![]() As previously reported, despite the planned out of service date for this aircraft type, the Red Arrows will continue to fly Hawk T1 aircraft until 2030. With the planned out of service date of the Hawk T1 fleet on 31 March 2022, it is expected that the Red Arrows will increase their fleet to seventeen aircraft. As an interim solution, NATO E-3A aircraft from NATO Airbase Geilenkirchen will provide airborne early warning coverage for the British military forces. They type is being replaced by three Wedgetail AEW1 aircraft in 2023, which will be stationed at RAF Lossiemouth. All three are currently stored at RAF Waddington pending disposal. The last three Sentry aircraft in use were ZH101/01, ZH103/03 and ZH106/06. ![]() On the same day, the thirtieth anniversary of the Sentry in service with the RAF was celebrated. A few local missions were flown until the retirement ceremony on 28 September 2021. The aircraft returned home to RAF Waddington on 4 August 2021. On this day, ZH101/01 was manned by a 8 squadron crew and flew a mission from RAF Akrotiri (Cyprus) as part of Operation Shader. The last operational mission was flown already on 30 July 2020. On 28 September 2021, the Sentry AEW1 was retired from service by the RAF. Numbers six and seven would follow soon after (September 2021 and October 2021), with the remaining two slated to be delivered before the end of 2021 as well. At this point in time, five out of nine Poseidon MRA1 aircraft were already delivered to the RAF. The unit will use Poseidon MRA1 aircraft from a joint pool together with 54sq, the RAF Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) conversion unit, and with 120 squadron. On 7 August 2021, 201 squadron was re-activated at RAF Lossiemouth. It is not known how many F-16s will be made ready for this possible commercial re-sale.Īccording to Key Aero, the Forțele Aeriene ale Romaniei (FAR, Romanian Air Force) is interested to buy two squadrons of former RNoAF F-16AM/BM fighters. The Norwegian Defence Material Agency (NDMA) contracted Kongsberg Aviation Maintenance Services (KAMS) to maintain a number of F-16s that already had been taken out of active service and make them ready for commercial re-sale. In March 2021, Scramble Magazine reported on the possible commercial sale of F-16s. Norway plans to complete the deliveries of 52 F-35As by the end of 2024, but this might slip a bit due to delayed production and component delays as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Three more Lightning IIs are expected to be delivered to Norway this year. At this moment, the RNoAF has 31 operational F-35As, of which 10 are operated by the 62nd Fighter Squadron at Luke AFB (AZ) for training purposes. According to the proposed 2022 Defence Budget, the Norwegian Ministry of Defence (MoD) stated that from 2022 the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II would be the only fixed-wing fighter aircraft in service. The Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) will retire its current fleet of F-16AM/BM Fighting Falcons by the end of the year. There were two configurations: the first simplified A109 EOA-1 (Elicotteri da Osservazione Avanzata, Observation) in sixteen units and eight in the full EOA-2 configuration for reconnaissance and utility, entered service starting from 1988. Two other examples, MM81013/E.I.854 and MM81014/E.I.855 were fitted with TOW (Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided) American anti-tank missile equipment to evaluate the anti-tank performance of the missile, and to develop techniques, in order to facilitate the entry into service with the AvEs.Īfter a successful evaluation period, the AvEs ordered in 1987 another 24 helicopters in the A109CM version with fixed gear. These first three A109s were called A109EC (Ellicotteri di Collegamento, Liasion). The first AvEs A109 was MM81010/E.I.851, which arrived in 1977 at Viterbo in the Lazio region near Rome, a base hosting the training and development units of the AvEs. ![]() It was the first allItalian helicopter to be mass-produced. The A109 Hirundo was developed and manufactured in the 1970s by the Italian company Agusta as a light twin-turbine helicopter, with retractable landing gear, fast and equipped with effective stabilization and safety systems. With a short hub from Viterbo towards the 1° Reggimento Sostegno Aviazione dell’Esercito in Bracciano near Rome, to be subjected to the technical-administrative procedures for out of service. On 14 October 2021, Agusta A109CM MM81240/E.I.863 (c/n 7374) of the Aviazione dell’Esercito Italiano (AvEs) made a last flight of the type within the AvEs, which was withdrawn from use after 45 years of service. ![]()
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