F-8E

F-8E

F8U-2

F-4J Phantom II

F-8E

F8U-2

F-4J Phantom II

USA

VII Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
10.3	10.7	10.3

Class:

Fighter

Jet fighter

Naval aircraft

Research:260 000

Purchase:710 000

Description

The F-8E Crusader is a rank VII American jet fighter with a battle rating of 10.3 (AB/SB) and 10.7 (RB). It was introduced in Update "Direct Hit".

The F-8E is a later model of the Crusader. Compared to the preceding F8U-2, it has largely the same flight performance but improved ordnance options. The infrared-guided AIM-9D Sidewinder returns as a good option for dogfights and sneak attacks, but it can now utilize the radar-guided AIM-9C, which may be useful during head-on engagements. The ground attack options are vastly superior because of the addition of wing pylons; while the F8U-2 was limited to cheek-mounted Zuni rockets and its internal FFAR rocket tray, the F-8E can carry a decent bombload and AGM-12 Bullpup air-to-ground missiles, making it more capable as a multirole fighter.

The F-8E can really be considered "The Last Gunfighter" in War Thunder, because the succeeding F-4J Phantom is a very different aircraft to cap off the US naval jet line: a heavy twin-engine fighter lacking an internal gun and relying on powerful long-range missiles.

General info

Flight performance

Arrestor gear

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

Air brakes

Allows you to dramatically reduce the flight speed by releasing special flaps

Max speed

at 10 668 m2 110 km/h

Turn time29 s

Max altitude16 310 m

EnginePratt & Whitney J57-P-20

Type

Cooling systemAir

Take-off weight15 t

The F-8E, as a development of the previous F8U-2, will feel very similar to the pilot in command. The Crusader is a highly agile aircraft, capable of dogfighting most enemy aircraft at its rank, blending initial pull with surprising energy retention. This allows the F-8E to pull inside enemy aircraft without bleeding massive amounts of speed like the delta wing aircraft at this rank are prone to doing. The wings have been strengthened to allow for this, so pilots should feel free to perform harsher manoeuvres than while flying the previous F8U-2, albeit the F-8E will still rip in some extreme turns. The engine has been upgraded as well, the extra 560 kgf making up for the slight additional weight of the wings and increasing the climb rate and speed of the aircraft. The F-8E is particularly strong at lower speeds, where the extra engine thrust allows it to sustain turns and accelerate quicker, and it also inherits the unique landing flaps of the Crusader: the wing detaching from the fuselage and angling upwards. This gives large amounts of extra lift, giving the F-8E a sharp advantage at very low speeds, although the plane will "wallow" in the air from the extra lift, and has a difficult time dropping the nose in this flap configuration.

That manoeuvrability and energy retention comes at a cost though, and that is speed. The F-8E is slow for its rank, and struggles to break past mach 1 at sea level. With missiles loaded, it will top out at exactly mach 1, and with any other ordnance loaded it is unable at sea level. At higher altitudes the F-8E is able of exceeding the speed of sound, though not by much and once past mach 1 the acceleration drops dramatically. The plane also compresses around mach .98, so pilots should be wary when diving on targets, as the aircraft may compress and be unable to pull as hard as the pilot may be accustomed to.

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 10,668 m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	2,094	2,087	16310	29.4	30.6	108.5	98.1	1,828
Upgraded	2,132	2,110		28.6	29.0	158.0	131.4

Details

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

Limits
Wings (km/h)	Gear (km/h)	Flaps (km/h)			Max Static G
		Combat	Take-off	Landing	+	-
1,555	428	1,070	N/A	583	~10	~4

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 1,000	< 590	< 500	N/A

Engine performance

Engine			Aircraft mass
Engine name		Number	Basic mass			Wing loading (full fuel)
Pratt & Whitney J57-P-20		1	8,953 kg			376 kg/m2
Engine characteristics			Mass with fuel (no weapons load)					Max Takeoff Weight
Weight (each)	Type		15m fuel	20m fuel	30m fuel	45m fuel	52m fuel
1,592 kg	Afterburning axial-flow turbojet		10,200 kg	10,550 kg	11,348 kg	12,545 kg	13,109 kg	15,468 kg
Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB/SB)			Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (WEP)
Condition	100%	WEP	15m fuel	20m fuel	30m fuel	45m fuel	52m fuel	MTOW
Stationary	4,562 kgf	8,520 kgf	0.84	0.81	0.75	0.68	0.65	0.55
Optimal	4,804 kgf (1,000 km/h)	9,543 kgf (1,200 km/h)	0.94	0.91	0.84	0.76	0.73	0.62

Survivability and armour

Flares/Chaff

Aircraft countermeasures to distract IR and radar-guided missiles and also AA radar

