BAe Ghostrider FGR.1
During the 1980s, a select team of RAF officers and BAe engineers were invited to the Lockheed facility at Groom Lake, Nevada. There, they were shown an amazing new stealth aircraft, the F-19 Ghostrider, nicknamed the 'Flying Frisbee'. Highly impressed, on return to the UK the delegation managed to convince the government to purchase a squadron of the new aircraft. BAe were approached to adapt the aircraft with a different avionics load out, Martin Baker ejection seat, licence produced versions of Lockheed's engine, an ADEN cannon in place of the Vulcan and a retractable refuelling probe instead of the US boom receptacle system. Built at BAe's factories in the UK, the completed aircraft were shipped to Groom Lake where they were tested and evaluated, before going into service with No.100 squadron RAF.
The Ghostrider FGR.1's saw service in Operation Granby supporting ground forces in low-level sneak attacks, and destroying key Iraqi facilities along with their US colleagues. They also saw action over the Balkans, and over Iraq again in Operation Desert Fox and Operation Telic, performing similar tasks to those from Op Granby.
Taking off for weapons training
Air to Air practice
An aerial shot of one of the Ghostriders
The results of one of a Maverick strike in Operation Granby showing of the desert pink radar-absorbent paint scheme
Low and fast over the Gulf
This is the F-19 by Julhelm tweaked by Wrench. The pilot is the modern USAF one in the F-35 pack from FastCargo.