DONE +++ Thai Navy Canadair SeaGuard (Maritime patrol Vickers Vanguard) @p.5

[saba]

Thaïland !

[Dizzyfugu]

HA! The totally fictional Free Scottish Air Farce. 

No, even though this would be an appropriate (judging the basic colors) and current option. 

[Dizzyfugu]

Netherlands  -----

No.

[Dizzyfugu]

Denmark?

No.

[Dizzyfugu]

Socialist Republic of Iceland?

No (That's wild, though).

[Dizzyfugu]

Spain, or South Africa.

No, and No.

[Dizzyfugu]

Peoples Republic of Rockall

No, it's got a real world benchmark. 

[Dizzyfugu]

Thaïland !

A winner!!!       That took longer than expected - yes, it's a Thai Navy aircraft in full splendor:
1:144 Canadair SeaGuard MR.1, "3145" of the 102 Squadron, Royal Thai Navy (กองทัพเรือไทย/RTN); U-Tapao Air Base, mid 1980s (Whif/Airfix kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


And, if there are doubts:






Beauty pics and the truth behind the Canadair SeaGuard that once was a Vickers Vanguard airliner is soon to come.

Congratulations to saba!

[Dizzyfugu]

Nothing to see yet, even though the photo sessions started. In order to create some nice flight scenes I added a display holder to the kit - a vertical styrene tube in the CG position into which an iron wire as holder can be put.
I also had to create bigger backgrounds than usual, because the Vanguard is bigger than my usual stuff, and I want a bit "flesh" around the kit itself.

[Dizzyfugu]

Here we are, I present to you the Canadair SeaGuard MR.1, aircraft "3145" of the 102 Squadron, Royal Thai Navy (กองทัพเรือไทย/RTN); U-Tapao Air Base, mid 1980s:


1:144 Canadair SeaGuard MR.1, "3145" of the 102 Squadron, Royal Thai Navy (กองทัพเรือไทย/RTN); U-Tapao Air Base, mid 1980s (Whif/Airfix kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:144 Canadair SeaGuard MR.1, "3145" of the 102 Squadron, Royal Thai Navy (กองทัพเรือไทย/RTN); U-Tapao Air Base, mid 1980s (Whif/Airfix kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:144 Canadair SeaGuard MR.1, "3145" of the 102 Squadron, Royal Thai Navy (กองทัพเรือไทย/RTN); U-Tapao Air Base, mid 1980s (Whif/Airfix kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr



Some background:
The Vickers Vanguard was a British short/medium-range turboprop airliner introduced in 1959 by Vickers-Armstrongs, a development of their successful Viscount design with considerably more internal room. The Vanguard was introduced just before the first of the large jet-powered airliners, and was largely ignored by the market. Only 44 were built and the Vanguard entered service in late 1960.

Even though the Vanguard could match the early passenger jets on short distances, the type was quickly relegated to other roles:  In 1966, Air Canada removed all the seats in CF-TKK and refitted the aircraft for pure cargo work, in which role it could carry 42,000 lb (19,050 kg) of freight. Known by the airline as the "Cargoliner," it was the only such conversion, but survived to be the last Canadian Vanguard to be retired in December 1972.
BEA operated nine Vanguards modified to the V953C "Merchantman" all-cargo layout from 1969. A large forward cargo door measuring 139 by 80 inches (350 by 200 cm) was incorporated. The Merchantmen continued in service with BA until late 1979.


1:144 Canadair SeaGuard MR.1, "3145" of the 102 Squadron, Royal Thai Navy (กองทัพเรือไทย/RTN); U-Tapao Air Base, mid 1980s (Whif/Airfix kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:144 Canadair SeaGuard MR.1, "3145" of the 102 Squadron, Royal Thai Navy (กองทัพเรือไทย/RTN); U-Tapao Air Base, mid 1980s (Whif/Airfix kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:144 Canadair SeaGuard MR.1, "3145" of the 102 Squadron, Royal Thai Navy (กองทัพเรือไทย/RTN); U-Tapao Air Base, mid 1980s (Whif/Airfix kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Beyond civil use, the most noteworthy military operator was Thailand, with an anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft conversion for the Royal Thai Navy, the SeaGuard MR.1. The need for aerial maritime patrol with proprietary aircraft was first formulated during the withdrawal of United States forces from Thailand in the mid Seventies, when the Thai Air Force assumed use of the installations at Takhli and Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat).
Inspired by similar conversions, e. g. the Canadian CP-107 Argus derived from the Bristol Britannia airliner and the highly successful Douglas P-3 derived from the L-188 Electra, the Thai "SeaGuard MR.1" fleet was created from three former Canadian airliners (ex Air Canada), converted by Canadair in Montreal.

