MILITARY AVIATION REVIEW AUGUST 2012 ISSUE No. 297 EDITORIAL TEAM COORDINATING EDITOR - BRIAN PICKERING WESTFIELD LODGE, ASLACKBY, SLEAFORD, LINCS NG34 0HG TEL NO. 01778 440760 E-MAIL”[email protected]” BRITISH REVIEW - MICK BOULANGER 27 Tudor Road, Heath Town, Wolverhampton, West Midlands WV10 0LT TEL NO. 0770 1070537 EMail "[email protected]" FOREIGN FORCES - BRIAN PICKERING (see Co-ordinating Editor above for address details) US FORCES - BRIAN PICKERING (COORDINATING) (see above for address details) STATESIDE: MORAY PICKERING 18 MILLPIT FURLONG, LITTLEPORT, ELY, CAMBRIDGESHIRE, CB6 1HT E Mail “[email protected]” EUROPE: BRIAN PICKERING OUTSIDE USA: BRIAN PICKERING See address details above OUT OF SERVICE - ANDY MARDEN 6 CAISTOR DRIVE, BRACEBRIDGE HEATH, LINCOLN LN4 2TA E-MAIL "[email protected]" MEMBERSHIP/DISTRIBUTION - BRIAN PICKERING MAP, WESTFIELD LODGE, ASLACKBY, SLEAFORD, LINCS NG34 0HG TEL NO. 01778 440760 E-MAIL.”[email protected]” ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION (Jan-Dec 2012) UK £40 EUROPE £48 ELSEWHERE £50 @MAR £20 (EMail/Internet Only) MAR PDF £20 (EMail/Internet Only) Cheques payable to “MAP” - ALL CARDS ACCEPTED - Subscribe via “www.mar.co.uk” ABBREVIATIONS USED * OVERSHOOT f/n FIRST NOTED l/n LAST NOTED n/n NOT NOTED u/m UNMARKED w/o WRITTEN OFF wfu WITHDRAWN FROM USE n/s NIGHTSTOPPED INFORMATION MAY BE REPRODUCED FROM “MAR” WITH DUE CREDIT EDITORIAL As predicted last month, activity in the UK, Europe and, especially, the USA tailed off during July (and will continue in a similar fashion during August too). This means that the back log of Foreign Forces reports and the Credits will finally appear in this issue - my apologies for the delay in printing these reports. As I mentioned last month, the 2013 Subscription Renewal Forms will be sent out with the September issue of MAR - we will be maintaining the MAR PDF and @MAR rates for 2013 at £20 each and the MAR paper magazine rate for the UK for 2013 will be kept at £40. However, the European rates and for Elsewhere in the World will be increased (see next month for the final new rates) due to the ridiculous increases imposed by Royal Mail this April - the UK increases were bad enough but it now costs £20 more to mail a magazine to Europe than to the UK and £35 more to the rest of the World (and that is only up until next April, when they will, no doubt, increase their rates again!). With this in mind we strongly recommend our overseas readers to change to the PDF version of MAR at £20 - many of our overseas readers have already done so! If you would like to receive a sample PDF of this August issue of MAR to compare the two please email me at “[email protected]” and I will email you a copy. Not only is it considerably cheaper to change to the PDF version but you have other advantages such as a larger picture selection each month, earlier delivery and the