FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1975
1975 - 1687.PDF
FLIGHT International, 28 August 1975 WORLD AIR FORCES SENEGAL Armee de l'Air du Senegal This small internal security, transport and liaison force with some 200 personnel, mainly Senegalese, benefits from a training agreement with France. Current equip ment totals six C-47s, four Broussards, two Alouette lis, one Gazelle and a Reims F.337. SIERRA LEONE Sierra Leone Defence Force Four Saab MFT-15 primary trainers were delivered to this small military arm in 1973 and were followed by two Hughes 500s and one Hughes 300 helicopter. SINGAPORE Singapore Air Defence Command Since the RAF withdrawal in 1971, Singapore's air arm has expanded considerably and currently flies an effective strike force and operates as an integral part of an air-defence system with Malaysia. Two strike squadrons are working-up on 40 A-4S and three two-seat TA-4S Skyhawks refurbished from ex-US Navy A-4Bs by Lockheed Aircraft Services in Singapore and incorporating much British equip ment for standardisation. Two opera tional Hunter strike squadrons, 140 and 141 Sqn, fly most of the 38 FGA.74/ FR.74s and nine T.75s delivered origi nally, and a strike /trainer unit, 130 Sqn, has 15 Strikemaster Mk 82s based at Changi. In the primary training role, 150 Sqn operates 16 Siai-Marchetti SF.260MSs. For SAR and transport duties six Short Skyvans and seven Alouette Ills equip 120 Sqn. Changi, Seletar and Tengah are the SADC's main bases. SOMALIA Somalian Aeronautical Corps Soviet military aid continues to be provided to the armed forces of this African state and under an agreement Soviet long- range aircraft use Somalian bases. Soviet equipment supplied to the air arm includes ten MiG-21s and a total of 44 MiG-15UTIs and MiG-17s. Some of the 2,500 Soviet advisers in the country are assigned to the air force. A bomber unit has ten Il-28s. The trans port force flies three C-47s, a C-45, at least three An-24s and An-26s and three An-2s. Eight Piaggio P.148s fly in the primary training role with 20 Yak-lls. One helicopter squadron has Mi-4s, Mi-8s and some AB.204s. The Police Air Wing has two Dornier Do28 Skyservants for use in the liaison and supply roles. Devoid of all insignia, including serial numbers, this Hunter FGA.9 of the Rhodesian Air Force stands at dispersal 309 SOUTH AFRICA South African Air Force With the con tinuing ban on arms supplies to South Africa by many countries, self-suffi ciency by means of licence production of a number of types is now well under way. The Atlas Aircraft Corp is cur rently building the Aermacchi MB.326M and the K single-seat strike version of the M, and plans are well advanced for the production of the Mirage F.l. Six teen F.1CZ intercepters and 32 F.1AZ ground-attack aircraft are required initially with more orders likely. France has begun delivery of the F.lCZs and these are scheduled to operate with 2 Sqn at Waterkloof. Strike Command embraces the SAAF's combat force com prising a strike-reconnaissance force of two squadrons, No 12 and 24 based at Waterkloof, flying six Canberras B(I).12s and three T.4s and nine Buccaneer S.50s respectively. Three fighter squadrons operate Mirage Ills with 1 Sqn at Pietersburg, North Transvaal, having 18 IIIEZs, 2 Sqn with 16 Mirage IIICZ intercepters, four IIIRZ tactical recon naissance aircraft, three IIIBZ two-seat trainers and the first of the Mirage F.lCZs; and 3 Sqn also at Waterkloof with 16 Mirage IIIEZs and four two-seat IIIDZs. Maritime Command embraces 35 Sqn at Cape Town with seven Shackleton MR.3s flying long-range reconnaissance duties and 27 Sqn at Ysterplaat, Cape Town, equipped with 18 Piaggio P.166Ss. Transport Command flies seven C-130B Hercules and nine C.160Z Transalls in 28 Sqn at Waterkloof, 23 C-47s in 25 and 44 Sqn, the latter also flying five DC-4s, and one Viscount 781, three C-47s and four HS.125s in the VIP unit, 21 Sqn, at Swartkops. The helicopter element of the SAAF flies mostly French types including 20 SA.330 Pumas for tactical work with 19 Sqn divided into two flights at Swartkops and Durban, 15 SA.321L Super Frelons for heavy-lift duties with 15 Sqn at Swartkops and some 20 Alouette Ills each in 16 and 17 Sqn at Bloemspruit. Eleven Wasps are assigned to Maritime Command 22 Flight for use aboard South African Navy ships in the ASW role. Primary training is performed on Harvards with fewer than 100 still fly ing; basic training is the job of some 90 Atlas Impalas, while C-47s fly on multi- engine training, Alouette lis on heli copter conversion and a mixture of Vampire FB.6s, 9s and T.55s provide advanced tuition. Some 150 Impalas have been delivered by Atlas and an initial order for 50 MB.326Ks is being fulfilled with more orders almost cer tain. The Active Citizen Force is steadily re-equipping with Impalas from Har vards and 4, 5, 6 and 8 Sqn have under gone the transition with 7 and 40 Sqn due to shortly. No 41 and 42 Sqn operate 40 Aermacchi AM.3C AOP aircraft under the jurisdiction of the Light Aircraft Command, while 43 Sqn at Durban has Top, an SF.260MP in delivery markings before being ferried to the Philippine Air Force. Above, photographed at Lourenco Marques recently was this Portuguese Air Force Do27 used for liaison and AOP work some 16 Cessna 185s relinquished by the former two units flying AOP and liaison duties. There are 12 Air Commando squadrons (101-112) under the control of the SAAF and equipped with civil light aircraft for use in emergencies. SOUTH YEMEN Air Force of the South Yemen People's Republic Operating almost wholly Com munist-supplied aircraft, this air force has an intercepter squadron with 15 MiG-17Fs of which half are operational, a light bomber squadron with six Il-28s and a transport unit with a small num ber of Il-14s, three An-24s and a few C-47s. About eight Mi-8s and some Mi-4s are flying and three MiG-15UTIs are used for training. The eight Jet Provosts and four Strikemaster Mk 81s are reported to have been disposed of. SOVIET UNION Soviet Military Aviation Forces The Soviet Air Force is organised into five separate elements, each having a dif ferent role, command structure and equipment: Long Range Aviation, Air Force of the Anti-Aircraft Defence of the Homeland, Frontal Aviation, Air Transport Aviation and Naval Aviation. The unit structure is based on divisions each comprising three or more regi ments which in turn consist of three squadrons each with 12 aircraft. Long Range Aviation is divided into three groups, two in western Russia and one in the east, controlling just under 1,000 aircraft. Most modern type in ser vice is the new variable - geometry Tupolev Backfire bomber equipped with two stand-off missiles and now flying in three squadrons totalling some 36 air craft. In addition there are about 100 Tu-95 Bears and 40 Mya-4 Bisons in the bombing role plus 50 Bisons and a num ber of Tu-16 Badgers employed in the flight-refuelling role. Some 500 Tu-16s and 200 Tu-22 Blinders fly on medium- range strike and about half these num bers can be equipped with ASMs. Staging points are available to the strategic forces in the Arctic, the Mediterranean and some countries in Africa and the Far East. Air Defence Forces of the Homeland, as well as deploying numerous surface-
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
