Firefly FR Mk V

Firefly FR Mk V

Firefly F Mk I

Seafire LF Mk.III

Firefly FR Mk V

Firefly F Mk I

Seafire LF Mk.III

Britain

III Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
4.0	3.7	4.0

Class:

Strike aircraft

Naval aircraft

Research:13 000

Purchase:76 000

This page is about the British naval fighter Firefly FR Mk V. For other uses, see Firefly (Family).

Description

The Firefly FR Mk V is a rank III British naval fighter with a battle rating of 4.0 (AB/SB) and 3.7 (RB). This aircraft was introduced in Update 1.49 "Weapons of Victory".

General info

Flight Performance

Characteristics
Stock
Max Speed (km/h at 5,181 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
518	503	10050	29.9	30.8	9.5	9.5	450
Upgraded
Max Speed (km/h at 5,181 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
591	554	10050	26.2	28.0	22.5	13.5	450

Details

Features
Combat flap	Take-off flap	Landing flap	Air brakes	Arrestor gear
✓	✓	✓	X	✓

Limits
Wing-break speed (km/h)	Gear limit (km/h)	Combat flap (km/h)	Max Static G
			+	-
720	280	700	~9	~6

Optimal velocities
Ailerons (km/h)	Rudder (km/h)	Elevators (km/h)	Radiator (km/h)
< 321	< 400	< 410	> 250

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
2,400 m	1,510 hp	2,166 hp
Setting 2
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
6,400 m	1,410 hp	2,002 hp

Survivability and armour

• 42.8 mm Bulletproof glass in cockpit front.
• 12.7 mm Steel plate behind the pilot.

• Critical components located at the front of aircraft (fuel, pilot, engine, controls)

Armaments

Offensive armament

The Firefly FR Mk V is armed with:

• 4 x 20 mm Hispano Mk.V cannons, wing-mounted (175 RPG outer + 145 RPG inner = 640 total)

Suspended armament

The Firefly FR Mk V can be outfitted with the following ordinance:

• Without load
• 2 x M.C. 1,000 lb Mk.I bombs
• 16 x 76 mm RP-3 rockets
• 8 x 76 mm RP-3 rockets + 2 x G.P. 250 lb Mk.IV bombs
• 8 x 76 mm RP-3 rockets + 2 x G.P. 500 lb Mk.IV bombs

Usage in the battles

This aircraft has 2 ways to be used. The first and the recommended method is as a strike fighter with either the 2x1000lbs or the 16x76mm HVAR rockets. However, the aircraft will be rather sluggish even fully upgraded when compared to other aircraft which can do this role, like the P-47 Thunderbolt. However, this does have 16 rockets to strafe with. Return to base once the payload is expended. The second way to use this aircraft is to climb to 6km and intercept bombers. The Firefly comes with four 20mm Hispanos that will make quick work of anything regardless of size.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Controllable	Controllable	Not controllable	Controllable	Combined	Controllable	Not controllable

Modules

Tier	Flight performance		Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage Repair	Radiator
II		Compressor	Airframe
III	Wings Repair	Engine
IV		Engine Injection	Cover

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Faster than the Firefly Mk. I with a better roll rate thanks to its more powerful engine and clipped wings
• One of the earliest planes with Hispano Mk. V cannons. Much larger ammo load with much less of a tendency to overheat than the Mk. II
• Same good bomb load but double the amount of rockets available to the pilot
• Has an interceptor spawn, which can be useful

Cons:

• Less manoeuvrable overall than the Firefly Mk. I aside from the roll rate
• Somewhat large target for a single-engine fighter
• Still rather slow in comparison to other fighters at its rank
• Below average climb rate compared to Spitfires

History

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In-game description

The Fairey Firefly had entered service in 1943 and served successfully in the closing stages of the Second World War as a multi-role, carrierborne fighter/strike aircraft. In 1944 a Rolls-Royce Griffon 72 was fitted to the Firefly for testing; the resulting improvements led to the Griffon 74 powered Firefly Mk.IV which entered service in 1947. The Mk.IV replaced the earlier three bladed propeller with a four bladed unit fitted to the new engine, and moved the radiators from the chin position to underneath the wings. The wings were also clipped to increase the roll rate. The leading edge of the tail fin was also extended and two under wing fairings carried fuel and a radar scanner in port and starboard respectively. 

The Firefly Mk.V built on the success of the previous variant with further modifications. For specialized roles, sub variants of the Firefly included a number of internal changes for the standard day fighter/reconnaissance variant, night fighter and anti-submarine aircraft. Power folding wings were also introduced during the life of the Mk.V which greatly assisted the efficiency of deck operations. 

812 Naval Air Squadron was the first front line unit to re-equip with the Mk.V, at Eglinton in July 1948. When the Korean People’s Army crossed the 38th Parallel in June 1950, Korea was plunged into war and the carrierborne aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm were in action within days of the outbreak of hostilities. HMS Triumph was the first British carrier in theatre, but the embarked 827 NAS were actually still operating Second World War vintage Firefly Mk.Is. It was the Mk.V which replaced it in theatre which proved to be the most prolific variant of the conflict, being operated by 810, 812, 817, 821 and 825 Naval Air Squadrons. The Firefly was regularly engaged in strikes against key infrastructure such as bridges, railways, harbour installations and industrial sites. Operating in a range of conditions including sub-zero temperatures and storms, the Fireflies served alongside Seafires and Sea Furies to maintain an impressive rate of operations, proving to be resilient to the elements and the rigours of continued deck operations in anger. In 1952 a record-breaking day of operations was achieved from HMS Ocean when Fireflies and Sea Furies flew 123 sorties in a single day. Fireflies of 825 NAS were also involved in ground attack sorties during the 1954 Malayan Emergency.

Post-war, the Firefly served as an export aircraft with Canada, Australia, Denmark, the Netherlands, Ethiopia, Thailand,  Sweden and India. The venerable aircraft left the service of the Fleet Air Arm in 1956, after 13 years of operations.

Media

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Read also

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

Sources

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• topic on the official game forum;
• page on aircraft encyclopedia;
• other literature.