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FREE EUROPEAN FIGHTER BASES POSTER

FLAVORS OF JAM CHINA’S ELECTRONIC WARFARE FLEET AIMS FOR TAIWAN

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Above: Lockheed Martin announced on July 13 that the newest and most advanced Fighting Falcon, the F-16 Block 70, completed major assembly in June and is in the final phase of systems installation before heading to final assembly and checkout. Both Bulgaria and Slovakia are concerned about delays to their Block 70 deliveries Lockheed Martin

INTERIM AIR-TOAIR CAPABILITIES FOR EUROPE?

A

s nerves fray over Vladimir Putin’s aggression in Ukraine, central European countries are getting apprehensive about their air defenses. Both the Bulgarian and Slovakian air forces are growing concerned because the deliveries of their new F-16 Block 70s, ordered in November 2018 and July 2019 respectively, are being delayed. While Lockheed Martin has cited COVID-19 issues with suppliers, some more cynical pundits – including one of the customers – is suggesting that the real reason is that the new F-16 line at Greenville, South Carolina, was not ready. Slovakia is not expected to receive its first new mounts until late 2024 (originally 2022-2023), with Bulgaria following in 2025 (originally 2023-2024) .

Both countries are currently operating Russian-built MiG-29s. but with sanctions against Russia in place, spare parts and logistical support are now very difficult to come by. Their retirement is now in sight, possibly as soon as mid-2023. Sources in Bulgaria are telling me the authorities are now looking at an interim solution for a basic air-to-air capability, with up to 18 new or second-hand Gripen C/Ds, delivered within 18 months of contract signature. Meanwhile, countries like the Czech Republic could also be needing an interim capability if they go for the F-35A. Over the past year or so, Lockheed Martin has racked up more than 200 F-35A sales – if all the contracts are signed – from Canada (88), Finland (64), Germany (35) and Switzerland (36). The big question now is how long will these countries need to

wait for their aircraft? The Luftwaffe is expecting them by 2030, optimistically, while Finland is expecting to get theirs between 2025-2030, Switzerland between 2028-2030 and there is speculation Canada won’t get F-35As in country until after 2030. This is all relevant, because the Czech Air Force currently operates leased Gripen C/ Ds in a deal that expires in 2027 (although it could be extended by two years) and is looking increasingly likely to go for the F-35A instead of the Gripen C/D/E/F option. If the Czechs do go for F-35As and want up to 24 jets, could they end up needing an interim solution too? Alan Warnes, Group Editor at Large Visit our website at www.key.aero/combataircraftjournal Contact the team at [email protected]

www.Key.Aero // September 2022

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September 2022 • Vol 23 • No 09

IN THE NEWS Second Iwakuni-based F-35B squadron declares full operational capability Broadarrows retires its Orion maritime patrol aircraft Maiden flight of Korea’s KF-21 Boromae Canada places order for A330-200s to undergo MRTT conversion USAF’s 48th FW unveils new heritage F-15E

26 Gunships vs IS US Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopters played a crucial role fighting Islamic State during Operation Inherent Resolve in Syria in 2014. Tim Ripley lifts the lid on operations

32 Not so Little Rock! Little Rock Air Force Base in Arkansas is the largest C-130 base in the world and is the home of US Hercules training. Curt Jans pays a visit to this super-base and talks to the personnel serving with the 19th AW

38 Flavours of jam

46 Jim Haseltine

David Axe reports on Taiwan’s air defense networks and China’s efforts to suppress it

86 USMC

40 Collision course A USCongressional hearing has been told that military pilots have recently had several close encounters with unidentified flying objects. Rob Coppinger investigates these ‘near misses’

46 Target on its back! The A-10C ‘Warthog’ still has a vital role to play, years after the USAF planned to ditch it, writes Tom Kaminski

56 Anatolian Eagle 22 As Anatolian Eagle 22 comes to an end, Chris Lofting highlights the best from the annual Turkish exercise

SEE PAGE 99 FOR FULL DETAILS

58 European fighter review Our sister magazine, AirForces Monthly, and its extensive network of correspondents and contacts recently ran a 53-page feature on European fighter forces either serving NATO or as an ally. Combat Aircraft Journal has summarized the coverage into two features. In part one we cover Austria to Italy; next month, part two will look at Netherlands to the UK

68 Lobos on patrol With the ageing Lockheed Martin P-3 Orion commonly being replaced by the Boeing P-8A Poseidon, Joe Campion reports on how the Portuguese Air Force and its fleet are proving the maritime patrol legend is still worthy of its role

72 Pelican State wings Tom Kaminski continues our state report series, exploring Louisiana, nicknamed the Pelican State

80 Lightnings of the north Giovanni Colla reports on the deployment of four F-35As Lightnings from Italy’s Aeronautic Militare to Keflavik Air Base in Iceland for the third time

86 New COD on the block It has only been two years since the US Navy received its first new carrier onboard delivery aircraft. David Isby reports on its progress

92 False dawn Finding a new tanker for the USAF was never going to be an easy process. David Willis details the highs and lows of the Northrop Grumman/ EADS North America KC-45A in the KC-X program

68 Joe Campion

94 Dusts of Krivolak The Swift Response 22 military exercise took place in May along the eastern flank of NATO, highlighting the ability of the US and its Allies to conduct near-simultaneous airborne operations from the Arctic Circle to the Balkans. Igor Bozinovski focuses on the role in the event being played by North Macedonia

97 Laser tanker David Axe reports on DARPA’s request for information for the USAF to deploy an airborne refueling capability via laser on UAV platforms

72 Ted Carlson

ON THE COVER Cover image: A 51st Fighter Wing/25th Fighter Squadron A-10C from Osan Air Base in South Korea spits out flares. It is the only ‘Warthog’ unit based outside CONUS Jim Haseltine

KAI FLIES KF-21 BORAMAE PROTOTYPE KOREA AEROSPACE Industries (KAI) has carried out the maiden flight of its indigenously developed fifth-generation KF-21 Boramae multirole fighter. The prototype, serial number 001, took to the air for the first time on July 19 from KAI’s facility at Sacheon in South Korea. It took off at 1540hrs local time carrying four dummy MBDA Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles semi-recessed under the fuselage. After testing basic low speed handling at around 215kts, it landed back at Sacheon at 1613hrs. The sortie had been planned for the morning but was delayed until the afternoon when weather conditions were better. It was flown by Major Ahn Jun-Hyeon, a test pilot assigned to the Republic of Korea Air Force’s (ROKAF’s) 52nd Test and Evaluation Squadron, who is part of the Korean Fighter Integrated Test Team. Two KAI T-50s acted as

chase planes for the initial sortie. Once it had been determined that it was safe for flight after a series of ground tests, approval was given for this to take place at a First Flight Readiness Review Meeting in June. Taxi tests then began at Sacheon on July 5. The prototype had been publicly unveiled at the Sacheon factory over a year ago, on April 9, 2021, and has since been undergoing extensive ground testing. At the unveiling, it was also officially designated the KF-21 (having previously been referred to just as the KF-X) and formally named the Boramae, which translates roughly as Fighting Hawk. Aircraft 001 is the first of six flying prototypes (including a pair of twinseaters) that will be used in the development program. There are also two static test airframes. Series production of the KF-21 for the ROKAF is planned to begin in 2026, at which point the system development program, which

Another view of the KF-21 first flight showing the four mock-up Meteor BVRAAMs mounted semi-recessed under the fuselage. Installation of weapons, even mock-ups, is somewhat unusual for a maiden flight DAPA

will include 2,200 flight tests, various performance tests and confirmation of suitability for air-to-air weapons, is due for completion. The ROKAF plans to acquire 120 KF-21s by 2032 to replace its fleets of aging F-4E Phantom IIs and F-5E/F Tiger IIs. The first 40 KF-21s will be in a Block 1 configuration, including full air-to-air and limited air-to-ground capability, enabling

initial operational capability to be achieved. This will include integration of the Diehl Defence AIM-2000 (IRIS-T), JDAM, LJDAM, Meteor and the indigenously developed KGGB guided bomb. The remaining 80 aircraft will be to Block 2 standard, and are to be delivered from 2028. They will have full air-to-ground capability to allow the aircraft to have full operational capability.

Above: The indigenously developed KF-21 Boramae multirole fighter prototype, serial number 001, takes off on its maiden flight at Sacheon in South Korea on July 19 S H Chang

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NEW LAKENHEATH F-15E HERITAGE SCHEME

UK-based US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle 92-0364 from the 48th Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk, UK, flies through the Mach Loop in Wales on July 14 while en route to the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire. The aircraft had been unveiled at Lakenheath two days earlier newly painted in a special heritage scheme that celebrates 70 years of flight operations by the Liberty Wing, 80 years of USAF Europe and the USAF’s 75th anniversary Simon Pearson Cougill

RCAF ORDERS TWO SECOND-HAND A330-200S FOR MRTT CONVERSION CANADA’S DEFENSE Minister Anita Anand has announced that the country has finalized a contract to acquire the first two aircraft for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) that will replace and renew the capability currently fulfilled by the CC-150 Polaris fleet and will later become part of the Strategic Tanker Transport Capability (STTC) fleet. The announcement on July 14 added the contract for procurement and preparation of two second-hand Airbus A330-200 aircraft, manufactured in 2015, was awarded to International AirFinance Corporation and is valued at US$102m. Since 1992, the CC-150 Polaris has provided the majority of air-toair refueling for the RCAF’s fighter fleet. This capability has seen extensive use at home and abroad, including Operation Impact, during which it delivered more than 65 million pounds of fuel to coalition aircraft. The fleet also fulfills many other roles, including military personnel and cargo airlift,

government personnel transport, and medical evacuations. After nearly 30 years of service, the RCAF is looking to the future of this crucial capability and, with this announcement, is moving forward to the next step of the STTC project. This project, which is Initiative No 47 of Canada’s defense policy – Strong, Secure, Engaged (SSE) – will replace and renew the RCAF’s air-to-air refueling capability for the next generation. The STTC project, within its currently approved scope, will acquire sufficient aircraft to provide the RCAF with three continuous lines of tasking to deliver on Canada’s defense policy, to defend Canadians, to meet Canada’s NORAD and NATO commitments, and allow the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) to continue to contribute to peace and stability abroad through their operations. The STTC aircraft will also be equipped to airlift large numbers of CAF personnel and their equipment in support of operations and

training activities within Canada, including in Canada’s Arctic regions and around the world. This will enhance the existing transport capacity provided by the CC-177 Globemaster and CC-130J Hercules fleets, allowing for the more efficient movement of personnel and equipment. And, as a multirole aircraft, the STTC aircraft will provide the RCAF with increased flexibility, allowing planners to select the most appropriate aircraft for a specific airlift mission. It will also increase the RCAF’s ability to respond to unexpected operational requirements, such as domestic or international emergencies or humanitarian relief missions. The exact number of aircraft in the STTC fleet is currently anticipated to be six, including these two Airbus A330-200s. The two commercial aircraft will later be modified by Airbus Defence and Space to military specifications required to serve as multirole tanker transport (MRTT) aircraft within the STTC fleet and

they will play an integral role in providing air-to-air refueling, strategic airlift, aeromedical evacuations, and strategic Government of Canada personnel transport, including transport of the prime minister, governor general, and others, for decades to come. The aircraft are expected to arrive in Canada in winter 2023, when they may be placed into early service in passenger/cargo roles prior to their modification to military specifications. The aircraft being purchased are currently configured for long-haul commercial use. They may initially be used to perform cargo, troop and passenger airlift operations. This could include, for example, the deployment of CAF troops and equipment within Canada or overseas, the movement of civilian passengers in support of humanitarian relief operations, and transport of government officials and others.

www.Key.Aero // September 2022

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TACAIR CONTRACTED TO UPGRADE EX-SWISS F-5E/Fs FOR US NAVY TACTICAL AIR Support Inc of Jacksonville, Florida, was awarded a $265.3m firm-fixed-price, cost reimbursable, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract on July 1 by the US Naval Air Warfare Aviation Division, to upgrade 22 former Swiss Air Force F-5E/F Tiger IIs. This contract provides nonrecurring engineering, inspection, modification, and block upgrade efforts for 16 F-5E and six F-5F aircraft from a Swiss Confederation configuration to a US Navy/Marine Corps F-5N+/F+ configuration. Additionally, this contract procures eight block upgrade retrofits to existing fleet aircraft. Work will mostly take place at TacAir’s facility in Jacksonville, Florida, and

GULFSTREAM LRCCA FLIES IN FOR USCG A NEW C-37B long-range command-and-control aircraft (LRCCA) was delivered to the US Coast Guard from Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation on June 29. The aircraft, which carries the Coast Guard tail number 102 was flown to its new home at Coast Guard Air Station Washington at the Ronald Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia. The new Gulfstream 550 replaces a similar aircraft that had been operated under a lease arrangement. The LRCCA Gulfstreams operate as a command-andcontrol platform anywhere in the world for the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the commandant of the Coast Guard and other top DHS leadership. For that role, the C-37B features commercial and military communications systems that provide secure voice and data capabilities. The new C-37B will operate alongside the Coast Guard’s Gulfstream V-based C-37A that entered service in 2002. Tom Kaminski

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is expected to be completed in June 2027. No initial funding was awarded, but will be provided on individual orders as they are issued. The US Navy and US Marine Corps already operate 44 former Swiss Air Force F-5E/Fs. These are due to be joined by a further 22 funded in the Fiscal Year 2020 budget, for which TacAir has now been awarded a refurbishment contract. Commenting on the award on July 8, TacAir said this is the largest contract in the company’s history. The upgrade has been dubbed the ARTEMIS (Avionics Reconfiguration and Tactical Enhancement/ Modernization for Inventory Standardization) program by the US Navy.

A-10C ACE TRAINING ON ROGERS DRY LAKE BED US Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II 78-0650 ‘DM’ from the 355th Wing at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, takes off from Rogers Dry Lake Bed at Edwards Air Force Base, Arizona, on June 27 during an Agile Combat Employment (ACE) exercise. The aircraft was one of four A-10Cs involved in the ACE exercise USAF/Ciancarlo Casem

BELL 360 INVICTUS PROTOTYPE 90% COMPLETE BELL HAS released new images of the Bell 360 Invictus prototype. The photographs, released on July 12, show that it is now 90% complete and the US manufacturer confirmed that activities including progress on the proposed reconnaissance/ attack helicopter’s Increment 1 design is continuing. The remaining work is related to the type’s engine and the start of the ground and flight test campaigns currently remain on schedule. The powerplant is GE Aviation’s T901 turboshaft engine, which is currently being developed under the US Army’s Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP) and will be used widely across the service, employed by several already operational types – such as the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk family and the Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian– as well as the selected FARA solution. The helicopter is one of two types competing for the US Army’s Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) requirement. The other is the Sikorsky Raider X, a prototype of which is also almost ready – see ‘Raider X nears completion’, p11.

Depending on the results of the upcoming competitive fly-off – which is slated for completion in late 2023 – either Bell or Sikorsky will be contracted to provide the successor for the US Army’s already retired fleet of Bell OH58D Kiowa Warriors. The service aims to start fielding its desired platform operationally from 2028. Based on technology developed for Bell’s 525 Relentless medium-lift civil utility helicopter, the 360 Invictus is a single-rotor light reconnaissance/attack helicopter that incorporates a

sleek, blended-fuselage design with a tandem-seat cockpit configuration and a fly-by-wire flight control system. The core development aims have focused on maintaining the platform’s affordability, sustainability, upgradeability and adaptability, while meeting and exceeding the US Army’s FARA program requirements. Bell’s 360 Invictus will have a payload capacity of up to 1,400lb and will feature a forward-facing 20mm rotary cannon under the nose and two internal weapons bays. Munitions may also be mounted externally on underwing hardpoints fitted to the lift-sharing wings Bell Flight

USAF’S 64TH ARS REACTIVATED AT PEASE ANGB SUPER HERC DURING A ceremony at Pease Air National Guard Base, New Hampshire, on July 8, the US Air Force’s 64th Air Refueling Squadron (ARS) was formally re-activated. The unit, which will fly the KC-46A Pegasus, is officially assigned to the 22nd Operations Group at

McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, but as part of the Total Force Initiative the 64th ARS is stationed at Pease and is operationally controlled by the 157th Air Refueling Wing (ARW) of the New Hampshire Air National Guard (ANG).

The 64th had been temporarily deactivated after the last 157th ARW KC-135R Stratotanker departed from Pease on March 24, 2019. The squadron had flown the KC-135 since 2003. It has returned to help support the wing’s new complement of 12 KC-46As.

REAPERS HEAD FOR HAWAII EXERCISE FOLLOWING VALIANT SHIELD IN GUAM A US Air Force MQ-9A Reaper assigned to the 49th Wing at Holloman Air Force Base (AFB), New Mexico, on the flightline at Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, on July 10, while taking part in the Rim of Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022 exercise. Earlier, from May 25-June 20, in a first for the Reaper, Air National Guard (ANG) Reapers from the North Dakota ANG/119th Wing and New York ANG/174th Attack Wing had been deployed to Andersen AFB, Guam, for Exercise Valiant Shield USAF/Airman 1st Class Ariel O’Shea

JOINS COAST GUARD FLEET THE US Coast Guard accepted its 15th HC-130J long-range surveillance aircraft on June 23. Delivery of tail number 2015 followed completion of Minotaur mission system integration and Block Upgrade 8.1 avionics installation on the aircraft that were carried out by L3Harris at its facility in Waco, Texas. The aircraft will initially be stationed at the Aviation Logistics Center in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, where performance testing of the next-generation Mobile User Objective System airborne radio will be conducted. It will be assigned to an operational air station once this testing is completed. Coast Guard Air Stations Elizabeth City and Kodiak, Alaska, have fully transitioned to the HC-130J and the conversion of Air Station Barbers Point, Hawaii, from the HC-130H is under way. The service plans include a fleet of 22 HC-130J and four additional aircraft are under contract or construction. Tom Kaminski

UNUSUAL VISITORS MEET AT RIMPAC Two of the more unfamiliar participants at the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022 exercise seen at Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, on July 5 were Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Kawasaki P-1 serial number 5528 and Republic of Korea Navy P-3C-III+ Orion serial number 950901. Lined up behind are six US Marine Corps MV-22B Ospreys while on approach in the distance is a Royal Canadian Air Force CC-177 Globemaster USMC/Lance Cpl Haley Fourmet Gustavsen

www.Key.Aero // September 2022

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NEW B61-12 NUCLEAR WEAPON TACTIC-TESTED ON USAF B-2A

Above: The 72nd Test and Evaluation Squadron prepares a new nuclear-capable weapons delivery system for the B-2 Spirit bomber to be test-loaded on June 13 at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri USAF/Airman 1st Class Devan Halstead

A US Air Force B-2A Spirit stealth bomber has released a B61-12 Joint Test Assembly utilizing a new capability known as Radar Aided Targeting System (RATS) during a capstone test at the Tonopah Test Range, Nevada. First revealed in an announcement by the 53rd Wing on Jul 8, the test had taken place a few weeks earlier on June 14. RATS, which is only being tested on the B-2, improves weapon guidance accuracy in a Global Positioning System-degraded environment. Capt David Durham, 72nd Test and Evaluation Squadron (TES) B-2 weapons flight commander, gave further details: “We flew multiple sorties testing the new RATS capability over the

last nine months and collected test points on its performance,” he said. “Using RATS for the JTA release demonstrated what the new capability brings to the warfighter. This test was also the first release of the production unit of the B61-12 JTA.” A software tool designed in-house by the 72nd TES was also flight tested. Known as the RATS Application Tool, it provides pilots with an early indicator of the RATS’ functionality, verifying that the system is operating correctly prior to weapon release. Master Sergeant Matthew Gibson, 72nd TES lead analysis software developer, said: “This tool has opened the door for rapid and

innovative software development in support of the B-2. Due to the success of this product, we’ve received requests to build tools for other in-flight capabilities from the 509th Bomb Wing and 325th Weapons Squadron. Future B61-12 JTA releases will be conducted during annual Weapon System Evaluation Program flight tests as part of Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration and Department of Defense surveillance tests. The test was a collaborative effort between the 72nd TES, the 509th BW, Air Force Global Strike Command, the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Boeing Company and Sandia National Laboratories.

BOEING DELIVERS 150TH POSEIDON

Above: Boeing announced delivery of the 150th P-8 Poseidon on July 7. The aircraft, BuNo 170013, is seen here departing to join Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 (VX-1) based at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. The global P-8 fleet includes 112 delivered to the US Navy, 12 to Australia, 12 to India, nine to the United Kingdom and five to Norway. The total does not include six test aircraft that were delivered to the US Navy. First deliveries to New Zealand, South Korea and Germany are scheduled for 2022, 2023 and 2024 respectively Boeing

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JASSM TRIED OUT ON OLDER F-16s A TEAM from the US Air National Guard (ANG) and Air Force Reserve Command Test Center (AATC) AT Tucson Air National Guard Base, Arizona, conducted an AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) launch from an older model F-16 on June 8. This was the first time a pre-block F-16, an older variation flown by seven ANG units and two Reserve units, had been used to launch the long-range missile. Lt Col Dustin Brown, Director, F-16 Combined Test Force, said: “This was a significant test as it takes an older model F-16 and allows it to keep pace with and sometimes exceed the capabilities of younger F-16s.” He added that such tests were important in keeping the F-16 relevant in future conflicts. He explained: “By validating the use of the JASSM with the pre-block F-16, we are ensuring that fourth-generation aircraft are able to participate in major combat operations and complement fifth-generation aircraft missions.” Feedback from the test will ensure success in future operations of the F-16/JASSM combination, enhancing the scope of operations of F-16s flown by Guard and Reserve units. AATC is responsible for operational and developmental flight test, tactics development and evaluation for all Air Reserve Component (ARC) weapons systems. Additionally, AATC is chartered to modernize the ARC's Battlefield Airman Enterprise, a remit that includes Intelligence, Surveillance, & Reconnaissance (ISR), Cyber, Space and all other Combined Test Forces (CTF).

TWO MORE TRITONS ORDERED FOR US NAVY NORTHROP GRUMMAN Systems Corp has been awarded a contract for an additional pair of low-rate initial production Lot 5 MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft systems for the US Navy. The $248,225,000 modification to a previously awarded fixed-price incentive (firm-target) contract was awarded to the company on June 22 by US Naval Air Systems Command and is being financed by Fiscal Year 2022 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds. Work is expected to be completed in February 2027. The navy plans to acquire 65 Tritons through the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance program. On February 1, the first production MQ-4C configured to Integrated Functional Capability 4 standard, Bu No 169171 (air vehicle B8), was delivered to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland; this MQ-4C has a multiintelligence capability and is due to become operational next year.

‘NUKE-SNIFFER’ TO CONSTANT PHOENIX: NEW WC-135R LANDS L3HARRIS TECHNOLOGIES has delivered the first of three former KC-135R Stratotankers that are being converted to the WC-135R Constant Phoenix configuration for the US Air Force. The completed aircraft, serial number 64-14836, was first revealed by the company in a posting on LinkedIn around June 18 that celebrated one million accident-free working hours at its facility in Greenville, Texas. Flight testing of the aircraft then began at Greenville, where it was first noted test flying on June 24 before

delivery on July 11 to the 55th Wing based at at Lincoln Municipal Airport, Nebraska. The unit is normally based at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, but has been operating from the Nebraska Air National Guard base at Lincoln since April last year while a major runway renovation is undertaken at Offutt. The 55th Wing is scheduled to return home on March 1 next year. Just one of these so-called ‘nukesniffer’ aircraft, WC-135W 61-2667, remains in service and this will be

retired when 64-14836 is delivered, which was slated for sometime in July. The remaining two KC-135Rs for conversion are 64-14829 and 64-14831, of which the latter is currently stored at Greenville awaiting its turn for modification; the former is believed to be still operational. The aircraft are used for monitoring radiation and picking up radioactive particulate samples in the air at a safe distance from any nuclear incident using specialized Advanced Atmospheric Research Equipment.

Above: The first of three new WC-135R Constant Phoenix aircraft for the US Air Force, serial number 64-14836, arrives at Lincoln Municipal Airport, Nebraska, on July 11 to join the 55th Wing after being converted by L3Harris Technologies at its facility in Greenville, Texas USAF/55th Wing

RAIDER X NEARS COMPLETION

GUARDIANS OF THE GOLDEN GATE WELCOME DOLPHIN HOME COAST GUARD Air Station San Francisco’s conversion from the Airbus Helicopters MH-65D to the upgraded MH-65E were under way on June 23 when tail number 65678 arrived following a ferry flight from the Coast Guard Aviation Logistics Center in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. The Dolphin was the 45th MH-65E converted. The air station at San Francisco International Airport, California, has seven Dolphins and supports Forward Operating Base Point Mugu, at Naval Base Ventura County, north of Los Angeles. Tom Kaminski

Above: This image released on July 6 shows that assembly of the Raider X Competitive Prototype is now well advanced, with the airframe 90% complete – although it still awaits the T901-GE-900 Improved Turbine Engine, which is due for delivery from General Electric in November. The engine is the last significant part of the helicopter that has not yet been installed. The Raider X is competing against the Bell 360 Invictus in the US Army’s Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) competition Sikorsky

www.Key.Aero // September 2022

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F-35As TOUCH DOWN Joe Campion caught up with the Commander of the resurrected 313 Squadron, after the first F-35As landed at Volkel Air Base

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The first four RNLAF Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning IIs fly over Volkel AB during the welcoming ceremony Volkel AB Public Affairs

Four Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning IIs arrived at Volkel Air Base (AB) in the Netherlands on June 30. The delivery of the fifth-generation jets marked multiple milestones for the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF). As well as being the first time home-based F-35As have touched

down at Volkel AB, the resurrection of 313 Squadron was also a major milestone achieved with the arrival of the aircraft. The squadron is a NATO tiger unit, which operated the F-16 Fighting Falcon, prior to the unit’s temporary disbandment in December 2020.

Volkel AB will now be a multiplatform base, with 312 Squadron operating the F-16AM/BM Fighting Falcons and 313 operating the F-35A – 312 Squadron is due to receive its F-35s in 2024. The four aircraft that arrived from Cameri Air Base in Italy comprised serials F-020, F-023, F-024 and F-025. The Squadron Commander of 313, Neils Van Hussen, flew F-024 during the four-ship formation arrival. Speaking to CAJ the day after the aircraft arrived at the base, Van Hussen said: “Yesterday was an important milestone in the history of the 313 Squadron and Volkel AB. The 313 Squadron was put into hibernation in 2020, to work up to the new fighter aircraft. We then started preparations with a small team to build up the squadron. Some of these preparations took place at the 322 Squadron at Leeuwarden Air Base. There, we educated and trained our first

people embedded within the unit. Our first aircraft arrived at Leeuwarden from the FACO at Cameri, until we could move with four F-35s to Volkel AB, to start the operation independently. “For 313 Squadron, this meant a re-activation of the unit. For Volkel, it meant the beginning of operations with the fifthgeneration weapon system. A crucial step for the Dutch Air Force to grow to full operational capability [by] 2024.”

F-020, one of the four new F-35As, taxies to its new apron at Volkel AB, to be welcomed by high-ranking RNLAF personnel Volkel AB Public Affairs

Above: 313 Squadron Commander Neils Van Hussen is welcomed by ground crew and RNLAF officials as he brings serial F-024 to a standstill after its delivery flight from Cameri Air Base in Italy RNLAF Below: One of the four F-35A Lightning II receives a water salute as it enters Volkel AB’s apron on June 30 RNLAF

www.Key.Aero // September 2022

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US ARMY SIGNS $2.28BN BLACK HAWK CONTRACT WITH SIKORSKY SIKORSKY HAS been awarded a multi-year deal by the US Army for the acquisition of up to 255 H-60M Black Hawks. The firm-fixed-price contract worth $2.28bn was awarded on June 27 and covers procurement

of 120 H-60Ms and related support for Fiscal Years 2022-2026. The deal also includes options for an additional 135 helicopters for the US Army and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in July 2022,

with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2027. Initial financing of $478,127,856 from US Army FY2022 aircraft procurement funds was released at the time of the contract award. If all of the options are exercised, the

contract has a potential total value of up to $4.4bn. The agreement covers both UH-60M and HH-60M MEDEVAC variants. It is the tenth multiple-year contract between Sikorsky and the US government for H-60s.

BUCKEYE AIRLIFTERS END HERCULES OPERATIONS

OPERATIONS WITH the C-130H Hercules by the US Air Force/ Ohio Air National Guard’s (ANG’s) 179th Airlift Wing/164th Airlift Squadron at Mansfield Lahm ANGB, Ohio, have finally ended. The last aircraft with the unit, serial number 884401, departed from Mansfield on July 7 to become a static display exhibit at the Military Aviation Preservation Society (MAPS) Air Museum in North Canton, Ohio. Earlier this year, as C-130H operations wound down, the unit performed a

final ceremonial formation flight with two Hercules on April 23. Throughout the month of June, the squadron’s pilots conducted a number of final flights as the airlift mission cam to an end. In August 2021, the USAF announced a new mission for the Ohio Air National Guard’s 179th Airlift Wing. Based at the Mansfield-Lahm Air National Guard Base, the squadron – which has been associated with the airlift mission since 1976 – is being retasked as the ANG’s first Cyber Warfare Wing.

The transformation will support Air Combat Command’s future requirement,s but will result in the loss of the 164th Airlift Squadron’s flying mission. As part of that plan, the ‘Buckeye Airlifters’ eight C-130Hs have been gradually transferred to other units or retired. Their removal supports the USAF plan to reduce the Hercules inventory from 287 to 279 aircraft during Fiscal Year 2022. The 164th Airlift Squadron operated the C-130B from 1976 until 1991 when it

transitioned to the C-130H. As a result of Base Realignment and Closure decisions in 2005, the unit transitioned to the C-21A before receiving new production C-27Js in 2010. However, the USAF’s decision to divest the small fleet of C-27Js resulted in the unit’s return to the C-130H in May 2013. Tom Kaminski USAF/Ohio Air National Guard C-130H Hercules 88-4401 from the 179th Airlift Wing/164th Airlift Squadron departs Mansfield Lahm ANGB, Ohio, for the final time on July 7 US ANG/Master Sgt Joe Harwood

US NAVY BAMS-D DEPLOYMENT CONCLUDES THE US Navy’s RQ-4A Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Demonstrator (BAMS-D) completed a 13-year mission in support of the US Fifth Fleet and US Central Command (USCENTCOM) and the final deployed aircraft returned to its home base at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, on June 17. Deployment of the unmanned Global Hawk began in January 2009 and had originally been planned to last just six months as a concept demonstration. The initial RQ-4A was joined by the second BAMS-D in 2013. Over the course of the extended mission the aircraft completed 2,069 missions and accumulated more than 42,500

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flight hours, accounting for more than 50% of maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance intheater. The two BAMS-Ds collected almost 1.4 million ISR scenes, highlighted more than 11,500 targets of interest, and provided the fleet with over 15,000 tactical reports, while achieving an overall mission completion rate of 94%. Although forward deployed to Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates, the Global Hawks were operated from a ground station at NAS Patuxent River. Originally known as the Global Hawk Maritime Demonstration, the BAMS-D program originally included two RQ-4A air vehicles but

the Navy later acquired three Block 10 Global Hawks from the USAF. Since entering service one of the former USAF RQ-4As was writtenoff in a mishap in June 2012. On June 19, 2019, the second of the original US Navy air vehicles was

shot down by an Iranian surfaceto-air missile in an unprovoked attack while flying international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz. Operations in theater were supported by the three surviving Global Hawks. Tom Kaminski

The final BAMS-D Global Hawk, Bu No 166509, leaves Hangar 5 at Al Dhafra Air Base, UAE, for the last time on June 16 prior to departing for home USAF/Tech Sgt Jeffrey Grossi

NEW FIGHTER SQUADRON ACTIVATED A CEREMONY held on July 8, 2022, marked the activation of the 306th Fighter Squadron at the New Jersey Air National Guard facility at Atlantic City International Airport. The 306th is the tenth and final active associate fighter squadron established under the USAF’s Total Force Integration concept, which embeds active-duty personnel in units operated by the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Command. Administratively, the squadron reports to the 495th Fighter Group at Shaw AFB in South Carolina, which is a component of the 20th Fighter Wing. However, for day-to-day operations, its personnel are embedded with the New Jersey ANG airmen. The new squadron will share responsibility for operating and maintaining the F-16C/Ds operated by the 177th Fighter Wing’s 119th Fighter Squadron. Tom Kaminski

NAVY DEMOS NEW MINE COUNTERMEASURE PROTOTYPE ON MQ-8C FIRE SCOUT UAS A PROTOTYPE of a mine countermeasure (MCM) technology system was recently demonstrated on the MQ-8C Fire Scout UAS at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, proving a capability that could allow rapid detection and response to threats. The team conducted operations from the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) utilizing drifting, tethered and moored mines throughout beach zones to deep waters. They gathered data day and night, across all water depths and in mild-to-difficult weather conditions. NAVAIR said the demonstration also proved the reliable and repeatable high

performance of the MQ-8C Fire Scout. The air vehicle handled the dual podded system with ease, being the first MCM capability flown on the MQ-8C as well as the heaviest payload to date. Fire Scout successfully operated in restricted and unrestricted air space alongside other aircraft platforms. Providing details of the program on July 7, US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) said that the objective of the demonstration was to gather performance data for both the MQ-8C Fire Scout and Single-system Multi-mission Airborne Mine Detection (SMAMD) System to inform

future MCM integration efforts. The SMAMD System, developed by BAE Systems under a Future Naval Capability (FNC) Program sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), is an airborne optical sensor suite that, in a single pass, detects and localizes mines and obstacles on land and at sea. With a low false-alarm rate, SMAMD provides real-time detection sent via data link enabling much quicker response to threats than the current MCM technologies allow as postmission analysis is required.

