Difference between revisions of "F-4F (Germany)"

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== 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.'' -->
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The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German jet fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Red Skies"]].
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The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German jet fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Red Skies"]]. Famous, dreaded and almost mythical F-4 Phantom II in its F variant marks the end of Germany's line of NATO planes and provides strong air superiority fighter and supremely potent ground attacker to German pilots.
  
 
== General info ==
 
== General info ==
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{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}
 
{{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.'' -->
 
<!-- ''Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.'' -->
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''Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.''
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Equipped with twin MTU Aero J79-MTU-17A engines ( licensed copy of F-4E Phantom II engines), each providing 8010kp of thrust when spaded, F-4F provides solid performance at any altitude.  
  
 +
While not as fast climber as [[F-104G|its predecessor]], it can still climb incredibly well. Its acceleration is above average thanks to its twin egines. 
 +
 +
 F-4F also has incredible roll rate and thanks to its “Agile Eagle <nowiki>''</nowiki> upgrade and all flying tail, it can also pull high G maneuvers without any issues.
 +
 +
However, pilots should be aware, that while newfound agility of Phantom might tempt them to dogfight, they should still stick to Boom’n’Zoom tactics as F-4F is heavy, and any prolonged turning will bleed a lot of speed - and slow jet is a dead jet.
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
 
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
 
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
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{{Specs-Avia-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.'' -->
 
<!-- ''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.'' -->
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''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.''
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In terms of armor, there is no armored glass in the cockpit of F-4F, nor any relevant armor at any crucial part of the plane. There is an 8.5mm thick steel plate just below the forward fuel tank of the plane, but due to its size relative to the size of the plane, it might as well not be there at all. 
 +
 
 +
All fuel tanks are self sealing, but this is pretty much standard at this BR. Pilots should note that right behind the cockpit, the middle and back section of the plane is littered with modules - fuel tanks, engines, and traction of control surfaces are all tightly packed together and thus any hit to this part of the plane will cause critical damage to at least one component.
 +
 
 +
As regard to F-4F avionics, it is armed with Radar Warning Receiver (or RWR in short) from the get go and can unlock countermeasures launcher as tier I upgrade (which [[F-4F Early]] could not).
 +
 
 +
Countermeasures are either Flares or Chaff. Flares are crucial to defeating IR guided missiles, while Chaff confuses enemy radars. Pilots should note that since F-4F is equipped with two engines, its heat signature is enormous, especially with afterburner active; thus they need to turn afterburner off in order to successfully evade IR missile.
 +
 
 +
RWR issues a warning to the pilot when it detects active radar pulsing towards the player; this will be heard as beeps. It also warns pilots when their plane gets “radar locked” by continuous tone. It also displays the approximate position of active radar relative to the plane and highlights radar that achieved “radar lock”.
  
 
=== Modifications and economy ===
 
=== Modifications and economy ===
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== Armaments ==
 
== Armaments ==
 
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
 
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
 +
Pilots should start researching countermeasures from the get go, since it is almost impossible to dodge missiles such as Matra Magic without them. After that, pilots' focus should be on getting [[AIM-9J Sidewinder|AIM-9Js]], as those are F-4F strongest missiles and best weapon against enemy planes.
 +
 +
Order of modifications:
 +
 +
Countermeasures > AIM-9B FGW.2 > New boosters > AIM-9E > G-suit > Wings repair > AIM-9J
 +
 
=== Offensive armament ===
 
=== Offensive armament ===
 
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}
 
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}
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* 1 x 20 mm M61 cannon, chin-mounted (640 rpg)
 
* 1 x 20 mm M61 cannon, chin-mounted (640 rpg)
 +
 +
M61 is an excellent cannon at its rank, only disadvantages being short spool up time and limited ammo count relative to rate of fire.
 +
 +
Armed with anti-air belts for Air RB, even a short burst is fatal to any enemy aircraft; provided burst connects.
 +
 +
Cannon excels even in Ground RB armed with armor-piercing belts, giving it 53mm of penetration, which is enough to get through most SPAAs and light tanks armor and can even pierce the engine deck of T-90A.
 +
 +
Last thing to note is that trigger discipline is a must.
  
