DONE @p.2 +++ 1:72 Saab 39A "Grìbhean" F.1, Republic of Scotland Air Corps, 2020

[Dizzyfugu]

Finishing line comes into sight - varnish session next and final assembly. 

[Dizzyfugu]

Did a photo session yesterday evening, now it's time for editing. 

[Old Wombat]

You, sir, are a teasing tease teaser type person!

[Dizzyfugu]

Sorry for the inconvenience thorugh the lack of pics so far - but agreements with third parties limit my communication concerning this project. 

[Dizzyfugu]

After two days of editing and re-shooting, here it is:


1:72 Saab 39A "Grìbhean F.1"; aircraft "1-H" (s/n 39-08) of No. 1 (Sabaid) Squadron, Poblachd na h-Alba Adhair an Airm (Republic of Scotland Air Corps/RoScAC); Lossiemouth (Moray), Republic of Scotland, summer 2020 (Whif/Italeri kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr



Some background:
The Saab JAS 39 Gripen (griffin) is a light single-engine multirole fighter aircraft manufactured by the Swedish aerospace company Saab. In 1979, the Swedish government began development studies for an aircraft capable of fighter, attack and reconnaissance missions to replace the Saab 35 Draken and 37 Viggen. The preferred aircraft was a single-engine, lightweight single-seater, embracing fly-by-wire technology, canards, and an aerodynamically unstable design. The powerplant selected was the Volvo-Flygmotor RM12, a license-built derivative of the General Electric F404−400; engine development priorities were weight reduction and lowering component count. A new design from Saab was selected and developed as the JAS 39, first flying in 1988.

The Gripen is a multirole fighter aircraft, intended as a lightweight and agile aerial platform with advanced, highly adaptable avionics. It has canard control surfaces that contribute a positive lift force at all speeds, while the generous lift from the delta wing compensates for the rear stabilizer producing negative lift at high speeds, increasing induced drag. It is capable of flying at a 70–80 degrees angle of attack.
Being intentionally unstable and employing digital fly-by-wire flight controls to maintain stability removes many flight restrictions, improves manoeuvrability and reduces drag. The Gripen also has good short takeoff performance, being able to maintain a high sink rate and strengthened to withstand the stresses of short landings. A pair of air brakes are located on the sides of the rear fuselage; the canards also angle downward to act as air brakes and decrease landing distance.


1:72 Saab 39A "Grìbhean F.1"; aircraft "1-H" (s/n 39-08) of No. 1 (Sabaid) Squadron, Poblachd na h-Alba Adhair an Airm (Republic of Scotland Air Corps/RoScAC); Lossiemouth (Moray), Republic of Scotland, summer 2020 (Whif/Italeri kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Saab 39A "Grìbhean F.1"; aircraft "1-H" (s/n 39-08) of No. 1 (Sabaid) Squadron, Poblachd na h-Alba Adhair an Airm (Republic of Scotland Air Corps/RoScAC); Lossiemouth (Moray), Republic of Scotland, summer 2020 (Whif/Italeri kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Saab 39A "Grìbhean F.1"; aircraft "1-H" (s/n 39-08) of No. 1 (Sabaid) Squadron, Poblachd na h-Alba Adhair an Airm (Republic of Scotland Air Corps/RoScAC); Lossiemouth (Moray), Republic of Scotland, summer 2020 (Whif/Italeri kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Saab 39A "Grìbhean F.1"; aircraft "1-H" (s/n 39-08) of No. 1 (Sabaid) Squadron, Poblachd na h-Alba Adhair an Airm (Republic of Scotland Air Corps/RoScAC); Lossiemouth (Moray), Republic of Scotland, summer 2020 (Whif/Italeri kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


To enable the Gripen to have a long service life, roughly 50 years, Saab designed it to have low maintenance requirements. Major systems such as the RM12 engine and PS-05/A radar are modular to reduce operating cost and increase reliability. The Gripen's systems were designed to be flexible, so that newly developed sensors, computers and armaments could be easily integrated as technology advances. The aircraft was estimated to be roughly 67% sourced from Swedish or European suppliers and 33% from the US.
To market the aircraft internationally, Saab formed partnerships and collaborative efforts with overseas aerospace companies. One example of such efforts was Gripen International, a joint partnership between Saab and BAE Systems formed in 2001. Gripen International was responsible for marketing the aircraft, and was heavily involved in the successful export of the type to South Africa; the organisation was later dissolved amidst allegations of bribery being employed to secure foreign interest and sales. On the export market, the Gripen has achieved moderate success in sales to nations in Central Europe, South Africa and Southeast Asia.

