AU-1

AU-1

AU-1

USA

IV Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
5.7	5.7	5.7

Class:

PREMIUM

Strike aircraft

Naval aircraft

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Description

The AU-1 was a variant of the F4U Corsair developed from the F4U-5, and was originally designated as the F4U-6 but was renamed to AU-1. It was designed as a dedicated ground attack aircraft, unlike all the previous Corsairs which were designed as fighters. To fit that role the engine was optimized for low-altitude flight, additional armour was fitted, and the AU-1 had increased suspended armament capacity. The United States Marine Corps utilized the AU-1 in Korea starting in 1952, saw service in the Naval reserves from 1954 to early 1956 before it was officially retired in 1957.

Introduced during Update 1.97 "Viking Fury" as a reward for the 2020 "Space Race" event, the AU-1 is like a souped-up version of the Corsair for ground attack enthusiasts. It can carry a much larger payload than the typical Corsair due to additional pylons that can be installed under the airframe and wings. The AU-1 can still be used as a fighter in opportunistic moments against the enemy if they are distracted, but the overall weight penalty from the modifications make the AU-1 poor for dogfights.

General info

Flight performance

Arrestor gear

Accelerates braking by grabbing the brake cable on the deck of the aircraft carrier

Max speed

at 4 267 m638 km/h

Turn time22 s

Max altitude9 500 m

EnginePratt & Whitney R2800-83WA

TypeRadial

Cooling systemAir

Take-off weight9 t

Compared to similarly tiered fighters, the AU-1 has mediocre flight performance, though the powerful engine and Corsair airframe allow it to perform decently as a support fighter at low alt when played to its strengths and not carrying ordnance. Although speed at low altitude is great, manoeuvrability is average at best, sustained climb quickly drops off with altitude (though it can zoom climb decently well below 2,000 m), and high-altitude performance is significantly lacking. Compared to other attackers, the AU-1 has above average speed and roll rate. It cannot turn as tightly as Soviet attackers or the Skyraiders, but it is more effective at boom and zoom tactics than its contemporary attackers. Compared to other single-engine attack planes, it can carry a larger bomb load, but flight performance is hindered more by payloads. When facing other planes, the AU-1's greatest strength is its incredible speed at very low altitudes: at sea level, no axis or Soviet prop can catch an unladen AU-1 travelling at maximum speed in a straight line.

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 4,267 m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	610	584	9500	23.1	23.8	14.2	14.2	500
Upgraded	674	638		20.9	22.0	25.4	19.0

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear
✓	✓	✓	X	✓

Limits
Wings (km/h)	Gear (km/h)	Flaps (km/h)			Max Static G
		Combat	Take-off	Landing	+	-
885	730	388	299	252	~11	~4

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 450	< 220	< 390	> 450

Survivability and armour

Crew1 person

Speed of destruction

Structural0 km/h

Gear730 km/h

• 4.7 mm steel underneath nose and engine
• 4.7 mm steel underneath fuel tank
• 4.7 mm steel underneath pilot's feet
• 4.7 mm steel on the right of the central under fuselage
• 4.7 mm steel behind pilot's head
• 12.7 mm steel under nose
• 12.7 mm steel under pilot
• 12.7 mm steel behind pilot
• 38 mm bulletproof glass in front of pilot
• Self-sealing fuel tanks (1 in front of pilot)

Modifications and economy

Repair cost

AB1 779

RB2 653

SB5 037

Crew training10 000

Experts320 000

Aces1 100

Research Aces1 050 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

2 × 110 / 180 / 600 %

2 × 172 / 172 / 172 %

Modifications

Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
Fuselage repair Radiator Compressor Wings repair Engine G-suit Engine injection	Airframe Cover	anm3_belt_pack FMBC mk.1 FLBC mk.1 FRC mk.2 anm3_new_gun AN-Mk 1 LBC mk.I LFRC mk.12

Armaments

Offensive armament

The AU-1 is armed with:

• 4 x 20 mm M3 cannons, wing-mounted (246 rpg = 984 total)

