US Air Force Lockheed Martin
F-22A Raptors from the 95th
Fighter Squadron based at Tyndall
AFB, Florida, were sent to Europe
for a training exercise. The 13
ghters arrived at Spangdahlem Air
Base, Germany, on August 8.
It proved to be a busy
deployment. A pair of Raptors
landed at Larissa Air Base,
Greece, on August 10 for local
training with the Hellenic Air Force
and a further ve travelled to
Powidz Air Base, near Poznan,
Poland, on August 14 for theatre
familiarisation and interoperability
training. Four of the ghters were
own over Warsaw for Poland’s Army Day
celebrations the following day while another
two conducted joint training with RoyalNorwegian Air Force Lockheed Martin F-35A
Lightnings during a forward deployment to
Ørland Air Base, Norway, on August 15.The next day, F-22As visited
Los Llanos Air Base in Albacete,
Spain, to train with Spanish
Air Force EF-18A Hornets and
Euro ghter Typhoons. The
Raptors also ew with F-15E
Strike Eagles from the RAF
Lakenheath-based 48th Fighter
Wing during their stay, carrying
out mock dog ghts over south
Lincolnshire. The deployment came to an
end in late August and the Raptors returned
to the US.An F-22A Raptor from the 95th
Fighter Squadron preparing to
receive fuel from a Boeing KC-
of the 100th Air Refueling Wing at
RAF Mildenhall, above Norway on
August 15. USAF/Senior Airman
Preston CherryF-22A Raptors Deployed to EuropeMILITARY NEWS
12 Aviation News incorporating Jets October 2018
A pair of former Luftwaffe Dornier Alpha
Jets, operated by Gauntlet Aerospace
under a contract with Modern Technology
Solutions, are being evaluated by the US
military. The two-seat jets have recentlybeen used as chase planes to observe
air tests by the Edwards AFB-based
412th Operations Group. This augments
the work carried out by the resident
eet of Lockheed Martin F-16D FightingFalcons that typically serve as the
primary test support aircraft.
The 412th OG’s technical director
commented that the Alpha Jets are well-
suited to handle shorter-length test support
sorties carried out at around 30,000ft
(9,144m) and at speeds of less than 0.
Mach. The data from the evaluation will
be analysed for leaders to decide if Alpha
Jets can be used as permanent xtures to
support future tests.Alpha Jet N572AJ above the Mojave Desert
during a sortie in support of the USAF.
USAF/Ethan WagnerAlpha Jets Undergoing USAF EvaluationMore F-15sfor Israel?
Reports coming from Israel suggest
the nation is considering buying more
Boeing F-15 Eagle strike aircraft and
other air assets from the USA as
part of a modernisation programme.
The deal, which insiders say could
be worth up to $11bn, is also likely
to include new CH-47 transport
helicopters, V-22 tiltrotors and KC-
46A refuelling tankers. Funds would
come from US defence aid to Israel. A
US Foreign Military Financing (FMF)
package, approved by Washington in
2016, begins next year and provides
$38bn over a decade. If approved,
the order would be the biggest of its
kind between the two nations. The
IAF would adopt a new version of the
Eagle, provisionally known as F-15IA
(Israel Advanced), if the deal goes
through. A nal decision is expected
towards the end of the year.A pair of factory-fresh Bell 412EPI helicopters
have been acquired by the Montenegrin Air
Force. The announcement was made by the
Montenegrin defence ministry on August 13.
The twin-engine utility helicopters have
been built by Mirabel, Quebec-based Bell
Helicopter Textron Canada and transferred
to the USA as N835LG and N835KB for
customisation and painting. The pair,
nished in a two-tone green camou age,carry full national insignia and are scheduled
for delivery to their new owner in October
this year.
Closer to home, the Montenegrin Air
Force’s Bell 412EP 36307 also had new
national insignia applied in time for a re-
ghting training deployment to the NATO-
allied Slovenia in July. This was the rst
occasion the helicopter’s patriotic markings
had been seen in public. Igor BozinovskiMontenegrin Air Force Bell 412EP, 36307, wearing the new national insignia. Igor BozinovskiNew Bell HelicoptersMontenegro-bound