Mosquito Mk VI

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This aircraft page is in two sections:
World War II aircraft
Mosquito FB Mk VI
Mosquito FB Mk VI
Variant of Mosquito
Type Fighter/attacker
Country of origin Britain
Manufacturer de Havilland
Crew 2
Dimensions Wing span 54 ft 2 in (16.52 m)
Length 44 ft 6 in (13.57 m)
Height 17 ft 5 in (5.3 m)
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The Mosquito Mk VI in World War II[edit]

The de Havilland Mosquito was a British combat aircraft that excelled in a number of roles during the Second World War. Originally conceived as an unarmed fast bomber, uses of the Mosquito included: low to medium altitude daytime tactical bomber, high altitude night bomber, pathfinder, day or night fighter, fighter-bomber, intruder, maritime strike and photo reconnaissance aircraft. It served with the Royal Air Force (RAF) and many other air forces. The Mosquito was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also known as "The Wooden Wonder" or "The Timber Terror" as the bulk of the aircraft was made of laminated plywood.

Development[edit]

Unit Deployment[edit]

Aces High II aircraft
Mosquito FB Mk VI
Mosquito FB Mk VI
Variant of Mosquito
Nickname Mossie
Type Attack
Crew 2
Aces High II loadout options
Package 1 4x .303 MG, 500 rounds/gun
4x 20mm cannons, 150 rounds/gun
Package 2 4x .303 MG, 780 rounds/gun
4x 20mm cannons, 175 rounds/gun
Options 2x 500lb bombs
2x 250lb bombs
8x rockets
2x 50 gallon drop tanks
2x 100 gallon drop tanks
Aces High II Main Arenas
Earliest MA Mid War
Typical perk cost 0 (Late War)
ENY value 30 (Late War)
Available on carrier no
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The Mosquito Mk VI in Aces High II[edit]

The Mossie, as it is commonly known, is a very strong attack aircraft, though there have been several other aircraft in AH that have challenged this role. Possessing very good speed, massive firepower, and a highly useful bomb load, the Mossie makes for an excellent low level penetration aircraft, able to approach at very low levels and high speeds. There are several other aircraft that can be used in the same role but generally they tend to be more medium bomber in size while the Mossie still has the sleek lines of a fighter. Even though some people may dispute, the FB Mk VI is also a fighter as the FB (fighter bomber) designation suggests. Mosquito raids were often providing their own escorts with Mk VI models. Still, the Mossie is not a first-rate fighter and is at a disadvantage against most late-war planes.

Engine Power[edit]

The Mosquito FB Mk IV has very useful speed and when used properly is a useful asset that makes interceptions from all but the fastest late war fighters. You will still have to worry about the really high speed fighters though but at least your speed will buy you time before they can catch you. On the deck, the Mossi’s best speed is 318mph and 353mph with WEP and it improves very steadily to 362mph and 380 with WEP at 13k. Between the altitudes of 13 and 15k, the Mossi hiccups and backtracks bit in performance. Once to 18k, performance is back on par with the 13k altitude, the Mossi’s best non-WEP speed sits at 20k at 370mph. Climb rates are basically just under 1,850ft/min up to 15K, then it falters to 1,600ft/min up to 18k, then above that the climb rate plummets. It is better than a bomber but worse than most fighters. However, consider that this official figure is for a fully fueled Mosquito with no ordnance. The charts show the Mossi tested at 20,400 lbs, and that is closely replicated with %50 fuel and 4/500lbs bombs. A Mosquito without bombs and a typical fuel-load for the main arenas (%50) will easily break the 2200ft/min in a climb, even without WEP. Speaking of WEP, if there is ever a plane that immensely benefits from WEP the Mossi is it. The WEP time is short at only 5 minutes, and should be saved for the final dash into target, egress after the attack, or to gain that wee bit of extra alt while maneuvering. The Mossi retains its “E” very well, and once moving it will keep its life saving speed until a sharp turn is made or a sprint climb is performed. Fuel range is spectacular at 70 minutes for 100% fuel load (2X burn rate in MA) at full throttle. There is also an option to load a pair of 50 gallon or 100 gallon drop tanks (50 gal add 16 min and the 100 gal add 31 min at 2X burn rate). With 70 minutes of internal fuel while in the main areas, the need for drop tanks is questionable especially since they impair the ability to carry external ordnance. Normally, the internal fuel should be more than enough for an attack and return sortie. The real use of the DT in AH is to get a Mosquito with minimal internal fuel into a dogfight and then be jettisoned. This keeps the Mossi lighter and that much faster and maneuverable. [Updated for new version, Jun 2010]

