NEWS
30 // JULY 2018 #364 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com
Australasia
Sixth RAAF F-35A delivered to Luke
Above: RAAF F-35A A35-006 undergoes post-fl ight checks after arriving at Luke AFB on May 22. The aircraft already wears the
markings of No 2 Operational Conversion Unit on the fi n. USAF
A SIXTH F-35A has been
delivered to the Royal
Australian Air Force (RAAF).
The Lightning II, A35-
006 (AU-06), was flown
from the factory at Fort
Worth, Texas, to Luke AirForce Base, Arizona, on
May 22. The aircraft joins
five other RAAF F-35As
that are at Luke flying
with the US Air Force’s
61st Fighter Squadron
to train RAAF pilots.Australia has approved the
acquisition of 72 F-35As
and Lockheed Martin is
under contract to deliver a
further four from Low-Rate
Initial Production (LRIP) Lot
10 manufacture before theend of this year. LRIP Lot
11 includes another eight
F-35As for Australia. The
programme is on schedule
to achieve initial operating
capability in December- Dave Allport
Seventh P-8A
handed over
A SEVENTH RAAF P-8A
has been delivered to
RAAF Base Edinburgh,
South Australia, to join 92
Wing/No 11 Squadron.
The Poseidon, A47-007(c/n
63187, ex N862DS), was
ferried to Australia by a
combined US/Australian
crew and stopped off en
route at Joint Base Pearl
Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii,
on May 1. It arrived at
Edinburgh on May 4.
The RAAF has to
date contracted for 12
Poseidons but ultimately
plans to have a fleet of 15
in service by the late 2020s.
The service announced
on March 20 that it had
achieved initial operating
capability for the type (IOC
declared for Poseidon,
May, p30). Dave AllportA FURTHER two PC-21s
have been delivered to the
RAAF. The aircraft, A54-
015 (HB-HWO) and A54-
016 (HB-HWP) arrived at
Adelaide Airport on May
20 from Darwin and Alice
Springs. They continued
to their final destination,
RAAF Base East Sale,
the following day.
These were the 15th and
16th RAAF aircraft and had
left the factory at Stans-
Buochs, Switzerland, on May- The RAAF has 49 of the
type on order. Dave Allport
Two more RAAF PC-21s arrive
PC-21s A54-015 (HB-HWO) and A54-016 (HB-HWP) outside the Pilatus hangar at Adelaide Airport on May 20. Nathan RundleAbove: RAAF/BAE Systems CT/4B VH-ZCT. The scheme
includes a command pennant streaming along the aircraft,
plus BFTS heraldry and BAE Systems logo on the tail. RAAF
ONE OF the CT/4B
Airtrainers operated by
BAE Systems Australia as
part of the RA AF’s Basic
Flying Training School
(BFTS) at Tamwor th, New
South Wales, has received
a special colour scheme
to mark the 25-year
partnership between the
company and the R A A F.
The aircraft, VH -ZCT, was
formally unveiled during
an event at Tamwor th on
April 19 but this was not
announced by the RAAF
until May 11. A further
two CT/4s are to have
special markings applied
in recognition of RAAF
operations at Tamwor th.
One will represent the
CT/4B RAAF Aircraft
Research and Development
Unit livery and was due
for completion this month.
The other is to be painted
in the No 1 Flying Training
School CT/4A ‘Fanta Can’
livery in July. Dave AllportAN RAAF KC-30A Multi-
Role Tanker Transport
(MRTT) has conducted
aerial refuelling
compatibility flight testing
with a US Navy P-8A.
The trials took place over
the Atlantic Ocean and
involved a KC-30A from No
33 Squadron, operated by
the Aircraft Research and
Development Unit, and aPoseidon from Air Te st and
Evaluation Squadron (VX)- The KC-30A MRTT
was at Naval Air Station
Patuxent River, Maryland
for a six-week detachment.
The project was jointly
planned and executed
by ARDU and the US
Navy P-8A Integrated
Te st Team from VX-20.
The clearance trials took
place between February
27 and April 14 and were
conducted in preparation
for the first RAAF P-8A
refuelling operations
back in Australia.
During the test campaign,
US Navy personnel
flew as crew on the
KC-30A while RAAF flight
testers were on board
the US Navy P-8A.RAAF KC-30A refuels US Navy P-8
Liz Wolter/Commonwealth of AustraliaSpecial scheme for CT/4B