Defenders of the Great Lakes, Part I

[anthonyp]

Here's my next installment in my "Defenders of the Great Lakes" project, wherein I take the bases that used to exist in Michigan, make it so they never went away.  I brought back K.I. Sawyer and Wurtsmith before, now Kincheloe AFB in the UP rejoins the living.

Here is the first of two Kincheloe AFB based fighters.  This one is attached to the 412th Figther Wing, which was actually based out of Wurtsmith Air Force Base for a time in the 50's, before transferring out to Edwards AFB to be reorganized into a Test Wing.  I figured it transferred up to Kincheloe in the 70's, after sticking around for a while at Wurtsmith. 

The squadron badge actually came from the 438th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, which was actually based at Kincheloe until it was moved in 1968, and eventually redesignated.  I came up with the squadron staying at Kincheloe, and a new one being established in 1968 at Griffiss AFB (where it actually moved). 

The squadron tail markings for this plane are based on those applied to the F-106's when at Kincheloe.

Backstory:

JAS-39A/F-26A Griffon USAF Kincheloe AFB

The F-26A was acquired in 1999 to supplement the USAF's F-16's, which had been grounded almost en masse due to cracks found in the wings.  Saab had a number of Gripens in the early stages of construction, and offered to allow license construction of additional airframes once an initial order was made.  The USAF, desperate for a good, Western developed frontline fighter NOT used by the USN, jumped at the offer.  Northrup Grumman was the license production main contractor.  The fix for the F-16 wing cracks took a bit longer to come up with than first thought, and approximately 500 F-26A's, B's and G's entered service.  After reintroduction of the F-16, F-26's were still used, though they were quickly passed onto the reserves and other non-frontline squadrons. 

The below example is one of the 48 F-26's assigned to two squadrons at Kincheloe AFB in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.  This particular F-26A is assigned to the 438th Fighter Squadron.  It's shown on the ramp at an airshow, with a full air-to-air warload, which would result in a relatively short range.

More pics can be found here.

[anthonyp]

Here's the second F-26 assigned to Kincheloe AFB, a Wild Weasel version based on the 2-seat model.  This plane also is assigned to the 412th FW, but it's assigned to the 75th Fighter Squadron that was based briefly at Wurtsmith in the late 60's.  I have it being assigned to Kincheloe in '69 before being inactivated until the mid 80's, when it was reactivated for use as a Wild Weasel squadron.

Both this and the previous one are 1/72 Italeri Gripens.

Backstory:

JAS-39B/F-26G Griffon Wild Weasel USAF Kincheloe AFB

The F-26G was a development of the F-26B.  To take up the slack in Wild Weasel operations due to the loss of the F-16, the F-26B was modified into a dedicated Wild Weasel platform.  This was a stop-gap until the F-15G Wild Eagle could be fully developed.  The F-26G Griffon Wild Weasel was capable of carrying up to four HARM missiles, was equipped with numerous jammers and ESMs, and was still quite maneuverable.  Unfortunately, the plane has limited range without the underwing droptanks, and was relegated to carrying only two HARMs for penetration missions.  A total of 96 F-26G's were built, most being passed onto friendly nations after the F-15G was introduced and the F-16G was brought back into service.  

The below example is assigned to the 75th Figther Squadron at Kincheloe AFB.  This plane is shown on display at a recent airshow.

More pics can be found here.

[Eddie M.]

Those are some good lookin' birds and I like the back story. B) Where do you put all these models?
  Eddie

[anthonyp]

Moving back to Selfridge, I've got quite a few.  First up is the squadron commander's plane from VFA-209.  A bit of history is VFA-209 never existed, rather, VA-209 was once assigned to NAF Detroit at Selfridge ANGB, flying A-4's through the 60's and 70's.  It was disesstablished in the mid-70's (I think, some sources say it may have moved to NAS Chicago before disesstablishment).

One of the planes at the Selfridge Air Park is an A-4 from VA-209.  I was already well into my updating and upgrading NAF Detroit with my Airfix GB VR-62 C-29B, and came up with plans for the other three squadrons that were the last to leave NAF Detroit:  VP-93, VS-73, and VA-209.

I figure VA-209 would continue to fly out of Selfridge, converting to A-7's in the late 70's.  VA-209 became VFA-209 in the early 90's, and converted over to the F/A-18A.  Around 2002, they'd convert over to the F/A-18A+, with conversion to the F/A-18C coming in the next few years.

This was an Airfix 1/72 F/A-18A with custom decals based on the A-4 from Selfridge's Air Park.  I've got another one or two that may be done up in aggressor schemes for VFA-209.

