Pokryshkin's P-39N-0 (USSR)

This page is about the gift Soviet fighter Pokryshkin's P-39N-0 (USSR). For the American version, see P-39N-0. For other versions, see P-39 (Family).

▂Pokryshkin's P-39N-0

360://https://old-wiki.warthunder.com/images/e/ea/Cockpit_p-39n_su.jpg

▂Pokryshkin's P-39N-0

USSR

III Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
3.3	3.0	3.0

Class:

PREMIUM

Fighter

Purchase:Bundle or Gift

Description

The ▂Pokryshkin's P-39N-0 Airacobra is a premium gift rank III Soviet fighter with a battle rating of 3.3 (AB) and 3.0 (RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.31. The plane is painted after the camouflage scheme of Soviet pilot Alexander Pokryshkin in the 16th Guards Fighter Regiment, who scored most of his aerial victories in a lend-lease P-39. It differs from the regular P-39N-0 by the removal of all 4 wing-mounted 0.30 cal machine guns.

General info

Flight performance

Max speed

at 3 048 m644 km/h

Turn time18 s

Max altitude9 700 m

EngineAllison V-1710-85

TypeInline

Cooling systemWater

Take-off weight5 t

The P-39N-0 is a low altitude fighter. Its engine: the Allison V-1710-85 can produce up to 1200 HP, however it has only a single-stage, single-speed supercharger. Because of that, the plane perform well only at low altitude, at sea level it can reach up to 575 km/h and at 3,048 m and it reaches its max level speed at 3,048 m, the level speed there is 644 km/h. Thanks to that it can outperform many other fighters like the early versions of Bf 109 or other American planes at that altitude range. The climb rate performance is decent, getting to 4,500 m should take about 4 minutes when flying with enabled WEP and full fuel tanks, below 1,000 m it is able to reach ~23 m/s. That puts it almost on par with some Bf 109 versions or the Yak-9, but only up to certain altitude. Due to the engine limits after flying for 5 minutes with enabled WEP it might start to overheat, especially with closed radiators. Reducing the propeller pitch to 90-95% and opening its radiators to 15-20% or more will significantly increase the time for how long it can fly at full power.

The manoeuvrability wise the Cobra is a decent plane. It can perform a full horizontal circle at 1,000 m in 18 seconds, but once it climb above the altitude where its engine performs the best the sustained turn rate will be getting worse due to not sufficient amount of power. However even at low altitude it will not be able to outturn any Bf 109E or F version, the P-40F or Yak-9 are also much better at dogfighting. The plane also locks up quite a lot above 600 km/h IAS, although it is very good at diving, its structural speed is 886 km/h, which is excellent compared to the other fighters at similar battle rating. Its roll rate is slightly improved compared to the American N-0 version because of removed wing mounted machine guns, at 400 IAS it can reach ~90°/s and 75°/s at 600 km/h IAS. The turn rate performance can be improved by using flaps, depending on the situation to up to even ~20% at a cost of much higher drag. They can be extended to combat, takeoff and landing position, but their speed limit is quite low, up to 425 km/h IAS, losing them during the fight will significantly decrease its dogfighting capabilities.

In simulator battles the P-39 is a very stable plane, unlike many other propeller driven planes it does not require so much trimming to keep it steady. The stalling characteristics can be violent, it will reaching maximum AoA at ~55% and with combat flaps at 70% of elevator deflection. After pulling it all the way to yourself it will stall out within a few seconds and recovering it from that state will take another few seconds or become almost impossible depending on the fuel loadout (the more fuel, the harder to recover).

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 3,048 m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	616	595	9700	18.9	19.9	11.0	11.0	280
Upgraded	683	644		17.8	18.0	21.7	15.4

Details

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

Limits
Wings (km/h)	Gear (km/h)	Flaps (km/h)			Max Static G
		Combat	Take-off	Landing	+	-
0	322	426	396	241	~13	~9

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 360	< 380	< 450	> 312

Survivability and armour

Crew1 person

Speed of destruction

Structural0 km/h

Gear322 km/h

Armour plates

• 15.87 mm (5°) Steel - Propeller hub
• 15.87 mm (15°) - Plate in front of the cockpit
• 7 mm (67°) Steel - Plate over instrument cluster
• 6 mm (5-16°) Steel - Upper pilot's seat and headrest encasement
• 6 mm (5°) Steel - Rear tail
• 38 mm (71°) Bulletproof glass - Windscreen
• 64 mm (5°) Bulletproof glass - Headrest of pilot's seat

Critical components

• The engine is located behind the pilot
• Cooling systems are under the engine and in the middle of the the tail section.
• Self-sealing fuel tanks are located at the root of each wing.

