AirForcesMonthly 2021-12.pdf

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Sentry Sunset
RAF Sentry retirement causes
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Destruction
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Watching the Noisy
Neighbours
On target
at Aviadarts
Russia, China and Belarus
conduct big drills
Nailing the new threats
at the Dutch-led Weapons Instructor Course
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I
n this issue, we cover two contrasting
military exercises. The first is Aviadarts (see
p50-59) in Russia, which was essentially a
competition between the Russian, Chinese and
Belarus air forces and markedly different from
anything we see in the West.
What was notable about this exercise was
that data-linking and integration weren’t the key
requirements coming out of it. The manoeuvres
were not only a good old-fashioned
competition to motivate the aircrews into
wanting to be the best, but an attempt to show
NATO and the West what their adversaries
were capable of achieving.
Sadly for enthusiasts, this style of exercise
doesn’t take place here in Europe and the US.
The days of individual units taking on each
other to win a trophy are long gone. I’m sure
some retired aircrew members out there have
some great memories of those days.
One example is the Bombing and Navigation
Competition, which was hosted by RAF Strike
Command at RAF Marham in Norfolk. This
involved RAF Valiants and Vulcans, USAF
Boeing B-52s and the odd FB-111A. The US
won very few trophies while the event was
being held, which ultimately led to it getting
scrapped after 1981. Today, with the advent of
laser/GPS pods and other more sophisticated
electronic onboard systems, it’s much easier to
hit a target, so you can understand why these
competitions no longer happen.
This month we also cover the first re-oriented
Weapons Instructure Course (WIC) at
Leeuwarden in the Netherlands (see p42-47),
where fifth-generation multi-role F-35As from
both the Dutch and Norwegian air forces made
Group Executive Editor:
Richard Thomas
Group Editor at Large:
Alan Warnes
Deputy Editor:
Khalem Chapman
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Josef Campion
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Sukhoi Su-34, Bort No ‘18 Red’ (RF-93813) of the 968th Instructor-Research Aviation Regiment (IISAP)
at Lipetsk, returns to Dyagilevo Air Base equipped with two five-round rocket pods (B-13L) of 122mm
folding fin unguided rockets (S-13) after a firing mission at the nearby Dubrovichi range during the most
recent edition of the Russian-led Aviadarts competition on August 30, 2021
Giovanni Colla/Daniele Faccioli
their debuts, participating alongside other
older generation ‘faithfuls’ from Belgium and
Germany. As Maj ‘Kliko’, the deputy supervisor
of WIC and a Dutch F-16 pilot, told
AFM:
“The
F-35 provides threat data that allows fourth-
gen platforms to evade or, within reason, safely
attack threats in realistic scenarios.”
Basically, the F-35 pilot is data-linking all
kinds of information, particularly of threats
to their allies in the air and on the ground.
Interoperability is now the name of the game
and the F-35 is undoubtedly a game-changer.
This is one of the reasons there have been so
many exercises this year that included F-35s,
with Blue Flag 2021 at Ovda in Israel in October
(see page 22-23) being the latest. During those
drills, Israeli F-35Is were working with third-
generation Indian Air Force Mirage 2000s, but
to what extent we don’t know. The Chinese and
the Russians are much further behind NATO
and its allies on this aspect of warfare.
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While editing the WIC feature, I was talking
with a former high-ranking officer in-the-
know and asked him if he could ever envisage
a NATO-wide Weapons Instructors Course.
“Not really,” he said, explaining that “[tactical]
sensitivities, particularly from an RAF
perspective, would not allow it. The same
applies to running a Eurofighter WIC for the
likes of Saudi Arabia, Qatar [and Kuwait]. It just
won’t happen for the same reason.”
The one thing most air forces are reluctant to
share is high-end tactics or information, even
between the closest of partners.