Backstory:

F/A-18A+ VFA-209 NAF Detroit

When the USN retired the A-7E's that served at NAF Detroit since the early 80's, the USN assigned early model F/A-18A's to VFA-209 in 1993.  The squadron updated to F/A-18A+'s in late 2002, and is scheduled to move to the F/A-18C in 2007.  These fighters routinely deploy to the Atlantic and Mediterranean and took part in the 2002 invasion of Afghanistan.  Some of VFA-209's aircraft are painted in aggressor schemes for ACM's in the Air Defense Cordon over Michigan's Thumb, usually going up against Great Lakes based USAF, ANG, and USAF Reserve units.

For more images, click here.

[anthonyp]

Here's another one of NAF Detroit's birds.  VS-73 flew out of NAF Detroit in the 60's and 70's, along with VA-209.  They flew S-2's out of Selfridge and NAS Grosse Ile before being disestablished.

This one came out of a "I must be complete" obsessive/compulsive mood.  I figure they would have converted to S-3's in the mid-80's, before finally succumbing to a BRAC in 2006.

The paint scheme and markings are based on one of VS-73's schemes.

This is a Revell 1/72 S-3B whose box was absolutely destroyed when I bought it.

Backstory:

S-3B VS-73 NAF Detroit

VS-73 was the last carrier capable ASW squadron at NAF Detroit, until all VS squadrons were redesignated Sea Control squadrons in the mid-90's.  The squadron continued in its sea control role until early 2004, when it was announced that all sea control squadrons would stand down.  VS-73 will be decommissioned in early 2007, with the planes going to AMARC for storage, except for one towed over to the Selfridge Air Museum.  

VS-73's facilities at NAF Detroit will be turned over to the other navy reserve squadrons there.  There is the possibility that with the closure of MCAS Grosse Ile, the AV-8B+ Harriers and CH-60H Beach Hawks stationed there will move to NAF Detroit and take over VS-73's space, but there are no definite plans.

For more pics, please click here.

[anthonyp]

Those are some good lookin' birds and I like the back story. B) Where do you put all these models?
  Eddie

Glad you like them!  And they're actually all in storage right now (moved them out of storage only to take pics yesterday).

And I ain't done yet, got a couple more for this thread!

 

[anthonyp]

Here's my uparming of VP-93, the last flying Navy squadron out of NAF Detroit.  It flew P-3B's at the time of retirement in 1994.

I took the disesstablishment of VP-93 and tossed it.  I also took the P-7 competition from the 80's, and rolled that in.  In that competition, a P-3 variant ended up winning, but there was a 757 derivative offered by Boeing as a possible maritime patrol aircraft.  I had the 757 win the competition, and the result was this.

This model is a modified 1/144 Minicraft 757-200.  For the MAD detector, I took a GAU-8 gunpod, cut off the aft end of both it and the 757, and butted them together.  Yeah, it looks a little huge, but I was going by memory on the 757 MPA at the time I made this.  I've since found the pic again, and it doesn't look THAT off.

I added pylons under the wings and fuselage, and armed it with 1/144 Harpoons and AIM-9's for self defense.  I painted on the sonobouy launchers, and tried to etch in weapons bay doors.  I was thinking of arming it with two AGM-78's on the belly mounts, and call them AIM-97's, making the plane a sort of stand-off air-to-air launcher, but decided against it.

I had no idea on the markings for VP-93, since I can't seem to find any detailed pics of their P-3's on the web or in my pics from airshows from that period.  I'm sure they look nothing like the scheme I came up with, but I'm happy with this.

Backstory:

P-7A Trident VP-93 NAF Detroit

In 1991, this 757-200 variant was selected to replace the P-3 Orion in the maritime patrol role.  While being very good at what it does, the P-7 began to suffer from extremely accelerated metal fatigue by operating at such a low altitude over the salty ocean air.  The issue went unknown until 2002, when a P-7 made a hard landing in rough weather in Maine.  The outer wings snapped off and plane was a loss.  Upon inspection of the rest of the fleet, 40% of the planes had similar cracks or other fatigue that necessitated their grounding.  The Navy has switched construction to the new P-8A, which was built on the smaller 737-800 frame, which has been optimized for low level flight.  

The P-7 was equipped with a weapons bay under the forward fuselage, a sonobouy launcher under the aft, eight under wing and under fuselage hard points for exterior stores, a large MAD boom, and wingtip avionics and mission pods.  The wingtip pods gave the plane a distinctive profile that lent itself to the name.  The pods were removed early in service, though, as they caused operational issues.  It is estimated that all P-7's will be retired by 2012.

For more pics, click here.

[anthonyp]

Here's the replacement for the P-7A in USN service.  I actually intended to redo VP-93 with this one, but didn't have the model at the time.

This is a Revell 1/144 737-800, done up as the P-8A MMA that won the MMA competition last year.  I know the real P-8 won't have winglets, but they just look cool!

I modified this as best I could to emulate the actual P-8 artwork.  I used some sprue for the MAD detector, and the FLIR turret under the forward fuselage.  I used some plane's pylons for the underwing weapons stations.  I armed it with the same weapons mix I did on the P-7A.  

There's a few pics of the P-7 and P-8 that can be found here.

