Avenger Mk II (Great Britain)
This page is about the dive bomber Avenger Mk II (Great Britain). For the regular American version, see TBF-1C. For the British medium tank, see Avenger. |
Contents
Description
The ▄Avenger Mk II is a premium rank II British dive bomber with a battle rating of 1.7 (AB/RB) and 2.0 (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.39 as the Avenger Mk.I before it was renamed in Update 1.65 "Way of the Samurai". The Avenger Mk II is a British variant of the American Grumman TBF-1 Avenger licensed to General Motors to build as a TBM-1.
General info
Flight performance
Characteristics | Max Speed (km/h at 3,650 m) |
Max altitude (metres) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (metres/second) |
Take-off run (metres) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | |||
Stock | 412 | 398 | 7100 | 31.6 | 32.4 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 307 |
Upgraded | 452 | 432 | 29.6 | 30.0 | 7.3 | 5.1 |
Details
Features | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Combat flaps | Take-off flaps | Landing flaps | Air brakes | Arrestor gear |
X | X | ✓ | X | ✓ |
Limits | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wings (km/h) | Gear (km/h) | Flaps (km/h) | Max Static G | |||
Combat | Take-off | Landing | + | - | ||
612 | 397 | N/A | N/A | 285 | ~5 | ~3 |
Optimal velocities (km/h) | |||
---|---|---|---|
Ailerons | Rudder | Elevators | Radiator |
< 300 | < 220 | < 220 | > 318 |
Survivability and armour
- Armour plates
- Pilot:
- 6.35 mm Steel plate in the nose.
- 12.7 mm Steel plate behind the pilot.
- Dorsal gunner:
- 12.7 mm Steel plate in dorsal gunner's seat.
- 12.7 mm Steel plate in front of dorsal gunner (rear-facing).
- 40 mm Bulletproof glass in front of dorsal gunner (rear-facing).
- Ventral gunner:
- 12.7 mm Steel plate in front of ventral gunner (rear-facing).
- 6.35 mm Steel plate under the ventral gunner.
- Critical components
- Critical components located at the front of aircraft (engine, cooling systems)
- One fuel tank is located under the pilot's seat
- Two fuel tanks located at the wings' roots.
- All three fuel tanks are self-sealing.
- The only critical modules in the wings are the 12.7 mm MGs.
- Traction cables of control surfaces are in the left part of the tail section.
Modifications and economy
Armaments
Offensive armament
The Avenger Mk II (Great Britain) is armed with:
- 2 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns, wing-mounted (310 rpg = 620 total)
Suspended armament
The Avenger Mk II (Great Britain) can be outfitted with the following ordnance:
- 4 x 500 lb AN-M64A1 bombs (2,000 lb total)
- 1 x 2,216 lb Mk.13-6 torpedo
- 1 x 2,216 lb Mk.13-6 Case torpedo
- 2 x Uncle Tom rockets
- 1 x 2,000 lb AN-M66A2 bomb (2,000 lb total)
- 1 x 1,600 lb AN-Mk 1 bomb (1,600 lb total)
Defensive armament
The Avenger Mk II (Great Britain) is defended by:
- 1 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine gun, dorsal turret (400 rpg)
- 1 x 7.62 mm Browning machine gun, ventral turret (500 rpg)
Usage in battles
- Arcade battles
The Avenger Mk II is a single-engine torpedo bomber. Its dual forward-facing 12.7 mm MGs can be used to take out AA, artillery and vehicles while its 4 x 500 lb bombs can be put to good use against pillboxes, tanks or even ships. Defended very well, the Avenger has a dorsal turret with very good elevation and traverse angles armed with a single 12.7 mm that can inflict serious damage against enemy aircraft on your tail. The ventral turret has a single 7.62 mm MG, recommended to be equipped with AP belts to make up for its small calibre. Enemy fighters on your tail won't last long against the defensive armament. There is a dead spot behind the tail because the ventral turret doesn't have a huge amount of elevation, be careful not let a pursuing opponent manoeuvre there and change path to ensure you've always got your guns on target.
The Avenger is also a very durable aircraft, it can soak up a lot of damage and keep on going - though the ventral gunner is fairly exposed to enemy fire. The engine is a big target and is easily damaged in head-on attacks, so avoid those at all costs. In a pitch, the avenger can be used as a fighter but its low speed and limited manoeuvrability make it better suited for bombing ground or naval units. However, the bad frontal visibility below the nose makes it fairly challenging to land, though the cockpit visibility is overall good.
