30 // APRIL 2018 #361 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com
NEWSNEWS
30 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com
NEWS
// APRIL 2018 #361THE FIRST PC-21 for the
RAAF’s Aircraft Research
and Development Unit
(ARDU) was seen outside
the Pilatus factory in Stans-
Buochs on February 21.
PC-21 A54-017 (c/n 250,
HB-HWQ) is the first of
two aircraft for the ARDU.
The initial 16 Australian
PC-21s were for 2 Flying
Training School (2FTS)
at RAAF Base Pearce,
Western Australia.
The ARDU was formed as
such in 1947, and relocated
to RAAF Base Edinburgh,
South Australia, in February
- It continues to
operate from there, testing
and evaluating aircraft
and weaponry for the
RAAF. The unit has flown
trials and development
sorties on every aircraft
in the Australian Defence
Forces inventory.
The latest pair of PC-21s
delivered to the RAAF were
A54-011/HB-HWK (c/n 244)
and A54-012/HB-HWL
(c/n 245), which arrived at
Adelaide Airport, South
Australia, from Darwin on
January 21 (see RAAF’s
11th and 12th PC-21s
delivered, March, p30).
The second ARDU PC-21,A54-018 (HB-HWR),
and the first for the
RAAF’s Roulettes display
team, A54-019, have
both now also entered
final assembly.Australasia
First fl ights for fourth and fi fth RAAF F-35s
Above: F-35A A35-005 after its fi rst fl ight at Fort Worth. Carl Richards
THE FOURTH and fifth
F-35As for the Royal
Australian Air Force (RAAF)
have made their maiden
flights. Serials A35-004
(AU-4) and A35-005 (AU-
5) took to the air from
Lockheed Martin’s facility
at Naval Air Station Joint
Reserve Base Fort Worth,
Texas, on December 14 and
January 23, respectively.
Following test and
acceptance flights from
Fort Worth, the aircraft
were due to be delivered
to Luke Air Force Base,
Arizona, where they will join
the multinational Lightning
II training programme,
before being permanently
relocated to Australia.
Both Lightning IIs wear
the markings of No 2
Operational Conversion
Unit. To date, F-35A A35-
003 is the only example
to have received the
markings of No 3 Squadron,
which will be established
as the first operational
RAAF F-35 unit (see Third
Australian Lightning II
flies, January, p30).
Wing Commander Darren
Clare, who is currently
training on the F-35 at
Luke, returned to Australia
last December to assume
command of the squadron
at RAAF Base Williamtown,
New South Wales. Heexplained the plans to
esta blish the unit: “No
3 Squadron is currently
embedded with the 61st
Fighter Squadron of the US
Air Force – we are flying two
F-35As now and will have
ten by the end of 2018.
“Two aircraft will be flown
to Australia at the end of
2018 and eight will remain
at Luke AFB for training
purposes – with both
aircrew and maintainers.”
As the unit builds up the
F-35A numbers, it will draw
down its F/A-18A/B Hornet
fleet. The RAAF plans to
declare initial operating
capability with the F-35A
at the end of 2020.Last CT-4 Airtrainers
leave East Sale
ROYAL AUSTRALIAN Air
Force Base East Sale,
Victoria, bid farewell to the
long-serving CT-4 Airtrainer
on December 4, when the
final four aircraft all departed
for Tamworth, New South
Wales. Local fire crews
gave the aircraft a traditional
water cannon salute as they
taxied out for departure.
The type has been used forbasic training of Australian
Defence Force personnel
for many years, latterly
through a contract with
BAE Systems. For the
present, the company will
continue to use the type at
Tamworth for other military
training contracts, pending
a decision on the future,
but will no longer train
ADF pilots. Dave AllportAbove and right: ARDU
PC-21 A54-017 wears the
unit’s yellow badge on the
fi n. Stephan WidmerRAAF Spartan at
Cope North 18
RAAF C-27J Spartan A34-
008 takes off from Tinian,
US Commonwealth of the
Northern Marianas Islands,
during exercise Cope
North 18, on February 20.
An RAAF contingent
deployed to Guam to
participate in the exercise,
held from February 10
to March 2. This annual
high-end air combat
and humanitarian
assistance exercise aims
to develop and improve
combat readiness,humanitarian assistance
procedures and increase
the interoperability
between the US,
Australia and Japan.
The C-27J from No 35
Squadron at RAAF Base
Richmond, New South
Wales, deployed for
the first time on Cope
North as part of the
humanitarian assistance
scenario and provided
aeromedical evacuation
and air logistics
support from Guam.The last four Airtrainers
depart RAAF Base East
Sale for the fi nal time after
passing under a water
cannon arch. Commonwealth
of Australia/Shannon ShumjskiFirst PC-21 for RAAF’s
Aircraft Research and
Development Unit
USAF/Airman 1st Class Christopher Quail