The Swedish Air Force placed a total order for 204 Gripens in three batches. The first delivery of the JAS 39A/B (single seat and two seat variants) occurred on 8 June 1993, when aircraft "39102" was handed over to the Flygvapnet during a ceremony at Linköping. The final Batch three 1st generation aircraft was delivered to FMV on 26 November 2008, but in the meantime an upgraded Gripen variant, the JAS 39C/D already rolled off of the production lines and made the initial versions obsolete. The JAS C/D gradually replaced the A/B versions in the frontline units until 2012, which were then offered for export, mothballed or used for spares for the updated Swedish Gripen fleet.


1:72 Saab 39A "Grìbhean F.1"; aircraft "1-H" (s/n 39-08) of No. 1 (Sabaid) Squadron, Poblachd na h-Alba Adhair an Airm (Republic of Scotland Air Corps/RoScAC); Lossiemouth (Moray), Republic of Scotland, summer 2020 (Whif/Italeri kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Saab 39A "Grìbhean F.1"; aircraft "1-H" (s/n 39-08) of No. 1 (Sabaid) Squadron, Poblachd na h-Alba Adhair an Airm (Republic of Scotland Air Corps/RoScAC); Lossiemouth (Moray), Republic of Scotland, summer 2020 (Whif/Italeri kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Saab 39A "Grìbhean F.1"; aircraft "1-H" (s/n 39-08) of No. 1 (Sabaid) Squadron, Poblachd na h-Alba Adhair an Airm (Republic of Scotland Air Corps/RoScAC); Lossiemouth (Moray), Republic of Scotland, summer 2020 (Whif/Italeri kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Saab 39A "Grìbhean F.1"; aircraft "1-H" (s/n 39-08) of No. 1 (Sabaid) Squadron, Poblachd na h-Alba Adhair an Airm (Republic of Scotland Air Corps/RoScAC); Lossiemouth (Moray), Republic of Scotland, summer 2020 (Whif/Italeri kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


A late European export customer became the nascent Republic of Scotland. According to a White Paper published by the Scottish National Party (SNP) in 2013, an independent Scotland would have an air force equipped with up to 16 air defense aircraft, six tactical transports, utility rotorcraft and maritime patrol aircraft, and be capable of "contributing excellent conventional capabilities" to NATO. Outlining its ambition to establish an air force with an eventual 2,000 uniformed personnel and 300 reservists, the SNP stated that the organization would initially be equipped with "a minimum of 12 interceptors in the Eurofighter/Typhoon class, based at Lossiemouth, a tactical air transport squadron, including around six Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules, and a helicopter squadron for transport and SAR duties".

According to the document, "Key elements of air forces in place at independence, equipped initially from a negotiated share of current UK assets, will secure core tasks, principally the ability to police Scotland's airspace, within NATO." An in-country air command and control capability would be established within five years of a decision in favor of independence, it continued, with staff also to be "embedded within NATO structures".
This plan was immediately set into action with the foundation of the Poblachd na h-Alba Adhair an Airm (Republic of Scotland Air Corps/RoScAC) after the country's independence from Great Britain in late 2017. For the fighter role, Scotland was offered refurbished F-16C and Ds from the USA, but this was declined, as the type was considered too costly and complex. An offer from Austria to buy the country's small Eurofighter fleet (even at a symbolic price) was rejected for the same reason.
Eventually, and in order to build a certain aura of neutrality, Scotland's young and small air arm initially received twelve refurbished, NATO-compatible Saab JAS 39 Gripen (ten single-seater and two two-seaters) as well as Sk 90 trainers from Swedish overstock. These second hand machines were just the initial step in the mid-term procurement plan, though.


