Me 410 A-1/U4
| This page is about the German twin-engine fighter Me 410 A-1/U4. For other uses, see Me 410 (Family). |
Contents
Description
The Me 410 A-1/U4 is a rank II German twin-engine fighter with a battle rating of 2.7 (AB/RB) and 4.0 (SB). It has been in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.27.
The main point of focus on this vehicle is the 50 mm BK 5 cannon in the nose. For its size, it holds a very respectable 22 rounds of ammunition. The speciality ammunition belts consist of one "Armored target" belt loaded with APCBC-HE-T rounds, a second "Armored target" belt loaded with HVAP-T (APCR) rounds, and one "Air target" belt with minengeschoße HEI-T rounds. However, the default belt contains a one to one mix of the AP-T and HEI-T rounds, making it difficult to specialize a specific role in the battle.
General info
Flight performance
Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.
| Characteristics | Max Speed (km/h at 6,600 m) |
Max altitude (metres) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (metres/second) |
Take-off run (metres) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | |||
| Stock | 562 | 552 | 9400 | 32.6 | 33.2 | 6.2 | 7.8 | 530 |
| Upgraded | ___ | ___ | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | ||
Details
| Features | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat flaps | Take-off flaps | Landing flaps | Air brakes | Arrestor gear |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | X |
| Limits | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wings (km/h) | Gear (km/h) | Flaps (km/h) | Max Static G | |||
| Combat | Take-off | Landing | + | - | ||
| 750 | 350 | 480 | 480 | 280 | ~10 | ~4 |
| Optimal velocities (km/h) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ailerons | Rudder | Elevators | Radiator |
| < 360 | < 360 | < 460 | > 265 |
| Compressor (RB/SB) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Setting 1 | ||
| Optimal altitude | 100% Engine power | WEP Engine power |
| 5,300 m | 3,020 hp | 3,330 hp |
Survivability and armour
- 8 mm Steel - Nose armour
- 60 mm Bulletproof Glass
- 12 mm Steel - Headrest
- 8 mm Steel - Cockpit mid plate
- 8 mm Steel - Rear gunner plate
- 9 mm Steel - Rear boom armour plate
- 9 mm Steel - Liquid cooling protective armour
- 5 mm Steel - Wing leading edge armour
- 8 mm Steel - Engine nacelle fore and aft plates
Modifications and economy
| Flight performance | Survivability | Weaponry | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Armaments
Offensive armament
The Me 410 A-1/U4 is armed with:
- 1 x 50 mm BK 5 cannon, chin-mounted (22 rpg)
- 2 x 20 mm MG 151 cannons, cheek-mounted (350 rpg = 700 total)
Defensive armament
The Me 410 A-1/U4 is defended by:
- 1 x 13 mm MG 131 machine gun, 2 x beam turrets (500 rpg)
Usage in battles
The Me 410 A-1/U4 is an air vehicle that performs well in two different roles. The first is bomber interception due to its large calibre 5 cm BK 5 cannon, but the poor climb rate when compared to other variants of the 410 limit its effectiveness in this mission. Granted, single-handedly shooting down heavy bombers is quite enjoyable from a pure gameplay perspective. The excellent armour-piercing capabilities of Me 410 A-1/U4 cannon make ground attack a viable option. However, the Hs 129B-3 with its 7.5 cm BK 7,5 cannon can deliver more punch to its target while an aircraft armed with 3.7 cm weapons can also penetrate the rear and side armour of all types of armoured vehicles while having more ammunition at their disposal. For this reason, bomber interception might be a more viable option. Of course, enemy fighters will be your primary concern, since the Me 410 A-1/U4 has poor climb rate and turn time, but your rear machine guns with good firing radius can provide some retribution.
The heavy BK 5 cannon degrades flight performance considerably, making it hard get on your opponent's rear and use your powerful MG 151/20. The best tactic to counter enemy fighters is to retain energy and use Boom & Zoom attacks. If a friendly fighter is near, make sure to ask him for help.
Manual Engine Control
| MEC elements | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mixer | Pitch | Radiator | Supercharger | Turbocharger | ||
| Oil | Water | Type | ||||
| Not controllable | Controllable Auto control available |
Not controllable Not auto controlled |
Controllable Not auto controlled |
Combined | Not controllable 1 gear |
Not controllable |
Pros and cons
Pros:
- High firepower.
- Decent defensive armament.
- Good dive performance.
- Able to knock a B-17 out of the sky with as little as one 50 mm shell.
Cons:
- Worst flight performance of all Me 410 variants.
- High-calibre cannon air targets belt lacks versatility.
- 50 mm cannon is almost useless against fighters.
History
In-game description
The Me 410 A-1/U4 and the Me 410 A-2/U4 became the most powerful armament available in Me 410 A modifications. They provided a 50 mm Rheinmetall BK 5 cannon. This weapon was initially developed as an antitank gun, with a 21-round drum magazine and a pneumatic reloading system, and was mounted in the bomb bay. The presence of the BK 5 cannon had no discernible effect on piloting the aircraft; however, the Me.410's flight characteristics were slightly reduced due to increased aerodynamic resistance. Tests showed that an aircraft with the 50 mm BK 5 cannon was able to target T-34 and KV tanks as well as railway carriages, steam locomotives, and small waterborne vehicles. However, it turned out that the standard Revi 16 sight was not suitable for firing the new weapon, so planes armed with BK 5 cannons were fitted with ZFR 4a gun sights.
Firing practice showed that the BK 5 cannon frequently failed when firing long bursts (more than five shells). This problem was solved when a special automatic breaker limiting bursts to three rounds was introduced into the fire control circuit.
The Me 410 A never became an anti-tank aircraft; instead, the Hornets armed with the 50 mm BK 5 cannons targeted American heavy bombers. Firing tests targeting B-17 and B-24 bombers that had been forced to land in German territory showed that a hit with only one 50 mm shell was usually enough to destroy a bomber.
The principal beam, one of the most durable structural members of the aircraft, was easily destroyed with a hit from one of the shells. The bombers' fuel tanks, which were safely protected with sponge rubber from any through shots from small-calibre weapons, would detonate when hit by BK 5 cannon shells, turning large pieces of the skin and the airframe of the wing inside out. In theory, German pilots could shoot down enemy planes while remaining out of the reach of their defensive fire. But in real combat conditions it was not easy for Me 410 crews to win duels with the escort fighters, not only with the newest P-51 Mustangs but also with the P-47 Thunderbolts and the P-38 Lightnings.
50 mm BK 5 cannons were installed on Me 410 A-1/U4s on the front, replacing the 20 mm Mauser MG 151/20 cannons and 7.92 mm Rheinmetall-Borsig MG 17 machine guns. The Me 410 A-2/U4 "destroyers" ("Zerstörer") were equipped with BK 5 cannons directly at the factory and retained all of their standard armament.
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.
| 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 |
