Airforces phantoms at andravida

Subscribe to http://www.airforcesmonthly.com

for breaking news stories. E-mail the news team

at [email protected]

http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #369 DECEMBER 2018 // 11

Croatia to gain two new UH-60Ms

Above: US Army UH-60M 10-20314 from the A/1-214th AVN at Wiesbaden, Germany, during the presentation at Pleso. Josip

Kopi/Croatian MOD

FOLLOWING AN

announcement last

year (see Special forces

Black Hawks for Croatia,

December 2 017, p10), it’s

been officially confirmed

that the US will donate

two new UH-60M

helicopters to Croatia.

As well as the pair of

Black Hawks, expected to

arrive in Croatia in 2020,

the donation – which is

worth $53m – includes

training for pilots and

ground crews, ground

support equipment

and initial spares.

The announcement was

made on October 12

at Zagreb International

Airport (also known as

Pleso), attended by the US

ambassador to Croatia,

high-ranking Croatian

officials and two US Army

UH-60Ms, 10-

and 10 -20314, from ‘A’

Company, 1st Battalion

(General Support), 214th

Aviation Regiment (A /1-

214th AVN) based at

Wiesbaden, Germany.

On October 4, four East

European NATO members

• Bulgaria, Croatia,
  Hungary and Slovenia –
  signed a memorandum
  of understanding for

the creation of a joint

Multinational Special

Aviation Program.

This will include a training

centre at Croatia’s 93.

zrakoplovna baza (93rd

Air Base) at Zemunik, near

Zadar, and is expected

to open by the end of

next year – the two

UH-60Ms are expected

to play a prominent role.

Vladimir Trendafilovski

German

Triton now

named

Pegasus

AS GERMANY prepares

to place an order for

the MQ-4C Triton high-

altitude long-endurance

(HALE) unmanned aerial

vehicle (UAV) late next

year, the Luftwaffe says

it will rename the type

Pegasus – standing

for Persistent German

Airborne Surveillance

System. It will employ

the UAV in a signals

intelligence (SIGINT) role

from the mid-2020s.

The government in

Berlin announced in

April last year that it

would order the MQ-4C

as its next-generation

SIGINT platform following

cancellation of the

EuroHawk programme.

On April 5 this year the

US State Department

approved a possible

Foreign Military Sale

to Germany of MQ-4C

systems at an estimated

cost of $2.5bn. The

package includes four

MQ-4C Triton UAVs and

a mission control station

comprising one main

operating base and one

forward operating base.

French Air Force inducts

A330 MRTT and PC-

THE ARMÉE de l’Air

(French Air Force) has

introduced two new types:

the A330 Multi-Role Tanker

Transport (MRTT) and the

PC-21 turboprop trainer.

Its first A330 MRTT, known

in French service as the

Phénix, touched down at

Base Aérienne 125 Istres-

Le Tubé on October 1. It

flew its first sortie from

the base on October 12

to begin operational trials

which are scheduled for

completion late next year,

after which initial operational

capability will be declared.

The debut test flight was

made by a crew from the

Centre d’Expériences

Aériennes Militaires (CEAM,

Military Aviation Expertise

Centre) integrated within the

31e Escadre Aérienne de

Ravitaillement de Transport

Stratégique (EARTS,

31st Aerial Refuelling

and Strategic Transport

Wing), and the Phénix took

part in aerial refuelling

trials with aircraft from

Escadron de Calibration et

d’Entraînement (Training

and Calibration Squadron)

2/2 ‘Côte d’Or’.

Once its refuelling

capabilities are validated,

the trials will expand to

include strategic cargo

and personnel transport

and medical evacuation.

France is ordering 12

A330 MRTTs, with another

three to follow after 2025.

Its second Phénix took

its first flight from the

Airbus facility in Getafe,

Spain, on September

27, and is scheduled to

be delivered next year.

Meanwhile, on October

2 the PC-21 entered

service at BA 709 Cognac-

Châteaubernard during

a ceremony attended by

General Philippe Lavigne,

the air force chief of staff.

The Armée de l’Air is

acquiring 17 PC-21s to

replace the TB-30 Epsilon

at Cognac as well as the

Alpha Jets based at Tours.

Deliveries to the École de

Pilotage de l’Armée de

l’Air (EPAA, Air Force Pilot

School) ‘Général Jarry’ are

expected to be complete

early next year, while the

first EPAA instructors

have already trained on

the type in Switzerland.

Below: A pair of PC-21s on

a demonstration fl ight at BA

709 Cognac-Châteaubernard

on October 2. Armée de l’Air

Left: The fi rst French Air

Force A330 MRTT Phénix

takes off from BA 125 Istres-

Le Tubé on its mission

debut. Armée de l’Air