Re: Spinners' Strike Fighters Thread

[SPINNERS]

Curtiss P-42D Twin Warhawk - No.15 'Shark' Squadron, Royal Dhimari Air Force, 1943

In response to USAAC Materiel Division Circular Proposal 39-775 issued in 1939 for a high altitude interceptor, Curtiss submitted a twin-engined version of their P-40 Warhawk powered by two V-12 Allison V-1710-39 engines. Whilst their proposal finished a disapointing third behind the Grumman G-45 XP-50 and the winning Lockheed Model 522 XP-49, Curtiss revised their Twin Warhawk to incorporate two Packard (Rolls-Royce) V-1650-1 Merlin engines each developing 1300 h.p. and turning their own 3-bladed Curtiss electric constant-speed propellers with LH and RH rotation to remove the expected heavy swing on take-off.

Redesignated as the Curtiss P-42 (replacing the earlier single-engined XP-42 derived from the P-36) the Twin Warhawk featured a powerful nose armament consisting of six 0.5 inch M2 Browning machine guns with 500 rounds per gun and two 20mm Hispano M2(C) cannon with 150 rounds per gun making it the most heavily armed fighter aircraft of it's era especially as the close grouping of the weapons meant that there were no convergence problems when compared with wing-mounted guns. With the ability to carry up to 2,000lb in external stores Curtiss pitched their new design as a multi-role fighter with primary missions of interceptor fighter and fighter-bomber.

With an increasingly hostile Japan continuing its war against China during 1940 (and also signing the Tripartite Pact in 1940 with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy) the Roosevelt administration slowly moved from being a neutral power to one preparing for war and Curtiss gained further contracts for it's P-40 Warhawk and also an unexpected contract for 300 of the new P-42 Twin Warhawk for the USAAC. This was soon followed by an order for 200 P-42's from the UK Government in late 1940 for use by the RAF in the Western Desert but immediately after Pearl Harbour all 200 aircarft were requisitioned by the USAAC and redesignated as P-42D's.

The first YP-42 prototype first flew on October 11th 1940 and proved to be relatively easy to fly at all speeds with stable handling characteristics although test pilots were very critical of the visibilty over the nose and the engine nacelles. In addition, they considered that the high wing loading made it more suited to ground attack than to air combat. Testing progressed well during 1941 and by the end of the year production P-42B's were rolling off the Curtiss-Wright production line at Buffalo, New York and entering service in May 1942 with the 14th Pursuit Group in San Diego to provide West Coast defence.

However, most P-42B's went to the 12th Air Force in North Africa as part of the force being built up for Operation Torch. Initially based in Algeria the P-42B's were first involved in North African combat operations during November 1942 shooting down several Italian twin-engined bombers plus two German Me-323 Gigant transports. But it was in the ground attack role that the P-42's of the 12th Air Force excelled in North Africa flying ground attack missions against gun emplacements, troops, supply dumps and tanks. In early 1943 the Royal Dhimari Air Force received 30 P-42D's directly from US stocks and these were used by No.15 Squadron to good effect during the Maqazad counter-offensive in the Spring of 1943.

DHIMAR P-42D TWIN WARHAWK.01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

DHIMAR P-42D TWIN WARHAWK.02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

DHIMAR P-42D TWIN WARHAWK.07 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

DHIMAR P-42D TWIN WARHAWK.03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

DHIMAR P-42D TWIN WARHAWK.04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

DHIMAR P-42D TWIN WARHAWK.05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

DHIMAR P-42D TWIN WARHAWK.06 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

I've previously done the P-40 Twin (or Twin Warhawk) in Soviet and Portuguese schemes and this one uses Dhimari markings along with the lovely sharkmouth already painted on the skin. Curtiss were so greedy in grabbing fighter designations for P-36/P-40 derivatives that I've made them reuse the P-42 designation!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtiss_XP-42

[SPINNERS]

North American FJ-1 Fury - Belgian Marine Component, 1953

BZ FJ-1 FURY.01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

BZ FJ-1 FURY.02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

BZ FJ-1 FURY.03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

BZ FJ-1 FURY.04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

BZ FJ-1 FURY.05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

A bit of a one-hour speed build this. An FJ-1 was released as a 'beta' by the DAT boys today so I've quickly overpainted the USN insignia and used some Belgian Navy insignia with some generic numbers and the 'Force Navale Belge' and 'Belgische Zeemacht' previously used on my Belgian Super Etendards.

