Airforces

24 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com

NEWS

// FEBRUARY 2018 #359

Middle East

Delivery of Dutch F-16s

to Jordan complete

MD530Gs

for Lebanon

THE LEBANESE Armed

Forces (LAF) will receive

six MD530G attack

helicopters as part of a

$120m arms package

from the United States,

the US Embassy in

Beirut announced on

December 13. The

US will also supply

the LAF with six more

ScanEagle UAVs together

with communications

equipment and

computers valued at a

total of $11m. According

to the embassy:

“This equipment will

help the army build

on its capability

to conduct border

security and counter-

terrorism operations

and importantly to

defend the country and

people of Lebanon.”

Kuwait Police Dauphin IIs

on delivery
A NEW AS365N3+
Dauphin II for the
Kuwait Police passed
through Kefalonia
International Airport,
Greece, on its delivery
flight on November 10.
Carrying the French civil
registration F-WWOD,
it continued the same
day to Kos International
Airport. It will receive the
registration KMOI-06 once

in service. On December

8, another Dauphin II from

the same order made a

brief fuel stop at Kefalonia

IAP before continuing to

Kos. This aircraft carried

the registration F-WJXP

and will become KMOI-

07 once in service. The

Kuwait Police previously

acquired another two

AS365N3+ helicopters

in early 2005.

THE FINAL three of 15

former Royal Netherlands Air

Force (RNLAF) F-16s sold

to Jordan were delivered

to the Royal Jordanian Air

Force (RJAF), as planned,

in mid-December. They

were preceded by a group

of six jets that left Volkel

Air Base on November

29 (see More ex-RNLAF

F-16s delivered to Jordan,

January 2017, p24).

The final batch included

F-16AMs 246 (J-193) and

242 (J-870), which were

planned to depart on

November 29 but remained

on the Volkel flight line due

to technical issues. Both

242 and 246 eventually left

on December 14 as part

of the last group of three,

together with F-16AM

249 (J-057). The aircraft

routed via Aviano AB in

Italy and Souda Bay in

Greece before touching

down at Al Azraq Air Base in

Jordan, where they entered

service with 2 Squadron.

Kees van der Mark

Above: F-16AM 246 (ex J-193, 83-1193) departs Volkel AB on December 14. It was among the last three ex-RNLAF F-16s

delivered to the RJAF under the Peace Falcon VI programme. Kees van der Mark

New two-seat Iraqi L-159

ready for delivery

AN IMAGE has been

released by the Iraqi Air

Force (IQAF) showing a

new two-seat L-159T1

at the Aero Vodochody

factory awaiting delivery.

The aircraft wears both

its new IQAF serial, 5902,

and Czech Air Force serial

6017 and had been in use

for pilot training at the

factory. It is expected to

be delivered to Iraq shortly.

Under a contract

effective from June

30, 2015, the IQAF is

acquiring ten single-seat

L-159As and a pair of twin-

seat L-159T1s. They are

operated by 115 Tactical

Squadron at Balad Air

Base. Dave Allport

Left: IQAF L-159T1 5902 at

the Aero Vodochody factory

on December 5 awaiting

delivery. Iraqi Air Force

Last two Omani Hawks

delivered from Warton

DELIVERIES OF Hawk
Mk166s to the Royal Air
Force of Oman (RAFO)
were completed in early
December. The final two
jets departed BAE Systems’
Warton facility on the 4th.
The aircraft are part of a
$3.28bn order for eight
Hawks and 12 Typhoons
placed in December 2012.

The first two RAFO Hawk

Mk166s left Warton on

delivery on July 24, 2017

followed by two more in

September 2017 and a

further two in October 2017.

Right: The last two Omani

Hawks, serials 168 (ZB130/

OM009) and 167 (ZB129/

OM008), prepare to depart

Warton. Martin Kaye

Kuwait Police AS365N3+ Dauphin II at Kefalonia IAP on November 10. Its in-service registration

• KMOI-06 – has been obscured by tape. Marcus Vallianos