US Navy MQ-8C Fire Scout BuNo 168809 ‘304’ from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Two Four (UX-24) gathering performance data during a mine countermeasure (MCM) prototype technology demonstration held in May 2022 at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida US Navy

SPECIAL PATRIOTIC SCHEME FOR KC-46A US Air Force/New Hampshire Air National Guard KC-46A Pegasus Spirit of Portsmouth, serial number 17-46034, from the 157th Air Refueling Wing is shown on the ramp at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, on June 30 after receiving a patriotic new colour scheme in the 176th Wing’s paint booth. It departed home to Pease ANGB the following day. US ANG/Master Sgt Timm Huffman

www.Key.Aero // September 2022

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LAST TWO CH-47Fs DELIVERED TO AUSTRALIA THE FINAL two CH-47F Chinooks, from an order for an additional four, have been delivered to the Australian Army. A US Air Force C-5M Super Galaxy arrived with the pair of CH-47Fs on board at Royal Australian Air Force Base Townsville, Queensland, on June 23. The aircraft have been taken from the US Army’s inventory and will join C Squadron of the Australian Army’s 16th Aviation Brigade/5th Aviation Regiment. Following reassembly and testing, the pair will be handed over to the 5th Aviation Regiment

for operational use. The delivery brings the total Australian CH- 47F inventory to 14. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced on April 29, 2021, that US State Department approval had been granted for the purchase. The contract was then rapidly agreed and the first two arrived at Townsville on a C-5M on July 7, 2021 (see Combat Aircraft Journal September 2021, p18). Right: The two CH-47F Chinooks arriving at RAAF Base Townsville on June 23 Australian Department of Defence/Cpl Lisa Sherman

CYPRUS NATIONAL GUARD TUNISIAN AIR FORCE SET TO ACQUIRE EIGHT T-6C TEXAN IIs STRIKES H145Ms DEAL AIRBUS HELICOPTERS has been contracted by the government of Cyprus to supply six H145Ms for operation by the Cypriot National Guard/Air Force. The deal, signed on June 24, also includes an option on a further six helicopters. They will replace the eleven Mi-35P attack helicopters that had been in service since 2001/2 but were withdrawn from use in December 2021. Their retirement was due to a number of factors, including increasing maintenance costs and difficulty in obtaining spares from Russia. The latter problem has been exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, which resulted in EU sanctions. It is reported that

Cyprus plans to sell the Mi-35Ps to Serbia, subject to successful negotiations being concluded. As it is not part of the EU, Serbia will not be affected by the sanctions and can still obtain spares from Russia. According to local press reports, approval for the H145M purchase was given during a closed-door parliamentary meeting on June 20. Agreement was reached for the release of €53m as an advance payment, while the total cost, including weapons, will by €140m, to be paid by installments through to 2026. The first six will be acquired over a five-year period. Once deliveries are complete, the Mi-35Ps will be transferred to Serbia.

TEXTRON AVIATION Defense has been awarded a Foreign Military Sales contract modification for the procurement of eight T-6C Texan II aircraft for the Tunisian Air Force. The $90.6m deal was awarded on June 30 by the US Air Force Life Cycle Management Center. In addition to the aircraft, the contract also covers spare parts; spare engines; aircraft support equipment; field service representative support; a groundbased training system (GBTS); operational flight trainer (OFT); computer-based training (CBT) lab; interim contractor support; personal life support equipment; country-specific technical orders and the installation of the GBTS, OFT and CBT lab, plus ferry and support services. Work is

‘BIG RED’ TRITON’S IWAKUNI OPERATIONS US Navy MQ-4C Triton serial number 168462 ‘PE’ – assigned to Unmanned Patrol Squadron 19 (VUP-19) ‘Big Red’ at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida – on the runway at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, on July 13. The Triton is on deployment at Iwakuni to conduct maritime patrol and reconnaissance and theater outreach operations within the 7th Fleet area of operations USMC/Lance Cpl Lance Kell

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expected to be completed by September 30, 2026. US State Department approval had been granted on October 10, 2019, for the sale of 12 T-6Cs to Tunisia, following which the Tunisian Minister of Defence announced on November 19, 2020 that government approval had been given for eight of these aircraft. Textron was then awarded a contract on June 11, 2021, to procure long-lead production items and spares for these eight aircraft. Furthermore, on February 26, 2020, the US State Department approved the sale of four AT-6C Wolverine light attack aircraft to Tunisia. However, as yet, no contract has been announced for these aircraft.

LAKENHEATH F-35As DEPLOY FOR POSEIDON’S RAGE

US Air Force F-35A Lightning II serial number 20-5574 ‘LN’ – assigned to the UK-based 48th Fighter Wing’s 495th Fighter Squadron ‘Valkyries’ at RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk – returns to Souda Air Base, Greece, from a mission on July 11, while taking part in Exercise Poseidon’s Rage 2022. The joint exercise with the Hellenic Air Force marked the first time an F-35 had visited Souda USAF/Tech Sgt Dhruv Gopinath

POLAND ORDERS 32 AW149s POLAND’S MINISTRY of Defense has ordered 32 AW149 multirole helicopters for operation by the Polish Army. The €1.76bn contract was signed at Leonardo subsidiary PZL-Swidnik’s facility in Poland on July 1. The order also includes a logistics, training and simulator package. The logistics

package comprises a stock of spares and consumable parts, as well as equipment for ground handling. PZL-Swidnik, as the prime contractor, will assemble them on its Polish production line. Deliveries are scheduled between 2023-29. The aircraft will be equipped with observation systems, small

arms (7.62mm guns mounted in the forward cabin windows, and podded 12.7mm guns on external hardpoints), guided and unguided rockets and missiles (including antitank weapons and Hydra missiles) and self-defense systems. The AW149s will be operated as part of the Polish Army’s 25th

Air Cavalry Brigade at Tomaszów Mazowiecki. The Brigade includes the 1st Aviation Squadron based at Leznica-Wielka and the 7th Aviation Squadron based at Tomaszów Mazowiecki. It is not known which type the AW149 will succeed, but it could be either Mi-24 Hinds or Sokol W3s.

BULLDOGS HEAD TO EGYPT FOR AGILE PHOENIX

Above: US Air Force/Minnesota Air National Guard F-16CM serial number 91-0420 – assigned to the 148th Fighter Wing’s 179th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron ‘Bulldogs’ from Duluth International Airport – taxies out at Cairo West Air Base, Egypt, on July 2. The aircraft participated in the week-long Agile Phoenix exercise with the Egyptian Air Force. The combined training event focused on increasing agile combat readiness, as well as offensive and defensive counter air capability and interoperability. The Bulldogs are now deployed to Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia USAF/Senior Master Sgt Glen Flanagan

www.Key.Aero // September 2022

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NIGERIAN L-39ZAs HEAD BACK HOME THREE NIGERIAN Air Force (NAF) L-39ZA Albatrosses departed Aero Vodochody on July 17 for Kano/ Mallam-Aminu Air Base, Nigeria, supported by PC-12 OK-NTT. The trio, serial numbers NAF 350 (3801), NAF 358 (3817) and NAF 366 (4009), had arrived two years ago for overhaul and upgrade with a new GenesyS avionics system and Czech-designed Speel Head Up Display (HUD). All three L-39ZAs were seen being test-flown during the Spring in primer. In the week before departure, the three aircraft were seen flying in formation across the airfield. In early 2020, the then Nigerian Air Force Commander Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, told CAJ that Aero Vodochody had already

returned three L-39ZAs to service, without being overhauled, to help in the battle against the Boko Haram terrorists. He added that they were also likely to be

upgraded. The NAF acquired 24 L-39ZAs in 1986/87 but only nine are operational. This was the first time Aero had overhauled the NAF jets. A company spokesperson told

Above: One of the three Nigerian Air Force L-39Zas (serial number NAF 350) taxies out for departure from Aero Vodochody on July 17 Alan Warnes

INDIA’S AUTONOMOUS FLYING WING TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATOR FLIES INDIA’S DEFENCE Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully carried out the maiden flight of its Autonomous Flying Wing Technology Demonstrator on July 1. The sortie took place from the Aeronautical Test Range at Chitradurga, Karnataka. The DRDO reported that the unmanned air vehicle carried out a perfect flight operating in a fully autonomous mode, including

CAJ “as they get older, only the original equipment manufacturer [OEM] has the skills to carry out the more intricate work.” Alan Warnes

take-off, way point navigation and a smooth touchdown. This flight marks a major milestone in terms of proving critical technologies in the development of future unmanned aircraft and is a significant step towards selfreliance in such strategic defence technologies, said the DRDO. The UAV was designed and developed by the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) at Bengaluru, the DRDO’s

primary research laboratory. It is powered by a small turbofan engine – reportedly an NPO Saturn 36MT. The airframe, undercarriage and entire flight control and avionics systems used for the aircraft were developed indigenously. Also known as the Stealth Wing Flying Testbed (SWiFT), the UAV is a scaled-down version of the larger, stealthy Ghatak unmanned combat air vehicle

(UCAV) that has been under development for many years by the ADE for the Indian Air Force. Precise details of the project are classified, although DRDO’s chief controller for research and development (aeronautics) has previously said it would be powered by a 52kN dry thrust variant of the indigenous GTRE Kaveri engine, which was originally designed to power the HAL Tejas light combat aircraft. The aircraft will weigh less than 15 tonnes and will be able to fly at an altitude of up to 30,000ft. It will have the capability to launch missiles, bombs and precisionguided munitions.

Above: The DRDO’s Autonomous Flying Wing Technology Demonstrator takes off from the Aeronautical Test Range at Chitradurga, Karnataka, for its maiden flight on July 1 DRDO

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RECENT LOSSES A Russian Air Force Su-25 was shot down by the 72nd Separate Mechanised Brigade of the Ukrainian armed forces on June 18 over Svitlodarsk, Ukraine, reportedly using an Igla MANPADS. The Russian pilot, who was employed by private military contractor the Wagner Group, was captured and taken prisoner. Russia has increasing been hiring pilots from private military contractors to make up for heavy losses sustained during the Ukraine invasion. An Egyptian Air Force F-16 crashed in a training area at an unspecified location on June 19 following a technical malfunction on a routine training flight. The pilot ejected safely. Airborne Tactical Advantage Company Hunter Mk 58, registration number N337AX, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean about 40 miles southeast of Wilmington International Airport North Carolina on June 20, as a result of engine failure after departing from Newport News-Williamsburg International Airport, Virginia, while operating under contract to the US military. The pilot ejected and was rescued by the US Coast Guard, but sustained some injuries. Russian Air Force Su-25SM, serial number RF-90958/‘23 Yellow’, assigned to the 266th OShAP, crashed in the Chertovsky district of Rostov Oblast, Russia, on June 21. The pilot was killed and the cause was reported to be pilot error. Republic of China Navy S-70C(M)-1 Thunderhawk, serial number 2303, crashed and caught fire at Kaohsiung Zuoying Naval Base during a training flight on June 22. One of the four crew members was killed and the other three injured. Shortly after Russian Air Force Ilyushin Il-76TD, serial number RF-78778, had taken

This image, released on July 8, shows the salvaged cockpit section of an unidentified crashed US Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II (coded ‘10’) at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, on May 4. It is being repurposed as a sectional training aid by the 372nd Training Squadron, Det 3, for use during instruction of F-35 maintainers USAF/Todd Cromar

off from Ryazan-Dyagalevo Air Base at around 0305hrs local time on June 24, an air traffic controller observed a fire in the No 4 engine. The aircraft lost height and attempted an emergency landing in a field three miles from the airfield, near the Mikhailovsky highway, but rolled over, broke up and exploded into flames before striking trees. One engine was found half-a-mile before the crash site. Three of the nine crew members were killed in the crash, two more died later in hospital and the other four were injured. The Russian Ministry of Defense later reported that the aircraft had been on a training flight from Orenburg to Belgorod and had landed at Ryazan to refuel. A Russian Air Force Kamov Ka-52 was shot down on June 27 at an unspecified location in eastern Ukraine by Ukraine’s 95th Air Assault Brigade. A UK-supplied Lightweight Multirole Missile was reported to have been used to bring it down. An unidentified Afghan Taliban Air Force helicopter crashed at Sheberghan, Jawzjan Province, on June 30 following a technical malfunction. Three of the ten

people on board were killed and the other seven were injured. While the USS Harry S Truman (CVN 75) was sailing in unexpectedly adverse weather conditions in the Mediterranean Sea on July 8, a US Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 211 (VFA-211) ‘Fighting Checkmates’ was blown off the carrier. At the time of the mishap it was stationary on the flight deck with no pilot on board and there were no other personnel in the vicinity. The carrier was conducting a replenishment-at-sea with the USNS Robert E Peary (T AKE 5) and USNS Supply (T AOE 6) at the time and this was safely terminated using established procedures. Due to the weather, one seaman sustained minor injuries, but this was not related to the Super Hornet loss. A US Air Force MQ-9A Reaper crashed on approach while returning to Campia Turzii Air Base, Romania, on July 14 following a routine sortie. The UAV came down at around 1415hrs local time about two miles south of the runway. Royal Thai Army UH-60L Black Hawk, serial number 7003 ‘05’, assigned to the 9th Avn Battalion,

crashed in the Thepa district, Songkhla, on July 15, following a technical malfunction while en route between the military camps at Senanarong and Sirindhorn. All seven on board were injured and the Black Hawk was extensively damaged. Russian Air Force Su-34M,serial number RF-95890, was shot down near Alchevsk, Luhansk Oblast, during a combat mission over Ukraine on July 18. The aircraft was destroyed, but the fate of the crew has not been confirmed. A Russian National Guard Mi-8MTV-2 began to spin immediately after take-off at Gatchina, near St Petersburg, on July 18 and although the pilots attempted an emergency landing it rolled over, smashing the main rotor blades before coming to rest on its port side. There were no fatalities, but the helicopter was substantially damaged. Indonesian Air Force T-50i Golden Eagle, serial number TT-5009, was destroyed when it crashed on July 18 during a night tactical intercept training flight over the Blora sub-regency, central Java. The pilot was killed.

www.Key.Aero // September 2022

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BERLIN 2022

GERMANY GOE AMERICAN Alan Warnes looks at the key influences at a sweltering ILA airshow – and finds that much of it was about Germany

G

ermany’s biennial showcase aerospace event, Innovation and Leadership in Aerospace (ILA) Berlin regards itself as the primary European airshow during the Farnborough year. This year, ILA Berlin 22 was held at Schonefeld Airport from June 22-26, and played out against the

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September 2022 // www.Key.Aero

alarming backdrop of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The event focused mainly around Germany’s modernization needs, with the US resolving most of their requirements, Europe having failed on several fronts. Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government pledged a €100bn defense spend in late May, additional to the military’s

budgeted 2% of GDP, so there was plenty for the chancellor to think about as he looked around the static display on the first day. This investment comes after decades of the government neglecting its military, resulting in what German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht has referred to as “a huge investment backlog”. Most of the money is earmarked

for aerospace programs and conversations with both the military and aerospace companies tended to lean towards the Russian threat. German military personnel, including the Luftwaffe commander Lt Gen Ingo Gerhartz, admitted at ILA that the military – both people and weapons – needs to increase, as technology will not be enough to thwart Russia.

OES

The 22 Tornado ECRs of TkLwG 51 from Schleswig-Jagel will be replaced by 15 Eurofighter EKs by 2030. Before then, the current AGM-88B HARM (heat-seeking anti-radiation missile) on the Tornado will be augmented by the AGM-88E AARGM (advanced anti-radiation guided missile) by 2024

REVISED PROCUREMENT DECISIONS SINCE Vladimir Putin’s military invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the German government has been keen to modernize its military, and in particular its aviation assets. Two new aircraft – the fifth-generation Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II (on March 17) and the Boeing CH-47F Chinook (June 1) have been selected to replace existing platforms. Up to 35 F-35As will take over the Panavia Tornado IDS (interdiction strike) in the ground attack roles, including the nuclear deterrent. They will equip Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader (TkLwG) 33 at Buchel and TkLwG 51 at Schleswig by 2030, although that delivery date is looking optimistic. For two years Germany looked as if it was leaning towards the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and E/A18G Growler, but was eventually

won over by the F-35A. Luftwaffe commander Lt Gen Ingo Gerhartz confirmed the choice in a press release on March 15: “There is only one response to Putin’s aggression: unity within NATO and a credible deterrent. That’s why there is no alternative to the decision in favour of the F-35.” One wonders what the previous commander, Lt Gen Karl Müllner, thought of that decision. Müllner was removed from his role in 2018 after publicly advocating the F-35, ahead of the government’s plan back then to acquire more Eurofighters, as well as the preferred Super Hornet/Growler option. The order for 60 CH-47F Chinooks to replace the Luftwaffe’s CH-53Gs in the heavy-lift role (see below) was also a surprise, given the Sikorsky CH-53K Super Stallion had been the

front runner. As a representative from rival Lockheed Martin – which owns Sikorsky – said of the winning contender: “The Chinook is a heavy medium-lift helicopter, not a heavy-lift helicopter like the CH-53K, which would have been an ideal replacement for the old CH-53Gs.” All this comes after the German government ordered 38 Tranche 4 Eurofighters in November 2020. The requirement covers 30 singleseaters and eight single-seaters, which will include the latest ECRS (European Common Radar System) Mk 1 AESA radar. In April 2020, Germany announced plans to acquire 93 additional Eurofighters, including 38 new Quadriga aircraft, but there has been nothing regarding the 55 other jets – although 15 could be the EW aircraft (see page 25).

BLOCK II CHINOOK PURCHASE

Above: Germany is set to buy 35 Lockheed Martin F-35As to replace the Luftwaffe Tornado IDS. Current plans will see the 63 Tornado IDS aircraft of TkLwG 33 (seen here) and TkLwG 51 phased out by 2030 – they currently fulfill the air-to-ground role, including the nuclear mission as well as more conventional tasks. The cruise missile in the foreground is the Taurus Systems KEPD 350 Taurus, which has a range of up to 500km and is used by the German, Spanish and Republic of Korea Air Forces All images Alan Warnes unless stated

BOEING is working to define the requirements of the German government after the announcement on June 1 that the CH-47F Chinook had been selected for its heavy-lift helicopter program. The type beat the hotly tipped CH-53K to replace the Luftwaffe’s 40 or so CH-53Gs that are now more than 50 years old. According to Boeing, discussions with Germany will take place over the next four to five months, which will lead to a formal offer. Once the contract – which has an upper limit of $5.1bn – has been agreed, it will take three years to deliver, according to Mark Cherry,

the Vertical Lift program’s vice president tasked with delivering the Chinooks: “If the contract was signed in the first quarter of next year, then we would deliver

Above: An artist’s impression of the proposed Luftwaffe CH-47F Block II helicopter fitted with the long air-to-air refueling probe. The first example will be delivered three years after the contract has been signed Boeing

them in the first quarter of 2026.” Cherry went on to say that the type had met Germany’s heavy-lift requirement due to the Chinook’s interoperability, along with it being the most affordable solution. The Luftwaffe will become the 21st operator of the Chinook, the ninth in NATO and the second Block II customer after the UK. However, as the UK’s helicopters will work primarily on special forces operations, they have additional requirements. Therefore, it’s possible the German Block IIs (with a basic configuration) could be delivered before those destined for the UK’s Royal Air Force.

www.Key.Aero // September 2022

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BERLIN 2022

NORVENICH JETS ON FURTHEST GAF DEPLOYMENT

Could the German MOD be considering the AH-64E Apache as a replacement for the Tiger?

SPECULATION OVER GERMAN TIGER THE long-term future of the Heeresflieger (German Army Aviation) Airbus Helicopters Tiger looks uncertain as Germany has not signed up to the new Tiger Mk III option, as France and Spain have. As a result, it is likely that there will be a requirement for a new attack helicopter. The German Tiger still uses the HOT 2 anti-tank missile, unguided 70mm rocket system and .50 gun pod with Stinger air-to-air missiles for self-defence, so no major offensive weapons upgrades are being delivered.

There has been speculation surrounding the helicopter’s operational availability, and the Australians are already retiring their 22 Tiger armed reconnaissance helicopters(ARH) after just 20 years of service. The Australian government announced the purchase of 29 AH-64Es in January 2021, at a cost of $3.5bn, with deliveries expected in 2025. The Boeing AH-64E Apache would be a realistic option for Germany, it is combat-proven, has a wide array of weapons and it is not much more

expensive. Until a solution is found, the Tigers will soldier on and work towards the NATO Response Force (NRF) commitments in 2023, when the helicopter will be on full alert around-the-clock at Fritzlar, home to Kampfhubscrauber-regiment (Attack Helicopter Regiment)-36). It marks a change in fortunes for Germany. After years of stagnation, its military aviation is to receive the boost in capabilities it desperately needs to match the expectations of a European country with one of the best economies in the world.

The GAF Commander Lt Gen Ingo Gerhartz revealed details on the furthest-ever deployment of Luftwaffe aircraft, which will take place in August. Six TkLwG 31 Eurofighters from Norvenich will fly with four A400M transport aircraft and three A330 MRTTs to Exercise Pitch Black 22 at Darwin in northern Australia on August 15, where they will remain until September 2. They will then relocate to Indonesia for Exercise Kakadu 22 from September 12 to September 26, before the group will split into two flights, heading to South Korea and Japan respectively on September 28-30, before returning to Indonesia and heading home on October 5.

RUSH TO BUY LOCKHEED MARTIN F-35AS MORE detail emerged at ILA about the decision by the German MoD to acquire 35 F-35As as a Tornado IDS [Interdiction Strike] replacement by 2030. Lockheed Martin’s J R McDonald, vice president of F-35 Business Development, said that the aircraft would be configured with the Block 4 TR (technology refresh) 3 in a standard configuration. This covers a new core processor, a radar upgrade, a refreshed cockpit display and numerous software improvements that include enhanced electronic warfare capabilities. McDonald commented: “There is obviously a need for speed. The aircraft will also come with the enhanced weapons package.” He added that Buchel Air Base, the home of TkLwG 33, will be the first base to house the F-35As, with discussions now underway with the German government on how to modernize the facility.

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Of the recent F-35 successes, McDonald said: “We are very pleased that, within a space of one year, we were selected by Switzerland, Finland, Canada and Germany. The selection process by both Switzerland and Finland was exhaustive and very transparent.” He added that the German requirement was working on to a very tight deadline: “The Germans

announced on March 14 that they had selected the F-35 and then on March 17 sent a letter of request (LOR) to the US government. We are now sprinting to understand the requirements while working with the Joint Program Office (JPO), US Government and German government. We have to define and understand, not just the need for a common aircraft, but when they

want them, what the production profiles look like, what kind of training they want and what kind of weapons they need. We can then put that in a letter of offer and acceptance, which we want to submit to the German government by the fall [autumn]. They will then take that to the German parliament for processing – it’s a very accelerated timeline.

Italian Air Force/32 Stormo F-35A MM7359 ‘32-09’ in the static display. Germany wants to replace its Tornados with F-35As by 2030

MORE P-8A POSEIDONS FOR THE DEUTSCHE MARINE? Below: P-8A Poseidon from the US Navy’s VP-9, 168850 ‘PD-850’, in the static display gave the German military a glimpse of what they will get in 2024

THERE is speculation that an order for five P-8A Poseidons for the Deutsche Marine (German Navy) could be topped up with another seven aircraft, as part of the additional $100bn of defense funding agreed by the German government. The German MOD signed a contract for the orginal five Poseidons last September. The first P-8A should arrive at Nordholz in October 2024, to fulfil an interim maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) capability between 2025-2035. This has been brought about by the retirement of the German Navy P-3C Orion fleet and the planned introduction of the Maritime Airborne Warfare System

(MAWS) with France. However, as Thorsten Bobzin, commanding officer of the German Naval Air Command, commented: “It doesn’t mean, in any way, that the P-8As will only meet part of the tasking, either through quality or quantity. They will operate in a full maritime warfare spectrum.” The German Navy is currently operating eight P-3C Orions at Nordholz, but as Captain Bobzin noted: “That’s not what we require. We used to operate 19 Bréguet Atlantics, of which 15 were MPAs. We have a requirement for between 12-15 MPAs; the current eight P-3Cs is an accident and not a plan – we need more to cover all tasks.

“We are being ambitious, taking the P-3C out of service in 2025, then having an initial operating capability with the P-8A flying out of Nordholz in 2026, making them fully operationally capable as quickly as possible.” Capt Bobzin is optimistic about the approach, which was conceived to fill the ten-year capability gap (2025-2035): “There will be no building of any major infrastructure, but we will still operate it in a good way. I’m mainly concerned with the standing up of mission support capabilities, and its very different to what we have now – now we need to start getting the training in place. As in any project, the MAWS might

not be ready by 2035, but if it’s not successfully implemented by that deadline, we will have the P-8As in place, so won’t be pressed for time. We can convert to the MAWS in our own time.” Capt Bobzin wants to ensure the Poseidons are used to their full capability and admits that his main concern at the present time is that the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) role is covered: “We need Mk 54 torpedos as soon as possible, we are looking into that as well as an anti-surface warfare (ASuW) capability with a stand-off missile to target ships, but we are not looking at Harpoons. We can’t wait 15 years to get the capability, as we don’t have it anymore, so we need to find an organic capability. We won’t go it alone on this, and hope to partner with the USA.” While the long-term ambition is to fly the P-8A in worldwide ops, the short-term aspirations are operating over the Baltic Sea, and covering the areas around Greenland, Iceland, the UK and Norway, in the ASW role. The future design of the MAWS is not known. However, if FrancoGerman defence relations should ever deteriorate, as could happen with the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), a refreshed P-8A could always be an option.

THE EUROFIGHTER ECR SOLUTION WHILE the proposed Super Hornet/ Growler combo has supposedly negated the need for a Suppression of Enemy Air Defence/Destruction of Enemy Air Defence (SEAD/ DEAD) Typhoon, the selection of the Lightning, which does not have a credible SEAD/DEAD role, meant there was a requirement for a Typhoon to fulfil that mission. So it wasn’t a surprise when the German defense minister made the F-35A selection public on March 14, revealing that a fleet of 15 Eurofighters would be purchased to take on the role of the Tornado Electronic Combat Reconnaissance (ECR) currently serving TkLwG 51 at Schleswig. Development of the Eurofighter ECR by Airbus and Hensoldt will come from the

€100bn fund to provide NATO with a much-needed Wild Weasel role, covering electronic attack and jamming capability. It was therefore not unexpected to see a

nicely marked Typhoon EK mock-up surrounded by a plethora of pods and weapons at ILA. As Airbus CEO Michael Schollhorn said at the Future Generation

At ILA, there was a full-scale mock-up of a Eurofighter EK – the SEAD/DEAD version that will work alongside the F-35A. Germany has a requirement for 15 of this variant, but with this announcement only being made in March 2022, the aircraft will probably not enter service for some time, with 2030 being the most likely date. No contract has been signed yet

Fighter Symposium that took place on June 24: “The F-35 isn’t the whole answer. It needs to work alongside the Typhoon [EK] that can cover the ECR [SEAD/DEAD and EW] role.” The Tornado ECRs are expected to be retired by 2030, but before then they will all be going through an ASSTA 4.2 software modernization program. This will allow the integration of the upgraded Link-16 datalink alongside the AGM-88E advanced anti-radiation ground missile (AARGM), to augment the current AGM-88B heat-seeking anti-radiation missile (HARM). This has been necessary because the Eurofighters don’t currently support AARGM, and the F-35A, as stated earlier, will not offer a Suppression of Enemy Air Defense (SEAD) role.

www.Key.Aero // September 2022

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DEPLOYMENT REPORT // US ARMY VS IS

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GUNSHIPS VS IS US Army Attack Helicopters played a crucial role fighting IS in Operation Inherent Resolve in 2014. Tim Ripley lifts the lid on AH-64 Apache operations Left: US Army Apaches provided much of the aerial fire power that turned the tide against Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria US DoD/Joint Combat Camera

O

ver the summer and autumn of 2014, fanatical Islamic State (IS) fighters surged across Iraq capturing town after town. By early October, the Jihadi army was approaching the outskirts of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad and US soldiers inside the large coalition base at the city’s International Airport could hear the sound of artillery fire just a few kilometers to the west. US and British combat aircraft had already been bombing the advancing Islamic State columns, but US commanders now thought it was time to ramp up the air support available to hard-pressed Iraqi troops trying to establish a defense line to the west of Baghdad. At Baghdad airport, the US Army’s 3rd Battalion, 159th (3rd /159th) Aviation Regiment were winding up their US Army AH-64D Apache helicopters to join the fight. They had arrived earlier in the summer from Camp Buehring in Kuwait to protect the US base and the heavily armed helicopters had originally been limited to perimeter patrols around the airport and escorting US transport helicopters that were flying visiting generals and diplomats into Baghdad’s Green Zone.

