War Thunder Wiki - User contributions [en]

Po-2

2020-11-02T07:14:05Z

U42886412: Updated "Obtainable events" section.

{{Specs-Card
|code=po-2
|cockpit = cockpit_po-2.jpg
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_Po-2.jpg|450px|thumbnail|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} gift Soviet biplane bomber {{Battle-rating}}. This bomber has been in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.29. One of the more infamous planes in War Thunder, the Po-2 has a rather affectionate palindrome nickname of "2-OP" from the community for its history in the game. This plane is no longer obtainable unless it is given out during events.

The Po-2 is a very slow aircraft, earning a reputation of affection thanks to its poor characteristics. The Po-2 is about nine times as slow as the jets, and its maximum speed is one-third of a good amount of its opponents at BR 1.0. Being so, it is flown mostly for sheer fun with no intent of competitiveness. It does not come without its strengths, though - the Po-2 can carry a very effective bombload, and it can be very evasive against enemy aircraft, thanks to its slow speed and impressive manoeuvrability. The rear gunner is also decent, being in charge of a very effective machine gun. Unfortunately for the Po-2's enthusiasts, this is also the only armament it has, and the aircraft is so fragile that even a fast-firing gun does not often suffice to rid the Po-2 of a sad fate. Whenever confrontation with fighters is avoidable, one should avoid it and stay safe.

When the Po-2 was added, it was originally unlockable by research as a non-premium vehicle. However, it is currently hidden in the tech tree. The Po-2 can still be acquired, though. Once in a while, there is usually an event that rewards the Po-2 for completing it. It should be noted that while it appears before the BB-1 in the tech tree, users who have not unlocked the Po-2 via events or researching it before it was hidden will not see it in the tech tree. Additionally, the Po-2 is separate from the attacker line, and you do not need to have the Po-2 unlocked to research the BB-1 and the aircraft that follow it.

== General info ==
=== Flight Performance ===
''Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Maximum speed, maneuverability, speed and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.''
====Stat card====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="8" | Characteristics
|-
! colspan="8" | ''Stock''
|-
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at sea level)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (meters)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (meters/second)
! rowspan="2" |Take-off run (meters)
|-
! AB
! RB
! AB
! RB
! AB
! RB
|-
| 130 || 126 || 1,500 || 30.5 || 31.4 || 0.5 || 0.4 || 258
|-
! colspan="8" | ''Upgraded''
|-
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at sea level)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (meters)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (meters/second)
! rowspan="2" |Take-off run (meters)
|-
! AB
! RB
! AB
! RB
! AB
! RB
|-
| 138 || 134 || 1,500 || 29.6 || 30.0 || 1.5 || 1.0 || 258
|-
|}

====Details====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="5" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wing-break speed (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear limit (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Combat flap (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! +
! -
|-
| 190 || 450 || N/A || ~4 || ~2
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities
|-
! Ailerons (km/h)
! Rudder (km/h)
! Elevators (km/h)
! Radiator (km/h)
|-
| < 200 || < 200 || < 200 || > 95
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Compressor (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 1
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
|-
| 700 m || colspan="2" |114 hp
|-
|}

====Engine performance====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Engine
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine Name
! colspan="3" | Number present
|-
| colspan="3" | Shvetsov M-11D 5-cylinder || colspan="1" | 1
|-
! colspan="4" | Engine characteristics
|-
! colspan="2" | Weight (each)
! colspan="1" | Type
! colspan="1" | Cooling
|-
| colspan="2" | 170 kg || Radial || Air
|-
! colspan="4" | Engine power (Stock)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
! colspan="4" | Take-off
|-
| ''Arcade'' || colspan="4" | 117 hp
|-
| ''Realistic/Simulator'' || colspan="4" | 116 hp
|-
! colspan="4" | Engine power (Upgraded)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
! colspan="4" | Take-off
|-
| ''Arcade'' || colspan="4" | 123 hp
|-
| ''Realistic/Simulator'' || colspan="4" | 120 hp
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | WEP Duration
|-
! colspan="2" | Arcade
! colspan="2" | Realistic/Simulator
|-
| colspan="2" | 25 seconds || colspan="2" | Infinite
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===


The Po-2 has a 13 mm steel plate in the nose, which is something but not useful as if you are attacked from the front you cannot retaliate. In Air RB, the Po-2's airframe is surprisingly reliable and is perfectly controllable even with serious damage, however, past a certain amount of damage (yellow all over and worse) you will not have enough power to keep airborne for much longer. At this point, you can make an emergency landing and act as an anti-aircraft gun for the rest of the match.

It also has a small, self-sealing fuel tank, as well as a tiny oil tank in from of it, both just behind the engine. This leads to a low chance of catching on fire, however, if you are set on fire you have very little chance of putting it out due to your slow speed.

* 13 mm Steel plate in the nose.
* Small, single, self-sealing fuel tank.

== Armaments ==
=== Suspended armament ===

{{main|FAB-50 (50 kg)|FAB-100 (100 kg)}}

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

* 4 x 50 kg FAB-50 bombs (200 kg total)
* 6 x 50 kg FAB-50 bombs (300 kg total)
* 2 x 50 kg FAB-50 bombs + 2 x 100 kg FAB-100 bombs (300 kg total)

=== Defensive armament ===

{{main|ShKAS (7.62 mm)}}

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

* 1 x 7.62 mm [[ShKAS (7.62 mm)|ShKAS]] machine gun, dorsal turret (200 RPG) but can be reloaded by the rear gunner, making the ammo count practically infinite.

== Usage in battles ==

The Po-2 does at times shine in Ground Realistic Battles, being potentially useful at any battle rating. Its slow speed makes it very easy to dive-bomb accurately with, and its 100kg bombs are sufficient to put any tank out of order. A Po-2 pilot can even cause great humiliation to [[Maus|Maus]] commanders. However, tanks' light machine guns are no small threat for the small biplane, and even tanks' main guns can give it a very bad day, let alone dedicated AA platforms. To avoid this, Po-2 pilots should fly low and try their best to not fly in a straight line, and plan their attacks ahead, looking at the map to see where enemies were marked and inferring the enemies' locations from cap points.

In Air RB, your best bet is probably to spawn at bomber altitude as opposed to the airfield which, while presenting the risk of wing ripping, is better than struggling for speed at the altitude which most of the fighting at this rank takes place (that is, low altitude). Furthermore, you should take the 6x50kg bombs as, despite being smaller, they mean you have the chance to destroy 3 higher value targets instead of 2. You should choose a group of ground targets to attack, stationary tanks are good to bomb as any bomb can destroy them and they yield a decent reward. Moving targets are horrible and not worth it as short fuses lead to you being hit by your own bombs and long fuses lead to a very low hit probability since your bombs are small and must detonate very close to the target to have any effect, which is incredibly difficult to guarantee with a fuse.

After using up your bombs, find some vehicles, artillery, or AA emplacements you want to destroy and approach them. Be sure to use evasive manoeuvres as you approach, as your slow speed leads to AA hitting you far more often than it would on other planes. Flyover, but slightly to the side of your targets at a very low altitude, then switch to your rear gunner and destroy them (if you fly directly over then your tail will prevent your tail gunner from getting a shot). After destroying 2 targets using this method you should fire off your remaining bullets and let your gunner reload, as otherwise, you will probably run out of ammo halfway through your third strafing run. Since you can reload as many times as you like, this is a sustainable way of doing decently well, and you can destroy upwards of 20 targets (with some luck, on the right map.)

If attacked by enemy aircraft, you stand a small but appreciable chance of destroying them. When approached, point your aircraft directly away from the enemy and shoot at them with your rear gunner, preferably once they are within half a kilometre, though your gun can be effective out to 800 metres with some luck. If you have them unlocked, Universal belts are the best for almost all situations, since they make aiming far easier and more importantly have a higher chance of setting the attacker on fire, which will down them almost every time. As well as this, some pilots will break off once they are set on fire or seriously damaged, since they don't judge the effort to be worth it, but most pilots don't tend to think like this and require a "Significant Emotional Event" in order to stop shooting at you.

It should be noted that some people up-tier Po-2s into jet battles, which can be a valid strategy with the right tactics. You should always fly low in jet battles because most jets will not waste their altitude and energy on a Po-2 flying at treetop level. "Most" is the operative word here and even if you don't get downed, many jet battles are over before you even reach your intended target, even on smallish maps such as Malta. It has been noted that a North Korean Po-2 was credited with a jet-kill during the Korean war when an attacking F-94 Starfire stalled out trying to line up a shot at a Po-2 and crashed.

