Beaufighter Mk X
| This page is about the British strike aircraft Beaufighter Mk X. For other versions, see Beaufighter (Family). |
Contents
Description
The Beaufighter Mk X is a rank II British strike aircraft with a battle rating of 2.7 (AB), 3.0 (RB), and 3.7 (SB). It has been in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.27.
General info
Flight performance
| Characteristics | Max Speed (km/h at 2,600 m) |
Max altitude (metres) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (metres/second) |
Take-off run (metres) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | |||
| Stock | 468 | 450 | 4575 | 29.8 | 30.8 | 6.6 | 6.6 | 443 |
| Upgraded | 517 | 490 | 27.3 | 28.5 | 14.5 | 10.0 | ||
Details
| Features | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat flaps | Take-off flaps | Landing flaps | Air brakes | Arrestor gear |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | X | X |
| Limits | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wings (km/h) | Gear (km/h) | Flaps (km/h) | Max Static G | |||
| Combat | Take-off | Landing | + | - | ||
| 676 | 242 | 354 | 242 | 216 | ~7 | ~3 |
| Optimal velocities (km/h) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ailerons | Rudder | Elevators | Radiator |
| < 330 | < 390 | < 410 | > 300 |
Survivability and armour
- 25 mm Steel - Armoured nose plate
- 1 mm Steel - Forward engine nacelle armour plates
- 25 mm Steel - Rear aircraft/gunner protection armour plate
- 38 mm Bulletproof glass - Armoured windscreen
Modifications and economy
| Flight performance | Survivability | Weaponry | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
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Armaments
Offensive armament
The Beaufighter Mk X is armed with:
- 4 x 20 mm Hispano Mk.II cannons, belly-mounted (283 rpg = 1,132 total)
- 6 x 7.7 mm Browning machine guns, wing-mounted (2 x left, 4 x right) (1,000 rpg = 6,000 total)
Suspended armament
The Beaufighter Mk X can be outfitted with the following ordnance:
- Without load
- 1 x 18 inch Mark XII torpedo
- 8 x RP-3 rockets
- 4 x 250 lb M.C. Mk.I bombs (1,000 lb total)
- 4 x 500 lb M.C. Mk.I bombs (2,000 lb total)
- 2 x 500 lb M.C. Mk.I bombs + 2 x 250 lb M.C. Mk.I bombs (1,500 lb total)
- 2 x 1,000 lb M.C. Mk.I bombs (2,000 lb total)
Defensive armament
The Beaufighter Mk X is defended by:
- 1 x 7.7 mm Vickers K machine gun, dorsal turret (1,000 rpg)
Usage in battles
Just like the Mk VIc version of the Beaufighter, you can use this aircraft in a variety of roles. Heavy fighter, torpedo bomber, and attacker are all still viable roles for this aircraft. The big difference is in how effective you are at these roles. In the ground attack role, you see a large improvement in capabilities. This is mainly due to the additional ability to carry rockets for ground attack, and the increase in 20 mm cannon ammo. Torpedo bomber tactics should be avoided, however. With the torpedo on offer still being very poor in terms of drop requirements, surviving against incoming flak will be a real challenge. Heavy fighter tactics can be used once again, but with a few changes. Compared to the Mk VIc, you pack a much bigger punch with your weaponry. Unfortunately, this adds weight to the airframe. Thanks to the extra weight, climb rate, manoeuvrability, and speed will all suffer. In short, you will find it harder to find and catch targets, but you can shoot them down more easily. Overall, stick to relatively low altitude. Go after ground targets whenever you see the opportunity and attack any bombers operating at low altitude the second they show up. In order to ensure effectiveness in this role, ground target or universal ammo belts should be used with the 20 mm cannons. The same applies to your 7.7 mm machine guns ammo belts; armoured or universal should be used. With a good flight escort, you can take give your opponents a lot of trouble attacking their ground units, ultimately helping to secure victory for your team.
