A I R P O W E R S U R V E Y

IN 2001, the Romanian Air Force continued theprocess of re-organisation which began in May2000. In structure it has moved towards asmaller, more flexible and cost-effective force,using the concept of integrated airbases,similar to a US Air Force wing. This has meantthe relocation of certain units and the closureof certain airbases (such as lanca, Tecuci,Tuz la , Caransebes) in l ine w i th the newapproach.

The Statuì Major al Fortelor Aeriene or SMFA(Air Force Headquar te rs ) has under itscommand Divizia 1 Aerianã (1st Air Division) atPloiesti, which is charged with the air defenceof the Eastern region of Romanian nationalterritory. Divizia 2 Aerianã (2nd Air Division)at Timisoara is charged with the air defence ofthe Western region. The Air Divisions, in turn,control directly subordinated Airbases andtheir component Groups and Sguadrons.

Baza 57 Aerianã Vânãtoare (57th FighterAirbase) is located at Mihail Kogãlniceanuairport, near the city of Constanta on theBlack Sea. The a i rbase houses the 57thFighter Group, with two MiG-29 squadrons,a long w i th the 143rd R e c o n n a i s s a n c eSquadron, equipped with Tupolev VR-3 RejsUAVs, and (since November 2001) a searchand rescue ( S A R ) he l i cop te r squadronequipped with IAR-316B Alouette Ills and IAR-330 Pumas, from the former 59th Helicopterairbase at Tuzla. This squadron's primarymission is SAR over the Black Sea.

Similarly, Baza 93 Aerianã (93rd Airbase) atG ia rma ta , near T im isoa ra , opera tes twosquadrons equipped with MiG-21 Lancer A(ground attack single-seater) and Lancer B(ground attack two seater/trainer); a squadronwhich includes all the remaining MiG-23s; andthe 141st Reconnaissance Squadron. The latteris equipped with AAI Corporation Shadow 600unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) and took over allreconnaissance missions at the base followingthe retirement of MiG-21Rs (local designationMÍG-21C). The IAR-316B and IAR-330helicopters of the former 73rd HelicopterGroup at Caransebes Airbase (which has beendisbanded) have also been integrated withinone squadron at the 93rd Airbase.

Baza 86 Aerianã (86th Airbase) at Fetesti-Borcea houses the 861st Squadron, whoseinventory includes the Lancer A and Lancer B.

The 95th Airbase at Bacãu has changed itst i t le to Cen t ru l 95 Trecere pe Av ioaneSupersonice (95th Supersonic Jet ConversionCentre). It operates two squadrons equippedwith all three versions of the upgraded MiG-21

One of the more successful MiG-21 upgrade programmes, the Aerostar Lancer has been developedby (prime contractor) Aerostar of Romania and Elbit of Israel, and a total of 102 aircraft have beenmodified to date. An unusual white outline is painted on this two-seat Lancer B. KEY - STEVE FLETCHER

Lancer and prov ides convers ion and basictraining for future Lancer pilots. On this base,there is a helicopter squadron with IAR-316Bsand IAR-330S taken over from the former 96thHelicopter Group at Tecuci, which has beendisbanded. A handful of An-2s is also operatedfrom Bacãu.

The 67th Fighter Bomber Group and the FlightTest Centre, both situated at Craiova airfield,merged in 2001 under the t i t le Centrul 67Pregãtire Operational Avansatã si Incercãri inZbor (67th Advanced Operational Training andFlight Test Centre), operating a squadron of IAR-99s.

Baza 71 Ae r i anã V â n ã t o a r e (71st FighterA i r b a s e ) a t Câmpia Turz i i ope ra tes twosquadrons of MiG-21 Lancers, and was the fourthand last base to take the type into the inventoryin early 2001. A small number of An-2 utilityaircraft also operate from Câmpia Turzii.

Two squadrons of non-upgraded MiG-21s arestill operated by the Baza 91 Aerianã Vânãtoare(91st Fighter Airbase) at Deveselu.

The only unit equipped with the upgraded IAR-330 Puma SOCAT helicopter is the Grupul 61Elicoptere (61st Helicopter Group) at Titu-Boteniairfield. It has 24 helicopters on strength, in twosquadrons, in both attack and transport roles. Athird squadron is equipped with standard (non-upgraded) IAR-330S.

Grupul 58 Elicoptere (58th Helicopter Group)at Sibiu airfield operates a squadron of IAR-330sand a squadron of IAR-316Bs.

Sha r i ng runways on the c o u n t r y ' s mostimpor tan t a i r f i e l d , B u c h a r e s t - O t o p e n iInternational Airport, is Baza Aerianã 90 (90thAi r l i f t Base) which operates several types offixed-wing aircraft, including An-24s, An-26s, C-130B Hercules's, as well as helicopters - namelyMi-8s, IAR-330 Pumas, IAR-316B Alouette I l lsanda SA 365N Dauphin.

Academia Fortelor Aeriene 'Henri Coandã' (theAir Force Academy) at Brasov is responsible fortraining future Romanian Air Force pilots. In thefirst year, init ial training is undertaken with

A total of 24 IAR-99 Soims are to serve with the Romanian Air Force, in the advanced trainingrole. The aircraft is a development of the earlier IAR-99 Standard. KEY - ALAN WARNES

Escadrila 21 Aviatie Secala (21st Basic TrainingSquadron) based at Brasov airfield and equippedwith lak-52 trainers (relocated from Focsaniairfield). Flight training in subsequent years isprovided by the Secala de Aplicatie a FortelorAer iene 'Aurei V la icu ' (Air Force OperationSchool) at Boboc, using L-29, L-39ZA, IAR-316Band An-2.

A fighter bomber-squadron equipped with MiG-21 Lancers, two attack helicopter squadrons anda C-130 transport aircraft is assigned as the airarm of a quick reaction force.

In keep ing w i th the s t r u c t u r a l andorganisational changes within the Romanian AirForce, it is now intended to refurbish only someof the MiG-29 Fulcrums in the inventory, asmaller number than the 18 originally planned.Approval for the requirement is expected to begiven at the end of 2002/3 and a budget ofaround US $50 million is being allocated. Aswell as the overhaul, a minimum upgrade is alsointended on the communications, navigation andIFF systems to ensure their compatibility withNATO aircraf t . A star t ing point for such anupgrade could be the MiG-29 Sniper presented in2000 as a company demonstrator by Aerostar,Elbit Systems and DASA (now EADS-Germany).

Delivery of the upgraded MiG-21 Lancer fromAeros ta r SA in Bacãu to the four a i rbasesoperating the type is nearing completion, anddeliveries of the upgraded IAR-330 Puma SOCATfrom IAR SA Brasov are currently under way.The long-postponed production of the IAR-99Soim, fitted with modern avionics by Avioane SACraiova, f ina l ly began in 2001 and the f i rstaircraft was delivered on August 1 (see News -First Romanian Soim Delivered).

Older equipment in the inventory, even if noto f f i c i a l l y re t i red, has been removed fromoperational service and is awaiting a decision forsale or scrap. The IAR-93s were grounded in1998, and the H-5s in 2001. In the mid-1990s,the Romanian Air Force sold most of its IAR-823s to civil users, and in 2000 ten of its L-39ZAs were purchased by a dealer in the US.Several earlier L-29s are available for sale, andw i l l a l m o s t c e r t a i n l y be rep laced by theindigenous IAR-99. Although the defencebudget fo r 2002 has been subs tan t i a l l yincreased compared to previous years, to US$1,004.35 million (a f igure which represents2.47% of Gross Domestic Product [GDP]), itleaves little funding available for new materielpurchases, and the acquisition of new aircraftwill only be possible after 2004. DANUT VLAD

AOB ROMANIAN AIR FORCE(FORTELE AERIENE ROMANE)

See the Romanian Air Force in Transition article lastmonth - September 2002, p58-63

36 October 2002

Romania

2002 • European Air Power Survey

Serbia & MontenegroDESPITE THE fact that the Federal Republic ofYugoslavia has faced many years of economiccrises, its Air Force has never suffered from asignificant lack of finance. However, the RV iPVO (Yugoslav Air Force) did respond tointernationally-agreed obligations, allowingYugoslavia possession of 155 combat aircraftand 53 attack helicopters. After the conflict inBosnia-Herzegovina came to an end, all thecoun t r ies wh ich d i r ec t l y or i nd i rec t l yparticipated signed the Sub-regional ArmsControl Agreement. In accordance with thatagreement, Yugoslavia destroyed or withdrewfrom service a significant part of the RV i PVOfleet. The next major problem for the RV iPVO came during 1999 when NATO launchedair strikes over Yugoslavia in response to theKosovo crisis. During the ensuing conflict, theRV i PVO lost half of its inventory of combataircraft, and most of its infrastructure washeavily damaged. As result of the Kosovo war,the RV i PVO lost the strategical ly- locatedSlatina Air Base, near Pristina, and today stillhas no control over the air space of the southSerbian province of Kosovo.

Cur ren t l y , Serb ia and Montenegro arereorganising the country's armed forces, whichare still officially named Vojska Jugoslavije (orVJ - Yugoslav Army). As a conseguence ofth is, f rom March 1, 2002, the RV i PVOHeadguarters based at Zemun, near Belgrade,ceased to exist. Instead, the Air DefenceCorps , compr is ing the in te rceptor uni tseguipped with MiG-21 and MiG-29 fighters, airdefence missile units eguipped with SA-3 Goaand SA-6 Gainful SAM systems and the 126thAi r Su rve i l l ance , Repor t ing and GroundControlled Intercept Brigade, came under thedirect command of the VJ Headguarters inBelgrade. Also now directly subordinate to theArmy HO in Belgrade are the Aviation Corps(Ai r Force Bases and al l other RV i PVOaircraft) and formerly independent units.

The RV i PVO's level of operational readinessis low, mainly because of the damage inflictedon the infrastructure during the war and thelack of fuel/spare parts. In addition, the MomaStanojlovic aircraft overhaul facility, located atBatajnica Air Base, suffered heavy damageduring NATO's Operation ALLIED FORCE. As a

AOB: SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO AIR FORCEThe following institutions and forces are under the directcommand of VJ General Staff

The main transport type of the air force of Serbia and Montenegro is the ubiquitous An-26 Curl, sevenof which still serve with 677 Transport Squadron at Batajnica. An unusual feature of this aircraft isthat its serial number (71362) is repeated on the rear fuselage ahead of the tailplane. The aircraft isseen at Golubovci (Podgorica) airfield in Montenegro. IGOR SALINGER

result, its ability to maintain and overhaul RV iPVO aircraft is questionable.

At the moment, Serbia and Montenegro arefacing urgent reguirements for the replacementof obsolete RV i PVO helicopters and combataircraft. There is strong lobbying within the RV iPVO from the fighter aviation sector, which iskeen to secure the purchase of new multi-rolefighters that will replace the fleet of some 30MiG-21s and the five remaining MiG-29 fighters.However, the current state of the economy issuch that it is highly unlikely Yugoslavia will beable to purchase any new combat aircraft in thenear future. The future of the RV i PVO fixed-wing fighter fleet has been called into question,with some military analysts suggesting thatSerbia and Montenegro should perhaps build upa strong and sophisticated air defence systembased purely on surface-to-air missiles.

The current t i t le 'Yugoslav Air Force' wi l lp robably be changed to the Serb ia andMontenegro Air Force in the near future as aresult of a landmark agreement that was signedbetween Serbia and Montenegro on March 14this year. Under the terms of this agreement,the two remaining partners of the YugoslavFederat ion w i l l soon become two semi-independent s ta tes , running their owneconomies, currencies and customs systems.However, they will retain a federal presidency

VOC G-4/G-4M, Mi-8

UTVA-75, GazelleVZ 'Moma Stanojlovic1

353.iae Orao IJ-22 / INJ-22MÌG-21R Fishbed-H

677.trae An-26, Yak-40Án-2TD, DO-28D-2

VaK, HO Topcider, BeogradAir Force Bases161.VD

177.VD285.VD423.VD98.lbap, HO Ladjevci241.lbae Orao J-22/NJ-22252.lbae Orao J-22/NJ-22

Super Caleb G-4119.hbr, HO Nis712.pohe Gazelle-GAMA714.pohe Gazelle-GAMA787.trhe Mi-8890.mhe Mi-8, Gazelle-HERA172.abr, HO Golubovci239.lbae UTVA-75242.lbae Super Caleb G-4251.ae UTVA-75897.mhe Mi-8, Gazelle-HERA

Batajnica

BatajnicaLadjevciBatajnicaBatajnica/Nis

NisBatajnicaLadjevciGolubovci

LadjevciBatajnica

NisLadjevciNisKovin

GolubovciGolubovciKovinGolubovci

and wi l l share defence and fore ign pol icyob l igat ions. On Apr i l 25, as part of thenorma l i sa t ion of re la t ions w i t h NATO,Yugoslavia 's federal government decided toapply for membership of NATO's Partnership forPeace programme, the f i r s t step towardseventual membership of the alliance.

