DONE @p.2 +++ 1:72 Spitfire FR. Mk. 18, Imperial Ethiopian Air Force, mid-50s

[Dizzyfugu]

... but the whole nose is well off, giving a banana shape.

Agree, the nose looks weird - as if the row of exhaust stubs is raised towards the rear? It's only noticeable from certain angles, but that also explains the poor alignment of the propeller axis with the fuselage's front plate. Well, the result looks decent now... 

[The Wooksta!]

The original MPM PR19 had the same issues (the one in the Millenium set was based on their PRXI with a fuselage that must have used a Fujimi 14/19 fuselage as a master).  The Griffon had a downward thrust but not to that extent.  Somewhere I have a CMK Spitfire of a similar vintage (early 90s?) and that has exactly the same issues.

[Dizzyfugu]

Some background:
The origins of the Ethiopian Air Force have been traced to (then Ras) Haile Selassie witnessing a show of the British Royal Air Force in November 1922, in Aden. Having never seen an airplane before, he was captivated by this demonstration of their power and abilities, and spontaneously asked if he could go up in one of the biplanes, proclaiming that it was "very fitting that he, as regent of Abyssinia should be the first Abyssinian to take flight in an aeroplane." As a result of this experience, he afterwards advocated the development of the Imperial Ethiopian Air Force. This small air arm began with the delivery of a Potez 25-A2 to the capital Addis Ababa on 18 August 1929. The Ethiopian Air Force was organized by Mishka Babitchef, the first Ethiopian pilot, who was of Russian descent. A Junkers W 33c followed on 5 September.

On 31 March 1930, three of the biplanes from Ethiopia's air arm played a dramatic role in a battle between Haile Selassie (not yet crowned Emperor) and conservative forces seeking to oust him. During the Battle of Anchem, biplanes were effectively used to give Haile Selassie's forces the upper hand.

A few transport aircraft were also acquired during 1934–35 for ambulance work. The air force was commanded by Colonel John Robinson (African-American, took command May 1935), recruited by Haile Selassie, and who remained until the Italian conquest of Ethiopia, when the small air arm ceased to exist.








After the liberation of Ethiopia, the country started reorganizing the embryonic air force that had existed prior to the Italian invasion, commanded by Colonel John Robinson (African-American). In 1944, a group of World War II African-American veterans set up a flying school at Lideta airport in Addis Ababa. The nation acquired a few aircraft through military aid from the United States and United Kingdom and the school had some 75 students by 1946. As neither the United States nor the United Kingdom were initially interested in providing further military assistance, Ethiopia turned to Sweden to help create a modern air arm. Sweden agreed to support, and Carl Gustaf von Rosen was appointed as the chief instructor of the newly re-formed Imperial Ethiopian Air Force (IEAF).

The Swedish contingent played a critical role in setting up a solid foundation. It sent Safir trainers and B-17A light bombers from Sweden, and the Ethiopian government acquired C-47 Skytrain transport aircraft from the United States to equip the flight training, bomber, and transport squadrons, respectively. In 1951, the IEAF formed its first fighter/attack squadron by acquiring Fairey Firefly fighters from the United Kingdom, later augmented with more aircraft of this type procured from Canada. One year later a fighter/reconnaissance squadron was founded, equipped with former British Supermarine Spitfire Mk. 18s.

The Mk. 18 was a refinement of the Griffon-powered Mk XIV from WWII. It was identical in most respects including engine (the Griffon 65) and cockpit enhancements, but it had from the start a bubble canopy for a better field of view for the pilot. It carried an additional 31-gallon fuel tank in the rear fuselage which extended range to about 610 miles (980 km) on internal fuel and the type had a revised, stronger wing structure. Its handling was nearly identical to the Mk. XIV and so it was not put through any performance tests before production started. But despite this sped-up development phase, the Mk. 18 missed the war and it was only built for a short period.
The Spitfire Mk. 18 was, like the earlier Mk. XIV, produced in pure fighter (F. Mk. 18) and armed fighter reconnaissance variants (FR. Mk. 18) which only differed through ventral camera ports and/or lateral camera windows at port and starboard as well as the respective camera mounts behind the cockpit. The Mk. 18 was delivered with standard elliptical wings, but some aircraft, especially the reconnaissance machines, were outfitted with clipped wing tips for better handling at low altitude.








Some 300 F. Mk. 18s and FR. Mk. 18s were built until 1946, but it was not until January 1947 that an RAF unit, 60 Squadron operating from RAF Seletar, Singapore, was re-equipped with the new variant, and other squadrons in the Far East and Middle East would receive them, too.  In RAF service the Mk. 18s saw little action apart from some involvement against guerrillas in the Malayan Emergency. Beyond Ethiopia, who bought twenty retired RAF machines with few flying hours from surplus stock based in Iraq (formerly operated by RAF No. 6, 8 and 73 Squadron), the Royal Indian Air Force purchased 20 ex-RAF Mk. 18s, too.

