Airforces

NEWS

18 // SEPTEMBER 2017 #354 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com

North America

THE NORTH CAROLINA

Air National Guard (ANG)

has completed its final

Hercules deployment

prior to transitioning to

the C-17A Globemaster III.

Airmen and their

C-130Hs from the 145th

Airlift Wing’s 156th Airlift

Squadron returned to

their base at Charlotte-

Douglas International

Airport on July 7 after

serving in the Middle East

to support Operation

Freedom’s Sentinel.

More than 100 personnel

deployed with the unit

on February 22 for a six-

month rotation, providing

tactical airlift capabilities

to deliver troops, cargo

and equipment.

Eight C-17As will replace

the current C-130Hs from

Fiscal Year 2018, which

begins on October 1 this

year. The Globemasters

will transfer from Joint

Base Charleston, South

Carolina, where the

type is operated by the

315th Airlift Wing and

437th Airlift Wing.

As part of its drawdown,

the 145th AW relinquished

its aerial firefighting role

last year, having been

one of only four C-130H

units equipped with the

Modular Airborne Fire-

Fighting System (MAFFS)

for this purpose.

The last of these

portable fire-retardant

delivery systems at

Charlotte was loaded into

the hold of an 152nd AW

C-130H on September 7

last year and transported

to a new home with the

Nevada Air National

Guard, which has taken

over the role from the

145th AW. Dave Allport

North Carolina ANG’s C-130Hs bow out

Above: North Carolina ANG C-130H3 Hercules 93-1563 arrives back at its base at Charlotte-

Douglas IAP on July 7 after a six-month deployment in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel.

USAF/Tech Sgt Nathan Clark

Brazilian

C295 visits

Canada

A FORÇA Aérea Brasileira

(FAB, Brazilian Air Force)

SC-105 Amazonas has

completed a tour of

Royal Canadian Air Force

(RCAF) bases, visiting

19 Wing Comox, British

Columbia, on July 24;

17 Wing Winnipeg,

Manitoba, on July 25;

and 8 Wing Trenton,

Ontario, on July 26.

The visit was organised

by Canada’s Minister

of National Defence

as the RCAF prepares

to receive the similar

C295W to replace the

CC-115 Buffalo and

CC-130H Hercules.

The SC-105 crew

included members of

the FAB undergoing

familiarisation training,

Airbus Defence and

Space pilots supporting

their training and

members of the RCAF’s

Fixed-Wing Search

and Rescue Aircraft

Replacement Project

Management Office.

SC-105 6550 returned

to Campo Grande air

base on August 3, after

completing a five-week

demonstration tour

through four continents.

Construction of

Canada’s first C295W

began in June, and

the first delivery is

expected in late 2019.

New medevac HH-60Ms for Hawaii

A BRAND new medical

evacuation (medevac)

unit equipped with the

latest HH-60M Black Hawk

variant has been formally

activated in Hawaii.

The Hawaii Army

National Guard’s

Detachment 1, Company

G, 1st Battalion, 189th

General Support Aviation

Battalion (1-189th GSAB)

is based at Wheeler

Army Airfield, Wahiawa,

Hawaii, where an

activation and dedication

ceremony took place

on July 9. The unit will

specialise in aeromedical

evacuation operations

throughout Hawaii.

Three HH-60Ms for the

1-189th GSAB arrived

on Hawaii at Kalaeloa

Airfield on October 28 last

year on board a US Air

Force C-17A Globemaster

III. They were then

reassembled on site and

flown out to Wheeler A AF,

Army Aviation Support

Facility No 1, where

they have since then

been training crews up

to operational status.

Their permanent

base will, however, be

at Kalaeloa, to which

the helicopters will

return once a new Army

Aviation Support Facility

has been completed

there. Dave Allport

A KC-10A from Travis AFB,

California, refuels a US

Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet

over the Pacifi c on July 14.

USAF/2nd Lt Sarah Johnson

KC-10s join Talisman Saber

KC-10A TANKERS from the

6th and the 9th Air Refueling

Squadrons at Travis AFB,

California, supported

Talisman Saber 2017 in July

with air refuelling missions

over Australia. The biennial

exercise focuses on military

training between US

Pacific Command and the

Australian Defence Force.

Three Extenders flew

from Hawaii and Wake

Island Airfield to refuel

five C-17As carrying 300-

plus paratroopers across

the Pacific on July 13. The

tankers also refuelled US

Navy F/A-18E/Fs and other

KC-10s during TS17.

Above: One of the new Hawaii Army National Guard/1-189th

GSAB HH-60M Black Hawks at Wheeler AAF during the

activation ceremony on July 9. US Army National Guard/Sgt

Tinisha Mellein-Fortson

US Navy

retires TC-12B

THE US Navy TC-12B

Huron fleet has been

retired from service.

The TC-12Bs had been

operated by Training

Squadron (VT) 35

‘Stingrays’ as part of

Training Air Wing 4 at

Naval Air Station Corpus

Christi, Texas, in the

multi-engine aircrew

training role. To mark

the end of operations, a

ceremonial formation of

three VT-35 TC-12Bs flew

over Corpus Christi Bay

and the surrounding

area on May 12.

The last six aircraft

left the base on May

16, heading for Davis-

Monthan Air Force Base,

Arizona, for storage with

the 309th Aerospace

Maintenance and

Regeneration Group.

Three arrived at AMARG

the next day, followed

by the others on May 18.

A total of 25 TC-12Bs

had been in service,

having been converted

from UC-12B operational

support aircraft (OSA)

no longer required

following reduction

of the OSA fleet and

replacement by newer

aircraft. Dave Allport