Aviation News Mega-Thread

n33d4sp33d_85 · Post by **n33d4sp33d_85** » Fri Sep 18, 2020 3:03 pm

https://lenews.ch/2020/09/18/referendum ... hter-jets/
https://theaviationgeekclub.com/usaf-co ... -and-f-35/
https://www.flightglobal.com/airlines/s ... 37.article
https://www.flightglobal.com/airlines/v ... 24.article
https://www.flightglobal.com/defence/ae ... 34.article
https://www.flightglobal.com/military-u ... 39.article
https://www.flightglobal.com/networks/r ... 33.article

n33d4sp33d_85 · Post by **n33d4sp33d_85** » Sat Sep 19, 2020 4:33 pm

https://eurasiantimes.com/china-prepare ... s-rafales/

n33d4sp33d_85 · Post by **n33d4sp33d_85** » Sun Sep 20, 2020 4:30 am

USAF's legacy C-130H will soldier on for years to come

On 14 September 2020, Collins Aerospace Systems, a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies Corp., announced that its company has been selected to deliver NP2000 propeller systems for an additional 30 Lockheed Martin C-130H legacy Hercules aircraft for the US Air National Guard (ANG) and Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC).

With its eight composite blades and digital Electronic Propeller Control System (EPCS), the NP2000 propeller systems offer a number of benefits. Compared to the older systems, they include a 20 percent thrust increase during take-off, a 20db sound reduction in the cockpit and a 50 percent reduction in maintenance man-hours. Along with C-130 variants, NP2000 has been in service with US and international customers on the Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye and C-2 Greyhound since 2004, and is planned for use on the Lockheed Martin P-3 Orion.

With this latest order, bringing the total order to 55 C-130H aircraft to date, Collins Aerospace continues to make progress toward USAF’s plan to retrofit approximately 160 legacy ANG and AFRC C-130H aircraft with NP2000. In addition to the new order, Collins Aerospace earned the system’s C-130H Air Worthiness Certification from the USAF and completed the first formal combined NP2000/EPCS installation on a USAF C-130H in April.

Recently, the USAF's C-130H NP2000 testteam, made up of 417th Flight Test Squadron and Wyoming ANG's 153rd Airlift Wing personnel, earned the 2019 "Gen. Mark A. Welsh III" One Air Force Award. More than eight different organisations were ultimately involved with the test effort. This joint testing began in January 2018 when Wyoming Air National Guard's 187th Airlift Squadron/ 153rd Airlift Wing C-130H 92-1536 arrived at Eglin AFB (FL) with its team.

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USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) is back from an underway with Carrier Air Wing (CVW) Two, fully integrating and operating together for the first time since the addition of the F-35C Lightning II.

Vinson is completing flight deck certification and carrier air trafic control certification and is preparing for its first deployment with the Lightning II that is planned for 2021.

#AdvancedCarrierAirWing #Sealightning #ForgedByTheSea #usn #usnavy #aviation #MilitaryAviation #AviationNews #F35

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n33d4sp33d_85 · Post by **n33d4sp33d_85** » Mon Sep 21, 2020 12:48 am

https://eurasiantimes.com/no-more-rafal ... fale-jets/

n33d4sp33d_85 · Post by **n33d4sp33d_85** » Mon Sep 21, 2020 3:12 pm

While the USAF is conducting new ABMS tests with the unmanned Reaper, they are eagerly looking for a new successor

On 3 September 2020, as part of the United States Air Force's Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS) Onramp #2 tests, an MQ-9 Reaper, assigned to the 556th Test and Evaluation Squadron, successfully employed a live air-to-air AIM-9X Block 2 missile against a BQM-167 target drone simulating a cruise missile.

At Creech AFB (NV), the 556th Test and Evaluation Squadron, alongside Developmental Test partners, the 26th Weapons Squadron, and industry partners collaborated to plan and execute this event, validating a concept emerging from the USAF Weapons School. Connecting the squadron operations cell and the ground-based cockpit to the ABMS network to enable the MQ-9 to target the BQM-167 was a significant effort that required resolution to the numerous technical challenges to provide this connection.

