Released June 2019---== UPDATE FL2070: Heroes of Midway ==---By: Robert, Grumpy, Bollok, Sleepy & Jabo.
All made possible by: Bcamel (creator of the program used to model the airplanes), and Idunno (who has shared a vast amount of aerodynamical knowledge).
--= SBD-5 Dauntless =--This update brings a rehaul to the Dauntless dive bomber. It has been fully remodeled and should now quite closely match real ww2 performance. See further down for details.
--= TBF Avengers =--Small torque reduction for the TBF-1 and TBF-1C. Minor defensive gunner accuracy fix for both Avengers.
--= Ju-87 Stukas =--Defensive gunner accuracy fix for the Ju-87D and Ju-87G. The -D rear gunner previously fired in a too steady line while the -G rear gunner had to large dispersion.
---== THE DOUGLAS SBD-5 DAUNTLESS FULL REHAUL ==---The SBD (Scout/Bomber/Douglas) Dauntless dive bomber was very well fitted for it's role in the Pacific Theatre, and was an important leap in performance compared to the earlier TBD Devastator. Not only did SBD's sink several Japanese carriers at Midway, but they also supported the infantry in various operations and made a surprisingly good account of themselves against Japanese fighters and bombers alike. The SBD pilot and his gunner, Leppla and Liska, became famous for shooting down seven japanese Zeros/bombers in two days. In the Coral Sea encounter USN planes downed 91 Japanese adversaries, 40 of those were shot down by SBD's. The SBD was often unofficialy named the SBFD, the "F" standing for Fighter. While a single Dauntless doesn't have the speed or roll rate to really duel a dedicated fighter 1v1, a group of them can definitely defend themselves against A6M Zeros thanks to the SBD's ruggedness, defensive twin .30 cal machine guns, 2x .50 cals in the cowl, and surprisingly good turn rate. The Dauntless has a wingloading of only 28.9, lower than a Spitfire IXe, but lacks somewhat in power/weight ratio compared to real fighters.
The area where the Dauntless shines though is dive bombing. It can start it's dive from above 20 000 ft, and has dive flaps to help regulate the airspeed. The max permissible speed is as high as 425 mph (IAS), which makes it harder for enemy fighters to intercept the bomb run of a SBD. The payload is decent but the ammo for strafing is quite limited. The chance of surviving the sortie and fighting back against interceptors is impressive though for a single engine bomber, and the Dauntless earned a good reputation in the Pacific Theatre.
Comparisons with other remodeled single engine bombers
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/Robert
Robert
