The planes we truly need most.

[Panzzer]

Time for the Brewster?

[EagleDNY]

Asking what plane is needed most begs the question...  where?  In the MA?
Most of the planes I'm seeing listed here would be hanger queens in the MA - limited usage, mostly by enthusiasts, and probably would be meat for most of the LA-7, Niki, 1944-45 fighter flying club that we see most nights.

Not that I wouldn't try out a Gloster Gladiator, or Fiat CR42, but how long can I reasonably expect to survive in one?  Sure, I'd love to be taking off B-25s from a CV and trying a Doolittle raid, but I don't have much hope of getting home in a sky full of LA-7s and Nikis, and I'll be carrying the same 2K bombload as an Avenger (another hanger queen).  

Since that (IMHO) is the case, why not feed that hunger first and get some new action going in the MA.  My list is the 4th Qtr '45 list, and I'd expect them all to be perked:

USA:
F7F Tigercat (would've seen service if the war hadn't ended)
F8F Bearcat (delivered into squadrons prior to wars end)
P-80A (delivered before wars end in Europe, and would be an interesting match against the Me-262).
B-29A (conventional bombs only, and good luck getting them to target if you are under 25K).
Edit: Add the P-51H for you Mustang enthusiasts - lighter, faster, stronger than your old D models, and plenty built by wars end...)

UK:
Gloster Meteor Mk.III (saw operational service folks, we just never got the jet battle with the 262 that everyone was anticipating).
Spitfire F.21 (lets just see what the ultimate development of the spitfire was like...)

Germany:
Do-335 Arrow (some were delivered before war's end, and I for one would like to see what it would've done against a horde of bombers...)
He-162 Volksjager (delivered in 45, with operational training and even a report of action before wars end)
Me-262A-2 (why not lets see if the 262 can be used as a fighter-bomber, and lets see about those fat R4M rockets vs bomber streams too...)

Japan:
Ki-100 (Plenty were used, and it is arguably the best japanese piston-engined fighter of the war).

Perk 'em all, and let God (and the carnage that is the MA) sort 'em out.

EagleDNY
$.02

 

[Karnak]

Ki-100's performance is markedly inferior to the Ki-84's.  The thing it had going for it was that it was reliable in 1945.  Reliability is not an issue in AH, thus the Ki-84 is just plain better.

Ki-100's top speed: 336mph.

There are a great many Japanese planes that we should have before the Ki-100.

[Treize69]

IAR-80
IAR-80A
IAR-80B
IAR-80C
IAR-80DC

IAR-81
IAR-81A
IAR-81B
IAR-81C
IAR-81M

[EagleDNY]

You might make a case for a J2M5 Raiden or something like that.  Like a lot of late-war axis development, the goal was stopping hi-altitude bombing raids, so the planes aren't really designed for furballing (Ta-152 anyone?).

I'm a Ki-84 fan myself, but I do have to admit that it lacks controllability at high speed.  From what I've read, the Ki-100, although slower during level flight, was supposedly able to dive with Mustangs and P47Ns and maintain the speed on pullout.  I can't think of any other Japanese ride that was said to be able to do that (and I sure can't do it in my Ki-84).  I'm also thinking Ki-100-II (if you are going to pay the perks, you might as well get the supercharged variant), which had better high altitude performace.

We're sort of limited in the 4Q45 Japanese list - the Japanese variants of the Me262 and Me163 would've been the other candidates, but they seemed to have a lot of problems which kept them in the prototype stage of development.  The Ki-100 was about the only thing I could think of to give the Japanese flyers a decent ride.  You notice I didn't find anything for the Soviet flyers in the 4Q45 list - if we ever went 1946 maybe they'd get a Mig-9.

EagleDNY
$.02

[Treize69]

From what I've read, the Ki-100, although slower during level flight, was supposedly able to dive with Mustangs and P47Ns and maintain the speed on pullout. I can't think of any other Japanese ride that was said to be able to do that (and I sure can't do it in my Ki-84).

Ki-61 can outdive a P-47, and climb with a P-38 if you are coming out of the dive when you start.

[EagleDNY]

Originally posted by Treize69
Ki-61 can outdive a P-47, and climb with a P-38 if you are coming out of the dive when you start.

True, but a Ki-100 is the same airframe with a higher power radial engine.  As I said, there isn't much else to give the IJAAF pilots in the MA in a late 1945 planeset.

EagleDNY
$.02

[Sikboy]

If you're only looking for a plane to compete in the MA, I've got 2 for you:

Yak-9UT
Yak-3

As for Japan, they have pretty much run their Late war, MA super-fighters. The Ki-100 isn't going to give them much if anything. The Raiden would be nice for events, but in the MA shouldn't offer much if any advantage over the current crop of IJ fighters. Now don't get me wrong, I think that J2M would be a great addition for events and endorse it as such. But if we're talking about the MA exclusively, I feel that it will fall squarly into the catagory you previously defined:

Most of the planes I'm seeing listed here would be hanger queens in the MA - limited usage, mostly by enthusiasts, and probably would be meat for most of the LA-7, Niki, 1944-45 fighter flying club that we see most nights.

.

-Sik

[Sikboy]

Oh, and:

Judy Judy Judy.

-Sik

[Masherbrum]

Originally posted by Treize69
IAR-80
IAR-80A
IAR-80B
IAR-80C
IAR-80DC

IAR-81
IAR-81A
IAR-81B
IAR-81C
IAR-81M

My man!  We'll get em to get it yet!

[Angus]

"Me-262A-2 (why not lets see if the 262 can be used as a fighter-bomber, and lets see about those fat R4M rockets vs bomber streams too...)"

Yep


And then the Meteor III

[SELECTOR]

hate these kind of posts, cos everybody post mega lists of planes..
why not put " anything thats not german or american" there you go, fixed

[Bruv119]

Loved the yak 3 in FA pretty little plane seen it at duxford before too and it is quick and agile.

There are gaps in the Soviet and Japanese Planeset  bombers and fighters.

Tu-2, Pe8, betty, j2m3, ki100, KI84 with 30mm option.

Oh and spit 21  would be really good so people can stop whining about the 16  lol  


Bruv
~S~

[Shifty]

Karnaks list would make the most sense. If we ever got it scenarios would rock.

[Iron_Cross]

I agree Shifty, Karnak's list is the most comprehensive at filling in the huge gaps in the planeset.

Four additions I would make would be,

British:

Gloster Gladiator ( The historical match over Malta)
Swordfish

American:

Brewster F2A1 / F2A2 (A1 would be the equal of the 233, and A2 is over Midway)