crazyeddie

Small Update - Added RCN Cyclone livery for Admirals HMCS Montreal. https://www.dropbox.com/s/iqz1g3l3y9x5zr9/Admiral156 and crazyeddie's AH101 Merlin V3.zip?dl=0

Thanks, I missed that post.

Bump ?

About 20 or so years ago I went up to RNAS Yeovilton for a presentation by Lt Cdr Adrian Orchard on the future of the Fleet Air Arm. He was CO of 800 Sqn flying Harrier Gr9’s at the time. One of the subjects I raised at the questions session afterwards was what were they going to replace the Sea King airframes with, they were close to retirement then and there was no plan. I suggested the Merlin was the ideal airframe for the Jungglies (846, 845 and 848 Sqns). The RN already had the HC2 version in service at sea and the technical support in place. Another 45 or so airframes would be ideal or 24 if they cut the sqns down to 8 apiece, which was being suggested at the time. He said that was not an option, the HC3 Merlin was not blade folding and was not suitable for Cdo Ops, which I suggested was complete bollocks (I had served in 846 and 845 sqns so I did know something about the subject). There was also the matter of cost, they did not have the budget to buy any more airframes, so I suggested we take the RAF airframes and get them blade folding capable. He stopped the conversation by saying it would almost certainly require a complete rethink for the RN and he favoured Chinooks, which was a crazy idea given the amphibious ships we had then (HMS Ocean). They would have to stay on deck or be blade stripped to go below, which would make their usefulness in an assault to be almost zero. The Chinook is a fine helicopter, but it isn’t navalised and it would suffer badly at sea, on an open deck. Stealing the airframes from the RAF was the only option in the end. All of those airframes are being converted to HC3/4 standard with folding blades etc etc and they will equip 846 and 845 Sqns with them in the Commando Helicopter Force, based at RNAS Yeovilton. 848 Sqn was disbanded in 2016. 847 Sqn (formerly 3 Cdo Bde Air Sqn based in Plymouth) now provides armed support to the force flying Wildcats. I served in that for 2 years when it was in Plymouth. Cant see the AW 139 being suitable for RAF Troop lift, executive toys at best !! More Merlins I would say, and make them HC4 capable to fly from carriers, spread the load so to speak.

I had to move the V1 and the bow smoke marker inboard a little bit because of the placement of the cat on the Melbourne, and I think the deck angle may have been slightly different for them both as well, so it has to be a little bit of a compromise. Would be nice to have a decent Corsair for her, in due course I believe.

Here you go, these livery files were created for the version of the Melbourne that I am running in my game, it may not be up to date in which case you may have to alter the description and file details to fit your game. That's easy enough to do, just copy what's in the other livery folders, the formats are the same (or should be !). Grey deck and Green decks included, pick the one you want and ditch the other one. https://www.dropbox.com/s/wxbtoatxs9tvbq8/ARA Independencia.zip?dl=0

I always finish my own work, and I intended to finish this one day along with a couple of others I was working on, todays as good a day as any for this one. The image I am working from shows the main deck colours to be grey, darker on the flight line, but I'll do you both grey and green. I have had to move some things a little out of alignment with the actual deck because its not the same ship or the same era, so what you see is what you get.

Somebody asked about the ARA Independencia - I have a partly finished deck for this ship which I never got around to completing. I finished the decks I thought people would want instead, the British decks (for myself mainly if I'm honest !!) and ARA 25 de Mayo, NAeL Minas Gerais.

It could be real, foreign aircrews often practiced approaches to unfamiliar decks, if the deck could take the airframe they might stick the wheels on the deck for a second or two and if not they just did the approach. That image shows him (or her) on the way upwards again, the exhaust tail has dipped and is rising again, so I would guess just an approach to familiarise with everything Australian. Practicing for the old eventuality that it might be the only deck around ... any port in a storm etc. Remember the RN Harrier pilot who banged it down on the top of a container on a cargo ship out at sea, it happens. (He screwed it up slightly of course and the bum fell off the back off the container - but he saved the airframe !!)

All things are possible, see your pm's.

Did he actually managed to get that F14 onto that deck ... and the big question ... How did he get it off again, by crane ?

