Shipbucket

Hello again!

Typo edited... and on it goes:

Thiarian Wings – 1960 - 1975
Although it seemed in the late 1950s that Thiaria would quickly re-establish an aviation industry capable of fully catering to all its requirements, this development considerably slowed down in the 1960s. The Kennedy and Johnson administrations were more willing than their predecessors to supply high-end technology to the Thiarians, and the ascent of a radical left government in 1966 resulted in the nationalization of Thiaria’s entire aviation industry in 1968, completely disrupting most ongoing development programmes. Thiaria’s 1966 presidential elections created a major scandal when it became public that several polling officers had received massive bribes by a company on the Caymans with ties to a Washington Think Tank which was suspected of being influenced by the CIA. The elections were repeated in the districts in question after the Thiarian media had hyped the incident, and the result was a plurality for the Agaidh Dearg (Red Front – name explains itself). Forming an alliance with the Lught Oibhre (Labour Party, at that time leaning very much to the left as well), Agaidh Dearg Chairman Ronan o Cluidh became Thiaria’s first communist Prime Minister. Although his attempts to transform Thiarian society towards communism always remained half-hearted, he left his personal mark on Thiaria’s foreign policy by forging a bilateral military alliance with the Soviet Union. This treaty, signed in 1969, included the right of the Soviets to use Thiarian port facilities for their navy and airports for their Air Force, operate military intelligence installations on Thiarian soil, base Fighter and Recce airplanes in Thiaria and – this part of the treaty was secret – to construct a new fortified base for ballistic missile submarines. In exchange, the Soviets delivered T-62 tanks, the latest Ground Radar installations, and aircraft. Between 1967 and 1975, several types of Soviet aircraft were imported and license-produced. The coalition between the Agaidh Dearg and the Lucht Oibhre eventually ruptured shortly before the 1974 elections over Cluidhs expressed intention to join the Arab Oil embargo against the West, as demanded by the Soviets; Lucht Oibhre was strictly against that move, which would cost Thiaria half its foreign trade revenues. To bolster their chances in the 1974 elections, the leadership of Lucht Oibhre made public the secret agreement concerning the Soviet nuclear missile submarine base. The result was a general uproar and the annihilation of Agaidh Dearg in the elections, with Lucht Oibhre halving their votes as well and the newly formed center-right Tirghrateoirai (Patriotic) party attaining absolute majority. The Soviet alliance was formally terminated late in 1974, and the last Soviet military units left Thiaria by mid-1975. What Soviet equipment had been delivered to the Thiarians remained in place, but as Soviet support and spare parts were no longer available, these planes did not last for very long.


1. Trainers

Nord N.262 Fregate
The N.262 replaced the by then decrepit Lodestar as Thiaria’s standard navigational trainer in between 1965 and 1967. No attempt was made at developing a domestic design; Thiarian procurement policy was (and is, till today) to buy off the shelf as long as enough choices are offered to ensure healthy competition and only subsidy domestic development if there is either no alternative or if faced with a monopoly. For the Lodestar replacement, there were plenty enough options, and the Thiarians chose the then brand-new Nord N.262 as offering the best value for money. 48 planes were delivered as kits and assembled by Aerelar; that company also license-built the type for the civilian market, but only with very limited success. The Fregate was employed by the same squadrons and Flotillas as the Lodestar. They were popular due to their ruggedness and ease of maintenance, and acquired an exceptionally long service life as trainers, lasting for an average of 42 years till replaced by Toscaires in the mid-00s.

40th Navigation Trainer Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 1981


24th Navigation Trainer Flotilla, Thiarian Navy, 1968



2. Fighters and Strike Fighters

McDonnell F-101D Voodoo
Thiaria had been interested in delivery of high-end US fighters since 1955, but prior to 1960, the US government was unwilling to supply aircraft capable of firing AAMs to the former world war adversary, even if they were only the little AIM-4 Falcons. The French offered missile-armed Vautour IINs, but the Thiarians wanted supersonic, so their ambitions at first came to naught; they did however order early French AAMs (R.511 and later R.530) to study possibilities to fit them to existing planes. With the election of JFK, the US government became more sympathetic towards Thiaria, and late in 1960, the delivery of F-101s – considered already obsolescent at that time – was finally approved if the Thiarians still wanted them; alternately, they could also have F-104s, which were faster, cheaper and more versatile. The even better F-4 was not mentioned. As the Thiarians wanted a twin-engined plane for safety reasons, only the F-101 qualified, but they had prepared a long list of modifications to tailor-fit the actually quite mediocre F-101 to their needs. The result – dubbed the F-101D – was to all intents and purposes a different plane. Modifications included reshaping of the central hull section according to the area rule;fitting of 2 30mm DEFA cannon, which were mounted on all other Thiarian operational aircraft at that time; deletion of the internal weapons bay;GE J79 engines for more power and better fuel efficiency; structural strengthening to enable 8g maneuvers; larger wings with greater wing span to reduce wing load and increase maneuverability;larger horizontal control surfaces to the same effect; two hard points under each wing; and a modular electronics suite to enable the fitting of French-supplied AAMs. To create space for the additional electronics and to offset the added weight, the plane was a single-seater, unlike the twin-seat US interceptor version; the Thiarians, who had also tested the single-seat F-104, considered the WSO redundant. The recce version resembled the RF-101C, but with the larger wing and control surfaces and the J79 engines of the F-101D. McDonnell dutifully implemented all of Thiaria’s wishes and presented the F-101D – far and away the most mature, versatile and potent version of this type – in 1963. The F-101D had the same speed as the F-101B, but longer range at 3.200km; it was considerably more agile, with a much better rate of climb and dramatically increased low altitude performance. It was able to carry four of the then brand-new French R.530 missiles. Delivery of 132 series machines for two photo recce and four intercept squadrons commenced in 1964 and was complete in 1967, just in time for the radical left to attain power in Thiaria and sever all military connections to the USA. As the Thiarians had heavily influenced the F-101Ds design and were able to produce many spare parts themselves, as well as having continued access to the type’s French sourced weapons, Thiaria’s Voodoo fleet was largely operational during the time of their Soviet alliance; the Russians were quite impressed and studied the planes very carefully. The F-101D fighters completely dominated the Brazilian Air Force during Thiaria's attempt to assist the Uruguayan leftists against their right-wing government in 1969, downing 27 enemy planes for the loss of 2; as Thiaria was in no position to bring ground forces to bear, the Brazilian Army eventually stabilized the situation, and Uruguay remained a military dictatorship. Competitive tests against Soviet-supplied SU-15s in 1975 proved the F-101D superior in every respect except top speed and radar performance against ECM; the former was however not considered crucial and the latter redundant in a typical South American combat scenario. The F-101D fighters remained in service for an average of 25 years, with the last machines retired in 1990. They received two more underwing hard points for short-range R550 AAMs, FLIR and an aerial refueling probe in 1977/8 and were upgraded with Super 530F missiles 1981/2. Thiarian Voodoos were a none too welcome sight for the British fleet proceeding towards the Falklands in 1982, which they shadowed nearly continuously. As US support remained unaccessible even a few years after Thiaria booted the Soviets out, the Recce planes, which had been delivered first, had a shorter service life than the fighters, because they were replaced with Mirage G.8s and cannibalized from 1980 to keep the interceptors flying.