1:72 Saab 39A "Grìbhean F.1"; aircraft "1-H" (s/n 39-08) of No. 1 (Sabaid) Squadron, Poblachd na h-Alba Adhair an Airm (Republic of Scotland Air Corps/RoScAC); Lossiemouth (Moray), Republic of Scotland, summer 2020 (Whif/Italeri kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Saab 39A "Grìbhean F.1"; aircraft "1-H" (s/n 39-08) of No. 1 (Sabaid) Squadron, Poblachd na h-Alba Adhair an Airm (Republic of Scotland Air Corps/RoScAC); Lossiemouth (Moray), Republic of Scotland, summer 2020 (Whif/Italeri kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Saab 39A "Grìbhean F.1"; aircraft "1-H" (s/n 39-08) of No. 1 (Sabaid) Squadron, Poblachd na h-Alba Adhair an Airm (Republic of Scotland Air Corps/RoScAC); Lossiemouth (Moray), Republic of Scotland, summer 2020 (Whif/Italeri kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Saab 39A "Grìbhean F.1"; aircraft "1-H" (s/n 39-08) of No. 1 (Sabaid) Squadron, Poblachd na h-Alba Adhair an Airm (Republic of Scotland Air Corps/RoScAC); Lossiemouth (Moray), Republic of Scotland, summer 2020 (Whif/Italeri kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Even though all Scottish Gripens (locally called "Grìbhean", designated F.1 for the JAS 39A single seaters and F.2 for the fully combat-capable JAS 39B two-seaters, respectively) were multi-role aircraft and capable of strike missions, its primary roles were interception/air defense and, to a lesser degree, reconnaissance. Due to severe budget restrictions and time pressure, these aircraft were almost identical to the Flygvapnet's JAS 39A/B aircraft. They used the PS-05/A pulse-Doppler X band multi-mode radar, developed by Ericsson and GEC-Marconi, which was based on the latter's advanced Blue Vixen radar for the Sea Harrier that also served as the basis for the Eurofighter's CAPTOR radar. This all-weather radar is capable of locating and identifying targets 120 km (74 mi) away and automatically tracking multiple targets in the upper and lower spheres, on the ground and sea or in the air. It can guide several beyond visual range air-to-air missiles to multiple targets simultaneously. Therefore, RoScAC also procured AIM-9 Sidewinder and AIM-120 AMRAAM as primary armament for its Grìbhean fleet, plus AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground missiles.

The twelve Grìbhean F.1 and F.2s formed the RoScAC's 1st fighter (Sabaid) squadron, based at former RAF base Lossiemouth. Upon delivery and during their first months of service, the machines retained the former Swedish grey paint scheme, just with new tactical markings. In 2018, the RoScAC fighter fleet was supplemented with brand new KAI/Lockheed Martin TA-50 'Golden Eagle' armed trainers from South Korea, which could also take over interceptor and air patrol duties. This expansion of resources allowed the RoScAC to initiate an update program for the JAS 39 fleet. It started in 2019 and included in-flight refueling through a fixed but detachable probe, a EuroFIRST PIRATE IRST, enhanced avionics with elements from the Swedish JAS 39C/D, and a tactical datalink.
With these updates, the machines could now also be externally fitted with Rafael's Sky Shield or LIG Nex1's ALQ-200K ECM pods, Sniper or LITENING targeting pods, and Condor 2 reconnaissance pods to further improve the machine's electronic warfare, reconnaissance, and targeting capabilities.
The aircraft's designations did not change, though, the only visible external change were the additional IRST fairing under the nose, and the machines received a new tactical camouflage with dark green and dark grey upper surfaces, originally introduced with the RoScAC's TA-50s. However, all Grìbhean F.1 single seaters received individual fin designs instead of the grey camouflage, comprising simple red and yellow fins, the Scottish flag (instead of the standard fin flash) and even a large pink thistle on a white background and a white unicorn on a black background.

Despite being 2nd hand aircraft, the Scottish JAS 39A and Bs are expected to remain in service until at least 2035


1:72 Saab 39A "Grìbhean F.1"; aircraft "1-H" (s/n 39-08) of No. 1 (Sabaid) Squadron, Poblachd na h-Alba Adhair an Airm (Republic of Scotland Air Corps/RoScAC); Lossiemouth (Moray), Republic of Scotland, summer 2020 (Whif/Italeri kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Saab 39A "Grìbhean F.1"; aircraft "1-H" (s/n 39-08) of No. 1 (Sabaid) Squadron, Poblachd na h-Alba Adhair an Airm (Republic of Scotland Air Corps/RoScAC); Lossiemouth (Moray), Republic of Scotland, summer 2020 (Whif/Italeri kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Saab 39A "Grìbhean F.1"; aircraft "1-H" (s/n 39-08) of No. 1 (Sabaid) Squadron, Poblachd na h-Alba Adhair an Airm (Republic of Scotland Air Corps/RoScAC); Lossiemouth (Moray), Republic of Scotland, summer 2020 (Whif/Italeri kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Saab 39A "Grìbhean F.1"; aircraft "1-H" (s/n 39-08) of No. 1 (Sabaid) Squadron, Poblachd na h-Alba Adhair an Airm (Republic of Scotland Air Corps/RoScAC); Lossiemouth (Moray), Republic of Scotland, summer 2020 (Whif/Italeri kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr.



