S3 Series

<S> all!
Here is the fighter comparison for battle of Kursk. Please note that:
* The Bf 109G-6 and Bf 109G-6/RVI count as one plane choice, you can fly either but if you lose a life in one of them, you cannot fly the other G-6 version for the remainder of that frame.
* Same goes for the Ju-87D and Ju-87G Stukas.
* Please fly the P-39D with the appropriate Russian skin. It's the Eastern front.
* Both the Ilyushin IL-2 and the Ju-87 Stukas now have fully rehauled flightmodels.

Also note that if you re-update you can now find performance numbers for all fighters in-game by pressing the "Vehicle info" button when in the tower. Same button as you use to change skins.


RUSSIAN FIGHTERS

La-5FN
The La-5FN was a great Russian fighter able to outrun the Fw 190A-4 and Bf 109G-6 at low altitudes. It also turned quite decently, climbed well and rolled fast. At low altitudes the La-5FN pilots are well matched against the Bf 109G-6, and outmatch the Fw 190A-4 in every aspect except firepower. Be careful to fall into a sustained turn fight against the Bf 109G's though, and try to use boom n zoom tactics against them at low alt. You can turn with them for a lap but don't commit to a prolonged tail chase unless up against the G-6/RIV. The drawback of the Lavochkins is the high nose that makes it a bit hard to aim in a dogfight. The German fighters also have better speed above 20 000 ft. Against low flying Fw 190A-4's and Bf 110's you can confidentally engage in any combat tactics of your choice.

La-5F
Fairly similar to the La-5FN, but with an ~100 hp weaker engine and was also shoddier built, resulting in a larger drag from the airframe. As such the La-5F is nearly 30 mph slower than the -5FN at most altitudes. This means it can't match the German fighters in top speed, but still handles and turns like the -5FN.

P-39D
Most S3 pilots flew in it or against it in the Port Moresby series. A robust fighter with the engine aft of the pilot. The P-39D can match the speed of the German fighters and also turn with the Bf 109's down low. It easily outturns the Fw 190. Above 10 000 ft though the German planes hold an advantage. The P-39D is quite tough, has good control at all speeds and can outdive the enemies if needed. This is especially effective against the Bf 109 which can hardly pull it's elevator above 400 mph IAS. Don't engage the nimbler Messerscmitts in a climbing turn fight though.

Yak-9D
A decent plane that is at it's best below 13 000 ft. The Yak-9D is a bit overweight since it carries a lot of fuel. This means it's the Russians fighter of choice for longer escort missions since the La-5's only have 53 minutes of fuel time, while the Yak-9D has 93 minutes of fuel time. It is quite comparable to the La-5F, which has slightly better performance numbers but the Yak-9D has a lower nose and is much easier to aim with. It is slower than the German planes but can outturn the Fw 190A-4. The Bf 109G's are dangerous opponents that can both outturn and outrun the Yakovlev, even down low. Still it's not a to shabby plane and using good wingman tactics this fighter can put up a fight. Later in the war the Russians got the Yak-3, which was a much lighter and agile version of the Yakovlevs. The even later Yak-9U was a very potent fighter.

MiG-3
Fielded a very impressive engine at the time it was developed, but was getting outdated at the time of the battle of Kursk. The MiG-3 was developed as a high altitude fighter and is actually quite decent above 20 000 ft. While the Bf 109G and Fw 190A-4 are overall better fighters, the MiG-3 is still a decent plane and in the hands of good pilots it can perform quite well, especially when flown at high altitudes. When up high the MiG-3 can even match the Bf 109G in a turn fight with a good chance of coming out on top. The armament is a bit lacking though.


