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Hello everybody. I’d like to suggest the Bristol Beaufighter Mk VIF for US aviation in War Thunder. Four USAAF night fighter squadrons had acquired and operated the Beaufighter Mk VIFs as their primary night fighter in Italy during 1943-1944, where they demonstrated some success in the night fighting. The aircraft is a potential premium material that could be added to the US nation.
Key Characteristics
- Heavy Night Fighter
- Reverse Lend-Lease Aircraft
- Two Bristol Hercules VI engines
- 4 x 20-mm Hispano Mk.I cannons and AI Mk.IV radar
History
BackgroundThe Bristol Beaufighter Mk VIF belonged to the sixth major variant of the Beaufighter designed in the middle of 1941, and it was initially to be powered by Merlin engines. However, due to the huge demand placed on Merlin production by the Hurricane, Spitfire, and Lancester, the Beaufighter would be powered by the 1,650-hp Hercules VI or XVI engines instead. These engines were fitted into the Beaufighter Mk I airframe to become the Mk VI. The top speed was improved to 333 mph at 15,600 feet, with a cruising speed of 243 mph. With the Mk IVF aircraft and ‘F’ denoting the ‘Fighter’ subvariant, it was fitted with a 12-degree dihedral tailplane and AI Mk IV radar with its bow and arrow antenna.
The first Beaufighters entered operational service with the RAF in March 1942. These Beaufighters became the most important weapons in RAF’s long-range fighter and strike squadrons in the Mediterranean, Middle East, and Far East. The Mk VIFs and their radar equipment soon undertook another role of a night fighter-hunter within the RAF bomber streams over Germany. In the North African campaign, the RAF operations with the Mk VIF in the Mediterranean theater continued until it ceased in May 1943.
Production of the Beaufighter Mk VI reached 1,830 aircraft in total before Bristol and the shadow factories moved on to build the next variants.
USAAF ServiceFour 12th Army Air Force night fighter squadrons, the 414th, 415, 416th, and 417th, were sent to the United Kingdom in early spring 1943 for brief before their next assignment in North Africa. They had previously used the P-70 night fighters, a derived variant of the A-20 Havoc. However, the overall performance of the P-70 was poor, so they left the P-70 aircraft behind in the US when they sailed for the UK. In communication with the RAF, over 100 Beaufighter Mk VIFs were transferred and reequipped to the USAAF night fighter squadrons during March and April 1943. The initial training was undertaken with RAF Beaufighter units in the UK. Many American pilots of the NFSs were green and only graduated from basic training in the United States. The Beaufighter was so different from those P-70 aircraft the pilot had previously flown on the tricycle undercarriage that they had to relearn in a different undercarriage configuration. Some pilots found the big Beaufighter a handful to fly. Some had difficulty in allowing for the take-off swing and ended up damaged in accidents. Other pilots appreciated the Beaufighter’s sturdy construction. The American ground crews also had to learn to maintain the unfamiliar British engines.
The four night-fighter squadrons left the UK, heading for Algeria. On May 10, 1943, the 414th NFS arrived at La Senia airfield, Algeria, and became the first to be combat-ready. The 415th NFS followed two days later and arrived at the same airfield. The 416th NFS and 417th NFS arrived at Tafaraoui, Algeria, and became operational on August 8, 1943. Some Beaufighter Mk VIFs had AI Mark IV in their short nose, and some had improved Mark VIII in their thimble nose radome.
The first operational kill by a USAAF Beaufighter Mk VIF was achieved on July 24, 1943, when it shot down a Heinkel He 115. All squadrons were involved in the Allied invasion of Sicily in July and Salerno in August. Many of them performed night interceptions, although on irregular frequencies. They continuously relocated to the next airfields in Italy as the front changed. Even the operational area in Italy was not very active. Consequently, the American Beaufighters only achieved a small number of kills. For the remainder of the summer of 1943, the squadrons flew on daytime convoy escort and ground-attack operations but still primarily flew as night fighters.
The Northrop P-61 Black Widow fighters began to arrive in December 1944 for the night fighter squadrons to trade in their Beaufighters. The 414th and 415th were the squadrons reequipped with the P-61s. The 416th NFS eventually followed and reequipped with the night fighter Mosquitoes in the last few weeks of the war. The 417th NFS never reequipped, keeping its Beaufighters until the war ended.
