War Thunder Wiki - User contributions [en]

M/71 (120 kg)

2023-01-28T19:17:32Z

U533116: /* Description */ Added an image of the bomb.

== Description ==
[[File:M71 (120 kg) Blueprint.png|none|thumb|500x500px|The Swedish M/71 120 kg bomb]]

The '''120 kg M/71''' is a Swedish aerial-dropped bomb. It was introduced alongside the [[AJ37]] in [[Update "Ground Breaking"]].

=== Vehicles equipped with this weapon ===


* {{Specs-Link|saab_aj37}}

== General info ==


The M/71 is essentially an updated version of the [[M/61 (120 kg)|M/61]] bomb with a new spiked nose fuze. It is a relatively low-yield high-explosive fragmentation bomb and has low-drag style body with four stabilizer fins on the tail section. The "M" in the name refers to it being a weapon and the "71" describes the year of its introduction.

{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="2" |'''Bomb Characteristics'''
|-
|'''Mass'''
|120 kg
|-
|'''Explosive type'''
|Composition B
|-
|'''Explosive mass'''
|30 kg
|-
|'''TNT equivalent'''
|39.3 kg
|-
|'''HE max penetration'''
|70 mm
|-
|'''Armour destruction radius'''
|4 m
|-
|'''Fragment dispersion Radius'''
|96 m
|}

=== Effective damage ===


The M/71 has no special armour-piercing properties and does all of its damage through sheer explosive force. With an explosive mass of 39.3 kg TNTeq and an armour destruction radius of only 4 m, the bomb is most suited for precision strikes against soft targets, though a direct hit will still destroy an armoured target like an MBT.

=== Comparison with analogues ===

{| class="wikitable"
!'''Bomb Characteristics'''
!M/71 (120 kg)
![[LDGP Mk 81 (250 lb)]]
![[OFAB-100 (100 kg)]]
![[SAMP Mk 81 (250 lb)|SAMP Mk 81 (250 lb]])
|-
|'''Mass'''
|120 kg
|260 lbs (~180 kg)
|114 kg
|260 lbs (~180 kg)
|-
|'''Explosive type'''
|Composition B
|Comp. H6
|TNT
|Tritonal
|-
|'''Explosive mass'''
|30 kg
|45.4 kg
|38 kg
|45 kg
|-
|'''TNT equivalent'''
|39.3 kg
|61.29 kg
|38 kg
|53.1 kg
|-
|'''HE max penetration'''
|70 mm
|73 mm
|69 mm
|72 mm
|-
|'''Armour destruction radius'''
|4 m
|5 m
|3 m
|4 m
|-
|'''Fragment dispersion radius'''
|96 m
|105 m
|96 m
|103 m
|}

== Usage in battles ==
''Describe situations when you would utilise this bomb in-game (vehicle, pillbox, base, etc)''

=== Pros and cons ===
''Summarise and briefly evaluate the weaponry in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark pros and cons as a list.''

'''Pros:'''

*

'''Cons:'''

*

== History ==
''Examine the history of the creation and combat usage of the weapon in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the weapon and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Weapon-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>.''

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the article about the variant of the weapon;''
* ''references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{Bombs}}

[[Category:Suspended armaments]]

File:M71 (120 kg) Blueprint.png

2023-01-28T19:02:07Z

U533116: Picture showing the Swedish M/71 120 kg bomb on a blueprint background.

Picture showing the Swedish M/71 120 kg bomb on a blueprint background.

M/71 (120 kg)

2023-01-27T21:52:00Z

U533116: /* Comparison with analogues */

== Description ==
The '''120 kg M/71''' is a Swedish aerial-dropped bomb. It was introduced alongside the [[AJ37]] in [[Update "Ground Breaking"]].

=== Vehicles equipped with this weapon ===


* {{Specs-Link|saab_aj37}}

== General info ==
The M/71 is essentially an updated version of the [[M/61 (120 kg)|M/61]] bomb with a new spiked nose fuze. It is a relatively low-yield high-explosive fragmentation bomb and has low-drag style body with four stabilizer fins on the tail section. The "M" in the name refers to it being a weapon and the "71" describes the year of its introduction.
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="2" |'''Bomb Characteristics'''
|-
|'''Mass'''
|120 kg
|-
|'''Explosive type'''
|Composition B
|-
|'''Explosive mass'''
|30 kg
|-
|'''TNT equivalent'''
|39.3 kg
|-
|'''HE max penetration'''
|70 mm
|-
|'''Armour destruction radius'''
|4 m
|-
|'''Fragment dispersion Radius'''
|96 m
|}

=== Effective damage ===
The M/71 has no special armour-piercing properties and does all of its damage through sheer explosive force. With an explosive mass of 39.3 kg TNTeq and an armour destruction radius of only 4 m, the bomb is most suited for precision strikes against soft targets, though a direct hit will still destroy an armoured target like an MBT.

=== Comparison with analogues ===

{| class="wikitable"
!'''Bomb Characteristics'''
!M/71 (120 kg)
![[LDGP Mk 81 (250 lb)]]
![[OFAB-100 (100 kg)]]
![[SAMP Mk 81 (250 lb)|SAMP Mk 81 (250 lb]])
|-
|'''Mass'''
|120 kg
|260 lbs (~180 kg)
|114 kg
|260 lbs (~180 kg)
|-
|'''Explosive type'''
|Composition B
|Comp. H6
|TNT
|Tritonal
|-
|'''Explosive mass'''
|30 kg
|45.4 kg
|38 kg
|45 kg
|-
|'''TNT equivalent'''
|39.3 kg
|61.29 kg
|38 kg
|53.1 kg
|-
|'''HE max penetration'''
|70 mm
|73 mm
|69 mm
|72 mm
|-
|'''Armour destruction radius'''
|4 m
|5 m
|3 m
|4 m
|-
|'''Fragment dispersion radius'''
|96 m
|105 m
|96 m
|103 m
|}

== Usage in battles ==
''Describe situations when you would utilise this bomb in-game (vehicle, pillbox, base, etc)''

=== Pros and cons ===
''Summarise and briefly evaluate the weaponry in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark pros and cons as a list.''

'''Pros:'''

*

'''Cons:'''

*

== History ==
''Examine the history of the creation and combat usage of the weapon in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the weapon and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Weapon-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>.''

