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Brigand B 1

Brigand B 1

Description

Development for the Brigand began as a successor to the Beaufighter, namely as a strike aircraft and torpedo bomber. Bristol used their existing Buckingham aircraft design as the basis, but development delays caused the plane to not be ready until after the war in 1946. Without a war to fight, the Brigand was utilized for training or lower-intensity conflicts such as the communist insurgency in Malaya.

Introduced in Update 1.63 "Desert Hunters", the Brigand B 1 can utilize its engine performance and armament for high-altitude interceptions against enemy bombers. With four nose-mounted 20 mm cannons, it can engage bombers head-on very easily. However, the Brigand's less impressive agility and roll speed means it is not very useful against manoeuvrable targets, so it is only limited to large lumbering planes. If all bombers were shot down, the Brigand can move on to ground attack with its rockets and bombs and help the team whittle down the tickets needed for a victory.

General info

Flight performance

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 4,267 m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	552	540		27.2	28.0	11.0	11.0	600
Upgraded	613	580		24.9	26.0	19.8	14.7

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear
✓	✓	✓	✓	X

Limits
Wings (km/h)	Gear (km/h)	Flaps (km/h)			Max Static G
		Combat	Take-off	Landing	+	-
680		430	404	270	~8	~3

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 360	< 390	< 390	> 327

Engine performance

Engine
Engine Name			Number present
Bristol Centaurus 57 18-cylinder			2
Engine characteristics
Weight (each)		Type	Cooling
1,220 kg		Radial	Air
Engine power (Stock)
Mode	Max		Take-off
Arcade	1,853 hp		2,273 hp
Realistic/Simulator	1,830 hp		2,250 hp
Engine power (Upgraded)
Mode	Max		Take-off
Arcade	2,428 hp		2,848 hp
Realistic/Simulator	2,100 hp		2,520 hp

WEP Duration
Arcade		Realistic/Simulator
25 seconds		Infinite

Survivability and armour

• 64 mm Bulletproof glass in cockpit front.
• 12.7 mm Steel plate in pilot's seat.
• 12.7 mm Steel plate in the nose.
• 12.7 mm Steel plate in the fuselage.

Armaments

Offensive armament

The Brigand B 1 is armed with:

• 4 x 20 mm Hispano Mk.V cannons, nose-mounted (200 rpg = 800 total)

Suspended armament

The Brigand B 1 can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11
500 lb G.P. Mk.IV bombs					1	2	1
1,000 lb G.P. Mk.I bombs						2
RP-3 rockets	2	2	2	2				2	2	2	2
Maximum permissible loadout weight: 1,690 kg Maximum permissible weight imbalance: 500 kg

Default weapon presets
Without load 16 x RP-3 rockets 2 x 500 lb G.P. Mk.IV bombs (1,000 lb total) 4 x 500 lb G.P. Mk.IV bombs (2,000 lb total) 2 x 1,000 lb G.P. Mk.I bombs (2,000 lb total)

Usage in battles

In AB and RB, you should immediately bomber hunt, as those will be your easiest kills, combined with your bomber altitude, you should stay high until you run out of targets to engage then you should go for fighters, before ground targets when it is safe to do so. When diving, use your airbrakes to be sure not to exceed your maximum speed of 680kph in a dive. Exceeding 550kph, sustaining a flick roll and other sharp acrobatics may break your wings.

How to offensively engage an enemy aircraft:
While it is tempting because of the Brigand's strong armament, avoid fully committing to head ons where possible, as the Brigand has a sluggish control response which will impede your ability to dodge and you will almost certainly receive some damage if you do not break off quickly after firing. When engaging bomber targets, avoid sitting on their tail as the Brigand is a large target for their tail gunners - make a high speed pass, disengage, and assess the enemy bomber for another attack if necessary. Be wary dogfighting fighters, as while the Brigand is quite capable at turning, its ability to retain and generate energy is below most fighters, and firing solutions can be difficult to capitalise on due to its unwieldy controls. In a long fight or at a numerical disadvantage this can easily become your downfall.

How to perform defensive fighting:
Should an enemy get on your six, your best bet is to bolt towards allied fighters/airfield and give the enemy a hard time aiming at you. While moving in the same general direction, dart your nose around and play with the roll and rudder. Flick rolls are a near-necessity in the Brigand to quickly rotate the aircraft and will be a crucial asset to dodge guns. Avoid going up when defensive, as you will quickly find yourself low on energy and vulnerable. The Brigand is a large target, so you must maintain situational awareness to be able to dodge incoming shots, else you will almost certainly be hit.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Not controllable	Controllable Not auto controlled	Controllable Auto control available	Controllable Auto control available	Separate	Controllable 2 gears	Not controllable

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Great armament of four nose-mounted Hispano V cannons
• Bomber spawn (AB and RB)
• Decently manoeuvrable for an aircraft of its size, especially with combat flaps, capable of out-turning fighters like the Bf 109 and P-51 at some speeds
• Plenty of ammo
• Good attack payloads of 2,000 lbs or 16 RP-3 Rockets, even mixed
• Very good cockpit visibility
• Heavy armour on the nose of aircraft for head-ons
• Air brakes that provide lift upon usage

Cons:

• Generally slow
• Average climb rate
• Massive target
• No defensive gunners on the aircraft
• Air brakes lack performance under 600 km/h
• Early bomb modifications are mounted far on the wings, making them hard to aim
• Bad roll rate
• Poor performance at high altitude

History

Designed to replace the famous Bristol Beaufighter series, the Bristol Type 164 "Brigand" was based on the already in production Bristol Buckingham, a transport/liaison aircraft intended to have been a medium bomber like the Wellington. Because of this, the Brigand was substantially larger than its predecessor and its performance suffered in suit. Originally conceived as a fast torpedo attacker, the Brigand turned out to be a heavy strike bomber, and only the first eleven airframes were ever torpedo capable.

The Brigand B.1 as seen in-game would first see service with No. 84 and No. 8 Sqn RAF in Aden, modern-day Yemen. While not seeing action, the hot, dry climate of the Arabian peninsula was ideal for the Brigand and production continued. The Brigand would next be handed over to Beaufighter squadron No. 45 based out of Tengah, Singapore in engaging Communist guerillas in and around Malaya (Modern day Malaysia). It was here where the Brigand would receive its trial of fire, bombing and rocketing swathes of the South-East Asian jungles on the hunt for this red menace. However, the humid climate and constant stress from dive bombing would be the death sentence for this aircraft. The leather and rubber seals used on the hydraulic jacks of the landing gear and dive brakes rotted away, causing gear failures and some dive brakes failing, leading to crashes and wing tearing. This, combined with the Brigand's wings being unable to cope with the constant dive-bombing, led to it being withdrawn from service in Malaya by 1952, and from Aden by 1954.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Brigand B 1 from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

The Shooting Range #304 - Metal Beasts section at 00:30 discusses the Brigand B 1.

Brigand - (Not So Bad) First Impressions - Napalmratte

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.

External links

• Official data sheet - more details about the performance