28 http://www.airforcesmonthly.comNEWS
// MAY 2018 #362Asia Pacifi c
PAF establishes CSAR squadron
THE AW139 formally
entered service with the
Pakistan Air Force (PAF)’s
88 Squadron at PAF Base
Shahbaz in Jacobabad,
southeast Pakistan, on
March 3, the unit becoming
88 Combat Support
Squadron and Advanced
Helicopter Training Schoolthe same day. At a
ceremony attended by Air
Chief Marshal Sohail Aman- the PAF’s then chief – two
AW139s flew in formation
with a Mi-171, which the
new type is replacing. At
present, 88 Squadron is
equipped with four AW139s.
The first pair (17-001
and 17-002) reportedly
entered service last July.
The next, AW139 17-004
(c/n 31782), was seen at
Venegono, Italy, during
a test flight from nearby
Vergiate on September 28
before being airfreighted
to Pakistan together with
AW139 17-003 (c/n 31781,test serial CSX81922)
on November 23.
Pakistan has ordered an
undisclosed number of
AW139s since May 2016
under three successive
contracts for SAR,
emergency medical service
(EMS) and utility transport
missions. To date, sixhave been delivered to the
Pakistan Army; five were
initially delivered for general
duties to the Emergency
Relief Cell as SIX-050 to
SIX-054. A sixth arrived in- Tw o more examples
were delivered during 2016-
17 as serials 16-062 and
16-063. Marco Muntz
Above: UH-60M serial 931, one of the fi rst two former Republic of China Army Aviation
helicopters transferred to the ROCAF. Formosa Military Image PressTHE REPUBLIC of China
Air Force (ROCAF) took
delivery of two UH-60Ms in
late December. The Black
Hawks, serials 931 and
932, are former Republic of
China Army Aviation assets.
In late 2016, the nation’s
defence minister, Feng
Shih-kuan, ordered the
transfer of 15 UH-60Ms to
the ROCAF’s Air Rescue
Group to replace 13
S -70 C -1/1A helicopters at
Chiai Air Base. The rest
will be delivered between
June and December.
The Air Rescue Group
received four S -70 C -1 and
ten S -70 C -1A Blue Hawks
in 1986 (one S -70 C -1 was
lost in November 1995) —
all powered by commercial
General Electric CT 7-2D engines — and 12
years later the ROCAF
ordered four S-70C-6
Super Blue Hawks with
an all-weather search and
rescue (SAR) capability.
The S-70C-6s also feature
military T700-GE-701
engines, forward-looking
infrared (FLIR), searchlight,
high-power loudhailer, flare/
chaff dispensers and the
Hover Infrared Suppression
System (HIRSS). One
S-70C-6 was lost in an
accident in March 2012.
The 13 S -70 C -1/1As
now need replacing:
they have flown more
than 7,000 hours and,
since 2016, certain parts
have no longer been
available from commercial
sources. Peter HoPakistan Army Enstrom 280FX deliveries
ENSTROM HELICOPTERS
has completed delivery
of four Enstrom 280FX
piston-engine helicopters
to Global Services and
Solutions of Pakistan.
The company said
acceptance was completed
during the week beginning
February 5 after a
seven-day inspection
process at the factory in
Menominee, Michigan.
Global Services and
Solutions is an approved
Enstrom representative
based in Rawalpindi.Although the end
user of the 280FXs has
not been revealed, an
image released with
the announcement
suggests they are for
the Pakistan Army, as
the helicopter featured
carries serial 786-126
and a Pakistani roundel.
The order had been
announced last September,
but the customer and
number of aircraft was
not revealed and it’s not
known whether any more
have been ordered for thearmy. The helicopters
are the first of the type
sold in Pakistan.
Tracy Biegler, Enstrom’s
CEO, said: “We feel the
Enstrom 280FX is the
ideal training helicopter
to operate in the difficult
climate conditions of
Pakistan.” This implies
that the Pakistan Army will
use the type for rotary-
wing tuition. Dave Allport
Right: Pakistan Army
Enstrom 280FX 786-126 at
Menominee before delivery.
Enstrom HelicoptersROCAF takes delivery of fi rst two UH-60Ms
Above: AW139 17-004 wears the test registration CSX81923 at
Venegono during a test fl ight on September 28. Marco Muntz