War Thunder Wiki - User contributions [en]

Swift F.7

2023-08-17T18:09:04Z

U19657621: added a few minor details

{{About
| about = British jet fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = the other version
| link = Swift F.1
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=swift_f7
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British jet fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.91 "Night Vision"]].

The {{PAGENAME}} was the last variant in the line of Swift fighters produced by Supermarine Aviation Works. This fighter was one of Britain's fighters to come out of the early 1950s. Post-war England saw new leadership which made the faulty assumption that for the next ten years or so, no new major conflict would happen and therefore defence spending, research and development on new aircraft was reduced to a trickle, mostly experimental prototypes made for research purposes.

The early 1950s saw a change of leadership and Winston Churchill made sweeping changes which amped up research and development churning out Swift fighters as part of that. In the haste to research, develop and produce these fighters, problems crept up in the aircraft which happened so fast, it was difficult to stop the manufacturing process long enough to make the necessary updates, especially problems found during flight trials. These updates when made produced the different Swift variants which lead to the final production of the {{PAGENAME}}. By now a majority of the problems with the aircraft had been ironed out, however, the F.7 never entered active service, instead, the fourteen built acted as training aircraft which taught pilots how to get used to shooting off air-to-air missiles, namely the Fireflash.
[[File:Swift F7 elitefe24 001.jpg|350px|thumb|left|The {{PAGENAME}} showing effective camouflage for the terrain it is flying in.]]
Though never seeing combat during its short career, the {{PAGENAME}} has an opportunity to make a name for itself in War Thunder. Not as fancy or bristling with weapons like a Sabre or a MiG, the {{PAGENAME}} has its place in the sky and can dance with the best, and even shoot them down. Armed with two 30 mm ADEN cannons and two Fireflash air-to-air missiles, while maintaining between 700 and 810 km/h, this fighter can get the best of even superior aircraft it may go against. Its slower speeds may allow for an overshoot of an enemy aircraft which may place it in front of the Swift's gun sights or even for the radar beam riding Fireflash, of which the enemy pilot will have no indication it was launched unless they are diligent about watching behind them. In the right hands, the {{PAGENAME}} and its weapons have the ability to humble enemy pilots and their superior aircraft.

== General info ==
[[File:Swift F7 mcchungusbites 001.png|450px|thumb|right|The sleek {{PAGENAME}} searching for targets.]]
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}

The {{PAGENAME}} is a good fighter which excels in playing the interceptor role, however like the three bears from Goldilocks' story; this jet has a sweet spot in speed where the controls give maximum performance. However, constantly maintaining a speed close to 1000km/h is a viable strategy as most aircraft on the enemy team will struggle to keep up with you, while the lockup of the controls is within a manageable level. Like many jets, this one does not do so well when slow and it becomes an easy target for others to attack. On the other hand, flying too fast causes the controls to lock up, preventing plane from pulling up fast. If playing in realistic or simulator battles, breaking the sound barrier will instantly obliterate the plane, but it's extremely difficult to reach unless intentionally done. Doing "extreme overload" manoeuvre at 700+ km/h while having a weight displacement might also damage the wing and force the pilot to return to the airfield.

The sweet spot or "just right" speed zone for the {{PAGENAME}} is between 700 km/h and 810 km/h. Here the jet will have enough speed to bleed and will be able to snap onto incoming plane quicker, although flying at 900+ km/h will allow it to climb harder or change directions multiple times. Diving either to shoot down another aircraft or to get away from someone on your tail can be a challenge as doing so can result in the aircraft superseding the 810 km/h threshold (easily going into the mid 900s). This aircraft does not have an air brake, instead the take-off flaps have been reinforced and should not rip when used to slow the aircraft down and can be deployed and retracted as needed.

The plane does not lose much speed in a straight line due to being a delta-wing (kind of like [[Javelin F.(A.W.) Mk.9]], but less extreme), just reducing the throttle will not affect it very much either. As soon as plane hits 450 km/h speed it keeps itself afloat and can glide around. When taking off from airfield, lifting off at about 320 km/h and keeping plane low at ground level until 450 km/h will ensure its stability and better climb rate later on. Stable nature of plane helps to conserve fuel after going into 900+ km/h in WEP mode, as at 100% the speed will not reduce at level flight. The aircraft also will not care as much if engine was put to 0% to evade IR missiles or for other reasons. The implication is also that even if the pilot foolishly spent all of the fuel, the plane still can glide across entire map back to airfield, if it had enough speed or height left, easily gliding 40 km from 3 km height or even more depending on remaining speed.

Speed management is key to survival - the afterburner can aid with increasing the aircraft's speed if slow - and with the afterburner the aircraft has a really good climb rate - it can accelerate significantly even in a steep climb. Due to the fact that engine can sustain afterburner for a good 15 minutes, one can just fly with afterburner on all the time. Unfortunately, afterburner doubles plane heat signature, so if any enemy plane with IR missiles is on the tail, it should not be used.

