Pe-3 (e)

Description

The Pe-3 Early is a rank Soviet strike aircraft with a battle rating of (AB), (RB), and (SB). It has been in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.27.

General info

Flight performance

As with all Pe-2s and Pe-3s, the roll rate is great, but turn time leaves much to be desired. It is quite fast, and can outrun most fighters if downtiered.

Details

Survivability and armour

• 4 mm steel behind the pilot's butt
• 6 mm steel beside and below gunner
• 12 mm steel in front of gunner*
• 13 mm steel below and behind pilot
• 45 mm bulletproof glass in front of pilot
• Self-sealing fuel tanks, with neutral gas pressurization system (3 in central fuselage, 4 in each wing)

*Note, the gunner is rear-facing

Modifications and economy

Armaments

Offensive armament

The Pe-3 (e) is armed with:

• 2 x 12.7 mm Berezin UB machine guns, nose-mounted (150 rpg = 300 total)
• 1 x 7.62 mm ShKAS machine gun, nose-mounted (450 rpg)

Suspended armament

The Pe-3 (e) can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

	1	2	3	4	5	6
100 kg FAB-100sv bombs		1	1	1	1
250 kg FAB-250sv bombs			1	1
M-13UK rockets	3					3
RBS-132 rockets	3					3
Maximum permissible loadout weight: 720 kg Maximum permissible wing load: 360 kg Maximum permissible weight imbalance: 280 kg

Defensive armament

The Pe-3 (e) is defended by:

• 1 x 7.62 mm ShKAS machine gun, dorsal turret (750 rpg)
• 1 x 7.62 mm ShKAS machine gun, tail turret (250 rpg)

Usage in battles

The Pe-3 (e) can be used for a variety of roles, depending on what you are comfortable with. In Air RB, the aircraft can be used as a high-speed base bomber, or bomber interceptor. For base bombing, you can choose the heaviest payload (2 x 250 kg and 2 x 100 kg), and, once spawned in, go into a shallow dive towards the base you are going for. Once over the base, drop your payload and break away. Remember to set your bomb fuse to at least 2 seconds, or else you will blow yourself to bits. However, the Pe-3 (e) can also be used as a bomber interceptor, although this may be harder. While the Berezins and the ShKAS both have a high rate of fire, there is limited ammo, and you might not be able to down the bomber before your ammo runs out. Instead, rockets could be a much better choice. You can load 6 x RS-132 rockets, or 6 x RBS-132s. For bomber-hunting, the RS-132 will be better-suited, as it has more explosive filler (4.9 kg vs 1.5 kg). While it is harder to hit moving targets in the air with rockets, with practice, you will be able to down any bomber in your sights. Setting a rocket activation fuse can also help (recommended at leat 500m), as it will guarantee the detonation of the rocket even with a near miss, improving your chances of hitting your target.

The Pe-3 (e) can also be used as an attack aircraft in Ground battles. The RBS-132 rocket can penetrate 85 mm of armour, which is enough to penetrate all tanks at this BR form the sides or back. Or, you can load bombs, and dive onto your targets.

Manual Engine Control

Pros and cons

Pros:

• High speed
• Great roll rate
• Quite manoeuvrable
• Can carry bombs and rockets ( including powerful anti-tank RBS-132 rockets that can penetrate 85 mm of armour!)
• Defensive ShKAS has a high rate of fire, and the Universal belt contains only incendiary tracers; can set any enemy on fire with careful aim

Cons:

• Low ammo count
• One 7.62 mm MG is rather ineffective against better-armoured fighters
• Turn time can't compete with anything
• Fuel tanks are scattered all over the wings and fuselage, allowing them to be easily hit by any attacking fighter

History

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Pe-3 (e) from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

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

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.