Air Forces Monthly 2014/09

Contents:

• Super Hornet
  Boeingʼs F/A-18 has been in service more than quarter of a century. David C Isby says its operators expect modernised versions to be active for at least another 25 years.
• Exercise Report – Lightning Viper
  Roy Choo reports on an air exercise that put RAAF Super Hornets through their paces to fight an advanced adversary.
• Spanish Army Drones over Afghanistan
  Erwan de Cherisey was embedded with Spanish forces in Afghanistan and spent some time with the operators of the countryʼs unmanned aircraft fleet.
• Exercise Report – Anatolian Eagle
  Chris Lofting joined a horde of global aviation enthusiasts at this yearʼs international Exercise Anatolian Eagle at Konya in Turkey.
• RIAT 2014
  Many aircraft could lay claim to be the stars of the RIAT, but for AFM it was the Polish Air Force Sukhoi Display Teamʼs Su-22 Fitters. Alan Warnes talked to the team.
• Russian Air Force MiG-29s
  The Russian Air Force has been flying the MiG-29 Fulcrum since 1983 but, as Alexander Mladenov reports, the type still has many years of service left.
• Scorpion
  Itʼs not often a new combat jet takes to the skies. Guy Martin investigates Textron AirLandʼs remarkable Scorpion.
• Exercise Report – Maple Flag
  Dean Sorochan reports from Canadian Forces base (CFB) Cold Lake where last-minute cancellations and changes resulted in an army-focused Maple Flag exercise over the plains of Alberta, Canada.
• Force Report – Turkish Army Aviation
  Arda Mevlutoglu explains why Turkey maintains one of NATOʼs largest standing armies – and how its aviation assets are deployed.
• British Helicopter Modernisation
  Alan Warnes looks at the current status of the UKʼs helicopter modernisation programmes.
• Mexican Naval Aviation
  Erwan de Cherisey investigates Mexican Naval Aviation efforts to restructure and buy new aircraft.
• Debrief
  Reviews of recently published books on military aviation.
• Just a Nice Pic
  The ʽCad Westʼ in West Wales has long been a low-level training area for the RAFʼs fast jets. ʽRebel 87ʼ, a Tornado GR4 from 41 (Reserve) Squadron, flew there in July.