Hs 129 B-3
| This page is about the German strike aircraft Hs 129 B-3. For other versions, see Hs 129 (Family). |
Contents
Description
The Hs 129 B-3 is a rank II German strike aircraft with a battle rating of 2.0 (AB/RB) and 3.0 (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.37.
The Hs 129 is a pure ground attack aircraft, designed mostly to take out tanks and armoured vehicles. The anti-tank gun PaK 40 is capable of knocking out medium tanks, while the 7.92 mm LMGs can destroy armoured cars and mobile AAAs. The plane is both slow and sluggish, meaning that it practically has to go after ground targets, but the armament and armour somewhat compensate for that and enable the plane to take out nearly all ground targets except pillboxes and heavy tanks.
The plane is very heavy, which makes it nearly impossible to take out fighters. Even most medium bombers are more manoeuvrable; however, the plane is heavily armoured, so it can last a while even under heavy fire, even to such a degree that some planes run out of ammunition before taking out a Henschel.
General info
Flight performance
| Characteristics | Max Speed (km/h at 3,550 m) |
Max altitude (metres) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (metres/second) |
Take-off run (metres) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | |||
| Stock | 421 | 404 | 7500 | 29.4 | 31.3 | 5.9 | 5.9 | 331 |
| Upgraded | 466 | 439 | 26.5 | 27.9 | 11.2 | 8.3 | ||
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 | + | - | ||
| 0 | 295 | 287 | 252 | 190 | ~10 | ~6 |
| Optimal velocities (km/h) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ailerons | Rudder | Elevators | Radiator |
| < 320 | < 320 | < 300 | > 280 |
| Compressor (RB/SB) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Setting 1 | ||
| Optimal altitude | 100% Engine power | WEP Engine power |
| 3,550 m | 1,300 hp | 1,530 hp |
Survivability and armour
- 5 mm Steel - Oil cooler covers
- 5 mm Steel - Lower engine cowl protection
- 2 mm Steel - Cockpit side plates
- 12 mm Steel - Cockpit back plate, floor, and front plates
- 75 mm Bulletproof glass
Modifications and economy
| Flight performance | Survivability | Weaponry | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Armaments
Offensive armament
The Hs 129 B-3 is armed with:
- 1 x 75 mm BK 7.5 cannon, chin-mounted (13 rpg)
- 2 x 7.92 mm MG 17 machine guns, cheek-mounted (1,000 rpg = 2,000 total)
The two machine guns are arranged on each side of the fuselage. The 75 mm cannon is mounted to the underside of the fuselage. When aiming do not use the crosshair, instead, to be more precise with your shots, take the diameter of the aiming circle and put the length under the circle. This should provide the most accurate shot as that spot is a rough estimation of where your shot will land.
Usage in battles
The Hs 129 B-3 is capable of destroying most mission-relevant ground targets. Tanks of all sorts, as well as light pillboxes, can be destroyed in one hit, provided armour piercing ammunition is used. Thanks to the 13 shells available, this can make a single Hs 129 B-3 a game-changing aircraft.
The Hs 129, however, does have major drawbacks. Its engines are weak which results in poor top speed, acceleration and climb rate. This, combined with the armour of nearly one-ton weight, makes it perform poorly in air combat and very vulnerable to attacks of enemy fighters. This, however, goes so far that sometimes enemy pilots underestimate the Hs 129 and overshoot it after a tight turn, which gives the Hs 129 pilot a moderate chance of defending himself.
In simulator battles, it is highly advisable to climb to at least 600 meters, level, and build speed (energy) before turning and returning for another attack. When spawning, it is still recommended to climb to 1000 meters above ground and use the scope to spot enemy ground vehicles in simulator battles. If there are possible enemies in the area, lose altitude, and fly away from the enemy to take a different path.
Do not attempt to make quick adjustments when aiming in a dive. Pull up, and try again. The AI tanks will go nowhere. Use 'universal belts' to help aim the main tank gun. It is not recommended to use tracers. The plane needs one major virtue to produce desirable results: patience.
The plane may sound very weak but, every tool in the box has a specific purpose: the Hs 129 B-3 is designed to win through objective destruction.
Enemies worth noting:
Yak-2 KABB: Do not think that the Hs 129 B-3 can confidently out maneuver this plane just because it is twin-engined. The Yak-2 has an amazing turn rate for a heavy fighter, thus the Hs 129 B-3 must avoid turning with it, if not dogfighting with it in general. It bears a pair of ShVAK cannons that can easily damage vital parts like engine or cooling systems. It has green camo, greatly resembling an Me 410 but with an H-tail like a Bf 110's.
