A Tale of Two Histories

[AeroplaneDriver]

OK, gotta work some over the weekend, but I'm off Mon & Tues, so my target completion for this project is Tuesday evening.

Here is the taped-up prototype:




Now, I have two backstories in mind that will determine the final scheme, markings, and armament.  I cant decide which I feel more like doing, so give me some input guys!


1.  By the early 80s the Royal Navy were beginning to look for a replacement for the Phantoms and Buccaneers flying from the decks of HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales.  For a time the MDD F-18 was a leading contender, but in hopes of a domestic solution BAe proposed a naval variant of the Tornado.

The Sea Tornado was based on the fuselage of the Tornado F.3/F.3 but with a new fixed wing, ironically based on the wing of the F-18.  Whioe the Sea Tornado was significantly slower than the RAF's VG Tornados (Mach 1.7 vs 2.2), it was also a more agile aircraft.  

In a 1985 flyoff the F-18 proved to be a better dogfighter, though by a remarkably narrow margin.  However, significant commonality with the RAF Tornado fleet, excellent low level strike performance, and national pride led to the MoD's decision to purchase 54 Sea Tornado FG.1s.

Sea Tornados still serve aboard the RN's carriers, and are slated to continue in service aboard the CVF class of ships well into the 2020s


2.  The death of Prince William in 2007 in Afghanistan was a brutal awakening to the British people as to the state of the armed forces.  The Prince's platoon were wiped out by taliban fighters while awaiting air support that was unavailable.  

In the aftermath Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth's grief turned to fury at her ministers for allowing British forces to operate without adequate support.  In a shocking televised address she demanded that HER armed forces be adequately funded and supplied.  Massive public support for this sentiment led to a bloodbath in Whitehall as one after another minister resigned in shame.

The good that came from this national tragedy was the total revamping of the British military and the procurement process.  Gone, for the moment at least, beaurocrats concerned only with securing a pension.  

By mid 2008 orders had been placed for new support helicopters, additional Apache AH.1s and new infantry equipment.  There was also an obvious requrement for additional CAS/attack aricraft.  Several options were considered fro this role, including an outright purchase of Saab Gripens from the Swedish Air Force, SU-25s from Russia, A-10s from the US, and even the reintroduction of the Jaguar.  

In the end the requirement was met by a proposal from BAE Systems;  Project Phoenix.  A number of retired Tornado F.3 aircraft were in storage.  Due to the higher altitude nature of their mission, these aircraft had very little airframe fatigue compared to their GR cousins.  BAE offerd to rewing the F.3s with a straight fixed wing derived from the F-18.  This would reduce maximum speed from Mach 2.2 to 1.7, but would also reduce maintenance costs, and provide a highly capable weapons delivery platform, optomized for medium altitude, but still capable of low-level attack.  

The other major modification was the conversion to single-pilot operation.  While the second cockpit was retained, mission-specialized gear was removed and replaced with a duplicate of the second cockpit.  This was a cheaper solution than comletely removing the cockpit, and it gave the flexibility to operate with two pilots during long missions and when a second pair of eyes was a valuable asset, such as FAC duties.

BAE, eager to make up for the Nimrod MRA.4 debacle guaranteed a fixed price contract for 48 airframes, including a clause that forced BAE to lease Gripens for the RAF is delivery slipped significantly.

The program proceeded virtually without a hitch, and the first Tornado FG.5 entered frontline service in late 2009.  Due to flight-control software changes, very little pilot traiing was needed for cenversion from either F.3 or GR.4 models.

The FG.5 proved to be a highly capable attack aircraft, and with the new wing was even a respectable dogfighter when up against aircraft of its own generation.  Ironically, in the twilight of its career the Tornado was finally a true Multi Role Combat Aircraft.



So....which is it to be;  RN circa 1990 or RAF circa 2010?

[Archibald]

Cool! Main problem is I can't help you because I like your two backstories
Fixed wing Tornado seems so logical...

[B777LR]

That aircraft looks sooooo good!

I like 2nd story best...
Its more "modern", and you will also be able to do a Mig-29 in Taliban colours!

[GTX]

How about something even earlier - what if the Panavia partner nations didn't produce the VG version.  Either due to technical reasons (i.e. the swing wing just didn't work properly) or due to cost reasons (a fixed wing is less complicated and hence less expensive).  IMHO, the latter is quite plausible - it almost resulted in a single engined poor mans version of the Typhoon for Germany.  

