War Thunder Wiki - User contributions [en]

M247

2023-08-31T03:47:48Z

U51331578: /* Usage in battles */

{{Specs-Card
|code=us_m247
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} American self-propelled anti-aircraft gun {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.81 "The Valkyries"]].

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}


'''Armour type:'''

* Cast homogeneous armour (hull)
* Rolled homogeneous armour (hull sides - rear bulge, hull roof, turret)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 85-200 mm (59-74°) ''Front glacis'' 63-200 mm (13-60°) ''Lower glacis'' || 76 mm (8-43°) ''Front'' 51 mm (0-43°) ''Rear'' || 35 mm (26-32°) ''Top'' 25 mm (61-62°) ''Bottom'' || 57 mm
|-
| Turret || 25.4 mm (15-76°) ''Turret front (Upper)'' 12.7 mm (40-69°) ''Turret front (Lower)'' 25.4 mm (0-87°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 12.7-25.4 mm (0-19°) ''Upper'' 12.7 mm (40-69°) ''Lower'' || 12.7 mm (18°) || 12.7 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
* Belly armour is 38 mm thick in the front half and 25 mm in the rear.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 1,065|rbMinHp= 663}}

The {{PAGENAME}}'s turret is installed on the hull of an [[M48A1|M48 medium tank]], because of this they have roughly similar mobility. The {{PAGENAME}} is about 3 tons heavier than the M48A1 (49.3 tons vs. 46.4 tons), and has a slightly weaker engine, which translates into a slightly more sluggish machine compared to the M48A1. The M48A1 has a max engine power of 810 hp, while the {{PAGENAME}}'s engine power is 750 hp. For a vehicle this heavy, it has fairly good mobility. When spaded, it can comfortably hit a top speed of 45 km/h on flat terrain, while in cross-country you will have a top speed of around 25 km/h. While going backwards, the top speed is somewhat less impressive: about -9 km/h.

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

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|M266 (40 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[M266 (40 mm)|40 mm M266 automatic Cannon]] (x2) || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 560 (280) || rowspan="2" | 300 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+85° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 79.2 || 109.7 || 133.2 || 147.3 || 156.7 || rowspan="2" | 6.50 || rowspan="2" | 5.75 || rowspan="2" | 5.30 || rowspan="2" | 5.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 53.6 || 63.0 || 76.5 || 84.6 || 90.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====

* '''Default:''' {{Annotation|SAPHEI|Semi armour-piercing high-explosive incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEF-I*|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary (self-destroying)}}

* '''M811 Fuze Delay:''' {{Annotation|SAPHEI|Semi armour-piercing high-explosive incendiary}}

* '''M811:''' {{Annotation|HEF-I*|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary (self-destroying)}} - Unlike the M822 HE-VT* shells, these require direct hits on aircraft to do significant damage, but if problems are experienced with M822 detonating too early this belt may be your best choice.

* '''M822:''' {{Annotation|HE-VT*|High-explosive variable time fuze (self-destroying)}} - Proximity-fused shells that absolutely obliterate aircraft when they make contact, though if they detonate too early, they will do little to no damage. Somewhat unreliable in if they detonate within range of the target, but when they do the target will quickly take considerable damage if not destroyed. The only ammunition for self-propelled anti-aircraft guns that which can cause enough shrapnel damage to bring down planes and helicopters even with near misses. This round should be the go-to anti-air ammunition, although the M811 is a good backup if the M822 is problematic for the gunner.

{{:M266 (40 mm)/Ammunition|SAPHEI, HEF-I*, HE-VT*}}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''1''' || 0 ''(+1)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* With a single ammunition rack, you can bring only 1 type of ammunition in battle.

== Usage in battles ==

The M247 ''Sgt. York'' is a very deadly SPAA, The M247 is deadly to some lightly armoured vehicles but even deadlier to Aircraft. When using the M247 you can easily shred some lightly armoured vehicles like the [[Leopard 1]]. Where the speciality of the M247 is its Proximity fused 40 mm rounds. They will shred any aircraft within a 2.0 km radius. You can play the vehicle mostly in 2 ways. You can push and try defending caps from the enemies and keeping the skies clear, or stay back behind cover and keep the skies clear for your allies while using your AP rounds to fend off enemy vehicles.

Generally, enemy tanks should be avoided, your rounds don't have the penetration to deal with all but the lightest of targets. Avoid confrontations if possible and only engage targets that you have a chance of penetrating such as SPAA or light tanks. They can be easily dealt with from the side and the front in some cases. If confrontations become unavoidable pop smoke to try and escape, you cannot deal with anything more armoured than a light tank.

;Ammunition

The recommended ammunition belts:

* M822 for Anti-Air
* M811 Fuze Delay for Anti-Tank

M822 is exclusively proximity fuze rounds, making it extremely potent against air threats, not requiring a direct hit to get a kill. Unfortunately, the low penetration of the round makes it unable to perform Anti-Tank duties. If you expect to meet enemy armour switch to the M811 belt, the extra penetration of the rounds allows it to be able to take care of light tanks and SPAA, but struggles against more heavily armoured opponents.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Has access to 12 smoke grenades
* The hull has adequate protection against most light tank calibre rounds
* Can retract and extend both search and tracking radars to reduce the silhouette
* Twin stabilized 40 mm cannons have a high rate of fire
* Large ammunition count ensures that you will have plenty to fire throughout a match
* Potent proximity ammunition for anti-aircraft use
* The HE-VT belt has no tracers making it near impossible for enemy aircraft to see and dodge the incoming shells
* Radar allows for a high range of detection and very accurate tracking, with a 10 km tracking and 40 km detection range
* Has access to night vision devices, a laser rangefinder, commander sights, and commander fire control

'''Cons:'''

* Weak survivability
** Vulnerable to enemy armour, artillery strikes and air attacks
** The turret armour is only 5 mm thick, which is easy to penetrate even for rifle-calibre MGs
** Only three crew members
* Radar is tall and can expose your position
* The M247 is sluggish especially when stock, and will usually not be able to keep up with MBTs
* The high rate of fire can deplete the ammo quickly without proper trigger discipline
** 5-minute long restock time on a capture point after depleting ammo
* Completely lacks any armour-piercing rounds in any belt, giving it very poor defensive capabilities against ground vehicles, even lightly-armoured ones
* The gunner sight optics only has one zoom setting (12.0x with a sight FOV of 6) meaning that you may struggle to engage tanks and lock/eliminate aircraft
* No IRST mode and cannot lock onto targets when the radar is off

== History ==


The M247 "Sergeant York" was designed in the late 1970's as a purpose-built SPAAG. It was designed to fight alongside the [[M1 Abrams]] and [[M3 Bradley|M2/M3 Bradley]], in order to provide cover against aircraft. There were other SPAA vehicles in service at the time; these were the [[M163|M163 Vulcan]] and the MIM-72/M48 Chaparral. The former being a 20 mm rotary cannon mounted on an armoured personnel carrier, and the latter being a heavily modified armoured personnel carrier chassis with a surface-to-air missile launcher. Neither of those two vehicles were designed as SPAA's, and so, did not have the necessary performance to be adequate at their job. The M247 was designed as a replacement for both of the previous vehicles.

Designs from a multitude of companies were entered into the competition. Only two were selected for testing: the Ford XM-247 with twin Bofors 40 mm cannons and the General Dynamics XM-246 with twin Oerlikon 35 mm cannons. The two prototypes were tested, and the XM-247 was selected as the winner, although the XM-246 had outscored it in all the shooting tests. The M247, as it was soon designated, ran into many problems. The radar was extremely deficient; it had a hard time distinguishing trees from planes, and if the guns were pointed too high, they would get in the radar's way and confuse it even more. In addition, it took too long for the radar to pick up a target and for the guns to actually take aim. In addition, the turret traverse speed was much too slow, the vehicle it's self was too sluggish to keep up the M1s and M2s, and it was unreliable in cold weather. Eventually, the program was cancelled after more testing, where it was proven the system could not even shoot down stationary drones. There was still a need for an anti-aircraft vehicle that could keep up with modern vehicles, so Oerlikon Canada created the [[ADATS (M113)|ADATS]] anti-aircraft missile system. This was not as successful as hoped, and was only accepted into Canadian service. The void was eventually filled by the M6 Linebacker, an M2 Bradley with Stinger missiles instead of TOW missiles. The Linebacker was capable of keeping up with modern armoured forces, which was the reason for its acceptance, even though the Stingers were not as effective as the ADATS missiles<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M247_Sergeant_York</ref>.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=us_m247 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==


;Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

* [[M48 Patton (Family)]]

;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

* [[AMX-30 DCA]]
* [[VEAK 40]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/5714-development-tam-and-m247-sergeant-york-en|[Devblog] TAM and M247 Sergeant York]]
* [[wikipedia:M247_Sergeant_York|[Wikipedia] M247 Sergeant York]]
* [https://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.asp?armor_id=644 <nowiki>[Military Factory]</nowiki> M247 Sergeant York]

=== References ===
<references />

{{TankManufacturer Ford}}
{{USA anti-aircraft vehicles}}

M247

2023-08-15T06:44:18Z

U51331578: Updated Usage in Battles due to it using outdated information.

{{Specs-Card
|code=us_m247
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} American self-propelled anti-aircraft gun {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.81 "The Valkyries"]].

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}


'''Armour type:'''

* Cast homogeneous armour (hull)
* Rolled homogeneous armour (hull sides - rear bulge, hull roof, turret)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 85-200 mm (59-74°) ''Front glacis'' 63-200 mm (13-60°) ''Lower glacis'' || 76 mm (8-43°) ''Front'' 51 mm (0-43°) ''Rear'' || 35 mm (26-32°) ''Top'' 25 mm (61-62°) ''Bottom'' || 57 mm
|-
| Turret || 25.4 mm (15-76°) ''Turret front (Upper)'' 12.7 mm (40-69°) ''Turret front (Lower)'' 25.4 mm (0-87°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 12.7-25.4 mm (0-19°) ''Upper'' 12.7 mm (40-69°) ''Lower'' || 12.7 mm (18°) || 12.7 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
* Belly armour is 38 mm thick in the front half and 25 mm in the rear.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 1,065|rbMinHp= 663}}

The {{PAGENAME}}'s turret is installed on the hull of an [[M48A1|M48 medium tank]], because of this they have roughly similar mobility. The {{PAGENAME}} is about 3 tons heavier than the M48A1 (49.3 tons vs. 46.4 tons), and has a slightly weaker engine, which translates into a slightly more sluggish machine compared to the M48A1. The M48A1 has a max engine power of 810 hp, while the {{PAGENAME}}'s engine power is 750 hp. For a vehicle this heavy, it has fairly good mobility. When spaded, it can comfortably hit a top speed of 45 km/h on flat terrain, while in cross-country you will have a top speed of around 25 km/h. While going backwards, the top speed is somewhat less impressive: about -9 km/h.

