3 arid FACs #3: Omani Vampire OT-55

[comrade harps]

de Havilland Vampire OT.55
a/c 123, 4 Squadron Sultan's of Oman Air Force (SOAF)
April or May 1967, Salalah, Oman
Crew: pilot Squadron Leader Bobby Chalmers and navigator/observer, Captain João Manuel Vieira Pinto

It was inevitable that both sides would be using some of the same equipment. In the aftermath of the European Red Revolutions of 1950, British designed aircraft were flown by UN, Moscow Pact and neutrals alike. One such type was the de Havilland Vampire, which continued to be manufactured in the Moscow Pact's Red Britain, France and Italy, plus UN member Australia and neutral India.

HAL produced 286 Vampire FB.52 fighters-bombers and 124 Vampire Trainer T.55s for the Indian Air Force (IAF). 20 FB.52s were converted to PR.52 standard and 8 T.55 to PR.55 standard as reconnaissance aircraft. 18 T.55s were also converted to T.56 radar trainers with the APG-37 radar fitted, these being used to train F-86K pilots, the Indian Air Force having received 60 K model Sabres in 1957. 8 T.56s were armed as NF.56 night fighters for export to Laos. HAL also built 60 FB.52s and 12 T.55s for Egypt, 46 FB.52s and 8 T.55s for Ethiopia, 28 FB.52s and 6 T.55s for Jordan, 24 FB.52s and 6 T.55s for Palestine, 24 FB.52s and 5 T.55s for Syria and 16 FB.52s and 4 T.55s for Sri Lanka. Iraq acquired 14 HAL-built FB.52s to replace an undelivered order for British made FB.9s, plus 3 ex-IAF T.55s. As they were replaced in IAF service by HAL-built F-86F and H Sabres and HAL HJT-16 Kiran trainers, many ex-IAF Vampires were exported to Burma, Egypt, Iraq, Laos, Oman, Palestine and Sri Lanka.

The Vampire Trainer had an unusual history. Whereas the FB.52 had been in production by HAL since early 1949, the prototype two seat Vampire Trainer T.11 was yet to fly at the time of the British Red Revolution. Although its first flight was in November 1950 (after the Revolution), T.11 blueprints had been distributed before the Revolution to de Havilland Australia and to HAL in anticipation of export sales and local production orders. The RAAF ordered the type as the T.33 and the IAF as the T.55.

A British Protectorate, the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman gained full national sovereignty from the Free British government in exile in 1954. A small Air Wing was established in 1955 and its first jets were delivered in 1960, at which time the service was renamed the Sultan of Oman's Air Force (SOAF). From public statements, the SOAF purchased just 15 ex-IAF Vampires: 9 FB.52s, 2 PR.52s and 4 T.55s. However, IAF records reveal that a further 5 FB.52s and 1 PR.52 were "transferred" or "loaned" to the SOAF. Documents from Airworks (the company contracted to maintain and repair SOAF aircraft from 1960 to 1991) note that 5 ex-Jordanian Vampires were delivered to the SOAF in 1966: 2 T.55s and 3 FB.52s also served with the SOAF. In total, 26 Vampires are confirmed as having entered the SOAF inventory.

When the Vampire deal was struck, Said bin Taimur, the Sultan of Muscat and Oman, was fighting two opponents in a war for national unity. One group of guerilla fighters were northern inland separatists, backed by Saudi Arabia, trying to re-establish autonomy for the Imamate of Oman. This became known as the Jebel Akhdar War. A second insurgency was based in the southern region of Dhofar, the Dhofar Liberation Movement being backed by the Arab Nationalist governments in Egypt, Iraq and Oman's newly independent neighbour, South Yemen. This front was known as the Dhofar Rebellion. Against these active threats stood the Sultan's Armed Forces, which were small in number, poorly equipped and barely trained. A declassified UN report documented the Air Wing as having a 15 plane inventory as of 1 January 1960, made up of 3 C-47Ds, 4 DHC-2 Beavers and 2 Bell 0H-13H Sioux choppers; its most numerous type was 6 Piper L-21B Super Cubs. However, only 7 of these airframes were listed as active (1 C-47D, 2 Beavers and 4 Super Cubs). The severity of the situation forced the Sultan to seek foreign help. Wanting to avoid the loss of sovereignty that came with UN intervention and sceptical of the intentions of the nations making overtures of assistance (particularly Iran, Pakistan and the US), Said bin Taimur chose to employ mercenaries and acquire arms from neutral India in order to keep the conflicts under his control. With the Vampires came foreign contract personnel and seconded IAF officers, plus a training programme for Omani citizens

