It is 1968 .....

[AndyG43]

... and the government of Sir Alec Douglas-Home, having won thenarrowest of election victories in 1964, remain committed to their ‘East ofSuez’ policy; they have however, despite significant pressure from the USA, declined to involve themselves directly in the Vietnam conflict. The UK Defence forces are going through a period of change & modernisation, to ensure they are adequately equippedfor the role.

For the RAF that modernisation means that Vulcan has finally been joined bythe BAC TSR.2 GR Mk 1. The TSR.2 programme has ended up well over budget, and well behind schedule, has been the subject of much debate at Whitehall and in the press; the RAF at one point expressed a preference for the American F-111, but the problems with that program are equally well documented. However, the aircraft that entered service at the beginning of this year is, without doubt, one of the finest strike aircraft available in the world today & is arguably the most advanced military aircraft in the world. The trials unit, 40 Squadron, and 237 OCU are developing the tactics that will be used by this innovative strike aircraft over the coming years; the first operational squadron, XV Squadron is in the process of forming at RAF Honington. The rest of the squadrons will be formed, largely, by re-equipping the current Canberra strike & recce units, with two more squadrons for the UK, five in RAF Germany, three at Akrotiri and one at Tengah.

91785
91786
91787

Coming soon, to an Outhouse Library near you!

[ian elliot]

Very nice Andy, and a Greek one to keep Matt happy. Alphasim ?
cheers ian

[Blackbird686]

Hey Andy --

Those look absolutely STUNNING!! :medals: I have been waiting on these for a long, long time. My trusty ol' TSR2 continues to fly though, over the skies of Brisbane. She's even been spotted in Sydney and Canberra, on brief hold-overs. She wears fictional Australian "Boneyard Wrangler" paint, (the same worn by FB-111's of the RAAF) and is a major attraction at all of my virtual air shows. Sadly, she is the last of her kind but still a solid aeroplane. LOL! :salute: Superb job, mate!

BB686:USA-flag:

[Tom Burnside]

TSR2 repaints yes please.

[AndyG43]

You think he'd be happy with just ONE Greek paint Ian? Yes, it's the Alphasim TSR2, a pretty decent model, it does have a few flaws though; for example the FDE really isn't up to scratch, for an aircraft that was designed with short field performance in mind it takes a lot of real estate to get off the ground - but that is for another day.

BB686, sorry for the wait! Real life (and a few PC issues including an upgrade to Windows 7 caused by a total crash) kept getting in the way; hopefully the end product makes the wait worthwhile? And the bulk of the credit goes to Mr Wynn, for putting together a superb new paint kit which made this possible and allowed me to do a bit of decaling!!

They're being uploaded now, 5 packs containing a total of 35 repaints - and, no, I haven't included 617 Squadron, got something else in mind for them.

[arfyhun]

Excellent, Andy. I was amazed when the government took my tax money to build that fantastic aircraft and then scrap it on a whim.

What REALLY pissed me of is; they never asked me if they should, and they didn't have the decency to post me a bit of one of the plane to the value of my monetary input. I suppose my cash went on the wine and Rolls Royces which were used to cart their fat arses about.

Graham.

[Blackbird686]

BB686, sorry for the wait! Real life (and a few PC issues including an upgrade to Windows 7 caused by a total crash) kept getting in the way; hopefully the end product makes the wait worthwhile? And the bulk of the credit goes to Mr Wynn, for putting together a superb new paint kit which made this possible and allowed me to do a bit of decaling!!

They're being uploaded now, 5 packs containing a total of 35 repaints - and, no, I haven't included 617 Squadron, got something else in mind for them.

YES!!! And I believe I was the first of the lot to grab all of them :icon_lol:. New life for my TSR2, and a fitting tribute to the real TSR2, despite her abilities to outclass everything that was in service at the time, she never got a shot at the real world. :sleep:

Thanks Andy and Matt! You've made this TSR2 driver very happy. :salute:

BB686:USA-flag:

[Matt Wynn]

enjoy her guys, plenty of schemes to pick and choose from :)

was a pleasure working alongside Andy on this one, from my initial paintkit to the final 35 schemes... now we just need a new FDE :icon_lol: something that'll outpace a lightning on just 1 afterburner/reheat lit, and yeah... she did that!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXdJxjvQZW4

:icon_lol: so next time you want some get up and go, if you have the TSR.2.... perfect!...

