Air International 2007-09
News: Headline, Military, Civil, Accidents
Former Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Boeing 707-368C N707QJ (c/n 21261, ex A20-261/RAAF) is seen here at Mansion International Airport, Kent, on July 21, 2007, two days after its arrival from RAAF Base Amberley, Queensland, Australia, via Darwin, Male and Cairo. This is the first RAAF 707 to have been sold off and was registered to Thomas M Vaughan of West Suffield, Connecticut, on July 12, although it is for his UK-based subsidiary, Turbine Leasing/Turbine Motor Works, reportedly for operation on air experience and similar flights.
Seen shortly after arrival at RAF Benson, Oxfordshire, on July 31, 2007 is the first of the six former Royal Danish Air Force Merlins that have now been acquired for service with the RAF.
Artist's impression of HMS Queen Elizabeth an the latest design configuration. It is shown operating in the strike role with a joint force air group of F-35B Lightning Ils ranged in their 'pit-stop' servicing positions around the deck edge. A returning section of fighters is slotting into the visual circuit, and a single F-35B is lined up with the ski-jump, jet blast deflector raised behind it, ready for take-off. A Merlin helicopter is landing aft. Ship control is exercised from the forward island and flying control from the aft.
Serbian Air Force SOKO Super Galeb G-4 23736 from the Sektorza Letna Ispitivanja (SLI - Flight Test Department) at Batajnica was a welcome participant in the official Air Force Day celebrations on August 2, 2007 at Ladjevci Military Airport, near Kraljevo, Serbia. Piloted by Sasa Grubac, a spirited display was flown with the aircraft, which was repainted in July in this smart new colour scheme as part of preparations by the SLI for participation in several European air shows.
G-4 Super Galeb 23736 of the Serbian Air Force Flight Test Department was lost on September 24, 2008. It is believed to be the first of its kind to be destroyed in a crash.
Boeing C-17A/CC-177 Globemaster III 177701, the first of four for the Canadian Forces, seen shortly after arrival on August 12, 2007 at its new home, 8 Wing at Canadian Forces Base Trenton, where it will be operated by 429 Squadron.
Whilst the first six F-22As for the 3rd Wing at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, were delivered to the unit on August 8, 2007, Lockheed Martin continues to progress with production. Seen here test flying recently from Marietta, Georgia, still unpainted, is the 100th Raptor, 05-4100 (c/n 4100) 'AK', which will also shortly be delivered to the 3rd Wing.
Newly acquired Royal Australian Navy (RAN) A109E Power N42-510 (c/n 11510, ex VH-NPZ, l-PAWR, '92' Swedish AF) currently retains this overall gloss black colour scheme, whereas the other two helicopters that have been delivered are in more traditional RAN overall grey colours.
Northrop Grumman's first E-2D Advanced Hawkeye development aircraft, 'AA1/Delta One’, seen during its maiden flight from St Augustine, Florida, on August 3, 2007.
Resplendent in the airline's new livery, Boeing 777-237LR Worldliner VT-ALA 'Andhra Pradesh' (c/n 36300, ex N5017V), the first for Air India, was handed-over in Seattle, Washington, on July 25, 2007 and was followed by a second aircraft two days later. The aircraft, one of eight of the type ordered in December 2005 as part of a much larger deal for 68 Boeing airliners, entered service on August 1 operating direct, non-stop flights from Mumbai to New York/John F Kennedy Airport.
20 июля 2007г: совершил первый полет экспериментальный самолет Boeing X-48B Blended Wing Body (BWB), вторая из построенных машин. Полет состоялся на базе Эдвардс в Калифорнии. Разработанный подразделением "Phantom Works" фирмы "Boeing", ВВС США и НАСА, прототип X-48B был построен в Британии фирмой "Cranfield Aerospace".
Boeing's X-48B Blended Wing Body research aircraft seen during its maiden flight on July 20, 2007 from Edwards Air Force Base, California.
Aero Republica ERJ-190-100LR HK-4455 seen following its overrun into the Caribbean Sea after landing on the rain slicked runway at Santa Marta-Simon Bolivar Airport, Colombia.
A new addition to the fleet of Abu Dhabi-based Maximus Air Cargo is this L-382 Hercules, A6-MAX. Although the aircraft was built in 1985, it has been upgraded with new, fully-integrated digital avionics, state-of-the-art navigation systems, improved fuel, environmental and ice protection systems and enhanced cargo handling equipment. Established in 2005, Maximus now operates a fleet of eight aircraft, also including two Airbus A300-600Fs, three Ilyushin Il-76TDs and one Antonov An-124-100 Ruslan, plus a second L-100 that will enter service shortly. Although the carrier has been operating out of Abu Dhabi for two years, it was not until June 25,2007, that Maximus was granted a UAE Air Operators Certificate.
