Vautour vs Javline vs Scorpion 1:48 Scale

[Wyvern]

All three are awesome builds!

Wyvern

[hyair]

Thanks Wyvern !

Yair

[Longbow]

Great Yair !
Lots of info too !
Thanks !!

[hyair]

Thanks Longbow !

Yair

[hyair]

Another thread that had been left unattended for a while.
The trio here represent the golden age of Jet aviation as they were operational between 1955 - 1970 , that was an era of the cold war and many conflicts. Indo Pakistan, Israeli Arab and
the Vietnam war that started in late 1964.
So many topics that are related to the trio were not covered.
Some more images of the trio together in 1:48 scale.

Yair

[hyair]

All the 3 were having two engines. At the period of the 50's the jet engine was far from being
relailable as today and the second engine had some advantages beside disadvantages as well. We can see 3 different designs here.
The Javlin had very wide fuselage with 2 intakes that supplied the air to the engines at the aft
section of the fuselage. This design doesn't leave much place for fuel or internal bomb bay.
Thats the reason why the Javlin carried two fuel tanks streaming with the lower fuselage
because the short range. The drag was very high and the wing profile almost 10 percent, so despite the high thrust of 11200 lb each it could break the sound barrier only with a steep dive.
The Scorpion engines were mounted at the lower fuselage with half circular air intakes and
jet outlets at the fuselage sides before the tail section. The main problem with this design
is that there is not much place left for fuel or bomb bay and the need for jet deflectors at the
jet pipes outlets.
The Vautour is a winner here. Two under wing nacles that carried the engines and the fuselage was free to carry fuel and big bomb bay. Also this design was flexible and different
engines could be fitted very easily.
While the Scorpion and Javlin had engines with afterburners in order to give them the extra
thrust needed the Vautour with a much better streamlined fuselage and aerodynamics could
exceed both in terms of speed and rate of climb . Another advantages was the ability to carry
heavy load of ammunition and a range of over 5000km that more than doubled that of the Scorpion and Javlin. The Vautour needed very shallow dive of 4 degrees to reach supersonic
speed and therefore was able to release bombs at supersonoic speed in a dive by using the
internal bomb bay.

Yair

[hyair]

The f-89 was the first of the trio to get into service in the early 50's with early models A and B.
Then came model D which was the most produced- around half of the 1050 that produced.
This model could carry 104 rockets or 26x4 in the big pods at the wings edges. The firing of the rockets was automatic when the radar gave the firing command.
The more advanced models carried air to air missiles as more advanced electronics become available.
The Scorpion main drawback was the lack of speed and climb and because of this reason it was phased out from front line service in the late 50's and transfered to the air national gourd- ANG.
It served there until 1970.
The Javlin entered service in late 1956 after prolonged development stages. The main problem with the type was the big drag and the buffet it created at near sonic speeds. There was a need to experiment with arrays of vortex generators on the wings in order to improve the buffet. In type 9 engines with afterburners were installed but even that didn't cured some basic problems. While in service with the RAF it carried 4 air to air firestreak missiles and 4 30 mm aden canons. The high drag of the Javlin limited the range and performance and some limitations were set in order to prevent getting into trouble. The last squadron was operated at the far east in Tenga Singapore until 1968.
The Vautour which first flew in 1952 entered service in 1957 in both France and Israel airforces. In compare to the Scorpion and Javlin that were interceptors it was also a bomber and day attack fighter and also photo plane in the Israeli airforce. Despite the fact that he was the only plane here without afterburners the speed and rate of climb were better than the Javlin not to speak about the much better flight range of over 5000 km.
The Vautour served until 1972 with the IAF and until 1977 with the French airforce. The carier in the IAF was very glorious and many stories are in my seperate thread on it.
It not to say that the Vautour was perfect- in terms of maintainance it was very demanding plane , but the Israeli airforce did a very good gob of exploiting it's abilities to the Max. Only the Vautour was participating in fights and one was credited with a kill of Iraqi Hawker Hunter in the six day war in 1967.

Yair