Difference between revisions of "P-51D-20 (China)"
(Updated format) |
CobraKingII (talk | contribs) (→History) |
||
| Line 189: | Line 189: | ||
== 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 If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: 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 If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: 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).'' --> |
| + | |||
| + | After the United States entered World War 2 it was decided to send American-built P-51 Mustangs to the Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF) to replace their older, less effective, aircraft in the fight against Japan. The Mustangs - of P-51B and C models - arrived in November 1944 and were used first by the Chinese-American Composite Wing (CACW), a unit of both Chinese and American pilots attached to the US Fourteenth Air Force. In February 1945, P-51D and K models were allocated to the CACW to fight alongside the earlier P-51B and Cs. | ||
| + | |||
| + | After the war ended, 278 Mustangs - mostly of P-51D and K models, along with F-6D and K reconnaissance variants - were given to the ROCAF. When the truce between Mao Zedong’s Communist Party of China and Chiang Kai-Shek’s Nationalist Republic of China ended, the Nationalists were forced out of mainland and to Taiwan (also known as Formosa). Due to the retreat of the ROC much equipment of the ROC was left behind, including many P-51 Mustangs, which fell into the hands of the Communist People’s Liberation Army (PLA). | ||
| + | |||
| + | The first PLA Mustang was taken on 23 September 1948, after Captain Yang Peiguang (杨培光) of the 4th Fighter Wing of the ROCAF, based in Beijing, defected with his P-51D Mustang to the PLA. The PLA captured many more Mustangs during the Liaoshen Campaign of September through November 1948. At the Battle of Jinzhou (15 October 1948), thirty-one ROCAF Mustangs were captured. This left the PLA with a total of thirty-four P-51 Mustangs until December 1948, when the city of Beijing was captured with three more Mustangs and 128 V-1650 engines as replacement parts, with another Mustang arriving on the 29th of December after Lieutenant Tan Hanzhou (谭汉洲) of the Nationalist 4th Fighter Group defected from the ROCAF with his P-51. The total Mustangs held by the PLA at this point in time was thirty-eight, few of which could fly due to their state of disrepair. | ||
| + | |||
| + | It wasn’t until the capture of Shenyang in October 1948 that the PLA had facilities in which to repair their Mustangs, with the Shenyang Beiling airport named the People’s Liberation Army Air Force Repair Factory Number 5 (中国人民解放军空军第五修理厂) in November. There, the P-51 Mustangs took top priority for repairs, with thirty-seven Mustangs repaired by 1950. | ||
| + | |||
| + | On 14 January 1949, Lieutenant Yan Chengyin (阎承荫) defected from the Nationalist 3rd Fighter Group’s 28th Squadron; he later changed his name after his defection Yan Lei (阎磊). This was the final P-51 Mustang to be obtained by the PLA. | ||
| + | |||
== Media == | == Media == | ||
Revision as of 18:38, 19 January 2021
| This page is about the Chinese fighter P-51D-20 (China). For other versions, see P-51 (Family). |
.jpg)
Contents
Description
The ␗P-51D-20 Mustang is a rank III Chinese fighter with a battle rating of 4.0 (AB/RB) and 5.0 (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.91 "Night Vision".