[T Square]

Thank You Andy, Great packages. :salute::icon29::icon29::icon29::icon29::icon29::i con29:

[Tom Burnside]

Will there be a pack with modern RAF textures.

[SPman]

Will there be a pack with modern RAF textures.
Surely she would have been phased out by now........

[NAMBUS]

Thank you very much guys.
Excellent work.:applause::applause::applause:

[ian elliot]

I dont actually have this model, so i thought i'd look to see if its for sale anywhere, and it looks Virtavia have pulled it. oh well i guess i'll just have to wait.
cheers ian

[Matt Wynn]

someone said Modern.... Tornado isn't much younger (early 70's if i recall) and she's still active... but what if Tornado hadn't been chosen, instead upping the TSR.2 to GR.4 specification?

91816

...still massively WIP...

.... General rule to the packs is; if it's RAF it's Andy, if it's Other... it's likely me (except Indian, Andy did the camo and I did the recce)

[T Square]

Surely she would have been phased out by now........

We use to say that about the B-52, when they started talking about B-1s and B-2s but the old Buff is still hangin' tough.

[Matt Wynn]

so, me and my 'Wazzo' (W/SO - Weapons Systems Operator) decided to take the new girl for a spin... (i've still yet to pick a registration), we took off from Lossie and headed South at a reasonable altitude...

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x270/mattwynn/fs92013-08-1205-18-26-12_zps94499fa1.jpg~original

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x270/mattwynn/fs92013-08-1205-24-15-81_zps71f47d45.jpg~original

...Everything was in Order until we reached our stop at Leuchars to strip off the Ordnance when a visiting LTF T.5 decided he was going to join us....

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x270/mattwynn/fs92013-08-1205-44-20-24_zpse5c2e636.jpg~original

...getting onto the Radio i kindly asked him to move in a bit closer and take a photo for my scrapbook.... which he graciously did....

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x270/mattwynn/fs92013-08-1205-34-18-93_zps00dd4e28.jpg~original

....After he took the photo he was Bingo so had to head back to Leuchars, my photo will be sent to Squadron HQ ... i carried on and landed her safely at Warton (allbeit a little wobbly... damn winds off the Irish Sea mixing with Atlantic winds!) :salute:

[AndyG43]

"i've still yet to pick a registration...."

Matt, the serials ran XR219-XR227 (the initial prototypes), XS660-670 (the development batch) and XS944-995; I also added XT293-XT410 (which were actually Shelduck serials) and XV884-XV947, which were actually the serials allocated for the F-111K ordered after TSR2's cancellation.

T-Square, SPMan and others. Re. the lack of 'modern' repaints, the schemes I've chosen work to an internal logic which would have seen her largely out of service by now & replaced by .... well, who knows, the whole ball game would have been changed; after all, her contemporaries, the F-111, Buccaneer, A-6 Intruder etc, are all sadly long gone now. Bit anorakky I know, but I plan to add these into my retro setups along with a few other aircraft types in surprising schemes! Matt's the man to speak to, as he's the man with the paint kit.

Ian, I didn't realise until yesterday evening that this isn't in the current Virtavia offering; it was a few months back, as I saw it on Simmarket when picking up the Sea Vixen, so it's only recently been dropped - maybe Frank can find out what Phil's plans are for her.

[andersel]

I, too, have been looking around the usual payware sites to see if an FS9 version is available somewhere.

It's not.

Any scuttlebutt on a freeware release by the good folks over at Virtavia?

LA

[padburgess]

Great to see. I have this lovely bird, but alas she does not like FSX that well. The hud doesn't want to work and gives a black square in the screen.
I flew a "somewhat" realistic mission in FS9 with her. Three external tanks plus internal recce pack. Left Athens for the Black Sea via the Dardanelles, Istanbul then topped off the tanks 200km into the Black Sea and then low level (200' asl) across the Black Sea to Rostov-on-Don. Took some piccies then hard left turn and up to Kharkov for more snaps. Turn slightly left again and low level across the steppes to Minsk and on to Copenhagen. Approximately 3250km at mostly 200' agl or sometimes lower.
This was what she was designed for and she was supremely capable of doing just that. A similar mission with a 2000lb weapons load (nuke) could have been flown from Athens to Helsinki via Moscow. No wonder the British Labour Govt got rid of her. There was no way the Soviets were going to let the RAF have this plane.