IGOR BOZINOVSKI

Once ine backbone of the ground attack component of the air force of the former Yugoslavia, only17 SOKO J-22 Oraos now equip two squadrons of the re-structured Serbia and Montenegro AirForce. This example is seen at Batajnica airfield with a number of weather-protected Fishbeds Inthe background. ALEKSANDAR RADIC

KoPVO HO Banjica, Beograd204.iap, HO Batajnica126.lae MiG-21bis/MiG-21UM Batajnica127.lae MiG-29 (9-12B)/MiG-29UB Batajnica(the only aviation component present in the KoPVO)

Abbreviations (Note unit designations are in lower case)abr avijaciska brigada = Aviation Brigadeae avijaciska eskadrila = Aviation Squadronhbr helikopterska brigada = Helicopter Brigadeiae izvidjacka avijaciska eskadrila = Reconnaissance

Aviation SguadronKoPVO Korpus Protivvozdusne Odbrane = Air Defence CorpsIae lovacka avijaciska eskadrila = Fighter Aviation Sqnlap lovacki avijaciski puk = Fighter Aviation RegimentIbae lovacko-bombarderska avijaciska eskadrila =

Fighter-bomber Aviation SquadronIbap lovacko-bombarderski avijaciski puk = Fighter-

Bomber Aviation Regimentmhe mesovita helikopterska eskadrila - Mixed Helicopter

Squadronpone protivoklopna helikopterska eskadrila = Anti-

Armour Helicopter Squadrontrae transportna avijaciska eskadrila = Transport Aviation

Squadrontrhe transportna helikopterska eskadrila = Transport

Helicopter SquadronVaK Vazduhoplovni Korpus = Aviation Corpsvb vazduhoplovna baza = Air Force BaseVJ Vojska Jugoslavije = Yugoslav Army (still official

name of Serbia and Montenegro Army)VOC Vazduhoplovni Opitni Centar = Aeronautical

Research and Test CentreVZ - Vazduhoplovni Zavod = Aviation Overhaul Facility

www.airforeesmonthly.com 37

SlovakiaIN M A R C H 2002, the S lovak par l iamentaccepted Defence Minister J Stank's NATO-oriented defence plan and doctrine, entitledthe Long-term Plan for the Slovak Forces2010. A c c o r d i n g to tha t paper, theorganisational structure of the air force willcons is t of the f o l l o w i n g : an A i r ForceHeadguarters (at Zvolen); an Air OperationsControl Centre; an air force tactical base withfighter wing and transport sguadron (Sliac); ahelicopter base with integral helicopter wing(Presov); an air defence brigade with two Kub(SA-6 Gainful) anti-aircraft missile groups; andone S-300 (SA-10 Crumble) a n t i - a i r c r a f tmissile group.

Kuchyna and Sliac Air Force bases will beupg raded and m a i n t a i n e d to suppor toperat ions, t ra in ing, exe rc i ses , and HostNat ion Suppor t a c t i v i t i e s w i t h in thePartnership for Peace (PfP) agreement. TheAir Force base at Presov will be upgraded andmaintained for normal operations and as aback-up for host nation support act iv i t ies.The military airfield at the former air academyat Kosice wil l be c losed, along with thetransport base at Piestiany.

Cu r ren t a i r f o r c e egu ipment is ma in l yconsidered to be elderly and obsolete. All theaircraft other than the MiG-29s will reach theend of their airframe life by 2010 and the costof upgrading the Slovak Air Force will be high.The modernisation plans are designed to meetall the tasks and requirements of the militarystrategy, to support national and internationalm iss ions and to be N A T O - c o m p a t i b l e ina c c o r d a n c e w i t h S T A N A G (NATOStandardisat ion Agreement ) 4555. Thisstructure embodies proposals presented in astudy submitted to the Slovak MoD by NATO-COMAIRNORTH.

A l though a c o m p r e h e n s i v e acqu is i t i onstrategy is being developed for a new multi-role combat aircraft, the MiG-29 will remain thecen t rep iece of the sh r i nk ing air arm.Bratislava has been holding talks with Russo-German MiG Aircraft Product Support aboutthe potential upgrade of Slovakia's 24 MiG-29fighters. The cost of an upgrade programme(one of three options for the provision of animproved air defence capabi l i ty) would beoffset against the US $1 billion owed by Russiato Slovakia. The f ramework of the deal isexpected to be similar to that provided toBulgaria, mainly incorporating the installationof NATO-compat ib le communicat ions and

avionics systems. Slovakia was due to announcethe launch of the programme after the PragueNATO summit decided on its appl icat ion forNATO membership this summer. The Slovak AirForce is giving weighty considerat ion to asubsonic type, though it does not rule out a mixof supe rson i c and subson ic a i r c r a f t as areplacement for all the remaining Su-22s and Su-25s. The latter have been effectively phased outas no spare parts are available and are in storageat Kuchyna air base, despite remaining on theinventory. Attempts to either scrap or sell themto Third World countries, as was done with the 14Su-22s to Angola, are becoming increasinglyurgent, since these airframes still count withinSlovakia 's obl igat ions under the Vienna CFETreaty, thereby preventing submission of a validrequest for proposals so far. The same situationis a f f e c t i n g the 15+ o p e r a t i o n a l MiG-21searmarked for retirement next year.

BAE Systems is heavi ly promoting a Hawk100/200 or a Gripen/Hawk mix for Slovakia:however, close economic ties with the CzechRepublic make the L-159 a logical successor.Another target for business by BAE Systems inSlovakia is the modernisation of 10-12 of the 19Slovak Mi-24 Hinds, now incorporated in aPolish-led joint project of the so-called VisegradFour (V4). This p ro jec t wi l l involve an a l l -w e a t h e r / N V G and SLEP upgrade o fapproximately 100 Mi-24s in the inventories ofPoland, the Czech Repub l ic , S lovak ia andHungary. The objective of this programme is toensure full NATO interoperability by 2015-20.

A mock-up cockpit fitted with a single largeMFD was displayed in the BAE chalet at SBACFarnborough in July. An MoA was signed by theV4 defence ministers at Piestiany AB in Slovakiaon May 30. The unit cost of the upgrade is set atUS $5 million, although prototype developmentwi l l cost some US $10-15 million. As the V4countries' sub-variants of the Mi-24 have only70% commonality, Major-General Dunaj has saidthat Slovakia (and the Czech Air Force) arelooking to incorporate major engine and rotorimprovements, similar to those developed forRussia's MÌ-24VM project.

Slovak VVS-ASR operational readiness is stillheavily affected by the irregular and/or low flyinghours recorded by most p i lots. Most p i lo tsinvolved in international operations and PfPexercises are flying close to 100 hours per year,while the rest achieve considerably fewer hoursthan this. However, Major-General Dunaj told thepress at SIAD 2002 that his pilots will be able tofly a total of 8,200 hours this year, comparedwith just 5,500 hours in 2001. The 29 or so pilotsof Mi-17 and Mi-24 helicopters earmarked for

internat ional peacekeeping operat ions anddomestic SAR missions will fly the most hours.Eighteen pilots in this group will fly around 80hours, and the remainder 50 hours. Thesenumbers are close to the pre-1993 figures whenthe average annual number of flight hours variedfrom 80 to 90 hours. Never the less , Dunajemphas ised that the l o n g - t e r m goa l fo rS lovak ia 's VVS pi lots remains the 160 hoursestablished as a NATO standard. GEORG MADER

AOB: SLOVAK COMBAT AIR FORCE SLOVENSKEHOVELITEL'STVO VZDUSNYCH SIL (VVS)

Velitelstvo WS Slovenskeho Zvolen31 Letecká Základna (LZ) Sliac31 Stihacie Letecké Kridlo (SLK)

MÌG-29A/UBMÌG-29A/UBMiG-21MF*/US*/UM*,L-39ZAMi-2, Mi-17, L-410T

Piestiany*

1 Stihacie Letka (SL)2 Stihacie Letka (SL)3 Stihacie Letka (SL)4 Velitel'ska Letka*earmarked for retirement32 LZ32 Zmiesane Dopravne Kridlo (ZmDLK)1 Dopravna Letka An-24B, An-26, L-410FG

L-410MA/T/UVP2 Zmiesana Dopravna Letka MÌ-8S/PPA/T, (ex-)Mi-17Z-2**

Mi-2*earmarked for closure, transport types will be shared bythe other bases as required. Mi-17 already placed at Sliacand Presov, older types will be retired.** special versions to be re-converted to normal transports.33 LZ Malacky-Kuchyna33 Stihacie Bombardovacie Letecké Kridlo (SBLK)1 Letka Su-22M-4/UM-3K*, L-292 Letka SU-25K/-UBK*, L-39C3 Letka L-29* preserved locally in f lyable condit ion - awai t ingscrapping or sale34 LZ Presov34 Vtrul'nikove Kridlo (VRK)1 Letka MÌ-24V2 Letka MÌ-24D/DU3 Letka MÌ-8T, Mi-174 Letka Mi-2Vycvikove Stredisko Letectvo Kosice*within: Vojenska letecka akademia generala MilanaRastislava Stefánika (Military Aviation Academy General MR Stefanik1 Letka Aero L-39C/-MS/-V

(Biely Albatrosy)2 Letka Aero L-293 Letka L-410T/UVP* to be closed. As Slovakia has no long-term plans to trainits own pilots, aircraft will be retired.

AOB: GOVERNMENT FLYING SERVICES(STATNI LETECKÉ UTVAR)

Bratislava/M.R. Stefanik Apt Mi-85, Tu-154M, Yak-40

AOB: POLICE (POLICIA)Bratislava/M.R. Stefanik Apt PZL-Mi-2, MÍ-8P, MD-902Explorer (on order)

AbbreviationsSlovenskeho Velitel'stvo Slovak Combat Air ForceVzdusnych Sil (VVS)Letecká Základna (LZ) Air Force BaseStihacie Letecké Kridlo (SLK) Fighter WingZmiesane Dopravne Kridlo (ZmDLK) Mixed Transport WingStihacie Bombardovacie Letecké Fighter-Bomber WingKridlo (SBLK)

Vtrul'nikove Kridlo (VRK) Helicopter WingVycvikove Stredisko Letectva (VSL) Training Unit

The Slovakian Air Force uses a mix of Aero L-39Cs, 'MSs and 'ZAs: 1730 is among the latter. TheL-39ZA features an undernose fairing for a twin-barrelled GSh-23 cannon. KEY ARCHIVE

Velitel'ska LetkaStatní Letecké Utvar

Protilietadlová raketová brigada

Protilietadlová raketová skupinaProtilietadlovy raketovy oddiel

Policia

Liaison SgnGovernmental FlyingService

Anti-Aircraft MissileBrigade

Anti-Aircraft Missile GroupAnti-Aircraft MissileBattalion

Police

38 October 2002

2002 * European Air Power Survey

SLOVENIAN MILITARY aviation celebrated itstenth anniversary in 2002, having started withone ex-Yugoslav Air Force helicopter (SA341HGazelle), three police helicopters (Bell 412) andsome UTVA-75S requisitioned from a numberof Slovenian flying clubs. Today the 15th AirForce Brigade comprises 25 fixed-wing aircraftand eleven helicopters, though it still lacks amodern combat aircraft.

The reorganisat ion of Slovenian mil i taryav ia t ion is comple te : a lmost a l l mi l i ta ryaviation units are now based at the renownedCerklje ob Krki airfield, in southern'Slovenia,c lose to the C roa t i an border. The ASOCsurveillance system, purchased from LockheedMartin, and the Roland 2 air defence system,part of which is on loan from Germany, arenow fully operational.

Military aviation and all air defence functionsnow come under the command of the 1st AirForce and A i r D e f e n c e Force Commandd.Operativno Poveljstvo Vojaskega Letalstva iZracne obrambe - 1st OPPVLZ) located atKranj , 15 miles (25km) from the Sloveniancapital, Ljubljana. The main task of the 1stO P P V L Z is to ma in ta i n the d e f e n c e o fSlovenian air space, along with the tasks of airtraining, air support for the Slovenian army,maintaining air superiority, SAP duties andinternational co-operation. Subordinate to the1st OPPVLZ are the 15th Air Force Brigade,based at Cerklje ob Krki and Brnik, and the 9thAir Defence Force Brigade, elements of whichare based at Vrhnika, Cerk l j e ob Krk i andMaribor. 'Also subordinate to the 1st OPPVLZis the 16th Air Surveillance Battalion, based atvarious locations throughout Slovenia, and the107th Logistic Base, which is also stationed atvarious locations, in support of other Air Forceunits.

The 15th Air Force Brigade, which representsthe main S l o v e n i a n air uni t , has f i v esquadrons: an Air Combat Squadron, a Multi-Role Helicopter Squadron, an Air TransportSquad ron , a Tra in ing S q u a d r o n and aParachute Training Squadron. The mostpotent unit of the 15th Air Force Brigade is theA i r Comba t Squad ron , wh i ch has nineupgraded Pilatus PC-9Ms. Al l are combat-ready, since a Slovenian team of experts, withthe French f irm Alkan, Israel's EL-Op/Radomand Belgium's FN Herstal, has modified them

The Slovene Army's 15 Brigada includes a single example of the L 410UVP-E Turbolet (L4-01, c/n912606). The aircraft has spent time with NATO's Stabilisation Force (SFOR). KEY - DAVE WILLIS

to use a range of modern weapons. In combatconf igurat ion, the upgraded PC-9M Swi f t iscapable of carrying up to 2,100lb (1,040kg) ofarmaments on its six underwing pylons. The Bell412 helicopters are now also capable of usingunguided rockets and machine guns and are alsodeclared combat-ready: they are also capable ofnight or bad weather operations. The 15th AirForce Brigade currently has 80 pilots and anappropriate number of technicians and otherpe rsonne l . F ixed wing p i lo ts accumu la tebetween 170 and 200 f ly ing hours annual ly ,while helicopter pilots fly more than 300 hours ayear. The latter figure results from close co-operation with the civil authorities, particularlyon SAR missions.

