LUFTWAFFE REVEALS
‘GHOST TIGER’ EF2000
THE LUFTWAFFE HAS prepared a
new special colour scheme for the
forthcoming NATO Tiger Meet, to
be held in Poland.
The markings have been
applied to Euro ghter EF2000
31+00 (GS077), known as ‘Ghost
Tiger’, which made its maiden
ight wearing the new design
on April 16.The jet is operated by Taktisches
Luftwa engeschwader 74
(TaktLwG 74) ‘Bavarian Tigers’,
based at Neuburg in Bavaria.
Poland’s 31. Baza Lotnictwa
Taktycznego (31st Tactical Aviation
Base) at Poznañ-Krzesiny hosts the
2018 Tiger Meet from May 14-25
— the rst time it has been held in
eastern Europe.SPAIN REQUESTS
CHINOOKS
THE POSSIBLE FOREIGN Military
Sale of CH-47F cargo helicopters
to Spain has been approved by
the US State Department. The
government of Spain requested
permission to purchase 17
Chinooks in a deal that could be
worth as much as $1.3 billion.
It includes customer-unique
modi cations and aircraft
survivability equipment (ASE).
Tom KaminskiAFGHAN AIR FORCE MAKING PROGRESS
SINCE RECEIVING ITS rst UH-60As
from the US last November, the
Afghan Air Force (AAF) has taken
delivery of 11 of the helicopters,
which are stationed at Kandahar
Air eld. Under current plans the
air force will receive 20 additional
Black Hawks by the end of 2018.
The US expects to deliver 159 of
the helicopters by 2023.
The Black Hawks are replacing
the AAF’s current eet of 46
Russian-built Mi-17s. Only 25 of
the Mi-17s were reported to be
operational.The rst group of Afghan
UH-60A pilots is in the nal phase
of instruction with US advisers at
Kandahar. As part of their 16-week
transition course, the pilots spend
six weeks undergoing aircraft
quali cation training and another
10 on mission quali cation training.
More than 30 AAF personnel are
entering the second phase of
training after undergoing instruction
in the US, the Czech Republic or the
United Arab Emirates.
The US is spending $814 million
over seven years as part of a planto update the AAF’s capacity and
capabilities. In addition to the Black
Hawks the air force is receiving
Cessna AC-208 light attack and
surveillance aircraft, A-29B light
attack aircraft and additional
MD530 attack helicopters.
An A-29B operated by the AAF
dropped a laser-guided bomb in
combat for the rst time on March- The 250lb (113kg) GBU-58
was delivered against a Taliban
compound in Afghanistan’s Farah
province.
Tom Kaminski
POTENTIAL F-16 SALE TO
SLOVAKIA APPROVED
THE US STATE Department has
approved a possible Foreign Military
Sale to Slovakia of F-16 aircraft and
associated equipment, weapons
and support. The project, which has
an estimated value of $2.91 billion,
includes 14 Block 70/72 F-16V series
aircraft that will be equipped with
General Electric F110 or Pratt &
Whitney F100 engines and AN/APG-83
active electronically scanned array
(AESA) radars. Weapons included in
the package comprise 30 AIM-120C-7
and 100 AIM-9X air-to-air missiles,
500lb (227kg) bombs and associated
precision guidance systems, and six
AN/AAQ-33 Sniper pods.
Slovakia is considering both the
F-16V and the Saab JAS 39 Gripen to
replace its current eet of MiG-29s,
which are not interoperable with
US forces or regional allies. A nal
selection is expected by the end of
June. Tom KaminskiGERMAN TRITON
PURCHASE APPROVED
THE US STATE Department has
given its approval for the possible
Foreign Military Sale of MQ-4C Triton
unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to
Germany. Germany had requested
permission to purchase four Triton
air vehicles and one mission control
station (MCS) comprising single
MD-3A main operating base (MOB)
and MD-3B forward operating base
(FOB) systems. The package, which
has an estimated value of $2.5
billion, includes associated systems,
spares, support equipment, training
and support. The Tritons will feature
German-unique modi cations
that will be made to the baseline
US Navy MQ-4C con guration.
Airbus Defence and Space, located
in Germany, will be responsible
for the unique systems. Germany
had previously cancelled plans
to purchase the RQ-4E EuroHawk
variant of the Global Hawk.
Tom KaminskiCHILEAN BLACK
HAWK DELIVERY
NEARS
SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT’S PZL
Mielec subsidiary will begin
delivering six S-70i helicopters
to the Chilean Air Force this
summer. The initial batch of
three Black Hawks, ordered
in December 2017, will be
turned over in August and
the remainder will follow in
October. The new S-70i models
will operate alongside a single
UH-60L already in service
with the air force’s Grupo 9
at Colina, north of Santiago.
Tom KaminskiAn Afghan Air Force UH-60A at Huntsville International Airport,
Alabama, where Science and Engineering Services (SES) prepares the
Black Hawks in support of the US Army’s Non-Standard Aircraft Project
Offi ce. Daniel BonnyMathias GrägelWORLD [NEWS]
http://www.combataircraft.net // June 2018 21
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