Spinners

Hawker Hunter Mk.55 'J-Plus' - 204th Hikotai, Japanese Air Self Defence Force, 1982 With the passing of the 1954 Self-Defense Forces Law the Japanese Air Self Defense Force, or JASDF, was formed as the aviation branch of Japan's armed forces. The F-86F was initially selected to be the standard fighter of the revived JASDF with Mitsubishi building 300 F-86F's under licence in an ambitious programme scheduled to start in 1956. As an interim stop-gap the UK Government offered to supply 100 Hawker Hunter Mk.55's (essentially a simplified Hunter F.6 without air-to-ground capability) and these entered service with the 204th Hikotai in December 1954 and later equipped the "Blue Impulse" aerial display team who flew the type until 1979. The Hunter Mk.55's proved to be a popular aircraft in JASDF service and an aggressive rivalry soon developed between the ten JASDF Sabre squadrons and the four Hunter squadrons. Whilst the capabilities of the JASDF Sabres was sharply increased with the arrival of the Sidewinder missile in the early 1960's the Hunter squadrons received no upgrades until the late 1960's when the surviving Hunter Mk.55's were upgraded by a joint Hawker-Mitsubishi team to emerge as the Hunter Mk.55A gaining Sidewinder capability on new outer wing pylons and later being further upgraded by Mitsubishi during the late 1970's to Mk.55 'J-Plus' standard with new LAU-7/A Sidewinder pylons on the inner wing roots and AN/ALE-40 chaff and flare dispensers. Two squadrons continued to operate the type into the early 1980's with the 204th Hikotai being the last squadron to operate this very popular aircraft in JASDF service when they disbanded in December 1983.

Two Jocks enjoy a dirty Cougar

McDonnell F-101C Voodoo - Esk 727, Royal Danish Air Force, 1970 Thanks for the template Ant!

There's bound to be complaints at the Golf Club....

Danish Magister

Tzukit

Dassault-Avro Canada CF-105 Super Flèche IIIC - No.2 Escadron, Saar Protectorate Air Force, 1966

LSK Fresco

Dassault MD.450 Ouragan - No.1 (Saarbrücken) Squadron, Saar Protectorate Air Force, 1954 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saar_Protectorate

Nice one Wrench - much appreciated!

Spiffing! Thank you Ant!

JASDF CF-105J

50 to 1

Russ - The Latins had an answer "Toti ehors esto" but it's all Greek to me. To tie horses to

Gloster Meteor F.Mk.8 - No.1 (Saarbrücken) Squadron, Saarland Air Self Defence Force, 1955 Immediately after World War 1 the League of Nations created the 'Territory of the Saar Basin' (the Saarland) whose inhabitants voted to rejoin Germany in 1935. But after World War 2 Saarland was separated from the rest of Germany to become a French-occupied territory known as the 'Saar Protectorate' later becoming a member of the Council of Europe in 1950. Despite Saarland's status as a French protectorate it was granted US Mutual Defense Assistance Act funds to form an embryonic air defence force known as the Saarland Air Self Defence Force (SASDF) and with US domestic military production committed to the Korean War it allowed the UK and French governments to supply suitable aircraft as part of the US Offshore Procurement Policy. The first SASDF squadron to form was No.1 (Saarbrücken) Squadron who were equipped with Gloster Meteor F.Mk.8's from 1951 to 1957 operating in the air defence role and only relinquishing this task when the SASDF was absorbed into the recently created West German Luftwaffe when Saarland joined the Federal Republic of Germany following the Saar Treaty of October 1956.

Yes, that would be cool. Thank you. No rush though.

That was exactly my thoughts but only the Ouragon fitted the timeline and I didn't have a blank skin for it. With limited time I plumped for the Meteor but might well create a second squadron. Who knows? After the 1955 referendum perhaps they became an independent nation which opens up a lot of possibilities....

Bristol Blenheim Mk.IF - 2 Smaldeel, Belgian Air Force, 1940

Just seeing Russ' 3D model has reminded me that it would be great to see the F-4A version of the Phantom in Strike Fighters.

I think WrenchTM did a single-seat F-110 'Wraith' - check out the SF1 section. http://combatace.com/files/file/5405-f-110a-wraith-package/

McDonnell Douglas F-4M Phantom - Eskadrille 726, Royal Danish Air Force, 1980

Adventures in SE Asia - Early Days

Cold Comet

Lockheed F-104C Starfighter - No.6 Squadron, Indian Air Force, 1977 "As long as the world is constituted as it is, every country will have to devise and use the latest devices for its protection. I have no doubt India will develop her scientific researches and I hope Indian scientists will use the atomic force for constructive purposes. But if India is threatened, she will inevitably try to defend herself by all means at her disposal." - Jawaharlal Nehru, 1946. Even earlier than the above statement by India's future first Prime Minister, India had embarked on a nuclear research programme with the establishment of the Institute of Fundamental Research led by Dr. Homi Bhabha. After a low-key start increasing tensions with China, and the subsequent loss of territory to China in the short Himilayan border war in October 1962, the programme to produce nuclear weapons was given the utmost priority as a potential means of deterring further Chinese aggression. Whilst future plans were made for delivery by land-based missiles the urgent priority was for a 'simple' free-fall device to eventually equip the IAF's Canberra force. Code-named 'Shiva-P' (a shortened form of Shiva-Pashupatastra - with Pashupatastra being the mythological weapon used by the deity Shiva) the programme to produce India's first nuclear weapon eventually saw the detonation of a nuclear device in 1974 and the emergency introduction into service of the Shiva-P free-fall nuclear bomb in 1977. Meanwhile, Lockheed had seen the breakthrough made by the export of North American F-100D's to India and in March 1960 boldly proposed a version of the F-104C to the Indian Air Force who ordered 100 for use in the fighter- bomber role. Entering service with No.6 squadron in 1962 the F-104C's served with four front-line squadrons and was held in high regard in the low-level attack role so it came as no surprise that the Indian Air Force selected the type to carry the first Shiva-P's delivered in 1977 with No.6 squadron being declared nuclear-capable in a bold announcement made to the world in July 1977.

Marauders!