US Navy

retires THE Prowler

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IN THE
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F-35b Latest
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EAGLES
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SEPTEMBER 2015 UK £4.40

‘Black knights’ tomcats AMARG THROUGH THE YEARS

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Produced by the Combat Aircraft team; the US

Navy and Marine Corps Air Power Yearbook is the
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Introduced by two senior officers, it is packed
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maintain the various types, plus a detailed unit
and aircraft air power review.
This 100 page publication is a must-have for any
US Navy or Marine Corps aviation fans.

UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS

IN 2015
Interview with Lt Gen Jon Davis
The Marine Corps may be the smallest of the US military
services, but its air component is admired around the world.
James Deboer talks with Lt Gen Jon Davis, the US Marine
Corps air chief.
KING STALLION
Jamie Hunter looks ahead to a milestone for 2015: the
maiden flight of the Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion, which is
set to revolutionize Marine battlefield heavy-lift.
ADVANCED HAWKEYE ON
MAIDEN CRUISE
The US Navy deployed its brand new E-2D Advanced
Hawkeye for the first time in 2015. Jamie Hunter and
Giovanni Colla outline how Carrier Air Wings are moving into
the latest generation of airborne early warning and control

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September 2015 • Vol 16 • No 9

34 Alexander Golz and Dietmar Fenners provide images

from exercise ‘Anatolian Eagle’

26 76
IN THE NEWS DEFENDERS OF THE STATES
The Massachusetts Air National Guard is a proud
THE TURKISH TRAINER
Cristian Schrik visits 2’nci Ana Jet
flyer of the F-15C Eagle. As well as deploying Üs Komutanlığı (2nd Main Jet Base
06 Headline News around the world, it is heavily committed to Command) at Izmir-Çiğli, home to 122
F-35B completes readiness checks defending the homeland. Jamie Hunter reports, Filo ‘Akrepler’ (122 Squadron ‘Scorpions’)
ahead of initial operating capability, with images by Jim Haseltine
Dassault delivers first Rafales
to Egypt

08 US News
New bomber decision delayed, EA-6B
Prowler retired by US Navy and all the
latest unit news

18 Europe News 80 LANCERS IN

A400M deliveries resume, Belgium TRANSYLVANIA
completes Middle East mission Daniele Faccioli, Alberto Celsan and
Giovanni Colla report on Romanian
22 World News LanceR operations at Câmpia Turzii
First Iraqi F-16s delivered to Balad, plus
all the latest military losses

40 UNIT REPORT: THE

QUIET PROFESSIONALS
The 352nd Special Operations Wing is US
Air Force Special Operations Command’s
European airborne hub. Jamie Hunter 70
flies with the units that support all kinds
of clandestine missions and short-notice FAREWELL
calls to action BRAVO SEAHAWK!
Over the past three decades
52 INSIDE AMARG the Sikorsky SH-60B Seahawk
Known by several different names has been a true anti-submarine
over the past half-century, the Tucson workhorse for the US Navy.
desert adjacent to the runway at Ted Carlson/Fotodynamics joins its
Davis-Monthan AFB has long been last US Navy operators —
recognized around the world as a place HSL-60 ‘Jaguars’
of fascination for aviation enthusiasts
and history buffs alike. Jake Melampy
explores this incredible boneyard

64 AIR POWER REVIEW:

UKRAINIAN AIR FORCE
AT WAR
Earlier this year the Ukrainian Air Force
opened its doors to a small group of
journalists and photographers from
across Europe for a briefing on the
current status of the air arm. Alexander
Golz and Stefan Fax were among the
SUBSCRIBE AND

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chosen few allowed exclusive access
PLUS
88 GLORY DAYS:
‘BLACK KNIGHTS’ RULE News Report on the F-35 ‘dogfight story’
In the first of a two-part feature, Tony and Robert F. Dorr’s Front Line column
Holmes details the work of veteran F-14 Subscribe to Combat
squadron VF-154 ‘Black Knights’ during Aircraft Monthly and
Operation ‘Iraqi Freedom’ in 2003 ON THE COVER:
make great savings on
A Turkish Air Force F-4E 2020 tucks
96 CUTTING EDGE away its undercarriage as it launches
cover price.
Combat Aircraft’s monthly column for a mission during the recent exercise See pages
reporting from the front line of ‘Anatolian Eagle’. Alexander Golz
38 and 39 for details.
aerospace technology, by David Axe

www.combataircraft.net September 2015 3

COMBAT EDGE
This photo: A Kawasaki P-1
goes through its paces at the
Royal International Air Tattoo.
Jamie Hunter

ON
PATROL
4 September 2015 www.combataircraft.net

CONTRIBUTOR PROFILE
TONY HOLMES
A
Western
Australian by
birth, Tony
Holmes was a
published
aviation
author by the
age of 20.
Moving to
England in 1988 to further his
career, he has run the aviation book
list for Osprey Publishing ever
since. Aside from being a regular
contributor to numerous aviation
journals across the globe, Tony has
also written more than 50 books and
edited a further 300 in the past two
decades. A veteran of 25 aircraft
carrier embarks across the globe, he
was presented with the Contributor
of the Year award for 2004-05 by the
US Navy’s Tailhook association —
he is the only non-American to have
received this prestigious prize.
www.combataircraft.net September 2015
FIND US ON
Back in the game
I
T ISN’T OFTEN that one sees an all-new
aircraft type for the first time. So, the
appearance of two Kawasaki P-1s at July’s
Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF
Fairford, UK, was extremely welcome.
The Japan Maritime Self-Defense
Force (JMSDF) rarely ventures abroad, but the
invitation to come to the UK comes at a time
when all eyes are on the potential for Britain to
acquire a new maritime patrol aircraft (MPA).
There have been regular recent reports of
NATO MPAs being called upon to help patrol
UK waters to react to potential submarine
incursions. With such high levels of attention
being placed on the current air policing and
quick reaction alert missions, it is easy to see
why there is renewed emphasis on the MPA
role around the UK’s shores.
The RAF retired its last Nimrod maritime
patrol aircraft in 2010, leaving a gaping
capability gap. Five years on, the participation
of the P-1s in both the static and flying displays
at Fairford was no coincidence. JMSDF VADM
Makoto Sato is quoted as saying, ‘we hope
we can show the P-1’s high manoeuvrability
and low-level capabilities to Europe and the
world’. He added: ‘The P-1 has been developed
especially for Japan’s national security
environment, with a magnetic anomaly detector
[for tracking submarines].’
The UK maintains Project ‘Seedcorn’, with
numerous personnel embedded in exchange
postings with allied MPA communities,
notably with the growing US Navy P-8
Poseidon fleet. It is easy to see how most
would view the Boeing platform as a natural
choice for the UK; however, a competition is
highly likely, and hopefully all contenders,
including the charismatic P-1, will be
judged on merit and potential for this very
important mission.
Jamie Hunter,
Editor
E-mail: jamie.hunter@keypublishing.com
5
 NEWS Headlines
F-35B hits milestones
Latest testing ahead of operational declaration
M
ARINE FIGHTER
ATTACK Squadron
(VMFA) 121 ‘Green
Knights’ passed
an operational
readiness inspection
(ORI) during the week of July 13-17
as the final hurdle for the eagerly-
awaited declaration of initial operating
capability (IOC) for the F-35B Lightning
II. Conducted by personnel from
Headquarters US Marine Corps, Marine
Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron
(MAWTS) 1, and Marine Fighter Attack
Training Squadron (VMFAT) 501, the
ORI assed all phases of the squadron’s
operations, maintenance and training.
It followed the last few ‘box-ticking’
exercises conducted by the Marine
Corps, which included the first F-35B
operational ordnance deliveries from
June 22-26. During the missions,
pilots flying six F-35Bs employed both
6 September 2015 www.combataircraft.net
This photo: Test squadron VX-23 conducted the
first weapons separation test of the Paveway
IV precision-guided bomb from an F-35B over
the Atlantic Test Ranges on June 12. The test
flight was conducted by RAF Sqn Ldr Andy
Edgell, who dropped two inert Paveway IVs
from test aircraft BF-03. Lockheed Martin
Below left to right: The F-35 Integrated Test
Force and VX-23 conducted the first ski-jump
take-off of an F-35B on June 19. The test, flown
by BAE Systems test pilot Peter Wilson, was
flight 298 for test aircraft BF-04.
Lockheed Martin/Andy Wolfe
F-35B BuNo 168730 completes a check flight
at Hill AFB, Utah, on June 18, following final
IOC modifications at the Ogden Air Logistics
Complex. USAF/Alex Lloyd
inert and high-explosive munitions in
Restricted Area 2507 in south-eastern
California. In total, 18 500lb (227kg)
GBU-12s and 12 1,000lb (454kg) GBU-32s
were dropped.
The Marine Corps Deputy Commandant
for Aviation, Lt Gen Jon Davis, has
confirmed that VMFA-121 will re-locate
to MCAS Iwakuni, Japan, in January
2017. The ‘Green Knights’ will operate 16
F-35Bs including six that will make the
first deployment in support of a Marine
Expeditionary Unit (MEU).
Speaking in the week of the ORI, Lt Gen
Davis noted that his main concern over the
F-35B relates to the availability of spares.
‘Do we have the depth in supply to support
a combat deployment?’, he queried. He also
noted that his threshold for recommending
an IOC declaration is: ‘Could we take this
squadron and go over to the Middle East
tomorrow after Gen Dunford declares IOC
— yes or no?’
 Dassault Aviation
Having 10 aircraft in IOC configuration is
the key requirement for VMFA-121; this is
essentially Block 2B software configuration,
Group 1 standard.
In another recent milestone for the F-35B,
BAE Systems test pilot Pete ‘Wizzer’ Wilson
completed a first ski-jump launch in the
Lightning II. It took place at NAS Patuxent
River, Maryland, on June 19, using a land-
based ski-jump replicating that used on the
UK’s new Queen Elizabeth-class carriers.
The launch by aircraft BF-04 began a two-
week initial test phase for the F-35B on the
ski jump. Phase II trials are due during the
third quarter of the year.
Meanwhile, ‘sister’ aircraft BF-03
has completed the first release of a UK
Paveway IV bomb from an F-35 with the
Patuxent River Integrated Test Force (ITF).
On June 12, Royal Air Force test pilot
Sqn Ldr Andy Edgell released two inert
500lb dual-mode Paveway IVs from BF-03
over the Atlantic Test Ranges. This first
weapons separation test of the Paveway
IV conducted by the Lightning II ITF saw
the inert bombs separate safely from the

Egyptian Rafales
internal weapons bay. The test work was
conducted by the Pax River ITF joint
team, which is assigned to Air Test and
Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23 at Pax. The
weapon launch was part of the multi-

phase testing of the F-35 Block 3F, which
includes the UK-unique Paveway IV.
However, the F-35B was dealt a blow
by Australia’s recent decision not to
procure the short take-off and vertical
landing version of the jet. Australian
Prime Minister Tony Abbott had
considered acquiring up to 12 F-35Bs as
a complement to the Royal Australian
Air Force’s 72-strong F-35A fleet, together
with appropriate modifications to the
two Canberra-class assault ships. The
decision was made during preparation of
a forthcoming defense white paper, after
studies showed that re-working the two
ships for fixed-wing operations would be
too costly and technically prohibitive.
are delivered
First export deliveries for French fighter
Almost 41 years after the first French-
made fighters entered Egyptian Air Force
service, the air arm has received its first
three Dassault Rafale DMs as part of a
contract for 16 two-seat Rafale DMs and
eight single-seat Rafale EMs signed
between Egypt and France in February.
In 2014, Egypt decided to search for a
capable multi-role fighter to replace its
troublesome and expensive fleet of Mirage
2000s and aging Mirage 5s. It first requested
that France sell the Rafale in 2014.
In January 2015, a French delegation
arrived in Cairo to start negotiations with
the Egyptian government. After these
initial talks, another delegation of Egyptian
government representatives and armed
forces commanders visited Paris to resume
negotiations regarding procurement of
military equipment, later reported as 24
Rafales and a FREMM multi-purpose
frigate with a total value of $5.3 billion.
Later, in February, Saudi Arabia financed
15 per cent of the total cost of the arms
deal. Fifty per cent of the remaining cost
was scheduled to be covered by a loan
guarantee by the French government. The
contract for procurement of 24 Rafales and
a FREMM frigate was duly signed.
Delivery of the frigate and first batch of
three Rafales was scheduled for August
2015.
In May 2015 a group of ex-Mirage 2000
technicians and pilots were sent to the
Armée de l’Air’s BA113 Saint-Dizier and
BA118 Mont-de-Marsan for training with
ETR 2/92 ‘Aquitaine’ and EC 2/30
‘Normandie-Niemen’ respectively. The
pilot training course at the Rafale Training
Center (CFR) at BA118 lasted one month,
while the technicians’ maintenance course
consists of up to three months with
Technical Support Aviation Squadron
(ESTA) 2E/118 ‘Chalosse’. The pilots were
subsequently sent to BA113 for a
complementary flight and gunnery
training course during June.
The first three Rafale DMs for the EAF
performed their final test flights at
Bordeaux-Mérignac before being ferried to
Egypt, where they arrived on July 21. They
had all received EAF markings and serial
numbers: 9251 (c/n DM-01/B352), 9252
(c/n DM-02/B353) and 9253 (c/n DM-03/
B354).
Dassault has now completed a vital
phase in delivering its first Rafales to an
international customer, marking a
milestone after 20 years of export sales
effort. Babak Taghvaee
ALSO THIS MONTH...
US Air Force delays LRS-B decision
Competition announcement now set for
September. See US News
Iraqi ‘Vipers’ delivered
First aircraft arrive at Balad. See World News

www.combataircraft.net September 2015 7

 NEWS United States

Northrop Grumman
LRS-B decision delayed
US Air Force bomber unveiling moves back

T
HE EAGERLY ANTICIPATED
$55-billion contract award for
the development of the US
Air Force’s new Long-Range
Strike — Bomber (LRS-B),
which was originally
expected last spring, could be delayed
until September, according to Secretary
of the Air Force Deborah Lee James. The
USAF plans to field 80-100 new bombers
beginning in 2020 and is compressing an
already aggressive time schedule. Northrop
Grumman is up against a team comprised
of Boeing and Lockheed Martin, and the
USAF is understood to be taking its time
over the decision in order to avoid the
possibility of a protest from the losing
bidder.
The Air Force has released very little
information regarding the new bomber
but has said it will have stealth features,
will carry both nuclear and conventional
weapons, and could eventually be
optionally manned. Much of the funding
associated with the bomber’s development
has been contained in classified budgets,
and many speculate that the compressed
schedule towards service points to a
project already well into development.
It is considered highly likely that both
competing parties have already flown
demonstrator aircraft as they fight to win
the lucrative contract.

UH-1Y tests Intrepid Tiger II New sensors

Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (HX) 21 completed the first test flight with ‘a
developmental electronic warfare pod’ installed on a UH-1Y helicopter at NAS Patuxent
planned for
Global Hawk
River, Maryland on June 8, 2015. Imagery shows what appears to be an Intrepid Tiger II pod,
which is a planned capability development for the UH-1Y and the AH-1Z. Intrepid Tiger II
(IT II) is already carried by the AV-8B and provides a precision EW communications jamming
capability. US Navy
Northrop Grumman and the USAF are
nearing an agreement regarding the terms
of a co-operative research and development
agreement, under which the contractor
would modify two Global Hawks to
carry the United Technologies Aerospace
Systems’ Optical Bar Camera (OBC) and
Senior Year Electro-optical Reconnaissance
System (SYERS-2C). Those systems are
currently only capable of being carried
by the U-2S intelligence, surveillance,
and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft. The
contractor’s internally-developed universal
payload adapter will also allow the Global
Hawk to carry the E-8C’s high-resolution
Goodrich MS-177 multispectral camera. A
demonstration of the installations aboard the
RQ-4C will likely take place in 2016. If this
proves successful, it will likely influence any
decision to retire the U-2.

8 September 2015 www.combataircraft.net

 Strike Eagle
delivers B61-12
The US Air Force and National Nuclear
Security Administration (NNSA)
recently conducted the first flight test
of the B61-12 guided nuclear weapon,
which was employed by an F-15E
from the 422nd Test and Evaluation
Squadron on July 1. The Strike Eagle
dropped the inert B61-12 on a target
at the Tonopah Test Range north-
west of Las Vegas, Nevada, ‘under
representative delivery conditions’. The
jointly developed weapon couples a
refurbished B61 bomb with a Boeing-
designed tail kit.
Engineering and manufacturing
development (EMD) of the B61-12
Life Extension Program (LEP) began
in February 2012 and the store will
become the primary tactical nuclear
weapon carried by US and NATO
aircraft when it enters service in the
early 2020s. It will replace the current
inventory of B61-3, -4, -7, and -10
weapons but not the penetrating B61-11
‘bunker-busting’ variant, which entered
service in 1997. Two additional tests
are planned for this calendar year. The
weapon will eventually be integrated
with the Block 4 version of the F-35A
Joint Strike Fighter, the F-16C, B-2A,
and the Tornado strike aircraft.
DEPLOYMENT NEWS
Oregon Guard deployed to Romania
F-15Cs operated by the Oregon Air National
Guard’s 142nd Fighter Wing arrived at
Câmpia Turzii, Romania, on July 6. Personnel,
assigned to the 123rd Expeditionary Fighter
Squadron, will train with their Romanian
Air Force counterparts as part of a theater
security package (TSP) deployment to Europe
in support of Operation ‘Atlantic Resolve’. The
123rd assumed its role as the lead unit of the
TSP at Câmpia Turzii from the Florida ANG’s
159th EFS, which had been deployed since
March.
24th MEU completes deployment
The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which
had been deployed aboard the three ships
that make up the USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7)
Amphibious Ready Group, returned to the
US east coast on July 14. The ARG had been
deployed since December 2014 and spent
much of the past seven months supporting
the 5th Fleet in the Middle East and south-
west Asia. It departed the 5th Fleet area
of operations on June 21. Marine Medium
Tilt-rotor Squadron (VMM) 365 (Reinforced)
served as the MEU’s Aviation Combat
Element. In addition to the squadron’s own
MV-22Bs it was responsible for elements of
Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron (HMH)
461, Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron
(HMLA) 269, and Marine Attack Squadron
(VMA) 231, which deployed with CH-53E,
UH-1Y and AH-1W helicopters and AV-8B
Harrier IIs.
www.combataircraft.net September 2015
HC-130H air tanker enters service
The US Forest Service formally placed
its first HC-130H air tanker in service at
Forest Service Air Station McClellan in
Sacramento, California, on July 10. The
Hercules, which carries the US Coast
Guard tail number 1721, now wears tanker
number 118 on its tail.
In mid-June, Tanker 118 arrived at
Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento
where it underwent maintenance; its
newly installed Modular Airborne Fire
Fighting System II (MAFFS) was tested
King Air modifications planned
The US Army is planning to modify a
number of Beechcraft King Air 350ER
aircraft to Enhanced Medium-Altitude
Reconnaissance and Surveillance System
(EMARSS) configuration. The Enhanced
Medium-Altitude Reconnaissance and
Surveillance System — Follow-on Variant
Modifications (EMARSS-FVM) project will
initially modify up to 13 government-owned
Quick Reaction Capability (QRC) King Airs
comprising Liberty Project Aircraft (LPA),
Constant Hawk — Afghanistan (CH-A)
examples, and Tactical Operations — Light
Detection and Ranging (TACOP-LiDAR)
aircraft.
Lockheed Martin has teamed with
Raytheon and Bombardier to bid for the
Joint STARS ‘recap’ program, offering the
Global 6000. Lockheed Martin
Joint STARS replacement moves forward
The USAF expects to select up to three
contractors to move forward with pre-
development technology maturation and
risk-reduction efforts associated with its
Joint Surveillance Targeting and Attack
Radar System (Joint STARS) recapitalization
program in late August or early September.
According to the USAF, the airborne
command and control, intelligence,
surveillance and reconnaissance (C2ISR)
program has been fully funded in Fiscal
2015 and 2016, and $2.4 billion has been
budgeted for it over the following five years.
Currently installed on Boeing 707/E-8C
airframes, the program is intended to install
the Joint STARS synthetic aperture radar
(SAR)/ground moving target indicator
(GMTI) mission area capability on a
significantly smaller and more efficient
airframe. It will utilize open systems
architecture to ensure future competition
and enable new capabilities to be added
more quickly and affordably. The USAF
and contractor pilot and maintenance
crew training was carried out. A second
HC-130H is scheduled to arrive in
Sacramento by October and tail number
1708 will serve as a training aircraft,
although it is also capable of carrying the
MAFFS II system. All seven HC-130H air
tankers are expected to be overhauled,
modified, equipped with a 3,500-gallon
gravity-fed retardant delivery system and
transferred to Forest Service ownership
by 2019.
Once modifications are complete, the LPA
will be re-designated as the EMARSS —
Multi-intelligence (EMARSS-M) and the
CH-A and TACOP-LiDAR aircraft as the
EMARSS — GEO-Intelligence (EMARSS-G).
The project will initially modify up
to seven aircraft to the EMARSS-M or
EMARSS-G configuration. The work will
be carried out by L-3 Communications
Corporation’s Mission Integration Division
in Greenville, Texas. In March 2015 the
Army issued a $31.8-million contract
for the conversion of one LPA aircraft
to the EMARSS-M configuration to L-3
Communications.
plans to issue up to three 16-month ‘pre-
EMD’ contracts and will hold an open
competition for the full EMD effort in 2017.
Three contractor/teams have been
identified and submitted proposals.
Lockheed Martin has teamed with Raytheon
and Bombardier — its design will utilize
the latter’s Global 6000 business jet as
the platform. Northrop Grumman’s team
includes L-3 Aerospace Systems and
Gulfstream Aerospace, which will produce
a G550-based aircraft. Boeing has not yet
created a team but has determined that it
will offer its 737-700BBJ1 airframe. Also
known as the 737-700 Increased Gross
Weight model, this combines the 737-700
fuselage with the 737-800 wing to provide
increased range and maximum gross take-off
weight. The winner of the final EMD contract
will deliver three test aircraft. The Air Force
expects the new type to achieve initial
operational capability in 2023 and plans to
procure a total of 17 aircraft.
9
 NEWS United States
So long, Prowler
US Navy retires its last EA-6B
T
HE US NAVY formally
retired the Northrop EA-6B
Prowler electronic attack
aircraft from its operational
inventory at NAS Whidbey
Island, Washington, on June
27. Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 134
Skytruck retirement under way
Although the C-145A fleet was
consolidated at Duke Field, Florida,
following the transfer of the last aircraft
from the 27th Special Operations Wing
at Cannon AFB, New Mexico, in March
2013, the Air Force Special Operations Air
Warfare Center is reducing the fleet of 16
Skytrucks to just five. Jointly operated by
the 6th Special Operations Squadron and
Air Force Reserve Command’s 5th Special
Operations Squadron, the majority of the
aircraft will be flown to Davis-Monthan
AFB, Arizona, by August for storage with
C-145A serial 10-0322 is towed on
the 309th AMARG flight line at Davis-
Monthan AFB, Arizona, shortly after
arriving for storage in July 2015.
309th AMARG
10
‘Garudas’ completed the type’s final cruise
last November and all five of the unit’s
aircraft have now been gifted for public
display: BuNo 164036 for the Castle Air
Museum, BuNo 163386 for Denver’s Wings
Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum,
BuNo 163030 for the Palm Springs Air
the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and
Regeneration Group. The center will retain
the remaining C-145As for its Aviation
Foreign Internal Defense (AvFID) mission
to ensure its pilots remain ‘current in
an aircraft’, according to the AFSOC
commander. Ultimately the command
plans to lease aircraft that are more tailored
to the specific capacity-building needs of
partner air forces being trained. The first
of the retired Skytrucks arrived at Davis-
Monthan when C-145A serial 08-0310
touched down on May 28.
Museum, BuNo 161884 for Seattle’s
Museum of Flight, and the last flyer, BuNo
163890, to NBVC Point Mugu, California.
VAQ-134 commanding officer CDR Chris
Jason said: ‘That’s the Prowler story: doesn’t
get a lot of glory, doesn’t always get the
fanfare, just does the job because it needs to,
it does it right, and then it just finishes out
strong, and that’s how we did it.’
A small number of US Navy Prowlers will
still conduct test and evaluation work at
NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, and NAWS
China Lake, California, in support of the
Marine Corps, which will continue to fly
the EA-6B until 2019. Joe A. Kunzler
EA-6B BuNo 163890 operated by VAQ-134
lifts off from NAS Whidbey Island at the start
of its final flight on June 27.
Northrop Grumman/Edgar Mills
King Stallion first
flight delayed
As news broke of Lockheed Martin’s plans
to acquire Sikorsky Aircraft in an $8-billion
deal, the helicopter manufacturer announced
that it has delayed the first flight of the new
CH-53K. Citing the need for additional
testing, the maiden flight of the initial
YCH-53K will, according to the US Navy,
occur ‘prior to the end of this calendar year,
fall of 2015’. Originally planned for summer
2014, the event has been delayed several
times due to development problems. The
most recent hold-ups are the result of a re-
design of the aircraft’s gearbox.
Qualification testing of the gearbox is
scheduled to begin in August and should be
completed in late September or early October.
It will subsequently undergo 175 hours of
testing in the ground test vehicle before it
is cleared for flight. Sikorsky indicates that
the CH-53K’s initial flight will take place
in October or November. According to the
Marine Corps Deputy Commandant for
Aviation, the King Stallion remains on track
to reach initial operational capability in 2019.
A Government Accountability Office report
indicates that the CH-53K development cost
has increased by 44 per cent, and the cost of a
single aircraft by 13 per cent since work began.
September 2015 www.combataircraft.net
UNIT NEWS
Airlift squadron stands down
The first operational unit to fly the C-17A
Globemaster III was inactivated at Joint Base
Charleston, South Carolina, when the 437th
Airlift Wing’s 17th Airlift Squadron stood down
during ceremonies on June 25. The squadron
is the first of two C-17A squadrons that will
be inactivated, with the second following
in 2016. The 17th AS was formed on July 14,
1993, having received its first Globemaster III
in June of that year.
Lightning II squadrons formed
The 34th Fighter Squadron was re-activated
as part of the 388th Fighter Wing/Operations
Group at Hill AFB, Utah, on July 17. Known
as the ‘Rude Rams’, the unit will be the first
operational USAF combat squadron to operate
the F-35A and will receive its first Lighting
II in September. The squadron had been
disbanded in 2010 as part of an Air Force-
wide restructuring. It was the first operational
squadron to receive the F-16A in 1979. The
62nd Fighter Squadron was formed as the
second F-35A unit at Luke AFB, Arizona, on
June 5. The ‘Spikes’ will serve as the second
formal training unit squadron under the
56th Fighter Wing/Operations Group and are
scheduled to begin accepting jets in July.
‘Warhawks’ stand up as ‘Emerald Knights’
stand down
The 314th Fighter Squadron ‘Warhawks’ was
re-formed as part of the 54th Fighter Group
at Holloman AFB, New Mexico, on July 14.
The unit’s first F-16s arrived at the base on
June 16 following their transfer from the
308th FS at Luke AFB, Arizona. The 308th was
subsequently inactivated at Luke on June 29.
The ‘Emerald Knights’ completed their final
training class when 16 pilots graduated on
June 12. A component of the 56th Fighter
Wing/Operations Group, the squadron had
served as a formal training unit for the F-16
since 1994. The 314th began training its first
group of 10 students as instructor pilots
on July 15. The 54th FG is a geographically-
separated unit of the 56th FW and will
be responsible for more than 50 F-16s by
October 1.
Stinger IIs reassigned
Air Force Special Operations Command
inactivated the 73rd Special Operations
Squadron at Cannon AFB, New Mexico, and
its aircraft and personnel were transferred to
Cannon’s 16th SOS on June 12. The 16th SOS
had operated AC-130H Spectre gunships as
part of the 27th Special Operations Wing/
Operations Group until the unit’s final airframe
was retired in May. The 73rd, which had also
been assigned to the 27th, flew the AC-130W
Stinger II gunship. The command is retaining
26 AC-130Us and AC-130Ws, which will be
phased out as new AC-130Js enter service.
Little Rock changes
The 314th Airlift Wing’s 62nd Airlift Squadron
flew its final C-130H training mission at Little
Rock AFB, Arkansas, on July 9. The active-
duty associate unit had operated as a formal
training unit alongside the Arkansas Air
www.combataircraft.net September 2015
National Guard’s 189th AW. The latter wing
will formally assume full responsibility as the
C-130H FTU later this year.
In other news, C-130J serial 10-5771 (c/n
5771) was delivered to the 19th Airlift Wing’s
61st Airlift Squadron at Little Rock the same
day. The arrival marked delivery of the
24th Super Hercules to the wing, which is
scheduled to receive the last of 28 C-130Js in
summer 2016.
Pope wing gets a reprieve
The planned de-activation of Air Force Reserve
Command’s 440th Airlift Wing has been
delayed, and under current plans the unit will
continue operating until September 30, 2016.
Based at Fort Bragg’s Pope Army Air Field in
North Carolina, the wing had been scheduled
for disbandment in September 2015. The
decision is apparently the result of changes
made to both the House and Senate versions
of the Fiscal 2016 Defense Appropriation,
which require certification that the loss of
the wing will not affect military training and
readiness at Fort Bragg.
Astra transferred
Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 20
‘Force’ at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, has
acquired one of two C-38As that had been
operated by the District of Columbia Air
National Guard’s 201st Airlift Squadron at Joint
Base Andrews-Naval Air Facility Washington,
Maryland. The USAF announced plans to retire
the Guard’s two C-38As, based on the Astra
SPX business jet, in March 2014.
New reserve wing stands up
A new organization joined the ranks of the US
Naval Reserve when Commander, Maritime
Support Wing was activated at NAS North
Island, California, on July 31. Reporting to
Commander, Naval Air Reserve, the new
command assumed the responsibility for
Patrol Squadrons (VP) 62 and 69, Helicopter
Sea Combat Squadrons (HSC) 84 and 85, and
Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 60.
The squadrons respectively operate the P-3C
A VMX-22 MV-22B arrives at MCAS Yuma
in June as the operational evaluation
unit consolidates there. USMC
Orion maritime patrol aircraft and the
HH-60H and MH-60R helicopters.
NSAWC renamed
As part of a re-organization intended to
enhance fleet warfighting capabilities and
readiness, the Naval Strike and Air Warfare
Center (NSAWC) at NAS Fallon, Nevada, was
officially re-designated as the Naval Aviation
Warfighting Development Center (NAWDC) on
June 30. As part of the move, the organization,
which functions as the center of excellence
for naval aviation training and tactics
development, has been assigned directly to
the Commander, Naval Air Forces/Commander
Naval Air Force Pacific at NAS North Island,
California. It had previously reported to
Commander US Fleet Forces Command in
Norfolk, Virginia.
‘Skinny Dragons’ to move
As part of the transition of the maritime patrol
fleet from the P-3C to the P-8A, the US Navy
has announced that Patrol Squadron (VP) 4
will be the first of four squadrons that will
re-locate from MCAS Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, to
NAS Whidbey Island, Washington. The move,
which will be completed on October 1, 2016,
will coincide with the transition of the ‘Skinny
Dragons’ from the Orion to the Poseidon.
‘Argonauts’ move under way
The re-location of Marine Operational Test
and Evaluation Squadron (VMX) 22 ‘Argonauts’
from MCAS New River, North Carolina, to
MCAS Yuma, commenced on June 2, when the
first of the squadron’s four MV-22Bs (below)
arrived at the Arizona base. In addition to the
Osprey, by 2017 the ‘Argonauts’ will receive
UH-1Y, AH-1W and AH-1Z helicopters that
are currently assigned to the US Navy’s Air
Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 9 at Naval
Air Weapons Station China Lake, California.
Although the squadron’s F-35Bs will go from
Edwards AFB, California to Yuma in 2018,
its heavy-lift CH-53E helicopters will remain
at New River. The squadron’s move will be
complete by 2020.
11
 NEWS United States

