Best Single Engine fighter-Bomber(Prop Driven)

[Ack-Ack]

Example: the Lockheed P-38 was designed by "Kelly Johnson" as a pure interceptor, but stood out as a air to ground attack role.

P-38 stands out not because of its ground attack abilitities, it stands out because was the plane flown by the top two US fighter aces in WW2.

ack-ack

[earl1937]

P-38 stands out not because of its ground attack abilitities, it stands out because was the plane flown by the top two US fighter aces in WW2.

ack-ack

Good point, I should have said, "in addition" to being an interceptor, it also stood out as a fighter-bomber!

[GScholz]

The Browning 0.50 has had a long, long life and is still with us on almost all its old platforms. With aircraft, after WW2, ground attack moved more and more towards the use of evolving munitions and farther away from strafing. Really could you compare one 20mm, even a Vulcan, to 8 0.50s for strafing personal and light targets? Ground attack moved more towards munitions and cannons moved more toward ATA, eventually becoming a 2nd to missilry as well. Hell an F4 Phantom could carry about 9,000 lbs of ords. Jet aircraft carried more and better ground attack munitions due to thrust/weight.

Thing is if your going to pick just ONE gun to put on an airplane of course you'll pick the 20mm, either Hispano OR Vulcan, over a 0.50. And of course 4 Hispanos would be better then 8 0.50s. The 20mm's were/are great guns.

But here is a movie that shows what those poor IJN sailors were up against when 6 gun Hellcats repeatedly strafed one side http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0451845/ I had a friends who flew P-47s during the war and he used to tell me about their strafing runs. they would just chew up trains and their engines which are a pretty hard target and the poor Krauts they caught in the open would just get shredded.

The Browning M2 is a great weapon; in my opinion second only to the Berezin UBS as an aircraft machine gun. I instructed on the M2HB during my service in the Army, so I both love and know it well. However, while it packs a lot of kinetic energy and thus penetration, is lacks the advantage of having effective explosive power. That is, until the advent of MP ammo for it in the '90s (invented and made by NAMMO (then Kongsberg) btw.).


I just love that sound, and eight would totally rock...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dB5GYjjH2ek



But for strafing I would rather have one of these...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bW0ob523z7k

[Widewing]

The Browning M2 is a great weapon; in my opinion second only to the Berezin UBS as an aircraft machine gun. I instructed on the M2HB during my service in the Army, so I both love and know it well. However, while it packs a lot of kinetic energy and thus penetration, is lacks the advantage of having effective explosive power. That is, until the advent of MP ammo for it in the '90s (invented and made by NAMMO (then Kongsberg) btw.).

Since you mentioned Nammo.... We are about to begin advanced development testing of the new Fuze for the M72 ASM FFE... We are developing the impact sensor for Nammo Talley, Mesa, Arizona. Should begin live fire tests mid August.

Nammo is a great company to work with. One of our favorite customers, with an outstandingly bright and fun Engineering staff.

[GScholz]

Pretty cool! If it was one thing we hated about the classic M72 it was the back blast. Now that's a thing of the past.

[Tank-Ace]

I think the biggest reason the .50 has stuck around so long isn't because its good for everything, but more because we haven't really developed a new round in its caliber range with sufficiently superior performance to warrant replacing it.

And out of curiosity, is there any other HMG round besides the US .50 and Russian .51 in widespread use?

[Captain Virgil Hilts]

P-38 stands out not because of its ground attack abilitities, it stands out because was the plane flown by the top two US fighter aces in WW2.

ack-ack

Yes, but the P-38 still turned out to be an extremely effective ground attack platform. A stable gun platform, with center mounted machine guns and cannon, twin engine redundancy, load capacity, and a relatively small target from the front or rear.

Still, the later of the F4U series is probably a better all around fighter/bomber, and pure toughness gives the P-47 an edge in ground attack, but that is offset by a desire to be anything but relatively low and slow in a P-47.

[SmokinLoon]

I'm so glad to see the different definitions of "best" come to light.     In actuality, there is no "best".  Only "better" in certain areas.  If I were to make a list of "best", I'd have to break it down per category.

I'd take one of the later Spitfire models as an air superiority fighter.

P47M as a bomber escort.

One of the 190 models as fighter/bomber (catch all) plane. (190F-8, I do believe)  This would also be a back up to the main air superiority fighter.

Ta152 as a bomber interceptor.

I see the P38 (not single engine, but same class) as too expensive and too difficult to maintain. I see the P51x as an escort fighter and the P47 is better for that, imo.  The IL-2 is too slow and limited in the direct support role.  Spitfire could do it all very well, only really best in range and ord capacity (not primary attributed of an air superiority fighter anyways).

[Patches1]

I'm so glad to see the different definitions of "best" come to light.   Thumbs UP!  In actuality, there is no "best".  Only "better" in certain areas.  If I were to make a list of "best", I'd have to break it down per category.

I'd take one of the later Spitfire models as an air superiority fighter.

P47M as a bomber escort.

One of the 190 models as fighter/bomber (catch all) plane. (190F-8, I do believe)  This would also be a back up to the main air superiority fighter.

Ta152 as a bomber interceptor.

I see the P38 (not single engine, but same class) as too expensive and too difficult to maintain. I see the P51x as an escort fighter and the P47 is better for that, imo.  The IL-2 is too slow and limited in the direct support role.  Spitfire could do it all very well, only really best in range and ord capacity (not primary attributed of an air superiority fighter anyways).
   

[Brooke]

P-38 stands out not because of its ground attack abilitities, it stands out because was the plane flown by the top two US fighter aces in WW2.

ack-ack

And because it was designed by a graduate of the University of Michigan! 

[Ack-Ack]

And because it was designed by a graduate of the University of Michigan! 

Because he designed such a wonderful airplane, I won't hold it against him that he was a Wolverine.

ack-ack

[Brooke]

By the way, Ack-Ack, I have begun flying the P-38J for the majority of my flying in AH.  If you guys notice that the K/D for the J has gone down, I'm probably the reason, but I will get better as time goes on!  (I generally pick a particular plane and fly that around as my main ride for several tours.  P-39D was my previous one.)

I'd like to fly the G, but I can't see well through the dark glass put in on the gunsight (which shouldn't be there by default -- it was an optional thing put in or not at pilot's choice).

[Ack-Ack]

By the way, Ack-Ack, I have begun flying the P-38J for the majority of my flying in AH.  If you guys notice that the K/D for the J has gone down, I'm probably the reason, but I will get better as time goes on!  (I generally pick a particular plane and fly that around as my main ride for several tours.  P-39D was my previous one.)

I'd like to fly the G, but I can't see well through the dark glass put in on the gunsight (which shouldn't be there by default -- it was an optional thing put in or not at pilot's choice).

I like to fly the G as well but have the same problem you do with the gunsight so I don't take it up very often.

ack-ack

[SIK1]

The corsair is the best single engine piston powered fighter ever. It has the longest production run of any piston engine fighter aircraft. The Brits were using corsair 1's (birdcage corsairs) off of carriers (1943) long before the US navy adapted them for carrier service,(April 1944), and the French used them long after WWII ended. The last corsair rolled off the assembly line in 1953. Of course I'm biased as I've been a corsair fan since childhood.
Everyone knows that navy wings are made of gold, and air force wings are made of lead. 

[Brooke]

I got to hear a talk by pilots who flew Corsairs in the Korean war (and just last weekend ones who flew off the Bunker Hill and survived the kamikaze hits).

The ones in the Korean war carried a very heavy load of bombs on occasion.