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the article about the variant of the weapon;''
* ''references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{Bombs}}

[[Category:Suspended armaments]]

M/71 (120 kg)

2023-01-27T21:50:12Z

U533116: /* General info */

== Description ==
The '''120 kg M/71''' is a Swedish aerial-dropped bomb. It was introduced alongside the [[AJ37]] in [[Update "Ground Breaking"]].

=== Vehicles equipped with this weapon ===


* {{Specs-Link|saab_aj37}}

== General info ==
The M/71 is essentially an updated version of the [[M/61 (120 kg)|M/61]] bomb with a new spiked nose fuze. It is a relatively low-yield high-explosive fragmentation bomb and has low-drag style body with four stabilizer fins on the tail section. The "M" in the name refers to it being a weapon and the "71" describes the year of its introduction.
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="2" |'''Bomb Characteristics'''
|-
|'''Mass'''
|120 kg
|-
|'''Explosive type'''
|Composition B
|-
|'''Explosive mass'''
|30 kg
|-
|'''TNT equivalent'''
|39.3 kg
|-
|'''HE max penetration'''
|70 mm
|-
|'''Armour destruction radius'''
|4 m
|-
|'''Fragment dispersion Radius'''
|96 m
|}

=== Effective damage ===
The M/71 has no special armour-piercing properties and does all of its damage through sheer explosive force. With an explosive mass of 39.3 kg TNTeq and an armour destruction radius of only 4 m, the bomb is most suited for precision strikes against soft targets, though a direct hit will still destroy an armoured target like an MBT.

=== Comparison with analogues ===

{| class="wikitable"
!'''Bomb Characteristics'''
!M/71 (120 kg)
![[LDGP Mk 81 (250 lb)]]
![[OFAB-100 (100 kg)]]
![[SAMP Mk 81 (250 lb)|SAMP Mk 81 (250 lb]])
|-
|'''Mass'''
|120 kg
|260 lbs (~180)
|114 kg
|260 lbs (~180 kg)
|-
|'''Explosive type'''
|Composition B
|Comp. H6
|TNT
|Tritonal
|-
|'''Explosive mass'''
|30 kg
|45.4 kg
|38 kg
|45 kg
|-
|'''TNT equivalent'''
|39.3 kg
|61.29 kg
|38 kg
|53.1 kg
|-
|'''HE max penetration'''
|70 mm
|73 mm
|69 mm
|72 mm
|-
|'''Armour destruction radius'''
|4 m
|5 m
|3 m
|4 m
|-
|'''Fragment dispersion radius'''
|96 m
|105 m
|96 m
|103 m
|}

== Usage in battles ==
''Describe situations when you would utilise this bomb in-game (vehicle, pillbox, base, etc)''

=== Pros and cons ===
''Summarise and briefly evaluate the weaponry in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark pros and cons as a list.''

'''Pros:'''

*

'''Cons:'''

*

== History ==
''Examine the history of the creation and combat usage of the weapon in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the weapon and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Weapon-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>.''

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the article about the variant of the weapon;''
* ''references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{Bombs}}

[[Category:Suspended armaments]]

AS.34 Kormoran

2023-01-17T17:24:48Z

U533116: Changed the external links, the "See Also" section, as well as adding a photo.

== Description ==
[[File:AS.34 Kormoran Blueprint.png|thumb|left|500px|The AS.34 Kormoran missile]]
{{Break}}
The '''{{PAGENAME}}''' is a German anti-ship missile. It was introduced in [[Update "Apex Predators"]].

=== Vehicles equipped with this weapon ===


* {{Specs-Link|tornado_ids_de_mfg}}

== General info ==

The AS.34 Kormoran is a German-designed and -produced anti-ship missile, which was primarily designed to target and destroy enemy ships and other water-borne targets, though it also comes with limited ground-attack capability. It was designed to be carried by the [[F-104G (Germany)|F-104G Starfighter]] and [[Tornado IDS (Germany)|Tornado IDS Marineflieger]] aircraft.

The missile is designed as a fire-and-forget missile, which relies on an inertial navigation system (INS) in the initial phase directly after launch and active radar-homing (ARH) in the terminal phase. This means that in a real-world scenario, the pilot selects an acquired target on radar or visually points the missile at the intended target, after which the missile is launched and then autonomously guides itself onto the target.

The missile has a complex semi-armour piercing high-explosive warhead with a main charge and 16 additional shaped charges. The missile is designed to penetrate several bulkheads of a ship just above the waterline and then explode deep inside the ship for maximum damage in all directions.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="2" | Missile characteristics
|-
| '''Mass''' || 600 kg
|-
| '''Guidance''' || ARH+IOG
|-
| '''Signal''' || Pulse
|-
| '''Lock range''' || 50 km
|-
| '''Launch range''' || 32 km
|-
| '''Maximum speed''' || 0.9 M
|-
| '''Missile guidance time''' || 101 secs
|-
| '''Explosive type''' || Composition B
|-
| '''Explosive mass''' || 56 kg
|-
| '''TNT equivalent''' || 73.36 kg
|-
| '''Warhead type''' || SAP-HE
|-
| '''Armour penetration''' || 75 mm
|-
|}

=== Effective damage ===

While possessing armour-piercing capabilities the missile truly does its damage through pure high explosive power. With 73.36 kg of TNTeq explosive force, the missile is more than capable of taking out lightly-armoured vehicles even with a hit to the ground close to the vehicle, as well as taking out better-armoured vehicles with a direct hit.

=== Comparison with analogues ===
''Give a comparative description of missiles that have firepower equal to this weapon.''

== Usage in battles ==
''Describe situations when you would utilise this missile in-game (vehicle, pillbox, base, etc.)''

=== Pros and cons ===
''Summarise and briefly evaluate the weaponry in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark pros and cons as a list.''