Ghostrider grounded Report blasts justification

The prototype AC-130J gunship is
currently grounded as a result of an
in-flight incident that occurred during a
test sortie on April 21. Although the
Ghostrider returned to Eglin AFB, Florida,
and landed safely ‘without further
incident or any injuries to the crew’,
according to Air Force Materiel
Command, ‘structural analysis suggested
damage greater than the $2-million
monetary threshold for a Class-A
incident’. As a result the command
elevated the accident from a Class-C to a
Class-A mishap on June 15.
The AC-130J prototype previously
suffered a similar incident when it
departed controlled flight during handling
trials in February. During that event the
aircraft exceeded its structural limits,
which resulted in the addition of two
months to flight-testing. The command
has convened an accident investigation
board that will investigate based on the
updated damage estimate.
Despite the grounding, Detachment 2,
1st Special Operations Wing was activated
at Eglin AFB’s Hurlburt Field, Florida, on
July 9. It will be tasked to operationally
test the AC-130J, train aircrews and
develop new tactics, techniques and
procedures for the variant.
for A-10 retirement
A report released by the US Government
Accountability Office (GAO) on June 25
blasted the US Air Force’s plan to retire the
A-10. Citing an inaccurate projection of cost
savings, the report indicated that the USAF
will run into a ‘capability gap’ associated
with providing close air support (CAS).
Although the service claims that the gap in
CAS can be filled by other aircraft, the GAO
report cited an internal Defense Department
planning scenario that showed retiring the
A-10 ‘would increase operational risks’
in 2020 before the F-35 is fully capable of
performing the CAS mission. According to
the report, the Air Force’s justification for
its decision to retire the Thunderbolt II did
not ‘fully assess the cost savings associated
with the A-10 divestment’. As an example,
‘the Air Force’s projection of saving $4.2
billion over five years by retiring the jet did
not include the increased workload on other
aircraft tasked with picking up the slack.’
Apparently, the USAF also did not include
savings that would be realized through the
cancellation of software upgrades and other
modifications to the A-10C. The report
went on to state that: ‘Without a reliable
cost estimate, the Air Force does not have
a complete picture of the savings it would
generate by divesting the A-10 and does not
have a reliable basis from which to develop
and consider alternatives to achieve budget
targets or assess the impact on other missions
such as air superiority or global strike.’
The GAO review was conducted in
accordance with the Fiscal 2015 National
Defense Authorization Act. The report says
that the Air Force made the plan to retire the
A-10 based on a ‘strategy-based, portfolio-
wide’ fleet review and a need to reduce its
budget. The Air Force claimed that if it is not
permitted to retire the A-10 fleet, it will need
to find alternative ways to reduce costs by $4.2
billion, including cutting other aircraft fleets.
However, these warnings were ‘illustrative
only’ and were not fully considered as
possible alternatives within the service. The
report joins other critics in attacking the Air
Force for cutting the jet because it would
create capability gaps in its ability to support
the combat search and rescue mission and the
training of Joint Terminal Attack Controllers
(JTACs). In addition to reducing costs, another
reason that the USAF had planned to retire
the A-10 was to provide enough maintenance
personnel to form the first F-35 units.

CAG CORNER
The unfinished 70th anniversary ‘CAG bird’ of VFA-41
‘Black Aces’, F/A-18F BuNo 166842/100. The scheme
features a large ‘ace of spades’ on the top of the
aircraft. Jim Dunn
EA-18G Growler BuNo 168376/500 of VAQ-133
‘Wizards’ at NAS Fallon in June during Carrier
Air Wing (CVW) 9’s Strike Fighter Advanced
Readiness Program (SFARP). Jim Dunn

Between June 8 and July 3, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9 deployed to NAS Fallon, Nevada, to complete its Strike
Fighter Advanced Readiness Program (SFARP). Among the specially-marked aircraft was F/A-18F BuNo
166850/107 from Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 41 ‘Black Aces’, which carries markings commemorating the
August 19, 1981, shoot-down by VF-41 F-14A BuNo 160403 (‘Fast Eagle 102’) of two Libyan Su-22 ‘Fitters’ over
the Gulf of Sidra. ‘Splash Two’ carries the names of CDR Henry ‘Hank’ Kleeman and LT Dave ‘DJ’ Venlet, a Su-22
and AIM-9L missile on the fuselage and a silhouette of an F-14 on the tail. Jim Dunn

12 September 2015 www.combataircraft.net

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FRONT LINE COMBAT AIRCRAFT’S REGULAR COLUMN BY ROBERT F. DORR
Taking a look behind the headlines
Contact the author at robert.f.dorr@cox.net
NOSTALGIC NAVY PUTS PROWLER OUT TO PASTURE
A
FORMIDABLE BUT NOT
exactly famous fighting
machine made its final
flight in US Navy colors on
June 27. The aircraft was a
Grumman EA-6B Prowler
(BuNo 163890) of Electronic Attack Squadron
(VAQ) 134 ‘Garudas’.
For some reason, the Prowler never gets
much mentioned. Too often, literature
dismisses the EA-6B as a sidebar in the
shadow of the A-6 Intruder medium
attack aircraft, from which the Prowler
was derived, and which was retired fully
two decades ago. Those in the Prowler
community consider theirs to be a distinct
aircraft type that warrants its own saga writ
large, yet, too often, their story is a small box
on a corner of a page.
The Navy formally retired the Prowler in
a ‘Prowler Sunset Celebration’ at Whidbey
Island, Washington, the naval air station in the
Pacific north-west that for decades has been
home to its electronic warfare (EW) fleet.
On June 26, as part of two-day festivities,
the ‘Garudas’ EA-6B passed in review in a
formation with three EA-18G Growlers in a
‘missing man’ formation to honor the 48 crew
members — 46 men and two women — who
have died flying the Prowler. ‘There probably
wasn’t a dry eye in the audience during
the ‘missing man’ formation’, CAPT Darryl
Walker, Whidbey’s VAQ wing commodore,
told reporters at the ceremony.
The following day, 163890 made a
celebratory flight over Whidbey carrying
CAPT Fred Wilmot, 77, the former Prowler
test pilot who had delivered the fleet’s first
EA-6B (BuNo 158029) to Whidbey in January
1971. Wilmot occupied one of the rear crew
positions and commented with a grin that it
was the first time he’d ever flown in the back
seat of a Prowler.
The Prowler landed, dropped off Wilmot,
kept engines running, and then took off for
Point Mugu, to become a museum piece.
14
‘We will miss this aircraft a lot’, retired Navy
CAPT Roger ‘John’ Smith, a former EA-6B
pilot, told Combat Aircraft. ‘It could fly just
as smooth and steady as you’d like, and then
once in awhile it would challenge your touch
on throttle and stick. The Prowler has been a
little bit of everywhere and done a little bit of
everything.’
An electronic pioneer
‘The Prowler is, arguably, the most important
electronic warfare aircraft ever flown’, retired
LCDR Rick Morgan told CA.
Morgan is a former EA-6B electronic
countermeasures officer and now historian
for the Prowler Association. ‘It was built in
larger numbers, flew longer and participated
in more wars, operations and combat than
any other jamming platform’, he told CA. ‘Its
success made the EA-18G possible. Being
assigned to EA-6Bs was the best decision I
never made, but I have become thankful for
being a member of this remarkable community
at Whidbey.’
The send-off was more a ‘so long’ than a
goodbye. The Navy is moving on, but the US
Marine Corps will carry on flying the EA-6B
‘With the pointy
end on the back
instead of the front
and a configuration
somewhere between
dowdy and dumpy, the
Prowler is too slow to
keep up with modern
strike packages and is
underpowered’
Improved Capability (ICAP) III. The Marines
continue to operate Marine Tactical Electronic
Warfare Squadron (VMAQ) 2 ‘Death Jesters’
(the former ‘Playboys’), VMAQ-3 ‘Moon
Dogs’ and VMAQ-4 ‘Seahawks’, and Marine
Tactical Electronic Warfare Training Squadron
(VMAQT) 1 ‘Banshees’. The Marines expect to
retire their last Prowlers by 2019.
The Navy will continue to fly one or two
EA-6Bs in test work at Patuxent River,
Maryland and China Lake, California, to
support the Marine Corps Prowlers.
The first Prowler (BuNo 149481) made
its maiden flight on May 25, 1968, at the
Grumman factory in Calverton, New York,
piloted by Don King. It first went into battle in
Vietnam with VAQ-132 ‘Scorpions’ operating
from USS America (CVA 66) on July 14, 1972.
The type has been upgraded repeatedly since.
The last EA-6B carrier deployment was
carried out by four aircraft of VAQ-134 aboard
USS George H. W. Bush, ending on November
14, 2014. The squadron had been supporting
air operations against the so-called Islamic
State in Syria.
Not exactly beautiful
With the pointy end on the back instead of the
front and a configuration somewhere between
dowdy and dumpy, the Prowler is too slow to
keep up with modern strike packages and is
underpowered, with two 12,000lb thrust Pratt
& Whitney J52-P-409 turbojets that are neither
fuel-efficient nor quiet: a Prowler is reported
to be louder than a C-17 Globemaster III in full
reverse thrust. ‘Even when we jam them they
can hear us coming’, said Smith.
‘Love it or hate it, it is a great aircraft and has
made a big contribution’, retired Marine Corps
Lt Col Rob ‘Blitz’ Krieg told this magazine.
‘I’ve heard crews call it ‘the incredible flying
chicken leg’ because of its shape’. Others call
the EA-6B the ‘flying fry pan’, ‘sky pig’ or the
‘station wagon’.
With tandem, back-hinged clamshell
canopies, the Prowler carries a pilot and
September 2015 www.combataircraft.net
three electronic countermeasures officers
(ECMO, pronounced ‘Ek-Mo’) on Martin-
Baker Mk7 ejection seats. That’s quite a
crowd for an aircraft of its size, and while
mishaps were exceedingly rare, the spectacle
of four crew members ejecting during an
emergency was a sight to behold. But there
is an up-side to this image of a crowd packed
into a 59ft 10in fuselage: ‘The good thing
was, when you got to your destination you
had people to hang out with’, said Krieg. ‘A
Prowler crew always felt like, and acted like,
a team.’

‘Been around forever…’

No-one in uniform today can remember a
time when the EA-6B was not on the scene
to provide an umbrella of protection for
strike aircraft, ground troops and warships
by jamming hostile radar, datalinks and Main image: The
communications. specially-painted EA-6B
The EA-18G Growler, now in residence BuNo 163890 flies over
at Whidbey and throughout the fleet, has NAS Whidbey Island
during the celebrations
replaced the EA-6B in Navy squadrons. The
to mark the retirement
Marine Corps is not acquiring the EA-18G but of the type in Navy
will instead rely on the F-35B. The Navy’s service. Joe Kunzler
program of record for the EA-18G is currently
138 but is expected to increase to 153. Right top to bottom:
Lore has it is that no aircraft being escorted EA-6B Prowlers of
by a Prowler has ever been lost to a radar- VAQ-137 ‘Rooks’ fly over
guided surface-to-air missile. The indisputable the aircraft carrier USS
fact is that no Prowler has ever been lost Enterprise (CVN 65).
US Navy/LCDR
in combat. ‘It’s not that they haven’t tried’,
Josh Hammond
Morgan told CA. ‘There were a couple of close
calls with fighters, one in ‘Desert Storm’ and An EA-6B launches from
one in ‘Allied Force’’ — references to the 1991 the USS John C. Stennis
Persian Gulf War and 1999 fighting in the (CVN 74). US Navy/
Balkans. ‘I know two or three who had anti- MCS2C Kenneth Abbate
aircraft fire go by them, but without result.’
To Marines like Krieg, the Whidbey On its final cruise — a
ceremony may seem premature. Challenges VAQ-134 ‘Garudas’
Prowler unfolds its
lie ahead. But one thing is certain: it’s not
wings in preparation to
possible to bestow too much praise on the fat, launch from USS George
ungainly EW platform from the Grumman Iron H. W. Bush (CVN 77).
Works. The EA-6B deserves every accolade it US Navy/MCS3C
can get. Margaret Keith

www.combataircraft.net September 2015 15

NEWS REPORT
Combat Aircraft evaluates the discussion surrounding the leaking of
details of a test engagement between an F-35A and an F-16D.
report: Jon Lake
W
HEN COMBAT
AIRCRAFT columnist
David Axe published
extracts of a report
into F-35A Lightning
II high angle-of-
attack maneuvers on his ‘War is Boring’
blog, he revealed that during tests carried
out on January 14 this year an early F-35
test aircraft (AF-2), flying ‘clean’, had been
comprehensively out-maneuvered by a
two-seat F-16D Fighting Falcon carrying a
pair of 230-US gallon underwing fuel tanks.
The report and several subsequent write-ups
concluded that the ‘new stealth fighter is dead
meat in an air battle’, proving ‘demonstrably
inferior in a dogfight with the F-16.’
The F-35’s many critics predictably seized
upon the story and it rapidly ‘went viral’. A
number of aerospace news websites leapt
on the fact that the F-35 had been unable to
‘beat the airplane it’s replacing in a dogfight’.
Meanwhile, manufacturer Lockheed Martin
and program supporters (perhaps equally
predictably) dismissed the significance and
accuracy of the original story.
CA has seen the full report detailing the
actual sortie, which included an offensive
capture, tracking tasks and a number of
traditional BFM (basic fighter maneuvers)
set-ups. In all, there were 17 engagements
between the F-35A and the F-16D.
The report notes that the most
noticeable characteristic of the F-35A in
a visual engagement is its ‘lack of energy
maneuverability’, which it describes
as being inferior to a Pratt & Whitney
F100-PW-229-engined F-15E due to having
a ‘smaller wing, similar weight and 15,000lb
less in afterburner thrust.’
‘Even with the limited F-16 target
configuration’, the report said, ‘the F-35A
remained at a distinct energy disadvantage for
every engagement.’
The report also highlighted the F-35A’s
‘insufficient pitch rate’, which prevented the
jet from pulling ‘lead’ on the target offensively,
and made it hard to defeat an enemy
attack. No effective guns defense was found
during the test.
At high angles of attack (AoA), the F-35A
found a way of generating very high yaw rates,
which gave limited opportunities for missile
shots, but only at the expense of losing energy.
The test pilot judged that ‘deciding to commit
to high AoA meant losing the fight unless the
bandit made an error.’
16
This photo: One of the major fall-
outs from the recent report is that
manufacturer Lockheed Martin has
always insisted that the F-35 will be
a supreme dogfighter.
Lockheed Martin/Jim Haseltine
Inset: Among the most concerning
elements of the report’s findings
concerns the lack of space inside
the cockpit for the pilot to move his
head and bring his helmet-mounted
sight to bear on the target in the
rear quarter. Lockheed Martin
The F-35A’s flying qualities were also
criticized, being judged neither intuitive nor
favorable in the ‘blended region’. In fact, the
F-35’s performance was so bad that the un-
named test pilot deemed it ‘inappropriate for
fighting other aircraft within visual range.’
This was exacerbated by difficulties
encountered with the F-35’s pilot’s helmet,
which was judged to be too large for the
space inside the canopy for the pilot to
adequately see behind the aircraft.
A balanced view
It’s hard to find balanced coverage of the F-35
— the debate is usually highly polarized. On
the one side there are many who believe the
F-35 (which they claim to be ‘history’s most
expensive weapon’) is a technical failure and
a scandalous waste of taxpayers’ money, that it
will not adequately replace the capabilities of
the aircraft that it will supplant in service, and
will not allow US and allied forces to achieve
dominance.
On the other hand, there are those who
believe that the F-35 will be a transformational
air power asset, effectively invulnerable to
enemy air defenses, unbeatable in air combat,
and bringing a host of new sensor and
weapons capabilities to the fight.
It often seems there is rarely room for
nuance in coverage of the F-35 — it is either
an unmitigated disaster or the greatest
technological achievement and game-changer
in the history of air warfare. This is a shame,
since the truth is a much more subtle and
much less black-and-white picture.
It is true that the F-35 has experienced
technical difficulties, and that its cost has
risen, while as of today the program is still
far behind where it should be, and is still
encountering fresh problems. However,
there seems little doubt that the aircraft will
eventually enter service with most of the
capabilities planned for it, and that most
difficulties and problems will be overcome.
The F-35 is not the all-singing, all-dancing
platform that was once envisaged or
expected in some quarters, though at the
same time it will be a much more capable
and flexible aircraft than any tactical
aircraft that has gone before. So-called fifth-
generation aircraft like the F-22 and F-35
should perhaps not even be thought of as
‘fighters’ in the conventional sense, since
they are ‘sensor-shooters’ that can perform
the roles of traditional fighter, bomber,
attack, reconnaissance, signals intelligence
(SIGINT), electronic attack, and command
and control platforms, doing so in a range of
threat environments.
Lt Gen David Deptula, now the Dean of
the Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Power
Studies, a former senior US Air Force
commander and highly-regarded air power
thinker, pointed out that a single F-35 could
create ‘effects’ that would have required
dozens of ‘legacy’ aircraft, if they could be
achieved at all.
It probably doesn’t matter that the F-35
is no tank-buster in the mould of the A-10
Thunderbolt II, because it will instead provide
close air support ‘effect’ in a very different
way, using entirely different weapons and
markedly different tactics. Similarly, though
the F-35 will eventually replace the F-15C,
F-15E and F-16C in the tactical fighter and air
defense/air superiority roles (augmented by
the F-22 fleet in the latter case), it will do so
differently, and will be able to do so thanks to
new capabilities, new sensors, new weapons,
new tactics and new doctrine. Isolated
apparent weaknesses or areas where F-35
performance may be notionally inferior to the
aircraft being replaced may not, after all, be all
that significant.
And the aforementioned report should, of
course, be interpreted in this light.
www.combataircraft.net September 2015
Not a dogfighter — so what? sensors, weapons, and stealth technology
F-35 supporters rightly point out that to achieve dominance. The Lightning II is
close-in dogfighting is not the sine qua non intended to make key decisions rapidly
of air combat, and they emphasize that the enough to get inside the enemy’s decision
type affords its pilot the opportunity to cycle, destroying the enemy before he can
kill the enemy before he knows that he is destroy in turn.
being engaged. This is all well and good if rules of
The F-35 is designed to engage, shoot, engagement allow the enemy to be engaged
and kill its enemy from long range, and not at beyond visual range, and as long as no
necessarily within visual range, using its ‘leakers’ survive the initial exchange of
missile shots and keep on coming.
‘F-35 supporters rightly In this case, F-35 supporters aver, the
aircraft’s helmet-mounted sight, sensor
point out that close- fusion and Distributed Aperture System,
paired with the AIM-9X Block II air-to-
in dogfighting is not air missile, will make drawn-out, hard-
the sine qua non of maneuvering dogfights a thing of the past,
and will allow the F-35 to dominate the
air combat, and they close-in arena as well.
It’s also the case that the aforementioned
emphasize that the engagement was intended ‘to test the flying
qualities of the F-35 using visual combat
F-35 affords its pilot maneuvers to stress the system’, giving the
the opportunity to kill Lightning II the opportunity to maneuver
to the edge of its limits without exceeding
the enemy before he them, while handling in a positive and
predictable manner. The F-16D involved in
knows that he is being the trial was used as a visual reference to
engaged’ maneuver against. The aim was to gather
data, and not to win the fight.
17
 NEWS Europe
Operation ‘Desert Falcon’ complete
Belgian F-16s return from Jordan mission
I
N SEPTEMBER 2014 the Belgian
federal parliament voted in
favor of participation in the
multi-national military coalition
against the so-called Islamic State
(IS). The same day, six F-16AM
Fighting Falcons departed Florennes for
Lt Muwaffaq Salti Air Base near Azraq
in Jordan.
Latest MiG-29KR unveiled
This MiG-29KR (izdeliye 9.41R) is from
the latest production batch of the new
shipborne fighters for the Russian Navy.
Bort number ‘39 Blue’ is pictured at
Kubinka air base during the static display
for the Armya 2015 defense trade show.
This batch for the Russian Navy consists
Airseeker accelerated
In order to meet the demands of
operations in the Middle East, the Royal
Air Force is to receive its second Boeing
RC-135W Rivet Joint seven months early
— in September. The move is part of
the UK’s effort to increase intelligence,
18
Under Operation ‘Desert Falcon’
(ODF), the Belgian F-16s were to
support the US-led coalition —
launched in August 2014 and later
named Operation ‘Inherent Resolve’
— through reconnaissance and air
strikes against IS combatants and their
weapons and infrastructure in Iraq. The
Belgian parliament did not approve
of eight single-seat MiG-29KR fighters
(‘32 Blue’ to ‘39 Blue’) and a pair of two-
seat MiG-29KUBRs (izdeliye 9.47R, ‘52
Blue’ and ‘53 Blue’). In all, the Russian
Navy has placed orders for 20
MiG-29KRs and four MiG-29KUBRs.
Stanislav Bazhenov
surveillance, target acquisition, and
reconnaissance (ISTAR) capabilities.
Acquired under the Airseeker program,
the first RAF Rivet Joint is currently
employed on operations against the so-
called Islamic State over Iraq and Syria.
missions over Syria, and Belgian pilots
concentrated on operations outside
those borders.
A first operational mission was flown
on October 1, 2014. It consisted of
a reconnaissance in the vicinity of
Baghdad and lasted around three hours.
The main asset for reconnaissance
missions was the AN/AAQ-33
Bulgarian fighter
search is on
On July 1, Bulgarian national media reported
that law-makers in Sofia had approved the
procurement program for a new fighter.
The new combat aircraft will replace aging
MiG-29 and Su-25 jets.
Among the options announced by Defense
Minister Nikolay Nenchev is an acquisition
of surplus F-16s from Belgium, Greece, or
the Netherlands. Nenchev has stated that the
Bulgarian Air Force requires a minimum of
nine new fighters.
Previous contenders mentioned for the
Bulgarian program include surplus Block
25 F-16s from the US Air National Guard,
early-tranche Eurofighter Typhoons from
the Italian Air Force, surplus Saab Gripens
from Sweden, and the Pakistan Aeronautical
Complex/Chengdu Aircraft Industry
Corporation (PAC/CAC) JF-17. A possible
outsider is the Textron AirLand Scorpion,
which was demonstrated to the Bulgarian
Air Force at Graf Ignatievo in June.
In the meantime, Bulgaria is close to
signing an agreement for the repair of
MiG-29 engines with Poland’s Wojskowe
Zakłady Lotnicze Nr 2 (Military Aircraft
Works No 2) in Bydgoszcz. The move is part
of Sofia’s attempts to reduce reliance on
Russia in the wake of heightened tensions in
the region.
September 2015 www.combataircraft.net
PANTERA (Precision Attack Navigation
and Targeting with Extended Range
Acquisition), the export version of the
Sniper XR (Extended Range) advanced
targeting pod. For ground attack, the
aircraft carried a pair of 500lb GPS-guided
GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munitions
(JDAM) or laser/GPS-guided GBU-54 Laser
JDAMs.
The Belgian detachment at Lt Muwaffaq
Salti AB consisted of 110-120 personnel,
around half of whom were technicians
and armorers. The rest were pilots and
staff personnel, about 20 mission support
specialists (mainly intelligence and
mission planning) and roughly 20-30 force
protection troops.
During the nine months of ODF, the
six Belgian F-16s conducted around 720
missions. Weapons were used 140 times.
After evaluation, further support to the
anti-IS coalition could be approved by
parliament. One option being studied is
alternating participation with the Royal
Netherlands Air Force. Jos Schoofs
The six F-16AMs that returned to Florennes on
July 2 were FA-72, 116, 129, 131, 134 and 135.
The flight from Jordan to Belgium was made
without stop-overs. Jos Schoofs

ROTARY-WING BRIEFS
Russia mulls new-production Mi-14
‘Italian Blade 2015’
Russian Helicopters has announced it is considering Among the participants in the recent ‘Italian Blade 2015’ exercise at Viterbo was this pair
re-launching production of the Mi-14 amphibious of Mi-24Vs from the Czech Air Force’s 22. Základna Vrtulníkového Letectva at Námest. The
eighth training event in the series took place from June 22 to July 3 under the framework
helicopter, 30 years after it ended. Mi-14s were
of the European Defence Agency’s Helicopter Exercise Programme (HEP) and involved
developed by the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant and around 40 helicopters from seven countries. Mark de Greeuw
produced by Kazan Helicopters from 1973 to 1986.
The Mi-14 would be upgraded and offered to both
civil and military operators.

Final Finnish NH90

Airbus Helicopters and Patria have delivered the
20th and last NH90 Tactical Transport Helicopter to
the Finnish Defense Forces. A Finnish NH90 first flew
in 2004 and an initial delivery took place in 2008.

Boeing promotes Apache for Poland

Boeing is looking to co-operate with Polish industry
in a bid to win a Polish order for the AH-64E Apache
under the Kruk attack helicopter program.

