# Royal Thai Air Force



## gekho (Oct 31, 2011)

In February 1911 the Belgian pilot Charles Van Den Born displayed the first aircraft in Thailand at the Sa Pathum Horse Racing Course. The Thai authorities were impressed enough by the display that on 28 February 1912 they dispatched three officers to learn to fly in France, a leading aviation country. The three officers (Major Luang Sakdi Sanlayawut (Sunee Suwanprateep), Captain Luang Arwut Sikikorn (Long Sinsuk) and First Lieutenant Tip Ketuthat) learned to fly and on 2 November 1913 returned to Thailand with eight aircraft (four Breguets and four Nieuports). They are today regarded as the forefathers of the Royal Thai Air Force. In March of the next year they moved from Sa Pathum airfield to Don Muang. The Ministry of Defence put the early air force under the control of the Army Engineer Inspector General Department. Prince Purachatra, Commander of the Army Engineers, and his brother Prince Chakrabongse Bhuvanath were instrumental in the development of the army's Royal Aeronautical Service, a forerunner to the Air Force.

During the French-Thai War, the Thai Air Force scored several air-to-air-victories against the Vichy France Armée de l'Air. During World War II the Thai Air Force supported the Royal Thai Army in its occupation of the Burmese Shan States as allies of the Japanese in 1942 and defended Bangkok from allied air raids during the latter part of the war. Some RTAF personnels also assisted the anti-Japanese resistance. After World War II, the Thai Air Force sent three C-47s to support the United Nations in Korean War. The victorious Wings Unit, operating C-47, also joined the US Force in Vietnam War. Along the border, Thai Air Force launched many campaign against the communists, such as Ban Nam Ta Airfield Raid in Laos, and clashes between Thai and Vietnamese troops along the Thai-Cambodian border. When the cold war ended, the Thai Air Force participated in Operation Border Post 9631 along the Thai-Burmese border in 1999, and launched the evacuation of Thais and foreigners during the 2003 Phnom Penh riots in Cambodia.

*I must confess I am a little bit dissapointed about this thread; I have been looking for pictures and information for long time, with a very poor results. However I have been able to find some pictures very interesting that deserve to be showed in their own thread. I promise I will try to provide you with more and better pictures, but by the moment this is all I have.*​


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## gekho (Oct 31, 2011)

The Breguet 14 was a French biplane bomber and reconnaissance aircraft of World War I. It was built in very large numbers and production continued for many years after the end of the war. Apart from its widespread usage, it was noteworthy for becoming the first aircraft in mass production to use large amounts of metal rather than wood in its structure. This allowed the airframe to be lighter than a wooden airframe of the same strength, in turn making the aircraft very fast and agile for its size, able to outrun many of the fighters of the day. Its strong construction was able to sustain much damage, it was easy to handle and had good performance. The Breguet 14 is often considered one of the best aircraft of the war.

The Breguet 14 showed at the Royal Thai Air Force Museum is a replica built 1980-1981 by Roland Payen for Salis Aviation as F-AZBH, and appears in some French TV series. Under the wings you can see the two containers for postal use, but for this replica they are additional fuel tanks. Visible on the engine cowling you can see a row of exhausts, the replica flew with an Hispano 12 X, instead of the unobtainable Renault. Also visible is a tail wheel , which does not appear on original versions. In France there is still another replica of the same batch which flies regularly airshows, as does another, more precise, with good wings profile. There is also an original model in the Le Bourget museum.This aircraft displays the Thai symbol for the numeral '1' on the fin and along the side of the rear fuselage. Some sources say that this represents the first aircraft in Thai military service, but given that the Bre.14 was a 1916 design and the first Thai military aircraft were imported from France in 1913, this does not seem feasible. There are claims that this honour belongs to a Nieuport monoplane.


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## parsifal (Oct 31, 2011)

This one I am going to enjoy....any chance of Obs at critical moments for the thai AF, like at points in WWII.

Some sources in the past have claimed Zeroes given to the Thais during the war. Thats a furphy however. Anyway, looking forward to this one Gekho


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## Gnomey (Oct 31, 2011)

Nice stuff!


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## vikingBerserker (Oct 31, 2011)

I've always had an interest in this topic as well, really looking forward to this one!

