Page 19 - AirForces - Monthly (February 2020)

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Kenyan
crews

training on
C-145A

KENYA AIR Force (KAF)
air and ground crew are
Burkina being trained in the US
on the C-145A Combat
Faso orders C295 Burkina Faso is the latest customer for the Airbus C295 – seen Coyote (M28 Skytruck)
in readiness for delivery
in its current C295W production configuration with winglets.
of three surplus USAF
Mali, Ivory Coast and now
A USAF press release
THE DEFENCE ministry of C295 is adapted to perform Airbus Three King Airs are the examples to the KAF.
Burkina Faso has moved to in the harsh sub-Saharan Burkina Faso, the C295 is only other fixed-wing on October 18 revealed
reinforce the country’s military Africa operating environment. becoming the 21st century’s transports currently in the that the 492nd Special
transport capabilities by Together with its affordable standard tactical airlifter FABF inventory. The first of a Operations Wing at
signing a contract for a single maintenance and operational in Africa, with 36 aircraft pair of 1980-built Beech 200 Hurlburt Field, Florida, has
Airbus C295. Airbus Defence costs, the C295 is the perfect operating in the region.” King Airs arrived in August been instructing Kenyan
and Space announced the match for the climatic The transport fleet of the 1991, acquired second- pilots and loadmasters
firm order on December 11. conditions of Burkina Faso”. Force Aérienne de Burkina hand from the UK civilian on the C-145A since
The twin turboprop is being Bernhard Brenner, head Faso (FABF) was last market. By early 2009, one mid-September.
acquired as part of the West of marketing and sales expanded in September 2007 had been cannibalised to Kenya had requested six
African country’s 2018-2022 for Airbus Defence and with the arrival of a second- provide spares for the other. surplus USAF C-145As
Military Acquisition Law. Space, added: “We are hand PT Dirgantara Indonesia The US civilian market as Excess Defense
In a statement, the very proud to see that with (PTDI) CN235-220, upgraded provided another two of the Articles (EDA), but only
manufacturer noted that “the Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, to CN235M standard. type in 2006 and in 2011. three were approved
for offer under the EDA
programme on August
Kenyan Spartans Czech Republic 15, 2016. A Letter of Offer
and Acceptance for the
aircraft was implemented
prepare for delivery overhauls two Burkina on May 27, 2017. Their
original acquisition value
Faso Mi-17 Hips was given as US$30m,
but their current value
THE CZECH company aircraft’s life cycle from 35 to is listed as US$9m. The
LOM Praha is currently 39 years, so they now have aircraft are currently being
overhauling two Force eight years of flying left.” prepared for delivery by
Aérienne de Burkina Faso Work on both of the September 15, 2020.
(FABF) Mi-17s, serials 9001 Mi-17s is expected to be US Air Force Special
and 9202. The two Kazan- completed in late spring, Operations Command
built helicopters arrived when they will fly several (AFSOC) acquired
at LOM Praha’s Prague- functional check flights 18 C-145As but, due
Marco Rossi Kbely facility after being before being airfreighted to changing mission
airfreighted by Il-76 to back to Ouagadougou. requirements, AFSOC
THE THIRD and final C-27J an undisclosed number of Pardubice Airport from Base LOM Praha has completed retired two-thirds of the
airlifter for the Kenya Air AW139 helicopters. (Three Aérienne 511 Ouagadougou the heavy repair of four fleet from May 2015.
Force (KAF) takes off from AW139s have been noted on March 15. LOM Praha badly damaged Mi-17V-5s, These were then offered
Turin-Caselle Airport on pre-delivery in Italy, with project manager, Alexandr belonging to the Afghan to friendly countries under
December 12 for a test tail numbers suggesting Demin told AFM: “We have Air Force over the past two the EDA programme,
flight. This aircraft, wearing at least six have been stripped them of all their years, with the last aircraft with two each approved
KAF serial 226, but still ordered for Kenya). [sub-systems], which are returned in August 2019. The for Costa Rica, Estonia
carrying the experimental Kenya’s Spartans will being overhauled here work saw many significant and Nepal during 2016,
Italian serial CSX62316, replace four DHC-5D along with the fuselages, repairs and a lot of dialogue in addition to the Kenyan
wears full KAF colours Buffalos based at Moi Air while all the dynamic parts with Russian Helicopters. A examples. Since then,
including roundels and the Base, Mombasa. The KAF’s including the TV3-117MT Ghana Air Force Mi-17V-5 an order for two new
national flag on the tail. first four Buffalos were engines are being worked was overhauled and production Skytrucks for
Currently, all three Kenyan delivered in April and May on at our Malešice facility subsequently airfreighted Nepal appears to have
C-27Js (serials 222, 224 1977, followed by two more in Prague.” He continued: back to Accra last replaced the planned
and 226) are performing in August and December “The work here extends the February. Alan Warnes EDA acquisition (see
test and training flights 1978, respectively. The final In Brief, May 2019,
at Leonardo’s main batch of four Buffalos was p27). The first Estonian
facility at Turin-Caselle, delivered in October and example was delivered
but delivery is reportedly December 1986. Confirmed in March 2019 (see
imminent. The three Kenyan DHC-5D attrition losses Estonia receives C-145,
C-27Js are the first to have occurred April 16, May 2019, p14) and the
be equipped with a new 1992 and May 1, 1999, second in June, but the
avionics suite that allows respectively. A third status of the Costa Rican
full compliance with new reported attrition loss may aircraft is unconfirmed.
civil aviation regulations only have been damage Dave Allport
and military requirements. to an aircraft that was
Spartan ‘226’ is the last subsequently repaired. Left: Two FABF Mi-17s arrived
of three examples acquired Kenya is the fourth at LOM Praha, Kbely for
between November 2017 African customer for overhaul last March and are
and February 2018 at a cost the C-27J after Chad, expected to be returned to
of US$200m, together with Morocco and Zambia. Burkina Faso in late spring
2020. Alan Warnes

www.Key.Aero #383 February 2020 // 19

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19 AfricaNews AFM Feb2020.indd 19 06/01/2020 14:24:53
19 AfricaNews AFM Feb2020.indd 19