UK Merlin swap complete

The United Kingdom completed transfer of the
AgustaWestland Merlin HC3/3A from the Royal Air
Force to the Royal Navy during a ceremony held
on July 9. All 25 examples have transitioned to the
RN’s Commando Helicopter Force (CHF). As part
of the process, No 28 Squadron becomes the new
Chinook and Puma operational conversion unit at
RAF Benson. RNAS Yeovilton’s two Merlin CHF units
are 845 and 846 Naval Air Squadrons.

www.combataircraft.net September 2015 19

 NEWS Europe
NEWS ROUND-UP
FRANCE
M-345 pitched to France
Alenia Aermacchi has formally offered the M-345
HET (High Efficiency Trainer) to France as a
replacement for the Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet.
Alenia responded to a request for information
issued by the French government in April. Other
contenders are thought to be the Beechcraft
T-6 Texan II and Pilatus PC-7. A contract for the
winning bid could be signed in spring 2017.
Caïman for special forces
Soldiers from the 4ème Régiment d’Hélicoptères
des Forces Spéciales (RHFS) have begun to
familiarize themselves with the NH90 Caïman at
the French Army Aviation test center in Valence.
After appropriate adaptation, the NH90 will
replace the H225 Caracal in the special forces role
with the 4ème RHFS around 2018.
GERMANY
Orion upgrade planned
The German Navy is planning an extensive
overhaul of its eight P-3C maritime patrol aircraft.
Under a 10-year, €568-million effort, the Orions
will receive mid-life upgrade kits, instrument flight
rules capability and mission avionics capability
upgrades, keeping them in service until 2035.
Typhoon aerodynamics update
Airbus Defence and Space has completed
flight test work for its Eurofighter Aerodynamic
A400M deliveries resume
The hand-over of the 13th production
A400M Atlas to the French Ministry
of Defense on June 19 marked the
resumption of deliveries. MSN19 is the
seventh example for the French Air Force.
The delivery of MSN19 to France was
made just hours after Spanish certification
authorities lifted the remaining
restrictions to the A400M airworthiness
certificate, imposed on new-production
aircraft after the loss of an example during
pre-delivery testing at Seville on May 9.
Airbus’s own three development aircraft,
and the 12 aircraft delivered to customers
prior to the accident, were not affected by
the restrictions.
Compared to earlier French Air
Force A400Ms, MSN19 adds an initial
20
Michael Balter
Modification Kit (AMK). Intended to boost
agility and weapons-carrying capability,
the modifications were trialed at Manching,
Germany, where the specially-adapted
Instrumented Production Aircraft (IPA) 7 flew
36 sorties.
Transall fly-out at Wunstorf
On July 3 the Luftwaffe’s Wunstorf air
base hosted a Transall fly-out event
to mark retirement of the airlifter by
Lufttransportgeschwader (LTG) 62, after 46
years of service with the wing. The unit’s final
Transall, C-160D 50+93 (c/n D130), was flown to
Hohn, home of sister wing LTG 63.
Michael Balter
capability to drop paratroopers from its
rear ramp.
• The third A400M for the Royal Air
Force was delivered from Seville to
RAF Brize Norton on July 5. The Atlas,
one of 22 on order, will achieve initial
operational capability later this year,
with an initial complement of seven
aircraft. Prior to a pause in flying in May/
June, the first two aircraft had completed
over 405 flying hours. The RAF resumed
flying the Atlas on June 16.
• In other transport news, Antonov
has revealed plans for a four-turbofan
variant of the An-70 airlifter. The An-188
is being positioning as a rival to the
A400M, with a maximum payload of 40
tonnes.
ITALY
T-346 in aggressor role
An Alenia Aermacchi T-346 of the Italian Air
Force’s 61° Stormo has been temporarily
deployed to Grosseto to test its capability as
‘Red Air’ in dissimilar combat training missions
with the Eurofighter F-2000s of the 20°
Gruppo, Operational Conversion Unit, part of
4° Stormo.
Contract for new assault ship
Fincantieri and Finmeccanica have been
awarded a €1.1-billion contract for the Italian
Navy’s new multi-purpose amphibious ship.
The 22,000-tonne Landing Helicopter Dock
(LHD) is scheduled for delivery in 2022.
First Spartan with winglets
Seen departing Turin Caselle airport on June
23 for a test flight, Alenia Aermacchi C-27J
CSX62127 (NC4033) is the testbed for winglets
on the Spartan. The winglets are designed to
improve aerodynamic performance and reduce
fuel consumption. If successful, it is unclear
whether the winglets will be applied on new
airframes only or retrofitted to aircraft already
in service. CSX62127 is Alenia Aermacchi’s test
and demonstration aircraft, and wears ‘MC-
27J’ titles and the black livery adopted when
it demonstrated the multi-mission MC-27J
Praetorian version. Marco Rossi
Marco Rossi
EUROPEAN ORDERS
New ‘Hips’ for Belarus
Russian Helicopters will deliver 12 Mi-8MTV-5
transport helicopters to Belarus in 2016-17.
First customers for L-39NG upgrade
Aero Vodochody’s latest L-39NG jet trainer
has won orders from the Czech state-owned
company LOM Praha, responsible for training
Czech Air Force and other pilots. LOM Praha’s
fleet of seven L-39s will receive new Williams
International FJ44-4M engines and new
avionics. Letters of intent for L-39NG upgrades
have also been received from the civilian
Breitling Jet Team and Draken International’s
Black Diamond Jet Team (six aircraft).
Malta expands AW139 fleet
The Armed Forces of Malta have ordered a
third AW139 from AgustaWestland under a
€14-million deal financed by the European
Union.
September 2015 www.combataircraft.net
 NEWS World

P-1s on show in the UK

Japan conducts world tour with new maritime patroller

One of the two Kawasaki P-1s that visited the UK going through its short display routine. Jamie Hunter

T
HE JAPANESE MARITIME
Self-Defense Force (JMSDF)
sent two Kawasaki P-1
maritime patrol aircraft
to the Royal International
Air Tattoo (RIAT) at RAF
Fairford, England, in July, providing the
undoubted stars of the show.
The two aircraft (serials 5504 and
5507) arrived from the US on the
morning of July 14, and were on a
round-the-world tour. Following the
show, the two aircraft departed for
Djibouti for two days of operational
evaluation.
The appearance at RIAT is thought to
have been connected with UK interest
in acquiring a new MPA, to fill the space
left by the retirement of the Nimrod in
2010. The UK has maintained an MPA
skill set thanks to the Project Seedcorn
exchange program, which is now set
to continue into 2018. However, many
expect an MPA competition to be
announced later this year.
The P-1s at RIAT were both
operational aircraft from 3 Kokutai at
NAF Atsugi, but manned by crews from
Air Development Squadron 51. The
JMSDF has a requirement for 70 P-1s to
replace its aging Lockheed P-3C Orions,
and 10 of the new aircraft have been
delivered to the JMSDF. All of them are
operating out of Atsugi. Although the
type is still conducting its operational
test and evaluation phase through to the
end of September, at which time full
operating capability will be declared,
it has been flying operational missions
since March.
Turning to the UK MPA requirement,
the P-1 will have to beat off fierce
competition from the Boeing P-8
Poseidon if it is to gain success.
Jamie Hunter

Y-8GX-6
The Shaanxi Y-8GX-6/Y-8Q is the first service its first dedicated maritime patrol
long-range anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and ASW aircraft.
type to enter People’s Liberation Army It is expected that this much-needed

enters
Naval Air Force (PLANAF) service.
Following its first appearance in prototype
form in November 2011 — two prototypes
were built, serials 731 and 732 — several
ASW version will eventually be
introduced in larger numbers by all three
naval fleets. Again based on the trusted
Y-9 airframe, the variant has been under

service
new images were leaked during April this development since 2007 and represents
year showing the Y-8GX-6 ready to enter the first dedicated combat version of the
service. The latest imagery confirms that Y-8/9 family.
the PLANAF has finally introduced to Besides a comprehensive array of
different smaller sensors and antennas
around the fuselage, it features a large
chin radome housing a surface search
radar, and an electro-optical turret
including a forward-looking infra-red
sensor, charge-coupled device TV camera
and laser rangefinder below the forward
fuselage. Its most noticeable feature is
a magnetic anomaly detector (MAD)
‘sting’ on its tail. The type also has a fully
pressurized cabin modified to house an
internal bomb bay for depth charges,
Yu-7K light torpedoes and perhaps even
anti-ship missiles such as the YJ-9 or
YJ-83K.
The Y-8GX-6 is powered by four uprated
Unofficial reports from the Chinese media suggest that ‘an unspecified number’ of Y-8GX-6s WJ-6C engines with six-blade propellers.
have been inducted by the North Sea Fleet, replacing the venerable SH-5 flying-boats (85x2x It is expected to have a range in excess
serials). Other reports indicate serials in the 8519x sequence, which means they are operated of 5,000km or a patrol time of up to 10
by the 9th Naval Aviation Division assigned to the South Sea Fleet. via Chinese internet hours. Andreas Rupprecht

22 September 2015 www.combataircraft.net

Korea chooses
A330 MRTT as
Australia adds
to fleet
The A330-200 Multi-Role Tanker Transport
(MRTT) continues to go from strength to
strength, with a new order from South Korea
and additional sales to established operator
Australia.
Seoul’s Defense Acquisition Program
Administration (DAPA) chose the Airbus
Defence and Space product on June 30, in
preference to the Boeing KC-46A Pegasus
and the Boeing 767-300-based Multi-Mission
Tanker Transport offered by Israel Aerospace
Industries. DAPA reportedly selected the
European tanker on the basis of its capabilities
(specifically endurance, fuel capacity,
personnel, and cargo capacity), cost, and the
fact that it is already in widespread service.
Under the $1.25-billion KC-X program, the
Republic of Korea Air Force is set to receive
two of the Rolls-Royce-powered tankers in
2018 and two in 2019.
Some observers had expected the KC-46 to
emerge victorious, after Boeing announced the
Pegasus would cost 25 per cent less to maintain
and operate over its life cycle compared with
the A330 MRTT. However, the purchase price
tag of the Boeing tanker remained higher than
that of the A330.
The refueling aircraft will fill a significant
gap in the RoKAF order of battle, and have
been on the air force’s list of priorities since the
mid-1990s. Among its missions will be support
of fighters patrolling over the easternmost islets
of Dokdo, where jets are currently limited to
around 30 minutes on station.
According to Airbus, the airframe will
‘establish a long-term and sustainable co-
operation with the Korean industry’. This could
well put the European firm in pole position
to win a forthcoming contract to supply Japan
with new tanker aircraft.
As well as having been selected by nine
nations plus the European Defence Agency, the
A330 MRTT has won every tanker competition
it has entered outside the United States. Indeed,
the Airbus design was originally selected for
the US Air Force’s own KC-X tanker program
before the decision was overturned and then
won by Boeing.
The A330 MRTT has the advantage of being
in service, while development of the KC-46 is
projected to be completed in 2017. The Airbus
is also larger, making it useful for transport and
aero-medical missions and allowing it to carry
more fuel in the refueling role.
A further boost for Airbus came with the
news that Australia is to purchase two more
KC-30As for delivery in 2018. The deal,
valued at $314 million, was announced by the
Australian Defence Minister on July 1 and was
signed as an update to the existing acquisition
contract. The aircraft will be converted at
Getafe, Spain using two former Qantas Airways
A330-200 airliners.
The Royal Australian Air Force currently
operates a fleet of five KC-30As, which is the
local designation for the A330 MRTT.
www.combataircraft.net September 2015
LATEST DELIVERIES
Final C-130 for Afghanistan
The fourth C-130 for the Afghan Air Force arrived
Emirates. The UAE originally received 24
Air Tractor AT-802s from 2011 to 2013 for its
at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, on
June 20, after a week-long journey beginning at
Special Operations Command. Some of these
have been sighted in Libya where they are
Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas. operating in support of the government in
Tobruk, while six were reportedly donated to
First RAAF Spartan delivered Jordan.
On June 30 the Royal Australian Air Force
accepted the first of 10 C-27J transports. The Egyptian F-16s return to test
Spartan touched down at RAAF Base Townsville Lockheed Martin has resumed flight testing of
on June 24 before proceeding to its new home Egyptian Air Force F-16s at Fort Worth, Texas.
of Richmond where it will join 35 Squadron. The They had been in storage, before the US State
unit will eventually move to Amberley. Department lifted arms sanctions against Cairo.
The return to flight suggests deliveries could
Archangel deliveries to UAE be close to resuming. A first operational check
IOMAX has commenced deliveries of the first flight (OCF) by c/n JJ-06 was noted on June 24; a
of 24 Archangel aircraft to the United Arab second jet, JJ-11, flew its OCF on June 26.
F-AIR
Colombia
2015
F-AIR (Feria
Aeronáutica
Internacional de
Rionegro) is Colombia’s
biennial international
airshow held at Rionegro
Airport, Medellin. Staged
from July 9-12, the event
was also a showcase
for Colombia’s military
aviation. With the Kfir
absent, the highlight this
year was the AH-60L Arpía
display team with a spirited
two-ship routine. Bearing
in mind the threat posed
by FARC guerillas, the Arpiá
is the Colombian Air Force’s
most important asset for fighting
ground targets. On the ground this
combat helicopter was also displayed
with its Toplite III sensor system and Spike
missiles. Dr Andreas Zeitler
FIGHTER ROUND-UP
Korean ‘Viper’ upgrade approved The upgrade is based around the
The US government has approved the upgrade Northrop Grumman AN/APG-83 Scalable
of South Korea’s Lockheed Martin F-16s, with Agile Beam Radar (SABR) active electronically-
work to be conducted by Lockheed Martin and scanned array (AESA) radar and will also
Northrop Grumman. The cost of the revised address all-weather ground attack capability,
deal has increased by more than half, to an adding, among others, the Laser Joint Direct
estimated $2.5 billion. The Foreign Military Attack Munition.
Sale will include upgrade of the fighters More advanced weapons will also be
together with associated equipment, parts and added in the air-to-air realm, and these will
logistical support. be allied with a Link 16 datalink capability
In all, 134 (K)F-16C/D Block 52 aircraft will and Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System.
be upgraded. New equipment will include New missiles are likely to include the AIM-9X
an active electronically-scanned array (AESA) Sidewinder.
radar, modular mission computer, Advanced Upgrade work is scheduled to begin in 2016
Identification Friend or Foe (AIFF) system, and will take five to six years to complete.
embedded GPS/inertial navigation system,
upgraded radar warning receivers, and AN/ First flight for Philippine FA-50
ALQ-213 electronic warfare management units. Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) has
conducted the first flight of an initial FA-50PH
Singapore outlines F-16 upgrade for the Philippines Air Force. It took place on
The Singaporean Defense Ministry has June 19. The Philippines placed an order for
announced details of the Republic of 12 FA-50 light combat aircraft in March 2014
Singapore Air Force’s Lockheed Martin F-16C/D and KAI aims to deliver an initial pair before
upgrade program. the end of this year.
23
 NEWS World
Iraqi ‘Vipers’ delivered
First F-16IQs arrive at Balad
F
OURTEEN MONTHS AFTER
the maiden flight of the first
Lockheed Martin F-16IQ
Fighting Falcon and 13
months after initial delivery
to the Iraqi Air Force, the first
four examples reached Balad Air Base on
July 13 after a three-day journey starting
from Tucson, Arizona.
They comprised a pair of F-16C Block
52CFs, serials 1607 (c/n RA-01) and 1610
(c/n RA-04), and two F-16D Block 52CFs,
serials 1601 (c/n RB-01) and 1604 (c/n
RB-04). All departed Tucson on July 9,
reaching Lajes in the Azores that evening.
They left for Balad AB three days later.
An initial contract for the acquisition of
18 F-16C/D Block 52s (12 F-16Cs and six
F-16C-52-CF serial 1610 (c/n RA-04)
is among four F-16IQs that recently
arrived at the Iraqi Air Force’s Balad AB.
The jet is seen landing at Lajes en route
to Iraq on July 9. Tiago Alonso Silva
Latest Iraqi ‘Frogfoot’
The ex-Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Air and Space
Force Su-25KM and its two IRIAF MiG-29 escorts prepare to
depart Mehrabad International Airport for the short journey
from Tehran to Baghdad. Aziz Khodabande
24
F-16Ds), all with downgraded air-to-air
combat capability, and equipped with
AN/APG-68(V)9 radars and PW-F100-229
engines, together with ground equipment,
spare parts, ammunition and ordnance,
was signed in January 2011. The total
price was almost $3 billion and delivery
was scheduled for 2014 and 2015.
Twenty AN/AAQ-33 Sniper advanced
targeting pods and four Goodrich DB-110
airborne reconnaissance systems were
ordered subsequently, and, in April 2013,
18 more F-16IQs worth $830 million were
ordered for delivery in 2017 and 2018.
The first F-16IQ, serial 1601, rolled
out of the Fort Worth facility in March
2014. The aircraft, an F-16D, performed
its maiden flight on May 7, 2014. It was
followed by an official delivery ceremony
at Fort Worth on June 5, 2014.
Twelve years after the Iraqi Air
Force lost its last interceptors — two
MiG-29Bs stood on alert duty at Baghdad
International Airport in 2003 — the four
F-16C/Ds will equip a new squadron
stationed at Balad.
While 11 Su-25s form the backbone
of the Iraqi Air Force attack fleet, the
multi-role F-16Cs will be able to act as
interceptors to defend Iraqi airspace
via their AIM-9 Sidewinder and AIM-7
Sparrow air-to-air missiles. Equipped with
Sniper targeting systems, they will enable
use of precision-guided munitions against
targets in residential areas such as the city
of Mosul. Babak Taghvaee
While the Iraqi Air Force is to receive 17
F-16IQs by the end of the year, Iraq’s regional
ally Iran has delivered one more Sukhoi Su-25
as a replacement for one of five ex-Iranian
Su-25s lost in combat last summer.
The newly delivered Su-25KM, the identity
of which is still unknown, departed Mehrabad
International Airport for Iraq on July 13. The
jet was escorted by two MiG-29s of the Islamic
Republic of Iran Air Force’s 11th Tactical
Fighter Squadron until they reached the
airspace of TFB.3 Nojeh (Shahrokhi), where
two F-4Es took over escort responsibility.
The Su-25 was restored and modernized
by the Pars Aviation maintenance and repair
center between January and June 2015. Now
the Iraqi Air Force has a fleet of 11 Su-25s,
in service with No 109 Squadron at New
al-Muthana (Baghdad International Airport).
These will bear the brunt of combat operations
until September 2016, when the first four
F-16IQs and their pilots will be fully qualified
for operational duties. Babak Taghvaee
September 2015 www.combataircraft.net
ORDERS
ASIAN ORDERS
More Poseidons for India
New Delhi has approved a $1-billion plan to
purchase four more P-8I Poseidon maritime
surveillance aircraft from Boeing to join the
eight already on order. To date, seven aircraft
from the original 2009 order have
been inducted.
Japan reduces Osprey order
Bell Boeing has received a $332.5-million
contract modification to provide Japan with
five V-22B Osprey Block C tilt-rotors, down from
the 17 examples requested in May. The first five
are to be delivered to Japan by June 2018.
NEWS Losses
• CL-215 serial 1070, operated by the
Hellenic Air Force, made a forced landing
after suffering technical problems while
conducting an aerial firefighting mission
in southern Greece on July 17. Both pilots
reportedly suffered minor injuries and
the aircraft major damage when it came
down in Faraklo, Lakonia, in the southern
Peloponnese region.
• Tu-95MS serial RF-94204 operated by
the Russian Air Force crashed during
an unarmed training flight following an
apparent multiple engine failure on July
14. Although five crew parachuted to
safety, two others were killed in the crash,
which occurred near the Chinese border
around 50 miles (80km) from Khabarovsk in
eastern Russia.
• US Air Force F-16C serial 96-0085, which
had been assigned to the 20th Fighter
Wing’s 55th Fighter Squadron at Shaw AFB,
South Carolina, crashed following a mid-air
collision with a civilian Cessna 150 on July
7. The pilot of the fighter ejected safely;
however, both occupants of the Cessna
were killed in the collision. The accident
occurred over Moncks Corner, South
Carolina around 11 miles (17km) north of
Charleston.
• Both crew aboard a Russian Air Force
Su-24M2 were killed when the strike aircraft
crashed on take-off at the start of a routine
training flight at Khurba air base in the
Khabarovsk region on July 6.
• An MD500 helicopter operated by the
Kenya Defence Forces lost power while
attempting to land and crashed on July 6.
Both pilots were critically injured and died
as a result of their injuries. The helicopter
came down at the Bar’goni military camp
in Lamu county’s Boni Forest and was
consumed by fire.
• A Russian Air Force MiG-29 crashed
during a training flight near Kushchevskaya
air base in southern Russia’s Krasonodar
region on July 3. The pilot was able to eject
safely before the fighter crashed around 5
miles (8km) from the base.
• KC-130B serial A-1310 (c/n 3616) operated
by the Indonesian Air Force was destroyed
in a crash immediately after the Hercules
www.combataircraft.net September 2015
New Jordanian Black Hawk
Jordan is to receive an additional Sikorsky
UH-60M under a $12-million Foreign Military
Sales contract modification. The helicopter will
be provided in a VIP configuration and will join
two others in Royal Jordanian Air Force service.
Saudi Arabia buys C295W
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior has placed
order with Airbus Defence and Space for four
C295Ws. The transport was selected after an
open competition, and according to Airbus
was ‘chosen based on its demonstrated
excellent operational capabilities in hot and
severe conditions.’
Compiled by Tom Kaminski
took off from Soewondo air base in Medan,
North Sumatra, on June 30. The aircraft’s
12-member crew and 110 passengers
were killed along with 17 civilians on the
ground when the aircraft went down in
a residential area around 3.1 miles (5km)
from the airport. The Hercules crew had
declared an emergency and was attempting
to return to the airport. It apparently struck
a radio antenna before crashing.
• A US Coast Guard MH-65D was heavily
damaged in a hard landing at San Francisco
International Airport, California, on June
29. Two crew aboard the helicopter, which
was assigned to Air Station San Francisco,
suffered minor injuries when the Dolphin
rolled onto its side during the post-
maintenance test flight.
• Two pilots aboard an Argentine Air Force
EMB-312 Tucano were killed when the
trainer crashed around 6.2 miles (10km)
south of Arroyito, San Justo, Córdoba
on June 29. The aircraft and crew were
assigned to the Military Aviation School
at Córdoba.
• Shenyang F-7MB serial 1416, operated by
the Bangladesh Air Force’s 25 Squadron,
crashed into the Bay of Bengal around
45 miles (72km) from Chittagong during
a training exercise on June 29. The pilot
was killed in the accident, which occurred
shortly after the fighter took off from BAF
Base Zahurul Haque, adjacent to Shah
Amanat International Airport in Chittagong.
• An unidentified helicopter, operated by
the Afghan National Army (ANA), suffered
a hard landing in southern Afghanistan’s
Kandahar province on June 28. Three
soldiers were killed in the crash, which
occurred in the Garmawak area, between
the districts of Maiwand and Ghorak.
• Maule MXT-7-180 serial FAH277,
operated by the Honduran Air Force, was
heavily damaged when a gust of wind
caused the aircraft to strike a building
during take-off at Toncontin International
Airport in Tegucigalpa, Honduras
on June 27.
• US Navy TH-57B BuNo 163327, assigned
to Helicopter Training Squadron 18 (HT-18),
was destroyed when it crashed while hover
AFRICAN ORDERS
Ghana goes for Super Tucano
Embraer will sell five A-29 Super Tucanos to the
Ghana Air Force. They will be used for
advanced training, border surveillance and
internal security missions.
UH-60Ms for Tunisia
The US is to supply Tunisia with four ‘modified’
Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawks by the end of
June 2019. The contract is a $79.7-million
modification to an award for eight ‘green’
helicopters made in March. Tunisia requested
12 armed UH-60Ms worth $700 million in
July 2014.
taxiing at NAS Whiting Field, Florida on
June 25. Neither crewmember was injured.
• An-2 serial HL-1090 operated by the
Republic of Korea Air Force sustained
substantial damage when the crew ditched
the aircraft in a stream near Okcheon in
North Chungcheong province following
an apparent engine failure on June 25. No
injuries were reported among the four crew
and passengers.
• Iraqi Air Force F-16D serial 1601,
which had been assigned to the Arizona
Air National Guard’s 162nd Fighter Wing,
crashed during a night training mission
near Douglas, Arizona on June 24. The
fighter went down near the Arizona/New
Mexico border about 5 miles (8km) east of
Douglas Municipal Airport. The pilot, an
Iraqi brigadier general, was killed.
• The pilot of an F-16A operated by the
Royal Thai Air Force’s 1st Wing/102nd
Squadron ejected safely before the fighter
skidded off the taxiway and veered into a
drainage ditch at Korat Air Force Base in
Nakhon Ratchasima on June 23.
• A US Air Force MQ-1 remotely piloted
aircraft crashed in south-eastern Iraq on
June 22 after controllers lost ‘positive
control’ of the Predator during a sortie
supporting anti-IS operations. According
to US Central Command, the loss was not
caused by enemy fire.
• UH-60L serial EJC-2185 operated by the
Colombian Army’s 2nd Aviation Battalion
was destroyed when it struck a land mine
apparently planted by Revolutionary
Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels
in a field in north-eastern Colombia. Four
soldiers were killed and six were injured
in the mishap, which occurred near El
Bejuco in Teorema, North Santander
province, on June 22.
• US Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier II
BuNo 165419 was heavily damaged
when the main landing gear struck the
deck of the USS Essex (LHD 2) during
a rolling landing on June 19. The
aircraft was assigned to Marine Attack
Squadron (VMA) 311 and was deployed
as part of the 15th Marine Expeditionary
Unit (MEU).
25
The combination of
the new APG-63(V)3
radar and the
AIM-120D makes the
F-15C a very potent
long-range killer.

DEFENDERS
OF THE STATES
The Massachusetts Air National Guard is a proud flyer of
the F-15C Eagle. As well as deploying around the world, the
squadron is heavily committed to defending the homeland.

report: Jamie Hunter photos: Jim Haseltine

26 September 2015 www.combataircraft.net


‘The common misconception is
that the Eagle is old, limping
across the finish line and on
its way out. We are still in the
middle of our heyday’
Col Kenneth Lambrich
www.combataircraft.net September 2015
N
EXT YEAR WILL mark the
40th anniversary of the F-15
Eagle entering front-line
service with the US Air
Force. The Eagle re-wrote the
rulebook when it came to air
superiority fighters, and many still regard it as
being without equal.
The F-15A first entered service with the 58th
Tactical Training Wing at Luke Air Force Base,
Arizona, in November 1974 as pilot training
commenced. The initial operational wing was
the 1st Tactical Fighter Wing at Langley AFB,
Virginia, which re-equipped from January
1976. The improved F-15C followed from
1979, and the type will be forever etched in
history with a 104:0 ‘kill’ ratio. The Eagle
occupies a special place within the ranks of
the world’s greatest air force and in the hearts
of many of its pilots.
The advent of the F-22 Raptor should have
seen the F-15C superseded. Air dominance
was the buzzword, while stealth became a
vital feature for the future of USAF fighters.
The Eagle’s days appeared to be numbered.
However, as budget shortfalls led to Raptor
production being slashed from the originally
planned 648 to just 187 jets, it became clear
that the F-15C would be required to remain in
service in large numbers, and potentially for
some considerable time. This has since been
compounded by the fact that the emerging
F-35A Lightning II is far from being an air
superiority thoroughbred, to the likes of which
the US Air Force is accustomed. Look no
further than the recent reports of a clean-
configured test F-35A being easily beaten in a
dogfight by an F-16D carrying external
fuel tanks.
Although it has been endorsed as the future
backbone of the USAF ‘fighter’ community,
many now admit that the F-35 is a stealthy,
multi-role air-to-ground strike platform, with a
useful secondary air-to-air capability.
Col Kenneth Lambrich is the vice-
commander of the 104th Fighter Wing,
Massachusetts Air National Guard. He is a
career F-15C pilot, with over 3,000 Eagle hours
proudly inked into his logbook. ‘Our core
mission is standard for all F-15C units — both
active-duty and Air National Guard — we are
here to provide air superiority on demand
around the world, day in, day out’, Col
Lambrich told Combat Aircraft. ‘We are
training to bring air superiority to any spot on
the planet. Our secondary mission here at
Barnes [Air National Guard Base] is Aerospace
Control Alert [ACA], part of the homeland
defense mission. We maintain a contingent on
full-time rapid response, with combat-
configured alert pilots in aircraft ready to go at
a moment’s notice here on the north-east
corridor [of the US]. This is a home station
alert for us, which we maintain ‘24/7’.’
Looking at the future for the F-15C and the
USAF’s fighter aircraft situation, Lambrich
comments: ‘We see a long-term requirement in
the Air Force for the F-15C. Most fighters
throughout aviation history are designed as
improvements of last year’s model. In the
1960s they took a look at air superiority as a
complete, no-holds-barred [solution, and
asked] what is the theoretical perfection? What
came out of that was the F-15. Everything
since then has looked at the F-15 and the
lessons learned there. In reality the F-22 took
27
the F-15 concept and added supercruise,
stealth and advanced avionics. If you look at
all the fourth- and fifth-generation fighters
produced since the mid-1970s there’s a
remarkable resemblance to the F-15.’
The lack of mass in the USAF fighter
community, which once boasted over 1,000
Eagles, endorses the general view that the
F-15C will have to remain in service to operate
alongside the Raptor. Although only three
active-duty squadrons continue to fly the
F-15C/D (the 44th and 67th Fighter Squadrons
at Kadena AB, Japan, and the 493rd FS at RAF
Lakenheath, England) the aircraft looks set to
continue operating for many years to come
with the Air National Guard. ‘The F-15C is
slated to maintain its life-span throughout the
full life-span of the F-22’, says Lambrich. ‘The
F-22 and the F-15C have integrated tactics and
training and we employ side-by-side, working
together to maintain air superiority’. He adds:
‘I don’t see any indications of that changing
throughout the life-span of the F-22.’
Young at heart
Airframe age and longevity in service are
common themes within the USAF these days.
It’s easy to forget that the F-15 is 40 years old,
but the fact isn’t lost on the Massachusetts
Eagle drivers, who remain immensely proud
and supportive of this fighter. ‘The common
misconception is that the Eagle is old, limping
across the finish line and on its way out’,
warns Lambrich. ‘We are still in the middle of
our heyday.’
Of course, the structural concerns
surrounding the F-15C were well publicized
following the 2007 in-flight break-up of a
Missouri ANG F-15C. However, the
inspections and structural analysis that
followed this incident corrected a
manufacturing defect in a specific batch of
parts and there appear to be no lingering
concerns over the structural integrity of the
F-15 within the Eagle community. Boeing now
ANG F-15Cs are powered
by higher-thrust Pratt &
Whitney F100-PW-220E
engines.
28
has an F-15C in a four-year cycle of fatigue
testing; the type is currently rated for a
9,000-hour service life and the goal is to
double that lifetime to 18,000 hours.
The reality is that the airframe offers a
service life much more robust than was
originally designed for. Col Lambrich says:
‘Our fleet average is somewhere around a
1985-86 model and these numbers would put
them at less than half of their life-span.’
Injections of new capability are also vital in
keeping the F-15C relevant. This ‘legacy’
airframe may well be robust, but under the
skin it needs to be able to meet and defeat
emerging threats. Few commanders
underestimate the rise of advanced surface-to-
air missiles.
The Air National Guard, which is now the
primary F-15C operator, began formal
transition to new Pratt & Whitney
F100-PW-220E improved-thrust engines in
October 2003. F-15Cs have also been long-
term users of the Multi-functional Information
Distribution System (MIDS), known as the
Fighter Data Link (FDL) or ‘Fiddle’ — one of
the most important tools in the modern
air-to-air regime. The Suite 5M Operational
Flight Program (OFP) upgrade then heralded
an outstanding high off-boresight engagement
capability that teamed the new AIM-9X
Sidewinder missile with the Joint Helmet-
Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS). This meant
that Eagle pilots became world leaders in
shooting missiles at radical engagement
angles, simply by looking and firing.
The radar is, of course, the ‘nerve center’ of
the F-15C. With its large radome, powerful
radar and impressive target identification
skills, the Eagle earned a formidable
reputation for extending its talons and killing
at range. Lambrich commented: ‘In the 1990s
the Air Force upgraded around 180 Eagles
with (V)1 radars, which was basically an
analog-to-digital upgrade. They subsequently
modified some of them to (V)2 AESA [active
September 2015 www.combataircraft.net
Above: The
104th Fighter
Wing flagship
on patrol
above Cape
Cod.
Right anti-
clockwise:
The F-15C
cockpit will
benefit from
new displays
soon, aimed
at maximizing
the benefit of
the new AESA
radar.
Maintainers
prepare
AIM-120
training
rounds for
loading at
Barnes ANGB.
Col Kenneth
Lambrich,
104th FW vice-
commander.

www.combataircraft.net September 2015 29

 This photo: No fewer than
three ‘MiG-killers’ in one
shot. Serial 85-125 downed
an Iraqi MiG-29 in ‘Desert
Storm’ with an AIM-7
Sparrow on January 17,
1991. 85-122 claimed a
further MiG-29 two days
later, while 79-064 downed
an Il-76 the following
month.
Above: Despite a few
concerns, the F-15C has
proved its structural
integrity and will continue
to serve well into the
future.
Left: Air National Guard
pilots are justifiably proud
of their association with
the F-15C.
Above right: A 104th FW
F-15C pumps out a volley
of decoy flares.

