1:72 IAI “Kfir” C.10P, “308”, BuNo (20)14-(0)015”, of the Hukbong Himpapawid ng Pilipinas (Philippine Air Force/PAF) 6th Tactical Fighter Squadron “Cobras”, 5th Fighter Wing; Basa Air Base, 2017 (Whif/modified Italeri kit)

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on authentic facts. BEWARE!

 

 

Some background:

The forerunners of the Philippine Air Force was the Philippine Militia, otherwise known as Philippine National Guard (PNG). On March 17, 1917 Senate President Manuel L. Quezon enacted a bill (Militia Act 2715) for the creation of the Philippine Militia, in anticipation that there would be an outbreak of hostilities between United States and Germany.

 

The early aviation unit was lacking enough knowledge and equipment to be considered as an air force and was then limited only to air transport duties. In 1935, Philippine Military Aviation was activated when the 10th Congress passed Commonwealth Act 1494 that provided for the organization of the Philippine Constabulary Air Corps (PCAC). PCAC was renamed as the Philippine Army Air Corps (PAAC) in 1936 and started with only three planes on its inventory. In 1941, PAAC had a total of 54 aircraft including fighters and light bombers, reconnaissance aircraft, light transport and trainers. They later engaged the Japanese when they invaded the Philippines in 1941–42, and were reformed in 1945 after the country's liberation.

 

The PAF became a separate military service on July 1, 1947, and the main aircraft type became the P-51 Mustang, flown from 1947 to 1959. Ground attack missions were flown against various insurgent groups, with aircraft hit by ground fire but none shot down. The Mustangs would be replaced by the jet-powered North American F-86 Sabres in the late 1950s, assisted by Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star and Beechcraft T-34 Mentor trainers.

 

During the 70s, the PAF was actively providing air support for the AFP campaign against the MNLF forces in Central Mindanao, aside from doing the airlifting duties for troop movements from Manila and Cebu to the warzone. In late 1977, the Philippine government purchased 35 secondhand U.S. Navy F-8Hs that had been stored at Davis-Monthan AFB in Arizona. Twenty-five of them were refurbished by Vought and the remaining 10 were used for spare parts. As part of the deal, the U.S. would train Philippine pilots in using the (only) TF-8A, and they were mostly used for intercepting Soviet bombers. The F-8s were grounded in 1988 and were finally withdrawn from service in 1991 after they were badly damaged by the Mount Pinatubo eruption, and have since been offered for sale as scrap.

This left the PAF with the F-5 Freedom Fighter as the only jet-powered combat aircraft. The Philippine Air Force acquired 37 F-5A and F-5B from 1965 to 1998 (from Taiwan and South Korea). The F-5A/Bs were used by the 6th Tactical Fighter Squadron (Cobras) of the 5th Fighter Wing and the Blue Diamonds aerobatic team. The F-5s also underwent an upgrade which equipped it with surplus AN/APQ-153 radars with significant overhaul at the end of the 1970s to stretch their service lives another 15 years.

 

Since the retirement of the Northrop F-5s in September 2005, the Philippine Air Force was left without any fighter jets and thus also without any serious air cover, considerably weakening the countries position in the region. Financial constraints prevented the procurement of refurbished F-16A/Bs from US surplus stocks, so that the PAF initially resorted to Aermacchi S-211 trainer jets to fill the void left by the F-5's. These S-211's were later upgraded to light attack capability and used for air and sea patrol and also performed counter-insurgency operations from time to time. Apart from these trainers, the only active fixed wing aircraft to fill the roles were SF-260 trainers with light attack capability, and a handful of obsolete OV-10 Bronco light attack and reconnaissance aircraft.

 

With rising tensions and frequent incidents with Chinese forces, however, the PAF settled upon the “Flight Plan 2028”, a long-term modernization and procurement plan. One of the first investments in order to re-build the PAF’s jet fighter force was eventually settled in 2010, when the Philippines started negotiations with Israel to purchase refurbished IAI Kfir fighter-bombers. In August 2012 Israel Aerospace Industries officially announced that it would deliver twenty-one pre-owned Kfir fighter jets to the Philippines, with a 40-year guarantee and a supply of Python 4 IR-homing AAMs, at a rumored unit price of USD $20 million - a price that represents 1/3 the cost of a brand new fighter with similar capability, but without the weaponry.