Suspended armament

The AU-1 can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13
250 lb AN-M57 bombs	1	1*	1	1*	1				1	1*	1	1*	1
500 lb AN-M64A1 bombs	1*		1*		1*	1	1	1	1*		1*		1*
1,000 lb AN-M65A1 bombs						1	1	1
1,600 lb AN-Mk 1 bombs						1	1	1
2,000 lb AN-M66A2 bombs							1
HVAR rockets	1	1	1	1	1				1	1	1	1	1
Tiny Tim rockets						1	1	1
* 500 lb bombs cannot be equipped in conjunction with adjacent 250 lb bombs on hardpoints 2/4/10/12

Default weapon presets
Without load 10 x HVAR rockets 3 x Tiny Tim rockets 10 x 250 lb AN-M57 bombs (2,500 lb total) 9 x 500 lb AN-M64A1 bombs (4,500 lb total) 3 x 1,000 lb AN-M65A1 bombs (3,000 lb total) 3 x 1,600 lb AN-Mk 1 bombs (4,800 lb total) 1 x 2,000 lb AN-M66A2 bomb (2,000 lb total)

Usage in battles

Armament:

The AU-1's defining characteristic is its ability to carry incredible amounts of suspended armament - as much as a B-17 heavy bomber. In Air Realistic battles, the AU-1 can destroy two bases (bombing points), and in Ground Realistic battles, the plane has the potential to be absolutely devastating against enemy ground forces. From carpet bombing, rocket barrages or precision drops, this plane can do it all.

Additionally, the four cannons provide very effective frontal armament (they're some of the best 20 mm cannons in the game) and the high ammunition count is a nice bonus, too. They wreak havoc on enemy aircraft, deal considerable damage to lightly armoured tanks and wheeled vehicles, and in Air Realistic battles can destroy light pillboxes and light tanks.

Flight Performance:

As a plane designed to provide close air support, maximum engine performance was not needed at higher altitudes. This leads to significant losses in speed and climb rate as altitude increases. The AU-1 still climbs well and is incredibly fast at the very low altitudes it was optimized for. It is less manoeuvrable than other Corsairs or single-engine attackers and is extremely sluggish when carrying payloads. If engaging enemy fighters, it is imperative to maintain speed as you can not rely on manoeuvrability or acceleration to stay alive.

In Air Realistic battles, the AU-1 receives an attacker air-spawn. However its engine is quite weak at high altitudes, so players will be unable to take full advantage of the air-spawn to attack enemy fighters as they climb. If flown as a support fighter, the AU-1 is most effective when flown straight at climbing fighters, then baiting them to low altitude in high speed dives where it has a speed advantage and can perform to the best of its abilities.

In a high-speed dive, the elevator tends to compress worse than other Corsairs, but is still responsive enough

Recommended playstyles:

Due to its poor flight capabilities, it is not recommended that the AU-1 be used in a fighter role. Instead, it may be used to destroy ground targets in Air RB or to destroy enemy ground forces in Ground RB. Remember that this aircraft, if left alone, can deal incredible damage with its bombs, rockets, and cannons. But, also keep in mind that enemy fighters and SPAA will not struggle to shoot it down.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Not controllable	Controllable Auto control available	Controllable Auto control available	Controllable Auto control available	Separate	Controllable 2 gears	Not controllable

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Many load-out options provide flexibility for any battle situation
• Strong ground-attack capability; armour plates are located in the underbelly of the plane to protect it from machine gun fire
• Central bombs/tiny tims can be dropped/fired individually, wing bombs/HVARs dropped/fired in pairs
• Can achieve missions for attackers while still receiving premium bonus (RP & SL)
• Powerful engine at low altitude, can maintain speed gained in dives better than many fighters it faces
• Can compete with fighters below 1,000 m, decent up to altitudes of 4,000 m
• Easy to keep engine cool with manual engine controls
• Four M3 cannons are very effective against enemy planes
• Good flight performance at low altitude

Cons:

