Airforces - Typhoon school

22 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com

NEWS

// APRIL 2018 #361

Middle East

Latest Omani Typhoons delivered

Above: Single-seat RAFO Typhoon serial 215 (NS006, ZR406) at Luqa on February 5.  Ruben Zammit

THE LATEST two Typhoons

for the Royal Air Force

of Oman (RAFO) have

been delivered.  The jets,

serials 215 (NS006, ZR406)

and 216 (NS007, ZR407),

passed through Malta

International Airport and

RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus on

route to the Gulf.  They

bring total RAFO deliveries

to date to ten, from an

order for 12 aircraft –

three twin-seaters and

nine single-seaters.  The

two aircraft completed

their maiden flights on

August 22 and September

7 last year, respectively.

The Sultanate of

Oman announced its

decision to purchase 12

Typhoons along with eight

Hawk Mk166 trainers

in December 2012.

The first two RAFO

Typhoons, both two-seat

variants, 200 (NT001, ex

ZR410) and 201 (NT002,

ex ZR411), departed

Warton on June 19 last

year for their ferry flight

to Oman.  Two more jets

left Warton on August 7,

comprising single-seater

210 (NS001, ex ZR401) and

the last of the three twin-

stick aircraft on order,

202 (NT003, ex ZR412).

An additional pair of

Typhoons departed Warton

on their delivery flights last

October 9.  The single-

seat aircraft were 211

(NS002, ex ZR402) and

212 (NS003, ZR403).

The next pair of single-

seat RAFO Typhoons

departed Warton for their

delivery flight on November

20.  These were aircraft
    213 (NS004, ex ZR404)
    that had first flown on
    June 13, and 214 (NS005,
    ex ZR405), which first
    took to the air on July 4.

Last of 12

new Black

Hawks

delivered

to Jordan

JORDAN HAS taken

delivery of the last of 12

new UH-60Ms, deliveries

of which began in March

last year.  The Black

Hawks from the final

shipment were formally

accepted by the Royal

Jordanian Air Force (RJAF)

during a ceremony at

Zarqa/King Abdullah II

Air Base in Jordan on

January 28.  They had

arrived in the country

during December.

As part of the strategic

partnership between

the US and Jordan, US

Congress appropriated

$470m last year for the

Jordanian Armed Forces

and RJAF.  This financed

training for pilots, crew

chiefs and maintenance

technicians, as well as

providing spare parts,

ground equipment

weapons, ammunition

and shelters for the Black

Hawks.  Dave Allport

IRIAF’s sole

passenger Boeing

747 under overhaul

DEPOT MAINTENANCE

of the Islamic Republic of

Iran Air Force’s (IRIAF’s)

sole passenger-configured

Boeing 747-270C, 5-8106

Princess of Babylon

(ex YI-AGN), began in

January.  The aircraft

is now undergoing the

final stages of airframe

overhaul and work has

commenced to make

its avionics compatible

with International Air

Transport Association

(IATA) and International

Civil Aviation Organization

(ICAO) standards.  A flight

management system,

ground proximity warning

system, traffic collision

avoidance system and

other navigation aids will

be installed on 5-8106

ahead of a first flight

projected for December.

Serial 5-8106 is one

of two ex-Iraqi Airways

examples (YI-AGO and

YI-AGN) evacuated to Iran

days before Operation

Desert Storm in 1991 and

later confiscated.  YI-AGO

was transferred to Iran

Air while YI-AGN entered

IRIAF service, replacing

the previous 5-8106, a

Boeing 747-131F bombed

by Iraqi Air Force fighters at

Orumiyeh Airport in 1985.

After being grounded

at the 1st Independent

Transport Base at

Mehrabad, 5-8106

underwent depot

maintenance at the

Fajr-Ashian (FARSCo)

maintenance, repair and

overhaul (MRO) centre from

2005 until July 2007.  It

was redelivered to the

11th Squadron and logged

its first logistical support

mission in September 2007.

In May 2013, after the

Iranian Civil Aviation

Organization revoked

Saha Airlines’ air operator

certificate, the IRIAF was

no longer able to lease

5-8106 for passenger

flights and the aircraft was

grounded.  The increased

demands of carrying

troops to Syria led to the

decision to bring it back

into service.  A contract

for depot maintenance

and avionics upgrade

was signed between

the IRIAF and FARSCo

in December 2016.

The IRIAF today has a fleet

of six 747-131Fs including

three tanker variants and

three 747-2J9Fs with

nose cargo doors.

Of these, only three are

airworthy due to a lack of

funds.  These are 5-8101/

EP-CQB (the world’s

oldest active 747), 5-8103

(a tanker) and 5-8113 (747-

2J9F) which underwent

similar maintenance and

upgrade with FARSCo

between 2015 and

2 017.  Babak Taghvaee

Above: Ex-Iraqi Airways Boeing 747-270C 5-8106 during its overhaul at the Fajr-Ashian MRO

facility in February.  MW