing
team revealed that a
formal protest of the US
Army’s FLRAA contract
decision had been filed
with the US Government
Accountability Office
(GAO). The team claims
that “the data and
discussions lead us to
believe the proposals
were not consistently
evaluated to deliver the
best value in the interest
of the Army, our soldiers
and American taxpayers.”
Changes
for USMC
THE United States Marine
Corps (USMC) deactivated
Marine Light Attack
Helicopter Squadron 469
(HMLA-469) ‘Vengeance’
– a component of the
3rd Marine Aircraft Wing
(MAW) – and reactivated
its replacement unit,
HMLA-367 ‘Scarface’, in a
ceremony at MCAS Camp
Pendleton in California on
December 16.
Activated on June 30,
2009, ‘Vengeance’ was
the youngest HMLA
squadron in the 3rd
MAW and operated
the AH-1Z Viper attack
helicopter and UH-1Y
Venom battlefield
utility helicopter with
approximately 350
personnel. It had
carried out multiple
deployments with Marine
Expeditionary Units and
in support of Operation
Enduring Freedom in
Afghanistan, as well
as key humanitarian
missions, such as
Operation Sahayogi Haat
following earthquakes in
Nepal in April/May 2015.
The decision to disband
HMLA-469 comes as
part of the USMC’s Force
Design 2030 initiative,
which has directed the
divestment of two HMLA
squadrons to reallocate
funding for other areas
of interest. HMLA-367 –
temporarily stood down
at MCAS Kaneohe Bay,
Hawaii, in April 2022 –
has been relocated and
reactivated to replace the
outgoing HMLA-469.
HMLA-367 was initially
established by the USMC
as Marine Observation
Squadron 351 (VMO-3)
during World War Two.
but was subsequently
stood down in 1949. The
unit was first reactivated
in 1966 to support US
military operations during
the Vietnam War, where
it earned its famous
‘Scarface’ nickname and
became the first USMC
unit to employ the AH-1G
Cobra attack helicopter.
www.Key.Aero
 Subscribe to www.Key.Aero for breaking news stories.
Email the news team at editor@airforcesmonthly.com

New E-11A BACN for the ‘Black Wolves’ In Brief

THE US Department
of Defense (DOD)
awarded AgustaWestland
Philadelphia a $110.5m
firm-fixed price contract
modification to the
US Navy’s Advanced
Helicopter Training System
contract on December
23, exercising an option
for the production and
delivery of a further
26 TH-73A Thrasher
training helicopters under
A BRAND-NEW Bombardier E-11A Battlefield Airborne Communication Node (BACN) arrived at Prince Sultan Air Production Lot 4. Work will
Base, Saudi Arabia, on December 16. The aircraft (serial 21-9045) will be operated by the USAF’s 430th Expeditionary
Electronic Communications Squadron ‘Black Wolves’ in support of operations in US Central Command’s area of be carried out at the firm’s
responsibility. It was procured by the USAF to help keep the ‘Black Wolves’ and its already established fleet of forward facility in Philadelphia,
deployed E-11As airborne, providing constant communications support to in-theatre US and allied commanders and Pennsylvania, and is
military assets across a variety of domains in the Middle East USAF/Staff Sgt Shannon Bowman expected to be completed
by December 2024.

US to send Patriot to Ukraine

THE US is sending Patriot
surface-to-air missile
systems to Ukraine to
counter cruise missile and
kamikaze drone strikes.
Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
visited Washington to
meet President Joe Biden
on December 21 – his
first overseas visit since
the Russian invasion
last February. On the
same day, US Secretary
of State Antony Blinken
announced the 28th
drawdown of US arms and
equipment for Ukraine
since August 2021.
This $1bn drawdown
will provide Ukraine with
expanded air defence
and precision-strike
capabilities, as well as
Youngstown selected as next C-130J base
THE USAF revealed
on December 22 that
Youngstown Air Reserve
Station in Ohio has been
selected by Secretary
of the Air Force, Frank
Kendall, as the preferred
location to base eight new
C-130J Super Hercules
tactical transports.
This move will see the
eight legacy C-130H
Hercules aircraft currently
based at Youngstown as
part of the 910th Airlift
Wing – a component
of Air Force Reserve
additional munitions and
critical equipment. Blinken
said: “The Department
of Defense is also
announcing an additional
$850m of security
The US Army test fires a Patriot missile in 2019. The Patriot
missile system is a ground-based, mobile missile defence
interceptor deployed by the US to detect, track and engage
unmanned aerial vehicles, cruise missiles, and short-range and
tactical ballistic missiles US Army Security Assistance Command
Command – replaced
by the newer and more
modern C-130J aircraft.
The USAF stated that
Youngstown was selected
following a site survey that
“assessed the location
based on factors related
to mission, infrastructure
capacity, community
support, environmental
considerations, and cost.”
Youngstown-based
C-130Hs currently support
Air Force Northern
Command by carrying out
aerial spray operations,
assistance for Ukraine
today under its Ukraine
Security Assistance
Initiative. Today’s
assistance for the first
time includes the Patriot
as well as the type’s
enduring tactical airlift
mission and will continue
to do so after receiving
the Super Hercules.
“The C-130J reduces
manpower requirements,
lowers operating and
support costs, and
provides life-cycle cost
savings over earlier C-130
models. It is also capable
of climbing faster and
higher, flying farther at a
higher cruise speed, and
taking off and landing in
a shorter distance,” the
Air Defence System,
capable of bringing
down cruise missiles,
short range ballistic
missiles, and aircraft at a
significantly higher ceiling
than previously provided
air defence systems.”
US military assistance for
Ukraine in 2022 totalled
$21.9bn. This included
the supply of more than
1,600 Stinger anti-aircraft
systems, 700 Switchblade
Tactical Unmanned
Aerial Systems, missiles
for HAWK air defence
systems, 20 Mi-17 Hip
helicopters, 1,800 Phoenix
Ghost Tactical Unmanned
Aerial Systems; 15
ScanEagle Unmanned
Aerial Systems, and ten
air surveillance radars.
USAF has stated.
Though Youngstown
has been initially selected
for the new C-130Js,
a final decision will
be made following an
environmental impact
analysis this summer. If it
fails this study, the USAF
has identified Peterson
Space Force Base,
Colorado; Dobbins Air
Reserve Base, Georgia
and Minneapolis-St Paul
Air Reserve Station,
Minnesota, as reasonable
alternative locations.
KRATOS DEFENSE was
awarded a $15.5m cost-
plus-fixed-fee contract on
December 30 to deliver
two XQ-58A Valkyrie
unmanned combat air
vehicles with sensor
and weapon payloads
to the US Navy. The
two government-owned,
contractor-operated
XQ-58As will be used
to conduct flight testing
and demonstrations at
government test ranges.
Work on this contract will
be carried out at Kratos’
facility in Sacramento,
California, and is
slated for completion
in September 2023.
AFTER NEARLY
45 years of flying
Sikorsky’s family of
H-53 helicopters in US
Navy service, Helicopter
Mine Countermeasures
Squadron 14 (HM-14)
‘Vanguard’ completed its
final operational MH-53E
Sea Dragon flight at
Naval Station Norfolk in
Virginia on December
8, ahead of the unit’s
planned deactivation
in July 2023. Following
the unit’s disbandment,
some of its remaining
MH-53Es and personnel
will be transferred to
HM-12 ‘Sea Dragons’
(the type’s Fleet
Replacement Squadron)
and HM-15 ‘Blackhawks’
(the last operational
MH-53E unit).

www.Key.Aero February 2023 // 15

NEWS
VMA-542 begins F-35B transition
MCAS CHERRY Point in
North Carolina will soon
be added to the ever-
growing list of operational
F-35B locations after
Marine Attack Squadron
542 (VMA-542) ‘Flying
Tigers’ formally began the
transition process from
the AV-8B Harrier II to the
Lightning II.
The official start of the
transition was celebrated
during a ceremony at
MCAS Cherry Point
on December 1. The
process of re-equipping
the squadron with the
F-35B is expected to
be completed by spring
A USMC-operated AV-8B Harrier II assigned to VMA-542 ‘Flying Tigers’ at MCAS Cherry Point receives a traditional water
cannon salute during the transition and redesignation ceremony on December 1, 2022. Reforming the squadron as VMFA-542
on the F-35B is being carried out in accordance with the USMC’s Force Design 2030 initiative USMC/Lance Cpl Elias E Pimentel III
Milestone test passed for ARRW hypersonic missile
A USAF B-52H
Stratofortress has
successfully released the
first All-Up-Round AGM-
183A Air-launched Rapid
Response Weapon (ARRW)
during an operational test
off the coast of Southern
California on December 9.
While previous test
events focused on
proving the munition’s
booster performance,
this latest ARRW test
marked the first launch
of a full prototype for the
air-launched, hypersonic
boost-glide ballistic missile
that is currently being
developed by the USAF
and Lockheed Martin,
the weapon’s original
equipment manufacturer.
This milestone test was
executed by a B-52H and
personnel assigned to
the 412th Test Wing at
Edwards AFB in California.
According to the USAF,
16 // February 2023
North America
this year and will result
in VMA-542 being
redesignated as Marine
Fighter Attack Squadron
542 (VMFA-542).
Following the transition,
the ‘Flying Tigers’ will
not only become the
first F-35B operator at
Cherry Point, but also
the first unit to employ
the short take-off and
vertical landing (STOVL)-
configured Lightning II on
the US East Coast.
Just two AV-8B units will
be left at Cherry Point:
VMA-223 ‘Bulldogs’ and
VMA-231 ‘Ace of Spades’;
both will continue to
following the ARRW’s
separation from the B-52H,
it reached hypersonic
speeds greater than Mach
5 – more than 3,806mph
(6,126km/h) or five times
the speed of sound –
before completing its
chartered flight path and
detonating in the terminal
area. “Indications show
Above: A USAF-operated B-52H Stratofortress assigned to the
419th Flight Test Squadron at Edwards AFB, California, carries
a prototype AGM-183A ARRW missile during its first captive-
carry test flight on June 12, 2019. The B-52H is being used
as the mothership for this air-launched hypersonic ballistic
missile USAF/Christopher Okula
fly the Harrier II for the
foreseeable future. The
last AV-8B Harrier IIs are
scheduled to be retired
from operational USMC
service in Fiscal Year
2027 (FY27).
The ‘Flying Tigers’
completed the transition
from the legacy AV-8A/C
to the upgraded Harrier II
in May 1986. While
operating the AV-8B,
VMA-542 supported a
variety of US-led military
campaigns. These
included Operations
Desert Shield and Desert
Storm (Southeast Asia);
Noble Anvil (Kosovo); Iraqi
that all objectives were
met,” the USAF said in a
press release.
The USAF is expected to
declare Early Operational
Capability for the AGM-
183A in 2023.
Commenting on the
success of the ARRW
team, Brig Gen Jason
Bartolomei – programme
Freedom (Iraq); Enduring
Freedom (Afghanistan);
Odyssey Dawn and
Odyssey Lightning (Libya);
and Inherent Resolve
(Afghanistan).
More recently, a
detachment of VMA-542
AV-8Bs embarked aboard
the US Navy’s Wasp-
class amphibious assault
ship, USS Kearsarge
(LHD-3), as it deployed
to the Baltic Sea shortly
after the outbreak of the
Ukraine-Russia War in
February, last year. This
deployment ended shortly
before the unit’s transition
ceremony took place.
executive officer for
the USAF’s Armament
Directorate – said: “The
ARRW team successfully
designed and tested an
air-launched hypersonic
missile in five years. I am
immensely proud of the
tenacity and dedication
this team has shown to
provide a vital capability to
our warfighter.”
With Russia and China
already fielding hypersonic-
capable munitions, the
West is racing to rapidly
develop its own such
weapons. The AGM-183A
has been designed to
enhance the US military’s
ability to destroy high-
value and time-sensitive
targets. It will also allow
the US to execute rapid
response strikes against
heavily defended land-
based targets in enemy
territory and highly
contested environments.
Planned
location
for Sky
Wardens
revealed
WILL ROGERS Air
National Guard Base
(ANGB) in Oklahoma
has been selected by
Secretary of the Air
Force Frank Kendall
as the sole candidate
location for the
AT-802U Sky Warden
Total Force Integration
Formal Training Unit
(FTU). The move was
announced by the
USAF on December 9
and will see Will Rogers
ANGB bid farewell to its
MC-12W Liberty fleet as
it is replaced by 28
Sky Wardens.
It will also see the
base’s resident MC-12
FTU convert to the
AT-802U Total Force
Integration FTU. In
addition to the 28
AT-802Us, US Air Force
Special Operations
Command’s (AFSOC)
recently reactivated
310th Special
Operations Squadron
(SOS) will relocate to
the Oklahoma base
from Cannon AFB, New
Mexico, to create an
active association with
the Liberty-equipped
185th SOS, which will
remain at Will Rogers
ANGB. Before a final
basing decision is
made, an initial site
survey of the candidate
location – which will
assess operational
requirements and
the potential impact
to existing missions,
housing, infrastructure
and manpower – is
scheduled to take place
this spring.
Following this, the
US Department of the
Air Force will conduct
environmental impact
analysis at the base,
which is expected to
be completed in the
autumn.
www.Key.Aero
 ROYAL NAVY

N
YEARBOOK 2022-23

EW
Britain’s navy has never been

ROYAL NAVY
ALL THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO BRITISH MARITIME POWER
busier. From patrolling the NEW

North Atlantic to deter Russia’s

growing navy, to keeping
shipping lanes open in the
Middle East and supporting YEARBOOK 2022-23
allies in the Pacific.An ambitious
ship building programme is
EVERY EVERY
FIGHTING ARM VESSEL
underway to replace the Royal Fleet Air Arm Support vessels
Navy’s submarines, warships, Royal Navy Warships
and support ships. From the Royal Marines Carriers
Royal Fleet Auxiliary Patrol boats
publishers of the British Army
Submarines
Yearbook and the British
Airpower Yearbook comes this
new, maritime publication – the
MIGHTY MERLIN
Royal Navy Yearbook. The Navy’s Top Sub Hunter

The
2022 edition
profiles the ships of the
ROYAL MARINES
current fleet, the aircraft of the Fighting from the Sea
Fleet Air Arm and the units of the
£8.99

ROYAL NAVY YEARBOOK 2022-23

Royal Marines. Future threats and

naval technology are examined,
and senior naval officers talk VANGUARD CLASS
about how they are building a Britain’s Nuclear Deterrent

Royal Navy for the 21st

century.

ORDER DIRECT ALSO AVAILABLE FROM

ALL LEADING NEWSAGENTS
AND

SUBS
CRI
CALL BERS

£8.99
Free P&P* when you order online at
PLUS FREE P&P *
*Free 2nd class P&P on all UK & BFPO orders.
Overseas charges apply.
YOUR FOR
£
DISCO 2.00
UNT!

Call UK: 01780 480404

shop.keypublishing.com/navyyb2023 Overseas: +44 1780 480404

531/22

531 Royal Navy YB 22 FP.indd 104 28/11/2022 10:37:43

NEWS
Brazil’s first Gripens enter operational service
THE FORÇA Aérea
Brasileira (FAB; Brazilian
Air Force) inducted its
first two F-39E Gripen
multi-role fighters into
operational service with
the 1° Grupo de Defesa
Aérea (1° GDA; 1st Air
Colombia's plan to replace Kfirs hits wall
AFTER SPENDING almost
a decade searching for
a new multi-role fighter
to replace its ageing Kfir
C10/C12 fleet, Colombian
President Gustavo Petro
announced that the
Fuerza Aérea Colombiana
(FAC; Colombian Air
Force) would receive new
jets in 2023, but recent
developments have led to
the plan being derailed.
While Petro did not
confirm which multi-
role fighter had been
selected to succeed the
Kfirs in service – which
will reach the end of their
viable service life in 2023
– during his speech at
a promotion ceremony
on December 17, the
18 // February 2023
Latin America
Defense Group) ‘Jaguar
Squadron’ during a
ceremony at Anápolis Air
Base on December 19.
The Gripen’s induction
ceremony was presided
over by the commander of
the FAB, Lt Brig Carlos de
replacement is expected
to be the Dassault Rafale.
It was subsequently
reported that Colombia
would order 16 Rafales
from France in total – the
split between single- and
two-seat aircraft was not
revealed – with a contract
expected to be signed in
early 2023, followed by
deliveries later in the year.
During his speech,
Petro highlighted that the
acquisition is necessary as
it is dangerous for pilots
to continue flying the Kfir,
adding that the purchase
of new fighters would not
affect Colombia’s public
finances as there are
‘grace periods’. The Rafale
had not been considered
Almeida Baptista Jr, and
was also attended by the
Swedish Ambassador to
Brazil, Karin Wallensteen,
along with other high-
ranking military, industry
and government
officials and former FAB
commanders.
While the first four
F-39Es (serials 4101,
4102, 4103 and 4104)
were handed over to the
FAB during a ceremony
in Sweden on November
The FAB inducted its first four Saab F-39E Gripens into operational service with the 1st Air
Defense Group ‘Jaguar Squadron’ at a ceremony at Anápolis Air Base on December 19. This
example (serial 4103) is one of the F-39Es currently operating in-country FAB/Sgt Müller Marin
by the FAC until the Petro
administration assumed
power from the outgoing
Iván Duque regime on
August 7. Following
this, Dassault entered
the ring with its Rafale
bid – backed by French
President Emmanuel
Macron – and the platform
quickly became the
favourite to succeed the
Kfir in Colombian service.
Colombia’s quest for
a new multi-role fighter
started in 2012, but
studies carried out by
the FAC advised the
government not to acquire
new aircraft and to
increase investment into
the existing Kfir fleet. As
part of the Colosseum
24, 2021, before the
initial two (4101 and 4102)
were delivered by ship to
Brazil on April 2, 2022,
this ceremony marks the
type’s formal induction
into operational service. A
further two Gripens arrived
in Brazil on September 25.
In October 2014, the
Brazilian Ministry of
Defence announced it had
agreed the purchase of 28
single-seat JAS 39Es and
eight two-seat JAS 39Fs
project, the Kfir fleet
was upgraded to C10/
C12 standard, integrating
it with a new EL/M-
2032 multi-mode fire
control radar, electronic
countermeasures,
beyond-visual-range air-
to-air missiles (BVRAAMs)
and Elbit’s Display and
Sight helmet system. The
platform also received
new weapons from Israel,
including the I-Derby ER
and Python V BVRAAMs,
along with the Spice 1000
precision-guided bomb.
The modernisation project
concluded in 2017.
Following this, a
shortlist of candidate
platforms was drawn up
to evaluate three potential
successors for the Kfir
fleet, comprising the
F-16 Block 70, Gripen
E/F and Typhoon. The
F-16 Block 70 was the
strongest candidate and
was favoured by the
Duque government, but
the COVID-19 pandemic
and the repeated rejection
of this proposal from
opposition political parties
made it impossible to seal
the deal.
As the new government
assumed power, the
resources needed for
A pair of FAC-operated Kfir fly over Rionegro, Colombia,
during Exercise Relampago VI on July 26, 2021. The FAC’s
ageing Kfir C10/C12 fleet is expected to be replaced by the
Rafale from 2023 USAF/Senior Airman Duncan C Bevan
from Saab in a deal worth
$5.4bn, after the type was
selected as the winner of
the FAB’s long-standing
FX-2 fighter programme in
December 2013.
The Gripen will eventually
replace the air arm’s
ageing F-5EM/FM Tiger II
and A-1M/BMs, allowing
Brazil to standardise the
fleet, lowering operating
costs and increasing
its ability to respond to
external threats.
the acquisition were still
approved, but the F-16
was no longer favoured
as the Kfir successor and
that the Rafale (as the
frontrunner) and Gripen
E/F were the candidates
under consideration.
However, on January
2, Colombian Defence
Minister Ivan Velasquez
revealed that the plan had
hit a brick wall, adding
that the $678m spending
approval for the aircraft
had expired.
“Unfortunately in the
pre-negotiations that
took place at the end of
[last] year, we did not
manage to confirm with
the French or with the
Swedish,” Velasquez told
local media. He also noted
that neither Dassault or
Saab were not interested
in an initial purchase of
three-to-five aircraft using
the budget that had been
approved by the previous
government and instead
wanted to negotiate for the
total fleet of 16 fighters.
Velasquez said that efforts
to see if a purchase is
possible will continue
through 2023.
• AFM would like to thank
defensa.com for providing
additional information.
www.Key.Aero
NEWS
New Zealand receives first Poseidon
BOEING DELIVERED
the first of four P-8A
Poseidon maritime patrol
aircraft (MPA) to the Royal
New Zealand Air Force
RNZAF expedites Orion retirement
THE NEW Zealand
Defence Force (NZDF)
announced on December
13 that it will retire its
five remaining Lockheed
P-3K2 Orion maritime
patrol aircraft (MPA)
five months earlier
than planned due to
staff shortages and
maintenance constraints.
Australia now fields almost 60 F-35As
A FURTHER five Royal
Australian Air Force
(RAAF)-operated Lockheed
Martin F-35A Lightning IIs
have arrived at RAAF Base
Williamtown in New South
Wales, bringing the total
www.Key.Aero
Australasia
(RNZAF) in a ceremony at
the Museum of Flight in
Seattle, Washington, on
December 7.
Days later, the MPA
The decision to withdraw
the P-3K2 fleet now
(January 2023) leaves
the Royal New Zealand
Air Force (RNZAF) with a
limited capacity to carry
out search and rescue
(SAR) and maritime
surveillance operations
until July at the earliest.
The move will impact
number in service to 59
aircraft out of 72 on order.
These five new F-35As
(serials A35-055; A35-
056; A35-057; A35-
058 and A35-059) were
accepted by the base’s
arrived at RNZAF Base
Ohakea, northwest of
Palmerston North in the
Manawatu. The remaining
three are currently
on the RNZAF’s ability
to carry out its maritime
patrol and SAR mission
set in the short term until
the Boeing P-8A Poseidon
aircraft formally takes over.
The majority of New
Zealand’s Orion fleet was
delivered to the RNZAF in
1966 and the type is being
replaced in operational
resident No 81 Wing, part
of the RAAF’s Air Combat
Group. The aircraft were
flown to Australia from the
continental US as part of
Exercise Lightning Ferry
22-4, which was carried
Subscribe to www.Key.Aero for breaking news stories.
Email the news team at editor@airforcesmonthly.com
in various stages of
production and will be
delivered before the end
of 2023. They will replace
an ageing fleet of six
Lockheed P-3K2 Orion
MPAs, the majority of
which date back to 1966.
New Zealand’s journey to
acquiring its first Poseidon
began on April 28, 2017,
when it was announced
the US State Department
had approved the possible
Foreign Military Sale of
four P-8As to the nation in
a deal that is worth up
to $1.46bn.
New Zealand’s first Boeing P-8A Poseidon (serial NZ4801) on
the ground at RNZAF Base Ohakea after the aircraft arrived
in-country for the first time on December 12, 2022 RNZAF
service by four Poseidons
– the first of which
(serial NZ4801) arrived at
RNZAF Base Ohakea on
December 12 (see above).
However, the government
has stated that the first
Poseidon will not be
ready to start performing
operational missions until
July 1 this year.
out from December 10-12,
and was the fourth and
final 2022 delivery event.
Prior to leaving the
US, the new RAAF
F-35As participated
in two exercises. The
On February 28,
2019, Boeing was
awarded a $428.8m
advanced acquisition
contract modification to
manufacture 16 P-8As
under production Lot 11
which included six aircraft
for the US Navy, four for
the RNZAF and six for the
Republic of Korea Navy.
In March 2020, Boeing
was awarded a fixed-
price-incentive, cost-plus-
fixed-fee contract worth
$1.55bn – to manufacture
18 P-8As including two
more for the US Navy.
According to a NZDF
spokesperson, the
RNZAF will lean on other
aircraft to cover the
maritime patrol mission
until the P-8A comes
online in the summer.
The spokesperson
added that New Zealand
may also ask regional
partners to help provide
coverage during the
projected five-month
capability gap.
A F-35A Lightning II (serial
A35-058) lands at RAAF Base
Williamtown, completing
its delivery flight from
the continental US on
December 12, 2022 Australian
Department of Defence/Cpl
Craig Barrett
first was Exercise
Lightning Spear 2022,
a live-fire aerial lethality
operational test event
focused on evaluating
the aircraft’s air-to-air
missile capabilities at Eglin
AFB. The second was
the Hawaii Air National
Guard-hosted Exercise
Pacific Edge – a training
event for fourth- and fifth-
generation fighters and
command-and-control
aircraft – at Joint Base
Pearl Harbor-Hickam.
The trans-Pacific flight to
RAAF Base Williamtown
was supported by an
Airbus KC-30A (A330-
203MRTT) from No 33
Squadron at RAAF Base
Amberley in Queensland.
February 2023 // 19
NEWS Asia-Pacific

Phantom IIs return to

South Korean skies

After being grounded for just over three months, the

ROKAF’s F-4E Phantom IIs were noted flying again from
Suwon Air Base on the week commencing November 14, 2022

THE REPUBLIC of Korea caused by an engine fire, flights resumed in the remain in service with the now considered obsolete
Air Force (ROKAF) has with the crew directing the week commencing 153rd Fighter Squadron and is due for retirement
lifted the grounding order Phantom over the Yellow November 14, with at Suwon Air Base, 20 as early as autumn 2023.
on its F-4E Phantom II Sea to avoid built up F-4E Phantom II (serial miles south of Seoul. The The ROKAF plans to
fleet, imposed following areas and potential civilian 78-739) photographed Phantom II entered service replace both its F-4E
a crash on August casualties, before ejecting in the Suwon circuit on in 1977 and the air arm Phantom II and F-5
12, 2022 (see Attrition and leaving the jet to ditch November 24 and 25. previously operated the Tiger II fleets with F-35A
Report, Oct 2022, p96). in the ocean. The ROKAF is one of F-4D and RF-4C models Lightning IIs, FA-50
The loss of the F-4E Local enthusiasts noted the last operators of the alongside the current Golden Eagle and KF-21
(serial unknown) was that ROKAF Phantom Phantom and 20 F-4Es F-4E, but the ageing jet is Boramae fighters.

319th ERS stands up at Kanoya base by a USAF C-17A

THE 319th Expeditionary
Reconnaissance Squadron
(ERS) has been formally
stood up at Kanoya Air
Base in Japan, after its
new commander, Lt Col
Alexander Kelly, officially
assumed command of the
USAF unit on October 23.
The standing up of
this new unit comes as
the USAF’s Pacific Air
Forces (PACAF) command
prepares to deploy
MQ-9A Reaper unmanned
combat air vehicles to
the Japan Maritime Self-
Defense Force base.
While operating from
Kanoya, the MQ-9As
will be used to conduct
airborne reconnaissance
operations in close
co-ordination with the
Japanese Ministry of
Defence, to ensure a free
and open Indo-Pacific
region under the Treaty of
Mutual Cooperation and
Security between the US
and Japan.
While no Reapers were
deployed to Kanoya during
the activation ceremony,
MQ-9A (serial 14-4243)
was airfreighted to the
Globemaster III (serial
98-0057) assigned to the
New York Air National
Guard’s 137th Airlift
Squadron on October
24, before completing a
demonstration flight on
November 5. It’s unclear
if this is to be the first
example to be operated by
the 319th ERS.

Japan orders more KC-46As

BOEING HAS been previous delivery order was subsequently
awarded a Foreign contract. Work on the delivered to Miho Air
Military Sales contract additional two KC-46As Base in Japan in October
to deliver two additional will be performed at 2021, marking the first
KC-46A Pegasus tankers Boeing’s production delivery of the type to
to the Japan Air Self- facility in Everett, an export customer. The
Defense Force (JASDF), Washington, second aircraft (serial
bringing the total now with completion expected 24-3612) was handed
under contract for Japan on June 30, 2025. over to the JASDF four
to six aircraft. The total overall face months later in February
The deal worth value of the contract, 2022. Both are now
$398.24m was awarded including this latest operational with 405
on November 29 by the modification, is $1.3bn. Hikotai at Miho. Boeing is
US Air Force Life Cycle Japan’s first Pegasus currently working on the
Management Center (serial 14-3611) completed remaining two examples The first of the initial four KC-46A Pegasus tankers for
the JASDF took to the skies for the first time from
and is a firm-fixed- its maiden flight on of the initial batch of four
Boeing’s production facility in Everett, Washington,
price modification to a February 8, 2020, and KC-46As ordered. on February 8, 2021 Boeing/Marian Lockhart

20 // February 2023 www.Key.Aero


Philippine Army to receive Japanese Hueys
THE JAPAN Ground Self-
Defense Force (JGSDF)
has committed to
transferring an unspecified
number of Fuji Heavy
Industries-made UH-1J
Huey utility helicopters
to the Philippine Army
in a bid to bolster the
Army Aviation Regiment’s
humanitarian assistance
and disaster response
(HA/DR) capabilities.
Commenting on the
move in a statement
issued on December
19, Philippine Army
spokesperson Col Xerxes
Trinidad highlighted
that the transfer will be
completed through a
government grant, adding
that the donation of an
undeclared number of
UH-1J helicopters is
expected to be received
in the next two to three
US approves CH-47F sale to South Korea
US STATE Department
approval has been
granted for the possible
foreign military sale
(FMS) of 18 Boeing
CH-47F Chinook
helicopters, complete
with related equipment
and support services,
to South Korea for an
estimated cost of $1.5bn.
Confirmation of this FMS
was announced by the
US Defense Security
Cooperation Agency
(DSCA) on December
6, after it had notified
the US Congress on the
same day.
Second C295W handed
over to the Philippines
www.Key.Aero
years. The Japanese
pledge was announced
during a bilateral meeting
between the two armies
at the inaugural Japan-
Philippine-US Trilateral
Key Leaders’ Engagement
at Camp Asaka in Tokyo,
Japan, on December 11.
A JGSDF-operated UH-1J
carries out a medical evacuation
exercise on August 26, 2022
USMC/Lance Cpl Jaylen Davis
As part of the deal for the
Chinooks, South Korea
has requested to buy 42
Honeywell T55-GA-714A
turboshaft engines, 22
common missile warning
systems and 44 RT-1987
secure radios. Also
included in the contract
are an unspecified number
of AN/APR-39 radar
warning systems, AN/
ARC-220 high-frequency
airborne communications
system, AN/APX-123A
identification friend-or-foe
transponders, along with
various other systems,
receivers and sensors.
Subscribe to www.Key.Aero for breaking news stories.
Email the news team at editor@airforcesmonthly.com
The deal will represent UH-1Js will help the
a major boost to the Philippine Army to
capability of the Army significantly bolster its
Aviation Regiment, ability to carry out HA/
which currently operates DR missions, along with
just five/six aircraft in medical evacuation, troop
its inventory. When transport and damage
operational, these soon- assessment operations in
to-be former JGSDF times of national crises.
The deal will also “The proposed sale will
include the provision improve [South Korea’s]
of US government- ability to meet current
and contractor-based and future threats by
engineering, technical strengthening its army
and logistic support. heavy-lift capability.
Associated logistical and The CH-47F will allow
programmatic support and [South Korea] to conduct
repair/return and storage missions in support of
services have also been bilateral operational
requested by the South plans which include,
Korean government. but are not limited to,
Boeing will serve as medical evacuation,
principal contractor for search and rescue,
the sale, with no offset parachute drop, and
agreements in connection disaster relief. It will have
with the purchase. no difficulty absorbing
Commenting on the this equipment into its
deal, the DSCA said: armed forces.”
THE PHILIPPINE Air Force
(PAF) has received the
second of three C295W
tactical transports from
Airbus Defence and Space.
The aircraft (serial 215) was
formally handed over to the
PAF during a ceremony at
Basa Air Base, Pampanga, on
November 9, 2022. The event
was attended by Philippine
President Ferdinand Marcos
Jr and a number of high-
ranking military officials. Prior
to its handover, the C295W
was spotted as it routed from
Airbus’s facility at Seville-San
Pablo Airport, Spain, through
Luqa Airport, Malta, while
on its delivery flight to the
Philippines Ruben Zammit
In Briefs
A NEW Indian Coast
Guard (ICG) Advanced
Light Helicopter (ALH)
Mk III squadron was
established at ICG
Air Station Chennai
on November 30.
The unit – No 840
Squadron – will help
to further strengthen
Coast Guard Region
East and will provide
additional capabilities to
the ICG in maintaining
security in the waters
off Tamil Nadu and
Andhra regions. A total
of 16 ALH Mk IIIs have
been inducted into ICG
service so far.
TWO MORE F-35A
Lightning IIs have been
delivered to the Japan
Air Self-Defense Force.
F-35A (serial 29-8733)
completed its first flight
at Komaki Air Base on
October 11 and arrived
at Misawa on November
28, along with a second
example (serial 29-8734).
THE JAPAN Maritime
Self-Defense Force has
received a further two
V-22 Ospreys. The first
(serial 91714) arrived at
Kisarazu Air Base on
November 11, followed
by the second (serial
91715) on November 14.
AFM CAN confirm
that Japan’s two
new E-2D Advanced
Hawkeyes delivered
to MCAS Iwakuni on
October 18 were serials
21-3475/169991 and
21-3476/169992.
ON DECEMBER 12,
South Korea’s Defense
Acquisition Program
Administration (DAPA)
outlined plans to
develop an air-launched
cruise missile for its
future fleet of KF-21
fighters. It is expected to
be capable of accurately
striking targets up to
a distance of 500km
and is slated to enter
service in 2028. DAPA
has committed $145m
to the project, which
also involves Korea
Aerospace Industries,
LIG Nex1 and Hanwha
Aerospace.
February 2023 // 21
NEWS Airbus TMB

AIRBUS UPDATES
A330 to control UAVs
After a gap of
two years, due
to COVID-19,
Airbus Defense THE A330MRTT’s
and Space (D&S) automatic air-to-air
invited journalists refueling (A3R) system
and reporters from was certified in 2022
and delivered to the first
all over the world customer, the Republic
back to Spain, to of Singapore Air Force.
spend two days Jean Brice Dumont, head
in-country. The first of military air systems,
day of the Trade told reporters: “We are
now working on the night
Media Brief (TMB) qualification (currently
at the Getafe site, only daylight) for the A3R
saw us briefed by system. It is about making
many of the heads refuelling safer and more
of the business resilient for operators.”
Since a contract with the
divisions. The Republic of Singapore Air
second morning Force (RSAF) was signed
was spent at in 2019, Airbus has been
Albacete Air Base developing the system, Above: One of the Airbus DT-25 drones developed under the Auto’Mate programme,
in eastern Spain, using RSAF A330MRTTs developed by Airbus Upnext was seen at the Getafe facility. It sits in front of an A330, which
based in Madrid. Two is currently being converted into a multi role tanker transport Alan Warnes
the home of Ala 14 A330MRTTs – 761 and through the future (Autom’Mate). “What it that we can control the
and its Eurofighters, 762 – have been seen roadmap, outlining the will bring is resilience drones from the aircraft.
while the local at the Airbus Getafe three main pillars in the and is fundamentally, We hope to complete
Airbus D&S facility in recent weeks. evolution. First, the A3R the ability to control and demonstrations within
helicopter facility Initial work in Singapore system, working with refuel a drone in a series a couple of years. Next
involved ‘contacts’ with fighters day and night, of tests,” Dumont said. comes self-protection
was visited in the RSAF F-16s, and now is a quantum leap in The objective of these systems, comparable
afternoon. Alan it’s the turn of the F-15. the MRTT’s capabilities. flights is to demonstrate to the ones on fighters,
Warnes reports on With several air forces Coming up after A3R is control and formate the to enhance situational
some of the many like the UAE and Saudi automation (A4R), that drones, but the initial awareness and aircraft
projects being Arabia operating either will allow the refuelling demonstrations will not survivability. Then comes
type, they would be or controlling of a drone. cover refuelling. Dumont connectivity – expanding
embarked upon by legitimate prospects A demonstrator has said: “We need to ensure the MRTT to new roles
the multinational for future orders. already been developed the safety of close flight/ and functions in the FCAS’
company. Dumont talked reporters by Airbus Upnext formation flying and future battlespace.”

