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Aviation History
1996
1996 - 1865.PDF
A J Si rUSiDBSJ DP f J? yjUSiLD ing ordering eight Super Lynx ASW helicopters. The UAE Federation consists of seven Gulf states: Abu Dhabi, Amman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras Al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Unrm-jalQaiwan. Each of these states contributes to equipping and running the United Emirates air force. ABU DHABI Type Mirage 2000E/R/D Mirage VAD/RAD/DAD Hawk 63A/C/100 PC-7 Turbo-Trainer C-130H Hercules DHC-5D Buffalo C-212 Aviocar BN-2A Islander NAC Reldmaster AS.332F/L Super Puma SA.330 Puma AS.350 Ecureuil AH-64 Apache SA.342 Gazelle Alouette III AB-206B JetRanger * * being converted from or DUBAI MB.326KD/LD MB339A Hawk 61 SF.260TP L-100-30 Hercules Alenia G222 BN-2T Islander PC-6B Turbo-Porter Cessna 182 Bell 212/214B Bell 205A No 21/8/6 23/3/3 16*/18** 23 4 4/1 4 1 2 6/2/2 11 1 20** 11 7 1 Role int/recon/trng int/recon/trng attack/trng trng trans trans/VIP trans utility agricultural trans/anti-ship/VIP trans liaison anti-tank anti-tank anti-tank liaison ginal Hawk 63s. 3/2 5 8 5 2 1 1 2 1 4/4 6 Bell 206B/AB-206A JetRanger 2/3 Bell 206L LongRanger B0105S 1 3/3 COIN/trng COIN/trng trng trng trans trans utility utility royal flt/VIP utility utility liaison liaison AR/liaison Uganda UGANDA ARMY AIR FORCE Uganda's political and economic unrest over the past 20 years has led to the destruction of most of Soviet-supplied combat aircraft, leaving it with a small combat element of old MiG-17s and newer armed AB.412 helicopters. About 18 helicopters and light aircraft, including and three heli copters donated by Libya in mid-1987, remain serviceable. The army air force incorporates the Police Air Wing. Type MiG-17F Fresco AS-202 Bravo L-100 Hercules Mi-8 Hip Gulfstream II Aero L-39 Albatros Agusta SF.260 AB.412 Bell 212/412 Bell AB-206 JetRanger POLICE AIR WING DHC-6 Twin Otter DHC-4 Caribou DHC-2 Turbo-Beaver Bell 212 Bell 206B JetRanger No 4 2 1 2 1 3 5 5 4/4 3 1 1 1 4 2 Role FGA trans/trng trans trans trans trng trng trans trans liaison police police police police police United Kingdom ROYAL AIR FORCE The RAF has continued to evolve and rationalise following fimdamentarchanges in the international situation. As of April 1996, Strike Command is now composed of three operational groups instead of the previous five. No 2 Group moved its headquarters from RAF Benson to RAF High Wycombe in March 1996. Nos 11 and 18 Groups amalga mated in March to form 11/18 Group, still located at RAF Bentley Priory and RAF Northwood, respectively, but with combined headquarters at Betley Priory. No 3 8 Group con tinues to be based at RAF High Wycombe. Major re-equipment programmes are starting to move, with the first of 25 new C-130J Hercules 2s due to be deliv ered to the UK by the end of 1996,2 2 utility EH-101 and 14 new-build Chinook HC2 transport helicopters on order to enter service by the turn of the century and replacement or refurbishment of the Nimrod patrol aircraft planned. HQ 1 Group now controls all Tornado GR1 and GRIBs, equipping the Tornado Weapons Conversion Unit 15 (Reserve) Sqn (GRls) at Lossiemouth, 2 and 13 Sqn (recon naissance configured GR1 As) atMarham, 12 and 617 Sqn (anti-shipping GRIBs) at Lossiemouth (these two units transerred from 18 Group to 1 Group in April), and 9,14,17 and 31 Sqns (GRls) in the strike/attack role at Bruggen in Germany. No 1 Group's now has four Harrier GR7 squadrons: the Harrier Operational Conversion Unit/20 (Reserve) Sqn, 1 Sqn at Wittering, and 3 and 4 Sqns, at Laarbruch, Germany. Each squadron also flies examples of 13 recently delivered HarrierTIO trainers. The Jaguar force is based at Coltishall with 6 and 54 Sqn, and the 14 Sqn reconnaissance unit. The Jaguar Operational Conversion Unit/16 (Reserve) Sqn is based at Lossiemouth. No 1 Group's support-helicopter units are restructuring. 