The Ford Aerospace AN/AVQ-26 Pave Tack is an electro-optical targeting pod for military attack aircraft. It uses a laser and a forward looking infrared to find and designate targets for laser-guided bombs and other precision-guided munitions. Pave Tack’s images are routed to a cockpit display, usually for the weapon systems officer.
Pave Tack was developed in the late 1970s and entered service in 1982, and was initially used by the USAF McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II and General Dynamics F-111C Aardvark strike aircraft. Its combat debut came in 1986 during Operation El Dorado Canyon’s air raid against Libya by F-111F aircraft stationed at RAF Lakenheath, England. F-111s used it to great effect in the Gulf War of 1991, both against fixed targets and against tanks.
F-4 crews called Pave Tack “Pave Drag” because it was carried externally. Pave Tack is a large installation, with the pod alone weighing some 1,385 lb (629 kg) and measuring 166 inches (4,220 mm) in length. On the F-4, the size of the pod meant that it had to be carried on the centerline station in place of the standard drop tank; it imposed a substantial aerodynamic drag penalty and was generally unpopular. The F-111C and F-111F carried the Pave Tack pod on a rotating carriage in its internal bomb bay, retracting it when not in use to reduce drag and protect the sensors from damage.
About 150 AVQ-26 pods were built, substantially less than originally planned. The last USAF Pave Tacks were withdrawn with the retirement of the F-111 in 1996.
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) purchased ten Pave Tack pods in 1980 for its F-111 fleet. All 24 F-111Cs were wired for the pod, although there were not enough pods for all to be simultaneously equipped. Following the retirement of the USAF’s F-111F in 1996 the RAAF purchased surplus pods to equip each of its F-111Cs to carry its own.
The Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF) ordered an initial batch of eight pods in 1984 for delivery in 1987. It may have subsequently obtained additional pods from USAF surplus. The RoKAF uses the pods on its F-4 Phantoms.
Hobby Master’s upcoming RAAF General Dynamics F-111C “Aardvark” Strike Aircraft would eventually become the prototype platform for use with the Pave Tack pod, which was later phased out for better performing equipment and more updated platforms. Nevertheless, look for this rendition to fly in some time in July.
Corgi’s 1:72 scale RAF Avro Lancaster B Mk. III Heavy Bomber – AJ-T, “T-Tommy”, No.617 Squadron “The Dambusters”, Operation Chastise, May 1943
With the crews of the newly formed RAF No.617 Squadron now briefed on the targets they were being sent to attack, raid preparations for American pilot Flt Lt Joe McCarthy and his crew could hardly have been more challenging. Having practiced exhaustively in their usual aircraft ED915/AJ-Q ‘Queenie’, the crew discovered their Lancaster had developed a technical problem in the seconds immediately prior to taking off for ‘Operation Chastise’, the audacious RAF raid against the mighty dams of the Ruhr Valley. The issue was serious enough to force the crew to abandon their aircraft and transfer to reserve Lancaster ED825/G AJ-T ‘Tommy’ just minutes before they were due to take off. Their new aircraft eventually left Scampton at 22.01 hrs bound for arguably the most difficult target of the entire raid, the Sorpe Dam, which was protected by a huge earth bank.
Having practiced attacking targets flying low, straight and level towards them, they would instead have to drop their ‘Upkeep’ mine in a completely different manner. Flying low over the German village of Langscheid, they would have to avoid the tall steeple of the village church on the run-in, before diving steeply to extremely low altitude to fly along the length of the dam wall, dropping the non-spinning ‘Upkeep’ mine at exactly the halfway point. This attack approach proved so difficult that the aircraft’s bomb aimer George Leonard ‘Johnny’ Johnson could not release the mine on nine previous attack runs, however on the tenth and whilst flying at a little over 30 feet, the Lancaster was perfectly aligned. Johnson shouted, ‘Bomb gone!’ over the intercom, much to the relief of the aircraft’s crew, with the mine exploding exactly where intended, creating a huge crack in the structure. Unfortunately for them, the huge earth bank which supported the Sorpe Dam held firm, but would require extensive repair works to be undertaken in the weeks which followed the raid.
