Page 6 - Aerotech News and Review 9-4-15
P. 6
Defense News
A-4 Skyhawks support F-35 operational testing
by Rebecca Amber Draken International pilot Jeff Courtesy photograph by Frank Crebas
Edwards AFB, Calif. Scott, who retired as a lieutenant
colonel after 27 years in the Marine Pictured from top down is an F-35 Lightning II, an F-16 Fighting Falcon and an A-4 Skyhawk. In support of an operational
A-4 Skyhawks have taken to the &RUSVKDVEHHQÀ\LQJIRU\HDUV test exercise for their F-35s, the Royal Netherlands Air Force contingent at Edwards brought in six A-4s from Draken
skies over Edwards to support of op- and received his wings in an A-4. International, six F-16s from the 162nd Fighter Wing, Arizona Air National Guard, and a KDC-10 Air Refueling tanker
erational testing of the F-35A for the from the RNLAF 334th Transport Squadron at Eindhoven Airport, Netherlands. The Joint Strike Fighter Operational
Royal Netherlands Air Force. ³,ÀHZ)VEHIRUH,UHWLUHGDQG 7HVW7HDPFRQWUDFWHG'UDNHQ,QWHUQDWLRQDOWRSURYLGHWKHVPDOOÀHHWRI$VWKDWZHUHHPSOR\HGDVDGYHUVDU\DLUFUDIW
now I’m on the other side flying with a variety of types of mission sets.
They are part of a tactics develop- against them,” said Scott.
ment and evaluation exercise initi- Scott, adding that the team at Ed-
ated by the 323nd Test and Evalua- The test event will enable an ini- wards has been “excellent, everyone
tion Squadron and supported by the tial assessment of 4th and 5th gen- has been very supportive.”
Joint Strike Fighter Operational Test HUDWLRQ¿JKWHULQWHJUDWLRQLQFOXGLQJ
Team from Aug. 17-28. Link-16 interoperability aspects. 6N\KDZNVZHUHPDLQO\ÀRZQE\
the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.
“Each service and each country The lessons learned will lay the 7KH1DY\¶V%OXH$QJHOVÀLJKWGHP-
has their own specific test events ground work for future coopera- onstration squadron flew the A-4
that they want to test for themselves, tion between 4th and 5th generation Skyhawk II from 1974 to 1986. Sky-
for their own service and their own ¿JKWHUVDQGZLOOKHOSVKDSH)$ hawks were also used by the armed
country requirements,” said Rich tactics for the RNLAF. forces of Argentina, Australia, Is-
Radvanyi, JOTT Planning Cell chief. rael, Kuwait, Singapore, Indonesia,
“There’s really nothing better Malaysia and New Zealand, and they
7KH-277KDV¿YHRSHUDWLRQDOWHVW than actually going out there and remained active with several air ser-
squadrons composed of the 31st Test À\LQJDQGSXWWLQJWKHDFWXDODLUFUDIW vices into the 2000s.
and Evaluation Squadron, the Ma- against an actual threat and seeing
rines’ VMX-22 squadron, the United how it works,” Radvanyi said. “This
Kingdom squadron 17(R), the Dutch KDVEHHQYHU\YHU\EHQH¿FLDO´
323nd Test and Evaluation Squadron
and Navy squadron VX-9. During the two-week test event,
the JOTT organized one large force
In support of the exercise, the engagement each day with as many
Royal Netherlands Air Force DVDLUFUDIWÀ\LQJDWDWLPH:KLOH
also brought in six F-16s from the RQO\IRXU6N\KDZNVÀHZDWDWLPH
162nd Fighter Wing, Arizona Air there were up to six on the ramp at
National Guard to serve as either times.
allied or adversary aircraft, along
with a KDC-10 Air Refueling tank- “It’s been a unique opportunity to
er from the Royal Netherlands Air see a type of adversary aircraft that
Force 334th Transport Squadron at you wouldn’t normally see,” said
Eindhoven Airport, Netherlands. Radvanyi. “The A-4 Skyhawk is not
The JOTT contracted Draken Inter- in service with the U.S. military any-
QDWLRQDOWRSURYLGHWKHVPDOOÀHHWRI more so it’s something that would
A-4s that were employed as adver- not normally be seen by the crews
sary aircraft with a variety of types WKDWDUHÀ\LQJKHUHQRZ´
of mission sets.
According to Scott, Draken Inter-
For instance, if the test plan re- national purchased their A-4s from
T X L U H G W K H ) S L O R W W R À \ D J D L Q V W the Royal New Zealand Air Force.
Russian tactics, the Draken pilots 7KHLUÀHHWGLIIHUVIURPWKH$VWKDW
would present the same tactics that a were once use by the U.S. Navy and
5XVVLDQ¿JKWHUSLORWZRXOGSUHVHQW Marine Corps because they have
been upgraded with F-16A avionics
“A lot of the Draken pilots are for- like APG-66 radars, radar warning
mer military or some are even cur- receivers, heads-up displays and a
rent guard or reserve pilots. A lot of digital data bus.
them had been adversary air pilots
before, so they replicate the tactics They also have electronic attack
of different adversary countries,” pods that can be used to simulate
said Radvanyi. special presentation requirements
for test events.
“It’s a very reliable airplane,” said
)RXU'UDNHQ$VSUHSDUHIRUÀLJKW$XJZKLOHWKHRWKHUWZRVWD\EHKLQGRQWKHÀLJKWOLQH Air Force photographs by Rebecca Amber
6 Aerotech News and Review September 3, 2015
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