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

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|M266 (40 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[M266 (40 mm)|40 mm M266 automatic Cannon]] (x2) || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 560 (280) || rowspan="2" | 300 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+85° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 79.2 || 109.7 || 133.2 || 147.3 || 156.7 || rowspan="2" | 6.50 || rowspan="2" | 5.75 || rowspan="2" | 5.30 || rowspan="2" | 5.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 53.6 || 63.0 || 76.5 || 84.6 || 90.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====

* '''Default:''' {{Annotation|SAPHEI|Semi armour-piercing high-explosive incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEF-I*|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary (self-destroying)}}

* '''M811 Fuze Delay:''' {{Annotation|SAPHEI|Semi armour-piercing high-explosive incendiary}}

* '''M811:''' {{Annotation|HEF-I*|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary (self-destroying)}} - Unlike the M822 HE-VT* shells, these require direct hits on aircraft to do significant damage, but if problems are experienced with M822 detonating too early this belt may be your best choice.

* '''M822:''' {{Annotation|HE-VT*|High-explosive variable time fuze (self-destroying)}} - Proximity-fused shells that absolutely obliterate aircraft when they make contact, though if they detonate too early, they will do little to no damage. Somewhat unreliable in if they detonate within range of the target, but when they do the target will quickly take considerable damage if not destroyed. The only ammunition for self-propelled anti-aircraft guns that which can cause enough shrapnel damage to bring down planes and helicopters even with near misses. This round should be the go-to anti-air ammunition, although the M811 is a good backup if the M822 is problematic for the gunner.

{{:M266 (40 mm)/Ammunition|SAPHEI, HEF-I*, HE-VT*}}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''1''' || 0 ''(+1)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* With a single ammunition rack, you can bring only 1 type of ammunition in battle.

== Usage in battles ==

The M247 Sgt York is a very deadly SPAA, The M247 is deadly to some lightly armoured vehicles but even deadlier to Aircraft. When using the M247 you can easily shred some lightly armoured vehicles like the Leopard 1. Where the speciality for the M247 is with its Proximity fused 40 mm rounds. They will shred any aircraft within a 2.0 km radius. You can play the vehicle mostly in 2 ways. You can push and try defending caps from the enemies and keeping the skies clear, or stay back behind cover and keep the skies clear for your allies, while using your AP rounds to fend off enemy vehicles.

Generally, enemy tanks should be avoided, your rounds don't have the penetration to deal with all but the lightest of targets. Avoid confrontations if possible and only engage targets that you have a chance of penetrating such as SPAA or light tanks. They can be easily dealt with from the side and the front in some cases. If confrontations become unavoidable pop smoke to try and escape, you cannot deal with anything more armoured than a light tank.

'''Ammunition'''

The recommended ammunition belts is the M822 belt for Anti-Air, and M811 for Anti-Tank.

M822 is exclusively proximity fuze rounds, making it extremely potent against air threats, not requiring a direct hit to get a kill. Unfortunately the low penetration of the round makes it unable to perform Anti-Tank duties. If you expect to meet enemy armour switch to the M811 belt, the extra penetration of the rounds allows it to be able to take care of light tanks and SPAA, but struggles against more heavily armoured opponents.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Has access to 12 smoke grenades
* The hull has adequate protection against most light tank calibre rounds
* Can retract and extend both search and tracking radars to reduce silhouette
* Twin stabilized 40 mm cannons have a high rate of fire
* Large ammunition count ensures that you will have plenty to fire throughout a match
* Potent proximity ammunition for anti-aircraft use
* The HE-VT belt has no tracers making it near impossible for enemy aircraft to see and doge the incoming shells
* Radar allows for high range of detection and very accurate tracking, with 10 km tracking and 40 km detection range
* Has access to night vision devices, a laser rangefinder, commander sights, and commander fire control

'''Cons:'''

* Vulnerable to enemy armour, artillery strikes and air attacks
* The turret armour is only 5 mm thick, which is easy to penetrate even for rifle-calibre MGs
* Only three crew members
* Radar is tall and can expose your position
* The M247 is sluggish especially when stock, will usually not be able to keep up with MBTs
* The high rate of fire can deplete the ammo quickly without proper trigger discipline
* HE-VT belt is only available at tier IV
* Completely lacks any armour-piercing rounds in any belt, giving it very poor defensive capabilities against ground vehicles, even lightly-armoured ones
* The gunner sight optics only has one zoom setting (12.0x with a sight FOV of 6) meaning that you may struggle to engage tanks and to lock/eliminate aircraft
* 5-minute long restock time on a capture point after depleting ammo
* No IRST mode and cannot lock onto targets when the radar is off

== History ==


The M247 "Sergeant York" was designed in the late 1970's as a purpose-built SPAAG. It was designed to fight alongside the [[M1 Abrams]] and [[M3 Bradley|M2/M3 Bradley]], in order to provide cover against aircraft. There were other SPAA vehicles in service at the time; these were the [[M163|M163 Vulcan]] and the MIM-72/M48 Chaparral. The former being a 20 mm rotary cannon mounted on an armoured personnel carrier, and the latter being a heavily modified armoured personnel carrier chassis with a surface-to-air missile launcher. Neither of those two vehicles were designed as SPAA's, and so, did not have the necessary performance to be adequate at their job. The M247 was designed as a replacement for both of the previous vehicles.

Designs from a multitude of companies were entered into the competition. Only two were selected for testing: the Ford XM-247 with twin Bofors 40 mm cannons and the General Dynamics XM-246 with twin Oerlikon 35 mm cannons. The two prototypes were tested, and the XM-247 was selected as the winner, although the XM-246 had outscored it in all the shooting tests. The M247, as it was soon designated, ran into many problems. The radar was extremely deficient; it had a hard time distinguishing trees from planes, and if the guns were pointed too high, they would get in the radar's way and confuse it even more. In addition, it took too long for the radar to pick up a target and for the guns to actually take aim. In addition, the turret traverse speed was much too slow, the vehicle it's self was too sluggish to keep up the M1s and M2s, and it was unreliable in cold weather. Eventually, the program was cancelled after more testing, where it was proven the system could not even shoot down stationary drones. There was still a need for an anti-aircraft vehicle that could keep up with modern vehicles, so Oerlikon Canada created the [[ADATS (M113)|ADATS]] anti-aircraft missile system. This was not as successful as hoped, and was only accepted into Canadian service. The void was eventually filled by the M6 Linebacker, an M2 Bradley with Stinger missiles instead of TOW missiles. The Linebacker was capable of keeping up with modern armoured forces, which was the reason for its acceptance, even though the Stingers were not as effective as the ADATS missiles<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M247_Sergeant_York</ref>.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=us_m247 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==


;Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

* [[M48 Patton (Family)]]

;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

* [[AMX-30 DCA]]
* [[VEAK 40]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/5714-development-tam-and-m247-sergeant-york-en|[Devblog] TAM and M247 Sergeant York]]
* [[wikipedia:M247_Sergeant_York|[Wikipedia] M247 Sergeant York]]
* [https://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.asp?armor_id=644 <nowiki>[Military Factory]</nowiki> M247 Sergeant York]

=== References ===
<references />

{{TankManufacturer Ford}}
{{USA anti-aircraft vehicles}}

F-104C

2021-02-22T01:33:23Z

U51331578:

{{About
| about = jet fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = F-104 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=f-104c
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

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

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

''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" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 10,668 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 2,098 || 2,073 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 34.5 || 35.0 || 204.5 || 196.2 || rowspan="2" | 1,200
|-
! Upgraded
| ___ || ___ || __._ || __._ || __._ || __._
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || N/A || 827 || 444 || ~13 || ~5
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 720 || < 950 || < 800 || N/A
|-
|}

==== Engine performance ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine
! colspan="5" | Aircraft mass
|-
! colspan="2" | Engine name || Number
! colspan="2" | {{Annotation|Basic Mass|Mass of the aircraft with pilot and engine oil, but no fuel or weapons load}} || colspan="3" | Wing loading (full fuel)
|-
| colspan="2" | General Electric J79-GE-7a || 1
| colspan="2" | 6,330 kg || colspan="3" | 519 kg/m2
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine characteristics
! colspan="4" | Mass with fuel (no weapons load) || rowspan="2" | Max Takeoff Weight
|-
! Weight (each) || colspan="2" | Type
! 10m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel || 33m fuel
|-
| 1,540 kg || colspan="2" | Afterburning axial-flow turbojet
| 7,130 kg || 7,929 kg || 8,729 kg || 8,969 kg || 24,000 kg
|-
! colspan="3" | {{Annotation|Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB / SB)|The maximum thrust produced by each engine, while mounted in the aircraft. NOTE: Thrust varies significantly depending on speed & altitude.}}
! colspan="5" | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (WEP)
|-
! Condition || 100% || WEP
! 10m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel || 33m fuel || MTOW
|-
| ''Stationary'' || 4,128 kgf || 6,357 kgf
| 0.89 || 0.80 || 0.73 || 0.71 || 0.26
|-
| ''Optimal'' || 4,128 kgf (0 km/h) || 8,391 kgf (1,200 km/h)
| 1.18 || 1.06 || 0.96 || 0.94 || 0.35
|-
|}

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

In terms of armour, there is no armour on the F-104C. Since the F-104C relies on high speed, it wouldn't need armour as that would reduce the speed and manoeuvrability of the plane. The F-104C is a very long plane and it is not very manoeuvrable, making it a large, easy target for enemy guns. As such, the only characteristic that should be relied upon for survivability is the plane's speed. It is very quick, and as such is hard to catch. Of course, it's not quicker than a missile!

