combat aircraft

A KC-46 refuels a USAF

KC-10 during the certifi cation

process. Christopher Okula

CUSTOMS PLANS UPGRADES

US CUSTOMS AND Border Protection

(CBP)’s Air and Marine Operations

(AMO) element is making plans to

upgrade its Bombardier DHC-8-

(Q200) and DHC-8-300 (Q300)

maritime patrol aircraft (MPA). The

modi cation e ort will initially

include an e ort to design, develop,

integrate and operationally test the

upgrades on prototype Q200 and

Q300 aircraft and will form the basis

for future production conversions.

The upgrade will replace the aircraft’s

current mission management system

(MMS) and its associated sensors.

It will meet the intent of the

Department of Homeland Security

(DHS) MPA Joint Operational

Requirements Document (J-ORD),

which was developed by the CBP and

US Coast Guard. The J-ORD was

intended to promote aviation system

interworking and commonality and

serves as a baseline for future USCG

and CBP MPA acquisitions

and upgrades.

CBP’s AMO operates a  eet of seven

multi-mission DHC-8s that comprise

four Q200 and three Q300 series. The

aircraft were purchased and placed in

service between 2004 and 2010. They

are tasked with border maritime

detection and monitoring to combat

terrorism, illegal immigration, drug

smuggling, and international criminal

syndicates. The program is intended

to replace the entire MMS, operator

control stations, mission

management computers, tactical

communications equipment and

aircraft-speci c sensors, and to

modify interfaces with aircraft

navigation and communications

equipment.

FIRST F-16 RECEIVES SLEP

THE OGDEN AIR Logistics Complex

(OC-ALC) at Hill AFB, Utah, recently

completed structural modi cations

on the  rst of around 300 Block

40/42 and 50/52 F-16C/D  ghters to

undergo the service life extension

program (SLEP). Work on the Block

52 F-16C — assigned to the USAF

Air Demonstration Squadron, the

Thunderbirds — was carried out

by the OC-ALC’s 573rd Aircraft

Maintenance Squadron. The SLEP

will extend the type’s service life

from 8,000 to 12,000  ying hours, or

longer, and keep the jets  ying until

nearly 2050. The Thunderbirds jet was

the  rst of four F-16s that will serve as

validation and veri cation aircraft for

the SLEP. Once the program reaches

full production the OC-ALC plans

to complete each SLEP jet in nine

months at a cost of $2.4 million.

TULSA ‘VIPERS’ ON THE MOVE

IN LATE APRIL, a dozen F-16Cs from

the Oklahoma ANG’s 138th

FW/125th FS passed through

Moron, Spain, on deployment. They

comprised serials 89-2017, 89-2022,

89-2034, 89-2037, 89-2040,

89-2073, 89-2076, 89-2138,

89-2141, 90-0713, 90-

and 90-0738.

Antonio Muñiz Zaragüeta

PEGASUS MOVES AHEAD

KC-46 LATEST AS LAST DEFICIENCIES ARE ADDRESSED

OCEANEYE RADAR FOR SPARTAN

AFTER CONDUCTING A limited

competition, the Naval Air Warfare

Center Aircraft Division has selected

the Telephonics AN/APS-143(v)

multi-mode radar over the Leonardo

AN/APY-11 for installation on the

US Coast Guard’s HC-27J medium-

range surveillance (MRS) aircraft.

The OceanEye already equips the

Coast Guard’s 18 HC-144A/B MRS

platforms. The service issued a

$31.8-million contract that provides

for the purchase of up to 19 systems.

Work associated with the systems

should be completed by May 2023.

The US Navy is developing the

missionization package for the coast

guard’s 14 HC-27Js.

The fi rst of around 300 jets to undergo

the F-16 Service Life Extension Program, a

Block 52 F-16C of the USAF Thunderbirds,

is towed to the fl ight line at Hill AFB, Utah,

on April 26. USAF/R. Nial Bradshaw

[NEWS] UNITED STATES

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

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