Strafing Favorite ...

[jollyjack]

I really like strafing moveable targets, and i tend to choose a Spit or an Il2 with rockets. Tried the Hs129 with cannons, and some others, but it's kind of tough.

For the can of worms opener Q: which is your favorite strafing plane?

 

[PatrickAWlson]

I do a lot of ground attack in the 110 and it is a great strafing plane.  Stable.  Centrally mounted guns.  I imagine the P-38 might be even better for the same reasons, just .50s instead of 7mm.  So yeah, centrally mounted guns are big.  After that a stable gun platform and firepower.

[40plus]

Spit 9

[Gambit21]

Anything that doesn’t use .50’s.

IL2 is hard to beat.

[Hoss]

Love the Typhoon, only plane I'm really accurate with Rockets, and it will disintegrate anything those cannons hit.  just my 2¢ of loose change.....

 

Hoss

[Mtnbiker1998]

Hard to pick one... FW190 has cannons all over it so anything light/medium you strafe is a goner, same with the Tempest and the Hurricane with 2 20mms.

 

The .50s do excellent against light stuff aswell, So the American planes do excellent in that role too since they have a lot of them (plus most of them can carry a lot of bombs)

 

I really dislike Spitfires for A2G, I find the cannons lack sufficient ammo to do any real damage, the backup .30s are pitiful (same with only 2 .50s on the IX) and they don't make up for it in their bomb payload (spitfire is a one trick pony imo, only good for short range a2a)

 

The really big cannoned boys for hitting tanks though, sure it takes a lot of practice but boy howdy is it satisfying  when you start being able to do it consistently.

[69TD_Hajo_Garlic]

Bf-110

It has the ammo, great HE, rear gunner to warn you of contacts, tough enough, good visibility especially over the nose, and is both stable and maneuverable.

Currently the 190s come in close second for me but maybe the Normandy twin engines will compete.

 

For the allies the typhoon seems like it would be good but it is too unstable for me. I love the 38 as a fighter bomber but strafing with it is underwhelming. The il2 is obviously a good choice and the la series are slept on too, kinda like a 190 with less ammo.

 

A less survivable but very fun choice is using the he-111s as gunships, tell the gunners to engage ground targets and use the nose gunner position to fly and shoot. 

 

Edited August 6, 2021 by Hajo_Garlic

[Luftschiff]

BF-110 for exactly the reasons listed above, plus it can soften up targets with bombs.

...and it's the most beautiful plane in the sim.

[Thad]

2 hours ago, Luftschiff said:

BF-110 for exactly the reasons listed above, plus it can soften up targets with bombs.

...and it's the most beautiful plane in the sim.

 

I like the looks of the BF-110 too. 

[Jade_Monkey]

Easy question, Typhoon without a doubt.

[BlitzPig_EL]

Tempest, Bf 110, P40.

[[DBS]Browning]

I'm surprised no one is speaking up for the P-38. 

If having more bombs than some bombers doesn't finish the job, then it's an ideal strafer.

• All the guns are in the nose, so convergence is not an issue.
• Two engines make it rugged enough to take some ground fire and unlike the Pe2 and the Me110, it's not at all tricky to fly on one engine.
• Counter rotating props mean that rudder inputs are symmetrical and trim remains neutral at any speed.
• The view below the nose is better than almost all single engine fighters.
• The machine guns have an outstanding amount of ammo with the option for extra ammo
• Unlike most American craft, it also carries a cannon
• Speed brakes and large flaps, together with a high power to weight ratio allow exceptional and safe low speed handling.
• It has enough speed on the deck to have a good chance of escape if attacked, or fight back if in a group

 

[Sandmarken]

Typhoon, but I like the rockets more than strafing ?

[AEthelraedUnraed]

28 minutes ago, [DBS]Browning said:

I'm surprised no one is speaking up for the P-38. 

If having more bombs than some bombers doesn't finish the job, then it's an ideal strafer.

