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FatR -> RE: Japanese Production crash course (11/10/2009 5:36:58 PM)
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A few more thoughts about research and production of airplanes:
Planes that should not be researched:
- Ka-1 should be axed first of all due to being useless. Moreover, there is no impending air groups that fly it and only one that upgrades to it. Also, it allows to switch research of Kayaba Argus engine to something useful.
- D5Y1 Myojo is another fairly obvious candidate. It is one of those late-war erzatz-planes for suicide attacks, that cost you as much as real planes. It has no its own flight groups, and, in fact, only two airgroups upgrade to it. So, even without PDU you don't really have much reason to research it, condering that it comes on 45/12.
- Six small plants are busy researching late-war twin-engine fighters and fighter-bombers, none of which get their own airgroups: Ki-83, and various versions of Ki-93 and Ki-102. That's awfully redundant. I suggest keeping Ki-83 as the best fighter of the bunch. Night fighter and fighter-bomber versions of Ki-102 shout be kept: the latter arrives much earlier than everything else and the former is your only potential radar-equipped IJA nightfighter. The fighter version of Ki-102 is arguable. Compared to the fighter-bomber one, it has excellent max attudude and little loss of maneurability at high attitude, significantly better speed, and its armament, while not as good (Ho-401 cannon, unless lack of entry date in the database will prevent its appearance, is made of win), is passable. But both Ki-93s probably aren't worth it and should be replaced. The fighter version appears on the same month as Ki-83. But Ki-83 has 50 mph of speed advantage! Its armament also seems to be much better against air targets, its climb is 50% better, its range is better and it can carry a little bit of bombs. Sure, Ki-93-Ia is more durable and has a turret MG, but who cares, speed alone makes Ki-83 the winner. Ki-93-Ib, the fighter-bomber version is good, but I'm not sure that its armament are actually improved compared to Ki-102, and it arrives more than a year later. Also, both Ki-93s have awful service rating of 4.
While we talk of fighter-bombers, Ki-119 is another plane with no air groups that should be considered for elimination. You should weight, whether ability to carry a 800-kg bomb offsets worse flight characteristics than that of Ki-102 fighter-bomber version, even worser armament and poor range, all of that on 45/12.
- Q1W1 Lorna is a patrol aircraft with short range. Unless its unique radar happens to be really, really good (and I don't see that from its statblock), you're better off patrolling with Betties.
Production changes:
Ki-57-I Topsy and Ki-30 Ann are the only planes that use Nakajima Ha-5 engine. You should build one of them, preferably Ki-57-I, until using up all of the remaining engines, then switch. Ki-57-I uprgades automatically on 42/3. It is probably better to eliminate either Ki-57 or Ki-56 from production in the end, as their characteristics are about even. Probably Ki-56, contrary to my earlier thoughts. Ki-57-II uses the less valuable Mitshubishi Ha-31 engine.
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