P-47N-15
| This page is about the American fighter P-47N-15. For other versions, see P-47 (Family). |
Contents
Description
The P-47N-15 Thunderbolt is a rank III American fighter with a battle rating of 4.3 (AB) and 4.7 (RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.61 "Road to Glory".
The P-47N-15 can in many ways be considered a more specialised fighter version of the P-47D series of fighters, being built solely for a boom and zoom strategy. The key difference separating the P-47N from both the D-series and other planes in general at the battle rating is its top speed and manoeuvrability, bordering on just below 800 km/h and with an airframe that can support it. This, coupled with its 8 devastating M2 .50 cal Brownings make it an extremely deadly and dangerous opponent.
The P-47N also has clipped wing tips, allowing it higher level flight speed and giving it a much more controllable and faster roll rate. However, these wings widened the landing gear base and added room for more fuel tanks to be added to increase its range. This added quite a lot of weight, reducing its climb rate. But despite its clipped wings, the P-47N actually gained wing area over the other models of P-47, improving its pitch tremendously overall.
General info
Flight performance
| Characteristics | Max Speed (km/h at 9,144 m) |
Max altitude (metres) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (metres/second) |
Take-off run (metres) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | |||
| Stock | 713 | 697 | 13500 | 31.5 | 32.6 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 700 |
| Upgraded | 787 | 750 | 28.6 | 30.0 | 20.1 | 14.0 | ||
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 | + | - | ||
| 950 | 450 | 495 | 464 | 300 | ~12 | ~9 |
| Optimal velocities (km/h) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ailerons | Rudder | Elevators | Radiator |
| < 400 | < 420 | < 450 | > 335 |
Survivability and armour
- 9.5 mm Steel - Fore cockpit plate
- 9.5 mm Steel - Armour plate behind Pilot's seat
- 38 mm Bulletproof glass - Windshield
Modifications and economy
| Flight performance | Survivability | Weaponry | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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|
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First and foremost, the Offensive 12 mm should be researched. The next step should be to rush Compressor, Engine, and Engine Injection. The proceeding choice should be between the New 12 mm MGs or the G-Suit (if you have weaker pilots, choose the G-Suit first over machine guns). The remaining modules can then be unlocked in any order desired.
Armaments
Offensive armament
The P-47N-15 is armed with:
- 8 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns, wing-mounted (500 rpg = 4,000 total)
This plane features late war belts, so the difference in damage output between belts is minimal. The best belt in damage output stands as the Tracer belt, followed by Universal; which is a good mixture between tracers and stealth rounds, then followed by the Stealth belt.
Suspended armament
The P-47N-15 can be outfitted with the following ordnance:
- Without load
- 1 x 500 lb AN-M64A1 bomb (500 lb total)
- 3 x 1,000 lb AN-M65A1 bombs (3,000 lb total)
- 2 x 1,000 lb AN-M65A1 bombs + 1 x 500 lb AN-M64A1 bomb (2,500 lb total)
- 10 x HVAR rockets
- 10 x HVAR rockets + 1 x 500 lb AN-M64A1 bomb (500 lb total)
- 10 x HVAR rockets + 2 x 1,000 lb AN-M65A1 bombs (2,000 lb total)
- 10 x HVAR rockets + 2 x 1,000 lb AN-M65A1 bombs + 1 x 500 lb AN-M64A1 bomb (2,500 lb total)
Usage in battles
How to offensively engage an enemy aircraft: From the start of the match you want to be gaining altitude. Side climbing is heavily recommended, as many planes at the P-47's BR climb much faster vertically. Once at a high enough altitude, the P-47's greatest strength is its speed. It has great acceleration and great speed at most altitudes. From there your main operation of attack will be the simple Boom & Zoom tactic, making good use of its amazing energy retention. However it isn't strictly limited to this role. The P-47N has very strong elevator and rudder authority. While it is not the most recommended tactic, if you are at a higher speed you can dogfight most planes for short periods of time, so long as you make use of vertical space as well as horizontal while you do it and watch your speed. Engaging in turn fighting is not recommended because most enemies you will be facing can out-turn you easily.
How to perform defensive fighting: The P-47N's primary defensive strength is its powerful engine and good energy retention. Additionally, its manoeuvrability is not too bad either. With its decent roll rate you are able to do repeated rolling manoeuvres to keep out of an enemies gun sights as a last resort. You can confidently put it in a full 90 degree dive until they pull off. It is very difficult to rip the wings of the P-47N- a great deal of speed is required.