Aircraft can start landing when at 400 km/h. To bleed excess speed, the plane can do some pulls and rolls simultaneously at 0% engine, much like with early propeller planes, but due to the plane's shape it will take longer. After reaching proper speed, landing flaps can deployed to force the plane to finally stop gliding. The wheels of the Swift are very flimsy, so touchdown should only happen at 300 km/h or below, or the wheels will just crush under the plane's weight. In air RB, Swift can intentionally break the wheels to stop faster on plane belly, but there is always a risk of accidentally destroying the plane.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 3,048 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 980 || 977 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 26.5 || 26.9 || 14.8 || 10.1 || rowspan="2" | 850
|-
! Upgraded
| 993 || 985 || 24.1 || 25.0 || 42.6 || 28.0
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="6" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear !! Drogue chute
|-
| X || ✓ || ✓ || X || X || X 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| 1,167  || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || N/A || 1,035 || 465 || ~9 || ~5
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 850 || < 600 || < 600 || N/A
|-
|}

==== Engine performance ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine
! colspan="4" | Aircraft mass
|-
! colspan="2" | Engine name || Number
! colspan="2" | {{Annotation|Basic mass|Mass of the aircraft with pilot and engine oil, but no fuel or weapons load}} || colspan="2" | Wing loading (full fuel)
|-
| colspan="2" | Rolls-Royce Avon Mk.116 || 1
| colspan="2" | 6,639 kg || colspan="2" | 276 kg/m2
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine characteristics
! colspan="3" | Mass with fuel (no weapons load) || rowspan="2" | Max Takeoff Weight
|-
! Weight (each) || colspan="2" | Type
! 7m fuel || 20m fuel || 26m fuel
|-
| 1,000 kg || colspan="2" | Afterburning axial-flow turbojet
| 7,213 kg || 8,089 kg || 8,553 kg || 9,530 kg
|-
! colspan="3" | {{Annotation|Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB/SB)|The maximum thrust produced by each engine, while mounted in the aircraft. NOTE: Thrust varies significantly depending on speed & altitude.}}
! colspan="4" | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (WEP)
|-
! Condition || 100% || WEP
! 7m fuel || 20m fuel || 26m fuel || MTOW
|-
| ''Stationary'' || 3,126 kgf || 4,501 kgf
| 0.62 || 0.56 || 0.53 || 0.47
|-
| ''Optimal'' || 3,158 kgf (1,167 km/h) || 4,548 kgf (1,167 km/h)
| 0.63 || 0.56 || 0.53 || 0.48
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}


;Armour

* 12.7 mm steel plate behind pilot's seat
* 50 mm bulletproof glass in canopy windscreen

The simple armour setup on this fighter affords protection to the pilot, via the front windscreen having 50 mm bulletproof glass to help protect against head-on attacks. Behind the pilot's seat is a 12.7 mm steel plate which is in place to provide protection for the pilot if their aircraft is shot from behind. The fuel tanks and the engine should take most of the brunt of an attack from behind, but in the event, something gets through the steel plate is meant to be the last line of protection.

If the aircraft takes some damage to the wing's root, it will lose control and fall. Most of other damage can be sustained without immediately crashing, the plane will often not even notice if half of its tail is gone.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
[[File:Swift F7 elitefe24 002.jpg |450px|thumb|right|]]
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}

{{main|ADEN (30 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* 2 x 30 mm ADEN cannons, belly-mounted at right side (135 + 185 = 320 total)

This aircraft has been outfitted with two 30 mm ADEN autocannons. Though they are mounted on the fuselage resulting in not having to configure for convergence the pilot will need to account for both autocannons being mounted on the right side of the aircraft fuselage near the right air intake. Pilots which are used to having balanced machine guns or autocannons (equal amounts on both left and right side) will need to slightly adjust their aim to ensure the bullets don't miss just to the side of where they would normally aim. The ADEN cannons when they do hit their mark usually result in a critical hit or a destroyed aircraft with wings flying in one direction and tail sections going in another.

As with Swift F1, the plane is allowed to have pure HE-I belt (air targets belt), making any critical hit that much worse for the enemy.

When the gun has no set distance and the plane is flying straight, the moving scope in cockpit is demonstrating where the shells will go at about 700 m mark. To hit a plane that is further than that it is necessary to aim that above them. Do remember that this is not a true aim assist and is merely a suggestion.

=== Suspended armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Suspended}}

{{main|Fireflash}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

* Without load
* 2 x Fireflash missiles

The Fireflash missile was the first air-to-air guided missile put into service with the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force. Built by Fairey Aviation, the same company who built the [[Swordfish Mk I|Swordfish]], this missile utilised radar beam riding guidance to get the missile onto a target. Though not as simple to use as other missiles found in-game, it can be a surprise to enemy fighters: they are usually not expecting head-on attacks and it will result in them having to go back and watching replays in unbelief to see what took them out.

