Susaschka

Found this picture in the "Squadron Signal Publications - Wild Weasel: The SAM Suppression Story" book where it states "This F-4C from the 81st TFS carries fuel tanks on the outer pylons and four CBU's on the centerline." Guess I've found the loadout for the centerline station on my (E)F-4C! 🙂

Nice pic and loadout! I've also read that when AGM-65's were carried on LAU-88's, they would only carry two on the inboard and bottom position of the LAU-88. This loadout is now also back in the game. 🙂

Found this picture from a F-4D in an Airdoc publication and I have to say that I like this loadout too. 🙂

If I've researced correctly, the SEAD/Wild Weasel mission was only introduced with the 52TFW with the (E)F-4C and no F-105's at Spangdahlem were ever tasked for this. This really means I'm only left with a very clean F-105F with only two droptanks if I want it to be realistic. Maybe I will try to scratchbuild the bomb bay after all, but we will see. 🙂 The F-105G at the gate of Spang has indeed never flown there, is 100% fictional, but it does exist. As this is allready fictional, I will load this one up as a pure Weasel with a Centerline fueltank, one droptank, an AG

If I remember correctly they used to be bare metal in the beginning, but during one of the upgrade programs they were painted overall aluminium.

I have an additional question: Does anybody know if the F-105F's that were based at Spangdahlem were ever tasked with the SEAD mission (with AGM-45's) or were they only used for training the nuclear mission?

That looks really nice, well done! To bad there is no aftermarket bomb bay available for the F-105, because I'm not that experienced with this level of scratchbuilding. 🙂

Now I understand where the Y stands for. 🙂 Think you could be right about the droptank, but it looks to me like it is also to bulbous for a Mk/B43 with Mod 0 nose too... I will not be using a SUU-21, because I would like my models to have a loadout without practice ordnance. 😉

Thanks, however I don't really like dummy ordnance... Guess I will be building a (What-If) European One and not-updated Spang A-10A with an early nineties loadout of four AGM-65's, an AN/ALQ-131, two AIM-9's, six Mk.82's on two TER's and 4 Mk.20's to fill the gaps. My other A-10A will be the updated Ghost Grey version and will get the more sophisticated ordnance used around 2000 like the LANTIRN pod, JDAM's and LGB's.

Indeed, at first glance only the markings are different.

Thanks Stefan. There are quite a lot pictures to be found online from USAFE (Bitburg and Spangdahlem) F-105D's with the outer pylons removed, so I will not be installing them on my model.

Thanks Jari. I think you mean this picture? It does look like there is a droptank under the right wing, which I've highlighted in green below. When loaded with only one nuke this would make sense, as the centerline fueltank would contain 650 Gal oppose to a wingtank carrying only 450 Gal thus giving more range. It indeed could be a B28, but could also be a B43. I do realize the picture below is from a model kit, but looking at the shape and location of the "Y" number it looks a bit more like a B43:

Thanks for the pictures and info, another mistery solved with photoproof! I do want to build this A-10 in flight (like all my models) even if it would be a "what if" (like the F-105G at the gate), but do you have any idea what is considered a "typical weapons configuration as part of a training exercise"?

The 77-0264 A-10 picture was indeed taken during the same 4th of July 1992 Open House that I made my picture and during that day there where almost no fences placed at all. Just the F-16 had some pylons with a rope around it as can be seen below: (Apologies for the quality, but these are raw and unedited scans from my slide scanner)

Wow, thanks for the pics. Interesting that the bombs lost their top fins in order to fit in the F-105 bomb bay. According to your schematic, the F-105 should be able to carry: - One Mk.28 or 43 internally or: - One externally on the centerline or: - Two externally on the inboard pylons. The Smissonian website states the following: (https://www.si.edu/object/republic-f-105d-thunderchief%3Anasm_A19820064000) The F-105D was originally intended for the nuclear strike role, with the primary armament being a "special store" (a nuclear weapon)

You are right, this is the very early grey/grey scheme. I wasn't able to find any pictures from the the current grey/grey scheme on any Bentwaters/Woodbridge A-10's.

My f-105D will be from around 1962, just before they left the area. I do like an interesting loadout, but it should be a realistic one for Spangdahlem. Therefore I think I will switch the armament to a Victor Alert nuclear strike version. Did they carry B-43's/B-61's internally together with two droptanks under the inner pylons, or did they carry these in the inner wing pylons? And what did they carry on the outer pylons: An AN/ALQ-87 and AIM-9B perhaps? Any idea's?

There is indeed a lot of info to be found, but unfortunately almost none of them are about the color schemes. I will have to rely on the available pictures online + those in my own collection and conclude that (unless proven otherwise) all Spang A-10's had the grey/grey color scheme.

I didnt know this fact. They should have called them Paper Clusters. 🙂

Thanks! I'll propably go for two SUU-30/CBU-52's side by side on a TER

Then I guess the A-10's that were transferred to Spangdahlem were repainted prior to being moved, as I'm unable to find any pictures from grey early 90's Bentwaters/Woodbrigde or green Spangdahlem examples.

There were grey examples at Bentwaters/Woodbridge, but I don't know the dates. Looking at the backgroud a very long time ago?

Thanks all, now I know that this was a maintenance trainer and I guess that this is the reason for the European One camouflage. Never knew that these were designated GA-10A. Arrival date and method will most likely remain a mistery. Only found one other picture from this plane taken 31-05-1997 and at that time it definitely was not in the best condition anymore:

During the open House at Spangdahlem on the 04-07-1992 I was able to shoot this 510th TFS A-10A in an immaculate European One color scheme. This is the only Spangdahlem A-10 that I've ever seen in European One colors and I've never seen any other A-10's flying from Spangdahlem in these colors. After some online searching, I found that this plane apparently was transferred from RAF Bentwaters to Spangdahlem around April 1992 and was used as a maintenance trainer. At this moment the 77-0264 is preserved as a gate guard on a pole at one of the gates at Spangdahlem. The

Thanks, I hadn't noticed this detail and since my F-105D will get 3 TER's loaded with Mk.117's, some modifications to the TER's are in order. Is it me, or does the MER in the picture look more simple than the Eduard MER?