P-26A-34 M2 Peashooter
Contents
General Info
The P-26A-34 M2 Peashooter is a reserve American light fighter with a battle rating of 1.0. It was in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.29.
The main purpose, usage and tactics recommendations
General play style
The P-26A-34 M2 Peashooter is a reserve fighter for the American tree of fighters. Americans are known to use the Boom and Zoom Tactics and most people recommend to use that same tactic for this plane.
The P-26A-34 M2 Peashooter's armament differs from the other American reserve planes in that it carries a single 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine gun with 200 rounds in the place of one of the 7.62 mm machine guns. This is the same set up as the P-36A and F2A-1. The 12.7 mm is more powerful, takes longer to overheat, has a longer reload time, and has a slightly lower rate of fire than the 7.62 mm.
Vehicle characteristics
Tactics
Specific enemies worth noting
Counter-tactics
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Armament is good for a reserve aircraft.
- Pretty fast for a reserve plane.
- It is a monoplane reserve plane.
- Turning is okay
Cons:
- Slower than some late biplanes.
- No armour.
- Poor Dive Characteristics.
- Poor Energy Retention.
Specification
Armaments
Offensive armaments
- 1 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine gun, nose-mounted (200 rpg)
- 1 x 7.62 mm M1919 Browning machine gun, nose-mounted (500 rpg)
Payload
- 2 x 100 lbs AN-M30A1 bombs
Engine & Mobility
Engine
- Cooling type: Air
- Max power: 504 hp (Stock), 608 hp (Upgraded)
- Takeoff power: 565 hp (Stock), 669 hp (Upgraded)
- Mass: 325 kg
- Cooling type: Air
- Max power: 499 hp (Stock), 608 hp (Upgraded)
- Takeoff power: 560 hp (Stock), 669 hp (Upgraded)
- Mass: 325 kg
- Cooling type: Air
- Max power: 499 hp (Stock), 608 hp (Upgraded)
- Takeoff power: 560 hp (Stock), 669 hp (Upgraded)
- Mass: 325 kg
Stats
- Max speed: 359 km/h
- at height: 2,286 m
- Max altitude: 8,500 m
- Turn Time: 19.1 s
- Rate of Climb: 6.2 m/s
- Takeoff run: 170 m
Upgraded
- Max speed: 397 km/h
- at height: 2,286 m
- Max altitude: 8,500 m
- Turn Time: 17.3 s
- Rate of Climb: 19.8 m/s
- Takeoff run: 170 m
- Max speed: 346 km/h
- at height: 2,286 m
- Max altitude: 8,500 m
- Turn Time: 19.7 s
- Rate of Climb: 8.1 m/s
- Takeoff run: 170 m
Upgraded
- Max speed: 377 km/h
- at height: 2,286 m
- Max altitude: 8,500 m
- Turn Time: 18.0 s
- Rate of Climb: 12.0 m/s
- Takeoff run: 170 m
- Max speed: 346 km/h
- at height: 2,286 m
- Max altitude: 8,500 m
- Turn Time: 19.7 s
- Rate of Climb: 8.1 m/s
- Takeoff run: 170 m
Upgraded
- Max speed: 377 km/h
- at height: 2,286 m
- Max altitude: 8,500 m
- Turn Time: 18.0 s
- Rate of Climb: 12.0 m/s
- Takeoff run: 170 m
Performance
Warning this is still in the test phase and is probably incorrect. Take information with a grain of salt (data taken from 1.55)
Supercharger Stage #1: 100%
Supercharger Stage #1: WEP
Modules and improvements
On this early rank of aircraft any upgrade is valuable and easy to come by. In general Engine and Compressor are good upgrades, likewise for the Offensive 7.62 mm belts and New 7.62 mm MGs unlocks.
History of creation and combat usage
The Boeing P-26 Peashooter was a plane both ahead of its time and quickly made obsolete. First flown in 1932, the P-26 is the oldest plane in the game. It was one of the first all metal monoplanes adopted into military service in 1933 (In comparison, the He 51 and Ki-10 entered service in 1935), making it one of the fastest fighters in the world at the time, but it suffered from poor flight performance and dangerous landing characteristics. However, as newer fighters entered service around the world, the P-26s advantages diminished and its disadvantages became vulnerabilities. By the time of World War Two, the P-26 was hopelessly obsolete.
The P-26 saw the most of its combat serving in the Chinese Nationalist Air Force during the Second Sino-Japanese War, against Japanese Ki-10s, and notably A5Ms in some of the first all metal monoplane dogfights. Although it performed admirably in the pursuit role (bomber interception), in air-to-air combat with Japanese fighters, the deficiencies of the model showed.
