Combat aircraft

Farewell to the C-130H

The last pair of C-130Hs operated by

an active-duty USAF unit departed

from Yokota Air Base, Japan on

October 16. The aircraft, which

comprised serial numbers 74-

and 74-2065, were the last of 14

Hercules that had been operated by

the 374th Airlift Wing’s 36th Airlift

Squadron. Yokota received the  rst

of a planned inventory of 14 C-130Js

in March 2017. The squadron had

conducted its  nal C-130H tactical

training sortie earlier on October

5. It included a low-level mountain
   mission and a precision low-cost, low-
   altitude (LCLA) air-drop.

‘Swordsmen’ accept Poseidons

The ‘Swordsmen’ of patrol squadron

VP-47 received their initial pair of P-8As

during October when BuNos 169327

and 169331 were taken on strength.

The squadron is the second of six units

at NAS Whidbey Island, Washington,

that will eventually transition from the

P-3C Orion to the Poseidon.

Last ‘Alpha’ Kiowa retired

The  nal OH-58A helicopter assigned

to the US Army Aviation Center of

Excellence (USAACE)’s 1st Battalion,

212th Aviation Regiment, departed

Fort Rucker, Alabama, for a new home

in Indiana following its transfer to the

Lake County Sheri ’s Department

on October 17. The Kiowa had

previously supported the USAACE’s

basic war ghters skills course. Taught

at Shell Army Heliport, the 20-day

course teaches pilots navigation,

tactical  ying, map-reading and

terrain interpretation and prepares

them for transition to their operational

aircraft. Assigned the serial number

68-16745, Fort Rucker’s last Kiowa

was originally delivered to Fort Hood,

Texas in November 1969. The USAACE

continues to use the OH-58C model

of the Kiowa in support of training

e orts, but that version will also be

removed from service toward the end

of Fiscal 2019.

‘Big Red’ receives Triton

The US Navy’s  rst operational MQ-4C

unmanned air system (UAS) arrived

at Naval Base Ventura County Point

Mugu, California, on April 9. The Triton

was  own from Northrop Grumman’s

facility at Palmdale Regional Airport,

California, by a crew from unmanned

patrol squadron VUP-19, at NAS

Jacksonville, Florida. A second Triton

will be delivered to the base by the

end of the year. Both aircraft will

undergo a series of tests before

they are deployed to Andersen AFB,

Guam in 2018. The Tritons will be

maintained by personnel assigned to

VUP-19, Detachment Point Mugu, but

 own by crews at Jacksonville. The

Navy plans to acquire 68 Tritons and

will initially operate the unmanned

aircraft from Naval Station Mayport,

Florida and NAS Sigonella, Italy, as

well as Guam. A second squadron

will be established when VUP-

is formed at NAS Whidbey Island,

Washington.

ARCHANGEL BLOCK 2 UNVEILED

IOMAX LAUNCHES NEW VARIANT AT DUBAI SHOW

The  rst MQ-4C for VUP-19 Detachment Point Mugu arrived at its base

on November 9. US Navy/Theresa Miller

UNIT NEWS

The  rst prototype Archangel

Block 2. It is believed that the UAE

Air Force is planning to order 12

of these before the end of this

year. The prototype features the

MX-25 turret and Terma’s Modular

Aircraft Self-Protection Equipment

(MASE) pod for self-protection.

Babak Taghvaee

http://www.combataircraft.net January 2018

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[NEWS] UNITED STATES

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