Kamikaze effects

[Zigurat666]

Just wondering. I am in Jan 44 with an opponent and in the coming months will be nearing the radius that triggers the kami's.
What kind of effect if any can I expect?
Can Kami squads take replacements or are they totally destroyed after 1 attack?
Is there any way except large CAP that can defend against it?
What is a hit equivalent to? 250kg,800kg?

[viberpol]

In old WITP time, the effect of kamis has been calculated based on the particular plane load (number). So the best kamis were the transport planes... [:D]
Now a kami carries a standard bomb and the damage inflicted is based on the typical bombload.

That means, say Jill, will fly with 2 x 250 kg bombs. Not enough to kill a BB, but enough to sink a CVE. But, pay attention (range, bombs), and chose the kami daitais wisely.
Old Ki-43 with extra tanks carries no bombs, and is a weak kami. Use single engine planes: Judies, Kates, Anns etc. with proper bombs (the bigger, the better...) [:D]

Any attack of a kami, successful or not, means you'll never see those planes nor pilots.
The squadron works as a normal one - you can take replacements and add new pilots to refill the ranks.

[geofflambert]

There is no perfect defense against them but some serious CAP at the proper altitudes (8 to 10k I'd say) is a good idea. But there's a really good chance one or more will get through and choose a valuable target. It's not just the bombs they carry, the engines can penetrate a fair amount of armor and the fuel in the fuel tanks can add more punch especially on a carrier. I think it only took one of them to sink the Franklin and the bombs it was carrying alone would be unlikely to do that.

[Lokasenna]

Look for the fast planes with 800kg bombs, I think. There are several late war airframes that are clearly designed as kamikazes, classified as light bombers with 800kg CL bombs.

[Cribtop]

What is the best method to train kami pilots? I know it's LowNav skill, but isn't there a cap? What is it and how do you avoid "overtraining" without obsessively checking every day?

[geofflambert]

I'm not familiar with this concept "overtraining". Is that something real? In the real world even well trained units continue to train to keep their skills sharp, if for no other reason. Kk pilots didn't need to learn how to land, so you could train them in dual control trainers. They also didn't need to learn any fancy manuevering. Just identify target and smack into it. I wouldn't obsess about it, just train them in lowN and forget about it.

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: Cribtop

What is the best method to train kami pilots? I know it's LowNav skill, but isn't there a cap? What is it and how do you avoid "overtraining" without obsessively checking every day?

Cribtop,

I usually pull my kamikaze pilots from training when their LowNav is in the 60s. I can get it there in circa 2 months training.

[geofflambert]

"circa"? (properly pronounced Keerka) Someone just got lambasted (in one of these threads) for using 25 cent words because of all us uneddycated forumites. Chickenboy, you seem mighty uppity to me, and that's coming from someone from "Missourah".