[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

Yes its sad the bureau is no more but the name lives on as "RUSSIAN AIRCRAFT CORPORATION “MiG”", they have three products on sale: Mig-29, Mig-35 and even the Mig-31E!

http://www.migavia.ru/index.php/en/

I marvel at the wing designs of the MiG aircraft. Each wing planform tells a story of the era, the specs, the technology. The only other bureau that had a wing design fashion or philosophy to it was/is Dassault. MiG wings were always designed for maneuverability-acceleration-climb-speed i.e. the traditional no-nonsense needs of a fighter. Once they got that right they designed or accommodated the other parameters around it. That is why fuel fractions and weapon payload got tight but it was a design philosophy and not a design shortfall as many Western authors would bitch about. To think they figured out the wonder of a tailed delta in 1956 is nothing short of wonder when rest of the world was struggling to balance the positives of the delta wing with its negatives.

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

There are reports that an IRIAF F-5E, piloted by Major Yadollah Javadpour, shot down a MiG-25 on 6 August 1983.Russian sources state that the first confirmed kill of a MiG-25 occurred in 1985.

As mentioned earlier this Foxbat made it back to base and was repaired but unfortunately didn't make it back to Iraq. Saw this on Twitter today:

[skanchan95]

1:200 Grumman F-14A Tomcat USN NFWS TOPGUN, NAS Miramar, CA, 1996, Desert Scheme "Top Gun 33" (Hogan)

This paint scheme painted on a Aggressor F-14A (Bu no. 160913) to mimic Iranian Tomcats at NFWS/Top Gun, Miramar. It was marked as Top Gun "33" at some point in time before being "re-serialled" as "13" later











The Original & the Imposter










1:200 Grumman F-14D Tomcat VF-31 Tomcatters, NK101, USS John C. Stennis, 2004 (Hogan)
The Tomcatters deployed several times with the F-14 on various Nimitz Class carriers. They deployed with the F-14 for the last time aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt in 2005 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. It was during this deployment that VF-31 became the last F-14 squadron to drop a bomb in combat. The squadron returned home in 2006 and and transitioned to the F/A-18E Super Hornet, being re-designated Strike Fighter Squadron 31 (VFA-31).













Pilot - Cdr Rick "Twig" LaBranche, RIO - Cdr Aaron "Buds" Cudnohufsky. This particular model I had been hunting for a long time because I had an old VCD titled "Carrier: Fortress at Sea" that featured then Lt. Rick LaBranche, who was then an A-6 pilot with VA-85 Black Lions. The VCD even featured a video clipping of his ejection from an A-6 after a cat launch, which he and his BN were very lucky to survive. He later went to fly F-14s and F-18s with VF & VFA-31 Tomcatters Sqdn.


The Video clipping from that VCD featuring Lt Rick LaBranche:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43kzjFne_XQ

Pictured is Captain Rick “Twig” LaBranche at a Tailhook reunion. He had extensive flying experience in the A-6E Intruder, F-14A/B/D Tomcat, F/A-18C Hornet and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet



1:200 F-14s

[skanchan95]

1:72 Dassault Rafale C Armee de l'Air EC 1/7 Provence, 113-IN, Saint-Dizier-Robinson AB, France (Panzerkampf)
My 2nd 1:72 Panzerkampf model after the Mirage 2000-5DI.

In IAF service, the single seat Rafale EH is the equivalent of the French Rafale C.

The Dassault Rafale (literally meaning "gust of wind", and "burst of fire" in a more military sense) is a French twin-engine, canard delta wing, multirole fighter aircraft designed and built by Dassault Aviation. Equipped with a wide range of weapons, the Rafale is intended to perform air supremacy, interdiction, aerial reconnaissance, ground support, in-depth strike, anti-ship strike and nuclear deterrence missions. The Rafale is referred to as an "omnirole" aircraft by Dassault.

