F4U-1A

F4U-1A

F6F-5

F4U-1A (USMC)

F4U-1A

F6F-5

F4U-1A (USMC)

USA

II Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
2.7	2.7	3.3

Class:

Fighter

Naval aircraft

Research:11 000

Purchase:22 000

Show in game

This page is about the American fighter F4U-1A. For other versions, see F4U (Family).

Description

The F4U-1A Corsair is a rank II American naval fighter with a battle rating of 2.7 (AB/RB) and 3.3 (SB). It has been in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.27.

This is the first plane you will be able to use in the legendary Corsair line, and it will give you a good taste of what's to come. Sporting a very distinctive silhouette due to its inverted gull wings, it's never hard to pick a Corsair out of a crowd. However, the inverted gull wings are a double-edged sword, as it enables the Corsair to turn well at high speeds and have a good roll rate, but makes it turn mediocrely at low speeds. While not as powerful as its later siblings, the Pratt & Whitney R-2800-8W 18-cylinder radial can still propel the Corsair to a respectable 646 km/h at around 6,800 meters. The Corsair also has a weak airframe that is very susceptible to incendiary rounds, so make sure to use your roll rate and good high-speed performance in order to survive.

General info

Flight performance

The Corsair should be used as a medium-to-high altitude Boom & Zoomer, as flying at these altitudes is where the R-2800-8W radial makes the most power. It is very important to keep your speed up, as the Corsair haemorrhages energy at lower speeds.

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 6,888 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	587	564	11247	25.1	25.9	8.8		251
Upgraded	646	615		23.0	24.0	16.8	12.3

Details

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

Limits
Wings (km/h)	Gear (km/h)	Flaps (km/h)			Max Static G
		Combat	Take-off	Landing	+	-
885	730	470	278	245	~10	~3

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 450	< 450	< 500	> 450

Compressor	Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
Setting 1	300 m	2,000 hp	2,270 hp
Setting 2	4,785 m	1,800 hp	2,096 hp
Setting 3	6,400 m	1,650 hp	1,921 hp

Survivability and armour

• 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

Critical components, namely the pilot, and large fuel tanks, as well as the oil cooling system and wing spar roots, are clustered very close together in the centerline. One fire set in any given section in this area will usually result in the other sections also being set on fire.

There are two unarmoured fuel tanks in the wings close to wing spars and wing control cables. Once set on fire, the wing spar will usually be destroyed and the wing control cable will be lost.

Armaments

Offensive armament

The F4U-1A is armed with:

• 6 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns, wing-mounted (391 rpg = 2,350 total)

The F4U-1A is the first aircraft in the US Tech Tree armed with M2 Brownings that possess Armour-Piercing Incendiary rounds. These potent rounds are able to set fire to enemy aircraft as well as causing fatal pilot snipes and engine damage. However, they are not explosive rounds, and rely on luck & good aim on the part of the pilot to cause damage to critical modules and cause enough damage to destroy the plane or knock out the pilot.

Suspended armament

The F4U-1A can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

• Without load
• 1 x 500 lb AN-M64A1 bomb (500 lb total)
• 1 x 1,000 lb AN-M65A1 bomb (1,000 lb total)

Usage in battles

When flying an F4U, you should use Boom-n-Zoom tactics. This means that you should climb immediately and then dive on lower flying aircraft, then use your speed and momentum from the dive to climb. The Corsair does turn well but loses energy and speed rapidly, so avoid turn fights or flat manoeuvres. However, this aircraft only has eight minutes of WEP time, so pilots should limit its use. W.E.P. stands for "War Emergency Power", and thus, it should be used accordingly- WEP should be used sparingly, only when needing an extra boost of power while in a fight or while running away.

