AirForces Monthly – July 2018

NEWS

24 // JULY 2018 #364 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com

Africa

Chad and

Cameroon

induct new

Cessnas

ALTHOUGH CHAD

and Cameroon took

delivery of four Cessna

208B Grand Caravan

intelligence, surveillance

and reconnaissance

(ISR) aircraft several

months ago, they have

only just been inducted

into service. The Armée

de l’Air du Cameroun

(Cameroon Air Force)

aircraft, N337ZZ (c/n

208B5337) and N339ZZ

(c/n 208B5339), were

formally transferred by

Peter Henry Barlerin,

the US Ambassador

to Cameroon, during a

ceremony at Base Aérea

101 Yaoundé on May 11.

The aircraft were delivered

via Gran Canaria, Spain,

on January 12 (see Two

Cessna 208Bs delivered

to Cameroon, March, p24).

On May 2, the US

Ambassador to Chad,

Geeta Pasi, formally

handed over the Forces

Aériennes Tchadiennes

(Chadian Air Force)

aircraft, N329ZZ (c/n

208B5329) and N332ZZ

(c/n 208B5332), during a

ceremony at Adji Kossei

Air Base, N’Djamena.

These had also passed

through Gran Canaria on

delivery, last November

30, and arrived in Chad

on December 2 (see

Chad receives two ISR

Cessna 208Bs, April, p24).

Since then they have

been used for training

pilots. Dave Allport

Sudanese FTC-2000s delivered

Sudanese Air Force

THE SUDANESE Air

Force (Silakh al Jawwaiya

as’Sudaniya) has taken

delivery of the six Hongdu

Aviation Industry Group

FTC-2000s ordered in

October 2016. The aircraft

were first seen pre-delivery

in June and all six were

in service by the time

the Sudanese Ministry

of Defence announced

their arrival on May 16.

An official inauguration

ceremony was attended

by Major General Awad

Khalafallah Marawi, the

deputy chief of staff,

together with the Chinese

military attaché. The

FTC-2000s are operated

by a “new squadron” at

Wadi Seidna. The aircraft

serials are 1201 to 1206.

Two new

Egyptian VIP

Falcon 7Xs

now fl ying

TWO NEW Dassault Falcon

7X bizjets recently entered

service with the Arab

Republic of Egypt Air Force

(EAF) VIP transport fleet.

The aircraft are SU-BTU

(c/n 243, ex F-WWUR)

and SU-BTV (c/n 246,

ex F-WWUQ), based at

Almaza. Both were first

noted during late April

visiting Paris-Le Bourget

while carrying out training,

although it is understood

they were officially handed

over on December 12.

They are the first of

four on order under a

€300m contract signed

in 2016. Dave Allport

Morocco seeks

12 extra F-16s

MOROCCO IS moving

closer to purchasing

a further 12 F-16s to

supplement the current

Royal Moroccan Air

Force (RMAF) fleet, which

comprises 15 F-16C

and eight F-16D Block

52 jets. The Inspector

General of the Royal

Armed Forces, General

Abdel Fattah Warraq, is

believed to have discussed

the planned acquisition

when he headed a high-

ranking military delegation

visit to Washington

between April 10-12

for the 10th Moroccan-

US Defense Advisory

Committee meeting.

The RMAF is seeking

the latest F-16V (Block

70/72) version and is

reportedly seeking new-

build fighters rather than

upgrades. Dave Allport Ruben Zammit

THE NIGERIAN Air Force
(NAF) has taken delivery
of two more Mi-35Ms,
NAF-561 and NAF-562.
The Hinds arrived at NAF
Base Makurdi on board an
An-124 transport on April

30. They were offloaded
    by a combined team of air
    force personnel and Russian
    technicians. The Mi-35Ms
    were accepted on behalf of
    the Chief of the Air Staff, AM
    Sadique Abubakar, by the
    Chief of Aircraft Engineering
    at NAF Headquarters, AVM
    Abdulganiyu Olabisi.

The Federal Government

Administration initiated

procurement of the new

Mi-35Ms in 2015. Two

previous helicopters were

delivered in December

2016. The NAF ultimately
      plans to acquire 12

examples. Some pilots

and technicians have

undergone training in

Russia as part of the deal.

Two more Nigerian Mi-35Ms arrive

NAF

Tunisian Hercules in Malta

R A R E LY SEEN Tunisian

Republic Air Force (Al

Quwwat al-Jawwiya

al-Jamahiriyah At’Tunisia)

C-130J-30 Z 2112 2 /

TS-MTL (c/n 382V-5758,

Foreign Military Sales

12-5758) taxies at Malta

International Airport on

May 18. The aircraft,

together with the country’s

second C-130J-30 –

Z21121/TS-MTK (c/n

382V-5718, FMS 11- 5718 )

• recently completed
  a series of flights to
  Luqa to transport newly
  minted Tunisian dinars.
  Tunisia’s order for two
  C -130Js was announced

in March 2010 and

the initial aircraft was

delivered in April 2013.

The second was handed

over in Marietta, Georgia

in December 2014.

The transports

are assigned to 21

Squadron, based at

Bizerte-Sidi Ahmed.