General characteristics:
    Crew: one
    Length: 14.1 m (46 ft 3 in)
    Wingspan: 8.4 m (27 ft 7 in)
    Height: 4.5 m (14 ft 9 in)
    Wing area: 30 m2 (320 sq ft)
    Empty weight: 6,800 kg (14,991 lb)
    Max takeoff weight: 14,000 kg (30,865 lb)

Powerplant:
    1× Volvo RM12 afterburning turbofan engine,
        54 kN (12,000 lbf) dry thrust, 80.5 kN (18,100 lbf) with afterburner

Performance:
    Maximum speed: 2,460 km/h (1,530 mph, 1,330 kn)/Mach 2
    Combat range: 800 km (500 mi, 430 nmi)
    Ferry range: 3,200 km (2,000 mi, 1,700 nmi)
    Service ceiling: 15,240 m (50,000 ft)
    g limits: +9/-3
    Wing loading: 283 kg/m2 (58 lb/sq ft)
    Thrust/weight: 0.97
    Takeoff distance: 500 m (1,640 ft)
    Landing distance: 600 m (1,969 ft)

Armament:
    1× 27 mm Mauser BK-27 revolver cannon with 120 rounds
    8 hardpoints (Two under the fuselage, one of them dedicated to FLIR / ECM / LD / Recon pods plus
      two under and one on the tip of each wing) with a capacity of 5 300 kg (11 700 lb)



The kit and its assembly:
Nothing spectacular – actually, this build is almost OOB and rather a livery what-if model. However, I had the plan to build a (fictional) Scottish Gripen on my agenda for some years now, since I started to build RoScAC models.

The starting point was the Italeri JAS 39A kit, a rather simple affair that goes together well but needs some PSR on almost every seam. Not much was changed, since the model would depict a slightly updated Gripen A – the only changes I made were the additional IRST fairing under the nose, the ejection handle on the seat and a modified ordnance which consists of a pair of AIM-9L and AIM-120 (the latter including appropriate launch rails) from a Hasegawa air-to-air weapons set. The ventral drop tank is OOB.


1:72 Saab 39A "Grìbhean F.1"; aircraft "1-H" (s/n 39-08) of No. 1 (Sabaid) Squadron, Poblachd na h-Alba Adhair an Airm (Republic of Scotland Air Corps/RoScAC); Lossiemouth (Moray), Republic of Scotland, summer 2020 (Whif/Italeri kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Saab 39A "Grìbhean F.1"; aircraft "1-H" (s/n 39-08) of No. 1 (Sabaid) Squadron, Poblachd na h-Alba Adhair an Airm (Republic of Scotland Air Corps/RoScAC); Lossiemouth (Moray), Republic of Scotland, summer 2020 (Whif/Italeri kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr




Painting and markings:
The motivation a behind was actually the desire to build a Gripen in a different livery than the usual and rather dull grey-in-grey scheme. Therefore I invented a tactical paint scheme for "my" RoScAC, which is a modified RAF scheme from the Seventies with uppers surfaces in Dark Green (Humbrol 163) and Dark Sea Grey (164), medium grey flanks, pylons, drop tank and a (theoretically) grey fin (167 Barley Grey, today better known as Camouflage Grey) plus undersides in Light Aircraft Grey (166), with a relatively high and wavy waterline, so that a side or lower view would rather blend with the sky than the ground below.
The scheme was designed as a compromise between air superiority and landscape camouflage and somewhat inspired by the many experimental schemes tested by the German Luftwaffe in the early Eighties. The Scottish TA-50 I built some years ago was the overall benchmark, but due to the Gripen's highly blended fuselage/wing intersections, I just painted the flanks under the cockpit and the air intakes as well as a short portion of the tail section in Barley Grey. That's overall darker than intended (esp. in combination with the fin decoration, see below), but anything grey above the wings would have looked awkward.


