P-66 - Revision history

U141562625: /* Description */

2024-08-03T05:54:13Z

‎Description

U38088265: /* Description */

2023-09-23T11:58:06Z

‎Description

U120313908: /* Description */Added history

2023-09-22T19:59:34Z

‎Description: Added history

U44629479: Edits

2022-07-05T05:51:45Z

Edits

Show changes

U3312106: /* Details */

2021-02-18T16:01:31Z

‎Details

U44629479: Moved subsection References to correct place

2021-02-09T15:50:49Z

Moved subsection References to correct place

U92533794: /* Pros and cons */

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‎Pros and cons

U92533794: /* Usage in battles */

2021-02-09T15:03:04Z

‎Usage in battles

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‎External links

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Updated format

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 == Description ==
 <!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of and the creation and combat usage of the aircraft, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the aircraft in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
-An American fighter designed in the late 1930s, the Vultee P-66 Vanguard was originally intended to be delivered to Sweden in 1941. However, following the attack on Pearl Harbour, the US decided to retain the aircraft for defense and training of its own personal. When better aircraft became available, the P-66 was sold to China in large numbers, serving in the 3rd and 5th Air Groups of the Chinese Nationalist Forces. At the end most of these fighters were replaced by the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk in 1943, but some of them survived and were used in the Chinese Civil War against Mao's forces. Compared to its Japanese counterparts such as the Ki-43 and Ki-44, the P-66 lacked the agility to survive in prolonged fights, and thus it was forced to do hit and run tactics, using its better top speed to outrun Japanese fighters when they moved to intercept.
+An American fighter designed in the late 1930s, the Vultee P-66 Vanguard was originally intended to be delivered to Sweden in 1941. However, following the attack on Pearl Harbour, the US decided to retain the aircraft for defense and training of its own personnel. When better aircraft became available, the P-66 was sold to China in large numbers, serving in the 3rd and 5th Air Groups of the Chinese Nationalist Forces. At the end most of these fighters were replaced by the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk in 1943, but some of them survived and were used in the Chinese Civil War against Mao's forces. Compared to its Japanese counterparts such as the Ki-43 and Ki-44, the P-66 lacked the agility to survive in prolonged fights, and thus it was forced to do hit and run tactics, using its better top speed to outrun Japanese fighters when they moved to intercept.
 Introduced in [[Update 1.91 "Night Vision"]], the "Vanguard" may bear a slight resemblance to the [[P-36G|P-36 Hawk]], another contemporary US design with a radial engine, razorback cockpit, and similar armament, but it has large differences in the details of its design. Compared to the Hawk, it has a longer and rounder fuselage with narrower wings. It also has an unusually spacious canopy, which is not surprising considering that it was designed to share parts with trainer aircraft. Performance-wise, the P-66 is a balanced fighter with no particular strengths. This may be off-putting for pilots coming from the previous [[CW-21]] and its amazing performance, but the P-66 is still a decent aircraft and is the first Chinese fighter that can actually take a hit or two. Tactics learned with this aircraft can be applied to the succeeding [[P-40E-1 (China)|P-40E]].

