Airforces

22 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com

NEWS

// OCTOBER 2018 #367

Latin America

Argentine Army’s Maipú exercise

THE EJÉRCITO Argentino

(EA, Argentine Army)

conducted its Maipú

exercise (named for the

capital of the Maipú

Partido district) at the

Magdalena training area,

Buenos Aires province, at

the end of August. The

final phase involved the

Batallón de Helicópteros

de Asalto 601 (601st

Assault Helicopter

Battalion) – which

deployed four UH -1H

Huey IIs – alongside

armoured cavalry and

mechanised infantry units.

The UH -1s departed their

home base at Campo

de Mayo and arrived at

Magdalena on August 21.

Activities began the same

afternoon when door-

gunners trained in the use

of 7. 6 2 m m MAG machine

guns on board a pair of

Huey IIs. The helicopters

then performed a ‘hot’

refuelling from a supply

truck of the Escuadrón

de Aviación de Apoyo

604 (604th Support

Aviation Squadron).

Night flying included

a navigation to the city

of Punta Indio using

night-vision googles.

On their return the four

UH -1s conducted air

assault training with the

Regimiento de Caballería

de Tanques 8 (8th Cavalry

Tank Regiment), whose

troops embarked and

disembarked in successive

waves. This was the

first night-time heliborne

operation of this scale

performed in Argentina.

Activities continued

on the 23rd with more

door-gunner training on

the range, after which

the UH -1s refuelled for

the return to Campo de

Mayo that afternoon.

Esteban G Brea and

Mauricio Chiofalo

PHM ‘Atlantico’ (A 140)

arrives in Rio on August 25.

Brazilian Navy

Brazilian helicopter carrier reaches Rio

NEW MARINHA do Brasil

(Brazilian Navy) multi-

purpose helicopter

carrier PHM Atlantico (A

140) arrived at its home

port, Rio de Janeiro, on

August 25. The vessel

previously served with

the Royal Navy as the

amphibious assault ship

HMS Ocean (L 12) before

being purchased by Brazil

last December and was

formally decommissioned

from the RN at Devonport

on March 27 this year.

Commissioned as the

Atlantico in the UK on June

29, the ship set sail for

Brazil on August 1 via a

stop in Lisbon, Portugal.

The first landing of a

Brazilian Navy aircraft

on its deck took place at

1037hrs on August 22,

when IH-6B (Bell 206B

JetRanger) N-5039 ‘Heron

39’ from HI-1 touched

down to take part in an

aviation safety inspection.

It was followed by an

SH -16 Seahawk and UH -15

Caracal, which also

took part in the trials.

The vessel was approved

for aerial operations

with the Marinha do

Brasil the following

day. Dave Allport

Ecuador

Army receives

new M28

A PZL Mielec M28 has

been delivered to the

Aviación del Ejército

Ecuatoriano (Ecuadorian

Army Aviation) for operation

by Grupo Aéreo del Ejército

44 at Pastaza/Shell Mera,

Rio Amazonas. The

Skytruck, AEE-208 (delivery

registration SP-DDA),

arrived at Pastaza on

August 28 having flown

into Ecuador four days

earlier for training flights

with Polish instructors.

The 1996-built former PZL

demonstrator was bought

as an attrition replacement

for IAI-201 Arava E-206,

lost in a crash on March 15,

2016, killing all 22 on board

• see Attrition, May 2016.
  Other types had been
  considered before the M28
  was ordered in April this
  year (see Ecuadorian Army
  purchases M28, July, p19).
  The contract included
  training four Ecuadorian
  pilots and six technicians
  in Poland, in addition
  to provision of spare
  parts for up to 400 flight
  hours. Dave Allport

Colombians wrap

up at Red Flag

SIX KFIR fighters from the

Fuerza Aérea Colombiana

(FAC, Colombian Air

Force) undertook a

deployment to the US for

Exercise Red Flag 18-3.

The jets – operated by

Escuadrón de Combate

111 and supported by

a 767 Multi-Mission

Tanker Transport from

Escuadrón de Transporte

811 – took part in the

exercise at Nellis Air Force

Base, Nevada, between

July 16 and August 3.

The FAC kicked off its

participation with its 767

MMTT refuelling a US

Navy E A-18 Growler of

VAQ -132 ‘Scorpions’ from

Naval Air Station Whidbey

Island, Washington – the

first time a Colombian

aircraft has ever refuelled

a US aircraft. The MMTT

refuelled Growlers

and Colombian Kfirs

throughout their eight

day and night sorties

during the exercise.

The Colombian Kfirs

flew 36 day and night

sorties in Red Flag 18-3,

and an FAC pilot led a

group of aircraft in a

simulated strike package.

Below: A FAC crew chief

signals a Kfi r pilot before

a night mission on July 31.

USAF/Staff Sgt Angela Ruiz

Esteban G Brea

22-23 LatinNews AFM Oct2018.indd 22 10/09/2018 14:02:30