War Thunder Wiki - User contributions [en]

Harrier GR.3

2022-11-02T11:09:11Z

U61252972: /* Usage in battles */

{{About
| about = British strike aircraft '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = Harrier (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=harrier_gr3
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British strike aircraft {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "New Power"]]. Like all members of the [[Harrier (Family)|Harrier family]], the Harrier GR.3 is a [[VTOL]] aircraft with thrust vectoring nozzles, which allow it to take off and land vertically.

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

{| 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
|1,150||1,144|| rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} ||32.5||33.7||69.5||67.8|| rowspan="2" |550
|-
! Upgraded
|1,168||1,159||31.5||32.0||106.1||87.0
|-
|}

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

{| 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 || 829 || 556 || ~14 || ~6
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
|< 648||< 950||< 790 || 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, engine oil, and full water tank; but no fuel or weapons load}} || colspan="3" | Wing loading (full fuel)
|-
| colspan="2" | Rolls-Royce Pegasus Mk.103 || 1
| colspan="2" | 5,918 kg || colspan="3" | 439 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 || 34m fuel
|-
| 1,640 kg || colspan="2" | Vectored-thrust low-bypass turbofan
| 6,605 kg || 7,292 kg || 7,978 kg || 8,253 kg || 12,679 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 || 34m fuel || MTOW
|-
| ''Stationary'' || 9,071 kgf || 9,625 kgf
| 1.46 || 1.32 || 1.21 || 1.17 || 0.76
|-
| ''Optimal'' || 9,071 kgf (0 km/h) || 9,625 kgf (0 km/h)
| 1.46 || 1.32 || 1.21 || 1.17 || 0.76
|-
|}
{{Notice|The Pegasus engine loses a significant amount of thrust as your speed increases}}

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

The Harrier GR.3 has no armour. The engine and all fuel tanks are packed in a tight cluster in the centre of the fuselage.

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

Your first priorities should be flares and then AIM-9Gs (if you are planning to use the Harrier in an air-to-air combat role). After that you can either focus on flight performance upgrade or ground attack loadouts depending on your preference.

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | [[Ballistic Computer]]
|-
! CCIP (Guns) !! CCIP (Rockets) !! CCIP (Bombs) !! CCRP (Bombs)
|-
| {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}}
|-
|}
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}

{{main|ADEN Mk.4 (30 mm)}}

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

* A choice between two presets:
** 2 x 30 mm ADEN Mk.4 cannons, belly-mounted (130 rpg = 260 total)
** 2 x 30 mm ADEN Mk.4 cannons + 60 x countermeasures

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

{{main|H.E. M.C. Mk.II (500 lb)|H.E. M.C. Mk.13 (1,000 lb)|AIM-9G Sidewinder|SNEB type 23}}

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

* Without load
* 2 x AIM-9G Sidewinder missiles
* 108 x SNEB type 23 rockets
* 5 x 500 lb H.E. M.C. Mk.II bombs (2,500 lb total)
* 4 x 500 lb H.E. M.C. Mk.II bombs (2,000 lb total)
* 3 x 1,000 lb H.E. M.C. Mk.13 bombs (3,000 lb total)
* 4 x 1,000 lb H.E. M.C. Mk.13 bombs (4,000 lb total)

==== Custom loadout options ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! !! width="9%" | 1 !! width="9%" | 2 !! width="9%" | 3 !! width="9%" | 4 !! width="9%" | 5
| rowspan="5" width="25%" | <div class="ttx-image">[[File:Hardpoints_{{PAGENAME}}.png]]</div>
|-
! 500 lb H.E. M.C. Mk.II bombs
| 1 || 1, 2 || 1 || 1, 2 || 1
|-
! 1,000 lb H.E. M.C. Mk.13 bombs
| || 1, 2 || 1 || 1, 2 ||
|-
! SNEB type 23 rockets
| 18 || 36 || || 36 || 18
|-
! AIM-9G Sidewinder missiles
| 1 || || || || 1
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

Despite originally being designed as a ground-attack aircraft, the Harrier GR.3 can be considered a multi-role aircraft that can focus on air-to-air combat, air to ground combat and air to sea combat. Its firepower and ordnance make it a competitive aircraft in all game modes. The roles can be divided into:

'''As fighter:'''

The Harrier has access to AIM-9G Sidewinder air to air missiles capable of taking down all enemy aircraft in the game. It should be noted that the AIM-9G is a rear-aspect lock-on missile, meaning the Harrier must be behind the enemy aircraft to be able to launch the missile. It is not recommended to use them against enemy helicopters neither, since the IR seeker requires a rear-aspect lock; thus the autocannons are way more effective.

''When facing enemy bombers:''

Enemy bombers are the easiest targets for the Harrier both in gun strafe and when using missiles as they lack agility when dogfighting against the Harrier and countermeasures such as flares to be able to counter the missiles. It is unlikely to face enemy bombers besides the [[Vautour IIA IDF/AF (France)|Vautour IIA IDF/AF]] as most of them stay at 8.0. AI-controlled bombers are the exception.

''When facing enemy attackers:''

When facing player-controlled attackers ([[A-4E Early]] for example), the pilot must stay aware that, besides the Harrier superior mobility, they can outturn you as they will often fly at lower speeds than you, meaning their turn radius compared to yours will be much smaller. Most of the enemy planes that do CAS runs will often be enemy fighters (not labelled as attackers) but with ground ordnance, meaning they can or will be heavier than you, increasing drag and reducing agility when in a dogfight, use this as an advantage.

When fighting enemy fighters it is best to launch your AIM-9G from 2.5-3KM away as they are agile enough to be able to take down any enemy jets. it is also best to not try to engage in a turn fight as almost all aircraft are more manoeuvrable than you are making you an easy target for enemy guns and missiles.