* No armour
* Self-sealing fuel tanks

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

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

{{main|M61 (20 mm)}}

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

* 1 x 20 mm M61 cannon, chin-mounted (750 rpg)

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

{{main|M117 cone 45 (750 lb)|AIM-9B Sidewinder|FFAR Mighty Mouse}}

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

* Without load
* 3 x 750 lb M117 cone 45 bombs (2,250 lb total)
* 38 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
* 2 x AIM-9B Sidewinder missiles
* 2 x AIM-9B Sidewinder missiles + 3 x 750 lb M117 cone 45 bombs (2,250 lb total)
* 2 x AIM-9B Sidewinder missiles + 38 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets

== 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 ===


'''Pros:'''

* Good top speed, on par with the highest-tier aircraft
* Great rate of climb; even the F-4 Phantom may struggle to match it
* Good roll rate for a jet with tiny wings
* Decent high-speed manoeuvrability
* Powerful M61 Vulcan cannon can rip enemy aircraft to shreds
* Much-improved selection of secondary ordinance over the F-104A

'''Cons:'''

* Lousy low-speed manoeuvrability
* Bleeds energy easily in sustained turn fights
* Limited afterburner in Arcade Battles
* Only 750 rounds of cannon ammo; with such a high rate of fire, trigger discipline is a must

== History ==

The brainchild of famed Lockheed engineer Clarence "Kelly" Johnson, after having spoken to USAF pilots about their experience in the Korean Air War, the F-104 Starfighter was innovative in both its design and speed. Developed from the start as a daytime air-superiority fighter with speed in mind, the Starfighter began life at Lockheed's famous "Skunk Works" facility in 1952 to combat the Soviet's new age of supersonic jet fighters. The aircraft would incorporate the smallest airframe, combined with the most technologically advanced turbojet at the time, to create the base of what would become the F-104.

In 1953, the USAF showed interest in the project, and proposed an open contest with Lockheed and multiple other firms for a supersonic interceptor, based wholly on performance. Lockheed evidently won the contest and approval for two prototypes to be produced and, in February of 1954, took flight for the first time. Although it was slated to be fitted with the General Electric J79 turbofan, due to shortages of the engines the prototypes were mated to a license-built variant of the British Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire engine, called the Wright XJ65-W-6, until the initial power-plant was available. The aircraft however was not without its problems, resulting in a four-year long developmental period for the aircraft. By the end of it, 17 pre-production YF-104As had been built, tested, and used to iron out any problems that would be noticeable on the final F-104. In 1958, the F-104 would finally be available for deliveries featuring some differences from the initial prototypes in the form of a longer fuselage as well as the fitting of General Electric J79GE-3 engines putting out a whopping 14,800 lbs of thrust.

From the start the F-104A smashed records, taking the record as the first operational fighter in service to succeed Mach 2, as well as going on to take the records for both altitude and speed in both the F-104A and F-104C variants respectively. On May 7th, 1958, Maj. Howard C. Johnson, in his F-104A, set a new world altitude record at 91,243 feet, and 11 days later another aircraft set a new speed record at 1,403.19 mph. The altitude record was later bested by another variant of the aircraft, the F-104C, at a whopping altitude of 103,389 feet. In the 1950s, the aircraft had come to be exactly what the public had expected a fighter of this magnitude to look like. With a long, pencil shaped fuselage with short, sharp edged wings it encompassed the era of space flight and Sci-Fi with its design. The wings were one of the most unique parts of the aircraft, as well as its long fuselage taken up mostly by its large engine and fuel storage, and were only 4 inches and its thickest. Sweeping was only utilized on the leading edge, and a slight anhedral was in place to combat "Dutch Roll", a phenomenon where the aircraft rocks side-to-side uncontrollably. The wings, while helping with supersonic flight, were harmful to ground crews, and special equipment had to be issued to service these areas.

While having a history of accidents and high pilot attrition, the aircraft was fitted with an ejection seat. Due to the great speed of the aircraft at Mach 2, it was believed that the seat wouldn't have enough time to clear the tail section in an ejection scenario. Therefore, a downward firing ejection seat known as the Stanley C-1 was fitted into early models of the F-104. While a good idea, and in theory could work, the C-1 was also believed harmful in the case of a low-altitude ejection of the aircraft. After a failed introduction of the Stanley C-2 ejection seat, the problem was finally solved by the introduction of the Martin-Baker ejection system, particularly in foreign-operator's Starfighters. Roughly 153 F-104As were produced, with 26 more being F-104B two-seat variants. The F-104A spend a short time in USAF service before being send to Air National Guard (ANG) units, which some others being sent to foreign operators which had some success in their service. In September of 1958 the USAF would get the F-104C, a dedicated fighter-bomber variant designed for the USAF's Tactical Air Command's 479th Tactical Fighter Squadron. The F-104C featured improvements over the F-104A in the form of a better fire-control system as well as hardpoints on the centerline on the belly and under the wings. The aircraft also introduced the ability to refuel mid-flight via a probe running along the right side of the aircraft, extending the reach of the aircraft somewhat. However, like most of the A models ended up, the C models were quickly transferred to Air National Guard (ANG) units both of which served until around 1975 in their service. The first combat of the F-104 however wouldn't be seen until the Vietnam War, and while not having any kills to count was successful in keeping MiGs back and from intercepting friendly aircraft. The aircraft had a short service life in this theatre, only serving in 1965, and again from 1967-1969 until the introduction of the more-capable F-4 Phantom II by which it was replaced.

=== [[wt:en/news/6731-development-f-104-starfighter-the-manned-missile-en|Devblog]] ===
The development history of the F-104 Starfighter begins in 1951, when Lockheed's lead engineer visited US pilots in Korea. The feedback given to Johnson was clear - US planes were too large and complex and would often find themselves inferior to the much smaller and simpler Soviet MiG-15. On his return to the United States, Johnson assembled a team of engineers and started developing an aircraft that would address the concerns of the pilots.

The result of this undertaking was the F-104 Starfighter, whose first prototype, designated XF-104, first took to the skies on the 4th March 1954. Although both prototypes were lost during testing, the results delivered by the prototypes were promising enough for the USAF to accept the aircraft into service in November 1955.

Soon after entering production, the F-104 quickly also became a highly popular aircraft on the export market. West Germany was, alongside the United States, the primary operator of the Starfighter, owning over 900 F-104s in its air force at the peak of its service career. However, 13 other nations also employed the F-104 such as Canada, Italy, Japan, Spain, and many more.

The F-104 saw most of its combat service with the USAF, most notably taking part in the Vietnam War. Furthermore, the F-104 also saw combat during the Indo-Pakistani Wars in the mid '60's - early '70's while flying under Pakistani colors.

In the end, over 2,500 Starfighters would be built, with most being gradually decommissioned by the end of the Cold War. Italy was the last to decommission its F-104s in the early 2000s.

== Media ==

[[File:F104C in the hanger .png|thumb|none|F-104C in the hangar.]]

== 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 ==


* Military Factory - Lockheed F-104 Starfighter: [https://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=113 website]
* [http://www.alternatewars.com/SAC/F-104C_Starfighter_SAC_-_8_December_1958.pdf Standard Aircraft Characteristics of the F-104C]

{{AirManufacturer Lockheed}}
{{USA jet aircraft}}

F11F-1

2020-10-25T20:53:45Z

U51331578: /* Survivability and armour */

{{Specs-Card
|code=f11f_1_late
|cockpit=cockpit_f11f_1_late.jpg
|market=items_F11F-1 (USA)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{Break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a gift rank {{Specs|rank}} American jet fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during [[Update "Starfighters"]] as a reward for the [[wt:en/news/6808-special-operation-s-u-m-m-e-r-2020-en|2020 Operation S.U.M.M.E.R.]] event.

== 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" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 0 m - sea level)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 1,198 || 1,193 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 36.1 || 37.0 || 59.9 || 55.4 || rowspan="2" | 950
|-
! Upgraded
| ___ || ___ || __._ || __._ || __._ || __._
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || N/A || N/A || 500 || ~9 || ~3
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 650 || < 540 || < 620 || N/A
|-
|}

==== Engine performance ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine
! colspan="6" | Aircraft mass
|-
! colspan="2" | Engine name || Number
! colspan="3" | {{Annotation|Basic Mass|Mass of the aircraft with pilot and engine oil, but no fuel or weapons load}} || colspan="3" | Wing loading (full fuel)
|-
| colspan="2" | Allison J65-W-18 || 1
| colspan="3" | 6,627 kg || colspan="3" | 415 kg/m2
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine characteristics
! colspan="5" | Mass with fuel (no weapons load) || rowspan="2" | Max Takeoff Weight
|-
! Weight (each) || colspan="2" | Type
! 14m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel || 45m fuel || 48m fuel
|-
| 1,320 kg || colspan="2" | Afterburning axial-flow turbojet
| 7,507 kg || 7,884 kg || 8,512 kg || 9,455 kg || 9,643 kg || 10,500 kg
|-
! colspan="3" | {{Annotation|Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB / SB)|The maximum thrust produced by each engine, while mounted in the aircraft. NOTE: Thrust varies significantly depending on speed & altitude.}}
! colspan="6" | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (WEP)
|-
! Condition || 100% || WEP
! 14m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel || 45m fuel || 48m fuel || MTOW
|-
| ''Stationary'' || 3,077 kgf || 4,770 kgf
| 0.64 || 0.61 || 0.56 || 0.50 || 0.49 || 0.45
|-
| ''Optimal'' || 3,077 (0 km/h) || 4,938 kgf (1,200 km/h)
| 0.66 || 0.63 || 0.58 || 0.52 || 0.51 || 0.47
|-
|}

=== 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.''

38 mm bulletproof glass.

12.7 mm Steel plate on pilot's seat.

12.7 mm Steel plate in front of pilot.

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

{{main|Browning-Colt Mk12 Mod 0 (20 mm)}}

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

* 4 x 20 mm Browning-Colt Mk12 Mod 0 cannons, nose-mounted (125 rpg = 500 total)

=== Suspended armament ===

{{main|LDGP Mk 82 (500 lb)|LDGP Mk 83 (1,000 lb)|AIM-9B Sidewinder|FFAR Mighty Mouse}}

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

* Without load
* 4 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs (2,000 lb total)
* 2 x 1,000 lb LDGP Mk 83 bombs (2,000 lb total)
* 28 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
* 38 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
* 52 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
* 4 x AIM-9B Sidewinder missiles
* 2 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs + 2 x AIM-9B Sidewinder missiles (1,000 lb total)
* 2 x 1,000 lb LDGP Mk 83 bombs + 2 x AIM-9B Sidewinder missiles (2,000 lb total)
* 2 x AIM-9B Sidewinder missiles + 14 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
* 2 x AIM-9B Sidewinder missiles + 38 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets

== 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).''

