Meteor F Mk.8 G.41K

Meteor F Mk 8 G.41K

Meteor F Mk 4 G.41G

Javelin F.(A.W.) Mk.9

Meteor F Mk 8 G.41K

Meteor F Mk 4 G.41G

Javelin F.(A.W.) Mk.9

Britain

V Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
7.7	8.0	8.0

Class:

Fighter

Jet fighter

Research:61 000

Purchase:340 000

This page is about the British jet fighter Meteor F Mk.8 G.41K. For other variants, see Meteor (Family).

Description

The Meteor F Mk 8 G.41K is a rank V British jet fighter with a battle rating of 7.7 (AB) and 8.0 (RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.29.

General info

Flight performance

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 100 m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	920	897	12500	24.1	24.7	33.6	31.7	325
Upgraded	976	962		22.2	23.0	47.4	40.2

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	+	-
0	390	520	520	290	~11	~5

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 560	< 600	< 620	N/A

Engine performance

Engine			Aircraft mass
Engine name		Number	Empty mass		Wing loading (full fuel)
Rolls-Royce Derwent 8		2	5,383 kg		213 kg/m2
Engine characteristics			Mass with fuel (no weapons load)			Max Takeoff Weight
Weight (each)	Type		9m fuel	20m fuel	30m fuel
443 kg	Centrifugal-flow turbojet		5,864 kg	6,422 kg	6,930 kg	8,061 kg
Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB / SB)			Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (100%)
Condition	100%	WEP	9m fuel	20m fuel	30m fuel	MTOW
Stationary	1,633 kgf	N/A	0.56	0.51	0.47	0.41
Optimal	1,633 kgf (0 km/h)	N/A	0.56	0.51	0.47	0.41

Survivability and armour

• 38 mm Bulletproof glass in cockpit front.
• 12.7 mm Steel plate in the nose.
• 12.7 mm Steel plate behind the pilot.
• Critical components located at the front and wings of the aircraft (fuel, pilot, engine, controls)

Armaments

Offensive armament

The Meteor F Mk.8 G.41K is armed with:

• 4 x 20 mm Hispano Mk.V cannon, nose-mounted (200 rpg top + 190 rpg bottom = 780 total)

At 8.0, the stock Hispano Mk V's are terrible since they are highly inaccurate and generally inconsistent, which is made worse by the fact that in most games aircraft will fly much faster than you, forcing firing ranges to be higher and reducing the window of time in which a shot can be made.

When they are upgraded, they are all round good guns for the BR sporting a good ammunition capacity and a decent velocity. The damage can be quite inconsistent however.

Suspended armament

The Meteor F Mk.8 G.41K can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

• Without load
• 2 x 1,000 lb G.P. Mk.I bombs (2,000 lb total)
• 8 x HVAR rockets
• 8 x RP-3 rockets

Usage in battles

The Meteor is capable of beating nearly any contemporary jet aircraft in a horizontal turn fight, save for a Ho 229 or a Venom. Don't be too quick to get into a turn fight however- as per usual in jets, turn fighting makes you very vulnerable to enemies looking to seize an opportune target- a very slow target that happens to be your Meteor.

The Meteor's great low-speed acceleration, and excellent manoeuvrability in both pitch and roll can lend themselves to defensive flying very well, which will be your primary method of combat in an uptier, where the Meteor can't hope to catch up to them. If an aircraft comes onto your tail, try to lead them away from other enemies and towards friendly aircraft if possible, then if you don't have a decisive speed advantage, pitch up and down to lure the enemy closer. If they have missiles, make sure you aren't flying too fast since the Meteor's high levels of compression can make dodging even AIM-9Bs a difficult task, with ripping your wings also being a possibility. If they have .50 cals or other high velocity weapons, start pulling underneath the enemy's nose at around 1 km distance, if they have lower velocity cannons e.g NR-23s, do it at around 0.6-0.8 km. Then, there are two ways to go about reversing your opponent:

1. Keep your aircraft out of the enemy's guns by rolling and pulling underneath their nose (this is easier against planes that compress a lot like the MiG-15), and use your airbrake if the enemy isn't closing that quickly. Once the enemy is set to overshoot, retract your airbrake if it's extended then prepare to get your guns on target if there aren't any other enemies around (if there are, pitch down and gain speed before doing anything else).
2. Lure the enemy closer by taking progressively larger turns out of their guns, until they are close enough to you and their guns are not rapidly converging on you- then you commit to a horizontal turn as long as there are no other enemies around. Be careful not to black out in this time. If the enemy is greedy and follows your turn, using the Meteor's excellent low speed manoeuvrability, you should be able to get guns on target by staying in the turn. This rarely works out however because by 7.0-9.0 BR, most players can recognise this trap and won't follow turns made by an aircraft like the Meteor; this trick works better in lower tiers with Spitfires since there are many less experienced players who will fall for a trap like this.

However, in downtiers the Meteor Mk 8 is a beast that can match most of its opponents in energy as well as turning, and you can be a lot more aggressive in chasing other player, but watch out for Ho 229s that will easily outturn you. Overall, in a downtier you should focus a lot more in pressing the advantages that the Mk 8 has over previous Meteors- speed, acceleration and better controlability at high speeds.

Modules

Tier	Flight performance		Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage repair			Offensive 20 mm
II		Compressor	Airframe		GLBC mk.3
III	Wings repair	Engine		New 20 mm cannons	GRC mk.7
IV	G-suit		Cover		GRC mk.8

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Engines are a massive improvement over previous models, with high speed and acceleration rates compared
• Great at turning below 650 km/h
• Good climb rate
• Controllable roll rate

Cons:

• Compression
• Hispano Mk V cannons have poor accuracy, and are borderline unusable when stock
• Wing controls tend to lose control ability at higher speeds
• Poor energy retention, struggles to keep up with any aircraft in an uptier
• Frequently uptiered
• Limited visibility out of the rear of the cockpit

History

In-game description

Faced with an increasing quality in the standard of potential adversaries by the late 1940s, Gloster designers embarked on developing a new version of their Meteor fighter, designated the Gloster Meteor F.Mk.8 (Type G.41K).

The first prototype F.Mk.8 was converted from a production F.Mk.4, before a full prototype flew on October 12th 1948. Production began in 1949 and, after the RAF stood up its first operational squadrons in 1950, export versions were then produced.

The F.Mk.8 differed in a number of key areas from the F.Mk.4 on which it was based; the F.Mk.8 had an elongated fuselage and the tail assembly was changed, both features incorporated to increase stability. An extra 432-litre fuel tank was also added and a blown cockpit canopy was mounted to increase visibility.

The F.Mk.8 was powered by Rolls-Royce Derwent Mk.8 turbojet engines producing 1,630 kg of thrust. The diameter of the engine's air intakes was increased, adding approximately 100 kg of thrust to each engine, bringing the aircraft's maximum speed to 950 km/h. The wing structure was significantly reinforced, with additional alloy steels being used in the framework. The nacelle structure was changed yet again to improve access.

The F.Mk.8 had the F.Mk.4's 20mm British Hispano Mk.II cannons replaced by Hispano Mk.V cannons of the same calibre but with a higher rate of fire, reliability and ballistic characteristics. A standard mount to suspend HVAR missiles was provided under the wing panels. The F.Mk.8 was the first Meteor to be fitted with a Martin Baker ejection seat; the pilot's chances of survival in an emergency were significantly increased, but the large headrest impaired his rear view.

747 Gloster Meteor F.Mk.8 fighters were produced by April 1954 and were (at various times) in service with over 40 RAF squadrons. From 1950 to 1955, the Meteor F.Mk.8 was the mainstay of RAF Fighter Command.

The F.Mk.8 aircraft were also accepted for service with the Air Forces of Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, Israel, the Netherlands and Syria. Meteors of the RAAF (Royal Australian Air Force) took part in the Korean War although they were outmatched by the more modern MiG 15; although several MiG 15s were destroyed by pilots of 77 Squadron RAAF, losses were heavier and the Meteor was re-roled to ground attack.

Experience in the Korean War highlighted the fact that, even with significant upgrades to its original design, the Meteor was now outclassed by more modern fighters. Different Gloster Meteor versions were flown in training and auxiliary units until the last Meteor trainers were phased out of service with the RAF in 1965.

Media

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See also

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• reference to the series of the aircraft;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

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