30 September 2015 www.combataircraft.net

 electronically scanned array] standard [for one
squadron that was based at Elmendorf,
Alaska]. We now have the (V)3.’
Today, the term ‘Golden Eagle’ has been
coined for the aircraft slated to receive a
brand-new AESA radar — the Raytheon
AN/APG-63(V)3. The 422nd Test and
Evaluation Squadron ‘Green Bats’ and the
USAF Weapons School at Nellis AFB, Nevada,
received their first F-15Cs upgraded with the
(V)3 in October 2010. It proved to be a
real winner.
In last month’s issue, the 48th FW
commander Col Robert Novotny called the
(V)3 ‘a game-changer’. This has now been
coupled with the latest AIM-120D version of
the Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air
Missile (AMRAAM), and the results look to be
very positive for the F-15C.
The Air National Guard jets have been trying
out some new pods, including the
AN/AAQ-33 Sniper advanced targeting pod to
aid passive air-to-air target acquisition and
identification. Col Lambrich explained: ‘The
[Sniper pod] program is still in testing down at
the Florida ANG. They are working out the last
few production kinks and all units will be
equipped with those [pods] very shortly.’

www.combataircraft.net September 2015 31

32 September 2015 www.combataircraft.net

The Suite 6 Operational Flight Program
(OFP) standard also adds two new pods — the
Legion Pod and Talon HATE. The Legion Pod
is a new multi-function sensor from Lockheed
Martin based on the IRST21 infra-red search
and track system. It builds on the AN/AAS-42
that was carried by the F-14D Tomcat and is a
vital new sensor for the F-15C.
Col Lambrich commented: ‘The IRST is a
completely separate program, and that is all on
the active-duty side and a little longer on the
horizon for the Guard. They are making
advances on both the defensive and offensive
side, [focusing on] electronic protection and
making the Fighter Data Link more robust
against jamming and able to share across
different platforms — that’s a huge force-
multiplier.’
Of major concern for leaders is the need to
beef up and modernize the F-15’s offensive and
defensive electronic warfare systems. The
Eagle Passive/Active Warning and
Survivability System (EPAWSS) is planned to
help the F-15C counter the latest threat systems
towards the end of this decade.
Talon HATE is a Boeing pod aimed at
enabling communications between fourth- and
fifth-generation platforms. Communicating
with the F-22 has always been troublesome.
Raptors have traditionally only been able to
datalink with other Raptors via their Intra-
Flight Datalink (IFDL), without access to the
widely-used MIDS. The advent of new
datalink communications should allow the
F-22 to disperse data from two of its most
sophisticated sensors: the APG-77 radar and
ALR-94 electronic warfare system. Details of
Talon HATE remain sketchy. However, a new
Northrop Grumman ‘fifth-to-fourth-generation’
networking system with a stealthy dual-band
antenna has been developed. Lockheed Martin
www.combataircraft.net September 2015
has talked up Project Missouri, a flight
demonstration performed in December 2013 in
which an F-22 passed data to a surrogate F-35
without compromising its electronic stealth
signature. Both proposals are now set to
compete for an Advanced Tactical Datalink
(ATDL) program, aimed at solving the
networking problem between the F-22 and
other aircraft, initially the F-35. As currently
designed, the F-22’s IFDL is also unable to
exchange data with the Multi-function
Advanced Datalink (MADL) aboard the F-35.
Maintaining a classic
Despite the range of upgrades, maintaining a
high level of serviceability in a 40-year-old
fighter is no easy task. This is testament to the
maintainers at every squadron. ‘I couldn’t be
more proud of this group of all-stars we have
here’, commented Col Lambrich. ‘We look at
the F-15 not as if it is a stock 1957 Chevy; it’s
more of a hot-rod.
‘With the (V)3 [radar] dropped in plus the
increasingly modern avionics, the new Dash
220E motors to increase our performance and
energy state, the FDL, increased weapons
options with the AIM-9X, the JHMCS, the
Sniper pod — all of these additions keep [the
Eagle] on the forefront of modern technology.
But it’s still the same airframe. From the main
spars to the canopy rigging, these guys
maintain a classic car at the performance levels
of being able to run in a Formula One race. It’s
astounding!’
Its age means that there are some things that
Boeing, the original equipment manufacturer,
no longer supports. Therefore, a number of
new start-up companies have re-tooled to
supply spares. Some parts are pulled out of the
boneyard and refurbished, while others are
provided new by Boeing.
A gaggle of Massachusetts ANG
F-15Cs swarms around a KC-10 for
aerial refueling.
Massachusetts Eagle drivers
Col Lambrich speaks of his team at Barnes
with genuine affection. ‘With 18 jets on the
squadron, we’ve got about 30 pilots. It’s a
mixture of full-time and part-time, as it is at
most Guard units. A little over two-thirds of
our pilots started on active-duty, whereas
about one-third are home-grown here at the
unit. We have a scattering of new guys that
just went through pilot training in the last
few years, plus we have guys that have been
doing this for their whole career. I started off
in active-duty [service] and I’ve flown the
F-15C my whole career. I’m currently the
high-time pilot here at the unit with about
3,700 hours. I started back at Tyndall in 1990
— it was a different animal back then!’
As the F-15Cs have been consolidated into
the ANG, it has resulted in an increase in
deployments for the CONUS units. ‘Last year
we went to the Pacific twice for ‘Century
Aloha’ in Hawaii. There we flew a lot of fighter
integration [FI] large-force employment
missions with our F-15s and the F-22s to ‘hold
the fort’. We followed that up with an exercise
in Malaysia later in the year. We also deployed
to the CENTCOM area for operations.’
Looking further ahead, it seems likely that
the active-duty Air Force will pass its F-15Cs
down to the ANG as more F-35s arrive. Those
ANG F-15C units expect that developments in
both tactics and training will go hand-in-hand
with the future upgrades to enable the F-15C
to keep fighting alongside the Raptor, and
provide the bulk of US Air Force air
superiority for many years to come.
Acknowledgments: The author would like to
thank Col Kenneth Lambrich and Lt Col Brenda
Hendricksen.
33
EXERCISE REPORT

ANATOLIAN
EAGLE
2015-1

34 September 2015 www.combataircraft.net

 The latest ‘Anatolian Eagle’
exercise attracted the usual
heady mix of exotic local
fighters plus some notable
visitors.

T
HE TURKISH AIR Force’s
(Türk Hava Kuvvetleri) premier
exercise ‘Anatolian Eagle’, held
at Konya air base in central
Turkey, is gaining a reputation
as one of the world’s leading
fighter aircraft training events. Dating
This Turkish Air back to 2001, it is here that the east meets
Force F-4E 2020 is the west, offering a rare opportunity for
from 111 Filo, based interaction between squadrons.
at Eskisehir. It was The latest iteration of the exercise was
notable that the F-4Es held between June 4-19. It attracted around
at this year’s event
100 fast jets from the hosts, the US, UK,
were once again
regularly carrying Germany, Spain and Pakistan. The scenario
the AGM-142 Popeye is a tried and tested formula, with a ‘Blue
stand-off missile and Team’ attacking tactical and strategic
associated targeting targets in ‘Red Land’ during combined air
pod. Alexander Golz operations (COMAOs).

www.combataircraft.net September 2015 35

36
 Left page: An evocative scene from Konya as an F-4E
returns from a mission. In the background is a Royal
Air Force Typhoon from No XI Squadron, which was
part of a detachment from RAF Coningsby.
Alexander Golz

Left and below: Turkey’s latest Block 50+ F-16C/Ds were

evident, complete with outstanding unit markings.
161 Filo is based at Bandirma, with serial 07-1014 seen
here taking off for an ‘Anatolian Eagle’ mission. Also
wearing suitably stunning tail insignia was serial
07-1013 from 181 Filo
‘Panthers’ at Diyarbakır.
Dietmar Fenners

Above: This F-4E 2020 (serial 77-0285) is carrying a SOM stand-off weapon.
Manufactured by Rocketsan, this is set to be developed as the SOM-J medium-
range cruise missile for internal carriage in the F-35. Dietmar Fenners

Left: Arguably the stars of the exercise were four F-16As and two F-16Bs from the
Pakistani Air Force’s No 9 Squadron ‘Griffins’ based at Mushaf. Turkish Aerospace
Industries (TAI) upgraded 41 original Pakistani F-16A/Bs from 2009 to September
2014 as part of a mid-life upgrade (MLU), with the aircraft at ‘Anatolian Eagle’ being
MLU examples. Pakistan has now received 13 former Royal Jordanian Air Force
Block 15 jets, which have joined No 19 Squadron ‘Sherdils’, now a multi-role unit.
Pakistan thus has four F-16 units, the additional ones being No 5 Squadron ‘Falcons’
and No 11 Squadron ‘Arrows’. Dietmar Fenners

37
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UNIT REPORT
This photo: As the sun
dips below the horizon,
a CV-22 moves in to
receive fuel from an
MC-130J off the north
coast of Norfolk, UK.

The 352nd Special Operations Wing is US Air Force Special

Operations Command’s European airborne hub. It supports all
kinds of clandestine missions and short-notice calls to action,
operating in the shadows, in a professional manner.

report and photos: Jamie Hunter

40 September 2015 www.combataircraft.net

 S
TORIES OF DARING deeds and
heroism are never far away when
talking about Air Force Special
Operations Command (AFSOC).
The men and women of this
very special organization are no
strangers to putting themselves in harm’s way
— often in some of the most hostile regions of
the world.
‘If they know we are coming, we are too
late’. So say the aircrews of the 352nd Special
Operations Wing (SOW) at RAF Mildenhall,
England. This is the newest wing within
AFSOC, having stood up in March this year
as the 352nd Special Operations Group
was re-designated amid sweeping changes.
Consisting of six squadrons and two groups,
the 352nd SOW includes more than 1,200
Air Commandos on call to assist in special
operations within Europe and further afield.
‘We not only support Special Operations
Command Europe (SOCEUR), but we will also
support Special Operations Command Africa,
to combat the challenges we see and the
struggles we have against violent extremism.
And that is not going away anytime soon’.
So commented AFSOC chief Lt Gen Brad
Heithold at the recent stand-up ceremony at
Mildenhall.
The big changes here reflect a major
‘recapitalization’ effort, with the Lockheed
Martin MC-130J Commando II having
www.combataircraft.net September 2015
352ND SPECIAL OPERATIONS
WING AT A GLANCE
The 352nd SOW is comprised of:
• The 7th Special Operations Squadron flying
the CV-22B Osprey
• The 67th Special Operations Squadron flying
the MC-130J Commando II
• The 321st Special Tactics Squadron composed
of combat controllers, pararescumen and
combat weathermen
• The 352nd Special Operations Support
Squadron, which provides command and
control support
• The 352nd Special Operations Maintenance
Squadron, which supports the CV-22s
• The 352nd Special Operations Aircraft
Maintenance Squadron, which supports the
MC-130Js and transient C-130s
replaced the MC-130H Combat Talon II
and the Bell Boeing CV-22B Osprey having
supplanted the MH-53M Pave Low IV. This
new team of cutting-edge platforms forms
the bedrock of a whole new era of AFSOC
operations, with more changes coming.
RAF Mildenhall is set to close, and as the
two flying squadrons mark full operating
capability (FOC) they will up-root and move
to Spangdahlem AB in Germany, signaling the
end of an era for AFSOC in the UK.
41
Impressive Ospreys
The V-22 Osprey has had its fair share of
critics. However, both the US Marine Corps
and AFSOC speak highly of the capabilities
of this unique tilt-rotor. Its ability to perform
helicopter or C-130 Hercules-type missions
make it ideally-suited for the special ops
community. Swooping in and out of hot
landing zones (LZs), sometimes having
transited for many miles at high level in
‘aircraft mode’, means that this is a formidable
tool for inserting teams of highly-skilled
ground troops. Its performance has opened
up a range of ‘infil’ and ‘exfil’ options that
the Pave Low simply could not achieve. It is
packed with technology including terrain-
following radar, satellite communications and
advanced countermeasures.
The Osprey is no longer a delicate
development aircraft that needs to be treated
with kid gloves — these are workhorses
that regularly go into combat theaters. On
December 21, 2013, AFSOC flew a rescue
42
mission in southern Sudan that nearly
resulted in the loss of three Ospreys. A trio
of AFSOC CV-22s from the 8th Special
Operations Squadron (call sign ‘Rooster flight’)
flew from Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, heading
for the city of Bor, where widespread violence
had trapped US civilians. The Ospreys were
about to land in what they had been told was
a ‘permissive environment’ at the United
Nations compound in Bor, where the 30 US
citizens had taken refuge, when ‘a barrage
of gunfire from the ground hit the formation
119 times.’
TSgt David Shea was manning the 0.5in-
caliber machine gun on the rear ramp of
‘Rooster 73’ as they made their approach
to the LZ. Suddenly they started taking
fire. According to the report released by
the 1st SOW, the three Ospreys suffered
severe damage, and four Navy SEALs on
the lead aircraft were in a critical condition
having been hit by rounds that punctured
the fuselage.
The severely-damaged CV-22s set immediate
course for Entebbe airport in Uganda, 500
miles away, taking on fuel from an MC-130
en route. ‘This mission to South Sudan is a
testament to the survivability and versatility
of the V-22’, said Maj Taylor Fingarson, who
was flying ‘Rooster 75’. ‘There is not another
aircraft in the world that could have done
what we did that day.’
The crews at Mildenhall’s 7th SOS have
similar faith in their new Ospreys. Lt Col
Roy Oberhaus is the squadron commander.
Oberhaus is a career special ops pilot who
has an impressive record flying the Pave
Low, as a result of which he proudly wears
his Weapons School graduate patch. ‘This
squadron previously flew the MC-130H and
we completed transition to the CV-22 Osprey
earlier this year’, he told Combat Aircraft. The
7th SOS received its first Ospreys in June 2013
and is now at IOC level with seven machines
on the ramp. ‘We have nine to 10 flight crews
on the squadron and — although the plan is
September 2015 www.combataircraft.net
 This photo: A 7th SOS CV-22 sweeps
across the countryside near RAF
Mildenhall in mid-summer evening
light.

Inset left: Lt Col Roy Oberhaus,

commander of the 7th SOS.

Right top to bottom: AFSOC CV-22

pilots now wear combat fatigues in
place of standard flying suits. They
are also likely to receive an Elbit
helmet-mounted display soon.

321st STS ‘PJs’ fast-rope from a

CV-22 at Sculthorpe airfield.

With Ely Cathedral in the

background, a CV-22 heads out
from Mildenhall for a dusk low-level
sortie.

a moving target — we should build to around

15-17 crews and 10 CV-22s to reach full
operating capability (FOC) in 2017.’
According to its official description, the 7th
SOS ‘operates the CV-22B executing night,
adverse weather, long-range troop transport
and re-supply operations into potentially
hazardous areas. The squadron also supports
non-combatant evacuation, humanitarian
relief and other operations.’
The Osprey started out primarily as a
Marine Corps program, before AFSOC
jumped on board and created its own
missionized derivative. ‘Right now the
Marine Corps uses the Osprey primarily
as a troop transport, ferrying from ship
to shore and from shore to ship’, added
Oberhaus. ‘We use it primarily for special
operations. If you look back through the
early phase of the Osprey program there
were a lot of critics. There’s always going to
be issues, but the majority of the incidents
and accidents were the result of human error

www.combataircraft.net September 2015 43

 A crewman pre-flights a CV-22. The
APQ-186 terrain-following radar is housed
in the nose thimble with the Raytheon
AN/AAQ-27 FLIR under the nose.

The Osprey’s versatility has opened up a variety

of new missions for the SOS community.
Below: The rear crewman can provide protection
in the rear hemisphere with the 0.5in-caliber
machine gun. Ashley Wallace

44 September 2015 www.combataircraft.net


This photo: The primary flight displays in
the CV-22 are four active matrix liquid
crystal displays (AMLCDs).
Inset right: Maj Redahlia Person, 352nd
Special Operations Maintenance
Squadron (SOMXS) commander.
www.combataircraft.net September 2015
— not anything wrong with the aircraft. If
you build a computer network, there’s a lot
to learn. The V-22 is a network of systems
connecting hardware and software together.
It’s a complex beast, but its versatility is
undoubted.
‘The obvious improvement over the MH-53
is the speed and range. We can fly high and
fast like a C-130 and fly low-level or land
like a helicopter. Low level is extremely
important for us. We typically set the terrain-
following radar [TFR] and fly manually;
we can set an altitude or a clearance from
100 to 1,000ft and we then get indications
whether to climb or to descend’. CV-22 pilots
currently rely on the radar being presented
on a head-down display. However, a number
of modifications appear to be in the works,
with a helmet-mounted display and a head-
up display (HUD) both under examination.
MSgt Kevin Robertson, a maintenance
production supervisor, talked about the
versatility of the Osprey’s cabin. ‘We can
configure for 24 troops, we can fast-rope
or hoist, and if we fold up the seats we can
carry small tactical vehicles or motorcycles.
For water operations we can fly with small
boats or jet skis. We also have litter kits
for humanitarian or medevac (medical
evacuation) duties — it’s all mission-
dependant.’
The Mildenhall Ospreys are essentially
forward-deployed assets. Once labeled as
a maintenance-heavy platform, it appears
to have moved on dramatically. Robertson
commented: ‘Things have improved. A few
years back when the Marines were operating
in the dusty environments, those engines
that only lasted a few hours are now lasting
for hundreds of hours. The 352nd Special
Operations Maintenance Squadron [SOMXS]
provides all organizational and intermediate-
level maintenance for the resident CV-22Bs.’
Maj Redahlia Person is the unit commander
on the maintenance side: ‘We have a phase
dock here and so every 210 [flight] hours
we break an airplane down. We also have
a handful of Bell Boeing field service
representatives here, but they concentrate on
the more in-depth troubleshooting’. Depot-
level Osprey maintenance is planned to
begin at unit level in 2018.
New missions
Long-range personnel recovery (PR) missions
have come into the SOS remit now, thanks to
the Osprey. ‘We are not a PR squadron — it’s
a sub-mission for us’, says Lt Col Oberhaus.
‘The rescue squadrons are assigned to Air
Combat Command, but if a [fighter] went
down on the continent, for example, they’d
probably send us — we can get there faster.
We always have folks ready to go on a fairly
short string.’
45
 Of course, the Marine Corps has made a
significant step towards introducing new
missions for its Ospreys. Adding weapons
will see Marine Ospreys being called upon
to perform close air support (CAS) roles
in some instances. The US Air Force may
well follow suit, but it is not on such an
aggressive timeline. ‘The current AFSOC
commander is a gunship crew member
and he is firepower-centric’, commented
Oberhaus. ‘It’s all under consideration
[but] we are probably not going down the
same path as the Marine Corps. They have
determined that they’d like to use the Osprey
as a CAS platform. For AFSOC, as we build
our mission packages, our primary CAS
platform is an AC-130. We expect to have
that overhead as we go into an assault.
‘If we were to put rockets and extra guns
on [the Osprey] we are taking away our
capability for carrying people in the back.
Right now our combat load is around 4,000lb
with a full bag of gas. We typically cube
out [fill the cabin] before we hit that max
weight. If we start putting rocket pods on [it
will limit] what we can put in the back. We
may not always have an AC-130 on hand,
but if we’re going into a non-permissive
environment we will have something.’
46
Additional weapons may not be an
immediate priority for the AFSOC Ospreys,
but there is clearly a lengthy list of options
on the table, as Oberhaus explains. ‘Our
anti-ice protection system still needs some
work and they’re constantly looking at ways
to improve and extend engine life. The
engines ingest quite a lot of dust and they are
working on the EAPS [Engine Air Particle
Separator], improving those at filtering out
that dust. NAVAIR controls the basic aircraft-
related items like those, but the weapons,
TFR, and our defensive add-ons are different ‘The V-22 is
— they are handled by our test unit at
Hurlburt Field.’
a network
of systems
‘Night Owls’
The 67th SOS ‘Night Owls’ has gone connecting
through a massive evolution, too. Gone are
the ageing MC-130H Combat Talon IIs, and
hardware
in have come the MC-130J Commando IIs. and software
The type’s mission statement says that it
is ‘to provide precise, reliable, flexible and
together. It’s a
responsive specialized air mobility. Utilizing complex beast,
night vision goggles, the aircraft penetrate
potentially hazardous areas to conduct but its versatility
single- or multi-ship infiltration, exfiltration,
and re-supply of special operations forces via
is undoubted’
air-drop or air-land operations, and conduct Lt Col Roy Oberhaus
September 2015 www.combataircraft.net
 This photo: CV-22s from the 7th SOS
move in for fuel from an MC-130J as
the sun sets.
Above: The ‘Night Owls’ now fly
the MC-130J Commando II. It
provides a sturdy baseline for future
enhancements in the special ops role.
Right: A dusk view of a CV-22 about to
tank from an MC-130J.

www.combataircraft.net September 2015 47

 ‘The low-level airspace here
in England is phenomenal —
we get everything we could
hope for. We train for low-level
almost every night’
Lt Col Brad Downs

48 September 2015 www.combataircraft.net

 long range refueling operations of special
operations vertical-lift assets. The squadron
also supports information operations,
humanitarian relief, medical evacuations and
noncombatant evacuations.’
Maj Seanna Less is the commander of
the 352nd Special Operations Aircraft
Maintenance Squadron (SOAMXS), which
provides organizational and intermediate-
level maintenance for the new Commando
IIs. Having previously worked in F-22
maintenance operations, Maj Less now
runs the show for the Commando II fleet at
Mildenhall and is highly complimentary
of its serviceability. ‘This is a very reliable
aircraft; we are [in the] green most of the
time’. Overall serviceability is clearly a major
advantage over the ancient MC-130Hs. Sgt
Matthew Duggan-Childs, a flying crew chief
with the unit, added: ‘There’s a lot of things
we just don’t need to do any more. For
example we used to have a 15-day inspection
criteria for the ‘legacy’ [MC-130Hs] that
involved us looking at the engines, the
landing gear, and now we have the J-models
we have more advanced computer systems
[in terms of diagnostics]. We’ve gained an
aircraft that has a lot of bells and whistles.’
Main image: A fabulous night-
time view of an MC-130J
cockpit as the crew takes on
fuel from a KC-135R.
Ashley Wallace
Top right: Lt Col Brad Downs
is the commander of the 67th
SOS ‘Night Owls’.
Right: The MC-130J is praised
by its crews for its vastly
improved performance, with
greater power and range.
www.combataircraft.net September 2015
Commander’s perspective
Lt Col Brad Downs is the commander of
the 67th SOS. He started out flying the
C-130E before joining AFSOC and flying the
MC-130H. ‘The Combat Talon II had all-
weather terrain-following [and it] was very
good for tactical operations and was set up
for the night mission. The MC-130J took the
Marine KC-130J and modified it. It’s extremely
capable; it has much better range and it has
opened up a lot of areas for us. The power on
the ‘J’ is significant; it’s the biggest difference
[plus our] fuel burn rates are vastly improved.’
Both the MC-130J and Air Combat
Command’s HC-130J Combat King II combat
rescue tanker essentially come off the Marietta
production line as common aircraft. However,
as their respective users add new capabilities
they are expected to diverge. For AFSOC, the
MC-130J includes a tanker capability, both as
a receiver and as a provider, but some of the
special operations nuances that the MC-130H
offered, such as the TFR, are still several years
away. Downs commented: ‘Right now we
predominantly fly visually at night on night
vision goggles [NVGs] plus we have the HUD,
which is a big difference — in the old aircraft
it was all heads-down. We have the future
49
 AIR COMMANDOS
The 321st Special Tactics Squadron is a
unit of combat controllers, pararescuemen
(PJs) and special operations weathermen who
essentially connect the aircraft with the ground
elements. They can secure assault zone sites
and provide air traffic control and long-range
secure command and control communications.
Additionally, the unit provides combat trauma
medical care, personnel recovery and terminal
attack control of munitions delivered by fixed-
and rotary-wing aircraft. The squadron’s special
operations weathermen provide weather
support for other military forces.
Capt Jeffrey Falcone is the director of
operations for the unit. ‘We have about 25
jobs but our main groups are the combat
controllers, the PJs and our special operations
weather. The combat controllers have several
responsibilities: they go to ATC [air traffic
control] school so they can control LZs; they
are also Joint Terminal Attack Controllers
[JTACs]. The PJs’ focus is on the medical side —
they are known for battlefield trauma in the
special ops field’. The squadron personnel have
to maintain currency in a host of skill sets. ‘We
have dirt bikes, quads, side-by-sides, mini-dune
buggies, right up to large armored vehicles. We
have boats, waverunners and inflatables plus
scuba, as well as the aircraft — we parachute,
as well as static line and freefall.’

