ETPS Paint scheme to be scrapped??

[Reptile 1]

Rumours are spreading that the ETPS fleet at Boscombe are due to change the colour of there fleet from the Famous Rasberry Ripple to the Common Black colour this included the jags and GR1 etc has anyone got and real info that this will be happening it will be a real shame if it is

Cheers Rob

[Hot Charlie]

I thought ZA326 was just about at the end of its useful life anyway, and I didn't think the Jags would be around there for many years more...

But I may be wrong...:O

[Reptile 1]

From what i heard the GR1 ZA326 has got very short airframe hours due to the fact its not used as much as RAF frontliners the Jag XX145 has now come to the end of its service due to a Fuel problem and not sure on the other 2 jags they have but there's suppose to be a Saab Grippen comming to Boscombe as part of the ETPS program but GR1's jags sabb grippen and the F2 would look pretty wierd in a black paint scheme

Rob

[BossEyed]

(a) Raspberry Ripple never has, and does not, belong exclusively to ETPS. Indeed, it didn't even initiate there.

(b) Don't hold your breath waiting for Gripens (note: one 'p') to be based at Boscombe. The mountain CAN go to Mohammed...

(c) The RW&B fleet is still rather more than Jags and Tonkas whizzing around the UK with their bums on fire.

(d) No clue as to the truth about the rumour!

[Raymond Ginardon]

326 is out of hours (nearly) - planned to be retired at the end of the year. I too have heard nothing about the paint scheme changing - I'd be particularly surprised if 326 was to be re-painted before it gets put on a stick/in a museum.

Concur with BE about the Gripens - a lovely idea, but that's about all it will come to (although I'd love, in this case, to be proven wrong.....).

Ray

[Lima Juliet]

Listened to the QinetiQ chappie who 'invented' the all-black conspicuity scheme. During trials the raspberry ripple Hawks were as difficult to see as a grey and green camo jet. Therefore, raspberry ripple rather defeats the object of its existence.

LJ:cool:

[Green Meat]

My god, camo schemes have been wrong all this time! Think of it, all a/c painted raspberry ripple - Low vis in the air, looks superb and very patriotic on the ground. I suspect it would also show any opposition that we are superior and couldn't give a damn if we are seen 'cos we are going to win anyway! (or was that the idea of the high-vis US Navy schemes?)

Gosh, I've just pictured the glorious spectacle of Spitfires, Hurris and (I understand) the odd Gladiator rising to meet the Hun during BoB gaudily painted in Waterloo-esque or even Rorkes Drift-ish style!

Too much coffee methinks :ooh:

[sprucemoose]

Raymond:

Not sure what you mean about the Gripen - ETPS have flown the type under an agreement with Saab for several years, and earlier this year signed a deal to extend the agreement. No immediate prospect of Qinetiq buying the aircraft though, so no funky colour schemes thank you!

Moose

From Flight International:

The UK's Empire Test Pilots' School (ETPS) is to greatly expand its use of Saab's Gripen fighter under a new agreement with the manufacturer and Sweden's Defence Materiel Administration.

Concluded in mid-April, the initial two-year deal builds on the organisation's less-formal use of the two-seat JAS39B Gripen since 1999 and will enable the school's instructors and students to gain access totalling around 200 flight hours over the contract period.

ETPS will buy flight hours and simulator time from Saab on a "power-by-the-hour" basis, with operations from the company's Linkoping manufacturing site to initially involve the JAS39B.

However, industry sources suggest that access to the improved JAS39D could start next year, when the aircraft could also be deployed to Boscombe Down for some training activities. ETPS officials have been seeking access to an advanced fighter type to support the systems-intensive element of the school's military training syllabus, at a time when its Sepecat Jaguar T2s are becoming obsolete (Flight International, 7-13 September 2004). The newly contracted Gripen will be used to instruct students in areas such as longitudinal stability, latitudinal stability and radar system assessment work.

Students on the 12-month ETPS course have previously flown Gripens with Saab test pilots, but will from this year undergo training with ETPS instructor pilots, two of whom began flight activities at Linkoping on 18 April. Each of the school's five current fixed-wing students – four from the UK Royal Air Force and one from the Royal Australian Air Force – will log 11 flight hours during five Gripen sorties this year, expanding on a previous maximum of around 2h each.

An ongoing internal study into the activities and composition of the ETPS, which is operated by Qinetiq's Test and Evaluation Services organisation under an agreement with the UK Ministry of Defence, is to make recommendations on its future core fleet of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. Saab hopes that its new deal with the school will leave it well positioned for continued operations of the Gripen after 2006.

[lightningmate]

The results from the Aircraft Conspicuity Trial that led to the adoption of the Black paint scheme for training aircraft were confined to the low-level flying environment only (250ft MSD). Hence, it does not follow that when such aircraft are operated at a higher level the Black scheme remains the most conspicuous.

The 'Raspberry Ripple' colour scheme began life as the MOD(PE) aircraft conspicuity paint scheme and many of the aircraft alloted to the then several UK Flight Research Establishments sported the scheme for many years. ETPS aircraft, being part of the same experimental aircraft fleet, were also re-painted.

lm

[Raymond Ginardon]

spruce,

Not sure what you mean about not knowing what I mean! My comment stands - it is referring to what BE says at (b) :-)

Ray



(Looking closely at the exact wording of the FI news release, you'll see that 'could' is used in there. It would be great to have them on the pan at BDN, I just haven't the faith!

Now the Harriers and Tornados that are coming - that agreement 'has been signed' too: let's see how long that takes (and I mean serviceable AC as opposed to HQs).......)

[sprucemoose]

Ray,

Albeit I don't have much social time around BDN, but from my visits to Linkoping I'd say the talent is much better in Sweden, so the studes should certainly enjoy going there for their courses!

Moose

[M609]

ESCF/Malmen is about a 1 minute taxi ride from Linköping, with a decent nightlife..... :D (And talent!)

Have a female collauge from scopie school working Malmen approach, be nice to her! ;)

[Raymond Ginardon]

Moose,

Yes - I can't argue with that one!

Ray

(you're not missing much at the Boscombe social scene!)

[engineer(retard)]

Looked at doing trials in the UK with Grippen once, became a non-starter after about 30 mins. Couldn't get a clearance for weapons work due to a soft key MASS.

Retard

[Violet Club]

Why can't anyone spell Gripppen properly?

Or Linköping?

VC

[XR219]

Always been curious why the red/white/blue MoD(PE) scheme gets called "raspberry ripple" :confused: ....surely it's the the red/white RAF trainer scheme that nickname refers to...?