SAMCO Shibriya (aka SARO Firebolt F.51)

[CammNut]

Even as it was building the SR.53 prototype, Saunders-Roe (SARO) knew that Britain's Air Ministry was losing interest in the concept of a mixed-powerplant interceptor. Gas-turbine technology was advancing rapidly, rendering obsolete the necessity of combining a rocket motor with a turbojet engine to achieve supersonic speed.

But SARO was convinced it had a promising design, an opinion reinforced by positive results from eventual flight testing of the SR.53. As a private venture, the company began working on a lightweight fighter version powered by two Armstrong Siddeley Viper afterburning turbojets - the second, lower Viper replacing the de Havilland Spectre liquid rocket used in the SR.53.

Any hopes SARO had of interesting the Royal Air Force in its aircraft were ended by the 1957 Defence White Paper, which essentially cancelled all UK development of manned interceptors. But a member of the company's board, an influential Lord with interests abroad, returned from an overseas tour with a proposal: a coalition of Gulf nations wanted to create an aircraft industry and were willing to pay to set up a factory to build the new fighter in Saudi Arabia.

With the go-ahead from SARO's board, the same Lord persuaded Ekco Electronics to develop a compact radar for the aircraft, designed to work with de Havilland's Firestreak air-to-air missile. Armstrong Siddeley agreed to develop a more powerful version of the Viper. The result was a supersonic lightweight fighter competitive in performance with Northrop's F-5A.

There was a catch, of course. The Saudis were willing to pay generously for development and set up the factory, but they wanted an aircraft that had the seal of approval of being in service with the RAF. So the Lord wielded his considerable influence and twisted the British government's arm to buy a small batch of aircraft.

The Ministry of Aviation procurement bureaucrats refused to even look at SARO's privately developed fighter, so insisted instead on buying a production batch of SR.53s. These mixed-powerplant short-range interceptors, designated Firebolt F.1s (https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=42532.msg735698#msg735698), were assigned to Royal Auxiliary Air Force units responsible for the air defence of RAF bases.

But that was enough for SARO, and the Saudis, so the government-to-government deal was signed and company was able to proceed with development and transfer of production to the new Arab entity, Saudi Aircraft Manufacturing Company (SAMCO). The new aircraft was named the Shibriya (after a Bedouin dagger), although in the UK it was officially referred to as the Firebolt F.51.





This is the last whiff I finished before breaking my arm this summer, putting myself out of action for a few months. I am in two minds about this one, which is why I delayed posting till now. The aircraft turned out as I hoped it would, so I think it must be the colour scheme. I wish now I had finished it as an overall silver RAF bird. Oh well...



What you see is the aft fuselage of a Tamiya 1/100 Lightning grafted on to an AZ Models 1/72 SR.53. The SR.53's small high-set engine intakes had to go and I agonized for months over what the new inlets would look like. In the end it was Guy Norris, friend and colleague on Aviation Week, who solved the conundrum, so the "Norris" inlets (made from the belly tank of the Tamiya Lightning) were installed under the wing roots. I think the only other change was relocating the nose gear to make room for the radar.





The colour scheme is loosely based on that used on a handful of Hawker Hunters acquired by the Royal Saudi Air Force. The decals come from an Xtradecal set (X72214) for international Hunters.

[PR19_Kit]

VERY good, I like that a lot!   

[rickshaw]

Interesting.  So, they moved the engine under the rocket motor?   

[chrisonord]

That is right up my street.  Marvellous 
Chris

[Tophe]

What you see is the aft fuselage of a Tamiya 1/100 Lightning grafted on to an AZ Models 1/72 SR.53.

Great scale-o-rama mix! Congratulations

[Cobra]

this is a Superb Build I'd Strongly Advise Considering the Model for a WHIFFIE! Keep up the Superb Work! Dan

[Pellson]

This is awesome! That Lightning rear fits marvellously!

[Dizzyfugu]

That's looking smart. 

[NARSES2]

That looks good to me. I particularly like the solution for the intakes 

[Rheged]

YES!  This one I  like very much.

[JayBee]

Excellent! Well done. 

[Sepp]

That is an elegant beast you've created - I like it a lot. 

[CammNut]

Thank you for your kind comments, folks

[The Rat]

WHATABEAUT! 

[Glenn Gilbertson]

Looks really good to me as well!