APRIL 1988 £1.40 Canada § 3.95 6670335 SM 2000 tl OCT NU Ty any RAF AT 70: THE NEW FRONTIERS <_< NU ee Oe ine k i Ww MODERN MILITARY AVIATION] F Squadron Prints! #=, i PRINTS - POSTCARDS - STICKERS : ee i EEO wont [Epes gee i ee peso tae oe i apes Enfom. BG eee i tee Te tie ee i aa e a i ie io z Ben Severn g. Eas, = Me fee : eb a Bae 3 es i so 3 Ed i Soir Be oe a ie Ha i ag : ih. Tse oe ee How 2 ite B bre = ake : Bho 2San gteeee fe 2 Seen 3 tert Ea = Bree. Ee Bees BEA Bee men SE ¥ Beer & ‘Fighter Comiranc (King oF Queens Crown! erm te ASH ATH ORDER by Cac, Px One erar MeO UST BE ROUNDS STERLING town a Beh Bek No goose wit ron CO. ner can bart ‘pene: Som, eit enter: Ga q Beeman ERTS es & Fie tp ah i orn 2c, A £1.09 on. ae a ‘Squadron Prints Sales Bsa S 48 Station Road, Waddington Be S Lincoln LN5 9QN. Telephone (0522) 720122 E iEDITORIAL ADVERTISING AND CIRCULATION ic MD CICIATON Sentai uote Rot: VOOSS2. enor Daves Oner ‘CONSULTANT EDITOR ie Spi (CO-ORDINATING EDITOR Ken 5 PRODUCTION EDITOR 208 Waters DESIGN ‘Stove Oonevan PHOTOGRAPHY (Usloee straws Coc) ADVERTISEMENT MANAGER “Tm vintroy [MARKETING MANAGER ahs Pipe POSTAL SUSCRITIONE Anu sere. rites (tana OX A En F260. Seat eto nom Arce Seacceceres seas aac Sere LSS Sebeie renee a me Famed cnen, te Sige Pence, Home 2.7 ane ones ot FORCES NO. salvetsirtatvay rasa tan ¢o NT ENT $ FEATURES Wild Weasels 5-16 ites’ neve socmed up wih he F-4Huntersto make @ ichol combination, Cnrsion Gerard reports. Battlefront 2000 cis racock hos talked the RAF “top brass’ fo find their ‘hough on the current eopabiities and needs of the RAP in its 70th yeor. In the Line of Fire Us oxceshep to keep on uneasy peace in South Korea. Undeclared War i. angoiosouh Aican Forces have bean fighting oleng ond bitter cenfictin support of UNITA gueriles, Commonwealth Choppers lus etre rom Ant, ca tle Gulf Patrol reasionis sinhighinthe Gulf waters, the mulnriondl naval poral isequpped wth o wide eray of hecopiers nd quite copcble of defending Hel. Enter the Australian PCO Beb Livingstone exemines Australia's new Chris Poceck reperts fram the tropics on news and views from the Singopore show. DEPARTMENTS News...M@WS News and. everts form around the ‘word, incbing colour spec a RAF at 70 on Pel A Jockion on wl circreft and weaponry the RAF will use To the fend of the century ond beyond, Tateties conwiom Editor Nike Spick pul the cose for ond agains! the cannon on Imedern jet fighter. Ethiopia revisted Ariss, 117] Jamine-torn Ethiopia to see the current raiot sill Check Out Aerodynamics for » EX] miltary, step-by-step without the maths by Derra Sinton. rd ockheed’s venerable trainer it stil in widespreod service, and the Skyfox moy give sill morlife. Robbe Show scans the globe for operator, Incudesful-esleur cenfre- spread ertwork Base Tour rar Noriot is the hone OfVIP unit 3? Squadron and gateway o he Us for meny mittary cemmuniations Sighs The Mission A omsuh of eusion. 50] crowed MiGs bythe lsu in 1970 taught both sides valuable leveone Debrief sosis nd videos on cpera a tional evaluationMeee Caen) Comte Peer end tet trom ce Coins oar Troha reiy Perera Pee Ciaran Aco Crurearre rary Pouca es Scare ran ary Peeters teins Prato acrae San Poor nee Prey Prarie’ rears ne rt Cae pier Core a Pointe tira rere enone Dricotte erring thoughts and views. FIRST FOUR women pict tainess {or the Royal Austraken Air Force (RAAF) basic AESL CT-4 course ‘and nave been posted to RAAF Pearce, Westem Australa, to com rence Macen traning. Under the few fying duty rules Brought a by the Defence