The WCM Broadsword

powell99

Aviation Junkie
So, the Film's Rapiers were made from old English Electric Lightnings, but I've always wondered about the Movie's Broadswords. Were they made from scratch? Because they sure look like the cockpits of old English Electric/Martin Canberra Bombers.

canberra01-1.jpg


Temora001.jpg


wcmbroadsword.jpg


What do you guys think?
 
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It does look like the Broadsword was based on that... but was there actually a physical model of the Broadsword? They only made the models they needed, and I think we only see Rapiers on the flight deck.
 
It does look like the Broadsword was based on that... but was there actually a physical model of the Broadsword? They only made the models they needed, and I think we only see Rapiers on the flight deck.

After some searching on the CIC it looks like they did make a cockpit, and it really looks like a converted Canberra cockpit.

wcexpo11.jpg

wcexpo8.jpg


And the Canberra:
argnm20.jpg

wj676-02.jpg
 
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Well, if I recall correctly, our airforce (the RAF) started to retire the Canberra in the late 'nineties, and early 'two-thousands so it might make sense that their parts were easily obtainable at the time.

I love the way our military were still using 50 year old bombers until recently :D

Edit, the USAF had their own take on this plane, too: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B-57_Canberra
 
I love the way our military were still using 50 year old bombers until recently :D

The USAF is still using theirs. :D The H model of the B-52 went into service in 1961 (the first mass-produced B-52, the B model, going into service in 1955), and with maintenance periods are expected to be in service until 2040, nearly 80 years after production ended (the last -52H left the factory on Oct 26, 1962).

(And no, I didn't get those dates from memory, I looked them up. :p )
 
Color me stupid - but I thought the English Electric Lightnings were long confirmed to be the basis of the Broadsword bombers in the movie? I don't remember where I read it per se, but I was most certainly aware of it. Weird. :confused:
 
Sad bit of news - theres now only three English Electric Lightnings flying in the world today. They're in South Africa, used for airshows and one suffered mechanical problems and crashed a week or two ago. The pilot ejected but didn't survive.
 
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