Nigerian Summit Spartan

[comrade harps]

Summit Spartan
a/c R, 5 Squadron, Nigerian Air Force
Kananga, Democratic Republic of Congo, March 1962
Personal mount of Flt Lt Sebastian Osigwef



Amid the campaigns for decolonization that swept Africa in the 1950s, the Free Belgium government occupying the Belgium Congo reluctantly agreed to a process leading to independence. As the 1 July, 1960 date for the creation of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) approached, the Belgium elites conspired with Katangan separatists, the Second Portuguese Republic, Rhodesia and South Africa to create the breakaway State of Katanga. Rich in minerals, including copper and cobalt, Katanga held the economic key to the DRC's success. As Katanga had powerful foreign backers (who thwarted UN action), and the DRC few capable supporters, a war lasting several years ensued.




As the Belgium authorities prepared for the DRC's independence, they stripped the military of the Belgium Congo of its assets. Tanks, artillery, trucks, Canberra bombers and F-100D/F Super Sabres were sold to the Portuguese. The Congolese Air Force (Force Aérienne Congolaise, or FAC) was let with some twin-engined transports, a few light planes and 7 F4U-5 Corsair fighter-bombers. The Corsairs were surplus USMC/USN examples, maintained by Summit Aviation. Summit was founded in 1947 by a group of former USMC aviators. With experience at maintaining surplus military aircraft, in 1954 the company won a contract to refurbish and sustain 20 F4U-5 Corsairs for delivery to the Free Belgium government for counter-insurgency operations. In early 1960, as the US government realised that the Belgiums were leaving the soon-to-be independent DRC with a dangerously small combat capacity, Summit was contracted to deliver and support 20 more Corsairs to the incoming government. These aircraft were of Summit's own version of the Corsair, the Spartan. First flown in 1958, the Spartan was built from surplus F4U-5 airframes and featured a beefed-up structure, contemporary tactical avionics and optional wingtip fuel tanks. In 1960, Summit tested and marketed kits for adapting the Spartan to all-weather/night operations, adding bolt-on exhaust anti-glare shields and a radar to the port wingtip pod with weather, surface mapping and terrain avoidance modes. Spartans were sold to El Salvador and Honduras (both without the tip tanks), Indonesia, Nicaragua (without tip tanks), Nigeria and the DRC.



Nigeria, independent from the Free British government since 1955, was the DRC's main foreign supporter. In October 1960, the Portuguese moved troops into Katanga from neighbouring Angola to protect the road and railway line through which most of Katanga's mineral export flowed. Nigeria responded by sending its own troops and establishing a training and advisory mission to the DRC. In February 1961 the FAC, supported by Summit, and the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aided by the privately-owned Nigerian Aviation (NA) company, established the Spartan Wing at Kinshasa/N'Djili Air Base. A joint wing, it included the FAC's 3 Squadron (largely manned by foreign personnel) and the NAF's 5 Squadron, both flying Spartans. From here, the Spartan Wing deployed detachments to airfields closer to Katanga. The Spartan Wing performed counter-insurgency roles, including convoy escort, road and rail interdiction and close air support. Other NAF support came in the form of airlift and a squadron of F-86H Sabres; these Sabres were later donated to the FAC).




By March 1961, the joint FAC/NAF airpower projected over Katanga had gained air superiority. Katanga's Lockheed AT-33A fighters that had been supplied by the Portuguese had mostly been destroyed. Without air defence, the FAC/NAF interdiction effort had forced Katanga's mining-related road and rail traffic into the hours of darkness. To adapt, the Nigerians converted 12 of their Spartans with Summit's night combat kits and deployed these to the DRC in August. That same month, Portuguese F-100Ds began air defence patrols over Katanga and from November ex-South African F-86F Sabres were supplied to the Katangan Air Force. Although the daylight hours were now contested, most of Katanga's mining exports continued to be transported at night.




