The Wombat is an airborne carrier used by the World Army Air Force. It has four jet-engines at the rear for forward propulsion.
It only appeared in The Duchess Assignment.
Technical Data
- Length: 52 Metres
- Height: 8 Metres
- Wing span: 49.05 Metres
- Range: 28,600 Kilometres
- Maximum speed: 570 mph
Aircraft Design
Attached to the underside of the Wombat’s nose is a pitot head. In the cockpit there are two seats, both of which can be ejected. One is for the pilot and the other is for a navigator.
Behind the cockpit is a pressurised cabin that can accommodate a maximum of ten personnel. Alternatively, by means of reconfiguration, the cabin can also serve as a repository for supplies and equipment.
Further down the aircraft - specifically where the front part housing the cockpit and the aforementioned cabin is connected to the ‘main body’ - is a washroom and toilet as well as two holds for supplies and equipment.
Smack bang in the middle of the Wombat is where aircraft land for refuelling. With the aid of beam guidance systems in the latter craft, its undercarriage is aligned with the forward electromagnetic docking clamp in a raised position. Once in place, the rear clamp secured the undercarriage wheels of the aircraft to the deck of the airborne carrier.
Cross-sections (Cutaway Drawings)
- To date, Graham Bleathman has produced two cross-sections of the Wombat. The first appeared in a certain Redan comic, and the other featured in the 2017 Captain Scarlet Spectrum Agents' Manual.
- Main article: History of the Cutaway Drawings (Classic Thunderbirds)
Cutaway from No. 64 of Redan's Thunderbirds comic
The Wombat in Action
The carrier craft was introduced into service at the London Air Show in 2066.
While flying above the airport the Wombat holds a steady cruising speed, as to allow a "Parasite" aircraft to position itself above. The pilot then (with great skill) lowers his craft onto the back of the carrier, until the wheels are held in clamps which automatically closes when in position. The pilot is then able to use his ejector seat to escape the aircraft. The Wombat then can land the plane safely onto the ground.
Trivia
- Not long after the craft's appearance at the air show (in The Duchess Assignment), it acquired the nickname 'Wombat'. Some time later the nickname was officially adopted as the name for the craft.
- The unusual WAF markings combined the standard USAF 'star and bar' with a West German Air Force cross from unknown kit resources.
