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Finally the North American Air Show season is about to kick into a high gear as the Spring finally comes
around.Whiletherearelessshowsin2015thanprioryears,therearesomepositivedevelopmentswhich
includethereinstatementoftheF16ViperDemoTeambytheUSAFAirCombatCommand(ACC)inaddi
tiontotheF22DemoTeam.
For2015therewillbeonlyoneF16TeamoperatingfromShawAFB,SC.TheACCalsomanagestheU.S.
AirForceHeritageFlightprogramandcoordinatesstaticdisplayandflyoversupportofACCaircrafttoair
showsandothereventsintheU.S.andabroad.TheUSMarineCorpsalsoannouncedthattherewillbean
AV8B Harrier and the MV22 Osprey Flight Demonstration Teams. A complete North American Military
Teamschedulein.pdfformatthatalsoincludestheBlueAngels,Thunderbirds,CF18andSnowbirdsTeam
datesisavailablefromoursiteat:http://www.theaviationmagazine.com/2015TeamSchedules.pdf
The Aviation Magazine is looking forward to cover many of these events throughout the
coming season. We need your support by spreading the name of our excellent publications to all your
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NormanA.Graf
WOW! TheWingsOverHoustonAirshow,oftenreferredtoasWOH,maywanttoconsiderchangingitsab
breviation after this years show wowed a record crowd. The 30th annual show took place over the first
weekendinNovemberatEllingtonFieldinHouston,Texas.TheshowispresentedbytheCommemorativeAir
Force,theworldslargestflyingmuseum,andis,therefore,dominatedbywarbirds.
Thehighlightthisyearwastheamazingcollectionofvintagejetsintheair,featuringfightersfromWorldWar
IIthroughtheVietnamWarera.Tora!Tora!Tora!onceagainputontheirrecreationoftheJapaneseattackon
PearlHarborandnewthisyearwasaspecialVietnamWartributefeaturingareenactmentofanaerialen
gagementandairassault.AnumberofpremierecivilianaerobaticperformersandtheShockwavejettruck
complementedthearmedforcesdemonstrationsbytheUSCGMH65D,USMCMV22andtheNavysBlue
Angels.Combineallthiswithterrificweatherandyouhadapictureperfectairshow.
Asoftenhappenswithairshows,theflyingscheduleissubjecttochange.WingsOverHoustonthisyearwas
noexceptiontothatrule.Someoftheaircraftwhichwereexpectedeitherfailedtomaterial
izeordidnotflybothdays.Seriousairshowenthusiastsknowwellenoughtoschedule
NorthAmericanF100SuperSabre
attendanceforbothdays,andsomeevenincludearrival,rehearsalanddeparturedaysintotheircalendars
toensurethattheyseetheaircrafttheyreallywantedtosee.Becauseofdifferencesintheflyingschedule
overthecourseoftheweekend,ourreviewisacompositeofbothSaturdaysandSundaysflying.
Thegatesopenedpromptlyat0800.Manyattendeeshadalreadybeenliningupintheearlymorningdark
ness,eagertoclaimaspotalongthefenceorviewthestaticaircraftwithoutcrowdsofpeople.Thisyear,
evenmoresothaninyearspast,thisstrategypaidoff.Therecordcrowdscausedbackupsandsomedelays
forthosearrivinglaterintheday.Similardelayswereexperiencedattheendoftheday,particularlyonSat
urdaywhenacarfireclosedoneofthetwoexitsandslowedtheexodusofvehiclestoacrawl.Again,ex
periencedshowgoerswillstickaroundattheendofthedaysflyingtotourtheaircraftonstaticdisplay,get
autographsorjustspeakwiththeBlueAngelsorotherperformersandotherwiseoccupytheirtimeuntilthe
surgeintheparkinglothaspassed.
TheRE/MAXParachutejumpersflewintheflagtostarttheshowat10AMandreturnedlaterinthedayfor
anotherperformance.JeremyHoltstartedofftheaerobaticdemonstrations,flyingaveryniceroutineinthe
SteenSkyboltbiplane.
Tora!Tora!Tora!(Val,KateandZeroreplicas)
Hewasfollowedbyasearchandrescuedemon
strationbyCoastiesfromthelocalCoastGuard
Air Station Houston. They deployed a rescuer
fromtheirhoveringMH65DDolphinhelicopter,
thencircledaround,zeroedinonhissmokeand
lowered a cable to winch him back on board.
Thedemonstrationtakingplaceundergorgeous
blue skies with calm winds may not have
seemed that impressive, but when one consid
ersthattheCoastGuardwilldeployduringhur
ricanes to rescue boaters in distress their com
mitment to duty is worthy of respect. Semper
Paratus.LocallegendDebbyRihnHarvey,oneof
thehighestrankedaerobaticcompetitorsinthe
UnitedStates,thenshowedthecrowdtheskills
that earned her the U.S. National Aerobatic
Champion title in 2006, 2008 & 2009. She flew
herCAP232knownasHurricane2througha
routine that had many in the crowd gasping in
amazement. The Marines of VMM268 Red
Dragons from MCAS Miramar then combined
the best of both the airplane and helicopter
worldsbydemonstratingthecapabilitiesofthe
MV22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft. Matt Chapman
inthebeautifulEmbryRiddleEagle580finished
outthemorningsaerobaticflyinginstyle.
Justbeforenoonthesoundsofairraidwarning
sirensfilledtheairasawaveofairplanesflewin
from behind the crowd. Sharpeyed observers
couldseethebrightredhinomarusonthefuse
lagesandwingsastheaircraftsuddenlydovein
at steep angles and began their attack on the
airfield.Tora!Tora!Tora!Thesurprisewascom
plete,justasitwasonthemorningofDecember
7,1941inHawaii.Divebombers,torpedobomb
ers and fighter escorts made numerous passes
BoeingB17GFlyingFortressTexasRaiderswiththeP51
BoeingB17GFlyingFortresswiththeMe262BMe262B
CurtissSB2CHelldiver
P51CMustangTuskegeeAirmenLockheedPV2HarpoonAttuWarriorFG1DCorsair
P51DMustangBumSteerwithaMe262B
B25JMitchellBettysDreamDouglasA26Invader
BellAH1Cobra
M113ArmoredPersonnelCarriers
BellU
H
1Iroq
uois
heCo
brain
SeanD.TuckerendedhisairshowseasonatHoustonand
actio
n
hepulledoutallthestops,puttingonahighenergyjawdroppingdem
onstration of why he is considered one of the alltime best aerobatic performers.
DavidMartinlaterconcludedthecivilianaerobaticperformancesintheBreitlingCAP232,finish
ingbyracingtheShockwavejettruck.Itwasastellarlineup.
LastyearsshowfeaturedaveryniceassemblyofVietnamWareraaircraftonstaticdisplay.Thisyearthose
aircrafttooktotheskiestorecreatetheaerialjetdogfights,airtogroundattacksupportandtheairmobility
ofthegroundtroopsinthattheaterofoperations.Anarmoredinfantrycolumn,composedofjeeps,trucks
and M113 armored personnel carriers took off down the taxiway, simulating a resupply mission. Behind
them,reenactorsdressedasVietCongandNorthVietnameseArmyregularssetuptoambushthecolumnon
theirreturn.AcirclingCessnaO2ASkymasterspottedtheenemycombatantsandcalledincloseairsupport.
AnA1SkyraiderandT28TrojanquicklyappearedonthesceneandtheOscarDeucedirectedthemtoper
formanumberofstrafingruns. TheysoonattractedtheattentionofaMiG17whichthreatenedtoshoot
them down. The aerial engagement escalated with the appearance of an F100 Super Sabre in South East
Asianmarkings.This,inturn,causedaMiG21Fishbedtobescrambled.Thecallwentouttocarrierbased
Navyaircraft.TheiconicF4PhantomIIwasunfortunatelygroundedbydelaysingettingitsenginesrepaired.
