Air International 2013-03
News
Boeing 707 Reem 272 on approach to RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk, on February 6, 2013. It was not confirmed if the visit to the base is connected with its role as a demonstrator aircraft for C-MUSIC.
Seen arriving at RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk, on January 27, 2013 was Royal Saudi Air Force Boeing E-3A Sentry 1803 (c/n 23417) of 18 Squadron based at Al Kharj-Prince Sultan AB. The aircraft was routing from Prince Sultan AB to Seattle, Washington, for upgrade under the Radar System Improvement Program.
Royal Danish Air Force F-16AM E-610 (ex 80-3610) lands at Grosseto AB after a morning mission during Winter Hide 2013. The aircraft is equipped with a LITENING ER laser designation pod, AIM-120B Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles and AIM-9X Sidewinders, while the pilot wears a helmet-mounted cueing system.
Bell 206B-3 EI-MER at Petrovec air force base in Macedonia, where it is used by the new helicopter training course.
The first NHIndustries NH90 assembled in Spain completed its maiden flight on January 23, 2013, wearing appropriate titles on its rear boom.
The Tornado GR4 fleet at RAF Marham in Norfolk participated in War Week 1-13 between February 4 and 8, 2013. War Week was a forward air controllers' exercise that took place over the north Norfolk coast at Muckleburgh and Sculthorpe, to hone skills that are required for deployments over Helmand in Afghanistan. Many of the Tornados taking part (such as ZA472/V31' in No.31 Squadron markings, seen here on approach to runway 24 on February 4) carried the Reconnaissance Airborne Pod for Tornado under the fuselage during the exercise.
The Luftwaffe's Jagdbombergeschwader 32 (JaboG-32, Fighter Bomber Wing 32) based at Lechfeld will disband during March 2013. To mark the occasion the unit has painted Tornado ECR 46+45 in special 'last call' markings. Some of the wing's Tornado ECRs will be reassigned to Aufklarungsgeschwader 51 (Reconnaissance Wing 51) 'Immelmann' based at Schleswig-Jagel.
Boeing C-17A Globemaster III 93-0600 (b/n P-16) is one of the first examples of the transporter assigned to the 164th Airlift Wing of the Tennessee Air National Guard (ANG) at Memphis ANG Base. It previously flew with the 62nd Airlift Wing from McChord AFB, Washington. The unit transitioned to the new aircraft on February 2, 2013, having received its initial Globemaster on December 18. Eight C-17As will be delivered to the Wing by the end of 2014 to replace its Lockheed C-5A Galaxies.
Boeing delivered the first C-17A Globemaster III (CB-8001 b/n F253, ex 11-0101) to the Indian Air Force on January 22, 2013. The aircraft departed Long Beach, California, for Edwards AFB in the same state to begin a US Air Force flight test programme. It made its maiden flight on January 11. Five C-17As will be handed over to India this year, with a further five following in 2014, under the terms of a Foreign Military Sales contract finalised on June 6, 2012.
Ilyushin Il-76TD Candid EK-76966 (c/n 073410292, ex EK-76292) of Ayk Avia is seen at Pointe Noire-Antonio Agostinho Neto International Airport in the Republic of Congo in late January, 2013. The transport was previously operated by Air Highnesses before being transferred to Ayk Avia in late 2010/early 2011. The latter, a cargo charter company based at Yerevan Zvartnots in Armenia, is believed to also operate an Antonov An-32B and an An-74.
Airbus A380-861 A6-EDS (msn 086, ex F-WWSB) of Emirates is seen on approach to Dubai International Airport on February 8, 2013. Like all the other A380s in the airline's fleet, the aircraft has had stickers applied promoting Dubai's candidacy for the World Expo 2020. The A380s began flying with the new titles on January 23. Other cities that have applied to host the six-month exposition are Izmir in Turkey, Ayutthaya in Thailand, Yekaterinburg in Russia and Sao Paulo in Brazil.
Airbus remains the clear market leader as far as ultra-large passenger aircraft are concerned. Last year, the firm booked orders for nine of its A380 Super Jumbos - rival Boeing took an order for just one 747-8.
Bell UH-1D Huey 70+88 was painted in this colourful scheme to mark the transfer of the type from the Luftwaffe to the Heer (Army). The helicopter has air force markings on its port side (seen here) and army markings starboard. On December 19, 2012, 2 Staffel of Lufttransportgeschwader 61 (LTG-61, Transport Wing 61) based at Landsberg-Penzing disbanded and the helicopters were transferred to Transporthubschrauberregiment 30 (THR-30, Transport Helicopter Regiment 30) at Niederstetten. But in order to provide SAR coverage for the Alps, some Hueys will continue to operate from Penzing for some time.
Eurofighter Typhoon 7L-WA takes off from Zeltweg during Operation Daedalus 2013.
