Page 12 - Aviation News (February 2020)

Juno Commemorates
MILITARY NEWS Round-the-World Flight On December 13, 2019 the Commandant of
the DHFS and Station Commander of RAF
Shawbury Gp Cpt Chris Mullen, unveiled
the newly named Aries Juno helicopter. The
markings comprise the name Aries on the
forward doors with a star from the o cial crest
of the School of Air Navigation Training. On the
rear fuselage is a badge showing a silhouette of
a Lancaster over a globe. Dylan Eklund
The UK Defence Helicopter Flying School
(DHFS) Juno HT1, ZM528, has received
special markings to commemorate the
75th anniversary of the fi rst British military
aircraft to fl y around the world. On
October 21, 1944, Lancaster Mk I PD328
Aries of the Central Navigation School,
commanded by Wg Cdr David McKinley
DFC AFC with a crew of ten, set out on a
36,000-mile (57,936km) circumnavigation,
returning to Shawbury, Shropshire on
December 14. Remarkably the record-
breaking Lancaster fl ew around the world
unarmed despite the ongoing war.

C295 Tests New Refuelling System

The Ejército del Aire (EdA, Spanish Air with EdA C295M T.21-13/35-51 from 353 were undertaken to test the stability of the
Force) in association with Airbus Defence Escuadrón of Ala 35 at Getafe air base. refuelling basket and three initial dry hook-
and Space are testing a new in-fl ight The modular system, including a hose- ups (ie, without fuel transfer) have been
refuelling kit for the C295 transport. and-drogue unit fi tted to the rear loading completed. After two-and-a-half hours of
The EdA confi rmed in a December 18 ramp, enables a standard transport C295 initial fl ight tests, the EdA said that results
announcement that the trials were under to be easily transformed into a tanker, had been very satisfactory, and Airbus
way. The removable kit has been fi tted giving the ability to pass up to around engineers had been able to draw various
to new production C295W c/n S-171 13,230lb (6,000kg) of fuel to other aircraft conclusions for improving and developing
(still fl ying painted in primer) and tested or helicopters. A variety of manoeuvres the new refuelling kit. Dave Allport

New Scheme

for Fighting

Falcons

Sporting a new darker single-colour scheme,
USAF F-16C Fighting Falcon Block 30 86-0262
‘SA’ from the 149th Fighter Wing/182nd Fighter
Squadron ‘Lonestar Gunfi ghters’, Texas Air
National Guard (ANG), was photographed on
the Iowa ANG ramp in Sioux City on December
17. The paint facility there had recently
completed work on the fi ghter and it was ready
to return to its home unit. According to the air
force, the new look will replace the older two-
tone grey as the standard paint scheme for all
USAF F-16s. USAF/SMSgt Vincent De Groot
Last Lightning for Hill AFB

The fi nal F-35A for the 388th Fighter Wing (FW) at Hill AFB, Utah, six back-up jets. The 419th FW’s 466th FS also supports routine
was handed over on December 17. The delivery brings the total F-35 operations alongside the active-duty squadrons.
number of aircraft at the base to 78. Over the last three years, the wings have deployed to the
The fi rst operational F-35As arrived at Hill in September 2015. European and Pacifi c theatres and participated in several
Since then, the active-duty 388th and Reserve 419th FWs have large-scale USAF and international exercises. At the time of
fl own more than 17,500 sorties and more than 33,000 fl ying hours. the delivery, airmen from the wings were engaged in a second
The wing’s three squadrons, the 4th, 34th and 421st Fighter F-35A combat deployment of 2019, supporting operations in
Squadrons (FS), now each have 24 primary assigned aircraft with the Middle East.

12 AVIATION NEWS FEBRUARY 2020

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