4.13.2 de-bugging

[Pursuivant]

Ordinance Problems with P-39 series

Edit 2: P-400: At Guadacanal, P-400 of the 69th FS carried 100 lb. bombs. Presumably, the P-400 could also carry the same ordinance as the P-39D. Some ex-RAF Airacobra I were used in combat in the USSR, so possibly could have been fitted with Soviet pattern bombs.

P-39D-1 and P-39D-2: Don't have option for Soviet ordinance (possibly FAB-250), although some (~50) were sent to USSR via Lend-Lease. I'm not sure the Lend-Lease planes were ever fitted with bombs, but they should have the capacity to carry them. Soviet P-39 typically had wing guns removed to improve roll rate. This could possibly be modeled as a weapon loadout. US P-39D had provision to carry 250 lb. bomb instead of 500 lb. It's just possible that Lend-Lease RAAF P-39D were fitted with RAF pattern bombs, but I'm still hunting for evidence that this was the case.

Edit: No evidence that RAAF P-39 were ever fitted with RAF pattern bombs. The Aussies didn't use the P-39 in an offensive role, and didn't use enough P-39 for long enough that bombing operations were ever necessary.

Edit 2: US P-39D sent to England were equipped with 168 gallon drop tanks. P-400 sent to Guadacanal were equipped with 100 lb. bombs, so this loadout could be added to the contemporaneous P-39D series.

P-39N-1: There are no American ordinance options for this model, and no drop tanks, although the N variant was used in New Guinea and Italy by the US (later by the Italian Co-Belligerent AF), and it was capable of carrying both 75 gallon and 175 gallon belly tanks. Lend-Lease Soviet versions of this plane often had their wing guns removed, as described above.

P-39Q-1: Soviet P-39 typically had wing guns removed to improve roll rate. No US ordinance loadouts, despite the fact that P-39Q variants were used in Italy (as described above).

P-39Q-10: No US ordinance loadouts, despite the fact that P-39Q variants were used in Italy (as described above). Western Front Q-10 probably retained the .50 caliber wing gun pods of the Q-1.

Edit: The P-39Q-10 was also used in the SW Pacific by the 347th FS flying from Makin Island in 1943. Pictures definitely show US aircraft retaining the wing guns. In 1944 pictures of other US P-39 show them carrying 75 gallon drop tanks. They are also reported to have carried out missions dropping 500 lb. bombs on Japanese positions. So, the same ordinance loadouts for the P-39D series (plus 100 lb. bomb option) should also apply to the N and Q series.

Unspecified "Q" variants of the P-39 were in use by units of the 12th AF in the Mediterranean until June 1944. The "Tuskeegee Airmen" (332nd FG) were initially assigned P-39Q-20 (similar to the Q-10) in February 1944 and practiced skip-bombing using it (unspecified bomb loadouts).

Soviet P-39Q variants were tested with FAB-100 as well as FAB-250 bombs.


Should someone feel like adding more P-39 variants to the game:

P-39K-1: This would be an easy addition. It was basically a P-39D-2 with minor changes to the nose (slightly different skin), a 3-bladed Aeroproducts propeller (possibly slightly different from the Curtiss Electric prop on the D-2), and an Allison V-1710-63 (E6) (1,325 hp/988 kW) engine, and weighed about 800 lb. more than the D-2 version. About 210 were built, 50 were sent to USSR, including one which was Pokryshkin's first Airacobra. Some were also used in New Guinea.

P-39L-1: This was virtually identical to the K-1 variant, except for the use of the the Curtiss Electric prop, and a slightly revised nose wheel. More interestingly, it could be fitted with bazooka type rocket launchers. About 250 were produced and it was used in New Guinea and North Africa in 1943 by the US.

http://i.imgur.com/HdXb44Y.jpg

Edit: Some L models also made it to the USSR.

P-39M-1: This was identical to the L-1 version, but with a larger (11 foot 1 inch diameter) Aeroproducts propeller (a bit smaller than that on the Q versions), and an Allison V-1710-67 (E8 ) which gave improved high-altitude performance at the expense of poorer low-altitude performance. It developed 1200 hp for takeoff and 1125 hp at 15,500 feet, and could fly at 370 mph at 15,000 feet as compared to 360 mph at the same altitude for the P-39L. This variant was used in North Africa. About 250 were built.

Post-War Soviet P-39 were eventually refitted with a 20 mm Berezin B-20 cannon, and 12.7mm Berezin UBS machine guns. It is possible that these were fitted to Soviet planes during WW2, especially since the Soviets preferred the 20mm cannon to the 37mm cannon.