===Manual Engine Control===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | MEC elements
|-
! rowspan="2" |Mixer
! rowspan="2" |Pitch
! colspan="3" | Radiator
! rowspan="2" |Supercharger
! rowspan="2" |Turbocharger
|-
! Oil
! Water
! Type
|-
| Controllable || rowspan="2" | Not controllable Not automatic pitch || rowspan="2" | Not controllable || rowspan="2" | Not controllable || rowspan="2" | Combined || rowspan="2" | Not controllable || rowspan="2" | Not controllable
|-
|}

=== Modules ===
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="1" | Tier
! colspan="2" | Flight performance
! colspan="1" | Survivability
! colspan="2" | Weaponry
|-
| I
| Fuselage repair
|
|
| Turret 7 mm
|-
| II
|
|
| Airframe
| New 7 mm MGs (turret)
|-
| III
| Wings repair
| Engine
|
|
|-
| IV
|
|
| Cover
|
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Difficult to tail due to low speed
* Decent bomb load
* Rear Gunner is armed with one of the best machine guns in terms of rate-of-fire in-game
* Very manoeuvrable
* Has bombsight
* Slow speed helps with accurate bombing bombing
* Very capable rudder, useful for quick evasive manoeuvres
* Low stall speed ~88 km/h with bombs and ~74 km/h without bombs

'''Cons:'''

* No forward-firing armament
* Fragile (wood and fabric - though very immune to radar)
* Horribly slow
* Very hard to gain altitude
* Low service ceiling
* No armour or bulletproof glass protection for the pilot or the gunner
* Can not excess over ~200 km/h without over-revving engine and ~230 km/h for mid-air rapid disassembly

== History ==


The Po-2 was the primary aircraft of the infamous 588th Night Bomber Regiment of the Soviet Armed Forces. The Regiment, commonly nicknamed "Night Witches" was the only regiment in the world to entirely consist of women. The regiment was often looked down upon by their male counterparts, but as the Second World War raged, they earned the undying respect of the Soviet Army. Their nickname "Night Witches" comes from the characteristic sound of their Po-2's, that was all that could be heard during their nightly raids as their engines were set to idle and they would glide through to Night to their victims, completely silent. This sound, or lack thereof, brought their enemy's thoughts to the broomsticks of Witches and thus called them ''"Nachthexen"''. Meaning ''Night Witches'' in English.

Every single member of the Night Witches had by the end of the war flown at least 800 missions, which was completely unheard of. Especially considering that an American pilot was generally allowed to retire if he survived 25 missions. Some of the most famous Night Witches, Yekaterina Ryabova and Nadezhda Popova were reported to once have completed 18 Ground attack missions in a single night. Not only was it extremely humiliating for the German Army to be defeated by the outdated Po-2, but the fact that they were piloted by women added insult to injury. It went on to the degree that German High Command offered to award the Iron Cross to anyone that shot down a Night Witch. Only 30 people claimed that bounty in the entire war.

Twenty-three Night Witches were awarded the "Hero of the Soviet Union" title, 2 the "Hero of Russia" title and 1 the "Hero of Kazakhstan" title. 24,000 sorties and 23,000 tons of bombs dropped on target is also on their résumé. As the war went on and they became Heroes in the Soviet Union, they were offered better planes, but they refused. They stuck with the Po-2, they flew it when the war started and they continued to fly it when they participated in the Battle of Berlin in '45.

The Po-2 was used in the Korean War by the North Koreans, where it inflicted considerable damage against airbases. United Nations forces found it incredibly difficult to track and shoot down Po-2s, due to the wood and fabric construction of the plane giving it a very small radar signature. The top speed of the Po-2 was well below the stall speed of most aircraft at the time. It's also the only biplane credited with a jet kill, achieved when a Lockheed F-94 Starfire attempted to attack a low-flying Po-2 and stalled in the process, losing control and crashing.

=== In-game description ===
The U-2, or Po-2, was a multi-role biplane, created by Nikolay Polikarpov in 1928. The U-2 was designed as a primary civilian trainer and was forgiving and easy to fly. Its inaugural flight took place on 7th January 1928, with M. M. Gromov at the controls. As designed, the U-2 was a conventional biplane with an air-cooled 100-HP M-11 engine. The aircraft was widely used in agriculture, transport and other roles. Staff plane and ambulance variants also existed, as well as reconnaissance, passenger, floatplane and many other versions.

By 1932, a new military trainer variant, U-2VS was designed. It could carry six 8-kg dummy bombs on underwing pylons and had a gunner turret in the rear seat. After the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, many existing U-2s were converted to light night bombers. Modifications were made by both the Polikarpov Design Bureau, directly at the factories, and even in the field, by mechanics at front-line squadrons. As a result, the number of operational variants was high. The plane could carry from 100 to 350 kg of bombs. By 1943, the number of frontline Po-2 regiments reached its peak of up to 70 night bomber regiments. After Nikolay Polikarpov died in 1944, the aircraft was redesignated Po-2 in his memory. The aircraft remained in serial production until 1953, with over 33,000 built.

=== Notable pilots ===

<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Ivan_Kozhedub_2.jpg|thumb|none|200px|link=User:U64962917#Kozhedub,_Ivan_N.|[[User:U64962917#Kozhedub,_Ivan_N.|Kozhedub's]] first flying experience was as a teenager when he learned to fly the Polikarpov U-2 (trainer versions of the Po-2).]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Lydia_Litvyak_profile.jpg|thumb|none|200px|link=User:U64962917#Litvyak, Lydia V.|[[User:U64962917#Litvyak, Lydia V.|Litvyak]] first soloed in a Polikarpov Po-2 at the age of 15 and would later pilot Yak-1 and Yak-1B fighters in the Great Patriotic War.]] </li>
</ul></div>

== Media ==
[http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23po_2 '''Skins''' and '''camouflages''' for the Po-2 from live.warthunder]

[https://youtu.be/YyGy8bV22T0 A video guide to the Po-2]

==Obtainable events==

* The Po-2 could be obtained is the [https://warthunder.com/en/news/5062-special-halloween-en 2017 Halloween event], where the top 1,000 players in the ground and air events will earn the Po-2.
* The same could be said for the [https://warthunder.com/en/news/5856-event-halloween-in-war-thunder-en 2018 Halloween event], though only the top 1,000 players in the air races could earn the plane.
* The next event to obtain the Po-2 was in the [[wt:en/news/6460-event-halloween-in-war-thunder-en|2019 Halloween event]], again for the top 1000 players.
* The latest event to get the Po-2 was in the [[wt:en/news/6920-event-halloween-in-war-thunder-en|2020 Halloween event]], again for the top 1000 players.

== Read also ==


* [[Swordfish Mk I]]
* [[OS2U-1]] and [[OS2U-3]]

== Sources ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''page on aircraft encyclopedia;''
* ''other literature.''

{{AirManufacturer Polikarpov}}
{{USSR bombers}}
[[Category:Hidden vehicles]]
<references />

User:U42886412

2019-10-31T05:54:10Z

U42886412: Created page with "== BoomerTheDoomer == I started playing this game on 5/7/16."

== BoomerTheDoomer ==
I started playing this game on 5/7/16.

Whirlwind P.9

2019-10-31T05:42:05Z

U42886412: added paragraph

{{Specs-Card
|code=whirlwind_p9
|market=Whirlwind P.9 (Britain)
}}
{{About
| about = British gift twin-engine fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = the other version
| link = Whirlwind Mk I
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a gift rank {{Specs|rank}} British twin-engine fighter {{Battle-rating}}. This aircraft was introduced in [[Update 1.77 "Advancing Storm"]] during the 2018 World War Two Chronicles. It was later rereleased during [[Update 1.91 "Night Vision"]] as a reward for Operation "Shipyard".

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
''Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.''

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="8" | Characteristics
|-
! colspan="8" | ''Stock''
|-
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 4,877 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (meters)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (meters/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (meters)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
| ??? || ??? || {{Specs|ceiling}} || ??.? || ??.? || ??.? || ??.? || 650
|-
! colspan="8" | ''Upgraded''
|-
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 4,877 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (meters)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (meters/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (meters)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
| 602 || 580 || {{Specs|ceiling}} || 21.9 || 23.0 || 18.2 || 15 || 650
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="5" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear
|-
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || X || X 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="5" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wing-break speed (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear limit (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Combat flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|constructions}} || {{Specs|destruction|chassis}} || 490 || ~10 || ~5
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities
|-
! Ailerons (km/h)
! Rudder (km/h)
! Elevators (km/h)
! Radiator (km/h)
|-
| < 420 || < 420 || < 450 || > 324
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Compressor (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 1
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 4,575 m || 885 hp || 947 hp
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
''Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.''

== Armaments ==
=== Offensive armament ===

{{main|Hispano Mk.I (20 mm)}}

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

* 4 x 20 mm Hispano Mk.I cannons, nose-mounted (121 rpg = 484 total)

== Usage in battles ==


The Whirlwind P.9 should be used similarly to other heavy fighters. The flight characteristics are very similar to the [[Whirlwind Mk I]] with the main difference being significantly more ammo.

The P.9 is very effective in a boom and zoom role due to its good climb rate, and powerful armament. However, the relatively low wing break speed in RB does limit you in this role. The Whirlwind P.9 has a good turn rate for a heavy fighter, but will be easily out turned by single-engined fighters. The use of combat flaps will help to balance out this disadvantage. Care must be taken when using the combat flaps, however, as the are prone to snapping off at a relatively low speed.

At this BR you will see many [[BV 238]]<nowiki/>s and [[Me 264]]<nowiki/>s. Heading on these bombers will usually guarantee you a kill, but you still need to be careful of the powerful defensive armament of them. The Whirlwind P.9 has more than double the ammunition count than that of the [[Whirlwind Mk I]] (121 rpg), but it will quickly disappear if you spray too much.

