It seems that Nigerian participation with 2 Alpha jet training aircrafts instead of F7 fighter aircraft as previously thought.

To be fair, the Alpha Jets are probably more useful for close-support / ground-attack in Mali than the F-7s would be.

Supersonic jets are great for parade fly-pasts but for supporting the troops you really do want a small, nimble load-lugger with an underslung DEFA cannon.

Plus the French logistics supply line could probably feed Alpha Jet spares if needed.

Just a shame the Nigerian Alphas don’t have laser-ranging or ballistics computer.

Edit: just read here that six Alphas were restored to airworthiness and returned to NAF service last year. Seems sensible; easily maintained but quite useful. Quite an impressive turn of speed at sea-level too, should be able to run an attack at 420 or 480 knots.

Mirage F1CR doesn’t drop ordnance either. It’s also a recce bird.

Actually it’s a pretty accurate attack aircraft and has been used in the role on several occasions.

During Daguet the F1CR acted as bombing leader for groups of Jaguars, having a more accurate nav-attack system tied in to its radar.

And the ultimate RF-4 offensive role was with the Luftwaffe, with a nuclear store on the centreline for the deep-strike role.

Huh, $596 million down the loo.

I was reading recently central African complaints about the level of technology in modern light transports; even something like a CN 235 is difficult to maintain. But there’s not much else in that bracket unless Viking can put the Buffalo back into production.

King Air 350 isn’t enough of a payload advantage over their C208s.

So An-32 I suppose it is; rip-out the pressurisation systems to save some weight and man-hours.

Or what about the CH-47 instead? Too complex?

When 230 Sqn were based in Singapore If I remember correctly, they were discussing what to have as a Sqn badge over a few beers and someone suggested the badge off the Tiger Beer they were drinking, so it was adopted.

Cheeky beggars!

At first I was skeptical ( the crest was approved in 1937 ) but sure enough Tiger beer dates from 1932 so… you might just be right!

Edit: after checking the squadron history I was even more alarmed to see they’ve been flying Pumas for 42 years, which is nearly half their entire period of existence.

Good links, thanks skeeler.

Interesting in the second one that they’re using Mk 82s ( stencilled as such ) as the basis of the GBUs ; I thought the AdlA used Matra freefall ordnance?

Perhaps the GBU kit only fits the Aero casings, but I thought they’d only bought the guidance kits.

Edit: and a C-130 for moving Compagnie Epervier instead of a C-160! That surprises me after all we’ve been told about the Transall being better-suited for the African environment.

It is the phrase ‘The Dambusters‘ that is registered – and as Moggy C points out – this is perfectly reasonable to protect the name and history of 617 Sqn.

Protect what from whom?

Registering a trademark does not prevent anyone from writing a totally fictitious and scurrilous history of 617 Squadron. Only libel tort could be invoked in that situation and after the fact.

Crown Copyright already protects the squadron crest, as a creative work.

All that this trademark registration does is provide the MoD with a monetization vector for trade products. And only in the specific categories of trade that they have designated.

I can still go ahead and launch my own brand of The Dambusters high-caffeine cola, or 617 Squadron floor wax. Would that damage 617 Squadron’s image? Doubtful, and not as much as being disbanded in 1955 did.

EDIT: Just discovered that they were again disbanded in 1982. So much for cherishing their history.

617 Squadron was reformed in 1983. 26 years later the MoD registered applicable trademarks. Why not in 1983?

I pity the Gripen pilots; a six-hour drag across the Atlantic with only soggy cheese sandwiches for lunch and a bag into which to pee.

Meanwhile the tanker crew are stretching-out and kicking-back.

A couple of interesting anecdotes in the book:

1. The Australian Chief of Air Staff nearly destroyed a visiting B-47 on take-off because he turned-off the water injection. Ah, the days when anyone with rank could jump into the cockpit and try to fly something.

2. One of the leased F-4Es was lost and an arrangement was made to offset the cost against that of an Aussie P-3B that was lost before delivery. Not really financially balanced!

And one Aussie proposal for a name for the F-111 was Destroyer…