Lancaster ED825 arrived safely back at RAF Scampton at approximately 03.30 in the morning of 17th May 1943, where the crew would learn that whilst the raid had been a success, the men of No.617 Squadron had paid a terrible price. Of the 19 Lancasters which had left the airfield only hours earlier, eight aircraft and their crews had failed to return. The bomb aimer onboard Lancaster ED825/G AJ-T ‘Tommy’ during its attack against the Sorpe Dam and the man with the responsibility for releasing the aircraft’s ‘Upkeep’ mine was George Leonard ‘Johnny’ Johnson. Unless the aircraft was in the optimum position to deliver the mine on target, Johnson would not release the weapon, telling the pilot to go around and have another run at it. On that fateful night, it would take ten attack runs before he was happy to release the mine and allow the pilot to set course for home and their place in the history books.
At the age of 101, George Leonard ‘Johnny’ Johnson was the last surviving airman from the Dambusters raid, but sadly joined the rest of his comrades in early December last year. All 133 of the Dambusters heroes are now reunited once more.
“T for Tommy” is currently in stock and ready for imediate shipment.
Corgi’s 1:72 scale USAF Douglas C-47A Skytrain Troop Transport – 42-100521 “Night Fright”, 79th Troop Carrier Squadron, 436th Troop Carrier Group, Membury, June 5th/6th, 1944
With the long-anticipated invasion of Europe now imminent, some new arrivals turned up at US Station 466 Membury airfield in the last few days of May 1944, the paratroopers of the famous 101st Airborne Division ‘Screaming Eagles’, members of the 377th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion and a detachment of the 326th Airborne Medical Company. These men would be putting their lives in the hands of the crews of the home based Douglas C-47 crews, but would have trained exhaustively for the historic mission which lay ahead of them. Many would take part in detailed briefings to give them information regarding flight routes, timings, drop-zones and known enemy anti-aircraft gun locations and on 3rd June, base personnel were given orders to paint black and white stripes around the rear fuselage and wings of all their aircraft.
With so many aircraft in the air at the same time and with this possibility of friendly-fire casualties resulting not only from aircraft attack, but from ground and seaborne anti-aircraft fire, Allied D-Day planners called for ‘invasion stripes’ to be painted on the majority of Allied aircraft, in an effort to clearly identify them to other friendly units. For everyone involved in this momentous day, the situation was now crystal clear – ‘if it ain’t got stripes, shoot it down’. In order to prevent German spies and reconnaissance aircraft from discovering this black and white secret, the plan was a matter of the utmost secrecy and was only divulged in the days immediately prior to invasion, increasing an already hectic workload for airfield personnel. The C-47s of the 436th Troop Carrier Group were assigned to fly two ‘serials’ (sorties) into Normandy on D-Day. Serial #9 would be executed by the 79th and 82nd Troop Carrier Squadrons, delivering the 1st Battalion 502nd PIR, whilst the 80th and 81st TCS would fly Serial #10 carrying the 377th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion and the 326th AB Med Co into Normandy. Due to the heavy loads which needed to be carried for the 377th PFAB, which included their field guns and ammunition, the 85th TCS from the 437th TCG over at Ramsbury airfield were sent on detached service to the 436th and assigned as a third squadron for Serial #10.
The original planned departure date was to have been the 4th of June, however, a storm front forced a 24 hour delay – Operation Neptune finally got underway in the late evening of June 5th 1944. Para-packs were assembled ready to load onto the six racks beneath each aircraft, with the packs containing the component parts of disassembled field guns, ammunition, explosives, firearms and other essential equipment for war. Other packs including wheels for the howitzer field guns were loaded into the aircraft themselves, ready for the troopers to push out when the green light was turned on over the drop zone.