'''Pros:'''

*

'''Cons:'''

*

== History ==


The AS.34 Kormoran was the first major post-war missile project in West Germany.<ref name=":0">An Illustrated Guide to Modern Airborne Missiles, Bill Gunston, 1983.</ref> It was designed to meet the needs of the West German navy for a large anti-ship missile for use in coastal waters.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20070813022441/http://www.missilethreat.com/cruise/id.12/cruise_detail.asp</ref> Development began in 1962 and was handed over to West German aerospace manufacturer Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB) in 1967. It wouldn't be until 1973 before the West German government decided to actually procure the missile and, after completing its trials in 1974, it finally entered into service with the West German Navy in 1977.<ref name=":1">http://www.military-today.com/missiles/kormoran.htm</ref>

The missile was originally based on a design by French Nord-Aviation, the makers of the [[AS-20 Nord]], [[AS-30 Nord]] and [[AS-30L Nord]] missiles, using the inertial guidance system from their canceled AS.33 missile project.<ref>Jane's Strategic Weapons Systems, September 1997, JSWS-Issue 25</ref> After taking over the project, MBB replaced the inertial guidance system with a new and more advanced missile guidance package. The missile body is very similar to the aforementioned missiles made by Nord-Aviation, with a 4.40 m long fuselage, a narrow cross-section of 0.34 m, and a sharp-pointed conical nose. On the sides of the fuselage sit four swept delta fins, just behind of the center of the missile body, and a set of four smaller trapezoidal stabilizer fins between the delta fins and the tail.<ref name=":2">http://www.military-today.com/missiles/kormoran.htm</ref>

The missile guidance system is made up of an SFENA/Bodenseewerk inertial navigation system (INS), a TRT radio altimeter as well as a Thomson-CSF two-axis radar seeker. The propulsion system consists of two Prades solid rocket boosters and a central Eole IV solid rocket sustainer motor. Immediately after launch, the rocket boosters fire for 1 second before the sustainer motor fires and sustains flight for an additional 100 seconds before shutting of, allowing the missile a cruising speed of Mach 0.9 and an effective range of 23 km.<ref name=":0" />

The warhead is a complex delayed-fuse High Explosive Fragmentation (HE-FRAG) munition, that is designed to be able to penetrate a total of 90 mm of armor - typically the hull plates of a ship - before exploding deep inside the target. The warhead weighs 165 kg and consists of 16 elliptical charges mounted radially in two rows, which project zirconium fragments at sufficient speeds for them to penetrate up to seven bulkheads inside the ship and cause severe damage to ammunition stores and critical systems.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /><ref>https://patents.google.com/patent/DE3701390A1/en</ref><ref name=":3">https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1977/august/weapon-systems</ref>
[[File:Tornado Luftwaffe feuert Kormoran.jpeg|thumb|A German Marine (Navy, Naval Air Wing 2) Panavia Tornado IDS launches a Kormoran air-to-surface missile during an exercise in the USA.]]
The missile is designed to be used against larger surface vessels, which allows the attacking aircraft to acquire the target, launch the missile and fly to safety before the target vessel is able to target and shoot it down.<ref name=":3" /> Once the missile is launched, the INS and radio altimeter guide the missile to descend to a typical cruising altitude of less than 30 m and make its way toward the target vessel's last known position. Upon final approach, the radar seeker head searches for the target and locks on before descending to around wavetop height, guiding the missile to the current position of the ship and aiming to strike the ship just above the waterline.<ref name=":0" />

The missile is able to be fired by any combat aircraft that has target acquisition radar, a self-contained navigation system, and which is capable of maintaining speeds of a minimum of Mach 0.6 during launch.<ref name=":3" /> Despite a previously aggressive marketing campaign by MBB, to date only Germany and Italy have purchased the missile.<ref name=":1" /> The first aircraft to be equipped to carry and launch the AS.34 Komoran was the now-retired [[F-104G (Germany)|F-104G Starfighter]]<nowiki/>s of the Marineflieger, the air wing of the West German navy. Later also the [[Tornado IDS (Germany)|Tornado IDS]] of the German Marineflieger and Italian Aeronautica Militare were equipped with the missile and remain the only aircraft able to carry it to this day.<ref name=":1" />

The missile has never been used in a live combat situation but remains in storage with the German and Italian airforces for use with their remaining fleets of Tornado IDS aircraft. While the AS.34 Komoran and its later upgrade, the AS.34 Komoran 2, are still capable missiles in their own right, the changes in naval warfare with the advent of modern close-in weapon systems (CIWS) and ability to defeat attacking aircraft at long range, have made the missiles largely obsolete due to their fairly limited range.<ref name=":1" />

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==

=== Other Anti-Ship Missiles in the game ===

* [[Nettuno]] (Italian AShM)

== External links ==
[[wt:en/news/8024-development-winter-event-vehicles-tornado-ids-marineflieger-en|[Devblog] Winter event vehicles: Tornado IDS Marineflieger]]

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AS.34_Kormoran <nowiki>[Wikipedia] AS.34 Kormoran</nowiki>]
=== References ===
<references />

{{Missiles}}

[[Category:Suspended armaments]]

File:Tornado Luftwaffe feuert Kormoran.jpeg

2023-01-17T17:10:59Z

U533116: A German Marine (Navy, Naval Air Wing 2) Panavia Tornado IDS launches a Kormoran air-to-surface missile during an exercise in the USA.

A German Marine (Navy, Naval Air Wing 2) Panavia Tornado IDS launches a Kormoran air-to-surface missile during an exercise in the USA.

AS.34 Kormoran

2023-01-17T16:39:28Z

U533116: /* History */ Fixed typos.

== Description ==
[[File:AS.34 Kormoran Blueprint.png|thumb|left|500px|The AS.34 Kormoran missile]]
{{Break}}
The '''{{PAGENAME}}''' is a German anti-ship missile. It was introduced in [[Update "Apex Predators"]].

=== Vehicles equipped with this weapon ===


* {{Specs-Link|tornado_ids_de_mfg}}

== General info ==

The AS.34 Kormoran is a German-designed and -produced anti-ship missile, which was primarily designed to target and destroy enemy ships and other water-borne targets, though it also comes with limited ground-attack capability. It was designed to be carried by the [[F-104G (Germany)|F-104G Starfighter]] and [[Tornado IDS (Germany)|Tornado IDS Marineflieger]] aircraft.

The missile is designed as a fire-and-forget missile, which relies on an inertial navigation system (INS) in the initial phase directly after launch and active radar-homing (ARH) in the terminal phase. This means that in a real-world scenario, the pilot selects an acquired target on radar or visually points the missile at the intended target, after which the missile is launched and then autonomously guides itself onto the target.

