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Aviation History
1994
1994 - 2018.PDF
AJS1 rUliUEZ Ur f J£ WUItLD AS.330 Puma Alouette Ill/Chetak Mi-14 Haze Army DHC-6 Twin Otter Cessna 401 DHC-3 Otter UH-1H Iroquois 1 VIP 11/10 liaison 2 ASW/patrol 2 trans 1 trans 3 trans 6 trans FIJI FIJI MILITARY FORCES A single AS.355F-2 Ecureuil helicopter was donated by France in 1989 to allow the establishment of an embryonic Fijian air arm. A second helicopter, an SA.365N Dauphin, was delivered in May 1991. It is not known if it is still possi ble for the aircraft to be flown. FINLAND ILMAVOIMAT (AIR FORCE) The Finnish Air Force will replace its Saab 35 Draken and MiG-2 Ibis combat aircraft with 64 McDonnell Douglas F- 18C/D Hornet fighters. The delivery of the first Hornet is due to take place in late 1995 and the last one towards the end of 2000. The batch consists of seven two-seat and 57 single-seat models, which will be assembled in Finland. The air arm is organised into three air-defence wings, each assigned to one of the three air-defence areas into which Finland is divided. The Lapland Air Defence Wing consists of Fighter Squadron 11 at Rovaniemi AFB, flying Saab 35 Draken fighters and British Aerospace Hawk Mk 51 trainers. Covering Western Finland, 21 Fighter Squadron of the Satakunta Wing has also operated Saab 35 Drakens and Hawks since 1985, and is now based at Tampere/Pirkkala Airport. The third wing is the Karelian Air Defence Wing, based at Kuopio/Rissla AFB and consisting of 31 Fighter Squadron with MiG-21 bis responsible for the air defence of eastern Finland. A reconnaissance squadron at Tikkakoski operates Hawks and MiG-2 Ibis, and Hawk trainers. A sin gle Transport Squadron is based at Utti. Alongside Hughes 500 helicopters, three Fokker F27 Friendships are operated, while seven Mil Mi-8s form the utility element. Three spe cial-mission Learjets are used for target-towing, groundmapping and ECM training. Ten L-90 Redigos of Finnish design will be used for liaison duties. The Air Force Academy at Kauhava AFB trains pilots on the Valmet Vinka primary trainer, followed by the Hawk advanced trainer. Fifty Hawks were purchased in 1977, including 46 built under licence by Valmet. The final Hawk was delivered in 1985. In December 1990, it was decided to purchase seven Hawk Mk51 As, and they were delivered in 1993 and 1994. The Air Force Technical School trains air craft-maintenance personnel at Halli, while air surveillance and communications personnel are trained at the Air Force Signals School at Tikkakoski. Type F-18C/D Hornet Saab 35S/FS Draken Saab 35BS/CS Draken MiG-21bis Fishbed MiG-21UM Mongol Hawk Mk51/51A L-70 Vinka Learjet 35A/S F27 Friendship 100/200/ 400M PA-31-350 Chieftain L-90 TP Redigo PA-28 Cherokee Arrow ll/IV Mi-8T/P Hip Hughes 500D * on order No *57/*7 12/24 4/5 20 4 47/7 28 3 1/1/1 6 10 4/4 7 2 Role int/trng int trng int trng trng trng TT/survey/ECM trans liaison liaison liaison utility trng FRANCE L'ARMEE DE L'AIR (AIR FORCE) Although France's 1995-2000 arms-procurement bill will be increased in real terms, key defence programmes, such as the Dassault Rafale fighter, are to be delayed. Deliveries of the first of up to 234 Rafale Ds will now only begin in 2002, although the navy will still get its aircraft into service by 2000. Embraer's EMB-312 Tucano has been selected to meet the turboprop trainer requirement, and an initial order for two aircraft was signed in October 1991. Deliveries of Mirage 2000s to the French air force con tinue against a requirement for 318 aircraft, and three Mirage 2000N units are operational. A total of 18 Mirage IVA bombers were converted several years ago to Mirage TVP standard, with advanced avionics and nuclear missiles. The aircraft will remain in service until 1996. Fifty-five Mirage FlCs are to be converted to F.1CT enhanced ground-attack standard in a programme initiated with FY1989 funds. The air force will have additional mili tary tanker/transport requirement by the end of the century to service its Dassault Mirage 2000 fighters and the Dassault Rafale future combat aircraft, and Airbus is offering A310- 300 conversions, and newbuild variants of the A340. The air force has already taken delivery of two out of four A310-300 troop transports on order to replace McDonnell Douglas DC-8s, which are being phased out. French air force operational units are organised under the control of air-defence, tactical and transport commands, which operate within three air regions, while the strategic nuclear strike force is a direct reporting unit. There are also training and materiel commands. Type Dassault Rafale B/C 239 Mirage IV-P Mirage F.1C/C-200 Mirage F.1CR-200 Mirage F.1CT Mirage F.IB Mirage 2000C/B 1 Mirage 2000D Mirage 2000N JaguarA/E E-3F Sentry Alphabet E CM.170 Magister Epsilon CAP 10/20/230 C-135FR A310-300 DC-8-55/62CF/72 Transall C-160/C-160NG Transall