On the 5th of June, shortly before departure for ‘Mission Albany’, General Eisenhower and 101st Airborne Division Commander General Maxwell Taylor visited Membury airfield and the troops who were about to embark on their ‘Great Crusade’. Eisenhower visited all five airfields of the 53rd TCW that day to rally the troops but when he saw their determined, blackened faces and the number of weapons and knives each paratrooper was carrying, he knew that the men of the Screaming Eagles were ready for the coming fight. C-47A 42-100521 ‘Night Fright’ flew as Chalk No 20 in the first of the two serials which took-off from Membury at 2300 hours on the night of June 5th, carrying elements of 1st Battalion, 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, arriving over the DZ ‘A’ near Saint-Germain-de-Varreville at approximately 01:08hrs on June 6th, 1944. The flight crew on that fateful night were Pilot; William Watson, Co-pilot; James Hardt, Radio Operator; Robert McKnight, Navigator; Arthur E. Thornton and Crew Chief, Owen Voss.
Upon reaching the western coast of the Cherbourg peninsula, low cloud made staying in tight formation difficult for the C-47 crews, especially as German anti-aircraft fire became heavier and more accurate the closer they got to their Drop Zone. The navigators onboard the lead aircraft skilfully shepherded the formation and they successfully dropped the paratroopers over their intended primary drop zone, before turning and heading for home and what turned out to be a relatively uneventful return flight to Membury, were they landed just before 0400hrs.
Incredibly, all the C-47s of the 436th TCG made it back to Membury, even though many had sustained damage from the savage ground fire they encountered – ‘Night Fright’ herself sustained around one hundred separate bullet and shrapnel hits, which put her out of service for the next four days whilst she underwent repairs. The Group’s glider pilots were not so lucky, with several men being either killed or injured during the landing operations. Between June 9th and 13th, the 436th carried out a number of further sorties, towing CG-4A gliders full of supplies in an attempt to resupply troops fighting in the area of St. Mere Eglise.After undergoing repairs, ‘Night Fright’ returned to post D-Day operations, carrying out resupply missions, medical evacuations and freight-moving flights during the rest of this historic month.
After playing such an important role in helping secure eventual Allied victory during the Second World War, Douglas C-47A 42-100521 ‘Night Fright’ entered the US civilian register as NC65384, flying domestic routes with several operators over the next fifteen years. She was then sold to the French Navy, where she served as a navigational trainer and general communications aircraft, arriving in France during the summer of 1963 and joining Escadrille 56S at Nimes-Garons, where she was given the serial 18984 and fuselage code ’84’.
When the French finally disposed of their military C-47s in 1984, the aircraft came into the possession of Basler Flight Services, who arranged to fly her back to America. Now registered N98BF, she flew the famous wartime northern ferry route on her way back home, not stopping until she reached Texas. Re-registered once more as N308SF, she soon found herself hauling cargo in the colors of Sky Freighters Corporation and while she would be used as a load lugger for the next twenty years or so, she would do so under the ownership of several different companies. Underlining the excellence of the aircraft’s original design and the strength of its construction, this warbird would spend many years transporting anything from live chickens to electrical generators all across North and Central America, in addition to regularly turning up at airfields on various Caribbean islands.
For an aircraft which possessed such a rich wartime history, ‘Night Fright’ was later forced to suffer the ignominy of being listed on a well-known auction site, finally coming into the ownership of a company who were specialists in the dismantling and scrapping of aircraft. Fortunately and for reasons which are still unclear, this former D-Day veteran was spared the scrapman’s attentions and sat forlornly at Walnut Ridge airfield, the same airfield she had returned to following the end of her wartime ETO service. It was from here that she was discovered by a group of people who had a very special restoration project in mind.
Douglas C-47A 42-100521 ‘Night Fright’ is now the subject of a meticulous restoration project taking place in a hangar at Coventry Airport in the UK and significantly, this project will see this D-Day veteran taking to the skies once more. Returning the aircraft to as close to her June 5th, 1944, configuration as possible, once the ‘Night Fright’ restoration team have succeeded in their quest, the aircraft will serve as a unique flying memorial to the men and aircraft which took part in D-Day, allowing the public the opportunity to experience what it must have been like to be on board this very aircraft in the hours prior to making that historic flight.
