Airforces

NEWS

28 // SEPTEMBER 2017 #354 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com

Asia Pacifi c

Medevac Z-8JH on Liaoning

THIS MEDICAL evacuation

(medevac) version of the

Z-8 helicopter was noted

on board the aircraft

carrier Liaoning (CV 16)

during its maiden visit

to Hong Kong on July

7. The carrier entered
   Hong Kong waters

accompanied by three

other warships from the

People’s Liberation Army

Navy (PLAN) to celebrate

the 20th anniversary of

the territory’s handover

to China during a five-day

port call. The remainder

of the task force

comprised Type 052D

destroyer Yinchuan, Type

052C destroyer Jinan and

Type 054A frigate Yantai.

As well as eight J-15

fighters the Liaoning

embarked a Z-9S plane

guard helicopter, while

a Z-18 VIP transport

helicopter (‘381’) was

noted below decks. The

rarely seen Z-8JH is

intended for medevac

and combat search and

rescue. The aircraft

on Liaoning was ‘9516’,

the only example

noted to date.

Gordon Arthur

Final FA-50PHs

delivered to

Philippines

KOREA AEROSPACE

INDUSTRIES (KAI) has

completed delivery of all

12 FA-50PH light attack

aircraft ordered by the

Philippine Air Force

(PAF). K AI said this had

been completed on July

4, three months ahead of

schedule, and that it was

hopeful the PAF would

place an additional order

for the type in the future.

An event to mark the

induction into service of

the final two aircraft was

held at Clark Air Base on

July 4, although they had

actually arrived at the

base some weeks earlier,

on May 31. During

the event, Philippine

President Rodrigo

Duterte confirmed that

his government would

consider purchasing

a further 12 FA-50PHs

at some point during

his six-year term of

office, which began

on June 30 last year.

The FA-50PHs were

ordered under a contract

signed on March 28,

2014, and the first

pair was delivered

on November 28,

2015. Dave Allport

Indonesia

plans to buy

11 Su-35s

INDONESIAN DEFENCE

Minister Ryamizard

Ryacudu has confirmed

plans to purchase 11 Su-35

fighters for the Tentara

Nasional Indonesia –

Angkatan Udara (TNI-AU,

Indonesian Air Force).

He made the statement

during a press conference

at the Presidential Office

on July 26 after a Cabinet

meeting on military

procurement. The aircraft

will replace the F-5E/Fs

of Skadron Udara 14 at

Madiun/Lanud Iswahjudi.

He also said that purchase

of unmanned air vehicles

was being discussed. Rear

Admiral Leonardi, Chief

of the Defence Facilities

Board, said China had

expressed its willingness to

supply UAVs to Indonesia

and that these would have

an attack capability and be

customised to Indonesia’s

specifications. Initially

only six will be purchased

via Chinese internet for trials. Dave Allport

Maiden fl ight for production CH-5 drone

THE SERIES production

version of the CH-5 –

or CaiHong (Rainbow)

5 – unmanned aerial

vehicle (UAV) performed

its maiden flight in

north China’s Hebei

Province on July 14.

The current model has

been comprehensively

revised compared with

the UAV that was first

flown in August 2015

before being unveiled at

the Zhuhai Airshow in

November last year. The

new CH-5 features more

aerodynamically refined

lines that will improve its

stealth characteristics.

Intended primarily for

export, the CaiHong

family of UAVs is being

developed by the

Academy of Aerospace

Aerodynamics, also

known as the 11th

Academy or 701st

Research Institute, part

of the China Aerospace

Science and Technology

Corporation (CASC).

The series includes

the CH-3 operated by

Myanmar, Nigeria and

Pakistan (as the locally

built Burraq) and the

CH-4, used by Egypt,

Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

Andreas Rupprecht

Final South Korean

AW159s commissioned

THE REPUBLIC of

Korea Navy (RoKN)

has introduced its final

batch of AW159 anti-

submarine helicopters.

The commissioning of

the last four aircraft

was confirmed by the

Republic of Korea Armed

Forces on July 5. The

final batch of helicopters

was handed over by

Leonardo’s Helicopter

Division last November.

South Korea’s Defence

Acquisition Programme

Administration ordered

eight AW159s in 2013.

The first batch of four

AW159s was delivered

to South Korea in

June last year.

Malaysia’s MRCA

programme in doubt

A REPORT from Reuters

dated July 13 suggests

the Tentera Udara Diraja

Malaysia (TUDM, Royal

Malaysian Air Force)

has abandoned its

much-delayed Multirole

Combat Aircraft (MRCA)

programme. Air force

officials have neither

confirmed nor denied

the story, which cited an

unidentified source from

the Malaysian Ministry of

Defence (MINDEF). The

report said that funds are

instead being allocated

to counter-terrorist

operations and that the

MRCA may be re-launched

after Malaysia’s general

election next year.