03 July 2014 Royal Air Force

The RAF’s newest Reaper remotely piloted aircraft have begun operations in Afghanistan.

Pictures released today show additional Reaper aircraft flying from Kandahar Airfield to gather vital intelligence in support of Afghan, UK and ISAF coalition forces on the ground.

The deployment of five new Reapers means there are now twice as many in Afghanistan operating alongside the Army’s Hermes 450. These aircraft provide real-time, life-saving video to ground commanders, which will continue to be vital to allied efforts to secure internal security in Afghanistan as we draw down allied forces from the country this year.

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June 24, 2014 by Think Defence

Another day, another intercept

    RAF Typhoons were yesterday (Tuesday 17 June) scrambled to intercept multiple Russian aircraft as part of NATO’s ongoing mission to police Baltic airspace.

    The Typhoon aircraft, from 3 (Fighter) Squadron, were launched after four separate groups of aircraft were detected by NATO air defences in international airspace near to the Baltic States.

    Once airborne, the British jets identified the aircraft as a Russian Tupolev Tu22 ‘Backfire’ bomber, four Sukhoi Su27 ‘Flanker’ fighters, one Beriev A50 ‘Mainstay’ early warning aircraft and an Antonov An26 ‘Curl’ transport aircraft who appeared to be carrying out a variety of routine training. The Russian aircraft were monitored by the RAF Typhoons and escorted on their way.

    The Typhoon pilots involved in the operation were Flight Lieutenant (Flt Lt) Mark Long of 29 (Reserve) Squadron (the Typhoon operational training unit) and a French Air Force exchange pilot Commandant Marc-antoine Gerrard who is currently attached to 1(Fighter) Squadron.

Pictures : here

18 June 2014 Royal Air Force

Royal Air Force personnel exchange places with overseas counterparts to improve relationships and integration. Here Tornado GR4 pilot Flt Lt Ian Hart talks about the B-2A Spirit stealth bomber which he is currently flying in the USA.

12 June 2014 BBC

The government plans to reduce the size of the armed forces by 2018

The Ministry of Defence has announced 1,060 armed forces redundancies in its fourth and final round of cuts.

As a result, 995 service personnel will leave the Army, 10 will go from the Royal Navy and 55 from the RAF.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said the cuts - part of the government's Strategic Defence and Security Review, called Army 2020 - "were unavoidable".

The National Audit Office has warned that plans to cut the Army and increase reservists have "significant risks".

Mr Hammond said the announcement "marks the end to a period of uncertainty and doubt for our personnel" and will address the "blackhole" in 2010's defence budget.

He said the announcement will allow "greater certainty for armed forces personnel going forward".

'Challenges'

"It is with great regret that we have had to make redundancies to reduce the size of the armed forces, but unfortunately they were unavoidable," he added.

General Sir Nicholas Haughton, chief of the defence staff, said the cuts would present "opportunities and challenges" and vowed to support military personnel who will leave the armed forces.

Read Analysis By Caroline Wyatt

A Rivet Joint RC-135W aircraft at RAF Waddington [Picture: Sergeant Si Pugsley RAF, Crown copyright]

27 May 2014 Ministry of Defence and Defence Equipment and Support

A Rivet Joint surveillance aircraft has been flown in UK airspace by an RAF aircrew for the first time.

Pictures released by MOD show a UK Rivet Joint RC-135W signals intelligence aircraft taking off from RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire. The aircraft is one of 3 that MOD is buying from the US which, as part of the Airseeker programme, will provide the UK with a world class real-time signals intelligence and surveillance capability for forces in the air and on the ground.

The aircraft not only gathers data and vital intelligence using advanced sensor technology, but it is also able to carry out onboard analysis and distribute the information to be exploited by assets on the ground via its high-tech communications suite.

Since 2011, members of the RAF’s 51 Squadron have been operating United States Air Force Rivet Joint aircraft and ground stations to familiarise themselves with the aircraft and its capability.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said:

These highly specialised aircraft and their supporting ground systems, bought off-the-shelf, provide Britain with a first-class intelligence-gathering capability that is value for money and another key part of our ability to interoperate with the US.