As ‘Night Fright’ takes her place as a high-profile addition to the UK and European Airshow circuit, there are also ambitious plans to create a museum at the former US Station 466 Membury airfield site, the actual airfield that ‘Fright Night’ took off from on the night of June 5th/6th, 1944. This is something which will clearly enhance the authenticity of this project, while also producing a popular visitor attraction for the region. Central to these plans, it is also intended that part of the original runway at Membury will be restored, to enable ‘Night Fright’ to operate from and to be based at her former wartime home airfield, a unique ‘living’ link to D-Day and a chance for us all to experience history. As is the case with everyone aware of this fascinating project, we await the first post restoration flight of Douglas C-47A 42-100521 ‘Night Fright’ with some excitement and wish the restoration team every success over the coming months.
“Night Fright” is in stock and ready for immediate shipment.
Luft-X’s 1:72 scale German Lippisch P.13a Ramjet-Powered Interceptor
Its been awhile since Luft-X added some new warbirds to their highly successful range of vengeance weapons Hitler oft touted as saving the Third Reich from disaster. Although the Ho 229 flying wing was resurrected and expected to return to stock this month, we were beginning to wonder if any newer projects were kicking about that would help extend the life and interest in this all-important line. Well, wonder no more because two new models were announced today, both designed to reinvigorate the range and breathe new life into a rather dormant series.
The Lippisch P.12, P.13a and P.13b were related design projects for a ramjet-powered delta wing interceptor aircraft studied in 1944 by German designer Alexander Lippisch. The P.12 and P.13a were unarmed, relying on reinforced wings to ram its opponent. The P.13a and b were to be powered by powdered coal. The DM-1 was a full-size glider, flown to test the P.12/13a low-speed aerodynamics. The design series were unrelated to the earlier P.13 produced by Messerschmitt’s Lippisch design office.
The solid-fuel powered P.13 was one of several distinct Lippisch design studies to be so designated and became identified as the P/13a. It underwent much the same variations of form as the P.12, being presented in a brochure with the large fin and integral raised cockpit, and with an articulated, double-hinged landing skid. The wing trailing edge is angled slightly forwards and the downturned tip surfaces have been discarded. The outer wing sections could be folded upwards for transportation by rail.
A variant with a rectangular canard foreplane was wind-tunnel tested. This was not really consistent with ramming and there are other indications that conventional gun armament was being considered.
Meanwhile, the Heinkel Wespe (English: Wasp) was a project study by the German company Heinkel for a tail-sitting, vertical take off and landing-interceptor aircraft. The aircraft did not have conventional wings, but instead featured a large rotor. Completed in 1945, it remained untested due to a lack of material at the end of the Second World War. A related project was the Heinkel Lerche.
Luft-X’s 1:72 scale German Heinkel Wespe Vertical Take Off and Landing InterceptorIs that the face of a Wasp on the nose? Perhaps it should’ve been named the Shark
The aircraft was to be powered by a turboprop in the center of the airframe which was unusual for having a circular wing and would have had a small frontal area, making it a good platform for attacking bombers. It may have been designed for point defense, but due to the situation in Germany at the time, the engine was not completed and none were ever built.
Both new models are slated to take to the skies this September.
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USAF Lockheed-Martin F-22A Raptor Air Dominance Fighter – 04-4065, 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron, 53d Test and Evaluation Group, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, November 2021 [Anti-Reflective Coating]
In the world of technological advances, what works one minute may not work the next. Take the Lockheed-Martin F-22 Raptor as a prime example. Billed as a cutting-edge fifth generation fighter, the aircraft may already be showing its age, faced with some unexpected challenges that could put the platform in jeopardy in the not-too-distant future.
In June 2020, the “War Zone” reported that a 401 “Son of Ares” technology demonstration aircraft had conducted multiple test flights over the China Lake Naval Aviation Weapons Center. The surface of the aircraft was covered with a layer of highly reflective metal coating. Its stitching quality is similar to what we saw on this F-22. At the time, the US media assumed that this could be used to test advanced infrared sensors, and even low-power laser systems, as well as the aiming capabilities of these systems for specular reflection targets.
