|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Military-Art.com  Michael Rondot |
[UP] - Chris Collingwood - David Pentland - Ivan Berryman - Randall Wilson - Brian Palmer - Anthony Saunders - Nicolas Trudgian - Robert Taylor - Brian Wood - Graeme Lothian - Tim Fisher - Simon Smith - Gerald Coulson - Michael Rondot - Mark Churms - Geoff Lea - Stuart Liptrot - Jim Lancia - Alan Herriot - John Wynne Hopkins - Demoulin - Gordon Wilson - Robert Barbour - Richard Taylor - John D Shaw - Print List by Artist - Antique Military Art - Military Paperweights |
| Navigation | |
| Page 2 of 3 | Previous .. Page 2 .. Next |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Navigation | |
| Page 2 of 3 | Previous .. Page 2 .. Next |
| Text for the above items : |
Jaguar Sunset by Michael Rondot. The Jaguar served with the Royal Air Force from 1974 to 2007 as a strike / attack and reconnaissance fighter bomber, equipping eight squadrons in Germany and the UK during the Cold War, and in the Balkans conflict. Now at the end of its RAF career, it will be remembered as a rugged and reliable aircraft, capable of finding and putting bombs on a target in bad weather with unprecedented accuracy. The painting portrays a favourite haunt of Jaguar pilots: the west coast of Scotland near Torridon looking towards the Isle of Skye and Kyle of Lochalsh, an area where military pilots enjoy some of the most challenging flying in the world. |
Top Cover by Michael Rondot. With Top Cover, Michael Rondot portrays a pilots eye view of the speed and excitement of modern high-tech aerial warfare. High over a panorama of broken clouds, a pair of F/A-18C Hornets from VFA-81 Sunliners dive onto a group of F-16s simulating an attack on a formation of low flying A-7 Corsairs far below. The low-flying A-7s are in deep trouble, having been bounced by the F-16s, and will evade as hard as they can to shake off their opponents. For the F/A-18 Hornet pilots the priority is to kill the F-16s before they can threaten the A-7s. The Fights on! You could easily be forgiven for believing that US Navy and Marine Corps aviators enjoy an unfair advantage in life. They fly the finest aircraft around, in the most demanding and exciting roles, and they get to practice their art in some of the most beautiful and exotic parts of the world, basking in the glamour and mystique of US Naval Aviation. The reality is more down to earth. Flying the F/A-18 Hornet in both the air-defence and the ground-attack role is hard, challenging work. Pilots from the attack community have to learn the skills of air-to-air fighting, and air defenders have to learn the art of putting bombs and bullets onto a pinpoint target from a first-pass attack in bad weather. It is an uncompromising and unforgiving environment, with no room for bullshit. |
Canberra Tribute by Michael Rondot. Operated by 17 airforces in more than 20 different variants, Canberras have been to war at Suez and in India, in Vietnam and the Falklands campaign, and in 1996 Canberra PR9s were engaged in operational reconnaissance flights over Bosnia and in other regions. It is widely and justifiably regarded as one of the greatest aircraft designs of all time. The English Electric Canberra first flew on Friday 13 May 1949 when its performance created a sensation. Such was the quality of the original design that in May 1951, when the first B2 Canberras entered service with No 101 Squadron at RAF Binbrook they could out manoeuvre all the fighters of the period and fly with impunity more than 10,000 feet above them. Operated by 17 airforces in more than 20 different variants, Canberras have been to war at Suez and in India, in Vietnam and the Falklands campaign, and in 1996 Canberra PR9s were engaged in operational reconnaissance flights over Bosnia and in other regions. It is widely and justifiably regarded as one of the greatest aircraft designs of all time. |
54(F) Squadron Farewell by Michael Rondot A famous fighter squadron with a glorious history, No.54(F) Squadron began its distinguished career in the fierce fighting on the Western Front during World War I. In 1940, flying Spitfires, it was the highest scoring RAF fighter squadron in the Battle of Britain and went on to become one of the few squadrons to fly Spitfires operationally during the whole of World War II. Always a front line squadron, No.54(F) Squadron flew Tempests, Vampires, Meterors and Hunters before graduating from F4 Phantoms to Jaguars in 1974. Commanded by Wg Cdr Terry Carkton, it became the first RAF Jaguar Squadron at Coltishall, so continuing its tradition of flying only fighter/ground attack aircraft during its distinguished history. |
Lightning QRA Intercept by Michael Rondot. No.5 Sqn and No.11 Sqn Lightnings intercept a Tu-95 Bear, supported by an essential Victor tanker. QRA, day and night, 24hrs a day, 7 days a week 52 weeks a year, 365 days a year - never a day off, always ready! Over and over again for so many years, the air defences of Britain were regularly tested by Russian Tu-95 Bears as they probed NATO airspace high above the North Sea. |
