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http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #367 OCTOBER 2018 // 13

First two PC-21s

arrive at Cognac

THE FIRST two Pilatus

PC-21s for the Armée de

l’Air (French Air Force)

have arrived at Base

Aérienne 709 Cognac-

Châteuabernard. The

aircraft, 03/HB-HVC ‘709-

FE’ (c/n 295) callsign

‘PCH095T’ and 15/HB-HVO

‘709-FQ’ (c/n 307) callsign

‘PCH 07G’, were delivered

from the factory at Stans-

Buochs, Switzerland, to

Cognac on August 30. The

‘709-xx’ codes were taped

over for the ferry flight.

France signed a contract

on December 30, 2016,

with Babcock Mission

Critical Services France to

provide 17 PC-21s for pilot

training, prior to moving on

to the Alpha Jet and then

Rafale – see France buys

PC-21, February 2 017, p11.

The aircraft will replace

the TB30 Epsilon with

the EPA A 315 at Cognac.

Pilatus has already

manufactured most

French PC-21s and further

deliveries are expected

to follow shortly, with

all aircraft due to be in

service before the end of

next year. Dave Allport

Left: French Air Force PC-

21 03/HB-HVC on the fi nal

part of its delivery fl ight from

Stans to Cognac, escorted by

EC 2/30 Rafale B331 ‘30-IF’.

Armée de l’Air/Jean-Luc Brune

Above: Two Rafale Cs arrive

at Azraq Air Base, Jordan, on

July 19 to take up Opération

Chammal duties. Armée de

l’Air/J Fechter/EMACOM

Above: One of the ultimate two RDAF MH-60Rs after delivery to Karup on board a USAF

C-17A on August 1. Forsvaret

DENMARK HAS received

the final pair of MH-60R

Seahawks on order for

Flyvevåbnet (Royal Danish

Air Force, RDAF) service.

The final pair, serials N-

(FMS Bu No 168978) and

N-979 (FMS Bu No 168979),

arrived at Flyvestation

Karup on August 1 to

join Eskadrille 723.

Denmark announced an

order for nine MH-60Rs

on November 21, 2012,

to replace the RDAF’s

seven surviving Super Lynx

Mk90Bs. The first three

MH-60Rs left the US for

Denmark, on board two

US Air Force C-17As, on

May 10, 2016, prior to a

handover ceremony in

Copenhagen Harbour on

June 6, 2016. Dave Allport

Rafale Cs replace

Rafale Bs on

Opération Chammal

FRANCE HAS replaced the

Armée de l’Air (French Air

Force) two-seat Dassault

Rafale Bs operating from

Azraq Air Base, Jordan,

on Opération Chammal

missions with single-seat

Rafale Cs. The changeover

• announced by the service
  on August 14 – had taken
  place the previous month.
  On July 19, the first two
  of the replacement Rafale
  Cs landed at France’s Base
  Aérienne Projetée ( B A P,
  Forward Air Base) at Azraq
  following a direct flight
  from France with air-to-
  air refuelling. Two Rafale
  Bs then departed in the
  opposite direction to land
  back in France on July 21.

Mixed patrols of one

Rafale B and one Rafale C

followed for three days after

the new aircraft arrived,

providing fire support and

tactical reconnaissance for

coalition allied forces in the

Iraq-Syria combat zone.

Since March of this year,

Groupe de Bombardement

43 (GB 43) at Azraq has

consisted exclusively of

Rafale Bs. Since July

25, GB 43 has continued

its operations solely with

Rafale Cs. Dave Allport

Last two Danish MH-60Rs delivered

11-14 EuropeNews AFM Oct2018.indd 13 9/10/2018 1:24:02 PM