Difference between revisions of "P-51K (China)"

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== Usage in battles ==
 
== Usage in battles ==
''Describe the tactics of playing in the aircraft, the features of using aircraft in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''
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<!-- ''Describe the tactics of playing in the aircraft, the features of using aircraft in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).'' -->
  
 
'''Offence'''
 
'''Offence'''

Revision as of 10:42, 10 January 2021

Rank VI | Premium | Golden Eagles
Challenger DS Pack
This page is about the Chinese fighter P-51K (China). For other versions, see P-51 (Family).
p-51k.png
GarageImage P-51K (China).jpg
␗P-51K
AB RB SB
4.7 5.0 5.3
Class:
Research:17 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:105 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

The ␗P-51K Mustang is a rank III Chinese fighter with a battle rating of 4.7 (AB), 5.0 (RB), and 5.3 (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.91 "Night Vision".

General info

Flight performance

Max speed
at 6 400 m721 km/h
Turn time20 s
Max altitude12 700 m
Take-off weight5 t
Characteristics Max Speed
(km/h at 6,400 m)
Max altitude
(metres)
Turn time
(seconds)
Rate of climb
(metres/second)
Take-off run
(metres)
AB RB AB RB AB RB
Stock 690 673 12700 21.1 21.8 18.3 18.3 396
Upgraded 752 721 19.0 20.0 28.8 22.7

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 + -
910 281 644 442 265 ~11 ~5
Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons Rudder Elevators Radiator
< 500 < 300 < 500 > 400
Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude 100% Engine power WEP Engine power
2,400 m 1,580 hp 1,959 hp
Setting 2
Optimal altitude 100% Engine power WEP Engine power
6,400 m 1,370 hp 1,699 hp

Survivability and armour

Crew1 person
Speed of destruction
Structural910 km/h
Gear281 km/h
  • 8 mm steel - in front of engine
  • 6.35 mm steel - behind engine
  • 38 mm bulletproof glass - windscreen
  • 8 mm steel - behind pilot
  • 11 mm steel - pilot headrest

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB1 115 → 1 471 Sl icon.png
RB2 686 → 3 545 Sl icon.png
SB4 093 → 5 402 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications29 800 Rp icon.png
58 200 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost1 200 Ge icon.png
Crew training30 000 Sl icon.png
Experts105 000 Sl icon.png
Aces590 Ge icon.png
Research Aces360 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
70 / 160 / 330 % Sl icon.png
148 / 148 / 148 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Flight performance Survivability Weaponry
Mods aerodinamic fuse.png
Fuselage repair
Research:
2 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 900 Sl icon.png
175 Ge icon.png
Mods radiator.png
Radiator
Research:
2 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 900 Sl icon.png
175 Ge icon.png
Mods armor frame.png
Airframe
Research:
2 200 Rp icon.png
Cost:
4 300 Sl icon.png
190 Ge icon.png
Mods compressor.png
Compressor
Research:
2 200 Rp icon.png
Cost:
4 300 Sl icon.png
190 Ge icon.png
Mods aerodinamic wing.png
Wings repair
Research:
1 900 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 700 Sl icon.png
165 Ge icon.png
Mods new engine.png
Engine
Research:
1 900 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 700 Sl icon.png
165 Ge icon.png
Mods armor cover.png
Cover
Research:
2 400 Rp icon.png
Cost:
4 700 Sl icon.png
210 Ge icon.png
Mods metanol.png
Engine injection
Research:
2 400 Rp icon.png
Cost:
4 700 Sl icon.png
210 Ge icon.png
Mods g suit.png
G-suit
Research:
2 400 Rp icon.png
Cost:
4 700 Sl icon.png
210 Ge icon.png
Mods ammo.png
bmg50_belt_pack
Research:
2 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 900 Sl icon.png
175 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 1.png
Mods pilon rocket.png
Rocket Launcher M10
Research:
2 200 Rp icon.png
Cost:
4 300 Sl icon.png
190 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods weapon.png
bmg50_new_gun
Research:
1 900 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 700 Sl icon.png
165 Ge icon.png
Mods pilon rocket.png
FRC mk.2
Research:
1 900 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 700 Sl icon.png
165 Ge icon.png
Mods pilon bomb.png
FLBC mk.1
Research:
2 400 Rp icon.png
Cost:
4 700 Sl icon.png
210 Ge icon.png

