Page 11 - Air Forces Monthly - September 2017

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New Luftwaff e takes on fi rst A400M with refuelling pods
Italian AIRBUS DEFENCE and
Space has delivered
Predator the first A400M in air-
to-air refuelling tanker
squadron configuration.
The aircraft – the tenth
A NEW Aeronautica Luftwaffe example, 54+09
(c/n 0048, ex A4M408,
Militare (AM, Italian EC-408) – is the first with
Air Force) unit, 61° underwing refuelling
Gruppo Volo (61st Flying pods, and the 46th A400M
Squadron), has been delivery overall. It arrived
formed to operate the in Germany on June 30.
MQ-1C Predator A+ UAV. The manufacturer
Reactivated as a delivered the first German
detachment of 32° A400M in ‘tactical’
Stormo (32nd Wing) configuration (including
during a ceremony an aerial refuelling
at Sigonella air base capability) on December
on July 10, it joins the 12 last year, but the
wing’s 28° Gruppo, tanker pods were not
which already flies the installed at the time (see
Predator and MQ-9 First Luftwaffe ‘Tactical’
Reaper at Amendola. A400M Delivered, February, Above: The fi rst Luftwaff e A400M to be fi tted with underwing refuelling pods for tanker
Formed on April 5, p10). Dave Allport operations. Airbus Defence and Space
1924 as 61° Gruppo
Osservazione Aerea
(61st Air Observation Rare Spanish Searcher MkIII on display
Squadron), the unit
had disbanded on A FUERZAS Aeromóviles MkIII) drones in December Afghanistan. Although the Spanish Air Force
September 8, 1943. del Ejército de Tierra 2007 for surveillance, not based at León, the facility and can use
Its UAV aircrew (FAMET, Spanish Army reconnaissance and target army has permanent the main runway for
will come from 28° Aviation) IAI Searcher acquisition missions in access to a hangar at training. Roberto Yáñez
Gruppo and ground MkIII, serial UR01-06, on
support personnel display in the parking
from Sigonella’s 41° area of the Academia
Gruppo. Dave Allport Básica del Aire (ABA)
at León air base.
The seldom-seen UAV
Bulgarian is operated by Grupo de
Obtención de Sistemas
AF revamp Aéreos IV/1 (GROSA
IV/1). The Spanish Army
continues received its first four
multi-mission Searcher
THE LATEST MkII-J (later upgraded to Roberto Yáñez
reorganisation
of the Bulgarski Polish Air Force Gulfstream delivered
Voennovozdushni Sili
(BVVS, Bulgarian Air
Force) saw the Ucebna A NEW Gulfstream G550 1st Air Transport Base) at BLTr has also undertaken VIP-configured Boeing 737-
VIP transport using W-3
for the Siły Powietrzne
Warsaw-Okecie, where it
800s, ordered in March at a
Aviaciona Grupa
(Training Aviation Group) (SP, Polish Air Force) has should achieve operational and Mi-8 helicopters. cost of $523m. The first will
capability in September.
arrived in the country.
be delivered with 132 seats
Gulfstream G550 ‘0001’
‘Georgi Benkovski’
Since disbanding the 36.
separated from the The Gulfstream, serial Specjalny Pułk Lotnictwa is the first of two VIP (12 VIP and 120 economy
class). The two others are
‘0001’ (c/n 5547), was
bizjets ordered by the
structure of the 3-ta
aviacionna baza (3rd Air officially handed over in Transportowego (36th Polish Ministry of Defence due in 2020, and will likely
Appleton, Wisconsin on
Special Air Transport
be to Boeing Business
in November last year at
Base) at Graf Ignatievo
and transformed into June 18 and delivered Regiment) at the end of a cost of $107.7m. The Jet 2 (BBJ2) standard,
December 2011, Polish VIPs
second example was to
to Poland on June 21. It
with 66 seats (including
an Air Base-type unit.
The change came was taken on strength have been flown using two be delivered in July. 48 economy class and a
into effect on July by the 1. Baza Lotnictwa Embraer 175s chartered This year the air force will crew rest compartment).
1. Operating under Transportowego (1 BLTr, from LOT Polish Airlines. 1 also receive the first of three Paweł Bondaryk
the new name
Voennovozdushna
ucebna baza (Air Force
Training Base) ‘Georgi
Benkovski’, the training
unit has recently been
the most active within
the VVS unit. It now
reports directly to the
Chief of the BVVS.
Based at Dolna
Mitropoliya, near Pleven
in northern Bulgaria, it
operates five PC-9Ms
and six L-39ZAs.
Igor Bozinovski Paweł Bondaryk
www.airforcesmonthly.com #354 SEPTEMBER 2017 // 11