Falklands circa 1982.

[Ogwash]

Oh, there's a Magna resin kit as well. I think.

Yes both Magna and Aircraft in Minature do Resin Jetstream T3's, but Welsh Models also do a Jetstream 41 with a longer fuselage that should do nicely for an AEW aircraft. Not sure if i would fit the Hawkeye dish may be one of those linear ones used by the Sweeds, or possibly a belly mounted dish instead.

Lockheed did develop an AEW Viking concept, which would have been a suitable replacement for the gannet on a decent sized carrier, the Hawkeye being bigger and heavier.

Og B)  

[retro_seventies]

Then hurrah for Welsh Models (and possibly, occasionally, for the welsh in general - have to say this as used to go to school and play rugger with captain of welsh rugger team - hello colin!).  

I know what you mean about the linear radomes that they've hung on top of that Saab, and think that it'd be really rather spiffy, but wasn't sure that we would have been that adventurous (athough, if we are supposing that we've got the get up and go to build our own naval AEW instead of buying american, then we may as well suppose that we wouldn't be afraid to be a bit radical).

i still like the bulged belly bit though too...i'm a sucker for a pot belly on a plane, and am pretty unshakeable on that one, sorry.  

maybe i'll tinker with the diagrams and throw together a few more potential AEW jetstreams/dominies (now the dominie would look good with a belly dish, especially if i use a late model hs.125, maybe a 600, and stretch it a pinch, maybe beef up the engines a bit too)

thanks for the input chaps, and wooks/thor, thanks for the pointers on where i can lay my clammy hands on what i need....

all the best,

ben

[Ogwash]

i still like the bulged belly bit though too...i'm a sucker for a pot belly on a plane, and am pretty unshakeable on that one, sorry.

Hi Ben

Just thinking a rotating disc a la Hawkeye may be too heavy and high for Jetstream or Dominie, as these both have low mounted wings, therefor either some form of fixed array would be required or a belly dome under the fuselage between the wings, somrthing cigger than a Gannet AEW's but a bit smaller circumfrence than a Hawkeyes. The Undercarriage might need to be modified, longer beefier and for the main U/C possibly retract backwards as i think it retract towards the fuselage on the actual aircraft.

Look forward to see what concept you eventually produce.

Cheers

GeoffB B)  

[retro_seventies]

Yup, you're probably right here geoff - the hawkeye's big old plate might indeed be a bit on the heavy side for a spry little jetstream or a svelte little dominie/hs125....

i DO rather like your idea of a lankier, beefy undercarriage and a belly radome (flatter than a gannet's, but still a bit of a whopper, and bigger circumference right? - i really DO fancy that).      

A jetstream with tall, tough naval undercarriage, a whopper bellydome, no fuselage windows per se (but a couple of the "cupola" style plexiglass half domes on the side), a few bumps and lumps here and there (very important, chicks love a scar!   ), and i still don't know about wingtip pods/tip tanks.

as soon as i get a chance to do some computer aided doodling i'll be right on the diagram...

appreciate all the suggestions geoff (and all you others who keep chipping in - its the feedback that makes posting any ideas in here FUN!)

all the best,

Ben  

[lancer]

Nice ideas for the Jetstream and Domine...I likr them. The AEW BAe 146 is now going to have the SAAB type slab aperture radar rather than the rotating dish. For no other reason than I want to do it a bit differently......

I'm also planning a Maritime patrol varient that can be carried on board carriers. The idea behind this is to enable any task force or carrier group it's own Maritime patrol and long range ASW capability without having to rely on land based aircraft.  

[nev]

hmm, looks like I get to revive my idea of using a USN carrier with borrowed Phantoms and RAF/RN crews flying them.  Gotta find a use for that 1/48 Hasegawa F-4B/N eh?  

I'm thinking all over EDSG and reviving the old RN squadrons - the old Phantom squadrons are for the fighter roled birds and the old Bucc squadrons for the Attack roled birds (2 squadrons of each).  The USN crews handle all the AAR, ASW AEW missions etc.

Next question is which carrier do the USN kindly agree to loan us (as well as 4 squadrons of Phantoms, though they'd be easy enough to rustle up I'd imagine)

[Geoff_B]

Next question is which carrier do the USN kindly agree to loan us (as well as 4 squadrons of Phantoms, though they'd be easy enough to rustle up I'd imagine

It would probably be either Forrestal or Saratoga, as they had Phantoms about that time, the older Midways were in the Pacific fleet, so these would be the next oldest. BTW the Forrestal is available in 1/720 by Italeri and is due out again by Airfix any time now. New metal 1/600 scale Aircraft and detail sets are being produced as well and if i can convince Peter Hall to do them we might get some Buccanners & Sea Vixens (for the Airfix Victorious) which mixed with the USN aircraft would give you and idea air group.

