Kawanishi N1K

The Kawanishi N1K Kyōfū (強風 "Strong Wind", Allied codename "Rex") was an Imperial Japanese Navy floatplane fighter. The Kawanishi N1K-J Shiden (紫電 "Violet Lightning") was an Imperial Japanese Navy land-based version of the N1K. Assigned the Allied codename "George", the N1K-J was considered by both its pilots and opponents to be one of the finest land-based fighters flown by the Japanese during World War II.

General characteristics

Crew: 1

Performance

Maximum speed: 369 mph (594 km/h)

Armament


4 × 20 mm Type 99 Model 2 Mk 4 cannon in wings. 200 rounds per gun (up from 100 rounds per gun internally and 70 rounds per gun in underwing boots for the early N1K1-J). The 20×101 mm round had an effective range of 1,000 m (3,280 ft) and a muzzle velocity of 700 m/s (2,297 ft/s). The 128 g shell had 6-8% HE. Rate of fire was about 500 rounds/min per gun. The guns were synchronized to converge at 200 m (656 ft).
2 × 250 kg (551 lb) bombs
2 × 400 L (105 gal) drop tanks

F4F Wildcat

The Grumman F4F Wildcat was a carrier-based fighter aircraft that began service with both the United States Navy and the British Royal Navy in 1940. Although first used in combat by the British in Europe, the Wildcat was the only United States Navy or Marine fighter in World War II 1941-42 in the Pacific Theater besides the brief appearance of the F2A Buffalo. With a top speed of 318 mph, the Wildcat was outperformed by the more nimble 331 mph Mitsubishi Zero, but its ruggedness and tactics such as the Thach Weave resulted in a air combat kill-to-loss ratio of 5.9:1 in 1942 and 6.9:1 for the entire war.

General characteristics

Crew: 1
Performance

Maximum speed: 331 mph (531 km/h)
Armament


Guns: 4 × 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns, 450 rpg
Bombs: 2 × 100 lb (45 kg) bombs and/or 2 × 58 gal (220 l) drop tanks

Messerschmitt Bf 110

The Messerschmitt Bf 110 (often erroneously called Me110)) was a twin-engine heavy fighter (Zerstörer - German for "Destroyer") in the service of the Luftwaffe during the Second World War. Hermann Göring was a proponent of the Bf 110, and nicknamed it his Eisenseiten, or "Ironsides".

Armament
The Bf 110's main strength was its ability to accept some extreme weaponry. Early versions had four MG 17 machine guns in the upper nose and two 20 mm MG FF/M cannons fitted in the lower part of the nose. Later versions replaced the MG FF/M with the more powerful 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons and many G-series aircraft, especially those who served in the bomber-destroyer role, had two 30 mm MK 108 cannons fitted instead of the MG 17. The defensive armament consisted of a single, flexible mounted MG 15 machine gun. Late F-series and prototype G-series were upgraded to a 7.92 mm MG 81 machine gun with a higher rate of fire and the G-series was equipped with the twin-version MG 81Z. Many G-series night fighters were retrofitted or factory-built with the Schräge Musik off-bore gun system for shooting down bombers while passing underneath, frequently equipped with two MG FF/M, but field installations of the MG 151/20 or MK 108 cannons were also utilized. The Schräge Musik cannons were typically mounted to the back of the rear cockpit.

The Bf 110G-2/R1 was also capable of accepting armament such as the Bordkanone series BK 37 cannon. A single hit from this weapon was could destroy any Allied bomber.

The fighter-bomber versions could carry up to 2,000 kg of bombs depending on the type.

Focke-Wulf Fw 190

The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Würger, was a single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft of Germany's Luftwaffe. Used extensively during the Second World War, over 20,000 were manufactured, including around 6,000 fighter-bomber models.

The Fw 190 was well-liked by its pilots, and was quickly proven to be superior to the RAF's main front line fighter, the Spitfire Mk. V, on its combat debut in 1941.

General characteristics

Crew: One

Performance
Maximum speed: 656 km/h at 4,800 m, 685 km/h with boost (383 mph at 19,420 ft (5,920 m), 408 mph (657 km/h) with boost)

Armament
2× 13 mm MG 131 machine guns with 475 rounds/gun
4× 20 mm MG 151/20 E cannons with 250 rounds/gun in the wing root and 140 rounds/gun outboard.

Kawasaki Ki-100

The Kawasaki Ki-100 was a fighter aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. The Japanese Army designation was "Type 5 Fighter" .

The emergency measure of adapting a Ki-61-II-KAI fighter to carry a Mitsubishi radial engine resulted in an excellent interceptor fighter, one of the best used by the Army during the entire war. Missions began in March 1945; from the first engagements the Ki-100 showed its good qualities against the USAAF B-29 heavy bombers at high altitudes, and showed itself equally effective against U.S. Navy carrier fighters. A new variant, the Ki-100-Ib, was constructed during the last weeks of the conflict to equip five sentai for home defense.

General characteristics

Crew: 1

Performance
Maximum speed: 580 km/h (360 mph)

Armament
2 × 20 mm wing-mounted Ho-5 cannons, 250 20x94 mm rounds/gun
2 × 12.7 mm fuselage-mounted Ho-103 machine guns, 250 12.7x81 mm rounds/gun