Initsplace,aNavyA4Skyhawkjoinedthefight,dogfightingwiththeFishbed.Asthisaerialengagementwas
playingouthighoverhead,thesignaturewhop,whop,whopoftheBellUH1Iroquoiscouldbeheardanda
pairofHueyslickssoonappeared,swoopinginlowtodisgorgeaplatoonofaircavalry.AllthewhileanAH1
Cobracircledlowoverheard,coveringthetroopswithitsnosemounted20mmcannon.Itwasaveryrealistic
demonstrationoftheclassicairassaultwhichwassocharacteristicofUSArmytacticsduringthatconflict.
MikoyanGurevichMiG21Fishbed
a
Skym
naO
Cess
ster
DouglasA4Skyhawk
RobReiderandAirBossRalphRoyce
Havingdefeatedtheenemyaircraft,theNavySky
hawk and Air Force Super Sabre returned for sev
eral simulated ground attack runs, dropping na
palmontheretreatingenemy.Attheconclusionof
the reenactment, both aircraft flew by in review,
their beautifully banked banana passes delighting
themanyphotographersintheaudience.Thenar
rationbyAirBossRalphRoyce,himselfaVietnam
veteran, was spoton and added substantially to
therealismofthedemonstration.
ClosingtheshowwereFatAlbertandtheBlueAn
gels,flyingtheirpenultimateshowofthe2014sea
son.Theperfectweatherconditionsallowedthem
toputontheirfullhighshowandfromwheelsup
totouchdownthespectatorswerefocusedonthe
precision maneuvers. According to their Facebook
page Weather was so nice we decided to put on
our yellow flight suits. Afterwards, the pilots and
crewapproachedthecrowdlinetosignautographs
andanswerquestionsfromtheirmanyfans.
RalphRoyceandRobReiderteameduponceagain
asAirBossandAnnouncer,respectively.Together
they entertained and informed a record crowd of
almost 100,000. Photographers had the option of
purchasingaSunrisePhotoTourPassorPhotoPit
Pass to gain early access or elevated risers, tent
area, drinking water, and restrooms in a chalet
area. The viewing area is west of the 17/35 run
way, meaning that the afternoon sun is behind
you, making for perfect conditions for photogra
phers.Theonlycomplaintwasthelargeamountof
smokeduringthereenactments.Theaction,espe
cially taxiing, takes place quite close to the audi
ence;a300mmlensissufficienttocaptureallbut
thesmalleraerobaticplanesindetail.
MiG
17C130FatAlbertF/A18HornetsoftheBlueAngels
ReportandphotographybyCaptainHeikkiTolvanen
HelsinkiMalmiAirportafterfiveyearsofabsencehostedama
jorairshowonAugust1617,2014.Finland'slargestaviation
and entertainment event returned to HelsinkiMalmi Airport
heraldedastheFinlandInternationalAirShow,offeringenter
tainmentforthewholefamily.
Theevent'shighlightsincludedbreathtakingaerobaticdisplays
andplaneridesofferedtothepublic.Visitorshadauniqueop
portunity to take rides on a passenger plane, helicopters and
hot air balloons. HelsinkiMalmi Airport is one of the worlds
bestpreservedcivilairportsfromtheearlydaysofcommercial
aviation, giving a charming backdrop to take images of such
aircraftasthevenerableDC3.Thegrounddisplaypresenteda
wide variety of airplanes, helicopters and other avionics, as
wellassimulators.
Theweatherwasabitonthedampside(alternatingrainand
sunshine)whichgaveadramaticbackdroptotheaerialaction.
The performers included Phil Lawtons Hawker Hurricane, in
WWII Finnish Air Force Markings, the Flying Bulls XA42s, an
Embraer 500 Phenom, military NH90 helicopters, the air
forces Pilatus PC12 NG, Flybe Airlines ATR ATR72500, the
legendaryRoyalAircraftFactoryS.E.5,JurgisKairysterrificdis
play with his Sukhoi SU26, Aalto Universitys Short SC7 Sky
liner3A100,FougaCM170Magistertheonlyjetflyinganda
wholelotmore.
RoyalAircraftFactoryS.E.5
BengtAnderssonintheWaspPittsS2B
ArmyNH90transporthelicopter
FougaCM170Magisterabove,HawkerHurricane,inWWIIFinnishAirForceMarkingsbelow.
TheSpaceShuttleEnterprise(NASAOrbiterVehicleOV101)wasthefirstspaceshuttleitwas
built to perform test flights in the atmosphere aided by a modified Boeing 747. It was con
structedwithoutenginesoraheatshieldandthereforenotcapableofspaceflight.
The shuttle was being transported from the Bayonne Boat Yard to the Intrepid Museum in
ManhattanonJune6,2012.
SkyLeaseCargoMcDonnellDouglasMD11Fabove
TAMBoeing787300ERbelowatMIA/KMIA2014GustavoCorujo
CaymanAirwaysBoeing73736EatMIA/KMIA2014GustavoCorujo
AmeriJetInternationalCargoBoeing727233(A)(F),above
BahamasairDeHavillandCanadaDHC8311ADash8,belowatMIA/KMIA2014GustavoCorujo
WorldAtlanticAirlinesMcDonnellDouglasMD82,atMIA/KMIA2014GustavoCorujo
AviorAirlinesfromVenezuela,Boeing737401,above,DHL(ABXAir)Boeing767281(bottomleft)
DHLAeroExpresoBoeing757200(bottomright)atMIA/KMIA2014GustavoCorujo
LufthansaAirbusA380800atMIA/KMIA2014GustavoCorujo
LibyanWingsAirbusA319Sabove,atMLA/LMML2015ChristopherMifsud
RyanairBoeing737800below,atMLA/LMML2015RayBiagioPace
The Breguet Br.1050 Aliz ("Tradewind") was a French carrierbased reconnaissance and antisubmarine
warfareaircraft.Itwasdevelopedinthe1950s,basedlooselyonthesecondprototypeBreguetVulturattack
aircraftwhichhadbeenmodifiedintotheBreguetBr.965paulardantisubmarinewarfareaircraft.
In1947,theFrenchAirMinistryannouncedthattheywerelookingforanewtypeofaircraftformultimis
sions: antiship, attack, close air support, and against enemy submarines at that time, the Naval Aviation
used Grumman TBF Avenger for its antiship missions and anti submarine warfare. Severalmanufacturers
respondedtothecallamongthemBreguet.TheproposalbyBreguetincludedauniqueaircraftthathadan
innovativepropulsionsystemconsistingofaturbojetandturboprop.Theturbopropwassupposedtoallow
tohaveagoodandeconomicalcruisingpatrol,whilethesameturbopropcoupledtothejetenginewould
then boost the speed when it was necessary to escape an enemy fighter aircraft. On paper, the project
seemedinteresting.BreguetdecidedtomakeoneBr.960andbaptizedastheVultur.Twoprototypeswere
builtforevaluation.
TheBr.960Vulturwasalowwingmonoplanewithaconventionalstabilizerinhorizontalplanes
havingadihedralaccentuated.Thecockpithadatwoseattandemconfigurationforthepilot
and a weapons specialist. Armed with airtorurface missiles carried under the wing and under the fuse
lage.Theprototypewasnotintendedforthecarriageofaninternalarmament.Theaircraftwaspoweredby
an ArmstrongSiddeley Mamba turboprop and a Rolls & Royce turbojet Nene, both of British origin. The
Br.960firstflewonAugust3,1951.
