Republic P-47D-22-RE Thunderbolt (S/N 42-25706) with a Malcolm Hood

[Nostalgistic]

Would you like to see this in-game?

• Yes
• No

Republic P-47D-22-RE Thunderbolt (S/N 42-25706)

    Hello everybody. I’d like to suggest a Republic P-47D-22-RE (42-25706) with the distinctive feature - Malcolm Hood. It is possibly the 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.

TL;DR

A P-47D-22-RE Thunderbolt with Malcolm Hood canopy as a field modification that provides greater visibility inside the cockpit.

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 was 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 the Fw-190 fighter.

Malcolm Hood was so popular that P-51B & C Mustangs from the Royal Air Force and the 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-RE

General Characteristics

• Crew: 1 (Pilot)
• Dimensions:
  • 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
  • Diameter: 13 ft 1.875 in (4.01 m)
• Powerplant:
  • Type: Pratt & Whitney R-2800-63 air-cooled radial piston engine
  • Power Output: 2,300 bhp (2,332 ps)
• Fuel/Oil:
  • Internal Fuel: 305 US gal. (1,155 L)
  • Oil Tankage: 28 US gal. (106 L)
• Weights:
  • Empty: 10,700 lb (4,853 kg)
  • Gross: 15,000 lb (6,804 kg)
  • Max. Takeoff: 17,500 lb (7,938 kg)

Performance

• Power-to-Weight Ratio: 0.15 hp/lb (0.34 ps/kg)
• Wing Loading: 50 lb/sq ft (244 kg/sq m)
• Critical Altitude Speed: 432 mph @ 30,000 feet (695 km/h @ 9,144 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

Images of other subvariants of P-47D with a Malcolm Hood

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.

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Sources

• 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! 😃

[141_allen]

It has already been added have it not? The F47?
They would be very similar and it would need a new plane on techtree.

[Nostalgistic]

If you are referring to the existing P-47D-22-RE as the F-47, we do have it in the game. As per my suggestion, it needs a duplicate of P-47D-22-RE with a different canopy to be a new potential premium aircraft.

[141_allen]

No as in a combination of the P47 and premium F47, like just move the canopy over.
I am talking about the F47 at 4.7, the premium thing which has slightly better engine.

[Nostalgistic]

Ah, you meant that premium F-47 from China’s aviation tree, but it is a completely different model with a dissimilar performance. It is based on P-47N-25-RE for the USAAF/USAF. The model of the canopy is not the same, though. F-47 has a bubble-top canopy, and I am suggesting a Malcolm Hood canopy for the Razorback Thunderbolt.

[Nostalgistic]

Oct '24 edit: Updated the formatting for better readability + new diagrams of the Malcolm Hood canopy.
Nov '25 edit: Updated the formatting once again.