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30/05-06/05

A weekly feature bringing you the highlights of any interesting or unusual photos/movements from the week just gone.
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Flyingmonster
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Posts: 13588
Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2009 4:16 pm
Location: Skipton, North Yorkshire

30/05-06/05

Post by Flyingmonster » Tue May 08, 2012 11:52 am

This Weeks Highlights
30/05-06/05

Aircraft - Fairchild C26D Metro 23
Serial - 910502 (C/N DC-081M)
Operator - United States Navy (USN) Squadron - Sigonella AOD
Date and Location - 30/04 Edinbrugh International Airport (EGPH)

Further Information

The C26 is based on the Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner twin turboprop aircraft. This example is from the US Navy and is based at NAS Sigonella with the Sigonella AOD. The Airframes were transferred from the USAF inventory and modified with new navigation equipment for the US Navy, four are used for rapid response cargo and passenger transportation in Europe. As well as the four used as Utility Aircraft, the US Navy operates 2 C-26D aircraft, modified for range support, at the Pacific Missile Range Facility Barking Sands. These have the Designation RC-26D and the EC-26D. Although in service throughout the US Armed Forces it is not officially named by the US Armed Forces. Powered by 2 × Allied Signal Garrett TPE-331-11U-601G turboprops, the aircraft has a maximum speed of 288 knots and a range of 2,025 nm. Naval Air Station Sigonella, "The Hub of the Med", is a U.S. Navy installation at NATO Base Sigonella and an Italian Air Force base in Sicily, Italy. Although a tenant of the Italian Air Force, NAS Sigonella acts as landlord to more than 40 other U.S. commands and activities. It is located 15 km (8 NM) west and 11 km (6 NM) south of the city of Catania.

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EDI Guy
Aircraft - Canadair CC-144B Challenger
Serial - 144615 (C/N 3037)
Operator - Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Squadron - 412 Squadron
Date and Location - 30/04 Edinbrugh International Airport (EGPH)

Further Information

Operated by 412 Transport Squadron, under the command of 8 Wing, based at Ottwa - MacDonald Cartier International Airport. The RCAF currently have 6 of the type in service in the VIP Transport Role and have been using the type since 1982. Early Challenger 600 and 601 models were supplemented by 604 models in 2002. No. 412 Transport Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force is one of 3 transport squadrons attached to CFB Trenton in Trenton, Ontario, and was formed during the second World War. The Unit started life as a WW2 Fighter unit based at RAF Digby in the UK with the Motto Promptus Ad Vindictam ("Swift to avenge"). The Units main role today is to provide transport for high level government officials and foreign VIPs while they are in Canada using the CC-144B. Aircraft used by 412 include: Supermarine Spitfire, North American Harvard, Douglas Dakota (C-47), De Havilland Comet and the CL-66 Cosmopolitan. The CL-144B is powered by 2 × General Electric CF34-3A turbofans and has a Range of some 6,236 km.

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EDI Guy
Aircraft - Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4
Serial - ZJ936 QO-C (C/N 001/BS027)
Operator - Royal Air Force (RAF) Squadron - 3 Squadron
Date and Location - 02/05 RAF Coningsby (EGXL)

Further Information

The RAF currently has some 83 Typhoons with a further 77 due to be delivered to complete the order of 160 Aircraft. The entire Typhoon fleet passed the 100,000 flying hours this year and saw the aircraft being deployed on its first Combat scenario in Libya. When flying Operations the Aircraft were based at Gioia del Colle airbase in Italy and working alongside RAF Tornado GR4s the Typhoons gained 91 strikes and a average sortie time of 2+ Hours. In total the RAF Tornados and Typhoons flew 1,114 sorties, 2,395 Hours flown and a Success rate of 97%. The RAF operate the Aircraft with 5 Squadrons (3(F), 6, 11, 17, 29 Squadrons) and 1 Flight (1435 Flight) in a variety of roles. 3 Squadron (Motto -Tertius primus erit - "The third shall be the first") have been operating the FGR4 since June 2011 (Aswell as the Typhoon F2 and T3) is a unique unit in the RAF for having two official crests. Formed on 13 May 1912 at Larkhill, the unit (under the command of the RFC) was the first squadron to receive heavier than air flying machines. Battle Honours include the Western Front (1914-1918), Mons, Somme (1918), Low Countries (1940), Battle of Britain (1940), Normandy (1944), Arnhem, France and Germany (1944-1945) and Iraq (2003). This year marks the 100th Anniversary of the Squadron and ZJ936/QO-C has been given this scheme to celebrate this.

