F-100D
| This page is about the American jet fighter F-100D. For other versions, see F-100 (Family). |
Contents
Description
The F-100D Super Sabre is a rank VI American jet fighter with a battle rating of 9.3 (AB/RB) and 9.7 (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.85 "Supersonic" and was one of the first three jets to feature guided air-to-air missiles, the other two being the MiG-19PT and the Javelin F.(A.W.) Mk.9.
The dogfighting days of World War II were over and while there was air-to-air combat during the Korean and Vietnam Wars, it was nowhere the level of previous wars. Jets were becoming faster, electronics and avionics were making them more manoeuvrable and the fighters were able to carry extremely large amounts of ordnance. The F-100D was no exception to this, as it was designed to be a ground attacker first and a fighter/interceptor as a secondary role. One noticeable difference from earlier aircraft is that early on in development the F-100D was known as the 45-Sabre (officially later it was dubbed Super Sabre) due to its wings being swept back at a 45° angle. The fighter's elevators were also swept back to help increase the aerodynamics of the aircraft. This, combined with a strong engine, upgraded avionics and early computer systems made this the first US fighter which was able to fly faster than the speed of sound in level flight.
Weapon loadout options allow the pilot to tailor the aircraft to their playstyle or even mix it up depending on the map they are flying. This fighter excels as a ground attack bomber utilizing up to 6,000 lbs of bombs, AGM-12B Bullpup missiles, Mighty Mouse rockets or several combinations of the three. Whether you are into dropping and running or firing and forgetting, there are ordnance choices will fit the pilot's style. For those pilots who want to hunt fighters and bombers, the four nose mounted 20 mm cannons and choice of AIM-9B/E Sidewinder air-to-air missiles will fit the bill. The Sidewinders can also be used an intimidation factor as pilots with one on their tail must focus on outmanoeuvring the missile, providing you with the opportunity to manoeuvre in and line up the kill-shot with your cannons if the missile does not make contact. The speed of the F-100D can come in handy when attacking bomber aircraft as Boom & Zoom tactics will help you avoid any defensive weapons allowing you to wreak havoc during an attacking dive.
With the advent of other faster supersonic aircraft such as MiG-21s, J35As, and F-5s as well as powerful missile wielding A-5Cs, Su-25s and A-10s, aircraft lacking countermeasures such as the F-100D tend to be seen as easy prey. However, if handled correctly, the F-100D can be a formidable aircraft in both the fighter and strike roles.
General info
Flight performance
The F-100D’s flight performance is adequate. Being supersonic at 9.3, the F-100D can outrun many of the subsonic opponents it faces. Despite this, its top speed is slightly below average for a supersonic jet, being able to approach but not quite reach Mach 1 at sea level. However, it isn’t the only supersonic jet at 9.3; MiG-19s, early MiG-21s and F-104s, and Su-7s are all supersonic jets also found at 9.3 which all have a higher sea level top speed than the F-100D.
Although the F-100D is Supersonic and equipped with an afterburner, one of its weaknesses is its slow acceleration, especially at lower speeds, compared to other supersonic jets (notably all the aforementioned 9.3 ones). Many subsonic jets can keep up with your acceleration, while the faster subsonic jets such as Saab 32s, Sea Vixens and Harriers out-accelerate the F-100D.
The F-100D’s overall maneuverability is decent, having a fairly good turn rate, but its energy retention is poor. These two characteristics combined mean that if the F-100D is forced to dogfight, one-circle dogfights (such as scissors) should be favored as prolonged dogfights will see the its poor energy retention and mediocre acceleration disadvantage it. This poor energy retention, though for the most part a weakness, can occasionally be useful in situations where speed must be bled quickly (such as to get an enemy to overshoot). Of course, as with any high tier jet, dogfighting should generally be avoided as it leaves you slow and vulnerable, and this is especially true for the F-100D due to it’s slow acceleration.
Flying at speeds close to Mach 1 or past can pose a challenge for pilots utilizing the 3rd-person view as a condensation cloud forms around the aircraft and obscures your view (not an issue for those flying simulator-style from in the cockpit). While this can make targeting enemy aircraft a challenge, it just takes a little more work to line up the shot either with the cannons or air-to-air missiles.