The 43-year-old Sea King ASaC7 may yet provide airborne early warning cover for the most expensive UK combat aircraft of all time - the F-35 Lightning II - when embarked on HMS Queen Elizabeth, the largest UK warship ever built
Airbus A320-232 EI-EUL (msn 2027, ex EC-IPI) is seen arriving back at Dublin International Airport in Ireland from Bournemouth International Airport in Dorset on February 5, 2013. The airliner was painted in Shaheen Air colours by Airborne at Bournemouth and will become the only A320 (as AP-BJK) in the Pakistani carrier's fleet, although it has previously operated two others. Owned by the International Lease and Finance Corporation, the A320 was originally due to go to FlyRak of Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates as A6-TIA, but the lease was not taken up and the airliner was stored at Dublin.
Arriving at Maastricht Airport in the Netherlands on February 10, 2013, was Bombardier DHC-8-315Q Dash-8 5N-TBB (c/n 613, ex D2- EYL) of TopBrass Aviation. The Nigerian airliner was in the Netherlands to undergo maintenance. It previously served with Heli Malongo Airways of Angola before delivery to its current operator in November 2011. TopBrass took delivery of a second DHC- 8-315Q (5N-TBA, c/n 608) in December 2012, enabling operations to continue while 5N-TBB is being worked on.
On February 12, 2013, the sole ATR 42-600 ordered by Jhonlin Air Transport (JAT) of Indonesia was delivered. The turboprop (PK-JBA, c/n 1004, ex F-WWU) is seen conducting a test flight from Toulouse in southern France prior to hand-over. JAT began operations in November 2011 using Cessna 208 Caravans.
An early morning visitor to Manchester Airport on February 2, 2013, was Fokker 50 PH-JXJ (c/n 20232, ex PT-SLJ) on a flight undertaken on behalf of Aurigny. The aircraft has been leased by Denim Air to new charter company Vizion Air based at Antwerp in Belgium. Vizion Air was officially launched on January 23.
Anonymous-looking Dornier Do 328-110 N339PH (c/n 3015, ex D-CARR) was seen at Kabul Airfield International Airport in mid-January 2013. The twin turboprop commuter airliner is employed by the Afghan National Army's Special Mission Wing, to transport personnel around the country and uses the callsign 'Gold Digger 01'. N339PH is registered to Berry Aviation Inc, based at San Marcos, near Austin, Texas.
CASA CN235M-10 TN-228 (c/n C009, ex N833CA, OG2) is seen undergoing a test flight at Lanseria International Airport in South Africa during January 2013. The former Botswana Defence Force-Air Wing transport is due to be delivered to the Force Aerienne Congolaise (Congolese Air Force) in Congo (Brazzaville). The second former Botswana CN235 (5V-MBM, c/n C008, ex N820CA, OG1) remains at Lanseria in Force Aerienne Togolaise (Togolese Air Force) markings. Both aircraft were registered to Fayard Enterprises of Wake Forest, North Carolina, after being replaced in Botswana service by two new examples.
15 января 2013г. компания Airbus Military сообщила, что на авиазаводе в испанском г.Севилья состоялась выкатка первого серийного экземпляра европейского BTC A400M. В июне этот самолет (MSN007) передадут ВВС Франции, которые до конца года получат еще две серийные машины (MSN008 и MSN010). Кроме того, самолет (MSN009) будет поставлен Турции.
Airbus Military rolled out the first production A400M for the Armee de I'Air (French Air Force) from the final assembly line at Seville in Spain on January 15, 2013. France has ordered 50 A400Ms, of which eight will be equipped as multirole tanker transports. The aircraft (0007, msn 7) is scheduled to be delivered in the second quarter of this year. Initial examples of the transport were originally due to enter service in 2009.
Согласно контракту с мексиканской авиакомпанией Interjet, ГСС предстоит поставить еще 20 своих лайнеров. Первый из них уже прошел покраску в цвета Заказчика в центре кастомизации компании SuperJet International, который находится в Венеции.
On February 11, 2013 the first Sukhoi Superjet 100-95 for Interjet was rolled out of the Super Jet International paint shop at Venice in Italy. The airliner (c/n 95023) will be delivered in the spring, with the first of the carrier's pilots due to start type training in March. The aircraft is one of 20 ordered by the Mexican carrier, all of which will be configured for 93 passengers. A second example for Interjet (c/n 95024) has already arrived at the Super Jet International facility for completion.
Work is under way on the first production Citation M2 at Cessna's facility at Independence, Kansas. Assembly of both the M2 and earlier Citation Mustang is undertaken side-by-side at the plant.
Pilatus PC-7 Mk II TurboTrainer HB-HCF/P-106 (c/n 695) is the sixth example of the aircraft produced for the Indian Air Force. It is seen at the manufacturer's airfield at Stans, Switzerland, on January 18, 2013.