'''As an attacker/bomber:'''

The Harrier has access to a wide variety of ground ordnance capable of destroying enemy ground units and bases. It also has access to CCIP ballistics computer (refer to [[Ballistic Computer]] for explanation) meaning the pilot has access to ground ordnance crosshairs which will increase ordnance accuracy, both rockets and bombs. It is not recommended to fly as a bomber (in terms of altitude) but fly as a tree cutter (as close to the ground as possible). This is recommended to achieve multiple things: radar interference, max speed, reduce enemy visibility and awareness. It also makes bombing easier without the need of ballistics computer (although it is recommended to use it since it will not require any practice). Time fuze MUST BE ADDED to avoid assault fuze explosion, risking your plane to be hit by the explosion causing a death. Ground striking ordnance should be taken at pilot's discretion, but it is recommended to take the 3 x 1,000 lb bombs in order to take a whole base completely and still maintain high speeds. This bomb loadout and AAM are recommended if the pilot wants to engage enemy air targets upon taking an enemy base.

''*Note: radar interference is mostly irrelevant in air realistic battles as the plane will still be highlighted and enemy pilots could use eye aiming. However, it will interfere with radar homing missiles (SARH missiles such as AIM-7E, R-3R, etc carried by F-4 Phantoms and MiG-21's) and will be your main line of defence when flying in simulator battles, you will be able to fly stealthily if flying in tree cutting tactic.''

'''When in combined battles (ground realistic battles):'''

This is where the Harrier is able to shine as an attacker, primarily using VTOL and hovering mode to an advantage (will be explained more detailed later). There is multiple loadouts which can be used in order to make the Harrier a scary attacker.

''Bomb payload:''

This is often the most used payload for multiple reasons: has the biggest explosion radius compared to rockets, are more forgiving when missing by couple metres, can take multiple targets with a single bomb. The use of ballistics computer makes their aiming much easier than with eye aiming both in realistic and simulator battles. The 4 x 1,000 lb bombs are recommended as, if aimed correctly, will destroy one or multiple enemy targets with a single bomb, meaning you are able to get at least 2 kills (as bombs drop in pair)

''Rocket payload:''

This is the trickiest but most rewarding payload the Harrier can carry (rewarding as it is able to make much more kills than bombs). Tanks can be taken with one to three rocket salvos (launched in pairs, meaning with 2 to 6 rockets in total). This means you are able to get 18 kills (considering you take 6 rockets per tank) if you take the 108 x SNEB rocket payload.

''VTOL trick:''

Harrier can be used as a helicopter thanks to the VTOL capabilities, rockets are recommended if used like this. It is able to hide behind mountains, poke to attack and go back into cover as a helicopter would do. Handling this technique can be tricky and will require practice but is an alternate way of playing CAS.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Exceptional thrust to weight ratio
* Extremely good acceleration, even without WEP
* Vertical Take-off and Landing capabilities
* At the expense of speed, can improve manoeuvrability significantly with the use of thrust vectoring nozzles
* [[AIM-9G]] missiles have long range and good turning capability
* Countermeasures and RWR available, unlike the [[Harrier GR.1]]
* CCIP available for accurate use of unguided weapons
* Has a [[HUD#410SUM1|Head-Up Display]] in the cockpit which provides flight information and weapon aiming functionality

'''Cons:'''

* Engine overheats extremely quickly at high throttle and WEP
* Below average top speed
* Poor energy retention; bleeds speed quickly in turns
* Rather light payload options for a strike aircraft
* ADEN Cannons have low velocity and under-fuselage placement makes it awkward to aim

== History ==


===Development===
The Harrier GR.3 was an upgraded version of the [[Harrier GR.1]], it featured the more powerful Pegasus 11 (also known as the Pegasus Mk.103) engine and avionics upgrades.<ref name="AirVectorsHarrier">Goebel 2019</ref> The most noticeable external change was a new longer nose featuring the Ferranti 106 Laser Ranger & Marked Target Seeker (LRMTS). The LRMTS was provided with target locations from the Harrier's Inertial Navigation and Attack System (INAS) and would accurately measure the distance to the target, feeding this data into the Harrier's Weapons Aiming Computer.<ref name="HarrierCaseStudy">Fozard 1978</ref> The LRMTS could also search for targets designated by a ground-based laser designator, and provide accurate target locations on the pilot's Heads Up Display (HUD).<ref name="FirstReportOnFarnborough">First Report on Farnborough 1980</ref> The system was proven to offer significant increase in bombing accuracy. Another improvement on the Harrier GR.3 was the fitment of a Radar Warning Receiver in the aircraft's tail.<ref name="HarrierCaseStudy" />

===Falklands War===
====Deployment====
The Harrier GR.3's most noteworthy deployment was to the Falkland Islands during, and after, the 1982 Falklands War. When the war began on 2nd April 1982 with the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands, Britain was forced to rapidly assemble a task force to retake the islands, located some 8,000 miles away from the British mainland. The decommissioning of the aircraft carrier HMS Hermes was cancelled and along with HMS Invincible (itself in the process of being sold to Australia), it was rapidly prepared for deployment. The two aircraft carriers left Portsmouth Naval Base three days later (on 5th April), setting sail to Ascension Island (a small British island in the South Atlantic); which was the designated rendezvous point from where the task force would then sail to the Falklands. The two carriers were carrying Sea King helicopters and Sea Harrier FRS.1 fighters (12 Sea Harriers on Hermes and 8 on Invincible).

It was thought that the Sea Harriers would have a very high attrition rate (with all of them expected to be lost within the first few days of the war) and so reinforcements would be needed.<ref name="AirWarInTheFalklands">Posey 2002</ref> With the task force having left Ascension Island on the 18th April, and now en route to the Falklands, getting the additional aircraft to it would be a major logistical challenge. In need of transport, the British Government requisitioned the Atlantic Conveyor, a civilian container ship, and rapidly modified it to carry aircraft.<ref name="AirWarInTheFalklands" /> The Atlantic Conveyor set sail for Ascension Island on 25th April, carrying six Wessex and five Chinook helicopters. Meanwhile, eight additional Sea Harriers were obtained from a training squadron, and ten RAF Harrier GR.3s were re-assigned from their squadron to the task force.<ref name="MikeBeerVictor1">Beer n.d. 1</ref> The additional aircraft would have to be flown to Ascension Island in order to join the Atlantic Conveyor and be transported the rest of the way to the Falklands.