Desert Cats by Michael Rondot. Fact. - No matter what the type of aircraft, the world record for low-flying can only ever be equalled; it cannot be beaten without hitting the ground. But getting close to it became an everyday routine for RAF Jaguar pilots on operational service in The Gulf after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. The barren featureless wastes of the desert offer few opportunities for a low-flying aircraft from enemy defenses by terrain screening or ducking below radar cover. The only effective counter over a flat desert is to fly so low that any missile fired at the aircraft hopefully will proximity-fuse on the ground before it reaches its target. Faced with an unprecedented threat from surface-to-air missile systems and fighter aircraft, the Jaguar pilots who deployed to Thumrait, Oman, as the spearhead of Operation Granby in August 1990 trained as they expected to fight, - at ultra low-level. Within weeks, most were comfortable at a radar altimeter cruise height of 35 feet at 480 knots, maybe climbing to 60 feet over undulating sand dunes or during high-G turns. Some were content to fly lower, cruising at 20-30 feet, and one or two individuals who should remain nameless were rarely seen above 20 feet. The phrase Getting down had taken on a new meaning. In October 1990 the Jaguars moved to Al-Muharraq, Bahrain, and continued to train at ultra low-level, but as the outbreak of hostilities drew close and it became apparent that US fighters were more than capable of dealing with any Iraqi air threat, they switched to medium-level tactics, preferring to take their chances with the AAA and SAM threat rather than low-flying through a hail of small-arms and short-range defensive fire around their targets in Kuwait and Iraq. Blessed with the sustained luck and inspired leadership of Wg Cdr Bill Pixton DFC AFC, the gamble paid off. 3 were hit by Iraqi AAA fire during the 6-week war, but none were lost. Since September 1991, Jaguars based at Incirlik, Turkey, have been flying low-level missions in Iraq as part of Operation Warden to protect Kurds against further Iraqi attack. Some of the pilots were on the initial Operation Granby deployment, and later flew war missions during Operation Desert Storm. Michael Rondot flew with them, and his painting captures the essence of speed and excitement as a pair of bomb-laden Jaguars break formation and head for the desert floor during a typical low-level sortie. Royal Air Force Jaguars at low level over the Arabian desert, signed by 25 Jaguar pilots who flew on Operation GRANBY, Operation DESERT STORM and Operation WARDEN. |
Victor Farewell by Michael Rondot. The Handley Page Victor played a significant role in the Falklands conflict of 1982 and in the Gulf War of 1991.The final flight by an RAF Victor was made in November 1993 when XH672 Maid Marian flew from its RAF Marham base destined for the RAF Museum at Cosford. After three decades of front-line Squadron service with the Royal Air Force, two wars, and over 40 years since their conception, thc last of the V-bombers has retired. |
Jaguar Farewell by Michael Rondot. The Jaguar served with the Royal Air Force from 1974 to 2007 as a strike/attack and reconnaissance fighter bomber, equipping eight squadrons in Germany and the UK during the Cold War, and was used in combat during the first Gulf War and in the Balkans conflict. Now at the end of its RAF career, it will be remembered as a rugged and reliable aircraft, capable of finding and putting bombs on a target in bad weather with unprecedented accuracy. This print portrays the Jaguar in typical Jaguar weather climbing on full reheat afterburners! Showing off the classic lines of this incredible aircraft and chosen by the Pilots of 6 Sqn, the final Jaguar Sqn, it is sure to be the true collectors choice for as Michael Rondot, drawing on his own experiences as a Jaguar pilot, has created a fine tribute and a fitting epitaph to an outstanding combat aircraft. |
Wessex Over South Armagh by Michael Rondot. For 33 years, the Wessex has been at the centre of RAF operations in Northern Ireland. As a reliable workhorse the Wessex has no equal, but after 31 March 2002 the Mighty Wessex will be retired from front-line operations. No.72 Squadron received its first Wessex in 1964 at RAF Odiham and deployed to Northern Ireland on 15 August 1969 when Air Marshal Sir Tim Jermer (then a junior pilot) landed the first Wessex at the start of the current Troubles. Since then, the Wessex has been employed on all major security operations as well as day-to-day troop carrying and re-supply tasks. It enjoys a unique reputation as a tough and reliable foundry-built aircraft and will be sorely missed by the aircrew who regard it as an indestructible evergreen. To commemorate the retirement of the Mighty Wessex, Michael Rondot has painted a striking image of a pair of gun-armed Wessex over the scene of an incident in the border area of South Armagh Bandit Country. |
