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RUSSIAN OPS OVER SYRIA AND ‘THAT’ SHOOTDOWN
JANUARY 2016
ISSUE #334
US NAVY
TACAIR
FIGHTERS FOR
EVERY ROLE
Officially the World's
NUMBER ONE
Authority on Military Aviation | www.airforcesmonthly.com
JFH - Five
Years On
The Final Debrief
Russian Air
Defences
Fortifying Putin's
Skies
JSF and Tornado
The Way Ahead
RAF Force Commander talks to
AFM
EXCLUSIVE
UK £4.80
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EW•
NEW
•
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2016
Produced by Key Publishing with
exclusive access to the Royal Air
Force, and featuring articles written
with and by RAF personnel,
The
O cial RAF Annual Review 2016
is
a 132-page special magazine that
provides behind the scenes insight
into the aircraft, equipment and
people of one of the world’s premier
air forces.
Featuring
Typhoon Capability
Operating its Tranche 2 Typhoon jets from
RAF Lossiemouth, 1 (Fighter) Squadron
has been at the forefront of introducing
the aircraft’s swing-role capability to the
frontline, as O cer Commanding 1(F) Sqn,
Wing Commander Mike ‘Sooty’ Sutton
reveals in an exclusive interview
Tribute to ‘The Few’
Marking the 75th anniversary of the Battle
of Britain, the BBMF has enjoyed a very busy
year. Former OC, Sqn Ldr Clive Rowley looks
back over 12 months during which the
Lancaster recovered from an in ight re, the
Flight took on a new commander and the
ghters reigned supreme
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CONTENTS
January Issue 334
Analysis
Access Denied
- Fortifying
Putin's Skies
66
News
All the world’s military
aviation news, by region
4-5
Headlines
6-8
United Kingdom
10-12
Continental Europe
14-15
North America
17-19
Africa
20
Russia
21-29
Middle East
30-33
Asia Pacific/
Contracts
46
US Navy TACAIR – a
steady evolution
Founded on the F/A-18
Hornet and Super Hornet,
US naval tactical airpower
is welcoming the first of its
F-35s. Rick Burgess reviews
its formidable capabilities.
66
ANALYSIS
Access Denied –
Fortifying Putin’s Skies.
95
Base Watch
Alexander Mladenov assesses
Russia’s comprehensive national
air defence system and likely
future developments as advanced
new technologies are introduced.
A snapshot of recent military
visitors to air bases around
the UK and abroad.
98
Editorial
AFM's
view on military aviation.
Cover:
A pair of AV-8B Harrier
IIs from VMA-223 ‘Bulldogs’
break formation at the end of a
practice ground-attack sortie.
The Harrier remains the sole
fixed-wing fast-jet available to
MEUs at sea. Joe Copalman
58
Arise Army Airlift
Tom Kaminski explains the
realignment of the US Army’s
Operational Support Airlift units.
78
Hungarian
Gripens – Step Up
34
EXCLUSIVE
The Way Ahead
The new Commander of the
Tornado Force, Air Cdre Harvey
Smyth has also taken on the
mantle of Air Officer Lightning.
He has a lot going on, as Alan
Warnes discovered when
he spoke to him recently.
60
FORCE REPORT
Estonian Air Force
42
Russia Strikes Back
With only 300 personnel and
just eight aircraft, the Estonian
Air Force is a minor airpower
player. As a support host nation
for the Baltic Air Policing mission,
Estonia has become a true
NATO partner. Cristian Schrik/
Aimhigh aviation reports.
Istvan Toperczer reports
from Šiauliai Air Base in
Lithuania on the Hungarian
Air Force JAS39 Gripens’
participation in the ongoing
Baltic Air Policing mission.
82
Hinds Get Hot & Heavy
Alexander Mladenov describes
Poland’s Mi-24
Hind
force
and its combat exploits in
Iraq and Afghanistan.
When an IS bomb brought down
MetroJet Flight 9268, Russia
responded by escalating its
attacks and committing long-
range bombers to the conflict, as
Alexander Mladenov explains.
64
Joint Force Harrier –
Five years on
Alan Warnes remembers
the final Joint Force Harrier
debrief at RAF Cottesmore
on December 14, 2010.
90
Attrition
AFM’s
Dave Allport reports on the
world’s latest military accidents.
94
Debrief
Reviews of recently published
books on military aviation.
See pages 22-23 for details.
A subscription to
AirForces Monthly
makes a great gift
this Christmas.
The Way
Ahead
34
www.airforcesdaily.com
#334 JANUARY 2016
3
NEWS
HEADLINES
First UK Air Strikes in Syria
RAF Typhoons join Tornados on the front line
GR4s left RAF Marham, Norfolk,
at 0830hrs on December 3, to
bolster the eight examples already
deployed to RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus,
for similar operations against IS
in Iraq under Operation Shader.
