DAKOTA Gunship

[TallEng]

Well how original, an AC-47. hmm yes but no,
It's my take on a RAF Gunship.
So some rough ideas of where i might go with this...
First use in Borneo, then later on in Aden, plus other troublesome spots.
Airframe? The Venerable Dakota Mk. IV, of which the RAF had a few.
Armament? At first I thought of the Lewis gun (water cooled), but that seems to have faded out of use shortly after WWII.
So whats left? as far as I have googled the British didn't have an interest in developing a Gatling/Minigun during the 50ies and 60ies,
so unless anyone knows better I may just invent some form of quick firing MG/Canon that could (in)conceivably be used.
Another thing to worry about is the colour scheme (I quite like to know before I start what the finished model could look like)
1: Trials Aircraft, Borrowed from a Transport Sqn so still in Transport Command silver, white top blue cheat line. (possible roughly painted black undersides as trials aircraft moved to Borneo as situation escalates)
2: Sqn Aircraft based in Borneo, DSG DG camouflage with silver or Matt black undersides
3: Sqn Aircraft based in Aden in the Near East Camouflage of Dark Earth, Mid-stone and Black undersides.
And last but not least, How does one describe the Aircraft Mark number?
I'm thinking these would be duel use Aircraft, when not in use as Gunships they would be re-roled into Transport aircraft,
so I'm thinking Dakota CGA. IV. C: = transport, GA: = Ground Attack.
Or does it need a new mark Number?
Perhaps a Weapons expert will be along to help with the Armament*, Thoughts and  suggestions greatfully accepted/Ignored 

*My thoughts are to develop from:
Red King and Red Queen were experimental revolver cannon anti-aircraft guns developed for the British Army during the 1950s. Red King was a two-barrel design from Oerlikon, Red Queen was a single-barrel water-cooled design. (from wiki)
I'd combine the design (twin barrelled water cooled revolver canon) Calibre 20 or 30mm with a rotary magazine.
It will need a snappy name like ADEN or RARDEN, which I'll need to think about.
It will of course need a "Rainbow" code name, I'm thinking a smaller calibre development of Red King or Red Queen might be called Red Dwarf?

Regards
Keith

[AeroplaneDriver]

Love the idea.  I like the sound of the Near East Camo.  One of my favorites.

[Rheged]

If the gun is to be the Red Dwarf,   do we assume that it was designed by  Camden Lock Ordnance Research and Development , and produced by Enfield.....................hence the CLORDEN gun.?

[zenrat]

Surely the Red Dwarf cannon would be a Special Munition Electric Gun?

[TallEng]

Oh Lordy Lordy, what have I done?
Opened a can of Worms me thinks
I was thinking (dangerous I know)  that the overall project might need a "Rainbow" code name:

"Green Onion"

Springs to mind; just need to work in an eccentric "Boffin" called Booker, and a reference to the Sports car that he drives....

I'll leave it at that..

Regards
Keith
Although if @Rheged would like to take it and run with it?....

[tigercat]

How about the

Light Insurgent Seeking Transport  Experimental Research

Or LISTER

[Gondor]

If the gun is to be the Red Dwarf,   do we assume that it was designed by  Camden Lock Ordnance Research and Development , and produced by Enfield.....................hence the CLORDEN gun.?

I think the colour would have to be Blue




Just a little something I cooked up..... 

Gondor

[Rheged]

Keith
Although if @Rheged would like to take it and run with it?....

Give me sufficient clues and I'll try to invent something vaguely appropriate if you really want people befuddled.

[TallEng]

Keith
Although if @Rheged would like to take it and run with it?....

Give me sufficient clues and I'll try to invent something vaguely appropriate if you really want people befuddled.

Much appreciated  When one has sorted ones scrambled thoughts out, One may well come back to you

Regards
Keith

[TallEng]

And now sum pictures of work wot I has dun.
Yes progress has been made(ish) 
The Interior has been painted (roughly) in Interior green and a sort of mock up made of the Gun layout.

Dakota Gunship by , on Flickr

Dakota Gunship by , on Flickr

As you can see, the Double Barrelled Water cooled revolver cannon, has in fact become a Triple Barrelled water cooled revolver cannon.* (**)
The SNEB pods will become some sort of shroud thingy, and I need to build a sort of tripodish mounting thingy that is attached to a Freight pallet that's bolted to the floor. I know it all sounds a bit ish at the moment, but believe it or not I think I know what I'm doing

*which needs a rotary amunition feed (that I need to think up/design) see Red King/Queen in earlier posts.
(**) need to think of a name for it (see ADEN, RARDEN, CLORDEN etc) 
Oh and that third Gunspace in the Cargo door, might be a slightly bigger gun....

Regards
Keith

[NARSES2]

Looking good.

One of the things I like about modelling mainly pre-1950 aircraft is that I don't have to worry to much about the technical abilities/requirements of the weaponry. It basically was fired or dropped and then went "Boom"    It's only at the very end of the period that the word "guided" appears and even then it was more in hope then anything else 

[jcf]

There was the QF 2-pounder (40mm) 'Pom-Pom' which was used in a single mount on smaller ships
and the Fairmile D. It's probable that there would have a lot of them laying around as surplus.

[kerick]

Looks like a giant M2 .50 cal.

[jcf]

Looks like a giant M2 .50 cal.

Developed by Vickers based on the QF 1-pdr (37mm) which was a scaled up
Maxim gun. The Boers used them against the British.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/QF_1-pounder_pom-pom

[McColm]

Is this a turbo Dakota or radial engines?