Re: Spinners' Strike Fighters Thread

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Douglas A-1H Skyraider - Dhimari Air Force

DhimariSkyraider01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

DhimariSkyraider02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

DhimariSkyraider03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

DhimariSkyraider04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

DhimariSkyraider05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

To recap, in the original Strike Fighters (and Strike Fighters 2) Dhimar are the fictional Middle-East state flying 'Blue' whilst Paran (boo, hiss) fly 'Red'. Great fun!

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Tupolev Tu-128 'Fiddler' - Parani Air Force, 1971

ParaniFiddler01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

ParaniFiddler03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

ParaniFiddler02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

ParaniFiddler04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

A brilliant add-on aircraft by 'erikgen' that really captures the look of Tupolev's monstrous interceptor! I've just added some Parani markings to spice up my Strike Fighters install.

FiddlerontheRoof by Spinners1961, on Flickr

Not a 'what if' but a lovely shot! This sim is awesome!

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Grumman A-6A Intruder - Royal Dhimari Air Force

DhimariIntruder01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

DhimariIntruder02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

DhimariIntruder07 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

DhimariIntruder04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

DhimariIntruder05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

DhimariIntruder03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

The A-6A was a stock aircraft in the original 'Wings Over Vietnam' but inexplicably missed the cut in 'Strike Fighters 2:Vietnam' which is a pity as it's a sweet aircraft to fly and seems very fast at low-level - probably because it does get so low! This is the stock USN scheme and I've added some Dhimari markings, new squadron badges and a splash of colour on the fin tip.

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Dassault Mirage IIIC - No.4 and No.5 Squadrons, Royal Dhimari Air Force, 1972

DhimariMirage3C01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

DhimariMirage3C02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

DhimariMirage3C03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

DhimariMirage3C06 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

DhimariMirage3C07 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

The Mirage IIICJ is in Strike Fighters 2:Israel and can be moved into the other Series 2 games with ease if you have the merged install - a great feature. I've created the squadron badges and given them a splash of colour with fin markings. It's hard not to like the Mirage III series, a great looking aircraft.

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BAC Strikemaster GR.1 - No.20 squadron, RAF Middle East Command, 1973

During the early 1960's the RAF were planning their requirements for a Hunter replacement and soon realised that, ideally, two aircraft were required - a sophisticated fighter-bomber for the European theatre and a simpler (and hopefully cheaper) ground-attack aircraft for RAF Middle East Command and RAF South East Asia Command both of whom were becoming increasingly involved in limited 'brush wars'.

Even before the formal requirements were published BAC had pushed hard with their Model 167 Strikemaster and in May 1965 were rewarded with a contract for 80 Strikemasters although this was a poor consolation for the termination of the TSR.2 project the previous month. Development moved swiftly and No.20 squadron of RAF Middle East Command began to receive their Strikemaster GR.1's in August 1966 followed by No.8 squadron.

RAFStrikemasterGR101 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFStrikemasterGR102 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFStrikemasterGR103 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

The JP/Strikemaster has a real charm and this Kiwi scheme does seem to suit RAF tactical markings.

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Sud Aviation Vautour IIA - No.7 and No.8 Squadrons, Royal Dhimari Air Force, 1966

DhimariVautour01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

DhimariVautour02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

DhimariVautour03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

DhimariVautour04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

Another shapely French bird . The stock non-flyable 'AI' Vautour in Strike Fighters 2:Israel can easily be made flyable and is a blast to fly at low-level.

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McDonnell Douglas Phantom FGR.4 - No.8 Squadron, RAF Middle East Command, 1974

The cancellation of the Hawker P.1154 in 1964 lead to the adoption of the LTV F-8E(RN) by the Royal Navy to replace the Scimitar and Sea Vixen and this should have opened up a clear path for the simple adoption of the standard J79 powered Phantom F-4C by the RAF as their preferred Hunter replacement. However, anxious to improve the UK's trade balance with the US whilst trying to preserve at least some UK aerospace jobs the UK Government insisted that the RAF's Phantoms would adopt either the Rolls-Royce Spey turbofan or the promising new Rolls-Royce/SNECMA Sequanna turbofan then under development for the proposed Mirage IVB and advanced Mirage III aircraft. The Sequanna was quickly chosen, being both lighter and slimmer than the Spey, and this superb Anglo-French engine fitted the Phantom like a glove whilst producing about 1,000lbs more thrust per engine than the stock J79-GE-15 turbojet but having a much lower specific fuel consumption.

First flown in 1964 the Phantom F.1 was based on the USAF's F-4C and entered service with the RAF in 1966 supplementing the Lightning interceptors of RAF Fighter Command whilst the Phantom FG.2 re-equipped several Hunter and Canberra squadrons at home and abroad. The proposed FR.3 was a Sequanna powered reconnaisance version of the RF-4C that failed to materialise as the RAF adopted an advanced podded reconnaisance system but the FGR.4 was the RAF's first true multi-role version of the Phantom and took advantage of the new F-4E airframe, solid-state avionics and the more powerful Sequanna RB.390 engine developing 19,000lbs thrust with reheat. Only 50 FGR.4's were built before production switched to the FGR.5 and the FGR.4's equipped a three-squadron tactical fighter wing in RAF Middle East Command being deployed to Dhimar in the 1970's and to Saudi Arabia in 1990 during the build up to first Gulf War of 1991.