Themixedpropulsionseemedtoshowsomedeficiencies,especiallywhenturningitonduringflightofthe
turbojet. This dual engine configuration also had issues with sea spray that might reach during certain
phasesofflightatlowaltitudeoverthesea.In1953,oneoftheBr.960wasusedforafewmonthsfortech
nicalevaluationbytheflighttestcenterunderthedesignationBr.963however,itwasshelved.Butthesec
ondprototypewasusedforanotherprogramthatwouldgivebirthtoaFrenchaircraftwithlongevity:the
BreguetAlizBr.1050.
RuthASWiki.wikimedia.org
TheBreguetBr.1050Alizwascreatedmakingsurethat
it can fulfill its antisubmarine warfare missions. The
cockpitwasmodifiedtocarryacrewoffour,withextra
seats behind the pilot and the navigator for the radar
operator(s). The pilot was seated in front on the left,
thenavigatorinfrontontheright,andtheradaropera
tor(s)behindthem.
The Aliz was powered by turboprop engine only,
a RollsRoyce Dart RDa.7 Mk 21 turboprop, yielding
1,975hp,asearchradarARAD2Amountedinaretract
able platform in the former jet engine bay instead and
sonobuoys were placed in fairings of the main retract
ablelandinggear.
Breguet1050AlizNo.01wasdisplayedatthe
1957ParisAirSalontothepublicforthefirsttime. ThefirstAlizmadeitsinitialflightinOctober1956.The
prototypeBreguet1050AlizNo.01wasdisplayedatthe
1957 Paris Air Salon to the public. The two pre
production planes made their maiden flights on June
21st1957(No.04)andAugust1st1958(No.05).ThefirstproductionaircraftwasdeliveredMarch20th1959,
andthelastoneinJune1961.Atotalof92examplesoftheAlizwerebuiltbetween1957and1962,includ
ingfivepreproductionprototypes.75productionaircraftwereacquiredbytheAronavale,withinitialser
vice delivery in March 1959. Initially, 100 aircraft were planned, but eventually the order was cut to 75
planesin1958(afirstbatchof50andasecondbatchof25).TwelveaircraftwereexportedtoIndia.Pro
ductionaircraftwerealsoequippedfittedwiththeThomsonCSFDRAA2Bretractableradar,insteadofthe
APS33,rightbehindtheweaponsbay.
AtypicalAlizmissionwouldlast4hours,theplanehadtocarrymin.of2000litresoffuel,thetypicalcon
sumptionratewas500litresperhour.Aftereachofthesemissions(duringwhichtheairframewaslimited
to3.5Gs)theplanerequired30hoursofmaintenance(includingmajoroperations).Tohelpfightsaltwater
corrosion,theplanewasthoroughlywashed,every3weeksatseaand6weekswhenlandbased.
TheAronavaleprovidedtheAlizwithaseriesofupgrades.
Thirtyairframes(No.10,12,13,16,17,18,19,25,26,28,29,31,32,33,36,37,39,40,41,42,43,44,48,49,
60,61,64,72,74,76)wereoverhauledin196465andreceivedthefollowingequipment:
Jezebelsonobuoysystem.
Mk.43torpedo.
AS12antishippingmissile.
InNovember1974,theFrenchNavydecideditwouldusetheAlizuntil1990,andavastupgradingprogram
waslaunchedattheCuersPierrefeuaviationworkshopsin1978,andendedin1983.The28airframesin
volved(No.11,12,22,24,25,28,31,34,36,41,42,47,48,49,50,51,52,53,55,56,59,60,64,65,73,76,
80,87),weredesignatedALM(ALizModernis/ModernizedAliz,Br.105Mstandard),andwerefittedthe
followingequipment:
ThomsonCSFDRAA10AIguaneradar,sameasusedontheAtlantiqueNGoceanpatrolaircraft.
ARAR12ARWR.
ARR52sonobuoysystem.
OmegaEquinoxenavigationsystem.
Anotherupgradeprogramintheearly1990sfitted27oftheseaircraftwithanewdecoysystem;amicro
computerbaseddataprocessingsystemthatcouldhavehardlybeenimaginedwhentheaircraftwasnew;a
datalinksystem;andothernewavionics.
Thelastmajorupgradetookplacein199697, againatCuersPierrefeu,andconcerned15planes(former
ALMs)whichwerenowcalledALH(ALizmisHauteur/UpgradedAliz).Theyreceivedanewautomatic
pilot, new heading system and ESM. Despite the upgrades even with the ThomsonCSF TTD Optronique
Chlio forwardlooking infrared (FLIR) imaging sensor, the Aliz was clearly not up to the task of hunting
modernnuclearsubmarines,theirtaskwasreducedtooceansurfacepatrol.
Aslateas1997,theAronavalewasstilloperating24examplesforsurfacepatrol,thoughtheywereclearly
ontheirwayoutbythen.TheAlizwasusedoperationallyduringtheNATOaircampaignagainstYugoslavia
overKosovointhespringof1999,withtheaircraftflyingoffthecarrierFoch.ThelastAlizsquadronwas
finally disbanded on 15 September 2000 at NAS NmesGarons, with the retirement of the aircraft carrier
Foch.ThesquadronwasreplacedbythreeE2CHawkeyeII.India,whichwastheonlyotheruserofthisna
valaircraftintheworld,decommissionedtheiraircraftinApril1991.
During the Alizs operation history the aircraft operated from the French
aircraftcarriers;Arromanches,ClmenceauandFoch,andwerealsousedin
shorebasedtraining.TheIndianNavyoperatedtheAlizfromshorebases
and from the light carrier Vikrant. The Aliz was used for reconnaissance
and ASW patrol during the IndoPakistani War of 1971, during which one
AlizwasshotdownbyaPakistanAirForceF104Starfighter.
TheAlizmainmissionsevolvedwiththepassingyearswere:
Antisubmarinewarfare
Maritimesituationcontrol
Surfacesurveillance
Airtogroundobservationandguidance
ElectronicIntelligence
Radiorelay
CSARairbornerelay
Searescue
Maritimepollutionprevention.
TheaircraftcarrierFoch(R99)during
exerciseDragonHammer'92,with 6Aliz
onboard. It was the second Clemenceau
classaircraftcarrieroftheFrenchNavy.In
operation from 1963 to 2000. The vessel
wassoldtoBrazilandrenamedSoPaulo.
US.Navyphoto
Alizwarminguponthe
deckofthecarrierFoch.
CourtesyofAssociationAlizMarine
Builtin1961,intheBreguetfactoryatBiarritzParmeitwasdelivered
totheFrenchNavyinJuly1962.Duringitscareeritwasusedinflotil
las4F,6Fand9Fandthesquadrons2S,3Sand10S.In1982theair
craftwasrefurbishedtoALMstandard(AlizModernised)andin1997
becamethefirstALH(Alizhighlevelstandard)deliveredtotheNavy.
On9March2000itmadeitslastflightinflotilla6Fandwasputinstor
age.InSeptember2000flotilla6FwasdissolvedandAlizofficiallyde
commissioned.ItwasstoredwithsixothersimilarAlizinashedfor
saletoapotentialSouthAmericancountry,afterupgradingbyThales.
In2003,thecontractfailedtobecompletedandthesevenaircraftun
fortunatelywereleftoutsidewheretheysufferedtheravagesoftime
andsouvenirhuntersforseveralyears.
InFebruary2010alongperiodofhardworktogettheplanebackto
lifebegan.Technicalandadministrativeproblemsresultedintheasso
ciationkeepingonlyNo.59thatwasofficiallydonatedbytheNavyin
late2011.Atthebeginningof2012theworkwasdoneandthestatic
testscouldbegin,alongwiththeworktogettheclearancefromthe
FrenchAviationAuthoritiestoflytheaircraft.Thefirsttaxitestswere
heldinAugust2012anditwasnotuntilearly2013thattheDGACal
lowed the aircraft to perform five test flights under the registration
FWZYI,thusobtainingCNRACcertification.