Aces High II Performance Charts[edit]

Mosquito Mk VI speed chart Mosquito Mk VI climb chart

The above Speed Chart is current. The Climb Chart is not. If someone is able, please upload the new charts. Thanks!

In Game Test Data
Turn performance
Clean w/25% fuel at sea level
Sustained turn radius 754 ft.
Sustained turn rate 18.9 dps
Corner Velocity 251 mph
Turn rate at CV 29.6 dps
Stall speed 103 mph
Full flaps w/25% fuel at sea level
Sustained turn radius 574 ft.
Sustained turn rate 15.4 dps
Stall speed 82 mph
Acceleration times
From 150 mph to 200 mph 10.2 secs
From 150 mph to 250 mph 24.2 secs
From 200 mph to 250 mph 14.0 secs
From 150 mph to 300 mph 47.8 secs
From 300 mph to 350 mph 72.1 secs
Sources
Test Data by MOSQ
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Firepower[edit]

The Mossie mounts four 20mm Hispano cannons in the front of the belly along with four .303's in the nose. Few gun packages can match up to that very well and they are effective against both fighters and ground targets. While not a tank killer, the HE warheads of the 20mm Hispanos have been known to play havoc with the track or engine of a tank, or even disable their main gun. Convergence is not a problem and can be set out to D650 (max) to ensure your maximum long range shooting abilities are best, but keep in mind to compensate for the trajectory if set to 650 yards. In close, the firepower is going to be deadly to anything that falls into your gunsight, almost instantaneously. Ammunition loadout has two options, a normal and overload amount sporting 150/500 rounds/gun (Hispano/.303) or 175/780 rounds/gun (Hispano/.303). Most people take the overloaded ammo situation to get the extra Hispano rounds and it has minimal if any effects on handling. The Mossie has external racks for up to 8 rockets and can take two bombs of 500lbs or smaller externally and another pair internally. The drop tanks will make external ordinance unavailable but you can still pack the internal load. External loads do cause some drag(a loss of -3 to -5 mph), the 2/500lbs bombs being worse than the 8 rockets and corresponding rocket rails, so not having them can leave you full speed performance. An interesting note: carrying the 2/500lb bombs in the bomb bay has no bearing at any altitude on the top speed of the Mossi, and there is only a very slight penalty in acceleration and turn. Overall though, the 4/500lb bombs, or 2/500lb bombs and 8 rockets ((1120lbs of damage) plus all the strafing potential is excellent. The guns really leave you flexible potential to hit targets of opportunity, structures, fighters, vehicles or even bombers (4 Hispanos nose mounted absolutely will chew a bomber to pieces). [Updated for new version, Jun 2010]

Maneuverability[edit]

Not a fighter but maybe the next best thing, the Mossie handles quite well and can effectively be used as a BnZ'r. It has sluggish roll rate at low speeds, but that is expected from such a large aircraft. The major issue is not its turning ability though, it's the fact that the elevators seem unresponsive even at low speeds to the point that it is often hard to stall the plane even if the stick is pulled all the way back. As a result, the Mosquito may be a safer plane, but it also looses its ability to effectively dump speed and cut the corners. This happened following a recent fix to the Mosquito's flight model (corrected the center of gravity). Its turning circle is relatively large and sustained turns should be avoided. Energy retention is top notch and speed that is built up in a dive takes very long time to bleed. Due to the high mass and relatively low drag, the mosquito has a very good zoom climb, that can surprise many foes. Caution should be applied when stalling the plane with the nose high over the horizon, as the torque for the two co-rotating props is significant. Diving accelerating is excellent, though the Mossie can't compete in a very high speed dive over 520mph. Part of the problem is that the speedometer only is marked up to 480mph and typically you will hear structural creaking and let up long before you actually are in trouble because of handling.