Having jointly operated US aircraft with British and American personnel for 3 years, this proven strategic intelligence and surveillance capability will be an excellent addition to the RAF’s fleet.

The 3 aircraft, converted by L-3IS in Greenville, Texas, from a Boeing KC-135 tanker, have been bought directly from the US government at a cost of around £650 million.

The MOD’s Chief of Materiel (Air), Air Marshal Simon Bollom, who oversaw the procurement of the aircraft, said:

The first flight of the UK’s Rivet Joint RC-135W aircraft, as part of the Airseeker programme with an RAF crew, is a proud moment for all in the Defence Equipment and Support team who have worked, and continue to work, so hard to deliver this outstanding capability to the front line.

We have procured an aircraft with a proven track record which has been successfully operated by the United States Air Force, with RAF crews under co-manning arrangements, for a number of years.

We have worked very closely with our colleagues in the US on this project and today’s first flight signifies the commencement of a new and potent air ISTAR (intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance) capability in the RAF inventory.

Airseeker

The Airseeker capability, comprising all 3 UK Rivet Joint RC-135W aircraft and ground exploitation systems, operated by their highly skilled aircrews, ground crews and analysts, is due to be fully operational by mid-2017.

Airseeker joins the RAF’s ISTAR Force, which includes Sentry, Shadow, Sentinel and Reaper as well as the reconnaissance capabilities of our fighter aircraft.

25 avr. 2014 royalairforce

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond at Siauliai Air Base in Lithuania [Picture: Corporal Neil Bryden RAF, Crown copyright]

6 May 2014 Ministry of Defence

Philip Hammond has visited Royal Air Force personnel deployed to Lithuania as part of the Nato Baltic air policing mission.

Mr Hammond said:

We want to make very clear that we stand by our commitments to our Nato allies.

The deployment of these state-of-the art Typhoon jets to reinforce the Baltic air policing mission, and the extra British troops to exercises in Estonia, underlines our commitment to our partners in the region.

The UK, alongside our international partners, remains steadfast in our condemnation of Russia’s behaviour and we urge the Russian government to take the appropriate steps to de-escalate the crisis.

The Baltic air policing standing defensive mission is undertaken by rotations of aircraft from contributing nations on a 4-month cycle.

NATO members such as the Baltic states, who do not have their own air policing assets, are assisted by others.

28 avril 2014 Romandie.com (AFP)

Paris - Quatre avions de combat français sont arrivés lundi en Pologne tandis que quatre britanniques ont rejoint la Lituanie dans le cadre d'une mission de l'Otan de surveillance de l'espace aérien des pays baltes, selon des sources officielles à Paris et Londres.

Les quatre Rafale français ont rejoint lundi matin la base de Malbrok, dans le nord de la Pologne, a-t-on appris à Paris auprès de la Défense.

Ce renfort fait partie des mesures de réassurance de l'Alliance atlantique en faveur des pays de l'Est de l'Europe, inquiets de l'attitude de Moscou dans la crise ukrainienne, a précisé cette source.

Environ 70 militaires français ont été déployés à Malbrok, selon le porte-parole de l'état-major de l'armée française, le colonel Gilles Jaron. Ce détachement participera à des entraînements à la police du ciel au profit de l'armée polonaise, et à des missions de surveillance aérienne.

Du côté de Londres, le ministère de la Défense a indiqué que quatre jet Typhoon britanniques étaient arrivés en Lituanie et allaient survoler les espaces aériens estonien, lettonien et lituanien dans le cadre de mesures prises par l'Otan pour soutenir et rassurer les Etats membres de l'Est.

La France avait proposé mi-mars aux Etats baltes et à la Pologne de mettre quatre Rafale à leur disposition pour renforcer cette mission de surveillance aérienne que l'Otan assure depuis 2004. Jusqu'en mai, ce sont les Etats-Unis qui conduisent cette mission. La Pologne, membre de l'Otan, prendra ensuite la relève.

Depuis le 1er avril, un avion radar Awacs français assure par ailleurs plusieurs fois par semaine des missions de surveillance au-dessus de la Pologne et de la Roumanie. Un autre avion radar Awacs, britannique celui-là, a également été déployé en mars pour les mêmes missions.

