Folland Gnat WHIF Ideas

[Mossie]

You don't normally hear it as the blast wave hits first....

[andys]

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

Oooo, could someone do a few profiles please? I'm thinking blue/brown camo ('56), silver ('67) and green/brown/sand ('73). I wish I could do such a thing but wouldn't have clue 1 where to start  . The Gnat, best looking British jet ever IMHO.

[Mossie]

Although I mentioned it in the first, this pic somehow hasn't made it it into this thread:



Re-reading Project Cancelled, it mentions the Gnats would have carried 'kiloton nuclear weapons'.  It also mentions they would have had four drop tanks each.  I'm guessing the kilton nukes would have been WE.177A, (still in development at the time of the proposal)?

The diagram shows three shapes under the left hand Gnat, could this be three WE.177 or another weapon & would it be capable of carrying that many under the fuselage even wth modification?  The Gnats also would have needed an extra two wing hardpoints (these were introduced on the Ajeet) & refuelling probes (I've heard that the Vulcan mother would have been fitted with refuellig gear as a way of recovering the Gnats).

I'm guessing that with all this extra gear the Gnats would have been overloaded & draggy.  I've always assumed that the recovery operation itself would have been the problem, but I think it's more likely the extra load on the Gnat needed to give the required range?

[Weaver]

Well WE.177 only weighed about 600lb, even though it was the size of a 1000lb bomb, so  Iwouldn't think it out of the question to carry three like that. My concern would be ground clearance: you might be able to fit the bombs under the Gnat and then lift it onto the Vulcan, but if the Gnat had to separate in the air and make an independent landing, I suspect the nukes would be squashed by the u/c compression at touchdown. That would mean they'd need to be jettisoned first, which wouldn't be a popular move over freindly territory, and even if done over the sea, it would still initiate a massive recovery operation.

[pyro-manic]

Have you ever seen the safety pit around a trampoline/vault etc. used in gymnastics? It's basically a big pit with a sprung floor, and filled up with big chunks of sponge/foam to catch wayward athletes. Just build a big one of those in a field somewhere to catch your wayward nukes.

[NARSES2]

Have you ever seen the safety pit around a trampoline/vault etc. used in gymnastics? It's basically a big pit with a sprung floor, and filled up with big chunks of sponge/foam to catch wayward athletes. Just build a big one of those in a field somewhere to catch your wayward nukes.

I think the rubber landing surface that the RN played with in the 50's so that it could land aircraft without undercarriage actually used something similar incase the aircraft skidded off the actual landing surface.

[Radish]

Am liking the Israeli idea.....a lot.

And the Gnats carrying nukes....can think of a few targets close by within range....

[rickshaw]

Have you ever seen the safety pit around a trampoline/vault etc. used in gymnastics? It's basically a big pit with a sprung floor, and filled up with big chunks of sponge/foam to catch wayward athletes. Just build a big one of those in a field somewhere to catch your wayward nukes.

I think the rubber landing surface that the RN played with in the 50's so that it could land aircraft without undercarriage actually used something similar incase the aircraft skidded off the actual landing surface.

The may have been planned but the test surfaces were suspended about 3 feet above the ground, along the runway from the pictures I've seen of them.

[NARSES2]

Have you ever seen the safety pit around a trampoline/vault etc. used in gymnastics? It's basically a big pit with a sprung floor, and filled up with big chunks of sponge/foam to catch wayward athletes. Just build a big one of those in a field somewhere to catch your wayward nukes.

I think the rubber landing surface that the RN played with in the 50's so that it could land aircraft without undercarriage actually used something similar incase the aircraft skidded off the actual landing surface.

The may have been planned but the test surfaces were suspended about 3 feet above the ground, along the runway from the pictures I've seen of them.

Never looked that closely must admit - cheers

[Ian the Kiwi Herder]

Think it may be time to resurrect this thread, now that the Airfix Gnat is on the shelves. As mentioned in the 'Airfix' thread I have some ideas of my own, starting with:

Saudi Arabia :
Either in overall Lt. A/c grey with day-glo patches, or Strikemaster style camo with the same day-glo patches.

Netherlands :
Overall yellow, with orange tail and wing-tips.

Japan :
Overall aluminium with bright unit markings.

West Germany :
Already mentioned by Greg. Splinter camo with orange G91 style hi-vis orange patches.

US Aggressor :
Early type scheme, Patches, Snake, Lizard etc.

Any other ideas feel free to drop them here !!

Ian

[Cobra]

Hey Guys,how about going 'Gerry Anderson' with the Gnat and making it into an ASR search Jet? could you picture a Gnat like that or as a 'World Navy' Carrier based Fighter? think either of those would Work? Dan

[Gondor]

Hey Guys,how about going 'Gerry Anderson' with the Gnat and making it into an ASR search Jet? could you picture a Gnat like that or as a 'World Navy' Carrier based Fighter? think either of those would Work? Dan

Thats along the same idea as from the "Hot Shots" spoof film of Top Gun which would make the aircraft not exactly a Whif as it was in a film which was a spoof.... so would it actualy be a whif or not?

Gondor

[perttime]

Of course it would be a whif if you made it "World Navy", instead of "The Navy".

[NARSES2]

Like the idea of a Japanese one Ian 

How about a NATO or Commonwealth trainer ? Used by all the Airforces of the member states for basic jet training in either Canada for NATO or Aus or Canada for Commonwealth ?

[Ian the Kiwi Herder]

Nahhh, would never work, nobody would agree on the colour scheme !! 

Ian