"I know those fancy Kolbenite planes get a lot of press, and who can blame them? Just look at their lines! Everything about them gives off a sense of speed and grace. But me personally? The Dominion Hog can be trusted to bring me back home after taking a few hits - something those Kolbenite speedsters just ain't cut out to do." - Briza "Razor" Kilzek, Dominion Ace.

Controls:
VTOL for flaps (direction doesn't matter)
AG2 to jettison rockets (not installed)
AG5 to jettison primary hardpoints (not installed)
AG7 for arresting hook. Yes, I made this thing carrier capable... somewhat. No folding wings meant they're still not exactly meant for carrier operations, though.
Deactivate AG8 to shut down the engine.

Strengths:
Tough as nails, lots of HP
Fast at medium altitude and above
8 × .50 cals pack a serious punch
Good turn rate when at speed

Weaknesses:
Sluggish at low altitudes
Poor climb rate
Large target
Large turn radius
"Realistic" flight models not meant for computer-controlled dogfight

Personal Note:
Good to be back. This not!P-47 Thunderbolt of mine might as well be the closest I'll ever get to an actual replica, of course with a pair of contra-rotating props and and a vaguely Russian(?)/German(?)-style canopy and whatnot. Featuring a pair of constant speed props, this thing could easily give fighters half its size a run for their money at higher altitudes, and it also takes hits like a champ. The engines are sturdy, and the rear fuselage is all but impervious to bullets - a feature based on the fact that the rear fuselage of the P-47 contained a lot of empty space with the exception of the turbocharger, so rifle caliber rounds either pass straight through without hitting anything or gets stopped by the turbine assembly. Plus, there's that one guy who managed to get hit 200+ times by 7.7mm rounds and returned home safely... but his squadron's wiped, presumably by 20mm shells hitting the wings, the engine, or the cockpit.
The wing spars are also pretty sturdy, but cannons should still make short work of them.
The canopy's the weak point, take out the canopy you take out the plane. Because it means you just killed the pilot. Easier said than done though.
The M2 Brownings are of the .50 AN/M2 variant, and are harmonized at around 650 meters. Yes, I know they're often harmonized at around 250m or less, but 500-600m harmonization oftentimes allow better head-on opportunities while still keeping a "good enough" amount of firepower.
Yes, the plane will only have 66% of the total capacity in the tanks; this is to represent the fuel spent flying from base to the fight, and around 40% of the fuel would probably be reserved for the return trip.
... and also yes, I've started working on this "not-a-Thunderbolt" long before this challenge. I just saw the deadline creeping near and decided to upload whatever I've managed to make. I'll probably keep tweaking this plane though.

Ranting Time:
Have to say Chii's damage model's a bit inaccurate though: as per square-cube law, HMGs oftentimes have more than quadruple the muzzle energy of a contemporary LMG, as does the 20mm guns to the HMGs... or the 30mm guns to the 20mm guns. And that's before we add the explosive filler into the mix: a solid cannon shell hits hard, but would probably pass straight through the target, wasting energy in the process; an HE shell detonating on the skin of the enemy plane, on the other hand, would cause all sorts of nastiness with the overpressure, shockwaves, fragmentation and spalling and whatnot, and could oftentimes disintegrate smaller planes outright. My personal damage model was 7.7mm = 10; 12.7mm = 37.5, 20mm = 125, and 30mm = 375... which still seems to be doing the heavier guns (and sturdier planes) a disservice. Welp, just consider the 25dmg .50 cals to be the early-mid war non-AP tracers instead of the later API-T rounds, and the strangely lenient cannon shells to be solid shots instead of the HEIs and HEFs Allied pilots have learned to fear in WWII.