=== Modules ===
{| class="wikitable"
! Tier
! colspan="2" | Flight performance
! Survivability
! colspan="3" | Weaponry
|-
| I
| Fuselage repair
|
|
| Offensive 20 mm
|
| AERO 6A
|-
| II
| New boosters
| Compressor
| Airframe
|
| Mk82
| AERO 7D
|-
| III
| Wings repair
| Engine
|
| New 20 mm cannons
|
| AIM-9B
|-
| IV
| G-suit
|
| Cover
|
| Mk83
|
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Great top speed for its BR
* Has access to 4 AIM-9B sidewinder missiles
* Decent suspended payload options
* Decent armament

'''Cons:'''

* No takeoff/combat flaps, only landing flaps
* Bad turn time
* Loses a lot of speed in turns
* Needs a lot of runway to land
* Can rip wings at high speeds
* Weak structural integrity
* Easily set on fire

== 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 ==


;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|srKv5v9zoGA|'''The Shooting Range #216''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 04:31 discusses the {{PAGENAME}} Tiger.}}

== See also ==


* [[F3H-2]]
* [[Scimitar F Mk.1]]
* [[FJ-4B]]
* [[FJ-4B VMF-232]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/6812/current|[Devblog] Operation S.U.M.M.E.R. F11F-1 Tiger]]

{{AirManufacturer Grumman}}
{{USA jet aircraft}}

S17BS

2020-10-25T20:27:57Z

U51331578: /* Survivability and armour */

{{Specs-Card|code=saab_b17bs}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{Break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Swedish bomber {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Raining Fire"]].

== 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" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at _,___ m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| ___ || ___ || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || __._ || __._ || __._ || __._ || rowspan="2" | ___
|-
! Upgraded
| ___ || ___ || __._ || __._ || __._ || __._
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear
|-
| _ || _ || _ || _ || _ 
|-
|}

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

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

=== 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.''

* 10mm Steel plate on pilot's seat.
* 10mm Steel plate infront of gunner.

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

{{main|Ksp m/22 Fh (8 mm)|Ksp m/22 Fv (8 mm)}}

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

* 1 x 8 mm Ksp m/22 Fh machine gun, wing-mounted (500 rpg)
* 1 x 8 mm Ksp m/22 Fv machine gun, wing-mounted (500 rpg)

=== Suspended armament ===

{{main|sb m/42 (50 kg)}}

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

* 9 x 50 kg sb m/42 bombs (450 kg total)

=== Defensive armament ===

{{main|Ksp m/22-37 R (8 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is defended by:

* 1 x 8 mm Ksp m/22-37 R machine gun, dorsal turret (300 rpg)

== 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).''

=== Modules ===
{| class="wikitable"
! Tier
! colspan="2" | Flight performance
! Survivability
! colspan="2" | Weaponry
|-
| I
|Fuselage repair
|Radiator
|
|Offensive 8 mm
|
|-
| II
|
|Compressor
|Airframe
|
|Turret 8 mm
|-
| III
|Wings repair
|Engine
|
|New 8 mm MGs
|
|-
| IV
|
|Engine injection
|Cover
|
|New 8 mm MGs (turret)
|-
|}

=== 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:'''

* Can land/float on water
* Good aircraft for bombing anti-aircraft vehicles and light pillboxes

'''Cons:'''

* Slow and large target profile
* Not manoeuvrable
* Small bomb load

== 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.''

{{AirManufacturer Saab}}
{{Sweden bombers}}

I-16 type 27

2020-10-25T20:04:19Z

U51331578: added armor data

{{Specs-Card|code=i-16_type27}}
{{About
| about = Russian fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other uses
| link = I-16 (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Russian fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.39]].

== 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 2,000 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
|-
| 442 || 425 || {{Specs|ceiling}} || 17.3 || 17.9 || 13.8 || 13.8 || 272
|-
! colspan="8" | ''Upgraded''
|-
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 2,000 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
|-
| 490 || 463 || {{Specs|ceiling}} || 16.1 || 16.5 || 23.6 || 18 || 272
|-
|}

====Details====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="5" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps
! Take-off flaps
! Landing flaps
! Air brakes
! Arrestor gear
|-
| X || X || ✓ || 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|1=destruction|2=body}}||{{Specs|1=destruction|2=gear}} || N/A || ~16 || ~8
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities
|-
! Ailerons (km/h)
! Rudder (km/h)
! Elevators (km/h)
! Radiator (km/h)
|-
| < 330 || < 320 || < 340 || > 190
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Compressor (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 1
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 1,530 m || 850 hp || 1,020 hp
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 2
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 4,200 m || 800 hp || 960 hp
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===

* 8.5 mm Steel plate on pilot's seat.

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

{{main|ShVAK (20 mm)|ShKAS (7.62 mm)}}

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

* 2 x 20 mm ShVAK cannons, wing-mounted (150 rpg = 300 total)
* 2 x 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns, nose-mounted (650 rpg = 1,300 total)

=== Suspended armament ===

{{main|FAB-50 (50 kg)|FAB-100 (100 kg)|RS-82|RBS-82}}

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

* Without load
* 2 x 100 kg FAB-100 bombs (200 kg total)
* 2 x 50 kg FAB-50 bombs (100 kg total)
* 6 x RS-82 rockets
* 6 x RBS-82 rockets

== Usage in battles ==


The key to success in this aircraft is by using its excellent turn and roll rate to eliminate enemies in a turn fight. Make sure to notice that this plane doesn't have that good of a climb rate. To be effective, climb in a 15 degrees angle at the start of the match, fly at around 3,000 m - 4,000 m, pretend yourself as a slow target for the enemies above you. If you spot someone diving on you, break and dodge his shots and try to drag him into a dogfight; you can out-turn most of the enemies in this tier.

Remember to always avoid head-ons when playing this aircraft - it's super fragile, you can often get one shot by the heavy-armed aircraft at this BR, such as the Bf 109 E-4 and P-40 variants. Due to the lack of engine horse-power at high altitude, always try to engage enemy aircraft below 4,000 m, and DO NOT toggle flaps over 200 kph, because they will typically rip off at those speeds.

'''Simulator:'''

The I-16 can be used in turnfighting, bomber intercepting and ground pounding. However in this mode, its characteristics appear to be quite conflicting. It is excellent in turning tightly and continuously, yet when maneuvering it easily gets into uncontrollable spins which isn't beginner friendly. Also the rather big nose blocks the visibility a lot, offering very poor over-the-nose visibility which is a disadvantage in a turn fight, because when leading a shot the enemy will always get obstructed by the engine, making the player guess the shot. More ever, there is no trim control available in a sim battle and the I-16 always pitch up and down. Although not a lot, it is still annoying when trying to get a precise aim.

It is recommended to set the convergence within 300m, with vertical convergence on, because the majority of turnfights happen at that range or closer.

Unlike realistic, sim requires long-range flying so discard the habit of bringing the least fuel. Bring at least 30 minutes of fuel, although it decreases the plane's performance a bit, it prevents constant refueling which saves time for patrolling and fighting.

As your I-16 roars down the runway, you will notice that it shifts severely to the side, and the nose will tip down. If you don't correct it the propeller will eventually strike the ground, causing a failed takeoff. Thus you must put rudder input as opposed to the side it's shifting towards, and apply positive pitch to keep the propeller off the ground. You do not want to use flaps anywhere except takeoff and landing, since they are very weak and will rip at more than 260 km/h, while the average speed during a battle tends to be around 300 km/h. Once one or both flaps are gone it creates an imbalance in the roll axis, making spins more common. It also makes landing harder.

Before engaging a fight, it is better to have an altitude advantage first. When approaching the fight try to figure out which is your teammate and which is the enemy, to avoid going for a second pass, as the energy retention of the I-16 is rather slow. Also pick your target carefully. For easier aiming, you want to go for those unmaneuverble twin engine aircraft like [[Ju 88 (Family)|Ju 88]] or [[Ki-45 (Family)|Ki-45]], or bombers if there are any. Given the bad forward visibility of the I-16, these are the best options as they are quite slow and sluggish, and are a bigger target to hit. When dealing with fighters, it is way harder to aim. The elevator control of the I-16 is extremely sensitive, giving it good maneuverbility, but at the same time, bad handling. The I-16 will respond in a very fast turn upon moving your stick / mouse by a little bit, which makes tracking nimble planes quite hard. But once you get used to it, try to lure every enemy into a turnfight, as that is where the I-16 shines. Several hits with the ShVAK cannon will effectively damage the enemy. If you find an enemy at your 6, utilise your great roll rate to do defensive maneuvers like scissors to make them overshoot. Or you can simply do tight turns, most monoplanes won't be able to cut inside your turn and they might disengage. Important note: DO NOT put too much rolling and pitching input at once, as aforementioned the I-16 tend to enter spins easily.

If you are not very experienced in sim, you can also go for even bigger targets (bombers) for easier aiming. However you want to be more careful when hunting bombers, since with the Sim control (whether it be mouse joystick or a real stick) the plane will manoeuvre much more gently, making itself a great target for the bomber's gunners. DO NOT follow behind a bomber's 6 unless you are sure that its tail gunners are unconscious. Chasing behind a bomber makes yourself stationary for the tail gunners, and you will be showered with bullets. Your big radial engine will usually get damaged. Instead, before attacking, get an altitude advantage over the bomber by flying around 2 km above it. The bomber should only fill up about 1/6 of your gunsight. The best position for an attack is at the bomber's high 6 so you can adjust the lead much easier. Dive at the bomber, but not directly at it, try to predict where you two will crash by imagining yourself as a missile, that's where you should aim at (deflection shooting). To maximise the damage it is better to aim for their wings and engines, as the fuselage usually soaks up quite some bullets. Only fire when the bomber passes in front of your guns. This short window might seem inadequate to do anything, but with a accurate burst on the engine the twin ShVAK can deal quite a bit of damage. Without an engine most bombers cannot go far.

Although ground pounding ability is limited, there are still bombs and rockets to choose from. The 2 bombs can effectively destroy pillboxes or tanks while the rockets, with accurate aiming, can destroy 3 targets. Once the suspended armaments are gone, use the 2 MG for soft targets like trucks, artillery and AA cars. Save the ammo for the ShVAK in case of an unwanted dogfight.

