Falklands Painting Guide
BRITISH
Sea Harriers were painted grey (including overpainting all unit markings, instruction panels etc.) on the way to the South Atlantic but Invincible used a much darker grey than Hermes, hence the Argentinian nickname for Harriers of La Muerta Negra.
Other fixed-wing aircraft plus the Chinooks were patterned in standard British NATO dark grey and dark green camouflage.
Most helicopters came in Olive Drab or blue-grey except the Lynx in dark blue and the Gazelle in a dark green and black camouflage.As a low-visibility measure the white middle portion of the British roundel was painted over.
ARGENTINIAN
Navy planes were generally dark blue gloss with white undersurfaces. Argentinian aircraft came in a variety of colour schemes. Mirage and Dagger fighters and the Hercules transports carried a three colour look consisting of mid green, dark green and tan with light grey under. MB.399 light jets had a two colours pattern of green and dark sand.
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As the Pucaras were hastily camouflaged before their transfer to the islands they had a variety of schemes including a light green pattern over a light tan base and dark brown and green (the shades on the one at RAF Cosford below should probably be darker). The Canberra's scheme was similar to the RAF's green and grey but with the grey shade somewhat lighter. All had light grey or light blue undersides.
Skyhawks seem to have sported the greatest variety; Air Force A-4s were either dark olive green and dark brown with light blue under or dark brown and sand with light grey under (and with a light blue fin stripe). Navy ones were gull grey with possibly a brown or green pattern.
Navy helicopters were grey and Army machines Olive Drab. Most had a yellow fuselage band.
After several instances of 'friendly fire' some Argentinian aircraft had large yellow recognition panels painted on the wings and/or fins.
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Nose-cone from a crashed Mirage now in the Fleet Air Arm Museum |
British and
Argentinian
national insignia
Click on the links below for more information
