A new Illes Balears (Balearic Islands) AU in FD Scale

[Sp3ctra_star]

This is a very nice Au. I really like what you did with the political map as well as the aircraft. I approve of this.

[indiajuliet]

Thanks for the comments. I'm steadily working on a defence force structure and more drawings, some new, others been WIP for years...

Pilatus PC-12: used for army liaison (officer transport, medevac and utility transport), and similar roles in air force service, plus regional VIP transport. The "Spectre" variant, similar to USAF U-28 Draco, is an option to modernise and enhance ISR capability of the FAIB.


Leonardo (Alenia) C-27J Spartan: Another excellent base drawing from Darth Panda, the C-27J is a favourite of mine. This small-medium tactical transport airport is ideal for the small island nation of the Balearic Islands. The air force initially operates a fleet of 3 aircraft, with options for more. Based at Ariany, these aircraft are used to transport troops and equipment between the islands and in support of operations and exercises with allies overseas. The aircraft are equipped with air refuelling capability... KC-390 to come later. In times of emergency, the Spartan fleet provide humanitarian support and allow for the rapid mass movement of emergency personnel/equipment to the area in need. The aircraft can also be used in support of aerial forest firefighting and search and rescue operations.


Airbus A220 (former Bombardier CSeries): This replaces the venerable BAe 146 used for VIP transport. Although already operating a fleet of small bizjets and turboprop aircraft, these would often need to be accompanied by larger charter or commercial aircraft carrying supporting staff on overseas or domestic visits. It was therefore decided to opt to replace the BAe 146 instead of rely on commercial flights. The A220 / CSeries is an excellent aircraft, suitable for a variety of ranges from short regional up to transatlantic. This aircraft is configured as per the Airbus Corporate Jet TwoTwenty (ACJ220), but shares much commonality with the Setac airline fleet.


Leonardo (AgustaWestland) AW139: This helicopter is primarily used for domestic travel of the president, prime minister and other ministers on internal business between islands, or to provide a quick, secure connection to fixed wing aircraft for onward travel.


Finally for today, is a collection of Police vehicles of the national force (Policia de les Illes Balears). A close relationship with Italy, and a Fiat manufacturing plant on Mallorca, means that Fiat group vehicles are often the first choice for fleet procurement. The smaller Fiat 500 and Panda are used for urban community policing, with the Panda Cross used in rural areas. The larger Tipo is used mainly traffic policing, supported by limited numbers of the higher performance Alfa Romeo Guilia saloon and estate (AU, so why not). The Shogun and L200, produced under licence by Fiat, are used for armed response and other specialist units, such as investigation, dog unit, marine policing, bomb disposal and hazmat reponse. The Iveco Massif is used in rural and mountainous areas, providing all terrain police access. The BMW R1200RT is the standard police response motorbike in support of traffic/roads policing across the islands.

[TimothyC]

Nice work, and I would like to make a few comments however.

Pilatus PC-12: used for army liaison (officer transport, medevac and utility transport), and similar roles in air force service, plus regional VIP transport. The "Spectre" variant, similar to USAF U-28 Draco, is an option to modernise and enhance ISR capability of the FAIB.

Ok, my main concern here is that there are now three aircraft in roughly similar size categories with this, the Defender, and the M-28. I think structure wise you're risking a proliferation of types that would have added costs that a small force might have a hard time bearing.

Leonardo (Alenia) C-27J Spartan: Another excellent base drawing from Darth Panda, the C-27J is a favourite of mine. This small-medium tactical transport airport is ideal for the small island nation of the Balearic Islands. The air force initially operates a fleet of 3 aircraft, with options for more. Based at Ariany, these aircraft are used to transport troops and equipment between the islands and in support of operations and exercises with allies overseas. The aircraft are equipped with air refuelling capability... KC-390 to come later. In times of emergency, the Spartan fleet provide humanitarian support and allow for the rapid mass movement of emergency personnel/equipment to the area in need. The aircraft can also be used in support of aerial forest firefighting and search and rescue operations.

