S17BS

Description

The S17BS was a Swedish reconnaissance dive-bomber aircraft designed by SAAB. The land-based SAAB 17 was the first all-metal stressed-skin aircraft developed in Sweden, introduced in 1940. The SAAB 17BS was the latest version of the B17, based on the B17B, it was designed for reconnaissance and it featured photographic equipment, it replaced the landing gear with floats and the original engine by a Bristol Mercury XXIV engine; 38 units were built.

It was introduced in Update "Raining Fire". The S17BS is a slow and sluggish bomber. It has access to 2 x forward mounting machine guns, which are an adequate armament for its BR. It is more capable at ground attack however, with access to 9 x 50 kg bombs. It has also access to a bomb sight, which means that dropping bombs with precision shouldn't be an issue. In air battles, the bombs are particularly useful against light fortifications and vehicle columns.

General info

Flight performance

Details

Survivability and armour

• 10 mm Steel plate in pilot's seat
• 10 mm Steel plate in front of gunner*
• Self-sealing fuel tanks (4 in each wing)

*Note that the gunner is rear-facing

Modifications and economy

As the S17BS is a relatively simple aircraft, the progress of obtaining its modifications is also quite simple. One recommended order of research is as follows:

• Offensive 8 mm: researching this modification can allow the player to choose between different ammunition belts, including Armored Targets belts which will increase the amount of armour-piercing rounds present in the belt, over the Default ammunition. Stealth belts can also be used, which can allow the machine guns to fire ammunition that does not contain tracer rounds. Players can use these to attack ground targets or unsuspecting enemy aircraft.
• Airframe: this modification will increase the aircraft's durability, giving it a higher chance to return to the airfield even if damaged.
• Turret 8 mm: this modification is very similar to the previous modification and will give the player access to other ammunition belt types. It is recommended to take Armored Targets belts for increased damage against aircraft with armour or solid structures.
• Flight Performance modifications: the S17BS is relatively slow and sluggish. These modifications will help to remedy this issue by increasing its performance. As with all modifications, players can hover over each modification to see exactly how they will affect the vehicle when equipped.
• Cover: this modification will both improve the aircraft's performance and durability.
• New 8 mm MGs and New 8 mm MGs (turret): equipping these modifications will improve the aircraft's weaponry for increased reliability and accuracy.

Armaments

Offensive armament

The S17BS is armed with:

• 1 x 8 mm Ksp m/22 Fh machine gun, wing-mounted (500 rpg)
• 1 x 8 mm Ksp m/22 Fv machine gun, wing-mounted (500 rpg)

Suspended armament

The S17BS can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

• 9 x 50 kg sb m/42 bombs (450 kg total)

Defensive armament

The S17BS is defended by:

• 1 x 8 mm Ksp m/22-37 R machine gun, dorsal turret (300 rpg)

Usage in battles

The B17BS is fitted with two forward facing machine guns, allowing players to dispatch lightly-armoured ground targets and lone enemy aircraft. With the option to load 9 x 50 kg bombs, the B17BS becomes a potent ground attacker for its battle rating. The pilot should not rely on this plane's sluggish manoeuvrability and low maximum speed. Unlike faster and more potently armed planes, this aircraft is often played methodically, away from the centre of the battlefield. In Arcade battles, the bombsight allows for liberal aiming at specific targets, ideally columns of lightly-armoured vehicles. Having a bombsight means you can stay at relatively high altitudes without endangering yourself.

Should an enemy attempt to attack you, you can dive away in order to gain speed for an escape. The S17BS's firepower is adequate but not excellent, meaning head-on attacks can be dangerous. If the enemy is attacking from the rear, players can utilize the rear gunner. This gunner may be able to deter or destroy enemy fighters, especially if they are biplanes which are often unarmoured. If the enemy aircraft presses the attack, you can evade shots by wiggling the aircraft around in order to throw off their aim. The S17BS has a sturdy enough construction to resist rifle-calibre rounds and can even withstand a few 20 mm cannon rounds.

Overall, the plane is a serviceable light attacker.

Manual Engine Control

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Relatively durable against light machine guns
• Can land and float on water
• 9 x 50 kg sb m/42 bombs for bombing ground targets
• Bombsight can increase bombing accuracy

Cons:

• Slow and large target profile
• Poor manoeuvrability
• Can only carry small bombs
• Very light defensive armament with limited firing angles
• Floats create more drag, making the B-17BS slower than the B17B and the B17A

History

Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the S17BS from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

See also

Related development

• B17 (Family)

Aircraft of similar configuration or role

• Ar 196 A-5 (Sweden)

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

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