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The CA-15 Story
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One of the fastest single-piston-engined aircraft ever built was the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation’s CA-15 fighter of 1946. This powerful aircraft had incredible speed, climb, and range performance, and, although little known, is surely one of the Australian aircraft industry’s most outstanding achievements. The CA-15, however, was never to enter production due to the advent of the jet age, and only one prototype aircraft was ever built.
The CA-15 project was conceived in reply to a Royal Australian Air Force specification 2/42, which called for a long-range medium-altitude high-performance fighter. After investigating the possibility of re-vamping the Boomerang fighter, CAC decided to initiate an entirely new design. Originally it was intended to fit the new aircraft with the Pratt and Whitney R. 2800-1OW Double Wasp radial engine with Pesco water injection and a 12 ft. 0 in. diameter propeller. The armament to be used was to be either six 0. 5 in. machine guns or four 20 mm cannon. The design proceeded smoothly and a full-scale mock-up was constructed. But then misfortune struck. CAC was informed that the R. 2800-1OW production line in America had closed down, and CAC found itself in the dilemma of having an aircraft but no engine! An alternative power plant was quickly sought, and it was decided to use the Pratt and Whitney R. 2800-57W with a General Electric C2 turbosupercharger and water injection. The Bristol Centaurus CE- 12S. M. radial was also evaluated as an emergency substitute in the event of the unavailability of Pratt and Whitney. The R. 2800-22W was also considered but was deemed unsuitable.
In August 1944, the state of production of the prototype CA-15 was reported as:
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