P-400

P-400

P-38E

P-400

P-38E

USA

II Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
2.7	2.0	2.0

Class:

Fighter

Research:7 900

Purchase:10 000

Description

The P-400 is a Rank II American fighter with a battle rating of 2.7 (AB) and 2.3 (RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.37.

The P-400 is the "little brother" of the P-39's and P-63's. Reaching maximum speed at 2400m (7,900ft), meaning you will have to look for enemies below you, or sacrifice speed to meet the opposition higher up. At medium & low altitudes it can be considered quite a fast plane for it's BR range. It handles turning at higher speed rather well, but can become quite unstable at lower speeds. Watch out when engaging in stall fighting, hammerheads & Yo-yo's. The P-400 can survive at high speeds while diving, yet will suffer from compression. The plane is suitable for high speeds attacks where you work with more with horizontal than vertical movements. Keep your speed up!

The P-400 has good weapons consisting of one 20 mm cannon with 60 rounds and two .50cals and four .30cals. If you have a good aim you can kill enemies in seconds, but if you don't the limited cannon ammo will run out in about 10-15 seconds. Yet the .50 cals will still kill foes fairly quickly, though the .30cals require a fair amount of consistent and concentrated fire.

General info

Flight Performance

Stat card

Characteristics
Stock
Max Speed (km/h at 6,550 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
538	527	8,260	29.4	29.8	5.4	7.2	270
Upgraded
Max Speed (km/h at 6,550 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
594	565	8,260	26.7	28.0	17.7	10.4	270

Details

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

Limits
Wing-break speed (km/h)	Gear limit (km/h)	Combat flap (km/h)	Max Static G
			+	-
680	350	480	~16	~16

Optimal velocities
Ailerons (km/h)	Rudder (km/h)	Elevators (km/h)	Radiator (km/h)
< 460	< 460	< 420	> 255

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
2,000 m	1,625 hp	1,895 hp
Setting 2
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
6,200 m	1,420 hp	1,656 hp

Engine performance

Engine
Engine Name			Number present
Allison V-1710-35 12 cylinder			1
Engine characteristics
Weight (each)		Type	Cooling
594 kg		Inline	Water
Engine power (Stock)
Mode	Max		Take-off
Arcade	839 hp		1,040 hp
Realistic/Simulator	829 hp		1,029 hp
Engine power (Upgraded)
Mode	Max		Take-off
Arcade	1,098 hp		1,299 hp
Realistic/Simulator	950 hp		1,151 hp

WEP Duration
Arcade		Realistic/Simulator
25 seconds		5 min 20 seconds

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. Describe the armour, if there is any, also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.

Armaments

The P-400 is armed with:

• 1 x 20 mm Hispano 404 cannon, nose-mounted (60 rpg)
• 2 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine gun, nose-mounted (270 rpg = 540 total)
• 4 x 7.92 mm Browning machine gun, wing-mounted in pairs, (500 outer rpg, 1,000 inner rpg = 3000 total)

Usage in the battles

Try using energy tactics at low altitude and use Boom and Zoom to dispatch targets if you are at high altitude. In domination games this plane comes into its own environment with dogfight furballs occurring that the P-400 can intervene in. Use the excellent energy retention to your advantage and avoid any sort of turn fighting, as even a F6F Hellcat would be able to out turn you.

Never try to contest bomber altitude when you have it stock - it just lacks the engine power to compete above 4000 meters, and even when it is spaded, it still doesn't perform as well as the Spitfires and Bf 109s at similar battle ratings. If you're ever forced to dogfight, use the rudder and elevator to pull yourself into a sort of climbing spiral, which the P-400 is exceptionally good at thanks to its powerful engine.

The Hispano cannon once on target will easily take out fighters and most bombers with even a short burst, or at the very least, cripple it. However, if there is any good fighter pilot on the enemy team they will climb and try to secure high altitude. When you see them in more agile aircraft, your only option is to dive away and begin to strafe the furball down low. Beware that many planes in this battle rating range, including the Cannon Ishak, outperforms this plane in at least one, if not more categories, but this plane usually has more than one advantage over every plane it will face (i.e. It is faster than the Spitfire Mk 1a and out rolls it).

Long story short, use the advantages of this plane - its high speed, great rudder, powerful engine, excellent armament, and very good initial turn at high speeds, and don't use it in a way that exposes its weaknesses - bad low speed handling, bad turning, and bad climb rate - in combat, like when you are getting Rope-a-Doped, just flip over and get outta there.

Manual Engine Control

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

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Fast plane up to ~3000 m (12,000 ft).
• Decent turn time (especially at higher speeds).
• Good pool of machine gun ammunition.
• Good stopping power with all weapons active.
• Nose mounted 20 mm cannon (center line mounted weaponry equals good accuracy).
• Well armoured.
• Cockpit has a good visibility.
• Carries a total of 7 guns with 3 slightly different trajectories, resulting in a high hit probability with at least one of them.
• Hispano cannon is more accurate and reliable than the 37 mm cannon.
• Excellent rudder control even at high speeds.
• Very powerful engine.

Cons:

• Very low ammunition for 20 mm cannon.
• Machine guns, the .30 cal and the .50 cal has no separate trigger.
• Ammo counter represents the total amount of machine gun ammo, not the individual caliber.
• Gets pilot killed very easily due to the bubble canopy design.
• Suffers a lot from compression.
• Becomes quite unstable at low speeds.
• Fuel cells are stretched across the wings, resulting in fairly common fires.
• Engine is mounted at the rear of the plane, getting engine damage from being chased is common.

History

Joke

A joke which may (or may not) have been used by the British in WW2:

Why is the P-400 called the P-400?

Because it's a P-40 with a Zero on it's tail!

Media

Skins and camouflages for the P-400 from live.warthunder

Read also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example,

• reference to the series of the aircraft;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

ETC.

Sources

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

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