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Aviation History
1952
1952 - 2148.PDF
148 FLIGHT The Temco 7-35 during static night-firing tests of its two "thirty calibre" wing-mounted gunsm BATTLING BANTAMS . . . see if they would work. They did; being recoil-less, the rockets imposed no great strain on the light airframes, yet packed a powerful enough punch to knock out a tank. But the Army was not allowed to operate armed aircraft, so the scheme went no farther. When the same idea was tried out "unofficially" at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, last year, however, with a Sentinel carrying o.3oin. machine-guns and ioo lb bombs, senior officers were more inclined to turn a blind eye to rules and regulations, and the result may prove interesting. Several U.S. light aircraft manufacturers have, in fact, already put up schemes to "re-vamp" their products to carry guns, bombs, rockets and napalm tanks. Most inter esting to date are the Temco T-35 Buckaroo and the Fletcher FD-25 Defender. The little all-metal Buckaroo (wing span only 29ft 2in) was developed originally as a tandem-seat trainer version of the well-known Temco Swift, with a 165 h.p. Franklin engine. Then the Israeli Government asked if their first production machine could be fitted with two 0.30m guns for weapon training. Temco not only did this, but mounted the guns on the torsional axis of the wing to provide fighter accuracy, and also found room for 100 rounds of ammunition per gun, an electric gun-sight and a 16 mm camera. The Israelis next asked if the Buckaroo could be fitted with rockets, and so it acquired ten 2.75m rockets in addition to its guns. The installation had little effect on performance, and the rockets were arranged to fire either in pairs or salvo. The Buckaroo thus became a ready-made attack type. As a target marker, it could make use of the lower end of its wide speed range, down to 58 m.p.h., to spot the target, then make a second pass at its maximum dive speed of 218 m.p.h. to fire its marker rockets. The combination of small size and high speed would make it far less vulnerable to ground fire than the existing T-6s. The Fletcher Defender was developed from the start as a light ground-attack fighter, embodying every feature that U.S. experts considered necessary for the job. Few details of its equipment or performance have been released, but photographs show it to be a sturdy aircraft of simple, all- metal construction, with wings that promise a wide speed range. Up to 40 small rockets can be carried under its wings in clusters of five, or a combination of standard 5in rockets, fragmentation and H.E. bombs or napalm tanks. Fletchers proudly claim that it introduces a new concept in fighter aircraft, carrying the punch of a heavy tank at one-twentieth the cost of such a vehicle, and this proving that they are well aware of its potential attractiveness to the U.S. Army as well as to the flying Services. The Defender represents the peak of light ground-attack aircraft development to date, and its versatility in attack and low initial and operating costs may well lead to startling new ideas in air warfare. On the other hand, in a full-scale war it might prove vulnerable to ground fire and fighter attack, although World War II experience with slow-flying, manoeuvrable A.P.O. aircraft tends to discount this pos sibility. In any case, the Americans are not the only people interested in this class of aircraft: the French Henri Potez company is developing a new aircraft designated Potez 75, powered by an engine of the same make and carrying a crew of two, plus rockets, bombs or napalm. The bulletin announcing it emphasizes that not only will it be more suit able for army co-operation attack duties than high-speed, high-altitude jets, but that it will be easier to fly. Thus, pilots could be trained more quickly to take an active part in any future campaign, and would not need the same high standard of physique as jet pilots. The French Fouga series of jet-powered trainers would also seem to meet admirably the requirements of light attack. Fouga are aware of this, as they proved at last year's Paris Aero Show, where they displayed the C.M.82R Lutin, a three-quarter scale model of a close-support fighter powered by two Turbomeca Palas engines and armed with a formid able array of guns and rockets. Whatever happens, even if the U.S.A.F. and R.A.F. decide they cannot afford squadrons of entirely new types like the Defender and Lutin, it might not be a bad idea to consider simple modifications to current A.O.P., liaison and basic-training aircraft so that they could be adapted at short notice to carry guns, rockets and bombs if the cold war suddenly became hot. It would not be the first time that David had stopped a Goliath. J.W.R.T. MIG-15 FOR TWO: A SOVIET AIR FORCE JET TRAINER Based on drawings pre pared for the "Joint Services Recognition Jour nal," this sketch shows features of the two-seat trainer version of the Rus sian Mig-15 jet fighter. The redesigned cockpit enclosure appears to be the only superficial altera tion of any consequence. fi-jr.j
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