Tempest Mk II
Contents
| This page is about the British fighter Tempest Mk II. For other uses, see Tempest (Family). |
Description
The Tempest Mk II is a rank IV British fighter
with a battle rating of 6.3 (AB/SB) and 6.0 (RB). It has been in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.29.
General info
Flight Performance
The Tempest Mk II is the last propellor-driven aircraft in the Hawker line and is a fitting send-off. With its sleek airframe, extremely powerful Centaurus engine and heavyweight, it holds the highest top speed of any traditional prop aircraft in the game and acceleration to match. However, it only keeps these advantages below 3,000 meters, as above that the engine will asphyxiate and you will notice a drastic decrease in performance.
Boom & Zoom is this aircraft's forté, and is the main way you should fly it. It can easily abuse its brutal speed and accelleration combined with the amazing dive speed and powerful weaponry to blitz any aircraft that it sets its sights on. On the flip side, the heavy weight means it fares very poorly in manoeuvre fights as most propellor aircraft (and some jet-powered ones) will easily turn circles around it.
| Characteristics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stock | |||||||
| Max Speed (km/h at 3,658 m) |
Max altitude (meters) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (meters/second) |
Take-off run (meters) | |||
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | ||
| 663 | 649 | 11,800 | 22.7 | 23.2 | 17.2 | 17.2 | 452 |
| Upgraded | |||||||
| Max Speed (km/h at 3,658 m) |
Max altitude (meters) | Turn time (seconds) | Rate of climb (meters/second) |
Take-off run (meters) | |||
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | ||
| 820 | 722 | 11,800 | 20.1 | 21.0 | 36.8 | 23.9 | 452 |
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 | |
| + | - | |||
| 822 | 340 | ??? | ~11 | ~7 |
| Optimal velocities | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ailerons (km/h) |
Rudder (km/h) |
Elevators (km/h) |
Radiator (km/h) |
| < 473 | < 490 | < 530 | > 550 |
| Compressor (RB/SB) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Setting 1 | ||
| Optimal altitude | 100% Engine power | WEP Engine power |
| 980 m | 2,150 hp | 2,857 hp |
| Setting 2 | ||
| Optimal altitude | 100% Engine power | WEP Engine power |
| 4,200 m | 1,995 hp | 2,574 hp |
Survivability and armour
- 16.9 mm Steel - Armour plate behind pilot's seat and headrest
- 44.5 mm Bulletproof glass - Armoured windscreen
Armaments
Offensive armament
The Tempest Mk II is armed with:
- 4 x 20 mm Hispano Mk.V cannon, wing-mounted (Left (162 rpg inner + 156 rpg outer) + Right (162 rpg outer + 156 rpg inner) = 636 total)
Suspended armament
The Tempest Mk II can be outfitted with the following ordinance:
- Without load
- 2 x G.P. 250 lb Mk.IV bombs (500 lb total)
- 2 x G.P. 500 lb Mk.IV bombs (1,000 lb total)
- 2 x M.C. 1,000 lb Mk.I bombs (2,000 lb total)
- 8 x RP-3 rockets
Usage in the battles
The main tactic for Tempest II is high-speed combat. With a weight of over 5,000 kg, and a peak WEP power of 2,500 HP it can accelerate very fast in a dive. This means that less altitude is traded for the same gain in speed compared to other props.
The second main benefit from the extra weight is that the plane can hold the speed gained from a dive for a long time. Additionally, the plane has a very sleek airframe, which means that its top speed is the highest of any prop in the game. Considering this data, the plane should be flown in high-speed shallow manoeuvres.
Against jets, the tactics are reversed. Jets are faster and heavier, thus shallow angles should be avoided. Steep angle energy fighting and turn fighting should be applied. Few exceptions against jets should be made. The Ho 229 will out turn the Tempest II, but upwards spirals at high speed are an effective way to burn away the 229’s energy and they are easily trapped.