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Beefsteak
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Flyingslug_0
Aircraft - Beechcraft RC12X 'Guardrail'
Serial - 92-13122 (C/N FE-28)
Operator - US Army (Aviation) Squadron - 1st MI Bn
Date and Location - 04/05 Büchel Airbase (EDSB)

Further Information

The Aircraft is one of 18 the US Army operate in the Intelligence Gathering role. Based on the C12 Huron the aircraft is operated by a crew of 2 and incorporates the Guardrail V system. The systems on board the aircraft are controlled from a ground unit or station and was acquired in 1991. the 1 MIB (Military Inteligence Battalion) also known as the "Flying Eye Battalion" . The unit is based at Wiesbaden in Germany and comprises 4 companies – HHSC (Headquarters and Headquarters Service Company) - Runs battalion command and control and provides logistics support, A Company - Provides aerial images through the use of the Hunter Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, B Company - Produces SIGINT collection and Aerial Electronic Warfare with the Guardrail Common Sensor, and C Company - Conducts analysis and dissemination of SIGINT. The intelligence unit supports US military activity in Afghanistan and other US Operations and interests. The unit is one which specializes in the acquisition of aerial signals information in direct support of the 66th Military Intelligence Brigade. The unit was originally formed on 14 December 1956 as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 1st Air Reconnaissance Support Battalion. 1st MI Battalion has served in Vietnam, Operation Desert Storm, Operation Joint Endeavor as well as Afghanistan and Iraq.

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Olli.J
Aircraft - McDonnell Douglas KC10A 'Extender'
Serial - 79-1713 (C/N 48205/363)
Operator - United States Air Force (USAF) Squadron - 60AMW
Date and Location - 04/05 Prestwick International Airport (EGPK)

Further Information

Operated by the 60 AMW based at Travis AFB. The Aircraft is one of 59 of the type in service with the USAF in the Aerial Tanker Role. The first KC-10s was delivered to the Air Force in March 1981 at Barksdale AFB; the 60th and final KC-10 arrived on 29 November 1988. The 60th AMW is the largest air mobility organization in the United States Air Force and is responsible for strategic airlift and aerial refueling missions around the world. The USAF KC10s have been used extensivley in various Operations and conflicts around the world including Kosovo, Iraq, Yugoslavia and Libya. The McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender is the military adaptation of the three-engined DC-10 airliner for the United States Air Force. The KC-10 incorporates military-specific equipment for its primary roles of transport and aerial refueling. It was developed to supplement the KC-135 Stratotanker following experiences in Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

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Watson
Aircraft - Sikorsky HH-60G 'Pave Hawk'
Serial - 89-26212 (C/N 70-1452)
89-26208 (C/N 70-1439)
Operator - United States Air Force (USAF) Squadron - 56th RQS
Date and Location - 02/05 RAF Mildenhall (EGUN)

Further Information

The USAF currently have around 99 of the type in service in the Search and Rescue Role, 6 of which are operated from Lakenheath. The 56th are housed by the 48th Fighter Wing also known as the Statue of Liberty Wing (The only USAF wing with both a number and a name). The Liberty Wing is made up of three combat-ready squadrons of F-15E Strike Eagle and F-15C Eagle fighter aircraft ( The 492d Fighter Squadron (F-15E) The 493d Fighter Squadron (F-15C/D) and The 494th Fighter Squadron (F-15E)). The 56th have been involved in operations in Vietnam and Libya and have operated the HH60G since 1992. The Pave Hawk is a twin turboshaft engine helicopter in service with the United States Air Force. It is a derivative of the UH-60 Black Hawk and incorporates the US Air Force PAVE electronic systems program. The HH-60G Pave Hawk's core mission is recovery of personnel under stressful conditions, including search and rescue. The U.S. Air Force HH-60G Pave Hawk is operated by the Air Combat Command (ACC), U.S. Air Forces in Europe (USAFE), Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), Air Education and Training Command (AETC), the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) and the Air National Guard (ANG).

