The "But that aircraft never flew with that airforce"-picture thread

Read the forum code of contact

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 7,877

Just for the sake of it. Quite a number of times an aircraft demonstrator flew in the colours of an air arm which never actually operated it. Or an aircraft was painted in the colours of a customer, only to get the deal embargoed before delivery. Or an aircraft was given false markings for whatever reason. Or the painter didn't know how to do his job.

(PS: there shall obviously be no photoshopping!)

Attachments
Original post

Member for

20 years 5 months

Posts: 1,220

is the white one f-17?

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 1,558

Yes

Member for

20 years 5 months

Posts: 4,674

.....

Member for

19 years 11 months

Posts: 4

The reason why that F-17 was painted in French colours escapes me. As far as I know France was never interested in the USAF Lightweight fighter programme. Only later they expressed interest when badly needing a replacement for their Crusader mid-eighties. A USN Hornet even made some touch-and-go landings on a French Carrier.

The Greek Gina makes more sence. An order was placed but later cancelled, the aircraft already produced transferred to West-Germany.

mark

Member for

20 years 5 months

Posts: 4,674

Did GD ever paint the F-111K in RAF colors?

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 4,450

The reason why that F-17 was painted in French colours escapes me. As far as I know France was never interested in the USAF Lightweight fighter programme. Only later they expressed interest when badly needing a replacement for their Crusader mid-eighties. A USN Hornet even made some touch-and-go landings on a French Carrier.

The Greek Gina makes more sence. An order was placed but later cancelled, the aircraft already produced transferred to West-Germany.

mark

Hi Mark,

Nice to see you back, how are you doing ?

IIRC, that F-17 was proposed to replace the Crusader, but I could be wrong... I know I have it in a book at home.

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 7,877

I don't know about a British-marked F-111, it's one of my silent hopes for this thread though ;) Good find on the Yak-23. It was a Romanian machine which defected to Yugoslavia in 1953. One of the conditions under which Yugoslavia would get it's F-84s was that this airplane was to be tried by the US for some time. I didn't know what happened with it afterwards, but appearantly it was returned to Yugoslavia - guess they gave it back to Romania again.

Here's some more.

Attachments

Member for

20 years 7 months

Posts: 10,217

Well, looking to my database list I have found following:

French, Russian, German and USAF SIAI SF-260s, obviously civil aircraft for Combat Aircraft Wargames
German T-6
RAF IA-58, RAF A109
Swedish AH-64 (yes, the markings were applied)
Swiss MS-760 Paris and AS-202
G-2 Galeb with Indonesian fin flags used by IPTN as a test aircraft
Israeli MiG-23, MiG-21, MiG-17 and SA342, L-39 for evaluation purposes, MiG-29 for aggressor role
Mirage 2000B with South African squadron badges
US ARMY FIAT G-91 and Pilatus PC-9 (or were they really in active service?)
USAF CM-170, MiG-21F (F-113)
A-500 is full USCG markings

There are also civilian SF-260s with Burkina Faso and Libyan markings and BAC167 in Botswanian markings circulating round the net, but I guess these were originally flown by the respective Air Forces, as well.

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 7,877

Good list you've got, Flex.

RAF IA-58, RAF A109

Falkland war booty, there was also a Puma. The civil UH-1H G-HUEY was also ex-Argentinian.
Swedish AH-64 (yes, the markings were applied)
Swiss MS-760 Paris and AS-202
G-2 Galeb with Indonesian fin flags used by IPTN as a test aircraft

Those are all new to me, if you feel like sharing...
Israeli MiG-23, MiG-21, MiG-17 and SA342, L-39 for evaluation purposes, MiG-29 for aggressor role
Mirage 2000B with South African squadron badges
US ARMY FIAT G-91 and Pilatus PC-9 (or were they really in active service?)

Yep, know of those and have pics as well. The PC-9s actually were in service as chaseplanes.
USAF CM-170, MiG-21F (F-113)
A-500 is full USCG markings

An American Fouga? Never knew that, but then again they were pleased enough with the Marboré engine to have it whistling T-37s through the air...
The other ones were as you said common military aircraft (Lybia had a huge pile of SF260s), but probably with civil transfer/test regs.

Another category would of course be the zapped aircraft. An RAFG Jaguar from Brüggen appearantly was zapped completely with German balkenkreuz and bortnummer, but i've never seen a pic of it unfortunately.

But how about a USMC Thunderchief?

Attachments

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 6,208

Well, here's Australia's B-52!
http://www.nachohat.org/top_end_2001/PIC00030.jpg

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 1,316

There are a pair of great-looking F-100F Super Sabres in the collection at Glenn L. Martin, Baltimore still painted in their US Army markings. Think they were both used as chase planes during live firing tests at White Sands.

Here's one:

http://f-100.org/images/f-100f_63905.jpg

Steve ~ Touchdown-News

Member for

20 years 7 months

Posts: 10,217

Well, here's Australia's B-52!
http://www.nachohat.org/top_end_2001/PIC00030.jpg

Where? :)

Member for

20 years 7 months

Posts: 10,217

Good list you've got, Flex.

Those are all new to me, if you feel like sharing...

Sure, mate, I will post them tomorrow..

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 6,208

Where?

Mate it's in Darwin, tucked up with a few nice things in there, as you can see there is one of our old Wessex 32B's there and a really nicely painted MU-2!

Member for

20 years 6 months

Posts: 208

What's the story on the USMC Thud?

Member for

20 years 5 months

Posts: 4,674

What's the story on the USMC Thud?

Marines-humor. Da Nang 1965.

This is a Canadian B-47 called CL-52. Somebody should find a better picture.

Attachments

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 7,877

What's the story on the USMC Thud?

It was a regular USAF Thud, but during the Vietnam war it made an emergency/precautionary landing at Da Nang, and the aircraft was parked at the VMCJ-1 ramp (a Marines recce/ew squadron). The Thud was left unattended for some time (probably waiting for spares, or for a ferry pilot or whatever). A brave Marine who knew about the fine art of zapping grabbed his chance, and painted one side of it with VMCJ-1 markings. There is a story-from-a-guy-who-was-there at http://business.quadlink.net/adirondack/mcarapage4seastories/marinef105/

As for the other ones i've posted so far:

  • The YF-17 was demonstrated to the French (both AdlA as Aéronavale) after Northrop lost the ACF competition and the aircraft served as F-18L demonstrator. They were pretty desparate (finally selling the bulk of the design to MDD) and already painted the aircraft in potential customer's colours. Later, this one was overpainted in Canadian markings as 'CF-18L Cobra.'
  • Greece originally was to get the G91, but after two were delivered these aircraft were reverted to Germany, Greece getting MAP-funded F-5s instead of the (also paid for by NATO) Fiats.
  • A number of French F-84 and Mystère units operated from Israeli airbases during the Suez campaign in 1956, and hence carried Israeli markings.
  • Member for

    24 years 2 months

    Posts: 6,208

    A few others

    http://rus.air.ru/russpower/israel/bigisr/Mig-21isr.jpg
    http://users.skynet.be/exotic.planes/pictures/israel/mig23_isr1.jpg
    http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/mig21/images/mig21_3.jpg

    Member for

    20 years 10 months

    Posts: 1,374

    There is that Canadair CL-13 Sabre in Israeli colors but I can't find that picture...
    BTW, did you know that that MiG-21, now called MiG-21 2000, came to Israel as a total wreck from Ethiopia?