Remember: the F4U Corsair cannot absorb/"tank" gunfire like the P-36G and the P-40 do. The F4U is, for one, weaker, and has an engine and airframe highly sensitive to damage. In addition to this, at 2.7, pilots will face a variety of cannon-armed planes that can obliterate your aircraft, should they be able to get a shot in. The F4U's large R-2800 radial engine, while powerful, loses performance dramatically as it takes damage. These performance reductions can mean the difference between whether you can out-run enemy aircraft, or whether you become cold, easy meat for your enemies. Unlike the P-40s, the F4U-1A does not have even a bit of armour that protects the pilot from the side, unlike the P-40, which has small 8mm plates protecting part of the pilot. In addition to this, the F4U is very sensitive to damage. Even slight damage to the engine reduces power output significantly, and slight damage to the wings can cause adverse roll characteristics. Damage to ailerons significantly reduces the ability of an F4U to control its roll and keep stable. The wings and engine are also very weak, and highly vulnerable to being crippled or destroyed by cannon fire. Self-sealing fuel tanks at 2.7 seal very slowly, and are very easily punctured, leaving the F4U vulnerable to fires. This is only exacerbated by the fact that there are fuel tanks in the wings that are located precariously close to both wing spars and the control cables for the ailerons.

However, unlike its contemporaries and predecessors in the US tree, the F4U-1A has two key differences. First, it has highly potent Armour-Piercing Incendiary ammunition, which has a large chance to start fires in enemy aircraft, but, unlike the normal incendiary bullets and AP bullets that were the norm in previous planes, API bullets can cause fuel leaks and cause fires, as well as being potent enough to cause pilot-snipes and penetrate the weak steel armour equipped aircraft at this Battle Rating. second, the F4U-1A performs better at higher speeds- speeds that would cause P-40s to begin having control issues. The F4U-1A performs very well above 350km/h, but its superiority to other aircraft really starts showing at 400km/h and above. At these speeds, its roll rate and elevator authority remain relatively unaffected, while contemporary aircraft have issues with control lockups at this speed. At speeds above 350km/h, it can easily out-roll enemy aircraft other than Fw 190s, allowing it to perform scissor manoeuvres very well.

The Rolling Scissors, illustrated. The flat scissors is a variation on this manoeuvre that is done "flat"- meaning that the aircraft do not go vertical.

Apart from the standard flat scissors, pilots should ideally use the Rolling Scissors manoeuvre to take advantage of the F4U-1A's good high-speed manoeuvrability (see left). Dive on a target, and once the target turns towards you, pitch up as illustrated on the diagram, while using your aileron control keys/joystick to roll the plane so that your aircraft is facing the ground, but not at a 90-degree angle. Pull back on the elevator, bringing the aircraft down in a chandelle that brings your aircraft's nose onto a lead-aspect curve on the enemy. To counter this, your enemy will have to bring their nose up and enter a loop, and thus bleeding energy. You may be able to get a snapshot off on the enemy. Generally, you will have superior energy retention to your enemy, and thus, your enemy will continually lose more energy than you do in the Rolling Scissors. If you execute it correctly and gained sufficient speed in the initial dive, you should end up bleeding enough energy from the enemy that they are slow and/or low, making them an easy target.

Generally, if you dive on an aircraft on the tail of another aircraft, you will likely be able to get the kill. the Corsair is highly manoeuvrable, and when played to its strengths (armament, and roll rate/elevator authority at high speeds), will be nearly impossible to shake off.

One of the planes that should concern any Corsair pilot are Bf 109s. They are very dangerous foes to anyone who fights by their rules. You will commonly encounter E-1s, E-3s, E-4s/E-7s and F-1s, but you will occasionally come across the rare F-2 when being up-tiered. The E-series aircraft aren't as demanding to fight as you can outspeed them by a large margin and in some cases out-dive. You will also be able to use the rolling scissors quite successfully against them. However, the E-4 variant can still shred you apart easily with their twin MG FF/M cannons, which possess the potent Minengeschoß round. However, the F-variants are very powerful foes. The first in the Friedrich line climbs better, turns better, and is fast enough to keep up with you, while still sporting a single MG FF/M mounted in the nose. You will have trouble trying to turn with them, or using high/low yo-yo turns to try and get a shot on them. However, they are not very good at rolling, and while they have greater energy retention than you do, you can use a flat scissors manoeuvre to get the better of them. The F-2 sports a 15mm MG151 cannon that, while containing less filler in its explosive rounds, can still deal enough damage to cripple you. Seek teammate's support if one tries to force an engagement on you. If you absolutely have to, then you can attempt to out-turn the Bf 109, or try to force an overshoot, pulling the throttle back, and using your gears as airbrakes. However, while bleeding speed might induce an overshoot, novice pilots should not attempt this tactic, as this means slowing the plane down to very slow speeds, rendering you an easy target.

