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50 Years in the Rearview: Harrier deployment

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Still impressive and hard to believe it is a half-century ago.

A No. 1 (F) Squadron, RAF, Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR.1A, deployed to an ersatz field position at Ladyville in the Crown Colony of Belize, formerly British Honduras, in November 1975. The deployment was one of many that stretched through 1993 to dissuade neighboring Guatemala from moving in.

This real-world deployment was only six years after No. 1 became the world’s first operator of a V/STOL combat aircraft. (RAF photo).

Formed as No. 1 Balloon Company in 1878 and Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, No. 1 Squadron became a heavier-than-air outfit in May 1912 with the establishment of the Royal Flying Corps, the only veteran unit in the RFC.

Minting at least 31 flying aces in the Great War, flying no less than 10 types in the process, No. 1 started WWII in Hurricane Mk. 1s and finished it in Spitfire Mk.IXs while picking up another dozen aces. Graduating to jets with the Gloster Meteor in 1946 (and training Robin Olds while on an exchange tour), No. 1 became the first V/STOL fighter unit in the world in 1969 when they fielded the Harrier.

While they never saw combat in Belize, having deployed there with their innovative “jump jets” numerous times, 10 Harrier GR.3s of the squadron did make it to the Falklands, and flew 126 sorties, including the first RAF LGB combat mission, the unit’s first combat since the Suez Crisis in 1956.

Three camouflaged and aardvark-nosed Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR3s of No. 1 Squadron RAF are positioned in the foreground alongside seven gray-blue Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm British Aerospace Sea Harrier FRS.1s and a Sea King HAS.5 of 820 Naval Air Squadron on the flight deck of the light carrier HMS Hermes (R 12). This scene took place on the day No. 1 Squadron joined the ship in the South Atlantic on 19 May 1982. The first Harrier GR3 is armed with a 1,000lb laser-guided bomb (GBU-16 Paveway II) on its outer pylons. At the center of the deck is Sea Harrier FRS.1 (XZ499) of 800 Naval Air Squadron, the aircraft in which LCDR Smith downed an Argentine Skyhawk. RAF MOD 45163716

Switching post-Falklands to Harrier IIs (GR5, GR7, and GR9s), they only hung them up in 2011 when the type was retired in RAF service, logging 42 years as a Harrier unit, a record since surpassed by a few USMC squadrons.

Since then, they have flown Typhoon FGR4s, first out of RAF Leuchars and later RAF Lossiemouth.

Appropriately, the squadron’s motto is In omnibus princeps (Latin for ‘First in all things’).

Acquit yourselves like men

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Some 80 years ago this month, No. 489 Squadron RNZAF, part of RAF Coastal Command at Langham, finished the transition from their lumbering Handley Page Hampden medium bombers to an aggressive new type, the Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter TF Mk.X.

This image hails from the Air Force Museum of New Zealand Photograph Collection, as are all from this post.

Torpedo armed Beaufighter and crew of No. 489 Squadron. Note the firing ports for her nose-mounted 20mm cannons. PR9035

Capable of carrying a 1,500-pound 18-inch torpedo Mark XII aerial torpedo (or a similar weight of bombs and rockets) as well as four nose-mounted Hispano Mark II 20mm cannons, a rear gunner in a bubble turret upstairs, and a six-pack of .303 Brownings in the wings, the big twin-engined attack plane could hit speeds of 320 mph and had an armed range of 1,700 miles.

The Beau was meant to take the fight to the enemy.

No. 489 would finish their conversion this month– which was made easy as they cut their teeth on the similar but slower Bristol Beaufort when formed in 1941– the Kiwis would soon be off to attack German shipping in occupied Norway (as well as off Holland and over the Channel as needed, for instance during Overlord).