ZSD63: A dangerous SPAA to go up against in Tank Realistic Battles. Though it is hard to identify specific SPAA vehicles on the ground (especially when they are shooting tracers at the plane), if a ZSD63 is identified, avoid it at all costs and do not attempt head-ons with it, ever. It can easily snap a wing off by casually putting a short burst in the Hs 129 B-3's flight path. Don't even get close to it unless it is busy shooting someone else. Even the Hs 129 B-3's mighty 75mm cannon cannot effectively damage it as its hull is overall quite empty, causing your shells to do little to no damage. Some identifying features of the ZSD63 is its rather boxy and tall hull with a geometric turret sitting at the back, slightly similar to a Wirbelwind's. The firing manner is also distinctive: the sound and green tracers are very rapid, much like a buzz saw, but then it will remain silent for half a minute reloading. Note that an experienced ZSD player will hold its fire or shoot in single salvos with long halts between, making it look like that it's reloading.
Manual Engine Control
| MEC elements | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mixer | Pitch | Radiator | Supercharger | Turbocharger | ||
| Oil | Water | Type | ||||
| Not controllable | Controllable Not auto controlled |
Controllable Not auto controlled |
Not controllable Not auto controlled |
Separate | Not controllable 1 gear |
Not controllable |
Pros and cons
Pros:
- The combination of the 7.92 mm machine guns and the 75 mm anti-tank gun can make short work of armoured columns
- Can be quite profitable in Air RB when used right, as destroying tanks nets you quite a high score
- A shot from the 75 mm gun can tear an aircraft apart when firing High Explosive rounds
- Extremely effective in tank realistic battles with air superiority. The 75 mm can take out even the most heavily armoured Allied tanks
- The 7.92 mm machine guns allow for engaging unarmoured targets without wasting 75 mm ammunition
- Can take a fair amount of punishment
- Quite a stable gun platform
- Default ammunition for 75 mm gun is made up of only AP shells, unlike similar aircraft
Cons:
- Extremely slow from underpowered engines
- Terrible climb rate
- Not particularly manoeuvrable
- Poor energy retention
- Damage to engines can lose enough power to the extent that the plane simply falls out of the sky
- No defensive armament translates to a "sitting duck" in some combat situations, especially without friendly fighters in the air
- Cockpit has very thin armour that leaves pilot vulnerable to most enemy projectiles
- The gun has large horizontal dropoff (if you dive at a higher angle, the shots will land nearer to the crosshair)
- 75 mm cannon is rather inaccurate when stock
- Has only 13 rounds for the 75 mm cannon
History
Produced in 1944, the B-3 variant of the Henschel Hs 129 was installed with the 7.5 cm BK 7,5 cannon, a lighter version of the PaK 40 which already been tested on the Junkers Ju 88. The 7.5 cm BK 7,5 had 12 rounds in a rotary magazine. The gun was fully automatic, with a newly designed hydraulic recoil dampening system and a more aerodynamic muzzle brake. The gun pod had a circular port to let the cartridges eject after firing. The 7.5 cm BK 7,5 was the most powerful forward-firing weapon ever fitted to a production aircraft at the time. It can theatrically destroy any armoured target it found. Only 25 units of the Hs 129 B-3 were produced.
Media
- Skins
- Videos
See also
- Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
External links
| Henschel & Son Corporation (Henschel und Sohn Aktiengesellschaft) | |
|---|---|
| Attackers | Hs 129 B-2 · Hs 129 B-3 |
| Bombers | Hs 123 A-1 |
| Export | ␗Hs 123 A-1 |
| Hs 129 B-2 (Romania) · Hs 129 B-2 (Romania) | |
| Germany strike aircraft | |
|---|---|
| Messerschmitt | |
| Bf 110 | Bf 110 C-6 · Bf 110 C-7 · Bf 110 F-2 · Bf 110 G-2 · Bf 110 G-4 |
| Me 410 | Me 410 A-1 · Me 410 A-1/U4 · Me 410 B-1 · Me 410 B-2/U4 · Me 410 B-6/R3 |
| Dornier | |
| Do 335 | Do 335 A-0 · Do 335 A-1 · Do 335 B-2 |
| Focke-Wulf | |
| Fw 190 | Fw 190 F-8 |
| Heinkel | |
| He 219 | He 219 A-7 |
| Henschel | |
| Hs 129 | Hs 129 B-2 · Hs 129 B-2 (Romania) · Hs 129 B-3 |
| Junkers | |
| Ju 87 | Ju 87 G-1 · Ju 87 G-2 |
| Foreign: | |
| USSR | ▀IL-2 (1942) |
