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http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #365 AUGUST 2018 // 17

‘Warthogs’ on the road in Saber Strike
US AIR Force A-10 Cs have
conducted rough landings
on improvised runways
in the Baltic States. In
June, Thunderbolt IIs
from the Michigan Air
National Guard’s 107th
Fighter Squadron (FS)
and combat controllers
from the 321st Special
Tactics Squadron practised
landings and take-offs
from rural highways and
abandoned runways in
Latvia and Estonia.
The training was part
of the US European
Command-led Saber
Strike 18 exercise.
A-10 s conducted highway
operations in Estonia
during the Saber Strike
exercise in June 2016 –
the first time they had
flown these missions in 32
years. The jets returned
to the Estonian highway
in August last year.

Saber Strike 18 involved

around 18,000 troops

from 19 nations training

in the US, Estonia, Latvia,

Lithuania and Poland.

Among the highlights was

a long-distance C-17A

airdrop mission on June

8, during which nine

Globemaster IIIs carried 700

paratroopers and equipment

from Pope Field, North

Carolina and flew nonstop

to Latvia. USAF E-8C Joint

STARS and F-16s also

participated in the exercise.

An A-10C assigned to the 107th FS lands on a non-operational, austere runway in Haapsalu, Estonia, on June 7. US Air

National Guard/Staff Sgt Bobbie Reynolds

AERO VODOCHODY has

teamed up with Israel

Aerospace Industries (IAI) to

offer a ‘family’ of light jets

to meet the requirements

of the US Air Force’s OA-X

light attack programme. In

a statement from Aero, the

Czech manufacturer said

the team was “interested in

participating” in OA-X and

pitched its L-159 and the

L-39NG aircraft. According

to the manufacturer, “both

aircraft meet or exceed the

USAF OA-X requirements

for mission performance

and system attributes”.

Giuseppe Giordo, Aero

Vodochody president and

CEO said: “Our family of

aircraft offer the USAF a high

and low choice of aircraft

upon the air force’s cost

benefit trade-off. Together

with IAI, Aero is ready to

offer the USAF a multi-

mission aircraft with the best

available technology today,

with potential for growth

tomorrow. Our two non-

developmental solutions

offer a real choice of low-

risk, low-cost solutions,

in aircraft flying with

coalition partners today.”

As part of the teaming

arrangement, IAI is expected

to offer its virtual training

system for the L-39NG.

Above: A Draken-operated L-159E taxies as it undertakes one of the fi rst missions to provide Red
Air during training missions for the F-15Cs of the 173rd Fighter Wing in Klamath Falls, on June 5.
US Air National Guard/Tech Sgt Jefferson Thompson

Aero and IAI offer jets for OA-X

Tom Meikle

‘Hurricane Hunter’

in the UK
THIS WC -130J from
the US Air Force’s 53rd
Weather Reconnaissance
Squadron was an
interesting visitor to
Scotland recently. The
‘Hurricane Hunter’,
9 8 - 5 3 0 7, arrived at
Glasgow Prestwick Airport
on the evening of June 9

for a night stop. The 53rd

Weather Reconnaissance

Squadron, a component

of the 403rd Wing located

at Keesler Air Force

Base in Mississippi,

is the only operational

unit in the world flying

weather reconnaissance

on a routine basis.

USAF MQ-9 fl ies with AgilePod

A US Air Force MQ-

Reaper has flown with the

new AgilePod payload.

Three demonstration

flights were undertaken

earlier this year in an

effort run by the Air Force

Life Cycle Management

Center’s (AFLCMC’s)

Sensors Program Office

and the AFLCMC Medium

Altitude Unmanned Aerial

Systems Program Office.

“These flights mark the

culmination of more than

two years of cutting-edge

technology development

led by our colleagues within

the Air Force Research

Laboratory’s Materials and

Manufacturing Directorate

ManTech team, and

Sensors Directorate Blue

Guardian team,” said Lt

Col Elwood Waddell, the

advanced technologies

branch chief within the

Sensors Program Office.

The AgilePod programme

intends to field pods that

can be used for various

missions, allowing multiple

platforms to carry quick-

change intelligence,

surveillance and

reconnaissance payloads.