Over the 30th April - 2nd May the eight Sea Harriers completed the >4,000 mile flight to Ascension Island (via Banjul, Gambia). They were followed by the ten GR.3s, which flew directly to Ascension Island through 3rd May - 6th May; nine of the GR.3's completed the journey, with one turning back due to engine trouble.<ref name="MikeBeerVictor1" /> Once at Ascension Island the Harriers were serviced and loaded onto the Atlantic Conveyor; the Harrier's VTOL capabilities were put to good use with each one taking off from the island's air base, flying to the Atlantic Conveyor, and landing vertically on the ship's deck. All the Sea Harriers and six of the GR.3s were loaded onto the Atlantic Conveyor, with three of the GR.3s being left behind to provide air defence for RAF Wideawake (the UK base on Ascension Island).<ref name="MikeBeerVictor1" /> Having been originally designed for use purely as ground-attack aircraft, the Harrier GR.3s on the Atlantic Conveyor and stationed at Wideawake were hastily modified to allow them to partake in air-to-air combat; support was added for AIM-9G/AIM-9L Sidewinders and AN/ALE-40 flare dispensers were added in the underside of the rear fuselage.<ref name="IwmHarrier">Imperial War Museum 2010</ref> The Atlantic Conveyor set sail for the Falkland Islands, arriving in the area on 18th May.<ref name="AirWarInTheFalklands" />

====Arrival in the Falklands====

Once the Atlantic Conveyor had reached the task force the Harriers were prepared for flight. Over the next two days, the Sea Harriers and Harrier GR.3s took off vertically from the ship's deck and flew to their assigned aircraft carriers; the Sea Harriers were split between the two carriers (with four going to Hermes, and four to Invincible), while all six of the GR.3s were sent to Hermes. By the end of 20th May, all Harriers had safely arrived at their assigned carriers.<ref name="MikeBeerVictor1" /> The Atlantic conveyor stayed with the task force, still carrying a large number of helicopter and other supplies. On the 25th May the Atlantic Conveyor unloaded its first Chinook helicopter (the now-famous "Bravo November") and shortly afterwards was hit by two Exocet missiles, killing twelve crew members and causing an uncontrollable fire. The Atlantic Conveyor was abandoned and sank a few days later with the loss of all remaining helicopters and supplies onboard.<ref name="NewdickBravoNovember">Newdick 2020</ref>

Once in the Falklands, the Harrier GR.3s primarily focussed on ground attack missions, it was originally expected that they would be forced to take over the fleet air defence role when the Sea Harriers were lost, however the Sea Harrier proved remarkably effective, with only six being lost during the conflict (all due to accidents or ground fire). Not being designed for naval use, the Harrier GR.3's INAS proved unusable during ship-borne operations, due to an inability for it to be properly calibrated while on a moving platform.<ref name="AirVectorsHarrier" /><ref name="AirWarInTheFalklands" /> On the 21st of May British forces had carried out an amphibious landing at Port San Carlos (located on the west coast of East Falkland), and by 2nd of June they had managed to construct a temporary airstrip.<ref name="ThinkDefence1">Think Defence n.d. 1</ref> Although the runway was only 260 m long it was enough for the VTOL-capable Harriers and Sea Harriers operate on.<ref name="ThinkDefence1" /><ref name="IwmHarrier" /> As well as allowing the Harriers to operate from a location closer to the battle, operating from Port San Carlos allowed the GR.3s to make full advantage of their advanced INAS systems for ground attack missions.

====Additional Harrier GR.3s deployed====

With the Harriers performing well in the Falklands, the British worked to deploy additional GR.3s to the conflict. Over the 24th - 26th May three RAF Phantom FGR.2s were deployed to Ascension Island to take over air defence duties from the three Harrier GR.3s stationed there.<ref name="MikeBeerVictor2">Beer n.d. 2</ref> Then over 29th May - 2nd of June, six additional GR.3s were flown the >4,000 mile journey from the UK to Ascension Island, bringing the total number of GR.3s on the island to nine.<ref name="MikeBeerVictor2" /> On the 1st June two GR.3s flew the 3,800 mile trip from Ascension Island to HMS Hermes, landing after nearly eight and a half hours of continuous flight.<ref name="MikeBeerVictor2" /> This process was repeated on the 8th June, bringing the total number of GR.3s in the Falklands to ten. After this, the four remaining serviceable GR.3s on Ascension Island were flown to the Contender Bezant (another requisitioned civilian cargo ship); they landed vertically on the ship's deck and were transported to the island in the same manner as those on the Atlantic Conveyor. They arrived at the Falklands on 10th June, however they were not unloaded until 7th July, after the war had ended (on 14th June).<ref name="MikeBeerVictor2" />

The four Harriers which flew directly to the Falklands were unique in that they had their starboard (right-hand side) ADEN gun pod replaced with the "Blue Eric" electronic countermeasure pod to provide self-defence against enemy radars.<ref name="IwmHarrier" /><ref name="GreenallHarrier">Greenall n.d.</ref> The pod was developed incredibly quickly, going from initial concept to first prototype in seven days, and having ten examples having been produced and ready for combat in fifteen days (from initial concept).<ref name="FalklandsECM">Falklands Campaign: Electronic Warfare Story Revealed</ref> The Blue Eric pod was essentially a simplified Marconi "Sky Shadow" ECM pod fitted into the shell of a Harrier ADEN gun pod.<ref name="IwmHarrier" /><ref name="FalklandsECM" />

====End of the war and No. 1453 Flight RAF====
[[File:1453_Harrier_Falklands.jpg|thumb|400px|right|A No. 1453 Flight RAF Harrier GR.3 at RAF Stanley in 1984.]]
Argentina surrendered on 14th June 1982, bringing an end to the Falklands War after 74 days of fighting. The Harriers performed far better than originally expected in the Falklands; the 28 Sea Harrier FRS.1s completed 1,435 sorties, achieving 20 confirmed (and 3 probable) kills against Argentine aircraft, with only 6 losses. The 10 Harrier GR.3s which saw combat completed 126 sorties with 4 losses. All Harrier/Sea Harrier losses in the conflict were due to ground fire or accidents, with no losses in air-to-air combat.

