Search the Community

I am very happy to be rolling out my Fitter-F, known locally as the “Su-22A”, but more officially designated the Su-22M2K or S-32M2K. As many of you may know, the Peruvians took on 36 (34 single-seat and 2 two-seat) of the these aircraft from the Soviet Union from 1976 and they were in service with Grupo Aereo No. 11 by 1978. The variant is the more powerful but more sluggish and less fuel-efficient member of the Fitter family and was used in armed conflict by Peru over a number of years. During that time they were upgraded in both hardware terms and the colours that they carried. Initially they were painted in desert scheme of sand and earth and by the end of their career in Peru they had been given the scheme that I have depicted here. The Peruvians had the full array of weaponry at their disposal and used a fair bit of it in the Cenepa War in the 1990s. More detail can been seen in this extensive write up on the LAAHS site: https://www.laahs.com/the-sukhoi-su-22-in-peruvian-service/. In 1979 these aircraft were supplemented by the delivery of 19 Su-22M3 (16 Fitter-J and 3 Fitter-G). The Fitter-Fs and their two-seat variants were operated from Talara Air base by Escuadrón Aéreo No. 111 (111 Air Squadron) “Los Tigres” with Esc. Grp. 11. The aircraft I have chosen to model is Serial No.159. The reason is that after exchanging pleasantries with Chris Lofting, one of the few European photographers to have had access to these aircraft, it was clear that this particular aircraft had attracted all of the various mods by Peruvian, Israeli and Soviet contractors, including the fin mounted chaff dispenser, dorsal blade aerial, chin and fin RWR sensors. It seems to have been the only one configured this way that has been photographed, and from both sides. Here is a similar machine undergoing maintenance. Another at an air show: and one during combat operations from Lima: The above are public domain images In building this model I have used a lot of aftermarket and resin conversion sets. The main conversion has been to the rear end, a bulbous replacement that was needed to accommodate the larger Tumansky engine. These machines also had an extended nose and so the beautifully crafted Amigo set was used. I also used various bits in order to get a reasonable and appropriate weapons load onboard – particularly the OFAB-100s and MDB rack. Those who have stuck with me on this journey will know that I have wrestled with the Vespa conversion. While I admire the work that Amaru et all have committed to the resin set it does present challenges. To help others these are the areas that I am aware of that need attention: 1. The rear fuselage “tube” was slightly warped 2. The fin root chaff dispenser is oversized 3. For a Su-22M2K there are no RWR receivers included (there are for the Su-22M3K) 4. The guides inside the fuselage/tube need cutting back. If not the engine sits in the wrong position 5. The slot for the fin on the top of the rear fuselage needs opening out Also the Vespa decal set appears to be oversized, particularly the wing serial numbers. The Amigo nose conversion was a dream, however! The only missing items were the bulged nosewheel doors. I got mine from a Mistercraft kit. The WIP is here: The colours have been proving tricky. I had been erroneously trying to mimic the colours from the various photos taken by Chris Lofting in 2005. However, the penny eventually dropped when I realised that they were photographed at the end of a sunny day in Talara during the “golden hour”, when colours mellow and take on a different hue. Also, by the time of the photos they had been out of service for a while and were sun bleached. I had wanted to include one of the images from Chris but I haven’t (yet) sought his permission. I can post a link showing her in that late afternoon light: https://www.airfighters.com/photo/248218/M/Peru-Air-Force/Sukhoi-Su-22-Fitter-F/159/ Given that my intention was to build an operational machine, I referred to both Amaru Tincopa’s @AmaruTG book and a couple of photo references. This steered me to using a close representation of Gunship Gray and US Medium Green, remembering that these were Peruvian equivalent paints and not authentic. I must also thank the wealth of guidance I have had from many other BM members! What did I use?: 1. Kit - Modelsvit Su-20 Fitter (72020) 2. Aftermarket - Vespa Su-22M2K rear conversion, Amigo Models nose section and cockpit (inc seat and canopy), Master pitots and gun barrels. Also the MBD3 racks and OFAB-100s came from Res-Kit. A Mistercraft kit donated the forward nosewheel door. I made antennas for the spine, nose and fin from plastic card as well as making the nose and fin RWR sensors from rod. 3. Paints - primarily Colourcoats enamels - Bronze Green, US Medium Green (US Vietnam), US Neutral Gray, and FS26622 grey, plus a wealth of other colours from Colourcoats and Humbrol. Finished with Humbrol Satincote. 4. Decals - Vespa. However, the fin badge in the Vespa set is too small for this aircraft in this colour scheme. I therefore used one from an Authentic Decals set. Lucky me, too, as it seemed the original stencils were stripped and not replaced :). 5. Weathering etc - Flory washes, Silver Pencil and Tamiya weathering Powders Here are a few photos of her: I hope you like her! Martin