The missile has a complex semi-armour piercing high-explosive warhead with a main charge and 16 additional shaped charges. The missile is designed to penetrate several bulkheads of a ship just above the waterline and then explode deep inside the ship for maximum damage in all directions.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="2" | Missile characteristics
|-
| '''Mass''' || 600 kg
|-
| '''Guidance''' || ARH+IOG
|-
| '''Signal''' || Pulse
|-
| '''Lock range''' || 50 km
|-
| '''Launch range''' || 32 km
|-
| '''Maximum speed''' || 0.9 M
|-
| '''Missile guidance time''' || 101 secs
|-
| '''Explosive type''' || Composition B
|-
| '''Explosive mass''' || 56 kg
|-
| '''TNT equivalent''' || 73.36 kg
|-
| '''Warhead type''' || SAP-HE
|-
| '''Armour penetration''' || 75 mm
|-
|}

=== Effective damage ===

While possessing armour-piercing capabilities the missile truly does its damage through pure high explosive power. With 73.36 kg of TNTeq explosive force, the missile is more than capable of taking out lightly-armoured vehicles even with a hit to the ground close to the vehicle, as well as taking out better-armoured vehicles with a direct hit.

=== Comparison with analogues ===
''Give a comparative description of missiles that have firepower equal to this weapon.''

== Usage in battles ==
''Describe situations when you would utilise this missile in-game (vehicle, pillbox, base, etc.)''

=== Pros and cons ===
''Summarise and briefly evaluate the weaponry in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark pros and cons as a list.''

'''Pros:'''

*

'''Cons:'''

*

== History ==


The AS.34 Kormoran was the first major post-war missile project in West Germany.<ref name=":0">An Illustrated Guide to Modern Airborne Missiles, Bill Gunston, 1983.</ref> It was designed to meet the needs of the West German navy for a large anti-ship missile for use in coastal waters.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20070813022441/http://www.missilethreat.com/cruise/id.12/cruise_detail.asp</ref> Development began in 1962 and was handed over to West German aerospace manufacturer Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB) in 1967. It wouldn't be until 1973 before the West German government decided to actually procure the missile and, after completing its trials in 1974, it finally entered into service with the West German Navy in 1977.<ref name=":1">http://www.military-today.com/missiles/kormoran.htm</ref>

The missile was originally based on a design by French Nord-Aviation, the makers of the [[AS-20 Nord]], [[AS-30 Nord]] and [[AS-30L Nord]] missiles, using the inertial guidance system from their canceled AS.33 missile project.<ref>Jane's Strategic Weapons Systems, September 1997, JSWS-Issue 25</ref> After taking over the project, MBB replaced the inertial guidance system with a new and more advanced missile guidance package. The missile body is very similar to the aforementioned missiles made by Nord-Aviation, with a 4.40 m long fuselage, a narrow cross-section of 0.34 m, and a sharp-pointed conical nose. On the sides of the fuselage sit four swept delta fins, just behind of the center of the missile body, and a set of four smaller trapezoidal stabilizer fins between the delta fins and the tail.<ref name=":2">http://www.military-today.com/missiles/kormoran.htm</ref>

The missile guidance system is made up of an SFENA/Bodenseewerk inertial navigation system (INS), a TRT radio altimeter as well as a Thomson-CSF two-axis radar seeker. The propulsion system consists of two Prades solid rocket boosters and a central Eole IV solid rocket sustainer motor. Immediately after launch, the rocket boosters fire for 1 second before the sustainer motor fires and sustains flight for an additional 100 seconds before shutting of, allowing the missile a cruising speed of Mach 0.9 and an effective range of 23 km.<ref name=":0" />

The warhead is a complex delayed-fuse High Explosive Fragmentation (HE-FRAG) munition, that is designed to be able to penetrate a total of 90 mm of armor - typically the hull plates of a ship - before exploding deep inside the target. The warhead weighs 165 kg and consists of 16 elliptical charges mounted radially in two rows, which project zirconium fragments at sufficient speeds for them to penetrate up to seven bulkheads inside the ship and cause severe damage to ammunition stores and critical systems.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /><ref>https://patents.google.com/patent/DE3701390A1/en</ref><ref name=":3">https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1977/august/weapon-systems</ref>

The missile is designed to be used against larger surface vessels, which allows the attacking aircraft to acquire the target, launch the missile and fly to safety before the target vessel is able to target and shoot it down.<ref name=":3" /> Once the missile is launched, the INS and radio altimeter guide the missile to descend to a typical cruising altitude of less than 30 m and make its way toward the target vessel's last known position. Upon final approach, the radar seeker head searches for the target and locks on before descending to around wavetop height, guiding the missile to the current position of the ship and aiming to strike the ship just above the waterline.<ref name=":0" />

The missile is able to be fired by any combat aircraft that has target acquisition radar, a self-contained navigation system, and which is capable of maintaining speeds of a minimum of Mach 0.6 during launch.<ref name=":3" /> Despite a previously aggressive marketing campaign by MBB, to date only Germany and Italy have purchased the missile.<ref name=":1" /> The first aircraft to be equipped to carry and launch the AS.34 Komoran was the now-retired [[F-104G (Germany)|F-104G Starfighter]]<nowiki/>s of the Marineflieger, the air wing of the West German navy. Later also the [[Tornado IDS (Germany)|Tornado IDS]] of the German Marineflieger and Italian Aeronautica Militare were equipped with the missile and remain the only aircraft able to carry it to this day.<ref name=":1" />

The missile has never been used in a live combat situation but remains in storage with the German and Italian airforces for use with their remaining fleets of Tornado IDS aircraft. While the AS.34 Komoran and its later upgrade, the AS.34 Komoran 2, are still capable missiles in their own right, the changes in naval warfare with the advent of modern close-in weapon systems (CIWS) and ability to defeat attacking aircraft at long range, have made the missiles largely obsolete due to their fairly limited range.<ref name=":1" />

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==

* [[Nettuno]] (Italian AShM)

== External links ==
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AS.34_Kormoran

http://www.military-today.com/missiles/kormoran.htm

=== References ===
<references />

{{Missiles}}

[[Category:Suspended armaments]]

Talk:AS.34 Kormoran

2023-01-17T08:21:43Z

U533116: Created page with "I made an extra edit to my previous revision yesterday before the first revision had been approved. Initially, I added the image and then later made an extra edit, where I fin..."

I made an extra edit to my previous revision yesterday before the first revision had been approved. Initially, I added the image and then later made an extra edit, where I finished writing the "History" section. The first revision was approved, but the second one hasn't been approved yet and I'm not sure if it's because it's partially hidden from you admins/moderators. I just wanted to give you a heads up.
--[[User:U533116|U533116]] ([[User talk:U533116|talk]]) 08:21, 17 January 2023 (UTC)

AS.34 Kormoran

2023-01-16T21:49:52Z

U533116: Finished writing the history section and made a few additional changes.