Gauntlet by Michael Rondot. No other jet fighter quite captures the imagination in the same way as the Harrier. To witness it in action for the first time is an experience few can easily come to terms with. A fighter flying at 500 knots and very low is fairly commonplace; but when that same aircraft suddenly decelerates to a standstill and starts flying backwards, hovering like a helicopter before landing vertically on a tiny patch of ground, it takes on a different perspective. Only the Harrier can do this, and in its updated redesigned form, it is continuing to prove its worth as the worlds finest V/STOL close air support fighter. Although capable of VTOL (Vertical Take Off and Landing) performance, the Harrier usually operates in the STOVL mode (Short Take Off and Vertical Landing) allowing it to haul a hefty warload from confined spaces without the need for conventional hard runways. The Harrier is a proven combat aircraft with distinguished service in the Falklands Campaign and the Gulf War. Harrier IIs from the United States Marine Corps flew hundreds of close air support and interdiction missions during Operation Desert Storm from forward airstrips close to the Saudi/Kuwait border which could not be used by other, conventional attack aircraft. Gauntlet portrays a bomb-laden Harrier from the RAF Strike Attack Operational Evaluation Unit in STO-motion, transitioning to forward flight from a short take off run at about 100 knots as the aircraft rapidly accelerates to cruising speed. It is carrying two AIM 9L Sidewinder missiles, ADEN 25mm cannon pods and seven Hunting BL755 cluster bombs - double the warload of the earlier Harrier variants. |
Blue -Fire! by Michael Rondot. Buccaneer aircraft in action, launching a co-ordinated attack with Sea Eagle anti-ship sea-skimming missiles, the moment when the leader of the first element (callsign Blue) achieves his firing solution and initiates the ripple launch of his formations missiles by breaking radio silence with the traditional 208 Squadron radio call of Blue,-Fire! Nightmare scenario. Dusk over an empty sea. With lights out and in radio silence, three Buccaneers, each armed with 4 Sea-Eagle missiles, prepare to attack a Surface Action Group still beyond radar range. 150 miles away, three more Buccaneers are approaching the same target in a pincer attack timed to hit the target at exactly the same time. The first warning that the target will receive of the attack is when all 24 missile radar seekers switch on at close range for the final phase of the attack. Whilst the Buccaneers escape unseen, the defenses will be swamped with their worst nightmare - two volleys of missiles approaching without warning, at wave-top height, at 180 degrees to each other. |
Hawk Country by Michael Rondot. Two BAe Hawks slice, low level through the Welsh valley skies as they Bug Out and prepare to re-attack 4 similar aircraft following a succesful Bounce. Currently just over Beddgelert Forest in the Caernarfon valley, the two aircraft are about to turn left and head for the A-5 pass in Snowdonia. News of the first flight of the Hawk on 21 August 1974 was greeted with derision by Hunter Pilots at the RAFs tactical weapons training unit. For understandably selfish reasons they were sceptical about the ability of the Hawk to replace the rugged, versatile and much loved Hunter. FORGET HAWK - FLY HUNTER was one typical bumper sticker at the time but now 25 years on, such scepticism seems barely credible. With the arrival of the first Hawk aircraft at RAF Valley in November 1976, a new era of RAF flying training began, and the first of thousands of fast-jet Pilots discovered the joys of flying this truly thoroughbred aircraft. Since then, the BAe Hawk has earned the reputation as the worlds best advanced trainer and light strike aircraft. The basic design has been refined and improved in a series of variants ranging from multi-role light fighter to the US Navys carrier trainer. But the one quality that sets the Hawk apart from other aircraft is handling characteristics. |
Lightning Thunder by Michael Rondot. Of all the classic fighters to have served with the RAF since the l950s, no other aircraft had the raw power and breathtaking performance of the Lightning, and of all the variants the F2A was considered to be the best. |
Jaguars Over Bosnia by Michael Rondot Royal Air Force Jaguar strike aircraft in action over Bosnia on close air support and reconnaissance operations. Each print bears the colour Royal Crests of Royal Air Force Coltishall and No. 6, 41 and 54 Jaguar Squadrons. |
High in the Sunlit Silence by Michael Rondot. A solo Spitfire flies high over the aerial battlefield of the Battle of Britain. |
Concorde Farewell by Michael Rondot. Concorde made supersonic history, bringing Mach 2 international travel in luxury surroundings at the edge of space to millions of air travellers. It is instantly recognisable, but Concorde is far more than just a sleek and pretty aircraft. Its sheer size, combined with the glorious power and noise of its Olympus engines endow Concorde with a unique charisma. There is no other aircraft capable of stopping people in their tracks and making them look to the sky in awe like Concorde taking off in full reheat. |
