Airforces - Demo Hornet

18 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com

NEWS

// AUGUST 2018 #

Latin America

More Texan IIs for Argentina

THE PENTAGON has

awarded a Foreign Military

Sales contract to Tex tron

Aviation Defense for four

more T- 6C+ aircraft to

serve the Fuerza Aérea

Argentina (FA A, Argentine

Air Force). The $36.2m

deal, revealed on June

15, is a modification to

a previously awarded

contract and includes

maintenance and

pilot training.

According to the US

Department of Defense,

the Texan IIs will

“[replace] current training

aircraft and enhance the

surveillance and border

security mission.” Work is

expected to be complete

by November 30 this year.

In August 2016 the

US Defense Security

Cooperation Agency

announced approval

for a possible sale to

Argentina of 24 T- 6C+

Texan IIs. A contract for

the first four was placed

in April last year, and

these were delivered last

September. Another two

arrived in June, from a

total of 12 planned.

Two new T-6C+ aircraft, serials E-304 and E-305, were introduced by the Escuela de Aviación Militar in the province of

Córdoba on June 26. Six of the original 12 on order have now been delivered. FAA via Juan Carlos Cicalesi

US to donate

four UH-1Ns

to Costa Rica

COSTA RICA’S Servicio

de Vigilancia Aérea (SVA,

Air Surveillance Service),

which is controlled by the

Ministry of Public Security,

is to receive four UH-1N

Twin Hueys donated by

the US. The US Embassy

in Costa Rica confirmed

on April 24 that details

of the transfer had been

formalised. The helicopters

will be used to provide

aerial support during

maritime operations, as

well as flying on behalf of

the National Coast Guard

Service, the embassy said.

The donation includes

refurbishing the

helicopters and training

SVA personnel. They will

be delivered as soon as

renovation is complete,

which is expected to take

up to four months per

helicopter. Dave Allport

Bolivian Falcon 900 visits Europe

THIS FUERZA Aérea

Boliviana (FAB, Bolivian

Air Force) Falcon 900EX

was an unusual visitor

to Europe recently. The

‘Bolivian Air Force O ne’,

FAB-001 (c/n 209), touched

down at Rotterdam The

Hague Airport in the

Netherlands on June 15

after a direct flight from

Vnukovo International

Airport, Moscow. It’s likely

that the jet was carrying

Bolivian government

officials attending the

International Court of

Justice in The Hague, to

hear their case in a dispute

with Chile over access

to the Pacific Ocean.

The aircraft was built

in 2008 and delivered in

July 2010 to replace a

Sabreliner 60 previously

used for presidential/

VVIP transportation. The

operating unit is the

Grupo Aéreo Presidencial

based at BA Gen Walter

Arce, El Alto, in La Paz.

Dino van Doorn

Brazil to

upgrade 50

Tucanos

BRAZIL ISSUED a tender

on May 23 seeking

proposals to upgrade 50

Força Aérea Brasileira

(FAB, Brazilian Air Force)

T-27 Tucano trainers.

The requirement is to

modernise the type

with new glass-cockpit

avionics. The tender

specifies either one

10in (254mm) or two 6in

(152mm) touchscreens,

plus two smaller

screens to display

basic operating data.

A budget of $11.6m

has been allocated

and the FAB wants to

have all modifications

completed within

two years of contract

signature. It’s planned

to upgrade two aircraft

as prototypes, with the

remaining 48 following

subject to approval

of the initial design.

The modernised aircraft

will be designated T-27M.

In FAB service, the type

is now used solely in

the training role by the

Primeiro Esquadrão de

Instrução Aérea (1° EIA,

1st Air Training Squadron)

of the Academia da

Força Aérea (AFA, Air

Force Academy) at

Pirassununga-Campo

Fontenelle. Dave Allport

Argentine ELINT 707 scrapped

FORMER FUERZA Aérea

Argentina (FAA, Argentine

Air Force) 707-387C VR-

(c/n 19962) has been

scrapped. The aircraft

was previously operated

by Aerolíneas Argentinas

as LV-JGP Achenar, having

entered service with the

airline on November 4, 1968.

It was passed on to the

FAA as TC-93 on January

5, 1982 and received

the new serial VR-21 in

1986. Tw o years earlier

it had been outfitted with

an electronic intelligence

(ELINT) suite in Israel. The

jet was reduced to scrap

after it was used for several

years by the fire service

at El Palomar Airport,

Buenos Aires province.

Juan Carlos Cicalesi

Julián Dominguez