Commonwealth Boomerang

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Commonwealth CA 12 Boomerang
Commonwealth Boomerang
Type: Fighter plane
Design country:

AustraliaAustralia Australia

Manufacturer:

Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation

First flight:

May 29, 1942

Commissioning:

1943

Production time:

1942-1945

Number of pieces:

250

The Commonwealth CA 12 Boomerang was a 1942 in Australia developed fighter plane of World War II and the postwar period. It was the Australian Air Force's first fighter aircraft to be entirely developed in Australia. It had a crew of one man and was armed with two automatic cannons and four machine guns.

development

At the beginning of the Second World War, Australia did not have its own interceptors . After Japan entered the war, the threat to Australian ports grew. In view of this situation, the tender for such an aircraft was issued at the beginning of 1942. The Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation developed the prototype of a fighter plane within a few weeks using components from the Commonwealth Wirraway . The machine called the Commonwealth CA 12 Boomerang took off on its maiden flight on May 29, 1942. In early 1943, the Australian Air Force received the first production aircraft. As the war progressed, the Australian Air Force also used the aircraft as a fighter-bomber . The aircraft converted in this way were given the designation Commonwealth CA 13 Boomerang Mk. II . The further developments CA 14 and CA 14A were no longer developed for series production.

Production numbers

Commonwealth Boomerang annual production
Fiscal year number
July 1, 1942– June 30, 1943 105
July 1, 1943– June 30, 1944 103
July 1, 1944– June 30, 1945 42
total 250

Technical specifications

CA-13 Boomerang Mk.II
Parameter Data
length    7.77 m
height    2.92 m
span    10.97 m
Wing area    20.90 m²
Empty mass    2,437 kg
maximum take-off mass    3,742 kg
Engine    a 14-cylinder double radial engine Pratt & Whitney R-1830-SC3C4-G Twin Wasp
with 895 kW (1,200 PS)
Top speed     491 km / h at an altitude of 4,725 m
Initial rate of climb    14.93 m / s
maximum range    2,575 km
Summit height    10,365 m
Armament    four 7.7mm Browning MG and two 20mm Hispano MK

Web links

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

Individual evidence

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