[SPINNERS]

Blackburn Bridlington B.1 - No.27 Squadron, RAF Bomber Command, 1937

RAF BRIDLINGTON B1.01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF BRIDLINGTON B1.02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF BRIDLINGTON B1.03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF BRIDLINGTON B1.04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF BRIDLINGTON B1.05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF BRIDLINGTON B1.06 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF BRIDLINGTON B1.07 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

This is the Curtiss BT-32 Condor, a lovely 3D model by 'Veltro2K' and recently released by the DAT boys with Chinese and Peruvian skins. I've used the former as it's so very similar to NIVO Green and over-painted the roundels and rudder stripes and then added decals. I can remember making the Frog Whitley decades ago and using these colours. BTW, Blackburn was a natural choice for the manufacturer don't you think?

[SPINNERS]

Mikoyan MiG-31E 'Foxhound-A' - Mongolian Air Force, 1989

MONGOLIA MiG-31E FOXHOUND-A.01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

MONGOLIA MiG-31E FOXHOUND-A.02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

MONGOLIA MiG-31E FOXHOUND-A.03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

MONGOLIA MiG-31E FOXHOUND-A.04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

MONGOLIA MiG-31E FOXHOUND-A.05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

MONGOLIA MiG-31E FOXHOUND-A.06 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

MONGOLIA MiG-31E FOXHOUND-A.07 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

Veltro2K has revisited his MiG-31 and this is a simple substitution of the Soviet markings with some Mongolian decals I made many years ago for a real world MiG-21.

Things have been a bit quiet around here recently as we're busy at work (NHS) and although I'm semi-retired and only working three days a week they are long days and quite exhausting mentally and physically. I've also got back into doing the family tree thing and just find it so addictive!

[SPINNERS]

BAe/Dassault Asterix C - Armée de l'Air, 2007

Following the introduction into RAF service of the Panavia Tornado GR.1 during the early 1980's RAF officials began planning a draft operational requirement for an advanced follow-on to enter service during the late 1990's and by 1983 this had become the ambitious Air Staff Target 411 (AST-411) calling for an advanced supersonic tactical strike and reconnaisance aircraft (ASTR). However, during 1984 there was early feedback from service pilots that the Tornado ADV was hardly likely to set the world alight as a fighter-interceptor prompting the RAF to ask the MOD to crank-in an additional interception role leading to a new designation of Project Asterix (Advanced Supersonic Tactical Reconnaisance and Interceptor experimental). BAe's Warton division soon sketched a large and impressively long single-seat aircraft with a double-delta configuration similar to the Saab Draken but with one large turbofan engine mounted mid-span on each wing. Power was to be supplied by either the General Electric YF120 or the Pratt & Whitney F119 engines depending on which company won the USAF's ATF engine competition.

At about the same time Armée de l'Air officials were looking forward to the introduction of the Mirage 2000N and Mirage 2000D whilst also realising that this small single-engined aircraft was deficient on range and not quite the Mirage IV replacement they had hoped for. It is believed that Armée de l'Air officials first floated the idea of a collaborative program and this thinking soon gained momentum at inter-government levels at a time when Anglo-French relations were fast thawing out since the icy cold days of 1982 when Margaret Thatcher had virtually accused François Mitterrand of betrayal over the French sale of Exocet missiles to Argentina and his reluctance to stop further shipments of the French anti-ship missile then being used with deadly effect against Britain's task force in the South Atlantic. The decision to launch the Anglo-French 'Asterix' program was announced on February 12th, 1986 as an unexpected sideshow to the formal ceremonial signing of the Channel Tunnel treaty where Margaret Thatcher and François Mitterrand appeared to have kissed and made up. Behind the scenes Margaret Thatcher had secured airframe design leadership for the UK whilst Mitterand had secured avionics and propulsion leadership for France and the planned in service date of 2000 made this a sensible decision. Consideration was given to using the existing SEPECAT company to produce the Asterix but a new company (BAD) was created for purely financial and trading reasons and was never officially referred to outside of those circles.

Development moved swiftly and, in particular, the Snecma M99 afterburing turbofans broke new ground by combining a low-emissions combustor, single-crystal turbine blades and powder metallurgy disks whilst being designed for supersonic flight without the use of afterburner (supercruise) and all with exceptionally carefree handling due to the advanced inlet shock cones and long inlet ducts which combine to smooth out turbulent airflow. Entering service with the RAF in 2001 and with the Armée de l'Air in early 2002 the Asterix soon gained export orders from Japan, Israel and Saudi Arabia and continues in service.

ADAASTERIX01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

ADAASTERIX02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

ADAASTERIX03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

ADAASTERIX04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

ADAASTERIX05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

ADAASTERIX06 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

I'm trying to salvage some of my Photobucket stuff so this is one from 2013 - a splendid creation by 'Cocas'.