In 2001, the Slovenian government signed acontract with Eurocopter for the purchase oftwo AS 532 Cougar helicopters, with an optionon a third. The first Cougars will arrive in thespring of 2003, although six pilots and a numberof technicians are already in France to conductpilot and maintenance training. All six pilots willalso achieve an instructor rating to enable themto c a r r y out conve rs i on t r a i n i ng f o r newSlovenian Cougar pilots.

There are rumours that if Slovenia is acceptedinto NATO this year, the role of the 15th Air ForceBrigade will change. The worst-case scenario,w h i c h is p ropounded by some S l o v e n i a npoliticians, is that all the PC-9Ms should be soldand only the helicopters kept. However, a morelikely picture foresees the use of the SlovenianPC-9MS for training foreign pilots whose AirForces also operate the Swiss trainer. In a recenti n te r v i ew for S l o v e n i a ' s most p res t ig iousnewspaper, Delo, Brigadier Ladislav Lipi, Chief ofStaff of the Slovenian Army, expressed precisely

this view. Nevertheless, the f i rs t and mostimportant task at the moment is to complete there-equipment of the airfield infrastructure atCerklje ob Krki airfield with modern navigationand landing systems for use by a var iety ofmilitary aircraft and helicopters.

There is also a need for a new l ightweighttransport aircraft and the Spanish CASA C.295-300 or I t a l i an /US A l e n i a / L o c k h e e d C-27JSpartan are both in contention. However, thepurchase of a new lightweight transport aircraftis in question since the Government decided tobuy a new VIP aircraft (Falcon 900EX), to be paidfor out of the defence budget. This decision hascaused much con t roversy , not only amongmilitary and civilian professionals but also amongthe general public. The acquisition, maintenanceand operation of the Falcon 900EX wil l costSlovenia in excess of US $54 million. Thepurchase of modern combat a i r c r a f t andhelicopters compatible with NATO standards hasnow been postponed until after 2010. MARKO MALEC

AOB: 1ST AIR FORCE AND AIR DEFENCEFORCE COMMAND

(OPERATIVNO POVELJSTVO VOJASKEGALETALSTVA IN ZRACNE OBRAMBE)

15th Air Force Brigade (15. brigada vojaskega letalstva)9th Air Defence Brigade (9. raketna brigada zracne obrambe)16th Air Surveillance Battalion (16. bataljon za nadzórzracnega prostora)107th Logistic Base (107. logisticna baza)

15th Air Force Brigade:Air Combat Sgn Cerklje na Dolenjskem PC-9M/PC-9AMulti-Role Heli Sgn Brnik Bell 412EP/HP/SPAir Transport Sgn Brnik Let L-410UVR PC-6Training Sgn Cerklje ná Dolenjskem Zlin 143L/242LPara Training Sgn Cerklje ná Dolenjsekm

L9-53 is one of three ex-US Army Pilatus PC-9s serving with the Slovene air arm. Nine new-built aircraft followed in 1999. KEY - DUNCAN CUBITI

www.airforcesmonthly.com 39

Slovenia

Experimentador) (CLAEX) last summer, and sincethen around ten aircraft have been delivered toAla 23 in Badajoz. The third major upgrade andmodernisation programme for the Ejercito delAire involves the Moron-based Grupo 22's P-3Bfleet. The first aircraft to undergo modernisationwi l l go to EADS Getafe this year. The Orion'supgrade programme centres around improvingits radar, ESM, data processing and acoustics.

The biggest problem currently facing the AirForce is the loss of its tactical reconnaissancecapability, which until the first quarter of thisyear was maintained by the RF-4Cs of theT o r r e j o n - b a s e d 123 E s c u a d r o n . The e a r l yw i t h d r a w a l from s e r v i c e o f the v e n e r a b l ePhantom leaves the Ejercito del Aire without areconnaissance capability as the Reccelite pod isstill undergoing tests on the F-18.

As far as airlift capability is concerned, Getafe-based 353 Escuadron will have received the firstfive CASA C.295S by the end of this year, with thelast of nine on order to be delivered by 2004. Therecent modernisation of the C-130 Hercules fleetwill help maintain heavy airlift capability until thearr ival of the A-400M. Spain plans to buy 27A400MS, of which nine will be equipped to receivein-flight refuelling. Also pending is the delivery to45 Grupo at the end of this year of two A310s toreplace the B707s in the VIP airlift mission.

Spanish naval aviation is also in the midst ofupgrade and modernisation programmes. TheAV-8B fleet is in the final process of upgrade tothe AV-8B Plus configuration, while the deliverylast year of the services' only TAV-8B trainer willallow for the improved training of aircrew. TheArmada's Sea King force is seeing a change ofmission: w i t h their A S W gear removed theaircraft will become transports in support of themarines, although the three Searchwater radar-equipped AEW Sea Kings will remain unaffected.

By the end of the year, the first of six SH-60BSeahawks are expected to be delivered to theR o t a - b a s e d 10 E s c u a d r i l l a , w h i l e the s i xSeahawks already in service will be upgraded tothe same Block I standard as the new aircraft.

Spanish Army Aviation (FAMET) has a need fora new training helicopter to enter service by2007, although there are no firm candidates forthe job. No d e c i s i o n has yet been madebetween the Eurocopter Tiger or the BoeingApache as the new attack helicopter. This yearw i l l see the l a s t o f the F A M E T ' s C h i n o o k sundergo upgrade to CH-47D standard. Despitethe entry into service of Eurocopter Cougars,the veteran UH-1Hs soldier on with several unitsand no replacement is in sight until possibly2008, with the anticipated delivery of the NH-90. ROBERTO YAŃEZ & ALEX RODRIGUEZ

THE EJERCITO del Aire currently has threem a j o r u p g r a d e and m o d e r n i s a t i o nprogrammes involving the F-18, F-5 and P-3fleets underway. The E F-18 Hornet is currentlyhalfway through its service life, and since lastyear a MLU programme that will maintain theHornet's capabilities beyond the service entrydate of the Eurofighter has been in progress.This MLU programme will not cover the ex-USNavy F-18s currently assigned to Ala 46 in theCanary Islands, although these aircraft wil lreceive some u p g r a d e s to improve the i rc a p a b i l i t i e s . The Hornet MLU u p g r a d e sinclude the Rafael Litening II FLIR, a Recceliter e c o n n a i s s a n c e s y s t e m , new I N S / G P Snavigation systems, IIF and Have Quick radios,and night vision goggles. The prototype MLUHornet made its first flight from the GetafeSpain EADS/CASA facilities in May 2002.

The modernisation programme for the F-5Btrainer is aimed at stretching the aircraft 'sservice life until 2015, by which time the newAdvanced European Jet Pilot Trainer will haveentered service. The first modernised F-5B wasdel ivered for t r i a l s to the Torrejón-basedC e n t r o L o g i s t i c o de A r m a m e n t o y

AOB: NAVAL AIR ARM(ARMA AÉREA DE LA ARMADA)

ROTA NAVAL BASE3a Escuadrilla AB-212ASW4a Escuadrilla Cessna 550 Citation II5a Escuadrilla Sikorsky SH-3H ASW/AEW

Hughes 369MEAV-8B, EAV-8B Plus, TAV-8B

6a Escuadrilla9a Escuadrilla10a Escuadrilla SH-60B

Fuerza Aéromoviles del Ejército de Tierra(FAMET) (Airmobile Forces of the Spanish Army)

BHELA-I

BHELMA-II

BHELMA-III

BHELMA-IV

BHELTRA-V

BHELMA-VI

BTRANS

CEFAMET

PCMHEL

BO-105ATH/GSH/LOH Almagro

AS 532UL Cougar Betera

UH-1H, BO-105GSH/LOH Agoncillo

El CoperoColmenar ViejoLos RodeosColmenar ViejoColmenar ViejoColmenar Viejo

AS 332BCH-47DUH-1H, AB-212UH-1HOH-58A, UH-1HAS332BO/IP)

Abbreviations BHELMA (Batalion de Helicópteros deManiobra, Manoeuvre Helicopter Battalion); BHELTRA(Batalion de Helicópteros de Transporte, TransportHelicopter Battalion); BHELA (Batalion de Helicópterosde Ataque, A t t a c k Helicopter Battal ion);BTRANS(Batallón de Transmisiones, CommunicationsBattalion); CEFAMET (Centro de Ensenanza de las FAMET,FAMET Training Centre); PCMHEL (Pargue y Centro deMantenimiento de Helicópteros, Maintenance Unit).

AOB: SPANISH AIR FORCE (EJÉRCITO DEL AIRE)

40 October 2002

Spain

Mando Aéreo del Centro (MACEN) (Central Command)Ia Region Aérea (1st Air Region)Ala 12 Torre jón AB

Escuadrón 121 EF-18AEscuadrón 122 EF-18A

Grupo 43Escuadrón 431 CL-215TEscuadrón 432 CL-215T

Grupo 45Escuadrón 451 Boeing 707 TT/VIPEscuadrón 452 Falcon 20/50/900408 Escuadrón CASA C.212DE, Falcon 20D/E

Boeing 707-351CCLAEX CASA 212, CASA 101

Ala 35 GetafeABEscuadrón 351 CN.235Escuadrón 352 CN.235Escuadrón 353 C-295

(The C-295S are actually assigned to Esc. 352, but it isplanned that they will be assigned to the reformed 353 Esc)Grupo 42Escuadrón 421 Beech B55Escuadrón 422 Beech F33C

Ala 37 VillanublaABEscuadrón 371 CASA 212, C-212VFEscuadrón 372 CASA 212

(Esc 373 disbanded on May, 2002 - its a/c to Esc 371)Ala 48 Cuatro Vientos AB

Escuadrón 402 AS 332B/MEscuadrón 803 CASA 212-100/200, AS 332B

CECAF (Centro Cartogràfico y Fotogràfico)Escuadrón 403 CASA 212, Citation V

GRUEMA (Grupo de Escuelas de Matacán) Matacán ABEscuadrón 744 CASA 101Escuadrón 745 CASA 212

Mando Aèreo del Estrecho (MAEST) (Eastern Command)2a Region Aérea (2nd Air Region)Ala 14 Albacete AB

Escuadrón 141 Mirage F1C/B/E/EDA/DDAEscuadrón 142 Mirage F1C/B/E/EDA/DDA

Ala 11 Moron ABGrupo 11Escuadrón 111 F/A-18A

(Escuadrón 111 is now transferring its Hornets to Ala 46. Ala11 will be the first SpAF Eurofighter Unit.)Grupo 22Escuadrón 221 P-3A/B

Ala 23 Talavera La Real ABEscuadrón 231 SF-5BEscuadrón 232 SF-5B, SRF-5A

(Only one SRF-5A surviving, now in use for combat training.)Ala 72 Alcantarilla AB

Escuadrón 721 CASA 212Ala 78 ArmillaAB

Escuadrón 781 Sikorsky S-76AEscuadrón 782 EC-120 Colibrì

Ala 79/Academia General del Aire San Javier AB791 Escuadrón, Escuela Vuelo Elemental T-35C Tamiz792 Escuadrón, Escuela de Navegación CASA 212793 Escuadrón, Escuela Vuelo Bàsico CASA 101

Mando Aèreo de Levante (MALEV) (Western Command)3a Region Aérea (3rd Air Region)Escuadrón 801 CASA 212-100/20 Son San Juan AB

SA 330H/JAla 15 ZaragozaAB

Escuadrón 151 EF-18AEscuadrón 152 EF-18AEscuadrón 153 EF-18B

Grupo 31Escuadrón 311 C-130H/C-130H-30Escuadrón 312 KC-130H

Mando Aèreo de Canárias (MACAN)(Canary Islands Air Command)Zona Aérea de Canárias (Canary Islands Air Zone)Ala 46 Gando AB

Escuadrón 461 CASA 212Escuadrón 462 F/A-18A

Escuadrón 802 F-27MPA, AS.332B

The Spanish Air Force's original fleet of EF-18A Hornets is to undergo athough the recently-acquired ex US Navy examples will be exempt from this programme. This pairof Hornets is based at Torrejón air base with Ala 12. KEY - STEVE FLETCHER

Mid-Life Update,

2002 • European Air Power Survey

THE GRIPEN reached a new milestone onSeptember 6 when the first JAŚ 39C single-seater was handed over to FMV (Forsvaretsmaterielverk, Defence Materiel Administration)at Saab's Linkoping factory. The aircraft willbe del ivered to the FMV:PRO test wing atMalmen w h e r e i t w i l l undergo t e s t andevaluation. The JAŚ 39C is the most advancedversion of Gripen and represents the f irstaircraft of the improved Batch Three (seeCripen Comes of Age, August, p28-31). Muchof what wi l l appear in the JAŚ 39C will befound in the export variant, which GripenInternational is marketing overseas. The JAS39C will include such features as an air-to-airrefuelling probe, NATO pylons, OBOGS (OnBoard Oxygen System), full colour night visioncapable c o c k p i t , ful ly in tegrated E W S 39electronic warfare suite and an increased loadcapacity which will allow it to carry heavierweapons and pull more Gs.

The Flygvapnet has ordered 204 Gripens: 120have been del ivered to date, covering 30aircraft in Batch One and 90 in Batch Two.The outstanding aircraft are all now referredto as the Batch Three aircraft and comprise 70JAS 39Cs and 14 two-seat JAŚ 39D tacticalaircraft as opposed to training aircraft, whichcould be used in such missions as Suppressionof Enemy Air Defences. By 2007, the Gripenwill have replaced the Viggen, for many yearsthe backbone of the Flygvapnet.