General info
Flight performance
| Characteristics | Max Speed (km/h at 7,620 m) |
Max altitude (metres) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (metres/second) |
Take-off run (metres) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | |||
| Stock | 686 | 668 | 12700 | 23.0 | 23.8 | 15.7 | 15.7 | 396 |
| Upgraded | 735 | 710 | 21.0 | 22.0 | 22.8 | 18.9 | ||
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 | + | - | ||
| 901 | 281 | 644 | 442 | 265 | ~10 | ~4 |
| Optimal velocities (km/h) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ailerons | Rudder | Elevators | Radiator |
| < 500 | < 300 | < 500 | > 400 |
| Compressor (RB/SB) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Setting 1 | ||
| Optimal altitude | 100% Engine power | WEP Engine power |
| 2,400 m | 1,580 hp | 1,728 hp |
| Setting 2 | ||
| Optimal altitude | 100% Engine power | WEP Engine power |
| 6,400 m | 1,320 hp | 1,444 hp |
Survivability and armour
- 8 mm steel - in front of engine
- 6.35 mm steel - behind engine
- 38 mm bulletproof glass - windscreen
- 8 mm steel - behind pilot
- 11 mm steel - pilot headrest
Modifications and economy
| Flight performance | Survivability | Weaponry | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Armaments
Offensive armament
The P-51D-20 (China) is armed with:
- 6 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns, wing-mounted (270 rpg outer + 270 rpg mid + 400 rpg inner = 1,880 total)
Suspended armament
The P-51D-20 (China) can be outfitted with the following ordnance:
- Without load
- 6 x HVAR rockets
- 2 x 1,000 lb AN-M65A1 bombs (2,000 lb total)
- 6 x M8 rockets
Usage in battles
Offence
Probably the best asset P-51D has is its speed and its ability to achieve it and maintain it. Like with all planes, higher attitude should be achieved. Although its climb rate is nice, there are enough planes with better and therefore pilots of P-51D should plan ahead and not wait for the last second to climb. Best way to climb at the start is to climb towards the corner of the map, so the enemy will be encountered later when P-51D is already high enough. When an enemy is spotted, heading in another direction than P-51D, this aircraft can enter mild dive and go for strafe run. After that, it is important to continue heading in the same direction, so the speed is maintained. Even the most agile fighters won't be able to turn quickly enough to fire just one shot at you. If feeling confident or sure about the kill, P-51D should get at least 2 km away from the enemy and then start to turn towards him, depending on its speed. If speed is under 500 km/h, a bigger distance should be achieved before attempting a turn. This ensures that turn will be completed before the enemy gets to 1 km distance, so you won't give your enemy opportunity for the first shot. However, head-on assault should be done only against weaker opponents, since .50 cal does not have the punch of 20 mm or 30 mm that similarly-tiered planes carry. A salvo of .50 cal rounds from tracer belt can easily and often does ignite enemy engines upon impact, but few hits from 30 mm will tear wings of P-51D, while fire can be taken out.
When engaging enemy bombers, aim for their engines. When engine catches on fire, focus on another engine until it also burns and so on. It is likely that fire will be taken out, but the damage done by 2 to 4 burning engines will be so severe that enemy bomber will either crash within next minute even without one more hit or he will lose altitude so much that it will be an easy target for lower flying teammates. Bigger bombers like B-17 should not be followed for more than few seconds, as an engine of P-51D is too fragile and often will turn red upon first few hits, which gives you about 1 to 2 minutes before its engine dies completely. It is especially important to engage B-17 from relative higher altitude, gain little more speed and aim for engines. A well-aimed burst of tracer belt rounds should be enough to ignite 1 or 2 engines during this. Keep in mind that B17 can fly even with just one single engine and maintain its attitude and speed. Do not attempt to cut off wings of bomber like with bigger guns, as it is quite hard to do so with .50 cal. When engaging bomber with huge glass cockpit like on He 111, front assault with a salvo of .50 cal rounds has high chance to kill its pilot with the number of rounds that will be fired.