30 June 1944: A great air-to-air view of a torpedo-armed No. 489 Squadron RNZAF Beaufighter No. P6-S, being flown by Pilot Officer Burrowes, making its first trip to Norway, escorted by a No. 315 Squadron RAF (Polish) Mustang No. PK-Whisky was piloted by Flying Officer T Haczkiewics, on a five-and-a-half-hour sortie. Note the “invasion stripes” on both aircraft. Photo PR10329

Image from the No. 489 Squadron unofficial diary. No. 489 Squadron aircraft attacking a ship that had eight Beaufighters painted on the bridge as claims. The ship was destroyed. PR10353

Aerial oblique, taken during an attack by No. 489 Squadron, on German Merchant shipping in Norwegian Fjord, Vindsfjord (Vindspol).

Image from the DH Mann personal album collection. No. 489 Squadron attack on “M” Class Minesweepers Burning After Straffing.”

Image from the DH Mann personal album collection. No. 489 Squadron “Attack On Convoy. Aug 29th 1944. Position 54° 10′ North. 08° 04′ East.”

No. 489 Squadron Beaufighters attacking ships off The Naze. There are 12 crews listed in the No. 489 Squadron unofficial diary.

No. 489 Squadron Beaufighter fires a salvo of rockets at an enemy ship. Unknown location.

Aerial oblique taken during an attack by No. 489 Squadron on German Merchant shipping in Norwegian Fjord, Orstenfiord (Orsta Fiord)

Joint Wing attack on shipping, off Den Helder. Copied from the No. 489 Squadron unofficial Unit History.

Their last operational sortie was 21 May 1945, and, while they would transition to Mosqutos post-VE-Day in preparation to head to the Pacific, it turned out the Emperor would throw in the towel before they arrived and they were disbanded.

During WWII, No. 489 flew 2,380 sorties across 9,773 hours on operations and lost 33 brave lads.

Their motto, in Moari, is Whakatanagata kia kaha (“Acquit yourselves like men, be strong”).

An oil painting saluting the squadron and its “Beautiful Beaus” is in the RNZAF Museum. 

Copy of an acrylic painting by RM Conly “489 Squadron Beaufighter”. Shows a No. 489 Squadron Beaufighter with a No. 315 Squadron Mustang escort over burning ships. See PR10329 for the original photograph this was painted from.

A ‘Triumph of British Ceremonial Excellence’

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In what is being billed as “the largest UK military ceremonial operation for 70 years,” even more sweeping in scope than the late Queen’s funeral, King Charlie was installed over the weekend.

While I have no love for the shitshow that is the British Royal family, you have to admit the pageantry was splendid, including the Guards doing what they are known for as well as marching units from the Army Air Corps, Paras, RMs, and the like.

If you are a fan of military uniforms and units, it was a treat.

The King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery performing a 6-gun salvo salute on Horse Guards Parade Ground as part of the Coronation of King Charles III

As noted by MoD:

More than 7,000 soldiers, sailors, and aviators from across the UK and Commonwealth participated in ceremonial activities across processions, flypasts, and gun salutes marking the historic event. With around 200 personnel providing a Guard of Honour at Buckingham Palace, together this made up the largest UK military ceremonial operation for 70 years. As well as marching detachments from across the Household Division, Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force, more than 400 troops from the Commonwealth nations and British Overseas Territories were on parade.

And three good (short) videos of the event, the sweeping gun salutes, and the behind the scenes:

 

Stirling BK716, remembered

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This impressive– and haunting– monument was unveiled last week in Almere, Holland, for the seven aircrew who lost their lives in the crash of Short Stirling Bomber BK716 HA-J of No. 218 (Gold Coast) Squadron (RAF) after a mission to Berlin during World War ll.

The monument is partly made with the engine of the bomber that was salvaged from the Markermeer.

Picture by: Embassy of Canada to the Netherlands

More on BK716 and the recovery of her crewmen last year, below.

Faireys on the Nile, 90 Years Ago Today

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Pictured are three Fairey IIIF floatplanes of No. 47 Squadron on the Blue Nile at Khartoum before departing for a series of exploratory flights over Southern Sudan on 8 July 1930. The aircraft pictured are J9796, J9809, and J9802.

