B3C

B3C

T 2

B3C

T 2

Sweden

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
1.0	1.3	1.3

Class:

Bomber

Dive bomber

Frontline bomber

Torpedo bomber

Research:4 000

Purchase:2 100

Show in game

Description

The B3C is a rank I Swedish bomber with a battle rating of 1.0 (AB) and 1.3 (RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.95 "Northern Wind".

Originally built by the German aircraft firm Junkers, the B3C started out as the Ju 86, developed in the mid-1930s alongside rival Heinkel's He 111. Since the Luftwaffe could not officially build bomber aircraft at the time, the main purpose of the aircraft was to be a ten-person airliner which could with minimal effort be converted into a medium bomber. When tested during the Spanish Civil War, it was found that its diesel engines could not hold up against the rigours of combat and were replaced with BMW 123 radial engines which vastly increased its reliability.

Later in development, the Ju 86K was created for the purpose of exporting this aircraft to foreign nations of which Sweden and Hungary were the first to accept. Sweden started producing their licensed version of the bomber, the B 3 which was outfitted with British Bristol Mercury engines instead of the German BMW radials of which the Mercury engines were later were license-built in Sweden and Poland.

The B3C though an early war bomber is not without a box of tricks. While relegated to a medium bomber function, options in its suspended armament give it the option to carpet bomb smaller and lighter targets or to bomb heavier protected targets and bases. Externally outfitting an 853 kg torpedo gives the bomber the option to strike fear in fleet captains eyes especially when a crew member announces "Fish in the water". Though for the most part considered an average bomber when it comes to manoeuvrability, rate of climb and level speed, the B3C has what it takes to deliver its ordnance to the target and has several critically placed defensive turrets to protect the bomber against any interlopers intent on downing the bomber before it gets to its target.

General info

Flight performance

The B3C is an average aircraft when it comes to flight characteristics, nothing really impressive, but nothing which hinders the bombers ability to do its job. Acceleration, rate of climb and level speed are good enough however if caught in a low energy state with nowhere to dive, it will be relatively easy to catch even in the most sluggish of fighters and attackers. The large surface area of the wings enable this aircraft to have a comparatively low stall speed and the dual vertical stabilizers detract from the rudder capabilities of this aircraft compared to aircraft with single vertical stabilizers (see B-24 vs PB4Y for comparison of vertical stabilizer types).

The B3C was destined for mid to high altitude bombing where it remains safer from a majority of the fighters found flying against it in a match, however dropping to lower altitudes enables even the slowest of biplanes (Po-2 and Hs 123) to take pot-shots at the bomber. There will be one option which will require the B3C to fly low and slow and that will be when setting up for a torpedo run and the bomber will not only be vulnerable to fighters and attackers at the extremely low altitude, they will also be vulnerable to anti-aircraft fire from the ships which should not have much difficulty hitting such a large and slow target.

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 5,600 m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	372	363	8000	17.8	18.4	5.5	5.5	530
Upgraded	421	395		16.3	17.0	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	+	-
430	350	320	280	240	~5	~2

Survivability and armour

Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.

Armaments

Suspended armament

The B3C can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

• 16 x 50 kg sb m/42 bombs (800 kg total)
• 1 x 450 mm m/41 torpedo
• 4 x 250 kg mb m/40 bombs (1,000 kg total)

Defensive armament

The B3C is defended by:

• 1 x 8 mm Ksp m/22-37 R machine gun, nose turret (675 rpg)
• 1 x 8 mm Ksp m/22-37 R machine gun, dorsal turret (1,050 rpg)
• 1 x 8 mm Ksp m/22-37 R machine gun, ventral turret (825 rpg)

Usage in battles

While many aircraft found in War Thunder are considered multi-role capable (fighter, interceptor, attacker and/or bomber), some aircraft sit within just one role but have several subset capabilities within that role. The B3C is no exception as its sole role in the game is as a medium bomber, however, it is capable of defining its mission depending on the type of suspended ordnance is outfitted.

