Friday 19 June 2015

Downtown - USAF Rolling Thunder options

This is a shot of the USAF forces needed for most of the Rolling Thunder missions by the time camouflage becomes standard.


Lots of jammer support with their escorts, EB-66s and either F-4 or F-104
Upto 4 flights of Weasels
2 flights of MiGCAP either F-4 or F-104
Upto 5 flights of strike aircraft
Upto 2 flights of Strike Ecort F-4
Recon either RF-101C or RF-4C

So with the options as well


Need another pack of starfighters as I am missing one for the MIGCAP option.

A lot of these need a refresh and I need to decide on tail codes as well. Some of these current ones aren't correct.  This is the standard I am aiming for to bring them upto the USN models







Saturday 13 June 2015

Downtown - USAF Aircraft update

The USAF have been the poor cousin in painting terms.

Managed to paint these three F-104s this morning however.  They will be used for some early games. Need to do some research about squadron and wing codes and serials.

Also decaled up 3 EB-66s and a couple of Phantoms (national insignia only still need to do tail codes and serial numbers)

Wednesday 3 June 2015

USAF Callsigns over Vietnam

Following on from the piece of work locating some of the USN/USMC callsigns for historical missions over NVN using the Downtown rules I had a look at what I could find for the USAF for Rolling Thunder.  The USAF callsigns seem to have been used by a number of different types of aircraft and don't appear to be fixed in the same way that the USN were.  They were also allocated per flight which appears different to the USN practise.  There is a line in the Operation Bolo narrative which indicates that certain callsigns were dedicated to MiGCAP but I am not convinced in light of other narratives.....but who am I to know...

ACADEMIC   (F-105F Wild Weasel)
ADVENT     (F-105D)
BALLOT     (F-4C)
BARRACUDA  (F-105D)
BASCO      (F-4D 13TFS/1972)
BASS       (F-4 MiGCAP)
BEAR       (F-105D)
BISON      (F-105D)
BOXER      (F-4)
BRASS      (F-105D)
BUCKSHOT   (RF-101C)/(F-4)
BUCKSKIN   (F-105D)
BUICK      (F-4 LGB Equipped)/(F-105D)/(F-4D)
CACTUS     (F-4C)
CANYON     (RF-101C)
CARBINE    (F-105D)/(F-105F)
CARDINAL   (EB-66)
CHICAGO    (F-4C)
CHEETAH    (F-4 MiGCAP)
CHEVY      
CHOPPER    (F-105 Flak Suppressor)
CRAB       (F-105D)/(F-4C 555TFS)
COBALT     (F-105D 388 TFS)
COBRA      (F-4)
DAGGER     (F-105D)
DALLAS     
DENVER     
DETROIT    (F-105D)
DEVIL      (F-105D)
DINGUS     (F-4D 433TFS/1972)
DODGE
DOGWOOD    (F-105D)  
DOLPHIN    (F-105D)    
DRILL      (F-4D)
EAGLE      
ELGIN      (F-4C)
FEARLESS   (F-105D)
FLAMINGO   (F-105D)/(F-4C)
FLAPPER    (F-105D)
FLINTSTONE (F-105D)
FLETCH     
FORD       (F-105F)/(F-4D) - Dedicated MiGCAP Callsign ?
GAINFUL    (F-105D)
GAMBIT     (F-4D)
GASKET     (EB-66)
GIGOLO     (F-105)
HAMMER     (F-4)
HARPOON    (F-4C)
HECTIC     (F-105D)
HOT DOG    (F-105D)
ICEBAG  
JUPITER    (F-4C)  
KILLER     (F-4D) 
KINGFISH   (F-105F)
KINGPIN    (F-105)
KITE
KNIFE      (F-105D)
LAREDO     (F-4 Fast FAC)
LINCOLN    (F-105 Wild Weasel) - Dedicated MiGCAP Callsign ?
LOCUST     (F-105D)
MACHETE    (F-105 Wild Weasel)
MAGNUM     
MARLIN     (F-105D)
MERCO      (EB-66)
MINK       (F-4C)
NASH       (F-4D)
NELSON     (F-4)
NEWARK     (F-105D)
NOMAD        
OAKLAND    (F-4C)
OLDS       (F-4C) - Dedicated MiGCAP Callsign ?
OPAL       (F-4C)
OTTER      (F-105F Wild Weasel)/(F-4D)
OYSTER     (F-4)
OZARK      (F-105D)
PANDA      (F-105D)
PHANTOM    (F-4)
PISTOL     (F-105D)
PLYMOUTH   (F-4C) - Dedicated MiGCAP Callsign ?
POLKADOT   (RF-101C)
PREVIEW    (EB-66)
RAINBOW    (F-105)/(F-4 CAP)
RANDOM     (F-105D)
RAMBLER    (F-4C) - Dedicated MiGCAP Callsign ?
RENAULT    (F-105D)
SAGE       (RF-4C)
SAMBA      (F-105D)
SAPPHIRE   (F-4D)
SHARK      (F-105D)
SHARKBAIT  (F-4)
SHOTGUN    (F-105D)
SPEEDO     (F-4C)
SPITFIRE   (mixed F-105D/F-105F Weasel flight)
STINGER    (F-4C)
STROBE     (RF-4C)
TAMPA      (F-4C)
TEAK       (EB-66)
TEMPEST    (F-4C) - Dedicated MiGCAP Callsign ?
TEXAS      (F-105D)
TICO       (F-105F)
TOMAHAWK   (F-105D)
VALENT     (EB-66)
VEGAS      (F-105D)
VENOM      (F-105D)
VESPA      (F-4C) - Dedicated MiGCAP Callsign ?
WABASH     (F-105D)
WACO       (F-105F)
WANDER     (EB-66)/(F-4C)
WANDES     (EB-66) - Possibly a typo
WARHAWK    (F-4) (F-105F)
WOLF       (F-105D)
WILD       (EB-66)
ZEBRA      (F-105D)
ZINC