Just like the SB 2M, the I-16 can still fly when it's extremely slow, causing it to bounce up during landing which can lead to a fatal crash. The trick is similar: slow it down more than other aircraft. Make sure you are around 1 km from the start of the runway and is no more than 300m high. When the runway fills up your gunsight, drop speed to around 210 kph and deploy landing flaps. The good thing is, the I-16 will not pitch up drastically upon using its flaps so you don't need to counter the extra lift. Make sure that you extend landing gears early as they move very slow (takes around 15 seconds to deploy). When you are about to touch down you should be flying at around 140 kph. You must control the rate of descent (I-16's gears are fragile) and make sure that you are slightly pitching upwards with the nose obstructing the horizon. This way the I-16 should land gently without having to brake for too long. Once you are sliding on the ground, fully deflect your elevators upwards to counter the momentum that can push the nose into the ground. You must release brakes once every 4 seconds, because if you only release them as the nose dips down, it's too late.

'''Enemies worth noting:'''

[[Ki-27 otsu|Ki-27]], [[N1K1]], [[He 51 (Family)|He 51]], [[Gladiator (Family)|Gladiator]], etc;

Those commonly seen planes are equally good at turnfights and will be a hard target to down since they are very small and agile. To deal with them you need to practice leading and deflection shots, plus maneuvers like barrel rolls and scissors. They are easily damaged by your ShVAK.

[[He 111 H-6]]:

This bomber is not only quite durable, but also pretty fast. In level flight it can outrun the I-16 rather easily. Avoid being on its 6 as it will have at least 2x 7.92mm MG facing its tail, and their rapid firerate and good penetration is a big threat. Either go for a head-on or use deflection shooting and aim for its engines. If you cannot keep up with it, disengage. If it flies way higher than you, change your target.

[[Sunderland Mk IIIa|Sunderland]]:

This flying boat is like a low-tier [[Be-6]]. Its huge fuselage is very spacious and can absorb lots of bullets and shells. It also has lethal defensive firepower: two 7.7mm in the nose, four forward-facing, two on the top and four at the tail, so attacking from behind, in front or above aren't the best options. Dive under it and suddenly pull up to shoot its defenseless underpart. Aim at the large wings and engines, avoid shooting the fuselage.

[[He 100 D-1|He 100]], [[Bf 109 E-1|Bf 109 E]] / F, [[A6M2]]:

These planes might not be able to out-turn the I-16, but they can easily outrun it as the I-16 is very slow. These fighters will usually BnZ you, so you must constantly look above and behind you. If they are diving on you, do what you do in realistic: use your roll rate and dodge under their negative G areas. Most players will try to follow up, if not immediately losing track of you. Several dodges might make them impatient and if they really start to turn with you, they are already dead.

===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" | Controllable Not auto controlled || rowspan="2" | Not controllable Not auto controlled || rowspan="2" | Controllable Not auto controlled || rowspan="2" | Combined || rowspan="2" | Controllable 2 gears || rowspan="2" | Not controllable
|-
|}

===Modules===
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="1" | Tier
! colspan="2" | Flight performance
! colspan="1" | Survivability
! colspan="2" | Weaponry
|-
| I
| Fuselage repair
| Radiator
|
| Offensive 7 mm
| DZ-40
|-
| II
|
| Compressor
| Airframe
| New 7 mm MGs
| RO-82
|-
| III
| Wings repair
| Engine
|
| Offensive 20 mm
|
|-
| IV
|
| Engine injection
| Cover
| New 20 mm cannons
|
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Excellent turning ability- with combat flaps deployed it can out-turn any Bf 109, Fw 190 A and even turn-fighters like the [[Spitfire (Family)|Spitfire]]
* Extreme roll rate allows it to do offensive / defensive scissors easily, which is an advantage over Bf 109 and [[Spitfire (Family)|Spitfire]] as their roll rate aren't as good
* Twin ShVAK cannons have good fire rate, adequate velocity and accuracy, and 150 RPG capacity allows for reasonably long engagements
* Suspended armament provides rockets and bombs which, to an extent, allows some ground attack ability
* Is a very short and small plane, offering the enemy a harder target to hit

'''Cons:'''

* Extremely poor level speed, climb rate, dive acceleration and energy retention- will get outran, out-climbed and out-dived easily by Bf 109 E / F, Fw 190 A or [[A6M2]]
* Engine tends to overheat when diving at more than 500 km/h
* Control surfaces are unresponsive over 450 km/h
* Flaps are very weak and will break over 250 km/h, severely limiting its sharp-turning potential at higher speeds
* Hard to fly in SB -- very unstable in pitch, no manual trim controls, poor over-the-nose visibility and is prone to enter flat spins
* Uses early ShVAKs that have a lot of poor quality HEF-I rounds
* Although it's manoeuvrable, it can still be out-turned by some Japanese turn-fighters

== 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></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article. 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).''

=== In-game description ===
A single-seat cantilever monoplane with a composite construction and retractable landing gear.

The I-16 Type 27 is a variation of the I-16 Type 18 fighter equipped with an M-62 engine and the same wing-mounted cannon armament as on the I-16 Type 17, which was created based on the I-16 Type 10 in the same way.

The I-16 Type 27 was powered by the 9-cylinder air-cooled Shvetsov M-62 radial engine with a rated output of 800 hp. The engine possessed a double-speed central-drive supercharger which increased its altitude limit. The plane was equipped with the AV-1 variable-pitch propeller with a larger propeller spinner.

One important alteration was the installation of a rubber self-sealing cover on the fuel tank. This prevented fuel leaks caused by small arms fire.

The I-16 Type 27's armament consisted of two 20 mm rapid-firing Shpitalny-Vladimirov ShVAK aviation cannons with 150 shells each. The cannons were located in the wing's central section outside the propeller interference zone. The fuselage housed a portion of the cannons' ammunition. The cannons were fed by tubes located behind the fuselage's first former and running across the central wing section along a forward longeron.

Two more synchronized ShKAS cannons were installed under nacelles in the fuselage above the engine. They had 650 rounds each.

The new cannons led to an increase in the airplane's weight and a corresponding reduction in its flight characteristics. For this reason, although the I-16 Type 27 was capable of aerial combat, it was mainly used to attack ground targets or as an interceptor.

The I-16 Type 27 was produced in small numbers in 1939. Only 59 were built in total. It saw limited use in the first stage of the Great Patriotic War, primarily as an attack aircraft.

== 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.''

{{AirManufacturer Polikarpov}}
{{USSR fighters}}

Tu-4

2020-06-01T01:53:42Z

U51331578: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card|code=tu_4}}
{{About
| about = Russian heavy bomber '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = B-29/Tu-4 (Family)
}}
== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Russian heavy bomber {{Battle-rating}}. This bomber was introduced in [[Update 1.59 "Flaming Arrows"]]. Though it's an almost identical structure copy of the American [[B-29A-BN|B-29 bomber]], the Tu-4 features an improved 23 mm defensive armament and a very large payload.

Russian engineers reverse engineered an interred B-29 to develop an "exact" copy per Stalin's request. Challenges were met as available materials were developed using the metric system and the B-29 had been developed using the standard imperial system. Equipment had to be retooled and new supplies had to be developed to match the metric version of the imperial standard sizes. In the end, between the two aircraft, the Russian Tu-4 only weighed 340 kg more than the B-29, a difference of less than 1%. So stringent was the bureaucratic process for manufacturing parts and equipment, special permission from a high-level general was required to allow Soviet-made parachutes to be utilized in the Tu-4.

The Tu-4 is a heavy bomber, able to load up to 12,000 kg of bombs. It is able to fully destroy all three bases in one run, while also dealing significant damage to the enemy's airfield. Its defensive armament consists of 5 x turrets with each having 2 x 23 mm cannons (a total of 10 x 23 mm cannons). These guns can annihilate enemy fliers in seconds while covering a wide area, making a Tu-4 tough to approach, let alone attack. However, don't be fooled, it is a huge target and thus nearly impossible to miss. With its battle rating of 8.0 in RB, it faces top rank jet fighters most of the time.

== 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 9,100 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
|-
| 618 || 605 || {{Specs|ceiling}} || 33.4 || 35.0 || 4.7 || 4.6 || 1,800
|-
! colspan="8" | ''Upgraded''
|-
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 9,100 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
|-
| 665 || 641 || {{Specs|ceiling}} || 30.4 || 32.0 || 10.5 || 6.5 || 1,800
|-
|}

====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}} || 340 || ~4 || ~2
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities
|-
! Ailerons (km/h)
! Rudder (km/h)
! Elevators (km/h)
! Radiator (km/h)
|-
| < 340 || < 350 || < 290 || > 400
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Compressor (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 1
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 9,720 m || 2,200 hp || 2,499 hp
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===


* 60 mm Bulletproof glass in front of the pilots.
* 6.5 mm Steel plates in front of the pilots.
* 6.5 mm Steel plates behind the pilots.
* 6.5 mm Steel plates in front of tail control tractions.
* 6.5 mm Steel plates boxing around rear dorsal gunner and beam gunners.
* 6.5 mm Steel plate behind the rear ventral turret.
* 60 mm Bulletproof glass in front of tail gunner.
* 6.5 mm Steel plate in front of tail gunner.

Do not be fooled of its nickname of "The Russian Death Star". Even with its powerful defensive armament, it does have weak spots.

While playing the Hunter F 1 or the Vautour IIA, it is easy to send this monster of an aircraft back to base with just one burst. Engaging in a head-on is recommended, as the pilots have little protection, usually knocking them both out.

However, the Tu-4 is a monster of an aircraft in terms of its profile and size, making it very easy to hit. Wings and the tail control are weak spots, so hitting the wings will result in severe wing damage on the Tu-4, forcing it to return to base or even sending it back to the hangar.

While flying the Sabres, try to aim for the fuel tanks in the wings. Most of the time, just set the fuel tanks ablaze, or even blowing off the wing, sending the foe back to the hangar.

'''Do not engage the Tu-4 from the six!''' Engaging the Tu-4 at its tail, especially from below, '''is''' asking for trouble. Always try to engage the Tu-4 from the top, or in head-ons, the fuselage turrets have dead zones when engaging from >~70 degrees.