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Dunk
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Dunk
Aircraft - McDonnell Douglas C-9B 'Skytrain II'
Serial - 159115 (C/N 47587/700)
Operator - United States Navy (USN) Squadron - VR-61
Date and Location - 05/04 RAF Mildenhall (EGUN)

Further Information

The USN currently have 15 C-9Bs in service in the VIP/Transport Role. The aircraft is one of four operated by VR-61 'Islanders' is based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. VR-61 was established in October 1982 and have the ability of carrying 100 passengers or 20,000 pounds of cargo, or several combinations of both. VR-61's mission is to provide worldwide, around-the-clock air transport of Naval personnel and cargo, moving people and cargo in support of the fleet, year round, around the world. VR-61 provides worldwide logistics support to Navy, other Department of Defense and State Department activities around the world. They have permanent detachment sites in Sigonella, Sicily, and Atsugi, Japan, where they provide air logistics to forces in the Mediterranean and European theaters, as well as to East Asia and the Pacific Rim. VR-61 is under the operational control of Commander, Fleet Logistics Support Wing and is scheduled by the Joint Operational Support Airlift Center and the Naval Air Logistics Office. Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 61(VR-61) is one of four Navy Reserve C-9B squadrons. The C9B's were delivered from 1973 to 1976 with an additional five C-9s being converted from passenger configured DC-9s. The Aircraft are due to be replaced by the C40 Clipper.

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Billydog
Aircraft - Airbus Military A400M 'Grizzly'
Serial - F-WWMZ (C/N 006)
Operator - Airbus Military Squadron - N/A
Date and Location - 02/05 RAF Brize Norton (EGVN)

Further Information

The Airbus A400M, also known as the Atlas, is a multi-national four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. It was designed by Airbus Military as a tactical airlifter with strategic capabilities. The aircraft's maiden flight, originally planned for 2008, took place on 11 December 2009 in Seville, Spain. The A400, still in the test flight phase, has 174 orders from eight nations including the UK with 22 on order. The Airbus A400M will increase the airlift capacity and range compared with the aircraft it was originally set to replace, the older versions of the Hercules and Transall. Cargo capacity is expected to double over existing aircraft, both in payload and volume, and range is increased substantially as well. The A400M will operate in many configurations including cargo transport, troop transport, Medical evacuation, aerial refuelling, and electronic surveillance. The aircraft is intended for use on short, soft landing strips and for long-range, cargo transport flights. The A400M is positioned as an intermediate size between the Lockheed C-130, and the Boeing C-17.

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MarkG
Aircraft - Westland Seaking Mk 48
Serial - RS02 (C/N WA832)
Operator - Belgian Air Component (BAC) Squadron - 40sm
Date and Location - 02/05 Oxford Airport (EGTK)

Further Information

The aircraft is one of 4 used by the BAC in the Search and Rescue Role under the SAR Wing. The aircraft is similar to HAS.2 version of the type but with extended cabin and was delivered to the BAC 1976. Based at Koksijde Air Base the unit was formed in 1954 at Kamina in the Belgian Congo. The aircraft were procured to replace the successful Sikorsky HSS1/S58 in the Air-Sea Rescue role. The Belgian Government ordered five Westland Seaking Mk.48 helicopters in April 1975. (RS01 has been withdrawn from service) To begin with all the aircraft were used to train the Belgian aircrews at RNAS Culdrose before being delivered to Koksijde in November 1976. RS02 first flew on 08/04/76 and was delivered to Koksijde 08/11/76. The type has undergone several updates including replacement of the radar by a vastly more capable version and the installation of a FLIR (Forward Looking Infra-Red) camera.
The aircraft are due to be retired later this year with the arrival of the NH90 of which 8 (4 NFH & 4 TTH) are on order with 2 options. The intervention of the Seakings during the disaster with the "Herald of Free Enterprise" off the coast at Zeebrugge on March 6th 1987, rescued 30 passengers from . Three Seakings of 40 Squadron were involved in the rescue operation from the car and passenger ferry.

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MarkG
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Pikey01
Aircraft - Eurocopter EC225 'Super Puma'
Serial - 2741 (C/N 2741)
Operator - French Navy Aviation (Aéronavale) Squadron - 32F
Date and Location - 02/05 Oxford Airport (EGTK)

Further Information

The Aéronavale currently have 2 EC225's in service in the Search and Rescue Role based at Lanvéoc Air Base. The French placed an off-the-shelf order for two EC225s as a short-term replacement for the Aérospatiale Super Frelons used in the same role, the first was delivered on 22 April 2010. Born as a fusion of carrier squadrons and naval patrol air force, the Aviation navale was created on the 19 June 1998. The headquarters is under command of an admiral (ALAVIA) in Toulon naval base. The EC225s are a stop-gap solution, awaiting the operational status of the NH90 NFH. This is planned for april 2013, 32F will disband at that point and the EC225s will be transferred to EC01.067. The aircraft is a twin-engined aircraft and can carry up to 24 passengers along with 2 crew with a range of 857 km. The EC225 is based on the Eurocopter AS332L2 Super Puma, improving upon the design with a five-blade main rotor incorporating a new airfoil shape to reduce vibration levels. The helicopter is powered by two Turbomeca Makila 2A1 turboshaft engines mounted over the cabin, which feature a dual-channel Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) system and anti-icing system to enable it to operate in very cold climates. Other improvements include a reinforced main rotor gearbox and a full glass cockpit with Active Matrix Liquid Crystal Displays. The SAR configuration allows for Search & Rescue equipment with an operator seat, hoistman seat and up to 8 rescue seats and 3 stretchers.

