Re: Spinners' Strike Fighters Thread

[SPINNERS]

Sukhoi Su-27I - 151 Stormo, Aeronautica Militare Italiana, 1999

AMISu-27I01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

AMISu-27I02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

AMISu-27I03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

AMISu-27I04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

AMISu-27I05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

AMISu-27I06 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

A work in progress really as I'm doing a grey AMI version and this was just to get my decal positions sorted. The Su-27 is a superb add-on and comes with this classic Sukhoi 'Blue' scheme.

[SPINNERS]

McDonnell Douglas F-15A Eagle - 154 Gruppo, 6 Stormo, Aeronautica Militare Italiana, 1984

AMIF-15A01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

AMIF-15A02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

AMIF-15A03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

[SPINNERS]

BAC TSR.2 - 154 Gruppo, 6 Stormo, Aeronautica Militare Italiano, 1989

AMITSR201 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

AMITSR202 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

AMITSR203 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

AMITSR204 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

AMITSR205 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

[SPINNERS]

BAC TSR.2 - 154 Gruppo, 6 Stormo, Aeronautica Militare Italiano, 1976

AMITSR206 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

AMITSR207 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

AMITSR208 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

AMITSR209 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

Same decals but with the more traditional AMI roundel and on an earlier 'NATO standard' camo. Do you know that what with the Airfix kits, the Xtradecal decal sheets and this stunning flight-sim model it's as if it all really did happen! Tally-ho!!

[SPINNERS]

McDonnell Douglas F-15A Eagle - 103 Gruppo, 51 Stormo, Aeronautica Militare Italiano

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of 103^o Gruppo their F-15A's were adorned with a large native American tailfin markings.

AMIF-15A04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

AMIF-15A05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

AMIF-15A06 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

This is the stock F-15A skin from SF2:Europe with a tiny bit of a tweak to the nose bitmap (slimers moved forward and rescue panel moved up and back as clashing with my AMI roundels) and the inspiration for this came from seeing a photo of their AMX aircraft in Wings of Fame (Volume 20, Page 27).

[SPINNERS]

BAC TSR.2 - No.322 Squadron, Koninklijke Luchtmacht, 1977

RNethAFTSR201 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RNethAFTSR202 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RNethAFTSR203 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RNethAFTSR204 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RNethAFTSR206 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

[SPINNERS]

BAC TSR.2 - Royal Canadian Air Force

RCAFTSR201 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RCAFTSR202 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

Things just got better! A TSR.2 'super pack' was released today with a TSR.2, TSR.2 'GR.5', TSR.2 'GR.7' and TSR.2 with desert schemes (including No.112 squadron with sharkmouth and a Saudi scheme). The above piccies are sundowners superb 'early RCAF'  . I'm overdosing on the needle-nosed wonder plane so I'll see you when I see you!

[SPINNERS]

McDonnell Douglas Phantom F-4EN - No.323 Squadron, Koninklijke Luchtmacht, 1976

The F-4EN (E for NATO) was the result of a moderately successful 1971 sales campaign by McDonnell Douglas who wanted to extend the high volume production of the Phantom F-4E well into the second-half of the 1970's. Pitched at all the NATO allies, essentially the F-4EN was the slatted West German F-4F with some added capabilities, most notably an improved air-to-ground capability plus the re-instated Sparrow missiles and the sales campaign mainly succeeded due to political pressure from the West Germany and UK governments allowing continued sub-contract production and expanding into full-blown licence production with work spread amongst a new manufacturing consortium.

The F-4EN was adopted by Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain  and the UK (for RAF Germany) and initially entered service with No.323 squadron of the Koninklijke Luchtmacht in early 1975 quickly followed by No.19 and No.92 squadrons of the Royal Air Force to replace the Lightning F.2A's at RAF Gutersloh. In addition, second-hand examples of the F-4EN served with Greece, Portugal and Turkey and the type was finally withdrawn from service in 2009.

RNLAFPHANTOMF-4EN04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RNLAFPHANTOMF-4EN02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RNLAFPHANTOMF-4EN01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RNLAFPHANTOMF-4EN03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

[SPINNERS]

BAC Lightning F.56N - No.323 Squadron, Koninklijke Luchtmacht, 1970

RNLAFLIGHTNINGF56N06 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RNLAFLIGHTNINGF56N07 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

[SPINNERS]

North American F-100D - 27 Smaldeel, 'The Black Panthers', Belgian Air Force, 1971

BAFF-100D01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

BAFF-100D02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

BAFF-100D03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

BAFF-100D04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

This is the stock F-100D 'Vietnam' skin with decals by me based on an illustration of 27 smaldeels patch but the checkerboard colours are a wild guess. It seems a shame that this squadron faded into oblivion in 1962 so perhaps as some of the USAFE units were re-equipping with F-105's (and later F-4's) their F-100's were passed onto their NATO allies (and, of course, that did happen to a certain extent). Or perhaps 27 smaldeel went from the Thunderstreak to the Hunter FGA.9??

