US MARINE CORPS IN ACTION SPECIAL REPORT

F-35B • KC-130J • WTI EXERCISE US NAVY F-35C CARRIER TRIALS

NORTH AMERICA’S BEST-SELLING MILITARY AVIATION MAGAZINE Vol 16, No 1 | www.combataircraft.net

F-35
GES
EXCLUSIVE IMA

FORCE
MARINE CORPS AND BRITISH TRAINING AT MCAS BEAUFORT

IN THE
NEWS:
NATO AIR
POLICING UPDATE
OPERATION ‘INHERENT
RESOLVE’ LATEST
CANADA TO BUY F-35?
JANUARY 2015 UK £4.40

FIGHTER FOCUS
SU-25 ‘FROGFOOT’
‘OTIS’
KC-130JS IN ACTION
MIG-31’Foxhound’
defenders of the East
PROJECT LIBERTY
MC-12W
1 Cover_UK.indd 1 20/11/2014 09:52
 • NE
W•N
2015
NEW
EW•

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The Official RAF Annual Review 2015 is a
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HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

TYPHOON FORCE: READY FOR

TODAY AND TOMORROW
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AT THE HEART OF OPERATIONS
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 Vol 16, No 1 January 2015
What’s inside
30 UNIT REVIEW:
JACK OF ALL TRADES
MASTERS OF EVERYTHING!
One-size-fits-all solutions are rare, but the
KC-130J Hercules II comes close, especially
in the hands of the US Marine Corps’
VMGR-252 ‘Otis’. Jamie Hunter and
Jamie Deboer visited MCAS Cherry Point to
see the unit at work
40 PROJECT LIBERTY
Although at first glance the MC-12W
appears an unassuming aircraft, looks can
be deceptive. While the last deployed US
Air Force unit de-activated in October,
this intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance platform looks set to
remain one of the most highly regarded
and sought-after assets to patrol the skies,
as Dr Séan Wilson reports
EXCLUSIVE
46 BROTHERS IN ARMS
South Carolina is the epicenter of the US
Marine Corps’ F-35 training community.
Working hand in hand with the Marine
Corps, the UK is also bedding-in its F-35
force at MCAS Beaufort, the new home of
the British F-35 connection. Jamie Hunter
went to find out more
56 FAR EAST FOXHOUNDS
Since the era of the Cold War, Russian
armed forces stationed in the Kamchatka
Peninsula have had an important role
protecting the country’s eastern borders.
Babak Taghvaee reviews the work of the
MiG-31 in this desolate location
8 SPECIAL REPORT:
F-35C GOES TO THE BOAT
The US Navy
and Lockheed
Martin have for
the first time
deployed
the F-35C
aboard
an aircraft
carrier.
Lockheed
Martin/
Andy Wolfe
3 Contents C.indd 3
60 EXERCISE REPORT:
RAMSTEIN GUARD
Krasimir Grozev and Alexander Mladenov
attend ‘Ramstein Guard’, an exercise to train
air defense operators
news
HEADLINE NEWS
6
64 INDUSTRY REPORT: F-35C completes first carrier trials
LATIN AMERICAN and latest news from Iraq and Syria
FIGHTERS air operations
Santiago Rivas reviews the combat
aviation fleets of Latin America and reveals
how some have undergone a process of US NEWS
8
modernization, while other air arms still F-35 latest news includes latest
struggle to replace obsolete aircraft
production batch order, Marine
Corps aviation plan unveiled, and
70 EXERCISE REPORT: will the A-10 be saved?
EAATTC 2014
Alexander Klingelhöller joins tactical
WORLD NEWS
transport flying training at Zaragoza
18
First images from China’s Zhuhai air
72 FIGHTER FOCUS: show, KJ-500 prototype breaks cover
21ST-CENTURY and Korea cancels F-16 upgrade
FROGFOOT
The Su-25 continues to be the mainstay EUROPE NEWS
24
attack aircraft of the Russian Air Force, as
Eurofighter signs E-Scan radar deal, first
Alexander Mladenov outlines
British A400M delivered and Discovery
82 SAAF AT A CROSSROADS Air takes over Luftwaffe training role
Dr Andreas Zeitler reports from Africa
Aerospace and Defence 2014 (AAD), where
the current strength of the South African PLUS: Robert F. Dorr’s Front Line column, a special
Air Force was on show report on the F-35C carrier trials and all the latest
military Losses
88 EXERCISE REPORT:
DESERT DUELS — WTI SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE
Ted Carlson joins the Weapons and Tactics Subscribe to Combat Aircraft Monthly and make great
Instructor (WTI) course at MCAS Yuma, savings on cover price. See pages 86 and 87 for details.
where the US Marine Corps is pushed to
the limits in the sweltering Arizona desert.
Additional material by Jamie Deboer
96 CUTTING EDGE
Combat Aircraft’s monthly column
reporting from the front line of aerospace
technology, by David Axe
Lightning strike — two F-35Bs from
VMFAT-501 ‘Warlords’ break for the camera of
Combat Aircraft editor Jamie Hunter during a
photo shoot for this issue.
21/11/2014 17:05
 COMBAT EDGE

In this issue Combat Aircraft

evaluates the joint US Marine
Corps and UK F-35B operations
that are becoming established at
MCAS Beaufort. Jamie Hunter

BEAUFORT’S
BRITISH
CONNECTION
4 January 2015 www.combataircraft.net

4-5 Combat Edge.indd 4 21/11/2014 13:19

 LIGHTNING UP CLOSE

F
or this month’s issue I traveled
to South Carolina to visit the
impressive new US Marine
Corps F-35B facilities now
established at MCAS Beaufort.
VMFAT-501’s new hangar at the
south-eastern end of the airfield even comes
complete with its own lake out front and a
resident alligator!
I had never seen an F-35B hovering before,
let alone photographed one in the air, so to
view this at close quarters was impressive to
say the least.
It wasn’t as noisy in the hover as I’d been
warned it was, and it didn’t appear to be
as fragile as many have speculated. In fact,
maintainers were crawling over the jets
without having to treat them with kid gloves
and the pilots slotted swiftly into close
formation with the KC-130J cameraship.
Clearly there is still some considerable way
to go before these jets are mature, or before
the ‘blueprint for affordability’ achieves what
it aims to do, but actually seeing the F-35 up
close made it all seem much more real and
viable; more operational and usable.
Talking to the engineers, walking out to
the flight line with the pilots, chatting
about the aircraft — it all helps to get a
balanced message, as opposed to the
polarized opinions, be those staunch
criticism or, at the other end of the spectrum,
the glossy brochure promises. It is, after all,
the men and women of the armed forces
that will have to deal day-in, day-out with
these aircraft. They are the ones facing the
real consequences of normal operations with
this hugely significant defense procurement
project.
It is interesting to see that amid the media
gaze of the recent carrier trials with the
F-35C, the aircraft performed impeccably.
The new hook design worked as planned and
the new carrier approach procedures of the
Navy’s Lightning II functioned ‘as fragged’.
In recent issues we have been covering
concerns over the F-35 in the wake of the
engine problems of the summer. In this issue,
however, we are reporting an altogether
much more positive message. It’s good to be
objective and balanced.
Jamie Hunter,
Editor
E-mail: jamie.hunter@keypublishing.com

CONTRIBUTOR PROFILE TED CARLSON

T
ed Carlson is one of the
most renowned and
respected professional
aviation photo-journalists
whose work graces the pages
of this magazine. With over
1,700 hours of flight time
performing air-to-air
photography, Ted has been a
long-time contributor and valued
supporter of Combat Aircraft. His
work can be found worldwide in
magazines, books, calendars,
Department of Defense
publications and glossy posters.
Ted has flown with all branches
of the US military and in just
about every type of aircraft.

www.combataircraft.net January 2015 5

4-5 Combat Edge.indd 5 21/11/2014 12:24

 NEWS Headlines

F-35C goes to sea

First carrier trials successful for US Navy variant

T
HE CARRIER VARIANT
(CV) of the Lockheed Martin CF-03 prepares to launch from
F-35 Lightning II conducted the USS Nimitz. Dane Wiedmann
its initial arrested landing
aboard an aircraft carrier
on November 3. Test F-35C
CF-03/SD73 of VX-23 ‘Salty Dogs’ at NAS
Patuxent River, Maryland, made the type’s
first such landing aboard the USS Nimitz
(CVN 68), taking the ship’s number three
wire. The carrier was operating in the
Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego,
California.
Departing from MCAS Yuma, Arizona,
Navy test pilot CDR Tony ‘Brick’ Wilson
first conducted a low fly-over, followed
by a touch-and-go, before landing at
12.18 hours local time. LCDR Ted ‘Dutch’
Dyckman subsequently landed CF-05/
SD75 aboard the carrier at 13.11. The
aircraft made the first catapult take-offs on
November 4.
The arrested landings marked the start
of the F-35C’s initial at-sea Developmental
Testing I (DT-I), the first of three at-sea test
phases planned for the F-35C.
For more details, see our special report on
the following spread.

CF-03 turns finals to the USS Nimitz (CVN

68) for the type’s first arrested carrier
landing. Lockheed Martin/Andy Wolfe

ALSO THIS MONTH...

A-10 reprieve?
US Air Force sets out possible plan to save the
‘Warthog’. See US News

Zhuhai extreme
All the best images from the latest Chinese
aerospace show. See World News

6 January 2015 www.combataircraft.net

6-7 Headlines.indd 6 21/11/2014 12:22

 Air strikes against Islamic State (IS) militants
have continued in Iraq and Syria, along
with renewed attacks against the ‘Khorasan’
group. The tempo of operations has not
abated, with regular reports of strikes in Syria
around Kobani, Ar Raqqah and east of Dayr
Az Zawr. In Iraq, attacks have been prevalent
around Kirkuk, Taji, Ar Rutbah, Bayji, near
Fallujah and Mosul. Indeed, reports of a
seven-nation coalition strike package on
November 19 was notable as it targeted IS
positions 30km north-west of Kirkuk.
Canadian CF-188s are now in
the thick of the action. USAF
Iraq air
strike latest
RAF Tornados complete
Afghanistan mission
Royal Air Force Tornado GR4s from No 31
Squadron ‘Goldstars’ have left Kandahar
airfield, Afghanistan, having flown their
final missions in support of the UK’s
Operation ‘Herrick’. The RAF Tornado force
has participated in Afghanistan operations
since relieving the Harrier force in June
2009.
British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon
commented: ‘The Tornado remains the fast
jet workhorse of the RAF and has performed
superbly over many years in Afghanistan,
supplying life-saving intelligence and
www.combataircraft.net January 2015
6-7 Headlines.indd 7
British Reaper remotely-piloted air systems
have been notably active in the Kirkuk
region. A British Army team remains in
Erbil, providing training assistance requested
by the Kurdish Peshmerga.
The first RAF Reaper strike was notified
on November 10 when a series of coalition
missions were conducted near Bayji, north
of Baghdad. There, IS militants were laying
improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The
Reaper successfully attacked the terrorists
using an AGM-114 Hellfire missile.
precision weapons in support of our mission
there’. Wg Cdr Richard Yates, Officer
Commanding No 31 Squadron, said: ‘It
has been an honor to be the last squadron
of the Tornado force’s combat mission
in Afghanistan supporting the Afghan
Government and people. I am hugely proud
of my personnel who have worked tirelessly
and continued the good work of all those
who have been here before, both on the
Tornado force and the Harrier force.’
The final deployment marked No 31
Squadron’s fourth tour of Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Italy has announced plans to
deploy four Tornados to Al Jaber in Kuwait.
Canadian CF-188s flying from the same base
under Operation ‘Impact’ conducted their
first combat strike on October 30, when two
aircraft attacked IS targets with GBU-12
500lb laser-guided bombs in the vicinity of
Fallujah.
Leading the last combat sortie was Flt Lt
Oli Payne. He said: ‘[It] was a real privilege.
It was a hugely poignant day as it brought
to a close about 10 years of constant fast jet
operations by the RAF in Afghanistan, so
it was a big moment for both the crews and
the RAF’. Tornados operating in Afghanistan
flew over 33,500 hours and conducted 600
shows of force.
Personnel from the
last Kandahar Tornado
detachment prepare
to bid farewell to the
Afghanistan mission.
Crown Copyright
7
21/11/2014 12:23
 SPECIAL REPORT
A
S REPORTED IN Headline
News, the F-35C made
its first arrested landing
aboard an aircraft carrier on
November 3. First to land
aboard the USS Nimitz
(CVN 68) was F-35C CF-03/SD73 of VX-23
‘Salty Dogs’, piloted by CDR Tony ‘Brick’
Wilson, followed by CF-05 piloted by LCDR
Ted ‘Dutch’ Dyckman.
The aircraft conducted 124 catapult
launches, 222 touch-and-goes and 124
arrested landings by November 13. The
F-35Cs completed 100 per cent of the
threshold test points planned. Testing
included two intentional ‘bolters’ (missed
attempts to catch an arresting wire) and no
unintentional ones. So succesful were the
trials that they concluded three days earlier
than planned, on November 14.
CDR Wilson commented: ‘The F-35C’s
performance on the ball was revolutionary,
providing carefree handling on approach.
The Integrated Direct Lift Control (IDLC)
allows ball control like no other aircraft’.
He continued: ‘[The] Delta Flight Path is an
innovative leap in aircraft flight controls —
this command enables the F-35 to capture
and maintain a glideslope.’
F-35C CF-05 bangs down
on the USS Nimitz (CVN 68).
Lockheed Martin/Andy Wolfe
8 January 2015 www.combataircraft.net
8-9 F-35 Special Report.indd 8
Speaking in Navy Times, LT Chris
Karapostoles, a landing signal officer (LSO)
with VX-23, said that the F-35C can adjust
its approach faster and smoother, making it Photos: Lockheed Martin/
more likely to hit the three wire — the ideal Andy Wolfe/Alexander H
landing. Groves/Dane Wiedmann and
Having been one of the main reasons for US Navy/MC1 Brett Cote/
slight delays to the carrier trials, the F-35C’s MCSN Eli K. Buguey
re-designed tail hook, which had repeatedly
failed engagements three years ago during
land testing, performed soundly.
This latest phase fell within the so-called
Developmental Testing I (DT-I) stage, the first
of three at-sea test rounds for the F-35C. DT-I
went so smoothly that it prompted officials to
add initial night operations.
DT-II, which is scheduled for September
2015, will take in day/night operations and
initial weapons trials with internal stores
as well as maximum-power launches from
both the bow and waist catapults. Operations
in crosswind conditions will gradually be
expanded to 15kt.
DT-III, the third and final phase, is expected
to take place around April 2016.
The Navy’s objective is to declare initial
operational capability (IOC) with its first
squadron of 10 F-35Cs in August 2018 or no
later than February 2019.
The US Navy and Lockheed
Martin have for the first time
deployed the F-35C aboard an
aircraft carrier for trials.
report: Jamie Hunter
21/11/2014 12:20
 www.combataircraft.net January 2015 9

8-9 F-35 Special Report.indd 9 21/11/2014 12:21

 NEWS United States
UNIT NEWS
Luke establishes new detachment
The 56th Operations Group activated a new
detachment alongside the Oregon Air National
Guard’s 173rd Fighter Wing at Kingsley Field
in Klamath Falls on November 1. As part
of the USAF’s Total Force Integration (TFI)
efforts, personnel assigned to Detachment 2,
56th Operations Group will support training
operations at Kingsley Field. The F-15C active
associate unit will include 66 maintenance
personnel, three support personnel and eight
instructor pilots. The 173rd, which is the USAF’s
only Formal Training Unit (FTU) for the Eagle,
recently added seven F-15Cs to its inventory.
The 56th OG previously established Detachment
1 alongside the Arizona Air National Guard’s
162nd Fighter Wing at Tucson International
Airport, which is an F-16C FTU.
Squadron activated in Senegal
The USAF established the 787th Air
Expeditionary Squadron at Léopold Sédar
Senghor International Airport in Dakar, Senegal,
in early November. The squadron is operating
a pair of C-130Js deployed by the 317th
Airlift Group at Dyess AFB, Texas, but includes
personnel from the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess
as well as the Kentucky Air National Guard’s
123rd Contingency Response Group. It flew its
first sortie into Liberia on November 4, when
it airlifted more than eight tons of medical
supplies and equipment in support of Operation
‘United Assistance’, as part of the mission to
contain and eliminate the Ebola outbreak in
West Africa. Two additional C-130Js from Dyess
and Little Rock AFB, Arkansas, will be assigned
Support Facility in Rapid City, South Dakota, on
First C-27J arrives at ‘E-City’
The first C-27J to be re-generated from
storage with the 309th Aerospace
Maintenance and Regeneration Group at
Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, arrived at
Coast Guard Base Elizabeth City, North
Carolina, on November 13. The HC-27J
Asset Project Office (APO) will initially use
the aircraft to train and qualify Coast Guard
aircrew and maintenance personnel and to
develop flight and maintenance procedures
for Coast Guard-specific mission profiles.
The Spartan will eventually receive the
equipment and systems needed to perform
the full spectrum of Coast Guard duties.
10
10-14 US News c.indd 10
F-35
to the unit and allow it to achieve full
operational capability for its 120-day mission.
latest
Army unit update
The US Army Reserve Command’s 8th
Battalion, 229th Aviation Regiment, recently
conducted its final flights with the AH-64D
at Fort Knox, Kentucky. The battalion is
undergoing a transition from the Apache to
the UH-60L to become an assault helicopter
battalion.
Elsewhere, Det 1, Company B, 3rd Battalion,
LRIP 8 agreed as
126th Aviation Regiment received its full
complement of CH-47Fs when three Chinooks
program chief sets
landed at Rochester International Airport,
New York, on October 28. Nicknamed ‘Kong’,
out new goals
the New York Army National Guard unit
spent two months at Hunter Army Airfield
in Savannah, Georgia, where it conducted
training with the Chinooks. The main body
of Company B, which is assigned to the
Maryland Army National Guard, is also
undergoing conversion to the CH-47F. The
Chinooks were formally unveiled in Rochester
on November 16.
The South Dakota Army National Guard has
begun swapping its UH-60A/L helicopters
for the latest HH-60M variant at the Army
Aviation Support Facility in Rapid City. By
April 2015, Company C(-), 1st Battalion, 189th
Aviation Regiment will receive a total of six of
the medical evacuation Black Hawks, which
feature an externally-mounted rescue hoist
and improved night vision technology that
greatly improve the aircraft’s capabilities in the
search and rescue role.
A new HH-60M lands at the Army Aviation
October 29. SDARNG/Sgt Theanne Tangen
When operated by the USAF the C-27J
was assigned serial number 10-27023,
but in Coast Guard service it will carry
serial 2714. It is the first of 13 examples
of the C-27J to be re-generated from
storage for the Coast Guard and will be
joined by a second aircraft by the end The US Air Force has
of 2014. Two additional Spartans will been backed into a
likewise be regenerated by mid-2015. In corner over the A-10
preparation for the aircraft’s arrival, the retirement plan. It
looks increasingly
APO’s executive and operations officers
likely that only a
completed a C-27J training program portion of the fleet will
in Italy with the twin-turboprop’s be phased out. USAF
manufacturer Alenia Aermacchi.
January 2015 www.combataircraft.net
21/11/2014 16:51
 L
OCKHEED MARTIN AND the
US Department of Defense
have reached agreement
regarding the low-rate initial
production (LRIP) Lot 8
procurement batch of F-35
Lightning IIs. Under the terms of the
agreement, Lockheed Martin will produce
43 F-35s beginning in 2016, comprised
of 19 F-35As for the US Air Force, six
F-35Bs for the US Marine Corps and four
F-35Cs for the US Navy. Additionally,
it includes 14 aircraft for international
customers: the first two F-35As for
Israel, the first four F-35As for Japan,
two F-35As each for Italy and Norway,
and four F-35Bs for the United Kingdom.
LRIP 8 takes the total number of F-35s
under contract to 209. According to
Lockheed Martin, the price for each of the
three LRIP 8 F-35 variants is around 3.6
per cent lower than the LRIP 7 aircraft.
Although final cost estimates have not
yet been released, the estimated cost for
each F-35A, F-35B and F-35C would
be approximately $93.3 million, $100.5
million and $111.1 million respectively
(not including the engine), according to
Lockheed Martin.
Lockheed Martin’s F-35 program general
manager Lorraine Martin commented:
‘Working together with our suppliers, we
are making steady progress in reducing
F-35 costs. While there will always be
room for improvement, the results of
the LRIP 8 negotiations and initiatives
like the Blueprint for Affordability are
indicative of our shared commitment to
ensuring affordability.’
F-35 Joint Program Office chief Lt Gen
Christopher Bogdan says he now plans to
negotiate LRIP 9 and 10 together, desiring
a ‘new model of procurement’ by LRIP
11. This will include the so-called ‘block
buy’ for partner nations. Bogdan said: ‘If
you were to take their requirements and
put them together, you could actually
have a substantial number of airplanes,
starting in LRIP 11 and spanning LRIP 11,
12 and 13, bought as a block of airplanes,
almost as if it was a multi-year buy for the
US’. Participation in a block buy would
be open to all international partners and
foreign military sales (FMS) customers.

F-35C BuNo 168736 operated by

VFA-101 ‘Grim Reapers’ arrives at
NAS Oceana, Virginia, on October
28, marking the Lightning II’s first
visit to the air station. US Navy

A-10 decision
The US Air Force’s inability to have sanctioned the proposed
retirement of the A-10 Thunderbolt II has been blamed for
a potential delay to the service’s initial operating capability

blamed for F-35 (IOC) date for the F-35A. According to F-35 program chief
Lt Gen Christopher Bogdan, the 1,100 qualified maintainers
needed to keep the A-10s flying have sufficient impact on the
IOC delay air force that without them the F-35As could not be kept in a
high-enough state of readiness to qualify for IOC.
Bogdan recently said that he was ‘very worried’ about
meeting the USAF’s August 2016 IOC target, saying that 800
of the experienced crew chiefs and maintainers would be
tied to the A-10 community instead of migrating to the F-35.
Congress is still blocking USAF recommendations to retire
the A-10, and, according to Bogdan, F-35A IOC requirements
were built on the assumption that the A-10 fleet would be
phased out.
Lt Gen Stephen Hoog, assistant vice chief of staff of the
USAF, confirmed that the matter was a real issue for the F-35’s
IOC, but he also said that a compromise was being sought to
permit the retirement of at least a portion of the A-10 fleet.
The new compromise plan to congressional leaders would
see just 72 of the aircraft being retired, with the remainder of
the fleet retained.

www.combataircraft.net January 2015 11

10-14 US News c.indd 11 21/11/2014 16:51

 NEWS United States
The US Marine Corps is to retain its
F/A-18 Hornets until 2030 under
new plans. The AV-8B will now be
retired by 2025. Jamie Hunter

Harrier retirement hastened

Hornets to stay in service longer under new plan

T
HE US MARINE Corps
has made the decision
to advance the planned
retirement of its AV-8B fleet
by five years to 2025. The
decision was made as part
of the Marine Corps’ TACAIR 2030 Road-
map, which gives priority to the transition
of the Marine Expeditionary Units (MEU)
that deploy to the US Pacific Command
(PACOM) area of responsibility. In
accordance with its recently-released 2015
Aviation Plan, the AV-8Bs assigned to the
3rd Marine Aircraft Wing will be the first to
be replaced by F-35Bs beginning in Fiscal
2015 when VMA-211 begins its transition.
Conversion of all of the 3rd MAW AV-8B
squadrons to the F-35B will be completed
by the end of Fiscal 2019.
Plans to keep the Harriers viable
through the type’s ‘sunset’ period will
add additional capabilities including the
Gen4 version of the Litening targeting pod,
a self-lasing capability for the AGM-65E
Maverick missile, and full integration
of the GBU-54 Laser JDAM, along with
AIM-120C/D and AIM-9X Block II missiles
and additional stand-off weapons. The
Marine Corps AV-8B fleet currently includes
84 operational aircraft assigned to six
operational squadrons. Additionally, a fleet
readiness squadron operates 12 single-seat
AV-8Bs and 12 two-seat TAV-8Bs.

‘Purple Fox’ farewell designs. It’s been a great aircraft, but it’s time
to change’. The squadron’s transition leaves
just HMMT-164 and Marine Corps Reserve
The CH-46 Sea Knight, nicknamed famous squadron from CH-46s to V-22s. I squadron HMM-764 flying the Sea Knight.
the ‘Phrog’ in Marine Corps service, is absolutely loved flying the aircraft and I still HMMT-164 will complete conversion to the
disappearing from service by the day. The consider it one of the greatest helicopter MV-22B by April 2015. Doug Aguillard
‘Purple Foxes’ of Marine Medium Helicopter
Squadron HMM-364 (now VMM-364, due
to their transition to the MV-22 Osprey) CH-46E BuNo 153369/PF-19 returns to MCAS
Camp Pendleton to make the last ever landing
started flying the venerable CH-46 in
by an active-duty Marine Corps CH-46, having
1967. This was the last active-duty (fleet- escorted the last VMM-364 CH-46E to AMARG
deployable) Marine squadron to fly the type. for storage. Doug Aguillard
During late 2014, the ‘Purple Foxes’ were
gradually flying their ‘46s’ to the Aerospace
Maintenance and Re-generation Group at
Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona.
CA was able to fly on the mission to
deliver the last active-duty CH-46 to the
‘boneyard’, with pilot Capt Matt Schmitt
commenting: ‘I was thinking about how
amazing this helicopter has been, how she
has always brought people home safe, and
all of the people who were in a lot worse
situations than I have been in, [who] got out
of trouble because of this bird.’
New squadron commander Lt Col Kopacz
said: ‘I get the privilege of transitioning this

12 January 2015 www.combataircraft.net

10-14 US News c.indd 12 21/11/2014 16:52

 In preparation for upcoming shipboard

Fire Scout prepares dynamic interface testing, Northrop Grumman

recently completed precision sloped landing
tests with the MQ-8C unmanned intelligence,

for shipboard testing surveillance and reconnaissance helicopter at

Naval Base Ventura County, NAS Point Mugu,
California. The sloped take-off and landing
tests are intended to simulate the landing
MQ-8C BuNo 168456 of the aircraft on a moving flight deck. The
conducts slope autonomous Fire Scout is capable of precisely
landing testing at tracking and understanding the roll and pitch
NAS Point Mugu, of the surface, which simulates conditions
California. at sea. The sloped landing platform was
Northrop Grumman
previously used to test and certify the earlier
MQ-8B variant of the Fire Scout, which utilizes
the same autonomous system for takeoff and
landings as the MQ-8C. Two MQ-8Cs have
flown 219 flights and 287 hours since the first
aircraft’s maiden flight occurred on October
31, 2013. In addition to flight-testing the
MQ-8C has completed electro-magnetic testing,
which assured compatibility with ship-based
electronic systems. Initial ship-based flight
tests are scheduled for later this year.

AFSOC DEPLOYMENT NEWS

changes
The 9th Special Operations Squadron was
re-assigned from the 1st Special Operations
Wing at Hurlburt Field, Florida, to the 27th
Special Operations Wing at Cannon AFB,
New Mexico, on October 3. The squadron,
which had flown the MC-130P Combat
Shadow from Hurlburt, will transition to
the MC-130J Commando II at Cannon. That
mission is currently assigned to the 522nd
Special Operations Squadron at Cannon,
which will be inactivated. Later that day,
Detachment 1, 1st Special Operations
Group was formed at Hurlburt. It will be
responsible for the MC-130Ps and will
support special forces mobility until the last
examples are retired in May of 2015.
As it makes preparations to convert to
the MC-130J, the 17th Special Operations
Squadron at Kadena Air Base, Japan,
conducted a final four-ship MC-130P flight
on October 16. It was intended to honor
the Combat Shadow, which is being retired
in favor of the Commando II. The 17th, a
component of the 353rd Special Operations
Group, retired its first MC-130P in July
2013. Its remaining Combat Shadows began
departing Kadena in October and will
all be retired by April 2015. The group is
scheduled to receive its first MC-130Js next
year. Like the earlier aircraft, the MC-130J
will provide helicopter air-to-air refueling
and conduct long-range support of special
operations forces. The last MC-130P
operated by an active USAF squadron is due
to be retired in May 2015.
Elsewhere, the 318th Special Operations
Squadron concluded its final non-standard
aviation (NSAV) mission with the Pilatus
PC-12 in late September, when crews
returned to Cannon AFB, New Mexico.
The squadron is currently transitioning
from the NSAV mission to an intelligence,
surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR)
tasking, and its PC-12s will be upgraded to
U-28 configuration.
Four EA-6B Prowlers from
VAQ-134 ‘Garudas’ arrive back
at NAS Whidbey Island in style
on November 14 following their
deployment with CVW-8. The unit
has now commenced its transition
to the EA-18G. Joe Kunzler
Carrier round-up
The USS George H. W. Bush (CVN 77) carrier
strike group (CSG) was relieved by the USS
Carl Vinson (CVN 70) CSG in the US 5th Fleet
area of responsibility (AOR) on October 18.
The former deployed from Norfolk, Virginia,
on February 15, and following its arrival in
the AOR in March the group was heavily
involved in Operation ‘Inherent Resolve’ against
Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria. While
deployed, aircraft assigned to Carrier Air Wing
Eight (CVW-8) flew 32,611 flight hours, 12,548
total sorties and made 9,752 arrested landings.
Included were 3,245 combat sorties totaling
18,333 combat flight hours.
The ship’s return also marked the conclusion
of the final carrier deployment by the EA-6B
Prowler. Upon its return to NAS Whidbey Island,
Washington, VAQ-134 ‘Garudas’ entered the
conversion process to the EA-18G Growler,
which will complete the Navy-wide transition
in 2015.
The amphibious assault ship USS Bataan
(LHD 5) has also returned to Naval Station
Norfolk at the conclusion of a nine-month
deployment. The Bataan Amphibious Ready
Group included Marine medium tilt-rotor
squadron VMM-263 (Reinforced), which also
played a major role in the Iraq operations.
‘Red Tails’ return
The Alabama Air National Guard’s 187th
Fighter Wing returned to Montgomery from
a deployment to Afghanistan in support of
Operation ‘Enduring Freedom’ on November 9.
The squadron had left its base at Montgomery
Regional Airport/Dannelly Field, Alabama,
during April.
Global Hawks return to Guam
A pair of Block 40 RQ-4Bs concluded a
deployment to Misawa Air Base, Japan, and
returned to Andersen AFB, Guam, during
October. The Global Hawks, operated by
Detachment 1, 69th Reconnaissance Group,
had flown from the dual-use Japanese airfield
since May.
‘Magicians’ deploy
The littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth (LCS 3)
left San Diego, California, on November 17 for
a 16-month assignment in south-east Asia in
support of the US Seventh Fleet. The vessel’s
maiden deployment will mark the first time
that the MQ-8B vertical take-off and landing
unmanned aerial vehicle (VTUAV) is deployed
aboard an LCS. The deployment, supported
by the ‘Magicians’ of helicopter maritime strike
squadron HSM-35 Detachment 1, will include a
single MH-60R helicopter from the unit as well
as an unmanned Fire Scout.
The ship will operate from Singapore, and
54 crew members and the 24-person aviation
detachment will be rotated every four months.
In related news, HSM-35 Detachment 7
began the squadron’s inaugural deployment
aboard the USS Sampson (DDG 102) on
October 31. Two of the squadron’s MH-60Rs
are embarked aboard the destroyer for the
Western Pacific deployment.

www.combataircraft.net January 2015 13

10-14 US News c.indd 13 21/11/2014 16:52

 NEWS United States

Back BACN Milestone

Seen arriving at RAF Mildenhall, UK, on November 10 was E-11A BACN serial 11-9355 from
the 430th Expeditionary Electronic Combat Squadron based at Kandahar, Afghanistan, en
route back to the USA. The Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) is an airborne
Seahawk
communications relay and gateway system hosted on a variety of aircraft that provides
flexible radio connectivity across the battlespace for airborne and surface operators. It is
thought that this aircraft has been working with the NASA WB-57s that are deployed.
delivery
The US Navy accepted its 200th Sikorsky
Ashley Wallace
MH-60R from Lockheed Martin during a
ceremony at the contractor’s Owego, New
York, facility on November 12. A crew from
helicopter maritime strike squadron HSM-72
then flew the Seahawk to its new home at
NAS Jacksonville, Florida. Although the
airframes are produced by Sikorsky Aircraft in
Connecticut, Lockheed Martin is responsible
for systems integration and serves as the prime
contractor for the program. The US Navy’s
planned MH-60R procurement includes 291
aircraft, and the contractors are also producing
24 Seahawks for the Royal Australian Navy as
well as nine for the Royal Danish Navy.

Arizona Guard launches Predator

The 214th Reconnaissance Group, Arizona Air National Guard’s newly-activated Launch and Recovery Element (LRE) conducted its
first MQ-1B remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) launch at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, on November 5. The group, a component of the 162nd
Fighter Wing in Tucson, had previously operated RPAs from remote locations in theatre from its ground control station at Davis-
Monthan AFB, Arizona, and has logged more than 70,000 combat flying hours over the past eight years. The new LRE, one of only five
assigned to Air National Guard units, will assume a training role.

MQ-1B serial 09-3258 operated by the 214th Reconnaissance

Group awaits start-up at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, on
November 7. Arizona ANG/2Lt Lacey Roberts

KC-130s for ‘Sea Knights’ special

Naval Reserve Photographed visiting NAS Whiting Field in late October, MH-60S
BuNo167818/AM-22 of HSC-22 ‘Sea Knights’ from Chambers Field,
Norfolk, is painted in a new special digital camouflage scheme.
The replacement of the US Marine Corps
Carey Mavor
Reserve’s KC-130Ts with newer KC-130Js
has allowed the US Navy to boost the
number of Hercules assigned to each of
its fleet logistics support squadrons. The
Marine Corps aircraft are being distributed
to the five US Navy squadrons. The
‘Nomads’ of VR-62 at NAS Jacksonville
are scheduled to receive their fifth C-130T
in December 2014. The five Naval Reserve
squadrons share the responsibility for
maintaining a continuous deployment
cycle at NAS Sigonella, Italy, Naval
Support Activity Bahrain and NAF Atsugi,
Japan, in support of US European, Central
and Pacific Commands.

14 January 2015 www.combataircraft.net

10-14 US News c.indd 14 21/11/2014 16:52

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 FRONT LINE COMBAT AIRCRAFT’S REGULAR COLUMN BY ROBERT F. DORR

It happened in Afghanistan last June 9 and,

Taking a look behind the headlines
Contact the author at robert.f.dorr@cox.net
in the words of an e-mail message circulated
by the Air Force Association, marks ‘the first
known case of a battlefield catastrophe that
can be linked to automatic defense spending
cuts that greatly curtailed pre-war training’.
An investigation faults an Army Special
Forces (Green Beret) commander, an Air Force
air controller and the four-member crew of the
B-1B bomber that conducted the errant strike.
Yes, that’s right: the Pentagon brass is using
fratricidal loss of life to argue for budget
dollars, including money that’s wanted for

The numbers tell a tale: ageing upgrades for the 62 B-1Bs in inventory — of
which, because of the age issue, about 10 are
laid up in depot maintenance at any given

aircraft, stressed-out airmen moment.

