Shipbucket

Hello again!

After having drawn a truckload of Thiarian WWII planes since the summer of 2013 (many based upon - hopefully - little known real or never where designs, some completely made up), I now had some time to conjure some accompanying text during my holiday. The backstory unfortunately is still way too beta to be published already, so there will probably be some changes to certain historic aspects, but I think I can get some planes posted right now. I use different posts for different aircraft categories, don't want to overload things.

Thiarian Aircraft during world war II

1. Trainers

1.1. Pilot Trainers

1.1.1. Aeraon 2A Mioltog (Midge) - 1934

A moderately popular civilian sports and training biplane of which some 50 (out of a total production of 103) were supplied to the fledgling Thiarian Air force in 1934 and 1935 to equip two basic trainer squadrons. They were intensely flown and withdrawn early in 1941 as more modern types became available.

1.1.2.Caproni Atlantach 1C Puca (Imp) - 1935

Thiaria’s first purely military trainer suffered from the same defects than the Italian Caproni Ca.100/164 series it had been developed from. They were of rather flimsy construction, nowhere near as forgiving to pilot errors as a basic trainer should be and had such austere performance that the ability to fly these planes said nothing at all about a pilot’s ability to fly any kind of combat aircraft. Despite these shortcomings, 626 were built, of which a third were exported to Spain, Ireland and several South American countries. As soon as enough better planes were available, these trainers (which had a high attrition rate too) were phased out. The last were retired in mid-1942.

1.1.3. CSCA 2S Grus (Crane) - 1937

Thiaria’s first advanced pilot trainer, to which pilots graduated after completing the basic course on the Mioltog or the Puca. They were of undistinguished performance and too maintenance-intensive, but otherwise satisfactory. 373 were built between 1937 and 1941. They were phased out by the Air Force in 1942 and by the Navy in 1943.

1.1.4. Aerelar 1L Cur (Kite) - 1938

These sturdy biplanes were the Thiarian Navy’s standard trainer until early 1944; the type was never fully retired throughout the war despite considerable attrition. Unlike the air force basic trainers available in 1939, the Cur had a performance envelope that allowed it to be used both as a basic and an intermediate trainer, enabling pilots to graduate directly to combat types (only fighter pilots were further trained on Grus). The Cur was supplemented with Saidbhears from 1942, but remained in service as a basic trainer till 1945. Of the 1.133 units builöt between 1938 and 1942, over 200 were exported to Argentina and Mexico, some of them as late as 1943.

1.1.5. Finn&Meara 1F Fiach (Raven) – 1939

The most produced Thiarian trainer. These aircraft replaced the Puca as standard basic trainers for the air force from 1940 and remained in production and in service throughout the war. 2.358 were produced between 1939 adn 1945. They possessed all the qualities necessary for basic trainers which the Pucas lacked; they were easy and forgiving to fly, fully aerobatic capable and needed only very little maintenance.

1.1.6.Aerelar 3L Saidbhear (Kittiwake) – 1940

These attractive little monoplanes replaced the Grus as standard advanced trainers. Their flight characteristics were so favourable that they could also be used as basic trainers, an option which was however only exercised by the Navy. Only the first 375 were fitted with 280hp Boldisaire 6O 6-cylinder inline engines; the vast majority (Total production 1.951) used 500hp (later 600hp) Boldisaire 8S V8 engines.

1.1.7. Aeraon 8A Ronai (Kestrel) – 1943

The last Thiarian trainer to be commissioned during the war was developed by downscaling the Aeraon 6A Cobra fighter; both planes had much in common, particularly the all-wood monococque fuselage and the very good handling characteristics. Although they were larger and used the same engine as the Saidbhear, the Ronais sported considerably better performance due to slightly lower weight and better aerodynamics. 665 were produced and exclusively used by the Air Force as advanced trainers.


