The remaining aircraft of the Korean War

[Avimimus]

The Il-2 Korea module has perhaps the most complete plane set of any flight simulator.

We can gain a bit of a sense of the combat significance of different aircraft types during the war by examining loss data: With the inference that aircraft which have higher losses likely saw more combat.

 Aircraft Losses gives some idea of the combat significance of various types:

Spoiler

Using the Sewell as a reference, and simplifying it a bit, we get the following losses:

F-4U	555
F-51	477
F-80	298
F-86	275
F-84	234
AD	211
F9F	163
B-26	154
B-29	107
AT-6D	102
Seafury	62
Meteor	42
Firefly	38

vs.

MiG15	428
Yak-9P	30
Il-10	11
Tu-2	9
La-9	8
Po-2	7
La-11	6
Yak-18	3
A-20G	1

 

Losses roughly correlate with the amount of combat usage an airplane sees, which vaguely correlates with its importance. So it is a good place to start when thinking about what a representative plane set would look like.

 

 

Notes:

- The B-26 is a redesignated A-26 Invader

- Each type includes subvariants (Except the Mig-15 and Mig 15 Bis which are listed separately. However, it may well be the case that the other Mig-15s were actually Bis variants).

Some aircraft may have been important for reasons other than the numbers lost, especially early in the war where some types may have made up a larger percentage of losses (the above lists go for the entire length of the war so they don't represent the most important types in each period).

I'd personally enjoy an F-82G converted for daylight use... even though only 15 were shot down, they did play a bigger role at the start of the war (e.g. first offensive air mission, first victory by an American aircraft), and they had their radars removed once they switched to ground-attack duties.

 

Some of the lesser used types:

L-4	36
F7F	28
TBM-3	18
OY-1	16
F2H	15
PBM-5	15
F-82G	15
F-94B	14
C-47A	13
OE-1	9

 

Helicopters:

H-5F	26
H-5D	17
H-13A	13
H-19A	11

 

From this list we can see that the module is surprisingly complete - with the remaining types with significant combat losses as follows:

B-26        154   (Note: Redesignated A-26 Invader).
AT-6D     102 (spotter)
Seafury   62
Meteor    42
Firefly      38
F7F          28
F-82G      15
La-9          8
Po-2          7

Note: I only included one spotter and one aircraft which had naval patrol duties. I also removed the F-94B due to the fact that its usage was curtailed to the point where there was only one probably loss directly tied to enemy action (being a mid-air collision with a Po-2).

Note: This method is also somewhat imperfect - for instance the Fr.47 Seafire is very popular, was used extensively for armed reconnaissance - but none were lost to enemy action so it isn't on this list.

A more complete list of missing aircraft (broken down by type):

Spoiler

Fighters:
Seafury       62
Meteor        42   (Note: Shifted into the attack role).
La-9            8
Seafire        1

Attack aircraft:
B-26        154   (Note: Redesignated A-26 Invader).
Firefly       38
Po-2           7

Night fighters and attack aircraft:
F7F          28   (Note: also used as a night bomber and attack aircraft).
F-82G      15   (Note: also used as a day fighter and attack aircraft).
F-94B      14   (Note: Only one of the F-94 losses was directly tied to enemy action)
F3D-2        7   (Note: Only one confirmed as due to enemy action)

Spotting:
AT-6D    102
L-4          36
OY-1        16
OE-1         9
Po-2         7

Helicopters:
H-5         42
H-13A      13
H-19A      11

Naval patrol:
Firefly     38
TBM-3     18
PBM-5     15

 

[Avimimus]

There is potential room for further expansion in terms of variants.

Jet Variants

F-86:

- F-86E: Similar to the late A-5, but with an all moving powered horizontal stabiliser allowing control at higher speeds in dives.

- F-86F (early): Similar to the F-86E but with increased engine power in addition to the all moving stabilisers.

- F-86F-25/F-30: Options for either two additional hardpoints or the the new 6-3 wing (improving high speed performance at the cost of worse low speed handling). Some improvements to climb rate and range.

- F-86F-2 "Gunval" (1953 experimental F-86E and F-86F conversions with 20mm cannon, sent for combat evaluation in modest numbers. By 1953 many of the early issues with gas ingestion leading to engine failures had been addressed).