Department, FL Robyn Willams (26), and Oticer Cadets Bev Wight (25), Deborah Hicks (21) and denny Heath (2) willbe the RAAF's fest Jet plots ‘and among 26 plots taking the ‘Seweex advanced course. They Will not however, be posted 10 fighters on graduation. RAAF Base Tindal, 9.9milos (15emjrom Katnerne in Nether Tertitory is beginning to recewe ts first” permanent personnel Estimated to nave cost AS217 milion the new base wil become operationalin October 1988 1075 Squadron and its F/A-18 Hornets Phantoms fly to ‘Fire Focus’ BRITAIN rapid re-intorcement of the Falklands exercise, Fre Focus ‘BB, began on March 7, The exer: {ise evolved the desloymert of Phantom FGR.2s from 228 OCU al Leuchars, tives Klose based INinfod MR 2s and approximately 1,000 Uk:based troops who were alited to the Fakiands by RAF “Tastar and VC-10 transport The Phantoms and Nimrod were acretuoled enavte ang joined 23 ‘Squadron's Phantoms. based at ‘Mount Pleasant, for a three-wook exercise in the area before Feturning othe UK a the endo! the ‘month. The troops wil abo take ad Vantage of the excelent taining facitbes in the islands betore ret ring on Maren 3 Describes as a modest routine exorcise by the Minty of Defence, Fe Focus (FIRE being an acronym for Faklend [sande Re-nforcement ‘Exercise, has neverhatoee prove (ed an angry response from Argen: tina who claimed f mould hegnten tension in the region. Ar atime when Present Afonsin is saeking 0 resume ams sales 10 is country, land release 12 Skyhawks Dough betore 1982 but remainng block: ed nterao due to US posoure, the timing of the exerasa has been crticised by the. Organisation of American Statos ‘Air Chi! Marshal Sk Peter Har ng, who co-ordinates the exerose from HO Strike Command, was at pains to point out that Fire Focus twas planned more than a year ag0 toeneue that would tin withthe A's otter comments, Despite the reservations "some South ‘Rmercan courires have about ne Betish exorcise, an RAF Hercules ‘was abe fo maké a emergency lr ting st Montevideo in Uruguay hav- ing developed propeler problems Biter bad wether hac prevented t landing at Mount Pleasant: Tho a rat was lner released, “Apart irom participating inthe ex: ereise Fire Focus a8 tothe Falkiancs, Leucnars’ Phantoms have been inthe news recenty. On February 28 one of ts arora was Involved ins near mies. with an Aberdoen-based. Super Puma operated by Bristow Helcopter, while two days atora 43 Squacron Phantom FG.1 XVS82 set a new Lands End fo Joho © Groatsrecora WIC Jon Brady and his navigator FIL Mike Pugh flew the 590 miles In. 48 min 44 secs at a speed of 760 mph —with the lp of 2 150 mon tal wind [HDevoid of morking, one of Lucha Phantom FGR.2s about fo leave forthe Flklonds onthe eve of Fre Focus 8 Fa] eee §=Women join up presently based at Darwin. A ful ange of technical support facts willbe provided, nclucing hangaret. tes for areralt manitenance, a fight Simulator, avionies. buildings technical ‘suppor buléings and ‘squadron headquarters Despita the fact that almost at Royal Australian Novy (RAN) plots are destined to bo helicopter rate, they wil complete the ful RAAF traning couse on the Macchi Me-3264. (The FAN lest ted wing capacity some years ago as a Fesut of a Goverment decision, ‘nd ra pit traning cared out by the RAAF.) “Tho Navy consider that theyre quire’ Macchi time to be able fo perfect he instrument iin tec ‘ques essential for nit overwater peraions where there vitualy ho extemal vaual reference respec. tive of tho. provaiing ‘weather eoneltons Ths. situation is tkely