== Description ==
[[File:AS.34 Kormoran Blueprint.png|thumb|left|500px|The AS.34 Kormoran missile]]
{{Break}}
The '''{{PAGENAME}}''' is a German anti-ship missile. It was introduced in [[Update "Apex Predators"]].

=== Vehicles equipped with this weapon ===


* {{Specs-Link|tornado_ids_de_mfg}}

== General info ==

The AS.34 Kormoran is a German-designed and -produced anti-ship missile, which was primarily designed to target and destroy enemy ships and other water-borne targets, though it also comes with limited ground-attack capability. It was designed to be carried by the [[F-104G (Germany)|F-104G Starfighter]] and [[Tornado IDS (Germany)|Tornado IDS Marineflieger]] aircraft.

The missile is designed as a fire-and-forget missile, which relies on an inertial navigation system (INS) in the initial phase directly after launch and active radar-homing (ARH) in the terminal phase. This means that in a real-world scenario, the pilot selects an acquired target on radar or visually points the missile at the intended target, after which the missile is launched and then autonomously guides itself onto the target.

The missile has a complex semi-armour piercing high-explosive warhead with a main charge and 16 additional shaped charges. The missile is designed to penetrate several bulkheads of a ship just above the waterline and then explode deep inside the ship for maximum damage in all directions.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="2" | Missile characteristics
|-
| '''Mass''' || 600 kg
|-
| '''Guidance''' || ARH+IOG
|-
| '''Signal''' || Pulse
|-
| '''Lock range''' || 50 km
|-
| '''Launch range''' || 32 km
|-
| '''Maximum speed''' || 0.9 M
|-
| '''Missile guidance time''' || 101 secs
|-
| '''Explosive type''' || Composition B
|-
| '''Explosive mass''' || 56 kg
|-
| '''TNT equivalent''' || 73.36 kg
|-
| '''Warhead type''' || SAP-HE
|-
| '''Armour penetration''' || 75 mm
|-
|}

=== Effective damage ===

While possessing armour-piercing capabilities the missile truly does its damage through pure high explosive power. With 73.36 kg of TNTeq explosive force, the missile is more than capable of taking out lightly-armoured vehicles even with a hit to the ground close to the vehicle, as well as taking out better-armoured vehicles with a direct hit.

=== Comparison with analogues ===
''Give a comparative description of missiles that have firepower equal to this weapon.''

== Usage in battles ==
''Describe situations when you would utilise this missile in-game (vehicle, pillbox, base, etc.)''

=== Pros and cons ===
''Summarise and briefly evaluate the weaponry in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark pros and cons as a list.''

'''Pros:'''

*

'''Cons:'''

*

== History ==

=== Development ===
The AS.34 Kormoran was the first major post-war missile project in West Germany.<ref name=":0">An Illustrated Guide to Modern Airborne Missiles, Bill Gunston, 1983.</ref> It was designed to meet the needs of the West German navy for a large anti-ship missile for use in coastal waters.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20070813022441/http://www.missilethreat.com/cruise/id.12/cruise_detail.asp</ref> Development began in 1962 and was handed over to West German aerospace manufacturer Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB) in 1967. It wouldn't be until 1973 before the West German government decided to actually procure the missile and, after completing its trials in 1974, it finally entered into service with the West German Navy in 1977.<ref name=":1">http://www.military-today.com/missiles/kormoran.htm</ref>

The missile was originally based on a design by French Nord-Aviation, the makers of the [[AS-20 Nord]], [[AS-30 Nord]] and [[AS-30L Nord]] missiles, using the inertial guidance system from their cancelled AS.33 missile project.<ref>Jane's Strategic Weapons Systems, September 1997, JSWS-Issue 25</ref> After taking over the project, MBB replaced the inertial guidance system with a new and more advanced missile guidance package. The missile body is very similar to the afforementioned missiles made by Nord-Aviation, with a 4.40 m long fuselage, a narrow cross-section of 0.34 m and a sharp-pointed conical nose. On the sides of the fuselage sit four swept delta fins, just behind of the center of the missile body, and a set of four smaller trapezoidal stabilizer fins between the delta fins and the tail.<ref name=":2">http://www.military-today.com/missiles/kormoran.htm</ref>

The missile guidance system is made up of an SFENA/Bodenseewerk inertial navigation system (INS), a TRT radio altimeter as well as a Thomson-CSF two-axis radar seeker. The propulsion system consists of two Prades solid rocket boosters and a central Eole IV solid rocket sustainer motor. Immediately after launch, the rocket boosters fire for 1 second before the sustainer motor fires and sustains flight for an additional 100 seconds before shutting of, allowing the missile a cruising speed of Mach 0.9 and an effective range of 23 km.<ref name=":0" />

The warhead is a complex delayed-fuse High Explosive Fragmentation (HE-FRAG) munition, that is designed to be able to penetrate a total of 90 mm of armor - typically the hull plates of a ship - before exploding deep inside the target. The warhead weighs 165 kg and consists of 16 elliptical charges mounted radially in two rows, which project zirconium fragments at sufficient speeds for them to penetrate up to seven bulkheads inside the ship and cause severe damage to ammunition stores and critical systems.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /><ref>https://patents.google.com/patent/DE3701390A1/en</ref><ref name=":3">https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1977/august/weapon-systems</ref>

The missile is designed to be used against larger surface vessels, which allows the attacking aircraft to acquire the target, launch the missile and fly to safety before the target vessel is able to target and shoot it down.<ref name=":3" /> Once the missile is launched, the INS and radio altimeter guide the missile to descend to a typical cruising altitude of less than 30 m and make its way towards the target vessel's last known position. Upon final approach, the radar seeker head searches for the target and locks on before descending to around wavetop height, guiding the missile to the current position of the ship and aiming to strike the ship just above the waterline.<ref name=":0" />

The missile is able to be fired by any combat aircraft that has target acquisition radar, a self-contained navigation system and which is capable of maintaining speeds of a minimum of Mach 0.6 during launch.<ref name=":3" /> Despite a previously agressive marketing campaign by MBB, to date only Germany and Italy have purchased the missile.<ref name=":1" /> The first aircraft to be equipped to carry and launch the AS.34 Komoran was the now retired [[F-104G (Germany)|F-104G Starfighter]]<nowiki/>s of the Marineflieger, the air wing of the West German navy. Later also the [[Tornado IDS (Germany)|Tornado IDS]] of the German Marineflieger and Italian Aeronautica Militare were equipped with the missile and remain the only aircraft able to carry it to this day.<ref name=":1" />

The missile has never been used in a live combat situation, but remain in storage with the German and Italian airforces for use with their remaining fleets of Tornado IDS aircraft. While the AS.34 Komoran and it's later upgrade, the AS.34 Komoran 2, are still capable missiles in their own right, the changes in naval warfare with the advent of modern close-in weapon systems (CIWS) and ability to defeat attacking aircraft at long range, have made the missiles largely obsolete due to their fairly limited range.<ref name=":1" />

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==

* [[Nettuno]] (Italian AShM)

== External links ==
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AS.34_Kormoran

http://www.military-today.com/missiles/kormoran.htm

=== References ===
<references />

{{Missiles}}

[[Category:Suspended armaments]]

AS.34 Kormoran

2023-01-16T19:00:23Z

U533116: Added an image of the missile.