 

These machines were Kfir C.10s, a variant developed especially for export, basically an updated C.7. The aircraft for the Philippines received the designation C.10P in order to reflect the new operator’s specifications. The most important changes of the C.10 update were the adaptation of an Elta EL/M-2032 multi-role radar and the integration of two 127×177mm MFDs in the cockpit.

The EL/M-2032 is an advanced Multimode Airborne Fire Control Radar designed for multi-mission fighters, oriented for both air-to-air and strike missions. Modular hardware design, software control and flexible avionic interfaces ensure that the radar can be installed in a wide range of existing fighter aircraft (such as F-16, F-5, Mirage, Harrier variants, F-4, MiG-21, etc.), and it can be customized to meet specific user requirements.

The EL/M-2032 greatly enhances the Air-to-Air, Air-to-Ground and Air-to-Sea capabilities of the aircraft, even though the PAF’s machines did not feature the optional Helmet Mounted Display System (as installed on board of the upgraded Ecuadorean Kfir C.10s). In the Air-to-Air modes, the radar enables long-range target detection and tracking for weapon delivery or automatic target acquisition in close combat engagements. The EL/M-2032 has a maximum range of 150 km and can detect and track an aerial target with a 1m² radar reflection surface equivalent at 100 km. Up to 64 aerial targets can be tracked at the same time, and this information can be shared with other aircraft, including the status which aircraft actually tracks which target.

In Air-to-Ground missions, the radar provided very high-resolution mapping (SAR), surface target detection and tracking over RBM, DBS and SAR maps in addition to A/G ranging. In Air-to-Sea missions, the radar provided long-range target detection and tracking, including target classification capabilities (RS, ISAR).

 

The first Kfir C.10Ps were quickly delivered, and in September 2014 the PAF’s 6th Tactical Fighter Squadron “Cobras” at Basa AB was reformed, the unit which had formerly operated the country’s last F-5s until 2005. Despite the type’s multirole capability, the Filipino Kfirs primarily fulfill interceptor and air patrol tasks against intrusions into Philippine airspace. Their prime task is to act as a general repellant against Chinese aggressions in the South China Sea, esp. in defense of the Scarborough Shoal fishing ground that Manila claims as part of its territorial waters.

Since 2015, the PAF’s jet fighter force has also been augmented by supersonic FA-50 trainers, procured from South Korea, and the PAF’s updated “Flight Plan 2028” lists another 16 Kfirs C.10Ps (including four TC.10P two-seaters), as well as more FA-50s, planned for the future.

 

Since their introduction the FAP’s Kfirs frequently intercepted Chinese and Russian reconnaissance aircraft (typically Y-8 maritime patrol aircraft, but also H-6 missile strike bombers and reconnaissance aircraft) over the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, even though with no serious confrontations so far.

Beyond these standard duties, the PAF’s new type also took part in several other deployments: On 26 January 2017, two Philippine Air Force Kfir C.10s demonstrated their strike capabilities for the first time and conducted a nighttime attack on terrorist hideouts in Butig, Lanao del Sur province in Mindanao, the first “hot” combat sortie flown by these aircraft. In June 2017, Kfirs and FA-50s were sent out to conduct airstrikes against Maute terrorists entrenched in the city of Marawi, starting in May 2017.

 

 

General characteristics:

Crew: One

Length: 15.65 m (51 ft 4¼ in)

Wingspan: 8.22 m (26 ft 11½ in)

Height: 4.55 m (14 ft 11¼ in)

Wing area: 34.8 m² (374.6 sq ft)

Empty weight: 7,285 kg (16,060 lb)

Loaded weight: 11,603 kg (25,580 lb) two 500 L drop tanks, two AAMs

Max. takeoff weight: 16,200 kg (35,715 lb)

 

Powerplant:

1× IAl Bedek-built General Electric J-79-J1E turbojet with a dry thrust of 52.9 kN (11,890 lb st)

and 79.62 kN (17,900 lb st) thrust with afterburner

Performance:

Maximum speed: 2,440 km/h (2 Mach, 1,317 knots, 1,516 mph) above 11,000 m (36,000 ft)

Combat radius: 768 km (415 nmi, 477 mi) in ground attack role, with, hi-lo-hi profile, seven 500 lb

bombs, two AAMs, two 1,300 L drop tanks

Maximum range: 3,232 km (2,008 miles, 1744 nm), high profile, with two 1,300 L drop tank