[Blackbird686]

And... like the "Buff", she wears the modern scheme very well. Had the RAF decided to use the venerable TSR.2, I believe she would still be in service today. Given a few cockpit and avionics mods here and there.

BB686:USA-flag:

[Dev One]

Having spent 3 years of my life as part of the Weybridge design team on the beast ( I nicknamed it the Preying Mantis) its a real pity that she never saw service. It was though just at the wrong time for development of the electronics which took up all of the two bays behind the cockpit - I suspect an ipad mini would now do all of the work!
Keith

[harrybasset]

Thank you very much for this work Andy and Matt. My original purchase from Alphasim works quite well in FSX but I am sure I have seen a thread to get better results but can't find such a thread now.

[Desert Rat]

Thanks very much guys, looking AWESOME (I know I'm to old to use that word, but my son likes 'Kung Fu Panda', what can I say?)

:running: to get them.

Ta much,Jamie

[Dev One]

Just a thought on its simple beauty........Where would one put all the modern sensors (warts etc) that make up current aircraft warning & self defense systems - Infra Red, UV missile sensors, Flare & Chaff dispensers, decoy targets......Jammers etc.....
Keith

[Matt Wynn]

one possibility would be like Typhoon with its DASS pods, RWR in the fin wouldn't detract from it's beauty either.... but things like IR Designators... well i suppose you'd have to get centreline/45 to centreline pylons to mount things like that (Raptor Pod etc...) :icon_lol:

[Motormouse]

but things like IR Designators... well i suppose you'd have to get centreline/45 to centreline pylons to mount things like that (Raptor Pod etc...) :icon_lol:

could've put it in the belly in place of recce pack.

ttfn

Pete

[Tom Burnside]

I have downloaded pack 1 and there are only 3 screenshots available is there any chance of some shots of all the repaints.

[AndyG43]

I have downloaded pack 1 and there are only 3 screenshots available is there any chance of some shots of all the repaints.

To be honest Tom, making the screenshots takes time, getting the screen captures & then tweaking if necessary; I didn't want to delay the release any longer, which is why I just went with small amounts. I'm "real world" busy at the moment, but could try & get some more this evening although I was going to use that time to work on the Lago Tonka repaint - let us see how it runs.

[Tom Burnside]

To be honest Tom, making the screenshots takes time, getting the screen captures & then tweaking if necessary; I didn't want to delay the release any longer, which is why I just went with small amounts. I'm "real world" busy at the moment, but could try & get some more this evening although I was going to use that time to work on the Lago Tonka repaint - let us see how it runs.


Ok Andy didnt realise you was so busy.

[AndyG43]

Ok Andy didnt realise you was so busy.

Don't sweat it, my job tends to be famine or feast; loads of free time last week, no time to breath this one!

[Tom Burnside]

And when you finish the LAGO Tonka it would be good to have both the TSR2 and Tornado in the Dambusters scheme.

[Blackbird686]

Cool Video of the FS9 Alphasim TSR.2....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQTXwKZvza8

BB686:USA-flag:

[Matt Wynn]

just started work on the Aussie birds, as they had an initial order for 30.... they regretted the F-111 when they got it due to spiraling costs etc. as i recall....

[Tom Burnside]

just started work on the Aussie birds, as they had an initial order for 30.... they regretted the F-111 when they got it due to spiraling costs etc. as i recall....

Thought they would TSR2 was so much better and if im right the test pilot said that it was progressing very well.

[Matt Wynn]

it was leaps and bounds better than anything out there at the time... the US actually had a bit of a fear over it being so good... the F-111 was a good aircraft, but by the time the Australians got it it was massively over budget and was just a shadow of what TSR.2 proved it could be... TSR.2 did have it's flaws... that 'stalky' undercarriage had a nice habit of wobbling around a bit on landing, but thanks to the blown flaps i believe it's said the TSR.2 could take off in just 600Yds (i've played golf holes close to that length!)

[Tom Burnside]

Ive seen Duxfords TSR2 and I just look at it and think what if it had gone into service.

