Country of origin:

Australia

Description:

Two-seat basic military trainer

Power Plant:

One 448 kw (600 hp) Pratt & Whitney S1H1-G Wasp nine-cylinder air-cooled radial engine

Specifications:

Armament:

Two 7.7 mm (0.303 in) machine guns fixed firing forward; one 7.7 mm (0.303 in) machine gun on swivelling mount in rear cockpit; one 227 kg (500 lb) or two 113 kg (250 lb) bombs; provision for light bombs or marker flares under centre-section

History:

The CAC Wirraway (an aboriginal word meaning challenge) was a development of the North American NA-32 and NA-33 by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation.

In 1935 some concern was shown in Australia about the establishment of an aircraft industry. The Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation at Fishermens Bend, VIC was incorporated on 17 October 1936 and asked to build aircraft for the RAAF. In mid 1937 a North American NA-32 (known as the NA-16-1A in Australia) was purchased. This aircraft had a single-row Pratt & Whitney Wasp radial engine and a fixed undercarriage. Later, on 2 February 1938, it was taken on charge by the RAAF as A20-1.

A North American NA-33 (known in Australia as the NA-16-2K) with a retractable undercarriage was also purchased, becoming A20-2. A contract was placed with CAC to produce the NA-33 as the CA-1 Wirraway. This had various modifications to suit Australian requirements, including two synchronised machine guns in blast troughs in the upper forward fuselage in place of a single machine gun, and a single machine gun on a swivelling mount in the rear cockpit. Camera and radio installations were introduced, and wing and tail units were re-designed and strengthened for dive-bombing.

The first Australian-built Wirraway A20-3 was flown at Fishermens Bend, on 27 March 1939 by Flt Lt H Walker, and production commenced, the first three aircraft being accepted by the RAAF in July 19392

A total of 755 examples was built, comprising: A20-1 and A20-2 (American-built machines); CAC CA-1 Wirraway I A20-3 to A20-42 (c/n 1 to 40) [40 aircraft]; CA-3 Wirraway II A20-43 to A20-102 (c/n 41 to 100) [60 aircraft]; CA-5 Wirraway II A20-103 to A20-134  (c/n 103 to 134) [32 aircraft]; CA-7 Wirraway II A20-135 to A20-234 (c/ns 135 to 234) [100 aircraft]; CA-8 Wirraway II A20-235 to A20-434 (c/n 436 to 635) [200 aircraft]; CA-9 Wirraway II A20-435 to A20-622  (c/n 636 to 823) [188 aircraft]; and CA-16 Wirraway II A20-623 to A20-757 (c/n 1075 to 1224) [135 aircraft], deliveries to the RAAF taking place between July 1939 and July 1946.

Great Britain also required aircraft and placed an order for 245 Wirraways, to be delivered by the end of 1942, this order being increased to 500 in October 1940, Britain to import engines direct from the United States. However, following the implementation of Lend-Lease, the British Government funded the procurement of aircraft for use in the Empire Air Training Scheme in Australia and no Wirraways were delivered to the UK.

In January 1942, eight Wirraways engaged a force of more than 100 Japanese aircraft near Rabaul, New Britain. Although completely outclassed by the enemy aircraft, the type remained in service throughout the war in the advanced training role, and one particular aircraft A20-103 (preserved in the Australian War Memorial, Canberra, ACT) is well known as it was in this aircraft that Flying Officer J S Archer and Sergeant J L Coulston, on 26 December 1942, near Gona, shot-down a Mitsubishi A6M-2 fighter.

Before Pearl Harbour No 24 Squadron operated the Wirraway at Vunakanau airfield at Rabaul, the first Japanese attack on Rabaul taking place on 4 January 1942 when 22 Mitsubishi ‘Nells’ attacked. Two Wirraways attempted to make contact but were not successful. First air-to-air combat was on 6 January 1942 when a Wirraway flown by Flt Lt B Anderson intercepted a Kawanishi ‘Mavis’ flying boat over Rabaul . Further Japanese attacks were made, in particular on 20 January 1942 when 100 aircraft approached but the Wirraways had no success, three being shot down and the others being severely damaged. Soon after No 24 Squadron returned to Bankstown, NSW where it was re-equipped with the Vultee Vengeance.

Initial operations by No 12 Squadron RAAF were on convoy patrols, No 21 Squadron moving to Malaya to assist in local defence.  No 21 arrived in Singapore in July 1940, moving later to Seletar, but by November 1941 it was decided the Wirraway was only to be used for training in that theatre, and the unit was re-equipped with the Brewster Buffalo.

A detachment of Wirraways was based at Kanangia, Malaya, this being a training unit which was brought to operational status due to a lack of aircraft, the pilots of this unit being RNZAF personnel and the observers RAAF personnel.  On 19 January 1942 four Nerherlands East Indies Air Force (NEIAF) Martin B-10s and five Wirraways attacked enemy positions and barges in the Maur River in Malaya, being escorted by Brewster Buffaloes but all Martin B-10s and one CAC Wirraway were shot down.  Subsequently the Wirraway was used in the defence of Darwin, NT but later was mainly used in the training role, although some numbers were used in New Guinea for army co-operation duties,  Wirraways took part in fighting around Gona, Buna and Sanananda.

Squadrons equipped with the type initially were No 4 at Canberra, No 5 at Laverton, VIC, No 12 at Darwin, No 22 at Richmond, NSW, No 23 at Archerfield, QLD, No 24 at Townsville, QLD  and No 25 at Pearce, WA. In the training role it saw service with Nos 2, 5 and 6 Service Flying Training School (SFTS) units at Wagga Wagga, Uranquinty and Deniliquin in New South Wales.

By the end of 1940 204 had been delivered and production was at a rate of seven aircraft a week. By September 1941 production had reached 45 aircraft a month.

In 1942 operations commenced with improvised dive-bombing flaps, 113 aircraft being converted after a Wirraway was converted in Malaya for this role.  As the war progressed the type was basically relegated to training duties, although a number remained in Squadron service for army co-operation duties.  After the war the Wirraway remained in service until 1959. At least 17 served with the Royal Australian Navy and two (A20-497 and A20-527) were delivered to the USAAF in Australia.

After World War II a few Wirraways appeared on the Civil Aircraft Register and were used mainly in the agricultural role by Super Spread Aviation Pty Ltd of Bentleigh, VIC, these including VH-AAZ³ (c/n 763 – ex A20-532); VH-SSF (c/n 2244 – ex A20-692) and VH-SSG (c/n 1148 – ex A20-696).  These were not particularly successful in this role and eventually were broken up.

This led to the development of the CAC CA-28 Ceres, a much modified Wirraway designed for agricultural work using Wirraway components.  One (A20-704 – c/n 1156) was flown from Mallala, SA to Bankstown, NSW in February 1960 but the owner was not able to register the aircraft and it was sold to Airfarm Associates in 1963 for pilot training for the CAC Ceres.

With the upsurge in interest in ‘warbird’ type aircraft the remains of a number of Wirraways have been restored.  First completed was in the early 1980s in Melbourne, VIC A20-653 becoming VH-BFF (c/n 1105), later based at Temora, NSW.  One was exchanged with the Swedish Air Force Museum for a Noorduyn-built North American Harvard Mk IIB.

Others completed to airworthiness have included: VH-BFO (c/n 1156 – ex A20-704); VH-CAC (c/n 1174 – ex A20-722); VH-IVS (c/n 596 – ex A20-395); VH-MFW (ex 1147 – ex A20-695); VH-WAY (c/n 1125 – ex A20-673); VH-WIR¹ (ex A20-673) exported to the Fantasy of Flight Museum at Polk City, Florida; and VH-WIR² (c/n 1104 – ex A20-652) restored and placed on display at The Queensland Air Museum at Caloundra.

Others registered have included VH-WWY (c/n 79 – ex A20-81 – painted as A20-176) and VH-MHP (A20-695 – c/n 1147), these aircraft being restored by Sandora Aero Engineering at Caboolture, QLD.   Others have been in the course of restoration. VH-WRX (c/n 719 – ex A20-719 – painted as A20-485 – c/n 1171) was restored by Classic Aviation at Bankstown, NSW.  At one stage the aircraft was used to represent a Douglas Dauntless in a film ‘The Thin Red Line’. However, it was lost in an accident at Nowra on 19 July 2001.  A CA-7 Wirraway A20-222 (c/n 222) was expected to become VH-NBG when completed.

A few have survived in museums, including A20-10 at National Aviation Museum at Moorabbin, VIC; A20-685 at the Camden Aviation Museum at Narellan, NSW; A20-103 with the Australian War Memorial; A20-651 at the Fleet Air Arm Museum at Nowra, NSW; A20-688 at the RAAFA Museum at Bull Creek, Perth, WA; A20-687 (painted as A20-561) at the RAAF Museum at Point Cook, VIC.

In 2012 VH-BFO was exported and became part of the collection of aircraft in the Fantasy of Flight Museum in Florida, joining A20-673, both aircraft being held in storage.