Denmark joined NATO in 1949 and it became evident that a large and modern air force would be required. The most modern aircraft at that time was a squadron of Meteor Mk.4 fighters and Spitfires purchased at ‘give away’ prices, post World War II. The Air Force was set to modernise and soon modern jet fighters like F-84s, F-100s and F-104s were received by the Royal Danish Air Force in large numbers through NATO’s Military Aid Programme (MAP). The Danish fighter force was also reinforced with British Hawker Hunters and SAAB Drakens, paid by direct national funding.
RDAF began to paint its aircraft in the standard colour known as SM/67, olive green (matt), during the late 1960’s. This colour was very effective against Danish landscapes. Even though it is finished in just one color, the paint faded quite rapidly and unfortunately gave the aircraft an untidy appearance, although they were in fact very well maintained. After some time in service, the paint was usually touched up at regular inspection periods. After some time the weathering effects and consistent ‘touch ups’ on the paint inadvertently resulted in a unique camouflage pattern. The worst weathering was probably caused by the fact that the aircraft were mostly parked outside in the elements, specifically during the harsh Danish winters. The weak matt paint durability problem was solved during the late 1970’s when aircraft were re-painted in an extremely gloss variant of the same colour, but this clearly reduced the camouflage efficiency due to the monotone high shine of the aircraft surfaces.
‘Zapping’ is an old tradition among air forces, where a graffiti, slogan, sticker or emblem is applied to another units aircraft, in the spirit of rivalry and humour. This can be another squadron or even another Air Force. Zaps were very popular during the Cold War (mostly in Western Countries), early ‘zapping’ could be considerable and in many cases the applications were causing significant paint damage to an aircraft worth millions. Later zaps were used only in the form of an adhesive sticker or small painted emblems. Some countries removed the ‘Zaps’ as soon as possible, but the Danes had a sympathetic & tolerant perspective on the practice. Some ‘Zaps’ have been present on Danish aircraft for many years.
WHAT IS IN THE ENVELOPE:
– Decal set for 7 “Zapped” RDAF dark green aircraft options:
Hawker Hunter Mk.51
Lockheed F-104G Starfighter
Lockheed TF-104G Starfighter
North American F-100D Super Sabre
North American TF-100F Super Sabre
Saab F 35 Draken
Saab RF-35 Draken
– Bonus decal sheet that gives you more build options
– Background stories, history and details
– Photo quality profiles and instructions
– Aircraft detail guide
– Colors, painting and weathering guide
– Story about “Zapping”
– Small sticker
– Related video links
– Personal notes area
DIRTY DANES
1/72 PV-004-72
1/48 PV-004-48
“Dirty Danes” cover art unique NFT available as 1/1 on > Foundation