The odd-looking missile consists of a central dart attached to two boosters. The boosters spin-stabilize the missile in flight and propel the missile to speeds upwards of Mach 2. 1.5 seconds after launch, with fuel spent, the boosters separate and the missile would coast the rest of the way to the target, still receiving guidance from the controlling aircraft. Only one can be guided at any time, launching both at once can result in instant self-destruct sequence, potentially obliterating Swift F7 itself.

When launched without lock or if the radar is offline, the missile will follow the static middle dot of the scope in cockpit. It is possible to offset the aim away from the dot (default hotkeys ALT+WASD), much like with MCLOS missiles of opponents, but doing this too much is counterproductive, since the scope itself does not move when doing so, providing no visual feedback. When obtaining radar lock, missile will attempt to follow the locked target to the best of its ability and there is no need to fly literally directly at the enemy anymore (though deviating too much might break the lock, so caution is advised). If the lock was still maintained when the missile passes enemy aircraft, it will self-destruct, blowing off half of the enemy plane in process even if they dodge a direct hit. The missile will also detonate if passing extremely close to any aircraft (including allies).

The Fireflash is a finicky missile which requires practice and patience, as it has maximum overload of 2G and is basically unable to do a sharp turn or pull. When the missile exceeds its turn limit (does anything more than minimal corrections), it starts to bleed speed at an extreme rate and will not be able to chase the opponent properly. At 2 km height this missile can chase a target at about 2.1 km away and it can go for about 14 seconds (flying 10-12 km in process) before it no longer has the kinetic energy to continue and just explodes. Reasonable minimum range is 0.8-1.4 km when head-on, 0.5 km when fired from behind.

This missile is best used in short-range encounters such as head-on attacks where the enemy fighter is closing the distance rather than flying away, particularly because there is not that many head-on missiles in early jet era and Swift F7 basically has a monopoly on that kind of missile attack. The best distance to launch is 2 km or closer - although most people will take at least 2 seconds to process "wait, that is a missile being fired", so it will be already too late for them, some will just evade automatically on muscle memory and the missile cannot cut them off very well, at best detonating their engine or missing entirely. In such situation it is necessary to either assist it with the cannons or just give up and move onto the next target. With high level of skill and attention, Fireflashes can be used to shut down some chasing aircraft (about 4-5 km away) if plane can turn onto enemy fast enough then launch one at near point-blank ranges, hoping that radar obtains the lock in time or it just hits them into cockpit.

This missile can also be used during tail chases as long as the radar lock is kept on the enemy long enough for the missile to reach its target and they seem to not pay attention (not likely after firing the cannon). This also works when hitting targets when they just got out of a climb, or simply hesitate between pulling up or dropping down, but the window for such attack is very narrow.

Having only two of these missiles to rely on will require the pilot to exercise restraint and not launch one if the chances of a hit are marginal and instead maybe turn to the 30 mm cannons instead in that instance.

{{Notice|Unlike heat-seeking missiles, beam riding missiles will not trigger a missile launch warning for the enemy player, nor will it care about flares that they use. However, in a tail chase scenario chaff can fool the onboard radar and make it detonate the missile prematurely.}}

== Usage in battles ==

[[File:Swift F7 elitefe24 003.jpg|450px|thumb|right|]]
The Swift F.7 is played similar to the [[Hunter F.1|Hunter]] as more of a Boom and Zoom aircraft, though it retains dogfighting capability. The aircraft has a sweet spot for its manoeuvrability around 600-800 km/h. Above those speeds, sustaining a hard turn (or alternatively turning and rolling simultaneously) can result in a ripped wing. It is generally advised to keep some altitude with the aircraft. The missiles are SACLOS-guided and can be useful in head-on. The vehicle has an afterburner which results in higher acceleration than most jets that you will face, though opponents such as the [[Shenyang F-5]] and [[AV-8A]] Harrier are capable of accelerating faster. It is recommended to use either 20 minutes of fuel or full tank as 7 minutes does not allow for prolonged use of the afterburner, nor does it allow for loitering.

The Swift F.7 is capable of maintaining a 960 km/h climb at a pitch of 15°, allowing it to achieve altitude of 4 to 5 km easily while maintaining a high speed and catching climbing opponents off-guard. It performs excellently in the support role, where it can Boom and Zoom pre-occupied enemies or maintain a very high speed of over 1,000 km/h in level flight, making gentle turns and passes on opponents who are pre-occupied and being put into vulnerable positions by allied aircraft.

Alternatively the Swift F.7 can be played more aggressively, making use of its energy retention and high thrust-to-weight to engage and wear down enemy fighters. Its take-off flaps can be used as air brakes due to their high rip speed and allow it to manoeuvre at high angles of attack, helping to get guns on target in one-on-one engagements at lower speeds, though it is not recommended to use them excessively nor rate fight due to the speed that will be bled. It is important to note that usage of the take-off flaps at over ~850 km/h will counter-intuitively reduce the turning rate of the aircraft, so they should not be used to manoeuvre on target in high speed dives and passes.

