Pushing the A26

[tedrbr]

Originally posted by Squire
Does nothing a bombed up P-47N cant do already, or an A-20G, we hardly need 3 versions of the Boston/A-20 family.

Thumbs way down to the A-26. It adds exactly nothing to the game.

Nothing?  Adding a second perk bomber, that is not the Arado, to the game adds nothing?

P-47N
8 X .50 cal packages with the option for 267 rounds/gun or 425 rounds/gun
378mph at 15K altitude (411mph WEP), 623 mile range with DT's.
Ord: 2,500 lbs plus 10 X 5 inch rockets.

A-26B
14 X .50 8 in the nose and six in the wings with 400 rpg.
2 barbettes with 2 X .50 cal X 500 rpg each (dorsal and ventral)
355 mph at 15K altitude, 2,100 miles combat radius.
Ord: 4,000 lbs internal, 2,000 lbs wing mounted (which could be 14 X 5 inch rockets on the wings).

* Give buff drivers another perk ride to spend their points on.   This is not a small matter --- players complain about bomb-and-bail buff drivers now..... but why land a bomber if you don't need the points?
* As a bomber, either in B configuration, or C-Pathfinder configuration, can take 2 drones along in medium level bomber role.  Faster than B-26 and Ki-67's in this role.  
* Adds another bomber that can lift at fields with IL2 where FH's are down to help in defense.
* Would be a fun ride for buff drivers and attack plane pilots.


Granted, P-39, Yak-3, Me-410 would be decent additions as well.  Fill gaps in planeset (especially if P-39 is Russian version).  Yak-3 may be hurt by arena fuel settings, as it was short legged at 1X fuel (RL), than LW 2X fuel burn settings.  Me-410 is fine, so long as there are no enemy fighters around.  P-39 will do well in EW and MW.  Toss up as to whether it can survive any the uber-rides in LW, but there are some senerios it would add to in the Eastern Front.

He-111 and B-25 I see as the most limited possible additions: early war bombers that can't compete in LW arena full of Ponies, Nikis, LaLas, and Spixteens.  Only really an asset to some senerio play and the few EW bomber pilots online at any one time.  Unfortunately, name recognition from Battle of Britain and Doolittle's Raid may carry these two to the final vote.

[moot]

Me-410 is fine, so long as there are no enemy fighters around.

hehehe, hold that thought..

[tedrbr]

More reasons to want it:

Laminar  flow airfoil similar to the Mustang

"Douglas designers came up with a flap that had multiple airfoil-shaped panels to create a large, slotted flap. Heinemann deducted that this new flap would produce a 30 percent higher lift coefficient than did the flaps on the A-20."

In service, many pilots handled the Invader as if it was a fighter. With performance similar to many fighters, the aircraft was not as strongly built but many pilots remember seven to eight G maneuvers while attacking the enemy.

The Ninth Air Force's 553rd Bomb Squadron, 386th Bomb Group, took the Invader into combat over Occupied Europe during September 1944 but the pilots had a hard time finding enough targets to attack at low-level with the aircraft's massive firepower. The 553rd operated 18 Invaders during eight test combat missions. With these eight missions, the Army Air Force stated that, "it was concluded that the A-26 was a very effective medium bomber with a larger load than the A-20, greater range than either the A-20 or B-26, and with superior single-engine performance. Its speed advantage, flying characteristics, maneuverability, and ease of maintaining formation permitted longer missions with less crew fatigue. On the missions flown, gasoline consumption was lower and radius of action was greater than had been expected."

As more Invaders flowed from the factories to the combat fronts, it soon became evident that the Invader was an outstanding aircraft. With its high speed, heavy weapon load, and excellent maneuverability, the Invader would often fight it out with the best of Axis fighters.

[Karnak]

Fighters will rip the A-26 to shreds too.

The Mossie is hardly the top of the fighter list, but I'd bet on the Mossie over the A-26 in a fight.

What an La-7, Spitfire Mk XVI or N1K2-J, flown even remotely competently, will do to it is fairly obvious.

[Xasthur]

Originally posted by bozon
bah!
Another 1945 "deployed a week before the war ended and attacked routed enemy" plane. As cool as it may be, give us planes that actually fought WWII !

Here here

[tedrbr]

Originally posted by Karnak
Fighters will rip the A-26 to shreds too.

The Mossie is hardly the top of the fighter list, but I'd bet on the Mossie over the A-26 in a fight.

What an La-7, Spitfire Mk XVI or N1K2-J, flown even remotely competently, will do to it is fairly obvious.

To an A-26B flow in ground attack mode, possibly, especially with that "Kill Me I'm a Perk Plane" icon over it in-game.  But, it does have 2 twin .50 barbettes, and with a decent pilot and gunner team, it may do well, in a one-on-one fight.  All it has to do is generate one decent deflection shot with all those .50's as well.

Then again, there are some decent A-20 pilots around as well.  A-26 just more capable in more roles.

A-26C in level bombing role with drones, taking out ord, dar, towns, or CV's, it will be very good at.  Faster than a Ki-67 and B-26 and more ord to drop than the Ki-67.

None of the planes in the running are going to do very well in LW against all the ENY 5 planes running around (the B-25 is the most handicapped left though, performance-wise), whichever makes it will be up to the pilots to make the most out of the plane.

[Gatr]

26 ROCKED in AW.....
yeah so I'm an old guy...
It was a
blast though
Gatr