2 x 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns, nose turret (750 rpg = 1,500 total).1 x 12.7 mm Berezin UB machine gun, 2 x engine nacelle turrets (200 rpg).1 x 20 mm ShVAK cannon, tail turret (230 rpg).1 x 20 mm ShVAK cannon, dorsal turret (200 rpg).Main articles: ShVAK (20 mm), Berezin UB (12.7 mm), ShKAS (7.62 mm) Therefore it is a good practice to release the button a second before the Pe-8 is at an optimal position, as the control surfaces' inertia will do the job after letting go the keyboard input. Note for new Pe-8 pilots - Since this plane's control surfaces are huge and rotate very slowly, they will have lots of inertia: after you release a keyboard button for rolling, the ailerons will keep deflecting for a second or two before stopping, which is unlike the controls of smaller aircraft where the control surfaces stop deflecting immediately as soon as you release the button. When engaged in a steep dive, the same phenomenon (compressing and wobbling) takes place, restricting it only to a level bombing role. It can take the pilot a certain time to regain control of the bomber. The bomber usually compresses and wobbles after doing sharp turns, which can be very lethal at low altitude. Combined with a short tail, this creates instability and causes the Pe-8 to wobble when changing directions. The wings being massive, the turn radius is large and the bomber's manoeuvrability is mediocre. This limits its top speed as well as its climb rate. The Pe-8 has poor flight characteristics: the plane is very heavy for its engines and thus is slow. For the pilot of the Pe-8, fly high and drop as much as you can on the targets, as a fighter trying to take out the Pe-8 set up your run so that in the event you lose control of your aircraft, it has a good chance of ramming the bomber causing it to crash as this aircraft has a good propensity to soak up bullets. Fleet vessels are not to discount this bomber as it has the means to destroy ships with its accurate bomb site, pending the pilot slowing the aircraft down enough to let the bombardier line up the target and release the necessary ordnance. Other payload options are useful for carpet bombing areas where clusters of lighter vehicles or fixed anti-aircraft targets may sit. It is easy to see why the Pe-8 would be a prime target to eliminate as if left unchecked, it could easily wipe out the enemy bases without flinching and move onto the next. Options can range between 2,000 and 5,000 kg bomb loads with as many as 40 x 50 kg or 100 kg bombs, or fewer but heavier bombs such as 6 x 500 kg bombs or a single massive 5,000 kg FAB-5000 bomb. These defensive weapons are critical to protecting the bomber against inbound enemy fighter especially because of the bomb payload which it can carry. Attacking this aircraft especially from the rear whether above, below or directly from the rear is a bad choice as, like with the BV 238, there are many defensive guns which can hit and hit hard. The huge bomber has a nose gunner, tail gunner, rear-facing dorsal turret and two rear-facing underwing gun pods. The Pe-8 though a large and tempting target, it is not without its merits. By 1944 all remaining Pe-8s were removed from service but were retrofitted for other jobs such as VIP transport and operations up into the arctic circle. As such an important aircraft to the Soviet people, it became a priority target for the German Luftwaffe pilots to go after. Other prime targets included the nighttime bombing of factories, German airfields and rail yards. Though impressive as it was, it was only produced in limited numbers and was reserved for special occasions called "morale raids" to encourage and raise the spirits of the Soviet population by hitting important German targets deep behind enemy lines to include bombing Berlin in mid-1941. This monster of a bomber was the only four-engine bomber produced by the Soviet Union during World War II. The Petlyakov Pe-8 was an early design Soviet heavy bomber which debuted in 1936. It was introduced in Update 1.53 "Firestorm". With a battle rating of 4.3 (AB/RB) and 5.3 (SB). The Pe-8 is a rank III Soviet heavy bomber
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