IV(AC)Plumb Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 (edited) With the future release of the 1/32nd Trumpter Harrier GR7/9 I thought you may appreciate a couple of my personal refrences from my tour on Op Warden back in 1994 I left the RAF a year later (made redundant under options for change) so have little more after this date, but a few more of Green Harriers whilst at Laarbruch Germany if anyone's interested? Anyway on to the pics: I'll start with our accomodation! Then the bar we modified after taking over from the Jaguar Det Some of my artwork (far right) Christmas 1994 On to the pan and some of the aircraft Me on the combat arming pan Engines running ready for a sortie (2 x AIM9l, 2 x CBU87B/B 2 x Tanks and 1 x Vinten Reece Pod More? Steve Sorry about the size, I'll resize them tonight and repost... Edited December 19, 2010 by IV(AC)Plumb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlet Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 I left the RAF a year later (made redundant under options for change) And me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IV(AC)Plumb Posted November 24, 2009 Author Share Posted November 24, 2009 (edited) A few more:- I guess now they've been retired there's no harm in posting Op Warden Tail codes to Aircraft numbers. WZ - ZG480 WJ - ZG505 WE - ZG434 WI - ZG477 WK - ZG408 WT - ZG476 WV - ZG500 WN - ZG471 WC - ZD405 WE - ZD434 WB - ZD406 WG - WG504 WD - ZD423 -CRASHED Northern Iraq F/L J Verne(rescued) WT - ZD476 WA - Ser not recorded Bear in mind these are the aircraft at initial deployment on the 9th April 1993 and some may have rotated in theatre after 1 & 3 Sqns took over. Thought I'd update this as there's lots of Harrier material about at present! Edited December 19, 2010 by IV(AC)Plumb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Fleming Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 These are excellent! Always good to see new original Harrier photos. Thanks for posting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhaselden Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 Good grief! Talk about flashbacks!! I was there with the RIC Nov 93-Feb 94. You brought back some memories with those photos - 'The Hover Inn', crocodile bread at the restaurants on the strip...swing a lamp, pull up a sandbag!! Cheers, Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thx6667 Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 Great pics, interesting to see the variation in the low-viz roundel colours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IV(AC)Plumb Posted November 25, 2009 Author Share Posted November 25, 2009 Good grief! Talk about flashbacks!! I was there with the RIC Nov 93-Feb 94. You brought back some memories with those photos - 'The Hover Inn', crocodile bread at the restaurants on the strip...swing a lamp, pull up a sandbag!!Cheers, Mark Then I probably came round to the RIC (Recon Intelegence Cell) blagging low level pics off you at some point! Were you around when F/L Verney piled his A/C in 100 miles inside Iraq? he bought us loads of beer cos his seat worked and he got his MB Tie! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IV(AC)Plumb Posted November 25, 2009 Author Share Posted November 25, 2009 Great pics, interesting to see the variation in the low-viz roundel colours. The sun bleeched all the ARTF paint so fast we actually carried a bucket of paint and a brush as part of the After Flight checks! when the A/C left Laarbruch all the markings were the same! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhaselden Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 (edited) Then I probably came round to the RIC (Recon Intelegence Cell) blagging low level pics off you at some point!More than likely - it was a not uncommon experience for us!Were you around when F/L Verney piled his A/C in 100 miles inside Iraq? he bought us loads of beer cos his seat worked and he got his MB Tie!I arrived just after he'd returned. If memory serves, the Gubmint gave a herd of goats as a thank you to the villagers who protected him.I also left just before the Blackhawk shootdown. The 2 Brits who were onboard had been up to Incirlik for a R&R shortly before my departure and we'd shared a few beers. I was really, REALLY angry when I heard about their deaths. Lots of memories...thankfully, most of them very happy! Thanks for the trip down memory lane!! Cheers, Mark H Edited November 25, 2009 by mhaselden Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IV(AC)Plumb Posted December 19, 2010 Author Share Posted December 19, 2010 Bump due to update and picture re-host Added tail codes and serials for initial Op Warden deployment. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Fleming Posted December 19, 2010 Share Posted December 19, 2010 One question - one of the Op Warden aircraft was in the later Dark Camouflage Grey/Dark Sea Grey scheme - don't suppose you have a pic of it\/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IV(AC)Plumb Posted December 19, 2010 Author Share Posted December 19, 2010 One question - one of the Op Warden aircraft was in the later Dark Camouflage Grey/Dark Sea Grey scheme - don't suppose you have a pic of it\/ Sorry, not on my tour, all of ours for at least two if not three tours (I did at least three) were in ARTF Grey. At one stage we had a bucket of the stuff for after flight patch ups! I recall doing A/C weighs at Laarbruch before and after painting to see how much the paint added to the all up weight! Steve I arrived just after he'd returned. If memory serves, the Gubmint gave a herd of goats as a thank you to the villagers who protected him. IIRC, that was the price of getting the Ejector Seat back from the head heardsman! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spike7451 Posted December 19, 2010 Share Posted December 19, 2010 And me! 96 for me...options again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xvtonker Posted December 19, 2010 Share Posted December 19, 2010 Ah memories!! I was at Incirlik in 92/93 with 6Sqn Jags. Never thought I'd be living in a tent and hanging my clothes up in cardboard boxes!!! Used to be interesting to see the Turkish Air Force F-4's taking off for bombing raids into Northern Iraq against the Kurdish rebels. Got some cracking piccies of Turkish F-4's, US F-16's, F-15's, EF-111 & KC-135 plus French AF Mirages. Will sort them out and post them in Britmodeller. XVTonker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IV(AC)Plumb Posted December 19, 2010 Author Share Posted December 19, 2010 Ah memories!!I was at Incirlik in 92/93 with 6Sqn Jags. Never thought I'd be living in a tent and hanging my clothes up in cardboard boxes!!! Used to be interesting to see the Turkish Air Force F-4's taking off for bombing raids into Northern Iraq against the Kurdish rebels. Got some cracking piccies of Turkish F-4's, US F-16's, F-15's, EF-111 & KC-135 plus French AF Mirages. Will sort them out and post them in Britmodeller. XVTonker Ah, yes we took over from you guys (and re-modelled your bar!) Thursdays IIRC, time to stop protecting the Kurds in the northern No fly zone so the Turks could go bomb them! oh the irony!!! There was a really nice low level recce shot of a Jag blowing the hat off a sentry outside of one of Saddam's palace's he was so low! Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thx6667 Posted December 19, 2010 Share Posted December 19, 2010 One question - one of the Op Warden aircraft was in the later Dark Camouflage Grey/Dark Sea Grey scheme - don't suppose you have a pic of it\/ Dave are you thinking of the on that was in the DSG/DCG but still have low viz roundels? I'd like to know more about that one too! Curious thing about the low-viz roundels is that on one aircraft they were a different shade - I think the cover of SAM showed this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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