When in a compromised position against a more manoeuvrable aircraft the priority should be to gain separation with the enemy. This can be done against most opponents by accelerating to high speeds using the afterburner, as you can maintain a higher speed in level flight than most aircraft you will face - the Swift F.7 is capable of reaching 1,100 km/h in level flight at sea level while making use of the afterburner. Once separation has been achieved you can make use of your higher energy state and speed to gain some altitude and re-engage on your terms.

'''Enemies worth noting:'''

[[MiG-21S (R-13-300)]] - This premium Soviet plane has radar missiles (can do a head-on attack just like you, but from further ranges) and IR missiles. It flies much, much faster than the Swift F.7, so chasing it is often pointless. It usually hangs above at 6-7 km height, so you can easily spot it by the white trail of its engine exhaust. Best you can do is bait it down and then try to exploit any of its mistakes. Taking it head-on is a really good way to get destroyed as the radar missiles can pull more Gs than the Fireflash and will not miss.

[[F-104]] - Not nearly as deadly as the MiG-21, but have an extremely annoying habit of getting behind you and then dumping IR missiles in your back when you aren't paying attention and flying with afterburner on. Climbing into their face with the most provoking behaviour (using smoke trails, going straight at them, etc) will often entice them into head-on, where you can just blast them with the Fireflash, as they don't seem to be able to leave a committed dive in time. If they know better and avoid fighting you, you just have to deal with it and keep in mind that something can dive on you at any minute.

[[S.O.4050 Vautour IIN (late)]] - Vautours are usually an easy plane to get rid of, but there is a specific interceptor model that can fire radar missiles. Unfortunately, it is difficult to tell which one it is exactly from just looking at it, but if a bomber for some reason looks unafraid of you and rather turns onto you instead of running away or going straight for the base, you might want to prepare to dodge instead of just going head-on.

[[G.91 R/4]] and similar planes - Although these planes are rather slow and may seem kind of as a joke to the Swift F.7, they can have rear-aspect IR missiles which can be heated up instantly. Be mindful where you are flying, because when fighting something else, you might expose yourself to an entire wing of these planes which will not hesitate to unload half of their missiles into your back. Cutting engine to 0% and dodging does work, but this will bring you down to their level, so it's better to avoid this situation to begin with.

===Radars===

The Swift F.7 is equipped with an AN/APG-30 rangefinding radar, located in the nose of the aircraft.
It will automatically detect other planes within the scanning area and display the range to the closest target. It is linked with a gyro gunsight and can help with aiming at close range. In RB, it simply guides the Fireflashes.

The radar is rather vulnerable to the ground clutter and might refuse to lock onto targets until they are way too close at low altitudes. When the radar is blinded, Fireflash should be launched and guided manually if situation demands it.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="4" | AN/APG-30 - Rangefinding radar
|-
! {{Annotation|Maximum Tracking Range|The maximum range at which a target can be tracked}}
! {{Annotation|Minimum Tracking Range|The range below which targets cannot be tracked by the radar}}
! {{Annotation|Azimuth Tracking Angle|How far to each side the radar can track a target}}
! {{Annotation|Elevation Tracking Angle|How far up and down the radar can track a target}}
|-
| 2,750 m || 300 m || ±9° || ±9°
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Superb flight performance thanks to the afterburner; retains energy very well in turns
* Access to excellent [[Fireflash]] short-range beam-guided air-to-air missiles, that also work against light tanks and helicopters in Ground Realistic Battles
* Equipped with two powerful 30 mm ADEN autocannons
* Fireflash can be considered as all-aspect missiles; unfazed by flares and equipped with a proximity fuse
* Flaps and wings have a very high rip speed limit
* Can withstand some damage from 7.62 mm and .50 cal rounds
* Afterburner takes about 8-15 minutes of continuous use to cause engine overheating

'''Cons:'''

* No dedicated airbrake, must use take-off flaps as an airbrake at high speeds
* Both autocannons are on the right side of the aircraft fuselage, requires slight adjustment when aiming
* Fireflash missiles have to be manually guided when there is no radar lock; 2 Gs overload limits the performance
* Poor manoeuvrability at high speeds (> 950 km/h) and high risk of ripping wings while pulling extreme Gs
* Less ammunition for 30 mm ADEN than the F.1 variant; requires trigger discipline

== History ==

In the years following the end of WW2, Great Britain focused their efforts on rebuilding their nation from the devastation caused by the war as the British government didn't consider a new war possible in the following ten years. Under these circumstances, developing new military technology wasn't considered a priority in most cases.

As a result, Great Britain found itself lagging behind in military aviation at the start of the 1950s by the outbreak of the Korean War. This prompted the RAF to hastily look for a new fighter aircraft to put into service, even if it meant taking into consideration an interim design.

One of the designs that sparked the RAF's interest was a new swept-wing aircraft developed by the Supermarine company - the Type 510. Being in essence just a modified Supermarine Attacker, development of this design continued, eventually maturing into the Type 541.

Soon, the Type 541 received the highest development priority and was hastily rushed through testing and into production as the Supermarine Swift. In fact, production was so rushed that it began before necessary design changes could even be applied from the results of the test flights conducted with the Type 541 prototypes.

