F6F-5N Hellcat Nightfighter

[8903]

The F6F-3 was essentially  "right", so the succeeding F6F-5 was a litttle more than a product-improved f6f-3 with a redesigned and closer-fitting engine cowling strenthened airframe, flat windscreen,spring -tab ailerons, and improved fighter-bomber capability with 2 1000lb (454kg) bombs or 11.75in (298mm) "tiny tim" rockets and 6 5in (127mm) rockets.

The first F6F-5 flew in april 1944, and production totaled 7868 aircraft including 1432 f6f-5N night-fighters with radar and in later aircraft, 2 of the machine guns were replaced with 20mm cannon. Under the terms of lend-lease act,the UK recieved 930 F6F-5 and F6F-5N fighters, for service as F.MK II. The F6F-5N was built with a 3cm radar, showing to good effect the overall midnight blue paint scheme.

OK so why don't we have the varient with the 2 20mm cannon  and 4 50's? and or the ord option for the tiny tims? I wish this would get into play. We have how many different F4U's????

With this you really would not have to change much, just add a few thingsto the current F6F-5

Be gent's and fix this bad boy up for us CV fighting Squads!

[Stoney74]

The F6F in the game is one of the older models, so when they update the airframe, perhaps we will see the F6F-3 as well as an updated version of the F6F-5 we have now.  As for the F6F-5N, may not see it at all since there seems to have been a tendency by HTC to not model the night fighter variants of the various aircraft.

[Warspawn]

Wouldn't it be neat to have some real 'night' time where night fighters or perhaps areas with flares/spotlights would be packed with combatants?

[8903]

I'd just like to see the F6F with some nice cannon. We have alot of F4U's why not have 1 more F6F-5? something with a little more punch.

[Kweassa]

Give the best variants to the USN,
 Give the worst variants to the IJN.

 How lovely..

[Stoney74]

Originally posted by 8903
I'd just like to see the F6F with some nice cannon. We have alot of F4U's why not have 1 more F6F-5? something with a little more punch.

Well, they were pretty rare relatively speaking, and they'd have to model the radome on the wing.  Personally, I don't think the F6F needs any more punch than it has, but I'm a .50 cal kind of guy.

[joeblogs]

Given the game expicitly gives every pilot Radar, I don't think anyone will be willing to fly a plane with the performance penalty that Radar installation imposes on the plane.

What's more, to be realistic for night flying, the game would have to be tweaked to force us to rely more on isntruments at night than we do.

-Blogs

Originally posted by 8903
The F6F-3 was essentially  "right", so the succeeding F6F-5 was a litttle more than a product-improved f6f-3 with a redesigned and closer-fitting engine cowling strenthened airframe, flat windscreen,spring -tab ailerons, and improved fighter-bomber capability with 2 1000lb (454kg) bombs or 11.75in (298mm) "tiny tim" rockets and 6 5in (127mm) rockets.

The first F6F-5 flew in april 1944, and production totaled 7868 aircraft including 1432 f6f-5N night-fighters with radar and in later aircraft, 2 of the machine guns were replaced with 20mm cannon. Under the terms of lend-lease act,the UK recieved 930 F6F-5 and F6F-5N fighters, for service as F.MK II. The F6F-5N was built with a 3cm radar, showing to good effect the overall midnight blue paint scheme.

OK so why don't we have the varient with the 2 20mm cannon  and 4 50's? and or the ord option for the tiny tims? I wish this would get into play. We have how many different F4U's????

With this you really would not have to change much, just add a few thingsto the current F6F-5

Be gent's and fix this bad boy up for us CV fighting Squads!

[Bodhi]

Originally posted by joeblogs
Given the game expicitly gives every pilot Radar, I don't think anyone will be willing to fly a plane with the performance penalty that Radar installation imposes on the plane.

What's more, to be realistic for night flying, the game would have to be tweaked to force us to rely more on isntruments at night than we do.