4th Fighter Squadron (Intercept), Thiarian Air Corps, 1965


8th Fighter Squadron (Intercept), Thiarian Air Corps, 1969


25th Fighter Squadron (Intercept), Thiarian Air Corps, 1982


39th Fighter Squadron (Intercept), Thiarian Air Corps, 1990


17th Photo Reconnaissance Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 1968


19th Photo Reconaissance Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 1978



Aigeanta F7T Tearatoirn
In 1961, Aigeanta submitted an improved single-seat version of the O7T jet trainer, dubbed the F7T. Although there was no real requirement, development proceeded as a private venture, and the government finally ordered a small batch of 48 machines in 1963 to make use of the tools for the trainer version a little longer. They were delivered by 1964 and equipped two light ground-attack squadrons. A repeat batch of 40 machines was ordered in 1964 to keep production running as long as the type was being evaluated by several foreign air forces; eventually, the Tearatoirn was chosen by the Irish Air corps in 1965 (20 attack aircraft and 12 trainers) and the Ethiopian Air Force in 1966 (32 attack aircraft and 8 trainers) despite the airframe’s obvious obsolescence. The Thiarian Tearatoirns were flown for an average of 27 years with four light attack squadrons and retired between 1991 and 1993 during the force reduction surge after the end of the cold war.32 machines were half-heartedly refurbished and sold to Namibia, where about a dozen are still in a flyable condition at an age of over 50. Only two Tearatoirn squadrons remained active after 1990, one being re-equipped with Siolpaires (the first Air Force unit to receive that type for evaluation purposes), and one became became Thiaria’s Space Surveillance Control Center after the successful launch of Thiaria’s first military satellite in 1989. The other two squadrons were re-established as attack helicopter units in 1999/2000.

24th Ground Attack Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 1965


28th Ground Attack Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 1973


34th Ground Attack Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 1982


36th Ground Attack Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 1990



Sukhoi Su-15A
The most high-Profile weapons deal of the Agaidh Dearg government with the Soviets was the transfer of no less than 120 of the latest Su-15 interceptors to the Thiarian Air Force. In addition, a significant number of such planes of the VVS (two full Regiments converted to the Su-15 specifically for this purpose, these being the only VVS units to fly that type, which was otherwise restricted to PVO Strany use) were to be based on Thiarian soil as well to protect the planned secret submarine base. The Soviet Su-15s were stationed in Thiaria from 1970; construction of the secret submarine base and several large surveillance bases started in 1971. The promised weapons deliveries to the Thiarians were however slow to materialize. An initial batch of 40 Su-15s reached Thiaria in 1973 and replaced the Super Mysteres of two fighter squadrons in 1974. Before more Su-15s could be delivered, the Soviet alliance ruptured. The Su-15s remained, but soon proved to be no real improvement compared with the F-101D. Attempts to upgrade the Su-15 with integral 30mm cannon and French AAMs proved costly and were beset with difficulties, and these planes took till 1978 to reach FOC. They remained in service through 1985; at that time, only 28 were in a flying condition due to lack of spares and unusually quick structural aging resulting from poor quality control. They were replaced with Mirage 4000s from 1984 and scrapped.

