Bf 109 F-4

Bf 109 F-4

Bf 109 F-2

Bf 109 F-4/trop

360://https://wiki.warthunder.com/images/d/dd/Cockpit_bf-109f-4.jpg

Bf 109 F-4

Bf 109 F-2

Bf 109 F-4/trop

Germany

III Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
4.3	4.0	4.0

Class:

Fighter

Research:18 000

Purchase:47 000

Show in game

This page is about the German fighter Bf 109 F-4. For the American version, see Bf 109 F-4 (USA). For other versions, see Bf 109 (Family).

Description

The Bf 109 F-4 is a rank III German fighter with a battle rating of 4.3 (AB) and 4.0 (RB/SB). It has been in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.27.

General info

Flight performance

Arcade Mode: BF 109 F4 is currently one of the best planes of the game. In the hands of a good pilot and employing energy fighting tactics this aircraft can outfly and outmanoeuvre most of the prop planes it faces even at higher battle ratings during up-tier situations due to its low energy loss in turns, high acceleration, high sustained climb rate and low stall speed. It is slower than 109 G2, G6, G10 or K4 but it has a better turn rate. The Bf 109 can fly very well at the deck and at high altitude making it a complete energy fighter.

Characteristics
Stock
Max Speed (km/h at 6,000 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
641	624	11600	20.0	20.7	16.4	16.4	363
Upgraded
Max Speed (km/h at 6,000 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
691	665	11600	18.1	19.0	24.5	20	363

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
			+	-
790	360	460	~12	~6

Optimal velocities
Ailerons (km/h)	Rudder (km/h)	Elevators (km/h)	Radiator (km/h)
< 450	< 390	< 450	> 715

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
4,950 m	1,185 hp	1,333 hp

Engine performance

Engine
Engine Name			Number present
Daimler-Benz DB-601E 12-cylinder			1
Engine characteristics
Weight (each)		Type	Cooling
610 kg		Inline	Water
Engine power (Stock)
Mode	Max		Take-off
Arcade	1,065 hp		1,212 hp
Realistic/Simulator	1,053 hp		1,200 hp
Engine power (Upgraded)
Mode	Max		Take-off
Arcade	1,305 hp		1,452 hp
Realistic/Simulator	1,170 hp		1,318 hp

WEP Duration
Arcade		Realistic/Simulator
25 seconds		Infinite

Survivability and armour

In-game the 109 F4 although a small plane is a sturdy plane which can survive a lot of damage and retaining a much of its manoeuvrability even damaged. One saving grace is that it utilizes self-sealing fuel tanks reducing the chance of an uncontrollable fire.

Armaments

Offensive armament

The Bf 109 F-4 is armed with:

• 1 x 20 mm MG 151/20 cannon, nose-mounted (200 rpg)
• 2 x 7.92 mm MG 17 machine guns, nose-mounted (500 rpg = 1,000 total)

Suspended armament

The Bf 109 F-4 can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

• Without load
• 4 x 50 kg SC50JA bombs (200 kg total)
• 1 x 250 kg SC250JA bomb (250 kg total)
• 2 x 15 mm MG 151/15 cannons, wing-mounted (gunpods) (125 rpg = 250 total)

Usage in battles

The Bf 109 F-4's instrument panel.

Arcade use in battle: BF 109 F4 must be used as an energy fighting. Its flight performance is impressive up to 6,000 m then decreases, so at the beginning of the match, you can outclimb most of the other planes at its rank and then energy fight them in the vertical Boom & Zooming from above. It's low stall speed and ability to prop hang makes even at less than 100 Km/hour at more than 40 degrees for many seconds an ideal aircraft for spiral turns and snapshots. Bf 109's good turn rate and roll rate allows it to turn fight not only US planes but also Lavochkins and Spitfires which lose their energy at their first turn but the 109 keeps it. If you engage a dogfight with a superior turn fighter you can still out turn him by leaving some separation and using frontal barrel rolls until the other plane turn by turn losses enough energy and finally its turning ability. It is not recommended to turn fight Japanese planes or Yak fighters; if engaged on a turn fight go to the vertical and use the spiral climb stall technique. The high acceleration, turn rate, climb rate, excellent stall characteristics, at all altitudes makes it a wonder to fly. All this get significantly reduced when gondolas are added on. The Moteur-Cannon cannon when used with air targets rounds that have a significant amount of minengeschoß filled shells and is devastating which can be used for a precise fake out head-on or precise long-distance shots allowing you to start shooting as far out as 2 km.

Usage with Joystick on arcade: The plane although it still has a Yaw wooble it is low and can be mitigated under Realistic controls. You can set yaw non-linearity to 3,8 adding some dead zone and decreasing multiplier to stiffen and reducing the Wooble. The Pitch and roll work well and give good controllability.

In Real Battles:

A very good energy fighter for its rank, the Bf 109 F-4 can out climb most opponents due to its high power to weight ratio. However, use of WEP must be limited or else the engine will overheat, although manual engine control can remedy this. Despite that, it can Boom & Zoom and Rope-a-Dope well, although one must watch out for severe control stiffening around 650 km/h.

Unfortunately, the F-4’s 15 mm additional gondolas do not increase the damage output much at all, while reducing flight performance. However, it is recommended you at least use it once to see how effective it is because depending on how you play it can really boost your kill abilities. For example, if you prefer to get into a dogfight, the additional weaponry will not be noticeably effective. However, if you fight in the vertical, where level speed and agility are not necessarily most important, the additional MG 151’s can mean the difference between a kill or nothing at all.