[AndyG43]

it was leaps and bounds better than anything out there at the time... the US actually had a bit of a fear over it being so good... the F-111 was a good aircraft, but by the time the Australians got it it was massively over budget and was just a shadow of what TSR.2 proved it could be... TSR.2 did have it's flaws... that 'stalky' undercarriage had a nice habit of wobbling around a bit on landing, but thanks to the blown flaps i believe it's said the TSR.2 could take off in just 600Yds (i've played golf holes close to that length!)

Absolutely. They had vibration issues with the fuel pumps and the undercarriage, but fixes were in the pipeline for both; the fuel pump issue was the reason Roly Beamont only lit the single 'burner on the 14th flight and still, as I mentioned above, left the chase Lightning in it's wake - the Lightning pilot did eventually catch up, but only using full burner and experiencing a very uncomfortable ride at such low level. I

ncidentally, the 14th flight was the first time she went supersonic, and she did that 'dry' (i.e. without the use of reheat - supercruise!!) before Roly used lit up and took the plane to Mach 1.12. In the limited number of flights they demonstrated that they could manage supersonic speeds at low level (200 feet through the Pennines) with rock solid stability - as they say now, doing what it says on the tin!

[Blackbird686]

The TSR.2 was the best aircraft, and the best option at the time, everybody knew it. It's matchless performance could not be challenged by any other aircraft. Even over the F-111, which, after all "fixes" were implemented, eventually turned out to be a very good airplane, still the TSR.2 had it beat. Seems that there were a couple of other incidences where planes like the TSR.2 lost out due to political influences. One of which was the Martin Baker MB.5, the other was Northrop's F-20 Tiger Shark.

Any aircraft in the early stages of development is going to have issues that need to be addressed. The TSR.2 had it's share, but initially proved what it was capable of... prior to having the fixes implemented, (landing gear and fuel pumps, as mentioned above). Having an aircraft the size of the TSR.2 being able to "supercruise" without afterburner was a phenomenal achievement for the time. Just my bit...

BB686:USA-flag:

[Tom Burnside]

I remember hearing somewhere that when TSR2 was around Americas dream of everyone will buy our aircraft was a dream. I truly believe if TSR2 had entered service everyone would have it (except America cause they think there best at everything :icon_lol:). Plus maybe the US would be as successful in the military aviation world as they are today some people say if it had TSR2 would still be in service even today.

[Ralf Roggeveen]

Superb, but you never finished the opening What If? Scenario:

SAIGON, December 24th 1971: The fall of Hanoi and complete capitulation of all remaining Viet Cong and allied Chinese and Soviet forces is announced this morning. Aided by close air support from elite RAF and Commonwealth air-to-ground strike squadrons which have perfected their tactics (originally developed in the Middle East, but successfully re-applied to jungle warfare) units of the SAS, US and South Vietnamese Special Forces entered the enemy capital on Thursday. Generals Giap, Chong and Vassiliev were captured and surrendered in their bunker while attempting a feeble last ditch defence of Hanoi, codenamed 'Operation Dien Bien Phu'. Last remaining VC forces are currently being mopped up and sent for special De-communization training in the south. Happy Christmas, War is over.

[AndyG43]

Scarily Ralf my What If scenario is a quite detailed multi-page Word document; like, for example, the Royal Navy Task Force with the fully modernised HMS Eagle alongside Ark Royal 'dealing' with the Rhodesian Problem.

Hopefully as time goes on I'll be able to put some of it "in game" and will post screen shots here to prove what a hopeless anorak I am - I really must get out more!!

[Ralf Roggeveen]

Scarily Ralf my What If scenario is a quite detailed multi-page Word document; like, for example, the Royal Navy Task Force with the fully modernised HMS Eagle alongside Ark Royal 'dealing' with the Rhodesian Problem.

Hopefully as time goes on I'll be able to put some of it "in game" and will post screen shots here to prove what a hopeless anorak I am - I really must get out more!!

:salute::applause::salute::applause::salute::appla use:!

[AndyG43]

I dont actually have this model, so i thought i'd look to see if its for sale anywhere, and it looks Virtavia have pulled it. oh well i guess i'll just have to wait.
cheers ian

Would you be interested in a half price copy (http://www.pcaviator.com.au/store/product.php?productid=18830&cat=0&page=1)Ian?

[ian elliot]

Thanks Andy, would'nt be x-mas if i didnt buy myself a present :friendly_wink:

oh, the Virtavia Lightning 3 pack is in there also, been looking for that everywhere also.
cheers ian