22nd Fighter Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 1975


20th Fighter Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 1983



3. Special Aircraft for maritime patrol and electronic warfare duties

Ilyushin Il-20/Il-38
By far the most successful and long-lived of all Soviet-sourced airplanes in Thiaria’s inventory were fifty Il-18 derivatives delivered between 1969 and 1973. Thiaria’s Neptune fleet had reached the limit of its usefulness, and the Soviets, who were about to establish a submarine base in Thiaria and thus had a natural interest in keeping its environs free of enemy submarine activities, were happy to provide a state of the art replacement. They even encouraged the Thiarians to double the number of MPA squadrons to four and assign eight planes to each. Although the Il-38s sensor suite was not quite as state of the art as promised, the brand-new airframes were a marked improvement over the Neptune. After 40 MPAs were commissioned, the Soviets delivered another 10 of the Il-20 version, a dedicated ELINT airplane; these were operated by the Thiarian Air Force. The last MPA squadron reported FOC in 1975, shortly after the Soviet alliance ruptured; the ELINT birds were not yet operational at that time. With Soviet technical assistance gone, the planes soon had to be grounded; in 1978, it was decided to completely exchange their electronics and sensors suite with a mix of French and domestically produced equipment, giving them capabilities similar to the Breguet Atlantic. This project was completed in 1982, and from this point, the Thiarian Il-38 became a real asset. They could deploy Mk.46 torpedoes, AS.30 and AM.39 missiles and aerial mines and had very long range; although their Soviet engines were maintenance-intensive, they worked reliably. The ELINT birds took longer to become operational; their signals surveillance equipment was mostly replaced with domestically developed gear, which took time. Their squadron, originally a heavy bomber unit of WWII fame (or rather infamy) reported FOC as late as 1986, more than ten years after delivery. After that, they were as successful as their Naval equivalents. Thiaria’s Ilyushins served for nearly forty years till replaced with Airbus A319s between 2005 and 2011, took part in military conflicts with Brazil in 1984 and 1995 and assisted in the suppression of drug deliveries to Thiaria by midget submarine since 2000.

5th Patrol Flotilla, Thiarian Navy, 1974


15th Patrol Flotilla, Thiarian Navy, 1982


18th Patrol Flotilla, Thiarian Navy, 1991


1st Patrol Flotilla, Thiarian Navy, 2000


18th Electronic Warfare Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 1986


Dassault Falcon 20 EW
Six of the 24 Dassault Falcon 20s delivered to Thiaria in the late 1960s were refurbished as airborne SIGINT and jamming platforms in 1975; at that time, the Thiarians feared their Il-20s might never become operational and looked for a stop-gap replacement. Despite their markedly inferior performance, the Falcons remained in service with the 18th Electronic Warfare Squadron till their ever-increasing maintenance cost made further service pointless; they were retired in 2001.

18th Electronic Warfare Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 1986



4. Transports

Nord N.262 Fregate
Apart from the training role, the Thiarians employed the Nord N.262 as a light utility transport as well. 60 airframes were delivered from France during the reign of Thiaria’s communists in the early 1970s and served stalwartly for nearly thirty years before being replaced with the larger and more capable C-295 in the early 2000s.

5th Transport Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 1974


9th Transport Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 1996


7th Transport Flotilla, Thiarian Navy, 1985



Aerospatiale Caravelle 10R
Thiaria’s first large government jet was selected in 1963, and it came as no surprise that the by far most numerous civilian airliner in Thiarian service came up top. Four machines were fitted with additional communications and ECM gear, larger fuel tanks and structural improvements; cargo and passenger capacity were significantly reduced. They served for nearly 20 years and accumulated a quite astounding number of flying hours before they were replaced in the early 1980s by unlicensed copies of the Il-62 fitted with US supplied turbofans.

1st VIP Transport Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 1964



Dassault Falcon 20
The decrepit Lodestars were replaced with six Falcon 20s in 1966; it was Thiaria’s last military aircraft acquisition before the Communists took over, and the airplanes were actually delivered after the new government was in power. The communist government was as fond of the comfort of these luxury bizjets as their predecessors, and they were employed intensely to the point of waste and fraud (flying family members of government officials for shopping sprees to Europe was common practice during the glorious reign of the champions of labour and equality). They were replaced after 20 years of service with Falcon 50s.

1st VIP Transport Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 1977



5. Helicopters

Aerospatiale SA.321 Super Frelon
Thiaria’s H-34 helicopters were reliable enough, but by the mid-1960s their performance was insufficient and larger transport helicopters were needed. The Soviet Union was approached for Mil Mi-8s in 1969, but they had other priorities; Thiarian wishes for equipment were less important to them than their own requirements in turning Thiaria into a fortified nuclear submarine base for their navy. Consequently, the Thiarians received Su-15 fighters they neither wanted nor needed, but no transport helicopters. As soon as the Soviets had left Thiaria in 1975, replacement of the H-34s was pursued again, and in 1976, an initial order of 40 units was placed at Aerospatiale for the SA.321 Super Frelon. This helicopter design was over ten years old at that time, but production had recently been restarted to process a large Chinese order. After delivery of 40 french-built machines in 1977, the Thiarians license-built another 60 in the old MCE factory which now belonged to the newly-privatized SCI, between 1978 and 1979. They were supplied to the three existing heavy helicopter squadrons (two Air Corps transport units and a naval CSAR formation), and in addition to two newly formed Marine transport helicopter flotillas which were operated by the Navy. The transport variants served for an average of 23 years till replaced with the new Znamenany Foiche between 1999 and 2003, at the time of their retirement, some 20 were still in good enough shape to be re-sold to private interests, and some of them are still flying as of 2015. The Navy’s CSAR Super Frelons lingered in service till 2006, when they were replaced with Caracals.