You may also see Fw 190s when you are up-tiered. These aircraft dive faster than you, accelerate faster in a dive, travel nearly as fast as you do, as well as possessing the ability to make lightning-quick changes of direction due to its superb roll-rate. If you see one of these aircraft, the best tactic is to either try and force a head-on and break as soon as possible, or attempt to lure it towards team-mates. Fighting one of these planes without proper knowledge of its strengths and weaknesses in a fight is sheer lunacy, and will result in your death. You can attempt to out-turn it, but smart Fw 190 pilots will simply use their superior energy retention to bleed all your speed. If you are attempting to engage one in a head-on, make sure that you get hits in before you get too close. When within 500 m of an Fw 190, its armament can easily cripple your aircraft.

Occasionally, you will see SM.91s. the SM.91 is easily one of the most heavily-armed foes you will ever face, as it mounts 6 MG151/20 20mm cannons in the nose, as well as having one in a turret to the rear for defensive purposes. The trick is to stay mobile when facing an SM.91. SM.91s are twin-engined fighters and thus cannot manoeuvre as quickly as you do. However, should they even be able to make a single successful shot at you, you will most likely be killed by the sheer weight of cannon fire. This aircraft is also one of the few at the 2.7-3.7 BR range that has enough firepower to beat you in a head-on attack. Many Corsair pilots make the mistake of trying to chase the SM.91 from the rear. Smart SM.91 pilots will purposefully activate the airbrakes so that the F4U-1A can catch up faster, before using the rear turret's MG151/20 to cause engine and fuel fires, or even snap your weak wings off. In addition, for a twin-engine fighter, it is surprisingly manoeuvrable, and you may have issues trying to out-manoeuvre it depending on how much fuel you have left and how many upgrades you have. The SM.91, however, has no armour- not even a bullet-proof windscreen. the fuel tanks near the centre of the aircraft are not self-sealing, and generally, if set on fire, the SM.91 will have to break off and dive to put out the fire or will be killed. At the very least, it will be heavily crippled enough and will struggle to fight back once set on fire.

This plane is a very successful ground attacker when utilizing the ground belt ammunition against light pillboxes, un-armoured targets and some tanks. It is important to remember that this planes biggest asset is its energy retention, don't hang around near the ground or you will become a slow, heavy and easy target. However, ground-attack should never be your first priority in this aircraft, since it is a fighter, and while it does possess a bombload, this consists of only one bomb, limiting its effectiveness as a fighter-bomber. Pilots should leave ground-attack to dedicated attackers, such as the A-35B, the A-20G-25 and the B18A.

Counter-tactics

When fighting an F4U-1 in the air, any smart Corsair pilot will use their high speed and good high altitude performance to Boom & Zoom you, and will use their solid roll rate to avoid shots if they miss their first pass. However, you can force them to overshoot by using various defensive manoeuvres and challenge for a shot on target due to the weak airframe of the Corsair.

The F4U-1A, like many other American aircraft, is a sitting duck when travelling at low speeds, while excelling at high speeds, usually above 300 km/h. In addition, they are not the most agile of aircraft. In addition, the F4U-1A possesses the R-2800 radial engine, which has superb thrust and power at altitudes beginning at 3,000 metres and going up to around 6,500 metres. However, it also excels at lower altitudes. In addition, due to possessing 6 x M2 Browning .50 calibre machine guns with M8 API ammunition, it excels in head-ons against enemies. One of the things that you should never do against a Corsair is engaging in a head-on. This is simply asking to suffer a fiery, explosive deconstruction at the hands of the 6 powerful guns of the Corsair. Unless the odds are stacked completely in your favour due to a complete disparity in armament that is in your favour (e.g. possessing 6 MG 151/20 cannons), this is very risky, and even if the odds are in your favour, entering a head-on will usually result in critical damage to your wings, engine, or even a pilot-snipe. Head-ons should, therefore, be avoided at all costs.