to be reviewes onco the Pilatus PC-2 (see page 57) been ful ntegrated into the traning system. Ris pro able that this arcraft willbe able {out tis role by the eary 18908 [FEBRUARY saw the Royal Thai Ai Force (RTAF) sutfer its first casualties infighting long disputes border areas’ with neighbouring sos. Both countries lay clam toa 30 equare mio ares dose to the Laotian capital cf Vieniane some 250 mies north of Bangkok. Dur ing the shor, sharp bate nthe remote mountainous region, re in timber, a ATAF F-6€ Tiger i was brought down by a shouldered Laotian SAM'7 on February 3. The pilot was kiled ‘tow days later on ATAF (0V-106 Bronco. on @_ recon: faissance mission was shot down by Laolan ground fre. The crew, who ejected satel, landed in Laos land were taken prisoner. A cease: fre agreed by Thakand and Laos cn February 17 slowed botn sides 10 withoraw 1 8mles (3k) trom the bate tront and secured tne release ‘of the OV-10. crew. Casualtes ‘caused by border fighting were ‘strated to bo 26 rary as 500k 24 and wounded, “atthe same ine Noch Korea was cdaiming that US Air Force SR-71 Blackbird stretenicrecomsissance airraft had violated its space for the sit me tes yeer. South Korea Tesponded by announcing an In ‘Grease In coma readiness by Hs ‘my and ir Force to repulse and ‘attack trom the North. Anew ‘defence plan to protect the capt, Seou, from an ar attack, the {chances of which remain high ac ‘cording tothe. South Korean ofence minis, i being drawn,PROJECTS SWISS NAME —'scicoriorine SHA0 AS 38 Gono bynes for he Navy muauers Sree Cane Sara Pe come seo ofan aerated 6 Stecshfermayectcosazes fegce the Re nce te Rae ae ea wes Bre vil wee shel elboay ton wore announced by the Svs MORE ‘STEALTH’ = SCNENS,,® "GP degree of aie ssi i) ISaramorcan eiGC POTS AMERICAS Atwoced Totally eee ie US Doutrart Falcon and the F-18C Hornet. Both Bomber ATE, the B-2, took @ steP Orion replacement “nc {peel compete raver foward win'a $2 bon eonsact ron replacement, Boang have ‘this year, organised by the Grupe awarded to Northrop covering 132 Of the 757 twar jet airiner, McDon: fur Rustungs-Dienste. aircraft, The 8-2's frst base Will DE hel Douglas a similar development faa AFM wont to press, tore Whtatan APB, Mosou Ste HO 8O whe toctous ave wererumous fat Onasadegut Clove Ar Support (CAS) a- proposad a sovanced veson ot Nar raced the pce of her cratsuey cordate goto fe'oron Inrage 2000 conositor om Se? Seeing,” Gonsral "Byres, "Bosing. Helicopter Company Eiraiono 1ernmonper ara Lockiged-Geeria, MeDonnel have en awarded 301 6 ian atonot to getbacx tone Deus, Notrog aid octwel-A_ lon contact the speci mi ening Teg nee toner we be Waceapeest nacmasurnar Sen voroan ef he di yee oe Mined mrauiey o'I00457 Sowed has been aveced e's Cohook fe MT FINALISTS In the race for the PRODvuvCTION aioe ee ae etre Costa last December ands now building up flying hoursin bid to keep the develop- ieanererrar hs a) Bh below: Second of sh Tacomo (Take Chorge And Move Out) circroft erred eroat a rears tora Mites AFM for May will give details on how YOU CC aC Ve) show at Ramstein, West Germany, and poo sernestiet IT) a Re ee Saeed, eer tag oeagn ah VEO ms CU RL fates tte nsec, Prin pum of the South African Air Force today — The Reg ee ae UC Ua) With its clear blown canopy and wihatareearetobe anateeggoce MI MTU ae OU trea the Far Boars more than @ Bassing Ikeness to the American- OT ULL id Sesigned and marketed Lancar 7236 hile. Te Lanca of ern eee eee TET UG are waging a ‘hot conflict, AFM reports. fvaiable Ina completely ro 1 And