Meteor F Mk.8 G.41K

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F-5C Pack
This page is about the British jet fighter Meteor F Mk.8 G.41K. For other versions, see Meteor (Family).
meteor_fmk8.png
GarageImage Meteor F Mk.8 G.41K.jpg
Meteor F Mk.8 G.41K
AB RB SB
7.7 8.0 8.0
Research:61 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:340 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

The Meteor F Mk 8 G.41K, an illustrious British fighter, marked a significant evolution in the Meteor series with its introduction in the late 1940s. Designed to rectify the limitations of its predecessors, it boasted a reinforced airframe to withstand the rigours of high-speed flight and upgraded Derwent 8 engines, offering enhanced performance and reliability. This variant saw extensive service with the Royal Air Force and other allied forces, playing crucial roles from air defence to ground support across various theatres of the Cold War.

Distinct from earlier Meteors, the F Mk 8 G.41K was enhanced with better aerodynamic features, aligning with the era's strategic demands. Its service history is marked by adaptation to diverse combat roles, evidencing the versatility and technological advancement of British aerospace engineering at the time. In combat, pilots lauded its improved rate of climb and top speed, making it a formidable adversary against the threats it faces.

The Meteor F Mk.8 G.41K was introduced in Update 1.29 and stands as a testament to British jet development's zenith. Being the highest performance variant of the Meteor family, the Mk.8 has extremely good flight performance, especially for its battle rating. It is armed with four 20 mm Hispano Mk.V cannons, and can also take RP-3, HVAR rockets, or two 1,000 lb bombs. While it looks impressive on paper, it is a plane that hates high speed. It compresses heavily above 700 km/h and takes a very long time accelerating past 800 km/h.

General info

Flight performance

Air brakes
Allows you to dramatically reduce the flight speed by releasing special flaps
Max speed
at 100 m962 km/h
Turn time23 s
Max altitude12 500 m
Engine2 х Rolls-Royce Derwent 8
TypeJet
Cooling systemAir
Take-off weight8 t
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

Crew1 person
Speed of destruction
Structural0 km/h
Gear390 km/h
  • 38 mm Bulletproof glass in cockpit front.
  • 12.7 mm Steel plate in the nose.
  • 12.7 mm Steel plate behind the pilot.
  • Critical components located at the front and wings of the aircraft (fuel, pilot, engine, controls)

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB3 331 → 4 743 Sl icon.png
RB9 354 → 13 320 Sl icon.png
SB11 949 → 17 015 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications109 800 Rp icon.png
174 000 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost2 200 Ge icon.png
Crew training98 000 Sl icon.png
Experts340 000 Sl icon.png
Aces1 800 Ge icon.png
Research Aces780 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
130 / 380 / 600 % Sl icon.png
202 / 202 / 202 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Flight performance Survivability Weaponry
Mods aerodinamic fuse.png
Fuselage repair
Research:
10 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
16 000 Sl icon.png
480 Ge icon.png
Mods armor frame.png
Airframe
Research:
7 600 Rp icon.png
Cost:
12 000 Sl icon.png
360 Ge icon.png
Mods jet compressor.png
Compressor
Research:
7 600 Rp icon.png
Cost:
12 000 Sl icon.png
360 Ge icon.png
Mods aerodinamic wing.png
Wings repair
Research:
5 100 Rp icon.png
Cost:
8 200 Sl icon.png
240 Ge icon.png
Mods jet engine.png
Engine
Research:
5 100 Rp icon.png
Cost:
8 200 Sl icon.png
240 Ge icon.png
Mods g suit.png
G-suit
Research:
5 100 Rp icon.png
Cost:
8 200 Sl icon.png
240 Ge icon.png
Mods armor cover.png
Cover
Research:
8 300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
13 000 Sl icon.png
400 Ge icon.png
Mods jet engine extinguisher.png
EFS
Research:
8 300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
13 000 Sl icon.png
400 Ge icon.png
Mods ammo.png
hispano_belt_pack
Research:
10 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
16 000 Sl icon.png
480 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 1.png
Mods pilon bomb.png
GLBC mk.3
Research:
7 600 Rp icon.png
Cost:
12 000 Sl icon.png
360 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods weapon.png
hispano_mk5_new_gun
Research:
5 100 Rp icon.png
Cost:
8 200 Sl icon.png
240 Ge icon.png
Mods pilon rocket.png
GRC mk.7
Research:
5 100 Rp icon.png
Cost:
8 200 Sl icon.png
240 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods pilon rocket.png
GRC mk.8
Research:
8 300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
13 000 Sl icon.png
400 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow right 0.png
Mods pilon rocket.png
GRC mk.9
Research:
8 300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
13 000 Sl icon.png
400 Ge icon.png
Mods pilon rocket.png
GRC mk.8
Research:
8 300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
13 000 Sl icon.png
400 Ge icon.png

