The Bell P-39 Airacobra was one of the main American fighter aircraft in service when the United States entered World War II. It had exceptional low and mid-altitude performance, and was used very successfully by the Soviet Air Force, scoring the highest number of individual kills attributed to any U.S. fighter type in the Eastern European theatre. Its heavy armor-plating also greatly contributed to pilot´s safety. Over half the total production of Airacobras, 4719 units, were sent to Russia.
Lacking the necessary turbocharger, it had poor altitude performance, so it was not used over Western Europe, where the emphasis was on high altitude fighters, but it saw service in the Pacific Theatre.
Designed by Bell Aircraft, the P-39 was an innovative design: It was the first fighter to have a tricycle landing-gear, and its engine was centrally located behind the cockpit, driving the propeller by means of a transmission shaft. This allowed for the installation of a 37mm cannon firing through the propeller hub, as well as two 0.50 cal. machine guns firing through the propeller arc. Four additional 0.30 cal wing-machine guns completed the standard armament, and there was provision for an under-fuselage bomb or drop-tank.
The first Airacobra production series was the P39D model, the P39D-2 being a more powerful variant, with a 1325 Hp Allison V-1710-63 12-cyl. engine, and a top speed of 372 mph at 13000 ft. 158 units were produced.
At least 50 of these units were sent on lend/lease to Russia, delivered via the Mediterranean route through Iran. Russian engineers often removed the wing-guns for greater maneuverability, sometimes also exchanging the 37mm Oldsmobile cannon for the 20mm Hispano Suiza or SchVAK cannon, which were not only lighter, but also stored twice the ammunition.
The unit depicted in this release is Nº 27, Serial number 41-38555, and belonged to the 16th GvIAP. It was flown by 1st.Lt. Iskrin Nikolay Mikhailovich in the spring of 1942, and survived the war.
This release is a completely re-worked, updated and upgraded model of Eric Johnson´s original 1998 AF5 AFX, involving mainly generally rounder shapes, a transparent cockpit with pilot, and corrected positioning of some structural elements.
Includes Dp files, SCASM-corrected virtual cockpit view, CFS1 .air file with CFS1 engine and propeller, and CFS custom P-39 V2 panel by Dan Griffin. Source AFX and PCX files also included.
By Stephan Scholz
