Hurricane Mk IID
| World War II aircraft | |
| Hurricane Mk IID | |
| Variant of | Hurricane |
|---|---|
| Type | Fighter/attacker |
| Country of origin | Britain |
| Manufacturer | Hawker |
| Crew | Single-seat |
| how to edit | |
The Hurricane Mk IID in World War II[edit]
Development[edit]
Unit Deployment[edit]
External Links[edit]
| Aces High II aircraft | |
| Hurricane Mk IID | |
| |
| Variant of | Hurricane |
|---|---|
| Type | Fighter/attacker |
| Crew | Single-seat |
| Aces High II loadout options | |
| Package 1 | 2x 40mm Vickers S 15rpg 2x .303cal Browning 330rpg |
| Aces High II Main Arenas | |
| Earliest MA | Mid War |
| Typical perk cost | 0 (Late War) |
| ENY value | 25 (Late War) |
| Available on carrier | no |
| how to edit | |
The Hurricane Mk IID in Aces High II[edit]
The Hurricane IID is amongst the rarest aircraft to see in Aces High. Packing cannons designed more for anti-vehicle work, it is highly vulnerable to fighters while the heavily armoured tanks we have tend not to be particularly vulnerable to aircraft mounted cannons. The Hurri IID also seems to be somewhat unstable, possibly because of the large weight of such heavy cannons packed into the wings on an aircraft that was never really designed for them in the first place. Still, for a change of pace, the Hurri IID can be a fun aircraft to use in place of something like an Il-2 for base defense and can be very effective against lightly armoured vehicles.
The Hurri IID is a poor fighter, lacking speed to catch up to virtually every other opponent (including some bombers), while also having an armament far better suited to hitting large, slow, objects. Against fighters, it does retain much of the maneuverability that graces the Hurricane Mk's I and IIc, but still feels much less stable in general and limited in what role it can perform. It's best role is a ground vehicle killer.
Engine Power[edit]
The performance of the IID is somewhere between the Hurri I and IIC, resembling the former near sea-level 253mph (265mph with WEP) though at altitude it tends to perform a bit better, like the IIC, cruising at 310mph @ 11K. Maximum speed is 325mph @ 18K which is still very poor when compared to the average competition at those altitudes. Climb rates are surprisingly good, especially when compared to some of the dreadful climb rates of other close-air-support aircraft. The Hurri IID is going to give you a climb-rate around 3,000ft/minute up to 10K or so, easily bettering it's competitors like the Ju-87 (1,300ft/min) and Il-2 (1,400ft/minute). Range is somewhat dreadful, with a fuel duration of only 22 minutes on full internal tanks. This isn't going to get you very far, but typically you aren't planning on transiting a long distance with the Hurri IID and your ammunition will likely be gone very quickly unless you are a very thrifty shooter. WEP is short at 5 minutes duration but very important since it adds quite a bit to an under powered aircraft. That said, for most pilots, you will be airborne, have shot away all your ammunition, and be landing within that 5 minutes.
Aces High II Performance Charts[edit]
Firepower[edit]
Describing the firepower of the Hurricane IID is a little difficult because there is nothing quite like it in the game. It packs twin wing mounted 40mm cannons and a pair of .303 calibre machine guns, one of each in each wing. The 40mm cannons only carry 15 rounds/gun so ammunition is at a premium while the pair of .303s are really only useful in ranging targets. That said, the 40mm can kill every GV in the game. Light armored vehicles do sometimes to "get away" with one or two hits, probably due to the 40mms shooting AP and not HE ammo, but every other vehicle can be outright killed or being reduced in fighting capability by disabling its turret or engine. Most effective are steep dives onto the target and firing one shot at ranges under 400yd. Against a Panzer, shallow attacks from rear works too, but the Firefly and Tiger do require the steep angle attacks and to hurt a T-34 a very dangerous dive angle of almost 90 degrees is mandatory.
Maneuverability[edit]
The aircraft handles pretty much like the IIC model when at speed but does feel a little less stable. This is likely because the IID gained even more weight over the IIC and moved a lot of that in the form of the cannons out into the wings. The vertical stab is not really up to the yawing from firing the big cannons. The plane added about 300lbs over the IIC but is still not all that heavy at only 7,800lbs total weight. Arguably it did not gain that weight well though, and it seems to show when you get near the extremes of the Hurricane envelope (fast or slow). Turn rate is still very good as long as you can keep from stalling. The Hurricane does tend to more than hold its own against a turn-fight, beating out a number of top rate turn-fighters in the process. Still, the only turn-fighting the Hurri IID should be doing is in last ditch defense, or to reverse and put some more 40mm into an enemy vehicle.
