Piper L-4 Grasshopper

[Seadog36]

If we going the way of light v-based observation planes...bazooka equipped L-4s! Confirmed kills on Tiger I, panzers, troop transports and and troop concentrations. M3s beware!

Interesting follow up article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Carpenter_(Lt._Col.)

General characteristics
Crew: one pilot
Capacity: one passenger
Length: 22 ft 5 in (6.83 m)
Wingspan: 35 ft 3 in (10.74 m)
Height: 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Wing area: 178.5 ft² (16.58 m²)
Empty weight: 765 lb (345 kg)
Useful load: 455 lb (205 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 1,220 lb (550 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Continental A-65-8 air-cooled flat four, 65 hp (48 kW) at 2,350 rpm
Performance
Maximum speed: 76 kn (87 mph, 140 km/h)
Cruise speed: 65 kn (75 mph, 121 km/h)
Range: 191 NM (220 mi, 354 km)
Service ceiling: 11,500 ft (3,500 m)
Rate of climb: 450 ft/min (2.3 m/s)
Wing loading: 6.84 lb/ft² (33.4 kg/m²)
Power/mass: 18.75 lb/hp (11.35 kg/kW)

[PAKFRONT]

I have wished for this many times.. Those look like 3.5 inch Zooks, if so, Korean war vintage pic.. Didn't have those in WW2..
But yeah (2.65 inch?? sorry memory gettin feeble) little ones mounted in that triangle manner would be cool..

[Seadog36]

The first were the 2.36" M6 anti-tank rockets later improved by installing M9 bazookas using the new 2.36 M6A3 HEAT rocket with a more effective shaped charge. Lt Col. Carpenter was credited with an impressive 6 tank kills out of 14 claimed.

[SmokinLoon]

The top pic looks early war WWII, the red outline of the white star and bar on the fuselage wasn't used in Korea, correct?

Also, invasion stripes on the L-9 in the second pic... didnt think those were used in Korea either?

Regardless, I dont think we need another spotter aircraft for a LONG time, and if we do get it I hope it stays a spotter and not a poor man's tank killer.   

[Seadog36]

Red border on stars and bars was a 1943 phenomena~ The invasion stripes on the L-4 suggest anytime after May 1944.

Seems more like a rich mans M3/ troop killer. Hard enough to hurt a tank with 5" hvar rockets as it is.

I'd rather see a few other aircraft first...

1) P-47D15-23 (Should be easy, give a D-11 airframe D-25 performance and load out~ presto)
2) Ki-43 (most numerous and significant IJA fighter has to be in the game)
3) He-111
4) F6F-3 and get the F6F-5 out of MW and into LW where it belongs

[PAKFRONT]

Well, just lookin at the support tubes for the wings, figuring 1 inch tube, maybe 1 1/2 anyway, then look at the Zook diameter.. Looks bigger than the 2.3 zook tubes in other pics.. Just looks out of scale for the small zook.. But wouldn't be the first time my eyes were fooled by a camera shot..
But still! Something just ain't lookin right to my eye..

[skorpion]

I'd rather see the P47D22, HE-111 and the StuG III Ausf G. before anymore scout planes get put in.

But in the last pic, bazooka's?! hell yeah!

[MAINER]

I'd rather see the P47D22, HE-111 and the StuG III Ausf G. before anymore scout planes get put in.

But in the last pic, bazooka's?! hell yeah!

What is different about the P47D22?

[Seadog36]

2.3" is equivalent to a 58.42mm projectile which ain't too shabby. Does sound like silly fun lobbing bazooka rockets out of an L-4 but I haven't even flown the Storch yet.

The D22/23 basically is a Razorback version of the D25 (with the larger paddle prop, under wing hard points, slightly more internal fuel) and was one of the most produced blocks of P-47's.

[Karnak]

What is different about the P47D22?

Nothing.  It is a P-47D-25 that looks like a P-47D-11.

[oakranger]

I think we are at a point of not adding anymore P-47s.  It would be hard to justify why we should get the P-47D-22/23.

[USAF2010]

+1 for the grasshopper!! w/ bazookas

[Seadog36]

I think we are at a point of not adding anymore P-47s.  It would be hard to justify why we should get the P-47D-22/23.

It's really very simple my fellow Jug enthusiast:

The D-25 was a very minor production block, with only 340 examples built. D22/23's had 2,300 examples built, D15-D20 another 3,200 built. So 5,500 P-47Ds, or 45% of all 12,000 D variants built were razorbacks with under wing hard points, and there is not a single example in the game. The D-11 is supposed to stand in for 2/3rds of all P-47s built from late 1942 through mid 1944 including the C. The last 1/3 of Thunderbolt production which only saw service for one year, from mid 44-mid 45 is covered by D-25s, D-40s, Ms and Ns. The game is heavily skewed to a small number of late models.

Furthermore, nearly half the D-11 skins in the game belong to late model razorbacks, so without seriously modifying an air frame or performance parameters, a more relevant late model razorback could be added with ready made skins and allow other skins waiting in the que to be introduced.

As the most produced variant of the most produced US fighter, razorback P47s were the backbone of nearly every USAAF fighter group at one point in 1943 and early 1944 and saw active service up to V-E day in Germany and V-J day in the Philippians primarily in the attack role~ the game could and should easily reflect it.

[MAINER]

2.3" is equivalent to a 58.42mm projectile which ain't too shabby. Does sound like silly fun lobbing bazooka rockets out of an L-4 but I haven't even flown the Storch yet.

The D22/23 basically is a Razorback version of the D25 (with the larger paddle prop, under wing hard points, slightly more internal fuel) and was one of the most produced blocks of P-47's.

Ok thanks for the info!

[Seadog36]

  MAINER