8 http://www.airforcesmonthly.comNEWS
// MAY 2018 #United Kingdom
New QinetiQ fl eet expands
Above: QinetiQ’s fi rst H125, G-ETPG, arrived at Boscombe Down on February 25 and is in
service with the ETPS. QinetiQ
QINETIQ HAS received
two of three new types
being acquired as part
of renewal of the Empire
Te st Pilots’ School (ETPS)
fleet, which it manages.
The latest deliver y,
announced on March
23, was the first of four
Airbus Helicopters H125s
(AS350B3e). G-ETPG (c/n
8476) had arrived at its
base at MOD Boscombe
Down, Wiltshire, on
February 25. Already
in full ETPS colours, it
entered service under the
newly established QinetiQ
Civil Flying Organisation
(QCFO), which for the
first time allows the
company to operate
civil-registered aircraft
independently of other
organisations. Previously
all QinetiQ aircraft flew
with military serials.
The remaining three
H125s will be G-ETPE (c/n
8462), G-ETPF (c/n 8464)and G-ETPH (c/n 8485).
Two of them, G-ETPE and
G-ETPH, are undergoing
modification to QinetiQ
requirements in the Airbus
Helicopters UK facility at
Oxford-Kidlington Airport,
prior to delivery this year.
The last helicopter, G - E T P F,
arrived at Boscombe Down
on January 18; although it
has since flown locally, it
is yet to be handed over to
QinetiQ. Formal delivery
will take place next year.
The first arrivals for the
new fleet were delivered
on October 17 last year.
These consisted of both
the Grob G 120TP-As that
had been ordered, G-ETPC
(c/n 11125 ) and G-ETPD
(c/n 11126 ), which arrived
from Grob’s German
factory in full ETPS colours.
The new fleet of eight
aircraft will be completed
by two Pilatus PC-21s,
G-ETPA (c/n 310,
ex-HB-HYX) and G-ETPB(c/n 311, ex-HB-HYY).
As previously reported,
G-ETPA made its maiden
flight from the factory at
Stans, Switzerland, on
January 15 – see First
flight for new QinetiQ
PC-21, March, p9. As
these words were written,
neither machine had arrived
at Boscombe Down.
The PC-21s are replacing
QinetiQ’s Hawk T1s and
Alpha Jets. The final
examples of the latter were
retired in January (see
Boscombe Down Alpha
Jets retired, April, p9),
but QinetiQ’s Operations
Director, Nick Lay, noted:
“It is not the end for the
aircraft, as we will seek
new owners over the next
few months and there is
every chance they will fly
again. It’s the end of an
era, but equally the start
of a new and very exciting
one for [the] ETPS and its
customers.” Dave AllportNew QinetiQ Grob G 120TP-A
G-ETPD in a hangar at Boscombe
Down, where it was delivered on
October 17 last year. QinetiQDHFS retires Griffi ns and
Squirrels
TWENTY YEARS of
training on the Griffin HT
and Squirrel HT1/HT2 with
the Defence Helicopter
Flying School (DHFS) at
RAF Shawbury, Shropshire,
has ended. Candidates
from the final flying training
courses taught on the
types graduated from the
DHFS during a ceremony
at the base on March 28.
A farewell formation flypast
was made by pairs of both
Griffins and Squirrels.
The last helicopters were
then flown to Cobham’s
facility at Bournemouth-
Hurn Airport, Dorset,
to be decommissioned
from the RAF.
The complete list
of departures, in
chronological order, was:
Griffin: ZJ239 to Hurn
on March 19; ZJ240 and
ZJ242 to Newquay Airport,
Cornwall on March 20;
ZJ235 to Hurn on March
21; ZJ236 and ZJ237 to
Hurn on March 26; ZJ234,
ZJ238, ZJ707 and ZJ
to Hurn on March 28.
Squirrel: ZJ
registered as G-BXGB
on November 14, 2017,
then sold in the US and
registered N119CA on
January 19; ZJ275 to
G-BXLB on November 22,
2017, then registered in the
US as N34JK on January
19; ZJ256 to G-BXCE
on November 28, 2017,
then to the US as N38RM
on February 9; ZJ
to G-BXIL on November
30, 2017, then to the US
as N131TC on February
9; ZJ269 to G-BXJN on
November 30, 2017; ZJ
to Hurn on February 22,
then registered G-BXAGon February 27; ZJ
to Hurn on February 22,
registered G-BXHB on
February 27; ZJ270 to
Hurn on February 22, then
to G-BXJR on February 27;
ZJ274 to Hurn on February
22, then to G-BXKR on
February 27; ZJ278 to
Hurn on February 22, then
to G-BXMB on February
27; ZJ280 to Hurn on
February 22; ZJ257,
ZJ261 and ZJ276 to Hurn
on March 13; ZJ251 and
ZJ265 to Hurn on March
15; ZJ252 to Newquay on
March 21; ZJ245, ZJ249,
ZJ253, ZJ272, ZJ273,
ZJ277 and ZJ279 to Hurn
on March 23; ZJ254 to
Hurn on March 26; ZJ264,
ZJ267, ZJ268 and ZJ271 to
Hurn on March 28; ZJ
to Hurn on March 29.
These machines
have been replaced at
Shawbury by a new fleet
of 29 Airbus Helicopters
Juno HT1s (H135s), which
have been acquired along
with three Jupiter HT1s
(H145s), the latter being
based at RAF Valley,
Wales. All three Jupiters
were delivered last year,
along with 25 of the
Junos. Further deliveries
since January mean all
but one of the Junos
are now in service. The
most recent examples to
arrive at Shawbury have
been ZM526 on February
7, ZM527 on February
8, ZM527 on February
16, ZM515 on March
16, ZM529 on March
19, ZM530 on March 26
and ZM531 on March- The final aircraft
left to be delivered is
ZM532. Dave Allport
Above: DHFS Griffi n HT1 ZJ238 ‘Y’ and Squirrel HT1 ZJ
‘64’ perform a fi nal fl ypast at RAF Shawbury on March 28 to
mark retirement of both types from service with the DHFS.
MOD Crown Copyright RAF Shawbury