India’s 56 C295s
FOLLOWING the contract
signing with the Indian
government for 56
C295Ws on September
24, 2021, the programme
continues to progress.
Airbus is working in
partnership with its Indian
partner, Tata Advanced
Systems. Of the Indian
order, 16 will be built in
Seville-San Pablo and
40 in India. The first
aircraft is expected to
be delivered from the
Spanish production line
to the Indian Air Force
by the end of 2023.
On October 30, in a
ceremony that included
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi, a foundation
stone was laid at the
site of the Airbus-Tatra
C295W transport aircraft
manufacturing site in
Vadodara in southern
India, where all 40 aircraft
will be built.
There are likely to be
follow-on orders for
more C295s from India,
notably six for the coast
guard, but the army and
navy are also likely to be
interested, while the air
force’s 50+ An 32 Sutlejs Jean Brice
need to be replaced in Dumont, head
of Airbus D&S
the next ten years. military air
The new C295s will systems, is a
replace the Indian Air former French
Force’s ageing HAL/Bae Army helicopter
pilot who has
748s, known locally as been in his new
Avros, that have served role since July
since 1962. 2021 Alan Warnes

22 // February 2023 www.Key.Aero


A400M capabilities
continue to grow
REGARDING THE A400M,
Jean Brice Dumont,
head of military air
systems, spoke of the
continued development
of capabilities of the
aircraft in 2022, through
the development contract:
“It has now been certified
in low-level flight at IMC
(in the clouds), day/
night visual/instrumental
and auto-pilot flying.”
Helicopter air-to-air
refuelling both during the
day and night has also
been qualified, which
Dumont says is great
news for “A400Ms and
Caracals.” He also told of
work that is still ongoing,
such as combat-off load or
very high-altitude air drops
– dropping paratroopers
with oxygen or loads from
a very high altitude. H
also revealed:: ”There are
a bunch of requirements
that are not fully qualified
that we will be working
on over the next year.”
With the RAF looking
to migrate its special
operations techniques
from the C-130J
this year, the UK
MOD is undoubtedly
looking forward to
such clearances.
New capabilities like
aerial firefighting are also
being looked at, which led
to a suitability/feasibility
Helicopter air-to-air refuelling capability is great news
for the French Caracal and A400M fleets Airbus D&S
www.Key.Aero
demonstration in July
2022, with an A400M
dropping 20 tonnes of
water in a single pass.
“This was a key milestone,
but there is more to be
done,” Dumont said.
Another recent in
development is a UAV
mothership. According to
Dumont, there were two
successful launches of
an Airbus DT-25 drone
that led to a separation
from the mothership and
a successful in-flight start
of the UAV engines. The
German Ai Force’s WTD
61 based at Manching
was responsible for
using the A400M as
a UAV launcher.
As of November 2022,
the A400M had flown
more than 140,000 flight
hours and there are 176
orders from ten countries.
“It is becoming the new
European and NATO
reference for heavy
tactical and strategic
airlift,” Dumont claimed.
So far 116 aircraft
have been delivered,
to Germany (41), the
UK (21), France (20),
Spain (13), Turkey (10),
Malaysia (4), Belgium
6 and Luxembourg (1).
Dumont also said that a
deal with Indonesia for
an initial two A400Ms
is being concluded.
A330MRTT prospects
Above: This ex-Iberia Airlines A330 freighter, EC-MJA, is currently being converted to MRTT
configuration on the A330MRTT final assembly line. It will be the first fully converted MRTT for
the Spanish Air Force – the other two in service haven’t been through the FAL yet Alan Warnes
AS OF December 2022,
the A330MRTT had flown
more than 250,000 flight
hours in service, with 66
firm orders from 14 nations:
Australia, the UK, UAE,
Saudi Arabia, Singapore,
France, Republic of Korea
and Spain. Then there
were the multinational
MRTT fleet (MMF)
members: Germany, the
Netherlands, Luxembourg,
Norway, Belgium and the
Czech Republic. To date,
54 aircraft have been
delivered. Airbus believe
there is an accessible
market of around 90
aircraft (excluding the US)
over the next few years.
Canada remains a
prospect, as Jean Brice
Dumont, revealed,
saying the nation had “a
An Airbus DT-25 drone is
launched from the A400M
mothership, all part of the
stepping-stone approach to
prove the French, German
and Spanish FCAS concept
Airbus D&S
Subscribe to www.Key.Aero for breaking news stories.
Email the news team at editor@airforcesmonthly.com
requirement for six tankers
and options – a reflection
of Canada’s strategy plan”.
In August, the Royal
Canadian Air Force (RCAF)
acquired two A330-200s
for conversion into A330-
200 MRTTs under a $102
million deal with the
International Airfinance
Corporation. The company
will procure and prepare
the A330s for RCAF
service and Airbus is
currently in negotiations
over the conversion
work. They will join the
RCAF’s Strategic Tanker
Transport Capability
(STTC), with four more
set to follow, to replace
the RCAF’s five-strong
CC-150 Polaris fleet.
Airbus is also talking to
Brazil about upgrading the
first of their two Airbus
KC-30A MRTTs that have
been recently acquired
(corrects Further and
Stronger, January, p20-21).
Dumont touched briefly
on the Lockheed Martin
LMXT air-to-air refueller
collaboration, which both
sides hope will defeat the
KC-46 in the KC-Y Bridge
Tanker requirement. He
said the green aircraft will
be built in Airbus’s site at
Mobile, Alabama, and be
converted into a tanker
by Lockheed Martin at
Marietta, Georgia. He
claimed the aircraft would
be a better solution for
the USAF. “Generally,
others have to have a
tanker and a transport
aircraft. With A330MRTT,
you have both.”
February 2023 // 23
NEWS
More Eurofighters ahead
THE biggest Eurofighter
news of this year was
the signing of the Halcon
contract for 20 Spanish
Air Force Tranche 4
aircraft. Made up of 16
single-seaters and four
dual-seaters, they are
earmarked to replace the
veteran Ala 46 F/A-18A
Hornets based at Gando,
Canary Islands.
The deal was announced
at the ILA Airshow in
Berlin on June 23 by
Eurofighter CEO Carlo
Mancusi, who sadly
passed away in early
December. Carlo had
only taken on the job in
January after many years
as an engineer and was
a true pioneer of the
Eurofighter programme.
The Halcon contract
is based on Germany’s
Quadriga, which has
a requirement for 38
new aircraft – 30 single-
seaters and eight twin-
seaters. The first centre
fuselage has now been
delivered to Manching
for final assembly and
testing. These Quadriga
jets will eventually replace
the Luftwaffe’s Tranche
1 Eurofighters, with first
deliveries expected in the
mid-2020s.
Andreas Hammer, head
of combat aircraft at
Airbus D&S, is confident
there will be further
Eurofighter orders to
Eurodrone moves on
The Eurodrone will play a major
part within the European FCAS
programme Alan Warnes
24 // February 2023
Airbus TMB
replace the 60+ EF-18M
Hornets on the mainland
serving Ala 12 at Torrejon
and Ala 15 at Zaragosa.
The next weapons
systems enhancement
contract launch, known
as P4E, will fully integrate
E-Scan radars, alongside
additional capabilities,
while the Eurofighter Long
Term Evolution (LTE) study
will underpin the future
aircraft development.
Above: Sadly, Eurofighter CEO Carlo Mancusi passed Hammer outlined the
away in early December 2022 after devoting his career to upgrades:. “We’re currently
enthusiastically supporting the combat aircraft. He became working on a Phase 4
CEO in January and will be missed Eurofighter GmbH
capability enhancement
Below: Some key personalities including Amparo Valcarce,
secretary of Defence of Spain, with Michael Schoellhorn, (P4E) and have signed the
CEO of Airbus Defence and Space, Alberto Gutiérrez, first LTE contracts. LTE is
president of Airbus in Spain, and the late Carlo Mancusi, what I would call midlife
CEO of Eurofighter. They are standing in front of a Spanish
upgrade – remember
Air Force Eurofighter and were all present to celebrate the
signing of the Eurofighter Halcon contract at the ILA Berlin Eurofighter entered service
Air Show 2022 on June 23, 2022 Airbus D&S in early 2000 and will fly, in
THE launch of
Eurodrone, the most
ambitious European
UAS programme, came
in March 2022. With
the requirements and
specifications negotiated
and aligned between
the end-users (Germany,
Spain, France and Italy),
the contracting authority
(OCCAR) and industry
partners (Dassault Aviation,
Leonardo and Airbus
Spain), the industrialisation
Germany at least, into the
2060s. We will constantly
be upgrading this aircraft
with more sensors and
weapons. We have even
discussed the needs of
P5E and P6E.”
Flying for another 38
years means there will be
more upgrades related
to connectivity, satcom,
cyber security and
databuses, to transfer
data in wider bandwidths,
meaning more powerful
processors and
multiprocessors. “We
also need to develop
a new glass cockpit,
including a large display
integrated with the
helmet to increase
situational awareness,”
said Hammer.
of the project is now being
prepared. A big part of
the Spanish workshare
will take place at Airbus’s
Seville-Tablada assembly
line, while the Cadiz plant
will produce the high-
tech parts. Eurodrone is
a ‘lighthouse’ programme
for Airbus and the
basis for future defence
programmes, such as
European FCAS. First flight
is scheduled for 2026, with
first delivery in 2029.
www.Key.Aero

Eurofighter EW plot
Airbus D&S Andreas Hammer
believes that Germany will
order more Eurofighters to
replace Tranche 2/3
Alan Warnes
GERMANY wants to bring
EW capabilities to the
Eurofighter, to replace the
Tornado by the end of the
decade, just as the RAF
did. It will need to replace
the SEAD/DEAD role –
the location of SAMs
and firing the AARGM
(advanced anti-radiation
guided missile) – and the
Eurofighter will take on
this role,. While firing the
AARGM, it will also be
equipped with a jammer
to suppress the enemy’s
weapons systems.
Since the German
Chancellor, Olaf Scholz,
made the Typhoon EK
announcement in March
this year, everything has
been proceeding to plan,
according to Andreas
Hammer, Airbus’s head
of combat aircraft. First,
there will be an impartial
study looking at what is
on the market and what
is capable of jamming.
Airbus will then take the
proposed selection and
undertake an integration
study, which should
be completed by May
next year and will be
implemented into P4E,
with a contract being
signed the following year.
P4E will include the
integration of an emitter
location system (ELS) or
AARGM/HARM missile
www.Key.Aero
on the Eurofighter, and
it’s likely the jammer
will come in P5E,
although Hammer
suggested this might
come earlier: “During
integration studies we
might find that there
could be a jammer
available and would
get into the Eurofighter
before P5E. We require
a stepped approach
to EW. The Luftwaffe
wants the Tornado
capability integrated into
Above: A full scale replica of the Eurofighter EK was displayed at ILA Berlin in June 2022. While the German Chancellor,
Olaf Scholz, announced a requirement for 15 of these electronic warfare specialists in March, Andreas Hammer believes that
will not be enough and that more Eurofighters will have this enhanced capability Alan Warnes
Eurofighter by 2028.”
When Olaf Scholz
said he wanted 15
Typhoon EK aircraft,
he was talking about
new Tranche 5 aircraft,
that will have an initial
operating capability
in 2028. However,
Hammer said: “It will
also be retrofitted into
Tranche 2/3 primarily,
and Quadriga aircraft
if available. The EW
aircraft will not remain
at 15 – it’s not even a
Subscribe to www.Key.Aero for breaking news stories.
Email the news team at editor@airforcesmonthly.com
Wing, so we expect an
increase in that number.
I strongly believe that
Tranche 5 Eurofighters
will replace Tranche 2/3
aircraft in the same way
that Quadriga aircraft will
replace Tranche 1.”
Asked if Germany
might now be looking
at the ECRS 2.0 radar,
with its electronic attack
focus and which both
the UK and Italy have
been buying to fulfil
the Eurofighter SEAD/
DEAD role, Hammer
commented: “I know that
there was a discussion
triggered in Germany
that it might reconsider,
but as far as I know
the discussion went
nowhere. First, because
the contracts are in
place. Second, because
the specifications for
electronic warfare
require 360° jamming for
surface-to-air missiles,
which cannot be covered
by the ECRS 2.0, as far
as I know.”
The radar story is a
complicated one – the
four partner nations
decided to part ways
on the new ECRS
(European Common
Radar Solution). Italy/UK
opted for the 2.0 and its
electronic attack bias,
while Spain and Germany
went for the ECRS 1.0.
According to Hammer,
the LTE is expected to be
concluded in 2032, with
Phased 6 Enhancement
(P6E) in 2030 and P-5E
in 2028.
Of course, the
Eurofighter will play a
big part in the FCAS
development. FCAS is
a system of systems,
with just one part being
the next-generation
fighter. Hammer said:
“If we do have a next-
gen fighter, Eurofighter
will play a supporting
role. Eurofighter is the
bridge to FCAS. It will
take over the command
and control of the loyal
wingman and the remote
carrier long before the
next-generation fighter is
operational. That’s why
the mid-life upgrades
with bigger databuses
and more capabilities are
absolutely needed for the
FCAS steps.”
February 2023 // 25
NEWS Airbus TMB

Brimstone selected for

Spanish Eurofighters
THE Spanish Air Force have been signed yet! Raytheon AIM-120B because most of Ala 2024. Until then, six
has selected the MBDA This versatile new or C AMRAAM, plus 14’s experienced pilots senior pilots look after
Brimstone for its fleet weapon will add to the shorter-range Diehl are serving Ala 11 as the administrative
of Eurofighters. RAF Spanish Eurofighters’ Defence IRIS-T air-to-air Eurofighter instructors requirements of the unit
Typhoons already use current armoury of the missiles. Salazar would at Moron. At present, and who attend the Tiger
the Brimstone Dual Mode 2,000Ib (907kg) Mk84 not confirm the variant 141 has 31 Eurofighter Meets when they occur
Seeker (DMS) as their GBU-10 and 1,000lb of the AMRAAM C, Tranche 2/3s configured annually. The unit will
weapon of choice, to (453kg) GBU/Enhanced but it is likely to be C5. with P2Eb software. deploy to Al Dhafra, in
attack moving targets on GBU-16 precision-guided The wing has just one Salazar hopes 142, UAE from February 24
the ground, giving a low munitions, as well as functioning squadron, a tiger squadron, will to March 18 for exercise
level of collateral damage. the MBDA Meteor or 141 Escuadron, be re-established in Desert Flag.
While MBDA would not
comment on the deal, the
Ala 14 Wing Air Group
Commander, Lt Col Jesus
Salazar, told reporters
that the Brimstone would
enter service “by the end
of 2023.” He wouldn’t
give any indication as
to the version, but did
say the CLAEX (Centro
Logistico de Armamento
y Experimentacion) at
Torrejon, which oversees
the enhancement of all
weapons systems serving
the Spanish Air Force,
will integrate the weapon
before being passed to
Ala14. The RAF, with its
integration knowledge,
could undoubtedly help
to speed up the process,
which might be needed An Ala 14 Eurofighter parked in a hardened aircraft shelter at Albacete on December 13, with 2,000kg GBU-10 and 1,000kg
as the contract with GBU-16 PGMs, an MBDA Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile and Raytheon AIM-120B/C advanced medium-range
MBDA is not thought to air-to-air munition on display. An IRIS-T short-range air-to-air munition is on extreme right Alan Warnes

Announcing the new C295 MPA

WITH the Spanish P-3 come fitted with a MAD
fleet now retired, the boom. Airbus is currently
Spanish MOD and in the last stages of the
Spanish Air Force has C295 MPA configuration
selected the C295 MPA definition, expecting an
to replace it. aircraft configuration
The C295 MPA will freeze and contract
come equipped with a signature in the first
more modern mission quarter of 2023. The
system, including the Spanish MOD is planning
latest generation FITS to replace the CN235
tactical system and MSA, known as the D4,
state-of-the-art sensors with the C295 MSA,
and armament system to which all parties believe is
conduct anti-submarine a natural replacement for
warfare ops. Judging this mission, although this
Airbus revealed this photograph showing the new C295 MPA (lead aircraft) for the first time, from an image released will arrive later than the
with a C295 MSA behind. The MPA has been selected as a replacement for the Spanish P-3
Orion, which was retired in December Airbus D&S
by Airbus, it will also C295 MPA.

26 // February 2023 www.Key.Aero


ENGRT – big European support
ACCORDING to Airbus
Helicopters’ EVP Mathieu
Louvet: “We are at a
crucial point for the
ENGRT, a European Next
Generation Rotorcrafts
Concept of Operations to
answer hybrid warfare.”
ENGRT is a research
and development project
aimed at building the
technology blocks for
the next generation of
helicopters beyond NH90
Spain and its NH90s
SPAIN’S military currently
has 45 NHI NH90s
on order. Six already
serve with the air force
(Escuadron 803 at Cuatro
Vientos), 15 with the
army (BELHMA III at
Logrono-Agoncillo) and a
single prototype. Of the
outstanding 23 ordered in
November 2018, six will go
to the air force, seven to
the navy in the utility role to
replace the recently retired
Sea Kings and ten further
examples for the army.
The navy also needs
to replace its fleet of
12 SH-60B LAMPS III
Seahawks which have
been in service since
1998. A successor will be
selected from the Sikorsky
MH-60R or NHI NH90
Sea Tiger. The NH90 is an
evolution of the Sea Lion
ASW and Germany has
ordered both variants (31
ASW Sea Tigers and 18
utility Sea Lions). Airbus
Helicopters is proposing
two solutions. A more
basic one would enter
service in 2026, with a
tactical common data
link, ARC 210 Generation
6 radio, armed with
torpedoes and missiles. A
second solution for 2027
will come with options
for three FLIR systems –
EUROFLIR 410, Leonardo
LEOSS-T or the Wescam
MX-15. Weapons options
include the Rafael Spike or
MBDA Marte missiles, Mk
46 and Mk 54 torpedoes.
www.Key.Aero
and Tiger Mk III that will
enter service in the 2030s.
Basically, this concept
is aimed at replacing
the current helicopters
or their most recent
upgrades through a full
development programme.
In July, the ENGRT
project was selected
within the framework of
the European Defence
Fund 2021 Calls for
Proposals. The EU
Above: Released by Airbus Helicopters, this diagram illustrates what the NH 90 Sea Tiger
could bring the Spanish navy if it opted to continue the Spanish NH 90 programme
Below: Seen on display at the Airbus factory in Albacete is NH90 HT.29-09/10089 of the
Spanish Army (FAMET) Alan Warnes
is directly involved in
the funding, alongside
defence authorities
from Finland, France,
Germany, Greece, Italy,
the Netherlands, Spain
and Sweden. Airbus
is co-ordinator of the
project, working with
Leonardo Helicopters,
and 24 companies and
research centres are
involved. Before the
technical details are
Subscribe to www.Key.Aero for breaking news stories.
Email the news team at editor@airforcesmonthly.com
finalised, a concept
of operations has to
be established and a
decision made about
what will drive the
technology development,
be it speed, autonomy,
stealth, comms, manned/
unmanned teaming
or cloud combat, to
establish where the
focus and emphasis
should be placed and
what is the next step.
First H160M
deliveries
in 2027
THE French government
has ordered 169 H160M
Guepards for the army
(80), navy (49) and air
force (40) with first
deliveries expected
in 2027. The first civil
H160 was delivered
to the French Navy in
September 2022, and
is expected to start
operations in 2023. It is
being modified to a light
military configuration
by Babcock, while the
modular cabin has
also been adapted for
SAR operations and a
Safran EUROFLIR 410
electro optical system
integrated. It is being
used for SAR at sea and
maritime security. The
second of the six on
order is expected to be
delivered soon. Airbus
Helicopters’ EVP Mathieu
Louvet told reporters that
assembly of the first of
ten H160s for the French
Gendarmerie began
during the summer.
Tiger Mk
III so far
FRANCE and Spain
launched the Tiger
MkIII programme in
March 2022 to deliver
42 attack helicopters to
the French Army (with
the possibility of adding
another 25) and 18 to
Spain. The rotorcraft will
go through an upgrade
of all its combat systems:
sensors, weapons,
communications and
avionics. The prototype is
scheduled for a maiden
flight in 2025 and a first
delivery to the French
Armament General
Directorate (DGA) in late
2029, followed by a first
delivery to Spain in 2030.
Germany, which currently
operates the Tiger, has
not committed itself
to another order, while
Australia is planning to
replace its Tigers with the
AH-64E Guardian
February 2023 // 27
 SUBSCRIBE TO HUGE PROGRESS
SUPPLEMENT WITH F4 STANDARD
EXCLUSIVE! 24-PAGE RAFALE

AND SAVE
on military aviation
number one authority
Officially the world’s

R afale
GES
20 PAEWS
OF N RAGE
COVE ,
INE, UK
UKRA , USA,

Dassault
PE
EURO AIN...
BAHR

hits new
heights
Deadly to
the End

59%
UP TO59%
Ukraine
& Russian

*
Beriev Be-12s
A geriatric soldiers on…

After Afghanistan it’s a

new world for British
Apache AH1s

UK £5.60
Viking
Warriors

01

9 770955 709327
Royal Danish
Air Force

Raptors on Guard

#418 January 2023

report

role
In NATO Air Shielding

581_AFM_Subs_Feb_DPS.indd 1 21/12/2022 12:18:04

 Choose your package...
PRINT ONLY PRINT & E-MAG
BEST OFFER!
£46.99 £54.99
by annual by annual
Direct Debit Direct Debit

SAVING 30% SAVING 59%

From the Editor
Here at AirForces Monthly we are at the cutting edge of modern military aviation and every month we bring you the latest
news, analysis, and features that you won’t find anywhere else. Each issue of the magazine is packed full of
exclusive content and detailed briefings by our team of experts and our legion of correspondents from across the world.

Don’t miss out on this great subscription offer!

Alan Warnes - Group Editor at Large

SHOW-BIZ REPORTS FARNBOROUGH & RIAT

FREE European Fighter
Survey Poster
To accompany
April-June
force reviews

FREE POSTER! UKRAINIAN

AFM SALUTES THE BRAVE & FALLEN
FROGFOOT PILOTS
WIN! A CANON CAMERA & KIT WORTH £579
*

Officially the world’s number one authority on military aviation

Alaskan
EXCLUSIVE RAF COMBAT AIR
Eurofighter INTERVIEW FORCE COMMANDER
Next Generation Officially the world’s number one authority on military aviation
Officially the world’s number one authority on military aviation Air
RAF Typhoons Power
RAF Poseidon From
Fighting
EXCLUSIVE! * CLOSING DATE 17.11.22.
UK ONLY COMPETITION

RUSSIA- USAF’s
progress report UKRAINE WAR en
More aircraft than trained crew? strength Putin’s only
OFFICIALLY THE WORLD’S NUMBER ONE AUTHORITY ON MILITARY AVIATION

The Buffs
Fifth-Got
hotsp
to strength
Luftwaffe Force
positive
Counter-
Air Ops
InUSAF
China’s face for Crimea
“This Russian War began
are back
B-52s return to
RAF Fairford Djibouti
Report Pacific Air Command
Force Report with Crimea and ends with
Crest of
Base Report
French missions

ITALIAN
Crimea – its liberation”
a wave over the Red Sea
China President Volodymr Zelensky
French Naval
Predator
on their Exclusive!
Africa
Aviation
Twilight
minds Ukraine’s Spangdahlem

WAY
shows off Protector UAV next
FOURTH & 17 European and fearsome • Ugandan AF on show expansion for RAF’s 39 Sqn
FIFTH GEN Asian nations
Frogfoots • Tunisia dazzles Supporting NATO’s UKRAINE ANALYSIS
Turkish
in massive
FIGHTER Ukraine op
Where Putin’s air
Warriors ILA
allied Battered,
INTEGRATION SHOW

triumph
exercise REPORT
in Oz Bruised but
war went wrong
Massive military
Battlin’
with bite! Berlin Would Russia have taken
drills off Izmir Exercise Cobra Warrior
Viper’s Germany
looks to
Kiev with USAF tactics?

last bite Ukraine Army Aviation

BALTIC
the US
PLUS: MORE UKRAINE WAR COVERAGE
UK £5.60

The final Dutch How helos outwit the Russians

F-16 class Mali Ukraine and Russia:
Liberating Bearing Madness
GUARDIANS
E

09
SIV

SIV

the real air force losses

CLU

CLU

Snake the PLUS:

EX

EX

9 770955 709327

Dutch C-130Hs AFM’s experts fact-check shoot-downs

UK £5.60

Island brunt supporting UN

Exclusive! Pelosi’s Flying
#414 September 2022

Captured by Russia, Russian Army Aviation 08 ISSUE 407

Italian Eurofighters on alert war the

August 2022
10

UK £5.60
taken back by Ukraine on the front line
Russia’s industry
9 770955 709327

games flag
9 770955 709327

displays its muscles PLUS: UKRAINE-RUSSIA WAR EXCLUSIVES

#416 November 2022 UK £5.60
UK £5.60

11 China on the Italy’s Typhoon

#415 October 2022

warpath? Meet 2022

Army 2022 exhibition in Moscow Kamikaze Russian
9 770955 709327
E

12
SIV

SIV
CLU

CLU

drones air power

EX

EX

9 770955 709327

rain down at war

#417 December 2022

• Inside Iranian drone factory Units, aircraft and

• Swarming on Ukraine missiles striking Ukraine

To order online, or for overseas offers, please visit:

shop.keypublishing.com/afmsubs
Or call +44 (0)1780 480404 - quoting AFM0223
Terms and conditions: Quoted rates are for UK subscriptions only, paying by Annual Direct Debit. Quoted savings based on those rates versus
purchasing individual print and digital issues. Standard one-year print subscription prices: UK - £55.99, EU - £71.99, USA - £74.99, ROW - £77.99.
Closing date: 28th February, 2023.

581/22

581_AFM_Subs_Feb_DPS.indd 2 21/12/2022 12:18:30

Ukraine
Russia War Sukhoi Su-34

heavy
Russia’s T
he Sukhoi heavyweight
is known as the primary
tactical strike jet of the
Russian Air and Space Forces
(RuASF), bearing the brunt of
the bombing and missile strike
missions in Russia’s ongoing
invasion of Ukraine. The four
Su-34-equipped regiments are in
high demand to provide much-

hitter
needed strike capability, engaging
a wide variety of, but most of
the operations are generally
described as being of insignificant
overall effect, while the fleet
has suffered painful losses.

Protracted
development
The Su-34 Fullback is a deeply
reworked Su-27 two-seater
derivative designed as the
principle all-weather tactical
bomber of the Russian air arm.