The new figures reflect a performance

I
T’S AN UGLY truth. Chief of staff Gen
Mark Welsh said it plainly in October.
‘Airplanes are falling apart’, Welsh
said.
He was referring to the age of US Air
Force aircraft.
New numbers from the Air Staff confirm
what experts have been saying for 10 years:
American airmen are struggling to function
with aircraft that are very old and very costly
to maintain. During the past decade, the age
of the average airframe has zoomed from 22.7
years to 27.2 years.
The flagship for the US Air Force’s geriatric
troubles is the B-1B Lancer, the ‘Bone’, which
has evolved into an effective, precision
air-to-ground weapon and is being used in
strikes on the Islamic State, or ISIS. The
mission-capable rate, or MCR, for the B-1B
has fallen to 47.7 per cent in Fiscal Year 2014,
down from 57.7 per cent the year before. This
means that half of all planned sorties don’t
take place. The most recently released figure
for flying-hour cost, $57,807, is high but not
hopeless. But the MCR is the better indicator
of how age, coupled with the inherent
complexity of the B-1B design, is taking a toll.
Bad to the ‘Bone’
In a side note that may or may not hold any
lesson about the age of the US air fleet, air
power advocates are blaming the B-1B in a
lethal ‘friendly fire’ tragedy that killed five
American service members.
improvement on the part of the B-2A Spirit,
the celebrated flying-wing stealth bomber
that took a bashing on this page not long ago
(Combat Aircraft, June 2014). Until this year,
the B-2A had the poorest MCR numbers in
the fleet. The 19 B-2As now have a mission
capable rate of 56.9 per cent, a 10 per cent
improvement over the previous year.
However, the B-2A requires constant
ministering to its stealth coatings and needs
dozens if not hundreds of hours of work on
the ground for every hour spent in the air.
A press release accompanying the recent
nuclear exercise ‘Global Thunder’ touted
the ability of the B-2A to ‘penetrate the most
secure [enemy] defense systems to rapidly
deliver its payload’. This may be the only time
anyone accused the B-2A of flying rapidly.

The sun is far from setting on the US Air Force’s 50-plus

year-old KC-135R Stratotankers. Even though the new
KC-46 is just around the corner, nothing like the necessary
numbers of these will be procured any time soon to replace
the important tanker fleet. USAF/MSgt Mark C. Olsen

16 January 2015 www.combataircraft.net

16-17 Frontline C.indd 16 19/11/2014 12:36

 Critics question whether the B-2A’s stealth
can protect it from the latest technology in air
defense radars. No-one contends that it can
outrun a MiG.
The B-52 Stratofortress has the best MCR
figure of the three bombers, at 73.6 per cent.
The Pentagon uses the figure 56.2 years to
refer to the age of the B-52.
Senior citizens in service
The official figures describe a fleet that may
be literally dying of old age. The 286 A-10C
Thunderbolt IIs average 33.2 years and,
despite a proposal by the Pentagon to put
them to pasture, are unlikely to be retired
soon. The service still has six AT-38B Talons
that average 51.0 years, plus 54 T-38As at 47.7
years and 446 T-38Cs at 47.0 years. The fleet’s
62 UH-1N Twin Hueys average 41.6 years of
age.
The US Air Force’s Eagle fleet includes 213
F-15Cs averaging 30.3 years of age, 35 two-
seat F-15Ds at the 30.8 mark, and 220 F-15E
Strike Eagles that average 22.2 years, although
some examples are significantly older. The
344 KC-135R Stratotankers, although re-
engined during their lifetimes, average 52.8
years of age.
These age figures hint at a larger story of
a maintenance community that is too small
for the challenges it faces and unprepared
for mechanical breakdowns that never
happened before. Welsh told reporters that
B-1B oil flanges are breaking and causing fires
while F-16D Fighting Falcon canopy sills are
developing cracks. The fleet’s 157 two-seat
www.combataircraft.net January 2015
16-17 Frontline C.indd 17
‘The B-1B is worth saving. Those who find the
‘Bone’ misplaced in the close air support role are
simply wrong. The ‘friendly fire’ tragedy was the
result of mistakes by people, not any flaw in the
aircraft’
F-16Ds average 24.2 years of age. The Air
Force grounded 83 of them last summer after
inspectors found canopy sill longeron cracks
of varying size and severity between the two
pilots’ seats. Most were still grounded when
this issue went to press.
The air campaign against ISIS, launched last
August 8, is highlighting the US Air Force’s
shortage of maintainers. To support Operation
‘Inherent Resolve’, the Air Force has had to
deploy hundreds of mid-level maintainers
to overseas locations like Al Udeid Air
Base in Qatar. Among other consequences:
the Air Force has had to delay transferring
maintainers to the new F-35A in order to keep
them working on older airframes caught up in
the Middle East fighting.
This pressure on personnel resources
is hurting the force even though ‘Inherent
Resolve’ appears, to some, to be both leisurely
and glacial. In the Wall Street Journal on
October 14, Mark Gunzinger and John Stillion
pointed out that the United States and its
allies are averaging seven sorties a day against
ISIS while the coalition in the 1991 Persian
Gulf War averaged 1,100.
‘I’m glad I got out when I did’, a recently-
retired maintainer told Combat Aircraft. ‘We
had a spare parts shortage in the late 1990s
and things got better, but now we’re facing
that spare parts thing again. My buddies are
stressed. And some of this equipment is so
old, it’s almost impossible to find the parts we
need.’
My view is that the B-1B is worth saving.
Those who find the ‘Bone’ misplaced
in the close air support role are simply
wrong. The ‘friendly fire’ tragedy was the
result of mistakes by people, not any flaw
in the aircraft. The B-1B and the A-10C
Thunderbolt II are not competitors. We need
both.
But how much longer can we ignore the
increasing age of our warplanes? How much
longer can we justify spending only paltry
sums on a new platform, such as the Long-
Range Strike — Bomber (LRS-B)? A decade
ago, air power experts were saying the US
Air Force would have to recapitalize soon if
it wanted to continue to be a viable fighting
force. In that decade, hardly any capitalizing
at all has taken place.
17
19/11/2014 12:10
 NEWS World
KJ-500 serial 737 on approach to
Xi’an-Yanliang on November 8.
via Chinese internet
KJ-500 prototype
appears
China’s new AEW&C platform sighted
D
URING EARLY NOVEMBER
the first clear images of the
People’s Liberation Army
Air Force’s next-generation
medium-sized airborne early
warning and control aircraft
prototype were revealed. They show one of
the two prototypes of the KJ-500, serial 737,
South Korea
cancels BAE
F-16 upgrade
After previous threats to drop BAE
Systems’ F-16 Fighting Falcon upgrade
package in favor of a rival offer from
Lockheed Martin, South Korea has
requested that the US cancel its existing
retrofit contract with BAE Systems. BAE
landed the deal to upgrade 134 Republic
of Korea Air Force F-16s in May 2014,
and deliveries were to begin in 2019.
The program addresses the aircraft’s
radar, avionics and weapons systems,
adding the Raytheon RACR radar system.
Initially estimated to cost $1 billion,
another $760 million was set to be levied
after the US government determined
the technology involved too sensitive
to allow BAE to negotiate directly with
South Korea. The US arm of BAE has
filed a law suit to protect itself from a
$43-million penalty after cancellation of
the contract.
18
19-23 World News.indd 18
during final approach to Xi’an-Yanliang (home
of the Chinese Flight Test Establishment). The
type — sometimes also designated Y-8GX-10
— has been under development at Shaanxi
for some time and will reportedly supplement
or even supersede the older KJ-200 ‘balance
beam’. Similar to the Pakistani ZDK-03,
the KJ-500 is based on the Y-9 platform but
LATIN AMERICA
Argentine ‘Herc’ upgrade
L-3 Communications of Waco, Texas, has
been awarded a Foreign Military Sales
contract worth $68.8 million to cover the
refurbishment and upgrade of five Argentine
Air Force C-130 Hercules. The work will involve
standardization, removal of obsolescence and
upgrading. The upgrade element will include
enhanced communication, navigation,
airworthiness, and air traffic management
systems. Work will be performed at Waco,
Texas, and Cordoba, Argentina, and is
expected to be completed by May 31, 2019.
Brazil outlines Gripen plans
Brazil confirmed at the International Fighter
Conference in London plans for ‘at least’ 108
Gripen NGs to be purchased by the Brazilian
Air Force. A spokesman said that 47 upgraded
F-5EM Tiger IIs have been received to date,
along with three updated A-1Ms. These will
continue in service until 2035; however, the
new Gripens will replace all of these as Brazil
establishes a single-type fighter force. The
Gripens are being acquired following the
type’s selection to meet the long-running F-X2
features a new radar antenna, with the earlier
rotodome being replaced by a fixed array
containing three active electronically-scanned
arrays arranged in a triangular configuration,
similar to that of the larger KJ-2000. A few
days later a first KJ-500 was spotted in full
PLAAF colors, leading to the assumption that
it will soon enter service. Andreas Rupprecht
requirement, which dates back to its original
incarnation in 1995.
The decision led to a contract signature with
Saab on October 24, 2014, for an acquisition
contract for 36 Gripen NGs forming an initial
batch. Its valued was quoted at $5.4 billion.
The Brazilian Air Force said: ‘The technical
transfer is exactly what we [have] aimed for
since 2008’. The deal includes co-development
of the two-seat Gripen F, and participation in
export sales, as well as the potential future
Sea Gripen program. Indeed, the initial batch
of 36 Brazilian Gripens includes eight two-
seaters.
Joint production plans between Embraer
and Saab include 15 aircraft wholly assembled
in Brazil and 21 to be built by Brazilian and
Swedish engineers. Local industry in Brazil is
heavily involved, with AEL supplying a new
wide-area display and weapons integration
including the A-Darter and MAR-1. The former
will be introduced on the type by 2019 as part
of the entry-level ‘Basic’ capability. The last
of the Gripens will be delivered in 2032; any
potential Sea Gripens will be in addition to
this total. Jamie Hunter
January 2015 www.combataircraft.net
21/11/2014 15:31
 AUSTRALIA
Think tank challenges F-35B plan
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI)
has suggested that Australian acquisition
of the short take-off and vertical landing
(STOVL) Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning
II variant cannot be justified on economic
grounds. The F-35s could be operated from
the Royal Australian Navy’s two forthcoming
Canberra-class amphibious vessels, and
may be addressed in a Defence White Paper
expected around mid-2015. ASPI points
out that the ships will be unable to carry a
full complement of helicopters, troops and
vehicles together with a useful number of
F-35Bs. If only Lightning IIs were embarked,
the Canberra-class ships would struggle
to generate enough sorties for the full
protection of the task force. ASPI estimates
a cost of at least AUD12 billion for two
squadrons of F-35Bs.
Canada’s F-35 plan leaked
Although Canada’s Conservative
government continues to claim that
no decision has been made regarding
the purchase of the F-35A Lightning
II, a briefing prepared by the F-35 Joint
Program Office revealed that four F-35As
from the US Air Force’s seventh Low-Rate
Initial Production Lot (LRIP 7) would
be diverted and delivered to the Royal
Canadian Air Force in 2015. Canada
would subsequently purchase four aircraft
as part of LRIP 9 that would be delivered
to the USAF. According to the briefing, the
Canadian government will notify the US of
its plan by late November.
The briefing states that the USAF can
spare four aircraft, but with ‘no flex left’
UAE eyes Scorpion, as does Nigeria
The United Arab Emirates has begun
negotiations with Textron AirLand with
a view to becoming the launch customer
for the company’s Scorpion intelligence,
surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and
counter-insurgency aircraft. The Scorpion
is reportedly a candidate for the UAE’s
Al Fursan aerobatic team, which currently
flies the Aermacchi MB339. A training
version of the Scorpion could also prove
of interest to the UAE, which selected
Iraqi F-16s to Tucson
Due to the security situation in Iraq, the
initial group of F-16C/Ds purchased for
the Iraqi Air Force will be delivered to
Tucson International Airport, Arizona,
rather than Balad air base in Iraq.
Following the arrival of the fighters at the
Arizona Air National Guard facility, the
Iraqi pilots undergoing training with the
162nd Fighter Wing will begin to train on
www.combataircraft.net January 2015
19-23 World News.indd 19
More Globemasters for RAAF
The US Defense Security Co-operation Agency
has notified the US Congress of a possible
Foreign Military Sale to Australia of up to four
C-17A Globemaster III transports, as well as
associated equipment, parts and logistical
support worth an estimated $1.6 billion. The
request includes 19 Pratt & Whitney F117-
PW-100 engines, four AN/AAQ-24V Large
Aircraft Infra-Red Countermeasures (LAIRCM)
sets, spares and other equipment.
Australia’s Defence Minister announced
plans to acquire two to four additional airlifters
during October. The Royal Australian Air Force’s
No 36 Squadron currently operates six C-17As
from RAAF Base Amberley. Boeing’s C-17A
production line is scheduled to close in 2015
but the contractor is producing 10 so-called
‘white tail’ aircraft that are expected to be sold
to new or existing customers.
in the schedule for the aircraft to achieve
initial operational capability, planned
for late 2016. As yet, it is unclear if the
plan has a legal basis, with the LRIP
9 replacement aircraft not yet under
contract. The Canadian government is
one of eight international partners that
have financed the development of the
Joint Strike Fighter, but in September it
announced plans to upgrade its CF-188s
in order to keep them in service until
2025. Canada announced its intention to
purchase 65 F-35As in 2010, but tabled
those plans in 2012 following a review of
the selection process by the government’s
auditor-general.
Tom Kaminski
the Alenia Aermacchi M-346 in 2009, but
which has not yet placed an order for the
type.
At the International Fighter Conference
in London in November, a representative
present from the Nigerian Air Force also
expressed clear interest in the Scorpion.
However, in so doing, he also noted how
US export laws have recently blocked
a planned purchase by Nigeria of AH-1
Cobras.
their own aircraft. The wing will initially
receive three Iraqi F-16s in December,
and one additional example will arrive
monthly until May 2015 for a total of
eight. The Iraqi pilots are expected to
start flying them in January. In total, Iraq
has ordered 36 F-16C/D Block 52s, the
first of which were due to be delivered to
Balad earlier this year. Tom Kaminski
IN BRIEF
E-767 upgrade
The US Department of Defense has
announced the award to Boeing of a
$25.6-million contract to upgrade the Japan
Air Self-Defense Force’s Boeing E-767 Airborne
Warning and Control System (AWACS). The
work will update the four E-767 aircraft and
three ground support facilities. Boeing
is to install equipment including mission
computing systems, electronic support
measures, traffic alert and collision avoidance
system, interrogator friend or foe transponder,
next-generation IFF, automatic identification
system, and datalink upgrades. Work is
expected to be completed in February 2015.
Hercules arrival
The first of six C-130Rs destined for the Japan
Maritime Self-Defense Force was delivered to
61 Kokutai when serial 9052 (BuNo 160013)
arrived at Atsugi Air Base on November 14.
Previously operated by the US Marine Corps
as KC-130R tanker-transports, the aircraft
are replacing the JMSDF’s aged NAMC YS-11
airlifters. Tom Kaminski
Malaysia lines up Wildcat
The AgustaWestland AW159 Wildcat has
emerged as the sole candidate for Malaysia’s
anti-submarine warfare helicopter acquisition
project. The Department of National
Defense’s first stage of bidding involved
AgustaWestland and PT Dirgantara Indonesia
(PTDI), although the latter has apparently
failed to deliver a proposal.
Pakistan prepares for ‘Hind’ deal
Russian officials have announced that a
deal to supply Pakistan with Mil Mi-35s
has been ‘politically approved’. Islamabad
first requested Mi-35s in 2009, but Russia,
apparently acting under Indian influence, had
refused to proceed. It is understood that a
deal may involve up to 20 helicopters.
More C295s for Mexican Navy
Mexico has ordered another two C295s,
signing a contract with Airbus Defence
and Space for the acquisition of two of the
medium transports for the Mexican Navy. The
agreement takes the total Airbus Defence and
Space fleet in operation in the country to 22
aircraft. The Mexican Navy already operates
four C295s, six CN235s and two C212s.
Meanwhile, the Mexican Air Force has six
C295s and the Federal Police two CN235s.
Afghan ‘Hip’ deliveries fulfilled
Russia completed deliveries of the Mi-17V-5
transport helicopter to the Afghan Air
Force in October. In line with a $1.15-billion
contract signed between Rosoboronexport
and the US Department of Defense in 2011,
Kazan Helicopters produced 63 examples
for Afghanistan. While an initial contract
covered 21 delivered by mid-2012, a follow-
on agreement added 12 aircraft delivered by
2013. That year, Rosoboronexport and the
US government agreed on an extra batch of
30 for the Afghan Special Mission Wing. An
official hand-over ceremony for the last four
aircraft was held on October 29 at Russian
Helicopters’ Kazan subsidiary.
19
21/11/2014 15:27
 NEWS World

Omani T
HIS FIRST PICTURE
has emerged of the
initial Airbus C295MPA
Persuader for the Royal
Air Force of Oman,

Persuader
wearing its full color
scheme complete with the Omani flag
on the fin. Carrying the provisional
serial 118 (c/n S-118), the aircraft
was sighted at San Pablo Airport in

breaks cover
Seville, Spain on October 22. In May
2012, Oman ordered five C295 tactical
transports and three maritime patrol
variants of the aircraft, becoming the
launch customer for the C295 among
the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC)

First maritime patrol C295 for Oman member countries.

Antonio Muñiz Zaragüeta

Israel to cut F-35s, ditch V-22 C295 offered as

According to US Air Force Lt Gen Chris
Bogdan, Program Executive Officer for the
F-35, Israel is close to signing a deal to
purchase additional Lightning IIs. A new
agreement is likely to be signed ‘within the
next few months’.
In the same week that the Joint Program
Office confirmed that it expected a second
Israeli order, Lockheed Martin reached an
agreement on the eighth Low-Rate Initial
Production Lot (LRIP 8). This batch includes
the first two F-35As for Israel and the first
four F-35As for Japan. Production of these
jets will begin in 2016. In all, the deal
includes 14 non-US F-35s, the remainder
comprising four F-35Bs or the United
Kingdom, two F-35As for Norway and two
F-35As for Italy.
However, while it was originally expected
that an Israeli follow-on deal would involve 25
to 31 F-35As to add to the 19 ordered in 2010,
Israel’s Ministerial Equipment Committee
opposes the purchase, and has voted against
a request for 31 jets, only approving the
purchase of 12 to 15 examples. After a period
of three years, the committee will be willing
to re-examine the purchase of additional
airframes.
In other news, the Israel Defense Forces
have scrapped plans to buy Bell Boeing V-22
Osprey tilt-rotor transports as they adjust
procurement priorities. In October 2013 US
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced
that Israel would receive V-22s. The decision
still needs the approval of the Ministerial
Committee on Defense Acquisitions.
Avro replacement
Airbus Defence and Space and Tata
Advanced Systems (TASL) are to jointly
offer the Airbus C295 in a bid for the
Indian Air Force’s $2-billion Medium
Transport Aircraft (MTA) requirement. The
program aims to replace the IAF’s 56 Avro
748Ms. Should the proposal be successful,
Airbus will supply the first 16 aircraft in
‘fly-away’ condition from its own final
assembly line, while the subsequent
40 airframes will be manufactured and
assembled by TASL in India. In-country
manufacture will include structural
assembly, final aircraft assembly, systems
integration and testing, and management
of the indigenous supply chain. Other
contenders for the requirement include the

Tejas trainer takes flight

The final Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas
prototype, PV-6, has completed its maiden
flight. The two-seat trainer version made a
36-minute debut flight on November 8, with
Gp Capt Vivart Singh and Gp Capt Anoop
Kabadwal at the controls. PV6 also has the
capability to deliver air-to-air and air-to-
ground ordnance as required by the Indian
Air Force for final operational clearance, and
incorporates various design modifications
based on earlier test flights. PV6 is the 16th
Tejas to have flown as part of the program.
Alenia Aermacchi C-27J Spartan, Antonov
An-148 and Ilyushin Il-114. The winning
aircraft is due to enter service around
2015-17.
In related news, India has approved
funding for the acquisition of another 12
Dornier 228 surveillance aircraft from
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. The aircraft
will be equipped with ‘enhanced sensors’.

20 January 2015 www.combataircraft.net

19-23 World News.indd 20 21/11/2014 15:27

 PERU
Seasprite upgrade outlined
General Dynamics Canada is to provide
mission equipment for the Peruvian Navy’s
fleet of former Royal New Zealand Navy SH-2G
Super Seasprites. The contract includes the
acquisition of five helicopters by Peru, four
for re-manufacture and upgrade by General
Dynamics Canada, and the fifth for overhaul
prior to delivery directly to Peru. The Peruvian
mission system will include sonobouy acoustics
and stores management systems.
Peru to receive C-27Js
The two Alenia Aermacchi C-27J Spartans
purchased by the Peruvian Air Force to increase
its transport capacity are being completed
by the factory, with completion of the first
expected for January 2015, for delivery in March;
the other is expected to follow shortly after
that. The aircraft were ordered in 2013 to take
Final NH90 for RNZAF
The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
took delivery of its last NHIndustries NH90
Tactical Transport Helicopter (TTH) at
Base Ohakea on North Island on October
31. Assembled in Marignane by Airbus
Helicopter, the aircraft was transported to
Ohakea by an An-124. The arrival brings the
total number of NH90s in the fleet to eight.
Texan II formally accepted
On October 31, the Royal New Zealand Air Force officially accepted ownership of the Beechcraft T-6C Texan II in a ceremony
at Base Ohakea. The first T-6C, NZ1401, is seen receiving its ceremonial ‘wash’ by RNZAF fire trucks on arrival at the airfield.
There are currently four T-6Cs at Ohakea; two arrived in August and two earlier in October. In total the RNZAF will operate
11 aircraft, the remaining seven being delivered in tranches by mid-2015.
RNZAF
www.combataircraft.net January 2015
19-23 World News.indd 21
part in logistical operations to support forces
fighting guerrillas in the area known as VRAEM.
Peruvian crews started their training in October,
to be ready to receive the Spartans in January.
Santiago Rivas
First batch of Mi-171s due
The Peruvian Air Force is to receive eight
Mi-171Sh multi-role rotorcraft from Russian
Helicopters in December. Peru purchased
24 helicopters from Russia for $406 million
in December 2013, for use in combating
drug trafficking and to replace eight Mi-17s
acquired in 1984. The deputy director of
Rosoboronexport has said the first batch will be
delivered in the first half of December. Peru is
also investing $11 million in the repair and re-fit
of three Mi-171s acquired from Russia in 2010,
and $2.8 million to overhaul a Mi-17-1B used for
Presidential transport.
New Zealand signed a $600-million
contract for nine such helicopters in July
2006. Only eight of these are to be used
operationally, with the ninth example
being held for spares. Deliveries began
in December 2011, and final release of
capability is scheduled for the last quarter
of 2015.
Seahawk for
Indian Navy
The Sikorsky S-70B has been shortlisted
by the Indian Ministry of Defence for the
Indian Navy’s delayed Multi-Role Helicopter
requirement. The bidding process has been
narrowed down to a single contender after the
NHIndustries NH90 was rejected in the wake
of a ‘partial ban’ imposed on Finmeccanica
and its subsidiaries or joint ventures after the
AW101 VVIP helicopter corruption scandal.
In the meantime both the NH90 and S-70B
had cleared technical trials. Price negotiations
will now begin with Sikorsky for the supply
of an initial 16 Seahawks that will replace the
Sea King Mk42B/C fleet.
Maiden flight for
third LCH
The third of four prototypes of the Hindustan
Aerospace Ltd Light Combat Helicopter
(LCH) has made its maiden flight. Escorted
by a Dhruv helicopter, LCH Technology
Demonstrator 3 (TD-3) took to the air at
Bangalore on November 12, completing a
20-minute flight. The crew comprised Wg
Cdr Unni Pillai and co-pilot Gp Capt Hari
Nair. It is planned that initial operational
capability for the type will be achieved by
September 2015. HAL is expected to produce
179 LCHs for the Indian armed forces. TD-1
was first flown in 2010, followed by TD-2 in
June 2011. They have now logged 388 flights.
21
21/11/2014 15:27
 NEWS World
Anti-clockwise from left: An undoubted star
of the show, the Y-20 prototype is seen
during its first public display.
All photos Ivan Voukadinov

Operated by the PLAAF and PLANAF, the

KJ-200 airborne early warning aircraft
features a ‘balance beam’ antenna
mounted above a modified Y-9 transport.
It was a surprising addition to the flying
display at Zhuhai.

A pair of single-seat J-10AYs from the

August 1 (Ba Yi) demonstration team
takes off for their display. This year,
Chinese media made much of the fact
that the team included female pilots for
the first time. Six aircraft were present,
including two-seat J-10SYs.

The 2014 edition of Airshow China

included some local types hitherto rarely,
if ever, seen in public. This KJ-2000 is
one of just four in service with the 26th
Special Mission Division.

Another debutant was the J-31, without

doubt the most highly-anticipated aircraft
at Zhuhai. Powered by Russian-made
RD-93 engines, the demonstrator gave a
somewhat smoky display.

22 January 2015 www.combataircraft.net

19-23 World News.indd 22 21/11/2014 15:27

 Zhuhai’s highlights
Debuts and record deals at Airshow China

H
ELD IN THE southern
port city of Zhuhai,
Guangdong province,
from November 11-16, the
10th China International
Aviation and Aerospace
Exhibition — better known as Airshow
China 2014 — saw deals worth a record
$23.4 billion being signed. The event
included a number of stand-out items,
most notably the public debuts of the
Xi’an Aircraft Corporation (XAC) Y-20
strategic airlifter and the Shenyang
Aircraft Corporation (SAC) J-31 stealth
fighter, as well as the launch of the J-31’s
export equivalent, the FC-31, which was
present in model form. Other new projects
unveiled by Chinese industry included an
Aviation Industry Corporation of China
(AVIC) transport concept — reportedly the
Y-30 — for a four-turboprop airlifter in the
class of the Airbus A400M, and a number
of new missiles. Full analysis of the key
exhibits will appear in the February issue
of Combat Aircraft.

www.combataircraft.net January 2015 23

19-23 World News.indd 23 21/11/2014 15:28

 NEWS Europe

Eurofighter signs E-Scan

radar contract
Long-awaited deal paves the way for full development

RAF Typhoons have been in the USA, engaged in operational trials of the latest Phase 1 Enhancement (P1EB) upgrade for Tranche 2 batch aircraft.
Pictured flying at low level in the Mojave desert, this aircraft is from the RAF’s No 41(R) Test and Evaluation Squadron. Richard Vandermeulen

Defense ministers from the UK, Germany,
Italy and Spain gathered at the headquarters
of Selex ES in Edinburgh, Scotland, on
November 19 to sign the long-awaited
development contract for the Eurofighter
Typhoon’s Active Electronically Scanned
Array (AESA) or E-Scan radar. The
€1-billion deal between Eurofighter GmbH
and NETMA (NATO Eurofighter and
Tornado Management Agency), will enable
the integration of the Captor E-Scan into the
Typhoon.
Andrew Cowdery of Euroradar
commented: ‘We have already been working
closely with Eurofighter and the Eurofighter
partner companies on this milestone
development and we are delighted that
the future of this key capability has now
been secured. Captor E-Scan radar builds
on the best know-how, industrial expertise
and collaboration among leading European
defense electronics companies.’
The E-Scan radar upgrade is likely to fall
under the future Phase 4 Enhancement
(P4E), which is now in a planning phase.
Crucially, the long-awaited, and all-
important, E-Scan radar contract will add
significantly to Typhoon’s international
appeal. The only question remains as to
whether it will come soon enough for the
Typhoon to be able to reap the benefits on
the export stage.
In related news, BAE Systems has
announced the first multiple release of
Paveway IV guided bombs from an RAF
Typhoon. The event, which saw the
successful release of two Paveway IVs,
came as the culmination of a series of
flight trials involving BAE, the RAF and
Raytheon UK. Launched from Typhoon
c/n BT017, the weapons engaged separate
targets. The new capability is part of the
latest Phase 1 Enhancements package
(P1Eb). P1E implements full air-to-surface
capability on to the Typhoon Tranche 2.
P1Eb-standard Typhoons can carry up to six
Paveway IV weapons that can be released
simultaneously against multiple targets.

First RAF A400M arrives

Second UK Atlas has flown November 17 saw the long-awaited arrival
of the Royal Air Force’s first A400M Atlas
at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire. It is
believed that the official designation in
service will be the Atlas C1. The airlifter,
22 of which are on order for the UK,
arrived direct from the final assembly
line in Seville, Spain. Rolling off the
production line at Seville in August,
ZM400 (c/n MSN15) performed its first
low-speed taxi on August 10. Painted
up in full RAF markings after ground
handling tests, the aircraft took to the air
for the first time from Seville on August
30 in the hands of Ed Strongman, for a
maiden flight of 5 hours and 5 minutes.
A second A400M for the RAF made its
maiden flight from Seville on October 23
Flying as ‘Ascot 4523’, ZM400, the first A400M for the RAF, on approach to Brize Norton. A formal and it is planned that three aircraft will be
acceptance ceremony was scheduled to take place at the Oxfordshire base on November 27. Jamie Ewan handed over before the end of 2014.

