The prototype of this heavily-armed, long-range fighter version of the Beaufort bomber first flew in July 1939 and entered service in July 1940. It was powerful and maneuverable for an aircraft of its size, though it flew poorly when on one engine and it had a nasty habit of swerving violently on takeoff and landing. Nonetheless, it earned a reputation amongst its crews for toughness and versatility, being used as a strike aircraft, night fighter (with its own radar set onboard), and long-range heavy day fighter. RAF Coastal Command used later models of the Beaufighter against German shipping, loading them full of shells for the four 20mm cannon, rockets, and even torpedos.
TACTICS: It is not generally your primary mission to take on enemy fighters, but your maneuverability is decent and your firepower is tremendous, so you have more than a fighting chance. You can turn reasonably well but your acceleration is limited so don't overdo the hard turning and lose too much airspeed. Don't get so slow that you become a sitting duck.
STRENGTHS: Awesome firepower. Tough and well-armored. Good snap-turn maneuverability for an airplane of its size.
WEAKNESSES: Poor sustained maneuverability (compared to fighters).