In the late 1970s, the French Air Force and French Navy were seeking to replace and consolidate their fleet of aircraft. In order to reduce development costs and boost prospective sales, France entered into an arrangement with the UK, Germany, Italy and Spain to produce an agile multi-purpose "Future European Fighter Aircraft" (what would become the Eurofighter Typhoon). Subsequent disagreements over workshare and differing requirements led to France's pursuit of its own development programme. Dassault built a technology demonstrator which first flew in July 1986 as part of an eight-year flight-test programme, paving the way for the go-ahead of the project. The Rafale is distinct from other European fighters of its era in that it is almost entirely built by one country, involving most of France's major defence contractors, such as Dassault, Thales and Safran.

Many of the aircraft's avionics and features, such as direct voice input, the RBE2 AA active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar and the optronique secteur frontal infra-red search and track (IRST) sensor, were domestically developed and produced for the Rafale programme. Originally scheduled to enter service in 1996, the Rafale suffered significant delays due to post-Cold War budget cuts and changes in priorities. The aircraft is available in three main variants: Rafale C single-seat land-based version, Rafale B twin-seat land-based version, and Rafale M single-seat carrier-based version.

Introduced in 2001, the Rafale is being produced for both the French Air Force and for carrier-based operations in the French Navy. The Rafale has been marketed for export to several countries, and was selected for purchase by the Egyptian Air Force, the Indian Air Force, the Qatar Air Force, the Hellenic Air Force, and the Croatian Air Force. The Rafale has been used in combat over Afghanistan, Libya, Mali, Iraq, Syria.

The model comes with an armament option of 2 X MICA IRs, 2 X Meteors, 2 X Paveway LGBs, 1 X Storm Shadow Cruise missile, 2 X Rafale Drop tanks & 1 Talios Targeting pod



































Rafale C Armee de l'Air EC 1/7 Provence, 113-IN

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

1:72 Dassault Rafale C Armee de l'Air EC 1/7 Provence, 113-IN, Saint-Dizier-Robinson AB, France (Panzerkampf)
My 2nd 1:72 Panzerkampf model after the Mirage 2000-5DI.

Looks great! Are these Panzerkampf sourced from DB Jets also? Are they of the same price range as HobbyMaster and others and most important of all are they made in China?




Migs of the Indian Air Force : Mig-21BIS "Vikram", Mig-23MF "Rakshak", Mig-27ML "Bahadur" and Mig-29UPG "Baaz"



All I need now is an IAF Foxbat!

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

Looks great! Are these Panzerkampf sourced from DB Jets also?

Yes.

Originally Posted by Foxbat

Are they of the same price range as HobbyMaster and others

No, hobbymaster models are much more costlier, heavier and more detailed. The pricing is on par with JC Wings models, may be slightly cheaper. But the ease of assembling the model is on par with HM. Besides that, Panzerkampf also gives a stand in the box for their models, something which brands like JC & Calibre Wings don't.

Originally Posted by Foxbat

and most important of all are they made in China?

Yes, In fact almost all major scale model brands are based in China. Even brands like Geminijets & Aviation that claim to be American and British respectively have their factories in China. I suppose the only brand that can claim to be partly non-Chinese is HM, who have their main factory in Bangladesh and are based in Hong Kong.

Originally Posted by Foxbat

Migs of the Indian Air Force : Mig-21BIS "Vikram", Mig-23MF "Rakshak", Mig-27ML "Bahadur" and Mig-29UPG "Baaz"

All I need now is an IAF Foxbat!

Yup, Foxbat needs to build a Foxbat on the double and that would complete the Indian MiG set

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

I suppose the only brand that can claim to be partly non-Chinese is HM, who have their main factory in Bangladesh and are based in Hong Kong.

