Dev Blog #49
Hello, comrades!
In today’s issue, we look at the primary weapon of attack and bomber pilots, the decisive factor in any country’s air force, and the fear of enemy ground forces: the bombs and rockets of combat aircraft in our new sim "Korea. Il2 Series."
In today’s issue, we look at the primary weapon of attack and bomber pilots, the decisive factor in any country’s air force, and the fear of enemy ground forces: the bombs and rockets of combat aircraft in our new sim "Korea. Il2 Series."
In general, the situation with such weapons in the 1950s was quite interesting, as it differed significantly between the two opposing sides. In the Soviet paradigm of military aircraft construction at the turn of the 1940s and 1950s, the specialization of combat aircraft types was explicit. Of the Soviet fighters in the game, only the MiG-15 could carry bombs (two 100 kg bombs), and only the Il-10 attack aircraft were equipped with rockets.
This contrasts sharply with American practice, where the universalization of combat aircraft prevailed: fighters could use a wide range of bombs and rockets.
The F-86A had two pylons, each capable of carrying one bomb weighing up to 1,000 pounds. Eight rocket pylons could carry up to 16 rockets. The F-80C-10 and F-84E could take the same number and weight of bombs, and each had four pylons for rockets, totaling eight rockets.
The F-80C-10 had the unique ability to replace the wingtip tanks with bombs, increasing its total number to four.
The F-86A had two pylons, each capable of carrying one bomb weighing up to 1,000 pounds. Eight rocket pylons could carry up to 16 rockets. The F-80C-10 and F-84E could take the same number and weight of bombs, and each had four pylons for rockets, totaling eight rockets.
The F-80C-10 had the unique ability to replace the wingtip tanks with bombs, increasing its total number to four.
At the same time, special adapters were developed for the F-84E, allowing it to carry up to 32 (!) rockets.
The Soviet La-11 and Yak-9P piston aircraft had no underwing weapons at all, while the American F-51D fighter had two pylons for bombs weighing up to 1,000 pounds each and six rocket pylon attachment points. It was possible to replace the two bomb pylons with four more rocket pylons, bringing their total number to ten.
The specialized Il-10 had two bomb bays that could hold small-caliber bombs, two bomb pylons, and four rocket pylons under the wings, allowing it to carry a wide variety of bombs with a total weight of up to 600 kg.
AI-controlled bombers, of course, will have a vast bomb arsenal. The Tu-2 carried up to 4 tons of bombs in its internal compartment and on four external suspension points. The B-29 in the sim could carry 500, 1,000, and 2,000-pound bombs with a total weight of up to 16,000 pounds in the bomb bay.
The bombs and rockets of American aircraft
AI-controlled bombers, of course, will have a vast bomb arsenal. The Tu-2 carried up to 4 tons of bombs in its internal compartment and on four external suspension points. The B-29 in the sim could carry 500, 1,000, and 2,000-pound bombs with a total weight of up to 16,000 pounds in the bomb bay.
The bombs and rockets of American aircraft
- 110 gal Napalm - a tank with 110 gallons (416 liters) of incendiary compound (napalm);
- AN-M26A1 Parachute Flare - illumination parachute bomb;
- AN-MK8 - illumination parachute flare used from C-47B aircraft;
- AN-M30A1 - 100-pound high-explosive fragmentation bomb;
- AN-M57A1 - 250-pound high-explosive fragmentation bomb;
- AN-M64A1 - 500-pound high-explosive fragmentation bomb;
- AN-M65A1 - 1,000-pound high-explosive fragmentation bomb;
- AN-M66A2 - 2,000-pound high-explosive fragmentation bomb;
- AN-M88 - 220-pound fragmentation bomb;
- M26A2 - cassette containing 20 bomblets of 20-pound AN-M41A1 fragmentation submunitions;
- M29A1 - cassette bomb containing 90 bomblets of 4-pound M83 fragmentation parachute submunitions;
- 5-inch HVAR - high velocity fragmentation rocket projectile;
- 6.5-inch ATAR - a cumulative rocket projectile;
- 11.75-inch “Tiny Tim” - a large-caliber rocket projectile, a 250-pound rocket-powered bomb used on the F-84E.
The bombs and rockets of Soviet aircraft
The heavy bombs carried by the Tu-2
Small-caliber bombs and rockets used on Il-10 attack aircraft
- SAB-100-55 - illumination parachute bomb;
- FAB-50s - 50 kg high-explosive fragmentation bomb;
- FAB-100s - 100 kg high-explosive fragmentation bomb;
- FAB-250M43 - 250 kg high-explosive fragmentation bomb.
The heavy bombs carried by the Tu-2
- FAB-500M44 - 500 kg high-explosive fragmentation bomb;
- FAB-1000M43 - 1000 kg high-explosive fragmentation bomb;
- FAB-2000M44 - 2000 kg high-explosive fragmentation bomb.
Small-caliber bombs and rockets used on Il-10 attack aircraft
- AO-10sch - 10 kg small-caliber fragmentation bomb;
- AO-2.5sch - 2.5 kg small-caliber fragmentation bomb;
- AO-25sl - small-caliber 25 kg fragmentation bomb;
- DAG-10 - 1.8 kg parachute defensive fragmentation grenade;
- PTAB-10-2.5 - small-caliber 2.5 kg cumulative bomb;
- PTAB-2.5-1.5 - 1.5 kg small-caliber cumulative bomb;
- M-8 - 82 mm rocket projectile;
- M-13UK - 132 mm rocket projectile with improved accuracy (due to additional flight stabilizing holes in the engine casing).
We will continue to discuss the features of the Korean aircraft, their combat applications, and the environment in which they will operate.
