Benelux states sign air defense pact
Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands
have signed an agreement under which they
will share surveillance and protection of their
collective airspace from mid-2016. Under the
arrangement, the Belgian Air Component and
Royal Netherlands Air Force will take turns to
monitor Benelux airspace. The quick reaction
alert (QRA) will initially involve two F-16 Fighting
Falcons providing protection against military
incursions and civilian ‘renegade’ aircraft.Turkey retires recce Phantoms
Following the fatal loss of two examples in
February, the Turkish Air Force has retired its
eet of eight remaining RF-4E Phantom IIs.
Service withdrawal took place on March 12, with
a nal ight made at Erhac air base. Gen Abidin
Ünal, commander of the Turkish Air Force’s
Combatant Air Force Command, and Air Force
commander Gen Akın Öztürk ew the nal
sortie. According to reports in the Turkish media,
173 Filo’s RF-4E eet had su cient hours to
remain operational until the end of the year.T-346A arrives at Lecce
The rst Alenia Aermacchi T-346A advanced jet
trainer for the Italian Air Force’s 61° Stormo was
delivered to the wing’s Lecce-Galatina base onFebruary 26. Serial 61-01 arrived at the
pilot training school after a ight from the Alenia
Aermacchi facility at Venegono. The aircraft was
own for the occasion by Col Paolo Tarantino,
base commander at Lecce, and an experimental
test pilot from the Air Force Flight Test Unit (RSV)
at Pratica di Mare. The T-346A will be operated
by the 212° Gruppo of the 61° Stormo, which
will use it for Phase IV pilot training.Upgraded French Cougars delivered
France has received two AS532 Cougars
upgraded by Airbus Helicopters. The aircraft
were accepted by the French defense
procurement agency (DGA) on behalf of the
French Army Light Aviation (Aviation Légère de
l’Armée de Terre, ALAT) on March 13.
The €220-million modernization program
covers 26 Cougars operated by ALAT and the
French Air Force. Scheduled to run until 2030,
the upgrade takes in a new avionics suite and
autopilot similar to that of the H225M (formerly
the EC725). Also included is a Euro ir 350
electro-optical turret, a tactical information
system, and an updated self-protection suite.
Three Cougars were upgraded in 2013,
followed by ve more in 2014, and an
additional seven aircraft will be delivered in
2015.By the third week of February, IN BRIEF
Euro ghter Typhoon IPA 7
(c/n GS0029, serial 98+07)
had completed over 30 test
sorties since its rst ight with
aerodynamic modi cations on
October 29, 2014. The airframe
modi cations are colored
dark gray and comprise ‘delta’
fuselage strakes below the
cockpit, ‘apex’ strakes on the
leading edge of the wing root,
and extended aperons. The
strakes improve angle of attack
(AoA) capability from 25° to 35°
AoA and are primarily intended
to improve maneuverability
while carrying large external
stores. Dietmar FennersE-3A serial LX-N9059 undergoes a test
ight over Seattle, Washington. The
aircraft is the rst of 14 NATO Sentries
to be upgraded by Boeing with new
cockpit displays and systems. BoeingUpgraded AWACS fl ies
Boeing recently conducted the fi rst fl ight
of a NATO Airborne Warning and Control
System (AWACS) E-3A equipped with
upgraded avionics and display systems.
The aircraft, which features fi ve full-color
glass displays with customizable engine,
navigation and radar data, is undergoing an
extensive fl ight-test qualifi cation. Delivery
of the fi rst upgraded aircraft is scheduled
for January 2016, and all 14 NATO E-3As
will ultimately receive the fl ight-deck
update by 2018.Besides ensuring compliance with current
and future air traffi c control and navigation
requirements that give the aircraft broader
access to airspace around the world, the
modifi cations also improve reliability
and maintainability, and will decrease
operational costs and reduce the number
of fl ight crew by alleviating the need for a
navigator. The aircraft was upgraded as part
of a $394-million US Air Force contract
awarded in 2012. The fi rst fl ight of an
upgraded USAF E-3 is expected in 2016.http://www.combataircraft.net May 2015 2322-24 Europe C.indd 23 20/03/2015 11:19