Difference between revisions of "Whirlwind Mk I"
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<!-- ''Describe the aircraft's suspended armament: additional cannons under the wings, bombs, rockets and torpedoes. This section is especially important for bombers and attackers. If there is no suspended weaponry remove this subsection.'' --> | <!-- ''Describe the aircraft's suspended armament: additional cannons under the wings, bombs, rockets and torpedoes. This section is especially important for bombers and attackers. If there is no suspended weaponry remove this subsection.'' --> | ||
| − | {{main|G.P. Mk.IV (250 lb)|G.P. Mk.IV (500 lb)}} | + | {{main|G.P. Mk.IV (250 lb)|G.P. Mk.IV (500 lb)|S.A.P. Mk.II (500 lb)}} |
The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance: | The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance: | ||
| Line 105: | Line 105: | ||
* 2 x 250 lb G.P. Mk.IV bombs (500 lb total) | * 2 x 250 lb G.P. Mk.IV bombs (500 lb total) | ||
* 2 x 500 lb G.P. Mk.IV bombs (1,000 lb total) | * 2 x 500 lb G.P. Mk.IV bombs (1,000 lb total) | ||
| + | * 2 x 500 lb S.A.P. Mk.II bombs (1,000 lb total) | ||
== Usage in battles == | == Usage in battles == | ||
| Line 136: | Line 137: | ||
'''Pros:''' | '''Pros:''' | ||
| − | * Devastating nose-mounted | + | * Devastating nose-mounted 20 mm Hispano armament |
| − | * Great for head-ons | + | * Great for head-ons |
| − | * Good turn rate when upgraded for a twin engined fighter | + | * Good turn rate when upgraded for a twin-engined fighter |
| − | * Able to carry bombs, unlike P.9 | + | * Able to carry bombs, unlike P.9 variant |
'''Cons:''' | '''Cons:''' | ||
| − | * Poor climb rate | + | * Poor climb rate |
| − | * Under-powered engines | + | * Under-powered engines |
| − | * Drum-fed Hispano Mk1s. Only 60 rounds per gun. You must make every round count | + | * Drum-fed Hispano Mk1s. Only 60 rounds per gun. You must make every round count |
| − | * Inaccurate Hispano Mk1 cannons. Precise aiming is hard | + | * Inaccurate Hispano Mk1 cannons. Precise aiming is hard |
* Poor roll rate | * Poor roll rate | ||
* Quite slow level flight speed | * Quite slow level flight speed | ||
| Line 154: | Line 155: | ||
== History == | == History == | ||
<!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' --> | <!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' --> | ||
| − | The Westland Whirlwind was designed after a specification was issued by the British Air Ministry. The specification called for a cannon-armed day and night fighter. The Air Ministry wanted a top speed of at least 530 km/h at an altitude of 4, | + | The Westland Whirlwind was designed after a specification was issued by the British Air Ministry. The specification called for a cannon-armed day and night fighter. The Air Ministry wanted a top speed of at least 530 km/h at an altitude of 4,600 m. Out of five designs offered by the companies. The Air Ministry decided to go with Westland's design for several important reasons. The cannon was mounted on the nose so that the recoil does not affect the accuracy of the gun. There were also no convergence problem as compared to other single-engine fighters with wing mounted guns. The requirements also led to the world's first bubble canopies on a plane. However the decision to arm the Spitfire with cannon and the development of other twin engine fighters such as the Bristol Beaufighter has led Fighter Command to use the Whirlwind less and less as the war progressed. The first batch of Rolls-Royce Peregrine engines were also delayed. It was also found that the engine was severely under-powered and the drum magazines used to feed the cannons were small in capacity. All of this has resulted in the Whirlwind's cancellation and resulted in the plane only equipping two RAF squadrons. |
== Media == | == Media == | ||
<!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' --> | <!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' --> | ||
| + | |||
| + | ;Skins | ||
| + | * [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=whirlwind_mk1 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.] | ||
| + | |||
| + | ;Videos | ||
{{Youtube-gallery|76ArCiYaEog|'''The Shooting Range #81''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 08:13 discusses the Whirlwind.}} | {{Youtube-gallery|76ArCiYaEog|'''The Shooting Range #81''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 08:13 discusses the Whirlwind.}} | ||
== See also == | == See also == | ||
| − | ''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:'' | + | <!--''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:'' |
| + | * ''reference to the series of the aircraft;'' | ||
| + | * ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''--> | ||
| − | * | + | * [[Whirlwind P.9]] |
| − | |||
== External links == | == External links == | ||
<!-- ''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:'' | <!-- ''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:'' | ||
| + | * ''topic on the official game forum;'' | ||
| − | |||
| − | |||
* ''other literature.'' --> | * ''other literature.'' --> | ||
Latest revision as of 21:59, 3 November 2023
| This page is about the British twin-engine fighter Whirlwind Mk I. For the other version, see Whirlwind P.9. |
Contents
Description
The Whirlwind Mk I is a rank III British twin-engine fighter with a battle rating of 4.3 (AB), 3.7 (RB), and 4.0 (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.75 "La Résistance".
