Brandaktuell und gerade erst fertig geworden! Ich präsentiere ein Modell eines Flugzeuges, das es in echt gab - aber nur als Prototyp und niemals im echten Dienst: eine gescratchte AMD Myst?ere IVN, in Diensten der belgischen Luftwaffe
Some background:The Dassault MD.454 Mystère IV was a 1950s French fighter-bomber aircraft, the first transonic aircraft to enter service in French Air Force. The Mystère IV was an evolutionary development of the Mystère II aircraft and the straight-wing Ouragan. Although bearing an external resemblance to the earlier aircraft, the Mystère IV was in fact a new design with aerodynamic improvements for supersonic flight. The prototype first flew on 28 September 1952, and the aircraft entered service in April 1953.
The first 50 Mystère IVA production aircraft were powered by British Rolls-Royce Tay turbojets, while the remainder had the French-built Hispano-Suiza Verdon 350 version of that engine. In addition to production Mystère IVA, Dassault developed an upgraded Mystère IVB with either a Rolls-Royce Avon (first two prototypes) or a SNECMA Atar 101 (third prototype) afterburning engine and a radar ranging gunsight. Six pre-production aircraft were built but the project was abandoned in favor of the more promising Super Mystère.
Another development was the Mystère IVN. This aircraft was developed in parallel with the Mystère IVB as a night and all-weather interceptor. It differed from the single-seat fighter in several respects: a 1.4m section was added to the forward fuselage to accommodate a second crew member; internal fuel capacity was substantially increased and provision was made for an APG 33 intercept radar with the scanner above the engine air intake, not unlike the North American F-86D 'Sabre Dog' which already flew in 1949.
Powered by a Rolls-Royce Avon RA.7R, rated at 9.553 lbf (43.30 kN) with maximum afterburning, the Mystère IVN had provision for an armament of two 30mm cannons in the lower forward fuselage and a retractable rocket pack for 55 unguided air-air rockets of 68mm caliber.
The prototype was flown on 19 July 1954, but the development program was soon about to be abandoned owing to France's inability to finance the development of two night fighters (the other being the SNCASO Vautour) at the same time. Compared to the heavier Vautour, the Mystère IVN suffered from several shortcomings: endurance was considered insufficient and the proposed APG-33 radar, a Hughes-built Aircraft X band fire control radar originally developed for the USAF's F-89A and F-94A/B 1st generation jet interceptors, turned out to be unsuitable, too.
France decided to move on with the Vautour, but there was serious interest in the Mystère IVN from foreign markets: India, already being a taker of French combat aircraft like the Ouragan and the Mystère IVA, showed much interest, as well as smaller European countries like the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany and Belgium, where the limited range and loiter time were only of secondary importance. Israel also showed much interest. Most of them had to replace their outdated WWII Mosquito night fighters or were looking for a jet-powered, yet affordable solution for the all-weather interceptor role.
Eventually the Mystère IVN was developed further as a private venture, without official orders for the Armée de l’ Air. Several measures were taken to improve the type's endurance – the most significant was to omit the rocket belly tray in the fuselage and its complicated mechanics. Instead, the space was used for an auxiliary tank and some new avionics.
The IVA’s pair of 30mm DEFA cannons was retained. Unguided rockets – at the time of development the preferred air-to-air weapon against large bomber groups, coming in at high altitude and subsonic speed, could still be carried externally in up to four streamlined pods under the wings. A pair of 800l drop tanks could be carried on the wet inner pair of pylons, too.
Avionics were upgraded, too: the prototypes' AN/APG-33 was replaced by a more effective Hughes AN/APG-40 fire control radar (used in the F-89D and F-94C), together with an E-9 fire control system like that of the early F-102. This allowed the Mystère IVN (theoretically) to carry both types of the GAR-1/AIM-4 'Falcon' AAM. The GAR-1D (later re-coded AIM-4A) had semi-active radar homing (SARH), giving a range of about 5 mi (8.0 km). The GAR-2 (AIM-4B) was a heat-seeker, generally limited to rear-aspect engagements, but with the advantage of being a 'fire and forget' weapon. It had a similar range to the GAR-1.
The Mystère IVN could carry a maximum of four such missiles on launch rails under the wings. As would also be Soviet practice, it was common to fire the weapon in salvos of both types to increase the chances of a hit (a heat-seeking missile fired first, followed moments later by a radar-guided missile). The Falcon turned out to be rather unreliable and complicated in handling. It also had only a small 7.6 lb (3.4 kg) warhead, limiting their lethal radius, and it lacked a proximity fuze: the fuzing for the missile was in the leading edges of the wings, requiring a direct hit to detonate. Consequently, the missile was not introduced by any of the Mystère IVN’s users.
Alternatively, the French AA.20 air-to-air missile was tested, but it was deemed to be even less practical, as it relied on direct command guidance, using a similar system to that used by Nord's anti-tank missiles, with the missile being steered visually from the launching aircraft - at night or in adverse weather conditions not a suitable concept. The later, beam-riding AA.25 would have been a better option, but it was incompatible with the US-built APG-40 radar.
Belgium was the initial user of the type, initially buying 24 Mystery IVN (serialled AY-01 – 24) as replacements for the BAF's obsolete Mosquito NF.30 fleet in 1955, and later ordering 12 more as replacements for the Gloster Meteor NF.11 night fighter fleet. These were accompanied by 53 Avro CF-100 'Canuck', bought in 1957.
Both types served with No 11, 349 and 350 Squadron of the 1st "All Weather" Wing at Beauvechain and only saw a single, brief ‘hot’ mission: during “Operation Simba” in 1959, four BAF Mystère IVN, were, together with four more CF-100s, deployed to Kamina Air Base in Belgian Kongo, in order to suppress unrest and keep air control. The mission only lasted from 3rd to 16th of July 1959, though, and the transfer alone took four days, due to slow C-119G transporters which carried the technical support for the mission.