File:AS.34 Kormoran Blueprint.png

2023-01-16T18:53:04Z

U533116:

The AS.34 Anti-shipping missile is seen against a blueprint background, with the physical dimensions and weight listed.

AS.34 Kormoran

2023-01-10T02:02:14Z

U533116: Made minor edits to the existing text as well as beginning work on the History section.

{{Writing|[[User:U533116|U533116]] ([[User talk:U533116|talk]]) 00:20, 10 January 2023 (UTC)}}

== Description ==
The AS.34 Kormoran is a German-designed and -produced anti-ship missile, which was primarily designed to target and destroy enemy ships and other water-borne targets, though it also comes with limited ground-attack capability. It was designed to be carried by the [[F-104G (Germany)|F-104G Starfighter]] and [[Tornado IDS (Germany)|Tornado IDS Marineflieger]] aircraft, though currently only the Marineflieger has access to the missile in-game.

The missile is designed as a fire-and-forget missile, which relies on an inertial navigation system (INS) in the initial phase directly after launch and active radar-homing (ARH) in the terminal phase. This means that in a real-world scenario, the pilot selects an acquired target on radar or visually points the missile at the intended target, after which the missile is launched and then autonomously guides itself onto the target.

The missile has a complex 165 kg semi-armor piercing high-explosive warhead with a main charge and 16 additional shaped charges. The missile is designed to penetrate several bulkheads of a ship just above the waterline and then explode deep inside the ship for maximum damage in all directions. At the time of writing only the explosive force of the 56kg main charge is modeled in the game.

=== Vehicles equipped with this weapon ===


* {{Specs-Link|tornado_ids_de_mfg}}

== General info ==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="2" | Missile characteristics
|-
| '''Mass''' || 600 kg
|-
| '''Guidance''' || ARH+IOG
|-
| '''Signal''' || Pulse
|-
| '''Lock range''' || 50 km
|-
| '''Launch range''' || 32 km
|-
| '''Maximum speed''' || 0.9 M
|-
| '''Missile guidance time''' || 101.0 secs
|-
| '''Explosive type''' || Composition B
|-
| '''Explosive mass''' || 56 kg
|-
| '''TNT equivalent''' || 73.36 kg
|-
| '''Warhead type''' || SAP-HE
|-
| '''Armor penetration''' || 75mm
|-
|}

=== Effective damage ===
While possessing armor-piercing capabilities the missile truly does its damage through pure high explosive power. With 73.36 kg of TNTeq explosive force, the missile is more than capable of taking out lightly armored vehicles even with a hit to the ground close to the vehicle, as well as taking out more well-armored vehicles with a direct hit.

=== Comparison with analogues ===
''Give a comparative description of missiles that have firepower equal to this weapon.''

== Usage in battles ==
''Describe situations when you would utilise this missile in-game (vehicle, pillbox, base, etc)''

=== Pros and cons ===
''Summarise and briefly evaluate the weaponry in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark pros and cons as a list.''

'''Pros:'''

*

'''Cons:'''

*

== History ==
The AS.34 Kormoran was the first major post-war missile project in West Germany.<ref>An Illustrated Guide to Modern Airborne Missiles, Bill Gunston, 1983.</ref> It was designed to meet the needs of the West German navy for a large anti-ship missile for use in coastal waters.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20070813022441/http://www.missilethreat.com/cruise/id.12/cruise_detail.asp</ref> Development began in 1962 and was handed over to West German aerospace manufacturer Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm (MBB) in 1967. It wouldn't be until 1973 before the West German government decided to actually procure the missile and, after completing its trials in 1974, it finally entered into service with the West German Navy in 1977.<ref>http://www.military-today.com/missiles/kormoran.htm</ref>

The missile was originally based on a design by French Nord-Aviation, the makers of the [[AS-20 Nord]], [[AS-30 Nord]] and [[AS-30L Nord]] missiles , using the inertial guidance system from their cancelled AS.33 missile project.<ref>Jane's Strategic Weapons Systems, September 1997, JSWS-Issue 25</ref>

''Examine the history of the creation and combat usage of the weapon in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the weapon and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Weapon-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>.''

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the article about the variant of the weapon;''
* ''references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{Missiles}}

[[Category:Suspended armaments]]

AS.34 Kormoran

2023-01-10T00:20:34Z

U533116: /* Description */ Adding info to this otherwise mostly empty page

{{Writing|[[User:U533116|U533116]] ([[User talk:U533116|talk]]) 00:20, 10 January 2023 (UTC)}}

== Description ==
The AS.34 Kormoran is a German-designed and -produced anti-ship missile, which was primarily designed to target and destroy enemy ships and other water-borne targets, though it also comes with limited ground-attack capability. It was designed to be carried by the F-104G Starfighter and Tornado IDS Marineflieger aircraft, but in-game currently only the Marineflieger has access to the missile.

The missile is designed as a fire-and-forget missile, which relies on an inertial navigation system (INS) in the initial phase directly after launch and active radar-homing (ARH) in the terminal phase. This means that in a real-world scenario, the pilot would select an acquired target on radar or visually point the missile at the intended target, after which the missile is launched and then autonomously guides itself onto the target.

The missile has a complex 165 kg semi-armor piercing high-explosive warhead with a main charge and 16 additional shaped charges. The missile is designed to penetrate several bulkheads of a ship just above the waterline and then explode deep inside the ship for maximum damage in all directions. At the time of writing only the explosive force of the 56kg main charge is modeled in the game.