These units who still flew the Beaufighters resumed to fly night operations in Northern Italy and France as the war progressed. A final claim of kill was made on December 28, 1944, by the 417th when a Beaufighter shot a Ju-290 aircraft. Numerous other enemy aircraft were credited as damaged or probables, but this was natural in night fighting, as many rounds were fired at targets with ambiguous results.
In total, the four squadrons were credited with 32 confirmed kills while flying the Beaufighter Mk VIFs. These broke down as 8 for the 414th, 11 for the 415th, four for the 416th, and nine for the 417th.
An honorable mention goes to Captain Harold Augspurger, the commander of the 415th Night Fighter Squadron, who flew the Beaufigther Mk VIF, T5049, “Night Mare,” and shot down a He 111 carrying German staff officers in September 1944. This Beaufighter was represented in honor by a repainted Beaufighter Mk.Ic A19-43 on a public display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, Dayton, Ohio.
Specifications
Bristol Beaufighter Mk VIFGeneral Characteristics
- Crew: 2 (Pilot & Radar Operator)
- Length: 41 ft 4 in (12.6 m)
- Height: 15 ft 10 in (4.83 m)
- Span: 57 ft 10 in (17.6 m)
- Wing area: 451 sq ft (41.9 sq m)
- Propeller Type: 2 x 3-bladed constant-speed propellers
- Propeller Diameter: 12 ft 9 in (3.89 m)
- Powerplant: 2 x Bristol Hercules VI air-cooled radial piston engines
→ 3,340 hp (2,457 kW)- Internal Fuel: 550 imp. gal. (2,500 L)
- Oil Tankage: 36 imp. gal. (163.6 L)
- Empty Weight: 16,312 lb (7,400 kg)
- Gross Weight: 19,750 lb (8,958 kg)
- Max. Takeoff Weight: 24,000 lb (10,886 kg)
Performance
- Power-to-Weight Ratio: 0.17 (0.28 kW/kg)
- Sea Level Speed: 312 mph (502 km/h)
- Critical Altitude Speed: 333 mph @ 15,600 ft (536 km/h @ 4,755 m)
- Wing Loading: 43.8 lb/sq ft (213.9 kg/sq m)
- Rate of Climb: 2,325 fpm (11.8 m/s) @ 4,600 ft (1,402 m)
- Time to Altitude:
- 7.5 minutes to 15,000 ft (4,572 m)
- 19 minutes to 25,000 ft (7,620 m)
- Service Ceiling: 28,000 ft (8,534 m)
- Range: 1,480 miles (2,382 km)
Armament
- Avionics:
- AI Mk.IV radar in standard nose
- AI Mk.VIII in thimble nose radome
- Guns:
- 4 x 20-mm Hispano Mk.I cannons (240 rpg; 960 rounds)
Diagrams
Conclusion | Why it should be in the game
I made this suggestion to request more World War II-era vehicles for War Thunder. The Bristol Beaufighter Mk VIF was a signficant aircraft for the night fighter squadrons of the USAAF in MTO, where the squadrons needed a better night fighter to fly instead of the inferior P-70 aircraft before the P-61 Black Widow aircraft became available. The Beaufighter Mk VIF was in service for 2 to 3 years with these squadrons in Italy and Europe. I concluded that this Beaufigther would be an excellent premium material with MTO camouflage in USAAF markings to fill the gap of heavy fighters with radars for the US nation.
- Air Publication 1721 A, F & J Volume I Beaufighter Aircraft (October 1944)
- Aircraft No. 153: Beaufighter in Action (1995)
- The Bristol Beaufighter: A Comprehensible Guide for the Modeller (2002)
- Beaufighter (F) Mk.VI Testing
- Bristol Beaufighter in USAAF Service - Destination's Journey
- https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/196290/bristol-beaufighter/
- Asisbiz Bristol Beaufighter MkVIF USAAF 416NFS XY912 at an airfield near Grottaglie Italy Nov 1943
- Bristol Beaufighter - Wikipedia
Thank you for taking the time to read my suggestion! 😃