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

{{main|:Category:Suspended armaments|l1=Suspended armaments}}

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

* 40 x 100 kg FAB-100 bombs (4,000 kg total)
* 40 x 250 kg FAB-250M43 bombs (10,000 kg total)
* 12 x 500 kg FAB-500 bombs (6,000 kg total)
* 20 x 500 kg FAB-500 bombs (10,000 kg total)
* 8 x 1,000 kg FAB-1000 bombs (8,000 kg total)
* 8 x 1,500 kg FAB-1500M-46 bombs (12,000 kg total)
* 4 x 3,000 kg FAB-3000M-46 bombs (12,000 kg total)

=== Defensive armament ===

{{main|NR-23 (23 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is defended by:

* 2 x 23 mm NR-23 cannons, front dorsal turret (275 rpg = 550 total)
* 2 x 23 mm NR-23 cannons, front ventral turret (250 rpg = 500 total)
* 2 x 23 mm NR-23 cannons, rear dorsal turret (275 rpg = 550 total)
* 2 x 23 mm NR-23 cannons, rear ventral turret (500 rpg = 1,000 total)
* 2 x 23 mm NR-23 cannons, tail turret (275 rpg = 550 total)

== Usage in battles ==

The below tactics can be used in all games modes:

Like most planes of its class, the Tu-4 relies on its defensive turrets for aerial combat. A few good hits from its 10 x 23 mm guns can send an attacker back to base, with critical damage or, if not, credit the player with the victory. Maxing out the crew stats is a good idea, it will allow the player to focus more on flying while the AI does the gunning. Don't get too arrogant, remember, the Tu-4 is a huge plane. It is easy to hit, and as mentioned above, especially when the opponents could be jets.

All in all, pay attention to the aircraft's surroundings. The Tu-4 can easily net the team a win so don't let the feeling of invincibility get imbued, or the only reward will be a fiery end.

With this bomber's high battle rating, you should be actively looking out for enemy vehicles. It is possible for an attacker to have a relative closing speed of over 1000 km/h. Relying solely on the spotting system will allow some fighters to get so close it will be impossible for you to react. It is especially common for the enemy to approach either in a 30° cone straight ahead or to trail behind and below you, generally outside gun range before pulling up sharply.

When first starting with this aircraft, the payload option is 40 x 100 kg bombs which are able to destroy numerous bases. One of the best ways to maximize the payload's effectiveness, 15 x 100 kg bombs are needed for one base. The A.I. gunners will be able to defend the plane as bombs are dropped from the bombsight until switching back to the pilot seat, ready to head to next objective. The best option for base bombing is the 8 x 1500 kg payload. A single bomb will be enough to destroy a base, provided you do not miss.

Once the Tu-4's bombing run is complete, start descending towards the friendly airfield; enemy fighters '''will''' be hunting for the Tu-4, so be more alert. The Tu-4 has a very powerful defensive system installed with 5 turrets, each with two 2 x 23 mm cannons, so the Tu-4 should be able to defend itself reasonably well. If you believe that landing would be putting the aircraft in grave danger, it is worth considering to instead stay high and shoot down approaching fighters, calling out your position will often lower the stigma associated with this action.

'''Do not''' rely on the AI gunners. Most of the time the Tu-4 will face top rank jets including [[Hunter F 1]]s and [[F-86F-2|F2 Sabres]]. These adversaries are usually experienced and will not foolishly tail the bomber for long and try to engage at ranges greater than 1 km or engage in a head-on pass. These manoeuvres render the AI gunners largely useless. Laying down a stream of 23 mm rounds is recommended, but beware of jamming. Hits can be scored within 1.5 - 2 km, if somebody is tailing the Tu-4 or engaging in a head-on pass, they can also occur at greater ranges. Combine the turret shooting with a defensive style of flying to utilize it to its full potential; the Tu-4 offers good handling for its size. Be very careful when putting the Tu-4 into a dive. It is just as prone as any other aircraft to suffering structural damage if its limitations are exceeded. Do '''not''' rely on flaps to slow down, their weak construction will let you down.

The two most dangerous opponents of the Tu-4 are the [[S.O.4050 Vautour IIA]] and the [[Hunter F 1]]. With their 30mm cannons, one burst will be devastating against the Tu-4. The [[F-86F-2]] is also a dangerous opponent, with four 20 mm cannons with a very high velocity and rate of fire.

When down tiered, the most dangerous opponents are the [[Me 163 B]], the [[Me 262 C-2b]] and the [[R2Y2 (Family)|R2Y2 KAI]]s. All equipped with 30 mm cannons, they are able to send the Tu-4 back to the hangar within one burst. The 163's and KI-200 extreme mobility are something to be wary of. It isn't uncommon for bomber pilots to lose track of the attacker after a fly by.

Don't underestimate the other Sabres, such as the [[F-86F-40 (Japan)|F-86F-40]] and the [[CL-13A Mk 5|CL-13A]]. Their 12.7 mm machine guns can do a lot of damage, crippling or setting the Tu-4 afire, which could end the match for the plane there.

Do not consider any enemy bomber or attacker as a neutral or even friendly party. It is quite common for [[Canberra B (I) Mk 6|Canberra]]'s or even [[B-57B|B-57]]'s to try and engage you if the opportunity presents itself.

===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" | Controllable Auto control available || rowspan="2" | Not controllable Not auto controlled || rowspan="2" | Controllable Not auto controlled || rowspan="2" | Combined || rowspan="2" | Controllable 1 gear || rowspan="2" | Auto controlled
|-
|}

===Modules===
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="1" | Tier
! colspan="2" | Flight performance
! colspan="1" | Survivability
! colspan="3" | Weaponry
|-
| I
| Fuselage repair
| Radiator
|
|
|
|
|-
| II
|
| Compressor
| Airframe
|
| KD-3
| KD-4
|-
| III
| Wings repair
| Engine
|
| Turret 23 mm
|
|
|-
| IV
|
| Engine injection
| Cover
| New 23 mm cannons (turret)
| BD-4
|
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* This aircraft currently has the highest payload in the game of up to 12,000 kg (26,455 lbs)
* Very strong and fast climber once flight performance modifications have been purchased (''compressor'', ''engine'', and ''engine injection'')
* Offers effective defensive turrets that have very few dead zones
* Lots of ammo for defensive armaments
* Almost identical to the B-29 in terms of performance
* All payload options are internal and has next to no effect on flight performance
* Gunners are located separately from the gun turret with the exception of the tail turret
* Multiple Tu-4s single-handedly win games, if left ignored by the enemy team
* Stock-friendly grind
* Rewarding experience, if plane survives the match
* With a good gunner crew, this aircraft can defend itself from most fighters coming to attack it, due to its 23 mm turrets
* Easy to learn, similar learning curve as the B-29
* A good game can be extremely rewarding in Silver Lions, especially if using a booster.

'''Cons:'''

* Usually will lose Silver Lions after playing the Tu-4 due to the immense repair costs (40 097 Silver Lions spaded)
* Does not offer any payload modification immediately, unlike the B-29
* Prone to fires and wing damage
* Slightly less engine power than the B-29
* Will be ripped to shreds by cannons with the calibre of/larger than 20 mm, especially the [[MK 108 (30 mm)|MK 108]] and the [[ADEN (30 mm)|ADEN]]/[[DEFA 541 (30 mm)|DEFA 541]]
* Matchmaking will make this aircraft face top rank jets such as the [[F-86F-2|Sabre]], [[Hunter F 1|Hunter]] and the [[S.O.4050 Vautour IIA|Vautour]]
* Unable to reliably defend itself from multiple opponents attacking at once from multiple directions
* Huge aircraft, making it easy to spot from distance and making it close to impossible to miss
* Has a low dive top-speed
* Takes a while to reach an optimal altitude
* Landing gear takes a long time to deploy and retract
* Wings are considered weak spots, damaged wings will hinder the plane's control
* Flaps are one piece, making it frequent for a wing to lose the whole piece at once. This can affect lift significantly.
* Can be hard to handle during landing, especially on short runways.
* Takes a while to reach the ground (in one piece)
* Against missiles you are hopeless

== History ==


The Soviet Tu-4 strategic bomber is a copy of the B-29 with more powerful engines and armament. The USSR did not possess strategic aviation capacity in 1945 while having a great requirement for it as the Cold War was about to begin. The B-29's that ended up in the hands of Soviet engineers seemed to be a technological miracle and a vast gap between the long-range bomber technologies of the US and the USSR was soon discovered. This leads to a hurried cloning effort while created the TU-4, a Soviet copy of the American bomber with a few modifications.

== Media ==

{{Youtube-gallery|gxIVvUZGptw|'''The Shooting Range #51''' - ''Special'' section at 00:29 discusses the B-29 & Tu-4.|G-sMfeWsEq0|'''The Shooting Range #148''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 07:12 discusses the Tu-4.}}

== 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 ==


* [http://warthunder.com/en/news/3756-development-b-29-superfortress-tu-4-the-new-face-of-the-giant-en/ [Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> B-29 Superfortress/Tu-4 – the new face of the giant]

{{AirManufacturer Tupolev}}
{{USSR bombers}}

F-84B-26

2020-06-01T01:26:27Z

U51331578: fixed typo of 21.7 to 12.7

{{Specs-Card
|code=f-84b
|cockpit=380026/1304896
}}
{{About
|about=aircraft '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|usage=other uses
|link=F-84 (Family)
}}

== 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 1.39]]. The F-84B-26 is known for its versatile payload and decent top speed, but lackluster in terms of acceleration. The Thunderjet does well at destroying ground targets, given the quantity and quality of payload.

The F-84 Thunderjet was Republic’s attempt to convert from piston-engine aircraft to turbojets. F-84B featured here is primarily the same aircraft as the final test version the YP-84A, except that it had faster firing M3 Browning machines guns. Due to unmitigable problems, the F-84B (and F-84C) fleet only had a short four-year operational run before being withdrawn from service.

True to life, the in-game version of the F-84B has a relatively weak turbojet engine, though wile it struggles to take off and gain altitude, once at altitude the fighter begins to shine. The F-84B while not going to break many records does have relatively good level flight and dive speed. The maximum speed of the F-84B was limited to 0.8 Mach (613 mph or 987 kph), flying faster resulted in catastrophic skin buckling or wing twist and shear due to the wing-tip fuel tanks which is a real concern when flying in realistic and simulator battles. This maximum speed limitation can cause issues, especially when flying against the Soviet [[MiG-15]] which has a higher max speed.

Even though the F-84B has an extremely long takeoff roll, this aircraft can be loaded with a variety of suspended armaments which other comparable fighters cannot compare to. The F-84B is an incredibly stable platform and is also outfitted with six 12.7 mm M3 Browning machine guns for targets of opportunity. Though each gun only has 300 rounds of ammunition, trigger control is necessary or else the pilot will be left with empty guns in short order. Considered a multi-role aircraft, the F-84B can be utilised as a fighter-interceptor, bomber interceptor and ground attack fighter. The F-84B can be laden with a variety of bombs ranging from 100 lbs all the way up to two 1,000 lb bombs. [[HVAR]] and [[Tiny Tim]] rockets are a viable option alone or mixed with bombs to expand the options of targets to be attacked depending on the map the pilot is flying in.