Nonetheless, the Supermarine Swift F.1 entered service with the RAF in February 1954, followed shortly afterwards by the F.2 variant. However, many of the aircraft's teething problems weren't resolved as a result of being rushed into production. This resulted in a number of accidents happening early on involving the Swift , leading to the aircraft being grounded for a time.

Newer modifications were developed, which addressed most of the known issues. However, it was a case of too little too late for the Swift, as it quickly became replaced by the Hawker Hunter. In the end, just under 200 Supermarine Swifts were produced out of the close to 500 planned aircraft. The Swift was phased out of active service relatively quickly after its introduction, with the last fighter models being withdrawn by the RAF in the mid to late 1950s.

''- From [[wt:en/news/6342-development-supermarine-swift-banking-on-success-en|Devblog]]''

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=swift_f7 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Images
<gallery mode="packed-hover" heights="150">
Image:Swift F7 WTWallpaper 001.jpg|
Image:Swift F7 WTWallpaper 002.jpg|
</gallery>

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|bBeNjjWfoyQ|'''The Fireflashes Are The Most Fun You'll Have With Missiles''' - ''Spit_flyer''|kLUvhT1l14w|'''Is The Supermarine Swift F.7 Worth your time?''' - ''DEFYN''}}

== See also ==


;Related development

* Supermarine [[Attacker FB 1]]
* Supermarine [[Attacker FB.2]]

;Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

* North American [[F-86 (Family)|F-86]] Sabre
* Dassault [[M.D.450B Ouragan]]
* de Havilland [[Venom FB.4|Venom]]
* Grumman [[F9F (Family)|F9F Cougar]]
* Hawker [[Hunter (Family)|Hunter]]
* Mikoyan-Gurevich [[MiG-17 (Family)|MiG-17]]
* Saab [[J29D]] Tunnan

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/6342-development-supermarine-swift-banking-on-success-en|[Development<nowiki>]</nowiki> Supermarine Swift: Banking on Success]]
* [https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/463997-swift-f7/ Official data sheet - more details about the performance]

{{AirManufacturer Supermarine}}
{{Britain jet aircraft}}

Scimitar F Mk.1

2023-08-17T18:02:09Z

U19657621: This aircraft is not at turning at all, fixed false description

{{Specs-Card
|code=scimitar_f1
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The last aircraft ever produced by the famous Supermarine company, the Scimitar was developed to meet the Royal Navy's requirements for an aircraft with good low-altitude manoeuvrability and wide choice of strike ordnance. Featuring two large Rolls Royce Avon Mk.202 engines, the Scimitar was the heaviest and most powerful aircraft to have been in service with the Fleet Air Arm at its entry in 1958. While the plane was generally praised for its low-level and low-speed flight characteristics, helped in part by a special flap-blowing system that allowed some of the excess thrust to be redirected across the flaps to reduce its stall speed, over half of the 76 Scimitars produced were lost to accidents, and the plane had generally poor reliability and serviceability. The aircraft was quickly relegated to second line duties with the introduction of the [[Buccaneer S.1|Blackburn Buccaneer]] in 1962, and was finally retired completely in 1970.

Introduced in [[Update "Starfighters"]], the Scimitar is a heavy but very powerful carrier-borne fighter. Its two immensely powerful engines make it one of the fastest subsonic aircraft in the game and afford it great acceleration and climb rate, however its interesting handling characteristics can make it an particular challenge to fly. Notably, while the pitch and roll capabilities are generally sufficient, especially for such a large aircraft, the poor rudder response at high speed can make the four powerful ADEN cannons (difficult to handle at the best of times) extremely impractical to aim. However, this limitation can be mitigated by sensible approach planning, and by making proper use of the four AIM-9B Sidewinder missiles also able to be equipped. As well as being a powerful fighter, the Scimitar has excellent ground attack capability, and is the first British aircraft (second being the Buccaneer) capable of carrying air-to-ground missiles.

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}

[[File:Rudder Demonstration .png|thumb|''Full left yaw at 1,000 km/h'']]
The Scimitar F.1 is a relatively large and heavy aircraft, but it is still extremely capable because of its impressive engines. The Scimitar's two Rolls-Royce Avon 202 engines put out 4,650 kgf of thrust each, giving the Scimitar its fantastic climb rate of over 100 m/s. This outclasses similarly placed jets known for their climb rate (such as the [[MiG-15]]) by almost 2 times, and it's capable of gaining speed in a 45° climb. The impressive amount of power means that, assuming you aren't uptiered to 9.7, you will always be the first off the airfield and into combat. The Scimitar has a max speed of just over 1,160 km/h or mach 0.95 on the deck, enough to outrun anything at its BR, and even some missiles too. In an uptier there are many planes faster than you so be extra cautious, don't engage first and look for an opportunity.