Armaments

Offensive armament

Main article: M2 Browning (12.7 mm)

The P-51K (China) is armed with:

  • 6 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns, wing-mounted (270 rpg outer + 270 rpg mid + 400 rpg inner = 1,880 total)

Suspended armament

Main articles: AN-M65A1 (1,000 lb), HVAR, M8

The P-51K (China) can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

  • Without load
  • 6 x HVAR rockets
  • 2 x 1,000 lb AN-M65A1 bombs (2,000 lb total)
  • 6 x M8 rockets

Usage in battles

Offence

Probably the best asset P-51K has is its speed and its ability to achieve it and maintain it. Like with all planes, higher attitude should be achieved. Although its climb rate is nice, there are enough planes with better and therefore pilots of P-51K should plan ahead and not wait for the last second to climb. Best way to climb at the start is to climb towards the corner of the map, so the enemy will be encountered later when P-51K is already high enough. When an enemy is spotted, heading in another direction than P-51K, this aircraft can enter mild dive and go for strafe run. After that, it is important to continue heading in the same direction, so the speed is maintained. Even the most agile fighters won't be able to turn quickly enough to fire just one shot at you. If feeling confident or sure about the kill, P-51K should get at least 2 km away from the enemy and then start to turn towards him, depending on its speed. If speed is under 500 km/h, a bigger distance should be achieved before attempting a turn. This ensures that turn will be completed before the enemy gets to 1 km distance, so you won't give your enemy opportunity for the first shot. However, head-on assault should be done only against weaker opponents, since .50 cal does not have the punch of 20 mm or 30 mm that similarly-tiered planes carry. A salvo of .50 cal rounds from tracer belt can easily and often does ignite enemy engines upon impact, but few hits from 30 mm will tear wings of P-51, while fire can be taken out.

When engaging enemy bombers, aim for their engines. When engine catches on fire, focus on another engine until it also burns and so on. It is likely that fire will be taken out, but the damage done by 2 to 4 burning engines will be so severe that enemy bomber will either crash within next minute even without one more hit or he will lose altitude so much that it will be an easy target for lower flying teammates. Bigger bombers like B-17 should not be followed for more than few seconds, as an engine of P-51 is too fragile and often will turn red upon first few hits, which gives you about 1 to 2 minutes before its engine dies completely. It is especially important to engage B-17 from relative higher altitude, gain little more speed and aim for engines. A well-aimed burst of tracer belt rounds should be enough to ignite 1 or 2 engines during this. Keep in mind that B17 can fly even with just one single engine and maintain its attitude and speed. Do not attempt to cut off wings of bomber like with bigger guns, as it is quite hard to do so with .50 cal. When engaging bomber with huge glass cockpit like on He 111, front assault with a salvo of .50 cal rounds has high chance to kill its pilot with the number of rounds that will be fired.