Regards,

Greg

[PolluxDeltaSeven]

Believe me or not, I have thought about the same hybrid model, with a Tornado F.3 body and a Super Hornet wings... but finally, I will do my Tornado ADV as a USAF swing winged Wild Weasel, while I just wasn't able to destroy my Super Hornet...
So, that's the first time I could see what such a mix looks like, and it purely ROCKS!!

 

For my part, I prefer the first back story... A Royal Navy Sea Tornado FG.5 circa 1990 or even a modernised FGR.6 circa 2006 (with TARPS reccce pod, ASRAAM and/or Storm Shadow missiles under the wings   )!!!
Or even a GR.6 or GR.7 variant specialised in the ECM and SEAD missions... Well, I just really enjoy Wild Weasel aircrafts, specially the navalised ones...
Add to that a new landing gear, probably from the Hornet, and you'll have a totally new aircraft for the Royal Navy!!

Other possibility is the export market, with German Navy for anti-ship (from land bases) and maybe Saudi Arabia for CAS and penetration...
But well, I prefer the RN idea

[ysi_maniac]

I have been thinking in a cheap fixed wing Tornado many times but I did not realize that this F-18 solution is just perfect. I like it very much.          

[AeroplaneDriver]

Well, my Tuesday target came and went with very little progress towards completion.  

This was due to the combination of a busier than anticipated weekend and a nasty cold that had me feeling like doing nothing for two days.

The good news is that I am off work tomorrow and Friday, so I may make some progress.  The bad news is I'm taking those days off because the dear wife has to have knee surgery tomorrow.  

Some of you may remember she had knee surgery a little over a year ago to fix a knee injury.  Unfortunately that one didnt do the trick, so now she has to have a more invasive procedure, which we are told is certain to fix the problem.

So anyway, hopefuly over the next few days I'll get a little modeling done between making potato soup and administering powerful narcotics.

[GTX]

making potato soup and administering powerful narcotics.

Sounds like the duties of a Soviet Prison guard .

I hope your wife recovers quickly.

Regards,

Greg

[Eddie M.]

Very good looking aircraft. It looks so natural put together like that.   I hope your wife is doing well. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.
   Eddie

[Ian the Kiwi Herder]

The second back-story is just so fantastic & radical, it 'could almost' make me forget about being a republican ! (In the UK a republican is, usually, someone who stands for the reduction, in power of the Monarchy, not its abolition..... well it's good for tourism, isn't it !).

Anyhoos - the second back-story. Luvvit. If I'd thought of it, I'd be going down the A-10 route, as I am intrinsically lazy and have no thoughts whatsoever of making fantastic hybrid models, merely content to paint them different colours !  The idea of a 'night of the long knives' in Whitehall is also very, very appealing !

Fantastic idea, Nick, looking forward to it's evolution !

Ian

[Brian da Basher]

My vote is for backstory #2, Nick. I really like the thought of all those bureaucrats resigning and a revamped U.K. military.

Best wishes to Mrs. AD on her recovery!

Brian da Basher

[Ollie]

#2!

Best wishes too...

 

[elmayerle]

#2 works for me.  That looks like a cracking good idea.  One thing I'm looking at for my Tornado F.5 is a recontour of the LERX along the lines of what was looked at for the Tomcat 21; you might want to consider something like that or something like the Hornet's LERX.

Cheers,
Evan

[AeroplaneDriver]

#2 works for me.  That looks like a cracking good idea.  One thing I'm looking at for my Tornado F.5 is a recontour of the LERX along the lines of what was looked at for the Tomcat 21; you might want to consider something like that or something like the Hornet's LERX.

Cheers,
Evan

I am thinking of adding a LERX out to the front of the intake.


Thie project is progressing, though at a slow pace.  So far the gear bays and cockpit are painted.  Tomorrow I'm hoping to either get the forward fuselage assembled, or the get the rear fusealge done and begin working on fairing the new wings in.

Maybe a few pics tomorrow...

[elmayerle]

I am thinking of adding a LERX out to the front of the intake.

Great minds think alike.  That's pretty much what I intended for the F.5.