Mig-15:

- Mig-15: Slightly different cannon arrangement, less powerful engine leading to 20km/h speed reduction and lower climb rate, reduced roll performance due to lacking hydraulic boost for the ailerons. These aircraft mainly appeared towards the end of the war when Chinese units were committed.

F-84:

- F-84D: 30 cm shorter with a cramped cockpit. Less wing structural strength. Only wingtip tanks (no underwing tanks). No radar gunsight. No JATO.

- F-84G: Deployed in 1952. Increased engine power 24.9 kN (formerly 22.25 kN), reduced bomb-load (1815 kg), frame canopy. Optimised for longer ranged (and nuclear) strike - inflight refuelling capability, autopilot, LABS for toss-bombing. Weight increase is about 250 kg empty and 700 kg when fully loaded.

F9F:

- F9F-5: Slightly lengthened, with slightly more engine power. 85km/h faster than the F9F-2 (this moves it from being slightly slower than contemporary jets to slightly faster, although climb rate remains poor). Increased bomb load.

 

Piston Variants

Lavochkin:

- La-9: 15 km/h faster than the La-11, slightly lower wing loading and much better climb rate making than the La-11 (making it more competitive with other piston engined fighters in this regard), and an additional 20mm cannon. There are rumours that it might also have a small window where the guncamera mount is (but this is unconfirmed at present).

F4U:

- AU-1: Used from 1952. Engine optimised for low altitude. However, it is still 90 km/h slower and has half the ceiling (6 km compared to 12 km) and half the range. This loss in performance allowed turning the Corsair into a Sturmovik with extensive armouring, twice the bomb load and additional hardpoints (bringing the total to 10).

- F4U-5NL: Equipped with an AN/APS-19 radar to act as a night fighter. It was used to combat the Po-2 and also for night interdiction. This radar was also used on the F7F-3N (although the F7F-3N also carried the SCR-720 that was used on the F-82G).

Mustang:

- F-82G: A twin engine fighter made from combining the parts of two Mustangs. This increased speed by 144 km/h (making it the fastest piston engine aircraft in Korea), and doubling the range. The ceiling and power-to-weight ratio became slightly lower than the F-51D, and the wing-loading increased, but the climb rate was higher. The bomb load also doubled. The design carried an SCR-720 radar (an improved WWII design with a very simple display and operation), that was sometimes removed in Korea when engaging in ground-attack. Withdrawn early in the war.

Skyraider:

- AD-1/AD-2: It has only 2x20mm cannons and half the bombload of the AD-4. This is due to having considerably less engine power than the AD-4 - but lower overall weight compensates for this: The AD-2 can fly 3000 metres higher, 74 km/h faster, climb 20% faster (competitive with all piston engine fighters other than the F4U-4, Seafury, and Yak-9P), and achieve a longer range.

[Avimimus]

The developers haven't ruled out a Commonwealth expansion (beyond the Sea Fury which is already announced). The following three aircraft give some idea of what such a module could look like in theory... We may never get it, especially with the Firefly and Seafire - but it is still interesting, and historically informative, to investigate what it could look like if it happened.

Firefly Mk.V

Compared to the Skyraider, the Firefly was engineered to be easy to convert in the field into night-fighter and anti-submarine roles - in addition to being used as an attack aircraft. This meant that it typically carried two crew members. Overall, it has somewhat higher performance than the AD-4 (although, if the much lighter AD-1/AD-2 was included as a variant of the Skyraider... the Firefly tends to be outperformed). Inclusion of the Firefly would provide a much more accurate depiction of Royal Naval Air Service Carriers during the war, as they tended to operate a mixed wing of Fireflies and Sea Furies.

Type	F-51D	Firefly Mk.V	AD-4B	AD-1
Empty (kg)	3232	4388	5345	4763
Gross (kg)	5262	7301	10876	8165
Wing area (m2)	21.69	30.66	37.19	37.19
Engine power (nominal hp)	1695	2250	3020	2400
Speed (km/h)	635	618	515	589
Max climb (m/s)	17.7	10.4	15.1	18.2
T/W empty (hp/kg)	0.52	0.51	0.57	0.50
T/W gross  (hp/kg)	0.32	0.31	0.28	0.29
T/Wing area (hp/m2)	78	73	81	65
Wing loading empty (kg/m2)	149	143	144	128
Wing loading gross (kg/m2)	243	238	292	220

As one can see from this chart - it is almost as fast as the Mustang, has a similar power-to-weight ratio, and has an even lower wing loading than the F-51D (suggesting good turn performance). It would be 100 km/h faster than than the Skyraider variant that has been announced. On the other hand, it has a worse climb than either the Skyraider or the Mustang. Its bomb load was limited to 1000 kg (closer to the Mustang than the Skyraider), but it could carry 16xRP-3 rockets.