24 January 2015 www.combataircraft.net

24-27 Europe news c.indd 24 21/11/2014 15:29

 Spartans for Slovak Air Force
The Slovak Defense Ministry has signed
a contract with Alenia Aermacchi for
two C-27J Spartan transports, as well
as initial logistic support and training
of pilots and maintenance personnel.
Government approval to acquire the
airlifters came at the end of an eight-year
EuroHawk may fly again
Reports in the German media suggest that
the RQ-4E EuroHawk unmanned aircraft
system may return to the air. Cancelled in
2013 amid concerns over the viability of
flight clearance over Europe, the German
Defense Ministry is now considering
reviving the program with the aim of
testing its reconnaissance capabilities at
To mark the 40th anniversary of the F-4 in
Hellenic Air Force service, a commemorative design
was unveiled in September. The paintwork adorns
F-4E AUP serial 01505 (c/n 4458) operated by 117
Pterix Mahis (Combat Wing) at Andravida.
Mark Rourke
UNITED KINGDOM
First production Lightning IIs ordered
On October 28 UK Defence Secretary
Michael Fallon announced an order for a
first production batch of F-35 Lightning
IIs. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has
agreed in principle to an order for an
initial 14 F-35Bs. It is expected that a
formal contract will be placed in the
coming weeks. Likely to be delivered from
mid-2016, the aircraft will form part of the
first UK-based squadron of F-35s, which
will take up station at RAF Marham,
Norfolk, in 2018. Flying trials aboard the
carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth are also due
to commence in 2018.
New Royal Navy Wildcat squadron
825 Naval Air Squadron was formally
commissioned at RNAS Yeovilton in
Somerset as a front-line Wildcat operator
on October 10. 825 NAS takes over
the duties of 700W NAS, which was
responsible for introducing the Wildcat
into service, and will train air and
ground crew to fly and maintain the new
helicopter, as well as providing the front-
line fleet with Wildcat flights to support
ships. The Wildcat HMA2 will make its
debut deployment for front-line operations
in early 2015.
www.combataircraft.net January 2015
24-27 Europe news c.indd 25
procurement process launched after the
January 2006 crash of a Slovak Air Force
An-24. Alenia Aermacchi’s C-27J also
won an original 2008 bid issued by the
Slovak Defense Ministry. A first Slovak
Spartan is slated to be delivered in 2016
and the second a year later.
high altitude (up to 20km). The Defense
Ministry has reportedly attempted to test
the EuroHawk’s reconnaissance system on
other platforms, including Airbus aircraft
and an Israeli drone, without success.
If successful, Germany may consider
installing the EuroHawk systems on the
proven Global Hawk UAS.
Special Greek ‘Rhino’
UK training renewal announced
The UK Ministry of Defence has chosen
Affinity as preferred bidder for the Military
Flying Training System (MFTS) requirement,
which seeks to overhaul the fixed-wing
training aircraft fleet. The package proposed
by Affinity, a joint venture by KBR and
Elbit Systems, includes the Grob G120TP,
Beechcraft T-6C and Embraer Phenom 100,
which will respectively provide elementary,
basic and multi-engine training for the RAF
and Royal Navy. According to plans, the
G120TPs will be based at Barkston Heath
and Cranwell, the T-6Cs at Valley and the
Phenom 100s also at Cranwell.
RAF airlift from Bastion
With the conclusion of British military
operations in south-west Afghanistan,
the final RAF aircraft departed Camp
Bastion on October 27. The largest UK
airlift in recent history involved 17 waves
of two Hercules transports from No 903
Expeditionary Air Wing (EAW) and a
final wave of two Chinook helicopters,
alongside US Marine Corps aircraft, which
withdrew the final coalition troops from
the base. Troops landed at Kandahar
Airfield before onward transit to the UK in
C-17 Globemaster IIIs of No 904 EAW.
BELGIUM
Final Belgian NH90 TTH
NHIndustries (NHI) has completed
deliveries of the NH90 Tactical Transport
Helicopter (TTH) to Belgium. On
November 13, NHI handed over the final
Belgian NH90 TTH (c/n RN08) at the
Airbus Helicopters plant in Marignane.
It was joined for the occasion by another
two examples that stopped over after a
flight training campaign in the Pyrenees
mountains. On November 14, all three
flew out to their base at Beauvechain.
A total of four TTHs are now with the
Belgian Air Component’s 1 Wing there.
Belgium ordered eight NH90s, four NH90
TTHs for transport missions and four
NH90 NATO Frigate Helicopters (NFH)
for naval duties. The last two of four
Belgian NFHs will be delivered by the first
half of 2015.
Maritime role for Sentinel
The UK is set to upgrade the RAF’s fleet
of Raytheon Sentinel R1 airborne stand-
off radar (ASTOR) surveillance aircraft,
allowing them to undertake maritime
operations. An initial contract will be
signed in spring 2015 and will cover the
development and installation of maritime-
capable software aboard the five aircraft.
Originally planned for retirement in 2015,
the Sentinel will now be retained until at
least 2018.
Voyager refuels Rafale
For the first time, an RAF Airbus Voyager
tanker has refueled French Rafale fighters.
The Armée de l’Air Rafales took on fuel
on October 26, during multi-national
operations against ISIS. Earlier in the
month, an RAF Voyager successfully
conducted the type’s first refueling of a
US Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier II. RAF
Voyager support for US-led operations
in Iraq began on August 10, with the
deployment of two of the recently-
delivered airframes to RAF Akrotiri,
Cyprus. A single Voyager has supported
continuing Tornado operations since the
UK parliamentary vote in support of air
strikes on September 26.
25
21/11/2014 15:30
 NEWS Europe
Russia ramps up long-range patrols
From October 28-31, Russian Air Force
aircraft performed several combat training
sorties, navigation training missions and
ferry flights over the Black Sea, Baltic Sea,
Norwegian Sea, North Sea and Atlantic
Ocean.
At 14.30hrs on October 28, NATO early
warning radars detected and tracked seven
Russian aircraft flying in international
airspace over the Baltic Sea. The aircraft
comprised two MiG-31s and a Su-27 of
the 6989th Aviation Base at Khotilovo,
accompanied by two Su-24M2s and two
Su-34s of the 7000th Aviation Base at
Voronezh but temporarily based at Lipetsk.
While the aircraft were flying over the
Gulf of Finland, two Luftwaffe Eurofighters
based at Ämari, Estonia were quickly
scrambled to identify them under NATO’s
Baltic Air Policing (BAP) mission. The
Russian formation continued its flight
toward the Baltic, where it was intercepted
by a pair of Royal Danish Air Force
F-16AMs, then two Finnish Air Force
F-18Cs and Swedish Gripens.
Finally, all seven aircraft entered the
Kaliningrad Oblast, where they landed at
Chernyakhovsk (the former 7052nd Naval
Aviation Base). The only way for aircraft
to relocate from Russia’s main territory to
the Kaliningrad Oblast is via international
airspace over the Baltic.
NATO radars were even busier on October
29. First, the seven aircraft that had flown to
26
24-27 Europe news c.indd 26
Chernyakhovsk the previous day returned to
the main territory. As a consequence, NATO
scrambled two of four Portuguese Air Force
F-16AMs stationed at Šiauliai in Lithuania
as part of the BAP mission. These escorted
the seven Russian aircraft over the Baltic
until they returned to the Russian mainland.
The same day, two Tu-95MS from
the 6950th Aviation Base at Engels,
accompanied by two Su-27SM3s of the
6972nd Aviation Base, flew over the Black
Sea within international airspace. NATO
radars tracked them and the Turkish Air
Force scrambled two F-16Cs from 152 Filo
at Merzifon to inspect the Russian aircraft.
Four more Tu-95MS from Engels and
Dyagilevo (the former 6954th Aviation
Base) supported by four Il-78s performed
another long-range patrol mission over the
Norwegian Sea, where they were inspected
by a pair of Royal Norwegian Air Force
F-16AMs from 338 Skvadron at Ørland.
Two Tu-95MS and two Il-78s separated
from the formation flight and returned to
Russia, while the remaining two Il-78s
and two Tu-95MS (RF-94130 ‘24 Red’ and
RF-94132 ‘14 Red’) continued toward the
North Sea and passed west of UK airspace,
being met by Royal Air Force Typhoons.
The ‘Bears’ then continued toward the
Atlantic Ocean and Portugal, as José Matos
explains in the following report.
In the last week of October Portuguese
F-16s were twice engaged to intercept
Tu-95MS serial RF-94130 ‘24 Red’ intercepted
off the coast of Portugal in late October. NATO
Russian Tu-95s over the Atlantic. It was the
first time in two decades that the Portuguese
Air Force had confronted Russian bombers,
and the first involving F-16s.
The first situation occurred on October
29 when Portuguese F-16s escorted two
Tu-95MS bombers in international airspace
over the Atlantic. The two bombers were
100 miles from the Portuguese coast. The
‘Bears’ continued on over the Atlantic to the
west of Portugal, before turning back.
Two days later, two examples of the
Tu-95MS flew over the Atlantic towards
the Portuguese coast, being intercepted 90
miles west of Porto. This time, the bombers
went as far as the southern Portuguese
coast before returning. This forced the
Air Force to scramble a second pair of
F-16s from Monte Real to replace the first,
and ensure that the Russian aircraft were
shadowed until they left the airspace under
national jurisdiction.
The Portuguese pilots visually identified the
Russian aircraft and escorted them through
the Lisbon flight information region, which,
although considered international airspace, is
under Portuguese jurisdiction. The bombers
had not filed flight plans and did not
communicate with air traffic controllers.
The Portuguese Defense Minister pointed
out that ‘the system worked’ within the
requirements of NATO. ‘The Air Force acted
effectively, with composure and readiness.’
Babak Taghvaee and José Matos
January 2015 www.combataircraft.net
21/11/2014 15:30
 Italian Predators in Djibouti
The Italian Air Force has redeployed its
MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicles
from Afghanistan, where their mission
is ending, to Djibouti, from where they
will support the European anti-piracy
mission. On August 6, Task Group Atlas
was absorbed by Task Force Air Djibouti,
Turkey signs F-35 missile deal
Lockheed Martin and Turkish missile
manufacturer Roketsan have signed
an agreement to produce and market
Turkey’s SOM-J air-launched cruise
missile for the F-35 Lightning II. The
missile is intended for internal carriage
in the Block IV version of the F-35.
Spanish Eurofighters in Ala 14 markings
Discovery Air A-4s delivered
Discovery Air Defence Services, a
subsidiary of the Canadian company
Discovery Air has begun to deploy its
ex-Israeli A-4N Skyhawks to Wittmund,
Germany. The seven refurbished jets, with
‘glass’ cockpits, will be used as air combat
training adversaries under a five-year
German armed forces contract, beginning
Using the call sign ‘Dadi 01’, a flight of two A-4N Skyhawks (C-FGZD/367 and C-FGZE/495)
arrived at Wittmund after stop-overs at Iqaluit, Keflavik and Prestwick. Chris Melaisi
www.combataircraft.net January 2015
24-27 Europe news c.indd 27
and re-deployed to Chabelley airfield, from
where it operates alongside US UAVs. The
group declared full operational capability
at the new location on September 22. The
Predators will contribute to anti-piracy
missions along the Somali coast and in the
Gulf of Aden, under Operation ‘Atalanta’.
Lockheed Martin and Roketsan will
jointly handle development, production,
marketing, sale and support of the new
weapon. The SOM-J is based on the
earlier 2,000lb-class SOM, designed by
Tübitak-SAGE and being built for the
Turkish Air Force.
Eurofighters of Ala 14 at
Albacete have started
wearing the unit’s
markings. It has flown
the type since early 2013.
Dietmar Fenners
in January 2015. In that time, the fleet will
provide the German military with around
1,200 hours of fast jet airborne training
services.
More aircraft are expected to transit soon,
while the BAE Systems Flight Systems A-4s
are also due to head back to the US now
that Discovery has taken over the contract.
FRANCE
Rafale F3.4+ under test
The F3.4+ configuration of the Dassault
Rafale has entered flight test at Istres.
The latest release of the F3 standard
was evaluated between October 6-17
by a team from the French Air Force
(Armée de l’Air), the integrated flight
test team (EIEV) at Istres and the Rafale
program office at the air force operational
trials unit (CEAM) at Mont-de-Marsan.
The aircraft will be flown to Mont-de-
Marsan for final testing before its service
introduction. The F3.4+ configuration
adds numerous software enhancements
intended to reduce pilot workload and
enhance flight safety, including improved
capture and conversion of NATO-
standard geographical co-ordinates and
refinements to the radar switchology. The
new F3.4+ standard of Rafale should enter
operational service in early 2015.
African debuts for Caïman and Atlas
The French Army has deployed
the NHIndustries NH90 Caïman on
operations for the first time. After a four-
day ferry flight, two of the helicopters
arrived at Gao, Mali on November 3
where they will support Operation
‘Barkhane’. They came from the 1er
Régiment d’Hélicoptères de Combat,
based at Phalsbourg. The NH90s were
equipped with three additional cabin
fuel tanks for the ferry flight.
Meanwhile, under Operation ‘Sangaris’,
a French Air Force A400M touched down
at Bangui, in the Central African Republic,
for the first time on November 7. Flying
from its Orléans home base, the aircraft
stopped over at N’Djamena, in Chad,
before landing at M’Poko Airport where
it delivered 7.4 tonnes of supplies in
support of the ‘Sangaris’ mission.
First Dutch
F-35 squadron
The Royal Netherlands Air Force
(RNLAF) activated 323 Tactical Training,
Evaluation and Standardization Squadron
(TACTESS) at Eglin AFB, Florida,
on November 4. It formally assumed
responsibility for the initial pair of
Dutch F-35As at Eglin the same day. The
squadron, which had previously been
tasked with F-16 operational test and
evaluation (OT&E) at Leeuwarden air
base in the Netherlands, will support the
F-35A OT&E at Edwards AFB, California,
beginning next year. To date, three Dutch
pilots have been trained on the F-35 at
Eglin. Under current plans, the RNLAF
will purchase 37 F-35As and the first
aircraft will arrive in the Netherlands in
2019. Meanwhile, the role of the F-16
OT&E, its staff and the co-located flight
test unit has been transferred to 322
Squadron at Leeuwarden.
27
21/11/2014 15:30
 NEWS Losses
• A Royal Thai Army Aviation Bell 212
crashed in northern Thailand on November
17, killing all nine Army personnel on board.
The helicopter came down in a rubber
plantation 10 minutes after taking off from an
Army camp in Phayao province, 590km (370
miles) from Bangkok. Thomas Newdick
• On November 15 a J-10B crashed in
Qinggangshu village, Pixian county,
about 20km (12.4 miles) away from the
Chengdu Aircraft Company’s Factory No
132 and CAC’s home airfield of Chengdu/
Huangtianba. According to eyewitnesses,
the aircraft dropped as low as about 300m
(984ft) before the pilot ejected. Although
the pilot survived, at least seven people
were injured on the ground, of whom three
sustained serious burns. Initial reports from
the site suggest that the crash was caused by
engine failure. Andreas Rupprecht
• Three crew aboard a Nigerian Air Force
Mi-35 were killed when the helicopter
crashed and exploded near the Modibbo
Adama University of Technology in Girei
on November 13. The Mi-35, which came
down next to a college dormitory, had
reportedly been engaged in a battle with
insurgents when the mishap occurred.
• A Mi-24 helicopter operated by the
Armenian Air Force was shot down after it
reportedly violated Azerbaijan airspace near
Kengerli in the Aghdam region on November
12. Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry reported
that the helicopter was preparing to attack
Azeri positions near a ceasefire line when it
was hit. Armenia’s Defense Ministry, however,
Below: The Chengdu J-10B lost on November 15 was factory-fresh. The pilot was reportedly
Li Gang, who was the test pilot for the J-20’s maiden flight. via Chinese internet
28
28 Losses.indd 28
Compiled by Tom Kaminski
described the downing of the unarmed aircraft
as an ‘unprecedented provocation’. The two
countries fought a war against one another
after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991
but agreed to a ceasefire that has been in place
since 1994. According to some reports, the
Mi-24 was flown by personnel from the self-
proclaimed ‘self-defense forces’ of Nagorno-
Karabakh, a region of Azerbaijan controlled by
ethnic Armenians.
• The pilot of an Algerian Air Force MiG-25
ejected safely before the fighter crashed
during a training flight on November 11. It
came down in the Hassi Bahbeh area of Tiaret
province, 124 miles (200km) south of Algiers.
• A MiG-29 operated by the Belarusian Air
Force crashed in the Brest region of south-
west Belarus on November 11. The pilot
ejected safely from the fighter, which had
been assigned to the 61st Fighter Air Base
in Baranovichi.
• An unidentified helicopter operated by
the Nigerian Air Force crashed during a
surveillance mission in the Damare area
of Adamawa state on November 10. The
aircraft went down while attempting to
make a forced landing shortly after take-off
from Yola International Airport.
• Two Idaho Army National Guard aviators
were killed when their US Army AH-64D
crashed during a local night-time training
mission on November 6. The Apache, which
had been assigned to the 1st Battalion, 183rd
Aviation Regiment, went down about 2
miles (3.2km) south of Boise Airport/Gowen
Field during a proficiency flight.
Wreckage of JL-8H serial 82003, lost in
Shanxi Province on October 23. The jet
trainer wears the insignia of the PLANAF’s
Naval Aviation Air Academy on the tail.
via Chinese internet
• A US Air Force F-16C assigned to the
53rd Weapons Evaluation Group’s 82nd
Aerial Targets Squadron crashed in the
Gulf of Mexico, during a training mission,
on November 6. The fighter was operating
about 70 miles (113km) south of Tyndall
AFB, Florida, when contact was lost. A
civilian pilot, assigned to the 82nd ATRS,
was killed in the crash.
• Hawker Hunter F58 N332AX (c/n 41H-
697448) operated by the Airborne Tactical
Advantage Company (ATAC) crashed in
a field near the Pacific Coast Highway
around 65 miles (105km) north-west of Los
Angeles, on October 29, killing the pilot.
The mishap occurred while the ex-Swiss
Air Force fighter (serial J-4081 in Swiss
service) was on approach to land at Naval
Base Ventura County/NAS Point Mugu.
Another Hunter operated by the firm
crashed near the same base in May 2012.
• AS350B N5204X (c/n 3099), operated
by the US Customs and Border Protection
Office of Air & Marine’s Tucson Air Branch,
was destroyed in an emergency landing in
Arizona on October 27. The AStar pilot was
not seriously injured when the helicopter
came down in a ditch, south of the Remax
Foothills east of Bisbee.
• On October 23, People’s Liberation Army
Naval Air Force (PLANAF) JL-8H serial
82003 of the 1st Naval Training Base/
Naval Aviation Air Academy (Naval Flight
Academy), 2nd Training Regiment based at
Changzhi (Wangcun) crashed in Xiangyuan
county in Shanxi province. Both pilots
managed to eject and survived the crash.
Andreas Rupprecht
• The pilot of US Air Force F-16C serial
89-2019 ejected safely from his fighter
before it crashed in a field near Moline,
Kansas, on October 20. The crash, which
occurred about 75 miles (121km) south-east
of Wichita, followed a mid-air collision
with F-16C serial 89-2034, which recovered
safely to its home base. Both fighters were
assigned to the Oklahoma Air National
Guard’s 138th Fighter Wing at Tulsa
International Airport.
• A US Air Force MQ-9A remotely-piloted
aircraft crashed while landing at Diori
Hamani International Airport in Niamey,
Niger on October 20. Although the runway
was damaged, no injuries were reported.
The RPAs have been operating from the
facility since 2013.
• A Hawk Mk67 trainer, which carried the
civil registration N509XX (RoKAF serial
67-509), departed the runway during its
take-off roll at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma,
on October 18. The Hawk, which was
operated by Air USA, suffered significant
damage but the pilot was not injured.
The Henderson, Nevada-based defense
contractor acquired 10 Hawk Mk67s from
the Republic of Korea Air Force during
2013. The pilot had made a refueling stop
at Tinker and was en route to MCAS Cherry
Point, North Carolina.
• US Customs and Border Protection
AS350B3 N852BP (c/n 3592) was
substantially damaged when it rolled over
during take-off on October 17. The incident
occurred near Lordsburg, New Mexico,
around 38 miles (61.2km) east of Bisbee
Douglas International Airport, Arizona.
January 2015 www.combataircraft.net
21/11/2014 12:24
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 UNIT REPORT

Military pilots love to use the

term ‘multi-role’ to describe
their aircraft. In the modern
era of tight budgets, there are
few places left for expensive
single-role assets. For the US
Marine Corps, it’s all about
supporting the troops on the
ground. One-size-fits-all
solutions are rare, but the
KC-130J Hercules comes
close, especially in the hands
of VMGR-252 ‘Otis’.
report: Jamie Hunter
and Jamie Deboer

30 January 2015 www.combataircraft.net

30-39 VMGR-252 c rev.indd 30 20/11/2014 09:29


Jamie Hunter
www.combataircraft.net January 2015
30-39 VMGR-252 c rev.indd 31
S
INCE ITS INTRODUCTION to
the US Marine Corps in 1960 the
original KC-130 and its newer
descendants have re-defined
the term ‘multi-role’. These
workhorses serve as valuable tools
for the commanders of the Marine Air-Ground
Task Force (MAGTF), their primary role
being as aerial refuelers, but they also perform
numerous secondary missions including troop
transport and supply delivery. The advent of
the new KC-130J has only served to pile on
more capabilities, as this versatile aircraft has
further spread its wings to embrace additional
Marine Corps tasks.
One of three active-duty Marine KC-130
units, Marine Aerial Refueler Transport
Squadron 252 (VMGR-252) ‘Otis’ holds the
honorable distinction of being the oldest
continually-active squadron in the Corps,
tracing its origins back to June 1928, when
it was based in San Diego, California as
Headquarters Detachment 7M. In 1941, the
unit became Marine Utility Squadron 252
(VMJ-252), supporting Marines at Iwo Jima
and Okinawa during WW2 before settling in at
its current home at Marine Corps Air Station
‘Otis 52’ — a Harvest
HAWK-configured
KC-130J heads out from
MCAS Cherry Point on an
evening training mission.
Jamie Hunter
(MCAS) Cherry Point in North Carolina. The
squadron has flown over 30 different types of
aircraft in its long history but has stayed with
the C-130 for over 50 years in its current guise
as VMGR-252 ‘Otis’.
Delivery of the KC-130F heralded the shift
in focus to the core aerial refueling mission,
not only with fixed-wing receivers but also
the slightly trickier helicopter customers. In
1965 the squadron refueled its first helicopter
over North Carolina, using a drogue system
to transfer fuel to a modified US Air Force
CH-3. Though the tests proved successful,
the Marine Corps would not get into the
regular helicopter refueling business until the
early 1980s with the introduction of the air
refueling-capable CH-53E.
A decade later the combination of the
KC-130 and CH-53 proved to be a valuable
asset when the call came to evacuate US
citizens from the US embassy in Somalia.
Departing from Bahrain, two KC-130s met
up with two CH-53Es over the water and
conducted multiple aerial refuelings to
reach Somalia, from where they airlifted
over 60 personal to the amphibious assault
ship USS Guam.
31
20/11/2014 09:29
 Operations ‘Desert Shield’ and ‘Desert Above: Maj Rundus commanding a
Storm’ soon followed, VMGR-252 sending a ‘We are KC-130J on a tanker mission out of Cherry
Point in October. Jamie Hunter
detachment of six aircraft that provided over
10 million pounds of fuel over the course of
very busy,
This photo: The relatively small Marine
over 900 combat sorties while operating from especially with Corps KC-130 fleet is kept in very high
airstrips in Saudi Arabia.
The terrorist attacks of September 11, the induction demand owing to the number of missions
the squadrons can tackle. Jamie Hunter
2001, brought about Operation ‘Enduring
Freedom’ in Afghanistan, and the squadron
of the MV-22
sent a detachment into theater. A year into Osprey — the
that operation the new KC-130Js started to be
delivered. With the squadron in high demand, number of
it was forced to convert ‘in contact’.
VMGR-252 once again made history by ‘probes’ versus
being the first squadron to take the new
‘J-model’ to war, when in 2005 it deployed
the number of
six new ‘cabs’ to Al Asad Air Base in Iraq. aircraft that
This mission involved re-supply work,
thereby keeping trucks off Iraqi roads to help can refuel
avoid improvised explosive device (IED)
attacks on convoys. In the course of this
them just
deployment the squadron was racking up an went up’
astounding 600 hours a month.

Command perspective Maj Frank Rundus,

Lt Col Scott ‘Bobcat’ Koltick is the current VMGR-252 OPSO
commander of VMGR-252. Talking in his

32

30-39 VMGR-252 c rev.indd 32 21/11/2014 13:08

 office that overlooks the MCAS Cherry
Point flightline he told Combat Aircraft: ‘We
have two main challenges currently. The
first is common with a lot of other units in
the Marine Corps, and that is that we are
not seeing any reduction in our operational
tempo despite the major combat operation
in Afghanistan having ended. Historically,
after long periods of combat operations, we
would expect a lengthy period of relative calm
where we can re-fit and re-set — [taking] time
to reflect on the latest conflict and see if any
changes in tactics or equipment are warranted,
and then [applying] the lessons we have
learned toward planning and preparing for
the future. This squadron has been deployed
almost continuously since November 2001.
During that time, we have transitioned from
the ‘legacy’ KC-130F/R to the KC-130J. We
were in Afghanistan, then Iraq, and then back
Above right: The pilots on ‘252’ are extremely
quick to praise the KC-130J. The aircraft
handles extremely well and is suited to the
range of missions the squadron flies.
Jamie Hunter
This photo: Squadron crewmen look after the
back end of the KC-130. Their tasks range from
co-ordinating loads and monitoring in-flight
refueling to helping dispatch paratroopers.
Jamie Hunter
www.combataircraft.net January 2015
30-39 VMGR-252 c rev.indd 33
to Afghanistan, and during that period we
had to adjust to the new ‘J-model’ and the
changes that brought as well as developing
new capabilities such as the Harvest HAWK.
Before we had left Afghanistan as a squadron,
we were already standing up the Special
Purpose MAGTF concept in southern Europe,
and have supported that mission continuously
now for over 18 months. This is likely to be
an enduring mission for us, so our operational
tempo remains high.
‘The second challenge is unique to Marine
Corps VMGR squadrons, and that is that we
are actually several squadrons in one. Due
to the fact that we have only one active-duty
VMGR squadron attached to each MEF
(Marine Expeditionary Force), we must fulfill
all KC-130 support requirements for the
MEF. In practice, this means that currently
we are managing three separate operational
33
20/11/2014 09:29
 ‘When I deployed
as detachment
commander in January
2011 it was the first full
rotation with Harvest
HAWK. We hit the
ground running and
it was a very steep
learning curve’
Lt Col Scott ‘Bobcat’ Koltick,
Commander VMGR-252
missions: I have one detachment deployed for
the SPMAGTF, one in work-up and training
for the next deployment, and the balance of
the squadron in re-set and fulfilling our MEF
support requirements. On top of this, we
must conduct our regular squadron training
to prepare young aircrews and maintainers
to become proficient in their respective
specialties.’
The KC-130Js are in high demand, and that
means Lt Col Koltick’s operational staff are
not always able to fit the pieces of the jigsaw
together. Maj Frank ‘Rundi’ Rundus is the
squadron operations officer (OPSO): ‘The
C-130 in the Marine Corps is a high-demand,
low-density asset. There’s actually more
C-130s sitting on the ramp at Little Rock
Air Force Base, Arkansas than in the entire
Marine Corps inventory. We only have three
active-duty squadrons with 45 total aircraft
plus our two reserve squadrons. We are very
busy, especially with the induction of the
MV-22 Osprey — the number of ‘probes’
[aircraft in the Marine Corps that can air-
refuel] versus the number of aircraft that can
refuel them just went up. We went from a
bunch of CH-46s that can’t refuel to a bunch
of MV-22s that can!’
Koltick added: ‘We routinely have to turn
down nearly half of our support requests
34
30-39 VMGR-252 c rev.indd 34
from other units. This is one of the reasons
we have structured KC-130J squadrons to
have 15 aircraft, as opposed to 12 for our
‘legacy’ KC-130F/R/T units. Our way forward
to address this is to complete our purchase
of ‘J-models’ and equip our two Reserve
squadrons, which will give us much-needed
additional capability. I think if you ask any of
our supported commanders they will tell you
they would prefer to have more KC-130s.’
The Reserve KC-130T squadrons began their
transition to the KC-130J in Fiscal Year 2014.
Harvest HAWK
Unlike many other units, the VMGR units
never deploy as a squadron but rather as
detachments, sending out two to four aircraft
as the specific mission dictates. Deployments
in Afghanistan have provided great experience
for the crews, using Forward Arming and
Refueling Points (FARPs) spread throughout
the country, as well as operations focused on
fixed-wing aerial refueling, the transport of
cargo and troops, and latterly the employment
of the new Harvest HAWK (Hercules Airborne
Weapons Kit) capability.
Lt Col Koltick elaborated: ‘When we were
in Afghanistan, a typical day in the life of a
VMGR-252 detachment would include two
or three transportation missions for logistics
and personnel, an aerial refueling mission
to support Marine fixed-wing jet squadrons,
[and] an eight- to 10-hour Harvest HAWK
mission to deliver close air support, as well as
one or two night logistics missions and a night
aerial delivery re-supply mission. When you
consider doing all that, in one day with one
detachment, it becomes clear how robust our
squadron training program must be, and how
proficient and flexible our crews must be as
well.’
One of the early lessons learned by the
Marine Corps in Afghanistan was the constant
demand for airborne video surveillance and
the requirement for a ‘quick-strike’ weapon to
help protect troops on the ground. The Marine
Corps turned once again to the Hercules, a
platform that offers a long loiter time — easily
exceeding 10 hours — and armed it with an
inexpensive quick-strike weapon that would
not affect the core mission of aerial refueling.
The result was the Harvest HAWK.
Maj Rundus said: ‘Former Marine Corps
commandant Gen James Jones always wanted
to get an armed C-130 in the Corps having
seen what the US Air Force AC-130 could
achieve. The issue was that to establish a
January 2015 www.combataircraft.net
20/11/2014 09:30
 This photo: Harvest HAWK aircraft are
identified by the port outer pylon being
configured for Hellfire missiles rather
than the tanker pod. The port fuel tank
between the engines is also dry and
equipped with the TSS turret, while the
aircraft usually feature a raft of mission
markings. Jamie Hunter

Right: AGM-176 Griffin missiles are

deployed from the ‘Derringer door’.
Jamie Hunter

Far right: The AN/AAQ-30 targeting

sight sensor is currently mounted on a
converted fuel tank. Harvest HAWK Plus
will see the transition to a new sensor, to
be mounted under the nose. Jamie Deboer

Below right: Only a single Hellfire is

carried here, but up to four can currently
be accommodated on the outer wing
launcher. Jamie Deboer

Bottom right: The ‘Derringer door’ viewed

from the inside. The modified rear
parachute door and accompanying rack
typically permit carriage of 10 Griffin
missiles, but many more can be carried if
required. Jamie Deboer

dedicated squadron of gunships would have

cost the Marine Corps more than it costs
for all three of our current regular VMGR
squadrons. In addition, when you have a
dedicated AC-130 gunship there’s really
little else that it can do. So we had to find
a solution that allowed it to be a gunship
per se, but also allowed it to do our other
missions. That’s how we came up with
the Harvest HAWK. There’s a lot of wiring
involved with the installation kits and we
haven’t realized a true roll-on/roll-off kit,
but that’s coming. Having said that, we can
still haul cargo with them, we can still refuel
with them, albeit with one refueling pod, and
we are limited on the amount of gas we can
carry. But all that’s in the mix of getting fixed.
The idea was to get it out there, and it’s been
doing great things in Afghanistan.’

www.combataircraft.net January 2015 35

30-39 VMGR-252 c rev.indd 35 20/11/2014 09:30

 This photo: The TSS sends images to two
monitors inside the aircraft. The first is on
the fire control console, and the second in
the cockpit, thus enabling the pilots to see
what the fire control officers are seeing.
The pilots also have a ‘consent to lase’ and
fire-control button next to the throttles.
Jamie Deboer
Below: Aft of the cockpit, the primary and
secondary fire control officers sit at the
fire control console. At the rear of the
aircraft the two loadmasters look out of
their windows for incoming threats while
also loading the Griffin missiles into the
‘Derringer door’. Jamie Deboer
Far right: A view of the main screen on the
FCC as the crew monitors a troop insertion
by US Navy MH-60s.The TSS allows for
locating and tracking of targets while
the crew is also able to communicate
with troops on the ground. The system
includes a Blue Force tracker to keep tabs
on friendly troops, as well as ROVER full-
motion video to exchange target data.
Jamie Deboer
The Harvest HAWK kit means
commanders can rapidly re-role a suitably-
modified KC-130J into a formidable
close air support platform. The initiative
took only 18 months from program
announcement until the first aircraft was
delivered. Achieved using off-the-shelf
technology, the initial solution was fairly
straightforward. It utilizes the AN/AAQ-30
targeting sight sensor (TSS) that is already
in use with the AH-1Z Viper, installed in
a modified external fuel tank under the
port wing of the aircraft. Also beneath the
36
30-39 VMGR-252 c rev.indd 36
port wing is a pylon that can carry four
AGM-114 Hellfire missiles. The starboard
wing remains unaffected and still carries
a fuel tank and the hose and drogue
assembly for aerial refueling, thus retaining
the aircraft’s main mission as a tanker.
Re-wiring a KC-130J as a Harvest HAWK
with the initial production ‘A kit’ requires
approximately six months of conversion
work. While a typical J-model has a total
fuel capacity of 60,000lb, the Harvest
HAWK configuration reduces maximum
fuel capacity to 42,000lb.
Initially, the AGM-114P-2A Hellfire II
proved to be the weapon of choice, with
over 100 launches in the first two Harvest
HAWK deployments. Designers also
devised a plan to launch up to 10 AGM-176
Griffin missiles from the rear cargo ramp
with a launcher known as ‘Gunslinger’.
While this idea worked, the aircraft would
have to depressurize in order for the back
of the ramp to be opened if they were at an
altitude above 10,000ft, wasting valuable
minutes when troops on the ground needed
support.
In February 2012, squadrons began to receive
aircraft modified with a pressurized stand-off
precision-guided munitions launcher called
the ‘Derringer door’. This replaced the rear
paratroop door and provided the capability to
load, launch and reload munitions while the
aircraft remained pressurized. The modified
door, and an accompanying rack that held up
to 10 Griffin missiles, didn’t deploy until late
2012, but later deployments saw about a 50:50
split between Hellfire and Griffin employment.
A third guided weapon option for the Harvest
HAWK was the GBU-44 Viper Strike glide
bomb, also launched through the ‘Derringer
door’. Although tested from the KC-130J, this
weapon is in practice seldom used.
In the main fuselage, the fire control console
(FCC) is operated by two fire control officers
(FCO) who manage the target sight sensor
(TSS) and weapons from a platform-mounted
fire control station. The system includes a
Blue Force tracker to keep tabs on friendly
troops, as well as ROVER full-motion video to
exchange target data.
January 2015 www.combataircraft.net
20/11/2014 09:31
 ‘When I deployed as detachment
commander in January 2011 it was the
first full rotation with Harvest HAWK. We
hit the ground running and it was a very
steep learning curve. I had never been
responsible for a close air support asset,
and beyond my academic knowledge [of
fire support] I had never dealt with the
practical aspects of air-delivered weapons.
When we developed the Harvest HAWK
capability we needed to borrow expertise
from the other communities such as Cobra
and Harrier pilots, even F/A-18 weapons
system operators (WSOs), to help us learn
everything we needed to be an ordnance
delivery platform’. These aviators knew
close air support and proved ideal for
passing the latest knowledge to the KC-130
pilots who would soon assume the task.
Deploying only one modified ‘Herc’ kept
them in high demand. ‘We were usually
flying four days out of every five-day period’,
explained Koltick. ‘The troops on the ground
wanted it flying every day. The Harvest
HAWK became so successful that troops on
the ground actually began to request it by
name over the radio toward the end of the first
deployment.’
VMGR-252 originally went to Camp Dwyer
before moving to Kandahar, all the while
maintaining a seven-man crew for the Harvest
HAWK mission. The aircraft commander
acted as the mission commander and airborne
supervisor, working directly with the FCO
‘down the back’. The co-pilot stayed busy
operating the multiple radios and flying the
surveillance and attack profiles. Behind the
pilots, the crew chief who normally operates

The TSS sends images to two monitors

inside the aircraft. The first is at the FCC
while the second is in the cockpit, thus
enabling the pilots to see what the FCO
is seeing. The pilot also has a ‘consent to
lase’ and fire control button next to the
throttles.
Maj Ryan Pope is the executive officer
at VMGR-252 and a Harvest HAWK
instructor. He explained that when a
ground threat is first identified the FCO
can choose between Griffin and Hellfire
missiles, depending on the target. The
FCO can also select the desired warhead
fusing of the Griffin, the missile launcher
being hard-wired to the FCO station.
Pope said: ‘Right now only VMGR-252
and VMGR-352 at MCAS Miramar on the
West Coast have this system’. Six Harvest
HAWK kits are currently available, three
each at Cherry Point and Miramar.
War HAWKs
The Marine Corps deployed the Harvest
HAWK to Afghanistan for the first time
in October 2010 with VMGR-352. When
the Cherry Point squadron prepared
to deploy, it worked closely with its
sister unit to understand how best to
use the new capability. Harvest HAWK
proved to be a huge success. By the time
VMGR-252 finished its last deployment
to Afghanistan it had accounted for over
half of the kinetic weapons employed in
theater. ‘The system was a major player
and had great success for the troops on
the ground’, said Lt Col Koltick.
‘OTIS’ XO
Now serving as the executive officer (XO) of
VMGR-252, Maj Ryan Pope has been in the
KC-130 community since 2002 following
primary flight training. His first tour was with
VMGR-252 and included multiple deployments,
as you’d expect of the KC-130 world. Pope’s
experiences led him to be selected as a member
of the KC-130J operational evaluation (OPEVAL)
team under Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 20
(VX-20) at Patuxent River, Maryland. Following
completion of the KC-130J OPEVAL, he became
one of the first officers to be upgraded to aircraft
commander in the new machine.
Pope’s next posting saw him leave the cockpit
to become a forward air controller (FAC) with the
3rd Battalion 6th Marines. He was subsequently
deployed to Al Anbar, Iraq, from August 2005
to March 2006 and accrued over 50 combat
controls. After a stop back at VMGR-252, he was
selected to attend the Weapons and Tactics
Instructor (WTI) course.
Pope played a pivotal role for VMGR-252 in
the integration of Harvest HAWK. In 2013, he led
a detachment from VMGR-252 to Camp Bastion,
Afghanistan. This time it was a four-aircraft
detachment with one aircraft operating the
Harvest HAWK role. Pope said: ‘We flew Harvest
HAWK six days a week for six months straight
Below: Maj Ryan Pope working as the
primary fire control officer. Jamie Deboer
and I’m proud to say that it did beautifully. We
had a 99 per cent sortie completion rate with
the Harvest HAWK; the aircraft had parts priority,
which kept it running.’
Explaining how the aircraft commander and
the FCO share the task of operating the Harvest
HAWK, he added: ‘The two must share a mental
model of the engagement in terms of where the
friendlies are and where they want the weapon
to go. The aircraft commander can view the
target on the screen that the FCO is tracking and
then look out the window and see where the
friendlies are in relation to the target. Most of
our missions were pre-planned overwatch. We
worked with the FACs a lot to integrate with the
guys on the ground.’