• While flight performance at low altitude is similar to the F4U-4B, it is worse in every aspect (except for a slightly faster top speed at very low altitudes)
  • Worse turn rate, slower acceleration & climb rate, and worse energy retention
• Very weak high-altitude performance
• Different supercharger setup from F4U-4B leads to more more rapid power loss as altitude increases
• Flight performance is significantly hindered by heavier ordnance options, more so than other attackers
• Bad manoeuvrability at both low and very high speeds
• Cannons are inaccurate

History

The AU-1 stood out from the rest of the Corsair variants, as it was not designed as a fighter, but as a dedicated ground-attack aircraft. The F4U-6 was developed from the F4U-5 series, and as such had similar characteristics. It had the same metal skinned wing panels and blown cockpit design as the F4U-5 series. It was designed as a low altitude ground attack aircraft, and as such had a large number of modifications that other Corsairs did not receive.

The XFU-6 prototype, a modified F4U-5N, first flew on January 31, 1952. It had been renamed the XAU-1. Because the AU-1 was designed for low altitude ground attack, and not high altitude flying, the two-stage, variable-speed supercharger from the F4U-5 was replaced by the R2800-83W engine with a single-stage, manually controlled supercharger. This optimized the plane for low altitude flying. The R2800-83W did not require scoops on the cheeks. Ordnance options were also increased. The wing pylon count was ten, an increase from eight. There were five pylons on each wing. Each wing pylon could carry a 5 in HVAR rocket, a 100 lb bomb, or a 250 lb bomb. To carry 500 lb bombs on the wing pylons, only the outer, middle, and inner pylons could be used, for a total of six 500 lb bombs. The AU-1 also kept the three fuselage pylons, which could carry drop tanks, 1,000 lb bombs, and the centre pylon could hold up to a 2,000 lb bomb. Napalm bombs, Bat glide bombs, and Tiny Tim rockets could also be carried. The primary armament was the same four 20 mm cannons from the F4U-5, with 231 rounds for each gun. These cannons were modified for the AU-1 so that they could be fired in pairs or together. If fired in pairs, the firing time was increased by one hundred percent. Because the AU-1 would be flying low altitude missions, it would require extra armour to protect the pilot, engine, and fuel tank from ground fire. 25 armour pieces were added, and the oil coolers were moved from the nose to the wing roots, protecting them from ground fire towards the front of the plane. The AU-1 was an exceptional ground attack plane, but it had reduced speed and manoeuvrability compared to the other Corsair variants.

111 AU-1 aircraft were produced by Vought, and they were delivered between February 7 and October 10, 1952. They saw service with the US Navy and Marine Corps. They served with Marine squadrons during the second half of the Korean War, and the AU-1 was retired by the Navy reserves in 1956 and the Marine Corps in 1957. During the First Indochina War, 25 Marine AU-1s were given to France, and they were returned to the United States afterwards. Several AU-1s were given to the French Navy, and they served until 1964.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the AU-1 from live.warthunder.com.

Images

• AU-1 Camouflages
• 

  Standard Camouflage

• 

  "Miss Penny" Camouflage

Videos

Should You Grind The AU-1? - Sako Sniper

AU-1 Corsair - Engine And Elevator Too Weak For The Payload - Napalmratte

See also

Related development

• F4U (Family)
  • F4U-7 Corsair - A similar French variant of the F4U Corsair

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

• AM-1 Mauler and AD-2 Skyraider - Comparable American attack aircraft
• Do 335 A-0 - German attack aircraft at a similar BR
• IL-10, Su-6 (AM-42), and Su-6 (M-71F) - Soviet attack aircraft at similar BRs
• S.O.8000 Narval - A French attack aircraft with a similar BR

External links

• Official data sheet - more details about the performance
• AU-1 on The Bent Wing Bird plane site
• F4U Corsair on Wikipedia
• AU-1 on vought.org

References

Bibliography

• "F4U-6 / AU-1 Vought Corsair", F4U Corsair - The Bent Wing Bird plane site
• "Types of Plane F4U - Variants", F4U Corsair - The Bent Wing Bird plane site