Airforces

14 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com

NEWS

// MAY 2018 #

North America

‘Flying Leathernecks’ begin F-35B operations RCAF

helicopters

will go to Mali

THE ROYAL Canadian Air

Force (RCAF) is to deploy

an Air Task Force (ATF)

to the United Nations

Multidimensional Integrated

Stabilization Mission in

Mali (MINUSMA). The AFT

will operate two CH-147F

Chinook and four CH-

Griffon helicopters in west

Africa for 12 months, it

was announced on March

19. The deployment
    date wasn’t revealed.
    The Chinooks will provide
    transport and logistics
    capacity for MINUSMA,
    while the Griffons will
    fly armed escort and
    protection missions.
    The deployment will
    also include Canadian
    Armed Forces troops
    who will facilitate medical
    evacuations for troops on
    the ground and provide
    logistical support.

13th MEU conducts

urban training in Phoenix

Above: UH-1Y 169238 ‘YX-32’ takes part in RUTEX. The

Venom wears the insignia of VMM-166 ‘SeaElk’ on its

engine nacelle. Joe Copalman

MARINES FROM the 13th

Marine Expeditionary

Unit (MEU) deployed

to Phoenix, Arizona

during the second week

of March for RUTEX, a

Realistic Urban Training

Exercise that is part of the

MEU’s pre-deployment

workups. Around 100

marines took part.

Colonel Chandler Nelms,

commanding officer of the

13th MEU, explained the

reasons for conducting

RUTEX: “As we prepare

for the deployment, and

all the uncertainties we

need to be prepared for,

this is just one of the

events we do to make

sure our force is ready.”

Aircraft from the MEU’s

Aviation Combat Element

(ACE), consisting of

Marine Medium Tiltrotor

Squadron (VMM) 166

(Reinforced) ‘SeaElk’,

supported the exercise out

of Phoenix-Mesa Gateway

Airport east of Phoenix,

with MV-22Bs, UH-1Ys,

AH-1Zs, CH-53Es and

a pair of MH-60S from

the US Navy’s Helicopter

Sea Combat Squadron

(HSC) 21 ‘Blackjacks.’

Joe Copalman

Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin reveals fl ying-wing

MQ-25 Stingray design

LOCKHEED MARTIN’S

Skunk Works has released

a series of concept

images of its planned

MQ-25 Stingray design

for the US Nav y. The

unmanned carrier-based

tanker will compete with

designs from Boeing

and General Atomics.

The Skunk Works

proposal is a tailless flying

wing. It appears to have

a single D-704 ‘buddy’

refuelling pod to the left

of the airframe centreline

and sensors in the nose.

The US Navy MQ-

requirements call for the

aircraft to deliver around

15,000lb (6,804kg) of fuel

500nm from the carrier.

Lockheed’s selection of a

tailless planform suggests

the company may be

expecting the aircraft to

eventually expand into

additional missions beyond

aerial refuelling, including

in contested environments.

The US Navy has

allocated $719m for the

MQ-25 in the Fiscal Year

2019 budget and plans to

award a contract around

September before receiving

the first four prototypes by

2021. Initial operational
      capability on board carrier
      decks is envisaged for 2026
      and the total requirement
      stands at 72 aircraft.

Progress for A-10C Thunderbolt II

re-winging programme

A COMPETITION to provide

new wings for the US Air

Force’s A-10C fleet moved

closer after President Trump

signed off the fiscal 2018

Appropriations Act in mid-

March. This includes $103m

to restart production of

A-10 wing sets. To date,

Boeing has re-winged

around 170 A-10s from a

total fleet of approximately

280 A-10s requiring new

wings. The USAF will now

run a competition for the

re-winging work on the

remaining aircraft. A draft

request for proposals (RFP)

has been issued and a final

solicitation was expected to

be released as AFM went to

press. Proposals will be due

by June 5, with contractor

selection and contract award

expected by next March.

The USAF’s fiscal 2019

budget request includes

$80m for A-10 re-winging,

which could provide

between eight and 12 more

wing sets. Long-term

plans envisage sufficient

numbers of new wings to

keep six of the USAF’s nine

A-10 combat squadrons

flying until around 2030.

Above: Lt Col Price, the commanding offi cer of VMFA-122, conducts the unit’s fi rst fl ight operations in F-35B 168732 ‘DC-01’

at Yuma. USMC/Sgt Allison Lotz

MARINE FIGHTER Attack

Squadron ( VMFA) 122

‘Flying Leathernecks’

conducted its first flight

operations with the F-35B

at Marine Corps Air Station

Yuma, Arizona, on March

29. VMFA-122, originally
    based at Marine Corps
    Air Station Beaufort,
    South Carolina, arrived at
    MCAS Yuma last October
    and is transitioning

from the F/A-18C.

Lt Col John P Price, the

commanding officer of

VMFA-122, said: “This

was a critical moment

because it got the ball

rolling for us to have a fully

operational squadron. It

highlights the flexibility

and agility that we have

inside the Marine Corps to

accomplish the mission.

We have a lot of great

marines and sailors here

from Yuma and all over the

Marine Corps. It’s truly

impressive how quickly

it was put together.”

As part of its 2017

Aviation Plan, the USMC

revised the F-35B fielding

schedule and selected

VMFA-122 as its third

operational Lightning

II unit. The ‘Flying

Leathernecks’ took the

place of Yuma-based

Harrier unit V M A - 311

‘Tomcats’, which had

been earmarked as the

next unit to transition.

VMFA-122’s first F-35B

is 168732 ‘D C - 01’,

which was previously on

strength with VMFA-

as ‘VK-14’ and V M FA -

as ‘CF- 01’. Both units

subsequently received

later block aircraft.