www.combataircraft.net January 2015 37

30-39 VMGR-252 c rev.indd 37 20/11/2014 09:32

 the refueling equipment assisted in managing
the seven radios!
Once troops asked for assistance, the FCO
would locate the target, co-ordinating with
the pilot to get the aircraft in the optimum
position to fire the missile. After approval
to engage the target from the ground force
commander, the pilot would provide consent
to enable the FCO to engage the target. The
FCO announced ‘rifle’, indicating that the
weapon had been fired.
Maj Rundus commented: ‘Instead of having
a close air support asset overhead for an hour-
and-a-half, we can be overhead for the entire
mission. You send out a patrol or a raid and
you have a CAS asset overhead with its own
sensor pushing that sensor data to you.’
Harvest HAWK Plus
The success of the ‘A kit’ Harvest HAWK has
led to the development of the new Harvest
HAWK Plus. Beginning in 2015, the mission
kit will receive sensor and fire-control system
upgrades to address system obsolescence and
eliminate deficiencies.
Harvest HAWK Plus will feature a new
sensor under the nose in place of the
AAQ-30 TSS, allowing the port fuel tank to
be re-instated. Re-location of the sensor will
improve operational flexibility, removing the
need to fly predominantly left-hand orbits.
There is also a plan to increase the weapons
load to eight Hellfires and transition from the
P-2A Hellfire to the P-4 version. Maj Rundus
said: ‘The Harvest HAWK Plus will have
a better MX-20 sensor. The AAQ-30 turret
is from the ‘Zulu’ Cobra and that was not
designed to be used at 10,000ft. So we’re going
to improve the sensor fusion and install the
turret under the nose of the aircraft so we get
that left-hand external tank back. There’s a
modification to the wheel well of the aircraft;
there’s one aircraft complete and they are
actually doing that mod here right now to one
38
30-39 VMGR-252 c rev.indd 38
of our aircraft. We are now making Harvest
HAWK more of a Program of Record.’
Rundus indicated that it is likely to be at
least another year before Harvest HAWK Plus
reaches operational squadrons. The Harvest
HAWK Lethality Upgrade Road-map calls for
the new P-4 Hellfires in 2017, along with the
transition to the new MX-20 sensor. The FCS
will transition to a Mission Operator Pallet
in 2017 as well, with the Joint Air-to-Ground
Missile (JAGM) also penciled in as a Hellfire
replacement from 2019.
Current operations
Detailing just what the squadron has
been up to over recent months, Rundus
told Combat Aircraft: ‘We’ve supported
the Army bringing artillery pieces out of
Bosnia, supported a Marine Aircraft Group
14 (MAG-14) squadron deployment to
Japan, supported the Weapons and Tactics
Instructor (WTI) course at Yuma, Arizona,
worked with the 160th Special Operations
Aviation Regiment (160th SOAR) out of
Savannah, Georgia, dragged Marine Medium
Tilt-rotor Squadron 266 (VMM-266) MV-22s
out to the West Coast — there’s all kinds
of different ‘frags’ in there. Each month we
get the requests for support and we work
out what we can and can’t do. We play
rack and stack; we throw our own training
requirements and go from there. Every
mission is different and that is one of the
great challenges of flying the C-130.
‘For the most part we try to get the junior
guys out there flying and push the tactical
qualifications on the senior captains. All the
department heads here are WTIs and we can
do all the things that you can possibly do in a
‘Herc’, but as senior aviators our job is to pass
that knowledge on to the next generation. We
have a guy that checked in yesterday that has
zero hours in the C-130, and we have guys
with over 3,000 hours.’
The attack on the US consulate in Libya
that killed the US ambassador led to the
establishment of a new Rapid Response Force
(RRF), stationed at Morón Air Base in Spain.
In April 2013 two KC-130s from VMGR-252
along with six MV-22s flew to Morón to
establish the aviation element of the Special
Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force —
Crisis Response (SPMAGTF-CR). Having these
assets in place paid dividends quickly, as they
responded to the unrest in Sudan at the end
of the year and are now assisting with the
current Ebola outbreak. In January 2014 the
SPMAGTF-CR evacuated the US embassy in
Juba, South Sudan, using the KC-130J.
The Marine Corps is now establishing a new
Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task
Force — Crisis Response — Central Command
(SPMAGTF-CR-CC) in Kuwait. In addition to
a reinforced infantry battalion, its air assets
include AV-8Bs, MV-22Bs and KC-130Ts
respectively operated by Marine Attack
Squadron 211 (VMA-211), and VMM-363,
with VMGR-234 from Miramar in support. It is
another potentially enduring mission to factor
into the planning.
While CA was visiting VMGR-252, one of
its aircraft returned from a FISDU mission to
Morón. FISDU stands for Flight In Support of
Deployed Unit and is conducted monthly by
the squadron in support of the detachment in
Spain. Lt Col Koltick explained: ‘From time to
time they need to be supported with parts and
supplies; typically it’s big stuff like engines,
things that we can’t ship through commercial
means. It means we don’t have to deploy a lot
of material capability. In other words, I don’t
have to keep six spare engines and propellers
in Morón because I have the flexibility back
here at Cherry Point. In about a day’s notice
we can launch a FISDU out to them — and
that is what we did.’
Of course, the KC-130J is first and foremost
an aerial refueler. It has the capability to
January 2015 www.combataircraft.net
20/11/2014 09:32
 Above: VMGR-252 crewmen train with Marine
Corps paratroopers over the relief landing
ground at Bogue Field. Jamie Deboer
Right: In-flight refueling remains a primary
mission for VMGR-252. Here an F/A-18D of
VMFA(AW)-224 takes on fuel. Jamie Hunter
This photo: The unusual offset four-runway
configuration at Cherry Point is evident
in this photo of an ‘Otis’ KC-130J in the
overhead. Jamie Deboer
refuel both low-speed helicopters and high-
speed jet aircraft by changing the basket on
the drogue system. The Sargent Fletcher
(Cobham) aerial refueling pods can deliver
more than 12,000 US gallons (45,425 liters) of
fuel and simultaneously refuel two aircraft.
The KC-130J may also be equipped with a
removable 3,600-US gallon (13,627-liter) fuel
tank carried inside the cargo compartment to
provide additional fuel if required. Another
less glamorous role is Aviation-Delivered
Ground Refueling (ADGR), which involves
setting up a series of hoses from the KC-130J to
create FARPs for helicopters.
Altogether higher-profile is support provided
to the new MV-22s of Marine Helicopter
Squadron 1 (HMX-1), the Presidential Flight.
In May, VMGR-252 was involved in the first
trans-Atlantic flight by the squadron’s new
www.combataircraft.net January 2015
30-39 VMGR-252 c rev.indd 39
Ospreys as President Obama attended the
70th anniversary of the D-Day landings in
Normandy. ‘Our role is very important for
this mission’, commented Lt Col Koltick.
‘Not only did we provide the aerial refueling
for the Ospreys, but we also assisted them in
traversing the long distance and helped them
with long-range navigation.’
All told, the roles and variety of the flying
for the men and women of VMGR-252 are
nothing short of extraordinary. Its personnel
work tirelessly, often away from home, often
for very long hours. This is true multi-role
military aviation, and then some!
Acknowledgments: Thanks to Lt Col Scott
Koltick, Maj Frank Rundus, Maj Ryan Pope,
GySgt Michael Freeman and all at VMGR-252
and MCAS Cherry Point.
39
20/11/2014 09:33
 PROJECT
‘ E SUPPORT THE
LIBERTY
FIND, FIX AND FINISH
Although at first glance the MC-12W appears to
be an unassuming aircraft, looks can be
deceptive. While the last deployed US Air Force
unit deactivated in October, this intelligence,
surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) platform
looks set to remain one of the most highly
regarded and sought-after assets to patrol the
skies over Afghanistan, now in US Army hands.
report: Dr Séan Wilson
With its Pratt & Whitney
PT6A engines spooled up, an
MC-12W is readied for a night
mission from Beale AFB.
Dr Séan Wilson
40
40-45 Project Liberty c.indd 40
W
entire spectrum of
operations’, explains
Lt Col Dave ‘Monster’
Berg, commanding
officer of the 427th
Reconnaissance Squadron. Lt Col Berg,
a former F-15E Strike Eagle pilot and
an instantly likeable individual with
infectious enthusiasm, has recently
transferred to a new post to become
the deputy group commander for all
Global Hawk operations at the 69th
Reconnaissance Group. Speaking of the
MC-12W, Berg elaborates: ‘We start out
with the ISR part of the mission — pattern
of life, target development, route scan and
updates of named areas of interest.’
‘When I say target development and
pattern of life, somewhere in there you
could be tasked to find somebody, fix them
and then the ‘finish’ part is supporting
the ground forces’ options to remove that
person from the battlespace. [For] the
more dynamic part of our mission set you
could have troops in contact, you could
be supporting helicopter assault forces,
you could do what we call ‘air warden’
where you are in charge of the air stack
on behalf of the JTAC (Joint Terminal
Attack Controller). It’s very important
to understand that we are not forward
19/11/2014 12:07
 air controllers, but we will represent the
JTAC in the air based on the task they
assign us — briefing inbound fighters,
airspace deconfliction, or the marking
of targets and sensor allocation for the
assets within the stack. We are the eyes
overhead on behalf of the JTAC. That’s
where ROVER (Remotely Operated Video
Enhanced Receiver) comes in if they want
it, but more often than not it’s the radio
communications and co-ordination that are
critical and required to help orchestrate a
smooth maneuver.’
Project Liberty went from concept to
combat within a year, which earned it the
accolade of being the US Air Force’s most
rapid fielding since the P-51 Mustang
during WW2. Since then the figures
associated with the MC-12W have proven
nothing short of phenomenal. At the height
of training, in 2011 and early 2012, the
MC-12W units at Beale AFB, California,
were graduating students at a level that
was equivalent to two Air Education and
Training Command (AETC) training bases
combined.
In 2012, Project Liberty was nominated
for the Collier Trophy, awarded annually
‘for the greatest achievement in aeronautics
or astronautics in America, with respect to
improving the performance, efficiency, and
safety of air or space vehicles, the value of
40-45 Project Liberty c.indd 41
which has been thoroughly demonstrated
by actual use during the preceding year’.
When one considers that, in 2011, MC-12W
crews flew 16,603 combat sorties, during
which time they amassed 90,309 combat
hours, it is easy to understand why Project
Liberty was nominated.
Figures for the 2012 ‘surge’ period
illustrate clearly the vital role MC-12W
crews played: 710 high-value individuals
removed, of whom 40 were ‘found, fixed,
and finished’ in less than six hours; 3,000
anti-Afghan forces removed; 511 ‘troops
in contact’ situations; 401 kinetic strikes
supported. During that period the MC-12W
accounted for 24 per cent of all US Air
Force combat sorties worldwide and 73
per cent of all in-theater ISR sorties. From
initial delivery up until the end of 2013 the
MC-12W fleet amassed 360,754 flight hours
and flew 78,073 sorties.
Speaking prior to the October 2014
inactivation of the 4th Expeditionary
Reconnaissance Squadron, the last USAF
MC-12W unit in Afghanistan, Lt Col Berg
remarked: ‘We are providing stability
for the Afghan civilians by removing
enemy chains of command, removing
battlefield networks and disrupting the
Taliban’s summer campaigns. We are
very proud of the number of high-value
assets and enemy combatants that we
have helped remove. All of these things
have contributed significantly to those
immeasurable impacts. I cannot tell you
how many young soldiers came home to
their parents over the holidays because we
provided overwatch. It’s hard to measure.
‘We have increased our ops tempo
significantly since we first started out in
Iraq. Our ops tempo was high when I was
in Afghanistan in 2010-11, but we have
surged past that. We have pushed the
crews and they do it for the main reason
that our joint warfighter on the ground
needs it. We do not want to leave that
18-year-old on the ground with a rifle
without air support overhead. We believe
in it wholeheartedly.’
Lt Col Berg points out the reasons why
the MC-12W is always in such demand:
‘We are very popular because we have an
anti-icing system that always enables us to
remain on station for the customer during
all weather conditions. We are reliable.
Our maintenance availability rate to fly
missions is 98.5 per cent.’
Project Liberty
Project Liberty was developed in response
to a request for increased numbers of ISR
platforms to support ground force operations
in Iraq and Afghanistan. Following
comments made by then Secretary of
41
19/11/2014 12:07
 Defense Robert Gates in April 2008, which
criticized the number of such platforms
currently available, the USAF, teamed
with L-3 Communications and Hawker
Beechcraft, began the process of procuring
an eventual total of 42 MC-12Ws.
Based on the Beechcraft King Air
350/350ER, the first aircraft was accepted at
Key Field in Meridian, Mississippi, on April
28, 2009. Prior to Beale AFB becoming the
home of the new mission in 2011, all of the
manpower was trained by the Mississippi
ANG at Key Field. The final MC-12W was
delivered to the USAF in March 2012.
The first eight aircraft were second-
hand machines acquired from a variety of
sources, the initial seven of which (293,
309, 329, 353, 336, 376 and 462) were King
Air 350s, while the eighth (546) was an
extended-range King Air 350ER. From that
point onwards the aircraft were supplied
brand-new from the manufacturer, Hawker
Beechcraft.
‘Each base and each wing provided
personnel to support Project Liberty’,
explained Lt Col Berg. ‘It’s the only program
I know of in the history of the Air Force that
had every operational platform represented
in its construct. The program has pilots who
previously flew bombers, tankers, remotely-
piloted aircraft, helicopters and fighters. In
addition, joint service and coalition partner
pilots flew with us because of the demand
for the mission downrange and high ops
tempo. We needed more people so we
looked outside of the Air Force.’
The MC-12W also has an impeccable
safety record. Of 400,000 combat flight hours
This photo: The first operational missions were
flown by 362nd ERS MC-12Ws in June 2009.
Dr Séan Wilson
Right: The MC-12W’s communications package
includes a Ku-band satellite communications
antenna housed in the dorsal hump plus an L-3
datalink. Dr Séan Wilson
Top right: An MC-12W crew briefs for a training
flight from Beale AFB in September. USAF
42
40-45 Project Liberty c.indd 42
since its inception, there has been only one
incident. Unfortunately, one aircraft crashed
in Afghanistan on April 27, 2013, with the
loss of all four crew.
The first MC-12W unit to be formed,
operating the initial seven early-variant
aircraft, was the 362nd Expeditionary
Reconnaissance Squadron (ERS) ‘Stalkers’,
which flew its first combat sortie over
Iraq on June 12, 2009. At present, two US
Air Force units continue to operate the
MC-12W. Both are based at Beale: the 427th
Reconnaissance Squadron (RS) ‘Spartans’
and 489th RS ‘Cougars’, which fall under
the control of Air Combat Command (ACC),
9th Operations Group, 9th Reconnaissance
Wing. Additionally, the 306th Intelligence
Squadron supports the gathering of
intelligence and imagery by the MC-12Ws
and falls under the control of the 25th Air
Force.
Until recently there were also two USAF
units deployed in Afghanistan: the 4th
ERS ‘Crows’ at Bagram Airfield and the
361st ERS ‘Ravens’ at Kandahar Airfield.
Both were composed of crews and aircraft
from the two Beale-based units, with
personnel on six-month rotations, under
the command of US Central Command
(CENTCOM).
Afghan deactivations
On September 22, the final MC-12W
departed Kandahar to return to Beale AFB.
The move followed the deactivation of the
361st ERS at the base earlier that month.
‘Our accomplishments were tremendous’,
noted Lt Col Thomas Yeager, the former
361st ERS director of operations. ‘I take my
hat off to the young men and women who
support this program, working around the
clock in rotations, some deploying four or
five times with 3,000-plus combat hours’.
While in theater the squadron completed
more than 25,000 air tasking order sorties,
flew 115,000 combat flight hours, provided
overwatch for more than 50,000 friendly
forces, and scanned approximately 13,000
square kilometers.
Subsequently, the 4th ERS was deactivated
at Bagram on October 1. When the last
MC-12W flying a 4th ERS mission landed, it
brought an end to more than 40,000 combat
missions and over 200,000 hours of ISR
support since December 2009. ‘The history
and success of the Project Liberty program
is attributed to one thing — the people’,
said Maj Tanner Woolsey, 4th ERS acting
commander. ‘They are airmen and soldiers
along with our contract maintenance team.
They are the people who will go down in
history as part of one of the greatest tactical
success stories of Operation ‘Enduring
Freedom’. After 2009, many tactical actions
in this area of operation included an MC-
12W in the ISR loop or kill chain’. From
October 2013 to September 2014, the MC-
12W contributed to operations that removed
2,450 enemy combatants from the battle
space, including 375 high-value individuals
killed or captured.
MC-12Ws will remain at Bagram, but
now under US Army authority under Joint
Task Force Thor. Although the 4th ERS has
encased its banner, USAF airmen will be
embedded within the unit through FY2015.
January 2015 www.combataircraft.net
19/11/2014 12:07
 ‘Project Liberty went
from concept to
combat within one
year, which earned
it the accolade of
being the most rapid
fielding since the
North American
P-51 Mustang during
WW2’
Crew composition
The MC-12W is manned by a crew of four,
with the pilot and mission commander
occupying the left and right-hand seats,
respectively, and in the rear cabin the sensor
operator (SO) and tactical systems operator
(TSO).
The pilot both flies the aircraft and
communicates with other airborne assets
within and outside the restricted operating
zone (ROZ), the restricted area a JTAC sets
up around a target for close air support.
‘We try our very best to be low-cost and
have a small footprint — it’s all about the
mission’, says Lt Col Berg. ‘We train, fly and
then we’re out the door. Our crews have 12
rides and the 13th is in combat. This hasn’t
happened since WW2, where we have
18-year-old Airmen and Second Lieutenants
earning air medals for flying in combat. The
average age of a four-man crew could be 20
years.’
Upgrades
The current fleet of MC-12Ws is comprised
of four Baseline 1, 21 Baseline 2, seven
Baseline 3 and nine Baseline 3.1 aircraft.
The initial seven King Air 350s delivered
between April and July 2009 were equipped
with the original Beechcraft EFIS 85
(Electronic Flight Information System)
www.combataircraft.net January 2015
40-45 Project Liberty c.indd 43
avionics suite and were configured to
Baseline 1 standard. These featured the L-3
WESCAM MX-15 system, seven radios, one
large screen each for the SO and TSO, and a
Ku-band satellite communications antenna
housed in a dorsal hump. Four aircraft
remain in Baseline 1 configuration (293,
309, 353 and 462) and are currently on loan
to Special Operations Command (SOCOM).
Two (336 and 376) were upgraded to
Baseline 3 standard and re-delivered in
May 2012, while one (329) was upgraded to
Baseline 3.1 standard and returned to the US
Air Force in May 2013. However, the King
Air 350s retained their original, inefficient
air conditioning system.
The majority of the fleet were Baseline
2 standard King Air 350ERs that featured
extended-range fuel tanks, reinforced
landing gear and wing spars, and an NVG-
compatible ‘glass’ cockpit with the Rockwell
Collins Pro Line 21 Integrated Display
System avionics package in place of the
EFIS 85 suite. Thanks to an air condenser
that is approximately one-and-a-half times
larger, and housed in the front of the nose,
air conditioning in the 350ERs is much
more efficient. The SO benefits from an
extra screen and the L-3 WESCAM MX-15Di
system that features a laser target designator,
laser illuminator, and laser spot tracker.
43
19/11/2014 12:07
 Decked out with an impressive tally of
mission marks, an MC-12W returns to
Beale AFB. Dr Séan Wilson
The cockpit of the MC-12W is
broadly similar in layout to a
standard King Air 350. USAF
A docking mechanism for the laptop is
now fitted under the mission commander’s
seat. The first Baseline 2 aircraft was a
second-hand machine (546), delivered in
September 2009.
The first five Baseline 3 MC-12Ws (728,
729, 730, 739, and 742) were brand-new
aircraft that arrived between January and
March 2012. As mentioned previously,
these were joined by two re-worked
Baseline 2 aircraft in May 2012.
So far, eight Baseline 2 aircraft have
been upgraded to the latest Baseline
3.1 standard. The first (640) was sent
for modification in May 2012 and
subsequently returned in January 2013.
Baseline 3/3.1-upgraded aircraft feature
digital radios in place of the original analog
sets. ‘With the analog radios we could only
use three radios at any given time, but
with the new digital radio system we can
transmit over five radios. That is one of the
major changes for the flight deck’, explains
Berg.
Although the number of screens remains
the same in the Baseline 3/3.1 aircraft,
the SO and TSO now benefit from larger,
high-definition screens. The mission
commander no longer requires a laptop
44
40-45 Project Liberty c.indd 44
as the computer drives are located in a
rack, into which they are able to plug in a
screen and keyboard.
Two civil-registered Beechcraft King
Air 350s are presently at Beale. These
are owned by Tenex and maintained by
the Rockhill Group (TRG). The aircraft
are used primarily to support 25th Air
Force tactical systems operator initial
qualification training, although MC-12W
mission pilots also employ them for
primary flight currency training. These
particular aircraft have received some
minor modifications, namely a radio
rack for air-to-ground communications,
an internal communications system that
connects students in the rear cabin with
the pilots, and fixed antennae in the rear
windows.
Buddy lasing
One of the key added features of the
Baseline 3/3.1 upgrade is the L-3
WESCAM MX-15DiD system, equipped
with a higher-resolution sensor. More
importantly, this sensor can now be used
by MC-12W crews to designate targets
for laser-guided weapons. Lt Col Berg
elaborates: ‘On the Baseline 2.0, the laser
The first MC-12 deployed into theater
taxies out for its inaugural combat sortie
at Balad, Iraq, on June 10, 2009. Of note is
the ATK AN/AAR-47(V) missile approach
warning system on the nose.
USAF/SrA Tiffany Trojca
The main cabin
features two work-
stations for the
sensor operator and
the tactical systems
operator. USAF
of the MX-15Di is classified as a range-
finder but it can be used to lase as well.
The problem is a question of boresight.
Is the crosshair coinciding with the laser
spot? If you don’t see the laser spot you
don’t know. What Baseline 3 brought was
the ability to see the laser spot because of
a near-IR/short-wave IR mode. This added
capability put into Baseline 3 alleviated a
lot of the limiting factors in Baseline 2.
‘We are at a crossroads right now. Our
guys train to this capability. We have
crews that are qualified and instructors
that can teach it. We have guided laser-
guided weapons in test and training
exercises. It is now up to the ground forces
commander to request whether or not
they want to use it, but we are capable if
needed.’
Intel ‘reach-back’
It is not only the latest upgrades that
have greatly enhanced the capabilities
of the MC-12W. Over the past two years
crews have developed their tactics
and procedures to enable them to have
greater ‘reach-back’ to the intelligence
community. Lt Col Berg elaborates:
‘Increasingly, we use beyond-line-of-
January 2015 www.combataircraft.net
19/11/2014 12:08

sight links to connect the ISR enterprise
[ISREC — Intelligence, Surveillance and
Reconnaissance Exploitation Cell] in order
to exploit, process and disseminate data
to make decisions that provide actionable
intel. I think this is probably the greatest
force multiplier we have on the battlefield.
‘Harry S. Truman once said, ‘It is
amazing what you can accomplish if
you do not care who gets the credit’. Our
collaboration with the large ISR enterprise
is a great example of that. The most
valuable assets of Project Liberty are the
people and the ability to network and
integrate in order to shorten the kill chain,
get inside the enemy’s decision matrix to
prevent their freedom of movement and
meet the desired effects for the ground
force commander.’
Transfer of assets
Congress determined in the Defense
Authorization Act that all MC-12Ws were
to be transferred to the US Army and Air
Force SOCOM at the end of this fiscal
361st Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron
MC-12s at Kandahar Airfield in August 2010.
USAF/SSgt Eric Harris
www.combataircraft.net January 2015
40-45 Project Liberty c.indd 45
year. It is likely that the aircraft will be
modified to meet their requirements.
The transfer came under the Quadrennial
Defense Review (QDR) and reflects a
shift in priorities for the USAF from the
counter-insurgency mission towards, in
its words, the ‘high-end highly contested
fight.’
It is uncertain what will happen to the
Air Force’s current MC-12W crews. As
SOCOM recently briefed the Beale units
on the type of mission sets they have, it is
likely that some personnel will be asked to
transfer while others will simply return to
their original platforms.
Canada is planning to purchase four
ISR aircraft, recent reports indicating that
the Canadian military are interested in
acquiring four MC-12Ws from the USAF.
The procurement, dubbed the Manned
Airborne Intelligence, Surveillance and
Reconnaissance program, would allow
Canada to expand its ISR capabilities.
As CA went to press, the USAF had just
set out its timetable for transferring control
‘The most
valuable assets
of Project Liberty
are the people
and the ability
to network and
integrate in
order to shorten
the kill chain,
to get inside the
enemy’s decision
matrix’
Lt Col Dave ‘Monster’ Berg
of the MC-12Ws to the US Army. A news
feature on the USAF website stated that a
‘portion’ of the aircraft have already been
transferred to Army control, although
these are still operated by USAF crews.
This most likely relates to the Task Force
Thor aircraft.
The website said: ‘The relationship
will continue through next year’, adding
that ‘only the Army will own the aircraft
and USAF crews will augment Army
personnel. The USAF will provide the
processing, exploitation and dissemination
of MC-12W information in FY2015, in
support of Army missions’. It also stated
that, in FY2016, Army personnel will take
over the whole mission.
No further details of the MC-12’s planned
transfer to SOCOM have yet become
available.
Acknowledgments: Thanks to Lt Col Dave
‘Monster’ Berg, 1st Lt Siobhan Bennett and all
of the personnel at Beale AFB who made this
article possible.
45
19/11/2014 12:08
 South Carolina is the epicenter of the US Marine Corps’
F-35 training community. Working hand in hand with the
Marine Corps, the UK is also ‘bedding-in’ its F-35 force at
MCAS Beaufort, the new home of the British F-35 connection.
report and photos: Jamie Hunter

G
HOSTLY FIGURES OF
Spanish moss hang from
the branches of the trees.
Alligators wallow lazily in
cool swamps while the air
weighs heavy with the humid
atmosphere. The warm southern hospitality
is immediately apparent as you enter the
unexpectedly quaint and colonial Beaufort,
the second oldest city in South Carolina. Its
historic character and antebellum architecture
make it uniquely appealing, and its long
association with the military is clear from the
moment the road signs on Highway 21 slow
you to 45mph.
Made famous on the big screen by the
film ‘The Great Santini’, Beaufort has a long
association with US Marine Corps fighter
aviation. F-8 Crusaders and F-4 Phantom IIs
have called this air station home over the
years, and F/A-18 Hornet squadrons of Marine
Air Group 31 are more recent tenants.
It is therefore no surprise that the Marine
Corps was keen to put down roots here for its
latest, and arguably greatest, fighter aircraft yet
— the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II.
Having formed its first F-35B training unit,
Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501
(VMFAT-501) ‘Warlords’, alongside its sister
services at the US Air Force’s Lightning II
stronghold at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida,
the Marine Corps then set about striking
out and bedding down at a spiritual home.
This aircraft is, after all, the future of Marine
Corps fixed-wing fighter aviation, or TACAIR
(Tactical Aviation).
Having completed the main phase of
training the initial cadre of engineers and
pilots for the Marine Corps’ first operational
squadron, Yuma’s Marine Fighter Attack
Squadron 121 (VMFA-121) ‘Green Knights’,
the ‘Warlords’ of ‘501’ turned their attentions
east to Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS)
Beaufort, where on August 1 the unit began
flying its F-35Bs, making use of an impressive
new operational enclave.
Beaufort has a big part to play in the
coming years of the F-35 story. This is
where Marine Corps fighter pilots will learn
to fly and fight in the F-35B — both Fleet
Replacement Squadrons (FRS) are set to be
based here with 25 aircraft each. The Corps
plans to buy 353 F-35Bs as well as 67 F-35Cs.
Alongside the two FRS units, two more
operational units will be stationed at Beaufort
for a total of 70 aircraft. Seven F-35 squadrons
will be based at nearby MCAS Cherry Point;
four will fly from MCAS Yuma, Arizona; six
from Miramar, California; and VMFA-121
‘Green Knights’ will forward-deploy to MCAS
Iwakuni, Japan.
The latest Marine Aviation TACAIR ‘road
map’ now calls for the accelerated retirement
of the AV-8B Harrier II by 2025. The weary
F/A-18 Hornets are now slated to be upgraded
in order for them to stay viable until 2030.
This turned on its head the previous plan to
keep the Harriers far longer than the Hornets,
and may be a part of the call for the Marines to
accelerate F-35 acquisition.
The short take-off and vertical landing
(STOVL) F-35B is planned to be operational
from summer 2015 as the Harrier replacement
continues. The next F-35B unit is VMFA-211
‘Wake Island Avengers’, which will become
a Lightning II squadron in Fiscal Year 2016.
The entire West Coast Harrier force will have
transitioned to the F-35 by 2020.

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MCAS Beaufort is also where the United
Kingdom — the only non-US Tier 1 partner in
the F-35 program — will set up its initial core
F-35B operation, working closely with the
Marines. Already, UK pilots and maintainers
are functioning as a cohesive unit with their
American counterparts, and in 2016 the UK’s
joint Royal Air Force and Royal Navy team
will establish No 617 Squadron ‘Dambusters’
here in South Carolina. For two years the
‘Dambusters’ will fly as part of VMFAT-501,
before the UK operation splits off and heads
back home to commence operations from RAF
Marham.
Future fighter
The Marine Corps has been incredibly
aggressive with its service deployment of the
F-35B, establishing an operational squadron
ahead of its operational test squadron.
But this is the nature of the F-35 program:
departing from past thinking in order to
ramp up production rates. The plan involves
learning lessons from the jets’ early users as
well as factoring in the still daunting array
of test points in the System Development
www.combataircraft.net January 2015
46-55 VMFAT-501 rev2.indd 47
and Demonstration (SDD) phase as the test
program allows the aircraft to mature. All of
this means that the steadily growing cadre
of jets needs to be rotated back through
depot-level maintenance to be retrofitted to
the latest standards under what is known as
‘concurrency’.
This strategy has its fair share of skeptics.
The program has, like so many in the military
world, suffered delays. Indeed, Frank Kendall,
the Pentagon’s acquisition, technology, and
logistics chief, said recently that the Marine
Corps might not make its initial operational
capability (IOC) target for the F-35B of July 31,
2015. F-35 Joint Program Office chief Lt Gen
Christopher Bogdan has said that the main
problem is getting 10 identically-configured
jets to the squadron on time, compounded
by delays inflicted as a result of the widely-
publicized engine failure on an F-35A at Eglin
AFB on June 23, 2014.
According to the recent Marine Corps
Aviation Plan 2015, for the ‘Green Knights’ to
declare IOC they must have 10 aircraft in the
Block 2B configuration capable of executing
close air support (CAS), limited offensive
Sqn Ldr Hugh Nichols
at the controls of a
VMFAT-501 F-35B
while training in
the Moody Military
Operating Areas
(MOAs) in October.
and defensive counter-air, air interdiction, air
support escort, armed reconnaissance, and
limited suppression of enemy air defenses
(SEAD). Six aircraft need also to be able to
perform amphibious carrier operations.
Full Operational Capability (FOC) with the
Marine Corps is defined as being the end of
the SDD period in the fourth quarter of 2017.
Under present planning, the transition from
existing fighters to the Lightning II will be
complete by 2032. This will culminate with
the establishment of the 22nd Marine Corps
F-35 squadron, which will actually be the
second reserve unit. The process got under
way on April 2, 2010, with the establishment
of VMFAT-501. On November 16, 2012,
VMFA-121 formed as the first operational
F-35B squadron. The Marine Corps plan
calls for nine squadrons with 16 F-35Bs, five
squadrons of 10 F-35Bs, and four squadrons
of carrier-based F-35Cs with 10 jets each.
There will also be two reserve squadrons of
10 F-35Bs, plus the two FRS units.
The Marines are also looking at ways to
accelerate the F-35’s introduction timeline.
Increasing production from 20 to 24 aircraft
47
20/11/2014 17:03
 The aircraft assigned
to VMFAT-501 at MCAS
Beaufort sit just outside
the operations building,
so pilots and maintainers
can move easily between
the two.

