Airforces Monthly - February 2017
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UAE deploys<br />
aircraft to Eritrea<br />
SATELLITE IMAGERY provided<br />
by Airbus Defence and Space<br />
has revealed a build-up of<br />
UAE Air Force and Air Defence<br />
aircraft at a base in Eritrea’s<br />
Southern Red Sea Region.<br />
The aircraft are deployed at<br />
Assab International Airport,<br />
to support operations<br />
in southern Yemen.<br />
As of October 20, the<br />
UAE contingent at Assab<br />
comprised nine Mirage<br />
2000-9s, two UH-60 Black<br />
Hawks, two Bell 407s, one<br />
C-130 Hercules, and two Dash<br />
8 turboprops. Hangar facilities<br />
recently constructed at the<br />
airfield can accommodate<br />
up to 12 Mirages.<br />
Remanufactured<br />
and new AH-64Es<br />
approved for UAE<br />
A POSSIBLE Foreign Military<br />
Sale to the United Arab<br />
Emirates of 37 AH-64E Apache<br />
attack helicopters has been<br />
approved by the US State<br />
Department at an estimated<br />
cost of $3.5bn. The Defense<br />
Security Co-operation Agency<br />
(DSCA) announced the<br />
approval on December 8.<br />
The proposed sale would<br />
include the remanufacturing<br />
of the UAE Air Force and Air<br />
Defence’s 28 existing AH-64Ds<br />
into AH-64E configuration,<br />
together with production<br />
of nine new AH-64Es.<br />
The UAE originally received<br />
30 AH-64As, which were<br />
later upgraded to AH-64D<br />
Block II standard. The DSCA<br />
announcement that 28 are<br />
to be upgraded suggests<br />
there have been two<br />
attrition losses. One was in<br />
a crash during operations in<br />
Yemen on June 13, 2016.<br />
On November 4, 2010, the<br />
DSCA had notified Congress<br />
of the intention to upgrade all<br />
30 UAE AH-64Ds to what was<br />
then designated AH-64D Block<br />
III (now AH-64E) standard, plus<br />
a UAE plan to buy an additional<br />
30 new-build examples. The<br />
announcement confirms the<br />
upgrade is moving ahead and<br />
gives approval for the first nine<br />
of the additional 30 helicopters.<br />
Omani Police CN235 in Europe<br />
ROYAL OMAN Police<br />
CN235-100M serial A4O-CU<br />
(c/n C-062) was a rare visitor<br />
to Malta International Airport<br />
on December 13. The aircraft<br />
made a night stop after a flight<br />
from Crete before departing<br />
for Seville, Spain. It has been<br />
reported that the two Royal<br />
Oman Police CN235-100Ms have<br />
suffered rudder problems and<br />
Airbus Defence and Space will<br />
now complete modifications<br />
at Seville. The Royal Oman<br />
Israel retires last F-16A/B Netz<br />
Ruben Zammit<br />
Police CN235s are old, and<br />
feature the original singlewheel<br />
nose gear. The Royal<br />
Oman Police Directorate of<br />
Police Aviation operates a fixedwing<br />
and rotary-wing fleet from<br />
Muscat/Seeb International.<br />
Above: F-16A Netz 234 of 115 ‘Flying Dragon’ Squadron at Nevatim Air Base, where it simulated enemy aircraft to train<br />
Israeli Air Force personnel. IAF/Gui Ashash<br />
AFTER AN operational career<br />
with the Israeli Air Force<br />
(IAF) spanning 36 years,<br />
the F-16A/B Netz has been<br />
withdrawn from service. The<br />
final flights took place at Ovda<br />
Air Base on December 26.<br />
The aircraft had latterly been<br />
flown by 115 ‘Flying Dragon’<br />
Squadron. The first four Netz<br />
aircraft were delivered to Ramat<br />
David Air Base on July 2, 1980.<br />
Less than a year later, in April<br />
1981, the type achieved its<br />
first kill in IAF service, when<br />
Brig Gen (Res) Rafi Berkovitch<br />
shot down a Syrian Mi-8.<br />
Since then, the type has been<br />
involved in many of the IAF’s<br />
major operations, completing<br />
Israel builds up Kochav force<br />
THE ISRAELI Air Force (IAF) has<br />
revealed plans to increase the<br />
number of Hermes 900 Kochav<br />
unmanned aerial vehicles<br />
(UAVs) that it operates by a<br />
factor of six during <strong>2017</strong>. It is<br />
not known exactly how many<br />
Kochav UAVs are currently<br />
in the Israeli inventory.<br />
The Kochav completed its first<br />
operational mission on July<br />
15, 2014, during the Protective<br />
Edge operation over the Gaza<br />
Strip. The sortie was flown in<br />
support of an air strike that was<br />
said to have destroyed terrorist<br />
infrastructure. More than 100<br />
flights were undertaken by the<br />
UAV during the operation.<br />
The Kochav system is expected<br />
to attain full operational<br />
capability this year.<br />
474,000 sorties and 335,000<br />
flight hours. From 2000,<br />
newer F-16C/D Barak, F-15I<br />
Ra’am and F-16I Sufa aircraft<br />
began replacing the F-16A/B<br />
in combat missions. The<br />
Netz continued to be used<br />
for combat pilot training, but<br />
this role is now being taken<br />
over by the M-346 Lavi.<br />
New radar for<br />
Israeli F-15Is<br />
THE ISRAELI Air Force<br />
has chosen the Raytheon<br />
AN/APG-82(V)1 active<br />
electronically scanned array<br />
(AESA) radar for its F-15I Ra’am<br />
fighters. Structural upgrades<br />
are also planned, as are<br />
additional F-15Is to supplement<br />
the 25 aircraft in service.<br />
www.airforcesmonthly.com #347 FEBRUARY <strong>2017</strong> 25
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