Combat aircraft

This image: A Tornado IDS from 6°

Stormo at Ghedi — part of the Blue

Air contingent — pictured from

a KC-767 tanker of 14° Stormo.

The aircraft operated in restricted

airspace reserved for military  ying.

Giovanni Colla

Inset: Euro ghter F-2000s taxi

at Trapani air base, Sicily, which

hosted all the AM  ghters involved

in the exercise. Giovanni Colla

‘JOINT STARS’ OVER ITALY

MULTINATIONAL EXERCISE OVER THE MEDITERRANEAN

END OF THE LINE

FOR 339 MIRA

AN OFFICIAL CEREMONY was

held at Andravida air base

on October 31 marking the

disbandment of 339 Mira ‘Aias’, one

of the two locally based F-4E AUP

Phantom II squadrons belonging

to the Hellenic Air Force’s 117

Combat Wing.

The standing down of the ‘Niners’

also marked the expansion of

its sister unit. The personnel and

aircraft of 339 Mira merged with

338 Mira ‘Ares’ on October 31.

The unit will have approximately

25 operational Phantoms in its

inventory. There are currently no

plans to reduce the number of

active F-4Es in service.

Paul van den Hurk and

Hans Looijmans

ANNIVERSARY PHANTOM

WOWS GIFU

EACH YEAR THE airshow at the

Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s

Flight Test Center at Gifu Air Base

sees the resident wing showing

o a specially marked F-

Phantom II. This year marked the

100th anniversary of the air eld

— Kakamigahara began life as

an Army airship station — and

Mitsubishi F-4EJ 87-8409 (c/n

M109) received this

spectacular green ‘pixelated’

scheme in recognition of the

centenary. The orange details

represent the experimental work

of the Flight Test Center.

F-4E AUP serial 71744 was painted to mark the disbandment, with

di erent artworks on each side of the tail highlighting 65 years of

operations by ‘Aias’. Though due for overhaul, 71744 is expected to return

to operational service with 338 Mira. Paul van den Hurk and Hans Looijmans

Dr Andreas Zeitler

http://www.combataircraft.net January 2018

20

[NEWS] WORLD

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