48

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Below left to right: Pilots dress for flying in a
smart new life support equipment room.
Sqn Ldr Nichols and Maj ‘Gravy’ Rountree
‘step’ to the awaiting jets.
The obligatory pre-flight walk-round checks.
RAF engineer Cpl Gareth Lewis assists
Sqn Ldr Nichols in donning his ‘Gen3’ VSI
Helmet-Mounted Display System (HMDS).
46-55 VMFAT-501 rev2.indd 49
per year could knock four years off the
transition from ‘legacy’ platforms, according to
the Marine Corps’ ‘TACAIR 2030 Road Map’.
The British connection
Britain, as the only non-US Tier 1 partner
in the F-35 program, has nurtured strong
participation from both the industrial and
operational standpoints. Having settled upon
the F-35B variant for the first tranche of UK
procurement, both industry and the joint-
service UK Lightning Force have worked
hard to stay at the leading edge of F-35
development. Indeed, the UK has been there
right from the start, notably with the advance
of STOVL technology. British test pilots Simon
Hargreaves and Justin Paines flew the X-35
during the competitive fly-off against the rival
Boeing X-32. BAE Systems test pilot Graham
Tomlinson then became the fourth pilot to fly
the F-35 on May 28, 2008, when he piloted
F-35 AA-1. Tomlinson went on to be at the
controls for the maiden flight of the first F-35B
on June 11, 2008. He was followed by RAF
test pilot Sqn Ldr Steve Long, who became
the first active-duty service pilot from the UK
to take the controls of the F-35, while BAE
Systems test pilots Pete ‘Wizzer’ Wilson and
Peter Kosogorin are both still engaged in the
SDD program.
During a recent visit to the UK operation
at MCAS Beaufort, Combat Aircraft had the
opportunity to speak with the RAF’s Air
Officer Commanding No 1 Group, Air Vice
Marshal Gary Waterfall. As the senior officer
presiding over the UK’s combat aviation
capabilities, no-one is better placed to provide
a clear overview of British plans for the
Lightning II.
‘We are in a really good place now in the
F-35 community in terms of relative priority’,
he said, ‘because we are in right from the get-
go. In the UK we’ve got 25,000 jobs directly
related to the Joint Strike Fighter and there’s a
15 per cent UK stake in every aeroplane.’
Responding to questions over whether it
is better to wait and watch the F-35 program
develop and mature, AVM Waterfall was
clear. ‘We could do nothing and just buy
them as FMS (Foreign Military Sales) jets
‘downstream’. But what we want to do is have
the F-35 as a core part of the UK’s sovereign
air defense and air power projection. In order
to do that we’ve got to do our own test and
evaluation, which we do with No 17(R) Test
and Evaluation Squadron at Edwards [AFB],
and we’ve got to work out how the aircraft
works and how we’re going to operate it. We
wouldn’t be able to do that if we just bought it
off-the-shelf as an FMS customer and just used
it without any in-depth knowledge. So, only
by being embedded now in the program are
we able to manipulate our sovereign rights in
terms of what we want to do with the aircraft
— that’s why it’s so important for us now.
‘We are building a quality machine that is
the best. We are eventually going to build this
quality machine with leading-edge technology
at the rate of a mass-produced company car.
Until we get to that stage, it is more bespoke
in its nature and is therefore going to be more
expensive until the production rate ramps
up. At the moment they are producing three
per month and that will go up to virtually one
a day at full-production rate. [However,] at
this stage of production if we went for mass
49
20/11/2014 17:04
 Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning IIs of
VMFAT-501 ‘Warlords’ from MCAS Beaufort.
Jamie Hunter

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46-55 VMFAT-501 rev2.indd 51 20/11/2014 17:04
 production the aircraft is not mature enough.
We’re learning things about it. Because of
the way the aircraft is produced, the stealthy
nature of it, you want all of that capability
baked within the aeroplane. So, you don’t
want to go and do intrusive modifications
‘downstream’. We also don’t know what we
don’t know. If we wait and nobody buys then
the yearly cost is going to be high — you’ve
got to get on the bus and start to learn those
lessons.’
Having visited the Lockheed Martin
production line at Fort Worth prior to arriving
Air Vice Marshal Gary
at MCAS Beaufort, AVM Waterfall was able
Waterfall, Air Officer
to provide the latest details of the UK aircraft. Commanding No 1
‘The future is here; this is not some distant Group, Royal Air Force.
dream. We’ve got three aeroplanes in the US
(BK1 to 3), I’ve just signed the bulkhead of Pilots start the aircraft
the fourth (BK4), and we’ve just signed for and taxi as swiftly, if not in
four more. That’s exactly the right number shorter order, than in other
for where we are in the program. We are fighters.
using the F-35 on an operational conversion
unit (VMFAT-501) and on our Operational
Evaluation Unit (No 17(R) TES).’
The UK’s first two jets, BK1 and 2, are now
leaving depot-level maintenance with the
latest upgrades and heading to Edwards AFB.
There they will provide the initial jets for
No 17(R) TES under the leadership of
Wg Cdr Jim Beck. Aircraft BK4, the jet
Waterfall signed, will complete that unit’s
complement of three aircraft. BK3 is already
assigned to VMFAT-501 as a training asset,
while the latest four UK aircraft, ordered
under Low-Rate Initial Production batch 8 as
BK5, 6, 7 and 8, are also set to join the joint
VMFAT-501/No 617 Squadron training team
at Beaufort.
On the cost of the latest UK order, AVM
Waterfall commented: ‘LRIP 8 is 3.6 per cent
lower than the previous buys, so already the High above the Georgia
cost is coming down, and that’s still at the low countryside, Wg Cdr Jim
rate. We can commit [to] the program at this Beck goes through his
cost because we know the eventual buy at the checks prior to refueling
from a KC-130J.
full-production rate is going to be significantly
cheaper.’
Initial F-35 funding has factored in the
infrastructure that surrounds the program.
Once this is established and more aircraft
arrive, those costs will be spread across a
growing fleet. Whether there is one jet or 50
jets at RAF Marham, the same infrastructure
is required. The early days with low numbers
of aircraft incur non-recurring support and
set-up costs. If that is spread over the life
of the program, the average costs come out
significantly cheaper.

A powerful exchange
Sqn Ldr Hugh Nichols is the first non-test
pilot or operational test pilot to train to fly
the F-35B. He is an exchange officer with
VMFAT-501 and is now an instructor pilot
(IP) on the F-35B. Nichols told CA: ‘The
plan is for me to remain with 501 for the
next few years and generate our Operational
Conversion Unit IP experience with a view
to using that experience when we establish
our own training system in the UK. I arrived
at Eglin AFB in September 2013 and started
with the ground school course, which
roughly entails six weeks of lectures and
around 16 simulator rides. The lectures
included details on everything from how you
interact with the touch-screen in the cockpit
right up to the more classified lectures on

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 Watching the F-35B in
the flesh, especially
in the hover, is
impressive. It is not
as noisy as many had
warned, and it sits
rock-steady.
stealth tactics and how to ‘operate’ the jet.
We then complete a ‘taxi ride’, which is a
fantastic opportunity to test out all the flight
gear and practice F-35 ground operations but
without the pressure of flying the jet at the
end of it. After knocking off the rust with the
taxi ride, the ‘first solo’ is hugely exciting, if
not a little scary, but it is a great testament to
the training we get.’
As an experienced former RAF Harrier
pilot, Sqn Ldr Nichols was hand-picked for
the prestigious post with the ‘Warlords’. ‘I
flew a 10-hour syllabus with introductions
to formation and instrument flying, along
with some air-to-air and air-to-ground
elements. At the end of the flying syllabus
each pilot completes an instrument check
and a NATOPS (Naval Air Training and
Operating Procedures Standardization)
check in the simulator with an evaluator on
hand, but once this is passed you become a
fully-certified F-35B pilot. I stayed on at 501
for my instructor upgrade to become a fully
integrated member of the FRS.’
Whereas Nichols flew an abridged course
due to his previous experience, the full course
for ab initio pilots will be significantly longer.
The UK plans to run all of its initial pilots
through the VMFAT-501 course at Beaufort.
However, as the UK breaks away in 2018,
plans already exist to establish an Operational
Conversion Unit in the UK from July 2019.
The UK also plans to train maintainers in
the new Integrated Training Centre at RAF
Marham starting in 2018.
The next British pilots are due at Beaufort
toward the end of 2015, initially to join 501
as instructors. AVM Waterfall said: ‘There are
people going through fast jet training at RAF
Valley right now that will end up flying the
F-35, and we’re looking at our first ab initio
[F-35] pilots in 2017.’
www.combataircraft.net January 2015
46-55 VMFAT-501 rev2.indd 53
‘The F-35B is currently
set to reach its full
operational capability
with the Marine Corps
in the fourth quarter
of 2017. Under present
planning, the transition
from existing fighters to
the Lightning II will be
complete by 2032’
Clearly the pooling agreement with the
Marine Corps and the ongoing exchange
program has yielded huge benefits for both
parties. Waterfall explained: ‘We are hugely
privileged with our relationship with all the
US forces. I’d like to single out Lt Gen Jon
‘Dog’ Davis, the deputy commandant for
Marine Aviation. He was the US Marine Corps
exchange officer when I was a junior pilot on
No 3 Squadron. That really underlines the
importance of the exchange programs. He
understands the RAF, and he understands the
way we do our business and why we do it.
He is respectful of that. In the same way, I am
incredibly respectful of the US Marine Corps.
To have these relationships pays dividends:
at the time tactically, and here we are some
20 years later with it paying dividends
strategically.’
Gp Capt Paul Godfrey is in charge of the
entry into service of the Lightning II in the UK.
On the exchange program, he commented:
‘The perception is that we’ve got a much better
relationship with the Marine Corps at the
moment, but actually it’s always been the case
together with the US Navy and USAF. In the
1990s on the Harrier force we didn’t have a
two-seater and my very first simulator flights
were at Yuma with the Marine Corps. My first
detachment in the Harrier was out at Cherry
Point, so by virtue of the fact that we were
flying the same aeroplane means that we’ve
always had that strong bond. At the moment,
clearly the spotlight is on the F-35.
‘The pooling agreement is clearly something
different that we’ve not done before, but that is
born out of the relationship we’ve always had
with the US Marine Corps. We are incredibly
lucky being pooled with the Marine Corps
as they go though their IOC because they are
incredibly focused on achieving it, and we are
learning so much about the weapons system
and support structures.’
That strong trans-Atlantic bond has enabled
Royal Navy pilots to form exchange programs
flying US Navy F/A-18 Hornets to maintain
the core skills relating to carrier embarkations
as the UK sets its sights on the future Queen
Elizabeth-class carriers. Other exchanges with
the Marine Corps Harrier community enable
a core of STOVL pilots to remain current for
embarked UK F-35B operations.
AVM Waterfall explained: ‘The US Navy
and Marine Corps have very kindly enabled
us to maintain a level of embarked skill both
on the F/A-18 and the AV-8B, as well as Sqn
Ldr Nichols on the F-35, to keep that skill
alive. What we want to try and do is be able
to offer to the Americans some reciprocal
arrangements, and so in the RAF we are
looking at a range of opportunities from rotary
to fixed-wing, fast jet training where we can
get more Marine Corps personnel ingrained on
top of our normal exchange program. As the
53
20/11/2014 17:05
 Royal Navy maintains strong links with the
US Navy, so the RAF Typhoon [community]
has worked symbiotically with the US Air
Force F-22 Raptors. We have that strength of
relationship and exchanges with the USAF in
key areas that are [also] looking heavily into
the F-35A. We will need to use our F-35Bs
how the USAF use their F-35As because it’s
a stealth platform and it’s going to be our ‘day
one’ entry capability.’
In the more immediate term, this pooling
of training assets at MCAS Beaufort is clearly
at the forefront of Waterfall’s mind: ‘Our
relationship with the Marine Corps today
is pivotal to our success. They are allowing
an RAF pilot to [work with] aircraft that are
engineered by Marine Corps, RAF and Royal
Navy personnel working seamlessly together.
It is how No 617 Squadron is going to form
under the leadership of the Marine Corps,
but, with our unity of command perspective,
until we are at a level of maturity where we
can break away and bring the aircraft and the
people back to the UK. [At Beaufort] there will
be two F-35Bs sat side-by-side — a UK jet and
a Marine Corps jet. There will be no alignment
with our pilots and our jets and Marine Corps
pilots and their jets — they are shared assets.’
UK operations
‘We’ve got a combat air mix at the moment of
[the] Typhoon and Tornado’, says Waterfall.
‘The Tornado is a venerable aircraft of 40-plus
years: it’s doing very well with its mix of
Brimstone and Storm Shadow, which are
key weapons that are keeping that platform
alive. But we shall need to transition to bring
modern aircraft into the inventory, and that is
the F-35. Is it replacing [the] Tornado? Current
Tornado capabilities will be shared by the F-35
54
46-55 VMFAT-501 rev2.indd 54
and by [the] Typhoon. When the F-35 comes
into service it will bring the combat mass plus
its unique capabilities. It’s going to be able
to go in and perform the air superiority role,
defensive counter-air, and also it will have its
capability in the SEAD role.
‘The Typhoon is a complex beast with a
lot of sensors and information coming to the
pilot, some of which is fused for him, [but]
most of which he’s having to interpolate for
himself to make the right decision at the right
time. The F-35 is providing the pilot with
all the necessary information; it is largely
irrelevant where that information has come
from because the aircraft is manipulating all
of the sensors available and taking the best of
those sensors, correlating the information and
presenting it to the pilot.’
Gp Capt Godfrey added: ‘The huge
advantage of the F-35 is its flexibility. You
have that ‘day one’ entry capability dependent
on the threat; however, ‘day one’ could also
be close air support in a non-threatening
environment or overwatch of a NEO (non-
combatant evacuation operation). ‘Day one’
means all sorts of different things and this
aeroplane can do it all.
‘All the things we’ve been trying to get
good at over the years are the baseline with
this aircraft. I use the analogy of your old
Nokia 3710 vice a new smart phone, which
has single operating software that combines
all of your apps; it is joined to the network
and marks a step change in capability from
the early-2000s mobile phones. People talk
about performance. It’s irrelevant when you’re
talking about something that dominates
the battlespace rather than having to get in
and be a 9g fighter. This is a convergence
of everything we’ve learnt so far in a single
platform. Having done a tour on F-16s and two
tours on Typhoons I could probably count on
both hands how many times I’ve been at 9g in
a realistic operational scenario. It’s not that I
don’t see an F-35 dogfighting; I have no doubt
that the F-35 can handle BFM (basic fighter
maneuvers). What we’ve got is absolutely the
best compromise of everything that allows that
capability to dominate the battlespace.
‘I think the primary issue is mission data. I
would genuinely put the UK as world leaders
in mission data manipulation for the Typhoon.
This is a mission-data-fed aeroplane; clearly
[the] Typhoon is as well, but not on the scale
of the F-35. For us to be able to do what we
need to operate [in] the way the UK wants
to operate is huge, which is why the up-
front investment has gone in to allow us that
freedom of action.’
Godfrey also detailed how the UK is looking
to break the mold when it comes to service
entry for the F-35. ‘Putting experienced
people on the aeroplane from the start actually
constrains your thinking. I genuinely think
it was only when we got ab initios on the
Typhoon for the first time that it broadened
our horizons. The trick for us is to ensure we
are not constrained by that ‘legacy’ thinking as
we bring the F-35 into service.’
AVM Waterfall endorsed the comments on
the F-35’s agility and turning performance.
‘Although the F-35A and F-35C are 9g-capable,
the F-35B is very close. This appears to
have become a major talking point amongst
detractors — it is irrelevant. The fact that it
hasn’t got the Raptor’s close-in thrust-vectoring
is irrelevant. What it has got is sensor fusion
that is far greater than any of that. Our trick is
going to be how to learn how to use it in a real
paradigm shift with this air capability.
January 2015 www.combataircraft.net
21/11/2014 11:39
 ‘With the Lightning II we know what we
want to do with it right from the start. We can’t
do more because it’s already doing everything.
What we’re not going to have is an aircraft that
comes to the UK that won’t be able to be used
because it’s not going to be capable. We’ve got
six months between coming to the UK and our
‘IOC land’, which is December 31, 2018.’
Back to the UK
The establishment of No 617 Squadron at
MCAS Beaufort in 2016, the return to the
UK in 2018, the declaration of IOC and then
‘With the Lightning II we know what we want to do with it right from the
start. What we’re not going to have is an aircraft that comes to the UK that
won’t be able to be used because it’s not going to be capable’
AVM Gary Waterfall
46-55 VMFAT-501 rev2.indd 55
the push for maritime integration and the
formation of 809 Naval Air Squadron (the
next British F-35 unit) means that the UK’s
plan is every bit as ambitious as that of the
Marine Corps. The British definition of IOC is
still fairly broad, but, as AVM Waterfall states,
it is currently defined as being the point at
which the F-35 will ‘contribute to warfighting
operations equipped with ASRAAM,
AMRAAM and Paveway IV [weapons].’
Of course, only eight jets have been
ordered by the UK thus far, but before the
Strategic Defence and Security Review of
British F-35B instructor pilot
Sqn Ldr Hugh Nichols.
2015 an additional 10 aircraft are expected
to be under contract as part of the so-called
‘Main Gate Four’.
‘We have signed LRIP 8 and we are working
to [achieve] IOC at Marham in 2018, which
involves [having sufficient] aircraft [for]
declaring IOC and then IOC maritime in 2020’,
says Waterfall. Word is that the UK is simply
going through the processes to unlock the
money to bring more F-35s under contract.
Senior officers are keen to point out that
the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy are
working hand-in-hand when it comes to the
F-35 and the future carrier project. Regarding
the amount of time British F-35Bs will spend
at sea, AVM Waterfall said: ‘They are going
to be embarked as frequently as is needed to
maintain a level of competency and currency
of being able to power-project from a sea
base. If that means that the government
wants [the F-35] to spend months of the
year [performing] defense diplomacy or
deterrence in parts of the globe, then so be
it. If that is spending months of the year at
Marham protecting UK airspace or projecting
air power from land bases, then so be it.’
For their assistance in the preparation of this
feature the author would like to thank Air Vice
Marshal Gary Waterfall, Gp Capt Paul Godfrey,
Lt Col Scott Koltick, Maj Brian Bann, Maj Frank
Rundus, Sqn Ldr Hugh Nichols, Capt Jordan
Cochran and all at VMFAT-501.
55
20/11/2014 17:06
 T
EN FULLY MISSION-
CAPABLE MiG-31s of the
former 865th Fighter Aviation
Regiment (IAP) of the Russian
Air Defense Forces are now
in service at the 6990th
Aviation Base at Yelizovo. As they were
during the Cold War era, the interceptors
are frequently scrambled to intercept US
Air Force and Navy aircraft flying over the
Pacific Ocean, as well as protecting friendly
Tu-95MS strategic bombers and A-50
airborne early warning aircraft.
The two official main roles of the Russian
Navy’s Yelizovo-based MiG-31s are the
defense of the Far Eastern Military District
and protection of the Russian Navy’s Pacific
Fleet, headquartered at Vladivostok.
The first operational MiG-31s were
delivered to the Soviet Air Defense Forces’
(PVO) 786th Fighter Aviation Regiment
based at Pravdinsk in January 1981. Some
four years later, the 865th Fighter Aviation
Regiment under the command of the
PVO’s 6th Air Defense Division based in
Kamchatka received its first four MiG-31s,
the unit’s Su-15TM pilots immediately
entering conversion training.
The gradual replacement of the Su-15s
here was completed in 1989, when
the 865th’s last Su-15TM and two-seat
Su-15UM were retired.
The new MiG-31 was a capable
interceptor up against the US Navy’s
Pacific Fleet F-14A Tomcats. In terms of
radar and missile range, the two types had
similarities. Furthermore, the MiG-31’s
speed of Mach 2.83 provided the Soviet
Air Defense Forces with a chance to at least
concern US Air Force SR-71As.
As the 865th IAP’s MiG-31s found their
feet intercepting US Navy, USAF and
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force aircraft,
during 1987 and 1988 respectively totals of
214 and 825 intercepts were made.
After the Cold War
Soon after the break-up of the USSR, the
Soviet MiG-31 fleet dropped by a fifth.
Budget shortages and a lack of spares
quickly reduced combat readiness.
In 1991 the Air Force was struggling to
raise funds just to buy aviation fuel, and
it lost a total of five MiG-31s to crashes
in that year alone. On January 10, 1992,
it was the turn of the 865th IAP to suffer
attrition when a MiG-31 piloted by
Maj S. V. Serganov and navigator Capt
A. S. Chesovskiy crashed at Yelizvo.
The accident occurred when the crew
was taking off in full afterburner. The
‘Foxhound’ veered to the right and both
crew ejected as the pilot lost control and
rolled inverted. The navigator was badly
injured, while the pilot was killed instantly.
Around a year later, on March 10, 1993 a
MiG-31 piloted by squadron commander
Maj O. A. Liatov and navigator Capt L. A.
Andreev crashed due to a fire in the port
engine. Both crew ejected safely but the
aircraft was totally destroyed.
Continued budget shortages within
the Russian Defense Ministry prevented
routine overhauls of the Yelizovo MiG-31s
at the 514th Aviation Repair Plant (ARZ).
Many of the 865th IAP’s personnel,
56
56-59 Defenders of Kamchatka c.indd 56
including pilots, were struggling with Since the era of the Cold War,
economic problems, too. Salaries dried up
and morale plummeted. Russian armed forces stationed
Despite all these difficulties, the air in the Kamchatka Peninsula
base somehow continued to keep up the
protection of the country’s eastern borders. have had an important role
protecting Russia’s eastern
Transfer to the Navy
From 1995 to 1998 times were hard. The borders. Today, Russian Naval
865th IAP lost nearly all of its experienced Aviation and its 6990th Aviation
technicians, pilots and navigators due to
retirement. Training had dried up and there Base serve as a defensive shield
were no replacements for these crucial for the Far Eastern Military District.
personnel.
With the unit close to extinction, it
was transferred to Naval Aviation and report: Babak Taghvaee
became part of Pacific Fleet Naval Aviation
on July 1, 1998. In order to restore the photos: Dmitry Pichugin
combat-readiness of the regiment, several and Sergey Kuznetsov
exchanges of both personnel and aircraft
took place between the unit and the
Russian Air Force’s 764th IAP based at
Bolshoye Savino airport, Perm.
Things were on the up. Gradually the
number of mission-ready aircraft and
properly-trained pilots within the unit
increased. By 2003, the 865th IAP was
again combat-ready — by day and night.
After a decade of decay, the unit’s
young MiG-31 pilots together with
highly experienced 764th IAP instructors
conducted live firings of R-33 (AA-9
‘Amos’) long-range air-to-air missiles
against target drones during an exercise in
2001. The 865th IAP was back.
Current status
In 2013, the air base at Yelizovo was the
home of 36 MiG-31s from a total of 122
in Russian service. Of those 36 aircraft,
however, a maximum of just 12 have
been available since 2003. Two jets have
always been laid up awaiting unit-level
maintenance in the base’s main hangar,
while another will always be found
undergoing heavy depot maintenance with This photo: Pilots of ‘18 Blue’ wearing their
the 514th ARZ at Rzhev. ZSH-6 helmets and VKK-6M high-altitude
pressure suits prior to a training scramble.
During the years between 2003 and 2006,
Sergey Kuznetsov
the base’s most active MiG-31s comprised
‘01 Blue’, ‘02 Blue’, ‘04 Blue’, ‘06 Blue’, ‘07 Below left to right: The unconventional
Blue’, ‘16 Blue’, ‘17 Blue’, ‘19 Blue’ and ‘22 staggered main landing gear is evident as
Blue’. However, these jets were gradually a MiG-31 lands on Runway 34R at Yelizovo.
grounded when they reached their Dmitry Pichugin
respective mean time between overhauls
(MTBO). Some aircraft also found their way ‘02 Blue’ taxis towards its parking position
into service with the Air Force’s 764th IAP, after a training flight. Sergey Kuznetsov
subsequently the 6977th Aviation Base, at
Perm.
In early 2014, the Russian Defense
Ministry scrapped nine of Yelizovo’s based
MiG-31s, when a private contractor won an
auction for their disposal.
Apart from the 6990th Aviation Base,
five other Russian air bases still house
89 MiG-31s. Of this total, 46 aircraft are
retained in fully mission-capable status
while the others are in open storage. The
operating bases comprise the 3958th
Aviation Base, Savatiya-Kotlas in the
Arkhangelsk area; the 6968th Aviation
Base, Khotilovo in the Tver area; the
6977th Aviation Base, Bolshoye Savino at
Perm; the 6979th Aviation Base at Kansk in
Krasnoyarsk Krai, and the 6989th Aviation
Base, Tsentralnaya Uglovaya at Primorsky
Krai.
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 MiG-31S OF KAMCHATKA
t.

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56-59 Defenders of Kamchatka c.indd 57 20/11/2014 09:36

 Only the Yelizovo MiG-31s have a dual
role of providing air defense of the Far
East region as well as protection of the
vital Pacific Fleet including its force of
ballistic missile submarines.
However, the unit operates the country’s
most heavily-fatigued MiG-31s. As
yet, none of the interceptors have been
upgraded to MiG-31BM standard (see
Combat Aircraft November 2013). The
unit’s role and readiness was most
recently evaluated during Exercise ‘Vostok
2014’ that took place between September
11-18, 2014.
‘Vostok 2014’
Since the beginning of the Crimean crisis
in February 2014, the ‘threat’ posed by
the West has come into sharper focus
in Russia. This cooling of relations has
been engendered primarily by President
Vladimir Putin’s support of secessionist
politics in Ukraine.
Following pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine
and subsequent intervention there by
the Russian military, the foreign policy
of the government in Moscow has been
placed under closer scrutiny by the wider
international community. At the same
time, from Moscow’s perspective, national
security has started to be subject to an
increasing threat from NATO member
countries.
The Russian Defense Ministry conducted
the strategic command and staff exercise
‘Vostok 2014’ (‘East 2014’) in order to
demonstrate its maximum defensive
capability for the prevention of any
violation in the country’s Far Eastern and
Arctic regions.
In the course of this large-scale exercise,
the Russian armed forces, and especially
the Air Force and Naval Aviation,
demonstrated their full combat might
by providing support for ground and
naval forces as well as local air defense.
No fewer than 120 aircraft, 70 ships and
submarines, 1,500 tanks, 5,000 artillery
pieces and almost 100,000 servicemen
took part.
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56-59 Defenders of Kamchatka c.indd 58
Fighters from both the Air Force and This photo: ‘23 Blue’ prepares to take off from
Naval Aviation were forward-deployed Runway 34R at Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
to the 6990th Aviation Base at Yelizovo Airport/Yelizovo. A Russian Border Guard
and performed dozens of rehearsal sorties An-72P and Mi-8Ts are visible on the ramp
behind, while the Koryaksky volcano is in the
before conducting the exercise.
background. Sergey Kuznetsov
Involved in the exercise proper were 36
fighters consisting of six MiG-31s from Below left to right: Two MiG-31s are kept ready
Yelizovo, a forward-deployed MiG-31 and around the clock for on QRA at a special
four Su-27SMs from the 6989th Aviation parking position in the north-west corner
Base; three Su-35s and five Su-27SMs from of the air base. ‘18 Blue’, which now serves
the 6987th Aviation Base at Khabarovsk; with the 6977th Aviation Base at Perm, is
five Su-30SMs from the 412th Aviation armed with four R-33s and two heat-seeking
Base at Domna; five Su-24M2s and two R-40TD1 (AA-6 ‘Acrid’) missiles. The latter
dramatically reduce the maneuvrability of the
Su-24MRs from the 6988th Aviation Base
fighter in aerial combat. Sergey Kuznetsov
at Khurba in Khabarovsk, and also five
Su-25SMs. A MiG-31 conducts an afterburner
Around 10 Mi-8AMTSh and eight Mi-24V check on its Soloviev D-30F6
helicopters from Russian Army Aviation turbofans prior to take-off
were airlifted to Yelizovo by means of three at Yelizovo.
An-124-100s. They were later joined by Sergey Kuznetsov
four Ka-52s from the 319th Independent
Helicopter Regiment.
Hundreds of paratroopers jumped from
four An-12BKs, an An-26 and two Il-76MDs
operated by the Russian Air Force, landing
on the eastern shores of the Kamchatka
Peninsula.
A dozen search and rescue and anti-
submarine sorties were flown by two Il-38s
(‘01 Red’ and ‘07 Red’) together with two
Ka-27PS and a single Mi-8T helicopter of
the locally-based Russian Naval Aviation
Pacific Fleet.
Four MiG-31s (‘23 Blue’, ‘24 Blue’, ‘27
Blue’, ‘31 Blue’) each armed with four
infra-red-guided R-60M (AA-8 ‘Aphid’)
missiles and four radar-guided R-33s, were
tasked to perform high-asset-value combat
air patrol (HAVCAP) sorties to protect the
Il-38s during their maritime search and
patrol missions. Two Il-78 tankers from the
6950th Aviation Base at Engels were in turn
detached to Yelizovo to support the MiG-31
missions.
Over the Pacific Ocean, MiG-31 pilots
practiced the live firing of their R-33
missiles against four Kh-55MS cruise
missiles launched from two Tu-95MS
bombers of the 6952nd Aviation Base at
Ukrainka.
January 2015 www.combataircraft.net
20/11/2014 09:37
 These Tu-95s were not the only strategic
bombers that took part in the exercise:
two Tu-22M3s of the 6953rd Aviation
Base at Belaya (‘46 Red’ and ‘51 Red’)
were forward-deployed to Yelizovo in
order to participate in the maneuvers.
It seems that they launched at least two
Kh-22M cruise missiles against maritime
targets.
Nearly all combat air patrol, HAVCAP,
barrier CAP (BARCAP) and force CAP
(FORCAP) MiG-31 sorties were performed
together with Su-27SMs and Su-35s and
under the command of two A-50Us (‘43
Red’, serial RF-50608 and ‘51 Red’, serial
RF-50606) from the 2457th Aviation Base
at Ivanovo Severny, Tver. The A-50s took
off from Yelizovo each morning.
NATO intercepts
On September 18, in the course of
‘Vostok 2014’, two Tu-95MS bombers (‘61
Red’ and ‘86 Red’) from Ukrainka were
launching Kh-55s to provide MiG-31s
www.combataircraft.net January 2015
56-59 Defenders of Kamchatka c.indd 59
with live-firing practice. The MiGs were
intercepted by two Royal Canadian Air
Force CF-188s from 409 Tactical Fighter
Squadron at CFB Cold Lake.
Two days later, on September 20, two
Tu-95MSs on the strength of the 6950th
Aviation Base at Engels, supported by two
Il-78s from the same base, and escorted
by two fully-armed 6990th Aviation
Base MiG-31s, appeared on North
American Aerospace Defense Command
(NORAD)’s early warning radar. At the
time, the Russian aircraft were flying over
international waters within 55 miles of
Alaska.
In response, two US Air Force F-22As
were scrambled from Elmendorf Air
Force Base at 19.00hrs to intercept the
aircraft in question. The Russian bombers
soon turned south and returned to their
air bases in Russia. The incident confirms
the continued importance of the Yelizovo
MiG-31s in providing air defense against
Canada and the US.
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20/11/2014 09:37
 EXERCISE REPORT
RAMSTEIN
GUARD
Planned and managed by NATO in Ramstein, Germany,
‘Ramstein Guard’ is held in different European states with the
aim of training air force and air defense operators to work in
an environment of active radar and communication jamming.
The latest edition took place in Bulgaria.
report: Krasimir Grozev and Alexander Mladenov
photos: Alexander Mladenov
60
60-63 Ramstein C.indd 60
This photo: Illustrating nicely the
international flavor of the exercise, a
Bulgarian Air Force MiG-21 taxies out for a
mission past an Italian Typhoon.
Left: Bearing an impressive tally of
HARM mission markings, a shark-mouthed
Tornado ECR heads out for action.
Below left: Happy with a successful mission,
Bulgarian MiG-29 pilots return for
debriefing.
T
HE ‘GUARD’ SERIES of
international air defense
exercises is now an established
tradition in Bulgaria, offering
realistic training opportunities
for both the fighter and ground-
based air defense (GBAD) communities. The
‘Ramstein Guard 2014’ exercise held between
September 22 and October 3 was a direct
successor to ‘Iron Guard’ that dated back to
2011. ‘Iron Guard’ was effectively repeated in
2012 and 2013 under the ‘Ramstein Guard’
name, now as a specialized electronic warfare
(EW) exercise.
According to Col Peter Tsolov of the
Bulgarian Air Force (BuAF), the training
event was originally scheduled to involve
BuAF fighter aircraft and GBAD systems in
addition to Romanian and Greek air defense
assets, but was at late notice expanded with
the participation of the Aeronautica Militare
(AM — Italian Air Force). Indeed, the Italian
air arm was represented by three Tornado
ECRs of 155° Gruppo from Piacenza plus three
Eurofighters: two from 4° Stormo at Grosseto
and one from 36° Stormo at Gioia del Colle.
The Tornados took the opportunity to train
with their traditional AGM-88 HARMs.
January 2015 www.combataircraft.net
21/11/2014 11:37
 Each day the Bulgarian and Italian aircraft
flew two waves of missions for combined air
operations (COMAO), which also involved
the chance to interact with a wide variety of
surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems. Both
Italian fighter types demonstrated good
reliability during their two-week deployment.
As Col Tsolov recalled, Italy realized that
Bulgaria offers good training opportunities
in the air defense arena during European Air
Transport Training (EATT), a large training
event held in Bulgaria in June, which saw
extensive participation by SAM systems.
During this multi-national training event, the
host nation provided vast areas of airspace free
of civil traffic for flying at ultra-low level and
numerous GBAD assets dating from the Cold
War era. This realistic training environment
eventually prompted AM command
authorities to ask their BuAF counterparts to
organize a dedicated EW exercise to train its
crews in the suppression of Soviet/Russian
SAM systems and early warning radars.
However, gaining permission from
the Bulgarian authorities to stage such a
dedicated training event with mass use of
airborne radar and communications jamming
equipment proved to be too complex and
www.combataircraft.net January 2015
60-63 Ramstein C.indd 61
protracted a procedure. As a result, the
Bulgarian hosts offered to accommodate
the Italians’ training program within the
framework of the already planned ‘Ramstein
Guard 2014’. The Italian participation
proved highly valuable in enhancing the
overall difficulty and complexity of the
exercise. Thus the BuAF was more than
happy to train shoulder-to-shoulder with the
Italian fighters and suppression of enemy air
defense (SEAD) assets.
The Italian presence was a major challenge
for the Bulgarian fighter pilots and GBAD
crews, who had to hone their skills in
much more complex missions than they are
accustomed to, while encountering radar
and communications jamming. In contrast,
during previous ‘Ramstein Guard’ events the
Bulgarian fighter pilots underwent training
using a building-block approach. This
initially called for flying alongside the EW
aircraft deploying jamming pods, in order
that the Bulgarian pilots became familiar
with the different radar and communications
jamming modes of the Dassault Falcon 20.
Then the fighters commenced practicing 1-v-
1 tactical intercepts (TIs) before progressing
to 2-v-2. In this previous format, only
BuAF fighters were involved most of the
time, while the concluding TI sorties were
practiced against Hellenic Air Force F-16s,
with airborne jammers typically supporting
one side of the duel.
Airborne jammers
This time around, NATO Headquarters
Allied Air Command was also responsible for
providing EW aircraft in the form of Cobham
Aviation Services Falcon 20s. Two Falcons
operated from Sofia Airport’s North Area,
where the BuAF’s Air Transport Group (16.
Transportna Aviacionna Baza) is stationed.
The Falcon 20s feature an electronic support
measures (ESM) suite enabling the electronic
warfare officer (EWO) on board to monitor
the electro-magnetic environment, identify
and locate the target radar or other radars
of interest, and then activate the radar and
communications jammers.
The jammer pods used during ‘Ramstein
Guard’ were provided by NATO’s Joint
Electronic Warfare Core Staff (JEWCS). Based
at Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton, UK, the
unit is specialized in furnishing EW expertise
and training in support of the planning and
execution of NATO operations and exercises.
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21/11/2014 11:37
 JEWCS has the capability to simulate known
threat emitters, as well as jam and spoof
radars, navigation and communication
equipment to provide a realistic and
somewhat tricky exercise environment for
participants.
The Falcon 20s flew a total of 10 sorties,
each of 2.5 hours duration, and all the training
operations of the BuAF and AM aircraft were
timed to coincide with these EW training
assets. One of the Falcon 20s worked with
the fighters and the other was dedicated to
jamming radar systems used by the BuAF
GBAD assets stationed in the southern part
of the country. During the two weeks of
‘Ramstein Guard’, the BuAF and AM aircraft
operating from Graf Ignatievo amassed an
impressive 200 sorties.