The primary tactics of someone who aims to counter this aircraft should be tactics that will bleed energy from the F4U-1A, making it slow, low or a combination of both. This can be accomplished in many ways, but the two main methods are:

1. Turning: In an aircraft that turns better, should you be able to bait the F4U-1A into turning with you, you can gradually eat away at its speed while out-turning it in order to acquire a shot. However, smart pilots will usually break off the turn and start climbing. Should this happen, you can either try to follow it in the climb (Spitfires and zeroes should be able to do this) or stay low to bait the F4U-1A down again and repeat the process.
2. Energy-Fighting: in planes such as the Bf 109 F-1, which are not as nimble as the Corsair, turning against the Corsair is not a viable option. In planes such as this, one should try to cause a stall by using manoeuvres that cause the Corsair to lose energy faster than you. One method of doing this by simply being above it, and to the front quarter. Pretend to engage in a head-on pass with it. Corsair pilots will usually engage you in a head-on and attempt to follow through to destroy you. Once you're around 2.5 km/1.5 miles away from the Corsair, gradually begin making the dive shallower by aiming above the Corsair (if you're using mouse-aim) or by pulling up on the elevator slightly. gradually intensify it, until once you're 1km away from the Corsair, it is aiming upwards at you at a steep angle. Once this happens, break into a chandelle (An Immelmann turn done while banking the plane slightly), using the energy you built up in the dive, and dive back down onto the Corsair. The enemy pilot, should he have continued to try to track you through the entire process, should have lost energy and entered a low-energy state. This means that he/she is a sitting duck. Bring your guns to bear, and destroy them.

When attempting deflection shots, try to aim at the centre-section so you can hit the pilot, and the fairly large forward fuel tanks. While the tanks are self-sealing, it takes some time to seal up if punctured, meaning that when set on fire, the fire will usually spread to other critical modules like the engine and the wing fuel tanks before it gets put out, even if the aircraft is put into a steep dive. Other weak spots include the oil cooling system tanks located in the front of the wings, which may be set on fire. One of the biggest weaknesses, however, is in its construction. The large gull wings that give the Corsair its manoeuvrability are also highly vulnerable to well-aimed cannon-fire, meaning that even a few hits can end up completely destroying the wing, or at the very least, critically damage the spars so that other players can finish off the job. In addition to this, there are fuel tanks in the wings placed close to where the wing spars and wing control cables are, in the middle of the wing. If set on fire, they will result in the wing spar damage, as well as the loss of control to the wing, thus either destroying or at least crippling enemy aircraft.

Even slight damage to the engine will result in the Corsair's performance being reduced dramatically. In planes like the Bf 109 F-1, where the armament is mounted centrally, a good way to kill an F4U-1A is to pursue a head-on and crit the engine from outside 700 metres, where the Corsair's wing-mounted armament's need for convergence will mean that the enemy pilot cannot bring their guns to bear on you. This will at least slow the aircraft down enough for team-mates to kill it. This is, however, a very risky manoeuvre. It is better to get hits on the engine in a deflection shot or a snap-shot rather than to actively seek one.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Not controllable	Controllable Auto control available	Controllable Not auto controlled	Controllable Not auto controlled	Separate	Controllable 3 gears	Not controllable

Modules

Tier	Flight performance		Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage repair	Radiator		Offensive 12 mm
II		Compressor	Airframe		BMBC mk.1
III	Wings repair	Engine		New 12 mm MGs
IV		Engine injection	Cover		BLBC mk.1

In the first tier of unlocks, there is nothing of interest in the performance department, other than the radiator, which will allow you to use WEP for longer while in combat, as well as providing a slight boost to speed and climb rate due to the streamlining effect it provides. Offensive 12.7 mm should be researched first to get rid of the lacking stock ammo.