Distant Thunder by Michael Rondot. This print shows a Jaguar in particularly aggressive pose during a high speed low-level training mission to demonstrate modern fast-jet operations. As a serving Jaguar pilot, artist Michael Rondot was in a unique position to take passengers flying in this remarkable ground-attack aircraft and to put their experience onto canvas. |
Mutual Support by Michael Rondot. In any conflict, accurate intelligence about the enemy is important, but during the Gulf War it was crucial to the rapid ending of hostilities with minimum Allied casualties. US Air National Guard RF-4C Phantoms, flying deep-penetration photo reconnaissance missions into Iraq and occupied Kuwait, provided much of the vital intelligence which enabled Allied ground forces to outflank and overwhelm Iraqi opposition with such devastation. Their missions were dangerous, taking them into the most heavily defended airspace over Baghdad and The Kuwait of Operations in broad daylight. They were fired on by SAMs and intense AAA barrages, but none were lost in over 300 missions. Michael Rondots painting portrays a classic formation of two RF-4Cs in action over Iraq, flying in company to provide lookout and mutual support in case of attack. On the ground, palls of Sand and smoke drift away from Iraqi artillery positions following an air strike, as the Phantoms accelerate and turn in for their battle-damage assessment photo run. In the next minutes they will come under fire from heat-seeking missiles and flak defenses around the target before escaping South, back to their base at Sheikh Isa AB, Bahrain. In the days following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on 2 August 1990, RF-4C Phantoms from the 117 TRW, Birmingham, Alabama ANG were among the spearhead of Units deployed to the Persian Gulf as part of Operation Desert Shield. Operating under difficult and dry conditions from Al Dafra AB, UAE, the Birmingham Guardsmen flew border reconnaissance missions using long range oblique cameras until mid-December, when the Nevada Air Guard took over and moved to similarly tense and dry Sheikh Isa AB, Bahrain. The two Phantoms in Mutual Support represent both the Birmingham Guard and the Nevada Guard, the High Rollers. Aircraft 886 flew 54 combat missions during Desert Storm, whilst 056 flew 51 missions in combat before it was lost on 30 March following a catastrophic systems failure over the Persian Gulf. The 192 TRS, Nevada ANG, flew 350 combat and combat support missions during Desert Storm. They did this with just 6 aircraft and 12 crews, supported by a small detachment of technicians and support personnel from their home base in Reno. The Part Timers are now back at their civilian jobs, but their contribution is commemorated marking the twilight of the RF-4C Phantom in service with the Nevada and Alabama ANG. |
Constant Endeavour by Michael Rondot. No text for this item |
767 by Michael Rondot. You can almost hear the Rolls-Royce RB211-524H engines accelerate to full power in this dramatic study by Michael. British Airways 767 Pilots are also qualified to fly the Boeing 757, which is featured in the background of this superb print. They frequently fly a 757 for the first part of the day, and then a 767 for the remainder, or vice versa. In British Airways service, the Boeing 767 is a remarkably versatile aircraft, used on both shorthaul and longhaul routes. West from London Heathrow to Vancouver, on the far West coast of Canada, or East of the City of Madras in India, the 767 effortlessly swallows the miles. Both the 757 and the 767 can perform fully automatic landings in the exterme weather conditions of fog and low cloud, and are cleared to operate dowm to the almost incredible visibility of just 75 metres, when most other aircraft would be grounded. Extended Time Operations, or ETOPS for short, is another familiar operation for both the 757 and 767. The 767 was one of the first twin-engine passenger aircraft allowed to operate on the demanding North Atlantic routes, and has built a strong reputation for being reliable and dependable aircraft. |
Black Jet by Michael Rondot. Designed and built in the early 1980s at the Lockheed Skunk Works under conditions of intense secrecy, the F-117A Stealth fighter was not revealed to the public until 1990, after it had been in service for over 7 years. A year later during Operation Desert Storm, laser-guided precision bombing images from the cockpits of Black jets over downtown Baghdad were on every television screen and newspaper front page around the world. Night after night, the theory of an aircraft designed to evade radar detection was tested by brave pilots in combat over densely packed Iraqi radar-directed air defences. The results, together with the aircraft and its pilots, are now legend. |
|
Contact Details |
|
Sign Up To Our Newsletter!
This website is owned by Cranston Fine Arts. Torwood House, Torwoodhill Road, Rhu, Helensburgh, Scotland, G848LE Contact: Tel: (+44) (0) 1436 820269. Email: cranstonorders -at- outlook.com |
 |