=== Manual Engine Control ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | MEC elements
|-
! rowspan="2" | Mixer
! rowspan="2" | Pitch
! colspan="3" | Radiator
! rowspan="2" | Supercharger
! rowspan="2" | Turbocharger
|-
! Oil !! Water !! Type
|-
| Controllable || Controllable Not auto controlled || Controllable Auto control available || Controllable Auto control available || Separate || Not controllable 1 gear || Not controllable
|-
|}

=== Modules ===
{| class="wikitable"
! Tier
! colspan="2" | Flight performance
! Survivability
! Weaponry
|-
| I
| Fuselage repair
| Radiator
|
| Offensive 20 mm
|-
| II
|
| Compressor
| Airframe
|
|-
| III
| Wings repair
| Engine
|
| New 20 mm cannons
|-
| IV
|
| Engine injection
| Cover
|
|-
|}

As a premium vehicle, all modifications are already unlocked when the vehicle is acquired.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Devastating armament in 4 x nose-mounted 20 mm Hispano cannons
* Closely packed nose-mounted guns are great for head-on attacks
* Good turn rate for a twin-engined fighter
* Decent manoeuvrability for a heavy fighter
* Decent roll rate for a heavy fighter

'''Cons:'''

* Ammo can deplete pretty quickly (though still double that of the [[Whirlwind Mk I]])
* Slower than average dive speed
* Experiences severe control stiffening at speeds above 500 km/h

== History ==
''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the aircraft;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''encyclopedia page on the aircraft;''
* ''other literature.''

{{Britain strike and twin-engine fighters}}
{{Britain premium aircraft}}

F-4C Phantom II

2019-10-30T07:08:48Z

U42886412: trying to link to other phantom

{{Specs-Card|code=f-4c}}
{{About
| about = American jet fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = the RAF version
| link = Phantom FGR.2
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} American jet fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.91 "Night Vision"]].

Development of fighter aircraft attempts to balance size, speed, armament and manoeuvrability to come up with the perfect fighter. Due to the difficulties and challenges of bundling all of these in one aircraft, many different varieties have been developed through the years which highlighted one or more aspects but rarely all in one. And sometimes the mould had to be broken and the motto "bigger IS better" came into play. Due to these such heavyweight fighters like the [[P-61C-1|P-61]], [[Me 410 (Family)|Me 410]], [[Beaufighter (Family)|Beaufighter]], [[J5N1]] and [[SM.91]] were developed to fly faster, remain manoeuvrable and carry heavier weapons and ordnance, sometimes much heavier than their lighter counterparts. The {{PAGENAME}} is no exception, originally developed as a souped-up F-3H Demon, this fighter was modified into a larger, heavier, faster fighter-interceptor/bomber that the U.S. Navy didn't realize it needed and when it did, it went all in.<ref name="Hachette" />

The imposing {{PAGENAME}} can seem a bit intimidating at first due to its size, but the pilot will quickly find that with the dual J79-GE-15 engines that this fighter is no slouch. Going from takeoff, acceleration in a climb and to level flight the {{PAGENAME}} will move and is quite agile for an aircraft of its size. More than capable as a dogfighter, it however has many options up its sleeve to deal with enemy aircraft it may encounter. Pilots new to the {{PAGENAME}} will initially be set up with an M61 20 mm cannon. Due to this aircraft not being configured with an internal cannon, one was required to be mounted on a centre-line pylon. Options become available to mount two additional 20 mm cannon gun pods, one under each wing which all together will spew out a slew of 20 mm rounds acting like a shotgun effect even at >500 m. [[AIM-9B]] and AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles round out the Phantom's anti-air capabilities and is a solid missile to use against enemy aircraft which will cause the enemy pilot to take evasive manoeuvres to avoid the missile. In the event that happens, be ready with the cannons for backup as the enemy pilot should be an easy target after bleeding all of their speed and energy avoiding the missile.

[[File:F 4 phantom markymark 002.jpg|350px|thumb|left|Bird's eye view of a '''{{PAGENAME}}''' from the VF-111 ''Sundowners'' squadron.]]

Another arena where the {{PAGENAME}} shines is in the ground-pounding or ground attack function of the aircraft. With eleven hardpoints, this fighter/bomber can be configured in many different ways to carry a combination of guns, bombs and rockets. When it comes to bombs, the {{PAGENAME}} has the option to use either 250 lb, 500 lb, 750 lb or 1,000 lb bombs and can hold upwards of 9,000 lbs total! The Phantom also has three different rocket types to choose from, depending on the targets you are going after. These range from anti-tank AGM-12B and AGM-12C Bullpup guided rockets, Zuni Mk32 anti-tank rockets and the small but powerful FFAR Mighty Mouse in a volume of 228, which can be devastating when used en masse.

The amazing F-4 Phantom II was state-of-the-art in its day and even 60 years later, several countries are still utilising this iconic fighter/bomber as a force multiplier with their air forces today. This fighter coupled with a pilots skill and determination can help alter the outcome in the jet-battle matches.

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===


The {{PAGENAME}} is an incredibly stable aircraft, however from the way its wingtips and tailplanes look, one might think otherwise. Due to extensive wind tunnel testing, McDonnell engineers determined that by canting the tailplanes downward at a 23° anhedral (inclination) the stability and stall recovery characteristics of the aircraft dramatically improved and in the same fashion they didn't interfere with the engine's jet exhaust. The wings, on the other hand, were developed to be extremely strong to support large suspended armaments; however, they needed to be given a 5° upward inclination, though, to prevent having to redesign the entire wing, the engineers elected to just raise the wingtips at 12° dihedral which averaged the wing at the necessary 5°. The iconic shape of the {{PAGENAME}} was set.<ref name="Hachette" />

With the airframe, wings and tailplanes set in place, the fighter became a stable and solid aircraft. Stability is especially critical with a jet which closes in on the Mach 2 mark. Early speed trials identified flaws in the aircraft which at times proved fatal, but corrections and modifications for later aircraft increased their stability and airworthiness which saved many pilots with damaged aircraft. The {{PAGENAME}} is powered by two General Electric J79-GE-15 engines which are necessary to keep the fighter/bomber in the sky, especially with heavy ordnance loads, however, these engines don't bog down too much under heavy loads as it will still accelerate in a climb, during level flight and during a dive. A testament to the jet and its engines, during one altitude test, the F-4 flew Mach 2 all the way to 90,000 feet where the engines were shut off and the plane coasted up to 98,000 ft, slowing to almost 45 mph and upon dropping back to Earth, fired up its engines at around 70,000 ft and successfully landed.

The Phantom II has the speed and acceleration and also has sufficient manoeuvrability. As a low altitude bomber, the {{PAGENAME}} needed to be manoeuvrable or else it would have been an easier target for either the MiG fighters or the anti-aircraft ground fire. Even with heavy ordnance loads, the Phantom II could still shimmy into position, release its ordnance and then rocket away to higher altitude. Pilots found out early on that some MiG fighters like the -17 were extremely manoeuvrable and had to be prepared to nullify the target to prevent the MiG from getting behind them.
For the {{PAGENAME}} pilot, it is important when bombing targets to keep a look around and watch for enemy fighters attempting to swoop in, attack the ground target and rocket up to safety. When flying at altitude, be careful not to get into a turning fight as the Phantom is a very heavy aircraft and does not turn very well, instead fly fast and work with Boom & Zoom techniques and always watch your six as a MiG may try to sneak up from behind.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="8" | Characteristics
|-
! colspan="8" | ''Stock''
|-
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 12,192 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (meters)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (meters/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (meters)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
| 2,231 || 2,206 || {{Specs|ceiling}} || 26.4 || 27.9 || 144.1 || 135 || 850
|-
! colspan="8" | ''Upgraded''
|-
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 12,192 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (meters)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (meters/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (meters)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
| 2,362 || 2,290 || {{Specs|ceiling}} || 25.6 || 26.0 || 202.1 || 172 || 850
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="5" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear
|-
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="5" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wing-break speed (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear limit (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Combat flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|constructions}} || {{Specs|destruction|chassis}} || 625 || ~11 || ~4
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities
|-
! Ailerons (km/h)
! Rudder (km/h)
! Elevators (km/h)
! Radiator (km/h)
|-
| < 810 || < 750 || < 700 || N/A
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Compressor (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 1
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 0 m || 4,910 kgf || 6,874 kgf
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===

[[File:F 4 phantom sgtroach.png|350px|thumb|right|''Fox-2, Fox-2'' - ROKAF '''{{PAGENAME}}''' launching an [[AIM-9B]] Sidewinder missile.]]
Due to the sheer weight of the {{PAGENAME}} it is surprising to note that there is no armour plating nor any bulletproof canopies. Littered with eight fuel tanks, one in each wing and the other six in the fuselage right above the engines, there isn't much protection for the self-sealing tanks. The Phantom pilot will need to be cognizant of where enemy aircraft are behind them to ensure they prevent their aircraft from taking damage as speed and manoeuvrability are the keys to survival and if lost, there is not much hope for the fighter.

For those aircraft attacking the {{PAGENAME}}, when using machine guns and cannons you can try to blow off a wing or snipe the pilot, however, your best bet will be to aim for centre fuselage where you have the greatest chance of hitting several fuel tanks or even the engines. Firing missiles will cause the pilot to take evasive manoeuvres which may cause the aircraft to pitch up or down which will expose the greatest surface area allowing your guns or cannons to finish the fight as for without any armour, only the thin metal skin separates the incoming bullets from critical {{PAGENAME}} components.

