Aegean Defender

[Pellson]

My grandfathers brother was in the resistance..

So was my half-Danish wife's grandfather. He was in "Rejseholdet", mainly blowing up railroads and factories, and he's interviewed in a video rolling at the "Frihedsmuseet" in Copenhagen. An interesting man, and he had quite a few stories to tell! In what group was your relative active?

[NARSES2]

Saunders-Roe SR.A/1 Jet Seaplane Fighter. Delta 116 of 12 Squadron Royal Hellenic Air Force, Dodecanese Islands 1955.

Background via Wikipedia.

The Saunders-Roe SR.A/1 was a prototype flying boat fighter aircraft designed and built by British seaplane manufacturer Saunders-Roe. It was the first jet-propelled water-based aircraft in the world.

The concept behind the SR.A/1 originated during the Second World War as a reaction to Japan's successful use of military floatplanes and the emergence of the turbojet engine. Saunders-Roe presented an initial proposal of their jet-powered seaplane concept, then designated SR.44, to the Air Ministry during mid-1943. In April 1944, the Ministry issued Specification E.6/44 for the type and supported its development with a contract for three prototypes. Development was protracted by Saunders-Roe's work on other projects, the war having ended prior to any of the prototypes being completed.

On 16 July 1947, the first prototype made its maiden flight. The SR.A/1 was evaluated by the Royal Air Force (RAF), who concluded that the design was incapable of matching up to the performance of land-based designs. Despite interest from foreign governments, including the United States, no orders for the SR.A/1 materialised. As such, it never entered volume production or saw service with any operators. While interest in the SR.A/1 programme was briefly revived following the start of the Korean War, the aircraft was considered to be obsolete by that point and was again rejected.
Development

On 16 July 1947, the first prototype, piloted by Geoffrey Tyson, conducted its maiden flight. Barely two weeks later, Tyson flew the fifth flight for a crowd of officials representing multiple organisations, including the Royal Navy, the Royal Air Force, the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Saunders-Roe, Metropolitan-Vickers and at least one unidentified foreign government. Subsequent flight testing with the prototypes revealed that the SR.A/1 possessed a relatively good level of performance and handling. Its agility was publicly displayed when Tyson performed a demonstration of high-speed aerobatics and inverted flight above an international audience at the 1948 SBAC Display while piloting the type. During the flight test programme, two of the three prototypes suffered accidents, leading to an interruption in the trials and modifications being made to the remaining intact aircraft.

The Aircraft

The SR.A/1 possessed a somewhat small and heavily framed cockpit canopy, which provided the pilot with a poor view outside the aircraft, a particularly negative feature for a prospective fighter aircraft. Despite this, the pressurised cockpit was relatively spacious, providing enough room to accommodate an additional crew member, an observer could also have been seated in a more rearward position As a measure to increase survivability, two of the SR.A/1 prototypes were fitted with the first two production Martin-Baker ejection seats to be built. An automatic mooring system was incorporated, allowing the pilot to moor the aircraft without any external aids or even having to leave the cockpit. The air intake for the engines was extendable to minimise the ingestion of seawater during take-offs, although testing revealed only minor performance decreases due to this factor. To reduce drag, the floats could be retracted during flight.

Although the aircraft never received an official name, it was commonly referred to by company workers as "Squirt".

So, that's a bit of the background to what is a relatively unknown aircraft that was perhaps always doomed to be one of those interesting projects that was left behind by the increasing pace of aircraft and engine development at the start of the jet age.

But just supposing it had entered production, what might have been its fate ?

After a rather protracted development the SR.A/1 Squirt finally entered service with the FAA in May of 1951, the RAF having withdrawn from the project in 1949. The only visible change from the prototype was the replacement of the original canopy with a "bubble" style one. Initially it was proposed that the Squirt would be based at overseas naval bases in order to provide them with some air defence capability, especially if the main land bases, both FAA and RAF, were knocked out by a surprise raid. Pearl Harbour was still fresh in people's memory. Therefore, the first 24 aircraft delivered were based at Malta, Cyprus, Alexandria, the Canal Zone and Singapore. However, it was soon realised that whilst the aircraft itself could do the job it was being asked to do, there was no recognisable threat that needed to be countered, it being unlikely that either the Soviet Union or China would be able to mount the type of threat envisaged for at least 5 and more probably 10 years.

