Israel Built A Fighter Jet So Strange That Boeing Thought It Was A Joke
Here's another aerial abomination: The Westland P.12 Lysander Delanne
(Wendover)
Almost everybody knows the Westland Lysander . Famous mainly for the risky
missions that the Allies undertook during WW2. Because of his special flight
characteristics of the Lysander was very suitable for landings on short
improvised airfields to pick up and drop off agents and Resistance fighters
in the middle of the night.
With the expected invasion of England in mind the Ministry of Defence was
looking for a way to defend the beaches. Thus was born the idea of Westlands’s
chief designer, Arthur Davenport, for a "beach strafer ", using the Lysander
as a basis but better armed to wipe clean the beach. Therefore it was
decided to install the 4-gun Nash & Thomson rear turret of a Wellington
bomber.
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