Combat aircraft

CANADA ANNOUNCES

FIGHTER CANDIDATES

C

ANADA’S OFFICE

OF Public Works and

Government Services

moved a step closer

to procuring 88

new  ghters for the

Department of National Defence

(DND) on February 22, when

it released the list of eligible

suppliers that will be invited to

submit proposals.

Canada’s future  ghter

capability project was launched

on December 12, 2017. Activities

will continue until spring 2019,

when the eligible suppliers will be

invited to submit proposals. They

will be assessed on cost, technical

requirements, and economic,

industrial and technological

bene ts. A contract award is

anticipated in 2021 or 2022, with

delivery of the  rst replacement

aircraft expected in 2025.

The eligible suppliers include

Dassault Aviation, Lockheed

Martin, the Boeing Company,

Saab AB and Airbus Defence and

Space GmbH. They are expected to

o er the Rafale, F-35A, F/A-18E/F,

Gripen E and Euro ghter

Typhoon in response to the

Canadian requirements. Boeing

made the decision to submit

its eligibility for the $19-billion

competition, despite an ongoing

trade dispute with the Canadian

government over subsidies for

Bombardier.

Tom Kaminski

Royal Canadian Air Force CF-188 fi ghters prepare to refuel from a

CC-130 Hercules over Cold Lake, Alberta during Exercise ‘Maple Flag’.

A replacement for the ‘legacy’ Hornet is now expected to arrive from

2025. Cpl Manuela Berger, 4 Wing

L-39CW RECEIVES TYPE CERTIFICATE

AERO VODOCHODY HAS received

the type certi cate for its L-39CW

jet trainer, a development of the

L-39 Albatros with a new engine

and modernized avionics.

The company is developing the

L-39NG in two phases, beginning

with integration of the Williams

International FJ44-4M engine and

new avionics. A second step will

introduce a new airframe and

other systems modi cations.

The intermediate L-39CW will

conduct  ight test activities

prior to the arrival of the new

airframe for the de nitive L-39NG.

The L-39CW will be o ered as

an upgrade for current L-39

operators.

The type certi cate was

granted by the military aviation

supervisory department of

the Czech Ministry of Defense,

following successful completion

of the development of the

L-39CW. Meanwhile, the  rst four

L-39NGs are now in pre-series

production.

Aero Vodochody

NETHERLANDS SEEKS

AH-64E UPGRADE

THE NETHERLANDS HAS

received approval from the US

State Department to upgrade its

existing  eet of 28 Block II AH-64D

attack helicopters to the latest

AH-64E con guration. According

to the US Defense Security

Co-operation Agency (DSCA),

the program is expected to cost

around $1.19 billion. The deal also

includes upgraded engines and 17

AN/APG-78 Longbow  re control

radars. The Dutch Apaches were

not previously equipped with

the radar. They were upgraded

from the Block I con guration in

2013-15. The Royal Netherlands

Air Force (RNLAF) originally

acquired 30 AH-64Ds in 1995 but

two were lost during operations

in Afghanistan and Mali.

Tom Kaminski

RNLAF AH-64Ds operating

at Tarin Kowt, Kamp

Holland in Afghanistan.

RNLAF

CANADA REJOINING NATO

EARLY WARNING FORCE

FOUR YEARS AFTER withdrawing

from the program as a cost-saving

move, Canada is once again

committing to NATO’s Airborne

Early Warning Force. The Canadian

government announced plans

to withdraw from the NATO E-3A

Component in 2011 and the

Canadian personnel assigned to it

departed from Geilenkirchen Air

Base, Germany, in mid-2014. The

government had hoped to save $79

million annually by withdrawing

from the program. Canada’s defense

minister announced the return during

a meeting of defense ministers in

Brussels on February 14. Rather than

assigning personnel to the force,

Canada will make an entry-level

 nancial commitment of around

$13.4-15.7 million annually ‘to its

operations and support budget’. The

assignment of Canadian personnel

may be considered at a later date.

Canada was one of the 12 original

nations that funded the NATO

AWACS program and the Royal

Canadian Air Force had previously

provided four complete  ight crews.

Canadian personnel have supported

USAF AWACS operations at Tinker

AFB, Oklahoma, since 1979. More

than 40 personnel are currently

embedded with seven squadrons

within the 552nd Air Control Wing.

Tom Kaminski

RAAF POSEIDON DELIVERED DIRECT

THE US DEFENSE Contract

Management Agency delivered the

Royal Australian Air Force’s sixth

P-8A to No 11 Squadron at RAAF

Base Edinburgh, South Australia,

on January 12. The arrival of the

Poseidon marked the  rst direct

delivery of a P-8A from Boeing’s

Seattle, Washington facility to

Australia. The  ve previous aircraft

were all delivered to Naval Air

Station Jacksonville, Florida, before

being ferried to Australia. Prior

to arriving in South Australia, the

Poseidon made intermediate stops

at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam,

Hawaii, where it picked up six

RAAF maintenance personnel,

and Andersen AFB, Guam.

Tom Kaminski

WORLD [NEWS]

http://www.combataircraft.net // May 2018 21

20-24 World News C.indd 21 21/03/2018 12:42