Would you like to see this in-game?
Bell P-39F-1 Airacobra
Hello everybody. I’d like to introduce and suggest the Bell P-39F-1 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. This P-39F was a direct development of the P-39D based on the Model 15 with minor changes.
TL;DR:
A P-39 variant (Model 15B) with a 1,150 hp Allison V-1710-35 akin to the P-39D but with a new Aerproducts constant-speed propeller and new twelve exhaust stacks.
History
The P-39F-1 of Bell Model 15B was the next production variant developed after the P-39D of Model 15. While almost identical to the P-39D, the P-39F had a new Aeroproducts constant-speed propeller instead of the original Curtiss-Electric, as the replacement was due to the shortage of Curtiss-Electric propellers. The P-39F had twelve exhaust stacks on each side of the fuselage instead of six on each side of the P-39D. The P-39F in service sometimes swapped its 37-mm cannon for the more favored 20-mm cannon, and the P-39F was the last variant to be seen with a 20-mm cannon. The 37-mm cannon would be installed in all subsequent Airacobra variants.
The US Army Air Corps ordered the 229 P-39F-1s on September 13, 1940. Most P-39Fs were deployed to New Guinea in the southern Pacific around early spring-summer 1942, before the end of 1942, and some were deployed to the Aleutian Islands in the northern Pacific under the 57th Fighter Squadron. They served as frontline fighter reinforcements as a deterrent against Japanese air raids on the Allied air bases.
The P-39Fs, including the P-39Ds, were also delivered to Australia’s Royal Australian Air Force in the middle and end of 1942. Attack on Darwin, submarine attack on Sydney Harbor, and further attacks by the Japanese aircraft in the north of mainland Australia prompted the urgent need for additional air defenses around Australia, so Australia ordered a loan of several P-39Fs and P-39Ds as an emergency interim measure by the RAAF until more suitable and capable fighters could be delivered for air defense, such as the P-40 Kittyhawks and Supermarine Spitfires. In November 1943, the RAAF received newer fighters of P-40s and Spitfires, and the P-39s had served their purpose and ended their short career within the RAAF. All surviving aircraft were returned to the US Army Air Forces.
Specifications
Bell P-39F-1 Airacobra
General Characteristics
Crew: 1 (Pilot)
Dimensions:
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 (19.81 sq m)
Propeller:
Type: 3-bladed Aeroproducts Hydraulic propeller
Diameter: 10 ft 5 in (3.175 m)
Powerplant:
Type: Allison V-1710-35 liquid-cooled piston engine
Configuration: Single-stage, single-speed supercharger
Output: 1,150 hp (1,165.95 ps)
Fuel/Oil:
Internal Fuel: 120 US gal. (454 L)
Oil: 13.8 US gal. (52.2 L)
Weights:
Empty: ~6,300 lb (2,858 kg)
Gross: ~7,830 lb (3,552 kg)
Max. Takeoff: ~8,200 lb (3,719 kg)
Performance *
Power-to-Weight Ratio: ~0.15 hp/lb (0.33 ps/kg)
Wing Loading: ~36.7 lb/sq ft (179.2 kg/sq m)
Airspeeds:
Sea Level: ~309 mph (497 km/h)
Critical Altitude: ~368 mph @ 12,000 ft (592 km/h @ 3,658 m)
Service Ceiling: ~32,100 ft (9,784 m)
Ranges:
Combat: ~800 miles (1,288 km)
Max.: ~1,545 miles (2,486 km) w/ external ferrying tanks
“*” Unfortunately, I can not find any existing technical manuals for the P-39F. Re-using the P-39D data.
Armament
Guns:
20-mm M1 cannon (60 rounds) or 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 100-lb 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
1 x 175-gal drop tank
Supplemental Data
To be added later
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-39F-1 had historical significance and deserves a place in the game, as it had seen aerial combat in the Pacific theater. Performance-wise, the P-39F-1 is similar to the P-39D, but it can switch between 20-mm and 37-mm cannons as a choice. Thus, the P-39F-1 would make a welcoming addition to the P-39 Airacobra family for US aviation, providing an opportunity for dedicated completionists.
Related Suggestions
I made additional suggestions for other P-39 variants. If you’re interested in these suggestions, check them out!
Sources
Thank you for taking the time to read my suggestion! 😃
3 Likes
fun fact you can land the p-39 (albeit in a very scuff manner) on a carrier you just have to hit the deck at 110(ish) mph with landing flaps out.
A +1 from me, would be neat to see more P-39s
1 Like
+1 from me, fully support more WW2 aircraft, and we could always use more airocobras, so long as it’s folded, of course.
+1 would make a really good addition to the TT, maybe after the P-400