On May 18, 2013, more than 13 years after its retirement from the
Naval forces, Aliz No.59 was flown again in the French
airspace,foratotaloffivetestflights.Thistimeunder
thecivilianregistrationofFAZYI.
AlizN59in1972(escadrille2S)WorkstartedatNmesGaronsin2010
CourtesyofAssociationAlizMarine
FinallythefirstflightatNmesGaronsin2013
CourtesyofAssociationAlizMarine
CourtesyofAssociationAlizMarine
No.59receivingsometenderlovingcareabove.
TheAlizMarineTeammembersinfrontofNo.59.with
PhilippePerez(leftflightsuit)andJeanIvars(rightflightsuit).
Of course the association still has to have a budget in place to cover related expenses; the flight insurance,
hangarrent(NmesairportCamargue)andthereplacementofsomepartsthathaveexceededtheirexpirydate
suchashydraulichosesforexample.Theyareactivelylookingforsponsorswhocanhelpwiththeoperating
andmaintenancecostsof20,000annually.ThisamountwouldallowtheassociationtomaintainAlizNo.59
inflyingconditionandenabletheaircrafttoparticipateinmajorairshowsinFranceandEurope.
In2014theBr1050AlizALMNo.59,participatedinfourairshowandmorethanlikelywillbeattheParisIn
ternationalAirShowinJune,2015.
Contactinformation: ALIZEMARINE
240routedelaforet
40180SaugnacetCambran
France
Email:alizemarine@orange.fr
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Aliz%C3%A9Marine/374738642658150
BR1050AlizALHSPECIFICATIONS
LENGTH
13.86m[45ft5in]
Flotilla6Femblem
WINGSPAN
15.6m(7mfolded)[51ft2inor22ft11.5in]
HEIGHT
4.75m[16ft5in]
WINGAREA
36m[387.5sqft]
EMPTYWEIGHT
5,700kg[12,566lb]
MAX.TAKEOFFWEIGHT
8,200kg[18,078lb]
INTERNALFUEL
2100litres[462impgal]
(noinflightrefuellingcapability)
EXTERNALFUEL
490litres[108imp.gal]droptanksforatotalof2500litres[550imp.gal]
ENGINE
ROLLSROYCEDARTRDA7MK21TURBOPROP1975hp
PROPELLER
4blade3.4mdiameter[11ft2in]
MAXSPEEDATSEALEVEL
460km/h[248knots]
MAXSPEED
520km/h[280knots]
CRUISE(PATROL)SPEED
240370km/h[130200knots]
CLIMBRATE
421m/min[1,380ft/min]
SERVICECEILING
6,5250m[20,500ft]
ENDURANCEWITHRADOMEEX
TENDEDATNORMALPATROL 5h12min
SPEED
ENDURANCEWITHMAXFUEL 6h557h40
MAXRANGE
CREW
ARNAMENT
ELECTRONICEQUIPMENT
2,500km[1,349miles]
1pilot+1navigator,1or2radaroperators
1xMK46torpedoor3depthchargesinternalbay,6x127mmrockets,2
xAS12ASMairtosurfacemissiles,underwingpylons,14xsonobuoys.
ThomsonCSFDRAA10AIguaneradar,sameasusedontheAtlantiqueNG
oceanpatrolaircraft,ARAR12ARWR,ARR52sonobuoysystem,Omega
Equinoxenavigationsystem.
PerformingattheAERONAUTIQUENAVALElaBANdHyres,June15,2014
No.59istheonlyflyableAlizintheworld!
RuthASWiki.wikimedia.org
ThecockpitoftheNo.59whichistheonlyflyableAliz
in the world, right. Image courtesy of the Association
AlizMarine.
Thereareafewnonflyingsurvivorsleftandonpublic
display,inFranceapartfromtheoneinIndia,Mostof
these survivors are stored outside in aviation related
museums or private collections exposed to the ele
ments.Unfortunatelyafewofthemareinmanyways
nothingmorethanglorifiedjunkyards.
No.1,(?)and15areatthe
Muse de lAronau
tiqueNavaleRochefort(AssociationNationaledesAmisduMusedelAronau
tiqueNavaleANAMAN)preservingandshowcasingthenavalheritage.
No.4isattheMusedelAviationChteaudeSavignylesBeauneinBur
gundy, on a 12 hectare park of the castle. In the
privatecollectionsofMichelPontthereare70air
craft.
No.5isattheAssociationAilesAnciennesTou
louse Ailes Anciennes Toulouse, since January
2012.
No.10isattheMusedelAiretdelEspaceLe
Bourgetnotondisplaybutstoredinastoragefacilityofthemuseum.
No.47isattheEspaceexpositionsanimesE.A.L.CAssociationEspaceAro
LyonCorbas
Thereareover100historicandgroundbreakingaircraftonviewincludingtheF35JointStrikeFighterJet
(mockup)whichistheonlyoneondisplayinEurope.OtheraircraftincludetheBuccaneer,themightyVul
can, Avro Lancaster, Canberra, Southampton, Spitfire, Hurricane, Messerschmitt Bf 109, Bleriot X1, North
AmericanP51DMustang,MesserschmittMe262,EurofighterTyphoon,BoeingB17G,AugustaWestlandMer
lin,HawkerHunterFGA9,EnglishElectricLightning,Sunderlandandmuchmore.
UponenteringtheMuseumyouwillbeabletowatcha10minuteCenturyandtheTimelinegivingdifferent
viewsonthedevelopmentofflight.Thereisalsoa3DAviationcinema.TheMuseumhostsanumberofex
hibitionsanddisplaysnamely;theBoeingChinook,theAirTrafficControl,thePrincessMaryRAFNursingser
viceandtheFirstWorldWarintheAir.OurFinestHourisa13minuteaudiovisualpresentation
ontheBattleofBritainwhichshouldnotbemissed.
We highly recommend a
visit, and further details
about opening hours and
exhibits can be found on
their website: http://
www.rafmuseum.org.uk
BlriotXIaboveintheforeground,aEurofighterTyphooninthebackground.
HawkerHartIIaboveandtheNorthAmericanP51DMustangbelow.
HawkerTempestVaboveandbelowaretheGlosterMeteorF9/40,Britainsfirstjetfighterforegroundwiththe
GermanMe262A2ainthebackground.
We highly recommend a
visit, and further details
about opening hours and
exhibits can be found on
their website: http://
www.rafmuseum.org.uk
E very year the most influent personalities from all around the world, such as managers of industry and fi
nance,intellectuals,researchersandpoliticalleaders,meettogetherattheWorldEconomicForum(WEF)in
Davos,apopularmountainresortinGraubndenintheeasternregionofSwitzerland,todiscussthemainis
suesfacingtheworld,withaparticularinterestforthisyearabouttheglobalgeopoliticalsecurity.Andevery
year, during the summit, the Swiss Air Force (SAF) ensure the protection over Davos establishing a "nofly
zone"witharadiusof46kmandarangebetweengroundto19500feetonheight.
ThisyearWEFwasheldfromWednesday21toSunday25JanuaryandduringthesedaysSAFprovidedacon
tinuousaircoveragefrom8:00amuntil6:00pm,whileacoupleofF/A18swasmaintainedonQuickReaction
Alert(QRA)forthenighthours,readytotakeoffonfewminutesifrequested.Inadditiontoensuretheairpo
licing,theAirForcecarriedoutalsosurveillanceflightsandairtransportofpeopleandmaterialswithhelicop
ters, which were available to support the cantonal police if it needed quick transportation of police units in
caseofemergency.About4488militarypersonnelweredeployedtocooperatewiththecantonalcivilauthori
ties,providingassistancemainlyinthesettingupandmanagingofthesecurity'sinfrastructures,intheprotec
tionofthepeopleinvolvedintotheForum,inthecontroloftheaccesspointsandinthemanagementofthe
logistics.
