Air International 2018-08
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Airscene
A pair of Su-25s firing 122mm S-13 rockets at the Dubrovichi shooting range.
Su-30SM multi-role fighters assigned to the 30th Guards IAP based at Millerovo in the Southern Military District were involved in Aviadarts 2018.
An Su-35S fighter from the 22nd Guard ISAP based at Tsentralnaya Uglovaya near Vladivostok in the Eastern Military District loaded with B-13L rocket pods for firing 122mm S-13 rockets against ground targets.
Draken International received the first of 22 Dassault Mirage F1Ms it bought from Spain in early July 2018. The jet, C.14-73, still wearing its former code 14-45, will undergo reassembly, restoration and airworthiness certification by Paramount Aerospace Systems at Lakeland. The South African company will then provide through-life support for the Mirage fleet.
The Sikorsky Boeing RAH-66 Comanche was cancelled in 2004.
The 12 Boeing 777Fs ordered by FedEx will take the number operated by the carrier to 46, with 28 already in service and a further six to be delivered.
Based at Astrakhan-Privoljskiy, the MiG-29SMT-equipped 166th Combat Training Centre - Fighter Aviation participated in this year's competition.
The first of two Pilatus PC-21s for QinetiQ for ETPS, c/n 310, was delivered to MoD Boscombe Down on June 19, 2018 and its British civilian registration, G-ETPA, was assigned on June 25. The second aircraft (G-ETPB) will be delivered sometime in October.
The Insitu ScanEagle is to be operated from the US Coast Guard’s National Security cutters under a contractor-owned contractor-operated arrangement
One of the ten Boeing CH-47SD Chinooks operated by 127 Sqn RSAF at Sembawang is seen here on display at the 2018 Singapore Air Show.
The US Army is expected to upgrade more than 500 CH-47F Chinooks to the Block II configuration, which it says will enhance lift capability and increase commonality with allied fleets.
This Y-8GX-6 ASW aircraft at Shanghai Dachang airport is believed to be assigned to the People's Liberation Army Navy's re-established 1st Naval Air Division.
Su-34 Fullbacks from the 47th BAP based at Voronezh-Baltimor attended this year’s Aviadarts competition.
A German Army Tiger in Mali. The type flew its last mission on June 15, 2018, and has been replaced by Royal Canadian Air Force CH-146 Griffon Helicopters.
MQ-9B SkyGuardian N190TC landed at RAF Fairford on July 11, 2018 after completing the first transatlantic crossing by a medium-altitude long endurance UAV.
A rare visitor to the UK in June 2018 was this RusJet Sukhoi SSJ-100 Superjet RA-89053 (c/n 95009) at Manchester. It arrived from and departed back to Moscow, reportedly on a charter related to the FIFA World Cup.
Germany's Bundeswehr is set to acquire five IAI Heron TP MALE UAS platforms under the terms of an agreement signed with Airbus Defence and Space in June 2018.
Czech Airlines is 95 years old this year, with the anniversary falling on October 29, 2018. The airline has added a subtle '95 years’ sticker to several types in its fleet including an A320, an ATR 42 and its sole widebody aircraft, A330-300 OK-YBA (msn 425) pictured here departing Barcelona.
Among a glut of orders announcements for new airliners was a commitment from IAG for more A330s.
Iberia's initial A350-900 EC-MXV (msn 219), photographed prior to delivery while still with Airbus and wearing its F-WZNP test registration, is the first A350 with a new performance improvement package.
Seen here on short finals to Torrejon Air Base after a two-hour flight from Manching, Germany on July 6, 2018 is Airbus A330 MRTT MRTT041 (msn 1735), resplendent in its full Armee de l’Air colours. The aircraft will make its next series of test flights from Torrejon, because of work on Getafe’s sole runway this summer. It is expected the aircraft will be handed over to the Armee de l’Air before the end of the year.
