Following the Sandinista Revolution in Nicaragua, the CIA became completely paranoid about the possibility of the country acquiring MiG-21s, and scrutinised every satellite photograph and scrap on intelligence for signs of suitably-sized crates being shipped there. On becoming aware of this fixation, the Soviet Union decided to exploit it. Casting around for a combat aircraft that could be shipped in a much smaller crate, they settled on the Polish-made TS-11 Iskra BR300, whose tailboom could be removed to pack it in a much shorter, fatter crate than would be thought possible for any kind of aircraft. The ruse worked, and the shipment of aircraft arrived in Nicaragua without challenge.

   The Iskra BR300 was a single-seat development of the standard Polish trainer, with a fuel tank in place of the rear seat and a twin-barrelled GSh-23 cannon in place of the NS-23 fitted to it's BR-200 predecessor. Since the aircraft would be Nicaragua's only jet fighters, they were also given an air-to-air capability by wiring them for R-60 (AA-8 Aphid) AAMs, although this capability was concealed for some time after the existence of the aircraft themselves was acknowledged. The PZL factory wern't told the destination of the aircraft for security reasons and the only guidance they got for a colour scheme was "forest", resulting in an attractive, but rather too dark scheme by Nicaraguan standards. The Fuerza Aérea Sandinista had more important things to do that re-paint aircraft though, so the "Polish Jungle" scheme remained.

   The number of aircraft supplied, and their full combat history, remain unclear and the subject of much rumour and speculation, with the FAS providing no useful information to this day. What is known is that their first recognised air-to-air kill was a Honduran A-37B, on mission in support of the anti-revolutionary Contras, whose wingman saw the Iskra fire a small missile at his leader, and another which apparently malfunctioned, at his own aircraft. This was the first indication that the Iskras had R-60 capability, but it may not actually have been their first kill, since another pair of A-37Bs had vanished without trace two weeks beforehand, and their fate remains unknown.

   The only other established fact is that, a month after the A-37B shootdown, the tables were turned when a flight of A-37Bs apparently ran from a pair of Iskras, only to lead them into a trap sprung by Honduran Super Mystere B2s, resulting in both Iskras being downed in short order. No further recognised air combats took place, although a number of transport aircraft supplying the Contras vanished both before and after these incidents, and it's widely believed that the Iskras were responsible for at least some of those losses. They also flew many ground attack missions in support of the Nicaraguan Army, during which some of them were almost certainly damaged by ground fire.

   The aircraft pictured  is showing signs of wear and tear, despite the fact that, as "the pride of the FAS", they were generally very well maintained. Although the GSh-23 cannon provided far more firepower than it's predecessor, the shorter barrels caused problems with muzzle-blast, which can be seen to have rippled the skin nearby. This aircraft also has patches on it's port wing, and the port aileron and wingtip have been replaced, suggesting damage by small-calibre rounds. The combination of the red-black-yellow Sandinista roundels with the pre-revolutionary blue-white-blue fin flash might seem incongruous, but in fact this was standard practice for all Nicaraguan aircraft of this period. 

Kit: Mastercraft 1/72nd TS-11 Iskra 100/200
Missiles: unknown 1/72nd source. 

Mods: cannon from brass rod and filler, rear seat tank from Evergreen, jetpipe blanked with plasticard, seat straps from masking tape.

Paint: Humbrol enamels, sprayed and brushed. Karismacolour pencils and black pastel for weathering.

Decals: home-printed national markings, kit stencilling.

Best bits: ummmm the green paint (wish I could remember the formula...) and some of the the home-print decals.

Worst bits: the grey/brown paint going wrong, most of the kit stencilling decals falling apart, oh yeah and the the whole damn kit! 

 

 

 

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The British Aircraft Corporation and Saab had a love-child ...

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El Salvadors Whistling Death Planes

by Carlos Fiasco

(from Central Region of Americas Plane Spotting newsletter #8) 

 

 

(IAI CM-170K Tzukit in circuit at B.A. de Mayaculpa)

 

   The buying by Israeli of the Aerospatial "Super Magister" program in the beginning of 1970s meant, of, course, that many of older IAF Fouga Cm-170 Magisters were now excess to requirement and so were rebuilt and reupgraded by Isarel Aircraft Industries for the export purpose. Most of these were simplistic refurb-ishments of the standard 2-seat trainer variant and went on to serve in many world airforces as long-lived basic trainers, of which some are in place still. However, to make more sales of  Fouga Cm-170 Magisters to more customers, Isarel Aircraft Industries begat 1-seat attack verison with the name IAI CM-170K Tzukit.

