which suggests your RL example is closer to AH Normal Power settings than the firewalled Military Power settings which we encounter in AH.
Ok, we've already discussed that the throttle setting works both ways--i.e. a fighter gets to run Military all the time just like the bombers do--so that's a wash. But, even if it wasn't, you're still looking at a 100+ (closer to 150 in a TA-152) mph rate of closure in a tail chase, which means that the fighter gains almost 1.5-2.5 miles a minute on the bombers. In five minutes of flying, you could get an half-sector ahead of the bombers. Widewing said it before, its all about patience.
Its almost like the Mil Pwr setting for buffs is the same as WEP for fighters, so perhaps it should be remodelled that way. It would certainly result in more realistic speeds.
No, its exactly like the Mil Pwr setting for buffs is the exact same as Mil Pwr for fighters in-game, so it is balanced. If you look at an American fighter POH, it will tell you that Military was limited to 5 minutes as well. I have no idea how much manifold they ran during climb, but I do know that they were typically still climbing by the time they hit the Danish coast. Perhaps a good in-game test would be to load up with bombs and
full fuel, and take off from a sea-level base. Takeoff and climb with 5 minutes of military, then reduce power to normal, and see how long it takes you to get to 25,000 feet. I had sent a request for information to the 398th BG Website a few years ago, to see if they could help me understand some of the more detailed operational facets like power settings, fuel loads, and airspeeds at which they flew. Unfortunately I never got an answer even though they did reply.