Commonwealth Wirraway

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Commonwealth Wirraway
Wirraway (AWM AC0141) .jpg
Type: Multipurpose aircraft
Design country:

AustraliaAustralia Australia

Manufacturer:

Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC)

First flight:

March 27, 1939

Commissioning:

1939

Production time:

1939 to 1946

Number of pieces:

755

The Commonwealth Wirraway (Eng. Combat) is an Australian training aircraft . It is a revised license production of the North American NA-16 .

history

Second World War

The development of the Wirraway began in 1937. Compared to the original model, some improvements were made, such as: B. the use of a retractable landing gear. It was used almost exclusively as a training aircraft and weapons trainer. Since the RAAF did not have enough functional aircraft at the start of the war, the Wirraway was often used as a fighter-bomber , dive fighter or similar.

On January 6, 1942, a group of Wirraways intercepted Japanese seaplanes over New Britain . This was the first aerial combat between the RAAF and the Imperial Japanese Air Forces.

It was mainly used to defend New Guinea and the surrounding sea areas until it was replaced by the Curtiss P-40 in 1943 .

Also in 1943, the RAAF put the Commonwealth Boomerang into service. In this model, the supporting structure and some parts of the landing gear were taken over from Wirraway .

post war period

After the war, the Wirraway was used as a training aircraft for some time, but in 1958/59 it was replaced by the Commonwealth Winjeel . To this day, a few preserved Wirraways fly in the warbird scene . In 1999, one of these machines crashed during an air show in Nowra , Australia, killing two people.

Versions

  • CA- 1 : 40 machines
  • CA- 3 : 60 machines
  • CA- 5 : 32 machines
  • CA- 7 : 100 machines
  • CA- 8 : 200 machines
  • CA- 9 : 188 machines
  • CA-16 : 135 machines

Production numbers

Annual production of the Commonwealth Wirraway
Fiscal year number
1.7.1939–30.6.1940 75
1.7.1940–30.6.1941 225
1.7.1941–30.6.1942 320
1.7.1942–30.6.1943 0
1.7.1943–30.6.1944 30th
1.7.1944–30.6.1945 60
1.7.1945–30.6.1946 46
1.7.1946–30.6.1947 1
total 757


Parameter Commonwealth Wirraway data
crew 1
length 8.48 m
height 2.66 mm
Wing area 23.8 m²
Empty mass 1811 kg
Top speed 354 km / h
Rate of climb 594 m / min
Service ceiling 7000 m
Range 1150 km
Engines a Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp
Armament three 7.7 mm machine guns, 454 kg weapon load on two underwing suspensions

Web links

Commons : Commonwealth Wirraway  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Official Year Book of the Commonwealth of Australia No. 37, 1946 and 1947, p. 1168