PDF version is searchable so you can tie up missing registrations/call signs a lot quicker. COVER PHOTOGRAPH: New 1 Sqn Typhoon FGR4 ZK326/FB photographed flying a low level training sortie over the Scottish Borders area in early August (Andy Sheppard) Closing date for the September issue is 08.09.12 Brian Pickering 15.08.12 418 BRITISH REVIEW It was announced at Farnborough on 09th July that Lockheed Martin has signed an agreement authorizing Marshall Aero- space to become the world’s first commercial company to install C-130 Centre Wing Boxes. Marshall Aerospace is also the first C-130J Heavy Maintenance Centre in the world. It was announced by BAE Systems that the out of service date for the Tornado GR.4/4A is March 2019. A Squadron change took place on 09th July 2012 when 2 Sqn took over from 617 Sqn on Operation Herrick duties. Three Tornado GR.4s headed south bound on 03.08 as “RRR9701-3” and three Tornado GR.4’s returned northbound as “RRR9711-13” on 07.08. During a ceremony in late July RAF Kinloss was handed over to the Army and has taken over the name Kinloss Barracks, this will become the home of 39 Engineer Regiment after moving from Waterbeach Barracks..... Mick Boulanger RAF BARKSTON HEATH Barkston Heath Friend’s and Families Day took place on 20.07, participating aircraft were: - ZJ198 Apache AH.1 673 Sqn XZ722/645 Lynx HMA.8SRU 702NAS ZH004 Defender T.3 651 Sqn ZJ277/77 Squirrel HT.1 DHFS XZ692/641 Lynx HMA.8SRU 702NAS ZF377/377 Tucano T.1 1 FTS RAF BENSON 28/78 Sqn movements during May 2012 01 ZJ132/Q Merlin HC.3 and ZJ998/AE to Leeds Heliport as “Halifax1&2” (returned02.05) 02 ZJ992/AB Merlin HC.3A to/from Valley as “Bayonet 1” 06 ZJ132/Q Merlin HC.3 to/from Abingdon Air Show as “SHF323” 15 ZJ992/AB Merlin HC.3A to Valley as “SHF284” 18 ZJ132/Q Merlin HC.3 and ZJ998/AE Merlin HC.3A on QDJF Rehearsal as “SHF324 Flt” 19 ZJ134/S Merlin HC.3 and ZJ124/H Merlin HC.3 to Odiham for QDJF as “SHF324 Flt” ZJ124/H Merlin HC.3 returned as “SHF757” ZJ134/S Merlin HC.3 flew as “SHF1” 21 ZJ125/J Merlin HC.3 to Brize Norton as “SHF305” 28 ZJ118/B Merlin HC.3 to Brize as “SHF785” ZJ125/J Merlin HC.3 to Culdrose as “SHF307” 28/78 Sqn movements during June 2012 06 ZJ994/AC Merlin HC.3A & ZJ119/C Merlin HC.3 to Jordan as “RFR7190”and“RFR7192” 12 ZJ998/AE Merlin HC.3A to QBF rehearsal as “SHF1”, (ZJ134/S as hot spare) 15 ZJ121/E Merlin HC.3 to Jordan as “RFR7194” 16 ZJ134/S Merlin HC.3 to QBF as “SHF1”, ZJ133/R Merlin HC.3 as hot spare. PM ZJ134/S Merlin HC.3 to Cosford as “SHF323” (returned 18.08) 20 ZJ124/H Merlin HC.3 to Culdrose as “SHF774” ZJ127/L Merlin HC.3 from Culdrose as “SHF774” 21 ZJ998/AE Merlin HC.3A to Culdrose as “SHF324” 23 ZJ992/AB Merlin HC.3A to/from Yeovilton as “SHF776” 29 ZJ992/AB Merlin HC.3A to/from Waddington as “SHF297” (returned02.07) 28/78 Sqn movements during July 2012 05 ZK001/AF Merlin HC.3A from Culdrose to Farnborough