=== Vehicles equipped with this weapon ===


* {{Specs-Link|tornado_ids_de_mfg}}

== General info ==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="2" | Missile characteristics
|-
| '''Mass''' || 600 kg
|-
| '''Guidance''' || ARH+IOG
|-
| '''Signal''' || Pulse
|-
| '''Lock range''' || 50 km
|-
| '''Launch range''' || 32 km
|-
| '''Maximum speed''' || 0.9 M
|-
| '''Missile guidance time''' || 101.0 secs
|-
| '''Explosive type''' || Composition B
|-
| '''Explosive mass''' || 56 kg
|-
| '''TNT equivalent''' || 73.36 kg
|-
| '''Warhead type''' || SAP-HE
|-
| '''Armor penetration''' || 75mm
|-
|}

=== Effective damage ===
While possessing armor-piercing capabilities the missile truly does its damage through pure high explosive power. With 73.36 kg of TNTeq explosive force, the missile is more than capable of taking out lightly armored vehicles even with a hit to the ground close to the vehicle, as well as taking out more well-armored vehicles with a direct hit.

=== Comparison with analogues ===
''Give a comparative description of missiles that have firepower equal to this weapon.''

== Usage in battles ==
''Describe situations when you would utilise this missile in-game (vehicle, pillbox, base, etc)''

=== Pros and cons ===
''Summarise and briefly evaluate the weaponry in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark pros and cons as a list.''

'''Pros:'''

*

'''Cons:'''

*

== History ==
''Examine the history of the creation and combat usage of the weapon in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the weapon and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Weapon-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>.''

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the article about the variant of the weapon;''
* ''references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{Missiles}}

[[Category:Suspended armaments]]

Me 264

2022-07-06T11:26:44Z

U533116: /* Suspended armament */ Added info on the order in which bombs drop, to help players plan their bomb runs better.

{{Specs-Card
|code=me_264
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German bomber {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.89 "Imperial Navy"]].

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}

The first thing the player will notice is the plane's similarity to the famed B-29, as it shares a similarly designed fuselage and glazed nose, but a different twin tail instead of the large single tail on the B-29. Despite being a heavy bomber, the Me 264 is quite responsive and manoeuvrable. However, you are still a heavy bomber and you shouldn't try to turn with anyone. It is also quite speedy for its rank and classification, able to out-speed some of the planes at its BR when at altitude.
In addition to its powerful engines, the Me 264 is equipped with rocket boosters that provide additional thrust for a short time. The keybind to activate the feature can be set in Controls > Aircraft > Mechanization > Ignite boosters.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 6,000 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 494 || 477 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 38.4 || 39.4 || 1.2 || 1.2 || rowspan="2" | 900
|-
! Upgraded
| 546 || 519 || 35.8 || 37.0 || 6.6 || 3.5
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear
|-
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || X || X 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || 370 || 357 || 290 || ~6 || ~3
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 340 || < 350 || < 290 || > 290
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}


* 7 mm steel behind and to the left of pilot
* 9 mm steel to the right of pilot
* Self-sealing fuel tanks located throughout the wings
* Unarmoured pilots (can be knocked out in head-ons)

Despite not being well armoured, the Me 264 Amerikabomber can take quite a beating and has a knack for surviving fires. Due to its four engines, it can lose one or two and still make it back to base for repairs. However, it is one of the largest planes in the game and thus is impossible to miss, so while you can take a lot of damage, you will be receiving a lot as well.

Although it doesn't have a lot of armour, it has the guns to make up for it. With 3 x MG 151/20's that have access to the dreaded Minengeschoß high-explosive incendiary round complemented by another 3 x MG 131 heavy machine guns, as a few well-placed shots will make short work of any attacker that recklessly tails you.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

The stock payload is quite poor, so pick up the ETC 500/II modification first, followed by the 20 mm belts to add more Minengeschoß rounds, then the ETC 1000/I and ETC 1800. The rest of the modules are up to you, but survivability modules are recommended to withstand the beating you will be getting.

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
=== Suspended armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Suspended}}

{{main|SC250JA (250 kg)|SC500K (500 kg)|SC1000L2 (1,000 kg)|SC1800B (1,800 kg)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

* 9 x 250 kg SC250JA bombs (2,250 kg total)
* 6 x 500 kg SC500K bombs + 3 x 250 kg SC250JA bombs (3,750 kg total)
* 4 x 1,000 kg SC1000L2 bombs (4,000 kg total)
* 2 x 1,800 kg SC1800B bombs + 3 x 250 kg SC250JA bombs (4,350 kg total)

With a massive 4,000 kg payload, the Me 264 has the second-best payload of any non-premium German bomber and one of the best payloads at its battle rating. Ideally, you should use the 2 x 1,800 kg bombs + 3 x 250 kg bombs for destroying bases, as in Arcade Battles this payload can destroy a base in one pass (or get close depending on if you up-tier it) and in Realistic Battles, the 4 x 1,000 kg bombs, as each can just barely destroy a base. It is also good for ground pounding.

For the mixed bomb loads, the rule of thumb is that the heaviest bombs drop first and the lighter 250 kg bombs drop last.

=== Defensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Defensive}}

{{main|MG 151 (20 mm)|MG 131 (13 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is defended by:

* 1 x 13 mm MG 131 machine gun, nose turret (750 rpg)
* 1 x 20 mm MG 151 cannon, front dorsal turret (450 rpg)
* 1 x 20 mm MG 151 cannon, rear dorsal turret (450 rpg)
* 1 x 20 mm MG 151 cannon, ventral turret (750 rpg)
* 1 x 13 mm MG 131 machine gun, 2 x beam turrets (500 rpg)

== Usage in battles ==


The Me 264 plays like your typical heavy bomber: a slow and lumbering beast that has amazing defensive armament and a good payload. While you may have one of the best defensive armaments in the German bomber line (or out of bombers in general), it is best to avoid engagements all together to minimize potential damage due to your massive size. However, if an enemy gets on your tail, they're as good as dead thanks to your superb defensive armament that can shred through planes like paper. Never allow a plane to head-on you. Be sure to face your tail towards the attacker, as more than half of your guns face towards the back and your glazed nose makes it easy to snipe your pilot out.

Notable enemies include any heavily armed interceptor that has at least semi-decent performance, but notably the [[P-61C-1|P-61]], [[P-38J-15|P-38J]], [[Mosquito FB Mk VI|Mosquito]] and the [[P-47D-28|P-47D]]'s, as all of these planes can climb to your altitude and destroy you with their heavy armament.