A good source I had came across was this one Royal Thai Air Force Museum


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## gekho (Nov 1, 2011)

vikingBerserker said:


> I've always had an interest in this topic as well, really looking forward to this one!
> 
> A good source I had came across was this one Royal Thai Air Force Museum



Thanks for the site; I already knew it and indeed is one of my main sources, but anyway your help is always welcome. In any case I am afraid that you all have deposit many hopes in this thread.


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## gekho (Nov 1, 2011)

The Douglas DC-3 was born of the intense competition for modern commercial aircraft that characterized the post-World War I era. It was the direct descendant of the DC-1, which first flew in 1933 as Douglas' initial response to a short supply of competitor, Boeing Aircraft's, landmark 10-passenger 247, the first, low-wing, all-metal airliner. With only one 12-passenger sample flying, and already a record-breaking success, the DC-1 was quickly made obsolete, replaced by an a more powerful version with greater seating capacity, the 14-passenger DC-2, of which 193 were built. When, in 1934, American Airlines asked Douglas for a larger version of the DC-2 that would permit sleeping accommodations for transcontinental flights, Douglas responded with the 24 passenger (16 as a "sleeper" craft) DST (Douglas Sleeper Transport), the 24-passenger version of which was designated DC-3. The DC-3 is given most of the credit for an almost 600% increase in airline passenger traffic between 1936 and 1941. Recognizing its great potential as a military transport, the United States Army specified a number of changes needed to make the aircraft acceptable for military use, including more powerful engines, the removal of airline seating in favor of utility seats along the walls, a stronger rear fuselage and floor, and the addition of large loading doors. A large order was placed in 1940 for the military DC-3, which was designated C-47 and became known as "Skytrain," a name it would soon be asked to live up to.

Used as a cargo transport to fly the notorious "Hump" over the Himalayas after the Japanese closed the Burma Road, and as a paratroop carrier in various campaigns from Normandy to New Guinea, the Douglas C-47 was one of the prime people movers of WWII where, in one form or another, it was manufactured by belligerents on both sides, after first having been licensed to Mitsui before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and to the Russians, who manufactured it under license as the Lisunov Li-2. During the war, Mitsui built their own version, via contract with the Showa and Nakajima companies, which built about 485 "Tabbys" (the code name given to the aircraft by the Allies) as the Showa L2D.

Known also as "Dakota" (British designation), R4D (U.S. Navy), "Skytrooper" and "Gooney Bird," the Douglas C-47 (USAAF) went through many modifications during its long service life, largely with respect to engine power ratings, but also with structural modifications for specific tasks like reconnaissance and navigation training. It was even tested as a floatplane, and as an engineless glider, a task it performed well, but too late in the war to matter. It was also used as a fighting machine as the AC-47D gunship ("Puff, the Magic Dragon") of the Vietnam war, where the plane was equipped with three modernized Gattling guns (General Electric 7.62mm "Miniguns," each mounted and firing from the port side) for use as a "target suppressor," circling a target and laying down massive fire to eliminate or at least subdue the enemy position. By war's end, 10,692 of the DC-3/C-47 aircraft had been built, with 2,000 Li-2s by the Soviets, and 485 Showa L2Ds by the Japanese, for a total of about 13,177. Between its first flight on December 17, 1935, and this writing, the DC-3 will have had over 70 years of continuous service. From its pioneering of military airlifts over the hump, to its perfecting of the technique during the Berlin Airlift, the C-47 has been prized for its versatility and dependability, factors that explain its remarkable longevity as an active carrier worldwide. 

The US military transported by the mid 70's tons of war materials from Vietnam to Thailand, as this conflict came to an end in 1975. Helicopters, Half Tracks, Jeeps, Trucks and Aircraft came by the masses and were handed over to the Royal Thai Army, Navy and Air Force. In this transfer, there were also dozens of Douglas C-47's / Dakota's involved, right away from the Vietnam frontline into the more peaceful Thai Kingdom. In total 55 C-47's flew with another 15-20 years of service in the Thai Forces following. The Dakota's were finally phased out from operational life in the early /mid 90's, and ever since stored outdoor on Lopbhuri Air Force Base and U Tapao Navy base. Their role seemed at its end, but after 50 years of active flying and some 15 years of silent retirement, there was an unexpected grandfinale to come for the war weary planes.