The first operational unit expected to receiveBatch Three aircraft will be F 17 at Ronneby,which commenced its conversion from Viggensto Gripens on June 14, 2002. Five operationals q u a d r o n s of the a n t i c i p a t e d e ight arecurrently f ly ing Gripen: two squadrons atSatenàs with F7, one with F 21 at Luleå and twowith F 10 at Àngelholm. However, whenÀngelholm closes at the end of the year, bothof these squadrons wi l l relocate to F 17 atRonneby. One Squadron in the autumn and theother before Christmas.

F 21 'Norrbotten Wing' is unique in that itoperates both the Gripen and the AJS 37Viggens . W h i l e Gr ipens ope ra te w i th 2Squadron, about 20 Viggens of both the AJSH37 f ighter vers ion and the AJSF 37 recceversion are soldiering on with 1 Squadron. Therecce aircraft operates with a smaller unitwithin 1 Squadron dubbed 231 'Wolfeye' RecceSqn which ful f i ls a Swedish Air Force RapidReac t i on ( S W A F R A P ) requ i rement . Theaircraft are on a 30-day alert status to providea reconna issance capabi l i ty for aninternational peace support mission. The rolewill be transferred to F 17 in 2004, when a

The days are numbered for the remaining ViggensF21, based at Luleå. KEY - ALAN WARNESr e c o n n a i s s a n c e c a p a b i l i t y w i l l have beenintegrated into the Gripen. The second unit atLuleå to convert to the Gripen, 1 Squadron, willdo so in 2005. F 7, based at Satenãs, operateseight TP 84s (C-130Es) one of which is the oldesta i r c r a f t in Europe. One of t hese a i r c r a f t(serialled 84002) is currently being fitted withFlight Refuelling Mk 32 refuelling pods and isexpected to be re-delivered next August. It willbe the only aircraft to receive this modification,as its role is purely to train Gripen pilots on air-to-air refuelling. Initially the aircraft will be usedfor AAR trials with the JAS 39C test aircraft (39-6 ex Fv39207).

F 16 at Upsalla will deactivate when the basecloses during the summer of 2003. Thisdecision, imposed by the Swedish Government,which is continually looking at ways to cut backon i ts d e f e n c e budget , has caused theFlygvapnet command a headache. It was hopingto transfer the basic trainer SK 60s currently atÀngelholm with F 10 to Upsalla, to join the basictactical trainer SK 60s based there, but insteadboth units are being relocated to Malmslatt, thehome of F16M. Two S 100B Erieyes currently onloan to the Hellenic Air Force from F 16M areexpected to return next year (see Greek AWACS,February, p48-51) when the first EMB 145Hs aredelivered to Greece.

F 4 at Østersund will be the last wing to operatethe Viggen, and when it finally converts to theGripen in 2005, the Electronic Warfare trainingrole carried out by the wing will be transferred toF 21. Sweden is also working on its own NetworkCentric Warfare strategy to provide a new C4ISR(Command, Cont ro l , Communicat ion andComputing, Intelligence Surveillance and Recce)capability. This is currently in the second phase ofa programme which should be fully implementedin its armed forces by 2010, and which will see fullbattle-space awareness being available to everyperson within the forces from the individualsoldier upwards. In June, this led FMV to evaluatean EADS Eagle UAV at Kiruna in northern Sweden

in Swedish service. This AJSF 37 serves with

(see Swedish UAV trials, August 2002, p12).Meanwhile, Sweden will get its own Open Skiesaircraft when a Tp 88 Metroliner completes itsconversion at the Saab factory. ALAN WARNES

AOB: SWEDISH AIR FORCE (FLYGVAPNET)NORTHERN COMMANDF 4 'Jamtland' Wing Õstersund-Frbsõn1 Squadron JA 37D Viggen2 Squadron JA 37D ViggenElectronic Warfare Sqn SK 37ELiaison Sqn SK 60Will commence converting to Gripen in 2005.

F 21 'Norrbotten' Wing Luleå-Kallax1 Squadron AJSF 37*/AJSH 37 Viggen2 Squadron JA 39A GripenLiaison Sqn SK 60, Tp 101AJSF 37 Viggen element is the SWAFRAP unit, referred toas 231 Recce Sqn.

CENTRAL COMMANDFlo'Upplands'Wing Upsalla1 Squadron JA 37D Viggen*Tactical Training Squadron SK 60Liaison Sqn SK 60The 1 Squadron Viggens will activate later this year and theSK 60s will move to F16M at Malmen.

F16M'Upplands'Wing MalmenFlying Recce Sqn S100B ArgusSignal Intelligence Sqn S102B KorpenTransport Sqn* Tp 100, Tp 102*Based at Stockholm-Bromma

SOUTHERN COMMANDFT'Skaraborg'Wing1 Squadron2 Squadron3 SquadronLiaison Sqn

FlO'Skane'Wing1 Squadron2 SquadronFlying School

SatenãsJAS 39A GripenJAS 39A/B GripenTp 84 Hercules, Tp 101 (Beech 200)SK60

ÀngelholmJAS 39A GripenJAS 39A GripenSK60

Both Gripen squadrons will transfer to F17 Wing while theFlying School SK 60s will relocate to F16M at Malmen.

F17'Blekinge'Wing1 Squadron2 SquadronLiaison Sqn

RonnebyJAS 39A GripenJA 37D ViggenSK 60, Tp 101

Both squadrons will have re-equipped with the Gripen byJan 1, 2003

Six Ericsson Eyrieye S 100B Argus airborne early warning aircraft have been acquired by theSwedish Air Force and are used by F16M, based at Malmslatt. Two are currently on loan to theHellenic Air Force. KEY - ALAN WARNES

FORSVARSMAKTENS (COMBINED FORCES) HELICOPTER WING1 Helicopter Sqn BodenDet Ostersund-FrosonDet Lycksele2 Helicopter Sqn BergaDet UppsalaDet Goteburg-SaveDet Ronneby-KallingeDet SatenãsDet SundsvallDet Visby

4 Helicopter Sqn Malmslatt

Hkp3/6/9/11HkplOHkplOHkp4, Hkp 6HkplOHkp 4, Hkp 6Hkp4/6/10, SH-89HkplOHkplOHkplOHkp 3/6/9/11

41www.airforcesmonthly.com

Sweden

S W I T Z E R L A N D IS a d i r ec t l y e lec teddemocracy whose citizens take an active partin making impor tan t po l i t i ca l dec is ionsconcerning national security and defence. InJune last year, voters were asked to decide ontwo bills affecting the Swiss Air Force. Thef i rs t contained a proposi t ion concern ingtraining co-operat ion with foreign armedfo rces and the second re la ted to thepossibility of arming Swiss forces on missionsabroad for the purpose of self-defence.

Switzerland's small size, population densityand compact air space, heavily used by civilianaircraft, all combine to hinder Air Force trainingin low altitude, night and supersonic flights, andconsequently some training has been partiallyrelocated abroad. The Swiss Air Force hassigned more than a dozen Memoranda ofUnderstanding (MOU) with friendly air forces,and the passage of the two bills has made iteasier to carry out training and air combattraining flights (such as night f l ights overNorway and interception training missions overthe North Sea) in co-operation with foreign airforces. In return, foreign air forces, such as theLuftwaffe with MIG-29s or the Dutch Air Forcewith helicopters, are able to accumulate usefulexperience of their own in Switzerland (seeMiC-295 to Switzerland, July 2002, p9).

The introduction of the new F-18C/D fighterhas been concluded according to plan: the lastaircraft was delivered in December 1999. Nowthe first F-18 upgrades are being planned.According to the armament plan for the years

2001 to 2003, the aircraft are to be upgraded by2008 and their availability improved.

The Northrop F-5E/F fighters, st i l l used inconsiderable numbers, will gradually be reducedin number. A small batch of F-5s, used mainly assparring partners for the Hornet, have been putup for sale. Brazil, which uses the same type, isamong the potential buyers for what is the firstsuch deal in the history of the neutral Swiss AirForce. Under Swiss Air Force operational plans,the F-5E/F will now be used for air space patrolin decreasing numbers.

With the ratif ication of an agreement witheleven other European nations, Switzerland isparticipating in a feasibility study concerningthe pooling of jet training. As is the case withother nations, the increasing cost of defence hasforced Switzerland to seek economies and makeuse of available facilities in concert with othercountr ies. Should basic training be movedabroad, there are plans to sell the existing Hawktrainers.

In the areas of air reconnaissance and airtransport, further capability gaps are due to beresolved over the next few years. The airreconnaissance capabi l i ty has been furtherdiminished by the retirement of some MirageIIIRSs, and the purchase of the medium-rangeCASA 295M has been postponed following theballot in June 2001, even though preliminaryagreements had been signed with the Spanishmanufacturer. As yet no definite date for theresumpt ion of nego t i a t i ons has beenannounced.

The introduction of the new Eurocopter AS532UL transport helicopter is proceeding asplanned, and the first examples have already

been handed over to the Air Force. In autumn2002, a Cougar will be stationed in Kosovo forKFOR transport flights.

No preliminary decision has yet been taken on areplacement for the Alouette III. The intention isto buy an armed multi-purpose helicopter in thefirst instance and keep a small number of (around25) Alouette Ills for training use until 2010.

With the opening of the training centre for theADS-95 Ranger unmanned reconnaissancedrones at Emmen AFB in central Switzerland, animportant step was taken to integrate this newsystem into the Swiss Armed Forces. Initialproblems with the drone's planned operatingradio frequency, which was originally assigned tothe UMTS mobile telephone network, have beenresolved to the mutual sat isfact ion of bothparties. KAJ-GUNNAR SIEVERT

AOB: SWISS AIR FORCE (SCHWEIZERISCHELUFTWAFFE) PEACETIME ORDER OF BATTLE

Oberwachungsgeschwader (Surveillance Wing)FIStI

Miraqe-Gruppe

FlSt!

FISt 17

FlSt 18

Patrouille Suisse

F-5E

Mirage IIIRS

F-18C/D Hornet

F-18C/D Hornet

F-18C/D Hornet

F-5E

Payerne

Dubendorf

Dubendorf

Payerne

Payerne

Emmen

Flieqerregiment 4 (Air Regiment 4)

LTStS

LTSt5

LTSt 6

LTSt?

LTSt 8

Other units

EscLAv 1

LFfSt 3

ZFISt 12

IFISt 14

FISÍ16

Alouette III, AS 532

Alouette III, AS 532

Alouette III, AS 532

Pilatus PC-6B/H-2M

Alouette III, AS 532

Alouette III, AS 532.

Alouette 111, AS 532

Pilatus PC-9

Mirage IIIDS/BD

F-5F

F-5E/F

Mollis

Interlaken

Alpnach

Emmen

Lodrino

Payerne

Turtmann

Sion and Samedan

Payerne

(based at

Dubendorf)

Stans/Buochs

VIP Fit Learjet 35A, Falcon 50 Dubendorf

Originally used in the air defence role, the F-5 Tiger II has also undertaken the ground attack role sincethe retirement of the Hunter in late 1994. J-3207 is one of 12 F-5Fs used by the Swiss. KEY - ALAN WARNES

Pilotenschule 1 Hawk Mk 66, PC-7 EmmenPilotenschule 2 Hawk Mk 66 Sion (part time)Pilotenrek- PC-7 Maqadino

rutenschuleGlossaryLTSt - Leichtfliegerstaffeln (Light Flying Squadron)

FlSt - Fliegerstaffeln (Flying Squadron)

EscLAv - Escadron Léger d'Aviation (Light Aviation Sqn)

ZFISt - Zielflieqerstafel (Target Towing squadron)

IFISt - Instrumentationflieqerstaffel

(Instrument Flying Sqn)

Pilotenrekrutenschule (Pilot Recruit School)

42 October 2002

Switzerland

7he most advanced combataircraft in the Swiss Air force isthe F-18C Hornet, winner of theNeue Jaqdflugzeug competition in1988. SWISS AIR FORCE

2002 • European Air Power Survey

TurkeyTURKEY HAS joined the system developmentand demonstration phase of the LockheedMartin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, at a cost of$175 million. It will invest another $75 millionif the government decides the country willparticipate in the industrial package of theprogramme. The deal, which makes Turkey aLevel 3 partner in the programme, was signedon July 11. A requirement exists for 150 F-35sto replace F-4Es and F-16Cs from 2013.

A total of 54 F-4E Phantom Ms are currentlythe subject of an avionics and structuralupgrade programme. The first of 30 aircraft tobe upgraded at Eskisehir - known as TAMP(Turkish Aircraft Modernisation Phase) aircraftto differentiate them from the Israeli upgradePhantoms - was redelivered on July 3. A totalof 48 Turkish F-5 Freedom Fighters have alsobeen earmarked for structural improvements,and this work is also been shared between theTurkish Air Force and IAI. The first F-5 madeits first post-upgrade flight on April 17, 2001.

The contract for the Boeing 737-700 AirborneEarly Warning & Control aircraft was signed onJune 4, 2002. The contract covers the firmcommitment to four 737s, with a further twooptions, and is worth $1.1 billion. The firstaircraft is expected to be delivered at the endof 2005 after being completed at Boeing'sfacilities: the other three firm order aircraftwill be fitted out in Turkey by TAI.

