Re.2005 serie 0

Description

The Reggiane Re.2005 "Sagittario" (Archer in English) was the result of many years of developing and refining the Re.2000 series of fighters. It was much faster than previous models thanks to its DB 605A engine and was more aerodynamically sleek. These changes helped propel the Re.2005 to speeds well over 640 km/h (397 mph). The elliptical wing, also seen in early Spitfires, gave the Re.2005 an incredible turn rate that could keep up with Spitfires. German pilots would also state that the Sagittario had similar flight characteristics to the Bf 109 G-14. The Re.2005 was a relatively good aircraft, but it would never be built in massive numbers. Only a handful were produced, and the armistice forced the destruction of some Re.2005s.

Introduced in Update 1.91 "Night Vision", the Re.2005 serie 0 is a decent Italian fighter. Although the performance was superb in real life, in-game it is outclassed by many aircraft due to its battle rating. Aircraft like the F8F Bearcat and Griffon-powered Spitfires will easily outrun the Sagittario. This is a common issue with planes that are more focused on the ability to turn than straight-line speed. Sagittario pilots should expect to be the victims of constant boom and zoom attacks; the best option is to perform reversals and try and get a shot off after the enemy aircraft makes a pass. Players can also sideclimb and wait for enemy aircraft to lose their altitude. Armed with three MG 151 cannons and two Breda-SAFAT 12.7 mm machine guns, the Re.2005 can easily down enemy aircraft with the air target belts. It also has plenty of ammunition, so players can be generous with firing. Overall, the Re.2005 is a relatively difficult aircraft to succeed in due to its battle rating.

General info

Flight performance

With spectacular turning capabilities, excellent energy retention, adequate roll rate and solid climb rate, the Re.2005 Sagittario is the definition of agile. It can turn on a dime and keep its speed through those turns, allowing it to be a fantastic dogfighter capable of out-turning almost everything - spare the occasional Japanese fighter - with the correct usage of the rudders and combat flaps. The main weakness of the 2005 is its comparatively mediocre speed for a prop aircraft at its battle rating, being worse than most of its German, American, British and certain Russian contemporaries. Despite this speed gap, it holds quite a high diving speed along with excellent acceleration, allowing you to catch up to faster targets quickly after an overshoot.

Details

Survivability and armour

Armour diagram of the Re.2005 serie 0, corresponds to the list on the left

1. 50 mm (63°) Bulletproof glass - Windscreen
2. 8 mm Steel - Pilot's seat
3. 8 mm Steel - Rear pilot shield

Modifications and economy

Armaments

Offensive armament

The Re.2005 serie 0 is armed with:

• 1 x 20 mm MG 151 cannon, nose-mounted (200 rpg)
• 2 x 20 mm MG 151 cannons, wing-mounted (200 rpg = 400 total)
• 2 x 12.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns, nose-mounted (380 rpg = 760 total)

Two of the cannons are mounted in the wings with the remaining cannon being a nose-mounted Motorkanone that fires through the propeller spinner. Each cannon is armed with the same amount of ammunition, which means that all wing-mounted guns will fire together until empty. Never use the Bredas as the main weapon, as they do mediocre damage beyond 300 m and are only useful for lining up shots or forcing enemies to turn.

Suspended armament

The Re.2005 serie 0 can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

Usage in battles

The Re.2005 is a classic dogfighter, with surprisingly amazing manoeuvrability that can catch most enemies off guard and shred them with its excellent armament setup. While the aircraft can tailor to most forms of air combat, it should ideally be used as a mid-to-high altitude energy fighter or turn fighter where it can use its amicable energy retention and spectacular manoeuvrability to its advantage.

Example of the Vertical spiral, which the Re.2005 can easily abuse

You should make use of energy-wasting manoeuvres such as vertical spirals and hammerheads to bleed the enemy of their speed advantage and force them to fight on your terms.

Of course, the large underslung payload available means the Re.2005 can be a decent ground-pounder as well, being able to drop its bombs quickly and engage the furball. While the Italian bombs are nothing spectacular, they can get the job done fairly well. However, it is worth noting that carrying the largest payload available has a noticeable impact on performance and forces the aircraft into the area it suffers the most in, that being low altitude where its once decent speed becomes extremely poor, compounded by the fact its carrying bombs.

In GRB, this thing can easily maul the enemy aircraft due to its great energy retention, cannons and turn rate. You should prioritise targets flying low with large payloads, such as the F4Us and the P-47s that carry full payloads. These aircraft are too heavily loaded to outpace you, which is their only way of evading you in regular circumstances, meaning picking these enemies off is as easy as it gets for 6.0 Italy.

