NEWS
12 // SEPTEMBER 2017 #354 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com
Continental Europe
Above: RNLAF Pilatus PC-7 L-01 taxies onto the fl ight line of 131 EMVO Squadron at Woensdrecht Air Base on July 19, after its
ferry fl ight from Stans-Buochs in Switzerland. Kees van der Mark
THE FIRST Royal
Netherlands Air Force
(RNLAF) PC-7 upgraded
by Pil atus Aircraft
at Stans-Buochs
Airfield in Switzerland
was re-delivered to
Woensdrecht Air Base in
the Netherlands on July 19.
The aircraft (serial L-01,
c/n 538) arrived at the
Pilatus factory on May 2
last year to act as ‘lead the
fleet’ airframe for the PC-
Obsolescence Prevention
Program (OPP) and
Structural Enhancement
(SE). The upgrade will
enable the 13-strong
fleet of Dutch PC-7s tosoldier on until at least
2027 by fully using their
life expectancy of 12,
flying hours or 24,
landings per airframe.
The July 2015 contract
between the Dutch
Defence Materiel
Organisation (DMO) and
Pilatus initially covered
upgrade of ten PC-7s
delivered in 1989 to
what is now known as
131 Elementaire Militaire
Vlieger Opleiding (EMVO,
Elementary Military Pilot
Training) Squadron. Work
was later extended to
include the additional three
aircraft delivered in 1997.The OPP includes a full
glass cockpit with three
displays. The RNLAF is
the first PC-7 operator
worldwide to have both
the flight and engine
instruments digitalised –
the Swiss PC-7s that had
their cockpits upgraded in
2008-09 still have analogue
engine instruments. Other
modifications in the OPP
include new navigation
and radio equipment, new
landing lights and fitment
of an automatic direction
finder (ADF), enabling the
PC-7 to comply with current
civil flight regulations.
The SE programme seesthe aircraft’s structure
strengthened and adjusted
at 16 places in the
fuselage, tail and wings.
While in Switzerland, the
PC-7s also undergo a
200-hour inspection.
With the lead aircraft
now re-delivered, the
remaining 12 are scheduled
to go through the upgrade
programme two at a time,
which should take 12 weeks
per aircraft. Aircraft L-
and L-11 arrived at Stans-
Buochs on July 6. The final
two aircraft are expected
back at Woensdrecht in
mid-October next year.
Kees van der MarkUpgraded Dutch PC-7 re-delivered
Gripen
exits Belgian
fi ghter
contest
THE SWEDISH Defence
Materiel Agency
(FMV) has withdrawn
the Gripen E from
the competition to
replace the Belgian Air
Component’s F-16s.
In a July 10 statement,
the FMV noted it could
not meet the request
for Belgian government
proposal’s (RFGP’s)
demand for “extensive
operational support
from the delivering
nation”, adding it “would
require a Swedish
foreign policy and
political mandate that
does not exist today”.
The F-35A, Rafale and
Typhoon are still in
the running to provide
Belgium with 54 fighters,
valued at around €3.6bn.
Government agencies
representing the three
remaining bidders must
submit their offers
by September 8.
Boeing withdrew its
F/A-18E/F from the
competition in April.Irish Air Corps PC-9 attrition replacement
Above: New Irish Air Corps PC-9M 269/HB-HXI fi tted with underwing tanks at Stans on July 3
ready for its delivery fl ight. It left for Baldonnel the following day. Stephan Widmer
A NEW Pilatus PC-9M
has been delivered to
the Irish Air Corps (IAC).
The aircraft, 269/HB-HXI
(c/n 779), was first noted
ground-running outside
the factory at Stans-
Buochs, Switzerland,
on May 10 and took its
maiden flight on May
- It left Stans on July
4 flown by two IAC flight
instructors on its delivery
flight to Baldonnel,
where it arrived later
the same day.
Ordered as an attrition
replacement for another
IAC PC-9M, 265 – lost in a
fatal crash on October 12,
2009 – it brings the Irish
PC-9M fleet back up to
full strength with eight.
It had been thought it
would take up serial 268,
following on from 267,
the last of the original
batch, and it’s unclear
why it has instead become- Dave Allport
Eurofi ghter on QRA in Bulgaria
EUROFIGHTER F-2000s
from the Aeronautica
Militare (AM, Italian Air
Force) have begun quick
reaction alert (QRA)
duties at Graf Ignatievoair base, near Plovdiv,
in Bulgaria. The three-
month deployment
began in July. The
Italian Typhoons will
patrol the Black Searegion as part of NATO’s
Southern Air Policing
mission. This is the first
time Italian Air Force
Typhoons have been in
Bulgaria since 2013.Debut fl ight for French
Air Force PC-
PILATUS AIRCRAFT has
flown the first PC-21 for
the Armée de l’Air (French
Air Force). The aircraft,
01 ‘709FC’/HB-HVA (c/n
293), made its maiden
flight at Stans-Buochs,
Switzerland, on July 10,
followed by a secondand third flight in the
presence of a French
delegation on July 13.
The next three French
aircraft are now in final
assembly, with aircraft
five to nine in production.
France has 17 PC-21s on
order. Dave AllportAbove: Dutch Defence Helicopter Command/860 Squadron NH
NATO Frigate Helicopter (NFH) N233 wears large ‘100 years’
stickers to celebrate the fact that the Marineluchtvaartdienst
(MLD, Naval Aviation Service) was founded 100 years ago, on
August 18, 1917. On September 16, an anniversary airshow will
be held at Maritime Air Station De Kooy, home of the Dutch fl eet
of 20 NH90 NFHs. Kees van der MarkCentennial markings on
Dutch NH