Following the end of the war, there was a need to defend the islands against any possible future attack. The long term plan was to deploy Phantom FGR.2s to the defend the Islands; however the runway at Port Stanley Airport (the main airport on the islands) had been damaged from multiple British attacks while it was in use by Argentine forces, and was also too short to allow for Phantom operations.<ref name="ThinkDefence2">Think Defence n.d. 2</ref> After the conflict ended the RAF took control of Port Stanley Airport, renaming it to RAF Stanley. They began the process of clearing unexploded mines/ordnance, repairing the runway, and converting it into a temporary RAF base. With the runway repair and extension set to take several months, the Harrier GR.3s were once again called upon for air defence duties. A detachment of six GR.3s were stationed at RAF Stanley on 4th July 1982.<ref name="ThinkDefence2" /> Each armed with two AIM-9L Sidewinders, these Harriers became No. 1453 Flight RAF and were responsible for defending the islands from air attack.

[[File:1453 Flight Falklands 1984.jpg|thumb|400px|left|Some of the No. 1453 Flight RAF Harrier GR.3s at RAF Stanley in 1984.]]

The runway repairs and extension were completed on 27th August 1982<ref name="ThinkDefence2" /> and over the 18th - 22nd October 1982 six Phantom FGR.2s arrived on the Falklands Islands (having previously flown to Ascension Island).<ref name="MikeBeerVictor2" /> With the Phantoms taking over as the main air defence of the Falklands, the role of the Harrier GR.3s shifted to providing back-up air defence when needed, as well as being prepared for a ground attack role in the event of another invasion. The No. 1453 Flight Harriers remained stationed at RAF Stanley until the RAF's new purpose-built base RAF Mount Pleasant opened in 1985.

{{clear}}

===Other Deployments===
Harrier GR.3s spent a large amount of their life deployed to West Germany. In the event of a war, the airfields in West Germany would have been highly vulnerable to Soviet attack, so the Harriers were often stationed away from established airfields, using their VTOL capabilities to operate off of small areas of rough ground.<ref name="RafMuseum">RAF Museum n.d.</ref> Harrier GR.3s also saw deployments to Norway and Belize.<ref name="RafMuseum">RAF Museum n.d.</ref>

===[[wt:en/news/6918-development-jump-jets-arrive-in-war-thunder-meet-the-harrier-en|Devblog]]===
In the late 1950's, the Bristol company was conducting work on developing an engine featuring innovative thrust vectoring technology. Hawker, impressed with the new engine, began closely working with Bristol to develop an aircraft which could successfully harness the full potential of the Pegasus thrust vectoring engine. The basic idea was to design an aircraft with V/STOL capabilities. From that point, the project became known as the P.1127.

In the early 1960s, a growing interest for V/STOL strike aircraft could be observed among most NATO member states. This resulted in an agreement between the US, Great Britain and West Germany in 1961 to order nine modified versions of the P.1127 - the first versions of which were test flown in the previous year - as evaluators. At the same time, the British evaluation aircraft received the designation Kestrel FGA.1.

Despite suffering setbacks with the P.1154 - a supersonic version of the aircraft developed by Hawker in parallel - evaluations of the Kestrel continued as planned during the early 1960's and concluded in November of 1965. After the P.1154 was ultimately cancelled, the RAF, pleased with the evaluation results of the Kestrel, put up a requirement to modify the Kestrel and placed an order for six pre-production aircraft, designated P.1127 (RAF). Following its maiden flight in August of 1966, the RAF extended the purchase order to 60 production aircraft, now receiving the official designation Harrier GR.1.

The Harrier GR.1 undertook its maiden flight in December 1967 and officially entered service with the RAF in April of 1969. Being involved early on with the aircraft's development, the US also expressed interest in procuring the Harrier. This ultimately resulted in a partnership agreement between Hawker Siddeley and McDonnell Douglas in the late 1960's for a large delivery of Harriers to the USMC in the early 1970's. In US service, the aircraft would receive the designation "AV-8 Harrier".

The Harrier was initially deployed with British forces in West Germany in the early 1970's. However, the Harrier saw the peak of its service career during the Falkland War in 1982, flying both ground attack as well as combat air patrol missions (modification Sea Harrier FRS.1) with great success, thus earning itself a high reputation.

Apart from British and American service, variants of the Harrier were also operated by Spain, Thailand and India. In total, around 270 Harriers were produced across all variants with the last being decommissioned from active service in the early 2000's. The original Harrier was subsequently succeeded by a further developed variant - the Harrier II - but more importantly, it had successfully proven the viability of V/STOL aircraft, thus generating a sustained interest in such designs which can still be seen today.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=harrier_gr3 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==


* [[Yak-38]]
* [[Yak-38M]]
* [[Jaguar GR.1]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/6918-development-jump-jets-arrive-in-war-thunder-meet-the-harrier-en|[Devblog] Jump Jets arrive in War Thunder: Meet the Harrier]]
* [https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/504157-harrier-gr3/ Official data sheet - more details about the performance]

===References===

;Citations
<references />

;Bibliography

* Beer, M. (n.d. 1). A Close Run Thing – The Harrier Deployments to the South Atlantic. Retrieved from [http://www.victorxm715.co.uk/a-close-run-thing-the-harrier-deployments-to-the-south-atlantic/ Victor XM175]
* Beer, M. (n.d. 2). F4s – and more Harrier GR3s Head South. Retrieved from [http://www.victorxm715.co.uk/f4s-and-more-harrier-gr3s-head-south/ Victor XM175]
* Falklands Campaign: Electronic Warfare Story Revealed. (1984). Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 56 No. 12, 13-14.
* First Report on Farnborough. (1980). Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 52 No. 8, 11-17.
* Fozard, J. (1978). The British Aerospace Harrier Case Study in Aircraft Design. American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics.
* Goebel, G. (2019, August 01). First-Generation Harriers / Sea Harrier. Retrieved from [http://www.airvectors.net/avav8_2.html AirVectors]
* Greenall, N. (n.d.). Falklands War Harriers and Sea Hrriers. Retrieved from [https://web.archive.org/web/20040410043918/http://harrier.hyperlinx.cz/FAQ-falklandwar.htm Harrier Special Interest Group]
* Imperial War Museum. (2010). BAe Harrier GR.3. Retrieved from [https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/70000080 Imperial War Museum]
* Posey, C. (2002, September). Air War in the Falklands. Retrieved from [https://www.airspacemag.com/military-aviation/air-war-in-the-falklands-32214512/ Air & Space Magazine]
* RAF Museum. (n.d.). Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR3. Retrieved from [https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/collections/hawker-siddeley-harrier-gr3/ Royal Air Force Museum]
* The Amazing Tale Of Bravo November, The British Chinook Helicopter That Refused To Die. (2020, November 23). Retrieved from [https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/37788/the-amazing-tale-of-bravo-november-the-british-chinook-helicopter-that-refused-to-die The Drive]
* Think Defence. (n.d. 1). The San Carlos Forward Operating Base. Retrieved from [https://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/san-carlos-fob/ ThinkDefence]
* Think Defence. (n.d. 2). Post Conflict and RAF Stanley. Retrieved from [https://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/operation-black-buck/post-conflict-and-raf-stanley/ ThinkDefence]

