Most P-63s never saw use with the USAF, and instead were sent to Allied nations like the USSR. France operated a total of 114 aircraft ordered from the United States shortly before the end of WWII. These aircraft were mostly used against the Viet Minh in the French Indochina War of 1947, replacing the outdated Spitfires donated by the RAF. Since the Viet Minh lacked any kind of air force, France used the P-63s as ground attackers. For this, the aircraft was adapted to carry napalm bomb. However, the aircraft soon started to suffer from high casualties against Viet Minh AA guns, and with the arrival of surplus F6F, F8Fs, and F4Us, the P-63C was retired from service in Indochina.
It was introduced in Update 1.73 "Vive la France". The aircraft is a high altitude interceptor/energy fighter, with its turn radius slightly better than before. The quick dive speed and high energy retention allows the player, with the correct altitude, to engage opponents below numerous times using the high yo-yo method. This aircraft can be used to some success in ground battles thanks to its access to 3 x 500 lb bombs, however more conventional bombers like the SB2C-5 are more suited for this task. There is an identical variant in the US tree — (P-63C-5](p-63c-5). The key difference is in the fact that the French variant has access to the incendiary bombs, while the US model doesn't.
flaps
flaps
flaps
brake
Belt | Belt filling | Armor penetration (mm) at a distance: | |||||
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10 m | 100 m | 500 m | 1000 m | 1500 m | 2000 m | ||
HEFI-T/AP-T | 37 | 34 | 25 | 18 | 12 | 9 | |
HEFI-T/HEFI-T/AP-T | 37 | 34 | 25 | 18 | 12 | 9 | |
AP-T | 37 | 34 | 25 | 18 | 12 | 9 |
Belt | Belt filling | Armor penetration (mm) at a distance: | |||||
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10 m | 100 m | 500 m | 1000 m | 1500 m | 2000 m | ||
T/Ball/Ball/I/AP-I | 28 | 26 | 18 | 11 | 7 | 4 | |
AP-I/AP-I/AP-I/T/I | 28 | 26 | 18 | 11 | 7 | 4 | |
T/AP/AP/AP/AP-I/I | 30 | 27 | 20 | 13 | 9 | 6 | |
T/T/T/T/T/AP-I | 28 | 26 | 18 | 11 | 7 | 4 | |
AP/AP-I/AP-I/I/I | 30 | 27 | 20 | 13 | 9 | 6 |
6 × M8 rocket
6 × M8 rocket
Flight performance | |
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Survivability |
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Weaponry | |
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