AirForces Monthly – June 2018

http://www.airforcesmonthly.com

NEWS

THE MARINHA do Brasil

(Brazilian Navy) expects

to receive a first H225M

Super Cougar helicopter

equipped for anti-surface

warfare (ASuW) in June.

Under the Brazilian

military designation

system, these aircraft

are known as AH -15B.

Commissioning of the

helicopter had been

planned for April. A further

four AH -15Bs will be

delivered by August 2022.

The Brazilian H-XBR

programme includes 16

naval H225Ms. To date,

seven UH -15 utility and

three UH -15A combat

search and rescue

(CSAR) variants have

been delivered to the 2º

Esquadrão de Helicópteros

de Emprego Geral (HU-

2, 2nd General-Purpose

Helicopter Squadron)

at Base Aérea Naval de

São Pedro da Aldeia

(BAeNSPA). An eighth

UH -15 is to be handed

over in April 2020.

In related news, plans

call for the 1° Esquadrão

de Helicópteros de

Esclarecimento e Ataque

(HA-1, 1st Reconnaissance

and Attack Helicopter

Squadron) to receive its

first two modernised Super

Lynx A H -11B helicopters

in May and a third in

September. Eight A H -11A s

are being upgraded to

A H -11B by Leonardo

under a contract worth

US$145m and one is now

flying in the UK as ZH962.

Latin America

18 // JUNE 2018 #

Brazilian Super Pantera cleared for RNAV/RNP fl ights

João Paulo Moralez

THE BRAZILIAN Instituto de
Fomento e Coordenação
Industrial (IFI, Institute of
Industrial Development
and Co-ordination), the
country’s military aerospace
certification authority, has
approved the modernised
AS365K2 Super Pantera for
operations under required
navigation/required navigation
performance (RNAV/RNP)

regulations. Clearance for

the Exército Brasileiro (EB,

Brazilian Army) helicopters

was issued on April 16.

This was the first

certification process

conducted by the Grupo

de Ensaios e Avaliações

(GEA), the army aviation

test and evaluation unit.

After the GPS system was

upgraded to the Garmin

GTN650 platform, the

GEA began a certification

programme based on

guidelines established by

Brazil’s National Civil Aviation

Agency (ANAC). The whole

process was completed

within three months.

The routes between

Taubaté, Ribeirão Preto,

Arealva (Bauru), Campinas,

São José dos Campos

and Guaratinguetá – all in

the state of São Paulo –

were used to test all flight

conditions, deviation limits,

autopilot system failure,

actions in case of total and

partial electrical damage, as

well as ergonomic factors.

The army budgeted

approximately $2.9m for

certification of the fleet.

João Paulo Moralez

Colombia

requests

three C-130s

THE FUERZA Aérea

Colombiana (FAC,

Colombian Air Force)

has requested transfer of

three C-130H transports

from the United States.

Negotiations took place

last year. Colombia

requires three aircraft

supplied as Excess

Defense Articles (EDA),

worth around $12m each.

The government hopes

the US will donate one of

the aircraft. By January

one Hercules had been

allocated for Colombia

but not delivered.

THE FAC currently

operates three C-130Bs

that entered service

from May 1968 and

three C-130Hs: two

delivered new in 1983

and the third a 1973-

built, ex-Italian Air Force

Hercules that entered

service in November 2005.

Juan Carlos Cicalesi

Above: The fi rst AH-15B, N-4101 (formerly UH-15A N-7110), served as the prototype for this version. It features APS-

search radar and AM.39B2M2 Exocet missiles for anti-ship missions. Airbus Helicopters

Brazilian Navy prepares for UH-15B

MH-60Rs

approved

for Mexico

THE US State Department

has approved the possible

Foreign Military Sale to

Mexico of MH-60R multi-

mission helicopters. On

April 18 Congress was

notified of the package,

which includes eight

helicopters and is worth

an estimated $1.2bn.

As outlined by the

Defense Security

Cooperation Agency

(DSCA), the deal would

also comprise 20 T700-

GE-401C engines and 16

APS-153(V) multi-mode

radars. Other avionics

include ten Airborne

Low Frequency Sonars

(ALFS), 14 AN/APX-

identification friend or

foe (IFF) transponders,

12 AN/AAS-44C forward-

looking infrared (FLIR)

systems and 30 AN/AVS-

night-vision devices. In

terms of weapons and

stores, the announcement

specifies 1,000 AN/SSQ-

36/53/62 sonobuoys, ten

AGM-114 Hellfire missiles,

38 Advanced Precision

Kill Weapon System

(APKWS) II rockets and 30

Mk54 Lightweight Hybrid

Torpedoes (LHTs). No

details of possible delivery

timelines were given.

DELIVERY OF former French
Navy Super Étendard
Modernisé (SEM) jets to
Argentina has been delayed
as France awaits payment
from Argentina. The SEMs

remain in France and

Paris reportedly awaits

the full contract payment

of around €12.5m.

Acquisition of the five

second-hand jets was

announced by French

President Emmanuel

Macron and his Argentine

counterpart Mauricio Macri

in Paris on February 2.

Argentina is due to receive

five aircraft (serials 1, 31,

41, 44 and 51), ten engines,

spare parts and a simulator.

Each airframe has more than

100 flight hours remaining.

Juan Carlos Cicalesi

Argentine Super Étendard arrival delayed