Six Typhoon FGR4s from RAF
Lossiemouth, Moray, were also
flown to Akrotiri on the same
day to further boost the aircraft
employed on the mission. The
Typhoons comprised ZK305 ‘EE’,
ZK314 ‘EO’, ZK316 ‘FA’, ZK332
‘EB-J’, ZK338 ‘FF’ and ZK348 ‘FN’.
All had their squadron markings
removed, but retained their codes.
Air spares were ZK306 ‘ED’,
ZK309 ‘QO-P’ and ZK322 ‘GS’.
Their deployment was supported
by an RAF A400M Atlas C1.
The MOD says that coalition
air operations have already
degraded IS’s front-line military
capabilities and have assisted the
Iraqi ground forces in liberating
some 30% of the territory that the
terrorists initially seized in that
country during the summer of
2014. The MOD’s initial analysis
of the operation indicates the
strikes were successful.
Above:
Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4 ZK332 ‘EB-J’ arriving at RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus, on December 3 to participate in
Coalition air strikes against ISIL in Iraq and Syria.
MOD Crown Copyright/Sgt Emily Burns
ROYAL AIR Force Tornado GR4s
carried out the country’s first
air strikes against IS in Syria
overnight on December 2-3,
following a vote in the House of
Commons on December 2 in
favour of the move. Operating in
conjunction with other coalition
aircraft, they employed Paveway
IV laser-guided bombs to conduct
strikes against six targets within
the extensive oilfield at Omar,
35 miles (56km) inside Syria’s
eastern border with Iraq. The
mission was supported by a
Voyager air refuelling tanker and
Reaper unmanned air vehicle.
The Omar oilfield is one of the
largest and most important to
IS’s financial operations and
represents more than 10% of
its potential income from oil.
Carefully selected elements of
the oilfield infrastructure were
targeted, ensuring the strikes
had a significant impact on
IS’s ability to extract the oil.
The mainstay of IS’s financial
income is derived from
exploitation of a number of
oilfields it holds. These are
overwhelmingly located in IS’s
heartlands in eastern Syria.
Several of these oilfields have
already been effectively targeted
by other coalition partners.
To support the new effort in
Syria, two additional Tornado
Above:
RAF Tornado GR4s ZA459 ‘025’ and ZA557 ‘048’ taxy in at RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus, after landing on December 3, the
same day on which the first British air strikes against IS in Syria took place.
MOD Crown Copyright/Sgt Emily Burns
Turkey Shoots Down Russian Su-24 on Syrian Ops
A RUSSIAN Air Force Su-24M
Fencer,
Bort number ‘83 White’,
was shot down over the Syrian-
Turkish border on November 24
while operating from Latakia Air
Base, Syria, on an anti-terrorist
air strike mission. Although the
two crew members ejected, one
of them, pilot Lt Col Oleg Peshkov,
was killed, after reportedly being
shot by rebels as he descended
under his parachute. The
second, co-pilot Capt Konstantin
Murakhtin, managed to evade
the rebels and was eventually
recovered by Syrian Army forces
and returned to Latakia.
The Russian defence ministry
said the aircraft had been flying
at an altitude of 19,685ft when it
was shot down and that during
its entire flight time it had been
within the borders of Syrian
territory. Turkey said the Su-24
had entered its airspace for 17
seconds before it was shot down.
A statement from the Turkish
Armed Forces (TAF) said that at
around 0920hrs the aircraft had
violated Turkish national air space
in the Hatay Yayladagi district of
Hatay province, close to the Syria
border. The TAF stated the jet
was warned ten times during a
five-minute period, but after the
crew failed to comply, two Turkish
F-16s shot it down at 0924hrs.
The surviving Russian pilot said
they had received no warnings
and suspected nothing until the
missile hit the aircraft’s tail.
Local reports indicate the
aircraft crashed in mountains
on Syrian territory near the
Turkmen town of Bayirbucak,
northwestern Syria, close to
the border. Turkey maintains
the Russian jet was violating
its air space, despite Russian
statements to the contrary.
This was not the first time
Russian Air Force aircraft
operating in Syria had
been reported violating
Turkish airspace.
On October 3 and 4, a Russian
Su-30SM and Su-24 flew over
Turkey in the Hatay region,
despite repeated warnings from
Turkish authorities. Turkish
F-16s were scrambled to identify
the intruders, after which they
left. Russia said those violations
were due to navigational errors.
Following the incidents, Turkey
re-affirmed that it would shoot
down any aircraft unlawfully
flying over its territory.