1.2. Specialist Trainers

1.2.1. Caproni Atlantach 8C Ulchabhan (Owl) – 1939

The Caproni Atlantach 8C has become best known in its army co-operation and SAR floatplane versions, but a considerable part of the total production (481 machines) was used in a training role. On these machines, pilots, navigators, gunners and bombardiers for multiengine planes were trained, and they also performed navigation and night-flight training roles. Due to their simplicity, reliability and robustness, they were perfectly suited for these tasks.

1.2.2. Caproni Atlantach 12C Preachan (Crow) – 1943

The Preachan supplemented the Ulchabhan in all its roles from 1943; performance was similar, although it was cheaper and simpler to build and operate. 408 were built between 1943 and 1945.


1.3. Target Tugs

1.3.1. Aigeanta 3T Coirenach (Osprey) – 1941

The need for a specialized target simulator airplane was never quite seen before the Second world war by most powers. Thiaria made no difference there. The first airplane used for this role was a disarmed version of the Coirneach long-range fighter; 153 late production planes were finished as target tugs and employed by Thiaria’s advanced trainer formations. After the Coirneach was replaced by newer types as a fighter, 188 additional airframes were converted to target tugs too (not counted against production, because they are included in the total of the fighter version), Although they were quite worn out and did not last very long in their new role, they rendered useful service. They were phased out in 1944 in favour of the Spiorog.

1.3.2. Caproni Atlantach 6C Anfa (Storm) – 1941

The Thiarian Navy never was very content with the performance of its first specialized dive-bomber, but they also failed to develop a more worthy successor in a timely fashion. Consequently, dive-bombing was not consistently practiced, and Thiarian escort carriers went to sea with air groups consisting solely of fighters and torpedo-bombers. A considerable number of 153 Anfas was never delivered to Thiaria’s dive bomber flotillas, but diverted to training units, where they were employed as high-speed target tugs. In this role, they proved more valuable, adding to the high proficiency displayed by Thiarian Navy fighter pilots throughout the war.

1.3.2. Caproni Atlantach 13C Spiorog (Sparrowhawk) – 1943

When the supply of Coirneach Target simulators ran out – practically all of them had previously seen strenuous service as long-range fighters - the Thiarian Air Force needed a replacement of similar (ideally better) performance, but lower cost and resource usage. The Spiorog had originally been developed as a light multirole combat aircraft; its high speed provided by two 750hp Hispano-Suiza 12X engines however made it very suitable as a target tug. Consequently, more than half the total production (235 machines) was employed by training units and performed satisfactorily. Although they were cheaper than the Coirneachs they replaced, the cost-effectiveness of the use of a twin-engined target tug remains questionable.


Fighters next!

Greetings
GD

^^ Nice ones!

_________________
Currently working on:

• Fiat G.50
  Breda Ba.64/65/75
  Dornier Do.17/Do.215
  Heinkel He.79
  Junkers Ju.52
  Junkers J.I

Repainting:

• Grumman F4F Wildcat/Grumman G-36
  Caproni Ca.135bis

2.1. Land-based single-engine Fighters

2.1.1. Aigeanta 1T Croman (Harrier) – 1934

Thiaria’s first mass produced fighter aircraft was a very small biplane of indifferent performance, but supreme agility, which was originally developed around a naval specification for a fighter plane suitable to be carried by a rigid airship as organic escort component. The Navy, which never again commissioned any airships after 1918, nevertheless they ordered the plane in considerable numbers; despite its short range, the Croman was also used from Thiaria’s first operational aircraft carrier LT Antartach between 1935 and 1939 as a stopgap measure. Most of the production of 177 machines was never issued to combat units, but used as aerobatic trainers (the air force did not train such fancy stuff itself, but regularly sent its pilots to the navy’s aerobatics training unit). As an advanced trainer, the Croman remained in service till 1942.