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 2 gears |
Not controllable |
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Good manoeuvrability for a bomber
- Adaptive secondary ordnance for different maps e.g. naval and ground-based operations
- Robust construction
- Very good vision from pilot's seat in cockpit
- Very stable
- Good defensive gunner coverage
- Tail hook for carrier-based missions
Cons:
- Limited bomb selection for a bomber
- Heavy and fairly slow: big target at low altitude
- Hard to land for inexperienced pilots
- Only has landing flaps
History
The Avenger Mk II is a British variant of the American Grumman TBF-1 Avenger. Only 402 were given to British, under the lend-lease program. It was internally designated by Grumman as the TBF-1B. The British once they received them, initially designated it the Tarpon TR.Mk 1. Then, later on, it was re-designated as the Avenger. The Avenger is a single engine monoplane. It consists of, a three-man crew. Its primary role, was a torpedo bomber. However, could also be used as an ordinary bomber.
The only difference between the Avenger to the US TBF-1 versions is The installation of British oxygen systems and gun sights.
Avengers were first assigned to HMS Victorious in 1943; -832 squadron 1 and later on to serve in 845 squadron 1. They were supplied from January through to February 1943 to the British government. The Majority of these planes were returned to the U.S. Navy in June 1943.
Archive of the in-game description | |
---|---|
The Grumman Avenger Mk.I was a single engine naval torpedo bomber/strike aircraft which first entered service with the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm in 1943. Designed as a replacement for the US Navy's Douglas Devastator, the Avenger first flew in August 1941 before the first examples left the production line in February 1942. The Avenger's operational debut at the Battle of Midway in June 1942 was less than stellar, with five out of six being destroyed without being able to sink a single enemy ship. Under the lend-lease agreement, Avengers were supplied to the British Fleet Air Arm in January 1943, first equipping 832 Naval Air Squadron. Powered by a 1850 hp Wright Cyclone radial engine, the Avenger Mk.I was capable of reaching speeds of some 260 mph and had an operating range of 1020 miles; 1910 miles if extra fuel was loaded in lieu of ordnance. The Avenger was armed with two .50 calibre machine guns in the wings, a single .30 calibre gun in a ventral position and a further .50 calibre gun in a power operated turret. Its offensive load was a single 22-inch torpedo, up to 2,000 lbs of bombs or eight 60 lb rockets under the wings. For the first year of its life in British service, Avengers were known as Grumman 'Tarpons' following the Fleet Air Arm's tradition of naming its naval aircraft after fish or birds. However, from January 1944 onwards the name 'Avenger' was re-adopted to standardize with US forces. Avengers were constructed in the United States by both Grumman and also under license by General Motors, termed the TBF-1 and TBM-1 respectively; in Royal Naval service these were known as the Avenger Mk.I and Avenger Mk.II. By the end of 1943, eight Avenger squadrons were active in the Fleet Air Arm, this number rising to fifteen squadrons by the end of the war. Some 1,000 out of nearly 10,000 Avengers built would serve with the Royal Navy. Avengers were employed in several roles across a variety of theatres, including mine laying and Anti-Submarine Warfare in the Atlantic, anti-shipping strikes in the build up to D-Day and Convoy escort from small escort carriers in the icy waters of the Arctic on convoy runs to the Soviet Union. However, it was in the Far East with the British Eastern Fleet and British Pacific Fleet which the British operated Avengers would see their most impressive contribution, culminating in their finest hour during the Battle of Palembang in January 1945, where Avengers formed the majority of the offensive capability of the Fleet Air Arm's strike package in a series of attacks on Japanese held oil refineries in Sumatra; Avengers of 820, 849, 854 and 857 NAS were responsible for crippling the output of two major oil refineries, causing a severe blow to the supply for Japanese aviation fuel. British Avengers were involved in strikes against mainland Japan by the time the war ended, and subsequent variants of the Avenger would continue to serve with the Royal Navy up until 1959. The Avenger also saw wartime service with the Royal New Zealand Air Force and postwar service with the Royal Canadian Navy. |
Media
- Skins
See also
- Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
External links
Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation | |
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