Starting from tier 2, all performance unlocks become necessary and useful. As a fighter, the Corsair rarely utilises bombs, which justifies researching them last.

Payloads unlocked by modules are:

• BMBC mk.1: One 500 lb AN-M64A1 bomb
• BLBC mk.1: One 1,000 lb AN-M65A1 bomb

While having these might be useful for Ground RB, its actual utility in Air RB combat is quite limited since it can only drop one bomb, rather than two, meaning that it only has one chance when dropping ordnance on ground targets. Novice pilots may find it difficult when trying to destroy pillboxes and the like.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Great top speed for its rank
• Good high-speed manoeuvrability
• Powerful armament with high ammo count
• Can mount bombs for use against ground targets
• M2 guns can penetrate pillboxes with AP bullets
• Decently strong; can take a few hits
• Great diving characteristics
• Good speed, acceleration and energy retention
• Gears can withstand 730 km/h, useful as a makeshift airbrake
• Relatively lethal armament against planes

Cons:

• Turn time isn't very good; try to avoid turning fights
• View to the rear is somewhat obstructed; be wary of this in SB
• Very vulnerable to incendiary rounds
• Inverted gull wings are easy to knock off
• Big target, easy to hit
• Climb rate is a huge downgrade from the F4F-3 and F4F-4 when stock
• Can be easily taken out by other players from behind

History

The F4U Corsair was designed by Chance Vought as a response to a request by the U.S. Navy Bureau of Aeronautics in February 1938 for twin and single-engined fighters. The single-engined fighters would need to reach the maximum obtainable speed, have a stall speed of no more than 70 mph and a range of 1,000 miles. The fighter also had to carry 4 guns, or 3 with increased ammo capacity and had to be able to carry bombs.

In June of the same year, the U.S navy signed a contract with Vought for a prototype, designated "XF4U-1" and after a mock-up inspection, the prototype was to be powered by an extremely powerful Twin-row, 18 cylinder engine created by Pratt & Whitney designated as the "Double Wasp". Reports from Europe indicated that two .30 cal machine guns and two .50 cal HMG's proved inefficient, and as a result, the U.S. Navy issued a new production proposal requesting heavier armament. Vought responded to this request by added 3 Browning .50 cal AN/M2 machine guns with 400 rounds per gun in each wing.

In-game description

The single-engine Chance Vought F4U Corsair was designed in 1938 for a U.S. Navy single-seater carrier-based fighter competition. The prototype showed excellent performance characteristics but was in need of substantial improvement. Even after the completion and launch of the F4U-1, a number of problems were discovered which prevented the aircraft from being used as a carrier-based fighter, and the Navy was forced to use the first F4U-1s for Marine Corps ground-based operations.

In the middle of 1943, the F4U-1A variant made its debut. To improve visibility, which was especially important when landing on an aircraft carrier, the cockpit canopy was modified to a convex shape, and the pilot’s chair was raised 17.8 cm. Dive speed problems were solved with a stall strip just outboard of the gun ports on the starboard wing’s leading edge.

The plane’s armament consisted of six 12.7 mm guns, three in each wing.

The F4U-1A was produced not only at the Chance Vought factory, where the aircraft was designed but also at the Brewster and Goodyear factories (with the designations F3A-1A and FG-1A, respectively). The latter model differed in that its wings were not folding.

The Chance Vought factory produced a total of 2,126 F4U-1As.

Media

• 

  Reworked model of the F4U-1A.

See also

Related Development:

• F4U (Family)
• F4U-1A (USMC)
• Corsair F Mk II
• F4U-1A (Japan)

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era:

• Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero
• Supermarine Spitfire Mk Ia/Spitfire Mk IIa
• Yakolev Yak-1B
• Messerschmidt Bf 109 E-3
• Hawker Typhoon Mk Ia
• Macchi C.202 Folgore
• Reggiane Re.2001 Falco II
• Curtiss P-40 (Family)
• Arsenal V.G.33C-1
• Dewoitine D.520/D.521
• Republic P-43A-1
• Kawasaki Ki-61-I ko Hien

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

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