Ideal British WW2 Multi-role Plane?

I once read in a book about nightfighters that the British could have removed the guns from their heavies, which weren't much good at night anyway, and their speed would have picked up to close to 300mph. This would be a tough ask for WW2 nightfighters to intercept. I think Tony may even do this in his book?

They did take out the mid-upper turrets from Lancs and Halifax's and then left the nose turret off Halifax's making it better aerodynamically as well.
 
Except it´s an ordiary single engine fighter like a 109, 190, Zero, Oskar, Macchi... The Mosquito´s performance was superior only at a high altitude.

But they did, look at the combat reports in RAF archives. The Mosquito had a power to weight ratio that enabled a switched on pilot to out climb or out run the aircraft you mention at low level with the exception of the Fw 190 and there were cases of Mosquitoes successfully dogfighting with 190s.
 
How about the F4F Wildcat/Martlet? Not a British design, but used by Britain throughout the war. Could the British have licence-produced the plane if they had the desire to? I think the F4F could have been ready for action in France. Even if the RAF didn't think the F4F was a good fighter, I think they would have been good as fighter-bombers. Were the French F4Fs equipped with bomb racks?

Dilvish
 
So where are you getting the Pratt & Whitney R-2800-8W radial engine? Hard to find before mid '40.
Wasn't the V166 early enough? Given the F4U developed from the V166, & got the gull wing in response to a larger-diameter prop needed for more hp, I expect the same could happen here. And was the Hercules radial early enough? Everybody proposes Merlins. It's not like there's an unlimited supply of them...:eek:
 

Markus

Banned
Originally Posted by perfectgeneral
So where are you getting the Pratt & Whitney R-2800-8W radial engine? Hard to find before mid '40.


Wasn't the V166 early enough? Given the F4U developed from the V166, & got the gull wing in response to a larger-diameter prop needed for more hp, I expect the same could happen here. And was the Hercules radial early enough? Everybody proposes Merlins. It's not like there's an unlimited supply of them...:eek:

The 1,300 Bristol Hercules was ready in 39. The Wright R2600 would be a good chioce too: 1,600hp.
 
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