Secondly – because they fly faster, further and higher than the Il’s, our fuel consumption is much higher. Therefore on such flights we often had external tanks
Taken from Wotons "interview" thread...
"Q: I understand that you covered Pe-2’s as well. Did that make a difference to how you escorted them?
A: Yes. For a start we flew at altitude. The Peshki were at 3000m and we were still higher. Secondly, the side pair/four flew 400-500m higher than the bombers and the central pair/four 600-1000m higher. Thirdly, the bombers flew faster, especially after the target. I didn’t like covering Pe-2’s – they were harder to cover the Il’s. For a start because of their high speed they were easy to lose and you [turn and] drive off one attack and they’ve almost disappeared.
Secondly – because they fly faster, further and higher than the Il’s, our fuel consumption is much higher. Therefore on such flights we often had external tanks.
Thirdly – It was hard to check the airspace below us. The Pe-2’s were high, we were still higher and it was easy, therefore, for the Messers to attack from below. It’s true that the Pe’s lower hemisphere was covered by a gunner who could help drive off an attack but the fact remains, it was harder to escort Peshki.
That’s where Il’s were better – on the way home they would often drop to 150-200m so couldn’t be attacked from below. Nor could they be attacked in a steep dive – it’s practically impossible at 600km/h. "
How common were drop tanks for various russian fighters and why dont we have them if they were operationally used for normal escort if needed?