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DEPLOYMENT REPORT // US ARMY VS IS Road convoys bringing supplies to US Special Forces in Syria often received Apache escorts US DoD/Joint Combat Camera

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Cleared for action Now the 3rd/159th Aviation would take the fight to the enemy. US and British Special Forces were operating on the ground with Iraqi troops near the front lines identifying where the Islamic State fighters were massing to attack. Once cleared for action, the first Apaches struck on October 5, 2014, hitting fighters in Fallujah in Iraq's Anbar province, west of Baghdad. A US military spokesman reported that the AH-64Ds first hit IS mortar positions, fighting units and a bunker. At the time US President Barack Obama was determined that there would be no US combat troops on the ground in the Middle East supporting the Iraqi army and antiIslamic State militia forces in Syria. This war was code-named Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) and US forces were controlled by the Combined Joint Task Force Inherent Resolve, or CJTF-OIR, headquartered at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait. The US would rely on airpower – fixed wing and attack helicopters, artillery, advisers and Special Forces teams to provide war-winning capabilities to local forces. This was not a recipe for quick victory and the US began rotating units into Iraq and Syria. It had been possible to move the 3rd/159th Regiment rapidly to Baghdad in the autumn of 2014 because the US had kept a combat aviation brigade in Kuwait after the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq in December 2011. The US garrison in Kuwait, which also included an armored brigade combat team, was to protect the oil-rich emirate from Iranian assault and to act a rescue force in case the large US embassy in Baghdad was attacked. The Kuwait-based aviation brigade comprised a battalion of 24 Apaches, an air assault battalion with Sikorsky UH-60

BRITISH APACHE IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Blackhawks and a heavy lift battalion of Boeing CH-47 Chinooks. The brigade was led by a headquarters drawn from the US Army Reserve or US Army National Guard, but its component units were drawn from units across the active duty or reserve components. This was a unique arrangement that meant the brigade headquarters did not deploy complete with its organic subordinate units. In contrast, active duty aviation brigades deploying to Afghanistan at this time did so with their full complement of subordinate units and equipment. Just as OIR was starting the US Army was in the process of reorganizing its aviation branch. The legacy OH-58D Kiowa Warrior was being withdrawn from US Army cavalry or scout units due to costs. It was intended to split this mission in future between the AH-64E variant and the General Atomics MQ-1C Grey Eagle armed unmanned aerial vehicle. Both these systems were new and in the process of entering frontline service in 2014. To enable this transformation the number of Apaches in attack helicopter

Above: Senior US commanders regularly visited the US aviation forces inside Syria. Transport helicopters were escorted to the bases by multiple Apaches US DoD/Joint Combat Camera Right: Three British Army Air Corps Apache AH1s at RAF Akrotiri on Cyprus in April 2015 as part of the UK Special Force Task Group operating in the Middle East Google Earth

Below: The US Army deployed its Apaches to forward operating bases across Syria and Iraq to increase their operational effectiveness US DoD/Joint Combat Camera

battalions was increased to 24 and were re-named attack reconnaissance battalions. Only these new expanded units were committed to OIR. As the operation escalated the US Army continued to rotate a reserve component aviation brigade headquarters and collection of supporting units to Kuwait, usually for nine-month tours of duty. Increasingly the brigade’s center of gravity moved from Camp Buehring in Kuwait to forward operating bases (FOB) in Iraq, including Camp Taji and Baghdad International Airport. Rear logistics and maintenance elements remained at Camp Buehring, with operational companies deployed forward into the operational theatre.

Moving forward Over the next seven years, US attack helicopter operations reflected the ebb and flow of the battle. So, in 2014 and 2015, as the fight was focused on Baghdad and in Anbar province, US helicopters flew most missions around the Iraqi capital. By the summer and autumn of 2016 Iraqi troops were on the offensive and they set their sights on capturing the northern city of Mosul from Islamic State. Tens of thousands of Iraqi troops were massed around Mosul with an unprecedented amount of coalition airpower, including US Apaches working out of a forward operating base at Qayyarah West Airfield, south of the city. As Iraqi troops were battling around Mosul, the US military was also ramping up support for the Kurdish fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeastern Syria. Small US Special Forces adviser teams were on the ground in Syria with the SDF, helping them plan

One of the big mysteries of the war against the Islamic State is the role of British Army Air Corps Agusta Westland AH1 attack helicopters. The UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) has never publicly acknowledged that AAC Apaches were committed to action in Iraq or Syria from 2014 onwards. In April 2015 commercial satellite imagery appeared showing three Apache AH1s at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. The helicopters were parked next to four RAF Boeing Chinook HC2 support helicopters. At the time an MOD spokesman told journalists that all these helicopters were taking part in “routine training exercises”, but no details or news reports of these exercises was ever released. This added to the impression that the helicopters were supporting a mission by the UK’s secretive Special Forces. The Wattisham Eagle magazine – published at the home station of the AAC Apache force - over the next couple of years made cryptic references to “very high readiness” deployments to the Middle East by 3 and 4 Regiments of the AAC. In MOD jargon, very high readiness units are often from the Special Forces or assigned to support them. Throughout Operation Shader – the codename for the UK contribution to the US-led Operation Inherent Resolve – British Special Forces units operated in all of Iraq and Syria, with RAF Akrotiri acting as a rear logistic base. So what were the Apaches doing there? UK military sources suggested they were on hand to provide escorts for the Chinooks that were on alert to fly search and rescue missions if any frontline jets were lost over Syria. The need for this capability was displayed in January 2015 when IS released a video of a captured Jordanian pilot being burnt alive in a cage. After 2016, as the UK and US forces established helicopter bases in Syria, the UK Special Forces Task Group’s helicopters were moved to forward bases in Iraq and Syria.

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DEPLOYMENT REPORT // US ARMY VS IS an offensive mission to capture the Islamic State’s capital Raqqa and call down coalition air strikes. To supply its special forces operatives, US military engineers headed into Syria to begin building a series of airstrips and FOBs. The biggest American airstrip, dubbed the Kobani Landing Zone or KLZ, was built to the northwest of Raqqa. It opened the way for giant cargo aircraft to land the heavy arms needed by the SDF. By the end of 2016, USAF Boeing C-17 Globemaster and Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules were flying into these improvised airstrips on a daily basis. This massive base included helicopter landing pads, fuel dumps, ammunition bunkers and prefabricated accommodation for several hundred troops. In the first months of 2017, the SDF was advancing towards Raqqa and to boost the offensive, US Army Apaches were sent to a FOB to the north of the city. On March 22, 2017, hundreds of SDF fighters, a contingent of US Special Forces troops operating as their advisers, launched a large-scale helicopter borne assault on ISIL around the area of the Tabqa Dam, to the south west of Raqqa in a bid to encircle the city and trap the Islamic State fighters inside. The assault force was inserted by US Army Chinooks, escorted by AH-64Es on to the southern bank of the Euphrates River. The insertion took the Jihadi fighters by surprise, but the following day an Islamic

State force counter-attacked, prompting the US advisers to call up flights of Apaches to suppress the enemy via gun, rocket, and missile fire.

Close to the edge Over the next four months the fighting intensified as the SDF closed up to the edge of Raqqa’s suburbs and then pushed into the city in the face of fanatical resistance. At any point in time, an attack helicopter company of eight AH-64Es and an assault company with a similar number of UH-60s were operating from Kobani Landing Zone, ready to answer calls from help from the SDF. US Army Chinooks also were regularly forward deployed into Syria, depending on task requirements. The Battle for Raqqa turned into a brutal street fight with the SDF and Islamic State battling over every building. US and British air controllers were always close by and when an enemy strong point needed to be destroyed, an AH-64E would be called up to blast it with pinpoint accuracy. In October 2019, US President Donald Trump struck a deal with Turkey to allow it to attack Kurdish units of the SDF inside Syria. He ordered US troops to step aside and let the Turks attack the local militia who only days before were their allies in the war against Islamic State. As the withdrawal operation gathered momentum, the US, British and French special forces started pulling out of a

US ARMY ATTACK RECONNAISSANCE BATTALIONS DEPLOYED FOR OPERATION INHERENT RESOLVE 2014-2022

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Major Unit

Apache Variant

Deployment Date

34th Combat Aviation Brigade

N/A

August 2014

3rd Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment

AH-64D

March 2014

4th Battalion, 501st Aviation Regiment

AH-64D

December 14

185th Theater Aviation Brigade

N/A

April 2015

3rd Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment

AH-64D

August 2015

40th Combat Aviation Brigade

N/A

December 2015

1st Battalion, 10th Aviation Regiment

AH-64E

April 2016

77th Combat Aviation Brigade

N/A

August 2016

4th Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment

AH-64E

December 2016

29th Combat Aviation Brigade

N/A

April 2017

2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment

AH-64E

September 2017

449th Theatre Aviation Brigade

N/A

December 2017

7th Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment

AH-64E

February 2018

35th Combat Aviation Brigade

N/A

August 2018

4th Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment

AH-64E

July 2018

244th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade

N/A

May 2019

1st Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment

AH-64E

June 2019

34th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade

N/A

January 2020

1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment

AH-64E

January 2020

28th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade

N/A

October 2020

4th Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment

AH-64E

September 2020

40th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade

N/A

May 2021

1st Battalion, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade

AH-64E

March 2021

11th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade

N/A

January 2022

1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment

AH-64E

October 2021

September 2022 // www.Key.Aero

string of small forward bases across northwestern Syria and falling back on the US airstrip 25km south of Kobani. The US base at Kobani Landing Zone (KLZ) was in a precarious position. Russian, Syrian, Turkish and SDF troops were all within 16km of the base and the political situation was evolving by the hour in a very unpredictable way. An added layer of protection was provided by the presence of four AH-64Es from the 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment, flying from KLZ. The value of the Kobani Landing Zone was dramatically illustrated on October 2019 when it provided the launch pad for the raid that led to the death of the Islamic State founder, Abū Bakr al Baghdadi. SDF and US intelligence had tracked the infamous Jihadi to a hideout in Idlib province, some 120km to the west of KLZ. Troops from Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) strike unit, the famous Delta Force, were given the job of leading the raid and they were to be carried to the target by Boeing MH47G Chinooks from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. While most media reports claimed that the strike force launched directly from the JSOC base near Irbil, subsequent briefings in the Pentagon said the raiders staged through a forward base in Syria, close to Idlib. That base could only have been KLZ.

Right: In October 2019 US Apaches supported a special forces raid in northwestern Syria that led to the death of the Islamic State founder, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi. Here is a satellite image of the compound prior and after the strikes US DoD/Joint Combat Camera

Below: Night strikes were a vital role for US Army AH-64s operating in Syria and Iraq. Here is an Apache departing its FOB for a night sortie US DoD/Joint Combat Camera

The raid was a dramatic success. Apaches, from the detachment based at KLZ, machine-gunned several insurgents who tried to fire on the assault force, allowing the raiders to land from the Chinook force and then storm al Baghdadi’s hideout. The assault team on their MH-47Gs then successfully recovered to KLZ to refuel, en route to its home base at Harir in Iraq.

The Apaches then remained in Syria to cover the US withdrawal to the east of the country. President Trump soon changed his mind and US troops remained in positions around Syria’s eastern oil fields. US Army Apaches helicopters have remained on duty in both Iraq and Syria since then to protect the remaining coalition troops who are still on duty training and advising pro-western forces to resist a resurgence of Islamic State.

Their operations rarely make the news headlines these days but US commanders continue to value having a strong force of attack helicopters on hand in case things go wrong. Read more about attack helicopters in the book Gunship: Attack Helicopters at War, published by Key Publishing in July 2022

www.Key.Aero // September 2022

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BASE REPORT // LITTLE ROCK AFB

O S T O N

LITTLE

ROCK! Little Rock Air Force Base in Arkansas is the largest C-130 base in the world and home of Stateside Hercules training. Curt Jans pays a visit to this super base and talks to the personnel of the 19th AW

A C-130J with the 19th Airlift Wing flies past Lake Maumelle, Arkansas, on a low-level mission All images Curt Jans unless stated

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T

wenty minutes northeast of the Arkansas state capitol building, Little Rock Air Force Base (AFB) is the center of the universe for USAF C-130 operations, the so-called Herk Nation. The 19th Airlift Wing (AW), which is part of Air Mobility Command’s (AMC) Eighteenth Air Force, is the tenant and active duty, combat coded tactical airlift provider and installation host. “From the time a pilot, loadmaster, or navigator comes here for their initial training until they leave the air force, they are always getting touch points here at Little Rock Air Force Base,” said Col Angela Ochoa, commander of 19th Airlift Wing, and the installation commander at Little Rock AFB. “They do their initial training here. We employ them in the 19th Airlift Wing. They will come back here for instructor school, and we also have a relationship with the 29th Weapons Squadron that hosts our Weapons Instructor School. We have

the full spectrum of education and training for all our tactical airlifters.” Ochoa speaks from personal experience. As a C-130 command pilot with over 2800 hours, her air force career has included multiple stops at Little Rock AFB as an evaluator pilot, the chief of safety and commander, 61st Airlift Squadron, prior to rising to her present role. In the current strategic plan for the wing, Ochoa described the mission of the 19th AW as being undaunted tactical airlift and agile combat support. Ochoa explained: “Our wing provides force support and combat airpower to the combatant commanders and to the commander of the US Transportation Command daily. The beauty of Little Rock AFB is that we have one of the best partnerships. We are a total force base.” As the installation host, the 19th AW achieves this total force through collaboration with other units, including the active duty 314th AW responsible for C-130J aircrew training, the 189th AW of the Air National Guard responsible for C-130H aircrew training and the 913th Airlift Group, an Air Force Reserve unit that maintains a classic association with the 19th AW. Under a classic association, the 913th AG uses ‘tails’ that are assigned to the active duty 19th AW. The 19th has principal responsibility for the aircraft as part of an allotment of primary

www.Key.Aero // September 2022

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BASE REPORT // LITTLE ROCK AFB

authorized aircraft (PAA). The association program leverages the PAA of a single unit and the manpower of active-duty and reserve units in support of total force integration ensuring the C-130J community is training and operating to the same standard while driving greater equipment utilization. The total force integration concept also allows air force command to integrate personnel from different units to build qualified crews and ensure mission success. The 19th AW is comprised of five groups: the Maintenance Group, the Mission Support Group, the Medical Group, the Wing Staff Agencies and the Operations Group (OG), the last of which directs the training, planning and flying of the active-duty C-130’s. The 41st Airlift Squadron (AS) and the 61st AS are the primary flying components.

Above: The 61st Airlift Squadron’s heritage C-130J leads a threeship integrated sortie over central Arkansas

On the Road: Deployments The 19th Airlift Wing is at the sharp end of the tactical airlift community. As part of force support, the wing, in partnership with the 317th AW at Dyess AFB in Texas, maintains a constant rotation of forward deployed squadrons in the US Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility. The current Force Generation deployment model is a 1-to-3 ratio. Deployments typically last for six months, followed by 18 months at home station. So, at the unit level, an activeduty C-130 squadron can expect to be deployed six months every two years. However, this cycle will be replaced with a 24-month cycle, composed of

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Top: The paint scheme on the 61st Airlift Squadron’s heritage C-130J commemorates the C-130As flown by ‘The Four Horsemen’ and the 61st Troop Carrier Squadron

four, six-month readiness phases, the Air Force Force Generation (AFFORGEN) model, which ensures a sustainable force offering of Airmen and airpower to the Joint Force. AFFORGEN is projected to reach initial operating capability within the next fifteen months. Personnel from the 61st AS returned in April from deployment to Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait. The base is the CENTCOM theater gateway and is equipped to respond to contingencies throughout the area of responsibility (AOR). “We were the sole source of tactical airlift in the entire theater,” explained LtCol Nicholas Redenius, commander of 61st AS. “Every six months, the units change, but the C-130’s remain there as a constant presence. The intra-theater airlift piece is where we thrive, dispersing to outlying bases within the CENTCOM’s AOR.” The recent deployment was the first for C-130J’s with the Block 8.1 upgrade from Lockheed Martin. Tested and validated

by the 19th AW and 314th AW at Little Rock AFB for two years, the upgrade adds new hardware and software to allow for enhanced capabilities, including civil GPS, a new flight management system, updated identification friend-or-foe (IFF) systems and enhanced precision approach and landing systems. It also has improved situational awareness, with new datalinks to ensure the aircraft is compliant with the latest communication, navigation and surveillance (CNS) and global air traffic management (ATM) regulations. The 61st AS team was challenged to be ready for deployment with the newly validated Block 8.1 upgrade under a very tight timeline. With aircraft cycling through the upgrade process at multiple, off-base locations, the unit developed tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) for the upgrade right before executing the operational deployment. Redenius said: “Aircrew completed training on the system, established TTPs and employed

it successfully with zero aircraft mishaps and zero missions lost due to the new software and the giant transition that the entire C-130 community is going through.” While in theater, the 61st AS primary mission was the support and resupply of US and coalition ground forces. The squadron completed hundreds of air-land deliveries and more than 20 combat airdrop missions to different drop zones in Syria alone, including a mission with four consecutive airdrops to US ground forces. The squadron also maintained constant Alpha and Bravo Alerts with aircrew living just steps from the alert aircraft and the operations center during onduty windows lasting up to 72 hours. Supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, the Alpha Alert required aircrew and aeromedical evacuation teams to be available at all times, on a one-hour launch window, to evacuate casualties directly from the combat operations area or to move casualties for advanced treatment to locations outside the CENTCOM AOR. The Alpha Alert was maintained as part of daily operational readiness and participated in specific missions such as the US Special Forces raid in northwest Syria in February 2022 that led to the elimination of a top ISIS leader. The parallel Bravo Alert was maintained for the East Africa Response Force (EARF) under a second, smaller deployment to Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti. Co-located with Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA), the EARF is manned by a rotation of US Army divisions and was established in 2013 in response to the attacks on US diplomatic facilities in Benghazi, Libya on September 11-12, 2012. The EARF is a rapid deployment force which responds to contingency and

Above: Senior Airman Jason Henderson with the 61st Airlift Squadron monitors engine starts prior to an integrated mission from Little Rock AFB

security operations, including protection of US personnel and diplomatic facilities, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief and personnel evacuation and recovery. With the Bravo Alert, the 61st AS was responsible for transporting the EARF as directed by AFRICOM – wheels-up within an hour if required. Beyond the Bravo Alert, the 61st AS flew one or two missions per day from Camp Lemonnier to resupply US forces deployed within the Horn of Africa. The great majority of resupply missions were achieved through air-land sorties to dirt strips in austere, remote locations in multiple countries.

At Home: Training for the Future Below: A C-130J with the 19th Airlift Wing launches from Cole Landing Zone inside Fort Chaffee, Arkansas. Dirt airstrip operations are common in the CENTCOM area of responsibility

Back at Little Rock AFB, the squadron keeps three to four crews busy supporting US Transportation Command operational missions. Frequent taskings include support of deployments and exercises in the Americas, transportation of medical patients and family members in the continental US and the movement of personnel and supplies to outlying

locations in the SOUTHCOM AOR. The Wing also conducts frequent personnel airdrops with US Army airborne units at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, Fort Polk in Louisiana and Fort Campbell on the border of Kentucky and Tennessee, to support joint training and to maintain C-130 aircrew currency. In addition to executing operational missions, the wing is focused on executing the fundamentals of tactical airlift through training and by maintaining readiness. Lt Col Redenius explained this back-tobasics approach after the 61st AS had returned home to the United States: “After each deployment, there is blocking and tackling that we need to get back to – a reset phase. Whatever the tasking during a deployment, there is probably something in my skillset that I did not work on. When we get home, we reassess around evolving threats and the training required to maintain currency.” Flying is a perishable skill and each pilot and loadmaster is responsible to hold missionready status, which requires dozens of flight qualifications, upgrades and other non-flying requirements for deployments

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BASE REPORT ROCK AFB REPORT STYLE////LITTLE FEATURE NAME such as land survival, water survival and maintaining currency with the 9mm pistol. A major challenge for the active-duty squadrons is the significant turnover between deployments, as members move into new roles and onward to other units. “This is why the training window right now is so important,” Redenius said. “The co-pilots today are going to be the senior aircraft commanders when we deploy in late 2023. Some of those deployment pilots are not even here or have not started their training yet. We must be able to show them what ‘right’ looks like.” During subsequent deployment cycles, the newest aircraft commanders and co-pilots will become the future instructor pilots and aircraft commanders leading the next generation. Redenius explained that each deployment “is a balance between bringing our experienced instructors to mentor the newer aircraft commanders and new co-pilots to get the experience downrange.” The squadron training plan is extensive and thorough, utilizing aircraft, the classroom and simulators. Co-pilots that have achieved at least 600 flight hours are eligible for upgrade to aircraft commander. After 100 flight hours as an aircraft commander, pilots may become an instructor, which requires the MultiElement Formation Lead (MEFL) upgrade. Redenius explained: “Multi-Element Formation Lead upgrade training is where we teach instructor pilots the dynamics of managing a larger formation. A two-ship formation is primarily the world we live in, but the MEFL expands the mission to formations of four or more aircraft. Part of the training is to plan for and dynamically deal with high-stress scenarios. The instructor builds a mission plan with the aircrew and during the mission we like to create havoc and see how they react.”

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The entire AW is focused on near-peer, contested-airspace scenarios that demand robust and detailed training to ensure fullspectrum combat readiness. This means being prepared to operate in and adapt to changing combat environments with any adversary. In the Wing Strategic Plan, Col Ochoa explained how “leaders across the 19th Airlift Wing analyze our strengths and weaknesses, our opportunities and threats, and reshape our mission, vision and enduring priorities.” Part of developing TTPs for the highend fight is “pushing decision-making down to the lowest level and really empowering leaders at all levels to make decisions,” said Ochoa. The Wing has participated in multiple exercises “focused on what a near-peer and pacing challenge would look like. That has really helped our crews, maintainers, medics and support enablers to really start thinking about operating” in a degraded versus permissive environment. “It makes people learn how to adapt and overcome, and helps people grow so that they can lead in that environment.” The 19th AW conducts multiple ROCKI (pronounced ’Rock-eye’) exercises annually at Little Rock AFB and at other bases. These are designed to train and prepare airmen to drive agile combat employment (ACE) and to conduct operations in a degraded, contested environment. The ACE doctrine shifts operations from main operating bases to multiple, smaller, dispersed locations that are quickly established and relocatable. The intent is to complicate enemy offensive planning and to provide combat power generation

Below: Preparations for Operation Agile Spartan at Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait 386th Air Expeditionary Wing Pub

options to US joint force commanders. The concept of small, mobile, temporary operations also supports non-combat missions such as humanitarian tasks, disaster relief and evacuations. ROCKI exercises train the 19th OG by conducting flying missions and challenging the Maintenance Group, Mission Support Group and Medical Group with ACE development. For example, as Col Ochoa revealed during a recent ROCKI: “We took away the crews’ cellphones, internet and phone lines. We forced people to think about how you communicate as a team and essential communication for mission execution.” The wing teams also enhanced TTPs for base defense: “Our bases are secure and the enemy can’t reach us, but that might not be the operating environment of the future, especially with forward operating bases established under ACE.” At the squadron level, Redenius explained that training and exercises gradually build on each other, culminating in “high-end, integrated exercises such as Red Flag or Joint Forcible Entries. Large, joint operations with multiple platforms and multiple services determine how we integrate to execute a mission set.” The expectation is that aircrew will be ready to integrate with offensive air to establish air superiority, complete a tactical airlift mission and get back out of a contested area. Echoing Ochoa’s description of degraded mission environments, Redenius said: “We are having to wrap our brains around executing the mission without the ability to call back home. ”Every pilot must be able to make decisions based upon understanding of commander’s intent, air operations, the air order-of-battle and real-time information.”

Left: USAF airmen and US Army soldiers load an M142 high mobility artillery rocket system (HIMARS) into a 61st EAS C-130J during Operation Agile Spartan at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait USAF/SrA Michael Murphy

Left: A C-130J with the 19th Airlift Wing flies past Pinnacle Mountain, Arkansas, on a low-level mission

Real-World Results The nature of tactical airlift is personal and up-close. From low-level flying to air-land and airdrop deliveries on remote airstrips and aeromedical evacuations (AE), C-130 aircrew can truly see and feel the impact of their missions. Capt Riley Germanovich, the executive officer of the 61st AS, spoke about a memorable mission on her first deployment as a C-130 pilot: “In Afghanistan, we had one mission where we were refragged in the air. We returned to Bagram Air Base and AE loaded up the airplane.” In less than an hour, the mission had been briefed and the aircraft refueled and reconfigured for aeromedical evacuation. “On night-vision, we flew through thunderstorms and through a contested area onto a dirt strip to bring a casualty back to

Left: The formation leader is visible through the head-up display of a C-130J deployed with the 61st Expeditionary Airlift Squadron USAF/SSgt Jerreht Harris

Bagram. So many things stacked up, like flying through weather, flying on NVGs, landing on a dirt strip. It made me really appreciate the C-130 and everything that our training develops, in addition to helping save a life.” Col Ochoa referred to a 61st AS mission in Syria with four consecutive airdrops to US forces at four separate locations: “All the airdrops went off without a hitch and with all points-of-impact within 15 seconds of TOTs [time on target]. That’s just phenomenal planning and execution – pure excellence.” During the wing’s recent CENTCOM deployment, the 61st AS flew more than 800 missions and logged in excess of

5,700 flight hours. The additional deployment to Djibouti also moved 1600 tons of cargo and 2200 passengers in less than 90 days. Overall, the 61st AS achieved an impressive 100% mission completion rate across the board during the deployment. At Little Rock AFB, the ‘Black Knights’ of the 19th Airlift Wing hone their craft and tactical expertise every day, to maintain and project combat, tactical airlift. Ochoa summarized it well: “We are the home of Herk Nation. It’s this base and it is bigger than this base. We are absolutely 100% ready to go, to do whatever the nation asks of us.”

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AIR DEFENSE REPORT // SUPPRESSING TAIWAN’S RADARS

FLAVORS OF

David Axe reports on Taiwan’s air defence network and China’s efforts to suppress it

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aiwan deploys one of the densest air defense networks in the world and for good reason. The tiny island country of just 24 million people is separated from its biggest threat – mainland China with its poulation of 1.4bn – by just 100 miles of water across the Taiwan Strait. To maximize its chances of seizing Taiwan by cross-strait invasion, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) might first attempt to suppress the island’s air-defenses as part of a wider air campaign. To do that, the PLAAF is investing in new and more capable electronic-warfare aircraft – most notably the air force’s first highperformance penetrating electronic attack jet, the Shenyang J-16D. A variant of the J-16 fighter, the twin-engine, two-seat, supersonic J-16D is the PLAAF’s answer to the US Navy’s Boeing EA-18G Growler penetrating jammer. Older, slower stand-off jammers based on propeller-driven transport types could

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complement the J-16Ds in wartime, much in the way the USAF’s Lockheed Martin EC-130H–and, soon, new L3Harris EC-37B jammers complement the USN’s EA-18Gs.

Poking the porcupine Experts have urged Taiwan to invest in defensive weaponry that could complicate a Chinese invasion instead of spending big on ostensibly offensive weaponry that, in a major clash, might not last long against a numerically superior Chinese force. They call this the ‘porcupine’ approach to defensive strategy. Groundbased air-defenses – radars, anti-aircraft guns and surface-to-air missile batteries – already comprise a significant proportion of Taiwan’s defenses, complementing a front-line fighter fleet with around 400 Lockheed Martin F-16s, Dassault Mirage 2000s and AIDC F-CK-1s. If the porcupine approach to national defense becomes dominant, these air-defenses might become even more important. That could mean even more work for the PLA’s growing airborne jamming fleet.

Above: A Shenyang J-16 fighter attached to the PLA’s Eastern Theater Command during a training sortie on February 16, 2021. The J-16D is an electronic-warfare variant of the J-16 PLA/ Li Yehong Below: The Shenyang J-16D made its official public debut at the Zhuhai air show in September 2021. Four months later, J-16Ds took part in their first operational patrols near Taiwan PLA

At present, the Taiwanese armed forces deploy 31 long- and medium-range SAM batteries with ranges of up to 50 miles, including US-made Raytheon Patriots and Raytheon I-HAWKs and locally-developed Sky Bow systems. Hundreds of short-range guns and missiles complement the longerrange batteries. Dozens of radars – some attached to missile batteries, others for long-range early warning – tie together the missiles and guns. In a 2016 study, the California-based RAND think tank concluded that Taiwan’s medium- and long-range SAMs working together could clear the airspace over the island for two hours at a time, 12 times

during an invasion, likely shooting down hundreds of Chinese aircraft. That is the problem the PLA jamming force would attempt to solve, by interfering with the radars that feed data to Taiwanese air defenders. To that end, the PLAAF currently operates at least three types of jamming aircraft, including the first handful of operational J-16Ds. The PLA Navy is also developing the similar J-15D for carrier-borne operations.

Getting out of a jam Variants of the classic Shaanxi Y-8 turboprop transport, itself a Chinese clone of the Russian Antonov An-12, make up the majority of the PLAAF electronicwarfare fleet. There are several specialmission Y-8 models and it is not totally clear what mission each of them performs. However, it is known that the Y-8CB is a jamming platform. The four-engine Y-8CB with its 124-foot wingspan, ventral jammer fairing and extensive antennas first flew in 2000. According to the 2021 edition of The Military Balance, an annual weapons survey from the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the PLAAF operates four Y-8CBs as part of its Southern and Northern Theater Air Forces. It is unclear precisely which jammers the Y-8CB carries, but it’s probable they operate in the same way as most radar-jamming systems: by broadcasting electronic signals that drown out the signals traveling back to an enemy radar. There might be other Y-8 jammers in addition to the Y-8CBs, including the second-generation Y-8G, seven of which are in PLAAF service following a maiden flight in 2004, but this remains a matter of speculation. However, it is known that the PLAAF is already moving on from the Y-8 platform for special missions. The newer Shaanxi Y-9 – in essence a stretched and modernized Y-8 – has begun to complement its progenitor and might eventually replace it. The Y-9G first flew in 2014. It sports a twin jammer fairing under its chin plus six large oval antennas along the fuselage and three more antennas on the tailfin. IISS counted three Y-9Gs in 2021 and they appear to fly alongside the Y-8CBs in the same regiments belonging to the same theater air forces. The Y-8CBs, Y-9Gs and other possible ‘heavy’ jammers based on the same basic airframes are slow and vulnerable and potentially few in number. PLAAF

commanders most likely would deploy them for stand-off jamming as far as possible from Taiwan. The J-16D would handle close-in jamming. The new jet shares the same basic layout as the EA-18G, with wingtip pods for passive radar receivers that help the crew to cue their four underwing pods, each packing a radar jammer that ground crews can tune to frequencies prior to a mission. The J-16D flew for the first time in 2015. The number of J-16Ds that Shenyang has built remains unclear, but note that two of the new penetrating jammers took part in one of the PLA’s frequent probes of Taiwan’s air-defense identification zone in January and April 2022, flying alongside J-10 and J-16 fighters and KJ-500 earlywarning aircraft. The probes might be part of the J-16D’s operational testing. Penetrating jamming is a new mission for the PLAAF and it might take some time for the service to develop tactics. It is a safe bet that Chinese planners are closely watching other air arms that operate fast jammers, in particular the US Navy and Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) with their fleets of 158 and 12 EA-18Gs, respectively. In US service, EA-18Gs can accompany strike packages into enemy air space or fly their own patterns within the range of enemy air-defenses. The EA-18G is broadly like the USN and RAAF’s F/A-18E/F fighters,

so it can match the strikers’ speed and range. The EA-18G can carry weapons, including air-to-air missiles for self-defense and radar-homing High-Speed AntiRadiation Missiles for when the crew gets a clear shot at an enemy radar. It is a safe bet the J-16D will also carry weapons when the threat demands it. Given the threat is one of the world’s most dangerous air-defense networks, expect J-16Ds to load up with missiles in wartime as a matter of survival. The same SAM batteries that the Chinese air force’s jamming planes are there to suppress will be doing their best to shoot them down.

Above: The mission crew of a People’s Liberation Army Air Force Shaanxi Y-8 or Y-9 special-mission aircraft CCTV capture Top: Shaanxi Y-9G standoff jammers frequently take part in patrols around Taiwan, and thus are subject to interception by Republic of China Air Force fighters ROCAF photo

Left: People’s Liberation Army Air Force Shaanxi Y-8 and Y-9 special-mission aircraft, including Y-9G standoff jammers, at their base apparently under the PLA’s Western Theater Command CCTV capture

Below: A firstgeneration Shaanxi Y-8CB CCTV Capture

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UFO REPORT // CLOSE ENCOUNTERS

COLLISION

COURSE A Congressional hearing has been told that military pilots have had several close encounters with unidentified flying objects. Rob Coppinger investigates these ‘near misses’

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Right: The guidedmissile destroyer USS Kidd (DDG 100) in the Pacific Ocean in July 2019, the month and year when it encountered a UAP US Navy

Below: An F/A-18F Super Hornet of the Strike Fighter Attack Squadron (VFA) 11, ‘Red Rippers’, prepares to take off from the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) on March 17, 2015 Navy Media Content Services

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ilitary pilots in the US have had at least 11 ”near misses” with unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), Naval Intelligence Deputy Director Scott Bray has told the first Congressional UFO hearing in more than 50 years. “Recently, I received a call from a senior naval aviator with over 2,000 flight hours,” Bray said during the May 17 hearing. “He called me personally from the flight line after landing to talk about an encounter he had just experienced. Navy and Air Force crews now have step-by-step procedures for reporting on UAP on their knee board in the cockpit and in their post flight debrief procedures.” Bray was one of two speakers during the public hearing in front of the Counterterrorism, Counterintelligence and Counterproliferation Subcommittee of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. There was also a classified hearing.