 
=== Suspended armament ===
 
=== Suspended armament ===
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* 2 x AGM-65B missiles + 4 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles
 
* 2 x AGM-65B missiles + 4 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles
 
* 2 x AGM-65B missiles + 4 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles
 
* 2 x AGM-65B missiles + 4 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles
 +
 +
'''M61 Gunpods''' - additional gunpods with M61 cannons, providing 1200 rounds per gun.These basically allow pilot to put a wall of lead between their plane and the enemy, however, they severely hamper planes flight performance.
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 +
'''Air to Air'''
 +
 +
'''AIM-9B FGW.2''' - Bravo version are F-4F stock missiles, should be used only until better options become available, as they are obsolete at this BR.
 +
 +
'''AIM-9E''' - first upgraded missiles available to F-4F, Echo Sidewinders provide much needed performance boost over the Bravo version. Better speed, better range and wider seeker window allow Echos to hit more reliably. Still, they retain its predecessor's poor G limit and should be used only as stop gap solution.
 +
 +
'''AIM-9J''' - Final upgrade available to F-4F, Juliett Sidewinders provide excellent performance and are the best Sidewinders available to German pilots. They can pull twice the G limit of its predecessors, are resistant to flares and can be radar slaved (which helps in high traffic airspace or when leading a target). These bad boys should be pilots' weapons of choice for engaging air targets.
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 +
'''Air to Ground'''
 +
 +
As F-4F is equipped with a ballistic computer, coupled with its ability to equip massive amounts of ordnance, F-4F can become an extremely potent ground attacker with ANY ground attack payload.
 +
 +
'''FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets''' - rockets commonly found on NATO helicopters, Mighty Mouse rockets provide solid performance against ground targets. Sporting 290mm of penetration, these can easily get through roof armor of most vehicles in game, though some ERA equipped tanks can survive few hits. While not having enough explosive mass to score kills with indirect hits, ballistic computers helps with their aiming and as F-4F can equip up to 285x of them, allowing pilots to compensate accuracy with quantity.  
 +
 +
'''Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets''' - basically Mighty Mouse rockets on steroids, Zunis are anti-everything tool. Their HEAT warhead provides up to 457mm of penetration and thanks to their explosive mass that equals to 8.91 kg of TNT, they can severely damage light targets with indirect hits. 
 +
 +
'''AGM-65B missiles''' - unique to the F-4F (in terms of German planes in general) are AGM-65Bs, more known as Mavericks. These are fire and forget anti-tank missiles with TV guidance and range of 6km. Their warheads can penetrate up to 830mm of armor. As they are fire and forget, they are great to use in contested airspace when compared to bombs, though F-4F can carry only 2x of them at once. 
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 +
'''Bombs''' - F-4F, being equipped with a ballistic computer, turns any bomb payload into a much more viable option. Turning on the ballistic computer allows pilot to use arcade style crosshairs, so any pilot is capable of hitting ground targets with laser-like accuracy.
 +
 +
F-4F is capable of carrying up to 24x bombs (when using 500lb. bombs) and these are dropped individually, allowing the player '''in theory to achieve a whopping 24 kills per payload''', thus completely wiping the enemy team from existence (In practise however, there will be enemy AA units, and F-4F carrying all that ordnance practically becomes a rock with wings). All bombs carried by F-4F are viable, so it is up to pilots personal preferences.
  
 
== Usage in battles ==
 
== 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).'' -->
 
<!-- ''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).'' -->
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''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).''
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'''Usage in battles:'''
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'''Ground battles'''
 +
 
 +
Most air to air combat in ground battles happen inside cannon range; thus it is not recommended to take Sidewinders to ground battles, and focus purely on CAS. 
 +
 
 +
As stated above, the F-4F is an extremely potent ground attacker. Since there are currently only two AA vehicles armed with IR missiles ([[PGZ04A]] and [[Type 93]]) in game, pilots should prioritise chaff when picking up countermeasures. Chaff helps with confusing enemy search and tracking radars, increasing probability of miss and thus increasing F-4F survivability. 
 +
 
 +
Flying high above the battlefield is ill advised, as this approach puts pilots in the killzone of most enemy SAMs.
 +
 
 +
Radar needs an unobstructed line of sight to work properly, so flying low and utilizing ground obstacles helps with plane survival. Pilots should approach the battlefield at low altitude and do a flyby over enemy spawn in order to determine whenever the enemy team has active AA or not. RWR helps with this task, but pilots should be of note that lack of active radar does not necessarily mean that there's no AA active; some skilled players turn off search radars in order to drawn out enemy air assets out of cover. If there's enemy AA, it needs to be taken out first.  Only then should pilot gain altitude necessary for ground attacks. If a pilot gets warning that radar lock has been achieved, he should immediately deploy chaff, start evasive maneuvers, and he should consider disengaging for the time being. 
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 +
Pilots should not be afraid to inform their teammates in chat while approaching the battlefield, as forward observers help immensely with locating enemy ground assets; F-4F working this way in tandem with squadmates on ground can turn the tide of battle in a matter of minutes. 
 +
 