Ok, I too enjoy the C-27J as a tactical airlifter. I would have proposed either this or a C-295, and I think the C-27J is a better fit. That said, if the Balaeric Islands are going to have in-flight refueling, I think that they might not own an independent tanker force. I could see them being reliant on NATO partner nations for tankers, or, if they absolutely needed an indigenous capability, a buddy-refueling kit for the C-27J based on those on the C-130 and A400M might be in order rather than the addition of another type into service. If you go with a KC-27J as it were, I think I'd place the hose on the pylon used on the MC-27J. This option would also probably result in a much larger C-27J force, which can be good for overall operability.

Airbus A220 (former Bombardier CSeries): This replaces the venerable BAe 146 used for VIP transport. Although already operating a fleet of small bizjets and turboprop aircraft, these would often need to be accompanied by larger charter or commercial aircraft carrying supporting staff on overseas or domestic visits. It was therefore decided to opt to replace the BAe 146 instead of rely on commercial flights. The A220 / CSeries is an excellent aircraft, suitable for a variety of ranges from short regional up to transatlantic. This aircraft is configured as per the Airbus Corporate Jet TwoTwenty (ACJ220), but shares much commonality with the Setac airline fleet.

Makes sense. I expect that most of the actual maintenance work is done by Setac, rather than by the air force.


In spite of my general recommendation against adding types of aircraft, there is one I think should be added - something along the lines of a Cessna 172 or 182. It would offer both the earliest training, while capable of supporting civil authorities (many state and local governments in the US use such aircraft for law enforcement in conjunction with rotary-wing assets).

[Robert MacReady]

Are there larger planes on the Balearic Islands, out of curiosity?

[Blackbuck]

Nice. The police livery is spon on.

[GLACIESFIRE]

Just one word:

WOW O_o

PS I'm going to "steal" your Giulia station wagon!!!

[indiajuliet]

Just one word:
WOW O_o
PS I'm going to "steal" your Giulia station wagon!!!

Thanks Glaciesfire. I was lucky to have many of your car models to start with.
Do you still have your other fire & ambulance drawings which were here that you could reupload please? I'm keen to continue with a mainly Italian fleet and your drawings would be really useful to have. I wish I'd saved copies before they disappeared.

Nice. The police livery is spon on.

Thanks Blackbuck. Thought it would make a nice change from battenburg becoming more widespread.

Are there larger planes on the Balearic Islands, out of curiosity?

Possibly... it's a relatively small country, with a defence budget to match. I'm trying to keep realistic rather than go for biggest and best. I find that's an enjoyable part of the challenge, and have data from other countries to compare and calculate what may be a reasonable fleet. In terms of budget per capita, this would be a well funded European nation, but not quite at Israeli or small Middle East nation spending. I'll smarten up the defence structure and inventory that I have and share when I have some time - I should be working on my CEng application.

But to answer your question (and linked to what Timothy posted), I was thinking of the largest aircraft being the Embraer KC-390 (only having 2) as a strategic transport, but to honest, that's probably too big an investment and capability beyond what is needed. A few more C-27J's would probably be wiser, but I'll think about it. Similar story with MPA capability, I was initially thinking of ATR-42/72, but downsized to M28 as a more economical solution and better suited to serve across a variety of roles too. Thinking about the fighter fleet is the biggest challenge... I still haven't quite decided on whether to have a small squadron of cheaper dedicated fighters (Gripen, Mirage?) or a bigger fleet of advanced trainers (Hawk, M346, MB339) with some dedicated to air defence and strike. Typhoon/Tornado/Rafale are out of the question (too expensive), but could Jaguar, AMX, Hawk 200 be suitable?

Would be interested to hear feedback.

Nice work, and I would like to make a few comments however.

Thanks for the detailed feedback, Timothy. Always interesting to get another perspective.

