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By: - 23rd April 2004 at 12:09 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Nope
It's not a hoax.
I actually looked into the plane when an AFM member asked me to model it (back when I was still a nice guy.)
Atlas actually did design the plane but it never took flight.
By: - 23rd April 2004 at 13:18 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Looks a lot like a Hornet mated to a delta wing IMO.The front fuselage in the pic is very Hornet like.Especially in the second pic.If it was twin engined it would be even more so.I'm probably the only one seeing that though.
By: - 23rd April 2004 at 13:33 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Fork, the second picture is just a 3D model I built. It has nothing to do with Atlas. I should have made it clearer.
The top picture is the official model commissioned by Atlas (South African, makes the Cheetah too).
I didn't even have line drawings so I basically eyeballed top picture which is the only photo I can across in making the model that appears in the second picture. Don't depend on it for accuracy.
By: - 23rd April 2004 at 14:50 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Here's another pict of my Cava model
By: - 23rd April 2004 at 19:23 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Re: Atlas Cava light weight fighter.. a Hoax?
Originally posted by WACHENR0DERfound this from a South African site..
http://ipmssa.inext.co.za/KB/Aircraft/Cheetah/Cheetah_new_background2.htm
looks quite a bit like the LCA, and probably would've been the same size too.
By: - 23rd April 2004 at 21:50 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
That was going to replace the Cheetah, it was going to be a good plane but things changed in SA and F.W.DeClerk ended Apartheid and life returned to that country.
By: - 23rd April 2004 at 23:05 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
People forget how advanced South Africa was technically. It had a successful nuke project. It's really a little piece of Western Europe situated on the southern tip of Africa (okay, their racial attitude back then was 18th century Europe).
Looking up older threads here at AFM on the Cava, this is what Thor, who brought the subject to me on October, 2002, said about the plane:
Project CAVA (sometimes "Carver") was started in the '80s to replace the Canberra , Buccaneer , and Mirage 111 in the South African fleet.The Cheetah was a total upgrade of the Mirage 111 and was always supposed to be an interim type to serve until the late 90's until CAVA would come into service.The reasons for the project was that under Apartheid , South Africa was under an arms embargo.There was some speculation that a twin engined design would be produced , either as an upscaled attack variant with the single engined type . or possibly instead of it.This was done under the instigation of the SAAF chief , an ex buccaneer man and a firm advocate of twin engines.This aircraft was NOT a modellers excercise.Pres. FW De Klerk mentioned its cancellation in parliament along with the 6 nuclear weapons in the early 90's.Upwards of 10 billion Rand had been spent on the project already as well as a mock-up to test systems placement.Comprehensive wind tunnel tests and a host of related work had been completed.Apparently a prototype was either beginning to be constructed or was just about to commence.Towards the end of the research and test phase , quite a few Israeli engineers made redundant from the Lavi cancellation joined from 1987 onwards , leading to speculation that it would be a Lavi lookalike , ala the J-10
The design was to be a Fly by Wire (FBW) unstable design with a large percentage of composites in its construction.There is evidence that the Advanced Composite Evaluator (ACE) constructed by Atlas/Denel in the late 80's early 90's was part of the R&D into aircraft composites.The Ace was a turbo prop trainer in the class of the Pilatus PC-9 or Tucano.It had at the time the highest percentage of composites in a military type aircaft in the world at the time.
One of the most interesting aspects was to be the powerplant.It was said that it would be an engine "based on or using the Atar 9k50 as a starting point but considerably different." The project was cancelled as the end of Apartheid did not justify its continued development.I think that this was a mistake as it would have been in the class of the Gripen and would have probably entered service possibly a little sooner.The aircraft was to incorporate a high degree of composites as well as it's small size would have made it slightly "stealthy" in clean config.
I don't think it is that similar to Indias ACA.It appears to have a different nose section , cockpit area , a different wing design and better wing/fuselage blending.It does appear to be in roughly the same weight class.I think it looks more like a single engined Rafael without the Canards.The funny thing is that it would be a very viable project today , given that the Eurofighter , Rafael , export Gripens and Indian ACA are some time off entering operational service.
By: - 24th April 2004 at 00:21 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Ah, ok Goldendragon.My bad.Cracking model anyway.It was still early and I wasn't doing anything at work so I was a bit off when I made that comment.
By: - 24th April 2004 at 00:42 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I didn't say look exactly like the LCA, but similar to it.. the wing sweep looking about the same, both using tailless deltas and relying heavily on composites..
as for the Rafale look alike, I think the Novi Avion is pretty much the closest thing.
I must say your model looks good. Much better than the one below me.
By: - 24th April 2004 at 02:55 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
if the wing size be considered the same, its about 1m longer
than the LCA. also its features a more traditional delta than the
LCA whose outer section has a more deeper sweep.
Pakistan could have had this 10 years before the FC-1, had it
gone through. heck, they could have had it before the LCA itself ;)
By: - 24th April 2004 at 09:21 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Not a hoax. Only a daydream of times past.
By: - 24th April 2004 at 16:46 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
People forget how advanced South Africa was technically.
What do mean 'was'? :)
By: - 27th April 2004 at 14:12 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Oops, "was" as when the Cava was designed. Oh yes, SA still has formidable tech base. Aside from China, the only third world nation producing a bvr :)
Of course, part of SA was never "third world."
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By: WACHENR0DER - 23rd April 2004 at 09:03
found this from a South African site..
http://ipmssa.inext.co.za/KB/Aircraft/Cheetah/Cheetah_new_background2.htm