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Egypt: Aircraft markings

Roundel
Fin flash
History of Aircraft Markings

See also:

Egypt

Roundel

image by Željko Heimer

Red-white-black roundel.

Source: Album des Pavillons [pay00]
Željko Heimer, 21 July 2001

Fin flash

The national flag is painted on the fin.

Source: Album des Pavillons [pay00]
Željko Heimer, 21 July 2001

History of the Aircraft Markings

1932-1952

Al Quwwat Al Jawwiya Il Misriya was established in May 1932. Cochrane & Elliott (1998) reported the first marking (on the first machine) as Egyptian Army Air Force as a "waving" flag on the fuselage, square version of national flag on wing tips and vertical 2:2:3 green white green stripes on the rudder. See http://www.skytamer.com/roundels/egypt/01.htm. In the book the wing tips have 2 stars but the text is as shown in the website.

Same year - 1932 - a more conventional roundel was adopted - green-white-green with crescent and three stars inside. According to Cochrane & Elliott (1998) the crown on the outer ring was added in 1939. The previous rudder stripes became fin flash (see http://www.skytamer.com/roundels/egypt/02.htm (1922-1939) with a mistake since the crown shouldn't be there, and its replica in http://www.skytamer.com/roundels/egypt/03.htm (1939-1945)) Jane's 1945 show this roundel (with a crown) but a blank tail.

Photos show both possibilities even on the same type of plane: http://www.acig.org/artman/uploads/eb4.jpg with no tail stripes while http://www.acig.org/artman/uploads/eb3.jpg shows them. I figured out the the roundels are NOT mirrored as usual, but the same on both sides, crescent points to the right.

Cochrane & Elliott (1998) reported that in 1945, the crescent, stars and crown were removed from the roundel making it plain green-white-green as appear also on Air
Force ensign. See http://www.skytamer.com/roundels/egypt/04.htm, which also reports that in 1953 the crescent and stars were brought back into the roundel and a green-white-green fin flash was adopted.
Dov Gutterman, 15 June 2004

image by Klause-Michael Schneider, 19 March 2009

Egypt Air Force (1948/49) - a green-white-green roundel, as shown in a Hollywood film entitled in Germany: “Der Schatten des Giganten” (Eng.: Cast a Giant Shadow - 1966). One scene shows an Egypt raid with planes and tanks, both carrying that roundel above.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 17 March 2009

This roundel appears on an air force flag. It's pretty clear it is a simplification of the roundels displayed in the section below it, but as to whether this simplification also happened on planes, in records, in the making of the film or even other possibilities, I have nothing to add.
Jonathan Dixon, 20 March 2009

1952-1958

The only change with the revolution in 1952, was only to remove the crown and changing the tail insignia. Nevertheless, here is a Mig-15 with those marking http://www.acig.org/artman/uploads/suez006.jpg as well a photo of recovered ditched Mig-15 at http://www.acig.org/artman/uploads/suez016.jpg (this plane is now at Israel AF museum). See also http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_257.shtml.
Dov Gutterman, 15 June 2004

1958-1972

Forming the first UAR in 1958 brought to adoption on a new flag and new insignia, the black-white-red roundel charged with two green stars. The UAR flag was the fin flash (http://www.skytamer.com/roundels/egypt/06.htm). See http://www.acig.org/artman/uploads/eaf_mig-21pfm_6155.jpg and http://www.acig.org/artman/uploads/eaf_mig-21pfm_5072.jpg.
Dov Gutterman, 15 June 2004

1972-1984

Adopting a new flag in 1972 changed the markings by omitting the stars from the roundel (and, of course, changing the flag used as fin flash) . See http://www.skytamer.com/roundels/egypt/07.htm with a mistake (the flag is the 1984 flag).
Dov Gutterman, 15 June 2004

1984-

Changing the hawk into the Saladin eagle in 1984 brought the same change in the fin flash. This time http://www.skytamer.com/roundels/egypt/08.htm is correct.
Dov Gutterman, 15 June 2004