[SPINNERS]

Hawker Hunter FGA.9 - 27 Smaldeel, Belgian Air Force, 1968

BAFHUNTERFGA901 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

BAFHUNTERFGA902 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

BAFHUNTERFGA903 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

BAFHUNTERFGA904 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

BAFHUNTERFGA905 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

27 smaldeel lives on! They traded in their Thunderstreaks for some reburbished Hunters!

[SPINNERS]

McDonnell Douglas F-4C Phantom II - Esquadra 301, 'Jaguares', Força Aérea Portuguesa, 1972

FAPF-4C01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

FAPF-4C02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

FAPF-4C03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

FAPF-4C04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

JP Vieira's excellent Portuguese aviation thread has inspired me to do a FAP aircraft. I've always liked the Spanish F-4C's and figured that during 1970 the US Government had decided to beef up the entire Iberian peninsula by also re-equipping a two-squadron wing of the Força Aérea Portuguesa with ex-USAFE F-4C's. Anyway, 301 Esquadra gratefully exchanged their F-86's for F-4C's during early 1971 and flew them until 1991 when they were replaced by Tornado F.3's. Nurse, my medicene please!

BTW I hope you like my 'Jaguare' fin stripe!

[SPINNERS]

BAC TSR.2 - Thunderstrike Test and Evaluation Squadron, 1967

In the House of Commons on April 6th 1965, when Chancellor James Callaghan stood to deliver his budget day speech most of the British aviation industry were prepared for the worst but nothing about the TSR.2 was mentioned and a collective sigh of relief was heard. On April 9th, Prime Minister Wilson made an unannounced visit to BAC Warton and, after raised voices were heard coming from the boardroom, was given a tour of the TSR.2 front office by an enthusiastic and passionate Roland Beaumont. Playing to the assembled crowd of BAC workers and the Press corps, Wilson announced that whilst some economies were needed this important aircraft was "an amazing example of British engineering and will form the backbone of a modern Royal Air Force" adding that a production order for 30 examples would be placed plus another four pre-production aircraft. Astounded BAC officials looked at each in disbelief, swallowed hard and smiled for the cameras.

In the months that followed, everything seemed to fall into place. The undercarriage retraction problems disappeared, the new Olympus 325 engines ran faultlessly both at Filton (and soon after in the newly flown XR222) whilst various highly classified black boxes arrived at Warton, were fitted and worked like a charm. Testing continued into 1966 and on April 6th, 1966 Mary Wilson (the wife of Prime Minister, Harold Wilson) smashed a bottle of champagne across the nose of XR225 in a naming ceremony christening the aircraft 'Thunderstrike'. In August 1966, the Air Ministry announced that to ease the aircraft into squadron service a Thunderstrike Test and Evaluation Squadron (TTES) would be formed during 1967 at RAF Coningsby operating the last four prototypes (XR223 to XR226) and the four pre-production aircraft (XR556 to XR559).


RAFTSR202 by Spinners1961, on Flickr
XR224 soars above the Lincolnshire countryside carrying four inert AS.30 missiles.

RAFTSR203 by Spinners1961, on Flickr
Low-level testing through the fens.

[SPINNERS]

BAC Thunderstrike S.1's - No.100, No.139 and No.617 Squadrons, RAF Strike Command, 1969

During the Spring of 1967 the excellent results coming from the Thunderstrike Test and Evaluation Squadron (TTES) allowed the RAF to begin to plan the introduction into service of the BAC Thunderstrike S.1 and it was hoped to initially re-equip No.617 'Dambuster' squadron at RAF Scampton first and hopefully by April 1st, 1968 (the RAF's 50th birthbday). However, during August 1967 the RAF top brass became aware of the onset of fatigue problems with the two Victor B.2 squadrons at RAF Wittering and, fearful of another Valiant style mass grounding, it was decided to move the Victor B.2's away from the arduous low-level role as a matter of urgency and re-equip them with the Thunderstrike S.1.

Deliveries to No.100 and No.139 squadrons commenced in February 1968 but by April 1st only seven aircraft had been received and these early production machines had varying standards of both engines and nav/attack systems but the photo-shoot held on April 1st at least gave the impression that the aircraft had entered service but it was not until February 1969 that both squadrons were declared operational and available to NATO Sacuer. By this time, No.617 squadron at Scampton had also began to re-equip with the Thunderstrike S.1 and moved to Wittering at the end of March 1969. During April 1969 all three squadrons took part in Exercise Clansman - a NATO exercise based on mock-attacks on several Scottish hydro-electric facilities with all three squadrons returning high scores for availability, penetration and bombing accuracy.

RAFTHUNDERSTRIKES101 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFTHUNDERSTRIKES104 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFTHUNDERSTRIKES105 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFTHUNDERSTRIKES102 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFTHUNDERSTRIKES103 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFTHUNDERSTRIKES106-1 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

[SPINNERS]

BAC Thunderstrike S.2 - No.213 Squadron, RAF Germany, 1971

RAFTHUNDERSTRIKES201 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFTHUNDERSTRIKES202 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFTHUNDERSTRIKES204 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFTHUNDERSTRIKES203 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFTHUNDERSTRIKES205 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

For a change, I thought I'd include a 'landing sequence' - hope you like it.