- Yes
- No
Hello everybody. I’d like to re-introduce and suggest General Motors TBM-3 Avenger, a final major modification and the most produced variant of the Avenger during World War II. I had a difficulty in researching and collecting high-quality information on the TBM Avenger due to the lack of historical documents in public. If the information is incorrect, then please let me know, and I’ll correct it!
Key Characteristics
- Light Bomber / Torpedo Bomber / Naval Aircraft
- New 1,900-hp Wright R-2600-20 engine
- Redesigned cowling that allows additional cooling for the oil cooler
- Stub launchers for HVARs
- Had a modification that made it possible to carry a Tiny-Tim rocket.
History
Design and DevelopmentIn December 1943, Grumman phased out its production of TBF-1C Avengers and concentrated on F6F Hellcats production. The demand for Avengers in the US Navy was still high, so General Motors was awarded the contract that allowed them to overtake the production of TBFs alongside the F4Fs. Five East Coast GM plants were committed to manufacturing the Avengers under the name of the Eastern Aircraft Division of General Motors. The Eastern-made TBF-1 Avengers were designated TBM-1.
Eventually, the underpowered Avengers needed new upgrades as the war advanced. Wright Aeronautical, a supplier of aircraft engines, was responsible for developing newer engines for SB2C Helldivers, TBF/TBM Avengers, and others. Wright had been working on the development of an improved Twin Cyclone engine in early 1943. Grumman began working on refitting two Avengers for tests and trials with new engine variants. Wright developed two experimental variants: an XR-2600-10 with a two-stage mechanical supercharger for high-altitude operation and another XR-2600-20 with the usual single-stage supercharger. Both were tested on XTBF-2 and XTBF-3, respectively. Because Avengers were not required to perform extreme high-altitude operations in service, the XTBF-3 with XR-2600-20 engine was accepted for production and re-redesignated to XTBM-3s under General Motors. GM started to kick off the prolonged production of the TBM-3 Avengers in the middle of 1944.
The TBM-3 Avenger’s more powerful engine was the most prominent feature of this model; in addition, it also featured new double cooling intakes (with upper and bottom inlets) and strengthened wings to carry bombs, rockets, or drop tanks.
US Navy & US Marine Corps ServiceBy 1944, the TBM Avenger became a standard torpedo bomber in the late war. The TBM-3 Avenger’s torpedo-delivery capability impacted the Japanese fleet during the war, and its rugged simplicity made it highly resistant to enemy air defenses. TBMs were also performing ground close support in amphibious invasions and daylight anti-shipping attacks with bombs. Overall, the TBM Avengers were critical assets for the US Navy and participated in naval actions against the Imperial Japanese Navy.
One particularly noteworthy action was the Battle off Samar on October 25, 1944, when a powerful Japanese fleet ambushed the American force landing on Leyte in the Philippines. Only a remaining group of destroyers and escort carriers codenamed TAFFY 3 was left to protect the landing force. The TAFFY 3 had no choice but to engage the Japanese fleet. Its destroyers executed aggressive torpedo attacks; escort carriers deployed TBM Avengers and FM-2 Wildcats to hit the Japanese warships with everything they had. As a result, the Japanese found themselves dissuaded and chose not to push to their advantage, so they had to withdraw to flee from the arrival of US Navy reinforcements at the cost of heavy American losses.
The TBM Avengers were among the torpedo bombers used during the sinking of Japanese super battleships Musashi and Yamato.
At the closure of World War II, General Motors produced +4,000 TMB-3s while Grumman produced +700 TBF-1Cs. The Avengers have claimed about 30 submarine kills, including the cargo submarine I-52. They were one of the most effective sub-killers in the Pacific theater and the Atlantic when escort carriers were finally available to escort Allied convoys.