The Scimitar has very poor manoeuvrability due to its large weight and size, the yaw controls are particularly bad. It is recommended because of this that you only engage low energy targets and use the element of surprise so they cannot evade. If the target is aware of your presence they will easily evade you. Unlike other jets at its br the Scimitar also struggles to dodge missiles. You should make sure that no one is in a position to be on your six as once an enemy is behind you and gaining on you there is nothing you can do. The Scimitar does get 4 x AIM-9B missiles, and these can be used on targets that use your lack of a rudder against you, however you should keep in mind that they are only 2G missiles and can easily be dodged by the enemy. Overall this aircraft seems good on paper however its poor handling plays hugely against it.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 0 m - sea level)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 1,156 || 1,152 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 31.4 || 32.2 || 84.3 || 78.3 || rowspan="2" | 1,000
|-
! Upgraded
| 1,170 || 1,163 || 29.4 || 30.0 || 122.4 || 102.0
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="6" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear !! Drogue chute
|-
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || X 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || 603 || 532 || 447 || ~11 || ~3
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 620 || < 500 || < 620 || N/A
|-
|}

==== Engine performance ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine
! colspan="4" | Aircraft mass
|-
! colspan="2" | Engine name || Number
! colspan="2" | Empty mass || colspan="2" | Wing loading (full fuel)
|-
| colspan="2" | Rolls-Royce Avon Mk.202 || 2
| colspan="2" | 11,722 kg || colspan="2" | 349 kg/m2
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine characteristics
! colspan="3" | Mass with fuel (no weapons load) || rowspan="2" | Max Takeoff Weight
|-
! Weight (each) || colspan="2" | Type
! 6m fuel || 20m fuel || 22m fuel
|-
| 1,175 kg || colspan="2" | Axial-flow turbojet
| 12,817 kg || 15,341 kg || 15,702 kg || 19,731 kg
|-
! colspan="3" | {{Annotation|Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB / SB)|The maximum thrust produced by each engine, while mounted in the aircraft. NOTE: Thrust varies significantly depending on speed & altitude.}}
! colspan="4" | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (100%)
|-
! Condition || 100% || WEP
! 6m fuel || 20m fuel || 22m fuel || MTOW
|-
| ''Stationary'' || 4,652 kgf || N/A
| 0.73 || 0.61 || 0.59 || 0.47
|-
| ''Optimal'' || 4,855 kgf (1,100 km/h) || N/A
| 0.76 || 0.63 || 0.62 || 0.49
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}

The Scimitar has one glass 50 mm plate in front of the pilot, and one 12.7 mm steel plate behind the pilot. It has very low survivability because any wing damage will lead to a flatspin, due to its lack of rudder control.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

The poor rudder of the Scimitar makes getting two modifications a high priority. The New boosters modification provides a noticeable improvement to the rudder control of the Scimitar and is your absolute top priority, as any rudder improvement you can get will make getting guns on target, and flying the aircraft in general, more bearable. Even with the New boosters modification getting guns on target can still be rather hard; therefore the next priority is AIM-9B missiles as they give you another way to kill enemy aircraft, which is less reliant on rudder control. Even stock the Scimitar exhibits very impressive flight performance for its battle rating, this means flight performance upgrades (with the exception of New boosters) are not as important as on other jets. Starting at tier 1, you will want to unlock the rockets (to start progressing towards AIM-9Bs), then at tier 2 unlock the New boosters modification and then the bombs. At tier three do your choice of flight performance modification followed by the Bullpups (unless you want the Bullpups for Tank RB, in which case get them first); finally get the AIM-9Bs at tier 4. From here on you can unlock the remaining modifications according to user preference.

If you find unlocking modifications difficult due to the lack of rudder control then the stock ADEN belts are capable of killing light pillboxes/light tanks (and medium tanks with some more difficulty), allowing you to get a decent amount of RP per game through ground attack. The suspended armaments can also be used for ground attack or base bombing.

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}

{{main|ADEN (30 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* 4 x 30 mm ADEN cannons, chin-mounted (160 rpg = 640 total)

=== Suspended armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Suspended}}


The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! !! width="11%" | 1 !! width="11%" | 2 !! width="11%" | 3 !! width="11%" | 4
| rowspan="6" width="30%" | <div class="ttx-image">[[File:Hardpoints_{{PAGENAME}}.png]]</div>
|-
! [[M.C. Mk.I (1,000 lb)|1,000 lb M.C. Mk.I]] bombs
| 1 || 1 || 1 || 1
|-
! [[AP Mk II]] rockets
| 6 || 6 || 6 || 6
|-
! [[AGM-12B Bullpup]] missiles
| 1 || 1 || 1 || 1
|-
! [[AIM-9B Sidewinder]] missiles
| 1 || 1 || 1 || 1
|-
| colspan="5" | Maximum permissible weight imbalance: 850 kg
|-
|}

{{Navigation-Start|Default weapon presets}}
{{Navigation-First-Simple-Line}}

* Without load
* 2 x AIM-9B Sidewinder missiles
* 4 x AIM-9B Sidewinder missiles
* 24 x AP Mk II rockets
* 4 x AGM-12B Bullpup missiles
* 4 x 1,000 lb M.C. Mk.I bombs (4,000 lb total)
{{Navigation-End}}

== Usage in battles ==


Thanks to its very powerful engines (it has a higher total thrust output than many supersonic aircraft), the Scimitar possesses an exception rate of climb and top speed for its BR, being easily one of, if not the fastest subsonic aircraft in the game. You should use this to your advantage when playing the Scimitar. At the start of the game you can choose to either go high or go low.