During the test, USAF Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2) provided critical data to the MQ-9 and crew for timely and accurate target information. The network integration and cross-domain solutions proven during the ABMS demonstration significantly decreased the total time from target discovery to engagement to battle damage assessment. The MQ-9 crew received off-board cueing information, found and tracked the target, then maneuvered to validly employ the AIM-9X against the surrogate cruise missile.

Meanwhile, the USAF and industry partners are planning on a new effort to field a replacement for the MQ-9 Reaper. Multiple defence companies are now stepping up with new, long-range, stealthy design concepts for the emerging MQ-Next competition. On 11 September 2020, Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin released proposals of their respective offerings for the USAF’s MQ-Next programme. Northrop Grumman made public its swarming SG-2 concept, and Lockheed announced its flying-wing design. On 14 September 2020, General Atomics, which builds the MQ-9 Reaper, put out a concept drawing of a next-generation Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.

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Franco-German C-130J Super Hercules squadron at Evreux/Fauville (France)

On Thursday 17 September 2020, the German Defence minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and the French Defence minister Florence Parly symbolically laid the foundation stone for the Franco-German Lockheed C-130J Super Hercules squadron.

"For the first time, aircraft, crews and mechanics will work in the same Franco-German unit. This unprecedented integration shows the strength and coherence of European defense ..." said French Defence Minister Parly. The squadron should be ready for use from 2021.

The yet unnamed squadron will operate ten Lockheed Martin C-130J transport aircraft, four French and six German, will be stationed at Evreux/Fauville (Normandy) by 2023 and operated by 260 airmen, 130 French and 130 Germans. At Base Aérienne 105 (BA105), work has already begun to provide a new building for the squadron, new operating areas and parking spaces for the aircraft on an area of 20 hectares. The costs are put at 70 million euros, which are financed by both France and Germany.

Four French Super Hercules aircraft, two C-130J-30s and two KC-130Js, have already been delivered to Escadre de Transport 2/61 "Le Bougnat" (ET02.061) at BA123 in Orléans/Bricy before moving to Evreux/Fauville in the summer of 2021. The other Hercules transport aircraft of ET02.061 are not involved in the new squadron. The new unit's transport aircraft are intended for logistical transport, but also for in-flight refueling, especially for helicopters. The six German aircraft, three C-130J-30s and three KC-130Js, will arrive between 2021 and 2023 in order to achieve full squadron capacity by 2024.

The project agreed in 2017 by Chancellor Angela Merkel and the then newly elected President Emmanuel Macron provides for Franco-German pilots and mechanics teams to fly and maintain a total of ten transport aircraft regardless of their nationality. "That has never happened before," said the French defence minister. "It's a real revolution: for the first time, pilots and mechanics, French and German airmen will train, work and fly missions together and share their everyday lives in a squadron," she said.

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On 20 September 2020, it was announced by the Austrian Defence Minister Klaudia Tanner that she has decided to purchase eighteen Leonardo AW169Ms to replace the Bundesheer obsolete 21 strong fleet of Alouette IIIs. The official announcement is expected later this week as the Austrian newspaper Krone reports.

The order with Leonardo will cost the Austrian taxpayers about USD 352 million (300 million euro), this includes training, logistics, spares and new infrastructure. The first AW169M could be delivered in mid-2022. Of the eighteen new helicopters, six will be used for training and for secondary missions like air ambulance and civilian support.

The Österreichische Luftstreitkräfte (Austrian Air Force) originally purchased 26 SA316B/SE3160 Allouette IIIs and these were delivered from 1967 onwards. The primary task of the Alouette III, acting as a light utility helicopter, was later on added with a secundary task, rescue helicopter. In 1986, the Bundesheer bought two additional second-hand SE3160s as attrition replacements (both former Jordanian Air Force) while more recent, in 1999, a sole Swiss built SA316B was added to the fleet.

