bushande Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Hey folks. I'm looking for decals to depict at least one of the two swordsmen Tomcats that scored aerial victories over the gulf of sidra in 1989. I think it's been modexes 202 and 207, well at least during the time of the shoot down of (what was it? MIG-23 or SU-???). I think the correct BuNo's were 159610 and 159437 but I'm not all that sure. Are there any good decals out there? thanks a lot in advance! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bushande Posted July 28, 2009 Author Share Posted July 28, 2009 does nobody have any idea???? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GreyGhost Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 This should help you out ... Libya II: VF-32 Swordsmen kill two Libyan MiG-23 Floggers in 1989 The day is January 4, 1989. The airspace close to the Libyan coast. Two VF-32 F-14As from USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) fly a mission as Combat Air Patrol when a pair of Libyan Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 Floggers were detected. The MiG-23s had taken off from Al Bumbaw Airfield near Tobruk and they continued their flight towards the US fighters, even though the F-14s radar had locked on the bogeys. It's a common procedure under such circumstances to lock the powerful AWG-9 radar on the incoming Libyan fighters, to give them the possibility to turn around and head back home. Usually this procedure was impressive enough to drive the Libyans back since the radar warning tone resulting from an armed F-14's radar was fearsome enough. But this time it did not work. For the second time US Navy F-14s were engaged by Libyan fighter aircraft under hostile conditions. During the 8 minutes engagement, the MiGs kept turning in on the Tomcats to maintain a firing solution for their Soviet built air-to-air missiles. As later examination of F-14 still photography resolved, the MiG-23s were armed with AA-7 Apex missiles. After several evasive maneuvers by the Tomcats and aggressive maneuvers by the Floggers, the incoming pair of MiG-23s were declared hostile and the F-14 crews were cleared to engage. The crew of the lead F-14A, AC202 (BuNo. 159437) fired an unsuccessful AIM-7 Sparrow missile, while the second F-14As, AC207 (BuNo. 159610) AIM-7 found its target and destroyed one MiG-23. Thereafter, the lead F-14 closed in on the remaining MiG-23 and launched an AIM-9 Sidewinder heat-seaking missile. The missile exploded in the tailpipe of the fleeing Flogger. The pilot of this MiG-23 also managed to eject from his destroyed aircraft. Both pilots were seen with good chutes. After this engagement, the victorious Tomcats headed north for the carrier. Got it from here: >>> Clicky <<< HTH ... Gregg Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fuji Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 That's got to be one of the worst descriptions of the engagement I've skimmed. I'll add my two cents when I get my pc turned on. Until then, to answer the main question- No, no one makes any good decals of the Gypsy MiG Killers. Fightertown said they were going to do them, promised them a couple of years back along with a VF-111 sheet, but there has been no talk of either sheet in quite a while. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GreyGhost Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 I just posted that to confirm the BuNos, Fuji ... Not so much for the account ... Gregg Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Darren Roberts Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Really the only way to get halfway decent markings is to mix and match decal sheets. Almark, Superscale, and Repliscale all have sheets that can be used. The SS sheet is good for the tail markings, while the Repliscale sheet is good for the dark gray markings. I believe the Almark sheet has the correct SWORDSMEN on it. Be careful of the Almark instructions, though. They claim that Gypsy 207 was painted in the original TPS of Light Gray, Dk Ghost, Medium. It should be the standard TPS with the entire nose area being Lt. Ghost Gray except the anti glare panel area, which was a ragged Dk Ghost Gray. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sig Saur & Son Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 You blokes are killing me! Here are both returning to Oceana following the cruise. Note the overspray of the kill marking above the two on AC/202. 159437 29 Jan 89 159610 29 Jan 89 All Photos copyright David F. Brown Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bushande Posted July 28, 2009 Author Share Posted July 28, 2009 You blokes are killing me! hehehehe, I guess that book is never gonna come out! Thanks a lot folks. That was all I needed to know. So if there's no convenient way, one has to take the hard one. fine with me. Thanks a lot again. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GreyGhost Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 I always liked the scheme on Gypsy 207 ... Gregg Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sig Saur & Son Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Note how the position of the Sword is slightly different on each Cat? Wonder if the decal companies caught that. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fuji Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 It also looks like the the sword on 202 is of a thinner blade design. BTW - 207 was the lead jet, RIO fired two AIM-7s for no hits do to "Buck Fever" and bad switchology (the pilot was trying to stop the launch and requesting to talk to the Admiral when the first missile was fired). 202's crew fired one AIM-7 for a direct hit. 207 then engaged the surviving Flogger and fired a Sidewinder which took longer to shoot again because of bad switchology delaying the tone being heard in the headset. I've done quite a bit of research and talked to a few people who were in the squadron. The consensus was when the Admiral gave the "Condition Yellow Weapons Hold" call, which means you can engage if you feel threatened, the guy who started the shooting, immediately after the call, was looking to get a kill at any cost and operating on the premise of "they have to make us heroes" Not the shining moment some would expect in air combat, if there is ever such a thing, and one of the many reasons why this engagement was downplayed as much as it was and why info was so hard in obtaining. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Reddog Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Bad switchology = he forgot to turn S/W Cool on. :D Reddog Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fuji Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Bad switchology = he forgot to turn S/W Cool on. Reddog You lost me Dog, S/W Cool? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tomthegrom Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 S/W cool = sidewinder seeker cool on I presume. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Reddog Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 S/W Cool = Sidewinder Cool switch on the ACM Panel. This switch allows nitrogen to cool the seeker head of the Sidewinder so you will get a tone when the missiles see's a target. From what I heard (VF-32's Ord shop was a few doors down from mine back in 89) is that the pilot forgot to turn on his S/W Cool switch, so the missile on station 1A would not cool, so the thought he had a bad missile and switched over to 8A, then realized he forgot S/W Cool. Turned it, got tone and the rest is history. Reddog Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Darren Roberts Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 (edited) S/W Cool = Sidewinder Cool switch on the ACM Panel. This switch allows nitrogen to cool the seeker head of the Sidewinder so you will get a tone when the missiles see's a target. From what I heard (VF-32's Ord shop was a few doors down from mine back in 89) is that the pilot forgot to turn on his S/W Cool switch, so the missile on station 1A would not cool, so the thought he had a bad missile and switched over to 8A, then realized he forgot S/W Cool. Turned it, got tone and the rest is history. Reddog Is that why in the video of the engagement, his RIO is imploring him to fire and he states that he "doesn't have a f%@^ng tone."? Then, shortly thereafter, you hear the tone, and he fires. Edited July 29, 2009 by Darren Roberts Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Darren Roberts Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 It also looks like the the sword on 202 is of a thinner blade design. BTW - 207 was the lead jet, RIO fired two AIM-7s for no hits do to "Buck Fever" and bad switchology (the pilot was trying to stop the launch and requesting to talk to the Admiral when the first missile was fired). 202's crew fired one AIM-7 for a direct hit. 207 then engaged the surviving Flogger and fired a Sidewinder which took longer to shoot again because of bad switchology delaying the tone being heard in the headset. I've done quite a bit of research and talked to a few people who were in the squadron. The consensus was when the Admiral gave the "Condition Yellow Weapons Hold" call, which means you can engage if you feel threatened, the guy who started the shooting, immediately after the call, was looking to get a kill at any cost and operating on the premise of "they have to make us heroes" Not the shining moment some would expect in air combat, if there is ever such a thing, and one of the many reasons why this engagement was downplayed as much as it was and why info was so hard in obtaining. What? LTR would never do such a thing, would he? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Reddog Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 Is that why in the video of the engagement, his RIO is imploring him to fire and he states that he "doesn't have a f%@^ng tone."? Then, shortly thereafter, you hear the tone, and he fires. Yep, got that info from VF-32 ordies after they came back from cruise. ;) Reddog :blink: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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