If you choose to go high then you should use your rate of climb to get above the enemy and either pick off bombers (your missiles can help greatly with this) or position yourself ready to dive down on enemy players, many of whom will still be climbing. Going low is the riskier option and relies on the Scimitar's immense speed for your survival. You should stick below 2,000 m altitude and work your way towards the edge of the battle, then turn into the fight and choose targets to attack, making a single pass before using your speed to escape. You should keep your speed up at all times and regularly check your tail for aircraft and missiles. While you can easily out run just about all subsonic aircraft, supersonic aircraft can cause you problems. Likewise you can outrun missiles launched at longer ranges, but not those launched close to you.

Whichever playstyle you choose, the Scimitar will offer you a powerful armament of 4 ADEN cannons, with a plentiful supply of ammunition. You also have access to 4 [[AIM-9B]] missiles. While the AIM-9B is nothing special compared to other missiles (being about average for this BR range) it can be very useful once you learn how to use them. In particular, they make taking out bombers much easier. The Scimitar is also a very capable CAS platform with powerful cannons (can kill light pillboxes and medium tanks in Air RB, and penetrate the tops of some tanks in ground RB), and an assortment of ground attack load-outs. Notably it is the first British aircraft to get access to air-to-ground missiles, in the form of the [[AGM-12B Bullpup]].

Despite these advantages the Scimitar does have some major drawbacks, mainly related to manoeuvrability. While it can turn better than you would expect for an aircraft of its weight, it is by no means a nimble aircraft and should not be treated like one; prolonged turning engagements should be a last resort. The key drawback of the Scimitar is its poor rudder response at high speed, this can make getting guns on target difficult, and leaves you relying more on your decidedly average [[AIM-9B]] missiles for kills. The Scimitar also does not pull negative Gs particularly well at high speed.

===Radars===

The Scimitar F Mk.1 is equipped with an AN/APG-30 rangefinding radar, located in the nose of the aircraft.
It will automatically detect other planes within the scanning area and display the range to the closest target. It is linked with a gyro gunsight and can help with aiming at close range.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="4" | AN/APG-30 - Rangefinding radar
|-
! {{Annotation|Maximum Tracking Range|The maximum range at which a target can be tracked}}
! {{Annotation|Minimum Tracking Range|The range below which targets cannot be tracked by the radar}}
! {{Annotation|Azimuth Tracking Angle|How far to each side the radar can track a target}}
! {{Annotation|Elevation Tracking Angle|How far up and down the radar can track a target}}
|-
| 2,750 m || 300 m || ±9° || ±9°
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Possibly the fastest subsonic jet currently in the game at its battle rating, reaching 1,161 km/h (Mach 0.95) in level flight at sea level
* Has very good acceleration
* Has four ADEN cannons, which are some of the best guns in the game
* Lots of cannon ammo
* Has good ground attack capability thanks to its air-to-ground missiles
* Can utilise four air-to-air missiles ([[AIM-9B]])
* It is extremely difficult to break the wings by pulling positive Gs, generally wing breakage in the Scimitar only occurs when pulling negative Gs
* Capable of landing on carriers

'''Cons:'''

* Cannot make good use of its speed in turns as the rudder severely locks up at even moderately high speeds
* Combination of poor rudder control and gun placement can make getting guns on target extremely hard
* Does not turn very well
* Asymmetric wing damage is liable to cause a non-recoverable flat spin

== History ==

'''Development and Operation'''

The Supermarine Scimitar was a naval strike aircraft with a limited production run for the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. The Navy's specifications required the aircraft to be effective in a strike-fighter/attacker role which consisted of proficient manoeuvrability at low altitudes and plenty of ordnance options for ground attack operations. Issues with the desired handling became apparent quickly as it was the heaviest aircraft to see service for the Fleet Air Arm; weighing 34,200 lb even before being equipped with four 1,000 lb bombs or AGM-34 bullpup missile configurations. Nuclear capability was also planned for the aircraft through the use of a Red Beard nuclear bomb was uncertain and never fully realised.<ref name=":0">https://www.tangmere-museum.org.uk/aircraft-month/supermarine-scimitar</ref>

With aircraft carriers modernising, and the Royal Navy requiring an upgraded capability to strike at sea, the experimental aircraft took its maiden flight on the 31st of August 1951. The first prototype emerged, powered by significant thrust generating Rolls Royce Avon jet engines. 11,250 lb of thrust combined with flaps and a system to redirect the thrust downward with the use of small vent ports just in front of the flaps, pushed the stall speed back allowing for theoretically safer carrier landings and generally more dextrous low-speed manoeuvres. This was a necessary innovation as most British carrier decks were short and snug due to the budget constraints. Scimitars remained on land at RAF bases whilst undergoing thorough testing for their safety and competency. The potency of the thrust from the Avon engines was proved when a pilot successfully managed to perform a take-off with the parking brake on. The third prototype design was the first to feature swept wings which would remain for the rest of the aircraft's short life.

