Page 29 - Air Forces Monthly - September 2017

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ASM-3 Korean Hercules at Mobility Guardian
missiles REPUBLIC OF Korea Air Air Mobility Command’s Canada, Colombia, France, 251st Tactical Air Support
for F-2 Force (RoKAF) C-130H first Mobility Guardian New Zealand, Pakistan Squadron, 255th Special
Operations Squadron
05-185 (c/n 5185) of the
readiness exercise. It was
and the United Kingdom,
THE JAPANESE 251st Tactical Air Support held at Joint Base Lewis- the latter sending a Royal and 257th Tactical Air
Squadron was among the
McChord, Washington from
Air Force Atlas C1.
Support Squadron.
government plans to
The RoKAF has eight
equip Japan Air Self- foreign participants at July 30 to August 12 and C-130Hs and four C-130H- These have been
supplemented by four
other participants included
Defense Force (JASDF)
F-2 fighters with Australia, Belgium, Brazil, 30s in service with the C-130Js since April 2014.
ASM-3 supersonic anti-
ship missiles. The
budgetary request
for fiscal year 2018
includes an allocation
of “several hundred
millions of yen” to mass-
produce the missile
starting next year.
Under development
by Mitsubishi Heavy
Industries as the
XASM-3, the rocket-
ramjet weapon flies
at around Mach 3. USAF
Additional Saab 340 delivered to Thailand US donates
AN ADDITIONAL second- A second ex-Mesaba delivered. Both will be flies two standard Saab ISR Caravans
hand Saab 340B has aircraft, N439XJ (c/n operated by 702 Squadron 340Bs, one to act as a
recently been delivered 439, to be 70206) has at Surat Thani. In addition crew trainer and the to Philippines
to the Royal Thai Air also been acquired, but to its AEW versions of other as a passenger THE US government has
Force (RTAF, Kongtap this has not yet been the type, the unit already aircraft. Dave Allport donated two Cessna
Agard Thai). The aircraft, 208Bs equipped for
N452XJ (c/n 452), formerly intelligence, surveillance
operated by Mesaba and reconnaissance (ISR)
Airlines, had been stored to the Armed Forces of
at Bangor, Maine. It was the Philippines (AFP).
repainted in RTAF grey AFP spokesperson Brig
military colours in April Gen Restituto Padilla
and then departed on said the Caravans would
delivery on July 19 for be used for maritime
Halifax International surveillance and coastal
Airport, Canada. It left photo-reconnaissance.
there the same day and The two aircraft were
flew to Palma de Mallorca, formally handed over
where it arrived on July by the US government
20 prior to resuming at Villamor Air Base
its delivery flight. It is on July 27 and were
allocated serial 70205, delivered as part of
but its military markings America’s Maritime
were taped over for Above: New Royal Thai Air Force Saab 340B N452XJ (c/n 452, to be 70205) at Palma de Mallorca Security Initiative.
the delivery flight. Airport, Spain, on July 20 during its delivery fl ight. Javier Rodriguez
Thailand
orders
eight more
T-50s

THAILAND IS acquiring
eight additional Korea
Aerospace Industries
T-50TH advanced jet
trainers. A contract
worth $259m was
reportedly signed on July
11. Thailand previously
ordered four T-50THs Rene Köhler
in September 2015 to
Royal Thai Air Force. The ‘South Korea Air Force One’ in Europe
replace the L-39 in the
first two aircraft from
the original order are REPUBLIC OF Korea Air Summit in Hamburg (July Air (with which it served RoKAF’s 296th Squadron,
due to be delivered in Force (RoKAF) Boeing 7-8). From April 2010 as HL7465), to act as a part of the 15th Special
December, followed by 747-4B5 10001 was an onwards, the Republic of long-range presidential/ Missions Wing/35th
another two next June. interesting visitor to the Korea Air Force has leased VVIP transport. The Combined Group Air
Group of Twenty (G20) a single 747 from Korean aircraft is operated by the Force based at Seoul AB.

www.airforcesmonthly.com #354 SEPTEMBER 2017 // 29