The Vampires crews of 4 Squadron SOAF were primarily concerned with COIN warfare. Reconnaissance, CAS and interdiction missions were mounted in support of the Sultan's tiny army and the foreign mercenaries. Taking a low-intensity approach, the Sultan's forces gradually wore down their enemies, although several key actions have been highlighted in the popular narrative of what became known as the Omani Civil War. Vampires at the Battle of Mirbat in 1964 provided timely and accurate CAS to defeat a major attack by Dhofar guerillas. Heavy losses were inflicted on the Imamate's army on the approaches to Qarn Alam in 1966, Vampire pilots making sustained attacks with cannon and rockets. After many ad-hoc cross-border actions in hot pursuit, in April and May 1967 Oman launched Operation Steadfast. Omani forces crossed the border into South Yemen (independent and neutral since 1960) to hit major Dhofar rebel bases and arms caches in Hauf, Jaadib and Habarut. These incursions were supported by attacks from SOAF Vampires and the recently received ex-IAF F-86F Sabres of 5 Squadron. Two Vampires were shot down over South Yemen in May, with another badly damaged, all victims of Strella SAMs. Nevertheless, by the end of the year, both insurgencies had been defeated. Furthermore, the Dhofar Liberation Movement's defeat and the South Yemen Army's inability to repulse the Omani attacks destabilised the government of South Yemen, leading to a CIA backed coup that subsequently brought the country into UN membership. In 1968, North Yemen and South Yemen were unified to create the Yemen Arab Republic.

This Vampire was photographed at Salalah in Dhofar in April 1967, prior to taking off on a mission into North Yemen. One of the 2 ex-Jordanian T.55s delivered to Oman in 1966, it was modified for fast FAC duties by Airwork in preparation of the campaigns into North Yemen. Previously, all SOAF FAC work had been done by the Super Cubs (5 more having been delivered in 1963-65 to fulfil the role). As North Yemen was armed with Egyptian-supplied triple-A and SA-7 Strella SAMs and had a squadron of Helwan Ha-200s, the Super Cub was considered too vulnerable for sustained use across the border. Refurbishing and modifying both former Jordanian T.55s to the same fast FAC OT-55 standard, the airframes received new radios and were equipped with underwing pylons in place of their individual rocket launchers. The pylons usually carried Indian-made 18 round rocket pods, each armed with 2 inch projectiles tipped with WP smoke warheads. Both OT-55s were conspicuously painted to promote identification and to assist formation flying when acting as leadships.

No Indian citizens were directly involved in Operation Steadfast's cross-border missions, this plane's crew during the incursions being the Rhodesian mercenary pilot, Squadron Leader Bobby Chalmers and his navigator/observer, the Free Portuguese citizen Captain João Manuel Vieira Pinto. They were forced to eject when Vampire 123 was struck by a Strella SAM over Hauf on 8 May. Although injured, they were close to friendly troops and walked back to safety.

In addition to its Super Cubs, Vampires and Sabres, the SOAF supported Steadfast with DHC-5A Buffalo and Mooney C-10H Monarch STOL transports plus OH-6A and UH-1D helicopters. With the formation of 5 Squadron flying F-86Fs in 1966 and the delivery of F-5A/RF-5A/F-5B Freedom Fighters planned for 1968, the SOAF retired its few remaining Vampires in late 1967.

[zenrat]

Fab.

Any trouble getting enough weight in the nose?

I have an idea for a Vampire currently rattling around in my head.

[comrade harps]

Fab.

Any trouble getting enough weighting the nose?

I have an idea for a Vampire currently rattling around in my head.

l did run out of led once l'd filled the nose. Had to buy more and placed some extra just behind the cockpit. Always overdo if you can and this combo definitely made it nose heavy.

Good thing is that you can test it before putting the wings on.

The reason why the YOV-10D Bronco has the long nose was because l needed more room to pop in more nose weight. Whiffing is good for things like that.

[Old Wombat]

Well, that makes it 3-for-3 Good builds & Very Good camo's!

[Sport21ing]

Jesus, so many at once!! 

[sandiego89]

Great colors! Well done

[PR19_Kit]

LOVE the sharkmouth, it looks perfect on a T11! 

[Wardukw]

Another Vampire.. ..lovely bit of work Comrade mate..first a single seater..now a twin seater ..whats next a triple 
The camo is great man and looks the part ..very very nice 

[Rheged]

An impressive piece of work!!

Is it just my imagination, or does that shark mouth make the Vampire look like a happy little aeroplane?

[Glenn Gilbertson]

That looks magnificent the scheme really suits the Vampire
!

[comrade harps]

An impressive piece of work!!

Is it just my imagination, or does that shark mouth make the Vampire look like a happy little aeroplane?

It does. The positive angle of the nose helps with that effect.

[Tophe]

Good model of a great twin-boomer!

[DogfighterZen]

 

[NARSES2]

Love the camo scheme 

[Dizzyfugu]

Any trouble getting enough weight in the nose?

Well, the Vampire two-seaters generally offer enough room for lead beads and similar things to keep thge nose wheel down - the single seater kits are a true gravitational challenge, though!