how much would a light MG weigh in the era we are in?

[Tanthalas]

looking at the pic i wouldnt want one on my all spruce and fabric wright III, it wouldnt even get off the ground im afraid.

as to duration, 45 minutes is the best i can pull out of a wright III.

[Walter]

But if you'll notice, both of those planes were built... drum roll please-
*rat-a-tat-a-tat-a-tat*
AFTER 1915 TECH IS ATTAINED!

The earliest you can use the 1915 tech is 1917 and those planes were flying before that. More likely the tech would be "1913: historical 1916 aircrafts" for the MGs which would mean that the earliest you can use that tech is 1915.

Not sure about testing done with the 1906 Wright, but just look at that guy with the MG. It really looks like he's thinking: "My god. Why was I selected to work with this useless thing? I can't even hit an elephant at 50 feet this way!" ;D

[Korpen]

Looks like the gun is hard-mounted to the airframe/undercarriage, which is metal.
That's NOT something that a Wright B has, and It seems this would be a VERY specialized modification, wouldn't it? Either way, it's something that's quite a ways off.

Oh, I agree with you, but info on the Vosin was requested, so I dug it up :)

I do not see the point of arming aircrafts, if the aircraft is low enough to hit soldiers on the ground, they can hit the aircraft in return...

[Walter]

And considering the number of soldiers on the ground, I think that the chance that the plane is hit would be bigger than the chance of a soldier being hit.

[Carthaginian]

Walter: OTL 1915 tech... it will be our 1913 tech.
And I agree wholeheartedly that the guy on the gun would have the devil's own time using it. Hitting a target from a moving Humvee is one thing- hard, but not impossible.
That, I do not even wish to contemplate... especially leaning over far enough to AIM!

Korpen: I appreciate it. I knew some WWII fighters had guns that big, but not that far back.
And unfortunately, the most common way to get within firing range is to expose oneself to return fire. If something looks like it's good enough for you to use, the enemy has generally decided that he likes it too and has built something similar.

[Walter]

As I read it, you seem to refer to our 1915 tech, not OTL 1915 tech. Also, our 1913 tech is OTL 1916 tech. "1913: historical 1916 aircrafts" :)

That, I do not even wish to contemplate... especially leaning over far enough to AIM!

Might as well jump out of the plane right now without a parachute. :D
I think the guy might be lucky to kill a few soldiers if the plane were to swoop over the brigades marching to Cemetery Ridge...

[Ithekro]

At this point shock value is probably worth something.  The heavier than air contraptions are only about six years old.  Most people still don't believe the even exist, much less work.  Even fewer have ever seen one.

[Desertfox]

It can be done as the picture shows. It shouldn't prove too difficult to engineer a fixed mounting, probably getting rid of the gunner to help with the weight.

I know... I was saying that we are about where an armed scout will work, but not what DF is suggesting which is a true fighter.

Not suggesting a fighter, but a zeppelin killer. As you said, War speeds developments and getting bombarded by zeppelins helps even more.

The first Swiss fighter will be armed with a pair of semi-automatic rifles. MG armed fighters wont appear for quite a while.


Nations with combat capable planes are exacly 2, MK and NS, NS having the distinction by pure luck of having the first Air to Air Kill, and the first aerial bombradment of both land and sea targets.

[Ithekro]

For airships....I'd suggest flare guns, rockets, or something that can burn, because you don't have enough bullets to shread enough of the hydrogen cells, and flying under to hit the gondola will be iffy with how squirrelly these aircraft are.

At least there is no prop in front of the aircraft to get in the way of the bullets.

[Tanthalas]

DF not to say it cant be done(is my post after all).  but with my curent tech zeps are as fast as my planes, and while 45 minutes sounds like a long time it realy isnt, and without radar you have to see them coming to get the planes in the air to try and hit them, im not saying it cant be done... just that it is very very hard.

While i want airplanes as zep killers, i dont think my curent crop could get the job done.  Not to say im not going to try it, just saying i think it will be tricky.

Strait and steady that is what the curent ac can do, dont even try a barel roll you will end up dead lol. idk im going to launch a ac and try to intercept it, should prove interesting anyway.  oh btw strafing works sort of, but you have to make the run so slow you would get poked full of holes for sure

[Desertfox]

True but NS does not at this time know that. So far airplanes have been used as scouts, bombers, and in one instance fighters. Because of the zeppelin threat, they will also be tried out as zeppelin killers, mainly because they can operate where zeppelins cannot.

All of my zeppelins can carry a single 40mm cannon for anti-zeppelin work, but they need a base to operate from limiting their effectiveness.

Flare guns, I hadn't thought of that. The first zeppelin kill was actually done with bombs. Current light MGs can do the job provided they have incindiery ammo.

[Tanthalas]

1906 Cutting Edge: Historical 1910 aircraft level

I think honestly that is what you need before aircraft become highly usefull, that and a minimum of 75 horse engines.

[Ithekro]

One also needs a purpose for that aircraft to be designed or modified for combat to begin with.  The "fighter" is nothing more than a scout craft really.  The guy happened to have a gun on him and killed the pilot of an opposing plane (with a lot of luck).  There are no fighters as no aircraft can handle any kind of real manuvers yet.

The airships are actaully faster than you are and can travel higher at present.  This makes attacking them problematic at best.  Try to take that Wright Flyer III on any kind of climb to get to cruising altitude of an airship and see how long it takes just to get there and then see how much time and fuel you have to even consider shooting/bombing the larger and faster target.

[Tanthalas]

Oh that's the other problem I forgot to mention it won't climb with any kind of speed.  And top altitude proly 5000 feet, although it would take you close to 30 minutes to get to there which would give you 15 minutes of fuel remaining I do have one AC that can do better, but it is technically only a test bed ac in 1908.  its my puller instead of pusher plane, and it is the only one I have that can be used as a sea plane at this point (think Kayak with wings and a 50 horse motor on it, it climbs way faster than the Wright, in fact all it wants to do is climb damn thing all it wants to do is climb.  35 minute operational window im not sure what its top altitude is I ran out of fuel at 12000 feet last time I flew it though. But don't even think about putting a gun on it there just isn't anywhere to put one.

if your looking for a fighter look for somthing like this  http://www.oldrhinebeck.org/collection/airplanes/Demoiselle.htm  I have one in X-plane 10k feet in 2 minutes this thing will literaly fly strait up.