Halifax B Mk IIIa

Halifax B Mk IIIa

Wellington Mk X

Stirling B Mk I

Halifax B Mk IIIa

Wellington Mk X

Stirling B Mk I

Britain

III Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
4.0	4.0	4.3

Class:

Bomber

Long Range bomber

Research:18 000

Purchase:47 000

Description

The Halifax B Mk IIIa in the garage

The Halifax B Mk IIIa is a Rank III British bomber with a battle rating of 4.0 (AB/RB) and 4.3 (SB). This aircraft was introduced in Update 1.59 "Flaming Arrows".

The Halifax is an interesting member of the British bomber line. It is the first true British heavy bomber, a big change from its predecessors, which are all either flying boats, medium, or light bombers. With the transition to heavy bombers, comes a change in tactics. The Halifax will out class almost every tier 2 and 3 bomber in terms of payload. It will also generally beat every same BR bomber in payload as well. However, being a heavy bomber has its draw backs. Compared to nearly all previous British bombers, this one is slower, and has a noticeably slow climb rate. While the payload upgrade is nice, the Halifax is not very durable. Worse, the Halifax lacks effective defensive weapons, a flaw of nearly all British bombers. The main priority, as a result, should be targeting bases, and avoiding opposing pilots as much as possible. Use high altitude and less direct travel routes to get to your targets. If you are engaged, your defensive guns can save you, but they are not very reliable. In addition, you have no ventral turret, leaving a massive defensive gap. If you can keep safe, and deliver your payload, you will find this to be a very effective bomber.

General info

Flight Performance

Characteristics
Stock
Max Speed (km/h at 4,115 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
432	418	7620	35.3	35.8	2.3	3.8	750
Upgraded
Max Speed (km/h at 4,115 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
477	454	7620	33.2	34.0	9.9	6.5	750

Details

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

Limits
Wing-break speed (km/h)	Gear limit (km/h)	Combat flap (km/h)	Max Static G
			+	-
0	260	???	~??	~?

Optimal velocities
Ailerons (km/h)	Rudder (km/h)	Elevators (km/h)	Radiator (km/h)
< ???	< ???	< ???	> ???

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
2,000 m	??? hp	?,??? hp
Setting 2
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
4,300 m	?,??? hp	?,??? hp

Survivability and armour

• 6.35 mm steel in front and floor of cockpit
• 8 mm steel behind pilot and in rear fuselage bulkhead
• No armour glazing
• Critical components located in the wings of aircraft (fuel, engine, controls)

Armaments

Suspended armament

The Halifax B Mk IIIa can be outfitted with the following ordinance"

• 15 x G.P 250 lb Mk.IV bombs
• 15 x G.P 500 lb Mk.IV bombs
• 9 x M.C. 1000 lb Mk.I bombs + 6 x G.P 500 lb Mk.IV bombs

Defensive armament

The Halifax B Mk IIIa is defended by:

• 4 x 7.7mm Browning machine gun, tail turret (1,700 RPG= 6,800 total)
• 4 x 7.7mm Browning machine gun, dorsal turret (600 RPG = 2,400 total)
• 1 x 7.7mm Vickers K machine gun, nose turret (1000 RPG)

Usage in the battles

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Controllable	Not controllable	Not controllable	Not controllable	Separate	Not ontrollable	Not controllable

Modules

Tier	Flight performance		Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage Repair	Radiator
II		Compressor	Airframe
III	Wings Repair	Engine
IV		Engine Injection	Cover

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Versatile - It is capable of flying low-altitude runs for minibases, or high-altitude bomb runs.
• Can carry an overwhelming 12,000 lb of bombs, giving it the heaviest payload at RanK II-III, and outclasses many Rank IV bombers
• (Realistic Battle) Full payload lets it take out all three bases in one pass with two 1,000 lb bombs to spare (first base : 6 x 500 lb + 1 x 1,000 lb / second base : 3 x 1,000 lb / third base : 3 x 1,000 lb / airfield : 2 x 1,000 lb.
• Fast and fairly manoeuvrable for a heavy bomber, with flaps that do not rip easily
• Performance is almost unaffected by payload options due to internal payload carriage that doesn't create drag
• Fantastic climb rate with WEP; can easily reach 6,000 m with full payload just by side climbing (which is heavily advised to minimize interception)
• Can fly with two engines if needed - or even one, if trying to land.
• Matchmaking typically places the bomber against planes less deadly than the ones later British bombers face
• Defensive armament is decent for a British bomber
• Tail gunner has a lot of ammunition (4 x 7.7 mm machine guns with 1,700 rounds per gun)
• Impressive aircraft overall in terms of bombers, arguably outclassing the succeeding Stirling in the next rank and can be a game changer for the team if left unchecked
• Economical plane to fly as an easy Silver Lion and Research Points grinder with an incredibly cheap repair cost

Cons:

• Large target
• Priority target (in Arcade battle) that smart players will aim for first
• Stock payload is useless for base bombing
• Nose is defended by a single 7.7 mm gun and the belly has no machine gun coverage, leaving them very vulnerable for enemy attacks
• 7.7 mm turrets are overall not very effective
• Only one pilot, no copilot like other bombers
• WEP causes overheating unless manual engine control is used to force radiators open
• Fragile structure compared to most competing bombers and previous British bombers
• Severe lack of armour for crew leaves them vulnerable

History

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