Reinventing the Mirage - The Kfir Canard

The Kfir Canard is an Israeli modification of the French Dassault Mirage 5, with a new General Electric J79 engine (the same found on the F-4E Phantom II), canards bolted onto the fuselage, and other changes including new avionics. In War Thunder, the Kfir Canard is one of the best-performing planes in terms of its flight characteristics, relying on its excellent flight performance to defeat opponents.

Flight Characteristics

The Kfir Canard stands out due to its exceptional engine power and speed when compared to other planes at the battle rating. With the afterburner on, the Kfir Canard handily outruns and out-accelerates nearly every plane that it faces, with the notable exceptions being the F-111 Aardvark, F-104S, and the MiG-23ML.

As a delta-winged aircraft, the Kfir Canard can turn exceptionally sharp at higher speeds but at the cost of significant speed loss, which makes prolonged fights riskier. However, the powerful engine and the quick acceleration of the Kfir can mitigate the speed bleed to a certain extent. However, the speed bleed means that once you get behind enemies in a dogfight, you are usually able to stick behind them. The speed bleed of delta winged aircraft also makes it easier to force overshoots. The Kfir Canard performs the best at the 700-1,100 km/h speed range. Above 1,100 km/h, the control surfaces will begin to lock up, and below 700 km/h the plane will rapidly lose speed.

Air to Air Armaments

Default loadout:

• 2 × 30 mm DEFA 552A cannons (280 rounds total)
• 36x countermeasures (regular caliber)

The two 30 mm DEFA cannons will be the primary weapon of the Kfir Canard, with 4 different ammunition belts. The recommended belt for most purposes is the Air targets belt, which contains the most amount of HEI/HEF for maximum damage against enemy aircraft.

36 single-pop countermeasures are mounted on the lower tail of the Kfir and will dispense to the right side of the plane. Some discipline is needed with the countermeasures, as 36 is a rather low amount, and the countermeasures are not large caliber. The recommended loadout is the Mixed option, with 28 flares and 8 chaff.

Available Missiles

• AIM-9D: Rear-aspect missile with a caged seeker, 18 G overload, and solid range. While effective, the caged seeker can limit its flexibility in certain combat scenarios.
• AIM-9G: Essentially an upgraded AIM-9D, but with an uncaged seeker, allowing for greater combat versatility and making it the best option for the Kfir Canard.
• Shafrir 2: Boasts an 18 G overload and the largest warhead of the Kfir Canard’s missiles, but its shorter range and weaker tracking make it less effective overall.
  

The AIM-9G Sidewinders excel at stealthy long-range kills. The high speed of the Kfir combined with the long motor burn time of the AIM-9G means that the missile will have plenty of energy to reach targets from 3-4 km away, provided that the Kfir is at a higher altitude and speed than the intended target. The large, uncaged seeker of the AIM-9G also allows the player to lead the target when firing the missile. AIM-9Gs work best when the player has the element of surprise, as they have relatively low flare resistance unless the target has a strong IR signature.

Gunpods

The Kfir Canard also can carry two GAU-4 20 mm Vulcan rotary cannons. The GAU-4 gives the Kfir Canard tremendous firepower but severely hamper the flight performance of the plane. Note that the recoil of the GAU-4 will push the nose of the plane downwards.

Ground Armaments

The Kfir Canard’s primary weapons for ground pounding are unguided bombs and the Hydra/Zuni unguided rockets, with CCIP and CCRP for all of its ordnance.

Rockets

• FFAR Rockets (38x per pod): The FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets are the most useful for damaging light ground targets, and the Kfir Canard can mount a total of 76 FFAR rockets when taking two of the pods. The FFAR rockets don’t have the punchiest warhead though, so multiple rockets are needed for heavier armored targets.
• Zuni ATAP rockets (8x per pod): The Zuni Mk32 rockets are the recommended rockets for ground attack, with over 8 times more explosive power than the FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets. One well-placed rocket can easily overpressure a tank.

Bombs

• 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 Bomb — 11x with full load (5 pylons): The lightest bombs on the Kfir Canard. Carrying these for ground attack is not recommended due to their low explosive filler. The 500 lb bombs can be mounted on the inner 5 pylons, with 11 bombs in total when carrying a full load.
• 500 lb SAMP Mk 82 250 Snakeye — 13x with full load (5 pylons): The 500 lb Snakeye parachute bombs are similar to the previous 500 lb LDGP Mk82s but have a built-in parachute to slow the bomb’s descent after being dropped. These are the only parachute bombs on the Kfir Canard.
• 750 lb M117 Cone 45 Bomb — 6x with full load (4 pylons): The 750 lb M117 bomb is essentially the 500 lb bombs with slightly more explosive mass. Taking the 1,000 lb or 2,000 lb bombs over these is recommended.
• 1,000 lb LDGP Mk 83 bomb — 6x with full load (4 pylons): The second largest bombs on the Kfir Canard, and effective at taking out all types of ground targets. Taking these in conjunction with the two 2,000 lb bombs will be the most effective when attacking ground targets.
• 2,000 lb LDGP Mk 84 Bomb — 2x with a full load (2 pylons): The most effective bombs for ground targets! These bombs have excellent damage and a large destruction radius. Note that the rocket pods cannot be taken with the 2,000 lb bombs as they occupy the same pylons.

Base Bombing

A base in ARB can be destroyed with two 2,000 lb bombs and one 500 lb bomb. The Kfir is also the 3rd fastest base bomber at 11.0, meaning that players will almost always be the first one to reach bases.