RAF MOD Image 45163722

As noted by RAF, who released the image as part of their 100 years of the RAF celebration in 2018:

The Fairey Aviation Company Fairey III was a family of British reconnaissance biplanes that enjoyed a very long production and service history in both landplane and seaplane variants. The RAF used the IIIF to equip general-purpose squadrons in Egypt, Sudan, Aden, and Jordan, where its ability to operate from both wheels and floats proved useful, while the contemporary Westland Wapiti carried out similar roles in Iraq and India. As such IIIFs were used for colonial policing as well as taking part in further long-distance flights.

The RAF also used the IIIF to finally replace the Airco DH.9A in the home-based Day-Bomber role, and, in the absence of sufficient long-range flying boats for maritime patrol duties by 202 Squadron from Hal Far Malta.

The IIIF remained in front line service well into the 1930s, with the last front-line RAF squadron, 202 Squadron, re-equipping with Supermarine Scapas in August 1935, and the final front line Fleet Air Arm squadron, 822 Squadron retained the IIIF until 1936.

Founded in 1916 to protect Hull and East Yorkshire against attack by German Zeppelins, No. 47 Squadron of the Royal Air Force today operates the Lockheed C-130 Hercules transports from RAF Brize Norton.

Not very many 104-year-old squadrons around these days.

Appropriately for the image above, their motto is Nili nomen roboris omen (The name of the Nile is an omen of our strength)

Tonkas over Scotland for the last time

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With the final flights of the Tornado strike fighter by the RAF expected next month, the beautiful image below popped up on the MoD’s feed showing the final sortie of three days of flypasts over Scotland’s RAF Lossiemouth and Leuchars Station marking the jet’s imminent retirement.

Date: 20 February 2019. Crown Copyright

The formation was led by the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier KCB CBE DFC ADC, a Tornado pilot and former Station Commander of RAF Lossiemouth, who was flying the type for the last time.

As a sidebar, actor Ewan McGregor’s brother, Colin, used to fly Tornado GR4’s out of Lossiemouth and Leuchars. His callsign was Obi Two.

Farewell, Tonka

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On 31 January, the RAF conducted its last operational sortie with the Tornado GR4 (pictured: the last of the two aircraft to take off, bringing an end to four and a half years of the type’s involvement in Operation ‘Shader’). Source: Crown Copyright

The multi-role Panavia Tornado– of which some 992 aircraft were built in three variants (air defense, strike, and EW/recce) for the RAF, Luftwaffe/Marineflieger, Aeronautica Militare, and Royal Saudi Air Force– first flew in 1974 and was a Cold War icon.

A-200 Tornado, 155 Gr, 50 St, ITAF, unauthorized acro during a test flight at Cameri AFB

However, out of production since 1998, these sexy variable-sweep wing aircraft are now aging and, increasingly, being put to pasture.

The Germans have been whittling their fleet down since the Berlin Wall fell (and took the naval birds down almost immediately) while they currently plan to decommission the last strike units flying the bird in 2025. The Italians have 62 of 100 they received and are adding Typhoons and F35s to the force over the next decade to eliminate those.

Five Tornado GR4 aircraft displaying commemorative paint scheme tail-art of the 40th anniversary of the type in RAF service, and the branch’s 100th birthday, last year. The Tornado Squadrons were based at RAF Marham and RAF Lossiemouth.

The RAF, in whose service the bird was nicknamed the “Tonka” for its ability to carry truckloads of bombs during the Gulf War and strikes over Bosnia, has completed their last combat missions for the big strike fighter, as it is on its last days with the Brits.

From MOD:

On the 31st of January 2019, the RAF operated the final operational sortie of the Tornado GR4. The aircraft (ZA601/066 and ZA542/035) took off from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.

