HISTORY

Though not a 100% exact replica, this plane is inspired by the Cavalier Turbo Mustang III / Piper PA-48 Enforcer. The Enforcer is an American turboprop-powered light close air support aircraft built by Piper in the 1970s. It was a development of the World War II-era North American P-51 Mustang fighter.

The Enforcer concept was originally created and flown as the Cavalier Mustang by David Lindsay, owner of Cavalier Aircraft, in response to the United States Air Force PAVE COIN program, but Cavalier did not have the manufacturing abilities to mass-produce the Enforcer, so the program was sold to Piper by Lindsay in 1970.

Sporting camouflage paint, wingtip fuel tanks and 10 under-wing hard points for bombs, rockets or gun pods, the PA-48 was a formidable machine and looked it. Though its speed was limited by a cut-down Aeroproducts propeller adapted from a Skyraider as a cost-saving measure, its 2445 HP Lycoming T-55 engine provided plenty of power. While not as fast as a P-51D, it boasted a superior load-carrying capability of 2850 kg.

Unfortunately for Piper, the Air Force simply didn’t need the PA-48. By the time of the airplane’s evaluations, the service was already well-stocked with A-10s, which could do everything an Enforcer could do and a lot that it couldn’t: The Warthog’s 16kpound maximum ordnance load was nearly three times that of the PA-48. It could refuel in flight, and could withstand more enemy fire. It was also thought to have greater development potential, and indeed, A-10s remain in service today.

THE BUILD

As I said, not a real replica, since it looks somewhat different from the actual PA-48 in some ways. It does have a typical “field green” paint job, matches the PA-48 in engine power, weight, payload, fuel capacity and so on. Close enough ;)

ARMAMENT

The plane makes good use of its 10 hardpoints, and carries quite an arsenal for a small turboprop; it won’t break any records in this challenge though, since I gave it a realistic load of weapons of its era.

• Two GPU-2/A cannon pods, each containing an M197 20mm rotary cannon with 300 rounds

• Twelve AGM-114 Hellfire Air-to-Surface missiles for precision attacks on armor and SAM sites

• Four LAU-32/A pods with seven 2.75” FFAR’s each -so, a total of 28 unguided rockets, good fun for taking out convoys.

CONTROLS

Normal flight controls, VTOL down for flaps, trim = trim. There are no other special controls except weapons selection. The poor thing will have a hard time as it is, going up against the fictional jets and A10’s that will probably be entered; its only advantage may be gameplay simplicity.

Have fun testing this quick build!