Previously, attack aircraft fly slow to ensure they accurately hit their ground targets with guns, rockets or bombs. However, with poor low-speed maneuverability and acceleration, the F-100D becomes difficult to get out of harms way when flying slow, so it requires the pilot to learn how to bomb and fire rockets at targets at higher speeds than what they may be used to. ensure anti-aircraft fire nor any trailing fighters gain a targeting solution on you. Speed in and speed out is the key with the F-100D.
| 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 | 1,445 | 1,438 | 14700 | 40.6 | 41.5 | 61.4 | 54.6 | 1,400 |
| Upgraded | 1,478 | 1,458 | 39.5 | 40.0 | 94.6 | 79.2 | ||
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 | 447 | 620 | 590 | 435 | ~11 | ~4 |
| Optimal velocities (km/h) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ailerons | Rudder | Elevators | Radiator |
| < 640 | < 540 | < 610 | N/A |
Engine performance
| Engine | Aircraft mass | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine name | Number | Basic mass | Wing loading (full fuel) | ||||
| Pratt & Whitney J57P21 | 1 | 9,658 kg | 354 kg/m2 | ||||
| Engine characteristics | Mass with fuel (no weapons load) | Max Takeoff Weight | |||||
| Weight (each) | Type | 14m fuel | 20m fuel | 30m fuel | 46m fuel | ||
| 900 kg | Afterburning axial-flow turbojet | 10,708 kg | 11,156 kg | 11,905 kg | 13,159 kg | 16,689 kg | |
| Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB/SB) | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (WEP) | ||||||
| Condition | 100% | WEP | 14m fuel | 20m fuel | 30m fuel | 46m fuel | MTOW |
| Stationary | 3,786 kgf | 5,868 kgf | 0.55 | 0.53 | 0.49 | 0.45 | 0.35 |
| Optimal | 4,254 kgf (1,200 km/h) |
8,058 kgf (1,200 km/h) |
0.75 | 0.72 | 0.68 | 0.61 | 0.48 |
Survivability and armour
Designers of post-war jet fighters wanted to take advantage of the newer jet technology and maximize both speed and ordnance carried, and to do this, something had to give and that was armor. The idea is that, if you are faster than the enemy, it is difficult for them to hit you, and armor will not be necessary. Though the F-100D does have protection for the pilot, it isn't much and leaves the rest of the critical components virtually unprotected with armour. For the pilot, the back of the seat and headrest maintains a continuous piece of steel at 12.7 mm thick and the windscreen is rated at 64 mm bulletproof windscreen. Typically this type of protection is meant more for protection from defensive turret attacks from bombers rather than gun attacks from other aircraft.
The F-100D is a relatively sturdy aircraft and can take a beating before critical components begin to fail. While the engine and the pilot are important to protect as much as possible (without the engine you don't go and without the pilot…you don't go…). The wings are another critical component which you must protect, as hits to the wings can effectively cripple the aircraft. If being tailed by another aircraft try to speed away because if you try to pull up, turn to the side or pull-down, you risk exposing increased surface area of the skin, giving the enemy pilot more to shoot at and a greater opportunity of taking out a wing. If possible, increase speed and sway back and forth, even some very shallow elevator dips up and down maybe enough to throw off the sighting of the enemy pilot and spray his bullets all around you without exposing very much surface area of the jet.
Modifications and economy
| Flight performance | Survivability | Weaponry | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Armaments
| Ballistic Computer | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| CCIP (Guns) | CCIP (Rockets) | CCIP (Bombs) | CCRP (Bombs) |
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Offensive armament
The F-100D is armed with:
- 4 x 20 mm M39A1 cannons, chin-mounted (200 rpg = 800 total)
For internal guns, the F-100D has four 20mm M39A1 revolver autocannons mounted under the nose intake. Those familiar with the preceding F-86F-2 and its extremely powerful 20mm T-160 cannons will be delighted to hear that the F-100D’s M39A1 cannons are nearly identical to the F-86F-2’s T-160, and in addition, have 50 more rounds of ammo per gun. These cannons are fast-firing, have high velocity, and deal heavy damage. It’s only downside is that, with a fast fire rate and 200 rounds per gun, one must be careful of spraying the guns, as ammo will run out quicker than expected.
Suspended armament
The F-100D can be outfitted with the following ordnance:
- Without load
- 2 x AIM-9B Sidewinder missiles
- 6 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs (3,000 lb total)
- 10 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs (5,000 lb total)
- 8 x 750 lb M117 cone 45 bombs (6,000 lb total)
- 4 x 1,000 lb LDGP Mk 83 bombs (4,000 lb total)
- 76 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
- 14 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets + 4 x 750 lb M117 cone 45 bombs (3,000 lb total)
- 2 x AGM-12B Bullpup missiles
- 2 x AGM-12B Bullpup missiles + 4 x 750 lb M117 cone 45 bombs (3,000 lb total)
- 4 x AIM-9B Sidewinder missiles
- 4 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles
- 6 x BLU-27/B incendiary bombs
- 4 x BLU-27/B incendiary bombs + 2 x AGM-12B Bullpup missiles
- 4 x BLU-27/B incendiary bombs + 14 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
One of the areas where the F-100D shines is its armament options, boasting a variety of different armaments for both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions.
