Truro Model Builder Posted December 3, 2018 Share Posted December 3, 2018 1 hour ago, Bobski said: All comments about which squadrons will be dedicated to which role is pure speculation. 12 Squadron, for example, was announced as a joint UK/Qatari squadron, so it makes no sense for it to be limited to an air defence role with Tranche 1 aircraft. From one of the articles I linked to: Quote In terms of the aircraft to equip 9 Squadron, ACM Hillier made it clear that the RAF will not be buying new Typhoons. Instead, this unit and 12 (Bomber) Squadron, which will follow it at RAF Coningsby as the RAF’s second new Typhoon unit, will be populated with Typhoons that were slated for retirement but were spared during the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) in 2015. Jane’s had previously been told by then (now retired) Deputy Commander of Operations Air Marshal Greg Bagwell that these 24 early model Tranche 1 Typhoons would be fielded as a separate air defence force, with the later and more capable Tranche 2 and Tranche 3 aircraft used in a multirole capacity. If I speculate I say so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobski Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 I read that. Plans can and often do change. We'll see what happens when the squadrons are actually equipped and start flying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
At Sea Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 Best news of all of the above is that my Bronze Tiger and Single Seat Typhoon kits give me lots and lots of weapons for my Tornado GR.4's. And the Sidewinders can go on my Phantoms. Happy days! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phone Phixer Posted December 6, 2018 Share Posted December 6, 2018 It does seem strange that both tranche 1 AD squadrons would be located at Coningsby. I would have thought one would be at Lossie for northern QRA use. As a minor point. How fitting that IX(B) and 12(B) Squadrons would only have a fighter role. 🤪 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
At Sea Posted December 6, 2018 Share Posted December 6, 2018 9 hours ago, Phone Phixer said: It does seem strange that both tranche 1 AD squadrons would be located at Coningsby. I would have thought one would be at Lossie for northern QRA use. As a minor point. How fitting that IX(B) and 12(B) Squadrons would only have a fighter role. 🤪 I'm assuming it's the same logic that put both Phantom FG.1 squadrons as Leuchars. 111 were originally FGR.2 but when they and 43 shared a base they converted to FG.1's. It prevents potential maintenance headaches. As to your second point it seems odd. Purely from an aesthetic and modelling point of view I'd love to see 56, 74 or 92 reform on the Tranche 1 airframes. Never mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truro Model Builder Posted December 6, 2018 Share Posted December 6, 2018 It does seem perverse reforming Nos.9 and 12 as purely air defence squadrons. Presumably they will both lose the (B) from their titles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XV107 Posted December 6, 2018 Share Posted December 6, 2018 (edited) 9 hours ago, Truro Model Builder said: It does seem perverse reforming Nos.9 and 12 as purely air defence squadrons. Presumably they will both lose the (B) from their titles. 18 (Belicopter) Squadron might have disagreed... (although they don't use the role suffix at the moment). I imagine that there are several factors which may come into play here - the most obvious being whether Mike Wigston is a fan of the role suffix for 12 Squadron. If he is, then they - and thus IX - will stay as 12(B). There's much confusion over the role suffix anyway, since the use of suffixes was banned in the 1950s or early 60s (I forget which without looking it up) as well as the use of Roman numerals. The only problem was that the RAF possessed - and has continued to possess - a significant number of very senior officers who'd been members of II(AC) Squadron, which allowed the aforementioned unit to pretty much ignore the AM directives because anyone complaining was immediately referred to Air Marshal or Air Chief Marshal So-and-So, under whose imprimatur 2 Squadron was calling itself II(AC); also the argument that there was a real risk of confusing 2 Squadron [fast and pointy things] with 2 Squadron [rock apes] held some water. With the precedent set, 9 Squadron became IX(B) in fairly short order, and we've since added V(AC), IX(F) and CXX (no role suffix for the consumption of comestibles in the maritime environment was ever authorised...) while 42 Squadron referred to itself as 42(TB) Squadron, rising above questions about consumption, having a nasty cough, etc, etc. As noted, 18 adopted the (B) suffix and was certainly referring to itself as such in demi-official correspondence until relatively recently. II(AC) isn't really an Army Co-operation unit any more... [NB that when I say 'relatively recently', I have now reached sufficient 'time in' to discover that the events I fondly imagine to be relatively recent occurred 15-20 years ago. Sigh] Edited December 6, 2018 by XV107 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hook Posted December 9, 2018 Share Posted December 9, 2018 On 12/6/2018 at 12:29 PM, At Sea said: Purely from an aesthetic and modelling point of view I'd love to see 56, 74 or 92 reform on the Tranche 1 airframes. Well, with the current dearth of distinguishing unit markings, just paint it allover grey and no one will be able to tell the difference, unfortunately... Cheers, Andre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
At Sea Posted December 9, 2018 Share Posted December 9, 2018 3 hours ago, Hook said: Well, with the current dearth of distinguishing unit markings, just paint it allover grey and no one will be able to tell the difference, unfortunately... Cheers, Andre I'm very tempted for that reason alone to WIFF a Typhoon in 92 colours 'just because'. I think that some chequered bars either side of the roundel and a snake on the tail would suit it brilliantly. 😎 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exdraken Posted December 10, 2018 Share Posted December 10, 2018 we are getting there! https://www.gov.uk/government/news/typhoons-launch-with-new-missile 4 times Meteor! (and Squadron markings!) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truro Model Builder Posted January 13, 2019 Share Posted January 13, 2019 Lost in the news of the F-35B receiving its initial operating capability last week was the information that Typhoon has now been declared operational with Brimstone and Storm Shadow: https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/picture-uk-f-35s-typhoon-update-hit-operational-mi-454926/ Quote In addition to confirming the F-35B's operational availability, defence secretary Gavin Williamson also has announced that the RAF's Eurofighter Typhoon fleet is now available for operations armed with MBDA Brimstone air-to-surface and Storm Shadow cruise missiles. Prepared via a three-year, £425 million ($452 million) Project Centurion activity involving Eurofighter partner company BAE Systems, the combination will replace the ground-attack capability currently delivered by the RAF's Panavia Tornado GR4s, the last of which will be retired in late March. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobski Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 On 12/10/2018 at 5:09 PM, exdraken said: we are getting there! https://www.gov.uk/government/news/typhoons-launch-with-new-missile 4 times Meteor! (and Squadron markings!) Great photo. Worth looking carefully at the Meteors though if anyone is planning to add them to their builds, as they are oriented differently depending on whether they are on the front or rear stations (look at the two intakes on the sides of the missiles). Right rear is the same as left front, left rear is the same as right front. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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