(IAI CM-170K Tzukit in circuit at B.A. de Mayaculpa. Notable is one seat)

   IAI CM-170K Tzukit was got from inspiration of Air Macchi Mb.326K (also named Impala in Southern Africa) and K-designation was in fact blatent copy of this name also. The designer's direction was to fit 2 DEFA 553 cannons (of which Israeli had a manufacturing permission) in bumps underneath, with many cannon shells in place of the rear pilots seat and bottom. But when this configuration was test-flown, kickback and shaking damaged the aircraft frame parts and even meant that that prototype was written away not to be flown again. 

   Serendipitously, a solution was found. Isarel Aircraft Industries was at the time remaking Israeli Air Force Skyhawk aircrafts with DEFA cannons, so there old Colt Mk.12 20mm cannons were spare for fitting to Fouga Cm-170 Magisters and when this was tested in flight it worked OK.

(IAI CM-170K Tzukit in circuit at B.A. de Mayaculpa. Notable are 20mm cannons in bumps on bottom)

   As well as the cannons, the wing beams were made stroger to carry more ordnance and the Turbo Mecca Marbore motors were tuned for more horsepower. An ejecting seat, some armour and sighting electrical boxes were added also. This was all called "Stage I". Stage II was conceived to start with new General Eclectic J-85 motors (same as Super Magister) to give the horsepower to carry more weights of ordnance, and a diffently arranged wing with 6 bomb racks made possible by the moving of the air brakes to  the back of new wing end fuel tanks which looked like those on Sukhoi Su-25 Frogsfeet.

(IAI CM-170K Tzukit in circuit at B.A. de Mayaculpa. Notable are two bomb racks only)

   Unfortunately for Isarel Aircraft Industries, the IAI CM-170K Tzukit did not get sales to many customers. This was foremostly because even with the stroger wings, ordnance weight of the IAI CM-170K Tzukit was too little, even with clever Israeli-developed weapons such as "square" FFAR pod with 9 rocket projections, whilst, alternatively, the, Stage II version with heavier ordnance weight was too expensive to be buying for an already used aircraft. Arabian boycott of Israel exports was a large problem also. Only a few Stage I aircraft were sold and no Stage II aircraft were ever sold, but 1 customer was El Salvador.

(IAI CM-170K Tzukit in circuit at B.A. de Mayaculpa. Notable are 9 rocket FFAR pods)

   American Government ideas was for many years defeat the export of hi-technology weapons such as jet fighter planes to Central American countries, but this policy was "blown up" by the Israeli in the 1970s when first they made a sale of Dassalt MD.450 Oragans to El Salvador then, a sale of Dassalt Supermystere B2s to Honduras. El Salvador followed this mode then by buying of 20 re-made Fouga Cm-170 Magisters of which the last 8 were conveerted to IAI CM-170K Tzukits before they were remade. Accusedly El Salvador wanted Stage II IAI CM-170K Tzukits but they were told by American Government that permissions to sell to them the American Gereral Eclectic J-85 motors would not ever be made, so they got Stage I only. 

   El Salvadors IAI CM-170 Tzukits were sent in normal IAF dessert camoflage of green sand and brown paints due to a mistaken communication between the Fuerza Aerea Salvadorena and the Isarel Aircraft Industries. In El Salvador it was seen that these paints were too light of hue for the flora of that place, so it was decided to paint across the sand paint with a green paint of darker hue that was sent with the Dassalt MD.450 Oragans. A sotry is that the first painter saw a snake under the plane and was epiphanied to leave "snakes" of sand paint in the paint colours (or maybe he justly made a big mistake and it looked fine and they kept it, but the first story is better to tell in bars maybe?).