Beyond these initial procurements, Ethiopia's quest for an up-to-date air arm continued. In 1953, a military agreement between the United States and Ethiopia was signed for a military assistance program. Its aim was to provide Ethiopia with a capable military force for defensive purposes. The IEAF benefited immensely from the program. The US Air Force sent a team of officers and NCOs to assess the force and provide recommendations as part of the Military Advisory and Assistance Group undertaking the comprehensive study of the Ethiopian military and possible threats that it had to counter. The IEAF was to be restructured organizationally and adopt US-style operating procedures, and emphasis was given to building up IEAF's training institutions. Several Ethiopian personnel were sent to the US for training, including 25 Ethiopian pilots for jet training, and many more were trained locally by US Defense personnel. In 1957, the first three of several T-33A jet trainers were supplied, but the vintage piston engine combat aircraft still played a central role and became involved in the smoldering conflict with Somalia, which eventually escalated into the Ogaden War.



img]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51496307890_2e1a51faf4_c.jpg[/img]




After its independence in 1960, Somalia started making claims to all of its precolonial territories that were occupied by France, Ethiopia and the British. However, majority of the land claimed was in Ethiopia which made it Somalia's main target. After failing to get support within the Organization of African Unity, Somalia declared war on Ethiopia in 1964. The Somali forces launched their attack at Togochale, a border town east of Jijiga, but the Ethiopians were no match to the comparatively well-equipped air forces of Somalia and suffered heavy losses. The brief conflict provided the IEAF with valuable experience, though. Lessons learned included the need for heavy bombers, an air defense complex, a secure and reliable communication system, and better coordination with ground forces. As a result, Canberra bombers and air defense radars were acquired from Great Britain and the US, respectively. F-86F fighters from the USA followed in 1960 and during the next year T-28s were acquired for advanced training. This influx of equipment and training made the IEAF, in the opinion of historian Bahru Zewde, "the most prestigious show-piece of American aid in Ethiopia. It was also reputedly the most modern and efficient unit of the armed forces."

In 1964, the neighboring Somalis began receiving large quantities of weaponry, ground equipment, and MiG-17 fighters from the Soviet Union. In response, the US started delivering the supersonic F-5A jet fighters in 1965 to counter this new threat. Careful not to escalate the situation further, the USA delivered the F-5As without providing major weapon systems for the aircraft, the ability to use air-to-air missiles. This deal, however, marked the start of the eventual retirement of the IEAF's remaining early first-line propeller aircraft, even though some Fireflies and Spitfire FR. Mk. 18s soldiered on into the Seventies and were among the last vintage WWII fighters that were still in operation worldwide.









General characteristics:
    Crew: 1
    Length: 32 ft 8 in (9,96 m)
    Wingspan: 36 ft 10 in (11,23 m) with full span elliptical tips
    Height: 10 ft (3,05 m)
    Wing area: 242.1 sq ft (22,49 m²)
    Airfoil: NACA 2213 (root), NACA 2209.4 (tip)
    Empty weight: 6,578 lb (2.984 kg)
    Gross weight: 7,923 lb (3.594 kg)
    Max takeoff weight: 8,400 lb (3.810 kg)

Powerplant:
    1× Rolls-Royce Griffon 65 supercharged V12 with 2,050 hp (1,530 kW) at 8,000 ft (2.438 m), driving a 5-bladed Jablo-Rotol propeller

Performance:
    Maximum speed: 441 mph (710 km/h, 383 kn) in FS supercharger gear at 29,500 ft.
                               391 mph in MS supercharger gear at 5,500 ft.
    Combat range: 610 mi (960 km, 520 nmi)
    Ferry range: 1,240 mi (2.000 km, 1,085 nmi)
    Service ceiling: 43,500 ft (13.300 m)
    Rate of climb: 5,040 ft/min (25,6 m/s) in MS supercharger gear at 2,100 ft.
                              3,550 ft/min in FS supercharger gear at 22,100 ft.
    Time to altitude: 7 mins to 22,000 ft (at max weight)
    Wing loading: 32.72 lb/sq ft (159,8 kg/m²)
    Power/mass: 0.24

Armament:
    2× 20 mm (0.787-in) Hispano Mk II cannon, 120 RPG
    2× 0.50 in (12,7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns, 250 RPG
    Ventral and underwing hardpoints for alternative loads of:
    ● 2× 250 lb G.P. Mk.IV bombs (500 lb total)
    ● 3× 250 lb G.P. Mk.IV bombs (750 lb total)
    ● 1× 500 lb G.P. Mk.IV bomb (500 lb total)
    ● 1× 500 lb G.P. Mk.IV bomb + 2 x 250 lb G.P. Mk.IV bombs (1,000 lb total)
    ● 8× RP-3 rockets
    ● 1x 90 gal. drop tank














The finished IEAF Spitfire FR. Mk. 18 does not look spectacular – but I like the mix of a contrast desert camouflage with the deep PRU Blue and the high waterline, which IMHO also underlines the Spitfire's elegant lines. The colorful Ethiopian roundels are an interesting contrast, too. The MPM kit, however, turned out to be a so-so affair. It would be unfair to call it bad, because it is a very good representation of the aircraft it depicts, and it comes with ample detail. It is a typical short-run kit, though, and therefore nothing for beginners or people who are faint at heart. There are certainly better Griffon-Spitfire kits around, but I am quite happy that I eventually found a good use for this rather comatose case from The Stash™. And I like the outcome, despite its flaws and weaknesses.

[Old Wombat]

 

[Dizzyfugu]

 

[NARSES2]

Oh that's very nice Dizzy. I particularly like the colour scheme 

[loupgarou]

Very interesting build and an unusual air force. The very existence of an ethiopian aviation was unknown to me.