AirForces Monthly – June 2018

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http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #363 JUNE 2018 // 11

F-35A in-air drag chute tests for Norway

IN-FLIGHT TESTING has

cleared the full envelope

for the Royal Norwegian

Air Force’s (RNoAF’s)

F-35A drag chute. The

F-35 Integrated Test

Flight team at Edwards

Air Force Base, California,

recently completed in-air

deployments of the

parachute system, following

cold-weather trials of the

system at Eielson AFB,

Alaska and at Ørland in

Norway in February (see

RNoAF F-35A deliveries and

runway tests, January, p11).

The drag chute is

unique to RNoAF

F-35As and is required

for rapid deceleration

on icy runways.

In-air tests on March 19

subjected the chute to the

maximum amount of force

by applying full afterburner

“a few thousand feet”

above the runway in level

flight. However, heat from

the afterburner slightly tore

the chute and invalidated

the test data. On March

28 the aircraft deployed the

chute while conducting a

dive and with the engine

at idle to collect the

required test points. Full

certification of the system is

due by the end of the year,

pending final data review.

Lockheed Martin

Finland upgrades Learjet 35As

THE ILMAVOIMAT (Finnish

Air Force) is carrying out

a service life extension

programme on its three

Learjet 35As, it was

announced on April 13.

The Learjets have been

in use since 1982.

In addition to the

modernisation, the aircraft

are losing their camouflage,

which is being replaced by

an overall gloss grey colour

scheme, similar to that

worn by other aircraft in the

liaison and transport fleet.

The first repainted

Learjet, L J -1, was rolled

out of the Danish Aircraft

Painting facility at

Odense Airport on April

12. It was then ferried to
    Nuremberg, Germany, for
    the modification work to be
    completed by Aero-Dienst.
    The upgrade includes
    new avionics systems,
    mission-specific equipment
    and modifications to the
    passenger cabin seating
    arrangements. All three
    Ilmavoimat Learjets are
    operated by the 2nd Flight
    of the Tukilentolaivue (Air
    Support Squadron) at
    Tampere-Pirkkala. They
    are used to transport
    materiel and personnel,
    for aerial photography
    and target towing duties.
    One is dedicated to
    the communications/
    liaison role, but the
    other two are configured
    for combat support
    tasks. Dave Allport

THE FINNISH Defence

Forces’ Logistics Command

sent a request for quotation

(RFQ) for its HX future

fighter programme to the

governments of France,

Sweden, the United

Kingdom and United States

on April 2 7. The Rafale,

Gripen, Typhoon, F/A-

18E/F and F-35 are in the

running for the 64-aircraft

tender which could be

worth around €10bn.

The HX programme aims

to replace the Ilmavoimat’s

(Finnish Air Force’s) F/A-

18C/D fleet when it is

phased out from 2025.

A capability assessment

will be made using five

scenarios: counter-air;

counter-land; counter-sea;

intelligence, surveillance

and reconnaissance (ISR)

and long-range strike.

The aircraft will also be

required to operate from

dispersed locations.

Negotiations with

manufacturers are due

to begin in the second

half of next year and final

quotations will be requested

in 2020. The Finnish

government will select the

final candidate in 2021.

Finland begins negotiations for HX fi ghter

Above: Ilmavoimat F/A-18D HN-464 refuels over Finland from a US Air Force KC-135 fl ying from

RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk, during last year’s Arctic Challenge Exercise. USAF/Tech Sgt David Dobrydney

Above: Learjet 35A LJ-1, the fi rst to be repainted in the new gloss grey colour scheme, was

rolled out of the Danish Aircraft Painting facilities on April 12. Ilmavoimat

Baltic Air

Policing

rotation

PORTUGAL ASSUMED

responsibility as the

lead nation for the 47th

rotation of NATO’s Baltic

Air Policing (BAP) mission

safeguarding the airspace

over Estonia, Latvia and

Lithuania at the beginning

of May. France and

Spain are augmenting

the mission within the

framework of enhanced

Air Policing (eAP).

The Força Aérea

Portuguesa (Portuguese

Air Force) deployed four

F-16AMs from Base

Aérea No 5 Monte Real

to Šiauliai, Lithuania,

for the fourth time. The

90-strong detachment of

pilots, ground crews and

support personnel took

over the mission from

Denmark on May 2.

The Armée de l’Air

(French Air Force)

detachment at Ämari air

base, Estonia, consists

of four Mirage 2000-5Fs

from EC 1/2 ‘Cigognes’

and around 100 personnel

from their home base

at Luxeuil. This is the

seventh time French

fighters have conducted

the BAP assignment.

Finally, an Ejército del

Aire (Spanish Air Force)

Eurofighter detachment

of six jets and some 130

personnel from Ala 11 at

Morón has also deployed

to Šiauliai. Spain led the

BAP mission in 2006 and

2016 and augmented it out

of Ämari in 2015 and again

last year, making this the

fifth tour to the Baltics.