Recommended Loadouts

For air combat:

• 2x AIM-9G missiles
• Drop tank
• 20 minutes of fuel
• Air Targets 30 mm belt
• Mixed countermeasures, 28/8 flares, and chaff

For ground/CAS:

• 2x AIM-9G missiles
• 2x 2,000 lb bombs
• 2x 1,000 lb bombs
• 20 minutes of fuel
• Default 30 mm belt
• Mixed countermeasures, 28/8 flares, and chaff

Air Combat — Kfir 101

The main things that are important to success in the Kfir are managing energy, positioning, and knowing when to engage. DEFYN has made an excellent tutorial on how to dogfight in the Kfir Canard (scroll down the page).

Sideclimbing and then diving on the enemy team + hit n' run

• On the runway, turn the radar off. The radar is just a rangefinder and doesn’t do anything besides alerting enemies on their RWR to your presence, so turn it off ASAP.
• After taking off, start climbing slightly left until you reach ~5,000 meters and stay at that altitude. It is essential to stay below 5,500 meters of altitude before your contrail appears to maintain the element of surprise.
• Once you have reached altitude, maintain your altitude and continue flying straight (over the left friendly bases is a good landmark) until you reach the enemy bases. The enemy team should now be on your direct right and mostly below you, but this depends on the number of enemies that climb.
• If you see an enemy contrail, continue maintaining your altitude and adjust your flight path so you are flying towards them, but not directly at them, as the element of surprise is crucial here. Once the contrail is directly to your right, you can begin turning into them to follow their contrail. After you are under their contrail, begin pitching up and start following them. Once you are close enough (2.5-3 km), fire an AIM-9G missile and secure the kill.
• Once you are behind the enemy team, you can start diving. Enemies should be starting to get spotted by teammates by now so you will begin to get an idea of where players on the enemy team are. Watch the Kfir Canard’s speed and throttle down, never dive from high altitude while using the afterburner. Deploy the airbrakes to slow down if needed.
  
• You can now begin using the AIM-9Gs against enemies that are below you. Prioritize enemies that are the closest/slowest/distracted. Resist the temptation to use the 9Gs against slow attackers like the A-10 and Su-25 if you encounter them, as you can simply shoot down the attackers with the 30 mms and save the missiles for more dangerous targets.
• Once you’ve gotten down to ground level, proceed to hit and run enemy planes. Choose targets that are the closest to you/about to attack you or that are distracted. Simply catch up to them with your massive speed advantage, shoot, break off/extend away, and repeat. By using the Kfir Canard’s excellent top speed, you can kill enemies with relative ease while also escaping threats in battle.
• After a hit and run attack, try to turn towards your team so they are able to engage enemies that are pursuing you.

Dogfighting

• Maintain your energy until you need to use it. Don’t fully send it and try to one-turn enemy planes unless you know that you’ll be able to land the first shot. If you bleed all of your speed, you will be in a very precarious situation if the enemy plane is a dogfighter (e.g. F-5C) and if they know what they’re doing.
• Never try to dogfight multiple enemies at the same time unless you absolutely have to, or unless you’re facing massively inferior planes like the A-10A. The Kfir Canard has poor energy retention, meaning that you’ll bleed your speed and will eventually be unable to keep up with multiple enemies.
• If things go south, you can usually break away from the engagement and run away from the enemy unless you already have committed to the fight and bled your energy. Keep an eye out for missiles and be prepared to react. Running away while climbing at a slight angle usually works the best.

Base bombing

• Carry one 500 lb bomb and two 2,000 lb bombs and set the bomb delay to 3 seconds. Also, bring along the two AIM-9Gs and a drop tank.
• After taking off, turn off the radar as per usual and fly slightly left to target the closest enemy base. Fly level to the ground so you can accelerate quicker.
• DO NOT TUNNEL VISION. Many inexperienced base bombers end up eating a missile and get sent back to the hangar in mere minutes since they “tunnel vision” and just focus on bombing the base while ignoring everything that is happening around them. Stay aware and be on the lookout for enemies since you are more vulnerable when carrying a payload.
• If you encounter enemies along the way, you can attempt to avoid them by going more to the left/right. If they fly towards you, simply dodge their attack (be careful of radar missiles) and continue. Keep an eye on whether they turn around to follow you or not and watch out for missiles heading in your direction. If you are being pursued by enemies, it is usually the best course of action to jettison the bombs and then engage rather than get shot down while still trying to reach the base. Never dogfight with a payload.
• When you’ve gotten close to the base, begin throttling down and deploy the airbrakes if needed to get below 1,050 km/h so you can drop the bombs. You will not be able to drop the bombs at higher speeds.
• Once the CCIP crosshair for the bombs is over the base, drop the bombs, retract the airbrake if you’ve deployed it, throttle back up, and bank away. Build up your speed and then proceed to engage nearby enemies.

Conclusion

The Kfir Canard is an exceptional plane when it comes to flight performance, and it excels due to its amazing acceleration, turning at higher speeds, and nose authority. Players should rely on the flight performance to get kills and win fights instead of the missiles.

General tips to be successful in the Kfir Canard

• Positioning is key — avoid furballs since the Kfir only has 36 countermeasures and isn’t the best at dogfighting multiple enemies at the same time due to poor energy retention.
• Manage your energy carefully; don’t try to “full send it” in the first couple of turn and waste all of your airspeed.
• Utilize your top speed and acceleration to dictate fights, the Kfir Canard has the advantage of being able to engage/disengage when the player chooses to.
• Rely on your flight performance and not your missiles.
• The AIM-9Gs are best used when the player has the element of surprise and work best at a 3-4 km distance.