Aviation Center Australia

The Bristol Beaufighter was developed in about 8 months by using sections from the earlier designed Bristol Beaufort. It was given more powerful engines and a variety of modifications making the aircraft capable of many tasks. It was a night fighter, fighter bomber and torpedo bomber performing anti-shipping duty as well as ground attack and long range interdiction. The different variants, 14 in all, were capable of carrying bombs, torpedoes, rockets, canons and machine guns. The Beaufighter was operated by 11 countries.

 

The 93rd Squadron was formed on January 22 1945 without an official name or motto. So unofficially it became the “Green Ghost Squadron” and the unofficial motto was “Spookus Sneakinus”. Mid 1945 the squadron transferred to an island off Borneo called Labuan. Their task was to disrupt Japanese shipping and airfields. In August 1945 the squadron was tasked with destroying a Japanese oil tanker. The ship was destroyed but turned out to be the 800 ton private yacht of the Rajah of Sarawak. The 93rd Squadron was disbanded on 22 August 1946.

The F-4 Phantom II first entered US Military service in 1960. It was designed as a fleet defense fighter for the US Navy but by 1963 it was adopted as the US Air Force primary fighter-bomber. Despite the size and weight of this Cold War icon the F-4 broke 15 world records and continued to hold five of them until 1975.

Produced from 1960 to 1981 there were 5,195 Phantom IIs manufactured. Eleven countries other than the USA had the Phantom II in their inventory.

 

Due to the delay of delivery of the F-111, 24 F-4Es were leased to Australia Air Force under the Peace Reef programme in 1970. The F-4Es served with N0. 1 and No.6 Squadrons based at RAAF Base Amberley.

In 1972 United States offered to sell the least aircrafts to Australia but the offer was turned down due to economic reasons. During its service, the F-4 Phantom was highly praised by the aircrews.

A-10 was the first USAF aircraft designed specifically for “Close Air Support ” (CAS) . It can be described as the outcome of the experience gained in the Vietnam War and the threats of the Soviet Union armor forces during the Cold War era. The first A-10A “Thunderbolt II” was delivered October 1975 and deployment in March 1976.

A-10's pilot is protected by titanium armor around his seat and the canopy isa large bubble canopy which provides all-round vision. The aircraft is designed with dual engines and the self-sealing fuel cells are protected by internal and external foam . Extra titanium is used to protect some flight control system parts of the aircraft. All these insure the plane and pilot's safety from enemy fires.

Though A-10 may be slow comparing to other aircraft s, it is extremely maneuverable and have proven itself as a deadly machine. Its main weapon, the GAU-8A gun, can fire 30mm shells made of uranium at a rate of 4,000 rounds a minute which is sufficient to destroy most armored targets.

 

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of WWII "D-Day" on June 6 1944 a single aircraft from the Air Force Reserve 45th FS / 930th OG located at Grissom AFB Indiana received a special paint scheme. It consisted of invasion stripes similar to those worn by some of the original Thunderbolts that flew in support of the 1944 invasion of Normandy.

A-10 was the first USAF aircraft designed specifically for “Close Air Support ” (CAS) . It can be described as the outcome of the experience gained in the Vietnam War and the threats of the Soviet Union armor forces during the Cold War era. The first A-10A “Thunderbolt II” was delivered October 1975 and deployment in March 1976.

A-10's pilot is protected by titanium armor around his seat and the canopy isa large bubble canopy which provides all-round vision. The aircraft is designed with dual engines and the self-sealing fuel cells are protected by internal and external foam . Extra titanium is used to protect some flight control system parts of the aircraft. All these insure the plane and pilot's safety from enemy fires.

Though A-10 may be slow comparing to other aircraft s, it is extremely maneuverable and have proven itself as a deadly machine. Its main weapon, the GAU-8A gun, can fire 30mm shells made of uranium at a rate of 4,000 rounds a minute which is sufficient to destroy most armored targets.

 

2003 marked the 80th anniversary of the 118th FS, the third oldest ANG squadron. They wanted to celebrate the occasion with a special paint scheme for their A-10A. Aircraft 78-621 was selected for the modernized version of the scheme that was inspired by the 118ths WWII P-51s with black lightning bolts on the side. This was how the WWII group got the name the "Black Lightning Squadron" and the 103rd FW "wing jet" became known as "Black Lightning". The 103rd FW markings were eventually restored to the engine.

The Bristol Beaufighter was designed as a two-seat long-range fighter. To speed up production many parts of the older Bristol Beaufort were used. The tail, landing gear and wings of the Beaufort were transplanted to the Beaufighter and most units were equipped with airborne radar located in the nose for night-fighting. The Mk. IF was the initial production and fitted with four 20 mm cannons in the nose along with six 7.7 mm machine guns in the wings. There were a total of 553 of the IF version produced.

 

In April 1943 the 236 Squadron was one of three squadrons forming the new Coastal Command Strike Wing, Coastal Group #16 at RAF North Coates. The Bristol Beaufighter Mk. X commonly referred to as the “Torbeau” because of its ability to be armed with a torpedo or optional rockets or bombs. Their primary function was anti-shipping and during the final three years of WWII the North Coates squadrons sank 117 ships with over 150,000 tons. All this came at the cost of 120 Beaufighters and 241 crew members.

The Bristol Beaufighter was designed as a two-seat long-range fighter. To speed up production many parts of the older Bristol Beaufort were used. The tail, landing gear and wings of the Beaufort were transplanted to the Beaufighter and most units were equipped with airborne radar located in the nose for night-fighting. The Mk. IF was the initial production and fitted with four 20 mm cannons in the nose along with six 7.7 mm machine guns in the wings. There were a total of 553 of the IF version produced.

 

604 Squadron “County of Middlesex” began using Beaufighters in September 1940. Initially used to provide night defense, but in 1943 was changed to night intrusion operations. The highest scoring RAF night fighter pilot was John “Cat’s Eyes” Cunningham with 20 victories. In 1940 he was the first pilot to shoot down an airplane using radar. To cover that they had radar the British came up with a story that the pilot’s could see in the dark and it was all possible because of the vitamin A in carrots.

When Japan entered WWII the B5N Kate was the standard torpedo bomber and sank more Allied ships than any other type of Japanese aircraft. B5N2's played the main role in sinking the carrier Lexington at Coral Sea,Yorktown at Midway and Hornet at the Battle of Santa Cruz in October 1942. There were 1,150 B5N1 and B5N2 Torpedo Bombers produced but by 1944 the Kate had been replaced by the B6N "Jill". The Kate ended its service being used for Kamikaze attacks leaving no surviving examples.

 

The B5N1 entered service in 1937 and served as a tactical bomber in the attack of China. In 1939 it was replaced by the B5N2 with an improved design.

The plane served in front-line service until early 1944. Many were modified for maritime reconnaissance (adding ground search radar) or anti-submarine (adding a MAD sensor) roles.

German Ace Martin Drewes started out with Panzer Regiment 6. He transferred to the Luftwaffe and quickly rising to Major. He eventually commanded III/NJG 1. Flying his Bf-110G-4U1 he would maneuver below the unprotected Allied bombers and fire up into them. Once he shot a fully loaded bomber that exploded destroying his own plane. He flew 235 missions with 52 victories, 43 were at night and 50 were 4 engine planes. Awards, the German Cross in Gold; Luftwaffe Honor Goblet; Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross; Oakleaves for the Iron Cross.

 

The Bf-110G-4 was a dedicated night fighter entering service in late 1942. It received a larger engine and the plane was strengthened to accommodate this. This strengthening allowed the plane to carry heavier payloads resulting in an extended service life. It also had extra protection and carried factory installed airborne interception radar. There were field kits available so each pilot could personalize his aircraft with various armaments to help him achieve a higher rate of success. By mid 1944 the Me-410 was replacing the Bf-110G and in February 1945 production ended.

When used as a heavy-fighter-bomber the Bf-110 had mixed results. But when airborne radar was added along with nose-mounted armament and Schrage Musik (the upward firing cannons) the Bf-110 became a deadly nighttime predator for British bombers. By the end of 1942 Germany had almost 400 night-fighters of which 75% were Bf-110s. These deadly hunters managed to destroy almost 1300 aircraft during 1942 alone. As the British bomber attacks increased in size and frequency the Bf-110 was simply overwhelmed and couldn’t cope allowing more and more bombs to make it to German cities.

 

In November 1939 the 17 year old Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer joined the Luftwaffe and in January 1942 was based at Saint-Trond Belgium where he became known as "The Night Ghost Of Saint-Trond". By the end of WWII the 23-year old Schnaufer was NJG-1 Kommandeur with several medals having flown 164 missions and 121 victories making him the top scoring Nachtjager pilot. On February 21, 1945 he added 9 RAF bombers to his victories. After surviving WWII it is almost ironic that Schnaufer died at age 28 in a car accident.

When used as a heavy-fighter-bomber the Bf-110 had mixed results. But when airborne radar was added along with nose-mounted armament and Schrage Musik (the upward firing cannons) the Bf-110 became a deadly nighttime predator for British bombers. By the end of 1942 Germany had almost 400 night-fighters of which 75% were Bf-110s. These deadly hunters managed to destroy almost 1300 aircraft during 1942 alone. As the British bomber attacks increased in size and frequency the Bf-110 was simply overwhelmed and couldn’t cope allowing more and more bombs to make it to German cities.

 

This BF 110 bears a distinctive shark mouth design on the nose which was originally used by BF 110s of II/ZG 76, the Haifischgruppe.