{{AirManufacturer Hawker}}
{{Britain jet aircraft}}

Warrior

2022-01-18T21:41:55Z

U61252972: /* Description */

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_fv510_isv
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}_AddArmour.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (or just the '''{{specs|pseudonym}}''') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.81 "The Valkyries"]].

Warrior is basically a big box with a round turret, which has a little gun in middle, "ears" (ATGM cameras), and the ATGM launcher itself on the right side. Front of the hull is sloped to decrease small firearms damage. IFV hull is huge compared to even medium tanks of some factions (about double the size of [[T-62]]) and looks even bigger when carrying additional armour.

On its right front, there are exhaust ports, which are a weak spot in armour. Since the update [[Update "Winged Lions"|Winged Lions]], the exhaust no longer obscures the view in the thermal imager meaning you can now look over the right side of the IFV and spot targets.

If the vehicle has Add-on armour, it's easily identified for its riveted plates on sides of the vehicle. Usually, after being shot with a high velocity round, they break off. Plates do not protect the rear of the vehicle.

The Warrior is mostly played as an aggressive ATGM tank or ambush scout tank, though it can fulfil any role that doesn't involve it being constantly shot at.

It's best described as a hybrid between a slowed down SPAA and assault ATGM launcher, while armour is either nonexistent or installed via a modification to partially protect from hazards that normally annihilate light tanks. The weapon combo is potent enough to destroy even modern MBT's, and with add-on armour, the Warrior can bully even heavy tanks in close range, though the turret is still very vulnerable.

The Warrior can be played defensively (mostly around hills and mountains), or aggressively (on flat terrains and in towns), given that there is enough cover for the Warrior. In realistic battles, Warrior can also hide relatively well and use either of its weapons to punish unsuspecting people, or just scout them.

This vehicle is very easy to play while still in stock mode, as it has most essentials available at stock or unlocked early on, however, every upgrade only makes it even stronger.

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


'''Armour type:'''

* Aluminum Alloy 7039 - Hull
* Rolled homogeneous armour - Turret

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 38.4 mm (69-70°) ''Upper Glacis''
44.4 mm (41°) ''Lower Glacis''
| 28.5 mm ''Top'' 44.4 mm ''Bottom'' || 44.4 mm ''Hull Rear''
38.1 mm ''Door''
| 28.5 mm ''Roof''
10 mm ''Radiator Vents''
|-
| Turret || 25.4 mm ''Turret front'' 25.4 mm +25.4 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 25.4 - 12.7 mm (Front to rear) || 12.7 mm || 12.7 mm
|-
|}

'''Notes:'''

* Suspension and Tracks - 10 mm
* Fenders and Storage Boxes - 4 mm

[[File:Weakspot warrior.jpg|thumb|304x304px|While this construction outside of {{PAGENAME}} can sometimes stop HESH coming from behind, it will also often doom the tank by allowing chemical shells coming from the side to damage unprotected parts of the hull, triggering overpressure damage.]]
'''Overview:'''

The {{PAGENAME}} has a huge profile, and its armour is mostly made of aluminium alloys, which compromises its protection against medium tanks. While at the first glance the hull may seem uniform, and technically thick enough to survive hits of kinetic shells up to 120 mm and chemical shells of up to 105 mm, it has a lot of weak points, which trigger overpressure damage. For that reason, if artillery hit its hull or turret directly, the {{PAGENAME}} will not survive and direct hit of explosive shells to the ventilation, middle of the tank on any side, ATGM optics or turret in general is likely to instantly destroy the tank.

When considering smaller weapons, the {{PAGENAME}} is well protected against heavy machine guns, however, its turret, engine ventilation, hull's back and even sides have weak spots, which can be penetrated by 12.7 mm and 14.5 mm heavy machine guns. At some angles, the frontal ventilation port can be penetrated even by German 7.92 mm, however, it's near impossible to meet those at rank VI.

The hull frontal armour is sloped and can sustain light automatic cannon fire at best, allowing it to fight [[BMP-2]] or SPAA armed with 23 mm guns head-on in some scenarios, as long as they do not know where to fire. It is preferable to fight them from distance or while employing high ground to increase their attack angle as close to 60 degrees as possible, rendering their main weapons useless. The engine to the right of the driver can add a sort of spaced armour effect by absorbing penetrating shells. This works well in addition to the add on armour, as it means that half the front is protected by the engine and the other half by composite armour.

'''Add-on Armour:'''

The add-on panels defend the sides of the hull, with a piece of composite on the frontal plate covering the driver. These panels are geared towards protection against Chemical munitions and add surprisingly little armour against kinetic rounds.

The side armour plates conceal weak spots on the {{PAGENAME}} hull and are effective against chemical rounds. In general, they prevent overpressure damage from being hit by HESH and HEAT (including ATGM), efficiency against HE varies depending on the hit spot. Angling can be an effective tactic with these panels installed, and it will also help the tank to survive some 30 mm kinetic rounds, as long as the screen is not destroyed (which usually doesn't take long). After being hit once by a big shell, these panels generally break off the tank and no longer protect it.

