AHC: the ideal fighter(s) for 1940

Similar with another thread, but this time for 1940. Using the techology of 1940 and few years before that, envision the best possible fighter for the countries whose military aviation mattered in that time. We need plenty of fighters, preferably way before the September of 1940, certainly before November.
Bonus points for fighters that use techology of the day from a single country, thus multiple entries are welcomed. Ditto for taking into consideration the countries' needs - France will need something different than Japan.
1- and/or 2-engined fighters, as you prefer it.
Of course - no laminar flow wings, no multi-stage superchargers, no 30mm cannons, no fully-blown bubble canopies, no rear-facing radars etc.
 
Fuel injection - the DB601 series system. Don't know how easy this would be to fit on another engine, such as the Merlin.
 
Get the AM to get their finger out and in 1940 you can realistically have cannon armed Spitfires fully sorted and being spat out of Castle Bromwich at the same rate as achieved in late 1941. Now that is hard to beat IMVHO.
 
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Get a large blender, fold in some Vought/Northrop, Pratt & Whitney, Brewster and some Jenny Craig, pour onto an apron, and add a pilot. Ready by 1940.
 

Driftless

Donor
Similar with another thread, but this time for 1940. Using the techology of 1940 and few years before that, envision the best possible fighter for the countries whose military aviation mattered in that time. We need plenty of fighters, preferably way before the September of 1940, certainly before November.
(Snip) Ditto for taking into consideration the countries' needs - France will need something different than Japan.

France - Interceptors & point defense primarily, with tropical ability for colonial use second?
Japan - Naval and long distance offensive fighters first, carrier defense second?
UK - Interceptors & point defense bomber killers primarily, with carrier defense second, and tropical & desert ability for colonial use third?
Germany - Offensive fighters/dogfighters? (1940)
Italy - Fighter/bombers for North Africa?
Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium & China - something that can get airborne in seconds with little to no warning, from secondary level fields
US - Interceptors and carrier fighters.

How does that sound?
 
OTL Hawker Hurricane.

Cheap, easy to repair, manoeuvrable, fast enough - put a Merlin XX in it, a bit faster
To be more specific the Hurricane ii (Merlin xx) c(cannon armed historically introduced June 1941 but there's no reason the cannon couldn't be introduced as soon as the Hurricane ii with the Merlin xx came into service)
 
Get the AM to get their finger out and in 1940 you can realistically have cannon armed Spitfires fully sorted and being spat out of Castle Bromwich at the same rate as achieved in late 1941. Now that is hard to beat IMVHO.

Yep have Lord Beaverbrook pick up the phone and have 'that' conversation with Nuffield 6 months earlier and get Castle Bromwich stood up at full production at the beginning of 1940.

Should have enough Spits to fully equip FC by May 1940

This allows Hurricanes to be sent overseas in Greater Numbers and allow more Airframes for the real enemy - the Royal Navy :)

Anyway as to the OPs question

France - Have the Dewoitine D.520 simplified and production stood up earlier - the French Airforce could have had 300 odd in service for the Battle of France OTL but had sent most of them back to be 'perfected' to the latest standard. Should have accepted them and replaced with later production. Sell surplus Moraine 406's to 3rd parties such as Norway, Netherlands and Greece.
Japan - 1940? Get the Zero and Zeke ASAP they were probably the correct A/C given the large areas that had to be covered. Perhaps produce a version with maybe a bit of armour/Self sealing tanks? Would a radio kill them?
UK - Get Castle Bromwich stood up earlier - should have enough Spits to cover all needs. Switch Hurricane production over to Whirlwind and Spitfire ASAP. Sell surplus Hurricanes to 3rd parties such as Norway, Netherlands and Greece....and maybe a few to the Fleet Air Arm. Stick HS 404 in everything.
Germany - Get the BF 109 to carry more fuel (the Germans will be attacking after all) - I personally hate the canopy - hat of to the pilots for fighting in the damn thing - so improve the visibility if possible. Add the Gondola cannon ASAP otherwise it will be out gunned. With a longer ranged 109 - limit production of the 110.
Italy - Get that wing issue sorted earlier on the C.200 wing resolving the Auto Rotation issue - don't halt production in early 1940 and spam out more of them with radios and ignore the pilots and install a full cockpit. Add more guns.
US - Get production of the P40 stood up faster by all means tinker with the Supercharger for better performance at altitude - but spam it out - get as many P40s out in the field to as many Allied nations as possible as quickly as possible. As for the naval fighter - Buffalo and Wildcat are probably still being developed in 1940 but perhaps ensuring a folding wing is developed in 1940 rather than having to wait until 1942! And 4 guns is fine.
 
