Australia's Impressive Emergency Fighter...That Couldn't Really Fight: CAC Boomerang

Video Description

In this video, we take a look at the CAC Boomerang, an Australian fighter aircraft from World War II, designed by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation. We first talk about Australia as a country, focusing on its unforgiving climate, and how Australia came under threat during WW2. We talk about their wholly insufficient military force, how Japan planned an invasion, and how that plan never came to fruition. We talk about how the invasion threat spurred armament in Australia and New Zealand, and how that led to Australia's first homegrown fighter. We talk about two other CAC designs, in the Wirraway and Wackett, and how they led to the Boomerang. We talk about its rapid development cycle and surprisingly solid performance and armament, hampered largely by a lack of engine power. We talk about the production of the Boomerang, its integration into the Royal Australian Air Force, its eventual service as a ground attacker and general purpose support aircraft, and its failures as a fighter aircraft. We end by looking at an attempt to improve upon the Boomerang, and how, despite its poor air-to-air combat record, it should be an admired aircraft.