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http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #359 FEBRUARY 2018 // 25

Additional

F-15SAs

on delivery
THE LATEST two batches
of F-15SA fighters for the
Royal Saudi Air Force
(RSAF) passed through the
Azores on their delivery
flights in early December.
On the 5th, the aircraft
arriving at Lajes were
12-1053 (callsign ‘Retro
61’), 12-1056 (‘Retro 63’)
and 12-1057 (‘Retro 62’).
These were supported
by US Air Force KC-10A
84-0192, callsign ‘Gold 22’.
Another three jets arrived
at Lajes on December
8, comprising 12-1055
(as ‘Retro 64’), 12-1058
(‘Retro 65’) and 12-1059
(‘Retro 66’) supported
by KC-10A 87-0117
(‘Gold 21’). Deliveries of
F-15SAs got under way
when the first four aircraft
were delivered via RAF
Lakenheath, Suffolk in the
UK during December 2016.

Above: A pair of US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles fl anks a Qatar Emiri Air Force Mirage 2000-5 during the National Day celebrations held in the Qatari capital

Doha on December 18. For more on the event, see p60-63. Alexander Golz

BOEING HAS received

a $6.17bn contract to

complete 36 F-15QA

Advanced Eagles for

Qatar. The Foreign

Military Sales (FMS)

package was announced

by the US Department of

Defense on December

22. All the aircraft will
    be delivered to the Qatar
    Emiri Air Force (QEAF)
    by December 30, 2022.
    First details of the
    planned sale were revealed
    when the US Defense
    Security Cooperation
    Agency (DSCA) announced

on November 17, 2016

that US State Department

approval had been granted

for Qatar to purchase

72 F-15QAs. Along with

an associated weapons

package and related

support, equipment and

training, the estimated cost

was given as $21.1bn. The

DSCA notified Congress

of this possible sale the

same day. The purchase

was also to include

US-based lead-in fighter

training for the F-15QA.

An agreement was

concluded in Washington

on June 14 last year by

US Defense Secretary Jim

Mattis and Qatari Minister

of State for Defence Affairs

Khalid au-Attiyah. At the

time, the Qatari government

put a price of $12bn on the

deal, which was understood

to include 36 aircraft.

Boeing wins contract for

36 F-15QA fi ghters

Jordanian AT-802U

redelivered through Malta

AN INTERESTING visitor

passing through Malta-

Luqa Airport on December

12 for a night stop was

Royal Jordanian Air Force

(RJAF) Air Tractor AT-802U

RJ2551 on delivery back

to Jordan after a period in

the US. The aircraft had

passed through Malta on

June 23 heading for the US.

The aircraft’s identity was

checked at the time of its

earlier visit, confirming

it was c/n 802-4003,

ex N60033, which was

originally delivered to the

United Arab Emirates Air

Force and Air Defence with

serial 2281. It was one of

six aircraft later donated

to Jordan, where it was

initially given serial 1581

before becoming 2551

and joining 25 Squadron

at King Abdullah II Air

Base. Dave Allport

Left: RJAF AT-802U 2551 at

Malta-Luqa during its return

from the US. Brendon Attard

One of the RJAF’s fl eet of G 120TPs. Jordanian Armed Forces

Jordan operating G 120TPs

LOSS OF a Royal Jordanian

Air Force (RJAF) Grob

G 120TP in a crash on

December 10 has brought

to light more details of the

type in RJAF service. Little

publicised at the time, a

video released on April

19, 2017, by the Jordanian

Armed Forces showed the

type in RJAF service for

the first time at the King

Hussein Air College.

Although not publicly

announced, the RJAF had

ordered 14 G 120TPs,

of which 12 had been

delivered by the time

the video was released

and the remaining two

are thought to have

since entered service.

The order included

one computer-based

training system and one

flight training device

for elementary pilot

training. Dave Allport

F-15SA 12-1058 arrives at Lajes on December 8 as ‘Retro 65’. André Inácio