page_title: CAC Boomerang
section_title: Specifications (CA-12)
hierarchical_section_title: CAC Boomerang / Specifications (CA-12)
caption_attribution_description: Draftman's line drawing, port side, with measurements, of Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation's Boomerang single seater monoplane.
context_page_description: The CAC Boomerang is a fighter aircraft designed and manufactured in Australia by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation between 1942 and 1945. Approved for production shortly following the Empire of Japan's entry into the Second World War, the Boomerang was rapidly designed as to meet the urgent demands for fighter aircraft to equip the Royal Australian Air Force. It was the first combat aircraft designed and constructed in Australia.
  Different variants of the Boomerang were manufactured under a series of corresponding production contract numbers CA-12, CA-13, CA-14 and CA-19, the aircraft supplied under each subsequent contract would incorporate various modifications, typically aimed at improving the aircraft's performance. The Boomerang was handicapped by the available engine variant, which gave low power at altitude and resulted in the aircraft proving to be slower than contemporary fighter aircraft. The Boomerang rarely engaged in aerial combat. During early wartime operations, the Boomerang was mainly dispatched to equip home-based squadrons, freeing up other fighters for use overseas.
context_section_description: Data from The Great Book of Fighters, The Commonwealth Boomerang
  General characteristics
  Crew: 1
  Length: 25 ft 6 in (7.77 m)
  Wingspan: 36 ft 0 in (10.97 m)
  Height: 9 ft 7 in (2.92 m)
  Wing area: 225 sq ft (20.9 m²)
  Empty weight: 5,373 lb (2,437 kg)
  Gross weight: 7,699 lb (3,492 kg)
  Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp 14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 1,200 hp (890 kW)
  Propellers: 3-bladed constant-speed propeller
  Performance
  Maximum speed: 305 mph (491 km/h, 265 kn) at 15,500 ft (4,724 m)
  Range: 930 mi (1,500 km, 810 nmi)
  Service ceiling: 29,000 ft (8,800 m)
  Rate of climb: 2,940 ft/min (14.9 m/s)
  Wing loading: 34.2 lb/sq ft (167 kg/m²)
  Armament
  Guns: 
  2× 20 mm (0.787 in) Hispano or CAC cannons
  4× 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns
  Bombs: provision for a bomb, when the large ventral drop tank was not carried
caption: Draftsman's line drawing of a Boomerang
exif: {"Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "44", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "3494"}