Airforces

NEWS

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

Headlines

Red Flag debut for Saudi Typhoon

Typhoon T3 1021 (CT018, ex ZK399) of the

10th Squadron on fi nals to Morón on August 1.

Antonio Muñiz Zaragüeta

EIGHT TYPHOONS from the

Royal Saudi Air Force are

taking part for the first time

in Exercise Red Flag at Nellis

Air Force Base, Nevada. The

fighters passed through

Morón air base in Spain

on August 1, accompanied

by three A330 Multi-Role

Tanker Transports (MRTTs).

A single RSAF C-130H also

deployed as support aircraft.

Drawn from the 3rd, 10th

and 80th Squadrons at Taif/

King Fahd Air Base, the

Typhoons comprised serials

306, 1014, 1021, 8008,

8009, 8015, 8017 and 8023.

These used the callsigns

‘CLEAN 01-08’. During their

first deployment to the

US, the Saudi Typhoons

are flying in Red Flag

17-4, which is taking place

from August 14-25.

Above: The HC6A upgrade for the RAF’s Chinook HC4 will

provide the helicopters with the same DAFCS that is used in

the new-build HC6, seen here. Jamie Hunter

Above: In late 2016 just four FAB T-33s were operational, each with only ten hours of fl ying

time left. T-33A/N FAB 606 (c/n 158) was formerly CT-133 133158 in Canadian Armed Forces

service and was transferred to Bolivia in December 1973. Santiago Rivas

Final military T-33s retired in Bolivia

THE FUERZA Aérea

Boliviana (FAB, Bolivian Air

Force) withdrew the last

examples of the Lockheed

AT/T-33 Shooting Star from

service on July 31, ending

the military career of one

of the most important

jet trainers and attack

aircraft in history. Bolivia

was the final military

operator of the type, and

now only civilian examples

remain active. The FAB

Shooting Stars were retired

without replacement.

The T-33 was introduced

to FAB service in 1973 in

the form of 18 former

Royal Canadian Air Force

Canadair T-33A/N Silver

Stars. In 1985 it received

a further 18 T-33SC and

T-33SF aircraft from surplus

French stocks. Surviving

T-33s were upgraded by

Kelowna Flightcraft in

Canada during the late

1990s and early 2000s.

The last military squadron

to operate the T-

was Escuadrón de Caza

311, part of the Grupo

Aéreo de Caza (GAC)

31 at El Alto Airport.

Juan Carlos Cicalesi

RAF to upgrade Chinook HC4s

THE ROYAL Air Force is to

upgrade its fleet of Chinook

HC4 helicopters to a new

HC6A standard, by replacing

the analogue flight control

systems with the Boeing

Digital Automatic Flight

Control System (DAFCS).

Work will be carried out

over the next 12 months on

all 38 HC4s now in service.

The DAFCS is intended to

improve aircraft handling

and stability in more

demanding operational

environments and increase

flight safety in low-light

levels and/or degraded

visual environments.

In addition, a contract

has been placed to

incorporate an Airborne

Collision Avoidance

System (ACAS) across the

Chinook fleet, and this has

already achieved initial

operating capability.

The RAF inventory

includes 60 Chinooks,

comprising 38 HC4s (former

HC2/2As upgraded under

Project Julius), eight HC5s

(previously HC3s), and 14

HC6s that were delivered

as new-build airframes

based on the CH-47F.