Commonwealth CA-12 Boomerang
Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation · Australia · first flew 1942 · fighter
The CAC Boomerang was a single-seat fighter, the first combat aircraft designed and built in Australia; the CA-12 was the original production model.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Stubby, short fuselage with a large radial engine in the nose |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Stubby, short fuselage with a large radial engine in the nose
- Low-mounted cantilever wing with the cockpit over the centre section
- Sliding canopy and a three-bladed propeller
A compact, stubby single-engined fighter, armed with two 20 mm cannon and machine guns.
Specifications
- The Commonwealth CA-12 Boomerang has a length of 7.77 m (25 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 10.97 m (36 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 491 km/h (305 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Lawrence Wackett began the design in late 1941, reusing elements of the Wirraway with a new forward fuselage for a Pratt and Whitney Twin Wasp. The prototype first flew on 29 May 1942.
Variants
The CA-12 batch was followed by the CA-13, CA-14, CA-14A and CA-19, with modifications to improve performance.
Where you'll see it
Its speed was too low at altitude to counter Japanese fighters, so the Boomerang was used mainly for ground support, army co-operation, reconnaissance and air-sea rescue.
Related aircraft
- Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation Woomera
- CAC Wirraway
- Commonwealth CA-15
- Commonwealth CA-25 Winjeel
- Aichi E16A Zuiun
- Bell P-59 Airacomet
- Bell P-63 Kingcobra
- Bereznyak-Isayev BI-1
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