== Armaments ==
=== Suspended armament ===

{{main|M61 (20 mm)|LDGP Mk 81 (250 lb)|LDGP Mk 82 (500 lb)|M117 cone 45 (750 lb)|LDGP Mk 83 (1,000 lb)}}
{{main|AGM-12B Bullpup|AGM-12C Bullpup|FFAR Mighty Mouse|Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP|AIM-9B}}
[[File:F 4 phantom news001.jpg|450px|thumb|right|Three-quarter view of an '''{{PAGENAME}}''' displaying the variance of suspended armament.]]
The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

* 1 x 20 mm M61 Vulcan rotary cannon in a SUU-16/SUU-23 gun pod (approximately 1200 rounds)
* 2 x additional SUU-16/SUU-23 gun pods for a total of 3 x M61 Vulcan 20 mm cannons
* 18 x 250 lb. Mk.81 bombs (4,500 lbs total)
* 18 x 500 lb. Mk.82 bombs (9,000 lbs total)
* 12 x 750 lb. M117 cone 45 bombs (9,000 lbs total)
* 8 x 1000 lb. Mk.83 bombs (8,000 lbs total)
* 2 - 4 x AGM-12 Bullpup Air-to-Surface Missiles
* 48 x Mk. 32 Zuni ATAP rockets
* 228 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
* 4 x AIM-9B Sidewinder missiles

It is rare for a fighter not to have any native offensive weapons, typically this is a situation you would find on a bomber. The {{PAGENAME}} is unique in that what it lacks in offensive weapons, it more than makes up for in suspended weapons. With a total of 11 hardpoint pylons, an array of guns, bombs, rockets and missiles can be added, fully customizing the mission to suit the needs of the pilot. The pilot has the choice of configuring for air-to-air, air-to-ground or a mixture of both (bombs and Bullpup rockets are ground attack only, missiles are air-to-air attack only while the cannons, Zuni and FFAR rockets can be used for both).

In regards to air-to-air combat, the {{PAGENAME}} is hard-pressed to find a competitor on equal footing, but that can be found with an exceptional pilot flying a less than equal aircraft. This fighter is fast and with its speed, it can relatively sneak up on enemy fighters by closing the gap on the field with its twin J79-GE-15 engines. Once in place and the enemy is in range, two options are available, guns or missiles? The M-61 Vulcan cannon can spew 20 mm rounds at the rate of just over 6,000 rounds per minute (roughly 100 per second), now multiply that by three (if the Phantom is configured for three gun pods) and you can see devastating firepower which will be difficult for any enemy aircraft to avoid. Even just quick bursts at a manoeuvring fighter can be enough to inflict critical damage or even blowing off a wing. Ground attack with the guns can be effective on lighter armoured vehicles with just a few quick bursts.

The AIM-9B Sidewinder is the missile option available for the {{PAGENAME}}. During the Vietnam War when F-4D model aircraft began operations, it did so without the capability of mounting AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, just Sidewinders. Sidewinders had gained a reputation of not being reliable (not firing, not tracking, not exploding) so several squadrons had their F-4D fighters field outfitted with the ability to mount their trusted Sidewinder missiles. Here on the {{PAGENAME}}, four Sidewinders are available and are very effective at hounding down an aircraft when a lock is acquired. Though not 100% chance to hit, a very competent pilot can avoid them, however, it will cost much in speed and situational awareness that it ends up making them an easy target to clean up with the cannons.
[[File:F 4 phantom markymark 001.jpg ‎|350px|thumb|left|VF-96 ''Showtime-100'' '''{{PAGENAME}}''' unloading bombs in Vietnam.]]
Zuni and FFAR rockets can be utilised effectively against bombers or even against other fighters, especially during a head-on. Though unguided and not very accurate, usually a salvo of these rockets is enough to cause an enemy to panic into an unexpected manoeuvre. Usage of these rockets on ground targets works very well too. Again, with them being unguided, shooting them en masse ensure greater possibility of one or more to hit the target. The AGM-12B Bullpup rockets are excellent rockets to use against ground targets, however, the one drawback is that it needs to be guided in by the pilot, so if there are any distractions to the pilot, the rocket will likely go off course and miss the target.

9,000 lbs. Yes, you read that number correctly, the {{PAGENAME}} can carry up to 9,000 lbs of bombs, which is half of what a [[B-29A-BN|B-29]] bomber could carry, however, the Phantom is quite a bit more accurate dropping from much lower altitudes. Using combinations of 250, 500, 750 and 1,000 lb bombs allows the pilot to pick targets accordingly. To ensure the {{PAGENAME}} is not left defenceless after the bombs are away, each configuration has at least one 20 mm cannon pod and/or AIM-9B missiles to go with it.

== Usage in battles ==

The {{PAGENAME}} relies on brute force to get its job done. With this version of the Phantom II, there is no protective armour, there are no defensive weapons and there are no countermeasures to ward off the enemy and the weapons they bring to the table. As a brute, the Phantom II muscles its way into a fight, it brings the big guns whether it is cannons, rockets, bombs, missiles or any combination of them and when it does bring them, it brings lots of them. When attacking a Phantom, don't assume it is just a fighter, interceptor or a bomber as it can switch roles on the fly depending on its suspended armament loadout and what needs to be done.

;Air-to-air

The {{PAGENAME}} was originally developed to be an all-weather fleet defensive interceptor for the U.S. Navy, however that role was already taken by the Vought F-8 Crusader, so going back to the drawing board, McDonnell engineers reconfigured the Phantom II so that it can be more versatile and be configured with weapons to suit the mission needed or the branch of military it would be flying for.<ref name="Hachette" /> Though large and intimidating, the Phantom II is a fast-moving beast of an aircraft which can hold its own in air-to-air combat. Due to its size and weight, turn fighting is not the best way to handle the aircraft as with its speed, acceleration and climbing abilities, it can Boom & Zoom with the best of them.

Typically two weapons can be mounted which help this fighter excel in combat of this type and which are AIM-9B Sidewinder missiles and M-61 Vulcan cannons (in a configuration of one or three). The Vulcan cannons can spray the area in front of the Phantom II with an insane amount of 20 mm rounds, especially when three gun pods are mounted which almost has a shotgun scatter effect by the time it gets to where the enemy fighter is and should put enough holes in it with a few quick bursts to get a critical or even just destroy the enemy aircraft. Sometimes the cannons may not be the right option and for this, the AIM-9B comes into play. The Sidewinder missile is very effective and has a very low failure rate, though, in the hands of a good pilot, an enemy fighter does have a chance to evade the missile. The {{PAGENAME}} carries four AIM-9Bs and can utilize them to "spook" an enemy aircraft which might have an energy advantage to attempt energy bleeding manoeuvres to avoid the missile only inadvertently actually setting them up for an easy fly-by kill with the Phantom II's cannons.
Rockets are another option for this aircraft, however for air-to-air combat, the Folding-Fin Aerial Rockets are the best bet of the three as they were designed to be fired off in large groups to take down large bombers, however, the Phantom II can make use of them not only with bombers but also against fighters attempting a head-on pass or even aircraft landing on airfield in domination matches, as a salvo of missiles will end short their attempt to capture the airfield.

;Ground pounding

[[File:F 4 phantom iscari.png‎|450px|thumb|right|Fully loaded '''{{PAGENAME}}''' en route to bombing site.]]
The {{PAGENAME}} was not called a ''Mud Mover'' for nothing as with its legendary suspended ordnance options it can quickly reshape the landscape with bombs and rockets.<ref name="Hachette" /> One of the other configurations the McDonnell engineers designed the Phantom II for was to fit the role of a bomber. Knowing ahead of time this option would increase the fighters value as a force multiplier, the aircraft's wings were originally super strengthened to support eleven hardpoint pylons to allow for up to 9,000 lbs of bombs to be carried (''to keep this in perspective, two {{PAGENAME}}s with four crew members could carry the same max weight of bombs of what one B-29 bomber with a total crew of 10 could but could do it a lot faster and at a lot lower altitude'').
The bomb options for the Phantom II range from 250, 500, 750 and 1,000 lb bombs which will allow this fighter/bomber to virtually attack any ground target on the map to include large bases. As a bonus, once all of the bombs have been dropped, the F-4 will not be a sitting duck while waiting for the reload timer (arcade) or when heading back to base (realistic and simulator) to reload as each loadout option includes one 20 mm gun pod to allow for a continued attack. Zuni and FFAR Might Mouse rockets can be used for great effect on vehicles and anti-aircraft sites, especially those which are clustered close together, however against heavy pillboxes and heavy tanks they might not do much. The final option is to outfit the AGM-12B or AGM-12C Bullpup rockets. These rockets are a mixed bag for the pilot as they excel at being used against tanks due to their 250 lb warhead; however, on the flip side, these rockets are MCLOS (manual command line of sight) which requires the Phantom II pilot to guide the rocket all the way to the target. Any cause for pilot deviation could potentially throw the Bullpup off course. During the guiding phase of Bullpup on the way to the target, a Phantom II is vulnerable as the pilot cannot be looking around for incoming enemy aircraft and must keep a visual on the target until the rocket hits its target.

;Bait attack

The {{PAGENAME}} is a phenomenal aircraft to use in a group manoeuvre known as a baiting attack. This fighter can play both roles as either the bait or an attacking aircraft. For this to work, the Phantom II can be used as the bait aircraft, which flies in a way to attract the attention of an enemy fighter (or two), after closing in, the Phantom II should use its speed and acceleration to go into a climb, almost like setting up for a rope-a-dope manoeuvre. While the enemy aircraft are attempting to chase the F-4 in the climb the group buddies can swoop in and take out the distracted enemy aircraft. Due to the fast speed and acceleration of the F-4, it can also be used as the support aircraft in the manoeuvre as with its cannons and missiles; it can lunge in to take out the baited enemy fighters.