much, much more: On Sale April 28 — moulded kt make sure of your copy!ORDER BOCK Bees Reso AS 300 em Pa en oe oe amcoins Disa dept Rae 9 Fe Lesa. coe taco Dane O17 porter SESS, Stine | rere rat iretresre are Pacer eee SEES Brn ee Gr by Freeh gperrer am PERU recoived the fst five of its ‘der for fiteen Artonoy -An-32 Cine tactical vansperts In August 1867. The balance wi be gewerec up to suramer tis your, gradually Stppanting the older Ar-26 Curls tthe Fuerza Aeroa dol Pony (A). ‘Tho Clines have boen aeegred £6 Escuncton oreo 843 based at Linas Intemational Arpt. The coal wil be paid forn part by Peruvian ‘exports to the Soviet Union, ace Prt CH baa a be Sorte 9 Cram OPERATIONAL ROTARY ROLES BAITAINS Minstry of Detence recently coniirmed that the RAF woe retan coro of the Chinook, Puma and Wessex ‘leet of heloeptors operated in support of the Amy despite the Army Ar Corpe putting a atrang cace for togatng al support Felcopters ‘At tho came tive, are Army unit was anounced, known a6 tho 24 Arbor Brgade, iwi hove te own Integrated force of Lynx antitank helcooters. As no exta Lynx nave Ee arma WITHTHE ting ofthe US Stato WUBL Department's ban onthe sale of Al Kft fitters to Colombia. the Fuor- za Aerea Colombiana (FAC) wl now feceve 14 alreat surplus from Israel Defence Force stecks. reat Arcrttindustnes wit oremas! he yg ‘erat, 127s and wo TCTs, nd Dring them 10 prectcaly 2ero-Pous. ‘The contract incudes waning, support and spares and & reported to havo tos $60 ion, This wil emosty n the form af Cclomban Boal exports to lrasl, It aloe ‘ecored that Al wil upgrace FAC's Mirage 5 Tloot. Selvador Huortas ‘oon ordered ence bat year, re WAM Arpome Bigade's selabichment of 24 halcoptere wil have t9 come from the existing fet ‘Aimy. fir Comps and RAF helcopter activity in Northern keland tasincreased sharply ine: cent months, with mere Chinooks beng deployed to the prove. All have’ been tied with infrared countermeasures equipment in Fesponse tb ‘epors that he IRA might have acquired SAM: tmisales. Several AAC. Gazelle havo also boon tted wit exhevat coating shrouds, WRITE aninn 2: Neunowan AF MG erated crews 109 mn (16m) denuary «1 AF Hell 4125 crashed an eke of fem Barduloss, Norway, Seca er Soma Saran var cai wet oS {era atari AF Ly of 33 ener ae ¥ crashed at Cark AB, Pict kiled 2: Prins AF F-98 Freogom Fighter Pit deny 12: USAFE F-10n 01019. xotat W crsned new Nagi, Sea ‘rary 16:Loveneso AF AB, 212 exlosedin mar over Son moa Bena Two aranry 17: Ncoragan Genta Dowie €-47 st Gown 120 mies (192 ‘et taraguo. Sn wes Ey Troe hed a Sakador AE UNH that erthed now Bon Joe alan AFB, $26 of AMO cnr t Saba tay, Ore Nos ar reo cmos Teas noon vay O™ MP AW ict of 24 refertished SAAB 3S0E Draken, fighters ordered by the Austrian Al force wos. ‘brat deployed: tp, Neresice. One ied. Pep JS Amphoe ceed For Campa, eric tows Nay Lyx rae mo te 893 oft Pertua. Tw Ka. ALFM. APRIL‘wa Two began im September 1933. In deed, the may nave done; but fag the AF only then Uegun fo addiess te 4 finest hour sure have been reduces I T is a popular misconception thet Wer ict the threats of Hectve times to e more compe p protracted, so feats forthe RAF? AL nt trend being to would be impossble (0 tion of he RAF of toasy fst mentoring and dofencive components F-3 forms, respectively — this exceptional a rah wil be made even more potent as Fesut of development orcarammes currently and. Large scale delwories of Tornado GR ts fended in September 1885, the man recpient being RAF Germany, which row has XV, 16 ‘and 20 Squadrons at Laabruch andiX. 