Pe-2

[B3YT]

[edit] Specifications (Petlyakov Pe-2)
General characteristics
Crew: Three - pilot, gunner, bombardier
Length: 12.66 m (41 ft 6 in)
Wingspan: 17.16 m (56 ft 3 in)
Height: 3.5 m (11 ft 6 in)
Wing area: 40.5 m² (436 ft²)
Empty weight: 5,875 kg (12,952 lb)
Loaded weight: 7,563 kg (16,639 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 8,495 kg (18,728 lb)
Powerplant: 2× Klimov M-105PF liquid-cooled V-12, 903 kW (1,210 hp) each
Performance
Maximum speed: 580 km/h (360 mph)
Range: 1,160 km (721 miles)
Service ceiling: 8,800 m (28,870 ft)
Rate of climb: 7.2 m/s (1,410 ft/min)
Wing loading: 186 kg/m² (38 lb/ft²)
Power/mass: 250 W/kg (0.15 hp/lb)
Armament
2x 7.62 mm fixed ShKAS machine guns in the nose, one of them being replaced by Berezin UB on later versions.
2x rearward firing 7.62 mm ShKAS. From the middle of 1942 defensive armament included 1 Berezin UB machine gun in the upper bombardier's turret, 1 Berezin UB in gunner's ventral hatch and 1 ShKAS, which may be fired by gunner from port, starboard or upper mountings (switch between mountings was performed in-flight in less than a minute). Some planes were also equipped with DAG-10 launcher, firing AG-2 parachute-retarded timed grenades.
1,600 kg (3,520 lb) of bombs

[B3YT]

plus more mossies.





The most numerous Mosquito variant was the FB Mk VI fighter-bomber of which 2,718 were built. Originally converted from a Mk II, the Mk VI first flew in February 1943. Designed for a fighter-bomber role, the Mk VI could carry two 250 lb (110 kg) or two 'short-fin' 500 lb (230 kg) bombs in the internal bomb bay as well as two more bombs under the wings. From early 1944, Coastal Command operated Mk VIs armed with eight 60 lb (27 kg) rockets to carry out anti-shipping strikes.

 Reconstructed model at the Australian War Memorial.Other fighter-bomber variants were the FB Mk XVIII (sometimes known as the Tsetse) of which 27 were made by converting Mk VIs. These were fitted with a Molins 57 mm cannon, a 6 pounder (2.7 kg), 7 cwt (356 kg) anti-tank gun modified with an auto-loader to allow both semi- or fully-automatic fire, in the nose, along with two .303 in (7.7 mm) sighting machine guns. This variant was first suspected to not work by the Air Ministry, but mock tests proved otherwise. Although the gun provided the Mosquito with yet more anti-shipping firepower to pit against U-boats, it required a steady and vulnerable bombing run to aim and fire the gun, thus making rockets more effective, especially because Mosquitos without the 6 pounder didn't suffer the weight penalty of the gun. The FB Mk 26 and FB Mk 40, based on the Mk VI, were built in Canada and Australia and were powered by Packard-built Merlin engines.

The Mosquito was also built as a trainer; 348 of the T Mk III were built for the RAF and Fleet Air Arm. de Havilland Australia built 22 T Mk 43 trainers, similar to the Mk III.

de Havilland produced a carrier-borne variant to meet the Royal Navy's specification N.15/44. This resulted in 50 of the Sea Mosquito TR Mk 33 which featured folding wings, a nose thimble radome and fuselage hardpoints for mounting torpedoes. These were follwed by 14 Sea Mosquito TR Mk 37s, which differed in having ASV Mk. XIII radar instead of the TR.33's AN/APS-6. The Navy also operated the TT Mk 39 for target towing. The RAF's target tug version was the TT Mk 35 which were in fact the last aircraft to remain in operational service, finally being retired in 1956.

[B3YT]

and the mighty beaufighter



[edit] Specifications (Beaufighter X)
 Data from Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II[1]

General characteristics
Crew: 2: pilot, observer
Length: 41 ft 4 in (12.6 m)
Wingspan: 57 ft 10 in (17.65 m)
Height: 15 ft 10 in (4.84 m)
Wing area: ft² (m²)
Empty weight: 15,592 lb (7,072 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 25,400 lb (11,521 kg)
Powerplant: 2× Bristol Hercules 14-cylinder radial engines, 1,600 hp (1,200 kW) each
Performance
Maximum speed: 320 mph (280 knots, 515 km/h) at 10,000 ft (3,050 m)
Range: 1,750 mi (1,520 nm, 2,816 km)
Service ceiling: 19,000 ft (5,795 m) without torpedo
Rate of climb: 1,600 ft/min (8.2 m/s) without torpedo

Armament
4× Hispano 20 mm cannon (60 rounds per cannon, 240 rounds total) in nose, and

In Fighter Command service
Guns:
4× .303 in (7.7 mm) machine gun (outer starboard wing)
2× .303 in machine gun (outer port wing)
Rockets: 8× RP-3 rockets or
Bombs: 2× 1000 lb bombs

In Costal Command service
Guns:
1× manually-operated Vickers GO or
1× manually-operated .303 Browning for observer
Bombs: 1× 18 in (457 mm) torpedo

[Martyn]

You have my full support. The mossie was a major plane in RL but in AH it seems un-impressive. The Russkies deserve a Pe-2 - there were so many built and flown.

[B3YT]

it would be great to have a Six pound gun in the mossi to get the CV's and other ships.  would be good as a bomber destroyer too.

i'd love to see the beaufighter in AH as it was a great plane to fly so i've been told by an ex-RAF pilot who flew them in burma.  He recond that they could take on almost any Japanse fighter in it.

[devil956]

god plz put the beaufighter in.

[republic]

The Petlyakov Pe-2 would be a great addition to AH.

[Tilt]

My understanding was that the Pe 2 carried a max of 1000kg of bombs. of which 400kg's was ususally made up of  4 x 100kg wing mounted and the other 600kg  were in the bomb bays (4 in the central bomb bay and one each in the rear engine nacels)

Alternately the  external load could be increased to 1000kg by use of  2 x 500Kg or 4 x 250 kg externals. However when this was done the internal bays were not used.


series 205 & 359 were probably most representative of Pe2's used from 43 to the end of 45. Both had 3 x 12.7mm beresins (2 of which were fixed and fired by the pilot)

Stats wise it would appear to be a hanger queen until you see its anti tank role............

It had dive brakes and the pilot had windows in the forward > low area of the cockpit able to sight  (and hold sighted) ground targets easily during a dive.

Whilst over 11,200 Pe2's were made production  actually peeked in 44 when nearly 240 were completed per month during the summer.

Its ground attack role was perfected in the large tank battles of the eastern front. It was a more accurate bomber than the IL2 (the IL2 was not a dive bomber) and was used against gv's and pinpoint tactical targets (bridges, command posts  etc)

The VVS medium horizontal bomber was the Tu-2 with 3000kg (6600lb)payload equal to that typically carried by a B17

[Yoshimbo]

The Pe-2 was pain in the oscar to get off the ground though. or so I hear...