60th Anniversary for TaktLwGTornado unit Taktisches Luftwaffen-
geschwader 33 (TaktLwG 33, Tactical
Air Force Wing 33) of the Luftwaffe is
celebrating its 60th anniversary this year,
applying a special scheme on Tornado
46+02 to mark the occasion.
The wing is based at Büchel the
edge of the Eifel – its home since July
1, 1958, during which time it’s own the
F-84F, F-104G and now the Tornado IDS.Today, TaktLwG 33 is the largest Tornado
operator in the Luftwaffe.
Originally founded at Fürstenfeldbruck
in 1956 as Waffenschule 30
(Weapons School 30), TaktLwG 33
relocated to Büchel in 1957. On July
1 the following year, it was renamed
Jagdbombergeschwader 33, a title
it retained until the latest Luftwaffe
reorganisation on October 1, 2013.Raptors inthe UK
Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptors recently
deployed to RAF Lakenheath. They
took part in a 48th Fighter Wing (FW)
dissimilar air combat training (DACT)
exercise. During a series of large-force
exercises, Lakenheath’s Liberty Wing
hosted F-22As own by the 1st FW’s 27th
Fighter Squadron (FS) from Joint Base
Langley-Eustis, Virginia, and F/A-18E/
Fs assigned to Carrier Air Wing One
(CVW-1), deployed from the USS Harry
S Truman (CVN 75). Other participating
aircraft included F-15Cs and F-15Es of
the resident 48th FW, KC-135s from
the 100th Air Refueling Wing at RAF
Mildenhall, Suffolk, and a NATO E-3.
The six Raptors – 97th FS jets own
by 27th FS pilots – arrived in Europe on
October 5 under Raptor Redeploy 19-1. The
aircraft comprised serials 08-4162, 09-4173,
09-4177, 09-4181, 09-4183 and 10-4194,
which had recently completed a six-month
combat rotation supporting Operation
Inherent Resolve in the Middle East. The
94th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron ew
more combat sorties and hours on a per
aircraft basis than any previously deployed
Raptor squadron, undertaking over 590
sorties and more than 4,600 ight hours,
dropping 4,250lb (1,928kg) of ordnance and
deterring 587 enemy aircraft.
During their stay in Europe, four
Raptors also visited Kleine Brogel to
conduct local DACT with F-16s from the
Belgian Defence - Air Component.MILITARY NEWS
12 Aviation News incorporating Jets December 2018
US ApprovesPossible RAFChinook SaleA US Defense Security Cooperation
Agency (DSCA) noti cation on October
19 approved the UK’s procurement of 16
CH-47F Block II heavy-lift helicopters in
an extended-range con guration. The
proposed Foreign Military Sale deal is
valued at $3.5bn and includes training
and support. The DSCA announcement
also speci es weapons, including 7.62mm
M134D-T Miniguns and M240H machine
guns, suggesting the helicopters would be
delivered in a special forces’ con guration
similar to the US Army’s MH-47G.
The RAF has a requirement for new
Chinooks to replace the oldest examples
in its 60-strong eet, some of which
are now almost 40 years old. The most
recent additions, 14 HC6s, were delivered
between 2013 and 2015.The Franco-Belgian Advanced Jet Training
School (AJeTS) at Base Aérienne 120
Cazaux, France, has closed.
The joint unit, ying the Alpha Jet, had
trained Belgian and French pilots since- It ew more than 50,000 ight hours,
training 165 Belgian and 215 French pilots
in the process. From 2019, Belgian ghter
pilots will train in the US with the Euro-NATO
Joint Jet Pilot Training programme and the
US Air Force’s 80th Flying Training wing at
Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas.
The Belgian Alpha Jets – which have
gone through a mid-life update including
new head-up displays and GPS navigation
along with other avionics and systems
upgrades – will remain at Cazaux for now
but have been put up for sale, although they
will not be available until December next
year. They will, meanwhile, continue in use
for training French Air Force pilots.
Bids for have already been invited by
the Belgian Directorate General Material
Resources for the 25 aircraft at the base,
along with engines, a simulator and other
equipment. A deadline of November 7
was set for offers.
Dave AllportCazaux Franco-BelgianTraining School ClosesBelgian Defence – Air Component Alpha Jet 1B+ AT24 in 11 Squadron centennial markings
at Beauvechain in September. The unit had been detached to the AJeTS at Cazaux since
2004, incorporated within the École de Transition Opérationnelle (ETO) 2/8. Benoît DenetTornado 46+02 in special markings for its unit’s 60th anniversary. Michael Balter