Specifications
General Motors TBM-3 AvengerGeneral Characteristics
- Crew: 3 (Pilot, Dorsal-Turret Gunner, and Ventral-Turret Gunner)
- Length: 40 ft 11.5 in (12.5 m)
- Height: 16 ft 9 in (5.1 m)
- Span: 54 ft 2 in (16.5 m)
- Wing Area: 490 sq ft(45.5 sq m)
- Propeller Type: 3-bladed Hamilton Standard Hydromatic propeller
- Propeller Diameter: 13 ft 1 in (3.99 m)
- Powerplant: Wright Cyclone R-2600-20 Twin Cyclone radial piston engine
→ 1,900 hp (1,397 kW)- Internal Fuel: 335 US gal. (1,268 L)
- Oil Tankage: 32 US gal. (121 L)
- Empty Weight: 10,960 lb (4,971 kg)
- Gross Weight: 15,940 lb ( 7,230 kg)
Engine ratings
Takeoff:
→ 1,900 BHP @ 2,800 RPM @ sea level
Military:
→ 1,750 BHP @ 2,600 RPM @ sea level - 2,500 ft
→ 1,450 BHP @ 2,600 RPM @ 8,000 - 14,400 ft
Normal:
→ 1,600 BHP @ 2,500 RPM @ sea level - 3,250 ft
→ 1,350 BHP @ 2,500 RPM @ 8,500 - 15,400 ft
General Performance w/ One Torpedo
- Power-to-Weight Ratio: 0.12 hp/lb (0.19 kW/kg)
- Sea Level Speed: 254 mph (408 km/h)
- Critical Altitude Speed: 272 mph @ 16,500 ft (437 km/h @ 5,029 m)
- Stall Speed:
- Gross Weight: 78.7 mph (127 km/h)
- Empty Fuel: 73.9 mph (119 km/h)
- Wing Loading: 34.4 lb/sq ft (167.96 kg/sq m)
- Take-off Distance - Calm: 1,008 ft (307 m)
- Rate of Climb: 1,480 fpm (7.5 m/s)
- Time to Altitude:
- 8.2 minutes to 10,000 ft (3,048 m)
- 20.0 minutes to 20,000 ft (6,096 m)
- Service Ceiling: 28,900 ft (8,808 m)
- Max. Range: 1,065 miles @ 163 mph (1,713 km @ 262 km/h)
Armament
Guns:
- 2 x 0.50-cal. forward-firing M2 Browning machine guns (300 rpg; 600 rounds)
- 1 x 0.50-cal. M2 Browning machine gun in a dorsal-mounted turret (400 rounds)
- 1 x 0.30-cal. M1919 Browning machine gun in a ventral-mounted turret (500 rounds)
Fuselage Bomb-Bay:
- 1 x 2,000-lb bombs
- 1 x 1,600-lb armor-piercing bombs
- 2 x 1,000-lb bombs
- 2 x 1,000-lb armor-piercing bombs
- 4 x 500-lb bombs
- 12 x 100-lb bombs
- 1 x 650-lb depth bomb
- 4 x 325-lb depth bombs
- 1 x 2,000-lb naval mine
- 1 x 1,000-lb naval mine
Wing Bombs:
- 2 x 1,000-lb bombs
- 2 x 500-lb bombs
- 2 x 250-lb bombs
- 6 x 100-lb bombs
- 2 x 650-lb depth bomb
- 2 x 325-lb depth bombs
- 2 x 1,000-lb naval mine
Rockets:
- 8 x 89-mm FFARs
- 8 x 127-mm FFARs or HVARs
- 1 x Tiny-Tim rocket
Torpedo
- 1 x Torpedo Mark 13 Mod. 2
Misc
- Smoke Tank (Used to lay smoke screen for allied warships)
- 2 x 58-gal drop tanks
TBM Livery Examples - Illustration
Semi Gloss Sea Blue, Intermediate Blue, and Insignia White
Conclusion | Why it should be in the game
I made this suggestion to request more World War II-era vehicles for War Thunder. This TBM-3 Avenger received major upgrades with a new engine and expanded air-to-ground armament and was proven to be an effective asset for the US Navy during World War II. Thus, the TBM-3 would be an excellent addition to the US Aviation Tech Tree as an upgrade over the TBF-1C.
- TBM-3 Avenger Airplane Characteristics & Performance (1 August 1944)
- Pilot’s Handbook of Flight Operating Instructions: Navy Model TBM-3 Airplane, British Model Avenger III Airplane (15 June 1945)
- AN 01-190EB-1 Pilot’s Handbook for Flight Operating Instructions Navy Model TBM-3 Airplane (1 November 1945)
- TBF/TBM Avenger in Action (1987)
- TBF & TBM Avenger in Detail & Scale (1997)
- TBF/TBM Avenger Walk Around (2001)
- https://www.worldwariiaviation.org/grumman-tbm-avenger/
- Grumman TBF/TBM Avenger
- Grumman Tarpon I (TBF-1 Avenger) | Smithsonian Institution
- Warbird Alley: Grumman / General Motors / Eastern TBF Avenger
- Grumman TBF Avenger - Wikipedia
Thank you for taking the time to read my suggestion! 😃