Combined packages
The air-to-air side of ‘Ramstein Guard’
involved 4-v-4 TIs in a wide variety of
composite formations. These included, for
instance, BuAF MiG-29s and AM Typhoons
acting as Red Air pitted against two MiG-21s
and two Tornado ECRs as Blue Air. Another
combination called for two MiG-29s and two
Tornado ECRs in a SEAD package going up
against Typhoons and MiG-29s.
In order to further increase the complexity of
the training, a number of BuAF SAM systems
were also included on the Red Air side. In
the framework of the COMAO scenario, the
Blue Air Tornado ECRs were tasked with
the suppression of the enemy SAMs while
escorted by friendly fighters that engaged the
Red Air assets. In turn, the Red Air fighters
tried to neutralize the SEAD aircraft and their BULGARIAN SAMS IN ACTION
fighter escort. To add yet more complexity, the
The BuAF GBAD units involved in the exercise launched at 43 to 54nm (80 to 100km),
EW training aircraft that initially supported
included all the available SAM sites (within the well beyond the reach of most of the BuAF SAM
the Red Air assets then switched to supporting
structure of the SAM Base headquartered at systems, except the S-200 and S-300. The SAM
the Blue Air side, a cycle repeated several
Bozhurishte near Sofia) and three radar sites operators, however, are trained to recognize
times during the mission.
stationed in the southern part of the country. the moment of missile launch and undertake
‘We are trying to assemble a variety of aircraft
The Bulgarian Army also participated with certain countermeasures, such as switching off
groups in order to get a maximum number of
its 9K33 Osa-AKM (SA-8 ‘Gecko’) mobile SAM the emitter and turning the antenna unit away
air combat variants in the air’, remarked Col
systems assigned to the Karlovo-based 61st from the direction of the incoming missile. The
Tsolov. ‘We are happy to train together with a
Brigade. Italians also demonstrated their skills in flying at
European air arm and the exercise proved to
‘The AMI went to Bulgaria to practice ultra-low level, below radar coverage, in order
be highly beneficial for both sides. It is a pity
operations against our 2K12 Kub (SA-6 ‘Gainful’) to avoid detection and SAM launches against
that we have failed to convince the Bulgarian
and S-300PMU (SA-10 ‘Grumble’) SAM systems’, them.
Navy to join the training as NATO could also
noted Col Bojidar Shterev, deputy CO of the Regarding the ability of the BuAF’s ‘legacy’
provide pods for jamming ship radars.’
BuAF’s SAM Base. ‘They consider these as the early warning radars to operate in a jamming
Before each mission, the Red and Blue
most dangerous ones. We saw that the Italians environment, Col Shterev commented that the
Forces received detailed briefings on the
have deep theoretical knowledge of how these SAM and radar crews are fairly familiar with
enemy forces and systems to be encountered,
systems work and are aware of the capabilities the types of jamming created by the Falcon
the expected direction of the enemy attacks
of their upgraded derivatives. The other SAM 20s, as ‘Ramstein Guard 2014’ was their fourth
and the types of SAM systems out in the field.
types we employed in the exercise were not as exercise of this type held since 2011. The
The AM aircraft, which had much more fuel
interesting for them. In the beginning, they were aircraft attempting to penetrate the enemy
than the short-legged BuAF MiG-21s and
not planning to train against the S-200 (SA-5 air defenses are required to rely on very close
MiG-29s, were able to conduct additional
‘Gammon’) long-range SAM system, but when support provided by the EW aircraft, flying in
training after the Bulgarian aircraft returned
they had to operate around Sofia, working with tight formation next to it since the output power
home following their brief 40-minute sortie.
the S-300PMU, the Italians eventually agreed to of the pods is not enough to cover a group
After completing the main air-to-air part of
play with the S-200 too.’ flying in a loose formation. Furthermore, the
their mission, the Tornado ECRs continued
Asked to compare the USAF and AMI ways jamming from the Falcon 20s proved ill-suited
with further practice attacks against selected
of suppressing enemy defenses, based on against the BuAF’s P-18 VHF radars (‘Spoon Rest
Bulgarian SAM systems, while the Typhoons
the experience of working with F-15s and D’) operating in the meter wavelength. It was
sucked up electrons in an environment
F-16s since 2010, Col Shterev noted that the useful only against the fire-control radars of
featuring Soviet-made SAM systems, taking
Americans tend to prefer, in general, to destroy the SAM systems operating in the centimeter
advantage of the jet’s impressive Defensive
the GBAD systems using GPS-guided bombs of wavelength. Some of the Bulgarian SAMs
Aids Sub-System (DASS) to counter various
the JDAM series. This method, however, requires feature TV detection and tracking devices
threats.
the aircraft tasked with SAM neutralization that were used to their full extent, weather
Dense EW environment to approach closer to drop their bombs. The
Italians, in contrast, simulated AGM-88 HARM
permitting, in order to render the systems
immune to electronic jamming and to complete
‘We were working with our Italian colleagues
launches from much longer distances. The the job, despite the complex electro-magnetic
for the first time and the mission complexity
HARM is a long-range weapon that can be environment.
was further enhanced by the participation of

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EW training aircraft’, commented Maj Metodi
Orlov, a fighter squadron commanding officer
at the BuAF’s 3. Iztrebitelna Aviacionna Basa
(3rd Fighter Aviation Base) in Graf Ignatievo,
who flew the MiG-29 in the exercise. ‘We have
been pitted against the Typhoon and Tornado
ECR for the first time, but the type of missions
practiced during ‘Ramstein Guard’ were not
too different from those flown by us in two
bilateral training events in 2014 where we
were pitted against USAF F-16s and F-15s [see
Combat Aircraft August 2014].
‘Electronic jamming is an integral part
of today’s air combat, used to render the
detection and engagement of enemy aircraft
more difficult, incurring delays in the attack
phase or disputing it entirely. The EW training
aircraft also disrupted our communications, so
operating successfully in such an environment
required hard training in order that the pilots
were able to detect the jamming signs as early
as possible and undertake the appropriate
action to reduce their impact.
‘I have gained very favorable impressions
about the professionalism of my Italian
colleagues. They fly the best fighter aircraft
in the world, the Eurofighter Typhoon. As a
whole, I was not able to notice any significant
difference in its performance in the TI practice
when compared to the F-16s and F-15s that
I encountered in spring and summer. The
Italian pilots, however, employed different
tactics compared to the USAF aircrews.’
Extensive debriefs
As with any international exercise, a
significant share of the benefits in ‘Ramstein
Guard’ derives from the complex and
extensive debriefs in which participants
from both sides sit together to analyze each
www.combataircraft.net January 2015
60-63 Ramstein C.indd 63
step taken in the air and learn lessons from
respective mistakes.
‘The Italians supplied portable GPS trackers
that were used during the missions flown by
our MiG-21 and MiG-29 fighters’, revealed
Col Tsolov. ‘There were also additional GPS
trackers installed on the Falcon 20s. After
the missions, the positioning information
recorded by each tracker was downloaded
and processed by a special software tool
supplied by the Italians. The system was able
to reconstruct the flightpath of the participants
in the aerial encounters, displaying the
overall air picture in a suitable format. At the
beginning of the debrief it was re-played at
a high speed to see how the positions of the
aircraft changed [...] Then it was re-played
once again, this time at a real-time speed, with
pilots working with their notes taken during
Given Bulgaria’s urgent need to replace its
aging MiG-21s, the relationships between
Eurofighter and the Bulgarian fighter
squadrons are very apparent.
Toting a single AGM-88 High-Speed
Anti Radiation Missile (HARM), a
Tornado ECR gets airborne for a
‘Ramstein Rover’ mission.
the mission, in order to fix when, where and
what they were able to detect and acquire, and
if they were able to simulate missile launches
or not. This information was necessary in
order to establish the kills and probable kills
achieved during the air-to-air encounters.’
In comparison, it was more difficult to
monitor the result of the operations by
the SAM crews, who lacked any modern
data-recording and re-playing aids. Instead,
the SAM officers used paper forms to enter
manually the exact time, azimuth and distance
to the air targets against which they simulated
SAM launches. Using this raw data, it was
possible to eventually re-construct with a good
degree of accuracy the overall picture of the
surface-to-air combat. Both pilots and SAM
crews were thus able to learn their fair share of
lessons.
63
21/11/2014 11:38
 INDUSTRY REPORT

LATIN FIGHTERS
WHERE MODERNIZATION MEETS OBSOLESCENCE
AMERICAN
While the combat aviation fleets of some Latin American countries
have undergone a process of modernization since the beginning
of the new millennium, other air arms still lack the funds to initiate
programs to replace obsolete aircraft.

report: Santiago Rivas

T
HE 1990S WAS a very hard
time for the militaries of
Latin America. Almost all
of the region’s governments
elected not to invest in their
armed forces, and as a result
many modernization plans ground to a halt.
Insufficient budgets and ill-thought policies led
to older equipment being left in service without
replacement. However, the beginning of the
new millennium brought a significant shift
in regional politics. Increasingly nationalistic
policy was combined with a surge in the
importance of natural resources in the region,
and led to a major change of course. As most
of the governments in Latin America became
aware of a lack of suitable equipment to protect
their territory, they decided to accelerate
modernization programs.
Other nations, still hampered by a lack of
funds, were unable to upgrade their combat
fleets, and the case of Argentina is perhaps
the most curious. With a government eager to
admonish the military for its role in an internal
war in the 1970s, it was decided not to spend
money on buying the equipment necessary
for the armed forces, almost leading to their
disappearance.
Some Latin American air arms are currently
completing major modernization efforts,
while others are continuing with them, often
at only a slow pace. Across the region there
are wide differences in the respective size and
importance of such programs.
Argentina
The Argentine military suffers from the
government’s lack of attention and very poor
planning. As a result the combat aviation
elements of the Air Force and Navy have been
left in a dismal state. The Air Force plans to
retire the last members of the Mirage fleet by
the end of 2015 — with no serious plans to
replace the aircraft and with the country in
a worsening economic crisis, it is planned to
recover some A-4AR Fightinghawks from the
stocks of the V Brigada Aérea at Villa Reynolds
and allocate them to the VI Brigada Aérea at
Tandil where they should fulfill the Mirages’
mission. The V Brigada Aérea still has 33
Fightinghawks, but only a few are operational
and around half the fleet has been used as a

Photographed during
October’s exercise ‘Salitre’,
Brazilian Air Force F-5EMs are
nearing the completion of
their upgrade program.
Kevin Jackson

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64-69 Fighters c.indd 64 21/11/2014 16:30


spares source for the others. Lack of spares
is an increasing problem and the old A-4s,
upgraded in the mid-1990s, are approaching
the end of their service lives.
Just a few Mirages are now in flying
condition, the last major overhaul having been
performed on a Mirage IIIDA in March 2014.
As is the case with the A-4ARs, most of the
Mirages’ systems are non-operational, and
the Mirage IIIs have never been modernized.
Meanwhile, the Mirage 5s (including Israeli-
provided examples) were only modestly
upgraded in the 1980s.
An offer of Spanish Mirage F1s was received
in 2013 but rejected as the operational life of
the fighters was too short, while a proposal
by Israel to supply a dozen Kfir C10 Block
60s was also turned down due to its high
cost, the government refusing to authorize the
budget. Other types studied included second-
hand Mirage 2000s, while the F-16, put
forward in the 1990s, was discarded since its
engine intake was judged to be a problem in
Patagonia, where airfields are surrounded by
pebbles and frequent winds of up to 100km/h
leave the runways strewn with a dangerous
foreign object damage (FOD) risk. Chile has
experienced the same difficulty, as described
below.
Most recently, Argentina entered
negotiations with the Brazilian Defense
Ministry with a view to acquiring 24 Gripen
NGs that will be produced in Brazil. The
planned sale would form part of a bilateral
co-operation agreement that covers a number
of aerospace programs to be pursued jointly by
Brazil and Argentina, including the Embraer
KC-390 airlifter. Negotiations with Brazil are
expected to establish conditions of purchase,
as well as outlining the potential for Argentine
participation in Gripen production, but it
remains unclear how Buenos Aires would be
able to fund such a purchase — supposing
that it finds political support.
Currently, the main problem is the short
life of the A-4 fleet. As such the Air Force
www.combataircraft.net January 2015
64-69 Fighters c.indd 65
Here: Argentina has neglected its
fighter force for over a decade.
Although serviceability is poor,
the A-4AR Fightinghawks put in a
considerable showing at ‘Salitre’ in
October. Kevin Jackson
will likely lose its combat aircraft component
altogether. The government has examined the
use of the Pampa II trainers of the VI Brigada
Aérea as a stopgap, but the aircraft leaves
much to be desired in the combat role.
Naval Aviation, meanwhile, has seen its
entire Super Étendard fleet being grounded.
A planned upgrade, involving the acquisition
of modernized French Super Étendards in
order to fit their equipment to the Argentine
jets (which have longer service lives ahead of
them), has been delayed.
Brazil
During a press conference held in December
2013 by the Brazilian Defense Minister,
Celso Amorim, and the Brazilian Air Force
commander, Brig Juniti Saito, the final result
of the F-X2 fighter program was announced,
the winner being the Saab Gripen NG. The
announcement came after more than 15 years
of a long-delayed selection process to find
the new primary fighter for the Brazilian Air
Force. The first F-X program was launched in
1998 but suffered many setbacks.
Brazil has now signed for the advanced
Gripen E after a protracted selection
process. It may also be involved in joint
development of a navalized Sea Gripen.
Saab
In September 2009, during a visit by French
President Nicolas Sarkozy to Brazil, the then
Brazilian President Luis Inácio ‘Lula’ da Silva
announced that the Rafale would be chosen
for F-X2. However, the selection process
was continued, due to a lack of budget and
because the Brazilian Air Force preferred the
Gripen, which was also the cheapest of the
three options pre-selected (the third contender
was the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet). The main
problem for the Gripen was that the version
offered was still under development while the
other two candidates were already in service.
The current Brazilian President Dilma
Rousseff informed French counterpart
François Hollande on December 14, 2013
that Brasilia would not buy the Rafale. The
Super Hornet was discarded too, since Brazil
wanted a significant technology transfer with
components, or even the entire aircraft, to be
built locally. Boeing didn’t provide a clear idea
of how much technology it would transfer,
although the US offer remained cheaper
than the Rafale bid. The decision against the
Boeing product may also have been affected
by revelations that the US government was
spying on the Brazilian administration.
Saab and Brazil signed a contract for 36
Gripen NGs on October 24, 2014, making it
the first export customer for the type. As well
as 28 single-seat Gripen E and eight twin-seat
Gripen F aircraft, it covers a 10-year industrial
co-operation deal. In all, the deal is worth $5.4
billion. Deliveries will begin in 2019 and run
through to 2024.
Initially, Gripens will replace the Mirage
2000C/Ds of the 1º Grupo de Defesa Aérea (1º
GDA) at Anápolis, near Brasilia, which were
retired on December 31, 2013. In the future
the new fighters will also have to supersede
the Northrop F-5EM and possibly the AMX.
The intention is to order additional Gripens at
some point.
After the Gripen announcement, Saab
offered the lease of a batch of 12 second-
hand Gripen C/Ds as a stop-gap between the
retirement of the Mirage 2000 and receipt of
the first Gripen NG. The plan was to receive
the leased Gripens by mid-2014 and provide
them to the 1º GDA. However, no such
agreement was reached.
The naval version of the Gripen NG is also
being offered to the Brazilian Navy to replace
its A-4KU Skyhawks. A model of the carrier
São Paulo with Gripens on deck was shown
65
21/11/2014 16:31

Brazil’s AF-1 Skyhawks
are undergoing a
comprehensive upgrade
that is common with the
A-1M and F-5EM programs.
Cees-Jan van der Ende
The F-5E Tiger II remains a
prolific fighter in Latin America
thanks to its cost-effective
nature and upgrade options.
This Chilean example wears a
new dark gray scheme, and is
updated to a high standard.
Kevin Jackson
Chile has joined Venezuela in
operating the F-16. Indeed,
the backbone of the Chilean
fighter force today is a mix
of new Block 52 and second-
hand F-16A/B MLU jets from
Europe, one of which is
pictured here. Santiago Rivas
66
64-69 Fighters c.indd 66
at the latest LAAD defense and security
exhibition in Rio de Janeiro in April 2013.
For the Air Force, AMX modernization is
progressing well, including the addition of
new radar, avionics and LCD panels in the
cockpit, self-protection devices and other
equipment. Naval Aviation is working on an
upgrade for of its Skyhawks, with work being
performed by Embraer, and some equipment
similar to that of the modernized AMX.
Updating of the Air Force’s in-service F-5s
is almost complete, but work on the batch
purchased from the Royal Jordanian Air Force
is progressing very slowly.
The Air Force combat fleet presently
operates F-5s with the 1° Grupo de Aviação
de Caça at Santa Cruz, the 1º/4º Grupo de
Aviação (GAv) at Manaus and the 1º/14º
GAv at Canoas, while the AMX is flown
by the 1º/10º GAv and 3º/10º GAv at Santa
Maria, and the 1º/16º GAv at Santa Cruz.
All units answer to the Terceira Força Aérea
(3rd Air Force), which also includes the
aforementioned 1º GDA.
Chile
Its combat fleet having undergone the most
ambitious modernization program in its
history, the Chilean Air Force now finds itself
as one of the best-equipped in the region. After
experiencing many delays in the 1990s, on
December 27, 2000, Chilean President Ricardo
Lagos finally announced that the F-16C/D
Block 50/52 had won the Caza 2000 (Fighter
2000) program. The plan was to buy 12 or 16
fighters worth up to $600 million. This was
followed on May 22, 2003 by the signing of
the Peace Puma contract for 10 F-16C/D Block
50s (six single-seaters and four two-seaters)
via Foreign Military Sales channels, with
deliveries starting in January 2006. This
purchase was destined to re-establish Grupo
de Aviación No 3 at Iquique, in the north of
the country.
Meanwhile, the Air Force continued to look
for a successor to its remaining fighter fleet,
specifically the Mirage 5 Elkans, received
second-hand in 1995. By November 2004,
negotiations had begun with the Royal
Netherlands Air Force for a batch of 18
second-hand F-16A/B Block 20 MLUs (11
single-seaters and seven two-seaters). On
December 16, 2005 a related contract was
signed worth $185 million, and deliveries
began in November 2006. Thus began the
replacement of the Mirages with Grupo de
Aviación No 8 at Antofagasta, also in the
north.
A new offer was received from the
Netherlands in 2007 for 18 additional F-16s,
worth up to $160 million. After a long period
of negotiation, exacerbated by Chilean budget
cuts, the first six aircraft were delivered by the
end of 2010. The intention was to replace the
12 remaining F-5E/Fs of Grupo de Aviación
No 7 at Antofagasta, in the process moving
the unit to Punta Arenas, in the south of the
country, where Grupo de Aviación No 12 had
been disbanded with the retirement of the
Mirage 50 Pantera. The ultimate plan was
to leave the F-16 as the only fighter in the
Chilean Air Force and to retire the F-5s by the
end of 2010.
As the final F-16 batch began to be delivered
in November 2010, F-16s from other units
were tested at Punta Arenas, but problems
January 2015 www.combataircraft.net
21/11/2014 16:31
 caused by rocks on the runway led to the
recommendation to move the F-5s to the base.
Permanent F-16 operations there were judged
possible only with extensive efforts to clean
the runway before each take-off or landing.
Instead, the F-5 was to be retained in service
until a replacement was found in another type
of aircraft.
The retirement of the F-5s did not therefore
occur as planned in 2010. Instead they moved
to Punta Arenas, and to Grupo de Aviación No
12, leaving the new F-16s with Grupo 7. The
F-5s were offered to Uruguay in 2011 but no
decision has been taken as yet. The Chilean
Air Force is studying a possible replacement
for the F-5, as its retirement is expected to take
place before 2020.
Options are also being examined to replace
the ENAER/CASA A-36 Halcón (C-101
Aviojet) fleet operated by Grupo de Aviación
No 1 at Iquique. Offers have been received for
the Korea Aerospace Industries T-50, Alenia
Aermacchi M-346 and BAE Systems Hawk.
Although this program was stopped in 2012 it
is expected to be resumed in the near future.
The winner could also replace the F-5s.
Colombia
The Colombian Air Force previously had two
fighter squadrons at Palanquero air base, one
equipped with the Mirage 5COAM and the
other with the Kfir C7. In 2008 a $160-million
contract was signed with Israel Aerospace
Industries (IAI) and other Israeli companies,
covering the purchase of a dozen Kfirs,
including 10 single-seaters of which seven
were modernized to C10 standard and three
others to Kfir C12 form (locally designated Kfir
COA), and four TC12 two-seaters.
With the arrival of the new Kfirs, the Mirages
were replaced in December 2010. Meanwhile,
the 10 remaining Kfir C7s and one TC7
were brought up to C12 and TC12 standard
respectively.
Of the five TC12s, four have now been lost
in accidents, in July 2009, September 2010,
September 2013, and February 2014. As a
result, the entire Kfir fleet was grounded for a
period until early 2014.
The C10 version is equipped with the Elta
EL/M-2032 radar, while the C12 retains the
Elta EL/M-2001B telemetry radar. All aircraft
received new avionics, LCDs, a one-piece
www.combataircraft.net January 2015
64-69 Fighters c.indd 67
Above: Colombia’s Kfir C10s are equipped with the Elta EL/M-2032 radar and participated in a 2012
‘Red Flag’ exercise at Nellis AFB. USAF
Below: Peru has modernized its MiG-29SMP ‘Fulcrums’ over recent years. Eight have been brought
up to MiG-29SMP standard, while eight more are being upgraded to the same level.
Eduardo Cardenas
windshield and the capability to launch
Python 5 and Derby missiles, considerably
increasing their combat potential. They also
gained Litening pods for target acquisition.
The Kfir force’s high level of training was
recognized with an invitation to take part in
the 2012 ‘Red Flag’ exercise in the US. In July
2011 two US Air Force F-16Cs deployed to
Colombia to help train crews in dissimilar
air combat. They returned for August 2014’s
‘Relampago 2014’ exercise.
During the 2013 F-Air exhibition in
Medellín, Lockheed Martin showed the
Colombian Air Force two F-16Ds, together
with a simulator, and an offer was made for
a batch of 12 to 18 Fighting Falcons. The Air
Force is very interested in the F-16, since it
needs to replace the Kfirs with a more capable
type. However, no decision has yet been taken.
Peru
After having had one of the most powerful
air forces in the region, Peru began to
experience a situation similar to that of
Argentina, with low operational status
and aging equipment. The Peruvian Air
Force is now in the process of recovering
its capabilities, the main program being the
modernization and standardization of the
MiG-29 fleet operated by Grupo Aéreo No 6
at Chiclayo. This now includes a total of 19
fighters, of which eight have been brought
up to MiG-29SMP standard while eight
more are being updated to the same level.
Of the current total, only three aircraft were
acquired new from Russia, the remaining 16
having been purchased second-hand from
Belarus.
The force also retains a few of the 12 Mirage
2000P/DPs of Grupo Aéreo No 5 at La Joya.
Plans exist to upgrade these in the near term.
A total of 18 Su-25s are operated by the
Grupo Aéreo No 11 at Talara, where they
replaced the old Su-22 fleet.
Several different options were evaluated
and some offers received in line with plans to
boost the combat fleet and replace the retired
Mirage 5Ps. Candidates included former
Spanish Air Force Eurofighters, additional
MiG-29s, former French Mirage 2000s, ex-
Swedish Air Force Gripen C/Ds and new
Su-30MKs, although the latter was rejected
due to its high operating cost.
The purchase of new aircraft will be the next
step after planned capability improvements
have been incorporated into the current fleet.
67
21/11/2014 16:32

Venezuela received 24
multi-role Su-30MK2Vs
from 2006-08.
Iván Peña Nesbit
Venezuela
After Hugo Chávez became Venezuelan
President, the country made a considerable
investment in re-equipping its armed forces,
a policy continued by his successor, Nicolás
Maduro. Chávez turned towards Russia and
China since the United States denied further
weapons sales to Caracas. Despite this, the
Venezuelan Air Force manages to retain its
F-16 fleet in an operational condition, albeit
at a very low state of readiness. Currently,
Venezuela is studying a possible F-16
replacement, but no firm decisions have been
taken.
In 2007, with the intention of replacing the
Mirage 50EV, a batch of 24 Su-30MK2s was
received to serve with Grupo Aéreo de Caza 11
and 13 at El Sombrero and Barcelona air bases.
In fact, the air arm was interested in buying
the Su-35, but a related contract was delayed
68
64-69 Fighters c.indd 68
since the model wasn’t ready, before the
Maduro administration turned its attentions to
the Su-30.
Eighteen K-8W Karakorums were ordered
to replace the old F-5A/Bs of Grupo Aéreo
de Caza 12 at Barquisimeto. However, the
K-8 has suffered many engine problems and
three have been lost in accidents. An order
was recently placed for nine additional K-8s,
to replace those lost to attrition and increase
the fleet to 24 examples. A deal was also
announced on April 4, 2014 for 24 Hongdu
L-15 Falcons, which will serve with Grupo 12.
With this move, all the K-8s will be transferred
to Grupo 15 as a replacement for the OV-10
Bronco fleet, retired in 2012.
The smaller countries
In South America, Bolivia, Paraguay and
Uruguay currently have no genuine combat
aircraft. Bolivia still uses its remaining T-33s,
the last in military service anywhere in the
world. In 2011 Bolivia received a batch of six
K-8s for training, and these aircraft possess a
limited attack capability. The K-8 has revealed
some limitations, especially as regards the
engines during operations from high-altitude
airfields. It is thus considered unsuitable for
regular operations at La Paz airport, which
is at 13,000ft elevation. The Chinese trainer
has not been able to replace the T-33 as was
originally planned and further purchases of
the type have been abandoned. The Bolivian
Air Force is now considering the purchase
of a more powerful aircraft, the most likely
candidate being the L-15, mainly as a result
of good relations between the Bolivian and
Chinese governments.
Since its last Embraer Xavantes were retired,
Paraguay only has a small fleet of Tucanos,
and the limited budget available to the air
arm has made the purchase of new jet aircraft
impossible. Argentina offered the IA-63
Pampa, but the low production rate achieved
by FAdeA means the model is of little interest
to Paraguay.
In Uruguay, the Air Force needs to replace
its old A-37 Dragonflies and requires a faster
aircraft, capable of intercepting the jets
sometimes used on illegal flights. Options
under study are ex-Chilean Air Force
F-5E/Fs, which are being offered ‘as is’, and
former Swiss Air Force F-5Es. The Swiss
jets are offered by RUAG Aviation — the
airframes would be provided free of charge,
but would also need extensive upgrading.
The same modernization has been offered
by RUAG should Uruguay decide to buy the
ex-Chilean jets. The final option involves
six to eight Yak-130s. The Chilean F-5s were
demonstrated in Uruguay in March 2013
during the 100th anniversary of the Air Force.
During 2014 the head of Rosoboronexport
visited South America and announced
that significant progress had made in the
negotiations for the Yak-130. The Russian
aircraft is preferred by the Uruguayan Air
Force but is also the most expensive. The
result will now come down to a political
decision. In the meantime, three additional
A-37s were donated by the Ecuadorian Air
Force for use as spares sources. These will
support the A-37s of Escuadrón Aéreo No 2,
around six of which remain operational.
The only smaller South American country
with a fighter force is Ecuador, a reflection of
the many previous border conflicts with Peru.
However, the Ecuadorian Air Force combat
fleet has suffered many setbacks in recent
years, due to budget cuts. The withdrawal
of the SEPECAT Jaguar, which was among
the most powerful combat aircraft in Latin
America, was followed by retirement of the
Mirage F1, while the six Mirage 50s donated
by Venezuela saw almost no service due
to a lack of spares. The Kfirs are no longer
operated, but are kept in reserve, mainly due
to the political refusal of the United States to
sell parts for the J79 engines. The Kfirs were
the first to be brought up to C10 standard,
although they are locally designated as Kfir
CE. To cover the lack of fighters, 12 Denel
Cheetah C/Ds were purchased from South
Africa. These are equipped with the same
Elbit-developed avionics as the Kfir CE, but
retain the SNECMA Atar 9K50 engine. They
serve with Escuadrón 2112 ‘Cobras’ while the
Kfirs are assigned to Escuadrón 2113 ‘Leones’,
both part of the Ala de Combate 21 at Taura
air base.
January 2015 www.combataircraft.net
21/11/2014 16:32
 K-8s of GAC 34 at Cochabamba
return to their home base. The type
was purchased by Bolivia to replace
the T-33 but lacks the power to
operate safely at La Paz airport.
Lt Sanchez/FAB via Santiago Rivas
MORE CHEETAHS FOR ECUADOR
The Ecuadorian Air Force (Fuerza Aérea
Ecuatoriana — FAE) is scheduled to receive a
further pair of Cheetah C single-seat fighters
in January 2015. The purchase of the two
additional aircraft will offset the current fleet
reduction caused by problems relating to
maintenance and accidents.
The FAE currently includes a front-line force of
12 such aircraft — 10 Cheetah Cs and a pair of
two-seat Cheetah D variants — to maintain the
integrity of its sovereign airspace.
Although none have been written off, two of
the jets received from Denel Aerospace in South
Africa have been permanently grounded. One,
serial 1368, over-ran the runway at Manta on
February 7, 2013 following a brake parachute
failure. The mishap caused substantial damage
to the undercarriage that has now been
deemed uneconomic to repair. The aircraft is
currently stored at Manta.
A second aircraft, serial 1352, has never
entered operational service with the FAE
following sustained maintenance problems
that both the FAE and Denel have been unable
to resolve. The air force has therefore assigned
funds to acquire the two replacement jets from
South Africa.
The FAE originally entered into negotiations
with the South African company in September
Peter R. Foster
www.combataircraft.net January 2015
64-69 Fighters c.indd 69
The A-37 is another
low-cost but aging
platform that is
prevalent in Latin
America. These are
Uruguayan OA-37Bs.
Santiago Rivas
Central America, the
Caribbean and Mexico
The Central American countries, with
2009 to acquire the 12 aircraft at a reported
the exception of Honduras with its F-5,
initial value of $35 million, although the true
currently have no fighter aviation, and a
cost is likely to be greater.
similar situation exists in the Caribbean,
The deal was finally struck in April 2010
apart from in Cuba. However, Cuba’s
covering both acquisition through ARMSCOR,
fighter force is becoming more and more
the South African defense procurement,
insignificant, and has not been renewed in
disposals and research and development
the last 25 years. Operational activity of the
company, and a five-year renewable support
surviving fighters is extremely low. Havana
and maintenance package. A contract was
still has around three MiG-29s, 16 MiG-23s
finally signed the following December.
and 10 MiG-21s in service, but they have
Initial deliveries of this heavily-modified
not been upgraded since the late 1980s and
Mirage III derivative commenced in April 2011
there are no plans to modernize or replace
and continued until January 2012. The aircraft
them.
is equipped with the SNECMA Atar 9K50
Costa Rica, Haiti, Jamaica, Nicaragua
engine, upgraded Elbit head-up display and
and Panama possess no aircraft with an
modernized electronic countermeasures and
attack capability. The Dominican Republic
self-protection suite. A significant beyond visual
operates the Super Tucano as its only armed
range capability is provided through its Elta
aircraft, while Guatemala and El Salvador
improved pulse-Doppler multi-mode radar.
retain the A-37B as their most powerful
As an interim measure and to allow for initial
asset, again with no plans to replace them
training, Ecuador accepted the Venezuelan
in the near term. El Salvador purchased all
government’s offer of six surplus Mirage
the Chilean Air Force’s remnants of A-37
50 aircraft. These provided the FAE pilots
airframes and spares after Chile retired the
transferring from the Mirage F1 with a platform
type in 2010, in order to keep its own fleet
offering greater similarity to the Cheetah
flying.
in terms of handling characteristics. These
The Honduran F-5s are expected to be
six aircraft were retired upon receipt of the
overhauled by Embraer, but without any
Cheetahs, the first three of which arrived in April
major upgrade taking place; nor are there
2011. Peter R. Foster
plans to replace them.
Mexico, facing an increasing internal
struggle with drug traffickers, is focusing
investments on the purchase of helicopters,
transport aircraft and land and maritime
forces. Currently, its combat force comprises
Escuadrón Aéreo 401 equipped with 10
F-5E/Fs. Although interest has been shown
in replacing the Tiger II, including the
possibility of buying a batch of second-hand
F-16s, no such progress has been made.
Currently Mexico is studying the possibility
of modernizing its F-5s using packages like
those offered by RUAG Aviation or IAI.
The intention is to retain a force capable of
intercepting jets on illegal flights, since there
exists no threat from other combat aircraft in
the region.
69
21/11/2014 16:32
 EXERCISE REPORT

EAATTC 2014
TRAINING EUROPE’S AIR TRANSPORT SPECIALISTS
Combat Aircraft joined Lufttransportgeschwader 61 from
Penzing in Germany, together with transport units from
seven other nations that each deployed single aircraft to
Zaragoza, Spain, from September 21 to October 3, 2014.

report and photos: Alexander Klingelhöller

T
HE EUROPEAN ADVANCED
Air Transport Training Course
(EAATTC) 2014 was based
on the US Advanced Airlift
Tactical Training Course
(US AATTC). The American
course has become a victim of its own
success, and thereby offers increasingly fewer
opportunities for European involvement.
The responsible authorities thus came
up with the idea of a purely European
version. Furthermore, a majority of the
scheduled flying hours for European AATTC
participants were consumed by flights across
the Atlantic, with a significant effect on costs
and the availability of aircraft.
In 2012-13 a predecessor course, EATT,
took place at Zaragoza and at Plovdiv in
Bulgaria. Zaragoza’s uncongested airspace
and the sparse local population proved ideal
for tactical flying with transports, and it was
decided that this year’s EAATTC ‘validation
course’ would also be held in Spain. The
focus was on planning and executing
missions such as delivering paratroopers,
tactics for high-threat environments,
delivering loads including air-dropping, and
tactical landings.
Under the aegis of the European Defence
Agency (EDA), and together with the
Spanish Air Force, participants together
practiced complex operational scenarios,
supplemented by theoretical instruction.
The fact the training syllabus had not yet
been validated meant that this first course
only saw participation by experienced crews,
as stipulated by European Air Transport
Command (EATC) guidelines. The feedback
from all those taking part in EAATTC 2014
will be used to shape future courses to better
meet the exigencies of the participants.
Future ‘customers’ for the EAATTC will
primarily consist of younger and less
experienced crews, who will be declared
combat-ready on completing the course.
It was decided that 18 flying hours and
12 hours of theoretical study would be
allocated, during which participants learned
how to plan and conduct the challenging
tactical flying. ‘Furthermore, the exchange
of information between participants is
also valuable, since many of those taking
part have already flown operationally in
crisis areas’, added the commander of the
Luftwaffe Transall.
As well as Germany, international
participants this year came from Belgium
(C-130 Hercules), the Czech Republic (C295),
France (Transall), Italy (C-27J Spartan), the
Netherlands (C-130) and Spain (C-130 and
C295). Furthermore, each nation provided an
operationally-experienced flight instructor as
a mentor, on hand to provide the crews with
advice. Four more nations brought observers,
their aim being to follow the progress of the
course in terms of theory and practice.