14th Helicopter Transport Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 1982


21st Helicopter Transport Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 1990


6th CSAR Flotilla, Thiarian Navy, 1986


17th Helicopter Transport Flotilla, Thiarian Navy, 1977


23rd Helicopter Transport Flotilla, Thiarian Navy, 1995



MCE/SCI H2S Mioltog
Due to the limitations of the Alouette II as an observer and liaison helicopter, particularly its lack of growth potential for weaponry of any kind and advanced vision and communications gear, the Thiarians started to look for a replacement as soon as deliveries were complete. They acquired a production license for the Aerospatiale SA.340 – the immediate forerunner of the Gazelle, differing from the latter only by the conventional tail rotor – in 1968, which caused some frictions between Great Britain and France because the French had given all details of Britain’s next standard light helicopter to the enemy out of sheer greed. Thiaria’s state aviation industry started producing them in 1970 under the designation H2S Mioltog (Gaelic: Midge). They were built in a civilian, an army and a naval version from the outset, and over a period of twelve years, a considerable number of 440 were delivered to the armed forces (180, half for the army and half for the navy), the police of six Thiarian departments (total of 50), the Thiarian Coast Guard (30), the Argentine Army (40) and sundry private users in Thiaria (90) and abroad (50, with orders coming from Spain, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Peru). They were used as standard training helicopter by both branches of the Thiarian Armed Forces, as observer and liaison helicopter by the Thiarian Army and as shipborne ASW helicopter by the Thiarian Navy and Coast Guard (the Coast Guard received its first helicopter carrying ships in 1977, the Navy in 1981). They served faithfully, if unspectacularly, for nearly thirty years and were replaced with the Muiscit between 1990 and 2001.

2nd Helicopter Trainer Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps 1993


30th Helicopter Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 1990


35th Helicopter Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 1975


3rd Helicopter Trainer Flotilla, Thiarian Navy, 1980


8th ASW Flotilla, Thiarian Navy, 1979


13th ASW Flotilla, Thiarian Navy, 1988



Greetings
GD

Fantastic work, such great colour schemes.

_________________
Hood's Worklist
English Electric Canberra FD
Interwar RN Capital Ships
Super-Darings
Never-Were British Aircraft

nice color shcemes, bit suprising to see the sukhois and Ilyushins here, but they do look nice on those "reactionary" colors as well

_________________
Shipbucket mainsite, aka "The Archive"
New AU project "Aravala"

Garlic, I'm running short of superlatives for your AU works.

_________________
My Worklist
Sources and documentations are the most welcome.

-Koko Kyouwakoku (Republic of Koko)
-Koko's carrier-based aircrafts of WWII
-Koko Kaiun Yuso Kaisha - KoKaYu Line (Koko AU spinoff)
-Koko - Civil Aviation

Well done you are setting a very high standard for AUs

As always, a quality AU military aviation lineup!
Interesting that Moscow has allowed the sale of AFAIK an exclusively domestic-use interceptor to a foreign country in the AU.

_________________
>"Emotions are prohibited." —YoRHa No. 2, Type B ("2B"), NieR: Automata
>"Wow, if I wasn't a hardened killing machine, that mightta hurt..." —SSgt. John Lugo (1st SFOD-D), Spec Ops: The Line

Really, really nice GD!

_________________
Public Service Announcement: This is the preferred SB / FD font.

NSWE: viewtopic.php?f=14&t=5695

Again, nice paintschemes.

EXCELLENT stuff GD

_________________
https://discord.gg/5PHq8Dk
My artwork is posted here: https://www.deviantart.com/adenandy/gallery/all

Hello everyone

Thiarian Wings – 1975 - 1990
During the decade following the end of the Soviet alliance, Thiaria enjoyed the benefits of the oil crisis. They had languished in a long-term economical baisse during the boom years of the 1950s and 1960s; now they had their own boom while the west went into economic recession. Politically, they were isolated. Thiaria had not joined the United Nations so far due to Great Britain's persistent veto; their active support of the IRA in the late sixties did not help much there. The French continued to co-operate with them (they delivered weapons to Rumania and Yugoslavia as well in the middle of the cold war) and delivered several hundreds of the latest Mirages after 1975, but that was it. US goodwill towards Thiaria, which had survived two world wars on opposite sides, was totally used up by 1975. For seven years, the Thiarians were completely ignored by international politics, and their pleads to join the United Nations hit deaf ears. Then everything changed due to a rather rash decision by Leopoldo Galtieri, military dictator of Argentina, to invade the Falklands. Thiaria's Air Corps with over 400 aircraft and their navy with 24 surface combatants and 16 submarines were quite capable of sealing off the South Atlantic by that time, even against the entire Royal Navy, which had just cut its carrier fleet from six to four. Argentina had been Thiaria's closest ally in the post-war years and Galtieri had so few doubts that they would, that he did not even consult them before he seized the Falklands. The Thiarians were miffed and seized the opportunity instead to suck up to the West by letting the Royal Navy pass their waters unmolested and watching them totally annihilate Argentina's Navy and Air Force. In return, the US and - grudgingly - Great Britain revoked their veto against Thiaria joining the UNO, and China, which was rather close to the USA in the early 1980s, did likewise. Only the Soviets, still pissed off, kept up their resistance; in order to retain western goodwill, the Thiarians backed off rather meekly in a 1984 military clash against Brazil over the capture of a Brazilian flagged suspected drug running ship by the Thiarian coast guard after only a few air-to air fights. In 1986 at last, Gorbachev consented to allow Thiaria into the UNO, and they finally joined up on January 1st, 1987. By that time, the oil boom had run its course, as crude oil price plummeted due to the First Gulf war, but Thiaria had used the last ten years of hausse well and pretty much doubled their life standard. They again ranked among the world's most developed countries in 1990, and during the second half of the 1980s, they started not only to produce, but also to export high-end military technology. Thiaria’s nationalized aviation, space, missile and aero propulsion industry was joined together to form the SCI (Scata Cath-Innealtoireocht, Defense Engineering Group) and re-privatized in 1978, and Thiaria quickly established a really advanced aviation industry. The last combat aircraft were imported in the mid-1980s; afterwards, only Thiarian-designed aircraft are employed in combat roles. Thiarian domestic helicopter development started in the late 1980s, and the Znamenany Eitiliocht, founded in 1980, has become one of the major players in helicopter production worldwide. Transport and supporting aircraft were still widely imported; if the market is saturated and there are no military or strategic reasons for buying Thiarian, domestic developments usually are not encouraged by the Thiarian Air ministry. By 1990, Thiaria had commissioned its first post-war fleet aircraft carrier and again possessed the most powerful air and naval force in South America.