;Most dangerous enemies

MiG fighters tend to be the most dangerous enemies, especially the MiG-21 which extremely agile and can typically outmanoeuvre the F-4. The max speed of the MiG-21 is comparable with the F-4, whereas the earlier MiG 17 and 19 will get left in the dust as they are almost only half as fast. The MiG-21 does not carry air-to-air missiles; however, it is configured with rockets and a 30 mm cannon which can rain destruction down on the {{PAGENAME}}. Best bet against a MiG-21 is to attempt to first cripple the aircraft either during a head-on approach or through a missile, rocket or gun attack, once it is operating at less than 100%, it will be easier to manoeuvre around it and set up for the killing blow.

[[File:F 4 phantom commander drew.jpg|450px|thumb|right|Artistic rendition of a '''{{PAGENAME}}''' in a power climb.]]

=== Modules ===
{| class="wikitable"
! Tier
! Flight performance
! Survivability
! colspan="4" | Weaponry
|-
| I
| Compressor
| Fuselage repair
| Offensive 20 mm cannons
| Mk81
| AGM-12B Bullpup
|
|-
| II
| New boosters
| Airframe
| New 20 mm cannons
| Mk82
| AGM-81C Bullpup
| AIM-9B
|-
| III
| Wings repair
| G-suit
| Gun pod SUU-23/A.
| M117
| LAU-3/A
| AIM-9E
|-
| IV
| Engine
| Cover
|
| Mk83
| LAU-10/A
|
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Centre-line gun pod is default weapon on all load-outs
* Wide variety of payload options to include 20 mm cannons, rockets, missiles and bombs
* Suffers no performance lost when equipped with 3 gun pods
* One of the fastest aircraft in the game pushing Mach 2
* Has access to the fantastic AIM-9 Sidewinders air-to-air missiles
* Excellent rate of climb
* Excellent acceleration
* Good roll rate
* M61 Vulcan is devastating to enemy aircraft (especially when three gun pods are outfitted)

'''Cons:'''

* Missiles are a Tier IV modification which requires unlocking before use
* The gun pods are pointed downwards
* Large target profile compared to other fighters
* Poor turning ability unless using minimum fuel
* When maxed out at 24 t (21,800 kg/48,000 lb) manoeuvrability suffers
* Using wing-mounted hardpoints will break wings at low altitudes at Mach +1.10

{{Notice|'''Fun Fact''': The {{PAGENAME}}'s air-intake splitters each have ''12,500'' small holes drilled into them to reduce incoming turbulence and allow the maximum amount of ram air available into the air-intakes for the engines.}}

== History ==

McDonnell Aircraft Corporation began operations in 1939, though it didn't produce any fighter aircraft for the second great war, it did make a name for itself manufacturing aircraft parts for other aircraft. Though the company worked on a prototype twin-engine, single-seat interceptor aircraft, the XP-67 ''Bat'' (also known as ''Moonbat''), the destruction of the prototype due to an engine fire caused the project to be cancelled. However, starting in 1943, McDonnell began developing jet aircraft and successfully produced the FH-1 Phantom during the post-war era.<ref name="Hachette" /> The success of the Phantom prompted other McDonnell aircraft to have similar features such as the dual engines placed forward under the fuselage and exiting just behind the wings, unlike many single-engine jet fighters which ran the rear length of the aircraft and exited out the rear. Follow on aircraft which shared the engine style of the Phantom was the F2H Banshee, F3H Demon and the F-101 Voodoo.<ref name="Hachette" />

Though McDonnell had initial success with the Phantom and Banshee, they started having problems with the Demon, though it was not because of the aircraft itself, however, it was because of the engines it was outfitted with. The aircraft was sound in its construction and aerodynamics. Later after the Westinghouse XJ40 turbojet was replaced with the Allison J71, the Demon saw greater success.<ref name="Hachette" /> The F-101 Voodoo was an excellent performing aircraft which fulfilled its multi-role capability as an interceptor, fighter/bomber and reconnaissance aircraft, however, when going up against Vought Aircraft Company for a contract with the Navy, McDonnell lost out with the F-8 Crusader being the winner<ref name="Joiner" />.

McDonnell's response to this failure was to task their design team to build a fighter aircraft that the Navy could not refuse, but they did not yet know they needed. Part of the time spent gathering information included interviews with pilots and their wives and one major find was that while the pilots loved to fly fast single-engine fighters, they felt safer in an aircraft which had two engines. With this and other information in hand, McDonnell knew that they needed a single-seat, long-range attack aircraft which manifested itself in a full-size mock-up as the F3H-H, looking noticeably like a combination of a shortened Demon with the swept wings of a Banshee, plus straight tailplanes and an aerodynamic fuselage. This fighter was outfitted with four internal 20 mm cannons plus numerous external payload pylons mounted under the wings and fuselage. The F3H-H was considered more than just an aircraft and was evolving into what would be known as a weapon system. The original engines specified for this aircraft were the Wright J65-W-2, but McDonnell was eyeballing the new General Electric J79 engines for this project.<ref name="Hachette" />

The F3H-H was soon changed to the AH-1 (later the F4H-1) when it went into prototype status, but the aircraft was still having difficulty trying to find a place in the Navy as existing aircraft were already fulfilling the same roles. To make a fit, it was understood to the McDonnell engineers that major changes and modifications were needed to be made, the biggest of which was adding a second crew member.<ref name="Hachette" /> Also, the Navy was willing to sit down and detail out all of the requirements they would need the aircraft to have before they would consider buying it.<ref name="Joiner" /> Three other major requirements were that the aircraft was to be outfitted with the GE J79 engines, the aircraft was to be capable of Mach 2 and the internal 20 mm cannons were removed from the design. Upon the Navy committing to two prototypes, McDonnell knew they needed to undergo a major redesign of the flight surfaces. Through extensive wind tunnel testing the rear tailplanes ended up needing to be bent downward at a 23° anhedral while remaining clear of the jet exhaust. The wings needed to go through a similar change of a 5° dihedral, however, to save time and engineering, it was settled on just adjusting the outer most section of the wings at 12° dihedral which averaged to 5° across the entire wing.<ref name="Hachette" />

Though the first two test flights of the F4H-1 ran into issues (after the first one, the right engine needed to be replaced due to foreign object damage to the compressor blades), flights three and four went smoothly including exceeding Mach 1. The F4H-1 was then shipped to Edwards Air Force Base where it was tested against the Crusader III where after being tested to its full capabilities showed that is undeniably beat the Vought aircraft across the board. Following this McDonnell followed up with breaking a height record where an F4H-1 successfully reached 98,500 ft in altitude and successfully returned. After this, the name of the jet was agreed to be the ''Phantom II'' which was a nod to the Navy's first jet fighter, the FH-1 Phantom.<ref name="Hachette" />

The United States Marine Corps had shown interest in the F-4 program since its inception as they were tired of the worn-out hand-me-downs that Navy tended to give them.<ref name="Roblin" /> Impressed with the payload and range of the aircraft, the Corps went all in with this fighter to augment and enhance their current aircraft inventory. The United States Air Force, on the other hand, baulked at the F-4, believing it to be a second-rate fighter having to be constrained to be built for carrier operations. However, the Air Force could not turn down a request to pit the Phantom II against their finest fighter, the Convair F-106 Delta Dart. During the endurance trials between the two aircraft, again it was shown that the F-4 excelled in just about every area tested (speed, payload, altitude, range and maintenance hours needed) over the F-106 and because of this, the Air Force requested two prototypes for further evaluation.<ref name="Hachette" /> At this point the Navy was receiving the F-4B fighters and ultimately after further testing, the Air Force put in an urgent request for a transfer of 29 Navy F-4Bs while the Air Forces F-4C models were being built.<ref name="Hachette" />

Air Force versions of the F-4C differed from the Navy's F-4B in that the C version had additional ground-attack capabilities along with a full set of controls for the rear seat.<ref name="Joiner" /> The rear-seater was typically a junior pilot nicknamed "Wizzo" or Weapons Systems Operator. Other changes included a reworking of the landing gear which led to lower pressure, but wider tires and an anti-skid assembly attached to the landing gear.<ref name="Hachette" /> The refuelling probe was replaced with a receptacle in the spine of the fighter (for boom refuelling operations) and the cockpit was reconfigured to improve visibility for the guy in back. Updated SST-181X Combat Skyspot radar bombing system allowed the F-4s to accomplish bombing missions under complete cloud cover. Though, not essential to the Air Force, their F-4s did retain the Navy's folding wings, catapult hooks and arrestor hook.<ref name="Hachette" />

Initial deliveries of the F-4C delivered them in the standard non-combat grey and white paintwork; however, upon arriving in Vietnam at Udon RTAFB in Thailand, the aircraft was painted to the more appropriate green and brown tactical camouflage.<ref name="Hachette" />

===[[wt:en/news/6352-development-f-4c-phantom-ii-the-record-breaker-en|Devblog]]===
In the early 1950s, McDonnell Aircraft began work on a revised design of their F3H Demon naval fighter, in an effort to expand upon its capabilities and improve performance in general. By September 1953, the design was submitted for Navy consideration. Showing interest in the project, the U.S. Navy ordered the construction of a mock-up and expressed interest in potentially procuring the type.

