Author Topic: UK Maritime Patrol, 2016-Triton MRA.1  (Read 8225 times)

aeroplaneDriver

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UK Maritime Patrol, 2016-Triton MRA.1
« on: March 13, 2012, 09:53:13 AM »
So I started a RAN AV-8B+ a few weeks ago and after getting the fuselage together on the Hase 1/72 kit I just sort of...lost interest...

So on to a new project, after all this is a hobby, not a job.  This will likely be my entry to the "Anything Goes" GB.

The Kit...



The Story...

By early 2013 a combination of the US refocusing it's global priorities on Asia and the limited availability of Maritime Patrol assets from European NATO partners led even the (SELF EDITED TO COMPLY WITH THE FORUM RULES ON POLITICS) in Whitehall to admit that an Island nation with no Maritime Patrol Aircraft in the inventory was a bit of a joke.  Improving economic outlooks allowed for the order of 7 Boeing P-8As, for delivery beginning in 2018.  This off-the-shelf purchase would allow the UK to once again field a high-level MPA/MMA aircraft.  The 7-aircraft fleet was a welcome addition the RAF inventory, but still it was a far cry from the former Nimrod MR2 fleet, or even the planned MRA4 fleet.  With 7 aircraft it would be difficult to provide full time coverage to UK waters, PLUS the Falkland Islands, where tensions continued to rise, PLUS other overseas commitments, PLUS international maritime obligations, PLUS cover  Trident submarine movements. 

So by mid-2013 a second aircraft purchase was made; 13 Bombardier DHC-8-200 aircraft, to be modified by Bombardier into a MPA configuration. The second hand Dash 8-200 aircraft were purchased at a bargain price, and a fixed price contract for conversion was negotiated with Bombardier, making the entire Dash 8 MPA fleet more affordable than a single additional Poseidon MRA.1 For the MPA role the Dash 8 was fitted with an underfuselage FLIR sensor, SLAR, and a search radar in a retractable radome under the rear fuselage, retracting into the former baggage compartment.  An additional fuel tank was also added in the tail, and a refueling probe was fitted.  Fuselage pylons were fitted to accomodate torpedoes, Sea Skua (and follow on) missiles, or SAR packs.  Four sensor stations were fitted in the cabin, leaving room for a lavatory, galley, and a small crew rest area. 

The Dash 8 will serve in UK waters as local MPA as well as a flight of two permanently deployed to Mt. Pleasant in the FI, freeing the small Poseidon fleet to concentrate on more demanding tasks. 

More details to come as the build progresses...


The Build...

I flew Dash 8-100s and 200s for about 700 hours and was also Simulator Instructor on it.  It's an incredible aircraft, and to be honest the Hobbycraft kit is a bit of a piece of crap...but It's an OK canvas to work with.  I'm not going to do much, if anything in the cabin and cockpit, since it will all be invisible when completed, but I am going to scribe proper panel lines, and add detail such as the deice boots and APU inlet.  The windshield just doesn't look...right...somehow so I may try to improve that, but that will be a few days down the road.  For now it's a night of scribing ahead!  The 100 and 200 were virtually identical externally, with the only noticable differences being the location of the taxi light (nose on the 100, nosegear on the 200) and the engine breather tubes on the 100, so making this 100 into a 200 will be a piece of cake. 

Suggestions welcome as to the color scheme...I have the Airfix Nimrod kit, so Sqn decals will likely come from there. 
« Last Edit: March 13, 2012, 12:01:09 PM by aeroplaneDriver »

Offline elmayerle

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Re: UK Maritime Patrol, 2016
« Reply #1 on: March 13, 2012, 10:38:17 AM »
Sounds like their Dash 8 is as accurate as their V-22 (good grief!!  They've got the back half of the engine nacelles all wrong among other things - I noticed the nacelles because that's what I'm firmly involved with in 1/1 scale at the moment - I wonder if Italieri can be persuaded to re-issue the Esci 1/72 kits?).  I'll be looking forward to seeing what you do with it, especially as I'm looking at combining a V-22 with a Dash 8 to do a commercial tilt-rotor with the Dash 8 engines going to an upgraded Rotodyne.

aeroplaneDriver

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Re: UK Maritime Patrol, 2016
« Reply #2 on: March 13, 2012, 10:47:02 AM »
Yeah the kit isn't the best...unfortunately my neglected skills arent up to doing a proper rework as of yet, so I'll do my best.  I've got another HC Dash in the stash so if this one at least comes out halfway decent I may revisit the concept after a few more builds.  I really wish someone would do a NICE range of DHC8s...

