S.O.8000 Narval

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Rank VII | Premium | Golden Eagles
Challenger DS Pack
S.O.8000 Narval
so_8000_narval.png
GarageImage S.O.8000 Narval.jpg
360://https://wiki.warthunder.com/images/d/d0/Cockpit_so_8000_narval.jpg
S.O.8000 Narval
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Description

The S.O.8000 Narval was a prototype naval fighter interceptor created by SNCASO in the late 1940s. It was powered by a French postwar development of the Junkers Jumo 213, the same that powered the Fw-190D fighters. The aircraft featured good climb rate and high altitude performance thanks to a supercharger, it was also meant to be capable of strike missions, similar to the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. However the project was abandoned in the 1950s, due to the rapid development of jet engine technology.

It was introduced as a premium pack in Update 1.73 "Vive la France" and was removed from the store after the 2019 Victory Day Sale, but was later reintroduced for the 2020 May Sale purchasable in-game for Golden Eagles Ge icon.png. The Narval (French for Narwhal) is designed to be an interceptor, and it excels in this role with a good climb rate, interceptor spawn, high speed and 6 powerful cannons. It wields an extremely powerful sextet of the previously mentioned cannons, which happen to be the German MG 151s, wielding the dreaded Minengeschoß ammunition round which gives ballistics similar to most 37 mm cannons while keeping the various upsides of 20 mm cannons (light weight, high muzzle velocity and universal use) allowing you to shred bombers in a few well aimed bursts. However, the plane is not without its weaknesses. The rear mounted engine and propeller makes it easy for the engine to get knocked out when being tailed. It also has a particularly poor turn rate, so turning versus most planes is a death sentence, as it will make it easy for an opponent to snipe your pilot.

General info

Flight performance

Arrestor gear
Accelerates braking by grabbing the brake cable on the deck of the aircraft carrier
Max speed
at 8 000 m730 km/h
Turn time25 s
Max altitude11 500 m
EngineArsenal 12H-02
TypeInline
Cooling systemWater
Take-off weight7 t
Characteristics Max Speed
(km/h at 8,000 m)
Max altitude
(metres)
Turn time
(seconds)
Rate of climb
(metres/second)
Take-off run
(metres)
AB RB AB RB AB RB
Stock 700 677 11500 26.2 27.3 12.6 12.6 800
Upgraded 764 730 23.6 25.0 20.6 16.0

Details

Features
Combat flaps Take-off flaps Landing flaps Air brakes Arrestor gear
X X
Limits
Wings (km/h) Gear (km/h) Flaps (km/h) Max Static G
Combat Take-off Landing + -
900 330 450 370 270 ~12 ~6
Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons Rudder Elevators Radiator
< 482 < 400 < 520 > 290

Survivability and armour

Crew1 person
Speed of destruction
Structural900 km/h
Gear330 km/h
  • 10 mm Steel plate in the nose.
  • 50 mm Bulletproof glass in front of pilot.
  • 10 mm Steel plate behind pilot.

Modifications and economy

Repair cost
AB1 933 Sl icon.png
RB4 282 Sl icon.png
SB6 353 Sl icon.png
Crew training10 000 Sl icon.png
Experts320 000 Sl icon.png
Aces1 100 Ge icon.png
Research Aces1 050 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
Talisman.png 2 × 100 / 230 / 480 % Sl icon.png
Talisman.png 2 × 172 / 172 / 172 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Flight performance Survivability Weaponry
Mods aerodinamic fuse.png
Fuselage repair
Mods radiator.png
Radiator
Mods compressor.png
Compressor
Mods new engine.png
Engine
Mods aerodinamic wing.png
Wings repair
Mods metanol.png
Engine injection
Mods armor frame.png
Airframe
Mods armor cover.png
Cover
Mods ammo.png
mg15120_belt_pack
Mod arrow 1.png
Mods pilon bomb.png
LBC-25
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods weapon.png
mg15120_new_gun
Mods pilon rocket.png
Matra T10 140
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods pilon rocket.png
Matra T10 151

Armaments

Offensive armament

Ammunition1 500 rounds
Fire rate700 shots/min
Main article: MG 151 (20 mm)

The S.O.8000 Narval is armed with:

  • 6 x 20 mm MG 151 cannons, nose-mounted (250 rpg = 1,500 total)

The six cannons are arranged in bundles of three, each of which is cheek-mounted towards the underside of the fuselage. Each are armed with the same amount of ammunition, which means that all guns will fire with each other until empty.

Suspended armament

List of setups (3)
Setup 12 x 1000 lb AN-M65A1 Fin M129 bomb
Setup 24 x T10 140 rockets
4 x T10 140 rockets
Setup 34 x T10 151 rockets
4 x T10 151 rockets

The S.O.8000 Narval can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

  • Without load
  • 2 x 1,000 lb AN-M65A1 Fin M129 bombs (2,000 lb total)
  • 8 x T10 140 rockets
  • 8 x T10 151 rockets

Usage in battles

The Narval has a well-distinguished silhouette, almost looking like a cross between a P-38 lightning and a Me 163 Komet. The first thing you will notice is the interestingly designed pair of wings. The inboard leading edge of its wing was swept back 24 degrees, while the outboard section was swept back 13.5 degrees and incorporated a dihedral angle. The superb roll rate was achieved with a combination of small ailerons at the tip of the wings and spoilers along with clipped wings which only slightly reduced the plane's turning capability. It also wears large double slotted flaps designed to decrease speed for carrier operations.

