Aviation_News_2017-03

MILITARY NEWS

12 Aviation News Incorporating Jets March 2017

After 48 years’ service, the  nal Argentine

Air Force (FAA) Fokker F-27-400M Troopship

retired on November 24.

Aircraft TC-79 demonstrated cargo and

paratrooper drop  ights during a ceremony

attended by Chief of Staff Brigadier General

Enrique Víctor Amrein and ended its display

with a  ypast in the company of three FMA

IA-58 Pucarás of the 3rd Air Brigade.

The airframe joined the FAA on February

7, 1979 and  ew with the Escuadrón VI

de Transporte Aéreo (6th Air Transport

Squadron) until September 21, 1999 when

it joined the 2nd Air Brigade. Last year it

was decorated in a commemorative scheme

featuring the badges of Argentine units that

had operated the type.

Two days earlier, Fokker F-27-

Friendship T-44 was assigned as a

‘gate guardian’ at the 2nd Air Brigade’s

headquarters as Paraná, Entre Ríos,

alongside other aircraft that served the

unit, including a BAC-built Canberra T.64.

Esteban Brea

Argentinian Troopship Bows Out

Troopship TC-79 on a  nal  ypast on November 24, alongside a trio of FMA IA-58 Pucarás. Esteban Brea

The USAF Reserve Command’s 93rd Fighter Squadron ‘Florida Makos’of the 482nd Fighter

Wing has painted F-16C serial 88-0404/FM in a stunning ‘Blue Mako’ shark scheme. The jet is

seen here visiting NAS JRB Fort Worth, Texas, in December from its base at Homestead ARB,

Florida. Carl Richards

Taiwan to Retain

Mirage 2000 Fleet

Suggestions that the Republic of China

Air Force would retire its  eet of Dassault

Mirage 2000-5EI/DI  ghters seem to have

been premature.

With concerns that spares from France

might become unavailable, it had been

rumoured the Mirages would be withdrawn

ahead of schedule. But, speaking recently

in Taipei, Taiwanese Deputy National

Defense Minister Lee Hsi-ming con rmed

their retention for the time being.

The  rst of the 60 jets were delivered

in 1997 but since 2012 Taiwan has hoped

to upgrade the surviving 56. But efforts to

modernise the aircraft are said to have been

frustrated by France, or have proven too costly.

The local National Chung Shan Institute

of Science and Technology is now embarking

on a programme to extend the life of the

Mirages’ MICA air-to-air missiles.

Mako F-

Raptors to

Australia

The USAF is to deploy an undisclosed

number of F-22A Raptors to RAAF Base

Tindal, Northern Territory, Australia

this year as part of the Enhanced Air

Cooperation (EAC) Initiative. The USAF

had earlier deployed B-2A bombers and

other aircraft to Tindal under the EAC,

which was announced as part of the

Force Posture Initiative in November

2011 and includes the deployment of US

Marine Corps units as part of the Marine

Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D).

US Army Apache

Deployment to

Europe

The US Army’s 1st Battalion, 501st

Aviation Regiment, 1st Armored Division

at Fort Bliss, Texas, is deploying 20 AH-

64s to Europe, transported by ship from

Corpus Christi Army Depot. The 1-501st

‘Iron Dragon Battalion’ helicopters will

arrive in Europe in February for a nine-

month rotation in support of Operation

Atlantic Resolve (OAR).

The Apaches will augment the 10th

Combat Aviation Brigade, 10th Mountain

Division, from Fort Drum, New York – the

 rst aviation brigade to support OAR

under the Regionally Aligned Force

concept.

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