Alexander Mladenov reviews the status of the Su-34

Fullback, the enhancement plans for the type and its
controversial operations in the ongoing war in Ukraine

Known as a fast strike aircraft, the Su-34 boasts powerful engines enabling
the type to hit 755kts (1,400km/h) at sea-level when clean. With a full warload,
the platform’s top speed is limited to 594kts (1,100km/h) Giovanni Colla

30 // February 2023 www.Key.Aero

Its uneasy story dates back to
the Soviet-era requirement to
field a Su-24/24M replacement
in the strike, reconnaissance
and electronic warfare (EW)
roles, but it took 25 years for the
new type to be commissioned
in regular service.
The duck-nosed bomber
made its maiden flight in1990
and then entered into a notably
slow development and testing
phase, while the first production- for undertaking battlefield warfare was expected to be Key milestones
standard Fullbacks were taken interdiction in a highly contested achieved by a combination of The Su-34’s first prototype,
on strength in 2006, and the airspace. This challenging high-speed flight at low and dubbed T10V-1 and Su-27IB,
formal commissioning as a fully mission called for a new- ultra-low level in addition to completed its maiden flight on
combat-capable air system was generation two-seat/twin-engine partially armour-protected April 13, 1990, at the Zhukovsky
reported not before 2014. The strike aircraft sporting increased design and a sophisticated self- test centre near Moscow.
type is now set to continue in lethality and survivability protection suite; furthermore, Carrying a serial White 42, it
production in a much-enhanced compared to its predecessor the new strike jet was to be was flown by Sukhoi test pilot
form until at least 2030 with Su-24M Fencer-D, and with a made capable of employing Anatoli Ivanov. The prototype
many export orders in prospect. much better targeting suite. short- and medium-range air- used the baseline fuselage of
The Fullback was originally The increased survivability to-air missiles (AAMs) for self- the Su-27UB Flanker-C two-
conceived in the 1980s needed when rushed in peer protection against fighter threats. seater, sporting an all-new flat
Above: A 968th IISAP Fullback seen here with a heavy warload of dummy munitions for display purposes. This
configuration features a Kh-59M long-range air-to-surface missile on the centreline hardpoint and a pair of Kh-31s
under the engine intake trunks and R-27 medium-range air-to-air missiles under the wings Alexander Mladenov

www.Key.Aero February 2023 // 31

Ukraine
Russia War Sukhoi Su-34
This Fullback (Bort No ‘45’, code ‘349’)
is an early pre-series aircraft, first
flown in December 1994 and used in
the type’s development and testing
phase Sukhoi
nose section with side-by-side
seating for the aircrew. The T10V-
2, White 43, was the second
prototype which took to the air
for the first time on December
18, 1993. It was followed by a
pre-production aircraft intended
for development testing, T10V-
4, carrying a serial 44, together
with an article intended for static
testing, known as T10V-3.
The Su-34 followed a protracted
development and testing path
which saw the use of a batch of
four pre-series aircraft, built at
the NAPO plant in Novosibirsk,
currently known as NAZ, a fully-
owned subsidiary of Sukhoi
company, designated T10V-5 to
T10-8. The first of these began
flight testing in December 1994
and the last example from the
pre-series batch was handed
over not before December 2003.
Completion of the first stage of
The Syrian war prompted an evaluation of the Fullback when employing the full range of its guided weapons
arsenal in real-world operational conditions and a challenging environment Russian MOD
32 // February 2023
Su-34’s joint state flight testing
and evaluation effort, carried
out by the 929th GLITs, the
Russian air arm’s flight-test centre
located in Akhtubinsk in southern
Russia, was reported in 2006.
This important milestone marked
a go-ahead for the modest
production in Novosibirsk, with
the initial five Fullbacks completed
between 2006 and 2009.
Strike-optimised
The Fullback features the same
general aerodynamic configuration
of the two-seat Flanker-C, but
internally the fuselage is completely
reworked, with its structural weight
said to have been reduced by 10%
while increasing the fatigue life to
6,000 flight hours. The internal fuel
capacity is 4,400lb more than that
of the Su-27UB and the airframe
offers additional internal capacity,
mainly needed for accommodating
Russia’s traditionally bulky and
heavy targeting equipment. The
maximum take-off weight is
99,400lb, the warload is up to
17,637lb and the combat radius
with 8,818lb ordinance at low
altitude on internal fuel is 324nm,
extending to 610nm when using
external fuel tanks. The airframe
is cleared for manoeuvring with
up to 7G in clean configuration
or when totting AAMs.
The Su-34’s airframe has a Fullbacks delivered
to the RuASF from
robust structure incorporating October 2014
system redundancy for resistance onwards sport a
to combat damage from small camouflage scheme
arms fire and high-energy missile dominated by a light
blue tone with white
warhead fragments. The crew radome and wingtips
are accommodated inside a Giovanni Colla
titanium bathtub-like cockpit,
17mm thick, protecting them
from direct hits. Plus, some of the
important aircraft systems – such
as the collector fuel tank – are
provided with ballistic protection.
www.Key.Aero
 Left: This second pre-production aircraft (T10V-5) is shown with a warload of
eight air-to-air missiles, including two R-77-1s, two R-73s and four R-27ERs.
This arsenal is complemented by two Kh-31 anti-radiation/ship missiles and a
KAB-1500L laser-guided bomb suspended on the centreline hardpoint Sukhoi
Below: The Su-34’s cockpit instrument panel has colour multifunction displays
for flight, navigation, system and targeting information Russian MOD
The side-by-side cockpit
arrangement, borrowed from the
Su-24, includes the pilot in the
left-hand seat and the weapons
system operator (WSO) in the
right. The canard foreplanes are
very similar to those installed
on the carrier-capable Su-27K
Flanker-D as well as the sharp
leading-edge root extensions
forward of the foreplanes.
These are used for generating
stable vortices that interact with
the fins to provide a serious
improvement in yaw stability when
in high angle-of-attack flight.
The canard foreplanes also
facilitate in restoring the
aerodynamic balance disturbed
by the presence of a much-
heavier nose and forward
fuselage sections. This design
solution also improves the
overall manoeuvrability and
relieves airframe stress caused
Russian Su-34 operators - Nov 2022
Squadron Role
929nd GLITs State Flight-Test Centre
State personnel training and aircraft test
4th GTsPAPVI
centre
Instructor-Research Composite Aviation
Regiment. One bomber squadron with a
968th IISAP mixed Su-24M/Su-34 fleet, used for tactics Lipetsk
development and aircrew conversion
training
Bomber Aviation Regiment.
2nd Guards BAP
Two bomber and one recce squadrons
47th BAP Two bomber squadrons
559th BAP Three bomber squadrons
277th Guards BAP Two bomber squadrons
www.Key.Aero
Recce pod
in service
The BKR-3 family of pods, carried
on a deep under fuselage centreline
pylon, has been developed and
tested in three different versions. All
of these are sharing a common body
with specific sensor sets, recording
equipment and common datalink.
Four Su-34s were upgraded
in 2018-2019 for use of the
pods, to carry out the testing
and evaluation programme.
The first version of the podded
recce system, also known as
Sych, is an EO/IR pod, the second
is equipped with a side-looking
synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and
the third includes an electronic
intelligence (Elint) payload, also
known as the UKR-RT. The
wide-band datalink for real-time
downlinking of the gathered recce
information can communicate with
a ground receiver station at a range
of between 189 and 270nm.
The SAR pod, known as UKR-RL,
is likely equipped with the Pika-M, a
fourth-generation side-looking radar
system for all-weather surveillance
and reconnaissance. It boasts
a resolution of 1 to 1.5m when
working in the mapping mode, while
its detection range is up to 160nm
(300km). Made for the detection
of military-specific targets such as
roads, airfields, bunkers, strongholds
and all classes of battlefield combat
vehicles, the radar information is
processed in real time, and there
is a zoom mode, which provides
resolution of some 1ft (0.3m).
The EO/IR recce pod, UKR-OE,
comes equipped (at least in its
initial version offered by Kulon
company in the early 2000s) with
a multi-spectral IR line scanner,
an EO camera and three photo
cameras. In turn, the Elint recce
pod features the DAL system.
Location
Akhtubinsk
Lipetsk
Chelyabinsk-
Shagol
Voronezh-
Baltimor
Morozovsk
Khurba-
Komsomolsk
on Amur
February 2023 // 33
Ukraine
Russia War Sukhoi Su-34

Above: A powerful KAB-1500L 3,306lb laser-guided bomb is seen here

suspended on the Su-34’s centreline hardpoint. A Kh-29T EO-guided missile is
suspended under the starboard engine trunk and a Kh-38 missile, can be seen
under the port engine trunk Alexander Mladenov
Below: The Fullback’s wingtip hardpoints typically carry the two-pod L265 EW
system for self-protection from radar threats Alexander Mladenov

by turbulence in ultra low-
level flight as the canards
automatically move in response
A distinctive design feature
unique to the Su-34 is the
prominent tail ‘sting’ with
significantly increased diameter
and length compared to that
of the Su-27UB. It is used to
house additional equipment and
systems, while a twin brake chute
bay is placed within the spine,
between the engine nacelles.
The air intakes feeding the
afterburning turbofans are fixed,
reducing complexity and weight,
compared to the variable-area
design used on the Su-27UB.
This design solution enables the
Russia is offering the Su-34 for export
under the new Su-32 designation
and as such it was displayed at the
MAKS 2019. Alexander Mikheev,
director general of Russian arms
export monopolist company,
Rosoboronexport, told the press that
the first export requests for the Su-32
have already been received, but as of
November 2022, no further progress
had been reported Giovanni Colla
‘clean’ Su-34 to hit 755kt at sea
level clean and 549kt with external
stores, while its maximum speed
at high altitude reaches 1,025kt.
The two Saturn AL-31F-M1
afterburning turbofans are each
rated at 29,754lb (132.44kN)
with full afterburner and
16,751lb (74.56kN) dry. In 2014,
the uprated AL-31F-M2 was
tested, developing 31,950lb
(142.24kN) in full afterburner.
Maximum internal fuel load is
26,676lb (12,100kg) and maximum
external fuel load is 15,873lb
(7,200kg) in three drop tanks. A
fully retractable inflight refuelling
probe is fitted as standard
on the port side of nose.
Targeting suite
A heavyweight multi-mode radar,
the V004, is housed in the type’s
flattened, elliptical cross-section
nose. It uses a 1,250×850mm fixed
passive phased-array antenna
and serves as the principal
component of the aircraft’s Sh-141
weapons control system, useful
for poor weather operations.
The radar offers a variety of air-
to-surface and air-to-air modes in
addition to weather and navigation
functions. Fullback’s radar
system was originally designed
for long-range detection and
tracking of surface targets and
establishing their co-ordinates
for subsequent employment of
precision-guided munitions, most
of which are aimed by the electro-
optical (EO) targeting system.
V004’s detection ranges
against large-size radar-cross
section (RCS) surface targets
are claimed to be between 54
and 110nm, while a large-size
truck detection is possible at up
to 16nm. In the air-to-air mode,
its electronically steered beam
scans through a 120-degree
azimuth arc, with a detection
range against fighter-sized targets
claimed as being up to 65nm.
In the air-to-ground mode,
the V004 facilitates dual-target
engagement, with four targets
claimed for the improved

34 // February 2023 www.Key.Aero


The Su-34’s relatively low wing loading affects its stability in
low-level flight. Former Fencer pilots who now fly the Fullback
say their new mount’s ride is noticeably rougher under the
same conditions Giovanni Colla
version touted for the export-
standard Su-32 in 2019. Four
targets can be simultaneously
engaged in the air-to-air mode,
supporting the firing of R-77-
1 active radar-guided AAMs.
The internally mounted Platan
is an EO targeting system
integrating TV and laser sensors
to visually detect, track and lase
surface targets by day; it also
has limited operability in low-
light conditions. The TV sensor
uses a high-magnification camera
with image enhancement and
low-light capabilities. An auto-
tracker facilitates simultaneously
tracking of two ground targets
selected by the WSO, which can
Above: The Su-34 production line at the Novosibirsk-based NAZ plant, a fully-
owned Sukhoi subsidiary. Maximum annual production rates in the late 2010s,
amounted to 18 aircraft Russian MOD
www.Key.Aero
be engaged with EO or laser-
guided munitions. The laser
sensor slaved to the TV camera
provides designation for the
aircraft’s laser-guided munitions
as well as targeting cues for
launching the entire range of
EO-guided and unguided arsenal.
The system uses a retractable
port housed between the forward
ends of the engine trunks and
its sensors look forward and
downward through a system of
three optically flat windows. When
not in use, the port is stowed flush
inside the fuselage to reduce drag.
Platan’s steering capabilities
are believed to be more or less
like those of the Su-24M’s Kaira-
Extensive arsenal
Maximum ordnance weight across
the Su-34’s stations is 17,637lb, while
an overload configuration, with up to
19,836lb of ordinance is possible in
case of reduced internal fuel load.
Eight underwing hardpoints are
available on the Fullback in addition to
two more under the engine trunks and
two side-by-side between the engines.
This way, a total of 12 hardpoints allow
for carrying heavyweight warloads in
the so-called heavy-duty configurations,
such as up to eight guided missiles
and/or bombs, complemented by
four air-to-air missiles for short- and
medium-range engagements. The
wingtip hardpoints are typically used
for carrying radar jammer pods.
The air-to-air payload includes between
two and eight R-73 (AA-11 Archer) within
visual range (WVR) heat-seeking AAMs or
their improved derivative, known as R-74
(RVV-MD). The beyond visual range (BVR)
air-to-air combat ability becomes possible
thanks to up to six R-27R (AA-10 Alamo)
or R-27ER semi-active radar-homing
missiles. The aircraft can also employ the
R-27P passive radar-homing missiles in
addition to a pair of R-27ET heat-seeking
missiles or alternatively up to eight active
radar-guided R-77-1s (AA-12 Adder).
Su-34’s air-to-surface guided payload
can include up to six 1,100lb KAB-500L
or three 3,300lb KAB-1500L/LG/PR
laser-guided bombs, or their KAB-500Kr
and KAB-1500Kr EO-guided equivalents.
Long-range air-to-surface missile options
include the Kh-59M (AS-13 Kingbolt)
and Kh-59M2 (AS-18 Kazoo) TV-guided
missiles (up to three) featuring with
man-in-the-loop guidance in the terminal
phase of flight for accurate targeting.
Short-range missiles integrated on the
Su-34 include up to six of the Kh-29L
(AS-14 Kedge), Kh-25ML (AS-10 Karen) or
S-25LD laser-guided missiles in addition
to the Kh-29T EO-guided missile.
The type’s anti-ship capabilities are
facilitated thanks to the integration of
the Kh-31A (AS-17 Krypton) and the
extended-range derivative dubbed
Kh-31AD, in addition to the subsonic
Kh-35U/UM (AS-20 Kayak), capable of
Aircrew accommodation
Su-34’s side-by-side seating provides
the pilot and weapons system operator
(WSO) a considerably improved
working environment compared to a
tandem layout. Among the principal
benefits is that the crew members
can communicate more easily when
on high-workload missions, even
without the need to talk to each other.
In such situations, body language is
engaging targets at up to 140nm range.
The Kh-35U can be also used against
ground targets and this capability was
proven for the first time in Syria.
For the suppression of enemy air
defences (SEAD) mission, the Fullback
can employ the Kh-31P high-speed
anti-radiation missile and its improved
longer-legged derivatives, known as the
Kh-31PM and Kh-31PD. A list of the other
anti-radar missile in its arsenal includes
the Kh-58U (AS-11 Kilter) and its vastly
improved derivative dubbed Kh-58UShK.
The list of the latest-generation
precision-guided munitions added to the
Fullback’s arsenal in the early/mid 2010s,
includes the 1,100lb KAB-500S guided
bomb, employing a guidance method
identical to that of the US JDAM-series of
satellite/INS-guided bombs. Also included
in the arsenal is the Kh-38M, an all-new
modular air-launched missile, offered
with several types of different guidance
systems and warheads and with range
claimed as being between 1.6 and 22nm.
Formally commissioned into Russian
service in December 2012, it comes in
laser- (Kh-38ML), thermal imaging- (Kh-
38MT) and active radar-guided (Kh-38MA)
versions, while the Kh-38MK derivative
is fitted with INS/satellite guidance.
The KAB-250LG is a new-generation
laser-guided bomb while the UAB-
1500B and UPAB-500B with INS/
satellite guidance are the latest guided
bombs added to the type’s arsenal in
the 2010s. The latter has a range of
up to 27nm when dropped in high-
altitude flight and weighs 3,361lb.
Maximum warloads, useful for low- and
medium-altitude bombing with dumb
bombs, comprise 34 220lb OFAB-100-
120 fragmentation/high explosive bombs,
22 550lb OFAB-250-270 bombs, or
12 to 16 1,100lb FAB-500-series.
Just like its predecessor Su-24/24M,
the Su-34 plays a very important role
within the RuASF as the primary tactical
nuclear bomb delivery platform.
The Fullback can also use full
range of unguided bombs and
missiles and retains the Su-27’s
GSh-301 30mm internal cannon.
deemed sufficient to facilitate sufficient
communication and faster reaction
times. Cockpit access is via built-in
stairs through the nosewheel bay.
Su-34 pilots report that the spacious
cockpit offers the same visibility as that
of the Su-24. The K-36DM-3.5 zero/zero
ejection seats offer an escape sequence
initiated after jettisoning the clamshell
panels above the seats.
February 2023 // 35
Ukraine
Russia War Sukhoi Su-34

Above: The UPAB-1500B, used for the first time by the Su-34 fleet in the attack on
Ukraine, is a new generation unpowered bomb optimised for release from stand-
off ranges and provided with satellite/INS guidance Alexander Mladenov
Below: The Fullback remains a core programme for Russia’s tactical aviation
branch, providing a significant share of air arm’s strike potential Giovanni Colla

24 system, which is steerable
through +6 to -140-degrees in
the vertical plane (elevation) and
+/-12-degrees in the horizontal
plane (azimuth); this capability
allows lasing for guidance of
bombs and missiles released
in level flight or shallow dive.
Integrated by the RPKB
company from Ramenskoye
in the early 1990s, the Su-34’s
flight/navigation avionics suite
incorporates inertial and satellite
navigation systems, as well
as short-range and instrument
landing aids. An open-architecture
system, it comes driven by dual
Baget-53 processors, while
data exchange is based on
GOST R 52070-2004 digital data
buses, said to be the Russian
equivalent to MIL-STD-1553B.
The pilot is provided with a
KAI-01-01 HUD and two MFI-
66 colour multi-function displays
(MDFs) while the WSO uses
three more MFDs dedicated
to targeting and navigation
purposes. The monochromatic
HUD is also used for aiming the
gun and rockets and dropping
unguided bombs in dive.
The Fullback has an integrated
self-protection suite which
includes the L150 Pastel radar
homing and warning receiver
system (RHAWS) and an array of
seven 24-round APP-50A chaff/
flare dispensers for downwards-
fired 50mm cartridges on the
lower part of the extended tail
sting in addition to the KNIRTI
L175V Khibini-10V active radar
jammer system using components
housed both in the fuselage and
in large-size wingtip pods.
Tested for the first time on
the Su-34 in January 1995,
the Khibini-10V features radar
warning and jamming functions
using internally mounted
components in addition to
wingtip pods with jammer
emitters, each weighing some
661lb, capable of jamming in the
forward and rear hemispheres
within a 45-degree cone. The
jammer system uses digital
radio frequency memory (DRFM)
technology and is capable of
multi-channel jamming. Two
pods are used for individual
protection, while an expanded
four-pod configuration provides
effective formation protection.
The Su-34 is also able to play
the escort jammer role thanks to
the integration into the existing
L175V system of a wide-band radar
jammer system. Dubbed L-700, it
is carried in a large under fuselage
pod and was developed by the
KNIRTI under the programme
code-named Tarantul. Suspended
onto a Su-34 operated by the
47th BAP, the new EW pod was
spotted for the first time in
frontline service in January 2017.
Journey to adoption
The first Fullbacks were delivered
to a conversion training and
tactics development unit, the
968th Instructional & Research
Composite Regiment (IISAP), in
December 2006. The regiment,
assigned to the Lipetsk-based 4th
State Aviation Personnel Training
and Field-Testing Centre, got an
initial batch of two Su-34s for
the experimental operation.
The first frontline squadron took
its first Fullbacks in December
2011, when two initial-production
examples were taken on strength
by the aviation group of then

Russia’s State Armament Program 2018-2027 has added 24 enhanced Su-34s with recce capabilities, with their deliveries running from 2021 onwards.
In turn, deliveries of the significantly enhanced Su-34M version, currently in development at Sukhoi, is set to follow suite not before 2025 Giovanni Colla

36 // February 2023 www.Key.Aero


The Su-34’s take-off and landing performance benefits from the canards
which also improve the aircraft’s manoeuvrability and relieve airframe stress
when flying in turbulance Giovanni Colla
7000th Air Base, stationed at
Voronezh-Baltimor airfield. The
unit got a fleet of 24 aircraft.
Fast forward ten years later, by
December 2021, a fleet of about
136 Su-34s was taken to equip as
many as nine bomber squadrons
and the type began to replace the
Su-24MR in the first dedicated
reconnaissance squadron.
The Su-34s fielded in service or
currently taken on strength with
the RuASF, have been ordered
under four separate procurement
contracts. The first of these,
signed in 2005, covered an initial
batch of 18 examples, although
only five of these had been
formally delivered by 2009. The
second contract, dated October
2008, saw delivery of 32 more
Su-34s until 2013. The third and
the largest one, signed March
2012, added 92 more Fullbacks,
with deliveries completed in 2020.
The latest production contract
for the type, signed in June 2020,
includes 24 aircraft in a slightly
improved configuration, able
to use the four reconnaissance
pods of the Sych family in
addition to some reliability and
maintainability improvements.
The first eight newly-built
machines from this contract
were taken on strength in 2021.
In 2010, NAPO built four aircraft,
increasing to six in 2011, ten in
2012, 14 in 2013 and as many
as 18 were delivered in 2014.
The same figure was reported in
2015, while 2016 and 2017 saw
16 deliveries each, reducing to
12 in 2018 and eight in 2019,
while the last two Fullbacks
www.Key.Aero
covered by the 2012 contract,
were handed over in 2020.
Fullback’s commissioning into
RuASF service as a fully combat-
capable air system happened in
March 2014 but the first frontline
bomber regiment, the 47th BAP,
stationed at Voronezh-Baltimor
and then known as the 1st
Aviation Group of the 7000th Air
Base (until December 2014) took
the type three years earlier. The
unit received 24 Su-34s by mid-
2013, to equip its two squadrons.
The list of the follow-on three
bomber regiments re-equipped
with the type between 2013 and
2019, includes the 559th BAP
at Morozovsk, assigned to the
4th Air & Air Defence Army in
the Southern MD (36 aircraft in
three squadrons), 277th BAP at
Khurba, assigned to the 11th Air
& Air Defence Army in the Eastern
MD (26 aircraft in two squadrons)
and 2nd BAP at Chelyabinsk-
Shagol, assigned to the 14th Air
& Air Defence Army in the Central
MD (24 in two squadrons).
As of November 2022, the
RuASF had taken on strength
144 Su-34s (plus seven
prototypes and pre-series
machines), of which 136 were
delivered before the invasion
of Ukraine. By mid-November
2022, the numerical strength
of the operational fleet was
estimated at about 125 examples,
taking into consideration the
peacetime attrition, the aircraft
re-rolled as ground instructional
airframes in the recent years
and the combat losses suffered
in the war with Ukraine. afm
Fullback at war
The type’s baptism of fire was reported
in the Russian war in South Ossetia in
August 2008. The aircraft assigned to the
Akhtubinsk flight test centre, and originally
used for testing and evaluation purposes,
were dispatched to operate deep into
Georgian territory, serving as EW platforms
to create jamming to protect strike aircraft
facing an integrated air defence system with
medium and high-altitude SAM.
The next occasion when the still new
Su-34s were used in anger was in the
counter-insurgency operation in the Russian
republic of Dagestan and missions were
flown in 2012 to pound rebel camps with
guided munitions.
Beginning in October 2015, the Syrian
war campaign proved to be the most
serious combat test for the type. Aircraft
and weaponry designers benefitted greatly
from the intense combat-employment
tempo that saw the use of most, if not all,
the sophisticated air-to-surface guided
munitions cleared for the type. The Su-34’s
combat radius enabled it to deliver strikes
on targets in the entire Syrian territory and
the type was assigned to take out high-value
targets. All Fullback-equipped front-line
regiments deployed aircraft and personnel to
Hmeimim on rotational basis.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine last
February called upon the use of all four
Su-34-equipped regiments in the RuSAF
fleet. Two of these were able to operate
from their permanent bases not far from the
border with Ukraine and the other two were
deployed to forward operating locations
such as Primorsko-Akhttarsk and Yeisk
in the southern part of Russia. Initially, the
Fullback fleet was expected to be tasked
mainly with deep raids against important
military and infrastructure targets, as well as
the interdiction role.
The reality proved very different as the
type’s principal use was for delivering
strikes on targets on the battlefield or in
the near-rear areas. To start with, most
strikes were flown with heavyweight
unguided ordinance, typically dropped from
low altitude for better accuracy. In such
conditions, the Fullback proved vulnerable
to all air defence weapons in the Ukrainian
inventory – from MANPADS to radar-guided
SAM systems. The fleet suffered from
serious attrition in the first three weeks, with
all the lost Fullbacks (comprising of no fewer
than five aircraft) reported to have taken
hits in risky low-altitude daylight operations,
mostly from MANPADS and short/medium-
range SAM systems.
In mid-April, the intensity of strike
operations saw a serious reduction and the
fleet switched to guided missiles, mostly
the Kh-29T with TV-guidance, to destroy
pre-planned fixed targets (often spending
only one missile per sortie). There were also
missions flown with new-generation types
of guided ordinance such as the brand-new
UPAB-500B and UPAB-1500B guided
bombs with satellite guidance, dropped at
night against fixed targets, with the aircraft
releasing these at significant stand-off
ranges. Kh-35U anti-ship missiles were
repurposed to knock out ground targets.
From the beginning of the operation, the
fleet was also occasionally involved in SEAD/
DEAD missions, using Kh-31PD/PM high-
speed anti-radiation missiles.
Despite the measures to reduce risk
in combat sorties, which, as it could be
guessed, had a negative impact on the
overall combat effectiveness, the Fullback
fleet continued to suffer from losses, mainly
due to MANPADS in low-altitude missions,
where the fleet continued to employ
unguided ordinance. As of November 15,
the total number of Su-34 losses in the
Russian war against Ukraine (both in combat
missions and in non-combat missions
flown in the war area) was no fewer than
17 examples. At least two were caused by
friendly fire in supposedly safe airspace – by
Russian radar-guided SAMs. Among these
friendly fire victims was a brand-new Su-34
in the latest production configuration able to
carry the Sych reconnaissance pod, reported
to have been gunned down near Alachevsk
in the Donetsk region on July 18.
The 47th BAP is the RuASF Fullback
regiment, operating a fleet of about 20 Su-
34s, suffered the most, as credible Russian
sources tend to report that no fewer than
25% of its combat-ready aircrews have
been shot down in action, which translates
to six or seven aircraft, the last of which was
gunned down by a MANPADS on September
24. The first reports on the Su-34’s use of
the Sych recce pod in the conflict, the ELINT
version, came in July.
The initial conclusions of the Su-34 combat
employment in the war in Ukraine tend to
suggest that the type’s combat effectiveness
has been negatively impacted due to
obsolescence issues. The most evident of
these relates to the inability of the Platan
EO system to provide true night operations
capability with visual aiming when using
guided or unguided ordinance, due to the
lack of a dedicated IR sensor. Another
source of serious issues is the on-board
self-protection suite, which proved ill-suited
to protecting the aircraft from radar-guided
threats and is unable to provide protection
against heat-seeking missiles, such as the
widely-used MANPADS, inflicting serious
losses in low-altitude operations. The list of
the other noticeable shortcomings revealed
during the war includes the unimpressive
combat survivability as there were a number
of aircraft downed with a single MANPADS
hits, inflicting mortal damage of engines
or vital on-board systems, as seen in the
September 24 shootdown, recorded by
Ukrainian drones.
February 2023 // 37
Exercise
Report Volfa-2022

France’s Red Flag

Nine air powers gathered for the Volfa-2022 exercise. operations for Volfa-2022 were
Babak Taghvaee reports on the high intensity designed to enable its participants
to prepare themselves for all war
operations carried out scenarios, whether in the Atlantic,
Indian or Pacific Oceans (French

T
he French Air and Space
Force (FASF) held one of
its largest ever air drills,
Volfa-2022, between September
26 and October 14, 2022. Air
services and naval aviation forces
from nine nations participated in
the exercise with 82 fixed-wing
aircraft, including 21 Rafale B/C/
Ms, eight helicopters and a single
armed drone.
The exercise scenarios were
designed in December 2021,
15101 – one of four F-16AMs of the Portuguese Air Force that participated in
Volfa-2022, pictured during departure from BA118 Mont-de-Marsan on the
morning of October 7 All images Babak Taghvaee unless stated
F-16F Block 60, 3017, of the UAE Air Force, taking part in Volfa-2022
but modified because of
lessons learned from the war
in Ukraine to increase the level
of interoperability of NATO air
powers for defending its territory
from invasion by Russia. This
report focuses on the operational
phase of the exercise, held
October 3-13.
Strategic partnership
According to the commander
and co-ordinator of the exercise,
overseas territories), in Europe or
in the Middle East.
Air Brigadier General Julien
Sabene, Chief of Staff of the
Air Force Command, was the
exercise co-ordinator. He said:
“There is a war going on in
Ukraine right now. Of course,
when we develop a scenario, we
take into account what is going
on in the world, but this is not an
exercise to replicate what is going
on in Ukraine.
“So, we prepare for any war. It
can be anywhere in the world.
But we take into account, lessons
learned [in the Ukraine’s war] of
course, but [Volfa] goes beyond
[the war]. [Volfa-2022] gives us
an option to act together with our
allies anywhere in the world. Each
scenario is very generic.”
Volfa-2022 enabled allies of
France to enhance readiness
of their air forces for any joint
operation with the FASF for
defending the French mainland
and its overseas territories in
case of invasion by China or
Russia.
Greek and UAE Air Forces, the
current and future operators
of Rafale D/E fighter jets, both
participated in Volfa-2022; the
former with three F-16C-52+CFs
and one F-16D-52+CF and the
latter with three F-16Es, one
F-16F, two C-17As and an Airbus
A330-243MRTT. For the UAEAF,
Air Brigadier General Julien Sabene,
Chief of Staff of the Air Force
Command, acted as co-ordinator for
exercise Volfa-2022
it was important to have its F-16E
fighter pilots conducting joint
operations involving Rafale B/Cs.
Thanks to the 19 Rafale B/Cs
of four fighter squadrons of the
FASF involved in this exercise, not
only Emirati, but also F-16 pilots
of the Hellenic Air Force could
enhance their skills participating
in joint operations involving
Rafales.
Enemy territory
Rafale B/Cs of the FASF and
French Navy Rafale Ms formed
the core of Red and Blue Forces
during the exercise. A dozen
Rafale Cs and seven Rafale Bs
were allocated to the exercise, so
almost all FASF Rafale pilots and
weapons systems officers were
able to participate in a variety of
combined air operations. During
these they simulated conduction
of various missions involving use

38 // February 2023 www.Key.Aero

Left: 140 ‘4-GS’, one of the Rafale
Cs operated by 30th Combat Wing
(previously 4th Combat Wing)
taxiing toward the runway before an
operation during Volfa-2022 at BA118

Right: F-GPAA is the Falcon 20C of

AVdef company, which conducted
radio and radar jamming during
Volfa-2022

of air-to-air missiles such as the

MICA IR/EM and Meteor as well as
cruise missiles such as SCALP.
At the peak of Volfa-2022, during
the morning of October 6, offensive operation of the fighter territory under occupation of the The following day, Friday
and despite the bad weather jets, tactical air transport and ‘enemy’. A Rafale B (329/‘30-ID’) October 7, another offensive
conditions with low visibility, an helicopter operations were and a Rafale C (146/‘30-GY’) operation was conducted, this
offensive high-intensity operation performed from 1400hrs until escorted the Airbus A400M into time over the Atlantic Ocean,
took place. During it, offensive 1700hrs. An Airbus A400M Atlas enemy territory. Due to strong starting from 0849hrs until
counter-air (OCA), air interdiction (0014/F-RBAF) medium transport winds and low visibility at the 1150hrs. Two Alpha Jet Es of
(AI), strike, dynamic targeting aircraft and a CN235M-200 TSA 43 zone, paratroopers didn’t FASF Experiment Squadron
(DT) and time-sensitive targeting (152/‘64-IP’) light transport perform parachute jumping and (EE) 3/8 ‘Côte d’Or’ from BA120
(TST) missions were practised aircraft from the FASF were used the A400M returned to BA118 at Cazaux and two French Navy
by fighter jets and the Centre of for airdrop of paratroopers and low altitudes of 250ft to 400ft. A Rafale Ms from Landivisiau –
Planning for Air Operations at medical evacuation (MedEvac) FASF MQ-9 Reaper drone flew together with two French Navy
the temporary segregated area at the TSA 43 zone in central over the TSA 43 zone to assist frigates – played the role of Red
(TSA) number 43 in the centre France. For helicopter operations the operation, during which GPS Forces in the Atlantic Ocean.
of France, from 0924hrs until from Base Aérienne 118 (BA118, signals were jammed. In addition, a CN235M-200
1100hrs local time. Mont-de-Marsan Air Base), (152/‘64-IP’) of the FASF and
The participating jets simulated 2626/‘SD’ and 2802/‘SK’, two Night and day two CC-130J-30s of the Royal
destruction of military targets EC725R2 Caracals of FASF After the tactical air transport Canadian Air Force, call-signs
inside the contested area while Helicopter Squadron (EH) 1/67 and helicopter operations, a high ‘Canuk57’ and ‘Canuk58’, flown
the enemy aircraft had to simulate ‘Pyrénées’, were involved. intensity night operation started from BA118, were part of the
intercepting them. The operation The Airbus A400M carrying from 2030hrs and lasted until Red Force.
was conducted under radio more than 80 paratroopers flew 2300hrs, involving 19 fighter jets of The Blue Force had to counter
and radar jamming performed at low altitude while entering the the Blue Force. them and protect a French
by F-GPAA, a Falcon 20C of
Aviation Défense Service (AVdef)
equipped with ECM pods. During
the exercise, the Blue Force had
17 fighter jets, including ten from
the FASF.
Blue Force fighters that October
morning were two French Mirage
2000-5Fs and two 2000D RDIs,
two French Rafale Bs and four
Cs, two Emirati F-16Es and one
F-16F, two Italian Tornado IDS
MLU RET7s and two Portuguese
F-16AMs. They had to strike
enemy targets in an area
under occupation by adversary Landing at BA118 Mont-de-Marsan is the sole F-16D Block 52+ of 340 Mira of the Hellenic Air Force, which
forces. After the high-intensity participated in Volfa-2022

65/‘2-MG’ – one of four

Mirage 2000-5Fs of EC
1/2 of the French Air
and Space Force, during
exercise Volfa-2022. Here,
it is armed with a MICA-IR
captive training missile

www.Key.Aero February 2023 // 39

Exercise
Report Volfa-2022
Airbus A330-243MRTT tanker
(043/‘F-UJC’I) that refuelled
its fighter jets under the radar
and radio jamming environment
created by AVdef’s Falcon 20C
(F-GPAA).
The Blue Force had 24 fighter
jets comprising two Emirati
F-16Es, one Emirati F-16F, two
French Mirage 2000-5Fs, three
French Mirage 2000D RDIs,
three French Rafale Bs,
seven French Rafale Cs, one
Hellenic F-16C-52+CFs, one
Hellenic F-16D-52+CF and four
Portuguese F-16AMs. Rafale C, serial number 146, escorted an A400M into enemy territory during Volfa-2022, October 6
In the afternoon, participants
simulated a point defence
operation (DCA) at the TSA 34
zone in two waves.
The first wave performed
its missions from 1300hrs to
1500hrs. Its Blue Force consisted
of fighter jets from the French Air
and Space Force, which were five
Rafale Cs.
The Red Force flew from BA118
and consisted of two Alpha
Jet Es, serials E83 and E123,
two Mirage 2000D RDIs and
one Rafale B equipped with a
reconnaissance pod.
The second wave of Red and Italian Tornado IDS MLU coded ‘6-06’, taxiing in BA118 during last October’s Volfa-2022 exercise
Blue Forces departed BA118 at
1530hrs, an hour after landing AN/ALQ-131 ECM pods. UAE first week of the operational stage The Italian Tornado IDS fighters
the first wave. The Blue Force Air Force C-17A serial 1229 flew (October 3 to 7) while Spanish were redeployed to Ghedi Air
second wave consisted of 11 at an altitude of 20,800ft over EF-18A Hornets operating from Base, home of GEA 6° Stormo at
fighter jets together with a C-17A BA118 while Blue and Red teams their home base in Zaragoza took 1008hrs local time on October 7
Globemaster III of the UAE Air engaged in close-range air part in the second week of the while a C-130J (MM62180/‘46-45’)
Force, serial 1229, flying from combat – dog fighting. operational stage (from October airlifted their ground equipment,
BA125 Istres-Le Tube. 10 to 13). personnel and additional pilots on
The Blue fighter jets of the Rich tactical training In total, 22 air raids were the same day.
second wave were four French Apart from Italian and Spanish carried-out during the exercise Air forces of Canada, Greece,
Mirage 2000-5Fs, three French Air Forces, other participants of between October 3 and 13. Portugal and the UAE which had
Rafale Cs, three Hellenic F-16C- the exercises attended the whole Participants of the exercise their fighter jets and transport
52+CFs and one F-16D-52+CF. operational phase or a stage of logged almost 900 flying sorties aircraft on deployment at BA118
Red Air comprised three Mirage that between October 3 and 13. and 1,400 flying hours including and BA125, had their aircraft
2000D RDIs and two Portuguese The two Italian Tornado IDS more than 250 during night redeployed back to their countries
F-16AMs equipped with fighter jets only participated in the operations. on Friday October 14, 2022. afm
Two French Air and Space Force EC725R2 Caracals of Helicopter Squadron 1/67 ‘Pyrénées’, 2626/‘SD’ and 2802/‘SK’, also participated in the MedEvac missions
of the operation on October 6, 2022

40 // February 2023 www.Key.Aero

 The flight deck of 0014/‘F-RBAF’, an A400M
of the French Air and Space Force, during a
Volfa-2022 tactical air transport mission at
BA118 Mont-de-Marsan on October 6

