Difference between revisions of "F-86F-30 (China)"
m (→Suspended armament) |
(→Description) |
||
| (One intermediate revision by one other user not shown) | |||
| Line 11: | Line 11: | ||
== Description == | == 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.'' --> | <!-- ''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}}''' is a | + | After the end of the Korean War, many American F-86 Sabres were placed into surplus reserves. After more advanced fighters came into service, US Sabres were then exported to various other countries. The Republic of China was one of the many countries that received a large number of Sabres. The RoC received over 300 F-86Fs and a significant number were upgraded to the F-40 standard. Sabres and MiG aircraft would soon duel again. In the late 1950s, the Chinese Communist mainland and the Nationalists fought and many dogfights ensued. RoC Sabres had relatively good success against the MiGs and would soon receive the new AIM-9 Sidewinder; a guided missile that could home in on heat sources. |
| + | |||
| + | Introduced in [[Update 1.91 "Night Vision"]], the '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a good subsonic fighter jet. It has relatively good manoeuvrability and an excellent top speed of just over 1,100 km/h (683 mph). The F-86F-30 also has an excellent roll rate and is superior to many of the jets it will face. The F-30 comes armed with six 12.7 mm M3 machine guns which boast a higher rate of fire over the M2 Browning machine guns. However, they are still .50 calibre guns and players should expect to fire many rounds into an enemy to down them. The F-30 Sabre can carry an assortment of bombs and rockets. Although, since the F-30 is the earlier version, it doesn't get access to the [[AIM-9B Sidewinder]] which is present in the [[F-86F-40 (China)|F-40 Sabre]]. Nonetheless, the F-86F-30 is still an impressive single-engine fighter with overall good attributes. | ||
== General info == | == General info == | ||
Latest revision as of 08:27, 9 October 2023
| This page is about the Chinese jet fighter F-86F-30 (China). For other versions, see F-86 (Family). |
.jpg)
Contents
Description
After the end of the Korean War, many American F-86 Sabres were placed into surplus reserves. After more advanced fighters came into service, US Sabres were then exported to various other countries. The Republic of China was one of the many countries that received a large number of Sabres. The RoC received over 300 F-86Fs and a significant number were upgraded to the F-40 standard. Sabres and MiG aircraft would soon duel again. In the late 1950s, the Chinese Communist mainland and the Nationalists fought and many dogfights ensued. RoC Sabres had relatively good success against the MiGs and would soon receive the new AIM-9 Sidewinder; a guided missile that could home in on heat sources.
Introduced in Update 1.91 "Night Vision", the ␗F-86F-30 Sabre is a good subsonic fighter jet. It has relatively good manoeuvrability and an excellent top speed of just over 1,100 km/h (683 mph). The F-86F-30 also has an excellent roll rate and is superior to many of the jets it will face. The F-30 comes armed with six 12.7 mm M3 machine guns which boast a higher rate of fire over the M2 Browning machine guns. However, they are still .50 calibre guns and players should expect to fire many rounds into an enemy to down them. The F-30 Sabre can carry an assortment of bombs and rockets. Although, since the F-30 is the earlier version, it doesn't get access to the AIM-9B Sidewinder which is present in the F-40 Sabre. Nonetheless, the F-86F-30 is still an impressive single-engine fighter with overall good attributes.
General info
Flight performance
| Characteristics | Max Speed (km/h at 0 m - sea level) |
Max altitude (metres) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (metres/second) |
Take-off run (metres) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | |||
| Stock | 1,095 | 1,089 | 14700 | 24.7 | 25.9 | 38.8 | 35.9 | 750 |
| Upgraded | 1,115 | 1,106 | 23.6 | 24.0 | 56.5 | 46.7 | ||
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 | + | - | ||
| 1,170 | 350 | 590 | 550 | 350 | ~11 | ~6 |
| Optimal velocities (km/h) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ailerons | Rudder | Elevators | Radiator |
| < 850 | < 600 | < 650 | N/A |
Engine performance
| Engine | Aircraft mass | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine name | Number | Empty mass | Wing loading (full fuel) | |||
| General Electric J47-GE-27 | 1 | 5,430 kg | 239 kg/m2 | |||
| Engine characteristics | Mass with fuel (no weapons load) | Max Takeoff Weight | ||||
| Weight (each) | Type | 7m fuel | 20m fuel | 26m fuel | ||
| 900 kg | Axial-flow turbojet | 5,787 kg | 6,429 kg | 6,726 kg | 9,530 kg | |
| Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB / SB) | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (100%) | |||||
| Condition | 100% | WEP | 7m fuel | 20m fuel | 26m fuel | MTOW |
| Stationary | 2,626 kgf | N/A | 0.45 | 0.41 | 0.39 | 0.28 |
| Optimal | 2,626 kgf (0 km/h) |
N/A | 0.45 | 0.41 | 0.39 | 0.28 |
Survivability and armour
- 6.35 mm steel - in front of cockpit
- 12.7 mm steel - behind pilot
- 38 mm steel - armoured windscreen
- 20 mm steel pilot's headrest
Modifications and economy
| Flight performance | Survivability | Weaponry | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Armaments
Offensive armament
The F-86F-30 (China) is armed with:
- 6 x 12.7 mm M3 Browning machine guns, nose-mounted (300 rpg = 1,800 total)
Six 12.7 mm M3 Browning machine guns make up the F-86F-30's firepower by the sheer rate of fire rather than the damage potential of a single projectile. The six machine guns altogether can make even a half-second hit on an enemy plane crippling for the enemy's modules.
The 12.7 mm machine gun can also be quite versatile in Air RB, as the M3 Browning has enough penetration power with Default and Ground Target belts to destroy light pillboxes.
Suspended armament
The F-86F-30 (China) can be outfitted with the following ordnance:
- Without load
- 16 x HVAR rockets
- 2 x 750 lb M117 cone 45 bombs (1,500 lb total)
- 2 x 1,000 lb AN-M65A1 Fin M129 bombs (2,000 lb total)
The F-86F-30 can carry a small assortment of payloads. Though not inconsequentially small, the payloads do impact the F-86F-30's flight characteristics enough that it is not suggested to use them in a fighter role at all if equipped with ordnance.
Use rockets on battlefields with many lightly-armoured vehicles, while bombs against hard points like a well dug-in tank.
Usage in battles
- Air combat
While the F-86F-30's acceleration and top speed are lacking compared to its contemporaries, the F-86F-30's slats allow the plane to have an outstanding manoeuvrability. That said, one must beware of their speed as pulling high manoeuvres at high and max speed can put the plane under great stress which leads to the wings falling apart. The outstanding manoeuvrability comes at the cost of speed. Pulling hard turns will bleed your airspeed. Try to climb up before engaging the enemy to ensure you have enough energy to get out of a sticky situation. Hopefully, there will be a furball underneath you where you would be able to pounce on low-energy fighters with your guns. One advantage the F-86 has over the jets of other nations is the large ammo count of its six .50 cals (1,800 rounds), although it would be wise to hit most of your shoots. Try staying above 500 km/h as any slower and you would lose a significant amount of energy in a prolonged turn.
The tactics to use the F-86F-30 is very dependent on the enemies it faces and their energy state. An opponent travelling faster than the F-86F-30 should be countered utilizing the Sabre's turning and rolling rate to evade their attack run, hopefully overshooting for the F-86F-30 to take a shot. If encountering a slower jet, the F-86F-30 can attempt to Boom-N-Zoom them, gaining speed in a dive for the attack then climbing away if the enemy lives to prevent them getting a good shot off. For the latter scenario, beware if the enemy has missiles as they will attempt to reach out and attack the F-86F-30 if it climbs away without maneuvering. Most missiles at this stage would be the early versions like AIM-9B or R-3S that can be easily out-manoeuvred, but missiles from planes like the Sea Vixen F.A.W. Mk.2 or AV-8A that the F-86F-30 can encounter will be far more manoeuvrable and harder to dodge.
- Ground attack
The F-86F-30 has a respectable ordnance load of HVAR and 1,000 lb bombs for use against ground targets.
