Retirement

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Brazil bids fond farewell to legacy Hercules fleet

The Força Aérea Brasileira (FAB; Brazilian Air Force) bid a fond farewell to its remaining C-130 Hercules tactical transports at Galeão Air Base (AB) in Rio de Janeiro on February 29, with the type having flown more than 377,000 operational flight hours over the past 60 years

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Canada axes CT-155 Hawk fleet as it reevaluates pilot training programme

The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) is making major changes to its flight training programme in preparation for the frontline fighter force’s upcoming transition from the CF-188A/B Hornet to the F-35A Lightning II

Italian Air Force marks end of HH-212A ops with final flight

The Italian Air Force’s (ItAF’s) 9° Stormo (Wing) held a celebratory event at Grazzanise Air Base on February 22 to mark the final flight of the HH-212A combat search-and-rescue (CSAR) helicopter fleet

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Maryland ANG to lose flying mission after upcoming A-10C departure

When its 21-strong fleet of A-10C Thunderbolt II close air support/ground attack aircraft are retired from use, the Maryland Air National Guard’s 175th Wing will transition to a new cyber-based mission. Announced on March 7, the move will leave the Maryland ANG without a flying mission

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Thailand retires PC-9 trainers after 30 years of ops

After more than 30 years of operational service, the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) bid a fond farewell to its fleet of Pilatus PC-9 single-engine, tandem-seat training aircraft during a retirement ceremony at the RTAF Flying Training School at Kamphaeng Saen Air Base on February 2

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Davis-Monthan AFB bids fond farewell to first ‘Warthog’

In line with the USAF’s plan to retire its entire fleet of A-10C Thunderbolt II close air support (CAS) aircraft within the next three-to-five years, the 355th Wing (WG) has withdrawn its first ‘Warthog’ from operational use at Davis-Monthan AFB in Arizona, which shares an almost 50-year history with the type

New Zealand considers axing Super Seasprite helicopter fleet

The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) is reportedly considering a move to axe its eight-strong fleet of SH-2G(I) Super Seasprite multi-role maritime helicopters as part of a 6.5% cut in defence spending – equivalent to NZ$150m (US$91.23m) – that has been requested by the New Zealand government

Germany to retire Tiger gunships six years earlier than planned

Germany’s Annual Armaments Report – which was published on January 31 – confirmed that Berlin is now bringing forward the planned retirement date for its Tiger UHT attack helicopters by six years from 2038 to 2032

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Australia now ‘burying’ retired MRH-90 fleet despite Ukrainian interest

Over recent months, the Australian Army has been scrapping and subsequently burying its problematic fleet of MRH-90 Taipan (NH90 TTH) tactical transport helicopters – which were removed from operational service more than a year earlier than planned – despite recent second-hand interest from Ukraine

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US Army plots major UH-60 Black Hawk fleet reduction

The US Army is moving forward with plans to reduce the size of its UH-60 Black Hawk battlefield utility helicopter fleet by approximately 7.5%. This reduction will include roughly 157 legacy UH-60A+ and UH-60L airframes, all of which are operated by the Army’s active-duty component