Final mission for Belgian ERJ-
Above: ERJ-145LR CE-04 on June 3, two days after its fi nal mission. Joris van Boven
THE BELGIAN Air
Component’s ERJ-145LR
CE-04 (c/n 145548) has
flown its last mission, with
the service’s entire EmbraerVIP transport fleet – two ERJ-
135LRs and ERJ-145LRs,
flown by 21 Squadron at
Melsbroek – now withdrawn
due to budget cuts. Belgiumis considering options for
its Embraers, including
selling them off and leasing
them back, making use of
an outsourced VIP fleet orscrapping the capability
entirely. ERJ-145LR
CE-04 flew its final mission
on June 1 before being
grounded. Joris van BovenDutch
Cougars to
remain in
service
THE KONINKLIJKE
Luchtmacht (Royal
Netherlands Air Force,
RNLAF) is to continue
flying its AS532 Cougar
helicopters until at least- The development
is the latest in a long line
of changes for the Dutch
Cougar operator, 300
Squadron ‘Wildcats’.
The Cougars, in
service since 1996, were
withdrawn in 2011 as
part of defence cuts.
But after their time
in storage it became
clear that the Dutch
Helicopter Command
(DHC), headquartered at
Gilze-Rijen, was lacking
helicopter capacity due
to delays with the CH-47F
and NH-90 programmes.
Cougar operations
resumed as a temporary
measure, but today
12 helicopters are
fully operational; the
squadron’s future was,
however, uncertain, and
it had been due to begin
phasing them out this
year. Operations were
first extended to 2020
and then, in late 2016, the
Dutch defence ministry
confirmed they would
be flown until 2023,
primarily for medical
evacuation (medevac) and
amphibious operations.
Lt Gen Dennis Luyt, the
air force’s commander,
confirmed that withdrawal
of the Cougars in 2023
was no longer a DHC
objective. The unit
will now remain active
and focus on special
operations forces (SOF)
missions. The RNLAF
recently established a
new Special Operations
Command and, under
a two-stage plan, 300
Squadron will first
be ‘restarted’ before
being prepared for its
additional SOF tasking.
The DHC has also signed
a base maintenance
contract recently with
civilian contractor Heli-
One, which includes
maintenance and
inspection of the 12
helicopters until 2022
with a potential for
extension until 2030. The
agreement also covers
another five Cougars in
storage. Peter ten Berg
More F-35As arrive in Norway
Above: RNoAF F-35A 5206 arrives at Ørland on May 22. Forsvaret/Torbjørn Kjosvold
THREE MORE Luftforsvaret
(Royal Norwegian Air Force,
RNoAF) F-35As have arrived
in Norway. The jets, 5205
(AM-11, USAF 15-5205),
5206 (AM-12, 15-5206) and
5207 (AM-13, 15-5207), left
the factory at Fort Worth,
Texas, on May 22, landing
at Ørland Main Air Stationlater that day after their
transatlantic ferry flight.
The first three (5148, 5149
and 5150) arrived at Ørland
on November 3 last year (see
RNoAF deliveries and runway
tests, January, p11). Seven
others (5087, 5088, 5110,
5111, 5145, 5146 and 5147)
are meanwhile operatingwith the US Air Force’s 62nd
Fighter Squadron at Luke
Air Force Base, Arizona,
to train Norwegian pilots.
Norway’s next Lightning
II, 5208 (AM-14, USAF/15-
5208), first flew at Fort
Worth on May 29, and
the RNoAF is currently
undertaking operational testand evaluation of the type
in Norwegian conditions –
aiming for initial operational
capability by the end of next
year and full operational
capability in 2025.
It plans to have 52
F-35As, with deliveries at
a rate of six a year until- Dave Allport
Above: A Rafale M attached to Flottille 17F prepares to land on USS ‘George H W Bush’ in the Atlantic on May 10. US Navy/
Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Zachary P Wickline
A DETACHMENT of Marine
Nationale (French Navy)
Rafale Ms has concluded
a combined exercise
with the US Nav y. Called
Chesapeake 2018, it
began in April at Naval Air
Station Oceana, Virginia,
and culminated in anat-sea period aboard US
Navy carrier USS George
H W Bush (CVN 77).
Carrier-based training
from May 7 to 18 included
the French Carrier Air Wing,
Carrier Air Wing Eight
(CVW) 8 and embarked
staff from Carrier StrikeGroup (CSG) 2. Some 300
French sailors embarked
aboard the Bush to
maintain naval aviation
proficiency and practise
for real-world multinational
operations while the
French carrier Charles de
Gaulle completed a refit.Combat scenarios included
cyclic flight operations and
combat search and rescue
as well as arrested landings
and launches by both
countries’ aircraft. A total
of 458 sorties and 752 traps
were completed, resulting
in 724.5 flight hours.French Navy Rafales complete US deployment
10 http://www.airforcesmonthly.comNEWS
// JULY 2018 #Continental Europe