Meteor F.8 (Israel)
| This page is about the jet fighter Meteor F.8 (Israel). For other versions, see Meteor (Family). |
.jpg)
Contents
Description
The Meteor F Mk.8 was a jet aircraft designed by Britain as an upgrade of the Meteor family. During the 1950s, Israel tried to obtain more jet aircraft due to the arms race happening in the region. 11 Meteors of the Mk.8 variant were delivered to Israel between 1953 and 1954. These units would be part of several squadrons, participating in the Suez Crisis and later being retired from frontline duties in 1956. After that it would be used as a trainer aircraft for the next years.
It was introduced in Update "Winged Lions" alongside the initial Israeli air tech tree. It plays as a support/frontline fighter, with great acceleration and good low speed manoeuvrability. Having good awareness is crucial to staying alive on the battlefield, picking fights that you know you can win.
General info
Flight performance
The acceleration of the Meteor F Mk.8 is a very important characteristic of its flight performance, it will be one of the first to the battlefield, but lacks good acceleration at higher speeds. As with all Meteors, it has very good turn time, being capable of out-turning fighters like the Su-11 and the F-89D common in battles. However, the roll rate is inadequate for most combat scenarios.
| Characteristics | Max Speed (km/h at 100 m) |
Max altitude (metres) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (metres/second) |
Take-off run (metres) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | |||
| Stock | 920 | 897 | 12500 | 24.1 | 24.7 | 33.6 | 31.7 | 325 |
| Upgraded | 976 | 962 | 22.2 | 23.0 | 47.4 | 40.2 | ||
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 | + | - | ||
| 999 | 390 | 495 | 462 | 290 | ~11 | ~5 |
| Optimal velocities (km/h) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ailerons | Rudder | Elevators | Radiator |
| < 560 | < 600 | < 620 | N/A |
Engine performance
| Engine | Aircraft mass | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine name | Number | Basic mass | Wing loading (full fuel) | |||
| Rolls-Royce Derwent 8 | 2 | 5,496 kg | 216 kg/m2 | |||
| Engine characteristics | Mass with fuel (no weapons load) | Max Takeoff Weight | ||||
| Weight (each) | Type | 7m fuel | 20m fuel | 23m fuel | ||
| 443 kg | Centrifugal-flow turbojet | 5,953 kg | 6,796 kg | 7,020 kg | 8,061 kg | |
| Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB/SB) | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (100%) | |||||
| Condition | 100% | WEP | 7m fuel | 20m fuel | 23m fuel | MTOW |
| Stationary | 1,633 kgf | N/A | 0.55 | 0.48 | 0.47 | 0.41 |
| Optimal | 1,633 kgf (0 km/h) |
N/A | 0.55 | 0.48 | 0.47 | 0.41 |
Survivability and armour
The Meteor F Mk.8 is a very big target in combat, thanks to its big and wide wings and the fact that it has 2 engines. This means that even pilots with bad aim can destroy the Meteor with a few bursts. The cockpit protection is average for its BR, being capable of withstanding some lower calibre shots in the windshield. Also, it has EFS to put out fires. Thus, if one engine catches fire, the fire can be eliminated, and the other engine can be used to fly back to base, albeit at very low speeds.
Modifications and economy
| Flight performance | Survivability | Weaponry | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Most important upgrades are the ones in the performance area, since early jet engines can be very bad at accelerating. However, unlocking the EFS as fast as possible is very recommended, because this upgrade would save your plane multiple times. Most important upgrades (not in order):
- Compressor
- EFS
- G-Suit
- Engine
- Wings Repair
- Airframe
Armaments
Offensive armament
The Meteor F.8 (Israel) is armed with:
- 4 x 20 mm Hispano Mk.V cannons, nose-mounted (200 rpg upper + 190 rpg lower = 780 total)
This armament is sufficient in most situations. It lacks penetration and damage to destroy most ground targets but its large ammo pool compared to similar BR planes makes it very easy to aim for newer players not used to Hispanos. Damage would feel inadequate most of the time, this means that in many situations enemy jets can withstand several shots without critical damage.
Suspended armament
The Meteor F.8 (Israel) can be outfitted with the following ordnance:
- Without load
- 8 x AR rockets
Usage in battles
Like most Meteors, it has very good acceleration, making you one of the first to the battle. This Meteor also has very good climb rate. Pilots can do several strategies to be in superior positions to its opponents. However, some key factors when playing the Meteor are, staying fast, and not commit to a turn fight even if you can win it. Some aircraft at this BR have superior acceleration to the Meteor F Mk.8, so committing to a fight with enemies around would make you a sitting duck, an easy target for pilots that do remember to stay fast.
Boom and zoom tactics work pretty well in the Meteor F Mk.8 picking up enemies that are distracted/slow. This tactic works only in downtiers however, and this is where the Meteor suffers a lot. During uptiers it faces jets that are superior in almost every aspect except in dogfights at low speeds. So staying fast also applies, but awareness is even more important than never. Picking up the right enemy to start a dogfight and how to start it is very important. However pilots should be reminded that most jets above 8.0 BR would outrun the Meteor F Mk.8 and missiles can also be seen, most of these missiles would be early variants of the AIM-9 like the AIM-9B and similar ones like the R-3s, but even those can hit the Meteor when it's slow.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Guns are mounted in the nose, allowing better head-on potential
- Large ammo pool for its BR
- Good energy retention and turn time
- Good acceleration at low speeds even in stock
Cons:
- Relatively low damage in the Hispano cannons
- Sub-par roll rate compared to similar BR jets
- Bad acceleration at higher speeds
- Lacking ground ordnance
History
Operated by squadrons 107, 109, 110 and 117. It was operated by Israel since 1953 and it was retired as a fighter in 1956, remaining as a training aircraft for the next years. The Meteor F Mk.8 was ordered by Israel in 1953 with the last unit of the original order for 11 aircraft reaching Israel in 1954. It flew during the Suez Crisis with decent results during the war. As a fighter, it was mostly used in air combat, patrolling combat areas to provide cover for the ground forces.
However, it proved insufficient against superior fighters such as the MiG-15 that where capable of flying higher and faster. But even with this, it was effective against Egyptian bombers and de Havilland Vampires. It was also modified to use HVAR rockets from the US, however it was not used in consistent ground support duties until the bombing of Egyptian airbases later in the war.
Media
- Videos
See also
Related Development
External links
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- other literature.
| Gloster Aircraft Company, Limited | |
|---|---|
| Fighters | Gladiator Mk II · Sea Gladiator Mk I · Gladiator Mk IIF · Gladiator Mk IIS · Tuck's Gladiator Mk II |
| Jet Fighters | 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 | |
| Export | J8A · Iacobi's J8A · ␗Gladiator Mk I · ▄Gladiator Mk I |
| ▄Meteor F Mk.8 · Meteor F.8 · Meteor NF.13 | |
| See Also | Fokker |
| Israel jet aircraft | |
|---|---|
| Kfir Canard · Kfir C.2 · Kfir C.7 · Nesher | |
| Britain | |
| Meteor | Meteor NF.13 · Meteor F.8 |
| France | |
| Vautour | Vautour IIA · Vautour IIN |
| Super Mystere | Sambad · Sa'ar |
| Mirage III | Shahak |
| Other | M.D.450B Ouragan · Mystere IVA |
| USA | |
| F-84 | F-84F |
| A-4 | A-4H · A-4E Early (M) · A-4E · Ayit |
| F-4 | Kurnass · Kurnass 2000 |
| F-15 | Baz · Baz Meshupar · F-15I Ra’am |
| F-16 | Netz · F-16C Barak II · F-16D Barak II |
