Autor Thema: What if? F4U-5 der Forca Aérea Paraguaya während "Operation Power Pack" 1966  (Gelesen 2738 mal)

0 Mitglieder und 1 Gast betrachten dieses Thema.

Online dizzyfugu

  • Captain
  • *****
  • Beiträge: 3009
    • FlickR - Mecha, Anime-Charaktere, anderes...
Was Einfaches - aus den "Resten" der F4U, die ich kürzlich wegen der Aufkleber für die "Bourrasque" angeschafft habe... Fast OOB, eher subtil.  ;)





Some background:
The Chance Vought F4U Corsair was an American fighter aircraft that saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War.

The Corsair had been designed as a carrier-based aircraft, but its difficult carrier landing performance rendered the Corsair unsuitable for Navy use until the carrier landing issues were overcome when used by the British Fleet Air Arm.

The Corsair thus came to and retained prominence in its area of greatest deployment: land based use by the U.S. Marines. The role of the dominant U.S. carrier based fighter in the second part of the war was thus filled by the Grumman F6F Hellcat, powered by the same Double Wasp engine first flown on the Corsair's first prototype in 1940.






The Corsair served to a lesser degree in the U.S. Navy. As well as the U.S. and British use the Corsair was also used by the Royal New Zealand Air Force, the French Navy Aéronavale and other, smaller, air forces until the 1960s.

One of these were the Air Forces of Paraguay. Land-locked Paraguay first formed a flying branch of it's Army in 1927, and today's Fuerza Aérea Paraguaya (FAP) saw it's formation in 1946. Being surrounded by friendly countries and economic problems does not allow the FAP to operate a substantial combat aircraft fleet however, and the Corsairs were low budget start for the young air force.

The Corsairs for Paraguay were up to the late WWII F4U-5 standard, but lacked the naval equipment (e. g. the arrester hook, even though the wing folding mechanism was retained) since these machines were to be deployed purely from land bases and primarily as fighters.
For the Paraguayan Air Force, the machines were also outfitted with special Curtiss Electric constant-speed propellers of 146 in (3.7 m) in diameter with deeper blades, optimized for “hot and high” use.






The F4U-5 itself was a design modification of the F4U-4 and first flown on 21st of December 1945. It was intended to increase the F4U-4 Corsair's overall performance and incorporate many Corsair pilots' suggestions. It featured a more powerful Pratt and Whitney R-2800-32(E) engine with a two-stage supercharger, rated at a maximum of 2,850 hp (2,130 kW), recognizable through the twin cheek air intakes fairings alongside the cowling. This Corsair type was also flown by the Argentine Navy and Honduras’ Air Force.

Other improvements included automatic blower controls, cowl flaps, intercooler doors and oil cooler for the engine, spring tabs for the elevators and rudder, a completely modernized cockpit, a completely retractable tail wheel as well as heated cannon bays and pitot head. The cowling was lowered two degrees to help with forward visibility, but perhaps most striking as the first variant to feature all-metal wings. Paraguay bought 22 new machines in 1947, which became operational with 1º Escuadrón de Caza 'Guaraní' in early 1949.

Towards the end of their career the Corsairs even saw hot action when Paraguayan Forces became involved in the U.S. American operation ‘Power Pack’ in 1965, when U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson, convinced of the defeat of the Dominican Republic’s Loyalist forces and fearing the creation of "a second Cuba" on America's doorstep, ordered U.S. forces to restore order.

[


The decision to intervene militarily in the Dominican Republic was Lyndon Johnson's personal decision. All civilian advisers had recommended against immediate intervention hoping that the Loyalist side could bring an end to the civil war, but the United States decided to interpose its forces between the rebels and those of the junta, thereby effecting a ceasefire.

The United States could then ask the Organization of American States to negotiate a political settlement between the opposing factions.
"Operation Power Pack", began when the U.S. Marine Corps entered Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on April 28, 1965, in the Dominican Civil War. Marine Medium Helicopter squadron HMM-264, from the deck of the USS Boxer, airlifted 530 U.S. Marines of the 3rd Battalion of the 6th Marine Regiment into Santo Domingo.