 +
'''Air to Air battles'''
 +
 
 +
Generally speaking, pilots should always try to stick to their teammates. While F-4Fs agility might be tempting , due to its weight, it bleeds speed a lot. Dogfighting a single plane might be doable, but doing so often leaves F-4F in low energy state and thus extremely vulnerable. Pilots also tend to tunnel vision on a single enemy, thus exposing themselves to other enemy planes; teammates can provide much needed cover in this scenario, allowing pilots to survive longer. 
 +
 
 +
As for fuel load, F-4F performs best when afterburner is activated - but pilots should be aware that afterburner devours a lot of fuel. Thus it is not advised to take lighter fuel loads; pilots should take either 20 or 28 minutes load, depending on how much they plan to be active.
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 +
At the start of the game, pilots should first accelerate to a speed of 1000-11000km/h, then climb to around 3km height, and head towards the battlefield. As F-4F is not armed with SAHR missiles, climbing higher is ill advised, as higher altitudes tend to be dominated by planes equipped with SAHR missiles - those don't need rear aspect to achieve lock, as they use radar guidance and thus they can lock onto enemies from front and side. <blockquote>''SAHR missiles need continuous radar lock of enemy planes in order to score a hit; older radars (those without look down/shoot down ability) tend to pick up a lot of clutter (reflection of radar waves from the ground) when aimed towards ground. This means older radars lose their lock when aiming at the enemy that is below them, significantly reducing SAHR missile effectiveness.'' </blockquote>By simply staying lower than SAHR equipped enemies, pilots should be relatively safe (as long as they keep situational awareness). On top of that, pilots can equip chaff as another layer of protection against SAHR missiles. 
 +
 
 +
Pilots should not turn fight and instead stick to boom’n’zoom tactics. Luckily, thanks to excellent AIM-9Js, F-4F doesn't need to turn fight in most cases. Optimal launch range is from 1 to 3km - closer and missile might not be able to keep track, farther and missile might run out of fuel before reaching its target. <blockquote>''Missile range is dependent on several factors - speed of launching plane, speed of targeted plane, their mutual distance, amount of maneuvering missile needs to do and speed and/or height advantage of launching plane. Generally speaking, missile traveling in a straight line will have better range than maneuvering missile. Also, missile launched from higher altitude and with initial speed advantage will also have better range.'' </blockquote>As for evading missiles, it depends on distance and type of missile launched. It is not advised to pull high G maneuvers when the missile is launched outside 3.5km range, as the missile still has time and energy to correct itself before impact, while the target plane just bleeds all of its energy and is left defenseless.
 +
 
 +
Missiles launched at 3 - 3.5km range or greater can be dodged without need for high G maneuvers - simply performing F-pole while going fast is often enough to defeat them (to perform F-pole, pilot first turns 45° either left or right, and continues in that direction for one to two seconds, then turns 45° or more in the opposite direction); this maneuver does not waste precious countermeasures nor energy. Of course, pilots can also turn off the afterburner and deploy flares as another layer of protection.
 +
 
 +
Missiles launched below 3km require different tactics. As most modern missiles can pull 20 Gs or more, pilots need to get as many countermeasures as they can between them and incoming missile; this often requires combination with high G evasive maneuvers, as countermeasures are not 100% guarantee and a missile that locked onto countermeasures might still continue in its path and hit an escaping plane. 
 +
 
 +
If pilots need to counter ground based AA, the best tactic is to break line of sight; by either flying behind cover such as mountains or flying close to the ground. 
 +
 
 +
'''Specific enemies worth mentioning:'''
 +
 
 +
[[Mirage IIIE|'''Mirages''']]''', [[F-5C|F-5s]] and [[J35D|J-35s]]:''' While F-4F thanks to its Agile Eagle upgrade can get these planes in its crosshair, they are more than capable to out turn F-4F in prolonged turns. On top of that, Mirage is armed with a dreaded [[Matra R550 Magic 1|Magic]] AAM that is capable of pulling 30 Gs.
 +
 
 +
'''[[MiG-21 (Family)|Mig-21]]<nowiki/>s:''' Same case as above; Most of these planes are armed with [[R-60]] AAM, capable of pulling 30 Gs. 
 +
 
 +
'''[[F-4E Phantom II|F-4E Phantom IIs]], [[F-4EJ Phantom II|F-4EJ]] and [[Phantom FG.1|Phantoms FGR.1]] and [[Phantom FGR.2|2]]''': While these planes offer similar flight performance, they are armed with [[AIM-7E Sparrow|SAHR]] missiles, and thus have significant advantage while fighting at high altitudes.
  
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
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<!-- ''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".'' -->
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<!-- ''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:'''
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''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".''
 