Crew1 person

Speed of destruction

Structural0 km/h

Gear428 km/h

Like the earlier F8U-2 (F-8C), the only armour on the F-8E is 25 mm of bulletproof glass on the front windscreen. Most of the central fuselage and wing is filled with large fuel tanks which makes gunfire from above or behind likely to cause fuel leaks and fires. Near enough the entire rear fuselage is taken up by the engine, making engine damage likely from rear attacks. Despite these drawbacks, the F-8E is still more durable than some jets and can often make it back to base with light to moderate damage.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB2 848 → 4 286

RB9 021 → 13 576

SB9 274 → 13 957

Total cost of modifications228 000

355 000

Talisman cost2 800

Crew training200 000

Experts710 000

Aces2 800

Research Aces1 080 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

130 / 340 / 600 %

232 / 232 / 232 %

Modifications

Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
Compressor Research: 7 600 Cost: 12 000 350 New boosters Research: 8 500 Cost: 13 000 390 Wings repair Research: 9 400 Cost: 15 000 430 Engine Research: 15 000 Cost: 23 000 680	Fuselage repair Research: 7 600 Cost: 12 000 350 Airframe Research: 8 500 Cost: 13 000 390 G-suit Research: 9 400 Cost: 15 000 430 Cover Research: 15 000 Cost: 23 000 680	MK 77 Research: 7 600 Cost: 12 000 350 FFAR Mighty Mouse Research: 7 600 Cost: 12 000 350 Flares/Chaff Research: 7 600 Cost: 12 000 350 Mk81 Research: 7 600 Cost: 12 000 350 mk_12_mod3_belt_pack Research: 8 500 Cost: 13 000 390 LAU-35A Research: 8 500 Cost: 13 000 390 AIM-9B Research: 8 500 Cost: 13 000 390 Mk82 Research: 8 500 Cost: 13 000 390 mk_12_mod3_new_gun Research: 9 400 Cost: 15 000 430 LAU-10/A Research: 9 400 Cost: 15 000 430 AIM-9C Research: 9 400 Cost: 15 000 430 Mk83 Research: 9 400 Cost: 15 000 430 AGM-12B Bullpup Research: 15 000 Cost: 23 000 680 AIM-9D Research: 15 000 Cost: 23 000 680 Mk84 Research: 15 000 Cost: 23 000 680

As with most high tier jets, the first modification you want to pick up will be the flares/chaff in order to let you effectively counter enemy missiles. From there you want to progress though the missile upgrades as fast as possible, taking your pick of flight performance upgrades in order to unlock each tier (you could also use the ordnance upgrades to unlock each modification tier, but as the F-8E is primarily a fighter flight performance is usually the best pick). Once you have all missiles unlocked your focus will probably be on the remaining flight performance upgrades, although the cannons upgrades are certainly useful if you enjoy gun fighting.

Armaments

Offensive armament

The F-8E is armed with:

• A choice between two presets:
  • 4 x 20 mm Browning-Colt Mk12 Mod 3 cannons, nose-mounted (144 rpg = 576 total)
  • 4 x 20 mm Browning-Colt Mk12 Mod 3 cannons + 60 x countermeasures

The offensive armament of the F-8E consists of 4 x 20 mm Browning-Colt Mk12 Mod 3 autocannons, grouped into 2 selectable groups. The guns replaced the M3 20 mm commonly used from the end of WW2 until the Korean war, and has a quick fire rate of 1000 rpm, outputting 7.30 kg of shells per second towards the enemy. With 144 rounds per gun, this gives pilots of the F-8E 8.64 seconds of trigger time. If ammo capacity is a concern, pilots can select one group of 20 mm to fire at a time, doubling their trigger time. The guns do reliable damage and have a good velocity of 1012 m/s, only slightly less than the M61 (20mm) found on later jets. This makes getting reliable gun kills easy for pilots.

Suspended armament

The F-8E can be outfitted with the following ordnance presets:

• Without load
• 2 x AIM-9B Sidewinder missiles
• 2 x AIM-9C Sidewinder missiles
• 2 x AIM-9D Sidewinder missiles
• 4 x AIM-9B Sidewinder missiles
• 4 x AIM-9C Sidewinder missiles
• 4 x AIM-9D Sidewinder missiles
• 76 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
• 24 x Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets
• 4 x Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets
• 4 x Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets + 2 x AIM-9B Sidewinder missiles
• 4 x Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets + 2 x AIM-9C Sidewinder missiles
• 4 x Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets + 2 x AIM-9D Sidewinder missiles
• 2 x AGM-12B Bullpup missiles
• 12 x 250 lb LDGP Mk 81 bombs (3,000 lb total)
• 8 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs (4,000 lb total)
• 4 x 1,000 lb LDGP Mk 83 bombs (4,000 lb total)
• 2 x 2,000 lb LDGP Mk 84 bombs (4,000 lb total)
• 2 x MK 77 Mod 4 incendiary bombs