18 Sqn, with Chinook HC2s and Puma HCls return to the UK from Germany in 1997, and 60 Sqn with Wessex HC2s will disband at Bensen the same year. UK air defence, ASW and SAR are the responsibility of the newly combined 11/18 Group. Air-defence elements are 5 and 29 Sqns with Tornado F3s, plus F3 Operational Conversion Unit/42 (Reserve) Sqn, and the two SAR heli copter squadrons, 22 at St Mawgan and 202 at Boulmer, each operates three Sea King HAR3/3 A detachments at var ious points around the UK. The Sea King Training Unit (SKTU) also flies Sea Kings at St Mawgan and the Search and Rescue Training Unit at Valley will continue to fly Wessex HC2 for a few more months. No 3 8 Group operates the RAF's transport and tanker air craft. Fourteen VC-10 K2, K3 and K4 three-point tankers serve with 101 Sqn at Brize Norton alongside the 13 two- point VC-10 ClKsof 10 Sqn, which perform tanking and long-distance transport operations. Five squadrons continue to fly the Hercules tactical trans port from Lyneham. At Northolt, 32 (The Royal) Sqn absorbed the aircraft and duties of The Royal Flight at Benson during 1995 and now flies three BAe 146s and two Wessex HCC4s previously with the Royal Flight plus eight BAe 125 and two AS.550 Squirrel helicopters, the latter leased from a commercial operator to replace Gazelle HCC4s from April this year. Radar and navigational calibration has been contrac- torised since late 1993 using three former RAF Andover C1 s from East Midland's Airport. The permanent overseas deployment to the Falkland Islands conies under the control of Strike Command, with 1435 Fit operating Tornado F3s, 78 Sqn with Chinook HC2s; Sea King HAR3s and 1312 Fit with a VC-10 tanker and Hercules CI P. The VC-10 has replaced the Hercules C1K tanker which was withdrawn from service at the end of March. Other overseas units are 28 Sqn in Hong Kong — to be withdrawn in 1997 — and 84 Sqn at Akrotiri, Cyprus, both with Wessex HC2s. Type Tornado GR1/GRIA/GR1B Tornado F3 Jaguar GR1A/B/T2A/B Harrier GR7/T10 Nimrod R1P/MR.2P Sentry AEW.l Canberra PR9/T4/E15 No Role 164 strike 108 int 52 strike/recon/trng 68 attack 28 MR/ASW 7 AEW 9 PR/ECM/trng VC10 K2/K3/K4 VC10 C1/C1K Hercules C.1P/W2/C3P Hercules C4/C5 BAe 146 C2 HS.125 CC2/CC3 Chinook HC2 Chinook HC2/3 EH 101 Twin Squirrel Puma HC1 Sea King HAR3/3A Wessex HC2 Gazelle HT2/HT3 Firefly Mkll Hawk T1/T1A Dominie Tl Jetstream Tl Tucano Tl *on order c under conversion 14 13 58 25* 3 8 35 14* 22* 2 37 25 64 35 18 92 lie 10 66 tanker trans/tanker trans trans Queen's fit VIP/comms trans trans trans trans trans SAR trans/SAR trng/VIP trng trng trng trng trng ROYAL NAVY - FLEET AIR ARM (FAA) The Royal Navy consists of 18 Naval Air Squadrons. The current Invincible-class aircraft carriers re HMS Invincible, Illustrious and Ark Royal. Two are kept operational at all times. A typical air group consists of eight Sea Harriers and 12 Sea Kings — nine ASW and three AEW. Every destroy er and frigate carries a Lynx HAS3/HMA8 or a Sea King 6 helicopter: the ice-patrol ship, HMS Endurance, carries two Lynx HAS3s. A helicopter carrier, HMS Ocean, was ordered in 1993. The ASW variant of the EH 101, the Merlin HAS 1, will enter service in 1998. In November 1993, British Aerospace was contracted to produce 18 new Sea Harrier FRS2s The first Sea Harrier FRS1 to be upgraded to F/A2 standard, was handed over to the Royal Navy in April 1992. RNAS Culdrose is the base for six Sea King squadrons. Of these, two are training units, and one is for SAR. This leaves 814, 849 and 820 Sqns as front-line units, 706 and 810 as training squadrons and 771 as the SAR squadron. RNAS Yeovilton is the base for the Sea Harrier F/A2s and the commando assault Sea King HC4s. There are two front-line Sea Harrier squadrons, 800 and 801, plus the training squadron, 899. Helicopter units at Yeovilton include 845, 846, 847, 848 and 707 Sqn with the Sea King HC4s and Royal Marines Lynx and Gazelles. RNAS Portland is the base for the Lynx; 702 Sqn trains Lynx aircrew and maintainers; 815 Sqn is the sole front-line Lynx parent unit. RNAS Prestwick has one ASW Sea King squadron (819), which also performs SAR operations. Grob 115s for flying grading are contractor owned, as are the Falcons used for target towing and EW simulation. Type Sea Harrier F/A2 Harrier T4N/T8 Sea King HAS5/6 Sea King AEW2 Sea King HC4 Lynx HAS3/HMA8 Lynx AH 7 Gazelle AH1 Gazelle HT2/3 Jetstream T2/3 Hawk No 26 7 60 9 33 58 6 9 17 9/3 6 Role int/recon/strike trng ASW/SAR AEW assault/SAR ASV/ASW Royal Marine Ops Royal Marine Ops trng obs trng/comms FRADU ARMY AIR CORPS (AAC) An autonomous force within the British Army, the AAC operates some 300 helicopters and about 28 fixed-wing air craft. A modified AH-64D was selected to meet the army's requirement to replace the Lynx in the anti-armour role, although 67, rather than 91,'helicopters will be purchased. TriStar CK1/KC1/K2/C2/2A 9 tanker/trans Type Lynx AH1/7 WAH-64 Lynx AH9 Gazelle AH1 No Role 100 anti-tank/utility 67** anti-tank 24* utility 160+ recon/liaison FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 24 - 30 July 1996 57
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