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Introduction
Engine Performance
Firepower
Maneuverability
Flying the A-20G
Fighting the A-20G
Summary
Engine/Range Info
Fuel Tankage: 181 gallons
1/4
363 gallons 1/2
544 gallons 3/4
725 gallons full
Engine Settings:
WEP: 2600rpm/42mp
740 gall/hr
Military: 2400rpm/38mp
672 gall/hr
Normal:
2100rpm/31mp 448gall/hr
Max Cruise: 2000rpm/27mp 367gall/hr
Calculated Ranges (Internal Fuel
Only):
Military: 323 miles
Normal: 485
miles
Max Cruise: 592 miles
-Soda
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Introduction:
A heavy attack aircraft in medium bomber clothes, the A-20G has
proven to be a reasonably popular aircraft and in the mid-war arena it
is difficult prey. It’s much more than a bomber without a
bombsight, it’s usually employed as a low/medium altitude dive-bomber
and strafer against ground vehicles or
buildings. It’s durability and size allow it to typically
take more punishment than many normal fighter aircraft or lighter
attack aircraft.
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Engine Performance:
Surprisingly impressive for such a large aircraft, the A20-G can
be difficult to catch/intercept. Sea-level cruise speed while at max
ordnance (internal and external) is 300mph. Free of ordinance, 315mph is
possible without WEP, 320mph with. Remember to drop your external
ordnance, if loaded, first as there is more drag on external ordnance.
Typically as an attack aircraft you’ll be free of your burden on
your outbound leg from the target which helps survivability. Acceleration is very good for a
bomber but not up to fighter standards. Acceleration for the last couple
of mph is difficult so be careful to not rely on a differential of only
a couple of mph to escape a pursuer. Climb rate is good for a bomber,
1,700ft/min at sea-level, slowly decreasing above that though that’s
roughly double of most other bombers. Range is excellent based on a
very large fuel load, up to 725 gallons. Fuel economy varies with
altitude but there is a sweet spot ~ 6K where you can save around 60 gal/hr vs. sea-level. Fuel burn rate increases if
slightly above that and then improves again when around 11K. Make sure you load appropriate
amounts of fuel though, ¼ is not typically enough as it only
provides ~16min of duration (~80 miles) without using WEP or including
any climb time. Keep in
mind, the A-20G weighs in at up to 26,000lbs loaded, not exactly a featherweight.
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Firepower:
The A-20G carries six forward firing .50 caliber guns with
350rpg (26 sec firing time).
The guns are nose mounted giving a focused convergence for
picking off targets that wander in front of you. I tend to set the convergence
long so I can have some stand-off range to strafe with and it also
gives a bit more loft to help with lead against air targets. The main complaint would be that
.50s don’t have much hitting power as compared to 20mm or larger
calibers that some other aircraft has (3x50cal=1x20mm). It makes them
suitable against smaller structures and effective against fighter
targets but of little use against larger targets. Defensively, there is a dorsal
turret with 400rpg, enough to give some decent defensive firepower
although limited to only the upper areas of the aircraft with some
blind spots due to aircraft structure. With a gunner onboard, the
dorsal turret can be pretty useful but I wouldn’t count on it to
save your bacon. Total ammunition load weighs some 1,300lbs.
Of course the main purpose of the A-20G is to truck bombs. The A-20G has both internal and
external carriage points with a maximum of 4,000lbs total. Options are fairly simple, four
500lbs, two 500lb or four 250lbs internally and four 500lb or four
250lb externally. I can’t
really see a reason why you wouldn’t load to the maximum. Empty of bombs and ammunition,
the A-20G sheds some 5,300lbs and loses the drag external ordnance
always adds.
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Maneuverability:
Very good for a bomber, you should be careful to keep speeds
reasonable and lose weight once over the target to improve on defensive
maneuvering potential. Losing
4,000lbs in bombs alone can really help and consider dropping the wing
ordnance first as that also improves roll rate and lowers your overall
drag. Be careful at very
high weights, will full fuel, ordnance and ammunition the A-20G can top
out at 26,000lbs.
Between around 250mph and 350mph the A-20G is pretty
maneuverable and has decent roll, just be careful to not get into
extended turn-fighting as you will bleed energy fairly quickly and the
A-20G has difficulty replacing what is lost. Vertical zoom potential is very
good, all the weight (~18,700lbs when “light”) once at
speed tends to give you the momentum you can use to out-zoom a lower
speed target. Structural
creaking tends to start in ~350mph IAS but the aircraft can typically
handle light maneuvers up to ~460mph before shedding parts.