L'Otan a annoncé mi-avril le renforcement de la défense des pays d'Europe orientale et multiplie les sorties de ses avions au-dessus des pays baltes. Des navires doivent être déployés dans la mer Baltique et en Méditerranée orientale.

Washington a également annoncé la semaine dernière le déploiement de quatre compagnies de parachutistes, soit 600 soldats, pour des exercices en Pologne et dans les pays Baltes.

A paratrooper from 16 Air Assault Brigade takes up a defensive position on arrival at the Kinloss airfield [Picture: Senior Aircraftwoman Tracey Dobson, Crown copyright]

8 April 2014 Ministry of Defence

The British Army has demonstrated its specialist air manoeuvre capabilities on the biggest military exercise in Europe.

An aviation assault to capture the airfield at Kinloss Barracks marked 16 Air Assault Brigade’s arrival on Exercise Joint Warrior.

Troops from the 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment battle group landed at Kinloss in Chinook, Merlin and Puma helicopters, protected by Apache attack helicopters, to assault the airfield. Once secured, more troops and heavier equipment were delivered across the day by C-130 Hercules transport aircraft.

Airfield capture is a key skill required for the brigade’s role as the Air Assault Task Force, which is ready to deploy anywhere in the world at short notice to conduct the full range of military operations from non-combatant evacuation to war-fighting.

Brigadier Nick Borton, commander of 16 Air Assault Brigade, said:

Joint Warrior provides an excellent opportunity for 16 Air Assault Brigade to work alongside the Royal Navy and RAF in its role as the British Army’s very high-readiness formation for contingency operations.

This is realistic and well-resourced training that reflects the type of operations that the brigade could be called on to do, both in terms of the tactical challenges and their expeditionary nature.

The mission we have achieved in a short space of time, and what we will go on to do across the exercise, is a powerful demonstration of the unique flexibility, reach and agility of airborne and air assault troops.

Exercise Joint Warrior involves 13,000 military personnel from 8 countries, more than 30 warships and 25 different types of aircraft. Taking place twice a year, the training aims to test how the Royal Navy, Army, and Royal Air Force work together and with allied forces.

Apr 3, 2014 Cobham  Air Tanker

RAF Voyager has today (31/3/14) carried out its’ first flight with RAF crews as a three-point tanker, completing an air-to-air refuelling sortie over the Cornish Coast.

The flight follows the Release to Service awarded to Voyager from the Ministry of Defence on 29/3/14, which cleared Voyager to refuel the C-130 Hercules, the first approval on the Fuselage Refuelling Unit (FRU).

This latest achievement for the Voyager programme follows the wing-pod approvals already given by the MOD to begin air-to-air refuelling (AAR) operations with Tornado and Typhoon in summer last year.

Phill Blundell, CEO, AirTanker, which was appointed in 2008 to deliver the Future Strategic Tanker Transport Aircraft (FSTA) programme, said clearance on the FRU represented another significant step forward.

He said: “Clearance with the C-130 on the centerline hose is another important achievement, nudging us just that little bit closer to full operational capability. “We will continue to work alongside the RAF in supporting refinement of these systems as we move towards our air-to-air refuelling in service date in the summer.”

AirTanker, the consortium behind Voyager, is made up of leading aerospace, defence and facilities management specialists, Cobham, EADS, Rolls-Royce, Thales and Babcock. They also form its primary supply chain.

Since receiving the go-ahead to refuel the Tornado GR4 and Typhoon, Voyager has completed more than 215 air-to-air refuelling sorties, giving away in excess of 3,300 tonnes of fuel.

A fully certified and militarily-converted Airbus A330-200, multi role tanker transport MRTT, Voyager has a total fuel capacity of 111 tonnes. This is delivered using standard A330-200 fuel tanks without adaptation of its cargo hold to accommodate additional capacity.

In addition to its air-to-air refuelling role Voyager also has capacity to carry up to 291 passengers with a cargo capability of up to 8 NATO pallets or up to 43 tonnes. The aircraft can also be configured to accommodate a 40 stretcher aeromedical evacuation capability including critical care.