• All the guns are in the nose, so convergence is not an issue.
• Two engines make it rugged enough to take some ground fire and unlike the Pe2 and the Me110, it's not at all tricky to fly on one engine.
• Counter rotating props mean that rudder inputs are symmetrical and trim remains neutral at any speed.
• The view below the nose is better than almost all single engine fighters.
• The machine guns have an outstanding amount of ammo with the option for extra ammo
• Unlike most American craft, it also carries a cannon
• Speed brakes and large flaps, together with a high power to weight ratio allow exceptional and safe low speed handling.
• It has enough speed on the deck to have a good chance of escape if attacked, or fight back if in a group

I definitely do like the P-38, even though it is slightly prone to lawndarting. Overall though, I think I go for the P-47, which likewise no-one has mentioned yet. Stable as a gun platform, has a decent payload, is maneuverable enough as long as you keep your speed up and, unlike the P-38, pulls out of even the steepest dive without breaking a sweat. Besides, she's got the most amazing cockpit ever ❤️

[rowdyb00t]

Stuka with gunpods.
   I’m sure that was probably the scariest thing to encounter with the siren screaming and those gunpods rippin. Like some kind of fire breathing demon from hell. 

[[DBS]Browning]

14 minutes ago, rowdyb00t said:

Stuka with gunpods.
   I’m sure that was probably the scariest thing to encounter with the siren screaming and those gunpods rippin. Like some kind of fire breathing demon from hell. 

 

No siren on gunpod equipped stukas.

[Asgar]

110 with 37mm is fast has a nice early warning system aka. a rear gunner or the Hs 129 and it’s MK 103 it’s Slow but super stable and has tons of ammo (same is true for the 110)

[Thad]

1 hour ago, rowdyb00t said:

Stuka with gunpods.
   I’m sure that was probably the scariest thing to encounter with the siren screaming and those gunpods rippin. Like some kind of fire breathing demon from hell. 

 

Yes, a potent weapon but it has very limited ammunition. ?

[rowdyb00t]

1 hour ago, [DBS]Browning said:

No siren on gunpod equipped stukas.

   You sure? You can have the siren with the machine gun pods maybe not the 37mm cannons

[[DBS]Browning]

35 minutes ago, rowdyb00t said:

   You sure? You can have the siren with the machine gun pods maybe not the 37mm cannons

 

Sirens where not historically fitted to any Ju87 with 3,7 cannon.

By 1941, sirens where rare and most units had removed them. Beyond the D-1 they do not appear to be  were not always fitted at the factory, although there are plenty of photos of Stukas even in '43 with them still fitted, even on later D models which lack dive breaks.

Edited August 7, 2021 by [DBS]Browning

[Diggun]

Misfit Squadron will happily accept any strafing assignment offered, and will carry it out with grace, style and elan. And not normally more than 75% losses. Amongst the squadron opinions differ, but personally I think the ixe is what I'm most effective in during our standard anti AAA assignment. A near perfect combination of punch, responsiveness, and manoeuvrability. 

[Rjel]

I really enjoy flying the P-51 against ground targets. While I get knocked down regularly by ground fire, the Mustang is maneuverable enough to avoid (most of the time) the trees that seem to line every damned road and rail line on the map. With the .50s set to 400 meters, it can be devastating against vehicles and rolling stock. They'll stop the locomotives too, just not immediately. All in all, the Mustang seems to behave historically in the ground attack role.

[Gambit21]

2 hours ago, Rjel said:

I really enjoy flying the P-51 against ground targets. While I get knocked down regularly by ground fire, the Mustang is maneuverable enough to avoid (most of the time) the trees that seem to line every damned road and rail line on the map. With the .50s set to 400 meters, it can be devastating against vehicles and rolling stock. They'll stop the locomotives too, just not immediately. All in all, the Mustang seems to behave historically in the ground attack role.

 

The B/C should be good fun then.

 

Pre-invasion ground attack.

[Na-zdorovie]

love being a ground pounder at heart, so really there are a few to choose from, the 110 of course, as is the FWs, and i do like my 50 cals, so the 51 and it seems not much loved P-40 isnt too shabby  here either

[BlitzPig_EL]

9 hours ago, Gambit21 said:

 

The B/C should be good fun then.

 

Pre-invasion ground attack.

 

It will be interesting to see how the B/C compares to the D.  Really looking forward to it.

[I./JG52_Woutwocampe]

The sturmovik with 23mm cannons, the 110.

[Zeev]

I like starting from ramp in the Kuban map on Soviet territory on the airfield that is near the sea, taxi takeoff, strafe the German convoy and get #$@# by their AA guns 90% of the times, quit the game and return to the same routine the next time.
Love to do it especially with every (allied) new plane release.

[Lusekofte]

On 8/6/2021 at 9:57 PM, 352nd_Hoss said:

Love the Typhoon, only plane I'm really accurate with Rockets, and it will disintegrate anything those cannons hit.  just my 2¢ of loose change.....

 

Hoss

Ye. Tiffie ,IL 2, Hurricane