Notes on the FAILS CA-33 Currawong Naval striker, Interdictor, Penetrator, Long range air control weapons system

[Sam R.]

Notes on the FAILS CA-33 Currawong Naval striker, Interdictor, Penetrator, Long range air control weapons system

Wotcher,
Most people know the Federation of Australo-Indo Labor States’ CA-33 Currawong these days from the fuel tank asbestos scandals; or, the pathetic militarist naval aviation drama films; or, from comparison with failed equivalent projects like the United Kingdom’s TSR-2 or the United States F-111. But for a plane that occupied the attention of those states, India, FDEFS (especially her Indochinese members), and of course the PRC in terms of FAILS constant Sabre rattling over closing the straits, the Currawong deserves more attention. Sure every fanboy has written a nuclear scenario where the lazy nap of earth black bastards pop up, wag their bums, and wipe a city off the map. But the Currawong was part of a strategic policy of proportionate anti-trade and ocean control alongside the expeditionary ground forces. It secured the peninsular and islands south and east from Imperialism and back sliding false socialists.

CA-33 operated on three continents if you count India’s Burmese states as a part of India, and four if you count the Antarctic stunt. It went everywhere the might of the islands went.

I propose to celebrate in this thread the Currawong with her lazy artful flight, her size and isolation, her cheekiness, her lowness to the ground, and the way she wiggles her bum on landing.

(The currawong: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pied_currawong )

 

[Sam R.]

DARK BIRDS. PURPOSE.

The birth, nay the survival, of FSBIA (Federasi Serikat Buruh Indonesia Australia) was predicated on the intersection of three phenomena: trans ethnic nationalism, trade unions and maritime control. With the changed nature of the Commonwealth Air Force and the Commonwealth Australian Navy the demands for specialist equipment suitable to purpose grew. The defence of Labor Indonesia against Dutch imperialism, and of Labor Malaya against British imperialism required international union action, maritime control, and trans racial trans ethnic national identities for a land fit for all workers. While the FAILSN pursued controversial submarine programmes with foreign assistance, the FAUSBIA recognised that the air / naval interface was vulnerable to imperial engagement. Initial developments were however deficient.

FAILSN were incapable of carrier warfare. FAILS atomic deterrent, and later thermobaric weapons systems, would require grand tactical and operational delivery systems. FAUSBIA aircraft capable in the 1950s of naval radar surveillance were not capable of operating under American, Russian or French opposition: they were unarmed maritime patrol planes.

A new, heavy, long ranged, atomic capable, naval competent, self defending plane was required. A plane that would push against land opposition in nasty conflicts low, only to pop up spot and then atomise hostile ships was demanded. The Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation would need to design a plane as dark as its state owners desires.

 

[Fred the Great]

You know if you left your politics at the door I reckon you could write something really interesting.

 

[Sam R.]

I have Fred. My personal politics are well removed from this weirdo combination of Malaya, Singapore, Indonesia, Australia and various other islands. This is a way to get a state that would need a big black bird; and which could afford a big black bird; and which had engineers competent to make a big black bird; but with a government too incompetent to cancel a big black bird.

I hope, however, to restrict the lefty bullshit to reasons to buy and wave a sword in the region; and focus more on why huge two engine 1960s operationally impactful planes are weird funny things; or how australia historically maintained engineering capacity to be able to play in this space if funded.

 

[Riain]

So how big is this plane? TSR2/F111 size, or Tu22M size?

 

[Draconis]

After reading the first post I thought it was satire. After reading the second post things don't seem so clear. But Sam R.'s posts often have an obscure quality to them.

 

[Sam R.]

FSBIA were faced with a problem. Their initial strategic capacity for independence as a state was based on the ability of labor unions to use general strikes to break Imperialist overlords, in the context of state supported secondary military action: Indonesia and Malaya became many federated states on the basis of industrial and military warfare. But FSBIA were faced with a gap: it would take them years to develop and test an atomic weapon on South Australia, and years to have a system capable of delivering an atomic weapon on a French, Yank, Pom, Chinese or Indian capital. FSBIA was a state without the capacity to maintain its statehood in the post-war world. It therefore observed that it could radically disrupt UK, French, Chinese and US shipping due to the straits of Singapore. CA-27 single jet engined naval attack variant aircraft were capable of placing enough torpedos (later guided missiles) into the shipping lanes of the convergence that opposed states would need to invade FSBIA or to "go around" FSBIA via the antarctic route.

"Going Around" required a weapons system to police the antarctic route.

And FAILSN had two problems: incompetence and lead time. Sure they wanted ships and boats to police the straights too. But the small boats problems in Indonesia with religious nationalists and American supported movements restricted FAILSN to a landing craft marines mentality to ensure the continued existence of the state.

"Going Around" required long range independently operating aeroplanes capable of observing, identifying, intercepting and destroying civil and military vessels at vast ranges from Perth, Hobart or Melbourne. This capability could also be used to supplment the CA-27 Sabre ("Magpie")'s role of protecting the islands and the straights, from a distance, and hopefully removing the deck-heads before their planes were in strike range of Singapore. "Going Around" would incidentally allow atomic or themobaric strikes on Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch; if the need for such an eventuality arose.

"Going Around" as a strategic defence policy required a big, twin engined, heavy carrying, trans or supersonic jet capable of self-defence from a long distance against carrier bourne fighters and interceptors, capable of launching supersonic missiles against carrier groups for deck removal*1, as well as subsonic missiles, bomb munitions and torpedo munitions for civil shipping, and other purposes on non-naval targets. A big black bird was demanded. It was to operate solo or in couples, not in choraling flocks. Despite not being numerous, it had to dominate where it went. The Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation was required to design the Currawong in order to protect FSBIA's existential being from Yank, Frank or Pom navies. At least until some bugger designed a bomb and a missile that could reliably hit Washington, London or Paris.

yours,
Sam R.

*1 Thus the later unofficial unit emblems of Hirschfeld etc. These were cracked down on by Indonesian general secretaries, resulting in the president general's speech in 1997 regarding "banter inappropriate for a workplace, due to the likelihood to cause offence."'