Wing ord first
Very good, especially considering the size and weight of the
aircraft. Roll rate in
general is weak and the energy bleed in extended turning is not
good. In a fairly narrow
speed range between 250mph and 350mph the A-20G has to be
respected. Vertical zooms
are very impressive at speed, actually amongst the best in the game,
because the mass of the aircraft helps carry well. Acceleration at low speeds is
also decent although you don’t want to get to where you need to
recover from low-energy situations. Speed tolerance is good though
you will start to get structural creaking at ~350mph. You can push through this if
required as structural failures aren’t typical until ~460mph or
more under light maneuvering.
Long shallow dives like those used to exit a target area should
be fine though and your speed should carry well making interception
difficult.
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Flying the A-20G
The A-20G is a good medium attacker. Build up some altitude before
arriving at the target and use a nice dive attack to get in, drop your
ordnance, and get out quickly.
Remember to use the vertical to store as much energy as you can
and keep you out of reach of most of the fighters. Hit-and-Run tactics are typical
and work really well given the A-20’s speed and ability to take a
few hits from heavy caliber AA that would reduce a fighter to scrap. Even against fighters, if you
have some altitude for BnZ attacks, the nose
guns are more than sufficient to quickly tag and dispose of
fighters. Don’t
forget to open your bomb-bay doors prior to your dive, nothing is more
frustrating than pushing the trigger to see you forgot and spoiled your
run.
Defensively, stay fast and try to leave before the situation
deteriorates too badly. The
A-20G can work a bag of tricks against a single opponent but if you get
2 or 3 enemy on you then you’ll be in real trouble in an extended
fight. Use your vertical
zoom and try to keep your energy level as high as you can. I typically don’t like to rely
on the dorsal guns for defense, a smart enemy can hide low in your
blind spot and cause you real trouble (not to mention that twin .50’s
is enough to cause damage but takes too long to get a typical
kill). Acceleration in a
dive is good if you have some altitude to work with and taking a could of medium caliber hits is not likely to
cause immediate concern like in a snapshot. If you can get a gunner to help
you out, the combination of some maneuvering and zooming can really
make the A-20G a frustrating target for an enemy because the dorsal
gunner can plink away at longer ranges. Given some decent maneuvering,
the enemy may not be able to get enough focused fire that would knock
the A-20 down.
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Fighting the A-20G
Be patient, the longer the fight runs with an A-20G the less
dangerous it will become as typically it will start to run low on
energy that it cannot easily replace. Keep up the pressure and don’t
get duped into overshooting the target, that
can quickly be a fatal mistake, and try to stay outside the dorsal
turret by hanging out slightly low in a lag style when closing to
attack. Respect the
vertical capability of the A-20G if it’s packing speed, it can
aim nose and climb to the sky.
If you slow the A-20G down though then it loses many of it’s
tricks as it isn’t a good accelerator in level flight, can’t
climb with fighters, nor is the roll outstanding.
Defensively, if you have an A-20G attacking you, use your
roll-rate and superior maneuverability to stay out of the main bite of the
A-20, the nose guns.
Reversing rolls and rudder use can throw off the A-20 which has
some trouble making fine adjustments when aiming. You can also use high dive
speeds or level runs to nullify any closure from an A-20 as many
fighters have superior speed to work with. Be careful of the A-20’s
initial acceleration though, it does have lots of power and weight so
when pointed nose low it will initially accelerate quite quickly.
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Summary
The addition of a Mid-war arena really allowed the A-20G to
exist in a place where it is less vulnerable to ultra-high performance
later-war rides. The A-20G
is useful none the less, carrying more ordnance than a fighter but possessing
flexibility to strike and run or even mix it up a little in close. It does tend to attract a lot of
attention as an “easy kill” but that can be a benefit when
people take it lightly and get sloppy. I’ve typically seen the
A-20G used as an anti-vehicle plane, which it suits, as well as a quick
hit-and-run type attacker to do nuisance type attacks. With several other attack
aircraft filling a similar role, I think the A-20G gets a little lost
in the mix but it should be considered one of the better in the game at
what it does.
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