NOTE: This build dates back to 2007, and I posted it as an invitation to the Falklands GB. Not intended to participate. I have two other projects for that. 
ANOTHER TIME, ANOTHER WORLD, ANOTHER PLACE....
THE SOUTH ATLANTIC. THE YEAR, 2016
Captain Timothy Fraser scanned his surroundings for the umpteenth time, and then checked his instruments, following a routine ingrained in him from early on his career by his instructors. Check outside and inside your cockpit systematically, son, and you’ll have some grasp of the situation. Though his instruments were linked to satellite feeds and he was hardly radiating an electron, the situation remained the same.
From climbing into his impossibly high cockpit, to accelerating along the short HMS Illustrious’ flight deck with its characteristic ski-jump, to his current flight position, Fraser had spent ninety minutes cruising at wavetop height and was about to have an appointment for an assassination.
The invasion, one month ago, of the Falklands territories by the Argentine Navy and Marines, supported by Air Force elements, and for the first time, fighting units from Venezuela, Bolivia, Cuba and Ecuador, compounded the problem exponentially. There was not an official declaration of war, but the corresponding States allied themselves in what became known as “The Southern Axis” and confronted every American nation with threats of oil and commerce embargoes and just plain violence, for which the region didn’t feel much like.
Nevertheless, an Axis fleet, led by Aircraft Carriers “Che Guevara” and “Salvador Allende”, both of the Kuznetzov Class, happily sold by the cash strapped Russian Federation to their new clients in the hemisphere roamed the southern waters Along with several Battlecruisers, Destroyers, Frigates, Submarines, and Aircraft of various descriptions. This fleet was sailing the seas in a blockade of the Falklands’ approaches.
Only last night, the Allied Fleet came under attack (the first maritime battle for more than sixty years) by long range maritime aircraft, launching cruise missiles, which fortunately only damaged lightly a radar picket frigate. Were it not for the Distributed Cooperative Battle Engagement System (DCBES or "Decibels") of the fleet, the attack would have been more successful.
Today, a counterattack was on the way against both the “Che”, the “Allende”, and their escorts. Already, the Sea Jaguars from the HMS Hermes Group were engaging the “Che” Sea Flankers, (license built in Venezuela), and Sea Flankers from the “Allende” were being detached to bolster the “Che” defenses. An ideal situation, because the Group from the HMS Furious would be in a most advantageous situation to approach and sink the “Allende”, intentionally left alone until now.
“They took the bait”, thought Fraser, now reaching Waypoint Charlie, and starting his attack run. He was supposed to launch two Harpoons IIs against the “Che Guevara”, and according to the battle plan and weaponization charts, he was to release a single, GPS-Laser enhanced Paveway IV on one Air Defense Cruiser, along with a HARM, to disable some of its capabilities.
AEW directed him out of his route, to avoid an approaching wave of Flankers, and sent him on his way towards the “Che” from a slightly different angle. It made no difference, he released his two Harpoon IIs and immediately exited the “launch basket”.
Fate had it that his new exit route passed directly over the “Libertad y Socialismo”, the Air Defense Cruiser he was supposed to attack next.
He switched to his HARM, and detecting the SAM radar he was to destroy, he sent the missile on its way. Already, a curtain of tracer fire was rising from the Cruiser, to no avail. Three more HARMs passed him from behind, targeted on the searching and targeting AAA equipment. Almost too fast to track visually, four HARMs impacted on the “Libertad y Socialismo” superstructure, disabling the automated cannons and launchers and giving him and his two two-aircraft elements time to release their LGBs.
Climbing, he released, and left his Fire Control System do the tracking and guiding of his bomb, which flew directly towards the doomed ship. A 2000 pound Paveway IV penetrated deeply from above, and apparently caught something vital, because, a huge explosion was followed by a group of other smaller, savage detonations.
Craning his head towards the rear, he caught a glimpse of the “Che Guevara” being hit by several Harpoons and Bombs. He could only stare so much as to distinguish an elevator platform buckling up and falling off unhinged, and a big, dark gaping hole where the hangar bays should be. Flames and black, oily smoke poured from there. It seemed that the much-vaunted “Che” died today.
Directing his flight up to where the Sea-Flankers should be, he launched his two AIM-120E AMRAAMs, and saw with satisfaction one target falling off the scope. Next, he and his boys would be in the knife-fight of their lives. But the Sea-Jaguar was built for agility, and the twenty or so Sukhois died or beat feet, while his entire group only lost three airplanes.
Egressing, he saw at wave-top level a brace of Tomahawk missiles entering into the fray. Targeted on the rest of the enemy ships not attacked by his force, these missiles were going to tilt the scale more and more in favor of the allies.
He wondered how well was the “Allende” package faring. With about half the protective Flanker umbrella gone, detached to protect the “Che”, they must be doing much better.
Now without their Flagships and a number of escorts and support vessels, the Axis forces were a much easily defeatable foe. For the next weeks, the Allies would drive the Axis out of the Falkands, to regain them and to talk about peace. Peace broken by warmonging, ambitious individuals who didn’t look for their people’s needs.
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Well, what can I say. This Jaguar was one Matchbox example I had in the mothballs. Last Friday, I found it at the bottom of a plastic bag, all battered and missing its wings. I then took to the task of making a quick rebuild, and the idea of a joined-wing or box-wing aircraft hit me. I was planning to do it anyway, but I wasn’t decided on the subject to modify, and this fell neatly on my hands.
I smash-formed a new canopy, from the old, cracked one, put one of my silicon paste pilots in, and fashioned new wings from a top-view of a Jaguar. I severely distorted the wing’s appearance and went to town with it.
A fun build, for a weekend.
Enjoy!!!
Rafa
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