The first Kawasaki C-2 transport aircraft to visit the UK touched down at RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire on July 10, 2018 ahead of its participation in the 2018 Royal International Air Tattoo. Built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, this particular aircraft is the third prototype aircraft. Having completed its maiden flight at Gifu Air Base, Japan on May 17, 2016, 68-1203 was delivered to the Air Development and Test Wing at Gifu on June 30, 2016. The first three Japanese Air Self-Defense Force aircraft were delivered to 403 Hikotai at Miho Air Base on March 28, 2017.
The last of five H135 helicopters to be acquired under a lease arrangement has now been delivered to the German Armed Forces.
The second Do 228 donated to the Seychelles by India was handed over to Seychelles President Danny Faure during a ceremony on June 26, 2018 at Air Force Station Palam in Delhi, India.
Leonardo AW139 (c/n 31808) with the test registration l-EASY is destined for the Nepalese Army Air Service, but little else is known about Leonardo's contract with Nepal.
Leonardo AW139 DU-201 with the test registration l-EASS, is destined for the Dubai Police; in the past, the serial number (DU-201) was used for an AW109K2.
Zephyr S is to operate from Wyndham in Western Australia from September 2018.
The new ASTARS III, a modified Fairchild C-26A was unveiled at Patuxent River, Maryland on June 29, 2018.
A pair of Mi-8AMTSh-V tactical transport helicopters from Novosibirsk-Tolmachevo in the Central Military District.
Pictured fitted to a Textron Scorpion light attack/ISR aircraft during an earlier trial, the US Air Force's AgilePod sensor and mission system evaluation pod has recently been tested on a GA-ASI MQ-9 Reaper MALE UAS.
On January 18, 2018, Italy's first F-35B Lightning II MM.7451/4-01 flew from Cameri Air Base for the first time with the markings of the Marina Militare's Gruppo Aereo applied; the numeral 4 code denotes the aircraft type.
Hungary becomes the latest customer for Airbus Helicopters’ H145M, which was first delivered to Germany's Bundeswehr in 2015 and has subsequently also been ordered by Serbia and Thailand.
Ethiopian Airlines' fleet has reached a major milestone by expanding to over 100 aircraft. The African carrier is pushing hard to modernise its fleet, which is a key component of its Vision 2025 strategy along with route expansion; it now flies to over 110 destinations. The milestone aircraft, a Boeing 787-8, was delivered on June 6, 2018. Further aircraft are on the way, including five 787-9s and 16 Airbus A350s along with 30 737 MAX 8s, the first of which arrived on July 2 (Ethiopian already operates 15 737-800s and three 737-700s). The new arrivals help keep the carrier's average aircraft age to under five years. To enhance growth further, the Ethiopian government is set to open the state-owned carrier to private investment, although the state will retain a majority stake.
The new 'Tempest' was revealed as part of a new national Combat Air Strategy on Farnborough's opening day
ATR estimates a need for 3,020 new turboprops, which could potentially generate 2,770 new routes in the next 20 years.
Airbus A320neo 9H-NEO (msn 7875) is the first A320neo to enter service with Air Malta and has been painted into a special scheme featuring Nickelodeon cartoon characters. The jet was originally earmarked for Capital Airlines in China, but it did not take delivery and is now leased to the Maltese flag carrier.
Airbus has opened a fourth A320 production line in Hamburg featuring two seven-axis robots and mobile tooling platforms.
KC-46A Pegasus N842BA (c/n 41852) is one of the six aircraft involved in the flight-test programme.
An unusual visitor to Newcastle airport on June 30, 2018 was this extensively modified Beech King Air 350, N60125 (c/n FL-645), which made a refuelling stop before continuing to Marseille. The aircraft had been used as a trials aircraft for Boeing’s Ramis, the Reconfigurable Airborne Multi-Intelligence System, but whether it is still in that configuration is not known. After leaving France, the aircraft flew south to points unknown.