Source: Warbird Alley: Douglas C-47 Skytrain / Dakota
Avion Art newsletter Thailand - Dakota Hunter


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## gekho (Nov 1, 2011)

In ordinary service, the Martin B-10 classic airplane was used to develop the tactics and the leaders that would bear the brunt of the U.S. air effort during World War II. Its most important task, perhaps, was to prepare the way for the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, which would have the development potential to fight the air war over Europe. Martin was spurred on by its success with the Martin B-10 to develop the later Maryland, Baltimore, and Marauder bombers. Martin sold 154 of the B-10 and the basically similar B-12 and B-14s to the Air Corps, which, somewhat remarkably, allowed Martin to sell the basic design to overseas customers. As a result, Martin sold 189 export models to Argentina, China, Holland, Siam (present-day Thailand), Turkey, and the USSR. The Royal Thai Air Force received six Model 139W aircraft in April 1937 and used them during the French-Thai War of 1940-41 and during the 1942 invasion of Burma. It was given a further nine ex-Dutch aircraft by the Japanese in 1942. They remained in service until 1949.

Source;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_B-10


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## buffnut453 (Nov 1, 2011)

parsifal said:


> This one I am going to enjoy....any chance of Obs at critical moments for the thai AF, like at points in WWII.
> 
> Some sources in the past have claimed Zeroes given to the Thais during the war. Thats a furphy however. Anyway, looking forward to this one Gekho



I'm looking forward to this one, too.

FYI the Thai did receive Ki-43s and other types from Japan during the war (and many books refer to any Japanese fighter as a Zero)!


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## buffnut453 (Nov 1, 2011)

The 4th and 6th pics of the Martin bombers look more like the WH-3 variants that were supplied pre-war to the Dutch East Indies. I wonder if the Japanese gave an ex-Dutch airframe (or airframes) to the Thai?


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## parsifal (Nov 1, 2011)

buffnut453 said:


> The 4th and 6th pics of the Martin bombers look more like the WH-3 variants that were supplied pre-war to the Dutch East Indies. I wonder if the Japanese gave an ex-Dutch airframe (or airframes) to the Thai?




Short answer is yes. Thais purchased 6 from the Us prewar, and then acquired a further 9 intact in 1942 given to them by the japanese. Ive also read the Japanese provided spares taken from grounded and wrecked B-10s in both the Indies and the PI.


Thanks for the information on the Ki-43s. I did already know that. They received most of their Oscars in '43 (I think). They also received quite a number of Nates. Later in the war there were several incidents with US Liberators and Nates ....the Nates apparently did rather well, which if true is amazing.

A bit of trivia....Phibul, the thai leader is the only active axis leader to get re-elected post war


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## michaelmaltby (Nov 1, 2011)

They get to fly Bearcats .... 

MM


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## T Bolt (Nov 1, 2011)

Very interesting thread. I'm looking forward to any info or pictures you have in the Hawk 75 in Thai service. I intend to build one for the upcoming Group Build.


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## tyrodtom (Nov 1, 2011)

When I was station at Nakhon Phanom , Thailand in 67 there was a RTAF Bearcat that was the Thai base commander's personal aircraft. I never did see it fly, but it did get flown.


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## vikingBerserker (Nov 1, 2011)

I'd heard about the B-10's but never have seen a picture of one, Outstanding!!


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## parsifal (Nov 2, 2011)

T Bolt said:


> Very interesting thread. I'm looking forward to any info or pictures you have in the Hawk 75 in Thai service. I intend to build one for the upcoming Group Build.



They are unusual because they were the fixed undercarriage type, similar to those that were sold to the Argentines I believe.

By all accounts the Thais like their fixed undercarriage H-75s. 

Ive got some colouration profiles, but no actual photos


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## buffnut453 (Nov 2, 2011)

There's one in the RTAF museum:


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## parsifal (Nov 2, 2011)

Thanks again BF.....what is the gun fitted to the wing????/ was that how they were delivered or was that armmaent fitted after delivery???


