Su-6 (M-71F)

Description

The Su-6 was an aircraft developed with the intention of surpassing the combat-proven Il-2, however both projects were very similar. The Su-6 started development in 1939, with the first prototype flying in 1941. Problems with the engine and relocation due to World War 2 doomed the first two prototypes, although the second one had very successful test results. The third prototype learned from the lessons of the Il-2 in combat and introduced a rear gunner armed with a 12.7 mm HMG. It also addressed the engine problems introducing the new M-71F radial engine. The aircraft also featured a pair of 37 mm cannons in the wings, instead of the conventional 23 mm cannons.

It was introduced in Update 1.63 "Desert Hunters". The Su-6 (M-71F) is a very conventional ground attacker: slow, not very manoeuvrable, but armed with a powerful armament. For air to air, the 37 mm cannons are not ideal when compared to the more conventional 23 mm cannons in the previous Su-6 and most Il-2s. However, these cannons are better suited for dealing with tanks if they are aimed properly. Compared to the previous Su-6, the bomb load was also increased, now being able to carry 2 x 250 kg bombs as well as rockets, which is a very decent loadout for ground battles, and if you aim properly, each bomb should be able to destroy a medium target, although they might struggle against heavily armoured vehicles.

General info

Flight performance

Details

Survivability and armour

• 4 mm steel on both sides of the nose
• 4 mm steel on both sides of gunner
• 6 mm steel in propeller spinner
• 6 mm steel surrounding wing-mounted oil cooling systems
• 6 mm steel on top of pilot
• 6 mm steel on both sides of pilot
• 6 mm steel in front of and below windshield
• 6 mm steel at an angle in front of gunner*
• 10 mm steel behind gunner
• 10-12 mm steel in front of gunner*
• 64 mm bulletproof glass in front of pilot
• 64 mm bulletproof glass in front of gunner*
• Self-sealing fuel tanks, with neutral gas pressurization system (1 under pilot)

Modifications and economy

Armaments

Offensive armament

The Su-6 (M-71F) is armed with:

• 2 x 37 mm NS-37 cannons, wing-mounted (45 rpg = 90 total)
• 2 x 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns, wing-mounted (750 rpg = 1,500 total)

Suspended armament

The Su-6 (M-71F) can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

	1	2	3	4	5
25 kg AO-25M-1 bombs			16
50 kg FAB-50sv bombs		1	4	1
100 kg FAB-100sv bombs		1	4	1
250 kg FAB-250sv bombs		1		1
M-8 rockets	5				5
M-13UK rockets	5				5
RBS-82 rockets	5				5
RBS-132 rockets	5				5
Maximum permissible loadout weight: 631 kg Maximum permissible wing load: 320 kg Maximum permissible weight imbalance: 280 kg

Defensive armament

The Su-6 (M-71F) is defended by:

• 1 x 12.7 mm Berezin UB machine gun, dorsal turret (196 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:

• Powerful 37 mm cannons
• Reasonably well-armoured
• Good ordnance options
• High ammo count
• Only 1 fuel tank, making it hard to hit

Cons:

• Bad manoeuvrability
• Slow
• Defensive MG firing arc is heavily restricted

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 Su-6 (M-71F) 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

• Official data sheet - more details about the performance