Aces High Bulletin Board
Help and Support Forums => Help and Training => Topic started by: Decrepus on August 19, 2007, 11:39:50 AM
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I am curious about the armor penetration on the airplane cannons when utilized in a air support role.
Between the Hurricane's 40mm, the IL-2's 23mm, and the 20mms found on most other planes.
Targets being the top turret and top deck armor of the PzrIV (12,15mm), Tiger (25,40mm), and T-34 (20mm).
On a reasonable dive and angle of impact, wouldn't a 20mm be sufficient to knock out even a tiger? I am just curious because I would rather not fly a dedicated CAS plane if a fighter COULD perform the task.
Thanks in advance.
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Keep in mind most aircraft ammo is high explosive not armor piercing type.
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Originally posted by Decrepus
On a reasonable dive and angle of impact, wouldn't a 20mm be sufficient to knock out even a tiger?
Tanks were build to withstand such fire. If a fighter could take out one of the heaviest tanks of WWII that way, it would have been a faulty design.
For some good articles on WW2 fighter armament, visit this website (http://www.quarry.nildram.co.uk/)
Heavy armed fighters (especially the 110G) can stop tanks by shooting at their tracks, but it's not always that easy and you would be better off by taking some bombs or a dedicated CAS plane.
Sometimes cannon armed fighters are able to pop a engine, but that's really rare. Usually all that fighters accomplish is stealing the kill (the kill credit system is still a bit bugged concerning GV kills)
Currently, the only plane able to reliably kill any tank (including Tiger & T34) by cannon fire is the Hurri IID
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Thanks a lot guys!
Blooz, I totally forgot that they would not all be AP rounds.
Lusche, that is an excellent site - it will keep me busy for a while! The reason why I wanted to knock tanks out with cannonfire is because well - I am a terrible pilot.
I always plant my bombs off target so I was hoping that with cannons I could make multiple passes before returning to base or careening into the ground. I will try the 110 - if I can knock a track off and stop the tank that is fine with me, I don't care about racking up kills.
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Originally posted by Decrepus
. I will try the 110 - if I can knock a track off and stop the tank that is fine with me, I don't care about racking up kills.
If you manage to inflict enough damage on the tracks, you will get the kill eventually, even when a friendly GV actually kills it ;)
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In the last month or 3 I've been awardedtank kills with P47 bullets---(Tiger was one, methinks)--reference previous damage model:rolleyes:
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P47 guns (.50 cal) are armor piercing.
That's one of the big differences between machine guns and cannon. Cannon shells are large enough to have explosive rounds and machine guns don't.
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Originally posted by Blooz
P47 guns (.50 cal) are armor piercing.
That's one of the big differences between machine guns and cannon. Cannon shells are large enough to have explosive rounds and machine guns don't.
.50 will not pierce tank armor.
Bronk
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Originally posted by Blooz
P47 guns (.50 cal) are armor piercing.
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That's not the reason he is getting kill credits. The .50 bullets just bounce off.
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Oh, I know the .50 won't kill a tank in the game. I was just expanding on the AP/HE, cannon/MG thing.
The .50 could penetrate up to 25mm of armor at 500yds.
Plenty of power considering most targets didn't have half that much armor on top (or bottom) of them.
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Originally posted by Lusche
If you manage to inflict enough damage on the tracks, you will get the kill eventually, even when a friendly GV actually kills it ;)
this on occasion i have done in a hurri2c........good flat attack, and from the side, i tracked 2 of them, then went back to spotting incomming gv's for my squadies......but when the 2 i hit were killed, i got the kills.......
<>
john
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I did kill the engine on a Panzer once with the 2x20mm and 2x.50cals in a Spit XVI but only once. I wouldn't recommend building a careeer on it.
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Originally posted by BaldEagl
I did kill the engine on a Panzer once with the 2x20mm and 2x.50cals in a Spit XVI but only once. I wouldn't recommend building a careeer on it.
Got film?
Bronk
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Originally posted by Lusche
That's not the reason he is getting kill credits. The .50 bullets just bounce off.
Yeah, I've gotten a lot of kills with an F4F that way until I realized what was happening.
I generally don't try to steal kills in this manner anymore.
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Originally posted by Bronk
Got film?
Bronk
Nope. This was a few months ago.
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Originally posted by Lusche
Currently, the only plane able to reliably kill any tank (including Tiger & T34) by cannon fire is the Hurri IID
What about the Il2? I thought its 23 mm were suited for the task.....
Originally posted by Decrepus
The reason why I wanted to knock tanks out with cannonfire is because well - I am a terrible pilot.
You may want to give a read at these articles:
Air to ground basics part one: bombing (http://www.simhq.com/_air9/air_272a.html)
Air to ground basics part two: bombing (http://www.simhq.com/_air9/air_273a.html)
Air to ground basics part three: rockets and guns (http://www.simhq.com/_air9/air_274a.html)
and become a better pilot! ;) It's written by a former USAF instructor and attack pilot, good stuff.