According to the report, the US military is currently conducting a large number of infrared search and tracking systems (IRSTs) tests, which are in the process of early deployment by the US Air Force and Navy. The US military is also developing an air-to-air laser weapon system.
In 2021, scientists developed a new type of stealth coating. This type of stealth coating is a lightweight anti reflective coating based on the structure of a moth’s eye that could make aircraft invisible to radar. The secret to the new coating is the creation of millions of tiny hollow spheres of carbonized sugar, arranged in a tightly-packed hexagonal monolayer. These spheres absorb nearly all radiation used by military targeting radar and law enforcement speed traps.
A coating which is 100 per cent anti-reflective in visible light would appear as a shapeless black mass, while one which had this property in the microwave range would be completely invisible to radar. The secret is the size of the biopolymer beads which form the hollows inside the coating, which at around 6mm are slightly smaller than the wavelengths of microwave and radar beams, and the thickness of the carbon walls that surround them.
Expect this latest technological marvel to land in June.
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USAF Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk Stealth Attack Aircraft – 79-10781, “Toxic Death”, 410th Flight Test Squadron, 412th Tactical Wing, National Museum of the United States Air Force, 1991 [Retirement Scheme]
There are eclectic paint schemes employed on some aircraft and then there are the ones that border on the bizarre. Such is our characterization for “Toxic Death” – the latest F-117A to roll off the Hobby Master assembly line and into the arms of wide-eyed collectors world wide.
If a band of pirates were to have stolen an F-117 Nighthawk in an alternate dystopian reality, it probably would have looked exactly like YF-117A #781 does. It’s not every day you see one of America’s most sensitive and exotic combat aircraft stripped of its paint and stealth coatings and rattle-canned with graffiti, but that’s exactly what happen on June 27th, 1991.
Just a couple of years after the F-117 was declassified, and just months after its incredible performance during Operation Desert Storm, YF-117 #781 “Scorpion 2” was selected to be retired to the National Museum of the United States Air Force, located at Wright Patterson AFB. At the time, #781 was just ten years old, and had racked up just 437 test flights, but it was a pre-production test aircraft – the second of its kind – and could not be reintroduced into the operational F-117 fleet.
Transferring #781 to a museum was a pretty big deal, as no F-117 had ever been put on public display – not to mention the fact that the aircraft was packed with classified systems and coated with some of America’s most sensitive material. Simply flying it to the museum and pulling out some avionics was not in the cards; the “Black Jet” had to be totally stripped and modified inside and out before being rolled out to the public.
To remove any trace of the highly classified radar-absorbent material that coated the F-117’s faceted surfaces, the aircraft was “media-blasted.” This is a process similar to sand-blasting, but utilizes sodium bicarbonate crystals instead of sand so that the jet’s bare skin, which is an amalgam of composite and metallic materials, would not be harmed in the process.
While media blasting was safe for the jet, it was abhorrent for the crews that had to do it. Everyone involved had to be covered head to toe in protective gear and masks, any open seam sealed with tape. Apparently, the fine particulates got everywhere and into everything – no crevice was too small. It was a nasty, arduous process – and precisely where the “Toxic Death” moniker and skull and crossbones emblazoned on both sides of #781 came from. Since the aircraft was going to be repainted before being put on display anyway, the crews had some fun with their blank canvas.
The “Ray Who?” inscription seen painted in red behind the cockpit apparently refers to the name of a gregarious flight test engineer that worked with the Baja Scorpions, the Lockheed-USAF integrated test unit that conducted F-117 developmental flight testing during the jet’s infancy at Area 51.
The freshly stripped #781 made its way to Wright Patterson AFB, and once it arrived was gutted of a ton of other sensitive materials, systems, and reusable parts. Many of the jet’s classified avionics, like its air-data computer, the radar-diffusing grids over its intakes, and low-observable (stealthy) screens over its FLIR and DLIR, had to be dealt with.
