War Thunder Wiki - User contributions [en]

Spitfire LF Mk IX

2023-07-30T18:45:12Z

U61398379: Spitfires do NOT have a high wing loading and some rephrasing.

{{About
| about = British fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = Spitfire (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=spitfire_ix
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

By March 1943, a new version of the Merlin engine had been developed. Designated the Merlin 66, it was even more powerful than the preceding 61 and 63 versions, was tuned for low-altitude operation, and featured a new injection-based carburettor instead of the float carburettor of previous models, completely resolving the fuel-flow issues during zero-G manoeuvres and inverted flight.

Introduced in [[Update 1.35]], the Spitfire LF Mk IX is very much a short range, point interceptor fighter and the stand out fighter in the mid Spitfire line-up. It features an exceptional rate of climb, whilst still retaining the manoeuvrability of its early lineage. The LF Mk IX is considered by many to be the perfect Spitfire due to its balanced all-round performance and impressive statistics. The last of the Merlin-engined Spitfires before progressing on to the Griffon-powered variants, it has the perfect balance of turning performance (second only to its Japanese counterparts) as well as its "Boom and Zoom" capability that becomes more possible with later model Spitfires. However, the LF Mk IX also reverts to the rather outmoded twin cannon and quad machine gun layout of its predecessors, which can result in rather meagre damage output compared to its contemporaries and opponents.

== 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 4,878 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
| 632 || 612 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 16.4 || 17.0 || 22.2 || 22.2 || rowspan="2" | 320
|-
! Upgraded
| 731 || 690 || 14.8 || 14.8 || 43.3 || 31.8
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || N/A || N/A || 230 || ~10 || ~4
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 321 || < 400 || < 350 || > 470
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Compressor
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
! Setting 1
| 3,600 m || 1,440 hp || 1,843 hp
|-
! Setting 2
| 6,800 m || 1,340 hp || 1,664 hp
|-
|}

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


* 38 mm Bulletproof glass in the cockpit front.
* 4 mm Steel plate in the pilot's seat.
* 6-7 mm Steel plates behind the pilot.
* 3 mm Steel plate on top of the fuel tanks.
* 3 mm Steel boxes around the wing ammunition.

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

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

{{main|Hispano Mk.II (20 mm)|M2 Browning (12.7 mm)}}

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

* 2 x 20 mm Hispano Mk.II cannons, wing-mounted (135 rpg = 270 total)
* 2 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns, wing-mounted (260 rpg = 520 total)

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

{{main|AN-M57 (250 lb)}}

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

* Without load
* 1 x 250 lb AN-M57 bomb (250 lb total)

== Usage in battles ==

The Spitfire LF Mk IX is a fighter aircraft that excels in dogfighting thanks to its high manoeuvrability. It is able to outturn nearly every other plane that it might face, except for a few Japanese fighters. However, engaging in extended turnfights usually should not be the pilot's first course of action when facing an opponent. Instead, the pilot should use the Spitfire's incredible rate of climb to gain an altitude advantage over the enemy. Then, it's easy to boom and zoom over lower-energy targets. This strategy works well thanks to the plane's good energy retention, although its lacklustre guns sometimes makes high-speed shooting unreliable.

If an altitude advantage is not possible, then the aircraft's manoeuvrability can shine. If the enemy can be lured into a turnfight, then there is almost no chance that they can come out on top. In rolling scissors manoeuvres, the Spitfire is also quite capable, but its roll rate may be lacking against some opponents.

At high speeds, the Spitfire tends to compress, losing control authority in both the roll and pitch axes. This can make it surprisingly difficult to recover from steep dives, and given the Spitfire's relatively low red-line speed, it is often necessary to spiral downwards instead of diving straight down if the pilot wishes to lose altitude quickly.

Due to this plane's vulnerabilities, namely a low ammunition load and somewhat flimsy airframe, it is not recommended to attack bombers with heavy defensive armament. In fact, the Hispano cannons' sometimes unreliable damage output means that it can be wise to choose attacking smaller, lighter targets (single-engine fighters) over larger ones (heavy fighters and attackers). All else being equal, and as long as teammates or win conditions are not being immediately threatened, attacking a single-engine fighter instead of a larger plane will usually yield greater results and a quicker victory.

In Ground Realistic battles, the Spitfire is ill-equipped to attack ground targets. Its 20 mm cannons don't have the ammo count or penetration to do reliable damage to armoured targets, and its single 250 lb bomb does little against tanks unless aimed near-perfectly. However, it is still an excellent air superiority fighter. In the dogfight-centric playstyle of aircraft in Ground Realistic battles, the Spitfire's amazing turn rate makes it shine.

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

As with all the other British planes, this plane is also very forgiving when using Manual Engine Settings.

Prop pitch: This should be set to 100% when climbing to utilize the aircraft's superior climb rate. This will come in handy both at the start of a match and during combat. However when in level flight or chasing another plane this can be set back as far to 70-80% to get a few more km/h.

Radiator: The radiator can be set to around 30% when using 100% power, however setting the radiator to around 80% will allow you to use WEP for the entire game.

Supercharger: Switching this at 2,000 m (6,561 ft) will give you quite a boost in performance and it will retain its climbrate up until 4,500 m, after it will suffer miserably but still climb better than almost every plane. Therefore the supercharger gears should be switched at 2 km (6,561 ft) altitude

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Supreme rate of climb that will rival that of the later Griffon Spitfires and most late war props (46.7 m/s in AB, 31.8m/s in RB/SB when maxed out, beating the F8F-1B at altitudes below 7 km)
* Excellent low speed acceleration and climb
* Exceptional maneuverability at all altitudes
* Decent energy retention.
* M2 Browning .50 cal machine guns are more powerful than the old .303 Brownings
* Has access to 150 Octane Fuel will increase your engine power by a large margin

'''Cons:'''

* Sub average roll rate can make the plane suffer in tight scissors
* Limited dive rate, moderate parasitic drag
* Limited ammo capacity
* Even slight damage to the wings can greatly impact performance negatively
* Poor top speed due to high parasitic drag compared to engine power
* Since it is an 'LF (low-altitude fighter)' Spitfire, this Spitfire's performance suffers at high altitude
* Poor ground attack capability

== History ==


{{break}}
{{Navigation-Start|{{Annotation|Archive of the in-game description|An archive of the historical description of the vehicle that was presented in-game prior to Update 1.55 'Royal Armour'}}|expand=true}}
{{Navigation-First-Simple-Line}}
The Supermarine Spitfire was a British single-engine, all-metal, low-wing monoplane fighter. While the Mk VII and Mk VIII variants was being designed, a Spitfire Mk III was tested in September 1941 with the new Rolls Royce 60 in the hopes of developing an interim fighter to use as a stop gap measure. The new Spitfire performed exceptionally well, and was rushed into production as the Mk IX. The Air Fighting Development Unit described the Mk IX as 'outstandingly better than the Mk V especially at heights above 20,000 feet' and even though it was not fitted with the modified control surfaces under development for the Mk VII and Mk VIII, the Mk IX was more than capable of meeting the Focke-Wulf FW190 on favourable terms. The Mk IX was fitted with the Type C 'universal' wing and originally carried the tried and tested combination of two 20mm cannon and four 0.303 inch machine guns, but in later versions the four 0.303 machine guns were replaced with two .50 calibre guns.

A total of 5,665 Mk IX were produced and 262 more Mk Vs were converted to Mk IX. Intended as a transitional stop-gap measure for the Mk VII and Mk VIII, the variant remained in production until the end of the war, ultimately becoming the most mass-produced Spitfire version. This mark was also used as a fighter-bomber and as a reconnaissance aircraft. Further modifications were incorporated into the Mk IX throughout its service life, such as a gyroscopic gunsight, bubble canopy and modified engine intercooler. Widely considered to be the most capable fighter in the world at the time of its introduction, it would take the introduction of the Rolls Royce Griffon engine to push the Spitfire into its next stage of evolution.
{{Navigation-End}}

== Media ==


;Skins

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

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|MNacjyimuCQ|'''The Shooting Range #95''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 01:57 discusses the Spitfire LF Mk IX.}}

== See also ==


;Other late Merlin-engine LF variant Spitfires

* [[Spitfire LF Mk IXc (USA)]]
* [[Plagis' Spitfire LF Mk IXc]]
* [[Spitfire LF Mk.IX Weizman's (Israel)]]

== External links ==


* [https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/341985-supermarine-spitfire-lfmkixce/ Official data sheet - more details about the performance]

{{AirManufacturer Supermarine}}
{{Britain fighters}}

Yak-3U

2022-09-01T17:23:38Z

U61398379: Correcting the wing rip speed of the vehicle.

{{About
| about = Soviet fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = Yak-3 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=yak-3u
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.89 "Imperial Navy"]]. It differs from the Yak-3 aircraft line by the use of a M-82 radial engine found on the Lavochkin fighters (La-5, La-7, La-9), adopting a shorter and rounder nose.

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

The Yak-3U is the pinnacle of the Yakovlev piston engine fighter design, combining the amazing agility of the Yak-3 airframe with the excellent Shvetsov M-82FN engine acquired from the Lavochkin line, increasing its top speed tremendously. One can expect a similar playstyle to the feared [[Yak-3P]] but turned up a few notches due to the improvement in speed. However, the big elephant in the room is the woefully inadequate armament for the tier; two B-20S 20 mm cannons mounted in the nose are unable to compete with other aircraft in the BR 6.3 range, or even other Soviet aircraft at the same tier such as the [[I-225]]. Thus, the pilot should aim for critical components (engines, wings or pilot) in order to secure a kill.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 6,000 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
| 668 || 649 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 18.2 || 19.4 || 21.6 || 21.6 || rowspan="2" | 360
|-
! Upgraded
| 729 || 695 || 17.2 || 18.0 || 32 || 26.5
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| 710 || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || N/A || N/A || 280 || ~12 || ~9
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 380 || < 420 || < 490 || > 340
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Compressor (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 1
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 1,550 m || 1,630 hp || 1,920 hp
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 2
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 4,550 m || 1,430 hp || N/A
|-
|}

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


* 64 mm sloped bulletproof glass behind the pilot
* 8.5 mm steel plate behind the pilot seat

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

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

{{main|B-20S (20 mm)}}

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

* 2 x 20 mm B-20S cannons, nose-mounted (120 rpg = 240 total)

== Usage in battles ==

Being an improvement on the [[Yak-3P]], one can expect a similar playstyle to the feared Red Soviet Menace, but with more versatility thanks to the improved engine providing a large increase in speed. The -3U provides quite a unique experience, as it can out-turn the enemies it can't out-run, and it can outrun the enemies it can't out-turn, so a smart pilot will use this versatility to their advantage. One should stick with energy fighting for the most part, but can certainly turn-fight with less manoeuvrable opponents, which include the P51 line.

The main drawbacks of the 3U are its poor armament and poor performance above 2,000 m. The two B-20S cannons provide lacklustre stopping power at this tier and have a nasty habit of sparking, and to top it off, they have a low ammunition count of 120 rounds per gun. Due to the lack of a supercharger, the engine's output greatly decreases above 2,000 m; it is recommended to entice opponents (mainly Germans & Americans) down to altitude in order to engage them. The solid performance combined with the weak armament makes the -3U a very volatile plane. A newer or inexperienced player may find the performance enticing, but will struggle to do well if they're too trigger happy and have not used to the Soviet 20 mm very much. However, a good pilot will be able to use the upsides to these cannons (accuracy, high rate of fire and ability to start fires) to their advantage. Also worth noting is that "Armoured Targets" belts from these cannon tend to set fuel tanks on fire quite easily, so aiming at them and at the engines of enemy aircraft will likely yield bright, warm results. The Tracers belt is also a noteworthy option, as it is only IAI ammunition, and will easily take off control surfaces with one hit, as well as help someone who is not so confident with the ballistics of the cannons aim.