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## gekho (Nov 2, 2011)

The North American T-6 Texan was known as "the pilot maker" because of its important role in preparing pilots for combat. Derived from the 1935 North American NA-16 prototype, a cantilever low-wing monoplane, the Texan filled the need for a basic combat trainer during WW II and beyond. The original order of 94 AT-6 Texans differed little from subsequent versions such as the AT-6A (1,847) which revised the fuel tanks or the AT-6D (4,388) and AT-6F (956) that strengthened as well as lightened the frame with the use of light alloys. In all, more than 17,000 airframes were designed to the Texan standards.

During 1948, the Royal Thai Air Force purchased thirty North American T-6 Texan trainer from the United States, costing $ US 19,935 each and named Trainer Type 8, more aircraft were received later; 138 of these aircraft were delivered to Thailand, where they were active from 1948 to 1981.


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## gekho (Nov 2, 2011)

In May 1936 the Imperial Japanese Army issued its specification for a light bomber required to supersede the Mitsubishi Ki-2 and Kawasaki Ki-3 then in service. The Mitsubishi Ki-30 prototype that resulted was of cantilever mid-wing monoplane configuration with fixed tailwheel landing gear, the mam units faired and spatted, and powered by a 615kW Mitsubishi Ha-6 radial engine. Flown for the first time on 28 February 1937 this aircraft performed well, but it was decided to fly a second prototype with the more powerful Nakajima Ha-5 KAI radial engine. This aircraft showed some slight improvement in performance but, in any case, exceeded the army's original specification, so there was no hesitation in ordering 16 service trials aircraft. These were delivered in January 1938 and, two months later, the Ki-39 was ordered into production.

First used operationally in China during 1938, the Ki-30s proved to be most effective, for in that theatre they had the benefit of fighter escort. The situation was very much the same at the beginning of the Pacific war, but as soon as the Allies were in a position to confront unescorted Ki-30s with fighter aircraft they immediately began to suffer heavy losses and were soon relegated to second-line use. The Allied codename 'Ann' was allocated to the Ki-30, but few were seen operationally after the opening phases of the war. A total of 704 had been built when production ended in 1941, 68 manufactured by the First Army Air Arsenal at Tachikawa, and many of these ended their days in a kamikaze role during the closing stages of the war. 

From late 1940, the Ki-30 was in service with the Royal Thai Air Force, and saw combat in January 1941 against the French in French Indochina in the French-Thai War. Additional Ki-30s were transferred from Japan in 1942.

Source: Mitsubishi Ki-30 ANN - light bomber


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## Capt. Vick (Nov 2, 2011)

They also used the Grumman Bearcat. Any info on that? By the way, great post...as always!


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## gekho (Nov 3, 2011)

First flown in prototype form on 20 April 1938, the Tachikawa Ki-36 was a cantilever low-wing monoplane of all-metal basic structure, covered by a mix of light alloy and fabric. Landing gear was of fixed tailwheel type, the main units enclosed in speed fairings, and power was provided by a 336kW Hitachi Ha-13 radial engine. The two-man crew was enclosed by a long 'greenhouse' canopy and both men had good fields of view, that of the observer being improved by clear-view panels in the floor. The type was ordered into production in November 1938 as the Army Type 98 Direct Co- Operation Plane. Generally similar to the prototypes, the type was armed with two 7.7mm machine guns and introduced the more powerful Hitachi Ha-13a engine. When construction ended in January 1944, a total of 1,334 had been built by Tachikawa (862) and Kawasaki (472).

The handling characteristics and reliability of the Ki-36 made the army realize that it was ideal for use as an advanced trainer, resulting in development of the Ki-55, intended specifically for this role and having armament reduced to a single forward- firing machine-gun. Following the testing of a prototype in September 1939, the army ordered this aircraft as the Army Type 99 Advanced Trainer; when production was terminated in December 1943 a total of 1,389 had been built by Tachikawa (1,078) and Kawasaki (311). Both versions were allocated the Allied codename 'Ida', and the Ki-36 was first deployed with considerable success in China. However, when confronted by Allied fighters at the beginning of the Pacific War it was found to be too vulnerable, being redeployed in China where it was less likely to be confronted by such aircraft. It was also considered suitable for kamikaze use in the closing stages of the war, being modified to carry internally a bomb of up to 500kg. 

In 1942, the Royal Thai Air force purchased twenty-four Tachikawa Ki-36 Ida trainers and designatewd them as Aircraft Type 89, now called Trainer Type 6 or nicknamed "Tachikawa". They served from 1942 to 1950.

