AirForces Monthly Magazine May 2020 Vorige editie

The May 2020 issue of AFM is heavily fighter orientated, with assessments of the Eurofighter Typhoon and Saab Gripen E at critical points in their development. While Eurofighter and industry partners are making significant moves on future capability development, Saab is accelerating the Gripen E test programme as it targets new customers. Reports from operational fighter squadrons include the Hellenic Air Force’s 331 Mira, who provided the Mirage 2000-5 Mk2 gracing the cover.

There’s also the concluding part of our Alaskan assignment with the 18th Aggressor Squadron at Eielson Air Force Base – plus joining the ‘Blue Foxes’ for the Sentry Aloha exercise in Hawaii. More ‘Viper’ action includes the Belgian Air Component’s F-16s at Šiauliai air base in Lithuania, where they are completing an eight-month Baltic Air Policing mission.

Russia’s MiG-29s are old, but still formidable. Despite rapidly declining numbers, the Fulcrum has soldiered on with the Russian air arm’s frontline fleet but, as Alexander Mladenov reports, operations with the type are set to stabilise at a relatively low level in the coming decade. Meanwhile, the business of making future fighter pilots is addressed in a report from the International Flight Training School, now well on the way to becoming operational with the M-346 Master at Italy’s Lecce-Galatina air base.

In terms of conflicts, we bring coverage of Turkey’s battles on two fronts: in Syria, where Russia and Turkey came close to war in late February, and Ankara’s separate drone war in Libya. From Africa, Al J Venter looks at how Russian private military company the Wagner Group was tasked with taking the initiative from a committed jihadist force in a guerrilla war in northern Mozambique.

On the industry side, Arnold ten Pas reports from Djerba Airport, where the first airshow of its kind provided a rare opportunity to view the Tunisian Republic Air Force at close quarters.