NO(^30) THE MAGAZINE 02 31
SCANDINAVIAN
AVIATION MAGAZINE
339 Stand-Down
In July 2012 both 338 and 339 Mira celebrated
sixty years of operations and these two
squadrons would continue at Andravida under
117 Combat Wing, until October 2017, when 339
Mira officially disbanded leaving 117CW with only
one unit - 338 Mira.
From now on (both) would operate as 338 Fighter
Bomber Squadron as part of the Hellenic Tactical
Air Force at 117CW Andravida.
Now combined, the expanded 338 Squadron
continues in its Ground Attack role, primarily,
but dually serves in the Interception Air-to-Air
role, as well.
This was evident during (the author’s) first
morning on base, where a pair of Phantoms
launched for simulated bombing runs (Air-
to-Ground) over fixed targets out at sea. The
targets were in actual fact, rocks, and during the
simulation Dassault Mirage 2000-5 aircraft from
331 Mira out of 114CW Tanagra tried defending
them.
It was here the Phantoms practiced both Air-to-
Ground bombing and basic fighter manoeuvres
(BFM) in the Air-to-Air arena. Hellenic Phantom
training missions can, and sometimes often do,
reach an altitude of 50,000 feet. Whilst it is not the
maximum service ceiling the F-4E can obtain, it’s
one the squadron limits themselves to, for various
safety reasons.
Today, having a total of thirty four aircraft with
ten in heavy maintenance, 338 Mira still happily
operate the Mcdonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom
II fighter - an aircraft still flying after nearly sixty
years after it’s introduction!
The multirole F-4E Phantom II has, fortunately,
somewhere in the region of four to five years left
in active service, with the Hellenic Air Force, with
no replacement aircraft decided upon at this date.
During peak times, (read Summer as opposed
to Winter - due to weather limitations), there can
be up to thirty two launches a day (less than half
that number during Flymag’s visit, due mainly to
Easter holidays recently ending and personnel
still on leave).