Small target bomber

As an early rank bomber, the B3C has access to many of the smaller weight bombs found in the game. Loading up with the 50 kg bombs allow the bomber to take out many of the lightly protect vehicles found on the map to include trucks, light tanks, anti-aircraft artillery, light pill-boxes/bunkers and aircraft parked on a runway. Vehicles travelling in columns make for an especially tempting target as when lined up properly, the B3C can come in at a lower altitude and drop individual bombs per target being more judicious with the suspended ordnance, especially in realistic and simulator battles where reloads require heading back to base. Heavy pillboxes, medium and heavy tanks along with bases should be avoided as these smaller bombs will be less effective against them.

Large/protected target bomber

When it comes to attacking a base or targets such as reinforced pillboxes, large ships, medium and heavy tanks, the 250 kg and 600 kg bombs will come in handy. With a harder punch, these bombs will make short work of the vehicles which the 50 kg bombs will realistically just bounce off of. Base bombing will be more effective specifically if the B3C is flying at 4,000 m and above where it is less likely to run into enemy fighters and if it does, the defensive turrets can make it that much more difficult for them to get sights on.

Torpedo bomber

The B3C can outfit an 853 kg torpedo to the external side of the aircraft's bomb bays. The big fish can make a big explosion, however, to get the torpedo into the water, the bomber must approach at a low and slow speed heading towards the intended target. Typically, ships don't sit there and just watch the torpedo approach and will begin to open up their anti-aircraft fire. The bomber pilot must maintain calm and precision to drop the torpedo, once released, the bomber must power back up to full speed and vacate the area to avoid further anti-aircraft fire and any potential enemy fighters which may be in the area.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Controllable	Controllable Not auto controlled	Controllable Not auto controlled	Controllable Not auto controlled	Separate	Not controllable 1 gear	Not controllable

Modules

Tier	Flight performance		Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage repair	Radiator		Turret 8 mm
II		Compressor	Airframe		m/41
III	Wings repair	Engine		New 8 mm MGs (turret)
IV		Engine injection	Cover		m/40

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Wide range of payload options
• Effective defensive turrets

Cons:

• Average flight characteristics
• Large wing profile, an easy target for attacking fighters
• Significant defensive blind spots from the side, above and below

History

The SAAB B3C began its life in the mid-1930s in Germany as the Junkers Ju 86. The purpose of this aircraft was to operate first as a high-speed passenger airliner but also function as a medium bomber with minimal conversion. Conversion from airliner required the removal of ten passenger seats and replaced with four bomb cells which carried each bomb in an upright position. Fuel tanks for the bomber version were located in the fuselage while the airliner moved them to the wings. Originally this bomber was outfitted with Junkers Jumo 205 diesel engines, their drawback was their weight, however, they were more fuel-efficient than standard petrol engines. Unfortunately during the Spanish Civil War, it was determined that the Ju 86 under-performed compared to the He 111, mainly because the diesel engines could not handle the rough treatment endured during combat situations. With this knowledge, the Ju 86 was converted to the BMW 132 radial engines which drastically improved the reliability of this bomber.

The Junkers model Ju 86K was the export version of the Ju 86 which allowed Sweden's aircraft manufacture SAAB to license build these medium bombers and designated them as the B 3. Instead of utilising BMW132 engines, SAAB opted to go with the Bristol Mercury XIX radial engines which had an output of 905 horsepower. The Swedes maintained their B 3 bombers throughout the war and continued to use them for another thirteen years with several being converted to maritime patrol and signal intelligence (SIGINT) aerial platforms to keep apprised of Soviet and Eastern Europe activity.

Media

Images

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

• Heinkel He 111
• Dornier Do 17
• Savoia-Marchetti SM.79

External links

• [Devblog] SAAB B3C: Bomber to Start From

Sweden bombers
B3	B3C
B17	B17A · B17B · S17BS
SAAB 18	B18A · B18B · T18B · T18B (57)
T 2	T 2
Finland	▄Ar 196 A-5 · ▄Ju 88 A-4