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http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #365 AUGUST 2018 // 7

Lockheed Martin

US Marine Corps KC-130J 167985 ‘QB-985’ from VMGR-352 lands on May 18 at an undisclosed location, believed to be the airstrip on the Sarrin Plain in

northern Syria. USAF/Tech Sgt Caleb Pierce

US MILITARY aircraft

continue to make use of

an airstrip in northern

Syria that was upgraded

some time ago for aircraft

up to and including the

C -17A to use. A series of

images taken on May 18

by a US Air Force/386th

Air Expeditionary Wing

photographer, show

various types including

a USAF Hercules, US

Army Black Hawks, a US

Marine Corps MV-22B

and a USMC KC -130J at

an undisclosed location,

believed to be this airstrip.

The landing zone is

near Sabit (Septe) on

the Sarrin Plain, 21 miles

(35km) south of Kobane

in northern Syria and is

used by all types of aircraft

in support of Operation

Inherent Resolve (OIR).

Initially the US made only

limited use of the airstrip,

due to the condition of

the runway, but some 18

months ago, personnel

from the USAF’s 621st

Contingency Response

Group modified and

expanded the airstrip

for more effective OIR

mission support. Having

completed the work, the

first C -17A landed there

in December 2016 and it

has since been regularly

used to assist in forward

deploying troops and

equipment or to deliver

vital supplies.

More recently, an

even newer airstrip

used by the US

military in northern Syria

has been identified.

Images published by the

Pentagon on June 27

show a USAF/437th Airlift

Wing C -17A operating from

an austere runway at an

undisclosed location on

June 21, while photographs

taken the following day

show a USMC/VMGR-

KC -130J departing from

the same location. The

aircraft were supporting

Combined Joint Task

Force-Operation Inherent

Resolve operations. The

new base has been

identified as being

between Tell Baydar and

Tell Tamr in Al Hasakah

province, northeast

Syria. Satellite imagery

previously showed this

airstrip under construction

last year, while by April

this year it seemed to

be almost complete.

The unpaved runway

appears to be around

4,900ft (1,500m)

long. Dave Allport

US using at least two airstrips in northern Syria

Bahraini F-16 Block

70s under contract

LOCKHEED MARTIN has

been awarded a $1.12b n

contract from the US

government to build 16

F-16 Block 70 fighters for

Bahrain. The Undefinitized

Contract Action award,

announced on June 25,

marks the debut sale of

the latest F-16 Block 70

variant and represents

the initial F-16 production

programme in Greenville,

South Carolina. Contract

completion is expected

in September 2023.

The F-16 Block 70 (also

referred to as the F-16V )

features advanced avionics,

including a Northrop

Grumman AN/APG-

83 active electronically

scanned array (AESA)

radar, a modernised

cockpit, advanced

weapons, conformal fuel

tanks, an automatic ground

collision avoidance system,

an advanced engine and

an extended structural

service life of 12,000 hours.

Last September, the US

State Department approved

a possible Foreign Military

Sale to Bahrain of 19

new-build F-16Vs, plus

upgrades to its existing 20

F-16C/D Block 40 aircraft

to bring them up to the

same configuration. The

estimated cost of the full

package was $2.785bn.

Germany leases Heron TP
AIRBUS DEFENCE
and Space and the
Bundesamt für Ausrüstung,
Informationstechnik und
Nutzung der Bundeswehr
(BAAINBw, German Federal
Office for Bundeswehr
Equipment, Information
Technology and In-Service
Support) have signed
an €895m ($1.05bn)
contract to provide the
Bundeswehr with Israel
Aerospace Industries
(IAI) Heron TP unmanned
aerial systems (UAS).
On June 13 the German
parliament approved the
deal – which will provide
five Heron TP air vehicles,
four sets of ground

segments, training, and

all system operational

services – under a

leasing arrangement.

Germany had also

previously considered

acquiring US-made

MQ-9 Reapers.

The new drones

will be equipped for

reconnaissance, but

capable of carrying

weapons.

The project requires

two years to set up,

followed by an operational

phase lasting a further

seven years. At that

point, the Heron TP is

due to be replaced by a

new European UAS.

The Heron 1 UAS, seen here, is currently deployed by the Bundeswehr in Afghanistan and

Mali and will be replaced by the more powerful Heron TP. Bundeswehr/Sebastian Wilke