PBJ-1H
| This page is about the American 75 mm-armed strike aircraft PBJ-1H. For the other variant, see PBJ-1J. For other vehicles of the family, see B-25 (Family). |
Contents
Description
The PBJ-1H is a rank III American strike aircraft with a battle rating of 4.0 (AB), 3.7 (RB), and 4.3 (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.41.
The PBJ-1H is U.S. Navy variant of the B-25 which was operated by the U.S. Marine Corps as a ground attacker. This aircraft is a powerful ground strafing machine and due to the weapons package built-in, it can be viewed as a gunship. With eight 12.7 mm machine guns and a 75 mm cannon, most light ground targets such as AAA positions and Artillery positions can be destroyed. The 75 mm T13E1 cannon is similar to the 75 mm M3 on the Sherman tank and shares its powerful support capability. With Armoured Targets belt loaded, it can knock out light pillboxes with ease and greater accuracy than bombs in Realistic and Simulator modes. It is even effective against light and medium tanks, although the low fire rate makes it less than ideal for strafing several targets in a short target window. It is recommended to use the virtual cockpit view to aim the main gun. The 12.7 mm guns should be mainly utilized against "soft" targets such as armoured Cars, AA and artillery positions, and the 75 mm Gun against hardened targets such as light pillboxes and tanks. That said, the concentrated MG fire can also be used to destroy light pillboxes (with practice), though will require significant ammo usage to do so.
Despite armament differences, the airframe of the PBJ is still that of the B-25. While this means that it will have a relatively large number of defensive weapons, it also means that it is relatively sluggish compared to other close-support aircraft. It also presents a relatively large and slow-moving, though semi-well-defended target. Beware all variants of the Bell P-39 Airacobra, P-63 Kingcobra, P-47 Thunderbolt, all variants of the Me 410 and the Yak-9T; these aircraft can destroy your aircraft without much difficulty, whereas you will have a difficult time expending numerous 12.7 mm rounds trying to knock them out of the sky or off your tail.
This aircraft has several weaknesses in which the pilot must be aware of which could be exploited by attacking aircraft. First, the twin rudders in the tail section create gunner dead zones. The rudders will prevent the side gunners and to an extent the dorsal gunner from firing on an enemy attacking from the shadow of either of these two spots. The tail gunner should be able to neutralize this weakness as long as he has not been knocked out. The underside of the aircraft is especially vulnerable as there is no ventral turret and the tail gunner, side gunners only have a limited downward angle in which they can shoot, so it may be best to fly as low as possible in certain circumstances. Even with the great fire-power utilized on this aircraft, the pilot's best bet will be to operate under fighter cover when possible.
Other differences from the B-25 are the smaller bomb payload, attacker spawn location (lower altitude than bombers) and the lack of a bomb-sight view for precision bombing.
General info
Flight performance
| Characteristics | Max Speed (km/h at 4,390 m) |
Max altitude (metres) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (metres/second) |
Take-off run (metres) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | |||
| Stock | 429 | 416 | 5800 | 38.4 | 39.7 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 850 |
| Upgraded | 477 | 451 | 35.2 | 37.0 | 12.8 | 7.7 | ||
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 | + | - | ||
| 611 | 294 | 382 | 320 | 293 | ~5 | ~2 |
| Optimal velocities (km/h) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ailerons | Rudder | Elevators | Radiator |
| < 270 | < 320 | < 350 | > 320 |
| Compressor (RB/SB) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Setting 1 | ||
| Optimal altitude | 100% Engine power | WEP Engine power |
| 524 m | 3,000 hp | 3,339 hp |
| Setting 2 | ||
| Optimal altitude | 100% Engine power | WEP Engine power |
| 3,700 m | 2,700 hp | 3,005 hp |
Survivability and armour
- 8 mm Steel - Lower nose armour plate
- 8 mm Steel - Pilot and Co-pilot's seats
- 9.5 mm Steel - Fore cockpit armour plate
- 9.5 mm Steel - Side armour cockpit plates
- 9.5 mm Steel - Cockpit rear plate
- 9.5 mm Steel - Dorsal gunner aft plate
- 6.35 mm Steel - Side gunners armour plate x 2
- 9.5 mm Steel - Tail gunner protective armour plate
- 12 mm Bulletproof glass - Dorsal gunner turret
- 38 mm Bulletproof glass - Tail gunner canopy
Rugged, sturdy, though, the PBJ-1H is all of those things. Featuring crew armour protection that outclasses the B-17 Flying Fortress in a handier, smaller design, the PBJ-1 is a tough nut to crack and even harder to devoid of the crew. Calibres above 20 mm are a must for a quick kill, otherwise, the PBJ-1H will repay in kind. Forgoing all defence is good, but all offence, too? It is called overkill, of the pursuit fighter.
The two Wright R-2600 air-cooled radial engines are themself hard to destroy and with dropped payload, the PBJ will just keep flying on a single damaged one. Denying under armed fighters the ability to lethally cripple it. Yet this aircraft has got one downside: Fuel tanks. While present in all planes, the armour, crew and bomb bay take up all the fuselage. Leaving only space in the wings. A common cause of the crash is hence a fire and thus a structural failure of the wing spar.