1:72 Saab 39A "Grìbhean F.1"; aircraft "1-H" (s/n 39-08) of No. 1 (Sabaid) Squadron, Poblachd na h-Alba Adhair an Airm (Republic of Scotland Air Corps/RoScAC); Lossiemouth (Moray), Republic of Scotland, summer 2020 (Whif/Italeri kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Saab 39A "Grìbhean F.1"; aircraft "1-H" (s/n 39-08) of No. 1 (Sabaid) Squadron, Poblachd na h-Alba Adhair an Airm (Republic of Scotland Air Corps/RoScAC); Lossiemouth (Moray), Republic of Scotland, summer 2020 (Whif/Italeri kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Saab 39A "Grìbhean F.1"; aircraft "1-H" (s/n 39-08) of No. 1 (Sabaid) Squadron, Poblachd na h-Alba Adhair an Airm (Republic of Scotland Air Corps/RoScAC); Lossiemouth (Moray), Republic of Scotland, summer 2020 (Whif/Italeri kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Saab 39A "Grìbhean F.1"; aircraft "1-H" (s/n 39-08) of No. 1 (Sabaid) Squadron, Poblachd na h-Alba Adhair an Airm (Republic of Scotland Air Corps/RoScAC); Lossiemouth (Moray), Republic of Scotland, summer 2020 (Whif/Italeri kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Saab 39A "Grìbhean F.1"; aircraft "1-H" (s/n 39-08) of No. 1 (Sabaid) Squadron, Poblachd na h-Alba Adhair an Airm (Republic of Scotland Air Corps/RoScAC); Lossiemouth (Moray), Republic of Scotland, summer 2020 (Whif/Italeri kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


As a reminiscence of the late British F-4 Phantoms, which carried a grey low-viz scheme with bright fins as quick ID markings, I added such a detail to the Gripen, too – in this case in the form of a stylized Scottish flag on the fin, with some mild 3D effect. The shadow and light effects were created through wet-in-wet painting of lighter and darker shades into the basic blue (using Humbrol 25, 104 and ModelMaster French Blue). Later, the white cross was added with simple decal stripes, onto which similar light effects were added with white and Tamiya Smoke, too.




1:72 Saab 39A "Grìbhean F.1"; aircraft "1-H" (s/n 39-08) of No. 1 (Sabaid) Squadron, Poblachd na h-Alba Adhair an Airm (Republic of Scotland Air Corps/RoScAC); Lossiemouth (Moray), Republic of Scotland, summer 2020 (Whif/Italeri kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Saab 39A "Grìbhean F.1"; aircraft "1-H" (s/n 39-08) of No. 1 (Sabaid) Squadron, Poblachd na h-Alba Adhair an Airm (Republic of Scotland Air Corps/RoScAC); Lossiemouth (Moray), Republic of Scotland, summer 2020 (Whif/Italeri kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Saab 39A "Grìbhean F.1"; aircraft "1-H" (s/n 39-08) of No. 1 (Sabaid) Squadron, Poblachd na h-Alba Adhair an Airm (Republic of Scotland Air Corps/RoScAC); Lossiemouth (Moray), Republic of Scotland, summer 2020 (Whif/Italeri kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Saab 39A "Grìbhean F.1"; aircraft "1-H" (s/n 39-08) of No. 1 (Sabaid) Squadron, Poblachd na h-Alba Adhair an Airm (Republic of Scotland Air Corps/RoScAC); Lossiemouth (Moray), Republic of Scotland, summer 2020 (Whif/Italeri kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Even though this one looks similar to my Scottish TA-50, which was the first model to carry this paint scheme, I like the very different look of this Gripen through its non-all-grey paint scheme. It's also my final build of my initial RoScAC ideas, even though I am now considering a helicopter model (an SAR SA 365 Dauphin, maybe?) in fictional Scottish markings, too.

[zenrat]

 

[Gondor]

Fantastic result as alwaus Dizzy, the flag on the fin is fantastic 

Gondor

[PR19_Kit]

Top notch job there Thomas, and as Alastair says, the fin is FANTASTIC! 

And I'm pleased to see your o'head pic really is Lossie this time. 

[Dizzyfugu]

And I'm pleased to see your o'head pic really is Lossie this time. 

Yes, and AFAIK the airfield and the hangar interior should belong to Lossiemouth, too. Very authentic this time. 

Glad you (all) like it!

[PR19_Kit]

I can't recall the hangar interiors at Lossie, oddly some are RAF pattern and some FAA types as it was built as an FAA base and then taken over.

I've spent time in the HASs there, on the west end of the airfield, but they're tiny by comparison.

[Snowtrooper]

Nice work, the flag on the rudder is particularly smart-looking

[NARSES2]

That really is one of your best sir, and that's saying something. As said the fin is absolutely fantastic 

[Old Wombat]

That really is one of your best sir, and that's saying something. As said the fin is absolutely fantastic 

Totally agree!

[Dizzyfugu]

Thank you, too! 

[TheChronicOne]

Amazing!!!! I love the paint work on the fin.... but.... the whole thing is GLORIOUS!!!