This
model is based on the Hasegawa kit F-4E Phantom II in a 30th
anniversary paint scheme. The
model made almost out of the box.
The
decals are from Sky decals. The
Kurnas 2000 is an improvement of Kurnas.
The
kurnas plane is came to Israel in 1969.
A multi-task fighter that entered
service in Heyl Ha'avir in 1969, and makes an important contribution to its
power to this day. The plane participated in the Yom
Kippur War and is credited with more than 100 kills.
The
Phantom was developed by McDonnell Douglas - now Boeing - as an aircraft-carrier
based multi-task plane. The prototype took off on May 27th 1958 and received
good reviews from the Navy, which ordered 45 planes. In 1961 it became the
standard fighter and photo-recon plane in the Tactical Air Command. It was thus
that a long history of production began - a history that would encompass 23
years and 5,000 planes in 15 different models.
The
Phantom is powered by twin General Electric J79 engines, mounted side by side
along the length of the fuselage. Of the engine's sub-models, the most important
is the J79-GE-17. Each engine delivers a thrust of 5,385 kg. without using its
afterburners, and 8,210 kg. of thrust with the afterburners.
McDonnell
Douglas and the Israeli Aircraft Industries had both considered replacing the
J79's with Pratt & Whitney PW1120. The IAI experimentally installed the new
engines in a Phantom, and its performance was markedly enhanced, in terms of
cruise speed and range.
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The Phantom is a two seater, with
the navigator/WSO sitting behind the pilot. In case of an emergency, the WSO can
fly the plane from his seat. The plane has tremendous and varied attack
capabilities, from ground targets - for which it uses bombs and air-to-surface
missiles at a total weight of 7,257 kg. - to threats from the air, which it
deals with by employing Sparrow, Sidewinder, or Python, missiles. In addition,
the Phantom has a six-barrelled 20 mm. cannon with 640 rounds. On September 5th
1969 the first quartet of Phantoms landed on Israeli soil, and the 'Ahat'
('One') Squadron was founded. A few weeks later, additional planes equipped the
'Patishim' ('Hammers') Squadron. Heyl Ha'avir now possessed the world's no. 1
fighter. The Phantom was faster than the Mirage, carried almost 6 times more
armament, was equipped with advanced radar and a wide range of air-to-air
missiles, and its range was almost double that of its French counterpart.
The
Yom Kippur War was the war of the Phantom. The
planes attacked tanks, SAM's and bunkers, shot down hostile planes, and carried
out scores of reconnaissance and photography missions over Egypt and Syria, as
well as air-to-surface missions like attacking airbases, Egyptian pontoon
bridges on the Suez Canal and Egyptian front line forces.
In
Operation 'Dugman 5' the Phantom array suffered heavy losses: six planes were
shot down while attacking Syrian SAM's.
During
the war, Phantoms carried out 500 depth attacks in Egypt and Syria. The most
famous of these was the strike against the Syrian General Staff. On October 9th
1973, two Phantom quartets attacked the General Staff Headquarters in the heart
of Damascus. The attack was a success, but had a heavy price tag: two planes
were hit and one pilot killed. Another plane was damaged by AA fire but managed
to make it back to base. The sortie's leader, Col. (Res.) Arnon Levoshin, was
later awarded the Citation of Excellence for the successful attack. The IAF
received additional Phantoms during the war, as part of the airlift from the US.
The planes were quickly fitted for service in the IAF, and some of them even
managed to take part in sorties before the war ended. The Phantom Squadron lost
many of its planes during the war, and a significant proportion of crew members
were either killed or taken prisoner by Egypt, Syria or Lebanon.
Naor
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