Under the Phoenix II programme, 30 AS 532Cougars are being manufactured by TurkishAerospace Industries. A tota l of 20 aredestined for the Turkish Air Force: 15 of thesehad been delivered by July 2002. (The otherten Cougars are destined for the Turkish Army,

TURK KARA ORDUSU HAVACILIGI10rdu Hava Alayi Istanbul/SamandirmaAB 205A, UH-1H, U-17A/B, AS532UL Cougar2 Ordu Hava Alayi Malatya/ErhaçAB 205A. UH-1H, U-17A/B3 Ordu Hava Alayi ErzincanAB 205A, UH-1H, U-17A/B, AH-1P, S-70A-28Ege Ordusu Hava Alayi Izmir-Abnan MenderesAB 205, UH-1H, U-17B, AS 532UL CougarKara Havacilik Okulu eve Ecitirn Merkezi KomutanligiGuvercinlikTaaruz Helkopteri Taburu1 Filo AH-1W2 Filo AH-1P/S3 Filo AH-1P/S

Basic Training Battalion H269, T-41D, T-42DObservation & Liaison Training BattalionU-17B, S-70A, AB 204B/205A, UH-1H, AB206R/B3Transport & Mise Tasks BattalionKing Air 200, Cessna 421, AB 212, UH-1H. CougarHelikopter Tabaru UH-1H, S-70ASpecial Forces Flight S-70ATRNC UH-1H.U-17 Northern Cyprus7 Corps Tactical Aviation Group Diyarbakir

UH-1H, U-1, AH-1Harita Genel Komutanligi Guvercinlik

Do 28D-2, King Air 200

TURK DONMA HAVACILIGI(TURKISH NAVAL AVIATION)

301 Deniz Hava Filosu to get CN 235MPA351 Deniz Helikopter Filosu AB 204AS

AB 212ASW/ASW-EWEgitim Filo TB20 Trinidad

TopeiKaramiirsel

Topei

By 1999, Turkish Air Force tactical aircraft had lost the large codes on the front fuselage. F-4E 66-0354 belongs to the 3 AJU. KEY - DAVE ALLPORT

SahilGuvenlik (Coast Guard)Adnan Menderes IAP AB 412EPTopei CN.235MSA, Maule MX-7

six ultity and four for SAP.) The last Phoenix IICougar is scheduled for delivery on January 31,2003. The Turkish Air Force Cougars have beenbuilt to two distinct types. Six AS 532AL CougarMk 1 CSAR (combat search and rescue) versionshave been delivered: the others are AS 532ULCougar Mk 1 SAP variants. The Cougars willreplace UH-1Hs in the Turkish Air Force. Trainingis being undertaken at Cigli-lzmir (also known asKonya), with operational units currently based atD i y a r b a k i r and Eskisehir, and hel icoptersdeployed on alert to Cigli and Dalaman. Thenext base to receive the type will be Merzifon.

The Turkish Air Force expects to receive tenAirbus Military Co A400Ms, down from 20 (andoriginally 26), with a workshare of 6.7% beingallocated to TAI from the order.

A new training aircraft is sought to take pilotsfrom the initial stages of training and preparethem for the T-38 Talon advanced trainers inservice at 2nd AJU Cigli-lzmir. The Pilatus PC-9and derived Raytheon T-6 Texan II, EmbraerTucano and KAI KT-1 are all under consideration,but no contract has been awarded.

Six TAI-built CASA CN.235 Maritime PatrolAircraft are being produced for the TurkishNavy, four having been delivered by July 2002.A total of eight Sikorsky S-70B-28s are on order,the first taking to the air on January 24, 2001.The type is slated to join 351 Filo to augment theAgusta Bell designs currently in service. TheNavy is interested in the CH-60S version of theSeahawk to replace the AB 204ASs, but noorders have been placed.

A single Agusta A 109 Mk II was donated to theTurk ish Coast Guard by A g u s t a , andcommissioned into service in June 2000. The A109 was to be followed by nine examples of theAgusta Bell AB 412EP fitted with glass cockpits,As part of the contract for the AB 412s, basefacilities for the Coast Guard aircraft are beingprepared at Adnan Menderes Internat ionalAirport in the west of Turkey. Three CN.235Maritime Surveillance Aircraft (MSA), built byTAI, are destined for the Coast Guard, of whichtwo had been delivered by July 2002. The lastCN.235MSA will be delivered by the end of 2002.

The Turkish Army's aviation assets continue tobe upgraded. Eight Black Hawks operated onbehalf of Special Forces Command are to beupgraded with glass cockpits under the auspicesof the Yarasa project. On March 20, 2002, seniorTurkish military officials announced that thetender for a heavy lift helicopter will be reopenedin 2003. The competition is expected to bebetween the Boeing CH-47 Chinook and theSikorsky CH-53. The requirement is for 20helicopters, and is expected to cost $250 million.The Turkish Army still wants at least 50 Bell AH-1Zs, but no contract has yet been signed. DAVE WILLIS

TURK HAVA KUVVETLERI

CN.235Ind Taktik Hava Kuweti Komutanliqi HO Eskisehir

EskisehirEskisehirEskisehir

Irtibat Kit'asi1nci AJU

101 Filo AS 532AL/UL

111 Filo Panter F-4E112 Filo Seytan F-4E113 Filo Isak RF-4EEgitim Irtibat Kit'asi UH-1H

4nci AJU Akinci141 Filo Kurt F-16C/D143 (Oncel) Filo F-16C/DEgitim Irtibat Kit'asi UH-1H

6nci AJU Bandirma161 Filo Kartal F-16C/D162 Filo Zipkin F-16C/DEgitim Irtibat Kit'asi UH-1H

9nci AJU Balikesir191 Filo Kobra F-16C/D192 Filo Kaplan F-16C/DEgitim Irtibat Kit'asi UH-1H

2nd Taktik Hava Kuweti Komutanligi HO DiyarbakirIrtibat Kit'asi CN.235 Diyarbakir

5nci AJU Merzifon151 Filo Tunç F-16C/D152 Filo Akinci F-16C/DEgitim Irtibat Kit'asi UH-1H

7nci Erhac171 Filo Korsar F-4E172 Filo Sahin F-4E173 Filo Safak RF-4EEgitim Irtibat Kit'asi UH-1H

8nci AJU Diyarbakir181 Filo Pars F-16C/D182 Filo Atmaca F-16C/D202 Filo AS 532AL/UL DiyarbakirEgitim Irtibat Kit'asi UH-1H

Hava Nakil Kuweti Komutanligi HO ErkiletlOnci TUK Incirlik

101 Filo Asena KC-135R11nci HU Etimesgut

223 Filo Gezgin CN.235224 Filo Dogan Cessna 550/560, Gill, CN.235

12nci HUAU Erkilet221 Filo Leylek Transall C.160D222 Filo Alev C-130Egitim Irtibat Kit'asi UH-1H

Hava Egitim Komutanligi HO GaziemirHQ Flight CN.235 Izmir-Abnan MenderesGl School Various GIAs Izmir-Abnan Menderes

2nd AJU Cigli-lzmir121 Filo Ari T-38A122 Filo Akrep T-37B/C123 Filo Palaz SF 260D Kaklic124 Filo T-37B/C, T-38A125 Filo CN.235, UH-1H, AS 532AL/ULEgitim Irtibat Kit'asi UH-1H

3nci AJU Konya131 Filo Ejeder F-4E132 Filo Hancer F-4E, F-5A/B133 Filo Pence N/F-5A, N/F-5B134 Filo/Turk Yildizlari NF-5A/BEgitim Irtibat Kit'asi UH-1H

Air Force CollegeHava Harp Okuło Sf 260, CN.235, UH-1H, gliders

www.airtorcesmonthly.com 43

ROYAL AIR FORCETHE ROYAL Air Force is undergoing a periodof renewal. Not only are most of the aircraftin its inventory undergoing upgrade or due tobe replaced, but the roles these aircraft areexpected to perform and the tactics used tocomplete tasks are changing to meet theneeds of the present world situation. Forexample, the end of the Cold War saw thecessation of the 'cat and mouse' game playedaround the edges of the UK air defence regionby RAF f ighters and Soviet /Russian long-range r e c o n n a i s s a n c e a i r c r a f t , and theimportance of air defence slipped lower downthe list of priorities. The murderous terroristacts of September 11, 2001, placed a renewedemphasis on the need to intercept and identifyunknown aircraft or those straying from theirfiled flight plans.

The rapid evolution of technology is also afactor for change in the service, as it tries toharness the latest science to stay ahead of thefield. The RAF is trying to maximise the use ofprecision weapons, data linking, command,control communications and computers, alongwi th bet ter in te l l igence and survei l lancemethods. Though hardware has beenimproved, the human component has also hadto change. Serving RAF personnel are nowdeployed more often and to more destinationsthan at any time since the end of World WarTwo.

Like Air Forces the world over, the RAF hasto f u n c t i o n w i th in the c o n s t r a i n t s of aG o v e r n m e n t - a l l o c a t e d budget and theconstant demand to do more with less - 'morebang for the buck'. Technology, training andt a c t i c s have he lped i t to c a r r y out th isrequ i rement , as has c o n t r a c t o r i s a t i o n ,a l lowing the RAF to cut overheads whileallowing a capability to be 'rented by the hour'from the private sector when needed. Thoughc o n t r a c t o r i s a t i o n has f a i l e d to p roducesignificant savings, it has nevertheless allowedthe s e r v i c e to c o n c e n t r a t e on i ts coreact iv i t ies, and it is the upgrades to theseactivities which are reviewed in this narrative.

Air DefenceThe Tornado F.3 fleet, consisting of 87 activea i r c ra f t (not inc luding stored or reserveexamples) on November 1, 2001, is due toremain in service until 2010. By the end ofJune 2002, a t o ta l of 94 a i r c r a f t hadundergone the Capab i l i t y S u s t a i n m e n tPackage (CSP) with a further five aircraft tobe upgraded. CSP allows the aircraft to firethe Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile(ASRAAM), which was due to be operational in

Above: Typhoon ZJ699 (IPA 1) is one of the aircraft which will serve with the EurofighterOperational Evaluation Unit (OEU) at Warton, Lancashire, as part of 'Case White'. The location ofthe Eurofighter OEU at the manufacturer's airfield is a 'first' in British industry. BAE SYSTEMSBelow: The Tornado GR.4/4A has all but replaced the earlier GR.1/1A in the strike/attack and tacticalreconnaissance roles. GR.4 ZA557/'AC belongs to 9 Squadron, part of the Marham Wing. KEY - DAVE WILLIS

an interim standard on the aircraft by mid-2002,replacing the AIM-9L Sidewinder, and the AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile(AMRAAM) which replaced the Skyf lash. AnAMRAAM Optimisation Programme was let inmid-2001 to enable the aircraft to update themissile on-target information after launch. Thef i rs t a i r c ra f t wi th th is capabi l i ty w i l l enterservice in early 2003.

The Eurof ighter Typhoon w i l l rep lace theTornado F.3 in the air defence role. The first unito f the t ype , the Eu ro f i gh te r O p e r a t i o n a lEva luat ion Unit w i l l be based at W a r t o n ,Lancashire, and will exist for 18 months from theend of 2002. A total of 13 aircraft are due to beassigned to the unit, including DA2, DA5, IPA1and IPA5. The unit will train the first Typhoonair and ground crew for the RAF, conduct a four-aircraft deployment away from base, and fire thefirst RAF A S R A A M s and A M R A A M s from theaircraft. At the end of the 18-month period, theunit's personnel wil l move to RAF Coningsby,Lincolnshire, to form 17(R) Squadron, which willcontinue the work of the Operational EvaluationUnit, and 29(R) Squadron, which will act as thetype's operational conversion unit. The f i rs tTyphoon squadron is expected to be operationalin 2006 at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire; RAFLeeming, North Yorkshire, and Leuchars inScot land, are a lso due to house Typhoonsquadrons. The weapons systems officers fromthe Tornado F.3s are expected to be found otherroles in the RAF: many are destined to join the

The Meteor BVRAAM (top) is due to enter service on the Typhoon before the end of the decade,meeting the requirements of SR(A) 1239. Although ASRAAM (bottom) has suffered from somesnags, it is slowly making an appearance on RAF aircraft. KEY - DAVE WILLIS

Tornado GR.4 fleet.A to ta l of 232 examp les of the European

collaboration aircraft are required by the RAF(55 have been c o n t r a c t e d fo r in the f i r s ttranche). The majority have been configured forthe air defence role, the rest (the last batchesdelivered) are for strike/attack.

The Typhoon is expected to be armed with theBeyond V i s u a l Range A i r to A i r M iss i l e(BVRAAM), defined by Staff Requirement (Air)1239. The BVRAAM will be the MBD Meteor,selected on May 16, 2000: it is expected to be inservice by the end of the current decade.

Strike/AttackThe current strike/attack platform, the TornadoGR.4, recent ly replaced the ear l ier GR.1s inservice. The GR.4 is the mid-life update versionof the Tornado GR.1, the aircraf t sensors andweapons having been overhauled to operatemore effect ively at the medium altitude levelenvisaged as the new operating height for thepost-Cold War age. The GR.4 programme alsogave the RAF a common a i r c r a f t f l e e t ,eliminating the 'fleets within the fleet' situationwhich could cause maintenance problems. TheGR.4 programme has been implemented as aseries of packages, Package 0 adding somehardware changes, including a GEC Sensors 1010forward-looking infra-red (FLIR) system and anew head up (HUD) display. Package 1 addedThermal Imaging And Laser Designation (TIALD)and Paveway III compatibility and the EnhancedPaveway (the Interim Precision Guided Bombrequirement which emerged from SR[A]1248).New weapons are to be integrated with theairframe for the Package 2 upgrade. These arethe Storm Shadow Conventionally Armed StandOff Missile (CASOM, SR[A]1236) and Brimstonean t i - a rmou r miss i le (SRA[A ]1238 ) . S tormShadow is due to enter service in late 2002: thef irst f i r ing by a Tornado GR.4 is due shortly.Package 2 a lso adds the R A P T O R(Reconnaissance Airborne Pod for the TORnado)system. The Defence Procurement Agency isalso current ly seeking a pod-based modular

44 October 2002

United Kingdom

2002 • European Air Power Survey

defensive aids system for improved protectionagainst infra-red and radar-guided missiles forthe Tornado GR.4.