50 September 2015 www.combataircraft.net

 Left top to bottom: potential to [overlay] the EO/IR [electro-
Capt Justin optical/infra-red] image in the HUD, [but]
Mastrangelo at we are working towards an all-weather
the controls of an capability [so] the biggest thing for us is the
MC-130J. terrain-following radar — in the MC-130H
we could fly down in the hundreds of
A loadmaster
focuses intently feet — plus we’re looking at increasing our
as he prepares to defensive capabilities.’
dispatch an aerial The Marine Corps has made huge strides
delivery from the in weaponizing its KC-130Js. However, this
back ramp of the isn’t on the cards for the MC-130Js, with
MC-130J. that mission remaining firmly with the
AC-130 community.
The combat Turning to its major missions at hand,
systems officer
Downs said: ‘We are supporting EUCOM,
has an important
role to play in AFRICOM and CENTCOM. Essentially
the MC-130J, we are all over Europe working with our
especially during partners and NATO with a lot of joint
tanking and low- combined training’. His unit is currently in
level ops. IOC status, which was defined as being ‘one
deployable unit of aircraft’. Full capability
Below: As the sun for the squadron will be heralded by a
sets, a ‘Night Owls’ 10-aircraft complement by the end of Fiscal
MC-130J heads
Year 2016.
out for a low-level
mission. ‘Our basic crew consists of two pilots,
two loadmasters and a combat systems
officer [CSO — pronounced ‘sizzo’]. The
CSO handles a lot of mission management,
the refueling pods and the jobs the flight
engineer used to do. Here at Mildenhall
the STS [Special Tactics Squadron] is our
main customer, but AFSOC is all about joint
operations, so we work closely with Navy
and Army special forces, and occasionally
with MARSOC [Marine Special Operations],
our newest SOCOM component.’
Being based in the UK affords the
Mildenhall flying squadrons excellent
potential for low-level training, which
is extremely important. However, other
environments are harder to come by on
British shores. For the CV-22s, training
in brown-out conditions in dusty LZs is
virtually impossible, and for the MC-130s
austere landing strips are ‘a challenge
for us’, according to Downs. ‘We use the
airfield at Sculthorpe, but LZs here are not
www.combataircraft.net September 2015
comparable to Afghanistan, for example.
[However], the low-level airspace is
phenomenal — we get everything we could
hope for. We train for low-level almost
every night.’
Capt Justin Mastrangelo, an MC-130J
pilot, gave a few more details of a typical
training mission. ‘For every sortie we spend
three to four hours the day prior planning
our route and co-ordinating with external
organizations. The day of the mission we
show up five hours prior and look at the
weather and NOTAMs [notices to airmen].
We brief as a formation before splitting
off for our aircraft brief; then it’s a final
quick route study before we step about an
hour-and-a-half ahead of engine start. The
low-level skill set is a big deal for us. We fly
a modified contour pattern, which means
we can fly lower to the ground at night. The
CSO is working the radar and we can use
that radar picture to fly down at 300ft. With
time and experience you can learn how to
interpret what that radar is telling you — it
paints a good picture of the terrain ahead of
us. The CSO is able to call out terrain for us
and we’re able to see it under our NVGs and
fly that modified contour.’
The move to Spangdahlem is set to throw
up more challenges for the two squadrons,
especially when it comes to low-level
flying. In Germany the height is limited
to a minimum of 1,000ft. Lt Col Downs
says: ‘We know that Germany has different
limitations, but we are working through
opportunities to ensure that all of our
training objectives will be met.’
The wing will likely look at training
opportunities in neighboring countries, but
the move is definitely on when Mildenhall
closes at the end of this decade. In the
meantime, the 352nd SOW will continue to
ply its trade in the UK, and deploy its assets
into some of the world’s most demanding
combat trouble-spots. But chances are that
nobody will hear about it, and nobody will
talk about it…
51
Known by several different names over the past half-century, the
Tucson desert adjacent to the runway at Davis-Monthan Air Force
Base has long been recognized around the world as a place of
fascination for aviation enthusiasts and history buffs alike.

report: Jake Melampy

Taken in 2008, the sad sight of B-52Gs cut up in

the Arizona sun pending scrapping. Rich Cooper

52 September 2015 www.combataircraft.net


T
ODAY, THE 309th
Aerospace Maintenance and
Regeneration Group (AMARG)
maintains roughly 4,000
aircraft, from all branches of
the United States military
and some allied partners, in various stages
of preservation and storage. AMARG is by
far the largest such complex in the world,
spanning 2,600 acres of land south-east of
Tucson, Arizona.
Located adjacent to Davis-Monthan
AFB, the AMARG location was carefully
www.combataircraft.net September 2015
Jake Melampy
chosen as a storage area for surplus aircraft
following WW2. The Arizona climate is
ideal for several reasons. The abundant
sunshine and low rainfall totals, along with
very low humidity, reduce the risk of rust
and corrosion to airframes. Additionally,
the desert soil is relatively hard and
compact, allowing even very heavy aircraft
to be stored in the open desert without the
need for costly paved storage areas.
Col Robert Lepper, Jr, the 309th AMARG
commander, explained the current status
of the facility to Combat Aircraft. ‘We are
53
known around the world as the ‘boneyard’.
We have over 4,000 airplanes here. That
alone makes us the world’s second largest
air force, second only to the US Air Force,
which has 4,400. This is the only place in
the world where it is possible to find 4,000
aircraft in one location. We also have 7,000
engines, making us the largest engine yard
in the world.
‘Everybody knows what happens here,
until they get here. The [misconceptions]
out there [are amazing]. When it comes to
the mission, people understand that we
store and dispose of old airplanes, and we
do that. But that’s only about 20 per cent of
what we do.
‘We have a few major missions, and each of
them is designed to support the warfighter.
The first mission is regeneration. We
regenerate 100 aircraft every year, returning
them to flying status. Some of these are
returned for the United States, but we also
regenerate assets to our allies. That does
a lot of good for us. We’ve sold assets that
we were not utilizing, and given our allies
a capability so they are self-sufficient. It’s a
win-win all the way around. Currently we
are regenerating a lot of KC-130s and F-16s
for various allied nations around the world.
‘A second mission is that of reclamation.
We reclaim 1,000 parts from aircraft every

This photo: Fallen ‘SLUFs’ — these battered

A-7D Corsair IIs are shown shortly before they
were cut up for scrap. Rich Cooper
Above: Even advanced and relatively modern
types such as the B-1B Lancer have made their
way to ‘D-M’ as their numbers in service have
been slashed. Rich Cooper
Right top to bottom: A Hawaii ANG F-15A frames
a gaggle of A-10s in a corner of AMARG’s desert
scrub. Jake Melampy
Most aircraft held in Type 4000 storage sit in a
separate part of the storage yard. Having been
stripped of all useful parts, these two F-16As
have been declared surplus and will soon be
scrapped. Jake Melampy
Lines of F-4s are what many people associate
with AMARG. The QF-4 full-scale aerial target
(FSAT) program cleared out many newer
examples of the Phantom II, although plenty
remain in the compound. Jake Melampy

54 September 2015 www.combataircraft.net

 month, 12,000 parts every year, and 50
‘We have over 4,000 parts every day. Some of the older airplanes
out here supply parts to send out to the
airplanes here. That warfighters. We keep their airplanes flying.
In many cases, if we don’t have the part,
alone makes us the they are out of luck. They have already
world’s second largest wiped out their parts inventory, and they
have already gone back to the original
air force, second only equipment manufacturer, who didn’t have
the parts. If we didn’t have that part, that
to the US Air Force’ aircraft would be stuck on the ground. Fifty
times every single day, we keep combat
Col Robert Lepper, Jr aircraft flying.’

www.combataircraft.net September 2015 55

Storage mission
‘A third mission is storage, which is the
easiest mission to see, and what most people
think we do’, Lepper continued. Aircraft
are held in one of four levels, or types of
storage. Type 1000 storage is also known as
‘inviolate storage’, meaning that aircraft can’t
be used as a source of spare parts. No parts
may be removed from this aircraft without
prior Pentagon approval. These aircraft are
likely going to be re-used at a future date or
will be sold to an allied nation’s air force.
For example, most F-16s are currently held
in Type 1000 storage, whether for use in the
QF-16 aerial target program or potential sales
to allied nations.
Type 2000 storage allows parts to be
removed from an aircraft to support the fleets
around the world. These are often airframes
that have been present at the facility for
longer periods of time and ‘downgraded’
from Type 1000 storage. These aircraft
include many older F-15A/Bs and F-16A/Bs.
56
Type 3000 storage is not used too often
nowadays, due largely to economic
reasons. This is flyable storage, where an
aircraft is kept at the facility in anticipation
of its departure within 90 to 180 days.
These aircraft are not fully preserved, but
maintained in an airworthy status near the
normal flight line. They are inspected daily
and their engines run every 45 days until
departure. There are currently no aircraft in
Type 3000 storage, nor immediate plans to
receive any.
Type 4000 is the final level of storage.
These aircraft have generally been in
storage for a longer period of time, having
been used as a source of parts. They have
been stripped of all useful parts and there is
no further operational requirement for these
airframes. They are often held in a separate
part of the storage yard until they can be
disposed of, whether cut up as scrap or sold
to an outside party or another government
program.
September 2015 www.combataircraft.net
AMARG FROM THE AIR
This photo: A late-1950s shot of a huge number of B-29
Superfortresses that had been replaced in service by
early jet bombers such as the B-47 Stratojet. During
1957 there were 346 B-29s held here in storage at
Davis-Monthan. USAF via Peter J. Cooper

Right: A tightly-packed line of Cannon and Upper

Heyford-era F-111E/Fs. Rich Cooper

Bottom left to right: Dominating this view of the Aircraft

Storage Unit in the late 1950s (then known as the
Arizona Aircraft Storage Branch) are Convair B-36
‘Peacemakers’. Overall, 342 aircraft of this type passed
through from 1956, the last being broken up in 1961.
USAF via Peter J. Cooper

This 1970s view shows many fighters, transports and

patrol aircraft in storage. In the foreground are F-86
Sabres and F-101 Voodoos, plus OV-1 Mohawks, KC-97s,
P-2 Neptunes, Constellations, B-52s and the Boeing
367-80 testbed for what became the 707.
USAF via Peter J. Cooper

C-5s, C-135s and B-52s dominate this recent view of

part of AMARG. Peter J. Cooper

www.combataircraft.net September 2015 57

Aircraft arrivals
When an aircraft first arrives for storage,
it lands on the regular runway at Davis-
Monthan AFB. It rolls to the end of the
runway, where it follows a vehicle to the
south side of the base. The 309th AMARG
facility is enclosed in a separate fenced-in
area of the base, complete with its own gated
entrance, into which the arriving aircraft
taxies under its own power, finally shutting
down its engine on the arrivals ramp inside
the facility.
Initial steps to receive the aircraft depend
on the type of storage for which it is destined.
However, there are several basic steps that
apply for all aircraft. The first is to inventory
the entire aircraft to ensure all parts are present
58
and accounted for. This inventory listing
is kept up to date as the aircraft remains in
storage, maintained by the program manager
for that specific type of aircraft. Classified
components are removed and stored safely
inside the on-site vault.
Once those steps are completed, aircraft
destined for Type 1000 or 2000 storage are
de-fueled and then re-filled with very thin,
lightweight oil. This is designed to lubricate
and preserve the metal components and seals
inside the fuel and oil systems. The aircraft’s
engine(s) are then run on the oil, rather than
fuel, to lubricate and preserve the powerplant.
Finally, the aircraft is drained of all un-used
oil, making it safer to store and easier to work
on in the future.
LOST TREASURES
Above: A pile of Republic F-84
Thunderjets at the Aircraft Storage
Depot in the 1950s. They had been
declared as scrap after retirement
from Air National Guard service.
Pima Air and Space Museum archive
via Peter J. Cooper
Below: The wonderful lines of an
EC-121T Warning Star. Serial
52-3417 is pictured in storage during
November 1979, having arrived
at Davis-Monthan in March 1976.
Martyn Swann via Peter J. Cooper
September 2015 www.combataircraft.net

Two lines of Convair B-58A Hustlers at Davis-
Monthan with serial 61-2051 heading the line. This
example (ex-43rd BW) was the fifth of the type to
be sent for storage, arriving on November 14, 1969
and being sold for scrap in June 1977. A total of 85
Hustlers passed through ‘D-M’, most of which were
scrapped. USAF via Peter J. Cooper
This Vietnam-veteran F-105D Thunderchief
(59-1822) was ex-149th TFS, Virginia ANG.
It arrived at AMARG in February 1981 and
was donated to the Imperial War Museum at
Duxford, UK, arriving there in 2001. It has since
gone to the Polish Aviation Museum in Kraków.
Martyn Swann via Peter J. Cooper
Convair F-102 Delta Daggers in storage
during the early 1970s. Nearest the camera
is serial 57-0876, ex-146th FIS, 112th FIG,
Pennsylvania ANG. It was later converted as
a QF-102A FSAT and shot down in August
1978. USAF via Peter J. Cooper
F-8H Crusader BuNo 147043, formerly of
VF-201, in 1977. It was officially sold to
the Philippine Air Force for spares, but
the airframe was still extant in one of the
scrapyards in March 2013.
Martyn Swann via Peter J. Cooper
www.combataircraft.net September 2015
Following those steps, the aircraft is then
towed over to the wash rack, where it is
thoroughly cleaned. Interestingly, US Navy
aircraft are washed twice to ensure no
corrosion-inducing salt water residue remains.
The final step is to cover the aircraft in
‘spraylat’, applied to strategic areas of the
airframe chosen by the engineers to protect the
aircraft’s interior from animals, insects, and the
environment. Closely adhering to a diagram
designed by the engineers, technicians apply
wide tape to seal canopy sills, access doors,
and production joints to make future removal
of the spraylat coating easier. The spraylat
system consists of four layers of covering. Two
layers of a black coating are first applied to
protect the aircraft, followed by two additional
layers of a white coating to reflect heat away
from the aircraft. With the addition of tiny
ceramic chips in the white coating of the
spraylat, the inside temperature of a sealed
aircraft is maintained to within 10 to 15
degrees above the outside air temperature.
That extends the life of any electrical or
other components inside the aircraft, as well
as fabric and cloth inside the cockpit. Most
smaller aircraft have the spraylat coatings
applied on the main working ramp, but larger
ones are sometimes towed to their designated
storage location before this is done.
Very little maintenance on the aircraft is
required once the in-processing steps are
completed. Every six months, each airframe
is visually inspected to ensure the spraylat
coating is intact, component boxes are secured
to the ground, the landing gear is safe, the
tires are in good condition, and so forth. A
checklist is used to make sure the aircraft is in
good shape. ‘This is one reason that we, as a
facility, are so cost-efficient’, says Lepper. ‘We
don’t, as a federal agency, charge for monthly
rent. We literally only charge for the actual
work we perform here. If an aircraft is stored
here, for five-and-a-half months, the customer
has zero bills. Once we do the six-month
inspection and make sure that aircraft is safe,
the customer pays for a few hours of labor and
that’s it.’
Every four years, the aircraft are completely
re-preserved, where the entire process is
reversed, as Lepper explained. ‘We will get
the airplane running on gas again, then do
the exact same preservation process we did
when the aircraft first arrived. We re-apply the
spraylat at this interval because spraylat has
just over a four-year service life.’
‘We’ve sold assets that
we were not utilizing,
and given our allies
a capability so they
are self-sufficient.
Currently we are
regenerating a lot of
KC-130s and F-16s for
various allied nations
around the world’
Col Robert Lepper, Jr
59
Keeping track
At one time, each aircraft was assigned an
inventory control number upon arrival at
AMARG. This system, in use since 1965, was
generally stenciled on to the aircraft in
several locations. It was an eight-digit
alpha-numeric code, identifying the aircraft
by type, role, and branch of service. The final
four numeric digits identified the specific
aircraft by sequence of arrival as compared to
other aircraft of its type. However, beginning
in 2010, this code has given way to a simpler
method of identifying all aircraft by original
serial number and type. This information is
60
stenciled on to the aircraft in several
locations, as was the case with the
earlier system.
Yet another task performed at the AMARG
facility is disposal. About 300 aircraft are
disposed of each year. As Lepper explains, it
costs the US taxpayer nothing to do so.
‘When we dispose of an aircraft, we will prep
it, then we will turn it over to a contractor.
That contractor will pay for all of the labor to
cut up that airplane and to haul it off. There
is so much value in the scrap material of an
airplane that we will split the proceeds
between that contractor and the federal
This photo: This area of AMARG in 2008
featured a mix of ex-Cannon AFB F-111Ds
and A-10s. Rich Cooper
Left: Aircraft destined for storage receive
four layers of the spraylat coating. The
first two coatings are black, followed by
two layers of white to help control the
temperature inside the aircraft. Rich Cooper
Below: Sorry-looking F-15s await their fate
once stripped of usable parts. Rich Cooper
Right page left to right: F-14s were retired
to Davis-Monthan in large numbers when
the type bowed out of US Navy service. This
example is unusually exposed and free of
spraylat. Rich Cooper
An array of wonderful Air National Guard
unit markings bedecked these stored F-4D
Phantom IIs in 2008. Rich Cooper
September 2015 www.combataircraft.net
government. I love it when I don’t have to
pay to get something done, and they even pay
me. That’s a pretty good deal!’ Aircraft that
are disposed of generally consist of those that
are no longer flown in the US inventory or
the inventories of allied nations. The F-111 is
a perfect recent example, as those airframes
held in storage have all been disposed of
since the Royal Australian Air Force ceased
F-111 operations in 2010. Similarly, the
stocks of A-7 Corsair IIs have begun to be
scrapped, following the Hellenic Air Force’s
final A-7 flights in 2014.
One of the largest on-going programs at
AMARG currently concerns the QF-16
www.combataircraft.net September 2015
program, as Col Lepper explains. ‘The
regeneration of the F-16 is essentially the
reverse of the storage process, such as
un-sealing the airplane. We will
automatically replace the tires, because
they are often damaged from towing them
around the desert storage yard. We will do
a major inspection, determined by the
engineer based on the length of time the
aircraft has been here. We will do an
operational check on all the systems of the
airplane, comply with all existing Time
Compliance Technical Orders (TCTOs)
that are applicable to the specific aircraft,
and perform engine runs to make sure the
jet is healthy. Once that process is
complete, we will do a Functional Check
Flight with a test pilot. If satisfactory, the
jet will then be delivered to the customer
in Florida, where the conversion to QF-16
is performed.
‘The aircraft chosen for the QF-16
program are selected for use by the
Programs Systems Office, although we do
have input on which aircraft are good
candidates. We have a telephone
conference with them every week, in which
we go through discussions and make
recommendations. We maintain and house
all the records of the aircraft here with us.’
61
Three A-10Cs rest on the
AMARG flight line in January
2014. Each had recently
been upgraded with the
Scorpion helmet-mounted
cueing system, performed at
AMARG. Jake Melampy

Upgrade efforts A recently-arrived MC-130P

In addition to the storage and reclamation (serial 65-0993) is in the process
work described earlier, the 309th AMARG of receiving its black coatings of
regularly performs modifications and spraylat. Jake Melampy
upgrade work to various aircraft that arrive
specifically for upgrades, rather than storage.
One such example is the ‘Desert Speed Line’
for the A-10. Upon an A-10’s arrival to the
facility, it will receive the Helmet-Mounted
Cueing System (HMCS) upgrade as well as
the Lightweight Airborne Recovery System
(LARS) used to help locate downed pilots.
The 309th AMARG is performing this
modification on behalf of the US Air Force.
Nearly 175 A-10Cs have been modified, with
the final aircraft being returned to the fleet
in February 2015. Additionally, the A-10 has
recently begun to receive an on-board oxygen
generating system (OBOGS), also performed
by 309th AMARG technicians.
The 309th AMARG workforce consists of
670 specialized maintenance technicians, most
of whom have previous military experience.
Some 75 per cent of them are US military
veterans, and nearly 50 per cent are retired
military veterans, meaning they have over
20 years of experience working on military
aircraft. Interestingly, because many of them
are older and highly experienced, they have
often worked at one time on the very same
aircraft that are currently in storage.
While it is easy at first glance to understand
the common perception of the 309th
AMARG as a ‘boneyard’ where old airplanes
slowly turn to dust, a closer look proves
what a valuable and thriving organization
it really is. During a time in which the
military faces massive budget cuts, the 309th
AMARG is among the few organizations that
save the US taxpayer money.

62 September 2015 www.combataircraft.net

The entire USAF fleet of C-27 Spartans
was retired to AMARG from late 2013. The
majority of the fleet remains there, held in
Type 1000 storage for possible use by another
government agency. Jake Melampy

Having been returned to flying

status, F-16ADF serial 81-0803 is
readied for departure from the
AMARG flightline in February
2015, destined for the QF-16
program. Jake Melampy

On February 13, 2015, B-52H 61-0007 was flown from AMARG to Barksdale AFB,
Louisiana, where it will re-join the USAF B-52 fleet following more than six years
of storage. This photo clearly shows the effectiveness of the spraylat — in areas
that were covered, the paint remains in nearly perfect condition, while parts of the
airframe that were exposed to the sun have faded. Jake Melampy

www.combataircraft.net September 2015 63

AIR POWER REVIEW
The variable-geometry
Su-24 is well adapted
to low-level flying.
Alexander Golz

64 September 2015 www.combataircraft.net


Earlier this year the Ukrainian
Air Force opened its doors to a
small group of journalists and
photographers from across
Europe for a briefing on the
current status of the Air Force
in the light of its ‘anti-terrorist
operations’ in the east of
the country.
report and photos:
Alexander Golz and Stefan Fax
www.combataircraft.net September 2015
UKRAINIAN
AIR FORCE AT WAR
T
HE VISIT PROVIDED a unique
opportunity to speak with the
new commander of the
Ukrainian Air Force, Lt Gen
Sergiy Drozdov, about the
ongoing anti-terrorist operation
(ATO) in eastern Ukraine. The program for
foreign visitors included visits to Ukrainian
Air Force bases in the Kiev area, and in the
west of Ukraine. Upon arrival in Kiev, and in
contrast to earlier times, the significant
number of uniformed military personnel was
immediately apparent.
The first day of the trip included a visit to the
15th Transport Aviation Brigade at Boryspil in
the Kiev Oblast (region). In Soviet times this
unit was designated as the 227th Transport
Aviation Regiment and was originally
established in February 1945 on the basis of
the 26th Independent Mixed Aviation
Regiment, part of the civil air fleet. At the end
of the war, the 227th Regiment was transferred
to Gostomel in the Ukrainian SSR and was
later re-organized as the 225th Independent
Mixed Aviation Squadron at Kiev-Zhuliany,
today Kiev International Airport. Since 1997
the unit has been based at Boryspil.
Once Ukraine gained independence in 1991,
the squadron was re-named as the 1st
Independent Transport Aviation Regiment and
since then has been re-structured on several
occasions. Since 2004 it has operated under its
current name as the 15th Transport Aviation
Brigade. In the Soviet era, crews took part in
the war in Afghanistan and provided
assistance in the wake of the nuclear disaster
at Chernobyl. During its 70-year history, the
unit has operated a wide range of aircraft and
helicopters: An-2, An-8, An-14, An-26, An-30,
C-47, Il-14, Li-2, Po-2, Tu-134, Yak-12, Mi-2,
Mi-4, Mi-6 and Mi-8.
Since the 15th Transport Aviation Brigade
also performs flights within Europe as part of
the Open Skies program, its An-30s are seen
relatively frequently around the continent.
Unfortunately, at the beginning of the ATO the
65
unit suffered the loss of an An-30 in the
disputed Luhansk area. The twin-turboprop
was the victim of a new Russian ‘Verba’ SAM.
However, as in other such incidents, the loss
only served to boost Ukrainian solidarity and
community spirit. In order to replace the
aircraft, volunteers launched an internet
campaign. Using only donations and personal
commitment, the campaign recorded success
in the fall of 2014, when it returned to service
an An-26 with the individual name Phoenix.
Marina Dobrovolskaya, the co-ordinator of
the ‘Wings of Phoenix’ program, provided a
comprehensive insight into the recent history
of this aircraft. Prior to its return to service, the
airframe was held in reserve for 10 years.
Dobrovolskaya explained that the work to
re-activate the An-26 involved close co-
operation with the ARP 410 aircraft repair
plant at Kiev-Zhuliany and engine
manufacturer Motor-Sich in Zaporizhia. In
total, some €45,000 was collected for the
resurrection of Phoenix. The donations came
from 14 countries; mainly from Ukraine, but
also from the US, Switzerland, the UK and
others. Some spare parts were procured from
abroad, including the tires.
In contrast to the completely overhauled and
now gray-painted Antonovs at Boryspil,
which were also repaired by ARP 410 at
Zhuliany, all work on Phoenix was
undertaken outside. This applied in particular
to the extraordinary color scheme, devised by
a crew member at Boryspil. Phoenix is
currently the only ‘pixelated’ An-26 and has
already conducted missions in the ATO. On
its Facebook page the aircraft is called
‘Vezunchik’, which can be translated as
‘Happy’, or, more appropriately, ‘She was
lucky’. The significance stems from the fact
that this one airframe was selected from all the
parked An-26s in order to resume flying.
Approval from the ARP 410 for operations
by An-26 Phoenix initially extends for one
year, but will soon be extended by a further 12
66
months. Factory-reconditioned aircraft This photo: Currently only a single Su-24M
typically receive a guarantee of five years. wears this colorful ‘pixelated’ scheme after
The work of volunteers did not stop with the being overhauled at Mykolaiv-Kulbakino.
Two more aircraft in the new colors will
return to service of Phoenix, however. On May
follow soon. Alexander Golz
22, 2015, a second An-26 performed its
maiden flight after restoration. As well as the Below: A two-seat Su-27UB from Ozerne
side number ‘08 Blue’, this aircraft is named sports the Ukrainian Air Force’s new
Ryatunchik (savior). Built in 1979, it waited 12 ‘pixelated’ camouflage scheme.
years in the parking area at Boryspil prior to Alexander Golz
being resurrected, again at a cost of around
€45,000 in donations. This Antonov has Right page left to right: The leopard on the
received approval from the repair shop at cockpit clearly shows that this Vasylkiv-
based MiG-29 was once stationed with the
Zhuliany for an initial two years of operations.
Soviet Air Force in East Germany, back in the
Commander of the 15th Transport Aviation early 1990s. Alexander Golz
Brigade at Boryspil is Col Oleg Mykhailenko.
He explained that the Antonovs are not an The 39th Independent Tactical Aviation
isolated case, and that volunteer support for Squadron at Ozerne recently received
the Ukrainian armed forces is significant two Su-27s overhauled by MiGRemont at
across the board. In addition, the situation as Zaporizhia. The aircraft wear the tactical
regards pilot training and routine daily flying numbers ‘33’ and ‘37’. Stefan Fax
has improved significantly in recent months.
The number of volunteers as well as former
military personnel who have requested a
return to service exceeds the requirements of
the various units. In Boryspil, for example,
only three former pilots and three navigators
have so far been integrated from the reserve,
for reasons of capacity.
When it comes to materiel, the trend is again
one of progress. Earlier problems with the
supply of jet fuel have been resolved,
according to Col Mykhailenko. Flights now
take place several times a week at each base,
and the number of participating aircraft is
double what it was previously. The
resurrection of An-26 Phoenix is the story
most closely followed by the media, but it is
not unique: the work of volunteers in
maintaining aircraft is not limited to the unit
at Boryspil. A similar picture can be found in
practically all Ukrainian Air Force brigades.
The result is clear to see — around 30
previously stored aircraft have been restored to
airworthy condition by soldiers and
volunteers.
September 2015 www.combataircraft.net
A visit to headquarters
Located next to the city of Vinnytsia is the
airfield of Gavryshivka, where the 456th
Guards Transport Aviation Brigade is
stationed. In addition to Mi-8s, the unit has
added one An-24 and several An-26s to
transport the wounded. The medical
evacuation An-26 is referred to as the An-26
Vita — it was developed by the Ukrainian
Air Force in the 1990s and has been used
frequently within the framework of the ATO.
The aircraft has transported more than 250
injured civilians and wounded soldiers to
www.combataircraft.net September 2015
hospitals in Odessa, Vinnytsia und Lviv, and
is equipped with two surgical operating
tables on board.
Vinnytsia is home to Ukrainian Air Force
headquarters, located not on the airfield but
in the city center, where the buildings
formerly served as the headquarters of the
Soviet 43rd Red Banner Rocket Army.
Speaking there, Air Force deputy
commander Lt Gen Sergiy Drozdov
expressed his gratitude for the support
provided to Ukraine by the European Union
so far. In particular, help has come from
France, Germany, the Netherlands,
and the UK.
Lt Gen Drozdov outlined the roles of the
Ukrainian Air Force during the ‘special
period’ of the ATO. Primarily, this has
involved reconnaissance, the support of other
Ukrainian military units and transport of the
wounded from the war zone in the east. In
future, the Air Force will need to be upgraded,
as will all other elements of the armed forces,
due to what he described as the Russian threat.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union the
Ukrainian Air Force possessed around 1,700
67
combat aircraft, of which a considerable
portion is still stored in depots as a reserve. It
has already been decided that the Ukrainian
armed forces will be doubled in size to
250,000 troops. In addition, the standards of
training will be revised and the number of
deployable weapon systems substantially
increased.
Drozdov reported that the number of
aircraft currently ready for use by the Air
Force has increased by a third and the
number of flight hours has also risen,
depending on aircraft type, by between 25
and 40 per cent. There are five state aircraft
factories in Ukraine, which are currently
working at full speed to repair reserve
aircraft and make good recent losses. This
attrition amounts to eight Air Force combat
aircraft, three Air Force transport aircraft,
and 10 helicopters operated by Ukrainian
Army Aviation. Aside from the need to
compensate for these, aircraft will be
returned to service to continue increasing the
overall inventory.
Modernization work that was planned
before the ATO will carry on, although the
current focus is on increasing the total
number of aircraft available. Ukraine is also
interested in acquiring more modern
technology. Lt Gen Drozdov would like to
purchase the Czech-built Aero Vodochody
L-159 ALCA (Advanced Light Combat
Aircraft) as well as unmanned aerial vehicles
UKRAINIAN AIR FORCE ORDER OF BATTLE, MAY 2015
Unit
7th Tactical Aviation Brigade
299th Tactical Aviation Brigade
831st Guards Tactical Aviation Brigade
39th Independent Tactical Aviation Squadron
114th Tactical Aviation Brigade
40th Tactical Aviation Brigade
25th Tactical Aviation Brigade
15th Transport Aviation Brigade
456th Guards Transport Aviation Brigade
205th Training Aviation Base
Independent UAV Regiment
68
(UAVs) and jamming equipment required for Above left to right: A 7th Tactical
the suppression of enemy UAVs. Aviation Brigade Su-24M heads out
A decision has already been made to for a local mission. Alexander Golz
procure a twin-turbofan An-72 as a
Wings fully swept, an Su-24 tears
replacement for the Air Force’s last airworthy along at low level. Alexander Golz
Tu-134 at Boryspil. The first An-70 airlifter
has already been handed over to the Air The last Tu-134 remaining in
Force by the factory in Kiev. High hopes Ukrainian Air Force service is due to
have been invested in the twin-turbofan be replaced by an An-72.
An-178 tactical airlifter, which completed a Alexander Golz
first flight at Gostomel on May 7. If
successful, this should replace the elderly This image: Many of the Su-24MR
reconnaissance aircraft continue
An-26 in the long term.
to wear ‘shark-mouth’ markings.
The repairs and modernization currently Alexander Golz
being carried out will be extended to the Air
Force’s infrastructure. At present, it uses 15
airfields. These are all employed regularly
for maneuvers and, after a test phase, it is
almost certain that current reserve bases will
be converted for long-term permanent use.
Although Ukraine is currently in the midst
of its ‘special period’, the leadership in Kiev
has managed to bring under its command all
volunteers, some of whom were operating
independently in combat at the beginning of
the ATO mission. All armed personnel now
active fall under the command of the
military or the ministry of the interior.
Drozdov stressed that this also applies to the
‘Right Sector’ battalions, a controversial
far-right nationalist group. Those who did
not want to subordinate had to give up
their weapons.
Base Aircraft
Starokostiantyniv Su-24M, Su-24MR, L-39
Mykolaiv-Kulbakino Su-25, Su-25UB, L-39
Myrgorod Su-27, Su-27UB
Ozerne Su-27, Su-27UB
Ivano-Frankivsk MiG-29, MiG-29UB, L-39
Vasylkiv MiG-29, MiG-29UB, L-39
Melitopol Il-76M/MD, An-26
Boryspil An-26, An-30, Tu-134, Mi-8
An-24, An-26, An-26 Vita,
Vinnytsia-Gavryshivka
Mi-8
Chuhuiv L-39, An-26, Mi-8, Mi-24
Khmelnytskyi VR-2 Strizh, VR-3 Reys
September 2015 www.combataircraft.net
Low-level at Starokostiantyniv
At the end of the tour came the long-awaited
visit to an active combat aircraft base. Two
hours’ drive from Vinnytsia is the air base at
Starokostiantyniv. The 7th Tactical Aviation
Brigade stationed here can look back on a
long history. After its establishment as
Military Unit A2502 with the Il-28 bomber in
the period from March to June 1966, the
regiment received its first Yak-28 supersonic
bomber at the end of 1974. Just three years
later the Su-24 arrived.
On May 19, 2004, the 32nd Reconnaissance
Squadron was formed at Starokostiantyniv
with the Su-24MR. However, this
independent reconnaissance unit lasted only
until October 2005. From then on, the 7th
Aviation Brigade has served as a mixed
bomber and reconnaissance unit with two
squadrons of Su-24Ms and one of Su-24MRs.
For training purposes, the unit recently
received a number of L-39s. After achieving
excellent results in several exercises, on
www.combataircraft.net September 2015
March 28, 2008 the brigade received the
honorary title of Petro Franco, an aviation
pioneer from western Ukraine, at the behest
of the Ukrainian president.
A visit to a Su-24 base remains something
special and unusual. Due to its low-level
flight characteristics and nuclear capability,
this aircraft was the subject of much attention
during the Cold War, and its deployments in
Poland and East Germany were always
viewed with concern (see Combat Aircraft
June 2012). Even today, the variable-geometry
jet has a significant presence, especially when
demonstrated at low altitude. The Ukrainian
pilots at Starokostiantyniv are masters of
flying the Su-24 to its limits, able to bring
their cameras to bear on targets while flying
at 900km/h (486kt).
There is a serious background to these
presentations of skill. After several losses to
ground fire, it is clear that the separatists have
established capable air defenses in the
Donbass and Lugansk regions. Low-level
flights are one way of reducing the risks. The
Su-24M demonstrations were complemented
by several fully armed Su-27 fighters of the
39th Independent Tactical Aviation
Squadron, which visited Starokostiantyniv
from their base at Ozerne. The 39th Squadron
provides a good example of how times have
changed in Ukraine with the shift from peace
towards open conflict. Two years ago there
was talk of disbanding the unit, but now it is
an integral part of Ukraine’s defensive
concept and the airfield at Ozerne has been
reconstructed.
On the last day of the trip the authors were
able to observe that the MiG-29s and L-39s of
the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade at Vasylkiv,
near Kiev, are also ready for action. It must
only be hoped that the compromises agreed
at the Minsk talks are implemented quickly,
and that the Ukrainian military will finally be
able to scale down its operations in defense
of Ukrainian sovereignty in the east of
the country.
69
O
RIGINALLY CONCEIVED TO
replace the SH-2 Seasprite,
the first SH-60B Seahawk
took to the skies on December
12, 1979, over 35 years ago.
The SH-60B ‘sunset’ has been
ongoing for the past few years now, as the
advanced MH-60R ‘Romeo’ Seahawk continues
to fill the ranks.
Based at Naval Station Mayport, Florida,
HSL-60 was the US Navy Reserve’s first and
only Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System
(LAMPS) III squadron. Officially commissioned
on April 24, 2001, the squadron trained and
deployed combat-ready SH-60B LAMPS III
detachments.
On July 1, the ‘Jaguars’ formally became
Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM)
60, after the squadron received its first MH-60R
on March 31. The unit’s last SH-60B, the
specially-painted aircraft wearing Modex 600,
will be retired by the end of September.
The West Coast-based HSM-49 ‘Scorpions’
(re-designated as such on April 1, 2015) had
the honor of being the last active-duty unit to
operate the SH-60B, and a final ‘Bravo’ flight by
HSM-49 came at the end of May 2015.

