Do 335 A-1

Do 335 A-1

Me 410 B-1

Do 335 A-0

Do 335 A-1

Me 410 B-1

Do 335 A-0

Germany

III Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
4.0	4.3	5.0

Class:

Strike aircraft

Research:26 000

Purchase:76 000

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This page is about the German twin-engine fighter Do 335 A-1. For other uses, see Do 335 (Family).

Description

The Do 335 A-1 is a rank III German twin-engine fighter with a battle rating of 4.0 (AB), 4.3 (RB), and 5.0 (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.57 "Battle March".

The Do 335 is a difficult plane to fly. It has good armament, however, lacks anything else of substance. Sub-par climb, bad turning, and handling, as well as the lack of armor and a propensity to catch fire make this aircraft a very difficult grind. Pilots should utilize the air spawn, then climb as high as possible and go after bombers. Once available, the air belts are devastating against bombers; however, as the plane lacks armor and catches fire quickly, tailing should be avoided. It is also possible to Boom & Zoom with, however, the plane tends to veer off target in prolonged dives.

Contrary to popular belief the Do 335 Pfeil is not a super prop. The initial design was a Schnellbomber (speedy bomber), but with the start of the emergency fighter program, most bomber contracts were shelved to increase fighter production. At Dornier, the idea arose to reconfigure the current bomber design into a heavy fighter to exploit the failure of Focke Wulf's Ta 154 Moskito.

Consequently, flight agility is mediocre, lending itself in feeling to Dornier's previous heavy fighters: Do 17 Z-7 and Do 217N. Both of which were coincidentally bombers by birth too. The exception to this trait is the fantastic roll-rate, accomplished by boosted ailerons as seen on the Ta 152H-1.

General info

Flight Performance

Characteristics
Stock
Max Speed (km/h at 7,000 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
737	721	11400	30.7	31.3	10.3	12.3	464
Upgraded
Max Speed (km/h at 7,000 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
784	755	11400	24.8	26.0	16.9	12.9	464

Details

Features
Combat flap	Take-off flap	Landing flap	Air brakes	Arrestor gear
✓	X	✓	X	X

Limits
Wing-break speed (km/h)	Gear limit (km/h)	Combat flap (km/h)	Max Static G
			+	-
940	270	450	~7	~4

Optimal velocities
Ailerons (km/h)	Rudder (km/h)	Elevators (km/h)	Radiator (km/h)
< 380	< 380	< 380	> 285

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
7,070 m	2,880 hp	3,880 hp

Survivability and armour

• 8 mm Steel - Plate behind the pilot seat

Armaments

Offensive armament

The Do 335 A-1 is armed with:

• 1 x 30 mm MK 103 cannon (70 rpg)
• 2 x 15 mm MG 151 cannon (200 rpg = 400 total)

The two 15 mm cannons and 30 mm cannon are all nose mounted in the aircraft.

Suspended armament

The Do 335 A-1 can be outfitted with the following ordinance:

• 2 x 250 kg SC250JA bombs (500 kg total)
• 1 x 500 kg SC500K bomb (500 kg total)
• 2 x 250 kg SC250JA bombs + 1 x 500 kg SC500K bomb (1,000 kg total)

Usage in the battles

Boom & Zoom: While it does not have the capability to turn, accelerate or climb (sustained) quickly as might an energy fighting aircraft, it can be used to make quick, swooping attacks on enemy bombers, and in a limited capacity, fighters. Advantaged by its swift dive acceleration, Boom & Zoom is a viable tactic; however, it should be noted that prolonged engagements with enemy aircraft should be avoided, as energy fighters will quickly deplete its momentum, and turn-fighting aircraft will easily outmanoeuvre this lumbering aircraft. Instead, diving on a target with a lower energy state (it is permissible to engage some slower aircraft in level flight as the 335 can reach speeds well in excess of 450 km/h within seconds of levelling the aircraft out of a climb) and then simply running away and zoom climbing out of range if the target is not killed on the first run is a significant advantage for DO-335 pilots who wish to return home alive. It may take several runs to kill a target, even with the heavy armament possessed by this aircraft, however momentum conservation is a key advantage of the 335, and multiple swooping attack runs disallow slow, "walking" adjustment of fire by bomber turrets, and can deny a turn-fighter an opportunity to attack, and potentially significantly drain them of energy. Targets in a higher energy state (More altitude and/or speed) should not be engaged unless you can ensure that once you have followed through with the attack run, you will be moving fast enough to avoid retaliation by the target.

