D.371 H.S.9

D.371 H.S.9

D.371 H.S.9

France

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
1.7	1.3	1.3

Class:

PREMIUM

Fighter

Purchase:Bundle or Gift

This page is about the premium French fighter D.371 H.S.9. For other uses, see D.37 (family).

Description

The D.371 H.S.9 is a gift rank I French fighter with a battle rating of 1.7 (AB) and 1.3 (RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.73 "Vive la France".

The D.371 H.S.9 is a modification of the first production aircraft of the D.37 series. The D.371 H.S.9 (along with its siblings D.371 and D.373) are unique compared to other early aircraft in the game as it is a monoplane with a parasol wing as opposed to other low-wing monoplanes and biplanes. Key features of this version include 2 x Hispano-Suiza 9 20 mm cannons which are a rare find on aircraft this low in rank.

This aircraft is the first of the D.37 series featured in the game along with its younger sibling the D.373. As a single-engine monoplane, it is agile and quick and while it can be a formidable turn-fighter, maintaining speed in this aircraft is crucial, or else it becomes a slow easy target for other aircraft. The H.S.9 cannons are very powerful, especially against early aircraft, many of which utilised cloth coverings and wooden frames. Tempting as it is to unload the weapons on the enemy in front of you, the ammunition load carried in the aircraft is a paltry 30 rounds per gun (60 rounds total). A careful aim and conservation of ammunition are vital with this aircraft.

Due to the D.371 H.S.9 being a low-rank aircraft, it is not uncommon for it to be pitted against higher rank I aircraft and even some lower rank II planes too. While slower than many of the higher aircraft it may face, not all is lost. The D.371 H.S.9 will have a manoeuvrability advantage and most likely a weapons advantage, so the pilot must cause the enemy to fight on their terms where the cannons have a chance to blow holes in the enemies engines, fuel tanks or even the pilot! Don’t underestimate D.371 H.S.9 as it can be considered the gun which is brought to a knife fight!

General info

Flight performance

Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 5,000 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	381	368	9000	13.9	14.4	9.6	9.6	150
Upgraded	417	400		12.6	13.0	20.1	14.0

Details

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

Limits
Wings (km/h)	Gear (km/h)	Flaps (km/h)			Max Static G
		Combat	Take-off	Landing	+	-
		N/A	N/A	N/A	~11	~5

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 240	< 220	< 260	> 210

Compressor	Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
Setting 1	3,825 m	880 hp	1,023 hp

Survivability and armour

Early aircraft did not feature much in the way of armour protection as many of the aircraft at this point were transitioning from the wood frame and cloth skin to the wood frame and metal skinned aircraft. Due to the balancing of the aircraft, much of the critical equipment was positioned towards the front of the aircraft, where the engine, fuel tanks, oil pumps, control linkages and the pilot were clustered around each other. With this tight grouping and no armour protection, when fired upon, chances were high to hit a critical component in the aircraft.

The key to survival is to keep moving (avoid flying in straight lines and always be looking around) along with being aware of your surroundings, if you start hearing bullets or see tracer fire whizzing by, it may be too late and the pilot will need to take evasive action to avoid being shot down.

Armaments

Offensive armament

The D.371 H.S.9 is armed with:

• 2 x 20 mm Hispano HS.9 cannons, wing-mounted (30 rpg = 60 total)

Each of the two cannons are located with one on each side of the fuselage, mounted to the underside of the wing. Each cannon is outfitted with the same amount of ammunition, which means that both guns will fire together until empty. Due to the mounting locations on the wings (just outside of the propeller arc), convergence in this aircraft is not as critical, but still necessary. Most of the fighting with this aircraft will be in close quarters to exploit the explosive power of the cannons in close range. Convergence set between 150 and 300 meters (wherever you are most comfortable) will work best along with careful aim to put the most bullets into the enemy aircraft as possible and hit a critical component. Many pilots in World War I and II would set their weapon's convergence to 200 to 250 meters and would wait until being in that range before firing to ensure best chances for shooting down the enemy. Shots from too far away could "spook" the enemy into evasive manoeuvres or just waste ammunition in a "spray and pray" manoeuvre which one cannot afford with this aircraft. Practice and skill will allow the pilot to close within 250 m of the enemy and take them out with controlled bursts and then move onto the next victim.

Usage in battles

Maintaining speed with this aircraft is a must as a slow D.371 is an easy target. Initial spawning into a map should lead a D.371 pilot to climb and gain altitude. This will give you an advantage over most other pilots upon reaching the combat area as you will be able to select which enemy plane to dive on and attack. With a diving attack, you will gain speed which will allow you to quickly gain on the enemy aircraft fire off a burst of rounds and then climb back up to altitude. If you decide to tail an enemy plane after a dive, you will risk bleeding off your energy. When attacking an enemy plane, attempt to attack when you see the greatest surface area of the fuselage and wings. If tailing a fighter, wait for them to turn or pull-up to expose the most surface area. When turn fighting or looping, utilise your rudder to sharpen your turning ability.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Controllable	Not controllable Not auto controlled	Not controllable Not auto controlled	Not controllable Not auto controlled	Separate	Not controllable 1 gear	Not controllable

Modules

Tier	Flight performance		Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage repair	Radiator
II		Compressor	Airframe
III	Wings repair	Engine		Offensive 20 mm
IV		Engine injection	Cover	New 20 mm cannons

As a gift vehicle, this aircraft comes fully modified.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Very manoeuvrable
• Roll rate is above average
• Adequate climb rate for rank I fighter
• A smaller target compared to most biplanes
• 2 x 20 mm Hispano HS.9 cannons
• Effective against bombers
• Use stealth belt against biplanes with devastating results

Cons:

• Most rivals are faster at this point
• Out-turned by biplanes
• Continuous firing of cannons results in aircraft pulling up
• Weak structure
• Low ammo count

History

In the early 1930s, SAF-Avions Dewoitine, a French aircraft manufacturing company, developed the D.37 aircraft, a single-seat aeroplane with a parasol wing, radial engine, fixed landing gear and a tail-skid; however, the actual manufacturing of the aircraft was transferred to Lioré et Olivier.

The D.371 H.S.9 was a modification of the first production version of the D.37 aircraft line to equip 20 mm cannons.

Media

Images

• 

  D.371 H.S.9 - Right side view
  War Thunder News

• 

  D.371 H.S.9 - Left side view
  War Thunder News

• 

  D.371 H.S.9 - Upper left side view
  War Thunder News

• 

  D.371 H.S.9 - Right front side view
  War Thunder News

Videos

The Shooting Range #69 - War Machines section at 00:25 discusses the D.371 H.S.9.

See also

• I-153P - Another pre-war design that was upgraded with cannon armament.

External links

• [News] French aircraft in update 1.73!
• [Devblog] Dewoitine D.371: Aerial Trickster