=== 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
|-
| Not controllable || rowspan="2" | Controllable Not auto controlled || rowspan="2" | Controllable Auto control available || rowspan="2" | Controllable Auto control available || rowspan="2" | Separate || rowspan="2" | Controllable 2 gears || rowspan="2" | Not controllable
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Very fast for a propeller-driven aircraft, able to out-run the P51 D-5 at low altitude
* Amazing manoeuvrability that can compete with almost every aircraft at the rank
* Solid climb rate
* Immense energy retention
* Fast firing and accurate cannons concentrated in the nose that is devastating in short, well-placed bursts at close range
* Bulletproof glass in the rear of the cockpit will prevent pilot snipes if you're being chased
* Outstanding acceleration due of the M-82FN Radial engine
* Not as prone to overheating like other Yaks
* Can reach 6,000 m (19,500 ft) in a front-climb when spaded and still perform well

'''Cons:'''

* M-82FN engine performance starts to deteriorate above 3,500 m and has no WEP beyond this altitude
* Airframe is quite weak
* Susceptible to fires
* Twin cannon setup provides poor firepower for its rank
* Difficult to keep up with contemporary aircraft in a dive, lower wing ripping speeds than a diving P-51 Mustang or F-4U Corsair (around 750 km/h or 460 mph)
* No bulletproof glass in the front of the plane, hard to use against planes with defensive turrets or in head-on situations
* Very limited ammunition load combined with the fast fire rate, trigger discipline is a must
* No combat flaps option, just like all Yak propeller fighters
* Low rip speed for a prop of its rank (700 km/h IAS)

== History ==


The Yak-3U is based on the Yak-3 VK-105PF 2 variant, with some major modifications. A Yak-3U is also referred as Yak 3U/Ash-82FN.
It was first flown on the 29th of April 1945, it was developed by Yakovlev design bureau and powered by the almighty Ash-82FN engine. It was one of the best power plants in the world at that time. Created by Design Bureau No. 19 and manufactured by Factory No. 478, it provided 1,850 BHP. This is the same engine as used on other legendary & iconic Soviet fighter and attacker aircraft, such as the [[Tu-2_(Family)|Tu-2]], [[La-5_(Family)|La-5]] & [[La-7_(Family)|La-7]] planes.

The engine was designed in the Soviet Union (Russia) by Design Bureau No. 19 it was a technological innovation based on its licensed built version Wright R-1820 cyclon power plant. The Ash-82FN featured direct fuel and afterburner injection systems to give it an additional output of 250 BHP, bringing it up-to 1850 BHP. Giving it a top speed of 705 km/h (438 mph) over its western counterpart Wright R-1820 which only provided 1,600 BHP.
The Ash-82FN allowed the Yak-3U, to hit 5 km in 3 minutes.

This plane would not enter mass production as the war was nearing the end and jet technology would become the priority for Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. This plane would become the foundation, for the legendary Yak U trainer aircraft, later to become the Yak 11.

The main differences of this modification are major modifications of the air frame over the Yak-3 VK-105PF 2 variant with:

* Installation of the Ash-82FN engine, Design Bureau No. 19 with up-to 1,850 BHP, direct fuel and afterburner injection systems gave it a top speed of 705 km/h (438 mph).
* Twin B-20S cannons, with 120 rounds per gun, total of 240 rounds with burst of 2.40 kg/s.
* Larger wing span, 9.4 m, it was additionally moved forward by 219 mm.
* Cockpit placed 84 mm higher.
* Plywood fuselage skin.
* Metal tail and metal ailerons.

*Weight and drag reduction.

* All metal wing upgrade.
* Longer landing legs increased by 80 mm, allowed for better control.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=yak-3u Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|gKkk0QcMabw|'''Spade Review, Yak-3U. An excellent but limited aircraft''' - ''Joseph 2000''|ARUpi8DsmTI|'''The Shooting Range #160''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:39 discusses the Yak-3U.}}

== See also ==


* [[La-5 (Family)]]
* [[La-7 (Family)]]

== External links ==


* [https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/453518-yak-3u/ Official data sheet - more details about the performance]
* [https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/264396-adding-the-yak-3u/&ct=1561746866 The suggestion post for the aircraft]

{{AirManufacturer Yakovlev}}
{{USSR fighters}}

F-80C-10

2021-03-31T19:06:52Z

U61398379: Non factual information regarding WEP.

{{About
|about=aircraft '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|usage=the other version
|link=F-80A-5
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=f-80
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
|cockpit=cockpit_f-80.jpg
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} American jet fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.33]].

The greatest performance upgrade from the A-5 to the C-10 is that the C-10 comes with WEP. This additional power significantly increases acceleration, allowing you to match that of the British Meteor series. It also allows for a last-resort method to escape if you happen to get jumped on. However, WEP only lasts for 1:40, and once that runs out, there is no thrust increase available.

== 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
| 891 || 883 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 24.3 || 25.5 || 18.7 || 17.3 || rowspan="2" | 850
|-
! Upgraded
| 915 || 903 || 23.7 || 24.0 || 32.2 || 25.2
|-
|}

==== 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 
|-
|}

{| 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}} || 535 || 505 || 360 || ~10 || ~5
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 482 || < 600 || < 640 || N/A
|-
|}

==== Engine performance ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine
! colspan="4" | Aircraft mass
|-
! colspan="2" | Engine name || Number
! colspan="2" | Empty mass || colspan="2" | Wing loading (full fuel)
|-
| colspan="2" | Allison J33-A-35 || 1
| colspan="2" | 4,160 kg || colspan="2" | 273 kg/m2
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine characteristics
! colspan="3" | Mass with fuel (no weapons load) || rowspan="2" | Max Takeoff Weight
|-
! Weight (each) || colspan="2" | Type
! 6m fuel || 20m fuel || 21m fuel
|-
| 814 kg || colspan="2" | Centrifugal-flow turbojet
| 4,548 kg || 5,398 kg || 5,458 kg || 6,962 kg
|-
! colspan="3" | {{Annotation|Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB / SB)|The maximum thrust produced by each engine, while mounted in the aircraft. NOTE: Thrust varies significantly depending on speed & altitude.}}
! colspan="4" | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (WEP)
|-
! Condition || 100% || WEP
! 6m fuel || 20m fuel || 21m fuel || MTOW
|-
| ''Stationary'' || 1,980 kgf || 2,396 kgf
| 0.53 || 0.44 || 0.44 || 0.34
|-
| ''Optimal'' || 1,980 kgf (0 km/h) || 2,396 kgf (0 km/h)
| 0.53 || 0.44 || 0.44 || 0.34
|-
|}

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


* 12.7 mm steel - behind the pilot
* 10 mm steel - in front of the pilot
* 38 mm bulletproof glass - armoured windscreen

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

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

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

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

* 6 x 12.7 mm M3 Browning machine guns, nose-mounted (300 rpg = 1,800 total)

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

{{main|AN-M65A1 (1,000 lb)|HVAR}}

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

* Without load
* 8 x HVAR rockets
* 2 x 1,000 lb AN-M65A1 bombs (2,000 lb total)

== Usage in battles ==


Like most American fighters, your best option to attack is Boom and Zoom. At the start of the match, fly out towards the edge of the map. Climb at 2-3 degrees until you have reached ~770 km/h (~420 knots) at ~910 metres (~3,000 ft), then zoom climb at 20-30 degrees. Once you have slowed down to 287 km/h (155 kt), continue to climb at a solid 10 degrees. Optimally, you should have between 3.7-4.9 km (12,000-16,000 ft) depending on how high the highest enemy is, before turning in towards the area of conflict (continue to climb or maintain altitude). Only once you have selected a target should you dive and make your pass. Always keep your energy high, whether it be speed or altitude. Because the F-80 is frequently uptiered to 9.0, the best option is to dive on unsuspecting targets that are occupied engaging your teammates.

Defensive flying, rolling scissors, and to some degree, turn fighting, are options with the hydraulic boosters upgrade, as the straight wing as compared to 9.0 jets with swept wings provides better manoeuvrability at medium speeds (463-648 km/h, 250-350 knots). Any higher and the control surfaces begin to stiffen, any lower and you risk stalling out first, as jets with higher BR generally have a better thrust-to-weight ratio.

If you are given an awkward firing angle (e.g.: your target is near ground level and you are diving at a steep angle) or you fail to destroy them on your first pass, slowly pull your aircraft back up into a straight vertical climb to recover as much altitude as possible. If you persist on knocking out your target, you risk crashing into the ground from control stiffening or getting strafed by another enemy because you are losing your energy in a dogfight.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Good acceleration and climb rate
* Effective weapons
* Can outturn Mig-15's when the need arises

'''Cons:'''

* Relatively slow dive speed
* Average level flight speed
* Poor turn rate at 4-500 km/h
* Overall useless in a uptier, it is just too slow
* Just 100 seconds of WEP in RB, it is only there for emergencies

== History ==


=== In-game description ===
An all-metal, single-seat fighter-bomber with one turbojet engine. The aircraft was created by a group of Lockheed engineers (headed by Clarence "Kelly" Johnson) in only 143 days.

The first flight of the XP-80 prototype was performed in January 1944. The first production version, designated the P-80A Shooting Star, entered service in 1946. The P-80 became the first combat-capable jet aircraft to enter service with the USAAF.

1947 saw the appearance of the next production version of the aircraft, the P-80B. The ninth production P-80A-1 was converted to a new prototype, designated the XP-80B. It had an Allison J33-A-17 turbojet engine producing 1,816 kg of thrust, equipped with a methanol-water injection system. The airfoil was thinner, but the skin's thickness was increased. To install a water mixture tank, the plane's fuel quantity had to be sacrificed by reducing it from 1,781 to 1,610 liters The aircraft also received a Lockheed-designed ejection seat and a cockpit air-conditioning system.

The plane's armament consisted of six 12.7 mm Colt-Browning M3 machine guns with 300 rounds each in the forward fuselage. One 1,000 lb (454 kg) bomb or ten 5-inch (127 mm) unguided HVAR missiles could be suspended under each wing panel.

A total of 240 P-80B fighter-bombers were built from March 1947 to March 1948, including P-80B-1s and 31 P-80B-5s. The В-5 variant was intended to be operated in Arctic conditions; its heated canopy prevented icing. In addition, special types of oil and special rubber were used to operate the aircraft in low temperature conditions.

At least five P-80Bs were equipped with a guidance system for Bell GAM-63 RASCAL air-to-surface missiles. Externally, these aircraft differed in the shape of the forward fuselage and the wing-mounted tanks. Also, they were fitted with extra spoilers on the upper and lower wing surfaces.

In June 1948, when the US military aircraft designation system was changed, the P-80B was renamed to the F-80B.

When the Korean War started, F-80Bs were stationed in the USA and in Europe, being used by the USAAF mainly for training purposes. Later, 117 F-80Bs were brought up to the F-80C's standards and re-designated "F-80C-12". The remaining F-80Bs were withdrawn from service by the end of 1951.