Made a problematic aircraft to master by its poor manoeuvrability, both anti-bomber operations and ground strafing are a challenging task in this aircraft; however, it does have bomb capacity for 1,000 kg of ordnance and considering its speed, it is moderately capable in the role of a medium or strategic bomber aircraft. Subsequently, the ability to disrupt soft (20 mm) and hard (30 mm) ground targets far away from the initial fighter onslaught does provide some redemption for its poor anti-aircraft capabilities.

The Do 335’s design flaws make it particularly inept at chasing other planes. It is nigh-impossible to try to aim while performing a dive since the nose dances around in all directions and provides no stability to the aiming reticle. Indeed, aiming at the enemy while climbing is prone to the same inaccuracy. Trying to roll the wings to enter a quick dive, e.g. to escape an approaching enemy, is more akin to turning a ship than a heavy fighter. During ground attacks, its inability to aim properly makes more of a “spray and pray” than an accurate firing platform. The most useful approach would be to dive on bombers and attempt to hit with the 30 mm cannon at a distance.

Counter-Tactics

The Do 335 is fast in a dive but flies like a brick. Out-turning it is easy in almost all aircraft it will face. Due to the centre-mounted cannons, it is best to avoid head-ons.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Controllable	Not controllable	Not controllable	Not controllable	Separate	Not ontrollable	Not controllable

Modules

Tier	Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage Repair, Radiator		Offensive 15 mm
II	Compressor	Airframe	Offensive 30 mm, ETC 250/II
III	Wing Repair, Engine		New 15 mm Cannons
IV	Engine	Cover	New 30 mm Cannons, ETC 500/III

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Excellent top speed at very high altitudes
• Great armament
• Great dive top speed
• Great roll rate
• Internal bomb bay for second payload drop

Cons:

• Bad acceleration
• Sub-par climb rate compared to other twin-engine fighters
• Sub-par top speed at sea level
• Tends to over-steer with mouse control on rudders and elevators, resulting in worse manoeuvrability overall as you either will have to turn more gently in order to avoid over-steering, or wait for the instructor to compensate
• Steering in a dive results in very poor accuracy.
• Alignment of the engines along the centre axis makes it extremely easy for either one or both to get damaged when attacked by enemy fighters and potentially set on fire
• Heavily reliant on it's 30 mm Mk 103 with limited ammo to do the damage dealing as the 15 mm MG 151's won't be able to suffice considering the aircraft's handling.

History

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Media

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Read also

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• reference to the series of the aircraft;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

Sources

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Dornier Aircraft Corporation (Dornier Flugzeugwerke)
Fighters	Do 17 Z-7
	Do 217 J-1 · Do 217 J-2 · Do 217 N-1 · Do 217 N-2
	Do 335 A-0 · Do 335 A-1 · Do 335 B-2
Bombers	Do 17 E-1 · Do 17 Z-2
	Do 217 E-2 · Do 217 E-4 · Do 217 K-1 · Do 217 M-1
Jet Aircraft	Alpha Jet A**
Helicopters	◄UH-1D*
	*Licensed
	**Jointly manufactured with Dassault Aviation

Germany twin-engine fighters
Messerschmitt	Bf 109 Z-1
	Me 410 A-1/U2 · Me 410 B-1/U2
Dornier	Do 17 Z-7 · Do 217 J-1 · Do 217 J-2 · Do 217 N-1 · Do 217 N-2
Focke-Wulf	Ta 154 A-1
Junkers	Ju 88 C-6 · Ju 388 J