Hunter F.1

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RANK 6 BRITAIN
Rooikat 105 PACK
This page is about the British jet fighter Hunter F.1. For other versions, see Hunter (Family).
hunter_f1.png
GarageImage Hunter F.1.jpg
Hunter F.1
AB RB SB
9.0 9.0 9.0
Research:160 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:450 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
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Description

Following the end of WWII, a new British government decided to focus their efforts into rebuilding the nation, under the assumption that another major conflict would not occur for at least a decade. During this time, Air Ministry Specifications were primarily issued for research designs, rather than any military requirements. As a result, at the dawn of the Cold War in the late 1940s, the RAF quickly realised that it was lagging behind in aerial capabilities, and pressed for the development of new fighter aircraft with the latest features, such as swept wings. Alongside the Supermarine Swift, one design that garnered particular interest was the Hawker Hunter. While initially developed as a swept-wing version of the Hawker Sea Hawk, it underwent a number of improvements including replacement of the two Rolls-Royce Nene engines with a single copy of the new, prototype Rolls-Royce Avon engine, which was thinner but also significantly more powerful. The prototype took its first flight in July 1951, and entered service with the RAF in July 1954, replacing the Gloster Meteors, de Havilland Venoms, imported Canadair Sabres, and the Supermarine Swift. Despite initial teething problems with the new engine and airframe, the Hawker Hunter became one of the most successful British post-war jet designs, with almost 2,000 aircraft manufactured in more than 60 variants, and exported to over 20 countries. The final Hunters were finally withdrawn from service with the Lebanese Air Force in 2014.

Introduced in Update 1.53 "Firestorm", the Hunter F.1 is a drastic departure from the playstyles of the jets and props that precede it. Its calling card is its high top speed, coupled with excellent high-speed manoeuvrability and a complement of four powerful 30 mm ADEN cannons on a relatively stable platform, allowing it to swoop in and make short work of unsuspecting opponents, before quickly evacuating from danger. While its low-speed flight characteristics are subpar, maintaining at least 800 km/h at all times will allow the Hunter to fight toe-to-toe with common opponents such as F-86 Sabres and MiG-17s; however, extra care should be taken when facing supersonic opponents and those equipped with air-to-air guided missiles.

General info

Flight performance

Air brakes
Allows you to dramatically reduce the flight speed by releasing special flaps
Max speed
at 0 m1 108 km/h
Turn time31 s
Max altitude14 000 m
EngineRolls-Royce Avon Mk.113
TypeJet
Cooling systemAir
Take-off weight10 t

The Hawker Hunter is a transonic jet fighter, powered by the Rolls-Royce Avon Mk.113 engine. It is able to reach 1,109 km/h at sea level and 1,013 km/h at 9,000 m, very similar to the F-86F series. It can reach 1.0 Mach in dive and be able to recover from it. Its thrust to weight ratio is 0.50 with fuel tanks and 0.57 with 5 minutes of fuel, making the level acceleration very good. The climb rate is also good, 55 m/s at sea level, but in order to achieve it the Hunter needs to keep 920 km/h TAS, it is better in comparison to other jets without an afterburner like a F-86F or MiG-17. The engine might start overheating after 10 minutes of flying at 100%, which can be mitigated by setting RPM to 7,550 or lower.

Despite having low wing loading compared to other jets it is not particularly manoeuvrable and has a high stall speed, due to the low amount of lift generated by its wings. While its high speed turn rate is decent and the plane can pull up to ~12 G, once the plane decreases its speed to around 700 km/h it begins to struggle and it only gets worse the slower it flies. Outturning any Sabre or MiG-15 is not possible and the plane will have a hard time even against planes like the F11F-1. The elevator starts to lock up above 0.85 Mach, below that speed it should be able to pull at least 11G. Its roll rate is decent and just good enough to make flying it comfortable, ~120°/s at 900 km/h, ~105°/s at 600 km/h and ~50°/s at 300 km/h, making it better than the MiG-15bis or MiG-17, but worse than all American Sabres. The flaps can slightly improve the turning performance, however they can only be used below 600 km/h IAS, where it struggles to turn. The airbrake provides as much drag as in similar planes like the Sabre, but has one issue, it is located under the plane, so it cannot be deployed when the landing gear is extended. This can make landing quite tricky since its wheel brakes are also weak and landing speed is high: around 300 km/h IAS with flaps.

The Hunter is a very nice to fly plane in both Realistic and Simulator battles, aiming is easy since it is very stable. A slight pitch trimming might be required to stop its nose from dropping, up to 3%. Reaching the maximum angle of attack will not make it start spinning immediately, that can happen only after a few seconds pulling it all the way to yourself, but it also can be easily recovered from that state.

