Copyright 2003 by Brandon Cope

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Commonwealth Aircraft CA-13 Boomerang

The Boomerang was a stop-gap design by the Australians and was the only completely Australian-designed aircraft to see service in the war. After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, the Australian air force only had less than 200 (semi-)obsolete aircraft. The Boomerang was based on the proven Wirraway trainer, which factored into the short development period. The plane entered production early in 1942 and started equipping combat units by August of 1942. By the end of the year  its weaknesses (low top speed, poor high altitude performance) were apparent and American and British planes began replacing it. However, it managed to serve through to the end of the war as a ground support aircraft, with the last of just under 250 Boomerangs delivered in early 1945. Of these, some 95 were the Mk II version.

The Boomerang Mk II burns 40 gallons of fuel per hour at routine usage.

Subassemblies: Medium Fighter chassis +3, Medium Fighter Wings +2, three retractable wheels +0.
Powertrain: 895-kW aerial turbocharged gas engine with 895-kW prop and 90-gallon self-sealing tanks [Body and Wings]
Occupancy: 1 CS.  Cargo: 1.6 Body, 0.5 Wings
 
 
Armor F R/L B T U
All 2/3W 2/3W 2/3W 2/3W 2/3W
Cockpit 0/0 0/0 0/+30 0/0 0/+30

Weaponry
4¥Aircraft LMG/.303 Browning [Wing:F] (375 rounds each)*
2¥20mm Long Aircraft AC/Hispano [Wing:F] (65 rounds each)*
* Linked to fire in pairs, plus additional link can fire all six at once

Equipment
Body: Medium range radio transmitter and receiver, navigation instruments, autopilot, 500-lb hardpint.

Statistics
Size: 26'x36'x12' Payload: 0.39 tons Lwt:  3.1 tons
Volume: 200 Maint.: 49 hours Price: $16,600

HT: 9
HP: 120 [body], 80 [each wing], 12 [each wheel]
 
aSpeed: 296 aAccel: 7 aDecel: 21 aMR: 5.25 aSR: 2
Stall speed 73.

Design Notes
Design aSpeed is 292 mph; the historical speed, as well as actual wing area (225 sf), has been used. The designed used a less efficient engine type than the historical one, as the design was running underweight. In the end, empty weight had to be increased 9%.

The Boomerang could carry a drop tank instead of the bomb. Performance does not include a loaded hardpoint.
 
Variants
With the exception of a single prototype (CA-14) designed for high altitude work, all Boomerangs were more or less the same in game terms. There were 105 CA-12 Boomerang Mk I's and 49 CA-19 Boomerang Mk III's built.

The Australian Wirraway (1939) used a 450-kW engine giving a top speed of 220 mph. While the 750 Wirraways were mainly used as advanced trainers, some were operated in the ground-attack role. These carried two forward-firing Vickers Mk V guns (Aircraft LMGs) and a third to the rear operated by the observer. Up to 1,000 lbs of bombs could be carried, but maximum weight was 3.3 tons. One armed Wirraway even managed to shoot down a Zero ...