Author Topic: Belated Boomers  (Read 3667 times)

Offline apophenia

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Belated Boomers
« on: June 11, 2015, 09:33:27 AM »
Belated Boomers -- the Commonwealth Aircraft Corp CA-14B and CA-14C

A proposed high-altitude derivative of the Commonwealth Boomerang had been flown as the CA-14 in January 1943. With refinements, this prototype was redesignated CA-14A in the summer of 1944. Alas no requirement emerged for this high-altitude type. Instead, further development focused on airframe improvements.

With the turbocharger removed, flight testing of the revised CA-14B began in early 1945. Production CA-14Bs were to feature a 10-blade engine cooling fan and a machinegun armament of one .5" Browning gun per wing (although no armament was fitted to the prototype).

Plans changed with the availability of the sliding 'bubble' canopy from an RAF Typhoon that had crashed in Australia on hot weather tropical trials. It was decided to fit this canopy to the CA-14B prototype which was then redesignated CA-14C. Conversion work on the CA-14C was not completed until after the war's end and the aircraft remained at CAC, flying as a test mule until early 1946.
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Offline GTX_Admin

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Re: Belated Boomers
« Reply #1 on: June 11, 2015, 04:12:19 PM »
Like the second one.
All hail the God of Frustration!!!

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But you can make the Bastard work for it.

Offline apophenia

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Re: Belated Boomers
« Reply #2 on: June 13, 2015, 06:52:29 AM »
Thanks Greg. More to come on 'bubble' Boomers ;)

Commonwealth Army Co-operation - From Brumby to Boomerang II

Prior to the war's end, as CA-19 Boomerang production wound down, CAC had been working on replacement aircraft. Two designs were evolved simulatneously. The first would emphasize commonality with the CA-17, making maximum use of Mustang Mk.20 parts. The second was a similar concept evolved from both the CA-19 and the experimental CA-14.

The CA-20 Brumby was a proposed 'Advanced Army Co-operation Fighter' using CA-17 Mustang Mk.20 components but powered by the CAC R-2000 radials originally intended for the CA-14 Boomerang. Engineering work on the CA-20 Brumby was abandoned when the RAAF expressed a preference for the less risky (and less expensive) CA-22 Boomerang II design.

[Top] Conceptual CA-20 Brumby powered by a fan-cooled CAC R-2000 14-cyl radial engine.

The CA-22 Boomerang II was a follow-on to the CA-14B and CA-19 Boomerangs. Structurally, the CA-22 resembled CA-19 airframe. The cockpit was to be moved aft by one fuselage bay and the fuselage fuel tank relocated in front of the cockpit. The object was to improve the fighter's stability with a full overload fuel load.

It was assumed that any reduction in the pilot's view resulting from the relocated cockpit would be more than compensated for with the introduction of the CA-17 Mustang's 'bubble' canopy. Work on the original CA-22 concept ended with the war's end but, in simplified form, the CA-22 Boomerang II would later be resurrected.

[Bottom] Conceptual CA-22 Boomerang II with rear-placed cockpit, Mustang canopy, and CAC fan-cooled R-2000 engine.
________________
Froglord: "... amphibious doom descends ... approach the alter and swear your allegiance to the swamp."

Offline apophenia

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Re: Belated Boomers
« Reply #3 on: June 14, 2015, 04:33:47 AM »
Belated Boomers -- the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporporation CA-22

With the end of WW2, the RAAF lost interest in new-production Boomerangs. But there was still interest in the CA-22 concept. CAC's proposed solution of updating some in-service Boomerangs to approximate CA-22 standards was accepted. This new approach to the CA-22 design adopted the Mustang's bubble canopy but in the original cockpit position with the fuel tank immediately aft.

Conversion work begun in late 1946 with CA-19A A46-240 being transformed and re-serialed A46-1002.

[Top] Prototype CA-22 conversion from CA-19A at Fisherman's Bend, Victoria, in Dec 1946.

'Production' conversions began at Fisherman's Bend using both CA-13 and CA-19 airframes. The earliest CA-22s retained their original gun armament but the .303" Brownings were later eliminated in favour of wing bomb racks. The new canopies were sent as unused wartime stock from North American Aviation which also supplied surplus AT-6 Texan rudders (which were felt gave the Boomerang II a more modern appearance).

The CA-22 re-equipped the RAAF's 5 Army Co-operation Squadron (4 ACS retaining earlier model Boomers until being stood down). The CA-22 conversion was considered a complete success but it was decided to retrofit the CA-22s with 'zero length' rocket launcher stubs.

Thus equipped, the Boomerang IIs were armed with the American 5-inch FFAR (Forward Firing Aircraft Rocket) and, later, 5-inch HVAR rockets fitted with Mk 4 general purpose warheads. Neither rocket was considered accurate enough for target marking. Instead, the rockets tended to be used to shoot up ground defences before marking targets with tracer and HE fire from the 20mm cannons.

[Bottom] CAC CA-22 Boomerang II (A46-1046, ex-CA-13 A46-145), 5 Army Co-operation Squadron, Yonpo, Korea, Nov 1950. In April 1951, 5 Squadron re-eqipped with ex-77 Squadron Mustangs.


______________________
Froglord: "... amphibious doom descends ... approach the alter and swear your allegiance to the swamp."