2.1.2. Caproni Atlantach 4C Fabhcun (Falcon) – 1936

The Thiarian version of the Caproni Ca.114 was built only in limited numbers (90 machines) and flown by a single fighter wing between 1936 and 1940 without ever seeing action before being phased out and used for training. The type was however license-built in Peru (64) and Mexico (80), where it flew till 1943/4 in frontline units and was apparently well liked.

2.1.3. Aeraon 4A Seabhac (Hawk) – 1937

The main reason why the Fabhcun only ever saw a very limited production was the simultaneous availability of this aerodynamically very clean biplane which ranked among the best biplane fighters ever built, although it did not last as long in service as the comparable I-153 or CR.42. Although the Seabhac’s Hispano-Suiza 12X engine was slightly weaker than the Fabhcun’s radial, the Seabhac was both faster (420 versus 395 kph) and more maneuverable. 477 were produced, and the type saw exports to Argentina, Spain, Venezuela and – one of the very few sales of Thiarian equipment to middle and eastern Europe – Greece. Its use by the Greek Air Force in 1941 also made the Seabhac one of the few fighters to be employed by both sides during the war. In Thiaria, it equipped three fighter wings for some time before it was phased out from mid-1941. They were retired from operational units by mid-1942; by that time, they had seen only few combat sorties against the still very rare and ineffective British incursions into Thiarian Airspace, but still were considered effective and reliable. Planes of that type shot down 83 enemy aircraft between them and lost only 15; no other Thiarian fighter achieved such a kill ratio. Over 300 were handed down to training formations and remained in use throughout the war in ever-dwindling quantities.

2.1.4. Aigeanta 2T Clamhan (Buzzard) – 1938

Thiaria’s first shot at a monoplane fighter was exactly the failure it looked like. Slower than the biplane Seabhac and less maneuverable, the Clamhan failed to win any production contracts. Only three were built.

2.1.5. Aeraon 5A Cobra (Cobra) – 1940

The Tiharians took their time developing a worthy successor for their successful Seabhac biplane. Aeraon’s own entry into the competition was obviously influenced by the Dewoitine D.520 outwardly and initially had the same Hispano-Suiza 12Y engine; the plane was however larger, aerodynamically more refined and used notably larger wings. Internally the Cobra was better optimized for mass production than the D.520 (or any other Thiarian fighter, for that matter) and offered considerable growth potential. It was considered equal to its primary competitor, the Caproni Atlantach Iolar, in terms of performance (except range, where it was clearly better) and could be built at half the time for two thirds the cost. The Cobra was commissioned in 1940 to replace the Seabhac and eventually became Thiaria’s most produced aircraft type ever, with 4.061 built as Fighter and LIFT Aircraft (roughly 1/6 of production were two-seaters). The fighter version, which was exported to Argentina and Uruguay during the war, quickly established itself as a respected opponent for most allied airplanes. With their 1.100 or 1.200 hp Hispano-Suiza 12Y engines for speeds between 570 and 585 kph and their armament of one 20mm cannon and six 8mm Machineguns, they were nearly equal to the Spitfire II and superior to early P-40s or any version of the Hurricane. These fighters quickly became standard issue for Thiaria’s entire fighter force; only two of Thiaria’s eight day fighter wings were not equipped with them. After the first 900 had been delivered in 1942, the basic design was considerably improved to T6A-3 standard by installing a 1.600hp Hispano-Suiza 12Z-17 engine. Airframe and engine quickly turned out to be a match made in heaven, with a top speed of 665 kph easily achieved. As the war progressed, uprated versions of the 12Z – first the 12Z-34 with 1.750 hp, then the 12Z-43 with 1.900 hp – were installed, increasing top speed to 685 and 710 kph, respectively. The 12Z-34 powered machines (T6A-7, introduced late in 1943) replaced their six wing mounted 8mm machineguns with four 13mm guns, and the 12Z-43 powered fighters (T6A-10, in service from late 1944) added two more 13mm guns, bringing the total back to six, which gave them most impressive firepowerby anyone’s standards. These fighters were still competitive with the latest foreign types when the war ended; a version with the 2.050hp 12Z-60 (T6A-12) did not make it into series production anymore due to reliability issues of the engine which stretched the 12Z’s growth potential a little beyond its natural limit. A navalized version T6A-6 was considered, but not realized due to the weakness of the main landing gear, which could not be strengthened without a major redesign of the middle wing; it was also found that the wooden parts of the airframe could not easily be made saltwater-proof because the used wood glue reacted chemically with the anti-salt paint. Despite this small hiccup, the Cobra remains Thiaria’s most famous fighter of the Second World War, which was in action everywhere Thiarian forces fought and always gave a good account of itself. Although not as maneuverable as the Spitfire, late editions of these fighters could climb and dive with most contemporary allied fighters (except late Tempsts and Thunderbolts) due to their very good power-to-weight ratio; they could exceed 900 kph in a steep dive without major structural problems. They were clearly superior to every contemporary variant of the P38, P39, P40 and P63, and they performed irritatingly well against even the latest Mustangs; they only found their masters in the P51H and the Griffon-Spitfire. If you count only air-to-air combat, the Cobra achieved a favourable kill ratio of 3,6:1; if all kills and reasons of loss are factored in, the ratio drops to 1,4:1 due to many of them being destroyed on the ground late in the war. Cobras destroyed 70% of all airplanes killed in midair by Thiarian aircraft, and the top 10 Thiarian Aces all flew the Cobra for most, if not all their career, including Thiaria’s ace of aces, Maj. Padraig Coltraine with 88 confirmed kills. The Cobra was also widely used as a fighter-bomber in 1944, when many pilots refused to fly the structurally unsound Ollpheist planes of the light bomber wings and several hundred T6A-3 and -7 Cobras were made available to them; these machines received wing pylons for up to 750 kilograms of ordnance (typically, two 100mm rocket quadpacks, four 170kg bombs or or two 340kg bombs). In addition to the 4.021 fighters, fighter-bombers and fighter-trainers, there were several hundred photo-recce airplanes – all of them with 12Z engines – which have a separate entry below.

