- Yes
- No
Hello everybody. I’d like to introduce and suggest the Bell P-39D Airacobra for the US aviation tech tree, and this is one of my series of suggestions for the early P-39 variants in the US Army Air Corps and US Army Air Force services. The D variant was developed after the P-39C with additional armament and protection.
I want to clarify that the P-39D with the Model 15 company designation is neither identical nor related to the P-400 Airacobra designated to Model 14.
This means the P-39D-1 and P-39D-2 are not subvariants of the P-39D because the P-39D-1 and D-2 are the Model 14A and Model 14A-1, respectively. They are a development of the P-400 and belong to the subvariants of the P-400.
The P-39F and P-39J are the Model 15B and a development of the P-39D.
Model 14 and Model 15 have different equipment combinations, which means their external appearances are not the same.
History
The US Army Air Corps had ordered 80 P-39Cs in August 1939. After the 20th P-39C was produced and delivered, the remaining 60 P-39Cs were reconfigured to P-39Ds. The American reports of aerial combats in Europe called for the addition of armor, self-sealing tanks, and enhanced armament. And then, on September 13, 1940, the US Army ordered an additional 394 P-39Ds.
The P-39D deleted two .30-cal machine guns from the nose and gained four .30-cal machine wing guns. The ammunition capacity for its 37-mm cannon was increased to 30 rounds. This resulted in strengthening the wing structure to accommodate the increased weight of ammunition for the .30-cal machine guns. In addition, the bulletproof windshield panels, cockpit armor protections, and self-sealing fuel tanks were added at the cost of reduced internal fuel capacity from 170 US gallons to 120 US gallons; however, the introduction of a drop tank was used to supplement this. In place of the drop tank underneath the fuselage, a single 500-lb bomb can be carried. The fuselage was lengthened to 30 feet and 2 inches. Overall, the armor impacted the weight and performance the most. The maximum speed at 15,000 feet dropped to 360 mph.
The first P-39Ds entered service with the US Army Air Corps in February 1941 at Selfridge Field, Michigan. The 31st Pursuit Group of 39th, 40th, and 41st Pursuit Squadrons were the first USAAC units that flew these P-39Ds in their service tests and war exercises.
While the P-39C did not pass for operational combat use, the P-39D was the first to see combat in US service. Numerous P-39Ds reached the US Army frontline units by April 1941, and the P-39D was virtually the only modern fighter, including P-38 Lightnings and P-40 Warhawks, available to the USAAC by the Attack on Pearl Harbor. As the US entered the war, the P-39s in the service were immediately deployed at home bases and then redeployed to overseas bases in Australia, Alaska, Hawaii, Panama, and New Guinea to prevent the Japanese invasion forces and oppose air raids.
In the spring of 1942, Papua New Guinea was where the P-39Ds and P-400s saw their first combat action. The 8th and 35th Fighter Groups with the Airacobras were assigned to their mission in New Guinea from Australia in early April 1942. Later, the pilots of the P-39Ds/P-400s would discover the poor high-altitude performance and difficulties in flying them in aerial combat. The pilots directly nicknamed them the Iron Dog.
The production of the P-39D ended in 1942 and was replaced with the production of the P-39F. Several P-39Fs began to appear in New Guinea towards the end of 1942 to reinforce the losses by war attrition.
The P-39 Airacobras remained the prominent frontline fighters in the South Pacific from 1942 to late 1944.
Specifications
Bell P-39D AiracobraGeneral Characteristics
- Crew: 1 (Pilot)
- Length: 30 ft 2 in (9.19 m)
- Height: 11 ft 10 in (3.6 m)
- Span: 34 ft (10.36 m)
- Wing Area: 213.22 sq ft (19.8 sq m)
- Propeller: 3-bladed Curtiss Electric propeller
- Powerplant: Allison V-1710-35 liquid-cooled piston engine with single-stage, single-speed supercharger
→ 1,150 hp (846 kW)- Internal Fuel: 120 US gal. (454 L)
- Oil Tankage: 13.8 US gal. (52.2 L)
- Empty Weight: 6,300 lb (2,858 kg)
- Gross Weight: 7,830 lb (3,552 kg)
- Max. Takeoff Weight: 8,200 lb (3,719 kg)
Performance
- Power-to-Weight Ratio: 0.15 (0.24 kW/kg)
- Sea Level Speed: 309 mph (497 km/h)
- Critical Altitude Speed: 368 mph @ 12,000 ft (592 km/h @ 3,658 m)
- Wing Loading: 36.7 lb/sq ft (179.2 kg/sq m)
- Time to Altitude: 5.7 minutes @ 15,000 ft (4,572 m)
- Service Ceiling: 32,100 ft (9,784 m)
- Combat Range: 800 miles (1,288 km)
- Max. Range: 1,545 miles (2,486 km) w/ external ferrying tanks
Armament
- Guns:
- 37-mm M4 cannon (30 rounds)
- 2 x .50-cal. M2 Browning machine guns (200 - 270 rpg; 400 - 540 rounds)
- 4 x .30-cal. M1919 Browning machine guns (250 - 1,000 rpg; 1,000 - 4,000 rounds)
- Bomb:
- 1 x 250-lb M57 bomb
- 1 x 300-lb M31 bomb
- 1 x 500-lb M43 bomb
- 1 x 600-lb M32 bomb
- Drop Tank:
- 1 x 75-gal drop tank
Cockpit
Conclusion | Why it should be in the game
I made this suggestion to request more World War II-era vehicles for War Thunder. I feel the P-39D had a historical significance and deserves a place in the game, as it was among the first American aircraft to oppose the Japanese air raids in the Pacific in 1942. Performance-wise, the P-39D would fly a little faster and lighter than the American P-400, as it retains the 37mm cannon and has less armor overall than the P-400. Thus, the P-39D would make a certainly welcoming addition to the P-39 Airacobra family for US aviation.
See Also - P-39 Family
I made additional suggestions for other P-39 variants. If you’re interested in these suggestions, check them out!
- The Bell P-39 Airacobra, Profile Publications Ltd, Profile 165
- P-39 Airacobra in Action (1980)
- P-39 Airacobra In Detail & Scale 63 (1999)
- Crowood Aviation Series Bell P-39 Airacobra (2000)
- P-39 Airacobra Aces of World War 2 (2001)
- Mushroom Yellow Series 6106 Bell P-39 Airacobra (2003)
- P-39/P-400 Airacobra vs A6M2/3 Zero-sen: New Guinea 1942 (2018)
- Bell P-39D Airacobra
- P-39 Performance Tests
- Bell P-39 Airacobra - Wikipedia
- Bell P-39 Airacobra & P-63 Kingcobra
- Bell P-39 Airacobra Single-Seat, Single-Engine Fighter / Fighter-Bomber Aircraft
Thank you for taking the time to read my suggestion! 😃