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 Rank VI Sweden + Premium + Golden Eagles INFO

J35A Draken Pack

This page is about the American fighter P-400. For other versions, see P-39 (Family).

P-400
P-39N-0
LOADING...
USA II Rank

Battle rating: Class:

Fighter
AB RB SB
Description 2.7 2.3 2.3

The P-400 is a rank II American fighter Research: Purchase:

with a battle rating of 2.7 (AB) and 2.3
(RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.37.
7 900 10 000
The P-400 is the "little brother" of the P-39 Show in game
and P-63. Reaching maximum speed at an
altitude of 2,400 m (7,900 ft) means you
will have to look for enemies below you, or sacrifice speed
to meet the opposition higher up. At medium & low
altitudes it can be considered quite a fast plane for its BR
range. It handles turning at higher speed rather well but can
Contents
become quite unstable at lower speeds. Watch out when
engaging in stall fighting, hammerheads & yo-yos. The P- 1 Description
400 can survive at high speeds while diving, yet will suffer 2 General info
from compression. The plane is suitable for high speeds 2.1 Flight performance
attacks where you work with more with horizontal than 2.1.1 Details
vertical movements. Keep your speed up! 2.2 Survivability and armour
2.3 Modifications and economy
The P-400 has good weapons consisting of one 20 mm 3 Armaments
cannon with 60 rounds and two .50 cals and four .30 cals. If 3.1 Offensive armament
you have a good aim, you can destroy enemies in seconds, 3.2 Suspended armament
but if you don't the limited cannon ammo will run out in 4 Usage in battles
about 10-15 seconds. The .50 calibre will still destroy foes 4.1 Manual Engine Control
reasonably quickly, though the .30 cals require the right 4.2 Pros and cons
amount of consistency and concentrated fire.
5 History
5.1 In-game description
General info 5.2 Joke
6 Media
Flight performance 7 See also
8 External links
8.1 References
Max speed
 at 2 400 m 576 km/h

Turn time 22 s

Max altitude 9 500 m

Engine Allison V-1710-35

Type Inline
Cooling system Water

Take-off weight 4t

Max
Speed Max Turn time Rate of climb Take-
Characteristics (km/h at altitude (seconds) (metres/second) off run
2,400 m) (metres) (metres)
AB RB AB RB AB RB

Stock 553 536 23.2 24.1 6.9 6.9

9500 320
Upgraded 603 576 21.2 22.0 13.3 9.7

Details

Features

Combat Take-off Landing Air Arrestor

flaps flaps flaps brakes gear

✓ ✓ ✓ X X

Limits

Max
Flaps (km/h)
Wings Gear Static G
(km/h) (km/h) Take-
Combat Landing + -
off

0 322 400 374 233 ~12 ~9

Optimal velocities (km/h)

Ailerons Rudder Elevators Radiator

< 360 < 380 < 450 > 312

 Compressor (RB/SB)

Setting 1

Optimal altitude 100% Engine power WEP Engine power

3,677 m 1,000 hp 1,150 hp

Survivability and armour

Crew 1 person

Speed of destruction
Structural 0 km/h
Gear 322 km/h

Armour plates:

15.87 mm Steel - Ring Behind propeller

15.87 mm Steel - 2 on the left and right sides of the nose
7 mm Steel - Fore-cockpit plate
7 mm Steel - Cockpit front
38 mm Bulletproof Glass - Cockpit front
64 mm Bulletproof Glass - Behind Pilot
7 mm steel - Cockpit Rear
6 mm steel - Behind cooling systems and engine
Self-sealing fuel tanks (1 in each wing)

Critical components:

Cooling and Engine are in the middle of the plane

Propeller shaft spans nearly the entire length of the aircraft

Modifications and economy

Repair cost Basic → Reference

AB 520 → 668
RB 1 400 → 1 799
SB 920 → 1 182

Total cost of modifications 6 950

9 390

Talisman cost 530

 Talisman cost 530

Crew training 3 000

Experts 10 000
Aces 130
Research Aces 160 000

Reward for battle AB / RB / SB

30 / 90 / 270 %
112 / 112 / 112 %

Modifications

Armaments
Offensive armament

Weapon 1 20 mm Hispano 404 cannon

Ammunition 60 rounds
Fire rate 700 shots/min

Weapon 2 2 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine gun

Ammunition 540 rounds
Fire rate 750 shots/min

Weapon 3 4 x 7.62 mm Browning machine gun

Ammunition 4 000 rounds
Fire rate 1 000 shots/min

The P-400 is armed with:

1 x 20 mm Hispano 404 cannon, nose-mounted (60 rpg)

2 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns, nose-mounted (270 rpg = 540 total)
4 x 7.62 mm Browning machine guns, wing-mounted (1,000 rpg = 4,000 total)

Suspended armament
 List of setups (1)

The P-400 can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

Without load
1 x 500 lb AN-M64A1 bomb (500 lb total)

Usage in battles
Try using energy tactics at low altitude and Boom & Zoom to dispatch targets if you are at high altitude. In
Domination matches, this plane comes into its environment with dogfight furballs occurring in which the P-
400 can intervene. Use the excellent energy retention to your advantage and avoid any type of turn fighting,
as even a F6F Hellcat would be able to out-turn your aircraft.

Never try to contest bomber altitude when you have it stock - it just lacks the engine power to compete
above 4,000 meters, and even as a spaded aircraft, it still doesn't perform as well as the Spitfires and Bf 109s
at similar battle ratings. If you're ever forced to dogfight, use the rudder and elevator to pull yourself into a
sort of climbing spiral, which the P-400 is exceptionally good at thanks to its powerful engine.