Armaments

Offensive armament

Ammunition780 rounds
Fire rate750 shots/min
Main article: Hispano Mk.V (20 mm)

The Meteor F Mk.8 G.41K is armed with:

  • 4 x 20 mm Hispano Mk.V cannon, nose-mounted (200 rpg top + 190 rpg bottom = 780 total)

At 8.0, the stock Hispano Mk V's are terrible since they are highly inaccurate and generally inconsistent, which is made worse by the fact that in most games aircraft will fly much faster than you, forcing firing ranges to be higher and reducing the window of time in which a shot can be made.

When they are upgraded, they are all round good guns for the BR sporting a good ammunition capacity and a decent velocity. The damage can be quite inconsistent however.

Suspended armament

List of setups (4)
Setup 12 x 1000 lb H.E. M.C. Mk.13 bomb
Setup 28 x HVAR rockets
Setup 38 x RP-3 rockets
Setup 416 x RP-3 rockets

The Meteor F Mk.8 G.41K can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

  • Without load
  • 2 x 1,000 lb H.E. M.C. Mk.13 bombs (2,000 lb total)
  • 8 x HVAR rockets
  • 8 x RP-3 rockets

Usage in battles

The Meteor F Mk 8 G.41K is a versatile platform for multiple tasks both in ground and air battles, featuring a competitive armament in air battles and tremendous firepower in ground battles. It is capable of dominating the air in air and ground battles.

When in air battles:

The Meteor has primarily 3 roles when it comes to air battles: fighter, attacker, bomber. At its br, the Meteor is one of the competitive jet section, not over exceeding in one side but not underperforming either.

As a fighter:

The Meteor is capable of being on par with many planes at its battle rating. Different from most other British fighters, but the same as the other Meteors and similar to the Swift F.1, it has a Boom and Zoom role when it comes to fighting as it will not be able to turn fight like the Vampire FB 5 or the Venom FB.4. It should be noted that the Meteor will not outrun most of the enemy jets encountered at its br unlike the Swift F.1. The pilot should maintain energy at all times since the acceleration is not great. When engaging heavier and bigger planes (like enemy attackers and bombers both player and AI) the pilot should always try to maintain either higher altitude than them to make Boom and Zoom or stay under their belly to take advantage of their weakspots (Tu-4 and B-29 are the exceptions for belly attacks as they have ventral turrets).

As an attacker:

The ordnance the Meteor carries is enough to do some ground striking, destroying pillboxes, enemy tanks, artillery outposts, anti air emplacements, etc. There is no rule on which armament the attacker should use, it all depends on the pilot's discretion, map, battle rating, etc. It is recommended to use ground targets belts due to the AP ammunition but universal belts may be enough to deal with light armoured vehicles and light pillboxes, leaving the ordnance for heavier and more armoured threats.

As a bomber:

Due to being a jet, it is able to be a lighting strike bomber. This means to fly the Meteor at a really low altitude (also known as lawn-mowing) with bombs (1,000 lb H.E. M.C. Mk.13 bombs are recommended for base bombing) with a 1.5-2.5 second time or assault fuse. When the Meteor is on a base, the pilot should drop the bombs really low to the ground to ensure accuracy as no bombsight is able to be used. It may require practice on how and when to drop the bombs. The 1.5-2.5 second time or assault fuse makes the plane be able to move to a safe zone away from the blast zone. When no time fuse is set, the Meteor will be forced to drop the bombs at a higher altitude or be prompt to be killed in the blast zone.

