P-39K-1 (USSR)

This page is about the Soviet fighter P-39K-1 (USSR). For other versions, see P-39 (Family).

▂P-39K-1

360://https://wiki.warthunder.com/images/f/f7/Cockpit_p-39k_1.jpg

▂P-39K-1

USSR

II Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
3.3	2.7	3.0

Class:

PREMIUM

Fighter

Purchase:1 000

Show in game

Description

The ▂P-39K-1 Airacobra is a premium rank II Soviet fighter with a battle rating of 3.3 (AB), 2.7 (RB), and 3.0 (SB). It has been in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.27.

General info

Flight performance

Max speed

at 3 900 m590 km/h

Turn time20 s

Max altitude9 500 m

EngineAllison V-1710-63

TypeInline

Cooling systemWater

Take-off weight3 t

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 3,900 m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	563	546	9500	21.2	22.0	8.7	8.7	300
Upgraded	622	590		19.5	20.0	18.8	12.9

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	+	-
886	322	400	374	233	~13	~9

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 360	< 380	< 450	> 312

Survivability and armour

Crew1 person

Speed of destruction

Structural0 km/h

Gear322 km/h

• 6 mm steel behind oil cooling system
• 6 mm steel behind pilot
• 15.87 mm steel in front of pilot
• 15.87 mm ring immediately behind propeller hub
• 38 mm bulletproof glass in front of pilot
• 64 mm bulletproof glass behind pilot
• Self sealing fuel tanks (one in each wing)

Modifications and economy

Repair cost

AB1 017

RB3 971

SB1 311

Crew training4 800

Experts32 000

Aces250

Research Aces440 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

2 × 50 / 170 / 240 %

2 × 124 / 124 / 124 %

Modifications

Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
Fuselage repair Radiator Compressor Wings repair Engine Engine injection	Airframe Cover	bmg50_belt_pack bmg30_belt_pack bmg50_new_gun bmg30_new_gun FAB-250 m4_new_gun

Armaments

Offensive armament

Weapon 137 mm M4 cannon

Ammunition30 rounds

Fire rate150 shots/min

Weapon 22 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine gun

Ammunition400 rounds

Fire rate750 shots/min

Weapon 34 x 7.62 mm Browning machine gun

Ammunition1 200 rounds

Fire rate1 000 shots/min

The P-39K-1 (USSR) is armed with:

• 1 x 37 mm M4 cannon, nose-mounted (30 rpg)
• 2 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns, nose-mounted (200 rpg = 400 total)
• 4 x 7.62 mm Browning machine guns, wing-mounted (300 rpg = 1,200 total)

Suspended armament

List of setups (1)

Setup 11 x 250 kg FAB-250sv bomb

The P-39K-1 (USSR) can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

• Without load
• 1 x 250 kg FAB-250sv bomb (250 kg total)

Usage in battles

Describe the tactics of playing in the aircraft, the features of using aircraft in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Controllable	Controllable Not auto controlled	Controllable Auto control available	Controllable Auto control available	Separate	Not controllable 1 gear	Not controllable

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Powerful engine, quick cooling
• Well-armoured
• Good firepower
• Cockpit has good visibility

Cons:

• Turn rate is subpar
• High-altitude performance is bad (>3,000 m)
• Many fighters can outperform it at its BR
• The engine is centrally mounted, taking engine damage while being chased is common
• 37 mm M4 cannon isn't very accurate & shell velocity isn't very high
• 37 mm M4 cannon's belt contains a mix of AP and HEFI rounds, halving its effectivess in either air combat or ground attack
• No suspended ordnance options

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: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).

In-game description

In developing this aircraft, the Bell designers came up against two global problems. The first was that the P-39 was intended for export, and there was no way around this. The impossibility of fitting a turbo compressor to the low-altitude Allison engine (for fully explicable reasons) was one reason why the aircraft was never able to achieve a worthy place in the US air forces. The nature of air combat, both in Europe and the Far East, prevented the P-39 from making use of its advantages, while it was not possible to rectify its main drawback - its poor high-speed performance - because of the ban on exporting turbo compressors outside the USA.

The second global problem was connected to a technical failure in the production of the 20 mm Hispano-Suiza AN-M1/M2C cannon by the Bendix company. This was the first problem the Bell specialists tried to tackle. The Bell specialists initially tried to solve this problem themselves. The virtually unusable 20 mm cannon was replaced by the old, heavy but more reliable Colt-Browning M4. The cannon had a lot of faults, mainly its low rate of fire and extremely inadequate stock of ammunition - only 30 shells. On the other hand, in spite of its weight, it could easily be fitted in the front part of the Cobra's fuselage; furthermore, it has one incomparable advantage over the Bendix product - it actually fired.

It must be noted that the M1 cannon was not always fitted onto the first series of the P-39, you could find the M4 here and there. Only the Model 26 (P-39G) carried the M4 as standard equipment. However, it did not go into production, but became the founder of a whole number of virtually identical series from P-39K to P-39Q. The main units were borrowed from the quite promising P-39D-2 series.

The P39K differed from the earlier models in its engine, the Allison V-1710-63, which was successfully tested in that same D-2. It was fitted with an afterburner system. It developed a nominal power of 1,352 hp and 1,550 hp in WEP (War Emergency Power) mode. The K series was the only one fitted with such an engine along with a three-bladed Aeroprop propeller. It was a full 360 kg heavier than the D-2, although externally, apart from the propeller, there was no visible difference. In fact, the extra weight was due to additional armour plating, which was used beginning with the K and on all subsequent series.

Altogether, by August 1941, 210 examples of the series K-1-BE, K-2-BE and K-5-BE, which were virtually identical, were built. Forty of them were sent to the USSR.

Notable pilots

• 

  Alexander Pokryshkin flew the ▂P-39K-1 Airacobra during the battle of Kuban starting his 47 kill-streak with the P-39 series lend-lease aircraft.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the P-39K-1 (USSR) from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

The Shooting Range #55 - Pages of History section at 03:35 discusses the Soviet P-39.

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

• Official data sheet - more details about the performance