combat aircraft

DEPLOYMENT NEWS

Raptors back in Japan

F-22As operated by the 525th

Fighter Squadron deployed to

Kadena Air Base, Japan, as part

of a US Indo-Paci c Command

Theater Security Package (TSP)

on May 29. The unit, which is

a component of the 3rd Wing,

is normally based at Joint Base

Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.

Task Force Arctic Saber

The US Army’s 1st Battalion, 25th

Aviation Regiment, began a

deployment from Fort Wainwright,

Alaska, to the Republic of Korea

on June 1. During the nine-month

deployment the battalion will be

joined by B Troop, 2nd Squadron,

6th Cavalry Regiment, which is

normally stationed at Wheeler

Army Air eld, Hawaii. The aviation

battalion task force units, which

will be known as Task Force Arctic

Saber, are both assigned to the

25th Combat Aviation Brigade.

It will replace the 10th Combat

Aviation Brigade’s 6th Squadron,

6th Cavalry Regiment, as part of the

normal rotation of army aviation’s

augmentation of the 2nd Combat

Aviation Brigade in Korea.

‘Resolute Support’ Chinooks

Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion,

25th Aviation Regiment began a

nine-month deployment to the

US from Wheeler Army Air eld,

Hawaii, to the Central Command

area of responsibility in support

of Operation ‘Resolute Support’

on June 5. While deployed, the

battalion’s CH-47Fs will support

the NATO mission, which focuses

on training, advising, and assisting

the Afghan National Defense

Security Forces.

Colorado ‘Vipers’ in Estonia

Ten F-16Cs operated by the

Colorado Air National Guard’s 140th

Wing arrived at Ämari Air Base,

Estonia on June 1. While deployed

the 120th Expeditionary Fighter

Squadron participated in several

exercises including ‘Saber Strike 18’.

Tankers in Ukraine

The USAF deployed  ve KC-135Rs

to Danylo Halytskyi International

Airport near Lviv, Ukraine, during

a two-week deployment that

concluded on June 16. The mission

was supported by all three USAF

components and comprised

individual Stratotankers from

Air Force Reserve Command’s

931st Air Refueling Wing (ARW) at

McConnell AFB, Kansas, the 940th

ARW at Beale AFB, California, and

the Illinois Air National Guard’s

126th ARW at Scott AFB. Two

more tankers were deployed by

the 100th ARW at RAF Mildenhall,

UK. The deployment to Lviv was

also conducted under Operation

‘Atlantic Resolve’.

‘Red Devils’ in Europe

Eight A-10C Thunderbolt IIs of

the Michigan Air National Guard’s

107th FS ‘Red Devils’ from Selfridge

ANGB arrived at RAF Mildenhall,

UK, on May 31 en route to Latvia

for Exercise ‘Saber Strike 18’. They

comprised serials 78-0641, 80-0184,

80-0258, 80-0262, 81-0975,

81-0994, 81-0996 and 81-0998.

OSPREY IN THE WEEDS

A CV22B OF RAF Mildenhall’s

7th Special Operations Squadron,

is shown  ying at low level in

Wales during May. AFSOC’s  eet

of 50 CV-22Bs is shared by three

operational squadrons and the

formal training unit. Currently,

operational CV-22Bs are stationed

at three locations in CONUS and

in the United Kingdom. Citing a

shortage of personnel, the plan to

 eld a fourth squadron at Yokota

Air Base, near Tokyo, Japan has

been pushed out to 2020.

SIKORSKY LOSES PROTEST

THE US GOVERNMENT

Accountability O ce has dismissed

Sikorsky Aircraft’s pre-award

protest of the US Air Force UH-1N

‘Huey’ replacement program. The

contractor pre-emptively  led the

protest in February amid concerns

over the level of intellectual

property it would be forced to turn

over to the US government in the

event that its HH-60U was named as

the winner of the competition. The

decision allows the USAF to stay on

track with plans to award a contract

this June. Sikorsky is competing

against a Boeing-Leonardo team,

which has proposed a militarized

version of Leonardo’s AW

commercial helicopter, and Sierra

Nevada Corporation, which o ered

to upgrade former US Army UH-60s.

Sikorsky con rmed the GAO’s

decision and is reviewing options

regarding further legal action. Its

HH-60U is considered to be the

front-runner in the race to replace

the UH-1N. In fact, the USAF had

previously planned to acquire the

aircraft via a sole-source contract.

Sikorsky is concerned over the

government’s interpretation of what

type of information constitutes

operations, maintenance,

installation and training (MIT) data

that could be given to other services

or vendors.

‘BALTOPS’ AWACS

The ‘BALTOPS 2018’ exercise

in Europe saw a pair of E-3Gs

from the 970th Airborne Air

Control Squadron at Tinker AFB,

Oklahoma, being temporarily

based at Geilenkirchen,

Germany. Here, E-3G serial

82–0007 prepares to depart for

an afternoon mission.

Peter ten Berg

The 107th Fighter Squadron’s centenary-marked A-10C arrives at

Lielvārde Air Base, Latvia, on June 4 for Exercise ‘Saber Strike 18’.

USAF/MSgt David Kujawa

Daniel Griffi ths

A 525th Fighter Squadron F-22A Raptor arrives at Kadena, Japan,

on May 29. USAF/SSgt Matthew B. Fredericks

[NEWS] UNITED STATES

12 August 2018 //^ http://www.combataircraft.net

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