Fighting in the Mosquito Mk VI[edit]

The Mossie, for all its speed, has a tough time of survival in the MA. There are several other attack planes in the same category that suffer a similar problem of being not quite fast enough or maneuverable enough to deal with some of the top speeds of other aircraft. The Mossie tends to make any sort of high speed drag race a long affair though which opens the door to run to help. The best idea is to decide quickly whether you can purely out-run an enemy and do so if it is practical. If not, then you should be very aggressive and press home your firepower at the first opportunity. Remember, your 8 forward firing guns outclass anything else in the game and can turn a routine snapshot into an instant kill. If you have to, Head-Ons are acceptable but you should fire early to ensure you capitalize on the superior ballistics of the Hispanos. You may take some hits in return but a few long range hits are not likely to bring you down. Your twin engines may also help you limp home if you happen to lose one in such an encounter.

Offensively, the Mossie is not a fighter by trade but in a pinch it could be a decent BnZ'r. You have to be careful though as it tends to easily overshoot the target due to the poor elevator authority and inability to slow down fast enough. The Mossie makes a great vulcher though against low aircraft on a runway, against light vehicles, or PT boats. The excellent zoom and decent sustained climb also help in maintaining the energy advantage. Defensively, it is a big target and therefore more likely to sustain hits from difficult shots. One of the tricks to defending against snapshots is to roll the plane in the last moment to present the attacker with the side profile instead of the top.

Many experienced Mossie sticks suggest turning off combat trim especially before dives, as it will make recovery very difficult. In slow speeds it will trim the mosquito nose-high which, in case of a spin, makes recovery difficult. In the current state of the flight-model, due to the ineffectiveness of the elevators, the mosquito can benefit from trimming nose-up before high G turns.

Fighting against the Mosquito Mk VI[edit]

Beating a Mosquito should not be a difficult task if you start with a co-energy or advantaged position. You need to be offensive quickly and force the Mossie into a defensive stance, which should quickly lead to a kill. The Mosquito has great troubles dumping energy which makes defensive moves against an attacker difficult. If you can saddle up on a Mosquito it will be very hard for him to shake you off.

When slow, the Mossie is a slightly worse than average turner, or at least sustained it can't hold on for very long, so there is little to fear from it if you can keep it turning for an extended period. Maneuvers in the vertical should be done with care as it has a good zoom and guns that can reach out far. Also, when slow it will have a hard time to move out of the way and is a fairly large target to aim at.

The most dangerous aspect of the plane itself is the firepower and you need to respect that. If it has the E to zoom climb with you and catches you anywhere in its gun sight it is likely to quickly amputate most of the important components of your aircraft (like wings). Don't allow it to Head-On you, there is little chance you will fly out the other side and the Mossie tends to be such a large target that people often collide with them when they try and break off contact. Remember, the Mossie has a huge ammo load, centerline mounted guns, and Hispanos, which puts targets out to a range of even D1.2 in serious danger if they aren't maneuvering. Most Mossie drivers won't be shy in throwing out massive amounts of 20mm and if you are sloppy and catch a few you are likely very dead.

External Links[edit]

Soda's Aircraft Evaluations

  • "So, you want to fly the wooden wonder" - the almost incomplete and not entirely inaccurate guide to the AH Mosquito (AH Forum):
    Chapters shortcuts:
  • Mike Williams WWII Aircraft Performance Site Mosquito Performance Reports
    Historcal documents:
    • Retrieved from "https://www.hitechcreations.com/wiki/index.php?title=Mosquito_Mk_VI&oldid=13500"