Difference between revisions of "Lightning F.6"
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=== Survivability and armour === | === Survivability and armour === | ||
<!--''Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.''--> | <!--''Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.''--> | ||
| − | |||
| − | + | 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. | |
| − | The large belly tank and high wings of the Lightning | + | 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 == | == Armaments == | ||
| Line 128: | Line 129: | ||
== Usage in battles == | == Usage in battles == | ||
| − | In combined battles, pilots of the | + | <!--''Describe the tactics of playing in the aircraft, the features of using aircraft in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''--> |
| + | |||
| + | 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 | + | 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 | + | 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 in the | + | 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 | + | 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. |
=== Pros and cons === | === Pros and cons === | ||
| Line 143: | Line 146: | ||
'''Pros:''' | '''Pros:''' | ||
| − | * Surprisingly good turn rate between 800 - 1,000 | + | * 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) | + | * 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 | * Armed with a pair of powerful ADEN cannons | ||
* Good climb rate and acceleration | * Good climb rate and acceleration | ||
| Line 150: | Line 153: | ||
'''Cons:''' | '''Cons:''' | ||
| − | * A large target for enemy | + | * A large target for enemy aircraft to target |
* Pulls a high angle of attack and loses speed in turns | * Pulls a high angle of attack and loses speed in turns | ||
* Below average roll rate | * Below average roll rate | ||
| − | * Limited armament selection | + | * Limited armament selection, shoehorned more into an air-to-air combat role |
* Below-average climb rate | * Below-average climb rate | ||
| − | * Relatively low top speed (1,280 | + | * Relatively low top speed (1,280 km/h IAS at sea level) |
== History == | == History == | ||
Revision as of 03:06, 28 March 2020
Contents
Description
The Lightning F.6 is a rank VI British jet fighter
with a battle rating of 9.3 (AB/RB) and 9.7 (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.97 "Viking Fury".
General info
Flight performance
Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.
| Characteristics | Max Speed (km/h at 12,192 m) |
Max altitude (metres) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (metres/second) |
Take-off run (metres) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | |||
| Stock | 2,215 | 2,200 | 16000 | 27.9 | 28.2 | 150.7 | 141.4 | 850 |
| Upgraded | 2,387 | 2,290 | 24.4 | 26.0 | 195.3 | 172.0 | ||
Details
| Features | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat flaps | Take-off flaps | Landing flaps | Air brakes | Arrestor gear | Drogue chute |
| X | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Limits | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wings (km/h) | Gear (km/h) | Flaps (km/h) | Max Static G | |||
| Combat | Take-off | Landing | + | - | ||
| 1361 | 463 | N/A | 720 | 463 | ~10 | ~6 |
| Optimal velocities (km/h) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ailerons | Rudder | Elevators | Radiator |
| < 850 | < 700 | < 700 | N/A |
Engine performance
| Engine | Aircraft mass | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine name | Number | Basic Mass (no fuel) | Wing loading (full fuel) | ||
| Rolls-Royce Avon Mk.302 | 2 | 14,092 kg | 437 kg/m2 | ||
| Engine characteristics | Mass with fuel (no external load) | Max Takeoff Weight | |||
| Weight (each) | Type | 5m fuel | 18m fuel | ||
| 1,310 kg | Afterburning axial-flow turbojet | 15,353 kg | 18,632 kg | 19,000 kg | |
| Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB / SB) | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (100%) | ||||
| Condition | 100% | WEP | 5m fuel | 18m fuel | MTOW |
| Stationary | 5,620 kgf | 7,390 kgf | 0.96 | 0.79 | 0.78 |
| Maximum | 5,700 kgf | 7,400 kgf | 0.96 | 0.79 | 0.78 |
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
The Lightning F.6 is armed with:
- 2 x 30 mm ADEN cannon, mounted in bell tank (120 RPG = 240 total)
Suspended armament
The Lightning F.6 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 Lightning F.6 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 Lightning F.6 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-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-19s of all variants.
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
- Below-average climb rate
- Relatively low top speed (1,280 km/h IAS at sea level)
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
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
| The English Electric Company Limited | |
|---|---|
| Jet Fighters | Lightning F.6 · Lightning F.53 |
| Jet Bombers | Canberra B Mk 2 · Canberra B (I) Mk 6 |
| Tanks | Excelsior |
| The English Electric Company allowed the Glenn L. Martin Company to license-build Canberra bombers for the United States Air Force. | |
| Britain jet aircraft | |
|---|---|
| Blackburn | Buccaneer S.1 · Buccaneer S.2 · Buccaneer S.2B |
| British Aerospace | Harrier GR.7 · Sea Harrier FRS.1 (e) · Sea Harrier FRS.1 · Sea Harrier FA 2 |
| British Aircraft Corporation | Strikemaster Mk.88 |
| English Electric | Canberra B Mk 2 · Canberra B (I) Mk 6 · Lightning F.6 · Lightning F.53 |
| Gloster | Meteor F Mk 3 · Sea Meteor F Mk 3 · Meteor F Mk 4 G.41F · Meteor F Mk 4 G.41G · Meteor F Mk 8 G.41K · Meteor F Mk.8 Reaper |
| Javelin F.(A.W.) Mk.9 | |
| de Havilland | Vampire F.B.5 · Venom FB.4 · Sea Venom FAW 20 · Sea Vixen F.A.W. Mk.2 |
| Hawker | Sea Hawk FGA.6 · Hunter F.1 · Hunter F.6 · Hunter FGA.9 · Harrier GR.1 · Harrier GR.3 |
| Panavia | Tornado GR.1 · Tornado GR.4 · Tornado F.3 · Tornado F.3 Late |
| SEPECAT | Jaguar GR.1 · Jaguar GR.1A · Jaguar IS |
| Supermarine | Attacker FB 1 · Attacker FB.2 · Scimitar F Mk.1 · Swift F.1 · Swift F.7 |
| Foreign | Phantom FG.1 (USA) · Phantom FGR.2 (USA) · F-4J(UK) Phantom II (USA) |
| Australia | F-111C |
| India | ▄MiG-21 Bison |
| South Africa | ▄JAS39C |