1. Trainers

Aigeanta/SCI O1S Turbo Osalat (Turbo Ocelot/Turbo Fennec)
The first Thiarian military airplane to see some success on the export market, the O1S was an organic development of the earlier O6T to provide a basic trainer with contemporary turboprop propulsion at minimal risk. Developed during the time of Thiaria’s Soviet alliance in the early 1970s, the Turbo Ocelot was fitted the Turbomeca Turmo VI of 1.800hp, which the French licensed to the Thiarians despite their changing sides in the cold war. Big and sturdy as the Trojan/Fennec was, the planes adapted easily to the more powerful engines and were rated excellent training aircraft. 80 were newly built and 38 re-built from O6T airframes to equip three basic trainer squadrons of the Air Corps and one of the Navy. Production was undertaken at the National Aircraft Factory (MAN) which became the SCI (Scata Cath-Innealtoireacht - Defence engineering group) upon re-privatization in 1978. They remained in service until well into the 2000s; the last were retired in 2004 upon replacement by the O4S Dragun. The type was exported in a total of 140 specimens to several South American and African countries in the 1970s, most notably Angola, Bolivia, the Congo Republic, Mocambique, Paraguay and Peru, all of which employed the Turbo Osalat as a light ground support aircraft, for which role it was very well suited due to its very rugged structure and good maneuverability. Production ceased in 1983.

6th Basic Trainer Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 1979


23rd Basic Trainer Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 1988


37th Basic Trainer Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 2003


25th Basic Trainer Flotilla, Thiarian Navy, 1996



Dassault Breguet Alpha Jet E
When the domestically produced O7T Tearatoirn reached the end of its usefulness in the mid-1970s, Thiaria’s oil boom had just started, so there would have been enough money for a domestically-designed replacement. But Thiaria’s Air Ministry was adamant in following its established policy of not authorizing any subsidies for airplane development if there were sufficient off-the-shelf alternatives, which happened to be the case on the jet trainer market. Although US and East Bloc offers were banned for political reasons and the MB.339 was ruled out because of its single engine, there still were the CASA C.101 and the Dassault Breguet/Dornier Alpha Jet as established and proven alternatives which were immediately available. Both had their development costs already paid and could undercut the price a domestically designed Thiarian contender would cost – so none was developed. In 1979, the Alpha Jet was chosen as the more advanced aircraft with better growth potential, and 112 machines were ordered to be license-produced by the newly privatized SCI. They fully replaced the Tearatoirn till 1982, equipping the same squadrons. They proved to have an exceptionally long service life; 36 years after their introduction, there still are 90 operational machines available, and the replacement in the shape of the SCI/EADS O9S Mako has just become available in 2014, with the first squadron converting in 2015. By 2018, the last Alpha Jets are expected to be retired. Due to their long service period, 96 machines were subjected to a thorough mid-life overhaul between 1997 and 1999, receiving an all-new commo suite, a backup fly-by-wire system, FLIR, a built-in laser designator and ECM, enabling them to function as weapons trainers and backup light ground attackers in case of need.

12th Advanced Trainer Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 1980


29th Advanced Trainer Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 2001


31st Advanced Trainer Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 2015


10th Advanced Trainer Flotilla, Thiarian Navy, 1991



2. Fighters and Strike Fighters

Dassault Mirage G.8
After Germany had chosen the Mirage F.8 as standard air superiority fighter, Dassault finally received a major order for the Mirage G.8 as well. With oil revenues skyrocketing in the mid-1970s, Thiaria embarked upon an ambitious re-armament programme of their Air Corps. The ancient Vautours of the Air Corps and the Navy were in urgent need of replacement, and Thiaria looked for an extremely low-altitude capable strike fighter. With both the USA and the Soviet Union in disfavor, Britain still considered the arch-enemy and their own aviation industry a shambles, only France remained as a supplier, and the Mirage G.8 seemed a logical choice. Even the basic interceptor version had excellent low-altitude performance (they were considerably faster at treetop level as the Mirage F.8, for instance), and after the plane was fitted with terrain-following radar, it was nearly as capable as the upcoming Panavia Tornado. An initial batch of 80 was ordered in 1975, 40 to be delivered whole from France and 40 as kits to be assembled by the newly privatized SCI (Scata Cath-Innealtoireocht), an amalgamate of practically the entire Thiarian defence industry. The Thiarian Mirage G.8s achieved IOC in 1976 and FOC in 1979, and a follow-on order of 84 further machines to be license-produced by SCI was placed in 1979. Deliveries were complete in 1983, and the Mirage G.8 eventually equipped six strike squadrons (four Air Corps and two Navy, replacing the Vautour) and two reconnaissance squadrons (replacing the RF-101D Voodoo). They saw intense service in their time; one Squadron deployed to Zaire as early as 1979 during the Katanga crisis, they intensely shadowed both the British and the Argentine fleets during the Falklands war (and were accidentally shot at by both parties, with three machines being lost), they fought against Brazilian BAC Lightnings (three losses, one victory) in 1984 and played a major part in the brief war with Brazil which broke out after the Sao Joao Bautista massacre on New Portugal in 1995, sinking a Gearing-class destroyer and two auxiliaries with AM39 Exocets. In 1985, 24 of the Navy’s Mirages were refurbished to operate from Thiaria’s upcoming carriers, receiving arrestor hooks, a strengthened undercarriage and other structural improvements; payload, general flight performance and range suffered somewhat. 18 of them took part in Operation Desert Storm as part of LT Treighdin’s Air Group, flying ground-strike missions against Iraqi positions in Kuwait and around Bazra. None were lost. Unfortunately, the scant experience of the still infant SCI in manufacturing these complex airplanes resulted in structural deficiencies and a rather short service life (the 40 units delivered whole from France were in the best shape when the type was gradually retired between 1995 and 2008 after relatively short service lifes of between 18 and 25 years; the navy’s carrierborne units had developed serious structural deficiencies as soon as 1991 and were retired first). They were replaced with the SCI T3SSiolpaire, a much smaller, simpler and (relatively) cheaper design which, being designed for carrier operations and having full air-to-air capabilities, were both tougher and more versatile than the venerable swing-wing Mirages.

