Polish Lim-6L Fantan

[comrade harps]

PZL Mielec Lim-6L Fantan A
a/c White 281, Gerard Cieślik Regiment, People's Polish Air Force,
Catana, Sicily, Italian Democratic Republic
Combat Pilot Ernest Pohl



Part of the Polish state-owned PZL aircraft company, the aviation works at Mielec was opened in 1931. Initially undertaking repair work and component manufacture, it graduated to production of the PZL.37 Løs bomber in 1939. Taken over by Heinkel following the Nazi invasion, the Mielec factory served as a site producing components for the He 111 until it was abandoned in August 1944. Used as a forward airfield by the Reds for the remainder of the war, construction of a new aircraft factory at Mielec began in 1947. By then PZL had been reformed as a state cooperative, jointly owned by the Polish government and its workforce.




The Polish firm produced several MiG designs during the 1950s, identified by their Lim (licenced fighter) designations. Lim-1 and 2 covered MiG-15 variants, the Lim-3 and 4 were versions of the MiG-17 and the Lim-5 was the MiG-19S. Polish engineers developed several unique models of these MiG types throughout their production runs. Focused on improving attack capabilities, the Poles added additional pylons for bombs and rockets to produce Lim-2s and Lim-4s. When gearing up to manufacture the MiG-19S as the Lim-5, PZL Mielec established a team to design an attack bomber based on it. With its intake bifurcated and moved to the sides to make room for a nose mounted radar and a small bomb bay, the resulting Lim-6 (codenamed Fantan by the UN) was produced for Poland and other Moscow Pact members. Numerous versions were built and manufacturing was also undertaken in Romania. Models included simple clear weather attack versions and all-weather variants with multimode radars, including two-seaters for training and specialist duties. Lim-6s operated in a variety of roles, such as day and all-weather attack, anti-shipping attack, photo reconnaissance and SEAD.




The Lim-6L Fantan A seen here was a version for clear weather attack. It featured a ranging radar and a nose mounted air refueling probe, 2 AM-23 23mm cannon, a bomb bay that could alternatively carry fuel and 6 pylons for the carriage of bombs, rockets and fuel tanks. 2,197 Lim-6Ls were made.




This aircraft, White 281, was based at Cantana, Sicily, in the Italian Democratic Republic. The Polish Fantan pilots used air refueling to reach their targets across contested North Africa. Photographed on 22 October during the UN's Operation Postal, the Polish Fantan pilots engaged a base area of the US Army's 46th Artillery Group near Tindouf in Algeria. The 46th was equipped with conventionally armed PGM-11B Redstone tactical ballistic missiles. The target area included command and control facilities, missile, fuel and warhead storage areas, billets and vehicle parks. Everything about it was temporary or mobile, all tents and trailers, trucks and tracked vehicles. As was common practice when striking an area target in North Africa from the late 1950s, tactical ballistic missiles hit the site first. 15 (of the 17 launched) R-11 Scud missiles, each carrying a 9N33 535 kg HE-Frag warhead, slammed into the base. Fantans from the Gerard Cieślik Regiment followed soon after: 4 Lim-6E (Elektroniczny) Fantan C jammers and 25 Lim-6L Fantan A attack aircraft. The Fantans were escorted by 28 Farmer fighters.




In addition to the Lim-6L's 23 mm cannon, each was armed with 2 RBK-500 cluster bombs in the bomb bay and 2 RBK-250 cluster bombs on the fuselage stations. They also had a pair of MARS-1 rocket pods underwing, each with 5 S-5 series rockets.



Flown by Combat Pilot Ernest Pohl,
Lim-6L White 281 was leaving the target area when its port engine burst into flames. The crew of a US Army M42A1 Duster claimed to have hit the Fantan with their 40mm Bofors cannon; but a USAF investigation concluded that the engine had ingested debris from the attack. The last over of 4 Fantans over the rocket fuel storage site, Pohl's plane had been hit by flying metal from a tanker truck. His plane on fire and at low altitude, Pohl executed a wheels up landing in the desert. He exited the Fantan safely and was soon apprehended by a US Army patrol. In August 1963 he joined a breakout from POW Camp 89 in Nigeria. He remained at large for 5 days until killed in a firefight with Nigerian Army troops. He had flown 6 combat sorties.

[NARSES2]

That does look good   

[PR19_Kit]

Very nice indeed, and the backstory is a gem too. 

[Dizzyfugu]

Neat. They were replaced by Su-17/22s. 

[su27rules]

Nice!!

[kerick]

What kit did you start with? I think I see SU-7 wings. Nice build and camo.

[DogfighterZen]

That desert camo looks very good!

[Glenn Gilbertson]

Great looking model & an interesting backstory!

[comrade harps]

What kit did you start with? I think I see SU-7 wings. Nice build and camo.

It's not a kitbash, although l see where you're coming from. The wings look familiar because they're basically MiG-19 wings. The wing fences, by the way, were my first try at PE parts.

It's a Trumpeter 1/72 scale Nanchang Q-5 Fantan. The Chinese bifurcated the intakes of the Farmer, gave it a bomb bay and a pointy nose. Very 1950s, but it didn't get into service until the 70s .

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanchang_Q-5

The nose IFR probe is from the Modelsvit Mirage IIIB kit and it fit perfectly.

[Dizzyfugu]

It's also longer than a MiG-19, and there were some intersting variants, e.g. a prototype with a radar nose for the Chinese navy, with a VERY interesting profile. IIRC there's even a model of it around (Trumpeter, too?).

[Pellson]

It's also longer than a MiG-19, and there were some intersting variants, e.g. a prototype with a radar nose for the Chinese navy, with a VERY interesting profile. IIRC there's even a model of it around (Trumpeter, too?).

This?



The nose isn't entirely unlike the Indian naval Shamsher (Jaguar) with Agave radar, IMHO

[Pellson]

I might have to backtrack on the Shamsher likeness..

[Dizzyfugu]

Yes, that's the one! 

[PR19_Kit]

Hmm, their mantra must have been 'develop and add ugliness then?'

[chrisonord]

As always, a very striking build and back story.