Defence
It may seem that agility of P-51D is lacking at first sight, but it is not that bad when used correctly. P-51D has a good turn rate at higher speeds and its pilots should try to keep well above 400 km/h. When at a speed around 500 km/h, even Spitfires will have troubles getting behind you. However, P-51D should avoid these encounters as this will bleed its speed to the point that P-51D will be no longer able to turn with the enemy. If a window of opportunity arises, for example when an opponent starts his turn into the wrong direction after attempting to outmanoeuvre P-51D, P-51D can enter mild dive and go for a run. P-51D can get to its top speed quite fast, especially when in mild dive. Top speed of P-51D is one of the best on its tier. These three-speed factors will help you run away from many opponents, giving you a chance to set your own rules of engagement with them. When running away with the enemy closing in, try to avoid climb at all. If a climb is desired, it is best to wait until it is safe. If climb cannot wait, try to climb below 10 degrees. When an enemy with much higher speed is catching up with you at higher attitude, mild dive may not get you fast enough to your top speed. In these situations, deep dive can be done. During this, the enemy will get even closer to P-51D. As the top speed of P-51D is quite high, after the enemy loses his initial speed advantage, P-51D will probably already start to get away. After this deep dive runaway, start to climb around 10 degrees. P-51D is good at maintaining its speed, so it is likely that while P-51D will continue to move around 800-850 km/h after deep dive for a couple of seconds, many opponents will quickly slow down to their listed top speed. This should be enough to provide a safe escape. If running away is not an option, high-speed turn fight can be done for a short while. P-51D shouldn't prolong these encounters and should as soon as possible try to get away as already described in turn fights.
When an enemy is going head-on, he should be avoided. As already said, .50 cal cannot match 20 mm and bigger guns head-on. Additionally, such an encounter will probably damage the engine, which will at the start take away the most important asset of P-51D and after a few minutes will lead to its failure. The vitality of pilot is average, so he may survive and so is the durability of its wings. However, control surfaces of P-51D are quite fragile. Head-on should be done only with a weaker opponent, who has either much weaker armament or is already critically damaged. If the engine turns red, airfield should be sought as fast as possible. With red engine try to climb as much as possible in a way that speed will be at least slowly increasing. When the engine dies, glide towards airfield in a way little to none speed is lost to avoid a stall. If speed reaches 200 km/h and dive is not possible if the airfield is to be reached, use flaps as they will keep you in the air for little longer even at a lower speed. If combat flaps are not enough and even then P-51D starts to stall, raise flaps, open gear, use landing flaps and retract gear. Landing flaps will keep you in the air for even longer than combat flaps, but if they are deployed too soon, they will serve as air brake, which is not desired during glide.
Manual Engine Control
| MEC elements | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mixer | Pitch | Radiator | Supercharger | Turbocharger | ||
| Oil | Water | Type | ||||
| Not controllable | Controllable Not auto controlled |
Controllable Auto control available |
Controllable Auto control available |
Separate | Not controllable 2 gears |
Not controllable |
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Outstanding Boom & Zoom capability
- Great performance at altitude
- Excellent .50 calibre machine guns with good damage and plenty of ammo
- Very fast at all altitudes
- Very agile at high speeds
- Good turn radius at high speeds
- Good all-round cockpit visibility in Simulator
- Has a gyro gunsight, guiding the player's aim in Simulator which is nice for boosting burst accuracy
- Decent over-the-nose visibility
- Quite decent climb rate
- Useful close-support capability (ground attack) thanks to its bombs/rockets
Cons:
- Can't sustain much damage
- Catches fire easily
- Sluggish at low speeds
- High stall speed (166 km/h)
- Minimum fuel load is rather big
- Front canopy frames are somewhat obstructive in Simulator
History
After the United States entered World War 2 it was decided to send American-built P-51 Mustangs to the Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF) to replace their older, less effective, aircraft in the fight against Japan. The Mustangs - of P-51B and C models - arrived in November 1944 and were used first by the Chinese-American Composite Wing (CACW), a unit of both Chinese and American pilots attached to the US Fourteenth Air Force. In February 1945, P-51D and K models were allocated to the CACW to fight alongside the earlier P-51B and Cs.