The composite in front of the driver is much stronger and is capable of stopping weak HEAT rounds with about 400 mm of penetration, and will also add enough kinetic protection to stop most direct 20 mm autocannon round hits. It will not save the tank from direct 120 mm HE hit, as the explosion will reach tank's turret or ventilation and likely annihilate vehicle via pressure damage.

[[File:WarriorArmour ProtectionAnalysis HESH.jpg|x170px|thumb|right|Protection analysis view: frontal panel gives a 45% chance for the Warrior to not be destroyed from frontal HESH shot by just being there. Side armour does the same thing for the entirety of the sides but is significantly weaker.]]

These images show a Warrior surviving an ATGM fired from an IT-1 due to the additional armour:

<gallery mode="packed" heights="100px">
WarriorArmour ProtectionAnalysis MagicPixel.jpg
WarriorArmour IT-1Missile (1 of 3).jpg
WarriorArmour IT-1Missile (2 of 3).jpg
WarriorArmour IT-1Missile (3 of 3).jpg
</gallery>

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=852|rbMinHp=486|AoAweight=1}}

Mobility is adequate on vehicle's BR, it can move forward and backwards equally fast, but don't expect it to be climbing mountains like with the powerful [[Vickers MBT]] in Arcade Battles. It will just slide down if the surface is too steep.

In Arcade Battles, it's generally driving at 46-54 km/h offroad in either direction without engine upgrades, regardless of additional armour. With mobility upgrades it may drive up to 60 km/h, but not very often. Speed of 81-83 km/h can be reached if the {{PAGENAME}} drove off the hill and keep driving forward, or on completely flat terrains, like roads in the American desert, though sometimes it just doesn't work again at the same spot.

Due to its sheer size, it almost never gives in to ramming attempts, though it cannot move enemy heavy tanks either and shouldn't fight them on a narrow street.

Accidentally hitting something on max speed, especially explosive decorations, launches the Warrior up to 5 meters in the air, which is very entertaining, but almost never fazes the enemy.

* Adding armour does not decrease {{PAGENAME}}'s hp/ton significantly, and it only reduces maximum climb angle by 2 degrees, so it should be used when unlocked without worries of mobility penalty.
* Despite having enough horsepower, this vehicle can not climb mountains.

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

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|3}}

{{main|L21A1 (30 mm)}}

The 30 mm L21A1 RARDEN cannon is an effective autocannon, although its fire rate is sub-par. The 30 mm APDS belt is capable of penetrating the front armour of most light vehicles, and the sides of almost any tank that the warrior will face. The sub-par fire rate and low post penetration effects mean that gunners will need to pick out individual crewmembers or modules in each well-placed shot. While not technically stabilized, warrior gunners can manage to fire with some accuracy on the move if they are skilled. The shell velocity in the RARDEN APDS belt allows the warrior to lay down effective fire on light enemy targets up to about 2 km, although it will be difficult to hit moving targets past about 1.5 km.

There is virtually no reason to use the stock belts on the warrior. The stock belt uses half HE and half AP rounds, but only the HE rounds have tracers. The lack of tracers causes awkward gunnery, and the penetration on the AP shell is not satisfactory. Meanwhile, the APDS belt has tracers with every round and is very effective against enemy vehicles.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[L21A1 (30 mm)|30 mm L21A1]] || 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" | 222 (6) || rowspan="2" | 80 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+45° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 57.1 || 79.1 || 96.0 || 106.2 || 112.9 || rowspan="2" | 1.30 || rowspan="2" | 1.15 || rowspan="2" | 1.06 || rowspan="2" | 1.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 35.7 || 42.0 || 51.0 || 56.4 || 60.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====

* '''Default:''' {{Annotation|SAP-I|Semi-armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEI-T*|High-explosive incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}} - This belt can be used against other light tanks and certain lightly armoured medium tanks. However, it also includes anti-air round (HEI-T), which does increase damage to air targets but is useless against tanks at rank 5. The low rate of fire of Warrior doesn't compliment this dual belt.
* '''30x170 APDS-T:''' {{Annotation|APDS|Armour-piercing discarding sabot}}{{-}}{{Annotation|APDS|Armour-piercing discarding sabot}}{{-}}{{Annotation|APDS|Armour-piercing discarding sabot}} - This belt can be used against sides of most medium tanks of rank 5 and 6, and even some heavy tanks can be damaged by it. Performance of this belt deteriorates '''much''' slower than of AP-I belt, but it does less damage the more armour it had to penetrate, resulting in an inability to set off enemy ammo racks in 1 hit if it was behind any good armour. If used against planes, it can damage or rip off wings, or snipe out the pilot.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="7" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Belt
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| Default || 53 || 50 || 39 || 29 || 21 || 16
|-
| 30x170 APDS-T || 110 || 101 || 95 || 69 || 52 || 41
|-
|}

==== [[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
! 2nd rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''37''' || 30 ''(+7)'' || 1 ''(+36)'' || No
|-
|}

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|MILAN|MILAN 2}}

Warrior carries MILAN missiles as a secondary weapon, although these function more as the primary armament due to the tank based gameplay in Warthunder.
[[File:Warrior sneak attack on tank.JPG|220px|thumb|right|Warrior managed to launch MILAN 2 straight at the enemy tank, instantly destroying it.]]
MILAN 1 has 500 mm of RHA penetration. It is 103 mm in diameter.

MILAN launcher can be upgraded to the MILAN 2, which has 730 mm of RHA penetration. The MILAN 2 is 115 mm in diameter. The flight performance is essentially the same, but it's starting speed is higher.

The missile is guided via gunner's seat crosshair, if gunner cannot see missile directly, the tank will lose control over it, so any indirect attacks should be aimed quickly after sending missile as high as possible.

The MILAN can be used at close ranges, but cannot be fired point-blank (10 m or so), and if not careful it can overshoot (look at launcher itself in Third-person view to avoid this). The missile only has 2 km of range so it is not particularly useful against enemies at very long range, or more often against helicopters who are hovering far away from the battlefield.

For targets far away, it is recommended to use the laser rangefinder before launching the missile, in order not to waste a missile on a target beyond the 2 km range.

If commander optics (the ones on top of the turret) get destroyed, the Warrior cannot launch ATGM anymore. They can only be repaired via "manual repair".

