Airforces phantoms at andravida

http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #369 DECEMBER 2018 // 27

Australasia

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CT/4B formation celebrates

25 years of ADF pilot training

BAE

Systems

begins fi nal

RAAF Hawk

upgrade

BAE SYSTEMS Australia

announced on October

24 that it has inducted

the final Royal Australian

Air Force (RAAF) Hawk

Mk127 into its Williamtown

maintenance facility

for upgrade. Work to

modernise the 33-strong

fleet began in 2016.

The upgrade of this last

aircraft is scheduled to

be completed next year,

bringing to a close the

Lead-In Fighter Capability

Assurance Program.

The upgrade includes a

simulated radar, electronic

warfare, digital mapping,

ground proximity warning

system and traffic

collision avoidance. The

upgrade also covers

the replacement of two

legacy synthetic training

devices with three full-

mission simulators

provided by CAE.

The RAAF has already

begun new introductory

fighter courses with

the upgraded Hawks

already in service.

Above: RAN offi cers and sailors of 822X Squadron on parade

during the commissioning ceremony at HMAS Albatross,

Nowra. POIS Justin Brown/Commonwealth of Australia

THE ROYAL Australian

Navy (RAN) staged a

commissioning ceremony

for the new 822X Squadron

at HMAS Albatross,

Nowra, New South

Wales on October 25.

The event marked the

formal transition of the

Naval Unmanned Aircraft

Systems Unit (NUASU) to

822X Squadron – the fourth

operational squadron in

the RAN Fleet Air Arm. The

squadron will operate the

Boeing Insitu ScanEagle,

a small, long-endurance,

low-altitude aircraft and

the rotary-wing Schiebel

S -10 0 Camcopter, which

can carry payloads

such as electro-optics

and infrared sensors.

This is the first time

the number 822 has

been used by an RAN

squadron. The X indicates

the developmental nature

of the unit, the motto of

which is ‘See the Ene my’.

Above: The RAAF’s tenth F-35A, serial A35-010, at Luke AFB, Arizona. WGCDR Darren Clare/

Commonwealth of Australia

THE TENTH F-35A to be

delivered to the Royal

Australian Air Force (RAAF)

has arrived at Luke Air

Force Base, Arizona.

In a September 22

statement, Minister for

Defence Christopher

Pyne announced that

the tenth Lightning II had

been handed over to the

RAAF’s No 3 Squadron at

Luke the previous week.

The ninth and tenth

aircraft for the RAAF are

the first that will utilise

the Australian Autonomic

Logistics Information System

(ALIS) which performs

maintenance management,

fault diagnostics, supply

support, mission planning

and training management

across the F-35A fleet.

Previous aircraft deliveries to

the F-35 International Pilot

Training Center required

RAAF maintainers to perform

ALIS-related tasks using

the American system.

The first two RAAF F-35As

are scheduled to arrive in

Australia in December.

A FORMATION flypast of

30 CT/4B Airtrainer aircraft

took place at the Australian

Defence Force Basic Flying

Training School (BFTS)

at Tamwor th, New South

Wales, on September 21

to mark 25 years of ADF

training by BAE Systems.

The company hosted an

associated ‘Parrot Party’

(referring to the nickname

of the CT/4B) at Tamwor th

which included a solo

handling display, family

day and formal dinner.

The BFTS and BAE

Systems established their

long-standing partnership

in 1993. Today, the joint

venture continues to

deliver personnel into

the ADF aircrew training

system. Dave Allport

Part of the formation of 30 CT/4Bs which performed a fl ypast over Tamworth to mark 25

years of training operations by BAE Systems. Commonwealth of Australia/Cpl Nicci Freeman

Army Aviation Corps retires Kiowa

THE AUSTRALIAN

Army Aviation Corps

completed operations with

the Bell 20 6B -1 Kiowa

after almost 47 years

of service, with a final

flight on October 18. The

occasion coincided with

celebrations to mark 50

years since the formation

of the Army Aviation

Corps. These included

a ceremonial parade,

flypast and a variety of

displays at the Army

Aviation Training Centre,

in Oakey, Queensland.

Head of the Australian

Army Aviation Corps, Brig

Scott Benbow, said: “[The]

Kiowa has been the army’s

primary training helicopter

since 1990, and every

pilot, ground crew member

and maintainer who has

served since that time has

one thing in common – the

Kiowa.” He added: “It has

provided stalwart service

to the army since 1971,

whether on deployment, in

disaster relief operations or

as a training helicopter.”

RFI issued

for SOF

helos

AUSTRALIA RELEASED

a request for information

(RFI) for a new special

operations forces

(SOF) helicopter in

late September. It

calls for a fleet of light

reconnaissance and attack

helicopters optimised

for operating in dense

urban environments. The

rotorcraft are required to

be transportable aboard

the C-17A for rapid

forward deployments of

two-to-three aircraft.

The RFI specifies a

commercial or military

off-the-shelf design

fitted with a proven

intelligence, surveillance,

and reconnaissance (ISR)

package and weapons

systems. The aircraft

is required to provide

air-mobility support

for SOF missions from

around 2023, subject

to funding approval.

This original requirement

was laid out in Australia’s

2016 Defence White Paper.

Candidates likely to

respond to the RFI

include the H145M,

UH-1Y and NorthStar

Aviation 407 MRH.

Australia receives tenth Lightning II

RAN commissions

new 822X Squadron