TR-29 Wraith (X-29 Recce Thing)

TheChronicOne · July 16, 2021, 04:20:02 PM

Alright. Here's the plan for the Recce airplane. The motivation happened that way it was supposed to.... out of the blue, completely random, and when I wasn't looking for it and didn't expect it. I was simply scrolling down the ol' Social Media when I came across this picture taken by Jerry Phillips up in Dayton, OH.

"Hell, there we go! Why not make a dedicated recon bird out of the X-29." I can call it the R-29 or something. I figure it could be an on-call recon platform attached to the A-10 units in Europe in the 80's.... you know... the stuff that was around to stop 1,000s of Soviet tanks pouring into Western Europe across Germany, etc. So... it'll likely have a Euro-1 paint job and I'll have to find some decals for it after I do my research and figure out what bases are appropriate. Probably wind up buying an A-10 sheet, I suppose, seeing as how the R-29's will be attached to those squadrons.

So anyway... I bought a kit... I already have one but have other plans for it then I was thinking... well, "I need a nose..... " I got to thinking of the Su-25TM nose... with the sensor thing up front then I thought about the RF-5 "Tiger Eye" and it has a really nice, decidely recce looking nose... then it struck me how perfect that actually is because they're all deriviatives of one another. So... it seems this project was meant to be so I went and bought another Tigereye kit.

Should be a pretty straight-forward conversion... just.... cut the noses off and swap them.. shore 'em in... then that's a wrap and on to paint.

ChernayaAkula · July 16, 2021, 05:56:46 PM

RF-29...

.... in Euro 1 ....

TheChronicOne · July 16, 2021, 11:10:33 PM

Thanks, Moritz! I appreciate the support. Now I know I'm on the right track.

"RF-29" indeed! I assume that would be a more plausible designation than "R-29" yeah? I have definitely been wondering about that and even left the thread title vague with this quandary in mind so I can update it later when I figure out what it should be called. I was thinking of the Phantoms, for instance, that were RF-4's but was wondering how USAF would go about naming the 29 if it skipped other roles and went straight into being a photo-bird only. The Phantom was a fighter first, of course, but if my 29 skips that part how would that influence how the Air Force designated it?

Short update.... I'm considering digging out the kits I already have of these so I can get started instead of waiting for the new ones in the mail..... that could be easier said than done, we'll see.

Hobbes · July 17, 2021, 01:15:29 AM

If it's a recon-only aircraft, the designation could be U-29 or TR-29 (tactical reconnaissance).

Excellent idea by the way.

NARSES2 · July 17, 2021, 05:54:40 AM

Quote from: Hobbes on July 17, 2021, 01:15:29 AM

Excellent idea by the way.

It is indeed

nighthunter · July 17, 2021, 06:40:25 AM

Quote from: Hobbes on July 17, 2021, 01:15:29 AM
If it's a recon-only aircraft, the designation could be U-29 or TR-29 (tactical reconnaissance).

Excellent idea by the way.

Hobbes, you're on the right track, as the USAF rarely, if ever had a dedicated recce bird, other than the RF designator, we had SR and U, but if Chronic were to add Electronic Surveillance equipment to it, it could use the designator "ER" or "RE". But if it's a Pure Recce bird the stand alone R is correct, though if attached to a Tactical Attack Sqn, "RA" could be used to throw off the Soviets

PR19_Kit · July 17, 2021, 07:53:16 AM

The R codes were changed from the earlier F codes, and there were quite a few of them at the time.

ChernayaAkula · July 17, 2021, 08:08:18 AM

It's interesting re the codes. When I saw the thred title, I thought it would be something B-29-based. I mean, a photo-Superfortress makes a lot of sense. But when I saw that it was to include an X-29 with RF-5E bits and be painted in Euro 1 and geeking out a bit, in the reply the RF-29 came just naturally.
Probably because my whiffery mind connects it F-5 --> F-20 --> X-29. Maybe it's all Sentinel Chicken's fault, because I clearly remember a profile of a Luftwaffe RF-20G in Norm 83 (not totally different from Euro 1) that's been in my mind's whiffery-that-needs-to-happen list ever since.

Whatever designation it ends up with, it should have some self-defence AIM-9Js on the wingtips and an ECM pod on the centreline.

Although I think that one of the problems of making an operational X-29 is that the MLG doors kinda make it difficult to get something decently-sized on the centreline.

TheChronicOne · July 17, 2021, 01:17:59 PM

Fascinating input, everyone. Thank you. In my mind this whole time I'm thinking of the RF-4 Phantom as a bit of inspiration. It had zero armament and I figured the 29 here would be the same.... light and agile as possible. Defensive stuff is great... I like the idea of the ECM pod. If I hang anything off of it, it would be that. I do like the idea of a couple wing tip Aim-9s and might investigate that route. It wouldn't impact weight and agility too awfully much to have those and the associated targeting systems but then again if I'm maximizing agility they might have to go.

Also.... I haven't gotten fully into my research yet but..... in the 80's... what sort of stuff might also be on the plane? Is it possible for everything to be contained in the nose or would there be a need for things on wing pylons as well, like the RF-4 did? From what I understand they had different types of cameras hanging off the wings but then again this was an earlier era and maybe by the 80's the cameras are smaller or something and all fit in the nose...... like I said, I've only barely started to research this crap.

NARSES2 · July 18, 2021, 05:40:49 AM

Quote from: PR19_Kit on July 17, 2021, 07:53:16 AM
The R codes were changed from the earlier F codes, and there were quite a few of them at the time.

Indeed my Moonbat is to be an F.16

TheChronicOne · July 18, 2021, 03:58:23 PM

Imagine my confusion when I first learned of the F codes... it was only 2-3 years ago. I discovered that the surveillance P-38 was the 'F-4'.... and wasn't named Phantom II.

But uhhh... what did the F stand for? I know P was Pursuit and all that but I either forgot or never knew in the first place what the F actually stood for.

Front runner for the first half of the name for this is now TF-29 (thanks, Hobbes!) Now I need a "name" name. Did the X-29 ever have any sort of nickname or even semi-official name other than the letter and numbers designation?

scooter · July 18, 2021, 04:47:20 PM

Quote from: TheChronicOne on July 18, 2021, 03:58:23 PM
Imagine my confusion when I first learned of the F codes... it was only 2-3 years ago. I discovered that the surveillance P-38 was the 'F-4'.... and wasn't named Phantom II. But uhhh... what did the F stand for? I know P was Pursuit and all that but I either forgot or never knew in the first place what the F actually stood for.

>>>WIKILEAINK!<<<

The F, as used by the USAAC/USAAF in pre-1947 usage, was for Ph(F)otographic.

TheChronicOne · July 18, 2021, 05:04:45 PM

Bravo! Thank you.

NARSES2 · July 19, 2021, 06:21:50 AM

I was always told that American spelling was deliberately different from English English in order to show that they were their own nation after that 1776 misunderstanding. Never been sure how true that was, but it sounded reasonable enough.

TheChronicOne · July 19, 2021, 11:56:37 AM

Ooooh..... could that explain why we got rid of the superfluous U's in some words like "mould?"

Oddly enough that's the one word I always spell with the U, the proper English way.