P-26A-33

P-26A-33

P-26A-34 M2

P-26B-35

P-26A-33

P-26A-34 M2

P-26B-35

USA

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
1.0	1.0	1.0

Class:

Fighter

Research:2 900

Purchase:700

This page is about the American fighter P-26A-33. For other versions, see P-26 (Family).

Description

The P-26A-33 Peashooter is a rank I American fighter with a battle rating of 1.0 (AB/RB/SB). It has been in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.27.

The P-26A-33 Peashooter is a reserve monoplane for the US Faction in War Thunder. The P-26 series are the only reserve monoplanes available to new players other than the D.37s and D.500 aircraft in the French tech tree. The differences between the P-26A and P-26B variants are negligible however, including the B variant receiving a fuel-injected engine.

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
Stock
Max Speed (km/h at 2,286 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
367	357	8500	18.6	19.6	9.2	9.2	170
Upgraded
Max Speed (km/h at 2,286 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
384	377	8500	17.7	18.0	16	12	170

Details

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

Limits
Wing-break speed (km/h)	Gear limit (km/h)	Combat flaps (km/h)	Max Static G
			+	-
		500	~12	~8

Optimal velocities
Ailerons (km/h)	Rudder (km/h)	Elevators (km/h)	Radiator (km/h)
< 260	< 180	< 340	> 190

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
1,829 m	600 hp	N/A

Survivability and armour

Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.

Armaments

Offensive armament

The P-26A-33 is armed with:

• 2 x 7.62 mm Browning machine guns, nose-mounted (500 rpg = 1,000 total)

Suspended armament

The P-26A-33 can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

• Without load
• 2 x 100 lb AN-M30A1 bombs (200 lb total)

Usage in battles

Like most US fighters, the P-26A-33 Peashooter is a decent energy fighter even though its high lift creates unstable diving characteristics. Despite being a monoplane, the P-26 is not the fastest reserve fighter. In most regards the P-26A-33 will be outmatched by enemy fighters; for example, the Japanese Ki-10s will not only turn circles around the P-26A-33 but will out-climb it and out-run it too. However, the slow German He 51 makes an easy target for a P-26A. P-26 pilots should instead focus on attacking and harassing enemy bombers.

Unlike the P-26A-34 M2, the P-26A-33 does not have a 12.7 mm (.50 cal) machine gun. Because both fighters are available at the same time and identical in all other regards, this makes the P-26A-34 M2 the clearly superior choice. The P-26A-33 should be reserved for Arcade Battles as a backup.

Manual Engine Control

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

Modules

Tier	Flight performance		Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage repair	Radiator		Offensive 7 mm
II		Compressor	Airframe		Mk.41
III	Wings repair	Engine		New 7 mm MGs
IV			Cover

• On this early tier of aircraft any upgrade is valuable and easy to come by. In general "Engine" and "Compressor" are good upgrades, likewise for the "Offensive 7.62 mm belts" and "New 7.62 mm MGs" unlocks.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Fairly good speed, for a reserve plane
• Stable turning

Cons:

• Slower than some late biplanes
• No armour
• Poor dive characteristics
• Poor energy retention

History

The Boeing P-26 Peashooter was a plane both ahead of its time and quickly made obsolete. First flown in 1932, the P-26 is the oldest plane in the game. It was one of the first all-metal monoplanes adopted into military service in 1933 (in comparison, the He 51 and Ki-10 entered service in 1935), making it one of the fastest fighters in the world at the time, but it suffered from poor flight performance and dangerous landing characteristics. However, as newer fighters entered service around the world, the P-26s advantages diminished and its disadvantages became vulnerabilities. By the time of World War Two, the P-26 was hopelessly obsolete.

The P-26 saw the most of its combat serving in the Chinese Nationalist Air Force during the Second Sino-Japanese War, against Japanese Ki-10s, and notably A5Ms in some of the first all-metal monoplane dogfights. Although it performed admirably in the pursuit role (bomber interception), in air-to-air combat with Japanese fighters, the deficiencies of the model showed.

In US service, the P-26 had a similar record. During the Japanese invasion of the Philippines, the P-26s scored only a handful of air-to-air kills against Japanese attackers. On December 24, 1941, their crews burnt the remaining planes to prevent their capture. Of the one hundred and fifty-one built, only nine airworthy P-26s remained by Christmas 1941, a single squadron defending the Panama Canal Zone, which was removed from service shortly after.

In-game description

A single-seat, all-metal braced monoplane fighter with an open cockpit and non-retractable landing gear in its fairings. It was designed by the design office of the Boeing Company. The XP-936 (Model 248) prototype made its first flight on 20 March 1932. The aircraft was accepted for service with the USAAC under the designation of P-26А. Full-scale production was started at the Boeing plant in Seattle in December 1933. The first production P-26А (Model 266) got off the ground in January 1934.

The P-26А had a 550 hp Pratt & Whitney R-1340-27 nine-cylinder, air-cooled engine equipped with a Hamilton Standard two-bladed, controllable-pitch metal propeller.

The P-26А's armament consisted of two synchronous 7.62 mm Browning M1 machine guns with 500 rounds each. The machine guns were mounted below the forward fuselage, and they fired through the arc of the spinning propeller. A C-3 gun sight was fitted in front of the cockpit. A G-4 gun camera could be installed over the right wing's centre section.

Under the centre wing sections, an A-3 bomb rack that could carry either two 100 lb (45 kg) high-explosive bombs or five 30 lb (14 kg) fragmentation bombs could be mounted.

Externally, production P-26Аs differed from prototype machines in their wing panels with elliptical tips and short landing gear fairings. Changes were introduced into the wing design, and a radio set was installed. An antenna mast was mounted on the starboard side, in front of the cockpit.

The first P-26А fighters were transferred to the 20th Fighter Group located at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The P-26 was nicknamed the Peashooter by pilots.

Operational pilots praised the fighter's great flight characteristics, such as its rate of climb and excellent manoeuvrability. Pilot complaints included poor forward visibility during taxiing and takeoff, as well as by landing difficulties. Taxiing out to the start line in the S-curve became a standard Peashooter manoeuvre to reduce the takeoff accident rate.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Related development

• P-26 (Family)

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

• Dewoitine D.500
• Mitsubishi A5M4
• Polikarpov I-16
• Heinkel He 112

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• encyclopedia page on the aircraft;
• other literature.