[SPINNERS]

Hawker Hunter FGA61 - Grupo 2 de Caza Bombardeo, Fuerza Aérea Argentina, 1961

FAA HUNTER F6.01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

FAA HUNTER F6.02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

FAA HUNTER F6.03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

FAA HUNTER F6.04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

FAA HUNTER F6.05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

FAA HUNTER F6.06 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

FAA HUNTER F6.07 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

I've always liked seeing the Gloster Meteor IV in Argentine service and MPM have been showing a particulary garish real world Meteor IV belonging to Grupo 2 de Caza Bombardeo that I thought I'd use on a 'what if' Hunter FGA61. There's a lovely 'sundowner' template for the Hunter F.6 (I used it for my Red Arrows Hunter last year) and this was used to give me a flying start. I knocked up a small set of eight serial numbers and coloured the tanks yellow to match the wing stripes. The Hunter is such a cool-looking jet it seems to shine through this garish colour scheme.

[SPINNERS]

Gloster Javelin FAW.9R - No.151 Squadron, RAF Strike Command, 1971

RAF JAVELIN FAW9.03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF JAVELIN FAW9.01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF JAVELIN FAW9.02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF JAVELIN FAW9.05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF JAVELIN FAW9.04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF JAVELIN FAW9.06 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

A revised late-model Javelin was released recently by 'sundowner' based on Veltro2K's original FAW.7 to FAW.9 series and cleverly adds the 'jousting' probe as a selectable weapon. All I wanted to do with this one was just extend it's service life to see it wear tactical markings which I always reckon to be about 1971.

[SPINNERS]

Gloster Javelin FAW.7P - Esquadra 301 'Jaguares', Portuguese Air Force, 1970

PoAF JAVELIN FAW7.01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

PoAF JAVELIN FAW7.04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

PoAF JAVELIN FAW7.03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

PoAF JAVELIN FAW7.05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

PoAF JAVELIN FAW7.02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

Just a simple Portuguese decal job on the Javelin. Rather than go for a Javelin 'Mk.56' export designation I've used a simple FAW.7P designation for this small batch of 20 ex-RAF Javelin FAW.7's donated to a fairly desperate Portuguese Air Force who really wanted Northrop F-5's but who actually received second-hand Vought A-7A's for interdiction and maritime attack but also for interception.

[SPINNERS]

Avro (Canada) Canuck FAW.4 - No.151 Squadron, RAF Strike Command, 1971

RAF CANNUCK FAW4.01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF CANNUCK FAW4.04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF CANNUCK FAW4.03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF CANNUCK FAW4.02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

The Canuck isn't an easy aircraft to produce as a 'what if' as the excellent skins all have painted on markings (mainly Belgian and Canadian). Anyway, this is similar to my late Javelin in that it gives us a glimpse of what the Canuck might have looked like at the time of tactical markings becoming commonplace in about 1971.

[SPINNERS]

Aermacchi Impala FGA.1 - No.20 Squadron, RAF South East Asia Command, 1975

RAF IMPALA FGA1.01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF IMPALA FGA1.02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF IMPALA FGA1.03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF IMPALA FGA1.04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF IMPALA FGA1.06 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF IMPALA FGA1.05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

A pretty simple one this that uses the Atlas Impala 2 with the red engine line removed and some pretty basic SEAC markings added. I'll get around to doing a 'desert' version with 1970's tactical markings and with a much tidier finflash that'll better match the shape of the fin/rudder. This won't be a new skin as I don't have a template for the Impala.

[SPINNERS]

Gloster Javelin FAW.9 - No.19 and No.92 Squadrons, RAF Germany, 1972

RAF JAVELIN FAW9.07 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF JAVELIN FAW9.08 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF JAVELIN FAW9.09 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF JAVELIN FAW9.10 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF JAVELIN FAW9.11 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF JAVELIN FAW9.12 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF JAVELIN FAW9.13 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF JAVELIN FAW9.14 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

A couple of unexpected (but most welcome) gifts from 'sundowner' arrived yesterday - one of which is an RAFG Javelin scheme. I decided to do both of the famous RAFG Lightning 'sister' squadrons and probably spent the most time doing a new Javelin finflash where I think I've got the proportions spot on and I also made a small batch of 12 serial numbers.

[SPINNERS]

Aermacchi Impala FGA.1 - No.6 Squadron, RAF Middle East Command, 1976

RAF IMPALA FGA1.07 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF IMPALA FGA1.08 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF IMPALA FGA1.09 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF IMPALA FGA1.10 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

RAF IMPALA FGA1.11 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

I quite like the look of the Aermacchi MB-326 family of trainers and it's sobering to consider that it's long production run was just finishing as production of the Hawker Siddeley Hawk was beginning. Anyway, this is the single-seat Atlas Impala dressed up in RAF tactical markings with alternative No.6 squadron markings (I normally like the red /white tinopener markings).