The Canuck was only used until 1964 when it was replaced by the Lockheed F-104G Starfighter, the Belgian Mystère IVNs would follow in 1975. None of these aircraft was preserved, as all remaining aircraft were sold to scrap dealer Van Heyghen and broken up at Gent.
Other users were Israel (20), India (42), Spain (16) and Australia (16) – many European countries rather settled for the license-built F-86K/L interceptors, sponsored by the USA (e. g. Denmark, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany), even though the Mystère IVN offered the benefit of a second crew member/WSO.
General characteristics:Crew: 2
Length: 14.92 m (49 ft 11 in)
Wingspan: 11.12 m (36 ft 5 ¾ in)
Height: 4.60 m (15 ft 1 in)
Wing area: 32.06 m² (345.1 ft²)
Empty weight: 7.140 kg (15.741 lb)
Max. take-off weight: 10.320 kg(22.752 lb)
Powerplant1× Rolls-Royce Avon RA.7R rated at 7.350 lbf (32.69 kN) dry thrust and 9.553 lbf (43.30 kN) with afterburner
PerformanceMaximum speed: 1.030 km/h (640 mph) at sea level
Range: 915 km (494 nmi, 570 mi) without external tanks,
Ferry range: 2.280 km (1.231 nmi, 1.417 mi) with external tanks
Service ceiling: 15.000 m (49.200 ft)
Rate of climb: 95 m/s (7.874 ft/min)
Armament2× 30 mm (1.18 in) DEFA cannons with 150 rounds per gun
1.000 kg (2.200 lb) of payload on four external hardpoints under the wings, including unguided rocket pods (for 19 x 68mm missiles each), drop tanks, iron bombs of up to 1.000 lb (454 kg) caliber or up to four GAR-1/2 (AIM-4) ‘Falcon’ AAMs.
Zum BausatzDie Mystère IVN gab es wirklich, und sie steht im Conservatoire de l'Air et de l'Espace d'Aquitaine in Bordeaux–Merignac in Frankreich.
Entstanden ist die Idee, als ich grübelte was man aus einer Matchbox Mystère IVA machen könnte? Beim Stöbern stolperte ich über den IVN Prototypen - ein hübsches Flugzeug, und das inspirierte. Zuerst sollte es nur ein Einsitzer mit radar werden, doch dann der Entschluss, das echte, zweisitzige Flugzeug nachzubauen!
Von der IVN gibt es m.W. nur einen 1:48 Kleinserien-Bausatz von Fonderie Miniatures. Noch ein Grund mehr, DIY walten zu lassen.
Primäre Umbauten:
- Verlängertes Nachbrenner-Heck: hier wurden Teile von Triebwerksgondeln einer 1:100 A-10 implantiert
- Tandem-Cockpit: gespendet von einer Matchbox Gloster Meteor NF.14
- Rumpfverlängerung: um ca. 2cm, innen mit Plastikstreifen fixiert, außen dann mit 2C-Spachtel "verplankt"
- Übergang Haube/Rumpf: ist Teil einer Motorverkleidung einer Me 410 von FROG...
- Radarnase: ist ein Abwurftank einer Airfix Bf 110, auf Maß gesägt
- Lufteinlauf: von einer Italeri F-16, gekürzt und verschmälert.
- Triebwerk: Teil eines Abwurftankes, innen simuliert ein Panzer-Treibrad den Nachbrenner
- Als Extra sind auch noch die Landeklappen ausgefahren dargestellt - ließ sich einfach realisieren
Fahrwerk und Flügel sind übernommen, wie auch die Raketenbehälter; neu sind die Abwurftanks, Sitze und zwei Figuren.
Vor allem die Rumpfarbeiten waren umfangreich, aber letztlich ohne viele Probleme. Einige kleine Details wie Lufthutzen, Pitot-Rohre oder Kanonenmündungen aus Stahl-Kanülen wurden noch ergänzt.
Die Bemalung orientiert sich an zeitgenössischen Flugzeugen der belgischen Luftwaffe, insbes. den anachronistischen CF-100 aus Kanada, die eine Weile als Allwetter-Jäger betrieben wurden.
Grundfarben sind Revell 46 (RAL 6014) und Modelmaster 2085 (RLM 75!) von oben und Modelmaster 2039 (FS 16515, Canadian Voodoo Grey) unten - alles aber mit pinselgemalten Panels, Dry-Brushing und schwarzer Tinte gealtert.
Das Cockpit ist klassisch dunkelgrau, Fahrwerk & -innenseitenm sind alufarben, wie auch die Abwurftanks. Die Markiereungen stammen von einem Modeldecal Sheet (#100), belgische Kokarden auf der Unterseite von einem TL Modellbau-Sheet. Der taktische Code ist aus Einzelbuchstaben, ebenfalls TL Modellbau, zusammengesetzt, die Warnhinweise kommen vom Original Mystère-Bausatz.
Ein dreckiges Projekt, aber das Ergebnis ist besser geworde als gedacht - auch wenn man nicht so genau hingucken darf, das ist ein übler "Spachtelbunker". Aber: ein Unikat, und ein Modell eines hübschen Flugzeuges, das aber kaum jemand kenn wird und für Kopfkratzen sorgen dürfte, denn viele werden die IVN für eine zweisitzige F-86D/K/L halten... auch ein whif, aber ein "falsches".
Thema: What if? AMD Mystère IVN; 'AY-16', 350. Smaldeel, Force Aérienne Belge, Beauvechain, 1963 (Gelesen 3828 mal)
