Airforces

16 // FEBRUARY 2018 #359 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com

NEWS North America

US NAVAL Air Systems

Command completed

another test flight of the

Lockheed Martin Long

Range Anti-Ship Missile

(LRASM) from a US Air

Force B-1B over California’s

Point Mugu Sea Test

Range on December

8. During the test, the
   B-1B crew simultaneously
   launched two production-
   configuration missiles

against separate

moving maritime targets

for the first time.

The LRASM is planned to

achieve early operational

capability on the B-1B

this year, followed by

the US Navy F/A-18E/F

in 2019. The LRASM is

based on the Joint Air-

to-Surface Standoff

Missile – Extended

Range (JASSM-ER).

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Centenary jet for 112th

Fighter Squadron

THE 112th Fighter

Squadron (FS) ‘Stingers’,

assigned to the Ohio

National Guard’s 180th

Fighter Wing and based

at Toledo Express Airport,

recently celebrated 100

years of service. In honour

of the centenary, Block

42 F-16C 90-731 City of

Toledo has received this

special scheme, recalling

the lineage of the unit,

which was activated as

the 112th Aero Squadron

at Kelly Field, Texas, on

August 18, 1917. Emblems

worn on the jet include

those of antecedents

including the 112th

Observation Squadron

and the 37th Division

Aviation. The markings

will be worn on the jet

until August 17 this year.

Jim Haseltine

New look for Ohio ANG Stratotanker

OHIO AIR National Guard

(ANG) KC-135R 59-

arrived at Geilenkirchen

Air Base, Germany on

November 28. The

Stratotanker, which was

using the callsign as

‘RCH635’, has revised

Ohio markings on the

fuselage and tail. It also

wears nose art and other

special markings as well

as the name Pride of

Canal Winchester. The

Ohio deployment at

Geilenkirchen began

the previous day with

the arrival of KC-135R

61-0264 as ‘RCH702’.

This tanker sported the

same Ohio markings on

the fuselage and tail.

KC-135R 64-14840 has

also been seen in Europe

with these markings,

suggesting they are being

introduced across the 121st

Air Refueling Wing fleet.

The ANG provides

temporary two-aircraft

tanker deployments to

support the NATO AWACS

component on a two-week

basis. These tankers use

the well-known ‘Esso’

callsigns. For around two

years Geilenkirchen has

also received a second

deployment with one

KC-135, also provided

by the ANG. These

aircraft usually use the

‘Nacho 71’ callsign.

‘Esso’ tankers normally

arrive on a Monday

and depart two weeks

later on the Friday. The

‘Nacho’ tankers operate

differently, sometimes

staying for one week and

sometimes for two.

Rolf Flinzner

RC-135S COBRA Ball

61-2662 departs RAF

Mildenhall, Suffolk on

December 11 as ‘Olive

55’. Operated by the

45th Reconnaissance

Squadron, part of the 55th

Wing, stationed at Offutt

Air Force Base, Nebraska,

it wears recently applied

nose art. Named Snake

Bite, it depicts a cobra

with two ballistic missiles

behind it. The aircraft was

an unplanned visitor to

Mildenhall having diverting

into the base three days

earlier after a problem

with diplomatic clearance.

After flying from the US,

61-2662 was noted in

a holding pattern over

Germany before diverting

to the UK. Ryan Dorling

Lancer completes

milestone LRASM test

Above: One of two LRASMs launched during a test from a

B-1B off the coast of California. US Navy

Nose art for

Cobra Ball