The powerful Arsenal 12H (which was a copy of the Junkers Jumo 213) allows the plane to get to a very high top speed at around 8,000 m and gives it brutal speed in a dive.

The plane is also made entirely out of metal, which allows it to take some punishment from enemy fighters.

The Narval is an exceptional interceptor, however due to its ability to mount either 2 x 1,000 lb bombs or 8 x T10 151 AP rockets, it can also make an effective strike fighter.

If going the interceptor route, you must climb to a high altitude in order to not only attack bombers, but make the most out of the 12H, where it performs the best.

On the flip side, if you are going for the strike fighter role, be aware that mounting rockets and bombs will throw the centre of gravity back, which worsens the already bad turn rate.

Manual Engine Control

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

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Very strong forward armament (6 x 20 mm MG 151s)
  • Plenty of ammo
  • Very high rip rate for a prop aircraft
  • Solid roll rate
  • 50 mm sloped bulletproof glass
  • The heavy weight gives it brutal acceleration in a dive at altitude and decent energy retention
  • Engine located at the back makes it less likely to be knocked out by bomber/attacker gunners or in a head-on attack
  • Gets an interceptor spawn, which allows gives it an opportunity to climb well above its opponents
  • Good visibility in the cockpit
  • All guns are mounted in the aircraft's nose, making them accurate and having little to no convergence

Cons:

  • During takeoff, pulling on the stick too early will damage the tail
  • Feels sluggish at low speeds due to the massive weight
  • Takes a bit of time to accelerate
  • Climbs rather slowly, even with air spawn, so enemies may still be able to out-climb the Narval
  • Poor turn-rate
  • Rather fragile wings
  • Wing sweep means that when you carry bombs, the centre of mass is thrown way back, affecting the already poor turn-rate

History

The Narval was a prototype twin-boom pusher Naval Fighter prototype created by Sud-Ouest (or SNCASO) during the late 1940s. It was to be powered by an Arsenal 12H02 V-12 which was a French postwar development of the Junkers Jumo 213 that famously powered the FW 190D series. The 12H would make a max 2,250 Hp that would power contra-rotating pusher propellers and could propel the Narval to 730 km/h (454 mph) at 8,000 m. The Narval also would've been armed with 6 x 20 mm cannons mounted vertically on the cheeks, with 3 on each cheek and hard points that could mount 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) of ordnance were placed under the wings. Because the 12H02 was tuned for high altitudes and had a turbo-supercharger, it likely would've been used as a High Altitude Bomber Interceptor, but due to the hard points, it could've also been used as a Strike Fighter, which gives it a similar role to the famed Republic P-47 Thunderbolt; a Strike Fighter/Interceptor.

However, only two prototypes were created, and the development of the Narval was abandoned by 1950 since the design was already obsolescent due to the advancements in jet engine technology. Even if SNASCO had continued development for the Narval, it is likely that it wouldn't have been accepted due to the cost of producing the plane, the massive weight (7 tonnes!) and the unorthodox design.

Media

Skins
Videos

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


SNCA SO (Société nationale des constructions aéronautiques du sud-ouest)
Fighters  S.O.8000 Narval
Jet Fighters  S.O.4050 Vautour IIN (late)
Jet Bombers  S.O.4050 Vautour IIA · S.O.4050 Vautour IIB · S.O.4050 Vautour IIN
Export  Vautour IIA IDF/AF · Vautour IIA · Vautour IIN

France fighters
Dewoitine  D.371 · D.371 H.S.9 · D.373 · D.500 · D.501 · Pallier's D.510 · D.520
Morane-Saulnier  M.S.405C1 · M.S.406C1 · M.S.410
Arsenal  V.G.33C-1
Bloch  M.B.152C1 · M.B.157
Caudron  C.R.714
Sud-Ouest  S.O.8000 Narval
American  H-75A-1 · H-75A-4 · ▄P-39Q-25 · ▄P-40F-5 Lafayette · ▄P-47D-22-RE · ▄P-63C-5 · F-6C-10-NA
  ▄F6F-5 · ▄F6F-5N · F4U-7 · ▄F8F-1B
Other countries  ▄Seafire LF Mk.III · ▄Yak-3 · Challe's ▄Yak-9T · NC.900
Belgium  ▄Gladiator Mk I · ▄Spitfire FR Mk XIVe
Netherlands  ▄Sea Fury FB 51

France premium aircraft
Fighters  D.371 H.S.9 · Pallier's D.510 · ▄P-39Q-25 · ▄P-40F-5 Lafayette · ▄P-47D-22-RE · F-6C-10-NA
  M.B.152C1 · ▄Yak-3 · Challe's ▄Yak-9T · NC.900 · S.O.8000 Narval
Jet fighters  ▄Sea Hawk Mk.50 · Milan · Mirage F1C-200
Strike aircraft  ▄AD-4NA · F-84F IAF
Bombers  Late 298D · ▄PBY-5A Late
Jet bombers  Vautour IIA IDF/AF · S.O.4050 Vautour IIN