Airforces

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

NEWS United Kingdom

R AF T- 6

visits UK Martin Brown

THE FIRST T-6C for the
Royal Air Force, T-6C
ZM323 (c/n PM-110)
arrived at Glasgow Airport
on July 9 en route to the
Royal International Air
Tattoo at RAF Fairford,
Gloucestershire.
Still wearing US test

registration N2824B, the

aircraft is seen on July

12, when it took part in

a photo shoot during a

low-level sortie over Lake

Vyrnwy in Wales. The

Texan II was on its way

from London Oxford

Airport (Kidlington)

to RIAT. The aircraft

returned to Beechcraft

in Wichita, Kansas

immediately after its

Fairford appearance.

The UK has ten T-6Cs

on order as part of the

Military Flying Training

System (MFTS) contract

awarded to Ascent Flight

Training. Affinity has

been appointed by Ascent

to provide and maintain

the aircraft. The first

example for the RAF made

its maiden flight on May

23 (see First T-6 for RAF

takes flight, July, p8).

Release to

service for

Prefect

AFFINITY FLYING Training

Services has received

military release to

service approval for

the G 120TP Prefect

elementary trainer. The

approval, which was

granted in July 11, “marks

the start of the service

provision by Affinity to

the UK Military Flying

Training System,” said

Iain Chalmers, Managing

Director of Affinity Flying

Training Services – a joint

venture involving Elbit

Systems and KBR. The

Prefect will be operated

from the RAF Barkston

Heath and RAF Cranwell

in Lincolnshire. A total

of 23 aircraft are being

acquired, of which

around half are currently

in the UK. The first

ab initio students will

begin training on the

aircraft next January.

The aircraft is replacing

the Tutor T1 under the

Military Flying Training

System programme.

Sea Kings return to fl ight

TWO RETIRED former

Fleet Air Arm Sea King

HU5s are being returned

to flight in order to

train aircrew for the

German Marineflieger

(German Naval Aviation),

which has a fleet of

21 Sea King Mk41s.

The Royal Navy

announced on July 27 that

the helicopters, used for

search and rescue (SAR)

missions by 771 Naval Air

Squadron at Royal Naval

Air Station Culdrose,

Cornwall, until their

retirement in April 2016,

are being refurbished

by the MOD and should

be active again shortly.

They are being leased

to HeliOperations UK

so that this company

can train German Navy

aircrew in SAR skills. Both

Sea Kings will remain as

UK military aircraft, but

will be operated from

HeliOperations’ UK base

at Portland, Dorset,

until September 2018.

The first of the two,

XV666, had made what

was then expected to

have been its last flight

on April 11, 2016, when it

was flown to HMS Sultan,

Gosport, Hampshire, for

storage pending disposal.

On January 24, this year,

it was returned to RNAS

Culdrose, where the

Merlin Depth Maintenance

Facility has since been

restoring it to operational

condition. In late July it

had begun ground runs

at Culdrose and was

expected to be re-flown

soon afterwards. The

identity of the second

helicopter has not

yet been confirmed.

Dave Allport

Above: Former Royal Navy Sea King HU5 XV666 carrying out

ground runs at RNAS Culdrose in preparation for its return

to fl ight. Most of its military markings are removed but it

retains its SAR colour scheme. Royal Navy/RNAS Culdrose

UK still

considering

alternative

F-35 variants

AN ALTERNATIVE variant

of the F-35 Lightning II

may still be purchased

by the UK, in addition

to the short take-off

and vertical landing

(STOVL) F-35B already

on order. The clearest,

most recent indication of

this possibility was given

in Parliament on July 12

by Earl Howe, Minister

of State for Defence, in

response to an earlier

written question from

the Marquess of Lothian

submitted on July 5.

The Marquess had asked

whether the government

remains committed to

the purchase of 138

F-35Bs. Earl Howe stated

in his reply: “As part of

the Strategic Defence

and Security Review in

2015, we reaffirmed our

commitment to procure

138 F-35 Lightning II

aircraft. The first tranche

of 48 aircraft will be of the

F-35B variant, which will

be jointly operated by the

Royal Air Force and Royal

Navy, and capable of

operating from both land

and the Queen Elizabeth-

class aircraft carriers. The

decision on the variant of

subsequent tranches of

Lightning will be taken at

the appropriate time.”

In July 2012 the MOD said

an initial 48 F-35Bs would

be purchased. Although

noting that the final total

would be determined

in the 2015 SDSR, it

was suggested that the

conventional take-off

and landing F-35A variant

may be bought to replace

the RAF’s Typhoons.

When the SDSR was

published that November

it was confirmed that

the final total would

be 138, as originally

planned, but there was

no further mention of

alternative variants.

To date the UK has

taken delivery of ten

F-35Bs. The UK expects

to achieve initial operating

capability with the type

in December 2018,

following which a carrier

strike capability will be

available from 2020.

The first 24 aircraft are

scheduled to be in service

by 2023, with all 48 due

to be delivered by January

2025. Dave Allport