The Hispano cannon once on target will easily take out fighters and most bombers with even a short burst, or
at the very least, cripple it. However, if there is any good fighter pilot on the enemy team, they will climb
and try to secure high altitude. When you see them in more agile aircraft, your only option is to dive away
and begin to strafe the furball down low. Beware that many planes in this battle rating range, including the
Cannon Ishak, outperform this plane in at least one, if not more categories, but this plane usually has more
than one advantage over every plane it will face (i.e. it is faster than the Spitfire Mk 1a and out rolls it).

Use the advantages of this plane - its high speed, great rudder, powerful engine, superior armament, and
terrific initial turn at high speeds. However, don't use it in a way that exposes its weaknesses - bad low-speed
handling, weak turning, and poor climb rate - in combat, like when you are getting Rope-a-Doped, just flip
over with an Immelmann and Turn & Burn.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements

Radiator
Mixer Pitch Supercharger Turbocharger
Oil Water Type

Controllable Controllable Controllable Not

Not
Controllable Not auto Not auto Not auto Separate controllable
controllable
controlled controlled controlled 1 gear

Pros and cons

Pros:

Fast plane up to ~3,000 m (12,000 ft)

Decent turn time (especially at higher speeds)
 .30 and .50 cal machine guns have separate trigger
Good pool of machine gun ammunition
Good stopping power with all weapons active
Nose mounted 20 mm cannon (centre line mounted weaponry equals good accuracy)
Well armoured
Cockpit has good visibility
Carries a total of 7 guns with three slightly different trajectories, resulting in a high hit
probability with at least one of them
Hispano cannon is more accurate and reliable than the 37 mm cannon
Excellent rudder control even at high speeds
Powerful engine

Cons:

Low ammunition count for 20 mm cannon

Ammo counter represents the total amount of machine gun ammo, not the particular calibre
Gets pilot-sniped easily due to the bubble canopy design
Suffers a lot from compression
Becomes quite unstable at low speeds
Fuel cells are stretched across the wings, resulting in fairly common fires
The engine is centrally mounted, taking engine damage while being chased is common
Terrible turning at high speeds
Horrible responsiveness & roll rate

History
In-game description

A single-engine all-metal monoplane fighter with a closed cockpit and retractable tricycle landing gear with
a nose leg. The aircraft had an unusual layout, with the engine placed behind the cockpit.

The aircraft was designed by the Bell Aircraft design office under the direction of R. Woods and H. Poyer.
The experimental model XP-39 took its maiden flight on 6 April 1938.

The first overseas order came from France in October 1939. The French were in urgent need of rearming
their fighter forces, and bought as many fighters as they could from overseas. However, the order was not
fulfilled before France's capitulation in the summer of 1940. After the capitulation, all outstanding French
orders for military vehicles were redirected to Britain.

The high flight characteristics of the experimental XP-39 also drew attention from the British buying
committee in the USA. Seduced by its tricycle undercarriage, powerful armament, high climbing rate and
promises of high speeds of up to 640 km/h, the British ordered 675 airplanes, including the 200 from the
French order.

The fighters produced for Britain had the designation model 14A and were powered by the 12-cylinder air-
cooled Allison V-1710-E4 engine with a maximum output of 1,150 hp.
The model 14A's armament consisted of a 20 mm British-Hispano M1 cannon with 60 shells, two large-
caliber synchronized Colt Browning M2.5 machine guns on the fuselage with 200 rounds each and four
British 7.7 mm Colt-Browning Mk.II .303 machine guns on the wing surfaces with 350 rounds each.

In the RAF, the model 14A fighters received the designation Airacobra Mk.I. However, when the British
received the first Airacobra Mk.Is in the summer of 1941, tests revealed that rather than the high-altitude
interceptor they had expected, they had actually received an unexceptional medium-altitude fighter, albeit
with a powerful engine. At the same time, the fighter's manoeuvrability and responsiveness received good
ratings.

In December 1941, the British Air Ministry decided to remove the Airacobra Mk.I from service. By this
time, 164 of the fighters had been sent to Britain.

After Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, the US requisitioned the fighters which had not yet been shipped to the
British or were still in various stages of assembly.

In December 1941, 179 of the aircraft went into service in the USAAF with the designation P-400. They
kept their British camouflage and organizational numbering. The majority of these planes served within US
territory as training vehicles, but a number of P-400s took part in combat operations in New Guinea and
North Africa.

Joke

A joke which may (or may not) have been used by the British in WW2:[note 1]

Why is the P-400 called the P-400?

Because it's a P-40 with a Zero on its tail!

Media
Skins

Skins and camouflages for the P-400 from live.warthunder.com. (https://live.warthunder.com/fee

d/camouflages/?vehicle=p-400)

Videos
 THE SHOOTING RANGE #268… War Thunder: Sub Request, P…

The Shooting Range #268 - Metal Beasts section at Sub Request, P-400. Where's my team? - Joseph
00:30 discusses the P-400. 2000

WT: P-400- All bite and no bark P400 - US - 2.7 BR - Realistic …

P-400- All bite and no bark - Oxy P-400 - US - 2.7 BR - Realistic Battle Review - Virus

See also
Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

reference to the series of the aircraft;

links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links
Official data sheet - more details about the performance (https://forum.warthunder.com/index.ph
p?/topic/86385-bell-p-400/)

References

1. Copied from War Thunder Forum "Schlechte Witze mit War Thunder Bezug" - 'Bad jokes with War
Thunder related content' (http://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/291882-schlechte-witze-mit-
war-thunder-bezug/?p=5693741#entry5693741), no source was given by the forum user. Topic is
named/about "Bad jokes".

Bell Aircraft Corporation [Expand]

 USA fighters [Expand]

Retrieved from "https://wiki.warthunder.com/index.php?title=P-400&oldid=121364"

This page was last edited on 22 January 2022, at 16:10.

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