Manufacturer: HobbyBoss
Scale: 1/72
Additional parts: 3D prints
Model build: Oct 2023- Jan 2024
Greenland Airforce UH-34
HobbyBoss
1/72
1/72
The Last Flying Bear
The year is 1981. Greenland, a young, independent nation, basked in the fragile peace of neutrality. On the remote Thule Air Base, however, tensions simmered. The US military, forced to abandon Project Iceworm after protests, still maintained a presence, a thorn in Greenland's side.
Anika Qaavik, a veteran pilot, strapped herself into the cockpit of Nanook, the last remaining Flying Bear – a heavily modified UH-34 helicopter emblazoned with a fierce polar bear logo. Today wasn't a training exercise. A ice patrol had reported unusual activity near Camp Century, the abandoned US base buried beneath the ice sheet. Greenland suspected a clandestine reactivation.
Nanook, with its upgraded engine and armament, roared to life. Anika, her steely gaze fixed on the horizon, lifted off and headed north, the biting wind a harsh lullaby against the whirring blades. As they neared Camp Century, a blizzard brewed, white fury obscuring the frozen wasteland. Suddenly, their radar pinged. A low-flying craft, unidentified, lurked beneath the ice sheet.
"This isn't a weather patrol," Anika gritted her teeth, adrenaline coursing through her veins. Switching to her encrypted channel, she alerted Lieutenant Kai Holm, her commanding officer. "Possible incursion, Kai. Requesting backup."
Static crackled back. "Negative, Anika. Visibility's zero. Engaging in those conditions is suicide. Return to base."
Disobeying orders went against Anika's grain, but something felt terribly wrong. "There's no time, Kai. Engaging." She slammed the throttle forward, diving Nanook into the blizzard. Visibility was near nonexistent, relying solely on instruments. Suddenly, the altimeter went haywire. They were flying blind.
"We're losing altitude!" the copilot yelled.
Just then, the radar went wild. The unidentified craft was rapidly approaching. Anika fought for control, maneuvering Nanook through the blinding snow. A streak of light flashed past – a missile. With a gasp, she banked sharply, the G-force pinning them in their seats.
Emerging from the whiteout, they saw it – a sleek, black aircraft, unmistakably US military, hovering over a half-excavated trench leading deep into the ice. Anika's suspicions were confirmed. They were reactivating Project Iceworm.
Fury coursed through her, hot against the frigid air. She grabbed the controls, aiming Nanook's mounted machine gun. With a burst of fire, she peppered the black aircraft, hoping to disable it. The craft retaliated, its laser beams scorching the snow around Nanook.
A desperate plan formed in Anika's mind. "Get ready to release the payload!" she yelled. They were carrying a modified weather balloon loaded with a potent ice disruptor – a last resort weapon designed for emergencies. As the black aircraft closed in, Anika released the balloon.
It drifted towards the trench, the disruptor activating with a blinding flash. A thunderous boom echoed as the ice cracked and buckled. The trench collapsed, burying the entrance to the hidden base beneath tons of ice.
The black aircraft, caught in the collapsing icefall, sputtered and spun out of control, crashing into the frozen landscape. Anika and her crew limped back to base, battered but victorious. News of their defiance resonated across Greenland. The Last Flying Bear, a symbol of their fight for independence, had saved them once again.
The incident became a turning point. The US, facing international pressure and Greenland's unwavering resolve, ultimately agreed to a full military withdrawal from Greenland. Though tensions continued, Greenland finally achieved true independence, forever etching the legend of Anika Qaavik and the Last Flying Bear in their history.
The real life
In 1951, the USA started to build its Thule Airbase on Greenland. This base was build based on an agreement between the USA and Demark which owned Greenland at this time. But unknown to Demark and the population on Greenland, the USA also started "Project Iceworm" to host mobile nuclear missile launchers under the ice of Greenland.
"Project Iceworm" had four locations, Thule Airbase and three remote sites, "Camp TUTO", "Camp Fistclench" and "Camp Century". The last one, about 240 Kilometers away from Thule Airbase, had a nuclear reactor for energy production. Project "Iceworm" was kept in secret until 1977, although Denmark knew about certain aspects of this project since the mid 1960s.
The what if
In 1962, the existence of "Camp Centruey" got leaked into the Danish and Greenland public after an accident with the reactor on base occurred, causing an uproar in Denmark and Greenland. The USA was forced to cancel the project as caused a major disturbance in the relations between the USA and Denmark.
But protests in Greenland continued and the call for getting independent from Denmark got louder and louder. With rising protests, a referendum was held in early 1963 where 85% of the Greenland population voted for an independent, neutral Greenland.
Independence came on January 10, 1965. Knowing of the strategic importance of Greenland and their will to be a neutral country, Greenland needed some kind of military force to protect itself.
During the protests and independence movements, protesters had seized four US build UH34 helicopters which now should for the first aircraft of a small Greenland air force. With the help of other neutral nations, Sweden and Switzerland, those helicopters were upgraded and equipped with small wings, holding mounts for different kind of weapons.
In mid 1966, the four helicopters were ready to enter service in the Greenland air force as the flying bears with their polar bear logo.
For more than 15 years the UH-34 were used for training, patrol purposes and fishery protection. One of them got lost during a heavy winter storm in December of 1968 while flying over the Prins Christian Sund.
After being decommissioned, one of them is preserved at the National Air Force Museum in Qaqortoq.
This is a 1/72 scale UH-34 kit by HobbyBoss. The wings are resin 3D printed and taken from a MiMil 24 3D model. Painted in a arctic camo with Revell Aqua, decals are mostly taken form the original model, only the Greenland logos are self made. Had some real trouble making them this time, looks as if my new printer is not so good for decal printing.
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