Cant find this anywhere, AP vs HE??

[Bullets]

Ok so what are the benefits & drawbacks of both?    

Which do I take up or do I take up both in my LA-5? 

Thanks!! 

[ShamrockOneFive]

Well in short... AP is going to penetrate through your target with minimal splash. It may even go all the way through and out the other side. Or it may penetrate armor plate, etc. HE is going to explode on contact or milliseconds after (under ideal circumstances). It won't go through necessarily but the blast will cause some significant damage.

 

Usually 20mm cannons are mixed with some AP and some HE so that you get the best of both worlds. I suppose if you wanted to go all AP then you'd really need to focus your fire on internal components while with all HE you can perhaps aim more generally but with the knowledge that you'll be hitting only what the explosive is coming into contact with.

 

I suppose AP could be useful against larger aircraft. I would think HE ideal against fighters.

 

In the case of ground attack against tanks... AP is the only choice.

Edited June 8, 2014 by ShamrockOneFive

[LBR=H-Ostermann]

AP to smash engine blocks, HE to blast cables in fuselages and wings, also to explode fuel tanks.

[Pringliano]

What are you talking about?  I'm really a damn civil pilot :-(  Came to the thread because I though AP = Autopilot :-)

 

Anyway, since I've now become an happy shooter while online, I'd like to know ...

[Bullets]

Armour Penetrating + High Explosive I think 

I tried out both in the LA-5 and the pure AP rounds seemed to instantly be able to down an aircraft, as long as you got the rounds within the main area of the aircraft. However with pure HE rounds yes I agree there is more splash damage it took a little longer to down the aircraft with as significant hits on important parts. 

[fjacobsen]

A Ap round into the rear fuselage, which is more or less empty aprt from control cables, won´t do much damage other than punching 2 holes into the skin, while a HE round might blow apart some structure and cables.

A AP round into an engine can do aot of damage, while a HE round might do nothing.

 

Thats why a mix of both is preferable, caue You ever exactly knows where the round will hit.

 

But if I´m going to hunt tanks in the IL-2 using only 23mm AP rounds works very well

 

 

FinnJ

[Matt]

Actually, i think the usual loadout was API and HEI shells for the 20mm. Not sure if the shells are modelled like this in BoS though.

[ShamrockOneFive]

What are you talking about?  I'm really a damn civil pilot :-(  Came to the thread because I though AP = Autopilot :-)

 

Anyway, since I've now become an happy shooter while online, I'd like to know ...

 

So aircraft in WWII were by and large armed with multiple types of bullets. It's not just one type of bullet being fired. They were usually belted in different patterns depending on the aircraft and tactics. Most air forces would use a belting in a 20mm cannon with a mix of armor piercing and high explosive. Sometimes combined with incendiary properties so you'd have a API and a HEI type of round. Additionally the Germans used a more sophisticated HE shell called the Minengeschoss which used a much thinner shell wall and packed more explosive. Plus... some bullets were tracers (sometimes also combined!) and those are the bright glowing objects you're seeing. There are usually several bullets in between tracer rounds that you can't see following roughly the same trajectory.