A school of Tigersharks

[NARSES2]

Lovely collection of models Martin,  

[anthonyp]

That is one impressive collection!  I particullarly like the Recce one.

Excellant job!

   

[lancer]

Brilliant collection of Tigersharks. Look really good in RAF markings

[Matt Wiser]

Excellent work on the F-20s! One question: why the AGM-45 Shrike? The U.S. Navy and AF got rid of the Shrikes when HARM came along (extended range, vastly improved seeker-with memory mode, and a more lethal warhead). Wouldn't the RAF ditch the Shrike and just buy HARMs as an intirm ARM until the bugs were worked out of the ALARM? One other thing, how many F-20s were built at the Northrop factory in Hawthorne, CA in your TL (direct buy from Northrop) and how many were license-built in the U.K.? (I'm from California, so anything good for SoCal's aerospace industry is good for the State)

[Ian the Kiwi Herder]

Ahhh poo !

Now I got drool all over my keyboard. See ya soon Martin, I've got a date with a Monogram Tigershark that you're keeping for me. I'll PM you.

Love the PR machine, very, very nice.

Ian

[Shasper]

*drool*


Shas B)

[MartG]

One question: why the AGM-45 Shrike? The U.S. Navy and AF got rid of the Shrikes when HARM came along (extended range, vastly improved seeker-with memory mode, and a more lethal warhead). Wouldn't the RAF ditch the Shrike and just buy HARMs as an intirm ARM until the bugs were worked out of the ALARM? One other thing, how many F-20s were built at the Northrop factory in Hawthorne, CA in your TL (direct buy from Northrop) and how many were license-built in the U.K.? (I'm from California, so anything good for SoCal's aerospace industry is good for the State)

Shrike v HARM - simple answer of 170kg Shrike v. 360kg HARM on a small plane. F-20 test pilots likened fitting even the 230Kg Sparrow as strapping an anchor to the plane.

As for production numbers, in my TL I envisaged the F-20 being a dead project as far as Northrop were concerned until the last minute reprieve, so they weren't set up for production.  Surviving prototype transferred to A&AEE for trials while all jigs etc. shipped to Warton for BAE production line.

[Spey_Phantom]

how could i mis this build  
an amazingly good idea, im stunned    

[Overkiller]

.

[elmayerle]

One question: why the AGM-45 Shrike? The U.S. Navy and AF got rid of the Shrikes when HARM came along (extended range, vastly improved seeker-with memory mode, and a more lethal warhead). Wouldn't the RAF ditch the Shrike and just buy HARMs as an intirm ARM until the bugs were worked out of the ALARM? One other thing, how many F-20s were built at the Northrop factory in Hawthorne, CA in your TL (direct buy from Northrop) and how many were license-built in the U.K.? (I'm from California, so anything good for SoCal's aerospace industry is good for the State)

Shrike v HARM - simple answer of 170kg Shrike v. 360kg HARM on a small plane. F-20 test pilots likened fitting even the 230Kg Sparrow as strapping an anchor to the plane.

As for production numbers, in my TL I envisaged the F-20 being a dead project as far as Northrop were concerned until the last minute reprieve, so they weren't set up for production.  Surviving prototype transferred to A&AEE for trials while all jigs etc. shipped to Warton for BAE production line.

They might have to copy some of the front end jigs that were common with the F-5E which, I believe, was still in production at the time.  I suspect the A&AEE folk would've come to the same conclusion Northrop's in-house aerodynamicists had; to really be good, the F-20 needed a larger wing, the wing loading was forcing high-speed turns to stay level and that led to G-LOC.  As I understand it, most of the proposals involved increased chord rather than increasing both cord and span.  Mind you, though, I've seen one proposal that the field service engineers, rather than the PD folk, floated up that kept the planform but extended the span, far enough to add a third hardpoint on each side, and got the wing loading of a two-seater back down to that of a F-5A.  Now that would've been a hell of an aircraft.

[Archibald]

Lovely build! F-20 everywhere in every versions... so cool! I think we have now exhausted the F-20 "debate" thanks to you!

Can I suggest something about this kind of whatif ?

I always thought that the whole debate around the TSR-2, CF-105, F-20 and others marvellous machines was a kind of "revenge" over real history. As the plane didn't flew in real world, but this is quite normal to avenge that by imagining it's career!

Nothing nasty about that, just a thought. Now we have to do that for the X-32