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 == Description ==
 <!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of and the creation and combat usage of the aircraft, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the aircraft in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
-The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Chinese fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.91 "Night Vision"]].
+An American fighter designed in the late 1930s, the Vultee P-66 Vanguard was originally intended to be delivered to Sweden in 1941. However, following the attack on Pearl Harbour, the US decided to retain the aircraft for defense and training of its own personal. When better aircraft became available, the P-66 was sold to China in large numbers, serving in the 3rd and 5th Air Groups of the Chinese Nationalist Forces. At the end most of these fighters were replaced by the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk in 1943, but some of them survived and were used in the Chinese Civil War against Mao's forces. Compared to its Japanese counterparts such as the Ki-43 and Ki-44, the P-66 lacked the agility to survive in prolonged fights, and thus it was forced to do hit and run tactics, using its better top speed to outrun Japanese fighters when they moved to intercept.
-The Vultee P-66 Vanguard was a fighter aircraft to be delivered to Sweden in 1941. However, at that time and with WWII already started. The US then decided to retain the aircrafts for defensive and training of it's own personal. At some point when better aircrafts were available, the P-66 was sold to China in large numbers, serving in the 3rd and 5th Air Groups of the Chinese Nationalist Forces. At the end most of these fighters were replaced by the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk in 1943, but some of them survived and were used in the Chinese Civil War against the Mao's forces. Compared to it's Japanese counterparts, like the Ki-43 and Ki-44, the P-66 lacked the agility to survive in prolonged fights, and thus it was forced to do hit and run tactics, using it's better top speed to outrun Japanese fighters when they moved to Intercept.
+Introduced in [[Update 1.91 "Night Vision"]], the "Vanguard" may bear a slight resemblance to the [[P-36G|P-36 Hawk]], another contemporary US design with a radial engine, razorback cockpit, and similar armament, but it has large differences in the details of its design. Compared to the Hawk, it has a longer and rounder fuselage with narrower wings. It also has an unusually spacious canopy, which is not surprising considering that it was designed to share parts with trainer aircraft. Performance-wise, the P-66 is a balanced fighter with no particular strengths. This may be off-putting for pilots coming from the previous [[CW-21]] and its amazing performance, but the P-66 is still a decent aircraft and is the first Chinese fighter that can actually take a hit or two. Tactics learned with this aircraft can be applied to the succeeding [[P-40E-1 (China)|P-40E]].
 == General info ==
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 Most flight characteristics of the P-66 are average or perhaps slightly below average. The top speed is not terrible for its rank, but it will not be winning many races against contemporary German and Italian aircraft with sleek inline engines. It is slower than the [[Bf 109 E-1|Bf 109E]]s, and [[C.202]]s or [[He 100 D-1 | He 100]]s will leave it in the dust. The Japanese [[Ki-43-II]] is faster as well. The climb rate and acceleration are nothing special. Turning is decent when combat flaps are used, but it is less manoeuvrable than many low-rank aircraft it faces. Horizontal energy retention is alright, but the vertical energy retention is below average. Dive characteristics are fairly good, as it picks up speed nicely and the controls do not stiffen that much.
 Overall, the P-66 is in an uncomfortable situation where it does not have the speed or climb to consistently have an energy advantage over many of its opponents, but it also does not have outstanding manoeuvrability for easily dodging diving attacks or winning turnfights. Fly carefully!
 {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
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 When attacking bombers or attackers with defensive gunners, note that while low-calibre defensive weapons are unlikely to knock out the P-66's pilot, the engine can still be damaged and destroyed if enough hits are taken. Do not sit on a bomber or attacker's tail for long unless its gunners have been knocked out. Try to aim for fuel tanks or engines, since those are easily set afire. Trying to dismantle large aircraft with sheer burst mass will take a while and use up lots of ammunition.
 * In simulator, the P-66 is overall a decent aircraft to fly, similar to the previous CW-21 in many aspects. The tactics are also similar to RB: it can perform BnZ fighting as well as some turn fighting and intercepting.
 * The P-66's pros in sim include pretty nice handling at most speeds (300-450 km/h), extremely well over-the-nose visibility thanks to its high-mounted gunsight, allowing the player to easily see what is below the nose. Sideways & upward visibility is great too, with very few canopy frames obstructing your view. It is also forgiving for beginners, since it will not easily enter flat spins even if you pull the stick a lot (almost to the edge), allowing for more agile manoeuvres.
 * Its biggest con is the terrible rear visibility. With a huge non-transparent structure behind your seat, you cannot see anything behind you, sometimes not even your own stabilisers! As a result you will always get caught off guard from behind, not knowing what and where the enemy is. There are also quite some thick frames at the front. Also, the P-66's elevators struggles to pitch the aircraft at both low and high speeds (<250 km/h, >480 km/h). When performing BnZ attacks, this flaw can cause the player to ram into the target plane as a result of not being able to pitch up in time. Therefore you need to pull the stick more to turn tighter. At last, the roll rate is not satisfactory below 200 km/h.
 * Note that when taking off the P-66 will drift to the left and right due to the propeller torque, so it is recommended to set keybinds for left and right brakes to effectively control your direction when on the runway. Using rudder alone will not work at low speed and you will either circle around or lose control and crash into nearby structures like tents/hangars.
 * Landing is fairly beginner-friendly. It is able to decelerate quickly while also having low enough stall speed, allowing you to quickly slow down and descend onto the runway. Note: landing flaps generate lots of lift that will raise your plane back up, so use combat / takeoff flaps first and only deploy landing flaps when you are almost touching down. Remember to remain overall parallel to the ground. It also performs great when braking as its nose will not usually dip into the ground (same as the later P-43), so you can keep braking until it fully stops (given that you deflect elevators fully upwards) which is vital for preparing the next fight quickly.
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 '''Cons:'''
 * Bad climb rate
 * Not very fast
 * Poor performance at high altitudes