The second speaker was Ronald Moultrie, Under-Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security. Both began by explaining how they were working with the UAP Task Force (UAPTF), set up in August 2020, to de-stigmatize the UAP/ UFO subject. They aim to encourage military personnel to report sightings and experiences. Bray said a pilot who has encountered a UAP should “contact their intelligence officer” after landing, and reserve any data held on the aircraft’s sensors. The pilot would then complete a form detailing where they were operating,

their altitude, speed, and what they observed, together with any sensor data. That report would go to the operational chain of command, so units are aware of what has been seen; it is also forwarded to the UAPTF’s database. The UAPTF was established by the US Deputy Secretary of Defense at the time, David Norquist, but in November the following year, his defense office successor Kathleen Hicks created the Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group (AOIMSG) to replace the UAPTF. Transition from UAPTF to AOIMSG is

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UFO REPORT // CLOSE ENCOUNTERS ongoing – Moultrie told the May 17 hearing the AOIMSG name is likely to change; there has already been reorganization since January due to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022, which President Joe Biden signed into law last December. Under the NDAA, defense organizations and the intelligence community must assist AOIMSG’s investigations, and the UAP body must give Congressional briefings twice a year. The AOIMSG will use rapid reaction teams and analysis will be undertaken on “recovered materials”, “medical studies” and “developing theories to understand” UAP, the NDAA stated. The NDAA also required an annual report until 2026.

Startling statements On March 15, the 2022 Consolidation Appropriations Act was signed into law by President Joe Biden. It has a UAP section that requires quarterly reports, in addition to the NDAA’s yearly report and various briefings. The Consolidation Appropriations Act also gave the US Air Force (USAF) National Air and Space Intelligence Center a UAP role. The Consolidation act’s quarterly reports will be classified, while the NDAA annual report will be unclassified but with a secret annex. The first of the classified quarterly reports was to have been submitted to Congressional intelligence and armed services committees by June 13. None of the committees responded to inquiries about the report. However, the US government’s first UAP report was published on June 25, 2021. Congressionally mandated by 2020 legislation, that report made

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some startling statements, it said: “A handful of UAP appear to demonstrate advanced technology.” It also described: “[Movement] at considerable speed, without discernible means of propulsion.” What began the legislative process that created the AOIMSG, the reports, briefings, and Congressional hearings, was a December 2017 New York Times (NYT) article, which revealed the US government had a UAP program – the US Department of Defense (DoD) Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification program (AATIP), funded with $22m from late 2007 until 2012. The whistle-blower who spoke to the NYT was a former director of AATIP, Luis Elizondo. His story is intertwined with the events leading to AOIMSG. Elizondo quit his DoD job in October 2017 due to what he said was frustration at the lack of action by his superiors over UAP. After he quit, Elizondo joined the To the Stars Academy (TTSA) and talked to the NYT. The TTSA facilitated into the public domain two DoD UAP videos that the NYT published along with its Elizondo story – prompting significant US mainstream media interest; Elizondo and his TTSA colleagues were interviewed widely. In an email exchange earlier this year, Elizondo said that after his AATIP experience, he “can't imagine an [annual] budget any less than tens of millions of dollars” for AOIMSG. He added that Congress could decide if any of the AOIMSG budget stayed secret. Since 2017, Elizondo has publicly stated that he and others have briefed members of Congress about AATIP and UAP. Within the DoD, changes were taking place that would lead to the UAPTF being created – that shift had begun in 2007. While Elizondo was a director of ATTIP, from 2010, a contract had been awarded

Above: An F/A-18 Hornet engages an unidentified object above the Atlantic Ocean in 2004. World War Two documentary and video producer Dave Beaty released a program in 2019, The Nimitz Encounters, about the US Navy’s 2004 UAP encounters and this computergenerated image is from that documentary David Beaty Below: USS Omaha (LCS 12) seen from USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), November 2019 – the year Omaha had encountered UAP US Navy

to Las Vegas-based Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies by the DoD in late 2007. It was called Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program (AAWSAP). That year, a forwardlooking infra-red (FLIR) targeting pod video had been leaked on the internet. The FLIR video was from 2004 and showed a white cylindrical object that was detected by US Navy fighter pilots flying from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) off the eastern seaboard. The object is said to have engaged with navy pilots and evaded them. Bray told the May 17 hearing: “The 2004 incident from Nimitz – we have data from that, and it simply remains unresolved.” That FLIR video was the one leaked onto the internet in 2007 and it was also one of the two DoD UAP videos TTSA disseminated. The other TTSA leaked video was from an event in 2014 off the US east coast.

objects, along with other videos and documents, from encounters by the USS Kidd and USS Omaha. In a surprising turn of events, the US Navy confirmed that Corbell’s night-vision videos were genuine navy videos about a week after his April 8 disclosure.

UAP... or drone?

In 2014, the VFA-11, ‘Red Rippers’ squadron operating from the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) saw UAP regularly. One of the squadron’s Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet pilots, who has since left the navy, was Ryan ‘FOBS’ Graves. Last year, Graves said that in 2014 and 2015 the UAP would sit at altitudes of up to 30,000ft for many hours while being spotted by different navy pilots (see CAJ September 2021). Following the NYT article and further mass media coverage, the UAP issue snowballed. From November 2020, the USAF started its own reporting scheme for pilots and in the December, Biden signed into law the legislation that required DoD to produce that June 25, 2021 published UAP report. December 2020 also saw former Central Intelligence Agency director, John Brennan, state that UAP could be a new form of life. On April 2 2021, another former CIA director, James Woolsey, told the website www.theblackvault.com that he believes UFOs are real.

Below: In 2019, unknown objects were filmed flying above US Navy vessels and, through the nightvision camera lens, they looked like glowing triangles and pyramids Jeremy Corbell

After Nelson’s 2021 comment, on June 7 and 8, respectively, former US Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe told Fox News UAP are real, and former US President Bill Clinton told another US TV show that UAP are unknown objects. During this period of ex-officials’ comments, Elizondo and his former TTSA colleagues were being interviewed by various mass media and social media forums. One dramatic claim made earlier, in April 2021, was that pyramid-shaped UAPs had hovered over a US Navy vessel in July 2019, but this year that claim has been disputed. On April 8 last year, alleged naval UAP encounters were made public by documentary film-maker Jeremy Corbell. He had been leaked night-vision videos of triangle and apparently pyramid-shaped

But in the May 17 hearing this year, Bray said it had been determined that Corbell’s pyramids were in fact ordinary drones. Bray explained the pyramids and triangles as simply the outcome of light distortion within the camera. Another documentary film-maker, David Beaty, who made a film about the 2004 Nimitz incident, had previously obtained redacted ships’ deck logs. The logs refer to drones, unmanned air vehicles or unmanned aerial systems. Corbell responded to Bray’s explanation: “Bray was briefed for his public appearance and is probably telling it like he understands it. However, the American people and Congress were lied to at the [May 17] public UFO hearing via omission... They remain unknown. This is a national security issue.” While disputed, Corbell’s videos have helped drive the national US debate. Since 2017, Elizondo, his former TTSA colleagues, ex-senior intelligence officials, Presidents and Senators, and pilots involved in UAP incidents, have talked on the US mainstream media. The list of characters has grown, and the latest addition is Dr Travis Taylor, an aerospace systems and optical science expert who worked for the US military. In June, Taylor told the Las Vegas-based

Presidential believers Retired officials’ admissions continued in May 2021 when former US President Barack Obama told an American television show that UAP are unknown objects. The former US Director of National Intelligence James Clapper also told CNN the same thing during that month. On June 2, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said his agency would study UAP, and, 53 weeks later, on June 9 this year, it was announced NASA would start collating UAP data before the end of 2022.

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UFO REPORT // CLOSE ENCOUNTERS 8 News Now TV program that he had been the UAPTF’s chief scientist. Taylor is known in UFO circles; he has appeared in TV shows such as Ancient Aliens and The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch and he is a guest on multiple YouTube podcasts. Taylor expressed bewilderment at what the UAP could be in his TV interview on 8 News Now. Overall, this series of events from 2017 until May this year seem to paint a picture of an unrelenting disclosure of a mysterious unearthly phenomenon, but is that the case? If the Cold War had not ended in 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union, how far would the US government have gone to keep its stealth aircraft secret?

Black triangles In the 1980s, black triangles grew as a UFO description, the flying saucer had become passé. The F-117 Nighthawk could be said to be triangle-shaped. Today, China is deemed the near-peer future adversary and Russia is widely viewed as a nuclear-armed warmonger and danger to the West. Both nations are a good argument for keeping completely hidden an aerospace technology that gives the US a truly strategic advantage. Elizondo’s success with the media since 2017 has raised questions about the validity of this ongoing UAP disclosure process. “The fairly easy reception [from the mainstream media] that that whistleblower's [Elizondo] claims receive is kind of a giveaway” that this is a government propaganda campaign, said Mark Crispin Miller to CAJ in 2021 (see CAJ September 2021). Miller is professor of media, culture, and communication at New York University and the author of books on modern government propaganda. He sees parallels between the start and evolution of the UAP, UFO discussion in the US media, and hallmarks of a government propaganda campaign. Like Elizondo, his former TTSA colleagues also have backgrounds in secret government work: the TTSA’s operations vice-president is Jim Semivan, a 25-year career veteran of the CIA who retired in 2007. Of the more recent naval pilot encounters, few pilot witnesses have come forward. Chad Underwood, David Fravor and Alex Dietrich were involved in the 2004 encounters. Those F/A-18 pilots’ weapon system officers have not come forward. Of the 2014-2015 encounters,

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two Super Hornet pilots have had media exposure – Graves, and a Lt Danny Accoin. Fravor, Dietrich and Graves have all had exposure on mass media, such as CBS current affairs program, 60 Minutes. There is also a question over the presence of an audio track with the FLIR video of Graves’ squadron’s 2014 encounter. Targeting pod videos do not have audio tracks, yet pilots’ voices can be heard commenting apparently in amazement at the objects. In Congress, there is also a commonality among the UAP proponents, they are members of the intelligence and military committees. The FY2022 NDAA UAP legislative action was driven forward by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who is a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI). She was aided by Florida Republican Party Senator Marco Rubio, the SSCI vice-chairman. Another supporter was House of Representatives member, Congressman Ruben Gallego – he is chairman of the intelligence and special operations subcommittee of the House Armed Services committee. Before Gillibrand’s involvement, Rubio had spoken openly about his interest in UAP, as did Virginia Democratic Party Senator Mark Warner who chairs the SSCI. Both had received UAP briefings in 2019 and on June 22 this year Warner’s FY2023 intelligence authorization act, which has more UAP proposals, was approved by the SSCI. Another senator who participated in the 2019 briefings was the

then Florida Democratic Party Senator, and now NASA administrator, Bill Nelson. Beyond the USA, Bray told the May 17 hearing: “China has established its own version of a UAP Task Force,” adding: “Allies have seen these [UAP]… We share data with some [nations] and some share data with us.” Like the US, Brazil has held UAP discussions – on June 24 the Brazilian Senate’s UFO hearing saw hours of testimony about foreign and domestic civilian and military UFO encounters; former USAF officer Robert Salas testified at that event – in 1967, the nuclear missiles he was a launch officer for at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana were allegedly shut down by a UFO. Despite Salas and other USAF missile officers coming forward for decades, they have never had the mass news media exposure that Elizondo has had. And in an interview earlier this year, Salas said no member of Congress had asked him to participate in the US public hearings. The US mainstream media ignored Salas’ presence at the Brazilian Senate hearing in June. Unlike Brazil, US allies like the UK are staying very tight-lipped. Nick Pope ran the UK Ministry of Defence's (MOD) UFO desk in the 1990s. He said: “The MOD seems to be taking the lazy, do-nothing option, expressing confidence in their monitoring of the UK Air Defence Region, but failing to address the issue of why they won't investigate something that the US…assessed as an air safety threat and a possible national security challenge.”

Above: An illustration of the alleged UAP encounter by the crew of USS Kidd in 2019 David Beaty

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AIRCRAFT REPORT // A-10C WARTHOG

TARGET ON ITS BACK The A-10C ‘Warthog’ still has a vital role to play, years after the USAF planned to ditch it, writes Tom Kaminski

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FTER almost 50 years, the end is not yet in sight for the Fairchild Republic A-10, as the United States Air Force (USAF) looks to revamp its close air support (CAS) capabilities. Today, 281 ‘Warthogs’ remain in service with units of the USAF, Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) and Air National Guard (ANG). Although more than 250 A-10As were retired shortly after Operation Desert Storm, the moves were part of a wholesale reduction in US military forces, resulting from the fall of the Iron Curtain and the breakup of the Soviet Union. The Fairchild Republic Company produced 715 A-10A CAS aircraft at its facilities in Farmingdale, New York, and Hagerstown, Maryland, beginning in May 1972. The first production aircraft arrived at the US Air Force’s 355th Tactical Training Wing at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (AFB), Arizona, in March 1976 and the final delivery occurred on March 20, 1984, when serial 82-0665 was handed over to the 23rd Tactical Fighter Wing’s

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74th Tactical Fighter Squadron at England AFB, Louisiana. Although loved by those who have flown and maintained the aircraft, and despite its lengthy career, the Thunderbolt II has never been a favorite with the USAF’s senior leaders. In fact, as early as 1986, the service had proposed replacing it with the CAS variant of the General Dynamics F-16. Despite numerous attempts to reduce the fleet or completely replace it, time and time again the A-10 has proven itself in combat. Following Operation Desert Storm in 1991, USAF Gen Chuck Horner, Commander, US Central Command Air Forces, said: “I take back every bad thing I ever said about the A-10, they are saving our asses!”. In 2013, US Army Chief of Staff, and former commander of forces in Iraq Gen Ray Odierno said: “The A-10 is the best CAS platform we have today.” Besides CAS, the A-10 has excelled at several other missions that include forward air control – airborne (FAC-A), combat search and rescue (CSAR), special operations support and air interdiction.

Based at Boise Airport, Gowen Field, the Idaho ANG’s 124th Fighter Wing’s 190th Fighter Squadron has flown the A-10 since transitioning from the F-4E Phantom All images: Jim Haseltine, unless stated otherwise

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AIRCRAFT REPORT // A-10C WARTHOG More recently, A-10s were deployed to combat so-called Islamic State (ISIS) forces in Iraq and Syria in support of Operation Inherent Resolve between November 2014 and January 2018. Flying from Incirlik Air Base (AB) in Turkey and Ahmed Al Jaber AB in Kuwait, nearly every combat-coded A-10C squadron took its turn.

European missions Besides its many combat missions for the United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), the A-10 fleet continued to support deployments to Europe. As recently as May 2022, ten A-10Cs from the Maryland Air National Guard’s 175th Fighter Wing executed an Agile Combat Employment (ACE) deployment. The aircraft initially participated in the US Army Europe and Africa’s Exercise Swift Response 22 (see pages 94-96) from May 2-20, 2022. The multinational training exercise took place at locations throughout Eastern Europe, that ranged from the Arctic, Baltic Sea, and Balkan Peninsula regions. Four A-10Cst initially transited to Andøya Air Base in Andenes, Norway, on May 6, and six touched down at Ohrid St Paul The Apostle Airport in North Macedonia on May 7. At the conclusion of the exercise, the jets traveled to Lielvārde Air Base, Latvia, for Exercise Defender Europe 22. Six Warthogs operated from the Latvian base while four were detached to Ämari Air Base in Estonia, then to Kuressaare Airport on Saaremaa, an island off the west coast of Estonia, in the Baltic Sea. Over the month-long deployment, A-10C pilots flew around 170 sorties and conducted live-fire CAS missions that supported training with

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Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTAC) from 11 NATO nations. Pilots expended more than 17,200 rounds of 30mm ammunition, 18 AGR-20 laser-guided 2.75in rockets, six AGM-65 Maverick air-to-surface missiles, and 12 inert 500lb BDU-50 practice bombs.

Retirement restrictions Despite numerous success stores, for nearly a decade now, the A-10C has been a weapon system with a ‘target on its back’. Under an initial February 2012 proposal, the USAF planned to phase out 102 aircraft over a period of five years, beginning in Fiscal Year 2013 (FY13). Elected officials rejected that plan and the FY13 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) placed strict limitations on the number of aircraft that could be divested. The USAF’s FY14 plans called for retaining the A-10 fleet through to 2035. However, the service made another attempt to phase out the aircraft with the release of its FY15 budget in February 2014. It called for retiring the entire fleet of 283 A-10s between 2015-19. At that time, officials said the USAF could no longer afford to retain the ‘single-mission’ aircraft and could utilize other platforms for the CAS mission. Supporting its claim, the service said the divestiture would provide a savings of $3.7bn over the five-year future defense program, and an additional $500m in cost avoidance would be realized by cancelling ongoing upgrades. The service planned to use the divestiture to free up funds for new aircraft programs, including the F-35A Joint Strike Fighter. Once again, the final approved NDAA restricted retirements but permitted 36 aircraft to be moved to backup inventory status.

In February 2015, a revised divestiture that retired the fleet over a four-year period, concluding in FY19, was offered. By March 2016, those plans were updated, moving the start date to FY18 and running through to FY22. Elected officials did not accept the USAF proposal and inserted language in the FY16 and FY17 NDAAs that prevented the service from reducing the size of the A-10C fleet beyond any previously approved retirements. The latter included 49 A-10Cs placed in storage with the 309th AMARG, between April 2013 and May 2014, alongside 122 unmodified A-10As. The decisions were supported by a review conducted by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that concluded the “A-10 divestment proposals would contribute to a decline in Air Force fighter capacity, when compared to the Air Force’s fiscal year 2014 budget

Above: Four A-10Cs assigned to the 23rd Wing’s 23rd Fighter Group conduct a cross-country flight between Moody AFB, Georgia, and Nellis AFB, Nevada, on August 28, 2019 US ANG/TSgt John Winn Right: A pilot from the 40th Flight Test Squadron at Eglin AFB, Florida, conducts an evaluation flight on February 9, 2022. The A-10C was equipped with 16 250lb GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs for the test USAF/TSgt John Raven

plans.” As noted, those plans called for retaining the A-10 through to 2035. The FY17 NDAA also prohibited the USAF from reducing personnel levels within the A-10 community. After laying low for three years, in FY21 the USAF said it wanted to remove 44 A-10Cs from service. Once again, elected officials came to the rescue and denied permission for the retirement. In its FY22 budget, the USAF proposed retiring 42 A-10Cs in FY22. Although the final NDAA approved the divestiture of 160 other USAF aircraft, it again prohibited the Warthog retirement.

Gaining upgrades Developed at the height of the Cold War, the A-10A was a fairly simple, low-cost aircraft, built around a seven-barrel GAU8/A 30mm cannon, and was designed to destroy Soviet tanks and armored vehicles. Over the years, however, the aircraft’s capabilities evolved along with technology, making the A-10C an extremely capable CAS platform. Beginning with the installation of an Inertial Navigation System (INS) in 1980, the A-10A gained several new systems. Fielded in 1991, the Low Altitude Safety and Targeting Enhancement (LASTE) provided computer-aided capabilities that included ground collision avoidance, enhanced attitude control for aircraft stabilization during gunfire, and a low-altitude autopilot system, as well as ballistic weapons control and target detection and tracking. By the mid 1990s, night-vision modifications were installed on more than 370 aircraft, and an Embedded Global Positioning System Inertial Navigation System (EGI) capability was incorporated from 1999.

A-10Cs from the 23rd Wing’s 23rd Fighter Group and a C-130J from the 317th Airlift Wing prepare to depart the transient flight-line at MacDill AFB, Florida, during the Mosaic Tiger 22-1 exercise on November 16, 2021. MacDill AFB served as a simulated contingency location for the exercise that permitted the A-10C pilots to refuel and rearm between sorties USAF/A1C Briana Beavers

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AIRCRAFT REPORT // A-10C WARTHOG In 2007, the first of around 100 ANG and AFRC-assigned A-10As received modifications that replaced the aircraft’s original monochrome television monitor with a liquid crystal, multi-function color display (MFCD) and the Situational Awareness Data Link (SADL), which enabled the aircraft to receive data from, and transmit it to, other platforms. In addition, the AN/AAQ-28 LITENING advanced targeting pod, first fielded in 2003, was integrated with the aircraft systems. The first A-10A+ combat deployment to Afghanistan began in mid 2008. Originally designed with a 6,000-hour service life, the A-10 was later extended to 12,000 hours. In support of those moves, the aircraft received a series of structural modifications under the ‘Hog Up’ programs. However, it was determined the aircraft’s service life was limited by its wings. Initiated in 2001, the Precision Engagement (PE) program was the most complex upgrade in the history of the A-10 fleet. It transformed the Warthog from a clear-weather, visual-only attack aircraft into an all-weather, multi-mission, precision-weapons delivery platform. Plans called for the modification of up to 356 A-10As to the A-10C configuration. The modifications integrated a redesigned main instrument panel and smart weapons capabilities. The cockpit update installed two MFCDs, a hands-on throttle and stick (HOTAS) system, an up-front controller, and a new armament/ heads-up display (HUD) control panel. Additionally, a new Central Interface Control Unit (CICU) computer that managed the avionics and the integrated Digital Stores Management System (DSMS) and a SADL/Link 16 were integrated. The Up-Front Controller (UFC) simplified pilot workload by integrating many weapons, navigation, and HUD commands into a single piece of equipment. Serving as the Tactical Awareness Display (TAD), the MFCD displays target, threat and friendly information provided through the SADL. Electrical power was also increased, and a more-powerful Integrated Flight and Fire Control Computer (IFFCC) was integrated with the LASTE system. The aircraft was also made fully compatible with AN/AAQ-28 LITENING or AN/AAQ-33 Sniper XR advanced targeting pods, and six of the jet’s 11 pylons were upgraded with a ‘smart’ weapons capability, to deliver Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) and Wind Corrected Munitions Dispensers (WCMD).

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The modifications enabled the aircraft to alternately deliver up to four 2,000lb GBU-31; six 500lb GBU-38 JDAMs; six CBU-103/104 WCMDs or 2,000lb GBU-10 or 500lb GBU-12 laser guided bombs. In 2009, the Warthog was cleared to deploy the GBU-54 Laser-guided JDAM (LJDAM). A prototype flew at Eglin AFB, Florida, on January 20, 2005, and the Ogden Air Logistics Center (now Complex, OO-ALC) conducted the first flight of a production A-10C at Hill in August 2006. The A-10C achieved initial operational capability (IOC) with the Maryland Air National Guard’s 104th FS in August 2007, and the first combat delivery of a JDAM followed on September 19, 2007, during a deployment to Al Asad AB, Iraq. In July 2011, the OO-ALC delivered the final A-10C, when serial 80-0213 was completed at Hill. Whereas the majority of the 349 upgrades were carried out by the 571st AMXS at Hill AFB, modifications to 40 aircraft, based in Germany and Korea, were made locally by SABCA in Brussels, Belgium, and Korean Air’s (KAL) Aerospace Division in Busan, Korea. Beginning in July 2010, a helmetmounted integrated targeting (HMIT) capability was provided. The project integrated the Thales Visionix (formerly Gentex) Scorpion Helmet Mounted Cueing System (HMCS) as part of the Suite 7B Operational Flight Program (OFP). The software change also integrated the AN/ ARS-6(V)12 Lightweight Airborne Radio System (LARS V12) – Combat SurvivorEvader Locator (CSEL) radio on aircraft operated by the ANG and AFRC.

New wings Started in 2011, the A-10 Wing Replacement Program (WRP) provided the aircraft with replacement enhanced wing assemblies (EWA), which were certified with a 10,000-hour service life,

Above: An A-10C assigned to the 23rd Wing’s 23rd Fighter Group at Moody AFB arrives at Nellis AFB for participation in exercise Red Flag-Nellis 22-1 on January. 20, 2022 USAF/William Lewis

Right: An A-10C assigned to the US Air Force Weapons School’s 66th Weapons Squadron departs Nellis AFB for a training mission on May 4, 2022. The Thunderbolt II was marked as the flagship for the weapons school, which teaches graduate-level instructor courses that provide advanced training in weapons and tactics employment USAF/William Lewis

were more durable and efficient, and easier to maintain. Modifications to the first aircraft (80-0173) were completed on February 15, 2012. Boeing received a $1.1bn contract in 2007 to build the replacement wings, and plans then called for 242 shipsets to be produced. However, between FY17 and FY21, the USAF procured just 173 EWAs. Produced by Boeing and its partners, the EWAs included outer and center wing assemblies, control surfaces and a fuselage integration kit. The OO-ALC’s 571st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron (AMXS) at Hill AFB, Utah, installed new EWAs on 162 A-10s, and 11 were upgraded by Korean Air Lines locally in Korea. The program concluded in July 2019, when the final upgraded (80-0252) aircraft flew at Hill AFB. The end of the

production left around 110 aircraft with their original wings, which limited their capabilities and left them susceptible to retirement. In January 2018, after again being rebuffed on its attempts to retire the aircraft, the USAF announced plans to resume production of new wings. This move occurred after the US Congress added funding for a new wing assembly line and the first four shipsets of wings. On August 21, 2019, the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center awarded Boeing a contract for up to 112 shipsets of EWAs under the A-10 Thunderbolt II Advanced-Wing Continuation Kit (ATTACK) program. The indefinitedelivery, indefinite-quantity contract could be worth as much as $999m by 2030, if all options are exercised. The service initially ordered 27 wing sets at a cost of $240m and Boeing is currently under contract to deliver 50 sets, with the last order for six being funded in FY21. The USAF did not, however, earmark any additional funds for the program in either FY22 or FY23. Delivery of new EWAs to the OO-ALC, began in May 2022 and installations will be completed in FY25. The procurement coincides with a Total Aircraft Inventory (TAI) of 218 A-10Cs. At this time, it is unclear how the service arrived at that number, but the plans were likely established before the FY22 NDAA was approved and the service was precluded from retiring 42 A-10Cs as it planned.

Precision weapons capabilities were further improved in 2013, when the capability to deliver 70mm AGR-20 Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System (APKWS) laser-guided rockets in LAU131 pods was incorporated. Further modifications installed multi-band and multi-mode beyond line-of-sight (BLOS) radios and the AN/AAR-47 missile approach warning system. Improving communications between A-10 pilots and downed aviators, pararescuemen and joint terminal attack controllers on the ground, the LARS V-12 CSEL radio was fully integrated in 2017 with the Operational flight Program (OFP) software Suite 8. This provided the A-10 pilots with GPS co-ordinates of ground personnel as well as enabling them to communicate via voice or text.

Since 2009, the OO-ALC’s 309th Software Maintenance Group (SMXG) and the A-10 System Program Office (SPO) has been responsible for updating the A-10C OFP software. Suite 8 also delivered the latest Mode 5 identification friend or foe (IFF) capability. Initially cancelled, when the USAF began planning to retire the A-10C, the Suite 9 update to the OFP was released in 2019 and introduced the first phase of the capability to engage multiple targets with up to six precision-guided weapons with a single release. OFP Suite 10 improvements delivered the capability to engage multiple targets with three different weapon types on a single pass. It also expanded JDAM capabilities and fully integrated the APKWS, ensuring the rockets could be launched accurately at maximum kinetic range.

Above: Airmen from the 309th Aircraft Maintenance Group attach new wings to A-10C serial 78-0597 at Moody AFB on June 21, 2022 USAF/A1C Rachel Coates

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AIRCRAFT REPORT // A-10C WARTHOG

Testing of the OFP Suite 11 is currently underway and it will be fielded in January 2023. It is focused on integration of the GPS-guided 250lb GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb (SDB 1) and the BRU-61/A bomb rack. The glide bomb can be released up to 50 miles from its target and each BRU-61/A can be fitted with up to four SDB 1s. The weapon’s standoff range will greatly increase the A-10C's capability, enabling it to operate in more-severe threat environments, and permitting pilots to conduct strikes from outside the range of threats. Integration of a new high-resolution display system (HRDS) will replace the central group of mechanical/analog flight instruments in the cockpit with a single 11.6in MFCD and a Second Gigabit Ethernet Switch (2GES) that expands Ethernet capability. Providing the most significant cockpit update since the PE program, the HRDS will display highdefinition images provided by targeting pods and improve the pilot’s ability to positively identify and track enemy and

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friendly forces, and conduct intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance. Once integrated, 3D Audio capabilities will increase situational awareness by spatially separating radio audio in the pilot’s headset, providing active and electronic noise reduction and dynamic threat location. Fielding of these capabilities is expected in January 2023. Concerns over the aircraft’s ability to destroy newer armored vehicles led to a series of live-fire tests conducted in February 2022, by the 422nd and 59th Test and Evaluation Squadrons at the Nevada Test and Training Range. The tests evaluated the ability of the A-10C’s 30mm armor-piercing incendiary rounds to penetrate the Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA) found on modern armored vehicles and designed to reduce the damage caused by incoming rounds. The tests also evaluated the effectiveness of laserguided AGM-65L Maverick missiles and APKWS rockets against armored vehicles, and concluded both weapons remained capable of penetrating the reactive armor.

Continuing modifications to the A-10C fleet are replacing the liquid oxygen (LOX) system with an Oxygen Generating System (OBOGS) and integration of the Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Module Embedded GPS/Inertial Navigation System (SAASM EGI) improves navigational accuracy in GPS-denied environments. Another project is converting excess F-15 external fuel tanks into combat fuel tanks. Installed on the A-10C center-line station, the tanks will significantly increase range and on-station time and support austere field operations.

Above: A-10Cs from the Idaho ANG’s 124th Fighter Wing conduct aerial refueling operations with a KC-135R operated by the Utah ANG’s 151st Air Refueling Wing over the southwestern US

On their way out? A-10Cs are currently fielded to Air Combat Command (116); Air Force Material Command (1); Air Force Reserve command (55); Air National Guard (85), and Pacific Air Forces (24). They are operated by 15 active USAF, ANG and AFRC units that include eight combat coded squadrons. The fleet was reduced to 281 aircraft in September 2017 when two A-10Cs from the 66th Weapons Squadron at Nellis

Right: An A-10C from the Idaho ANG’s 124th Fighter Wing fires its GAU8/A 30mm cannon during a training mission

Air Force Base, Nevada, were destroyed in a mid-air collision. Despite the aircraft’s upgrades, the Air Force’s FY23 budget request is once again seeking to retire A-10Cs. The latest attempt is, however, limited to just 21 jets assigned to the Indiana Air National Guard’s 122nd Fighter Wing. Under this plan, which has the support of elected state and local officials in Indiana, the A-10Cs will be replaced by a like number of F-16Cs. According to testimony given to the House Armed Services Committee Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces in April 2022 by senior USAF personnel: “The A-10 remains an effective close air support platform for the current

Counter Violent Extremist Organization fight. With very limited utility in a contested fight, we are right-sizing our A-10 fleet for the current and anticipated future demand and then structurally extending and modernizing the aircraft we keep. We have installed 172 new wings on our A-10 fleet and an additional order of 50 wings has been placed and is set to be received from May 2022 through to Q3 FY25. Once these wing replacements have been completed, the air force will have a complete A-10 fleet of 218 aircraft. As we will continue to modernize 218 A-10s, we will reduce the fleet by 21 in FY23.” In May 2022, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall told elected officials: “Our

Above: Known as the ‘Skull Bangers’, the Idaho ANG’s 190th Fighter Squadron first received the A-10A in 1996

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AIRCRAFT REPORT // A-10C WARTHOG

CURRENT A-10 UNITS Wing Sqn Base Tail Code Air Combat Command (ACC) – Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia 53rd Wing Eglin AFB, Florida 53rd TEG 422nd TES Nellis AFB, Nevada OT 57th Wing Nellis AFB, Nevada USAFWS 66th WPS Nellis AFB, Nevada WA AATC (Note 1) Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona DP Fifteenth Air Force (15AF) – Shaw AFB, South Carolina 495th FG Shaw AFB, South Carolina 358th FS (Note 2) Whiteman AFB, Missouri KC 23rd Wing/23rd FG 74th FS Moody AFB, Georgia FT 75th FS Moody AFB, Georgia FT Air National Guard (ANG) Units – JB Andrews-NAF Washington, Maryland 122nd FW/122nd OG 163rd FS Fort Wayne International Airport Indiana IN 124th FW/124th OG 190th FS Boise Airport- Gowen Field, Idaho ID 127th Wing/127th OG 107th FS Selfridge ANGB, Mount Clemens, Michigan MI Martin State Airport/Warfield ANGB, 175th Wing/175th OG 104th FS MD Baltimore, Maryland Tenth Air Force (10AF) – NAS JRB Fort Worth/Carswell Field, Texas Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) Units – Robins AFB, Georgia (Note 3) 442nd FW/442nd OG 303rd FS Whiteman AFB, Missouri KC 476th FG 76th FS (Note 4) Moody AFB, Georgia FT 926th Wing/926th OG 706th FS (Note 5) Nellis AFB, Nevada WA 944th FW Luke AFB, Arizona 924th FG 47th FS (FTU) Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona DP Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) – Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 96th TW/96th OG Eglin AFB, Florida 40th FLTS Det. 1 Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona ET Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) - Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii Seventh Air Force/Air Forces Korea (7AF/AFKOR) - Osan AB, Republic of Korea 51st FW/51st OG 25th FS Osan AB, Republic of Korea OS NOTES 1: The AATC is located at Air National Guard Base Tucson International Airport, Arizona. 2: Active associate unit. 3: AFRC’s 442d FW is gained by 15th AF, 926th Group is gained by 57th Wing, 944th FW is AETC gained. 4: 76th FS operates as an associate to the 23d FG. 5: 706th FS is an associate unit and is integrated with the 57th Wing.

