B-25J-30 (China)
| This page is about the Chinese bomber B-25J-30 (China). For other versions, see B-25 (Family). |
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Contents
Description
The ␗B-25J-30 Mitchell is a rank III Chinese bomber with a battle rating of 4.0 (AB/RB) and 4.3 (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.91 "Night Vision".
Design of the B-25 was the result of years of work and failed bids to win contracts with the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Initially designed to meet requirements for a payload of 1,200 lb (540 kg), a range of 1,200 mi (1,900 km) and flying at speeds faster than 200 mph (320 km/h), prototypes were built, tested, and refined. Although the original XB-21 and NA-40 never materialized into a production aircraft, requirements from the USAAC came out in March of 1939 for a medium bomber carrying a payload of 2,400 lb (1,100 kg) over 1,200 mi (1,900 km) at speeds around 300 mph (480 km/h), North American modified their design of NA-40 and developed the NA-62 which went into prototype testing as the YB-25 and then ordered into production as the B-25.
The B-25 turned out to be the archetype of the medium bomber, carrying upwards of 3,000 lb (1,361 kg) of bombs and could fly at speeds up to 340 mph (547 km/h). This twin-engine bomber was fast, it could carry a large payload for its size and had several defensive turrets and gunner stations at which it could defend itself from almost any angle. To increase its versatility, several models had forward-facing fixed machine guns fitted into the nose and the cheeks of the aircraft. Later models opted to removed the glazed nose and bombardier/nose-gunner station and outfit more machine guns and even a 75 mm autocannon for strafing ground targets and especially ships. This medium bomber at times acted more like a heavy attacker opting for low-level flights which would skim treetops and the ocean to sneak up on unwary targets. It was not uncommon for B-25s to fly just above the mast/smokestack height of enemy ships when attacking.
As later models moved from the dedicated bomber position and morphed into more of an attacker role, bomb payloads were reduced to allow for more armour around the cockpit and more offensive weapons and ammunition to fill the attacker mode it took on, especially under the command of U.S. Marine Corps squadrons. With more than 10,000 B-25 aircraft variants built, they saw action in all theatres of war and were even subject to part of the lend-lease program which China and the USSR benefitted from. So versatile was this aircraft that a flight of them were specifically outfitted and their crews trained to take off from an aircraft carrier and bomb mainland Japan in a daring raid. Impressive for an aircraft not meant to take off from an aircraft carrier.
The B-25 is a fantastic bomber, attacker or both and will suit many different pilots and their different approaches to the battlefields found in War Thunder. The tail gunner has been known to set many fighters alight with their dual .50 calibre machine guns and help to prolong the life of this bomber to allow the pilot to make it to their target whether it is to bomb it or strafe it.
General info
Flight performance
| Characteristics | Max Speed (km/h at 3,049 m) |
Max altitude (metres) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (metres/second) |
Take-off run (metres) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | |||
| Stock | 423 | 410 | 7500 | 32.3 | 33.6 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 750 |
| Upgraded | 470 | 444 | 29.8 | 31.0 | 10.5 | 7.7 | ||
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 | + | - | ||
| 591 | 294 | 382 | 320 | 293 | ~5 | ~2 |
| Optimal velocities (km/h) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ailerons | Rudder | Elevators | Radiator |
| < 270 | < 320 | < 350 | > 320 |
Survivability and armour
- 10 mm steel - front, sides & rear of the cockpit
- 10 mm steel - the rim of pilot seats
- 8 mm steel - below nose gunner
- 8 mm steel - pilot seats
- 9.5 mm - bulkhead after of dorsal turret
- 6.35 mm steel - aft of waist gunners
- 9.5 mm steel - tail turret
- 38 mm Bulletproof glass - tail turret
Rugged, sturdy, though, the B-25 is all of those things. Featuring crew armour protection that outclasses the B-17 Flying Fortress in a handier, smaller design, the B-25J is a tough nut to crack and even harder to devoid of the crew. Calibres above 20 mm are a must for a quick kill, otherwise, the B-25 will repay in kind. Gunner positions throughout the bomber effectively cover the front, sides, top and rear of the aircraft with just the underbelly left relatively unprotected to fighters rising in a power climb. The rear gunner with his dual .50 calibre machine guns is especially devastating when they are trained on a tailing enemy fighter.
The two Wright R-2600 air-cooled radial engines are themselves hard to destroy and with dropped payload, the B-25J can keep flying on just a single damaged engine, denying under-armed fighters the ability to lethally cripple it. Yet this aircraft does have an Achilles heel, its fuel tanks. While present in all planes, the armour, crew and bomb bay take up all the necessary space within the fuselage, while leaving only space in the wings to house the fuel tanks. A common downfall of this aircraft is the structural failure of the wing spar due to wing fires of the fuel tanks.
