Best Twin-engined fighter

[Glider]

The Ju 88 was an excellent night fighter.

True, Almost as good as the Mossie

 

[B-17engineer]

I just knew someone was gonna say that

 

[kool kitty89]

I wasn't trying to criticize, I was just curious about your reasoning... I should have been more clear.

The Mossie was a good nightfighter too, though with no flexible gun mounts/turrets, but the foreward armament it had was very powerful and the Mossie was fast and maneuverable enough to largely mitigate any need for defensive armament. (it was designed as an unarmmed fast-bomber after all) The Mossie was probably a better night interceptor though...

But the Ju-88 was certainly a very versitile multi-purpose a/c and it did a good job in most roles it served. (though the early versions had inadequate defences for the bomber role) And for its time it was fast for a bomber and its performance was considderably better than the He 111

The He 219 outclassed either craft as a night fighter though, with excelent armament and performance similar to the Mossie . The Ar 240 was also an excelent a/c once the bugs had worked out, but it never saw production, though a few saw service as recon craft iirc.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

The He 219 outclassed either craft as a night fighter though, with excelent armament and performance similar to the Mossie .

Go and check out the Nightfighter thread.

 

[B-17engineer]

Yea........Thanks for clearing it up Kool Kitty

 

[kool kitty89]

Of course the political issues and practicallity of the He 219 is a different issue and high speed isn't as important for night fighters (as long as you have decent speed) inless of course you're intercepting V-1s like the Mossie did, or if you're intercepting fast-bombers like the Mossie.

The Ju 88 was a more practical and cost effective aircraft than the He 219 or Bf 110, and possibly the Mosquito. It was probably a better bomber overall than the He 111 once it got a proper armament.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Again please go and check out the Night Fighter thread. The He 219 was not all it was cracked up to be.

 

[Goodrapid]

Do 335 should be able to fill quite a few roles nicely, especially as interceptor.
Probably would have made a decent night fighter as well.
Good armament options and possibility for fuel as well, if I remember correctly.

And speed IS life.

 

[kool kitty89]

I've read some more on the He 219 and you're right, it wasn't that good. (by any standards, technical or practical). I knew about the official dislike by the RLM, but this is often for political reasons (as seen in the He 100 and Fw 187 by most accounts), but with the bad performance record and dislike by its crews shed more light on the matter.

Conversely the few preproduction Fw 187s flown in Norway were very well liked by thos who flew it (even with the underpowered engines) and found it much superior to the Bf 110. The recomended immediate production to replace the 110 in the role in use there but at this time the recomendation was refused and the 187s were then recalled as they were only in unofficial service. (I know less about the He 100's record, but it apears to have been well liked as well and was in use by Heinkel plant security units)

Info from: Focke-Wulf 187 archive file

 

[kool kitty89]

How good of a night fighter do you think the Ar 240 would have been. Fast, maneuverable, long-ranged, well armmed and with good overall characteristics from the V3 onwards.

 

[hillbillyburg]

How about the up engined Mossie, the de Havilland Hornet?

 

[Edgar Brooks]

How about the up engined Mossie, the de Havilland Hornet?

It was a little more than that, and a single-seater was never favoured by the Air Ministry, due to the workload; that's why the radar-equipped Typhoon and Hurricane were rejected. At height, though, the Hornet could give the Meteor a hard time, so it would've been a formidable nightfighter.

 

[Sagittario64]

p-38 was good. but the dornier 335, was better. imagine having to fight a plane that can easily outrun a tempest.
and its armed to the teeth with a 30mm and 2 20mm cannon. plus a fair amount of bombs make it an excellent fighter bomber. if the germans produced the 335 when the war was still in their favor(they almost did actually), the plentiful supply of high quality materials would have chartered the luftwaffe into absolute air supremacy

 

[tomo pauk]

Expecting from the plane that was in service in late 1941/ early 1942 to compete, on level footing, with the almost post-war plane is hardly fair, though the P-38K and latest P-38Ls would've given any late war plane a good run for their money, even half a continent/ocean away. Not sure many others were capable to return the favor.

One could compare planes of '1946' - ones that were ready to be produced, but the end of war occured 1st. Hence, the Do-335 is in the league of DH Hornet, or Grumman F7F - exceptional engines mated to the airframes of modest size (the smallest that could accomodate the engines, while the complete plane offers great deal of usability).

 

[woljags]

mossie for me chaps