Airforces

Taiwanese F-16V

takes fl ight

A FIRST F-16V modified

by Taiwan’s Aerospace

Industrial Development

Corporation (AIDC) has

begun flight testing. The

aircraft, serial 6626, a

single-seater, began high-

speed taxi tests in June.

Four F-16A/Bs, which

started to arrive at the

AIDC factory in Taichung at

the beginning of last year,

will be used as technical

verification aircraft.

The modification

programme for Taiwan’s

existing F-16A/B fleet,

announced in September

2011, is known locally

as Phoenix Rising. The

US government selected

Lockheed Martin to carry

out the upgrade based

on the F-16V variant, at

the core of which is a

Northrop Grumman AN/

APG-83 Scalable Agile

Beam Radar (SABR)

combined with an Elbit

Systems multifunctional

high-resolution Center

Pedestal Display (CPD).

A letter of offer and

acceptance (LOA)

to upgrade Taiwan’s

remaining 145 F-16A/

Bs (from the original

150 aircraft acquired)

was signed by both

countries in July 2012.

The complete upgrade

package – including

avionics upgrades, system

integration, training and

logistics support – has

a total value of $5.3bn.

Lockheed Martin

upgraded two F-16s (an

’A and a ’B model) in the

US to serve as prototypes,

and the remainder are

being retrofitted by

AIDC in Taiwan.

The company will adapt

24 F-16s annually until

the conclusion of the

Phoenix Rising project

in 2023, when the last

of 141 F-16Vs will be

redelivered – a quantity

reduced by attrition.

See p40 for the latest

part of AFM’s Force

Report on the ROCAF.

Subscribe to http://www.airforcesmonthly.com

for breaking news stories. E-mail the news team

at [email protected]

http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #367 OCTOBER 2018 // 7

Boeing wins MQ-25 contract

THE US Navy has selected

Boeing to build the MQ-25A

Stingray carrier-based

unmanned refuelling tanker.

Its $805m engineering and

manufacturing development

contract, awarded on August

30, calls for four air vehicle

prototypes. Ultimately, the

navy plans to buy up to

72 Stingrays to relieve the

refuelling burden on the F/A-

18F fleet. Boeing plans to

perform the MQ-25 work

in St Louis, Missouri.

The company’s wing-

body-tail UAV configuration

fought off competition

from rival designs pitched

by General Atomics

Aeronautical Systems

(GA-ASI) and Lockheed

Martin, and Boeing was

the only company to

build a prototype.

The USN plans for

delivery of a first MQ-25A

developmental aircraft in

fiscal 2020, followed by a

maiden flight in fiscal 2021

and declaration of combat

readiness as early as 2024.

The 2019 National Defense

Authorization Act enacted

on August 13 calls for the

navy to modify the Nimitz-

class aircraft carrier George

Washington (CVN 73) to

accommodate the MQ-

during its four-year refuelling

and complex overhaul

(RCOH) maintenance

period, now under way at

Newport News, Virginia.

Above: Boeing’s prototype MQ-25A vehicle, T1, has completed engine runs and deck handling

trials but has yet to fl y. Boeing

F-35C Lightning II

conducts OT-

Above: Two F-35Cs assigned to VFA-125, a VFA-103 ‘Jolly Rogers’ F/A-18F and an F/A-18E from

VFA-143 ‘Pukin Dogs’ receive pre-fl ight checks during fl ight operations aboard the USS ‘Abraham

Lincoln’ in the Atlantic on August 21. US Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Brian M Brooks

F-35C JETS from the

US Navy’s Strike Fighter

Squadron ( VFA) 125 ‘Rough

Raiders’ and VFA-

‘Argonauts’ from Naval Air

Station Lemoore, California,

have commenced their

Operational Te st-1 (OT-

1) campaign aboard the

Nimitz-class aircraft

carrier USS Abraham

Lincoln (CVN 72).

The trials, which began in

the Atlantic on August 22,

were conducted as part

of the embarked Carrier

Air Wing (CVW) 7 and

Carrier Strike Group 12.

OT-1 evaluates the full

spectrum of the F-35C’s

suitability for operation

within a carrier air wing

and mission effectiveness.

“The F-35C brings stealth,

enhanced electronic

capabilities and a different

sustainment model,”

said RADM Dale Horan,

director, Joint Strike

Fighter Fleet Integration

Office. “Operating this

new generation of aircraft

out on the aircraft carrier

brings a different set of

tools, techniques and

procedures, and we’re

learning how to integrate

them into the battle group.”

Evaluators assessed the

F-35C’s suitability aboard

carriers by examining how

it performs with other

aircraft and incorporates

into an air plan – monitoring

maintenance and identifying

its logistics footprint.

They also observed the

effectiveness of the aircraft

in real-world scenarios,

including integrating

with the strike group and

flying missions such as

defensive counter-air.

Previously, F-35C

and F/A-18E/F pilots

have conducted carrier

qualifications together,

but OT-1 was the first

time the F-35Cs joined a

carrier air wing in a cyclic

operations environment

• six Lightning IIs flying
  with Super Hornets,
  E-2Ds and EA-18Gs.
  On August 22 an F-35C
  was damaged during an
  aerial refuelling exercise.
  Debris from an F/A-18F’s
  aerial refuelling basket was
  ingested into the F-35C’s
  engine intake. Both fighters
  were able to land safely –
  the Super Hornet flew to
  NAS Oceana, Virginia, while
  the F-35C returned to the
  carrier No injuries were
  reported and the incident is
  currently under investigation.
  OT-1 test results will help
  to determine whether the
  F-35C carrier variant is ready
  to achieve initial operational
  capability next year.
  According to current plans,
  USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70)
  will conduct the first F-35C
  carrier deployment in 2021. Formosa Military Image Press

F-35B prepares for trials

on HMS Queen Elizabeth

06-07 Headline AFM Oct2018.indd 7 9/10/2018 12:59:48 PM