Modifications and economy
| Flight performance | Survivability | Weaponry | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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|
|
Armaments
Offensive armament
The PBJ-1H is armed with:
- 1 x 75 mm T13E1 cannon (21 rounds)
- 4 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns, nose-mounted (400 rpg = 1,600 total)
- 4 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns, cheek-mounted (400 rpg = 1,600 total)
Suspended armament
The PBJ-1H can be outfitted with the following ordnance:
- Without load
- 12 x 100 lb AN-M30A1 bombs (1,200 lb total)
- 8 x 250 lb AN-M57 bombs (2,000 lb total)
- 4 x 500 lb AN-M64A1 bombs (2,000 lb total)
- 3 x 1,000 lb AN-M65A1 bombs (3,000 lb total)
- 2 x 1,600 lb AN-Mk 1 bombs (3,200 lb total)
- 1 x 2,000 lb AN-M66A2 bomb (2,000 lb total)
Defensive armament
The PBJ-1H is defended by:
- 2 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns, dorsal turret (400 rpg = 800 total)
- 2 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns, tail turret (600 rpg = 1,200 total)
- 1 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine gun, 2 x beam turrets (250 rpg)
Usage in battles
The best way to destroy tanks with the 75 mm cannon is to use first-person pilot view which reduces parallax because you are closer to the level of the cannon, allowing for the crosshairs to be more accurate. The shells will almost always penetrate an enemy vehicle, so shoot at the points where the crew is in mixed battles.
Manual Engine Control
| MEC elements | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mixer | Pitch | Radiator | Supercharger | Turbocharger | ||
| Oil | Water | Type | ||||
| Controllable | Controllable Not auto controlled |
Not controllable Not auto controlled |
Controllable Auto control available |
Separate | Controllable 2 gears |
Not controllable |
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Immense firepower in the form of eight 12.7 mm machine guns and a 75 mm cannon in the nose
- Excellent defensive firepower, utilizing most of the B-25's gun positions
- Durable airframe which can withstand numerous hits before going down
- Tricycle landing gear makes takeoff and landing easier
- 75 mm AP-T shells have 50 g of explosive filler, so side-shots into vehicles are mostly one-shot eliminations
Cons:
- 75 mm cannon fires so slow that it is usually impossible to destroy more than 2 tanks when passing over a convoy
- Recoil from 75 mm cannon will literally yank the entire plane's nose off-target
- Default belt for 75mm cannon alternates between HE and APT shells, giving mixed results
- Payload is limited compared to B-25 Mitchell and configured as a dive bomber rather than a level bomber
- Performance is sluggish at best
- Twin tails create a blind spot for gunners, a trait carried by the B-25 family
History
The US Navy and Marine Corps received large numbers of B-25 Mitchell bombers from the USAAF after a mid-1942 deal between the two services. A total of 248 PBJ-1H bombers were acquired by the Navy and Marine Corps.
The PBJ-1H was a navalized variant of the B-25H Mitchell bomber. Marine Corps PBJ-1H bombers were heavily modified, with an AN/APS-3 search radar in a radome on the starboard wingtip, an AN/APN-4 Loran receiver, APK-2 IFF, AN/APN-1 altimeter, SCR-522A VHF radio, ARN-8 marker beacon, C-1 automatic pilot, ATC radio transmitter, ARB receiver, YC-2B receiver, BC-348 liaison receiver, and the AN/APG-13A "Falcon" 75mm radar gun director.
The PBJ-1H was manned by a crew of seven. There was the pilot, co-pilot, navigator, two radio-gunners, a mechanic-turret gunner, and an armorer-turret gunner. The armament consisted of eight forward-firing .50 cal machine guns, and six turret and waist .50 cal machine guns, for a total of 14 .50 cal machine guns.
The Marine Corps used PBJ Mitchells as land-based bombers. By the end of 1943, the Marine Corps was operating PBJs in eight squadrons, with four more squadrons being formed (these squadrons were not operational by the end of the war). These squadrons of PBJs were first operationally deployed in 1944, and they were mainly used to interdict enemy shipping while operating out of the Philippines, Saipan, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa towards the end of the war.
Media
- Skins
- Videos
See also
- Related development
- Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
- Other aircraft fitted with large-calibre guns
External links
| North American Aviation | |
|---|---|
| Fighters | |
| P-51A | P-51 · P-51A |
| P-51C | P-51C-10 |
| P-51D | P-51D-5 · P-51D-10 · P-51D-20-NA · P-51D-30 |
| P-51H | P-51H-5-NA |
| Twin-engine fighters | F-82E |
| Jet fighters | F-86A-5 · F-86F-2 · F-86F-25 · F-86F-35 · F-100D |
| Strike aircraft | A-36 · PBJ-1H · PBJ-1J |
| FJ-4B · FJ-4B VMF-232 | |
| Bombers | B-25J-1 · B-25J-20 |
| Export/Licence | ▂B-25J-30 · ␗B-25J-30 |
| ▄Mustang Mk IA · F-6C-10-NA · ␗P-51C-11-NT · ␗P-51D-20 · J26 David · J26 · P-51D-20-NA · ␗P-51K | |
| F-86F-30 ▅ · ␗F-86F-30 · F-86F-40 ▅ · F-86F-40 JASDF▅ · ␗F-86F-40 | |
| ◄F-86K · ▄F-86K (Italy) · ▄F-86K (France) | |
| ␗F-100A · ▄F-100D · ␗F-100F | |
| Captured | ▅P-51C-11-NT |
| Canadair Limited license-built the F-86 as the CL-13 for use in Canada and export to Europe. | |
| Fiat license-built the F-86K for the Italian Air Force though another 120 NAA built F-86Ks were also sold to the Italians. | |
| See Also | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries · Canadair Limited · Fiat Aviation |
| USA strike aircraft | |
|---|---|
| Douglas | A-20G-25 · A-26B-10 · A-26B-50 · A2D-1 · AD-2 · AD-4 · A-1H |
| North American | A-36 · PBJ-1H · PBJ-1J |
| Other | AM-1 · AU-1 · XA-38 |