Participants of the exercise Volfa-2022

Operator Type Serials Role Unit Operated From
Alpha Jet E x 9 E8, E38, E80, E82, E83, E94, E108, E123, E151 Red Air EE 3/8 BA118, BA120
Mirage 2000B x 2 Unknown Red Air ETD 2/3 BA133
Mirage 2000-5F x 4 41/'2-FZ', 45/'2-EF', 61/'2-ME', 65/'2-MG' Blue/Red Air EC 1/2 BA118
Mirage 2000D RDI x 7 635/'3-AS', 641/'3-JW', 646/'3-MQ', 668/'3-IG', Blue/Red Air EC 1/3, ETD 2/3, EC 3/3 BA118
674/'3-IR', 677/'3-JT' 682/'3-JR'
Rafale B x 7 308/4-HA, 317/'4-HO', 318/'4-HM', 328/'4-IC', Blue Air EC 1/4, EC 2/4, EC 2/30 BA118
329/'30-ID', 332/'4-IG' and 341/'4-FH'
French Air & Space Force
Rafale C x 12 105/'30-H'E, 106/'30-HG', 108/'30-HS', 113/'30- Blue Air EC 2/30, EC 3/30 BA118
IR', 119/'30-IX', 121/'30-IZ', 125/'30-GD',
126/'30-GE', 135/'30-GN', 140/'4-GS', 142/'30-
GU', 146/'30-GY'
A330-243MRTT x 2 043/'F-UJCI', 044/'F-UJCJ' Blue Air ERVTS 1/31 BA125
A400M x 2 0010/'F-RBAC', 0014/'F-RBAF' Blue Air ET 1/61 BA118
C-130H-30 x 1 5226/'61-PK' Blue Air ET 2/61 BA118
CN235M-200 x 1 152/64-IP Blue Air ET 1/62 BA118
Beech 350ER/ALSR x 2 1018/'F-RAGH', 1030/'F-RACH' Blue Air EEA 1/54 BA105

E-3F x 2 202/'36-CB', 204/'36-CD' Blue Air EDCA 1/36 BA702

AS555AN x 4 53292/'VB,' 5430/'VL' are known Blue Air EH 3/67, EH5/67 BA118, FOB*
EC725R2 x 4 2549/'SB', 2552/'SE', 2789/'SJ', 2802/'SK' Blue Air EH 3/67 BA118, FOB*
MQ-9 x 1 Unknown Blue Air ED 1/33 BA709
French Navy Aviation E-2C x 1 Unknown Red Air 4F Lorient
Rafale M x 2 Unknown Red Air 11F Landivisiau
Canadian Air Force CC-130J-30 x 2 130603, 130605 Blue/Red Air 436 Transport Squadron CFB Trenton
Hellenic Air Force F-16C-52+CF x 3 518, 521, 534 Blue Air 340 Mira BA118
F-16D-52+CF x 1 608 Blue Air 340 Mira BA118
Italian Air Force Tornado IDS MLU x 2 MM7036/ '6-06',MM7013/'6-75' Blue Air 154° Gruppo BA118
Luftwaffe C-130J-30 x 1 55+01 Blue Air BATS BA118
Portuguese Air Force F-16AM x 5 15101, 15103, 15112, 15114, 15142 Blue/Red Air Esq 201, Esq 301 BA118
Spanish Air Force EF-18A x 4 Unknown Blue/Red Air Unknown Zaragoza AB
UAE Air Force A330-243MRTT x 1 1302 Blue Air MRTT Squadron BA125
C-17A x 2 1226, 1229 Blue Air Heavy Transport BA125
Squadron
F-16E x 3 3037, 3042, 3075 Blue Air 1, 2, 3 Squadrons BA118
F-16F x 1 3017 Blue Air 1, 2, 3 Squadrons BA118
US Air Force MC-130J x 1 Unknown Blue Air 67th SOS BA120
AVDef (Civilian company) Falcon 20C x 1 F-GPAA (Civilian registration) Red Air Civilian BA118
* FOB = Forward Operating Base

www.Key.Aero February 2023 // 41

Base Tour RAF Lakenheath
T
he 48th Fighter Wing at
the UK’s RAF Lakenheath
in Suffolk is on course to
become the largest United States
Air Forces strike fighter unit outside
of the US. At the start of 2022 the
Wing was comprised of the 492nd
and 494th Fighter Squadrons
equipped with 54 Boeing F-15E
Strike Eagles, along with the 493rd
FS operating 17 F-15C and D
air defense versions. The latter
squadron was in the process of
returning their aircraft to the US for
transfer to the Air National Guard,
prior to the infrastructure being
upgraded and new equipment
being received during 2023.
Previously the 495th FS was
reactivated on October 1, 2021 in
readiness to commence the receipt
of the Lockheed F-35A Lightning
II – the first four, serials 19-5473,
19-5474, 19-5475, 19-5476 being
delivered from the production line
at Fort Worth, Texas on December
15. This meant the Wing had 75
aircraft on strength when flight
operations began on January 3
after the traditional holiday period.
Creating its own personal cloud,
F-35A 19-5493 taking off on
September 1. The aircraft is
marked 493 FS on the tail, despite
the squadron being inactive at
present All images Bob Archer
unless stated
42 // February 2023
The last interceptors
Beginning with the outgoing
Eagles, the 493rd FS began the
year with 15 F-15Cs and two
F-15Ds – the last dedicated air
defence squadron in the United
States Air Forces in Europe
(USAFE). Plans were well underway
for the aircraft to be flown home to
the US by February 2022, enabling
the unit to briefly inactivate.
Therefore, with the squadron area
temporarily vacated of personnel
and aircraft, the necessary
alterations to buildings and parking
areas could begin and construction
works got underway in readiness
for the new F-35s to be effective
once deliveries begin in earnest in
2023.
However, during January and
February 2022 the build-up of
vast numbers of Russian combat
forces and equipment along
the Ukraine border, along with
accompanying rhetoric did not
bode well. The unpredictability of Under Atlas Guardian 22, patrols
the Putin regime required NATO to began immediately and were a
increase its preparedness, which sufficient deterrent to enable the
included placing the wholesale jets to return to the UK beginning
move of USAFE’s air defence on February 28. Several arrived
squadron on hold. back at Lakenheath complete with
Poland already had in place nose art applied.
a limited air policing capability, The Russian invasion of Ukraine
provided by NATO air defence in February was not extended
squadrons from various nations to any NATO territory and
to deter Russian and Belarusian showed no signs of doing
forces from any aspirations to so. Despite the
invade. This was enhanced on
February 10 when eight F-15C/
Ds deployed to Lask Air Base.
Despite this being a token gesture,
the formidable F-15 was more
than a match for any Russian
hardware, certainly in terms of
crew readiness and tactics
practiced, as well as
the advanced air to air
weaponry available.
www.Key.Aero
 Bob Archer looks at RAF
Lakenheath where the 48th
Fighter Wing is continuing to
transition from an all Eagle
unit to welcome the new

Fighting 48th
fifth-generation capability

f lies higher
www.Key.Aero February 2023 // 43
Base Tour RAF Lakenheath

One of 15 F-15Es of the 336th FS, 4th FW deployed to Lakenheath.

The reference to 4th TS on the tail is for the Training Squadron
commander – the 4th TS being responsible for simulator training
of Strike Eagle aircrew

foregoing, three F-15Cs returned gained markings to commemorate Situation normal for planned exercises.
to the USA in late February, 45 years of USAFE operations by When the Russian invasion of Surprisingly the two squadrons
followed by four more Eagles in the F-15A/B/C/D models. Ukraine began, the Red Army have rarely performed local training
March. With the Ukraine situation F-15C 84-0001 has remained at operation quickly showed sorties with air to ground munitions
appearing more stabilised for Lakenheath, having completed remarkably poor results for the attached. Occasionally the jets
neighbouring countries, the 493rd its planned flying career. The jet once feared Russian military. While have carried GBU-16 Paveway II
sent a further five jets home in is used for ground training and the Defense Condition (DEFCON) 1,000lb laser guided bombs, as
mid-April. The delayed conclusion is periodically towed between level did not change, the two well as 1,000lb freefall unguided
of USAFE air defence operations the two Strike Eagle squadrons resident F-15E squadrons were munitions. These were training
was completed on April 27 when to enable personnel from both maintained on a slightly increased rounds and were expended on the
the final four F-15Cs departed, to utilise this airframe, rather state of readiness, while at the ranges at Holbeach and Donna
including 86-0171 which had than flying operational aircraft. same time continuing to prepare Nook, in Lincolnshire. Additional
To commemorate 45 years of Eagle air defence operations in Europe, F-15C 86-
0172 had a special colour scheme applied. The emblem on the nose denotes
operation Atlas Guardian 22 and was applied while the jets were at Lask, Poland

F-15E 91-0603 with a mixed training munitions The F-15Es rarely carry any air to ground ordnance, although four
load including GBU-16 and 1,000lb dumb 494th FS jets had GBU-16 Paveway II 1,000lb laser guided training
bombs when performing a sortie on April 21 bombs when flying missions to the Donna Nook range in September

44 // February 2023 www.Key.Aero


training sorties were flown to
other ranges in the UK, such as
Spadeadam, in Cumbria, and train
enabling crews to remain combat
capable on various weapons
systems by using simulated
delivery tactics against targets. The
F-15E can deliver a huge variety of
munitions, which can be replicated
electronically. Apart from the day to
day training sorties, the squadrons
were planning to participate in
many NATO exercises.
Point Blank
The 48th FW has hosted multi-
event exercise Point Blank for
several years, designed to improve
interoperability with fellow NATO
air arms. Point Blank 22-02 on
April 27 and 28 was the first of the
year, involving resident F-15Es and
F-35As flying with four French Air
and Space Force Rafales from EC
30 at Mont-de-Marsan Air Base,
together with a support C-135FR
from ERV 03.031. The French
contingent deployed to Lakenheath
Displaying artwork and the name Lady Liberty F-15E 91-0311
is one of the 48th FW flagships
www.Key.Aero
for a single mission flown over the
North Sea alongside BAe Typhoons
FGR.4s of 12 Squadron from RAF
Coningsby, crewed by Qatar Emiri
Air Force pilots. Other RAF and US
assets were included, along with
a NATO Boeing E-3A Sentry to
co-ordinate activities. Point Blank
22-03 between June 22 and 27
included a pair of Norwegian F-35As
flying from Lakenheath, while 22-04,
held from August 23 to 25, included
five Royal Netherlands Air Force
F-35As from 322 Squadron. Again
a single flying mission was carried
out with the 48th FW and other UK
based assets.
Tactical leadership
The Tactical Leadership Program
at Albacete-Los Llanos Air
Base, Spain, is one of the most
important exercises in Europe,
with all NATO fast jet units
participating at one time or
another, including both F-15E
squadrons this year. The 492nd
FS was first, sending 13 F-15Es for
the three week Flying Course of
TLP 22-1 beginning on February
14. The 494th FS flew another
large contingent of ten F-15Es
along with six 495th FS F-35As to
TLP 22-3 between September 12
and 23. Four US Navy Boeing F/A-
18E/F Hornets from VFA-103 from
the USS George H.W. Bush also
participated. This was the first
occasion when TLP hosted F-35s
and Super Hornets.
TLP traditionally involves each
squadron organising at least one
of the daily multinational missions,
which culminates in participating
crews graduating and returning to
their home station to share their
expertise. The introduction of
fifth generation fighter aircraft to
the Flying Courses added a new
dimension of stealth technology
to TLP.
Visiting for exercises
As the 2022 opened, 15 F-15Es were
on temporary duty at Lakenheath from
the 336th FS, 4th Fighter Wing at
Seymour-Johnson AFB, North Carolina,
having arrived on October 4, 2021 under
operation Castle Forge. During their
six-month stay the jets were primarily
located at Lakenheath, but deployed
either completely or in small numbers to
several other European destinations.
Six were forward deployed to Amari,
Estonia between January 26 and
February 4, while four more went to
Lask from February 22 until March 19.
Seven more made a brief visit to Lask
on March 19. These were all involved in
the Air Policing role. Other destinations
included Greece and Romania. All
except one departed for home between
April 1 and 6, the straggler having had
a windscreen issue forcing the jet to
remain in Greece. Eventually the jet flew
to Lakenheath, and, following repair,
finally returned home on June 21.
336th FS, 4th FW
October 4 2021 to April 6 2022
F-15E Strike Eagle
87-0176, 87-0187, 87-0206,
88-1671, 88-1673, 88-1676,
88-1680, 89-0483, 89-0490,
89-0492, 89-0493, 89-0496,
89-0501, 89-0505, 90-0230
The 31st FW from Aviano sent 14
aircraft to Lakenheath twice during the
year, on both occasions to participate in
exercise Cobra Warrior.
510th FS, 31st FW
March 3 to March 28
F-16C Fighting Falcon
88-0413, 88-0443, 88-0444,
88-0521, 88-0541, 89-2011,
89-2018, 89-2026, 89-2030,
89-2046, 89-2047, 89-2057, 89-2102
F-16D Fighting Falcon
90-0800
After Cobra Warrior, a dozen aircraft
relocated to Leeuwarden, Netherlands
for Frisian Flag, with the other pair
returning back home.
The second 31st FW visit involved
the 555th.
555th FS, 31 FW
August 24- September 26
F-16C Fighting Falcon
87-0350, 88-0425, 88-0435, 88-0460,
88-0526, 88-0532, 89-2016, 89-2044,
89-2068, 89-2096, 89-2137, 90-0772,
90-0773
F-16D Fighting Falcon
90-0800
Both deployments involved the F-16s
flying local missions to ranges in the
locality, with some jets carrying 1,000lb
‘dumb’ bombs as training rounds.
The presence of Top Aces aggressor
Alpha Jets (see later) at the same time
suggested that these were providing an
opposition to the F-16s while performing
missions over the North Sea. They
returned to Aviano on September 26.
90th FS, 3rd Wing F-22As arrived
direct from Joint Base Elmendorf-
Richardson, Alaska, on July 26 and 28
and departed on August 4.
90th FS, 3rd Wing
July 26-August 4
F-22A Raptor
04-4074, 05-4090, 05-4103, 06-4110,
06-4112, 07-4136, 07-4138, 07-4144,
07-4149, 07-4151, 09-4190, 10-4193
A National Airlines Boeing 747-400F
supported their arrival. The aircraft did
not fly any sorties during the brief stay,
the jets departing Lakenheath on August
4 for Lask, Poland with 757th Airlift
Squadron Lockheed Martin C-130Es
providing support. Under exercise ACE,
the F-22s were deployed as yet another
component of the Air Shielding mission.
February 2023 // 45
Base Tour RAF Lakenheath

Above: F-15E 92-0364 with commemorative markings for the 75th anniversary
of the USAF being independent of the Army, and the 80th of the continued
Greek exercises
presence of US aviation assets stationed in the UK Iniochos is a relatively new exercise
Below: Among the missions carried out at Lakenheath during the deployment to the NATO calendar, which in
of the 510th FS F-16Cs from Aviano was air to ground using training ranges at 2022 was staged by the Air Tactics
Holbeach and Donna Nook Center at Andravida Air Base
between March 21 and April 8. The
492nd FS contributed nine F-15Es
to fly alongside a variety of Greek
squadrons, but most importantly a
contingent of Israeli Lockheed Martin
F-16I Soufas from 201 and 253
Squadrons from Ramon Air Base.
Additional flying representatives from
Cyprus, France, Italy and Slovenia
participated, while Army and Navy
personnel from other European,
Middle Eastern and North African
countries were involved. (It has been
suggested that the Israeli contingent
were practicing tactics which could
be employed in the event of a
Command area of responsibility.
The precise reason for the latter
movement has not been disclosed.
NATO air shielding
Apart from European exercises, the
F-15Es were involved in various
commitments to bolster the NATO
Air Shielding mission in Eastern
Europe. In Poland, the obligation
was largely performed by the F-16C/
Ds of their own Air Force, but with
an additional contribution of strike
assets from other air arms. The
494th FS sent a contingent of six
F-15E to Lask, Poland, on March 22
with a further eight soon afterwards.
At the time of writing, the two
squadrons have no plans to
change their equipment as a host
of enhancements to the situational

Adversary training confrontation with Iran!)

Canadian company Top Aces, which
currently operates from Nordholz Air
Base Germany, stationed a pair of
Alpha Jets at Lakenheath twice during
the year to provide the residents
squadrons with a dedicated “Red
Air” adversary support program. The
two aircraft, serials C-GLTO/069 and
C-GVTA/009, were at Lakenheath
from August 24 for several days, which
coincided with the first deployment by
31st FW F-16s. In addition to the Alpha
Jets, Top Aces also flew their Douglas
A-4N Skyhawks to the operating
area above the North Sea. However,
the Skyhawks operated from and to
Germany. Subsequently the Alpha Jets
returned in November to support the
48th FW. Top Aces jets have the flight
duration and capability to provide a
credible simulated adversary threat
while operating above the North Sea.
A second Greek organised
exercise was Poseidon’s Rage
which was staged at Souda Bay
Air Base, Crete, between July 11
and 22 with 14 F-15Es of 494th FS
and ten F-35As of 495th FS flying
scenarios with the home Air Force.
This was the largest deployment
of 48th FW assets for many years.
During the exercise a number of
F-15Es were forward deployed to
an undisclosed Middle Eastern
air base within the US Central
awareness, the speed of data
processing, the range of weapons
that can be carried, as improved
jam resistance to communications
have improved the overall F-15E
capability significantly. So, despite
some aircraft being 30 years old,
their combat effectiveness remains
a principal factor.
In July 2022 F-15E 92-0364
received a stylised paint scheme
(see top image) to commemorate
the 75th anniversary of the US Air
Force becoming independent, as

46 // February 2023 www.Key.Aero

 Overseas
deployments
The regular participation by the 48th FW
in overseas exercises and deployments
always requires support of airlift aircraft
to transport technicians, additional
aircrew and other necessary personnel,
along with spare parts and equipment
Above: Daily sorties are administered by the Operations Group, with 91-0312
suitably marked likely to be required while away from
the home station. Whereas this would
ordinarily have been provided by the
C-130J-30s of the 86th Airlift Wing from
Ramstein, 2022 saw the assistance
of other NATO air arms. Among these
was the Spanish who flew several such
sorties with their fairly new Airbus A330
Multi-Role Tankers Transports, while
the Polish Air Force performed several
support flights between Lakenheath
Above: The 494th FS commander has 91-0314 applied to the tail and Lask Air Base with their C-130Es.
Below: 96-0201 is the present F-15E inscribed for the 48th FW commander, Additionally, the 86th AW resident fleet
here about to depart on November 2 for a weapons delivery mission armed
with GBU-16 bombs was bolstered by Air Force Reserve
Command and Air National Guard
C-130s, which were also periodic
visitors to Lakenheath.
The Spanish A330MRTTs, along with
two 757th Airlift Squadron C-130Hs,
provided transportation in July and
August when the 48th FW flew to Souda
Bay for exercise Poseidon Range 22,
and to the TLP. The Spanish A330s also
supported 48th FW aircraft to the TLP.

Unofficially referred to as the Slick Eagle, 97-0220 is one of three which had the
conformal fuel tanks removed and extra advanced medium range air to air missiles
added. Seen departing Lakenheath on September 13 Andrew McKelvey

With the distinctive derelict building in the background 493rd FS F-35A 19-5493 taxing to runway 24 on August 28

www.Key.Aero February 2023 // 47

Base Tour RAF Lakenheath

Visiting
aircraft
Apart from fighter aircraft deployed
to Lakenheath and those supporting
these deployments, there were very
few visitors to the air base, due
primarily to the cadence of flight
operations by the resident squadrons
and the large infrastructure changes
taking place. Without doubt the rarest
visitors were two Australian Boeing
C-17As which arrived from the USA in
May, and after a night stop, continued
their sortie to Rzeszów-Jasionka
IAP, Poland. Having delivered their
sensitive cargo, which was probably
some form of munitions due to
the strict security arrangements
maintained around these aircraft
while parked, the C-17s then
relocated to RAF Brize Norton before The 12 F-22As, including 04-4110 of the
11th Air Force commander, departing
making the long journey home. Lakenheath for Lask, Poland on August 4

well as the 80th year of US military

activity in Europe. The striking
colour scheme was unveiled
at RAF Fairford for the Royal
International Air Tattoo.
During September and October
2022 the 492nd began evaluating
flying F-15Es without conformal
fuel tanks and with extra air to
At Lakenheath on June 25 for a air missiles attached for an air
Point Blank exercise, Norwegian
defence role. Nicknamed the Slick
F-35A 5289 was one of two which
participated Eagle, 97-0220 appeared similar
to an F-15D (see previous page),
Top Aces Alpha Jet C-GVTA/009 and was even referred to as such
departing Lakenheath on by ground crew. The aircraft flew
September 1 for an aggressor from Lakenheath for a few days
sortie over the North Sea
in September, while October saw
91-0301 and 91-0318 with a similar
look. It is not known if this will be
employed operationally, although
with no dedicated USAFE air
superiority aircraft at present, the
initiative could be available quickly
if needed.

New kid on the block

The first four F-35As were present
at the beginning of the year, having

The Polish Air Force provided their C-130Es to support Hawaii ANG C-17A 05-5149 departing Lakenheath last
the movement of fighter aircraft from Lakenheath to February while supporting the deployment to Poland of
Lask on several occasions during the year the 493rd FS F-15C/D during their final overseas mission

48 // February 2023 www.Key.Aero


arrived on December 15, 2022.
Subsequently more deliveries have
taken place but at a relatively slow
pace. Only 21 had been received
by the time this magazine went to
press, with the first three to arrive
this year landing on February 10,
including 19-5484 which was
appropriately inscribed for the
48 FW commander. The next
two aircraft to arrive were also
commander’s jets, consisting of
19-5493 and 19-5495, delivered on
April 15, marked with 493rd and
495th FS on the tails.
Despite not having even achieved
Initial Operating Capability (IOC),
the first deployment by the 495th
FS began on February 27 when
six F-35As were flown to the
Baltic airbases, Amari and Šiauliai
(three to each) for Air Shielding.
Their stay was brief, as the jets
returned to Lakenheath on March
4. Nevertheless, the participation
of the squadron to a potential
combat zone before being declared
operational was a significant feat.
www.Key.Aero
Despite having only a limited
number of aircraft, the 495th has
made short-term visits to other
NATO bases. Among the first
destinations was Orland, Norway,
with pairs flying to discuss tactics
with their counterparts from 132
Luftving which is also equipped
with the Lightning II.
The F-35 participated in several
exercises in Europe, enabling the
type to be integrated within the
framework of USAFE's organisation.
During October the aircraft began
flying with weapons rails fitted to the
wingtips, and by mid November the
jets had AIM-9X Sidewinder training
missiles attached. The carriage of
weapons would indicate that the
squadron is working towards its IOC,
before being declared combat ready
and declared to NATO.
It is understood that both
squadrons will receive 27 F-35As
each, which will enable a hardcore of
24 jets to be operational at any given
time, while the remaining three are
away on major overhaul. afm
Spanish Air Force A330 T.24-02, acquired by their Air Force in May
2022, was at Lakenheath in July ferrying support personnel to Greece
for exercise Poseidon’s Rage at Souda Bay
Not all serious stuff
The serious business of military fast jet town of Brandon. The best vantage point to
flying has been lightened very slightly at witness the triple F spectacle is at the end
Lakenheath by the agreement of senior of the runway, and as the base invariably
personnel to allow ‘Free Fly Friday’ involving only flies until lunchtime each on Friday,
sporty departures. Officially known as the display can make for an extremely
‘quick climb on request’ or ‘unrestricted entertaining few hours.
climb out’, many pilots choose to tuck The 48th FW complement on January 1,
up the undercarriage once the aircraft 2022 was as follows
has left the ground, and remain low until
somewhere close to the ‘piano keys’ at 493rd FS
the runway end. With great spectacle, the January 1, 2022
aircraft is then almost stood on its tail and, F-15C Eagle
with full reheat, dramatically aimed almost 84-0001, 84-0015, 84-0019, 84-0027,
vertically to altitude. The manifestation is 86-0156, 86-0159, 86-0160, 86-0164,
sheer showmanship, with both the F-15 86-0165, 86-0166, 86-0171, 86-0172,
and the F-35 participating. The F-15C/Ds of 86-0174, 86-0175, 86-0178
the 493rd were the masters of the triple F, F-15D
but following their retirement, the F-35 has 84-0044, 84-0046
assumed the mantle. While some F-15Es 493rd FS Departure Details
stage this impressive routine, most make Feb 24, 2022
a sporty right turn to avoid overflying the 86-0165, 86-0166, 86-0174
March 2, 2022
48th FW 84-0015, 84-0019
January 1, 2022 March 15, 2022
492nd FS F-15E Strike Eagle 84-0044, 84-0046
91-0301, 91-0302, 91-0303, April 13, 2022
91-0306, 91-0307, 91-0308, 91-0312, 84-0027, 86-0156, 86-0159,
91-0315, 91-0316, 91-0317, 91-0321, 86-0164, 86-0175
91-0327,91-0331, 91-0332, 91-0605,
96-0202, 97-0218, 97-0219, 97-0220, April 27, 2022
97-0221, 97-0222, 98-0131, 98-0133, 86-0160, 86-0171, 86-0172 86-0178
98-0134, 98-0135
Note: 97-0221 is inscribed 492 FS F-35A Deliveries
on the tail, while 91-0312 has 48 OG
(Operations Group) on the tail for the December 15, 2021
relevant commander. 19-5473, 19-5474, 19-5475, 19-5476
February 10, 2022
494th FS 19-5484, 19-5485, 19-5486
January 1, 2022 April 15, 2022
F-15E Strike Eagle 19-5493, 19-5495
91-0309, 91-0310, 91-0311, 91-0313, June 2, 2022
91-0314, 91-0318, 91-0320, 91-0324, 20-5570, 20-5571
91-0326, 91-0329, 91-0334, 91-0335, June 17, 2022
91-0602, 91-0603, 91-0604, 92-0364,
96-0201, 96-0204, 96-0205,00-3000, 20-5572, 20-5573, 20-5574
00-3001, 00-3002, 00-3003, 00-3004, September 23, 2022
01-2000, 01-2001, 01-2002, 01-2003, 20-5580, 20-5582
01-2004.
October 26, 2022
Notes: 91-0314 is inscribed 494 FS
20-5581, 20-5583
on the tail, while 96-0201 has 48
FW on the tail, for the squadron and November 10, 2022
wing commanders respectively 20-5588, 20-5589, 20-5590
February 2023 // 49
USAF F-35 Modernisation
T
he contract announcement for the F-35
development came on October 26, 2001.
The winning design was an evolution of
the X-35, which had beat stiff competition from
Boeing’s X-32.
The F-35A has a great internal fuel ratio when
compared with the F-16, as was promised
by Lockheed Martin’s secretive Skunk Works
division from the outset of the Joint Strike
Fighter (JSF) programme.
The first aircraft on the assembly line was
overweight and as such was used as a
pathfinder for systems testing.
Its maiden flight with Lockheed Martin’s
chief test pilot, Jon Beesley, at the controls
took place on December 15, 2006. The flight
programme of this F-35A was limited to
91 flights, equalling about 125 flight hours.
The first production representative F-35A
completed its maiden flight on November
A pair of FY13 F-35As – assigned to the 62nd FS
‘Spikes’ at Luke AFB, Arizona – fly over the Nevada
desert. The unit was the second F-35A squadron
to be activated at the facility All images Jim ‘Hazy’
Haseltine, unless otherwise stated
fifth-gen
The F-35 is the first aircraft to serve in three different
versions, planned from the outset in all US services.
In the first of a two-part feature, Gerard Keijsper
focuses on the operational units of the USAF F-35 fleet
50 // February 2023
14, 2009, and delivery to the US Air Force’s
(USAF’s) 461st Test and Evaluation Squadron
(TES) occurred on May 17, 2010.
The main problem causing delays was the
development of the platform’s software.
However, when you consider the many
problems that beset the F-22A’s software, the
F-35’s software had been considered stable
when compared with the Raptor in all phases
of development. The F-22A required seven
million lines of code compared to the F-35’s
required 15 million lines of code.
As the USAF had not purchased F-16s since
1993, its Fighting Falcon fleet was starting to
be rather old. Thus, the air arm accepted an
earlier block version of the F-35A for its Initial
Operational Capability (IOC) – the Block 3i,
which was flying on Technology Refresh-2
(TR-2) processors. In terms of capability, the
main difference was that Block 3i aircraft were
US powers to
only qualified to carry weapons internally,
manoeuvrability was limited and the platform’s
sensor fusion abilities had yet to be completed.
During the Paris Air Show in June 2017, now
former Lockheed Martin test pilot, Billie Flynn,
stated that his display of the F-35A put to
rest doubts about the type’s manoeuvrability
with a Block 3i production aircraft. He did not
mention the fact that his aircraft was limited
to 7G instead of the 9G-capable F-35A Block
3F. Where financially viable, the early Block
3i-configured Lightning IIs that were delivered
to the USAF have now been upgraded to Block
3F standard.
At present, the USAF has six F-35A training
squadrons split across two different bases.
This is in addition to six combat-coded
squadrons, a development unit, an operational
test squadron, a weapons school, an aggressor
unit and a Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC)
www.Key.Aero
 unit, while another training squadron has
started to receive its first aircraft. The latest
F-35A deliveries have been to the 495th Fighter
Squadron (FS) ‘Valkyries’ at RAF Lakenheath
in Suffolk, UK, and 6th Weapons Squadron
(WS) at Nellis Air Force Base (AFB), Nevada.
The 461st Flight Test Squadron (FLTS) ‘Deadly
Jesters’ at Edwards AFB in California has also
received new test aircraft.
Deliveries to the 65th Aggressor Squadron
(AGRS) at Nellis should continue, while the
493rd FS ‘Grim Reapers’ at RAF Lakenheath
has already received its flagship aircraft (serial
19-5493) – the unit is yet to start receiving their
remaining F-35As, but this is anticipated to
take place before the end of 2023.
Going forward, the Air National Guard (ANG)
is expected to establish its second F-35A unit
at Jacksonville International Airport, Florida,
in 2024. After completing an environmental
n
www.Key.Aero
impact study between Vandenberg AFB (now
a Space Force Base) in California, and Tyndall
AFB in Florida, the USAF selected the latter
to host three F-35A squadrons as part of the
325th Fighter Wing (FW).
Thus signalling the Air Force’s intent to
continue to evolve from an elderly fourth-gen
combat air force to a fifth-generation one.
USAF’s F-35As
The following units have all operated the F-35A,
but may not still be operating the type now
Unit: 461st Flight Test Squadron
Nickname: ‘Deadly Jesters’
Tail Code: ‘ED’
Base: Edwards AFB,
California
The first unit to receive the
F-35 was the 461st FLTS ‘Deadly
Jesters’. This unit still operates the platform
today and is responsible for the developmental
testing of the F-35A. Lt Col Hank Griffith,
former commander of the 461st FLTS was one
of the pilots to transfer the first two F-35As to
Edwards AFB on May 17, 2010.
Since then, the unit has performed all the
different kinds of testing on the F-35A, leading
up to its qualification for service. Once this
was reached, the ‘Deadly Jesters’ were busy
preparing for either Block 4 testing or weapons
integration trials.
For example, the unit was heavily involved in
testing and integrating the Automatic Ground
Collision Avoidance System (GCAS), for which
the Collier trophy was awarded in 2018. Since
then, the 461st has been working on integrating
the B61-12 nuclear gravity bomb and its
associated capabilities on the Lightning II. On
August 1, 2022, the unit received its first new
February 2023 // 51
USAF F-35 Modernisation
F-35A, allowing it to perform future testing for
the Technology Refresh-3 (TR-3) update that is
currently under development.
Unit: 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron
Nickname: ‘Green Bats’
Tail Code: ‘OT’
Base: Nellis AFB, Nevada
This squadron develops and
writes the tactics for the
USAF’s operational F-35 units.
Based at Nellis AFB, the ‘Green
Bats’ received their first of 12 aircraft in 2013,
with the last (serial 19-5472, c/n AF-300) being
delivered before the end of 2021.
Initially, the 422nd Test and Evaluation
Squadron (TES) worked to establish operational
F-35A tactics, but the unit’s secondary
responsibility was the important task of Initial
Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E). For
this task, the 422nd deployed to Eielson AFB,
Alaska, to carry out cold weather trials.
For the IOT&E process, the ‘Green Bats’
cooperated with other units to shape the Joint
Four F-35As from the 56th FW’s 61st FS ‘Top Dogs’ at Luke AFB take
on fuel from an AFRC-operated KC-135R Stratotanker based at March
Air Reserve Base (ARB)
The first US ANG unit to convert to the F-35A was
the 134th FS ‘Yellow Scorpions’ of the 158th FW
‘Green Mountain Boys’
52 // February 2023
Operation Test Team. This team also comprised
the USAF’s 31st TES ‘Desert Pirates’, the US
Marine Corps’ Marine Operational Test and
Evaluation Squadron 1 (VMX-1) ‘Flying Lions’,
and the US Navy’s Air Test and Evaluation
Squadron 9 (VX-9) ‘Vampires’. In addition,
the Royal Netherlands Air Force’s (RNLAF’s)
operational F-35A test unit, No 323 Squadron,
and the Royal Air Force’s (RAF’s) No 17(R)
Squadron ‘Black Knights’ were also involved.
The ‘Green Bats’ are waiting for the Joint
Simulation Environment to come online to
complete the remaining tasks required of
IOT&E. A part of the testing taking place here
also involves force integration, especially with
the Raptor.
Unit: 31st TES
Nickname: ‘Desert Pirates’
Tail Code: ‘ED’
Base: Edwards AFB, California
Based at Edwards AFB, the
‘Desert Pirates’ received their first
F-35A in 2012. As is currently the
A 34th FS-operated F-35A breaks, while the commander’s specially marked aircraft
prepares to follow. This unit was the first operational F-35A squadron
case with the 422nd, the 31st TES operates a
variety of different aircraft.
As the 31st TES was also located at Edwards,
it provided a helping hand to the 461st FLTS
in the developmental testing of the Lightning
II. In February 2016, before IOT&E, the ‘Desert
Pirates’ became the first unit to deploy six
F-35As to Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, where
there was no F-35 infrastructure. As the final
part of operational testing involved large
formation evaluations, the 31st transferred their
F-35As to the 422nd TES and as such ceased
operating the type.
Unit: 58th Fighter Squadron
Nickname: ‘Mighty Gorillas'
Tail Code: ‘EG’
Base: Eglin AFB, Florida
The 58th FS was the first unit to
receive the F-35A to train pilots
and maintainers. As the USAF’s
most complete training unit,
the ‘Mighty Gorillas’ also have all the ground
maintenance devices required for the training of
www.Key.Aero
 Two F-35As from the 58th FS, based with the 33rd
FW at Eglin AFB in Florida. This unit was the first to
train both pilots and engineers
maintainers that are destined to join operational
units. Initially, the 58th also trained the Dutch
F-35A pilots who were due to participate in the
IOT&E process.
The ‘Mighty Gorillas’ were originally set to
form part of a joint training centre with the US
Navy and Marine Corps, but this was curtailed
by an Environmental Impact Statement, which
limited the number of F-35s that were allowed
to be stationed at Eglin AFB. For this reason,
a new base for pilot training had to be found
where a larger number of aircraft could be
based.
Unit: 61st FS
Nickname: ‘Top Dogs’
Tail Code: ‘LF’
Base: Luke AFB, Arizona
Luke AFB was selected for
training USAF pilots to fly the
F-35A as the base did not
encounter the same issue as Eglin. The 61st FS
was the first international F-35A training unit
when it started training both USAF and Royal
Australian Air Force (RAAF) crews.
The Australian crews were trained here until
the RAAF had enough instructor pilots and
maintainers to continue the mission in-country.
At first, only pilots that had experience flying
other fighter aircraft types were trained by the
‘Top Dogs’, but this had changed by the end of
2016, when the Initial Qualification Course (IQC)
– also known as the B-course – for student
pilots without prior fighter experience was
launched.
Unit: 62nd FS
Nickname: ‘Spikes’
Tail Code: ‘LF’
Base: Luke AFB, Arizona
The second squadron to be
activated at Luke AFB was
the 62nd FS ‘Spikes’. As well
as training US pilots, the unit also had the
responsibility for training Italian and Norwegian
instructors. This international setup was also
tested at one of the world’s most prestigious
military exercises, Red Flag 19-2, where it was
www.Key.Aero
tasked to fulfil the dedicated suppression of
enemy air defences (SEAD) unit, flown mainly
by instructor pilots from the ‘Spikes’.
This was followed up two years later, when
the unit was taking part again in Exercise
Red Flag 21-2 – but this time with students
from B-course, along with three US and five
Norwegian pilots. It also marked the first time
that the B-course was held for international
students.
Unit: 63rd FS
Nickname: ‘Panthers’
Tail Code: ‘LF’
Base: Luke AFB, Arizona
Lt Col Matt Vedder, former
commander of the 65th
FS and F-35A pilot, flew in
the first Lightning II for the
‘Panthers’ on March 20, 2017. This unit was
responsible for training US and Turkish pilots.
The first Turkish pilots and the initial four
F-35As that were destined to enter Turkish
Air Force service were integrated into the
unit before the US government blocked the
nation from the JSF programme, after Turkish
President Recep Erdogan opted to proceed
with the acquisition of the S-400 (SA-21
Growler) surface-to-air missile (SAM) system
from Russia. As a result, the Turkish pilots were
The pilot of a 61st FS F-35A in the cockpit of his aircraft under a
sun shed at Luke AFB
sent home and the four F-35As were bought by
the USAF. This did not affect the training of US
crews which continued as normal.
Unit: 944th Operations
Group Detachment 2
Nickname: ‘Ninjas’
Tail Code: N/A
Base: Luke AFB, Arizona
This unit was responsible for
training the initial cadre of
instructor pilots for the Republic of Korea Air
Force (ROKAF) and Japan Air Self-Defense
Force (JASDF). The exact date when the
Japanese pilots commenced their training is
not known, but the JASDF’s Lt Col Nakano
completed his first F-35A flight on February 7,
2017.
Three months later, the 944th OG Det 2
‘Ninjas’ bid farewell to the Japanese graduates.
The JASDF pilots were trained to instructor-
level before being posted back to Japan to
train F-35A pilots in-country.
Following the departure of the Japanese, the
unit began preparing to accept South Korean
students. The first ROKAF pilot to fly the F-35A
was Maj Kiyun Jung, who took to the skies
over Arizona on July 20, 2018. The first two
ROKAF aircraft – serials 18-005 (15-5225) and
18-006 (15-5226) – arrived at Cheongju Air
February 2023 // 53
USAF F-35 Modernisation
The elegant lines of an F-35A from the 356th FS
‘Green Demons’ are shown here during an air-to-
air refuelling mission over Alaska’s Joint Pacific
Alaskan Range Complex (JPARC) Kedar Karmarkar
A Lightning II from the 356th FS ‘Green Demons’ at Eielson AFB, Alaska, creates its own atmosphere
during the Arctic Lightning Air Show 2021 Kedar Karmarkar
54 // February 2023
Base in South Korea
on March 29, 2019, after
the training of the instructor
pilots was completed. The 944th
OG Det 2 comprises both active-
duty and AFRC airmen, civilians and
contractors, and continues to train pilots on
both the F-16 and F-35.
Unit: 308th FS
Nickname: ‘Emerald Knights’
Tail Code: LF
Base: Luke AFB, Arizona
The fourth squadron to be
based at Luke AFB is the 308th
FS ‘Emerald Knights’. It is responsible for
training Danish, Dutch and US F-35A pilots. The
308th was the last of four units to stand up on
the Lightning II at Luke, beginning operations in
December 2018.
The first pair of RNLAF F-35As joined their
US counterparts at Luke AFB in February 2019,
followed by the first Royal Danish Air Force
F-35A in April 2021. At present, the ‘Emerald
Knights’ operate 26 F-35As, comprising 12
USAF examples, eight RNLAF aircraft and six
RDAF jets.
Unit: 60th FS
Nickname: ‘Fighting Crows’
Tail Code: EG
Base: Eglin AFB, Florida
As the idea of hosting an
integrated, tri-service training
centre at Eglin AFB had been ‘torpedoed’ and
the Marines and Navy vacated the Florida base,
the USAF grabbed the opportunity to establish
another training squadron at Eglin given that the
facilities were already there.
The ‘Fighting Crows’ were reactivated there on
August 20, 2021, as a training unit responsible
for training initial, transition, instructor and
senior officer F-35A pilots. The 60th’s first two
F-35As arrived at Eglin from Hill AFB, Utah, on
October 21, 2021. The unit now operates 17
F-35As.
Unit: 34th FS
Nickname: ‘Rude Rams’
Tail Code: HL
Base: Hill AFB, Utah
The first operational frontline
F-35A squadron was the ‘Rude Rams’, which
gained IOC with its complement of Block
3i-configured aircraft on August 2, 2016. While
the unit’s initial F-35As had limited capability, it
www.Key.Aero