Once picked clean, #781 had to be built back up to look like any operational F-117. Certain frequency selective panels, the jet’s exhaust tiles, tail fins, and other sensitive body parts had to be pulled and replaced with lookalikes. Finally, the project was capped off with the application of the Nighthawk’s signature flat-black paint. (courtesy: The Drive)
Look for this latest wunderwaffe, er masterpiece, to land on diecast shelves some time in May.
Hobby Master’s 1:48 scale German Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6 “Gustav” Fighter – “Christl”, Gerhard Barkhorn, II./Jagdgeschwader 52, Ukraine, September 1943
“For the last two and one-half years the bitter and costly struggle against Bolshevism has made the utmost demands upon the bulk of our military resources and energies. This commitment was in keeping with the seriousness of the danger, and the over-all situation. The situation has since changed. The threat from the East remains, but an even greater danger looms in the West: the Anglo-American landing! In the East, the vastness of the space will, as a last resort, permit a loss of territory even on a major scale, without suffering a mortal blow to Germany’s chance for survival. Not so in the West! If the enemy here succeeds in penetrating our defenses on a wide front, consequences of staggering proportions will follow within a short time. All signs point to an offensive against the Western Front of Europe no later than spring, and perhaps earlier. For that reason, I can no longer justify the further weakening of the West in favor of other theaters of war. I have therefore decided to strengthen the defenses in the West, particularly at places from which we shall launch our long-range war against England. For those are the very points at which the enemy must and will attack; there–unless all indications are misleading–will be fought the decisive invasion battle.” – Fuhrer Directive No. 51, announcing preparations for a two-front war, November 3rd, 1943
Gerhard Barkhorn is credited with the second highest victory tally in WWII, and is only one of two pilots to have reached the 300 level, the other being Erich “Bubi” Hartmann. For most of his combat career, Barkhorn served with JG 52, although he earned his come uppance in July 1939 with JG 2.
While his unit took part in the Battle of Britain, he was never able to score any victories in the skies over England. Afterwards, JG 52 was transferred to the Eastern Front in July 1941, where Barkhorn earned his first victory on the second of the month. This tally soon grew, reaching an astounding 52 kills by August 1942. For this he was awarded “Das Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuz” (Knights Cross of the Iron Cross). His count continued to soar, reaching 175 victories in January 1943, at which point he received the Oakleaves to his Knights Cross.
In September, he was promoted to the rank of Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 52. He reached the magical mark of 200 kills in November, and gained his 250th victory in February 1944, for which he received the Swords to his Knights Cross with Oakleaves. He eventually claimed 300 victories at the beginning of 1945 and his final kill, an incredible 301 victories, on January 5th, 1945.
On January 15th, he was promoted to the rank of Major and became Geschwaderkommodore of JG 6. In April, he was moved to the “Jagdfliegerheim” for recuperation, before moving to JV 44 — “The Squadron of Experts” — under the tutelage of Johannes Steinhoff & Adolf Galland. Called upon to fly the jet-powered Me 262, he was forced to make a crash landing due to engine failure and heavy enemy opposition on April 17th, which left him seriously injured. The injury would put an end to his flying career, which stood at an incredible 1,104 combat missions, spanning much of Continental Europe.
Look for “Christl”, Gerhard Barkhorn’s Messerschmitt mount, to defend the skies over The Third Reich this April.
Panzerkampf’s 1:72 scale Russian Sukhoi Su-30MKK “Flanker-C” Fighter – “Red 504”, Pavel Osipovich Sukhoi, Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Russia
Pavel Osipovich Sukhoi was a Soviet aerospace engineer and aircraft designer known as the founder of the Sukhoi Design Bureau. Sukhoi designed military aircraft with Tupolev and Sukhoi for 50 years, and produced many notable Soviet planes such as the Sukhoi Su-7, Su-17, and Su-24. His planes set two altitude world records (1959, 1962) and two world speed records (1960, 1962). Sukhoi was honored in the Soviet Union as a Hero of Socialist Labor and awarded the Order of Lenin three times.