2.1.6. Caproni Atlantach 9C Iolar (Eagle) – 1940

Thiaria’s only other mass-produced land based fighter design besides the Cobra was based upon the Italian Caproni-Vizzola F-Series, which the Thiarians mated to a Hispano-Suiza 12Y engine of 1.100 (from 1941 1.200) hp. The combination worked well, and the resulting fighter offered performance comparable to the Cobra in most respects except range.Maneuverability however was rated slightly superior, and flight characteristics were reported as more docile and pleasant by most pilots. Armament was weaker, with only two 8mm machineguns supplementing the single 20mm cannon, but the main drawback was the complicated construction method based on Italian pre-war practice which cared little for the necessities of mass-production. Although the Thiarian government kept ordering Iolars and approved upgrades – mostly as a precaution should Cobra production run into difficulties – the type never achieved the Cobra’s ubiquity. The initial version – which was named Iolar Firean (Stone Eagle) and was capable of 570 respective 590 kph – was only built in 280 copies and equipped a single fighter wing. When the Hispano-Suiza 12Z-17 was fitted to the Iolar in mid-1942, the accompanying changes in structure (including a switch to an all-metal fuselage) were sufficiently comprehensive to warrant a new name, and the 12Z-equipped machines, which also replaced the 8mm guns with 13mm ones, were named Iolar Rioga (literally Royal Eagle, actually referring to the Harpy Eagle, of which considerable populations are native to Thiaria). Depending on which version of the 12Z was installed, the Iolar Rioga achieved top speeds of 670 kph (T9C-3 with 1.600hp 12Z-17), 695 kph (T9C-5 with bubble canopy and 1.750hp 12Z-34) and 720 kph (T9C-7 with 1.950hp 12Z-43). Production of all versions totaled 1.054; there was no photo-recce version. Also unlike the Cobra, the Iolar was never used by any expeditionary forces, but limited to home defence; in the day interceptor role, their somewhat austere armament proved quite a hindrance, although they were at their best when dealing with escort fighters. Remarkably, the Thiarians managed to ship a total of 60 to Peru in the middle of the war, where the type was also license-produced (125 units not counted in the total below) and flown till 1958 in combat and training roles.

