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at [email protected]http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #369 DECEMBER 2018 // 21KC-390 airlifter makes progress
EMBRAER HAS received
type certification for its
multi-mission KC-390
airlifter from the Brazilian
aviation authority, the
Agência Nacional de
Aviação Civil (ANAC). The
milestone was marked with
a ceremony on October
23, held at Base Aéreade Brasília, home of Ala
1 (1 Wing). The ANAC
certificate completes a
fundamental step towards
military certification, when
the aircraft will reach final
operational capability
(FOC), expected to occur
before the end of next year
with Ala 2 at Base Aéreade Anápolis. A day earlier,
Força Aérea Brasileira (FAB,
Brazilian Air Force) generals
flew for the first time on
board a KC-390 at Brasília.
The FAB’s commander,
Air Brigadier Nivaldo Luiz
Rossato, said: “We had the
opportunity to see and feel
the versatility of the aircraft,from take-off to landing. We
are very pleased with the
project and look forward
to starting our missions
with the new transport.”
The FAB has ordered 28
KC-390s, and a first series
production aircraft took to
the air at the company’s
Gavião Peixoto facility onOctober 9. This aircraft
will now join the flight test
campaign, in which more
than 1,900 flight hours
have already been logged.
The fourth aircraft is
planned to be the firstto (^) be delivered to the air
force, sometime in the
first half of next year.
New Beech 350ER
for Panama’s SENAN
A NEW production
Beechcraft King Air 350 is
expected to be delivered
shortly to Panama’s Servicio
Nacional Aeronaval (SENAN)
for coast guard surveillance
missions as part of the fight
against illicit drug trafficking.
The aircraft, AN-401 (c/n
FL-1137, ex N1137E),
was complete and fully
painted in an overall dark
grey scheme and SENAN
markings at the Beechcraft
factory in September, but
had yet to be delivered
as of late October.
No details of the
equipment fit of the aircraft
have been made public,
but in view of its role, it
is expected that it will be
configured with appropriate
intelligence, surveillance
and reconnaissance (ISR)
systems. SENAN, the
country’s National Naval
Air Service, is effectively
the air arm of the coast
guard. As the country’s
only military aviation
branch, it undertakes a
variety of roles, including
troop transport, search
and rescue, medevac,
border and coastal patrol,
VIP transport, parachute
dropping, logistic support
and training. In recent years
it has expanded its counter-
narcotics operations,
particularly along the
Colombian border and also
expanded co-operation
with neighbouring air
arms. Dave Allport
AFTER 51 years, the Força
Aérea Brasileira (FAB,
Brazilian Air Force) has
finally completed operations
with the UH-1H Iroquois. A
formal farewell ceremony
for the type was held on
October 22 at Base Aérea
de Campo Grande, where
‘Huey’ FAB 8703 shut down
for the final time, ending
operations that had begun
with the first delivery of the
type on June 25, 1967.
Dubbed ‘Hzão’ or ‘Sapão’
(frog) in Brazilian military
service, the FAB acquired
a total of 68 UH-1Hs,
purchased in five separate
batches between 1967
and 1997. At the end of
its service life, only two
examples, FAB 8684 and
FAB 8703, remained in
operational use. Both were
flown as part of Ala 5 (5
Wing) from Campo Grande
on search and rescue duties
by the 2° Escuadrão of
the 10° Grupo de Aviacão
(2°/10° GAv) ‘Pelicano’,
the same unit that had
originally introduced the
type into FAB service.
The unit is acquiring four
UH-60L Black Hawks to
replace the Hueys with
2°/10° GAv. Tw o each are
coming from 5°/8° GAv
at Base Aérea de Santa
Maria and 7°/8° GAv at
Manaus, the two FAB
units which currently fly
the type. Dave Allport
Above: FAB UH-1H Iroquois FAB 8703 acts as a backdrop for the fi nal farewell ceremony for
the type in FAB service at Campo Grande on October 22. FAB
Brazilian Air Force retires last ‘Hueys’
The new Panamanian
SENAN King Air 350,
AN-401, at the factory in
Wichita, Kansas, awaiting
delivery. SENAN
The third KC-390, PT-ZNG, is the fi rst production
example. It will join the trials fl eet as a temporary
replacement for the initial prototype, damaged in a
runway overrun incident in May. Embraer