TheairbaseinvolvedforCombatAirPatrol(CAP)operationsisdecidedwithanannualrotationbetweenthe
AirForce'sbasesandfor2015themainroleforWEFoperationwasthehomeofFlugplatzcommando13,the
MeiringenUnterbachAirBase,oneofthemostbeautifulmilitaryairportinEuropeduetoitslocationintoa
narrowvalleysurroundedbyhighmountains.
Both the squadron of Flugplatzcommando 13 provided air coverage: the Flieger Staffel 11, with its F/A18C/D
"Hornet"flewbyprofessionalpilots,andFliegerStaffel8,equippedwiththeF5E/F"TigerII"flewbybothprofes
sionalandreservistpilots.TheparticipationoftheF5swasuncertainuntilthelastdaysbecauseatthebeginningof
theyearacrackwasfoundduringtheroutinechecksonastructuralcomponentofasingleseater"Tiger".Allthesin
gleseaterfleetwasgroundedinordertocheckalltheairframes,butfortunatelysomefighterswerereadyjustin
timeforoperationaluse,whilethechecksontheremaining13jetswillbecompletedinthesecondquarterof2015.
Duetothisevent,someF5Efrom"PatrouilleSuisse"nationaldemoteamwereinvolvedintothepatrols,arareop
portunitytoseethefighterswiththespecialred/whiteliverycarrylivemissilesundertheirwings.
Themainroleindefendingthenoflyzonewascompletedbythefastjetswhichprovidedthecontroloftheupper
airspace,withF/A18sflyingontherestrictedareainparticular,whiletheF5scoveredtherestofSwitzerland.Pro
tectionofthelowerpartofthenoflyzoneand"slowmovers"interceptionwereguaranteedbyPC7trainersand
EC365helicopters.Thesurveillancewasintegratedalsowiththeantiaircraftartilleryandtheradarstationslocated
ontheground.AsthenoflyzoneareacoveredalittlepartofAustrianterritory,theCAPmissionsinvolvedalsothe
OsterreichischeLuftwaffewithitsEF2000TyphoonbasedinZeltwegthatworkedinclosecooperationwiththeSAF.
TheF5sflewonlydailymissions,armedwithtwoAIM9Psonthewingtipsandaventraltank.TheF/A18swerein
steademployedforbothnightanddayflightandatypicalmission,flownwithapairofaircrafts,lasted
betweenonehourandanhalfandonehourandthreequarters.ThestandardconfigurationofthecoupleofF/
A18s was composed by two AIM9Xs on the wingtips for both the jets, two AIM120C on the rails, one of
which (left station) was replaced in the second aircraft by the AN/ASQ228 pod, used for targets' tracking.
Both the fighters carried a ventraltank with the "STBY 121.50" words in red, which was theemergencyfre
quencyinuse.DuringatypicalmissionthetwoF/A18s,oncereachedtheoperationarea,separatethemselves
andbegintoflightstraightparallelandoppositeroutesso,flyingintheoppositedirection,theycancoverwith
theAPG73radarallairspaceassignedand,ifnecessary,theycanachievethetargetbyperformingatmosta
90turn.ThepilotsareassistedduringtheCAPwiththeinformation'sreceivedbythetroopsoperatingonthe
groundonradarstations,mobileradarsandSTINGERantimissilewarningsystem.Incaseofanunauthorized
airplanewouldpenetrateintothecontrolledairspace,theprocedurewastoapproachtheintrudertogetvis
ualcontactwithitandtoordertoswitchtheVHFradiofrequencyinto121.50,whereitwouldreceiveinstruc
tionstoflyitbackintoauthorizedareasoreventoforceittoland.Intheextremecase,theycanalsousethe
weaponstoshotdowntheintruder,butthefinaldecisionwasuptotheDepartmentofDefense'sChief.
Fortunately,thisyeartherewerenoviolationoftherestrictedairspaceoverDavoswererecordedandthanks
to the great efficiency of the military personnel and to the wellestablished safety procedures between the
ArmyandthelocalpoliceforcestheprotectiontotheWorldEconomicForumendedsuccessfullywithoutany
sortofproblemorincident.AsunderlinedbyColonelWalterSchlegel,commanderoftheGraubndencan
tonalpolice"ThecollectiveuseofpoliceforcesfromalloverSwitzerlandandtheArmyisagreatexampleof
theconcreteoperationoftheintegratednetworkforsafetyofSwitzerland".
Articleandphotographyby
SteveBiggand
NormanA.Graf
Forfortyyears,RedFlagexerciseshavetakenplaceatNellisAFBandin
theskiesabovetheNevadaTestandTrainingRange(NTTR).Since1975
theexercisehasgivenitsparticipantstheopportunitytogainexperience
inanenvironmentandwithscenariosthathavebeendevelopedtobeas
closeassafelypossibletothosetheyareexpectedtofightin.Whilethis
stillremainstheprimarygoalofRedFlag,thescopeoftheexercisehas
expanded significantly beyond the original Air Combat Manoeuvring
(ACM)andSurfacetoAirMissile(SAM)threattraining.NowRedFlagin
corporates nearly every aspect of the type of coalition operations that
participants expect their forces to be ready to face, including air to
ground strike attack, suppression of enemy air defences, ground troop
insertion, communications and GPS jamming, all levels of operational
command and control, night time operations and even space and elec
tronicwarfare.
RedFlag151wasathreeweekexercisewhichattractedaround120air
craft, with roughly 3000 personnel temporarily deployed to Nellis AFB.
USAF units from across the US and Europe were joined by Air National
GuardandAirForceReserveCommandunits,aswellassquadronsfrom
theUSNavyandMarineCorps.Coalitionforcesincludedairandground
assetsfromtheRoyalAirForceandtheRoyalAustralianAirForce.Over
thecourseofthethreeweekexercise,29missionswereundertaken,one
perdayduringtheafternoonandanotherundercoverofdarkness.More
thanfiftyfightersandupto10heavies(bombers,tankersandISRair
craft)wereinvolvedineachflight.Fromatargetingperspective,thetar
get sets are largely the same. The kind of threat picture which is pre
sentedtothewarfightersisnormallyabithigheratnightmostlybecause
alotofthejuniorflyers(BlueFours)willflythedaymissionssimplyto
becomemissionqualified.Themoreexperiencedfliersonthenightmis
sionsarepresentedwithtougherthreats.Itisalsoatnightthatmostof
the Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft are en
gaged.TheAWACS,EC130s,(E)P3CsandRC135sarerarelyseenflying
duringtheday.Itwasatreat,therefore,toseethetwoRAFSentinelR1s,
whichmadetheirRedFlagdebutthisyear,flydaymissions.TheSentinel
R1 is the RAFs only longrange wide area battlefield surveillance asset,
providingcriticalintelligenceandtargettrackinginformation.Theywere
joined by a number of Navy EA18G Growlers, to provide active elec
tronicattackcapabilitiessuchasjamming.
USAFphoto
AnF15EStrikeEaglefromthe4thFighterWing335thFS,SeymourJohnsonAFB,NC,
onthewaytoRedFlag,imagetakenfromanKC135Rofthe916AirRefuelingWing.
TheSpiritsofLouisianaandPennsylvaniaB2sfromthe393rdBomb
SquadronatWhitemanAirForceBase,Missouri.
Thisexpansionoftheexercisesscope
offersvaluableinsighttothepartici
pantswellbeyondtheirspecificduties.
