Whirlwind P.9

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Whirlwind P.9
whirlwind_p9.png
Whirlwind P.9
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This page is about the British gift twin-engine fighter Whirlwind P.9. For the other version, see Whirlwind Mk I.

Description

GarageImage Whirlwind P.9.jpg


The Whirlwind P.9 is a gift rank III British twin-engine fighter with a battle rating of 4.3 (AB/SB) and 3.7 (RB). This aircraft was introduced in Update 1.77 "Advancing Storm" during the 2018 World War Two Chronicles. It was later re-released during Update 1.91 "Night Vision" as a reward for Operation "Shipyard". Whirlwind P.9, an experimental pre-production vehicle, is the direct ancestor of the British Whirlwind Mk I heavy fighter. Development of the aircraft began in 1937 and the aircraft in this series had plenty of time to fight against German aircraft and ships during the Battle of Britain.

General info

Flight performance

The vehicle is agile and speedy on level flight. The maneuverability is surprising, and even better with the use of flaps, making it possible to dogfight with most of the twin-engine fighters and, with skill and situational advantages, few single-engine planes as well. Just be wary of not draining all your speed while dogfighting enemies.

If played conservatively, this plane can be a tenacious opponent, especially when having an altitude advantage as this allows the Whirlwind P.9 to dive, fire, and then escape from enemies all with the same energy. This way a pilot can exploit the Whirlwind P.9's great speed to minimize the enemy's chance of getting a successful hit.

Characteristics
Stock
Max Speed
(km/h at 4,877 m)
Max altitude
(meters)
Turn time
(seconds)
Rate of climb
(meters/second)
Take-off run
(meters)
AB RB AB RB AB RB
 ???  ??? 9144  ??.?  ??.?  ??.?  ??.? 650
Upgraded
Max Speed
(km/h at 4,877 m)
Max altitude
(meters)
Turn time
(seconds)
Rate of climb
(meters/second)
Take-off run
(meters)
AB RB AB RB AB RB
602 580 9144 21.9 23.0 18.2 15 650

Details

Features
Combat flaps Take-off flaps Landing flaps Air brakes Arrestor gear
X X
Limits
Wing-break speed
(km/h)
Gear limit
(km/h)
Combat flaps
(km/h)
Max Static G
+ -
490 ~10 ~5
Optimal velocities
Ailerons
(km/h)
Rudder
(km/h)
Elevators
(km/h)
Radiator
(km/h)
< 420 < 420 < 450 > 324
Whirlwind P.9 squadron patrolling over Dover skies
Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude 100% Engine power WEP Engine power
4,575 m 885 hp 947 hp

Survivability and armour

Packed with wide 2 layers of armour (both of 9mm) in front of the pilot, covering the 20 mm cannons and the engine. The bulletproof glass (60mm) will also be helpful in head-ons or when hunting turret defended planes.

The Whirlwind P.9 has a vulnerable tail as the elevator and ailerons generally will be blown off if the enemy gets to blaze you from behind or wins in a head-on. Hence you should avoid be caught off guard as it will much likely end your flight capacities.

Armaments

Offensive armament

Main article: Hispano Mk.I (20 mm)

The Whirlwind P.9 is armed with:

  • 4 x 20 mm Hispano Mk.I cannons, nose-mounted (121 rpg = 484 total)

The four cannons make the Whirlwind P.9 well armed for head-on engagements or Boom and Zoom tactics, as the four nose-mounted cannons will shred through everything, specially with the Ground Targets belt due to its AP ammunition.

Although gun convergence its a personal choice, it's suggested to set the gun convergence of the nose mounted cannons to 600m as the 4 cannons are lined horizontally. This allows to score great shots at the moment of diving to an enemy without getting to close or too far away. Just enough to aline with the targets flight trajectory and release a shot burst. If engaged with them in dogfight just keep in mind this distance.

Usage in battles

The Whirlwind P.9 should be used similarly to other heavy fighters. The flight characteristics are very similar to the Whirlwind Mk I with the main difference being that the Whirlwind P.9 has more than double the ammunition count.

The P.9 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 P.9 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 the are prone to snapping off at a relatively low speed.

At this battle-rating 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.

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

Modules

Tier Flight performance Survivability Weaponry
I Fuselage repair Radiator Offensive 20 mm
II Compressor Airframe
III Wings repair Engine New 20 mm cannons
IV Engine injection Cover

As a premium vehicle, all modifications are already unlocked when the vehicle is acquired.

Whirlwind P.9 silhouette

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Devastating armament in 4 x nose-mounted 20 mm Hispano cannons
  • Closely packed nose-mounted guns are great for head-on attacks
  • Good turn rate for a twin-engined fighter
  • Decent manoeuvrability for a heavy fighter
  • Decent roll rate for a heavy fighter
  • Deadly with the Ground Targets belt

Cons:

  • Ammo can deplete pretty quickly (though still double that of the Whirlwind Mk I)
  • Slower than average dive speed
  • Experiences severe control stiffening at speeds above 500 km/h
  • Vulnerable to speedy fighters

History

The prototype version of the Whirlwind Mk I. Two built (L6844 being the in-game version). Talks for the two P.9s was placed in February 1937 which were expected to be flying mid-1938. The Whirlwind prototype, powered by the Rolls-Royce Peregrine I exhibited excellent handling characteristics and proved to be easy to fly at all speeds. After numerous modifications they set the path for the production version on 1939-1940.

Media

Images
  • Whirlwind P9 WTWallpaper 001.jpg
  • Whirlwind P9 WTWallpaper 002.jpg
  • Whirlwind P9 WTWallpaper 003.jpg
Videos

See also

Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

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

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

Britain premium aircraft
Fighters  Tuck's Gladiator Mk II · ▄Boomerang Mk I · ▄Boomerang Mk II · ▄D.520
  ▄Martlet Mk IV · ▄Corsair F Mk II · ▄Hellcat Mk II · ▄Thunderbolt Mk.1 · ▄Mustang Mk IA
  Hurricane Mk.I/L FAA M · Spitfire Mk.IIa Venture I · Spitfire F Mk IXc · Plagis' Spitfire LF Mk IXc · Spitfire F Mk XIVc · Prendergast's Spitfire FR Mk XIVe
  Typhoon Mk Ib · MB.5
Twin-engine fighters  Hornet Mk.I · Whirlwind P.9
Jet fighters  Attacker FB.2 · Hunter FGA.9 · Lightning F.53 · Meteor F Mk.8 Reaper · Sea Vixen F.A.W. Mk.2 · F-4J(UK) Phantom II · ▄MiG-21 Bison
Strike aircraft  ▄Wirraway · Beaufighter Mk I (40-mm) · Wyvern S4
  Harrier GR.1 · Strikemaster Mk.88
Bombers  ▄Avenger Mk II · ▄Boston Mk I · ▄Catalina Mk IIIa · ▄DB-7 · ▄Havoc Mk I · ▄Hudson Mk V · Swordfish Mk II