The one thing I could never understand was the change from dark sea grey on FAA aircraft, which was applied for operations in the North Atlantic -and which would have been their main operating area had the Cold war heated up- to medium sea grey during the mid-late 1980s. I believe that the darker painted SHARs in the South Atlantic were considered to have a much more effective paint scheme than the lighter coloured aircraft despatched later, which wasw why after the war dark sea grey was applied to SHARS, Sea Kings, Lynxes, Wasps and even Hunters. The same lighter colours were also applied to the Buccaneer in the late 1980s, which again wouldn't seem to be an effective camouflage for on the deck ops over the North Sea.
What I also find interesting is why, with a transition to predominantly medium level operations, a return to PRU or azure blue has not been considered for tactical aircraft. At low level it would not have made them more conspicuous than the existing light grey?
I admit that as a modeller the idea of a Tornado in overall PRU blue is a very attractive one.
Mind, I always thought Fifty Shades of Grey was a paint chart for modern military aircraft and was convinced it was in the wrong section at the bookshop until I peeped inside.
