BRAZIL BUYS THIRD
SAR-CONFIGURED C295
AIRBUS DEFENCE AND Space
has announced that Brazil has
ordered an additional C295
search and rescue (SAR) aircraft.
Once delivered, this will bring
to 15 the total number of C295s
that are now in service with
the Brazilian Air Force. The
SAR version of the aircraft is
designated the SC-105 Amazonas
by the air arm.The latest order represents the
rming of an option included in an
earlier contract in 2014. The three
SAR aircraft will serve alongside
12 transport-con gured C295s
(C-105s) already delivered.
A rst SC-105 arrived at Campo
Grande air base on August 3 last
year. The second FAB C295 SAR
will be delivered in 2019 and the
third in 2020.In Brazilian Air Force service, the
SC-105 is operated by the ‘Pelican’
Squadron (2°/10° GAv) at Campo
Grande air base. Airbus D&SHATS ROTARY-WING TRAINING UNDER WAY
AUSTRALIA’S NEW JOINT
helicopter school welcomed its
rst students to 723 Squadron
at HMAS Albatross/RNAS Nowra,
New South Wales, in mid-January.
The initial class includes 37 future
pilots, aircrew and aviation warfare
o cers who will undergo pilot
rotary conversion (PRC), aviation
warfare o cer rotary conversion
(AvWORC) or aircrewman rotary
conversion (ARC) training. The newschool will train Royal Australian
Navy and Australian Army pilots
using 15 twin-engine Airbus
EC135T2+ helicopters that were
purchased as part of the Joint
Project 9000 Phase 7, Helicopter
Aircrew Training System under a
partnership with Boeing Defence
Australia. Up to 116 students will
complete the 26-week training
course annually.
Tom KaminskiCANADIAN FIGHTER PLANS
DURING AN INDUSTRY day for its
future ghter capability project
(FFCP) held in Ottawa on January
22, the government revealed that
under its current plans the last
Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF)
CF-188s will be retired in 2032.
The service intends to begin
acquisition of 88 new ghters
with the release of a request for
proposals in spring 2019, and
a contract award is anticipated
in 2021-22. Delivery of the rst
replacement aircraft is planned
for 2025 with full operational
capability following some time
after 2031.
Several requirements for the
FFCP were announced during the
industry day. The aircraft must
be in production and capable of
sustaining supersonic speed in
level ight, air-to-air refueling, andcarrying and employing air-to-air
and air-to-surface weapons in a
contested environment. Although
the service is also making plans to
keep the Hornets viable until 2025,
it is unclear what will be required
to keep the eet in the air until the
nal retirements occur in 2032.
Canada previously announced
that it would acquire and upgrade
18 used F/A-18A/Bs from Australia,
which would augment the existing
eet of Hornets. The government
has reportedly set aside $405
million for that project. The cost
of purchasing 88 new ghters is
expected to be as high as $12.2-
15.4 billion. Representatives from
around 180 interested Canadian
and international companies
and governments attended the
industry day.
Tom KaminskiHERCULES TRAINING
SQUADRON STANDS DOWN
THE ROYAL AUSTRALIAN Air
Force’s No 285 Squadron was
disbanded during a ceremony
held at RAAF Base Richmond,
New South Wales, on December
8, 2017. Formed on August
29, 1999, the squadron had
provided training for aircrew and
technicians assigned to operate
and maintain the Boeing 707transport/tanker and Lockheed
Martin C-130H and C-130J
airlifters. Following the retirement
of the 707 and C-130H in 2008
and 2012, the decision was made
to transition C-130J training to
No 37 Squadron. A training ight
within the operational squadron
assumed the mission in January- Tom Kaminski
A No 285 Squadron C-130J
conducts a low-level fl are drop on
a training sortie from Richmond.
WOFF Mark McIntyre/ADF
A CF-188 escorts a CC-150
Polaris after being refueled
during an Operation ‘Impact’
mission in the Middle East.
Under current plans, these
Hornets will be retired in- DND
Australian Defence Force EC135T2+ helicopters await their fi rst trainees
at the Joint Helicopter School at HMAS Albatross. CPL Mark Doran/ADFWORLD [NEWS]
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