14, 17 capabity, Tornado ‘single WE177 free-fall store on the Gentine Even wi cowie BB Foting (toss-borbing) deivery. woud be forced to appreach within four (6 ak ofits target and place iso at Sderabe risk of detection by ine enemy. N- = ‘alher belaledly — plans are aloot to i: tWoduce an arsaunched-cruse mssie (ALCM| with a range of up to 300 mies (3e3kn) Shanice the Tomado's potential 'No socnet had the ink cried on last yoor’s ‘Superpower ogreemont on ground inunohod Intermediate-renga nuclear weapons tan ‘was ravealed that France and Briain might co: leborata on an, improved yersion ol the Aeroscatale ASMP slandoft missle whch uroniy ae of €2 mle 100k) 1 re Seti radius of Mirage VPs, Mage ZO00NS ‘and Super Etendards, ‘Much rerrains 0 De discussed below a frm ‘agreement can te obvainea. yet re sugges tons avidence enough of anew feeing in cer fan aroas of Europe that Soviet potical in: Natives might weaken the West's secutty by ‘slancing the USA and edging the two Gor ‘monies tovarés noutally As Europe's only ‘omnuslear powers, Brita and France ae be. tng forced to bury thor lang-sianding com pativeness n favour of closer dence inks “The prospective ALCM wil not be avaliable ntl te late 1990s, Sut that does not mean The Tornedo GA. is entrely naked inthe face ‘fis enemies, Marcon. Sky Shadow ECM ods and. Phiips 80Z 107 chatlare spenser are complemented by a pair of Bocensee-bult AM-SL Sidewinder self fence AMS, while the ARI 23284 radar ‘warning revolvers beng replaced by the more ‘advanced Marconi Hormes system inetales ftom the outset n Tornado intorcoptors Ar. Two BAe ALARM artracar msiosa aur thet groecine mesure wore oun t De ooeo it yeu but ate ot te FOF otic rect meor compatedadapion ot Sweat Geran ‘sersive af the ost ot eins io Yours ely By Hass 1900, Oh nd the RAE wil have compat 3 nt poaranme 9 Tomas GA | Siuctra nastencnAinea neds Stor bag on te Tomado Mais Uncate {GU} nan the Ho il be ete th Nk 1638 versione oe F8.'99 hubotn Sata fying ‘conrob ard oher avons Gnges. povson lor an rianehed srse insole. set dotenca Bosonsce She ANTS Stats repay Sdewndo), 382 gator (E2001 re) op-tans, and ater chonges Ea aia wt be Bou ue sare dard 1 ate produeton machines wt 8 “2eiccompulor and Mi. 8690 deta) and thee ae bo ator aaugaton and rg Sten ace ‘Sido ir Sait Racoon (ASA) 1015, cezanor se bernal raging and ase sine {Gnpode rao be obtained fa Tornados used tna pathnder re these ara i aca be tho ft fo colan ALARM in 1969). ASA 1910 covers Gee WM Ml rae) ensingsaupment te ited adacent tthe mor nese laser rengortoprovise he fe wy in a Say tran ahead (or Goeaight fig hua et otto obit an fe 8 a terrain profile mat- pouleeedie Sypeece hen wns ‘or hon accu Seventy years after its formation, Jackson takes an in= depth look at the Royal Air Force in 1988 and its future post-INF agreement role. bor i saae sara cael rol more concer returns causng the ‘agar to break took when trackng multiple tages, cutter, vulnerability to jammng; end uneeabity ‘The ato and ovor budget Foxhuntors troubles have conirod prneipaly on computer Software They can be put righ, alrough fate in 1987 the makets estimated a four year pro- ramme ahd a naw computer would be needed Belore the radar was fly up to seratch Nevertheless, 29 Squadron wes daclred operational _at Coningsby on November 4887, wth Tornado F 3s having a ust accep: fable ‘radar performance No. 5. Squvadean ‘olows on Nay 1 at the same base, and fwe moreurte ite esiabishedat sicrronthy H- fervass fo replace the Uguring force and al the Ul