=== Notable pilots ===
[[File:Robin_Olds_portrait.jpg|thumb|none|250px|link=User:U64962917#Olds,_Robin.|When United States ace pilot [[User:U64962917#Olds, Robin|Robin Olds]], showed up for a staff position and was told "to go find something to do", he opted to performed his own flight check (and first flight in a jet) in a '''P-80''' without prior authorization.]]

== 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 ==


* [https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/264991-lockheed-f-80c-10/ Official data sheet - more details about the performance]

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

Spitfire LF Mk IX

2020-12-15T02:20:21Z

U61398379: Upon further investigation. The spitfire has better compensated MER, but not better true MER. That is, if the spitfire turned at same rate as the K-4, it would indeed have better MER. But when turning at their max turn rate, the spitfire has worse MER.

{{Specs-Card|code=spitfire_ix}}
{{About
| about = British fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = Spitfire (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{Break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.35]].

The Spitfire LF Mk IX is very much a short range, point interceptor fighter and the stand out fighter in the mid Spitfire line-up. It features an exceptional rate of climb, whilst still retaining the manoeuvrability of its early lineage. The LF Mk IX is considered by most to be the perfect Spitfire due to its balanced all round performance and impressive statistics. The last of the Merlin-engined Spitfires before progressing on to the Griffon powered variants, it has the perfect balance of turning performance (second only to its Japanese counterparts) as well as its "Boom and Zoom" capability that becomes more possible with later model Spitfires.

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


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 4,878 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
| 632 || 612 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 16.4 || 17.0 || 22.2 || 22.2 || rowspan="2" | 320
|-
! Upgraded
| 731 || 690 || 14.8 || 14.8 || 43.3 || 31.8
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || N/A || N/A || 230 || ~10 || ~4
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 321 || < 400 || < 350 || > 470
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Compressor
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
! Setting 1
| 3,600 m || 1,440 hp || 1,843 hp
|-
! Setting 2
| 6,800 m || 1,340 hp || 1,664 hp
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===


* 38 mm Bulletproof glass in the cockpit front.
* 4 mm Steel plate in the pilot's seat.
* 6-7 mm Steel plates behind the pilot.
* 3 mm Steel plate on top of the fuel tanks.
* 3 mm Steel boxes around the wing ammunition.

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

{{main|Hispano Mk.II (20 mm)|M2 Browning (12.7 mm)}}

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

* 2 x 20 mm Hispano Mk.II cannons, wing-mounted (135 rpg = 270 total)
* 2 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns, wing-mounted (260 rpg = 520 total)

=== Suspended armament ===

{{main|G.P. Mk.IV (250 lb)}}

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

* Without load
* 1 x 250 lb G.P. Mk.IV bomb (250 lb total)

== Usage in battles ==

The Spitfire LF Mk IX is a fighter aircraft that excels in dogfighting thanks to its high manoeuvrability. It is able to outturn nearly every other plane that it might face, except for a few Japanese fighters. However, engaging in extended turnfights usually should not be the pilot's first course of action when facing an opponent. Instead, the pilot should use the Spitfire's incredible rate of climb to gain an altitude advantage over the enemy. Then, it's easy to boom and zoom over lower-energy targets. This strategy works well thanks to the plane's good energy retention, although its lacklustre guns sometimes makes high-speed shooting unreliable.

If an altitude advantage is not possible, then the aircraft's manoeuvrability can shine. If the enemy can be lured into a turnfight, then there is almost no chance that they can come out on top. In rolling scissors manoeuvres, the Spitfire is also quite capable, but its roll rate may be lacking against some opponents.

At high speeds, the Spitfire tends to compress, losing control authority in both the roll and pitch axes. This can make it surprisingly difficult to recover from steep dives, and given the Spitfire's relatively low red-line speed, it is often necessary to spiral downwards instead of diving straight down if the pilot wishes to lose altitude quickly.

Due to this plane's vulnerabilities, namely a low ammunition load and somewhat flimsy airframe, it is not recommended to attack bombers with heavy defensive armament. In fact, the Hispano cannons' sometimes unreliable damage output means that it can be wise to choose attacking smaller, lighter targets (single-engine fighters) over larger ones (heavy fighters and attackers). All else being equal, and as long as teammates or win conditions are not being immediately threatened, attacking a single-engine fighter instead of a larger plane will usually yield greater results and a quicker victory.

In Ground Realistic battles, the Spitfire is ill-equipped to attack ground targets. Its 20 mm cannons don't have the ammo count or penetration to do reliable damage to armoured targets, and its single 250 lb bomb does little against tanks unless aimed near-perfectly. However, it is still an excellent air superiority fighter. In the dogfight-centric playstyle of aircraft in Ground Realistic battles, the Spitfire's amazing turn rate makes it shine.

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

As with all the other British planes, this plane is also very forgiving when using Manual Engine Settings.

Prop pitch: This should be set to 100% when climbing to utilize the aircraft's superior climb rate. This will come in handy both at the start of a match and during combat. However when in level flight or chasing another plane this can be set back as far to 70-80% to get a few more km/h.

Radiator: as soon as you unlock the radiator module you can set this to 30% and leave it there for the entire match. On Sicily however you want to set it to 35-40% until you reach 6,000 m (19,685 ft)

Supercharger: Switching this at 2,000 m (6,561 ft) will give you quite a boost in performance and it will retain its climbrate up until 4,500 m, after it will suffer miserably but still climb better than almost every plane. Therefore the supercharger gears should be switched at 2 km (6,561 ft) altitude

=== Modules ===
{| class="wikitable"
! Tier
! colspan="2" | Flight performance
! Survivability
! colspan="2" | Weaponry
|-
| I
| Fuselage repair
| Radiator
|
| Offensive 12 mm
| Offensive 20 mm
|-
| II
|
| Compressor
| Airframe
| New 12 mm MGs
| New 20 mm cannons
|-
| III
| Wings repair
| Engine
|
| SBC mark 25
| Mk.II year 1942
|-
| IV
| 150 octane fuel
| Engine injection
| Cover
|
| Mk.II year 1943
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Supreme rate of climb that will rival that of the later Griffon Spitfires and most late war props (46.7 m/s in AB, 31.8m/s in RB/SB when maxed out, beating the F8F-1B at altitudes below 7 km)
* Excellent acceleration from a standing start due to the boost configuration
* Exceptional manoeuvrability at all altitudes
* Decent energy retention.
* M2 Browning .50 cal machine guns are more powerful than the old .303 Brownings
* Has access to 150 Octane Fuel will increase your engine power by a large margin

'''Cons:'''

* Tendency to break wings its during high speed manoeuvres
* Sub average roll rate can make the plane suffer in tight scissors
* Limited dive rate, moderate parasitic drag
* Limited ammo capacity
* Due to high wing loading, even slight damage to the wings can impact performance negatively
* Poor top speed due to high parasitic drag compared to engine power
* Since it is an 'LF (low-altitude fighter)' Spitfire, this Spitfire's performance suffers at high altitude
* Poor ground attack capatibility

== History ==


=== In-game description ===
The Supermarine Spitfire was a British single-engine, all-metal, low-wing monoplane fighter. While the Mk VII and Mk VIII variants was being designed, a Spitfire Mk III was tested in September 1941 with the new Rolls Royce 60 in the hopes of developing an interim fighter to use as a stop gap measure. The new Spitfire performed exceptionally well, and was rushed into production as the Mk IX. The Air Fighting Development Unit described the Mk IX as 'outstandingly better than the Mk V especially at heights above 20,000 feet' and even though it was not fitted with the modified control surfaces under development for the Mk VII and Mk VIII, the Mk IX was more than capable of meeting the Focke-Wulf FW190 on favourable terms. The Mk IX was fitted with the Type C 'universal' wing and originally carried the tried and tested combination of two 20mm cannon and four 0.303 inch machine guns, but in later versions the four 0.303 machine guns were replaced with two .50 calibre guns.

A total of 5,665 Mk IX were produced and 262 more Mk Vs were converted to Mk IX. Intended as a transitional stop-gap measure for the Mk VII and Mk VIII, the variant remained in production until the end of the war, ultimately becoming the most mass-produced Spitfire version. This mark was also used as a fighter-bomber and as a reconnaissance aircraft. Further modifications were incorporated into the Mk IX throughout its service life, such as a gyroscopic gunsight, bubble canopy and modified engine intercooler. Widely considered to be the most capable fighter in the world at the time of its introduction, it would take the introduction of the Rolls Royce Griffon engine to push the Spitfire into its next stage of evolution.

== Media ==

{{Youtube-gallery|MNacjyimuCQ|'''The Shooting Range #95''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 01:57 discusses the Spitfire LF Mk IX.}}

== 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 Supermarine}}
{{Britain fighters}}

Spitfire LF Mk IX

2020-12-15T01:57:10Z

U61398379: The energy retention statement simply isn't true. The Ta 152 H has the best prop MER of the entire game due to the wing shape. Please refer to: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xcFv3eaKcCgWU2595Fd23pEPXjnogt-NSC839fSagIE/edit#gid=0

{{Specs-Card|code=spitfire_ix}}
{{About
| about = British fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = Spitfire (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{Break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.35]].

The Spitfire LF Mk IX is very much a short range, point interceptor fighter and the stand out fighter in the mid Spitfire line-up. It features an exceptional rate of climb, whilst still retaining the manoeuvrability of its early lineage. The LF Mk IX is considered by most to be the perfect Spitfire due to its balanced all round performance and impressive statistics. The last of the Merlin-engined Spitfires before progressing on to the Griffon powered variants, it has the perfect balance of turning performance (second only to its Japanese counterparts) as well as its "Boom and Zoom" capability that becomes more possible with later model Spitfires.

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


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 4,878 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
| 632 || 612 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 16.4 || 17.0 || 22.2 || 22.2 || rowspan="2" | 320
|-
! Upgraded
| 731 || 690 || 14.8 || 14.8 || 43.3 || 31.8
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || N/A || N/A || 230 || ~10 || ~4
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 321 || < 400 || < 350 || > 470
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Compressor
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
! Setting 1
| 3,600 m || 1,440 hp || 1,843 hp
|-
! Setting 2
| 6,800 m || 1,340 hp || 1,664 hp
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===


* 38 mm Bulletproof glass in the cockpit front.
* 4 mm Steel plate in the pilot's seat.
* 6-7 mm Steel plates behind the pilot.
* 3 mm Steel plate on top of the fuel tanks.
* 3 mm Steel boxes around the wing ammunition.

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

{{main|Hispano Mk.II (20 mm)|M2 Browning (12.7 mm)}}

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

* 2 x 20 mm Hispano Mk.II cannons, wing-mounted (135 rpg = 270 total)
* 2 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns, wing-mounted (260 rpg = 520 total)

=== Suspended armament ===

{{main|G.P. Mk.IV (250 lb)}}

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

* Without load
* 1 x 250 lb G.P. Mk.IV bomb (250 lb total)

== Usage in battles ==

The Spitfire LF Mk IX is a fighter aircraft that excels in dogfighting thanks to its high manoeuvrability. It is able to outturn nearly every other plane that it might face, except for a few Japanese fighters. However, engaging in extended turnfights usually should not be the pilot's first course of action when facing an opponent. Instead, the pilot should use the Spitfire's incredible rate of climb to gain an altitude advantage over the enemy. Then, it's easy to boom and zoom over lower-energy targets. This strategy works well thanks to the plane's good energy retention, although its lacklustre guns sometimes makes high-speed shooting unreliable.

