Ki-43-II availability

[Dunedain]

Ok, I didn't think there was any way some of those high figures given for the Ki-43II
could be combat radius miles. They were total miles.

Ok, so we have this for the Ki-43 so far.

Combat radius for Ki-43Ia
Ki-43Ia: 297 miles
Ki-43Ia with drop tanks: 431 miles
Ki-43Ia transfer range: 1200 miles

Combat radius for Ki-43IIa
Ki-43IIa: 448 miles
Ki-43IIa with drop tanks: 635 miles
Ki-43IIa transfer range: 1990 miles

Combat radius for Ki-43IIIa
Ki-43IIIa: 653 miles (with a 440 lb. bomb)
Ki-43IIIa transfer range: 1995 miles

This leaves the question of what the range of the Ki-43IIIa would be without
the bomb and just drop tanks? Can it carry both a bomb and fuel drop tanks?
Does the 653 mile figure mean with a bomb and no drop tanks? Perhaps, as Marine X853
says, the Ki-43IIIa was fitted with a larger internal fuel tank. Thus accounting,
in part, for the greater range.

Are we in agreement on the figures I have posted above for both the Ki-43Ia and Ki-43IIa?

If so, this only leaves us to see if we can pin down some more precise numbers
for the Ki-43IIIa.

[ February 28, 2002: Message edited by: Dunedain ]</p>

[Kadste]

Payloads:

Ki-43Ia
2 x drop tanks OR
2 x 33 lb bombs
Total payload around 100 lbs
Drop tanks or bombs, not one of each due to balance

Ki-43IIa
2 x drop tanks OR
2 x 66lb bombs OR
2 x 550lb bombs
Total payload around 1100 lbs
Drop tanks or bombs, not one of each due to balance

Ki-43III
2 x drop tanks OR
2 x 66lb bombs OR
2 x 550lb bombs
Total payload around 1100 lbs
Drop tanks or bombs, not one of each due to balance
Ki-43III information lacks a definitive source, until then we can assume that it is the same as the Ki-43II

A fully loaded aircraft such as a Ki-43IIa (loaded with 2x550lb bombs) would suffer a reduction of it&#8217;s radius of about 12% due to the extra weight and drag.

Radius of action for Ki-43IIa
Clean: 448 miles
With no drop tanks or
with 2x66lb bombs

Loaded: 394 miles
With 2x550lb bombs

Loaded: 635 miles
With 2x drop tanks

[Dunedain]

Marine X853: Thanks for the additional info.

Unfortunately I'm not sure if the UV system is set up to handle 3 separate range values
for fighters. One for standard with no bombs, one for standard with bombs and one for
extended with drop tanks. And some fighters would need a fourth range category,
extended range with fuel drop tanks *and* with a bomb/s.

In UV it may be that we can only have two ranges for fighters, standard (carrying bombs
is an option within this range) and extended (using drop tanks for maximum combat radius,
no bombs allowed).

If that's the case, we 'll just have to stick to the standard and extended ranges
for all the fighters. Perhaps Joel can let us know what kind of range variables
the UV engine can handle.

[Joel Billings]

The UV system is pretty basic. It uses a transfer range as the basis for all numbers. It takes the transfer range times .25 to calculate the normal range (range it could carry full payload) and takes the transfer range and multiplys by .33 to obtain the extended range (reduced payload). Current numbers in the game are:

Plane Max Extended Normal
KI43-I 720 240 180
Ki43-II 1950 650 487
A6M2 2130 710 532

Joel

[ February 28, 2002: Message edited by: Joel Billings ]</p>

[ratster]

Thats interesting, seems a little short, the multipliers I mean. Is the multiplier "hardcoded" in the exe, or is it in an editable data file?

I understand the reasoning, launch & form up time, time over target, strike cohesion, etc, but it still seems a bit short.

Using the KI-43-1a as an example. They did operate out of Khatu Baru and flew strike missions against Kuala Lumpur, a round trip of betwen 650-700 miles. I the game this would be out of range for them. Well not in UV, since these bases aren't in the theatre, but in WitP.

The modifiers seem more applicable for carrier strikes than land based air. Of course since all aircraft operate under this same modifier... eh, everybody's a critic right, lol. <img src="biggrin.gif" border="0">

[Joel Billings]

The difference between range from carriers and range from land is an interesting point. Of course the range from base attacking base is much more than carrier attacking unknown TF at sea. Something we may want to address in WitP. Probably too late for UV. We did have to increase the Val range so they could bomb Lunga from Shortlands as they did historically even though that probably gives them a range longer than they should have from a carrier. Of course the air strike routine tends not to strike from carriers at targets over 250-300 miles no matter what the air unit range so it didn't matter that much. For now we have to live within the formula above so if anyone wants to make a range suggestion for the 2 Ki-43's (I-a and II-a) we have in UV I'm open to the suggestion.

Joel

[Dunedain]

Thanks for the info., Joel. <img src="smile.gif" border="0">

What's interesting about those multipliers is that when multiplied by the real transfer
ranges they seem to line up very well with what the actual combat radii are shown as
from the documentary sources.

The only problem UV had was that it's transfer range was wrong for the Ki-43I.
But, thanks to Michael Tapner, we now have that figure. <img src="smile.gif" border="0"> 1200 miles. Just
put that figure in and the ranges come out very close to what Marine X853
listed from his sources. It gets shorted a little on the extended range, but maybe
the 1200 number could be fudged up a tad to give the Ki-43I that extra hex
it has coming on the extended range combat radius with drop tanks.

So, the problem seems to have been solved. <img src="smile.gif" border="0">

[ratster]

That range seems fine to me, call it a shortage of drop tanks. <img src="smile.gif" border="0">

I'm curious if all the aircraft ranges are truncated so they divide evenly by 3 and 4, in order to produce a number that divides evenly by 30(1 hex)?

If not does the engine round down, or up?

[Joel Billings]

Divides by 30 and rounds down so the air unit loses the extra fractional hex.