(AIRCOM) at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
The crew from the 21st AC&W and 22
Wing worked closely together with the
ICG crew to ensure mission execution
and the transfer of accurate information
between ATF-Iceland and the Combined
Air Operations Centre (CAOC) in Uedem,
Germany. The CAOC oversees all traffic in
the Iceland area, analysing and assessing
information from radar feeds and data
links and acting as intercept controller.Reliable platform
Although the CF-188 is older than most of
the pilots that currently fly it, the aircraft is
well equipped for its task. The first CF-188
entered service with the Canadian Air Force
in 1982 and the type has participated in
many foreign operations. In 1991 Canada
sent 24 CF-188s to the Gulf for Operation
Friction. This was the first combat
deployment for the Canadian Air Force
since the Korean War and the detachment
flew 2,700 combat air patrol missions, 56
bombing missions and over 5,700 flying
hours. Between August and the end of
November 1997 six aircraft deployed to
Aviano AB in Italy for Operation Mirador
in support of UN peacekeeping troops
in the former Yugoslavia and from June
1998 to December 2000 Operation Echo
saw six Hornets sent to Aviano in support
of SFOR (Stabilisation Force) and KFOR
(Kosovo Force) troops. In June 1999 18
CF-188s deployed to Europe, this time
to participate in NATO air strikes against
Serbian forces. They flew 10% of all NATO
air strikes during 558 bombing missions.
Since the 9/11 terror attacks, CF-188s
have contributed enormously to Operation
Noble Eagle and the NORAD mission.
Between March and August 2011 CF-188s
were deployed again, this time to Trapani
in Italy as part of Operation Mobile. The
air component of Mobile was Task Force
Libeccio – seven CF-188s that patrolled theskies over Libya to enforce a ‘no-fly’ zone and
conduct bombing missions against Libyan
targets. A total of 946 sorties were flown.
From October 2014 to February 2016 eight
Canadian Hornets deployed to Kuwait in
support of the global coalition fighting IS
in Syria and Iraq. During this period 1,378
missions were flown. In the meantime,
operations Ignition and later Reassurance
were conducted on a rotational basis
in Iceland, Lithuania and Romania.Upgrades required
During the Gulf War and Balkan deployments
it became apparent the Hornet’s avionics and
weapons systems had become outdated and
a thorough upgrade was urgently needed
to keep the CF-188 ‘in the fight’ well into
the next century. In 2000 funding became
available for the necessary upgrades under
the Incremental Modernization Project
(IMP). This C$1.8bn project was divided
into two phases over eight years starting
in 2002. It covered 80 of the 119 aircraft
(62 CF-188A and 18 CF-188B) and was
conducted by McDonnell Douglas (later
Boeing) and L-3 Communications (later L3
Technologies). The first phase implemented,
among others, the new Raytheon AN/APG-73
radar, Rockwell Collins AN/ARC-210 RT-1556/
ARC VHF and UHF radios, BAE Systems AN/
APX-111 IFF transponder, new mission
computers, GPS/INS navigation system and
an improved Smiths Aerospace AN/AYQ-9
weapons stores management system to
carry the most modern air-to-air and air-
to-ground weapons. The cockpit layout
drastically changed with the implementation
of full-colour LCD displays. At the same
time the new Lockheed Martin Sniper XR
targeting pod was purchased, together with
the AIM-120 AMRAAM missile and laser/
GPS-guided air-to-ground weapons.
The first phase of IMP was officially
concluded on August 31, 2006. The
second phase, which started in 2005,
Above: A Canadian pilot starts up his aircraft
for another sortie to control the airspace above
and around Iceland. Below: A two-seat CF-188
taxies through the rain to the Keflavík shelters
after a long patrol flight. The harsh weather
conditions in Iceland can be a challenge for
flight operations.CF-188 IN ICELAND
86 // SEPTEMBER 2017 #354 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com