 

Seafire Fr.47

The Seafire F.47 was the last development of the Spitfire. It had contra-rotating propellers and a special control mechanisms that removed the elevator responsiveness issues of many late war Spitfires (e.g. Spitfire XIV). 

The Seafire served one tour in Korea with No.800 Squadron on the Colossus class light fleet carrier HMS Triumph. Because this is carrier based aircraft the fact that all of the airfields on the map were controlled by North Korea during much of the early war isn't a problem. When the war broke out they immediately diverted to become part of the first carrier strike in the Korean War. No.800 squadron ranged up and down both coasts of Korea conducting armed reconnaissance, monitoring port activity, and launching 115 ground strikes. This campaign reached a natural conclusion with No.800 squadron supporting the dramatic landings at Incheon. So there is potential for a scripted prequel campaign featuring the Seafire prior to the main campaign.

Type	F-51D	F-4U-4	Seafire Fr.47	Sea Fury FB.11
Empty (kg)	3232	4175	3937	4191
Gross (kg)	5262	6654	4853	6645
Wing area (m2)	21.69	14.50	23.60	26.01
Engine power (nominal hp)	1695	2450	2350	2560
Speed (km/h)	635	717	727	735
Max climb (m/s)	17.7	19.7	24.4	17.7
T/W empty (hp/kg)	0.52	0.59	0.60	0.61
T/W gross  (hp/kg)	0.32	0.37	0.48	0.39
T/Wing area (hp/m2)	78	169	100	98
Wing loading empty (kg/m2)	149	288	167	161
Wing loading gross (kg/m2)	243	459	206	255

The Seafire can be seen to have a power to weight ratio and top speed similar to that of the Sea Fury (and thus superior to other piston engine fighters). Notably, it also has an exceptional climb rate - exceeding even the Corsair.

Armament consisted of 4x20mm Hispano Mk.V along with 690 kg of bombs or 8xRP-3 rockets.

 

Meteor F.8

These late variant Meteors served with the Royal Australian Airforce in Korea. Initially used as an escort fighter, they were found to be at a distinct disadvantage when encountering the Mig-15. As a result they were shifted primarily into the ground attack role.

Type	Mig-15bis	Meteor F.8	F2H-2	F9F-2	F-80C	F-84G	F-86A
Empty (kg)	3681	4846	5056	4495	3819	4203	4340
Gross (kg)	5044	7121	9525	8842	5534	10587	7815
Wing area (m2)	20.6	33.0	27.3	23.2	22.1	24.0	26.8
Engine power (Kn)	26.5	32	29	26.11	24	24.7	21.6
Speed (km/h)	1076	970	856	925	956	1001	1080
Max climb (m/s)	51.2	36.0	30.2	25.6	34.9	19.1	37.9
T/W empty (Kn/kg)	0.57	0.69	0.55	0.53	0.59	0.58	0.63
T/W gross  (Kn/kg)	0.54	0.46	0.31	0.30	0.44	0.24	0.28
T/Wing area (Kn/m2)	131.18	98.88	108.32	114.61	110.89	104.95	82.34
Wing loading empty (kg/m2)	178.7	146.8	185.2	193.5	173.0	175.1	162.2
Wing loading gross (kg/m2)	244.9	215.8	348.9	380.6	250.7	441.1	292.1

The Meteor has the highest power to weight ratio of any jet and the lowest wing loading! It also has a good climb rate (rivalling the F-86A and surpassed by the Mig-15Bis). However, the Meteor can be seen to be heavier than all of the other jets except for the F-86A and the two naval fighters.

Armament included 4x20mm cannons and up to 16xRP-3 rocket - including an Australian variant of this rocket with small napalm tanks as a warhead. It could also carry 1000kg of bombs.