Seen here operating at low-level in the Scottish borders on July 31, 2007 is Typhoon F.2 ZJ930 'AA' of 17 (Reserve) Squadron, the Typhoon Operational Evaluation Unit. The aircraft was delivered to the unit at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire, on June 22 and is the first of the type to Block 5, Tranche 2, standard to enter service. Externally, this latest standard of Typhoon can be identified by the PIRATE (Passive Infra-Red Airborne Tracking Equipment) sensor mounted on the port side of the fuselage, just forward of the canopy. PIRATE enables multiple target acquisition and identification using both forward looking infra-red (FLIR) and infra-red search and track (IRST) sensors, providing information to the pilot’s helmet-mounted display. Up to 200 targets can be tracked simultaneously and although the maximum detection range has not been revealed, it has been suggested that it may be up to 80nm. PIRATE will be fitted to all Block 5 aircraft delivered to the partner nations in the Typhoon programme, apart from Germany.
Romanian Navy IAR-330 Puma Naval 140 (c/n 3140) lands on a frigate at Constanta Naval Base on July 13, 2007, completing its delivery flight from IAR Ghimbav facility. The helicopter is the first of three on order.
Following the formation of 76 (Reserve) Squadron at RAF Linton-on-Ouse, North Yorkshire, several Tucano T.1s have appeared in the unit’s World War Two-style markings. The first of these was ZF239 'MP-T'/ 'Topsy', seen here at Linton on June 21, 2007. Others that have appeared to date include ZF172 'MP-D'/'Dorothy', ZF269 'MP-O'/'Ho-De-Ho', ZF343 'MP-S'/'Sunshine' and ZF378 'MP-W'/'Whizzo'.
Indonesian Air Force Tupolev Tu-16KS Badger photographed at Iswahyudi AFB in October 1977.
The first flying prototype Sukhoi Superjet 100, c/n N95001, is now nearing completion in the KnAAPO facility at Komsomolsk-on-Amur and is scheduled for roll out on September 26, 2007, with first flight anticipated in October. The first Superjet 100 to be completed, static test airframe c/n 95002, was airfreighted on board an An-124 from Komsomolsk-on-Amur to Zhukovsky on January 28, 2007, to commence ground tests at the Zhukovsky Central Aerohydrodynamics Institute (TsAGI).
After gaining its Air Operators Certificate, Harbourair Malta, an offshoot of Vancouver, British Colombia-based Canadian operator Harbour Air Seaplanes, commenced scheduled services on July 23, 2007 on the Malta (Valletta Waterfront) to Gozo (Mgarr Harbour) route. The company has recommenced operations on the route that was previously operated by various helicopter companies, latterly Helisureste of Spain, but was dropped last November as it proved too costly to maintain. Sole aircraft currently operated is DHC-3 Turbine Otter 9H-AFA (c/n 406, ex C-FHAH of Harbour Air), seen here on July 27.
Northrop Grumman's first Airbus KC-30, designated SDD-1 and based on A330-203 airframe c/n 871, was rolled off the Toulouse production line in France on July 3, 2007, as seen here.
Indian Air Force (IAF) Flight Design CTSW microlight aircraft ML-105 in a hangar at RAF Halton, Buckinghamshire, on August 6, 2007, a day after it had landed at the airfield whilst on a round-the-world flight. The aircraft had departed Air Force Station Hindan, near Delhi, on June 1 for this flight to mark the IAF's 75th anniversary and is being flown by Wing Commanders Rahul Monga and Anil Kumar. Initially routing through Myanmar, Thailand, China, Russia, the USA and Canada, it then flew on via Greenland and Iceland to the UK, landing at Aberdeen before heading south to Halton. From Halton it flew to Eggesdorf, Germany, on August 6 and, after being held up by bad weather, left on August 12, making its next stop at Friedrichshafen, Germany, before flying on to Rome/Ciampino, Italy, on August 13. The remainder of the route should take in Greece, Turkey, Iran and the UAE before finally reaching India to land back in Delhi once more.
Although the type has been under development for some time, a flypast in Isfahan by the indigenously developed Azarakhsh (Lightning) jet fighter on August 8, 2007 is believed to be the first time it has been shown off in public. Clearly based on the US-built Northrop F-5, the most immediately obvious difference in the local reverse-engineered copy is that the wings have been moved and are now mid-set, rather than being attached to the bottom of the fuselage, as on the F-5.
