Subject: Oops - Forgot to send these details!
From: Shane Weier <[email-masked]>
To: "[email-masked]'" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 21 Sep 2000 10:16:36 +1000

Steve,

My apology, I forgot to pass on this text info to go with my walkaround

Shane

Commonwealth Aircraft CA-27 Sabre

In the late 1940's the Royal Australian Air Force began searching for a
succesor to its first front line jet aircraft, the Meteor and Vampire.  The
North American F-86 Sabre fit the RAAF's needs well, but a more powerful
engine and armament was required. A decision was made to produce a modified
F-86F at CAC using the Rolls Royce Avon turbojet in place of the usual
General Elelctric J-34.  Since the Avon was shorter, lighter, but larger in
diameter than the engine it replaced, and with the replacement of the six
0.50" machine gun armament with two 30mm cannon, the fuselage was greatly
modified; so much so that only 40% of the structure is common to the
original aircraft. Service testing began at the end of 1954, with full
serveice commencing in early 1956.

Three series of Avon Sabres were built, Mark 30 aircraft had the original
slatted wing and Mark 31 aircraft had the extended hard wing, while many
Mark 30's were updated with the newer wing.  The definitive Mark 32 version
used Australian built Avon 26 engines and the 6-3 wing, and were fitted (or
retrofitted) to use the Sidewinder missile.

The aircraft photographed for the walkaround (A94-914) is a Mark 30 fitted
with the hard wing.

The CAC Avon Sabre was  replaced in RAAF use by the Mirage, with sixteen
surplus aircraft going to Malaysia where they served successfully until
replacement in the early 1980's.

The aircraft pictured is in the collection of 

Australian Aviation Heritage Museum
557 Stuart Highway
Winnellie, NT 0820
AUSTRALIA

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