[Avimimus]

We could also imagine a notional night fighting and twin-engined propeller attack aircraft expansion as a theoretical possibility:

F-82G

A twin engine fighter made from combining the parts of two Mustangs. This increased speed by 144 km/h (making it the fastest piston engine aircraft in Korea), and doubling the range. The ceiling and power-to-weight ratio became slightly lower than the F-51D, and the wing-loading increased, but the climb rate was higher. The bomb load also doubled. The design carried an SCR-720 radar (an improved WWII design with a very simple display and operation), that was sometimes removed in Korea when engaging in ground-attack.

After the Incheon landings the F-82G returned to Korea, operating from Suwon and Kimpo air-bases (both on the current map). Initially used for ground attack, interdiction, and escort duties dwindling spare parts meant that the aircraft were gradually withdrawn by March 1952.

F7F-3N

Operated by the USMC from some land bases. Used as a night fighter, for night interdiction missions, for night bombing (with navigation and bomb release controlled remotely by radio), escorting other night bombers (e.g. the B-26), and occasionally it was even used for day-time close air support.

It uses the same radar as the F-82G (SCR-720), or alternatively, the same radar as the F4U-5NL (AN/APS-19). Armament consisted of four 20mm cannon (the 0.50 cal were removed in place of the radar), two 1000lb bombs and a drop tank (or napalm talk). Additionally, it could carry eight HVAR rockets or eight 100 lb bombs under the wings.

F-82G and F7F-3N performance data and comparison:

Type	F-51D	F-82G	F7F-3N	Yak-9P	La-11
Empty (kg)	3232	7256	7690	2716	2770
Gross (kg)	5262	11744	11869	3395	3996
Wing area (m2)	21.69	37.90	42.27	17.15	17.59
Engine power (nominal hp)	1695	3200	4800	1650	1850
Speed (km/h)	635	779	702	675	674
Max climb (m/s)	17.7	18.7	21.0	21.6	12.6
T/W empty (hp/kg)	0.52	0.44	0.62	0.61	0.67
T/W gross  (hp/kg)	0.32	0.27	0.40	0.49	0.46
T/Wing area (hp/m2)	78	84	114	96	105
Wing loading empty (kg/m2)	149	191	182	158	157
Wing loading gross (kg/m2)	243	310	281	198	227

It is worth noting that both the F-82G and F7F-3N have superior speed to any other piston engine fighter (the exception is the SeaFury and Seafire which could outrun the F7F but could not catch the F-82G). Both of the twin engine fighters also have very competitive climb rates. They also have exceptional range (especially the F-82G).

Where both aircraft are at a disadvantage is in wing loading (suggesting inferior horizontal manoeuvrability compared to the single-engine types). They probably lack the manoeuvrability to engage in prolonged turning fights, but have the speed to pick when to engage (and the F-82G may be the fastest piston-engine fighter to ever enter service)!

Note: The SCR-720 is a very simple radar - not much more complicated than our existing radar gunsights. If I recall correctly, the pilot has three lights to show the range(far, mid, mid) and a scope showing the approximate bearing (left-right) and elevation (up/down), as well as a couple of dials to adjust the display. It would be relatively easy to model.

 

 B-26 Invader

The B-26 Invader was the redesignation of the A-26 after WWII. Fast and manoeuvrable for a medium bomber it was used for daytime operations before transitioning to night bombing and interdiction - often operating in pairs with the lead aircraft illuminating the target for its wingman.

Smaller and lower flying than the B-29, the B-26 would be a good opponent for the La-11 night fighter units. The Invaders even engaged and shot down North Korean night bombers on occasions. When last asked the Developers didn't entirely ruled it out. It is worth noting that it only requires one cockpit if a solid nose version is chosen and turrets are modelled as a view through the periscope (or even removed)!

A wide array of different heavily armed configurations served in Korea!

There were two nose variants: A glass nose with zero or two machine guns or a hard nose that could have six to eight machine guns. There was also a field modification in Korea replacing some of the nose mounted machine guns with 20mm cannons (although photographic references may not survive).

Additional guns: These fuselage mounted could be augmented by six machine guns mounted within the wings. Alternatively, some aircraft had four to eight machine guns in underwing gun pods. 