Thanks for that critical piece of information, if I have to buy a built fighter model it will be from HM and made in East Pakistan

I wonder why no manufacturer sets up a plant in India?
Narayan Sir this is a great business opportunity for you, you have two loyal customers already

[V.Narayan]

Antonov An-32 :: 1:144 scale :: Plastic, custom painted to IAF colours

This is one plane I regretted we did not license build even though it was designed to our specifications and we were and still are its largest customer by far. The Soviets offered full production but our babus were not prepared and I do not know what the IAF top brass had to say given its fighter centric bias.

A re-designed and significantly up-powered An-26 the An-32 is the ultimate hot and high machine which even today operates comfortable in summer from Daulat Beg Oldi's 16,700 feet high forward airstrip or from forward desert strips of Rajasthan. The 5100 shp AI-20DM turboprops were placed over a metre above the nacelles of the An-26 to provide prop sweep clearance and reduce risk of ingestion when operating from forward air strips.

A rugged no frills aircraft that with advanced avionics and maybe Western engines could have continued in IAF service till the 2030s or 2040s. But I'm dreaming.

This model was assembled and painted in this realistic well worn, oil stained, livery by Team BHP member Basu Roy. The painting is very realistic and quite characteristic of the much used and now ageing fleet.

Didn't realize its been 6 months since I posted a military aircraft on the thread. I've been snowed under and a few more boxes are crying for a sight of the blue sky.

[skanchan95]

1:72 Dassault Rafale B 118-HT Arctic Tiger ECE 5/330 Armée de l'air, NATO Tiger Meet, Ørland Main Air Station, Norway 2013 (Panzerkampf)
In IAF service, the twin seat Rafale DH is the equivalent of the French Rafale B.

The Rafale B is the two seat combat capable version for the French Air Force. Initially, the Rafale B was to be just a trainer, but the Gulf War showed that a second crew member was invaluable on strike and reconnaissance missions. Therefore, in 1991 the French Air Force switched its preferences towards the two-seater, announcing that the variant would constitute 60 percent of the Rafale fleet.

The model comes with an armament option of 2 X MICA IRs, 2 X MICA EMs, 2 X R550 Magic IIs, 3 X Rafale Drop tanks & 1 Talios Targeting pod.













































The real Rafale B 118-HT painted in bright colours for Tiger Meet 2013

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Antonov An-32 :: 1:144 scale :: Plastic, custom painted to IAF colours

Brilliant build. The wear and tear and fluid leak markings look so realistic. Basuroy is a imaginative genius!!! To mimic such effects , that too so realistically is just superb

Thank you for sharing photos showcasing the detail on the model and it sure is a proud addition to your collection. Congratulations!!!

Just this morning I saw an An-32, a regular visitor, climbing out of Mangalore, such a happy coincidence that you posted the model on the thread today

I had read somewhere that the An-32 was developed by the Russians specifically for an IAF requirement of a transport aircraft that was capable of delivering supplies in the Himalayas and thus the idea to re-engine the An-24/26 with An-12's huge & powerful engines and label it as the An-32.

[skanchan95]

1:72 North American F-86F-30 Sabre 604/K "Bevkeneve" , South African Air Force No.2 Sqn " Flying Cheetahs", Korea, 1953 (Easy Model)
Designed to meet a USAAF requirement for a day-fighter/escort fighter/dive-bomber, the F-86 Sabre (sometimes called the Sabrejet) was first flown on October 1st, 1947. The Sabre's swept-wing "flying tail" configuration and a hydraulic flight-control system were some of its many firsts in technology and design that have now become standard for jet-powered aircraft. Armed with six 50 caliber machine guns, the F-86 saw extensive action in the Korean War, where it was often pitted against the MiG-15. The Sabre pilot had to be in visual contact and within gun range of the enemy in order to attempt a shoot-down, thereby making this aircraft the last true "dogfighter" in Air Force inventory.

Although developed in the late 1940s and outdated by the end of the 1950s, the Sabre proved adaptable and continued as a front line fighter in air forces until the last active front line examples were retired by the Bolivian Air Force in 1994.