If an altitude advantage is not possible, then the aircraft's manoeuvrability can shine. If the enemy can be lured into a turnfight, then there is almost no chance that they can come out on top. In rolling scissors manoeuvres, the Spitfire is also quite capable, but its roll rate may be lacking against some opponents.

At high speeds, the Spitfire tends to compress, losing control authority in both the roll and pitch axes. This can make it surprisingly difficult to recover from steep dives, and given the Spitfire's relatively low red-line speed, it is often necessary to spiral downwards instead of diving straight down if the pilot wishes to lose altitude quickly.

Due to this plane's vulnerabilities, namely a low ammunition load and somewhat flimsy airframe, it is not recommended to attack bombers with heavy defensive armament. In fact, the Hispano cannons' sometimes unreliable damage output means that it can be wise to choose attacking smaller, lighter targets (single-engine fighters) over larger ones (heavy fighters and attackers). All else being equal, and as long as teammates or win conditions are not being immediately threatened, attacking a single-engine fighter instead of a larger plane will usually yield greater results and a quicker victory.

In Ground Realistic battles, the Spitfire is ill-equipped to attack ground targets. Its 20 mm cannons don't have the ammo count or penetration to do reliable damage to armoured targets, and its single 250 lb bomb does little against tanks unless aimed near-perfectly. However, it is still an excellent air superiority fighter. In the dogfight-centric playstyle of aircraft in Ground Realistic battles, the Spitfire's amazing turn rate makes it shine.

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

As with all the other British planes, this plane is also very forgiving when using Manual Engine Settings.

Prop pitch: This should be set to 100% when climbing to utilize the aircraft's superior climb rate. This will come in handy both at the start of a match and during combat. However when in level flight or chasing another plane this can be set back as far to 70-80% to get a few more km/h.

Radiator: as soon as you unlock the radiator module you can set this to 30% and leave it there for the entire match. On Sicily however you want to set it to 35-40% until you reach 6,000 m (19,685 ft)

Supercharger: Switching this at 2,000 m (6,561 ft) will give you quite a boost in performance and it will retain its climbrate up until 4,500 m, after it will suffer miserably but still climb better than almost every plane. Therefore the supercharger gears should be switched at 2 km (6,561 ft) altitude

=== Modules ===
{| class="wikitable"
! Tier
! colspan="2" | Flight performance
! Survivability
! colspan="2" | Weaponry
|-
| I
| Fuselage repair
| Radiator
|
| Offensive 12 mm
| Offensive 20 mm
|-
| II
|
| Compressor
| Airframe
| New 12 mm MGs
| New 20 mm cannons
|-
| III
| Wings repair
| Engine
|
| SBC mark 25
| Mk.II year 1942
|-
| IV
| 150 octane fuel
| Engine injection
| Cover
|
| Mk.II year 1943
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Supreme rate of climb that will rival that of the later Griffon Spitfires and most late war props (46.7 m/s in AB, 31.8m/s in RB/SB when maxed out, beating the F8F-1B at altitudes below 7 km)
* Excellent acceleration from a standing start due to the boost configuration
* Exceptional manoeuvrability at all altitudes
* Decent energy retention - Better than the [[Bf 109 K-4|Bf 109 K-4]].
* M2 Browning .50 cal machine guns are more powerful than the old .303 Brownings
* Has access to 150 Octane Fuel will increase your engine power by a large margin

'''Cons:'''

* Tendency to break wings its during high speed manoeuvres
* Sub average roll rate can make the plane suffer in tight scissors
* Limited dive rate, moderate parasitic drag
* Limited ammo capacity
* Due to high wing loading, even slight damage to the wings can impact performance negatively
* Poor top speed due to high parasitic drag compared to engine power
* Since it is an 'LF (low-altitude fighter)' Spitfire, this Spitfire's performance suffers at high altitude
* Poor ground attack capatibility

== History ==


=== In-game description ===
The Supermarine Spitfire was a British single-engine, all-metal, low-wing monoplane fighter. While the Mk VII and Mk VIII variants was being designed, a Spitfire Mk III was tested in September 1941 with the new Rolls Royce 60 in the hopes of developing an interim fighter to use as a stop gap measure. The new Spitfire performed exceptionally well, and was rushed into production as the Mk IX. The Air Fighting Development Unit described the Mk IX as 'outstandingly better than the Mk V especially at heights above 20,000 feet' and even though it was not fitted with the modified control surfaces under development for the Mk VII and Mk VIII, the Mk IX was more than capable of meeting the Focke-Wulf FW190 on favourable terms. The Mk IX was fitted with the Type C 'universal' wing and originally carried the tried and tested combination of two 20mm cannon and four 0.303 inch machine guns, but in later versions the four 0.303 machine guns were replaced with two .50 calibre guns.

A total of 5,665 Mk IX were produced and 262 more Mk Vs were converted to Mk IX. Intended as a transitional stop-gap measure for the Mk VII and Mk VIII, the variant remained in production until the end of the war, ultimately becoming the most mass-produced Spitfire version. This mark was also used as a fighter-bomber and as a reconnaissance aircraft. Further modifications were incorporated into the Mk IX throughout its service life, such as a gyroscopic gunsight, bubble canopy and modified engine intercooler. Widely considered to be the most capable fighter in the world at the time of its introduction, it would take the introduction of the Rolls Royce Griffon engine to push the Spitfire into its next stage of evolution.

== Media ==

{{Youtube-gallery|MNacjyimuCQ|'''The Shooting Range #95''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 01:57 discusses the Spitfire LF Mk IX.}}

== 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 Supermarine}}
{{Britain fighters}}

Air-to-air missiles

2020-11-11T17:10:25Z

U61398379:

__TOC__

==Overview==
Air-to-air missiles were added to the game in [[Update 1.85]]; they are available to many aircraft from around the Korean War era and onwards. In-game they are a potent weapon to have at your disposal, allowing you to destroy enemy aircraft from several km away in some situations. There are currently three main categories of air-to-air missiles available to use: command guided missiles, beam riding missiles, and infrared homing (heat-seeking) missiles.

===Rockets vs. Missiles===
The thing that separates air-to-air missiles from rockets is the presence of a guidance system. When a rocket is fired it will simply fly along its trajectory until it hits something (a target or more often the ground), or self-destructs. By comparison, an air-to-air missile has an active guidance system, allowing it to fly towards and follow a target.

==Command guided missiles==
The most basic type of air to air missiles in-game are command guided missiles. Command guided missiles are manually guided to the target by the pilot (or another crew member) of the aircraft which fired them. Once the missile was fired the pilot would watch the missile (many missiles had a flare in the tail to aid visibility) and manually guide it towards the target, using a joystick.

===Command guided missile usage===
[[File:AA-20_Fired.jpg|thumb|400px|right|An [[AA-20]] command guided missile, fired at a [[MiG-15]] from a [[G.91 R/4]]. Notice the lack of HUD elements relating to the missile, you have to watch the missile's flare and manually guide it to the target.]]
In-game if a command guided missile is fired, and no further input is given, then it will act like an unguided rocket with a proximity fuse. In order to guide the missile you must set up guided weaponry controls (see below); after you have fired the missile you can then use the controls to manually guide it towards the target. Guiding a missile will usually require you to stop controlling your aircraft, as guiding the missile to its target is hard enough without also manoeuvring your aircraft at the same time, so make sure there is no one on your tail before you fire one. It takes a lot of practice to get good at using command guided missiles, however, such missiles usually have a large warhead and proximity fuse, making the job slightly easier. It can sometimes be desirable to use command guided missiles as unguided, proximity fused, rockets; such as in head-ons or if an enemy is dead in front of you (e.g. after they over-shot you).

{{Notice|Unlike heat-seeking missiles, command guided missiles will not trigger a missile launch warning for the enemy player.}}

===Command guidance pros and cons===
'''Pros:'''

* Not vulnerable to countermeasures
* Do not trigger missile warnings
* Much better manoeuvrability than beam riding missiles, and better than some heat-seekers
* Can be used as unguided proximity rockets

'''Cons:'''

* Have to stop controlling aircraft to control missile
* Can be hard to manually guide missiles
* Can be easy to dodge if the missile is spotted soon enough

===Command guided missile controls===
To control command guided missiles you set up axis controls for the pitch and yaw; select the relevant control from the menu and click the edit axis button, this will display various controls you can edit. The "maximum value" control is the button you want to press to increase the missiles steering angle (make the missile go up in pitch or right in yaw); and the "minimum value" control is the button you want to press to decrease the missiles steering angle (make the missile go down in pitch or left in yaw). The rest of the controls (apart from relative control, see next paragraph) can be left on default values without much thought and are present for user preference.

An important option to consider is "relative control"; this dramatically changes how you control the missile. With relative control off pressing a control key will immediately set that axis's steering value to 100% and back to 0% when the key is released. By comparison with it on pressing a control key will gradually increase / decrease the steering angle and it will remain at that value until the player changes it.

What this amounts to is that if relative control is off and the player presses the control to move the missile right, the missile will begin moving to the right, then start flying straight in whatever direction it is facing when the player releases the key. With relative control on the missile will begin moving the right and when the player releases the key the missile will keep turning to the right in an arc until the player presses the left key to move the missiles steering angle back to 0%. Personal preference will determine how you set this option, but turning relative control off can be more intuitive, as it makes correcting the missile's course quicker and easier.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="3" | Command guided missile controls
|-
! Control name
! Default Keybind (PC keyboard & mouse)
! Description
|-
| Yaw axis for aim weapons || Shift + A / Shift + D || Keys to control the yaw (side to side) movement of the missile
|-
| Pitch axis for aim weapons || Shift + W / Shift + S ||Keys to control the pitch (up and down) movement of the missile
|-
| Fire air-to-ground missile || Space || Fire the command guided missile (they are treated as proximity fused air to ground missiles)
|-
|}

===List of command guided air-to-air missiles===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="3" | Command guided missiles
|-
! Missile || Country || Max guidance range
|-
| [[AA-20|AA-20 Nord]] || [[File:France_flag.png|40px|link=]] || 8,000 m
|-
|}

==Beam riding missiles==
Beam riding is another primitive form of missile guidance. An aircraft equipped with beam riding missiles will also carry a small radar transmitter, which projects a narrow (few degrees wide) radio beam in front of the aircraft. When the missile has launched, a receiver on the rear of the missile detects the beam from the aircraft and steers the missile to keep it within the beam. The effect of this is that the missile will fly wherever the beam is pointing.

===Beam riding missile usage===
[[File:Fireflash_Fired.jpg|thumb|400px|right|A [[Fireflash]] beam riding missile, fired at a [[MiG-17]] from a [[Swift F.7]]. Like with the command guided missile, there are no HUD elements associated with the missile; the missile is following the beam projected from the aircraft towards the targets.]]
In-game to use a beam riding missile, you simply fire it; the missile will then enter the beam and fly towards where the nose of your aircraft is pointing. You can gently manoeuvre the nose of your aircraft to correct the course of the missile.

