Re: Spinners' Strike Fighters Thread

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Lockheed (Canadair) Starfighter F.1 - No.56 Squadron, RAF Fighter Command, 1962

With no Hunter replacement on the horizon and with the Lightning programme progressing slowly (and being clearly of no use in the tactical fighter role) the RAF suddenly became interested in the F-104-7 (later renamed F-104G) Starfighter programme during 1958 and in April 1959 followed West Germany in ordering the type as the Starfighter F.1 for air defence and the Starfighter FGA.2 as a tactical fighter for both RAF Germany and also for No.38 Group.

The initial production versions were the F.1 for RAF Fighter Command (equipping No.56 and No.74 squadrons) and the almost identical F.1A for RAF Germany (equipping No.19 and No.92 squadrons)and these were manufactured by Canadair and were powered by the Orenda-built J79 OEL-9 engine developing 10,500lbs of thrust dry and 16,000lbs of thrust with reheat. Entering service with No.56 squadron in 1961 the Starfighter F.1 initially introduced the Firestreak infra-red homing air-to-air missile into service and later introduced the Skylance radar-guided air-to-air missile, carried on underwing pylons. However, despite having the advantage of having, potentially, an armament of four missiles as opposed to the Lightning's two missiles the Starfighter F.1 was not a popular type and was quickly replaced by the Lightning F.6 in Fighter Command but did remain in service with RAF Germany until 1982.

RAFSTARFIGHTERF101-1 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFSTARFIGHTERF102-1 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFSTARFIGHTERF103-1 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

This uses the stock F-104G and stock NMF/Silver skin with some No.56 Squadron markings.

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Lockheed (Canadair) Starfighter F.1 - No.74 Squadron ('The Tigers') RAF Fighter Command, August 1963

RAFSTARFIGHTERF104-1 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFSTARFIGHTERF105-1 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFSTARFIGHTERF106-1 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFSTARFIGHTERF107-1 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFSTARFIGHTERF108-1 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

There's a couple of different missions shown here with changes to the underwing stores including Anab and AS-20 missiles masquerading as British radar-guided missiles!

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Lockheed (Canadair) Starfighter F.1A - No.19 and No.92 Squadrons, RAF Germany, 1967

The introduction of the Starfighter F.1A to RAF Germany in 1962 allowed the RAF to concentrate their small Lightning force in the UK.

RAFSTARFIGHTERF1A01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFSTARFIGHTERF1A02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFSTARFIGHTERF1A03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFSTARFIGHTERF1A04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFSTARFIGHTERF1A05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

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Lockheed (Canadair) Starfighter F.1B - No.92 Squadron, RAF Germany, 1974

During 1971 and 1972 33 of the original batch of 50 Starfighter F.1A's were converted to F.1B's - a modest upgrade programme mainly consisting of improved avionics and NATO standard navigational aids but also including the ability to use the forthcoming Skyflash missile. The converted F.1B's all left BAC Warton with a new coat of matt green paint and the new 'B' type tactical markings although both squadrons at RAF Wildenrath lost no time in getting their distinctive markings back on their aircraft.

RAFSTARFIGHTERF1B01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFSTARFIGHTERF1B03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFSTARFIGHTERF1B06 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFSTARFIGHTERF1B07 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

There are lovely Canadian and Danish schemes available as non-flyable 'AI' aircraft (indeed, the F-104G is itself non-flyable but can be made flyable with a little bit of work) and despite not having the silver undersides look very 'Lightning F.2A' like. In fact, I prefer the overall green.

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Canadair / Mikoyan Gureyvich CL-16's - Republic of Canada Air Force, 1968

RCAFMiG-19P01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RCAFMiG-19P02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RCAFMiG-19P03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

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Sukhoi Su-13 - VVS

A storyboard for comrade Greg...

SOVIETSTARFIGHTER01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr
I take-off from a Soviet Frontal Aviation airbase (the weather is good today)

SOVIETSTARFIGHTER02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr
Transit at high level

SOVIETSTARFIGHTER03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr
Descend to low level but my attack on a 'Blue' convoy was a disaster

SOVIETSTARFIGHTER04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr
Phantoms come out to intercept so I climb up into the fight

SOVIETSTARFIGHTER05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr
A growl in my headphones tells me that I have a lock-on so I fire an Atoll...

SOVIETSTARFIGHTER06 by Spinners1961, on Flickr
It's an RAF Phantom FGR.4 and he pops a flare but the missile detonates and Rupert and Tarquin hit the silk

SOVIETSTARFIGHTER07 by Spinners1961, on Flickr
I fire another Atoll at another Phantom but it misses by a country mile

SOVIETSTARFIGHTER08 by Spinners1961, on Flickr
I'm now out of missiles so I blast back towards Mother Russia fast and low!

