I guess there never was an “official” version. The huge differences in wing and intake form indicate a very preliminary design stage. Looks like a Mirage III or 5 derivative.
Hi Schorsch
If you read through some of the links given, it emerges that the single engine version was the version punted originally. A lot more work was done on this version, and various wind tunnel models were tested, as well as a host of other work. The lead designer had apparentely been intimately involved on the design team for the Dassault Mirage 2000 previously. So perhaps more Mirage 2000 than III or 5 features would have been prevelant.
Then along came the new SAAF chief, General Loggerenburg, who apparentely then completely shook up the project and detailed a larger twin engined jet, as he was an ex Buccaneer pilot and a proponent of twin engines. This late shake-up/meddling effectively scuppered the project, as a lot of work had actually been completed on the single engined smaller design.
Some aviation projects that flew in South Africa were directly related to the programme. Some of these consisted of airframe, materials, weapons, avionics, engine programmes amongst others. There was a programme called “Project Meccano or Mecano” that had to do with development of an fully coherent multimode pulse doppler radar in an airborne version, that was apparentely based on the land based ‘Fynkyk” system. My friend, who has the book mentioned above, tells me that there was a host of other work as well. I can ask for details if needed.
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