By January 1957, testing began on the Royal Navy's flagship, HMS Ark Royal; and around the same time, the first operational model would leave production. The aircraft already plagued with several incidents in testing would see 803 Naval Air Squadron's wing commander lose his life in the Persian Sea after a brake failure caused the aircraft to fall overboard during a landing. Further adjustments were made to the delicate aircraft such as the method of launching it at an upward angle with the use of a 'bumper' on the back. It would hold the aircraft in place as it was hoisted skyward until the nose gear was suspended off the ground. This position allowed the noticeably weak catapults to launch the heavyweight of the aircraft.<ref name=":1">https://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/scimitar/history.php</ref>

The Scimitar never saw any combat though served operationally with the Royal Navy in the Persian Gulf to deter tensions developing from Iraq at the time. Some sorties were undertaken to test the capability of the aircraft's missile and rocket payloads, but live bombs were never sortied because of fears the risks were too great, and the training was too dangerous; therefore practice bombs were often used instead.<ref name=":1" />

'''Fate'''

The 100 orders for Supermarine Scimitars would ultimately never be fulfilled. Only 76 units were delivered, of which 39 were lost to non-combat accidents; therefore 51% of all Scimitars produced were lost. Moving forward the carrier-borne strike fighting role was undertaken by the de Havilland Sea Vampire. The Supermarine Scimitar would ultimately become a prize piece of engineering, spending the last of its years stunning in air show performances where it did succeed. The Scimitar had a short and constantly troubled history which looked doomed to failure from the beginning; the Royal Navy was subsequently deemed unable to operate such an intensive aircraft which required enormous cost, time, expertise and top-spec equipment to allow its success in operations, none of which the Royal Navy had enough of at the time. On 19 October 1966, the Scimitar was retired from the Naval Air Squadron and in December of 1970 the last Scimitars flew, with pilots still avowing that the aircraft was 'a delight to fly'.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

=== [[wt:en/news/6730-development-scimitar-f-1-the-twin-engine-beast-en|Devblog]] ===
Development of what would eventually turn out to be the Supermarine Scimitar began as early as the late 1940's, with the Supermarine company starting work on developing an undercarriage-less naval jet fighter, following a specification issued previously by the Admiralty.

During development, several prototypes were built and tested while at the same time the design of the machine continued to change and evolve. Eventually, however, the undercarriage-less concept was dropped and the machine was even reclassified to a low altitude strike aircraft, with the Royal Navy ordering 100 units of the latest prototype design - the Type 544 - into production in 1954. The Type 544 prototype first flew in January 1956, while the first production version of the Scimitar ran off the assembly line a year later in 1957.

The Scimitar entered service with the Fleet Air Arm in 1957. However, the carriers of the Royal Navy at the time were rather small while the Scimitar was a relatively large aircraft resulting in high accident rates which would plague the Scimitar's service career. Furthermore, the Scimitar was a highly demanding aircraft from a maintenance standpoint, making it even less popular with its crews.

As a result, the Supermarine Scimitar only had a relatively short service career with the FAA, which withdrew the Scimitar from active service in 1966. From that point, the Scimitar was relegated to training units and continued being used as a training aircraft until 1970 before being ultimately decommissioned from active service. In total, 76 Scimitars were built during their limited production run, of which 39 were lost on account of various accidents.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=scimitar_f1 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Images
<gallery mode="packed" heights="150">
File:Scimitar F.1 WTWallpaper 01.jpg|
File:Scimitar F.1 WTWallpaper 02.jpg|
File:Scimitar F.1 WTWallpaper 03.jpg|
File:Scimitar F.1 WTWallpaper 04.jpg|
File:Scimitar F.1 WTWallpaper 05.jpg|
File:Scimitar F.1 WTWallpaper 06.jpg|
File:Scimitar F.1 WTWallpaper 07.jpg|
</gallery>

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|MPdcryL47sk|'''The Shooting Range #205''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:28 discusses the Scimitar F Mk.1.|Re9b5M2QFeE|'''The Shaky MONSTER! Scimitar F.1 - Great Britain - Review!''' - ''Jengar''}}

== See also ==


* [[Hunter (Family)]]
* [[Swift F.7]]
* [[F3H-2]]
* [[F9F-8]]
* [[FJ-4B]]/[[FJ-4B VMF-232]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/6730-development-scimitar-f-1-the-twin-engine-beast-en|[Devblog] Scimitar F.1: The Twin Engine Beast]]
* [https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/488374-scimitar-f1/ Official data sheet - more details about the performance]

=== References ===
<references />

{{AirManufacturer Supermarine}}
{{Britain jet aircraft}}