Strv 103 in RAAF Service - FINISHED - pic's pg. 2

[Old Wombat]

Placeholder for upcoming build completion.

[Wardukw]

  looking forward to it Guy 

[Old Wombat]

Because I've written it & I've got nothing better to do, right now, here's the back story:

The Stridsvagn 103C in RAAF Service (Royal Australian Marines Time-Line)

In the early 1990's the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) decided it was time to upgrade its Airfield Defence Guards' (ADG) armoured units, specifically its tank units; as the Centurion  & M60 hand-me-downs from the Army & Royal Australian Marines were wearing out, & parts were becoming difficult to source.

It was, initially, hoped that new vehicles could be sourced but the RAAF's budget was being stretched by the acquisition of new fighters & AWACS assets, so well maintained, newer second hand vehicles with a good supply of spares was sought.

After an 18 month selection process the tank selected was the French AMX-30B2, which was just beginning the process of being replaced by the Leclerc.

However, the Commander of the 6th Defence Command^[1]'s RAAF ADG Battalion requested a special order of vehicles specifically for one airfield, where regular tanks were at a disadvantage because of the limited land area & shallow water-table. He observed that Sweden was disposing of its Stridsvagn 103C turretless tanks at a very reasonable price, & that he required 6 operational vehicles at the airfield at any time, with 6 undergoing major routine maintenance & crew training, & a further 6 in long-term storage as spare vehicles (spare parts & maintenance tools were being offered by the Swedes at extremely good prices).

This special purchase was, to the RAAF's (&, especially, the ADG's) surprise, approved & 18 Strv 103Cs were purchased from Sweden along with 100 AMX-30Bs.

These Strv 103Cs were destined to operate on the strategically important Cocos (Keeling) Islands, located in the Indian Ocean 2936km North West of Perth^[2] & only 1270km South  West of Jakarta^[3], where the RAAF maintains a Forward Operating Base & the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) maintains a less-than-covert SigInt gathering station.

The On-Again-Off-Again Australian-Indonesian War (1971-current)^[4] had seen both the Cocos (Keeling) Islands & Christmas Island raided by air & sea several times & attempted invasions of both on two occasions. The Cocos posting was seen as a frontline posting by all services, & the ADG's tanks, troops & anti-air assets were always on high alert.




[1]: Australia (in this time-line) is divided into 7 Defence Commands roughly analogous to those of 1939 (see below), except that the numbering has changed;
1st = 2nd in image
2nd = 1st in image
3rd = 7th in image
4th = 3rd in image
5th = 4th in image
6th = 5th in image
7th = 6th in image
8th = decommissioned with PNG independence on 16 September 1985

Australian Military Districts, October 1939:



[2]: Perth is the capital of the State of Western Australia in the Commonwealth of Australia.

[3]: Jakarta is the capital of the Peoples' Islamic Republic of Indonesia (PIRI), a Communist nation with strict adherence to a radical interpretation of Shari'a Law. Initially the Soviet Republic of Indonesia (SRI), aligned with the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics (USSR), after seizing power when betrayed by President Sukarno & right wing elements of the new Indonesian government, from November 1948 to 1951. Friction with influential Islamic leaders & a realignment from the USSR to the Peoples' Republic of China (PRC) from 1951 to 1976 saw the communist leaders integrate Islam into a uniquely Indonesian form of communism and rename the country the Peoples' Islamic Republic of Indonesia; in 1976 friction with China led to the PIRI returning to its affiliation with the USSR until 1992; the break-up of the Warsaw Pact & the USSR saw the PIRI returning to alignment with the PRC in 1992.

[4]: A result of Australia rejecting, much to the chagrin of the USA, the rigged 1969 Act of Free Choice plebiscite (in which only 1,022 Papuan tribal representatives were allowed to vote, from a population of 816,000 Papuans, & were coerced into voting in favour of integration) & the western border regions of the Australian Administration Mandated Territories of Papua & New Guinea being used as Rest & Re-grouping areas by the Organisasi Papua Merdeka (Free Papua Movement) . Australian interception of, & counter-strikes against Indonesian military incursions into the Territories of Papua & New Guinea led the PIRI government to declare war on Australia, a decision they came to regret when they were ejected from all of the main land-masses of Papua & New Guinea.

[Pellson]

So, we are forgiven for the Collins's now, are we? 

[Old Wombat]

So, we are forgiven for the Collins's now, are we? 

