Sea Gladiator Mk I

Sea Gladiator Mk I

Nimrod Mk II

Sea Gladiator Mk I

Nimrod Mk II

Britain

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
1.0	1.0	1.0

Class:

Fighter

Naval aircraft

Research:4 000

Purchase:2 100

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This page is about the British naval fighter Sea Gladiator Mk I. For other versions, see Gladiator (Family).

Description

The Sea Gladiator Mk I is a rank I British naval fighter with a battle rating of 1.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.49 "Weapons of Victory".

The Sea Gladiator Mk. I is the last of the Fleet Air Arm biplane naval fighters and, as the name suggests, is a naval modification of the regular Gladiator seen in the RAF tech tree. As a result, its handling characteristics are very similar to said plane type.

General info

Flight performance

Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.

Characteristics
Stock
Max Speed (km/h at 4,420 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
400	384	10211	16.8	17.9	13.1	13.1	232
Upgraded
Max Speed (km/h at 4,420 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
430	414	10211	15.2	16.0	18.6	15.7	232

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear
X	✓	✓	X	✓

Limits
Wing-break speed (km/h)	Gear limit (km/h)	Combat flaps (km/h)	Max Static G
			+	-
		520	~11	~5

Optimal velocities
Ailerons (km/h)	Rudder (km/h)	Elevators (km/h)	Radiator (km/h)
< 240	< 180	< 330	> 190

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
4,100 m	810 hp	850 hp

Survivability and 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.

Armaments

Offensive armament

The Sea Gladiator Mk I is armed with:

• 2 x 7.7 mm Browning .303 machine guns, fuselage-mounted (600 rpg = 1,200 total)
• 2 x 7.7 mm Browning .303 machine guns, wing-mounted (400 rpg = 800 total)

Usage in battles

At rank I with a battle rating of 1.0 (AB/RB/SB), this plane will typically be one of the first fighters a new player will research. However, the Sea Gladiator, like its land-based cousin, may be difficult to seek success in, especially in Realistic Battles mode. Within RB, when up-tiering comes into play, it will have to deal with not only biplane adversaries such as the CR.42, F3F and the very manoeuvrable Ki-10, but also more advanced fighters such as the P-40E, Bf 109s, I-16s, and Ki-43s. All these plane types have several varying advantages against the Sea Gladiator, which can make early grinding a bit unbearable for some players.

The Sea Gladiator in-flight (default camouflage)

There are a couple of issues with the Gladiator, all of which can make it an easy target at times:

• Its power plant configuration, which includes a three-blade fixed-pitch propeller, can make the Gladiator a slug in acceleration and climb. In flight testing the Gladiator can usually only sustain at most around 3,000 fpm (roughly 15 m/s) in a climb at around 180-200 km/h (111-124 mph) indicated airspeed, and its top speed isn't great either (at sea level it can only manage around 335 km/h, and testing has yielded 396 km/h at 4,000 m altitude).
• The Sea Gladiator manoeuvres well. However, it bleeds a lot of speed in sharp turns, and while its turn radius is good enough to shake off reserve planes, the loss of speed can make the plane a slower and henceforth more vulnerable target to any other enemy planes in the area. Using flaps does help a bit with decreasing the amount of speed lost in a turn, but it is not beneficial enough to allow for minimal loss of speed. And like most early British fighters, it hates high speeds in dives.

However, the Sea Gladiator has four 7.7 mm (.303) Browning machine guns with a total of 2,000 rounds on hand. The Gladiator's four Browning armament can come in handy at times - when equipped with tracer belts, the plane is capable of taking down even the fiercest of opponents if you play your cards right. A good approach to combat is to attempt to side climb as much as you can on any given map, then use your altitude advantage and turn advantage wisely.

The Sea Gladiator is outclassed by most of the fighters it comes across. It is inferior in manoeuvrability to the F3F, I-16 and Ki-43, in speed to the 109s, P-40 and CR.42, and in armament to the Bf 109E-3 and P-40E.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Controllable	Not controllable Not auto controlled	Not controllable Not auto controlled	Not controllable Not auto controlled	Separate	Not controllable 1 gear	Not controllable

Modules

Tier	Flight performance		Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage repair	Radiator		Offensive 7 mm
II		Compressor	Airframe	New 7 mm MGs
III	Wings repair	Engine
IV		Engine injection	Cover

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Armament is equal to or better than other fighters in its BR class
• Good manoeuvrability in a turn
• Tracer belts, like all other planes fitted with Browning machine guns, can be deadly
• Has flaps, unlike most other biplane fighters

Cons:

• Sluggish in acceleration and top speed (fixed-pitch propeller can emphasise this problem)
• Performance deficiencies can make it an easy target for experienced or more difficult adversaries
• Not the best climber
• Bleeds speed in turns, even when using flaps

The Sea Gladiator taking off from a carrier

History

The Gloster Sea Gladiator was, as the name suggests, a naval modification of the Gladiator biplane fighter in use by the Royal Air Force (RAF). Ninety-eight Sea Gladiators were completed: 38 "interim" airframes modified from the existing Gladiator Mk II production line (serial numbers N2265 – N2302), and 60 purpose-built airframes (serial numbers N5500 – N5549 and N5565 – N5574); differences from the Gladiator Mk IIs in service with the RAF included the planes being fitted with catapult attachment points and a tail hook, the airframe being strengthened to withstand carrier landings, and a dinghy lifeboat being made mountable to the underbelly of the plane. As with the Gladiator Mk II it was based off, the Sea Gladiator was powered by a nine-cylinder Bristol Mercury VIIA radial engine rated at 840 hp and mated to a three-blade Fairey metal fixed pitch propeller, and armed with four 7.7-millimeter (.303) Browning machine guns. 54 Sea Gladiators were still in service with the Fleet Air Arm by the time Britain declared war on Germany in September 1939.

Sea Gladiators saw service in the Atlantic aboard Royal Navy carriers, and in the Mediterranean theater during the Siege of Malta.

Media

The Shooting Range #40 - Pages of History section at 05:13 discusses the Gladiator.

See also

• English Wikipedia article on the Gladiator (all variants)
  
• War Thunder live camouflages for the Sea Gladiator

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• encyclopedia page on the aircraft;
• other literature.