The second exception is the Meteor F Mk.3. This plane outperforms or is on par in every aspect except for, hilariously enough, top speed on the deck.
The third and last are the Yak-15/17. They turn better, but their diving speed is a lot lower than the Tempest II’s.
Versus the Tempest:
There's not much one can do while a Tempest II is diving on your aircraft, as it'll blitz you before you know it and will be gone just as fast. Most smart Tempest pilots stay around 2,500-3,500 meters so they can keep their engine performance and have the ability to abuse their dive speed. If you are able to catch a Tempest mid-turn or if it's unaware of your presence, it becomes significantly easier to take down considering most aircraft at the tier can turn circles around it. Try to catch them in a manoeuvre trap and force them to bleed their speed for an easy kill.
Manual Engine Control
| MEC elements | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mixer | Pitch | Radiator | Supercharger | Turbocharger | ||
| Oil | Water | Type | ||||
| Controllable | Not controllable | Not controllable | Not controllable | Separate | Not ontrollable | Not controllable |
Modules
| Tier | Flight performance | Survivability | Weaponry | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Fuselage Repair | Radiator | HSBC mk.2 | ||
| II | Compressor | Airframe | HMBC mk.2 | ||
| III | Wings Repair | Engine | Offensive 20 mm | HLBC mk.2 | |
| IV | 150 Octane Fuel | Engine Injection | Cover | New 20 mm Cannons | HRC mk.8 |
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Strong engine providing excellent performance below 3,000 m/9,840 ft
- Dives very well (low parasite drag)
- Excellent accelleration
- Very high straight-line speed for a propeller-driven aircraft
- Solid firepower
- Very agile at moderate speeds
- Reasonably decent roll rate
Cons:
- Poor performance at high altitudes
- Often gets matches with early rank 5 aircraft
History
The creation of this plane also came with it's an older counterpart, the Tempest Mk V. The Mk II has a different engine than the Mk V which is why they seem different. The Mk II's used later in the war than the Mk V's.
In-game description
The Hawker Tempest Mk.II was a single seat fighter powered by a single Bristol Centaurus radial engine. After the Hawker Typhoon had proved unsatisfactory in its originally intended role as an interceptor, Hawker continued their work on viable options for a replacement aircraft.
The Hawker Tornado project had been run with two separate engine options concurrently; after the Tornado was cancelled the idea of trialing two separate engines was applied to Hawker’s new venture, then entitled the Typhoon II. After major design changes and with a perceived lack of confidence in the Typhoon name, the aircraft was designated the Tempest. The original prototypes were planned as the Tempest I with the Sabre IV engine and the Tempest V with the Sabre II. Shortly after this, two Tempest Mk.IIs were ordered with the 18 cylinder Bristol Centaurus engine, rated at 2520 hp. An order for 500 Tempest IIs was placed in October 1942, before the prototype had even first taken to the air. The first flight occurred in June 1943 before the Bristol Aeroplane Company began production, completing construction of its first example in October 1944, joining the two prototypes to continue trials. After delays in the Tempest II program the aircraft type was originally intended for use against the Japanese in the Far East but entered service just too late for the operations in the Second World War.
The first two Tempest II squadrons were No.54 and No.247 in autumn 1945. Only two squadrons of Tempest IIs operated from the UK mainland itself. With the war’s end the demand for high numbers of Hawker’s new fighter no longer remained and aircraft contracts were reduced significantly. Whilst ‘Tiger Force’ – the planned force for the Far East – had been cancelled, the RAF still opted to deploy 180 Tempest IIs to the Far East between 1946 and 1947. Four squadrons were stood up in India and used in policing actions in the local area before the aircraft were handed over to the Royal Indian Air Force. The Tempest II was also used as part of the British Forces of Occupation in Germany until July 1949. Only 552 Tempest IIs were built, serving with the RAF, India and Pakistan.
Media
An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.
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
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- page on aircraft encyclopedia;
- other literature.
