AirForces Monthly – June 2018

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http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #363 JUNE 2018 // 9

‘Dambusters’ re-formed

for Lightning

Above: Four UK F-35Bs recently practised day and night aerial refuelling from a No 10 Squadron Voyager over the US east

coast. The mission was required to train tanking procedure ahead of the transatlantic fl ights this summer. The Voyager

operated from Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Florida. Crown Copyright

THE RAF’s No 617

Squadron ‘Dambusters’

has been re-formed

as the first unit to fly

the UK’s new F-35B.

Defence Secretary Gavin

Williamson announced

re-establishment of

the squadron after a

ceremony at the National

Air and Space Museum

in Washington DC on

April 17 marking the

RAF’s centenary.

“The 617 Squadron name

was made famous by the

‘Dambusters’, who played

such a vital role in the

Second World War,” said

Gavin Williamson. “It is

fitting that by flying the

world’s most advanced

fighter jets, our new

squadron will be ensuring

that the legend of world-

leading air power lives on.”

Lightning Force

Commander Air Cdre

David Bradshaw added:

“This is a most momentous

day for the UK Lightning

Force as we celebrate

the reformation of 617

Squadron. Manned by

highly capable Royal Air

Force and Royal Navy

personnel and equipped

with the truly remarkable

F-35B Lightning, 617

Squadron will once again

provide potent, flexible air

power for the nation.”

Currently, No 617

Squadron is training with

the UK’s first 15 F-35Bs

at Marine Corps Air

Station Beaufort, South

Carolina. It is scheduled

to relocate to its new home

at RAF Marham, Norfolk,

this summer. Nine UK

Lightnings are expected

to arrive in the UK in June

for the RAF’s centenary

celebrations, including

a flypast over London.

The UK plans to declare

initial operational capability

on the jet before the end

of the year and No 617

Squadron is expected to

embark on the carrier HMS

Queen Elizabeth late next

year or in early 2020.

MQ-9B

Protector

development

contract

GENERAL ATOMICS

Aeronautical Systems

Inc (GA-ASI) has been

awarded a development

contract for the RAF

MQ-9B Protector

unmanned aerial vehicle

(UAV) programme.

The Foreign Military

Sales deal, valued at

$80.8m, was awarded

by the US Air Force

Life Cycle Management

Center on March 30.

An initial $33.5m was

released at the time

of contract award.

It provides for the

design, development,

integration and

component level testing

required for UK-specific

enhancements to

the MQ-9B. Work is

expected to be completed

by August 31, 2021.

The RAF’s Protector is

a weaponised version

of GA-ASI’s Certifiable

MQ-9 Predator B, which

made its maiden flight

on November 17, 2016.

Plans to acquire the

Protector to replace the

RAF MQ-9A Reaper

were announced in the

2015 Strategic Defence

and Security Review.

Since then, the expected

in-service date has been

pushed back several

times and most recently,

the National Security

Capability Review,

published on March 28,

stated that the type will be

introduced by mid-2024.

US State Department

approval for the UK

to acquire up to 26

Protectors was granted in

November 2016, although

the initial purchase is

planned to be 16 UAVs.

The Protector is slated

to be operated from RAF

Waddington, Lincolnshire.

Dave Allport

Two more

Apaches to

US for AH-64E

conversion

TWO MORE Army Air

Corps (AAC) Apache

AH1s have been

shipped to the US for

conversion to AH-64E

configuration. They are

believed to be ZJ

and ZJ167 (although also

reported as ZJ186 and

ZJ187). They arrived

at RAF Brize Norton,

Oxfordshire, on March

24 to be dismantled

and airfreighted out to

Boeing at Mesa, Arizona.

It is thought that the next

two to be shipped out for

upgrade will be ZJ

and ZJ169. As previously

stated, the first AAC

Apache to be delivered to

Boeing for conversion was

ZJ202 – see First AAC

Apache shipped to Mesa

for AH-64E conversion,

March, p8. This is

being used as a pattern

aircraft for the remaining

conversions. Boeing was

awarded two contracts,

on May 11 and June 9 last

year, to provide the first

38 aircraft. The UK plans

to acquire 50 AH-64Es

in total. Dave Allport

Liam Wilson

Centennial Chinook

CHINOOK HC6A ZD

has received the RAF

scheme. The helicopter

was photographed recently

while it was being used

to conduct training in a

confined area. It will be

the primary aircraft for the

RAF Chinook Display Team

this season. This is the

service’s third type noted

with the centenary logos,

following No 29 Squadron

Typhoon FGR4 ZK

and Texan T1 ZM326.

CONTROL AND operation

of the Defenders and

Islanders flown by 5

Regiment/651 Squadron

of the Army Air Corps

(AAC) at Joint Helicopter

Command Flying Station

Aldergrove, Northern

Ireland, is reported to have

been formally transferred to

the RAF on April 1. Plans

to transfer the AAC’s fixed-

wing aerial surveillance

capability had been

mooted for some time and

were officially confirmed

in an announcement in

Parliament on October

10, 2016, by Harriet

Baldwin, Parliamentary

Undersecretary of State

for Defence Procurement.

The aircraft comprise

Islander AL1s ZG845,

ZG846 and ZG848;

Defender AL1s ZG995,

ZG996, ZG997 and ZG998;

Defender AL2s ZH001,

ZH002, ZH003 and ZH005,

plus Defender T3 ZH004.

It is expected that an RAF

squadron number will

now be allocated to the

unit, but no details have

yet been announced. Nor

is it known if the aircraft

will remain at Aldergrove.

Their operations are

shrouded in secrecy as

they provide support to

special forces operations

overseas and counter-

terrorist activities within

the UK. Dave Allport

Defenders and Islanders transferred to RAF