Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => Aircraft and Vehicles => Topic started by: Saxman on March 11, 2007, 05:27:38 PM

Title: Another intriguing "What If?"
Post by: Saxman on March 11, 2007, 05:27:38 PM

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/be/F8b-i.jpg)

XF8B, 6400lb bomb load or two 2000lb torpedoes. Could be mounted with 6x20mm cannon in the wings. Conceptualized for the invasion of Japan, but dropped with the advent of jet aircraft after the war.

Title: Another intriguing "What If?"
Post by: Treize69 on March 11, 2007, 05:43:30 PM

Very nice. I'm partial to the IRA-81 with the engine and prop from a 190A grafted on. Romanians wanted to build it, Germans wouldn't let them license the rights to the engine.

(http://80thfs.homestead.com/O-1085392523-LbD3Gy9M.jpg)

Title: Another intriguing "What If?"
Post by: Ball on March 11, 2007, 05:51:08 PM

I would love to have known what would have happened if the RAF hadn't rejected Frank Whittle's idea of the Jet engine about 10 years before WWII.

Could have had Meteor's defending England in the Battle of Britain.

Another example of short sightedness by the air ministry.

Title: Another intriguing "What If?"
Post by: macleod01 on March 11, 2007, 06:31:57 PM

Quote

Originally posted by Ball
I would love to have known what would have happened if the RAF hadn't rejected Frank Whittle's idea of the Jet engine about 10 years before WWII.

Could have had Meteor's defending England in the Battle of Britain.

Another example of short sightedness by the air ministry.

Would have changed history. No spitfire! No hurricane! No valiant defence by the few, because the bombers would have been ripped to shreds. Think of all the british planes that would never have existed! Wow, BoB flyby, Lancaster, And two meteors! Thats a differant lineup.

Title: Another intriguing "What If?"
Post by: Ball on March 11, 2007, 06:42:49 PM

Lancaster?

What about the Canberra? :)

Title: Another intriguing "What If?"
Post by: Debonair on March 11, 2007, 06:55:30 PM

jets would have just ended up in german planes a bit earlier like the reflector gunsite & other technologies that were given away in the late 1930s

Title: Re: Another intriguing "What If?"
Post by: tedrbr on March 12, 2007, 12:54:35 AM

Quote

Originally posted by Saxman

XF8B, 6400lb bomb load or two 2000lb torpedoes. Could be mounted with 6x20mm cannon in the wings. Conceptualized for the invasion of Japan, but dropped with the advent of jet aircraft after the war.

Were torpedoes even used by many aircraft late in the war?
Overall though, looks like a prototype for similar planes that were being pursued, which eventually led to the finally adopted A-1 Skyraider.  Didn't see action in WWII, but did in Korea and Vietnam.

Title: Another intriguing "What If?"
Post by: Charge on March 12, 2007, 09:10:34 AM

"No valiant defence by the few, because the bombers would have been ripped to shreds. "

Brit jets with wot? 8 303.s? :D

A jet attacking a slower defended target needs a gun that only needs one or a few hits to inflict critical damage. Preferably at least 50mm as Germans calculated during WW2. But then again you need to make some calculations to hit the sweet-spot for optimal target effect considering: average closure rates, weapon effectiveness, hit probability, and weapon/ammo weights...

I know I know, there was Hispano 404  already... ;)

That IAR-81 with BMW 801 would have been an interesting machine indeed.

-C+