did not seem to affect them in any way.
The 34th’s first big deployment was to Kadena
Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, for six months
in 2018. It followed this up by deploying to Al
Dhafra Air Base – located approximately 20
miles (32km) south of Abu Dhabi in the United
Arab Emirates (UAE). This deployment, which
was connected to increasing tensions with Iran,
started in November 2019 and ended on May
10, 2020, when the 34th FS returned to Hill AFB.
The ‘Rude Rams’ are often associated
with deterrence missions, with one of the
most notable being the unit’s deployment to
Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, on February
16, 2022 – just one week before Russia invaded
Ukraine on February 24. In pairs, F-35As from
the 34th FS deployed to forward operating
locations in Estonia, Lithuania and Romania,
before returning to the German base. This
use of deterrence can be argued to have
been successful as Russia did not move on to
neighbouring NATO nations.
A F-35A from the 355th FS ‘Fighting Falcons’ takes off
on a training mission from Eielson AFB Kedar Karmarkar
www.Key.Aero
An F-35A pilot checks over the aircraft’s
systems while on the flightline at Luke AFB
The 34th FS returned to Hill AFB in early June
2022, after being replaced by the 134th FS
‘Yellow Scorpions’ from Burlington Air National
Guard Base (ANGB) in Vermont.
Unit: 4th FS
Nickname: ‘Fightin’ Fuujins’
Tail Code: HL
Base: Hill AFB, Utah
The second operational
frontline F-35A unit to be based
at Hill AFB was the 4th FS ‘Fightin’ Fuujins’. It
received its first F-35A in 2017 and was the first
USAF Lightning II squadron to deploy to an
active warzone – Iraq and Syria.
Having arrived at Al Dhafra Air Base on April
25, 2019, it was another 15 days before F-35As
from the ‘Fightin’ Fuujins’ were used in anger
for the first time. On April 30, the F-35As
used Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs)
on a target in what the USAF referred to
simply as “an unspecified country” – most
probably over Iraq or Syria in support of
Operation Inherent Resolve.
Unit: 421st FS
Nickname: ‘Black Widows’
Tail Code: HL
Base: Hill AFB, Utah
The 421st FS ‘Black Widows’
was the third operational frontline
F-35A unit to stand up at Hill AFB. Having
received its first aircraft in 2018 – when the
other two Hill-based F-35 units were busy on
deployment – the 421st prepared for its first
deployment, and the third to Al Dhafra for Hill’s
388th FW.
During this deployment, the 421st FS
employed the F-35A on close air support
missions and performed offensive/defensive
counter-air (OCA/DCA) operations while
providing a regional deterrence by participating
in joint exercises with US allies and partner
nations in the Middle East.
February 2023 // 55
USAF F-35 Modernisation
A F-35A from the 58th FS ‘Mighty Gorillas’ retracts
its landing gear as it takes off from Volk Field during
Exercise Northern Lightning 2020 Kedar Karmarkar
Unit: 466th FS
Nickname: ‘Diamondbacks’
Tail Code: HL
Base: Hill AFB, Utah
This unit does not operate the
normal 24 aircraft as it is a AFRC
squadron and as such only
receives a limited number of aircraft. The unit’s
transition to the F-35A began in 2017, but the
466th’s first aircraft (serial 15-5194, c/n AF-169)
rolled off the production line in 2018.
While the 466th may only be a reserve
squadron, it still deploys, just like the
other 388th FW F-35A units. One of these
deployments came in 2019, when F-35As from
the 421st and 466th deployed to Aviano Air
Base, Italy, Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany,
and Powidz, Poland, where they participated in
several different exercises. The ‘Diamondbacks'
were also joined by the 421st FS ‘Black
Widows’ for their six-month deployment to Al
Dhafra in 2020.
The pilot of an F-35A from the 422nd TES ‘Green Bats’
waves on the roll-out after landing at Naval Air Station
(NAS) Fallon in Califonia Kedar Karmarkar
56 // February 2023
Unit: 16th Weapons School
Nickname: ‘Tomahawks’
Tail Code: WA
Base: Nellis AFB, Nevada
An F-16 unit that has received
a couple of F-35As and retains
its status as a Fighting Falcon operator. The
first F-35A (serial 12-5049) – an aircraft from
Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) Lot 6,
equipped with Block 2B software – landed
at Nellis AFB for the 16th WS on January 15,
2013. The unit only operated the Lightning II
until the 6th WS was established at Nellis. All
of the F-35As operated by the ‘Tomahawks’
were subsequently transferred across to the
new squadron.
Unit: 6th Weapons School
Nickname: N/A
Tail Code: WA
Base: Nellis AFB, Nevada
The 6th WS provides academic
and advisory support to other operational
units by training tactical experts who then go
back to their units to provide the knowledge
they have gained – the main focus being on
how to use the F-35A with other aircraft in
the coalition forces. The operational test
squadrons are responsible for writing the
tactics textbooks.
According to Maj Gen Jay Silveria,
commander of the USAF Warfare Center,
weapons squadrons are responsible for
refining these tactics. These squadrons
initially trained the pilots that would go to the
first operational units, but with new weapons
coming online, and newer capabilities being
introduced, these require the tactics to be
continuously refined.
As increasing numbers of operational
frontline units are established, it is essential
that these are replenished – not just with
pilots well-versed in tactics but ground
personnel too.
www.Key.Aero
 Unit: 356th FS
Nickname: ‘Green Demons’
Tail Code: AK
Base: Eielson AFB, Alaska
Activated at Eielson AFB on
October 10, 2019, and being
based in Alaska, the ‘Green Demons’ are ideally
located from a strategic perspective – close to
Russia and Japan. It wasn’t until April 2020 that
the 356th received its first F-35A, followed three
days later by a pair of Lightning IIs, piloted by
Maj Grant Saum, the 354th FW F-35 Program
Integration Office Director of Operations, and
Maj Brian Mueller, the Assistant Director of
Operations for the 356th FS.
The first of two F-35A squadrons to be based
at Eielson, it was clear that it would become a
very busy unit. There was an urgency in getting
this squadron up and running because four Hill-
based F-35As were transferred to the ‘Green
Demons’ on April 27, 2020.
With Japan not far away, the squadron
regularly deploys there. One early deployment
was to Guam for Exercise Cope North 21 –
which was held from February 3 to 19, 2021.
One of the most recent deployments saw the
356th participate in Exercise Iron Dagger at
Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Futenma in
Okinawa during December 2021, where the unit
was trained for Forward Area Refuelling Point
(FARP) operations with support from the 1st
Special Operations Squadron (SOS) and the
18th Logistics Readiness Squadron (LRS).
The ‘Green Demons’ deployed to Japan again
to carry out an Agile Combat Employment
(ACE) drill – a proactive and reactive operational
scheme of manoeuvres, executed within threat
timelines while generating combat power.

Unit: 355th FS
Nickname: ‘Fighting Falcons’
Tail Code: AK
Base: Eielson AFB, Alaska
The ‘Fighting Falcons’ returned to
Alaska as the second F-35A unit
to stand up at Eielson AFB on
December 18, 2020. During the
ceremony, an F-35A (serial 18-5355) with 355th
This F-35A from the 422nd TES ‘Green Bats’ presents a planform as FS titles was already present as it had been
it transits the Jedi transition in the Sidewinder Canyon of the Death flying with the 356th FS prior to the reactivation
Valley National Park, California Kedar Karmarkar

F-35As from the 134th FS ‘Yellow Scorpions’, a component of the Vermont ANG’s 158th FW ‘Green Mountain Boys’ on the
ramp at Volk Field, Wisconsin, during Exercise Northern Lightning 2020 Kedar Karmarkar

www.Key.Aero February 2023 // 57

USAF F-35 Modernisation

of the ‘Fighting Falcons’.
According to Lt Col Samuel Chapman,
commander of the 355th FS, the squadron’s
primary mission is to carry out SEAD and OCA
missions. As the two Alaska-based F-35A units
worked their way to their full complement of
aircraft, they combined to conduct an elephant
walk, which was made up of 42 Lightning IIs.
Shortly after, the last F-35A was delivered to
Eielson on April 15, 2022. The 355th’s most
recent activity was the unit’s participation in
Exercise Red Flag-Alaska 22-3 in August 2022.
Unit: 495th FS
Nickname: ‘Valkyries’
Tail Code: LN
Base: RAF Lakenheath,
Suffolk, UK
The first USAF F-35A to be
permanently based outside the
continental US was the 495th FS ‘Valkyries’,
which was reactivated at RAF Lakenheath
in Suffolk, UK, on October 1, 2021. The first
batch of four F-35As for the unit landed at
Lakenheath on December 15, 2021, and as
tensions on NATO’s eastern flank continued to
build in the lead up to the Russian invasion of
Ukraine, the urgent need for the 495th to be
combat-ready only increased.
As it is planned to have a second F-35A
squadron at Lakenheath, the first aircraft for
the other unit (the 493rd FS) are initially serving
the ‘Valkyries’.
One of the events the unit participated in
recently was Exercise Poseidon’s Rage, which
was held at Souda Air Base in Crete, Greece,
from July 11 to 22, 2022. During these drills, live
and inert munitions were used by 495th F-35As
as the exercise was aimed at integrating
different fighter types, such as the F-15E Strike
Eagle and F-16C/D Fighting Falcon.
Unit: 493rd FS
Nickname: ‘Grim Reapers’
Tail Code: LN
Base: RAF Lakenheath,
Suffolk, UK
Not to be confused with the US
Navy’s Strike Fighter Squadron
101 (VFA-101) ‘Grim Reapers’, which used to fly
the carrier-configured F-35C Lightning II before
its deactivation in 2019, the 493rd FS was an
F-15C/D Eagle unit at RAF Lakenheath until it
ceased operations with the legacy fighter in
early 2022.
The flagship F-35A (serial 19-5493) for the
‘Grim Reapers’ arrived at RAF Lakenheath on
April 15, 2022, and is being flown by the 495th
FS ‘Valkyries’ until the 493rd formally stands
up as an F-35A unit. At the time of writing, this
aircraft is the only one that has been delivered
that is destined to join the ‘Grim Reapers’. The
delay in the 493rd’s transition to the F-35A
may well be connected to the fact that the unit
operated the F-15C/D for longer than originally
planned as a result of Russia’s invasion of
Ukraine. For more see page 49.
Unit: 65th Aggressor
Squadron
Nickname: N/A
Tail Code: WA
Base: Nellis AFB, Nevada
The US is no longer the only
country in the world that

One of the newest aircraft to join the 48th FW’s 495th FS ‘Valkyries’ at An F-35A of the USAF Weapons School on the flex
RAF Lakenheath is this F-35A (serial 20-5582), fitted with wingtip rails departure at Nellis AFB in Nevada Kedar Karmarkar
and an AIM-9X Sidewinder short-range air-to-air missile Bob Archer

An F-35A (foreground) and F-16C from the 16th WS at Nellis AFB

fly over the Nevada Test and Training Range on July 10, 2017 USAF/
Staff Sgt Daryn Murphy

58 // February 2023 www.Key.Aero

Two of the first F-35As to be seen sporting the unique splinter camouflage.
Combat training is being provided by the 65th AGRS at Nellis AFB USAF/
Tech Sgt Alexandre Montes

operates fifth-generation combat aircraft.
Both Russia and China have them in their
inventory, although the Chinese threat is
deemed to be the most imminent. With this in
mind, it came as no surprise when the 65th
AGRS was activated with their new splinter
camouflaged F-35As on June 9, 2022. The
Lightning IIs assigned to this unit received a
different work-over than normal combat-coded
F-35A squadrons, as the new ‘aggressor’ paint
scheme made the unit’s F-35As stand out from
other squadrons.
Commenting on the 65th’s role, Gen Mark
Kelly, commander of the USAF’s Air Combat
Command (ACC), said: “Due to the growing
threat posed by People’s Republic of China
fifth- and sixth-gen fighter development, we
must use a portion of our daily fifth-generation
aircraft today at Langley, Elmendorf, Hill,
Eielson, and now Nellis, to replicate adversary
fifth-generation capabilities, precisely because
we have this credible threat, and it it has to be
done professionally. That’s the Aggressors.”
Air National Guard
Unit: 134th FS
Nickname: ‘Yellow Scorpions’
Tail Code: VT
Base: Burlington ANGB,
Vermont
At present, the only Air
National Guard (ANG) unit to operate
the F-35A is the 134th FS. The ‘Yellow
Scorpions’ received their first Lightning II
in September 2019 and by May 2020, the
unit had already reached the milestone
of surpassing 500 flight hours.
In a sense, being the first to adopt a new
fighter type, means it can set the operational
standard and the 134th FS has certainly done
that over the past year. The problems in Europe
following the Russian invasion of Ukraine made
it desirable to increase the coverage of NATO’s
eastern flank and for this reason, the 'Yellow
Scorpions’ were sent to Spangdahlem Air Base
to join the ‘Rude Rams’.
The two units operated alongside each other
along NATO’s eastern border for one month,
after which the 34th FS returned to the US and
the 134th FS took over the entire responsibility
for covering that airspace.
The inherent intelligence, surveillance
and reconnaissance (ISR) capability of
the F-35 is that the information gathered
by its sensors would easily cover a
large part of the Ukrainian skies.
The main role of the ‘Yellow Scorpions’ in
Germany was to provide a SEAD capability.
Information that NATO countries have been
providing from dedicated ISR platforms
has been more or less confirmed.
In the case of the F-35, one could
speculate that targeting data could have
been transferred to the M142 High Mobility
Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) in
Ukraine. The deployment saw the 134th
visit Romania, Bulgaria, Estonia and North
Macedonia and fly some 450 sorties in
three months with eight F-35As before they
returned to Vermont in August 2022. afm

The recently delivered flagship F-35A (serial 19-5493) at the 48th

FW’s 493rd FS ‘Grim Reapers’ (formerly an F-15C/D Eagle unit) taxis
to Runway 24 at RAF Lakenheath on August 28, 2022 Bob Archer

www.Key.Aero February 2023 // 59

Unit
Report
O
  n top of
the world
The Lama Squadron is the only air unit in South
America that has reached the highest peak on the
continent and is one of the few helicopter units
equipped for high-altitude rescue missions. Santiago
Rivas explains how they can operate above 16,500ft
N
o IV Brigada Aérea of the
Fuerza Aérea Argentina
(FAA; Argentine Air Force)
is based in Mendoza, close to the
highest part of the Andes, with
Cerro Aconcagua – the highest
mountain outside Asia – standing
at 22,837ft just 100km to the west.
The unit is responsible for high
mountain rescue operations. In
the early 1970s, the Comisión
Argentina de Demarcación de
Límites Internacionales (CADLI;
Argentinian Commission for the
Demarcation of International
Boundaries), under the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, needed helicopters
to carry out the demarcation
of the border with Chile in the
Andes. The Hiller UH-12E and
Hughes 368HM helicopters
loaned by the FAA for this mission
proved to be inadequate, as
their engines were not powerful
enough to operate at altitude.
Because of this, in 1971 six
Aerospatiale SA-315B Lama
helicopters were purchased
and on December 13, 1973,
they were transferred to the Air
Force to operate at the request
of CADLI, first with the VII Air
Brigade in Morón, Buenos Aires,
and, since 1977, with the IV Air
Brigade. On October 29, 1977,
one of the Lamas made the
first landing of a helicopter on
the summit of Aconcagua.
Over the years, more helicopters
were purchased to replace lost
aircraft, totaling 12 serving with
the FAA. Today only three remain
operational with the Escuadrón
III de Búsqueda y Rescate (III
Search and Rescue Squadron) of
the Grupo 4 de Caza (4th Fighter
Group) of the IV Air Brigade.
The squadron is divided into two
groups: the Services Escadrille,
with Cessna 182, and the Lama
Escadrille. The latter’s main
60 // February 2023
Lama Sqn
mission is to carry out high-
altitude search and rescue
operations, to provide SAR
alert to CEPAC (Course for the
Standardization of Procedures for
Fighter Aviators), which is carried
out in the same brigade with
the FAdeA IA-63 Pampa, and to
instruct the helicopter crews that
are sent to the unit to complete
the course on high mountain flight.
Major Mariano Milanés, callsign
‘Mago’, is the current head of
the squadron, and explained
that this was always a small
squadron, due to the provision of
aircraft and their specific mission,
with almost all their flights
carried out in the mountains.
Mountain training
Pilots coming to the unit take the
Mountain Flight Course, which
has70 flight hours and is taught
annually. This allows them to learn
the skills of flying at altitude.
Milanés said: “Beyond the loss
of performance for flying at high
altitude – lower air pressure, lower
power, lower performance of the
blades – the most particular are
the changing conditions that the
mountain has in terms of wind
and orography. The mountain has
microclimates, variable weather
conditions that are caused by
the shape of the mountain and
the interaction with the wind.
For example, you can fly in the
mountains in a sector and have a
wind coming from the west and
travel 15 miles south and you
have a wind coming from the
south. So, the environment makes
mountain flight risky. And we try
to make a set of flight techniques
to mitigate the risks and operate
as safely as possible.”
Over the years, the unit has
perfected its techniques to
operate at high altitude, which
www.Key.Aero
 Left:: When the Lamas have to land in the mountains, they
usually carry a mechanic Below left: The Lamas perform
rescue missions usually up to 18,000ft, but they even get
to the top of the Aconcagua at more than 22,800ft Below:
Three of the Lama squadron pilots and their helicopters

www.Key.Aero February 2023 // 61

Unit
Report
have become the flight directive.
This was instigated by a French
instructor who traveled to
Argentina in 1977 along with
the first helicopters and has
been refined over the years. The
most important technique is the
procedures for reaching a target
area.
Milanés explained: “It is done
with a high reconnaissance,
then low reconnaissance and
a calculation of available and
necessary power. We make an
entrance to the point, maintaining
parameters of feet and knots,
then throw a smoke grenade and
corroborate that the wind we
have calculated is correct. In the
reconnaissance we can determine
a general trend of the wind – the
lowest is made at about 300ft,
but it does not give us certainty.
What gives us certainty is the
smoke grenade, which tells us
where the wind is coming from
and an estimate of its intensity.”
In addition, when planning
the entrance point, an escape
route is plotted in case of an
emergency and note is taken
of the position of the sun, so
that the shade and light do not
cause additional problems.
Lama missions are not usually
lengthy and, for safety, they are
flown at low speeds, usually
around 60kts. Milanés noted:
“Mountain navigation has its
peculiarities as well. As the
helicopter has a high ceiling,
we can make navigations above
the peaks or flying between the
mountains. For example, inside
the ravines you fly in a special
way, at two-thirds of the height
of the slope, always attached to
one of the slopes, because away
A Lama flying over Potrerillos dam lake, close to the city of Mendoza, on what’s called the
Precordillera, a series of lower mountains between the plains and the highest Andes
62 // February 2023
Every time they approach
a mountain, the Lamas
drop a smoke grenade to
check the direction and
intensity of the wind
from the slopes is where the air
moves at a higher speed. One
slope always has an ascending
wind and the other a descending
wind, so we detect which is
the ascending and we stick to
that. If we have an emergency
and we try to fly in the middle,
our options will be limited.”
Rescue
The main mission of the Lamas is
to recover downed pilots or people
in emergency situations in the
mountains. The Andes have a very
harsh climate, especially in winter,
when it is almost impossible to
enter due to cold weather, snow
and high winds. This requires very
detailed planning to carry out a
rescue, although at the same time
it must be fast, so as not to delay
the departure of the helicopter.
All missions are flown with two
helicopters, to support each other
in covering any eventuality.
Milanés explained: “The first
thing is to know the status of
the person and their location.
It is planned how to get to the
place and with what will entail”,
adding that they can still carry a
stretcher and provide oxygen to
a patient, with the aim of getting
them off the mountain quickly.
“Once the victim's information
is known, we plan what is going
to be done and where they are
going to be taken. If the case is
very serious you will take them
to the closest place where you
can put them in an ambulance.
If the patient is not in a bad
condition, they can be taken to
another place further away. A
patient who has a pulmonary
oedema can not spend a long
time at altitude. You have to lower
them and take them by land.”
The minimum crew is a single
pilot, although it changes
according to the situation. If
the helicopter needs to make a
landing, it will carry a mechanic,
and if it is going to perform a
medical evacuation, there will be a
doctor and sometimes a nurse on
board. On external cargo missions,
there is a cargo operator.
Other missions
For operations in other parts of
the country, the Lama has the
advantage that it can be quickly
dismantled, and up to two aircraft
can be loaded into the hold of a
C-130 Hercules. Milanés noted:
“It is a partial disassembly – the
mast, the main blades and tail
rotor blade are dismantled. The
last task of this type was done in
Salta province, they arrived at the
point and in about three hours the
helicopter was reassembled.”
For training flights, the crews
never operate above 15,000ft,
but for rescues this rule can
be ignored if conditions make
it necessary, but oxygen is
always used in such cases.
“The Squadron has made
rescues in Nido de Cóndores,
which is the most common
extraction point to get someone
down from Aconcagua and is
about 17,700ft high. It is not
common, but if the helicopter
has a ceiling of 23,000 feet
you have a margin of power
and safety,” said Milanés.
In these cases, only the pilot
goes, since he must return with
the patient and the helicopter
is already at the limit of the
weight with which it can take
off from the mountain. afm
Replacement
Finding a replacement for the Lama
is one of the main priorities of the
Fuerza Aérea Argentina and the
intention is to share the purchase
with the Army, which also operates
Lamas. The selection process is
being carried out by the Joint Chiefs
of Staff. The Leonardo AW119Kx
Koala, Airbus H125 Écureuil and
Bell 407GXi are the options being
considered. However, in October
2022, a commission traveled to India
to evaluate the HAL LUH Mk 1.
While Bell’s model has officially
been selected, the force prefer the
Écureuil. The intention is to buy a first
batch of six, half of them for the Air
Force, with the intention of acquiring
more in the future.
www.Key.Aero
 VIP Club
Two important new titles focusing on key prongs of US military might are highlights of the
GET TWO
E-BOOKS
FREE

VIP Book Club this month. VIP membership is completely FREE - sign-up details below.

Marine Air-Ground Task Force: The MAGTF USAF Air Power Yearbook 2023
brings air By Mark Ayton
Pinnacle of Combined Arms Warfare
By Scott Cuong Tran and Nick Tran and ground This up-to-the-minute
assets to special publication
No other military fighting force in the world has
the fight provides insight to all US
the same mystique and aura as the United States
while also Air Force mission sets,
Marine Corps (USMC). Since its inception, the
supplying covering fighter, special
USMC has embraced its reputation for being a
hard-fighting, aggressive, and rugged military important operations, transport, and
branch. Marines take great pride in their heritage, logistics, trainer aircraft. Detailed
and it extends to all parts of the organisation, from all working in unison to attack and defeat the stories include refuelling
warrior ethos to uniforms. enemy. With over 130 stunning photographs, this operations with the
The core competency of the USMC is to project book showcases the capabilities, equipment, and KC-46 in service with
power quickly anytime and anywhere, and this implementations of the MAGTF around the world. the Air National Guard,
expeditionary force projection is achieved with 128 pages (landscape); £17.99 Order at: air mobility with one of
the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF). The shop.keypublishing.com/marinetaskforce the USAF’s largest reserve associate wings, close
air support with the A-10C Thunderbolt II, arctic
F-35 operations, an overview of special operations,
Finland’s Air Forces: of how Finland has been
and insight to the latest flight training with Air
From Neutral to NATO orientating its force
Education and Training Command marking over
By Kevin Wright structures, training and
operations to more four million flight hours with the T-6A Texan II
The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 trainer. US Air Force Yearbook 2023 is packed with
prompted Finland’s application to join NATO, easily work alongside
NATO countries. reviews and analysis, making it the ultimate guide
abandoning its long-held stance of neutrality. to US Air Force air power as another important year
Finland’s Air Force, the Ilmavoimat, has With more than
170 colourful begins. 116 pages; £8.99
grown in size and stature in the century since
and atmospheric Order at: shop.keypublishing.com/usafyb2023
its formation and came of age in the Winter
War of 1939. This book provides an account photographs, including
of the country’s military air power, its history, many previously
conscription system and contemporary unpublished, this book German Starfighters: The Story in
organisation, as well as an overview of its combat, provides a concise
transport and training aircraft types. examination of Finland’s air power and the unique Colour: Introduction and Units
geographical conditions in which it operates. By Klaus Kropf
It looks in detail at Finland’s unique system of
Air Forces Series, Vol 6; 96 pages; £15.99 The F-104 Starfighter was
dispersed air operations using highway airstrips and
one of the most fascinating
civil airports and concludes with an examination Order at: shop.keypublishing.com/finlandsairforces
aircraft of the Cold War
era, the unique howl of

£� O�F
When you the General Electric J-79
engine filling European

spend £30 or skies for many years.

Several European air forces

more on all operated the Starfighter,

with Germany alone having

Key Books* 916 in its inventory.

