Airbus Helicopters has delivered the rst
Swedish NH90 in full anti-submarine
warfare (ASW) con guration to the Swedish
Försvarets Materielverk (FMV – Defence
Materiel Administration). It was handed
over on December 17 at the company’s
facility in Donauwörth, Germany, and has an
entirely customized mission system including
underwater sonar, tactical radar and high
cabin for improved interior space.
In total, Sweden has ordered 18 NH90s
(local designation Hkp14), 13 equipped for
search-and-rescue (SAR) missions and ve
in ASW con guration. A contract has also
been signed to modify four already delivered
NH90s from SAR to ASW con guration,
bringing the total Swedish NH90 eet to nine
ASW and nine SAR aircraft.
Prior to delivery, the aircraft was
thoroughly tested by the Swedish
acceptance team in Donauwörth and over
water from Marignane, France.End of UK
Military SAR
UK military search and rescue helicopter
operations ended on December 31, when
the Royal Navy’s 771 NAS stood down from
standing alert. Based at RNAS Culdrose
with a detachment at HMS Gannett at
Prestwick, the SAR role has been taken on
by Bristow Helicopters from January 1 using
Sikorsky S-92s at both Newquay Airport and
Prestwick.
Two RAF 1563 Flight Sea King HAR3s
continue to ful l the SAR role at Mount
Pleasant in the Falkland Islands, until the
end of March when a civilian consortium will
take over. See the article starting on page
32 for more on UK military Sea Kings.Spanish A400M
Production of the maiden Ejército del Aire
(EdA – Spanish Air Force) A400M, T.23-
(c/n 0044), is progressing well at Airbus
Defence and Space’s Seville-San Pablo facility.
The nose section was delivered to Seville
on December 21 and nal assembly has
begun, which will lead to delivery to the EdA
in the second quarter this year.
Spain had planned to purchase 27
A400Ms, but as the delivery schedule
slipped and the country’s defence budget
came under pressure, that requirement has
been reduced to 14. Spain is seeking buyers
for the remaining 13 aircraft to avoid penalty
charges for cancellation.Argentina retired its eet of Mirages on
November 29, more than 43 years after the
type rst entered service.
A ceremony took place at the 6th Air
Brigade, Tandil, Buenos Aires, formally
marking the withdrawal of the type from active
service after more than 131,000 ight hours.
The ceremony was hosted by the
Argentine Air Force Chief of Staff, Brigadier
General Mario Miguel Callejo, who ew
the Mirage 5 Dagger during the Falklands
War. The remaining aircraft received
commemorative paint schemes for their
retirement. Mirage 5 Mara C-630 wore the
desert scheme, inherited from the Peruvian
Air Force, while Mirage 5 Finger C-
received a camou age scheme and yellow
stripes that had been applied during the
Falklands con ict. Mirage M-IIIEA wore a
commemorative scheme marking 43 years of
service based on the M-III Squadron badge,while M-IIIDA I-002 was painted with the
colours of the Argentine ag. Mirage M-
Dagger B C-426 wore special markings on
its tail.
The event opened with four of these
aircraft performing a ypast. Once they hadlanded and been placed on display in front of
the dignitaries, their replacements, two IA-
Pama II, were presented. The ceremony
ended with a ypast of I-002, which had the
honour of concluding the Mirage’s career with
the Argentina Air Force. Esteban BreaMILITARY NEWS
12 Aviation News incorporating Classic Aircraft February 2016Mirage 5 C-408 wore a scheme from the Falklands War period for the farewell event. Esteban BreaSweden has taken delivery of its rst NH90 in full ASW con guration. Airbus HelicoptersArgentine Mirages Bow Out
First Swedish NH90 ASW
Italy Orders
P2006Ts
Tecnam has won an order from the Italian
Air Force for three twin-engine Tecnam
P2006Ts. The contract, announced on
December 21, covers an integrated training
system (ITS) and includes the delivery of
a ight simulator, training for pilots and
technicians, together with maintenance
and assistance for three years and 3,
hours in total. Tecnam will incorporate small
design changes in the aircraft to meet Italian
Air Force training requirements and the
aircraft will y in Italian military markings,
once the validation from EASA CS-23 to
AER/AMI certi cation has been achieved.11-12-14_military.JR.mfJRDC.indd 12 08/01/2016 14: