View source for F4U-1C

{{About
| about = American naval fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = F4U (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=f4u-1c
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
|cockpit=cockpit_f4u-1c.jpg
}}

== Description ==
<!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of and the creation and combat usage of the aircraft, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the aircraft in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' was among one of the rarest variants of the F4U Corsair, with only ~200 made, and was the first Corsair to be armed with cannons. The 1C was essentially an F4U-1D with 4 x 20 mm Hispano guns and gave the aircraft a more potent armament against ground targets and aircraft. As good as the guns seemed on paper, in practice it was very different. American pilots found the guns unreliable and excessive against the lightly armoured Japanese aircraft. Many pilots preferred the M2 Browning machine guns due to their large ammo pool and reliability. Although the new guns made the F4U-1C more deadly, they came at the price of hampering performance with added weight.

The F4U-1C, which has been in War Thunder since the start of the Open Beta Test, is like many of the other Corsairs in-game when it comes to performance. It's incredibly fast and allows the Corsair to excel at Boom and Zoom tactics. With the addition of Hispano cannons, the F4U-1C will easily destroy enemy aircraft with a slight burst and is incredibly effective against ground targets. However, much like in real life, the Hispanos are prone to jamming when stock. Nonetheless, it is the lowest battle rating Corsair with cannons and sets it apart from every Corsair near its battle rating.

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}
<!-- ''Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.'' -->

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max speed<br>(km/h at 7,000 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude<br>(metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time<br>(seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb<br>(metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run<br>(metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 639 || 618 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 23.1 || 24.0 || 12.9 || 12.9 || rowspan="2" | 250
|-
! Upgraded
| 697 || 667 || 20.9 || 22.0 || 20.7 || 16.4
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear
|-
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || X || ✓     <!-- ✓ -->
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || 388 || 330 || 252 || ~11 || ~4
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 450 || < 450 || < 500 || > 450
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}
<!-- ''Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.'' -->

* 3 mm steel - above the front fuel tank
* 8 mm steel - behind pilot's body
* 12.7 mm steel - behind pilot's head
* 38 mm bulletproof glass - armoured windscreen

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

A major advantage of all US cannons are the default belts. They have the highest ratio of high-explosive shells of any tracer belts, only the stealth one is better in that regard.

This makes the ammunition upgrade unnecessary and allows for focused research on the performance upgrades.

As acceleration is one of this aircraft's flaws, initially researching "Compressor" and "Engine" will increase the ability of this aircraft to fly well.

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}
<!-- ''Describe the offensive armament of the aircraft, if any. Describe how effective the cannons and machine guns are in a battle, and also what belts or drums are better to use. If there is no offensive weaponry, delete this subsection.'' -->
{{main|AN/M2 (20 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* 4 x 20 mm AN/M2 cannons, wing-mounted (231 rpg = 924 total)

=== Suspended armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Suspended}}
<!-- ''Describe the aircraft's suspended armament: additional cannons under the wings, bombs, rockets and torpedoes. This section is especially important for bombers and attackers. If there is no suspended weaponry remove this subsection.'' -->
{{main|HVAR}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

* Without load
* 8 x HVAR rockets

== Usage in battles ==
<!-- ''Describe the tactics of playing in the aircraft, the features of using aircraft in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).'' -->
Loved by its pilots, hated by its enemies, the F4U-1C is an easy to use U.S. Navy fighter, with robust all-round specifications. The Corsair optimally performs with stealth ammunition loaded for best damage output, allowing an experienced pilot to take out several targets before returning to base and reloading. It is best to selectively aim for the most critical parts of an enemy plane if you want to maximise kill efficiency while you're in the sky. A few 20 mm shells to an enemy engine or cockpit will destroy their plane with a little luck. While this may seem easier said than done, diving onto your opponent is almost a guaranteed kill, and if you are unlucky, you still have an incredibly impressive dive speed under your belt to keep you from being a target. While flying this plane, like any U.S. fighter, you'll be in the most danger when you are 'floored' (at a low altitude), since your only escape is diving.

When facing mainly Japanese planes in Realistic Battles and Simulator Battles, do not turn with A6M5s and the like, but to use Boom and Zoom tactics.

The quadruple AN/M2 armament of the Corsair can prove surprisingly effective against all manner of enemy vehicles. Ground target belts will make short work of light armour, but even heavier tanks like the Panther can be dealt with if the pilot attacks the roof from a steep enough angle, though it may take several passes. Diving from one to two thousand metres, as close as possible to the vertical, and hosing down the enemy will reliably cause engine fires and potentially knock out some or all of the turret crew. Using the Corsair's energy retention to regain altitude allows the pilot to repeat this process many times. With enough practice, the F4U-1C's bottomless ammo reserve will allow you to disable or outright destroy several enemies on the ground while maintaining enough energy to take on any aircraft to come your way.

The F4U-1C is an excellent plane in all game modes, however, be aware of the very restrictive cockpit, which makes it extremely difficult to spot targets in Simulator Battles, especially those behind you.

=== Manual Engine Control ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | MEC elements
|-
! rowspan="2" | Mixer
! rowspan="2" | Pitch
! colspan="3" | Radiator
! rowspan="2" | Supercharger
! rowspan="2" | Turbocharger
|-
! Oil !! Water !! Type
|-
| Not controllable || Controllable<br>Auto control available || Controllable<br>Not auto controlled || Controllable<br>Not auto controlled || Separate || Controllable<br>3 gears || Not controllable
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===
<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->

'''Pros:'''

* Great firepower
* Great ammo reserves, >200 rpg
* Great energy retention
* Fast
* High dive speed
* Good turn time
* Reasonable rate of climb
* Can use the gear as makeshift airbrakes

'''Cons:'''

* Rather slow/sluggish acceleration
* No rear visibility in the cockpit
* Wings can rip at high-speed turns
* The recoil from the cannons will yank the nose down quite a bit
* Cannons are highly inaccurate to the point of uselessness unless upgraded

== History ==
<!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' -->
{{main|F4U (Family)|l1=History of the F4U Corsair}}

The F4U-1C was based on the F4U-1D. The F4U-1D Corsair was designed in order to meet the Navy's requirement for capable carrier-based fighter-bombers. To meet this need, the -1D incorporate a Pratt and Whitney R-2800-8W water injection engine, increasing the engine power and the plane's speed from that of the F4U-1A. This gave it the increased performance necessary to carry a larger armament. Two pylons were added to the center wing section, that could hold 154 gallon fuel tanks, bombs up to 1,000 lbs, or napalm bombs. Because of the ability to carry more fuel externally, the 63 gallon fuel tanks in the wing tips were removed. Later in production, the ability to carry four 5 in rockets under each wing was added. In addition, the propeller diameter was reduced from 13 ft 4 in to 13 ft 1 in.

The F4U-1C was basically the same as the F4U-1D, except in primary armament. The -1D had a primary armament of six .50 in machine guns, as was standard for most Corsair variants. The F4U-1C replaced the .50 in machine guns with four 20 mm cannons. When rocket tabs were added to the F4U-1D, they were also added to the F4U-1C. This allowed it to carry eight 5 in rockets, along with the bombs and/or fuel tanks. All of the F4U-1Cs were fitted with the smaller propeller, with a diameter of 13 ft 1 in, whereas the -1D did not change the propeller size until after production had already started.

{{break}}
{{Navigation-Start|{{Annotation|Archive of the in-game description|An archive of the historical description of the vehicle that was presented in-game prior to Update 1.55 'Royal Armour'}}}}
{{Navigation-First-Simple-Line}}
The Chance Vought F4U Le Corsaire. The F4U-1C "Corsair" was a single-seater, single-engine carrier-based fighter.

The unusual W-shaped wings of the F4U required propeller of a diameter of about four metres. Those were the biggest propellers ever used in a single-engine fighter. Therefore, a conventional wing would have required a significant extension of the landing gear, reducing their strength. So the Chance Vought designers decided to use a new wing design and keep the landing gear at a normal length. Wind tunnel tests proved the new wing design's effectiveness. To reduce weight and improve aerodynamics, the plane's design used spot welding.

In 1943, the F4U-1C variant was developed. It differed mainly from the F4U-1A in its armament: instead of six machine guns, the plane had four 20 mm cannons. Because of its low rate of fire, the new Corsair was used primarily to attack ground targets and for nighttime interceptions and took practically no part in aerial fighter combat.

The F4U-1C was produced on a relatively small scale. Only 200 were made.
{{Navigation-End}}

== Media ==
<!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' -->

;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=f4u-1c Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Images
<gallery mode="packed-hover" heights="200">
File:Reworked F4U-1C Model.jpg|<small>Reworked model of the {{PAGENAME}}</small>
</gallery>

== 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.'' -->

* [[F4U (Family)|F4U Family]]
** [[F4U-1A]]
** [[F4U-1D]]

== External links ==
<!--''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''-->

* [https://old-forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/325083-f4u-1ausmccd/ Official data sheet - more details about the performance]

=== References ===

;Bibliography

* "[https://www.jdsf4u.be/f4u-1c-vought-corsair F4U-1C Vought Corsair]", ''F4U Corsair - The Bent Wing Bird plane site'', Retrieved on 28 March 2020.
* "[https://www.jdsf4u.be/type-of-plane-f4u Types of Plane F4U - Variants]", ''F4U Corsair- The Bent Wing Bird plane site'', Retrieved on 28 March 2020.

{{AirManufacturer Vought}}
{{USA fighters}}