C-160NG C-130H/H-30 Hercules CN-235M Caravelle 11R Nord 262 Fregate DHC-6 Twin Otter Falcon 20 Falcon 50/900 EMB-121 Xingu Mb-rou Paris Jodel D.140E/0R AS.332C/L Super Puma SA.330B/H Puma No »*/95** 18 35 45 40 15 20*/25* 50* 70* 80/30 4 130 70 140 40/3/3 11 2 4 48/22 2/4 3/9 8 3 25 10 15 4/2 25 on 10 3/2 30 SA.365N Dauphin 1/2 AS.355F-1/N Ecureuil/Fennec 40 Alouette ll/lll * delivery in progress ** on order 5/15 Role int/recon strike/recon int recon FGA trng int/trng strike nuclear strike strike/trng AEW trng trng trng trng tanker trans trans/ECM trans ECM/command post trans trans trans/VIP/research trans/trng VIP/liaison VIP/comms/trng/ VIP trng/VIP comms/liaison glider tow/comms trans/VIP trans/trng/SAR VIP/comms liaison/SAR/trng liaison/trng AERONAUTIQUE NAVALE (NAVY) The construction of France's first nuclear-powered carrier, the 36,000t Charles de Gaulle, has been delayed by two years. It will be fitted with a conventional flightdeck and is now due to be commissioned in 2000. All of the 71 Super Etendards ordered have been deliv ered to Flotilles IIF, 14F and 17F. About 50 are being modi fied to carry the ASMP nuclear missile. F-8E Crusaders operated by 12F still undertake the air-defence role, while the reconnaissance unit, 16F, retains its Etendard TVPs. The other integral part of the carrier-capable fixed-wing force, the Alize, has been modernised to extend its ASW capability, and operates with Flotilles 4F and 6F. The Alize fleet is undergoing a further life extension which will keep it in ser vice into the next century. Shore-based maritime-patrol units continue to fly the Atlantic Mkl and became operational on the Atlantique ATL.2 during 1990. Five Gardians are based in Tahiti and New Caledonia for maritime-surveillance duties. Pilot training will be undertaken in the USA, removing the neces sity for a new trainer. Four E-2C aircraft are to be purchased to provide the carrier with an organic AEW capability. Type Super Etendard Dassault Rafale Etendard IVP/MP F-8E(FN) Crusader Alize Atlantic 1 Atlantique ATL2 Falcon 20H Gardian Nord 262 Fregate CM.175 Zephyr MS-760 Paris CAP.10B Rallye 100S/100ST Falcon 10/10MER EMB-121 Xingu PA-31 Navajo Robin HR.100 SA.321 Super Frelon Lynx HAS.2(FN)/HAS.4(FN) SA.365F Dauphin AS.350B Ecureuil Alouette Ill/Ill ASW Alouette II * delivery in progress * * on order No 71 78** 10/10 19 21/6 31 42* 5 10/12 16 8 10 9/6 5/3 17 12 2 12/4 24/13 4 22* 18/16 8 Role strike/attack int/recon recon/tanker int ASW/trng MR/ASW MR/ASW MR trans/trng trng trng/liaison trng trng liaison/trng VIP/comms comms comms SAR/trans ASW/SAR SAR liaison trng/ASW trng/liaison AVIATION LEGERE DE L'ARMEE DE TERRE (FRENCH ARMY AVIATION) The 4th Air Mobile Division, belonging to the Force d'Action Rapide, is headquartered at Nancy, and has three Regiment d'helicopteres de Combat (RHC), each with around 60 to 70 helicopters, either Pumas or Gazelles, most of them equipped with missiles. They are based at Etain, Pau and Phalsbourg, together with a Transport and Command Regiment with about 50 Puma or Cougar heli copters at Nancy. An Air Mobile Brigate, to be created in 1995, belonging the 3rd Army Corps in Lille, is allocated two regiments — the 6th Transport and Assault Regiment and the 7th Combat Helicopter Regiment, each with around 70 to 80 Pumas and Gazelles. Four Defense Territorial Zone Groupe d'Helicopteres Legers (GHL), still equipped with Alouette II/III and some Gazelles, complete the Army Aviation of battle. Future equipment might soon include 30 Gazelles equipped with very short range anti-aircraft missiles, with delivery in 1995; 20 to 30 Gazelles equipped with 68mm or 70mm rocket launchers and four Horizone (ex-Orchidee) battlefield-surveillance devices, which could be in use in 1995/6; and at the beginning of 2000, 215 Franco-German HAP/HAC 3 Gs Franco-German Eurocopter Tigre. Type SA.330B/H Puma AS.332M Super Puma/Cougar SA.341M/F Gazelle SA.342L1 Gazelle SA.342M Gazelle AS.555UN Ecureuil Alouette III Alouette II Cessna F406 Caravan II Pilatus PC6 No 133 24 157 30 lbb 10 58 12b 2 5 Role trans/trng assault command/recce/ liaison/trng anti-aircraft fire supt ground fire suppt command/liaison/ trng liaison liaison/trng target tow/liaison logistical suppt GABON FORCE AERIENNE GABONAISES (AIR FORCE) Formerly a part of French Equatorial Africa, Gabon main tains close diplomatic ties with France and its air force is operated on French air-force lines with pilot training in France. The sole combat squadron is based at Libreville. Type Mirage VG/G-II/DG C-130H Hercules L-100-20/-30 Hercules CN-235 EMB-110P Bandeirante EMB-111A Bandeirante F28-1000C Fellowship N.262C Fregate Cessna F337/F152 No Role 2/4/3 int/FGA/trng 1 trans 1/2 trans 1 trans 1 trans 1 MR 1 trans/VIP 3 trans 1/1 comms 40 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 24 - 30 August 1994
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