DONE @p.9 +++ 1:72 Dornier Do 36; '59+47', Deutsche Luftwaffe, LTLG 54, 2001

[PR19_Kit]

That's not only looking very good, it's wholly believable too! Nice one Thomas. 

[Gondor]

Looks excellent as usual and quite believable too.

Gondor

[Pellson]

Thanks a lot your your support on this one through a complicated life phase! 

Great fun to follow, and it came out really, really well, Thomas. (as usual..  )

...and I know where you sourced those yellow squares on the nose.. 

[Old Wombat]

  

[NARSES2]

That's come out well 

[Dizzyfugu]

Thanks a lot everyone, too kind. 

[Rick Lowe]

  

[Dizzyfugu]

Still no real photo session here yet, but due to a national holiday and poor weather this might change today.

Instead started with a new project in the meantime (had to create something with bare hands), which might become a 4th GB entry because it incidently fits the topic. 

[Dizzyfugu]

1:72 Dornier Do 36 (C-39) 'Skymaster'; '59+47', Division Schnelle Kräfte, Lufttransport- und Lande-Geschwader (LTLG) 64, Deutsche Bundesluftwaffe; Fliegerhorst Lechfeld (Bavaria), 2001 (What-if/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

[Old Wombat]

 

[Dizzyfugu]

Finally...

Some Background:
The story of the Dornier Do 36 started with a small vehicle, the "Wiesel". This was a German Armored Weapons Carrier (AWC), a light air-transportable, lightly armored tracked weapons carrier, developed by Porsche and later produced by Rheinmetall. It was quite similar to historical scouting tankettes in size, form and function, and was the only true modern tankette in use in Western Europe. The Wiesel was developed for the German Army's airborne troops, as the infantry of the German Bundeswehr, especially airborne infantry, were considered unprepared to successfully fight enemy main battle tanks (MBT) in the 1970s. The requirements were that the vehicle should fit in common NATO transport planes and could eventually be even air-dropped. At only 2.75 metric tons (3.03 short tons), it weighed less than the armored variant of the U.S. Humvee military light truck.  It should be able to fight infantry as well as enemy tanks or aircraft. Porsche produced some prototypes of the future fighting vehicle for the Bundeswehr in 1975, but the Bundeswehr stopped the project in 1978 due to lack of funds. Nevertheless, Porsche continued development, because of interest from other countries.


1:72 Dornier Do 36 (C-39) 'Skymaster'; '59+47', Division Schnelle Kräfte, Lufttransport- und Lande-Geschwader (LTLG) 64, Deutsche Bundesluftwaffe; Fliegerhorst Lechfeld (Bavaria), 2001 (What-if/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Dornier Do 36 (C-39) 'Skymaster'; '59+47', Division Schnelle Kräfte, Lufttransport- und Lande-Geschwader (LTLG) 64, Deutsche Bundesluftwaffe; Fliegerhorst Lechfeld (Bavaria), 2001 (What-if/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Dornier Do 36 (C-39) 'Skymaster'; '59+47', Division Schnelle Kräfte, Lufttransport- und Lande-Geschwader (LTLG) 64, Deutsche Bundesluftwaffe; Fliegerhorst Lechfeld (Bavaria), 2001 (What-if/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Dornier Do 36 (C-39) 'Skymaster'; '59+47', Division Schnelle Kräfte, Lufttransport- und Lande-Geschwader (LTLG) 64, Deutsche Bundesluftwaffe; Fliegerhorst Lechfeld (Bavaria), 2001 (What-if/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


This effort was not in vain because the demand for this type of light vehicle – beyond the armed infantry support role – was still unanswered, and with some modifications the chassis could be used for many other light vehicles like a troop transport, command post, field ambulance or a mortar carrier, too. The Bundeswehr eventually ordered 343 of the vehicles in 1985, and deliveries of the new weapon system for the Bundeswehr began in the late 1980s. The vehicle was named Wiesel ("weasel") because of its small size and agility, which make it very difficult to detect on the battlefield.
 
In parallel to the Wiesel's development in the early Eighties the Bundeswehr was considering a new light tactical transport aircraft that would fill the gap between the indigenous light Dornier Do 28 Skyservant STOL transport aircraft, which was powered by two piston engines, and the much bigger C-160 Transall, which had been developed together with France. These thoughts were fueled even more by the unsuccessful attempts to drop the Wiesel from a C-160 with parachutes – despite many attempts and technological solutions to dampen the landing, the Wiesel could not be landed safely, not to speak about potential crews inside. A potential carrier, the ambitious VTOL Do 31, which had only made it to the prototype stage in the Seventies and had then been cancelled, was not available. Therefore, Dornier was requested to design a compact transport aircraft that would a) have a cargo space diameter and a tail ramp large enough to carry up to two Wiesel or other light Bundeswehr vehicle and their crews and still have STOL capability on unprepared airfields. Primary design target was an aircraft that could deploy small airborne commando troops and ensure their support close to moving frontline units.