Source: Tachikawa Ki-36 IDA - attacker pipitapan Royal Thai Air Force Museum - Tachikawa Ki36


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## gekho (Nov 3, 2011)

The Beech Model 18 or Beech 18 as it was known, started life in the 1930’s as a civilian twin engine aircraft. First flown in 1937, it was later bought by the United States Army Air Corp (USAAC) in 1940 as a staff transport and designated them as C-45s. World War II was already raging in Europe and the British Royal Air Force (RAF) received some of these aircraft under Lend-Lease and designated theirs as Expediters. During the war there were multiple versions of this aircraft including a navigational trainer (AT-7 Navigator), a bombing/gunnery trainer (AT-11 Kansan) and similar versions for the Navy/Marine Corps (JRBs, SNBs). Some of these aircraft lasted in military service into the late 60’s. Approximately 1800 aircraft were built for the U.S. military not including around 400 being rebuilt after the war. Civilian production ended in 1969 with around 8,000 total civilian and military aircraft being built. In 1947, six C-45s were purchased from the United States, priced at 325,515.60 baht each, designated Cargo Type 1.


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## Gnomey (Nov 3, 2011)

Good stuff!


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## vikingBerserker (Nov 3, 2011)

I agree!


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## gekho (Nov 4, 2011)

First aircraft to bear the famous company name Vought Corsair, the initial O2U was little more than a developed version of the UO/FU series that incorporated an all-steel tube fuselage structure and introduced the Pratt Whitney Wasp radial engine. Deliveries to the US Navy began in 1927 and production totalled 291 in several versions. The Vought V-93S was the export version of the O3U-6 for Thailand. Twelve of these aircrafts were sold to the RTAF in 1934 following earlier purchases of the Vought V-65 and V-92 versions. They remained in service until 1945. 

Source: http://peterlewisdesign.tripod.com/thaimuseum/vought.htm


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## gekho (Nov 4, 2011)

The Boripatra was a locally produced design, originating in 1927. They were built by the Aeronautical Service Workshops at Don Muang. There is this machine stored inside, and also another aircraft of this design displayed outside in front of the main building. The Boripara seems to be of standard mid-1920s design, with an uncowled Bristol Aspid radial engine mounted in front of a rugged circular fuselage. Fewer than 12 of these light bombers were built up until 1933. Their performance and their operational use seems to be unclear. 

Source: Royal Thai Air Force Museum - Boripat


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## vikingBerserker (Nov 4, 2011)

That museum rocks!


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## futuredogfight (Nov 5, 2011)

Gave upon the awesome Thai P-36 Redirect Notice


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## gekho (Nov 5, 2011)

The Fairey Firefly was a British Second World War-era carrier-borne fighter aircraft and anti-submarine aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm (FAA). It was superior in performance and firepower to its predecessor, the Fulmar, but only entered operational service towards the end of the war. Designed around the contemporary FAA concept of a two-seat fleet reconnaissance/fighter, the pilot and navigator/weapons officer were housed in separate stations. The design proved to be sturdy, long-ranging and docile in carrier operations, although the limitations of a single engine in a heavy airframe reduced overall performance. The Fairey Firefly served in the Second World War as a fleet fighter but in postwar service, although it was superseded by more modern jet aircraft, the Firefly was adapted to other roles, including strike operations and anti-submarine warfare, remaining a mainstay of the FAA until the mid-1950s. Both the UK and Australia Fireflies flew ground attack operations off various aircraft carriers in the Korean War. In foreign service, the type was in operation with the naval air arms of Australia, Canada, India, and the Netherlands whose Fireflies carried out a few attack sorties as late as 1962 in Dutch New Guinea.

The Thai Navy received 10 Fairey Firefly FR.Mk.1 fighters and two T.Mk.2 in 1951. That Firefly arriverd to Air Force in late 1951 after a coup attempt by tha Navy to trow the Primeminster Phibun Songkhram away the Government decided to remove all planes from the Navy and gave it to the Royal Thai Air Force. The Firefly flew with the 71 Sqn /. Wing until the 1956 because a shortage os spare parts. The Navy newer ordered spare parts in the UK perhaps as revenge on the Air Force.