Gun turret configurations also differed: Some aircraft carried the original two remotely controlled gun turrets. Many had the ventral gun turret deleted to save weight and improve the centre of gravity. A few aircraft had all of their turrets removed by the time they entered Korea.

Munitions:

- An internal bomb Bay (either six 500lb bombs or sixteen 250lb bombs)

- Underwing: Four underwing bomb racks or up to fourteen HVAR rockets.

So far as I can tell, all of these variants were used in Korea. 

 

Po-2/U-2VS

In Korea these aircraft lacked rockets and forward firing guns, although they did carry bombs. In some cases they had a rearward firing gun, in a few cases it seems that PPSh submachine guns were used by the observer instead. Their main benefits would be providing an opponent for the B-26 Invader, F-82G, and F7F-3N. If flyable the main benefit would be providing an open-cockpit biplane for sight-seeing and artillery spotting - something which would contrast with the high performance piston engined fighter and the jets.

 

 

LT-6/AT-6

While some South Korean T-6 appear to have been used for ground attack (including with hand released bombs) at the start of the war, by the period represented in the campaign it is likely that the American T-6 had their offensive armament removed and were used solely for observation and target marking.

Satisfying gameplay might require a much more in depth spotter simulation (e.g. allowing the player to interact with and guide multiple flights of allied aircraft onto targets, having the location of the target markers actually influence bomb impacts; having an artillery spotting mode that allowed one to provide fine adjustments, command different types of artillery, and distinguish between ranging fire and fire for effect etc.)

 

 

 

[AEthelraedUnraed]

On 8/31/2026 at 10:45 PM, Avimimus said:

LT-6/AT-6

[...] Satisfying gameplay might require a much more in depth spotter simulation (e.g. allowing the player to interact with and guide multiple flights of allied aircraft onto targets, having the location of the target markers actually influence bomb impacts; having an artillery spotting mode that allowed one to provide fine adjustments, command different types of artillery, and distinguish between ranging fire and fire for effect etc.)

I think it's worth noting that with the new functionality (programmable dialog boxes as well as scriptable triggers), such an in-depth FAC / spotter functionality has become possible! Artillery spotting in particular should be very easy to program now.

[Avimimus]

3 hours ago, AEthelraedUnraed said:

I think it's worth noting that with the new functionality (programmable dialog boxes as well as scriptable triggers), such an in-depth FAC / spotter functionality has become possible! Artillery spotting in particular should be very easy to program now.

Except for building that one mission to play Katyusha (and test rocket dispersion) - I haven't gotten around to  really experimenting with the editor. Some questions:

 

Regarding marking targets:

I think there would need to be a way to record/extract the rocket impact point. Then one could apply an Attack Area MCU to that point, and a couple of waypoints to ensure the AI flight could navigate to an appropriate initial point for the attack run.

I think the first stage (feeding the rocket impact point into the triggers) would require additional API support? Or is there a way to do that now?

 

Regarding artillery scripts, my ideal would be as follows:

(1) Being able to use the radio to command a specific ground unit.

(2) Having radio scripts that allow moving the aim point in cardinal directions by 10 metres, 50 metres, or 200 metres.

(3) Being able to use the radio activate a trigger that would briefly cause the unit to fire and then automatically cause it to stop firing after the first round (i.e. to allow ranging fire).

(4) Being able to use the radio to activate another trigger which would fire a longer salvo (fire for effect).

(5) Having a script which counts how long the firing triggers (4) and (5) have been cumulatively run and causes the triggers to stop running after a set amount of time (in order to simulate assigned rounds being exhausted).

 

It would be very interesting to know how close we are to this being possible with the current functionality. If there are only one or two obstacles - it might be good to write up a little white paper and submit it as a proposal to the team.

[AEthelraedUnraed]

2 hours ago, Avimimus said:

Regarding artillery scripts, my ideal would be as follows:

(1) Being able to use the radio to command a specific ground unit.

(2) Having radio scripts that allow moving the aim point in cardinal directions by 10 metres, 50 metres, or 200 metres.

(3) Being able to use the radio activate a trigger that would briefly cause the unit to fire and then automatically cause it to stop firing after the first round (i.e. to allow ranging fire).

(4) Being able to use the radio to activate another trigger which would fire a longer salvo (fire for effect).

