Take a look at these photographs of the five RSAF (Royal Saudi Air Force) jet in special livery for the 88th National Day Celebrations.
As already revealed in a previous post, on Sept. 23, 2018, Saudi Arabia celebrated the 88th Saudi National Day with five special colored aircraft: an F-15C belonging to the 13th Sqn; an F-15S from the 92nd Sqn; a Tornado from the 7th Sqn; a Eurofighter Typhoon from the 10th Sqn; and an A330 MRTT (Multi-Role Tanker Transport) belonging to the 24th Sqn.
The five “Greens” performed flyovers alongside the Saudi Hawks display team in three cities Jeddah, Riyadh and Dhahran and, with the help of our friend @MbKS15 we are able to share some really impressive shots of the special painted aircraft in flight.
As you can see, the special colored MRTT, one of the 6 MRTT tankers operated by the RSAF, trailed the four fast jets and refueled these even though they are equipped with different IFR (In-Flight Refueling) systems: the MRTT is equipped with both the ARBS (advanced Air Refueling Boom System), used to refuel the F-15s, and a pair of underwing hose-and-drogue refueling pods suitable for use with the Saudis’ Tornado IDS and Eurofighter Typhoon jets.
Over the city of Riyadh on Sept. 24. (Image credit: Fahad Rihan)
Air to air refueling on the way to Taif on Sept. 22. (Image credit: Rami Al Omrani).
Over the Red Sea, Jeddah, with the Saudi Hawks team, Sept. 23. (Image credit: Rami Al Omrani).
Over Jeddah. Sept. 23. (Image credit: Rami Al Omrani).
Off Jeddah Corniche flying in formation with the Saudi Hawks and Al Fursan team on Sept. 23. (Image credit: Rami Al Omrani).
The following one is a bonus shot, not taken in flight, still interesting and worth publishing:
Taxiing at King Fahad AFB, Taif, on Sept. 22. (Image credit: Fahad Rihan).
The photographs of the special colored Tornado, Typhoon, F-15S, F-15C and MRTT have already emerged.
On Sept. 23, Saudi Arabia will celebrate the 88th Saudi National Day. As part of the celebrations, five special colored aircraft (an F-15C belonging to the 13th Sqn; an F-15S from the 92nd Sqn; a Tornado from the 7th Sqn; a Eurofighter Typhoon from the 10th Sqn; and a MRTT belonging to the 24th Sqn) will perform flyovers alongside the Saudi Hawks display team in three cities Jeddah, Riyadh and Dhahran.
Our friend @MbKS15 has shared with us some previews of the special painted aircraft.
Here they are:
The F-15S belonging to the 92nd Sqn.
The F-15C from the 13th Sqn.
The Tornado IDS form the 7th Sqn.
The Eurofighter Typhoon from the 10th Sqn.
The image of the specially painted A330 MRTT was shared on Twitter:
All the RSAF involved in the flyovers have taken part in the air strikes in Yemen, as part of Operation Decisive Storm, the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen, started on Mar. 26 2015.
Interestingly, the F-15SA, the most advanced production Eagle ever produced, derived from the F-15E Strike Eagle, was not given a special color scheme and won’t take part in the celebrations (at least not as part of the 88th National Day formation). The “SA” are equipped with the APG-63V3 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, a digital glass cockpit, JHMCS (Joint Helmet Mouted Cueing System), Digital Electronic Warfare System/Common Missile Warning System (DEWS/CMWS), IRST (Infra Red Search and Track) system, and able to carry a wide array of air-to-air and air-to-surface weaponry, including the AIM-120C7 AMRAAM (Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile) and the AIM-9X Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, the AGM-84 SLAM-ERs, the AGM-88 HARM (High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile) and the GBU-39 SDBs (Small Diameter Bombs) on 11 external hardpoints.
The RSAF has received its first of 84 F-15SA at King Khalid Air Base (KKAB) in Saudi Arabia via RAF Lakenheath, on Dec. 13, 2016.
An excellent clip shows the Special Color Tornado IDS rolled out last year by the Italian Air Force.
On Oct. 27, 2016 the RSV (Reparto Sperimentale Volo), the Italian Air Force Test Wing responsible for the development, testing and validation of all the flying “hardware” (aircraft, sensors, weapons, etc.) based at Pratica di Mare, near Rome, rolled out a Tornado IDS sporting a special color scheme.