Specific enemies worth noting:

• Bf 109 G-2, G-6 and G-10. The Gustav series of the legendary Messerschmitt fighters are ones to be feared. They can fit themselves with powerful gun pods that match your firepower and hold a significant advantage over you with their speed and climb rate. However, you can turn circles around them and can potentially win a head-on if you fire around 1.5 km away then perform evasive manoeuvres. Your best bet is to engage one in a turn fight or dive on them while they're preoccupied with a teammate.
• P-51D-30. While not a major enemy and extremely uncommon due to the battle rating, the D-30 variant of the Mustang can be a very persistent thorn in your side. It'll blitz you in terms of speed and climb rate, and it has far superior performance above 5 km, and its sextuple Browning M2's will set your airframe ablaze in a few well-placed shots. Fortunately, its turning capabilities are very poor below medium speeds and you can easily destroy it with some well-aimed deflection shots.
• P-51H-5-NA. If the P-51D is a muscle car, the P-51H is a high-performance sports car. Arguably one of the best propeller-driven aircraft in the game as a result of its exceptionally high speed, climb rate and reasonable mobility, a well-flown P-51H will walk all over the poor 2005. It retains all of the advantages of its previous model and negates a few of its weaknesses, most notably its horrendous turning capabilities. It will outclimb you and outspeed you, but will still have troubles turning with you, so employ turn-heavy manoeuvres in order to get some deflection shots.
• Ki-84 otsu and hei. These two are by far the most dangerous opponents you can come in contact with. The Hayate's boast impressive manoeuvrability that allows them to turn with you, high speed, and reasonably powerful armament on their platforms. While you can potentially win a turn fight versus them, it's never guaranteed so be safe and try to engage them with an energy advantage or in a head-on where their weak airframes will barely be able to take more than a few shells.
• Spitfire F Mk 24/Mk 22. The High-octane Griffon Spitfires will dance in the sky and wreck you easily with their ludicrous performance. Although earlier Spitfires are easy prey for the Reggiane, the Griffons hold significant speed, acceleration and climb rate advantages over it. However, this performance comes at the cost of manoeuvrability, allowing the Re.2005 to successfully outturn them and shred them. Make sure to engage a Griffon Spitfire on your terms, lest to get sent back to the hangar in a blazing wreck.
• Spitfire LF Mk IX. These Spitfires are extremely dangerous, especially with their ability to easily out-turn and out-climb this fighter, despite your decent climb and turn rate. However, they can be easy prey if you use boom and zoom tactics against them. They have mediocre weaponry as they either only have 2 x Hispano Mk IIs and two pairs of 7.7 mm Brownings or one pair of Browning 50 cals. Dogfighting a "Spacefire" is considered suicidal as you cannot outrun them, the Re.2005 is relatively slow in comparison to this Spitfire.

Manual Engine Control

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Powerful armament layout with a large ammo capacity
• Spectacular manoeuvrability
• Great acceleration that can keep up with faster opponents
• Solid rate of climb
• Wide selection of underslung bombs for ground pounding
• Excellent mid-to-high altitude performance
• Above average energy retention
• Can perform amicably in any dogfighting situation
• Decently high dive speed
• Surprisingly sturdy airframe
• Above-average roll rate
• Control surfaces do not compress badly at high speeds

Cons:

• Relatively slow compared to some of its opponents
• Poor low altitude performance
• Max payloads have a significant effect on flight performance
• The large payloads encourage a flying style that puts the Re.2005 at its most vulnerable area (low altitude, no way to escape from opponents)
• Manoeuvrability decreases at low airspeed
• Wings are very susceptible to damage during manoeuvres

History

It has been called "the most beautiful fighter aircraft of the war" and "aerodynamically perfect". The Re. 2005 was the final version of the basic Reggiane fighter design that began with the Re. 2000 in 1939. The third of the Serie 5 third-generation Italian fighters designed to take the DB 605 engine, it had numerous improvements over the company's previous models. Test flights on the prototype began in April 1942, three weeks behind the third-generation M.C. 205 and nine days behind Fiat's G.55. But only 29 of the planned 750 were ever built. Operational service began in May 1943 with the 362nd Squadron in Sicily, and then Capua, until the armistice. A few are known to have flown in battle for the German Luftwaffe over Berlin in the final days of the War in Europe.

Devblog

Being the last of the three Italian Serie 5 fighters to be introduced to the game, the Re.2005 is simply a must-have for avid fighter pilots, not only due to its excellent flight characteristics but also due to, let's be honest here, its absolutely stunning visual appearance too!

Having touched on the subject of the Re.2005's flight characteristics, these are best described as a middle ground between the Spitfire and Bf 109 fighters. The Sagittario manages to successfully combine superb top speeds and climb rates with tight turn times and sharp roll rates, making it an overall highly versatile fighter with no distinct disadvantages.

In other words, or numbers to be more specific, the Re.2005 can reach a maximum top speed of 650 km/h at an altitude of 7,000 m while retaining an average climb rate of about 21,2 m/s, thanks to its 1,475 horsepower V-12 inline engine. This makes it an ideal energy fighter in the early stages of an air battle, while it's very good agility will also allow it to pull its own weight in intense manoeuvring engagements as the battle progresses.

While you'd be forgiven for thinking that such promising flight characteristics must come at a price of offensive capabilities, the Re.2005 will spare no time in proving you wrong. In fact, the Sagittario is quite formidably armed with a pair of 12.7mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns, mounted underneath the engine cowling, in addition to three 20mm MG 151 cannons, with two being mounted in the wings and one installed through the propeller hub.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Re.2005 serie 0 from live.warthunder.com.

Images

Videos

See also

• Re.2001 (Family), the series of aircraft the Re.2005 was built off of

External links

• [Development] Reggiane Re.2005: The Winged Archer
• Official data sheet - more details about the performance