South African F-86 Sabres & the Korean War
The Korean War broke out on 25 June 1950, when North Korean forces crossed the 38 th parallel and invaded South Korea. Calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities by an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council were ignored by North Korea and a resolution was subsequently adopted by the Council that “the members of the United Nations furnish such assistance to the Republic of Korea as may be necessary to repel the armed attack and to restore international peace and security in the area”.

As a founder member of the United Nations, the South African Government on 4 August 1950 announced the decision to support the UN appeal by placing a South African Air Force (SAAF) fighter squadron with ground personnel at the disposal of the UN. As members of the South African Permanent Force were only liable for service inside South Africa at the time, the service in Korea took place on a voluntary basis.

No.2 Squadron SAAF was South Africa's contribution to the United Nations war effort during the Korean War from November 1950 to December 1953. 2 Squadron was attached to the 18th Fighter-Bomber Wing U.S. Air Force for the duration of the war. Initially flying the P-51 Mustang, the squadron re-equipped with the F-86 Sabre in February 1953, equipped with new ground-attack version of the Sabre known as the F-86F-30, fitted with bomb shackles an a modified bomb-gun-rocket sight, and it could carry two 170-gallon long-range fuel tanks. These modifications made for a versatile aircraft; for besides effectiveness in ground attack, ordnance and extra fuel could be jettisoned at the touch of a button and the pilot could switch over to interception. The jets could carry two 1000lb bombs, had a combat radius of 570 miles and were fitted with General Electric J47-GE27 engines giving them a climb rate of 10 000ft a minute and a service ceiling of 50 000ft. During the war the squadron flew a total of 12,067 sorties, most being dangerous ground attack missions. 74 of the 94 Mustangs and 4 out of the 22 Sabres were lost, along with 33 pilots (14 killed in action, 11 missing in action, 8 pilots killed in accident).After the Korean War 2 Squadron, based at Waterkloof AFB, was equipped with Canadair CL-13 Sabres.

F-86F-30 52-4311 was named 'BEVKENEVE' by Capt. J. F. Nortje, SAAF. This Sabre, along with all the other SAAF Squadron Sabres, was based at Osan Air Base, during Korean War and fell under overall command of the United States Air Force 18th Fighter-Bomber Group.







































F-86F-30 604/K "Bevkeneve" during the Korean War


The Sabre & it's Slayer

[skanchan95]

1:200 Dassault Mirage 2000C Armee de l'Air EC 2/12 Picardie, Cambrai AB, France, 2008 (Hogan)
Armee de l'Air EC Mirage 2000C 12-KA/94 was painted in a special livery to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the three squadrons (emblems painted on the rudder) that were a part of Escadron de Chasse 2/12 "Picardie" in 2008.











With my other 1:200 AdA Mirage 200C

[skanchan95]

1:72 Kamov Ka-50 Hokum-A Russian Air Force, Yellow 21 (Easy Model)
The Kamov Ka-50 "Hokum A" is a single-seat Russian attack & heavily armed scout helicopter with the distinctive coaxial rotor system of the Kamov design bureau. It was designed in the 1980s and adopted for service in the Russian army in 1995. The Ka-50 Hokum-A or Black Shark was first flown on June 17th, 1982.

It was the first operational helicopter to have an ejection seat for the pilot. The Ka-50 is fitted with a NPP Zvezda K-37-800 ejection seat. Before the rocket in the ejection seat deploys, the rotor blades are blown away by explosive charges in the rotor disc and the canopy is jettisoned. Video below (from its two seat & upgraded variant the Ka-52 Hokum-B):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1kr651en7g

The aircraft has one Shipunov 2A42 30mm autocannon mounted on the starboard side. This autocannon is mounted near the centre of fuselage. The cannon is semi-rigidly fixed on the helicopter's side, movable only slightly in elevation and azimuth.Anti-tank armament comprises twelve laser-guided Vikhr anti-tank missiles, alternatively it can also use Ataka laser-guided anti-tank missiles. It can also carry several rocket pods, including the S-13 and S-8 rockets.