"It'snotjustabouttheotherfighter
aircraftintheairandthebombers,it's
alsoaboutthenonkineticeffectsthat
youcangetthroughspace,through
cyber,throughallthesedifferentfac
etsthatwe'relearningareoutthere
thatwemightactuallybeabletouse,"
Allimagesonpage6667 SteveBigg
SteveBigg
Asthelevelofsophisticationofcombatsystemsincreases,Red
Flag organizers ensure the exercise incorporates elements to
challengeallaspectsofthesesystems.TheRaptorisaperfect
example. Technical Sergeant Guillermo Salcedo, an F22 air
craftmaintainersupportingthe94thFighterSquadron,pointed
outthattheexerciseisconstantlyimproving."Thebiggestdif
ference I've noticed from the maintenance perspective is the
additionofcyberthreats."DuringRedFlag151theirreliance
on network connectivity to support their aircraft was chal
lenged."TheRaptorforexampleisveryintegratedandalotof
oursystemshavetobeimportedoverforustobeabletosup
port flying and (at Red Flag) they have introduced specific
threats to simulate scenarios in which we won't have specific
things we typically have to work with." The result is that the
maintainers are forced to undertake and develop the kind of
problem solving skills that they will need on operational de
ployments. This level of training represents how far the exer
cisehasevolvedfromitsearlydaysofACMandSAMthreats.
AllimagesonthispageSteveBigg
B2SpiritofLouisiana,above.TherarelyseenRAFSenti
nelR1isamodifiedBombardierGlobalExpresstakingoff,
middle,andoneoftheRAFTyphoons,takingoffbelow.
BeyondthechallengesRedFlagpresentstotheindividualcapabilitiesofparticipants,theywilltellyouthata
majorbenefitofsuchlargeforcecoalitionbasedexercisesistheexperiencegainedandtherelationshipsbuilt
byworkingdirectlywithpartnerstheymayjoinonfutureoperations.WingCommander(WC)DarrenGoldie
oftheRoyalAustralianAirForce(RAAF),theCommandingOfficerof#37SquadronflyingC130JHerculesat
RedFlag151,commentedthat"theRAAFisaverytechnicallyadvancedairforcebutasmallairforcesogen
erallywe'regoingtoparticipateinmultinationaloperationsaspartofacoalitionsoRedFlagisaveryimpor
tantstepinusunderstandinghowtooperateasacoalition."Intimesofcrisis,whetheritbedisasterrelief,
humanitarianassistanceorcombatoperations,knowinghowtoworktogetherpriortobeingcalledtoactal
lowsforcestohitthegroundrunningandnotbeboggeddownfiguringouthowtoworktogether.WCGoldie
continuedthepointtosay"fromanAustralianperspectivetheintegrationwithacoalitionforceoftenhap
pensonoperationsforthefirsttimesoit'scriticalthatwe'repreparedtoparticipateinoperationsandmutu
allyspeakthesametacticallanguageandapplythesametactics,techniquesandproceduresasourcolleagues
and partners." A testament to the value the RAAF sees in such experience is provided by the fact that the
RAAFhasbeenaconsistentparticipantatRedFlagfor30ofits40years.
The Royal Air Force (RAF) believes in the benefits of attending as well. Flight Lieutenant Andrew North, an
AerospaceBattleManagerwith1AirControlCenter,fromRAFbaseScamptonsaid"thetrainingisextremely
valuablewiththeamountofintegrationwe'vehadwithourallies,andtheassetstheybringaswell,hasbeen
extreme,we'velearntalotthroughdoingthisexercisethatwecouldn'tnecessarilyhavedoneathome."He
pointedoutthatoneofthemajordifferencesbetweentheleveloftrainingunitscandoattheirownbases
withtheirownresourcesandparticipatinginanexerciselikeRedFlagistheopportunitytotrainwithavastly
morecompletesetofassetsthatfullyrepresentsthosethatwouldbeinvolvedintheconflictsparticipantsare
trainingtobereadyfor.HepointedoutthatatRedFlag"we'vegotthewholespectrumofintegrationhere
fromunmannedvehiclestospaceassets,toairtoairfightersandmanyotherelementsaswell."Theeight
Typhoonsoperatedprimarilyintheswingrole,performingseveralmissionssimultaneouslysuchasfiringmis
silesintheairtoairroleanddroppingbombsintheairtogroundrole.FlightLieutenantNorth:We'vebeen
doingthewholespectrumofwarfareastheRAFfightsit.We'vebeenpushingthrough,attackingtheenemy,
droppingthebombsandthenheadingbackout.TheTyphoonisdroppingPavewayIVsthatwebroughtfrom
theUK,bothliveandinert.Wevehadsomeairtoairfightsaswell,especiallyintegrationbetweenfourthand
fifthgenerationjets.Wehaventbeentankingjustyet,butwedliketodothatatsomepointaswell.
AllimagesonthispageSteveBigg
SteveBigg
F15CEagle57thWG65thAggressorSquadron
Althoughthemassdeparturesandreturnsoffighter,bomber,tankerandISRaircraftisthemostvisiblepart
ofanyRedFlagexercise,thefeedbackandinteractionduringthepostmissiondebriefsisacrucialpartofthe
learningprocess.ItisforthisreasonthatunitsdeploytoNellisforthedurationinsteadofsimplyflyinginand
meetingovertherangeforthemissions.Itwouldbeapointlessexerciseifwecouldn'tgetfeedbackfromthe
ground.They'regivingusfeedback,forinstance,thatmanoeuvredidordidn'twork,orwedontthinkthatis
worldsbestpractice,ormaybeyouneedtogoandtalktotheseguys[andfindout]howtheywoulddothat.
Sothat'sacriticalpart,thatclosedloopfeedbackonwhetherwhatwe'redoinginfactmakesanysense,ex
plained WC Goldie. Captain Christy Ashby, an electronic combat officer with the 963d Airborne Air Control
SquadronfromTinkerAFBreinforcedthissentiment.FormostofourcrewsthisistheirfirstRedFlag,also
theirfirstmajorexerciseofanysort.Itsabigintegrationpieceforthem.WherewerestationedinOklahoma
werenotcollocatedwithanyfighters;theresjustAWACSthere.Beingabletogodownthehallandputa
facetoanameandtalktothemfacetofaceandseeexactlywhattheyrebringingtothefight[isimportant].
Thebigpieceisbeingabletodebriefwiththemafterwardsandgetthoselessonslearnedsothatwecanim
provenexttime.ThatsthebigpieceforAWACShere.
ForpartofRedFlag151,NellisAFBwasevenbusierthanthetypicalhightrafficthatcomeswithaRedFlag
exercise. During the first week the exercise overlapped with another major exercise held regularly at Nellis
calledGreenFlag.TheairtogroundcomponentofRedFlagcontinuestogrowanddoesincludeelementsre
latedtogroundtroopsupportintheformofairbornetroopinsertion,butGreenFlagspecificallytargetspro
vidingcombattraininginairlandforceintegrationforthesupportoftroopsontheground.Amajorgoalof
GreenFlagistoprovidepilotsandthosetroopsonthegroundthatguidethemduringcloseairsupportmis
sions,thesamebenefitsprovidedbyRedFlag.Realisticcombatsimulations,integrationwithvariousair,space
andcyberassetsavailabletosupportgroundtroopoperationsalongwiththesamevaluablecoalitionintegra
tionexperienceonlyavailablethroughthistypeoflargeforceexerciseareallelementsofferedtoGreenFlag
participants.
TheAviationMagazinewouldliketothankthestaffofthe99thAirBaseWingPublicAffairsOffice,inparticu
larMSgtDavidMiller,foralloftheirsupportduringourvisit.
