Airforces

24 // JANUARY 2018 #358 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com

NEWS Middle East

Above: F-16BM 237 (ex J-208) prepares to depart Volkel AB. Dino van Doorn
A SECOND batch of six
former Royal Netherlands
Air Force (RNLAF) F-16s
sold to Jordan were
delivered to the Royal
Jordanian Air Force (RJAF)
in late November.

The six departed Volkel

Air Base on November 29,

2017 and made a night stop

at Aviano Air Base in Italy

later on the same date. The

aircraft comprised a single

F-16BM 237 (ex J-208)

and five F-16AMs: 241

(ex J-868), 245 (ex J-876),

250 (ex J-510), 239 (ex

J-637) and 238 (ex J-623).

The first six of 15 jets were

delivered to the RJAF in late

October (see Ex-RNLAF

F-16s delivered to Jordan,

December, p24). It was

rumoured that the final three

Fighting Falcons from the

Peace Falcon VI programme

would be delivered to the

Middle East on December 13.

More ex-RNLAF F-16s

delivered to Jordan

UAE plans

to upgrade

Mirage and

F-16 fl eets

DURING THE Dubai

Airshow, Dassault Aviation

announced that the

United Arab Emirates

Armed Forces intends

to upgrade its 62-strong

Mirage 2000-9 fleet at a

reported cost of $350m.

The potential contract,

announced at the show

on November 14, 2017,

would address the Mirages’

mission computer system;

fire control radar; electronic

warfare suite; optronics

systems; communications,

navigation and identification

systems; cockpit display

systems; helmet-mounted

system displays and

electrical systems. The

package is likely to include

the Thales RDY-3 radar

and TALIOS targeting pod.

Previously, Lockheed

Martin and the UAE signed

a $1.65bn contract to

upgrade and support the

79 surviving United Arab

Emirates Air Force & Air

Defence (UAE AF&AD)

Block 60 F-16E/F fighters.

The deal was announced

on November 11 by

Major General Abdullah Al

Sayed Al Hashemi, Chief

of the Military Committee

and spokesman for the

UAE Armed Forces. No

further details of the

modernisation were

provided, but it will

address “obsolescence

issues” with the jets,

which started to be

delivered in 2004.

Adirs declared IOC

Above: F-35I serial 913 at Lajes Field as ‘Retro 52’ on November 6. André Iná cio
THE ISRAELI Air Force
(IAF) has now taken
delivery of nine F-35I
Adirs and declared initial
operational capability (IOC)

with the type at Nevatim

air base on December

6. It was preceded by
   the arrival of two more
   F-35I fighters at Nevatim

on November 8. The

Adirs – serial 911 flying as

callsign ‘Retro 51’ and 913

as ‘Retro 52’ – routed via

Lajes Field in the Azores,

where they had touched

down two days earlier.

Support was provided

by US Air Force KC-10A

86-0032 as ‘Blue 21’.

Saudi Hawk

deliveries
ANOTHER THREE Hawk
Mk165 trainers have been
delivered to the Royal
Saudi Air Force (RSAF)
by BAE Systems. Two
aircraft, 2110/ZB119
(ST019/1519) and 7911/
ZB122 (ST022/1522), began
their ferry flight from the
manufacturer’s airfield at
Warton, Lancashire, on
November 13. They made
a stopover in Bari, Italy,
before continuing to Saudi
Arabia the next day to join
21 and 79 Squadrons,
respectively, at Tabuk/
King Faisal Air Base.
Although 7911/ZB122
was the last aircraft from

this batch produced for

Saudi Arabia (see Final

Hawk Mk165 from first

batch prepares for delivery,

November 2017, p25), the

eighteenth aircraft, ZB118

(ST018/1518), was the last

to be delivered. It was also

the last of the batch to fly,

having not made its maiden

flight until October 4. It

departed Warton on its

ferry flight on December 5.

This completes deliveries

of the first batch of 22

Hawk Mk165s ordered by

the RSAF. The second

batch of 22 are being

delivered unflown for

final assembly in Saudi

Arabia. Dave Allport

Above: Royal Saudi Air Force Hawk Mk165s 2110/ZB119 and 7911/ZB122 lined up for take-off

at Warton before departure. William Jardim