Six-Zero’s‘Sixties’
The SH-60B was designed primarily for use
in conjunction with frigates, destroyers and
cruisers, almost all of which go to sea with a
Seahawk detachment (now using the MH-60R)
embarked. The combination of the SH-60B and
warship was given the name LAMPS III. The
LAMPS concept relies on the co-operative use
of ship and helicopter weapons, coupled with
sensors, against any battle group threats, both
below and above the ocean surface. The heart
of the LAMPS III is the AN/ARQ-44 datalink,
commonly referred to as ‘Hawklink.’
Hawklink is a secure system that allows
real-time integration of computer information,
systems control, video imagery and voice
communications between the helicopter crews
and the shipboard combat centers. The datalink
permits the immediate exchange of tactical
information and, in most cases, enhances the
capabilities of airborne sensors.
The SH-60B has several key features
designed to accomplish its primary missions
of anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and anti-
surface warfare (ASuW). The first tool is
the AN/APS-124 360-degree radar, whose
under-fuselage radome provides a visually
distinguishing feature.
Designed for long-range surface search, the
radar is capable of detecting objects as small
as a submarine’s periscope, well outside the
weapons’ envelopes of surface threats. During
night operations, SH-60Bs may employ the
AN/ASQ-116 forward-looking infra-red (FLIR)
sensor, allowing contact identification through
thermal imagery. Additionally, the radar,
combined with the identification friend or foe
(IFF) interrogator, has a substantial air search
capability that allows Seahawk crews to act
as controllers for other air assets and provide
airborne early warning for surface units. In
that case, all radar and FLIR imagery may be
transmitted to displays on co-operating ships
via the Hawklink.
The helicopter carries up to 25 sonobuoys —
deployable active and passive listening devices
that aid in hunting submarines. The ‘buoys’
send radio transmission data to an acoustic

70
 HSL-60 ‘Jaguars’
painted BuNo
164853 in these
striking markings
to celebrate the
retirement of the
SH-60B.

Over the past three decades the Sikorsky SH-60B Seahawk has been
a true anti-submarine workhorse for the US Navy, especially after the
demise of the S-3B Viking. The very last US Navy operators of the ‘Bravo’
are the ‘Jaguars’ of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light (HSL) 60.
report and photos: Ted Carlson/Fotodynamics
71
processor, which identifies and tracks sub-
surface threats. Acoustic information and buoy
control can be transferred using Hawklink.
Another component employed for this mission
is the AN/ASQ-81 magnetic anomaly detector
(MAD), a very sensitive metal detector that
senses submarines below the surface. The
MH-60R is not equipped with MAD.
The Seahawk’s weapons vary depending on
the mission. For ASW, the SH-60B may carry
either Mk46 or Mk50 torpedoes. The type
can employ AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-ground
missiles, usually for littoral missions, and the
AN/AAS-44 laser designator for precision
guidance. It may carry either one 0.5in-caliber
GAU-16 or one 7.62mm M240 machine gun,
mounted on the starboard side of the cabin.
72
Among the SH-60B’s defensive equipment is
the AN/ALQ-142 electronic support measures
(ESM) system. This system fully integrates
with shipboard ESM suites to allow for the
immediate identification of any known hostile
emitters that the aircraft or ship may encounter. This photo: The ‘Jaguars’ special H-60B
overflies EverBank Field stadium in
The Seahawk carries infra-red decoy devices,
downtown Jacksonville, Florida, the home
plus chaff, to be used as counters to airborne stadium for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the
missile threats. National Football League (NFL).
The SH-60B crew includes a pilot, an airborne
tactical officer (ATO) and an enlisted sensor Above left: The SH-60B cockpit. Mission
operator (SO). For many secondary missions, sensor and system controls are located at
such as search and rescue or cargo operations, the left-hand pilot station.
an additional enlisted aircrewman may be on
board. All SH-60B pilots are fully trained in Below: The SH-60B crew includes a pilot,
an airborne tactical officer (ATO) and an
ATO duties, and all enlisted aircrewmen are
enlisted sensor operator (SO).
qualified rescue swimmers. Mission sensor and
September 2015 www.combataircraft.net
system controls are located at the left-hand pilot
station and at the aircrew cabin seat positions.
Between these two stations, the ATO and SO
can divide the duties of acoustic, radar, FLIR
and tactical plot control. Hawklink allows
aircrew to work with numerous individuals in
the shipboard Combat Information Center (CIC),
effectively adding the LAMPS III crew size to
the complement of personnel in the CIC.
Routine missions for the SH-60B involve
surveillance flights of three-and-a-half to four
hours in which the LAMPS III team will use
their radar to locate and identify surface and
air contacts outside the normal radar range of
the ships. Detected contact positions are then
relayed via Hawklink, providing an extensive
over-the-horizon picture for friendly forces
and ships. This same process may be used to
target hostile forces. Other common SH-60B
missions include personnel transfer, cargo
operations, medical evacuation (medevac), and
communications relay.
Host LAMPS III ships incorporate several
landing aids for the SH-60B. The primary
one is the Rapid Securing Device (RSD), a
deck-mounted clamp system that affixes the
helicopter to the flight deck during landing.
‘As a Reserve unit, we have a unique niche in
that we can augment and send out our aircrew
and maintainers for six-month deployments’
CDR Steven Smith
www.combataircraft.net September 2015
This reduces the risk of helicopter turn-over
or excessively heavy landings when the
ship is rolling. In rough seas, a cable can be
attached to the hovering helicopter to augment
the RSD. This is a winch system, effectively
applying tension onto the hovering helicopter
and enhancing aircraft-to-ship positioning
during landing. The RSD system is also used to
automatically traverse the helicopter in and out
of the host ship’s hangar.
In the big scheme, the new MH-60R ‘Romeo’
is superior to the SH-60B in terms of across-the-
board capabilities, and, while it lacks MAD,
it is equipped with an extremely robust and
sensitive long-range sonar dipping system.
Compared to the ‘Bravo’, the MH-60R offers
numerous advantages and a plethora of
enhancements. Although the SH-60B remains a
viable asset, the time was right to phase it out of
service in favor of the ‘Romeo’.
‘Bravo’ missions
LCDR Brian ‘Giant’ Bush is Six-Zero’s Admin
Officer, the squadron Seahawk weapons
and tactics instructor (SWTI), and a full-
time support officer. He previously served
with HSL-48 and did a stint at Guantanamo
Bay Naval Base, learned the ‘Romeo’ with
HSM-41, and was one of the first East Coast
‘Romeo’ instructor pilots with HSM-40. He
will be the OIC (officer in charge) of HSM-60’s
first ‘Romeo’ detachment, slated to head out
in early 2016.
LCDR Bush told this magazine: ‘The ‘legacy’
SH-60B has been a remarkably capable
platform throughout the years and you can
attest to that by how many flight hours the
‘Bravos’ now have, with some airframes having
over 12,000 hours on them. The biggest-ticket
item that the ‘Romeo’ brings to the table above
and beyond the ‘Bravo’ is the ALFS [Airborne
Low-Frequency Sonar] system. In the ASW
role, that gives the ‘Romeo’ a huge advantage
over the older ‘Bravos’. With upgraded ESM,
[and] the newer sensor suites, it gives the
‘Romeo’ superior electronic warfare abilities.
‘Other ‘Romeo’ advantages include the new
acoustic processor, ISAR [inverse synthetic
aperture] search radar, and a more capable
FLIR system that has a low-light/daytime
color TV camera. There are a variety of modes
and embedded overlays, with a phenomenal
zooming ability. The ‘Romeo’ has an enhanced
communication suite, complete with a
SATCOM system, a Link 16 system, plus an
improved Hawklink.
‘The airframe itself is close in design
to the ‘Bravo’, and the General Electric
T700-GE-401C turboshaft engines are
identical between the two models. Thus,
with the plethora of new and improved
systems, the ‘Romeo’ is heavier and
73
‘The ‘legacy’ SH-60B has been a remarkably
capable platform throughout the years and you
can attest to that by how many flight hours the
‘Bravos’ now have, with some airframes having
over 12,000 hours on them’
LCDR Brian ‘Giant’ Bush
can be more power-limited in certain
situations, giving the ‘Bravo’ slightly better
performance. The ‘Bravo’ does have a MAD,
but with the new technology in the ‘Romeo’
the MAD is not needed anymore. While our
main mission is ASW and ASuW, during
the last several years our squadron has taken
part in a mission called AUF, airborne use
of force, where we fly with Coast Guard
gunners in order to interdict go-fast vessels
laden with drugs and/or other contraband.
‘Another major change with the transition
to the ‘Romeo’ has been a shift in how we as
a community conduct wartime operations
at sea. Our community now deploys on
board carriers in addition to destroyers
and cruisers. These Air Wing squadrons
deploy as one unit with all deployable
personnel in the squadron. Expeditionary
squadrons still mainly deploy detachments
of approximately 30 personnel on board
cruisers and destroyers.’
74
When interviewed for this article, CDR
Steven Smith was the HSL-60 executive
officer, but became commanding officer of
HSM-60 in June. He is qualified in both
the SH-60B and MH-60R, and added: ‘We
have numerous ‘moving parts’ within the
squadron spanning over the next year. We
are going through the ‘Bravo’ to ‘Romeo’
transition, and as a result we were re-
designated from HSL-60 to HSM-60 on July
1. Then we are being evaluated by the wing
and should soon obtain a stamp of approval
for being safe to operate flying the ‘Romeos’.
We will ‘sundown’ all our remaining
SH-60Bs by the end of Fiscal Year 15.
‘Probably the most challenging item on the
squadron agenda is the ‘Bravo’ to ‘Romeo’
transition, because the ‘Romeo’ sensor and
weapon systems are much more advanced
and computer-driven, so there is a moderate
learning curve involved. The training takes
months and months of time for all personnel,
and significant work goes into the planning
of just the training alone. We have currently
completed about 80 per cent of training.
‘Next year, we will move from Mayport
over to Jacksonville, Florida. There are many
positives of the move, including a new and
larger hangar there, more aircraft parts, [and]
having additional support equipment. We
will now have seven ‘Romeo’ aircraft there
compared to our six ‘Bravos’ we had here,
and that was already tight. Lastly, there are a
few other Reserve units, including our admin
support, located at Jacksonville, so it makes
sense and is a ‘win-win’ situation, especially
with our squadron manpower growing in
size.’
Counter-narcotics
In 2012, HSL-60 became the first US Navy
squadron capable of conducting night
airborne use of force, greatly enhancing its
counter-narcotic capability. ‘We are the only
September 2015 www.combataircraft.net

Reserve ASW and AUF H-60 unit the Navy
has’, Smith continues. ‘Our main focus is to
provide a one- or two-aircraft detachment
that is mobilized, every year, to any needed
theater of operations. As a Reserve unit, we
have a unique niche in that we can augment
and send out our aircrew and maintainers
for six-month deployments. It is transparent
to the active-duty side; they just see another
squadron supporting them and we provide
that ready force. The squadron, as a whole,
stands ready to mobilize if ever needed. A
lot of our squadron individuals do volunteer
to mobilize for long periods of time,
augmenting active-duty forces by filling any
voids or gaps, when there is a shortfall of
personnel.
‘Over the past 10 years, we have flown the
AUF mission with the 4th Fleet, providing
counter-narcotic support. Our squadron
did the proof-of-concept in 2005, and it is a
law-enforcement Coast Guard mission, so we
www.combataircraft.net September 2015
always have a USCG precision marksman on
our aircraft for the interdiction phase. Because
the proof-of-concept was so successful, we
have been flying those missions operationally
ever since, day and night. Compared to the
Coast Guard H-65 Dolphin, our H-60s have
greater range, more endurance, and, using
our search radars and other sensors that the
Dolphin lacks, we can locate targets with great
success.
‘With the ‘Romeo’, we will carry on the AUF
tradition, plus be proficient with all of the
other standard ‘Romeo’ mission sets, such as
ASW, ASuW, and littoral roles. With the new
aircraft coming online in HSM-60, we will
focus heavily on safety during the transition
period.’
Seahawk sequel
As for the new aircraft, HSM-60 is looking
to get funding for the addition of head-up
display (HUD) systems in its ‘Romeos’,
A stunning image
as a fine and fitting
farewell to the SH-60B
in US Navy service.
which will enhance the crews’ situational
awareness for AUF missions. While
operating the unmanned MQ-8B Fire Scout
is not a routine mission for the ‘Jaguars’, in
the future it is quite possible that they could
host a detachment or augment a detachment
as tasked.
In January 2016, the ‘Jaguars’ are slated to
re-locate from NS Mayport to nearby Naval
Air Station Jacksonville. Three other Reserve
squadrons reside at Jacksonville, as well as
other MH-60R units. HSM-60 should have
received all seven of its ‘Romeos’ by March
or April 2016 as the unit completes its move
to the next generation.
Acknowledgments: CDR Steven Smith (XO),
LCDRs Hunter ‘Peaches’ Thompson, Justin
‘Poodle’ Collins, Brian ‘Giant’ Bush, Tim ‘Timmy’
O’Brien (HSM-49), and the many others from
HSL-60 who helped with this feature.
75
122 Filo ‘Akrepler’ KT-1Ts
execute a sharp break for
the camera.

76 September 2015 www.combataircraft.net

 Combat Aircraft visited 2’nci Ana Jet Üs Komutanlığı (2nd Main Jet
Base Command) at Izmir-Çiğli. It is also home to 122 Filo ‘Akrepler’
(122 Squadron ‘Scorpions’) operating the most advanced basic
trainer version of the South Korean Woongbee, the KT-1T.
report and photos: Cristian Schrik
T
‘ HE KT-1T IS designed according
to our needs. Most countries do
not use these kinds of modern
and advanced avionics, or a
HUD, in basic flight training.
KAI has responded to our needs
for basic training and so the decision was
made by the Turkish Ministry of Defense to
choose the KT-1'. So says Maj Mehmet Çavuş,
instructor pilot and 122 Filo commander.
The KT-1 is a single-engine turboprop
training aircraft developed using indigenous
technologies by Korea Aerospace Industries
(KAI) and South Korea’s Agency for Defense
Development (ADD). Its development program
ran from 1988 to 1998. This was the first
aircraft in its class to be designed entirely using
computer technology and the first Korean
aircraft to be developed using exclusively
domestic technologies.
A total of nine KTX-1 prototypes were built
and a maiden flight was recorded in November
1991. The codename Woongbee (meaning
‘great flight’ in Korean) was assigned in 1995
and test flights were completed in 1998.
Because of handling problems with the first
KTX-1 prototypes, KAI modified the design
on the definitive KT-1. Compared to the
prototypes, this was larger, heavier and had
re-located tail surfaces. The KT-1 added a more
powerful Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-62
engine that delivers 950hp (or a maximum of
1,150hp) to a four-blade Hartzell aluminum
propeller turning at 2,000rpm.
In August 1999, KAI received an order to
manufacture 85 aircraft for the Republic of
Korea Air Force (RoKAF). The new basic
trainer would replace the T-37 and T-41
Mescalero fleets. The first KT-1s for the RoKAF
were delivered in 2000 and the initial order
was completed in 2002.
A first armed version of the KT-1, the KA-1
Airfield Control Aircraft, was developed
between 2001 and 2003 with enhanced
avionics including a mission computer, INS/
GPS, head-up display (HUD) and multi-
functional color displays (MFCDs). The KA-1
has five hardpoints, two under each wing and
one under the fuselage, able to carry a forward-
looking infra-red (FLIR) pod, rocket launchers,
AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles or two
50-US gallon external fuel tanks.
The KT-1B became the first export version
of the KT-1, and KAI delivered 17 examples
to the Indonesian Air Force between 2001
and 2008 under a contract worth $60 million.
The export-optimized KT-1C followed. This
enhanced trainer is based on the KA-1 and can
be equipped with 12.7mm-caliber machine
gun pods, chaff/flare dispensers, rockets and
unguided bombs. In November 2012, KAI and
the Peruvian Air Force signed a $208-million
contract for the delivery of 10 KT-1P basic
trainers and 10 KA-1P armed versions. The
first four aircraft were built by KAI in 2014 and
www.combataircraft.net September 2015
the remainder are being assembled by SEMAN,
the Peruvian Air Force maintenance wing.
Turkish success
KAI won the contract to replace Turkey’s aging
Cessna T-37 jet trainer in a competition that
pitted the Woongbee against the Raytheon
T-6 Texan II and Embraer Super Tucano. The
export version for Turkey is the KT-1T, the most
advanced derivative to date.
In July 2007 a $350-million contract for the
export of 40 upgraded versions of the KT-1
basic trainer was signed between the Türk Hava
Kuvvetleri (THK — Turkish Air Force) and
KAI. An additional 15 examples were included
as an option.
While the first five aircraft were assembled
and tested at the KAI plant in Korea, the
remaining 35 were produced by the Turkish
Aerospace Industries (TAI) facility near Ankara.
The first five KT-1Ts were delivered in the
fourth quarter of 2010 and the order had been
completed by mid-2014.
Maj Çavuş gave further details about
the KT-1T, and the THK’s training ethos.
‘Modernization: that is the main focus of
our training program, with an eye on fifth-
generation aircraft. We are looking into newer
training concepts to train and prepare student
pilots who will fly fifth-generation aircraft
like the F-35 Lightning II. During planning
conducted between 2005 and 2008 we realized
training could no longer be achieved with
our old T-37, which served us well over the
last 50 years.
‘Our KT-1T has many unique features such
as a pressurized full ‘glass’ cockpit, a HUD, a
different steering system, full hands on throttle
and stick [HOTAS] control capabilities, three
MFCDs, an on-board oxygen generation system
[OBOGS], anti-ice protection and anti-g. The
engine and structure might be similar to other
training aircraft, but the internal design is
completely according to our needs.’
The KT-1T is capable of carrying external
stores, although the THK did not acquire any
weapons since they are not required for the
training role.
Turkish instructor pilots (IPs) spent two
years in South Korea and became qualified on
the first five KT-1Ts. Upon their return they
trained new IPs within 124 Filo, which serves
as a standards and evaluation (STANEVAL)
squadron. In order to become an IP on the
KT-1T, pilots spend around a year flying
between 80 and 100 flying hours, amounting to
around 60-65 sorties.
‘The KT-1T has many benefits compared to
the T-37’, Maj Çavuş continues. ‘The ‘Tweet’
was an old but good aircraft. I still miss it. But it
was hard to handle, and that was not ideal for
student pilots.
‘The KT-1T is more technologically
advanced. Everything you can see and feel
can be simulated in our KT-1T simulators.
77

The arrival of the KT-1T was not so much
about changing the aircraft, but changing our
system. The T-37 simulators were old. Those
for the KT-1T are very modern and we have
basically changed our mentality as a result.
We have also introduced new computer
briefing and debriefing systems into our
squadron. We have the ability to upload the
mission and navigation planning that is used
in the active fighter squadrons. Students
now plan their mission on the computer and
download their data into the KT-1T that they
will fly in.
‘In terms of instruction, the best part is that
the students can upload their data back onto
the computer after each flight. The student
and IP can then review their flight during a
very detailed debrief. Our KT-1T has a very
good video recording system that records
flying data from the HUD and MFCDs. This
has proven to be a very accurate and helpful
tool in the students’ debrief.
‘Because the cockpit is digital, it is also
very precise, which makes things easier and
smoother. For example, we can make precise
speed adjustments, 1kt at a time. With the
T-37 we had 10kt increments. The KT-1T is a
precise and accurate aircraft, and very good
for flight instruction.
‘As a propeller-driven aircraft, the overall
handling of the KT-1T is somewhat different.
As an IP, I initially felt the difference after
flying the twin-engine T-37. But after around
80 to 100 flying hours I got used to it.
‘The KT-1T is a much more efficient aircraft
for the student pilots. That’s why we reduced
JOINT TRAINING
the sorties and flying hours in the training
[process]. After transition from T-37 to KT-1T
we shrunk the program from 81 sorties and
110 hours in the T-37 to 70 sorties and 90
hours in the KT-1T. The modern simulator is
a factor in this.
‘When flying the KT-1T in the beginning,
a minor thing that students have trouble
with is the throttle. The throttle is very fast-
responding. The KT-1T performs according
to our needs, and in my opinion is the best
basic trainer aircraft available on the market
today.’
Alongside replacement of the T-37 by the
KT-1T, the THK has conducted an upgrade
of its Northrop T-38 Talon advanced training
fleet to better meet the needs of prospective
fifth-generation fighter pilots. The T-38M
thus provides student pilots with a quicker
and easier transition from the KT-1T to
the Talon.
On the flight line, the KT-1T is making a
positive impression, too. ‘Our maintenance
guys like the KT-1T, not only because it is so
new, but avionics-wise problems are quicker
and easier to find and solve’, Maj Çavuş
continues. ‘Unless we get any pilot fault list
(PFL) or maintenance fault list (MFL) codes,
the KT-1T will fly over and over again. Most
inspections are carried out with a laptop
connected to the KT-1T, and this gives the
maintainers all the information they require.’
122 Filo has 40 KT-1Ts in its inventory.
Around 30 of these are currently flown
two to three times a day, depending on the
number of students. Additionally, the THK is
THK Air Training Command is currently
taking part in a NATO ‘smart defense’
project known as the Multi-national
Military Flight Crew Training Center
(MMFCT-C). The project is part of a
co-operative study of the best ways to
generate the modern defense capabilities
that NATO partners require in the future.
In September 2015, the flight training
school at the 2’nci Ana Jet Üs Komutanlığı
at Izmir-Çiğli will become an MMFCT-C.
NATO allies that have shown an interest in
using the MMFCT-C include Albania, the
Czech Republic, Italy, Romania and the
UK. A number of Partnership for Peace
(PfP) countries have likewise expressed a
wish to be involved, including Azerbaijan,
Georgia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine. Further
afield, other potential candidates include
Bahrain, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and
the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
In the last decade, 122 Filo has trained
1,000 THK pilots, 66 Turkish Navy and
Coast Guard pilots, and a total of 42
students from Albania, Azerbaijan,
Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and the UAE.
Maj Çavuş provided more details of the
MMFCT-C concept: ‘Not only will we train
future pilots, but also provide search and
rescue training and flight safety courses.
We will become a multi-national air and
ground crew training center.
‘Flying-wise it resembles the model
of the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training
Program [ENJJPT] concept in the United
States, with the exception that we will
only share our excess capacity, and that
it will be conducted in the European
theater, and with other aviation branches
included.’
The MMFCT-C program will take place
in three phases and have a duration of
approximately one-and-a-half years.
The first phase, which is optional, will
take 12 weeks and consists of initial
flight training conducted on the SF260D,
involving around 16 sorties and initial
academics. The second phase, basic
flight training, takes 28 weeks and will
be conducted on the KT-1T or Hürkuş in
the course of 69 sorties. The third phase,
advanced flight training, will divide
candidates into three groups: fast-jet
pilots will fly the T-38M for 69 sorties,
transport pilots 80 hours on the CN235,
and rotary-wing pilots either the UH-1H
(76 hours) or Cougar (80 hours).
Each of the three advanced flight
training courses will take 24 weeks to
complete.

