Re: Spinners' Strike Fighters Thread

[SPINNERS]

Supermarine Attacker FB.3 - No.501 (County of Gloucester) Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force, 1952

Encouraged by the success of the RAF's Meteors and Vampires the Royal Navy bravely abandoned further development of the Seafire/Seafang and allowed Supermarine to move the Attacker programme forward at a faster pace. In their wisdom (sic) Air Ministry officials decided it might be a rather nice idea to order a de-navalised version for the RAF as the Attacker FB.3. However, service acceptance trials by the RAF showed the Attacker to be far inferior to the Vampire and after limited front-line use the Attacker FB.3's were passed down onto several Auxiliary Air Force units starting with No.501 (County of Gloucester) squadron based at Filton who received their first Attacker FB.3's in October 1948.

RAFATTACKERFB301 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFATTACKERFB302 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFATTACKERFB303 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFATTACKERFB304 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

The Attacker is available as an add-on aircraft and I've made a rather crude silver skin for it and added my new No.501 squadron markings and also some serial numbers from the Vampire era.

[SPINNERS]

Vickers Wellington MR.10 - Portuguese Air Force, 1956

FAPWELLINGTON01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

FAPWELLINGTON02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

FAPWELLINGTON03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

FAPWELLINGTON04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

FAPWELLINGTON05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

A revised version of Veltro2K's superb Wellington B.Mk.X was released recently and comes with Bomber Command and Coastal Command skins. I've added some basic 'old' PAF roundels and shown it on an anti-shipping strike, hopefully a peace-time exercise against some rotting hulk of a disused cargo ship!

[SPINNERS]

SAAB / Hawker Lansen FAW.2 - No.502 (Ulster) Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force, 1962

RAFLANSENFAW201 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFLANSENFAW202 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFLANSENFAW203 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFLANSENFAW204 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

I've featured this superb add-on aircraft by 'Timmy' before and thought it would be OK for a 'what if' Auxiliary Air Force Lansen FAW.2 based in Aldergrove, Northern Ireland. Like most SAAB designs the Lansen was a very under-rated aircraft but, in it's day, it was the largest aircraft cleared to dive beyond Mach 1 and it was also the first post-war European aircraft to carry air-to-surface guided missiles. OK, the interceptor version (produced after the attack versions) introduced in 1958 was possibly no longer cutting-edge but in the pre-Lightning era the RAF would have loved to have flown it!

[SPINNERS]

Folland Gnat F.2 - No.504 (County of Nottingham) Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force, 1964

When Duncan Sandys left his briefcase on the backseat of a London cab on a cold, wet January evening in 1957 no one could have envisiged the consequences of his forgetfulness. For his briefcase contained a draft copy of the 1957 Defence White Paper and it didn't take Fleet Street long to obtain it and slowly reveal it's contents, serial fashion, to an astonished general public still coming to terms with the aftermath of the Suez crisis and Britain's declining role in the world.

The Government toughed it out and blatantly denied that it was a true copy, suggesting that it was a hoax and even a newspaper plot to boost circulation. Regardless of that, when the Defence White Paper was released at the end of March 1957 it was a much softer version of what was intended with less emphasis on missiles and the forceable 'merging' of the aircraft manufacturers and also announcing the retention of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force "for a period of not less than ten years".

This provided a timely boost for Folland who had seen their superb Midge lightweight fighter shunned by the Air Ministry and then their Gnat fighter-bomber lose out to the Hawker Hunter as a Venon replacement for overseas use. Folland knew that the Royal Auxiliary Air Force Meteors and Vampires desperately needed replacing and knew that their inexpensive Gnat could run rings around the Hunter in the pure air-to-air role so quickly submitted a brochure on the Gnat F.2 (essentially very similar to the export version then being supplied to Finland) and succeeded in getting an initial order for 40 aircraft, later expanded to 80 plus acceptance of their 'Gnat Trainer' for the RAF as the Gnat T.1 and the Fleet Air Arm's Gnat T.3.

RAFGNATF201 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFGNATF202 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFGNATF203 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

[SPINNERS]

Panavia Tornado FG.1 - HavLLv31 Finnish Ilmavoimat, 1987

FINLANDTORNADOFG105 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

FINLANDTORNADOFG106 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

FINLANDTORNADOFG107 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

I know I'd said I'd finished with Ilmavoimat stuff for a while but this one was half-finished so I thought I'd finish it and upload. It's the stock Italian skin and looks pretty good with Finnish roundels but, there again, what doesn't?!

[SPINNERS]

Panavia Tornado IDS - No.301 Squadron 'Jaguares' Portuguese Air Force, 1982

PoAFTORNADOIDS01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

PoAFTORNADOIDS02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

PoAFTORNADOIDS03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

[SPINNERS]

North American F-107A - 333TFS, United States Air Force, 1971

USAFF-107A01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USAFF-107A02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USAFF-107A03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

USAFF-107A04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

Not much input from me as this F-107A comes in this skin and with these decals. It looks hot, it flies hot!

