Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules
Can someone explain how diving vertically on a target reduces the bombers vulnerability, I would have thought it was the opposite, just askin'.
Not according to the Pilot's Notes ...
...PI767 was delivered to
Boscombe in October 1941 (Merlin 30), weighed 12,820
Ib with a 1,5661b torpedo, and completed handling during
which it was found impossible to achieve more than 330
mph in a dive without the use of dive flaps (425 mph
permitted) or 240 mph (later 280) with use of dive flaps
(300 mph permitted).
Most, if not all AA guns were unable to be elevated more than 85 deg.
Many of the RN's destroyers were using their 4.7" guns as 'anti aircraft' guns, and well into the war too. These had a maximum elevation of 40 degrees making a vertical dive bomber almost invulnerable.
Cheers
Steve
Maybe I missed something but I don't see anything in the Pilot's Notes to that effect. The Secret Years, p.294 states:
P1767 was lighter than the later models, but the speeds recorded were still well under the permitted limits. During the later tests P1767 had been modified to Mk II standards and was somewhat heavier and recorded 280mph in the dive (as noted above).
Barrage fire is all well and good, but with an elevation of only 40 degrees it might be ineffective against dive bombers approaching at a typical 9,000-12,000 feet as the RN found out when the Luftwaffe went after Illustrious.
Cheers
Steve
What does the pilots' notes say??? That the only real and official source for this discussion.
Pilot's notes (Feb 1945) state that the IAS Vmax during a dive is 315 knots or 260 knots with dive brakes; the earlier editions state the same.
on the Sb2C, for example, increases in aircraft AUW meant that the DBs were no longer effective in keeping the speed under Vmax during a prolonged dive.
And the predictive fire was limited by the predictive abilities of the fire control system. We know how well the RN's systems worked against aircraft diving at over 350 mph at 80 or 90 degrees. Illustrious was equipped with more modern equipment and I guess others in the task force (Warspite, Valiant?) were too. I have no idea how her close escorts like Hasty and Jaguar were equipped. It didn't stop Illustrious being reduced to a floating liability in six and a half minutes.
Cheers
Steve
I believe the dive brakes will keep the aircraft at Vmax providing you're working within the parameters of the pilot's notes (2,000 rpm).
What makes you say that?
Right, but why would you come to the conclusion that the maximum permissible diving IAS they list is 'the speed at which your aircraft will stay provided you keep your engine settings as prescribed'?
The US 1.1 gun mount was specially built to combat dive bombers an could slew the guns 15 degrees either way independent of training the mount.
Maybe, maybe not - look in the POH. I'm on the way out, I'll engage later.Interesting detail.
-----
A forgotten divebomber of ww2 is the A-36 Apache or Invader, being basically a converted fighter I guess its vertical bombing speed should be very high. And yes... the dive brakes are precisely made to avoid the aircraft to achieve terminal speed.