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 <!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of and the creation and combat usage of the aircraft, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the aircraft in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
 The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Chinese fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.91 "Night Vision"]].
 An American fighter designed in the 1930s, the "Vanguard" may bear a slight resemblance to the [[P-36G|P-36 Hawk]], another contemporary US design with a radial engine, razorback cockpit, and similar armament, but it has large differences in the details of its design. Compared to the Hawk, it has a longer and rounder fuselage with narrower wings. It also has an unusually spacious canopy, which is not surprising considering that it was designed to share parts with trainer aircraft. Performance wise, the P-66 is a balanced fighter with no particular strengths. This may be off-putting for pilots coming from the previous [[CW-21]] and its amazing performance, but the P-66 is still a decent aircraft and is the first Chinese fighter that can actually take a hit or two. Tactics learned with this aircraft can be applied to the succeeding [[P-40E-1 (China)|P-40E]].
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 ;Skins
 * [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=p-66 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]
 == 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 series of the aircraft;''
 * ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

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 ! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
 |-
-| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || 480 || 340 || 280 || ~12 || ~6
+| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || 445 || 399 || 280 || ~12 || ~6
 |-
 |}

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 The P-66 was officially retired by the ROCAF in 1945, but a number of examples were put back into crates and stashed into caves near the city of Chongqing in preparation for the Kuomingtang's conflict with the Communists. They do not appear to have been used and their fate remains unknown. No examples are known to survive today.
 == Media ==
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 == 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 series of the aircraft;''
 * ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
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 == External links ==
 <!--''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
 * ''topic on the official game forum;''
 * ''other literature.''-->
 * [https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/474724-vultee-p-66-vanguard/ Official data sheet - more details about the performance]
 {{AirManufacturer Vultee}}
 {{China fighters}}

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 * Poor performance at high altitudes
 * Engine tends to overheat
-* No suspended ordinance for ground attack
+* No suspended ordnance for ground attack
 == History ==

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 * Under 2500m, you can use WEP for around 3 minutes, then the oil will start heating up. But above 2500m, the WEP can be almost infinite depending on the map season. For trimming, it is recommended to trim for around -10, -8, -8 for ailerons, elevators and rudder respectively.
 * Your firepower is quite weak against bombers and attackers, and the recommended deflection shooting will take you some time to down an aircraft as you only have 2 M2 MG that do the work. The 4x 7.62 mm generally do little damage against tough planes. Still, do not sit behind any plane with a rear facing gunner as you big radial engine will always get damaged. Some examples are the IL-2 which is commonly seen in Sim. It can get mistakenly seen as other aircraft from a distance due to its common appearance. But up close you will see two bomb-like structures underneath its wings and triangular stabilisers with rounded tips. The early IL-2s have no defensive guns so it is safe to sit behind and carefully aim. They are heavily armoured in the cockpit and engine so avoid aiming at these areas. Instead target the tail to hope for disabling their tail control. The late IL-2s, however, have a rear-facing Berezin UB which is something you definitely want to avoid. Perform deflection shots or just disengage.
-* Other examples include the AI bombers which are usually Ju-87s. Do not engage them if you have no altitude advantage. Having higher speed but at the same altitude will not work either as the P-66 loses speed quickly in a level flight. Try to get at least 600m above them. To maximise the damage aim for their nosesand  engines, as the wings and fuselage usually soak up lots of bullets. Only fire when they pass in front of your guns. During these steps do not forget to randomly pitch and yaw to avoid their guns, because even those single MG 15s can easily damage your fragile engine. Luckily, with a damaged engine you might still be able to glide back to a nearby airfield as interceptions with AI bombers usually happen at around 2000m which is enough to glide away.
+* Other examples include the AI bombers which are usually Ju-87s. Do not engage them if you have no altitude advantage. Having higher speed but at the same altitude will not work either as the P-66 loses speed quickly in a level flight. Try to get at least 600m above them. To maximise the damage aim for their nose and  engines, as the wings and fuselage usually soak up lots of bullets. Only fire when they pass in front of your guns. During these steps do not forget to randomly pitch and yaw to avoid their guns, because even those single MG 15s can easily damage your fragile engine. Luckily, with a damaged engine you might still be able to glide back to a nearby airfield as interceptions with AI bombers usually happen at around 2000m which is enough to glide away.
 === Manual Engine Control ===

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 {{Specs-Card
 |code=p-66
-|images={{Specs-Card-Image|}}
+|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
 }}
 == Description ==
 <!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of and the creation and combat usage of the aircraft, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the aircraft in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
 The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Chinese fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.91 "Night Vision"]].
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 |-
 | Controllable || Controllable<br>Not auto controlled || Controllable<br>Not auto controlled || Controllable<br>Not auto controlled || Separate || Controllable<br>2 gears || Not controllable
 |-
 |}