I flew to work and back in one of these in the mid 60's.
Posted on 03/11/2016 3:08:45 AM PST by sukhoi-30mki
It is one of the oddest plane designs ever created - a tiny propeller-driven craft with twin tails and two pilots sitting almost on top of each other.
However, Boeing and a South Africa's Paramount Group firm hope the wacky design, currently used to patrol borders, could be turned into a low cost fighter plane.
The two firms plan to add missiles and a slew of sensors to the advanced, high-performance, reconnaissance, light aircraft, which has been named Mwari after an all-seeing mythological being in Southern African folklore.
The advanced, high-performance, reconnaissance, light aircraft (AHRLAC) is a high-wing aircraft, with stadium seating for the pilot and sensor operator and tops out at 310 mph.
The duo will strap the planes with weapons and use Boeing’s mission systems, which will allow this military variant to hunt insurgents, poachers and respond to low-intensity conflicts.
This announcement was unveiled at the Global Aerospace Summit in Abu Dhabi this week, as both firms motioned to expand their 2014 agreement to cooperate on an advanced mission system for AHRLAC.
Boeing will use its capabilities to design a mission system that will integrate the avionics and payload systems on the safety-and-security variant of the AHRLAC, as well as the weapons on the military version, which has been named Mwari after an all-seeing mythological being in Southern African folklore. 'Through AHRLAC, we'll not only bring a flexible, persistent and affordable aircraft to the international market, but we'll also be developing world-class technology in Africa,' Jeffrey Johnson, vice president, Business Development, Boeing Military Aircraft, said.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3486266/The-oddest-fighter-plane-ve-seen-Radical-low-cost-twin-tailed-design-manoeuvrable-rival-helicopters.html#ixzz42akQTLVP Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
IIRC Cessna built a pull-push civil av. plane.
Yes the Skymaster.
Stick an engine in the front yet and you’ll have one of those puller/pusher twin engine jobs that Cessna used to make.
Huge powerful Twin Engines
4 50-caliber machine guns
20mm cannon
Extremely fast and maneuverable.
(Father of one of my high school friends flew one in WWII)
Oh forgot, here is a pic of the P-38
I realize the twin engine design is heavier and more costly but... For operating over water or rough terrain where there aren’t a lot of options for emergency landings that extra engine is a nice safety net. I’d favor the OV-10 design over this thing. Though if cost/weight/size were primary considerations then maybe that changes things... Depends on the design constraints...
I flew to work and back in one of these in the mid 60's.
Bet going to the job was kind of pleasant on nice weather days.
This thing would last about 8 seconds against a P-38.
It was a joke.
Lighten up francis
I think Denver offed himself. He picked a pretty place to do it.
I live close to our local airport and see one of those
pusher pull planes every so often.Loud and fast plane.
What kind of fighter plane has no visibility for a huge arc behind the pilot?
The little plane is very vulnerable to attack by other aircraft.Better have someone in a real fighter flying cover.
Hadn’t heard about the vice-grips on the fuel selector. I think I recall it was in a very awkward to reach location and the required turn of the knob was counterintuitive.
And every armored vehicle is a tank.
I would say it looks more like the O-2.
Lockheed P-38 Lightning (1942-1949)
The P-38 wasn’t a twin-tail design. It was a split-fuselage (or twin-boom) airframe. Subtle difference.
It was under and behind the seat, if I recall.
I seem to remember that Denver ran out of fuel....and couldn't reach around back of his seat to turn it on
It turned out that the prior owner / maker of his plane was significantly taller than Denver
Tragic loss.
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