Aircraft armor question

[Tokyo Boy]

Hello everyone,

Here my question n 2,. My bad if i miss the answer on this forum
Most of US aircrafts have armor 1 , up to 2
What does that mean in combat terms. I suppose I have only to consider fighters with big Gun power .
So the zero with its 20 mm (12gp) must be used as far is possible
No ?

thks in advance

[Jorge_Stanbury]

Yes, armor will make them harder to kill.

So try to convert all your IJN fighters to A6M2 asap. A5M is very obsolete.

For Army planes; you don't have as many good options until later.

[offenseman]

Many IJ fighters have 2x20mm and either 2x7.7mm machine guns (Like the A6M2) or larger machine guns (like the Ki61 or Ki84). Later in the war you may want to take a look at N1K1 and others that have 4x20mm or more. Unlike Allied fighters, Japanese aircraft tend to not have much firepower.

Some like Oscar have even worse firepower.

Regardless what it is make sure you look at what guns are in the center line position. On the A6M2 it is the machine guns. Guns in the center position are much more accurate and thus more effective than they may otherwise appear on the surface.

[Amoral]

Early on the army mainstay fighter, the OSCAR, will have trouble getting kills against armoured US aircraft because it only has rifle caliber machine guns, and not many of those. The navy fighter, the ZERO, has better firepower.

[Tokyo Boy]

20 mm seems to be the key at the early stages of the war , both efficient and accurate.
With enough fighters in the air (high CAP level) i can clear the sky

Thanks guys [&o] [&o]

[Gaspote]

ORIGINAL: Tokyo Boy

20 mm seems to be the key at the early stages of the war , both efficient and accurate.
With enough fighters in the air (high CAP level) i can clear the sky

Thanks guys [&o] [&o]

Both type 99 and type 99-2 are in wing so get a lack of accuracy. The 12.7 in nose is really accurate. The A6M2 manoeuvrability suck over 20k and the Ki43 got a service ceilling over most of allied fighter. In my opinion, it make the Ki43 a really nice plane before A6M3 or Ki44IIa show up.

[Barb]

I love Ki-43s ... yeah, they are not that good against bombers, but they really can do against fighters - damaging a lot clearing way for other planes to follow.