Airforces phantoms at andravida

Marine Lightnings refuel over

East China Sea

http://www.airforcesmonthly.com

NEWS

14 // DECEMBER 2018 #

North America

US MARINE Corps F-35Bs

from Marine Fighter Attack

Squadron ( VMFA) 121

‘flexed their muscles’

during a refuelling mission

over the East China Sea

on October 23. Three

Lightning IIs took on fuel

from a KC -130J tanker

assigned to Marine

Aerial Refueler Transport

Squadron (VMGR) 152

‘Sumos’ over the waters,

which include uninhabited

islands and reefs claimed

by both China and Japan.

Beijing declared an air

defence identification zone

(ADIZ) over the disputed

islands in November 2013.

The F-35Bs flew from their

home station at Marine

Corps Air Station Iwakuni,

Japan, where VMFA-121 is

part of the Aviation Combat

Element for the 31st Marine

Expeditionary Unit, the

USMC’s only continuously

forward-deployed MEU.

Lt Col Michael D

Wyrsch, 31st MEU

detachment commander

with VMFA-121, said:

“The F-35B improves

the manoeuvrability and

freedom of movement of

the 31st MEU and US Navy

Amphibious Ready Group

team throughout the US

Indo-Pacific Command’s

area of responsibility due

to the leap in capabilities of

both the onboard sensors

and the weapons.”

Above: An F-35B fl ies behind a KC-130J during the aerial refuelling mission above the East China Sea. USMC/Gunnery Sgt T T Parish

‘Romeo’ in the Netherlands

Dino van Doorn

US NAVY MH-60R serial

168115 ‘AB-700’ is seen

making a fuel stop at

Lelystad Airport – the

largest and busiest airport

for general aviation in the

Netherlands – on October 26.

The helicopter, the ‘CAG bird’

for Helicopter Maritime Strike

Squadron (HSM) 72 ‘Proud

Warriors’, was returning

from Paris-Le Bourget

Airport where it attended the

Euronaval 2018 exhibition.

The Seahawk passed

through Lelystad en route

to Paris on October 20. The

aircraft is currently assigned

to Carrier Air Wing One

(CVW-1) on board the aircraft

carrier USS Harry S Truman

(CVN 75), sailing in northern

European waters at the time.

NEW MARKINGS have

been applied to an Alaska

Air National Guard C-17A

assigned to the 176th Wing’s

144th Airlift Squadron (AS).

The markings have been

painted on C-17A 00-

‘AK’, unveiled during a

ceremony on October 1. The

tail flash also celebrates the

heritage of their regular USAF

associate unit, the 517th AS.

The new markings depict

a wolf’s head (the 144th AS

emblem) on the port side of

the tail, with a firebird (517th

AS) to starboard. A blue tail

stripe with ‘ANCHORAGE’

across it in yellow is a link

to the first C-130H assigned

to the 176th Wing.

Although the association

between the Alaska ANG

and regular air force was

established in 2009, the

144th AS’ active-association

total-force integration with

the 517th only came into

force in August, when

the squadron assumed

responsibility for the C-17A

mission. Dave Allport

Above: The new 144th AS wolf’s head tail markings being unveiled on Alaska ANG C-17A 00-

0185 ‘AK’ at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. The opposite side of the fi n carries the

fi rebird logo of the associate 517th AS. US Air National Guard/Tech Sgt N Alicia Halla

New tail markings on

Alaska ANG C-17A

US Navy to

establish

special

mission

P-8A unit

A NEW US Navy unit has

been established at Naval

Air Station Jacksonville,

Florida, to operate P-8A

Poseidons with a special

mission capability. The

specially configured

aircraft will replace the

handful of uniquely

modified P-3Cs operated

from Marine Corps Air

Station Kaneohe Bay,

Hawaii, by Special

Projects Patrol Squadron

(VPU) 2 ‘Wizards’,

which is scheduled to

deactivate next year.

The existence of the unit

was first revealed in a

news item on October 2

in Seapower, the official

publication of the Navy

League of the United

States. This showed that

an internal directive on

September 10 from the

Office of the Chief of

Naval Operations directed

the establishment on that

date of Fleet Support

Unit One (FSU) 1 at NAS

Jacksonville, to provide a

follow-on special mission

capability in its maritime

patrol community after

VPU-2 retires its Orions.

The directive

specifies FSU-1’s

mission as provision

of “oversight, training,

operations, maintenance

and configuration

management for the P-

quick reaction capability

aircraft”. The unit’s

commanding officer will

report to commander,

Patrol Reconnaissance

Wing 11, Jacksonville.

Dave Allport