The maiden ight of Russia’s A-
airborne early warning and control
(AEW&C) aircraft took place on
November 18 from the Taganrog Aviation
Scienti c and Technical Complex
(TANTK), near the Sea of Azov in the far
west of the country.
The milestone was announced by themission-system designer, Vega Radio
Engineering Concern, part of Russian
Electronics of the Rostec Corporation.
The A-100 is intended to replace
Vozdushno-Kosmicheskiye Sily
Rossiyskoy Federatsii (VKS RF, Russian
Federation Air and Space Force) A-50 and
A-50U Mainstay aircraft from 2020.Carrier Squadrons Move to Iwakuni
US Navy Carrier Air Wing Five (CVW-5)
started relocating from Naval Air Facility
Atsugi to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni
on November 28 at the end of a Ronald
Reagan Carrier Strike Group (CSG 5)
patrol.Units relocating to Iwakuni include Strike
Fighter Squadrons (VFA) 115 Eagles and
VFA-195 Dambusters ying the F/A-18E,
and Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 141
Shadowhawks that ies the EA-18G.
Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron(VAW) 125 Tiger Tails, which ies the E-2D,
became the rst of the air wing’s squadrons
to transition to Iwakuni when it arrived on
February 2 last year. VAW-125 was newly
allocated to CVW-5, arriving from Naval
Station Norfolk, Virginia.Israeli F35s Achieve IOC
Initial operational capability (IOC) for the
Israeli Air Force’s F-35A eet was formally
achieved on December 6. Nine Adirs are
currently assigned to 140 Golden Eagle
Squadron.
Israel accepted its rst two F-35As inlate December 2016 with its most recent
delivery in November when two ghters
touched down at Nevatim Air Base. The
country has ordered 50 F-35As against a
planned acquisition of 75 and deliveries
will run until December 2024.A-29s Order
by Philippines
Six A-29 light attack and advanced
training aircraft have been ordered from
Embraer by the Philippine Air Force
(PAF). The Super Tucanos will be tasked
with close air support, light attack,
surveillance, air-to-air interception, and
counter-insurgency missions.
When deliveries begin in 2019
the aircraft will be assigned to and
maintained by the 15th Strike Wing.
The contractor has con rmed this
order is not associated with an earlier
deal for six A-29s, announced on October
16, 2017, from an undisclosed customer.The rst PC-21 for QinetiQ (G-ETPA) is nearly ready for delivery. It was seen outside the Pilatus
facility at Stans-Buochs, Switzerland, on November 14. Pilatus Aircraft is providing two PC-
turboprop trainers to QinetiQ for operation by the Empire Test Pilots’ School (ETPS) based at
MOD Boscombe Down, Wiltshire. Stephan WidmerFirst QinetiQ PC-
IN BRIEF
TYNDALL AFB, Florida, has been selected
by USAF as the preferred alternative for
stationing a new attack wing equipped
with MQ-9A remotely piloted aircraft (RPA).
The service also named Vandenberg AFB,
California, as a reasonable alternative. A
nal basing decision will be made by the
Secretary of the Air Force after a complete
environmental analysis.Two Rockwell B-1B LANCERS bombers
operated by the 37th Expeditionary Bomb
Squadron deployed from Andersen AFB on
Guam, to Royal Australian Air Force Base
Amberley in Australia on November 28. The
deployment, which was conducted as part
of the Enhanced Air Cooperation (EAC)
initiative, included participation in the
RAAF’s Lightning Focus exercise.The USAF’s eet of C-21A LEARJETS will be
upgraded to install an automatic dependent
surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B), Future Air
Navigation Systems (FANS 1/A) capability
and replace analogue instruments with
Electronic Flight Instrumentation Systems
(EFIS). The improvements will make the
aircraft compatible with the Federal Aviation
Administration’s (FAA) Next Generation
(NextGen) Air Transport System.Initial operational test and evaluation (OPEVAL)
of the Northrop Grumman unmanned MQ-8C
helicopter will be conducted by the US NAVY
in the early part of this year. The unmanned
helicopter is a follow on to the smaller MQ-
8B version and provides a greater payload,
range, and endurance when compared with
the 'B' variant.MILITARY NEWS
8The A-100 utilises the airframe of the Il-76MD-90A – also known as the Il-476. UACRussian A-100 Progress
Aviation News incorporating Jets February 201806-08_military_newsDC.mfDC.mfDC.indd 8 08/01/2018 16: