Photograph:
Cutaway model of the GAF F.2 during early development (Author’s collection)
Country of origin:
Australia
Description:
Two-seat military trainer
Power Plant:
One General Electric CF-700 turbofan
Specifications:
- Max speed at: 9,144 m (30,000 ft)
- Mach 0.8: 871 km/h (541 mph)
- Ceiling: 12,192 m (40,000 ft)
- Range: 1,852 km (1,151 miles)
History:
The GAF F.2 was a proposed two-seat training aircraft designed to meet the RAAF’s Air-51 requirement by the Government Aircraft Factory for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) but in the end the project did not proceed to completion and the Macchi MB-326H was eventually purchased for the Air Force.
The F.2 was a two-seat in tandem trainer powered by a General Electric CF-700 turbofan, which was selected for its performance, being able to provide a usable training altitude of up to 12,192 m (40,000 ft) and a good speed, being expected to be able to reach 470 knots (871 km/h – 541 mph).
During development, a 1/6th scale model of the trainer was built and used in free-flight spinning trials, 8 mm cameras recording roll, pitch and yaw vanes, and also recording accelerometer and rate gyros. A further model was built and used during wind-tunnel testing.
At the time the Air-51 requirement was published, Hawker de Havilland at Bankstown, NSW also showed some interest in providing a design, initially offering an aircraft known as the P-17, an indigenous design derived from the Vampire, but also showed some interest in joining with the Government Aircraft Factory and the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation in development of the design of the F.2.