Fighting in the Hurricane Mk IID[edit]
When flying against vehicles, try and use your climb to get above them and come straight down on them. Some ground attack planes bore you into attacking at low angles because there climb rates are so poor and it would take forever to get above your target. Not so with the Hurri IID, climb above and then come in near vertically down, putting rounds into the top armour and making aiming less difficult (no drop since it's straight down already). Try and attack targets you can kill (M8, M3, Panzer, LVT) and leave the ones that are likely to kill you (M16, Osti, Wirbelwind). The Hurricane is not a really tough aircraft and any dedicated anti-aircraft vehicle is going to eat you up because you must get far too close for your 40mm to be effective.
Don't actively pursue aircraft fights unless they are large aircraft, specifically bombers, or other less capable attack planes. If you can land the 40mm hits against a aircraft, even bombers, you are most likely inflicting critical or fatal damage with each hit. Chasing people really isn't possible unless you are up against some pretty pathetic opponents, but chances are those were cleaned out long before you arrived. The Hurri IID doesn't have a distinct icon though to distinguish it from the other Hurricane variants, so you do have the advantage that people will be expecting you to be the IIC, which can be a devastating fighter. If you do intend to take on fighters, try and have altitude in advantage, and then use that to convert to speed to trap opponents. You can almost certainly turn better than they can, so try and saddle up and put your cannons to work. Remember, you will have to pull a tonne of lead, get close, and then lob the rounds in. Tickling them with .303 is likely to simply point out that you don't have Hispano cannons and make them realize you aren't in the most dangerous Hurri variant.
Defensively, you have the same options as other Hurricanes and will likely end up turning a lot trying to defeat slashing attacks. If given the opportunity a Head-On shot is not a bad option since you know that a single 40mm to the front of any airplane will likely put the enemy back in the tower without the opportunity to ride their chute. A 40mm tends to blow off the entire front of an airplane and kill the pilot. As with any Hurricane though your own front is very vulnerable so any Head-On shouldn't be considered a survivable event. Try and make any opponent who is tracking you an easy target for other friends since this is usually the best way to attract help. You may not be able to escape a pursuer, but if you can compromise his position to other friendlies in the area you are likely to find help arriving en masse to make an easy kill.
Fighting against the Hurricane Mk IID[edit]
The Hurri IID is probably the least effective Hurricane, which is usually reflected in Hurricane stats at the end of each tour. It has very few positive traits in comparison to even the other Hurricanes. Defeating one often only relies on the simple tactic of avoiding it for the 10 seconds involved in it spraying all 30 total rounds of 40mm hopelessly in the air. Always try and identify the Hurri IID too, which is easy because of the tan colour it uses as desert camouflage.
Offensively the tactics are the same as with all other Hurricanes. You know that the average aircraft in the game will have more than 50mph of advantage in speed. Separate the Hurricane if you can from his other friends and slash attack or BnZ it. Never accept a Head-On since the 40mm cannons will always be fatal if he has ammo left. Many Hurri IID pilots will actually only fire in Head-On situations since that is the only angle at which any sort of aiming is even possible. Realize when offensive is lost, typically it will be a point at which you start to turn fight a Hurricane, and leave the area with acceleration and speed. The IID is less likely to be able to prevent you from leaving since the 40mm cannons don't have the same "keeping you honest" effect that the IIC's Hispanos do. Still, a wing rocking motion is probably best to prevent a golden shot from landing on you. Also, don't dive lower if you hear a couple of .303 pings, chances are the 40mm rounds are passing below you if the .303s are hitting you.
Defensively, there is little reason you shouldn't be able to completely dictate a fight to a IID unless it caught you completely unexpected or totally vulnerable from a previous fight. Immediately try and build separation that you can turn into a extension to gain speed. If you can avoid 1 or 2 attacks from the IID then the chances are he's blown all his advantage in speed and will try to convince you to turn-fight. Avoid that habit, instead extending to a safe distance, building E and reversing. Never accept a Head-On under any circumstances unless all hope is lost since the 40mm will blow you to pieces and you are unlikely to get even a tie since you will explode and be in the tower instantly. Don't give good tracking shots, ever, and try to watch for his firing of the 40mm cannons. You can see the flashes on the cannons very easily on the wings as they are much larger than for his .303's. He has only a few seconds worth of firing time before his cannons are dry and you then only have to worry about his weak pair of .303's.
While this is generally the least dangerous of the Hurricanes, the 40mm will instantly end your day. The .303s, if given an eternity on target, will damage or shoot you down. Still, the Hurricane should never be able to dictate the terms of the fight, or at least not for long, after which time you simply get out of range, build up some energy, and then come back to finish him off.
