sgtKraigO Posted March 31, 2014 Author Share Posted March 31, 2014 There's no 'minimum altitude' for what an aircraft of any sort can operate at, except maybe about forty feet above the ground (when you start encountering Ground Effect issues, which messes up buoyancy like crazy). It's a matter of how low you can be and still manoeuvre safely around obstacles - Mojave's pretty flat, so no problems there. Really, it's an issue of anti-air fire. The reason why things like the AC-130 and AC-47 flew high was because it gave them time to dodge. There are next to no anti-air weapons in the Mojave, so that's not an issue. Small arms fire poses no threat to a B-29. I was thinking that the NCR could take off some of the armour in order to lighten the aircraft so they could carry more ammo and save on fuel (not sure how possible this is though). As for the the range at which they need for safety and accuracy the only way I can see them increasing it is if they get a larger caliber minigun (possibly 50cal?) but then you run into the problem of recoil and whether or not the B-29 could handle it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangman4ever Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 There's no 'minimum altitude' for what an aircraft of any sort can operate at, except maybe about forty feet above the ground (when you start encountering Ground Effect issues, which messes up buoyancy like crazy). It's a matter of how low you can be and still manoeuvre safely around obstacles - Mojave's pretty flat, so no problems there. Really, it's an issue of anti-air fire. The reason why things like the AC-130 and AC-47 flew high was because it gave them time to dodge. There are next to no anti-air weapons in the Mojave, so that's not an issue. Small arms fire poses no threat to a B-29. I was thinking that the NCR could take off some of the armour in order to lighten the aircraft so they could carry more ammo and save on fuel (not sure how possible this is though). As for the the range at which they need for safety and accuracy the only way I can see them increasing it is if they get a larger caliber minigun (possibly 50cal?) but then you run into the problem of recoil and whether or not the B-29 could handle it.Increasing the caliber from 7.62mm to 20mm (which now makes them cannons rather than gun) is actually the way that later model AC-130s were able to fly higher while still maintaining their ability to deliver firepower. As for a .50 caliber minigun on the B-29, that would be possible. I mean there are Humvee mounted .50 caliber miniguns so I'd imagine a B-29 being able to handle that. Not to mention that the B-29 was equipped with a 20mm tail cannon at one point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgtKraigO Posted March 31, 2014 Author Share Posted March 31, 2014 There's no 'minimum altitude' for what an aircraft of any sort can operate at, except maybe about forty feet above the ground (when you start encountering Ground Effect issues, which messes up buoyancy like crazy). It's a matter of how low you can be and still manoeuvre safely around obstacles - Mojave's pretty flat, so no problems there. Really, it's an issue of anti-air fire. The reason why things like the AC-130 and AC-47 flew high was because it gave them time to dodge. There are next to no anti-air weapons in the Mojave, so that's not an issue. Small arms fire poses no threat to a B-29. I was thinking that the NCR could take off some of the armour in order to lighten the aircraft so they could carry more ammo and save on fuel (not sure how possible this is though). As for the the range at which they need for safety and accuracy the only way I can see them increasing it is if they get a larger caliber minigun (possibly 50cal?) but then you run into the problem of recoil and whether or not the B-29 could handle it.Increasing the caliber from 7.62mm to 20mm (which now makes them cannons rather than gun) is actually the way that later model AC-130s were able to fly higher while still maintaining their ability to deliver firepower. As for a .50 caliber minigun on the B-29, that would be possible. I mean there are Humvee mounted .50 caliber miniguns so I'd imagine a B-29 being able to handle that. Not to mention that the B-29 was equipped with a 20mm tail cannon at one point. Is a 20mm large than a .50 caliber? O.o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiskeyRiver2 Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 (edited) To address the recoil/weight issue - don't effing worry about it. You're talking about a plane that was designed to drop up to ten tons of conventional bombs and the occasional nuclear warhead. A 105mm howitzer, assuming it's mounted properly, wouldn't be an issue. Chainguns, miniguns, auto-cannon? Not even worth worrying about. Even the AC-130 shakes like a f***ing leaf when that 105 goes off. Friend of mine was part of a Spooky crew, swears that it could even nudge the plane off-course if it was fired during a turn. Mount it properly, though, you can blast away all day long without a care in the world, other than going deaf or running out of ammo. Effective range? At ground level, the M134 is good out to 2,000 meters for area suppression - the 1k range people have been quoting is for individual targets, i.e a lone tank or a fuel truck. At three to five miles