(5) Having a script which counts how long the firing triggers (4) and (5) have been cumulatively run and causes the triggers to stop running after a set amount of time (in order to simulate assigned rounds being exhausted).

 

It would be very interesting to know how close we are to this being possible with the current functionality. If there are only one or two obstacles - it might be good to write up a little white paper and submit it as a proposal to the team.

All of that has basically already been possible for a long time; except that we lacked the ability to communicate anything to the mission. In other words, with mission scripting it's quite easy to e.g. make an artillery position fire 100m north of their previous target, but there wasn't any convenient way to have the player input such decisions. Now, with the custom UI dialogs, there is. 🙂

[Hetstaine]

B-45 Tornado. Only 3 were sent to Korea as RB-45C Recon aircraft with one being shot down by Migs.

 

 

 

[kev2go]

On 8/26/2026 at 6:50 PM, Avimimus said:

 

- F-86F-40: Similar to the F-86E but with the new 6-3 wing, improving high speed performance at the cost of worse low speed handling. Some improvements to climb rate and range.

 

 

Just to offer some correction here. F-86F-40 was not used in the korean war. Its a post war production model. To my knowledge the last model of the sabre to see use in theatre by the USAF was the F-86F-30. the F40 type wing is a post korean modification.

F-86F "6-3" wings were introduced starting from a certain production number block 25  ( some initial F86F-25 and F-86F-30 batches apparently  still had preceding type of slatted wing) but  it was offered as refit kits to various blocks. Otherwise the F-86F started off using the same slatted wings as the F-86A thru F-86E.

 

F-86F had a more powerful engine then the F86A/E. 5,910 lbs of thrust instead of 5,200, so this is where most noticeable performance gain comes from when compared to the F-86E. The 6-3 wing improved performance at high altitudes but the trade off was a higher landing speed worse slow speed handling,  coupled with a worse AOA impacting turn rate at lower altitudes. which is why post korea, the F40 wing modification was introduced. 

 

 

 

 

There are some differences with in the F-86F production blocks besides wing type. F-86F-1 thru F20 still only had 2 hardpoints. F-86F-25 introduced 2 additional hardpoints. This was significant change for the "fighter/bomber" role as the sabre could now take 2 external fuel tanks on the outer  2 hardpoints and carry  bombs on the inner hardpoints. Unlike F86A F86E, or earlier F86F blocks were only suitable for short ranged strikes as you could not carry EFT and bombs at the same time.

 

As an example 67th Fighter bomber squadron photos circa spring 1953 ( transitioned to F-86F from F51D mustangs). Note that when this photo was taken these particular F86F-25's did not have 6-3 wing yet.

 

35th Fighter bomber squadron circa 1953 with F-86F-30. note lack of 6-3 wings on this example.

 

The F-86F-30 is otherwise identical to the F-86F-25 except for the factory it was produced in. F25 was built in Columbus Ohio and the F30 in Inglewood California. 

So In my opinion as far as  F-86F variations go, the most important of the F-86F production blocks would be the  F-86F-25 thru F30  " fighter- bomber" with in game modification tab including the optional 6-3 wing installation since in contrast the Fighter interceptor wings in theatre ( 4th and 51st) seemed to receive the earlier F-86F-1 thru F15 blocks. ( F20 block was not used in korea) as a replacement for the F-86E

Also related to the one of the above images.  note the modernized ww2 bombs appearing in theatre during 1953.  WW2 vintage general purpose bombs such as the above 1000 pound AN/M65 started having their traditional box fins replaced with more aerodynamic conical fins.

 

 

 

Edited September 20 by kev2go

[Avimimus]

Thanks! I've updated! Let me know if you spot any other errors or oversights!

[Nearlymen]

This may sound strange but you missed out the Firefly Mk I (i.e. the companion to the Seafire 47), the strange thing is........potentially thats the one airframe in a Commonwealth DLC that could have another use if there was ever a WW2 Pacific Theatre of Operations ( say Okinawa for instance) as Mk.I's with BPF Task Force 57. They also operated a lot elsewhere in WW2 also including off carriers over Norway. Regarding he other Airframes in a potential Commonwealth DLC the Mk.V doesn't have much use apart from Korea. Likewise the Sea Fury Doesn't either (maybe Cuba Bay of Pigs anyone !), and the Meteor F.8 likewise ...Suez Crisis ?