Work started in 1977, and the former airliner underwent considerable modifications. The SeaGuard MR.1's core system became an AN/APS-115 radar, a development of the earlier, analogue AN/APS-80A used in American aircraft like the P-3A .The AN/APS-115 was state of the art technology and the first attempt of digitization by providing digital input into the onboard digital combat system. The system was able to achieve a resolution of 1.5 ft and the typical range against a submarine periscope is 15.5 nautical miles. Since the 42" rotating search antenna necessitated a relatively large fairing. A draggy, ventral position (e. g. like the P-2 or Il-38) was ruled out, for aerodynamic and structural reasons, as well as for space for an internal weapon bay (see below), so that a characteristic "duck bill" radome was added to the SeaGuard's nose.


1:144 Canadair SeaGuard MR.1, "3145" of the 102 Squadron, Royal Thai Navy (กองทัพเรือไทย/RTN); U-Tapao Air Base, mid 1980s (Whif/Airfix kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:144 Canadair SeaGuard MR.1, "3145" of the 102 Squadron, Royal Thai Navy (กองทัพเรือไทย/RTN); U-Tapao Air Base, mid 1980s (Whif/Airfix kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:144 Canadair SeaGuard MR.1, "3145" of the 102 Squadron, Royal Thai Navy (กองทัพเรือไทย/RTN); U-Tapao Air Base, mid 1980s (Whif/Airfix kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The SeaGuard MR.1 was also equipped with a magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) in an extended fiber glass tail stinger, far from other electronics and ferrous metals on the aircraft. The MAD enabled the aircraft's crew (a typical crew numbered roughly 9 members) to detect the magnetic anomaly of a submarine in the Earth's magnetic field. The limited range of this instrument required the aircraft to be near the submarine at low altitude, so that it could primarily be used for pinpointing the location of a submarine immediately prior to a torpedo or depth bomb attack.

Streamlined fairings under the outer wings carried extra fuel and a searchlight (starboard) as well as a missile guidance antenna and a 'sniffer' (port) that could detect exhaust fumes and particles from diesel submarines.

Ordnance was to be carried in a single internal bomb bay under the forward fuselage, which was structurally beefed up for the rougher conditions over sea and prolonged low altitude operations. Special care was also given to the structure's protection against the naval environment, too. An additional fuel tank was installed in the wing root section and, while the rear section carried a trim fuel tank, avionics and other, lighter mission equipment.
The 28 ft 4 in (8,64 m) long bay could house conventional Mark 50 torpedoes or Mark 46 torpedoes as well as mines and depth charges. Active and passive sonobuoys could also be carried in the bay, and there were also two vertical ejection shafts with pressure locks in the aft fuselage from which single sonobuoys or other sensor carriers could be manually dropped, e. g. for weather research. Additional underwing stations under the inner and outer wings could carry additional armament and equipment.


1:144 Canadair SeaGuard MR.1, "3145" of the 102 Squadron, Royal Thai Navy (กองทัพเรือไทย/RTN); U-Tapao Air Base, mid 1980s (Whif/Airfix kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:144 Canadair SeaGuard MR.1, "3145" of the 102 Squadron, Royal Thai Navy (กองทัพเรือไทย/RTN); U-Tapao Air Base, mid 1980s (Whif/Airfix kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:144 Canadair SeaGuard MR.1, "3145" of the 102 Squadron, Royal Thai Navy (กองทัพเรือไทย/RTN); U-Tapao Air Base, mid 1980s (Whif/Airfix kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr



1:144 Canadair SeaGuard MR.1, "3145" of the 102 Squadron, Royal Thai Navy (กองทัพเรือไทย/RTN); U-Tapao Air Base, mid 1980s (Whif/Airfix kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The first or a total of three SeaGuard conversions for the Thai Navy was delivered in early 1978, and the trio became fully operational in early 1979, serving in both military and civil duties, e. g. in offshore SAR and pollution control missions.

