Vampire F.B.5

Vampire F.B.5

Tempest Mk II

Venom FB.4

Vampire F.B.5

Tempest Mk II

Venom FB.4

Britain

V Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
7.7	8.0	7.7

Class:

Fighter

Jet fighter

Research:95 000

Purchase:270 000

Show in game

Description

The Vampire F.B.5 is a Rank V British jet fighter Template:BR2. It was introduced in Update 1.33.

When using the Vampire, the first thing a pilot should know is that it is inferior in most aspects to its opposition, thus requiring constant vigilance and consciousness of weakness. The Vampire cannot reach the speeds a MiG-9 or an F2H-2 can, it cannot accelerate as well as many of its counterparts and it is appalling in a dive against most of its opponents. So, essentially, the "Vamp" cannot climb well, it can't catch many jets in a straight line and it can't out-accelerate much of its opposition. However, the Vampire has one impressive advantage against its jet-powered opponents: it can turn incredibly well. In fact, a good analogy to flying the Vampire is fighting jets in propeller aircraft.

In order to be able to use the De Havilland Vampire's turning power, one should worry about one's energy state. To do such, climbing is important, as is maintaining airspeed. One should never risk being below 400 kph, since having little speed makes it incredibly hard to evade any attacks by faster aircraft. As such, climbing at speeds above 400 kph IAS is a healthy option - altitude provides manoeuvring space and more options for manoeuvres, whilst keeping a certain speed means that the pilot is ready at all times to manoeuvre against an enemy. Once an enemy is spotted, gaining speed is the best choice, since the lack of it means the Vampire will become every pilot's nightmare - low, slow and un-manoeuvrable. Its extreme manoeuvrability for a jet means, however, that lining up for a shot is an easy task when an enemy is flying near, and, when an inexperienced or frustrated enemy jet falls into the trap of turning tightly against the Vampire, it will likely end up destroyed. Aiming the guns might be a challenge at first for inexperienced Vampire pilots, since their placement below the centre of gravity makes the Vampire's nose shift downward while firing. Pilots should be however aware that turning too much can leave them vulnerable to other enemy aircraft due to the significant loss of speed, so they should never commit to a dogfight if more enemies are lurking nearby.

General info

Flight Performance

Characteristics
Stock
Max Speed (km/h at 4,572 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
815	792	10,668	25.0	25.7	16.1	15.1	650
Upgraded
Max Speed (km/h at 4,572 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
895	855	10,668	23.5	24.0	24.4	20.0	650

Details

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

Limits
Wing-break speed (km/h)	Gear limit (km/h)	Combat flap (km/h)	Max Static G
			+	-
888	330	520	~15	~7

Optimal velocities
Ailerons (km/h)	Rudder (km/h)	Elevators (km/h)	Radiator (km/h)
< 550	< 600	< 600	> 50

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

Survivability and armour

• 38 mm Bulletproof glass - Armored windscreen
• 12.7 mm Steel - Armor plate behind the pilot's head
• 3 mm Steel - Armor plate under the engine

Armaments

Offensive armament

The Vampire F.B.5 is armed with:

• 4 x 20 mm Hispano Mk.V cannons, chin-mounted (150 rpg = 600 total)

Suspended armament

      Main article: Bombs, Rockets

The Vampire F.B.5 can be outfitted with the following ordinance:

• Without load
• 2 x 1,000 lb Mk.I bombs (2,000 lb total)
• 8 x 76 mm RP-3 rockets

Usage in the battles

Modules

Tier	Flight performance		Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage Repair			Offensive 20 mm
II		Compressor	Airframe		GLBC mk.3
III	Wings Repair	Engine		New 20 mm Cannons
IV	G-Suit		Cover		GRC mk.8

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Good armament, 4 x 20 mm Hispano Mk. 5's chin-mounted
• Great control responsiveness up to medium-high speeds, combat flaps to increase this
• Great manoeuvrability
• Capable air-brakes that increase lift when activated
• Decent payload options
• Lack of single vertical tail section makes spotting planes from the cockpit much easier

Cons:

• Low top speed and acceleration (acceleration can be improved with research)
• Weapons are placed below the centre of mass, forcing the pilot to aim higher
• Vulnerable tail section, especially easy to hit when taking off it not careful
• Poor dive rate
• Reflective silver camouflage comes default, making spotting you much easier from above

History

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Media

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Read 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.

Sources

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• topic on the official game forum;
• page on aircraft encyclopedia;
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