Return of the Hunter!

[Jackonicko]

Some of the older and bolder may rejoice at the reports that "yesterday, for the fist time in years, a Hawker Hunter from the LAF flew over the Bekaa valley. It took of from Rayak Lebanese Air Force Base and flew for an hour before returning to the same base."

The Lebanese have obviously solved their ejection seat problem and are pushing ahead with putting the Hunter back in service.

In days gone by, they looked like:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y12/vmitil/LBHunterTRed.jpg

[The Helpful Stacker]

Do the Lebanese still have a few Puma's in storage?

I wonder if they'd be interested in selling them.....?;)

[mr fish]

a report in "airforce monthly" from october says IAR ROMANIA have been tasked with a feasibility study wiith regard to bringing at least two or three of the twelve airframes back to airworthy status.
the report quotes money from qatar as being used for this undertaking:ok:

[Phalconphixer]

The Hunter is still alive and kicking butt...along with a Buccaneer and a Sukhoi 22M
Hawker Hunter Aviation Home (http://www.hunterteam.com/main.htm)

[Chairborne 09.00hrs]

:ok:


Now there's two:


YouTube - Lebanese Air Force - Hawker Hunter (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4yACJoGW-A)

Nice to be able to read the serial No.!

[Cricket23]

I am interested to understand why there seem to be a few Hunters here and there coming back into service.

I'm not complaining - it's a nice aeroplane, but surely they're a bit long in the tooth to be really useful.

Anyone know?

[dodgysootie]

There are 2 civilian operated Hunters that fly from The Kanoahe Marine corps base in Hawaii. I had a quick look around them and they are in mint condition.
Not sure of their role though.

DS

[Chairborne 09.00hrs]

They're all Lebanon have left, Cricket - their Mirages were sold off to Pakistan in 2000 for spares!

[markp451]

the 2 Hunter at Kanoahe are on a contact with Marine corps they sometimes operate out of Japan as well, there's three here in the Uk flying with the RAF and a couple of operaters as well (the biggest being Hunter Flying at Exeter)

[High_lander]

As found on airliners.net (http://www.airliners.net/photo/Lebanon---Air/Hawker-Hunter-FGA.70A/1429743/L/).


Wonderful to see!

[BEagle]

Aaaaaargrh - happiness is Hunter-shaped!

And I've just had a 'trouser moment'...:ooh:

[The Helpful Stacker]

A simple, fairly cheap to operate and robust ground attack aircraft with a gun, fairly decent transit speed and proven ability to operate in hot and high environments in the anti-insurgency role, whats not to like?
Perhaps the RAF should reactivate all those Hunters stored in that secret underground airbase in Scotland to replace the other Hawker design shortly to return from sunnier climes.

[al446]

IIRC they were flogged to Syria about 69 - 71. I was a Halton brat at the time and we had them to butcher/practice trade skills then they were removed. I later heard that they went to St Athan for refurb where standard practice was to chalk a star of david on exhaust so that it got burned in prior to leaving.
BEWARE - This could be the ramblings of an old person with insufficient grasp of reality.

[Riskman]

What does L280 on the fuselage signify?

[exscribbler]

Weren't they lovely?

No air museum worth its salt is without an ex-Danish AF Hunter F51, so there must be plenty available. What happened to those allegedly at Scampton? :ugh:

The RAF's new Hunter Wing - it could save Scampton! :E

[TEEEJ]

Al446,
Syria never operated the Hunter.

Riskman,
That is the Lebanese military serial. Lebanon first received ex-RAF Hunters in 1958.

I found this on Airliner.net for the single-seat Hunter FGA.70s. Delivered in the 1975-77 period.

'L-280 ex-WW598 Purchased by HSA, as G-9-424. Converted to Lebanese FGA Mk.70. Delivered 08-12-75.

L-281 ex-XF457 Purchased by HSA, as G-9-422. Converted to Lebanese FGA Mk.70. Delivered 08-12-75.

L-282 ex-WW594 Purchased by HSA, as G-9-423. Converted to Lebanese FGA Mk.70. Delivered 08-12-75.

