best piston CAS: P-47, IL-2 or A-1 skyraider

Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules

I'd vote AD. Importantly, it was produced after, which means that the customer could better define their needs and the designers better execute them. It also had sufficient performance, unladen, to be a serious handful for piston-engine fighters. Pilots flying ADs also shot down La-11 and MiG-17 fighters (in the case of the MiGs, it probably says less about the AD than it does about the competence of the MiG pilots)
 
Does the P-47 really belong in the CAS category? It's a fighter that can be heavily armed for ground attack, like the Typhoon, Tempest and variants of Fw 190, but it's a fighter that should be ensuring air superiority for the CAS birds below. If you already have air supremacy, then anything that can carry the bombs can do the job.
 
space dodo said:
I know the A-1 was produced after the other 2. i'm just curious to see which of them was superior.
Click to expand...
Depends - with complete air superiority over battlefield, the A-1 is best. If he airspace is contested, the P-47 is best.

EDIT; One jet aircraft contested airspace - like Korea, neither one were capable of securing the airspace. AD was uncontested 'best' IMO from that point forward.

NOTE: In1941 the AAC/AAF doctrine split Observation and Attack and Attack Fighters were tasked to provide both Attack and sir superiority and recon. The A-36 was purchased on this basis. At the time (1942) the P-39 was primary, replaced largely with A-36 and P-40 and P-47 in 1943-44. The reason the first P-51B Groups were sent to 9th AF is that they were selected to replace all P-40 and P-39 in TAC role. There was a lot of politics involved and the Chief, Air Defense was a P-38 acolyte - but also tasked for priority allocation of fighters. Gen. Saville was over-run by Arnold in August 1943 after Blitz Week and P-51B were prioritized for escort in ETO.
 
Last edited:
drgondog said:
Depends - with complete air superiority over battlefield, the A-1 is best. If he airspace is contested, the P-47 is best.
Click to expand...
Do you think the P-47's low altitude air-to-air performance was superior to the A-1? I am curious why you think the P-47 would be better in contested airspace.
That is an interesting question, I wonder if an unladen A-1 wouldn't be a better air-to-air fighter at low altitude
 
The Skyraider WAS a WWII airplane. First flight was 18 Mar 1945. It was designed and built at the end of the war, and the technology was firmly WWII. The only thing later that wasn't was avionics.
 
thanks for the replies, I get the feeling that a better question would have been IL-2 vs P-47 vs Typhoon. and i know that the P-47 was an air superiority fighter but it is also well known for CAS
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)

Similar threads

Best piston engined fighter of 1945?
7 8 9
Replies
168
Views
15K
PAT303
P
Best piston engine(s) for fighters of 1945?
5 6 7
Replies
130
Views
12K
spicmart
S
P
Skyraider suitable for escort carriers??
Replies
13
Views
1K
EwenS
E
A
Best WW2 Seafire vs. best A6M Zero
Replies
9
Views
1K
Shortround6
S
T
P-47 roll rate - a bit of new (to me) info
Replies
1
Views
609
Shortround6
S
Menu
Log in
Register