In all seven aircraft have now been delivered to the programme. The latest arrival, ZZ337, which was delivered at the end of January, brings the total number of aircraft flying on the MAR to six, (2x two-point tankers and 4x three-point capable tankers).

Since the start of air transport operations in April 2012, these military aircraft have together clocked more than 7,200 hours, flying more than 1,940 sectors, carrying more than 125,300 passengers and 8,100 tonnes plus of freight. This includes the start of flights in and out of Camp Bastion in support of the Afghanistan air-bridge in December last year.

Voyager 02, which flies on the Civilian Aircraft Register, has flown more than 2,700 hours and 490 sectors, carrying over 55,600 passengers and more than 3,400 tonnes of freight, since the start of AirTanker’s civilian airline operation at the beginning of 2013 Blundell added: “As with any programme of this scale, we have faced challenges but in partnership with the RAF, they have been overcome. They have not impacted on the programme. Our effort and the pace of progress has been relentless and we remain on budget and on time.

“Most importantly we have remained flexible, adapting to the changing needs of the programme and the RAF and the MOD as customer. We will continue to work alongside them to ensure that needs of the RAF and UK Armed Forces continue to be met.”

Apr 2, 2014 ASDNews Source : Lutra Associates Ltd

    First Major MOD Production order for team formed around Lutra Associates

Training in embarking, disembarkation and escape drills on the Puma and Merlin helicopter is to be provided on two simulators to be supplied by Lutra Associates, in partnership with Oxford Specialist Coachbuilders. This £200,000 plus contract has been placed by the UK MOD’s Defence Equipment and Support Commercial team at Army HQ following a competitive tender.

The two units, which will be housed in modified ISO containers, have been designed to be easily moved to wherever the training is required. This will result in the Joint Helicopter Command and the Royal Air Force saving money and being able to re-allocate aircraft to more operational uses whilst at the same time providing improved skill levels for the troops being trained.

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31 Mar 2014 By: Craig Hoyle – FG

London - A phased reduction of the UK Royal Air Force’s fleet of Panavia Tornado GR4 strike aircraft has taken its latest step, with two frontline units having been stood down on 28 March.

The service’s 12 and 617 squadrons ceased operations with a disbandment ceremony conducted at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland, which from mid-2014 will instead become home to its Eurofighter Typhoon-equipped 1 and 6 squadrons, which are to be relocated from RAF Leuchars.

“Both squadrons have delivered precision air power around the world, whether that be in air-to-air combat, air-to-ground attack or in the intelligence-gathering role. We are proud of our heritage but we look to the future,” says AVM Stuart Atha, Air Officer Commanding the RAF’s 1 Group.

Known as “The Dambusters”, 617 Sqn will be reformed in 2018 as the UK’s first frontline unit to operate the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II. Some personnel from 12 Sqn, meanwhile, will be retained at Lossiemouth to support operations with the Typhoon.

The latest unit retirements leave the RAF with operational Tornado GR4 squadrons only at its Marham base in Norfolk. Its 15 Sqn operational conversion unit for the type will remain at Lossiemouth until 2018, with its last examples currently expected to leave use during 2019.

One of the fundamental changes in SDSR 2010 was to select the F35C over the F35B. The rational for this was that the F35C could also replace the Tornado and cover the RAF’s Future Offensive Air System requirement as well as the Joint Combat Aircraft requirement designed to replace the Harrier. However once it became clear that the cost of converting the aircraft carriers would be in the £ 5 billion pound range the decision was taken to revert back to the B model. However despite the decision to revert back to the B model no decision was taken to replace the Tornado with something else. The F35B will now have to serve as both a Harrier replacement and a Tornado replacement.

Having F35B as a replacement for the Harrier will give us capabilities light years ahead of what we had. Despite the criticisms of the B model in comparison to the Harrier it is a major capability improvement. However as a replacement for the Tornado the F35B does have limitations. I believe there are some relatively simple fixes that the UK can use to overcome the limitations of the B model so that it can serve as an effective replacement for the Tornado.

• Range
• Bomb Bays
• Suppression of Enemy Air Defence
• Conclusion