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plan with the A-10 this year is to remove 21 aircraft and replace them with F-16s in Indiana.” Admitting the service still plans to continue divesting the A-10s, he went on to say: “We don’t want to re-wing airplanes that we intend to divest in the not-too-distant future.” Kendall added: “The problem is that it’s an old aircraft that was designed for an environment that is not the one we’re most concerned about now.” The USAF has often said the A-10 would not survive combat in contested airspace against “modern threats” and, recently, the Air Force Chief of Staff General Charles Q. Brown, Jr admitted “the A-10 is a great platform for a permissive environment” but he went on to say, “I don’t see very many permissive environments that we’re going to roll into in the future.” Earlier, service officials said it was ‘rightsizing’ the A-10 fleet at 218 aircraft for steady-state and lesser contingencies, retaining the aircraft into the late 2030s. Recent reports indicate the USAF has neglected the A-10C since its 2015 attempt at retirement. In fact, from 2013-19 the service deferred ‘hogback’ fuselage structural repairs that were intended to extend the service life. Since

Above: Reporting to the 51st Fighter Wing, the 25th Fighter Squadron operates 24 A-10Cs from Osan Air Base in the Republic of Korea. It is the only Thunderbolt II squadron based outside the continental US

Right: Two A-10C Warthogs from Idaho ANG’s 124th Fighter Wing’s 190th Fighter Squadron fly in formation loaded with air-to-ground munitions

making its initial attempts to retire the Warthog, the service had cancelled or deferred several planned upgrades and limited the number of overhauls carried out by the OO-ALC. Reports indicate the USAF’s failure to continue wing production means some aircraft will likely be retired due to excessive flight hours or fatigue issues. According to the USAF’s own wing management plan, by 2023, as many as 177 A-10Cs (63% of the fleet) could be non-deployable due to these issues or deferred maintenance. In a March 2022 briefing, the USAF’s own A-10 systems manager, Pamela Lee, said the service is “hollowing” its Warthog fleet by “starving it of resources amid a push to retire the aging attack plane – but still continuing to heavily fly it.” Lee went on to say the Air Force has “resourced the A-10 to divest, yet flew it like an enduring fleet, rapidly accelerating [the] decline toward today’s hollowing fleet.” Currently, the ANG’s 85 A-10C aircraft provide 40% of the total air force combat-coded aircraft with 27 of the AFRC’s A-10Cs being responsible for another 13%. Four active-duty USAF squadrons are responsible for 98 A-10Cs that make up the remaining 47% of the

An A-10C from the Arkansas ANG’s 188th Fighter Wing fires an AGM-65 missile during a training mission. Known as the ‘Flying Razorbacks’, the wing’s 184th Fighter Squadron operated the A-10C from 2007-14

combat-coded jets. The 58 Warthogs that support the Formal Training Unit (FTU) operations at Davis-Monthan AFB include 30 assigned to an active-duty squadron and 28 with the AFRC. Another 13 A-10Cs support advanced training and test activities at Davis-Monthan and Nellis AFB. Despite the requested retirements, the USAF’s FY23 budget does contain $156m for procurement as well as research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) projects. Among the planned projects for the A-10C is replacement of the CICU with a modern central processor known as the

Central Interface Control System (CICS), which will be a cornerstone for future modernization efforts. Incorporating Open Mission System/Universal Command and Control Interface (OMS/UCI) and Universal Armament Interface (UAI) architecture, it will improve communications, situational awareness, data, weapons management and sensor management and targeting. In June 2022, Raytheon Technologies was selected to develop its Common Open Secure Mission Computer (COSMC) as a replacement for the CICU and the aircraft’s SMS. Fielding of the new CICS is expected to follow a four-year development program. Integration of the AN/ARC-210 Gen 6 radio will enable the A-10C to meet National Security Agency (NSA) mandated cryptographic secure communications requirements and the USAF’s own Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) UHF satellite communication capabilities. Finally, it will be compatible with the Second Generation Anti-Jam Tactical Ultra-High Frequency Radio for NATO (SATURN). Fielding of an improved version of the Scorpion HMDS is also underway. The program replaces the HMDS’s original magnetic tracking sensor with a new sensor known as Hybrid Optical-based Inertial Tracker (HObIT), which will more accurately track pilot head movements. In their mark-ups of the FY23 defense bills, the Senate and House Armed Services Committees have given their approval to potential retirement of the Indiana-based A-10Cs. However, this is only one step in the long process under which the full US Congress will eventually agree on the Final NDAA that will be presented to the President for final approval. Based on a 218 aircraft fleet, the service will likely seek the approval to retire an additional 42 aircraft in the near future.

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EXERCISE IN PHOTOS // ANATOLIAN EAGLE

ANATOLIAN EAGLE 22 As another Anatolian Eagle 22 finishes, Chris Lofting highlights the best from the annual Turkish exercise

Above: Visiting for the last two days of the exercise were a pair of Turkish Air Force F-4E-2020s from 111 Filo – both performed flypasts for the 650 enthusiasts who attended the last day of the exercise. Both aircraft wore special tail designs and here 73-1023 shows off its ‘Tribute to Old Phantom Phighters’ tail. Below: With the Turkish Air Force supporting the event with 28 F-16s drawn from 113, 151, 161, 181 and 191 Filos for the Blue force and 132 Filo for the Red force, plus Pakistan and Jordan also supplying F-16s, it was the Viper that dominated. A pair of Azerbaijani Su-25s and a quartet of RAF Typhoons did manage to break up the symmetry of the flight lines. As can be seen, some F-16s had also been borrowed from 162 Filo to bolster the numbers All images: Chris Lofting

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Right: Much in evidence was Bayraktar Akinci, number PT-5, this being the 5th prototype and second B version to be produced. It was being flown from a control room in a container on the edge of the AE22 ramp at Konya, where a crew of up to five performed mission profiles, including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and armed ISR Right: Konya-based 132 Filo with their F-16s played the part of Red Air, simulating a variety of adversary types, including the MiG-29, Typhoon, F-15, Su-27 and Su-30 trying to stop the Blue forces fulfilling their objectives. Six 132 filo jets are caught here taxiing back to their shelter area after one of the final sorties

All four RAF Typhoon FGR4s were flown by 3 (F) Squadron crews who had forward located to Konya from Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Romania, as part of Operation Biloxi covering NATO air-policing duties – a possible reason why all the jets were missing squadron markings. Here, ZK369 departs on its final mission of the exercise

Right: Two Azerbaijani Su-25BMs were present from the Su-25 Eskadrilya based at Kyurdamir. Participating in the air-to-ground role, both carried a pair of Talisman pods for protection against air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles Below: A regular Anatolian Eagle participant, the Royal Jordanian Air Force sent one F-16AM and two F-16BMs from 1 Sqn to join the Blue forces performing a multi-role mission

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EUROPEAN FIGHTER FLEETS

EUROPEAN FIGHTER REVIEW We look at the fighter forces serving NATO and its allies across Europe, in the first of this twopart feature, compiled with help from our sister title AirForces Monthly

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T Below: Austria’s fleet of 16 Eurofighters has been subjected to years of political neglect Georg Mader

he European air force fleets are as varied as the different cultures that make up the continent. In this first part, we cover 12 different countries, but only three of them – Belgium, Denmark and Greece – operate the same fighter: the F-16 Fighting Falcon. The most widely used fighter in Europe is now entering the final phase of its career in the more-traditional NATO countries, with the fifth-generation Lockheed Martin F-35 replacing it. There is no doubt the F-35 has benefited from Europe’s deteriorating relations with Russia since it annexed Crimea in 2014. Even more so since it attacked Ukraine on February 24. Finland, Germany and Switzerland (in part two) have selected the F-35A, and the Czech Republic is now considering it alongside the Gripen C/D/E/F.

Many European governments want to integrate their future fighters operationally with the US, which adds increased support and security at a time when we have entered a new Cold War. Germany the most recent European country to select the F-35A, will look to do just that with its Eurofighters just as Italy and the UK is doing. They have a bit of catch-up to do, but perhaps their Eurofighter partners will assist with that. Greece could be following suit soon, if it opts for the fifth-gen fighter as is expected.. Some countries like Bulgaria, are still operating Cold War fighters, such as the MiG-29 Fulcrum and Su-25 Frogfoot, but sanctions with Russia means that the two fleets are now suffering from a lack of spares and could be grounded soon.

That will come before the delivery of eight newer Block 70 Vipers, that have been delayed until 2025. The new-generation F-16 has more-advanced avionics, including an extremely capable AN/APG83 AESA (airborne electronically scanned array) radar – the same as used by the F-35. There was every likelihood an order for a further batch of F-16s might come, but delivery would not probably come much before 2030 due to the sales backlog. Could Bulgaria end up looking at an interim air-toair capability? Well there are indications it is. Another country still flying MiGs is Croatia, which operates a small fleet of the diminutive MiG-21 Fishbed, also entering the twilight of its career which has led the Zagreb government to ordering 12 Rafales to replace them, with deliveries expected to start in 2025. A further former Warsaw Pact country that stopped flying the last of its MiGs in 2005, after 44 years of service, is the

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MODERNISING EUROPEAN AIR FORCES

Czech Republic. It has been operating the Gripen C/D since then, under a lease contract that is set to expire in 2027, although it could be extended by two years. As a result, the Czech Air Force is now looking at a possible replacement, with Lockheed Martin and Saab marketing their solutions. Saab pretty much had its own way in Eastern Europe in the mid 2000s, with Hungary opting for Gripens on a leaseto-buy agreement. However, the rejuvenated F-16 – either the new Block 70/72 or upgraded F-16V – has been taking a sizable bite of what we had all expected would be Gripen territory in Bulgaria, Romania and Slovakia. Hungary meanwhile will continue operating the Gripen C/D well into the future, and could even add a second squadron. They are currently upgrading their aircraft with the MS 20 Block 2.2 software that comes with an increased capability France operates one of the largest fleets, after Greece and Turkey, made up of Dassault Rafales, Mirage 2000C5s and Mirage 2000Ds. The Rafales are set to be upgraded to F4 standard, bringing a new Thales RBE2 AESA radar. The German, Italian, Spanish and UK Eurofighters are also set to be upgraded with the new European Common Radar (ECR). While Germany and Spain equip their jets with the ECR 1.0, while British and Italians 2.0 is more electronic warfare/electronic jamming focussed. As we can see from the first part of this report, more countries are looking to the US-designed F-16 and F-35, which can arguably be integrated more easily with the US Air Force now that Cold War-issue times have returned. Alan Warnes

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AUSTRIA Since the first of 12 Eurofighters were delivered to Austria in 2007, there has been a lot of political intrigue surrounding the Tranche 1 jets. Would they sell them, would they keep them because of the high operational cost for air defense duty? For now, it looks like they will all remain operational with both 1 and 2 Squadron at Zeltweg, serving the Air Surveillance Wing.

BELGIUM There are 53 F-16AM/BMs serving the Belgian Air Component’s (BAC’s) two fighter wings. The 2nd Tactical Wing at Florennes accommodates 1 Sqn and 350 Sqn, while the 10th Tactical Wing at Kleine Brogel houses 31 Sqn and 349 Sqn. Four F-16s were deployed to Amari, Estonia, from December 1, 2021, until March 31, 2022, as part of NATO’s enhanced air-policing (eAP) mission. Since January 2017, the BAC with the Royal Netherlands Air Force have been alternating support for the air defense requirements of the Benelux. When the Belgians are in charge of the QRA at Beauvechain, the base tasked with this responsibility in Belgium, there are two F-16s equipped with a pair of AIM-120B AMRAAMs (advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles), two AIM-9M or AIM-9X Sidewinders and a 20mm gun loaded with 510 bullets. Many of the F-16 pilots are now being transferred to the F-35A. All the F-16s will be replaced by 34 F-35A Lightnings by 2030, with the first of them arriving at Florennes in mid 2025, while Kleine Brogel will start receiving theirs in 2027. The F-35A deal, signed on October 26, 2018, also includes four full flight simulators as the BAC looks to embrace live-virtual-constructive training to offset the operational cost of actually flying them, particularly for training. The first eight aircraft will be based at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, between 2024-28 to

Above: This Belgian F-16AM (MLU) is equipped with a 250kg GBU-54 Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition (LJDAM) and AIM-120B AMRAAM missiles Benoit Denet Top left: The Austrian Air Force Pilatus PC-7s are fitted with machine guns and rocket pods for QRA, to cover just the ‘slow movers’ or during times when airspace is temporarily closed for big events Georg Mader

accommodate the 48 pilots expected to take up training slots there.

BULGARIA With 15 Russian-built MiG-29 and MiG29UB Fulcrums, and eight Su-25K/Su25UBK Frogfoots the Bulgarian Air Force has one foot firmly in the past. However, these Cold War veterans will be replaced by eight brand-new F-16C/D Block 70s, with the first expected to be delivered in 2025, following a year-long delay. The initial $1.2bn foreign military sales (FMS) order for two dual-seat F-16Ds and six F-16C Block 70s was signed in July 2019. They will be equipped with AIM-120C-7 and AIM-9X air-to-air missiles and Sniper advanced targeting pods. On April 4 this year, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) approved the $1.6bn purchase of a second batch of eight Block 70s, comprising four single-seat F-16Cs and four dual-seat F-16Ds. As yet, the Bulgarian

This MiG-21bisD is one of four currently flying with the Croatian Air Force and was caught performing low-level aerobatics during a commemorative event held at Gornja Stubica in September 2021 Chris Lofting

Air Force has not ordered them. Graf Ignatievo accommodates the Fulcrums, which are on a 24/7 QRA tasking, covering the whole country and part of the Black Sea. For this role, they are armed with two R-73E (NATO name: AA-11 Archer) air-toair missiles, however, the MiG-29s have never had their 1980s avionics upgraded. They are expected to continue manning the QRA role until 2026 when the F-16s will take over. The eight Frogfoots, made up of six Su-25K single-seaters and two dual-seat Su-25UBKs were upgraded by the 558th Aircraft Repair Plant (ARZ) in Baranovichi, Belarus. The work commenced in December 2018, with the first two returning back to Bezmer in September 2020 and the last in February 2021. The work gives them an additional 800 flight hours and at least another eight years. They can be armed with up to eight R-73E (AA11 Archers) and a similar number of B13L five-round packs 122mm rockets.

CROATIA

Below right: A dual-seat L-159T1, one of five operated by the CzAF, prepares to depart the Caslav runway in September 2020 Alan Warnes Below: Flight operations in Bulgaria have shown a new multi-colored camouflage pattern is highly effective for hiding low-flying Su-25s against forest and vegetation Alexander Mladenov

As part of a planned major upgrade of Croatia’s fighter capabilities, it was announced on May 28, 2021, that the Dassault Rafale had been selected as the new multi-role fighter to replace the obsolete MiG-21 Fishbeds of the Croatian Air Force. Government-togovernment contracts for the transfer of 12 second-hand French Air and Space Force Rafales, plus weapons and equipment, as well as training Croatian personnel, were signed on November 25 that same year. The deal covers ten single-seat Rafale Cs and two dual-seat Rafale Bs, which will all be to the F3-R standard and have around 3,800 flight hours remaining. Croatia estimates this will be sufficient for the aircraft to remain in service up to 2050-60. A total of 12 Croatian pilots will be trained on a

CZECH REPUBLIC Over the past 17 years, the Czech Air Force (CzAF) has worked wonders with its small fleet of 14 JAS 39C/D Gripens based at Caslav, and they are currently manning two QRA sites for five countries. Since April, 211 Tactical Squadron has had four Gripen Cs at Šiauliai, Lithuania, for Baltic air-policing (BAP) duties, while at Caslav, four Gripen Cs man the QRA, not just to defend Czech aerospace but also Slovakia, under an agreement between the two countries. Routinely, two pairs of Gripen Cs man the QRA at Caslav,

‘train-the-trainer’ basis, and Croatia is scheduled to take possession of the first six aircraft in late 2023 in France, just prior to the first batch of six pilots (which will include current MiG-21 pilots) being trained. That is set to start in January 2024, and the six pilots are intended to fly the six Rafales to Croatia in mid 2024. They are expected to fly the next six Rafales to Croatia by early 2025. The direct transition from a Cold War-era, second-generation fighter to a state-of-the-art, fourth-generation fighter will provide considerable challenges. The MiG-21 is due to remain in service until 2024, by which time Croatia must retrain not only pilots, but ground crew as well, and upgrade its maintenance and logistics support to enable initial operational capability on the Rafale to be achieved by late 2024.

armed with a pair of infrared AIM-9M Sidewinders and Mauser BK-27 guns. One of each pair is fitted with a Litening IV laser designation pod (LDP) for long-range air-to-air detection. The pod became part of the Gripen’s Mission System (MS) 20 enhancement in 2017. They can also be equipped with AIM-120C-5 AMRAAMs but these are usually only employed for overseas deployments. The lease deal for the 12 single-seat Gripen Cs and two dual-seat Gripen Ds runs until 2027 but could be extended until 2029. Saab is offering a path to the Gripen-E

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MODERNISING EUROPEAN AIR FORCES as a solution, by keeping the Gripens and running them on until the Gripen Es are operationally ready. Lockheed Martin is proposing an F-35A solution. The requirement is for up to 24 aircraft, which would bring two squadrons. The CzAF also operates 16 Aero L-159 Advanced Light Combat Aircraft (ALCA) and five dual-seat L-159T1s, with the latter having been extensively upgraded between 2017-20. No 212 Tactical Squadron and 213 Training Squadron operate the L-159s in the light attack/ close air support role, although 213 is predominantly used as an operational conversion unit, training pilots for the L-159 and ultimately the Gripen. The longer-term future of the single-seat CzAF L-159s is unclear, but they still make good aggressor aircraft, courtesy of their small Grifo radar.

In April 2018, these four Royal Danish Air Force F-16s flew NATO’s Iceland air-policing mission. This brought the total number of nations under RDAF protection to five Soren Augustesen

DENMARK The Royal Danish Air Force (RDAF) operates 43 F-16AM/BM Fighting Falcons. These fly out of Fighter Wing Skrydstrup on the Jutland peninsula. From 2006, the RDAF operated two F-16 squadrons, Eskadrille (Esk) 727 and Esk 730. However, on January 1, 2020, Esk 730 was temporarily disbanded and the pilots were transferred to Esk 727. On February 2 this year, it was announced Esk 727 would be the unit operating the new F-35 Lightning IIs when they arrive. This will mark the end of Esk 730. There is a mixture of MLU M6.5 upgraded F-16s and MLU M6.0 F-16s serving the RDAF. The former aircraft are only used for local training flights and for QRA duties. Four F-16s are on a 24/7 alert status at Skrydstrup. Two are primary jets and the other two act as spares. A further two to four aircraft are on standby, in case of major issues with a primary and a spare aircraft. Like many other NATO countries, the RDAF’s future is the F-35. In June 2016, the Danish government announced its decision to purchase 27 F-35s to replace the F-16. Of the 27 aircraft, six will remain at Luke AFB in Arizona, initially, where they will be used to convert current F-16 pilots to the F-35, as well as train new pilots. The first RDAF F-35 Lightning II (L-001) was handed over at a roll-out ceremony at Lockheed Martin’s factory in Texas on April 7, 2021. Less than two weeks later, the first two RDAF F-35s (L-001 and L-002) were flown from the Fort Worth factory to Luke AFB, where they will be part of the RDAF training flight. By mid July 2022, the RDAF had received six F-35As.

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FINLAND

The Finnish Air Force F/A-18C/D Hornets are the most capable legacy Hornets in the world, having been upgraded considerably over the years. Originally acquired as an air defense fighter with Russia in mind, they now perform an impressive air-to-ground role as well Perttu Karivalo

The Finnish government on December 10, 2021, announced that the F-35A Lightning II had been selected as the winning contender in the long-running HX fighter programme. The first procurement agreements were signed through a Letter of Offer and Acceptance on February 11, 2022. In a deal worth $11.3 bn, the Finnish Air Force will receive 64 Block 4 F-35As with the first deliveries to Luke AFB, Arizona, for training in 2025 and the first jets delivered in-country during 2028 and completed by 2030. They will replace the most capable legacy F/A-18C/D Hornets in service when the F-35As are expected to attain initial operational capability (IOC) in 2026. However, the Hornet retirement schedule is tied to the deliveries of the F-35A IOC. A US General Accounting Office (GAO) report on January 14, 2022, stated that development of Block 4 has been delayed and at the earliest it would not be available in the US until 2026, or even later. Block 4 aircraft also require more electricity and cooling and without a new engine not all Block 4 capabilities will be possible. To achieve IOC in 2026, the FAF will have to use Block 3F aircraft, which need to be upgraded when Block 4 becomes available. The Finnish Hornet fleet will remain in full service until the first F-35A is delivered to Finland around 2026 and achieves IOC. After that, the Hornet will be progressively retired as new F-35As are delivered.

Right: An AAE-operated Dassault Mirage 2000-5F (serial 38 ‘2-EI’) from EC 1/2 ‘Cigognes’ at Luxeuil (BA 116) receives fuel during a sortie in June 2021 Dassault Aviation/ C Cosmao

Below: This Rafale B from the 4 Escadre de Chasse (Fighter Wing) at St Dizier-Robinson prepares for a mission to strike ISIS targets from Prince Hassan Air Base in Jordan. Note the aircraft is equipped with SBU-38 and SBU-54 ‘Hammer’ precision-guided smart bombs Frédéric Lert

FRANCE France currently operates three main types of fighter aircraft: the Mirage 20005F, the Mirage 2000D; and the Rafale, all developed and produced domestically by Dassault Aviation. The days of the Mirage 2000Cs are now over following the withdrawal of the aircraft from EC 2/5 at Orange-Caritat on June 23. The unit operated seven two-seat Mirage 2000Bs, which will soldier on as combat-trainers for Mirage 2000D crews. The first Mirage 2000-5 was handed over to EC 1/2 on November 30, 1997 and the unit continues to fly the type from Luxeuil in eastern France. Four Mirage 2000-5Fs are also operated by EC 3/11 in Djibouti. The platform is typically tasked with air superiority missions, although their two 30mm DEFA cannons can also be used in the air-to-ground role. The Mirage 2000-5F fleet is now the only Mach 2-capable fighter serving the French Air and Space Force (FAF), until it is also withdrawn from service. This is currently planned for 2027-2028. The Rafale M was the first variant of the multi-role fighter to enter French service, with the initial aircraft landing at Landivisiau on December 4, 2000. The French Navy did not acknowledge the arrival of its F1 standard Rafales at an operational level until June 24, 2004. The Navy’s 42 Rafale Ms are operated by three Landivisiau-based flotillas: 11F, 12F and 17F. The French Air and Space Force’s Centre d’Expérience Aérienne Militaire (CEAM – Military Air Expertise Centre) at St DizierRobinson received its first Rafales in 2004. It was the first frontline unit to receive the new F2 standard fighter in June 2006. These aircraft were capable of conducting

air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. Approximately 100 aircraft have been delivered to date, equipping seven units across three air bases: St Dizier-Robinson (EC 1/4, 2/4 and ETR 3/4); Mont-de-Marsan (EC 2/30, 3/30 and ECE 1/30) and Al Dhafra in the UAE (EC 1/7). French Rafales have been involved operationally in Afghanistan in Operation Herakles, Libya during Operation Harmattan, Mali and the Sahel – Operation Serval and Operation Barkhane. The mission against so-called Islamic State (Operation Chammal) was launched in September 2014, with the first Rafale to be engaged in combat coming from Al Dhafra Air Base in the UAE. As of March 2022, Operation Chammal continues, but Rafale combat missions over North Africa’s Sahel region have been by the Mirage 2000s based at Niamey, Niger. Most of the Rafales have now been upgraded to F3R standard, fully capable

of using Thales’ new-generation targeting pod and MBDA’s Meteor beyond-visualrange air-to-air missile (BVRAAM), along with increased capabilities in digitally aided CAS. After the F3R will come the F4 standard, development of which is well under way. Testing is due to begin next year at Mont-de-Marsan. This variant will have an upgraded RBE2 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar; improved helmet-mounted displays and will be more effective in network-centric warfare, with more data and satellite capabilities. France’s other main fighter is the Mirage 2000D. Introduced as an interim aircraft, the delta-wing fighter-bomber remains a key component of the AAE, which is upgrading the platform. The Mirage 2000D (of which 86 were ordered) was adapted from the Mirage 2000N, which fulfilled the country’s nuclear requirements to conduct a more conventional air-to-ground mission set. Due to its commonality with the nowretired Mirage 2000N – especially in the electronic warfare field – the 2000D was never exported. The conventional fighter-bomber is linked with Nancy-Ochey Air Base, which hosts three Mirage 2000D units: EC 1/3, EC 2/3 and EC 3/3. The type is also operated by EC 3/11 from Ambouli, Djibouti. In line with NATO coalition capabilities, the French Mirages were progressively fitted with new systems, including the ROVER modem; Link-16 datalink; VHF/ FM radios; encryption boxes; and an EPAK terminal – linked to the 500lb GBU-49 Enhanced Paveway II laser-guided bomb. The Mirages were heavily involved in Operation Harmattan in Libya in 2011

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MODERNISING EUROPEAN AIR FORCES and continue to be at the forefront of Operation Barkhane in Africa, while the Rafales have taken the lead in Middle East deployments. After the Mirage F1CRs were withdrawn from service in 2014, the 2000D inherited the platform’s electronic intelligence (ELINT) mission with the ASTAC pod – four of them still operational. The Mirage 2000D has a bright future. Thirty years after it entered operational service, the fighter-bomber is now the subject of a Rénovation Mi-Vie (RMV – Mid-Life Update), allowing it to remain in service until 2035. France had planned to upgrade almost its entire Mirage 2000D fleet, but the 2019-2025 French military programming law limited the number of aircraft that would go through the RMV process to 55. Most of the modernization effort concerns the type’s avionics and the evolution of its navigation and armament system, with the most prominent addition being a large 12in (30.5cm) touchscreen display installed in the rear cockpit. The Mirage 2000D RMV can still carry the SCALP-EG cruise missile – to be replaced by the SCALP-EGR. It can also be fitted with Mk 82 unguided general-purpose bombs, GBU-12/ GBU-16 Paveway II laser-guided bombs and their enhanced GBU-48/GBU-49 equivalents, GBU-22/BDU-22s with Paveway III guidance kits and the 2,000lb GBU-50 Enhanced Paveway II dual-mode GPS/laser-guided bombs. The laser-guided GBU-24 Paveway III, which had quickly replaced the Matra (now MBDA) BGL-1000 smart bomb in the early 1990s, no longer presents any operational interest following the arrival of the GBU-50. France’s major interest in the RMV upgrade is in the capability of mixing these weapons and their launching sequence.

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Above: The PE2b upgrade for the Luftwaffe’s Eurofighter fleet included the capability to equip and deploy the MBDA Meteor BVRAAM. This aircraft (serial 31+50) carries a full loadout of four Meteors, two AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs) and two IRIS-T short-range air-to-air missiles Dr Andreas Zeitler

Below: Germany’s Tornado ECR fleet will soon field the AGM-88E2 AARGM. Aircraft from the Wehrtechnische Dienststelle 61 (WTD 61 – Military Engineering Agency 61) test unit have already been seen carrying this updated version of the AGM-88B HARM Dr Andreas Zeitler

GERMANY The Luftwaffe (German Air Force) fast-jet fleet is made up of two different types: the Eurofighter EF-2000 and Panavia Tornado IDS/ECR. Germany’s latest Eurofighter was handed over on December 17, 2019, completing the delivery of 143 aircraft. But two Tranche 2 examples were lost in a tragic mid-air collision in 2019 and a further five Tranche 1s had already been withdrawn from service due to their age. To keep the fleet up to strength, Germany ordered an additional 38 Tranche 4 Eurofighters on November 11, 2020, under Project Quadriga. These aircraft are set to fully replace the older Tranche 1s and will notably feature a new active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2025 and should continue over the following five years. The Eurofighters are currently assigned to four Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwaders (TaktLwG – Tactical Air Wings): TaktLwG 31 ‘Boelcke’ at Nörvenich; TaktLwG 71 ‘Richthofen’ at Wittmund; TaktLwG 73 ‘Steinhoff’ at Rostock/Laage and TaktLwG 74 at Neuburg/Donau. At present, the ‘Richthofen’ jets are co-located with

TaktLwG 73, due to construction activities at their home base. While all the air wings are called ‘tactical’ and their pilots are able to perform so-called multi-role operations, this equalization is not universally valid. Each wing retains a specialization: TaktLwG 73 is responsible for the largest part of aircrew training for German and Austrian Eurofighter pilots; TaktLwG 71 and 74 cover Germany’s domestic QRA mission and excel in the air-to-air role; and TaktLwG 31 follows its Tornado heritage and leads in air-to-ground operations. The more tangible headlines for the German EF-2000 fleet relate to its air-to-air role. With the upgrade to the new Phase 2 Enhancements B (P2Eb) standard, the MBDA-developed Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) has been integrated. TaktLwG 74 took the lead for this upgrade, which included hardware modifications to carry the missile and a software update to the Eurofighter’s radar and avionics systems to provide improved support for the Meteor’s datalink. Subsequently, the P2Eb upgrade improved the fighter’s Defensive Aids Subsystem (DASS) and its

overall electronic warfare (EW) capabilities. The Luftwaffe views integration of the Meteor BVRAAM and the accompanying improvements in the EF-2000’s air-to-air capability as a major milestone. Future upgrades (most likely within P3Eb/c) will see an enhancement of the Eurofighter’s communications systems, including the Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS) and an upgrade of the platform’s Identification Friend-or-Foe (IFF) system. Despite the Eurofighter’s growing multi-role capability, the Tornado fleet is still the force’s air-to-ground workhorse, with 85 aircraft split between two air bases: Jagel/Schleswig in north Germany and Büchel in the Eifel region. On March 14 the German government announced they would replace the Tornados with 35 F-35A Lightnings and 15 electronic-attack Typhoon EKs. No delivery timeframe for the F-35A has been settled and no contract signed, but the German Tornado fleet has begun the Service Life Enhancement Programme to assure its availability until 2030. The current Tornado units include TaktLwG 51 ‘Immelmann’ at Jagel/ Schleswig, which operates a mixed fleet of the ECR (electronic combat and reconnaissance) and IDS (interdictor/ strike) versions of the Tornado and has a focus on EW and reconnaissance operations. Its aircrews are trained to deploy and operate with the AGM-88B High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM) for suppression/destruction of enemy air defense (SEAD/DEAD) missions, as well as to use the RecceLite pod for tactical reconnaissance purposes. TaktLwG 33 at Büchel specialises in air-to-ground operations with guided munitions (GBU-24 Paveway III and GBU54 LJDAM) and cruise missiles (Taurus KEPD 350). It also forms a key component of Germany’s contribution to NATO’s nuclear sharing policy. While this special role is not publicly acknowledged, the Tornado IDS was recently listed by the US National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) as a certified carrier for the upgraded B61-12 LEP (Life Extension Program) nuclear gravity bomb. Sandia National Laboratories reports that a four-week flight test of the B61-12 was successfully completed with NATO’s Tornado IDS aircraft – operated by Germany and Italy. The Tornado’s out-ofservice date is planned for around 2030, with the Luftwaffe being its final operator.