The aircraft has a planned out-of-service dateof 2020, but it is likely that the airframe's designlife will need to be extended to at least 8,000hours to allow it to fulfil this target. (At presentthe type has an interim c learance for 5,000hours.) Its replacement is the Future OffensiveAir System (FOAS).

FOAS is current ly in the concept study andtechnology demonstration phase and the finalconfiguration - or even configurations - of theresu l t ing p la t fo rm/s is s t i l l f lu id. Mannedaircraft, unmanned combat air vehicles, cruisem i s s i l e s and a c o m m a n d ' c o n t r o l ,communicat ions, computers and intel l igencesystem are seen as components of the FOAScapability. At present there are no new aircraftprogrammes at the heart of FOAS, this rolebeing taken by 'growth versions' of the Typhoonand F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The programme islikely to revolve around the ability of all thecomponents of FOAS to work 'ne tcen t r i c l y ' ,procurement of the individual systems beingspread over a number of years and 'plugged intothe net'. FOAS is due to move from the currentconcept phase into the assessment phase (MainGate) in 2003, with a nominal initial in-servicedate of 2017.

Offensive SupportOffensive support in the RAF is provided by twosquadrons of Jaguars and three of Harriers. TheJaguar fleet has been upgraded to GR.3/T.4 andGR.3A/T.4A standards. GR.3/T.4s (or ig inal lyboth designated as Jaguar 96s) are equippedwith a MIL-STD-1553B databus which allows theaircraft to be compatible with smart weapons(but not always able to use them) and have beenw i red fo r T I A L D c a r r i a g e (but aga in , notcompa t ib le w i th the podded sys tem) . TheGR.3A/T.4AS (ex Jaguar 97) modifications builtupon the GR.3/T.4 upgrades allowing the aircraftto actually use the systems they were wired for.The GR.3A also allows pilots to use a HelmetMounted Sighting System (HMSS) in conjunctionwith the TIALD system.

The latest upgrade to the Jaguar fleet is thereplacement of the Adour Mk 104s with Mk 106s,which improve the type's safety and, as a bonus,adds a little extra thrust. Up to 60 RAF Jaguarsare expected to be upgraded to take the newengines, with the aircraft retaining their presentdesignations.

AOB: ROYAL AIR FORCESTRIKE COMMAND HO HIGH WYCOMBE1 Group HO HiqhWycombeIKAOSqn Tornado GR.4A RAF Marham5(AC) Sqn Tornado F.3 RAF Coningsby6 Sqn Jaguar GR.3/3A, T.4 RAF Coltishall9(B) Sqn Tornado GR.4 RAF Marham11(F) Sqn Tornado F.3 RAF Leeming12(B) Sqn Tornado GR.4 RAF Lossiemouth13 Sqn Tornado GR.4A RAF Marham14 Sqn Tornado GR.4 RAF Lossiemouth15(R) Sqn Tornado GR.4 RAF Lossiemouth16(R)Sqn Jaguar GR.3, T.4 RAF Coltishall25(F) Sqn Tornado F.3 RAF Leeming31 Sqn Tornado GR.4 RAF Marham39(1PRU)Sqn Canberra PR.9/T.4 RAF Marham41 Sqn Jaguar GR.3/3A, T.4 RAF Coltishall43(F) Sqn Tornado F.3 RAF Leuchars54(F) Sqn Jaguar GR.3/3A, T.4 RAF Coltishall56(R) Sqn Tornado F.3 RAF Coningsby100 Sqn Hawk T.1/1A/1W RAF Leeming(includes Navigator Training Unit)

11KF) Sqn Tornado F.3 RAF Leuchars617 Sqn Tornado GR.4 RAF Lossiemouth

2 Group HO High Wycombe8 Sqn Sentry AEW.1 RAF Waddington10 Sqn VC10C.1K RAF Brize Norton23 Sqn Sentry AEW.1 RAF Waddington32(TR) Sqn & BAe 125 CC.3, RAF Northolt

BAe 146 CC.2

AS 355F2 Twin Squirrel51 Sqn Nimrod R.I RAF Waddington99 Sqn C-17A Globemaster III RAF Brize Norton101 Sqn VC 10 K.3/4 RAF Brize Norton216 Sqn Tristar K.1, KC.1, C.2/2A RAF Brize NortonLyneham Tactical Wing RAF Lyneham

24 Sqn Hercules C.4/5 RAF Lyneham30 Sqn Hercules C.4/5 RAF Lyneham47 Sqn Hercules C.1/3 RAF Lyneham70 Sqn Hercules C.1/3 RAF Lyneham

& also has access to a leased Sikorsky S-76 for Royal Flights

3 Group HO High Wycombe22 Sqn RAF St Mawgan

A Flight Sea King HAR.3A RAFChivenorB Flight Sea King HAR.3A RAF WattishamC Flight Sea King HAR.3 RAF Valley

202 Sqn RAF BoulmerA Flight Sea King HAR.3 RAF BoulmerD Flight Sea King HAR.3 RAF LossiemouthE Flight Sea King HAR.3 RAF Leconfield

203(R) Sqn Sea King HAR.3/3A RAF St MawganJoint Force Harrier

1(F) Sqn Harrier GR.7 RAF Cottesmore3(F) Sqn Harrier GR.7, T.10 RAF Cottesmore4(AC) Sqn Harrier GR.7, T.10 RAF Cottesmore20(R) Sqn Harrier GR.7, T.10 RAF Wittering800 Sqn + Sea Harrier FA.2 RNAS Yeovilton801 Sqn + Sea Harrier FA.2 RNAS Yeovilton899 Sqn + Sea Harrier FA.2 RNAS Yeovilton

Kinloss Wing RAF Kinloss42(R) Sqn Nimrod MR.2 RAF Kinloss120 Sqn Nimrod MR.2 RAF Kinloss201 Sqn Nimrod MR.2 RAF Kinloss206 Sqn Nimrod MR.2 RAF Kinloss

+ Fleet Air Arm units allocated to Joint Force Harrier

Other units78 Sqn Chinook HC.2, RAF Mount Pleasant

Sea King HAR.384 Sqn Wessex HC.2 RAF Akrotiri1312 Flight VC 10K, Hercules C. RAF Mount Pleasant1435 Flight Tornado F.3 RAF Mount PleasantBattle of Britain Memorial Flight RAF Coningsby

Hurricane IIC, Lancaster B.I, Dakota C.3Spitfire lla/Vb/IXe/PR.19, Chipmunk T.10

Centre of Air Medicine RAF HeniówHawk T.1 (based at Boscombe Down)

Joint Forward Air Control Training and Standards UnitHawk T.I RAF Leeming

Station Flight Islander CC.2/2A RAF Northolt

Air Warfare Centre RAF WaddingtonStrike Aircraft Operational Evaluation Unit Boscombe Down

Harrier GR.7, Jaguar GR.3Tornado GR.1/4

E-3D Operational Evaluation Unit RAF Waddingtonloans Sentry AEW.Is from 8/23 Sqn

F.3 Operational Evaluation Unit RAF ConingsbyTornado F.3

Hercules Operational Evaluation Unit RAF Lynehamloans C-130s from LTW as required

Rotary Wing Operational Evaluation Unit RAF Bensonloans Merlin HC.3s from 28 Sqn as required

The RAF's Harrier fleet, part of the Joint ForceHar r ie r o r g a n i s a t i o n , is the s u b j e c t of anupgrade plan of its own. The retirement of theRoyal Navy's Sea Harrier by 2006 will help fundthe upgrade of the RAF 's GR.7s to GR.9/9Astandard. A total of 30 aircraft will receive thePegasus Mk 107 engine in place of the currentMk 105, becoming Harr ier GRJAs. The newengine will allow the Harrier to perform verticallandings at high temperatures while carrying

The Thermal Imaging And Laser Designation (TIALD) pod can now been fitted to the Tornado andJaguar fleets. Precision weapons allow multiple targets to be hit by one aircraft. KEY - ALAN WARNES

precision-guided munitions, reducing the needto jettison these expensive weapons following amission abort. The full GR.9/9A upgrade will adda MIL-STD-1760 databus to facilitate the ability touse the Storm Shadow, Brimstone and ASRAAMm i s s i l e s . A l l w i l l be f i t t e d w i t h a g roundprox imi ty warn ing system, and 16 of theupgraded aircraft will also be modified for use ofthe TIALD pod hung on the centreline.

As part of Joint Force Harrier, the GR.9/9As willcontinue to deploy on the Royal Navy's aircraftcarriers after the Sea Harriers are retired, beingthe only fixed wing aircraft planned to do so forsome time into the future.

The long-term replacement for the Harrier is aversion of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint StrikeF igh te r under the Joint C o m b a t A i r c r a f tprogramme. The aircraft is expected to be inserv ice from 2012 and wi l l serve on the twoFuture Aircraft Carriers (CVF) which are beingplanned for the Royal Navy.

Mighty Hunter No.3The R A F ' s mar i t ime pa t ro l a i r c r a f t f lee t isconcentrated at RAF Kinloss, in north Scotland.The current MR.2 aircraft are to be upgraded asMRA.4S with a total of 18 aircraft (cut from 21 inFebruary) planned for modification. This will beradical, as little of the original airframe is due tobe retained, the str ipped fuselage being the

www.airforcesmonthly.com 45

Above: Cancellation of plans to move the Fleet Air Arm's Sea Harrier squadrons to RAF Cottesmoreand RAF Wittering maintains a situation in which the Joint Force Harrier is divided among threebases. Harrier T.10 ZH664/112 of 1 Squadron is the penultimate British Harrier. KEY - ALAN WARNESRight: The RAF Hawk fleet has been subject to the Fuselage Replacement Programme enablingcertain airframes to continue in service until advanced training is contractorised as part of theFuture UK Military Flying Training System. T.1A XX317 is in 208(R) Squadron colours, part of 4FTS based at RAF Valley, Anglesey. CROWNBelow: The Merlin HC.3s of 28(AC) Squadron are based at RAF Benson. The squadron's aircraft aredue to receive an in-flight capability and probes have appeared on several of the type (although thisexample is carrying a test boom). CROWN

largest component to make it into the MRA.4.Fitted with a new wing, four embedded Rolls-Royce BR710 engines rep lac ing the currentSpeys, and a new avionics suite, the MRA.4 isdue to replace the MR.2 by 2008. Crewing hasbeen decreased from three to two in the cockpit,and from 13 to ten in the main cabin.

The MRA.4 programme has a history of delays,though BAE Systems has worked hard to keepthe programme on track. On December 13, 2001,the first production aircraft (PAD had its powerturned on, and the engines were installed and aredue to be run in August 2002. First flight isexpected in September 2002, with PA2 followingin December 2002 and PA3 in March 2003. Crewtraining is due to commence in February 2003(the contract for the MRA.4 programme includesan integrated training system to be based atKinloss), and the RAF should receive its f irstNimrod MRA.4 in August 2004.

At present, the RAF's 'other' Nimrods - the R.1sof 51 Squadron based at RAF Wadd ing ton ,Lincolnshire - will not be radical ly upgradedexternally. They are expected to continue togather their electronic orders of battle until 2012.

ASTORThe Airborne Stand-Off Radar (ASTOR) system is,in concept, the UK version of the United States'J-STARS (Joint Surveillance Target Attack RadarSystem). Carried aloft by the Bombardier GlobalExpress, f ive ASTOR systems are due to beacqu i red f rom R a y t h e o n Sys tems w i t h aminimum of eight ground stations, all of whichwi l l be based at RAF Waddington. The f i rstG loba l E x p r e s s (ZJ690) was de l i ve red to

Raytheon's Greenville facility at Majors Field, forintegration of the ASTOR system on January 31.The aircraft will remain at Majors Field until testflying starts in the third quarter of 2003, and willbe delivered to the Ministry of Defence in 2004.The system is expected to be in service by 2005.

Transport FluxThe tactical transport fleet of Hercules, based atRAF Lyneham, Wiltshire, is in a state of f lux. TheHercules operat iona l convers ion unit, 57(R)Squadron, disbanded on March 14. The originalC-130KS still serve in the Hercules C.1 and thestretched C.3 versions, a total of 22 remaining.The C.1s are now used only for special forcestraining and operations, while the surviving C.3scontinue to be used for more routine transportwork.

Al l the C-130JS have been delivered, with allbut two at RAF Lyneham. Ten Hercules C.5s (C-130J) and 15 Hercules C.4s (C-130J-30) weredelivered, but service entry has taken some timeto achieve. Today, the aircraft are still limited inwhat they can undertake, with c learance forsome parachute loads stil l awaited. Althoughnot delivered with probes, the new fleet has thecapability to be fitted with them: an example ofthe C.5 with a probe trial fit was noted at RAFLyneham in mid-August.