First finished from a twin Jugs build started a few weeks ago, here's my interpretation of a Colombian F-47D-30(?) based on Hasegawa's bubbletop kit in 1/48. SitRep F-47D-30 Fuerza Aerea Colombiana Madrid AB 1950's The end of the Second World War and the beginning of the Cold War saw the establishment by the United States of America of a succession of plans intended to provide modern military equipment under conditions for most of the allied nations, among them certain republics of South America. The Lend Lease program, which lasted somewhat after 1945, was succeeded by the American Republic Project (ARP) from 1946, then the best known Mutual Defense Assistance Program (MDAP) and its many variations or sub-programs. In terms of combat aircraft, the USAAF / USAF kept the P-51 Mustang, so the P-47D Thunderbolt was selected, and several dozen airframes belonging to blocks 30 to 40 were thus be used in several Latin American Air Force. The Fuerza Aerea Colombiana took possession of eight P-47Ds in July 1947, while the country had been more or less immersed in a state of civil war since 1946 (If this ended in 1947, it was in fact only the first period of unrest in a long series which continues until today, making today the FAC one of the most experienced air forces in terms of anti-guerrilla warfare). Twelve other machines were authorized for sale in 1948, and delivered in two batches during 1949. All Thunderbolts are assigned to a Caza Bombardero Squadron, based in Madrid AB. Thirteen machines were still operational in 1952, and considering the direct participation of a Colombian contingent in the fighting in Korea, a new sale of fourteen machines was decided. Eleven of them arrived en bloc in May 1953, "diverted" from a ferry flight to Chile at the express request of the USAF Chief of Mission in Bogota, while the last three were delivered in September 1954. But the hour of retirement sounded, and the eighteen remaining machines were permanently banned from flying in December 1955, replaced by T-33s and Sabres. Place aux photos.

Air Wars Between Ecuador & Peru Vol 3 Aerial Operations over the Cenepa River Valley 1996 Latin America @ War No.22 ISBN : 9781914057-10-0 Helion & Company via Casemate UK There have been wars / border conflicts between Ecuador and Peru for a long time around whether Ecuador's territory extended beyond the Andes mountain range to the Amazon river, including the Amazonian basin. As early as 1829 Peru was fighting over this. There had been numerous conflicts in the late 1800s not helped by a civil war in Ecuador. Despite treaties tensions simmered between the two countries into the 20th Century with another treaty in 1936. This did not last long with tensions and skirmishes in 1938 followed by a Coup in Ecuador the same year. In January 1941, alleging that the Ecuadorians had been staging incursions and even occupations of the Peruvian territory, the Peruvian president, ordered the formation of the North Grouping, a military unit in charge of the Northern Operational Theatre. This would then lead to war in July of 1941 with both sides claiming the other had started it. This would be the first of three wars between the protagonists. The 1941 was was covered in Volume 1 or this series. Volume 2 covered the war of 1981 which was left largely unresolved; and now volume 3 covers 1995. This conflict was fought over control of an area in Peruvian territory near the border between the two countries. The two nations had signed a border treaty following the War of 1941, but Ecuador later disagreed with the treaty as it applied to the Cenepa and Paquisha areas, and in 1960 they declared the treaty null and void. With both countries having sizable (for the region) Air Forces there was a fair deal of Aerial operations. A peace was finally put together by Chile, Brazil, and Argentina with US help in 1999 ending one of the longest disputes in the region. The book is A4 Soft cover and 88 pages long. It is illustrated throughout by maps and many black and white photos many of which have not been published before. There are 5 pages of colour aircraft profiles, two pages of colour photos, and one colour map at the centre. The author has done extensive research into both countries archives and has produced a detailed work without any normal bias. As well as the combat it looks into the equipment & training of the forces and the back ground to the conflict. also considered in the volume is the MOMEP which was the military observers from deployed to monitor the end of the conflict, and the continued re-arming of the countries forces after the conflict. Conclusion This book will give the reader a good understanding of the History of this conflict between two seemingly similar neighbours. Again the @ War series brings us an an incisive look at a conflict often ignored by the west. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Air Wars Between Ecuador & Peru Vol 1 The July 1941 War Latin America @ War No.12 ISBN : 9781911628675 Helion & Company via Casemate UK There have been wars / border conflicts between Ecuador and Peru for a long time around whether Ecuador's territory extended beyond the Andes mountain range to the Amazon river, including the Amazonian basin. As early as 1829 Peru was fighting over this. There had been numerous conflicts in the late 1800s not helped by a civil war in Ecuador. Despite treaties tensions simmered between the two countries into the 20th Century with another treaty in 1936. This did not last long with tensions and skirmishes in 1938 followed by a Coup in Ecuador the same year. In January 1941, alleging that the Ecuadorians had been staging incursions and even occupations of the Peruvian territory, the Peruvian president, ordered the formation of the North Grouping, a military unit in charge of the Northern Operational Theatre. This would then lead to war in July of 1941 with both sides claiming the other had started it. This would be the first of three wars between the protagonists. The book is A4 Soft cover and 88 pages long. It is illustrated throughout by maps and many black and white photos many of which have not been published before. There are 8 pages of colour equipment profiles and maps at the centre. Due to the nature of the ground in the region a lot of the often bitter combat took place in the air, or with air support. The author has done extensive research into both countries archives and has produced a detailed work without any normal bias. As well as the combat it looks into the equipment & training of the forces and the back ground to the conflict. Conclusion This book will give the reader a good understanding of the History of this conflict between two seemingly similar neighbours. Again the @ War series brings us an an incisive look at a conflict often ignored by the west after all we were a bit busy with WWII at the time. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of