The Spartan depicted here was the personal mount of Flt Lt Sebastian Osigwef, of 5 Squadron NAF. It was photographed at the Kananga in June 1962. It carries 88 mission symbols, the 12  yellow bombs denoting daylight combat sorties and the 66 with red interiors are for nocturnal attack missions generated after the aircraft was adapted for night operations. The Redwing text and Native North American illustration relate to Rodd Redwing. The fastest gun in Hollywood, Redwing was an actor and gun, knife and whip instructor to the stars. When Flt Lt  Osigwef aced the gunnery and bombing results during training, a Summit Aviation instructor likened him to Redwing and the moniker stuck. As an aside, although Redwing claimed Native American ancestry, his real name was Roderick Rajpurkaii Jr. and he was born in India.



The aircraft is armed with 4 wing-mounted 20mm cannon, 4 Mk82 bombs, 2 pods of Orenda Purple Rain 68mm rockets and a pair of locally produced Passendale bombs. The Passendale was designed during the Belgium occupation and named after a Belgium cheese which features many small holes. A combined-effects weapon, its core explosive was a brand of commercially available propane tank. This was surrounded by white phosphorus embedded with ball bearings. Its aerodynamic shell featured aluminium fins, nose and rear units and a steel centre barrel that was internally grooved to promote fragmentation. The Passendale was judged to be useful against personnel and soft-skinned transport targets, including trucks and railway rolling stock.




After the Spartan, Summit would go on to make COIN conversions of the North American T-28 Nomad trainer as the AT-28D, T-28D and T-28D-5 Trojan. In the 1970s the company produced the Summit Sentry, using surplus USAF Cessna O-2 Skymasters to create a series of STOL capable COIN, FAC and ISR platforms for export customers. Nigerian Aviation would go on to be Summit's key African industrial partner, NA also producing COIN conversions of the T-28 as the Nigerian Aviation Fennec. During the 1960s and '70s, NA produced several indigenous light aircraft and trainer designs that were moderately successful in the export market.

[zenrat]

 

[NARSES2]

That camouflage is fantastic 

At first glance I thought you'd built an amphibious Corsair and those wing tip tanks were the retracted floats  and yes I am going to the opticians in the next couple of weeks 

[comrade harps]

That camouflage is fantastic 

At first glance I thought you'd built an amphibious Corsair and those wing tip tanks were the retracted floats  and yes I am going to the opticians in the next couple of weeks 

A good idea for the Indonesian version!

[Old Wombat]

Nice! I, too, like the camouflage. Different!

[TomZ]

Looks great in this scheme. Lovely!


TomZ

[Weaver]

Nice one - that looks great, and the backstory weaves reality and fiction together very nicely.

[Dizzyfugu]

I am not certain about the wing tip tanks, but cammo'ed F4Us always look interesting. And Africa has lots of potential, too. Well done, I like it. 

[comrade harps]

I am not certain about the wing tip tanks, but cammo'ed F4Us always look interesting. And Africa has lots of potential, too. Well done, I like it. 

Some whiffers like extended wings, but tip tanks are within my skill set. Inspired by the tip tanks of the Cavalier Mustang.

[PR19_Kit]

Some whiffers like extended wings......

Gosh, really? 

[comrade harps]

Some whiffers like extended wings......

Gosh, really? 

Can't think who...

[nighthunter]

Some whiffers like extended wings......

Gosh, really? 

Can't think who...

Odd, no one comes directly to mind... 😜

[Scotaidh]

I am not certain about the wing tip tanks, but cammo'ed F4Us always look interesting. And Africa has lots of potential, too. Well done, I like it. 

Some whiffers like extended wings, but tip tanks are within my skill set. Inspired by the tip tanks of the Cavalier Mustang.

The RNs Corsairs had clipped wing-tips, to better fit in their low-cielinged hangar decks, I'm told ...  Here's a picture. 

[su27rules]

 

[comrade harps]

I am not certain about the wing tip tanks, but cammo'ed F4Us always look interesting. And Africa has lots of potential, too. Well done, I like it. 

Some whiffers like extended wings, but tip tanks are within my skill set. Inspired by the tip tanks of the Cavalier Mustang.

The RNs Corsairs had clipped wing-tips, to better fit in their low-cielinged hangar decks, I'm told ...  Here's a picture. 

Step 1 in adding tip tanks to a Corsair is to clip the  wing tips, so l was thinking of the RN Corsairs as l planned and executed the build.