1- and/or 2-engined fighters, as you prefer it.
Of course - no laminar flow wings, no multi-stage superchargers, no 30mm cannons, no fully-blown bubble canopies, no rear-facing radars etc.


The Lockheed P-38. First flew in January 1939. Work out the worst of the bugs a little earlier and start full production of a combat ready version of the P-38 by early 1940.
 
Deliver the first batch of Grumman Wildcats to the (British) Fleet Air Arm on the original schedule, entering service in September 1940 .... or a few months earlier. Deliver these French-pattern airplanes with only minor modifications ...... e.g. conventional throttles and Browning .50 machineguns.


Continue upgrading later batches with Fol-Wings, 20mm cannons, Malcolm hoods, etc. .... but I am getting ahead of the OP.
To avoid American limitations on arms exports, have them "completed" by Canadian Car and Foundry in Thunder Bay. CCF could easily expand upon their relationship (with Grumman) when (late 1930s) they built a small batch of "Goblin" two-seater, biplane fighters.
As the war progresses, CCF builds more and more sub-components for Grumman. Surprisingly large numbers of Grumman fighters fly out of the small CCF factory as the war progresses. By end of war, RN carriers are almost completely equipped with Grummans.
In this Canada-wank, CCF never builds Hurricanes and scoffs at USN suggestions that they build Helldivers!!!!
Hah!!!!!!
 
Bell P-39 Airacobra with the originally intended turbocharged Allison V-1710 engine, and maybe the 1450 rpm .50 cal machine guns instead of the regular 600 rpm slowpokes. High altitude performance goes from awful to fantastic, and the 37mm cannon has no equal in 1940 for bomber-smashing effectiveness.
 
As I see it its what could be made in 1940, not just a gun on an existing plane? HE-100 with db601N engine and C3 fuel and retractable radiator.
Can utterly outperform any other and Can stay airborne long enough for the BOB.
Lightly armed for killing bombers, but fine for spits and hurricanes.
Add in an assembly time much faster than contemporary planes.
 
France - the VG-33 looks great (not that D.520 is that bad looking anyway), stick a better HS12Y than it was per OTL
USA - the OTL P-66 looks like a performer on not that powerful Twin Wasp and with all bits & pieces from 1940 and earlier. Churn out these, followed by the V-1710 powered version. For a risky aproach, the turbo V-1710 powered fighter, shape/layout (but not size) similar to the P-60A
Italy - the 'MC.201' - an Isotta Fraschini Asso engine on the basic MC.200 airframe, with fully enclosed canopy and four 12.7mm guns. Followed up by DB-601A powered version.
Soviet Union - AM-34 engine of latest version, two cannons - something of a baby MiG-1 but with better canopy
Japan - the Ki-27 lookalike with retractable U/C and 6 machine guns.

For real performers, we need to go to Germany and the UK.
 

hipper

Banned
Similar with another thread, but this time for 1940. Using the techology of 1940 and few years before that, envision the best possible fighter for the countries whose military aviation mattered in that time. We need plenty of fighters, preferably way before the September of 1940, certainly before November.
Bonus points for fighters that use techology of the day from a single country, thus multiple entries are welcomed. Ditto for taking into consideration the countries' needs - France will need something different than Japan.
1- and/or 2-engined fighters, as you prefer it.
Of course - no laminar flow wings, no multi-stage superchargers, no 30mm cannons, no fully-blown bubble canopies, no rear-facing radars etc.


Spitfire MK 3 with the Merlin XX easily the best fighter that could be built in 1940. It's got a. multi stage supercharger as well!
 
Spitfire MK 3 with the Merlin XX easily the best fighter that could be built in 1940. It's got a. multi stage supercharger as well!

No multi-stage supercharger on the Merlin XX, it is winter of 1941/42 that RR came out with 2-stage supercharged Merlin 60.

But yes, Spitfire III is a reason why I've said that we need to go to the UK (and Germany) in order to have a real performer. Merlin XX is indeed the engine (with Merlin III until the Mk.XX is available), basic Spitfire fuselage and wings, cooling system is inn the wing leading edges - that and the canopy is idea stolen from the Whirlwind. Spit III have had several aerodynamic refinements vs. Spit II or V, like the fully retractable & covered undercarriage, as well as the inner bullet-proof glass. More fuel, 99 vs. 84 gals will also come in handy. I'll also go with reinforced rear spar, with combination of the original clipped wing so the rate of roll at high speeds does not suffer. Hopefully 10 Brownings, of whom 4 are replaced with 2 Hispanos once available.

For Germany - an about 10% bigger He 100, so it can carry 2 cannons + 4 MGs, along with protection for fuel and pilot; drop tank facility. At 1st with DB 601A, switch to 601N when available.
 

hipper

Banned
I
No multi-stage supercharger on the Merlin XX, it is winter of 1941/42 that RR came out with 2-stage supercharged Merlin 60.

But yes, Spitfire III is a reason why I've said that we need to go to the UK (and Germany) in order to have a real performer. Merlin XX is indeed the engine (with Merlin III until the Mk.XX is available), basic Spitfire fuselage and wings, cooling system is inn the wing leading edges - that and the canopy is idea stolen from the Whirlwind. Spit III have had several aerodynamic refinements vs. Spit II or V, like the fully retractable & covered undercarriage, as well as the inner bullet-proof glass. More fuel, 99 vs. 84 gals will also come in handy. I'll also go with reinforced rear spar, with combination of the original clipped wing so the rate of roll at high speeds does not suffer. Hopefully 10 Brownings, of whom 4 are replaced with 2 Hispanos once available.

For Germany - an about 10% bigger He 100, so it can carry 2 cannons + 4 MGs, along with protection for fuel and pilot; drop tank facility. At 1st with DB 601A, switch to 601N when available.

Hmm I'm confusing the two Speed Merlin XX engine with the two stage Merlin 60, anyone feel like explaining the difference?

Exit Ah I see two super chargers!
 
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Hmm I'm confusing the two Speed Merlin XX engine with the two stage Merlin 60, anyone feel like explaining the difference?

The Merlin X and XX, plus subsequent Merlin 20 series engines were outfitted with 1-stage, 2-speed superchargers. One stage means there was just one impeller, on these engines diameter of the impeller was 10.25 in. Two speeds means there was a gearbox where the impeller's rotation speed could be altered, at Merlin XX the ratio between impeller's rotation speed in 1st gear was 8.15 vs. the crankshaft revolutions, while in 2nd gear was 9.49 times the crankshaft revolutions. 2nd ('high') gear was used in higher altitudes.
The Merlin III was with 1-speed S/C drive (8.58:1) - there was just one set of gears.

Two stage superchager means there are two impellers working in series - air is compressed 1st by in one stage, then again in second stage. On such Merlins (and Griffons) both impellers were on same shaft. Diameter of low-pressure (1st stage) impeller was on the most of the 2-stage Merlins at 12 in, the high pressure (2nd stage) was at 10.1 in. The 1st 2-stage Merlins used the Vulture's impeller of 11.5 in in the 1st stage. All Merlin 2-stage engines were also outfitted with 2-speed gearbox, hence the '2-stage 2-speed' nomenclature.

For comparison of power at altitude, here is the graph with Merlin III and 60 (XL in roman numerals) and graph for Merlin 20 series and subsequent. Difference between the Mk.60 vs. III and XX is dramatic, to say at least.
 
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FW-187 with JU-211.....should be able to punch through enemy fighter escorts and attack bombers at > 400mph @ medium altitude.
 
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