After almost 40 years serving the UK on military operations across the world, iconic RAF Tornado jets has returned home for the last time.

First entering service in 1979, the fast jets has been used in operations across the world, most recently bombarding Daesh to push the terrorist group back through Syria and Iraq.

The weapons capabilities of the soon-to-retire Tornados are now being delivered by RAF Typhoon jets, which will continue to take a leading role in the Coalition’s mission against Daesh. Under ‘Project Centurion’, worth £425million over the past three years, the Typhoon can now also launch the world-leading Meteor air-to-air missile, the Stormshadow deep strike cruise missile and the precision attack missile Brimstone.

These improved RAF Typhoon jets will form the backbone of the UK’s combat air fleet, alongside the recently introduced new fleet of F-35 Lighting jets over the coming years.

The last to fly the Tornado is likely to be the Royal Saudi Airforce, who still have 81 IDS variants in service, many of which are over Yemen at any given time. Although F-15S/SA Strike Eagles will likely replace them, don’t count on the Saudi’s to sideline these reliable sluggers until after the whole Yemen thing stops being a thing– which is no time soon.

 

The Brits really dug camo for their snipers

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Common among snipers the world over today, the ghillie suit or bush suit, traces its origin to Scottish gamekeepers with a Scotland-raised yeoman regiment, the Lovat Scouts, using them for the first time in modern combat in the Boer War.

These Highlanders, drawn largely from outdoorsmen, were described as “half wolf and half jackrabbit” in their tactics when down in the veldt and the suit draws its name from the Gaelic faerie Gille Dubh, a forest character clad in moss and leaves that hides among the trees. The use of “scrim” often from repurposed potato sacks, helped break up their outline.

What is scrim?

Scrim is nothing but a basic fabric that has a light, almost gauzy weave to it. It’s used in bookbinding (that woven fabric in the back of hardcover books), theatre and photography (to reflect light), and in simple industrial applications like making burlap sacks.

(H 10707) A camouflage suit for a sniper. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205215212

The suits became widespread in sniper use in the Great War. Take this superb example in the IWM under review:

“First World War period British Army sniper’s camouflage robe. Many British Army snipers were trained by former Highland gamekeepers and deer stalkers of the Lovat Scouts, who gave extensive guidance regarding their skills of personal camouflage and concealment. As a result, many items of clothing were adopted on the Western Front, either improvised or officially produced, including mittens, gaiters, and robes” Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30097861

Here is another.

“Robe loose-shaped single-breasted robe, made of linen, complete with a fitted hood that incorporates a face mask with apertures for the mouth and eyes. The smock is dabbed and smeared with various shades of paint to achieve a random (disruptive) camouflage finish.” Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30100483

And a third:

“Smock: loose-shaped single-breasted robe, made of canvas, complete with a fitted hood that incorporates a face mask with openings for the mouth and eyes. The smock is painted in colors of various shades to achieve a random camouflage finish and, additionally, has tufts of dried organic vegetation sewn to break up the outline.” Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30092440

When the Second World War came in 1939, the Brits fell back on what worked.

“Experiments in camouflage, 1940. One figure is trying on the upper portion of a prototype sniper suit. He is being watched by a man wearing Khaki and smoking a pipe, who is holding the suit trousers. On the floor behind them are some pots of paint and another suit hung on a mannequin. There are more sketches of the suit in the upper right corner of the page.” Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/38898

A Camouflaged Sniper watching his Target, Llanberis, North Wales (Art.IWM ART LD 3422)”A head and shoulders depiction of a British infantry sniper in training in Wales. The sniper is shown wearing camouflaged kit and black face paint, aiming his rifle at a distant target.” Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/21861

British Snipers on the Island of Ubbea near Khakio : 10th Infantry Brigade (Art.IWM ART LD 5040) image: In the foreground three carefully camouflaged British snipers wearing camouflaged smocks have positioned themselves
amongst the rocks and vegetation of a hill side. They appear to be overlooking a road that winds through a hilly coastal country. The sea and a neighboring island are visible in the top right of the composition. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/5318

