- Yes
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Hello! And welcome to my suggestion for the Final Curtiss Kittyhawk RAF service, called the Kittyhawk Mk.IV (aka P-40N), I feel this could come to game to diversify the lower tiers of the british tree which currently lacks many of its iconic WW2 aircraft.
Before I start I would like to state that this suggestion is specifically for the P-40N-20 subvariant of the P-40N as that is the latest subvariant i have been able to verify serving in the RAF and features a decent performance increase over the previous Kittyhawks i have suggested. It has also already been suggested for the US Tech tree by @WalletWorrier so please check out their suggestion for more info on the N-20 in US service
History
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The P-40 served as arguably the most well known foreign aircraft in British Service, initially being judged as too inferior to be used in aerial combat over Europe, it quickly found use elsewhere, being the mainstay of the Desert Air Force and Commonwealth forces in the Far East, here they were very potent additions to British Forces, as they encountered less of the Brand new Axis Aircraft such as the BF-109F series or FW-190 and instead commonly faced Aircraft such as the CR.42 and BF-109E series. However, as the war Progressed, these older designs were phased out and the Newer models became far more common across all fronts, this lead to a changing of the Kittyhawks Roles in all fronts, changing direction from a Fighter to a Ground attack aircraft, In which they were outfitted with a whole host of Bombs and suspended armaments (there are even some pictures of RAF Kittyhawks with 6 or more bombs equipped!).
Now onto the Kittyhawk Mk.IV, It was the Lend Lease designation for the P-40N, and was also the final P-40 variant to enter service with the US and Allied air forces, the N followed on from the previous P-40M variant but incorporated a wide array of the Weight saving measures of the P-40L series, these weight saving features initially meant that the P-40N had a rather serious loss of firepower, with it losing two of its 12.7mm Machine guns to save weight, However as of the P-40N-5 Subvariant, these guns were reintroduced to bring its armament back up to 6 x 12.7mm machine guns, giving it the same punch as earlier models but with better performance due to the still lighter airframe. The N-5 also introduced a revised Canopy among other things, allowing for a greater field of view behind the aircraft, which was one of the main issues the P-40 (and other American designs) had from the very beginning.
The latest (meaningful) subvariant of the P-40N given to the RAF I have been able to verify was the P-40N-20, this subvariant incorporated all of the advantages of the N-5 but also included the improved V-1710-99 engine, giving greater power at altitude and Increasing the aircrafts Climb rate (although not offering much over the -81 at sea level). Some of these aircraft were also equipped with Bombs in excess of what the standard P-40Ns would normally carry, with some aircraft carrying anywhere from as little as 4 x 40 lb bombs all the way up to one Australian aircraft potentially carrying up to 3 x 1000 lbs bombs (thanks to WalletWorriers suggestion)
Outside of the RAF, almost every major commonwealth nation used the Kittyhawk Mk.IV, with it also being used by the SAAF, RNZAF, RCAF and most famously the RAAF, who used the Mk.IV to great effect in the skies over New Guinea and other Pacific Battlefronts. Australia was also the last Commonwealth nation to use the Kittyhawks in Front line squadrons, with some aircraft serving past the end of the war before finally being retired in 1947.
Images
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A Mk.IV taking off in Italy with 1 x 500 lbs and 2 x 250 lbs bombs
A Kittyhawk Mk.IV “FX585” Parked at an airfield in italy, 1944
An RAAF Kittyhawk Mk.IV taxiing with assistance from a member of ground crew on its left wing
A Kittyhawk Mk.IV located at RAF Museum Hendon, note it has been incorrectly labelled as a Mk.III
A Crashed Kittyhawk Mk.IV of the SAAF in Italy, 1944
A couple of possible Camouflages for the Kittyhawk Mk.IV
A rare photo of the Kittyhawk Mk.IV in Canadian service, this particular example even survives to this day, although is currently painted in a ROCAF livery
A Kittyhawk Mk.IV outfitted with a rather peculiar array of bombs, with 6 250 lbs bombs fitted
A Kittyhawk Mk.IV Taking off from an airfield in Italy
A Kittyhawk Mk.IV with a 1000 lbs bomb under the fuselage
Specs/armament
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General Characteristics
Dimensions:
- Wing span: 37 ft. 4 in. (11.37 m)
- Length: 33 ft. 4 in. (10.15 m)
- Height: 12 ft. 4 in. (3.75 m)
Powerplant: Allison V-1710-99 , V12 liquid cooled engine (12000 hp at Sea level)
Weights :
- Empty: 6,700 lb. (3,039 kg)
- Operational: 8,400 lb. (3,810 kg)
Performance:
Maximum Speed: 325 m.p.h. (523 km/h) @ 25,000 ft. (7,620 m)
343 m.p.h. (552 km/h) @ 15,000 ft. (4,572 m)
308 m.p.h. (495 km/h) @ 5,000 ft.(1,524 m)
Service Ceiling: 30,000 ft. (9,144 m)
Range: 750 miles (1,207 km) @ 10,000 ft. ft. (3,048 m)
Max. Range: 2,800 miles (4,506 km) @ 10,000 ft. (3,048 m)
Armament
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Guns
- 6 x 12.7mm Browning Machine guns (235 rounds per gun)
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Bombs (max. Bombload 3000 lbs?)
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up to 1 x 1000 lbs bomb or 2 x 250 lbs bombs under fuselage
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up to 1 x 1000 lbs bomb or 2 x 250 lbs bombs under each wing
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Place in game
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I feel this aircraft would sit well as the last P-40 used by Britain, it could hopefully come after one like the Kittyhawk Mk.IA, it would perform better than any P-40 currently in game, with it being both lighter and more powerful than the P-40E and F, it could also see use in Ground battles, with it having a Bomb Load capable of rivaling even some heavier attack aircraft at its BR.
In Terms of BR, it would most likely sit at 3.0, this is due to it having both an increase in performance, and as WalletWorriers Suggestion alerted me to, it would also have access to the far better mid to late war 12.7mm Ammunition belts, giving it access to the powerful API-T rounds capable of shredding enemy aircraft and starting fires easily.
Sources