For unguided rockets, the F-100D can carry up to 76x 70mm Folding-Fin Aerial Rocket (FFAR) Mighty Mouse rockets. They can be used to attack lighter targets in air RB, as well as armored targets such as pillboxes and tanks, but due to their inaccuracy the latter is generally not advised. In ground RB, these rockets have decent penetration, but due to their inaccuracy and generally low damage, it is best used against less armored targets such as SPAA and light tanks.
For dumb bombs, the F-100D can carry either 500lb, 750lb or 1000lb bombs, as well as BLU-27/B napalm bombs. The F-100D can carry enough bombs to take out one base in air RB. For CAS in ground RB, the lack of ballistics computer means you must manually compute where your bombs will land. For many, this leaves out the 500lb bombs as the amount of explosive in them may not be large enough to account for the margin of error in a manual bomb drop; the 750lb or 1000lb bombs are generally better for this CAS job. Some may prefer to take the 750lb bombs instead of the 1000lb bombs, as the explosive in them is sufficient and the F-100D can carry eight 750lb bombs in comparison to four 1000lb bombs.
A more reliable CAS option for the F-100D is the AGM-12B Bullpup air-to-ground guided missile. Once fired, this missile can be maneuvered via your keyboard (keybinds must be set); simply keep the flare light on the missile near the intended target until the missile hits them. The 250 lb warhead in the missile gives a high likelyhood of destroying most enemy armored vehicles in one hit, though its lethality in practice will rely on the player’s ability to keep the missile centered on the target. The downside of using these missiles is that, compared to the high volume of unguided bombs or rockets the F-100D can take, it can only take two AGM-12Bs. Due to this, the AGM-12B is most useful in ground RB, where in the presence of radar SPAA and SAMs, precision strikes are generally favored over high volume unguided bombing.
For the air-to-air role, the F-100D can carry up to four AIM-9B/E Sidewinder air-to-air missiles. Though the AIM-9 Sidewinder is a well-known and successful air-to-air weapon, this version, the AIM-9B Sidewinder, is one of its earliest variants and thus is fairly weak. It locks on to targets via their heat signature, but being an early variant, the AIM-9B can only do so from the rear-aspect where the target’s hot engine exhaust is. It generally has a 1.8km range against targets flying straight and at the same speed as the launching aircraft. Its main and significant weakness lies in its inability to turn very hard; oftentimes, the enemy simply turning slightly is enough to dodge the missile kineticly. The upgraded AIM-9E allows the missile to be “lead” a little, that is, it can still keep a lock on an enemy within a small radius of the launching aircraft’s nose, but is otherwise similar to the AIM-9B and will still be performing similarly to it. Though the AIM-9B/E is fairly weak, they can be useful in situations. At higher altitudes (>5000 m), the missile is more effective due to lower air density hampering an aircraft’s maneuverability and thrust while leaving the missile generally unaffected. The AIM-9B/E is also useful against aircraft in a low energy state (in other words, slow) that don’t have the speed to escape the missile.
Usage in battles
Air Realistic Battles
The F-100 is absolutely crippled in an up-tier situation. Unlike the F4 Phantom II or the MiG-21, the F-100 is equipped with leading-edge slats. This gives it a much higher angle of attack at low speeds, allowing the F-100 to out-turn both the F4 and the MiG-21 while pulling so many G-forces and dropping speed so severely that it becomes an easy target for even AIM-9E missiles. However, at lower battle ratings, the F-100D is best at Boom & Zoom tactics. When fighting at a lower battle rating, the F-100 has some bad flying characteristics at low speeds which includes flying like a rock with wings. At high speeds, the F-100 locks up severely in spite of its all-flying tail and boosted controls, losing most of its control authority (particularly in its rolling axis). It has a massive angle of attack, so once you get on someone's tail, there's pretty much no escape, though floundering around at subsonic-optimized speeds leaves you vulnerable to interception. The best way to use the F-100D in the face of constant uptiers is to start climbing away from the battlefield, returning as support once more capable fighters have engaged the enemy. 5,000 m is usually a good altitude to climb to. In the off chance that you encounter subsonic aircraft, Boom & Zoom tactics should be used to capitalize on your relatively superior climb rate. Climb high, make a pass, then climb away. Be extremely careful to not bleed energy and don't turn when subsonic planes are around, they will be able to outmanoeuvre the F-100D.
