Shortround6
Major General
I Believe it was Me that questioned the Sabre engine and not Tomo.I think you know very well it all depends on what Mk of Dora it is. Even the most basic armament is still almost twice the weight of anything used by the allies. And if you want to try and reduce the discussion to knit picking so i will give you some stats as your assessment/opinion of the Tempests Napier Sabre engine is a little off to say the least.....
Design was initiated in 1935 based on an earlier study for a compression ignition diesel. British Air Ministry Initial Acceptance test were completed on 17 January 1938 rated at 1350 hp. This figure rose to 2050 hp by March. By June 1940 it had passed its Air Ministry 100-h type test on its first attempt at 2200 hp and 3700 rpm, making it the world ´s first 2000 hp production engine.
Tempest Mk. I Napier Sabre la 2090hp/3700rpm/ Four-barrel SU carburator. Two-sided blower impeller. (1941)
Tempest Mk. lI Napier Sabre llb 2240hp/4000/4250rpm Hobson RAE single-point injection. Single-sided blower impeller. (1943)
Tempest Mk V Napier Sabre lV 2420hp/3750/4250rpm Hobson RAE single-point injection. Single-sided blower impeller. (1943)
Tempest Mk. VI Napier Sabre V 2600hp/3850/2500rpm Hobson RAE single-point injection. Single-sided blower impeller. (1944)
Im not trying to insult your knowledge or intelligence, im simply not convinced the Dora was the great aircraft everyone claims it to be.
Check out French (Free French Air Force) pilot Pierre Clostermann's combat record. He bagged plenty of D-9s flying the Tempest V.
Have a good day sir.
AS for your list of Sabre engines.
Tempest V Production
- First production batch of 100 aircraft built by Hawker aircraft Ltd., Langley, Buckinghamshire. JN729-JN773, JN 792-JN822, JN854-JN877. Most aircraft completed as Series 1 (with long barrel Hispano Mark II cannon) and some as Series 2 (with short barrel Hispano Mark V cannon); some aircraft retrospectively modified to Series 2 standard. One aircraft, JN750, completed as a Tempest Mark II. Deliveries to RAF commenced 12-43, completed 5-44; average rate of production, approximately four aircraft per week.
- Second production batch of 300 aircraft built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd, Langley, Buckinghamshire. EJ504, EJ518-EJ560, EJ577-EJ611, EJ626-EJ672, EJ685-EJ723, EJ739-EJ788, EJ800-EJ846, EJ859-EJ896. Series 2 aircraft, Sabre IIA engines, short-barrel cannon, spring tab ailerons. Deliveries commenced 5-44, completed 9-44; average rate of production approximately 18 aircraft per week.
- Third production batch of 199 aircraft built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd, Langley, Buckinghamshire. NV639-NV682, NV695-NV735, NV749-NV793, NV917-NV948, NV960-NV996. Sabre IIB engines and spring tab ailerons. Deliveries commenced 9-44, completed 2-45; average rate of production approximately 12 aircraft per week.
- Fourth and final production batch of 201 aircraft built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd, Langley, Buckinghamshire. SN102-SN146, SN159-SN190, SN205-SN238, SN253-SN296, SN301-SN355. Sabre IIB engines, universal armament provision and drop tank plumbing. Deliveries commenced 1-45, completed 6-45; average rate of production approximately 9 aircraft per week. SN 368-SN416 cancelled in 1945.
So we have the Sabre IV and V listed as being run or 'available'? in certain years but another source saying they weren't used in production aircraft during the war years. The Tempest VI did use the Sabre V engine but this combination was first flown May 9th 1944 and wasn't issued for service until after the end of the war.
Your list does not include the Sabre IIA, IIB or IIC which powered the bulk of the Tempest V production.
The idea that the FW 190D-9 carried a weight of armament twice what the allied aircraft were carrying needs a serious rethink also.
A D-9 with two 20mm guns and two 13mm guns with full ammo was carrying about 276kg worth of guns and ammo, depending on mix of ammo belts but not including belt links. This is close the same as the weight for a MK XIV Spitfire with two 20mm and two .50 cal guns and well below the weight of four 20mm hispano cannon and the ammo in Typhoons or Tempests. A P-51D was carrying 438kg of guns and ammo if the the ammo bins were full and the plane had 6 guns. I won't even bother with the weights of guns and ammo for the P-38 and P-47.
Call it nit picking but if your basic assumptions are this far off then where does that leave your conclusions?