Scramble currently assesses that some twenty Alouette IIIs are still operational. The helicopters are assigned to the Kommando Luftunterstützung (air support command). That command operates the Verbindungshubschrauberstaffel (Communication squadron) at Aigen im Ennstal air base. The staffel operates several detachments, Hubschrauber-Stützpunkten, at Klagenfurt, Punitz and Schwaz air bases. At Tulln-Langenlebarn air base, the Flieger- und Fliegerabwehrtruppenschule 'FlFlATS' with Lehrabteilung Hubschrauber is based, the unit responsible for Alouette 3 pilot training.

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AFSC vintage Boeing 707 to be stored at AMARG

On 16 September 2020, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Lincoln Laboratory Flight Test Facility flew the Air Force Systems Command (AFSC) specialised Boeing B707-321B registration N404PA (msn 18835) on its last training flight from Hanscom AFB (MA). The highly modified aircraft flew its final data collection mission in its long history of service to the Laboratory and the nation.

AFSC operated the aircraft since August 1989, a mere 31 years of continuing service. The B707 was built in early 1965, and came into Pan Am’s fleet in March of that year, christened Clipper Seven Seas. One of the first B-707s outfitted with new Pratt and Whitney JT-3D Turbofan engines, Clipper Seven Seas could operate with a marked improvement in range and profitability over earlier B-707 models. For fourteen years she flew in Pan Am livery, carrying thousands of passengers across millions of miles.

Following her Pan Am days, she had a short career on lease to several non-scheduled operators before landing in storage for most of the 1980s. But unlike many of her contemporaries, she was destined for something more exciting than a future of slow dissolution in a desert “bone yard.” In 1989, N404PA, a quarter-century old but still ready for more flight time, Clipper Seven Seas was chosen to become a vehicle for research and development of advanced electronic systems. She’s been evolving in that role ever since, with appropriate modifications to accommodate new on-board equipment.

The B707 will now enter into “disposition status” in preparation for ferry and final transfer to the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG) at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (AZ) next month.

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New C-130J Hercules aircraft for Koninklijke Luchtmacht

On Wednesday 2 September 2020, Lieutenant Colonel Jorrit de Gruijter handed over command of the Koninklijke Luchtmacht 336 Squadron "Blackbulls" to Lieutenant Colonel Maurice Schonk. From Eindhoven air base, the Blackbulls provide tactical air transport with the C-130H and C-130H-30 Hercules.

During his speech, de Gruijter looked back to his early days as a commander where he commmerated not only the training and education of the squadron, but also the cooperation with their strategic partners within the Dutch Armed Forces. He also mentioned that the unit managed to bring the replacement of the classic Hercules transporters forward. So not just from 2030, but about five years earlier.

In his speech, Lieutenant Colonel Schonk indicated that he was proud of this new position and that he continued where his predecessor left off. The squadron will soon be the cornerstone of the Air Mobility Command and the squadron will grow in terms of personnel. The C-130 technical service and mission related departments such as Intelligence, Mission Planning, Flight Coordination and Load & Facility are added to the 336 Blackbull team. With the completion of the squadron, the squadron is ready for the transition to new aircraft by mid-2025 and to an even brighter future.

It is reported that the Dutch government most probably will acquire five new Super Hercules for the Koninklijke Luchtmacht (KLu, Royal Netherlands Air Force). It is not yet known if they will purchase the C-130J or the C-130J-30 or a combination of these two.

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Airbus has unveiled three zero-emission concept aircraft which could see commercial service by 2035. The three concepts show a different path to zero-emission flights, but are all based on hydrogen power. The aircraft manufacturer strongly believes hydrogen holds "exceptional promise" as a clean aviation fuel and an important way for the aerospace industry to reach their climate-neutral targets.