Beam riding missiles have a number of disadvantages; firstly once the missile is fired you have to keep the nose of the aircraft pointing at the enemy aircraft, as the missile follows wherever the nose of your aircraft is pointing. Secondly the missile has a very low turning ability, if you move the nose of your aircraft too quickly the beam will move away from the missile quicker than the missile can correct, so the missile will fall out of the beam, at which point you lose all control of the missile; therefore you can only make gentle movements once the missile is launched. Finally, the missile becomes less accurate the further it gets away from the launching aircraft; the beam from the aircraft spreads as it moves away from the aircraft, so at long ranges the missile can still be within the beam, but off-centre (some missiles are better at staying centred within the beam than others)

{{Notice|Unlike heat-seeking missiles, beam riding missiles will not trigger a missile launch warning for the enemy player.}}

===Beam riding pros and cons===
'''Pros:'''

* Not vulnerable to countermeasures
* Do not trigger missile warnings
* Can be easier to guide than command guided missiles
* Can be used as unguided proximity rockets

'''Cons:'''

* Must keep your aircraft pointing at the target
* Bad at engaging manoeuvring targets
* Anything more than gentle corrections will make missile fall out of beam and lose tracking
* Gets less accurate with increased range
* Easy to dodge if the missile is spotted

===Beam riding missile controls===
To control the missile, launch it them gently correct its course by moving where the nose of your aircraft is pointing.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="3" | Beam riding missile controls
|-
! Control name
! Default Keybind (PC keyboard & mouse)
! Description
|-
| Fire air-to-ground missile || Space || Fire the command guided missile (they are treated as proximity fused air to ground missiles)
|-
|}

===List of beam riding air-to-air missiles===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="6" | Beam riding missiles
|-
! Missile || Country || Max overload || Max guidance range
|-
| [[Fireflash]] || [[File:Britain_flag.png|40px|link=]] || 2 G || 4,000 m
|-
|}

==Infrared homing (heat-seeking) missiles==
Infrared (IR) homing missiles, also known as heat-seeking missiles, or heat-seekers, are the most widespread type of air-to-air missile in War Thunder. Infrared homing missiles have what is known as an IR seeker mounted in the nose of the missile. The IR seeker is capable of detecting the infrared light emitted by the target; and when the missile is launched the IR seeker tracks the source of infrared light and steers the missile towards it. These missiles are commonly called "heat-seekers", as things which are hot emit large amounts of infrared light, so the missile is effectively looking for hot things to lock on to.

{{Notice|Infrared homing missiles will lock on to any suitably strong infrared light source; this includes friendly aircraft and the sun|!}}

===Infrared homing missile usage===
[[File:Firestreak_Caged_Lock.jpg|thumb|400px|right|A [[Firestreak]] missile locked on to a [[MiG-15]]. The seeker ring is red as it has locked onto the MiG. This is a caged seeker (see the section below).]]
Firing Infrared homing missiles in-game is a little more complicated than firing other types of weaponry. You must first turn on the IR seeker (see controls section below). Once the seeker is turned on you will see a grey flashing circle appear on your screen, the missile seeker is now warming up; the length of time required for the seeker to warm-up varies between missiles (see individual missile pages for details), but is generally several seconds.

Once the seeker has warmed up it will become active and the flashing grey circle will become solid grey; this will be accompanied by a "growling" noise to let you know the missile is active. You must now manoeuvre your aircraft to place the circle over the target you wish to click on to. The seeker on each missile has a maximum range at which it can lock on to a target; you will need to be within that range to get a lock. Most missiles will also require you to be in the rear aspect of your target (behind the target) so that the missile can lock onto the target's engine exhaust (see the all aspect seekers section for more information). Once a lock is achieved the grey circle will turn red and the growling noise will change in tone, indicating a lock. Once a lock is achieved you can fire the missile, after this point the missile requires no further input and will guide itself to the target.

Once the missile is fired there is no guarantee it will hit the target. Early missiles cannot turn very tightly (about 5G), so it is possible for the enemy player to dodge the missile.

'''Important notes:'''

* If your missile locks onto the wrong target before you launch it, you can turn the seeker off then back on again to reset it and force it to find a new target (this is mainly a problem for missiles with uncaged seekers, where you cannot easily move the seeker ring off the target).

* If you are in the cockpit view there are no rings visible, you must rely purely on the growling tone to know when the missile seeker is active and locked.

* Each missile has a maximum amount of time the seeker can be powered up for before launch. If this time is exceeded the seeker will turn off and have to be turned back on again manually (see individual missile pages for details).

* Just because you have achieved a missile lock does not mean it is a good idea to fire the missile; many missiles can lock onto a target which is outside of their effective range (although within their max range), make sure you have closed to a good firing range. In addition, firing while yourself, or the enemy plane, is mid-manoeuvre, is just asking for the missile to lose its lock.

* Once a missile is fired it can lose its lock on the enemy aircraft and lock on to something else; if a friendly flies in front of your missile be prepared for the missile to start chasing them instead. Likewise, if the sun is in the background of your target, expect the missile to fly towards the sun (after all the missile is looking for infrared light, and the sun puts out way more of that than the enemy plane does).

* If there is more than one target in front of the missile's seeker then the seeker may get confused and the missile will likely fly off course and miss.

{{Notice|In AB & RB shortly after you fire a heat-seeking missile the enemy plane will receive a warning, this is a balance mechanic and represents the enemy's pilot noticing the plume of smoke from the missile launch}}

====Caged vs uncaged missile seekers====
[[File:SRAAM_Uncaged_Lock.jpg|thumb|400px|right|A [[SRAAM]] missile locked on to a [[MiG-15]]. As the seeker is uncaged the lock is maintained so long as the target stays within the larger ring.]]
Most early infrared homing missiles have what is known as a caged IR seeker prior to being launched, this means the seeker is locked facing directly forwards. This is the mode described in the section above (and the image in that section); in-game you will see a small circle, which you have to position over a target to get a lock, then hold over the target until you fire the missile.

Some more advanced missiles are capable of "uncaging" their seeker once a target has been locked. This means that once the seeker has locked onto a target it is free to move. In practice this means that once you have locked on to a target with one of these missiles you no longer have to manually keep the missile's seeker over the target to maintain a lock prior to launch, the missile will maintain its own lock and you can (within reason) manoeuvre you aircraft before firing the missile.

In-game when the seekers of these missiles are turned on you will see the normal missile seeker ring, but there will also be a larger ring present around the missile seeker ring. To lock on you still need to position the smaller ring over the target, but once a lock is achieved you only need to keep the target within the big ring to maintain a lock. The user interfaces for missiles with uncaged seekers can be seen to the right.

Uncaged seekers are a major advantage as they make maintaining a lock prior to launch much easier. They also allow you to "lead" the missiles like you would your guns, making them more likely to hit turning opponents.

====Slaving the seeker to an aircraft tracking radar====
[[File:Firestreak_Slaved_Seeker.jpg|thumb|400px|right|A [[Firestreak]] missile with the seeker slaved to the [[Javelin F.(A.W.) Mk.9]]'s tracking radar. The seeker ring is grey as it has not achieved a lock yet, but it is automatically placed over the tracked target for you.]]
Aircraft which have [[Airborne_radars#Target_tracking_radars|tracking radars]] have the option of slaving the missile's IR seeker to their radar system. This means that when a target is being tracked by the radar and the missile seeker is turned on, instead of the seeker pointing directly forwards it will receive data from the radar and point at the target the radar is locked on to.

Rotorcraft with a gunner seat or ATGM tracking camera may also guide their seeker manually by hopping in the gunner seat or using the tracking camera, however it is not possible to fire the missile until the player switches back to pilot mode. It is important that the crosshair is pointing at the enemy aircraft and locked upon switching back to the pilot seat otherwise the seeker head will reset.

The benefits of slaving the IR seeker to the tracking radar are essentially the same as having an uncaged sensor; making achieving and maintaining a lock easier, as well as allowing you to "lead" the missile in some situations. A disadvantage is that if you lose the radar track (as can happen often) you will also lose your IR lock (unless you have an uncaged seeker).

{{Notice|Seeker slaving is available for both missiles with and without an uncaged seeker}}

====All aspect seekers====
Most infrared homing missiles in-game are what are known as "rear-aspect" missiles, which require you to be in the rear aspect of your target (behind the target) in order for the missile to lock on. This is because early IR seekers were only sensitive enough to lock on to very hot targets, such as the exhaust of a jet engine. There are however some more advanced missiles in-game which are known as "all-aspect" missiles, these missiles have more sensitive IR seekers and better tracking systems which are able to detect heat emitted from the body of the aircraft, allowing the missile to lock on to and engage a target from any direction. These missiles are a major upgrade other infrared homing missiles, they allow you to attack a target from any direction and are much harder to dodge.

====Countermeasures====
There are general techniques pilots can employ to dodge missiles (covered in a later section), however, in addition, some vehicles also have systems dedicated to defeating infrared homing missiles. These systems fall into two categories: flares and IRCM systems.

=====Flares=====
The most basic countermeasure to infrared homing missiles is the use of flares. Flares are a type of pyrotechnic which can be fired (usually in bursts) from the target aircraft when the pilot believes a heat-seeking missile has been fired at them. The flare burns extremely hot and produces a large amount of infrared light; this will often trick the IR seeker of the missile into locking on to the flares instead of the target aircraft. More modern missiles with more advanced IR seekers are less vulnerable to flares.

In-game it is currently only helicopters which are equipped with flares. If a target you are locking onto deploys flares you will often see the seeker ring move over the flares instead of the target. If the target deploys flares after a missile has been fired then the missile will often switch course and fly towards the flares. Some modern missiles in-game are not affected as much by flares.

=====Infrared Counter Measures (IRCM) systems=====
A more advanced countermeasure to infrared-guided missiles are Infrared Counter Measures (IRCM) systems, these systems are effectively jammers for infrared missiles. There are two techniques used by these systems: older systems would have a powerful infrared light source, which was then flickered on and off; this would disrupt the missile's guidance system and cause it to fly off course. More modern systems detect the missile and shine a laser directly at it, blinding the IR seeker.

In-game these systems make locking on to aircraft with the system activated much harder. It is currently only helicopters which have access to these systems.

===Infrared homing missile controls===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="3" | Infrared homing missile controls
|-
! Control name
! Default Keybind (PC keyboard & mouse)
! Description
|-
| Weapon lock || ??? || Toggles the missile's IR seeker on or off
|-
| Fire air-to-air missile || Space || Fires the air-to-air missile once a target is locked, or if IR seeker is not active it will activate the seeker.
|-
|}

===Infrared homing pros and cons===
'''Pros:'''

* Fire and forget in nature
* Hardest type of missile to dodge (although this depends on the exact missile, some like the [[SRAAM]] can be extremely hard to dodge, while others are quite easy)
* Easiest missiles to use
* Can be all-aspect depending on missile

'''Cons:'''

* Can lock on to the sun and friendly player's heat sources
* Can be defeated by flares and IRCM
* Not very effective against piston engine aircraft due to there not being enough heat for the missile to detect (depending on aircraft, missile and range)