The Beaufighter Mk X is a substantial upgrade over previous versions of the airframe in its role as close air support in combined arms battles. It gains access to 250, 500 and 1000 pound bombs, and more of them too. Additionally the aircraft can also carry up to 8 of the RP-3 rocket. The recommended loadout in most cases will be the 4 x 500 pound loadout, as the RP-3 rocket is relatively inaccurate and with only 5.44 kg of explosive mass, it requires a direct hit. The 1000 pound bombs will be more effective for knockout out tanks of course, but the Beaufighter is limited to only carry two of these instead of the four 500 pound bombs, leading to fewer opportunities for pilots to support the action on the ground. Additionally the plane also gains access to engine fire extinguishers, which can prove to be very helpful when fighting enemy SPAA such as the M16 MGMC which relies on doing critical damage and starting fires rather than blowing off pieces of the aircraft. Pilots can use this system to extinguish fires in the engines and limp back to base on their remaining engine.
Manual Engine Control
| MEC elements | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mixer | Pitch | Radiator | Supercharger | Turbocharger | ||
| Oil | Water | Type | ||||
| Not controllable | Controllable Not auto controlled |
Not controllable Not auto controlled |
Controllable Not auto controlled |
Combined | Controllable 2 gears |
Not controllable |
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Excellent armament consisting of four Hispano Mk II cannons and six 7.7 mm machine guns
- Very likely to come out on top during a head-on attack
- Can actually intercept bombers, provided they are flying low enough
- Center-lined cannon armament makes them much more accurate and easier to aim
- Good horizontal agility
- Very good ammo amount, especially helpful during RB and SB
- Can carry 8 powerful RP-3 rockets, with 60 mm of penetration
- Can be used as a torpedo-bomber
- Gains an extra pair of bombs when compared to its predecessor
Cons:
- Mediocre climb rate
- Machine guns' accuracy suffers from wing mounting (convergence)
- Bad roll rate at high speeds
- Gunner is almost useless due to only having a single machine gun for defensive armament
History
| Archive of the in-game description | |
|---|---|
|
A design rapidly born from the wings and tail of the earlier Beaufort, the Beaufighter was a two seat, twin engine heavy fighter designed for long range, ground strike and night fighter duties. Equipped with an early AI radar, the Beaufighter was one of the world's first successful night fighters. Most of the last mass-produced aircraft in Britain were Beaufighter TF Mk Xs. This model was a logical continuation and development of the Mk VIC, had two Hercules Mk VI engines optimised for low level flight, and could carry the standard torpedoes produced in Britain and the United States. The TF letters in the designation stood for "Torpedo Fighter". The aircraft could also carry a bomb load of 1,100 kg, and with the help of an AI Mk.VIII radar installed in a 'thimble' nose, they were highly capable machines employed in detecting and destroying surface shipping. In the Far East the Beaufighter was reputed to be nicknamed 'Whispering Death' by Japanese soldiers, although some modern historians believe this to be Allied propaganda. In March 1945, over a period of 48 hours, Beaufighter TF Mk Xs of No 236 and No 254 Squadrons found and destroyed five German submarines. The last major variant of the Beaufighter, over 2200 were built in Britain. | |
Media
- Skins
- Videos
See also
- Related development
- Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
-
Bf 110 (Family) -
Ki-45 (Family) -
Potez 630 (Family) - Bréguet 693 AB.2
-
Blenheim Mk IV -
Fokker G.IA -
Yak-2 KABB
External links
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- other literature.
| Bristol Aeroplane Company | |
|---|---|
| Strike Aircraft | Beaufighter Mk I (40-mm) · Beaufighter Mk VIc · Beaufighter Mk X · Beaufighter Mk 21* |
| Bombers | Blenheim Mk IV · Beaufort Mk VIII* · Brigand B 1 |
| * License-produced in Australia by Department of Aircraft Production. | |
| Britain strike aircraft | |
|---|---|
| Blackburn | Firebrand TF Mk IV · Firecrest |
| Bristol | Beaufighter Mk I (40-mm) · Beaufighter Mk VIc · Beaufighter Mk X · Beaufighter Mk 21 |
| CAC | ▄Wirraway |
| Fairey | Firefly F Mk I · Firefly FR Mk V |
| de Havilland | Mosquito FB Mk VI · Mosquito FB Mk XVIII |
| Hawker | Hurricane Mk IV · Tempest Mk V (Vickers P) |
| Westland | Wyvern S4 |
