Unknow armed version of D.H. 104 Dove

[brontolino]

Hi,
In this link www.aeroclub-baradero.com.ar stated that after the II WW the Argentine Government purchased 70 D.H. 104 Dove, some of the them were armed. They were modified locally to carry armament or the De Havilland had projected an armed version of this aircraft? I try to find more information on my books and on the net but there is nothing except to some examples of this aircraft were modified with racks of fortune to carry light bombs during the Congo war in the '60 . Anyone has more information or pics of armed D.H.104 Dove?

 

[Apophenia]

Interesting. Perhaps the FAA used some T-57s as bombing trainers for the Lancaster and Lincoln?

 

[brontolino]

I don't know, but some examples were on charge at Escuela de Aviacion Militar for trainiing or in communication role.

 

[LowObservable]

Wouldn't that make it a Hawk?

 

[Vahe Demirjian]

Wouldn't that make it a Hawk?

No. Some training aircraft tend to be transport planes modified for the purpose of training crews for combat missions. A list of Argentine Air Force planes doesn't list the Dove among combat aircraft.

 

[drejr]

It was obviously a joke?

I'm not aware of any photos of armed Doves. Avikat Doves carried bombs constructed from pipes in trays or boxes under the fuselage and machine guns in the door. Bombs were probably dropped out the doors too.

The TAT Dove on display at Darwin Aviation Museum dropped homemade bombs on Indonesian troops in 1975 before escaping to Australia.

 

[iverson]

I have seen a close-up photo of an Avikat Dove was armed with an Army-model 0.50-cal Browning on a bungie-cord and webbing mount in the passenger door. I seem to recall it was in a Time-Life book.

 

[Petrus]

I have seen a close-up photo of an Avikat Dove was armed with an Army-model 0.50-cal Browning on a bungie-cord and webbing mount in the passenger door. I seem to recall it was in a Time-Life book.

Here is the photo you've mentioned. I've found it somewhere else on the Internet. It was published in the book "Mister Brown" by Jan Zumbach (I have its Polish version "Ostatnia walka"). In the book Zumbach made several references to the "Dove-bomber" and described its armament: door-mounted machine gun (btw the .50 Browning is referred to as a "Hotchkiss" machine gun, perhaps the Dove had had previously the French MG that was then replaced by the Browning) and bombs made from pipes.

Piotr