Commonwealth Woomera
| Commonwealth Woomera | |
|---|---|
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|
|
| Type: | Recon , light bomber |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
September 19, 1941 |
| Commissioning: |
was never put into service |
| Number of pieces: |
3 |
The Commonwealth Woomera (Eng. "Javelin Thrower") was a three-seater Australian light bomber and reconnaissance aircraft that did not go into series production.
history
The Woomera was intended as the successor to the Bristol Beaufort . This should replace them in the role of reconnaissance and torpedo bomber .
In flight, the Woomera proved to be quite unstable, which was to be remedied on the series machines by a revised structure and an enlarged tail unit. In April 1942, the machine was transferred to the RAAF for weapons testing, but the project suffered a setback in January 1943 when the prototype crashed. The cause was leaking fuel, which ignited during the flight. Two crew members were killed.
The first production aircraft was not ready to fly until July 7, 1944. At this time the Bristol Beaufighter had already taken on the role of the Beaufort and the Woomera was also considered obsolete as a bomber . Of the 105 machines originally ordered, the RAAF only bought two and used them for test purposes until 1946.
Versions
- CA-4 : prototype, one machine
- CA-11 : planned series version, two machines
Technical specifications
| Parameter | CA-11 |
|---|---|
| length | 12.06 m |
| span | 18.05 m |
| Wing area | 40.88 m² |
| height | 5.53 m |
| Empty mass | 5798 kg |
| Max. Takeoff weight | 10,380 kg |
| Top speed | 455 km / h |
| Range | 3850 km |
| Rate of climb | 10.6 m / s |
| Service ceiling | 7160 m |
| Engine | two Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp S3C3 |
| Armament | two 20 mm Hispano automatic cannons and two 7.7 mm machine guns in the bow, two 7.7 mm machine guns each in remote-controlled stands behind the engine pods, a single machine gun on the back of the fuselage, up to 1450 kg weapon load or two torpedoes |
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Joe Vella: From Fisherman's Bend - The Aircraft of the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation . In: AIR Enthusiast, No.61, January / February 1996, p. 28