===List of infrared homing air-to-air missiles===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="6" | Infrared homing missiles
|-
! Missile || Country || Max overload || All-aspect || Uncaged seeker || Radar slaving
|-
| [[9M39 Igla]] || [[File:USSR_flag.png|40px|link=]] || 10 G || {{Tick}} || {{Cross}} || {{Cross}}
|-
| [[AIM-9B]] || [[File:USA_flag.png|40px|link=]] || 10 G || {{Cross}} || {{Cross}} || {{Cross}}
|-
| [[AIM-9B FGW.2]] || [[File:USA_flag.png|40px|link=]] || 10 G || {{Cross}} || {{Cross}} || {{Cross}}
|-
| [[AIM-9D]] || [[File:USA_flag.png|40px|link=]] || 16 G || {{Cross}} || {{Tick}} || {{Cross}}
|-
| [[AIM-9E]] || [[File:USA_flag.png|40px|link=]] || 10 G || {{Cross}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}}
|-
| [[AIM-9G]] || [[File:USA_flag.png|40px|link=]] || 16 G || {{Cross}} || {{Tick}} || {{Cross}}
|-
| [[AIM-9J]] || [[File:USA_flag.png|40px|link=]] || 20 G || {{Cross}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}}
|-
| [[AIM-9L]] || [[File:USA_flag.png|40px|link=]] || 30 G || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}}
|-
| [[AIM-92 Stinger]] || [[File:USA_flag.png|40px|link=]] || 10 G || {{Tick}} || {{Cross}} || {{Cross}}
|-
| [[Firestreak]] || [[File:Britain_flag.png|40px|link=]] || 13 G || {{Cross}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}}
|-
| [[Matra R530E]] || [[File:France_flag.png|40px|link=]] || 15 G || {{Cross}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}}
|-
| [[Matra R550]] || [[File:France_flag.png|40px|link=]] || 30 G || {{Cross}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}}
|-
| [[Mistral]] || [[File:France_flag.png|40px|link=]] || 12 G || {{Tick}} || {{Cross}} || {{Cross}}
|-
| [[PL-2]] || [[File:China_flag.png|40px|link=]] || 10 G || {{Cross}} || {{Cross}} || {{Cross}}
|-
| [[R-3S]] || [[File:USSR_flag.png|40px|link=]] || 10 G || {{Cross}} || {{Cross}} || {{Cross}}
|-
| [[R-13M]] || [[File:USSR_flag.png|40px|link=]] || 10 G || {{Cross}} || {{Tick}} || {{Cross}}
|-
| [[R-60]] || [[File:USSR_flag.png|40px|link=]] || 30 G || {{Cross}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}}
|-
| [[R-60M]] || [[File:USSR_flag.png|40px|link=]] || 30 G || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}}
|-
| [[RB24]] || [[File:Sweden_flag.png|40px|link=]] || 10 G || {{Cross}} || {{Cross}} || {{Cross}}
|-
| [[RB24J]] || [[File:Sweden_flag.png|40px|link=]] || 20 G || {{Cross}} || {{Cross}} || {{Cross}}
|-
| [[Red Top]] || [[File:Britain_flag.png|40px|link=]] || 16 G || {{Cross}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}}
|-
| [[Shafrir]] || [[File:Israel_flag.png|40px|link=]] || 10 G || {{Cross}} || {{Cross}} || {{Cross}}
|-
| [[SRAAM]] || [[File:Britain_flag.png|40px|link=]] || 20 G || {{Cross}} || {{Tick}} || {{Cross}}
|-
|}

==Avoiding air-to-air missiles==
There are various techniques you can use to avoid the different types of air-to-air missiles. As a general rule though situational awareness is absolutely key, you should be looking out to see if any aircraft around you could have air-to-air missiles, and judging what type they are likely to have. If an enemy is on your tail keep looking to see if a missile is launched. You may not get a warning (depending on missile type) and even if you do it may be too late.

===Avoiding command guided missiles===
You don't get a warning for these missiles so you need to keep a constant eye out to see if one has been launched. If one is launched at you begin manoeuvring to make it hard for the enemy player to hit you. If one is fired at you in a head-on, then abandon the head-on immediately, if you don't the proximity fuse will get you.

===Avoiding beam riding missiles===
You don't get a warning for these missiles so you need to keep a constant eye out to see if one has been launched. If one has been launched then any manoeuvre pulling more than a few G's will likely cause the missile to fall out of the beam from the chasing aircraft, at which point the missile poses little threat. Again if one is fired in a head-on then abandon immediately and pull off to the side.

===Avoiding heat-seeking missiles===
{{Notice|There is a delay between missile launch and receiving an inbound missile warning; it is best to look at the enemy aircraft so you can react as soon as a missile is fired.}}

How you best avoiding heat-seeking missiles depends largely on what missile was fired at you; it is recommended to familiarise yourself with what missiles different planes carry and what the characteristics of each are. For early missiles, you should be able to turn tighter than the missile and make it lose its lock that way. For missiles which you can't simply throw off with a hard turn your options are more limited, you can try pulling a sort of barrel roll manoeuvre, the combination of turning hard and rolling can sometimes throw the missile off. A final option is to manoeuvre your aircraft so that it is directly between the missile and the sun, causing the missile to lock onto the sun, although this is rarely possible in battle situations; this can be done pre-emptively (i.e. fly towards the sun when you spot an enemy with air-to-air missiles on your tail).

== Media ==


;Heat-seeking missiles
{{Youtube-gallery|TclR7XJMoWY|'''Heat Seekers. How they work''' - War Thunder Official Channel|omcme8er-7o|'''Heat-seeking missiles 101''' - War Thunder Official Channel}}

== See also ==


* [[Template:Missiles|Missiles]]
* [[:Category:Countermeasures|Countermeasures]]
* [[Anti-tank guided missiles]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/5947-development-air-to-air-missiles-en|[Development] Air-to-air Missiles]]
* [[wt:en/news/6879-development-sarh-air-to-air-missiles-en|[Development] SARH Air-to-Air Missiles]]
* [[wikipedia:Command_guidance|[Wikipedia] Command guidance]]
* [[wikipedia:Beam_riding|[Wikipedia] Beam riding]]
* [[wikipedia:Infrared_homing|[Wikipedia] Infrared homing]]

[[Category:Game mechanics]]
[[Category:Armaments]]

Lightning F.6

2020-08-12T05:57:01Z

U61398379: notify errata

{{Notice
|Errata: The battle rating for this vehicle is 9.7 for AB/RB/SB. However, the database has not been updated yet.
|!
}}

{{Specs-Card|code=lightning_f6}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{Break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British jet fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.97 "Viking Fury"]].

The Lightning is a very distinctive aircraft, with its unique stacked engine design, highly swept wings, and large ventral fuel tank. It was designed as a high performance interceptor aircraft, to defend against Soviet bombers, sacrificing range and flexibility for raw performance. With most of the fuselage taken up by the two powerful Rolls-Royce Avon engines, fuel had to be put wherever it could fit inside the wings (including inside the flaps), and in a large ventral fuel tank fitted to the underside of the aircraft. Another factor adding to the Lightning's unique appearance is the fitment of two air-to-air missiles to the sides of the forward fuselage.

In-game, the Lightning has decent acceleration, climb rate, and top speed; and can carry two Firestreak or Red Top missiles. While its missiles are not the best in the game they are still powerful weapons, although the limited quantity does require you to chose your shots carefully.

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


The Lightning F.6 possesses good acceleration and climb performance, although arguably not as good as late model MiG-21s, and some [[F-4 Phantom II (Family)|Phantoms]]. The Lightning's two powerful Avon 302 engines do however give it the unique capability of being able to supercruise (fly supersonic without afterburner) at all altitudes, something no other aircraft in the game can do. At sea level the Lightning can supercruise at Mach 1.03, with this generally increasing with altitude (for example at 5,000 m it can supercruise at Mach 1.07). The Lightning has a lower listed wing rip speed than other top tier jets such as MiG-21s and [[F-4 Phantom II (Family)|F-4 Phantoms]], however it due to its powerful engines it is capable of reaching (and exceeding) this speed in level flight, even with a full missile armament. This means that the Lightning is actually faster than many of its competitors in a low altitude chase situation, being able to reach Mach 1.08 safely at sea level and Mach 1.10 if you want to push it (structural failure tends to occur at this speed so be careful); Mach 1.14 can be safely reached at 1,000 m. Enemy aircraft can still catch you if they are coming out of a dive, but a surprising number will not be able to keep up in a prolonged chase with a Lightning. Supercruise can be used to give the Lightning longer endurance than other top tier jets, without having to sacrifice speed.

In real life the Lightning's optimal climb profile was to accelerate to 450 knots (833 km/h) and then enter a climb, adjusting the climb angle to maintaining 450 kts / Mach 0.87 (whichever is lower)<ref name="LightningF6ODM" />, and this method works well in game however a simpler approach can just be to accelerate to a reasonably high speed (around 1,000 km/h and enter a 30 degree climb). The Lightning is not a particularly manoeuvrable aircraft, however it can turn fairly well when at high subsonic speed and lower altitude, turning off the afterburner can also improve turning performance in some situations. The roll rate varies with speed and altitude, but is generally nothing special (bar a few speed / altitude combinations, where it rolls surprisingly well).

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 12,192 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
| 2,215 || 2,200 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 27.9 || 28.2 || 150.7 || 141.4 || rowspan="2" | 850
|-
! Upgraded
| 2,386 || 2,290 || 24.4 || 26.0 || 195.3 || 172.0
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || N/A || 720 || 463 || ~10 || ~6
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 850 || < 700 || < 700 || N/A
|-
|}

==== Engine performance ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine
! colspan="3" | Aircraft mass
|-
! colspan="2" | Engine name || Number
! colspan="1" | {{Annotation|Basic Mass|Mass of the aircraft with pilot and engine oil, but no fuel or weapons load}} || colspan="2" | Wing loading (full fuel)
|-
| colspan="2" | Rolls-Royce Avon Mk.302 || 2
| colspan="1" | 14,020 kg || colspan="2" | 437 kg/m2
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine characteristics
! colspan="2" | Mass with fuel (no weapons load) || rowspan="2" | Max Takeoff Weight
|-
! Weight (each) || colspan="2" | Type
! 5m fuel || 18m fuel
|-
| 1,310 kg || colspan="2" | Afterburning axial-flow turbojet
| 15,353 kg || 18,632 kg || 19,000 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="3" | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (WEP)
|-
! Condition || 100% || WEP
! 5m fuel || 18m fuel || MTOW
|-
| ''Stationary'' || 5,616 kgf || 7,413 kgf
| 0.97 || 0.80 || 0.78
|-
| ''Optimal'' || 5,616 kgf (0 km/h) || 7,747 kgf (1,000 km/h)
| 1.00 || 0.83 || 0.82
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===


In line with its role as a high-performance interceptor aircraft the Lightning F.6 has no armoured plating or bulletproof glass, such additions would have increased the weight of the aircraft, while offering no real benefit for it's intended role.

Most of the inside of the wings (including the flaps) consists of fuel tanks, fuel is also stored in the ventral tank. The top engine is mounted above and to the rear of the bottom engine, this leaves it exposed to enemy fire; on the flip side the bottom engine is shielded from enemy fire by the top engine and wing fuel tanks, this makes is surprisingly resilient to damage, it is not uncommon for it to even continue functioning after the aircraft has been hit by a missile (although the rest of the aircraft will be well and truly broken afterwards).

The large belly tank and high wings of the Lightning mean it is able to survive belly landings very well.

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

{{main|ADEN (30 mm)}}

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

* 2 x 30 mm ADEN cannon, mounted in bell tank (120 RPG = 240 total)

=== Suspended armament===

{{main|Firestreak|Red Top}}

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

* Without load
* 2 x Firestreak missiles
* 2 x Red Top missiles

== Usage in battles ==


In combined battles, pilots of the {{PAGENAME}} may find themselves unable to deal much damage against ground vehicles, especially without the use of rockets, anti-tank missiles, or bombs. As such, this fighter is better suited to dealing with enemy air targets such as helicopters, which are plentiful at the Lightning's battle rating.

Although it faces challenges there, air realistic battles are where the Lightning truly belongs. The F.6 is able to use its Red Top missiles to dispatch enemies from a distance. Best practice with the missiles is to fire when there is about a 1.5 km gap between the F.6 and the enemy aircraft. This gap gives the missile time to lock on its target and track the enemy. One downside to the Red Tops is that they are not particularly fast compared to other missiles at its tier and may have trouble manoeuvring to catch an enemy aircraft travelling at top speed.

