Folland Gnat WHIF Ideas

[Mossie]

The Gnat has a lot of whiffing potential.  The RAF chose not to pursue it as fighter but as a trainer instead so there's a whiff there.  There were several proposals for improved varaints including supersonic versions & swing wings.  There was even a proposal to mount three under a Vulcan as parasite nuclear strike aircraft (think Wooksta's got this on his list).  Plus, it did well in Indian Air Force service earning the nick name 'Sabre Slayer' due to it's record against a technically superior aircraft, what other air forces & conflicts could it be used in?

The Airfix kit of the trainer is old but servicable.  Aeroclub have done kits in 1/72 & 1/48 but they're hard to get hold of & you'll pay silly prices.  Now's the time for fighter variants though as Special Hobby have a kit due & Olimp have announced three resin kits based on the F.1!
http://www.hannants.co.uk/search/index.php...%5B%5D=code+asc

So, any ideas???  

[Howard of Effingham]

istr mossie that at one time the lebanon was going to buy a few for its air force.

the idea was on martin h's what-if notes list that i recall.

i think IDF/AF markings would look fairly good myself.

[Mike Wren]

Luftwaffe in grey/green splinter & orange bits

Canadian, obviously...

Australian?

[Gary]

Well, obviously from the Free and Democratic Insect Republic of Understoneia.

All you need is a roundel with a bugs head on on it, weapons that look like pebbes and sticks, and a pilot with built in antenia.

Put insect type panels and colours on it.

Hey, the plane is called a Gnat!


I have got to stop watching "A Bugs Life"






Now... that would be kind of an interesting build. Make a plane or tank look like the animal or thing it was names after.

[blue520]

RNZAF

Burma very early 1960s - Constructed under license in India by HAL, deliveries cut short due to the 1962 military coup. Remain in use until the 1980s or later.

People's Republic of China - license, copy or license then direct copy.

Jamaican.

[B777LR]

Wasnt there a movie which was a parody on top gun, where the pilots flew carrierborne gnats?

[Chris707]

Hot Shots!  which I liked a lot better than "Top Gun" ;-)

[Mossie]

'Hot shots!', with Charlie Sheen.

[Mossie]

I'll keep an eye out for that Matchbox kits at a show Lee, never seen one before.

Naval aircraft are a possibility.  The Indians looked at this, but found that Gnat was too light for the catapults on the Vikrant.  Even laden up, it was pushing it.  You'd have thought they could have added weight to the catapult system itself?

Pics from Hot Shots!, if you look closely in the second pic you'll see the Gnat's are a mix of T.1's & F.1's.



Talking of US Navy Gnats, here's a privately owned aircraft in Blue Angels style colours.  I've never seen it on the show circuit.

[MartG]

I do have a Gnat T2 somewhere which is getting a radar nose and a pair of Red Tops, the rear cockpit being given over to fuel.

I believe that pilots of the single seat F.1 and Ajeet often complained about lack of rear visibility, so building an F.2 using the two seaters canopy would make sense.

I think if it had been developed properly it would have received a more powerful engine at some point to replace the rather weedy Orpheus - maybe an Adour ?

[Mike Wren]

The Matchbox Gnat is the 72nd kit to have

ahhh, the Matchbox Gnat was my second ever kit... following on from an Airfix A-4(!) still got them somewhere...

[AeroplaneDriver]

BSP-Fighters talks about Gnat developments on pp128-130.

Variants/mods looked at included:

-Naval Gnat with the fighter fuselage and larger trainer wing.

-Gnat Mk.2 (Folland Fo.143) with thinner wing, afterburning 5,750lb Orpheus, larger fuel capacity.  AI.23 intercept radar with 2 x AIM-9.  Performance was expected to be M1.1-1.3 @ 36,000ft.  A 1955 MoD Operational Requirement was written specifically naming the Gnat Mk.2, expecting service entry in 1957.

-Gnat Mk.4-Even thinner (but greater area) wing with full-span flaps, afterburning 8,000lb Orpheus 6.  Performace expected to be M1.5 at altitude with good low speed perfomance also.

-Gnat Mk.5-The Mk.4, but with two RB.153 engines due to slow progress on the Orpeus 6.  Perfromance expected to be M1.7+

-Later un-named development into a high-speed, high-altitude interceptor with a larger more streamlined shape, showing little of the original Gnat.  Still small with span/length both around 24ft.  Max weight of 11,100lb with two afterburning RB.153s producing 5,400lb each.  AI.23 radar and either Sidewinders or Firestreak missiles.  Performance expected to be M2.4.

[B777LR]

Private air force!

[Martin H]

Isreal wanted to licence build Gnats at one point, I think both single and two seaters. dated March 1956

And the Lebanese wanted them (ten day fighters and two trainers). also dated 1956.
The Dominican republic was seriouly looked at as a possible customer along with a batch of Hunters. dated 1963.

[GTX]

Naval aircraft are a possibility.  The Indians looked at this, but found that Gnat was too light for the catapults on the Vikrant.  Even laden up, it was pushing it.  You'd have thought they could have added weight to the catapult system itself?

I recently read that Australia and Canada were also thought of as Naval Gnat possibilities - be able to fit quite a few Gnats on either HMAS Melbourne or HMCS Bonaventure not to mention how great they would look.  Alternatively how about the Gnat Tratiner in other schemes such as RAAF Fanta can trainer scheme?

Also, I believe the Gnat was a contender for NATO Basic Military Requirement 1 (NBMR-1) for a light weight tactical strike fighter (LWTSF).  What if it had won and been purchased in strength?  Gnats for countries such as:

•   West Germany;
•   France;
•   Italy;
•   Turkey;
•   Belgium;
•   Canada;
•   Denmark
•   Greece;
•   The Netherlands;
•   Norway; and
•   Portugal.


Another possibility - Switzerland?

Regards,

Greg