Commonwealth Kangaroo
| Commonwealth Kangaroo | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | Prototype for a fighter plane |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
March 4, 1946 |
| Number of pieces: |
1 |
The Commonwealth Kangaroo (trade name: CA-15 ) was a prototype for an Australian fighter aircraft.
history
The development of the Kangaroo began in 1943 due to a request from the RAAF for a new high-performance fighter. It was based on the American North American P-51 .
Originally the air-cooled Pratt & Whitney R-2800 star engine was planned as the engine , but in early 1945 the project was switched to the water-cooled V-12 engine Rolls-Royce Griffon after delivery problems with the R-2800 became apparent.
During the first flight, the prototype (A61-1001) showed good flight performance, but the high torque made take-off difficult . Because of a hydraulic failure, the Kangaroo was badly damaged on December 10, 1946 when landing. It was not repaired until early 1948 and further test flights were carried out. On May 25, 1948, she dived at a speed of about 803 km / h.
In 1950 the project was finally discontinued when the Kangaroo was considered obsolete and the Gloster Meteor and the de Havilland DH.100 Vampires had taken their place.
Technical specifications
_(Greg_Goebel).png)
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| span | 10.97 m |
| Wing area | 23.5 m² |
| length | 11.03 m |
| height | 4.34 m |
| Empty mass | 3420 kg |
| Max. Takeoff mass | 5597 kg |
| Top speed | 720 km / h |
| Summit height | approx. 11,900 m |
| Rate of climb | approx. 25 m / s |
| Range | 1870 km |
| Engine | Rolls-Royce-Griffon-61 (1719 kW / 2338 PS) |
| Armament | Six 12.7 mm machine guns, up to 907 kg weapon load |