2.1.7. Aerelar 4L Saighduir (Archer) – 1944

With the Cobra and the Iolar in full production, both of which displaying considerable growth potential in terms of engine power, development of new land-based fighters with piston engines enjoyed very low priority during the war. The Thiarian Air Force was aware as early as 1942 that the future belonged to jet propulsion. The Navy however still felt a need for piston-engined fighters due to the short range typically associated with early jet aircraft. Aerelar had started to develop a high-powered carrier-based fighter (Aerelar 5L Siolpaire, see below) with the 2.150hp Trenhaile 18T engine in 1943, but ran into trouble when even this big powerplant proved unable to deliver the specified performance; an improved turbosupercharged 2.500hp version of the 18T however had run into development delays and ultimately could not be made available prior to mid-1945. With their production facilities sitting idle and the prospect of being ordered to license-build other people’s aircraft and close down their design department, Aerelar embarked on a crash programme to build a land-based high-performance piston-propelled fighter which nobody had ordered and for which there was no defined requirement. They had acquired the plans for the Italian Reggiane Re.2005 Sagittario in 1943 and adapted them to the 1.900hp Hispano-Suiza 12Z-43 which entered series production in mid-1944; they also strengthened the structure and added a bubble canopy. The result was a fighter that outperformed not only both existing Thiarian standard fighters, but also pretty much everything the Allies had to offer; the Saighduir, as the plane was called by literally translating the Italian ‘Sagittario’, was one of only two axis fighters with piston engines that could fight an early Griffon-Spitfire on even terms, and it became available half a year earlier than the other one, the Focke-Wulf Ta152C. It featured a top speed of 725 kph, had three 20mm cannon and maneuvered like a devil. Although there was no chance that this plane could ever replace the Cobra, whose series-production was humming at full steam in 1944, Aerelar was allowed to build as many of them as possible until the Siolpaire became ready for production. This resulted in a very limited production run of 114 machines between late 1944 and early 1945. These planes were assigned to three squadrons serving with three different wings, all of which were tasked with home defence; although they made quite an impression and caused some losses among allied bombers, by that time it was too late and most of them were destroyed on the ground.

2.1.8. Caproni Atlantach 14C Tintreach (Lightning) - 1944

Thiarian Aircraft industry had begun to concentrate on jet fighters early in 1943; at that point, all work on follow on piston engined day fighters ceased with only few exceptions where range was considered a paramount requirement. Caproni Atlantach devoted considerable effort to the design of the smallest-possible airframe capable of accepting the TDA (Tuirbadinimice Aonta / United Turbodynamics) RT1A axial turbojet of 7,5 kN thrust then under development. Despite its superficial similarity with the Jumo 008, this engine was an all-Thiarian development, although some of the project-leading engineers had worked in Germany before the war. The plane, which sported a quintessentially Caproni-like appearance, like a scaled down CC.1, had its maiden flight in August 1944 and was immediately accepted for series production. Capable of 830 kph and armed with two 20mm cannon, the Tintreach seemed an ideal home-defence interceptor at that time; it was no true multi-role plane like the Me262, but more like a Thiarian version of the He162 with an emphasis on ease of construction and handling. Unlike the He162, the latter objective was actually met; the Tintreach was pleasant and rather forgiving to fly, if mechanically not very reliable due to ongoing teething troubles with the engine. Series production commenced in December 1944, with the first series aircraft commissioned in March 1945. When the war ended, the 46 completed Tintreachs equipped a single full squadron, and over 300 uncomplete airframes were at various stages of assembly.