The {{PAGENAME}} handles well at subsonic speeds, although dogfights at those speeds are not common at this battle rating. Flying slowly leaves the pilot vulnerable to nearby enemies. Among those enemies may be the [[MiG-21 F-13]], which the Lightning can often out-dogfight and the [[F-4 Phantom II (Family)|F-4C]], which the Lightning has an extremely difficult time trying to out-dogfight. The Lightning just doesn't have the energy retention that the Phantom does.

Keeping this in mind, it is advised that pilots use this plane as part of a team, rather than as an attempted solo carry. It is recommended that they climb to higher altitude early on in the match and by gaining as much energy as possible before dumping it in dogfight manoeuvres.

Enemy planes that the Lightning F.6 is well-suited to take on in a fight are the [[Mitsubishi T-2]], the [[F-100D]], and the [[MiG-19 (Family)|Mig-19s]] of all variants.

=== Modules ===
The Lightning is a difficult aircraft to use when stock. If you particularly dislike the stock ADEN cannons then you may wish to priorities the cannon upgrades, however generally it is advisable to focus on flight performance and missile upgrades. Once you gain the ability to unlock tier 2 modifications you should probably priorities the Firestreaks, they are far from the best missiles in the game, but they can be useful; after that the new boosters modification is worth getting to improve the general handling of the aircraft. For tier 3 modifications you should get the wings repair and engine upgrades (unless you really want the ADEN upgrades). For tier 4 you will probably want the Red Top missiles for all round better performance than the Firestreaks. After this you can research the rest of the upgrades according to personal preference.
{| class="wikitable"
!Tier
! colspan="2" |Flight performance
!Survivability
! colspan="2" |Weaponry
|-
|I
|Fuselage repair
|
|
|Offensive 30 mm
|
|-
|II
|New boosters
|Compressor
|Airframe
|
|Firestreak
|-
|III
|Wings repair
|Engine
|
|New 30 mm cannons
|
|-
|IV
|G-Suit
|
|Cover
|
|Red Top
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Surprisingly good turn rate between 800 - 1,000 km/h indicated airspeed (IAS)
* Red Top missiles have good seeker gimballing, high-G overload, and an all-aspect capability with radar lock-on (slaving)
* Armed with a pair of powerful ADEN cannons
* Good climb rate and acceleration

'''Cons:'''

* A large target for enemy aircraft to target
* Pulls a high angle of attack and loses speed in turns
* Below average roll rate
* Limited armament selection, shoehorned more into an air-to-air combat role
* Sacrifices maneuverability for sheer speed
* Relatively low top speed (1,280 km/h IAS at sea level)

== History ==

===Background===
In February 1946 the British government cancelled the Miles M.52 programme, only a few months before the first prototype was due to fly. The M.52 was a supersonic research aircraft, designed to reach speeds in excess of 1,000 mph (1,600 km/h) and potentially become the first aircraft to achieve supersonic speeds in level flight.<ref name="LightningStrikesTwice">Bowman 2009</ref> The cancellation sent a message to the aviation industry that the British Government had little interest in the development of supersonic aircraft. This did not deter English Electric Company engineer W. E. W. Petter; from his work designing the Canberra bomber he could tell that current fighters would be incapable of intercepting such an aircraft, and so began sketching designs for a new supersonic fighter.<ref name="IconsLightningStory">Chorlton 2012</ref>

Petter lobbied the government to pursue supersonic aircraft development and in early 1947 presented his proposed design to the Ministry of Supply (MoS), to his surprise this lead to the MoS issuing specification ER.103 calling for companies to produce designs for a supersonic research aircraft capable of Mach 1.5 at 36,000 ft.<ref name="IconsLightningStory" /> English Electric set to work on their proposal, which would later be known as the P.1.

===Development===
By the middle of 1948 most of the P.1's key design features were in place, the aircraft would have two engines stacked one on top of the other (this allowed for 2x increase in thrust while only increasing frontal area by 1.5x) and highly swept wings. English Electric was given a contract to develop the design further through 1949; wind tunnel testing indicated that the tailplane should be moved from the top of the vertical stabiliser to the bottom of the fuselage, and the wing sweep increased from 40° to 60°.<ref name="EnglishElectricAircraft">Ransom and Fairclough 1987</ref> By the end of 1949 most of the P.1's design had been finalised.

In September 1949, the MoS released the first draft of specification F.23/49 laying out the requirements for a supersonic fighter aircraft. English Electric decided they could modify the P.1 design to meet the new F.23/49 specification. In April 1950, they received a contract to produce three prototype P.1 aircraft (two for flight testing and one for static testing).<ref name="EnglishElectricAircraft" /> Engineers at the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) doubted English Electric's design for the P.1, believing that the aircraft should have had a 50° swept wing and kept the original high-mounted tailplane; this would lead to a second contract being handed to Short Brothers to produce an aircraft known as the SB.5. The SB.5 was a low-speed research aircraft (resembling the P.1) which facilitated the wings and tail being mounted in different configurations, with the aim being to find out whether English Electric or the RAE were correct. Later during testing it would be found that 60° was the optimal wing sweep and the high tail design would prove to be unstable in flight; proving English Electric correct in their design choices.<ref name="IconsLightningStory" />

In July 1952, while English Electric was working on building the P.1 prototypes, they were notified that the government intended to order a number of prototype fighters built to the F.23/49 specification, and so detailed design on the modified P.1 began. To avoid confusion, the two original P.1 aircraft would be known as P.1 and P.1A with the new fighter version known as the P.1B.<ref name="EnglishElectricAircraft" /> The official order for 3 P.1B prototypes was placed in August 1953 and was followed in February 1954 by an order for 20 P.1B development aircraft. The P.1 / P.1A were visually similar to the Lightning but had distinct differences; most notable were its use of non-afterburning Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire SA.5 engines and a significantly different cockpit and forward fuselage. The P.1 lacked the Lightning's distinctive shock cone intake, instead having a pear-shaped intake in the nose and also initially lacked the ventral fuel tank of production Lightnings. The P.1B was much closer to the production Lightning F.1 aircraft, being visually very similar, and incorporating most of the features of the production aircraft.<ref name="BurkeLightning">Burke 2016</ref>

The first P.1 was finished in May 1954 and taken to Boscombe Down, where it spent the next couple of months carrying out ground tests and fast taxi runs.<ref name="EnglishElectricAircraft" /> With tests progressing well, the first flight for the P.1 was set to be the 3rd August 1954. However, as test pilot Roland Beamont climbed into the cockpit for the first flight, he accidentally triggered the engine bay fire extinguishers; with the rest of the day spent cleaning up the fire retardant the flight had to be postponed until the next day.<ref name="IconsLightningStory" /> The P.1 first flew on 4th August 1954, and shortly afterwards on its third flight it went supersonic, supercruising at Mach 1.02; in subsequent flights super-cruise at Mach 1.08 in level flight would be achieved and in one flight the aircraft would eventually reach a speed of Mach 1.22.<ref name="EnglishElectricAircraft" /> The second P.1 prototype, known as P.1A, flew on 18th July 1955, featuring a ventral tank, twin 30 mm ADEN cannons mounted above the intake, and redesigned flaps.<ref name="LightningMk1_6">Darling 2008</ref> While the P.1A was undergoing testing, the original P.1 prototype was modified with Sapphire SA.5R engines which produced less dry thrust than the SA.5's but featured reheat (afterburner) which gave them much greater thrust than the SA.5 when engaged. With the new engines the P.1 could reach Mach 1.56; the P.1A was never fitted with the new engines. During testing of the P.1, problems with the cockpit canopy became apparent, on one test flight in August 1955 while the aircraft was flying at Mach 0.95 the canopy broke away from the aircraft. The test pilot was able to land without further incident, and the canopy locking mechanism was adjusted; however a few weeks later the canopy broke loose again. After further modifications English Electric believed the problem was resolved; until once more the canopy came away from the aircraft, this time while the aircraft was flying at supersonic speed.<ref name="EnglishElectricAircraft" /> Following this incident, English Electric decided to completely redesign the canopy locking mechanism, finally fixing the issue, luckily none of the pilots were seriously injured in any of the incidents.<ref name="LightningMk1_6" />

The P.1B first flew on the 4th April 1957 and was successfully taken to Mach 1.2 on its first flight.<ref name="EnglishElectricAircraft" /> On the same day the P.1B first flew, the Government published the now infamous 1957 Defence White Paper, which cancelled most of Britain's advanced aircraft programmes under the (now known to be incorrect) belief that missile technology would make manned aircraft irrelevant; the P.1 was one of the few aircraft programmes not cancelled.<ref name="LightningStrikesTwice" /> On the 23rd of October 1958 the P.1B was officially renamed to the Lightning.<ref name="EnglishElectricAircraft" /> Development of the P.1B continued with no major problems and on 25th November 1958 the P.1B became the first British aircraft to achieve Mach 2, sustaining it in level flight and with engines on the lowest of their four reheat settings.<ref name="EnglishElectricAircraft" /> Development continued with the last of the 20 P.1B pre-production aircraft taking to the air in September 1959;<ref name="LightningMk1_6" /> this was followed by the first P.1B Lightnings being delivered to RAF service in December 1959.

===RAF Service===
The first production version of the Lightning to enter RAF service was the Lightning F.1, which differed only slightly from the pre-production P.1Bs, it entered service with 74 squadron at Coltishall in 1960.<ref name="BurkeLightning" /> The F.1 was powered by two Avon 200R engines each producing 11,200 lb of dry thrust or 14,400 lb of thrust with maximum reheat (afterburner).<ref name="LightningF1PilotsNotes">Pilot's Notes, Lightning F.Mk 1 & F.Mk 1A</ref><ref name="IconsLightningStory" /> In terms of armament, the F.1 had two 30 mm ADEN cannons mounted above the air intake and provision for three different interchangeable weapon packs to be fitted in the weapons bay. The most common weapons pack (and the only one most people are aware of) was the Firestreak pack; the internals of the pack contained electronic and cooling systems, while pylons protruding from either side of the pack allowed the lightning to carry two Firestreak air-to-air missiles, one on either side of the fuselage. The other two packs were less well known, one allowed the fitment of two additional 30 mm ADEN cannons (bringing the total to four), and the other allowed the cartridge of 48 x 2" unguided air-to-air rockets.<ref name="LightningF1PilotsNotes" /> During normal flight the rockets would be stored internally, when the rockets were to be fired two launchers (each containing 24 rockets) would fold outwards from the weapon pack.<ref name="LightningMk1_6" />

A total of 22 production standard Lightning F.1s were built before production was switched to the improved F.1A standard. The F.1A was only slightly different to the F.1, featuring provision for an in-flight refuelling probe, some re-routed cabling from inside the engine bay to external cable ducts on the side of the fuselage, and Avon 210R engines; the engines had modifications to the reheat control system, but preformed the same as the Avon 200R engines of the F.1.<ref name="IconsLightningStory" /><ref name="EngineDatabaseHandbook">Roux 2007</ref> The F.1A entered service in December 1960 serving alongside the Lightning F.1s. The first two-seat Lightning trainers, known as T.4s were also delivered in 1960; the T.4 was based on the F.1A and featured two pilots sat side by side in the cockpit.<ref name="IconsLightningStory" /> By 1965 the F.1s and F.1As had been withdrawn from front-line service, joining the T.4s in being used for pilot training and other duties into the 1970s.<ref name="IconsLightningStory" />