Between January 29 and 31, 2013, industry and air force officials were at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio attempting to iron out what one called "conceptual thinking" on the T-X programme aimed at replacing the T-38C Talon advanced trainer.
Boeing 757-28A(SF) OO-TFA (c/n 25622, ex OH-AFK), seen on approach to Albacete on February 8, 2013, is operated by TNT Airways in support of the NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force (AEW&CF) based at Geilenkirchen in Germany. The aircraft has replaced the Boeing 707-300C Trainer Cargo Aircraft (CT-49A), the last of which completed its final operational flight on November 16, 2011. It was converted to a combi configuration by Singapore's ST Aero and passed thorough Albacete in Spain while supporting AEW&CF operations during the first Tactical Leadership Programme course of 2013.
The Power 90 conversion of a King Air C90 has recently been completed by the Smyrna Air Center. The most distinctive external difference from the standard aircraft is the five-bladed propellers.
Airbus A330-243F F-WWYK (msn 1380, to become N331QT) is seen making its first flight from Toulouse in southern France on January 30, 2013. The freighter is destined for the Colombian carrier Tampa Cargo. Four of the aircraft were ordered by Tampa Cargo's parent company, Avianca, in September 2011 to replace Boeing 767-241 ER(BDSF)s leased from CECAS. The first (N330QT, msn 1368, ex F-WWKQ) was delivered on December 19, 2012.
Noted visiting Madrid-Barajas Airport in Spain on February 5, 2013, was Airbus A330-243 Prestige UP-A3001 (msn 863, ex 3B-TSL) of the Government of Kazakhstan. It transported the Kazakh President, Nursultan Nazarbayev, to Spain to discuss trade and co-operation, and to a meeting with King Juan Carlos I. The VIP aircraft was delivered to Kazakhstan in March 2010.
An unusual visitor to RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk, was Douglas C-9B Skytrain II BuNo 160047 (c/n 47687) of Marine Transport Squadron 1 (VMR-1) 'Roadrunners'. The aircraft arrived from MCAS Cherry Point, South Carolina, on January 25, 2013 and is seen departing for Paris-Le Bourget in France two days later. VMR-1 operates two C-9Bs, the only examples in Marine Corps colours.
Noted on February 4, 2013 at Den Holder Airport in the Netherlands was Eurocopter AS332L2 PH-NHR (c/n 2572, ex G-CHLF), the first of the type for Belgian company Noordzee Helikopters Vlaanderen. It arrived at Den Helder on December 6, 2012, and NHV began operations with it and EC155B1 OO-NHP (c/n 6762, ex G-ISSU), supporting the offshore industry, on January 1. The company is due to receive a second Super Puma (PH-NHS, c/n 2599, ex G-CHLJ) for operation from Den Helder and has ten Eurocopter EC 175s on order, which will be delivered between 2013 and 2015.
One of two production HAL Rudras, the armed version of the Dhruv, shown at Aero India 2013.
Brazilian Air Force AMX International A-1A 5511 carrying an AEQ SMKB-82 under its port wing during the test campaign for the weapon. The aircraft has a camera system mounted under the centreline station to record separation of the munition.
Work continues on the Airbus A350 widebody airliner with the company moving ahead on the assembly of its first examples at the aircraft's new production line in Toulouse, south-west France. The A350 will replace the A330 airframe.
EADS North America is proposing the UH-72A Lakota, shown in the Security and Support Battalion configuration, for the US Air Force Common Lift Vertical Support Platform.
Airbus Military C212-400 SE-MGZ/8983 is seen lining up on the runway at San Pablo Airport, Seville, on January 31, 2013, the last Spanish-built Aviocar to depart the manufacturer's facility.
Elbit Systems debuted a maritime surveillance configuration for its Hermes 900 unmanned air system (UAS) at Aero India 2012, held at Air Force Station at Yelahanka in Karnataka, India, between February 6 and 10, 2013. The aircraft can carry a Selex Galileo Gabianno T200 X-band synthetic aperture radar, an automatic identification system, electro-optical multisensor and electronic surveillance systems, for a total payload of 350kg (772 lb). Control is via line-of-sight and satellite, while the ground control station has been optimised to integrate the UAS into the wider naval command and control network. Elbit has teamed with Windward, which supplies the satellite-based maritime analytical system, to offer the Hermes 900 to meet Indian requirements to patrol its exclusive economic zone.
Eurocopter's milestones in 2012 included delivery of the first enhanced AS350 B3e.