The Inter-American Peace Force (IAPF) was established by the Organization of American States on 23 May 1965, after the American intervention. It was composed of over 42,600 United States military personnel, plus Brazilian, Honduran, Paraguayan, Nicaraguan, Costa Rican and El Salvadorian personnel.

Until the end of the American intervention in September 1966, when the 1st Brigade of the 82nd Airborne, the last remaining American unit in the country, was withdrawn, the FAP Corsairs frequently patrolled the Dominican air space or flew escorts for the American supply flights and paratrooper transports.

After that, the Brazilian government took over the operation from the United States in 1966 and the IAPF was disbanded in 1967, what also marked the end of the F4U’s service in the Forza Aérea Paraguaya.







General characteristics:
    Crew: 1 pilot
    Length: 33 ft 8 in (10.2 m)
    Wingspan: 41 ft 0 in (12.5 m)
    WS Folded: 17 ft 0.5 in (5.2 m)
    Height: 14 ft 9 in (4.50 m)
    Empty weight: 9,205 lb (4,174 kg)
    Loaded weight: 12,405 lb (5,626 kg)

Powerplant:

    1 × Pratt & Whitney R-2800-32(E) radial engine,
          rated at a maximum power of 2,850 hp (2,130 kW)
   
<u>Performance:</u>
    Maximum speed: 453 mph (395 kn, 731 km/h)
    Range: 897 mi (602 nmi/1.115 km)
    Service ceiling: 41,500ft (12,649 m)
    Rate of climb: 3,870ft/min (19.7 m/s)

Armament:
    4× 0.79 in (20 mm) M2 cannon plus up to 4.000 pounds (1.800 kg) external ordnance,
    incl. up to 10× 5" (12.7 cm) high velocity aircraft rockets, bombs or drop tanks












Die Corsair ist binnen einer Woche entstanden, fast OOB. "Neu" sind die Landeklappen, der -5-Lufteinlauf wurde am Bug implantiert, der Fanghaken und die dazugehörige Öffnung sind weg, und es wurde ein breiterer Propeller montiert. Das SEA-Schema war eine naheliegende Wahl und steht der F4U sehr gut, die FAP-Markierungen sind improvisiert. Die IAPF-Zeichen sind natürlich fiktiv (wie alles), auch wenn es den Einsatz unter Paraguayanischer Beteiligung tatsächlich gab. Aber definitiv nicht in Form von Luftunterstützung.  ;)
« Letzte Änderung: 16. Juni 2017, 10:35:58 von dizzyfugu »

Offline Karotte

  • Captain
  • *****
  • Beiträge: 2017
  • Acetonfreund
Die Corsair ist und bleibt einfach ein hässlicher Vogel... :)

Aber Deine hat wenigstens ein hübsches Farbkleid!  :thumbup: Und wie immer schön ausgeblichen... Top!
Bernd

"You've tried the best. Now try the rest. Spacer's Choice!"

Online urban warrior

  • Commander
  • ****
  • Beiträge: 1057
  • Master of unfinished Projects
"Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder!"

Ich empfand den "Ensign Eliminator" eigentlich immer als eines der bemerkenswertesten Flugzeuge ... ich mochte die Form mit den Knickflügeln immer. Natürlich ist es keine so elegante Maschine wie die P-51 oder die P-38, aber häßlich fand ich sie nie.

Aber ich mag ja auch den Citroen ID/DS/CX ...  ;D ... vielleicht eine gute Entschuldigung.

BTW: Immer wieder interessant Deine Kreationen, Dizzy!

Cheers
Martin
Cheers, Martin
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Gesendet von meinem Cyberdyne Systems Model 101

Offline Gortona

  • Commander
  • ****
  • Beiträge: 1553
  • ...where no man has gone before!
Supergeil!  :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

(zähle auch zu den Corsair LOVERN!)

Online dizzyfugu

  • Captain
  • *****
  • Beiträge: 3009
    • FlickR - Mecha, Anime-Charaktere, anderes...
Vielen Dank.