F-86K No.234 Squadron RAF 1960

[rickshaw]

F-86K No.234 Squadron RAF 1960

Duncan Sandys was forced to resign because of his sexual peccadillo with the Duchess of Argyll.  His replacement was John Profumo.  In late 1957, Profumo handed down the much expected Defence White Paper.   It promised savage cuts to an already over-extended and increasingly out of date RAF.  All aircraft contracts for fighters and strike aircraft were to be cut, immediately.  Instead the RAF would go over to using guided missiles.   Fighters were to be replaced by long range Surface to Air missiles and strike aircraft by IRBMs (Intermediate Range Ballistic Missiles) initially and then, once developed, ICBMs (Inter-Continental  Ballistic Missiles), both of which were to be situated in "silos" below ground, in the British countryside.

John Profumo had done his deed.  He had saved the British tax-payers millions of pounds but at the expense of several tens of thousands of workers' jobs.   Profumo, as we know was later forced to resign because of his involvement with Christine Keeler.    The RAF began to "wind down".  Aircraft were not replaced, except with missiles.   Within five years, the RAF was only a shadow of it's former self.  British aircraft manufacturing had been devastated.

The RAF realised that whilst missiles looked good on the cover of magazines, they were not quite as useful at policing the airspace of the UK.   Soviet bombers started approaching closer and closer as the numbers of fighters were retired.   The scandal finally broke when a Soviet Bear bomber, allegedly "blown off course" overflew Belfast without challenge in broad daylight.   London was alarmed.   Washington was horrified.    London urgently requested that the USAF station more fighters in the UK.   Washington complied, on the understanding that the UK would either restart its aircraft manufacturing or purchase aircraft from America.   It did both.  In the meantime, it accepted  US Military Aid and purchased several squadrons of F-86K Fighters.

The F-86, the RAF was already familiar with, having used the earlier F-86E built by Canadair.  The F-86K was the European version of the F-86D "Dog" Sabre.  The F-86K mounted four 20mm cannon, instead of the "Dog" Sabres unguided rockets.  Mounting a large AN/APG-36 all-weather radar fitted in a radome in the nose, above the intake, it was able to detect it's targets at night or in bad weather.  The RAF however dislike there being only a single pilot onboard to operate the aircraft, the radar and the guns, preferring two crew for such a mission.   However, they were forced to accept the F-86K as built.

No.234 Squadron was a veteran operator of the F-86E when it was first taken into service with the RAF.  So, it was natural to reactivate the squadron to fly the new F-86K.







The Model

The model is a combination of the veteran Airfix F-86D fuselage and wings with an Airmodel vacuform nose conversion kit.  It was painted with a rattle can and hairy stick.  The markings came from Ebay.

[zenrat]

Love a good Sabre Dog.  Cool.

[NARSES2]

Ah, so Sandy's got caught in your trouser leg of time then ? 

Come out well mate 

[Glenn Gilbertson]

Good looking and very plausible!

[zenrat]

Peccadillo - a small armoured insectivorus marsupial of the genus cingulata.  Native to Australia, New Guinea and Argyll.

[TheChronicOne]

Very cool!! Too much more of this and I'm going to break down and start scowering eBay for Sabredogs. . .. .