7th Strike Fighter Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 1979


10th Strike Fighter Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 1986


26th Strike Fighter Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 1989


27th Strike Fighter Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 1999


17th Photo Reconnaissance Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 1982


19th Photo Reconaissance Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 1996


2nd Strike Flotilla, Thiarian Navy, 1984


4th Strike Flotilla, Thiarian Navy, 1990



Dassault Mirage 4000CT/ET
The Mirage 4000, the main air defence asset of the Thiarian air corps between 1984 and 2018, is also the last foreign-designed combat airplane to be commissioned (so far). Using their established connections to the French, the Thiarians managed to have the single Mirage 4000 prototype flown to their Research and Test center within a year after its first flight in 1979. Tests were convincing; speed, range, armament and electronic equipment all exceeded specifications. Only maneuverability was found lacking; this issue could however betackled by increasing the size of the canards and slight adjustments of the controls. Based upon this assessment, and an initial batch of 32 Mirage 4000s (12 Mirage 4000CT single-seat fighters optimized for air defence missions and 20 4000ET double-seat trainers) were ordered from Dassault in October 1981. The order virtually saved the entire project, because the French Air Force had not issued any firm requirement for the plane by that time. The Thiarians took delivery of their 4000s between mid-1984 and mid-1985; by that time, negotiations about license-production by SCI were already complete. In March 1984, the Thiarians acquired a license to build another 88 single-seaters and 12 double-seaters to completely replace both the unsatisfactory Su-15s and the ageing F-101D Voodoos of their Air Defense Force. This order finally convinced the other potential customers, who had been reluctant to trust the 4000 so far. Iraq ordered no less than 110 Mirage 4000s (26 4000CQ interceptors, 56 4000AQ single-seat strike fighters and 28 4000EQ trainers) in July 1984, and Egypt followed suit with an order for 40 4000AE single-seat strike-fighters and 12 4000EE trainers in 1985. By 1985, Dassault had finished a two-seat nuclear-capable all-weather bomber version (4000N), which was finally the first version to be adopted by the Armée de'l Air. 80 machines replaced the Mirage IV between 1987 and 1990. When Iraq became unable to pay her 4000s due to the oil price drop after 1985, the French also acquired 18 former Iraqi 4000CQs and 6 4000EQs (the remaining 10 interceptors and 8 trainers were all delivered); of the 4000AQ strike-fighter, only 20 were delivered to Iraq, the other 36 (as well as 12 trainers) were cancelled in 1987 and remained in possession of AMD-BA. 32 4000AQ hulls were modified to 4000D two-seat strike-fighters between 1989 and 1991 and delivered to the Armée de'l Air, which also acquired the trainers, bringing the French total to 148; 28 of the 4000Ns were downgraded to conventional 4000D strike-fighters from 1995. By 2013, the French are busy replacing the 4000s with Rafales, although at a slow rate; the 4000Cs have already been decommissioned, the 4000N will follow till 2015, and only 60 4000Ds and 4000Es are to remain in service with three strike squadrons at least till 2020. The Iraqi 4000s were for all practical purposes wiped out in the first gulf war; about 15 were flown to Iran and scrapped in the early 2000s for lack of spares. 35 of the Egyptian machines are still in service and form two strike squadrons. Thiaria currently operates six fighter squadrons of 18 machines each. The first of them is currently testing the successor model SCI T8S Siolpaire which is slated to replace the 4000 between 2014 and 2018 after an average service of 30 years per airframe.

4th Fighter Squadron (Intercept), Thiarian Air Corps, 1985


8th Fighter Squadron (Intercept), Thiarian Air Corps, 1989


20th Fighter Squadron (Intercept), Thiarian Air Corps, 1995


22nd Fighter Squadron (Intercept), Thiarian Air Corps, 2000


25th Fighter Squadron (Intercept), Thiarian Air Corps, 2006


39th Fighter Squadron (Intercept), Thiarian Air Corps, 2014



SCI T3S Siolpaire (Vampire)


