Morane D.3801 (1944), Swiss multi-role WW2 fighter.

CaID · September 23, 2024, 3:31pm

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caid’s suggestion #183

I want to suggest an interesting rank 2 fighter from Swiss aviation, the Morane D-3801 modification of 1944

in 1938, Switzerland obtained a license to produce the MS.406 from France. This fighter was produced in EKW plant under the designation of D.3800 with a few modifications in armament and armor. while offering good maneuverability, the Swiss considered the plane underpowered. with the Occupation of France, the cooperation with Morane-Saulnier ended and Switzerland saw that the D.3800 which saw a small production was outmatched by the modern fighter. in the hope of keeping up with the German fighter, 3 new variants were proposed to improve the D.3800. the D.3801 was accepted to production in 1941 and hosted a more powerful Hispano-Suiza 12Y-51. From 1941 to 1945, 200 D.3801 were produced and after 2 years break, production resumed for an additional batch of 16 aircraft. while the aircraft had good flight performance, it had reliability issues and the production was difficult at the beginning. this caused a delay which made the production almost halted in 1942 with only a single plane produced in this whole year while 16 were produced the year before. the plane still remained in service in Swiss aviation until 1959 but their role as fighter ended in 1948 with the introduction of the P-51 in Swiss aviation. the D.3801 remained in service for the last 11 years as a trainer planes and target tug.

this suggestion focuses on the modification of 1944. those modifications are interesting as it solve the engine issue, the flap changing while firing but most importantly for the players, it allow the plane to use rockets and bombs as the pylon was added under the wings and the command added in the cockpit. almost all D.3801 were upgraded to this standard.

Firepower
the D.3801 (1944) was a multirole fighter. the armament however is not much better than the French MS.410. but it still can fight longer. the main armament is the 20mm Flz Kan 37 in the engine. the opposite of the French gun, it was carrying 90 rounds instead of 60. this makes it already capable of fighting 50% longer with the main armament while retaining the accuracy. additionally, a pair of MG-29 7.5mm machine guns are mounted in the wings. they carry 480 rounds each which is comparable to the French MS406. additionally the plane can carry 2x 50kg bombs or 6x 8 cm Oerlikon rokets under the wings.

flight performance
The plane was renowned for its maneuverability. It would be capable of dogfighting any fighter it encounters. the Hispano-Suiza HS 51 12Y providing 1,010 hp. this allows the plane to reach 550 km/h at 5000m (the highest speed) and 439 at sea level. the climbing speed is varied but will have an early rate of about 16.75 m/sec. the ceiling is 9.500 m which is alright for the needs of this plane and the range is 1200 km. the plane weighs 2.075 kg empty and 2.560 kg full. the plane will have a better speed and climbing than the French MS.410 while retaining the same maneuverability

for more info about the flight performance, please see those following chart which is from the Swiss archive

Survivability
the aircraft is built of mixed material. most of it is made of metal but also include other material such as wood. it makes it have an average survivability against small armament. the plane however has no armour except for a ballistic glass behind the pilot’s head. the pilot sits in the middle of the plane and will have the average survivability. overall, it would perform just as well as the French MS.406.

Sources

I know there is a lot of info online that I deny, but I trust the Swiss archive more than the secondary sources.

Swiss Federal archive