14 http://www.airforcesmonthly.comNEWS
// AUGUST 2018 #North America
Canada re-forms 434 Sqn as OT&E unit
THE ROYAL Canadian
Air Force’s (RCAF’s) 434
‘Bluenose’ Squadron
was re-formed on May- The unit, now known
as 434 Operational Test
and Evaluation (OT&E)
Squadron, is under the
command of the RCAF
Aerospace Warfare Centre
(RAWC) in Trenton, Ontario.
The squadron
amalgamates five existing
test and evaluation flights
(TEFs) and creates two new
TEFs under the command
of a single unit. Existing
units that will come under
434 (OT&E) Squadron
control are as follows:
* Helicopter Operational
Test and Evaluation Flight
at 12 Wing Shearwater,
Nova Scotia, responsible
for the CH-148 Cyclone
* Long Range Patrol
Operational Test and
Evaluation Flight at 14
Wing Greenwood, Nova
Scotia, focused primarily
on the CP-140 Aurora
* Transport Operational
Test and Evaluation Flight,
located at 8 Wing Trenton,
Ontario, which deals with
all air mobility fleets* Land Aviation Test and
Evaluation Flight, located
at St Hubert, Quebec,
which deals with tactical
aviation helicopters
* Fighter Operational Test
and Evaluation Flight at 4
Wing Cold Lake, Alberta,
which deals with fighters.
The first of the two new
units is the new Search and
Rescue Test and Evaluation
Flight, which will be stood
up at 19 Wing Comox,
British Columbia. It will
be responsible for the new
Fixed Wing Search and
Rescue, CH-149 Cormorant,CC-130H Hercules and
CH-146 Griffon search
and rescue fleets. The
second new unit will be
the Aerospace Test and
Evaluation Flight that will
be co-located with 434
Squadron headquarters
in 8 Wing Trenton. It will
deal with ground-based
aeronautical systems such
as radars, navigational
aids, meteorological
systems and data links.
Although 434 Squadron
will continue to be
headquartered at the
RAWC, its associated TEFswill remain co-located with
the fleets they support. The
stand-up of 434 marks the
fifth time the squadron has
been reactivated since it
was formed in June 1943, at
RAF Tholthorpe, Yorkshire,
as part of the RCAF’s No
6 Bomber Group. Prior to
its disbandment on April
28, 2002, the unit – known
as 434 Combat Support
Squadron – was operating
CT-133 Silver Star and
CC-144 Challenger aircraft
in the electronic warfare
role. Dave Allport‘Gamblers’ F-16s return from Afghanistan
AIRMEN FROM the US
Air Force’s 20th Fighter
Wing/77th Expeditionary
Fighter Squadron
‘Gamblers’ have completed
a six-month deployment
to Afghanistan with
their F-16Cs. The unit
returned home to Shaw
Air Force Base, South
Carolina, on May 4.
As previously reported,
the unit’s 12 F-16Cs had
deployed to Bagram Air
Base, Afghanistan, via
Morón Air Base, Spain,
last October to support
Operation Freedom’s
Sentinel – see ‘Gamblers’
head to Bagram, December
2 017, p17. They also
routed back through
Morón on the return
journey. Dave Allport
Left: Col James Buessing,
77th Fighter Squadron
commander, climbs down
from his F-16C shortly after
arriving back at Shaw AFB.
USAF/Airman 1st Class BrieAnna
StillmanCanada boosts
ex-RAAF
Hornet buy
CANADA HAS increased
the number of second-
hand Australian F/A-
18A fighters it plans to
buy from 18 to 25. The
additional aircraft will be
used as a source of spare
parts but it’s unclear
whether they will be flown
to Canada or shipped.
The Canadian Department
of National Defence’s
assistant deputy minister
of materiel has also
announced that the
first two ex-RAAF F/A-
18As are expected to be
delivered next summer.
The government had
originally planned for
the first aircraft to
arrive next January.KC-130J completes Harvest HAWK Plus tests
A NEWLY configured US
Marine Corps KC-130J
fitted with the Harvest
Hercules Airborne Weapons
Kit (HAWK) Plus (HH+) has
completed five weeks of
developmental and integrated
test (DT/IT). The live-fire
trials were carried out by
the Tactical Airlift Program
Office (PMA-207) Integrated
Warfighting Capability (IWC)
weapons team. The HH+
completed “multiple sorties”,
including strikes against
fixed and moving targets.
The live-fire test
campaign, conducted at
Naval Air Weapons Station
China Lake, California, also
included four dedicated
tactical integration flights
in conjunction with the
weapons tactics instructor
(WTI) course at Marine
Corps Air Station Yuma,Arizona. The HH+ has
been developed to provide
the USMC with extended-
endurance multi-sensor
imager y, reconnaissance
and on-call close airsupport. The HH+ is an
upgrade of the original
Harvest HAWK roll-
on, roll-off precision
strike package weapons
system for the KC -130J.Completion of the recent
DT/IT phase means
the HH+ programme
can now move into a
period of follow-on
test and evaluation.
A KC-130J confi gured with
the Harvest HAWK Plus
weapons system fi res a
Hellfi re missile at Naval Air
Weapons Station China
Lake in April. US Navy