T18B (57)

Description

The T18B (57) is a rank Swedish bomber with a battle rating of (AB), (RB), and (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.95 "Northern Wind".

The T18B is an attacker/bomber designed to take out ground targets and give support. Designed and built by SAAB for use by the Swedish Air Force, it bears similarities to the T18B-1. The B-2 is the version which carries the 57 mm akan m/47 autocannon with a 41-round magazine to take out heavily armoured opponents. It is an attacker-in-disguise in terms of flight performance and firepower, with the downsides that come from housing a large-calibre autocannon.

General info

Flight performance

The flight performance of the T18B is very good. Powered by two Daimler-Benz DB 605B piston engines, this bomber offers twin-engine fighter grade flight performance even with the weight of the 57 mm cannon, achieving a respectable climb rate and a competitive turn radius. It also has an amazing level flight speed. Because the airframe was first designed for both torpedo bomber and dive bomber roles, this aircraft offers amazing low-speed manoeuvrability and respectable high-speed manoeuvrability, complementing the armament in targeting responsiveness.

Details

The T18B does not come equipped with the airbrake that was installed in the earlier T18B-1.

Survivability and armour

Protective components found in the T18B (57).

• 10 mm steel - Cockpit floor under pilot's seat
• 10 mm steel - Pilot's seatback
• 10 mm steel - Rear gunner protective plate
• 10 mm steel - Cockpit floor under gunner's seat
• 10 mm steel - Aft protective plate

Modifications and economy

Armaments

Offensive armament

The T18B (57) is armed with:

• 1 x 57 mm Akan m/47 cannon, chin-mounted (41 rpg)
• 2 x 20 mm Akan m/41A cannons, chin-mounted (60 rpg = 120 total)
• 1 x 13.2 mm Akan m/39A machine gun, nose-mounted (300 rpg)

These belts are recommended:

• 57 mm autocannon - "Ground Targets" is needed to knock the tanks without wasting ammo but if playstyle is switched to Bomber Interception, "Air Targets" is better suited.
• 20 mm cannons - Use "Air targets" belt for bomber hunting.
• 13.2 mm MG - "Air targets" is a good belt, because it contains a lot of High Explosive Fragmentation-Tracer rounds (HEF-T).

Suspended armament

The T18B (57) can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

Defensive armament

The T18B (57) is defended by:

• 1 x 13.2 mm Akan m/39 machine gun, dorsal turret (300 rpg)

Use the "Universal" belt, as the HEF-T bullet is good at knocking down enemies out of the sky.

Usage in battles

Close air support

With its triple set of armament controlled separately, efficiency is the biggest key factor for CAS pilots who are looking to make a dent in the enemy's forces. Use the separate controls for primary, secondary, and additional armament to use them separately for different purposes. 57 mm for armoured targets, 13.2 mm for small targets that needs precision like machine gun nests or lightly armoured car convoys, 20 mm for large soft targets like anti-air emplacements or artillery positions. If you play CAS in Air RB, you are aware of the fact that enemy fighters at the start of the game will come after you. Therefore, it is highly recommended to sneak into the remote ground targets that are away from enemy airfields or to wait a little until after your team's fighters have established air superiority. To destroy as much as possible without having to return and rearm, trigger discipline is highly recommended.

Bomber interception

Having a 57 mm autocannon opens up interesting possibilities against other bombers, especially heavy bombers with a sturdy airframe. With the altitude advantage you get from the airspawn, it is possible to catch the bombers before they get high above. But being a heavy twin-engine bomber, you will be vulnerable to the bomber's defensive fire. This is where the autocannon comes into play: most turrets at this BR won't be accurate enough to do sustained damage at 1.5 km distance and beyond, but your 57 mm cannon can. It is recommended to use the High-Explosive belts to destroy the target in a single hit, avoid the Armour-piercing belt that causes the shell to go straight on without further damage. If you struggle with the leading of the gun without tracers, the AP-T belt might be better suited for the player.

Manual Engine Control

With correct engine management, it can return to base with a single engine.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Excellent offensive armament
• The 57 mm cannon is effective against ground targets.
• Very fast and agile for its class.
• Can carry up extra rockets and bombs added to the offensive armament.
• Very good in a bomber hunter role.
• Sturdy airframe.

Cons:

• Only one turret, gunner is vulnerable.
• Poor bomb load options (confined to ground attack role).
• Very unfavourable rocket placement requiring extreme lead.
• Weak rudder authority at moderate speeds.

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 T18B (57) from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

See also

Related development

• SAAB 18 (Family)

Similar aircraft fitted with a 57 mm cannon

• Mosquito FB Mk XVIII
• Ki-102 otsu

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

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