[SPINNERS]

North American F-107P 'Ultra Sabre' - No.301 squadron, Portuguese Air Force, 1984

PoAFF-107N01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

PoAFF-107N02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

PoAFF-107N03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

PoAFF-107N04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

PoAFF-107N05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

PoAFF-107N06 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

The same modding team that created the superb F-107A also released a 'what if' F-107C using the same Pratt & Witney F100-PW-200 engine as used in the F-16A and also comes in a F-16A style scheme with one-piece canopy and 20mm M61. Sweet! I've just removed the painted-on markings off the fin and added some PoAF markings.

[SPINNERS]

Nanchang Q-5 'Fantan' - Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, 1985

The overthrow of the Shah of Iran and the Islamic Revolution of early 1979 did not immediately lead to a settled situation for the people of Iran. The economy was in ruins and the government and military were in disarray, initially with fear and reprisals and then by the savage opening of the Iran-Iraq war in September 1980. However, by early 1982 the Khomeni led Revolutionary Council had started to plan the build-up of Iranian forces and met various Soviet and Chinese delegations in their quest for cheap military equipment. One such offer came from the Nanchang Aircraft Company of China who offered their Q-5 supersonic attack aircraft (NATO codename 'Fantan') and a total of 277 were delivered from 1982 to 1988 but only equipping just four squadrons such was the rate of attrition during the Iran-Iraq war.

IRIAFFANTAN01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

IRIAFFANTAN02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

IRIAFFANTAN03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

IRIAFFANTAN04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

IRIAFFANTAN05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

IRIAFFANTAN06 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

IRIAFFANTAN07 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

I like the Fantan. It just looks so fast with it's swept wings and swept fin and luckily the add-on Fantan for Strikefighters (from a Chinese modding team) is nice and comes with the Chinese green scheme seen above but I've also knocked up a homemade 'Desert' scheme.

[SPINNERS]

BAC Thunderstrike F.3 - No.111 Squadron, RAF Strike Command, 1985

RAFTHUNDERSTRIKEF301 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFTHUNDERSTRIKEF302 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFTHUNDERSTRIKEF303 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFTHUNDERSTRIKEF304 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFTHUNDERSTRIKEF305 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFTHUNDERSTRIKEF306 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

Sundowner has done loads of skins for the needle-nosed wonderbird so I've used his smashing lo-viz grey but added my No.111 bars and toned-down national markings. The Skyflash missiles, Tornado 'Hindenbergers' and Sidewinders give it a real Tonka ADV look! I'm sure many of us have read that wonderful 'Wings clipped and cancelled' article by Derek Wood in the 1976 RAF Yearbook that playfully suggests a purchase of 60 TSR.2 long-range 'Air Defence Variant' aircraft for the RAF. If only! Anyway, we all know the radar dish is too small or whatever but just suspend your disbelief and imagine 'what if'^TM. Like the Tornado ADV I've deleted the outer wing pylons and I'm sticking with Sparrows/Skyflash as the Thunderstrike F.3's principal weapon (perhaps the RAF looked at the cost of the Phoenix and thought better of it) and using Sidewinders on the inner wing pylons like the Tornado F.3 but Red Tops will fit there also. Naturally, two 27mm Mauser cannon have been fitted in the lower forward fuselage also  .

[SPINNERS]

MiG-17F - HavLLv31 'Aggressor Flight' Finnish Ilmavoimat

During 1956 'D' Flight of HavLLv31 became the Ilmavoimat Aggressor Flight and their MiG-17F's wore this distinctive scheme.

FINLANDMiG1704 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

FINLANDMiG1702 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

FINLANDMiG1703 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

Sorry pyro-manic but even though there are some four-part templates for the Fresco I just haven't got the time and/or the patience at the moment so I've used this superb VPAF Camo scheme (by comrad) instead.

[SPINNERS]

MiG-17F - No.323 Squadron, People's Netherlands Republic Air Force, 1964

RNethAFMiG17F01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RNethAFMiG17F02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RNethAFMiG17F03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RNethAFMiG17F04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

Perhaps the orange centre would be replaced with a red star?

[SPINNERS]

MiG-17F - No.322 Sqd, People's Netherlands Republic Air Force

RNethAFMiG17F05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RNethAFMiG17F06 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RNethAFMiG17F07 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

[SPINNERS]

Dassault Mirage F.3A - No.23 Squadron, RAF Middle East Command, 1983

RAFMIRAGEF301 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFMIRAGEF302 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFMIRAGEF303 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAFMIRAGEF304 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

A superb Israeli Grey scheme for the Mirage IIICJ 'Shahak' was released yesterday by a modder (callsign Wilco) so I've done a 'what if' RAF Mirage F.3A with No.23 'Red Eagle' squadron markings, a squadron I overlook I suppose. Mind you, don't look too close - the stencilling is in Hebrew! Oh, and my starboard eagle is back to front. Doh!

[SPINNERS]

North American P-51D - No.13 Squadron, Royal Dhimari Air Force, 1951

DHIMARIMUSTANGFB401 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

DHIMARIMUSTANGFB402 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

DHIMARIMUSTANGFB403 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

Ooooh, this takes me back to the early 1970's and buying the old Airfix 'Fool's Paradise' Mustang and being amazed at the specifications stating a top speed of 442 mph!! And there's me thinking that JE-J was the fastest propeller-driven plane in the world.