The Collins debacle was the creation of the Department of Defence & the RAN's senior command deciding, after construction had commenced, to add equipment that they had been told beforehand would be needed for the ships to perform their duties satisfactorily, which required the deconstruction of the boats to fit it.

Of course, neither the DoD nor RAN command could be seen to be at fault, so they blamed the design & the ASC (the people who told them the equipment would be needed & had to be fitted during construction).

The RAAF is, of course, not the RAN & had not part in it, so didn't care.


PS: Oh, &, in this time-line, Government, DoD, Defence Procurement & all levels of command are highly focused on getting the right things done right the first time around, so there are very few Collins-type stuff-ups (unlike the last 40 years).

[Old Wombat]

Build is completed. Decals/transfers are done. All that's left are washes & weathering.

Soon ... I hope!

[Wardukw]

Dont ya love a story where the governmental wallies arent governmental wallies 
Loved the back stroy Guy ..its simple and affective and full of non facts ..i love that 
The AMX30B2 is a good choice..not a bad bit of kit and a good gun ..i have wondered how my work it would take to fit a 120mm and autoloader into a 103 and no im not gonna build it..got enough projects already for now 

[PR19_Kit]

I'm having a job getting my head round an Air Force operating tanks.

But then if an Army can fly aeroplanes............

[Wardukw]

The Luftwaffe had armoured units in WW2 Kit so yeah why not have em today or a bit backwards from yesterday 

[Old Wombat]

I'm having a job getting my head round an Air Force operating tanks.

But then if an Army can fly aeroplanes............

In the Real World the RAAF has its Airfield Defence Guards, 3 Squadrons worth; I've just expanded them .... a bit.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airfield_Defence_Guards

My theory is that;
a.) The Army & RAAF don't get on that well at the best of times (So why waste soldiers defending airfields?); &
b.) If the RAAF can properly defend its own airfields, that leaves the Army to do Army things (like counter-attack).

[PR19_Kit]

In the UK we have the RAF Regiment to do the airfield defending stuff, but I didn't think they had any armour until I checked, and it seems they operate Scorpions and Scimitars. 

Perhaps not in the same class as an Strv 103, but they have tracks at least. 

[scooter]

PS: Oh, &, in this time-line, Government, DoD, Defence Procurement & all levels of command are highly focused on getting the right things done right the first time around, so there are very few Collins-type stuff-ups (unlike the last 40 years).

That, right there, definitely makes it Whiffworldy.

In the UK we have the RAF Regiment to do the airfield defending stuff, but I didn't think they had any armour until I checked, and it seems they operate Scorpions and Scimitars. 

Perhaps not in the same class as an Strv 103, but they have tracks at least. 

That was something I wished USAF SPS had, way back when I was a cop, instead of the polished turd, the Peacekeeper (armored truck, not missile).  But, upon having 30 years to reflect on the "quality" of recruit the SPs get, its better that they didn't.

[Old Wombat]

In the UK we have the RAF Regiment to do the airfield defending stuff, but I didn't think they had any armour until I checked, and it seems they operate Scorpions and Scimitars. 

Perhaps not in the same class as an Strv 103, but they have tracks at least. 

I've done a RAAF ADG Scimitar (based on Christmas Island), back in 2016:





Original thread: https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=42719.msg743664#msg743664
New Host Site Images: https://guyplachy.smugmug.com/RAAF-FV107-Scorpion-CI/

PS: Oh, &, in this time-line, Government, DoD, Defence Procurement & all levels of command are highly focused on getting the right things done right the first time around, so there are very few Collins-type stuff-ups (unlike the last 40 years).

That, right there, definitely makes it Whiffworldy.

Well, in this TL Australia has been in a constant state of low-grade war for 20+ years, you'd hope in that time that (at least some of) the wasteful bureaucratic bull$h!t had been polished off.

[rickshaw]

Numerous Air Forces have, over the years, operated many different types of armoured vehicles.  The RAF used to operate armoured cars to help it police Iraq and Jordan in 1920s and 1930s.  The South Vietnamese Air Force had it's own squadron of M24 Chaffee tanks in Vietnam during the Vietnamese War.   The "Pot Plants" as the ADGs are know amongst the real soldiers, because they are green and you stand them in corners, operate "Planter Boxes" - Bushmasters, a type of armoured truck to convey them around their airfields in comfort and in style.

[zenrat]

I'm having a job getting my head round an Air Force operating tanks...

How else can they get longer wings?