Against the F-100's second biggest foe (with the first being AIM-9Js and R-60s), the MiG-19, turning isn't a bad idea if you keep your energy up. You bleed a lot of speed in a turn, so extreme pulls aren't recommended, especially considering the MiG-19's superior manoeuvring energy retention. The MiG-19 will rip easily at high speeds, something the F-100 doesn't have a problem with, though reaching those speeds effectively dooms the Super Sabre to degrees of manoeuvring lock-up similar to that experienced by its foe. However, the MiG-19 accelerates much faster than the F-100D at all speeds and altitudes so it can slip away easily. In the best-case scenario, bait the MiG-19 for a teammate, as the MiG-19 can't do much against two F-100s.
The F-100 is an amalgamation of paradoxical design features that results in an aircraft too heavy to sustain manoeuvring engagements despite its strong slats, slow to accelerate to its surprisingly high rip speeds, and too sluggish at speed to take full advantage of its strong armament. Overall to get this bus to perform, it must be at high speeds. Keep your energy up.
- Ground attack
The F-100D is no stranger to ground attack and can be effectively outfitted with just about anything (the LDGP Mk series kitchen sinks were not yet available) necessary to destroy ground targets both large and small. While bombers could deliver a massive amount of ordnance, they typically flew slow and high and were not always as precise as hoped for, therefore the USAF designated some of their fighter aircraft to also excel as low altitude precision bombers.
A fully researched F-100D can carry an assortment of low-drag general-purpose bombs ranging from 500 lb, 750 lb and 1,000 lb. Total maximum bomb weight is 6,000 lb, the same amount carried by a single B-17E bomber, but the F-100D can heft this amount at almost 1,000 km/h faster and at a lower more accurate altitude. Of course, the bomb size will be determined by which type of target will be in the crosshairs. For smaller targets the 500 and 750 lb bombs will work best. The full 8 x 750 lb is the best load out for base bombing since this load out has the highest total TNT.
Not all targets will require the usage of bombs or on some maps, you may be fortunate enough to have several bombers working on ground targets, or ground targets may be spread out, this is where rockets begin to shine. The AGM-12B Bullpup is essentially a 250 lb bomb attached to a rocket motor and is spin-stabilized. The Bullpup can be quite precise as long as the pilot can maintain visual of the target as he will need to guide the Bullpup in, any break from the target (due to manoeuvring or avoiding incoming enemies) can cause the rocket to go awry and miss the target. If needed the F-100D must throttle back and deploy the speed brake to ensure the Bullpup hits the target before manoeuvring away.
On the other hand, usage of the smaller FFAR Mighty Mouse unguided rockets can do a good amount of damage against ground and aerial targets, the one drawback – they are unguided. This means that once they are fired, they continue at their trajectory until they either hit something or run out of fuel and crash into the ground. The main counterpoint for the F-100D is the amount of these Mighty Mouse rockets it can carry, a total of 76. Rockets work best when they are fired in groups as this significantly increases chances that one or more rockets will hit their target. When going against aircraft it can induce a fear factor and cause the enemy pilot to take evasive manoeuvres to avoid an incoming salvo of rockets making them a much easier target to line up and reduce to small bits with the cannons.
Radars
The F-100D is equipped with an AN/APG-30 rangefinding radar, located in the nose of the aircraft. It will automatically detect other planes within the scanning area and display the range to the closest target. It is linked with a gyro gunsight and can help with aiming at close range. This can be useful in simulator battles. However, the radar rangefinder lock will set off radar warning receivers, so in air RB pilots may prefer to switch it off to maintain the element of surprise.
| AN/APG-30 - Rangefinding radar | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum Tracking Range |
Minimum Tracking Range |
Azimuth Tracking Angle |
Elevation Tracking Angle |
| 2,750 m | 300 m | ±9° | ±9° |
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Excellent cannons that has a high muzzle velocity, rate of fire, an adequate amount of ammo (200 rpg), and pack a good punch with high-explosive shells
- Can carry a wide array of suspended armaments including bombs, rockets and missiles
- 4 x AIM-9Es are adequate for air combat
- Outruns the subsonic jets it commonly faces
- Good roll rate at lower speeds
Cons:
- Thoroughly unmanoeuvrable at low speeds
- Loses lots of energy in turns
- Suffers from significant elevator and aileron (pitch and roll) control stiffening at higher speeds
- Rather slow acceleration at lower speeds, even with afterburner
- On warmer maps, engine may overheat after extended periods of afterburner usage
- Cannot go supersonic at sea level; not nearly fast enough to outrun supersonic jets it commonly faces such as the MiG-19/21, A-5C and J35A
- No countermeasures
History
By the mid-50s, jet aircraft had become robust machines which had obtained sufficient combat experience for the next step into a fundamentally new age: the era of supersonic speed. Supersonic fighters were developed by both of the main opposing nations of the Cold War. In parallel with the development of the MIG-19 in the USSR, American aircraft designers were putting the finishing touches on their own design for a supersonic fighter. The F-100 Super Sabre entered serial production somewhat later than its Soviet counterpart, but it needed just as many improvements and upgrades.