The design dates back to the late 1970s when Thiaria experienced a huge economic boom due to the oil crisis which suddenly increased the nation's oil revenue by 300%. At the height of the oil boom in 1980, the decision was made to increase the Navy's capabilities by ordering two 50.000 ton carriers - which in turn would need adequate airplanes, which the navalized Ionadh (see above) most definitely was not due to its lack of air-to-air capabilities. Although the original specification of 1980 fit the then upcoming F/A-18 like a glove, Thiaria, whose relations with the USA had hit rock-bottom in 1966 after the failed CIA attempt to intervene in Thiarian elections, was not willing to buy American for reasons of principle. Since at that time there was no feasible alternative –Super Etendard and Ionadh lacked versatility, Sea Jaguar and a navalized Tornado were both at least part-British, which was another political no go - the SCI launched a domestic program in 1981. Development was thorough, and the first prototype had its maiden flight in 1984, when the F/A-18 was already in service. The Thiarian plane was smaller and more compact than the Hornet, with a single tail and double delta wings allowing for excellent maneuverability and slightly higher speed (Mach 2,0 at optimal altitude). The plane was powered by two SCI RT8S turbofans rated at 50 kN without and 80 kN with afterburner; they were thoroughly modern designs with somewhat better fuel efficiency than the Hornet's F404 engines. Although internal fuel capacity of the Thiarian airplane was less than the Hornet's (in absolute terms; compared with the plane's dry weight and internal volume, the percentage devoted to fuel tanks was higher), range was roughly the same (2.000 kilometers ferry range, 500 - 850 kilometers combat radius depending on armament). The radar and electronics suite gave full air to air and air to ground capability; the plane could employ Matra Super 530D AAMs, AM39 Exocets and the upcoming SCI-Matra ANL supersonic sea-skimming ASM. Combat load was however considerably lower at only 5.500 kilograms, and there were only three main hardpoints (one under the fuselage and two under the wings), plus four more which were only suitable for AAMs or electronics pods. Test performance was impressive enough for an initial order of 80 units, and the type with the designation T3S (T = Trodai (Fighter), S = built by SCI, 3 = 3rd design by SCI to be adopted by the Thiarian military) was officially christened Siolpaire (Vampire) in 1986. Six prototypes were tested intensely between 1984 and 1987, and the first series aircraft were delivered in 1988. The initial production run was complete in 1990; the first squadron achieved FOC late in 1989 and deployed to the Persian Gulf aboard the then brand-new carrier LT Treighdin to participate in Operation Desert Shield. There the 18 operational Siolpaires (the rest of the Air Group consisted of Mirage G.8s for strike missions) gave an excellent account of themselves, claiming a MiG-29 and a MiG-21 against no own losses. At that time, a rather spectacular initial export order was won, with 64 machines being ordered by Finland (mainly by virtue of their lower cost compared with the F/A-18 which was favoured by the Finnish military, but disfavoured by the strong dollar at that time; they also had the advantage of coming from a non-aligned country, since Finland had to be conscious not to piss off the still existing Soviet Union too badly). During 1990, the Thiarian Navy placed a follow-on order for 64 additional Siolpaires to replace the naval Mirage G.8 and create an air combat training center, and continuing production was ensured till 1995. Argentina - which was actually too broke to afford a plane of this quality - was bribed into ordering 20 units in 1993 (they were delivered till 1997, but were fully paid as late as 2008), and South Africa replaced her worn-out Mirage F1s with 24 Siolpaires on a 1-for-2 basis from 1995 onwards. Finally, the Thiarian Air Force selected the type to replace their fleet of Mirage G.8 swing-wing tactical strike-fighters in 1997 and ordered another 120. The air force version differs from the navy version by having a simplified landing gear, non-folding outer wings and an electronics and sensors suite more tailored to air-to-ground missions including terrain-following radar and a built-in laser designator. The outer wing weapons stations were strengthened and their load capability tripled; total payload was increased to 6.500 kg. They retain the navy version's air-to-air capabilities, but are not usually employed as dedicated interceptors by the air force. By 2000, a total of 400 Siolpaires were on order or delivered, and the design was on the verge of becoming profitable. In the 2000s, fewer orders came in; Mexico bought 24 in 2001, Ecuador bought 12 in 2002, 12 were sold at very benign conditions to the Republic of Ireland in 2003, and a repeat order of 48 was placed by the Thiarian Air Force in 2005. The late 2000s saw two final coups, with 48 machines being ordered by Poland in 2006 against strong competition from the F-16 and 64 by Taiwan in 2009 after the US had refused the delivery of F-35s under Chinese pressure. As the earliest Siolpaires are becoming due for replacement after 2015, several countries (Argentina, Bulgaria, Mexico and Croatia) have expressed interest in buying second-hand Siolpaires. The first country to retire the Siolpaire will be Ireland, because operating costs are considered prohibitive due to the country’s bleak fiscal situation; they will be returned to Thiaria in exchange for 16 Makos in 2017 and refurbished to replace some of the Navy’s oldest Siolpaires till enough Asarlais will be available. Production is complete by 2013 at a total of 608 units.

7th Strike Fighter Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 1999


10th Strike Fighter Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 2005


26th Strike Fighter Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 2009


27th Strike Fighter Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 2012


34th Strike Fighter Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 2015


17th Photo Reconnaissance Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 2003


19th Photo Reconaissance Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 2013


