F6F-5 (France)

▄F6F-5

Potez 631

M.B.157

▄F6F-5

Potez 631

M.B.157

France

II Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
3.0	3.3	3.7

Class:

Fighter

Naval aircraft

Torpedo bomber

Research:11 000

Purchase:22 000

Show in game

This page is about the French fighter F6F-5 (France). For other uses, see F6F (Family).

Description

The ▄F6F-5 Hellcat is a rank II French fighter with a battle rating of 3.0 (AB), 3.3 (RB), and 3.7 (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.73 "Vive la France".

General info

Flight performance

Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 5,730 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	620	599	11000	21.6	22.4	8.9		399
Upgraded	680	647		19.4	20.5	17.7	12.7

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	+	-
803	375	510	___	310	~12	~4

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 432	< 420	< 420	> 420

Compressor	Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
Setting 1	518 m	2,000 hp	2,398 hp
Setting 2	4,724 m	1,800 hp	2,158 hp
Setting 3	6,400 m	1,650 hp	1,978 hp

Survivability and armour

• 38 mm Bulletproof glass in front of the pilot
• 6.35 mm Steel plates behind the pilot
• 3 mm Steel plates on fuselage top in front of the cockpit
• 3 mm Steel plate on the top front of oil cooling system
• 3 mm Steel plates on the bottom of the engine

Armaments

Offensive armament

The F6F-5 (France) is armed with:

• 6 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns, wing-mounted (400 rpg = 2,400 total)

The six machine guns are arranged in bundles of three mounted in both wings. Each is armed with the same amount of ammunition, which means that all guns will fire with each other until empty.

Suspended armament

The F6F-5 (France) can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

• Without load
• 6 x HVAR rockets
• 2 x Tiny Tim rockets
• 2 x 1,000 lb AN-M65A1 bombs (2,000 lb total)
• 2 x 1,000 lb AN-M65A1 bombs + 6 x HVAR rockets (2,000 lb total)
• 1 x Mk.13/44 (569 mm) torpedo

Usage in battles

The key to both surviving and owning in the F6F is to keep your speed up and try to be even marginally higher than your opponents. Below 300 km/h (186 mph) it is very sluggish. As with most American fighters, Boom & Zoom is the preferred combat mode for the Hellcat, while its average high-speed manoeuvrability can be used to add in a high yo-yo. It has a lot of ammo, but a good aim is still important since boom-n-zoom only allows you a small window of opportunity to hit your target before you have to climb back to altitude. Still, this is an excellent plane to practice your aim and tactics with because it's more forgiving than most boom-n-zoom fighters. If you don't have particularly good aim, a good tactic is to open up at 500 m (0.31 mi), starting with your aim on the aircraft, and then slowly move your aim in front of the target. You won't require as much lead when diving on your target at 600+ km/h (373+ mph).

With dual 1,000-pound bombs and six HVAR rockets armed, the Hellcat is a stable game-ending platform in a pinch when the rest of your team is not ground-attacking. The two Tiny Tim anti-tank rockets can also be useful for taking out more massive targets. Sometimes, it is useful to save the Hellcat as your last plane just for that. You can always jettison the rockets and bombs if you're suddenly forced to dogfight.

It is incredibly important to use Manual Engine Controls while piloting the Hellcat in Realistic or Simulator Battles. The Hellcat has access to three Supercharger gears, each tailored for a different altitude, and each will significantly improve your performance at their appropriate altitudes.

Keep in mind:

• It has a lot of engine power, but at anywhere between 5.7 and 7 tonnes, getting up to altitude isn't very easy.
• Resist the temptation to get into low-altitude turning fights. This is a heavy aircraft and it will lose a massive amount of speed in turns.
• While it has plenty of explosive armament options, in Realistic and Simulator battles the added weight and drag will usually make you an easy target for other fighters. Since most air battles are basically dogfights, you're often better off without the extra weight.
• This thing will perform reasonably well at low altitudes, but it's still recommended to stay at an altitude of 3 km or higher.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Not controllable	Controllable Not auto controlled	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	ITC mk.III
II		Compressor	Airframe		FRC mk.2
III	Wings repair	Engine		New 12 mm MGs	LFRC mk.12
IV		Engine injection	Cover		FLBC mk.1

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Can carry a lot of payload for a rank III aircraft
• One of the few fighters that can carry a torpedo
• Very effective in either air-to-air or air-to-ground, very versatile
• Bombs are mounted directly under the fuselage, very accurate when dive bombing
• Good climb rate
• Excellent dive rate
• Good cockpit visibility
• Extremely efficient cooling system
• Lots of ammo
• Cheap repair cost
• Can take some hits
• Decent at energy fighting, although not as good as the Bf 109 F-4

Cons:

• You have to fly at a very low altitude at a deficient speed to drop the torpedo, which is impractical
• Only three salvos of HVAR rockets
• Carrying the 2 x 1000 lb bombs and the 6 x HVAR rockets also adds a worse climb rate
• Slower top speed compared to other contemporary US fighters
• Higher stall speed than its Japanese counterparts
• Control stiffening above moderate speeds
• Poor roll rate
• Large fuselage cross-section makes it an easy target
• Guns mounted further on the wings making it harder to aim at a target that is smaller than you
• Despite its formidable reputation as the Zero killer, a Zero could still easily kill it if you are forced to fight on the Zero's terms

History

A French F6F-5 lands on Arromanches during the Indochina War, circa 1953. The F6F's ruggedness and reliability made it an effective aircraft for the Asian theatre.

The F6F-5, as a battle-hardened veteran of the Second World war, was chosen as a potential carrier-based naval fighter and strike aircraft by the French Aeronavale, in the process of rebuilding France's military. Thus, the Air Ministry procured a total of 124 F6F-5 and 15 F6F-5N aircraft from Grumman between 1950 and 1953. The aircraft were based on the French aircraft carriers CV Arromanches (formerly HMS Colossus), CVL Lafayette (formerly USS Langley) and CVL Bois-Belleau (formerly USS Belleau Wood).

The aircraft served during the first Indochina war, between 1951 and 1954. The aircraft served with the 11F and 12F combat squadrons as well as the 54S, 57S and 59S training squadrons. The aircraft was complemented by F4U Corsairs of the Aeronavale, and later on, the F8F Bearcat. However, the relative oblesence of the aircraft made its service life short - most units were withdrawn from service after the Indochina war, and almost all aircraft had been scrapped by 1960.

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;
• encyclopedia page on the aircraft;
• other literature.

Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation
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