Modifications and economy
| Flight performance | Survivability | Weaponry | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Armaments
Offensive armament
The B-25J-30 (China) is armed with:
- 2 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns, nose-mounted (400 rpg = 800 total)
- 4 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns, cheek-mounted (400 rpg = 1,600 total)
Like other members of the B-25 Family the B-25J-30 carries an impressive array of pilot-controlled weaponry. While not as powerful as that found on the PBJ-1H and PBJ-1J, the six 12.7 mm machine guns still provide excellent fire power for strafing ground targets, or even dealing with enemy aircraft (if the situation calls for it). With the guns all located in the nose, convergence is not a major concern, the B-25J-30 also carries a decent ammunition load of 400 rounds per gun.
Suspended armament
The B-25J-30 (China) can be outfitted with the following ordnance:
- 12 x 100 lb AN-M30A1 bombs (1,200 lb total)
- 4 x 250 lb AN-M57 bombs (1,000 lb total)
- 4 x 250 lb AN-M57 bombs + 8 x 100 lb AN-M30A1 bombs (1,800 lb total)
- 8 x 250 lb AN-M57 bombs (2,000 lb total)
- 2 x 500 lb AN-M64A1 bombs + 8 x 100 lb AN-M30A1 bombs (1,800 lb total)
- 4 x 500 lb AN-M64A1 bombs (2,000 lb total)
- 1 x 1,000 lb AN-M65A1 bomb + 10 x 100 lb AN-M30A1 bombs (2,000 lb total)
- 3 x 1,000 lb AN-M65A1 bombs (3,000 lb total)
Unlike the Soviet B-25J-30, which carries its own set of bombs, the Chinese version has retained the same loadouts as the American B-25J-20. Like all B-25 variants this gives it a wide selection of ordnance, making it a versatile aircraft.
Defensive armament
The B-25J-30 (China) is defended by:
- 1 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine gun, nose turret (300 rpg)
- 2 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns, dorsal turret (400 rpg = 800 total)
- 1 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine gun, 2 x beam turrets (250 rpg)
- 2 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns, tail turret (600 rpg = 1,200 total)
Like other B-25 variants the B-25J-30 has a respectable defensive armament consisting entirely of 12.7 mm machine guns. The tail and dorsal turrets have an overlapping field of fire to the rear, making approach from this angle extremely dangerous for enemy aircraft. Unfortunately there are no turrets on the underside of the B-25, making it vulnerable to attack from below.
Usage in battles
One of the most efficient yet dangerous way of earning RP with the B-25 is to first dive-bomb a base at low altitude, then strafe soft ground targets or fend off incoming fighters.
For such playstyle, it is best to choose the 3 x 1,000 lb bombs loadout to destroy a base in one go. Universal belt is great for the offensive and defensive guns, and their convergence is up to you. At the start of the match, choose the nearest base from you and tag it on the map, this way other bombers are not likely to fight for that base. Now, with WEP, directly dive at the front edge of the base. The B-25 has a reasonably good dive acceleration and can soon dive at more than 500 km/h. However, keep watching the air speed as the B-25 will experience severe lock-up at more than 500 km/h and will rip at 570 km/h. The fastest way to get to the base is to maintain air speed around 550 km/h. While on your way, you can have a look at what ground targets are near that base. Make sure your altitude is well below 500 m when approaching the base. Flying this low can prevent the opponents from attacking from below, which minimises the lack of belly gunners of the B-25. Also, most fighters tend to chase after low-flying bombers, so if you successfully lured some enemies into chasing you, you have already done a great job for the friendly fighters, as they now have altitude advantage over the ones at your tail.
Once the base is near, level out and aim at it with the bombsight. Drop all 3 bombs at the center of the base, and immediately turn towards the nearest ground targets. Your priority should be soft targets like trucks, AA vehicles and artilleries, since they will be destroyed with a short burst of your 6 x .50 cals. If you are lucky and found a long convoy of trucks, you will get plenty of RP out of it.
While strafing, you must constantly look around, above and on the minimap for any potential threats. If an enemy fighter dives on you, drop your altitude to tree-top level at once, this way the fighter is forced to face your tail guns and turrets. Use the gunner view to fire at it, but remember, leading the target correctly requires lots of practice. For the enemy fighter, there will always be 2-5 .50 cals spraying bullets at it, which is quite deadly for Japanese fighters like the A6M2/M3. Sometimes it only requires a single bullet to set those fragile fighters on fire, or to damage their large radial engines or coolers. However, the B-25 is equally likely to be set aflame or lose its tail very quickly. Once on fire there is nothing you can do except keep spraying bullets until you are destroyed.
Enemies worth noting:
- ▅Fw 190 A-5: This Japanese Fw 190 is the same as the German ones. It is armed with 4 x 20 mm cannons and 2 x 7.92 mm MGs, which are very destructive and have plenty of ammo, allowing them to easily critically damage the B-25 in a burst. The plane itself is fairly well armoured, especially the thick, sloped windscreen protecting the pilot. Therefore the deadly firepower and good protection make the Japanese Fw 190 a great threat to the B-25, as China always faces Japan in air RB. When a Fw 190 is tailing the B-25, concentrate your fire on its big radial engine for better chance of crippling it. If you can, try to fly towards the higher-flying teammates to lure the Fw 190 into an altitude disadvantage.
