- Yes
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Hello everybody. I’d like to suggest a Republic P-47D-22-RE (42-25706) with the distinctive feature - Malcolm Hood. It is the possibly most rare field modification you would see on the P-47D Razorback. This is an excellent candidate for War Thunder as either a battle pass trophy, event, premium, or squadron aircraft. Because I am suggesting the virtually identical P-47D-22-RE, there isn’t much to say, and I will explain a brief history of the Malcolm Hood modification.
History
The first Malcolm Hood canopy originated on the Supermarine Spitfire series; it was manufactured by the British company R Malcolm & Co., hence its name. The shape of the canopy hood was bulged outward: the purpose of it was to provide improved visibility and a better view to the rear.
The idea of improved visibility was so valuable that it got adopted on North American Aviation P-51B & C Mustangs and Vought F4U Corsairs. The Luftwaffe also attempted to reproduce Malcolm Hood canopies on its later models of Fw-190 fighter.
Malcolm Hood was so popular that P-51B & C Mustangs from the Royal Air Force and US Army Air Force got retrofitted with it. However, it was indeed rare to see the Malcolm Hood canopy retrofitting on the P-47D Razorback. Pilots of the P-47D Razorback complained about the seriously limited rearward visibility in the cockpit since it was a blind spot for them in the dogfight battles, so some of them were fortunate enough to have their P-47D Razorback retrofitted with the Malcolm Hood canopy.
The rare Malcolm Hood field modification was available to be installed on almost all subvariants of the P-47D Razorback. New subvariants equipped with a new bubble canopy after the D-22-RE were known as the P-47D Bubbletop, with the lessons of improved visibility being taken into consideration.
Specifications
Republic P-47D-22-RE Thunderbolt (S/N 42-25706)Virtually identical to in-game P-47D-22-REGeneral Characteristics
- Crew: 1 (Pilot)
- Length: 36 ft 1.75 in (10.85 m)
- Height: 14 ft 7 in (3.86 m)
- Span: 40 ft 9.3125 in (12.43 m)
- Wing Area: 300 sq ft (27.87 sq m)
- Propeller Type: 4-bladed constant-speed propeller
- Propeller Diameter: 13 ft 1.875 in (4.01 m)
- Powerplant: 1x Engine, Pratt & Whitney R-2800-63 air-cooled radial piston engine
→ 2,300 hp (1,692 kW)- Internal Fuel: 305 US gal. (1,155 L)
- Oil Tankage: 28 US gal. (106 L)
- Empty Weight: 10,700 lb (4,853 kg)
- Gross Weight: 15,000 lb (6,804 kg)
- Max. Takeoff Weight: 17,500 lb (7,938 kg)
Performance
- Power-to-Weight Ratio: 0.15 hp/lb (0.25 kW/kg)
- Critical Altitude Speed: 432 mph @ 30,000 feet (695 km/h @ 9,144 m)
- Wing Loading: 50 lb/sq ft (244 kg/sq m)
- Turn Time: 25 seconds
- Rate of Climb: 1,969 fpm (10 m/s)
- Service Ceiling: 40,000 ft (12,200 m)
- Combat Range: 475 miles (765 km)
- Max. Range: 1,700 miles (2,736 km)
Armament
Guns:
- 8 x 0.50-cal. M2 Browning machine guns (425 rpg; 3,400 Rounds)
Bombs:
- 3 x 250 lb bombs
- 3 x 500 lb bombs
- 2 x 1,000 lb bombs
Rockets:
- 6 x M8 Rockets
Drop Tanks:
- 75-gal wing tanks
- 108-gal wing tanks
- 150-gal wing tanks
- 200-gal belly tank
Diagrams
Conclusion | Why it should be in the game
A P-47D Razorback with Malcolm Hood canopy would be an interesting and unique addition to the P-47 Family in War Thunder. The sim players would enjoy this particular P-47D as the Malcolm Hood provides a wide view in their rear, valuable for situational awareness. A P-47D-22-RE (S/N 42-25706) with Malcolm Hood will not require a big effort to make except for a change of the canopy. I am fond of the P-51 and P-47 with Malcolm Hood, and I think this particular model is a potential candidate as either a battle pass trophy, event, premium, or squadron aircraft.
See Also - Other P-47 Variants
- P-47 Thunderbolt in Action - Aircraft Number 67 (1985)
- P-47 Thunderbolt in Action - Aircraft Number 208 (2007)
- Bubble canopy - Wikipedia
- Aircraft canopy - Wikipedia
- Republic P-47D Thunderbolt
Thank you for taking the time to read my suggestion! 😃