RAFPhantomFGR402 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFPhantomFGR403 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFPhantomFGR401 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFPhantomFGR404 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

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McDonnell Douglas Phantom FGR.5's - No.6 and No.41 Squadrons, RAF Strike Command

RAFPhantomFGR505-1 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFPhantomFGR506-1 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFPhantomFGR504 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFPhantomFGR507-1 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFPhantomFGR508-1 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFPhantomFGR509-1 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

This is the stock F-4M skin adapted to fit the longer nose of the F-4E and with nozzles that look a bit more Spey-like and less J79-like.

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Vought F-8E Crusader - No.805 Squadron, Royal Australian Navy, 1971

RANF-8ECRUSADER01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RANF-8ECRUSADER02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RANF-8ECRUSADER03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

In case you've got a strong feeling of déjà vu then, yes, I have done this one before but this one uses the stock F-8E and stock USN skin with my No.805 squadron decals.

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Vought F-8E Crusader - No.808 Squadron, Royal Australian Navy, 1972

RANF-8ECRUSADER04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RANF-8ECRUSADER05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RANF-8ECRUSADER06 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

I was looking for another 'what if' RAN unit and plumped for No.808 squadron who operated the rather pedestrian Sea Venom until 1958. In my 'what if' they operated something else before getting the F-8E in 1965. The colour on the checkerboard markings are equally ficticious and are taken from the squadron badge.

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McDonnell Douglas Phantom F.6 - No.19 and No.92 squadrons, RAF Germany

The success of the Rolls-Royce Sequanna powered Phantom FGR.4 and FGR.5 led to two further types, both specialised for air-defence, the Phantom F.6 for RAF Germany and the Phantom F.7 for the home-based air defence squadrons. The Phantom F.6's were a bit of an interim type with the same engines as the FGR.5 but were slightly lighter due to the removal of all air-to-ground capability. They were eagerly received by RAF Germany and re-equipped the two Lightning F.2A squadrons at RAF Gütersloh (No.19 and No.92 squadrons) in 1974 and remained in service until 1994.

PHANTOMF601 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

PHANTOMF602 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

PHANTOMF603 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

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Gloster Grebe T.1 - No.98 (Shadow) Squadron, 1963.

With the end of the Javelin production run in sight the Gloster Aircraft Company were keen to secure one of the few military aircraft programmes to emerge unscathed from the infamous 1957 Defence White Paper - the RAF's jet trainer requirement for 300 aircraft. Gloster proposed an unambitious but safe design powered by the Rolls Royce Viper rated at 2,500lbs of thrust and although the Hunting Jet Provost was the frontrunner (being already in limited service with No.2FTS at Hullavington) the Gloster P.355, later named Grebe, design was well-received by the RAF. In a surprise move, both types were ordered with the Jet Provost becoming the 'basic' jet trainer with 200 examples ordered and the Grebe becoming the 'advanced' trainer with 100 examples ordered.

Entering service in November 1959 the Gloster Grebe T.1 was an ideal step-up from the docile Jet Provost (with it's side-by-seat seating) and was certainly more of a challenge with its higher flight performance and slightly 'quirky' handling - although it was by no means a beast. Grebes equipped the new Tactical Weapons Units and also served with No.98 squadron in RAF Germany fulfilling almost exactly the same role. Most famously, the Grebe T.1 equipped the RAF's 'Yellowjacks' and 'Red Arrows' aerobatic display teams before being phased out in the late 1970's.

GLEBET102 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

GLEBET101 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

GLEBET103 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

GLEBET104 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

GLEBET105 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

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McDonnell Douglas Phantom F.7's - No.5 and No.11 Squadrons, RAF Strike Command, 1983

The final development of the 'British' Phantom line was the superlative F.7, a dedicated interceptor for the home-based fighter squadrons of the Royal Air Force. The F.7 used the late slatted-wing 'E' airframe with the more powerful Rolls-Royce Sequanna RB.450 engines (rated at 13,250lbs thrust dry and 22,500lbs thrust with reheat) and with an improved avionics and radar fit. Entering service in late 1975 with No.5 and No.11 squadrons at RAF Binbrook the F.7 eventually served with eight UK squadrons, an adversary squadron based at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus and two squadrons based at RAF Stanley (Falkland Islands).

PHANTOMF701 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

PHANTOMF702 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

PHANTOMF706 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

PHANTOMF708 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

PHANTOMF704 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

PHANTOMF705 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

PHANTOMF707 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

My F.7 uses the stock F-4E_75 model with bitmaps stitched together from the 'C' (a late ADC Grey) and the 'E_75' but with my Sequanna jet nozzles added. I'm quite happy with this splice and whilst it is a little lighter than the real world RAF Grey it's OK and looks better with normal sized roundels. I'll get around to doing white serials at another time.

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MiG-19S(UK) - No.92 Squadron, RAF Germany (Socialist European Union), 1962.

RAFFARMERF1A05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFFARMERF1A06 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFFARMERF1A07 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFFARMERF1A08 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

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MiG-19S(UK) - No.74 Squadron ('The Tigers') Socialist Republic of Britain, March 1958

RAFFARMERF1A09 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFFARMERF1A10 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFFARMERF1A11 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFFARMERF1A12 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

Silver + Swept Wings + Tiger Stripes =