The surviving C-130Ks are due to be replaced by25 A i rbus M i l i t a ry Company A400Ms. TheA400M seems to have made little progress in theeight years since the life-size mock-up appearedat the Farnborough airshow. Construction of aprototype has not yet begun, and although eacht r a d e show seems to p roduce ano the r

memorandum-signing, actual flight hardware isst i l l years away. The Ministry of Defence isrumoured to be getting impatient for its newtransport aircraft and alternatives to the A400Mare being exp lored. One of these inc ludesincreasing by another five the number of C-17Globemaster I l l s in the RAF's inventory andbuying ano ther ten to 20 C-130Js. No 99Squadron , based a t RAF Br ize Nor ton,Oxfordshire, has four C-17As on a seven-yearlease from Boeing, the aircraft fulfilling the ShortTerm Strategic Airlift requirement. These aircrafthave exceeded their planned yearly hours by60% in their first year of operations, flights insupport of operations in Afghanistan accountingfor a good percentage of those extra hours.

Tanker/TransportsRAF Brize Norton is home to the VCIOs of 10 and101 Squadrons and the Tristars of 216 Squadron,which undertake tanking and transport roles. Theai rcraf t are due to be replaced by a Pr ivateFinance Initiative (PFI) under the Future StrategicTanker Aircraft (FSTA) requirement, which callsfor a tanker capability to be provided by a privatefirm under a £13 billion contract stretching over27 years. Originally due in service in 2006, theFSTA will now be available from 2008. Two teamsare bidding for the cont rac t : The Tanker &Transport Service Co (BAE Systems, Boeing, SercoGroup and Spectrum Capital) plans to use second-hand (ex British Airways) Boeing 767-300ERs,while Air Tanker (EADS, Rolls-Royce, FR Aviation,Brown & Root Services and Thales Defense) iso f f e r i n g new A i r b u s A330-200 tanke rconversions. Selection is due in the third quarter

46 October 2002

2002 • European Air Power Survey

/ FTS at RAF Linton-on-Ouse is home to the majority of the RAF's Tucano 7.1 fleet. Like the Hawks,they will be replaced by UK MFTS. KEY - DUNCAN CUBITIof 2002, with a contract to be awarded in early2003. Under the PFI deal, the aircraft would beavailable to the RAF while any spare capacity canbe leased out to the market on a short-term basis.

Some resistance to the RFI has been expressed,both by individuals within the RAF and others.The a i r l ine leasing market is a competi t ivebusiness area and, given the proviso that theaircraft need to be quickly returned from theleasor and delivered to the RAF, it remains to beseen whether any airline would be interested inthe 'spare1 aircraft. Also, with the glut of olderairliners on the world market - including numbersof cheap, well-maintained, relatively low-houredTristars - PFI detractors are questioning why thePrivate Finance Initiative route has been takeninstead of the cheaper route of acquiring andmodifying some of these aircraft as tankers. Infact, the acquisition of more Tristars has beenlooked at as the Interim Future Strategic TankerAircraft programme, and would appear to make alot of sense.

Support HelicoptersOn March 31, 2002, the Wessex HC.2 was retiredby 72 Squadron, thus removing the type fromthe support helicopter arena after more than 35years in the role. The only examples of thehel icopter le f t in RAF serv ice are based atAkrotiri, Cyprus, with 84 Squadron, and theseare due to be replaced by four Gr i f f in HC.2soperated by FB Heliservices from April 2003.

The last pair of Gazelle HT.3s were retired from7 S q u a d r o n at the end of 2001. Used as'pathfinders' for the squadron Chinooks, theywere replaced by Gazelle AH.1 variants, easinglogistics by using only one type of Gazellewithin the Joint Helicopter Command.

The Chinook HC.3 has still not entered servicewith the RAF. Eight aircraft have been built andde l i ve red to the Uni ted Kingdom, but onesuffered an accident while being unloaded from aship on July 30 and will need repairing. Serviceentry for the type is not expected before 2003.The Merlin HC.3 entered service with 28(AC)

JOINT HELICOPTER COMMAND HQERSKINE BARRACKS, WILTON

7 Sqn Chinook HC.2, Gazelle AH.1 RAFOdiham18 Sqn Chinook HC.2 RAF Odiham27 Sqn Chinook HC.2 RAF Odiham28(AC) Sqn Merlin HC.3 RAF Benson33 Sqn Puma HC.1 RAF Benson230 SqnA Puma HC.1 RAF Aldergrove845 Sqn + Sea King HC.4 RNAS Yeovilton846 Sqn + Sea King HC.4 RNASCuldrose847 Sqn + Gazelle AH.1, Lynx AH.7 RNAS Yeovilton848 Sqn + Sea King HC.4 RNAS Yeovilton+ FAA units. The JHC also controls the Army Air Corps fleetof Gazelles and Lynxes.A Forms part of the Joint Helicopter Force (NorthernIreland) with the elements of 5 Regiment Army Air Corps

Squadron at RAF Benson, Oxfordshire, on July 17,2001. A total of 22 examples of the mediumtransport helicopter will serve with the RAF.

The Puma HC.1 fleet has expanded slightly withthe service entry in mid-2001 of ZE449, a formerArgentine SA 330L captured in the Falklandsconflict. Six former South A f r i can .A i r ForcePumas are due to be delivered to the RAF in thenear future, a f te r being brought up to HC.1standard. The long-term replacement for severalof Joint Helicopter Command's rotary wingeda i r c r a f t i s the Suppo r t , A m p h i b i o u s andBattlefield Rotorcraft (SABR). Due to replacethe Sea King HAR.3/3A, HC.4s (of the RoyalMarines) and the Puma HC.1s, SABR will providethe battlefield support and search and rescuerequ i rement a f t e r 2009. Some 100 S A B Rairframes are expected be procured: possiblecandidates include an advanced version of theChinook, the Merlin, NHI NH90, Sikorsky S-92and the Bell/Boeing V-22 Osprey.

TrainingThe last of 99 Grób G115E Tutors delivered underthe Light A i rc ra f t Flying Task contract washanded over to VT Aerospace in December 2001:the company has a PFI con t rac t to provideaircraft for the RAF's University Air Squadronsand A i r E x p e r i e n c e F l igh ts . The a i r c r a f tpreviously used in this role, the Bulldog T.1, wasretired on May 30, 2001.

The Tucano f leet, used for basic training, isundergoing work to strengthen the wing spars,fuselage and wing attachment points to alleviateairframe stress problems. The majority of theaircraft serve with 1 FTS at Linton-on-Ouse, NorthYorkshire, where Nos 1 and 2 Squadrons of theSchool's Basic Fast Jet Training element havebeen recently renumbered as 72(R) and 207(R)Squadrons.

Under the Fuselage Replacement Programme forthe Hawk T.1/1A fleet, 80 aircraft will receive newcentre sections, though this is not expected to beenough to fulfil training needs in the medium term.A Private Finance Initiative contract for a newtraining system is being outlined by the Ministry of

PERSONNEL AND TRAINING COMMAND HQRAF INNSWORTH

Central Flying School RAF CranwellCFS Tucano Sqn (part of 1 FTS) RAFTopcliffeHawk component part of 19(R) Sqn RAF ValleyTutor component part of Elementary RAF Cranwell

Flying Training Standard Squadron/3 FTSRAF College Air Squadron G115E Tutor RAF CranwellRAF Aerobatic Team Hawk T.1/1A RAF Scampton

(Red Arrows)1 Flying Training School RAF Linton-on-Ouse

72(R)Sqn Tucano T.I RAF Linton-on-Ouse207(R) Sqn Tucano T.I RAF Linton-on-OuseCFS Tucano Sqn Tucano T.I RAF TopcliffeTucano Air Navigation Sqn Tucano T.1 RAF Topcliffe

3 Flying Training School RAF Cranwell45(R) Sqn Jetstream T.1 RAF Cranwell55(R) Sqn Dominie T.1 RAF CranwellElementary Flying Training G115E Tutor RAF Cranwell

Standard Sqn4 Flying Training School/ RAF Valley

Advanced Training & Tactics Unit19(R) Sqn Hawk T.1/1A RAF Valley208(R) Sqn Hawk T/1/1A RAF Valley

HO Elementary Flying Training SchoolJoint Elementary Flying Training School RAF Barkston

T67M Firefly HeathDefence Helicopter Flying School RAF Shawbury

60(R) Sqn Griffin HT.1 RAF Shawbury660 Sqn Squirrel HT.1 RAF Shawbury705 Sqn Squirrel HT.1 RAF ShawburySAR Training Unit Griffin HT.1 RAF Valley

To the above units should be added the 15 joint UniversityAir Squadrons/Air Experience Flights (all G115E Tutor), 27Volunteer Gliding Schools (Valiant T.1, Viking TX.1), CentralGliding School at RAF Syerston, and 1 SoTT at RAF Cosford.

Defence. Called the Future UK Military FlyingTraining System (UK MFTS), it will meet the needsof fast jet, multi-engine and rear-crew training,bas ica l l y p r i va t i s ing the t ra in ing cu r ren t l yundertaken in the Tucano and the Hawk, as well asthe Dominie and Jetstream. Worth between £10 to£15 billion over 30 years, the UK MFTS will comeon-line at the beginning of a period of influx ofnew aircraft for the RAF: the latest in-service dateis scheduled as 2007.

Although UK MFTS will greatly overhaul thetraining of fixed-wing pilots, rotary-wing studentswi l l cont inue to be t ra ined by the DefenceHelicopter Flying School (DHFS) based at RAFShawbury, Shropshire, though with units at MiddleWallop. Another pair of Bell 412EP Griffin H T.1 swas recently ordered, to join the nine alreadyoperated by FB Heliservices, which runs the DHFS.

DEFENSE AVIATION REPAIR AGENCY (DARÒ)NARO Fleetland Fleetlands(rotorwing repair, storage and upgrade)

RAF Engineering Wing RAFStAthan(repair and upgrade of service fixed wing types)

DARÒ is the United kingdom's armed forces aircraftoverhaul and modification organisation.

The Boeing 767 is being offered by the Tanker & Transport Service Co to fulfil the RAF's FutureStrategic Tanker Aircraft requirement. The contract is seen as a flagship for the Private FinanceInitiative, which helped shape several of the contractor-provided services used by the UK's armedforces. KEY - DAVE WILLIS

Lairforcesmonthly.com 47

Studies are under way to replace the Lynx HMA.8 in the light surface combatant helicopter role.One squadron uses the type in that role (plus a training sguadron),with a third using the AH.7 forRoyal Marine support duties. AGUSTAWESTLAND

FLEET AIR ARM OF THE ROYAL NAVYTHE ROYAL Navy's Fleet Air Arm suffered amajor blow on February 28 when the Ministry ofDefence's Migration Strategy for Joint ForceHarrier was released. The document describeshow the Sea Harrier FA.2 ('Shar') will be takenout of service between March 2004 and the endof 2006. Although based on the first generationHar r ie r (ie not on the US-designed AV-8Bversion) the aircraft is the only serving type inthe UK's arsenal which is able to match a pulse-Doppler radar and the AIM-120 AMRAAM Missile.More importantly, it is a major part of the fleet'sair defence, and is ef fect ive ly being retiredwithout a direct replacement in the short-term.

With the retirement of the Sea Harrier, theplanned consolidation of the Joint Force Harrierat RAF Cottesmore, Leics, and RAF Wittering,Cambs, has been cancelled, with the 'Shar's'staying at RNAS Yeovilton, Somerset.

Harrier GR.7s (and GR.9/9As, following theirupgrade) wi l l cont inue to deploy onboardaircraft carriers to provide a strike capability.This duty is unpopular with RAF personnel,tak ing them away f rom home for extendedperiods and into life on board ship - anenvironment they did not expect to be workingin when they joined the Royal Air Force.

The Joint Combat Aircraft, the replacement forthe Sea Harr ier , wi l l be a vers ion of theLockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, and isexpected to be in service six years after the lastSea Harrier is retired. Thus for at least sixyears, the Royal Navy will have no carrier-bornefixed wing fleet defence aircraft.

New CarriersThe most important procurement programmefor the Royal Navy is the Future Aircraft Carrier(CVF), which is seen as extremely important tothe future of the Royal Navy and to the service'sabi l i ty to p ro jec t power. Two vesse l s areplanned, each capable of embark ing a 50-aircraft air wing. Identified as a requirementduring the 1998 Strategic Defence Review WhitePaper, with ministerial Initial Gate approvalgiven in December the same year, an Invitationto Tender for the project Assessment Phase wasissued in January 1999. Cont rac ts for theAssessment Phase were awarded in November1999,'with Stage 1 of Assessment complete inJune 2001. Stage 1, undertaken by teams led byBAE Systems (CVF Team) and Thales (ThalesNavy Ltd), was an analysis of options called theCombined Operat ional E f fec t iveness andInvestment Appraisal , which cost £6 million.

Stage 2 of Assessment is a risk-reductioncontract for £23.5 million, following which bidswill be accepted for the Demonstration andManufacture Phase. Ministerial Main Gateapproval is expected at the end of 2003, to befollowed in 2004 by the award of a contract tobuild two warships in a UK yard. One is expectedto be in service by 2012, with the secondfollowing in 2015. The three current Invincible-c l ass c a r r i e r s are expec ted to bedecommissioned around 2012.

The CVF programme has a long way to gobefore they are in service, and it is no meanscertain that they will join the Royal Navy. Majorlong-term defence programmes with largebudgets are easily culled when money is tight.The loss of the Sea Harriers (effectively the FleetAir Arm's fixed wing component) by 2006 may, inthe period before the Joint Combat Aircraft(JCA) enters service, raise questions from certainquarters (be they political, or from the otherarmed services) as to why the Royal Navy needsthese aircraft at all. (After all, they argue, theNavy seems to be doing very well without themat the moment - so they don't need carrier basedfixed wing aviation, and thus it seems pointlessto build large aircraft carriers to fly them off).