Klaus Kropf details
the purchase decisions, service introduction
and aircraft production – by both Lockheed and
European manufacturers – and follows up with
a detailed look at the entire period of Starfighter
operations with the Luftwaffe and Marineflieger
combat wings. Fighter, fighter-bomber and
reconnaissance wings were all equipped with
this aircraft.
With over 240 images, many unpublished
To claim your discount enter your email address at: outside Germany, this first volume of two provides

shop.keypublishing.com/winter22 a dynamic history of the aircraft’s service in the

country’s forces. Historic Military Aircraft Series,
*Offer ends 31 March 2023. Not valid on subscriptions or in conjunction with any other offer.
Vol. 24; 96 pages; £15.99
Order at: shop.keypublishing.com/starfighters

JOIN TODAY at keypublishing.com/vip-book-club

Be the first to find out about our forthcoming book releases and receive exclusive offers. Register today
at keypublishing.com/vip-book-club and, as a thank you, we’ll give you TWO free e-books straight away!
Our VIP Book Club is a 100% spam-free zone, and we will never share your email with anyone else. You can read our full privacy policy at: privacy.keypublishing.com

567/22

567 Key VIP Book club Combat_AFM_Feb23.indd 113 14/12/2022 10:18:50

Fleet
Report
Taiwan’s tige
After almost 60 years of
service, the Republic of
China Air Force’s F-5s are
due to be phased out.
Peter Ho examines the
impact the jet has had in
ensuring the defence of
the island nation
Above: The F-5F and
RF-5E of the 12th Tactical
Reconnaissance Group usually
only carry AIM-9 Sidewinder
air-to-air missiles for combat
air patrol missions
All images author
64 // February 2023
Taiwanese F-5s
T
he Republic of China Air
Force (RoCAF) has flown
the largest number of
Northrop F-5 series fighters.
From 1965 to the present day, as
many as 515 F-5 series fighters
have been used, including 118
F-5A/B Freedom Fighter fighters,
61 T-38A trainers, and 336
F-5E/F Tiger II fighters, seven
of which are RF-5E Tigergazer
reconnaissance fighters.
During the F-5 series’ service
in the Taiwanese air force, they
have witnessed precarious
diplomatic relations and the
development of the aviation
industry of the Republic of
China. These aircraft will be
replaced by Taiwan-made T-BE-
5A Brave Eagle Advanced Jet
Trainers, and are expected to be
fully decommissioned in 2024.
F-5A/B Freedom
Fighter
In 1965, Taiwan and the United
States (US) agreed to use the
Military Assistance Program (MAP)
and Foreign Military Sales (FMS)
route, under Project Yushan, to
deliver F-5A/Bs to the Republic
of China Air Force (RoCAF).
They would replace some F-86F
Sabre fighters to defend Taiwan’s
airspace and become one of the
main fighters of the air force.
Project Yu Shan provided a total
of 95 single-seat F-5A Freedom
Fighter fighters and 11 two-seat
F-5B Freedom Fighter fighters.
In 1972, at the request of the
US government, the RoCAF,
under the codename Hui Guang
exercise, lent 48 F-5As to the
USAF and handed them over to
the South Vietnamese Air Force
for use in the Vietnam War, until
the 1974 US-Taiwan agreement.
Under the codename Project
Peace Basket, 20 of F-5As were
returned to the RoCAF by the end
of July due to the maintenance
and climate problems incurred
by the aircraft in Vietnam,
resulting in serious rust. They
were shipped to Pingtung Air
Force Base in southern Taiwan
for refurbishment, while the US
offered Taiwan 12 twin-seat
F-5B Freedom Fighter fighters
under the codename Peace Ox.
After the RoCAF began to
replace the F-5E/F Tiger II fighters
assembled by the Aerospace
Industrial Development Center
(AIDC) in 1975, the F-5A/B
Freedom Fighters became the
training aircraft for fighter lead-in
training. A few F-5A/B Freedom
www.Key.Aero
gers
Fighters were incorporated into
the newly formed 828 Tactical
Fighter Wing in 1982 to guard the
airspace in the east. The last F-5A
fighter was decommissioned on Above: An F-5E seen with AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, mounted for a combat capability deployment to
Chiayi Air Force Base during the Han Kuang exercise Below: Taiwan has painted up a number of F-5E/Fs with
June 30, 1987, and the remaining
Southeast Asian jungle camouflage for aggressor roles
F-5Bs were decommissioned
on June 30, 1996.

QF-5A full-scale
aerial target
After the RoCAF F-5As fleet
was decommissioned in 1987,
six aircraft were selected to
be converted into QF-5A Full-
Scale Aerial Target by Flight
Systems, Inc. at Mojave Airport
in California. When these QF-5As
were completed, they were used
for firing tests of Tien Kung anti-
aircraft missiles and Tien Chien II
medium-range air-to-air missiles.
This work was not acknowledged

www.Key.Aero February 2023 // 65

Fleet
Report
A 7th Fighter Training Wing F-5E/F using A/A37U-15 external
tow target system for Air-to-Air Live Fire training on F-5s
for many years; only two QF-5As
were left with the Aerospace
Industrial Development Center.
T-38A Talon
In addition to using F-5A/B
Freedom Fighters and F-5E/F
Tiger II fighters, the RoCAF leased
T-38A Talon trainers from the
US twice, for flight training. The
first loan came in 1972 when
48 were handed over to the
South Vietnamese Air Force.
The US government then
leased 28 T-38A Talon trainers
to Taiwan to make up for the
country’s lack of F-5A fighters.
These trainers enabled the RoCAF
to maintain the capability of their
F-5A/B Freedom Fighter pilots,
while also conducting a feasibility
assessment for the co-production
The F-5E fighter can only
practice live-firing with the
LAU-51/A Rocket Launcher
66 // February 2023
Taiwanese F-5s
of F-5E/F Tiger II fighters.
In the mid-1990s, after Taiwan
purchased Lockheed Martin’s
F-16A/B Fighting Falcon fighters,
under the code name of Project
Zi Ying, 40 T-38A Talon trainers
were leased from the US as
lead-in trainers before the new
generation of fighters returned
to Taiwan and made all F-5E/F
Tiger II fighters available for
combat readiness missions.
The first batch of 20 T-38A
Talon trainers arrived at Hualien
Port by ship on March 17, 1995,
while the second batch arrived
at Hualien on April 28, 1995.
When the F-16A/B Fighting
Falcons were delivered to
Taiwan in 1998, the remaining
39 T-38A Talon trainers
were returned to the US.
The 7th Fighter Training Wing currently uses F-5E/F fighters for lead-in
fighter training and is expected to be decommissioned in 2024
F-5E/F Tiger II
In 1973 the Taiwan and
US government signed a
memorandum of co-operation,
codename Peace Tiger. Northrop
authorized the RoCAF’s AIDC
to produce 100 F-5E Tiger II
fighters in Taiwan. At the same
time, the US provided 28 F-5E
Tiger II fighters to Taiwan to
make up for the gap left by the
20 F-5A Freedom Fighters that
failed to be returned from the
South Vietnamese Air Force.
This batch of 28 F-5E Tiger II
fighters was handed over to
the RoCAF in May 1975.
The first F-5E Tiger II fighter
produced by AIDC was rolled
out on October 30, 1974, and
named Zhong Zheng fighter.
The air force also established
the ‘Song Shan’ lead-in training
group at Tainan Air Force Base
to conduct the flight training
of F-5E/F Tiger II fighters.
After the successful test flight of
the F-5E Tiger II fighter aircraft,
numbered 5101, on December
6, 1974, it was delivered to the
Tainan based 443rd Wing by
the end of the same month.
In 1977, the first batch of 100
F-5E fighters was fully fitted
and delivered to the RoCAF.
In the follow-up, Taiwan,
working with the US, continued to
manufacture 208 F-5E/F Tiger II
fighters in five batches. The two-
seat F-5Fs were manufactured
under the Peace Tiger III and the
last one rolled out on December
9, 1986. AIDC produced a total of
308 F-5E/F fighters in 13 years,
www.Key.Aero

including 242 F-5Es and 66
F-5Fs. Seven of the F-5Es were
converted to RF-5E Tigergazers.
RF-5E Tigergazer
As the RF-104G Starfighter
and R-CH-1 Chung Hsing
reconnaissance aircraft were
about to be decommissioned,
the RoCAF selected seven
F-5E Tiger II fighter jets with
relatively few flight hours to be
converted into RF-5E Tigergazer
reconnaissance fighters by
Singapore Technologies Aerospace
at Changi in Siungapore. This
was quite a secretive deal back
in 1996, when AFM broke the
story. Two have subsequently
been lost, on October 12, 2003
and September 13, 2011 with
the latter resulting in a fatality.
During the conversion, the
original AN/APQ-159 (V5)
radar and M39A3 cannon
were removed, and the nose
was lengthened by 8ins and
converted into a camera bay,
capable of carrying the KA-95
low-altitude wide-angle camera,
KA-87D front-view camera
and RS- 710E infrared camera.
After the modification was
completed, they were shipped
back to Taiwan in August 1997.
F-5E TIGER 2000
When the second generation
fighters started being delivered
to the RoCAF in 1997, the F-5E/F
Tiger II fighters were relegated to
second-line use. It led to AIDC
starting its Tiger 2000 initiative,
a program to refit an F-5E fighter
as the prototype for a future
F-5E/F Tiger II fighter upgrade.
This plan was to integrate the
avionics system on the Taiwan-
made F-CK-1 Ching-Kuo fighter,
which included the GD-53 Golden
Dragon radar, MIL-STD-1553B
www.Key.Aero
RoCAF F-5 units
In the past 40 years many units of the
Republic of China Air Force have used
F-5s to guard the airspace of Taiwan.
These include the 1st Tactical
Fighter Wing, 4th TFW, 5th Tactical
Composite Wing, 7th TFW, and 828th
TFW. Currently, only the 5th Tactical
Composite Wing operates the RF-5E
reconnaissance aircraft and the 7th
TFW operates the F-5E/F fighter.
• 1st Tactical Fighter Wing (previously
443rd TFW/1st Fighter Group)
The 1st TFW is located at Tainan AFB.
Here the 1st Tactical Fighter Squadron,
3rd TFS, and 9th TFS began to receive
F-5A/B fighters on November 28,
1965. The 3rd and 9th squadrons used
T-38A Talon trainers for flight training
after the F-5A/Bs were handed over
to the South Vietnamese Air Force.
On December 1, 1974, the Sung Shan
lead-in training group was established
to fly the F-5E/F fighters and received
48 aircraft the following year to
complete initial operational capability.
The Wing also set up a bombing
training class for specialized training.
After receiving the AIDC F-CK-1A/B
Ching-Kuo fighters in 1997, the F-5E/F
was eliminated from the 1st Wing.
• 4th Tactical Fighter Wing (previously
455th TFW/4th Fighter Group)
The 4th TFW is located at Chiayi
AFB. All the pilots of the based
21st TFS, 22nd TFS and 23rd TFS
went through the Sung Shan lead-
in training group, for F-5E/F lead-in
training on January 16, 1978.
This wing is mainly responsible
for Taiwan’s air defense mission.
From April to October, a squadron
is sent to join the ‘Tian Ju’ task
force at Magong AFB to maintain
the security of the Taiwan Strait.
• 5th Tactical Composite Wing
(previously 401st TCW/5th Fighter
Group and 8th Fighter Group)
The 5th Tactical Fighter Wing was
On December 8, 1995, the last F-5B Freedom from Taiwan was presented to the Philippine Air Force. Pilot
Lieutenant Colonel Tang, Chia-Hsiang and the Capt Morota flew to the Basa Air Force Base in the Philippines
originally based in the Taoyuan
AFB before moving to Hualien AFB.
The 26th TFS and 27th TFS began
to receive F-5A/Bs in 1968 and
completed its transition in 1970.
The 27th TFS used T-38A Talon
trainers for flight training in 1972.
After handing over the F-5A/B
to the 7th Wing in 1977, it began
receiving F-5E/F fighters in 1978
and finally stopped using the F-5E/F
after receiving the Lockheed Martin
F-16A/B Fighting Falcon in 1998.
The 12th Tactical Reconnaissance
Squadron received the RF-5E
Tigergazer in 1997. After the squadron
moved to Hualien in 1998, these aircraft
were transferred to the 4th TRS. In
2004, the 12th took the seven RF-5Es
and F-5Fs from the 4th TRS back.
The 12th Tactical Reconnaissance
Group of the 5th Tactical Composite
Wing continues to operate the RF-5E
Tigergazer and F-5F fighters.
• 7th Tactical Fighter
Wing (previously 737th
CW/7th Fighter Group)
The 7th Tactical Fighter Wing is
located at Taitung AFB. The 5th
TCW transferred its F-5A/B here in
1977, and subsequently began to
receive F-5E/F fighters in 1981 as
a fighter lead-in training group.
In 1976, Taitung AFB established
a Tactical Training and Development
Center led by the 46th TFS. This unit
was equipped with F-5A/Bs in 1980
and received F-5E/F fighters in 1984.
With the full operational capability
of the second-generation aircraft,
the 7th TFW was converted into a
training wing. The aggressor mission
of the 46th TFS was also transferred
to the F-16A/B Fighting Falcon.
Currently the three squadrons at
Taitung Base are training squadrons.
It’s expected that after receiving
the AIDC T-BE-5A Brave Eagle
Advanced Jet Trainer, all F-5E/F
aircraft will be decommissioned.
• 828th Tactical Fighter
Wing (previously 8th
TFW/8th Fighter Group)
The 828th Tactical Fighter Wing is
located at Hualien AFB. The 14th TFS,
15th TFS and 16th TFS all transitioned
to the F-5A/B Freedom Fighters and
in 1982, this unit was the last of the
RoCAF to operate the F-5A/B, when the
F-5B was decommissioned in 1995.
In early 1986, the original three
tactical fighter squadrons began
to receive F-5E/F Tiger II fighters.
After the 828th Tactical Fighter
Wing was abolished in 1992, these
F-5E/F Tiger II fighters were attached
to the Eastern Area Command
with the 8th Fighter Group.
• Eastern Area Command
Established at Hualien AFB in 1991,
the Eastern Area Command took on the
8th Fighter Group in 1992. Between
March and April 1995, 14th TFS and
15th TFS received 40 T-38A Talon
trainers leased from the US. After the
F-16A/B fighter jets arrived in Taiwan,
all T-38A Talon trainers were returned
to the US in 1998. At the same time,
when the 8th Fighter Group was
moved to Taoyuan AFB, the Eastern
Area Command was abolished.
• Taoyuan Air Base Air Command
In 1998, after the 8th Fighter Group
moved from Hualien to Taoyuan AFB,
the Taoyuan Air Base Air Command
was established. When the command
was finally abolished in 2005, all
F-5E/F fighters were transferred
to the 737th TFW and the 4th TRS
was subsequently transferred to the
401st Tactical Composite Wing.
In addition to the tactical fighter
squadron that originally operated the
F-5 at the Taoyuan base, the 4th TRS
received seven RF-5E fighter jets and
F-5F fighter jets from the 12th TRS in
1998. It was transferred to the 401st
Tactical Composite Wing after the
command was abolished in 2004.
February 2023 // 67
Fleet
Report Taiwanese F-5s
military standard bus, hands-
on throttle-and-stick, mission
computer upgrade, Infrared
Missile Warning Receiver,
Integrated Global Positioning
System and Inertial Navigation
System. The modified F-5E
would be capable of launching
the TC-2 medium-range air-
to-air missile, and the Tiger
2000 prototype made its first
test flight on July 24, 2002.
However, since the air force
planned to phase out all F-5E/F
Tiger IIs within approximately
10 years, and Taiwan’s special
diplomatic situation, did not allow
the Tiger 2000 to be exported to
Above: 8th Tactical Fighter Group used the T-38A Talon trainer leased from
the US for lead-in fighter training missions before the return of the second-
generation fighter to Taiwan
Top: Taitung Zhi-Hang Air Force Base currently has one F-5E and two F-5Fs
painted with tiger stripes
Below: The F-5E/F was responsible for the air-to-ground attack mission in
the early and mid-term life of their careers, using the US-made LAU-3/A
Rocket Launcher as the air-to-ground attack weapon
68 // February 2023
other countries – the Tiger 2000
plan was rejected by the RoCAF.
Transferring F-5s
After the RoCAF F-5A/B Freedom
Fighters were decommissioned,
they were handed over to
US allies within the Military
Assistance Program.
The RoCAF first transferred
an aircraft to a US ally in the
late 1980s. The first country to
benefit was Thailand, where the
Royal Thai Air Force received five
F-5As for spare parts in 1987.
The second recipient was Turkey
then the Philippines in 1989; the
Turkish Air Force received seven
www.Key.Aero

single-seat F-5As and three
twin-seat F-5Bs, the Philippine
Air Force received three F-5As.
The last time Taiwan handed
over any F-5B fighter jets was
during Exercise Dun Bang in
1995. The Taiwan government
and the Philippine government
were negotiating to lease the
airspace and airport of Subic
Bay. RoCAF planned to move
some flight training units to the
Philippines for training, using
the good local airspace and nice
weather to improve the basic
and fighter lead-in training. The
Taiwanese government donated
a twin-seat F-5B fighter to
www.Key.Aero
The 7th Fighter Training Wing has
begun to replace the F-5 with the
Taiwan-made T-BE-5A Brave Eagle
Advanced Jet Trainers.
the Philippine Air Force for this of which defected to mainland
project on December 8, 1995. China. The first one was on
The F-5B was flown to Basa Air August 8, 1981 when Major
Force Base in the Philippines by Huang Zhi-Cheng, defected
Captain Morota of the Philippine with F-5F fighter jet No 5361.
Air Force and Lieutenant Colonel This aircraft is currently on
Tang Jia-Xiang of RoCAF, display at the Beijing Aviation
accompanied by two F-5E/F Museum. The other one was
fighters. Exercise Dun Bang’s on February 21, 1989, by
mission to lease airspace and Lieutenant Colonel Lin Xian-
bases was never completed and Shun with F-5E serialled 5120.
only a P-51 Mustang fighter was In addition, two F-5E/F fighters,
exchanged with the Philippine numbered 5257 and 5357, were
Air Force as a museum display. shipped to the Classic Aircraft
Aviation Museum in the US in
Defected F-5s 2012 in exchange for a B-26
The RoCAF currently has four reconnaissance plane for the
F-5E/F Tiger IIs overseas, two Air Force Museum. afm
An F-5F fighter of the 1st Tactical Fighter Group, carrying an AIM-9 Sidewinder
air-to-air missile, performing a combat air patrol mission over the Taiwan Strait
Two F-5E Tiger II of the 4th Tactical Fighter Group mounted with AGM-65 Maverick
air-to-ground missiles fly to the Penghu shooting range for a live-fire exercise.
The three
Tigers
The F-5E/F Tiger II used by the
Republic of China Air Force has
three different configurations:
• “K”
The K configuration is equipped
with: AN/APQ-153 radar, AN/ASG-29
Optical sight, KB-26A gun camera,
LN-33 inertial navigation system,
AN/ARN-18 Tactical Air Navigation
System, the angle of attack indicator
on the right, the AN/ALR-46 Radar
Warning Receiver, and the AN/
ALE-40 Flare Dispenser System,
added during the upgrade.
• “Ba”
The Ba configuration is modified from
the K configuration, equipped with
the AN/ALR-46(V)3 Radar Warning
Receiver, and the AN/ALE-40(V)7
Flare Dispenser System, capable of
launching AGM-65 Maverick missiles.
• “C”
The C configuration is equipped with
the AN/APQ-159(V)5 radar, AN/ASG-31
Optical sight, AN/ALR-46(V)3 Radar
Warning Receiver, AN/ALE-40(V)7
Flare Dispenser System, and the
angle of attack indicator on the left,
the radome has also been replaced
with a flatter shape, there are 30
C-configuration F-5Fs retrofitted with
AN/AVQ-27 Laser Target Designator
System, capable of launching
AGM-65 Maverick missiles and
guide GBU-12 laser-guided bombs
At the end of 2020/early 2021,
two F-5E Tiger II fighters crashed
in training, killing three pilots.
The Ministry of National Defense
purchased 70 Martin-Baker Mk16
ejection seats and and made plans
to replace the old F-5E/F fighter
(due to be fully decommissioned
in 2024) along with the T-BE-5A
Brave Eagle Advanced Jet Trainer.
February 2023 // 69
Force
Report
Watching
the skies
On the frontline of NATO’s Baltic Air Policing duties,
Estonia is a small country that is keeping a watchful eye.
Jean-François Auran details the Air Force that was
created just three decades ago and has no combat aircraft
E
stonia recreated an aviation
branch on April 13, 1994.
The Eesti Õhuvägi (Estonian
Air Force) comprises 300 people,
all of them professional soldiers,
with Col Toomas currently serving
as the seventh commander.
The Air Force headquarters is
in the capital, Tallinn, within the
Estonian Defence Forces (EDF)
General Staff compound.
Staff sections, ranging from
A-1 to A-9, oversee the use of
resources and plan developments
for the future. Air Force personnel
are trained at the military
academy in Tartu – Estonia’s
second largest city – as are all
officers and non-commissioned
officers of the EDF; some attend
the Estonian Aviation Academy
that is also located there.
Ämari Air Base
Based in Ämari, a 45-minute drive
southwest of Tallinn, is the main
Air Force facility. It is in a wooded
plain, fewer than ten kilometres
(six miles) from the Baltic Sea and
has a 2,750m runway (9,000ft),
orientated 07/25, which has a
concrete overrun of another
250m at each end. The air base
is one of many built by the USSR
70 // February 2023
Estonian Air Force
during the Cold War. In the Soviet
era, the Ämari base housed two
naval assault aviation regiments
(the 321st and 170th MShAP),
equipped with Sukhoi Su-24s.
The base now hosts an air
surveillance wing, air operations
control centre, an engineering and
technical group, communication
assets and a support unit.
The Ämari air facility has been
the home of NATO’s Baltic Air
Policing mission since May 2014.
It has accommodation capacity
for the allied units that provide
Baltic Air Policing aircraft. The
Passenger Terminal allows military
flight processing and has a large
apron suitable for heavy transport
aircraft. Lt Col Fredi Karu, Deputy
Chief of Staff of the Air Force,
said: “Estonian Air Force efforts
focus on upgrading Ämari Air
Base to provide quality facilities
for the Baltic Air Policing units.”
Air surveillance
The Air Surveillance Wing was
founded in 1998, and the Air
Sovereignty Operations Centre
(ASOC) – the predecessor of the
current Control and Reporting
Centre (CRC) – was established in
2002. Initially, only air surveillance
was carried out, using civilian
radar and one P-37 Soviet radar.
But the following year a modern
TPS-77 radar, manufactured by
Lockheed Martin, was placed
into operation at Kellavere, in
northeastern Estonia, and in
2013, a Ground Master 403
radar – manufactured by Thales
Raytheon Systems – was
installed on the island of Muhu.
The TPS-77 was modernised
in 2014, and in January 2015,
a second GM403 was installed
at Tõikamäe, near Otepää.
Ämari Air Base is fitted with a
GCA-2020 radar that provides
three-in-one capability for
simultaneous airport surveillance
radar (ASR), secondary
surveillance radar (SSR) and
precision approach radar (PAR).
The positioning of the radars will
evolve as masks are created by
a large wind turbine deployment
zone, which disturbs coverage.
Tallinn CRC
Estonia is a member of the
NATO Integrated Air and Missile
Defence System (NATINAMDS).
With the implementation of
the Air Command and Control
System (ACCS), the Baltic states
(Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania)
decided to close the combined
CRC at Karmeleva in Lithuania
and establish three separate
national centres. The Estonian
CRC opened in Tallinn in January
2020. Air traffic controllers from
the nations that provide BAP can
be integrated within the CRC,
as the German ones do now.
Lt Col Karu said the Estonian
Air Force has no current plans
to acquire combat aircraft,
adding: “We want to improve
radar coverage and streamline
information exchanges with other
countries. We are also planning
to acquire medium-range
ground-to-air systems to
protect strategic assets.”
Current inventory
The Estonian Air Force has a
reduced number of aircraft. The
US donated four Robinson R44
helicopters in 2002 – two are
equipped as police vehicles and
carry a FLIR Ultra 8000 system, a
thermal camera and loudspeakers.
They were upgraded in 2012. The
other two helicopters are Clipper
variants with floats and are being
withdrawn without a replacement
solution being announced. Since
www.Key.Aero
 Above: The M28 Skytruck (ex-C-145A) is a twin-engine, high-wing aircraft
with twin vertical fins and a non-retractable tricycle landing gear capable of
short take-off and landings to unprepared runways. The C-145A can carry
a maximum of 16 passengers or ten paratroopers Right: The M28 Skytruck
can be equipped with a gyrostabilised camera installed at the aircraft’s rear
and a viewing console. The aircraft is equipped with an AIS system enabling
identification of the vessels Images Jean-François Auran, unless stated

In April 2021, two F-15E Strike Eagle

fighters participated in Exercise
Agile Liberty with the Estonian Air
Force Estonian Defence Forces

The Estonian Air Force has an air

base in Ämari that is constantly
updated to accommodate aircraft
from NATO countries. This picture
shows the base’s control tower
Estonian Defence Forces

2006, the Air Force has leased two Left: The Robinson R44 is a
L-39C Albatros jet trainers from four-seat light helicopter that has
been produced since 1992. Four
a Czech company for training. helicopters were donated to Estonia
These aircraft contribute to the by the US in 2002. The helicopters are
Air Controller and Joint Terminal equipped with two VHF/UHF radios
Attack Controller (JTAC) exercises. for communication with ground units
and/or other aircraft. The Estonian
The most imposing aircraft are the Air Force has started to retire this
two twin-engine M28 Skytrucks equipment Estonian Defence Forces
(ex-C-145As) donated by the US Below left: A radar installation,
Air Force in March 2019. Their equipped with the GM403 radar.
Members of the Estonian Defence
missions are maritime surveillance League guard this facility
and passenger or freight transport. Estonian Defence Forces
They can operate on short and Below: Ämari Air Base, as viewed
rustic runways and are equipped from above Estonian Defence Forces
with a retractable optronic device,
an operating console and an
AIS for maritime surveillance.
Whether or not Russian activity
increases, airspace violations
are regular – for example, on
August 9, a Russian Mil Mi-8 Hip
entered Estonian airspace for a
minute, alerting BAP aircraft.
Estonia may not wish to buy
fighters right now, but plans to
buy defence systems: Latvia and
Estonia signed a letter of intent
on June 30 and the latter has
also inked a contract with Poland
to deliver 100 Piorun short-
range air defence (SHORAD) grip
stocks and 300 missiles. Estonia
will soon have a complete anti-
aircraft defence system. afm

www.Key.Aero February 2023 // 71

Exercise
Report Falcon Autumn

Striking bac

For three weeks in November the Netherlands

was invaded by an enemy, one which had to be
repelled by a multinational NATO force. Ludo
Mennes reports on Exercise Falcon Autumn

An AH-64D Apache Longbow of the 12th

Combat Aviation Brigade arrives at the
Lt Gen Best Barracks for Exercise Falcon
Autumn Dutch MOD/Sgt Maj Schrik

72 // February 2023 www.Key.Aero

ack P
lanning for Falcon
Autumn began more than
a year previously and
was organised by the Royal
Netherlands Army 11th Air
Assault Brigade (AAB).
The latter consists of three
battalions and is a rapid
deployment light infantry unit,
capable of deploying worldwide
at short notice and executing
various missions such as crisis
management, counterterrorism
and peacekeeping. For example,
two days after Russia invaded
Ukraine last February, a part of
the unit was deployed to Romania
as a deterrent to possible
aggressors and to support
NATO’s allies in the region.
When the 11th AAB operates
together with the helicopters
of the Defence Helicopter
Command (DHC) of the Royal
Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF),
the unit becomes the 11th Air
Manoeuvre Brigade (AMB). Since
2014, the 11th AAB has also been
integrated into the Rapid Forces
Division (Division Schnelle Kräfte;
DSK) of the German Army.
More than 1,000 troops and 35
helicopters took part in Falcon
Autumn. The main objectives
were to train the interoperability
between NATO partners during
air assaults and sharpen the
mutual tactics, techniques and
procedures. Participating units
besides the RNLAF DHC were
the Dutch 11th AAB, the US Army
Europe 12th Combat Aviation
Brigade (CAB) stationed in
Germany, and the Polish Army
25th Air Cavalry Brigade.
The troops were supported
by 13 RNLAF helicopters (four
CH-47F MYII CAAS Chinooks,
A 12th CAB UH-60M Black Hawk picks up troops
after an air assault. The 12th CAB’s 19 helicopters
formed the backbone of the Air Task Force
All images Northern Skies Aviation unless stated
www.Key.Aero
A Polish Air Force Mi-8T Hip of the 1st Aviation Group. Polish forces took part
with three helicopters and the Polish Army’s 25th Air Cavalry Brigade
five AH-64D Apaches, two NH90
NFH, and two AS532U2 Cougars),
three Polish helicopters of the 1st
Aviation Group (two Mi-8Ts, one
Mi-8MT) and 19 US Army Europe
helicopters of the 12th CAB, 1st
Battalion, 3rd and 214th Aviation
Regiment (five CH-47F Chinooks,
eight UH-60M Black Hawks, and
six AH-64D Apaches).
The higher control of the
exercise lay in the hands of
the 11th AMB under command
of General Cas Schreurs,
commander of the 11th AAB
and his deputy commander
Commodore Robert Adang,
commander of DHC. Lieutenant
Colonel Roy Hemmelder,
commander of No 300 Squadron
RNLAF, acted as commander of
the Air Task Force (ATF) for the
Dutch and Polish helicopters. He
worked closely together with his
US counterpart of the Adjacent
Helicopter Unit, 12th CAB. Both
men operated closely together
with Lieutenant Colonel Laurens
van Heussen, the commander of
the 13th Infantry Battalion at the
Assen Army Barracks.
Exercise scenario
Lt Col Hemmelder explained
the rationale of this exercise:
“As NATO, our primary task is
to protect our own territory and
the territory of our partners. The
scenario of this exercise was
highly realistic considering the
situation in Eastern Europe.
“The Netherlands firstly acted as
a support nation for an operation
in the East, when suddenly it
was invaded from the North and
the enemy tried to block the
Rotterdam harbour. The enemy
forces were stopped around the
middle of the country, which was
the starting point of the exercise.
The coalition partners came
together in the “hinterland” under
an Article V scenario and fought
back to drive the enemy out of
the country.”
Lieutenant General Best
Barracks (formerly De Peel Air
Base) in the South of Holland
operated as staging area for
the expeditionary helicopter
force under the codename
‘Curling’. Here troops took part
in the reception, staging, onward
movement, and integration
(RSOMI) phases. Troops were
assembled, integrated into a joint
and combined force, and trained
under the combat enhancement
training/force integration training
(CET/FIT) phase during the first
three days of the exercise and
deployed forward. The CET/FIT
phase significantly develops the
parties’ ability for joint operating
and ensures seamless and safe
interoperable collaboration.
February 2023 // 73
Exercise
Report
It offers the participants
the opportunity to practise,
coordinate procedures and
build additional trust in one
another’s capabilities.
Lt Col Hemmelder continued:
“It was very important for us
to train the deployability of all
assets on such a large scale,
the multinational character
of the exercise made it very
valuable. The exercise was not
only about the assets, but also
about all forces working together
coherently. For this you have to
meet each other on the field
and in the air to train and
become better.”
The main stage for the air
assaults was in the north east
of the Netherlands. Due to the
distance to the operating areas,
forward refuelling points (FRP)
were positioned in the middle
of the Netherlands at Deelen Air
Base, the Ginkelse and Arnhemse
heath. Originally, Terlet Airfield
A Dutch AH-64D Apache receives fuel at Ginkelse heath. Crews were on a
seven-minute notice period to be ready to operate
74 // February 2023
Falcon Autumn
An RNLAF AS532U2 Cougar flies
low over the tree line – although the
exercise took place in November,
the weather was excellent Dutch
MOD/Sgt Maj Schrik
“It was very important for us to train the the planning phase and script
writing, but also in the execution
deployability of all assets on such a large scale; with maximum unity of effort.
the multinational character of the exercise made This exercise was not only
it very valuable.” Lt Col Hemmelder about interoperability on tactics,
systems and combined training,
was to be used as main stage for seven-minute alert. Three rapid but also on building a so-called
the FRP operations, the province refuel spots were created with habitual relationship, where trust
found it was unable to issue the a small fuel depot of 7,500 litres is key.” The American helicopters
necessary (peacetime) permits in with a link to additional, larger operated in combination with the
time and different locations had fuel tanks of 15,000 litres. Dutch and Polish helicopters, but
to be found. The US Army set up The US Army 12th CAB did not fly in mixed formations.
its own FRP at Deelen Air Base participated in Falcon Autumn Lt Col Hemmelder continued:
and only used this location for with a large contingent of “Mixed formations would not have
refuelling; the Dutch and Polish helicopters. Due to operational been an issue, as we have often
helicopters used Deelen, as well obligations, the Americans operated with the Americans in
as the other locations. participated for only half of the Iraq and Afghanistan. But the
For the main FRP location at exercise. Despite their shorter US Army during the script writing
the Ginkelse heath, a team of presence, all training goals were and planning phase of the
around 40 people (refuelling achieved and the US commander exercise requested to train within
crews, mobile air operations was very positive about the own formations initially. And
team members and fire brigade) quality of the exercise. within the available timeframe
were active during the exercise Lt Col Hemmelder added: we did not come to train flying
and constantly on standby. No “The co-operation between the in mixed formations. If we had
flight plans would be filed and three nations was outstanding. been given another week of such
helicopters could report directly, All commanders worked very superb training we probably
with the crew to be ready on a closely together, not only during would have.”
A formation of RNLAF NH90 NFH helicopters. The type, which was operated
for the first time in air assault operations, used Terma Modular Aircraft
Survivability Equipment (MASE) pods, visible near the side doors
www.Key.Aero

