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[genXgamer]

Hi guys

Tonight I discovered that AI flying P-39N and Q models will strafe ships, from landing craft to destroyers.
Perhaps this is common knowledge but I have never seen this discussed before, does anyone know of other aircraft that can do the same?

Can the "Special Sauce" that makes them behave this way be added to other aircraft that actually stafed ships?
In particular Beaufighters and P-40s.

[vonofterdingen]

This is an interesting discovery for me as well. Maybe the P-39 cannon is a factor. Regardless it would be desirable to give other planes (all?) the ship strafing capability.

With static ships we can trick the ai by stashing a static vehicle in the ship, but that's not quite elegant.

[larschance]

The B25 gunship which was amended to strafe shipping springs to mind. Does it do what was intended?

As you guys imply there are many types of aircraft that were employed as strafers, especially on flak suppression duties while the bombers went in.

[genXgamer]

G'day Von

I only found this out because I converted a campaign by nyalex09 to B.A.T. (will be released here).
He had a flight of P-39Q-1's strafing shipping, couldn't believe my eyes.
My findings are that the P-39D-1, P-39D-2 and P-400 ignore ships just like every other aircraft I've tried.
An even less elegant method to get AI to strafe Ships is to give a vehicle the ships waypoints, probably not so bad for night missions.

EDIT

Thanks Lars

If we could build a list of aircraft that would be great for us mission builders, especially in New Guinea and Solomon Islands.

[Wing Walker]

AI flying P-39N and Q models will strafe ships

Was this in BAT?  I've been finding BAT has a lot of "behavioral problems" with AI.

Also, will it damage the ship enough to destroy it?

[Frankiek]

Also, will it damage the ship enough to destroy it?

I think that this would be the main issue only small vessels can be damaged by strafing planes.

[Wing Walker]

Yes, and even when using a 75mm of a B-25 or Mossy its super hard to hit a ship with a single shot, and AI tend miss.  Could probably hit more with practice, but the guns are super slow, and you have to be pretty close for a shot.

So I'm not even sure you could pull off 2 accurate shots with cannons.

[genXgamer]

Hi guys

Yes this was tested in B.A.T.

Japanese landing craft and barges can be destroyed, so missions to Buna could be on the cards.
Destroyers and cruisers we would have to test, this didn't stop Aussie Beaufighters taking them on in real life.
This is why it's at the top of my ship strafing aircraft wish list.

[vonofterdingen]

Exactly,  GenX. The ship doesn't necessarily need to be destroyed for the feature to be desirable.

[Dimlee]

I wonder was this feature added to P-39N/Q a long time ago in the stock game after one little-known story was published in the early 2000s. It was in the memoirs of the Soviet pilot (can't remember the name today). 1945, Baltic Sea. His unit attacked one German tanker continuously. The skipper was fed up obviously and grounded his ship, the crew escaped. Later on, the pilots found the vessel and counted the holes from their 37 mm cannons.
That story became very popular in the Russian language aviation and avia-sim forums. "Yesss, Cobras can sink the ships!"
Oleg and his team were very attentive to some desires of virtual pilots in that period...
 

[genXgamer]

What took you so long mate!

The first thing that sprung to mind was, I bet Russians flew this P-39.
I have to work out now how to transfer this code to other earlier versions.

[jeanba]

I wonder was this feature added to P-39N/Q a long time ago in the stock game after one little-known story was published in the early 2000s. It was in the memoirs of the Soviet pilot (can't remember the name today). 1945, Baltic Sea. His unit attacked one German tanker continuously. The skipper was fed up obviously and grounded his ship, the crew escaped. Later on, the pilots found the vessel and counted the holes from their 37 mm cannons.
That story became very popular in the Russian language aviation and avia-sim forums. "Yesss, Cobras can sink the ships!"
Oleg and his team were very attentive to some desires of virtual pilots in that period...
 

Right,

Exactly,  GenX. The ship doesn't necessarily need to be destroyed for the feature to be desirable.

Yes, obtenir, the purpose of strafing was to neutralize the ship AA