In the postwar years, Sukhoi was among the first Soviet aircraft designers who led the work on jet aircraft, creating several experimental jet fighters. From 1949, Sukhoi fell out of Stalin’s favour and was forced to return to work under Tupolev, this time as Deputy Chief Designer. In 1953, the year of Stalin’s death, Sukhoi was permitted to re-establish his own Sukhoi Design Bureau. Sukhoi produced several major serial combat aircraft during the Cold War, including the supersonic Su-7, which became the main Soviet fighter-bomber of the 1960s, and interceptors Su-9 and Su-15, which formed the backbone of the Soviet Air Defence Forces. Sukhoi also pioneered variable-sweep wing aircraft, such as the Su-17 and Su-24. Sukhoi also started a number of projects that were not developed, including the ambitious Mach-3-capable Sukhoi T-3 attack aircraft. From 1958 to 1974, Sukhoi served as a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.
Sukhoi died on September 15th, 1975, at the Barvikha sanatorium in Moscow, and was buried in the Novodevichy Cemetery. The last fighter Sukhoi designed was the T-10 (Su-27) but he did not live to see it fly.
Panzerkampf plans to pay homage to the legendary aircraft designer with this Su-30MKK fighter that bears Sukhoi’s likeness on its tail. No firm date has been established concerning its release.
The Multinational Force in Lebanon (MNF) was an international peacekeeping force created in August 1982 following a 1981 US-brokered ceasefire between the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Israel to end their involvement in the conflict between Lebanon’s pro-government and pro-Syrian factions. The ceasefire held until June 3rd, 1982 when the Abu Nidal Organization attempted to assassinate Shlomo Argov, Israel’s ambassador to London. Israel blamed the PLO and three days later invaded Lebanon. West Beirut was besieged for seven weeks before the PLO acceded to a new agreement for their withdrawal. The agreement provided for the deployment of a Multinational Force to assist the Lebanese Armed Forces in evacuating the PLO, Syrian forces and other foreign combatants involved in Lebanon’s civil war.
The four-nation MNF was created as an interposition force meant to oversee the peaceful withdrawal of the PLO. The participants included the U.S. Multinational Force (USMNF), which consisted of four different Marine Amphibious Units (MAUs); British 1st Queens Dragoon Guards armored reconnaissance regiment; the 1st inter-arm Foreign and French Brigade, 4 Foreign Legion Regiments, 28 French Armed Forces regiments including French and Foreign paratroopers, units of the National Gendarmerie, Italian paratroopers from the Folgore Brigade, infantry units from the Bersaglieri regiments and Marines of the San Marco Regiment. Additionally, the MNF was in charge of training various units of the Lebanese Armed Forces.
The relatively benign environment at the beginning of the mission gave way to chaos as the civil war re-escalated following the assassination of President-elect Bashir Gernavel in September 1982. Subsequent political and military developments on the ground caused the MNF to be viewed not as a peacekeeper, but as a belligerent. In early 1984, after it became apparent that the government of Lebanon was no longer able to impose its will on warring factions as they entered Beirut and hostilities renewed, the MNF ended its presence mission in Beirut and went offshore before completely leaving Lebanon in July of the same year in the aftermath of the October 1983 barracks bombing that killed 241 U.S. and 58 French servicemen. It was replaced by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) already present in Lebanon since 1978 under the leadership of Ghanian Lieutenant General Emmanuel Erskine.
The involvement of British forces in the Multinational Force was agreed by the UK Government on December 15th, 1982. The American request for UK military support posed a dilemma for Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher who was wary of entanglement in the complex conflict in Lebanon. However, she agreed to a small, limited commitment as a token effort to support the UK-US ‘special relationship’. The contingent of BRITFORLEB, code-named Operation Hyperion, was limited to an armored reconnaissance squadron equipped with Ferret armored cars with, at most, 115 deployed personnel. British Forces were based in the East Beirut district of Regie Hadath. The contingent did not suffer any fatalities and was withdrawn, with the other multinational contingents, in February 1984. BRITFORLEB consisted of three squadron-sized rotations from armored reconnaissance units: C Sqn (Feb-Aug 1983) and A Sqn (Aug-Dec 1983) from the 1st Queens Dragoon Guards, and A Sqn (Dec 1983-Feb 1984) of the 16th/5th The Queen’s Royal Lancers.