1:72 Dornier Do 36 (C-39) 'Skymaster'; '59+47', Division Schnelle Kräfte, Lufttransport- und Lande-Geschwader (LTLG) 64, Deutsche Bundesluftwaffe; Fliegerhorst Lechfeld (Bavaria), 2001 (What-if/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Dornier Do 36 (C-39) 'Skymaster'; '59+47', Division Schnelle Kräfte, Lufttransport- und Lande-Geschwader (LTLG) 64, Deutsche Bundesluftwaffe; Fliegerhorst Lechfeld (Bavaria), 2001 (What-if/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Dornier Do 36 (C-39) 'Skymaster'; '59+47', Division Schnelle Kräfte, Lufttransport- und Lande-Geschwader (LTLG) 64, Deutsche Bundesluftwaffe; Fliegerhorst Lechfeld (Bavaria), 2001 (What-if/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Dornier initially considered the adaptation of its new Do 228, the turboprop-driven successor of the robust Do 28D, but eventually rejected the idea because the light aircraft would not have the required capacities. Augmenting its structure to integrate a tail ramp as well as a floor strong enough to carry two Wiesel AFVs (the Wiesel 1's length was 3.55 m (11.6 ft), height and width 1.82 m (6.0 ft) each) was eventually just as complicated as developing a new, tailor-made aircraft from scratch, and this route was eventually followed.

The resulting Dornier Do 36 was only slightly bigger than the compact and highly popular Do 28D. unlike the Skyservant, though, It was jet-powered, with a pair of General Electric TF34-GE-100A high-bypass turbofans. An unusual design feature of the Do 36 was the use of the Coandă effect to improve STOL performance, using engine exhaust gases blown over the wing's upper surface to boost lift. To achieve this airflow the engines were mounted in nacelles close to the fuselage over the wings' leading edge, what also reduced the engines' sound level. Dornier's engineers had carried out a series of "powered lift" studies some time earlier, including both externally blown flaps, as well an upper-surface blowing (USB) system, an unusual variation. As a result, the aircraft received a T-tail to keep it outside the jet efflux.  In the USB system, the engine is arranged over the top surface of the wing, blowing over the flaps. When the flaps are lowered, the Coandă effect makes the jet exhaust "stick" to the flaps and bend down toward the ground, creating additional lift. Another project the engineers were interested in was the supercritical airfoil, designed by Richard Whitcomb. The supercritical design promised to lower transonic drag greatly, as much as a swept wing in some situations. This allowed an aircraft with such a wing to have low drag in cruise while also having a wing planform more suitable for lower-speed flight—swept wings have several undesirable characteristics at low speed.  Both these innovative concepts were combined and incorporated into the Do 36's design.


1:72 Dornier Do 36 (C-39) 'Skymaster'; '59+47', Division Schnelle Kräfte, Lufttransport- und Lande-Geschwader (LTLG) 64, Deutsche Bundesluftwaffe; Fliegerhorst Lechfeld (Bavaria), 2001 (What-if/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Dornier Do 36 (C-39) 'Skymaster'; '59+47', Division Schnelle Kräfte, Lufttransport- und Lande-Geschwader (LTLG) 64, Deutsche Bundesluftwaffe; Fliegerhorst Lechfeld (Bavaria), 2001 (What-if/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Dornier Do 36 (C-39) 'Skymaster'; '59+47', Division Schnelle Kräfte, Lufttransport- und Lande-Geschwader (LTLG) 64, Deutsche Bundesluftwaffe; Fliegerhorst Lechfeld (Bavaria), 2001 (What-if/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Dornier Do 36 (C-39) 'Skymaster'; '59+47', Division Schnelle Kräfte, Lufttransport- und Lande-Geschwader (LTLG) 64, Deutsche Bundesluftwaffe; Fliegerhorst Lechfeld (Bavaria), 2001 (What-if/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The cockpit was pressurized but the cargo bay, separated with a sealable bulkhead, not. The landing gear was fully retractable and featured low-pressure tires and struts with long suspension travel at allow operations on semi-prepared airfields. The front landing gear had twin wheels to lower ground pressure, and the wheels were outfitted with mudguards to protect the fuselage underside, which had relatively little ground clearance to accommodate the short tail ramp. The main landing gear struts retracted inwards and folded into sponsons on the lower side of the rear fuselage which also housed a APU for independent operations, avionics and chaff/flare dispensers.

The Do 36's first flight was made on 31 August 1984, but production was delayed well into the late 1980s. Two major problems were found and corrected during testing: The first was a problem with air circulating around the wing when operating at low speeds, esp. when taxiing or flying close to the ground, which had a serious effect on the spreading of the jet flow through the nozzle. This led to flow separation near the flap, and a decrease in the effectiveness of the USB system. In response, Dornier's engineers added a series of vortex generators on the upper surface of the wing, which retracted when the flap was raised above 30°. Additionally, the tail surfaces were initially placed well aft to maximize control effectiveness. But this positioning turned out to interfere with the airflow over the wings during USB operations, and a new T-tail was introduced that moved the elevator forward.

