Best Single Engine fighter-Bomber(Prop Driven)

[Karnak]

Skyraider has the nuke.

Doesn't matter.  So long as the fighter rating remains that low, increasing the bomber rating won't help it in the fighter-bomber category. 

[icepac]

By comparison, the other planes fall short in the ord delivery department.

The stats are just as skewed against other fighter/bombers vs the skyraider concerning total ord dropped as the stats are against the skyraider in the "fighter" department.

The skyraider spent 3 years dropping ord in Korea and spent 10 years dropping ord in Nam.

Some South Vietnamese pilots had 1000 hours of missions in the skyraider.

The south Vietnamese pilots loaded 9,900 pounds of ord on thier planes often.

It could carry 3 torpedos.

It could carry 12 troops or 2000 pounds of cargo and still carry ord externally up to 8000 for ground ops and around 6000 for carrier ops.

In aces high, it could white flag a town, strafe the ack down, and drop troops for the capture by itself.

I don't think any other single engine prop plane came close to the amount of destruction to enemy assets over it's career.

[Karnak]

By comparison, the other planes fall short in the ord delivery department.

The stats are just as skewed against other fighter/bombers vs the skyraider concerning total ord dropped as the stats are against the skyraider in the "fighter" department.

The skyraider spent 3 years dropping ord in Korea and spent 10 years dropping ord in Nam.

Some South Vietnamese pilots had 1000 hours of missions in the skyraider.

The south Vietnamese pilots loaded 9,900 pounds of ord on thier planes often.

It could carry 3 torpedos.

I don't think any other single engine prop plane came close to the amount of destruction to enemy assets over it's career.

Yeas, it was a great attack plane.  Being a great bomber doesn't make it a great fighter-bomber anymore than being a great fighter makes a plane a great fighter-bomber.  The nature of a fighter-bomber requires it to be both and the A-1 simply wasn't.

[Ack-Ack]

By comparison, the other planes fall short in the ord delivery department.

The stats are just as skewed against other fighter/bombers vs the skyraider concerning total ord dropped as the stats are against the skyraider in the "fighter" department.

The skyraider spent 3 years dropping ord in Korea and spent 10 years dropping ord in Nam.

Some South Vietnamese pilots had 1000 hours of missions in the skyraider.

The south Vietnamese pilots loaded 9,900 pounds of ord on thier planes often.

It could carry 3 torpedos.

It could carry 12 troops or 2000 pounds of cargo and still carry ord externally up to 8000 for ground ops and around 6000 for carrier ops.

In aces high, it could white flag a town, strafe the ack down, and drop troops for the capture by itself.

I don't think any other single engine prop plane came close to the amount of destruction to enemy assets over it's career.

Great stats for an attack plane.

ack-ack

[Ack-Ack]

I assume you are talking about enemy body count, not A1 pilots! Again, I will say this again, the reason I include the A1 series of aircraft in the fighter category is simply this: It can do all the required ACM's by all three branches which used the aircraft, USAF, Navy and Marines. (I think the Marines used it, but not 100% sure.) Where are not it actually was a scheduled fighter is beside the point! It did see air to air combat and destroyed 4 aircraft that I know of in actual combat.

During the Battle of the Coral Sea, Lt. "Swede" Vejtasa, shot down 3 Zekes in his SBD.  Does that make the SBD a fighter?  Nope.

ack-ack

[Widewing]

During the Battle of the Coral Sea, Lt. "Swede" Vejtasa, shot down 3 Zekes in his SBD.  Does that make the SBD a fighter?  Nope.

ack-ack

Great minds think alike... I was going to mention that the SBD was frequently used for CAP early in the war. It's a pretty good ride for what it is. But, what it is is a dive bomber.

The AD-1 was designed to replace the TBM and Curtiss Helldiver, which it certainly did. Unloaded, its wing loading allows for a surprisingly agile "attack" plane. It was well armed, specifically for strafing, not air to air. It's an attack platform, like the A-4, A-6 and A-7 series that followed it. Comparable Navy fighter/bombers would include the FJ-4, F3H-2, F-8E and F-4B/F4-J.

[GScholz]

Icepac, I know it's your dad's plane and you're proud of it; you have every reason to be. However it just doesn't fit the bill as a fighter-bomber. If this debate had been about the best CAS plane of all time the Sandy would have been a top candidate for sure.

[Saxman]

the Sandy

Must say it, 'cause it's finally starting to make me twitch.

SKYRAIDER. Sandy was a specific mission profile, (SAR escort) NOT an aircraft.

[Widewing]

Must say it, 'cause it's finally starting to make me twitch.

SKYRAIDER. Sandy was a specific mission profile, (SAR escort) NOT an aircraft.

Grunts called them "Sandys", we in the Navy called them Spads.

[GScholz]

Must say it, 'cause it's finally starting to make me twitch.

 

Sorry about that

[Zacherof]

Icepac, I know it's your dad's plane and you're proud of it; you have every reason to be. However it just doesn't fit the bill as a fighter-bomber. If this debate had been about the best CAS plane of all time the Sandy would have been a top candidate for sure.

wait so was that icepacs dad on dogfights

[SirNuke]

Grunts called them "Sandys", we in the Navy called them Spads.

Spads are bicycles over here 

[earl1937]

Which, in your opinion, was the best fighter-bomber of all time? It flew in 2 "wars" and 1 police action....just wondering what you guys think!

Where are not we can all agree on which was the best "Fighter-Bomber", there has been some interesting replies to this question and I appreciate everyone replying, as I have certainly learned some things about other aircraft in this game and that really was the intent of the post!

[Wmaker]

wait so was that icepacs dad on dogfights

I've only seen one MiG-17 by Skyraiders in the dogfights series. There were exactly two MiG-17 kills scored in the Vietnam War.

But yeh, as said I'd be very interested to know which one of these three gentlemen was icepac's dad...

Very interesting! AFAIK there were two MiG-17s shot down by Skyraiders during Vietnam war.

Your father is one of these guys then? Is he Mr.Patton considering that is the only victory that involved only one shooter?

"During the war, U.S. Navy Skyraiders shot down two North Vietnamese Air Force (NVAF) Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 jet fighters: one on 20 June 1965, a victory shared by Lieutenant Clinton B. Johnson and Lieutenant, junior grade Charles W. Hartman III of VA-25;[17] and one on 9 October 1966 by LTJG William T. Patton of VA-176."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_A-1_Skyraider

I'd love to hear more!

hmm...

[Ack-Ack]

Where are not we can all agree on which was the best "Fighter-Bomber", there has been some interesting replies to this question and I appreciate everyone replying, as I have certainly learned some things about other aircraft in this game and that really was the intent of the post!

The consensus seems to be that the Skyraider was a great attack plane during it's time, probably the best (I think the A-10 now takes that crown) while the Corsair was the best fighter-bomber of the period.

ack-ack