Subject: Re: Submission for Silly Week Jan1 till Jan 7 2008
From: "Submissions for ARC" <[email-masked]>
To: "Bjorn Dol" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 30 Dec 2007 10:36:11 -0800

Hi,
I just wanted to let you know your article went on ARC today.  Thanks again for sending it in.

Steve Bamford
Aircraft Resource Center
http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com

Live like there is no tomorrow;
Love like you've never been hurt.
Work like you don't need the money.
Dance like nobody's watching.
Sing like nobody's listening.
Live like it's Heaven on Earth.

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Bjorn Dol 
  To: [email-masked] 
  Sent: Monday, December 24, 2007 7:49 AM
  Subject: Submission for Silly Week Jan1 till Jan 7 2008

  Gallery Template #05

  "1/72 Vigilante Mk.2" 

  by "Björn Dol"
  --------------------

        Steve Bamford will insert full sized version of photo 01.jpg here 

  This is the Trumpeter RA-5C Vigilante in 1/72. I build it as a RAF Vigilante Mk.2 of the 41 Squadron. The model assembled quit good, only a small seam at the end of the fuselage. I used Humbrol paints to paint the model.

  Click on images below to see larger images

        Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 03.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 03.jpg 
       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 04.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 04.jpg 
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  The Story:
  The year is 1969, The BAC TSR.2 has just been cancelled in favor of the F-111K which also got cancelled in 1968. The RAF was in need of an fast, cheap and available attack bomber. Again they turned towards the United States. In the mean time the Jaguar project got cancelled as well due to budget over runs. The American company North American came to the rescue for the RAF, they proposed a none nuclear fast attack bomber version of the US Navy's A-5/RA-5C bomber/Recon plane. The plane kept the official name Vigilante with the add-on Mk.1 for the first version. The Vigilante Mk.1 could be armed with all US and British dumb bombs, and unguided rockets. For the RAF paint scheme North American used US colors FS.36118 Gunship Grey and FS.34079 US Dark Green, these colors stayed on the aircraft until the planes got repainted in the low-vis grey-grey scheme during 1993.

        Steve Bamford will insert full sized version of photo 02.jpg here 

  In the mid-70's the Tornado project got delayed a lot the maiden flight was pushed-up towards the mid to end-80's, the project was nearly cancelled. Because of this the RAF was in need of a precision strike capability(which the Tornado was to deliver). For this North American updated the Vigilante Mk.1 to the Mk.2 version. The major update was a new attack computer/radar, and the laser designator pod under the belly. The pod was converted from the RA-5C recon pod. Now the pod contained a laser designator, a FLIR, and 2 SLIR's (Sideway Looking InfraRed). The FLIR made use of the forward 2 windows, and the SLIR's are stacked to the end of the pod, each one pointed to 1 side. The new weapon load could now contain almost every guided weapon in the US and British arsenal. Later weapon add-on's include AGM-84 Harpoon, AGM-84E SLAM, AGM-88 HARM, ALARM, AGM-65 Maverick. The total weapon load could be as high as 22000 pounds.

  The Vigilante MK.2 was retired in 1996/7 in preparation for the EF2000 Typhoon.

  The aircraft depicted in the model was armed as it flew in 1982 to support the Avro Vulcans during the Black Buck Raids. The Armament was 12 Mk.83's and 4 GBU-10's.

  Click on images below to see larger images

        Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 07.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 07.jpg 
       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 08.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 08.jpg 
       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 09.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 09.jpg 
       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 10.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 10.jpg