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Sukhoi Su-13 - VVS (Green)

SOVIETSTARFIGHTER09 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

SOVIETSTARFIGHTER10 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

SOVIETSTARFIGHTER11 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

SOVIETSTARFIGHTER12 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

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Sukhoi Su-13 - Luftstreitkräfte der NVA (GDR)

LSKSTARFIGHTER01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

LSKSTARFIGHTER02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

LSKSTARFIGHTER03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

LSKSTARFIGHTER04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

Last Starfighters for a while!

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Lavochkin La-19 - The Soviet Super Sabre

Clandestinely produced as an insurance policy against the failure of the MiG-19 and Sukhoi Su-7 and Su-9 the Lavochkin La-19 saw very limited service with the VVS but was exported to several Soviet client states. Unexpectedly, La-19's turned up in the skies over North Vietnam during 1965 and, on one occasion, caught a flight of F-105D's by surprise downing two and damaging a third.

SOVIETSUPERSABRE01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

SOVIETSUPERSABRE02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

SOVIETSUPERSABRE03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

Picture 2 reminds me of just how big this single-seat fighter is, especially as I've been flying the MiG-19 recently. They were contemporary but not in size!

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Lavochkin La-19 - Czechoslovak Air Force

CZECHSUPERSABRE02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

CZECHSUPERSABRE03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

CZECHSUPERSABRE04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

CZECHSUPERSABRE05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

CZECHSUPERSABRE07 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

CZECHSUPERSABRE08 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

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Aero Vodochody L.23 - Czechoslovak Air Force, 1961

CZECHSUPERMYSTERE01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

CZECHSUPERMYSTERE02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

CZECHSUPERMYSTERE04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

CZECHSUPERMYSTERE05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

CZECHSUPERMYSTERE09 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

CZECHSUPERMYSTERE06 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

CZECHSUPERMYSTERE08 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

The stock Super Mystere is another one of those types that is an 'AI' non-flyable but can be converted to flyable with a little editing work. I've previously done this as a Supermarine Skylark F.1 but with my current theme of 'Sovietisation' then I thought it would look good with Czech markings. Stock aircraft are great in that they are blank canvas with no national markings so all I've done is add a Soviet style green fin-tip, added a bit of colour to the intake lip, done my own Czech roundel (just a bit more opaque than the stock one) and learnt how to orientate them according to Comrade Jostein and by looking at pictures from my MiG Design Bureau book. I hope I've got it right!

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Aero Vodochody L.23 - Luftstreitkräfte

The success of the Aero L.23 flight-test programme led to its adoption by several WARPAC states including East Germany who operated it alongside MiG-17's and MiG-19's from 1959 onwards.

LSKSUPERMYSTERE01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

LSKSUPERMYSTERE02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

LSKSUPERMYSTERE03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

LSKSUPERMYSTERE04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

LSKSUPERMYSTERE05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

Edited to add yellow intake and a fictitious unit badge to Picture 4 (info on East German miltary aircraft isn't easy to find!).

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Yakovlev Yak-39 - Luftstreitkräfte

LSKFLATBED01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

LSKFLATBED02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

LSKFLATBED03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

LSKFLATBED04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

LSKFLATBED05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

Just a one-off this one as I'm itching to do something silver with swept-wings.

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Republic Aviation F-84J Thunderstreak - HavLLv31 Finnish Ilmavoimat

With Finland being ever anxious to maintain it's neutrality it was surprising that in June 1954 the Finnish government elected to purchase the Republic Thunderstreak F-84J. However, in typical  Finnish fashion the purchase of 40 F-84J's was organised via the Swedish government and the aircraft chosen could hardly be called 'state of the art' being essentially a warmed-up Thunderstreak with the General Electric J73-GE5EX engine (non-afterburning and rated at 9,000lbs thrust) shoehorned in. No munitions were supplied, not even drop-tanks and SAAB were chosen to prepare the aircraft for service with four British Hispano cannon replacing the six 0.5 calibre machine guns of the standard F-84F and a strong 'neutral' flavour throughout, even to the extent of carrying mainly Swedish or Soviet weapons, including the Atoll air-to-air missile. Entering service with HavLLv31 in 1956 the aircraft equipped two squadrons and gave the Ilmavoimat a taste of a 'modern' swept-wing fighter although the F-84J was certainly no F-86 Sabre and, presumably, that was the whole point!

FINLANDTHUNDERSTREAK04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

FINLANDTHUNDERSTREAK05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

FINLANDTHUNDERSTREAK06 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

FINLANDTHUNDERSTREAK07 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

I've quite enjoyed doing this one as I'm quite fond of this pugnacious brute and also Finnish national markings.

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Republic Aviation F-84J Thunderstreak - HavLLv11 Finnish Ilmavoimat

FINLANDTHUNDERSTREAK09 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

FINLANDTHUNDERSTREAK10 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

The HavLLv11 markings are a bit of fantasy but are based on the charging bull and colours of the one 'Fighter Squadron 11' patch that I've seen.