  
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'''Pros:'''
+
* Best NATO jet aviable in German tech tree
 +
* Best Sidewinders aviable in German tech tree
 +
* Same flight performance as dreaded american F-4E Phantom II
 +
* Potent ground attacker
 +
* Unique AGM-65B Maverick fire and forget missiles
 +
* Unlike its main competitors (▀MiG-21MF and F-4F Early), has acces to both RWR and countermeasures
  
 
*
 
*
  
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
 +
 +
* Heavy, bleeds speed a lot in turns
 +
* Lacks SAHR missiles
 +
* Pure CAS loadout reduces flight performance
 +
* Big size, presents giant target
 +
* Limited ammunition for its internal cannon
  
 
*
 
*

Revision as of 23:10, 2 July 2021

Rank 7 USA
F-5C Pack
◄F-4F
f-4f_late.png
GarageImage F-4F (Germany).jpg
◄F-4F
Germany flag.png Germany
VII Rank
Battle rating:
AB RB SB
11.3 11.0 10.7
Class:
Research:300 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:830 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

The ◄F-4F Phantom II is a rank VII German jet fighter with a battle rating of 11.3 (AB), 11.0 (RB), and 10.7 (SB). It was introduced in Update "Red Skies". Famous, dreaded and almost mythical F-4 Phantom II in its F variant marks the end of Germany's line of NATO planes and provides strong air superiority fighter and supremely potent ground attacker to German pilots.

General info

Flight performance

Arrestor gear
Accelerates braking by grabbing the brake cable on the deck of the aircraft carrier
Air brakes
Allows you to dramatically reduce the flight speed by releasing special flaps
Drogue parachute
Reduces braking distance when landing on any runway
Max speed
at 12 192 m2 140 km/h
Turn time26 s
Max altitude16 000 m
Engine2 х MTU Aero Engines J79-MTU-17A
TypeJet
Cooling systemAir
Take-off weight24 t

Equipped with twin MTU Aero J79-MTU-17A engines ( licensed copy of F-4E Phantom II engines), each providing 8010kp of thrust when spaded, F-4F provides solid performance at any altitude.  

While not as fast climber as its predecessor, it can still climb incredibly well. Its acceleration is above average thanks to its twin egines. 

 F-4F also has incredible roll rate and thanks to its “Agile Eagle '' upgrade and all flying tail, it can also pull high G maneuvers without any issues.

However, pilots should be aware, that while newfound agility of Phantom might tempt them to dogfight, they should still stick to Boom’n’Zoom tactics as F-4F is heavy, and any prolonged turning will bleed a lot of speed - and slow jet is a dead jet.

Characteristics Max Speed
(km/h at 12,192 m) 		Max altitude
(metres) 		Turn time
(seconds) 		Rate of climb
(metres/second) 		Take-off run
(metres)
AB RB AB RB AB RB
Stock 2,066 2,020 16000 26.5 27.8 162.3 152.4 850
Upgraded ___ ___ __._ __._ __._ __._

Details

Features
Combat flaps Take-off flaps Landing flaps Air brakes Arrestor gear Drogue chute
✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Limits
Wings (km/h) Gear (km/h) Flaps (km/h) Max Static G
Combat Take-off Landing + -
1458 463 607 583 463 ~11 ~4
Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons Rudder Elevators Radiator
< 810 < 750 < 700 N/A

Engine performance

Engine Aircraft mass
Engine name Number Basic mass Wing loading (full fuel)
MTU Aero Engines J79-MTU-17A 2 14,375 kg 398 kg/m2
Engine characteristics Mass with fuel (no weapons load) Max Takeoff
Weight
Weight (each) Type 8m fuel 20m fuel 27m fuel
1,724 kg Afterburning axial-flow turbojet 15,941 kg 18,196 kg 19,595 kg 24,000 kg
Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB/SB) Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (WEP)
Condition 100% WEP 8m fuel 20m fuel 27m fuel MTOW
Stationary 5,200 kgf 8,008 kgf 1.00 0.88 0.82 0.67
Optimal 5,200 kgf
(0 km/h) 		10,170 kgf
(1,400 km/h) 		1.28 1.12 1.04 0.85

Survivability and armour

Flares/Chaff
Aircraft countermeasures to distract IR and radar-guided missiles and also AA radar
Crew2 people
Speed of destruction
Structural1 458 km/h
Gear463 km/h

In terms of armor, there is no armored glass in the cockpit of F-4F, nor any relevant armor at any crucial part of the plane. There is an 8.5mm thick steel plate just below the forward fuel tank of the plane, but due to its size relative to the size of the plane, it might as well not be there at all. 

All fuel tanks are self sealing, but this is pretty much standard at this BR. Pilots should note that right behind the cockpit, the middle and back section of the plane is littered with modules - fuel tanks, engines, and traction of control surfaces are all tightly packed together and thus any hit to this part of the plane will cause critical damage to at least one component.