The Thai SeaGuard MR.1s were kept longer in service than expected. Originally, they were scheduled to serve until 1990, to be replaced by three ex USN P-3A ordered in 1989, but deliveries were delayed because of financial problems and government changes in Thailand, so that the old and well-worn SeaGuards had to soldier on.

In late 1993 the Orions destined for Thailand finally arrived at the NADEP at NAS Jacksonville, where the aircraft were modified to meet RTN requirements, two aircraft were modified to P-3T standard (mainly based on the TAC/NAV Mod version), the third  was  originally  delivered  as  a  UP-3T in late 1995, but was later modified  to VP-3T standard with a strengthened  floor, passenger seats and a limited SENTAC station  enabling the aircraft to perform light surveillance duties. The last flight of a Royal Thai Navy SeaGuard MR.1 took place on October 3rd 1995, and all three aircraft were subsequently scrapped.






1:144 Canadair SeaGuard MR.1, "3145" of the 102 Squadron, Royal Thai Navy (กองทัพเรือไทย/RTN); U-Tapao Air Base, mid 1980s (Whif/Airfix kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr





General characteristics:
    Crew: 11
    Length incl. MAD tail boom: 143 ft 5in (43.77 m)
    Wingspan: 118 ft 7 in (36.10 m)
    Height: 34 ft 11 in (10.60 m)
    Wing area: 1,527 ft2 (142 m2)
    Empty weight: 82,500 lb (37,421 kg)
    Loaded weight: 141,000 lb (63,977 kg)

Powerplant:
    4× Rolls-Royce Tyne RTy.11 Mk 512 turboprop, 5,545 hp (4,700 shp, 4,135 kW) each

Performance:
    Maximum speed: 425 mph (684 km/h, 367 kn)
    Cruise speed at altitude: 378 mph (610 km/h, 328 kn)
   Patrol speed: 195 mph (315 km/h, 170 kn)
    Range: 4,039 mi (6,500 km; 3,510 nmi) with 3,500 kg (7,709 lb) payload,
           maximum fuel and reserves for one hour.
           2,299 mi (3,700 km (2,010 nmi) with 5,448 kg (12.000 lb) maximum payload,
           at 84 - 85% of maximum continuous power.
    Combat radius: 1,546 mi (2,490 km, 1,346 nmi), three hours on-station at 1,500 feet
    Endurance: 10 hours
    Service ceiling: 28,300 ft (8,625 m)
    Wing loading: 92 lb/ft2 (450 kg/m2)
    Power/mass: 0.16 hp/lb (0.26 kW/kg)

Armament:
    Bomb bay with eight internal weapon stations
    Six hardpoints under the outer wings for 127 mm (5.0 in) HVARs or missiles like the AGM-12 Bullpup,
    AGM-62 Walleye or Martel ASM, or sensor and air sampling pods
    Four more hardpoints under the inner wings for gravity bombs of up to 1.000 lb (454 kg) caliber,
    various sea mines and depth charges, torpedoes or inflatable life rafts for rescue missions.
    Total internal and external ordnance capacity of 12,000 lb (5.448 kg)



1:144 Canadair SeaGuard MR.1, "3145" of the 102 Squadron, Royal Thai Navy (กองทัพเรือไทย/RTN); U-Tapao Air Base, mid 1980s (Whif/Airfix kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:144 Canadair SeaGuard MR.1, "3145" of the 102 Squadron, Royal Thai Navy (กองทัพเรือไทย/RTN); U-Tapao Air Base, mid 1980s (Whif/Airfix kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:144 Canadair SeaGuard MR.1, "3145" of the 102 Squadron, Royal Thai Navy (กองทัพเรือไทย/RTN); U-Tapao Air Base, mid 1980s (Whif/Airfix kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

[Old Wombat]

Holy Carp, that's good!

Some of those shots you're hard-pressed to tell it's not real!

[Dizzyfugu]

Thank you very much! The flight scenes turned out very well - I am not really happy with the ground shots, as the kit is a bit too large for the bases I normally use, and it was also hard to create good light. But the Vanguard looks better in the air, anyway. 

[PR19_Kit]

Amazing stuff there Thomas, it really looks the business. 

It also looks JUST like an Orion too!

[zenrat]

Good job Dizz.

[comrade harps]

Holy Carp, that's good!

Some of those shots you're hard-pressed to tell it's not real!

I know, it's not the usual Dizzy grot. Actually, some of the flight pics are so clean and precise that you could be confused for thinking that they were computer graphics.

Anyway, another masterful result: