Since is the AFM forum…

we should at least discuss a few items from the magazine 😀

A few interesting things from the April issue which featured the Gripen on the cover.

1. Great story on the Albanian Air Force

^ Only two J-7s are certified for flying, the rest in storage. But even those two rarely fly because there are only a handful of qualified flyers, and one of them is the Air Force Chief.

^ Runs a single H-5 bomber that still flies 🙂

^ They are actively looking for buyers of their F-6s, F-7s and other peices of their air force

^ The Albanian Air Force’s long term plan is to move from a fighter based force to a more search and rescue/survey type of force that would be based mainly on helicopters (Sounds like the Irish Air Corps? :D)

2. Very good mini-reviews of the European air forces, among the more interesting stuff –

^ Belgium might have bitten off more than it could chew in ordering a 136-strong F-16 force in past decade; they will be cutting down to an eventual figure of 60 (lots and lots of Lawn Darts available to infect other air forces! Very pleasing to Arthur)

^ The Netherlands are in the midst of cutting down their 137 F-16s on the orbat from just a few years ago to around 100 (90 for NATO assignments.) This is down from over 200 F-16s that Holland received during the 80s and 90s.

^ Lawn Darts for Italy! This is entirely due to the Eurofighter taking its sweet time. Originally discussed as a shirt-term lease for about 35 As and Bs, this is turning into something possibly permanent with the later C/D versions. (My opinion: watch out for further cutbacks on the EF from Italy.)

^ Surprisingly, Finland has a very capable and well-trained force of 63 F-18s, with a specialty in interception. No UFO flies over Finland (unlike Albania apparently) without a Finnish fighter on its a$$.

^ Mig-29 woes:
# Hungary’s Mig-29 pilots could only fly 60 hours a year (against a NATO requirement of 180) because of maintenance problems, a lease of a dozen new Gripens would see the Mig-29s transferred to a backline unit

# Romania is attempting to retire the last of its Mig-29s (and Mig-23s) and go to an all Mig-21 Lancer fighter force.

^ The Luftwaffe’s JG 74 which will be receiving EuroFighters is sending its crews to language school because the EF’s maintenance handbook apparently only comes in English 😀