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| rdfs:comment | - The Bell P-39 Airacobra was one of the principal American fighter aircraft in service at the start of World War II. Although its mid-engine placement was innovative, the P-39 design was handicapped by the lack of an efficient turbo-supercharger, limiting it to low-altitude work, although the type was used with great success by the Soviet Air Force. In the P-39, Soviet pilots scored the highest number of individual kills attributed to any U.S. fighter type. Together with the derivative P-63 Kingcobra, these aircraft would be the most successful mass-produced, fixed-wing aircraft manufactured by Bell.
- The Bell P-39 Airacobra was a single-seat fighter used by the United States and her allies during World War II.
- The Bell P-39 Airacobra was one of the principal American fighter aircraft in service when the United States entered World War II. The P-39 was used with great success by the Soviet Air Force, which scored the highest number of individual kills attributed to any U.S. fighter type. Other major users of the type include the Free French, the Royal Air Force, the United States Army Air Forces, and the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force.
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| Guns | - ** 1 x 37 mm M4 cannon in nose . 30 rounds of HE-T ammunition gun.
** 2 x .50 cal (12.7 mm) Browning M2 machine guns, nose-mounted. 200 rounds per gun
** 4 x .30 cal Browning M1919 machine guns, wing mounted. 300 rounds per gun
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| Affiliation | - USAAFref|As well as being operated by the Free French, the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force, Portugal (Interned aircraft), the Soviet Union and - briefly - the Royal Air Force, the type was also flown in limited numbers by the air arms of Australia (type code A-53), Canada (one example tested late November 1941), Germany (captured example flown with fuselage code GE+DV) and Poland (P-39Q of the 2nd Special Air Regiment, Polish Air Force, serving as the personal aircraft of Russian General Fyodor Polynin, Commander of the Polish Air Force in 1944 - 1947).|group="N"
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| Text | - "One of the enduring myths regarding the P-39/P-63 in Soviet use is that because of its armament, in particular the 37mm nose cannon, it excelled as a ground-attack aircraft, even a 'tank buster.' In translating and preparing this manuscript for publication, I have had the opportunity to peruse several Russian-language sources. Mentions of the employment of this aircraft in the ground-attack role are so rare in these sources as to be exceptional ... The 'tank buster' myth has its roots in the misunderstanding of the general wartime role of the Red Air Force and in the imprecise translation of specific Russian-language terms that describe this role. The specific Russian-Language term most often used to describe the mission and role of the Airacobra-equipped Red Air Force fighter units, in this manuscript and other Russian-language sources , as prikrytiye sukhoputnykh voysk [coverage of ground forces]... Frequent misunderstanding in this country as to the combat role of the P-39 in Soviet use is based in part on imprecise translation of the term prikrytiye sukhoputnykh voysk to 'ground support'. The latter term as it is understood by many Western military historians and readers, suggests the attacking of ground targets in support of ground troops, also called "close air support." Soviet Airacobra pilot ever strafe a German tank? Undoubtedly. But this was never a primary mission or strong suit for this aircraft."
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| Type | - Fighter
- Fighter/Fighter-Bomber
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| bombs | - Up to 500 lb of bombs under wings and belly
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| Sign | - Soviet Army Colonel Dmitriy Loza
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| Description | - Flying The P-39, demonstrating techniques for piloting the P-39 Airacobra
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| Engine | - One 1,325 hp Allison V-1710-63 vee twelve liquid cooled engine located behind the cockpit.
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| Source | - Loza and Gebhardt 2002, pp. 15–16.
- (Soviet pilot Nikolai G. Golodnikov, recalling his experiences of the P-39)
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| Quote | - "I liked the Cobra, especially the Q-5 version. It was the lightest version of all Cobras and was the best fighter I ever flew. The cockpit was very comfortable, and visibility was outstanding. The instrument panel was very ergonomic, with the entire complement of instruments right up to an artificial horizon and radio compass. It even had a relief tube in the shape of a funnel. The armored glass was very strong, extremely thick. The armor on the back was also thick. The oxygen equipment was reliable, although the mask was quite small, only covering the nose and mouth. We wore that mask only at high altitude. The HF radio set was powerful, reliable and clear."
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| Armament | - One 37mm M4 cannon that fired through the middle of the propeller, two 12.7mm MGs mounted in the nose and two 7.62mm MGs mounted in the wings.
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| abstract | - The Bell P-39 Airacobra was one of the principal American fighter aircraft in service at the start of World War II. Although its mid-engine placement was innovative, the P-39 design was handicapped by the lack of an efficient turbo-supercharger, limiting it to low-altitude work, although the type was used with great success by the Soviet Air Force. In the P-39, Soviet pilots scored the highest number of individual kills attributed to any U.S. fighter type. Together with the derivative P-63 Kingcobra, these aircraft would be the most successful mass-produced, fixed-wing aircraft manufactured by Bell.
- The Bell P-39 Airacobra was one of the principal American fighter aircraft in service when the United States entered World War II. The P-39 was used with great success by the Soviet Air Force, which scored the highest number of individual kills attributed to any U.S. fighter type. Other major users of the type include the Free French, the Royal Air Force, the United States Army Air Forces, and the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force. Designed by Bell Aircraft, it had an innovative layout, with the engine installed in the center fuselage, behind the pilot, and driving a tractor propeller via a long shaft. It was also the first fighter fitted with a tricycle undercarriage. Although its mid-engine placement was innovative, the P-39 design was handicapped by the absence of an efficient turbo-supercharger, limiting it to low-altitude work. Together with the derivative P-63 Kingcobra, the P-39 was one of the most successful fixed-wing aircraft manufactured by Bell.
- The Bell P-39 Airacobra was a single-seat fighter used by the United States and her allies during World War II.
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