Custom loadout options

	1	2	3	4
250 lb LDGP Mk 81 bombs	3, 6			3, 6
500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs	3, 4			3, 4
1,000 lb LDGP Mk 83 bombs	1, 2			1, 2
2,000 lb LDGP Mk 84 bombs	1			1
MK 77 Mod 4 incendiary bombs	1			1
FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets	7, 19, 38			7, 19, 38
Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets	4, 8	2*, 4	2*, 4	4, 8
AGM-12B Bullpup missiles	1			1
AIM-9B Sidewinder missiles		1*, 2	1*, 2
AIM-9C Sidewinder missiles		1*, 2	1*, 2
AIM-9D Sidewinder missiles		1*, 2	1*, 2
* Single missiles can be carried concurrently with dual Zuni rockets on the same hardpoint

Usage in battles

The way you start a battle in the F-8E will depend on what you think the likely composition of the enemy team is. If the battle rating of the match and the countries you are up against lead you to believe that the enemy team will have few (if any) SARH missile-equipped jets then a good start would be to climb to high altitude (around 5,000 m). Once at altitude, you can use your AIM-9C missiles to engage any other high altitude enemies you find head-on; as the AIM-9C is a rare weapon (only used on the F-8E), most people are not aware of its capabilities and are not expecting to receive a front-aspect missile. This allows you to pick up a couple of easy kills from safely outside the range of enemy cannon fire. If there are no more enemy aircraft to engage at high altitude, you can use your speed and altitude to dive down upon lower altitude enemy aircraft for gun/missile attacks. After completing your attack you can either use your energy to go back to high altitude and prepare for another attack or use the F-8E's great manoeuvrability to stay at lower altitudes to engage in dogfights with enemy aircraft.

If you judge the enemy team to likely have SARH-equipped jets then your lack of an RWR makes going to high altitude very risky; in this case it is better to fly at a lower altitude, probably no more than 2,000 m. This gives you a little bit of altitude to play with and puts you in a position where you can potentially use your AIM-9C missiles against targets above you, while being somewhat protected against enemy SARH missiles (aircraft with pulse-Doppler radars will still be able to hit you though, so stay vigilant and be prepared to dodge). At low altitude you can use the F-8Es great manoeuvrability and powerful armament to win out against many enemies in a dogfight, though you must always keep an eye out for enemy missiles.

The flight performance of the F-8E is similar enough to the preceding F8U-2 that similar tactics should apply in a dogfight. The F-8E's instantaneous turn isn't the best, but it has great energy retention and sustained turn rate. Avoid scissors or any turn radius fight as the F-8E's energy retention ability in this case will put the plane at a disadvantage because in a scissors, you will bleed less speed than the enemy and will end up in front of their guns. The plane's low-speed maneouvrability also isn't a strong point, so avoid using the air brakes to bleed speed. Rate fighting makes the most of the F-8E's ability as in these extended, longer-lasting dogfights, the F-8E's superior energy retention will see that it has kept more speed than an enemy aircraft. In this case, even if the enemy has a better initial turn rate, they will lose significantly more speed until they won't be able to keep up in a sustained turn. The F-8E will start gaining on them, and they will either be forced to pitch down to gain speed and try to gain on you, or they will run away. In these cases, you can simply pitch down too and stay on their tail. Eventually, the dogfight will move to a very low altitude, where there is no longer anywhere for the enemy to pitch down, and you will outrate them and get guns on them. If you haven't noticed yet, a rate dogfight like this will last a while depending on your position, so it is recommended not to engage in one when there are other enemies in the area.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Can carry four useful air-to-air missiles
  • AIM-9C air-to-air missiles are radar guided and can be launched in head-ons to surprise opponents
  • AIM-9D air-to-air missiles have above average range (around 3 km)
• Landing flaps activate its variable-incidence wings, which provides a lot of lift
• Very good sustained turn rate
• Good acceleration and climb rate
• Has an Infrared Search and Track (IRST) sensor which assists in locating targets by finding their heat signatures
• Has a variety of suspended air-to-ground ordnance

Cons:

• Fragile wings which can easily rip at high speeds and in high-G turns
• Very likely to set on fire because of the fuel tank placement
• Slow low level top speed compared to other supersonic competitors; can barely break Mach 1 at low altitude
• Lacks RWR, which is a major disadvantage as it frequently encounters opponents equipped with SARH missiles
• Lacks a ballistic computer, which greatly limits its ground attack potential

History

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

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the F-8E from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

The Shooting Range #275 - Metal Beasts section at 00:28 discusses the F-8E.

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

• Standard Aircraft Characteristics of the F-8E