KT-1T SPECIFICATIONS
This photo: 122 Filo
has 40 KT-1Ts on Wingspan 33.7ft 10.3m
strength. They fly Length 33.7ft 10.3m
an impressive daily Height 12.7ft 3.7m
schedule. Max take-off weight 5,600lb 2,540kg
Empty weight 4,210lb 1,900kg
Top: The advanced
cockpit of the KT-1T. Max speed 350kt 648km/h
G limits -3.5/+7

78 September 2015 www.combataircraft.net

 PILOT PROFILE
INTERVIEW with
MAJOR MEHMET ÇAVUŞ
A former F-4 Phantom II pilot, Maj Çavuş is an instructor pilot and
commander of 122 Filo ‘Scorpions’.
Combat Aircraft: You have served many years
in the THK. How has your Turkish Air Force
career progressed to date?
Maj Çavuş: ‘I started flight school after
graduation from the Air Force Academy in
1997, flying the SF260 as a student pilot and
doing aerobatic maneuvers and one solo ride.
I continued on to the T-37, and after six sorties
was selected for a further flying course at the
ENJJPT at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. At
that time, Turkey sent students to the ENJJPT if
they had good initial flying skills and above-
average English-language skills. I flew the T-37
and T-38 Talon until I graduated in 1999.
‘On my return to Turkey I was sent to Konya
air base, because I wanted to become a pilot
on the F-4. At the time I arrived at Konya, the
THK was in the process of modernizing its F-4E
fleet. I started my follow-on training to become
a bomber pilot on the ‘old’ F-4E model at Konya.
After completing this training I was assigned
to the 7 Ana Jet Üs, 2 Hava Kuvvet Komutanlığı
[7th Air Wing, 2nd Air Command] at Erhaç air
base in eastern Turkey.
considering buying the 15 additional KT-1Ts
that were on option. Negotiations are under
way to ascertain if the additional aircraft are
actually required.
Hürkuş project
Meanwhile, TAI is developing a two-seat
turboprop that will serve the Turkish military
as a new-generation basic trainer, light
ground attack and reconnaissance aircraft.
www.combataircraft.net September 2015
‘After one year of flying the ‘old guy’, I
transitioned to the ‘new’ version, the F-4E-2020.
This version had improved avionics, HUD, multi-
functional displays [MFDs], HOTAS capabilities,
mission computers and many more updates. I
flew around 1,000 hours on the F-4 until 2005,
when I was appointed to 122 Filo as an IP.
‘After returning to Izmir, I recalled my first
days here at the base. But this time it was a
different feeling. I received T-37 instructor
course training in the STANEVAL squadron [124
Filo] and began work as an IP for a period of
three-and-a-half years. At the same time, I was
studying for the staff college in Istanbul and
studied here from 2008 to 2010.
‘After graduation I could have been
appointed back to an operational fighter
squadron or to an Air Force HQ position, but
I [went] back to Izmir-Çiğli to continue in the
flight training branch at the base headquarters.
I served here for two years with the opportunity
to fly, although flying time was much reduced
due to the amount of paperwork at HQ level.
Afterwards I was appointed deputy
commander of 122 Filo for two years. I have
The new aircraft, named Hürkuş (meaning
‘free bird’), is named after Turkey’s first
civil aviator, Vecihi Hürkuş. Despite its
similarities, the Hürkuş is not intended to
replace the KT-1T. According to Maj Çavuş,
at least 15 examples of the Hürkuş aircraft
will join the Air Training Command fleet as
basic trainers. ‘Future students will either
fly the KT-1T or Hürkuş as basic trainers’,
he explains.
been the commander since July 2014 and will
be in this position for at least one year; maybe
two years.
‘[Next] I expect I will be assigned a function
within the flight training branch, either in the
flight training HQ or Air Force HQ.’
CA: How does an average day look for you in
the squadron?
Maj Çavuş: ‘We start the day at 06.30hrs with
a mass briefing, where all students and IPs
gather to discuss subjects like daily weather
and the ATC [air traffic control] briefing about
the airfield situation. Afterwards, students and
IPs talk to each other about various issues like
flight safety.
‘[For] the stage in our briefing room, we
have a replica of the KT-1T ejection seat where
students take a seat while the IP fires questions
and the students must give answers. If they do
not answer the questions right, they cannot fly
that day.
‘Then it is time for breakfast. We go to our
mess hall and have breakfast all together here
in the squadron. Afterwards everybody goes
to his/her briefing cell. Each IP has his own
briefing cell where he and the student can talk
one on one about their flight(s) and conduct
planning. When that is finished, they step
towards their aircraft and go fly.
‘After the flight it is debriefing time, followed
by lunch. In the afternoon, IPs conduct another
flight with a different student, so the program
repeats itself.
‘If not flying for a second time, or even after
the second flight, IPs also give theoretical
lessons to a class or to an individual student, or
they go to the simulator.
‘We push towards at least one sortie a
day with a student in the air and one in the
simulator. To complete a day program like this,
we work up to 10, but not more than 12, hours
a day before we go home.’
CA: What is the most remarkable mission
you have flown in your career?
Maj Çavuş: ‘I remember my first flight in
the T-37 after flying in the F-4. It was such
a strange feeling because I had basically
forgotten my student time on the T-37. For
me it was a question of, ‘is this a jet aircraft or
a helicopter?’ After 1,000 hours of experience
on the F-4, well… you can imagine the
difference.
‘Then, during my first entry to the pattern
here, I started to count the aircraft. I counted
no fewer than 12 aircraft in the pattern. That
was also remarkable!’
Completely indigenously designed and
manufactured, the Hürkuş is powered by a
1,600hp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-68T
engine, and shares many of the features that
are found in the KT-1T.
The Hürkuş similarly meets THK basic
training requirements, and deliveries to the
Air Force are scheduled to begin in 2018 as
Turkish pilot training evolves into another
generation.
79

‘ T’S JUST A matter of tasks: East or
Growing tensions in south-eastern central Europe
require a constant effort from the Romanian Air Force to
ensure the sovereignty of Romania’s national airspace
and its area of responsibility. This is the primary task of
the LanceR fighters at Câmpia Turzii air base.
report and photos:
Daniele Faccioli, Alberto Celsan and Giovanni Colla
80
I
West — for us it’s just a change of
assigned area of responsibility’. The
words of a Forţele Aeriene Române
(FAR — Romanian Air Force) fighter
pilot, who appears unperturbed that
Romania now stands on the border of the
Euro-Atlantic bloc, 11 years after it joined
NATO. However, the reality is that Bucharest
has recently approved an increase in its
defense spending up to 2 per cent of gross
domestic product (GDP), from the 1.71 per
cent of 2014 to 2.6 per cent, or over €3 billion.
The move is in line with alliance directives
to improve the quality and consistency of
its defenses. The decision was not easy, but
was taken by the Romanian government in
light of the crisis in neighboring Ukraine and
by Moscow’s response to Romania hosting
NATO’s new ballistic missile defense (BMD)
base in Deveselu.
FAR fighter strength is invested within Baza
71 Aeriană (71st Air Base) at Câmpia Turzii,
together with the units at Baza 86 Aeriană at
Borcea-Fetesti. Câmpia Turzii airfield, 40km
south-east of the former Transylvanian capital
September 2015 www.combataircraft.net
of Cluj, was built at the beginning of the
1950s. It was in June 1987 that the 71st Fighter
Regiment came here from the aforementioned
Deveselu airfield.

The moon base

Today, three squadrons come under Baza 71
Aeriană command: Escadrila 711 Aviatie de
Lupta (711th Fighter Squadron), operating
the MiG-21 LanceR, Escadrila 712 Elicoptere
Transport (712th Transport Helicopter
Squadron) and Escadrila 713 Elicoptere
SOCAT (713th SOCAT Helicopter Squadron),
the two latter operating the IAR-330L/M,
the Romanian-built version of Aérospatiale’s
SA330 Puma. Escadrila 711’s main task is
to provide air policing and quick reaction
alert (QRA) duties under NATO control, with
secondary air-to-ground strike duties.
Baza 71 Aeriană, known by personnel as
‘Baza Luna’ (‘moon base’) due to its vicinity to
the village of Luna, is divided into a logistics
area and an operational area. The logistics
area is about 2km east of the operational one.
The latter is all about the flying elements,
including a QRA area and three maintenance

hangars: one for the MiGs, one for the

helicopters, and one for the support trucks.
Local specialists provide essential engine
maintenance for the MiG-21 every 25, 50, and
100 hours and airframe maintenance every 50,
100 and 200 hours. These are elderly beasts.
Major maintenance is conducted after 600
hours or 10 years of service, when the aircraft
are sent to Aerostar in Bacau. Although the
air base is not provided with shelters, QRA
readiness is guaranteed during wintertime
using an ingenious flow of hot air to keep the
MiGs free of snow.
Despite their age, the air force has sought
to keep these MiGs relevant, but even
with the latest ‘kit’ these are still aviation
dinosaurs. Back in January 2001 the first of
the considerably upgraded MiG-21 LanceR
jets was delivered to Câmpia Turzii. ‘The
LanceR was an almost-new machine for us.
With the change of aircraft came a change
in philosophy of flying and tasks’, says
Col Marius-Mihai Oatu, Baza 71 Aeriană
commander. ‘With the early MiG-21 versions,
our mission was that of a pure high-altitude
interceptor. We had to take off, climb, launch,
and then come back. With the LanceR

A LanceR C single-seat air

superiority upgrade of
the MiG-21 tears out of
Câmpia Turzii air base.

www.combataircraft.net September 2015 81

program the MiG-21 became a real multi-
role fighter, able to carry both Western and
Soviet weapons.’
Winds of change
The western-oriented attitudes of the
Romanian people became clear prior to the
fall of the Ceausescu regime in 1989. Once
far-reaching changes became a reality for
the FAR, the ground had to be prepared for
alignment with a different philosophy. Moving
from a Soviet-style military organization to
Western standards meant a change of doctrine
and a wholesale modernization of equipment,
despite limited financial resources. In the
meantime, the fighter state of the art had
undergone exponential advances in terms of
avionics, sensors and composite materials,
with a consequent increase in costs that
led many air forces to opt for upgrades of
existing platforms rather than procuring new
equipment.
Romania’s plan for the renewal of its combat
force was divided into two main elements
— first, upgrading the equipment already in
service, in order to make it compatible with
NATO standards, and second by purchasing
new equipment. After the withdrawal of
the MiG-23 and the abandonment of the
Sniper program to upgrade the MiG-29, the
MiG-21M/MFs were selected to undergo a
major update.
‘At one point we were asking ourselves why
it was not decided to buy brand-new Western
aircraft, but this upgrade was probably the
best choice in terms of cost
effectiveness’, explains Col Oatu.
‘The MiG-21 remains a challenging
aircraft to fly, especially during
aerobatic maneuvers and landings, but the
radical new avionics installed mark a big
advance, also in terms of the flight envelope.’
LanceR upgrade
After a competition between five companies,
in mid-1993 Elbit Systems Ltd of Israel
was chosen to work with the Romanian
state aircraft firm, Aerostar SA, and a
contract was signed. Elbit was selected due
to its experience in the upgrade of other
contemporary fighters such as the
Northrop F-5, and for its previous co-
operation with Aerostar.
82
After 10 years, in April 2003 the last of 114
MiG-21 LanceRs left Aerostar’s Bacau facility
to join the Romanian Air Force. Initially, 110
aircraft were scheduled to be upgraded, but,
after four LanceRs were lost during their first
years of service, it was decided to convert
four additional MiG-21UM two-seaters. This
provided a total inventory of 73 MiG-21
LanceR A single-seat ground-attack versions,
23 LanceR C single-seat air superiority jets,
and 14 LanceR B two-seat training and
ground attack variants. The two-seat LanceR
B upgrade includes a decent air-to-ground
capability, which had been extremely limited
in the original MiG-21UM.
Key elements of this ambitious upgrade
were the new cockpit configuration with a
man-machine interface utilizing the HOTAS
(hands on throttle and stick) concept, a
new avionics suite and NATO-compatible
weapon systems.
The younger airframes were selected to
become LanceR Cs, and received the Israeli
IAI Elta EL/M-2032M advanced pulse-
Doppler radar, packed into the tight pointy
radome in place of the original Soviet RP-21
Sapfir. Its look-down/shoot-down capabilities
make it suitable for both air-to-air and strike
missions with a detection range of about 60 to
This photo: The Romanian LancerR was one
of the first fighters to employ the Elbit DASH
helmet-mounted display.
Left anti-clockwise: A twin-seat LanceR
B pours on the coals with its Tumansky
turbojet throwing out a lick of reheat.
The flightline is prepared for the day’s flying
as fuel bowsers arrive.
A LanceR C on the QRA ramp armed with live
Magic 2 missiles.
September 2015 www.combataircraft.net

‘With the LanceR program the
MiG-21 became a real multi-
role fighter able to carry both
Western and Soviet weapons’
Col Marius-Mihai Oatu
www.combataircraft.net September 2015
80km, representing an important step towards
a fighter with a multi-role capability. In
contrast, the LanceR A and B were equipped
with the Elta EL/M-2001B. Simply called
‘Range Radar’ by insiders, this is a pulse-
Doppler range-only I/J-band radar, initially
developed for the IAI Kfir. Target detection is
carried out visually, the radar automatically
acquiring and tracking any target that is
visible in the pilot’s head-up display (HUD).
The new avionics suite is based around
Elbit’s Modular Multi-Role Computer (MMRC)
controlling two Mil Std 1553B data buses, one
for the avionics and one for the external Stores
Management System (SMS). The instrument
panel was re-designed with two 5 x 5in Elbit
multi-functional displays (MFDs) and an Elop
921 HUD/up-front control panel (UFCP). In
the LanceR C the left-hand display is a color
MFD for navigation and pylon management,
while the right-hand one is a monochrome
MFD representing the radar situation. The
LanceR B retains the color MFD for the front
seat and an MFD in the back, showing the
HUD image and navigation data. The LanceR
A has the left-hand color MFD only. Essential
navigation and combat information are
projected in the Elbit DASH helmet-mounted
83
display (HMD), making the LanceR one of
the first operational aircraft to introduce the
DASH in active service and providing the
pilot with an advantage in close maneuvering
engagements.
‘The HMD is a key element to finalize our
engagements’, confirms Maj Mihai Marcel
‘Ciff’ Muraru, an experienced Escadrila 711
pilot. ‘It allows us to lock on and launch the
missile off boresight, so we can compete in
close air combat with modern adversaries
where the maneuvering limits of the MiG
would otherwise not allow it.’
Other avionics improvements comprise a
LISA-4000EB hybrid navigation system (based
on inertial navigation system/GPS receiver
integration), ILS/VOR/DME, Marconi air
data computer (ADC), VHF/UHF radio, data
transfer system (DTS), flight data recorder,
and a NATO-compatible IFF transponder.
The original Sirena 3 radar warning receiver
was replaced by a new Elisra SPS-20
warning system. The self-protection suite
was improved through the installation of two
MPMN 60 chaff and flare dispensers on the
sides of the rear fuselage. These are designed
to carry two types of cartridges, known as
‘1 x 1’ (1in wide) for a total of 60 elements,
and ‘2 x 1’ (2in wide) for a maximum of
30 elements. According to the type of
mission and the threats that may
be encountered, the dispensers
can be loaded with chaff, flares,
or a combination of the two.
Protection of the aircraft in
a hostile electromagnetic
environment is guaranteed by
an Elta EL/L-8222R electronic
warfare (EW) jamming pod.
The system autonomously
detects enemy radar and missiles
and emits electronic signals to
counter the threat.
84
Weapons options
‘The HMD allows One of the primary requirements of the
us to lock on and LanceR program was to align the fighter with
Western weapon systems, and one of the
launch the missile major results was achieved by technicians
from Aerostar and Elbit, who developed a
off boresight, so ‘multi-role’ weapons pylon. ‘The original
pylons were replaced by new ones, which
we can compete in have two different types of connectors,
close air combat the first with Western dimensions and the
second with Eastern ones’, explains CWO
with modern Alexandru Huiber, a senior enlisted advisor
and former weaponry specialist on the
adversaries where MiG-21. ‘You can easily fit both types of
the maneuvering ordnance to the same pylon, except for the
Magic 2 missile, which needs an adaptor
limits of the MiG between the pylon and the launcher, which
is also brand-new. The LanceR was the
would otherwise first aircraft able to operate both Soviet and
not allow it’ NATO weapons at the same time.’
As part of the improvement program,
Maj Mihai Marcel Muraru all five hardpoints were redesigned. The
original central pylon, only available for a
fuel tank on the original MiG-21MF, was
replaced by a new pylon adapted to carry
1,000lb Mk83 dumb bombs and various
pods. The inner underwing pylons were
modified to release a single bomb at a time,
while on the earlier MF they could only
be released in pairs. The modifications
allowed the LanceR to fly with asymmetric
loads, providing improved flexibility.
The time required to change the weapons
configuration for the same type of mission is
about 10 minutes, while switching
from the air-to-ground to the
air-to-air mission, or vice
versa, can take from 20
minutes to an hour-and-
a-half. Loading laser-
and infra-red (IR)
guided bombs
is the longest
September 2015 www.combataircraft.net
operation, since the bomb must be fitted first
and then the guidance kit assembled on the
bomb’s body.

Air-to-air stores
Air policing and QRA missions are performed
using the short-range, French-built R550
Magic 2 and Israeli Python 3 IR missiles,
preferred to the Soviet R-73E despite its 20km
range, about twice that of Western equivalents.
‘The R-73 is still available but it is rarely used’,
continues CWO Huiber, ‘because during the
launch it releases a large amount of exhaust
smoke, which enters the air intake of the
aircraft, altering the oxygen ratio, and risking
an engine failure’. The remaining stocks
of Soviet-built R-60MKs were retired from
service when they came to the end of their
operational life.
Due to logistical matters related to storage,
the Magic 2 is used at Câmpia Turzii while
the Python 3 is employed by the MiGs at
Fetesti. For close combat, LanceRs retain the
reliable Soviet-made GSh-23L twin-barrel gun,
locally manufactured by SC Uzina Mecanica
Cugir, with 200 rounds. The gun fires 23
115mm rounds of different types, including
fragmentation, armor-piercing explosive,
and armor-piercing tracer, with a rate of fire
selectable in flight from 3,000 to 3,400rpm. It
is absent on the LanceR B, which can carry a
12.7mm-caliber external machine gun pod.
Air-to-ground is a secondary task for the
LanceR C, inherited after the retirement of the
A version, but the jet is considered effective
in this role. It is capable of accurate ground
attacks with a circular error probability (CEP)
lower than 2m with laser-guided bombs
(LGBs), and 6m with IR-guided weapons.
Several pods were introduced within
the LanceR update program, including the
Aerial Reconnaissance Pod (ARP), the Rafael
Litening laser designator pod for strike,

This photo: Climbing into the cramped

MiG-21 cockpit. Romanian pilots may fly
an ancient jet, but they know how to get
the best out of it.
and the aforementioned EW pod for self-
Right top to bottom: The cockpit of the
LanceR C features two 5 x 5in multi-
protection. ‘All the pods are stored at Fetesti
functional displays and an Elop 921 HUD/ for logistical reasons, but are available for
up-front control panel. In the LanceR C, Câmpia Turzii when necessary’, explains
the left-hand display is a color MFD for Huiber.
navigation and stores management, while Ordnance in use for strike missions consists
on the right is a monochrome MFD for of rockets, dumb bombs and precision bombs.
radar information. Unguided rockets comprise the Soviet 57mm
The LanceR B retains the color MFD for the S-5M and S-5K, and 240mm S-24. S-5 rockets
front seat in the back seat. This displays a are 1.4m long with a range of about 3-4km,
HUD image and navigation data. and they differ in the warhead, namely the
high-explosive fragmentation type for the
-M version and anti-armor for the -K, while
the S-24 is a bigger rocket with a blast-
fragmentation warhead and has a specific
launcher, the APU-68. Free-fall weaponry
includes BEM-100 and CL-250 cluster
bombs, Western Mk82/83, Soviet FAB-100,
FAB-250 and FAB-500, plus Romanian-built
conventional 100 and 250kg bombs, the BEM,
BE and BAEF series. Mk82s can be used as
penetration bombs with the installation of a
heavy metal warhead and may be converted
into precision ammunition with Israeli laser-
seeker guidance kits, known as Lizard, or
with imaging IR kits, named Opher. Western
Col Marius-Mihai Oatu, weaponry is preferred because Soviet and
Baza 71 Aeriană commander. Romanian bombs now suffer the problems

www.combataircraft.net September 2015 85

This photo: A weathered LanceR A sits out on the flightline, armed with
pristine rocket pods. The LanceRs can carry the Soviet 57mm S-5M and
S-5K, and 240mm S-24.
Below left to right: Wearing smart DASH helmets, it’s time for a brief post-
flight chat prior to heading back to the operations building.
The LanceR B is a two-seat training version with a useful strike capability.
The distinctive colors of the LanceR C, the air-to-air-optimized variant.

of aging. ‘With old ammunition there is the
problem of disposal, but using them for live
firing is the best and most economic way of
solving the problem, because you train your
pilot with real bombs’, says Huiber. ‘The
MiG-21’s electrical system has a voltage of
28V and, while Western ordnance must work
with the exact 28V voltage, Soviet weaponry
is more flexible and allows a voltage variation
of more or less 10 per cent, so during pre-flight
checks it is less prone to problems. That is an
important aspect when you are operating in
the field.’
Challenging times
If the LanceR upgrade reduced the gap
between the MiG-21 and current-generation
fighters, it would be nothing without the skills
that the FAR imparts to its personnel. Making
air power effective remains a challenge,
especially in a period of continually reduced
flight hours and budget cuts.
Combat Aircraft had the chance to talk
about current flying operations and training at
Câmpia Turzii with Maj Muraru: ‘The primary
mission for us is to provide QRA under the
NATO control network. We operate under
the command of Combined Air Operations
Center Torrejón (CAOC-TJ) and pilots have
the mission to cover north-eastern Romanian
airspace, while south-western airspace is
entrusted to our colleagues at Fetesti. In times
of need, we can ensure coverage of the entire
Romanian airspace.
‘Our squadron always has two jets assigned
to the QRA mission, rotating the airframes
in the squadron. In case of a real scramble,
it starts under the guidance of GCI [ground-
controlled interception]. Once we have the
threat on our on-board radar, we switch to
autonomous interception.’
To become a QRA combat-ready pilot
requires two years of training divided into two
main areas. Maj Muraru continues: ‘During the
first step, which lasts 100 flight hours, almost
one year, pilots are trained in all aspects of
the air defense mission. Once we achieve 100
flight hours we are declared combat-ready
with the MiG, but it doesn’t mean we can be
assigned to QRA missions. Pilots must fly
another 80 hours to be QRA-qualified, where
they learn how to intercept the threat using
different tactics.’
Daily activities at Câmpia Turzii are carried
out according to the operational needs of the
FAR, and in order to maintain a high level of
capability for all types of mission. Air-to-air
training is carried out according to NATO
procedures and tactics. ‘The limitations are
imposed by the maneuverability during
dogfights and the lack of long-range missiles’,
explains Maj Muraru. ‘However, in BVR
[beyond visual range] engagements we are
considered difficult opponents to fight. We
can be easy targets when 1-v-1, but as soon
as we are in pairs or more, with the use of
appropriate tactics based on our low radar
signature and the information received by
the GCI to close on the enemy within radar
range, our MiGs are hard to beat’. The pilot
confided to CA that one of their best tactics is
to reduce the distance to the enemy as quickly

86 September 2015 www.combataircraft.net


as possible, before being acquired by an
opponent’s BVR missiles.
Tactics such as these are most effective
against larger aircraft such as the F-15 that
have a bigger radar signature and so can be
picked up by the on-board radar from a greater
distance (50-60km). Fighters like the F-16 and
F/A-18 are only acquired later due to their
smaller radar signature.
Concerning air-to-ground missions, Maj
Muraru explains: ‘We train regularly during
the year, in order to maintain our capability
in the role. We fly most of the time over the
Bogata range and we train alongside the
Romanian Army JTACs that provide us with
information about the targets from the ground.’
Campia Turzii is located near one of the
three Romanian firing ranges, Bogata. ‘Our
pilots use this range at least five or six times
every year for training with guns and rockets’,
says Huiber. ‘They also train with bombs once
a year at the Cincu range, which is located
www.combataircraft.net September 2015
about 100km from here, while for air-to-air
they move to the Capu Midia firing range,
where there are safety areas for live missile
firing. Training for missiles is conducted using
a flare and a radar-reflective prism attached
to a parachute, which allows simulation of
targets for both IR- and radar-guided missiles.’
When flying with other NATO assets, the
LanceR has some major limitations due to the
absence of the Link 16 datalink, as Muraru
says ‘The avionics are very up-to-date and
similar to other aircraft, but the absence of
the Link 16 system creates difficulties in
situational awareness, for example, when
flying in a formation of four aircraft, because
the Link 16 lets you know everything about
the other three aircraft, including weapons,
autonomy and other vital information’.
Another important missing item when flying
on exercise with other countries is the Air
Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation (ACMI)
system pod. MiG-21s use the aforementioned
DTS that is synchronized during post-mission
debriefing, but it is unable to provide real-time
information like the ACMI pod.
The MiG-21 fleet is gradually reaching the
end of its service life, with about two dozen
aircraft still active. As only low-budget
options are on the table, the natural response
was to look for a high-quality, second-hand
replacement in relatively small numbers.
LanceR successor
In 2013, the Romanian government signed a
contract to purchase 12 second-hand F-16AM/
BM Block 15 fighters from Portugal, becoming
the 28th country to fly the type. The package
costs €186.2 million and includes nine former
Portuguese Air Force jets and three ex-US Air
Force aircraft, supplied to Portugal for re-sale
under the Excess Defense Articles program.
The contract also includes modification and
upgrade of the aircraft to the mid-life upgrade
(MLU) standard, additional engines, logistics
support, the training of nine pilots and 69
maintenance technicians, spares and repair
parts, support equipment, tanker support, ferry
services, repair and return services, software
development and integration, test and
equipment, and supply support. In terms of
weapons and equipment, Romania purchased
13 Enhanced GPS/inertial navigation systems,
three AN/ALQ-131 EW pods, 30 AIM-120C
AMRAAMs, five AIM-120C Captive Air
Training Missiles (CATMs), 60 AIM-9M
Sidewinder missiles, four AIM-9M CATMs,
48 LAU-129 launchers, 10 GBU-12 Enhanced
Guided Bomb Units, 18 AGM-65H/KB
Maverick missiles, four AGM-65 CATMs, 15
Multi-functional Information Distribution
System/Low Volume Terminals, and two
Multi-functional Information Distribution
System Ground Support Systems.
The aircraft — nine single-seaters and three
two-seaters — have to be upgraded in Portugal
with the assistance of OGMA-Indústria
Aeronáutica de Portugal prior to transfer.
The FAR is now undergoing a training
program at Monte Real, Portugal. This is
scheduled to take place in several stages over
a period of about two years and involves the
preparation of 80 personnel, including nine
pilots, to operate the F-16s. The remaining
training will be conducted in Romania using
three of the 12 Fighting Falcons purchased.
In November 2014, the first two officers
from Câmpia Turzii, both with more than 15
years of flying experience and over 1,100 flight
hours, of which about 900 are on the LanceR,
made their first solo flights in the F-16.
The first aircraft is scheduled to be
delivered to at Baza 86 Aeriană in Borcea-
Fetesti in 2016, and initial operational
capability will be achieved the following
year. The F-16s will be able to accomplish
QRA missions only once the first pilots
have received combat readiness. There are
strong rumors regarding an intention to
buy a second batch of F-16s, in the form of
advanced Block 52s. ‘The air base is still a
growing enterprise and new infrastructure
will be built, especially if we receive the
[additional] F-16s’, said Col Oatu. If this
becomes reality, all the remaining MiGs
will likely be concentrated at Bacau,
where Aerostar’s maintenance facilities are
located.
Acknowledgments: Thanks to Col Marius ‘Boss’
Oatu, Maj Mihai Marcel ‘Ciff ’ Muraru, Capt
Claudiu Miclaus ‘Mike’ Morarescu, CWO Alex-
andru Huiber, WO3 Adela Muresan and all the
personnel at the QRA.
87
 V
F-154’S WAR WAS
undoubtedly the most unusual
of any of the Tomcat units
committed to Operation ‘Iraqi
Freedom’ (OIF). Deployed
on their final cruise with the
F-14A as part of Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5,
the ‘Black Knights’ of Fighter Squadron 154
arrived on station in the Northern Arabian
Gulf (NAG) aboard USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63)
on February 26, 2003.