The Uruguayan Navy's new fleet of ex-German Army BO-105s lined up on the ramp at Base Aeronaval 2 C/C Carlos Curbelo on August 7, 2007, just a week or so after their arrival by sea from Germany. At present the helicopters still retain their German camouflage and are devoid of either their former or any new serials.
Mock up of the new Cessna 162 SkyCatcher Light Sport Aircraft, which was unveiled at Oshkosh on July 22, 2007.
EMBRAER'S PHENOM 100 very light jet prototype, PP-XPH (c/n 99801), undertook its maiden flight from Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil, on July 26, 2007.
Japan's Ministry of Defence is reported to have made the decision on August 10, 2007 to go ahead with development of an indigenous stealth fighter design under the ATD-X (Advanced Technology Demonstrator) programme. Ambitiously, Japan is seeking to have a prototype flying within five years, a goal which seems rather optimistic, although it is unclear how much research work has already been undertaken. This full size mock-up, used for radar cross-section trials, was unveiled last year by the Japanese MOD's Technical Research and Development Institute (TRDI) and shows a possible configuration for such an aircraft. The decision to go ahead with ATD-X appears to have largely been brought about by US reluctance to sell Japan the F-22A Raptor.
SEEN HERE shortly after arrival at RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk, on the evening of August 10, 2007 after a flight from its base at the NASA Johnson Space Center at Houston-Ellington Field via Goose Bay is NASA WB-57F 928/N928NA. The aircraft made three high altitude sorties over the UK Midlands over the next three days, but it was scheduled to depart on August 15 for Kandahar, Afghanistan. Because of the nature of its planned operations there, the aircraft is totally devoid of identification markings, with no serial or even NASA logos now carried and only the US flag on the fin. On its previous visit to the UK it had already had NASA logos removed, but did at least still carry its serial.
No 32 Regiment, Royal Artillery has recently released this photograph showing the first Elbit Hermes 450 unmanned air vehicle acquired by the unit for its deployed operations. Two Batteries of the Regiment are operating UAVs in both Afghanistan (57 Battery) and Iraq (22 Battery) and it is believed that the new UAV is intended for deployment in both of these theatres of operations. Use of the Hermes 450 is a temporary measure, the type being acquired under an Urgent Operational Requirement pending delivery of the Watchkeeper UAV system, which is based on the Hermes 450.
Factory-fresh Bombardier Dash 8-Q402 C-FMIV (c/n 4169, to become 7T-VCM), the first of four ordered by Algeria's Tassili Airlines in July 2006, seen at Bombardier's plant at Toronto-Downsview Airport, Ontario, Canada, on July 25 whilst undergoing final testing prior to delivery.
Rafale M достиг боеготовности в составе 12-й флотилии в 2004 году после оценочных полетов в Афганистане. В 2007 году Rafale М выполнил первую посадку на палубу американского многоцелевого атомного авианосца "Энтерпрайз". Показанный на фотографии Rafale, захвативший гаком трос аэрофинишера на авианосце "Энтерпрайз", обычно базируется на авианосце "Шарль де Голль".
French Navy Dassault Rafale M F2 Standard 12 takes the wire on the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) on July 23, 2007. The aircraft was one of two Rafales (the other was 13) from the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle which trapped and launched from the Enterprise that day, marking the first time the type had ever done so on a USN vessel. A French Navy E-2C Hawkeye also accompanied the fighters on their historic visit.
Boeing's first KC-767A, based on 767-2EZC airframe c/n 33840 (line number 923), was manufactured a couple of years ago, since when it has been stored, incomplete, on the flight line at Paine Field, Everett, Washington. It has recently been moved to the base of the control tower, where it is seen here on July 27, 2007.
Making a surprise debut at the EAA AirVenture 2007 Convention was the Eclipse Concept Jet, N5184U (c/n SE-400-001), which was unveiled there on July 23, 2007, having been flown into the show the previous evening. Developed in secrecy in just over six months, the aircraft made its first flight on July 2 and to date has accumulated just under 30 flight hours. Swift Engineering of San Clemente was contracted to assist with design of the aircraft and also subsequently built the prototype, which is officially registered as a Swift Mk 400. The aircraft is intended to help Eclipse analyse demand trends in the growing single-engined jet marketplace and gain customer reaction and insight into potential future aircraft products and designs.
RoCAF/737th Wing F-5F 5371 seen seconds before its crash into a barrack block in Hsinchu, which killed both crew members and two Singaporean soldiers on the ground.