The bomb loadout suffers from the F-86F-30's setup to drop both bombs at the same time, meaning the two 1,000 lb bombs is only suitable for one attack attempt. Not only that, but there is no bomb aiming assist with the F-86F-30, so it is only up to the player's skills and intuition to get the bomb right onto their target. However, if the player is able to land two 1,000 lb bombs onto their desired target, there is very little chance an armoured target like a tank will survive the explosion.
If players wish to engage multiple different ground targets in the same sortie, the HVAR loadout is the one to take. The rockets are fired individually, meaning players have 16 attempts to neutralize their desired targets with HVAR. HVAR's effect on armored targets is rather limited due to the limited penetration outside of vulnerable locations like the roof armour. The HVAR does excel against soft-skinned targets, meaning they are perfect for use in Air RB against soft targets like armoured cars, howitzers, or AA guns, as well as light tanks, armoured cars, and certain SPAAs in Ground RB.
Radars
The F-86F-30 is equipped with an AN/APG-30 rangefinding radar, located in the nose of the aircraft. It will automatically detect other planes within the scanning area and display the range to the closest target. It is linked with a gyro gunsight and can help with aiming at close range.
| AN/APG-30 - Rangefinding radar | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum Tracking Range |
Minimum Tracking Range |
Azimuth Tracking Angle |
Elevation Tracking Angle |
| 2,750 m | 300 m | ±9° | ±9° |
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Clear cockpit view for simulator battle
- Decent turn time for jet
- Good acceleration
- Decent armament 12.7 mm M3 with a high rate of fire
- Can carry bombs or rockets
- Decent radar
Cons:
- Easy to rip off the wings with high-speed manoeuvres (realistic and simulator battles)
- This plane fights against jets with afterburners and missiles
- High firing rate means the large ammo amount for armament equates to only 15-second burst
History
The Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF) was one of the many nations to use surplus F-86 Sabre jet-fighters. Between December 1954 to June 1961, the ROCAF received 160 surplus American F-86F-1 to F-86F-30 aircraft, and by 1958, the ROCAF possessed 320 such aircraft. The aircraft would engage in air combat with Chinese MiGs over the Taiwan Strait during the Taiwan Strait crisis of 1958. Additionally, ROCAF Sabres were among the first aircraft to be equipped with AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, which were used with devastating effectiveness against Chinese MiGs during the Taiwan Strait Crisis.
Following the end of the Chinese Civil War, the ROCAF received the F-86F series jet fighter from the United States, being surplus USAF airframes. The ROCAF received 160 airframes between December of 1954 to June of 1956, with further aircraft delivered afterwards contributing to a total of 320 F-86F aircraft. These aircraft were mostly upgraded to F-86F-40 standards. ROCAF F-86Fs engaged Communist MiG-15s and MiG-17s during the 1958 Taiwan Strait Crisis. During the crisis, Communist MiGs shot down or damaged 42 ROCAF aircraft but lost 15 of their own.
However, the Taiwanese F-86F introduced a new weapon to the realm of aerial warfare - air-to-air missiles. In 1958, under Operation Black Magic, the United States equipped Taiwanese F-86Fs with the newly-developed AIM-9 Sidewinder. Each aircraft was fitted with two Sidewinders on underwing launch racks, which were used with considerable success against Chinese MiGs over the Taiwan Strait. ROCAF F-86Fs were the first aircraft to fire the missile in combat and achieved the first air-to-air missile kills on September 24th 1958, when multiple MiG-17s were shot down using the new weapon.
The AIM-9 Sidewinder severely undermined the air superiority of the Chinese MiG-17s, which had better thrust-to-weight ratio, vertical performance and climb rate than the ROCAF F-86s. The AIM-9 changed this, as Sabre pilots could engage with Chinese MiGs without needing to reach a similar altitude. However, while the AIM-9's deployment was a considerable setback for the PLAAF, the situation changed when a Chinese MiG-17 returned to base with an unexploded AIM-9B lodged in its airframe. The missile was given to Soviet technicians, and subsequently reverse-engineered into the R-3 series of missiles.