The new livery applied to the “Tonka” serialled CSX 7041, celebrates the 60th anniversary of the 311° Gruppo (Squadron) the unit responsible of the aerial displays of all the ItAF aircraft at the airshows in Italy and abroad and one of the world’s most advanced aerospace testing and experimental centers.
The paint job was designed and applied by Drudi Performance, the company founded by Aldo Drudi, who designs helmets and leathers for Valentino Rossi and many other racers.
The aircraft, officially presented on Oct. 27, 2016 during a ceremony held at Pratica di Mare airbase, has since then become quite famous: a couple of scale models (including a die-cast version and the brand new 1/48 kit) have been produced by the Italian manufacturer of models Italeri.
The following video shows the making, roll-out and flying of the “311° Gruppo-special.”
Along with the KC-767s, already supporting the coalition forces with an aerial refueling capability, Rome has committed four Tornado IDS and two Predator drones to the war on ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
The Italian Air Force is about to move four Tornado IDS attack planes, belong to the 6° Stormo, from Ghedi airbase, to Kuwait, to join the US-led coalition that is fighting ISIS in Iraq and Syria. According to DefenseNews, the aircraft are going to be based at Ahmed Al Jaber air base in Kuwait, the same country where Rome has deployed one of its brand new KC-767 tankers.
The aircraft will not be used to perform air strikes (although they could join the raids at a later stage as happened to the AMX in Afghanistan), but will perform reconnaissance mission: a role the Tornados have already undertook in Libya and Afghanistan.
For this kind of mission, the aircraft usually carry a Rafael Reccelite reconnaissance pod: the Reccelite is a Day/Night electro-optical pod able to provide real-time imagery collection. It is made of a stabilized turret, solid-state on board recorder that provides image collections in all directions, from high, medium and low altitudes.
The Reccelite reconnaissance pod is used to broadcast live video imagery via datalink to ground stations and to ROVER (Remote Operations Video Enhanced Receiver) tactical receivers in a range of about 100 miles.
The pod can also be carried by the AMX ACOL, the light tactical jet that has performed close air support/air interdiction and ISR missions in support of ISAF from 2009 until the summer of 2014.
The Italian Air Force operates a mixed force of 6 MQ-9 Reaper and 6 MQ-1C Predator both assigned to the 28° Gruppo (Squadron) of the 32° Stormo (Wing).
The Italian UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) have already operated in Iraq between January 2005 and 2006 when the first RQ-1 Predator A was deployed to Tallil airbase, in Iraq.
Later, two Predator A+ (designated MQ-1C A+ a standard to which all the former RQ-1 were upgraded) were deployed to Herat, in Afghanistan, to perform a wide array of missions: mainly MEDEVAC (Medical Evacuation), support to TIC (Troops In Contact), IED (Improvised Explosive Devices) monitoring and Convoy Escort.
The Italian unarmed drones will probably be involved in High Value Target surveillance and Reconnaissance (and, maybe special ops support).
Although it was not disclosed, most probably Predators will be employed in Iraq as they were employed in Afghanistan: in accordance with the so-called Remote Split Operations (RSO). During RSO, aircraft is launched from a local, in theater airbase, under direct line-of-sight control of the local MGCS (Mobile Ground Control Station).
Then, by means of satellite data link, it is taken on charge and guided from Amendola. When the assigned mission is completed, it is once again handed over to a pilot in Afghanistan, who lands it back to Herat airbase. The 1-second delay introduced by the satellite link is not compatible with the most delicate phases of flight; hence, aircraft are launched and recovered in line-of-sight by the deployed MCGS (US drones use the same kind of remote control).
Accompained by a C-130J, that provided oceanic Search Air Rescue, and by a KC-767A aerial refueler, three Tornado IDS attack planes of the 6° Stormo of the Italian Air Force deployed to MCAS (Marine Corps Air Station) Cherry Point, North Carolina, to take part to Bold Quest 2013 (BQ-13) exercise.
The joint multinational drills foresee the involvement of air and ground units with the aim to validate new technologies related to the survivability and blue-on-blue fire avoidance within a combat scenario. Among such technologies, new IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) and NGIFF (New Generation IFF) that can be also used by aerial assets to query ground assets in the so-called ASID (Air to Surface IDentification).
Kicking off on Jun. 10, BQ-13 will be attended by units belonging to Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden, UK and US.
The Italian contingent includes also a C-27J of the Reparto Sperimentale Volo (Test Wing of the ItAF), one DADR (Deployable Air Defence Radar), as well as military and assets of the Italian Navy and Army.
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