2nd Strike Fighter Flotilla, Thiarian Navy, 1998


4th Strike Fighter Flotilla, Thiarian Navy, 2002


9th Strike Fighter Flotilla, Thiarian Navy, 2007


11th Strike Fighter Flotilla, Thiarian Navy, 1990


14th Strike Fighter Flotilla, Thiarian Navy, 2014


20th Strike Fighter Flotilla, Thiarian Navy, 1992



3. Special Aircraft for maritime patrol and electronic warfare duties

nothing new during this time period


4. Transports

Aerelar P7L Condar
Thiaria’s flag carrier Atlantach was a very fond user of the Soviet Il-62 airliner, and Thiaria’s aviation ministry acquired a production license for that type in 1973. Only a dozen Il-62s were built in Thiaria between 1974 and 1979 due to lack of Soviet support after the end of their alliance, but the Thiarians kept improving the Il-62 during the 1970s until it was virtually a new plane and received the designation Aerelar P7L. They fitted a mix of French and domestic avionics, a completely new, much more comfortable interior and US-sourced CF6-50 Turbofans, which were the same as those installed in the Airbus A300 and which were acquired via France. The result was a very capable long-range Airliner which even had some modest success on the export market in the 1980s (there were a total of 22 orders, with the largest customers being Ethiopia and Venezuela (8 each). With the Caravelles of Thiaria’s VIP squadron reaching the end of their useful life after 1980, the P7L – being the closest thing to a domestic airplane design – naturally was chosen as replacement, and four were fitted with special communications gear and handed over to the Air Corps in 1984. With their long range and well-conceived equipment, they proved most useful in their role. One of the four VIP transports was returned to Aerelar within a year after delivery to be fitted with aerial refueling gear to test the feasibility of converting the P7L to the tanker role; tests were encouraging and the tanker version was developed between 1986 and 1988. Twelve were ordered in that year and delivered between 1989 and 1991, including the prototype. All were converted standard airliner hulls built between 1982 and 1985 which had already seen some use; although they were refurbished to zero flying hours, their lifespan was limited. The first two were employed during operation Desert Storm, and all saw intense use in the 1995 war for New Portugal’s independence. The VIP transports were replaced with Airbus A340s in 2009 after 25 years of service; the tankers were retired between 2011 and 2013 upon delivery of the Airbus A330MRTT.

1st VIP Transport Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 1992


33rd Tanker Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 1989



Transall C-160 / C-250
The Thiarians had already decided upon the upcoming Transall C-160 as a Noratlas replacement in 1965, but their Soviet Alliance put an end to these plans. The Soviets then proposed to deliver An-12s, which the Thiarians at first rejected due to the less than impressive safety record of that type. Plans to develop a smaller indigenous transport aircraft based upon a stretched version of the French Breguet 941s with Soviet-sourced Turboprops were not supported by the Soviets, so the Thiarians started the development of an indigenous turboprop in the 4.000hp range under the designation MCE RP5M. When this project dragged on without tangible results, they finally gave in and ordered the An-12 in 1973, only to sever their Soviet connection a year later, leaving them with nothing but their decrepit Noratlas planes. France, at that time Thiaria’s sole willing foreign arms supplier, presented a solution in 1977 by restarting production of the Transall C-160, and the Thiarians ordered 48 airframes in 1979, to be delivered as kits and assembled locally. The first eighteen had been completely delivered by 1982, when the British suddenly embargoed the delivery of their RR Tyne engines due to the Falklands war. Although Thiaria stayed neutral, they wrote off the engines and tried to adapt the Transall to the RP5M, which was up and running since 1978; due to its lower power however (4.800 hp versus 6.000 for the Tyne), four would have to be fitted instead of two. This was technically feasible - if the wing was structurally strenghtened. Tests quickly showed that the whole central wing section would have to be redesigned, resulting in considerable delays and a huge cost overrun, essentially turning the entire programme into a huge money-burner. In the end, the outer wing sections also had to be modified, and the hull and running gear needed structural strenghtening as well. On the plus side, the new engine arrangement provided so much power to spare – nearly 50% more than a normal Tyne Transall – that the hull, that had already been strengthened, could be stretched in order to increase payload by 50%. The stretched prototype, dubbed Transall C-250, made its first flight in 1985 and proved capable of hauling 24 tons with the same flight performance as the twin-engined Transall. After a convincing set of trials, the remaining thirty kits were completed to the C-250 standard between 1986 and 1987, equipping two heavy lift squadrons (the standard C-160s were assigned to a single squadron). The C-250s were employed in Thiaria’s involvement in the border war between Angola and South Africa and made a successful paradrop upon New Portugal in 1995 during that nation’s war of independence against Brazil; for this conflict, they were retrofitted with the latest ECM, LANTIRN, FLIR, Chaff/Flare dispensers and a refueling probe. The C-160s were mostly used domestically until they were replaced with smaller and much more economical C-295s in 2006/7. The C-250s are slated to be replaced with 32 Airbus A400Ms from 2017; due to the latest troubles with the A400M, the Thiarians expect to operate the C-250s at least till 2022.

15th Transport Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 1980


16th Transport Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 1988


3rd Transport Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 2003



Dassault Falcon 50
Six Falcon 50s replaced the worn-out Falcon 20s between 1987 and 1988 to provide VIP transport service for the next 20 years. Although they were in much better shape than their predecessors after 20 years of use in 2008, it was decided to replace them with four Toscaires (Fairchild-Dornier 528jets) because the rather small Falcon 50 hull was unsuited for a secondary use as Medevac aircraft.

1st VIP Transport Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 1995



5. Helicopters

Aerospatiale SA.330 Puma
Thiaria established its first Special Forces unit as late as 1971, under Soviet supervision. The ‘Gaelic Spetsnaz’ has seen frequent action since, especially against Brazil and South Africa, and proven its proficiency, which actually increased after Soviet influence waned in the late 1970s. Promised deliveries of Mi-24 helicopters from Russia to support the Special Forces never materialized, and from 1975 the Thiarians began to look for alternatives. They found one in the Aerospatiale SA.330 Puma, which was already well-established with several European Armies, and ordered forty of them to equip two Special Mission Support and Combat Search and Rescue squadrons in 1976. Another twelve were added in 1981 for VIP transport duties; although Super Pumas were available by that time, the Thiarians chose the original version, reasons not given. Thiarian Pumas took part in two military clashes with Brazil and also made some clandestine appearances in the South African Border war, where the Thiarians supported the Namibian SWAPO throughout the war. Due to attrition, fourteen further airframes were purchased in 1987, those being the last SA.330 Pumas built before production was terminated in 1987. By the early 2000s, these helicopters were thoroughly worn out, and they were replaced with Caracals between 2007 and 2010.

1st VIP Transport Squadron, Thiarian Air Corps, 1987


13th CSAR Squadron, Thiarian Air Force, 1994


38th Special Mission Support Squadron, Thiarian Air Force, 1979


Next: Thiarian Wings 2000 - 2015... and beyond

Greetings
GD