19 декабря 2012 г. в подмосковном Томилино на территории ЗАО «ХелиВерт» впервые поднялся в воздух первый собранный в России вертолет AW139 (борт № 60001). Машина разработана европейской компанией AgustaWestland, обладает максимальной взлетной массой 6800 кг и вмещает до 15 пассажиров. «ХелиВерт» - совместное предприятие ОАО «Вертолеты России» и AgustaWestland. Завод в Томилино построен «с нуля» и сможет выпускать 15-20 вертолетов в год.
AgustaWestland AW139 60001 making its maiden flight on December 18, 2012, at Tomilino.
Noted at Pointe Noire-Antonio Agostinho Neto International Airport in the Republic of Congo, in late January, 2013, was Cessna 208B Grand Caravan N9023W (c/n 208B-2317), equipped with a long sensor boom. The aircraft, which arrived in Africa in late November 2012, is used for geophysical survey work.
In 2012 Eurocopter received 19 bookings for the EC 175 and flew the first production aircraft on its maiden flight.
The prototype Boeing Phantom Eye undergoing taxi tests at Edwards AFB, California, on February 6, 2013.
AgustaWestland AW169 I-AWCN completed its maiden flight on January 31, 2013.
Martin WB-57F N928NA (ex 63-13298) equipped with the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node has been deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan, following a period of maintenance. The aircraft is seen arriving at RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk, on February 2, 2013, having flown via Lajes in the Azores and Bermuda from its base at Ellington Field, Texas. It departed RAF Mildenhall the next day, travelling via Souda Bay in Crete to Afghanistan, where it is expected to remain until September. The aircraft replaces NASA's other WB-57F (N926NA, ex 63-13593) in Afghanistan, which returned in early December 2012.
Lockheed Martin rolled out the first of two C-130J-30 Hercules from the paint shop on January 25, 2013. Destined for the Tunisian Air Force, the North African country's order for the transports was announced on March 2, 2010, for delivery in 2013 and 2014. They will augment eight C-130Bs and a single surviving C-130H operated from Bizerte-Sidi Ahmed AB.
A second Wittmundhafen-based McDonnell Douglas F-4F Phantom recently emerged from the paintshop at nearby Jever AB in a 'retro' colour scheme. Phantom 38+33 (c/n 4704, ex 72-1243) has been painted in the two-tone grey Norm 81A/B camouflage pattern used in the 1980s and early 1990s, including a black radome. It is seen at its home base on January 24, 2013, one of four aircraft due to given a special scheme to mark the retirement of the fighter by Jagdgeschwader 71 'Richthofen' on June 29. The first was 38+10 (c/n 4635, ex 72-1220), painted in the 1970s Norm 72 grey/green camouflage.
With the end of Luftwaffe McDonnell Douglas F-4F Phantom operations planned for June 2013, the last scheduled maintenance for the type has recently been completed. F-4F ICE 38+64 (c/n 4782, FMS 72-1274) of Jagdgeschwader 71 'Richthofen' was the final one to emerge from the maintenance hangar at Wittmundhafen AB after an Hourly Post-flight Inspection (HPO) in early January. To mark the milestone it was decorated with a golden shooting star and 'Goldene HPO' titles on both sides of the fuselage. Following the retirement of the Phantom by Jagdgeschwader 71 the wing will continue to fly the Eurofighter Typhoon.
The mock-up of the Qaher-313 fighter that was unveiled by Iran on February 1, 2013.
Airbus A319-115CJ Corporate Jet TC-ANA (msn 1002, ex TC-TCB) recently transported the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to Budapest, for a meeting with his Hungarian counterpart, Viktor Orban. The aircraft is seen at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport on February 5, 2013. It entered service with the Turkish Government in February 2005.
The Indonesian Air Force took delivery of three DG-Flugzeugbau DG-1001 Club gliders during mid-January. They are the first of six ordered in October 2011 for the service's Flying Academy at Yogyakarta. The gliders were ordered to replace the academy's other gliders, one of which was involved in a fatal accident in April 2011. G-1003 is seen at the manufacturer's airfield at Bruchsal in Germany prior to delivery. Indonesia is believed to be the second military operator after the US Air Force ordered 19 examples as TG-16As in 2010/2011 for use at the Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs.
Eurofighter Typhoons ZK089/321 and ZK090/322 line up at the end of the runway at Warton, Lancashire on February 6, 2013, about to make their first flights in Saudi colours.
The first production Lockheed Martin F-35C Lightning II (BuNo. 168733, CF-6) completed its maiden flight on February 14, 2013 at Fort Worth, Texas. It will be delivered to Strike Fighter Squadron 101 (VFA-101) 'Grim Reapers' at Eglin AFB, Florida, later this year, becoming the initial example of the Carrier Variant with the Fleet Replacement Squadron.
Embraer Defence and Security delivered the first three A-29B Super Tucanos to the National Air Force of Angola during a ceremony held at Gaviao Peixoto in Sao Paulo state, Brazil on January 31, 2013.