2.1.9. Aeraon 10A Nathair (Serpent) – 1945

Although the advantages of jet aircraft were fully acknowledged by the Thiarian Air Force, there was one thing jet aircraft of the 1940s could not do, which was to fly long-range missions. Alle early jets were fuel hogs and not capable of hauling large loads of fuel and still perform properly. When Thiaria’s bombing offensive against Brazil and South Africa was in full swing in 1943, but faced with increasing opposition, a specification for an ultra-long range escort fighter went out. Two designs were submitted, one by Aeraon and one by Nairn. While the Nairn design adhered to the traditional twin-engined destroyer concept, Aeraon developed a very large plane with a single Hispano-Suiza 24Z-1 engine of 2.800 hp driving contra-rotating airscrews. The 24Z consisted of the cylinder blocks of two 12Z-34s welded to a common crankshaft and governed down a little to avoid overheat problems; like most engines of that sort (the most infamous being the Daimler-Benz 606/610 and the Rolls-Royce Vulture) the concept did not work very well and the engine remained troublesome and prone to overheat till it was too late. Consequently, the Nairn design was chosen as future long-range escort fighter and only 5 Nathairs were ever built.

2.1.10. Aigeanta 5T Tearatoirn (Thunderbird) – 1945

Thiaria’s most advanced jet fighter design that actually managed to become airborne during the war was this twin-engined aircraft that looked a little like the Bell P-59, although with smaller wings and a more refined aerodynamic shape. At 180% the weight, but 200% the engine-power of the Tintreach, the Tearatoirn was the fastest Thiarian fighter during the war, but only two prototypes were built, and the first flight occurred as late as February 1945. With its two newly developed 30mm cannon, its speed of 880 kph and its responsive controls, the Tearatorin would certainly have made a powerful weapon had it come earlier; it left a lasting mark however by providing the basis for Thiaria’s first postwar jet trainer, which was produced between 1958 and 1963 and flown till replaced by Alpha Jets in the early 1980s.


Greetings
GD

Superb. This is going to take a while to get through!

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AU Projects: | Banbha et al. | New England: The Divided States
Blood and Fire

Fricken Fantastic! Realistic yet vey attractive designs topped off with incredible paint schemes. What more can you ask for?

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Projects:
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References and feedback is always welcome!

Hello for the last time today!

2.2. Land-based multiengine Fighters

2.2.1.Aigeanta 3T Coirneach (Osprey) – 1939

Thiaria’s first attempt at creating a twin-engined multirole fighter had its maiden flight early in 1939. This type of aircraft is a natural choice for Thiaria’s Air Defence Force, which has to defend a huge land and sea area with comparatively few assets, so range is a crucial factor for them. Range is equally important for offensive missions, like escorting the new Nairn 2N Scriostoir bombers then under development. With two Hispano-Suiza 12Y engines of 860hp (later versions 930hp and 1.100 hp, respectively), an armament of two 20mm cannon and four 8mm machineguns and a large fuel supply for the specified range of 2.500 kilometers, which was quite much by 1939 standards. Its drawbacks were pretty much the same as with most planes of this type; they were heavy on the controls and not maneuverable enough to mess with single-engine fighters. In addition, the 12Y was not very well suited to this rather heavy airframe, limiting top speed to 485kph (even the up-engined versions, which were also heavier due to added equipment and armour, never exceeded 500kph). Since there were grave teething problems with both proposed successor models, the Coirneach, which at least was stalwartly reliable – remained in small-scale series production till 1942 with 475 machines built and was not retired before late 1943, when the CSCA Tornado had finally been developed into a truly formidable fighter. Coirneachs – both specially produced and refitted ones – remained in use as target tugs for the remaining duration of the war.

