Beaufighter Mk I (40-mm)

Description

In the Summer of 1941, engineers were evaluating the use of a 40 mm cannon for aircraft use. Two designs were in consideration, the Vickers S and Rolls-Royce BH. To test these cannons, a Beaufighter Mk.I prototype was modified to have the cannons installed in place of its usual 20 mm autocannons. The results of the test went on to select the Vickers S 40 mm cannon for follow up development, which also saw use in the Hurricane Mk IV.

Introduced during Update "Direct Hit" as a reward for Battle Pass: Season V, "River Hunter", the Beaufighter Mk I presents strong firepower for use against air and ground targets. Although this Beaufighter does not carry any suspended ordnance, the 40 mm armed Beaufighter presents enough penetrating power to threaten the weaker armour on tanks. The large calibre explosive power would also allow the Beaufighter to decimate large fighters and bombers. That said, the availability of only large cannons and a single machine gun for self-defense means this plane would not do well against manoeuvrable small fighters.

General info

Flight performance

Details

Survivability and armour

• 1 mm steel plates behind engines
• 25 mm steel plate in the nose
• 25 mm steel plate located in rear fuselage (in front of gunner's legs)
• 38 mm bulletproof glass in frontal cockpit window
  • Self-sealing fuel tanks (3 in each wing)

Modifications and economy

Armaments

Offensive armament

The Beaufighter Mk I (40-mm) is armed with:

• 1 x 40 mm Vickers S cannon, chin-mounted, left (16 rpg)
• 1 x 40 mm Rolls-Royce Type BH cannon, chin-mounted, right (12 rpg)

Usage in battles

Describe the tactics of playing in the aircraft, the features of using aircraft in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).

Manual Engine Control

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Devastating armament which heavily damages or destroys most planes with one successful hit
• Gets an air spawn
• Good top speed in a dive
• Thanks to its ability to mount AP-T shells, it can be used for tank-busting
• Using weapon selection, guns can be fired separately (better ammo conservation)

Cons:

• Slow compared to planes it frequently faces
• Struggles to intercept bombers due to poor climb rate
• Lacks any defensive armament
• Very small ammo pool

History

By 1941, 20 Beaufighters were reserved solely for testing. The 4th prototype, R2055, was modified by replacing its standard armament with 2 40 mm guns. The gun mounted on the port fuselage was a Rolls-Royce BH, and the starboard fuselage gun was a Vickers S. The trials involving R2055 eventually lead to the the development of an anti-tank Hawker Hurricane Mk IID, mounting 2 of the Vickers guns tested on the Beaufighter.^[1]

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Beaufighter Mk I (40-mm) from live.warthunder.com.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the aircraft;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

• [Devblog] Battle Pass Vehicles: Beaufighter Mk I (40-mm)