In US service, the P-26 had a similar record. During the Japanese invasion of the Philippines, the P-26s scored only a handful of air-to-air kills against Japanese attackers. On December 24, 1941, their crews burnt the remaining planes to prevent their capture. Of the one hundred and fifty one built, only nine P-26s air worthy remained on Christmas 1941, a single squadron defending the Panama Canal Zone, which were removed from service shortly after.
Ingame description
New wing flaps allowed the aircraft's landing speed to be reduced. The plane was also equipped, in the event of an emergency landing on water, with two inflatable sacks occupying the containers in the wing roots. Beginning at the 26th production aircraft, this equipment became standard for the P-26А, but it was not installed on the aircraft already produced. There is no documented evidence that this system was ever used for its intended purpose, but one aircraft crashed after the raft kit opened spontaneously during flight.
P-26Аs produced later had reinforced armament: one synchronous 7.62 mm Browning M1 machine gun to the left of the fuselage and one synchronous large-calibre 12.7 mm Browning M2.5 machine gun to the right. The magazine capacity of the large-calibre machine gun was 200 rounds.
A combined total of 111 machines of the P-26A variant were produced. The 20th Fighter Group was the first in the USAAC to be armed with Peashooters. It was followed by two more: the 1st Fighter Group based in Selfridge, Michigan, and the 17th Fighter Group at March Air Force Base, California. At various times, P-26s were operated in 22 USAAC fighter squadrons.
Screenshots and fan art
Skins and camouflages for the P-26 series from live.warthunder.com.
Additional information (links)
References
| Horsepower graph | Sidebar |
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 P-26A-34 M2
|
| Nation | USA |
| Type | light Fighter |
| Fighting style | Energy Fighting Turn Fighting |
Metric✓ Imperial
Metric Imperial✓
| Characteristics | |
| Empty Weight | ~1100 kg |
| Empty Weight + fuel | ~1390 kg |
| Takeoff Weight | ~1592 kg |
| Wing Area | ~14 m² |
| # Flap Positions | 2 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Air Breaks | no |
| Arrestor Gear | no |
| Statistics | |
| Power per Engine | 530 hp |
| WEP Duration | infinite |
| top speed | ~376.99 kph at 2286 m |
| Climb Rate | ~11.98 m/s |
| Optimal climb velocity | ~198.62 kph |
| Turn Time | ~15.96 s |
| Wing loading (Empty) | ~79.00 kg/m² |
| Characteristics | |
| Empty Weight | ~2425 lb |
| Empty Weight + fuel | ~3064 lb |
| Takeoff Weight | ~3510 lb |
| Wing Area | ~150 ft² |
| # Flap Positions | 2 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Air Breaks | no |
| Arrestor Gear | no |
| Statistics | |
| Power per Engine | 530 hp |
| WEP Duration | infinite |
| Top speed | ~234.25 mph at 7500 m |
| Climb Rate | 39.30 ft/s |
| Optimal climb velocity | ~123.42 mph |
| Turn Time | 15.96 s |
| Wing loading (Empty) | ~16.18 lb/ft² |
| Main Weapons | |
| 1 x Browning | 500 RPG |
| 1 x M2/early Browning | 200 RPG |
| Payload Option 1 | |
| Nothing Loaded | Clean Plane |
| Payload Option 2 | |
| 2 x 100 lbs AN-M30A1 | Bomb |
| Limits | |
| Max Speed limit | 508 kph |
| Gear lmit | 508 kph |
| Combat Flaps | 520 kph |
| Max static +G's | ~25 |
| Max static -G's | ~10 |
| Optimal Velocities | |
| Ailerons | <280 kph |
| Rudder | <340 kph |
| Elevators | <340 kph |
| Radiator | >150 kph |
| Limits | |
| Max Speed limit | 316 mph |
| Gear lmit | 316 mph |
| Combat Flaps | 323 mph |
| Max static +G's | ~25 |
| Max static -G's | ~10 |
| Optimal Velocities | |
| Ailerons | <174 mph |
| Rudder | <211 mph |
| Elevators | <211 mph |
| Radiator | >93 mph |
| Manual Control | |
| Mixer | is not controllable |
| Pitch | is not controllable no automatic pitch |
| Radiator (water) | is not controllable |
| Radiator (oil) | is not controllable |
| Oil and water | uses combined radiator control |
| Supercharger | is not controllable |
| Turbocharger | is not controllable |
| Compressor settings 1 | |
| Optimal Altitude | 1828 m 5997 ft
|
| 100% Enginepower | 570 hp |
| WEP Enginepower | 621 hp |