Like many jet fighters, flying slowly makes for an easy target and this is no exception for the F-84B. Speed is necessary to ensure manoeuvrability both to engage a target and to shake a tail. Don’t expect this fighter when laden down with two 1,000 lbs bombs or two Tiny Tim and 8 HVAR rockets to excel in a dog-fight as it won’t with all that weight, however, after all that ordnance is released the F-84B can then mix it up, though it is preferable to maintain speed while performing Boom & Zoom manoeuvres. The F-84B will help newer jet pilots get used to the basics of the aircraft before upgrading to the [[F-84G-21-RE|F-84G]].

== General info ==
=== Flight Performance ===


The F-84B is a streamline all-metal jet fighter which was designed to house the Allison J35-A-15 turbine jet engine. This early Allison engine proved to be weak on power when it came to take-off/thrust ratio and climbing speed. The distance needed to achieve the take-off roll became a joke with F-84B pilots as they quipped that there was a “sniffer” device mounted in the nose of the aircraft which upon reaching V2 (takeoff safety speed at which the aircraft can safely climb) it would then begin searching for the dirt at the end of the runway and when detected the controls would become operational for the pilot to take off and fly the aircraft. While a joke between pilots, it remains that in-game this fighter has a significant roll-out time of 1,500 m (~5,000 ft) before lift-off.

Though the take-off and climb characteristics of the Allison jet engine appeared lacklustre, it actually had decent level flight speed and good dive characteristics. Speed is what saves this fighter, in once it has enough built up, it will perform. Though not the fastest at its battle rating, the F-84B is a great boom & zoom aircraft vs. being a dog-fighter. Turning this aircraft will bleed its speed and the roll rate can be affected by the weight of the wing-tip fuel tanks. One negative aspect of the wing-tip fuel tanks of the early F-84s was that high speeds (+1,000 kph) tended to cause the fuel tanks to twist resulting in the destruction of the wings which does reflect in realistic and simulator battles in-game if exceeded. While turning in this jet is not advised, Immelmann and Split-S manoeuvres will help to conserve energy without compromising the speed of the aircraft.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 1,524 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 919 || 891 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 32.6 || 33.7 || 18.3 || 17.3 || rowspan="2" | 1,500
|-
! Upgraded
| 960 || 948 || 30.2 || 31.0 || 27.3 || 22.0
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || 550 || 550 || 350 || ~11 || ~4.5
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 530 || < 600 || < 690 || N/A
|-
|}

==== Engine performance ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine
! colspan="5" | Aircraft mass
|-
! colspan="2" | Engine name || Number
! colspan="2" | Empty mass || colspan="3" | Wing loading (full fuel)
|-
| colspan="2" | Allison J35-A-15 || 1
| colspan="2" | 4,810 kg || colspan="3" | 254 kg/m2
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine characteristics
! colspan="4" | Mass with fuel (no weapons load) || rowspan="2" | Max Takeoff Weight
|-
! Weight (each) || colspan="2" | Type
! 11m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel || 38m fuel
|-
| 814 kg || colspan="2" | Axial-flow turbojet
| 5,219 kg || 5,528 kg || 5,871 kg || 6,145 kg || 8,935 kg
|-
! colspan="3" | {{Annotation|Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB / SB)|The maximum thrust produced by each engine, while mounted in the aircraft. NOTE: Thrust varies significantly depending on speed & altitude.}}
! colspan="5" | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (100%)
|-
! Condition || 100% || WEP
! 11m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel || 38m fuel || MTOW
|-
| ''Stationary'' || 1,620 kgf || N/A
| 0.31 || 0.29 || 0.28 || 0.26 || 0.18
|-
| ''Optimal'' || 1,620 kgf (0 km/h) || N/A
| 0.31 || 0.29 || 0.28 || 0.26 || 0.18
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===


* 38 mm Bulletproof glass in cockpit front
* 6.35 mm Steel plate in front of the pilot
* 12.7 mm Steel plate in pilot's headrest
* 8 mm Steel plate behind the pilot

Like many early jet fighters, the armour was placed around the pilot while not much thought was given to the other critical components of the aircraft. From behind, the pilot is protected by an 8 mm steel plate behind the seat with a 12.7 mm steel plate as a headrest. In front of the pilot, a 38 mm bulletproof windscreen adds protection from head-on's or from defensive bomber weapons. Another 6.35 mm steel plate is placed in front of the pilot and instrument panel for further protection of bullets entering the open-ended air-intake.

Other critical components such as the jet turbine, fuel tanks and coolers are all exposed, only protected by the outer skin of the aircraft which may deflect incoming bullets if at sufficient distance or angle to do so.

When attacking an F-84B, aim for the centre of the aircraft where you have a good chance of getting a critical hit on the engine or in a fuel tank. Due to this aircraft having wing-tip fuel tanks, shots to the wings or wing-tip tanks have a potential of starting a fire or breaking a wing off. If the attacking aircraft has sufficient calibre ammunition then shots taken at the pilot may have a larger chance of success if made from the sides or behind. This aircraft does not have much protection against rockets or missiles, however, given sufficient notice, rockets can be avoided and it is possible that missiles can be outmanoeuvred, however, when playing in realistic or simulator you run the risk of the pilot blacking-out due to G-force manoeuvers or wings snapping while trying to outfly a missile.

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

{{main|Browning M3 (12.7 mm)}}

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

* 4 x 12.7 mm M3 Browning machine gun, nose-mounted (300 rpg = 1,200 total)
* 2 x 12.7 mm M3 Browning machine gun, wing-mounted (300 rpg = 600 total)

Early fighters had many different configurations of machine guns and cannons mounted in the fuselage and in the wings, sometimes needing to be synced with the propeller to prevent its destruction. With the jet age developing, many factors of the past needed to be reconsidered with gun placement. With jet fighters flying faster and chasing faster targets, trying to find the sweet spot with gun convergence was extremely difficult, jet fighter pilots needed a little extra help with this. Besides implementing newer gun sites and early radar, jet fighter guns tended to be fuselage-mounted, thus eliminating the need to set the convergence and at any point between 0 m and 800 m the ammunition rounds would fly true without a convergence point.

For the F-84B, four of the 12.7 mm M3 Browning machine guns were mounted in the fuselage with the other two mounted in the wing roots. While they were not all centre mounted, the two in the wing roots were close enough that convergence did not need to be messed with. Two ammunition options provide the most bang-for-the-buck, firstly, the omni-purpose rounds are good all-around ammunition rounds which provide tracers and explosive/incendiary rounds which are effective against aircraft and up to light armoured vehicles. Hardened vehicles and bunkers should be left to bombs and rockets for their destruction. If as a pilot you are looking for the sneak attack, stealth rounds will allow you to get on target fire off rounds and not give away your position, giving you a few seconds to make a second attack if needed before the target realizes where you are coming from.

=== Suspended armament ===

{{main|AN-M30A1 (100 lb)|AN-M57 (250 lb)|AN-M64A1 (500 lb)|AN-M65A1 (1,000 lb)}}
{{main|HVAR|Tiny Tim}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordinance"

* 4 × 127 mm HVAR rockets
* 8 × 127 mm HVAR rockets
* 8 × 127 mm HVAR rockets + 2 x 1,000 lb AN-M65A1 bombs
* 8 × 127 mm HVAR rockets + 2 x 500 lb AN-M64A1 bombs
* 8 × 127 mm HVAR rockets + 2 x 250 lb AN-M57 bombs
* 8 × 127 mm HVAR rockets + 2 x 100 lb AN-M30A1 bombs
* 2 × 298 mm Tiny Tim rockets + 8 x 127 mm HVAR rockets
* 2 × 298 mm Tiny Tim rockets
* 2 × 1,000 lb AN-M65A1 bombs
* 2 x 500 lb AN-M64A1 bombs
* 2 x 250 lb AN-M57 bombs
* 2 x 100 lb AN-M30A1 bombs

The F-84B is one of a small handful of aircraft in War Thunder which offers many different suspended armament options ranging from bombs and rockets depending on the target needing to be destroyed. The smaller bombs such as the AN-M30A1 and AN-M57 and HVAR rockets are useful against soft targets like anti-aircraft batteries, unarmored vehicles, ships and some light tanks. The heavier hitters like the AN-M61A1, AN-M65A1 and Tiny Tim rockets are effective (more like overkill) for the softer targets, but also work well with bunkers, heavier armoured tanks, larger ships and can also be utilised against bases.

Sometimes the suspended weapons you start out with doesn't work well later on in the match, therefore you can return to your base and exit the aircraft (default key = 'j') and select a different load-out unless you would like to fly strictly as a fighter where you can select "without load" and rely just on the six Browning M3 machine guns. The wide variety of ordnance options available for this aircraft make it an excellent clean-up ground attacker which can attack just about anything on the map with the right setup.


== Usage in battles ==


The F-84B is a versatile multi-role fighter. Though not as fast and powerful as later models, it can be configured to be used in various types of aerial warfare, namely bomber interceptor, ground attack and fighter-interceptor.

;Bomber Interceptor

Some may question this fighters ability to be a bomber interceptor due to its poor rate of climb, but taking the time to side climb and gain altitude can pay dividends in the end. Care must be taken to climb away from hostile aircraft as any departure from climbing to avoid an attack will only increase the time it takes for you to get to optimal altitude. As a bomber interceptor, the pilot has two options for weapon load-outs.

If the F-84B is still stock or in the process of upgrading modules, the best bet will be to not load any suspended armaments and rely on the six 12.7 mm M3 Browning machine guns to do the work. Just using the machine guns will help save on weight and make it a bit easier to climb on the unmodified engine. For those pilots who have modified engines, they can opt for guns only for a quicker climb or attach HVAR rockets for an additional punch against larger bombers.

Once at altitude, scan and select a bomber target of opportunity. It is best to attain higher altitude than the bomber, giving you options as to which direction to attack from and increase your speed when diving in, speed is key to avoid defensive guns, race out of their range and to gain enough distance to safely turn around and follow up with another attack if needed.

Since the six M3 machine guns are virtually centred on the aircraft, the inbound bullets will be clustered and should be aimed at engines, cockpit, fuel tanks and any other critical areas as the body of the aircraft can sometimes absorb a large amount of smaller calibre ammunition before causing a critical hit or crippling the aircraft. The limitation of only 300 rounds per gun will require trigger discipline by the pilot to ensure enough rounds are available for a secondary or tertiary attack without having to reload or return to base.