When in ground battles:

The Meteor has only 1 role in ground battles primarily (superiority fighter can be used but it is not recommended to do so), Close Air Support (CAS). The variety of ordnance is enough to be used in all situations depending on the pilot's discretion. RP-3 are launched in pairs (or in salvo depending on the pilots discretion and rocket settings) and will disable or destroy even the heaviest armour encountered with a couple of rockets. The con of rockets is that they are hard to aim, practice will be required. Bombs, on the other hand, are more forgiving when it comes to accuracy as the blast zone is bigger and are able to destroy one or more targets at a time, disable modules (tracks, barrel, engine, etc) or just mark them with fragmentation. The con of bombs is that a fuse might have to be added depending on the way the pilot wants to drop them (lighting strike, dive-bombing, etc), they are also heavier than the rockets, making the attacker more vulnerable to anti-air fire and dogfighting.

When it comes to just the 20 mm cannons, it should be noted that most vehicles the Meteor will encounter (Leopard 1, XM-1, BMP-2, etc) will have a poorly armoured roof which the armour-piercing shells will penetrate. Heavier targets (ZTZ-59D1, T-62, T-10M) will only be able to be killed with suspended ordnance as they will not be able to penetrate the roof.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Engines are a massive improvement over previous models, with high speed and acceleration rates compared
  • Great at turning below 650 km/h
  • Good climb rate
  • Controllable roll rate
  • Able to carry RP-3 or HVARs (unlike other Meteors)

Cons:

  • Hispano Mk V cannons have poor accuracy
  • Wing controls tend to lose control ability at higher speeds
  • Limited visibility out of the rear of the cockpit

History


Archive of the in-game description

Faced with an increasing quality in the standard of potential adversaries by the late 1940s, Gloster designers embarked on developing a new version of their Meteor fighter, designated the Gloster Meteor F.Mk.8 (Type G.41K).

The first prototype F.Mk.8 was converted from a production F.Mk.4, before a full prototype flew on October 12th 1948. Production began in 1949 and, after the RAF stood up its first operational squadrons in 1950, export versions were then produced.

The F.Mk.8 differed in a number of key areas from the F.Mk.4 on which it was based; the F.Mk.8 had an elongated fuselage and the tail assembly was changed, both features incorporated to increase stability. An extra 432-litre fuel tank was also added and a blown cockpit canopy was mounted to increase visibility.

The F.Mk.8 was powered by Rolls-Royce Derwent Mk.8 turbojet engines producing 1,630 kg of thrust. The diameter of the engine's air intakes was increased, adding approximately 100 kg of thrust to each engine, bringing the aircraft's maximum speed to 950 km/h. The wing structure was significantly reinforced, with additional alloy steels being used in the framework. The nacelle structure was changed yet again to improve access.

The F.Mk.8 had the F.Mk.4's 20mm British Hispano Mk.II cannons replaced by Hispano Mk.V cannons of the same calibre but with a higher rate of fire, reliability and ballistic characteristics. A standard mount to suspend HVAR missiles was provided under the wing panels. The F.Mk.8 was the first Meteor to be fitted with a Martin Baker ejection seat; the pilot's chances of survival in an emergency were significantly increased, but the large headrest impaired his rear view.

747 Gloster Meteor F.Mk.8 fighters were produced by April 1954 and were (at various times) in service with over 40 RAF squadrons. From 1950 to 1955, the Meteor F.Mk.8 was the mainstay of RAF Fighter Command.

The F.Mk.8 aircraft were also accepted for service with the Air Forces of Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, Israel, the Netherlands and Syria. Meteors of the RAAF (Royal Australian Air Force) took part in the Korean War although they were outmatched by the more modern MiG 15; although several MiG 15s were destroyed by pilots of 77 Squadron RAAF, losses were heavier and the Meteor was re-roled to ground attack.

Experience in the Korean War highlighted the fact that, even with significant upgrades to its original design, the Meteor was now outclassed by more modern fighters. Different Gloster Meteor versions were flown in training and auxiliary units until the last Meteor trainers were phased out of service with the RAF in 1965.


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


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

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 · Sea Harrier FA 2
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 · Tornado F.3 Late
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)
Australia  F-111C
India  ▄MiG-21 Bison
South Africa  ▄JAS39C