After the war ended, 278 Mustangs - mostly of P-51D and K models, along with F-6D and K reconnaissance variants - were given to the ROCAF. When the truce between Mao Zedong’s Communist Party of China and Chiang Kai-Shek’s Nationalist Republic of China ended, the Nationalists were forced out of mainland and to Taiwan (also known as Formosa). Due to the retreat of the ROC much equipment of the ROC was left behind, including many P-51 Mustangs, which fell into the hands of the Communist People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
The first PLA Mustang was taken on 23 September 1948, after Captain Yang Peiguang (杨培光) of the 4th Fighter Wing of the ROCAF, based in Beijing, defected with his P-51D Mustang to the PLA. The PLA captured many more Mustangs during the Liaoshen Campaign of September through November 1948. At the Battle of Jinzhou (15 October 1948), thirty-one ROCAF Mustangs were captured. This left the PLA with a total of thirty-four P-51 Mustangs until December 1948, when the city of Beijing was captured with three more Mustangs and 128 V-1650 engines as replacement parts, with another Mustang arriving on the 29th of December after Lieutenant Tan Hanzhou (谭汉洲) of the Nationalist 4th Fighter Group defected from the ROCAF with his P-51. The total Mustangs held by the PLA at this point in time was thirty-eight, few of which could fly due to their state of disrepair.
It wasn’t until the capture of Shenyang in October 1948 that the PLA had facilities in which to repair their Mustangs, with the Shenyang Beiling airport named the People’s Liberation Army Air Force Repair Factory Number 5 (中国人民解放军空军第五修理厂) in November. There, the P-51 Mustangs took top priority for repairs, with thirty-seven Mustangs repaired by 1950.
On 14 January 1949, Lieutenant Yan Chengyin (阎承荫) defected from the Nationalist 3rd Fighter Group’s 28th Squadron; he later changed his name after his defection Yan Lei (阎磊). This was the final P-51 Mustang to be obtained by the PLA.
Media
Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.
See also
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.
External links
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- encyclopedia page on the aircraft;
- other literature.
| North American Aviation | |
|---|---|
| Fighters | |
| P-51A | P-51 · P-51A |
| P-51C | P-51C-10 |
| P-51D | P-51D-5 · P-51D-10 · P-51D-20-NA · P-51D-30 |
| P-51H | P-51H-5-NA |
| Twin-engine fighters | F-82E |
| Jet fighters | F-86A-5 · F-86F-2 · F-86F-25 · F-86F-35 · F-100D |
| Strike aircraft | A-36 · PBJ-1H · PBJ-1J |
| FJ-4B · FJ-4B VMF-232 | |
| Bombers | B-25J-1 · B-25J-20 |
| Export/Licence | ▂B-25J-30 · ␗B-25J-30 |
| ▄Mustang Mk IA · F-6C-10-NA · ␗P-51C-11-NT · ␗P-51D-20 · J26 David · J26 · P-51D-20-NA · ␗P-51K | |
| F-86F-30 ▅ · ␗F-86F-30 · F-86F-40 ▅ · F-86F-40 JASDF▅ · ␗F-86F-40 | |
| ◄F-86K · ▄F-86K (Italy) · ▄F-86K (France) | |
| ␗F-100A · ▄F-100D · ␗F-100F | |
| Captured | ▅P-51C-11-NT |
| Canadair Limited license-built the F-86 as the CL-13 for use in Canada and export to Europe. | |
| Fiat license-built the F-86K for the Italian Air Force though another 120 NAA built F-86Ks were also sold to the Italians. | |
| See Also | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries · Canadair Limited · Fiat Aviation |
| China fighters | |
|---|---|
| British | ␗Gladiator Mk I |
| French | D.510C |
| Japanese | ␗A6M2 · ␗Ki-27 otsu · ␗Ki-43-III ko · ␗Ki-44-II hei · ␗Ki-61-I otsu · ␗Ki-84 ko |
| American | CW-21 · Hawk III · P-66 · ␗P-40E-1 · H-81A-2 · ␗P-43A-1 |
| ␗P-47D-23-RA · ␗P-47D-30 · ␗F-47N-25-RE · ␗P-51C-11-NT · ␗P-51D-20 · ␗P-51K | |
| Soviet | ␗I-15bis · ␗I-153 M-62 · ␗I-16 Chung 28 · ␗I-16 type 5 · ␗I-16 type 10 · ␗I-16 type 17 · ␗La-11 · ␗La-9 |
