#commonwealth aviation

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Commonwealth Boomerang A46-122

@Flickr.com

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Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation CA-1 Wirraway

@Destroye83 via X

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Two paintings I’ve done of the RAAF Commonwealth Air Corporation ‘Wirraway’ (Challenge). The federally-funded CAC, for their debut project, instead of a new design from scratch, chose to modify an existing design, the North American AT-6 Texan.

@petehill854 via X

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@Sylvia70485099🇫🇷🇺🇦via X

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Royal Australian Air Force Wirraway

@AviationGeekclub.com

The swift and decisive defeat of RAAF CAC Wirraway aircraft (an Australian development of the North American NA-16 training aircraft) at Rabaul in January 1942 resulted in the type being permanently withdrawn from use as a fighter. However nearly a year later, the Wirraway would score its one and one only aerial victory. Through a combination of skill and good luck, its pilot scored a quick and decisive kill. To this day the victim is often wrongly proclaimed as a “Zero.”

In November 1942, No. 4 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), commenced operations in New Guinea with Wirraways serving in an army co-operation role. Aircraft were detached to Popondetta to support the 7th Australian Division and to Dobodura to support the American 32nd Army Division. Meanwhile, on Dec. 18, 1942, the Japanese Army Air Force (JAAF) arrived at Rabaul in the form of sixty 11th Sentai Nakajima Ki-43 Mark I Hayabusa fighters. The contingent constituted the first Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) fighter unit in New Guinea. It arrived with high expectations, having won prestige through it combat history in Indochina.

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Three CA-1 A20 CAC Wirraway aircraft (A20-21, A20-22, and possibly A20-23) flying in formation, part of No. 21 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force, based at Laverton, Victoria.

@ron_eisele via X

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The Commonwealth CA-11 Woomera, a late World War Two light bomber/attack aircraft from Australia. Designed to replace British designs in RAAF, like the Beaufighter and Beaufort, prolonged development (and a fatal crash of an earlier prototype) meant it never entered production.

@Clarke_Aviation via X