Sakeen
Contents
Description
The S-199 (Sakeen) is a rank IV Israeli fighter with a battle rating of 3.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "Winged Lions".
General info
Flight performance
| Characteristics | Max Speed (km/h at 6,000 m) |
Max altitude (metres) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (metres/second) |
Take-off run (metres) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | |||
| Stock | 561 | 548 | 9000 | 23.3 | 24.3 | 7.6 | 7.6 | 350 |
| Upgraded | 621 | 590 | 20.9 | 22.0 | 15.3 | 11.0 | ||
Details
| Features | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat flaps | Take-off flaps | Landing flaps | Air brakes | Arrestor gear |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | X | X |
| Limits | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wings (km/h) | Gear (km/h) | Flaps (km/h) | Max Static G | |||
| Combat | Take-off | Landing | + | - | ||
| 0 | 360 | 438 | 409 | 260 | ~__ | ~__ |
| Optimal velocities (km/h) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ailerons | Rudder | Elevators | Radiator |
| < 450 | < 390 | < 450 | > ___ |
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.
Modifications and economy
| Flight performance | Survivability | Weaponry | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Armaments
Offensive armament
The Sakeen is armed with:
- A choice between two presets:
- 2 x 13 mm MG 131 machine guns, nose-mounted (250 rpg = 500 total) + 2 x 7.92 mm MG 17 machine guns, wing-mounted (300 rpg = 600 total)
- 2 x 13 mm MG 131 machine guns, nose-mounted (250 rpg = 500 total) + 2 x 20 mm MG 151 cannons, wing-mounted (135 rpg = 270 total)
Suspended armament
The Sakeen can be outfitted with the following ordnance:
- Without load
- 4 x 70 kg SD70 bombs (280 kg total)
- 4 x 50 kg SD50 bombs (200 kg total)
- 4 x 50 kg SC50JA bombs (200 kg total)
Usage in battles
Don't.
Manual Engine Control
| MEC elements | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mixer | Pitch | Radiator | Supercharger | Turbocharger | ||
| Oil | Water | Type | ||||
| Not controllable | Controllable Not auto controlled |
Controllable Auto control available |
Controllable Auto control available |
Separate | Not controllable 1 gear |
Not controllable |
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Excellent firepower with upgraded guns and gunpods
- Fairly stable firing platform
- Small bombs available for ground attack
- Robust airframe
Cons:
- Poor climb rate
- Poor energy retention
- Sluggish manoeuvrability
- Overheats very quickly under WEP
History
At its inception, the Israeli Air Force sought any fighter aircraft it could acquire to supplement its fledgeling military. Unfortunately for the IAF, there were strict arms embargoes put in place on Israel which made it challenging. The IAF's purchasing agents then set out and approached aircraft manufacturers across Europe to find one who might be able to provide fighters.
The Czech manufacturer Avia had been building Messerschmitt Bf 109s for the Germans during WW2, and continued to do so even after the war. Initially in the postwar era, Avia produced the Bf 109 G-10 with the DB 605 engine, a variant they designated the S-99. When the limited stocks of DB 605s ran out after only 21 S-99s constructed, subsequent Bf 109 G airframes were modified to use the Junkers Jumo 211F engines.
The Bf 109 + Jumo 211F combination proved less than successful: the engine and propeller were designed for heavy bomber aircraft like the Heinkel He 111 which required torque, not light fighter aircraft like the Bf 109 which require speed. The early-war designed Jumo 211F also had nearly half the performance of the mid-war designed DB 605. Due to the design of the engine itself, the Jumo 211F could not be fitted with an internal cannon running through the propeller hub like the DB 605, so the S-199s were equipped with solid nose cones. The cannon armament was relocated to the wings using Rüstsatz gunpod kits. These changes produced a fighter which was slow, had poor manoeuvrability, was difficult to control, and was seriously overweight for its engine output. Nevertheless, Avia made 559 S-199 fighters, predominately for the Czechoslovak Air Force.
In 1947, Israel negotiated the purchase of twenty-five Avia S-199s, which arrived at the start of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It was here that many S-199 pilots encountered reliability and combat issues with the aircraft which limited their effectiveness. One of these issues stemmed from the fact that the Jumo 211F was not designed to be used with a gun synchronizer, a mechanical component which prevents an aircraft's guns from firing while the propeller is in the firing line. Therefore, new ones had to be procured and the one which were fitted proved to be unreliable. It was not uncommon for Israeli pilots to inadvertently shoot off their own propellers when the gun synchronizer failed.
The S-199s did find several major victories, however. On June 3, 1948 an S-199 piloted by Modi Alon of 101 Squadron, Israel's first fighter squadron, attacked a formation of two Egyptian C-47 Skytrains and two Spitfires which had repeatedly bombed the city of Tel Aviv. Alon managed to shoot down both C-47s, marking the first air-to-air kills of the Israeli Air Force. The action was witnessed by the public below, who met the IAF and Alon with great enthusiasm and joy. On June 8th, Israelis were able to prove themselves capable in the S-199 again when IAF pilot Gideon Lichtaman shot down an Egyptian Spitfire in the defense of Tel Aviv, scoring Israel's first fighter-vs-fighter victory.
The S-199, despite its poor mechanical performance, gained the distinction of being the first fighter aircraft procured by Israel and provided valuable combat experience and victories for the fledgeling IAF pilots.
Media
- Skins
- Videos
See also
External links
| Israel fighters | |
|---|---|
| Bf 109 | Sakeen |
| P-51 | P-51D-20-NA |
| Spitfires | Spitfire Mk IXc · Weizman's Spitfire LF Mk.IXe · Spitfire Mk.IX (CW) |
| Avia (Avia, dílna na opravu a výrobu letadel) | |
|---|---|
| Export | Sakeen |