Alan Warnes
Group Editor at Large
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Contents
Hercules C4 serial ZH874 flies over
the Irish Sea in close formation with
the lead aircraft (another C-130J-30)
during Exercise Tartan Spirit on
October 1, 2021
Josef Campion
December 2021 #405
Features
28
Double Ten, double take
Days after the intrusion of 149 Chinese military
aircraft into Taiwan’s Air Defence Identification
Zone, the island nation displayed some of its
military aviation strength during its National Day
Parade on October 10, also known as Double
Ten Day. Peter Ho witnessed the event
32
Sunset for the Sentry
The retirement of the Boeing E-3D Sentry
AEW1 airborne early warning and control
aircraft is going to leave the RAF with a short-
term capability gap. Angie Bee asks whether
this could subsequently lead to a much longer-
term capability shortfall
38
The long wait...
AirForces Monthly’s
‘Business
Insider’ looks at some of the
issues that are causing some
headaches for the leadership of
the Royal Malaysian Air Force
38
42
Higher learning
The new Weapon Instructor Course at the
Royal Netherlands Air Force’s Weapon
School at Leeuwarden Air Base is taking
training to whole new levels. Gert Kromhout
is given an education in how it works
48
Bon retour ‘Béarn’
The French Air and Space Force is equipping
itself with a growing number of Airbus
A400Ms, with the newly stood up Transport
Squadron 4/61 ‘Béarn’ being the latest unit to
operate it. Henri-Pierre Grolleau reports
The capability gap caused by
the retirement of the RMAF’s S-61A-4
Nuri fleet is being bridged by the 12
Eurocopter (now Airbus Helicopters)
EC725AP Cougars delivered to Malaysia
between 2012 and 2014
Alan Warnes
50
On target at Aviadarts
The Aviadarts competition of the International
Army Games-2021 took centre stage at
4 //
December 2021
www.Key.Aero
Your aviation
destination!
See page 2
for full details
Regulars
Dyagilevo Air Base in Russia
last summer, when 60 crews from
Russia, Belarus and China showed
off their skill and training in two
weeks of contests. Giovanni Colla and
Daniele Faccioli were there
72
Heading for the Highlands
Earlier this year, Josef Campion journeyed
to the Scottish heartland to join the Royal
Air Force’s No XXIV Squadron as it
conducted tactical training operations
with its C-130J-30 Hercules C4 and
A400M Atlas C1 airlifters as part of
Exercise Tartan Spirit
03
Comment
AFM’s
monthly opinion about some of
the most recent and noteworthy military
aviation topics
06
News
Stay up to date with the latest news from
air arms around the world, as compiled by
AFM’s
Dave Allport and Josef Campion
•
Initial two Kuwaiti Eurofighters grace the
skies for the first time
•
USAF divests last of 17 B-1B Lancer
supersonic bombers
•
Boeing delivers the initial KC-46A
Pegasus to Japan
60
Stockholm’s
eyes and ears
Björn Rüdén lifts the veil of secrecy
surrounding the intelligence, surveillance
and reconnaissance platforms operated
by the Swedish Air Force
76
Designed For Destruction
Michael Keaveney goes behind the scenes
with the 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron’s
Detachment 1 at Holloman AFB, New
Mexico, which has been operating specially
modified, unmanned QF-16A/C Fighting
Falcons in the full-scale aerial target
role since 2016
66
Attaining the ‘dream’
The dream of many young men and women
is to become a fast-jet pilot in the RAF, but
only a very small fraction of applicants are
successful in this endeavour. Luke Bimm
explains the current application and flying
training process, which has undergone some
radical changes over the last decade, not
to mention being adversely affected by the
coronavirus pandemic
94
Attrition report
Dave Allport reveals the month’s significant
military aviation mishaps
84
Helicopters R Us!
The Brazilian Army’s aviation force
celebrated a special anniversary in 2021.
Rudnei Dias da Cunha provides a detailed
account of its history, structure, aircraft,
equipment and operations
98
Next issue
A quick look at what’s on the modern
military aviation agenda in next month’s
issue of
AirForces Monthly
www.Key.Aero
December 2021
// 5

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