Above: In total, 23 McDonnell Douglas F-4E (AUP) Phantom IIs are in operational HAF service. These aircraft are assigned to 338 Mira ‘Aris’ at Andravida Air Base and are primarily tasked with carrying out air-to-ground operations Babak Taghvaee

Below: An initial batch of six Dassault Rafale DG/EGs was delivered to the HAF on January 19, 2022. At present, a pair of two-seat Rafale DGs and four single-seat Rafale EGs are operational with 332 Mira ‘Geraki’ at Tanagra Air Base, including this single-seater, serial 411 Babak Taghvaee

GREECE The Hellenic Air Force (HAF) operates 208 fighter aircraft, in service with 11 squadrons across five air bases. Greece recently accepted its first six Dassault Rafale DG/ EG multi-role fighters from France while an initial six Lockheed Martin F-16C/Ds have been upgraded to F-16V standard by Hellenic Aerospace Industries (HAI) and LM. The HAF will field a fleet of 83 F-16Vs and 24 Rafale DG/EGs by 2026. Six more Rafales are due in September and the country is looking to buy at least 20 F-35A Lightning IIs to succeed the HAF’s ageing fleet of 23 McDonnell Douglas F-4E (AUP) Phantom IIs. Of the 208 fighters in Greek service, 155 are Fighting Falcons – 116 single-seat F-16Cs and 39 two-seat F-16D combat trainers. These aircraft are operated by eight units from four air bases: 335 and 336 Mira (Squadron) at Araxos, 330, 341 and 347 Mira at Néa Anghialos, 340 and 343 Mira at Souda-Chania and 337 Mira at Lárisa. Cheap to maintain and operate, these F-16C/Ds boast the highest operational readiness and availability rate within their squadrons. Of the 153 F-16C/Ds in service, 83 are Block 52+ standard, forming the

backbone of the HAF’s strike capability, and will be upgraded. They are operated by 335, 336, 337, 340 and 343 Miras. In 2019, HAI and LM began upgrading the F-16C/D Block 52M/+ Fighting Falcons to F-16V Block 72 standard under a $1.3bn program. This project aims to enhance the combat capability of the fighter by replacing its APG-67(V)9 pulse doppler radar with the state-of-the-art APG-83 scalable agile beam radar (SABR). The active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar does not just enhance air-to-ground mission capabilities, but also makes the F-16V capable of countering the threat of modern stealth fighters. Once the Block 52M/+ aircraft have been modernized to F-16V standard, the HAF will retire its 32-strong F-16 Block 30 fleet (28 F-16Cs, four F-16Ds) that are operated by 330 Mira. The unit’s personnel will be absorbed by 341 and 347 Mira – which operate 31 F-16Cs and seven F-16D Block 50s in total – parts and equipment from surplus Block 30s used to keep the Block 50s operational. While the F-16C/D Block 30s are due to be phased out over the next couple of years, the HAF’s fleet of 38 Block 50

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MODERNISING EUROPEAN AIR FORCES Fighting Falcons (31 F-16Cs, seven F-16Ds) will continue to serve Greece until the end of the decade. HAI plans to upgrade the Block 50s, using leftovers from the Block 52M/+ examples that are also being modernized, including their APG-68(V)9 radars. Since January 19, 2022, a pair of twoseat Rafale DG combat trainers and four single-seat Rafale EG fighters have been operated by 332 Mira at Tanagra Air Base. By the end of 2024, the squadron will have received 12 further Rafales, including six new-build examples. On March 24, 2022, a contract was signed for a further six Rafales, bringing the total on order to 24, with the additional six due for delivery from summer 2024. Primarily tasked with air defense, the unit will continue the missions previously carried out by the Dassault Mirage 2000BGM/EGMs, including anti-shipping operations using the French-developed AM.39 Exocet anti-ship missile. The final six operational Mirage 2000BGM/EGM in service with 332 Mira have now been retired. Their withdrawal leaves 331 Mira at Tanagra as the sole Mirage 2000 unit in HAF service. The squadron operates 19 single-seat Mirage 2000-5EG Mk IIs and five two-seat Mirage 2000-5BG Mk II combat trainers. The Mirage 2000-5BG/EG Mk IIs form the core air defense capability of the HAF’s fighter fleet. Four of them – armed with MICA-IR short-range infrared-guided airto-air missiles and MICA-ER medium-range radar-guided air-to-air missiles – have always been available for QRA at Tanagra, 24/7. That number of Mirage 2000-5EGs on deployment to Skyros Island provide the same capability over the Aegean Sea. In addition to air-to-air missions, 331 Mira’s Mirage 2000-5s can air-launch MBDA-developed SCALP-EG cruise missiles (also known in the UK as Storm Shadows); 56 of them have been in the HAF’s inventory since 2007 and more will be ordered for the Rafale DG/EG fleet. The HAF is one of the world’s last four operators of the legendary F-4E Phantom II all-weather multi-role fighter. In total, 33 F-4E (AUP)s are currently available to the HAF, 23 of which remain operational with 338 Mira at Andravida. These aircraft are primarily tasked with air-to-ground missions, with a limited air-to-air capability by means of AIM-9J/P Sidewinder short-range air-to-air missiles and AIM-120A/B advanced mediumrange air-to-air missiles (AMRAAMs).

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Above: A Hungarian Air Force JAS 39C Gripen returns to the QRA hut after a Tango scramble from Šiauliai, Lithuania, in September 2019, during its third Baltic air-policing deployment Alan Warnes

HUNGARY Hungary’s 12 single-seat JAS 39Cs and two dual-seat JAS 39Ds serve the 59th ‘Szentgyörgyi Dezso’ Air Base at Kecskemét, with 1 Tactical Fighter Squadron ‘Puma’. In an agreement with Saab, the aircraft were supplied under a ten-year lease, which was extended in 2016 by another decade to 2026 (when Hungary will then own the aircraft). As a result, it is unlikely these Gripens will be withdrawn from use much before 2035. There has even been some suggestion that, like the Czech Air Force, the Hungarian Air Force (HuAF) would welcome another squadron but, while the Czechs are considering the F-16 and F-35 too, the HuAF would definitely settle on the Gripen. The Gripens are equipped with the Litening III laser designator pod (LDP), for long-range air-to-air detection, a Link 16 data link. On January 12 this year, Saab announced that Swedish agency FMV had completed negotiations for the MS 20 Block 2.2 capability upgrade to the Hungarian Gripen fleet. This will widen the scope of the jets’ capabilities, with a

radar upgrade to the PS-05/A Mk 4, which, according to Saab, means the air-to-air target tracking range and performance will increase significantly – allowing better detection capability of small air-to-air targets, improving clutter suppression and bringing growth potential for developments in air-to air/ground modes. There will also be a wider selection of weapons to fit to the Gripens – the IRIS-T infrared within-visual-range air-to-air missile; GBU-49 Enhanced Paveway II dual-mode GPS and laser-guided 500lb bomb, for attacking stationary and moving targets; plus Meteor, the world’s most advanced long-range, radar-guided, beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile. The upgrade will bring a true multi-role capability to the HuAF Gripens. It will also increase communication capabilities by enhancing Link 16 functionality and updated voice communication to the latest NATO secure communication standard. Identification of coalition aircraft will improve with the latest IFF (identification friend or foe) NATO Mode 5. The first Gripen should have been upgraded in Sweden in early April 2022.

Above: An AV-8B+ Harrier II from the Navy’s GRUPAER (carrier air group) powers down on the deck of the Italian aircraft carrier, ITS Cavour (550), after a mission. Italy’s Harrier II fleet will be formally retired at the end of 2024, replaced by the F-35B Lightning II Riccardo Niccoli

Below: This AMX ACOL Ghibli (A-11B) from 51° Stormo prepares to touch down at Istrana, the type’s home base. While fleet numbers have declined in recent years, the type is expected to remain in operational Italian service until 2023 Riccardo Niccoli

ITALY Italy’s fast-jet force still comprises five types of aircraft: Eurofighter F-2000A/TF2000A; Panavia Tornado IDS/ECR (A-200C/ EA-200D); AMX International AMX ACOL Ghibli (A-11B/TA-11B); Lockheed Martin F-35A/B Lightning II; and McDonnell Douglas AV-8B+/TAV-8B+ Harrier II. Numerically, its most important combat aircraft is the Eurofighter; 95 examples (81 single-seat F-2000As and 14 two-seat TF-2000As) were acquired, with the last delivered to the Aeronautica Militare (AM, Italian Air Force) on October 23, 2020. Just one F-2000A has been lost to attrition after a fatal crash during an air show in 2017. Introduced into operational service in 2004, the type fulfils the air-to-air, air-toground, ‘recce’ and swing roles. The older Tranche 1 aircraft have been upgraded to Tranche 1 Evolution Package 1 standard and can perform air-to-air, ‘recce’ (with the Rafael-produced RecceLite pod) and air to ground sorties with laser-guided bombs (LGBs), if the targets are illuminated by other systems. The more multi-rolecapable Tranche 2/3 jets are on the Phase 2 Enhancements B (P2Eb) upgrade program, allowing the use of the MBDAdeveloped Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM). The Air Force also plans to integrate the Captor-E or European Common Radar System (ECRS) Mk 2 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar on to its Eurofighter fleet. Italy is a partner in the development of this system. The fleet will also receive the Storm Shadow cruise missile by 2024/2025 with the Phase 3 Enhancements B (P3Eb) configuration, along with the capability to operate the RecceLite and Litening 5 reconnaissance/targeting pods. The AM’s Eurofighter force is assigned to six squadrons: 4° Stormo’s (Wing) 9° and 20° Gruppo (Squadron) at Grosseto; 36° Stormo’s 10° and 12° Gruppo at Gioia del Colle and 37° Stormo’s 18° Gruppo at Trapani-Birgi. The AM’s youngest

Eurofighter unit – 51° Stormo’s 132° Gruppo at Istrana – started to receive its aircraft in September 2019. Italy’s Tornado IDS/ECR fleet remains operational and celebrates its 40th anniversary with the Italian Air Force this year. In total, 99 examples of the interdictor/strike (IDS) variant – designated the A-200 – were acquired, before 16 of them were converted to the electronic combat role (ECR) configuration, known locally as the EA-200, from 1993. Around 44 examples of the IDS – comprising 37 A-200Cs and seven TA-200Bs, or IDS(T) – should still be operational with 6° Stormo’s 102°, 154° and 155° Gruppo at Ghedi. In addition, 155° Gruppo also operates the remaining 15 ECR (EA-200D) aircraft. The slow pace of the F-35’s introduction into service has forced the Italian Air Force to reschedule the Tornado’s final retirement, extending it to at least 2030. A platform in its twilight years is the AMX ACOL Ghibli (designated the A-11B/ TA-11B). From 2007-2010, 55 aircraft (43 A-11s and 12 TA-11s) were upgraded to Aggiornamento Capacità Operative e Logistiche (ACOL – Logistic and Operational Capability Upgrade), which introduced Litening II and RecceLite pods and Lizard LGBs and JDAMs, to the fleet, allowing it to operate effectively in the Libyan and Afghan theatres. The fleet has gradually been reduced, with squadrons at Amendola and Istrana disbanded. Today, the only unit flying the type is 51° Stormo’s 132° Gruppo at Istrana, which operates roughly a dozen aircraft. The squadron is the only unit to operate two fighter types (Eurofighter/ AMX). The AMX will remain in service for as long as possible (due to the F-35’s slow delivery pace) and at least until 2023, so will be part of the air arm’s centenary celebrations. After its retirement, 132° Gruppo will only operate the Eurofighter. The most advanced combat aircraft

in Italian service is now the F-35A/B Lightning II, acquired for both the Air Force and the Navy. Italy aims to procure a total of 60 F-35As and 15 F-35Bs for the Air Force, plus a further 15 F-35Bs for the Navy. These are being assembled in the F-35 Final Assembly and Check Out (FACO) facility at Cameri, which is the only production facility for the type in Europe. The F-35As are assigned to 32° Stormo’s reactivated 13° Gruppo (a former AMX unit), which remains the sole Air Force F-35 squadron. The Italian Navy received its first F-35B in January 2018. While it is destined to join Gruppo Aerei Imbarcati (GRUPAER, Carrier Aircraft Squadron) ‘Wolves’, the first two examples were flown to MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina to operate initially within the US Marine Corps’ Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501 (VMFAT-501) ‘Warlords’. In July 2021, the Navy received its third F-35B – the first in Italy – and is based on the Italian aircraft carrier, ITS Cavour (550). The F-35Bs will have to relocate from Grottaglie, which cannot accommodate the fifth-gen fighter, to Amendola. The Air Force maintains two F-35As at Luke AFB, while the rest of its fleet (about 14 aircraft so far) is at Amendola. The fifth fast-jet type in Italian service is the AV-8B+/TAV-8B+ Harrier II, but the final six operational aircraft are set to be formally withdrawn from service on December 31, 2024 when the Navy should have six operational F-35Bs, allowing it to declare IOC with the type.

THANKS To the original authors for their support in writing this survey: Austria (Georg Mader), Belgium (Benoit Denet), Bulgaria (Alexander Mladenov and Krassimir Grozev), Croatia (Vladimir Trendafilovski), Denmark (Soren Augustesen), Finland (Perttu Karivalo), France (Frederic Lert), Germany (Dr Andreas Zeitler), Greece (Babak Taghvaee), Italy (Riccardo Niccoli), Czech Rep and Hungary (Alan Warnes).

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UNIT REPORT // LOBOS ON PATROL

LOBOS ON P With the aging Lockheed Martin P-3 Orion commonly being replaced by the Boeing P-8A Poseidon, Joe Campion reports on how the Portuguese Air Force and its fleet prove the maritime patrol legend is still worthy of its role

W

ith the arrival of the first Portuguese Air Force (FAP) P-3Ps at Montijo Air Force Base in Lisbon on August 7, 1988, Esquadra 601 ‘Lobos’ was launched, inheriting the maritime surveillance mission of Portugal. A total of six former Royal Australian Air force (RAAF) aircraft were procured and the squadron’s activity was mainly devoted to the qualification and training of crews, which was a responsibility of the P-3P manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, up until 1990. After being stationed at Montijo for decades, the squadron moved south on February 19, 2008, to Beja Air Base and has operated from there since. Esq601 comprises more than 120 personnel, being either aircrew or maintenance staff. Since its 1988 launch, the squadron has performed more than 37,000 flight hours of operations with the Lockheed P-3 in multiple model variants. Of these, 25,000 hours have been conducted in the P-3P model and 12,000 hours in the P-3C CUP+ model. Currently serving

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Esq601 are five P-3C CUP+ aircraft (serials 14807, 14808, 14809, 14810 and 14811). The unit’s objectives are to perform multi-domain operations, including search and rescue (SAR), maritime patrol, plus intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. The unit has at least one aircraft and one crew available around the clock all year for quick reaction alert (QRA) calls for SAR operations.

Staying modern In 2004, It was realized the sensors and other mission equipment on board the ex-RAAF P-3Ps no longer met the needs of the Portuguese, due to new and more-modern threats. Conscious of this fact, the FAP and the Portuguese state initiated a program of substitution for the fleet of six P-3Ps by five more-modern

P-3C aircraft. These were acquired from the Royal Netherlands Navy, via a €225m deal. This came after the Dutch parliament confirmed the decision to close its Valkenburg Naval Air Base in April 2004 – Germany and Portugal emerged as the only customers interested in acquiring the ex-Netherlands P-3Cs. The aircraft were purchased with the expectation of modernizing all five to the Capability Upkeep Program Plus (CUP+) level. Two had already been through the CUP configuration while the remaining three were the original P-3C Update II.5 variant. Therefore, in 2007, a €99.7m commercial contract was signed between Portugal and Lockheed Martin for the modernization of these aircraft to the current P-3C CUP+ variant. Delivered to Portugal in 2006, the first two P-3C aircraft (14810 and 14809) were soon flown to Greenville, South Carolina, to undergo the CUP+ upgrade at Lockheed Martin’s facility. In August 2010, the upgrade of serial 14810 was completed, and the airframe crossed the Atlantic to Beja in September that year. Serial 14809 arrived back in

Top right: Serial 14810 climbs out of Beja Air Base. The P-3C is a surprisingly agile aircraft, making it perfect for its lowlevel maritime patrol missions All images: Joe Campion

Main image: The P-3Cs were purchased with the expectation of modernizing the five aircraft to the Capability Upkeep Program Plus (CUP+) level

PATROL Portugal in February 2011. These two became examples for the Alverca-based company OGMA, which is responsible for modification and deep maintenance of most FAP aircraft. OGMA upgraded the remaining three P-3C CUP+ aircraft. The last to be upgraded was serial 14808, delivered back to Beja in December 2012. The CUP+ variant includes modern avionics and software such as an ELTA systems EL/M – 2022 radar tailored specifically for maritime patrol missions; L3Harris WESCAM MX-15 HDI ElectroOptical/ Infra-Red sensor; an AAR-47 missile approach warning software supported by an ALE-47 countermeasures dispenser system; an ALR-95 electronic support measures system and NA/USQ78B acoustic system. The process of receiving a new weapons system and further capabilities resulted in increased training for the squadron. This included training for the new tactical systems for aircrew, and maintenance of the new equipment and systems for ground staff. On January 1, 2011, the squadron reached initial operational capability (IOC) for SAR operations aboard the new P-3C CUP+ and, by the end of that year, Esq601 achieved final operational capability (FOC), which included the

capability to launch weapons such as the MK 46 torpedo, AGM 84 Harpoon and AGM 65 Maverick missiles. The unit had thus gained the capability of two new weapons systems, as the P-3P model had only been able to launch the Mk 46 torpedo. The modernization of the five aircraft with sensors capable of meeting the latest requirements makes the P-3C CUP+ platform one of the most advanced in the world and keeps Esq601 in high demand. The unit’s mission and sensor systems, autonomy and guarantee of a flow of command and control in real time, makes this aircraft one of the most desired to respond to requests from NATO, the UN and other coalition entities.

Patrol duty Maritime patrol missions are the core activity of ‘Lobos’, and the squadron has different geographical areas of actuation and varying targets and objectives, depending on which type of operation it is assigned. Maritime patrol operations are wide ranging and Esq601 is commonly engaged in diverse mission goals – the main ones being monitoring illegal migration, reporting sea pollution and navigation rules offenders, fighting illegal substances trafficking, controlling fishing activities and following military activities

in areas of interest. For the past decade, Esq601 has been committed to several scenarios around the globe. From the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean and Gulf of Guinea and the North Atlantic, the Portuguese P-3C CUP+ flew thousands of hours patrolling these areas of interest for the Portuguese government and on behalf of international organizations, such as

Above: A Crew member checks over the aircraft prior to flight

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UNIT REPORT // LOBOS ON PATROL the European Union and NATO, and for bilateral agreements with Portuguesespeaking countries in Africa. Maritime surveillance missions in which 601 has been engaged are often civilian endorsed – for example, the EU FRONTEX mission concerning border management in the Mediterranean – but some have a strong military component, such as the NATO Baltic Assurance Measures (BAM) or the Mediterranean Sea Guardian. For the Sea Guardian mission, the unit is involved in conducting three maritime tasks – building security capacity; supporting situational awareness; and counter-terrorism activities in the Mediterranean area. BAM saw the Portuguese P-3C CUP+ execute maritime patrol missions in the Baltic countries, detecting and following movements of interest to provide maritime situational awareness for NATO. For all these, the objectives and modus operandi are similar – the P-3C flies large areas over the sea, investigating the pattern of vessels’ navigation and searching for contacts of interest in accordance with task objectives. While the Portuguese P-3C is a maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) with strong skills for sea area surveillance, it is also useful over land: law enforcement co-ordinated missions monitor high-value land-based targets, reporting surface activity that might suggest a hazard. There are also some military exercises where the P-3C CUP+ performs combined operations with other air assets in scenarios over land, for example, Dynamic/Time-Sensitive targeting missions alongside Portuguese F-16A/B (MLU) Fighting Falcons. Meanwhile, SAR missions involve a

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ESQ601 P-3 FLEET TABLE FAP Serial

Former MLD Serial

c/n

US Navy BuNo

Factory Delivery Date

14807

300

5733

161368

Nov 1981

14808

304

5750

161372

Oct 1982

14809

306

5758

161374

May 1983

14810

307

5762

161375

Aug 1983

14811

310

5773

161378

Apr 1984

wide range of incidents and Esq601 has experienced a variety of distress situations, particularly many activities and calls to incidents in the North Atlantic, the unit’s main responsibility area. ‘Lobos’ and its P-3C CUP+ as a long-range SAR asset, ready 24/7 throughout the year, cover a large part of the eastern North Atlantic. But they also perform SAR missions in other regions – around the Cape Verde islands in the central Atlantic Ocean area and often in the Mediterranean Sea. Boasting significant endurance, the Portuguese P-3C CUP+ is a precious asset for SAR operations needing to cover large areas. Having diverse sensors within the

CUP+ variant’s arsenal, combined with good communications capabilities and the ability to drop rescue kits make Esq601 a solid asset for Portuguese SAR. SAR missions in which the squadron is normally involved can vary from a shipwrecked sailing vessel to a man overboard situation on a merchant ship, or sometimes a fishing boat lost without communications. Incidents have included fragile vessels used for migrant influx sinking in the Mediterranean area. Being activated for an SAR mission is normally started by a distress device (such as EPIRB and PLB – beacons and SOS signaling links

Above: Serial 14809 taxies out for a afternoon training sortie. Portugal’s P-3 fleet is based at Beja AB in the south of the country, having earlier been located at Montijo Below: A ESQ601 P-3 sits on Beja’s apron after a day of training missions. The integration of new systems and capabilities in the CUP+ variant necessitated additional training for operators

to the satellite system), but, fortunately, some of these situations are inadvertent activations that don’t always represent an emergency. There are also some combined SAR operations where P-3C is used as a support asset for rescue helicopters. Because of the P-3C’s speed, agility and endurance, the aircraft and its crew will perform the search segment of the recovery, operating sometimes for many hours, to locate those in distress and then to inform the rescue helicopter – often EH-101s of Esquadra 751. This is due to the helicopter lacking the speed and fuel capacity to search for individuals. For SAR missions, the P-3C uses the KIT UNIPAC II (bomb bay airdrop survival kit) and the MA-1 KIT (main door drop survival kit), which can board up to ten and 14 survivors, respectively. The P-3C CUP+ is usually manned by a 13-person crew comprising five officers and eight enlisted personnel. Depending on the type of mission, the sensors operators can be changed. For example, for a dynamic targeting and time-sensitive targets (DT/ TST) mission, it is possible to reinforce the crew with a link or radar operator instead of an acoustic specialist. For an anti-submarine warfare mission, an extra acoustic operator or electronic support measures operator would join the crew. The team can be managed according to the mission and the objectives of the mission commander. On board the P-3C CUP+ are ten crew stations, each with separate tasks. There are the seats of the pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer, tactical co-ordinator (TACCO) and navigator, three sensor stations, the ordnance operator station, and the inflight technician. On longer missions, the crew can be reinforced with an extra copilot, another flight engineer and sensor operators, for the rotation of shifts.

Weapons systems As a diverse aircraft, the P-3C was built with 18 armament stations to be loaded – five stations on each wing and eight in the bomb bay. Depending on the mission to be accomplished, the aircraft can be loaded with up to four AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground missiles that were previously operated by the FAP’s F-16 Fighting Falcons, up to six AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles, up to eight Mark 46 torpedoes (last dropped by the unit in 2019), Mark 82 general purpose bombs and Mark-62/63 quick strike mines. The sonobuoys system inside the aircraft can store 36 of the sonar devices, with

three pressurized chutes and one free-fall chute to release them from inside and 48 unpressurized chutes that can be loaded from the outside. In total, up to 84 various types of active and passive sonobuoys can be loaded, although the exact models of sonobuoys the unit deploys are classified. Clearly visible via an extended tail is the P-3C’s Magnetic Anomaly Detector (MAD), which is an instrument used to identify variations in the Earth’s magnetic field. The magnetometers are used to detect a mass of ferromagnetic material that creates a detectable disturbance in the magnetic field. Due to modern submarines built with non-magnetic hulls, using material such as non-magnetic titanium, carbon fiber and reinforced vinyl, it is very difficult to use a MAD in an anti-submarine warfare mission. Therefore, the Portuguese do not utilize the MAD and instead rely on the deployment of sonobuoys. There is no doubt that the P-3C CUP+ is an aging asset, but the maritime patrol legend and the squadron are an essential part of Portugal’s maritime force in various domains. Combat Aircraft Journal asked Maj Hélder Ferreira, the current commander of the Portuguese Air Force’s Esq601 ‘Lobos’ (which translates as ‘wolves’), what it was like to operate the P-3C in this field of operation. He said: “We use the P-3C CUP+ to the best of its abilities – our multi-role missions are diverse but achieved via determination of all my airmen. The P-3C CUP+ will be around for a long time in the FAP and we will continue to operate it with our max capabilities and help it defend Portugal, Europe and the world.”

Above: A Squadron Member of ESQ601 runs pre-flight checks in the P-3C’s cockpit.

Left: Various sonobuoys are stored in racks, with different variants used depending on missions and environmental conditions

Left & below, left: A typical crew consists of five officers and eight enlisted personnel, operating ten stations, each with distinctive tasks

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#20

STATE REPORT LOUISIANA

PELICAN STATE

WINGS Tom Kaminski continues our state report series, exploring Louisiana, nicknamed the Pelican State

L

ouisiana is part of America’s Deep South and shares borders with Arkansas to the north, Mississippi in the east and Texas to the west. Its southern coastline runs along the Gulf of Mexico. Previously French territory, the area became part of the United States in 1803 when the Louisiana Purchase was negotiated. At that time, the territory covered much of the central part of what is now the continental United States. Louisiana became the 18th US state on April 30, 1812. Today it is the 20th smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 US states. The ‘Pelican State’ is home to three major US military facilities that support aviation activities. They comprise the US Air Force’s Barksdale Air Force Base (AFB), the army’s Fort Polk and Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans. Additionally, several civil facilities support units of the Louisiana Army National Guard, the US Coast Guard and US Customs and Border Protection.

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Barksdale AFB Located near Shreveport-Bossier City in northwestern Louisiana, Barksdale AFB is home to the headquarters of the 8th Air Force/ Air Forces Strategic (8AF/AFSTRAT), the Joint – Global Strike Operations Center (J-GSOC) – activated on August 24, 2018 – and two Bomb Wings (BW). ‘The Mighty Eighth Air Force’ is one of two active-duty numbered air forces within the Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC), which was activated on August 7, 2009. Covering an area of more than 22,000 acres, the base was named Barksdale Field to honor World War I aviator and test pilot Lieutenant Eugene Hoy Barksdale on February 2, 1933. Barksdale died on August 11, 1926, while testing a Douglas O-2 biplane over McCook Field in Dayton, Ohio. He had served as a member of the Royal Flying Corps from 1917–1918, shot down three German aircraft in air-to-air combat and later flew with the US Army

Signal Corps Aviation Section, the US Army Air Service and the US Army Air Corps. The base assumed its current name on February 13, 1948. Barksdale’s 2nd and 307th BWs are responsible for 44 B-52Hs. Reporting to the active-duty 2nd BW, the 2nd Operations Group is responsible for three flying units comprising the 11th, 20th and 96th Bomb Squadrons (BS).

Left: Barksdale AFB has been home to the 2nd Bomb Wing since 1963. B-52, serial 61-0019 operated over the Pacific while deployed to Guam in 2013 Jim Haseltine

Nicknamed ‘Mr Jiggs’, the 11th BS is an active associate squadron that is tasked as a Formal Training Unit (FTU) for the Stratofortress. As an associate squadron, it has no aircraft and shares the responsibility for operating and maintaining B-52s assigned to the Air Force Reserve Command’s 93rd BS. Known as the ‘Buccaneers’ and ‘Red Devils’, respectively, the 20th BS and 96th BS are operational units, and each is assigned 11 combatcoded bombers and two airframes coded as Backup Aircraft Inventory (BAI).

Largest USAF bomber wing The 2nd BW is the largest bomber wing in the USAF and traces its history to September 10, 1918, when it was organized as the 1st Day Bombardment Group at Amanty Airdrome, France. Since 2009,

the AFRC’s 307th BW’s 93rd BS has been tasked as the Stratofortress FTU. Its inventory includes 16 training-coded B-52Hs and two BAI airframes. Activated on January 1, 2011, the 307th BW ‘Lone Rangers’ and its operations group (OG) replaced the 917th Wing/OG at Barksdale. Previously a combat-coded squadron, the 93rd BS, took over the responsibility for the training-coded B-52Hs from the 2nd OG’s 11th BS and its first students graduated from the 32-week training course in October 2009. The 307th OG is also responsible for the 343rd BS, which was activated at Barksdale on April 1, 2010. Operating as a classic associate unit, the 343rd provides crews who operate combat-coded bombers under the direction of the 2nd BW. A single B-52H assigned to the 49th Test & Evaluation Squadron (TES), at Barksdale is coded for operational test and evaluation (OT&E). The squadron is a Geographically Separated Unit (GSU) and reports to the 53rd Wing of Air Combat Command (ACC) via the 753rd Test &

Evaluation Group at Eglin AFB, Florida. Support is provided by the 307th BW. The 340th Weapons Squadron (WPS) is a GSU of the 57th Wing’s USAF Weapons School at Nellis AFB, Nevada. Known as the Strategic Weapons School, when it was activated on October 1, 1989, it became the USAF Weapons School, B-52 Division, in 1992 and assumed its current identity in February 2003. The squadron’s graduate-level instructor courses provide B-52H crews with advanced training in weapons and tactics employment utilizing bombers assigned to the 307th BW.

Vicksburg – Tallulah Opened in 1992 in Mound, Louisiana, is the Vicksburg-Tallulah Regional Airport – located between Vicksburg in Mississippi and Tallulah, Louisiana. The airport is administered by the Vicksburg-Tallulah District Airport Board. One of its tenants is the US Army Corps of Engineers-Vicksburg District, which operates former USAF C-20H, serial

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#20

STATE REPORT LOUISIANA

LOUISIANA Arkansas

Barksdale AFB Vicksburg-Tallulah RA

Mississippi

Pineville - Esler RA • AASF #2 (ARNG)

Texas

Fort Polk/Joint Readiness Training Center • Polk AAF Hammond Northshore RA • AASF #1 (ARNG)

Louisiana

Baton Rogue New Orleans/Belle Chasse • NAS JRB New Orleans

Gulf of Mexico

90-0300. Prior to its assignment to the Corps, the Gulfstream IV was stationed at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, and operated by the 86th airlift Wing’s 76th Airlift Squadron until it departed in August 2017.