On PC-12, yes I agree that it's another similar platform and probably wouldn't make sense for the Balearics. I just fancied seeing what it would look like to be honest, and thought it could make a good successor to Defender. I need to plan a proper in-service timeline for the air force, but I'm thinking that old Defenders could be replaced by a smaller number of Spectres, and the air force would lose it's AEW capability. Alternatively, I'm thinking I could put a side scanning AESA radar on top of a PC-24 (see Embraer have proposed Praetor 600 as compact bizjet AEW), unless it makes more sense to modify the M28 as a larger platform, to perform compact EW, ISR & AEW (albeit not as capable as much larger and more expensive aircraft).

C-27J was an easy choice. I'm trying to think about politics too, and am aligning the Balearic Islands (from an aerospace industry perspective) with the UK and Italy, and certainly not being part of the 'EADS/Airbus club'. In line with real life now and the FCAS/Tempest programmes, I'm imagining two distinct European aerospace groups of France-Germany-Spain, and on the other hand UK-Italy-Sweden(-Netherlands maybe?) with the Balearic Islands AU aligned with the latter. I'm also steering away from Spanish aircraft (nothing personal!), as I think that in this AU, there would be some friction between the two countries (think much milder version of China + Taiwan, but don't want to be supporting each other's industries) - which rules out CN-235/C-295 as originally CASA aircraft. I think you're right about a sovereign tanker fleet being a step too far, but having buddy kits for C-27J's, good idea, thanks.

Yes, I do need to think about basic trainers. My initial thoughts were that they'd get aircraft from Italy or the UK (second hand, or a joint order?) - so SF260 or Tutor/Prefect. I've had some experience with Diamond aircraft (lovely cabin, better than any Cessna/Piper), so might be biased toward choosing them, DA20/40 for basic single and DA42 for twin engine training would be a good combination.

[TimothyC]

Thanks for the detailed feedback, Timothy. Always interesting to get another perspective.

You're welcome. I've commented before that in many ways, a well thought out smaller force can be more interesting than even what I end up sketching out for some of my ideas.

Edit: Yeah, I really like this as an idea, as these small forces can be a solid exercise in diving down and looking at what the actual mission of the military in question is going to be when there are at most very limited existential threats. In the case of the Illes Balears I think that the missions they have are:

• Support of civil authorities (police, fire, medical, ect)
• Sovereignty enforcement (air and ocean patrol)
• Support of allied nations (NATO?, UN, EU, ect)

The last implies certain obligations (which the C-27Js help fill), but also a likelihood that, if deployed, the air force will have support, and won't have to bring everything they need to the party. It's why I think that they can get away with tanker kits on the C-27Js.

But to answer your question (and linked to what Timothy posted), I was thinking of the largest aircraft being the Embraer KC-390 (only having 2) as a strategic transport, but to honest, that's probably too big an investment and capability beyond what is needed. A few more C-27J's would probably be wiser, but I'll think about it. Similar story with MPA capability, I was initially thinking of ATR-42/72, but downsized to M28 as a more economical solution and better suited to serve across a variety of roles too. Thinking about the fighter fleet is the biggest challenge... I still haven't quite decided on whether to have a small squadron of cheaper dedicated fighters (Gripen, Mirage?) or a bigger fleet of advanced trainers (Hawk, M346, MB339) with some dedicated to air defence and strike. Typhoon/Tornado/Rafale are out of the question (too expensive), but could Jaguar, AMX, Hawk 200 be suitable?

Would be interested to hear feedback.

Not directed at me directly, but I think that in a cost-benefit analysis, the existing 'fighter' is going to drive to the advanced trainer - rapidly. Maybe early model hawks and second-hand AMXes are planned to be replaced with M346s? I also don't see more than one or two squadrons available. Maybe a third in reserve.