The Bf 109 F-4 is not a great plane when compared to the other Rank 3 planes, but it is effective nonetheless. Do not try to kill a plane by coming behind it and giving them all you got- you don't have much. Instead, try to scare your prey into a turn by peppering it with your 7.92mm MG 17s, and then blow its wing off with the cannon.

Word to the wise: the F-4 is a fairly good turner for its class; if you are chased by a F4U, P-51, P-47D, F6F or Typhoon, turn and destroy. The forward wing slats give the F-4 an exceptionally short turning radius. However, to survive a tangle with a Spitfire is an ordeal. The best strategy would be to scissor until the Spitfire either runs out of ammo or overshoots you and then try to dive and outrun it. Then, repeat. Do not try to out-climb the Spitfire (its community nickname is the Spacefire for a reason), but try to outrun it in a dive. The Spitfire Mk Vc is superior to the F-4, so avoid them.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Not controllable	Controllable Auto control available	Controllable Auto control available	Controllable Auto control available	Separate	Not controllable 1 gear	Not controllable

Modules

Tier	Flight performance		Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage repair	Radiator		Offensive 7 mm	ETC 50/VIIId
II		Compressor	Airframe	New 7 mm MGs	ETC 500/IXb I	R1 modification
III	Wings repair	Engine		Offensive 20 mm		Offensive 15 mm
IV		Engine injection	Cover	New 20 mm cannons		New 15 mm cannons

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Nimble, compared to Russian and American counterparts
• Its 20 mm is lethal if the shells hit
• Relatively good climb rate, possibly as good as a Spitfire or a maxed-out P-39 Airacobra
• Good sustained turn
• Faster than most opponents, such as the Spitfire Mk V, Yak-3, and La-5, especially at altitude
• Good performance at medium altitudes
• Better than the F-4 tropical variant due to engine power
• The 15 mm cannons have quite high penetration with the armoured targets belt. They are very effective against soft targets
• All weaponry mounted in the nose, allowing easy aiming without having to worry about convergence

Cons:

• Overheats quickly
• Additional armament can critically reduce performance, especially in a dogfight
• Poor cockpit visibility
• Prone to catching fire when chasing a bomber
• Gun pods can't load stealth belts, thus giving the user away in a surprise attack
• Turns sluggishly at speeds under 190 km/h
• Priority target when in AB mode due to its reputation of destroying planes with relative ease, especially when equipped with MG 151/15 gun pods in addition to the offensive armament of MG 17 machine gun and MG 151/20 cannon, smart players will try to eliminate the Bf 109 F-4 first.
• Gun pods have low ammo count, compared to the 20 mm MG 151 gun pods accessible to the G-2 variant
• For Sim, the numerous canopy frames and razorback greatly limit the all-round view, and huge engine torque causes severe turning when taking off

History

In real life the flight characteristics of this plane were remarkable, the F model is considered the pinnacle of BF109 development having the nices flying characteristics of all versions. It has empty weight of 2,390 kg, and a gross weight of 2,900 kg. Powered by a 1,350 hp the Daimler-Benz DB 601E inverted-vee engine the BF 109 F4 had a power to weight ratio of a giving of 0,46. It reaches a maximum speed of 624 km/hour (388 mph) and an impressive rate of climb of 3,000 m (9,845 ft)/2.6 min. It also had a high ceiling of 12,000 meters (39,375 ft), but a low range of combat of 850 km (530 mi) with a drop tank limiting its usefulness as a local high altitude interceptor. In real life this plane although impressive had its limitations, it could do well vs any allied fighter below 6,000 meters and above 3,000 meters. It could out turn a P-51D and out-climb it but it could not out zoom climb, outrun or out dive a P-51D or a P-47D at high altitude. We have to remember that the Franz (F version of 109) appeared because the Spitfire MK.V was performing better than the Emil version the BF 109 E in the cross Channel duels after the Battle of Britain. The F version regained the edge over the Spitfire MK V at high altitudes. The 109 faced in the first year of the Soviet invasion a massive score as they faced outdated soviet aeroplanes like the I-16s but also performed well against the Lagg-3s and Yaks-1. The F model improved in power and speed on the G1 Gustav version with a 1,475 hp DB 605A Engine entering combat on July 1942 but it had not improved handling characteristics over the F model.

In-game description

The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was a single-seat monoplane fighter used by the Luftwaffe before and during WWII. It was used as a fighter, interceptor, high-altitude interceptor, fighter-bomber and reconnaissance aircraft.

The Bf 109 F variant, or "Friedrich", was a replacement for the Emil. Friedrich reached front-line units in the Autumn of 1941 and, by the middle of the following year, almost two-thirds of Luftwaffe fighter regiments were equipped with the variant.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Bf 109 F-4 from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

The Shooting Range #224 - Pages of History section at 03:53 discusses allied efforts to capture the Bf 109 F-4.

Realistic: Bf 109 F-4 [German Engineering at its Best]" - Jengar

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

• Mitsubishi A6M
• Bell P-39 Airacobra
• Curtiss P-36
• Curtiss P-40
• Dewoitine D.520
• Fiat G.55
• Focke-Wulf Fw 190
• Grumman F4F Wildcat
• Grumman F6F Hellcat
• Hawker Hurricane
• Heinkel He 112
• IAR-81
• Kawasaki Ki-61
• Lavochkin LaGG-3
• Macchi C.202
• Macchi C.205
• Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3
• Morane-Saulnier MS.406
• Nakajima Ki-43
• North American P-51 Mustang
• Polikarpov I-16
• Supermarine Spitfire
• Yakovlev Yak-1
• Yakovlev Yak-9

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

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