By 1955, however, the U.S. Navy changed the requirements for the aircraft substantially. Instead of a multipurpose aircraft, the new design was now supposed to act as a two-seat, long-range, all-weather fleet interceptor. Having revised the design, orders were issued for the construction of two XF4H-1 prototypes as well as an additional five pre-production F4H-1s. Following comparative testing against other machines in service with the Navy at the time, the F4H proved itself as highly capable aircraft and was thus ordered into full-scale production as the F-4. The name ‘Phantom II' was given to the aircraft at McDonnell's 20th anniversary celebration in July 1959.

Some time after the Navy procured the F-4, other branches of the U.S. military also became interested in the aircraft. A result, the USAF also introduced a special "army" version of the F-4 into service during the mid 1960s under the designation F-4C.

The F-4 Phantom II would become one of the most produced and widely used American combat aircraft of the second half of the 20th century. With over 5,100 machines being built, the F-4 Phantom II saw service with several operators around the globe and remained in service until the 1990s, while some still serve to this day. Phantom II is widely known as a symbol of the US campaign in Vietnam, in particular.

== Media ==

<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:F 4 phantom news002.jpg|thumb|none|250px|]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:F 4 phantom news003.jpg|thumb|none|250px|]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:F 4 phantom news004.jpg|thumb|none|250px|]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:F 4 phantom news005.jpg|thumb|none|250px|]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:F 4 phantom news006.jpg|thumb|none|250px|]] </li>
</ul></div>

=== Notable pilots ===
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Robin_Olds_portrait.jpg|thumb|none|300px|link=User:U64962917#Olds,_Robin.|During the Vietnam war [[User:U64962917#Olds, Robin|Robin Olds]] flew the '''F-4C''' and '''F-4D''' fighters and failed to claim aircraft kills after #4 to prevent attaining ace status to remain flying in the war as long as possible.]] </li>
</ul></div>

== See also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the aircraft;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/6352-development-f-4c-phantom-ii-the-record-breaker-en|[Development<nowiki>]</nowiki> F-4C Phantom II: The Record Breaker]]
* [https://www.airspacemag.com/military-aviation/what-couldnt-f-4-phantom-do-180953944/ AirandSpaceMag.com - What Couldn't the F-4 Phantom Do?]
* [https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/why-you-need-respect-mcdonnell-douglas-f-4-phantom-ii-fighter-52862 Nationalinterest.org - Why You Need to Respect the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II Fighter]

== References ==
<references>
<ref name="Hachette">Hachette Partworks LTD. (2019). McDonnell F-4 Phantom II - The Greatest Warplane in the West. (5th ed.). London: Hachette Partworks LTD. ISSN:2517-259X</ref>
<ref name="Joiner">Joiner, S. (2015, March). What Couldn't the F-4 Phantom Do? Retrieved from https://www.airspacemag.com/military-aviation/what-couldnt-f-4-phantom-do-180953944/.</ref>
<ref name="Roblin">Roblin, S. (2019, April 17). Why You Need to Respect the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II Fighter. Retrieved from https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/why-you-need-respect-mcdonnell-douglas-f-4-phantom-ii-fighter-52862.</ref>
</references>

{{USA jet aircraft}}

Phantom FGR.2

2019-10-30T07:05:04Z

U42886412: maybe this will work

{{Specs-Card|code=f-4m_fgr2}}
{{About
| about = British jet fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = the USAF version
| link = F-4C Phantom II
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British jet fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.93 "Shark Attack"]].

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
''Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.''

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="8" | Characteristics
|-
! colspan="8" | ''Stock''
|-
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 12,192 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (meters)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (meters/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (meters)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
| ??? || ??? || {{Specs|ceiling}} || ??.? || ??.? || ??.? || ??.? || 850
|-
! colspan="8" | ''Upgraded''
|-
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 12,192 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (meters)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (meters/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (meters)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
| ??? || ??? || {{Specs|ceiling}} || ??.? || ??.? || ??.? || ??.? || 850
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="5" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear
|-
| X || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="5" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wing-break speed (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear limit (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Combat flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|constructions}} || {{Specs|destruction|chassis}} || 625 || ~11 || ~4
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities
|-
! Ailerons (km/h)
! Rudder (km/h)
! Elevators (km/h)
! Radiator (km/h)
|-
| < 810 || < 750 || < 700 || N/A
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Compressor (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 1
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 0 m || 5,120 kgf || 7,168 kgf
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
''Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.''

== Armaments ==
=== Offensive armament ===
''Describe the offensive armament of the aircraft, if any. Describe how effective the cannons and machine guns are in a battle, and also what belts or drums are better to use. If there is no offensive weaponry, delete this subsection.''

=== Suspended armament ===
''Describe the aircraft's suspended armament: additional cannons under the wings, bombs, rockets and torpedoes. This section is especially important for bombers and attackers. If there is no suspended weaponry remove this subsection.''

=== Defensive armament ===
''Defensive armament with turret machine guns or cannons, crewed by gunners. Examine the number of gunners and what belts or drums are better to use. If defensive weaponry is not available, remove this subsection.''

== Usage in battles ==
''Describe the tactics of playing in the aircraft, the features of using aircraft in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''

=== Pros and cons ===
''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".''

'''Pros:'''

*

'''Cons:'''

*

== History ==
''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the aircraft;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''encyclopedia page on the aircraft;''
* ''other literature.''

{{Britain jet aircraft}}

Phantom FGR.2

2019-10-30T07:02:23Z

U42886412: trying to link other phantom

{{Specs-Card|code=f-4m_fgr2}}{{About}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British jet fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.93 "Shark Attack"]].

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
''Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.''

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="8" | Characteristics
|-
! colspan="8" | ''Stock''
|-
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 12,192 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (meters)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (meters/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (meters)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
| ??? || ??? || {{Specs|ceiling}} || ??.? || ??.? || ??.? || ??.? || 850
|-
! colspan="8" | ''Upgraded''
|-
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 12,192 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (meters)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (meters/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (meters)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
| ??? || ??? || {{Specs|ceiling}} || ??.? || ??.? || ??.? || ??.? || 850
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="5" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear
|-
| X || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="5" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wing-break speed (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear limit (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Combat flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|constructions}} || {{Specs|destruction|chassis}} || 625 || ~11 || ~4
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities
|-
! Ailerons (km/h)
! Rudder (km/h)
! Elevators (km/h)
! Radiator (km/h)
|-
| < 810 || < 750 || < 700 || N/A
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Compressor (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 1
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 0 m || 5,120 kgf || 7,168 kgf
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
''Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.''

== Armaments ==
=== Offensive armament ===
''Describe the offensive armament of the aircraft, if any. Describe how effective the cannons and machine guns are in a battle, and also what belts or drums are better to use. If there is no offensive weaponry, delete this subsection.''

=== Suspended armament ===
''Describe the aircraft's suspended armament: additional cannons under the wings, bombs, rockets and torpedoes. This section is especially important for bombers and attackers. If there is no suspended weaponry remove this subsection.''

=== Defensive armament ===
''Defensive armament with turret machine guns or cannons, crewed by gunners. Examine the number of gunners and what belts or drums are better to use. If defensive weaponry is not available, remove this subsection.''

== Usage in battles ==
''Describe the tactics of playing in the aircraft, the features of using aircraft in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''

=== Pros and cons ===
''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".''

'''Pros:'''

*

'''Cons:'''

*

== History ==
''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the aircraft;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''encyclopedia page on the aircraft;''
* ''other literature.''

{{Britain jet aircraft}}

Phantom FGR.2

2019-10-30T06:59:22Z

U42886412: added link to other phantom

{{About
| about = British jet fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = the USAF version
| link = F-4C Phantom II
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British jet fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.93 "Shark Attack"]].

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
''Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.''

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="8" | Characteristics
|-
! colspan="8" | ''Stock''
|-
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 12,192 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (meters)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (meters/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (meters)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
| ??? || ??? || {{Specs|ceiling}} || ??.? || ??.? || ??.? || ??.? || 850
|-
! colspan="8" | ''Upgraded''
|-
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 12,192 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (meters)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (meters/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (meters)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
| ??? || ??? || {{Specs|ceiling}} || ??.? || ??.? || ??.? || ??.? || 850
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="5" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear
|-
| X || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="5" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wing-break speed (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear limit (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Combat flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|constructions}} || {{Specs|destruction|chassis}} || 625 || ~11 || ~4
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities
|-
! Ailerons (km/h)
! Rudder (km/h)
! Elevators (km/h)
! Radiator (km/h)
|-
| < 810 || < 750 || < 700 || N/A
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Compressor (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 1
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 0 m || 5,120 kgf || 7,168 kgf
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
''Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.''

== Armaments ==
=== Offensive armament ===
''Describe the offensive armament of the aircraft, if any. Describe how effective the cannons and machine guns are in a battle, and also what belts or drums are better to use. If there is no offensive weaponry, delete this subsection.''

=== Suspended armament ===
''Describe the aircraft's suspended armament: additional cannons under the wings, bombs, rockets and torpedoes. This section is especially important for bombers and attackers. If there is no suspended weaponry remove this subsection.''

=== Defensive armament ===
''Defensive armament with turret machine guns or cannons, crewed by gunners. Examine the number of gunners and what belts or drums are better to use. If defensive weaponry is not available, remove this subsection.''

== Usage in battles ==
''Describe the tactics of playing in the aircraft, the features of using aircraft in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''

=== Pros and cons ===
''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".''