(IAI CM-170K Tzukit in circuit at B.A. de Mayaculpa. Notable is sand paint "snakes". Paint is badly after many years of fight)

 The Salvadorean IAI CM-170K Tzukits and also there 2-seat Fouga Cm-170 Magisters fought a lot in the El Salvador Civil War in the 1980s years and soon 4 were crashed or shot down but they did many bombings of rebels. The palnes were said to have been given the name "Whistling Death" because of the sound of there motors (but truthfulness of this history is unclarified so far by researching). 

   But from the middle of the 1980s Cessna A-37B Dragonflys were sent from America because of American President Ronald Reagans changes of American Government policy about El Salvador. The IAI CM-170K Tzukit was a lot posterior to the Cessna A-37B Dragonflys becasuse this plane (thrust with irony by General Eclectic J-85 motors that IAI CM-170K Tzukit was not allowed) had much bigger weight of ordnance, and so the IAI CM-170K Tzukit became less and less seen. Now only 1 is ordained to still be alaive in El Salvador with 2 Fouga Cm-170 Magisters also.

(All photos by author - pardons that closeup photos of aircraft on ground all taken by Military Police who arrested author at B.A. de Mayaculpa)

Kit: Airfix 1/72nd Fouga Magister
Gun Blisters: Revellobox 1/72nd Mystere IV rocket pod halves
Gun barrels: Airfix 1/72nd early Skyhawk
Pylons: Airfix 1/72nd BAe Hawk

Paint: Humbrol enamels, sprayed (badly) and brushed, Karismacolour pencils and black pastel for weathering

Decals: home made national markings, magister stencilling, Hawk ejection seat triangles

Mods: headrest to make moulded-in seat look like ejector seat, masking tape seat straps, scratchbuilt gunsight, single cockpit and cut down canopy, gun blisters added, tailpipes blanked off, pylons added, rocket pods scratchbuilt from brass tube and Evergreen rod.

Best bits: the way the single seat conversion came together, the rocket pods and the gunsight.

Worst bits: when the filler cockled the engine door skin, and when the brown paint went horribly, horribly wrong.....

 

Full build thread here: http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,22788.msg352152.html#msg352152

 

 

 

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This is a kit-bash I finished some time ago. Currently working on some other projects.
If my memory serves me it was a mix of 1/48 TSR-2, SU-24 and Vigilante. I've tried to submit over on the Forums but I couldn't seem to access my pictures to upload them. Looking forward to showing the latest when they are complete. I've shown these before over at the IPMSUK What-If forum.

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Hawker Sea Hunter
Self explanatory really, this is a whif I did for a competition on another forum. Unfortunately the painting went badly wrong and I only had time for a quick respray and add decals before the deadline. But it was fun to do! basically a Matchbox Hunter kit with floats from - I've really no idea as they've been in my bits box for well over 30 years...
Anyway, picture and story.




BAe (Hawker) Sea Hunter
With the world-wide recession biting ever deeper the MOD decided in 2012 that it could no longer support global operations. The UK was being targeted by smugglers and pirates and the Navy had very few vessels suited for inshore patrol work.

Existing aircraft in the FAA inventory were deemed too costly for this sort of deployment due to the support resources required. It was decided to ask manufacturers for design proposals to meet the new requirement.

While sorting through the archives ready to move to a long term storage facility a BAe design engineer came across a concept sketch, dated 1958, for a float plane variant of the Hunter. He immediately realised the potential of an established design with proven structural integrity and payload capability particularly in the two seat variant. A true pilot’s aeroplane and with ease of maintenance the only problem would be acquiring sufficient airworthy numbers from the civil register. The BAe design team reworked the concept into a viable design and acquired a single T7 which was suitably modified ready to present to the MOD.

Re-engined with the FGA9’s Avon 200 and crewed by a pilot and weapons officer/observer the Sea Hunter proved an immediate hit as senior members in the Admiralty realised that with modern technology current warships could be fitted with catapults to enable greater flexibility of the fleet in the absence of the promised carrier replacements.

The Hunter shown is the original BAe prototype fitted with a radar pod and homing torpedo for coastal interdiction. The single Aden was retained for defence and supporting firepower. Able to operate in sheltered coastal waters and ports the Sea Hunter proved a successful asset in the protection of the British Isles.

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