... after the groundwork has been laid for AHII and the a/c start rolling off Nate and Supah's production line, the aircraft I would LOVE to eventually see is this magnificant beauty:
Bell P39D/N/Q Airacobra[list=1]Armament: P39D/N - One 37mm hub cannon (T-9), Two .50in MGs in nose; optional underwing (two or four) .30in MGs. P39Q - two optional underwing .50in MGs replaced .30in MGs. All models able to carry one 500lb bomb.
Powerplant - P39D - 1150hp Allison V-1710-35 V12. P39N/Q - 1200hp Allison V-1710-85; three bladed propeller.
Dimensions: Wingspan - 34ft 0in; length 30ft 2in; height 11ft 10in.
Weight: Empty 5645lb; Max - 8300lb[/b]
Performance: P-39D - max speed 368mph at 13,800ft; time to 15,000ft - 5.7min; ceiling 32,100ft; range 800 miles.
P-39Q - max speed 385mph at 11,000ft; time to 15,000t 4.5min; ceiling 35,000ft; range 650 miles.
Saw service in: Australia, Britain, France, Italy, Portugal, UK, USA, USSR.[/list][/color]
Why the P39 you ask?1) The versatility. The P39 was used by almost
every Allied airforce. It can be used as a gigantic filler in scenerios:
Eastern front, Mediterranean, over the UK/France, all over the Pacific Theatre, and even in Portugal! The Portuguese will be happy!The VVS planeset is in dire need of fattening. The addition of this aircraft covers a large mid-war gap. 1942-1943.
One 3D model = three variants! P39D/N/Q!!2) It has a huge gun. Can you say 37mm? Feels good doesn't it? Kinda rolls of the tongue.
3) It's
production numbers are up there. Almost 10,000 produced!
4) I love it, and you love it too. If this was added, I would drool uncontrollably. P39 and P40
. These would be my planes and my planes would be these. Wouldn't touch anything else... (well maybe a 109 here and there).
While the P39 has been "deemed a failure" by some, others feel it did not get the credit it deserved. Its overall performance allowed it to provide worthy competition under 15,000ft. This was stolen from another thread and posted by Widewing:
[list=1]All in all, the P-39D easily out-performed the A6M2 in every category but low-speed maneuverability and range. Yet, today you would think the P-39D was an absolute pig. It wasn't. It also proved very formidable against the Luftwaffe at altitudes below 15,000 feet. It's turn rate was very similar to the later P-63A King Cobra, meaning it was far more maneuverable than the P-51, even slightly better than the F6F. Within the American inventory of WW2 fighters, only the F4F/FM series was more agile than the Airacobra. What hurt the P-39 was its single-speed, single-stage supercharger that limited adequate performance to below 15k. Above that, performance fell off sharply as you went up. Both the Japanese and Germans were aware of the P-39's performance woes up high and they used tactics to take advantage of that. However, down on the deck, the Airacobra was a very dangerous foe. Especially the later models with more power and better guns.
For example, the P-39N was rated for 399 mph at 9,700 feet. How does that compare to late war fighters? Pretty good. It's faster than the La-7 (391 mph) at that altitude! Speed on the deck was very good as well. Where the P-39D could pull only 305 mph (and 368 mph at 12k), the P-39N could exceed 339 mph, 348 mph in WEP. Climb rate was good, if not spectacular. The P-39D needed 5.7 minutes to get to 15k, but the P-39N/Q could get there in 3.8 minutes, which is slightly better than the P-51D. Acceleration was also very good. In fact, it was better than the F4U-4, P-47D-30, and markedly better than the F6F-5. Just so you know, the later P-39s were powered by 1,420 hp Allisons, not the 1,100 hp engines fitted to the P-39D. The later models were also about 200 lbs lighter as well.[/i][/list]Links with other info:
Huge PDF with performance charts and stuff
A Russian site with Lend Lease aircraft (and kick bellybutton pictures)