The three concepts, which are all codenamed ZEROe are:

* A turbofan, almost regular, design, able to carry up to 200 passengers over 2,000 nautical miles. It is powered by modified engines running on hydrogen through combustion. The liquid hydrogen will be stored and transported via tanks that are located behind the rear pressure bulkhead.

* A turboprop, seating up to 100 passengers and able to carry them over 1,000 nautical miles. This aircraft will also feature modified engines burning liquid hydrogen instead of regular fuel.

* The most notable design is that of the "blended-wing-body", or BWB-design. This plane could also carry 200 passengers over 2,000 nautical miles, but offers more aerodynamic improvements as well as more options to store the hydrogen and innovative cabin designs.

Airbus will use these concepts to discuss further development with airlines and airports around the world. The idea is to have a technology demonstrator in the air by 2026-2028 and then a commercial aircraft by 2035.

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On 21 September, the Lufthansa supervisory board is to vote on a revised widebody fleet-plan. As a result of a much slower restoration of passenger demand, Lufthansa has decided to alter its plan and remove more planes from the fleet.

Part of the plan is the permanent retirement of all remaining four-engined aircraft, save for the B747-8s. This means the end for 17 Airbus A340-300s, 17 A340-600s and their remaining eight A380s and seven The Boeing Company B747-400s, leaving the 19 B747-8s as the only quads in the fleet.

However, not all is bad, as Lufthansa is also condidering the acceleration of deliveries of new A350-900s. The airline already operates 16 of these and has another 25 on order. The new A350s are needed to cover the gap left behind by the accelerated retirement of the quad-engined planes as well as delays in the deliveries of their B777-9s, which are now scheduled to begin in 2022.

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The first of eight The Boeing Company B787-9s for South Korean start-up AIR PREMIA has rolled-out of the paintshop at Everett (WA). The aircraft is c/n 66407 and l/n 1047. It will become HL8387.

Air Premia ordered five B787-9s directly with Boeing in October 2019 and also has lease-agreements with ALC for another three. The airline is planning to configure the aircraft with premium economy and ecomomy-seats.

The original, pre-COVID, plan was to first start flying at the end of this year from Seoul-Incheon to regional destinations and later to Los Angeles (CA) and San Jose (CA). In 2021 more destinations in Europe and Oceania would follow. If these plans are still valid remains to be seen.
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n33d4sp33d_85 · Post by **n33d4sp33d_85** » Mon Sep 21, 2020 3:15 pm

n33d4sp33d_85 · Post by **n33d4sp33d_85** » Tue Sep 22, 2020 3:04 pm

Now something completely different: Earn Money With F-35s !

The Dutch government entered the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) programme as a junior level II partner and invested USD 800 million in the programme. It became known that the Netherlands have already received export royalty payments on F-35s exported to non-partner nations as part of their membership.

The royalties of the partners of the JSF programme (Norway, Denmark, Australia, Canada, Turkey, the Netherlands, Italy and Great Brittain) were not made public before. The export F-35 royalty payment to the Netherlands contained up to 2020 USD 13,7 million.

The Dutch Ministry of Defense’s revelaes that sales to non-partner nations will generate additional payments of over USD 91 million in the near future. They calculated the first payment back into their treasury was larded covering just 53 Lightning IIs and sixty 60 F135-PW-100 engine, with royalty payments amounting to USD 223,500 on each F-35A and USD 31,200 on each engine, for a total of USD 13,7 million.

By December 2020, it is expected that 77 F-35s and 84 F135s will have been delivered by December 2020 to non-partner countries, and further FMS deliveries to non-partner countries are planned for 2021 and later years, on which The Netherlands will receive their promised royalties. Over 300 export aircraft and 300 engines are to be delivered and the accompanying royalties are expected an to reach USD 79,4 million (USD 258,500 each) for the aircraft and a minimum of USD 12,2 million (USD 39,600 each) for the engines.
So when this is completed, the Dutchies generated over USD 104 million in their JSF investments!

