DCS: P-47D Thunderbolt

Excelling both as a pure fighter and in the ground attack role, the powerful Republic P-47D Thunderbolt gave Allied Air Forces a whole new cutting edge in World War 2. Nicknamed the ‘Jug’, its eight M2 Browning .50-calibre (12.7 mm) machine guns packed a devastating punch: the P-47D could fire 3,400 rounds of ammunition in a continuous, 30-second stream of high-explosive lead, shredding any enemy aircraft in its sights.

With a bubble canopy providing great all-round visibility, a range of 1,000 miles at 10,000 feet and a massive 18-cylinder, 2,600-horsepower R-2800-59 Double Wasp turbocharged radial engine giving it a top speed of 428 mph, the Jug acted as a highly effective Allied bomber escort in raids on Nazi-occupied Europe. More than twice the weight of the Spitfire, its sheer size, rugged construction and armoured cockpit meant the P-47D could shrug off astonishing amounts of enemy fire.

A flying tank, the Thunderbolt also more than lived up to its name as a ground-attack aircraft: able to carry 2,500 lbs (1,134 kg) of rockets and bombs, a fully-loaded Jug delivered roughly half the payload of a B-17 Flying Fortress. More than 15,000 variants of the type were produced by the end of WW2.

The P-47D’s legacy of strength, firepower and indestructibility lives on in the A-10C Thunderbolt II Tank Killer. Both aircraft feature in DCS. Fly them - and feel the power.

Key features:

• Unmatched flight physics give a real sense of what it's like to fly and fight this legend.
• Highly detailed, six-degrees-of-freedom (6 DOF) cockpit.
• Mouse-interactive cockpit controls.
• Accurate P-47D model, cockpit, squadron markings and weaponry.
• Detailed modelling of all instruments, weapons, engine, radios, fuel, and electrical systems.
• New structure-based damage model including damage from both battle and high G-load.
• Improved engine model with a new cooling system and realistic engine-management
• Virtual Reality support including motion controllers.

P-47D-30 early modification that includes:

• Mk VIII gunsight
• Older style square-shaped throttle
• Mechanical bomb-release panel and exposed parking brake mechanism

P-47D-40 modification includes:

• P-47D-30 late cockpit with K-14 gunsight
• New, round-shaped throttle
• Electrical bomb release selector
• New bombs/rocket operation cockpit panels
• Late mod state throttle
• Dorsal fin that improves stability

Munitions include the following:

• AN-M30A1 - 100 lb GP (General Purpose) bomb
• AN-M57 - 250 lb GP bomb
• AN-M64 - 500 lb GP bomb
• AN-M65 - 1000 lb GP bomb
• M8 4.5 inch unguided rockets
• HVAR 2.75 inch unguided rockets
• M10 smoke tank

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