Utilizing HVAR rockets at large lumbering bombers can have a great impact, though unguided, they will need to be pointed in the general direction when launched, it may take several practice runs to determine best angle and distance in which to fire from for a successful attack. As with any unguided rocket, the best bet is to launch a volley of rockets to ensure a greater chance of at least one hitting.

;Ground Attack

Jet fighters tend to not make good ground attackers as it typically requires them to fly low and slow making them easy pickings for enemy fighters above or anti-aircraft fire below. Since the F-84B is neither an exceptionally fast fighter nor a lumbering bomber, it has an advantage of being fast enough to be dangerous to ground targets without being a sitting duck for patrolling enemy fighters.

While many aircraft available in War Thunder has a specific role of fighter-interceptor, ground attack or bomber, the F-84B can set itself up with suspended ordnance depending on the targets available on the map. The F-84B has several options depending on the modules unlocked by the pilot which range from outfitting HVAR unguided rockets, massive Tiny Tim unguided rockets, 100 lb, 250 lb, 500 lb and 1,000 lb bombs or a mixture of bombs and rockets.

Smaller bombs and the HVAR rockets are best for going after lighter armoured targets such as aircraft (on the ground or with rockets in the air), anti-aircraft batteries, trucks, some light tanks and ships. The larger Tiny Tim rockets and bombs are best reserved for more hardened targets like pillboxes, medium and large tanks, bunkers, large ships and bases. This fighter is not afraid to get down and dirty taking out ground targets, just be aware of your surroundings and watch for enemy fighters or anti-aircraft guns poised to take you out.

;Fighter Interceptor

While definitely not the fastest nor the most manoeuvrable fighter on the field, the F-84B has enough speed and manoeuvrability to take on fighter jets. The centerline six M3 machine guns concentrate enough lead into one spot to damage or destroy fighter aircraft flying in its path. While turning this fighter is bad due to bleeding airspeed (although maybe an option if you are trying to force an overshoot), Immelmann and Split-S manoeuvres will help you change directions keeping up your speed and allowing for a getaway or a targeting solution.

Boom & Zoom tactics will enable the F-84B to have the speed to manoeuvre and set up their shots and keep them actively in the fight. Many enemy fighters may mistake the F-84B as a weak and slow aircraft, however, the machine is not 100% of the solution and many pilots can take lesser aircraft and best faster, more agile and better-gunned aircraft by using their training, skills and the F-84B. The only time to count out the F-84B is when you see the pilot bail out, otherwise, always consider it a threat.

===Modules===

{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="1" | Tier
! colspan="2" | Flight performance
! colspan="1" | Survivability
! colspan="3" | Weaponry
|-
| I
| Fuselage Repair
|
|
| Offensive 12 mm
| FRC Mk.7
| FSBC Mk.1
|-
| II
| New Boosters
| Compressor
| Airframe
|
|
|FSBC Mk.5
|-
| III
| Wings Repair
| Engine
|
| New 12 mm MGs
| FRC Mk.7a
| FMBC Mk.1
|-
| IV
| G-Suit
|
| Cover
|
| LFRC Mk.12
| FLBC Mk.1
|-
|}

The quandary with a stock F-84B is to decide whether to first research upgraded ammunition or components which improve speed? If choosing to upgrade the ammunition to gain access to ammunition belts other than the default belt, first choose ''Offensive 12 mm''. The modules which allow access to the bombs and rockets should be the last ones to research. The ''Compressor'' and ''Engine'' modules should come next (or first if you choose to upgrade the engine first) to increase the aircraft's ability to climb and accelerate. ''New boosters'', ''Wings repair'', ''Airframe'' and ''Cover'' are the next best choices for upgrades which help the fighter be a little more robust. ''G-suit'' module may be a good early choice if the crew points for are lacking, however, this fighter will not be making any high speed/high-G turns which should adversely affect the pilot, but this may come into play with arcade battles where wing ripping is not a factor.

=== Pros and cons ===
'''Pros:'''

* Sufficient amount of ammo
* Excellent top speed in a straight line
* Above average acceleration levelled
* Above average roll rate
* Deadly rapid-firing M3 Browning machine guns
* Nose mounted guns, no need to worry about convergence
* Overall great durability
* Great at Boom & Run and Boom & Zoom
* Gigantic payload
* Air spawn in realistic battle (most maps)

'''Cons:'''

* Need a solid burst to down an enemy
* Engine suffers greatly at high altitudes
* Terrible vertical energy retention
* Loses all speed in turns
* Average climb rate
* Worst manoeuvrability of any early tier jets
* Can carry a large and varied payload, though all of them substantially increase drag and weight, severely hampering the performance

== History ==


In early 1944, Alexander Kartveli, the chief designer for the Republic Aviation Aircraft Company set out to work on a replacement for the piston-powered P-47 Thunderbolt which instead would be powered by a turbojet.<ref name="Burrows" /> All attempts at trying to use the P-47 frame to accommodate a turbojet failed and Kartveli resorted to designing a brand new aircraft around an axial compressor turbojet engine. Due to the nature of the engine taking up a large majority of the fuselage, fuel tanks were designed to be in the wings of the aircraft, however, the body was streamlined to make the smallest profile possible and retain all necessary critical components.

The USAAF in September 1944 released new requirements for a daytime fighter along with specific characteristics such as the top speed of 600 mph (966 kph), armament of six 12.7mm machine guns or four 15.2 mm machine guns along with housing a General Electric TG-180 axial turbojet also known as the Allison J35 series turbojet engine.<ref name="Burrows" /> Republic proposed their new aircraft and on paper proposed it would be superior to Lockheed’s P-80 Shooting Star. The USAAF noting Republic’s already proven experience with single-seat fighters proposed a contract without holding any competition. These initial order fighters were listed as YP-84As and P-84Bs.

These early test aircraft were put to wind tunnel testing and it was found that major flaws developed when subjected to high speeds, notably longitudinal instability in the aircraft’s frame and stabilizer skin buckling at high speeds. Also noted was issues with the weight of the aircraft and the problem with early turbojets not producing enough thrust for takeoff and climb outs (a problem which plagued the F-84B aircraft until more robust engines were outfitted). Early J35-GE-7 engines were replaced with J35-A-15 versions which helped with the thrust ratio, however wing-tip fuel tanks were added to the mix prior to proper testing and issues developed which at one point grounded the fleet of aircraft until modifications were made.

In 1947, the USAF changed the pursuit designation of the aircraft to fighter and thus the P-84 became the F-84. The YP-84A and the F-84B only differed when it came to the type of M3 machine guns they carried, as the F-84B had faster-firing machine guns than the YP-84A. Early successes of the F-84B were overshadowed by problem after problem including a speed restriction limiting flight to no more than Mach 0.8 as any faster and the aircraft experienced control reversal where the pilot would input normal commands with the control stick and the opposite manoeuvre would occur (for instance if the pilot pulled back on the control stick to make the aircraft climb, the aircraft would actually begin to dive and vice versa). Even with the speed restrictions, the entire fleet of F-84B fighters was grounded by 1948 due to parts shortages and structural failures.<ref name="Burrows" /> It was also at this time that the F-84C aircraft were also determined to be incapable of performing any of their mission parameters, however since the F-84D was already under production (with all of the B and C variants issues being resolved), the program continued. Funding was allocated to upgrade the B and C variants, however, both were finally withdrawn from active duty service by the end of 1952.

Testing of the F-84D determined that the wings needed to be covered with a thicker aluminium skin to strengthen them which was helpful because the engine was upgraded to the more powerful J35-A-17D. Here it was found that during high-G manoeuvres, the wingtip fuel tanks led to the structural failure of the wings due to twisting motions. A simple fix of adding a small triangular fin to the external portion of the fuel tank alleviated that problem. Despite the fixes introduced with the D variant, it too was withdrawn from active duty in 1952.
The F-84E variant fighter saw modifications specifically with strengthened wings and a larger cockpit which was necessary to equip advanced avionics to include an A-1C gunsight which worked with an APG-30 radar.<ref name="Burrows" /> Folding rocket racks were also developed so that once the HVAR rockets were fired; the racks would fold flush with the wing increasing the aircraft’s overall aerodynamics. Unfortunately even with all of the modifications, failure of the aircraft hinged upon the Allison J35-A-17 engines which were only designed to be flown for 25 hours a month and would receive a complete overhaul after 100 hours of flight. Due to the number of sorties flown in the Korean War, engine overhauls were taking place more frequently and quickly exhausted all of the spare parts and new engines produced.

The final variant of F-84 introduced was the G variant which began service in 1951. Utilised for the next nine years, the F-84G had new innovations which became standard on future aircraft to include, a refuelling boom mounted on the left-wing for in-flight refuelling, instrument landing system to allow for landing during inclement weather, a J35-A-29 engine, an autopilot system and the first fighter with the ability to carry a single Mark 7 nuclear bomb. The F-84G was retired from US service in 1960, however, countries such as Portugal continued to use this fighter through 1974 and were flown out of Angola.

The F-84 had a rocky start into the foray of turbine jet fighters, however, challenges and difficulties paved the way for the [[F-100D|F-100]] Super Sabre and the RF-101 Voodoo as their replacements.

== Media ==


{{Youtube-gallery|q5UG8S8sUvM|'''F-84B-26 Thunderjet [Fast and Furious]''' - Jengar|jESI9AlWzj0|'''F84B: Much better than I remember!''' - Van Sinn|S6nbw0Yn56Q|'''F-84B-26 Thunderjet - The Art Of Rushing''' - Napalmratte|fogd5FZmJZU|'''F-84 ThunderJet - Realistic Battle''' -
MagzTV}}

== See also ==


;Other versions

*[[F-84G-21-RE]]
*[[F-84G-21-RE_(China)|F-84G-21-RE]] (China)
*[[F-84G-21-RE_(Italy)|F-84G-21-RE]] (Italy)
*[[F-84G-26-RE_(France)|F-84G-26-RE]] (France)

;Aircraft of comparable configuration, role and era

*[[M.D.450B Ouragan]]
*[[Venom FB.4]]
*[[Meteor_(Family)|Gloster Meteor]]
*[[F9F_(Family)|F9F Panther]]
*[[F9F-8|F9F Cougar]]

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

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

== References ==
<references>
<ref name="Burrows">Burrows, W. E. (2013, August). It had the body of a fighter and a bomber's soul. Retrieved from https://www.airspacemag.com/military-aviation/thunderjet-307269/</ref>
</references>

{{AirManufacturer Republic}}
{{USA jet aircraft}}