Backstory:

P-8A Poseidon VP-93 NAF Detroit

The P-8A was selected as the replacement for the failing P-7 Trident.  Due to wing and fuselage cracks cropping up in the Trident fleet, the Polaris was selected for its enhanced low-level capabilities, though some endurance and payload were sacrificed for better airframe endurance.  The current deployment of the P-8A sees them entering squadron service in conjunction with P-7A's.  When a spot opens up in a P-7 squadron due to retirement of an aircraft, a P-8 is inserted, and the crew trained on the replacement.  

The P-8 only has four underwing hardpoints, a smaller weapons bay aft of the wing, and a smaller sonobouy launcher station, though the avionics and other sensors are more advanced than that of the P-7.  This example is the first one assigned to VP-93 at NAF Detroit, where it shares the tarmac with seven of the larger P-7's, making the ramp a rather crowded place.

More pics can be found here.

EDIT (10/13/06):  The official name was revealed to be "Poseidon" earlier this week.  I almost put that name on the plane, but thought "Polaris" was a better name at the time.  Still do, honestly, but when did I ever agree with the braintrust in the Pentagon?

[anthonyp]

Next up, we're off to Wurtsmith AFB again.  This is the replacement tanker for the KC-135's that were stationed there right up to the end of the base's service.

This is an Airfix 1/300 Boeing 777-200 done up with a refueling boom.  It's a dinky little model to begin with, and I've been thinking of getting one of those Minicraft 1/144 777's just to see what this thing looks like next to my other 1/144 planes.

The markings are based on those used by the 920th Air Refueling Squadron from the 397th Bomber Wing.

Backstory:

KC-77 Packer 920th Air Refueling Squadron, 397th Bomber Wing, Wurtsmith AFB

The KC-77A is a development of the Boeing 777-200 long range commercial transport.  It was developed after the KC-28 (an MD-11 derivative) was put into service, but could not be bought in large enough numbers due to the limited run prior to Boeing shutting down the assembly line after it purchased McDonnel Douglas.  The KC-77 was offered as a larger alternative to the 767 based tanker that the USAF was interested in purchasing for its fighter fleets.  

To support the long range heavy bomber missions with the least amount of tankers, the KC-77 was bought and put into service.  While it does have the ability to carry wing stations for hose and drogue pods, it rarely does, as its primary mission is to refuel bombers and other receptacle equipped USAF aircraft.

For more pics, click here.

[anthonyp]

Here's the last plane in this installment of "Defenders of the Great Lakes."

This is my follow-up to the KC-10 Extender.  I always liked the MD-11, and thought a KC-10 treatment would look pretty cool.  Plus, winglets are cool.

This is a Hasegawa 1/200 MD-11.  They made a version of the kit without decals, which I don't mind at all.

I made this one for use out of K.I. Sawyer in the UP.  It's marked up as a plane in service with the 46th Air Refueling Squadron, with the 410th Bomber Wing.  The unfortunate thing is that when it came time for me to make the markings for this plane, the one site I wanted to use as a research tool disappeared because it's hosting service forgot to tell them they were going out of business or something, and dumped their site off the net.  The few other pics I've found aren't all that good, as the tail markings for the squadron were very distinctive, and hard to find.

Backstory:

KC-28A Reliever 46th Air Refueling Squadron, 410th Bombardment Wing, K.I. Sawyer AFB

The KC-28A is a development of the MD-11 commercial air transport, itself being a development of the DC-10 trijet.  The KC-28A was developed to provide even greater refueling capabilities than the KC-10 Extender, while not needing to be totally redesigned.  The KC-28 uses many of the same refueling components as the KC-10, including the refueling boom, and the three hose and drogue refuelers.  It also has a large cargo capacity should it be needed.  It, along with the KC-77A Packer, provides heavy long range refueling support.

For more pics, click here.

[anthonyp]

And with that ends another installment of my "Defenders of the Great Lakes" series.

Part one was the C-29B Sky SUV for the Airfix GB.
Part two were the Michigan Eagles thread.
And Part three was the F-23A for the 87th FS.

I've got more planes for VFA-209 and the 171st FS in the works, as well as a plane for a newly reorganized into a Wild Weasel squadron 172nd FS out of Battle Creek, as well as an AV-8B+ and CH-60H (modified HH-60H) for MCAS Grosse Ile.

Enjoy!

 





Wait, you thought I was done with this posting blitz?  No, no, no...  I still got about 10 more to put up tonight  :dum:

[Ollie]

Well Anthony, this ORBAT is sure getting better and better!

 

[John Howling Mouse]

That Gripen is fantastic!  Another triumph.    

[Brian da Basher]

Those are some really sweet, clean builds there Anthony! I'm particularly fond of your 737 &  757. I love seeing commercial birds converted to military!

Brian da Basher

[Archibald]

Wow! Antony, you are really a... productive comrade, that's sure! I would save a hyperproductive comrade! All these lovely models