General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 16 m (52 ft 6 in)
Height: 4.93 m (16 ft 2 in)
Empty weight: 7,700 kg (16,976 lb)
Gross weight: 9,800 kg (21,605 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 10,800 kg (23,810 lb)
Powerplant: 2 × Klimov VK-2500 turboshaft engines, 1,800 kW (2,400 shp) each
Main rotor diameter: 2 × 14.5 m (47 ft 7 in)
Main rotor area: 330.3 m2 (3,555 sq ft) contra-rotating 3-bladed main rotors

Performance
Maximum speed: 315 km/h (196 mph, 170 kn)
Cruise speed: 270 km/h (170 mph, 150 kn)
Never exceed speed: 350 km/h (220 mph, 190 kn)
Range: 545 km (339 mi, 294 nmi)
Combat range: 470 km (290 mi, 250 nmi)
Ferry range: 1,160 km (720 mi, 630 nmi)
Service ceiling: 5,500 m (18,000 ft)
Rate of climb: 12 m/s (2,400 ft/min)
Disk loading: 30 kg/m2 (6.1 lb/sq ft)
Power/mass: 0.33 kW/kg (0.20 hp/lb)

Armament
Guns: 1× mobile semi-rigid 30 mm Shipunov 2A42 cannon (460 rounds total, dual feeding AP or HE-Frag)
Hardpoints: 4 under-wing hardpoints, plus 2 on wingtips for countermeasures or air-to-air missiles with a capacity of 2,000 kg,with provisions to carry combinations of:
Rockets: 80 × 80 mm S-8 rockets and 20 × 122 mm S-13 rocket,
Missiles: 2 × APU-6 Missile racks, able to accommodate a total of 12 × 9K121 Vikhr anti-tank missiles, Vympel R-73 (NATO: AA-11 Archer) air-to-air missiles, Kh-25 semi-active laser guided tactical air-to-ground missiles
Bombs: 4 × 250 kg (550 lb) bombs or 2 × 500 kg (1,100 lb) bombs,
Other: 23 mm UPK-23-250 gun pods (240 rounds each), 500 L (130 US gal) external fuel tanks. Reportedly, twin Igla light air-to-air missile launchers under each wingtip countermeasure pod (total 4 missiles)
Two pods on the wingtips with flare and chaff countermeasure dispensers, 4 UV-26 dispensers each (total 32 chaff/flare cartridges in each pod)











Vikhrs & B-8V Rocket Pods


The co-axial and contra rotating blades that eliminate the need for a tail rotor


The Shipunov 2A42 autocannon mounted on the side

[skanchan95]

Enemy Engaged : Apache versus Hokum
Cheesy line, but the Havoc is probably the closest Russian equivalent of the Apache than the heavier Hokum.











Escort












Took an opportunity to the photograph the Mi-17 again as it looks so beautiful and deadly with those B-8V rocket pods.

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Antonov An-32 :: 1:144 scale :: Plastic, custom painted to IAF colours

Thats an excellent custom built model, I have seen this earlier on a Facebook group for Indian Scale Model builders. I really like the custom built decals and subtle weathering make this a unique creation.

The landing flight path to old Hyderabad Airport goes over my house and I often see the aircraft with its smokey engines flying overhead.

Originally Posted by skanchan95

1:72 North American F-86F-30 Sabre 604/K "Bevkeneve" , South African Air Force No.2 Sqn " Flying Cheetahs", Korea, 1953 (Easy Model)

The Sabre & it's Slayer

Thats a great Sabre, the livery looks striking. Now you need a Mig-15 to go with it. Interesting to note how "Free and Democratic" Western countries supplied weapons to an apartheid Nation which denied basic rights based on race.

I never knew the Gnat was so small compared to the Sabre.

I really like Easy Models, well detailed and pocket friendly. I would start buying them again if they were not made in China.