14.03.2009, 17:25
vanir Wrote:Has somebody asked for the other P-40 variants?
This is an especially important thing for us Australian campaigners as the RAAF used them pretty much excusively until 1944.
The P-40E (1150hp for takeoff) is in-game but this and the M requires significant modelling adjustment (wing dihedral is it? and minor cosmetic adjustments, someone started this project a while ago iirc). That's our Kittyhawk Ia.
The Kittyhawk II were the Merlin P-40Fs (first few short fuselage and from series 5 onwards longer fuselage). The other Merlin one, the P-40L cut-down version with four brownings and reduced fuel tankage was used by yanks in Africa afaik, RAAF never got it. The big piloting change for the Merlin Kittyhawks is the manual two-speed supercharger, whilst overall performance is equivalent to the K at low altitude and vastly improved over Allison engines at high altitude (354mph @ 20400ft and 312mph @ 34300ft tested). Rated altitudes are 9500ft for low gear and 16000ft for high gear.
The K was short fuselage for the first few just like the F and quickly switched to the long fuselage due to the much more powerful Allison fitted than available to the E variants. K had slightly better low altitude performance than the M and the M had slightly better altitude performance (13800ft rated altitude compared to 11000ft). Take off performance was the same otherwise according to RAAF tests (1350hp vs 1360hp for takeoff, whilst military power was also similar but at much different altitudes).
You've already got the N posted in your list, which of course was a cut-down high performance M, much like the P-40L to the P-40F (but the N added better pilot view rearwards). It used the same engine as the M but was much faster with its maximum speed at 10000ft instead of 15000ft. Top speed at 15000ft actually tested the same between the two in RAAF service.
Blueprints and performance specifications are literally all over the web for all these types, and there are a number of sites dedicated specifically to them. I didn't see the need to post links as a simple google will return pages and pages of everything anyone could need for the Kittyhawk series.
Here's one link for RAAF comparative tests of those we used: http://www.raafwarbirds.org.au/targetvr ... mpared.pdf
So for RAAF campaigning I'd love to see the F and K added as well as the N, and the E and M remodelled cosmetically.
Cheers.
Updated P-40 variants information with your information.
Chaoic out...