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | 103 mm [[MILAN]] ATGM
|-
! Capacity
! Vertical guidance
! Flight speed on launch (m/s)
! Max Flight speed (m/s)
! Range (m)
|-
| 8 || ±5° || ~160 || 200 || 2,000
|-
! colspan="7" | 115 mm [[MILAN 2]] ATGM
|-
! Capacity
! Vertical guidance
! Flight speed on launch (m/s)
! Max Flight speed (m/s)
! Range (m)
|-
| 8 || ±5° || ~200 || 200 || 2,000
|-
|}

* Despite being launched at their max speed, they are still very manoeuvrable, so they still can be curved behind some hills at targets ~500 meters away, and generally targets up to 800 meters can't dodge it.

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| MILAN || ATGM || 530 || 530 || 530 || 530 || 530 || 530
|-
| MILAN 2 || ATGM || 730 || 730 || 730 || 730 || 730 || 730
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Range (m)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| MILAN || ATGM || 200 || 2,000 || 6.7 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 1,830 || 80° || 82° || 90°
|-
| MILAN 2 || ATGM || 185 || 2,000 || 7 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 2,360 || 80° || 82° || 90°
|-
|}

==== [[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
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''8''' || 5 ''(+3)'' || 1 ''(+7)'' || 0 ''(+8)'' || No
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|4}}

{{main|L94A1 (7.62 mm)}}

The machine gun is kind of useless for Warrior, but it can still destroy weak fences, which normally slows any tank down if they hit them, and it makes much less noise than the main gun. For enemy marking purposes, Scouting should be used instead, as it doesn't reveal the vehicle.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[L94A1 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm L94A1]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 2,000 (2,000) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


Generally, Warrior needs to quickly get into the medium range of the expected enemy, then figure out its strategy for the current battle. While moving towards an objective, Warrior should keep a low profile and scout every enemy it can notice.

After looking around, Warrior either takes some hills or well-protected hull-down position near to capture point to utilize ATGMs and scouting ability for medium-range attacks and team support, or takes an aggressive approach and goes for stealthy flanks and close-range combat. It's not rare to see Warrior try and destroy heavy tanks, which just don't expect the light tank to go at them.

If forced, Warrior can always use a smokescreen to disrupt enemy plans of taking it down, either baiting them to waste time looking for it, or using smokescreen, MILAN-2, scouting and add-on armour together to attack the enemy from the fog with little fear of being punished for it. For some reason enemy does not often reply to ATGM shots but instantly fires back at cannon fire, so use cannon sparingly during this.

[[File:Warrior shadow strike.jpg|thumb|Example of using smokes and armour '''offensively''' in arcade battle. Not only enemy is blinded and can't hold the line, allowing the team to rush in, but even if they fire towards the Warrior's general direction, they will likely load HESH or HEAT and fire at the hull, hitting the add-on armour and doing no or less than fatal damage. MILAN-2, on the other hand, is almost unblockable and can obliterate many tanks in one hit, and the player can clearly see the position of enemy tanks due to '''scouting'''. A skilled Warrior can take out up to two tanks per one smoke deploy like that. Works on any range from 30 m to 800 m.]]
In any mode, but especially in AB, mark the enemy with the "scout" ability, so they can be found whenever smoke is deployed. This must be done for two main reasons:

# Since the MILAN ATGM can instantly destroy or cripple anything, even seeing just the name of enemy and type of tank through smoke is good enough for the Warrior to have a chance for a hit. In realistic battles, it's less reliable, but the Warrior can still see where the enemy is. For light tanks, the 30 mm autocannon can work just fine (just don't do that against BMP; unless it already spotted and scouted the Warrior, it's not worth it).
# In Arcade Battles, If the "intelligence" reward is obtained for marking enemy that was or is invisible to teammates and then got destroyed, the player will get artillery support point and airstrike point. If the '''squadmates''' destroys the marked target, the player will get airstrike point regardless as a squad assist.

Due to this, in 9.0 arcade battle, the Warrior can call in ATGM helicopters on '''very first minute''' of a fight, simply by marking 2 enemy vehicles and destroying someone with an almost undodgeable and unblockable missile, while the enemy cannot even request gunships to protect themselves from it. ATGM helicopter than can destroy 6 to 10 enemy tanks, '''significantly''' weakening the enemy team. As the game goes on, Warrior can join multiple air battles in a row as second attack helicopter or bomber, because it's a scout vehicle.

Since MILAN has relatively good controls and there is 8 missiles total, the Warrior can try and fire it above hills and guide it down on people, much like Swingfire and Striker. It's harder to aim at the enemy without a straight visual firing line, but if it hits anywhere important, they could be knocked out anyway. Since the Warrior is considered a scout vehicle, mark them and ping them on the map, even if a shot lands a hit.

In Arcade Battles (AB), it's best to fire the missile at tank's gunner, so in case if it didn't destroy the tank on its own, the Warrior can just circle around the enemy and use the main gun to destroy the engine, then proceed to incapacitate the crew. In Realistic battles (RB) even taking out cannon barrel or breech might be enough, as repairs in that mode take much more time, and field repair doesn't even guarantee, that gun won't just jam itself again or fire in a completely different direction.

As with all light tanks play style, be very wary of people that have any kind of explosive ammo, as the Warrior has relatively low amount of armour on it and can be easily destroyed by overpressure damage. With Add-on armour, the Warrior can fight and take some hits, but the vehicle's turret, front and back are still a giant weak spot.

Usually, MBT's will carry AP ammo as their first shot, which may just over-penetrate and maybe do almost nothing. So if there is an absolute must directly attack someone, attack them, SPGs or other non-Soviet light tanks.

There is also a trick related to the Warrior - if baiting an enemy that is looking towards the Warrior, pull the Warrior's rear end out of cover first. Since the rear has very little critical components outside of the MILAN missile stowage, usually being shot there doesn't do anything too drastic for the overall tank health. After being fired at, drive out of cover and fire back at them. This trick probably won't work twice, indicating you should make the most out of the opportunity you have at hand. Nobody likes to be shot with ATGMs and the second shot coming will most certainly be HE of some kind. This tactic may backfire if your IFV gets shot with APHE, or APFSDS will enter the vehicle at a bad angle, but those types of ammunition have the potential of instantly destroying Warrior regardless of the entry point.