AllimagesonthispageSteveBigg
USAFphoto
AllimagesonthispageSteveBigg
EA18GoftheCarrierAirWing17,
ElectronicAttackSquadron132,
ScorpionsNASWhidbeyIsland,WA
AllimagesonthispageSteveBigg
C130JSuperHerculesoftheRAAFfrom37Squadron,
Richmond,Australia,aboveandbelowwiththenose
arttotheleft.
NormanA.Graf
SteveBigg
NormanA.Graf
F16Cs of the 57th Wing, 64th Aggressor Squadron, Nellis AFB, NV, top left and main
image,HH60G,23rdWing,66thRescueSquadron,NellisAFB,NV,lowerleft.
NormanA.Graf
SteveBigg
F16CMs,ofthe31stFighterWing,
555th Fighter Squadron, Aviano
AB, Italy, with F22As of the 1st
Fighter Wing, 94th Fighter Squad
ron, Langley AFB, VA, top left im
age.
F22stakingofffromNellisAFBto
jointheexercisesbottomleftand
rightimages.
F16CLobosofthe114thFighter
Wing, 175th Fighter Squadron,
SiouxFalls,SDANG,midright.
SteveBigg
NormanA.Graf
NormanA.Graf
NormanA.Graf
NormanA.Graf
F16CTheGreenMountainBoysothe158thFighterWing,134thFS,Burlington,VT,ANG,topleft.
KC13522ndAirRefuelingWing,931AFG,McConnellAFB,KA,middleleft.
RC135RivetJointfromthe55thWing,348thReconnaissanceSquadron,OffuttAFB,NE,bottomleft,RAFSentinel,
bottommiddle,andE8JointSTARSfromthe461stAirControlWing,12thAirborneCommandandControlSquad
ron,RobinsAFB,GAbottomright.
SteveBigg
SteveBigg
F15Cofthe48thFighterWing,493rdFighterSquadron,RAFLakenheath,
UnitedKingdomabove.F16CMoftheBuzzards31stFighterWing,555th
FighterSquadron,AvianoAB,Italy,below.
SteveBigg
NormanA.Graf
MiG23FloggerandMiG29Fulcrumdisplayedinside,aboveand
theMiG29scockpitontheright.
InsidethePettingZooakatheThreatTrainingFacility,NellisAFB,NV
NellisAFB,locatedoutsideofLasVegas,NV,ishometotheU.S.AirForceWarfareCenterwhosemissionitisto
ensurethatdeployedforcesarewelltrainedandwellequippedtoconductintegratedcombatoperationsagainst
all threats. Central to this mission are the Red Flag exercises in which Aggressor units employ tactics based on
thoseexpectedtobeusedbyforeignadversaries.Themostfamiliaroftheseunitsareperhapsthe64thandthe
former65thAggressorSquadronswhoseaircrewaretrainedtosimulateforeignfightertacticsandwhoseaircraft
areboldlymarkedinforeignpaintschemes.LesswellknownistheexistenceofotherAggressorunitswhosemis
sions,althoughnotasvisible,areequallyimportant.Behindthemallstandsthe547thIntelligenceSquadronwhich
istheCenterofExcellenceforadversarytacticsanalysisfortheUnitedStatesAirForce.Thesquadronanalyzes,
refinesanddisseminatesintelligenceonadversaryair,airdefense,electronicwarfare,cyberandspacetacticsand
weaponsemployment,condensingthisinformationintotheAirForceTactics,Techniques,andProceduresThreat
Guide:ThreatReferenceGuideandCountertactics.
However,the547thISdoesmorethanjustprepareanddelivertrainingdocuments.Anothermajorfocusistopro
videhandsontrainingwithrealequipment.Todoso,itoperatesandmaintainstheAirCombatCommandThreat
TrainingFacility(TTF).Establishedintheearly1970sduringthelastyearsoftheVietnamWar,thiscollectionwas
designedtoamassabroadvarietyofColdWarthreatsandtargets:aircraft;surfacetoairmissiles;earlywarning,
acquisitionandtargetingradars;antiaircraftartillery;groundvehicles;andsmallarms.Inadditiontobeingableto
testthecapabilitiesofthehardware,thefacilityhasprovidedhandsonaccesstogenerationsofmilitaryperson
nel,gainingittheaffectionatenicknameofthepettingzoo.
"NellisreallyistheAirForceshomeforadversarytactics.Havingforeignmilitarysystemsherewhereallthepilots
comethroughforthingsliketheweaponsschoolandtheRedFlagexercisesandareabletotakeadvantageofthe
incredibletrainingrangewehavehere,itjustmadesensetoputithereatthehomeoftactics."washowLieuten
antColonelGregBrown,oncetheCommandingOfficerofthe547thIntelligenceSquadron,answeredthequestion
ofwhytheThreatTrainingFacility(TTF)hasremainedatNellissinceitsinception."Thisfacilityisagreatexample
ofanopportunitytobringanybodyin,nosecurityclearancenecessary,andshowthemsomeofthethingswedo
intheairforceandsomeofthethreatswe'reupagainstfromhostilecountries."
SteveBigg
ThisassortmentofmostlyWarsawPactweapons,latersupplementedbycapturedIraqiequipmentfromtheGulf
Wars, was accumulated through a variety of channels and remained highly classified until 1993. Started as a
highlyclassifiedprogramtocollectthemilitaryequipmentofforeignadversariesforthepurposeoftrainingUSAF
warfightersandknowledgeoftheprogramandwhatwasgoingonbehindthewallsofthepettingzoowasata
needtoknowlevelformanyyears.Eventuallydeclassificationofthefacilitytookplacein1993.Today,although
itisnotopentothegeneralpublic,thosewithaccesstothebasecanvisitthefacilityandgetupcloseandper
sonal with both historic Cold Warera Soviet and currentRussian military hardware. In addition to the Warsaw
Pactequipment,anumberofAmericanandAlliedsystemsareincluded,sincetheseweaponswereeithersoldto
orobtainedbygovernmentsorentitieswhicharenowpotentialadversaries.
FighteraircraftincludetheMiG17Fresco,SukhoiSu7Fitter,MiG21Fishbed,displayedoutsidewiththeMiG23
Flogger and MiG29 Fulcrum displayed inside. There are actually two MiG29s, part of the 21 MiG29s the U.S.
governmentpurchasedfromtheformerSovietstateofMoldovain1997,adealthatkeptthejetsfrombeingsold
toIran.TheoneinsideisaMiG29SFulcrumCandhasbeenrepaintedinitsoriginalGuardscolorsasitwas
duringthefightersfirstpostingatMoscowsKubinkaAirBase.
TheMig23Floggerondisplayispossiblyoneoftheseveralwhichwereusedbythetopsecret4477thRedEagles,
whoflewMiG17s,MiG21sandMiG23s.The4477thTestandEvaluationSquadron(4477thTES)wasacompo
nentoftheTacticalAirCommand,basedoutoftheTonopahTestRange(akaGroomLakeorArea51)northwest
ofLasVegas.Theprogram,knownasConstantPeg,wasactivefrom1977through1988.Informationaboutthis
unitanditsactivitiesremainedclassifieduntil2006.
RussianhelicoptersarerepresentedbytheMi14HazeandMi24Hind.Groundthreatsincludeanumberofsur
facetoairmissiles,fromtheSA2Guideline,whichisbelievedtohavedownedtheU2reconnaissanceplanepi
loted by Francis Gary Powers over the Soviet Union in 1960, to the SA6 Gainful which downed Captain Scott
OGradysF16CFightingFalconoverBosniain1995.Thereisaprofusionofradarsystemsalsoondisplay.Many
oftheseacquisitionandtargetradarsaresimulatedintheNevadaTestandTrainingRange,providingUSandal
liedaviatorsexperienceinevadingthesethreats.