as “SHF275” 06 ZJ990/AA Merlin HC.3A to RIAT Fairford (returned09.07) 11 ZJ127/L Merlin HC.3 to Brize Norton as “SHF771” for deployment to 1419 Flt, Kandahar 16 ZK001/AF Merlin HC.3A from Farnborough to Culdrose as “SHF788” 19 ZJ994/AC Merlin HC.3 from Exercise Pashtun Vortex in Jordan as “RFR7193” 23 ZJ119/C Merlin HC.3 from Exercise Pashtun Vortex in Jordan as “RFR7194” 26 ZJ121/E Merlin HC.3 from Exercise Pashtun Vortex in Jordan as “RFR7193” Resident notes 28/78 Sqn Merlin HC.3/3A ZJ126/J has returned from MDMF Culdrose/Ag-WHL Yeovil on 02.08 as “SHF787” ZJ136/U has returned from 1419 Flt, Kandahar on 22.06. It then departed on 26.07 to MDMF Culdrose as “Vortex788” ZK001/AF is on loan to Ag-WHL and has been painted in a red, white and blue colour scheme. It returned to 28/78 Sqn on 02.08 33/230 Sqn Puma HC.1 XW226 ex PDSH Benson to 33/230 Sqn Benson on 22.06 BIRMINGHAM AIRPORT- Military visitors noted during July: - 05 ZZ175/175 Globemaster III 99 Sqn “ISF19HP/ /RRR6999” 12 ZA714/AV Chinook HC.2 Odiham Wing“SHF441”* 06 51+01 Transall GAF LTG62 “GAFMED1” 16 ZR323 A-109E 32(TR) Sqn “RRR1631” 419 18 ZZ175/175 Globemaster III 99 Sqn “ISF19HP” 20 ZH878/878 Hercules C.4 24/30 Sqn “RRR5989” 19 ZE396 HS.125 CC.3 32(TR) Sqn “RRR1506” 21 ZH536 Islander CC.2 Northolt SF “RRR2235” BIGGIN HILL - Military visitors noted during June: - 02 LS326/L2 Swordfish II RNHF 23 MK356/UF-Q Spitfire IX BoBMF “Spitfire01” 20 020 CN-235M Polish AF “PLF040” MoD BOSCOMBE DOWN XW232/F-ZWDE Puma HC.2 which is reportedly on trials with QinetiQ at Boscombe Down was noted operating at Marseille, France on 21.06 RAF BOULMER 202 Sqn A Flt Sea King HAR.3 XZ589/E arrived from 202 Sqn D Flt Lossiemouth on 09.07 and was exchanged for XZ587/C which went to 202 Sqn D Flt Lossiemouth. XZ589/E was flown to SKAMG Yeovilton on 25.07 and returned with XZ590/F ex SKAMG Yeovilton arrived here for 202 Sqn A Flt. BOURNEMOUTH HURN AIRPORT - Military visitors noted during July: - (With thanks to BAEG) 01 ZK334/EC Typhoon FGR4 6 Sqn “LEU07” n/s 14 N307EF/13097 Do328-110 USAF AFSOC ZK330/EZ Typhoon FGR4 6 Sqn “LEU07” n/s 18 ZH901 Chinook HC.3 Odiham Wing “SHF556”* 02 ZZ407 Wildcat AH.1 Ag-WHL “WHL02”* 20 ZF115/WV/R Sea King HC.4 848NAS “Avenger925”* 03 554 A.319-214 RAFOman 4 Sqn MJN530” 22 ZF573 Islander CC.2A Northolt SF “RRR7967” XX219 Hawk T.1A RAFAT + XX263, XX264, 26 ZK452/L King Air 200 45(F) Sqn/QinetiQ “Tester”* XX266, XX319, XX 322 27 ZK452/L King Air 200 45(F) Sqn/QinetiQ “Tester83”* XX242 Hawk T.1 RAFAT + XX308 XX227 Hawk T.1A RAFT + XX264, XX266, 06 ZZ405 Wildcat AH.1 Ag-WHL “WHL02”* XX322, XX323 11 ZZ500 Avenger T.1 750NAS “NVY807”* XX242 Hawk T.1 RAFAT + XX308 12 ZH904 Chinook HC.3 Odiham Wing “SHF573”* ZJ260/60 Squirrel HT.1 DHFS BRAMLEY CAMP Two Lynx AH.7 aircraft can now be found here for ground instructional use, they are XZ219 from Dishforth and XZ661 from GDSH Middle Wallop.