F-89B

F-89B

F-89D

F-89B

F-89D

USA

V Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
6.7	7.0	7.3

Class:

PREMIUM

Fighter

Jet fighter

Purchase:7 540

This page is about the American jet fighter F-89B. For other version, see F-89D.

Description

The F-89B is a premium rank V American jet fighter with a battle rating of 6.7 (AB), 7.0 (RB), and 7.3 (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.91 "Night Vision".

The F-89B Scorpion was designed and built to be an all-weather interceptor intended to neutralize any potential invading Soviet bomber force. The USAAF was intent in replacing the P-61 Black Widow with another night fighter, one specifically which would fly faster (minimum 530 mph/850 kph) almost assuredly requiring the usage of jets, six sixty-calibre machine guns or 20 mm autocannons and armed with internally stored aerial rockets. To round out the aircraft for ground attack if needed, it would also need to accommodate 1,000 lb bombs and eight larger rocket types externally. Initial wind tunnel testing of the fighter determined that the proposed swept-wings were insufficient at slow speeds and were changed out with straight wings. Though causing a loss of high-end performance, increased stability at low speeds was necessary.

Other changes to the horizontal stabilizer also increased the effectiveness of the elevators and rudder. Concerns about the fuel tanks situated right over the engines were nullified when it was determined that efforts made by Northrop to protect them were considered sufficient, anything else would have required a complete redesign of the aircraft.

Other key features of the Scorpion was the usage of decelerons or clamshell-style split ailerons which work as a standard aileron, however, can open up as a dive brake or be utilized as a takeoff/landing flap. Last-minute changes by the Air Force required upgrading the engines and outfitting an afterburner, adding a radar system, fire control system, permanent wingtip fuel tanks, reconfigured nose guns and easy access to lower the entire engine to make for easier maintenance.

The F-89B was an upgraded version of the F-89A, primarily featuring only upgraded avionics. Armament remained standard with six nose-mounted 20 mm cannons. As an interceptor, the F-89B was well suited to have the six nose-mounted cannons which did not require the pilot to have to worry about convergence, especially when flying at higher speeds. The tightly packed cannons concentrated the 20 mm rounds in a tight pattern and when fired in bursts can unleash devastation on both enemy bomber and fighter aircraft, especially suited for head-ons or even strafing runs aimed at the wings or engine sections of the aircraft. While there are only 200 rounds per gun (1,200 total), they are not meant for the pilot to just hold the trigger and spray but instead require a bit of trigger control and fire in short bursts as typically it does not take much to disable or destroy another aircraft.

The F-89B is a fairly large aircraft and can be an easy target for other aircraft, so speed is key to maintain manoeuvrability and make it difficult for an enemy fighter to get a positive gun solution on the Scorpion. Boom & Zoom tactics will be the best bet for this fighter as while it is a stable flyer when going slow, it, however, will be an easy target and slow manoeuvring aircraft without the advantage of speed.

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 3,200 m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	???	???	15240	??.?	??.?	??.?	??.?	747
Upgraded	1,022	1,011		27.7	28.0	59.0	49.4

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	+	-
920	379	554	447	379	~8	~3

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 760	< 800	< 700	N/A

Engine performance

Engine			Aircraft mass
Engine name		Number	Empty mass			Wing loading (full fuel)
Allison J35-A-21B		2	11,780 kg			291 kg/m2
Engine characteristics			Mass with fuel (no weapons load)						Max Takeoff Weight
Weight (each)	Type		19m fuel	20m fuel	30m fuel	45m fuel	60m fuel	64m fuel
1,300 kg	Afterburning axial-flow turbojet		13,181 kg	13,253 kg	13,971 kg	15,048 kg	16,126 kg	16,413 kg	16,703 kg
Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB / SB)			Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (WEP)
Condition	100%	WEP	19m fuel	20m fuel	30m fuel	45m fuel	60m fuel	64m fuel	MTOW
Stationary	2,141 kgf	2,912 kgf	0.44	0.44	0.42	0.39	0.36	0.35	0.35
Optimal	2,229 kgf (800 km/h)	3,255 kgf (800 km/h)	0.49	0.49	0.47	0.43	0.40	0.40	0.39

Survivability and armour

The F-89B has two 12.7 mm steel armor plates in the nose and a 60 mm bulletproof windshield. The wing tips will break past the aileron at 920+ km/h (depending on altitude) and will count as a vehicle loss. However, the plane can limp back to base if the pilot: maintain speed/don't turn sharp to avoid a spin, approach the airfield low and straight on, open the air brake to help balance the broken wing, roll the intact wing down, lower the gear at < 300 kph then roll back level onto the runway. There the pilot can repair his plane and get back in the fight!

Armaments

Offensive armament

The F-89B is armed with 6x M24A1 20mm cannon in the nose. Although each gun only holds 200 rounds (1,200 total), a well-aimed burst with the air targets belt will easily destroy any target or at least set it on fire.

Usage in battles

Describe the tactics of playing in an aircraft, the features of using vehicles 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).

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Six 20 mm cannons clustered in the nose, massive burst mass
• Excellent for head-on attacks
• Quick accelerator with afterburner
• Dual-engine, can fly with one (though, head back to base!)
• Targeting radar equipped

Cons:

• Large target wing-surface
• Heavy wing-tips, losing one throws the aircraft off balance
• Autocannons only, no rocket, missile or bomb options
• Not as nimble as single-engine MiGs
• Limited ammo with 200 RPG, must use trigger control

History

Almost immediately after WWII, the Nothrop Corporation began developing an experimental jet fighter-interceptor to meet the new requirements for that class of aircraft. The American interceptor’s primary targets were supposed to be Soviet bombers, so the projected model’s flight characteristics and armament had to meet this objective. At first the two-seater twin-engine jet was developed to have a rather interesting four gun turret. This turret was to be mounted on the aircraft’s nose and could fire on targets either automatically or manually along a vertical plane either forward, up, down or, in some cases, backward. However, when the experimental model of the aircraft was ready, the turret still hadn’t undergone testing yet, so the military decided to install traditional static frontal guns on it, as well as HVARs on the wing pylons. It was with this loadout that the Scorpion F-89A and F-89B went into service. The armament was switched exclusively to rockets somewhat later. To make the change to rockets, the designers implemented an interesting solution: Mighty Mouse unguided rockets were installed on the front of the wing-mounted fuel tanks in such a way that the rocket and fuel sections of this part of the design were separated by a fireproof barrier. This also made it possible to install heavier, more destructive HVARs under the wing. The F-89D or “rocket” version of the Scorpion went on to become the most widespread version of the aircraft in the US air force – 682 of them were manufactured.

- From Devblog

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

• F-89D - Rocket-armed variant of the fighter.

External links

• [Development] F-89B and F-89D Scorpion: Jet Bros

Northrop Corporation
Fighters	P-61A-11 · P-61C-1
Jet fighters	F-89B · F-89D
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Export	␗F-5A · ▄F-5E FCU