Looking to pay tribute to the “special relationship” that continues to exist between the US and UK as well as the British contribution to the UN peackeeping mission, Waltersons will be releasing a 1:72 scale replica of a helicopter that participated in BRITFORLEB – the British effort to bring peace to Lebanon in the early 1980s. Their newest British-based Chinook proudly wears an over-sized Union Jack on its rear pylon as well as its fuselage underside and capitalizes on the success of Walterson’s range of CH-47 Chinook helicopters. Expect their newest rotary wing aircraft to soar over Beirut and the diecast battlefield this April.
Legendary Cruise Ships’ 1:1250 scale replica of the Olympic-Class Ocean Liner RMS Titanic – 1912
The Olympic-class ocean liners were a trio of British ocean liners built by the Harland & Wolff shipyard for the White Star Line during the early 20th century. They were Olympic (1911), Titanic (1912) and Britannic (1914). All three were designed to be the largest and most luxurious passenger ships at that time, designed to give White Star an advantage in the transatlantic passenger trade. While Olympic, the lead vessel, had a career spanning 24 years and was retired and sold for scrap in 1935, her sisters would not see similar success: Titanic struck an iceberg and sank on her maiden voyage and Britannic was lost during World War I after hitting a mine off Kea in the Aegean Sea before she could enter passenger service. Although two of the vessels did not have successful careers, they are among the most famous ocean liners ever built. Both Olympic and Titanic enjoyed the distinction of being the largest ships in the world. Olympic was the largest British-built ship in the world for over 20 years until the commissioning of Queen Mary in 1936. Titanic’s story has been adapted into many books, films, and television programs and Britannic inspired a film of the same name in 2000.
RMS Titanic was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on April 15th, 1912, after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers and crew aboard, more than 1,500 died, making it the deadliest sinking of a single ship up to that time. It remains the deadliest peacetime sinking of an ocean liner or cruise ship. The disaster drew public attention, provided foundational material for the disaster film genre, and has inspired many artistic works.
RMS Titanic was the largest ship afloat at the time she entered service and the second of three Olympic-class ocean liners operated by the White Star Line. She was built by the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast. Thomas Andrews, the chief naval architect of the shipyard, died in the disaster. Titanic was under the command of Captain Edward Smith, who went down with the ship. The ocean liner carried some of the wealthiest people in the world, as well as hundreds of emigrants from Great Britain and Ireland, Scandinavia, and elsewhere throughout Europe, who were seeking a new life in the United States and Canada.
The first-class accommodation was designed to be the pinnacle of comfort and luxury, with a gymnasium, swimming pool, libraries, high-class restaurants, and opulent cabins. A high-powered radiotelegraph transmitter was available for sending passenger “marconigrams” and for the ship’s operational use. Titanic had advanced safety features, such as watertight compartments and remotely activated watertight doors, contributing to its reputation as “unsinkable”.
Titanic was equipped with 16 lifeboat davits, each capable of lowering three lifeboats, for a total of 48 boats; she carried only 20 lifeboats, four of which were collapsible and proved hard to launch while she was sinking (Collapsible A nearly swamped and was filled with a foot of water until rescue, Collapsible B completely overturned while launching). Together, the 20 lifeboats could hold 1,178 people – about half the number of passengers on board, and one third of the number of passengers the ship could have carried at full capacity (consistent with the maritime safety regulations of the era). When the ship sank, many of the lifeboats that had been lowered were only about half full.
Unlike the original passenger ship, which was sent to the bottom of the Atlantic in 1912, expect this 1:1250 scale replica to make port by the middle of February.
