Hindustan Aircraft Bijalee Mk.II

[comrade harps]

Hindustan Aircraft Bijalee Mk.II
a/c F, Ist Squadron, Indian Air Force, Post Dickson, Malaya
23rd December, 1945



With the Fokker D.XXII -based Tūphān fighter in production and contracts growing to support American and British military aviation in India, HAL's CEO William D. Pawley took a small team of engineers on a business tour of the USA in early 1942. Officially the visit was to organise the American end of the company's logistical contracts, but Pawley and his team were also secretly scoping the requirement for an Indian-designed fighter-bomber for service in the 1944-45 time frame. After meetings with the USAAF they visited key industrial stakeholders like Allison, Boeing, Consolidated, Curtis, Douglas, Pratt and Whitney and Republic. Pawley and his staff spent the return journey drafting requirements and sketching the designs of a series of possible fighter configurations.

By August 1942, discussions with the Indian Air Force resulted in an agreement to progress with the development of a long-range fighter-bomber based around Pratt and Whitney's R-2800 radial engine. When Britain's Minister of Supply (Lord Beaverbrook) heard about it, he called it a "folly" and a "fantasy" but didn't intervene to stop the program, as it "might teach the Indians a thing or two about how things really work." The Americans were more enthusiastic and helped the company obtain parts and materials. In February 1943, the Indian Air Force signed a contract for 150 Hindustan Aircraft Bijalee, including 6 prototypes and 12 pre-production airframes.  Bijalee is Hindi for thunder, and the plane certainly holds more than a passing semblance to Republic's P-47 Thunderbolt in terms of size, power and layout.

Development of such a large and powerful aircraft was a daunting task for Hindustan Aircraft, the initial prototype's first flight being much delayed and eventually taking place in September, 1943. The remaining 7 prototypes followed and no major vices were found; these, along with the 12 pre-series Bijalee Mk.Is were powered by the 1,850 hp R-2800-S1A4-G and armed with two 20mm Hispano cannon and four .50 cal Browning machine guns. The Mk.I introduced folding wing tips, thought necessary by the IAF to enable transport by ship as they envisaged fighting Japan all the way back to Tokyo.

After trouble-free trails program the first production airframe, a Mk.II, flew in July 1944. The Mk.II introduced several detail refinements and featured a more voluminous fully blown canopy, was powered the 2,100 hp R-2800-S1C3-G and armed with four 20mm Hispanos. A centreline rack supplemented two underwing pylons for bombs and external fuel tanks. Provision was also made for the carriage of eight 60lb rockets. The folding wingtips were retained.



1 Squadron, IAF, was the first frontline unit to equip with the Bijalee Mk.II. Previously equipped with the Tūphān and Hurricane, 1 Squadron brought the Bijalee Mk.II into combat following Operation Zipper, the Allied invasion of Malaya. Using their long range to self-deploy into the Operation Zipper beachhead around Port Dickson, 1 Sqd entered combat on 25 October 1945, flying an armed reconnaissance during which they engaged ground targets with cannon. They went on to fly mostly long-range interdiction missions in support of Operation Mailfist, the offensive through southern Malaya to retake Singapore. Several missions were also flown against Sumatra and north into Siam.



This model is depicted as photographed on 23rd December 1945, when the squadron (along with 2 Sqd, IAF, which joined 1 Sqd at Port Dickson with the Bijalee Mk.II in mid-December) conducted a bombing mission against fortified defences in Singapore. To celebrate the season of giving, Christmas messages were chalked onto many of the British 1,000 lb bombs used for this mission.

Both 1 and 2 squadrons moved forward to Tengah in Singapore in April 1946, from where they joined the Allied effort against the Japanese occupiers (and their nationalist collaborators) in the Dutch East Indies. They continued long-range bombing and strafing missions until the Japanese surrender in May. Despite their offensive missions deep into enemy airspace, no Japanese aircraft were engaged in air-to-air combat. This is not a comment on the Bijalee or its pilots, but rather on the paucity of Japanese aviation in their theatre of operation at the time.

After 100 Bijalee Mk.IIs production switched to the Mk.III, which used the more powerful R-2800-32W matched to the 13' Curtiss Asymmetrical Propeller (as also used on some P-47s). 230 Mk.IIIs were built, but it was too late to see action in the WW2. Both Mk.IIs and IIIs did, however, see considerable combat during Indo-Pakistani War of 1947-48, during which the type finally achieved aerial kills (a Pakistani Tempest II and a Spitfire FR.XVIII). Production continued through to November 1949 and the type was retired from frontline service in 1956.

[NARSES2]

Interesting build. Like it 

[rickshaw]

Interesting build. Like it 

Indeed, so do I.  Please, how was it constructed, Harps?   I can see the P-47 but there is something else about it, I cannot put my finger...

[NARSES2]

There's a touch of Hawker in there I think ? Hurricane wings ?

[JayBee]

I do think that we are looking at something of Japanese origin.
The wings, tail feathers, u/c, and spinner all say that to me.
Definitely a P-47 canopy.

[PR19_Kit]

Definitely a P-47 canopy.

.... and a P-47 engine?

[Old Wombat]

What I think I see;

Republic P-47 engine & canopy.
Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" or A7M "Reppu" fuselage.
Mitsubishi AA7M "Reppu" or Hawker Typhoon wing (modified in either case)

[comrade harps]

What I think I see;

Republic P-47 engine & canopy.
Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" or A7M "Reppu" fuselage.
Mitsubishi AA7M "Reppu" or Hawker Typhoon wing (modified in either case)

Close enough

Republic P-47 engine & canopy.
Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" or A7M "Reppu" fuselage.
Mitsubishi A7M "Reppu" or Hawker Typhoon  wing (modified in either case)

Plus, F4U wheels. Decals from a Yanks with roundels SEAC Thunderbolt set. The fin flash fit the Reppu tail perfectly.

[Old Wombat]

Not bad for an Armour dude, eh!

[zenrat]

Looks good Comrade.

[comrade harps]

Not bad for an Armour dude, eh!

Not bad at all for a  ground hugging geriatric blunt nosed marsupial furball! 

[Tophe]

Great mix, congratulations!

With the Fokker D.XXII -based Tūphān fighter in production

This Tūphān name sounds like my Tophe nickname, surprising...

[PR19_Kit]

A great way to minimise your stash by building only one model.