Airforces

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

Force

Report

door for interdiction missions.
On April 12, 2016, during a
MISILEX exercise, two Seahawks
conducted the first firings of
Penguin missiles, launching
one each against the hull of
the decommissioned corvette
Frontin, which was later hit
by an MM.40 Exocet fired by
the frigate União (F45).

HA-1
Until the arrival of the A-4
Skyhawk, HA-1 ‘Lince’ was the
most powerful unit within the
Aviação Naval. It is equipped with
12 Super Lynx Mk21A (AH-11A)
helicopters. These comprise the
survivors from an original batch
of nine Sea Lynx Mk21 (AH-
11) aircraft purchased in 1975
for the Niteroi-class frigates, of
which four were lost in accidents,
and from a 1991 order for nine
Super Lynx Mk21A (AH-11A)
variants that began to arrive in

1996. The five survivors from the
      first batch were also modernised
      to Super Lynx standard.
      The main tasks of the AH-11
      are all-weather surveillance,
      attack of surface targets, over-
      the-horizon targeting (OTHT) for
      surface vessels, vectored attack
      of submarines and electronic
      warfare. For ASW missions the
      Sea Lynx are guided by frigates
      or corvettes, while for anti-ship
      operations they use their own
      radar and FLIR. They also perform
      SAR operations, interdiction and
      assault, for the latter carrying up to
      seven marines and a gunner with
      a 12.7mm Browning machine gun.

The Sea Lynx are armed with up

to four Sea Skua anti-ship missiles,

two Mk46 torpedoes or two Mk9

depth charges, and they are

equipped with Racal MIR-2/Orange

Crop ESM and 360° Seaspray

3000 search radar. They also

have a RN252 inertial navigation

system and Doppler 71 and can

carry reconnaissance pods. In

2010 they began to receive Sea

Star SAFIRE III FLIR turrets.

A new modernisation process

is addressing eight helicopters,

which are being brought up to

AH-11B Super Lynx by Leonardo

Helicopters in Yeovil, UK. It was

planned for the first example to be

redelivered in 2017 and the last in

2019, but flight tests only began in

September 2017 and first deliveries

are now expected for 2018. The

AH-11B will receive CTS800-4N

engines, a full glass cockpit, GPS,

tactical computer, a Finmeccanica/

Selex ES SAGE ESM suite with

chaff and flare dispensers, traffic

collision avoidance system

(TCAS), instrument landing

system and an electrical hoist

The unit maintains an extremely

important exchange of information

and experience with the UK’s Royal

Navy and other Lynx operators,

and has run pilot exchanges with

the Fleet Air Arm for 25 years.

VF-1

Budget cuts also led to the retire-

ment of nine of the Skyhawks,

leaving only 12 on strength, of

which just two or three are actu-

ally serviceable. After a contract

was signed in 2009, Embraer

developed a modernisation plan

for nine single-seaters and three

two-seaters (later reduced to seven

in total). The upgrade includes an

Elta EL/M-2032 radar, new avion-

ics, new instrument panel with

two multifunction displays, new

head-up display, radar warning re-

ceiver, hands-on-throttle-and-stick

(HOTAS) controls, on-board oxygen

generation system (OBOGS), new

energy generation system, new

mission computer, a third VHF

radio, improved autopilot, improve-

ments to the engine and electrical

systems, new weapons systems

and other changes. While Embraer

refers to the improved aircraft as

AF-1M, in service the aircraft are

designated AF-1B (single-seat) and

AF-1C (two-seat).

Budget cuts have also afflicted this

programme. On July 17, 2013 the

first modernised Skyhawk, serial

N-1011, flew for the first time but

since it was retained for test work

it was the third to be delivered. It

was lost in an accident on July

26, 2016. The second example,

serial N-1022, was the first two-

seater to be upgraded and flew

for the first time on January 20,

2016. A third reworked jet, serial
      N-1001, was in fact the first to
      be delivered, on May 26, 2015.
      The modernisation means the
      Skyhawk is expected to remain
      operational until 2025. There are
      plans to replace it after that with
      the carrier-borne Gripen M – a
      derivative of the FAB’s Gripen
      NG – but it remains uncertain
      whether this fighter will even have
      a carrier from which to operate.

Traders

The navy’s other fixed-wing

programme involved the purchase

of eight C-1 Traders from the

United States in 2010. Four of

these were to be extensively

modernised (including re-engining

with turboprops) and modified by

M7 Aerospace, an Elbit Systems

subsidiary, for use as tankers for

the Skyhawks and for transport

and medical evacuation missions.

The programme is progressing

slowly, as the company had to

design a new cockpit with four

multifunction displays as well

as the aerial refuelling system.

The aircraft are also due to

receive an auxiliary power unit,

OBOGS and other systems.

The first three were delivered

for conversion in February

2015 and there were plans for

a first flight in 2017, followed

by deliveries to a new unit from

2018. Once again, this has been
      delayed due to budget cuts.

Above: Serial N-1011, the first AF-1M – designated AF-1B by the navy – during its roll-out after modernisation. The

aircraft was lost on July 26, 2016. Embraer

One of the C-1A Traders

delivered to M7 Aerospace

for refurbishment. The

aircraft will be extensively

upgraded and modified

for use as transports and

tankers.

AFM