General info
Flight performance
Max speed
at 4 876 m580 km/h
Turn time23 s
Max altitude9 144 m
Engine2 х Rolls-Royce Peregrine I
TypeInline
Cooling systemWater
Take-off weight5 t
| Characteristics | Max Speed (km/h at 4,877 m) |
Max altitude (metres) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (metres/second) |
Take-off run (metres) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | |||
| Stock | 559 | 543 | 9144 | 24.2 | 25.2 | 12.2 | 12.2 | 650 |
| Upgraded | 601 | 580 | 21.9 | 23.0 | 18.2 | 15.0 | ||
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 | 265 | 465 | 433 | 265 | ~11 | ~5 |
| Optimal velocities (km/h) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ailerons | Rudder | Elevators | Radiator |
| < 420 | < 420 | < 450 | > 324 |
Survivability and armour
Crew1 person
Speed of destruction
Structural676 km/h
Gear265 km/h
- 60 mm Bulletproof glass in cockpit front.
- 9 mm Steel plates in the nose.
- 4 mm Steel plate in pilot's seat.
- 6 mm Steel plate behind the pilot.
Modifications and economy
Repair costBasic → Reference
AB1 346 → 1 809 
RB2 928 → 3 935
SB4 445 → 5 974
Total cost of modifications34 800 
67 800
Talisman cost1 300 
Crew training39 000
Experts135 000
Aces700
Research Aces390 000
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
70 / 180 / 380 %
154 / 154 / 154 %
| Flight performance | Survivability | Weaponry | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Armaments
Offensive armament
The Whirlwind Mk I is armed with:
- 4 x 20 mm Hispano Mk.I cannons, nose-mounted (60 rpg = 240 total)
Suspended armament
The Whirlwind Mk I can be outfitted with the following ordnance:
- Without load
- 2 x 250 lb G.P. Mk.IV bombs (500 lb total)
- 2 x 500 lb G.P. Mk.IV bombs (1,000 lb total)
- 2 x 500 lb S.A.P. Mk.II bombs (1,000 lb total)
Usage in battles
The Whirlwind Mk I should be used similarly to other heavy fighters. The flight characteristics are very similar to the Whirlwind P.9 with the main difference being significantly less ammo.
The Whirlwind Mk I is very effective in a boom and zoom role due to its good climb rate and powerful armament. However, the relatively low wing break speed in RB does limit you in this role. The Whirlwind Mk I has a good turn rate for a heavy fighter, but will be easily out turned by single-engined fighters. The use of combat flaps will help to balance out this disadvantage. Care must be taken when using the combat flaps, however, as they are prone to snapping off at a relatively low speed.
At this BR you will see many BV 238s and Me 264s. Heading on these bombers will usually guarantee you a kill, but you still need to be careful of the powerful defensive armament of them. The Whirlwind Mk I has relatively little ammunition with only 60 rounds per gun. It is important to be accurate to be successful with this aircraft. To help with accuracy try to get very close to the target before shooting.
Manual Engine Control
| MEC elements | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mixer | Pitch | Radiator | Supercharger | Turbocharger | ||
| Oil | Water | Type | ||||
| Controllable | Controllable Not auto controlled |
Not controllable Not auto controlled |
Controllable Auto control available |
Combined | Not controllable 1 gear |
Not controllable |
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Devastating nose-mounted 20 mm Hispano armament
- Great for head-ons
- Good turn rate when upgraded for a twin-engined fighter
- Able to carry bombs, unlike P.9 variant
Cons:
- Poor climb rate
- Under-powered engines
- Drum-fed Hispano Mk1s. Only 60 rounds per gun. You must make every round count
- Inaccurate Hispano Mk1 cannons. Precise aiming is hard
- Poor roll rate
- Quite slow level flight speed
- Unfavourable matchmaking puts you up against some very challenging opponents
- Hispano Mk 1 cannons do not have access to more effective air targets belt
History
The Westland Whirlwind was designed after a specification was issued by the British Air Ministry. The specification called for a cannon-armed day and night fighter. The Air Ministry wanted a top speed of at least 530 km/h at an altitude of 4,600 m. Out of five designs offered by the companies. The Air Ministry decided to go with Westland's design for several important reasons. The cannon was mounted on the nose so that the recoil does not affect the accuracy of the gun. There were also no convergence problem as compared to other single-engine fighters with wing mounted guns. The requirements also led to the world's first bubble canopies on a plane. However the decision to arm the Spitfire with cannon and the development of other twin engine fighters such as the Bristol Beaufighter has led Fighter Command to use the Whirlwind less and less as the war progressed. The first batch of Rolls-Royce Peregrine engines were also delayed. It was also found that the engine was severely under-powered and the drum magazines used to feed the cannons were small in capacity. All of this has resulted in the Whirlwind's cancellation and resulted in the plane only equipping two RAF squadrons.
Media
- Skins
- Videos
The Shooting Range #81 - Pages of History section at 08:13 discusses the Whirlwind.
See also
External links
| Westland Aircraft Limited | |
|---|---|
| Aircraft | |
| Fighters | Whirlwind Mk I · Whirlwind P.9 |
| Turboprop | Wyvern S4 |
| Helicopters* | |
| Attack | AH Mk.1 Apache** |
| Utility | Wessex HU Mk.5 · Scout AH.Mk.1 · Wasp HAS.Mk.1 · Lynx AH.Mk.1 · G-LYNX |
| *After World War II, Westland Aircraft focused on building helicopters and changed its name to Westland Helicopters. | |
| **Licensed AH-64D | |
| See Also | Boeing Aircraft |
