Firefly FR Mk V

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Rank 7 USA
F-5C Pack
This page is about the British strike aircraft Firefly FR Mk V. For other versions, see Firefly F Mk I and Firefly F.Mk.IV (France).
firefly_mk5.png
GarageImage Firefly FR Mk V.jpg
Firefly FR Mk V
Research:13 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:76 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

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

General info

Flight performance

Arrestor gear
Accelerates braking by grabbing the brake cable on the deck of the aircraft carrier
Max speed
at 5 181 m554 km/h
Turn time28 s
Max altitude10 050 m
EngineRolls-Royce Griffon-74
TypeInline
Cooling systemWater
Take-off weight9 t
Characteristics Max Speed
(km/h at 5,181 m)
Max altitude
(metres)
Turn time
(seconds)
Rate of climb
(metres/second)
Take-off run
(metres)
AB RB AB RB AB RB
Stock 522 503 10050 29.5 30.8 9.5 9.5 450
Upgraded 591 554 26.5 28.0 19.5 13.5

Details

Features
Combat flaps Take-off flaps Landing flaps Air brakes Arrestor gear
X
Limits
Wings (km/h) Gear (km/h) Flaps (km/h) Max Static G
Combat Take-off Landing + -
720 280 600 327 250 ~10 ~6
Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons Rudder Elevators Radiator
< 321 < 400 < 410 > 314

Survivability and armour

Crew2 people
Speed of destruction
Structural720 km/h
Gear280 km/h
  • 42.8 mm Bulletproof glass in cockpit front.
  • 12.7 mm Steel plate behind the pilot.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB897 → 1 126 Sl icon.png
RB1 465 → 1 840 Sl icon.png
SB3 290 → 4 132 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications24 800 Rp icon.png
45 000 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost1 100 Ge icon.png
Crew training22 000 Sl icon.png
Experts76 000 Sl icon.png
Aces500 Ge icon.png
Research Aces320 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
60 / 120 / 250 % Sl icon.png
142 / 142 / 142 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Flight performance Survivability Weaponry
Mods aerodinamic fuse.png
Fuselage repair
Research:
1 700 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 100 Sl icon.png
160 Ge icon.png
Mods radiator.png
Radiator
Research:
1 700 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 100 Sl icon.png
160 Ge icon.png
Mods compressor.png
Compressor
Research:
1 900 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 500 Sl icon.png
180 Ge icon.png
Mods aerodinamic wing.png
Wings repair
Research:
1 500 Rp icon.png
Cost:
2 700 Sl icon.png
140 Ge icon.png
Mods new engine.png
Engine
Research:
1 500 Rp icon.png
Cost:
2 700 Sl icon.png
140 Ge icon.png
Mods metanol.png
Engine injection
Research:
2 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 600 Sl icon.png
190 Ge icon.png
Mods armor frame.png
Airframe
Research:
1 900 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 500 Sl icon.png
180 Ge icon.png
Mods armor cover.png
Cover
Research:
2 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 600 Sl icon.png
190 Ge icon.png
Mods pilon bomb.png
HSBC mk.2
Research:
1 700 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 100 Sl icon.png
160 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods pilon bomb.png
HMBC mk.2
Research:
1 900 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 500 Sl icon.png
180 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods ammo.png
hispano_belt_pack
Research:
1 500 Rp icon.png
Cost:
2 700 Sl icon.png
140 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods pilon bomb.png
HLBC mk.2
Research:
1 500 Rp icon.png
Cost:
2 700 Sl icon.png
140 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods weapon.png
hispano_mk5_new_gun
Research:
2 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 600 Sl icon.png
190 Ge icon.png
Mods pilon rocket.png
GRC mk.8
Research:
2 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 600 Sl icon.png
190 Ge icon.png

Armaments

Offensive armament

Ammunition640 rounds
Fire rate750 shots/min
Main article: Hispano Mk.V (20 mm)

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

List of setups (6)
Setup 12 x 1000 lb M.C. Mk.I bomb
Setup 28 x RP-3 rockets
8 x RP-3 rockets
Setup 32 x G.P. 250 lb Mk.IV bomb
8 x RP-3 rockets
Setup 42 x G.P. 500 lb Mk.IV bomb
8 x RP-3 rockets
Setup 52 x G.P. 500 lb Mk.IV bomb
Setup 62 x G.P. 250 lb Mk.IV bomb

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

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

Usage in battles

The Firefly FR Mk V is one of the least manoeuvrable aircraft in its grade, especially before upgrades. The engine is severely limited by the aerodynamic drag, with the wings losing a lot of performance at lower speeds. The lack of turn-fighting capabilities makes engaging in a fight with the enemy ill-advised. In a straight line, the plane can somewhat retain its speed, but it can't outrun its contemporaries at the rank.

The four wing-mounted Hispano Mk Vs are as powerful as they are difficult to use. The guns are very inaccurate, causing shots at ranges of over 600 meters to be fairly ineffective versus small to medium targets. This is made up for by the extremely long burst duration of the cannons, with a very high fire rate. You should watch your trigger though, as while the ammo count is rather sizeable, you can chew through it very quickly.

Engaging planes is all in all made difficult. Surviving mostly relies on support from your teammates, or not letting the enemy get on your tail in the first place. If you find yourself in a head-on fight, you may be able to overpower the enemy, as long as you can keep the target in your sight. Overcompensating and letting the enemy fly into your line of fire will be the most important here.

The interceptor spawn of the plane lets it reach the enemy ground targets very quickly, where the plane really starts to shine. Only a very short burst is needed to destroy most of anything with no or little armour, meaning you can drain a lot of tickets of the enemy team very efficiently.

Although the plane can be surprisingly sound structurally, any damage to the radiators has the possibility of instantly draining all the water coolant, causing the engine to overheat and knocking it out of fight. If you need to engage in a fight, try to keep altitude so that you have enough potential energy to return to the airfield for repairs even if the engine dies. Any damage to the engine also causes a massive loss of power, even if the engine is spinning you can find yourself stalling.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer Pitch Radiator Supercharger Turbocharger
Oil Water Type
Controllable Controllable
Not auto controlled
Not controllable
Not auto controlled
Controllable
Auto control available
Separate Controllable
2 gears
Not controllable

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


Archive of the 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

Skins

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

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

External links


Fairey Aviation Company, Limited
Fighters  Firefly F Mk I · Firefly FR Mk V
Bombers  Swordfish Mk I · Swordfish Mk II
Export  ◘Firefly F.Mk.IV

Britain strike aircraft
Blackburn  Firebrand TF Mk IV · Firecrest
Bristol  Beaufighter Mk I (40-mm) · Beaufighter Mk VIc · Beaufighter Mk X · Beaufighter Mk 21
CAC  ▄Wirraway
Fairey  Firefly F Mk I · Firefly FR Mk V
de Havilland  Mosquito FB Mk VI · Mosquito FB Mk XVIII
Hawker  Hurricane Mk IV · Tempest Mk V (Vickers P)
Westland  Wyvern S4