Ta152 H Overview The Ta152 really has a bad reputation in AH.  A very late war German design, it was based on the 190 series with an increased wing span and upgraded firepower which made it possibly the ulitmate high altitude interceptor.  Unfortunately, combat altitudes in AH tend to be below even the mid-teens and encounters up above 25K, where the Ta152 starts to shine, are extraordinarily rare.  Adding to the poor conditions for this plane in the Main Arena is the perk price, making it less available for most fights were it is already at a disadvantage.

Ta152H

Engine Performance

This plane is simply out of it's element at very low levels but improves significantly as altitudes increase.  Sea-Level cruise speed is only 332mph but WEP increases that to 361mph which is much better.  Even small altitude gains though vastly improve performance, at 6.5K it cruises at 358mph and by 20K it can cruise at 407mph.  Top speed though is much higher than even that, 447mph at 30K, a speed and altitude which make the Ta152 basically un-interceptable by a propellor driven aircraft.  Acceleration is unflatterning at all low-medium altitudes.  Climb rates are also a little depressed when low, only 3,500ft/minute, dropping to only 2,900ft by 15K.  That is pretty poor for a plane that works best with altitude and any number of aircraft will pass you climbing.  Fuel range is huge, 62 minutes on internal fuel alone with the option to add another 18 minutes with a drop tank.  Fuel should never be a problem and the range is good for use from backfield bases where you can climb in safety and then transit to the battle area at high altitude.

Firepower

Fearsome.  No expense was spared to ensure the Ta152 had no lack of firepower.  Twin Mg151/20mm cannons with 175 rounds/gun start the package and a spinner mounted 30mm cannon with 90 rounds closes the deal.  The Mg151 are perfect for dealing with fighters while the 30mm cannon makes quick work of whatever it hits, fighter or bomber.  The 30mm can be a little difficult to aim though so using it on fighters can be frustrating.  Also, the ballistic properties of the two weapons are very different, making for some interesting situations as to your aim point.  Typically, you open fire with the 20mm's first, then as you close to a point at short range you engage the 30mm when you think the ballistics are fairly matched.  Sometimes you will find though that a relatively slow rate of fire will allow fighter sized targets to slip through your fire, but you also only need a single 30mm hit to destroy any fighter in the game almost every time.

Maneuverability

The Ta152 feels big, and that's probably appropriate considering the 47ft wing span.  I noticed that it feels like it bleeds energy very quickly though the plane does weigh in at over 11,500lbs. Turn rate isn't spectacular at most altitudes, though with the large wings it is possible to turn at even high altitudes.  Roll rate is reasonable though not nearly as quick as other 190's (again the larger wings are probably the issue).  At lower altitudes the wings are almost too effective as they can easily overstress and break clean off.  Gentle maneuvering at high speeds at lower altitudes is required because the hazard of structural failure is very real.

Flying the Ta 152

A couple of pilots have really found some success with the Ta152 though they tend adapt to the style in the arena as best they can.  Ta152 pilots tend to have the perk tag hanging around their necks and have to engage enemies at medium altitudes, where they simply run low and the Ta will not follow (or might be it can be dangerous).  Against bombers, the warning tends to be so short that climbing to altitude is better done in something like a 109G10, which also carries a 30mm gun for hitting big planes.  The Ta152 isn't a great BnZ'r if you don't have very gentle style since the wingtips tend to be terribly fragile and will tear off easily when pulling out of your initial dive.  This will greatly hurt the aircraft handling though it is possible to recover a damaged Ta152 missing a wingtip.  The Ta152 is really an interceptor though, and above 25K can be used in slashing attacks effectively, if you can find anyone up that high.

Defensively, the Ta152 had better hope speed can get the job done.  Always keep at top speed and have an altitude advantage so you don't have to rely on maneuvering in a defense.  You also don't want to take any damage since the plane feels fragile every time I've flown it.  Don't dive excessively as you can only afford to gently pull out at the bottom for fear of damaging the plane or blacking out extensively.  Always try and build some quick separation and then use your speed and acceleration to get out of harms way.

Fighting the Ta152

The Ta152 is a pretty rare plane to see and most people who are up in one are actually taking it out for the first time and don't understand it.   They use it like a La7 or Spit near the ground thinking the big wings will give a great turn rate while the engine will give La7 speed.  I think they are imagining a Spitfire that can do 390mph or something, but that's simply wrong.  The Ta152 is an interceptor and quite easily beaten under these conditions.

You want to land hits on the Ta152 at every opporuntity, but don't accept any Head-On's since those are certain to be fatal to you.  I don't really condone Head-On's just to deprive someone of a perk plane since that doesn't really accomplish anything, but some people do just to remove the perk plane from another pilot.   I think that shouldn't be necessary against a Ta152 under most conditions.   Being above a Ta152 is a good place to start any engagement since you are unlikely to be able to gain energy quickly enough to match a superior Ta152.  Usually Ta's are so high though that you may only see them as dots racing around looking for high altitude bombers.  The larger wings on the Ta152 hamper the roll rate and add little to maneuverability.  If you can drive a Ta152 down you are probably winning more than you can imagine.  The Ta152 doesn't like to fight under 20K since it really is mostly average down there.

Defensively, make hard maneuvers or try to suck the Ta152 into overspeed conditions.  The Ta152 is just as likely to not be able to follow a sharp, high-speed, turn for a number of reasons.  The turn rate really isn't that good under those conditions, and the roll rate is such that it is not nearly as crisp as with the other 190's.  This leads to problems in getting proper aiming angles.   The structure of the Ta152 is not overly strong either so it is easy for an enemy to pull the wings off or quickly black out at a key firing time.  You never want to let them in close though to knock you down with the big cannons they pack.