HeavyarmorrunsthegamutfromtheT34totheT80.Varioussmallarmsweapons(e.g.AK47,RPGs,etc.)are
housedindoors,alongwithadisplayoflargescalemodelsofSoviet/Russianaircraft.
Theoutdoorexhibitareachangesfromtimetotime,butgenerallyspeaking,themajorityoftheequipmentre
mainsthesame.Thesephotosprovideyouwithapeekinsidethepettingzoo.BelowareGoogleEarthimages
ofthefacilitywiththeMiG17FrescoandSu7Fitterinfrontofthebuilding.TheotherMiG29isdisplayedalong
withaMiG21onthenorthwestsideofKinleyPark,whereseveralUSAFjetsaredisplayed.
NormanA.Graf
Mi14HazeanavalvariantoftheMi8Hip,withalargeradardomeunderthenoseforantisubmarinewarfare,
alsonotetheboatlikefuselageandpontoonstoallowoperationfromwater,above.TheMi24DHindgunship
wascapturedduringthefirstGulfWar,andisstillretainstheIraqimarkings,below.
SteveBigg
NormanA.Graf
NormanA.Graf
lefttoright,theS200(NATOSA5reportingnameGammon)SAM,theP40or1S12(NATOLongTrack)alsoshown
below,the2S6Tunguska,(NATOSA19Grison)[mockup]whichcombines30mmguns,shortramgeSAMsanda
target acquisition and ranging radar, the 9K31 Strela1 (NATO SA9 Gaskin), and the P40 or 1S12 (NATO Long
Track)alsoshownbelow,andtheP151RL13(NATOFlatFaceA)mountedonaZil157truck.
NormanA.Graf
NormanA.Graf
The9K35Strela10(NATOreportingnameSA13Gopher)above,andthe2K12Kub(NATOSA6Gainful)mo
bilesurfacetoairmissilesystemisaSovietlowtomediumlevelairdefencesystemdesignedtoprotectground
forcesfromairattack.
NormanA.Graf
NormanA.Graf
SteveBigg
NormanA.Graf
DualS125Neva/Pechora(NATOreportingnameSA3Goa)
on ZIS151 transporter vehicle, above. The ZSU234 Shilka
Goa) 23mmSPAAA(Selfpropelledantiaircraftartillery)below.
SAM
optedinto
below.
SteveBigg
SteveBigg
SteveBigg
NormanA.Graf
MIM23AHawkMIM72AbatteryTheRapierfromtheUKRoland(FrancoGerma
PeterMoose
SteveBigg
NormanA.Graf
NormanA.Graf
NormanA.Graf
SteveBigg
n)T80andothertanksAvarietyofAAgunsSS21Scarabmockup
WithbeginnersDSLRyoudonothavetospendafortunetogetgoodqualityimages.Infactforlessthan$1000
Cdn,muchlessinUS$,onecangetadecentpackagethatcanbeusedforaviationphotography.Surethesebe
ginnerscamerashavetheirlimitations,forexamplesmallbuffersandlowerframerates,nevertheless,theyof
fersurprisinglygoodspecificationsbutwhattrulycountsisgoodimages.Eventodaysbeginnerscamerasoffer
muchbetterimagequalitythanmidpricedorevenprofessionalonesfromlessthanadecadeago,ofcourseit
alsodependsonthelensandtheskillofthephotographer.
TheRebelSL1/EOS100DisthesmallestCanonDSLR,butwith
a lot of full sized features: it has an 18.0 Megapixel CMOS
(APSC) sensor and speedy Canon DIGIC 5 Image Processor,
withasecondgenerationhybridAF,givingfast,smoothfocus
inginbothliveviewandmovieshooting. IthasaTouchScreen
3.0"ClearViewLCDmonitorII.TheEOSRebelSL1iscompati
blewithallCanonlensesintheEFlineup,includingcompact
andlightweightEFSlenses.Thecameracanbeboughtbody
onlyorwitha1855mmLensKitandproducesexcellentqual
ityimages,withlownoiseandgoodcolor.Thekitlensisnot
recommended for action oriented photography with aircarft
performingintheairfrombehindthesidelines,azoomlensis
required. The list price of the camera is $629.99 Cdn body
onlyandwiththekitlensisS779.99Cdn,fromCanonCanada,
muchlessintheUSA.
ForacompactzoomtheCanonEFS55250mmF45.6ISSTM
lens is a good choice, as long as you do not lift the camera/
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MattHall(AUS),PaulBonhomme(GBR),PeteMcLeod(CAN)AwardCeremony14.Feb2015
Britains Paul Bonhomme won the Red Bull Air Race World Championship season opener in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, February 14, with a hard-fought victory over Australia's Matt Hall on the high-speed, low-altitude race track.
ABUDHABIHittingtopspeedsof370km/hwhileflyingjustabovetheturquoisewatersoftheArabianGulf,
Bonhommemasteredthescorchingtemperaturesabove30degreesCelsiusandthechangingwindstotake
tophonorswithatimeof57.787secondsinthefirstofeightracesin2015oftheworld'sfastestmotorsport
series.
Hallwasaclosesecondonagloriousdayforracing,just0.084secondsbehindin57.871seconds,whilePete
McLeodofCanadatookthirdin58.843secondsintheFdrationAronautiqueInternationale(FAI)official
airracingworldchampionship.DefendingRedBullAirRaceWorldChampionNigelLambendedupadisap
pointingfifthafterbeingknockedoutbyBonhommeintheRoundof8.
"Itwasallinabusyday'swork,"saidBonhomme,whowoninAbuDhabiforthesecondconsecutiveyearand
fourthtimeoverall."OurwholeteamhasalotofexperienceandIthinkwe'reabletogetoutoftheblocks
fasterthantheotherteams."Hallmadethemostofhisrevolutionarynew"winglets"750mmhighcurved
tipsontheouteredgeofhiswingsandequaledacareerbestsecondplace."I'mhappytobeonthepo
diumbutit'skindoffrustratingtobesoclosetowinning.Itwasjusteightonehundredthsofasecond!That's
aboutthelengthofanairplanethatseparatedus."
AbuDhabi,withitsknowledgeableandenthusiasticmotorsportfans,hostedtheRedBullRaceWorldCham
pionshipseasonopenerforaneighthstraighttime.Therewere14pilotsfrom11nationsbattlingforchampi
onshippointsintheraceinwhichpilotsnavigatealowlevelslalomtrackmadeupof25meterhighairfilled
pylons at high speeds while enduring forces of up to 10G. Many of Abu Dhabi's highsociety spectators
watchedtheactioninstyleattheSkyLoungeandRaceClub,theofficialandexclusivehospitalityprograms.
ThenextracewillbeinChiba,JapanonMay16/17.
Results:1.PaulBonhomme(GBR),2.MattHall(AUS),3.PeteMcLeod(CAN),4.HannesArch(AUT),5.Nigel
Lamb (GBR), 6. Yoshihide Muroya (JPN), 7. Peter Besenyei (HUN), 8. Nicolas Ivanoff (FRA), 9. Matthias
Dolderer(GER),10.MartinSonka(CZE).11.FrancoisLeVot(FRA),12.MichaelGoulian(USA),13.JuanVe
larde(ESP),14.KirbyChambliss(USA)
WorldChampionshipStandings:1.Bonhomme(12points),2.Hall(9),3.McLeod(7),4.Arch(5),5.Lamb(4),
6.Muroya(3),7.Besenyei(2),8.Ivanoff(1),9.Dolderer,10.Sonka,11.LeVot,12.Goulian,13.Velarde,14.
Chambliss
PressreleaseandImagescourtesyofRedBullMediaPool
PeteMcLeodplaced3rdinAduDabi,above.
NormanA.Graf