Sabre in ROCAF
It's questionable if ROCAF received stock F-86F-40 or actually F-86F-30 with F-40 modification kits. The service history and combat history, including tales of firing Infrared guided air-to-air missiles would be covered in the page of ROCAF F-86F-40:
In-game plane details
The F-86F-30 depicted in-game is an F-86F-30-NA model with the serial number 52-4589.
52-4589 was issued to the 4th Fighter Wing towards the last weeks of the Korean War, flown by 1Lt Edwin Scariff from the 334th Fighter Squadron under the name JACKIE'S BOY with tail number "FU-589".[1] In 1954, 52-4589 was given to the Republic of China Air Force (RoCAF) renamed as F-86011 "011".[1][2][3] 52-4589 served in the No.17 squadron of the 5th Fighter Group,[3] which transitioned to using the F-86 in January 1955.[4]
Media
- Skins
See also
- Related development
- North American F-100 Super Sabre
- Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
- Dassault Super Mystère
- Grumman F9F Cougar
- Hawker Hunter
- Lavochkin La-15
- Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15
- Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17
- Saab J29 Tunnan
External links
References
- Citations
- Bibliography
- Baugher, Joseph F. "F-86F in Foreign Service." joebaugher.com, 05 NOV 1999, Website.
- Li, Jordan. Harder Than Climbing to Heaven: Fighter Aviation in the Republic of China Air Force (1928-1994). California Polytechnic State University, March 2019.
- Rose, Scott. "North American F-86F Sabre - 52-4305 to 52-5530." Forgotten Jets - A Warbirds Resource Group Site, 2018, Website.
- Thompson, Warren. F-86 Sabre Aces of the 4th Fighter Wing. Osprey Publishing Limited, 2006.
- Yocum, Eric. "RoCAF F-86 Sabres Database" Yocum USA - Sweet Rose, 2017, Website.
| North American Aviation | |
|---|---|
| Fighters | |
| P-51A | P-51 · P-51A |
| P-51C | P-51C-10 |
| P-51D | P-51D-5 · P-51D-10 · P-51D-20-NA · P-51D-30 |
| P-51H | P-51H-5-NA |
| Twin-engine fighters | F-82E |
| Jet fighters | F-86A-5 · F-86F-2 · F-86F-25 · F-86F-35 · F-100D |
| Strike aircraft | A-36 · PBJ-1H · PBJ-1J |
| FJ-4B · FJ-4B VMF-232 | |
| Bombers | B-25J-1 · B-25J-20 |
| Export/Licence | ▂B-25J-30 · ␗B-25J-30 |
| ▄Mustang Mk IA · F-6C-10-NA · ␗P-51C-11-NT · ␗P-51D-20 · J26 David · J26 · P-51D-20-NA · ␗P-51K | |
| F-86F-30 ▅ · ␗F-86F-30 · F-86F-40 ▅ · F-86F-40 JASDF▅ · ␗F-86F-40 | |
| ◄F-86K · ▄F-86K (Italy) · ▄F-86K (France) | |
| ␗F-100A · ▄F-100D · ␗F-100F | |
| Captured | ▅P-51C-11-NT |
| Canadair Limited license-built the F-86 as the CL-13 for use in Canada and export to Europe. | |
| Fiat license-built the F-86K for the Italian Air Force though another 120 NAA built F-86Ks were also sold to the Italians. | |
| See Also | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries · Canadair Limited · Fiat Aviation |
| China jet aircraft | |
|---|---|
| Fighters | J-2 · J-4 · J-6A · J-7II · J-7D · J-7E · J-8B · J-8F · J-10A · J-11 · J-11A |
| Strike aircraft | Q-5 early · Q-5A · Q-5L · A-5C · JH-7A |
| Bombers | H-5 |
| American | ␗F-84G-21-RE · ␗F-84G-31-RE · ␗F-86F-30 · ␗F-86F-40 · ␗F-100A · ␗F-100F · ␗F-104A · ␗F-104G · ␗F-5A · ␗F-5E · ␗F-16A MLU |
| Soviet | ␗MiG-9 · ␗MiG-9 (l) |
| North Korea | Shenyang F-5 |
| Pakistan | JF-17 |