2.2.2. CSCA 5S Tornado (Tornado) – 1940

Judging from its beginnings, it was a major surprise that the Tornado would eventually become Thiaria’s premier twin-engined fighter and acquire a fearsome reputation amongst all who had to fight it. The basic design competed with the Aigeanta Ollpheist to become Thiaria’s future long-range multirole combat aircraft equally suited for day and night fighting, bombing, and photo reconnaissance (the Coirneach lacked this sort of versatility due to its diminutive payload). The Tornado featured a sturdy all-metal hull of rather large dimensions, but very good aerodynamic shape, a stretched glass-house cockpit with excellent visibility for its crew of two (optionally three), large integral wing tanks for a range of 2.500 kilometers, a powerful armament of four 20mm cannon and four 13mm machineguns (plus a fifth firing aft in the rear cockpit) and enough space and weight reserves to add further equipment like cameras or radar gear. Unfortunately, this considerable package was powered by nothing better than a pair of license-produced French-designed Trenhaile (Gnome-Rhone) 14N radial engines of 1.150hp apiece, which was nowhere near enough for a plane of this size and weight, resulting in disappointing performance of the S5S-1 fighter version (speed only 470 kph, slower than the Coirneach the Tornado was to replace, indifferent flight characteristics, grave overheat issues with the engines and the inability to take more than 500 kg payload, as opposed to a specified requirement of 1.500 kg). The G5S-2 recon version, which had no 20mm cannon and was somewhat lightened, was slightly better at 495kph, but generally the Tornado was deemed a major failure, and the first 300 production aircraft were quickly retired from the front after some very disappointing encounters with British and Brazilian fighters. By late 1941 however, Trenhaile was series-producing the Gnome-Rhone 14R-1/2 of 1.400hp and prepared for series-producing the 14R-4/5 of 1.600hp, and it had already been determined early in 1941 that the Tornado could easily take this much more powerful engine with minimal structural modifications. The S5S-3 with the 14R-1 had already much improved performance, not only in terms of speed (550 kph) but also – more pronounced – in terms of maneuverability and flight characteristics. The S5S-4 introduced the 14R-4/5 late in 1942 and finally was the fighter it was always meant to be. With a top speed of 605kph and really good agility for its size, it was a dangerous opponent for any allied fighter when it arrived at the front early in 1943, used mainly as a long-range escort for heavy bombers or land-based maritime strike aircraft and as a patrol fighter to protect convoys and naval units operating close to the coast. As a strike fighter, it could carry up to four four 340kg bombs externally. The S5S-7 night fighter version followed in due course and quickly became the mainstay of the Thiarian home defence in the last two years of the war, extracting a heavy blood toll from allied night bombers practically till the end. Of the 1.283 Tornado fighters produced in total, nearly half (615) were night fighters. They were easily the most popular and successful Thiarian twin-engine fighter, and remained in production even after both proposed replacements (Bultur and Pioraid) had been commissioned in 1944. 1.283 were built of the fighter version alone, and many more of the attack and photo recce versions (to come later).