Source: Fairey Firefly,B.J.4,?? ? ( .. ), FIREFLY,???ó,Attack Aircraft,??, ??µ? ????, , , , Thai, Thailand, Aircraft


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## gekho (Nov 5, 2011)

Boeing developed the aircraft as a private venture to replace the Boeing F3B and Boeing F2B with the United States Navy that was the first flight of the P-12 took place on June 25, 1928. The new aircraft was smaller, lighter and more agile than the ones it replaced but still used the Wasp engine of the F3B. This resulted in a higher top speed and overall better performance. As result of Navy evaluation 27 were ordered as the F4B-1, later evaluation by the United States Army Air Corps resulted in orders with the designation P-12. Boeing supplied the USAAC with 366 P-12's between 1929 and 1932. Production of all variants totalled 586.

Two Model 100Es were built for Siam (now Thailand) and were export versions of the P-12E. Owing to a ruling that export of aircraft currently in production for U.S. Forces could not be undertaken, the Boeing Model 234 designation was changed to 100E though general structure and performance was similar to that of the P-12E. Both 100Es were delivered in a dismantled state on November 10th 1931. The last surviving example (taken over by the Japanese during World War II), is currently preserved in the Thai Aeronautical Museum at Bangkok

Source: Boeing P-12 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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## vikingBerserker (Nov 5, 2011)

Excellent!


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## gekho (Nov 12, 2011)

Numerically the most important of all Japanese float seaplanes during World War II, the Aichi E13A monoplane (of which 1,418 were produced) originated in a naval staff specification issued to Aichi, Kawanishi and Nakajima in 1937 for a three-seat reconnaissance seaplane to replace the six-year-old Kawanishi E7K2 float biplane. A prototype was completed late in 1938 and after competitive trials with the Kawanishi E13K in December 1940 was ordered into production as the Navy Type 0 Reconnaissance Seaplane Model 1. Early aircraft were embarked in Japanese cruisers and seaplane tenders the following year and, carrying a single 250kg bomb apiece, flew a series of raids on the Hankow-Canton railway. Soon afterwards E13A1 floatplanes accompanied the Japanese 8th Cruiser Division for reconnaissance patrols during the strike against Pearl Harbor in December 1941. Thereafter, as production switched to Kyushu Hikoki KK at Zasshonokuma and accelerated, the seaplanes (codenamed 'Jake' by the Allies) were embarked in the battleships and cruisers of the Kantais (fleets), including the battleship Haruna and cruisers Chikuma and Tone of Vice Admiral Nagumo's Carrier Striking Force at the Battle of Midway. Because of mechanical problems with the ships' catapults there were delays in launching one of the four E13Als to search for the American carriers at dawn on the crucial 4 June 1942, depriving the Japanese of the vital initiative during the early stages of the assault on Midway. Furthermore the Chikuma's E13A1 was forced to return early when it suffered engine trouble, further reducing the all-important search area. One of the other 'Jake' pilots, from the cruiser Tone, eventually sighted the American fleet but at first failed to report the presence of carriers, causing a further 30-minute delay in arming the strike aircraft awaiting orders to launch from Japanese carriers. As it was, when the Americans launched their first strike, the pilots found the decks of the carriers Akagi, Kaga, Soryu and Hiryu clogged with aircraft which should have been attacking the American fleet. In all, it is estimated that by mid-1943 more than 250 E13A1s were at sea aboard Japanese ships, though their use was severely curtailed whenever American fighters were in evidence. Nevertheless they continued to serve right up to the end of the war, many of them being ultimately used in suicide attacks on the huge American invasion fleets closing on the Japanese homeland. 

