THE EMPIRES TWILIGHT

[lancer]

that is simply gorgeous!! The Backfire looks really good in RN colours. Nice work.

[Mossie]

Leningrad for Hull???  Fair swap!  Although I'm toast now....

I guess you won't be needing them decal sthen???

Second time I've been nuked in a year by the Ruskies & as Elton said, I'm Still Standing!  Pah, bring on the Tsar Bomba!

[sideshowbob9]

The Blackbeard is simply awesome! Looks great in RN colours 

[thedarkmaster]

Union Aircraft Corporation See Onderwyser T2

During late 1980 the Royal South African Navy issued a paper of intent concerning the procurment of a new trainer for the land based training squadrons of the RSAN.

The paper called for a two seat aircraft capable of acrobatic performance and with a limited secondry point defence capability, no search radar was specified but infa red search ability was called for. The document called for fuel economy and the ability to have the airframe updated was also written in.

The Union Aircraft Corporation ( UAC ) was the front runner , with the best airframe for the job and also the home grown product, initially the contest came down to a run off between the British Hawk trainer and the as was then UAC p3339. With both aircraft performing well in tests but the decision was made along financial lines to award thecontract for 78 airframes to the UAC.

Called the See Onderwyser ( sea Teacher ) in RSAN service amd entering service in 1989 the aircraft had just replaced all other trainers in RSAN service before the 91 disaster, unfortunatly none servived the attck upon Langebaanweg by cruise missiles fired by Cuban forces.


































Model is the Amodel Mig AT, decals are from the spares box.

[Logan Hartke]

I never realized that MiG used P-51 wings in the MiG-AT.  Those look so similar.

Cheers,

Logan

[thedarkmaster]

Chasseur-bombardier de guerre électronique ......EF 111  Raven

Occasionally the French Republic swallowed it's pride and would buy from the USA. the Raven was one of those times.

After a French observer at the 1983 Nato exersises reprted on the effectivness of the EF111 and it's abilities the French Airforce just had to havr one. With it's proverbial cap in hand they approached General Dynamics and ordered 12 of the aircraft for use in Europe.

Try as it might the US govenment did not have the power to overide a corporation and the deal went through with the rider that the aircrafts systems were not to be copied by French industry nore the secrets made available to the Red Chinease or the British and New Commonwealth. A deal the French were happy to agree to and also happy to break almost imediatly upon delivery.

The Aircraft depictured is based upon the aircraft that was on almost permament loan to the RAF ( based at RAF Valley ) for use in the Electronic warfare training role, and was deployed in this all black scheme to aide it's night flying operations.

Used during the 91 disaster all Ravens were destroyed or left unserviceable shortly after, no French operated versions are extent at this time.

[Captain Canada]

Do you smash them all up and toss 'em into a box afterwards ? Otherwise, wtheck do you do with them all ?

The Mig AT is a little beauty. That's one of those aeroplanes that looks good from some angles, and absolutley odd from others. Looks great in those colours, tho !

[thedarkmaster]

Do you smash them all up and toss 'em into a box afterwards ? Otherwise, wtheck do you do with them all ?

As we now have Cats I am allowed to have shelves    . My wife has also let me have the space atop the wardrobe !!!   

[Mossie]

Blcak Raven!  The French roundels look very good on black.

[sideshowbob9]

Love the black SparkVark 

[thedarkmaster]

Towarzyskie Bombowicc Ilyushin 28C9  ( Fineline A )

Money was always a problem for the Polish airforce, though it was something that the general population was never aware of, and when it was found that it's Ilyushin 28's were being intercepted over the Baltic by N.A.T.O. aircraft and by British aircraft from Northern Germany it had no real option but to make a temporary stopgap measure when appeals to the Soviet Union for a longer ranged fighter were refused.

Polish engineers took an older IL28 in hand and stripped out the bombing equipment, sealed the bomb-bay, fitted underwing hardpoints for fuel and weapons and fitted upgraded engines to the basic airframe. the bombing radar was removed and a Orial-B fire control system was fitted instead, capable of controling the R98  ( AA-3 Anab ) missile, of which 4 were fitted.

Given the designation of Towarzyskie Bombowic ( Escort Bomber ) IL28c9 and the Nato reporting name of Fineline it entered service with the Polish Bomber squadrons in 1964 and was confirmed by Photos from a US plane in 1965, it remained in service with over Baltic flights until 1988 being progressivly updated to the R98M1 missile and the Orial-M radar.

Often encountered over the Baltic by Nato, Swedish and British/Queens German Legion aircraft, it was never tested in combat and was withdrawn before the 91 disaster. The only examples nown to exist today are in the Airforce museum outside the destruction zone of Warsaw and one resides in the Imperial war museum aircraft collection at Oxford.































Not to sure of the Polish in this post, if anyone can tell me the correct bit's I'll happily change it.

The kit is an Italieri the missiles are from the spares box, hardpoints are scrath built, the underwing fuel tanks are from a long dead mig 19 and decals are for a Mig.

Hope you like the branching out into some of the other countries in the Timeline.

TIM

[Captain Canada]

Another beauty...love the long straight wings and the missiles !

[pyro-manic]

A Beagle missile truck - that's cool!

[thedarkmaster]

Nightingale C1

In responce to the Indonesian attempts to destabilise the region around Borneo the British and their New Commonwealth allies decided to Confront them ( Very much like our timeline only here theaction is more severe with the Indonesians backed by the Soviets and the USA against the " colonial " british ) at every turn.

Clashes ranging from squad level up to full regimental conflict occured within the disputed region often with large casualities suffered by both sides. The RAF and Army were hard pressed to move and rescue all these casualities and so all sorts of measures were put into place to move them.

One such measure was to outfit 20 Shorts Skyvan's as a 4 stretcher air ambulance, containig much life saving equipment these small aircraft became a welcome sight in many improvised jungle airstrips were their short field ability was greatly appreciated. The Nightingale ( obviously named ) with its trained nurses and doctors was credited with saving many and easing much of the suffering for the wounded of both sides.

During the conflict 8 nightingales were lost, 2 to accidents, 5 to ground fire and 1 to unknown causes. Today no example of the aircraft is extent but the RAF is in possesion of a skyvan and rumours abound that this is ti be painted and displayed as a Nightingale.

[Mossie]

Lovely Skyvan!    A shouldabeen!