Air assaults
During Falcon Autumn, three
large-scale Level 5 (battalion) air
assaults were planned in the north
and west of the Netherlands to
train air assault operations, form
the different attack lines and
co-ordinate the land and air
assets under combat conditions.
All air assaults involved the
employment of more than 300
troops and multiple helicopters in
different waves.
Lt Col Van Heussen operated
as battlefield commander on
all large air assaults. For Level
4 (company) actions involving
around 100 troops, local
battlefield commanders remained
in charge of the operations and
co-ordination. In total, five Level
4 actions were planned and
executed during the exercise.
Lt Col Van Heussen gave an
insight for two of the three Level
5 air assaults: “The 11th AMB
was in charge of the planning of
www.Key.Aero
Lessons learned
NATO has been closely observing the
conflict in Ukraine in order to learn
important lessons from the battlefield.
For example, how unmanned systems
are being used, how the integration with
fire support assets is organised, how
the Air Force is integrated in operations
and how units operate and move during
operations. Likely scenarios were
This Polish Air Force Mi-8T Hip of embedded in the training objectives,
the 1st Aviation Group is seen on its for example the incorporation of cyber
way to pick up troops after an air attacks into the exercise. ‘Curling’ was
assault operation Dutch MOD/Sgt
Maj Schrik digitally attacked with viruses to monitor
the response. Communication lines were
almost constantly jammed, fake Wi-Fi
networks were activated to infiltrate,
and drones were flown over ‘Curling’
to test the awareness of not only the
the different scenarios, where
force protection, but all personnel in the
the helicopters supported our
exercise. Furthermore, new techniques,
actions. My unit, the 13th Infantry
which were already developed, were
Battalion, was tested to check
also integrated in the exercise. Examples
whether we are capable to
of which could be the use of battlefield
execute combat actions in the
images from unmanned systems’ real
whole spectrum, so we could be
time on the ground, integration of new
certified to deploy. During the
equipment, and the use of communication
different large scale missions, we
means over larger distances.
became an integrated task force,
One of the most important takeaways
consisting of different supporting
was the confirmation that multinational
units such as air defence units,
training is a necessity.
fire support, air traffic control
Lt Col Hemmelder elaborated: “This
etc. The main objective of the
exercise was not specifically about the
assault landings was to test the
conflict in the Ukraine, but all about the
procedures, the opposition forces
unity and resolve of our [NATO] alliance.
facilitated and tested us to reach
Our solidarity was obvious, but a safe and
our goals.”
effective execution of large-scale missions
For the seizure of the canal lock
in a complex mission environment never
at Ossesluis, around 400 Dutch
is. If we want to remain more successful
and Polish troops were flown in
than our potential adversaries we need to
to secure two different positions.
train and work together!”
The seizure was planned to
The situation in Ukraine, however,
last 90 minutes and the troops
makes the scenarios much more
succeeded in capturing it within
tangible. Every Sunday, Lt Col Hemmelder
75 minutes with the support of
organised a weekly mess hall meeting
unmanned systems, a contracted
Royal Netherlands Army troops
board a 12th CAB CH-47F Chinook
at Deelen Air Base for an air assault
operation Danny Reijnen
for all supporting staff, reviewing the
activities of the previous week and
discussing the actions and lessons
learned. One example of the link between
the scenarios and real life was the raid at
Ossesluis. The parallel with the situation
around the Ukrainian city of Kherson and
the importance of having control over the
bridges, was clearly underlined.
Another important conclusion was the
fact that a realistic training scenario is
key for a learning organization. Besides
the presence of opposing forces in the
field, the brigade also provided realistic
threats with air defence assets. These
assets such as the SA-24 Grinch, a
Russian-produced man portable
anti-aircraft missile system, and SA-8
Gecko, a surface-to-air missile system,
were provided and operated by members
of the Multinational Aircrew Electronic
Warfare Tactics Facility at the Polygone
range in Germany. Working to the adage
“crawl, walk, run” crews were debriefed
after the first large air assault operation
and confronted with the potential losses
due to these systems. This effect really
consolidated training efforts and resulted
in the necessary mindset change for
future missions and awareness.
Another aspect of realistic training
was the so-called spoofing and jamming
of communication of the helicopter
crews. With voice spoofing,
communication between crews has
previously been recorded and is used to
create chaos by sending out confusing
messages like “break right, break right”
in the middle of formation flights. It all
added to a more realistic training ground
for the crews.
The exercise proved very valuable
training for both the brigade and the ATF
staff. For the brigade, it was the first time
since 2018 that an exercise on such a
large scale had been organised. For the
ATF, it was the fact that the helicopters
were operating away from their home
base and all combat and service support
from the different squadrons like arming,
maintenance, refuelling, feeding and
communication had to be deployed. The
composite squadron staff proved to be
ready for a deployment and will be on
stand-by for possible deployments in the
coming six months.
Lt Col Hemmelder concluded: “The
international component and scale of
this exercise proved again how
important combined co-operation and
training really is. As a commander I
was very fortunate to run an ATF of
this size and capability. The joint and
combined operating of ground and air
forces during large scale air assault
operations proved extremely useful and
enables us act as the tip of the spear!”
February 2023 // 75
Exercise
Report Falcon Autumn
L-39 Albatros simulating fighter
aircraft support, and AH-64D
Apache helicopters providing
simulated fire support with their
canons and Hellfire missiles. A
bridge nearby, which had to be
captured by Polish troops, proved
a more difficult nut to crack.
Lt Col Van Heussen added: “The
scenario clearly proved what we
are taught from day one within
the brigade: always respond to
the situation and circumstances
as they come – an action almost
never runs according to the plan. Above: A German-operated PZL M28 Skytruck performs a simulated casualty evacuation minutes after Drachten airport
In this particular situation we had was declared operational as forward operating base. Capable of very short take-off and landing, it was less than five
planned different approaches minutes on the ground Below: A mixed line up of Dutch and Polish helicopters at Drachten airport. Their mission was to
to capture the objective, but attack enemy positions, blocking friendly forces on their way north
the enemy countered our plans.
With the use of fire support, we
created a window to successfully
seize the bridge.”
The battlefield commander
himself was part of the landing
force and co-ordinated the
assault from behind the first line
of attack from a small command
post in a ditch.
The assault on Drachten Airport
in the second week was a
multi-day/multi-stage operation.
On Wednesday evening around
400 troops were dropped off
by helicopters at different
spots surrounding the target,
successfully avoiding detection.
The troops repositioned towards operating base (FOB), after active in the area, blocking the unit the opportunity to land the
the airport during the night to take which a PZL M28 Skytruck friendly ground forces on their aircraft as rapidly as possible.
up their positions and attacked landed to perform a simulated way to the north. Overall, I‘m very pleased with
the objective by dawn with the casualty evacuation (CASEVAC) Lt Col Van Heussen explained: the outcome of this operation,
help of unmanned systems, and bring the first logistics “The objective of this mission was we had to secure an airport
simulated jet aircraft support and troops to co-ordinate the further not to conquer the airport itself, over a large distance in enemy
attack helicopters. out-of-area supply operation. but to get it operational as soon territory, which required a lot of
The objective was rapidly On Friday, the airport was used as possible, without too much planning. We clearly showed the
secured on Thursday morning as FOB for a mission which was damage to the runway. We were strength of our Air Manoeuvre
and the airport was declared flown from the airport to attack determined to offer our certified Brigade, fast deployment over
operational as the forward enemy positions still present and air traffic controllers within the large distances!” afm

“The objective of this mission was not to conquer the

airport itself, but to get it operational as soon as possible,
without too much damage to the runway.” Lt Col Van Heussen

Above: This scene at Deelen Air Base gives an excellent representation of the exercise, with incoming UH-60M Black Hawks of the 12th CAB and ground forces
preparing for their next mission Danny Reijnen

76 // February 2023 www.Key.Aero

 HELICOPTER

N
EW
GUNSHIPS AT WAR

!
Delivering devastating
firepower with pinpoint COMPLETE GUIDE TO MILITARY ATTACK HELICOPTERS

accuracy is the job of the NEW HELICOPTER

GUNSHIPS
helicopter gunship. After
their combat debut in the
Vietnam War of the 1960s, the
development of the fearsome
FROM THE MAKERS OF

AT WAR FROM THE MAKERS OF

platform has accelerated

and today’s versions field
GUNSHIP
advanced manoeuvrability, ACTION FROM
space age sensors, and Vietnam
CLASSIC
Gulf War ATTACK TYPES
powerful weapons. Afghanistan EXPLAINED
Ukraine AH-1 Cobra
AH-64 Apache
Helicopter Mi-24 Hind
Gunships at War looks at
the development of these rotary
aircraft from Vietnam to Ukraine, as well
as describing the elite units that operate
HELICOPTER GUNSHIPS AT WAR

them and the technology they incorporate.£8.99

The famous battles involving helicopterPLUS GUNSHIPS: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE
gunships are explored, showing how
they turned the tide of battle and
delivered victory when all
HISTORIES ARMAMENTS DEVELOPMENTS
seemed lost.
237/21

ORDER DIRECT ALSO AVAILABLE FROM

ALL LEADING NEWSAGENTS
AND

SUBS
CRI
CALL BERS

£8.99
Free P&P* when you order online at
shop.keypublishing.com/helicoptergunships
PLUS FREE P&P *
*Free 2nd class P&P on all UK & BFPO orders.
Overseas charges apply.

Call UK: 01780 480404

Overseas: +44 1780 480404
YOUR FOR
£
DISCO 2.00
UNT!

275/22

275 Helicopter Gunships at War FP.indd 104 18/07/2022 15:34:09

African drone warfare
HUNTING THE H
Unmanned aerial warfare has
become a major factor in third
world conflicts, as Al Venter,
who has just returned from an
assignment with a NATO Special
Forces counter-insurgency unit in
Central Africa, explains
D
rone warfare has taken off on
the African continent. More to
the point, it has taken less than a
decade for the dynamics of combat to
have undergone a systemic change.
While boots on the ground will always be
an indisputable component of contemporary
warfare, it is readily matched by close air
support and that’s as applicable today,
78 // February 2023
as much in Ukraine, as it is in many
of Africa’s Jihadist insurgencies.
Almost overnight, the unmanned aerial
vehicle (UAV) has become a major player
in just about every facet of conflict, both
urban and rural. There is barely a moment
when there is not at least one drone scouring
the streets of Mogadishu, Somalia.
Replacing the lookouts
Not that long ago, it was the eagle-eyed
look-out, usually perched on a high point
who prompted action. These days, the
UAV has all-but replaced the human
element as the almost indispensable
source of battlefield information.
Nigeria’s Boko Haram terror movement has
them – up-to-date versions like the ubiquitous
Chinese Da-Jiang Innovations, also known
as DJI and smuggled in from Asia. So has
al-Shabaab in Somalia. The only difference
is that the Somali terror movement has gone
‘upmarket’. Despite export restrictions, it has
somehow acquired an unspecified number of
US-built ScanEagle UAVs, long-endurance,
low-altitude drones built by Insitu,
a subsidiary of Boeing.
The ScanEagle platform carries a stabilised
electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) camera on a
lightweight inertial stabilised turret system,
coupled to an integrated communications
system and has a range of over 62 miles.
Comparatively larger than most amateur
versions, the ScanEagle’s wingspan
is just over 10ft (3.1m) with a length of
4.5ft (1.4m). Remarkably versatile, it can
operate at up to 80kts (92mph/150km/h).
Drones used by most militant groups have
typically fallen into the categories of hobbyist
and mid-size military drones, owing to their
www.Key.Aero
 US-built MQ-9A Reaper
drones have proven ideal for
spotting attack insurgent
elements during the ongoing
Operation Barkhane in the
Sahel All images Al Venter
Archive unless otherwise stated
E HUNTERS
www.Key.Aero
ready availability and the lower costs. Islamic
State (IS) has mainly used drones in the former
category, like DJI, while insurgent forces such
as Hamas, Hezbollah and the Yemeni Houthis
have deployed modified versions of the Ababil,
Qasef and Sammad drones, the majority are
of Iranian origin. Indeed, Iran has also become
a major player in the supply of combat
drones to Russia in its war with Ukraine.
Counter-insurgency drones
What has become increasingly clear to
strategists on both sides of the Atlantic
is that the UAV issue has become a
serious factor for future insurgencies, in
the Middle East and Africa especially.
As the Royal United Services Institute
recently declared: “While militant groups
are unlikely to come into possession
of larger, hi-tech stealth drones, the
technological threshold is decreasing and the
accessibility of technology is increasing.”
So too have most of the world’s military
switched to tactical UAVs, exemplified
by a development that took place in the
Central African Republic prior to the author
spending ten days embedded with a crack
NATO parachute unit manning that country’s
Rapid Reaction Force in October 2022.
This 180-man Portuguese unit, which
operates under the auspices of the United
Nations Multidimensional Integrated
Stabilization Mission in the Central African
Drone recce
then attack
While I was embedded with a NATO air detachment
unit in Mali during October 2021, there were
several reports of enemy drone activity, usually
– it was eventually deduced – immediately prior to
Jihadist attacks of specific targets. Thus, if a drone
appears over a village or outpost, it is fairly certain
that an attack would follow within a day or two.
Interestingly, there were several enemy drone
reconnaissance flights over Bamako, the Mali
capital, during my stay. These were surmised to be
connected to the al-Qaeda-linked AQIM, because
their forces are now extended far enough west
from the main operational areas in which their
units were formerly involved.
Airmen from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, having
brought in equipment to an airfield near the
US drone base at Agadez, Niger
February 2023 // 79
African drone warfare
The US drone base at Agedez, Niger Republic
Republic (MINUSCA), launched one of the
biggest counter-insurgency operations earlier
last year, from July 11 to August 13, 2022.
The Joint Area Dominant Mission involved
a combat force of 120 Paras travelling
with another 40 support personnel in 40
vehicles across often near impassable
roads and requiring 12 days of jungle
travel to reach the hostile objective.
The main combat force consisted of 22
Spanish newly developed VAMTAC armoured
personnel carriers, this being their first test
under wartime conditions. Other vehicles
included six 8x8 Pandur II armoured
personnel carriers (APCs), with five-ton
Unimogs making up the balance. It is
notable that the force included eight cooks,
two doctors, a pair of nurses, as well as
three paramedics.
Casualty evacuation was planned for by
the UN Hip stationed at Bangui and on call.
Additional resources included Bangalore
Torpedoes to eradicate roadblocks, usually
large trees felled across the route, as well as
40mm grenade launchers and 60mm mortars
which several times fired white phosphorus
Pumas at the Foreign
Legion operational base
in the Sahel
80 // February 2023
shells to provide useful smoke cover.
Drones clearly became an invaluable asset
throughout – with the column sometimes
extending over long distances and under
constant threat of ambush. Handled properly
as a hand-in-glove combination, the UAVs
were able to observe the terrain both ahead
and on both sides of the route for an enemy
presence. Also, judging from some of the
video recordings, made live in the field, it
was clear that hostile actions throughout
made the mission extremely hazardous.
In the aftermath of every contact that
took place during the month-long sortie,
the enemy force regarded removing their
dead and wounded a first priority.
The routine was inviolable, with section
leaders constantly on the look-out for
clearings from which drones could be
launched. Once a likely site was found,
crews always remained either at their
guns in the turrets or in their vehicles
until the area had been covered
by reconnaissance flights.
Throughout, the Portuguese Rapid
Reaction Force employed a range of
drones that included Raven BBDLs, as
well as MAVIC Pro 2 and Pro 3 UAVs.
Game-changing drones
While the basics of insurgencies and
guerrilla warfare on the continent of Africa
might not have radically changed from
four or five decades ago, the fundamental
methodology involved certainly has, with
the drone emerging as a game-enhancer.
For the best part of a decade, sophisticated
US-built Reaper drones were – and still
are – deployed, primarily for intelligence,
surveillance and reconnaissance.
Almost overnight many countries have
become involved in drone warfare, with
Turkey’s Bayraktar TB2, a medium-altitude,
long-endurance (MALE) unmanned combat
air vehicle (UCAV) capable of remotely
controlled or autonomous flight operations.
Having given Ukraine the edge in its battle
with Russia, the company is now exporting
them in quantity to several West African
countries involved in Jihadist conflicts.
Indeed, the demand is so great with
TB2 orders from half a dozen states,
www.Key.Aero
Baykar Defence is having difficulty
keeping up with demand. The drones are
monitored and controlled by an aircrew
in a ground control station, including
weapons employment. The development
of this UCAV has been largely credited to
Selçuk Bayraktar, a former Massachusetts
Institute of Technology graduate student.
France is not alone in conducting drone
operations in the Sahel. Other European
players have provided intelligence support
to the UN mission in Mali, known as
MINUSMA, since 2014. Sweden and
the Netherlands have deployed small,
unmanned craft like the ScanEagle and
Puma AE, whereas Germany has sent
several leased Heron 1 UAVs to Mali’s Gao.
So too with Israel and China. Some of
Beijing’s UAVs have been spotted in the
hands of rebel Jihadist movements, often
hovering over towns and villages in Mali,
the Niger Republic and Burkina Faso.
Similarly, US Predators and Reapers have
participated in counterterrorism, counter-
insurgency, and counter-crime operations
across the region for close to a decade.
With regard to Africa, which is proving to
be a valuable testing and training ground,
those wars continue since aviation is an
integral part of the efforts of peacekeepers,
insurgents and allied troops. The role drones
play is increasing because they are effective
and relatively cheap. At the same time, the
success rate in combating terrorism in regions
like the Sahel and Africa’s Horn does not
come cheap. Drones are expensive to acquire.
For all that, unmanned combat air vehicles
have made an impact: they are much
feared by insurgent forces because the
majority of strikes are made when there is
no sight or sound of the devices, some of
which operate at a height of 50,000ft.
The first recorded armed drone attack
by militants that was successful took
place in 2006. Hezbollah struck an Israeli
warship with a fixed-wing drone rigged
with explosives. Since then, weaponized
drone activity has increased significantly.
Drones in West Africa
Drones entered the theatre of West African
counter-insurgency operations almost
from start, first with the earlier generation
EADS Harfang, followed by the US-built
Reapers and other European UAVs.
The Harfang, formerly known as Système
Intérimaire de Drone, was a UAV system used
by the French Air Force, having supplemented
the RQ-5 Hunter. Among its first missions in
Mali was the filming of the French Foreign
Legion’s para-drop over Timbuktu, followed
by helping to drive AQIM Jihadist forces
out of Tessalit, one of Mali’s northernmost
towns close to the border with Algeria.
Drone surveillance over the Niger
River, east of Bamako, Mali. The war
has crept much closer to the capital
since the Americans left Afghanistan
Helicopter support
in Mali
While the debate with regard to the efficacy of using
drones goes on, there is no question that successful
strikes tend to cause serious problems within the
insurgent command structure. Prevalent are suspicions
as to how the French were made aware of the presence
of those subversives they sought to eliminate; their
leaders especially. From the start of Mali’s Operation
Serval in 2013 – leading into Operation Barkhane,
which recently ended following France’s withdrawal
from Mali – counter-terror operations against AQIM and
Islamic State (as well as their allies) would never have
achieved the results they did without the extensive array
of airborne assets progressively deployed by the French
and its allies.
Of all the most recent African insurgencies, none have
been as helicopter-orientated as that launched by
France in the West African state of Mali in 2013. France
and its coalition allies in this Jihadist war have come a
long way since then. From fighting totally on its own
and achieving remarkable results, the French
recaptured most of the towns taken by the rebels within
weeks. As a consequence, today there are more than
20 countries involved in the Sahel region. The aircraft of
about a dozen countries have joined in the effort though
the majority are transport planes.
The first weapons offloaded from giant USAF C-17
and chartered Antonov An-124 transports at Bamako,
the Malian capital, were French four-bladed Tigre attack
helicopters and Aérospatiale Gazelles. Indeed, helicopter
gunships as well as the larger utility SA330 Pumas
(followed by Eurocopter Super Pumas and AS532
Cougars) have all played significant roles in keeping
Jihadist heads down in a vast, embattled African region
larger than much of Europe.
In Mali’s war, there were several dozen helicopters
involved in hostilities that include Tigres, Caimans,
Pumas, Cougars, Gazelles as well as Chinooks, with
nearly 5,000 personnel supporting the operation.
However, with France withdrawing its forces from that
country, these will be moved to other participating G5
nations, notably Niger, Burkina Faso and Chad.
Three Royal Air Force Chinook HC5s arrived in Mali in
July 2018, their designated role to transport supplies
and personnel for French and other military forces,
followed by three Canadian CH-147F and five CH-146
Griffon helicopters. Having said that, nobody knows for
certain whether these helicopters will remain
operational in this African insurgency.
Bamako’s revolutionary leaders, all military, having
fallen out with France, also went on to alienate other
European supporting nations, including Denmark and
Germany, largely at the behest of Russia’s mercenary
Wagner Group.

Jihadist leader
Abdelmalek
Droukdel was
killed in what
was believed
to be a French
drone airstrike
on June 3, 2020

Timbuktu Air Base in 2016

showing drone displacements

www.Key.Aero February 2023 // 81

African drone warfare
Routine surveillance of
ground targets along
the Niger River involving
a Portuguese Air Force
C295 while the author was
embedded with the unit late
2021
Initially, Harfang UAVs active in Mali
operated from Niamey, in neighbouring Niger
– together with several American MQ-9s
that were then ‘helping out’ as an interim
measure. The Harfangs, retired in 2018, have
since been replaced by American and other
UAV systems. The first RQ-5s were spotted
operating in West Africa in early 2014.
Altogether a dozen Reapers have since
been ordered by the French, the last was
scheduled to enter service by the turn of
the decade.
These extremely sophisticated machines
are hardly lightweights. The Harfang
MALE UAV weighs more than a ton,
has a wingspan of 17m and a length of
more than 9m. It operates over target
areas at a speed of about 200kph.
In contrast, the huge American MQ-9A
Reaper weighs in at almost five tons, is
more than 11m long and boasts a wingspan
of more than 21m, incorporating several
features that make it look deceptively like the
MQ-1 Predator. Reaper is fitted with six hard
points and can carry almost three quarters
of a ton of weapons which can include a
pair of air-to-ground missiles or two 227kg
smart bombs (either laser- or GPS-guided).
The essential data here is that while both
drones are geared to 24 hours of in-flight
autonomy, the Reaper is twice as fast and
attains altitudes double that achieved by
the Harfang. France, finding itself having to
dispense with its older UAVs, sold them to
Morocco for counter-insurgency operations
on the fringes of the Western Sahara.
A Hellfire R9X strike in June 2020 in
Idlib Province, Syria. Note the multiple
clean cuts in the body of the car
82 // February 2023
Operational drone control – as with American
UAVs active in the Middle East, Somalia,
or Yemen – is manual and handled at an
extremely advanced level. All of Reaper’s
pilots were originally familiarized with the
Harfang and are former aircrew, mostly fighter
pilots. Similarly, drone combat navigators
are tasked as their sensor operators.
Giving strike on the cheap
Drones have featured in many African
conflicts in recent years, with South
Africa having produced its own variants
for their security services for decades.
I was involved in one extensive operation
along the coast south of Durban – drug-related
and involving locally manufactured drones
– almost 30 years ago. In other insurrections
more recently, the United Arab Emirates
has supplied Chinese-built drones to its ally
General Khalifa Haftar in Libya’s brutal civil war.
Similarly, drone strikes have played a key
role in recent conflicts, helping bolster the
Addis Ababa government’s position in the
face of attacks from TPLF (Tigray People’s
Liberation Front) rebels, the Ethiopian
government getting its drones from Turkey
and Iran. The Addis Ababa government is
also reported to have access to Chinese Wing
Loong II UAVs, again with UAE assistance.
According to Paul Scharre, Director of Studies
at the Center for New American Security,
the proliferation of these systems looks set
to continue, with China as by far the leading
exporter of armed drones worldwide. He
said that: “commercial drone technology is
AGM-114 Hellfire missiles attached to
an MQ-1 Predator drone
so widely available that anyone could build
a crude DIY attack drone for a few hundred
dollars, and some terrorist groups have.”
He added that the UAV’s decisive impact
is no surprise because they give a country
an air force ‘on the cheap’, with China
leading the world in drone exports.
Collateral-free Hellfire R9X
“Photos showed a gaping hole through
the roof of the car, with the interior of the
vehicle and its occupants very literally
shredded,” read the news report.
The nature of the weapons being used
against Jihadist insurgent forces in West Africa
is notable and now also involves the Hellfire
R9X missile, basically a modified version of
the anti-tank weapon developed in the 1980s
and later enhanced numerous times, especially
after the 9/11 attacks in New York city to
target individuals.
These precision-guided missiles can be
mounted on helicopters and are in use in
combat around the world. More than 100,000
Hellfire missiles have been sold, both in the
US and other countries, according to
Ryan Brobst, an analyst at the Foundation
for the Defense of Democracies, a
Washington-based think tank.
Originally dubbed the ‘Knife bomb’ or the
‘Ninja bomb’, the R9X has been described
rather quaintly as ‘an anvil that falls from
the sky at full speed!’ Specially designed
and developed by the CIA, its operational
details remain secret, though it has been
described in the books as a “Kinetic Hellfire
www.Key.Aero

Harfang operations started
by the end of January 2013
and ended by summer 2016
Jean-Marc Tanguy
R9X with no warhead, just blades that
swing out to kill moments before impact.”
One source explained that it is fitted with a
six-bladed non-explosive missile for pinpoint
airstrikes that kill terrorist leaders and other
enemy targets including vehicles and that it
is specifically designed to reduce damage
and minimise collateral civilian casualties.
Effectively, the weapon is designed to
plunge more than 40kg of metal through the
tops of cars, trucks, and buildings without
harming individuals and nearby property.
The existence of such a missile was first
mentioned in March 2017, when senior
Al-Qaeda leader Abu Kheir Al-Masri was
killed by a drone strike while travelling in
a car in Syria. Photos showed a gaping
hole through the roof of the car, with the
interior of the vehicle and its occupants
very literally shredded. The front and rear
ends of the car were left completely intact.
This weapon has been operationally
deployed in several other wars as well,
including those in Libya, Syria, Iraq,
Yemen, and Somalia, though none
have received the kind of publicity
that followed the Kabul attack.
Throughout, its nature and operational
parameters remain restricted, especially
with regard to it eventually being used
against Russian forces in the Ukraine War.
It would seem logical to employ R9Xs in
that war since Russia regularly sends its
Ptero-type as well as Lancet kamikaze
drones against Ukrainian forces. As one
observer wryly noted: “What’s good for the
The first Reaper system was delivered to
Niamey Air Base at the end of 2013. The
French Air and Space Force operates two
systems from Niger (and two in France).
Two UAVs have been lost in Niger Jean-Marc
Tanguy
www.Key.Aero
El-Zawahiri –
killed by an R9X
drone strike
While the death of al-Qaeda Supremo Ayman
el-Zawahiri, killed in a R9X missile drone strike in
Kabul last August made headlines, there has been
almost no coverage of similar attacks involving the
use of UAVs by the French in West Africa.
There, with American-supplied MQ-9 Reapers
deployed, one Jihadist leader after the other has
been liquidated. The latest, also by an R9X missile
which employs the novel development involving
six-bladed missiles instead of explosive devices.
These effectively slice through metal to dissect
their targets which are almost always human.
Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi, the head of Islamic
State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), a Jihadist group
leading hostilities in Mali was killed recently while
goose might also be ideal for the gander.” leading a motorcycle attack against government
This new generation of drones are forces. His dismemberment by a Hellfire missile
manufactured by General Atomics in full view of his accomplices abruptly ended
Aeronautical Systems Inc (MQ-9 Reaper the onslaught.
and the MQ-1C Gray Eagle) and are the only Al-Sahrawi had a $5m reward on his head
UAVs publicly known to carry the Hellfire offered by Washington. That came because he
missile. Also notable is the fact that the organized an attack on United States Green Berets
response to several recent enquiries about ambushed in the Niger Republic in 2017, killing four,
its use to the Pentagon have been to refer plus many of the local African troops in
queries to US Special Operations Command their detachment.
(the prime purchaser of the missile), which The event, big news at the time, is referred to
then customarily refuses to comment. as the Tongo Tongo disaster. France’s President
More than 29 entities have the Hellfire Macron did not explicitly say that his anti-insurgent
missile, but little is acknowledged or publicly Task Force Barkhane in Mali had been assisted by
known about the modified version. intelligence from Washington in having Walid
An interesting aside about the al-Zahawiri al-Sahrawi liquidated, but sources in Paris and in
attack in Kabul is that two R9X missiles Africa confirmed that was the case.
were simultaneously launched to ensure that American intelligence had previously assisted
success. In Mali’s war, in contrast, where a in numerous raids carried out by French Special
succession of Jihadist leaders have been Forces, intensified from 2018 onwards. Some of
killed in airborne strikes, drone-launched these involved insurgents who had taken part in
missiles are usually fired singly. Obviously, the Tongo Tongo attacks, after which, American
cost is a major factor in their deployment, weapons as well as a vehicle were recovered. Last
since they are inordinately expensive. June, French drone strikes killed 40-plus fighters
travelling in column on motorcycles near Niger’s
border with Burkina Faso.
In 2019, during my earlier deployment to the
Central African Republic, the unit to which
I was attached was tasked with searching
for a French drone that had gone down in
the jungle in the north-west, where the
Portuguese commando force was operating.
It was no easy task – the fighters spent
time and effort in the hunt and the drone
was eventually recovered. afm
February 2023 // 83
Retirement
Report Swiss PC-9

Target
achieved
Above: PC-9s over the Alps returning
from a mission in November 2011
All photos Philippe Rey unless stated

The Swiss Air Force has withdrawn its last Pilatus PC-9 returns from a towing mission
PC-9. Philippe Rey reflects on its illustrious career at Sion AB; fitted with an RM-24
and the end of its aerial target-towing operations

A
fter 34 years of service
and 28,698 flight hours,
the Swiss Air Force
finally retired the Pilatus PC-9
from active service in mid-
December 2022. These aircraft
had been acquired to replace the
ageing fleet of C-3605 Schlepp
and de Havilland Vampire Mk 6 in
the role of target towing aircraft
and simulated target for training
for Ground Base Air-Defence
(GBAD) troops.
The Swiss Air Force first leased
two PC-9s from the Pilatus
factory for various tests; these
two airplanes received the
provisional registration A-795
and A-797.
Eventually, the Swiss Air Force
purchased 12 PC-9s in three
batches from 1988 to 1994,
which were registered C-401 to
C-412.
Painted in a high-visibility yellow
and black livery, the PC-9s
served in Zfl St 12 (Zielflugstaffel
12, No 12 Target Squadron),
the majority of whose pilots are
militiamen and have reached the

84 // February 2023 www.Key.Aero

age limit to fly combat aircraft.
The squadron used the RM-12
target towing pod that was later
replaced by the RM-24 pod. This
system enables a target to be
towed 900m behind the aircraft.
For other missions, a laser beam
reflector device could be carried
under the wing.

Electronic warfare
Some PC-9s were equipped to
carry the jamming pod Vista 5
(Ericsson Erijammer A-100) for
electronic countermeasures
(ECM) training for the benefit of
GBAD troops or other combat
aircraft. These aircraft displayed
the insignia of Staffel 24 on
the nose at the same time as
that of Zfl St 12. Staffel 24 is a
former independent squadron
specialised in ECM missions that
was integrated into Zfl St 12.
In 1998, the C-404 was lost after
a mid-air collision between two
PC-9s; one pilot was killed. Since
2020, the RM-24s have been
withdrawn from service while the
Vista 5 pod is only used by some
two-seater F-5Fs.
The PC-9 fleet will not be
replaced. Pointing missions for
GBAD troops are taken over by
Pilatus PC-7s. Pilatus PC-21s may
also be engaged in the future for
specific mission profiles. afm

Top right: F-5F departing Sion Air

Base for an ECM mission, a Vista
5 pod under the left wing and a
counterweight under the right wing

Right: PC-9 fitted with a Vista 5 ECM

pod under the right wing. A power
pod is on the left wing. Sion AB

Far right: PC-9 equipped with an RM-

24 towing a target. The target can be
towed 900 metres behind the PC-9
Swiss Air Force

PC-9 with one de Havilland Vampire MK 6 used

for target acquisition missions. The Vampires
were withdrawn from service in June 1990.
The PC-9 is equipped with an RM-12 pod, later
replaced by the RM-24 pod
H R Dubler

A PC-9 flying with a

civilian C-3605 Schlepp

www.Key.Aero February 2023 // 85

Aircraft
Report
Himalayan
The four HAL Light Combat
Helicopter (LCH) prototypes fly
together in formation. The first of
them completed the type’s initial
flight in March 2010 HAL
L
ast October, the Indian Air
Force (IAF) inducted its first
indigenously developed
gunship, the Light Combat
Helicopter (LCH), into operational
service with the air arm’s newly
established 143 Helicopter Unit at
Air Force Station (AFS) Jodhpur;
marking a major milestone in
Indian aviation history. The IAF is
scheduled to operate a total of
70 LCHs – now formally known
86 // February 2023
HAL Light Combat Helicopter
as the Prachanda (‘Fierce’ in
Hindi) – across seven helicopter
units. Having already taken
delivery of four helicopters, the
IAF is due to receive another
four by March and the remaining
two before the end of 2023.
The LCH joins two iconic attack
helicopters in IAF service: 22
Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardians
– deliveries of which concluded
in 2020 – and a declining
number of Russian-made Mil
Mi-35 Hind-Es. The IAF also
operates armed versions of the
Mi-171V/V-5 Hip-H and Hindustan
Aeronautics Ltd’s (HAL) Dhruv
utility helicopter (Mk IV Rudra
Weapon System Integrated).
HAL’s LCH is also the first attack
helicopter to be delivered to
the Indian Army Aviation Corps
(IAAC), which also received its
first example in October last year,
and was scheduled to receive
another before the end of that
month, following its appearance
in Gandhinagar for DefExpo
India 2022. These rotorcraft join
an estimated 75 Rudra armed
helicopters already serving with
IAAC units. The army will deploy
its LCH fleet on India’s eastern
borders – these helicopters feature
a jungle camouflage pattern, which
is different from the IAF’s variant.
www.Key.Aero
n Predator India’s Light Combat Helicopter entered service in October 2022 after a lengthy
development campaign. Atul Chandra has followed the programme since the
prototype’s maiden flight and provides details of this unique attack helicopter

Alongside the new LCHs, the load to 14,000ft is unmatched by

IAAC will operate the AH-64E, with
six examples ordered from Boeing
in February 2020 and deliveries
set to take place in 2024.
The LCH will provide the Indian
Armed Forces with an attack
helicopter that can land and take
off from 15,000ft. According to Wg
Cdr Unni Pillai (ret’d), HAL’s chief
test pilot (rotary wing), the LCH’s
ability to carry its full weapons
any other helicopter, anywhere in
the world. The new gunship will
also fill an important void within
the Indian Armed Forces for
engaging adversary UAVs. Fighter
aircraft are too fast to intercept
S Anbuvelan, CEO of
UAVs, while the other helicopters HAL’s Helicopter Complex,
in the IAF (except the Apache) are poses for a photo next to
too slow. “The LCH exactly fills this the third LCH prototype at
slot with its speed and mix of guns the company’s facility in
Bengaluru, India Atul Chandra
and missiles,” the wing commander

www.Key.Aero February 2023 // 87

Aircraft
Report HAL Light Combat Helicopter
Two ‘Prachanda’ LCHs conduct
said. Another important attribute
a low flypast over AFS Jodhpur
of the LCH is its speed – up to during the attack helicopter’s
280km/h – and rate of climb – to service induction ceremony on
20,000ft in only six-and-a-half October 3, 2022 IAF
minutes when operating from
Leh in the summer (depending
on how it is configured).