BLACK
Chosen to be the dedicated close air support
(CAS) air wing by the coalition’s Combined
Air Operations Center (CAOC), CVW-5
PART ONE had not operated in this region since July
1999. Despite its unfamiliarity with current
operating procedures in Operation ‘Southern
Watch’ (OSW), which preceded OIF, VF-154

KNIGHTS
completed a handful of successful CAS and
forward air controller (airborne), or FAC(A),
missions in southern and western Iraq in the
three weeks leading up to OIF.
Prior to the squadron’s spring deployment,
VF-154 had tailored its training to optimize

RULE
its precision strike capabilities, including
dedicated training in target acquisition in
urban environments. During CVW-5 work-
ups, the unit was directly responsible for
developing standardized precision FAC(A)
and CAS tactics for the entire air wing. Once
in theater, the unit’s pre-deployment focus on
the air-to-ground mission allowed it to work
with many different assets as CVW-5 looked
to expand its role both in expeditionary
warfare and precision CAS in the combat
environment. In response to a short-notice

VF-154 IN OPERATION ‘IRAQI FREEDOM’ tasking from Central Command (CENTCOM),

VF-154 detached four crews, augmented by

88 September 2015 www.combataircraft.net


‘Nite 101’ (BuNo 161276), which dropped
45 laser-guided bombs in OIF, second only
to ‘Nite 103’, which expended 51. This jet
served in this guise until flown back to
NAS Oceana with the unit in September
2003, where it was stricken three months
later. VF-154 via author
FAC(A) instructors recently drafted in from
the Naval Strike Air Warfare Center (NSAWC),
and four jets to Al Udeid Air Base, in Qatar.
The build-up to war
With combat operations looming, these crews
quickly scheduled multiple training events to
teach strike co-ordination air reconnaissance
(SCAR) to coalition and inter-service assets
at Al Udeid. While ashore, VF-154 worked
closely with Royal Air Force Tornado GR4s,
US Air Force F-15Es, F-16CGs and F-16CJs,
and Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18As.
This training evolution subsequently
paid huge dividends both in OSW and OIF,
as VF-154 crews controlled laser-guided
munitions and passed AN/AAQ-25 LANTIRN
Targeting System (LTS) co-ordinates for the
successful employment of British Enhanced
Paveway II/III laser-guided bombs (LGBs),
standard LGBs and Joint Direct Attack
Munitions (JDAM) dropped from coalition
aircraft. The Al Udeid training detachment
helped maximize the lethality of the support
coalition strike aircraft offered to ground
forces by reducing the time between precision
weapons impacts down to the NSAWC
recommendation of one bomb per minute for
over 20 minutes, and less in the case of GPS-
guided munitions.
Equipped with the only F-14As to see
combat in OIF, VF-154 was restricted to the
use of LGBs or unguided ‘dumb’ bombs.
Unlike the F-14D, the A-model had no Mil
Std 1760 databus and associated on-board
GPS system to generate computed aim point
co-ordinates for J-weapons like JDAM and
the Joint Stand-Off Weapon. The F-14A’s
www.combataircraft.net September 2015
Although built as a Cold War interceptor tasked with keeping US
Navy carrier battle groups safe from attack by Soviet long-range
bombers, the F-14 Tomcat was developed into a precision bomber
in the 1990s. The jet performed this role to perfection during
Operation ‘Iraqi Freedom’ in 2003, and veteran F-14 squadron
VF-154 ‘Black Knights’ was in the vanguard of the campaign.
report: Tony Holmes
avionics had no path for the LTS to transfer its aircraft ashore. Some in the Navy didn’t like
GPS data (gleaned from a GPS housed in the the idea of putting carrier-based aircraft ashore
pod itself) to the J-weapons, as the jet lacked — I guess they felt it was an admission that
an embedded GPS. The F-14B/D had such a the Air Force had the better idea. I felt just
capability, however, thus allowing the LTS the opposite, for I thought that it showed the
to transfer aim point co-ordinates, and much inherent flexibility of carrier-based fighters. We
more targeting data besides, to the JDAMs could operate from either venue if required,
attached to its bomb pallets. Although out of which is obviously not true for land-based
the J-weapons business, VF-154 made full use fighters.
of its jets’ LTS pods, and the unit enjoyed a ‘As the plan took shape, I realized that it was
solid reputation as LGB bombers. my squadron that was going to be sending jets
The success of the Al Udeid operation pre- ashore. I would find out later that the reason
war can be gauged by the fact that CENTCOM VF-154 was picked was because of the high
contacted CVW-5 directly on the eve of OIF serviceability rates that we had achieved with
and requested that the squadron send a third our veteran F-14As — the highest for TACAIR
of its assets to Qatar to support coalition in theater. Since the squadron commanding
land-based aircraft and special operations officer [CO], CDR James Flatley, was a FAC(A),
forces (SOF) squads operating inside Iraq. The and he would be leading the detachment to
unit’s executive officer, CDR Doug Waters, was Qatar, I needed to return to VF-154 on board
ashore at the time when he received word of Kitty Hawk. When I stepped back on the deck
CENTCOM’s unusual request. He recalled: ‘I three-and-a-half weeks after flying off on the
was a liaison officer with the CAOC at Prince transit over from Japan, I remember thinking,
Sultan Air Base [PSAB], in Saudi Arabia, ‘Thank God I am out of PSAB and back with
during the weeks prior to the war. My job was my unit where I belong’.’
to scrub the OPLAN [operational plan] for OIF
from a Navy viewpoint, basically making sure War ashore
that the requested sortie numbers, ordnance Five aircraft and five crews were duly put
loads and tankers would work for carrier- ashore on the eve of OIF, VF-154’s CO, three
based fighters, and their planned cycle times. department heads, its training officer and
‘While working the OPLAN scrub, I began several augment instructor pilots and radar
to hear about a plan to bring some additional intercept officers (RIOs) from NSAWC and
FAC(A)-capable Tomcats and crews out to the Strike Fighter Weapons School Atlantic
work directly with coalition ground forces. (SFWSL) being charged with the responsibility
At first it sounded like additional aircraft of waging the impending war from Al
— rumored to be F-14Bs from VF-11 and Udeid. The unit’s maintenance officer came
VF-143 — would be added to one of the up with a novel plan to keep his elderly
carriers already in theater, but then it became charges serviceable while ashore, as CDR
apparent that the plan would involve basing Waters explained: ‘The plan was simple, yet
89
 This image: Still carrying its GBU-12s,
‘Nite 103’ (BuNo 161293) joins the
recovery pattern overhead USS
Kitty Hawk in early March 2003. This
particular aircraft ended OIF as the
high-time ordnance expender.
VF-154 via author

Left top to bottom: CDR James

Flatley and Naval Flight Officer
(NFO) CDR Doug Waters were both
multi-deployment Tomcat veterans
— they are pictured at NAF Atsugi in
their black ‘Friday flightsuits’.
Jinno Yukihisa via Tony Holmes

A division of Qatar det F-14As

prepares to taxi out for a dusk
mission from Al Udeid in early April
2003. Behind them F-16CJs, RAAF
F/A-18As and RAF Tornado GR4s can
be seen. The VF-154 crews got to
work closely with all three types, as
well as the co-located F-15Es of the
4th FW. VF-154 via author

extremely effective — take the minimum

number of maintainers possible ashore, so that
the squadron would not be precluded from
maintaining a high ship-based operational
tempo in support of normal air tasking order
[ATO] sorties. This was accomplished by
hand-picking the maintainers who would go
to Qatar. The shore-based det then created
informal relationships with units ashore to
garner external support for the detachment.
‘The 30 maintainers sent to Al Udeid
worked closely with both the RAAF Hornet
detachment and the 157th Fighter Squadron,
South Carolina Air National Guard, which
flew F-16CJs. Both units were exceptionally
helpful, and without the liaison set up
between them and the ‘Black Knights’ it
would have been very difficult to achieve
the 100 per cent combat sortie completion
rate that was maintained while operating out
of Qatar. The Aussies offered us use of their
composite shop to help with any airframe/

90 September 2015 www.combataircraft.net

metalworking issues that came up for our
aircraft, and they fashioned an adapter that
allowed us to use existing USAF servicing
equipment to replenish the nitrogen bottles
used to cool the seeker heads in our AIM-9Ms.
‘The South Carolina ANG guys helped the
detachment with the support equipment it
required, and they went out of their way to
make sure our troops were well taken-care-
of while in Qatar. Suffice to say, without the
Aussies and the South Carolina ANG guys
basically ‘adopting’ our maintainers, we
would have had to bring more personnel
ashore, which would have hurt the squadron’s
ability to generate ATO sorties from the ship.’
Once the war started, the benefits of having
VF-154’s cadre of FAC(A)s in Qatar soon
became apparent. By being able to brief,
debrief and operate on a daily basis with
the air assets they would control over Iraq,
the face-to-face liaison between the ‘Black
Knights’ and coalition crews at Al Udeid
www.combataircraft.net September 2015
resulted in a much more effective strike
package. The unit’s work with F-15Es from the ‘Our wingman’s
366th Fighter Wing’s 391st FS (flying aircraft
from the 4th FW’s 335th and 336th FS) was
engine stalled
particularly successful, with the pairing of the
Tomcat and the Strike Eagle proving deadly
again, and in the
when conducting secretive time critical target ensuing melee I
(TCT)/Task Force 20 (TF-20) missions in
support of SOF. watched him cross-
Long, dangerous and incredibly important,
these FAC(A) sorties required exceptional
planform directly in
situational awareness (SA) in a complicated front of the tanker
‘joint’ environment. The combination of
the F-14’s proven endurance and VF-154’s — I instinctively
NSAWC/SFWSL-boosted FAC(A) crews
saw the unit, along with F-14D-equipped
ducked, waiting
VF-2, become the ‘go-to’ FAC(A) asset in for the fireball that
OIF. Suitably-qualified crews were routinely
tasked on the ATO to fly in and act as would kill us all’
the ‘quarterbacks’ for some of the most
dangerous and tactically demanding sorties of VF-154 radar intercept officer
the conflict.
91
VF-154 was happy to take fuel from
whatever asset was available on station
during OIF, including the USAF’s
impressive KC-10A Extender. This
particular example belongs to the 6th
Air Refueling Squadron/60th Air Mobility
Wing, which was part of the 380th Air
Expeditionary Wing at Al Dhafra in the
United Arab Emirates. VF-154 via author
FAC(A) champions
The TCT/TF-20 missions that VF-154
participated in involved SOF squads taking
out targets of opportunity — key individuals
in the Iraqi leadership, mobile radar/SAM
sites and surface-to-surface missiles. Such
elusive targets often presented themselves
only fleetingly anywhere across the country,
and the SOF teams needed the ability to
infiltrate, hit the target with overwhelming
force and depart under the cover of blinding
firepower and complete darkness.
As the target lists were compiled pre-
war, planners realized that many of the
prime missions would originate in and
92
around the ‘Baghdad super MEZ’ (missile
engagement zone). SOF MC-130 and
helicopter aircrews tasked with inserting
and supporting the TF-20 squads requested
dedicated, responsive assistance over and
above their organic capabilities to support
these dangerous missions. The required
ordnance that could reach deep into Iraq and
be flexible enough to meet SOF needs could
only be delivered from coalition TACAIR
assets.
In autumn 2002, SOF air planners joined
forces with conventional US Marine Corps,
US Air Force and US Navy aircrews who
were subject matter experts (SMEs) on joint
CAS (JCAS) and FAC(A) procedures. Their
task was to provide a detailed concept of
operations (CONOPs) on how conventional
FAC and CAS jets would escort SOF aircraft
to and from their targets in a robust high-
threat environment. The CONOPs also
detailed measures to provide fire support
and assistance to SOF ground FACs during
missions against their objectives. It was
then validated by those same aircrew, who
put their ideas to the test against USAF
and US Navy weapons ranges simulating
enemy threat systems. Face-to-face briefings
and, more importantly, debriefings were
stressed due to the fact that most SOF-to-
September 2015 www.combataircraft.net
 Below left to right: Led by ‘Nite 100’, a division of VF-154
F-14As forms up behind a KC-135R of the Alabama Air
National Guard’s 106th Air Refueling Squadron in April
2003. VF-154 via author

VF-154’s XO CDR Doug Waters enters details of his flight

time and a technical discrepancy with his jet into the unit’s
maintenance program via a laptop computer post-sortie.
Despite working with the oldest Tomcats involved in OIF,
VF-154 maintenance personnel lived up to their billing as
Fighter Wing Atlantic Golden Wrench award-winners for
2002 by keeping enough jets ‘up on the roof’ of the USS
Kitty Hawk to allow the ‘Black Knights’ to almost triple their
monthly flight hours for the duration of OIF.
VF-154 via author

The crew of ‘Nite 111’ prepares to fly a training mission soon

after the unit ended its time in the NAG on April 17, 2003.
The top two rows of mission marks represent the ordnance
dropped by this jet in OIF, while the bottom row (in red)
denotes a portion of the bomb log for ‘Nite 104’ (BuNo
158620), which crashed in Iraq on April 2, 2003.
US Navy/PH3 Todd Frantom

conventional air forces interaction ended
up being ‘pick-up’ games played on the
battlefield, with both players ‘arriving at
the court’ with the JCAS ‘playbook’ already
memorized.
After the rehearsals were over, the well-
practiced FAC(A) and CAS aircrews were
told that they would be assigned to units
already in theater under the control of Joint
Task Force — South-west Asia in order to
teach what they had learned to the deployed
crews. When theater commanders learned of
how well the rehearsals were executed, the
aircrew were directed to lead the missions
as ‘tactical quarterbacks’, integrating other
coalition FAC(A) and CAS aircraft into the
SOF missions.
Strike Eagle partners
When it came to performing TCT or TF-20
(also dubbed Task Force Tawny) missions,
VF-154’s FAC(A) crews at Al Udeid were
usually paired up with F-15Es from the 4th
FW’s 335th FS that were being flown by
391st FS personnel — they had been flown
in specially from Mountain Home Air Force
Base, Idaho, to undertake TF-20 operations.
Only 10 pilots and weapons system officers
from the latter unit were ‘read-in’ on these
sensitive missions, which were heavily
compartmentalized in terms of mission
planning and briefing/debriefing. TF-20
aircrews were allowed to plan their own
sorties, as well as secure the assets (VF-154)
and weapons (usually the 2,000lb GBU-24
LGB) needed.
Most TCT/TF-20 missions were carried out
at night, and the first such sortie involving
VF-154 actually took place prior to OIF
starting. Precise details of what target was
hit remain classified, but it is known that
a section of two Qatar-based VF-154 F-14s
operated alongside aircraft from CVW-2 and
CVW-14, as well as USAF and RAF jets,
over H-2 and H-3 airfields in western Iraq on

www.combataircraft.net September 2015 93

March 19, 2003. These jets were providing
CAS for SOF elements that had been charged
with immobilizing ‘Pluto’ and ‘Flat Face’
early warning radar sites and radio relay
antennae sited near the border with Jordan.
These were important targets, as the OIF
battle plan stated that USAF F-16s and SOF
helicopters would operate over western Iraq
from bases in Jordan once hostilities began.
The intercept operations center at H3 was
destroyed in the same mission by GBU-28
‘bunker-buster’ bombs dropped by F-15Es
operating with FAC(A)s from VF-154.
Although the ‘Black Knights’ had sufficient
skill in their FAC(A)-qualified crews to
carry out these TCT missions, their elderly
platforms were lacking key systems. VF-2
crews had no such worries with their F-14Ds.
Being a part of the designated night carrier air
wing, the ‘Bounty Hunters’ played a key role
in servicing TCT targets. One of VF-2’s RIOs
who flew two TF-20 missions recalled: ‘We
relieved the VF-154 jets over H-2/H-3 on the
night of March 19. I think that our situational
awareness in the F-14D was much better
than that of the VF-154 crew we relieved.
That was a direct reflection of the equipment
that we had at our disposal in our upgraded ‘Ten minutes later we arrived on the flight
Tomcats, not on the aircrew themselves. On line and quickly read the aircraft discrepancy
the two TF-20 missions that I flew — a third books. We’d been flying the same jets for the
was cancelled at the last minute — the VF-154 last three weeks, so we only gave the books a
crews did most of the asset set-up and covered cursory glance. We then grabbed a few bottles
the rather uneventful ingress into the objective of water and walked to the aircraft. After start-
area, while the main effort, target objective and up we taxied out to the runway, each jet armed
egress were covered by VF-2 aircrew. with four 500lb GBU-12 LGBs apiece. One
‘Things were much more dynamic after of the cool things about taking off from Qatar
the kick-off of these TCT missions, and with was the requirement to be above 15,000ft, thus
our jets boasting the Link 16 Joint Tactical negating the man-portable air defense system
Information Distribution System [JTIDS] [MANPAD] threat, prior to actually leaving the
we could provide an additional level of airfield boundaries! Two minutes after the first
deconfliction and SA in respect to where the of our Tomcats had rolled, we had all joined
other assets were at any given time during up at 23,000ft and proceeded ‘feet wet’ over
the mission. VF-154’s older F-14As had not the Persian Gulf on our way to Iraq.
received the JTIDS upgrade, leaving crews ‘An hour later the sun had completely set;
out of the loop when it came to up-to-the- we had finished our first airborne refueling
minute information on how the mission was and were proceeding west in search of our
evolving.’ next tanker. Within 30 minutes all four F-14
VF-154 did, however, fly many CAS, SCAR, crews had topped off for the second time, and
and FAC(A) missions during the 31 days we were now finally ready to check in with
of OIF. Aside from the unit’s participation our controlling agency. The latter informed us
in the H-2/H-3 airfield strikes on the eve of
OIF, crews provided air support for a SOF Top: LCDR Jerry
take-down of an Iraqi presidential palace on Morick from VF-154
checks the guidance
the shores of Lake Tharthar, north-west of vanes of two
Baghdad, towards the end of the conflict. GBU-16B/B LGBs.
US Navy/
RIO’s perspective PH3 Todd Frantom
A VF-154 RIO who was one of the hand-
picked FAC(A)-qualified naval aviators Above: An
chosen to fly from Qatar provided impressive tally of
the following account of a mission he mission markings
as CDR Jim Flatley
participated in from Al Udeid on April 3:
prepares for a
‘It was supposed to be a six-hour ‘Black mission.
Knights’ division FAC(A) flight in support of Jinno Yukihisa via
coalition ground forces. Three hours prior to Tony Holmes
take-off we received our intelligence update,
and then briefed with our strike assets.
Tonight, we’d have a division of F-15Es and
a section of F-16CJs as our primary strikers.
Three weeks of briefing with the same guys
made for an expeditious pre-mission routine.
After the brief, we geared up and piled into
the minivan for the drive to the flight line F-14A ‘Nite 105’ (BuNo 161271)
— while minivans may be good for ‘soccer configured with a typical OIF
moms’, they’re not very accommodating for war load of four GBU-12s.
eight fully-outfitted aviators. VF-154 via author

94 September 2015 www.combataircraft.net

that we were still on schedule, and that the
ground forces were waiting for us in central
Iraq. For the purpose of continuity, we split
into two sections so that we could constantly
have eyes in the target area while the
other section refueled.
‘As the first section worked its
way towards the specific element
that we were supporting, it became apparent
that the friendlies on the ground had taken
some casualties from a car bomb that had
been set off. Our first mission of the night
would be to sanitize the area of any threats
so we could medevac out the casualties.
After reconnoitering the area, the lead section
discovered a hostile vehicle driving towards
the landing zone and eliminated it with a
GBU-12. They then proceeded to fly high
cover for the medevac helicopter, escorting it
back to friendly forces.
‘The second ‘Black Knights’ section then
arrived on scene and protected the ground
forces from any threat proceeding from the
lake side of the nearby Hadditha Dam, upon
which the friendlies had set up their defensive
position. We were concerned that the Iraqis
would attempt to breach the dam in an
attempt to flood the Euphrates River, which
ran through the valley below it.
‘Right about then we were fired upon by
several AAA [anti-aircraft artillery] pieces
from south-west of the dam. Using NVGs
[night vision goggles], and slaving the FLIR
[forward-looking infra-red] to the HUD [head-
up display], we were able to roll in on the
anti-aircraft artillery and destroy one weapon
with an LGB. Wanting to save some of our
ordnance for follow-on ‘pop up’ threats, we
called in a section of Strike Eagles and guided
their ordnance on to adjacent AAA pieces.
‘At about this time the lead section arrived
back on scene, and after a FAC-to-FAC
turnover they relieved us. We then received
word from our buddies on the ground that one
of their reconnaissance units had discovered
more AAA pieces at an airfield 5km to the
south of the dam. They asked us to check it
out, and after some searching, we were able
to find about 10 S-60 [57mm] AAA weapons
dispersed around the airfield. After dropping
one LGB to mark the target for the Strike
Eagles, we turned the remainder of the AAA
sites over to them to destroy. Now reaching
bingo fuel, the lead section headed for the
tanker, and then home, as the second section
arrived back on scene.
‘I don’t know whether or not the Iraqis
south-west of the dam thought we’d left the
area, but they started firing AAA into the night
sky soon after the lead section departed. After
quickly finding the AAA pieces on NVGs and
FLIR, we passed two sets of co-ordinates to a
section of F-16s and told them to put a JDAM
on each of them. We orbited overhead and
watched on our FLIR as both JDAMs shacked
their intended targets. Having destroyed the
remaining AAA pieces to the south-west,
we passed off the FAC(A) role to a section
of A-10s and headed back south to find our
second to last tanker of the night.
‘Unfortunately, the weather was now starting
to roll in, and after some attempts to get the
tanker to clear air, we finally gave up and
rendezvoused in the ‘goo’. Our wingman,
being lower on fuel, would tank first. Just as
he was plugging in he experienced an engine
www.combataircraft.net September 2015
F-14A BuNo 161276 of VF-154, USS Kitty
Hawk (CV-63), NAG, April 2003. Jim Laurier
compressor stall and disappeared into the
darkness below. Not having a lot of fuel, or
time, to play with, we decided to tank while
he re-joined. After a couple of minutes, and
some radio calls, he magically appeared off
our right wing. His engine then stalled again,
and in the ensuing melee I watched him cross-
planform directly in front of the tanker — I
instinctively ducked, waiting for the fireball
that would kill us all. Fortunately, he just
missed the tanker and disappeared down our
left side, back into the darkness. I can honestly
say that was the scariest moment of my life.
‘Tragedy averted, we managed to finish
refueling our section and then headed back
east towards our last tanker. After completing
our final tanking evolution, we flew back out
over the Gulf, turned south and tracked down
the ‘aerial highway’ to Qatar. Forty minutes
later, when we called to check on the status
of the field, base ops replied that they were
in the middle of a huge sandstorm, and that
we could try to shoot the approach or divert
to a different base. We decided that we had
enough fuel to try to get down at Qatar and
divert if we couldn’t land.
‘Surprisingly, we were able to see the field
at 15 miles and set up for individual straight-
in approaches. Although we could see the
runway as clear as day at altitude, we lost
sight of everything when we flew into the
sandstorm at a height of just 100ft above
the ground. Our wingman, one mile in trail,
immediately told us that he had lost sight of
us. It was as if we had flown into a tunnel.
Just as we were about to wave off, we picked
up the runway’s centerline lights and landed.
Relaying this information, and our position on
the runway, to our wingman, he was able to
land behind us.
‘The sandstorm was so bad that we were
forced to taxi back to our line at a snail’s pace,
with lighting normally visible at a mile only
becoming identifiable when directly abeam
us. As it turns out, we were the only aircraft
able to land at Qatar that night. All of our
VF-154’s Al Udeid detachment poses
for a group shot on the flightline
in late March 2003. Providing
the backdrop is ‘Nite 112’ (BuNo
158624), which dropped 28 LGBs in
OIF. VF-154 via author
USAF and coalition buddies were ordered to
divert and sit by their aircraft all night, before
returning the following morning.’
While the specifics relating to exactly
what was bombed, and just how the Al
Udeid detachment went about servicing its
numerous targets, remain largely classified,
it has been revealed that these crews were
responsible for developing new tactics,
techniques and procedures for operating
with multi-service SOF teams. The five crews
flew daily missions specifically briefed to
support individual ground units, and in one
48-hour period the squadron’s detachment
flew 14 sorties, totaling more than 100 hours
of flight time.
According to VF-154’s post-cruise summary
of OIF, FAC(A) crews ‘on the beach’ amassed
more than 300 combat hours and delivered in
excess of 50,000lb of ordnance (98 GBU-12s)
in 21 days of flying with five crews and four
jets. Despite its success, this unique operation
is unlikely to be repeated again, according
to CDR Waters: ‘Since naval aviators do not
like to ask permission to use someone else’s
runway for combat operations, the Al Udeid
detachment is not likely a model for the
future. However, it did lay the foundation, in
both tactics and trust, for future operations
between Navy FAC(A)s and joint ground
and SOF in support of National Command
Authority objectives.’
In the second part of this feature, we will
look at VF-154’s remaining contribution
to ‘Iraqi Freedom’, including the loss of an
aircraft and operations ‘on the boat’.
Acknowledgments: Thanks to CHINFO PAOs
CDRs John Fleming and Danny Hernandez,
Dennis McGrath, COMNAVAIRPAC PAO LCDR
Heidi Lenzini, CDR James Flatley and CDR
Douglas Waters, LCDR Andrew Walton and
LTJG Darin Dean, PH3 Todd Frantom, Tailhook
Association’s CAPT Steve Millikin and CDR Jan
Jacobs, ANA Wings of Gold editor CAPT Zip
Rausa and Jinno Yukihisa.
95
 Dispatches from the front line
of aerospace technology
THE F-35 DESPERATELY
NEEDS NEW WEAPONS
T
HE MULTI-ROLE LOCKHEED
Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint
Strike Fighter is on track to
become the most numerous jet
fighter in the arsenals of the
United States and its closest
allies. But to perform all its many missions,
the F-35 badly needs new munitions,
according to a senior officer in charge of the
aircraft’s development.
All three F-35 variants need ‘weapons with
longer range [and] shorter time to kill… to
take advantage of its sensor capabilities’,
RADM Randolph Mahr, US Navy, the
JSF program’s deputy executive officer,
explained in a presentation dated March
2015.
At present, the F-35 can engage enemy
aircraft with either the longer-range AIM-120C
Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile
(AMRAAM) or at shorter distances with the
agile AIM-9X Sidewinder dogfight missile.
All of the JSF variants can carry GPS-guided
Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) and
laser-guided bombs for striking ground targets.
The A-model has an internal, 25mm-caliber
cannon. Lockheed Martin is developing a
detachable gun pod with the same weapon for
the carrier-compatible F-35C and the vertical-
landing F-35B.
If everything goes according to plan, the
conventional take-off and landing (CTOL)
F-35A variant will also be fully compatible
with the gliding Small-Diameter Bomb (SDB)
by 2018 and the improved SDB II four years
later. The F-35C should gain the air-to-ground
AGM-154 Joint Stand-Off Weapon (JSOW)
around the same time.
The US Marine Corps is on schedule to
declare initial operating capability with the
F-35B this summer. The US Air Force and
Navy should follow suit with the F-35A and C
in 2016 and 2019 respectively.
96
But by 2018, the F-35’s arsenal will be dated,
its weapons lacking the range to keep pilots
safe from enemy air defenses, Mahr’s slides
point out. These older bombs and missiles
will be at the core of what Mahr called ‘the
most prolific modern fighter since the F-4 and
F-16.’
Under the best conditions, Navy fliers might
be able to toss a JSOW at a building or ship
70 miles away. An F-35 can lob a JDAM or
a laser-guided bomb a fifth of that distance.
Dust, smoke and other particles in the air can
block laser beams and blind optical sensors.
An opponent can jam the link between a
bomb and a GPS satellite.
All of the JSF’s current air-to-ground
weapons could force pilots to fly well within
the range of hostile defenses. Russia claims
that its Rezonans-NE radar can spot even
stealthy targets 750 miles away. Iran’s Ghadir
will supposedly see incoming jets at around
half that distance. Russia’s S-400 surface-to-air
missile can hit targets up to 250 miles away.
In an air-to-air duel, the F-35 will run into
similar problems. Even with AIM-120Cs that
can hit targets 60 miles away, a JSF might
not be able to get within range of hostile jets
before being spotted. At 60 miles, an F-35
would be within shooting distance of Russia’s
own R-77 air-to-air missile.
New and better weapons are on the way for
the JSF. Norwegian (and likely other nations’)
F-35s should eventually carry Kongsberg’s
Joint Strike Missile anti-ship weapon with
a range of nearly 200 miles, while Turkish
‘Currently, the F-35 is limited to a mix of four
missiles and bombs in its internal bay. And the bay
itself is cramped — likely around a third of the size
of the Chinese J-20’s internal weapon load’
BY DAVID AXE &
JOSEPH TREVITHICK
pilots could haul the indigenous SOM-J
modular stand-off missile capable of hitting
a target 100 miles away, according to Mahr’s
presentation.
The Royal Air Force and Royal Navy want
to add MBDA’s SPEAR — short for Selective
Precision Effects At Range — to the JSF’s
arsenal for ground-attack missions, plus
the same company’s air-to-air Meteor. Both
weapons can hit targets 60 miles away.
But Mahr admits it’s taking the JSF program
too long to add these new munitions.
‘Weapon integration requests [are] likely to
exceed the capacity’, he lamented. And even
when new munitions do come along, the
F-35’s basic design limits how many of each
the jet can carry.
Currently, the F-35 is limited to a mix
of four missiles and bombs in its internal
bay. And the bay itself is cramped — likely
around a third of the size of the Chinese J-20’s
internal weapon load, given the photographic
evidence available. True, the JSF can carry
extra ordnance on six external pylons, but this
comprises stealth qualities.
One way to boost the JSF’s load is to shrink
the weapons. With special racks, the F-35A
can carry four SDBs in the same space as
just one JDAM. The same goes for MBDA’s
SPEAR. Lockheed Martin hopes to provide
a similar space-saving air-to-air capability
with its upcoming Cuda missile, which
could quadruple the F-35’s painfully limited
internal weapons load and still preserve the
jet’s radar-evading qualities.
But a new munition does the fast-expanding
F-35 force no good if the program can’t
integrate the weapon in a timely manner —
or do it on the cheap. To be as effective as
possible, the Joint Strike Fighters will need
‘weapons that are more affordable and easier
to integrate’, Mahr said.
An F-35A test-fires an
AIM-120 AMRAAM.
Lockheed Martin
September 2015 www.combataircraft.net
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