'''Pros:'''

*

'''Cons:'''

*

== History ==
''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the aircraft;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''encyclopedia page on the aircraft;''
* ''other literature.''

{{Britain jet aircraft}}

Phantom FGR.2

2019-10-30T06:58:38Z

U42886412: linked to other phantom

{{Specs-Card|code=f-4m_fgr2}}
{{About
| about = British jet fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = the USAF version
| link = F-4C Phantom II
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British jet fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.93 "Shark Attack"]].

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
''Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.''

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="8" | Characteristics
|-
! colspan="8" | ''Stock''
|-
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 12,192 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (meters)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (meters/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (meters)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
| ??? || ??? || {{Specs|ceiling}} || ??.? || ??.? || ??.? || ??.? || 850
|-
! colspan="8" | ''Upgraded''
|-
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 12,192 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (meters)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (meters/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (meters)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
| ??? || ??? || {{Specs|ceiling}} || ??.? || ??.? || ??.? || ??.? || 850
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="5" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear
|-
| X || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="5" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wing-break speed (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear limit (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Combat flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|constructions}} || {{Specs|destruction|chassis}} || 625 || ~11 || ~4
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities
|-
! Ailerons (km/h)
! Rudder (km/h)
! Elevators (km/h)
! Radiator (km/h)
|-
| < 810 || < 750 || < 700 || N/A
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Compressor (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 1
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 0 m || 5,120 kgf || 7,168 kgf
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
''Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.''

== Armaments ==
=== Offensive armament ===
''Describe the offensive armament of the aircraft, if any. Describe how effective the cannons and machine guns are in a battle, and also what belts or drums are better to use. If there is no offensive weaponry, delete this subsection.''

=== Suspended armament ===
''Describe the aircraft's suspended armament: additional cannons under the wings, bombs, rockets and torpedoes. This section is especially important for bombers and attackers. If there is no suspended weaponry remove this subsection.''

=== Defensive armament ===
''Defensive armament with turret machine guns or cannons, crewed by gunners. Examine the number of gunners and what belts or drums are better to use. If defensive weaponry is not available, remove this subsection.''

== Usage in battles ==
''Describe the tactics of playing in the aircraft, the features of using aircraft in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''

=== Pros and cons ===
''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".''

'''Pros:'''
*

'''Cons:'''
*

== History ==
''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
* ''reference to the series of the aircraft;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''encyclopedia page on the aircraft;''
* ''other literature.''

{{Britain jet aircraft}}

Enduring Confrontation

2019-09-30T10:32:07Z

U42886412: changed "right" to "left"

Enduring Confrontation (also known as “EC”) is a separate game mode for aircraft in War Thunder. Unlike in traditional random battles, this mode allows you to join a battle at any time. You also have unlimited respawns, subject to certain rules. In EC, the emphasis is on the players’ ability to influence the situation on the battlefield.

Battles in EC occur as Events, so you can find this mode in the “Events and Tournaments” section underneath the “To Battle” button. EC is the primary game mode for aircraft in Simulator Battles, and a simplified version of it in Arcade Battles is the only separate game mode for helicopters. To join a battle in Enduring Confrontation, you can either wait in the general queue as you would in random battles, or call up a list of active rooms (ongoing battles) sorted by country and rank and, if there are available spots on a team, join your preferred side in that room. You can call up a list of rooms by pressing the button of the same name.

==Main differences between Enduring Confrontation and random battles:==

*Battles are longer. Every battle lasts 3 hours, but can end earlier if one of the teams meets the conditions for winning. You don’t have to participate in the entire battle from beginning to end. Players can leave the battle and come back to it whenever they want (as long as there are free spots on their team), but you can’t change teams during a battle.

*You have an unlimited number of respawns in EC, but the number of different aircraft you can use over the course of a battle is limited by your Spawn Points (“SP”) and the fact that aircraft are temporarily blocked when lost. At the beginning of a battle, you only have access to aircraft with a small BR value. To unlock other aircraft, you need to earn SP.

*In EC, players have more opportunities to alter the situation on the battlefield both directly and indirectly, and the distribution of power across both teams can change several times depending on the success of the players on one side or the other.

*There are various mechanics that are unique to EC, such as the front line and modular airfields.

==Ranks in Enduring Confrontation==
Depending on the BR of the aircraft being used, there are five ranks in EC battles:

*The first rank includes aircraft with a BR of between 1.0 and 2.0. Aircraft with a BR of between 1.0 and 2.0 are allowed into battle.
*The second rank includes aircraft with a BR of between 2.3 and 3.3. Aircraft with a BR of between 1.0 and 3.3 are allowed into battle.
*The third rank includes aircraft with a BR of between 3.7 and 4.7. Aircraft with a BR of between 1.0 and 4.7 are allowed into battle.
*The fourth rank includes aircraft with a BR of between 5.0 and 6.3. Aircraft with a BR of between 1.0 and 6.3 are allowed into battle.
*The fifth rank includes aircraft with a BR of 6.7 or more. All aircraft are allowed into battle.

==Spawn Points==
Taking off in an aircraft in Enduring Confrontation costs Spawn Points (“SP”). The number of SP you need to take off in a specific aircraft depends on how much its BR exceeds the starting BR of the particular EC rank. You don’t need any SP to take off in aircraft with a starting BR (for example, 1.0 for rank 1 or 3.7 for rank 3). The more an aircraft’s BR exceeds the starting BR, the more SP you need to take off. To take off in an aircraft with the maximum BR for a given rank (for example, 2.0 for rank 1 or 4.7 for rank 3), you need 450 SP. The number of SP you need to take off in each specific aircraft from the current set is displayed on the bottom part of the aircraft’s card in the set, to the left of its BR.

[[File:Enduring_Confrontation_1.png|class=dynamic_image]]

Every player has their own SP balance that is maintained throughout the course of a given battle. Points can be earned by achieving mission objectives, destroying enemy vehicles, and bombing targets such as enemy bases and airfields. If you end a battle with a positive SP balance, the SP you have accumulated will be transferred to the next battle you fight for the same country in this EC rank, but the maximum number of SP you can take to the next battle is 200. Your current SP balance is displayed in the top right corner of the map.
SP spent to take off in an aircraft are deducted from your balance the moment you press the “To Battle” button. If your aircraft is lost, the SP you spent are lost as well. If you get your aircraft back to an airfield in working condition after repairing and refueling, the SP you spend are refunded to you as soon as you get out of the aircraft.

[[File:Enduring_Confrontation_2.png|class=dynamic_image]]

==New Aircraft Security Deposit==
In Enduring Confrontation you are not charged any funds to repair lost vehicles, but you do pay a security deposit in Silver Lions (“SL”) for each new aircraft you use in battle. The amount of the security deposit is shown at the bottom of the aircraft’s card in the set, to the left of the number of SP required to take off in it. The security deposit is charged the moment you press the “To Battle” button. If you keep your aircraft in one piece, perform a decent landing on an airfield, and get out of the aircraft, you won’t have to pay a security deposit next time you take off in that aircraft – you’ve already paid it. However, if you lose an aircraft, you’ll have to make another security deposit next time you take off in it. If you can keep the aircraft in one piece until the end of the battle, your security deposit will be refunded.

==Vehicle BR and Time Limits when Losing an Aircraft==
If you a lose an aircraft with a BR above the starting level, all aircraft of the same type with this BR (fighters, attack aircraft, bombers) are temporarily blocked. The duration of the block depends on how far the aircraft’s BR is from the starting level. The minimum block duration is 5 minutes, and the maximum (for aircraft with the maximum BR for a given rank) is 30 minutes. There is no block for vehicles with a BR that is equal to or below the starting level.

==Requirements and Recommendations for Building Vehicle Sets==
Mandatory requirement: when joining a battle in Enduring Confrontation mode, you must have at least one aircraft with a BR equal to, or below, the starting level for this rank. This is the aircraft that will be available for takeoff without paying any SP at the beginning of the battle. If you don’t have any aircraft in your current set that meet this requirement, you will be given a random stock aircraft when joining the battle. It will be placed in your first free crew slot. However, any experience points you earn in this stock aircraft will not go toward unlocking new modules.

To fight most effectively and ensure greater flexibility depending on the current situation, we recommend building a separate aircraft set of at least three aircraft for each EC rank. It would be wise to include the following aircraft in each set:
One or more aircraft with a BR equal to or below the starting level – for accumulating SP at the beginning of the battle or if you don’t have enough.
Two or more aircraft with different BRs within the framework of a given EC rank – for increased flexibility in the context of using more effective aircraft if one or more BRs are blocked due to lost aircraft.
We recommend including aircraft of various types in a set (fighters, strike aircraft, bombers) in order to increase your tactical flexibility and allow you to withstand enemy aircraft and ground vehicles on the front line over the course of the battle, as well as for performing bombing runs against enemy bases and airfields. You should also keep in mind that a block on vehicles with the same BR extends only to aircraft of the same type as the lost aircraft.

==Conditions for Winning and Losing==
To win a battle, a team must fulfill one of the following conditions:

# Earn 150,000 victory points. The victory points for both teams are always displayed in the lower left corner of the screen when you are in the cockpit. Teams are awarded victory points for completing mission objectives and, to a lesser extent, for destroying enemy vehicles.

