Airforces

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

NEWS Africa

Latest batch of Egyptian Rafales delivered Su-30K

arrives in

Angola

A FIRST Su-30K has

been spotted in Angola,

confirming that deliveries

of the aircraft have begun.

Two images began

to circulate on social

media on December

11, although it was

unclear if they showed

two different aircraft.

On February 12, 2014

it was confirmed that 12

former Indian Air Force

(IAF) Su-30Ks had been

sold to the Força Aérea

Nacional de Angola

(FANA, National Air

Force of Angola) under

a contract signed in

October the previous year.

Taken from storage at the

558 Aircraft Repair Plant

(ARZ) at Baranovichi in

Belarus, these are being

refurbished and upgraded

to Su-30KN standard.

The first was re-flown

at Baranovichi around

January 31 last year.

Angola is also

reported to be looking

at purchasing a further

six Su-30Ks from the

same source (see Angola

eyes more Su-30Ks,

September 2017, p22).

SAAF C-47TP in Exercise

Oxide in Réunion

A LARGE-SCALE Franco-

South African naval

exercise, Oxide, was held

for the first time since

2008 in Réunion from

November 24 to December

7 last year. Military

aviation assets from both

countries took part in a

previously predominantly

maritime event.

The South African Air

Force (SAAF) provided

a veteran C-47TP Turbo

Dakota from 35 Squadron

at Air Force Base

Ysterplaat, while French

involvement included

Armée de l’Air CN235Ms,

plus Aéronavale Lynx and

Panther helicopters.

The exercise included

maritime surveillance

operations, along with

parachute dropping.

Other scenarios included

interception of a drug-

trafficking vessel,

protection of friendly

shipping and resupply

at sea by air dropping

supplies. The next Oxide

exercise is due in 2020,

but a precise date or

location has yet to be

determined. Dave Allport

Final pair of

Senegalese

Mi-24Vs

delivered

A CONTRACT awarded

to Poland’s Wojskowe

Zaklady Lotnicze Nr 1

(WZL-1) overhaul facility

in Lódź to refurbish

three former Slovak Air

Force Mi-24V attack

helicopters for the Armée

de l’Air Sénégalaise

(Senegalese Air Force)

has been completed.

The final two helicopters,

6W-HCB (c/n 730813 ex

0813) and 6W-HCD (c/n

730833, ex 0833), were

loaded onto an An-124

transport and departed

from Lódź for Dakar-

Yoff on November 30.

The first, 6W-HCA (c/n

830708, ex 0708), was

airfreighted out of Lódź

on February 8 (see Three

ex-Slovak Mi-24s for

Senegal, January 2017,

p22). Senegal now has

an attack helicopter fleet

of three Mi-24Vs and two

Mi-35Ps. Dave Allport

Above: A SAAF/35 Squadron C-47TP on the ramp at Base

Aérienne 181 Sainte-Denis-Lt Roland Garros Airport, Réunion,

as French Air Force CN235M-300 197 ‘62-HE’ from ET 3/62

taxies out during Exercise Oxide. French MoD

Cameroon government Beech 350 delivery

A NEW Beechcraft King Air

350i has been acquired by

the Cameroon government.

The aircraft, TJ-XRL (c/n

FL-1109), arrived from

Paderborn, Germany, for

a fuel stop at Malta-Luqa

Airport during its delivery

flight on December 11. It

carried temporary ferry

registration N1109C, taped

over its Cameroon identity,

and had been registered

as such on December 2 to

Africair, of Miami, Florida.

The 350i had left the Beech

Factory Airfield in Wichita,

Kansas, on December 1

for Wichita-Eisenhower

Airport, remaining there

until December 8, when

it continued via Bangor

International, Maine, to

Goose Bay, Canada.

The next day the aircraft

continued via Keflavík,

Iceland, to Belfast

International, Northern

Ireland. It left Belfast for

Paderborn on December

10, continuing the next

day to Malta. No official

details of Cameroon’s order

for the aircraft have been

announced. Dave Allport

Above: New Cameroon government King Air 350i N1109C (TJ-XRL) lands in Malta for a fuel

stop during its delivery fl ight. Ruben Zammit

Above: Although not one of the latest deliveries, twin-seat EAF Rafale DM06 was one of three examples temporarily deployed

to Landivisiau air base in northern France in late October last year. Fabrice Geny

A FURTHER three Rafales

have been delivered to

the Egyptian Air Force

(EAF). All were single-seat

EM variants, comprising

EM06, EM07 and EM08,

which arrived in Egypt

on November 28.

They were flown from

Dassault’s facility at

Bordeaux-Mérignac,

France, via a fuel stop at

Base Aérienne 125 Istres-

Le Tubé to Gebel El Basur

Air Base. They were the

final EAF single-seaters to

be handed over, leaving

just two-seat Rafale DMs

remaining to be delivered.

Deliveries to the EAF,

initially of twin-seater

aircraft, began in 2015

when DM01, DM02 and

DM03 arrived on July 20

of that year, followed by

DM04, DM05 and DM06

on January 28, 2016. The

first single-seat aircraft,

EM01, EM02 and EM03,

did not arrive until April

4, 2017 with a further

two (EM04 and EM05)

following on July 26. With

the latest arrivals, total

deliveries have reached 14

aircraft (eight Rafale EM

and six Rafale DM). Just

ten two-seaters (DM07

to DM16) of the order

for 24 (16 two-seat and

eight single-seat) aircraft

remain to be delivered.

The type is operated by

the EAF’s 34 Squadron

‘Wild Wolves’ as part

of the 203rd Tactical

Fighter Wing ‘Storm’.

The first operational

mission by EAF Rafales

on the night of May 26-27,

2017, maintained air

superiority and provided

airborne protection

for air strikes against

so-called Islamic State

in Libya. Dave Allport