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Well, that kinda knocked me off my feet. Because I distinctly remember this well known website about Finnish experiences with the Bf 109:IMHO Finnish pilots agree with most of so called 'problems'
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Notleistung was permanently accepted in Oct 43 and the t/o weight of 109G-6 was 3100 - 3196kg (depending the docu one looks)
Juha
Well, that kinda knocked me off my feet. Because I distinctly remember this well known website about Finnish experiences with the Bf 109:
virtualpilots.fi: 109myths
And I am talking about empty weight, based on official German test report sheets. Of course the G-6 gained more weigth.
Kris
Anyway, if the answers to the above questions were YES
The logical next step after the F4 would be the aerodynamic airframe of the K4, even with DB605A. Could be available middle /late 43 . Would be 25-30 km/h faster than G6 on same engine.
A new ,under fuselage radiator could give some additional speed . The freed space at wings perhaps could accept small fuel tanks
Or introduce some type of combat flaps.
Standart main wheels , not the enlarged of the K4. Long tail wheel. Accept the fact that it was a small air superiority fighter. Not use it as multi purpose fighter, with heavy equipment. Its structure and landing gear should be only strong enough to support the standart configuration (with the 605 engine) and a 300lt drop tank. No 30mm cannons,no rockets ,no bombs , no presurized cocpits, no fancy radios . All these required additional structural strength (=additional weight)
Improve its armament by introducing better guns I have read about the proposals and studies of a faster firing and lighter 20mm gun, and more powerful but little heavier 13mm HMG
Introduce flettner tabs IF the wing can handle the forces
Study the possibility for a sliding canopy similar to that of Ania S199. It seems to offer even better visibility than Erla canopy
Study the possibility to replace the under nose oil cooler with a cooler similar to that of D9
Study the usefulnes of a different attachement of the wing for higher speeds
Ensure good building quality
Use slipper fuel tanks to boost range
Introduce as soon as possinle MW50 ,wide propellers and 603 supercharger
Simply replace it with an easier to produce version of the Fiat G55
That's EASY. Change the requirements so the landing gear track was wider.
And the solution was...Possibly doable, but would need a major redesign of the aircraft, since the fuel tank was already where a Mustang-style ducting would be. The Italian design had such, but the Germans criticized those for a) being too small capacity b) making it impossible to mount heavier bombs under the fuselage hardpoint. Note the size of italian wing bombs.. and droptanks.
True, but he was the commander of a Bf 109 unit. I am sure he knew what he was talking about.Hello, if you read the comments of the most experienced, you see what I meant, for. ex Karhunen never flew 109 in combat, all his kills were achieved while flying Fokker and B-239.
Juha
Interesting. On which batches is that? And why was it not generally introduced? My gut feeling tells me there was no need for it.Agree. It was a mistake that these were only introduced on certain batches.
Declined? I believe the Italian surrender came in between. Would you happen to have a source which states that the Germans declined?They would end up with much fewer fighters with different set of problems.. the G55 was a good fighter, but costly and far from perfect IMHO. The Germans considered it seriously, even tested it, but declined in the end.
They already tried modifying an existing Bf 109. Every change led to another required change, eventually becoming the Me 209, a totally different ship.Basically needed a 190D or Tempest like conversion. Stretch the fuselage, bigger wing, bubble cockpit, bit more fuel, some more guns.
Crash program, start (say) mid 41, production in late 42.
And the solution was...
You need more than a (or two, with two hardpoints, you have only to have enough power to lift it) 640 kg bomb? The Re.2005 made several tests with the asymmetrical hardpoint, with good results (even the landing of the MM495 prototype with a 640kg bomb still attached to the rack due to a failure in the hydraulic system can be considered a success), and it still had the wing hardpoints.
Note thet this solution was possible only with the outward retracting wheels.
That's producing it in Italy. Even producing a Bf109 in Italy would require much more hour of work than producing it in Germany. Were the industrial conditions more than the projects that made the difference.Even switching to the G55 you'd only get one of G55 for every two 109s.
Also, I am very curious and sceptical about the Kurt Tank link. I do not see why he would be interested in the licence production. In fact, he would be least likely candidate, as he had the Dora lined up.