Characteristics Max Speed
(km/h at 0 m - sea level)
Max altitude
(metres)
Turn time
(seconds)
Rate of climb
(metres/second)
Take-off run
(metres)
AB RB AB RB AB RB
Stock 1,098 1,092 14000 32.0 33.3 44.6 40.7 820
Upgraded 1,117 1,108 30.1 31.0 65.8 55.0

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 + -
1,193 450 603 581 465 ~12 ~5
Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons Rudder Elevators Radiator
< 850 < 600 < 650 N/A

Engine performance

Engine Aircraft mass
Engine name Number Basic mass Wing loading (full fuel)
Rolls-Royce Avon Mk.113 1 6,069 kg 230 kg/m2
Engine characteristics Mass with fuel (no weapons load) Max Takeoff
Weight
Weight (each) Type 5m fuel 16m fuel
1,175 kg Axial-flow turbojet 6,426 kg 7,259 kg 9,530 kg
Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB/SB) Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (100%)
Condition 100% WEP 5m fuel 16m fuel MTOW
Stationary 3,283 kgf N/A 0.51 0.45 0.34
Optimal 3,631 kgf
(1,193 km/h)
N/A 0.57 0.50 0.38

Survivability and armour

Crew1 person
Speed of destruction
Structural0 km/h
Gear450 km/h
  • 64 mm Bulletproof glass - Armoured windscreen
  • 12.7 mm Steel - Armour plate behind the pilot

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB3 030 → 4 438 Sl icon.png
RB8 644 → 12 663 Sl icon.png
SB9 424 → 13 806 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications141 200 Rp icon.png
224 000 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost2 400 Ge icon.png
Crew training130 000 Sl icon.png
Experts450 000 Sl icon.png
Aces2 200 Ge icon.png
Research Aces890 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
130 / 380 / 600 % Sl icon.png
214 / 214 / 214 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Flight performance Survivability Weaponry
Mods aerodinamic fuse.png
Fuselage repair
Research:
9 400 Rp icon.png
Cost:
15 000 Sl icon.png
280 Ge icon.png
Mods jet compressor.png
Compressor
Research:
9 400 Rp icon.png
Cost:
15 000 Sl icon.png
280 Ge icon.png
Mods armor frame.png
Airframe
Research:
16 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
25 000 Sl icon.png
480 Ge icon.png
Mods booster.png
New boosters
Research:
16 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
25 000 Sl icon.png
480 Ge icon.png
Mods aerodinamic wing.png
Wings repair
Research:
12 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
19 000 Sl icon.png
360 Ge icon.png
Mods g suit.png
G-suit
Research:
12 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
19 000 Sl icon.png
360 Ge icon.png
Mods armor cover.png
Cover
Research:
15 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
24 000 Sl icon.png
450 Ge icon.png
Mods jet engine.png
Engine
Research:
15 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
24 000 Sl icon.png
450 Ge icon.png
Mods jet engine extinguisher.png
EFS
Research:
15 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
24 000 Sl icon.png
450 Ge icon.png
Mods ammo.png
aden_belt_pack
Research:
9 400 Rp icon.png
Cost:
15 000 Sl icon.png
280 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 1.png
Mods weapon.png
aden_new_gun
Research:
12 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
19 000 Sl icon.png
360 Ge icon.png

Armaments

Offensive armament

Weapon 14 x 30 mm ADEN cannon
Ammunition600 rounds
Fire rate1 200 shots/min
Main article: ADEN (30 mm)

The Hunter F.1 is armed with:

  • 4 x 30 mm ADEN cannons, chin-mounted (150 rpg = 600 total)

Usage in battles

The Hunter's main strengths are high top speed and good guns, making it a good Boom & Zoomer.

The Hunter is less manoeuvrable than the F-86 and MiG-15 while being the second fastest with a good thrust-to-weight ratio. However, the rate of climb is significantly worse than the other jets and so it requires some side climbing. Stay fast at all times and never drop beneath 850 TAS (~800 km/h in air).

The 30 mm ADEN cannon is an extremely powerful cannon. Being a revolver cannon, it fires extremely fast and has excellent ballistics. The Hunter F.1 has, thanks to mounting a pack of four ADEN 30 mm cannons, one of the highest one-second burst masses, near 21 kg/s. This weapon's characteristics mean that the 4 of them pose a serious threat for any aircraft that happens to be the target of them. The cannon, however, has the disadvantage of chewing very quickly through ammo thanks to its high rate of fire, so being wary of the ammo count is a necessity. The discrete tracer rounds may induce the player into error, causing the impression that only a light burst is being fired, however experience will quickly disprove anyone who thinks in this manner.

The armour-piercing rounds of the Hunter enable it to do some ground attack against light tanks, medium tanks, and pillboxes.

Radars

The Hunter F.1 is equipped with an ARI.5820 rangefinding radar, located in the nose of the aircraft. It will automatically detect other planes within the scanning area and display the range to the closest target. It is linked with a gyro gunsight and can help with aiming at close range.