HMS Ark Royal IV and HMS Eagle were the only 2 Royal Navy decks capable of operating the heavier fast jets, (F4K and Buccs), all the the other RN carrier classes of that era were too small for the bigger jets and would have required major and unrealistic reconstruction. Ark Royal was converted to operate F4K's but Eagle was not, although she continued to operate Buccs for some years. CV01 was planned to replace Ark Royal but financial and political pressure, and a withdrawal from empire removed the perceived need for a CV type replacement, so we opted for the Invincible class of boats with Harriers instead. HMS Hermes was converted to Cdo Carrier to replace the aging and worn out HMS's Bulwark and Albion, both of which were placed in reserve, until scrapped. The other larger fixed wing carriers of that era, HMS Victorious was scrapped in 69, HMS Eagle was scrapped in 78 and Ark Royal went to scrap in 1980. All the other decks that still survived in the 1950/60's were were either sold on to other nations, and some subsequently sold on again to yet other nations, or scrapped before the fast jet era got under way. HMS Triumph hung around until the 1980's, used as dockyard lay apart storage, not actually serviceable. The MOD did consider getting HMS Bulwark back to sea for the Falklands War in 1982, but she too far gone by then to be of any use.

I did a load of UK Fictional and Actual skins a few years ago to fit Patricks Tucano - its the same model so they should fit this version. Here are 2 of them. I also did a USN, USMC and an Argentina version, forget how accurate that one was, not very probably !!

See Page 1 for the latest Version 3. ASW HC2 Version size corrected, added hellfire missiles to pylons 1 and 4. The Merlin is planned to carry a missile system at some stage but that has yet to be finalised or implemented so I have added twin hellfire launchers in its place. The game does not support aerial launched torpedo's yet so you should not expect the weapons fitted to act as such, they will explode on impact with the water like any other bomb etc. It is all explained in ReadMe2 - PLEASE READ BOTH OF THEM.

The scale was wrong on the first version, we corrected it, its now right. HOWEVER, we have made the same mistake again and the ASW Model is slightly oversized. We will fix that and give you another link soon. The Troop lift version is still okay for size. Sorry for the c*ckup !!

There are no Aerial Drop Torpedo's or Aerial Drop Depth Charges in this game, the game does not support that function yet, so we have put 2 other weapons on the pylons pretending to be the weapons currently used - Tigerfish = Mk20 (Similar size and weight), Mk11 Depth Charges = FAB250 (Similar size and weight) and provided textures for both, how to instal those textures is explained in the ReadMe's. There is only one Torpedo that I know of in the game and that is a submarine launched torpedo, which is a very different animal to an Aerial Drop Torpedo, its twice the length to start with, so we did not include it. However, since I was asked here is the line to add that torpedo to the pylons, instal it if you wish and it should drop like any other weapon and explode in the same way that a bomb does, on impact with the water, what it wont do is act like a real torpedo, as I have explained. { CLSID = "{LTF_5B}"},

The Tigerfish and Mk11 Depth Charges are fictional clones - That folder contains 2 skins that make the items they are cloned to look like the fictional items they represent. Instal them into your Game - Bazar/Temp Textures folder using JSGME or any other prog you prefer, or do it manually - its all explained in the Read Me.

"che lusso" = "what a Luxury" Delighted we are able to make you happy JagHond, we strive for perfection, but we still have a long way to go. Anyone who would like to add some air to ground missiles can add this line to pylons 1 and 4, the Merlin does not have this capability in real life but they will fire and hit the target - use Ground Attack mode and they will still hit ships etc. { CLSID = "{3C612111-C7AD-476E-8A8E-2485812F4E5C}" }, --FAB-250 - Add the next line under the FAB250 on pylons 1 and 4. { CLSID = "AGM114x2_OH_58" }, --"AGM-114K * 2" -- Hellfire missiles.

Added another (fictional) ASW Version, delete previous MOD and replace with V2, please read the ReadMe's. See page 1 for link to latest version.

The Liveries file has been named incorrectly - it currently reads Ship_Hand_Wind. That does not work. To make it work you have to rename that file to HandyWind.

I offered to make Liveries for Canberra, Adelaide, Hobart, Brisbane and Sydney. The destroyers were easy enough to do, but I asked them if they would remove the plated on L61 on the side because that was impossible to hide even with matching colours. (See the image). The reply I got from them was they did not want anyone making a "Franken" version of their Mod. I went to a lot of trouble to redo the flight deck and hide the L61 numbers and other stuff as well as I could, and I thought the Liveries were pretty good. Sadly not wanted. 'Franken' Indeed - I withdrew my offer.

That isnt going to solve the multiple upload issue though, these guys upload them all on the same day anyway. A new rule might be more effective, but only if you enforce it of course. You check and clear all uploads already, make it part of that process, simples !