HURON TRAINERS RETIRED
Training operations with the
Beechcraft TC-12B came to a
close on May 16, 2017, when
the last group of six King Airs
assigned to the US Navy’s
Training Air Wing Four (TAW-4),
departed NAS Corpus Christi,
Texas. Formally named the
Huron, the aircraft were all
own to Davis-Monthan AFB,
Arizona, where they were placed
in storage by the USAF’s 309th
Aerospace Maintenance and
Regeneration Group (AMARG).
The retirement ended the type’s
20-year career as an advanced
multi-engine trainer.
To mark the aircraft’s nal
departure from the base, Training
Squadron Three Five (VT-35)carried out a nal yover of the
Corpus Christi area with three
TC-12Bs on May 12.
Currently just two UC-12Bs
remain in the navy’s inventory.
They comprise one aircraft
assigned to air test and
evaluation squadron VX-
at NAS Patuxent River,
Maryland, and another that is
based in Manassas, Virginia,
and reportedly operated
by the Federal Bureau of
Investigations (FBI).
All multi-engine advanced
training is now carried out by
VT-31 and VT-35. They share the
navy’s eet of T-44Cs, which
have recently been upgraded
with digital ‘glass’ cockpits.
TC-12B BuNo 161497 taxies at NAS Corpus
Christi following training squadron
VT-35’s nal ight over the air station on
May 12, 2017. US NavyF-35 WEAPONS TESTING
Marine Operational Test and
Evaluation Squadron (VMX) 1 and
the F-35 Joint Operational Test Team
(JOTT) deployed three F-35Bs from
Edwards AFB, California, to EglinAFB, Florida, for AIM-120 AMRAAM
testing from August 9 to September
1, 2017. Testing was intended to
evaluate operational employment
scenarios and validate and developtactics, techniques, and procedures
for all three variants of the
Lightning II.
During testing the detachment
completed multiple engineering
ights before expending ve
AMRAAMs and a single GBU-
laser-guided bomb (LGB). During
one mission an F-35B pilot
engaged a target with a GBU-
while simultaneously engaging
a QF-16 drone with an AIM-120.
The F-35 Integrated Test Force
also recently nished a series
of weapons evaluations that
comprised 12 weapons delivery
accuracy and 13 separation tests
using Block 3F software. Testing
was carried out over a 31-day
period. Five of the test events
included multiple weapons, and
testing involved 30 munitions,
among them Joint Direct Attack
Munitions (JDAMs), 250lb (113kg)GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs,
laser/GPS-guided bombs, AIM-9X
and AMRAAMs.
The F-35B made its rst shipboard
deployment aboard the USS Wasp
(LHD 1) in the spring of 2018 and
the USS Essex (LHD 2) was due
to embark VMFA-211 later in the
year. The Essex has completed
mid-life maintenance with F-35B-
speci c updates.
The US Navy has now con rmed
that VFA-147 ‘Argonauts’ will be
the rst operational squadron
to transition to the F-35C. The
squadron will begin the process
in 2018 and will make its rst
Lightning II deployment from Naval
Air Station Lemoore, California in- Marine squadron VMFA-314,
which currently operates the
F/A-18C, will be the second
operational squadron to convert to
the F-35C in 2019.
KING STALLION ARRIVES AT PAX
The rst YCH-53K King Stallion
arrived at NAS Patuxent River,
Maryland, from Sikorsky’s
development ight center in
West Palm Beach, Florida, for
continued testing on June 30,- The King Stallion is the
rst of seven CH-53Ks expected
to arrive at the Naval Air Warfare
Center Aircraft Division over the
next 12 months. Testing at
Patuxent River will include ight
qualities, ground and avionics
events. The CH-53K will be
operated and maintained by
an integrated test team (ITT)
comprised of pilots, aircrew,
engineers and maintainers
from air test and evaluation
squadron HX-21, Naval Air
Systems Command and
Sikorsky Aircraft.
The 810-mile (1,304km) ight
took six hours and involved
refueling stops at Naval Station
Mayport, Florida, and MCAS New
River, North Carolina. The four
CH-53K engineering
development model (EDM)
aircraft have completed more
than 450 hours of ight testing in
West Palm Beach and testing will
continue at both locations, while
the remainder of the EDM aircraft
transition to the Maryland base.
The CH-53K received a
Milestone C decision that allowed
the program to proceed with
low-rate initial production in
March. Production is expected to
begin this summer and initial
operational capability and initial
operational test and evaluation
are scheduled for 2019.The fourth YCH-53K engineering development model arrives at NAS
Patuxent River, Maryland, at the conclusion of a ferry ight from
Sikorsky Aircraft’s West Palm Beach, Florida, ight test facility, on June
30, 2017. US NavyWearing VFA-125 ‘Rough Raiders’ markings, an F-35C performs a
‘bolter’ on aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). US Navy/
MC1 Josue EscobosaUS NAVY & MARINE CORPS AIR POWER YEARBOOK 2018
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS^1514-19 Air power review C.indd 15 31/05/2018 15: