What would a "Best of the lot" 1943 fighter aircraft look like?

IE, a fighter that uses only existing technology but can use said technology without any care for nationality or procurement politics or anything like that. What would the best possible fighter, either single or double engined look like at the time? IE what engine, armament, etc. Also I'm wondering if this belongs here or in ASB?
 

hipper

Banned
IE, a fighter that uses only existing technology but can use said technology without any care for nationality or procurement politics or anything like that. What would the best possible fighter, either single or double engined look like at the time? IE what engine, armament, etc. Also I'm wondering if this belongs here or in ASB?

Spitfire MK XIV no need to mess around with hypotheticals.
 
HMMMMM - just off the top of my head and for a start

Something along the lines of a FW190 with 4 or even 6 British made HS404 short barrel, belt fed 20mm cannon in the wings, US Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp, British Bubble Canopy, US Drop tanks, fitted for zero length launch rails.
 

Zachariah

Banned
Spitfire MK XIV no need to mess around with hypotheticals.
Would a Spitfire MK XIV really beat the De Havilland Vampire? Because that aircraft was already flying in 1943 as well, powered by its De Havilland Goblin turbojet engine and armed with 4 x 20mm Hispano Mk V cannon. I figure that'd be the best of the lot in 1943- perhaps outfitted with its latter supplementary weapons of 8 x RP-3 rockets as well, since they'd also become operational by 1943.
 
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IE, a fighter that uses only existing technology but can use said technology without any care for nationality or procurement politics or anything like that. What would the best possible fighter, either single or double engined look like at the time? IE what engine, armament, etc. Also I'm wondering if this belongs here or in ASB?
German testing in December 1942 suposedly concluded that the Fiat G.55 Centauro was the best fighter of any Axis nation. Replace the ever awkward SAFATs with M2 Brownings and give it a mustang style cockpit for better visibility, give it a Griffon and I think you'd have a contender for best single engine propeller fighter plane of WWII.

And no, this isn't ASB, it's entirely pertinent to broadly discus technological ceilings for given years, as it's rather asinine to think that countries would develop the exact same planes that existed IOTL in every timeline.
 
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German testing in December 1942 concluded that the Fiat G.55 Centauro was the best fighter of any Axis nation. Replace the ever awkward SAFATs with M2 Brownings and give it a mustang style cockpit for better visibility and I think you'd have a contender for best single engine propeller fighter plane of WWII.

And no, this isn't ASB, it's entirely pertinent to broadly discus technological ceilings for given years, as it's rather asinine to think that countries would develop the exact same planes that existed IOTL in every timeline.
Well designed and excellent aircraft. The Italians built beautiful looking aircraft and ships. Their pilots were excellent and courageous according to British accounts
 
A deHavilland Mosquito FB Mk6, with a pair of Metro-Vickers F.3 turbofans (assuming you fast-track their development). A pair of Goblins would do if you are happy with shorter range adn worse performance.

If you can squeeze in an AI radar set, you have an all-weather, day-night, fighter-bomber with the performance and handling to outclass almost anything.
 

hipper

Banned
Would a Spitfire MK XIV really beat the De Havilland Vampire? Because that aircraft was already flying in 1943 as well, powered by its De Havilland Goblin turbojet engine and armed with 4 x 20mm Hispano Mk V cannon. I figure that'd be the best of the lot in 1943- perhaps outfitted with its latter supplementary weapons of 8 x RP-3 rockets as well, since they'd also become operational by 1943.

production version of the Vampire flew in 1945, spitfire 14 was in service in 1943, I assume 1943 was chosen as to be a pre jet date.
I don't think there were many other 2000+ HP engines in service in 1943, lots in development though...
 
Piston engines: P-51-like with Merlin 66 or whatever the best Merlin is around, four cannons, bublle canopy, ailerons from Fw 190, Fowler flaps.
Jet engines: how much reliability is an issue?
 
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