[SPINNERS]

Gloster Javelin Mk.55 - 44th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Republic of China Air Force, 1966

ROCAF JAVELIN.01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

ROCAF JAVELIN.02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

ROCAF JAVELIN.03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

ROCAF JAVELIN.04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

ROCAF JAVELIN.05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

ROCAF JAVELIN.06 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

ROCAF JAVELIN.07 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

I've always been fascinated by the Gloster CXP-1001 and was delighted when the DAT boys released one as a 'beta' a few months ago and I made my own templates for it. This ROCAF Javelin uses the RAFG skin by 'Sundowner' with the markings from my CXP-1001 (albeit with a switch to the red lightning flash of the real world 44th Tactical Fighter Squadron). As the ROCAF really were pioneers in the early use of AAM's (in 1958 a ROCAF F-86 Sabre made the first successful kill scored by an air-to-air missile) I thought I'd switch to Sidewinders.

[SPINNERS]

Avro Canada CF-100 Mk.4 Canuck - Fliegerstaffel 16, Swiss Air Force, 1965

The EFW N-20.10 Aiguillon was planned to be Switzerland's first indigenous jet fighter aircraft and was based upon an advanced design for a four-engined swept-wing fighter by the Swiss Federal Aircraft Factory. Taking shape in the early post-war years this ambitious aircraft was to be powered by four turbofan engines buried in the wings with provision that two engines could be shut down in flight to increase range.

As the Swiss aircraft industry had no experience with advanced aerodynamics or jet aircraft it was planned that several wind tunnel models would be produced followed by the EFW N-20.01 a 3/5th scale powered glider planned to allow testing of the novel wing shape. The wooden EFW N-20.01 had fabric covered control surfaces and was equipped with a JATO solid rocket motor. To speed development (and reduce cost) the nose gear came from a de Havilland Vampire whilst the main landing gear came from a Messerschmitt Bf 109. First flown on April 17th, 1948 the N-20.01 was destroyed in a landing accident on July 1st, 1949 at Emmen air force base but had demonstrated generally good handling characteristics allowing EFW to proceed onto the EFW N-20.02 Arbalète powered by four 220lbs thrust Turboméca Piméné turbojets mounted above and below the wings. This aircraft first flew on November 16th, 1951 and demonstrated good manoeuvrability and eventually reached a maximum speed of 466 mph. Almost concurrently, the definitive EFW N-20.10 Aiguillon was taking shape but the planned Mamba SM-1 turbofans were way down on thrust. The prototype was completed in early 1952 and flew briefly in an unplanned 'hop' during a taxi test on April 8th, 1952 but development of the engine and aircraft was abruptly cancelled by the Swiss Federal Government later in the month.

As a replacement, in October 1952 the Swiss Federal Government placed an order with Avro Canada for 50 CF-100 Mark 4 Canuck two-seat all-weather interceptor aircraft. Deliveries commenced during August 1955 and the Swiss CF-100's were initially armed with eight 0.5-inch Browning M3 guns (with 200 rounds per gun) in a forward firing ventral gun pack but were upgraded in the early 1960's to carry the AIM-9B Sidewinder air-to-air missile on new wing pylons. The upgraded CF-100's were introduced into Swiss Air Force service by Fliegerstaffel 16 and remained in service until 1968 when the remaining CF-100's were replaced by BAC Lightning F.Mk.58's.

SWISS CF-100Mk4 CANUCK.01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

SWISS CF-100Mk4 CANUCK.02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

SWISS CF-100Mk4 CANUCK.03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

SWISS CF-100Mk4 CANUCK.04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

SWISS CF-100Mk4 CANUCK.05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

SWISS CF-100Mk4 CANUCK.06 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

I've been fortunate in being given a couple of 'blank' skins (i.e. without painted-on national insignia) for the Canuck and the camo version used here makes for a good Swiss Air Force version. The serials are from a Swiss Meteor F.Mk.4 I've done previously so are a wee bit early for this CF-100 but help it look the part.

[SPINNERS]

Avro Canada CF-100 Mk.4 - 101 Squadron, Israeli Air Force, 1967

IDF CF-100Mk4 CANUCK.01 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

IDF CF-100Mk4 CANUCK.02 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

IDF CF-100Mk4 CANUCK.03 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

IDF CF-100Mk4 CANUCK.04 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

IDF CF-100Mk4 CANUCK.05 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

IDF CF-100Mk4 CANUCK.06 by Spinners1961, on Flickr

As previously mentioned, I've been given a couple of 'blank' skins for the Canuck and this is my first use of the NMF skin by 'Sundowner'. I've always fancied putting the 'Clunk' in IDF service but I see it as more of an interdictor than an interceptor. The biggest task for me was doing the rudder stripes which are painted directly onto the skin and not as decals.