(On checking the shelf i've got an Unfitted Forrestal, so that might get a UK weapon & sensor fit when the Aircraft become available )

Cheers

Thor  B) l  

[Joe C-P]

Hi all,

Me sticking my nose in again. May I toss out an idea?

The US would have been reluctant to _openly_ support the UK against an American (in the broader sense of the word) country, even one that attacked the possession of an ally. However, my fevered imagination has come up with a small variation on history that might have changed that.

The CIA and MI-5 have discovered that the real power behind the Argentinian Junta is a group of escaped Nazis, led by the son of Herr Schikelgruber and Ms. Braun, who has the same strange, insane charisma as his father. However, since these people run Argentina from behind the scenes, never appearing in public, and for the moment are not exhibiting the excesses of their former leader, the US and UK cannot act openly against them yet.

The Falklands invasion provides the essential cover. The RN has just lost Invincible to Australia, Illustrious is still building, and Hermes was never rebuilt from a commando carrier. The US, demanding that the RN meet its NATO obligations, "foists" USS Forrestal on the RN. Fortunately enough former Phantom, Buccaneer and Gannet pilots are available from the last days of Ark Royal's career to load out the new HMS Furious, along with a wing of Harriers and flight of Sea Kings.

On the journey down the Atlantic the pilots refamiliarize themselves with "proper" carrier operations, and by the time they arrive they are ready and able to combat the Argentinian forces. The Harriers provide point-defense for the fleet, the Phantoms provide long range anti-air defense, the Buccaneers attack first targets on the Islands, then carefully selected military-only targets on the mainland, including sinking the Veinticinco de Mayo at anchor in harbor, an image that is flashed worldwide.

In the meantime the CIA and MI-5 meet secretly with representatives from Argentina's neighbors, France, and the Soviet Union, presenting their evidence of the attempted creation of a "Fourth Reich". Their governments therefore make token, blustery protests at the UN, but do not intervene, and quietly make certain that Argentina receives not external aid.

The Argentinians are ousted from the Falklands, and the junta soon collapses. Among the last of the "disappeared" are virtually all of the ex-Nazis, including anyone and everyone with a blood relation to "Der Furher".

How about that production of my overactive imagination for a rational for an RN supercarrier in the Falklands?

[retro_seventies]

*applause*

outrageous stuff there joe - that's the train of thought that i only usually get from too much gin and paint fumes....i like it though - its a bit out there, but that's no bad thing at all...i like it a lot!

i'm rather keen on the "what if" aspect of us never losing our carriers in the first place - bloody silly that we did, almost as nutso as sandys white paper....ack.

maybe (fourth reich being excused for now   ) if we had become involved with a real carrier, the UN might have been peacekeepers....until the swedish light carrier was accidentally hit by an argentinian exocet, and now i have a reason for my swedish carrier ops to be in the south atlantic.

bit far fetched eh?

*shrugs*

i care not          

[Captain Canada]

My Malvinas scenario has RAF Phantoms handed back to the RN, so they can operate off a RCN ex-USN carrier.....and they kick Argie donkey !

[lancer]

My Malvinas scenario has RAF Phantoms handed back to the RN, so they can operate off a RCN ex-USN carrier.....and they kick Argie donkey !

Oh I don't know Toad, we kicked thier arses pretty well with SHAR1's...

[Captain Canada]

True...but they got alltogether too close, too many times !

And if they knew how to arm bombs, the outcome could have been brutal !

So....we're gonna stop 'em in their tracks, many, many miles from the scene.

Cheers !

[lancer]

Very true my friend. As for the bomb arming, I saw a programme some years ago that had an interview with an Argie pilot who said that it took a while for them to realise that the fuse was taking to long to unscrew when they came in at low level. Once they shortened the fuse the bombs armed quicker and, well we know the results unfortunately.

[retro_seventies]

Indeed Lancer....

Good thing that they accidentally nail the swedish peacekeepers early on, and the next anti ship flight of etendards gets plastered all over the south atlantic by sea viggens!

hurrah!

[Captain Canada]

sea viggens!

Mmmm...sea viggens !

Never thought of that one....but......I LIKE IT !