CAC CA - 15 The CAC CA - 15 , also known unofficially as the CAC Kangaroo , was an Australian propeller - driven fighter aircraft designed by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation ( CAC ) during World War II . Due to protracted development , the project was not completed until after the war , and was cancelled after flight testing , when the advent of jet aircraft was imminent . Design and development . During 1943 , following the success of CAC and chief designer Fred David , in rapidly designing and mass producing the small Boomerang fighter for the Royal Australian Air Force ( RAAF ) , CAC began design work on a fully fledged interceptor and bomber escort . Although the CA - 15 bore a superficial resemblance to the North American P - 51 Mustang , the CAC design was not based directly on the U . S . aircraft and had quite different performance objectives and dimensions . For instance , David had been impressed by assessments of captured Focke - Wulf Fw 190 s and intended using a radial engine ( see below ) rather than the inline engines used in fighters like the Mustang . In fact , development of the CA - 15 was slowed by a recommendation from CAC head Lawrence Wackett , that the company build Mustangs under licence , rather than bear the cost of developing a unique design . By the later stages of its development , it was believed that the CA - 15 would have capabilities enabling it to replace the P - 51 . At first , the CAC designers planned to use the 2 , 300 hp ( 1 , 715 kW ) radial Pratt & Whitney R - 2800 , with a turbocharger . However , that engine became unavailable , causing further delays in development , and it was decided to fit an in - line Rolls - Royce Griffon Mk 61 ( 2 , 035 hp / 1 , 517 kW ) . Engines for a prototype were leased from Rolls - Royce . It was intended that any production engines would have a three - speed supercharger . Operational history . Development was further slowed by the end of the war , with the prototype flying for the first time on 4 March 1946 , and was flown by CAC test pilot Jim Schofield , who also flew the first Australian built P - 51 . The prototype was assigned RAAF serial number A62 - 1001 . According to aviation historian Darren Crick , it achieved a calibrated level flight speed of 448 mph ( 721 km / h ) at 26 , 400 ft ( 8 , 046 m ) . Test flights came to an abrupt ending when Flt Lt J . A . L . Archer suffered a hydraulic failure ( later found to be a leaking ground test gauge ) on approach to Point Cook on 10 December 1946 , which left him no choice but to orbit and burn off fuel . The main gear was only halfway down and unable to be retracted or lowered any further but the tail wheel was down and locked . On landing , the tail wheel struck the airstrip first causing the aircraft to porpoise and finally , the airscoop dug in . The aircraft settled back on the fuselage and skidded to a stop , heavily damaged . After repairs at CAC , the aircraft was returned to ARDU in 1948 . Archer reportedly achieved a speed of 502 . 2 mph ( 803 km / h ) over Melbourne , after levelling out of a dive of 4 , 000 ft ( 1 , 200 m ) , on 25 May 1948 . By this time , however , it was clear that jet aircraft had far greater potential and no further examples of the CA - 15 were built . The prototype was scrapped in 1950 , and the engines were returned to Rolls - Royce .