Enemies worth noting:
- 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 P-47N-15's flight path. Don't even get close to it unless the P-47N-15 is equipped with a bomb or if it is busy shooting another friendly. 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. Armour piercing belt is recommended since their high penetration can tear through the ZSD's armour with ease and knock out its crews.
Manual Engine Control
| MEC elements | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mixer | Pitch | Radiator | Supercharger | Turbocharger | ||
| Oil | Water | Type | ||||
| Controllable | Controllable Auto control available |
Controllable Not auto controlled |
Controllable Not auto controlled |
Separate | Controllable 1 gear |
Auto controlled |
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Excellent armament:
- Very large ammunition pool
- 8 x 12.7 mm machine guns provide a very respectable damage output and great muzzle velocity
- Good boom and zoom plane:
- Above average energy retention horizontally and average vertical energy retention
- Extremely high rip speed (950 km/h)
- Good high speed turn rate
- Excellent high altitude performance
- Good roll rate
- Great linear energy retention (plane doesn't lose much speed when in a straight line) at most altitudes
- Durable engine and airframe that can take a beating, wing fuel tanks never catch on fire
Cons:
- Below average engine characteristics:
- Limited WEP (12 mins)
- Tends to overheat
- Bad automatic engine control: MEC is needed (radiators and mixture management) to avoid overheating
- Below average performance at low altitudes
- Compresses at high speeds
- Extremely poor performance at low speeds:
- Very bad stall control
- Very poor turn at low to medium speeds
- Roll rate decreases exponentially the slower the plane goes
- Lower than average climb rate, significantly lower than the previous P-47D-28
- Minimal fuel load is very heavy (37 mins)
- Machine guns are mounted very far apart
History
The P-47N was a long range version of the P-47 Thunderbolt designed for operations in the Pacific theatre. It was the last mass-production P-47 Thunderbolt variant.
Development and Design
Four P-47D-27-RE airframes were taken off the production line at Farmingdale to be fitted with the Pratt and Whitney R-2800-57(C) engine and a CH-5 turbosupercharger. These aircraft were designated as the YP-47M. The new power plant provided a greater 2800 up at 32,500 ft on war emergency power with water injection. These airframe were the prototypes for the P-47M Thunderbolt.
It became clear that operations in the Pacific theatre required greater operational range than in Europe, so the third YP-47M airframe (serial 42-27387) was modified in mid-1942. The wing was given a larger span, and the wing surface area was increased. One 93 US gallon fuel tank was fitted in each wing, a first for the P-47 family. The total amount of fuel that could be carried with external fuel tanks was 1266 US gallons, giving the aircraft a range of 2350 miles. The prototype was designated as the XP-47N.
The wing design increased the size of the ailerons and included squared-off wingtips. The dorsal fin was also taller than on earlier P-47s. These changes allowed an increase in roll rate and manoeuvrability, but also increased the weight significantly. Larger landing gear had to be fitted to cope with the increased weight, which increased the weight further. The maximum weight that resulted was in excess of 20,000 lbs.
The USAAF ordered 1900 P-47Ns on June 20, 1944, due to the fact that other proven P-47 variants were already in service; the order came before the XP-47N had even flown for the first time. The first flight occurred on 22 July 1944.
The P-47N-1-RE was first delivered in September 1944, with a total of 24 delivered by the end of the year. The P-47N-5-RE batch added zero-length rocket launchers. The P-47N-25-RE batch incorporated the improved R-2800-77 engine.
The P-47N, despite the more powerful power plant and other improvements, was much heavier than the P-47M. As such, the performance was actually lower than that of earlier models. The increased range, though, was more important in the Pacific theatre than was performance die to the nature of the missions assigned to the P-47N in that theatre.
Production
A total of 1667 P-47Ns of all types were built by the Farmingdale plant between December 1944 and December 1945. 149 P-47Ns were built by the Evansville plant for a total of 1,816 production P-47Ns. 5,934 more P-47Ns were cancelled after VJ Day, resulting in the end of all P-47 Thunderbolt by the end of December 1945.
Service
The P-47N saw service in the Pacific theatre during the last year of the war. They were used to escort B-29 Superfortesses on long, overwater flights - particularly from Saipan to Japan. After World War 2, P-47s were used by the USAAF and then USAF until 1949, and the Air National Guard until 1953. It was redesignated as the F-47 in 1948.
Media
- Skins
- Videos
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
- AAF Manual 51-127-4 - Pilot Training Manual for the Thunderbolt P-47N
| Republic Aviation Corporation | |
|---|---|
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| P-47D-22-RE · P-47D-25 · P-47D-28 · P-47M-1-RE · ⋠P-47M-1-RE · P-47N-15 | |
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