Service ceiling: 22,860 m (75,000 ft)

Rate of climb: 233 m/s (45,950 ft/min)

 

Armament:

2× Rafael-built 30 mm (1.18 in) DEFA 553 cannons, 140 RPG

9× hardpoints for a total payload of 5,775 kg (12,730 lb), including an assortment of unguided

air-to-ground rockets, guided missiles (AIM-9 Sidewinders, Shafrir or Python-series AAMs; Shrike

ARMs and AGM-65 Maverick ASMs) or bombs such as the Mark 80 series, Paveway and Griffin

LGBs, SMKBs,TAL-1 OR TAL-2 CBUs, BLU-107 Matra Durandal, reconnaissance pods or Drop tanks

 

 

The kit and its assembly:

Like many of my what-if models, this one is rooted in real life. AFAIK, the PAF actually considered the procurement of refurbished, ex-Israeli Kfirs after the purchase of 2nd hand F-16s had turned out to be too costly – but even the Kfir deal did not materialize due to budgetary restrictions. However, whifworld can change this… And eventually, the PAF procured the South Korean FA-50 Golden Eagle multi-role advanced trainer.

 

The kit is the Italeri Kfir C.2/7, a sound and priceworthy offering, but it comes with some inherent flaws - the alternative Hasegawa kit is IMHO much easier to build, even though it is not much more detailed. Problem zones of the Italeri kit include the complex intersection between the air intakes, wings and the fuselage (nothing fits well, gaps galore!), ejector pin markings on the landing gear and on the wheels, sinkholes on the wings’ upper side towards the leading edges and the cockpit tub as a whole, which seems to stem from a different kit - including the dashboard, which is too wide, too.

 

In order to keep things simple and plausible, the kit was mostly built OOB, which is in itself enough work, with only a few cosmetic changes:

- a new nose section with a bigger radome from the scrap box and transplanted chines and pitot

- replacement of the early OOB Shafrir AAMs with Python AAMs, left over from a Trumpeter J-8

- additional/modified antennae and air sensors, including a RHAWS sensor at the top of the fin

- a refueling probe above the right air intake, from a Harrier GR.3, modified

- a Martin Baker ejection seat and some cockpit interior details

 

 

Painting and markings:

Since the fictional PAF Kfirs were to be primarily operated in the interceptor role, I gave the aircraft an air superiority scheme. Inspiration was taken from the type’s predecessor, the PAF’s F-8 Crusaders and their late Eighties livery, a wraparound scheme in two grey tones, coupled with low-viz (black) markings.

 

I actually used the F-8 camouflage pattern as benchmark and tried to adapt it to the delta-wing Kfir, but this eventually ended in almost complete improvisation. The colors are – based on visual impressions of some PAF Crusaders rather than on hard facts (since these turned out to be quite contradictive and/or implausible) – FS 36440 and 36270, Humbrol 129 and 126, respectively. The result appears a bit pale and reminds a lot of the French air superiority scheme (which is more bluish, though), but it does not look bad at all.

The radome and other dielectric fairings were slightly set apart from the camouflage tones (with Revell 47). The landing gear as well as the air intake interior were painted in gloss white (Humbrol 22), while the cockpit was painted in Sea Grey (Humbrol 27).

 

The model only received a light weathering treatment through a black ink washing and some post-shading with slightly lighter tones, since the aircraft would be relatively new in service – even though I have the impression that any PAF aircraft’s exterior quickly suffered under the local climate?

 

The national markings belong to a Philippine F-5 (a late camouflaged aircraft, hence the insignias’ small size), taken from an Aztec Decal sheet. The modex was created from code markings for a Bréguet Alizé and the cobra emblems on the fin belong to a Malaysian MiG-29 (Begemot sheet). The contemporary USAF-style BuNo for PAF aircraft was created with single decal letters – a fiddly affair.

Only a few stencils were actually taken from the OOB sheet and many of the original red markings were replaced. Most stencils became black and the walkway markings on the wings were replaced by segmented lines from a Mirage 2000.

After some final, very light weathering with graphite the kit was finally sealed with a coat of matt acrylic varnish (Italeri) and completed.

 

 

Nothing spectacular, but rather an exotic and still plausible what-if build, rooted in real life. While the paint scheme as such is not outstanding, I must say that the two-tone grey scheme suits the Kfir well, esp. together with the subdued markings.

 

Done