AirForces Monthly – July 2018

NEWS North America

16 // JULY 2018 #364 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com

A FORMAL ceremony

on May 11 at Marine

Corps Base Cherry

Point, North Carolina,

marked the deactivation of

Marine Electronic Attack

Squadron (VMAQ) 3

‘Moon Dogs’. The unit –

formed at Cherry Point on

July 1, 1992 – was finally

deactivated on May 31.

In recent years the

EA-6B Prowler had

been heavily involved in

operations over Syria, but

the unit completed its last

scheduled deployment from

April to September 2017 at

Incirlik, Tur key, supporting

Operation Inherent

Resolve. Three VMAQ-

3 ICAP EA-6Bs were

present at the deactivation

ceremony, 161242 ‘MD-

02 ’, 163524 ‘MD-04’ and

163527 ‘ 0 4.1’. These last

remaining aircraft with

the unit were all flown to

Davis-Monthan Air Force

Base, Arizona, on May 15

for storage with the 309th

Aerospace Maintenance

and Regeneration Group.

The unit’s fourth aircraft,

163400 ‘MD - 0 0’, had

been flown to Davis-

Monthan on February 14.

This leaves VMAQ-

‘Death Jesters’, also based

at Cherry Point, as the final

squadron flying the type.

VMAQ-2, which is currently

deployed to Al Udeid,

Qatar, will begin its own

deactivation process on

October 1, which will bring

USMC Prowler operations

to an end. Dave Allport

‘Elephant

walk’ at

Yokota

Above: Twelve C-130Js from the 36th AS take part in an elephant walk before taking off during the 374th AW generation

exercise at Yokota AB on May 4. USAF/Yasuo Osakabe

YOKOTA AIR Base, Japan,

has completed an ‘elephant

walk’ and formation flight

for the first time with 12

recently received C-130Js

of the 36th Airlift Squadron,

374th Airlift Wing. An

elephant walk is a large-

scale generation exercise

that involves all aircraft on

base. During the formation

flight, the C-130Js flew

over the ocean, throughout

the Kanto Plains and

through mountainous

terrain around Mount Fuji,

and dropped sand bags

on Yokot a’s airfield to test

and improve capabilities

while flying together.

USAF selects

B-21 locations

US AIR Force Global

Strike Command

(AFGSC) has confirmed

that the forthcoming

B-21 Raider will replace

the B-1B and B-2A at

three existing bomber

bases. The USAF has

selected Dyess Air Force

Base, Texas; Ellsworth

AFB, South Dakota,

and Whiteman AFB,

Missouri, as “reasonable

alternatives” to host the

new B-21 aircraft. Using

the current bomber

bases will “minimise

operational impact, reduce

overhead, maximise

re-use of facilities and

minimise cost,” according

to air force officials.

“Our current bomber

bases are best suited for

the B-21,” said Secretary

of the Air Force Heather

A Wilson. “We expect

the first B-21 Raider

aircraft to be delivered

in the mid-2020s.”

The USAF will make

a final B-21 basing

decision next year.

Above: AFSOC AC-208 Combat Caravan N321NH, with a
single Hellfi re missile under the starboard wing, takes off
from Hurlburt Field, Florida, with Secretary of the Air Force
Heather Wilson on board. USAF/Airman 1st Class Rachel Yates

DURING A visit to Hurlburt

Field, Florida, on May 3,

Secretary of the Air Force

Heather Wilson was given

an aerial tour of the base on

board an Air Force Special

Operations Command

(AFSOC) AC-208B Combat

Caravan. Images of the

aircraft were released by

the 1st Special Operations

Wing’s Public Affairs office,

marking what is believed to

be the first time photographs

have been publicly released

of the armed AC-

variant in AFSOC service.

The AC-208 is based at

Duke Field, Florida, and

painted in an overall white

colour scheme. Apart

from the registration, the

only other markings are a

black question mark in a

black outlined circle on the

underside of the fuselage,

which is repeated on both

sides of the fin. This

indicates the aircraft is

operated by the 6th Special

Operations Squadron (SOS),

part of the 492nd Special

Operations Wing at Duke

Field. The 6th SOS is a

combat aviation advisory

squadron, its primary

mission being to train and

advise foreign aviation

forces. Although it is known

to have been operating

intelligence, surveillance

and reconnaissance (ISR)

variants of the Cessna

208B, it had not previously

been reported as flying

the weaponised AC-208.

The 6th SOS AC-208B,

N321NH (c/n 208B5349),

is registered to NASS

Holdings LLC (a division of

North American Surveillance

Systems), based in Titusville,

Florida. The company has

previously been contracted

by the USAF to modify and

integrate ISR capabilities

into Cessna 208Bs for

overseas sales to Chad,

Cameroon, Niger and the

Philippines. It has also

been awarded a contract by

AFSOC to provide a Cessna

208B Grand Caravan EX

on lease to provide ISR

crew training for partner

nations. Dave Allport

AFSOC operating armed Combat Caravan

Penultimate Prowler squadron deactivated

Above: EA-6B 163524 ‘MD-04’ from VMAQ-3 at the unit’s

deactivation ceremony. USMC/Cpl Autumn Laning