Item Description
Original Item. Only One Available. This is a very interesting piece of aircraft ordnance which has been painted for a museum display with the classic “shark mouth” WWII nose art style, and the other side having a label painted, naming it a Flight Calculation Radar Telemetry Pod. The piece only has a single tail fin, and there do not appear to have been any removed, although there is a threaded hole opposite the fin that may have originally held a third suspension lug. The tail fin has a small spot where an antenna used to be positioned, as indicated by a very small sticker next to it along with a frequency, so this piece was certainly meant for radar or communication purposes, relaying information via the antenna for flight log purposes. Someone wrote BIG RED crudely along the border of the panel, likely to name the shark. Like all deactivated ordnance, this piece is Not Available for Export.
The piece measures roughly 84” in length, and about 7½” in diameter. It has two Mk. 6 Mod. 0 Suspension Lugs still attached, from which the piece hung for several decades in a museum. The lugs are still fully functional and will allow for easy display in your collection. The paint across the piece is heavily chipping, which has certainly given it a sort of patina that complements it, despite the paint being added for the museum display. There is a large panel on the side of the piece affixed by a staggering 42 screws. We contemplated opening the hatch to see if we could gain any further insight as to what the piece is, but didn’t want to risk breaking or losing any of the screws. Some of the screws are stamped with markings, such as AER-O-LINE NAS517, the screw’s designation.
This is a very interesting piece of aircraft ordnance from the Vietnam War Era. Although we could find no record of a “Flight Calculation Radar Telemetry Pod”, the design of the piece and the presence of an antenna suggests that its use was certainly geared more towards radar or communicatory benefit rather than as a missile. Still, it was well-painted as a display piece, and the wear certainly gives it a “service-used” look, albeit artificial. It is a fantastic candidate for further research, and will display very well as is! Comes ready for further research and display.
- This product is not available for international shipping.
- Not eligible for payment with Paypal or Amazon
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