CVF Air WingThe greater part of the CVF's air wing is

expec ted to be made up of Joint CombatAircraft (JCA). The Joint Combat Aircraftprogramme evolved from an amalgamation ofthe Future Carrier Borne Aircraft, which lookedfor a replacement for the Sea Harrier of theFleet Air Arm, and the Future Joint CombatAi rc ra f t (FJCA), a replacement for the JointForce Harrier's aircraft. In January 2001, it wasannounced that a version of the LockheedMartin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) wouldfulfil the (then) FJCA requirement. Despite thefact that navalised versions of the Eurofighter,the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, and even theRafale M, had been mentioned as possibilities,the selection of the F-35 became more likely asthe United Kingdom's Government decided tojoint the Joint Strike Fighter programme in theConcept Demonstration Phase. The suspense inthe JCA programme now revolves around thechoice of JSF sub-variant, as this will.affect thelayout of the proposed CVF designs. Selectionbetween the short take-of f vert ical landing(STOVL) and Carrier Variant (CV) conventionaltake-off and landing JSFs is expected by the endof 2002.

The Future Organic Airborne Early Warning(FOAEW) system will be the replacement for thecapability provided by the Sea King AEW.Tsoperated by 849 Squadron. Coverage againstairborne and surface contacts will be coupledwith a command and control function for otherair assets. Several possibilities exist for theplatform for the FOAEW system, including acompound vers ion of the Agus taWes t l andMerlin, an advanced version of the NorthropGrumman E-2, and the Bell/Boeing V-22 Osprey.Although no time line has been revealed for theservice entry of FOAEW, it is expected to fallwithin the 2012-2015 timeframe. The Sea KingAEW.7 itself entered service with 849 Squadronat RNAS Culdrose, Cornwall, in early May 2002.All 13 are expected in service by mid-2004.

The other airframe type which will make up theCVF carrier air group will be the Merlin HM.1: 44aircraft are on order for the Royal Navy, with thetype entering service with 824 Squadron, whichwas commissioned in mid-2000. The last MerlinHM.1 was due to have been delivered to the RoyalNavy around July 2002, but at the beginning of

A Sea King HU.5SAR of 771 Squadron lifts off from one of the three carriers currently in service.Despite being due to be replaced by the Merlin (seen behind) in the ASW role, Sea Kings will continuein service for some time to come, in second line, none combat roles. CROWN

48 October 2002

2002 * European Air Power Survey

A pair of Sea Harrier FA.2s of 800 Squadron, land-based at RNAS Yeovilton. Although due to be replaced by a version of the Joint Strike Fighter, a gapof at least six years will exist between the retirement of the 'Shar' and the service entry of the Lockheed Martin design. CROWN

August 2002, this had yet to happen. Initially the

Merlin was also due to replace the Lynx light

surface combatant helicopter, currently in its

HMA.8 incarnation, though this plan was dropped

when the Ministry of Defence cancelled options

for a second batch of Merlins.

Naval Lynx ReplacementThe current Lynx is expected to serve no more

than six years before a replacement is found. A

contract for up to £10 million will be awarded to

AgustaWestland in the near term to assess the

suitabi l i ty of the Future Lynx (a Royal Navy

FLEET AIR ARM AIR ORDER OF BATTLE700M (OEU) Sqn Merlin HM.1702 Sqn705 Sqn *727 Sqn750 Sqndet HMS HeronStation Fit

771 Sqn

Lynx HAS.3S/HMA.8Squirrel HT.1 +G115D-2 Heron +Jetstream T.2Jetstream T.3

RNAS CuldroseRNAS YeoviltonRAF ShawburyRoboroughRNAS CuldroseRNAS Yeovilton

Sea King HU.5SAR/HAS.6 RNAS CuldrosePrestwickdet HMS Gannet SAR Fit

Sea King HU.5SAR800 Sqn Sea Harrier FA.2 RNAS Culdrose801 Sqn Sea Harrier FA.2 RNAS Yeovilton810 Sqn Sea King HAS.6 RNAS Culdrose814 Sqn Merlin HM.1 RNAS Culdrose815 Sqn Lynx HAS.3S/3 ICE/3S RNAS Yeovilton

GM/3GM/HMA.8820 Sqn Sea King HAS.6 RNAS Culdrose824 Sqn Merlin HM.1 RNAS Culdrose845 SqnA Sea King HC.4 RNAS Yeovilton846 SqnA Sea King HC.4 RNAS Culdrose847 Sqn A Gazelle AH.1, Lynx AH.7 RNAS Yeovilton848 SqnA Sea King HC.4 RNAS Yeovilton849 Sqn Sea King AEW.2/7, HAS.6 RNAS Culdrose899 Sqn Sea Harrier FA.2 RNAS Yeovilton

Harrier T.8Air Engineering & Survival School Gosport

various GIAsCuldrose Engineering Training Sqn RNAS Culdrose

various GIAsFAA Fire School various (burnt) GIAs PredannackFlag Officer Sea Training (FOST) Roborough

SA 365N Dauphin +Fleet Requirements and Direction Unit (FRADU)RNAS Culdrose

Hawk T.1/1A/1W

* part of the Defence Helicopter Flying School+ contractors aircraftA controlled operationally by the Joint HelicopterCommand

version of the Super Lynx 300). Future Lynx will

run alongside a similar study for the British

Army's Lynx AH.7/9 replacement. Future Lynx is

part of a programme known as the Surface

Combatant Maritime Rotorcraft, which aims to

replace the current Lynxes deploying to the

frigates, destroyers and other warships of the

Navy.

FAA TrainingThe Jetstream T.2s used by 750 Squadron from

RNAS Culdrose are expected to be withdrawn in

2007. Used to train 'observers' (the Royal Navy

term for non-pilot aircrew), their role is expected

to be contracted out to industry and undertaken

by private concerns. On a broader note, the

Future UK Military Flying Training System will

affect the training of the Fleet Air Arm's aircrew

and obse rve rs . A smal l change in unit

designation occurred in December 2001 when

the Naval Flying Grading Flight at Roborough,

flying the G115D-2 Heron, was redesignated as

727 Squadron.

The next decade will be a decisive one for the

Fleet Air Arm. If all plans come to fruition, the

service will emerge equipped with large aircraft

carriers able to project force across the globe. If

not, some difficult choices will have to be made

concerning the exact role of British naval air

power in the first decades of the 21st century.

ARMY AIR CORPSTHE MOST important aviation programme for

the Army is the introduction into service of the

Westland WAH-64 Apache AH.1 attack helicopter.

Based on the AH-64D Longbow Apache, the

helicopter has been re-engined with the Rolls-

Royce Turbomèca RTM 322. The first example

flew with the RTM 322s on September 28,1998,

with the first aircraft delivered to the Ministry of

Defence on Apr i l 28, 2000. A tota l of 67

examples of the Apache AH.1 are being acquired

to replace the TOW (Tube-launched, Optically-

t racked, Wi re -gu ided) ant i -armour missi le

equipped Lynx. Its in-service date (defined as

the date of the delivery of the ninth production

example) took place on January 16, 2001, some

13 months later than originally planned. The

helicopter was released for service with the

Army on the same day: the final example is due

to join the British Army in December 2003.

The Apache will be the first dedicated attack

helicopter in British service and has far-reaching

implications for the structure of the Army Air

Corps. It is to be fielded with 9 Regiment AAC,

based at Dishforth, North Yorkshire, and 3 and 4

Regiments based at Wattisham, Suffolk. Each

regiment will operate 16 Apache AH.1s in two

squadrons, alongside a single squadron of eight

Lynxes in the utility configuration.

Training on the type is being conducted at

Lynx AH.7XZ765, fitted with empty TOW launches under the cabin door, moves on as an Apache AH.1waits to follow. The Lynx will operate alongside the Apache in the utility role. KEY - MALCOLM ENGLISH

49

An Army Air Corps WAH-64 Apache AH.1 carrying a full load of munitions, including inert Brimstoneanti-armour missiles. The Apache will transform the way in which the Army Air Corp functions onthe battlefield. KEY - DAVE WILLIS

Midd le W a l l o p by A T I L ( A v i a t i o n Tra in ingInternational Ltd) under a £650 million privatefinance init iat ive contract due to run for 30years. No 671 Squadron at Middle Wallop willuse nine Apache AH.1s for training purposes.

A contract worth £350 million was placed withHunting Engineer ing for munit ions for thehelicopter in March 1996. An air-to-air role isbeing considered alongside its primary air-to-ground taskings.

BLUHThe Lynx Light Utility Helicopter project hasbeen replaced by the Battlefield Light UtilityHe l i cop te r (BLUH) p ro jec t . The p ro jec t islooking at ways of replacing the current fleet ofLynx aircraft used in the utility role by the ArmyAir Corps, and the change of name probablyreflects a wish to expand beyond the Lynx as a

solution for utility helicopter requirement withinthe Army Air Corps. Even so, one possibility maybe a version of the Super Lynx 300 ('FutureLynx') being studied by the Lynx IntegratedProject Team, which is in charge of BLUH.

Unit changesNos 652 and 661 Squadrons are due to movefrom Gutersloh, Germany, when 1 Division leavesthe country. It is due to restructure and wil leventually be composed of three squadrons ofLynx AH.9S.

The Gazelle AH.1s of 25 Flight, based in Belize,are to be replaced by Bell 212s leased from localoperators. No 16 Flight's examples, based inCyprus , w i l l be re t i red in favour of the FBHeliservices Griffin HC.2s, due to arrive in thecountry in early 2003, which will also replacethe Wessex HC.2s with the RAF's 84 Squadron.

New UAV CapabilityOuts i de the A r m y A i r Corps , the A r m y ' sWatchkeeper programme is of interest becauseof i ts use of unmanned air veh i c l es .Watchkeeper is a programme which will provideBri t ish Army commanders with intell igence,s u r v e i l l a n c e , t a r g e t a c q u i s i t i o n andreconnaissance. Four teams are interested inproviding this capability to the Army, and two ofthese were due to be selected in August 2002 tofurther develop their proposals. Each team hadselected two unmanned air vehicles to provide aMALE (medium altitude, long endurance) andt a c t i c a l c a p a b i l i t y . No r th rop Grumman 'sproposal uses its own Fire Scout vertical take-offand landing tactical unmanned air vehicle andthe Ruag Ranger. Team Vigilant (led by BAESystems) offers the General Atomics Predatorand the AAI Corp Shadow 200, while the Thales-led team will use the Silver Arrow Hermes 180and 450 designs. Meggitt's Spectre 3 will beused in the tact ical role by Lockheed Martin,whose own cho i ce of M A L E has yet to beannounced. Watchkeeper will have an initialoperat ing capabi l i ty f rom 2005, wi th a fu l lcapabi l i ty from 2007. The chosen system isexpec ted to be in serv ice , v ia va r i ousupgrades, for 35 years. DAVID WILLIS

AOB: ARMY AIR CORPS1 Regiment AAC Gutersloh

652 Sqn Lynx AH.7661 Sqn Gazelle AH.1, Lynx AH.7

2 (Training) Regiment AAC Middle Wallop660 Sqn* Squirrel HT.1 RAF Shawbury670 Sqn* Squirrel HT.2671 Sqn Apache AH.1 Gazelle

AH.1, Lynx AH.7Advanced Fixed Wing Flight

Islander ALIArmy Grading Flight T67M Firefly +

3 Regiment AAC Wattisham653 Sqn Lynx AH.9662 Sqn Gazelle AH.1, Lynx AH.7663 Sqn Gazelle AH.1, Lynx AH.7

4 Regiment AAC Wattisham654 Sqn Gazelle AH.1, Lynx AH.7659 Sqn Lynx AH.9669 Sqn Gazelle AH.1, Lynx AH.7

5 Regiment AAC Aldergrove/Ballykelly655 Sqn Lynx AH.7665 Sqn Gazelle AH.1 Aldergrove1 Flight Islander AL.1 Aldergrove

(These units form part of the Joint Helicopter Force[Northern Ireland] with 230 Sqn RAF)7 Regiment AAC (Volunteers) Netheravon

658 Sqn666 Sqn3 Flight6 Flight

9 Regiment AAC656 Sqn664 Sqn

Other Units651 Sqn657 Sqn667 Sqn7 Flight8 Flight12 Flight16 Flight25 FlightAAC Flight BATUSKFORSFOR

Gazelle AH.1Gazelle AH.1Gazelle AH.1Gazelle AH.1

Gazelle AH.1,Gazelle AH.1,

Apache AH.1Lynx AH.7Gazelle AH.1,Bell 212

RAF LeucharsRAF ShawburyDishforth

Lynx AH.7Lynx AH.7

Middle WallopOdiham

Lynx AH.7 Middle WallopBrunei

Agusta A 109A, Gazelle AH.1 CredenhillGazelle AH.1Gazelle AH.1Gazelle AH.1Gazelle AH.1Gazelle AH.1Gazelle AH.1,Lynx AH.7

BruggenDhekelia, CyprusBelizeSuffield, CanadaPristina, KosovoBanja Luka,Górni Vakuf

The only fixed-wing aircraft operated by the Army Air Corps are a small number of Islander AL1s,whose roles include light transport, training, medical evacuation and surveillance. KEY - DAVE ALLPORT

* Squadrons form part of Defence Helicopter Flying School+ JEFTS T67MS detached to Middle Wallop as required

50 October 2002