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 First flight: familiarization
Early on the morning of the first day of flying,
the various crews met for a joint briefing on
the planned operation. The commander and
tactical system officer explained the aims
of the mission, with a focus on meticulous
planning of the route, taking into account
current weather conditions.
In the scenario, local separatists were
trying to establish an independent region
in northern Spain and had already begun
a campaign of violence against the town of
Teruel, setting up a camp there, where more
fighters would be trained. Furthermore, they
had captured an early warning system.
The mission, shared by all participants,
involved a reconnaissance flight to establish
where the separatists were entrenched. This
was to include the delivery of paratroopers
close to the airfield in Teruel. It featured
low-level flying between mountains, as well
as familiarization with the training area and
the nature of the local terrain. The minimum
altitude was brought down to 90m over
ground in the specially designated airspace,
compared to 150m as is usually the case in
Germany. Until now, flying below 150m was
only practiced in Norway, using special low-
level training areas.
On board on each flight was a flight
instructor or instructor pilot (IP) from
another nation. Their task was to observe the
procedure of the crew in the cockpit, to give
advice, to recognize skills and weaknesses,
and to evaluate the proceedings with the
aid of rapid initiation of well-rehearsed
actions, such as simulated shelling by
anti-aircraft guns. The weather also helped
ensure that not all flights were carried
out as planned. For example, a sudden
thunderstorm prevented disembarkation
of the paratroopers and the route had to be
altered.
Dirt-strip Transall
Another focus of EAATTC 2014 was to train
for landings on un-paved dirt strips, using
the Spanish Air Force strip at Ablitas, about
70km north-west of Zaragoza. In this case,
the aircrews made use of a steep approach,
also known in the Luftwaffe as the ‘Sarajevo
approach’. For this, the landing flaps and
airbrakes are fully extended so that the
aircraft can descend rapidly from as high
Top left: Tactical low-level
flying with a Spanish C-130
during the exercise.
This photo: The German
C-160D carried the Terma
enhanced self-protection
kit, which is standard for
Afghanistan operations.
www.combataircraft.net January 2015
70-71 EAATTC.indd 71
as possible. The maneuver was performed
during the Bosnian war, so as to stay out of
reach of small arms as long as possible. It
later established itself as a useful approach
procedure in Afghanistan.
The short landing is flown with reduced
approach and landing speeds, to prevent
stones and debris being thrown up, which
could damage the underside of the aircraft. It
also seeks to reduce stress on the nosewheel
as much as possible. On the ground, the
propellers will not immediately be reversed
(as is required for braking effect) so as to
prevent the formation of dust and throwing-
up of stones, and thus possible harm to the
propellers.
After the Transall landed, it rolled back
down the runway and disembarked a
previously prepared load by the gravity
method. Here, the machine stops briefly, the
clips on the roller rails are removed and,
after re-starting, the cargo rolls out via the
rear ramp.
The payload of the Transall can be up to 14
tons depending on operating radius. After
the loadmaster locked the rear cargo ramp
again, in a few minutes the aircraft took off
for another mission.
Threat from the air
For transports, tactical flying is essential
to defeat threats from the air. During the
exercise, Spanish Air Force EF-18 Hornets,
also based at Zaragoza, flew simulated air
attacks against the airlifters, which in turn
attempted to evade them.
Although the theoretical chances of
escaping a fighter stand at only a few per
cent, the crews train for this threat as best
they can. Since the primary task of a fighter
is not to counter transports, it is assumed
that such a confrontation is unlikely,
should it happen at all. If a fighter has
already expended its missiles (if carried),
all that remains is use of its cannon. To
prevent an optimal target being presented
to the jet, the transport must play to its
strengths and try to evade its pursuer in
an extremely low, turning flight regime.
The low speed of a transport could be
an advantage in contact with the enemy.
Through the use of decoys such as flares or
chaff the enemy’s sensors can be disrupted,
preventing a radar lock.
Since the fuel loads of combat jets are
limited, the attacker often has only a few
minutes to detect and engage its target. For
the transport crews the most important
factor is timely detection of the enemy;
only then is it possible to conduct the
tactical maneuvers that could prevent an
engagement opportunity. Here, the pilot
has to rely on his entire crew, as his field of
vision in the cockpit is limited. Optimum
communication with the ground radar or a
flying surveillance platform such as an E-3
AWACS is essential. Some transports, such
as the Belgian C-130s, are equipped with a
glass cupola above the fuselage, providing
an observer with 360° visibility above the
machine.
Upon completion of the mission, as after
every flight, a debriefing was carried out, in
which the procedures were discussed and
evaluated in detail.
Pooling and sharing
The aim of the EATC, based in Eindhoven
in the Netherlands, is to unify not only
logistics but also the tactical methods
of transport aviation. Belgium, France,
Germany and the Netherlands currently
make a pool of aircraft available to EATC.
Other nations aspire to membership,
and negotiations with several states are
ongoing. A pooling of resources thus
leads to the best possible utilization of the
European transport fleet.
After two weeks of intense planning,
organization and the accident-free
implementation of every scenario
prepared by the EATC, all participating
nations passed the exercise’s challenging
requirements with flying colors. A total
of 56 sorties logged more than 100 flight
hours and 91 landings, 15 of which took
place on unpaved runways. Furthermore,
paratroopers or loads were safely deposited
on 31 occasions.
The European Defence Agency is soon
to decide whether further courses of this
kind will take place at Zaragoza or in the
Bulgarian city of Plovdiv. It is planned to
hold the course four times a year and to
establish a ‘Permanent School’ for tactical
flying with military transports. In addition,
further training will be offered for formation
and night flights.
71
21/11/2014 12:20
 FIGHTER FOCUS
C
OL GEN VIKTOR Bondarev, the
Russian Air Force commander-
in-chief (C-in-C), a decorated
and combat-hardened Su-25
pilot himself, confirmed in
April 2013 that the popular
and cheap-to-operate ‘Frogfoot’ is projected
to enjoy a long life with the air arm. It is
now expected that the existing fleet of this
once-neglected, short-legged, subsonic attack
aircraft will soldier on in front-line service
until the late 2020s, which represents an
operational lifespan of nearly half a century.
Furthermore, a newly-built derivative,
expected to make its maiden flight in the
second half of this decade, will have a service
life of some four decades after its induction
into the Russian Air Force by about 2020.
This astonishing longevity, unusual for
other Soviet-era tactical aircraft designed in
the 1970s and built in the 1980s, is possible
thanks to the ongoing upgrade effort and the
consensus that the rugged and affordable type
has a job to do in the future. The Russian Air
Force currently has an active fleet of around
150 to 170 Su-25s, of which about 120 are
serving with four front-line regiments and one
independent front-line flight. As such, their
pilots are the only true close air support (CAS)
experts within the frontal air arm. All Su-25/
BM/SMs operated by the Air Force are late-
production examples, built to the so-called
10th Series configuration between 1987 and
1990. Their annual utilization rate, now that
the Air Force is back to a normal training
regime, is between 110-130 hours in 180-200
sorties for each single-seat aircraft.
The Su-25’s long-term effectiveness on
the modern battlefield is being addressed
by the latest SM3 upgrade standard, cleared
for front-line service in May 2013. It is also
intended for implementation on all Su-25SMs
upgraded to the two previous standards
(known as the SM1 and SM2) between 2006
21ST CENTURY
The upgraded Su-25 continues to be the mainstay attack
aircraft of the Russian Air Force, and the type is set to retain
its considerable importance into the decades to come.
report: Alexander Mladenov
72
72-81 Su-25 C.indd 72
and 2013. At the same time, in the foreseeable
future the Russian Defense Ministry will
continue placing small-scale orders for
upgraded and life-extended Su-25SMs, with
the last expected to be taken on strength
by the end of the decade. This way, upon
completion of the upgrade effort, the eventual
number of updated ‘Frogfoots’ in Russian Air
Force service will reach some 130.
The air arm’s active single-seaters saw
relatively low utilization in the 1990s and
the 2000s, due to the sharply reduced
flight training activities in those
‘crisis’ times. By late 2014 they
had logged between 1,200-1,300
airframe hours per aircraft, with
an average fleet age of about 27 years.
The Su-25, however, has ample life-
extension reserves, which are able to bring
the anticipated service life to 4,000 airframe
flight hours. Vladimir Babak, president
and designer general of the Sukhoi
Shturmoviks (attack aircraft) division,
and design authority for the type within the
Sukhoi company, claimed in 2009 that in
terms of fatigue damage the Su-25’s rugged
airframe design can be good for as many as
10,000 flight hours.
However, most if not all of the Russian
Air Force’s Su-25UB twin-seaters, with an
average age of 25 years, have seen much more
intensive utilization than their single-seat
counterparts. As Babak noted five years ago,
the Su-25UBs have approached the end of
their originally assigned design life
of 2,500 hours. Furthermore,
the twin-seater’s wing high
lift devices, consisting
of slats and flaps,
features higher
deflection
January 2015 www.combataircraft.net
21/11/2014 12:47
 The Russian Air Force
Su-25 fleet is currently
seeing utilization rates of
approximately 100-120 hours
per year, a considerable
upsurge since the days of
poor spares supplies and fuel
shortages. Sergey Krivchikov

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 angles in the so-called maneuvering mode, Russia intends to keep its
commonly used to perform aerobatics and existing Su-25SMs until
high-g maneuvers in pilot conversion, the late 2020s. Complete
with new colors, this is one
continuation and new mission type training of the first aircraft of the
sorties as well as in proficiency checks. This 960th ShAP at Primorsko-
particular setting imposes higher in-flight Akhtarsk, taken on
loads on the twin-seater’s wing structure strength in February 2013.
than on its single-seat counterpart, and as a Alexander Mladenov
consequence the heavily-utilized Su-25UB
fleet has suffered from considerably more
fatigue damage.
In an effort to counter this damaging trend,
at least partially, the Russian Air Force
began cycling its Su-25UBs through general
airframe overhauls, combined with service-life
extension works at the Kubinka-based 121st
Aviation Repair Plant (ARZ). At least two
aircraft were completed in 2013.
The two-seat Su-25UB, however, is set
to represent the basic platform for the
development of a new-generation armored
attack aircraft for the Russian Air Force.
Planned for induction into service by 2020,
it is earmarked to complement and gradually
supersede the faithful first-generation
‘Frogfoot’ in its rather dangerous but highly
prized CAS role, while doing it in a more
effective and safer way. The VPU-17 gun-pack with
a GSh-30-2 30mm cannon
Expanding the fleet is serviced after a gunnery
Since the beginning of 2014, the Russian Air sortie. Andrey Zinchuk
Force tactical aircraft fleet has embarked on
a gradual expansion drive after nearly two
decades of hardship and aggressive down-
sizing. In accordance with this trend, the
active ‘Frogfoot’ fleet of the front-line units
will be further strengthened. This is to be
achieved through the return to service and
upgrading of a number of single-seaters held
in long-term storage or used by the training
squadron at Borisoglebsk, which is slated to
convert to the new Yak-130 lead-in fighter
trainer (LIFT) in 2015 or early 2016.
The availability of more upgraded aircraft, in
turn, will allow the Air Force to set up another
front-line attack regiment. It will lead to the
re-activation of the famous 899th ‘Orshanskiy’
ShAP (Attack Aviation Regiment), stationed
at Buturlinovka in central Russia (in the

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 Western Military District). Col Gen Bondarev,
who served as the 899th ShAP commanding
officer between 1996 and 2000, revealed
this plan. He claimed in July 2014 that the
re-formed two-squadron attack regiment at
Buturlinovka would take the ‘numberplate’ of
the 899th ShAP, disbanded in December 2009.
According to Bondarev, it will be operational
in 2017 with 24 Su-25SMs plus two-seaters.
The Su-25 is in service with three front-
line attack regiments, each having two
squadrons, while another regiment has three
squadrons. The type is also operated by an
independent attack flight within the structure
of the 999th Aviation Base stationed in the
former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan. The
front-line Su-25 squadrons tend to have an
active fleet of 12 single-seaters plus two to
With around 80 Su-25SMs completed three two-seaters. The independent flight was
by the end of 2014, the project to originally equipped with four single-seaters
upgrade and extend the life of the and a two-seater, but in April 2014 it added
‘Frogfoot’ should total 130 aircraft by four Su-25SMs. The ‘Frogfoot’ is also flown by
the end of the decade. Andrey Zinchuk
the Lipetsk-based 4th State Combat Training,
Aircrew Conversion and Field Trials Center (a
This Su-25 is being loaded dozen aircraft of all variants serving with one
with B8M1 rocket packs, each
attack instructor-research squadron). A still
with 20 S-8 80mm rounds.
Andrey Zinchuk unnamed composite regiment at Gvardeiskoye
in Crimea was established in mid-2014 with
one Su-25SM squadron. The type is also
soldiering on in the advanced training role
with one squadron at Borisoglebsk.

Upgrade effort
The Russian Air Force upgrade effort used
mostly off-the-shelf components to bring the
old analog mission suite of the ‘Frogfoot’ into
the modern digital age, thus enabling a whole
new set of mission capabilities. The Su-25SM
introduced an all-new cockpit with a wider-
angle head-up display (HUD) and a multi-
functional color display to improve the pilot’s
situational awareness.
All the production upgrade activities have
been performed by the 121st ARZ at Kubinka
near Moscow, where they are combined
with a general overhaul of the airframe and
the existing systems retained in the process
of upgrade. At the 121st ARZ, the aged
‘Frogfoots’ are reduced to bare metal for

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 76 January 2015 www.combataircraft.net

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 This photo: This Su-25
was photographed whilst
conducting the first Russian
Air Force road operations
with the Su-25 during
exercise ‘Vostok 2014’.

Left: The cockpit of the

Su-25UB is laden with
‘steam-gauge’ instruments,
but pilots are appreciative
of the roomy ‘office’ that is
well laid-out.
Andrey Zinchuk

The first front-line Russian Air Force unit to
receive the Su-25SM was the 368th ShAP at
Budennovsk, near the troubled territories
of Chechnya and South Ossetia. It has three
squadrons, each with 12 single-seaters.
Andrey Zinchuk
structural inspection and then re-assembled
while receiving new systems, eventually
emerging more capable and durable after eight
to 10 months of work. Upon completion of the
work, each Su-25SM receives the green light
for another 1,000 flight hours and no fewer
than 10 years of flying before the next life
extension and overhaul cycle.
The program went slowly at the beginning
but was accelerated in the late 2000s. In 2011
a three-year contract covering 36 aircraft
was signed, the last of those being handed
over to the Russian Air Force at the end of
2013. Another upgrade contract dating from
early 2014 covered five more examples to be
delivered by November that year. The upgrade
effort is expected to continue until 2020 at an
annual rate of eight to 10 aircraft.
The ‘Frogfoot’ upgrade was first conceived
in 1998. Initially, Sukhoi Shturmoviks
proposed a rather extensive avionics update
comprising an integrated digital nav/attack
suite. In its full-scale form the configuration
was to incorporate the Phazotron Kopyo-
25SM centimeter-wavelength surface-search
and ground-mapping radar in the nose, and a
pod-mounted electronic warfare (EW) system,
along with a reduced radar cross-section
thanks to the application of radar-absorbent
coatings and a new type of paint.
In the event, the Russian Air Force approved
a much more modest and affordable upgrade
standard without the radar, incorporating
the all-new PrNK-25SM Bars nav/attack
suite using a BTsU-25 mission computer to
facilitate integration of new digital systems
and weapons. It saw most if not all of the
analog components of the original KN-23-1
navigation suite and the SUO-T8-54 attack
suite replaced by new, more capable, accurate
and reliable digital equipment but retaining
the Su-25’s original Klyon-PS laser range-
finder/target designator.
The Su-25SM’s new navigation system is
based on an all-new Ts-061K inertial gyro-
reference system, receiving corrections
from an A-737-01 GPS/GLONASS satellite
navigation receiver. Navigational accuracy is
advertised as being within 46ft (15m) when
satellite correction is used and 660ft (200m)
without it. This enables the Su-25SM to be
deployed for so-called navigation un-guided
bomb delivery (non-visual bombing) against
fixed targets with known position, useful in
poor weather and at night.
The list of the new components incorporated
in the upgrade also includes a new KAI-1-01
HUD that has double the field of view of the
old ASP-17BTs-8 electro-optical sight as used
on the original Su-25. The combination of
the new HUD and nav/attack system’s digital
components results in significantly improved
accuracy when employing unguided ordnance
with visual aiming — it is said to be up to
three times better, at least in theory, than that
of the non-upgraded aircraft.
The simplified and more ergonomic cockpit
has one multi-function display to show a
digital map, flight/navigation and tactical
information. The navigation suite has been
made more reliable though the introduction of
the RSBN-85 short-range aid to navigation and

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Su-25UBM TWO-SEAT UPGRADE
The upgraded Su-25 two-seater, using exactly
the same avionics as are integrated on the
Su-25SM and designated as the Su-25UBM, has
been the subject of protracted development
and is not yet fielded in service. Its first flight
was reported in December 2010 and the sole
Su-25UBM, wearing the ‘Bort’ number 21,
is reported to have completed the test and
evaluation effort in December 2012. In spring
2014, however, it was seen at the 121st ARZ in
disassembled form, undergoing unspecified
modifications.
There is not yet any official information to
indicate when the production upgrade of a
78
72-81 Su-25 C.indd 78
proportion of the Russian Air Force
Su-25UB fleet will be launched. It now seems
that this has not been included among the
priorities funded in the early/mid-2010s. If such
an upgrade initiative is initiated at all in 2015,
the first Su-25UBMs may reach the front-line
units in 2016 at the earliest. Furthermore, it
cannot be ruled out that the twin-seater upgrade
has already been or is going to be cancelled
altogether in favor of more upgraded single-
seaters. If so, a proportion of the already thin
Su-25UB fleet will instead be cycled only though
general airframe overhaul and life extension,
granting an additional 10-12 years of operation.
This image: A pair of 368th ShAP Su-25s
in a dive attack, the leader having just
launched S-24 240mm rockets while
pumping out decoy flares. The aged
S-24 is still regarded as a powerful and
accurate weapon for CAS. Andrey Zinchuk
Left top to bottom: The Russian Air Force’s
929th State Test Centre at Akhtubinsk
operates two Su-25SMs for test and
development work. This is Su-25SM-4
complete with B-13T rocket packs, FAB-
250M-62 bombs and the two-pod Omul
jammer, an integral part of the Vitebsk-25
self-protection suite.
via Alexander Mladenov
Russia has around 170 Su-25s in active
service, including 50 to 60 non-upgraded
single-seaters and 25 to 30 heavily-
utilized two-seaters. Andrey Zinchuk
As many as 50 Su-25BMs rolled off the line
at the Tbilisi plant in 1990. These were
built in the 10th series production batch
and the last Su-25s taken by the Soviet air
arm. After the collapse of the Soviet Union
in 1991 all of them remained in service.
This freshly-painted example is active
with the Lipetsk training center.
Andrey Zinchuk
ARK-35-1 automatic direction finder, while
the communication suite incorporates the
Banker-2 UHF/VHF comms radio and a SO-96
transponder.
The Karat-B-25 flight data recorder and
Berkut-1 video recording system are also
newly-installed to facilitate post-mission
debriefs, monitoring of the airframe/
powerplant/systems health status and
subsequent maintenance action if needed.
Moreover, all the new equipment in the
Su-25SM has increased automation and self-
test capability, making possible a reduction in
the aircraft’s pre- and post-flight servicing of
some 25 to 30 per cent.
The upgrade has enhanced the Su-25’s
combat survivability thanks to the re-location
of important equipment like radios and
electronics boxes from the traditionally
vulnerable tail section (which can suffer hits
from heat-seeking missiles due to the location
of the engine nozzles) to better-protected
locations in the forward fuselage. Furthermore,
self-protection capability has been boosted
thanks to the integration of the new L-150-
16 Pastel radar homing and warning system
(RHAWS).
The newly-added un-guided ground attack
ordnance includes S-13T 130mm rockets
(carried in five-round B-13 pods) equipped
with blast-fragmentation and armor-piercing
warheads. In addition, the Su-25SM was
made capable of launching existing Kh-25ML
and Kh-29L laser-guided missiles while in
January 2015 www.combataircraft.net
21/11/2014 12:49

horizontal flight; it can fire two missiles at two
different targets in a single pass.
The VPU-17A gun pack containing a
GSh-30-2 twin-barrel cannon and 250 rounds
was also subject to an upgrade as it received
three reduced rate-of-fire modes. These are
at 1/4 and 1/8 of the nominal rate of fire
(corresponding to 750rpm and 375rpm) in
an effort to increase the number of strafing
passes, allowing for 20 and 40 seconds of total
firing time respectively. The Su-25SM also
introduced new BD3-25SM-01 pylons with
increased load-carrying capability, allowing
the jet to carry up to five tonnes of ordnance
on its eight primary hardpoints. Weight
savings thanks to the lighter equipment and
avionics amounted to around 660lb (300kg).
While the original SM upgrade standard
lacked the capability to deploy TV-guided
munitions, the weapons suite was expanded
with the highly agile R-73 (AA-11 ‘Archer’)
air-to-air missile for self-defense and visual
intercepts of slow-speed air targets, albeit
without helmet-mounted cueing.
One requirement, which should have been
addressed two decades ago but which never
received due attention in the post-Soviet
era, calls for the replacement of the Souz/
Gavrolov R-95Sh engines, each rated at
39.24kN (8,800lb) thrust. This is an antiquated
and fuel-thirsty twin-spool turbojet designed
to be capable of running on all known types
of kerosene and even on diesel fuel. Despite
its age, it proved to be extremely reliable and
easy to maintain, and the upgraded Su-25SMs
are set to complete their service at the end
of the next decade with an engine designed
www.combataircraft.net January 2015
72-81 Su-25 C.indd 79
in the mid-1950s. The R-95Sh unit, as used
on the Su-25SM, however, has an improved
anti-surge system for enhanced resistance to
ingestion of powder gases during gun and
rocket salvo firing. The Su-25BMs upgraded to
SM standard retain their more powerful R-195
engines, with a built-in feature to reduce the
temperature of the exhaust gases.
The first batch of production-upgraded
Su-25SMs was handed over to the Air Force
in December 2006. After additional testing,
in mid-2007 they were taken on strength by
the 368th ShAP stationed at Budyonnovsk in
the southern part of Russia. They were used
in anger soon after — in August 2008, during
the war with Georgia over the territory of the
break-away province of South Ossetia.
The upgraded ‘Frogfoots’ received new
individual airframe identification numbers in
the Su-25SM-XX series, where XX represents
the respective number of each upgraded
aircraft, complementing their original
construction number. Since 2011, this has
been applied on several locations of the
airframe and the main components, the most
visible of which is on the port fuselage side,
just below the canopy.
The first four upgraded aircraft, Su-25SM-1
to SM-4, have been involved in the
development effort and subsequent testing
and evaluation at the Air Force’s 929th State
Flight Test Center at Akhtubinsk. Two of
these were introduced in early 2007 with the
4th ShAE (Attack Aviation Squadron) of the
968th IISAP (Instructor-Research Composite
Aviation Regiment) at the Lipetsk-based 4th
State Combat Training, Aircrew Conversion
and Field Trials Center. There they are used for
field trials and conversion-to-type training of
instructors and aircrews from front-line units.
SM-5 to SM-43 were production upgrades
as per the initial standard, known as SM1,
undertaken between 2006 and 2010, while
the improved SM2 standard was applied to
aircraft SM-44 to SM-79 between 2011 and
2013. In late 2014, the Air Force took delivery
of SM-80 to SM-84, reported to have been
upgraded to the definitive SM3 standard,
and earmarked for delivery to the 120th SAP
(Composite Aviation Regiment) stationed at
Domna in eastern Siberia. The unit price of
the aircraft in this batch was 143.5 million
rubles (about $3.99 million using the exchange
rate as of August 2014) compared to 131
million rubles for the Su-25s upgraded and
overhauled in 2013.
Taking into consideration that there were
two combat- and one non-combat-related
write-offs in the front-line units, by January
2015 the Russian Air Force’s front-line
and training fleet of upgraded single-seat
‘Frogfoots’ should comprise 79 aircraft (plus
two more used for development and testing).
The Su-25SM is operated by seven front-line
attack squadrons (six fully-equipped and
another one partially-equipped) plus one
independent front-line flight. The Lipetsk
center has two, taken from the four-strong
development and test batch upgraded in the
early 2000s, designated as SM-1 and SM-2.
Definitive upgrade standard
The Su-25SM was followed by the slightly
improved Su-25SM2 standard, while the
Su-25SM3 brings a new software and
hardware capability to facilitate the use of
new ‘smart’ weapons types; it also boasts an
enhanced self-protection suite to counter radar
threats as well as a new communications
suite. The latter comes with an encrypted
datalink, possibly for use in CAS scenarios for
exchanging targeting information with forward
air controllers (FACs) and using bombs against
targets without direct visibility. The datalink
allows for the integration of the Su-25SM into
the Russian Air Force’s overall command and
control system established in its latest digital
form in the early 2010s. A new IFF and video
recording system are also reported to have
been incorporated in the SM3 package.
Flight-tested for the first time in 2011, the
SM3 enables the Su-25SM to deploy the GNPP
Region KAB-500S-E GPS/GLONASS-guided
bomb, making possible precise attacks in all
weathers against targets with known positions
from safe ranges and altitudes, outside the
lethal reach of enemy air defenses. The
560kg (1,232lb) bomb represents a GBU-31
JDAM equivalent that combines the body of
79
21/11/2014 12:50
 the affordable FAB-500M-62 high-explosive
free-fall bomb with a GPS/GLONASS and
INS guidance kit and aerodynamic controls.
Capable of being programmed with the target’s
co-ordinates either on the ground or by the
pilot while in flight, it is useful for non-visual
deliveries from medium and high altitude,
allowing the Su-25SM to stay above the lethal
reach of enemy shoulder-launched SAMs
and light anti-aircraft artillery (AAA). The
KAB-500S-E is advertised as having a circular
error probability (CEP) of between 23 and 40ft
(between 7 and 12m).
There is no related information from credible
sources but some announcements in Russian
aerospace and defense media suggest the SM3
standard was made capable of deploying TV-
guided weapons with lock-on before launch
capability, such as the KAB-500Kr bomb and
the Kh-29T missile.
The latest upgrade standard for the
Su-25SM also includes the new Vitebsk-25
self-protection suite, integrating the existing
L-160-16 RHAWS and the ASO-2VM chaff/
flare dispensers (containing a total of 256
rounds) with a new-generation L-370-3S
Omul two-pod radar jammer system. Its
pods are accommodated on the outermost
hardpoints, previously used to carry R-60M
air-to-air missiles for self-protection. A fully
digital new-generation system, the Omul
is advertised as being much faster than the
previous-generation airborne radar jammers
fielded in Russia. It is used to disrupt
operation of enemy fighter fire-control and
ground-based air defense system radars,
working in the frequency band from 7 to 10
INTERNATIONAL ACTION
This Bulgarian Air Force Su-25UB was
photographed during exercise ‘Thracian
Star’ earlier this year. Alexander Golz
The Democratic Republic of Congo
is operating at least four Su-25s.
80
72-81 Su-25 C.indd 80
GHz. However, it is not yet clear if the effort
to integrate the Vitebsk-25 suite with the
SM3 configuration has also included (or will
include in the foreseeable future) ultraviolet
missile approach warning sensors like those
on the Ka-52 attack helicopter. These would
further bolster the Su-25SM’s self-protection
capabilities by allowing automatic activation
of the ASO-2VM chaff/flare dispensers against
incoming air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles.
The Russian defense electronics industry
has still proven unable to offer an equivalent
to the US Air Force’s Precision Engagement
update implemented on the A-10 Thunderbolt
II fleet. As such, the Su-25SM still lacks a
modern reconnaissance and targeting pod
useful for detection, visual identification
and engagement of ground targets from
extended ranges, day and night, such as
those integrated on its USAF counterpart
in the early/mid-2000s. There were some
hints, made by Sukhoi in May 2013, that the
SM3-standard ‘Frogfoots’ are slated to receive
a night operating capability in the foreseeable
future thanks to the integration of new, as
yet undisclosed, Russian-made targeting
equipment as well as new communications
equipment to enable teaming with UAVs.
The Su-25SM, in its SM guise, also lacks
a modern helmet-mounted cueing system
for steering the on-board sensors and guided
weapons. Furthermore, it is not considered to
be fully suitable for performing nocturnal CAS
missions of the kind routinely demonstrated
by Western air arms for more than a decade,
involving the use of night vision goggles.
There are no plans to adapt the Su-25SM’s
A wonderfully battered Ukrainian
Air Force Su-25 at Ivano-Frankivsk in
2013. Alexander Golz
Peru operates 18 Su-25s with
Grupo Aéreo No 11 at Talara.
Alexander Guk Eduardo Cardenas
cockpit lights or train pilots to use these
relatively low-tech and affordable but
otherwise effective piloting aids.
The so-called special test and evaluation
campaign for the enhanced avionics suite
incorporated in the SM3 standard was
completed in May 2013. Among other testing
tasks, it demonstrated the capability to deliver
four KAB-500S-E bombs on four closely-
spaced targets in a single bomb-dropping pass.
The first five upgraded Su-25s, incorporating
the expanded mission capabilities of the SM3
standard from the outset, were slated to be
delivered to the Air Force in November 2014,
while all the ‘Frogfoots’ upgraded previously
are planned to be brought to this definitive
standard at a later stage.
New-build derivative in sight
Both the previous and current Air Force
C-in-Cs — Col Gen Alexander Zelin and Col
Gen Bondarev — have firmly supported the
opinion that there is simply no replacement
for the tried and tested ‘Frogfoot’ in the
long term other than a new-generation
Su-25. This is required to boast modern
day/night all-digital mission avionics for
deploying new-generation guided munitions
in CAS scenarios. Furthermore, it has to be
extensively protected in order to withstand
heavy damage. The list of requirements also
includes low radar and IR signature as well as
short take-off and landing capabilities.
This concept of a new-generation Su-25
derivative is preferred to an attack derivative
of the Irkut-built Yak-130 jet trainer.
Featuring more powerful engines and armor
January 2015 www.combataircraft.net
21/11/2014 12:50
 RUSSIAN AIR FORCE Su-25 UNITS
Status as of January 1, 2015
Centrally subordinated units
4th State Combat Training, Aircrew
Lipetsk
Conversion and Field Trials Center
968th IISAP Lipetsk One attack instructor-research squadron Su-25SM, Su-25, Su-25UB
929th State Flight Test Institute Akhtubinsk Su-25SM, Su-25, Su-25UB
Training units
209th UAB Borisoglebsk One training squadron Su-25, Su-25UB
Front-line units
Southern Military District
368th ShAP Budyonnovsk Three squadrons Su-25SM, Su-25BM, Su-25UB
960th ShAP Primorsko-Akhtarks Two squadrons Su-25SM, Su-25UB
Unknown SAP Gvardeiskoye One squadron Su-25SM, Su-25UB
Eastern Military District
120th SAP Domna Two squadrons Su-25SM, Su-25, Su-25UB
187th ShAP Tchernigovka Two squadrons Su-25SM, Su-25UB
Central Military District
999th AB Kant (Kyrgyzstan) One flight Su-25SM, Su-25, Su-25UB
Abbreviations
Instructorsky-Izsledovatelsky
IISAP Instructor-Research Composite Aviation Regiment
Smeshannoy Aviatsionny Polk
ShAP Shturmovoy Aviatsionny Polk Attack Aviation Regiment
SAP Smeshanny Aviatsionny Polk Composite Aviation Regiment
AB Aviatsionnaya Basa Aviation Base
UAB Uchebnaya Aviatsionna Basa Training Aviation Base

protection than its LIFT predecessor, this
new attack derivative was promoted under
the Yak-131 designation. But Russian Air
Force commanders eventually decided that
it was ill-suited for the CAS mission due to
insufficient combat survivability features,
especially in respect of pilot armor protection.
Currently in development at Sukhoi under
a program code-named Shershen-EP, also
known as the Prospective Attack Aircraft,
the new-generation Su-25 will combine
the proven, well-protected airframe of the
two-seat ‘Frogfoot’ with the latest digital
mission avionics and precision-guided
weapons in order to continue doing the
dangerous and often unsung CAS work for at
least four decades to come. The design and
development effort, funded by Russia’s State
Armaments Program 2020, was launched
by Sukhoi in 2013. The aim is to define
the detailed design concept of the Su-25
successor, planned to be launched into
production by the end of this decade.
The newly developed ‘Frogfoot’ derivative is
expected to encompass further improvements
in the aircraft’s day/night attack capability,
self-protection suite, datalink connectivity
and all-weather precision-guided weapons.
It is not yet clear if it will be equipped with
a new-generation reconnaissance and
targeting pod or will use a built-in system
with similar capabilities for day/night
operations. A search and targeting radar
is set to be integrated in the aircraft’s
sophisticated targeting suite but no
details have been revealed yet.
It is not yet clear how production of this
aircraft will be organized. Most likely its
fuselage will be made at the Ulan-Ude
Aviation Plant (U-UAP), now controlled by
the Russian Helicopters holding. Ulan-Ude
used to produce the two-seat Su-25UB in
the past and has all the tools as well as the
required expertise and experience. It has
been hinted, however, that final assembly
and pre-delivery ground/flight checks will
be handed over to one of the big plants
controlled by the Sukhoi company,
the main contractor for the program.
The prime candidate for this job is
the Novosibirsk Aviation Production
Organization in Novosibirsk, a Sukhoi
subsidiary currently producing the Su-34
frontal bomber.