ARI.5820 - Rangefinding radar
Maximum
Tracking
Range
Minimum
Tracking
Range
Azimuth Tracking
Angle
Elevation Tracking
Angle
2,750 m 300 m ±9° ±9°

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Decent acceleration above 900 km/h
  • Large and effective air brake
  • Insanely good armament; four rapid-firing 30 mm ADEN cannons shred everything in a short burst
  • Very good energy retention; does not lock easily
  • Can out zoom climb MiG-17s and MiG-15bis
  • Can outrun most contemporary jets on your six if put into a 10° climb
  • Armament is capable of destroying tanks and light pillboxes
  • New boosters modification allows it to make deflection shots at high speeds
  • Very stable, makes aiming at any speed easy

Cons:

  • Most jets in uptiers can out-speed, use afterburner, out-turn the Hunter, or rely on their air-to-air missiles
  • AAMs (even AIM-9Bs and R-3Ss) nullify your speed advantage and force the Hunter to bleed speed to avoid them
  • Nearly all supersonic jets will be very hard to face
  • Doesn't have air-to-air missiles
  • Worst jet in terms of 1 vs 1 due to the bad manoeuvrability; it will be left in desperation when the rest of the team is gone
  • Poor performance in horizontal turning; must rely on the speed advantage
  • Very large target, especially when turning

History

In the aftermath of the second world war the Air Ministry issued Specification E.38/46 for a swept wing research aircraft that was fulfilled by a modified Hawker Sea Hawk (P.1052). The experimental aircraft showed an jump in high speed performance and as a result Hawker went forward to modify the second P.1052 into the P.1081. With a swept tail plane and the engine exhaust now located at the rear of the fuselage instead of the split exhaust further improving performance, it attracted the RAAF. The P.1081 gave Hawker useful information for the development of the Hunter.

In 1946 the Air Ministry issued Specification F.43/46 that was later added to in 1948 by Specification F.3/48. This demanded a speed of 629 mph at 45,000 ft and a high rate of climb (as F.43/46 was for a jet powered interceptor), while carrying an armament of four 20 mm or two 30 mm cannons. Using what they had learnt from the P.1052 and P.1081 they produced the Prototype P.1067. The new prototype first flew with the Avon 103 engine in 1951 with a second powered by the Avon 107 in 1952.The Air Ministry ordered the Hunter into production in 1950 with the Avon 113 power plant. Thus the iconic Hawker Hunter was born.

The first production or pre-production F.1s entered service in 1953. The first was WT556 that entered service with A&AEE on the 16th of July 1953 and a further 15 delivered the same year. The Early F.1's featured boosted control surfaces but not the under belly air brake. The armament consisted of four 30 mm ADEN cannons with 150 rpg at 1200 rpm located under the nose.

Media

Skins
Images
Videos

See also

Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

External links


Hawker Aircraft Limited
Biplane fighters 
Fury  Fury Mk I · Fury Mk II
Nimrod  Nimrod Mk I · Nimrod Mk II
Scout plane  Osprey Mk IV
Piston fighters 
Hurricane  Hurricane Mk I/L · Hurricane Mk.I/L FAA M · Sea Hurricane Mk IB · Sea Hurricane Mk IC · Hurricane Mk IIB/Trop · Hurricane Mk IV
Typhoon  Typhoon Mk Ia · Typhoon Mk Ib · Typhoon Mk Ib/L
Tempest  Tempest Mk V · Tempest Mk V (Vickers P) · Tempest Mk II
Fury  Sea Fury FB 11
Jet fighters 
Hunter  Hunter F.1 · Hunter F.6 · Hunter FGA.9 · ◌Hunter F.58
Sea Hawk  Sea Hawk FGA.6
Harrier  Harrier GR.1 · Harrier GR.3
Export  ▄Hurricane Mk I/L · ▂Hurricane Mk IIB · J34 · ◄Sea Hawk Mk.100 · AV-8A · AV-8C
Captured  ▀Tempest Mk V

Britain jet aircraft
Blackburn  Buccaneer S.1 · Buccaneer S.2 · Buccaneer S.2B
British Aerospace  Harrier GR.7 · Sea Harrier FRS.1 (e) · Sea Harrier FRS.1
British Aircraft Corporation  Strikemaster Mk.88
English Electric  Canberra B Mk 2 · Canberra B (I) Mk 6 · Lightning F.6 · Lightning F.53
Gloster  Meteor F Mk 3 · Sea Meteor F Mk 3 · Meteor F Mk 4 G.41F · Meteor F Mk 4 G.41G · Meteor F Mk 8 G.41K · Meteor F Mk.8 Reaper
  Javelin F.(A.W.) Mk.9
de Havilland  Vampire F.B.5 · Venom FB.4 · Sea Venom FAW 20 · Sea Vixen F.A.W. Mk.2
Hawker  Sea Hawk FGA.6 · Hunter F.1 · Hunter F.6 · Hunter FGA.9 · Harrier GR.1 · Harrier GR.3
Panavia  Tornado GR.1 · Tornado F.3
SEPECAT  Jaguar GR.1 · Jaguar GR.1A · Jaguar IS
Supermarine  Attacker FB 1 · Attacker FB.2 · Scimitar F Mk.1 · Swift F.1 · Swift F.7
Foreign  Phantom FG.1 (USA) · Phantom FGR.2 (USA) · F-4J(UK) Phantom II (USA)
  JAS39C (Sweden)