Spinners

Gloster Meteor RF-73D - 45th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Korea 1951

Dhimari Air Force Meteor FR.8

You owe me a new keyboard...

Annette

Gloster Meteor FR.8 - RAF Photo Reconnaissance Development Unit, 1950 Even though Gloster's had the FR.9 and PR.10 versions of the Meteor under development the increasing obsolescence of the 'PR' Mosquitoes and 'FR' Spitfires saw the RAF demand an interim Fighter Reconnaissance version of the Meteor to which Gloster quickly responded with the FR.8. The minimum change airframe incorporated a Type F.24 camera in the nose with glass side panels allowing oblique photography whilst retaining the standard F.8 armament of four 20mm cannon. First flown by Jan Zurakowski on August 15th, 1949 the Meteor FR.8 served alongside the Meteor F.8 in several RAF squadrons in the UK, Germany and the Middle East from 1950 onwards but without ever wholly equipping an entire RAF squadron. Export orders for the Meteor FR.8 were gained from Brazil, Pakistan and Dhimar with the latter still operating the type in the early 1970's.

Props 1 Turbines 0

I said that without moving my lips...

Bristol Bedouin B.III - No.39 Squadron, RAF Desert Air Force, 1949 The failure of the French resistance to carry out a planned coup d'état in Algiers during Operation Torch saw Axis forces eventually repel the Allied invasion of North Africa in November 1942. Following this failure there followed bitter disagreement amongst the Allies as to 'what next' with the United States eventually electing to renege on the previously agreed policy of 'Europe First' and committing heavy resources to the defeat of Japan. Subsequent Axis victories in the North African campaign led to a bolstering of the Axis position leading to a long-term stalemate in that theatre and the release of substantial Axis forces that were quickly diverted to the Eastern Front. During the Spring and Summer of 1943 the Wehrmacht pushed ahead slowly at first but gained momentum before eventually smashing the Soviet 5th Guards Tank Army at Kursk and continuing on to inflict further defeats on Soviet forces at Orel and Kharkov during the Autumn of 1943 and making substantial gains into the Ukraine where a popular anti-Russian uprising led to an uneasy truce. But the cessation of hostilities in the Ukraine led to an overall strengthening of the Wehrmacht's position on the Eastern Front and ultimately extended the war allowing Germany to field their advanced jet and rocket powered aircraft during 1945 and 1946. Meanwhile, in the UK during the Spring of 1944 the success of the Derwent powered Gloster Meteor and the high expectations of the forthcoming Rolls-Royce Nene led the RAF to request a jet-powered replacement for the Boston, Marauder and Mitchell light bombers of the Desert Air Force and the Bristol Aeroplane Company designed a fairly conventional three-seat tactical bomber utilising two of the proposed Nene centrifugal engines and developed in parallel with a radar equipped two-seat night fighter variant. Design progressed quickly with the prototype Bristol Bedouin taking to the air at Filton on February 28th 1947 and entering service with No.39 Squadron in October 1948 and eventually serving in eight Squadrons of the Desert Air Force during the successful North African campaigns of 1949 and 1950.

Bristol Bedouin B.III - No.39 Squadron, Desert Air Force, 1949

Seversky P-35E Guardsman - Soviet Air Force, 1941

Funny thing was that I was going to do this as a 'masquerade' made by Polikarpov!

I know what you mean but direct that question to General Dynamics!

Lockheed-Martin F-22B Stingray - 899 Naval Air Squadron, Royal Navy, 2011

Tough opposition!

It only winged me...

Republic P-72B Superbolts - JG71, 1950

Blackburn Firebrand TF.4 - Indian Air Force, June 1948

TBH I'm just doing stuff for my own enjoyment at the moment and to keep my long-running thread going at the 'What If' modelers website. In addition, and as you've mentioned it, the DAT permission thing is a complication that I'd just prefer to avoid (and that's not a criticism of the DAT).

Egyptian Wings

I love those 60's/70's artists impressions.

Amen to that. Much appreciated.

IDF Meteor F.8's (One of TK's best)

Sud Aviation Vautour IIA - Grupo 8, Fuerza Aérea de Chile, 1962