-Blogs

According to Barret Tillman's Book, "Corsair", pilot's did not report any major penalties owing to the radome on the wing.  I believe it was the same from his book "Hellcat", but it's been some time since I have read it.

[Slash27]

Originally posted by Kweassa
Give the best variants to the USN,
 Give the worst variants to the IJN.

 How lovely..

Thats the plan?

[joeblogs]

The equipment weighs several huindred pounds. The Radome creates additional drag and it is asymmetric at that. If you look at the Navy performance charts for these models, you find a small speed penalty and a more significant penalty in climb rates. Given the F6 is already a reletively slow plane in the game, I doubt a nightfighter version offering the pilot nearly the same information he or she can find on the Map view will be used much.

Much as I like Tillman's books, his performance charts do not always agree with the Navy tests reports. Tillman often uses the manufacturer's results and these sometimes do not reflect the production models (some equipment and armor missing, different fuel loads, etc).
-blogs

Originally posted by Bodhi
According to Barret Tillman's Book, "Corsair", pilot's did not report any major penalties owing to the radome on the wing.  I believe it was the same from his book "Hellcat", but it's been some time since I have read it.

[humble]

The 2 x 20mm loadout for the F6F-5 was a universal option...meaning that just like the wing for the F4U-D the F6F-5 wing was engineered to accept the 2 x 20mm, 4 x .50 option right from the factory. Every single F6F-5 built was so configured. The 20mm option was actually the original design but the Navy elected to retain the 6 x .50 loadout as standard. All 879 F6F-5's deleivered to the royal navy were configured with the 2 x 20mm option. It also was employed by the Navy in the Pac but to the best of my knowledge no unit ever "switched"...it was used on a mission by mission basis just like loading up bombs or rockets. The navy had an unusual view on recce/spotting planes in that the F6F-5P was upgunned to the 2 x 20mm loadout....it was more common for photo/recon/spotting planes like the mustang/spittie to be lightly or totally un-armed. The P was fairly widely used in the Pac (FM-2 was used in the same role as well{no 20mm obviously}). The F6F5-P did see combat action in Europe in 8/44 with planes from the USS Tulagi (VOF-1) claiming 6 german planes in support of the invasion of southern france. VMF-74 also saw action over France claiming 2 planes, since they were a standard unit they were more likely in normal F6F-5's...however they did have their night fighting detachment and the 7 F6F-5N's operated from Corsica....

[Bodhi]

Joeblogs,
We have a radome here for a F6F-5k.  It weighs approximately a 150 Pounds.  The scope probably about 40 pounds.  

The interesting thing is I looked up in the pilot's handbook for the for the -5 / -5N and it shows no differences from the -5 to -5N on the charts...

Maybe an oversight, who knows.

[Grits]

Originally posted by 8903
OK so why don't we have the varient with the 2 20mm cannon  and 4 50's? and or the ord option for the tiny tims? I wish this would get into play. We have how many different F4U's????

This has been done to death in the past. As Humble said, all F6F-5s were built to be able to use the 20mm option, but even in the -5N there is no photo proof that it was ever used. I would not hold my breath for a 20mm option for the F6F.

[Ack-Ack]

Originally posted by Grits
This has been done to death in the past. As Humble said, all F6F-5s were built to be able to use the 20mm option, but even in the -5N there is no photo proof that it was ever used. I would not hold my breath for a 20mm option for the F6F.

The -5N varient did carry the 2x 20mm gun package with 4x. 50 cals in the night fighter units.  Just finished reading Aces of the Pacific and it has a story of a US Navy night fighter pilot that was flying the -5N with the 20mm gun package.   When I get home, I'll post his story.  IIRC, he was only the 2nd pilot in the PTO to score all of his kills at night, the 1st one being a Marine pilot flying the night fighter version of the Corsair.


ack-ack

[Soulyss]

IIRC I think that was Porter who flew with the mixed weapon package.  I also think he was the exception rather than the rule.  To my knowledge only a few pilots flew with that armament, the majority of even the nightfighter units used the 6 x .50 cal MG's