The most modern aircraft supplied to the Royal Thai Navy were six Aichi E13A-1s, three in 1942 and three more in June 1944. When the first Aichi's were delivered, the 1st naval Squadron was upgraded to a Naval Wing. The naval Wing had two bases, at Sattahip and at Chalong Bay. The Aichi E13A-1 was a three seat, twin float reconnaissance aircraft. The Aichi E13A-1 was known to the Allies as "Jake". Their endurance made them very suitable for long patrols over the Thai coastal waters and the Gulf of Thailand, in support of Imperial Japanese Navy operations. Included among the various kinds of missions flown by the Aichi E13A-1s were naval escort, patrol and SAR. The USAAF used B-24 Liberators for bombing missions and mine laying operations along the Thai coast. Apparently, the last three E13A-1s were a gift by the Imperial Japanese Navy, IJN, as a thank you for good support during its operations. According to an unofficial source, the IJN provided the three additional E13A-1s after RTN warships and coastal units had downed at least one USAAF B-24 Liberator. Again, little is known about the Royal Thai Navy use of its Aichis. One of them was destroyed at Chalong Bay on July 24/25, 1945. Five were still in service at the end of the war. In RTN service, the Aichi E13A-1's were painted in the standard IJN colours, dark green upper sides and light grey undersides, with black cowling and a yellow identification stripe. A white, or possibly yellow, roundel with a black (or dark blue) anchor were painted on the upper and lower surfaces of the wings and on the fuselage. A Thai national flag was also painted on the fin. Shortly after the end of the War, all the remaining Japanese aircraft in RTN service were decommissioned and withdrawn from use. This was due to an informal agreement with the Allies. The Royal Thai Navy continued to operate some light aircraft, but new combat aircraft in the shape of Fairey Firefly Mk I's weren't delivered until the late 'forties. 

Source: Aichi E13A Jake - seaplane Japanese Aircraft in Thai Military Service

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## vikingBerserker (Nov 12, 2011)

Now taht one I did not know about.


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## nuuumannn (Nov 12, 2011)

Fascinating as always, gekho


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## Wayne Little (Nov 13, 2011)

vikingBerserker said:


> Now taht one I did not know about.



Me either...


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## parsifal (Nov 13, 2011)

I had heard of them, but my source said "unconfirmed".....the photgraph sure confirms it.....thankyou gekho


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## elbmc1969 (Aug 30, 2021)

parsifal said:


> Thanks again BF.....what is the gun fitted to the wing????/ was that how they were delivered or was that armmaent fitted after delivery???


Curtiss offered the Hawk 75 with 20mm and 23mm Madsen underwing pods. (Super-late reply, but I thought I might as well make it easy for anyone coming across this topic.)

I don't have an information yet about weight, but the cannon apparently badly degraded performance and the pods were removed from most or all aircraft. Information is very, very thin. I'm hoping someone in Thailand, or with contacts, can eventually find something.


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## cammerjeff (Aug 31, 2021)

Capt. Vick said:


> They also used the Grumman Bearcat. Any info on that? By the way, great post...as always!


Late but here are some Thai Bearcat Pictures


















Source History of the Thai Flying Club and the beginnings of General Aviation in Thailand.


RTAF Bearcat

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## Wurger (Sep 1, 2021)




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## SaparotRob (Sep 1, 2021)

Dii mahk mahk! Ruup dii dii. Kawp Kuhn (Thanks!)


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## elbmc1969 (Sep 1, 2021)

elbmc1969 said:


> Curtiss offered the Hawk 75 with 20mm and 23mm Madsen underwing pods. (Super-late reply, but I thought I might as well make it easy for anyone coming across this topic.)
> 
> I don't have an information yet about weight, but the cannon apparently badly degraded performance and the pods were removed from most or all aircraft. Information is very, very thin. I'm hoping someone in Thailand, or with contacts, can eventually find something.


Please see my question here: Hawk 75 Royal Thai Air Force cannon pods
(to avoid posting the same thing in multiple locations)


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## FLYBOYJ (Sep 1, 2021)

elbmc1969 said:


> Please see my question here: Hawk 75 Royal Thai Air Force cannon pods
> (to avoid posting the same thing in multiple locations)


I believe they were 20MM. See this link



RTAF Hawk 75N

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## elbmc1969 (Sep 1, 2021)

FLYBOYJ said:


> I believe they were 20MM. See this link
> 
> 
> 
> RTAF Hawk 75N


Could you post this in the other topic to keep things organized? Thanks!


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## FLYBOYJ (Sep 1, 2021)

elbmc1969 said:


> Could you post this in the other topic to keep things organized? Thanks!


Can do


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## elbmc1969 (Sep 2, 2021)

Does anyone have contact information for the official historian or archivist of the Thai air force, or a good contact at the Thai Air Force museum?

Thanks,

Ethan


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## Gnomey (Sep 20, 2021)

Nice shots!


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