[About Grumman/EasternAircraft TBF-3 Avenger]



Wikipedia
The Grumman/Eastern Aircraft TBF-3 Avenger was a Torpedo Bomber operated by the U.S. Navy from World War II.
The TBD Devastator, a Torpedo Bomber introduced in 1935, had become obsolete by the start of the Pacific War and was considered inferior to the Imperial Japanese Navy's B5N2 Torpedo Bomber.
The U.S. Navy therefore commissioned Grumman to develop a new Torpedo Bomber, and the prototype made its first flight in 1941. The new aircraft, named "Avenger," was officially unveiled on December 7, 1941. Coincidentally, this was the day of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
The Avenger was rugged and sturdy, as was typical of Grumman aircraft.
In the nose was the Wright R-2600, which delivered 1,900 horsepower. The fat lower fuselage had a large bomb bay and could carry a variety of equipment, including Mk. 13 aerial torpedoes. The main wings were equipped with Grumman's original folding mechanism. At the rear of the fuselage was a rotating turret equipped with a 12.7mm machine gun for perimeter surveillance and protection from enemy fighters. The lower fuselage was also equipped with a movable 7.7mm machine gun. In addition, it had a long range and good maneuverability despite its appearance. Its stability and ease of use led pilots to describe it as "like a sturdy truck".
Although it suffered heavy losses in its debut battle at the Battle of Midway, it was subsequently used as a Torpedo Bomber, sinking the battleships Yamato and Musashi as well as the aircraft carrier Zuikaku.
Since Grumman needed to focus on the production of the new F6F fighter, the production of the Avenger was transferred to Eastern Aircraft(GM). The Avenger manufactured by Eastern Aircraft was called the TBM.
The total number of aircraft produced by both Grumman and Eastern Aircraft was 9839. They continued to be used after the war in many countries until the 1960s. Ironically, this included Japan (Maritime Self-Defense Force), which suffered the most attacks from the Avenger during the war.

[About the work]
The cockpit is roughly reproduced.
I have not verified this because I do not have Simple Planes VR. Sorry.

[Controls]


The swivel turret operates according to the direction of view when the gunner's viewpoint is set.

[Screenshots]

2023/10/16