Modifications and economy

Repair cost

AB1 027

RB5 611

SB1 746

Crew training10 000

Experts67 000

Aces400

Research Aces570 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

2 × 60 / 230 / 310 %

2 × 136 / 136 / 136 %

Modifications

Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
Fuselage repair Radiator Compressor Wings repair Engine Engine injection	Airframe Cover	bmg50_belt_pack bmg50_new_gun m4_new_gun

Armaments

Offensive armament

Weapon 137 mm M4 cannon

Ammunition30 rounds

Fire rate150 shots/min

Weapon 22 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine gun

Ammunition400 rounds

Fire rate750 shots/min

The Pokryshkin's P-39N-0 (USSR) is armed with:

• 1 x 37 mm M4 cannon, nose-mounted (30 rpg)
• 2 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns, nose-mounted (200 rpg = 400 total)

Usage in battles

The Russian P-39N works basically like the American version, the only difference being lower mass due to removed machine guns and slightly improved roll and turn rate because of that. In realistic battles it can an advantage of excellent low altitude performance, most of low tier battles in which it will participate will take place there. Climbing in this plane is not an issue, it can get to 5,000m in slightly over 4 minutes, so after reaching it will most likely encounter other fighters like the BF-109E/F, or the American counterparts. Dogfighting with anything is not recommended, at its battle rating it can be outturned by almost everything, so it is the best to keep your speed which in some cases is even 100 km/h higher compared to other fighters, then try to Boom and Zoom the enemy. The cannon that this plane uses has low rate of fire, also its muzzle velocity is not that fast, so it is the best to try attack slower targets, heavy fighters, attackers and bombers by using it. Going for head to head with most of other planes will end up badly, the P-39N-0 SU's armamement is too weak for that.

Against the Germany it might struggle a little bit, the Bf 109 has better climb and is also better at turning so in most situations it is just the best to start using the superior level speed from 0 to 4,000 m, or go for very shallow dive, they will not be able to keep up because of lower structural speed. The only concern can the Fw 190 A-1, its level speed is almost as high and gets higher above 5,000m, the best way to win against them is just by using the superior turn rate, but the player still should be careful, the Fw 190 has a really great roll rate, it might try to make the other planes overshoot.

Against the Britain the only plane that pose any challenge is the Spitfire. Its turn rate is way more superior, the climb rate performance is also very similar, although every other aspect is worse, it will also suffer from overheating issues in any prolonged fight, so they will start bleeding their speed very fast. In most cases it is the best to go for Boom and Zoom or high speed Hit and Run tactics.

Against the Italy the only planes that can cause any problems are the C.202 and C.205 series. The C.202 is a much slower plane, its climb rate is also worse and the turn rate of the version with cannons very similar, it can be dealt by either Boom and Zooming it or just dogfighting, but it is not recommended unless there are no other planes around, it will make the plane slow and easy to show down, using the speed advantage is way less riskier. The C.205 is a harder enemy to deal, its level speed is still slower, by ~30-40 km/h (depending on the version), but the climb rate performance is the same, it also gets faster above ~4,500 m. Both the Cobra and Macchi have also very similar turn rate, dogfighting in this situation will most depend on the player's skill, but the C.205 have a much easier time with snap shots and high angle attacks, the cannon version is equipped with three 20mm cannons, going for head to head is a certain death, so after the encounter at similar altitude the P-39 will most likely be pushed to defensive position, although it can still run away, the structural speed limit is higher by 80 km/h and the lower it gets, the higher chance for winning the Cobra has.

Manual Engine Control

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

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Great acceleration and great top speed in dive
• Decent climb
• Great top speed at sea level
• Decent roll rate
• Decent vertical and horizontal manoeuvrability
• 37 mm cannon does a lot of damage when hitting enemy aircraft

Cons:

• Rudder stiffens at high speed
• 37 mm cannon has slow velocity which makes it hard to aim
• Poor high altitude performance

History

In-game description

Bell's P-39 Airacobra was a WWII-era American fighter that was notable for its uncommon design: the engine was placed behind the cockpit, and the landing gear moved from the tail to the nose. The aircraft was adopted by five countries: USA, Britain, Soviet Union, Portugal and Australia.

The P-39N was the first variant to be mass produced, with the P-39N-0 getting a new V-1710-85(E19) engine and a 3-blade Aeroproducts propeller with a 3.15 meter diameter. Starting from aircraft #167, some fuel tanks were removed from the wings to reduce weight, and a connection for additional fuel tanks was installed under the hull. To further increase flight performance, Soviet engineers often removed the wing-mounted machine guns, leaving two nose machine guns and a cannon.

As this variant, Bell produced 2,095 aircraft. Most of these were sent to the Soviet Union on the US's Lend-Lease program. In November 1942, the USSR received the first Airacobras, and the fighters showed good results in battle maneuvers at low and moderate altitudes. Many famous Soviet aces — such as Pokrishkin Alexander Ivanovich, Rechkalov Gregory Andreevich, Gulaev Dmitry Nikolaevich and Kutakhov Pavel Stepanovich — piloted the Airacobras during WWII.

Notable pilots

• 

  Alexander Pokryshkin changed to the P-39N aircraft after his P-39K was damaged by an Il-2 which inadvertenly fired its guns during a rough landing.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Pokryshkin's P-39N-0 (USSR) from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

"Crushing Teams /// Pokryshkin’s P-39N-0 1.93 Gameplay - DEFYN

The Shooting Range #55 - Pages of History section at 03:35 discusses the Soviet P-39.

Premium Review: Pokryshkin's P-39N-0 - Jengar

See also

Related development

• P-39 (Family)

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

• P-63 (Family)
• Yak-9 (Family)
• Yak-1 (Family)
• Bf 109 (Family)

Other US-supplied Soviet fighters

• P-40E-1 (USSR)
• P-47D-27 (USSR)

External links

• Official data sheet - more details about the performance