The P-61 and P-38J are some of the most deadly, as their powerful armament can tear you in half, especially the P-61 with its quad AN/M2 20 mm cannons. Focus fire on the cockpit in order to snipe the pilot.

The Mosquito is a sort of push-pull. While you can down it easily due to its wooden construction, it can do the same to you with its quad Hispano Mk.II's. Aim for a centre mass near the cockpit, as this is the most vulnerable area or aim for the wings where the fuel tanks are stored and can cause fires.

You can deal with the P-47D's in a similar fashion as the P-61 and P-38J, but you should focus fire on the engine and wings as this can result in fires, broken engines and snapped wings. Watch out for its 8 x .50 cals, as most of the pilots run the Tracer belt which is entirely API-T and is known for starting fires.

'''Play styles'''

There are three playstyles the 264 can cater to, although the second one is very risky and is not recommended.

'''High-Altitude Strategic Bomber:''' The role the 264 was designed for, and the role it excels the most at. Firstly climb to altitude, anywhere from 6-7 km and then maintain that altitude through a level flight and gain some speed, as would-be attackers will struggle to catch you by keeping a constant speed of 400-435 kph or 250-270 mph. Make your way towards the bases and drop your bombs.

'''Gunship''': While being significantly more dangerous to the player, the "Gunship" playstyle is infinitely more fun. It is only recommended to use this play style when the plane is spaded. Stay relatively low to the ground and attack ground troops, and if any player comes to attack you, focus your guns on them and let them tail you. The main bonus for flying in this way is that your extremely vulnerable belly is covered, preventing anybody from attacking you from there. The only reason this playstyle is viable is that the lower rank players you will encounter are more likely to make mistakes such as tailing you, allowing you to shoot them down for points.

'''Bomber Hunter''': Climb to meet enemy bombers at high-altitude. While the enemy bombers will acknowledge the Me 264, they will rarely react against the Me 264 aside from keeping some air space. Deny their evasive manoeuvres and close-in to the enemy bombers. Once in range, use the 20 mm HEI-T belts and attack the enemy. Attempt to approach the target to make use of as many turrets as possible at a time for a quick end to the engagement. If the bomber's defensive is formidable, try to enter and exit the engagement as fast as possible to avoid significant damage to the Me 264.

'''When attacking''':

Never tail a Me 264. Tailing a 264 is basically suicide unless all of their gunners are knocked out. You can treat the 264 almost like a B-29 or B-17 as the planes are very similar in both design and defensive capabilities. It is best to head-on the bomber if you can as you can easily knock out the pilots due to its glazed nose while also taking minimal damage. However, the bomber lacks a ventral turret on its belly, making it easy to deal damage from below, but be wary of the downwards facing rear 20 mm cannon near the tail. When at a higher altitude, it is best to make a dive from an oblique angle and focus fire on the wings and nose.

=== Manual Engine Control ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | MEC elements
|-
! rowspan="2" | Mixer
! rowspan="2" | Pitch
! colspan="3" | Radiator
! rowspan="2" | Supercharger
! rowspan="2" | Turbocharger
|-
! Oil !! Water !! Type
|-
| Not controllable || Controllable Auto control available || Not controllable Not auto controlled || Controllable Not auto controlled || Combined || Not controllable 3 gears || Not controllable
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Deadly and accurate defensive armament
* Great payload, unmatched by any non-premium until the [[He 177 A-5]]
* Decent speed and acceleration for a bomber
* Good manoeuvrability
* Surprisingly responsive
* Fast and very hard to catch once it's at altitude
* Durable, can take a beating

'''Cons:'''

* Gunners have a lot of dead zones
* Massive size, one of the biggest planes in the game
* Has trouble diving at high speeds
* No significant armour protection
* Incredibly hard to land, even harder with a damaged airframe
* No air brake
* Very hard to pull the nose down due to high lift
* Limited WEP duration

== History ==

Development of the Me 264 began in the late 1930s when Messerschmitt conducted work on developing a long-range reconnaissance aircraft, designated P.1061. In early 1941, six prototypes of the P.1061 were ordered and the aircraft received the formal designation of Me 264. However, the initial order for six prototypes would shortly afterwards be dropped to three.

Progress on constructing the ordered prototypes was slow at start, but development quickly picked up the pace with the start of the Amerikabomber project in spring 1942. The project called for new very long range strategic bomber designs, resulting in several designs being proposed, among them also the Me 264.

It soon became clear that despite all the advantages of the Me 264 the aircraft would not be able to demonstrate acceptable flight characteristics due to the lack of more powerful engines at that time. Apart from the Amerikabomber project, the Me 264 was also briefly considered by the Kriegsmarine as a possible replacement for the dated Fw 200 in the maritime reconnaissance role.

The first and only prototype of the Me 264 which saw completion, flew on 23 December 1942. While undergoing modifications, the Me 264 project had its further development halted, with the sole completed prototype being used as a transport machine. In 1943, the second prototype was destroyed during an allied bombing raid. The same fate also struck the first and unfinished third prototype in July 1944. After all prototypes were lost, the Me 264 project was officially cancelled in September 1944.

''- From [[wt:en/news/6190-development-me-264-the-teutonic-superfortress-en|Devblog]]''

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=me_264 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Images
<gallery mode="packed" heights="150px">
File:Me 264 WTWallpaper 001.jpg
File:Me 264 WTWallpaper 002.jpg
File:Me 264 WTWallpaper 003.jpg
File:Me 264 WTWallpaper 004.jpg
File:Me 264 WTWallpaper 005.jpg
File:Me 264 WTWallpaper 006.jpg
File:Me 264 WTWallpaper 007.jpg
</gallery>

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|lBTQGGr-Kxs|'''The Shooting Range #149''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 05:10 discusses the Me 264.}}

== See also ==


;Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

* Boeing [[B-29A-BN|B-29]] Superfortress
* Tupolev [[Tu-4]]
* Avro [[Lincoln B Mk II|Lincoln]]
* Nakajima [[G8N1]]
* Piaggio [[P.108B serie 1|P.108]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/6190-development-me-264-the-teutonic-superfortress-en|[Devblog] Me 264: The Teutonic Superfortress]]
* [https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/453535-me-264 Official data sheet - more details about the performance]
* [https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/amerikan-bomber-1942/ <nowiki>[Rare Historical Photos]</nowiki> Messerschmitt Me 264 Amerika bomber]

{{AirManufacturer BFW}}
{{Germany bombers}}