I love the idea of a modern Rotodyne with big PW engines...I imagine derated PW150s would be the most appropriate?  IIRC the -100, 200, 300 series maxed out with PW121s at around 2,100shp, which is quite a bit shy of the Rotodyne.  The Q400 has the PW150 rated at 5000ish shp, in the same (basically) nacelle, so that would work. 




Offline apophenia

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Re: UK Maritime Patrol, 2016
« Reply #3 on: March 13, 2012, 10:51:42 AM »
aeroplaneDriver: FWIW: I vote for the  MRA.4's medium sea grey scheme (although Hemp is nice too).

On the Rotodyne update, derated PW150s do make sense. That's what Viking is proposing for its DHC-5NG as well.

Evan: Are you doing the RW Boeing proposal for a commercial tilt-rotor based on the Dash 8-100?
Froglord: "... amphibious doom descends ... approach the alter and swear your allegiance to the swamp."

aeroplaneDriver

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Re: UK Maritime Patrol, 2016
« Reply #4 on: March 13, 2012, 11:03:54 AM »
I like the MRA.4 gray, but I'm leaning towards something less...well...dull.  Perhaps a two-tone gray camo as seen on the Lynx Wildcat...

Offline elmayerle

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Re: UK Maritime Patrol, 2016
« Reply #5 on: March 13, 2012, 11:22:20 AM »
aeroplaneDriver: FWIW: I vote for the  MRA.4's medium sea grey scheme (although Hemp is nice too).

On the Rotodyne update, derated PW150s do make sense. That's what Viking is proposing for its DHC-5NG as well.

Evan: Are you doing the RW Boeing proposal for a commercial tilt-rotor based on the Dash 8-100?
I didn't know they had one.  I'm doing it because it looked like a good fit with the exception that I'll need to make main landing gear sponsons; fortunately, I've got some "bits and pieces" which will do admirably for that.  I'm tempted to include Bristol Aircraft in the mix given their Bristol 300 tiltrotor design as depicted in Stuck on the Drawing Board.

For the upgraded Rotodyne, I'm also going with a 6- or 8-bladed propeller on each engine.

Just a thought for a whif Rotodyne, a Kaman-built one with US engines in HMX-One "Marine One" markings.

aeroplaneDriver

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Re: UK Maritime Patrol, 2016
« Reply #6 on: March 13, 2012, 12:00:49 PM »
Been trying to think up a name...since "Dash 8 MRA.1" doesn't exactly roll off the tongue.  The obvious choice seems to be "Triton".  In Greek mythology Triton is the son of Poseidon...so I think it fits.  Triton MRA.1 it will be!


aeroplaneDriver

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Re: UK Maritime Patrol, 2016-Triton MRA.1
« Reply #7 on: March 14, 2012, 04:21:48 AM »
A few update pics of progress so far...I've never done much panel line scribing so doing it from scratch with no raised line to go by is proving to be a challenge, but I'm getting there I think. 

The Dash doesn't really have a lot of visible panel lines, so it's not like there's a ton of them to do.  The nose does have a pair of prominent panels on either side.  The lower ones are maintenance inspection panels and the uppers are hinged doors accessing the avionics compartment if I remember correctly.  To mark them I masked the area with Tamiya tape...



...Then sprayed a thick coat of random color from a rattlecan.  When the tape is removed the paint layer forms a raised area that I then used as a guide for scribing. 



The rest of the fuselage was fairly straight forward.  a few inspection panels below the cockpit, and water/lav service doors on the RH side just aft of the cockpit.  The three small hatches lined up vertically just forward of the windshield are the GPU receptacle, ground coms receptacle and nosewheel steering disconnect for towing. 



There are a row of prominent inspection panels in the wing root...



There are also prominent panel lines on the vertical fin fillet...



And on the fin itself I scribed the deice boot on the leading edge and a rudder actuator inspection panel.



Next I moved on to the engine nacelles...here the kit is particularly weak.  Absolutely NO detail whatsoever, just smooth plastic.  The nacelles have prominent inspection and servicing access panels so it really needs something done. 

First I roughly drew on the panels I wanted to reproduce...



Then scribed them...here is a completed nacelle next to the other untouched one.  I'll use the finished one to trace a template for the other. 