As regard to F-4F avionics, it is armed with Radar Warning Receiver (or RWR in short) from the get go and can unlock countermeasures launcher as tier I upgrade (which F-4F Early could not).

Countermeasures are either Flares or Chaff. Flares are crucial to defeating IR guided missiles, while Chaff confuses enemy radars. Pilots should note that since F-4F is equipped with two engines, its heat signature is enormous, especially with afterburner active; thus they need to turn afterburner off in order to successfully evade IR missile.

RWR issues a warning to the pilot when it detects active radar pulsing towards the player; this will be heard as beeps. It also warns pilots when their plane gets “radar locked” by continuous tone. It also displays the approximate position of active radar relative to the plane and highlights radar that achieved “radar lock”.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB2 949 → 3 984 Sl icon.png
RB9 174 → 12 394 Sl icon.png
SB8 845 → 11 949 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications276 800 Rp icon.png
435 000 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost2 900 Ge icon.png
Crew training240 000 Sl icon.png
Experts830 000 Sl icon.png
Aces3 000 Ge icon.png
Research Aces1 140 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
100 / 320 / 600 % Sl icon.png
238 / 238 / 238 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Flight performance Survivability Weaponry
Mods jet compressor.png
Compressor
Research:
8 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
14 000 Sl icon.png
360 Ge icon.png
Mods booster.png
New boosters
Research:
12 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
19 000 Sl icon.png
490 Ge icon.png
Mods aerodinamic wing.png
Wings repair
Research:
11 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
17 000 Sl icon.png
450 Ge icon.png
Mods jet engine.png
Engine
Research:
14 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
22 000 Sl icon.png
570 Ge icon.png
Mods aerodinamic fuse.png
Fuselage repair
Research:
8 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
14 000 Sl icon.png
360 Ge icon.png
Mods armor frame.png
Airframe
Research:
12 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
19 000 Sl icon.png
490 Ge icon.png
Mods g suit.png
G-suit
Research:
11 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
17 000 Sl icon.png
450 Ge icon.png
Mods armor cover.png
Cover
Research:
14 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
22 000 Sl icon.png
570 Ge icon.png
Mods ammo.png
M60_belt_pack
Research:
8 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
14 000 Sl icon.png
360 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods heli false thermal targets.png
Flares/Chaff
Research:
8 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
14 000 Sl icon.png
360 Ge icon.png
Mods pilon bomb.png
Mk82
Research:
8 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
14 000 Sl icon.png
360 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods pilon block rocket.png
LAU-3/A
Research:
8 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
14 000 Sl icon.png
360 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 1.png
Mods weapon.png
M60_new_gun
Research:
12 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
19 000 Sl icon.png
490 Ge icon.png
Mods pilon bomb.png
M117
Research:
12 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
19 000 Sl icon.png
490 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods air to air missile.png
AIM-9B FGW.2
Research:
12 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
19 000 Sl icon.png
490 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods gunpods.png
Gun pod SUU-23/A.
Research:
11 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
17 000 Sl icon.png
450 Ge icon.png
Mods pilon bomb.png
Mk83
Research:
11 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
17 000 Sl icon.png
450 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods pilon block rocket large.png
LAU-10/A
Research:
11 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
17 000 Sl icon.png
450 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods air to air missile.png
AIM-9E
Research:
11 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
17 000 Sl icon.png
450 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods pilon bomb.png
Mk84
Research:
14 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
22 000 Sl icon.png
570 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow right 0.png
Mods pilon bomb.png
Mk118
Research:
14 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
22 000 Sl icon.png
570 Ge icon.png
Mods pilon bomb.png
Mk84
Research:
14 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
22 000 Sl icon.png
570 Ge icon.png
40px
AGM-65B
Research:
14 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
22 000 Sl icon.png
570 Ge icon.png
Mods air to air missile.png
AIM-9J
Research:
14 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
22 000 Sl icon.png
570 Ge icon.png

Armaments

Pilots should start researching countermeasures from the get go, since it is almost impossible to dodge missiles such as Matra Magic without them. After that, pilots' focus should be on getting AIM-9Js, as those are F-4F strongest missiles and best weapon against enemy planes.

Order of modifications:

Countermeasures > AIM-9B FGW.2 > New boosters > AIM-9E > G-suit > Wings repair > AIM-9J

Offensive armament

Main article: M61 (20 mm)

The F-4F (Germany) is armed with:

  • 1 x 20 mm M61 cannon, chin-mounted (640 rpg)

M61 is an excellent cannon at its rank, only disadvantages being short spool up time and limited ammo count relative to rate of fire.