One squadron of the Borisoglebsk-based

training center operates around 20 aircraft
for the advanced training of student pilots.
Each student pilot logs between 60-70
flight hours in five months. Andrey Zinchuk

www.combataircraft.net January 2015 81

72-81 Su-25 C.indd 81 21/11/2014 12:50

 SPECIAL REPORT
Right: The Denel
Rooivalk failed to attract
international interest,
and today 11 of these
attack helicopters form
16 Squadron at AFB
Bloemspruit.
This photo: Denel still
operates this Cheetah
D despite the type’s
retirement from
SAAF service.
at a crossroads
SOUTH AFRICAN AIR POWER AT AAD 2014
U
Combat Aircraft reports from Africa Aerospace and Defence ‘ NFORTUNATELY THE
(AAD) 2014, where the current strength of the South African
Air Force was on show as part of an air power demonstration
at Air Force Base Waterkloof on the outskirts of Pretoria.
report and photos: Dr Andreas Zeitler
82
82-85 SAAF C.indd 82
C-130 Hercules cannot
participate in today’s
‘Mini War’ air power
demonstration. The aircraft
had to fly to Lagos on a
relief mission to fly out injured South African
citizens’. This announcement during the
South African Air Force’s commentary at
Africa Aerospace and Defence 2014 (AAD)
this September was a harsh reality check.
It drew a clear picture of the urgent local
need for air transport capabilities, a demand
shared by many other air forces worldwide.
Air transport does not only involve military
operations, but also humanitarian support
missions, these being more often than not the
case on the African continent.
The tasks of the South African Air Force’s
(SAAF) C-130BZ Hercules are manifold in
this respect. The aircraft’s range and payload
capabilities ensure the South African military
can deploy to countries such as Mozambique
and in support of the UN mission to the
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The Hercules also assist in the maritime
January 2015 www.combataircraft.net
20/11/2014 09:34
 environment, conducting long-range patrol
and search and rescue operations that are
beyond the reach of aircraft such as the
C-47TP Dakota, which is still the SAAF’s
main maritime asset (see Combat Aircraft
August 2011). The turboprop-powered Dakota
replaced the radial-engined version of the
C-47 in 1993, and even though extensive
airframe and avionics modifications have
been performed since then, the type is clearly
showing its age, and a replacement in the
form of the Airbus C295 MPA might be on the
horizon.
Without the Hercules, the task of paratroop
support at AAD 2014 was subsequently
assumed by a civilian Cessna. Meanwhile, the
remaining troops and ground vehicles were
prepared on the opposite side of the runway
at Air Force Base Waterkloof, the venue of this
defense exposition. During the rehearsal these
assets were flown in by a C-130BZ specially
marked to celebrate ‘20 Years of Freedom’ —
the anniversary of the end of apartheid and
the first democratic elections in 1994. This
was also the time when the down-sizing of
the SAAF began. At its peak, the air force was
www.combataircraft.net January 2015
82-85 SAAF C.indd 83
larger than some Cold War-era European air
arms and even had a nuclear strike capability
using the Canberra and Buccaneer.
In 1995 a Defense White Paper formed
the basis of a reduction in the number of
Dassault Mirage and Atlas Cheetah jet fighter
squadrons. These were to be cut down to
a single unit of 28 aircraft, together with a
training squadron formed of 24 lead-in fighter
trainers (LIFT) as a replacement for the Impala
MkI and MkII.
Fighter force
The decision to buy 26 Saab Gripens was
announced during November 1998, and the
contract for 19 single-seat Gripen C and nine
two-seat Gripen D jets was signed in 1999.
Subsequently this was amended to 17 Gripen
Cs and nine Gripen Ds. Deliveries started in
2008 and the aircraft joined 2 Squadron at
AFB Makhado. All 26 South African Gripens
had been delivered by spring 2012, but a
major change followed just a year later when
the ANC government announced that 12 of
jets would have to be put in long-term storage
due to budget limitations. With only six
qualified pilots and 150 flying hours available
for a period of nine months, the fast jet force
faced hard times. The fleet is still in a critical
state; however, the SAAF decided against any
long-term storage of the aircraft and instead
opted for a rotation of flying and non-flying
airframes. The latest available figures show the
Gripens to have notched up 3,500 flying hours
since 2008, not a lot for a force of 26 fighters
over six years.
By comparison, the 24 BAE Systems Hawk
Mk120s at 85 Combat Flying School, also
based at Makhado, have accumulated 10,000
flying hours since the entry into service of
the first aircraft with the SAAF in 2005. The
Hawks are used for weapons training and
have a wartime reserve and secondary role
providing visual or photo reconnaissance and
limited close air support and strike. However,
their main task is operational training. At
AAD, 85 CFS presented a smart four-ship
aerobatic routine. This was headed by the
specially-painted Hawk Mk120 serial 267,
which has a stylized gannet painted over a
black tail, applied in 2012 to celebrate the 45th
anniversary of the flying school.
83
20/11/2014 09:34
 Finally, 35 Pilatus PC-7 MkII turboprop
trainers support the flying training of all
SAAF pilots and flying instructors. Their
base at AFB Langebaanweg on the west
coast is also home to the Silver Falcons, the
SAAF’s official aerobatic team.
Rotary-wing assets
While the fast jets are at the forefront of the
SAAF’s power projection capabilities, the
majority of flying assets found in the air
arm’s fleet are helicopters. These are headed
by the Denel Rooivalk attack helicopter, an
indigenous product based on the dynamics
system of the Super Puma. Only 12 examples
of this tandem two-seater were built; after
a hard landing suffered by one example
in 2005, 11 today form 16 Squadron at
AFB Bloemspruit. The helicopter is armed
with an F2 20mm cannon and can carry
external fuel tanks and guided weapons as
well as 70mm rockets under its six external
hardpoints. Its first operational mission
began in 2013 when three white-painted
examples were deployed with the UN
MONUSCO mission in the DRC.
The force of Atlas Oryx (a re-manufactured
Aérospatiale Puma), Agusta A109LUHs
and MBB/Kawasaki BK117s is divided
among four squadrons at Bloemspruit (87
Squadron), Durban (15 Squadron), Port
Elizabeth (15 Squadron, C Flight) and
Hoedspruit (19 Squadron).
84
82-85 SAAF C.indd 84
19 Squadron is located close to the
famous Kruger national park and has an
important role in assisting anti-poaching
missions, as well as search and rescue
(SAR) and transport operations. While
19 Squadron’s Oryx can also be used
for firefighting, the unit’s A109 has a
primary mission of command and control
during combat, a task supported by its
communications equipment.
22 Squadron at AFB Ysterplaat in
Cape Town operates both Oryx and four
Westland Super Lynx 300 maritime
helicopters. The Super Lynx often support
SA Navy frigates and provide ‘over-the-
horizon’ capabilities in addition to SAR
and offensive duties. Despite working from
the decks of Navy vessels and wearing SA
Navy titles, the Super Lynx are operated by
the SAAF.
Regeneration challenge
With the exception of the C-130, all of the
above aircraft were present at the AAD
2014 ‘Mini War’ air power demonstration
at Waterkloof. The game-play focused on
a mission in a ‘nearby’ African country
and put the flying assets to good use.
Just as in real life, the relatively limited
activity of the jet fighter force in this kind
of operation, and the much more extensive
participation by rotary-wing assets, was
a clear sign of the SAAF’s view of its
priorities. This is also represented by its
current squadron set-up, an outcome of the
decisions made in 1995 and subsequent
defense spending cuts.
Nearly 20 years later, however, the
SAAF’s military is in overall decline and
needs another strategy to gain strength —
not only in a military context — on the
African continent. South Africa’s ISS think-
tank has assessed that spending on defense
in Angola and Algeria is respectively 50
per cent and three times greater than that of
South Africa, although ‘neither country has
the political ambitions of South Africa nor
its pretences to continental leadership and
imposing regional stability.’
South Africa’s 2014 Defense Review lays
out a four-phase plan stretching over 20
years that aims to restore the country’s
military effectiveness. With the jet fighter
fleet now in a somehow atrophied state,
the continuous upgrading of the Gripens
will be just as important as providing an
operational fleet large enough to support
the country’s needs. The next important
step will be to rejuvenate the transport fleet.
While the current approach uses chartered
An-124s and Il-76s for military operations,
such measures cannot be in the long-term
interest of a sovereign nation. After its
withdrawal from the A400M program in
2009, South Africa’s moves in this area will
be watched closely.
January 2015 www.combataircraft.net
20/11/2014 09:34
 Left: An Atlas Oryx performs a role demonstration
alongside a Rooivalk, which simulated armed
over-watch.

Below: South Africa has struggled to keep its

Gripens active due to severe budget restrictions,
which has led to rotational storage and a chronic
lack of pilots.

Bottom: 22 Squadron at AFB Ysterplaat operates

both the Westland Super Lynx 300 and the Oryx.
Even though they work from the decks of Navy
vessels and wear Navy titles, the Super Lynx are
operated by the SAAF.

www.combataircraft.net January 2015 85

82-85 SAAF C.indd 85 20/11/2014 09:34

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 EXERCISE REPORT

WTI
Mention the Weapons and Tactics Instructor
(WTI) course, and typically the first thought is
Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, where the US Marine Corps
is pushed to the limits in the sweltering Arizona desert.
report and photos: Ted Carlson/Fotodynamics with additional material by Jamie Deboer

88 January 2015 www.combataircraft.net

88-95 WTI.indd 88 21/11/2014 12:16

 O
RGANIZED BY THE Yuma-
based Marine Aviation
Weapons Tactics Squadron
One (MAWTS-1), WTI
maintains top-end standards
for Marine Corps Tactical
Aviation (TACAIR). MAWTS-1 is comprised
of specialists assigned to a particular aircraft
type or support system, who teach the WTI
students about weapons, delivery profiles
and tactics that will make these Marines
well-rounded and specialist masters of their
trade.
The WTI is a large-force employment
exercise, in a littoral expeditionary
environment — much like a ‘Red Flag’ —
but without actual ground forces to factor in.
MAWTS-1 instructors fly with the students
to give them hands-on training, thus
ensuring standardized advanced tactical
training and certification of unit instructor
qualifications to support Marine aviation
training and readiness.
The latest WTI course officially began
on September 1, 2014, and concluded
on October 19. It contrasted with spring
WTIs that are typically held during the
March/April timeframe. Representative
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88-95 WTI.indd 89
aircraft and crews were present from
across the Marine Corps — this particular
class included 233 students, and almost
every Marine aviation unit had at least
one student present for the seven weeks of
intense learning.
Graduating students become Weapons
Tactics Instructors, and then return to their
squadrons and serve as warfare instructors
and planners for their commands.
View from the top
‘This class we had a smaller TACAIR student
population than we have had in the past, but
a larger rotary-wing population’, commented
the commanding officer of MAWTS-1, Col
James ‘Rainman’ Adams. Col Adams took
the helm of MAWTS-1 on May 22, 2014. He
was winged in 1993, has over 3,500 flight
hours (200 of those being combat hours)
and has flown almost all fixed- and rotary-
winged assets in the USMC inventory. The
majority of his time has been in AH-1Ws,
initially with Marine Light Attack Helicopter
Squadron 367 (HMLA-367). Adams made
several deployments, attended WTI as a
student, was the safety officer, and later
became a MAWTS-1 instructor pilot. He
then went on to HMLA-167 and made some
Marine Expeditionary Unit deployments
with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron
266 (HMM-266). Adams saw action in
Afghanistan and thereafter became the
operations officer at MAWTS-1. His next duty
was as CO of HMLA-367. Later he graduated
from war college and spent a couple years at
the Pentagon. In the process of his move, he
transitioned from flying the ‘Whiskey’ Cobra
to the AH-1Z.
Adams continued: ‘That offset was due
to operational commitments and student
availability. We also had a much larger
command and control footprint out in the
field for this course. Headquarters Marine
Corps required the operational assessment
of one of the new, upcoming command
and control systems (the Common Aviation
Command and Control System Phase 2
— CAC2S Phase 2) that is approaching an
acquisition milestone. It will possibly be
replacing our ‘legacy’ systems, and we had
them co-located side-by-side for comparative
testing. We took feedback and areas of
improvement into account. This project alone
took extra support due to the number of
individuals involved.
The use of live weapons is
a big deal when it comes to
WTI. Almost every available
TACAIR unit took part in the
latest exercise, including
VMFA-312 ‘Checkerboards’
from MCAS Beaufort.
All photos by Ted Carlson
unless credited otherwise
89
21/11/2014 12:17
 A trio of UH-1Ys thumps into action
at dusk, all toting an array of live
weaponry.
‘This class, we had a KC-130J Harvest
HAWK from Marine Aerial Refueler
Transport Squadron 252 (VMGR-252); that
was the first time one had supported us in
a number of years. It can fire Hellfire and
Griffin air-to-ground missiles, and it made
its first appearance this class because we
had the weapons allocated. This was also
our largest class ever of ground infantry
students, who came from all different types
of units spread across the entire Marine
Corps. The training will make them better
Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF)
planners and do their jobs more efficiently.
We had a full Air Officers course, and
unfortunately we always get more applicants
than we can process.
‘Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121
(VMFA-121) F-35Bs participated in six
A UH-1Y crewman unleashes
the power of the GAU-17A
7.62mm minigun.
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88-95 WTI.indd 90
different events, including air-to-air and
suppression of enemy air defense scenarios.
Although this was the third F-35 class in a
WTI, for the first time one mission included
F-35s escorting assault support platforms.
We continue to explore the capabilities
and capacities of the F-35 as the aircraft’s
envelope expands. Our goal is to have
our first official WTI F-35 student class in
spring 2016.
‘The Marines are transitioning to a
digital interoperability concept, where
all tactical platforms are both sensors
and shooters. In past WTIs, we had done
isolated experimentation with specific
pieces of equipment. This WTI we did
a comprehensive integrated experiment
championing this concept, and we
performed a fully digital raid employing
the concept. Included were the planning,
execution, and debrief components,
integrating intelligence updates, ground
force tracking, en route mission planning
for dynamic changes related to enemy
movements; it is very exciting technology.
‘For example, the Marines on board the
‘Hueys’ and CH-53Es had their tablets linked
together in real time, and could view the
imagery from the Harrier that was circling
overhead. The Raid Force commander was
on a CH-53 and could dictate instructions
to all using the tablet. The airborne gateway
system on the aircraft that connects
the networks is the Miniature Aircraft
Instrumentation System (Mini-AIS), which
interacts with a variety of user-defined
datalinks and networks. The system filters
out only the data needed for the task at hand
from the variety of linked systems. We had
many that observed, some that interacted
and monitored it, and it was a success.
‘The old UH-1Ns had a special dedicated
command and control module, but now
with the new ‘Yankee’ model, that capability
is organic to all UH-1Ys. They can all
perform the mission commander role using
SATCOM or the number three radio if tasked
as such. For some events in the course,
we exploit that ability. Eventually we will
probably adapt the Mini-AIS fleet-wide.
Currently it is approved for installation in
a CH-53E or MV-22B. This class we used
both the Osprey and the CH-53E as mission
commander aircraft. Long-term, the goal
is to adapt future-generation, software re-
programmable radios to perform the tasks
that the Mini-AIS is demonstrating today.
‘We had Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare
Squadron 2 (VMAQ-2) here, and the EA-6B
Prowler is scheduled to ‘sundown’ from
the Marines in 2019. Rather than a single
follow-on platform replacing the jet one-
for-one, the mission will be accomplished
via all airborne platforms configured with
January 2015 www.combataircraft.net
21/11/2014 12:17
 MV-22 Ospreys are now regular
participants in the WTI exercises.

electronic warfare equipment, the concept

being known as MAGTF-EW (Marine Air-
Ground Task Force — Electronic Warfare).
Instead of having a dedicated single asset,
we can utilize a multitude of lower-powered
specialized assets, being more configurable
and tunable, spread throughout the
battlespace. This should enable the same
or better results in the end, and we are
experimenting with some of that this class.
‘At the culmination of the exercise, we
try to get as many dissimilar assets as
we can. It presents a very elaborate and
deep air picture for the Blue Air team to
identify and correlate, and some Blue Air
must even perform a defector intercept
scenario. That is done in a very restrictive
rules of engagement (RoE) environment
and involves a lot of new-to-the-student
presentations. Then the RoE become This ‘Vikings’ F/A-18D is configured with
more permissive, followed by large-scale the Advanced Tactical Airborne System
complex presentations. Reconnaissance (ATARS).
‘The course is built on a ‘train the
trainer’ concept. Ideally, if we could get
A pilot from
all aviation-related personnel through VMFA-323 ‘Death
the WTI course, it would significantly Rattlers’ pre-flights
enhance our combat capability. To get his live GBU-12 laser-
them all exposed to the crucible of combat guided bombs prior
in a training environment would make to a WTI mission.
them more effective in future real-world Jamie Deboer
combat situations. Unfortunately that is
not attainable due to fiscal realities and
range space limitations. So the concept was
developed to train a select few individuals
from each unit for the WTI course who
then return to train their squadron-mates.
Thus, not only is it important for them
personally to master and fight using their
own platform, but also they must be
effective instructors in the end to impart
the knowledge and make their unit better.
‘The success we have had in combat since
WTI and MAWTS-1 was founded in 1978
demonstrates how well this concept works.
WTI graduates have been the planners of

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 ‘We continue to explore the
capabilities and capacities of the
F-35 as the aircraft’s envelope
expands. Our goal is to have our
first official WTI F-35 student
class in spring 2016’
Col James ‘Rainman’ Adams

A fine study of the underside of a ‘Checkerboard’ F/A-18C. Note

that the position of the ATFLIR targeting pod on the shoulder
station has dictated an asymmetric load so as to prevent pod
masking by the drop tank.

The undercarriage tucks away as a VMFA-312 F/A-18C launches out of Yuma. during WTI.

numerous global military operations and

A pair of VMA-214 ‘Blacksheep’ Harrier IIs head out to the ranges. Note that the aircraft nearest
the camera is a ‘Night Attack’ AV-8B whereas the flight lead is an AV-8B Plus ‘radar bird’. in theaters. If you talk with them, they will
acknowledge that their real-world efforts
are often a duplication of what they did at
WTI. In theater, this graduate-level training
is something they have already experienced
while in a high-pressure, large-scale training
environment.
‘Students must meet the pre-requisites
before being allowed to attend the course.
We prefer student nominations that will
return to the fleet with at least 18 months
post-graduation still ahead of them. Our
Weapons and Tactics Training Program
(WTTP), the Marine Corps order that
supports the conduct of the WTI course,
includes that payback as a requirement.
After they return to the squadron, the pilots
become training officers. WTI focuses on
how to employ the MAGTF, integrate all
the capabilities that are requisite within
the MAGTF, and how it ties the joint
forces together. There is a lot of academic
instruction, followed by practical

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88-95 WTI.indd 92 21/11/2014 12:18


application of tying it all together, focused
on expeditionary scenarios.
‘We cannot do WTI without the support
of the commanders, squadrons, opposition
forces, the air station infrastructure,
facilities, and associated personnel — they
are ultimately responsible for making
this valuable training happen. In fact, the
base triples in size to accommodate each
WTI course. It is the unit’s money, their
machines, and they come here to become
the nucleus of the WTI course. The fleet
wants the end result of a well-trained
Weapons and Tactics Instructor. These
individuals are the key to a commander’s
readiness. With the continued support of the
fleet, we always deliver!’
‘MAWTS Ops’
The MAWTS-1 operations officer is Major
(Lt Col select) Doug ‘Psycho’ Seich, an
F/A-18 pilot by trade. With over 3,000
F/A-18 flight hours under his belt, he
also augments Marine Fighter Training
www.combataircraft.net January 2015
88-95 WTI.indd 93
WTI FACT FILE
There are three phases of the WTI course:
academic, flight operations, and the final
exercise (FINEX). Students receive formal
classroom instruction from MAWTS-1
instructors in the academic phase one. They
study areas such as threat analysis, tactics,
weapons systems employment, aviation
training management, and integrated
operational planning. There is also
participation by special guest speakers with
real-life experiences.
Flying begins in phase two, which
reinforces academic objectives with hands-
on experience. For phase three, MAWTS-1
and the students plan and carry out a
fully-combined-arms exercise during the
FINEX phase. Yuma is the central control site
for a co-ordinated aviation operation that
involves thousands of support personnel
from throughout the Marine Corps and
around 100 US and allied combat aircraft.
Other participants in the latest WTI
included opposition forces (OPFOR)
WTI participants included an opposition force
(OPFOR) adversaries such as this Mi-24 ‘Hind-D’.
Squadron 401 (VMFT-401), where he
flies the F-5N. He has served with Marine
All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 242
(VMFA(AW)-242) for two tours, was a
MAWTS-1 Hornet instructor pilot, and also
flew with VMFA(AW)-224. Seich added:
‘To initiate the steps for the upcoming WTI,
our battle rhythm begins with a ‘hot wash’
right after the previous WTI — essentially
what went wrong, what measures we can
take to build upon it, and how we can
improve WTI. We start our planning about
five to six months in advance. Then we
have three planning conferences. For that,
we shut down the whole building and
everyone is basically sequestered so we
can remain focused on the task at hand. We
make freezes and lock in details.
‘There is a lot of co-ordination that goes
on — we must work closely with our sister
services to make things happen. The units
like being players in the exercise since they
too will get a lot of great training out of it.
WTI is kind of like a ‘Red Flag’ since they are
adversaries comprising Mi-24 ‘Hind-D’
and An-2, Hawker business-type jets,
ex-Republic of Korea Air Force Hawk
Mk67s operated by Air USA, US Air Force
64th Aggressor Squadron (AGRS) F-16C/
Ds and 65th AGRS F-15C/Ds (the 65th
de-activated soon after), US Air Force and
NATO E-3 AWACS (for the Air Intercept
Control mission), USAF E-8C Joint STARS
for command and control, KC-135R
Stratotankers, Davis-Monthan-based
A-10Cs and an Omega 707 tanker. An RQ-20
Puma hand-launched unmanned aircraft
system was fielded for close air support
reconnaissance.
A complete command and control system
is operational in the Yuma Training Range
Complex during WTI. Both inert and live
ordnance is used, this involving an array of
different weapons. Ground combat, combat
support, and combat service support
officers attend to aid with the air-to-ground
interface.
being asked to play at the very top of their
game. They are often repeat customers since
they realize they receive high-value training
from the course. There are ground-based
oppositional forces, emitters, command and
control, making the training realistic and
high-tech. The WTI students here are our
recipe to success, and they instill standards
into the squadron-mates and sister squadrons
they train after they return.
‘Depending on the class, events and
participants will vary depending on unit
availability and new technologies. This
course, we had a lot of ADTE (Advanced
Development Test and Evaluation); our
cyber warfare department is growing and
doing well, and we also performed a lot of
digital interoperability testing, coupled with
supporting personnel.’
Acknowledgments: Col Jim ‘Rainman’ Adams
(CO); Maj (Lt Col select) Doug ‘Psycho’ Seich
(OPSO), Cpl James Marchetti (Yuma PAO), and
the many other personnel of MAWTS-1.
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21/11/2014 12:18
 ‘SNIPER’ SUPPORT
A VMFT-401 ‘Snipers’ F-5N heads out to tangle with
the WTI students. Ted Carlson/Fotodynamics
‘Lucky Sniper!’ That’s a common saying in US
Marine Corps cockpits over the skies of Yuma
during WTI. The ‘Snipers’ are the F-5 pilots of
VMFT-401, the only adversary squadron in the
Marine Corps. The unit, which humorously uses
the tailcode ‘LS’ on all of its aircraft, was activated
in March 1986 at Yuma, and a year later began to
receive a number of Israeli Kfirs, known as F-21As
in their brief US military service. By 1989 the
nimble F-5E Tiger II arrived, providing a cheap
air-to-air adversary capability. After several
years, the E-models began to show their age
and were replaced by low-hour F-5E/Fs acquired
from the Swiss Air Force, the ‘E-models’ being
re-designated as F-5Ns.
Lt Col Robert ‘Yank’ Cooper, who recently
left his position as the commanding officer of
the ‘Snipers’, explained that although the F-5
can’t replicate the world’s latest fighter threats,
unit tactics make up for this: ‘We mitigate that
with the training standards our pilots have and
also use ground controllers and range training
officers to give us an edge. They provide us with
off-board situational awareness that gives us
some assistance as to how the battle is unfolding.
Combining all this helps us punch above our
weight class’. The F-5 also has a small visual
signature, which assists the pilots in air-to-air
combat. Many pilots often say they never saw the
F-5s coming, even with a heads-up on the radar.
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88-95 WTI.indd 94
Unlike most adversary aircraft in the US
military, the F-5 has no head-up display or
recording capability, so the pilots rely on
the GPS pod hung on the wingtip, where an
AIM-9 Sidewinder would normally be found.
After flights the pilots go ‘across the street’ to
MAWTS-1 to bring back the recordings from the
Tactical Aircrew Combat Training System. The
TACTS range helps the pilots determine a lot of
information but it’s the pilots’ knowledge and
experience during the debriefs that really helps.
Cooper noted: ‘At the squadron we prefer face-
to-face debriefs as much as possible.’
Another difference compared to most
adversary aircraft is the lack of a centerline fuel
tank. Lt Col Cooper explained: ‘We always fly
‘clean’, unlike the Navy [adversaries], because
we don’t want g limits when maneuvering. That
only gives us about 50 minutes of tactical fuel. It
doesn’t really affect us when flying out of Yuma
because we can be in the fight in five minutes
and we can bingo out of the fight with very little
fuel left in the tanks’. The F-5 also has a very short
time between sorties with some aircraft flying
three times in a day.
The mission capability rates are well above
most aircraft in the inventory. Many of the
mechanics have done a 20-year tour and
then come to the squadron as contractors for
Sikorsky, which has the contract to perform
maintenance on the F-5s. ‘We have about 85 per
cent mission-capable rates. It’s cheap to fly and
easy to get in the air’, said Cooper.
‘Even though we are a reserve squadron, we
fly like an active-duty squadron because we
are always on call to support the active duty
squadrons’. The commanding officer of the
‘Snipers’ is always an active-duty lieutenant
colonel and structure is very different to most
reserve squadrons. Most reserve squadrons go
heavy on the reserve pilots and light on the full-
time active-duty pilots. Lt Col Cooper explained:
‘For us, we have nine full-time pilots and we have
nine reserve pilots. The full-time pilots get a lot
of flight time and keep the squadron running as
the reservists flow in and out.’
When the squadron was established, the
main mission in mind was to support MAWTS-1
and WTI. The former MAWTS-1 commanding
officer, Col Gering, said it best when he stated
that WTI could not happen without having the
squadron in Yuma. The flying portion of a WTI
lasts about five weeks, and in that time the
‘Snipers’ support every type-model series in the
USMC inventory. Lt Col Cooper stated: ‘When
people think of adversary training they think
of fixed-wing aircraft, but we also support the
rotary-wing side as well as the transport side.
We dogfight against C-130s. You don’t see that
anywhere else!’
January 2015 www.combataircraft.net
21/11/2014 12:18

But the squadron does much more than
WTI. Its support structure is divided into five
categories. The number one customer is
MAWTS, which is co-located at Yuma. As well as
WTI, the ‘Snipers’ certify instructors throughout
the fleet, which is the second priority for the
squadron. The third is to support VMFT-101,
which is at Miramar. The unit aids VMFT-101 in
its initial pilot training requirement by providing
Red Air for the new Hornet pilots. The fourth
priority is to provide any other Marine Corps
fleet support not associated with a MAWTS
certification, such as pre-deployment training
and unit-level training. This task often gets the
‘Snipers’ out of Yuma as they travel around the
US. Lt Col Cooper explained: ‘We detach or
deploy about nine times a year. It’s always in the
United States. While we often go to Miramar or
Beaufort; we’ve gone to Vermont to support the
Air National Guard with their F-16s or Key West
to support East Coast Hornets that are about
to deploy. It’s always good to get away from
the home field; it’s great training. Any month
WTI is not in session, we are going somewhere’.
The fifth and final priority is to support sister
services as requested. This mission can also
include assistance to coalition partners.
VMFT-401 currently operates 10 single-seat
F-5Es and a pair of two-seat F-5Fs. Lt Col Cooper
stated: ‘I’ve seen 26 sorties in one day. With 12
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88-95 WTI.indd 95
‘Snipers’ pilots are all highly
experienced, most averaging
more than 2,500 flight hours in
tactical fighters. Jamie Deboer
aircraft and two always in depot and another in
phase maintenance, you are talking about nine
aircraft on the ramp. Some pilots are doing three
sorties a day during WTI.’
The training program is performed very
quickly once the squadron gets a pilot from
the fleet. ‘We can have them soloing in a
few days. It’s two duals (in the F-5F) with an
instructor pilot in the back seat followed by
some flights with an instructor on the wing’,
said Cooper. The new F-5 pilot has to get an air
combat maneuvering qualification followed
by becoming a Red Air wingman, where he
sharpens his knowledge on threat tactics and
missile capabilities before assuming the role
of a section and division lead. ‘We have to be
efficient. We can do 4,000 sorties in a year’, said
Cooper.
The 18 pilots that make up the squadron are
all highly experienced, with most averaging
more than 2,500 flight hours in tactical fighters
such as the Hornet. To be a pilot you have to be
at least a division lead and an air combat tactics
instructor before you can apply. The majority
usually have two tours under their belt. ‘While
most ‘Sniper’ pilots come from flying F/A-18
Hornets, we also currently have an AV-8B Harrier
II pilot on staff as well as an Air Force exchange
pilot’, said Cooper. All of them have some
weapons school qualifications under their belts,
such as a WTI or TOPGUN, and combat tours in
Iraq and/or Afghanistan.
The bulk of flying for the ‘Snipers’ consists of
air-to-air versus F/A-18s, soon to be joined by
F-35s. These missions are usually two-ships and
are often conducted at 10,000 to 20,000ft. Once
there is a visual on the target, the game of basic
fighter maneuvering (BFM) begins. As training
progresses, the ‘Snipers’ can launch a four-ship
flight to make things more interesting for new
pilots.
Besides BFM, the F-5s are also used to help
train other USMC squadrons. During WTI, the
‘Snipers’ conduct missions with all other fixed-
wing aircraft such as the EA-6Bs and C-130s.
These missions are called Def Tac, which stands
for Defensive Tactics. Sorties consist of evasive
maneuvering procedures with EA-6Bs and
KC-130s to help crews spot an enemy fighter and
keep them away long enough to bring in some
fixed-wing fighters to eliminate the threat. ‘We
do a lot of fighting with the KC-130 at 500ft’, said
Cooper. ‘It’s pretty exciting.’
The Prowler and Hercules missions are
about Blue Air seeing the threat and staying
alive. The ‘Snipers’ also conduct evasive
maneuvering and tactics with the Marine
helicopter fleet of AH-1s, CH-53s, UH-1s and
also the MV-22. The Cobra is the only one that
can shoot back, since the new AH-1Z can be
armed with the AIM-9 Sidewinder.
The introduction of the F-35 into USMC service
is providing a challenge to the ‘Snipers’. The F-35B
is considered to be the world’s most advanced
fifth-generation fighter, its capabilities offering
huge advantages over ‘Snipers’ pilots who fly
against it in an aircraft whose basic design dates
back to the 1950s. While there is often talk about
updating the F-5’s avionics and radar, this is yet
to be finalized.
Another issue likely to increase the sortie
rates is the need to address initial pilot training
for the F-35. The new F-35 pilots are going to
need real adversary training so they can learn
to fight with their new jets in the air-to-air role.
This is likely to come from the ‘Snipers’. The
Pilot Training Center and VMFT-501 recently
started the first F-35B Lightning II pilot training
course at MCAS Beaufort, also known as the
F-35B Safe for Solo course. This 12-week course
is the formal instruction period that trains and
certifies pilots to fly the F-35B.
After 10 years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan,
where US aircraft faced few if any air-to-air
adversaries, many have argued that modern
dogfighting is a thing of the past, but one must
only look at the emerging threats facing the US
military in the Pacific Rim to realize that things
can change very quickly.
When asked what the future holds, Lt Col
Cooper ended by saying: ‘The ‘Snipers’ will
continue to train Marine pilots in the skills
necessary to achieve air superiority against all
current and future enemies.’
Since this interview was conducted, Lt Col
Cooper has been selected for colonel as he
begins command of Marine Air Group 31.
Jamie Deboer
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21/11/2014 12:19

USMC WANTS MISSILES
FOR OSPREYS
This recent photograph
of an MV-22B assigned
to Bell’s XworX facility
clearly shows trials of a
new rocket pod on the
port side of the nose.
Mike Keaveney
T
HE US
MARINE
Corps wants to
add precision-guided
munitions — most likely
forward-firing missiles — to its growing
fleet of Bell Boeing MV-22 Osprey tilt-
rotor transports.
‘Enhanced offensive weapon systems
on the MV-22 will provide increased
capabilities for the SPMAGTF-CR and
employment options to the combatant
commander’, the Marines’ 2015 aviation
plan explains.
SPMAGTF-CR stands for Special
Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force
— Crisis Response. It’s a new kind of
combined air and infantry unit the US
Marine Corps is establishing in world hot-
spots in order to respond quickly to crises
such as civil wars and terrorist attacks.
These task forces and other Marine
formations ‘will require an assortment
of lightweight precision weapons with
scalable lethality’, the document adds.
96
96 Cutting Edge c.indd 96
Dispatches from the
front line of aerospace
technology
In other words,
the Marines
want to be able
to hit small targets
in crowded conditions
without risking civilian
casualties. Think a chaotic
political coup in which insurgent
fighters mix with demonstrators or
refugees.
Separately, the 2015 aviation
plan — which details the Marines’
aircraft investments — specifies that
the Corps will upgrade its planned
fleet of 388 Ospreys with new targeting
sensors in addition to the ‘enhanced
weapon system’.
The plan predicts that by 2019, the
Marines will begin replacing today’s main
Hellfire, TOW and Maverick air-to-ground
missiles with a single new weapon, the
Lockheed Martin Joint Air-to-Ground
Munition, or JAGM. The 100lb JAGM
combines a new seeker with laser and radar
guidance with the existing warhead and
motor of the latest Hellfire.
But that doesn’t mean the MV-22 will
necessarily carry JAGMs. The Marines
could opt to fit a smaller weapon, such
as the 45lb Raytheon Griffin missile. The
Corps has purchased six so-called Harvest
HAWK weapons kits — which include
Griffins — and modified 10 of its KC-130J
tankers to carry the kits.
In any event, adding more armament
to the Osprey might be a terrible idea.
by David Axe
‘Adding more armament
to the Osprey might be a
terrible idea. The MV-22
is a lightly-protected,
aerodynamically fickle
machine that performs
best when it avoids a fight’
The MV-22 is a
lightly-protected,
aerodynamically fickle
machine that performs best
when it avoids a fight.
At present, Marine MV-22s
routinely carry only a single heavy
machine gun on their rear ramps for
suppressive fire, strictly in a rearward
direction. A remote-controlled belly
turret is also available, but the device
is heavy and awkward and the Marines
have never copped to using it in actual
combat.
Instead, mission planners take care to
route the complex tilt-rotors around the
heaviest enemy defenses. And when they
fail to do so, the consequences can be
disastrous.
In December 2013, three US Air Force
CV-22s were flying over Bor in South
Sudan, en route to rescue American
citizens stranded in the country’s
simmering civil war, when gunmen on the
ground opened fire. Bullets and fragments
punched right through the tilt-rotors’
unarmored bellies, injuring four special
operators.
Three of the wounded troops were
in critical condition and nearly died
as the damaged Ospreys aborted their
mission and limped to Entebbe airport in
neighboring Uganda. Aerial tankers had to
fly alongside to replenish fuel leaking from
punctured tanks.
In adding missiles, the Marines seem
to be telegraphing their intention to send
Ospreys directly into harm’s way. The
JAGM missile might be able to hit targets
as far away as five miles, but that doesn’t
guarantee that enemy defenders won’t have
a chance to shoot back.
January 2015 www.combataircraft.net
21/11/2014 12:25
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