AirForces Monthly – July 2018

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http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #364 JULY 2018 // 29

Thailand unveils

fi rst upgraded

Super Tiger

Above: F-5ST Super Tiger serial 21105 of 211 ‘Hawk’ Squadron at Ubon Ratchathani Air Base. Elbit Systems
THE ROYAL Thai Air
Force (RTAF, Kongtap
Agard Thai), Thai Aviation
Industries (TAI) and Elbit
Systems recently unveiled
the first of 14 upgraded
F-5ST Super Tigers.
The initial modernised
aircraft is a former two-
seat F-5F, serial 21105.

The RTA F launched a

two-phase programme

in 2014 to upgrade

ten F-5Ts to an interim

standard, plus a batch of

four follow-on fighters.

The latest Super Tiger

upgrade adds the Litening

III targeting pod; Rafael

Python 5 and Derby

missiles; Sky Shield

jamming pod; Link 16; Have

Quick II radios; a digital

video and data recorder;

new mission computer; new

head-up display; colour

multi-function displays; new

countermeasures; and the

ELM-2032 radar – while

service life is increased

to 9,600 flight hours.

Elbit’s involvement was

contracted under an $85m

deal for the first ten jets

while, last August, the Thai

government confirmed a

$93m follow-on contract

to bring all 14 jets to full

Super Tiger standard,

including the new radar.

Pakistan

signs contract

for T129

PAKISTAN HAS signed an

agreement with Turkish

Aircraft Industries (TAI) for

30 T129 attack helicopters,

it was disclosed on

May 24. Confirmation

of the deal came in a

political manifesto from

Turkey’s ruling Justice

and Development Party,

released ahead of the

general election.

Pakistan evaluated the

T129 in June 2016 and

reportedly began contract

negotiations for 30 in

June last year. Earlier,

its Army Aviation Corps

ordered 12 AH-1Z Vipers.

Six PT-6s

delivered to

Sri Lanka

SIX NEW PT-6 training

aircraft have been

delivered to the Sri

Lankan Air Force (SLAF)

for ab initio training.

They were formally

handed over at the

AVIC Hongdu factory

in Nanchang, China,

on May 15, when SLAF

chief Air Marshal K V B

Jayampathy signed the

acceptance documents.

The PT-6s will be

operated by the SLAF

Academy’s No 1

Flying Training Wing at

Trincomalee-China Bay.

The unit had previously

taken delivery of 12 PT-6s

from January 2001, since

which time four have

been lost, including three

during a Tamil Tigers

attack on October 22,

2007. Several of the
      eight surviving aircraft
      are reported to be in poor
      condition and no longer
      operational. Dave Allport

Jordan donates

two AH-1s to

Philippines

TWO FORMER Royal

Jordanian Air Force AH-1

attack helicopters are to be

acquired, free of charge, by

the Philippines, the country’s

president, Rodrigo Duterte,

announced on May 22.

They had first been offered

in 2017, and officials from

the Philippine Department of

National Defence inspected

them in June that year.

Jordan originally offered to

donate four, later reduced

to two. Dave Allport

Afghan A-29s employ LGBs

Above: An AAF A-29B at Kandahar Airfi eld on March 22, carrying a pair of GBU-58 LGBs. US Forces – Afghanistan
THE US Air Combat
Command (ACC) revealed
on May 21 that the Afghan
Air Force (AAF) has begun
using precision-guided
munitions from its A-29B
aircraft – introducing the
weapons on March 22 and
stepping up their use since.

“The recent addition of

laser-guided bomb [LGB]

strike capability is huge

for the Afghan Air Force,”

said the US Air Force’s Lt

Col Justin Williams, 438th

Air Expeditionary Advisor

Squadron commander.

“Afghanistan didn’t have

it last fighting season, and

we’re already seeing the

crippling psychological effect

it’s having on the enemies of

Afghanistan this season.”

According to the ACC,

almost 96% of LGB strikes

have been successful and

have “led to a 30% increase

in ground force commander

desired effects on the

battlefield and a greater

overall mission success”.

As of May 11, A-29 pilots

had supported some 30

Afghan ground missions

with LGBs, dropping more

than 50 on enemy targets.

Below: Two UH-60s prepare to take off for the type’s fi rst Afghan-led operational mission at

Kandahar Airfi eld on May 8. USAF/1st Lt Erin Recanzone

Afghan Air Force begins UH-60 operations

AFGHAN AIR Force

(AAF) UH-60 crews have

conducted their first

operational mission. Flown

in support of Afghan

provincial elections, and

involving at least three

helicopters, it took place in

Helmand Province on May

8, the day after the first 31

AAF personnel graduated

from mission qualification

training, becoming the

first fully qualified Afghan

Black Hawk air crews.

The first UH-60s arrived

in Afghanistan last

September, enabling the

training programme to

begin 18 months ahead of

schedule. Currently the

AAF has 13 Black Hawks,

with two more scheduled

to arrive each month until

the end of the year.

Future UH-60 training will

be conducted at Kandahar

Airfield, Fort Rucker,

Alabama, the Czech

Republic and United Arab

Emirates, and it’s expected

that more than 30 crews will

be qualified by next spring.

The AAF will receive 159

Black Hawks by 2020 to

replace its current Mi-17s.