Armed with anti-air belts for Air RB, even a short burst is fatal to any enemy aircraft; provided burst connects.

Cannon excels even in Ground RB armed with armor-piercing belts, giving it 53mm of penetration, which is enough to get through most SPAAs and light tanks armor and can even pierce the engine deck of T-90A.

Last thing to note is that trigger discipline is a must.

Suspended armament

Main articles: LDGP Mk 82 (500 lb), M117 cone 45 (750 lb), LDGP Mk 83 (1,000 lb), LDGP Mk 84 (2,000 lb)
Main articles: AGM-65B, AIM-9B FGW.2 Sidewinder, AIM-9E Sidewinder, AIM-9J Sidewinder
Main articles: FFAR Mighty Mouse, Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP, M61 (20 mm)

The F-4F (Germany) can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

  • Without load
  • 2 x AIM-9B FGW.2 Sidewinder missiles
  • 2 x 20 mm M61 cannons (1,200 rpg = 2,400 total)
  • 2 x 20 mm M61 cannons + 4 x AIM-9B FGW.2 Sidewinder missiles
  • 2 x 20 mm M61 cannons + 4 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles
  • 2 x 20 mm M61 cannons + 4 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles
  • 285 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
  • 60 x Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets
  • 24 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs (12,000 lb total)
  • 16 x 750 lb M117 cone 45 bombs (12,000 lb total)
  • 11 x 1,000 lb LDGP Mk 83 bombs (11,000 lb total)
  • 3 x 2,000 lb LDGP Mk 84 bombs (6,000 lb total)
  • 4 x AIM-9B FGW.2 Sidewinder missiles
  • 4 x AIM-9B FGW.2 Sidewinder missiles + 171 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
  • 4 x AIM-9B FGW.2 Sidewinder missiles + 36 x Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets
  • 4 x AIM-9B FGW.2 Sidewinder missiles + 18 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs (9,000 lb total)
  • 4 x AIM-9B FGW.2 Sidewinder missiles + 10 x 750 lb M117 cone 45 bombs (7,500 lb total)
  • 4 x AIM-9B FGW.2 Sidewinder missiles + 7 x 1,000 lb LDGP Mk 83 bombs (7,000 lb total)
  • 4 x AIM-9B FGW.2 Sidewinder missiles + 3 x 2,000 lb LDGP Mk 84 bombs (6,000 lb total)
  • 4 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles
  • 4 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles + 171 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
  • 4 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles + 36 x Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets
  • 4 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles + 18 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs (9,000 lb total)
  • 4 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles + 10 x 750 lb M117 cone 45 bombs (7,500 lb total)
  • 4 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles + 7 x 1,000 lb LDGP Mk 83 bombs (7,000 lb total)
  • 4 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles + 3 x 2,000 lb LDGP Mk 84 bombs (6,000 lb total)
  • 4 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles
  • 4 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles + 171 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
  • 4 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles + 36 x Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets
  • 4 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles + 18 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs (9,000 lb total)
  • 4 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles + 10 x 750 lb M117 cone 45 bombs (7,500 lb total)
  • 4 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles + 7 x 1,000 lb LDGP Mk 83 bombs (7,000 lb total)
  • 4 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles + 3 x 2,000 lb LDGP Mk 84 bombs (6,000 lb total)
  • 2 x AGM-65B missiles
  • 2 x AGM-65B missiles + 4 x AIM-9B FGW.2 Sidewinder missiles
  • 2 x AGM-65B missiles + 4 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles
  • 2 x AGM-65B missiles + 4 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles

M61 Gunpods - additional gunpods with M61 cannons, providing 1200 rounds per gun.These basically allow pilot to put a wall of lead between their plane and the enemy, however, they severely hamper planes flight performance.

Air to Air

AIM-9B FGW.2 - Bravo version are F-4F stock missiles, should be used only until better options become available, as they are obsolete at this BR.

AIM-9E - first upgraded missiles available to F-4F, Echo Sidewinders provide much needed performance boost over the Bravo version. Better speed, better range and wider seeker window allow Echos to hit more reliably. Still, they retain its predecessor's poor G limit and should be used only as stop gap solution.

AIM-9J - Final upgrade available to F-4F, Juliett Sidewinders provide excellent performance and are the best Sidewinders available to German pilots. They can pull twice the G limit of its predecessors, are resistant to flares and can be radar slaved (which helps in high traffic airspace or when leading a target). These bad boys should be pilots' weapons of choice for engaging air targets.

Air to Ground

As F-4F is equipped with a ballistic computer, coupled with its ability to equip massive amounts of ordnance, F-4F can become an extremely potent ground attacker with ANY ground attack payload.

FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets - rockets commonly found on NATO helicopters, Mighty Mouse rockets provide solid performance against ground targets. Sporting 290mm of penetration, these can easily get through roof armor of most vehicles in game, though some ERA equipped tanks can survive few hits. While not having enough explosive mass to score kills with indirect hits, ballistic computers helps with their aiming and as F-4F can equip up to 285x of them, allowing pilots to compensate accuracy with quantity.  

Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets - basically Mighty Mouse rockets on steroids, Zunis are anti-everything tool. Their HEAT warhead provides up to 457mm of penetration and thanks to their explosive mass that equals to 8.91 kg of TNT, they can severely damage light targets with indirect hits. 

AGM-65B missiles - unique to the F-4F (in terms of German planes in general) are AGM-65Bs, more known as Mavericks. These are fire and forget anti-tank missiles with TV guidance and range of 6km. Their warheads can penetrate up to 830mm of armor. As they are fire and forget, they are great to use in contested airspace when compared to bombs, though F-4F can carry only 2x of them at once. 

Bombs - F-4F, being equipped with a ballistic computer, turns any bomb payload into a much more viable option. Turning on the ballistic computer allows pilot to use arcade style crosshairs, so any pilot is capable of hitting ground targets with laser-like accuracy.

F-4F is capable of carrying up to 24x bombs (when using 500lb. bombs) and these are dropped individually, allowing the player in theory to achieve a whopping 24 kills per payload, thus completely wiping the enemy team from existence (In practise however, there will be enemy AA units, and F-4F carrying all that ordnance practically becomes a rock with wings). All bombs carried by F-4F are viable, so it is up to pilots personal preferences.

Usage in battles

Usage in battles:

Ground battles

Most air to air combat in ground battles happen inside cannon range; thus it is not recommended to take Sidewinders to ground battles, and focus purely on CAS. 

As stated above, the F-4F is an extremely potent ground attacker. Since there are currently only two AA vehicles armed with IR missiles (PGZ04A and Type 93) in game, pilots should prioritise chaff when picking up countermeasures. Chaff helps with confusing enemy search and tracking radars, increasing probability of miss and thus increasing F-4F survivability. 

Flying high above the battlefield is ill advised, as this approach puts pilots in the killzone of most enemy SAMs.

Radar needs an unobstructed line of sight to work properly, so flying low and utilizing ground obstacles helps with plane survival. Pilots should approach the battlefield at low altitude and do a flyby over enemy spawn in order to determine whenever the enemy team has active AA or not. RWR helps with this task, but pilots should be of note that lack of active radar does not necessarily mean that there's no AA active; some skilled players turn off search radars in order to drawn out enemy air assets out of cover. If there's enemy AA, it needs to be taken out first.  Only then should pilot gain altitude necessary for ground attacks. If a pilot gets warning that radar lock has been achieved, he should immediately deploy chaff, start evasive maneuvers, and he should consider disengaging for the time being. 

Pilots should not be afraid to inform their teammates in chat while approaching the battlefield, as forward observers help immensely with locating enemy ground assets; F-4F working this way in tandem with squadmates on ground can turn the tide of battle in a matter of minutes. 

Air to Air battles

Generally speaking, pilots should always try to stick to their teammates. While F-4Fs agility might be tempting , due to its weight, it bleeds speed a lot. Dogfighting a single plane might be doable, but doing so often leaves F-4F in low energy state and thus extremely vulnerable. Pilots also tend to tunnel vision on a single enemy, thus exposing themselves to other enemy planes; teammates can provide much needed cover in this scenario, allowing pilots to survive longer. 

As for fuel load, F-4F performs best when afterburner is activated - but pilots should be aware that afterburner devours a lot of fuel. Thus it is not advised to take lighter fuel loads; pilots should take either 20 or 28 minutes load, depending on how much they plan to be active.

At the start of the game, pilots should first accelerate to a speed of 1000-11000km/h, then climb to around 3km height, and head towards the battlefield. As F-4F is not armed with SAHR missiles, climbing higher is ill advised, as higher altitudes tend to be dominated by planes equipped with SAHR missiles - those don't need rear aspect to achieve lock, as they use radar guidance and thus they can lock onto enemies from front and side. 
SAHR missiles need continuous radar lock of enemy planes in order to score a hit; older radars (those without look down/shoot down ability) tend to pick up a lot of clutter (reflection of radar waves from the ground) when aimed towards ground. This means older radars lose their lock when aiming at the enemy that is below them, significantly reducing SAHR missile effectiveness. 
By simply staying lower than SAHR equipped enemies, pilots should be relatively safe (as long as they keep situational awareness). On top of that, pilots can equip chaff as another layer of protection against SAHR missiles.  Pilots should not turn fight and instead stick to boom’n’zoom tactics. Luckily, thanks to excellent AIM-9Js, F-4F doesn't need to turn fight in most cases. Optimal launch range is from 1 to 3km - closer and missile might not be able to keep track, farther and missile might run out of fuel before reaching its target. 
Missile range is dependent on several factors - speed of launching plane, speed of targeted plane, their mutual distance, amount of maneuvering missile needs to do and speed and/or height advantage of launching plane. Generally speaking, missile traveling in a straight line will have better range than maneuvering missile. Also, missile launched from higher altitude and with initial speed advantage will also have better range. 
As for evading missiles, it depends on distance and type of missile launched. It is not advised to pull high G maneuvers when the missile is launched outside 3.5km range, as the missile still has time and energy to correct itself before impact, while the target plane just bleeds all of its energy and is left defenseless.

