IAF EF-112I "Thunder"

[Rafharrier]

Hello,

just to let you know that following my RAF Eagle GR.4A, I'm going to start a new "TSR.2 in operational service".

As the title show, this time I'm going to build a version for the electronic war and SEAD missions, used by the Israeli Air Force from mid '80.

Technical details will follow soon, but at this time I already decided the "electronic packages" to be fitted.

The external load will includes anti-radar missiles, long range fuel tanks, self-defence air-to-air short range missiles and jamming pods.

The camouflage will be based on the scheme adopted by the F-4Es Phantom/Kurnass.

I hope to show you some WIP pictures soon.

CIAO!
Piero

[nev]

This will be awesome

Not sure what our great mates in Saudi would have to say about us giving long range strike platforms to the country that doesn't appear on their maps though!

But don't let that stop you building the awesome

[Ian the Kiwi Herder]

Fantastic..... like Nev says, looking forward to the build pics.

Ian

[GTX]

HARM missiles I assume?  I'm thinking of doing an Italian SEAD bird in the future.

Regards,

Greg

[jmc.pt]

Hi

Can't wait to see the pictures that you'll be posting...

[Rafharrier]

Hello,

the building of my EF-112I is started last long weekend and here we are a first lot of pictures.

New nose cone was my first deal, trying to catch a "look" like the Mirage/Kfir families.







The main plastic part is from the Heller Mirage IV nose cone, plus some spare air intakes/scoops.
A long pitot tube is from the Airfix Jaguar GR.1.
Some panel lines were scribed too.

The cockpit tube and instrument panels were painted medium grey base, with some detail parts repackaged from a F-4's cockpit and Vigilante photo etched parts.
MFDs were added to the pilot panel.











After that, main engine intakes were fitted and the fuselage can be glued.





Main undercarriage and bomb bay assembly is finished too, ready to be fitted to the fuselage.



Bye for now.

CIAO!
Piero

[Ian the Kiwi Herder]

Really got that Kfir C-7 look, Piero. I'd personally go with a loadout of pair of AGM-88's and pair of AGM-65's. But, as ever it's your model and I know that you will do whatever pleases you. Looks like you're off to a blistering start 

There's a lot of us looking forward to following this one.... so no pressure !

Buona fortuna

Ian

[jmc.pt]

AWESOME !!!!

[kitnut617]

Looking great 

here's a photo of what the recce fairing looks like which you can get for the 1/72 kit, you've given me an idea on how to adapt it to a anti-radiation bay for one of my 1/72 kits:

[GTX]

Only problem with going for the Kfir look is: why would you remove/downgrade the radar on a platform like the TSR.2?

Regards,

Greg

[Rafharrier]

Hello,

thanks my friend for all your kindly comments on my new TSR.2 project.

Here is "the secret story" about the EF-112I, created by my great friends Fulvio and Roberto.
This story provides me also inspirations for the modification I have planned to make to the TSR.2.

"... In the mid-70s, with an operation at the limit of legality, the United States acquired 4 TSR.2 (GR.1) aircraft to be employed as "Special Operations Aircraft". These aircraft were officially registered in the USAF inventory as F-111M in order to favour counterespionage and intelligence activities but, using an already experienced trick, mainly to hide the costs of this acquisition behind a fake new version of the Aardvark.

With a strange coincidence, the transfer to the United States territory was made by 4 American crews coming back from a Squadron Exchange in Boscombe Down, England. After a very short service, mainly during the night in order to complete the training of 4/5 others aircrews, the traces of the aircraft got lost.

The unique existing official document attests the demolition, just 4 years after the official acquisition of the F-111M, of "4 aircraft (type EF-112) due to reached structural limits and airframe's hours limit".

The EF-112 designation has been commonly accepted as the acronym code for the F-111M program but the sole proof of existence of those airplanes is, essentially, a bunch of pressed bits and pieces still visible today inside the cemetery of Davis Monthan. Experts from everywhere still came today to see the leftovers but, due to the poor condition of the wreckage, are not able to confirm that the scraps actually belong to a TSR.2 (or F-111M or, yet, a EF-112) aircraft.

Beside the official story, eyewitnesses assert that 4 aircraft (reported as being very similar in shape to the English TSR.2) took off from Andrews AFB one evening during the August of 1980. They told also that "nobody saw the crews boarding" and observed that "the security around the aircraft was unusually strengthened and the airplanes seemed to be very heavy during the taxiing and takeoff, probably because they were loaded with a set of 4 tanks but carried no weapons at all."

No confirmation is available about the markings carried by the aircraft or about the final destination of the mission, but as reported again by the witnesses "... it was like the takeoff of the very long ferry-flight similar to those flown by the actual F-111s departing for Europe...".

Until now, no photographic documentation of the EF-112I exists, as was for the of A-6s used by the Israelis during the 80' or for the camouflaged B-58s used in Vietnam by USAF during the second half of the 60'. This doesn't mean that all these aircraft didn't exist in the reality; it does mean that, sometimes, the secrets behind some military operation is really hard to dissolve even after some decades.

From a technical point of view, the majority of the specific avionic and electronic packages made by UK and US were disembarked and replaced with Israelis-built equipment, specifically designed to cope the strict requirements of the IAF...".

CIAO!
Piero

[NARSES2]

That cockpit is a stunner 

[nev]

That nosecone is a work of art all by itself!  Most folks would just stick half a drop tank on the front and be done, but you?

[Mossie]

That nose is going to make quite a difference to the look, looking forward to see how this one goes.

[Rafharrier]

Hello,

here we go again with the EF-112I.

Construction and "customization" is done. You'll find out some detail on the adds.

Next step will be to add the clear parts than starting to paint.























Actually, just after the pics were taken, I removed the ECM/RWR fins over the wings because looks like the old "Bat-Mobile"!

CIAO!
Piero