Page 27 - AirForces - Monthly (February 2020)

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New Chinese Navy carrier Shandong commissioned In Brief

Bangladesh Army
receives DA40s
Four Diamond DA40s
have been delivered to
Bangladesh Army Aviation.
Two of these have been
identified so far, as S3-BRD,
named Dhaleswari, and
S3-BRG Gomati – both
are named after local
rivers. The aircraft are
thought to be stationed at
Bangabandhu, but were
noted recently at Dhaka.
Japan reconsidering
F-35 production plan
The Japan Ministry of
Defense has indicated that
it may overturn a previous
decision to discontinue
local assembly of the F-35A.
Last year, the ministry
decided to cease the local
Lightning II production
effort by Mitsubishi Heavy
Industries (MHI) in favour
ROKAF Above: The ‘Shandong’ harbourside at Sanya, with J-15s on deck. Feng Kaixuan of concentrating on
carrier of indigenous
THE PEOPLE’S Liberation
operational aircraft carrier,
localised maintenance,
introduces Army Navy (PLAN) construction. Initial sea trials the Type 001 Liaoning (CV- repair and overhaul.
began in April 2018 and a
commissioned into service
16), the retrofitted former
Malaysia eyes
Global Hawk its second aircraft carrier, total of nine at-sea phases Soviet Navy Varyag, which Russian fighters
was commissioned in 2012.
were completed before
Shandong (CV-17), in a
Moscow is offering Malaysia
A FIRST RQ-4B Block 30 ceremony at Sanya naval commissioning, the latest in Both vessels are equipped a ‘fighter exchange’ deal
base on the southern island
November, during which the
with a short take-off but
Global Hawk remotely as the Royal Malaysian Air
piloted aircraft (RPA) for of Hainan, on December Shandong passed through arrested recovery (STOBAR) Force seeks to introduce
the Taiwan Strait and entered
17. Launched in April 2017,
launch system, with air
the Republic of Korea Air new combat aircraft. The
Force (ROKAF) arrived at the 65,000-ton Type 002 the South China Sea. The wings based around up to proposal would see older
warship is China’s first
warship joins the PLAN’s sole 24 Shenyang J-15 fighters.
Sacheon Air Base in South Russian-made equipment
Gyeongsang province swapped for new fighters,
on the southern tip of Sixth Singaporean A330 reportedly MiG-35s or
the Korean peninsula on Su-35s. Malaysia currently
December 23. It is the has only four Su-30MKMs
first of a total of four of MRTT handed over active and another 14
the RPAs ordered by stored and it has ten MiG-
Seoul under a Foreign 29N/NUBs on charge but
Military Sales (FMS) deal. no longer serviceable.
According to local reports, INAS 314 ‘Raptors’
the remaining three Global commissioned
Hawks will arrive in South Indian Naval Air Squadron
Korea in the first half (INAS) 314 ‘Raptors’
of this year. Operating – the service’s sixth
unit is the 296th Tactical Dornier 228 unit – was
Reconnaissance Squadron, established at Naval Air
part of the 39th Tactical Enclave Porbandar in
Reconnaissance Group Gujarat on November
that also includes Falcon 29. The squadron will
2000 signals intelligence be tasked with, among
(SIGINT) aircraft at others, enhancing maritime
Seongnam AB and BAe 125 security and surveillance
intelligence, surveillance in the North Arabian Sea.
and reconnaissance (ISR) The squadron is the first to
platforms at Sacheon. receive four of the 12 newly
US Congress was notified procured Dornier 228s
of the possible FMS to ordered from Hindustan
South Korea of four RQ-4B Above: RSAF A330 MRTT serial 765 lands at Getafe on December 5 after a three-hour refuelling Aeronautics Limited (HAL)
Block 30s in December training sortie. The last example of the tanker-transport for Singapore now wears full air force in December 2016.
2012. The total value of the markings. Roberto Yáñez Philippines evaluating
proposed deal amounted F-16V and Gripen
to a reported US$1.2bn. THE SIXTH and final together with its sister ship that six aircraft were on order. As it seeks to fulfil a
serial 764, the fifth for the
Republic of Singapore
The first aircraft was
In November 2013, South new multi-role fighter
Korea’s Defence Acquisition Air Force (RSAF) Airbus RSAF, which has also been delivered in August 2018, requirement, the Philippine
A330 Multi-Role Tanker
handed over but remains
followed by the second in
Programme Administration Air Force is evaluating
confirmed that plans “to Transport (MRTT), serial at Getafe for training. December that year and the Saab Gripen and the
765, has been handed over
the third and fourth in June
The Singapore Ministry
adopt Global Hawks in Lockheed Martin F-16V. In
2017” had been formalised, to the service and as of of Defence announced in 2019. The fifth MRTT was at 2018, the air arm confirmed
March 2014 that the A330
Getafe for tanker conversion
early December was being
and a corresponding that it had budgeted
order was placed with used for crew training MRTT had been selected as of April 2019 and the final US$1.1bn to procure a
example made its first post-
to replace the RSAF’s four
flights from the Airbus
Northrop Grumman multirole combat aircraft
in December 2014. plant at Getafe in Madrid. KC-135Rs, and Airbus conversion flight from the over the following five years.
Spanish airfield last July.
confirmed the same month
The aircraft was operating
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