Current and Finished Projects > Stories
Opportunity Cost
AGRA:
Here's the Twin Mustang chaper ahead of schedule thanks to the interest:
CAC Twin Mustang
With the Government’s decision to not acquire aircraft carriers the RAAF was authorised to establish a wing of maritime strike aircraft. No. 77 Wing was established at RAAF Base Nowra (former HMS Nabbington) eventually raising No. 6 Operational Training Unit and Nos. 13, 30 and 31 Squadrons. Initial equipment was war built Department of Aircraft Production (DAP) Bristol Beaufighter Mk 21s. 6 OTU also operated several DAP Beaufort Mk 8s equipped with the 18” (45cm) Mk 12 torpedo for anti-ship training and target tug equipped Beaufighters to support air to air and ground to air training.
The RAAF literally had hundreds of un-used war built Beaufighters to equip the maritime strike wing but quickly established that a new aircraft was needed. The Beaufighter lacked a search radar and the ability to carry a major anti-ship weapon (torpedo) without considerable loss of performance. The RAAF was offered a number of modern aircraft from the UK including Short Sturgeons and Bristol Brigands to replace the Beaufighters. No serious effort was made to investigate US anti shipping aircraft due to a shortage of foreign exchange and the air force’s political desire to not buy carrier capable aircraft from the US Navy.
CAC saw on opportunity to freeze out British competition by offering a modification of their CA-18 contract to build 120 North American Mustang fighters. Thanks to their license agreement with North American Aviation CAC were able to access designs for all Mustang derivatives under the initial contract. They proposed an anti-ship version of the F-82E Twin Mustang that combined two Mustang fighter fuselages together with a new inner wing and tail. The Twin Mustang had the performance to carry several 18” torpedos and 5” rockets as well as the required radio-nav equipment with long range and high speeds.
While this would increase the cost of the CA-18 contract it was much cheaper than buying from the UK and also provided earlier delivery than the British could promise. The Mustang contract also kept CAC’s production line at work until jet fighters were ready and building Twin Mustangs was more useful than another 120 Mustangs to add to the RAAF’s stock of nearly 400 (of which 250 were unused). The RAAF tactical fighter squadrons had plentiful supplies of North American built Mustangs supplied under Lend-Lease and the initial batch of 80 CAC assembled Mustangs to keep them flying until the new jet fighters were acquired.
In 1946 the RAAF gave CAC the go ahead to develop and produce 60 Twin Mustang Mk 24s replacing the 120 Australian built Mustangs. First flight of a CAC Twin Mustang was in 1948 with in service deliveries from late 1949 to late 1951. The Twin Mustang Mk 24 were powered by handed CAC built Merlins with four 20mm Hispano cannons in place of the F-82’s .50” (12.7mm) machineguns. The comprehensive radio navigation fit out included an APS-3 radar with the antenna mounted in a pod on the port wing tip. Offsetting the radar wing tip pod was a night spotlight on the starboard wing which could be controlled by the co-pilot/radio-nav. The Twin Mustang had three stores stations; one beneath each wing, which could carry drop tanks, bombs, 18” torpedos or ‘Christmas Tree’ racks for 5” rockets.
The Maritime Strike Wing was soon to be committed to action with the Twin Mustang with No. 13 Squadron deployed to Malaya in 1950 straight after conversion. In 1948 No. 30 Squadron had deployed to Malaya with the Beaufighters to provide maritime interdiction and light strike and after the arrival of the Twin Mustang returned to Australia. Flying from RAF Changai the ‘Devil’s Brothers’ provided high speed maritime search and on occasion strike throughout the 1950s. While there was little demand for strike against sea targets during the Malayan Emergency the Twin Mustang was widely used for rocket and gun strafing against suspected Communist bases in the Malayan jungle. Some suggested than Lincoln bombers of No. 82 Wing might be more useful than the Twin Mustang because of their heavy payload but the RAAF preferred their commitment to be limited to the cheaper and easier to sustain Twin Mustang.
GTX_Admin:
Nicely done...now all we need is some pictures to illustrate...someone?
Empty Handed:
--- Quote ---The RAAF was offered a number of modern aircraft from the UK including Short Sturgeons and Bristol Buccaneers to replace the Beaufighters.
--- End quote ---
I..... well I mean..... erm..... YEY!!!!! :)
Liking where this is going. Out of interest, what camo do you envisage on the 'stangs?
AGRA:
--- Quote from: Empty Handed on May 07, 2012, 08:29:25 AM ---Liking where this is going. Out of interest, what camo do you envisage on the 'stangs?
--- End quote ---
They are replaced in the late 50s so would - to be historically accurate – be high speed silver from day alpha to day omega. Also some will definitely go to target tug and Woomera duties so some fun high vis, proto Fanta Can stuff (and Fanta Can in the 60s).
But because high speed silver sucks maybe the RAAF’s maritime group will do their own thing because in this Whif they have a separate organisation identity (the Group level HQ) and two wings and purpose to role aircraft not shared with other wings and groups and aren’t just flying 82 Wing hand me downs (Lincolns) and then USN buys (Neptunes).
So we could have RAF style coastal command light slate grey overall with medium sea grey upperworks from the 40s. Followed by a change in 1955 to overall dark sea grey. Because they have no crew in the fuselage they wouldn’t have the demand to paint over the dark sea grey with white upperworks to lower crew temperatures. Also 13 Squadron in Malaya would rapidly paint over the all light slate grey because it would make them stand out at night down in the weeds looking for CT boats. Maybe to a wraparound dark sea and dark slate grey like WWII FAA aircraft?
AGRA:
--- Quote from: Empty Handed on May 07, 2012, 08:29:25 AM ---
--- Quote ---The RAAF was offered a number of modern aircraft from the UK including Short Sturgeons and Bristol Buccaneers to replace the Beaufighters.
--- End quote ---
I..... well I mean..... erm..... YEY!!!!! :)
--- End quote ---
Opps typo... Bristol Brigand... We had some discussions about how to get the whole maritime strike thing from 1946 to 1964 so the RAAF would be buying Blackburn Buccaneers. But I think in this history as it plotted out it just couldn't happen. Especially since in the early 1950s the RAAF sits down and says how do we replace Twin Mustangs with torpedos and the big unguided rocket anti-ship weapon (Hammerhead) with new – Australian built – technology. While at the same time the RN was developing the Banana jet and Green Cheese weapon the RAAF wants to leverage Australian built. So to pre-empt and tease a bit more this is the CAC Kamaraga aircraft (aka CA-23 but not the CA-23 that went to mock up in the real world) and the RAN’s anti-ship weapon Project Woomba (using the Ikara missile airframe). This provides a solution that ends out being a lot better than the Buccaneer in sinking ships in the 1960s since the RN cancelled the guided anti-ship weapon.
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