Missiles launched at 3 - 3.5km range or greater can be dodged without need for high G maneuvers - simply performing F-pole while going fast is often enough to defeat them (to perform F-pole, pilot first turns 45° either left or right, and continues in that direction for one to two seconds, then turns 45° or more in the opposite direction); this maneuver does not waste precious countermeasures nor energy. Of course, pilots can also turn off the afterburner and deploy flares as another layer of protection.

Missiles launched below 3km require different tactics. As most modern missiles can pull 20 Gs or more, pilots need to get as many countermeasures as they can between them and incoming missile; this often requires combination with high G evasive maneuvers, as countermeasures are not 100% guarantee and a missile that locked onto countermeasures might still continue in its path and hit an escaping plane. 

If pilots need to counter ground based AA, the best tactic is to break line of sight; by either flying behind cover such as mountains or flying close to the ground. 

Specific enemies worth mentioning:

Mirages, F-5s and J-35s: While F-4F thanks to its Agile Eagle upgrade can get these planes in its crosshair, they are more than capable to out turn F-4F in prolonged turns. On top of that, Mirage is armed with a dreaded Magic AAM that is capable of pulling 30 Gs.

Mig-21s: Same case as above; Most of these planes are armed with R-60 AAM, capable of pulling 30 Gs. 

F-4E Phantom IIs, F-4EJ and Phantoms FGR.1 and 2: While these planes offer similar flight performance, they are armed with SAHR missiles, and thus have significant advantage while fighting at high altitudes.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Best NATO jet aviable in German tech tree
  • Best Sidewinders aviable in German tech tree
  • Same flight performance as dreaded american F-4E Phantom II
  • Potent ground attacker
  • Unique AGM-65B Maverick fire and forget missiles
  • Unlike its main competitors (▀MiG-21MF and F-4F Early), has acces to both RWR and countermeasures

Cons:

  • Heavy, bleeds speed a lot in turns
  • Lacks SAHR missiles
  • Pure CAS loadout reduces flight performance
  • Big size, presents giant target
  • Limited ammunition for its internal cannon

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: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

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

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

  • topic on the official game forum;
  • other literature.


Germany jet aircraft
Germany flag.png  Luftwaffe
He 162  He 162 A-1 · He 162 A-2
Me 163  Me 163 B · Me 163 B-0
Ho 229  Ho 229 V3
Ar 234  Ar 234 B-2 · Ar 234 C-3
Me 262  Me 262 A-1a · Me 262 A-1a/Jabo · Me 262 A-1a/U1 · Me 262 A-1/U4 · Me 262 A-2a
  Me 262 C-1a · Me 262 C-2b
GDR flag.png  LSK
Fighters  ◊MiG-15bis · ◊Lim-5P · ◊MiG-19S
  ◊MiG-21MF · ◊MiG-21bis-SAU · ◊MiG-21 "Lazur-M"
  ◊MiG-29
Attackers  ◊MiG-23BN · ◊MiG-23MF · ◊MiG-23MLA
  ◊Su-22UM3K · ◊Su-22M4
  ◊IL-28
FRG flag.png  Luftwaffe
F-84  ◄F-84F
F-86  ◄CL-13A Mk 5 · ◄CL-13B Mk.6 · ◄F-86K
F-104  ◄F-104G
F-4  ◄F-4F Early · ◄F-4F · ◄F-4F KWS LV
G.91  ◄G.91 R/3 · ◄G.91 R/4
Tornado  ◄Tornado IDS WTD61 · ◄Tornado IDS MFG · ◄Tornado IDS ASSTA1
Other  Alpha Jet A · ◄Sea Hawk Mk.100
Ex-LSK  ◄MiG-21 SPS-K · ◄MiG-29G · ◄Su-22M4 WTD61
Switzerland flag.png  Swiss Air Force
  ◌Hunter F.58 · FFA P-16

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