Page 24 - Air Forces Monthly - September 2017

NEWS Middle East

Israeli
New IRIAF ‘ship-killer’ AH-64 fl eet
grounded

THE ISRAELI Air Force
(IAF) grounded its entire
AH-64 fleet for a month
in June after a crack
was discovered in one
of the helicopter’s tail
rotors. A routine check
at Ramon air base –
home of the two AH-64
squadrons – revealed
a crack of some 8in
(20cm) in length. A wide
investigation involved
Boeing and the US Army.
Although the crack
was found in only
Above: The 91st TFS, based near the Strait of Hormuz, is responsible for supporting Iranian Navy operations. F-4E 3-6602 will one Apache, the IAF’s
enable the 9th TFB to deploy C-802 or C-803 cruise missiles for quick reaction alert (QRA) anti-ship missions. Hasan Freydoon commander, Maj Gen
THE ISLAMIC Republic of 3-6602 (c/n 4513) was missiles. Although China track maritime targets Amir Eshel, issued
Iran Air Force’s (IRIAF’s) first flown on August 7, abandoned the project in at 124 miles (200km), a grounding order
Mehrabad Overhaul 1974, and is now the first 2006, the IRIAF continued compared with the for both squadrons
Centre has delivered a IRIAF Phantom II equipped it by upgrading the previous 37 miles (60km). until the investigation
repaired and modestly with fully upgraded and hardware of the existing If successful, the project was complete.
upgraded F-4E to the modernised radar. AN/APQ-120, adding air- will extend to additional Test results revealed
91st Tactical Fighter In the late 1990s to-ground and maritime F-4Es and upgrades that the source of the
Squadron (TFS). the IRIAF planned to targeting capabilities. will be implemented crack was microscopic
The jet arrived at the 9th equip some F-4Es with Ultimately, 3-6602 was during the final phase imperfections
Tactical Fighter Base (TFB) new Chinese radars equipped with a new of Project Dowran at formed during the
Abdol-Karimi at Bandar for use in conjunction pulse-Doppler antenna Iranian Aircraft Industries manufacturing
Abbas on July 24. F-4E with C-802A anti-ship that can search and (IACI). Babak Taghvaee process. A senior IAF
officer said “the blade
Iraqi Air Force to reconstitute Texan IIs was reinforced with
aluminium elements
THE IRAQI Air Force been put in storage in of inadequately cleaned to return the aircraft to in order to protect it
(IQAF) plans to return around 2013, when a US runways at Al Taji Air flight status. The IQAF and take the workload
to service its fleet of 15 Special Inspector General Base, north of Baghdad. T-6A fleet is required to off it, but these
T-6A trainers, ahead of of Iraq Reconstruction The US Department of resume training activities elements prevented
the first in-country F-16IQ (SIGIR) report noted that Defense has awarded no later than the second us from detecting the
training course in 2019. the aircraft had begun Textron Aviation Defense quarter of 2018. Work crack”. Two major
The Texan IIs are to sustain damage to an $8.8m Foreign will be performed at conclusions came from
understood to have their wings as a result Military Sales contract Imam Ali AB, Iraq. the investigation: first
is introduction of a
Iranian RH-53D fl ies after 37 years rotor check using a
radiographic scope,
THE ISLAMIC Republic and the second is to
change the blades
of Iran Navy Aviation’s every 1,000 flight hours,
(IRINA’s) RH-53D 9-2703 compared with the
was handed over to 4,600 hours specified
the 13th Minesweeping by the manufacturer.
Squadron on July 10. The Noam Menashe
Sea Stallion returned to
the air in March, after New Hawks
being grounded for 37
years – and a full 20 years delivered to
after the US Navy retired Oman
its final RH-53D. Post-
overhaul functional check THE FIRST two Hawk
flights lasted until June. Mk166 jet trainers for
The IRINA operates five the Royal Air Force of
RH-53Ds for various tasks Oman (RAFO) have been
including minesweeping. delivered to Masirah
The status of the fleet has Above: RH-53D 9-2703 undergoes a test fl ight at IHSRC. Despite strict arms embargoes, the Air Base. BAE Systems
gradually improved since IHSRC has successfully managed to procure spare parts, enabling the IRINA to have fi ve of its ferried the aircraft to
2007 when only three of six RH-53Ds in service with three examples always operational simultaneously. Keyvan Tavakkoli the Sultanate on July 29,
the 13th Minesweeping flew during Iran’s Military other RH-53Ds. Spares a new GPS navigation ten days after the first
Squadron’s six RH-53Ds Day parade in April 2009. had been found within aid system coupled RAFO Typhoons departed
were airworthy at the In 2014, an $8m contract six months of contract with a moving map and the UK (see Oman’s first
2nd Air Base at Bushehr. was signed for similar signature. The damaged a new U/VHF radio. Typhoons delivered, August
Previously, RH-53D work on 9-2703, which tail section was repaired Another RH-53D, 2017, p24). The aircraft
9-2704, which had been had been stored after using parts from a US 9-2704, is now with are part of an eight-
grounded since 1984, was a taxiing accident on Navy RH-53D abandoned IHSRC for programmed aircraft order placed in
restored and overhauled November 25, 1980, after the failed Operation depot maintenance, December 2012 and were
by the Iran Helicopter during the Iran-Iraq War. Eagle Claw hostage which is expected to be formally presented to the
Support and Renewal Valuable parts had then rescue in April 1980. The completed next year. customer in May at BAE
Company (IHSRC) and been removed to service helicopter also received Babak Taghvaee Systems’ Warton site.

24 // SEPTEMBER 2017 #354 www.airforcesmonthly.com