Esler Regional Airport Esler Field is located 12 miles northeast of Alexandria in central Louisiana, and is operated by the Louisiana Army National Guard under a 99-year lease agreement, signed with the Rapides Parish in June 2001. Construction of the original Camp Beauregard Army Field began in 1940. It was renamed Esler Army Airfield in 1941, honoring Lt Wilmer Esler, who was killed when his North American O-47 crashed there on April 11, 1941. Closed on May 31, 1946, it remained federal property until the 1950s, when it was

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finally transferred to the Rapides Parish Police Jury as surplus property. A civilian airport opened subsequently and Esler served as Alexandria’s commercial airport until the 1990s. Following the closure of nearby England AFB on December 15, 1992, it transitioned to civil use and commercial traffic moved from Esler Field to the newly designated Alexandria International Airport. Esler’s primary tenant is the Louisiana Army National Guard’s Aviation Support Facility #2 and around 60% of the airport's operations are military. Three aviation units use the Army Aviation Support Facility (AASF). Detachment 1, Company B, 1st Battalion, 244th Aviation Regiment is tasked in the assault helicopter role and operates the UH-60M variant of the

Sikorsky Black Hawk. The main body of the company is at Hammond Northshore Regional Airport near New Orleans. Company G(-), 2nd Battalion, 238th Aviation Regiment operates the UH-60L in the air ambulance role and is known as ‘Bayou Dustoff ’. A detachment is in Reno, Nevada, and the main body of the 2nd Battalion is in Shelbyville, Indiana. Operating four Airbus Helicopters UH-72As, Detachment 1, Company C, 1st Battalion, 114th Aviation Regiment is tasked with the security and surveillance role. Its duties include counter-drug operations and support for domestic emergencies. It has also been ‘called up’ to assist the Department of Homeland Security combat illegal immigration along the southwest border with Mexico. The main body of the company is based in Tupelo, Mississippi, and the 1st Battalion HQ is at Camp Robinson, AAF, North Little Rock, Arkansas.

Fort Polk Located in West-Central Louisiana in an area known as the ‘Crossroads’ and Fort Polk sits 45 miles west of Alexandria. The post is the home of the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) and Polk Army Airfield (AAF). On August 1, 1941, Camp Polk was named for Confederate Lieutenant General and Episcopal Bishop Leonides Polk. Fort Polk served as major facility for the Louisiana Maneuvers that were conducted prior to the US entry into World War II. Although inactivated in December 1946, Camp Polk reopened in 1950 and closed again four years later. Reopened as Fort Polk in 1955, the installation became the army’s largest Infantry Training Center in June 1962. Today, Fort Polk is home

Left: The Louisiana Army National Guard operates Lakota Light Utility Helicopters from both of its Army Aviation Support Facilities. UH-72A serial 07-72035 was assigned to the Detachment 1, Company C,1st Battalion, 114th Aviation Regiment at Esler Regional Airport on April 10, 2010 Matt Ellis Below: UH-60M serial 13-20623 taxies after landing at Stennis International Airport in Bay St Louis, Mississippi, following a flight from its home base at Hammond Northshore Regional Airport in Louisiana, on December 14, 2019 Carey Mavor

to the JRTC, which relocated from Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, in July 1993. As one of the defense department’s premier training facilities, the JRTC provides realistic advanced level joint training for active and reserve component units of the army, air force and navy. Fort Polk is one of nine US Army bases that may be renamed in early 2023, if the service removes all historical references to the Confederacy. If approved, Fort Polk will be named Fort Johnson, honoring Sgt William Henry Johnson who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for heroic actions during World War I. Although a new name for the airfield has not been discussed, it is likely that too will be renamed. Polk AAF is home to 1st Battalion, 5th Aviation Regiment, which is tasked as a general support aviation battalion. The battalion assumed its current identity in October 2018 when the 5th Aviation Battalion (Provisional) was restructured. Known as the ‘Diamondbacks’, it is

responsible for three flight companies that support the JRTC. Company A operates the UH-60A/L and serves in the general support role and is nicknamed ‘Tomahawks’. Known as the ‘Gators’, Company B was the last US Army unit to operate the Bell OH-58A/C and retired its last Kiowas in July 2020 permitting it to transition completely to the UH-72A Lakota. When it was retired, OH-58C serial 68-16696 was the oldest operational aircraft on the army’s inventory and was retained for display at Fort Polk. Like the OH-58s, the 12 assigned Lakotas support JRTC Operations Group observers, controller/trainers, as they monitor units undergoing training at Fort Polk. Several of the Lakotas are equipped to act as aggressors for the JRTC’s Opposing Force (OPFOR). Wearing camouflage, they are equipped with the Combined Training Center (CTC) Mission Equipment Package (MEP) that includes the Tactical Engagement Simulation System (TESS). Tasked with the air ambulance mission,

Above: An Air Force Reserve Command B-52H Stratofortress assigned to the 93rd Bomb Squadron, 307th Bomb Wing, takes flight, September 21, 2018, at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana. On board was Susan Mozena, the daughter of Lt Charles d’Olive, a World War I pilot and ace assigned to the 93rd Aero Squadron in France USAF/MSgt Greg Steele

Company C operates six UH-60A/Ls. Known as ‘Cajun Dustoff ’, it provides 24/7 air medical evacuation support to Fort Polk and the surrounding area. In January 2015, the JRTC gained a new Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations Facility. Adjacent to Polk AAF, the 11.5-acre facility includes a 1,200ft UAS runway. Units operating from there include the Shadow Platoon from Company D, 317th Brigade Engineers Battalion – a component of the 10th Mountain Division. The facility also supports the Louisiana National Guard’s 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team’s Special Troops Battalion. Both units operate the RQ-7BV2 Shadow Tactical Unmanned Air System (TUAS). The JRTC also maintains several forward landing strips and drop zones for rotarywing, fixed-wing and TUAS field training.

Hammond Northshore Located in Hammond on the north side of Lake Pontchartrain, 55 miles north of

One of four UH-72As operated by Detachment 1, Company D, 2nd Battalion 151st Aviation Regiment lands at Stennis International Airport in Bay St Louis, Mississippi, on September 13, 2018. The medevac unit operates from the Louisiana Army National Guard’s Army Aviation Support Facility #1 at Hammond Northshore Regional Airport Carey Mavor

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A pair of F/A-18A+ Hornets from VFA-204 ‘River Rattlers’ fly in formation with F-15Cs flown by pilots from the Louisiana Air National Guard’s 122nd Fighter Squadron over southern Louisiana on July 11, 2009. The ‘River Rattlers’ are currently undergoing transition from the F/A-18C to the Northrop Grumman F-5N and have been redesignated as Fighter Squadron Composite VFC-204 Ted Carlson

New Orleans and 45 miles east of Baton Rouge, Hammond Northshore Regional Airport is a joint civil-military, general aviation facility. Throughout World War II it was known as Hammond Army Airfield and supported operations at the nearby Hammond Bombing and Gunnery Range and the Lake Pontchartrain Aerial Gunnery School. The base closed after the war ended but began operating as a public airport in 1947 and took its current name in September 2014. It is home to the Louisiana ARNG’s AASF #1, which supports four flying units that include Company A, and Company B(-), 1st Battalion, 244th Aviation Regiment. Both operate the UH-60M. Additionally, the headquarters of the 1st Battalion is based at Hammond. Detachment 1, Company D, 2nd Battalion, 151st Aviation Regiment operates four UH-72As in the air ambulance role. The main body of the squadron is headquartered in Tupelo, Mississippi, and the 2nd Battalion is in Eastover, South Carolina. Detachment 7, Company A, 2nd Battalion, 641st Aviation Regiment is the state’s smallest unit. It operates a single

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Beechcraft C-12U King Air and is also known as Operational Support Airlift Command (OSACOM) Detachment 38. The company and 2nd Battalion headquarters are in Salem, Oregon. Organized around individual state flight detachments, the unit provides transportation for priority passengers and cargo within and outside the continental US (CONUS) in support of the Operational Support Airlift Agency (OSAA), Combatant Commands and Army Service Component Commands. As a result of the relocation of Army National Guard flight operations from Lakefront Airport to Hammond, a new control tower was constructed at the airport in 2008. Staffed by military air traffic controllers from the Louisiana Army National Guard, it became operational on December 15, 2014. Hammond tenants also include the US Customs and Border Protection’s New Orleans Air and Marine Branch. Originally established at Naval Air Station (NAS) New Orleans, as an air support branch of the US Customs Service in 1974, it reports to the Air and Marine Operations (AMO)

Above: Known as the ‘Revelers’, fleet logistics support squadron VR-54 operates four Lockheed C-130Ts from NAS JRB New Orleans Ted Carlson

Southeast Region. The branch’s assigned equipment includes single-engine Cessna T206H Turbo Stationair Light Enforcement Aircraft, twin turboprop Beechcraft King Air 350 Multi-role Enforcement Aircraft and Airbus Helicopters A350B Astar Light Enforcement Helicopters.

Top: Flight and ground crew from Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron HMLA773, Detachment A, prepare to launch AH-1Z and UH-1Y helicopters at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans during the base’s air show on March 19, 2022 USMC/Cpl Jonathan L Gonzalez

NAS JRB New Orleans Often referred to simply as 'NAS NOLA', Naval Air Station (NAS) Joint Reserve Base New Orleans is located in Belle Chasse, around 15 miles south of New Orleans. Commissioned on December 13, 1957, it replaced an earlier facility, located alongside Lake Ponchartrain, that was in operation from 1941 to 1957. The current site encompasses Alvin Callender Field, which had served as an outlying field for the previous NAS New Orleans, and was named for World War I flying ace, Captain Alvin Andrew Callender. The New Orleans area native had served with the British Royal Flying Corps and was killed when his SE5a was shot down near Ghislain in northeastern France on October 30,1918. NAS New Orleans, Alvin Callender Field, was dedicated during ceremonies on April

26, 1958. Since then, the base has been home to a multitude of units from the USAF, US Navy and Marine Corps Reserve, Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard, US Coast Guard and even the US Customs Service. The base assumed its current name in May 1994. After Hurricane Katrina devastated the central Gulf Coast in late-August 2005, the base served as the center of the US Department of Defense rescue and recovery efforts. With the only operating runways in New Orleans, the facility became the primary search and rescue

Below: UC-12W BuNo 168204 on the ramp at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan on September 24, 2012. The deployment was the first for VMR Belle Chasse since receiving the UC-12W in 2012. Although it is a Marine Corps Reserve squadron, the NAS JRB New Orleans-based unit is regularly tasked with operational missions USMC

airfield for flights that saved more than 10,000 lives in the surrounding area. Today, the joint base houses aviation units of the Louisiana Air National Guard, US Navy and Marine Corps Reserve, and the US Coast Guard. The Louisiana Air National Guard’s 159th Fighter Wing is one of five F-15C-equipped wings that conducts the homeland air defense mission in support of the US Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) as a component of Air Combat Command.

Originally activated as the 122nd Observation Squadron at New Orleans Airport (now New Orleans Lakefront Airport) on March 2, 1941, the 122nd FS has been stationed at the Belle Chasse base since December 1957. Nicknamed 'The Bayou Militia', the squadron has operated the Eagle since replacing its McDonnell Douglas F-4C Phantoms with the F-15A in 1985. It is currently a component of the 159th Operations Group (OG). In the late 1990s, the 122nd Expeditionary Fighter Squadron (EFS) conducted several deployments to Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, and Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia and flew combat air patrol missions over Iraq as part of Operations Northern and Southern Watch. Following the terror attacks of September 2001, the 159th Operations Group stood up an Air Sovereignty Alert (ASA) mission that covered the Gulf Coast as part of Operation Noble Eagle (ONE). The 122nd EFS later deployed to support Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in Afghanistan, Operation New Horizons

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in Central and South America and Operation New Dawn in Afghanistan. Since transitioning to the F-15C in 2006, the 122nd has continued the 24/7 air defense alert mission from NAS JRB New Orleans every day. In March 2021, the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Southeast awarded $25.6m for the construction of a new Aerospace Control Alert facility and apron at the NAS JRB, due to open October 2024.

River Rattlers Fighter squadron composite VFC-204 reports to the US Navy Reserve’s Tactical Support Wing at NAS JRB Fort Worth, Texas. Known as the ‘River Rattlers’, the squadron had operated the Legacy variant of the Boeing Hornet since it transitioned from Vought A-7E to the F/A-18A and was redesignated as strike fighter squadron VFA-204 on April 1, 1991. Providing adversary support for the US Navy's Fleet Replacement Squadrons, VFA-204 also regularly detached aircraft and personnel to Florida’s NAS Key West, NAS Fallon in Nevada, and other facilities. VFA-204 conducted its final detachment with the Hornet in May 2022 and will

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transition from the F/A-18C/D to the Northrop Grumman F-5N/F Tiger II this year. The squadron assumed its current identity on March 18, 2022. Reporting to the commander, Fleet Logistics Support Wing at NAS JRB Fort Worth, Texas, the 'Revelers' squadron VR-54 operates four Lockheed Martin C-130Ts in support of the Navy Unique Fleet Essential Airlift (NUFEA) mission. Commissioned on June 1, 1991, VR-54 was the first Navy Reserve squadron to fly the C-130T. Although it is a naval reserve unit, the ‘Revelers’ provide up to eight months of air logistics support for US European, Pacific, and Central Commands. Several of their four C-130Ts have been upgraded with Collins Aerospace NP2000 eightblade propellers, improving capabilities, maintainability, and reliability. One of two Marine Corps Reserve units stationed at NAS JRB New Orleans. Marine Transport Squadron Belle Chasse (VMR Belle Chasse) is a component of the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW) and is composed of active-duty, active Reserve and selected Marine Corps Reserve personnel. Established as Marine Aircraft Support Detachment Belle Chasse, 4th

Above: Company B, 1st Battalion, 5th Aviation Regiment supports operations at Fort Polk’s Joint Readiness Training Center. The unit’s inventory includes several UH-72As configured to operate as adversaries that support training at Fort Polk. Serial 07-72015 was visiting Alexandria International Airport, Louisiana, on September 23, 2011 Matt Ellis

Below: The first of three MH-60Ts for Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans on the ramp at NAS JRB New Orleans on May 2, 2022. The Jayhawk had previously been assigned to Air Station Clearwater, Florida USCG/PO3 James Hague

Marine Aircraft Wing in 1985 aboard NAS New Orleans, the unit assumed its current designation on October 1, 2004. The squadron flies a pair of Beechcraft UC-12W King Airs in the Operational Support Airlift (OSA) role and was the first Marine Corps unit to receive the variant. Deliveries beginning in 2010, the King Airs replaced the unit's older UC-12Bs and the squadron carried out its final flight with the older King Air 200 model on March 18, 2011. Based on the King Air 350ER variant, the UC-12W delivered increased range, payload, short field capability, and improved aircraft survivability. In times of war, VMR Belle Chasse's transports high-priority passengers and cargo in support of a Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) or Marine Corps Service Component Commander (MCSCC). Stateside and homeland missions are assigned by the 4th MAW and the Joint Operational Support Airlift Center (JOSAC) at Scott AFB, Illinois. A pair of Cessna UC-35C Citation V Ultra business jets that entered service in November 1999, were retired in May 2021 and stored at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona. Although Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron HMLA-773 is headquartered at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, Detachment A is stationed in Belle Chasse. The squadron reports to the 4th MAW’s Marine Aircraft Group MAG-49 Detachment C at NOLA. Nicknamed the ‘Red Dogs’, HMLA-773 Det A transitioned from the Bell UH-1N to the more capable UH-1Y in 2016; the final Marine Corps AH-1W sortie was on October 14, 2020, at NAS JRB New Orleans. Det A’s mixed helicopter fleet includes five AH-1Zs and five UH-1Ys for offensive air support, utility support, armed escort, and airborne supporting arms co-ordination.

An HH-65C operated by Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans, flies over one of the many oil rig platforms located in the Gulf of Mexico south of Louisiana on June 29, 2007. The air station is currently undergoing transition between the MH-65D variant of the Dolphin and the larger MH-60T Jayhawk Ted Carlson

Reporting to the Eighth Coast Guard District, Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans has been located at the NAS JRB since December 1957. It is responsible for the area from Apalachicola, Florida, north to Memphis, Tennessee, and west to the Texas-Louisiana border and includes thousands of offshore oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. The air station is currently undergoing transition from the Airbus Helicopters MH-65D to the Sikorsky MH-60T. The first of three Jayhawks arrived on May 2, 2022, when tail number 6047 arrived from Clearwater, Florida. Its transition from the Dolphin is expected to be completed later in 2022. The station most recently had operated five MH-65Ds. The MH-60T first stood the SAR alert at NOLA on June 2. The Navy Air Logistics Office is also located at NOLA. Serving as the US Navy’s executive agent for airlift, the Naval Reserve organization schedules travel for 14 squadrons that move more than 160,500 passengers and nearly 30 million pounds of cargo annually. Established in June 2011, Marine Corps Support Facility New Orleans (MARCORSPTFAC NOLA) occupies a 29-acre secure compound in the New Orleans suburb of Algiers. In addition to the headquarters for the US Marine Corps Forces Reserve, it is home to the 4th MAW headquarters.

LOUISIANA STATE REPORT Location Command

Unit

Aircraft

Tail Code

Barksdale AFB 2nd Bomb Wing/Operations Group

11th BS (FTU) ‘Mr Jiggs’

B-52H

BD

20th BS ‘Buccaneers’

B-52H

LA

96th BS ‘Red Devils’

B-52H

LA

93d BS (FTU) ‘Indian Outlaws’

B-52H

BD

343rd BS ‘Avengers’

B-52H

LA

53rd Wing/753d Test & Evaluation Group

49th TES ‘Wolves’

B-52H

OT

USAF Weapons School

340th WPS

B-52H

BD

307th Bomb Wing/Operations Group

Vicksburg – Tallulah Regional Airport, Tallulah US Army Corps of Engineers

Mississippi Valley Division

C-20H

Det 1 C/1-114th AVN (S&S)

UH-72A

Det 1 B/1-244th AVN (ASLT)

UH-60M

G(-)/2-238th AVN (AA) ‘Bayou Dustoff’

UH-60L

Esler Regional Airport, Pineville AASF #2 Louisiana Army National Guard

Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) – Fort Polk, Polk Army Airfield 1-5th AVN (GSAB) ‘Diamondbacks’

A/1-5th AVN ‘Tomahawks’

UH-60A+/L

B/1-5th AVN ‘Gators’

UH-72A

C/1-5th AVN (AA) ‘Cajun Dustoff’’

UH-60A+/L

Hammond Northshore Regional Airport, Hammond AASF #1 Louisiana Army National Guard

CBP AMO Southeast Region

Det 7 A/2-641st AVN/OSACOM Det 38

C-12U

A/1-244th AVN (ASLT) ‘Superman’

UH-60M

B(-)/1-244th AVN (ASLT)

UH-60M

Det 1 D/2-151st AVN (S&S)

UH-72A

New Orleans Air & Marine Branch

C206H, AS350B, King Air B350

Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans 159th Fighter Wing/Operations Group

122d FS ‘Bayou Militia’

F-15C/D

JZ

Commander, Tactical Support Wing (COMTACSUPWING)

VFA-204 'River Rattlers'

F/A-18C/D

AF

Commander, Fleet Logistic Support Wing (COMFLETLOGSUPPWING)

VR-54 ‘Revelers’

C-130T

CW

UC-12W

4th Marine Aircraft Wing (4th MAW)

VMR Belle Chasse

Marine Aircraft Group Four Nine (MAG-49)

HMLA-773 Det. A

AH-1Z, UH-1Y

Eighth Coast Guard District

Air Station New Orleans

MH-65D/MH-60T

MM

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LIGHTNING OF T G

iven its unique geographical location and lack of local air defense capabilities, Iceland relies on its NATO allies for air policing. It maintains a periodic presence of NATO fighter aircraft at Keflavik with the task of meeting Iceland's peacetime preparedness needs to perform air surveillance and interception coverage over Iceland and maintain the sovereignty of NATO airspace. For two months from the end of April, the Aeronautica Militare (AM; Italian Air Force) oversaw the second NATO rotation of 2022 in Iceland (Portuguese Air Force F-16AM (MLU)s were in charge for the first rotation). “The air policing slots are

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decided with an agreement between all NATO nations,” explained Col Gianmarco Di Loreto, commander of the Italian F-35A Air Task Force in Iceland “Being a voluntary contribution by the 30 member states, there is a slot allocation that is made at least a few years in advance, so the air force knows its air policing slots a few years prior to actual deployment. “As time approaches and based on scheduled exercises and operational activities of the various fighter wings, it identifies which type of set-up that will best fit that specific air policing mission. This also takes into consideration other requirements, like rotation between weapon systems as well as previous experience on the Eastern flank scenarios

rather than Northern flank, and so forth. At the end, the Comando Squadra Aerea (CSA; Air Operational Forces Command) identifies the proper organizational structure to implement.” .

Operation Northern Lighting III Under the name of Task Force Air – Iceland Operation Northern Lightning III, the Italian contingent deployed to Keflavik with four F-35A belonging to the XIII Squadron of the 32° Stormo from Amendola Air Base, Italy, and a detachment of more than 130 personnel to conduct NATO’s peacetime Icelandic air policing mission. For the deployment phase, the AM drew on the experiences gained during previous missions executed

GS THE NORTH Giovanni Colla reports on the Aeronautic Militare’s deployment of four F-35As Lightnings to Keflavik Air Base in Iceland for the third time

in Iceland with fifth-generation aircraft in 2019 and 2020. “Once the weapon system carrying out the mission has been identified, a few months in advance CSA selects a site survey team that goes on site two to four months in advance,” explained Col Di Loreto. “In this case, the team went to Iceland in January and verified a series of logistic, operational, security and real-life support aspects. Although we have been here many times, the mission in 2020 was carried out in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and some things have changed – such as info/ infrastructures or the capability of the host nation to support our contingent. The team comes here and reviews the requirements, preparing agreements with

the host nation regarding each aspect of their support and provisions.” Once the logistical needs have been identified, the so called ‘crisis establishment’ (CE) is built, meaning the exact force structure – usually around 130 people - that will be sent to the operating theater to conduct the air policing mission. To help this team enable flight operations right after the moment the aircraft arrive, support teams are created and injected a few days earlier. These are the Advance Team (ADT) and the Theater Operating Team (TOT) – they have very specific functions and they set up all necessary activities to conduct sustained operations. “When everything is ready, the so called ‘main body’ is sent to theater,”

said Col Di Loreto. “Depending on how many transports/tankers are available, the full CE is inserted in theater, on average within a total of four to five days after that initial set-up phase.”

Reaching FOC Just one day after the arrival of the main body, with the jets and an air defence control team from the Poggio Renatico Aerospace Operations Command (COA) ready to begin operations, an initial series of briefings and familiarization flights begin. Pilots must complete a flight that adheres to local rules, to understand the different areas and features before starting actual quick reaction alert (QRA)

A pair of F-35A flying over typical Icelandic terrain during operation Northern Lightning III. Apart from the QRA task the Italian Air Force F-35s fleet also carried out daily training missions over Iceland All images courtesy of Giovanni Colla

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operations. They begin a series of training flights before an assessment by NATO, which physically delivers a certificate and declares the Task Force combat-ready. “On this deployment, we reached the Full Operational Capability (FOC) one day prior to the scheduled date,” said Col Di Loreto. “Among other things, we reached the goal with 100% maintenance efficiency. We have never lost a sortie – the weapon system has such a maturity level that we can compress evaluation times and reach operational goals earlier than expected compared to legacy weapon systems.” During a ceremony held at Keflavik Airbase on April 30, Lt Col Massimo Cervone from NATO’s Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC) Uedem in Germany handed over the mission readiness certificate (FOC) to the

detachment commander after exposing the Italian detachment to a challenging program aimed at reviewing their tactics, techniques and procedures and at verifying their readiness for the mission. The air policing task in Iceland was carried officially from April 30 until the end of June, with two Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightings on round-the-clock alert. QRA tasks are handled by the CAOC in Uedem and when they think it is appropriate to order an alpha scramble, they send a classified message to the Control and Reporting Center (CRC) at Keflavik. CRC ‘Loki’ and related radar sites cover Iceland’s air surveillance tasks, manned by a mix of local controllers and NATO personnel. Lt Col Luca, the Task Group commander, explained: “The airspace surveillance service is based on three elements:

Above: The Italian Air Force F-35As were housed in existing hardened shelters during their Keflavik deployment

Below: F-35 pilots wear the Cold Water Immersion Suit specifically made for the aircraft type

the flight plan, the radio and the IFF transponder. Every aircraft to enter any controlled airspace in the world needs a pre-approved flight plan, a radio contact and the onboard transponder in the ‘On’ position. If any one of these elements is missing, the entire chain of command and control is activated, which in this case is that of NATO will scramble an interceptor to assist the aircraft. This can happen accidentally – due to an aircraft failure or any other type of problem.” Apart from the QRA task, the Aeronautica Militare’s F-35A fleet also carried out daily training missions over Iceland. Lt Col Luca said “We trained with an omni-role fifth generation aircraft, and it would be somewhat simplistic to be reduced only to a QRA activity for such a prolonged period – a luxury that we cannot afford. Therefore, thanks to the synthetic and net-centric capabilities of the aircraft, what we do here is to fly and to train in the entire spectrum of use of our weapon system. “The flight areas in Iceland are suitable, but the lack of direct and indirect support – such as, other aircrafts to support the missions – does not penalize the potential of the missions that can be carried out in Icelandic skies. We can do the same things we do in Italy, exploiting the effective potential of the Link 16 system in Iceland.”

Interoperability training Icelandic air defense is composed of radar stations connected to the CRC in Keflavik, all implemented with Link 16. In addition to the work activity with the ICG-Iceland Coast Guard, training missions were also carried out with US Navy P-8s.

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Above: An F-35A taxies out from shelter for a training mission over Iceland. In the first 30 days since their arrival, the four F-35As logged more than 250 flight hours Left: Two Italian F-35As perform a practice intercept on an Icelandic Coastguard helicopter during Operation Northern Lightning III.

Below: Two F-35s on the way to rendezvous with US Navy P-8 Poseidon aircraft, also based at Keflavik

Lt.Col. Luca explained: "Interoperability and specific support is a constant of the alliance. Here, we train together with the American P-8s that are are deployed at Keflavik. During this activity, the P-8s can carry out target-type activities and, in this case, we are tasked with intercepting them, or else we organize escort activities where we simulate a territory full of threats and we must guarantee the survival of an asset like the P-8. “In addition, training activities are planned with NATO naval groups, during which we try to combine the training needs of both sides.” Compared to the past missions in Iceland, which lasted 4-5 weeks, Northern Lighting III was held for a total of two months, which meant the mission involved an increased logistical and support effort. The procedure for supplying spare parts in the event of maintenance must include a longer period and the forecast must be made very precisely because the time horizon is longer. In this context – learned during past deployments –the Hybrid Product Support Integration (HPSI) organization and the deployment planning team plas a fundamental role in deciding which spare parts to bring, suggesting the pack-up kit (PUK) to deploy. However, as the chief of maintenance explained: “The human factor always remains an integral part of this decision-making process. Certainly, the experience that has been gained with hundreds of deployments now carried out globally by the F-35 fleet has helped refine the model within the HPSI center, making the algorithms more accurate and mature.

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DEPLOYMENT REPORT // LIGHTNINGS OF THE NORTH “However, even today, the human factor – with the ability to analyze the outputs of the algorithm and possibly integrate with other inputs – is still present and part of the process. What happens is that the flight unit receives the PUK model results, the technical staff analyzes the list of spare parts and proposes any addition that is considered essential for the operation that will be carried out. Then the logistical

technical support is reconfigured to take into account some slightly more tactical factors, such as the type of sorties that will be flown or the configuration of the types

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Below: The added value of the F-35 is its ability to take data about the unidentified aircraft and relay it to the command control chain in real time

of aircraft that will be deployed. Besides the solidity and maturity of the system, the human component is always one of the main concerns for us.” Over the years, the AM has consolidated and refined the procedures for deployment and use in different scenarios that could confront the fifth-generation aircraft. It can be said that in Europe,

Italy is the most expert user of the F-35, with a clear demonstration of this being that the Italian F-35 fleet – at the time of Combat Aircraft Journal’s visit - was operating in Iceland, in Amendola and on the Italian Navy aircraft carrier Cavour with the F-35Bs for Exercise Mare Aperto. Lt Col Luca told us: "In this deployment we have extremely reduced the times and significantly increased efficiency. In a very short time, we were ready to operate, not only meeting NATO's requirements, but making full use of the machine's unique capabilities right from the start.”

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AIRCRAFT REPORT // CMV-22 DEPLOYS AND ACHIEVES IOC

NEW COD ON THE BLOCK It is only two years since the US Navy received its first new carrier onboard delivery aircraft. David Isby reports on its progress

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September 2022 // www.Key.Aero

I

n a milestone for the US Navy’s new carrier onboard delivery (COD) aircraft, the Bell-Boeing CMV-22 Osprey has achieved initial operational capability. “The CMV-22’s maiden deployment with Carrier Air Wing 2 and the carrier USS Carl Vinson team is an operational success, giving me the confi dence necessary to make the declaration,” said RADM Andrew Loiselle, then director of air warfare, Offi ce of the Chief of Naval Operations on February 18. At the point of reaching IOC in

CMV-22BS DELIVERED TO US NAVY AS OF 05/20/2022 Serial 169437 169438 169439 169440 169441 169442 169443 169444 169445 169446 169435 169436

Con No D2003 D2004 D2005 D2006 D2007 D2008 D2009 D2010 D2011 D2012 D2001 D2002

Unit VRM-30 VRM-30 VRM-30 Det 1 VRM-30 Det 1 VRM-30 Det 1 VRM-30 VRM-30. Det 2 VRM-30 VRM-30 VRM-30 HX-21 [T&E] HX-21 [T&E]

December last year, 15 of the 48 expected CMV-22s had been delivered, 13 to the fleet and two for test and evaluation squadron HX-21 ‘Blackjack’.

The Navy’s CMV-22B Osprey The CMV-22 has already proven its capability aboard USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) as part of CVW-2, dubbed “the carrier air wing of the future” by the USMC’s Col Brian Taylor, head of the V-22 Osprey Joint Program Office (JPO). This deployment, from August 2, 2021, to February 14, 2022, was followed by a second; from February 28, 2022, it has been on board the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72). These achievements – reaching IOC and performing two western Pacific deployments – came less than two years after the Navy received the initial CMV-22s and its two fleet squadrons. The first of these, VRM-30 ‘Titans’, stood up in 2018. Three years later VRM-40 ‘Mighty Bison’ was established, stood up at Naval Air Station (NAS) North Island, California. Due to move to Norfolk in 2023, it still awaits its new aircraft. Most CMV-22B pilots are coming from

the Navy’s current Northrop Grumman C-2A Greyhound COD and Sikorsky MH60S Seahawk helicopter units. Indeed, the first CMV-22 did not fly until December 2019. This timeframe required “sailors embedded in Marine MV-22 units to get used to this aircraft”, Col Taylor said. The Navy established initial CMV-22 training at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) New River North, Carolina, co-located with the

Above: Three CMV-22B Osprey’s, from the ‘Sunhawks’ of Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Squadron (VRM) 50, rest after landing on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68), which is conducting routine operations US Navy

www.Key.Aero // September 2022

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AIRCRAFT REPORT // CMV-22 DEPLOYS AND ACHIEVES IOC

CMV-22B CARRIER DEPLOYMENTS Ship

Unit

Carrier Air Wing Dates (CVW)

VRM-30

CVW-2

USS Carl

Vinson CVN-70] USS

Abraham Lincoln

VRM-30

CVW-9

[CVN-72]

Aug 2, 2021-Feb 14, 2022 Feb 28, 2022 – ongoing

Above: A CMV-22B Osprey of VRM-30 prepares to take off from USS Carl Vinson US Navy Above right: The first CMV-22 to suffer damage undergoes repairs at NAS North Island, California US Navy

Marines’ Osprey training unit, and has recruited Marines with Osprey experience for Naval Reserve billets at North Island. The Navy’s ‘Air Boss’, VADM Kenneth Whitesell, Commander, Naval Air Forces said: “We did it on the backs of the USMC; they transitioned us.”.