Defence

It may seem that agility of P-51 is lacking at first sight, but it is not that bad when used correctly. P-51 has a good turn rate at higher speeds and its pilots should try to keep well above 400 km/h. When at a speed around 500 km/h, even Spitfires will have troubles getting behind you. However, P-51 should avoid these encounters as this will bleed its speed to the point that P-51 will be no longer able to turn with the enemy. If a window of opportunity arises, for example when an opponent starts his turn into the wrong direction after attempting to outmanoeuvre P-51K, P-51K can enter mild dive and go for a run. P-51 can get to its top speed quite fast, especially when in mild dive. Top speed of P-51K is one of the best on its tier. These three-speed factors will help you run away from many opponents, giving you a chance to set your own rules of engagement with them. When running away with the enemy closing in, try to avoid climb at all. If a climb is desired, it is best to wait until it is safe. If climb cannot wait, try to climb below 10 degrees. When an enemy with much higher speed is catching up with you at higher attitude, mild dive may not get you fast enough to your top speed. In these situations, deep dive can be done. During this, the enemy will get even closer to P-51K. As the top speed of P-51 is quite high, after the enemy loses his initial speed advantage, P-51 will probably already start to get away. After this deep dive runaway, start to climb around 10 degrees. P-51K is good at maintaining its speed, so it is likely that while P-51 will continue to move around 800-850 km/h after deep dive for a couple of seconds, many opponents will quickly slow down to their listed top speed. This should be enough to provide a safe escape. If running away is not an option, high-speed turn fight can be done for a short while. P-51 shouldn't prolong these encounters and should as soon as possible try to get away as already described in turn fights.

When an enemy is going head-on, he should be avoided. As already said, .50 cal cannot match 20 mm and bigger guns head-on. Additionally, such an encounter will probably damage the engine, which will at the start take away the most important asset of P-51 and after a few minutes will lead to its failure. The vitality of pilot is average, so he may survive and so is the durability of its wings. However, control surfaces of P-51 are quite fragile. Head-on should be done only with a weaker opponent, who has either much weaker armament or is already critically damaged. If the engine turns red, airfield should be sought as fast as possible. With red engine try to climb as much as possible in a way that speed will be at least slowly increasing. When the engine dies, glide towards airfield in a way little to none speed is lost to avoid a stall. If speed reaches 200 km/h and dive is not possible if the airfield is to be reached, use flaps as they will keep you in the air for little longer even at a lower speed. If combat flaps are not enough and even then P-51 starts to stall, raise flaps, open gear, use landing flaps and retract gear. Landing flaps will keep you in the air for even longer than combat flaps, but if they are deployed too soon, they will serve as air brake, which is not desired during glide.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer Pitch Radiator Supercharger Turbocharger
Oil Water Type
Not controllable Controllable
Not auto controlled
Controllable
Auto control available
Controllable
Auto control available
Separate Not controllable
2 gears
Not controllable

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Outstanding Boom & Zoom capability
  • Great performance at altitude
  • Excellent .50 calibre machine guns with good damage and plenty of ammo
  • Very fast at all altitudes
  • Very agile at high speeds
  • Good turn radius at high speeds
  • Good all-round cockpit visibility in Simulator
  • Has a gyro gunsight, guiding the player's aim in Simulator which is nice for boosting burst accuracy
  • Decent over-the-nose visibility in Simulator
  • Quite decent climb rate
  • Useful close-support capability (ground attack) thanks to its bombs/rockets

Cons:

  • Can't sustain much damage
  • Catches fire easily
  • Sluggish at low speeds
  • High stall speed (166 km/h)
  • Minimum fuel load is rather big
  • Front canopy frames are somewhat obstructive in Simulator

History

Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

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

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

  • topic on the official game forum;
  • encyclopedia page on the aircraft;
  • other literature.


North American Aviation
Fighters 
P-51A  P-51
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-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 fighters
British  ␗Gladiator Mk I
French  D.510C
Japanese  ␗A6M2 · ␗Ki-27 otsu · ␗Ki-43-III ko · ␗Ki-44-II hei · ␗Ki-61-I otsu · ␗Ki-84 ko
American  CW-21 · Hawk III · P-66 · ␗P-40E-1 · H-81A-2 · ␗P-43A-1 · ␗P-47D-23-RA · ␗P-47D-30 · ␗P-51D-20 · ␗P-51K
Soviet  ␗I-15bis · ␗I-153 M-62 · ␗I-16 Chung 28 · ␗I-16 type 5 · ␗I-16 type 10 · ␗I-16 type 17 · ␗La-11 · ␗La-9