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Pikey01
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MarkG
Aircraft - Agusta Westland Merlin HC3/HC3A
Serial - ZJ998/AE (C/N 50148/DEN09)
ZJ134/S (C/N 50183/RAF18)
Operator - Royal Air Force (RAF) Squadron - 28/78 Squadrons
Date and Location - 02/05 Coney Park (EGNP)

Further Information

The RAF have 22 on strength as a Medium Lift Transport Helicopter based at RAF Benson. The type is equipped with extended-range fuel tanks and is capable of air-to-air refueling and differs from the Royal Navy version by having double-wheel main landing gear, whereas the RN version only has a single wheel on each of the main gear. The Merlin entered RAF Service in January 2001 is frequently utilised for troop transport duties and for the transport of bulky objects, either internally or underslung, including vehicles and artillery. Depth maintenance of the Merlin HC3 is carried out at the Merlin Depth Maintenance Facility at RNAS Culdrose. The Merlin's first operational deployment was to the Balkans region in 2003. Merlins were also deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Telic; they were commonly deployed in the vicinity of the city of Basra until the British withdrawal in June 2009. The British Ministry of Defence acquired six AW101s from Denmark in 2007; these were assigned to the RAF with the designation Merlin HC3A. Having first flown on 9 October 1987, the aircraft was introduced into both Military and civilian use in 1999.

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Perky
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Perky
Aircraft - Lockheed C130T Hercules
Serial - 165378 (C/N 5429)
Operator - United States Navy (USN) Squadron - VR-55
Date and Location - 02/05 Prestwick International Airport (EGPK)

Further Information

The USN currentlt operate 19 of the C130T aircraft in the Cargo/Transport Role. The C130T is the basic airlifer version of the C130 Hercules but is equipped with underwing external fuel tanks. The USN C-130T is similar to the C130R, but has additional avionics improvements and equipped with Allison T56-A-16 engines. The C-130T Aircraft provides rapid transportation for personnel or cargo for delivery by parachute or landing. The aircraft can be used as a tactical transport, or readily converted for ambulance or aerial delivery missions. The aircraft can land and take off on short runways, and can be used on landing strips such as those found in advanced base operations. It can provide mission capabilities such as emergency evacuation of personnel and key equipment, advanced party reconnaissance, and special warfare operations, as directed.The C-130T can haul much more cargo than a C-9B can accommodate, but the C-130T can only fly about half as fast as a C-9B or C-20G. A typical C-130T squadron has 4 aircraft. These aircraft are called on when there are very large unit movements, with the people going ahead in one or more C-9B's and the cargo following in a C-130T. The C-130T Logistics Support Aircraft is assigned to Naval Reserve Fleet Logistics Support Squadrons (VR) and was introduced from 1991.

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Watson
Thanks for looking!
Comments welcome! :thumb:
Cheers

Boo boo (aka Jamie)

'The first time I ever saw a jet, I shot it down!' - Yeager

Chris Melaisi
Posts: 547
Joined: Mon Sep 19, 2011 4:32 pm
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Re: 30/05-06/05

Post by Chris Melaisi » Tue May 08, 2012 3:03 pm

Great job Jamie! :thumb:

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flyingslug_0
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Posts: 3062
Joined: Wed Oct 07, 2009 5:54 pm

Re: 30/05-06/05

Post by flyingslug_0 » Wed May 09, 2012 2:51 am

Very informative great job Jamie :thumbs:

Flyingmonster
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Posts: 13588
Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2009 4:16 pm
Location: Skipton, North Yorkshire

Re: 30/05-06/05

Post by Flyingmonster » Thu May 10, 2012 6:09 pm

Thanks chaps! :thumb:
Cheers

Boo boo (aka Jamie)

'The first time I ever saw a jet, I shot it down!' - Yeager

balamorybuzzed
Posts: 1545
Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2011 1:50 pm
Location: St Andrews

Re: 30/05-06/05

Post by balamorybuzzed » Fri May 11, 2012 3:24 pm

Excellent stuff as always bud!!

Mikey :thumbs:

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