WesWorld

Australian Aviation AA-5 Centaur (1935)

Lightweight fighter, to small to upgrade, replaced by the FA-51B and used as an advanced trainer.

Power: Rolls-Royce 870hp Peregrine

Armament: Four 7.62/0.3in machine guns

Size: Wingspan - 29ft
Length - 25ft
Wing area - 170sq ft

Weight: Empty - 3200lb
Max take-off - 3900lb

Performance: Max speed - 330mph
Ceiling - 33,000ft
Range - 500 miles
Climb - 3300ft per minute

Fokker-Avia Australia D.XXIb

50 built. All in reserve.

Power: Rolls-Royce 870hp Peregrine
Max weight : 4,400 lbs
Normal operating weight : 4,255 lbs
Armament : 20mm Cannon, 4 x 7.62mm MGs, radio.
Rate of climb : estimated 2,790 fpm
Maximum speed : estimated 340 mph at 12,000 feet
Maximum altitude : 40,000 feet
Wingloading : 22 lbs / sq. ft

Fokker Australian FA-51B Mustang

OTL P-51B w Malcolm Hood

Power: Rolls-Royce 1,595 hp Merlin 61

Armament: Four 50cal machine guns

Size: Wingspan - 37ft
Length - 32ft
Wing area - 230sq ft

Weight: Empty - 7000lb
Max take-off - 1000lb

Performance: Max speed - 440mph
Ceiling - 42,000ft
Range - 1,200 miles
Climb - 3400ft per minute

Australian Aviation AA-5 Kelpie

Landbased version (RG)

Power: 2x Rolls Royce Merlins 1100hp

Length: 35 ft
Wingspan: 40 ft
Height: 13 ft
Wing area: 280 ft²

Empty, 8500 lb
Max Take Off, 15000 lb

Max Speed, 415mph
Range, 770miles

Armament: Four 7.62/0.3in machine guns, two 20mm cannons

Hawker Tornado

Armament: 4x 20mm cannon
Dimensions; 41.11/ 32.10/ 14.8/ 283 sq ft
Power: 1x 1,980hp RR Vulture II
Max speed 398mph
Range 510 miles
Service ceiling 34,900ft

Gloster S.44 Reaper

The related Gloster S.44 Reaper is a variant of the modified G.39 tendered to Spec F.18/37 for the RAF. Although it lost to the Boulton Paul P.97 the RAAF placed a development contract in mid 1938 and the prototype G.39 was rebuilt and first flew in May 1939. The S.44 Reaper has a second crewman in new glazed cockpit and is powered by two 1,185hp Rolls-Royce Merlin V, armament is four 20mm cannon in the nose. Ceiling is 35,500 feet and maximum speed is 390mph at 22,500 feet.

Australian Aviation AA-54 Swoose Goose

(specs to come)

Australian Aviation AA-39 Monarch (Airship Fighter)

Crew: 1
Length: 29 ft
Wingspan: Front 24 ft Rear: 40
Height: 10 ft
Wing area: 70 ft² and 200 ft²
Empty weight: 5,900 lb
Loaded weight: 7,400 lb
Powerplant: 2× Rolls Royce Kestrel 700 hp each

Performance

Maximum speed: 370 mph
Range: 900 miles
Armaments: 4x0.3 cal MGs

Australia's search for a long range fighter had met with disappointment. Neither the AA-5 Kelpie nor the AA-54 Swoose Goose had lived up to their promise. However, the FA-51B Mustang had proven to be a reliable long range fighter, but did not provide enough range or endurance to meet the very high RAAF requirements. Australian Aviation therefore took the task of designing a dedicated very-long range of the Mustang.

Changes included permanent tip tanks, new wing tanks, and an extra fuselage tank, increasing range to 2,000nm. Various modifications to provide a cleaner wing and fuselage to reduce drag. Provisions for a jump seat behind the pilot and a new canopy (jumpseat could be replaced with a fuel tank, large survival kit, or cameras), better autopilot and increased vertical and horizontal stabilizer size for greater stability to reduce pilot workload on long missions, and an improved cockpit with extra navigation instruments and a more comfortable seat and teapot/food warmer. The engine was a Merlin 66 derated to provide better reliability and improved fuel economy.

Specifications

Power: Rolls-Royce 1,720 hp Merlin 66 (downrated to 1,620 hp)

Armament: Four 50cal machine guns

Size: Wingspan - 39ft
Length - 34ft
Wing area - 240sq ft

Weight: Empty - 9,000lb
Max take-off - 12,000lb

Performance: Max speed - 432mph
Ceiling - 39,000ft
Range - 2,000 miles
Climb - 3200ft per minute

Picture

Airship-carried fighter.

Statistics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 22.4 ft
- Wingspan: 21 ft
- Height: 12 ft
- Wing area: 135 ft²
- Empty weight: 4,750 lbs
- Loaded weight: 6,500 lbs
- Powerplant: Orenda Oneida II (1750hp)
- Armament: 4x12.7mm MG (nose), 100 pound payload
- Armour: 6mm Backplate for Pilot

Performance
- Maximum speed: 435 mph @ 25,000 feet
- Max Range: 750 mi
- Service ceiling: 37,500 ft
- Rate of Climb: 4,134 ft/min

Developed from work conducted by Miles Aircraft in Britain and Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation in Australia, through CADRE. Planned options include airship trapeeze rig and strenthened landing gear for carrier operations.
Licence-built by De Havilland Canada as CF-14 Monarch.

After the failure of the AA-67 turboprop-powered long-range fighter to enter service due to several aerodynamic problems, the RAAF turned to de Havilland Australia (DHA) for a new interceptor to replace some of the older FA-51B Mustang fighters. DHA had already sought out a licence to build its parent company's DH.100 Vampire jet-powered fighter but the Vampire lacked the necessary range. The RAAF asked DHA to consider a variant with a turboprop replacing the DH Goblin turbojet, but the performance was poorer and the fuel consumption still relatively high. DHA then turned its attention to the more powerful Rolls-Royce Nene turbojet which would improve performance in hot and high conditions and allow for greater structural changes and increases in weight. The resulting DHA-1 Spider Crab is a hybrid, the main fuselage 'pod' is essentially that of the Vampire but the wings have been enlarged and fitted with wingtip fuel tanks to increase range (it should be noted that these wings are not the same as the 'Thin-Wing Vampire' which is entering RAF service as the Venom, although both wings are quite similar). The greater airflow mass required for the Nene has also required larger wingroot intakes.
Using imported components, the prototype was first flown during June 1947 and fifty production aircraft were built during 1948-49. The majority of these airframes are entirely built in Australia, and the Nene turbojets have been produced by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation's factory in Melbourne under licence.

Length: 30 ft 9 in (9.37 m)
Wingspan: 41 ft 8 in (12.70 m)
Height: 8 ft 10 in (2.69 m)
Wing area: 279 ft² (25.9 m²)
Empty weight: 9,182 lb (4,164 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 15,000 lb (6,803 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Rolls-Royce Nene IIIA centrifugal turbojet, 5,000 lbf (22.24 kN)
Maximum speed: 648 mph (1,042 km/h)
Range: 1,120 miles (1,800 km)
Service ceiling: 39,500 ft (12,040 m)
Rate of climb: 9,000 ft/min (45.7 m/s)
Armament: 4 × 20 mm Oerlikon FFB(A) cannon (150rpg); 8 × 3-inch rocket-projectiles or 2 × 1,000 lb (453 kg) bombs