L-283 ex-XF430 Purchased by HSA, as G-9-426. Converted to Lebanese FGA Mk.70. Delivered 17-05-77

L-284 ex-XJ644 Purchased by HSA, as G-9-427. Converted to Lebanese FGA Mk.70. Delivered 17-05-77.

L-285 ex-XJ640 Purchased by HSA, as G-9-425. Converted to Lebanese FGA Mk.70. Delivered 01-06-77.'

[Beeayeate]

Revenue earning Hunters in der luft again in the UK, marvellous! :ok:

Does this mean that RR have withdrawn their objection to be manufacturer back-up for Avons?

If so, will we therefore see Atlantique's Classic Flight Canberra (WK163) flying again next year?



.

[mystic_meg]

Interesting to note that Jacko's picture shows a T-bird serialled L280, whilst High Lander's more recent photo of L280 has it as a single seater. :confused:

[Riskman]

TEEEJ

Thanks. Your answer is as I expected and the FGA 70 in the picture linked from post #10 must be the former WW598.

What doesn't make sense is that the T7 in post #1 is L280 and has 280 in Arabic numerals as well so it's not a 'lost in translation' thing.:confused:

[TEEEJ]

Apparently the Lebanese had a bit of a shuffle with their registrations.

From Airliners.net

'Belgian Hunter Mk. 6s

L-280 ex-IF-34 Purchased by HSA. Converted to T.Mk.66C Delivered 27-07-66

L-281 ex-IF- 60 Purchased by HSA. Converted to T.Mk.66C Delivered 15-11-65.

L-282 ex-IF-112 Purchased by HSA as G-9-119. Converted to T.Mk.66C Delivered 23-12-65. '

......

'They were originally registered L280 and L281, but were reserialized in the late 70s as L286 and L287.The same happened with the surviving Hunter F6 and FGA70 from the late 50s and early 60s ,which used to be registered L170 onwards.They were also re-numbered in the late 70s as L270 onwards. This followed the delivery in 1976/77 of the 6 FGA70As, which were numbered L280to L 285'.

[mr fish]

the film 28 DAYS LATER has some nice hunter footage at the end.
one of my prized posessions from my youth is a 30mm aden case, measures 7x2 inch, imagine being on the dangerous end of four of
the f:mad:kers!!!!:eek:

[Fareastdriver]

A blast from the past. Two Lebanese pilots under training with the Royal Air Force in 1960. I don't know what happened to them. Lebanon must have been a fairly dangerous place to fly around then.

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee224/fareastdriver/scan3-12-200820h41m12s.jpg

[ORAC]

Oh!! Horror of horrors, we can't have them flying those.....

One wonders if those selected to fly the new aircraft will be selected from the remaining members of the extant Lebanese Air Force, or Hezbullah...... :hmm:

Russia to give Lebanon 10 MiG fighters (http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=3867993&c=MID&s=TOP)
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE - MOSCOW, Dec 17, 2008

Russia is to deliver to Lebanon 10 MiG fighter jets for free, the head of the Russian defense cooperation body said Wednesday.

"Russia's defense ministry has decided to deliver to Lebanon, as part of defense cooperation, 10 MiG-29 fighter jets from our existing contingent," the Interfax news agency quoted Mikhail Dmitriyev as saying.

Delivery would be paid for by the Russian defense ministry, he confirmed.

"Military-technical assistance, this means assistance in budgetary funds," he said.

[Vatche]

Oh!! Horror of horrors, we can't have them flying those.....

One wonders if those selected to fly the new aircraft will be selected from the remaining members of the extant Lebanese Air Force, or Hezbullah...... http://static.pprune.org/images/smilies/yeees.gif

No matter how many times we have to say that Lebanese army weapons don't end up with any militant group, some people will still chose to believe otherwise.

Here's a quote from a recent article:

"Lebanese take care of their equipment," Straub noted, "because it has been hard to come by for them." He also said the Lebanese record on safeguarding American equipment "is impeccable."

This comes from a Pentagon official but I doubt that it will make any difference for your likes (no offense).

Source: Naharnet News Desk (http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/NewsDesk.nsf/getstory?openform&9AD9A82F178B3604C225751300268210)