A report published by Defense-Aerospace added that incidentally, the increase in the number of export F-35s also means that the Dutch financial contribution to the Production, Sustainment, and Follow-On Development (PSFD) phase has increased to USD 221,1 million excluding VAT, up from USD 213 million for their original ordered 37 Lightning IIs. So the Pentagon’s F-35 Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme to Belgium, Japan, Israel, Poland and South Korea (and additional FMS sales are anticipated) will increase the royalties.

The sole Level I partner (UK) will even get more royalty payments, Level III partners as Australia, Denmark, Norway, Canada will generate lower royalty payments. It is not revelaed what happened to Level III partner Turkey...

Back to the Netherlands... the Dutch technology industry revenue from the JSF programme is growing day-by-day, they were granted multiple contract, and in 2019 these valued already a massive 363,3 million. The total value of orders (up to 2020) received by some 90 (25 from the beginning) companies and institutions in the JSF programme is estimated already USD 1,911 million (USD 1,1 billion) with thousands of jobs, not bad, especially when keeping in mind that the Dutch invested some 4,3 billion euro (in September 2013 USD 5,2 billion) for the first order of 37 aircraft and 1,1 billion euro (USD 1,3 billion) for the second order of nine aircraft.

The great thing about this newsreport is most often only the massive investments in such military programmes are reported in the media, and opposition parties in the government love to battle this, but scarcely the great benefits (the aforementioned generated money and a lot of jobs) are highlighted! And the F-35 programme is only running from 2001 onwards (the Level II and III partners jumped in in June 2002), with many years to come!

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Second Multi-Role Enforcement Aircraft contract for US C&BP

On 22 September 2020, the US Customs & Border Protection (US C&BP) awarded Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) a second USD 47 milion contract to expand the Multi-Role Enforcement Aircraft (MEA) fleet, bringing the total MEA aircraft orders to four in 2020. This is unprecedented for a single year *). SNC has been the prime systems engineer and integrator for the MEA fleet since 2009.

The MEA aircraft is a fully certified, highly-missionised version of the King Air 350, equipped with a sophisticated array of active and passive sensors, technical collection equipment and satellite communications capabilities. The aircraft have a range of up to six hours flying time and provides integrated multi-role special mission services to US C&BP and is capable of carrying out a wide range of missions. The King Air is operated by a crew of four, including two sensor operators who employ the mission equipment and coordinate the information flow to the ground.

This twin turboprop aircraft platform leverages more than 15 years of SNC’s King Air modification and integration heritage and 800,000+ hours of operational experience on special mission platforms for a wide array of government and military customers.

To date, SNC has provided a fleet of twenty other King Air 350 aircraft used to safeguard the nation as part of US C&BP’s coordinated aviation and maritime law enforcement efforts. All four additional MEA aircraft are expected to be delivered in 2022. SNC will continue to perform work covered by this contract from its facilities in Hagerstown (MD).

Looking up the FAA registry reveals that the owner of the aircraft, the US Department of Homeland Security, is named in various ways, all with small differences. We can identify the following twenty airframes:

c/n FL-679 N187V
c/n FL-770 N192F
c/n FM-36 N561A
c/n FM-37 N610A
c/n FM-38 N716A
c/n FM-41 N814A
c/n FM-43 N917A
c/n FM-52 N161V
c/n FM-53 N108F
c/n FM-56 N631L
c/n FM-59 N151Q
c/n FM-62 N218Q
c/n FM-64 N419K
c/n FM-65 N517K
c/n FM-66 N115H
c/n FM-67 N816H
c/n FM-72 N162G
c/n FM-73 N811H
c/n FM-74 N541G
c/n FM-78 N78KR

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First Czech Air Force L-159 re-delivered and 20 years L-159 operations

On 20 September 2020, Aero Vodochody re-delivered the first L-159 ALCA back to the Vzdušné síly armády České republiky (CzAF, Czech Air Force) undergoing a major overhaul after 16 years of operation (PP16). The aircraft, serial 6052, is operated by the 212. Tacticka Letka (212.TL) which is based at Caslav.