Sorry the pics arent great, but you can get an idea...

I've also been digging through the spares box for suitable lumps and bumps.  I dont want to stray too far from the actual DHC-8-300 MPA currently being delivered to Abu Dhabi, but I want to to be different too...I'm thinking a satellite com dome on the upper fuselage along with lots of antennas, a FLIR turret under the forward fuselage, SLAR antennas on the lower fuselage sides, as well as stub pylons for weapons (currently thinking a torpedo on one side and SAR rescue pod on the other).  I had planned a retractable radome under the rear fuselage where it begins to slope upwards since this is the baggage compartment, but now I may do a thinner search radar radome under the center fuselage with maybe sonobouy launchers in the aft....we'll see. 

Anyway...I'm just about sick of scribing for now...I may start a nice easy build to work on while taking PSR breaks from this thing. 




Offline apophenia

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Re: UK Maritime Patrol, 2016-Triton MRA.1
« Reply #8 on: March 14, 2012, 06:21:41 AM »
Good progress!  Triton works as a name -- it was the marketing name for Boeing's 1980s proposal for a Dash 8 MPA (think CT-142 'Gonzo' with torpedos). Any chance of resurrecting DeHavilland instead of having snowmobile specialists build it? Or how about how about Northern Ireland assembly (or Field Aviation-style mods) by  'Short' in lieu of Bombardier Belfast?
Froglord: "... amphibious doom descends ... approach the alter and swear your allegiance to the swamp."

aeroplaneDriver

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Re: UK Maritime Patrol, 2016-Triton MRA.1
« Reply #9 on: March 14, 2012, 06:35:36 AM »
The Dash will always be a DeHavilland in my heart!   ;)

The first ones I flew were 86-87 production numbers and the Airworthiness Certificates had the manufacturer as "Boeing Canada" since DHC was owned by Boeing at the time. 

There are a couple of companies that convert the DHC8 series into MPA/Surveillance aircraft, though I cant remember which at the moment and I dont feel like hitting the Goobles.  When I was a Sim Instructor for Flight Safety on the Dash we had clients from US Customs who flew pretty tricked out 200s out of Puerto Rico. 

Offline kitnut617

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Re: UK Maritime Patrol, 2016-Triton MRA.1
« Reply #10 on: March 14, 2012, 06:38:39 AM »
Nice going AD, I know when I was cleaning up the engines on my project it got quite involved, port one is done but not the starboard one yet

Offline Doom!

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Re: UK Maritime Patrol, 2016-Triton MRA.1
« Reply #11 on: March 14, 2012, 09:33:13 AM »
Looking good AD,  I've never seen the rattle can scribing template technique before, cool to see a new tip to try for a rather tedious task  :-\ :) ;D
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Jeff G.

Offline elmayerle

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Re: UK Maritime Patrol, 2016-Triton MRA.1
« Reply #12 on: March 14, 2012, 10:53:03 AM »
It's a little late, but I was going to ask if you'd considered adding a "Gonzo" nose?  Alternatively, consider adapting the SLAR installations flown on some US Army Dash 7's (IIRC).

aeroplaneDriver

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Re: UK Maritime Patrol, 2016-Triton MRA.1
« Reply #13 on: March 14, 2012, 01:05:23 PM »
Evan,
I did consider a Gonzo nose, but virtually all real world operators of DHC8 surveillance/MPA variants have the standard weather radar in the nose and keep the expensive bits elsewhere, so I decided to do the same. 

The SLAR fit will be similar to the UAE Q300 MPA fit seen here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcdee6174/6823632888/#in/photostream/lightbox/

Which happens to be very similar to the SLAR I fitted to my RAF F.27 gunship way back in 2005, seen here


Offline Brian da Basher

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Re: UK Maritime Patrol, 2016-Triton MRA.1
« Reply #14 on: March 15, 2012, 04:33:49 AM »
I always enjoy your work, AD but this one is a real treat to watch. I especially appreciate the details you give on your techniques. Scribing is something I find challenging. It's great to see it done by a pro!

Brian da Basher

Offline JP Vieira

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Re: UK Maritime Patrol, 2016-Triton MRA.1
« Reply #15 on: March 15, 2012, 05:33:50 AM »
Amazing work

Offline ChrisF

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Re: UK Maritime Patrol, 2016-Triton MRA.1
« Reply #16 on: March 17, 2012, 08:36:34 AM »
Good stuff !!   I'll be watching this one !