- A6M2 / M3: These fighters are well known for their manoeuvrability and climb rate. However when they are at your 6, their manoeuvrability is no longer an advantage as they have to constantly chase after you, making themselves a great target. The Zeros are poorly protected with a high chance of being set on fire, and their 20 mm cannons lack the damage to effectively hurt the B-25. When dealing with them, again, aim at their engine or even the unprotected cockpit for a pilot snipe.
Manual Engine Control
| MEC elements | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mixer | Pitch | Radiator | Supercharger | Turbocharger | ||
| Oil | Water | Type | ||||
| Controllable | Controllable Not auto controlled |
Not controllable Not auto controlled |
Controllable Auto control available |
Separate | Controllable 2 gears |
Not controllable |
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Very effective front-facing armament of 6 x 12.7 mm machine for aerial attack or ground strafing
- Durable airframe which can take a beating from weak guns like 20 mm Type 99
- Heavy defensive armament on both left and rights sides and especially the tail gunner
- Can provide initial cover for other bombers until fighters reach their altitude
- Can be used as a tactical bomber, strategic bomber or as an attacker
- Able to land on an aircraft carrier
- Good dive acceleration
Cons:
- Manoeuvres stiffly, cannot turn well
- Rudder severely locks up over 400 km/h, meaning it cannot adjust its aim in time and need a second pass.
- Difficult to pull out of a dive due to elevator lockup.
- Often the fuel tank in wings will catch fire, leading to the failure of spars.
- No defensive armament on belly
- Relatively low payload compared to a heavy bomber
- Forward facing gunner will automatically fire at approx 1,000 m, alerting your target
- Low energy retention; any attacks that require manoeuvring will cost speed and altitude
History
As one of the production blocks of the North American B-25J (-1, -5, -10, -15, -20, -25, -30, -35), the B-25J-30 was a natural upgrade of the B-25J-25. Incorporating many modifications over time, the aircraft replaced the stainless steel s-shaped exhaust with enamelled 1020 steel stacks on cylinders 1, 7, and 9 and beginning with AF S/N 44-31111, provisions were made to adapt the mounting of a chemical tank within the bomb bay and on S/N 44-31311, an electric C-6 Type bomb hoist was added to the bomb bay. Later on, S/N 44-31338 began the addition of T-64 Zero-Length Rocket Launchers carried under the wing, giving the aircraft a capability of carrying up to eight five-inch High-Velocity Aircraft Rockets (HVAR), and starting with S/N 44-31491, M-8A gun mounts and a K-10 Computing Gun Sight was added to the tail position, strengthening the position as a whole.
S/N 44-86692 introduced the addition of mounting glide bombs suspended beneath the aircraft's fuselage, as well as providing a special cockpit sight and release controls for the glide bombs. The Norden M9B bomb sight was added beginning with S/N 44-86792 and, with a later S/N 44-86799 the rudder controls were rerouted with added armour protections to the Emergency Equipment location. The aircraft type, throughout its upgrade history, was also used by USSR and China as a part of the Lend-Lease program, and were used on various fronts during their services.
Usage in China
During World War II, Nationalist China received over 100 B-25C and B-25D Mitchell medium-bombers, with a further 131 B-25Js arriving via the Lend-Lease program. Being applied to 4 newly formed squadrons of the 1st Medium Bomb Group, the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Squadrons respectively, they replaced the older Soviet-built Tupolev SB bombers, having gradually been replaced by the newly acquired B-25s.
Under the command of the Chinese-American Composite Wing (CACW), the B-25s were sent to fight spreading Communist forces within China, fighting alongside British-built de Havilland Mosquito fighter-bombers. Four squadrons were created at this time to fight them, and in 1948 they were forced back to the Island of Taiwan, bringing along their Mitchells. Unfortunately, some were left behind and were impressed into the People's Republic of China (PRC) Air Force. It is unknown, though, if they were in their forces long enough to fight in the initial stages of the Korean War.
Media
- Skins
See also
- Related development
- Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
- de Havilland Mosquito
- Douglas A-26 Invader
- Mitsubishi Ki-61 Hiyrū
- Nakajima Ki-49 Donryu
- Vickers Wellington
External links
- Official data sheet - more details about the performance
- American Aeronautical Foundation - B-25 "Executive Sweet" History
- Joe Baugher - B-25 Mitchell in Service with China
| 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 bombers | |
|---|---|
| American | Martin 139WC*(␗B-10B) · ␗A-29 · ␗B-25J-30 · ␗PB4Y-2 |
| German | ␗Hs 123 A-1 |
| Soviet | ␗SB 2M-103U · ␗DB-3A · ␗Tu-2S-44 · ␗Tu-4 |
| Japanese | ␗P1Y1 mod. 11 |
| *Export Name | |
