07-19-2011, 09:50 AM | #1 |
World Traveler in Training
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Chicago, IL
|
[WWII] Grokhovsky G-38
Grokhovsky G-38 (TL6+1)
Between the years of 1934 and 1936, the P.I. Grokhovsky Design Bureau developed a twin-seat light fighter-bomber or divebomber of mostly wooden construction. It appeared similar to the P-38, with twin-engine nacelles extending back into a twin-boom tail design, and an integral crew compartment in the center of the wing. It featured twin 12.7mm MGs and twin 20mm ACs to the front, as well as a pair of flexible rear 12.7mm MGs facing to the rear for the gunner. A variety of bombs could be loaded on hardpoints under the central nacelle. Unfortunately, the entire project was cancelled in 1936, just as the design was nearly complete. The G-38 has a crew of two: pilot and gunner. The pilot drops all ordnance. The plane burns 64 gallons of aviation fuel per hour at routine usage. A full load of fuel and ammo (not including bombs) costs $227. Subassemblies: Medium Fighter chassis with Lifting Body option +3; Light Fighter-Bomber wings +3; two Medium Weapon engine Pods +1, 4 retractable wheels +0. Powertrain: Two 634-kW aerial Supercharged HP gas engines with two 634-kW props and 360-gallon standard fuel tanks [Body and Wings]; 16,000-kW batteries. Occ.: 2 CS Cargo: 12 Body Armor All: 2/2 Wheels: 2/3 Weaponry: 4xLong Aircraft HMGs/ShKAS [Wings:F] (250 rounds each) .* 2xLong Aircraft HMGs/ShKAS [Body:B] (250 rounds each) .* 2xLong Aircraft ACs/ShVAK [Wings:F] (180 rounds each) .* *Each pair linked, additional link fire all wing guns at once. 4x220-lb bombs [Body:U]. Equipment: Body: Medium radio and transmitter and receiver (10-mile), autopilot, navigation instruments, universal mount for MGs, four 220-lb. hardpoints. Statistics: Size: 29'x44'x?' Payload: 2.09 tons Lwt.: 4.51 tons Volume: 200 Maint.: 30 hours Cost: $44,958 HT: 6 HPs: 60 Body, 120 each Wing, 9 each Wheel, 75 each Pod. aSpeed: 340 aAccel: 8 aDecel: 19 aMR: 5 aSR: 2 Stall Speed 67. -2.5 aSpeed per loaded hardpoint. gSpeed: 268 gAccel: 13 gDecel: 10 gMR: 0.5 gSR: 2 Ground Pressure Extremely High. No Off-Road Speed. Design Notes: The design uses the Lifting Body option presented on p. W:WW73. In order to conserve weight, the cost, weight and HPs of the chassis were halved. The engines are slightly too large for the selected Pods; the remaining volume was transpired to the wings. Historically, the design was "mostly wooden," but wooden armor made the design too heavy and so was abandoned. Ammo, ordnance, and bomb payload were selected based on the historical difference between maximum takeoff weight and empty weight, but are all speculative on my part. The historical wing area was 345 sf. The design loaded weight was decreased 16% to the historical. Historical values for loaded weight and wing area were used for performance calculations. "Historical speed" is in fact a historical estimate of the plane's performance as well, and might well be ignored. (It wouldn't be the first time an aeronautical engineer overestimated his plane's performance!) Some sources list 671-kW engines instead of those used in the design, and one source lists 3-5 crew positions as possible, although I'm not sure what five men would be needed for in a design of this type. (However, there would easily be room for a third man to act as bombardier in this design.)
__________________
"People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use." -- Kierkegaard http://aerodrome.hamish.tripod.com |
07-19-2011, 05:22 PM | #2 |
Night Watchman
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Cambridge, UK
|
Re: [WWII] Grokhovsky G-38
That's both weird and fairly obscure. Definitely one for Crimson Skies. Thanks!
|
Tags |
airplane, mvds, ussr, wwii |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|