Sixteen L-159 ALCA single-seater light combat aircraft are undergoing this overhaul, which will see the service life extended with another eight years. PP16 is the second regular maintenance check of single seat L-159s, the first check after eight years of service was performed by Aero Vodochody in 2009–2013. The main improvements are adjustments for the use of Night Vision Goggles (NVG), installation of ESIS (Electronic Standby Instrument System) replacing several spare instruments, and external aircraft lighting.

Next to single seat ALCAs, the Czech Air Force also operates five L-159T1 and three L-159T2 advanced training aircraft. Aero Vodochody aims to make the whole L-159 fleet NVG compatible in the near future.

The contract for the major overhaul of the sixteen L-159s was signed at the IDET fair in Brno in 2019 and has a total value of € 60 million including repairs. At this moment, eight L-159s are in various stages of overhaul at Aero Vodochody with another one expected to arrive this year. By the end of 2022 all sixteen L-159s should be fully operational again.

2020 is also the year of 20 years L-159 operations. For this occasion the Czech Air Force painted an L-159 in a special colour scheme. The aircraft, serial 6070, was shown at the NATO Days held at Ostrava, one of the airshows which went through but without public and could only be observed online.

#avgeek #avgeeks #militaryaviation #CzechAirForce #AeroVodochody #L159 #ALCA #Czechia

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Latest Spanish Defence initiatives

Combining the needs of the Ejército del Aire (EdA, Spanish Air Force) for new aircraft and the intension of the government to minimise the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Spanish aircraft industry the Spanish Ministry of Defence is working out several acquisition plans.

Talks with Airbus involve the replacement of the P-3M Orion with four C295 maritime patrol aircraft, preferably with anti-submarine capabilities. An additional proposal is to increase the EdA's in-flight refuelling capacity by the purchase of three former Iberia Airbus A330 aircraft and convert them into MRTT tankers with the possibility to be used for medical evacuations.

The air force and the Ministry of the Interior (MoI) also agreed on the purchase of 36 Airbus H135 helicopters for a not yet specified distribution over the Armed Forces, Guardia Civil and the National Police. Budget-allowing, this number may be increased to 59. Delivery schedules have not been disclosed yet.

The F/A-18A Hornets of 462 Esc at Gando AB (Gran Canaria) are due to be replaced by new Eurofighters. Signing of the contract is expected in 2021 after which Programme Falcon will involve the purchase of 20 Eurofighters for around 2 billion euros, with deliveries scheduled to commence in 2025.

Subsequently, also the EF-18Ms of Ala 12 at Torrejon AB and Ala 15 at Zaragoza AB are up for replacement. Airbus has offered 20 to 30 Eurofighter LTEs (Long Term Evolution, the latest version) to replace the whole EF-18M fleet, but the air force is considering a mix of the Eurofighter LTE and a new fifth-generation fighter. Likely candidates for the second fighter are the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and the Lockheed F-35 Lightning II. Selection of the F-35 would be interesting in view of the future replacement of the EAV-8B Matadors of the Armada (Spanish Navy). A decision is expected within two years, the withdrawal of the EF-18M fleet in 2030.

Also expected soon is a decision on the intension to design and produce an all-Spanish new advanced jet trainer aircraft to replace the ageing CASA 101EB and SF-5M trainers. In case of green light, Airbus will manufacture the new jet in collaboration with various Spanish companies for specific components and technologies. It is hoped that also other countries, Germany and France in particular, will be interested in purchasing this new trainer. The SF-5M is scheduled for withdrawal from service around 2028, so time is short for this ambitious plan.