Normandy Campaign (B 8177) A sniper demonstrates his camouflage at a sniper school in a French village, 27 July 1944. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205202430

The practice continues across MoD today, using low-IR fabric to keep down detection by modern optics, because if it ain’t broke…

Pictured are Snipers from 34 Squadron, The Royal Air Force Regiment based at RAF Leeming, undertaking Live Firing Tactical Training at the Otterburn Training Area. (MoD Crown Copyright)

The worst April Fools’ joke you can think of

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Here we see, in this image from the Imperial War Museum, RFC armorers issuing Lewis guns with Lewis and Vickers ammunition to observers and pilots of No. 22 Squadron at the aerodrome at Vert Galand, 1 April 1918– some 99 years ago today. This was during the time of the German Spring Offensive that year.

Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205247539 Note the chap in the Glengarry hat puffing away on his pipe

I say April Fools because the Lewis very often froze on these brave young men as their flying machines reached altitude. The only ways to solve this problem were as follows: a) fire a few rounds every so often to keep your barrel warm and mechanism moving; b) carry a small hammer in your cockpit with which to pound on your gun if it iced up, or c) carry your magazine inside your flying clothes to keep it warm.

Formed in 1915 on the Western Front, No. 22 Squadron gratefully flew Bristol F.2 fighters at the time of the above photo, which was armed with a synchronised fixed, forward-firing .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine gun which, though it had its own troubles, was more reliable than the Lewis, which was used by the rear seat observer on a Foster mount.

With the motto Preux et audicieux (French: “Valiant and Brave”), No. 22 Squadron stood down in 2015 after 100-years or service which includes a VC awarded to Flying Officer Kenneth Campbell for executing a torpedo attack on the German battlecruiser Gneisenau in Brest harbor during WWII. Campbell, notably, was killed in that attack on 6 April 1941 though he was nobody’s April Fool.

Stormshadow clocks back in

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Armourers from 903 Expeditionary Air Wing (EAW) based out of Royal Air Force Akrotiri, Cyprus load a Tornado GR4 with Stormshadow cruise missiles. Crown Copyright.

Armourers from 903 Expeditionary Air Wing (EAW) based out of Royal Air Force Akrotiri, Cyprus load a Tornado GR4 with Stormshadow cruise missiles. Crown Copyright.

The MoD has released that the MBDA Stormshadow cruise missile has been used effectively in combat for the first time in combat against ISIS, dropped from Cyrpus-based Tonkas.

Debuted in 2002, the 2,800-lb long range (300nm) air to surface missile is based on the legacy Apache anti-runway missile and the UK purchased 900 of the weapons. Rather than the submunitions of the Apache, Stormshadow has a 990-lb. two-stage warhead is made up from an initial shaped charge, which cuts a passage through armor, concrete, earth, etc., allowing a larger following warhead to penetrate inside the target.

In short, it’s a good standoff bunker buster.

The only other combat use by RAF has been by Panavia GR4 Tornadoes of No. 617 Squadron in the 2003 invasion of Iraq where 27 of the cruise missiles were used against hardened command and control bunkers.

Since then the French have used them in Syria while the Italians broke theirs out in Libya. It is also believed that the Gulf States (who between Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE bought over a 1,200 of the devices) have used them sparingly in Yemen.

Go Tonka go (Those Stormshadows look awfully close to the ground, yeah?)

Go Tonka go (Those Stormshadows look awfully close to the ground, yeah?)

From this week’s release :

Intelligence had determined that Daesh were using a large concrete bunker in western Iraq as a weapons facility. Due to the massive construction, built during the Saddam era, it was decided to use four Stormshadow missiles against it, as the weapon has particularly good capabilities against such a challenging target. The missiles were launched on Sunday 26 June by two Tornados, all four Stormshadows scored direct hits and penetrated deep within the bunker.