2.2.3. Aigeanta 4T Ollpheist (Wyvern) – 1941

Like the Tornado, the Ollpheist, Thiaria’s other proposal for a multi-purpose combat aircraft, encountered severe teething problems when it was introduced. Very much unlike the Tornado, the Ollpheist was never really cured of them; although it remained in production for the entire duration of the war and was credited (on paper) with considerably better performance than the Tornado, it can justly be regarded as the biggest lemon in Thiaria’s inventory during the war. The Ollpheist was designed to an entirely different philosophy than its direct competitor, the Tornado: Whereas the Tornado was heavy, but sturdy, everything about the Ollpheist was optimized to save weight for maximum performance. Hull and wings consisted mainly of wood in a Mosquito-like fashion, armour was nonexistent and weight reserves were minimal. This resulted in serious structural deficiencies, which were less troublesome with the bomber version F4T-1 which was after all supposed to avoid situations where maneuvering stresses might occur, but rendered the Fighter version F4T-2 – which carried two 20mm cannon and four 8mm machineguns and was a devilishly fast plane for its day at 580kph despite the rather weak 930hp Hispano-Suiza 12Y engines – practically useless. Several dozens were destroyed when they literally fell apart in midair during combat maneuvers, and only the troubles with the underpowered initial versions of the Tornado kept the Ollpheist’s fighter version in production. Up-engining the Ollpheist with the 1.450hp Hispano-Suiza 12Z-1 from the 150th production aircraft boasted performance further (speed for the S4T-3 prototype was 630 kph), but did little to ease the structural problems; the bomber versions received additional structural strengthening, but the fighters were even more overtaxed than before. When the Tornado finally was fully matured, it was decided to cease production of the Ollpheist’s fighter version after merely 184 planes and concentrate on the bomber versions that were marginally more useful. As the allied bomber offensive against Thiaria picked up momentum late in 1943, a radar-equipped night fighter version of the Ollpheist was developed in a crash-programme. These planes (S4T-7) combined the 12Z-1 (the wing structure could not take any of the more powerful versions of that engine) with an armament of two 20mm cannon and four 13mm machineguns and a radar set; they were good for 615kph, still faster than the Tornado, and performed more or less satisfactorily when not forced into dogfights, but were subject to heavy attrition and many accidents due to structural stress damage. 210 were built, bringing the total of the fighter version to 394.

2.2.4. Aeraon 7A Bultur (Vulture) – 1944

Thiaria’s final attempt at a go-everywhere do-anything combat aircraft was the first one that yielded instant success; unfortunately, this success came no earlier than late 1944, when it was already too late to produce the necessary numbers to make a difference. Originally designed as a heavily armed attack bomber with two 2.150hp Trenhaile 18T engines (an upscale of the Gnome-Rhone 14R with four more cylinders and slightly increased displacement per cylinder), the Bultur was pressed into night-fighter service as soon as it was ready for series production. It received an obscenely heavy armament of eight 20mm cannon, four in the bow, two in the wingtips and two in the rear fuselage firing upward at a 30° angle. Despite the weight of the guns and all their ammo, and despite the drag of the radar system with quad German-style antennae, the plane was good for 650kph, almost as fast as a He219, and almost as maneuverable too, although its range of 1.700 km was considerably shorter than the Tornado’s. Against the B24s used by the British and Brazilians to bomb Thiaria in the night during 1944 and 1945, the Bultur’s capabilities were almost wasted (it had been developed to kill B29s, after all), and they inflicted losses out of proportion to their limited number. When the armistice came in April 1945, the Bultur equipped a full, if somewhat understrength, night fighter wing; 162 fighters had been produced.

2.2.5. Nairn 8N Pioraid (Pirate) – 1944

The Pioraid was a purpose-designed long-range escort; the specification went out at a time when the Thiarians were still offensive-minded. By the time the plane was in the air, requirements had changed, and every available airframe was used for air defence. With its two Hispano-Suiza 12Z-43 of 1.900hp each, the slender, aerodynamically very advanced Pioraid was an excellent performer, superior to the smaller P-38 in nearly every respect. It combined four 20mm cannon, a range of 3.000 kilometers, a top speed of 735kph, and excellent maneuverability for its size, among twin-engined fighters second only to the Italian IMAM Ro.58. Due to the pressing need for night fighters, production switched to a crash-developed two-seat version with radar after the first 20 planes, resulting in a considerable production delay early in 1945; the few night-fighters to be delivered (61 for a total of 81) appeared in action as late as March 1945 and failed to make much of an impact. They were heavier and produced more drag than the day fighter version, resulting in a top speed of only 690kph, which still compared favourably to contemporary Mosquitoes.


That's it for today!
Naval Fighters and a lot of bombers to come later

Greetings
GD

Realy nice work GD

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Best Regards,
Aart.

Projects:

The Kingdom of Rochfort in FD

Extremely impressive set of drawings with number of quite interesting designs.

These are all truly awesome!

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Wow! Really, really, nice GD!

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