New entrant
The air force and army are
both inducting Limited Series
Production (LSP) examples of the
LCH. The procurement of 15 LSP
LCHs was approved last March
by the Cabinet Committee on
Security (CCS), which is led by
Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
These helicopters are being
procured at a cost of 39 billion
Indian rupees (US$480.5m) plus
IR3.8bn ($46.8m) for air force
and army base infrastructure.
The IAF will receive ten of these
helicopters and the IAAC five.
The only differences between the
army and air force versions of
the LCH are the subsystems and
weapons, which are customer be a gap of at least two years the subsystems or sub-assemblies The LCH became the first attack
specific. The LSP helicopters between the completion of needed for the LCH programme helicopter to land at forward bases
will allow HAL to obtain user delivery of the LSP helicopters to reduce its production cycle in Siachen over the course of a
feedback and make any changes and commencement of delivery of time and costs. The first 15 LSP long and rigorous trials campaign
before it starts series production. series production LCHs,” he said. examples will have an indigenous undertaken by the IAF and IAAC.
In an earlier interaction with Series production helicopters content of about 45%. For series
AFM, S Anbuvelan – CEO of will be based on the breakaway production helicopters, HAL plans High altitude deterrent
HAL’s Helicopter Complex – fuselage concept and be split into to up that level to 60%. “You The LCH prototypes participating
said the LCH and Light Utility different modules, for which HAL can expect greater participation in these trials landed at bases and
Helicopter (LUH) will play major is developing Indian vendors for from Indian companies, which landing pads located at altitudes
roles in the growth of Helicopter supply of these structural modules. will reduce our dependency on of approximately 15,500ft, with a
Complex in the decades to come. HAL is also looking to outsource foreign sources,” Anbuvelan said. payload of 1,102lb (500kg). About
Anbuvelan says he is confident of
attaining the desired production “I would expect that there would be a gap of at least two years between the
rates for the LCH to meet air
force and army requirements. “I completion of delivery of the LSP helicopters and commencement of delivery
would expect that there would of series production LCHs” S Anbuvelan, CEO of HAL’s Helicopter Complex
The IAF’s first HAL LCH (serial
ZF4831) – which is assigned to
143 Helicopter Unit – lifts off from
AFS Jodhpur during its induction
ceremony on October 3, 2022
Shrey Chopra

88 // February 2023 www.Key.Aero


the LCH’s high-altitude operation
capability, Wg Cdr Pillai said the
helicopter has to perform in ‘hot-
and-high’ conditions in places like
Leh, where the temperature can
reach 34°C: “The density goes
down so much. It is actually like
being at 14-15,000ft altitude
when we are flying from Leh
at these temperatures. This is
almost like operating somewhere
along the glacier and this is
our starting point. No other
country designs helicopters for
operations at these altitudes as
they have no requirement for
something like this,” he said.
The challenges for helicopters
operating at such high altitudes
are reduced engine power, rotor
thrust and rotor control power,
which translates to reduced
payload and manoeuvrability.
Simply increasing the engine
power may not suffice, as the
weight of a more powerful engine
would negate the increase in
rotor thrust and while the rotor
system might be capable of
generating more useful thrust,
its rotor control power in the thin
density air at these high altitudes
can become the limiting factor.
These design constraints are
particularly severe for armed and
attack helicopters operating at
such high altitudes as weapons
employment becomes challenging,
due to the need for an agile
platform that allows the pilots to
aim and release the armament
within a pre-determined envelope.
The ability to undertake precision
www.Key.Aero
The final design of the LCH’s cockpit
canopy is clearly evident in this
image, along with its rather
spacious cockpit layout
– which helps enhance
situational awareness
for crews
Atul Chandra
strikes are also a key consideration
for combat operations in the
Himalayas. For example, if a 1,000lb
bomb misses a target in the plains
by 25 yards, it would still achieve
considerable damage to the target.
However, in the mountainous terrain
of the Himalayas, even missing
the target by a few yards would
not leave any impact due to the
undulating terrain and masking
effects of the hill features.
Helicopters operating
at high altitudes are also A close-up of the LCH’s stub
wings fitted with a twin-launcher
severely restricted in terms of
carrying MBDA’s Mistral AAM and
manoeuvrability, Wg Cdr Pillai a Thales 2.75in (70mm) 12-tube
said, as the operating envelope rocket launcher Atul Chandra
continuously reduces with
the altitude. “For example, if I
can get into an 80° bank in a
helicopter at low level, at 10,000ft
you would be restricted to
40°. Now if you go to 15,000ft,
you’re restricted even lower.”
Most helicopters on the global
market are designed for European
or American conditions, he said,
adding that they don’t cater
for operating at International
Standard Atmosphere +30
(ISA+30), which is what is
needed in India. “We know our
conditions, so we design our
aircraft to meet those conditions
and the LCH and LUH are doing
even better than we expected.”
The LCH is armed with MBDA’s
Mistral air-to-air missile (AAM),
The sleek lines of India’s
70mm unguided rockets and a new ‘Prachanda’ (LCH)
chin-mounted 20mm cannon. attack helicopter will
Interestingly, all of the LCH’s become a familiar sight
over the Himalayas in
main armament (as are its
the years to come IAF
engines) are sourced from French
February 2023 // 89
Aircraft
Report HAL Light Combat Helicopter
companies and are also common
to the Rudra. The LCH will be
able to defend against airborne
threats with its AAMs, which
can also engage moving ground
targets. The LCH carries two
‘twin launchers’, allowing it to
carry four infrared-guided, high-
speed, fire-and-forget Mistral
AAMs. MBDA was contracted in
2006 to qualify the AAM on the
Rudra armed helicopter. Rather
surprisingly, the LCH does not
yet appear to have an anti-tank
guided missile (ATGM) integrated.
Nexter Systems is supplying its
THL 20 turret fitted with a 20mm
M621 cannon, which has an
effective range of up to 2,000m
and an average rate of fire of
750 to 800 rounds per minute.
Nexter began delivering THL 20
turrets for the Rudra programme
in 2011. The LCH can also carry
four 2.75in (70mm) 12-tube rocket
launchers, which are supplied by Above: A ‘Prachanda’ crew from the IAF’s 143 Helicopter Unit stand next to their steed during the type’s induction
ceremony on October 3, 2022. Note that the crew members are wearing helmets mounted with monocle sight systems
Thales under an order placed in Angad Singh Right: The slim front profile of the LCH is evident in this image of the helicopter in the hover. Note its
2018. These composite rocket empty ‘twin-launchers’ under each stub wing, which can be fitted with MBDA Mistral AAMs and two 2.75in (70mm)
launchers are 50% lighter than 12-tube rocket launchers Angad Singh
traditional metal ones and Thales
is supplying its T100 Helicopter
Aiming and Firing Head-Up
Display system as part of the deal.

Homegrown needs
The LCH completed its first flight
in March 2010 and the twin-engine
5.8-tonne attack helicopter has
been indigenously designed and
developed by HAL’s Rotary Wing
Research and Design Centre
(RWRDC) in Bengaluru. The LCH
has been specifically designed
for high-altitude operations.
The need for a high-altitude
attack helicopter arose after
the​Kargil War in 1999, during
which the IAF found its armed
Mi-17 helicopters unsuitable for
operations in the Himalayas and
its Mi-25/35 Hind D/E attack
helicopters were unable to operate
in that terrain. The loss of an
Indian MiG-21 and Mi-17 early on
in the conflict resulted in the IAF
withdrawing its armed helicopters
and employing its fighter
aircraft outside the envelope of
Pakistan’s Stinger man-portable
air defence systems (MANPADS).
HAL proceeded in earnest with
designing a dedicated attack
helicopter after receiving revised
requirements from the IAF in 2002 Mean machine! Head on with
and displayed the first full-scale India’s new fearsome gunship
mock-up of the proposed helicopter on the ground at AFS Jodhpur.
This platform is optimised for
at Aero India 2003. The IAF issued high-altitude operations and will
its air staff requirement (ASR) for be largely employed over the
an indigenously developed attack mountainous Himalayan regions
helicopter in August 2003 and the of India IAF

90 // February 2023 www.Key.Aero

 acceptance of necessity (AoN)
for the programme was accorded
in January 2006. HAL also took
into consideration the operational
deficiencies and technological
gaps experienced by the IAF while
conducting combat operations
with Hind gunships. These were
related to non-existent high-altitude
performance, limited agility, a large
radar cross-section (RCS) and
complex maintenance issues.
The formal go-ahead for the LCH
programme was given by the CCS
in October 2006 and HAL began
work with an outlay of IR3.76bn
($46.2m). The first full-scale
mock-up of the LCH – more akin
to the helicopter we know today –
was displayed at Aero India 2007.
After the maiden flight of the first
LCH Technology Demonstrator
(TD-1) in March 2010, the second
(TD-2) took to the air in June
2011, then TD-3 in November
2013. Finally, TD-4 – the closest
to LSP configuration – completed
its first flight in 2015. HAL had
initially projected that the LSP
versions of the LCH would
enter production in 2013, with
initial operational clearance
(IOC) to be attained in 2014!
HAL’s key considerations in
the design of the LCH were
manoeuvrability, agility, lethality
“We know our conditions, so we design our aircraft to meet those conditions
and the LCH and LUH are doing even better than we expected”
Wg Cdr Unni Pillai (ret’d), HAL Chief Test Pilot (Rotary Wing)
www.Key.Aero
and speed, with battlefield
survivability and crashworthiness
being the other key concerns.
It also went to great lengths to
ensure the LCH has a reduced
cross-sectional area. In-fact, the
RCS of the LCH is one-third that
of the Dhruv utility helicopter.
HAL has also fitted infrared
suppressors to the LCH. The
gunship is also equipped with
a laser warning receiver (LWR),
radar warning receiver (RWR) and
a missile warning receiver (MWR),
as well as armour protection for
pilots against small arms fire.
According to HAL officials,
several key technologies of the
LCH, like its glass cockpit – which
is called the Integrated Avionics
and Display System (IADS) – and
its composite airframe structure
have been fully indigenised.
The LCH shares a high degree
of commonality with the Mk III
and Mk IV variants of the Dhruv
Advanced Light Helicopter
(ALH), which all use Ardiden 1H1
‘Shakti’ turboshaft engines. These
engines are manufactured in
India under licence from Safran
Helicopter Engines of France.
In fact, HAL could be the first
aircraft manufacturer in the world
to use the exact same engine
variants between two different
helicopters in the LCH and Dhruv
Mk III/IV. Even the engine control
software is exactly the same. As
a result, a Shakti engine can be
taken from a Dhruv helicopter
and put into the LCH. This will
reduce the need of spare engines
between the fleets and have a
significant effect in lowering the
life-cycle costs of both platforms.
The Ardiden 1H1 Shakti engine
has five modules, and they are
fully modular. This means that if
an engine requires repair, only
the module concerned needs
to be sent for repair. A spare
module can be used to rebuild
the offending engine and only
vibration and leakage testing
needs to be done with no other
maintenance before the engine is
cleared for flight. These changes
can take place at the field level.
However, much work needs to
be done by HAL before the LCH
can be declared a success.
With LSP orders for only 15
helicopters in total, HAL needs
to ensure that this small fleet
is maintained at a high level
of readiness. Maintaining the
necessary stocks of spares with
quick turnaround time for user
requests for support is key to
engendering user confidence
in this new platform. afm
February 2023 // 91
Just a
Nice Pic

A pair of Croatian Air Force MiG-21bis-Ds are about to be given the go-ahead to proceed, after their cannons were made safe on September 3, 2021. The
upgraded Cold War jets had just returned from a live firing exercise on the Eugene Kvaternik range near Slunj, Croatia. As well as using their cannons, they had
also each dropped a pair of VAB-250 concrete practice bombs. More recently, a pair of QRA jets flew on December 28, the first MiG flights since the crash
on December 6. A QRA pair also flew on January 3 – the first flights of the year. Although just the UMDs are temporarily grounded, it has only been those
two QRA scrambles that have flown since Chris Lofting

92 // February 2023 www.Key.Aero

 MILITARY TRANSPORTS

N
EW
AND FORCE MULTIPLIERS
This eagerly awaited translation
NEW ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO TODAY’S HEAVY LIFTERS
of a best-selling special from
Spanish aviation giants Avion
MILITARY
TRANSPORTS
Revue lifts the lid on the big
lifters of the military world.
The 116-page publication is an
indispensable guide to military AND FORCE MULTIPLIERS
TANKERS
transports and force multipliers. Airbus A400M
Boeing
KC-46
Airbus
Lavishly illustrated with more A330 MRTT

than 200 images and with

Leonardo
C-27J
assistance from every leading
builder, Military Transports
details the Airbus A400M,
STRATEGIC
Lockheed Martin’s C-130J and TRANSPORTS
Airbus

Leonardo’s C-27J, as well as

£.8.99
A400M

22
Lockheed Martin
C-130J
Embraer’s KC-390, Boeing’s KC-

MILITARY TRANSPORTS
Embraer
KC-390

46 and a host of others. TACTICAL TRANSPORTS

Leonardo
C-27J
Airbus
C-295

Latest reports on
In addition to Russian, Chinese, and
Ukrainian types
the western framers,
there is a section on Antonov AN-178

the rival designs from

Russian and Chinese
builders.

ORDER DIRECT ALSO AVAILABLE FROM

ALL LEADING NEWSAGENTS
AND
SUBS
CRI
CALL BERS

£8.99
YOUR FOR
£
DISCO 2.00
PLUS FREE P&P * UNT!
*Free 2nd class P&P on all UK & BFPO orders.
Overseas charges apply.

Free P&P* when you order online at Call UK: 01780 480404
shop.keypublishing.com/militarytransport Overseas: +44 1780 480404

463/22

463 Military Transports Special FP.indd 104 02/11/2022 08:53:19

 Attrition
Report
Serious B-2A Spirit
accident at Whiteman
A US Air Force Northrop
Grumman B-2A Spirit was
involved in an incident on
December 10 that caused damage
to both the aircraft and the runway
at its home airfield, Whiteman Air
Force Base in Missouri.
The aircraft involved was
82-1068 ‘WM’ Spirit of New York
operated by the 509th Bomb
Wing’s 13th Bomb Squadron
‘Fear the Reaper’. It was engaged
in a routine operation from
Whiteman when it experienced
an in-flight malfunction. Details
of the nature of the problem
have not been disclosed, but
the aircraft was able to return to
Whiteman and make a successful
emergency landing.
There were no personnel
injuries, either to the crew or
anyone on the ground. However,
the B-2A was damaged on the
runway and the tarmac was
also damaged, resulting in the
base’s sole runway being closed
with the stricken B-2A still
blocking it. There was also a fire
associated with the aircraft after
landing, which was extinguished
by the base fire department.
In an update from the 509th
US Air Force B-2A Spirit 82-1068 ‘WM’ Spirit of New York taking off from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, during a base exercise n April 9, 2014. This was
the aircraft involved in the accident at Whiteman on December 10. 2022 USAF/Senior Airman Bryan Crane
94 // February 2023
Subscribe to www.Key.Aero
for breaking news stories. E-mail the news
team at editor@airforcesmonthly.com
BW on December 20, the unit
said that, at the direction of Air
Force Global Strike Command,
Whiteman AFB implemented
a safety stand-down “in order
for a safety investigation to be
conducted on the aircraft. The
B-2 fleet can be flown if directed
by the commander in chief to fulfil
mission requirements”.
Safety investigation boards
convened immediately following
the aircraft incident, consisting
of specialists who provide
technical expertise to prevent
future mishaps. The team is
currently conducting an extensive
inspection to determine the root
cause of the event.
The base said that the Whiteman
AFB runway will reopen once
debris has been cleared and B-2
operations will resume at the
conclusion of the safety stand-
down. “We're exercising due
diligence to ensure the continued
safety of our airmen and our
aircraft," said Col Daniel Diehl,
“Team Whiteman remains the cornerstone
of national security. We are ready and
prepared to answer our nation’s call.”
509th Bomb Wing commander.
“Team Whiteman remains the
cornerstone of national security.
We are ready and prepared to
answer our nation’s call.”
The incident is under
investigation and further details
will be released upon completion
of the official investigation.
A notice to airmen (NOTAM)
released by Whiteman after the
accident said the runway would
be closed for the rest of the week.
The NOTAM was later extended
to say that it would be closed until
the end of the year, while another
NOTAM issued on December 16
said that Taxiway Bravo at the
base would also be closed until
December 31. Satellite imagery on
December 18 showed the stricken
B-2 still blocking the 12,400ft
runway, while images taken from
outside the base showed it resting
on its port wing.
Once recovery crews had
cleared the runway, it was finally
reopened for flying operations
on December 21. This enabled
the resident A-10C Thunderbolt
IIs of the 422nd Fighter Wing
and T-38A/C Talons of the 13th
BS and 394th Combat Training
Squadron to resume normal
flying operations. However, at
that time, the 20-strong B-2 fleet
remained grounded, but the
aircraft could be flown if directed
by the commander in chief to
fulfil mission requirements.
Because the incident is still under
investigation, the Wing is not
releasing further information and
can give no indication as to when
the B-2 fleet will resume flying.
With only 20 aircraft in the
B-2 fleet, the loss of an aircraft
is significant. It is unknown
whether the Spirit of New York
is repairable. To date only one
B-2A has been written-off – on
February 23, 2008, when Spirit
of Kansas crashed on take-off at
Andersen Air Force Base, Guam.
On September 14, 2021, Spirit
of Georgia was badly damaged
during an emergency landing
at Whiteman. However, a year
later, it was flown to Plant 42 in
Palmdale, California, for a full
rebuild and return to service.
www.Key.Aero
 Accident Reports
D: Oct 14
N: US Marine Corps
T: MV-22B Osprey
While on final to Marine Corps Air
Station Miramar, California, the
aircraft suffered an engine fire, but
was able to land safely without
injury, although it sustained burn
damage, resulting in the US Naval
Safety Center categorising it as a
Class A mishap, indicating more
than $2.5m of damage.
D: Oct 28
N: Ukrainian Air Force
T: Spaitech Sparrow UAV
Pro-Russian fighters of the
Petrovich PMC shot down this
UAV in the Posad-Pokrovske
sector of Ukraine’s Mykolaiv-
Beryslav region. It came down
substantially intact.
D: Nov 2
N: Russian Air Force
T: Eleron-3 UAV
Ukrainian forces shot down this
UAV on Ukraine’s southern front.
D: Nov 8
N: Russian Air Force
T: Orlan-10 UAV
This reconnaissance UAV fell to
the ground during a mission over
Ukraine’s southern front and was
captured intact by the Ukrainian
28th Mechanised Brigade.
D: Nov 18
N: Ukrainian Air Force
T: Mi-24P
The wreckage of this helicopter
were found in Ukraine although it
is unknown when it was lost.
D: Nov 21
N: US Navy
T: F/A-18F Super Hornet
A blown tyre on take-off from Naval
Air Station Oceana, Virginia, resulted
in considerable fuselage and engine
damage, although the aircraft
recovered back to the airfield
successfully with injury to the two
crew members. However, damage
was such that the Naval Aviation
Safety Centre classified the mishap
as a Class A incident, indicating at
least $2.5m of damage.
D: Nov 22
N: Iraqi Army Aviation Corps
T: Bell 407
Following a technical malfunction,
this helicopter crashed neat
Al Jalsiya, Saladin province,
sustaining substantial damage. All
three crew were injured.
D: Nov 22
N: US Navy
T: F/A-18E Super Hornet
While on a sortie from Naval Air
Station Oceana, Virginia, the
aircraft had an in-flight engine
www.Key.Aero
The Black Hawk was able to make
a safe emergency landing on a
helipad adjacent to the water
without further damage or injury.
D: Nov 26
N: Russian Air Force
T: Zala VTOL 421-16E2 UAV
This UAV was damaged beyond
repair when it crashed near
Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast,
Ukraine. The wreckage was
recovered by Ukraine forces.
D: Nov 27
N: Egyptian Air Force
T: Unidentified fighter
During a routine training flight,
the aircraft crashed following a
technical malfunction. Both pilots
ejected safely.
D: Nov 27
N: Indonesian Police
T: NBO-105CB
S: P-1103
While flying near the Bangka
Belitung Islands en route
from Pangkalan Bun,
Central Kalimantan, to HAS
Hanandjoeddin Belitung
International Airport, contact with
the helicopter was lost. There were
four people on board and a search
was under way in the area where it
Above: A Russian Air Force Eleron-3 UAV after being shot down by Ukrainian was thought to have gone down.
forces on November 2 on Ukraine’s southern front Ukraine armed forces
D: Nov 28
fire. Although it landed safely, T: UH-60L Black Hawk N: Russian Air Force/47th
without injury to the pilot, it was S: 1091 Composite Aviation Regiment
categorised as a Class A mishap, All four main rotor blade tips T: Su-34
indicating more than $2,5m-worth were damaged when they made S: ‘Red 22’/RF-95005
of damage to the aircraft. brief contact with the sea at an Wreckage of this aircraft was
D: Nov 24 unspecified coastal location found on this date after being shot
N: Mexican Air Force during a low-level training flight. down at some point earlier in the
Above: US Air Force LC-130H Hercules 76-3301 from the New York Air National Guard’s 109th Air Wing/139th Airlift
Squadron departs from Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station for McMurdo Station after being repaired on the open
ski-way between November 23-25 in sub-zero temperatures. The aiircraft was stranded at the South Pole following a
routine supply mission when a cable controlling the elevator on the tail broke USAF
February 2023 // 95
 Attrition
Report
Above: Croatian Air Force MiG-21UMD serial number 165 operated by the 191st Fighter Squadron was lost after it
crashed into uninhabited forestland on December 6 Chris Lofting
autumn in the Kupyansk area of
Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine.
D: Nov 29
N: Bangladesh Air Force/Flying
Instructions School
T: Nanchang PT-6
S: 6102
A minute after take-off from Arulia
Airport, Bugura, the aircraft force-
landed nearby at around 1035hrs
local time, coming to rest on its
belly. Both crew members, Group
Captain Mahbub and Squadron
Leader Halimur, escaped serious
injury. Extent of damage to the
aircraft is unknown but is thought
to be repairable.
D: Nov 29
N: Ukrainian Air Force
T: Bayraktar TB2
The wreckage of this UAV was
found destroyed near the Ingulets
River, Nikolaev-Krivoy-Rog. It is
unconfirmed when it crashed.
D: Nov 29
N: Russian Air Force
T: Orlan-10 UAV
S: 12999
This reconnaissance UAV was
downed on Ukraine’s eastern front
with relatively little damage.
D: Nov 29
N: Russian Air Force
T: Orlan-10 UAV
S: 11312
Ukrainian forces captured this
reconnaissance UAV in Ukraine
after it had crashed with little
damage. It had been assembled
from several different examples,
including the port wing of 11312.
D: Nov 30
N: Ukrainian Air Force/16th
Brody Army Aviation Brigade
T: Mi-8MTS
The wreckage of this helicopter
was found on this date in
Zaporitzhya although it is
unclear exactly when it crashed.
Equipment at the site suggested
96 // February 2023
Subscribe to www.Key.Aero
for breaking news stories. E-mail the news
team at editor@airforcesmonthly.com
the pilots may have survived.
D: Dec 1
N: Russian Air Force
T: Orlan-10 UAV
S: 13365
Ukrainian forces destroyed
this reconnaissance UAV near
Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast.
D: Dec 1
N: Ukrainian Air Force
T: ITEC Skif
S: c/n AK6
Russian troops shot down this
reconnaissance UAV in Ukraine’s
eastern front with apparently
little damage. This was the first
recorded loss of the type.
D: Dec 1
N: US Marine Corps/VMFA-121
T: F-35B Lightning II
S: 169617 ‘VK-00’
After making a precautionary
emergency landing at Kadena
Air Base, Japan, the aircraft was
Above: Royal Danish Air Force AW101 Mk 512 M-514 from Eskadrille 722 at
Flyvestation Karup being towed near Holstebro on December 12 after making
an emergency landing the previous week in the Holstebro training area due
to a fire indication in one of its three engines. Unable to be repaired on site,
it was slowly towed back by road at 6mph to the workshop at Karup, where
further investigation will be carried out RDAF
being towed away when the nose
undercarriage collapsed. The
aircraft did not appear to have
sustained any serious damage.
D: Dec 2
N: Russian Air Force
T: MiG-31
Shortly after take-off for a training
flight the aircraft was seen to
be on fire in mid-air, belching
black smoke as it flew over the
Vladivostock-Ussuriysk highway,
after which it crashed almost
vertically into a hill in a deserted,
forested area near the village of
Alekseyevka, Primorsky Krai. Both
crew members ejected safely.
D: Dec 4
N: Russian Air Force
T: Ka-52
The Ukrainian Dnieper anti-aircraft
missile brigade of Air Command
East shot down this helicopter at
around 1400hrs on the eastern
front. The fate of the crew is
unconfirmed.
D: Dec 4
N: Russian Air Force
T: Su-24M
S: ‘48 Blue’/RF-93798
The wreckage of this aircraft
was discovered in the vicinity
of Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast,
Ukraine, after being shot down
by the Ukraine Army. Both crew
members were killed.
D: Dec 4
N: Russian Air Force
T: Orlan-10 UAV
S: 11383
This reconnaissance UAV was
badly damaged when it was shot
down by Ukraine forces at an
unspecified location.
D: Dec 5
N: Russian Air Force
T: Tu-22M3
S: ‘02 Red’/RF-34110
During an attack on Ryazan-
Dyagilevo Air Base at 0630hrs
local time, this aircraft was badly
damaged. Three ground crew
were killed and five injured.
A modified Ukrainian Tu-141
reconnaissance UAV is believed to
have carried out the attack.
D: Dec 5
N: Russian Air Force
T: 2 x Tu-95MS
These aircraft were reported
destroyed during an attack
on Engels-2 Air Base, Saratov
region, on December 5. A Ukraine
Tu-141 UAV strike is also thought
responsible for this strike.
D: Dec 6
N: Croatian Air Force/91st Wing/
191st Fighter Squadron
T: MiG-21UMD
S: 165
This aircraft was lost in a crash
in an uninhabited forest area
between Daruvar and Slatina,
northern Croatia, after suspected
engine failure. Both pilots ejected
safely. The aircraft was on a four-
ship training flight involving two
target aircraft, callsigns ‘Vitez
03’ and ‘Vitez 04’, plus two QRA
aircraft, callsigns ‘Knight 01’ and
‘Knight 02’, of which the accident
aircraft was one of the targets.
After a period of bad weather this
was the first Croatian MiG-21 flight
in two weeks.
D: Dec 6
N: Turkish Air Force/Turkish
Stars/134 Filo
T: NF-5A-2000
Following a bird strike that
resulted in engine failure, the
aircraft crashed at Konya Air Base.
The pilot ejected safely using his
Martin-Baker T16J ejector seat
www.Key.Aero
and was taken to hospita,l where
he was said to be in good health.
This made 7,685 lives saved with
Martin-Baker ejection seats.
D: Dec 9
N: Russian Air Force
T: Su-25SM Frogfoot
After the pilot had been unable
to lower the undercarriage, the
aircraft made a belly landing in a
shower of sparks at Primorsko-
Akhtarsk Air Base. In order to stop
as quickly as possible, the pilot
deployed the drag chute, but it
was reported that the aircraft still
sustained considerable damage,
although the pilot was unhurt.
D: Dec 11
N: Ukrainian Air Force
T: Mi-8
This helicopter was destroyed
when it was shot down during
a combat mission in the area of
Kostiantynivka, Bakhmut, Donetsk
Oblast. Both crew members,
Pidpolkovnyk Maksym Fedorov
and Leytenant Vladyslav Levchuk,
were killed.
D: Dec 12
N: Ukrainian Air Force
T: A1-SM Furia UAV
S: ACM226260
Russian forces downed this UAV
near Lyman, Donetsk Oblast,
Ukraine. It was captured with
significant damage.
D: Dec 13
N: Italian Air Force/37º
Stormo/18º Gruppo
T: F-2000A Typhoon
S: MM3707 ‘37-01’
Above: New production US Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II 170061 on its nose alongside Runway 36 at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth in
Texas, after its accident while making a vertical landing on December 15 Henry Ham
www.Key.Aero
Above: This Ukrainian Air Force A1-SM Furia UAVACM226260 on display after
being brought down by Russian forces near Lyman, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine,
on December 12 Russian armed forces
While returning to its home airfield
at Trapani at around 1830hrs local
time following a training flight with
a second example, the aircraft
was destroyed when it crashed
in open fields approximately
5 miles (8km) southeast of the
runway threshold. The pilot
was killed. An Italian Air Force
HH-139A search and rescue
(SAR) helicopter from the Trapani-
based 82° Centro Combat
SAR (Combat SAR Group) was
deployed and a notice to airmen
(NOTAM) was released to close
the airfield and operations in the
surrounding area. As Trapani is
also a civilian airport, multiple
civilian flights had to divert due
to the released NOTAM. The pilot
lost in the crash was identified by
the aAir force the following day as
33-year-old Capt Fabio Antonio
Altruda of 18° Gruppo.
D: Dec 15
N: US Marine Corps
T: F-35B Lightning II
S: 170061
While making a vertical landing
on Runway 36 around 1015hrs at
Naval Air Station Joint Reserve
Base Fort Worth, Texas, the
aircraft appeared to continue to
generate a considerable amount
of thrust after touchdown. This
resulted in it bouncing back into
the air with the tail end pitched
up, causing the nose to dig into
the ground and snapping off the
nose undercarriage. The aircraft
spun round through 180º on its
nose, apparently out of control,
then spun 45º in the opposite
direction, as a result of which
the pilot elected to eject using
his Martin-Baker US16E ejection
seat, before it came to rest in the
grass adjacent to the southwest
side of the runway. His condition
was not immediately known.
Martin-Baker said that this was
the 7,686th life saved by one of
the ejection seats. Lockheed
Martin said it was investigating
the cause of the crash. The
Pentagon said the aircraft was
a new production example that
had not been transferred to the
military and was being flown by a
US government pilot.
D: Dec 16
N: French Air and Space Force
T: Grob G120A-F
S: F-GUKO
While carrying out a spin
departure exercise, control was
lost and the aircraft was destroyed
when it crashed near Saint-
Jean-d’Agély, east of Églises-
d’Argenteuil, Charente-Maritime.
The instructor and student pilot
baled out safely. The aircraft
was on a training flight from
Base Aérienne 709 Cognac-
Châteubernard, where the type is
operated under contract by Airbus
Flight Academy Europe. afm
Additional material from: Henry
Ham and Scramble/Dutch Aviation
Society Abbreviations:
D: Date, N: Nationality, U: Unit,
T: Type, S: Serial
February 2023 // 97
Next
Issue

A year of war AirForces Monthly analyses and reviews the first 365 days of the Ukraine-Russia
War and highlights some of most decisive moments of the conflict so far

NEXT
ISSUE
The March issue
will be on sale from
February 16,
2023*

• Resurrecting the Phantom

Iran remains the largest remaining operator of the F-4
Phantom. AFM explains how the Islamic Republic of Iran
Air Force manages to repair and upgrade its damaged and
ageing F-4 Phantom IIs given the limited resources available

• Gateway to Europe
With RAF Mildenhall’s future now more than secure, AFM visits the
base in Suffolk. We detail how the USAF's 'gateway to Europe' has
retained its strategic importance and explore the ongoing operations
of its resident KC-135R, RC-135V/W, CV-22B and MC-130J units

• Exercise Falcon Strike

Exercise Falcon Strike 2022 is Europe's first fifth-generation
fighter exercise. AFM talks to the people involved in this ground-
breaking event

Top: An Su-35S Flanker-E shot down by a Ukrainian surface-to-air missile over

• Plus the best round-up of military aircraft
news of any aviation magazine anywhere,
including the continued coverage of the
Ukraine-Russia War
Izium, 120km southeast of Kharkiv, Ukraine. It marked the first confirmed loss
of a Russian Su-35S in the conflict Ukrainian MOD
Above: This Iranian F-4E (serial 3-6598) had burn damage to its structure and
fuselage panels repaired by the F-4 overhaul centre. It is pictured at Mehrabad
International Airport, Tehran, on February 18, 2012 Babak Taghvaee
* On-sale date may vary by region. Content subject to change

98 // February 2023 www.Key.Aero

 The World’s Fastest Growing Aviation Website

Join us
online
C R I B E
SUBS Y!
TODA

GREAT REASONS TO SUBSCRIBE

“
h
In-dept d “
an
content lity • In-depth articles, videos, quizzes and more,
high-qua phy with new material added daily
a
photogr • From historic and military aviation to
Stew commercial and simulation – Key.Aero has it all

“ Well wor
the mon h
Andy
t
ey
“ • Exclusive interactive content you won’t
find anywhere else
• A fully searchable archive
“
“
• Access to all the leading aviation magazines
A great
place for • Membership to an engaged, global
aviation geeks! aviation community
Kenneth • Access on any device – anywhere, anytime

www.key.aero
Subscribe FROM JUST £5.99
for unlimited access 497/21

497_KeyAero_NewGeneric_A4_FP.indd 1 07/12/2021 10:21:34

 D a s s a u l t A v i a t i o n • S a f r a n • T h a l e s

OMNIROLE
PEMA2m - Photo F. Robineau - Dassault Aviation

Rafale carries out different complex combat assignments simultaneously. This makes it different
from so-called “multirole” or “swing-role” aircraft. Higher systems integration, advanced
data fusion, and inherent low observability all make Rafale the first true omnirole fighter.
Able to fight how you want, when you want, where you want. Rafale. The OMNIROLE fighter

DGI_Omnirole_Uk_210-275_2016-09-13.indd
A4 Full Page_converted.indd 1 1 21/09/2016
22/12/2022 14:40
12:35:36