I kindly disagree. The A4 version was a hot rod. Then they lengthened the fuselage in front of the cocpit , added heavy and draggy bomb rack , deleted the main wheel's covers. All these modifications in order to better carry bomb loads. Certainly the A5,6,7,8 versions were excellent multimission platforms but at significant cost in air superiority performance
Bomb rack was probably a very small percentage of the total weight, but I agree that it induced a good deal of speed loss - some 21 km/h
per this doc.
(a pair of MG FF cannons was 'guilty' for a 10 km/h loss; both speed figures for the Steig & Kampfleistung and high up)
BMW 801 being a thirsty engine was not helping out, so perhaps having earlier increse of internal fuel while deleting the ETC might've been a good idea? But then again, the weight of the clean A/C goes up - again a thing precluding the light fighter 190 to happen.
The A7 made the matters worse by having the draggy MG 131 installation (-10 km/h), and the A8 by having both increased internal fuel + ETC + MG 131 installation. Poor BMW was out of it's league by Autumn of 1943 for the ETO needs, not just because someone (RLM?) didn't green-lit the 801E production, while allowing BMW to burn the time and resources with the 802 and 803.
Usually but not always. The british used different fighters for various altitudes . Tempest and LF spitfires for low altitude work, Spitfires with normal wings and superchargers for high altitude. The germans with exactly the same aircraft were trying to fight p47s and p38s at 9000m and yaks, las, and tempests at deck level
. Jg 26 , on the same day, on the morning should intercept spitfires lfs, and in the midday b17s at 7000m
A Fw 190 with an engine that has a much better S/C than what was available would've been just great for all altitudes, but that never happened. See just how the A9 was better than the A8 at all altitudes, due to having an engine with an improved S/C and better power at any altitude.
Note that Tempest was mostly used under 20000 ft because of a bug (Sabre's weak S/C), not because it was a feature. Americans had no problems in using P-47s and P-38s at low altitudes, granted once LW was a spent force.
I would not remove any armor. I doubt that A4s were still operational when 1.65 ata became available for the bmw.
In that case, the 3700 kg target is not achievable, even if 3760 kg is still fairly light weight for the 190. Add the external intakes and the hi-alt capabilities gain another - if not big - increase.
It was not just the weight, it increased the wet area . Also it may have caused a slight reduction in rate of roll
It served the purpose of restoring the CoG into the safe zone, without the production taking a hit.
I doubt that there was any reduction of the rate of roll, since the plug was a light affair, and was very close to the datum line.
No, the mg131s eith their synchronization mechanisms were at least as heavy as a 20 mm cannon engine
You might be right.
My point is that counting on worthwhile weight reduction by installing the 3rd 151/20 instead the two MG 131 is far fetched.
They were bigger, but still quite lighter! And much more streamlined. And with bigger wings .And more fuel.And more ammo. And more potential.
By the way , i feel the speed numbers that we have for the 5 ,series fighters were with engines cleared for 1.3 ata. By the time 1.42 ata was cleared italy had changed sides
If you intending to take the advantage of G.55s greater fuel and ammo potential, and couple that with it's bigger size, the end result is not an over-performer, but an under-performer. I'm not sure that an under-performer is a desired outcome.
The G.55 was indeed clocked at 1.30 ata and 2600 rpm, same as other Italian 5 series fighters, and came out as the slowest of them all. Even with the fully-rated DB 605A, having yet another 650 km/h fighter by the time Alies are fielding 680-700 km/h fighters and in greater numbers is not a recipe for success.
A fiat g55 took 15000 hours to be produced.it could be improved , maybe to 9000 hours. It would have far less landing accidents than the bf109, far better range, more ammo, so far more efficient .And still could be produced instead of the Me410 and bf 110G zerstorcher As bomber interceptor would be faaar better and cheaper
A Fw 190 with the same engine would've been even easier and faster to produce, it will have a lower drag and thus greater speed than the G.55, while still retaining the good features of the Fw 190 (cockpit, undercarriage, rate of roll, very useful internal volume both for firepower and fuel). Also far better and cheaper than the MTT heavy fighters.
Its extremely clear that mc202 amd mc 205 used far more efficiently the Db engines than the bf109.
More efficiently than the Bf 109E in the way of being faster - being two years late has its upsides, too. OTOH, Emil was one of the keys to the Germany's early conquest, so I'd say that 109 was a very, very efficient way of use of the DB engines. The MC.202 1st saw combat more than two years than the Emil - not sure that was very efficient by the Italians.
By that time, the Bf 109F was a very efficient use of the DB 601, with the 202 retaining only the better U/C as a plus?
MC.205 indeed have had a lot of pluses vs, the 109, like the better U/C and greater firepower without retorting to the gondolas and bulges. Just like the 202, it took inordinate time to manufacture.