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RAF Phantom snow camo?


RMP2

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Im guessing they went to air defence duties before the grey/white or green/white schemes that the Buccs, Tornados, Jags and Harriers sported on Norway jaunts, hence - no lovely photos of such a thing seems to exist?

 

Bit surprised my searches failed to find any WhatIfs though.... Kind of got me thinking that it needs to be done.

Are there any photos of a grey/white or green/white camo FG or FGR2 out there?

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I have never seen a pic of a snow toom, nice idea. The ground attack RAFG sqdn's would be prime candidates for this. Hmm, I picked up a part built 1/48th Phantom at Perth that would be perfect for this.

I think the grey ones would not have been white washed as the grey is fairly light in colour and would blend in OK.

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Earliest snow camouflaged Harrier I can find from a very quick search goes back to 1971 when they were still in Dark Green/Dark Sea Grey over Light Aircraft Grey with the 'snow' added to the upper surfaces for the annual winter exercises in Northern Norway.

 

RAF Phantoms carried the same colour scheme around that time but I cannot say that I have seen any images of Strike/Attack/Reconnaissance FGR.2 Squadrons taking part in any of these annual winter exercises with or without 'snow' and by the middle of the decade they had started to re-equip with the Jaguar.

 

At that time anyway I seem to recall that these winter exercises involved practicing reinforcement from the UK by a Commando Brigade supported by UK based air assets so had there been any Phantom involvement it  would have presumably been from 6/41/54 Squadrons as presumably any real Soviet movement in Arctic Norway would have left RAFG units with their own problems nearer to home.

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Think Des is right.  Phantoms would have been somewhat busy in Central Europe had things gone wrong, we would not have had enough to put up into Norway to support NATO forces there as well.

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1 hour ago, Des said:

 

 

RAF Phantoms carried the same colour scheme around that time but I cannot say that I have seen any images of Strike/Attack/Reconnaissance FGR.2 Squadrons taking part in any of these annual winter exercises with or without 'snow' and by the middle of the decade they had started to re-equip with the Jaguar.

 

 

Slight amendment to the above -  6 Squadron re-formed on the Phantom in September 1969 and in March 1970 deployed ten of their FGR.2 to Andoya in Northern Norway for Exercise Arctic Express in standard Dark Green/Dark Sea Grey over Light Aircraft Grey finish in full colour red/white/blue national markings , white single letter tail codes , white underwing droptanks and pylons , Strike Camera carried in the port forward Sparrow bay and of course at that time the original rounded fin.

 

Right aircraft , right place , wrong colours but to quote the great Marvin Lee Aday ' Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad'.

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Cheers, guys.
The German based Phantom stuff would make sense, but what a shame - I think they would have looked great with white over green in either recce or cluster bomb attire.

Hmm, food for thought for sure and would fit in with my RN FGR2 with its Exocet. :)

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6 hours ago, Boman said:

Harrier, Jaguars and Tornadoes have been seen in white over green or white over grey camo while on temp duty in Norway, but never seen a Phantom in these. 

Buccs too!

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35 minutes ago, RMP2 said:

Cheers, guys.
The German based Phantom stuff would make sense, but what a shame - I think they would have looked great with white over green in either recce or cluster bomb attire.

Hmm, food for thought for sure and would fit in with my RN FGR2 with its Exocet. :)

Naval FGR 2 ....WITHOUT THE FG1 lift devices ....maybe shore based like the Marineflieger ?

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Wessex or Chinook appeals, not that Ive built a whirly thing for donkeys years. I have a Wessex in the stash though.

 

Would have to be an RAF Phantom for me, white n grey. Are there really no WhatIf drawings at least of such a thing? I cant find anything at all. Seems strange yet obvious.

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16 hours ago, RMP2 said:

 

 

Would have to be an RAF Phantom for me, white n grey. Are there really no WhatIf drawings at least of such a thing? I cant find anything at all. Seems strange yet obvious.

 

Although styles varied over time and with the different aircraft types and squadrons involved adopting a winter camouflage in some cases it was simply a matter of replacing either the Dark Green or the Dark Sea Grey elements of the camouflage scheme with a temporary white finish which in turn varied from being sometimes well applied and at other times giving the appearance of a quick once over with a sweeping brush.           

 

For a 'what-if' scheme maybe just a simple choice of replacing one of colours in the actual camouflage scheme to achieve either a Dark Sea Grey/White or Dark Green/White finish with the density of the white areas to suit personal preference.

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30 minutes ago, junglierating said:

Where is that....is it Evenes?

Sorry don't know. Found that one on-line.

 

11 minutes ago, bootneck said:

It's a Crabcab

Haven't been able to find a proper 'Junglie' in snow camo yet. Not like The Navy to be so photo-shy! :wicked:

While searching though I found this excellent link:

https://djwilkes.smugmug.com/Military/HMS-Bulwark-1973/

 

 

Sorry @RMP2  your thread has been rotaried.

 

 

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4 hours ago, Des said:

 For a 'what-if' scheme maybe just a simple choice of replacing one of colours in the actual camouflage scheme to achieve either a Dark Sea Grey/White or Dark Green/White finish with the density of the white areas to suit personal preference.

 

That would be my choice - DSG and white over LAG. Sorry, I see I didnt make my post quite clear there. But yea, just as per the Tornados, Jags etc in grey/white.

 

4 hours ago, Scimitar said:

Yes...

 

 

Yup! That works!

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9 minutes ago, junglierating said:

Smashing pics scimitar

Sorry RMP 

No need for a sorry, I like where threads go, tis all good.

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3 minutes ago, Scimitar said:

OK then......

 

Ha! Careful though, we are in the Aircraft Cold War section... 🤔

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There's a Wessex HU5 in full snow camo somewhere in the background...Honestly :D

 

As usual when I see a thread of interest I get sucked into it but despite the banter and diversions I found you a Phantom in snow camo:

 

https://c7.alamy.com/comp/D9GGA0/an-f-4d-phantom-ii-aircraft-static-display-covered-in-snow-D9GGA0.jpg

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