On PC-12, yes I agree that it's another similar platform and probably wouldn't make sense for the Balearics. I just fancied seeing what it would look like to be honest, and thought it could make a good successor to Defender. I need to plan a proper in-service timeline for the air force, but I'm thinking that old Defenders could be replaced by a smaller number of Spectres, and the air force would lose it's AEW capability. Alternatively, I'm thinking I could put a side scanning AESA radar on top of a PC-24 (see Embraer have proposed Praetor 600 as compact bizjet AEW), unless it makes more sense to modify the M28 as a larger platform, to perform compact EW, ISR & AEW (albeit not as capable as much larger and more expensive aircraft).

An AEW version of the PC-24 or M28 combined with a retirement of the Defenders sounds like a good option - certainly if it allows expansion of the number of existing types.

C-27J was an easy choice. I'm trying to think about politics too, and am aligning the Balearic Islands (from an aerospace industry perspective) with the UK and Italy, and certainly not being part of the 'EADS/Airbus club'. In line with real life now and the FCAS/Tempest programmes, I'm imagining two distinct European aerospace groups of France-Germany-Spain, and on the other hand UK-Italy-Sweden(-Netherlands maybe?) with the Balearic Islands AU aligned with the latter. I'm also steering away from Spanish aircraft (nothing personal!), as I think that in this AU, there would be some friction between the two countries (think much milder version of China + Taiwan, but don't want to be supporting each other's industries) - which rules out CN-235/C-295 as originally CASA aircraft. I think you're right about a sovereign tanker fleet being a step too far, but having buddy kits for C-27J's, good idea, thanks.

I had suspected as much with the focus on Swiss and Italian aircraft. As for the tanker kits, I'd offer a suggestion of grabbing the pylons off of Little Bird's Preatorian, and the hose and drogue kit off of Yqueleden's KC-390

Yes, I do need to think about basic trainers. My initial thoughts were that they'd get aircraft from Italy or the UK (second hand, or a joint order?) - so SF260 or Tutor/Prefect. I've had some experience with Diamond aircraft (lovely cabin, better than any Cessna/Piper), so might be biased toward choosing them, DA20/40 for basic single and DA42 for twin engine training would be a good combination.

Sounds like you have it covered!

[indiajuliet]

I don't get as much time as I'd like on FD scale drawings anymore, but here's a few I've managed to finish off recently...

Looking back at an old workhorse for SETAC, the national airline of the Balearic Islands (Servei de Transport Aeri Civil de les Illes Balears), and a chance for you to see an older aircraft which flew the older SETAC liveries in service through the decades. Although the Dassault Mercure wasn't a commercial success in the real world, it would've been well suited to short Mediterranean routes to/from the Balearic Islands, and inter-island routes if necessary, given its design optimisation around shorter routes. These would've been a familiar sight on Western European and North African routes. A much forgotten aircraft, but one of the great contributors to the success of the Airbus A320.


Here is the later Dassault Mercure 200 with CFM56 engines in SETAC livery during test and certification flights (hence the French registration).


On a change of topic, here are some proposed concept military modifications for the Pilatus PC-24. With a relatively small air force, but a determination to protect and secure it's skies, the Balearic Islands need compact but effective platforms for AEW, ISR/EW and Maritime Patrol. Given that the PC-24 is already operated, selection of this type to replace the Islander, and possibly also some of specialist roles of the M-28, avoids proliferation of aircraft types within the air force inventory. My inspiration for this compact platform was the BAe 125 in JASDF service as the U-125A. For those wondering about the camera being crushed on take-off and landing, this would be retractable into the fuselage. Thanks to Timothy C for the AESA radar. Let me know what you think.


To add to the emergency services, here are some vehicles of the Balearic Islands Ambulance Service (Servei d’Ambulàncies de les Illes Balears), a part of the Health Service (Servei Salut). As seen previously, the government of the Balearic Islands favours sourcing vehicles from Italy and the Fiat group. The Iveco Daily is the workhorse of the service as the most common Ambulance/Ambulància. A big thanks to Glaciesfire for providing many of the excellent base drawings.


Fire service is currently work in progress, and hope to post soon.

[Nestin]

Nice work, can't wait to see fire service