1:72 Dornier Do 36 (C-39) 'Skymaster'; '59+47', Division Schnelle Kräfte, Lufttransport- und Lande-Geschwader (LTLG) 64, Deutsche Bundesluftwaffe; Fliegerhorst Lechfeld (Bavaria), 2001 (What-if/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Dornier Do 36 (C-39) 'Skymaster'; '59+47', Division Schnelle Kräfte, Lufttransport- und Lande-Geschwader (LTLG) 64, Deutsche Bundesluftwaffe; Fliegerhorst Lechfeld (Bavaria), 2001 (What-if/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Dornier Do 36 (C-39) 'Skymaster'; '59+47', Division Schnelle Kräfte, Lufttransport- und Lande-Geschwader (LTLG) 64, Deutsche Bundesluftwaffe; Fliegerhorst Lechfeld (Bavaria), 2001 (What-if/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Mending the airflow troubles lasted until 1987, when the Do 36 was eventually cleared for production and officially called "Skymaster". The first customer became the German Bundesluftwaffe with an order for six pre-production aircraft for field tests and international promotion, followed by thirty more machines that were all  allocated to the newly established LTLG (Lufttransport- und Lande-Geschwader) 64, which was closely attached to the German Army's parachutist troops (Fallschirmjäger) and its headquarters.
The trials with the six pre-production machines lasted until 1989, and during this phase of almost two years the Luftwaffe Do 36s visited several potential customer countries, including many European states, plus Israel, the USA and Canada. However, only the USA ordered twelve Do 36's for Special Forces units under the designation C-39, which was then internationally adapted for the type.

After its introduction the Luftwaffe Do 36 saw frequent use, also outside of Germany. From 1991, German paratroopers were, together with Do 36s, regularly part of the first German contingent on foreign missions, e. g. 1993 during the German support in Somalia. Four machines accompanied the troops.
From 1996 onwards, the Airborne Brigade was disbanded with the parallel formation of the Special Forces Command as a new branch of service at the old location in Calw. At the same time, Fernspähkompanie 100 and 300 as well as the former paratrooper command companies were disbanded, and parts transferred to the KSK (Kommando Spezialkräfte). Paratroopers and KSK were jointly subordinated to the Division "Schnelle Kräfte" (Rapid Forces Division), with LTLG 64 as a central air transport and logistics Luftwaffe unit now re-located to Lechfeld near Augsburg in Southern Germany, close to the KSK headquarter.


General characteristics:
    Crew: 1 or 2
    Capacity: 24 passengers / 5.500 kg (12,115 lb) max. payload
    Length: 14.18 m (46 ft 5½ in)
    Wingspan: 18.14 m (59 ft 5 in)
    Height: 4.82 m (15 ft 9½ in)
    Wing area: 40 m2 (430 sq ft)
    Aspect ratio: 8.3:1
    Empty weight: 9.100 kg (20,062 lb)
    Max takeoff weight: 15,660 kg (34,524 lb)
    Fuel capacity: 1,885 kg (4,156 lb)

Powerplant:
    2× General Electric TF34-GE-100A high-bypass turbofans with 9,065 lbf (40.32 kN) thrust each

Performance:
    Maximum speed: 795 km/h (494 mph, 429 kn)
    Cruise speed: 650 km/h (400 mph, 350 kn)
    Stall speed (power off, flaps down): 104 km/h (65 mph, 56 kn)
    Minimum control speed (power on, flaps down): 65 km/h (40 mph, 35 kn)
    Range: 2,950 km (1,830 mi, 1,590 nmi) with max fuel
                1,852 km (1,151 mi, 1,000 nmi) in standard configuration
    Service ceiling: 11,000 m (35,000 ft)
    Rate of climb: 26 m/s (5,120 ft/min)

Armament:
    No internal weapons;
    2x underwing hardpoints for loads of up to 500 kg (1.100 lb) each,
        incl. drop tanks or defensive ECM/chaff/flare pods

[PR19_Kit]

JUST like a mini C-14! 

Absolutely superb Thomas!

Was there a real Wiesel, and if so what did it look like? If not I think you should build one and have it loading into the Do 36's hold. 

[Old Wombat]

Your answer, sir.





https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiesel_AWC


Google Images


Note: I think the trooper in this image weighs more than the AFV!    

[PR19_Kit]

Ooooooh, isn't that a neat little thing! Makes a Scorpion look positively MASSIVE! 

[Dizzyfugu]

Yeah, the Wiesel AFV is a really anachronistic thing these days. But there's even a kit of it in 1:72 (posted some pages earlier), I was just not able to build one or two for the Do 36. It's tiny!
In the meantime it has become the basis for a whole vehicle family, including an ambulance on an extended chassis (see lowest page above), which was also used for a mortar version, plus one armed with ATGMs and even an anti-aircraft system with GAM carriers and a radar guidance vehicle.