AXIS FIGHTERS

Fw 190A-4
The A-8 didn't make combat entry until 1944, and the A-4 will struggle hard against the La-5FN at low altitudes. The La-5FN both outruns, outturns and outclimbs the Fw 190A-4 below 14 000 ft. At high altitude though the Fw 190 can put up a fight since it has a slight speed advantage above 15000 ft. Against the other Russian planes the A-4 is a potent adversary and can make use of it's speed and heavy guns for boom n zoom tactics at all altitudes. Don't try to turn fight in the Fw 190A-4! It's important for the Fw 190A-4 pilot to quickly recognise which version of the La-5 he is fighting. The superior La-5FN has a white camouflage, while the inferior La-5F has a green camouflage.

Bf 109G-6
The G-6 is probably the best choice below 20 000 ft for the Axis. While the La-5FN is faster at low alt, the Bf 109G's can outturn it. The G-6 is quite on par with the P-39D, but has an advantage in climb rate and the roll, and the Messerschmitt is superior to the other Russian fighters if flown right. The major drawback of the Bf 109's is that the elevator quickly becomes heavy with increasing speed. Also be careful since the WEP only has a 1 minute limit before the engine overheats.

Bf 109G-6/RVI
Same plane as the G-6 but 7 mph slower due to the drag from it's added gondola cannons. It also rolls slower and is heavier. The positive trait is that the G-6/RVI has a great firepower with 2x 13 mm mg's and 3x 20 mm cannons.

Bf 109G-2
Very similar to the Bf 109G-6 and somewhat lighter, but has weaker machineguns and cannot use the 1 minute WEP at 1.42 ata. This since the DB 605A engine was restricted to 1.30 ata of manifold pressure until the G-6 was in service. Otherwise it handles very much like the G-6. Against the Yak-9D, P-39D and MiG-3 all Bf 109's should confidently engage in a climbing spiral turn fight. Be aware though that the Lavochkins can match the climb rate of the Messerschmitts.

Bf 110G-2
Able to carry a high payload and very heavy armament, the Bf 110G-2 is a good dive bomber and buff killer. Above 20 000 ft it can also outspeed the Russian planes, except the La-5FN and MiG-3. At low altitudes though the Bf 110G's will be in trouble if intercepted without escort, but can put up a fight if using disciplined close support wingman tactics. It fields the same DB 605A engine as the G-6, and will overheat after a minute of WEP at 1.42 ata.











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Cheers and hope this info is helpful!
/Robert

There is now a dragco fix to the La-5F fighter available for download which was released today (Friday). It also contains a fix to the G4M Betties defensive machineguns, which I found were not functional and couldn't fire any bullets (only the defensive 20 mm cannons were able to fire). This update is not forced but The La-5F will be featured in the coming S3 series so it is recommended to download the fix by clicking the "update" button in the game.

<S>
/Robert

<S>!
For frame 4 & 5 the P-39Q will replace the P-39D. As such I've updated the graphs for the fighter comparisons.

P-39Q Airacobra
The P-39Q is a better version of the P-39D. It is faster and 277 lb lighter. It also replaces the four .303 cals with two .50 cal Mg's. The engine of the P-39Q is slightly weaker at the deck than the engine of the P-39D, but the P-39Q has a better high altitude performance. The slightly weaker engine is also easily made up for by the lighter weight and the lower drag of the P-39Q, allowing it a higher top speed at all altitudes compared to the P-39D.

This plane was well liked by the Russian pilots in ww2 and is definitely a serious threat to the German fighters. While the Bf 109G had a speed advantage above 10 000 ft against the P-39D, The P-39Q can outspeed all German planes up to 17 000 ft. It can also turn with the Bf 109G's and has the same stall speed. The Bf 109G's roll faster though, but they are evenly matched indeed. The P-39Q is probably the superior fighter below 15 000 ft, while the Bf 109G is superior above 20 000 ft. Against the Fw 190A-4 the P-39Q is definitely superior at low altitude, while the Fw 190A-4 has a speed advantage above 17 000 ft. The Fw 190A-4 can run with the P-39Q below 4000 ft though, so the Focke Wulf needs to stay fast at all times as the Fw 190A-4 cannot turn with the Airacobra.









Cheers!
/Robert