The A-4N is the most advanced variant of the A-4 Skyhawk available in War Thunder. It boasts an upgraded engine and an advanced weapons system for its Battle Rating. While its flight performance is modest, it can still hold its own in dogfights. Though its air-to-ground capabilities aren’t exceptional, the A-4N is effective at dealing with enemy anti-air vehicles. This versatility makes it a true jack-of-all-trades, master of none.
Air-to-Air Capabilities
The primary air-to-air armaments of the Ayit are the rear-aspect Shafrir 2 and AIM-9D Sidewinder missiles.
- The AIM-9D Sidewinder is the first variant of the AIM-9 Sidewinder developed by the U.S. Navy, featuring a long-burning rocket motor that helps it reach ranges of over 5km at higher altitudes while also being able to manoeuvre at 18G. It has a “Caged” seeker, meaning that it is locked looking forward before launch which limits its usage in engagements below 1km.
- The Shafrir 2
however solves that problem, developed by Rafael Systems, it also
features a long-burning rocket motor however it produces less thrust and
the missile overall has higher drag than the AIM-9D making it slower
and giving it less range. However, it features an uncaged seeker with a
gimbal limit of 30 degrees which allows you to lead the missile before
launch and when you combine it with its excellent 18G of maneuvering, it
can be ideal for those close-range rear aspect engagements.
The AIM-9D Sidewinder is ideal for high-altitude long-range engagements (2–5km). Its rocket motor burns for 5 seconds and has a decently low amount of drag. After the rocket motor burns out, it will have enough energy to still go a decent amount of distance.
The Shafrir 2, on the other hand, is better off for short-range engagements (1–2 m) at medium to low altitudes. You can better utilize its uncaged seeker before launching to fire at manoeuvring targets you would have been unable to use the AIM-9D. However, its seeker is a lot less sensitive but also the rocket motor produces less thrust and has significantly higher drag so getting the same long-range shots as with the AIM-9D is basically impossible.
Air-to-Ground Armaments
The primary air-to-ground armaments of the A-4N are the AGM-65A Maverick TV guided missiles, the AGM-62A Walleye TV guided bombs and the AGM-12B Bullpup radio-controlled missile.
- The AGM-65A can easily outrange any anti-aircraft vehicle you will come up against, however, it will struggle to lock onto any moving target from over 3km.
- The AGM-62A can easily destroy any ground target and features a decent glide range if it is dropped at a high enough speed, however, it suffers from the same issues as the AGM-65A with the seeker being unable to lock onto any moving target from over 3km.
- While the AGM-12B is manually controlled and has an impressive range of over 8km, it can be pretty difficult to aim from such a long range. It features a powerful warhead and will be able to destroy essentially any ground vehicle it is fired at with ease, as long as it lands close to it.
Flight Performance
The flight performance of the A-4N, while not being the best, is a significant improvement over the other A-4 Skyhawks. It features a much more powerful engine (that can even help you reach Mach 1 at higher altitudes) which gives the aircraft a very impressive climb rate and can even let you beat energy fighters at their own game in the right circumstances. The main advantage of the A-4 airframe is its amazing roll rate, basically unmatched by every other aircraft, it can be used to even survive against a lot more manoeuvrable aircraft. Its airframe can withstand very high speeds and its controls don’t lock up too badly up until around 900km/h IAS however be careful because its wings are prone to falling off in sustained high-G turns.
Survivability
The A-4N has the perfect survivability kit for its Battle Rating. Not only does it get the AN/APR-25 digital RWR that shows not only the direction but also the range of enemy contacts but also 60 countermeasures which will allow you to flare off almost any missile fired at you. Do note however that the only radar bands that your RWR can detect are the E, G, and I which are often not used by anti-aircraft vehicle search radars.
Conclusion
So to sum up, the A-4N is an amazing Ground Attack aircraft with a wide variety of guided weapons that allow for different attack types against ground vehicles. It also features a very potent air-to-air kit that excels at high altitude and boom and zoom attacks, prioritizing enemy aircraft that lack countermeasures. While you can engage in dogfights with enemy aircraft, it should be avoided since it is an unnecessary risk when you can destroy enemy aircraft from a distance using your AIM-9D and Shafrir 2 missiles.
