ITT: Aircrafts

File: A6M Zero.jpg (2MB, 3072x2048px) Image search: [Google]

2MB, 3072x2048px

>>3084911
Sortie, kill and loss figures

U.S. figures compiled at the end of the war indicate that the F4U and FG flew 64,051 operational sorties for the U.S. Marines and U.S. Navy through the conflict (44% of total fighter sorties), with only 9,581 sorties (15%) flown from carrier decks.[63] F4U and FG pilots claimed 2,140 air combat victories against 189 losses to enemy aircraft, for an overall kill ratio of over 11:1.[64] Against the best Japanese opponents, the aircraft claimed a 12:1 kill ratio against Mitsubishi A6M and 6:1 against the Nakajima Ki-84, Kawanishi N1K-J and Mitsubishi J2M combined during the last year of the war.[65] The Corsair bore the brunt of U.S. fighter-bomber missions, delivering 15,621 short tons (14,171 metric tons) of bombs during the war (70% of total bombs dropped by U.S. fighters during the war).[64]

Corsair losses in World War II were as follows:-

By aerial combat: 189
By enemy ground and ship-board anti-aircraft fire: 349
Operational losses during combat missions: 230
Operational losses during non-combat flights: 692
Destroyed aboard ships or on the ground: 164[64]

seems it did well

Adequate fighters,would certainly decimate a zero when they get it in the sights
Having more survivability means you can scoop out survivors and means that you keep those veterans,which is a huge part in america's success since the jap pool of skilledfighter was so low that kamikaze was a viable option

File: NishizawasA6M32sm.jpg (56KB, 800x419px) Image search: [Google]

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>>3084929
Then why did the Japanese then focused on their aircrafts being lightweight as possible instead of increasing it's survivability? Were they banking on the idea that veteran pilots can pilot anything as long as they could get the job done and come back alive while shooting down American planes?

>>3084945
Veteran pilots did do that, thing is veteran pilots also fuck up and die, and when they die its near impossible to replace.

>>3084945
Thats what i said senpai
Japs fell for the manueverability meme while disregarding even having a sealable fuel tank

>>3084945
Because despite the focus of the IJN's carrier force, it could at most carry about 700 aircraft at once, and a bunch of those would be bombers.

Light fighters means that the enormous number of planes you have based on your island bases all over the pacific have long ranges, and can mutually support each other if one comes under attack. It also means they can go on long patrols over the water from said bases, which is important if you say, want to spot an incoming fleet in time to do something about it.

>>3084985
>>3084985
The coordination between them and the carrier task force was horrendous though
The battle of the philippine sea was so devastating because of the inability of their land based aircraft and fleet to even relay their intention let alone communicate

>>3084984
>while disregarding even having a sealable fuel tank
What does this mean exactly? American planes could plug a pierced tank while still in the air?

>>3084993
Yes, but what does that have to do with the priorities in aircraft design? The Japanese wanted very light planes because less mass means more fuel efficiency, and that was very important to them.

>>3084994
It's basically when your aircraft is leaking oil,it has to be able to seal itself while in mid air with vulcanized rubber.This causes it to swell and stop the leak.Leakage can ignite fires due to enemy fire as well as loss of fuel

>>3084994
Extra layers which made the fuel tank much less prone to catching fire if shot

>>3084995
If the Japanese had a source of oil earlier, like let say they discover it in Manchuria, did they have a design on the books for a more survivable, heavy duty fighter?

>>3085052
It's not about the amount of fuel oil available in stocks. It's about how much a single fighter can carry in its operational range. Seriously look at the Pacific islands for a second. They wanted stuff based in the northern end of the Marianas to be able to help in the southern end and vice versa. Truk needed to defend a large segment of the Carolines. The bases on the Marshalls, Kwajalein, Eniwetok, Majuro, ideally should be mutually able to support each other.

That means planes that can fly far. Lighter planes can fly farther than heavier planes on the same stretch of fuel. I'm not sure why you're having so much trouble grasping the concept.

>>3084945
the japs didn't have unmolested iron and fuel supplies and their capability of building any engine they wanted in limitless numbers was very limited.

They had to keep their planes light to get the most speed and altitude out of the engine they had available.

The Japs had great engine designs, easily on par with the Pratt&Whitney, but they didn't have the material to build them or fuel to run them.