With the outbreak of the Korean War some thought had been given to basing a few aircraft there, but that was soon rejected. So, in 1954 the FAA started to look around for a prospective buyer, but it soon became apparent that there were relatively few prospective users. However the Royal Hellenic AF soon expressed an interest, providing the price was right, having witnessed the aircraft's display at the 1948 SBAC display. A deal was soon struck, the Navy being anxious to get the aircraft off their hands and 15 of the surviving aircraft were transferred to the RHAF in May of 1955. 12 of these aircraft were issued to No 12 Squadron and the 3 remaining ones were kept in reserve. The Greeks based their aircraft at scattered locations throughout the Aegean, in flights of 2 or 3 aircraft and they proved ideally suited to defend some of these scattered islands from "enemy" incursion. As such they had a number of stand offs, initially with Turkish reconnaissance aircraft but post the Suez crisis with some Egyptian and Syrian aircraft, although they never fired their guns in anger. Although well liked the survivors were finally withdrawn from active service in early 1960 mainly down to increasing difficulties in keeping them maintained and in the air.

So here we have "Delta 116" 12 Squadron Royal Hellenic Air Force.

It's an interesting kit and in some respects shows just how far limited run technology has come over the last few years. Providing you take your time it goes together reasonably well, with a little fettling here and there, but it's certainly not a "shake and bake" model. The ultimate question is "would I build another ?", and the answer is "Yes, but not immediately".

She's finished with Xtracrylic Azure Blue undersides and Xtracolour Mediterranean Light and Dark Blue's for her uppers. My thinking behind this being the FAA, or at least the RAF would have had stocks of these left over from the War and the Greeks bought them at the same time as the aircraft. Besides I didn't fancy it in Sky and EDSG. Markings are from an Xtradecal sheet for Mediterranean based Spitfire Mk V's that I'd recently got in order to build one of the Malta based ones and which I discovered had a Greek post-war option on it. The Delta 116 codes are from and Azur PZL-24, the unit badge on the intake guard is from the spares box and I think is a USN WWII torpedo squadron's ?

So, an interesting project and my first completed one of the year, I think. Hopefully get a few more finished in the coming weeks.

[Rheged]

I like it!   A competent model and a credible backstory..................Whiffery as it should be done.

[Old Wombat]

Good story! Good model*! Zenrat Industries evoking colour scheme.    




[*: For a bloke who's having trouble seeing & manipulating, you've hidden that well! ]

[PR19_Kit]

Very nice indeed Chris. 

An interesting aircraft in a wholly plausible historical framework. The colour scheme really suits it too.

[mat]

the unit badge on the intake guard is from the spares box and I think is a USN WWII torpedo squadron's ?

I think the trident is italian

You cannot view this attachment.

[loupgarou]

Very good build and plausble backstory.

[zenrat]

Good job Chris.      I'm tempted by one myself.  As an amphibian maybe...

Good story! Good model*! Zenrat Industries evoking colour scheme.

Azure and Dark Med Blue.   

[NARSES2]

I think the trident is italian

Almost certainly, thank you. I've got the remains of an Italian F-84 transfer sheet in the "odds" box and it probably originally came from that before it went into the bag marked "unit markings".

[NARSES2]

Cheers gents 

Good job Chris.      I'm tempted by one myself.  As an amphibian maybe...

As I've said it's a reasonable build and a reasonable price, at least here in the UK.  There's plenty of room in that fuselage for an undercarriage that's for certain.

[AeroplaneDriver]

Absolutely love the blues.  Beautiful job. 

[Wardukw]

Great story and a great build Chris..well worth waiting for     
I agree with Nick..love the blues mate   

Fred ...a amphibian definitely matey 👍

[NARSES2]

Thanks gents.

I to like the blues and what I like even more is that they were actually used by some RAF Malta based aircraft in WWII. I've done a Beaufort in them and am looking to do a Spitfire Vc, both real world.

[DogfighterZen]

That is a very cool looking aircraft with a lovely camo, very nice work, Chris! 

[kitbasher]

Beast and a half there, Chris.  Eye-catching camo scheme, well done