The next version of the Lightning to enter service was the F.2, planned as an interim version to enter service while the more advanced F.3 was still being developed. Externally it looked almost identical to the F.1A, with the only difference being the addition of a small air scoop on the "spine" of the aircraft. Internally however there were more changes; the engines were upgraded with fully variable reheat (instead of the 4 position reheat on earlier models), a significantly lighter and more compact oxygen system for the pilot, and an improved navigation system.<ref name="LightningMk1_6" /> The F.2 entered service with two squadrons in 1961, and became the first Lighting variant to serve outside of the UK, being based at RAF bases in West Germany.<ref name="IconsLightningStory" />

After the Lightning F.2 came the Lightning F.3; which was a major upgrade over all previous models of the Lightning. The most obvious external feature of the F.3 was a new, larger, squared-off tail; this was necessary to allow the F.3 to safely carry the new Red Top missile. The Red Top was a major improvement over the Firestreak, having improved range, a more destructive warhead, and a new seeker giving the missile limited all-aspect capability. Internally, the F.3 featured a more advanced AI.23B radar, new navigation equipment, and most significantly new Avon 301R engines.<ref name="EnglishElectricAircraft" /> The Avon 301s produced significantly more thrust than previous Avon engines with 12,600 lb of dry thrust and 16,300 lb of thrust each on full reheat. The Lightning F.3 entered RAF service in January 1964.<ref name="LightningStrikesTwice" />

The F.3 was followed into service by the F.3A and the T.5 (a two-seat trainer variant of the F.3) in 1965. The F.3A was an interim version which designed to address the Lightning's limited range before the planned F.6 version was ready. The F.3A significantly increased the size of the ventral fuel tank, in addition it was fitted with a new wing featuring a kinked and cambered leading edge; this wing reduced subsonic drag leading to a 20% increase in cruising range. The new wing also improved the handling characteristics of the Lightning; it did however come at the cost of reducing supersonic acceleration.<ref name="EnglishElectricAircraft" />

The final production model of Lightning to enter RAF service was the F.6. The Lightning F.6 had been intended to fix some of the shortfalls of the F.3; it included the enlarged ventral tank and new wing design of the F.3A, and returned the cannon armament with two 30 mm ADEN cannons mounted in the front of the ventral fuel tank. The F.6 also included support for a pair of over-wing fuel tanks, further improving the aircraft's range. The F.6 entered service in December 1965, serving alongside the F.3s; the superior range of the F.6 led to them being used for long-range interception missions, while the higher performance F.3 lent itself to being used for shorter range missions.<ref name="EnglishElectricAircraft" /> Although originally retaining the Avon 301 engines of the F.3 and F.3A, the F.6 would later be upgraded with Avon 302 engines; these engines provided better high altitude flight performance and reduced fuel consumption.<ref name="LightningF6ODM">Lightning F.Mk 6, Operating Data Manual</ref>

The improved range of the Lightning F.6 proved popular with the RAF and so it was decided to rebuild 31 of the Lightning F.2s stationed in Germany to near F.6 standard.<ref name="LightningStrikesTwice" /> These aircraft were known as F.2As and began entering service in 1968, they featured the enlarged ventral tank and new wings of the F.6, but retained the less powerful Avon 211 engines as well as the 30 mm cannons mounted in their original location above the intake.<ref name="LightningF2AAircrewManual">Lightning F Mk 2A, Aircrew Manual</ref> As the F.2A also lacked the updated avionics of later models it was incapable of carrying Red Top missiles, instead carrying either Firestreaks or a gun pack containing two additional ADEN cannons.<ref name="LightningF2AAircrewManual" /> The F.2A was well-liked by its pilots, the fitment of ADEN cannons above the intake allowed the entire ventral tank to be filled with fuel (instead of partly being taken up by cannons); coupled with less fuel-hungry engines this gave it the best endurance of any Lightning variant. The F.2A spent most of its service life carrying out low-level interceptions missions in Germany, where the increased endurance was greatly appreciated.<ref name="LightningBoys">Pike 2011</ref>

The English Electric Lightning was the RAF's primary front-line interceptor from its introduction in 1959 up until the mid-1970s when it began to be replaced by the Phantom FGR.2. Even so, the Lightning would continue to serve in the interceptor role with the RAF until 1988, leaving RAF service less than two years before the first Phantoms began to be retired from service. Although the Lightning was primary used to intercept Soviet bombers entering UK airspace it was also stationed outside of the UK, most notably in Germany; the Lightning did also see service at RAF Tengah in Singapore and RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.<ref name="LightningBoys" /> Despite serving in the RAF for 29 years the Lightning never once shot down a hostile aircraft. Officially the only aircraft ever shot down by a Lightning was a pilotless Harrier; the pilot had ejected however the Harrier kept flying, it was decided to shoot it down rather than risk it entering Soviet territory.

===Export Service===
As well as RAF service, the Lightning did also see some export service with the Kuwait Air Force and Royal Saudi Air Force. The first Lightnings delivered to the Royal Saudi Air Force arrived in 1966; they came in the form of five Lightning F.52s and two T.54s; these aircraft were simply ex-RAF Lightning F.2s and T.4s.<ref name="DerryLightning">Derry 2016</ref> Through 1968 - 1969 the Royal Saudi Air Force took delivery of more advanced Lightning F.53s and T.55s; the Kuwait Air Force would also receive its F.53s and T.55s in the same time span.<ref name="DerryLightning" />

The Lightning F.53 was effectively a Lightning F.6 upgraded to become a multi-role fighter. The most notable change was the addition of underwing hardpoints capable of carrying 1,000 lb bombs and SNEB rocket pods. In addition, the 2" rocket pack from the Lightning F.1 was returned to carry air-to-air or air-to-ground rockets, and a new photo-reconnaissance pack was made available, in addition to the Firestreak and Red Top weapon packs.<ref name="LightningF53PilotsNotes">Lightning F Mk. 53, Pilots Notes</ref> Various improvements were proposed for the F.53 including adapters to allow two bombs or rocket pods to be fitted to each underwing pylon, and dual rocket pods to be carried on the over-wing pylons (originally used for the fuel tanks on the F.6). While the dual underwing adapter would be approved for use on Saudi Lightnings the over-wing rocket pods never made it past mock-up stage.<ref name="EnglishElectricAircraft" /> The T.55 was a T.5 upgraded to better reflect the Lightning F.53; it received the enlarged ventral tank and new wings of the Lightning F.6 and F.53.<ref name="DerryLightning" />

===Lightning F.6 compared to other variants===
With the Lightning F.6 being the ultimate version of the Lightning in RAF service some may find it surprising to hear that it lags behind most other Lightning models in terms of raw flight performance. With the F.6 it had chosen to sacrifice the raw performance of previous Lightnings in order to improve the aircraft's range and return the cannon armament. As an example, a Lightning F.1 could accelerate from stationary to 450 kts (833 km/h) within 36 seconds of brake release; while an F.6 would take 42 seconds to achieve the same.<ref name="LightningF1ODM">Lightning F.Mks 1,1A,2 &T.MK.4, Operating Data Manual</ref><ref name="LightningF6ODM" /> Likewise, from brake release to 36,000 ft would take 2 minutes 18 seconds in a Lightning F.1; while a Lightning F.6 would take 2 minutes 42 seconds.<ref name="LightningF1ODM" /><ref name="LightningF6ODM" /> By far the best performing Lightning variant was the F.3; it mated the much more powerful engines of the F.6 with the significantly lighter airframe of earlier Lightnings.

=== [[wt:en/news/6615-development-lightning-f-6-saddled-to-a-skyrocket-en|Devblog]] ===
Development of the Lightning began in 1947, after the Ministry of Supply issued a requirement for the development of an experimental supersonic aircraft, in order to gain insights on supersonic flight and aircraft design. By 1949 however, the requirements were changed to incorporate fighter levels of maneuverability, thus kicking off the development process which would eventually result in the Lightning.

While the first prototypes of the Lightning (P.1A) were designed to reach speeds of around Mach 1.5, in 1952, the decision was made to further develop a second batch of prototypes (P.1B), capable of reaching speeds of Mach 2. In August 1954, the P.1A prototype first took to the skies for its maiden flight, while the P.1B conducted its first flight in April 1957 and as the first British aircraft, reached speeds of Mach 2 in November.

Following a successful test phase, the Lightning was ordered into production and subsequently entered service with the RAF in 1959. The aircraft served throughout the Cold War period - until 1988 - with many variants being created which improved the Lightning’s performance further, most notably increasing its originally very limited range.

With the advent of far more capable aircraft in the late stages of the Cold War, the over 330 Lightnings built were phased out of service in the late 1980s. Apart from its service with the UK, the Lightning also served with the armed forces of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, the latter two being its only foreign operators.

== Media ==


;Images
<gallery mode="packed-hover" heights="150px">
File:Lightning F.6 WTWallpaper 001.jpg|
File:Lightning F.6 WTWallpaper 002.jpg|
File:Lightning F.6 WTWallpaper 003.jpg|
File:Lightning F.6 WTWallpaper 004.jpg|
File:Lightning F.6 WTWallpaper 005.jpg|
File:Lightning F.6 WTWallpaper 006.jpg|
</gallery>

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|CDl68kOR9ig|'''The Shooting Range #191''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 04:56 discusses the Lightning F.6.}}

== See also ==


* [[Phantom FG. Mk1|Phantom FG.1]]
* [[Phantom FGR.2]]
* [[MiG-21MF (Germany)|MiG-21MF]]
* [[MiG-21SMT]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/6615-development-lightning-f-6-saddled-to-a-skyrocket-en|[Devblog] Lightning F.6: Saddled to a Skyrocket!]]
* [https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/479190-lightning-f6/ [Forums<nowiki>]</nowiki> Aircraft Data Sheets: Lightning F.6]

===Citations===
<references />

===Bibliography===

* Bowman, M. (2009). Lightning Strikes Twice: The Story of the English Electric Lightning. Stroud: Amberley Publishing.
* Burke, D. (2016). English Electric Lightning. Retrieved from [https://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/lightning/history.php Thunder and Lightnings]
* Chorlton, M. (2012). The Lightning story - from P.1 to F.6. Aeroplane Icons, pp. 6-16.
* Darling, K. (2008). English Electric / British Aircraft Corporation Lightning Mks 1-6. Lulu.com.
* Derry, M. (2016). English Electric Lightning. Barnsley: Pen and Sword Aviation.
* Lightning F Mk 2A, Aircrew Manual. (1968). Warton Aerodrome, UK: English Electric Technical Services.
* Lightning F Mk. 53, Pilots Notes. (1983). Warton Aerodrome, UK: British Aircraft Corporation Ltd.
* Lightning F.Mk 6, Operating Data Manual. (1977). Warton Aerodrome, UK: English Electric Technical Services.
* Lightning F.Mks 1,1A,2 &T.MK.4, Operating Data Manual. (1975). Warton Aerodrome, UK: English Electric Technical Services.
* Pike, R. (2011). The Lightning Boys. London: Grub Street.
* Pilot's Notes, Lightning F.Mk 1 & F.Mk 1A. (1962). Warton Aerodrome, UK: English Electric Technical Services.
* Ransom, S., & Fairclough, R. (1987). English Electric Aircraft and their Predecessors. London: Putnam.
* Roux, E. (2007). Turbofan and Turbojet Engines Database Handbook. Lulu.com.

{{AirManufacturer EEC}}
{{Britain jet aircraft}}