CV-22B PROCUREMENT PROGRAM With the aspiration to replace the Grumman C-2A Greyhound COD role aircraft, 2018 saw the Bell-Boeing joint program office receive a $4bn contract to manufacture and deliver 39 CMV-22B aircraft to the US Navy. Three more CMV22s were ordered in December 2018, and one single CMV-22 was ordered in December 2020.

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Below: CMV-22B Ospreys of VRM-30 taxi on Naval Air Station North Island as they return from deployment with the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group in February 2022 US Navy

CMV-22s in WESTPAC The deployment aboard the Vinson, part of Carrier Strike Group Three, was hailed by Whitesell as ”incredibly successful”. The CMV-22 was an indispensable part of the air wings aboard the Carl Vinson and Abraham Lincoln because both carried squadrons of Lockheed Martin F-35C Lightning II. The CMV-22B is needed to deliver replacement power modules for the F-35C’s engine. During the Vinson deployment, the three CMV-22Bs and 85 personnel from VRM-30, (ten pilots, 12 aircrew, 59 maintenance and three administrative personnel), achieved a 98% mission completion rate and a 75% mission capable rate. There were problems. The mission capable rate, which just met requirements, would have been higher were it not for de-icing system issues. The radio proved unreliable and a contract was issued in March to upgrade it. The Boeing/Raytheon Required Navigation Performance/Area Navigation (RNP/RNAV) and Garmin 175 GPS navigation systems are delayed until FY24 and an interim system was

fitted. One CMV-22 had an engine fire on the carrier flight deck. The CMV-22 also required a lot of maintenance aboard the carrier. Lt Col Andrew ‘Hard-G’ Gerry, a CMV-22 pilot with more than 1,500 hours in the MH-60S, said: “Maintaining the CMV-22 is much more intensive than its predecessor, so expectations will have to align on how much work it takes to keep this bird in the air.” However, Col Taylor described the CMV-22 deployments as “transformative”, bringing a lot of of capability in medevac as well as the F-35C power module delivery. Operating from carriers meant changes to spare parts and support equipment, but not to the ship: Integration with the carrier flight cycle was a concern, with the CMV22 being a non-tailhook aircraft, but this went “remarkably smoothly”, said. Taylor.

Medevac-capable Prior to deploying, CMV-22s carried out practice medevacs from both carriers. The Vinson deployment showed the Osprey “could do medevacs that could not be done with the C-2 because the patient

could not be catapulted”, said Taylor. One of the 13 medevacs took place on September 28, 2021, when a sailor on board the Carl Vinson suffered a stroke. The hospital was out of helicopter range and the patient would not be catapulted. Instead, explained Taylor, the CMV-22 medevac went directly to a field hospital at Camp Foster, Okinawa, from the ship, rather than landing at an airfield. The CMV-22 could fly the 1,000-mile round trip much faster than a helicopter and the patient received time-critical care. Taylor added that the Osprey is “unparalleled as a medevac platform”. The CMV-22, performed shipboard qualifications aboard the hospital ship, USNS Mercy (T-AH-19) last year. “With a 50,000lb aircraft, the physics of making it hover is pushing 50,000lb of air down and that’s a lot of downwash, therefore a lot of planning goes into where we land.” While the CMV-22’s two initial deployments have been in the COD mission, the fleet squadron training includes resupplying forward operating bases, naval special warfare cargo drops,

combat rudder raiding craft and search and rescue (SAR) support. The CMV-22s will close out US Osprey procurement. Col Brian Clifford, the CV-22 program manager, said that Air Force Special Operations Command’s (AFSOC) 52 CV-22 Ospreys were 90% common with the 355 Marine Corps MV-22 versions (which will equip 16 ten-aircraft squadrons). While there are currently no further Osprey procurements planned beyond the 12 funded in the FY 2022 budget, numbers are considered sufficient to keep Ospreys in service to 2055. In terms of long-distance operations, the Osprey is globally deployable with KC-130J tankers, according to assistant commandant of the USMC Gen Eric Smith. “Air refueling is something we are really leveraging to self-deploy, especially to the Pacific. It is a game-changer as it can

Above: Pacific Ocean, February 10, 2021. A CMV-22B Osprey from the ‘Titans’ of Fleet Logistics MultiMission Squadron (VRM) 30 is chained to the flight deck aboard the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, which is conducting routine maritime operations US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Erin C Zorich/USMC

MODIFICATIONS The CMV-22 has a high degree of commonality with the MV-22 Ospreys but has enlarged sponson fuel tanks, an additional 60 US Gal fuel tank on each fuselage side, a fuel jettison capability, an onboard public address system, an upgraded cargo lighting system and an AN/USC-61C digital modular highfrequency radio for beyond line of sight (BLOS) operations. The CMV-22B is capable of transporting 6,000Ib of cargo and personnel over a 1,150nm range; it has 50% more internal fuel than the MV-22. The CMV-22B brings back to the fleet the capability for night COD operations relinquished some years ago, although this is balanced by slower speed, less personnel and cargo capacity, a shorter range, requiring more on-board maintainers and cruising at lower altitudes.

THE SUNHAWKS The US Navy’s CMV-22 fleet replacement squadron (FRS), VRM-50 ‘Sunhawks’ was established in October 2020 and commenced operations at North Island, California in 2021. The Sunhawks are scheduled to start training pilots

and aircrew in May 2022. The FRS received its safe-for-flight certificate after 81 hours of flight since its first. The safe-forflight certificate authorizes the Sunhawks personnel to train new pilots on the CMV-22 in December 2021.

CMV-22BS AT US NAVY FRS AS OF 05/20/2022 Serial

Con. No.

Unit

169447

D2013

VRM-50 [FRS]

169448

D2014

VRM-50 [FRS]

169449

D2015

VRM-50 [FRS]

Personnel assigned to the ‘Sunhawks’ of Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Squadron (VRM) 50 pose for a group photo in front of two CMV-22B Ospreys on the flight line on board Naval Air Station North Island, California. VRM-50, the Navy’s first CMV-22B Osprey Fleet Replacement Squadron, received their safe-for-flight certification on December 16, 2021 US Navy

www.Key.Aero // September 2022

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AIRCRAFT REPORT // CMV-22 DEPLOYS AND ACHIEVES IOC

JAPAN DEAL

The Japanese Ground Self Defense Force (GSDF) ordered 17 MV-22 Ospreys in 2015, the only international sale so far. The first two were delivered in 2020. Col Taylor said that they are currently operating seven Ospreys and will complete deliveries by late 2024. Operated by the GSDF 107th Squadron, they will likely fly from Japan’s two Izumo-class carriers. The USMC’s Col Brian Taylor said there is a “lot of bilateral work being done with the Okinawa-based 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) showing JSDF partners how to use the aircraft, including in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief”. March 2022 bilateral exercises included the countries’ Ospreys operating together. Col Masashi Hiraki, commander of the GSDF’s 1st Amphibious Rapid Deployment Regiment said: “We believe this exercise is very significant, not only for improving the capability of amphibious operations, but also for strengthening the deterrence and response capabilities of the Japan-US alliance.”

self-deploy; it is not dependent on a ship.” Although Ospreys are unpressurized, no passengers can be carried above 10,000ft and there is a service ceiling of 25,000ft. For example, in March 2022, MV-22s of Marine Squadron HMM-363 flew 4,730 miles from Hawaii to the Philippines to participate in exercise Balikatan 2022. From Hickam Field, the Ospreys flew 2,000 miles to Wake Island, requiring three refuelings by KC-130Js. The second leg from Wake to Guam over 1,300 miles required two refuelings, followed by another two on the final leg to Subic Bay in the Philippines (1,450 miles).

Upgrades Col Clifford said: “Increasing aircraft availability is the top driver, maintenance man-hours reduction on nacelles, mission availability rate. All things that have plagued the V-22 over time. These are key metrics we track, and we hope to see cost reductions.” To meet these concerns, Taylor said the V-22 nacelle improvement upgrade is a “joint program with four different aircraft a lot more alike than dissimilar, with all non-recurring expenses shared by the services and international partners.” Clifford explained that 60% of maintenance on the V-22 occurs in the nacelles due to the tremendous amount of vibration in the transition between vertical and horizontal flight. The nacelle upgrade will “restructure the wiring architecture to optimize maintainability, look at structural components and install additional access panels”. After flight testing on an MV-22, the first production nacelle upgrade was on a CV-22 from the 27th Special Operations Squadron (SOS). Based at Cannon AFB, New Mexico, proximity to Bell’s Amarillo, Texas, facility enabled feedback from maintainers to industry. “We are working closely with Bell-Boeing to provide

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September 2022 // www.Key.Aero

real-time feedback to help improve the outcome of future nacelle improved CV-22 aircraft. We are optimistic these ongoing changes will increase flying time while decreasing the maintenance man hours needed to ensure the aircraft’s readiness,” said CMSgt Sean Ellenburg. By April 2022, three CV-22s had received the upgrade; the rest are due by FY 2025. It has not yet been ordered for MV-22s and CMV-22s. Since 2019, the common configurationreadiness and modernization program has been putting 129 MV-22s built-in multiple B-Block configurations into an upgraded common C-Block configuration. This improves capabilities, especially digital interoperability and reduces maintenance costs. This upgrade, at Boeing’s Ridley Park facility in Pennsylvania, includes mission computers, weather radar, resilient windscreens, infrared suppressors, generators and landing gear control units. Increased MV-22 availability has been a principle goal. Col Taylor said: “It is a joint effort between, industry, government

and NAVAIR to find what the specific root causes of reliability issues are.” The Elbit helmet-mounted display/ degraded visual environment (HMD/ DVE) system has been in development since 2017. MV-22s will be among the first aircraft, starting in FY 2023, to be upgraded with the MAGTF Agile Network Gateway Link (MANGL), enabling networked operations. For CMV-22s, carriers now carry the emergency landing pad (ELP), rapidly inflatable to allow vertical landings in the event of landing gear failure; previously MV-22s had to rely on improvised stacks of mattresses. With the C-2A serving the US Navy since the 1960s, the CMV-22B has some rather large boots to fill. Will it succeed and leave a similar legacy to the Greyhound in the COD role? It certainly is on track, bringing new capabilities such as, night COD operations and medevac. Or will the flaws associated with the Osprey, such as maintenance requirements balance out its effectiveness in US Naval service.

Above: A USMC MV-22B Osprey with HMM-265 (Reinforced), 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and a GSDF V-22 Osprey with the 107th Squadron fly over Mount Fuji, Japan on March 17, 2022 as part of Maritime Defense Exercise Amphibious Ready Deployment Brigade USMC

Below: A wheelchair stands by as a CMV-22B, of VRM-30, lands at Camp Foster hospital on Okinawa, during a medical evacuation of a stroke patient from the USS Carl Vinson, September 28, 2021. US Navy

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WHATEVER HAPPENED TO // KC-45

Finding a new tanker for the USAF has never been an easy process. David Willis details the highs and lows of the Northrop Grumman/EADS North America KC-45A in the KC-X program

FALSE DAWN F

or six fraught months in 2008, it appeared the European aerospace manufacturer EADS had achieved a major breakthrough in the US military market. A derivative of the Airbus A330 airliner had been selected to fulfill a hotly contested requirement to replace an initial tranche of the USAF’s Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker aerialrefueling fleet. Known within the company as the KC30A, and assigned the US Mission design series designation KC-45A, the win came at a time when the Europeans seemed to be enjoying greater success against the ‘buy American’ lobby that had helped ensure most major US weapons systems were procured domestically. Even better for EADS was the fact an Airbus design had beaten its rival in the commercial market (Boeing) for the lucrative deal. The USAF’s previous attempt to acquire new tankers ended in controversy. A leasepurchase deal with Boeing for KC-767As, its deferral was announced by US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on May 26, 2004, and cancelled outright in January 2006 (see Tanker Tribulations, March, p68-69). In its place, the service outlined

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September 2022 // www.Key.Aero

a three-phase program to recapitalize its tanker fleet, known as KC-X, KC-Y and KC-Z. KC-X called for the purchase of an initial 179 tankers to replace the oldest Stratotankers, the KC-135Es, in a $35bn program. Initial operational capability for a squadron of 12 KC-Xs was set for 2013. The new competition pitted EADS’ Airbus KC-30 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT), based on the A330-200, against a revised variant of the Boeing 767 (although the company briefly considered a 777 variant) – this created a military version of the fierce rivalry seen between the two companies when constantly trying to win orders from airlines. Aware it needed an American prime contractor, EADS North America teamed with Northrop Grumman and went to work, highlighting that 60% of the aircraft would be built in the US, supporting a supplier base of 230 companies located in 49 states. The KC-30A offered was derived from the KC-30B ordered by the Royal Australian Air Force (the KC-30B was later predesignated the KC-30A, at the request of the Australians). Fuel tanks in the wings and under the floor left the main deck clear for up to 226 passengers or freight

pallets, with an Airbus Aerial Refueling Boom System for receptacle-equipped receivers and a Cobham 805E hose and drogue unit under the rear fuselage, plus a pair of Cobham 905E pods under the wings. Power was to be provided by two General Electric CF6-80E1 turbofans. The basic crew for the air-refueling mission comprised a pilot, co-pilot and boom operator, augmented by others when passengers or freight were to be carried. Boeing offered the KC-767AT Advanced Tanker (767-200LRF). To meet the requirements stipulated in KC-X, the company was forced to pick and mix structures from different variants of the commercial 767. Starting with the airframe of the 767-200LR, it added the wings and landing gear of the -300 freighter, and the digital flight deck, auxiliary power unit, tail section and flaps of the -400ER. This resulted in the KC-767AT’s derogatory nickname ‘Frankentanker’ – a reference to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. The KC-767AT would have a pair of Pratt & Whitney PW4062 turbofans, with a ‘GEN 6’ boom, while a fuselage-mounted hose and probe unit and two underwing pods could be installed. On paper, the KC-30A was a larger, and

Above: An artist’s impression of a Northrop Grumman/ EADS North America KC-45A refueling Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptors. If all had gone to plan, the tanker would be celebrating its tenth year in service in 2023 Airbus

more expensive, aircraft, although the US Air Force classed both designs as medium tankers. According to Northrop Grumman, it could carry 245,000lb of fuel, compared with the KC-767AT’s 202,000lb fuel capacity. It also offered 30% more fuel for off-load at operational ranges; carried 68% more cargo (32 freight pallets compared with 19) and had 19% greater passenger capacity. Many of these figures where above those stipulated for KC-X, but would help Northrop Grumman/EADS North America score points when it came to the competition relating to non-mandatory requirements. Unlike that of the KC-767AT, the KC-30’s boom had also been tested in the air (and had yet to suffer the embarrassment of falling off ). The differences in size and capabilities between the aircraft became a hot topic to proponents and detractors of both teams as the program progressed. A request for proposals for KC-X was released in December 2006, and was then updated in January 2007, after the Northrop Grumman/EADS team threatened to pull out, after objecting to the weighting given to certain factors, such as maximum cargo, passengers and fuel off-load. Selection was expected in 2007 but was delayed slightly. On February 29, 2008, the Department of Defense announced the KC-30A had been selected, much to the surprise of many, and the consternation of Boeing. Boeing claimed the KC-767AT lost in part because the USAF improperly favored the larger airframe and ‘non-core’ capabilities. The Seattle-based company filed a protest with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on March 11, 2008, while members of the US Congress representing states due to benefit from KC-X work lobbied hard on behalf of their team, while companies involved launched supporting media campaigns. Northrop Grumman had planned to deliver an aircraft to the USAF within one month of contract award. In preparation, it had identified A330 MSN 0871 as SDD-1 or D-1 (F-WWKU, later EC-332) to become the first developmental KC-45, with construction paid for by the team. The green airframe was completed in July 2007 and made its maiden flight on September 25. Aircraft manufacturer CASA’s facility in Madrid, Spain, would be responsible for installing the refueling boom and associated equipment, with US military specific items added at Northrop Grumman’s site at Melbourne, Florida. The first four for system design and

Above: Airbus A330203 F-WWKU (MSN 871) lifts off from Toulouse in France on September 25, 2007. The aircraft was delivered to Dresden in Germany, where the main passenger deck floor structure was strengthened in preparation for fitting out as the first KC-45A

development would all be assembled at Toulouse in France, and structurally strengthened at Dresden in Germany. They would not be fully configured to meet all requirements of KC-X. The second potential KC-45A (SDD-2/D-2, MSN 0925, F-WWKB) first flew on April 18, 2008, and completed its finalcheck flight on May 15. It (along with SDD-3) was due to have booms installed at Melbourne, with SDD-4 to be equipped at Mobile, Alabama. The first production aircraft was also be built at Toulouse, but the majority to follow would be assembled at EADS’ North America facility at Mobile from May 2011. EADS announced on January 14, 2008, that it would assemble 48 A330s a year at the new plant, if it secured the tanker contract. It was briefly planned that green KC-45A airframes would be built to A330-200F standard, with cargo doors and structural strengthening, but this was abandoned in early 2008. Northrop Grumman would install the mission equipment at its facility at Mobile. These plans were all dashed on June 18, 2008, however, when the GAO upheld Boeing’s protest. It stated the USAF had made “a number of significant errors that could have affected the outcome” and urged it to “obtain revised proposals, re-evaluate the revised proposals, and make a new source selection decision”. According to the GAO, the service had failed to use the evaluation criteria

outlined in its final contract notice, which ranked the importance of various technical requirements. A review process was instigated, led by Defense Undersecretary John Young, without the participation of the USAF. KC-X solicitation was cancelled on September 10, halting the KC-45A program. It pushed what had become a contentious and politically sensitive problem down the line – a new tanker acquisition strategy would have to be outlined by the incoming administration of Barack Obama, who was inaugurated as president on January 20, 2009. Neither A330 selected to become KC45As were ever completed as such. The first was initially stored at Getafe Air Base in Madrid. Then, from July 2013, after being painted in Airbus house colors as F-WWCB, was used as a testbed for the 242-tonne variant of the airliner. In 2018, it was placed in store (as F-WTBW) at Tarbes Lourdes Pyrénées Airport in France, but later sold to Aelf Flight Services. From May 2021, Maleth Aero leased it as 9H-LFS. In 2012, the second A330 was reworked as an A330-203 for Air Lease Corp. It was delivered as PH-OAN to Amsterdam Schiphol in the Netherlands, for KLM, on April 12, 2013, but was returned to the lessor as OE-LDV by late 2021 and stored at Schiphol. Two other A330s slated to become KC-45As (MSNs 980 and 996) were completed as A330 MRTTs 2401 and 2402 of the Royal Saudi Air Force.

Right: Although EADS continued to promote the KC-45 to the US Air Force after the KC-X program was eventually restarted, Northrop Grumman pulled out of the process in March 2010. On February 24, 2011, Boeing was selected to produce the KC-46A Pegasus Airbus

www.Key.Aero // September 2022

93

EXERCISE REPORT // SWIFT RESPONSE 22

DUSTS OF

KRIVOLAK

The Swift Response 22 military exercise took place in May along the eastern flank of NATO, highlighting the ability of the US and its Allies to conduct near-simultaneous airborne operations from the Arctic Circle to the Balkans. Igor Bozinovski focuses on the role played by North Macedonia Main Image: US Army Boeing CH-47F Chinook 15-08463 was seen in Macedonian skies during SR22. This aircraft is part of the assets of the 2nd Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment

94

L

ittle more than two years after becoming NATO's 30th member, North Macedonia became one of the host nations for Swift Response 22 (SR22) – the largest international military exercise held in the tiny Balkan state since it became independent in September 1991. The exercise centered on the nation’s Krivolak military base, which is used by US forces to simulate the conditions they faced in Afghanistan, and featured the first

September 2022 // www.Key.Aero

deployment of foreign jets to the tiny state. SR22 was organized by the US Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF) – an Army Service Component Command/ Theater Army responsible for directing US Army operations throughout the US European Command (EUCOM) and US Africa Command (AFRICOM) areas of responsibility. The massive military organization co-ordinated the multinational

training event that was part of a series of military exercises called Defender Europe 22, held between May 2-20, 2022. Planning for SR22 began several months before Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine. Around 9,000 service members from 17 NATO and partner nations took part in the exercise, including 2,700 US soldiers and airmen. They were evaluating USAREUR-AF’s ability to rapidly deploy beside European airborne forces, with little or no warming, across the globe. Featuring combat-ready US forces in Europe and Africa, the exercise helped to enhance readiness by building airborne interoperability with allies, and tested the integration of joint service partnerships.

The exercise began when the US Army’s 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne) ‘Spartan’, a unit subordinated to the Hawaii-based 25th Infantry Division ‘Tropic Lightning’, flew from its home base at Fort Richardson, Alaska to Norway. The flight, and subsequent airborne jumps into Norway, proved the unit’s ability to conduct arctic defense operations with allies in the Arctic High North. At nearly the same time, paratroopers from the Vicenza, Italy-based 173rd Infantry Brigade (Airborne) ‘Sky Soldiers’ and the Fort Bragg, North Carolina-based 82nd Airborne Division, plus several allied airborne units, conducted separate Joint Forcible Entries (an airborne operation conducted by organizations whose force structures permit rapid deployment) into Latvia, Lithuania, and North Macedonia. Once on the ground, each brigade task force conducted tactical operations and follow-on training, including rotary-wing deep-strike attacks, air-assault operations, live-fire training and field-training exercises.

The Macedonian exercise SR22 was also the Balkan nation’s first military exercise during which more than 1,000 paratroopers conducted an airborne assault. The SR22 Planning Conference took place in the city of Ohrid, in the

southwestern part of North Macedonia in November 2021. It helped synchronize and co-ordinate airborne forces and define tactics, techniques and tactical procedures. Additionally, the type of aircraft and the nations that provide them were decided. A decision was made for allied aviation to be stationed at the North Macedonia Air Force’s principal air base Petrovec (also known as ‘Strasho Pindjur’ barracks), southeast of the capital Skopje, and at Ohrid International Airport. The use of Ohrid airport was necessary because fixed-wing aircraft were not able to land at Petrovec during SR22, due to the reconstruction of the Skopje International Airport runway, also used by the Petrovec air base. The Stenkovec sport airfield, northwest of Skopje was also used for SR22’s Open Day display of aircraft, and for training of allied helicopter crews. The North Macedonia Army’s Training Area Krivolak and nearby Training Center Pepelishte, both near the southern city of Negotino, were selected for the main activities. Krivolak is the largest military base in North Macedonia known for its Afghanlike conditions that are ideal exercise ground for any military force. It was certified for use by the US Army Aviation in the summer of 2018, when approval was granted by the US Army Europe’s 7th Army Training Command headquartered in Grafenwoehr, Germany. This happened

Above: The US Army’s multi-mission Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter 16-20828 taking off on a mission during SR22 All images: Igor Bozinovski Top: The UK’s Westland WAH-64 Apaches were one of the main combat assets used during the Combined Arms Live Fire Exercise

Bottom Left: The emblem of SR22

one year after the Army of the Republic of North Macedonia (ARNM) and US Army Europe’s 2nd Cavalry Regiment Engineering Squadron conducted the Dragoon Guardian 17 exercise at Krivolak, during which a 300-yard-long airstrip was constructed, for use by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The focus of SR22 in North Macedonia was on airborne assault, with some 4,600 soldiers taking part from nine Allied nations: Albania, Greece, France, Italy, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Spain, the UK and the US. The airborne elements included more than 1,000 parachute jumps and 45 aircraft of various types.

The British involvement The drills in North Macedonia were conducted under the command of the 16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team (BCT). The deployed UK contingent was made up of more than 2,000 troops supported by Aviation Task Force 1 with three AH-64D Apache AH1s (one additional aircraft did not reach Petrovec and was left in Italy, due to technical malfunction) and a pair of Royal Air Force (RAF) Chinook HC.5s. British Pathfinders also took part in SR22. The Pathfinders took off from RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, in an RAF Boeing C-17A Globemaster III, before parachuting from 18,000ft, using high altitude, low opening (HALO) techniques to drop into Krivolak on May 10. Once on Macedonian soil, the Pathfinders’ role was to scout out enemy positions and mark drop zones for

www.Key.Aero // September 2022

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EXERCISE REPORT // SWIFT RESPONSE 22

Above: A Hellenic Air Force Lockheed Martin Block 30 F-16C Fighting Falcon jet flies over Stenkovec airfield. The jet belongs to the Nea Aghialos-based 330 squadron

Right: Six USAF A-10Cs were deployed to Ohrid airport from May 7-14

Right: The North Macedonia Air Force’s Mi-8MT transporter remains the key airborne asset of the Macedonian military. This example (308) is one of four Mi-8MTs Ukraine donated to the nation in 2001

Right: The US Army’s 1st Cavalry Division supported Krivolak reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition and battle-damage assessment activities with ramp-launched AAI (Textron) RQ-7B V2 Shadow unmanned aerial vehicles

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the main body of British, French and Italian paratroopers jumping a few days later. The RAF’s C-130J Hercules aircraft also conducted several low-level parachutes drops of the paratroopers. RAF Typhoon FGR4s flew training support missions from Romania, where they are currently performing Combat Air Patrol (CAP) missions on behalf of NATO. As the main force in the North Macedonian exercise, the British Army’s Global Response Force used one of its largest deployments since the Cold War to exercise sling load operation to transport a lightly armored, highly mobile fire support and force protection Land Rover, modified with RWMIK (Revised Weapons Mounted Installation Kit) and a pallet of barbed wire or other military equipment and weapons. It also conducted a Combined Arms Live Fire Exercise (CALFEX), involving 2 Para’s mortars, the L118 105mm light guns of the 9 Parachute Battery, 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, the Apaches’ Bushmaster M239 30mm cannons, and the Chinooks’ 7.62mm Miniguns firing in support. The combined exercise also featured helicopter landings, crossing the River Vardar, and exercising Close Air Support (CAS) of ground units. US Army soldiers also exercised diagnostics on a downed aircraft and preparing the Blackhawk helicopter for sling load operations while the British Royal Artillery exercised protecting a zone with a High Velocity Missile (HVM) weapon system, which

September 2022 // www.Key.Aero

uses the Starstreak short-range surfaceto-air missile.

The US contingents An important role was also played by US deployed aircraft, such as US Army Boeing CH-47F Chinook; a medicalevacuation-configured Sikorsky HH-60M Black Hawk; and the multi-mission Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters, all stationed at Petrovec. There was also the ramp-launched AAI (Textron) RQ-7B

V2 Shadow UAVs of the Fort Hood/Texasbased 7th Air Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron ‘Palehorse’, and six USAF A-10C Warthogs from Maryland Air National Guard’s (MDANG) 175th Wing, stationed at Warfield Air National Guard Base. The A-10s trained with Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTACs) from Italy and the UK, they also supported the JFE by allied paratroopers. “The team-building across multiple military branches and NATO partners was unparalleled to anything prior,” said USAF Maj Chris Hoffman, an A-10C pilot assigned to MDANG’s 104th Fighter Squadron. “While operating in North Macedonia posed unique challenges, they were quickly overcome by world-class host nation support, and the unique capabilities of the A-10 were brought to the fight with 100% success,” Maj Hoffman added. The USAF A-10C deployment to Ohrid, which lasted until May 14, was the first time foreign fixed-wing combat jets had operated from North Macedonian soil. The host nation was modestly represented by its Mi-8MT helicopters. Unlike Poland, which used its nonmodernized Soviet-era Mi-24W attack helicopters during SR22 activities, North Macedonia’s Elbit-upgraded pair of operational Mi-24Vs (209 and 210) were not used in the exercise and, together with other ARNM weapons and military equipment of Soviet/Russian-origin, remained in the shadows, waiting for their inevitable withdrawal from use.

DISPATCHES FROM THE FRONT LINE OF AEROSPACE TECHNOLOGY BY DAVID AXE

The Boeing KC-46A Pegasus is the most recent addition to the US DoD’s aerial refueling fleet. DARPA’s question to government is whether a laser could be strapped to the latest tanker as well as the KC-135 Stratotanker Boeing

LASER TANKER T

he US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) has asked industry to propose methods of recharging drones in mid-air using a laser strapped to a USAF tanker. The idea, according to DARPA’s June 13 request for information (RFI), is to deploy existing aircraft – including the USAF’s hundreds of classic Boeing KC-135s as well as the service’s growing fleet of new Boeing KC-46s – to “support operations by furthering the range and capabilities of new and emerging unmanned aerial systems (UAS) that possess the ability to receive directed laser energy”. Since the late 1940s, the US Defense Department (DoD) has used one type of aircraft to extend the range of another. Right now, that means tankers – either large, dedicated types such as the KC-135 or fighters or transports packing “buddy” refueling pods – passing liquid fuel via a hose or boom. But liquid fuel is heavy and for that reason some of the latest drone types have discarded fuel in favor of batteries, which can be lighter overall, depending on their power-density. To extend the flight times of future battery-powered drones, tankers need some way of passing along electricity rather than gas. Enter lasers, which are just highly energetic beams of light. A tanker could generate a laser and shoot it at a drone, which then would convert the laser into power and store it in batteries. “These UAS could be designed to receive directed energy to reduce the weight of their organic energy storage,” DARPA explained in its RFI. “This energy transferability may extend range and operations, with a similar impact that air-toair refueling has had on manned DoD operations.” Laser power transmission is not as far-fetched as it might sound; NASA began testing it for

satellites as far back as 1972. Space is a more hospitable environment for lasers owing to the lack of atmosphere and thus interference, so it should come as no surprise that directed-energy power-transmission found orbital applications long before coming down to Earth. Decades later, laser technology had improved to the point where a beam of light could transmit enough power to be militarily useful. At the same time, batteries and drones had improved, too, with the former boasting more storage and the latter being lighter. By 2012, the defense industry and the military were beginning to combine all three: energetic lasers to recharge energy-dense batteries powering lightweight electric drones. That year, Lockheed Martin and laser start-up LaserMotive fired a gallium arsenide-based laser at a Lockheed Stalker drone hovering in a wind tunnel in Seattle. The laser kept the Stalker charged and flying for 48 hours – 46 hours longer than the drone’s usual endurance. While impressive, the experiment worked because it was controlled. The drone was just a few yards from the laser source. To work in combat, laser power transmission must be much more robust than that. “While wireless energy transfer technology has begun adoption in small applications in the commercial space, the capability within the wide range of military applications has only been

To extend the flight times of future batterypowered drones, tankers need some way of passing along electricity rather than gas.

marginally explored,” said the RFI. “Multiple technologies related to wireless energy transfer are being researched and developed to sustain the operations of unmanned aerial systems.” The agency wants industry to start thinking ahead to the day, presumably not far off, when the underlying technology is ready for frontline use. The deadline given by DARPA was early July, when it was expecting to see industry’s ideas for a laser pod that is compatible with KC-135 and KC-46 tankers and can generate 100kW of continuous power. The pod should be capable of “covering a nearly hemispherical field of regard”, DARPA explained. That is, it should be capable of beaming energy in all directions. The RFI does not specify how far the laser should reach, but it does urge industry to propose a system that can “efficiently provide beam-forming and steering of the laser energy to remote locations”. In addition, the pod should be able to “move energy across a network of aircraft”. In other words, airborne laser-based power-transmission would not look like traditional aerial refueling, even if the main platform is a 60-year-old KC-135. Rather than rendezvousing with a single receiving aircraft, the tanker would beam power across a wide area at long range, simultaneously powering up multiple drones that might not even be visible to the tanker crew. Expect the first receivers to be small, lightweight UAS no bigger than the USAF’s 14ft, 1,600lb Gremlin, which the service is developing for surveillance, strike and electronic warfare missions. The highly autonomous, subsonic Gremlins deploy in swarms of several vehicles. On its own, a Gremlin or similar UAS might fly for just a couple hours on internal fuel. Swap liquid fuel for batteries and support the drone with a laserequipped tanker, and that endurance could be measured in days rather than hours.

www.Key.Aero // September 2022

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