What? No one has noticed the new Mossie?

[Karnak]

This may indicate a 2-stage supercharged Merlin engine.

There is no "may" about it.  It is powered by either a Merlin 72 and 73 or a Merlin 76 and 77, all high blown engines.  Don't let the numbers fool you, they aren't counter rotating.
Variant summary from "Mosquito" by C. Martin Sharp & Michael J. F. Bowyer:

B.Mk. XVI (Merlin 72/73, 76/77 Bomber with two-stage Merlins and a pressure cabin.  First flew 1.1.44. Fuel: 860 gal. max., 539 gal. with useful load (4 X 500 lb. bombs and 2 X 100 gal. drop tanks); 587 gal. max. fuel load or 497 gal. plus 4,000 lb. bomb and 2 X 50 gal. tanks.  Weights: (lb.) a.u.w. with small bomb bay 23,646 (24,152 carrying 2 X 100 gal. tanks), a.u.w. with 6 X 500 lb. bombs on Avro carrier 24,030.  With 4,000 lb. bomb: 14,901 tare, a.u.w. 24,412; a.u.w. with 2 X 100 gal. tanks 25,917.  With H2S a.u.w. 24,064 when carrying 4 X 500 lb. bombs and Boozer with Oboe and 4,000 lb. bomb; a.u.w. 25,501 when also fitted with Album Leaf, Fishpond, Boozer or Monica.  23,888 lb. recommended for the 4,0000lb. bomb Mk. IX/XVI, on 20.1.44, maximum take off weight as 25,200 lb. and landing weight of 20,500 lb.., fuel capacity being 597 gal., operating from an 1,800 yard runway.  Initial operating ceiling was set by this order at 28,500 feet, rising to 29,500 feet at target.  Still-air range was set at 1,470 miles, max. op. range as 1,00 miles and op radius at 550 miles.  Speeds: (8 Group listing) 329 m.p.h. at S.L., max. after leaving target 333 m.p.h. S.L.,, max. 408 m.p.h. F.S. gear at 28,500 feet before target, 419 m.p.h after, all with unshrouded exhaust machines (standard). Length overall 40 feet 6 inches. Declared obsolete 14.4.49.

So, we have loaded speed at sea level at 329mph, after bombs gone at sea level of 333mph.  Best altitude is 28,500ft where it does 408mph with bombs and 419mph afters bombs are gone.

[Lusche]

So, we have loaded speed at sea level at 329mph, after bombs gone at sea level of 333mph.  Best altitude is 28,500ft where it does 408mph with bombs and 419mph afters bombs are gone.

At 28k, The P-51D in AH does ~430mph, the 109K-4 ~440mph - and that's with WEP. That's very little speed advantage for those fighters, if they aren't at altitude before meeting the Mossie, they will have a very hard time to catch up before the bombs are falling, if at all.

I would try to take a P-47M (~460 mph) and get to alt once I just suspect there is a Mossie lifting somewhere, so I can get the necessary altitude before the enemy breaks dar.

For me as a buff hunter, the Mossie could be an interesting "problem", having to read the map and plan my flight just like the pilot of that unarmed bomber. I see fun ahead!

[Charge]

"AND it carries a 4k bomb"

Should have seen that coming when they introduced the new city layout... 

I'm sure it will be good for the game... 

-C+

[lyric1]

Where are people getting figures like 400+ mph at altitude? This sounds completely ludicrous for a mid-war prop plane.

Museums are always helpful.

http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=3365

[4deck]

Kewl 

[Liberator]

Awesome! Thanks htc!

[Treize69]

For me as a buff hunter, the Mossie could be an interesting "problem", having to read the map and plan my flight just like the pilot of that unarmed bomber. I see fun ahead!

Ditto- I actually look forward to trying to cut it off in my old 109G6. (Who says you have to try it in the fastest plane available?)

[WWhiskey]

Where are people getting figures like 400+ mph at altitude? This sounds completely ludicrous for a mid-war prop plane.

lots of midwar planes go over 400 at alt.   the new mossie won't be one of them, since it isn't a midwar plane, but many others do!
p-51-b
p-47d-11
typh
f4u
just to name a few!

[IrishOne]

is everyone really gonna fly it 30k?   cmon, chalenge doesn't need all that traffic up there.   i see this thing getting action early on, but in reality who wants to buzz around @400 mph 30,000 feet up and not shoot at anything.    i know for sure i wouldn't, but it's your $15

[2bighorn]

There is no "may" about it.  It is powered by either a Merlin 72 and 73 or a Merlin 76 and 77, all high blown engines.  Don't let the numbers fool you, they aren't counter rotating.

Correct, the odd numbers (73, 77) indicate Merlins with pressurization blower (one per aircraft).

[Plazus]

is everyone really gonna fly it 30k?   cmon, chalenge doesn't need all that traffic up there.   i see this thing getting action early on, but in reality who wants to buzz around @400 mph 30,000 feet up and not shoot at anything.    i know for sure i wouldn't, but it's your $15

Even though I am mainly a P38 cartoon pilot, I will soon find myself buzzing around in the B.XVI. Even if youre at 30K 400 mph, you are still unarmed and you will need to have some balls if youre going to go into enemy territory where the combat action is. Which is precicely what I will be doing. I might even drop down to 20K on the initial pass of a base just to draw some attention and to see how well I can dodge em before getting blown to bits. 

[Delirium]

I hope HTC puts in a few more cloud layers and some wind layers as well with the release of this Moss.

There is very little penalty in regards to bombing accuracy at high alts, they need to encourage them to stay lower. If you're flying in a bomber at 25K+, you might as well fly offline.

[Yeager]

Did I miss it earlier...what is the service date of this MOSS variant?

[Greebo]

Given their speed I'd think it would be a lot easier to rustle up some escort fighters for a Mossie bomber mission than a normal buff raid. Jets excepted, one or two P-51 or P-47M escort fighters could delay any interceptors long enough for the Mossies to get clean away.

[Lusche]

I hope HTC puts in a few more cloud layers and some wind layers as well with the release of this Moss.

There is very little penalty in regards to bombing accuracy at high alts, they need to encourage them to stay lower. If you're flying in a bomber at 25K+, you might as well fly offline.

I do agree: There should be some degradation in accuracy when bombing from high alt, particularly wind layers would be fun. (And I wouldn't mind getting the old calibration method back in the MA as well )

But it's not that 25k buff flying is like offline play. In last tour, I did a lot of long buff runs into enemy territory. I was always flying between 23-30k, but I still was getting air combat (and 17 kills) in 9 out of 12 sorties. An altitude like that just ensured that I was facing not 1-2 fighters at a time only, instead of being jumped by a dozen of them

Given their speed I'd think it would be a lot easier to rustle up some escort fighters for a Mossie bomber mission than a normal buff raid. Jets excepted, one or two P-51 or P-47M escort fighters could delay any interceptors long enough for the Mossies to get clean away.

Too bad the Spit XIV will run out of fuel after 1 sector, would make a perfect companion to the B.XVI otherwise.