Finally, the Warrior can also repair any allies, so if in cover and not busy - do help them.

====Specific enemies worth noting====

Any Soviet light tanks: Destroy it with ATGM, use scout ability to see when they are trying to leave their cover, use gun adjustment to never miss, generally never play around with them. BMP-1 might accidentally hit tank's weak spot and destroy it's entire crew, BMP-2 will just turn on full auto mode on main gun and unload half of its magazine into its target, even if it misses its ATGM, just to get rid of a threat and even add-on armour won't save the Warrior at that point. Oddly enough, the infamous Object 906 is probably the least dangerous of them, but it will still destroy the Warrior with proper shot placements. If the Warrior is spaded in modifications, just call artillery strike on them.

IS-7: Do not '''ever''' engage this thing frontally without MILAN 2 and add-on armour. It is also extremely risky to attack it on a narrow street. Fire at the right (their left) side, to disable its turret. The main goal in engaging this tank is to disable its engine with the 30 mm gun and then blow it up by destroying its ammo in back of a turret or just blowing it up by firing ATGM in the middle of it or into ammo rack, if there is a spare ATGM (the IS-7, as a threat to any BR below 8.0, should be prioritized with every missile in the Warrior's capacity). Even the many machine guns on the IS-7 can shred the Warrior apart.

Any tank with heavy machine guns: If possessing the add-on armour modification, simply avoid turning the rear towards them, otherwise the weak rear armour would be easily penetrated. Weaker machine guns of around 7.62 mm calibre can't penetrate the Warrior armour at all, and even 14,5 mm will have some problems penetrating the front of the hull and protected sides, so just destroy them by returning cannon fire and avoiding being hit in the turret. They'll never see it coming.

====Counter-tactics====

Just fire at its turret, preferably with explosives or high fire rate guns.

If it tries to spook away a threat by being ominous and peeking over hills, disable its ATGM camera (on "ears") with concentrated fire if a direct hit to the crew and modules is not possible. If hit by explosives, it might cause overpressure damage and destroy the tank outright. Keep in mind that must damage whole IFV really hard for ATGM repairs to take long (otherwise it may take less than rearm time, which is not good).

If the missile is already homing towards a vehicle with no way to avoid it, try to get outside of direct missile control range by not letting the light tank to aim at you directly (which will make missile spiral crazily and possibly missing by a centimetre) or face it with the gun barrel and fire all machine guns in hopes that it would get shot mid-air or get absorbed by the gun and not damage or destroy any critical modules.

Never fire pure AP rounds to the back of this tank, since unless it hits one of the missile ammo racks there, it will just do nothing to it.

If the Warrior has the add-on armour package, '''do not''' underestimate it and use anything possible when engaging it, not just HMG. Warrior repairs and reloads fast enough to disable its adversaries, if it must, "just set it on fire" mindset is not going to stop it. Low calibre machine guns are useless against hull from front, despite it having incomplete add-on armour protection.

In case Warrior destroyed your primary weapon, but you still have 12.7 mm machine gun, you can fire at its ventilation to destroy it. It's very well hidden on the right-front side of the IFV (left for you, if facing it) behind a small grey shield, making it nearly unnoticeable. Firing at ventilation from the side is also possible, but it will do less than fatal damage.

The Warrior can be destroyed by a fighter jet. However, do not just strafe it directly, as it actually can fire back and may have armour. It's best to attack it from the top.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Equipped with 8 extremely powerful MILAN ATGMs
* Can stop pushes if manages to get to good cover (scouting, artillery, ATGMs, good mobility and smoke)
* Can survive poorly aimed shots and even brawl with MBTs if armour mod is installed
* Has gunner thermal (2nd generation) vision and commander/driver night vision
* Exceptionally mobile both forward and backwards. True fresh airs for British tankers!
* Favourable levels of gun depression vertically and horizontally
* Turret rotation speed ideal for brawling, especially when dealing with several targets in rapid succession.

'''Cons:'''

* Can be destroyed easily, especially if situation awareness is not maintained; a big visible target
* Any properly landed turret shot will destroy the vehicle, little chance to survive if it was a HE shell
* Add-on armour heavily depends on enemy being inaccurate and each side panel will only save the tank once
* Engine exhaust placement (front right corner of tank) obscure gunners thermal vision when looking between approximately 45° and 80° to the right.
* No stabilization for the turret greatly affects firing capacities. Disheartening performance on duels

== History ==

The FV510 infantry fighting vehicle was developed as part of a program to create a modern IFV for the British army at the end of the '70s. The vehicle went into series production in 1986. The vehicle was equipped with 30 mm gun, fed by magazines of three shells each. This gun was designed to destroy lightly armoured vehicles with maximum accuracy. For the Desert Storm operation, the Warriors were equipped with Chobham passive armour – add-on armour plates that significantly improved the IFV's defence in battle, allowing it to survive a hit from an RPG-7 grenade and shrapnel from high-calibre HE rounds. A little later, in 1990, the military decided to equip the Warrior with anti-tank weaponry – a 30 mm gun for these targets was clearly not enough. The roof of the turret was equipped with a launcher for the MILAN ATGM. The commander used a hatch to fire the ATGM, and it was reloaded through the upper hatch of the armoured vehicle's infantry compartment. The FV510 Warrior is still in service with the British army and is the main IFV of the United Kingdom.

''- From [[wt:en/news/5753-development-fv510-warrior-built-for-the-future-en|Devblog]]''

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=uk_fv510_isv Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|y_BcBzYVOeU|'''The Shooting Range #116''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:35 discusses the Warrior.|2h5kFyznXKU|'''Best IFVs''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 2:15 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|18Nl66ImFU4|'''British IFV - WARRIOR Suffocating Meta (War Thunder Tanks Gameplay)''' - ''PhlyDaily''|JkgAzKSNIME|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''Napalmratte''}}

== 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 vehicles;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/5753-development-fv510-warrior-built-for-the-future-en|[Devblog] FV510 Warrior: Built for the future!]]

{{Britain light tanks}}
[[Category:ATGM vehicles]]