IL-2 Sh-37 cannon at Stalingrad - experiment rather than main service weapon

[mbv]

I was reading through the Yefim Gordon/Komissarov 2010 volume on the IL2 aircraft, which is still the definitive volume on this aircraft in English as far as I know (I think the 2008 Oleg Rastrennin volume is the equivalent in Russian). It says that there were only 9 IL-2s fitted out with this gun at Stalingrad and they were all there on a trial basis from January 1943. The gun seems to have been universally disliked by the pilots due to the recoil causing the plane to yaw violently in the direction of the gun being fired. Most of them could only get off 3 rounds in a burst due to manoeuvrability and sighting problems caused by recoil. The cannons were also extremely unreliable with one of them often jamming. The poor feedback from the trials led to this variant not entering large-scale production.

 

Not that I mind trying the Sh-37's out in the game for a bit of vehicle busting, but it seems odd that it is presented as a main weapon option in the loadout given that it barely figured in the actual battle.

[Yakmaster]

it's easy to explain,

 

target audience for this game likes big guns and flashy skins so you have desert skins as rewards, and big guns that were broken or experimental at best at time also

Edited October 13, 2014 by Yakmaster

[Finkeren]

The same goes for the BK 37 really.

 

Sims like these have always incorporated all kinds of rare/experimental weapons.

 

I don't really mind.

[mbv]

Yeah I figured they were in there more for the fun factor of blasting away than anything else. If I recall rightly the recoil was modelled into the handling characteristics of the IL-2 in the original 1C game and the plane yawed from side to side as they fired. Must be fun on force feedback with that recoil !

[[KWN]T-oddball]

I was reading through the Yefim Gordon/Komissarov 2010 volume on the IL2 aircraft, which is still the definitive volume on this aircraft in English as far as I know (I think the 2008 Oleg Rastrennin volume is the equivalent in Russian). It says that there were only 9 IL-2s fitted out with this gun at Stalingrad and they were all there on a trial basis from January 1943. The gun seems to have been universally disliked by the pilots due to the recoil causing the plane to yaw violently in the direction of the gun being fired. Most of them could only get off 3 rounds in a burst due to manoeuvrability and sighting problems caused by recoil. The cannons were also extremely unreliable with one of them often jamming. The poor feedback from the trials led to this variant not entering large-scale production.

 

Not that I mind trying the Sh-37's out in the game for a bit of vehicle busting, but it seems odd that it is presented as a main weapon option in the loadout given that it barely figured in the actual battle.

 

I Don't think there is anything wrong with adding such items, as long as they are modeled with all inherent weakness and strengths , would be interesting to try and fly something like that if it was modeled realistically.

[startrekmike]

This is a debate that has raged in the ROF forums awhile back, some of the weapon mods were not "common enough" and thus many heated internet arguments erupted.

 

  My personal opinion is that if it was on a plane in real life, even one, it is valid. We are not playing as a certain pilot, flying a specific plane in a specific time frame and squadron, as such, we have the freedom to try out stuff that may or may not have been common as a way to fully explore the options that were potentially available to pilots and even to explore some of the not so great ideas.

[Yakmaster]

I Don't think there is anything wrong with adding such items, as long as they are modeled with all inherent weakness and strengths , would be interesting to try and fly something like that if it was modeled realistically.

 

But when you dont model weakneses of thouse experimental equipments then you have uber stuff, and dont see as player why that equipment was disliked by pilots, but i hope atleast on MP servers mision maker can lock off some fancy equipments

[Matt]

Which of those rare/prototype unlocks is actually "uber". Those BK37 with a handful of rounds each, which require a lot of practice to be any useful and which would most likely need to be added in the first expansion anyhow?

 

Don't like those load outs, don't use them. Just like 90% of the MP players won't do either.

 

As for the Sh-37, random jams are obviously not modeled for any weapon yet, so saying that they are too reliable might be a it premature. And as soon as one of those guns is jammed (happened to me, due to damage), you wish you would've chosen something else. Like the 23mm, which get the job done just as well, with higher rate of fire and bigger ammo load.