[[File:Enduring_Confrontation_3.png|class=dynamic_image]]

#Destroy the airstrips and living quarters of all three of the enemy’s airfields. You can read more about airfield zones in the “Modular Airfields” section.
#Victory is automatically awarded to the team that has earned the most victory points when the time limit for the battle ends (the limit for all battles in 3 hours).

==Mission Objectives, Explicit and Hidden==
As in other game modes, there are special mission objectives in EC for which a team can earn victory points. They can be divided into “explicit” and “hidden” objectives. The difference is that explicit objectives are displayed in the list of current objectives on the map during battle, and hidden objectives are not (this is done in order to save space on the list and not fill it up with obvious objectives). In other words, hidden objectives are always in effect, so they aren’t listed on the objectives list, although they are still assumed to be there. Victory points are awarded for completing both explicit and hidden objectives.

Hidden objectives:

*Earn 150,000 points to win the battle.
*Find an enemy airfield – at the beginning of the battle, when the location of the enemy’s airfields is still unknown.
*Destroy the enemy airfield in a certain sector.
*Help win a skirmish in a certain sector – you can participate in destroying enemy ground vehicles in an active ground skirmish where one side is attacking, and the other is defending. There can be multiple active skirmishes at the same time in various sectors of the map (or even in the same sector, but in different directions). The attacking side in a skirmish is shown as an arrow on the map. The blue arrow is the allies’ attack, and the red arrow is the enemies’. The direction of the attack determines the kind of ground vehicles that will be used: the attacking side’s ground forces are represented by tanks and Howitzers, and the defending side is represented by light pillboxes and Howitzers. If neither team interferes in a ground skirmish, the attacking side will always win.

Explicit objectives:

*Cover/destroy the allied/enemy spotter in a certain sector – this is a single AI aircraft that comes in from the allied team’s rear and flies around for a while above the enemy team’s territory at a certain altitude depending on battle rank. Its presence in the air makes it possible to discover objectives at greater distances.
*Cover/destroy the allied/enemy bombers/attack aircraft in a certain sector – this is a group of AI aircraft made up of 6 bombers or 9 attack aircraft covered by 2 AI fighters. The group comes in at a certain altitude from the allied team’s rear in order to complete a certain objective. The bombers’ target is always the enemy team’s base, and the attack aircraft’s target is the last active ground skirmish.
*Cover/destroy the allied/enemy vehicle column in a certain sector – this is a column of AI ground vehicles made up of tanks, trucks, and mobile AA guns. It advances from the allied team’s rear toward the front line. When it reaches its target sector, it increases the military presence of the allied team to the maximum in that sector. This leads to the generation of a land skirmish in which the attacking side is the team to which the column belongs.
*Achieve air supremacy in a certain sector – capture [https://warthunder.com/en/news/5415-development-enduring-confrontation-mode-update-en an air sector] that is adjacent to the front line. It is marked with a little circle with the letter A in the middle of one of the sectors on the map. The sector’s area fully corresponds to the sector on the map, and the air sector’s altitude is 6,000 metres. Only player-controlled aircraft count toward capture – AI vehicles don’t count. A limited amount of time is allotted to capture the sector. If one of the teams captures the sector, a land skirmish will be generated either in this sector or in one adjacent to it. The attacking side will be the team that achieved air supremacy.
*Destroy the enemy base in a certain sector – bomb the enemy base in the indicated sector. The base’s durability depends on the battle rank.

==Discovering Objectives==
In addition to the fact that mission objectives are conditionally divided into explicit and hidden, certain objectives need to be discovered in order to appear and become completable. Objectives will be discovered if an allied vehicle (either AI or player-controlled) finds itself next to them within a certain range, although players have a larger detection range than AI units do. The presence in the air of an allied spotter increases the detection range for both players and AI vehicles. Once an explicit objective has been discovered, all players on the team receive an on-screen notification, and the corresponding objective is added to the list of active objectives in the map window.

If a mission objective is discovered by players, the team is rewarded with a certain number of victory points (usually about 20% of the reward for completing the objective in question).

==Map Window and Map==
The map window is an essential helper to all players in Enduring Confrontation and provides a lot of useful information. The following information is displayed in the map window at all times:

*The number of available Spawn Points (in the upper right corner).
*The current mission and location, as well as the time remaining until the end of the battle (in the upper left corner).
*Information on the vehicle set being used in the battle, including the status of aircraft, the time remaining until aircraft are unblocked, the cost to take off in each aircraft, and your current SP and SL.
*Current aircraft settings (these can be changed at an airfield prior to takeoff), including weapon loadout, equipped ammo belts, camouflage, frontal armament convergence, explosive delay, and remaining fuel.
*A list of active mission objectives.
*The chat window/battle log.
*The mission map.

The map of every EC location is divided into sectors of a fixed size. In all EC missions the size of a map sector is 8192x8192 metres, or about 8x8 km (this non-round number is used for technical reasons – 8192 = 2^13, i.e. 2 to the power of 13).

[[File:Enduring_Confrontation_4.png|class=dynamic_image]]

The map itself displays the following information in real time:

*Your current location and flight direction.
*The state of the front line.
*The location and status of discovered airfields. Your team’s airfields are always displayed, but you have to discover the other team’s airfields first.
*The location and integrity of bases that are currently active (if there are any).
*Air supremacy sector and status (if such an objective is active).
*The location of ground convoys that are currently active (if there are any).
*The location of ground skirmishes that are currently active (if there are any). The directions of attacks are shown as arrows, and allied and enemy ground vehicles are shown as markers.

==Front Line==
The front line is one of the unique game mechanics found in Enduring Confrontation missions. The front line extends along the borders of adjacent sectors of the map and unambiguously defines the side to which they belong. At the beginning of every battle the front line extends along the borders of the middle sectors of the map, but as the battle progresses, it shifts to one side or the other. Changes to the front line occur as a result of ground skirmishes fought by AI vehicles – a successful attack gives control over the current sector to the attacking side and moves the front line accordingly. Players can affect the outcome of ground skirmishes (and thus change the front line) by destroying the AI ground vehicles that are participating in them. If neither team interferes in a ground skirmish, the attacking side always wins.

Influencing the front line during a battle: if, as the result of a shift in the front line, an airfield ends up within territory controlled by the enemy team, this airfield will cease to function. If, due to another shift in the front line, this airfield ends up back within allied territory, it will start working again. In the future we are planning to add additional objectives connected to surrounding and isolating individual sectors.

You can read more about the front line in this issue of the [https://warthunder.com/en/news/5415-development-enduring-confrontation-mode-update-en Developer Diary.]

Airfields and their Modules
All aircraft in EC spawn on airfields and return to them to reload and repair. Since battles in EC last a significant amount of time, airfields are a crucial strategic target – they directly affect the course of the battle.

In EC missions, airfields are distributed randomly on the map – when every new battle is generated, the server chooses three potential airfield locations for each side. At the beginning of the battle, each team knows the location of their own airfields (they are displayed on the map), but they do not know the location of the enemy’s airfields. Enemy airfields can be discovered visually by being in the air at a sufficient altitude, but in order to get an airfield detected in this manner to appear on the map, you need to fly close enough to it (within a range of a few kilometres – altitude doesn’t matter). Just like other targets, airfields can be discovered by AI vehicles.

You can always see the status of allied and enemy airfields on the map. Additionally, the detection status and overall integrity of airfields are displayed in the top middle part of the screen, above the bar with the double victory point indicator – look for the circles above the inner edge of the corresponding indicator. Blue circles represent the status of allied airfields, and red ones represent the status of enemy airfields. The number of circles shows how many of a given team’s airfields have been discovered by the enemy. The degree to which they are colored in represents their integrity. By the same token, the number of blue circles shows how many allied airfields have been discovered by the enemy, and the number of red ones shows how many enemy airfields your allies have found. If there are no circles on one side or the other, this means that none of that team’s airfields have been discovered by the enemy yet.

[[File:Enduring_Confrontation_5Temp.png|class=dynamic_image]]

The airfields themselves have a modular structure in EC, i.e. they are heterogeneous. This is yet another unique feature of this mode. Every airfield represents a set of four modules, or damageable functional zones of varying size, configuration, and appearance. They include the airstrip, fuel warehouses, parking area (also the aircraft repair area), and the living quarters (this is where the crew is located). Each of these zones performs its own unique function, has its own level of durability, and does not intersect with the areas of the other zones. The durability of all modules depends on the rank of the EC mission, increasing from lower ranks to higher ones. A zone can only be damaged or destroyed if it is hit by a bomb within its own area. Bombs that miss zones or hit destroyed zones do not count. Damaged zones are repaired over time. The speed at which they are repaired depends on the condition of the living quarters.

Thanks to this mechanic, airfields cannot be completely destroyed during EC missions. It is only possible to temporarily disable their functionality – unlike in other aircraft game modes. However, destroying the airstrip and living quarters of all of a team’s airfields prevents the players on that team from bringing new aircraft into the battle and thus automatically leads to defeat.

You can read more about airfield modules and their functions in this issue of the [https://warthunder.com/en/news/5973-development-modular-airfields-in-enduring-confrontation-en Developer Diary.]

==Helicopter Enduring Confrontation in Arcade Battles==

As mentioned above, a simplified version of EC mode in Arcade battles is the only separate game mode for helicopters in War Thunder. It differs from EC in Simulator battles in the following ways:

*Instead of airfields, helicopter pads are placed around the map. They have no module-based mechanics, and there are 12 per team rather than 3.
*All objectives involving AI aircraft have been removed.

[[Category:Game_modes]]