up, an M2HB is good out to seven miles - at least for air-to-air. Air-to-mud, about the same, so the -29's belly turret might not be totally useless after all. Combat altitude? Higher is better - both for crew and aircraft safety and sheer "Oh God, we're gonna die" factor for the enemy. Typical altitude IRL is about 3-6,000 feet for combat runs (going off the AC-130 Spooky). Practically, though? As high as you can manage without breaking the game engine. Edit: And yes, 20mm is -much- larger than a .50 BMG/12.7x99mm round. Use the right ammo for the .50, though, and it's just as effective. Edited March 31, 2014 by WhiskeyRiver2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgtKraigO Posted March 31, 2014 Author Share Posted March 31, 2014 (edited) The main purpose of the B-29 would be for bombing fortifications (obviously) and mobile artillery platform. The NCR won't be up against tanks, but remaining Legion forts. The mission that is stated in the thread I linked in a comment above is one that involves the courier traveling via Vertibird to a legion fort somewhere in Arizona and assault it with troopers in an attempt at capturing a Legion commander (possibly a new Legate).The bomber would be tasked with creating an entrance for the troops, laying down covering fire while the troopers are moving towards the fort, and halting any attempt at a Legion retreat once the NCR troops are within the fort. I don't think a howitzer should be attached to the B-29, partially because I can't see it fitting, and because it would turn it into a god weapon and the NCR wouldn't need to rely on troops nearly as much (which would make gameplay boring), just send in the B-29 to bomber the area then pick off any survivors. For the minigun I think .50 caliber explosive rounds would be best, partially because it's the largest round in the game, and something else that's slow firing and can cause large explosions but not as powerful as a howitzer. Edited March 31, 2014 by sgtKraigO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiskeyRiver2 Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 Ah.... I must've missed that link, sorry. So, your plan is to use the B-29 as a first-strike door-maker, and then as a "fear of God" platform to keep enemy ground forces cowering in the dirt? Should be good with a couple of A/NM2s, then. 700 RPM of .50 BMG (per gun, and IIRC the B-29 carries six or seven) is kinda hard to argue with, doubly so when you can't do jack to stop the incoming fire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiskeyRiver2 Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 (edited) WTF, accidental double-tap. Edited March 31, 2014 by WhiskeyRiver2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgtKraigO Posted March 31, 2014 Author Share Posted March 31, 2014 Should be good with a couple of A/NM2s, then. 700 RPM of .50 BMG (per gun, and IIRC the B-29 carries six or seven) is kinda hard to argue with, doubly so when you can't do jack to stop the incoming fire. Can I get that translated to English, please. I would like to see only the bottom two turrets being used since the others would be awkward to aim at the ground (from what I can tell from anyways). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangman4ever Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 Ah.... I must've missed that link, sorry. So, your plan is to use the B-29 as a first-strike door-maker, and then as a "fear of God" platform to keep enemy ground forces cowering in the dirt? Should be good with a couple of A/NM2s, then. 700 RPM of .50 BMG (per gun, and IIRC the B-29 carries six or seven) is kinda hard to argue with, doubly so when you can't do jack to stop the incoming fire.True. However, for the first batch of AC-47s, the USAF found that 10 AN/M2 fitted to the AC-47 only provided the firepower density of just one minigun. Considering that the AC-47 could mount three miniguns in the space of 10 AN/M2, the USAF went with the miniguns. Though other countries who couldn't afford the miniguns just armed their C-47s with the M2. Should be good with a couple of A/NM2s, then. 700 RPM of .50 BMG (per gun, and IIRC the B-29 carries six or seven) is kinda hard to argue with, doubly so when you can't do jack to stop the incoming fire. Can I get that translated to English, please. I would like to see only the bottom two turrets being used since the others would be awkward to aim at the ground (from what I can tell from anyways). He's saying that two M2 Browning machine guns are really all you need for the kind of role you're envisioning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgtKraigO Posted March 31, 2014 Author Share Posted March 31, 2014 Should be good with a couple of A/NM2s, then. 700 RPM of .50 BMG (per gun, and IIRC the B-29 carries six or seven) is kinda hard to argue with, doubly so when you can't do jack to stop the incoming fire. Can I get that translated to English, please. I would like to see only the bottom two turrets being used since the others would be awkward to aim at the ground (from what I can tell from anyways). He's saying that two M2 Browning machine guns are really all you need for the kind of role you're envisioning. But then it wouldn't be as bad ass lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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