CAC CA-12/13/14/19 BOOMERANG

CA-13 Boomerang A46-128

(CA-13 Boomerang Data)
Type:  Single seat fighter & army co-operation aircraft
Powerplant: One 1200hp Pratt & Whitney R-1380-S3C4 Twin Wasp 14-cylinder radial
Propeller Blades: Three
Wingspan: 36'0" (10.97m)
Length: 25'6" (7.77m)
Height: 10'6" (3.20m)
Weight empty: 5373lb (2437kg)
Armament: Two 20mm cannon and four 0.303" machine guns in wings; four 20lb (9kg) smoke bombs under wings
Max take-off overload weight: 8249lb (3742kg)
Max speed: 305 mph (491 km/h) @ 15,000 ft (4725m)
Cruising speed: 190 mph (305 km/h)
Initial rate of climb: 2150 ft (655m) per minute
Range: 930 miles (1496 km); with droptank 1600 miles (2575 km)
Ceiling: 34,000 ft (10,363m)
Operators:  RAAF (Australia)

(Versions produced - 250)
CA-12: (105 built) initial production version
CA-13: (95 built) updated production version with improved handling
CA-19: (49 built) more updated version with detail modifications
CA-14/A: (1 built) Turbocharged version as a proposal for future Boomerang conversions

In early 1942 there was a sudden realisation that a Japanese invasion of Australia was more a probability than it was a possibility, and at that time the RAAF did not have a single modern aircraft in which it could use to defend the nation.  The best of its stock was the locally built Wirraway but was used as an operational trainer and not suitable for a fighter role.  Delays were apparent in the order and delivery of the much desired P-40 Kittyhawk family and the RAAF needed a modern fighter quickly.   From this scenario the so-called "Panic-Fighter" was born - designed, built and flown in just five months.  The main focus was to build a fighter around the most powerful engine readily available - the Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp, and to base it on the Wirraway - using as much of its components as possible.  This included the centre wing section and the basic fuselage frame.  From this emerged the Boomerang and had little resemblence to the Wirraway, in fact it looked more like the Brewster Buffalo and was incorrectly referred as a subtype later by many aviation scriptures.

The first Boomerang - designated CA-12 by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation and politicians - first flew on 29 May 1942 and deliveries to an operational training unit did not begin until October 1942.  During this time the Japanese had staged several bombing attacks on the northern tips of Australia, mostly around Darwin, capital of the Northern Territory.  More than 250 lives were lost in this bombing campaign that remains a rather classified and unknown subject to this very day! 

The Boomerang did not enter service until March 1943, by which time the need for this urgent fighter design had all but completely passed, because deliveries of the P-40 Kittyhawks from the US and Spitfires from Britain were finally filling this void.   Nevertheless five RAAF Squadrons flew the Boomerang against the Japanese and as a fighter it revealed itself as a very poor choice given its speed, performance and altitude restrictions.  However, in army co-operation duties it excelled due to its excellent manoeuvrability, long range and heavy armament where it was often used to mark targets and provide some ground support in New Guinea and neighbouring islands.

The 249 standard Boomerangs (CA-12, 13 & 19) were manufactured in the three basically similar subvariants while the one-off CA-14 was fitted with a turbocharged engine.  This version first flew in January 1943 before it reappeared in mid 1944 as the revised C-14A variant with a new fin and rudder design, new intake arrangement for the turbocharger and a geared cooling fan within the engine cowling, it was basically one of a number of ideas put forward for a higher performance variant of the Boomerang to be in service until the end, then after the War.

The last Boomerang delivery was completed in February 1945 (a CA-19 variant) and the aircraft's career effectively ended with the surrender of Japan.   Surviving Boomerangs were scrapped in early 1946 and only one or two are exhibited in museum collections around the nation.

Colours: Most Boomerangs featured one of three standard colour schemes:
1) Overall Foilage Green wraparound scheme with medium grey codes and serial, commonly yellow spinners
2) Overall Foilage Green wraparound scheme that finishes just in front of the tail. From there back it is white, also has white leading edges on wings and white serial number excerpt on nose. Medium Grey serial and lettering
3) Foilage Green and Earth Brown camouflage with sky blue undersurface. Lettering in light grey and serial in medium Grey.
Foilage Green is often quoted as FS34079 or FS34092.  You will get debates on the exact colour wherever you bring this subject up but the facts are that the paint itself differed depending on source, as it was mixed at different times. For Humbrol matches I generally use #116 for Foilage Green (FS34079) as this looks the best match on paper (for the record #149 would achieve FS34092), #29 for Earth Brown and #23 Duck Egg Blue for the undersurfaces.

USAF T-39A examples consisted of a horizontally split upper white, lower light grey separated by blue cheat line, black nose tip and anti-glare panel in front of cockpit (See USAF museum archive link below) - other examples include same horizontal split design with upper white and lower light grey separated by dark grey cheat line, no anti-glare panel, and white nosetip, one also has been seen in European One wrap around camouflage scheme
USN T-39D examples white overall, red panels over leading edge in front of fin but upper portion, half the tail fin (split vertical), red panel extending to wing tips but in middle portion of wing, light grey inner wing root section, red fuselage forward section then overdrawn with black nose and anti-glare panel. (See Rockwell link below)

Reference material available:  There really is only one complete reference material available for this aircraft and that is "Wirraway, Boomerang & CA-15 in Australian Service" by Stewart Wilson, a copy can be obtained through the Australian Aviation website - www.ausaviation.com.au. This is an excellent book that outlines the history, markings, sketches etc on these aircraft.  "Military Aircraft of the RAAF" also authored by Wilson covers all the aircraft used by the RAAF and includes a segment on the Boomerang.

Known Model Kits:  1/72 - Airfix, see review on this web site - acceptable but not very accurate

Known Web links: Boomerang history: http://www.dropbears.com/av/KFXart/articles/boomer.htm
Image of a restored CA-13: http://warbird.totavia.com/over7.html
RAAF Fighters homepage:  http://www.ozemail.com/~peril/wbraaf/aircraft/index.html
Boomerang info, specs & history:  http://gilligan.netisle.net/scysoft/wwii/australia/boomerang.html
Martin's page on the Boomerang (with inaccuracies!): http://www.yvas.vic.edu.au/~year9/martin.htm

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