Folland Gnat WHIF Ideas

[perttime]

... Gnat re-fitted with an Ajeet-style wet, four-pylon wing, enabling it to carry two drop tanks plus two Sidewinders....

Better take the improved hydraulics and control systems too.

[Weaver]

... Gnat re-fitted with an Ajeet-style wet, four-pylon wing, enabling it to carry two drop tanks plus two Sidewinders....

Better take the improved hydraulics and control systems too.

I think the RAF ones already had the tailplane actuator fix, but fair point.

[Gondor]

I like the idea of Japaneese Gnats myself, roundels small enough might be a problem unless the seperate red disc from WWII raf roundels were used.

How about a US Army Gnat, they tried the early Harrier and a Fiat GR 91

Gondor

[AeroplaneDriver]

I've always wanted to do one as a Royal Navy carrier qual trainer, akin to the T-2 in the USN. 

[Caveman]

I have considered gnats for carriers too. I heard though that the fuselage wasnt man enough for the stresses expected for cats and traps. Can anyone enlighten me if this really was the case?

[Mossie]

IIRC the Indian Navy trialed a Gnat but it was too light for the catapults minimum rating.  The naval variant would have used an F.1 fuselage with the trainer wings & tail surfaces.  Not sure about it's lack of strength for carrier ops.

[rickshaw]

I'd have thought lack of deck clearance might have been a bit more of an issue.   Its fuselage is awfully low...   

Most land planes when adapted to naval use need to have their structures reinforced and restressed.  This more than likely would have been needed for the Gnat.  The Kador kit I used for my Folland Wasp came with an arrestor hook but I didn't need it.  Does anybody know if the Gnat F1 had one fitted as standard?

[KJ_Lesnick]

Imagine a scaled-up Folland Gnat/HAL Ajeet to around the same size class as the XF8U-3 Super-Crusader with the Super Crusader's more elegant features such as elaborate area-ruling, means to carry AIM-7's, maybe forward raked inlets, and (if needed) variable-incidence wings like North American's OS-130 competitor to the F8U/F-8 

[Weaver]

Imagine a scaled-up Folland Gnat/HAL Ajeet to around the same size class as the XF8U-3 Super-Crusader with the Super Crusader's more elegant features such as elaborate area-ruling, means to carry AIM-7's, maybe forward raked inlets, and (if needed) variable-incidence wings like North American's OS-130 competitor to the F8U/F-8 

I've imagined it many a time, including a powerplant of two afterburning Orpheus 12s....

Mine has Buccaneer-style blowing rather than the VI wing, but either would work. I see the front fuselage as bing a bit like the F-9 Tiger, with more of a bubble canopy than the Gnat.

[KJ_Lesnick]

Weaver

I've imagined it many a time, including a powerplant of two afterburning Orpheus 12s....

Why use two Bristol Orpheus's when you can use a J75 with a multi-stage afterburner...

Mine has Buccaneer-style blowing rather than the VI wing, but either would work. I see the front fuselage as bing a bit like the F-9 Tiger, with more of a bubble canopy than the Gnat.

I suppose a blown wing would have done the trick rather than variable incidence, but the response time of the engines (J75 at least) made the high drag of variable incidence more practical.  The F-4 used blown-flaps, but it's J79's responded much quicker than the J75 used on the F8U-3.

[PR19_Kit]

Weaver

I've imagined it many a time, including a powerplant of two afterburning Orpheus 12s....

Why use two Bristol Orpheus's when you can use a J75 with a multi-stage afterburner...

Possibly because he's talking about a British built airframe?

[Weaver]

Weaver

I've imagined it many a time, including a powerplant of two afterburning Orpheus 12s....

Why use two Bristol Orpheus's when you can use a J75 with a multi-stage afterburner...

Possibly because he's talking about a British built airframe?

Indeed, and also because I was looking at it in the context of a medium-sized aircraft to compete with the Mirage, Starfighter etc... rather than a "super-fighter". Re-reading the posts, I realise that Kendra was talking about the big Super-Crusader rather than the regular F-8, which is more the size of my "Big-Gnat".

[Caveman]

How about a "double sized" gnat bomber carrying a "half scale" gnat cruise missile, along the lines of a weaponised Jindivik, under each wing? Do 1/48 and 1/144 gnats exist?

[KJ_Lesnick]

PR_19_Kit

Possibly because he's talking about a British built airframe?

Well, then use a Bristol Olympus (Mk.200?) or a Rolls Royce Conway. 


Weaver

Indeed, and also because I was looking at it in the context of a medium-sized aircraft to compete with the Mirage, Starfighter etc... rather than a "super-fighter". Re-reading the posts, I realise that Kendra was talking about the big Super-Crusader rather than the regular F-8, which is more the size of my "Big-Gnat".

Okay, so it would be more like an F-100 or F8U-1 type design?

[deathjester]

How about a "double sized" gnat bomber carrying a "half scale" gnat cruise missile, along the lines of a weaponised Jindivik, under each wing? Do 1/48 and 1/144 gnats exist?

A 1/144 Gnat!?!  Surely the actual insect would be larger!