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n33d4sp33d_85 · Post by **n33d4sp33d_85** » Tue Sep 22, 2020 3:08 pm

https://eurasiantimes.com/mig-21-fighte ... this-time/
https://eurasiantimes.com/neutral-unsur ... -business/
https://eurasiantimes.com/why-uks-indig ... relations/
https://focustaiwan.tw/politics/202009220023
https://theaviationist.com/2020/09/22/t ... rom-c-27j/
https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2020/ ... er-reuters
https://www.croatiaweek.com/croatian-fi ... l-bidders/
https://www.defenceconnect.com.au/strik ... ke-fighter
https://www.flightglobal.com/air-transp ... 77.article
https://www.flightglobal.com/airframers ... 73.article
https://www.flightglobal.com/fleets/rwa ... 61.article
https://www.flightglobal.com/helicopter ... 74.article
https://www.flightglobal.com/military-u ... 71.article
https://www.flightglobal.com/networks/i ... 65.article
https://www.flightglobal.com/strategy/a ... 75.article

n33d4sp33d_85 · Post by **n33d4sp33d_85** » Wed Sep 23, 2020 3:05 pm

The US Marine Corps and the Royal Air Force are now operating with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 211 "The Wake Island Avengers" ('CF-xx') and 617sq "Dambusters" from HMS Queen Elizabeth off the coast of the United Kingdom.

Together they form the largest 5th generation Carrier Air Wing in the world onboard the 65,000 ton brand-new carrier.

This month’s overarching UK-led Group Exercise will see VMFA-211, 617sq and HMS Queen Elizabeth joined by six Royal Navy destroyers, frigates and auxiliaries for exercises with NATO allies in the North Sea.

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Two Russian Federation - Naval Aviation (AVMF-RF) MiG-31s of the Northern Fleet were SCRAMBLE'd to intercept a British reconnaissance aircraft approaching the Russian border over the Barents Sea as Russia National Defense Management Center reported on 21 September 2020.

The Russian airspace early warning stations detected a Royal Air Force Sentinel R1 of 5(AC)sq (based at RAF Waddington, UK) over the neutral waters of the Barents Sea approaching Russia’s state border. After the escort, both Foxhouds returned to home base, most probably Malyavr, Severomorsk-3 (Russia).

Scramble only has knowledge of Russian Navy MiG-31s based at Pacific Fleet's Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy / Yelizovo air base (Russia). Is anyone able to confirm the MiG-31 also with the Northern Fleet? Or... did belong the MiG-31s to the Russian Federation - Aerospace Forces (RF VKS) and were they assigned to the 6th Leningrad Red Banner Air and Air Defence Army, 98th Independent Composite Aviation Regiment based to Monchegorsk air base, part of the Russian Air Force Western Military District, south of Moermansk near the Barents Sea?

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Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 9 "Vampires" retired their last legacy Hornet when an F/A-18C "Vampire 301" (BuNo 164223, former XE-301) left for the final time home base NAWS China Lake (CA) on 22 September 2020. VX-9 now only operates the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, EA-18G Growler and F-35C Lightning II.

The US Navy continues to operate with the F/A-18C/D, assigned to
Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center (NAWDC) "Top Gun / Strike" ('xxx') at NAS Fallon (NV) and the US Navy Reserve squadrons Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 204 "River Rattlers" ('AF-4xx') at NAS New Orleans JRB (LA) and Fighter Squadron Composite (VFC) 12 "Ambush / Fighting Omars" ('AF-xx') at NAS Oceana (VA).

The US Navy baby Hornets are clearly becoming a dying breed. Of course the US Marine Corps continues to operate these types for many years to come.

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n33d4sp33d_85 · Post by **n33d4sp33d_85** » Wed Sep 23, 2020 3:11 pm

https://www.defenseworld.net/news/27906 ... _to_Greece
https://www.flightglobal.com/air-transp ... 85.article
https://www.flightglobal.com/airlines/c ... 78.article
https://www.flightglobal.com/airlines/i ... 90.article
https://www.flightglobal.com/airlines/n ... 92.article
https://www.flightglobal.com/helicopter ... 82.article

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