4
JANUARY 2016 #334
www.airforcesmonthly.com
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www.airforcesdaily.com
for daily
news stories. E-mail the news team
at
milnews@keypublishing.com
P-8 MPA and F-35 Buys Confirmed
• Nine P-8s
• F-35 Total Buy
Confirmed
• Typhoons to fly
until 2040
• More Spyplanes
BRITISH PRIME Minister David
Cameron unveiled the long-
awaited national
Strategic Defence
and Security Review
(SDSR)
2015 in the House of Commons
on November 23. The defence
budget will be increased in real
terms every year of the current
Parliament and the SDSR lays out
plans to spend £178 billion over
the next decade on equipment
and equipment support.
Above:
The UK confirmed it will buy 138 F-35s in the SDSR and accelerate deliveries of the first 24 F-35Bs, to ensure they
will be operating from the new
Queen Elizabeth II
Class carriers by 2023.
Jamie Hunter
Nine P-8s
One of the major elements of
the SDSR was the decision to
make a direct purchase, without
competition, of nine Boeing
P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol
aircraft. At least three are due to
enter service before the end of
the current parliamentary term
in 2020. The type, which will also
have an overland surveillance
capability, will be based in
Scotland, at RAF Lossiemouth,
Moray and finally plug the
gap left after the controversial
scrapping of the Nimrod
MRA4 programme in 2010.
Under the Joint Force 2025
(JF2025) concept, it is planned
to have a larger, highly capable
expeditionary force of around
50,000 personnel, who can
be deployed quicker. This will
include a maritime task group
centred on a Queen Elizabeth
Class aircraft carrier equipped
with F-35B Lightning II combat
aircraft; a land division with three
brigades including a new Strike
Force; an air group of combat,
transport and surveillance aircraft
and a Special Forces task group.
Current planned investment
in SF equipment will be more
than doubled to enhance
their capabilities. This will
fund advanced high-altitude
surveillance aircraft, while
helicopters and transport
aircraft will be upgraded
in order to deploy Special
Forces further and faster.
had envisaged only eight aircraft
being available for deployment
by that time. Despite fears of a
cutback, the SDSR confirmed
Britain will buy 138 F-35s.
Typhoons to Fly Until 2040
There will be further investment
in the Typhoon’s capabilities,
including ground attack and
a new active electronically
scanned array (AESA) radar.
The type will remain in service
until at least 2040, ten years
longer than previously planned.
Introduction of Stormshadow
and Brimstone missiles will take
place as planned and JF2025
will see continued funding for
new precision weapons.
The RAF will continue to operate
Tornado GR4s until replaced
by the Typhoon. Three GR4
squadrons will be retained, two
disbanding in 2018, followed
by the third in 2019. As part of
JF2025, a second F-35 squadron
and two additional Typhoon
squadrons will be established,
making a total of seven frontline
Typhoon squadrons, each with
12 aircraft. The additional
squadrons will be equipped with
Tranche 1 Typhoons that had
been due for retirement within
the next two to three years.
More Spyplanes
F-35 Total Buy Confirmed
For the Queen Elizabeth Class
carriers, which will enter service
from 2018, the number of F-35Bs
bought in the early 2020s will
be increased. This will see
24 operating from the new
carriers by 2023, a substantial
acceleration in introduction of the
type into service. Previous plans
Intelligence-gathering aircraft will
be upgraded, enabling Sentinel
to remain in service into the next
decade. The Shadow will remain
operational until at least 2030
and Sentry and Rivet Joint until
2035. An official table showing
the make-up of JF2025 assets
refers to a force of eight RAF
Shadow R1s, implying additional
aircraft will be acquired, as the
RAF currently has only five fully
equipped Shadows, plus one
used purely as a crew trainer.
Of the current RAF transport
aircraft, 14 C-130Js will be
upgraded and go through a life-
extension programme, enabling
them to continue until 2030. The
remaining ten will be retired by
2022. The fleet of BAe146 CC2
and C3 aircraft will be replaced
as they reach the end of their life.
VIP Voyager Conversion
Above:
Instead of opening a competition the UK Government has opted to buy nine P-8s at a cost of around £1.5 billion.
Having scrapped the Nimrod, the UK will once again have a maritime patrol aircraft.
US Navy/Clark Pierce
One of the existing Voyager
aircraft will be adapted so, in
addition to its primary air-tanking
role, it can transport senior
ministers securely. This will
provide better value for money
than the current use of charter
aircraft. It would also be available
for use by the royal family.
FOR MORE ON UK'S COMBAT AIR: THE RAF'S AIR OFFICER F-35 LIGHTNING AND TORNADO GR FORCE COMMANDER TALKS TO
AFM
- PAGE 34-41
www.airforcesdaily.com
#334 JANUARY 2016
5

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