The F-100's main problems were its high failure rate and the shortcomings of its control systems. In addition, a fighter-bomber version was also being developed based on the Super Sabre: the F-100D, which featured an increased vertical and horizontal fin area and expanded capabilities with regard to suspended weaponry. In the end, it was the D version that became the most widespread modification of the single-seat Super Sabre thanks to its improved control and excellent combat abilities as either a fighter-bomber or pure fighter. In terms of suspended weaponry, the F-100D was able to carry over twenty extremely varied weapon load-outs, from traditional high-explosive bombs and rockets to air-to-air rockets and nuclear bombs.
- From Devblog
Media
- Skins
- Images
- Videos
See also
- Related development
- North American F-86 Sabre
- Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
- Dassault Super Mystere
- Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19
External links
| North American Aviation | |
|---|---|
| Fighters | |
| P-51A | P-51 · P-51A |
| P-51C | P-51C-10 |
| P-51D | P-51D-5 · P-51D-10 · P-51D-20-NA · P-51D-30 |
| P-51H | P-51H-5-NA |
| Twin-engine fighters | F-82E |
| Jet fighters | F-86A-5 · F-86F-2 · F-86F-25 · F-86F-35 · F-100D |
| Strike aircraft | A-36 · PBJ-1H · PBJ-1J |
| FJ-4B · FJ-4B VMF-232 | |
| Bombers | B-25J-1 · B-25J-20 |
| Export/Licence | ▂B-25J-30 · ␗B-25J-30 |
| ▄Mustang Mk IA · F-6C-10-NA · ␗P-51C-11-NT · ␗P-51D-20 · J26 David · J26 · P-51D-20-NA · ␗P-51K | |
| F-86F-30 ▅ · ␗F-86F-30 · F-86F-40 ▅ · F-86F-40 JASDF▅ · ␗F-86F-40 | |
| ◄F-86K · ▄F-86K (Italy) · ▄F-86K (France) | |
| ␗F-100A · ▄F-100D · ␗F-100F | |
| Captured | ▅P-51C-11-NT |
| Canadair Limited license-built the F-86 as the CL-13 for use in Canada and export to Europe. | |
| Fiat license-built the F-86K for the Italian Air Force though another 120 NAA built F-86Ks were also sold to the Italians. | |
| See Also | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries · Canadair Limited · Fiat Aviation |
| USA jet aircraft | |
|---|---|
| Fighters | |
| F9F | F9F-2 · F9F-5 · F9F-8 |
| F-80 | F-80A-5 · F-80C-10 |
| F-84 | F-84B-26 · F-84F · F-84G-21-RE |
| F-86 | F-86A-5 · F-86F-25 · F-86F-2 · F-86F-35 |
| F-89 | F-89B · F-89D |
| F-100 | F-100D |
| F-104 | F-104A · F-104C |
| F-4 | F-4C Phantom II · F-4E Phantom II · F-4J Phantom II · F-4S Phantom II |
| F-5 | F-5A · F-5C · F-5E · F-20A |
| F-8 | F8U-2 · F-8E |
| F-14 | F-14A Early · ▄F-14A IRIAF · F-14B |
| F-15 | F-15A · F-15C MSIP II · F-15E |
| F-16 | F-16A · F-16A ADF · F-16C |
| Other | P-59A · F2H-2 · F3D-1 · F3H-2 · F4D-1 · F11F-1 |
| Strike Aircraft | |
| FJ-4 | FJ-4B · FJ-4B VMF-232 |
| A-4 | A-4B · A-4E Early |
| A-7 | A-7D · A-7E · A-7K |
| AV-8 | AV-8A · AV-8C · AV-8B Plus · AV-8B (NA) |
| A-10 | A-10A · A-10A Late · A-10C |
| F-111 | F-111A · F-111F |
| Other | A-6E TRAM · F-105D · F-117 |
| Bombers | |
| B-57 | B-57A · B-57B |
