which was the real biggest fighter in WW2?

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

R

rousseau

Airman
65
0
Jan 3, 2007
The wing area of the Corsair significantly larger than the Thunderbolt, but aft one conversely won the heaviest record, comparably, they has close length and same engine, so I wonder why the Thunderbolt heavy so much and why the Corsair's service life shorter than Thunderbolt?
What about specification of their performance? Was the Thunderbolt an attacker rather than a fighter?
 
Would have to be the P-61 Black Widow bit shorter than a 217 but about 6000lbs heavier and bigger wing span, also the 217 was a converted bomber the P-61 was a dedicated fighter from the drawing board.
 

Thunderbolt was designed from inside-out: the boys from Republic 1st attached the R-2800 to a elaborate turbo-charger installation that enabled high power (= high performance) even at 30-35000 feet. The drawback was added bulk, and therefore the weight.
Corsair was designed with engine-driven supercharger - a much more compact system than exhaust gas driven supercharger (=turbocharger). So the hull was smaller lighter. Thunderbolt also featured 2 HMGs more than Corsair.
I'm not sure Thunderbolt have had longer service life - Corsair was used even in Korean war.
About the specification of performance, you should find some dedicated threads in this forum. IIRC, generally the same generation Corsair was ~better~ below 20K, while P-47 was better above 25K. Between 20K 25K those were about equal.
As for what type was better suited for fighter service, I'd say both were very god - some even consider them the best fighters of WW2. Being rugged and with decent payload, they were good (ground/surface) attackers.
 
Corsair was in production much longer than P47 and the corsair had a much longer service life. Neither was the largest fighter. I think P61 takes that honor.
 
I've read that the P-61 was the largest American plane with the "P" designation. "P" for pursuit so at least on the American side, the largest fighter was the P-61.
 
Interesting to compare the single-seat, single-engined heavyweights side by side.

Specs for the P-47D (P-47N had improved internal fuel tanks, but same area):
Height: 14' 8"/4.47m
Length: 36' 1"/11.00m
Wingspan: 40' 9"/12.42m
Wing Area: 300'²/27.87m²
Empty Weight: 10,000lb./4,536kg
Loaded Weight: 17,500lb./7,938kg

Specs for the F4U-1A (F4U-4 was slightly larger/heavier):
Height: 16' 1"/4.90m
Length: 33' 4"/10.1m
Wingspan: 41'/12.5m
Wing Area: 314'²/29.17m²
Empty Weight: 8,982lb./4,073kg
Loaded Weight: 14,000lb./6,300kg

Compared to the P-38L (J had added fuel tanks to the outboard wing area added dive-recovery flaps) also keeping in mind that it had the additional weight of a second engine, so it wouldn't qualify as a single-engined fighter:
Height: 12' 10"/3.91m
Length: 37' 10"/3m
Wingspan: 52'/15.85m
Wing Area: 327.5'²/30.43m²
Empty Weight: 12,800lb./5,800kg
Loaded Weight: 17,500lb./7,940kg

And for the heck of it, I'll toss in a few Axis single-seaters.
Fw190A-8:
Height: 13'/3.95m
Length: 29' 5"/9m
Wingspan: 34' 5"/10.51m
Wing Area: 196.99'²/18.30m²
Empty Weight: 7,060lb./3,200kg
Loaded Weight: 9,735lb./4,417kg

KI-100-1a:
Height: 12' 4"/3.75m
Length: 28' 11"/8.82m
Wingspan: 39' 4"/12m
Wing Area: 215'²/20m²
Empty Weight: 5,567lb./2,525kg
Loaded Weight: 7,705lb./3,495kg
 
Everybody seems to be forgetting the F6F Hellcat, I guess because it was carrier based people tend to think it was small, but it wasn't




Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat
Dimensions:
Wing span: 42 ft 10 in (13.05 m)
Length: 33 ft 10 in (10.31 m)
Height: 14 ft 5 in (4.39 m)
Wing Area: 334 sq ft (31 sq m)
Weights:
Empty: 9,060 lbs (4,110 kg)
Normal Gross: 12,598 lbs (5,714 kg)
Maximum Gross: 15,413 lbs (6,991 kg)
 
GG, I am pretty sure that the P47N had a greater wing span than other P47s which was where they carried the extra fuel. Online there is a P47N shown at the Cavanagh Air Museum in Addison Texas and the specs show the wing span as 42 feet 7 inches. I used to fly a 172 out of Addison and have seen that Jug, sitting next to a Spitfire and it is a monster, making the Spit look like a toy.
 
Last edited:
renrich said:
GG, I am pretty sure that the P47N had a greater wing span than other P47s which was where they carried the extra fuel.
Click to expand...
I think it did too, but wasn't going to commit to that, because I'll be danged if I can find my specs on it!

Better to err on the side of caution, you know?

Still, the D was a beast in it's own right, especially with a Takeoff weight of 17,500 pounds...
 
P-47N
wingspan 42 feet 7 inches,
length 36 feet 4 inches,
height 14 feet 7 inches,
wing area 322 square feet

P-47D
wingspan 40 feet 9 3/8 inches,
length 36 feet 1 3/4 inches,
height 14 feet 7 inches,
wing area 300 square feet

Republic P-47 Thunderbolt
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)

Similar threads

A
Was the Hispano-Suiza 12Y the worst ≥25L V-12 of WW2?
2 3
Replies
46
Views
3K
ThomasP
T
W
The scarcity of fighter to fighter FW-190A pilot combat accounts...
2 3
Replies
52
Views
3K
GrauGeist
M
So The Germans Really Did Have Flying Saucers in WW2
Replies
15
Views
2K
GregP
How good was the soviet air force?
22 23 24
Replies
474
Views
37K
Thumpalumpacus
D
Total number of USAAF fighter pilots enlisted in WW2
2
Replies
25
Views
5K
J.A.W.
Menu
Log in
Register