Airforces

16 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com

NEWS

// MAY 2018 #

North America

Above: An F/A-18E from Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 137 ‘Kestrels’ lands on USS ‘Carl
Vinson’ (CVN 70) on April 4. The Carrier Strike Group was operating in the western Pacifi c as
part of a regularly scheduled deployment. US Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Sean
M Castellano
BOEING HAS been
awarded a contract to begin
upgrading F/A-18E/F Block
II Super Hornets under a
Service Life Modernisation
(SLM) programme that will
eventually lead to them
being converted to a new
Block III configuration in
the early 2020s. The initial
$73.2m contract, awarded
by Naval Air Systems
Command (NAVAIR)
on February 28, covers
modifications on four aircraft
to extend their service life
from 6,000 to more than
9,000 flight hours. Work is
expected to be completed
in April 2020. Next year,
an additional production
line for the upgrades will be
established in San Antonio,
Texas. NAVAIR announced
on March 27 that it expects
to award a contract to
upgrade a further 15 in fiscal
year 2019 and up to 30 in
fiscal year 2020. Additional
follow-on contracts could

be awarded over the next

decade for more of the

US Navy’s current fleet of

568 Super Hornets. The

SLM is expected to take

around 18 months on the

first aircraft, but Boeing

hopes to cut it down to a

year on later upgrades.

Work on one element of

Block III, conformal fuel

tanks (CFTs), is getting

under way. On February

14, Boeing was awarded a

$219.6m NAVAIR contract

to procure non-recurring

efforts associated with

the design, development,

test and integration of

the CFT for the Super

Hornet. This work is due for

completion in July 2022.

Block III will also include

an improved active

electronically scanned

array (AESA) radar, new

cockpit systems (including

a 10in x 9in touchscreen

display), enhanced network

connectivity (through the

Rockwell Collins Tactical

Targeting Networking

Technology datalink

system) and measures

to reduce the aircraft’s

radar signature. The latter

will primarily be achieved

by using enhanced low-

observable coatings and

improved radar-absorbent

materials in some airframe

locations. The Lockheed

Martin IRST21 long-range,

infrared search and track

system will be incorporated,

along with an upgrade to

the integrated defensive

electronic countermeasures.

The US Navy plans to

begin purchasing new

production Block III aircraft

in fiscal year 2019, with an

initial 24, the first of which

are expected to come off

the production line the

following year. It intends

to acquire 110 more new

aircraft in this configuration

over the following five

years. Dave Allport

Boeing wins Super Hornet

upgrade contract

New UH-60Ms delivered to Wiesbaden

THREE UH-60Ms have

been delivered to the US

Army’s 1st Battalion, 214th

Aviation Regiment (1-214th

AVN), 12th Combat Aviation

Brigade, at Wiesbaden,

Germany, to begin

replacement of the unit’s

older UH-60A/L models.

The new Black Hawks

were airfreighted into the

base on March 7 on board

a USAF C-17A from the

436th Airlift Wing/3rd Airlift

Squadron at Dover Air

Force Base, Delaware.

Chief Warrant Officer 4

Stephen Randall, battalion

aviation maintenance

officer for 1-214th AVN,

said: “The UH-60M Black

Hawk will allow 1-214th to

shorten trips throughout

Europe and to support

USAREUR and EUCOM

[US Army Europe and

United States European

Command] in a better

capacity. We can now

fly almost all approaches

here in Europe.”

Compared with the

UH-60A/L, the UH-60M

boasts an all-digital

cockpit, increased lift

capacity and improved

engine performance. A

Federated Air Navigation

system improves the

compliance with the

European One Sky

Initiative, which allows

for more precise traffic

routes through Europe

and helps deconflict an

already crowded airspace.

The same C-17A, which

had brought in the three

new UH-60Ms, departed

from Wiesbaden the

following day, carrying

three of 1-214th AVN’s

older model Black Hawks

back to the US to be

decommissioned. It has

not been confirmed how

many new UH-60Ms

will be delivered to the

unit. Dave Allport

Right: A UH-60M is

unloaded from a C-17A

at Wiesbaden to begin

replacement of the older

UH-60A/L models of the

1-214th AVN. US Army/Capt

Jaymon Bell

Above: The current Blue Angels support aircraft, C-130T

164763, has been grounded, along with the remainder of

the US C-130T/KC-130T fl eet, for the last eight months. It

followed the crash of US Marine Corps KC-130T 165000 in

Mississippi last July 10. US Navy/Mass Communication Specialist

2nd Class Kathryn E Macdonald

Blue Angels to buy

ex-RAF C-130J

US NAVAL Air Systems

Command (NAVAIR) has

announced its intention

to negotiate and award a

sole source contract with

the UK Ministry of Defence

(MOD) to procure a single

C -130J to support the Blue

Angels flight demonstration

squadron. Plans for the

procurement were revealed

in a NAVAIR posting on

the US Government’s

Federal Business

Opportunities (FBO)

website on March 23.

The FBO posting stated:

“The government requires

a suitable replacement

aircraft, which must be

delivered in an expeditious

manner, to avoid a gap

in logistical support of

the Blue Angels flight

demonstration squadron.

The aircraft being procured

from the UK MOD has the

requisite amount of life

and technical capability to

support the Blue Angels

mission. Procurement

of a comparable

replacement C -130J

from any source other

than the UK MOD would

create an unacceptable

increase in programme

cost and delay in fielding

this critical capability.”

It is assumed the example

being procured from the

UK MOD will be one of the

short-fuselage Royal Air

Force C -130J Hercules C

aircraft, which are being

retired from service, rather

than a stretched C-130J-

Hercules C4. Dave Allport