Sea Gladiator Mk I
Contents
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This page is about the aircraft Sea Gladiator Mk I. For other uses, see Gladiator (Disambiguation) |
Description
The Sea Gladiator Mk I is a Rank I (country and aircraft type)
with a battle rating of 1.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.70.1945 "Weapons of Victory".
The Sea Gladiator Mk. I is the last of the Fleet Air Arm biplane naval fighters and, as the name suggests, is a naval modification of the regular Gladiator seen in the RAF tech tree. As a result, its handling characteristics are very similar to said plane type.
General info
Flight Performance
| Characteristics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stock | |||||||
| Max Speed (km/h at 4,420 m) |
Max altitude (meters) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (meters/second) |
Take-off run (meters) | |||
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | ||
| 394 | 384 | 10,211 | 17.0 | 17.5 | 11.4 | 12.7 | 232 |
| Upgraded | |||||||
| Max Speed (km/h at 4,420 m) |
Max altitude (meters) | Turn time (seconds) | Rate of climb (meters/second) |
Take-off run (meters) | |||
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | ||
| ? | ? | 10,211 | ??.? | ??.? | ?.? | ?.? | 232 |
Details
| Features | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat flap | Take-off flap | Landing flap | Air brakes | Arrestor gear |
| X | X | ✓ | X | ✓ |
| Limits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wing-break speed (km/h) |
Gear limit (km/h) |
Combat flap (km/h) |
Max Static G | |
| + | - | |||
| 560 | 450 | 520 | ~11 | ~5 |
| Optimal velocities | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ailerons (km/h) |
Rudder (km/h) |
Elevators (km/h) |
Radiator (km/h) |
| < 300 | < 380 | < 380 | > 190 |
| Compressor (RB/SB) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Setting 1 | ||
| Optimal altitude | 100% Engine power | WEP Engine power |
| 3,960 m | 860 hp | ?,??? hp |
Survivability and armour
- No armour plating
- No armour glazing
- Critical components located at front of aircraft (fuel, pilot, engine, controls)
- More fuel tanks located in wings near fuselage
Armaments
Offensive armament
The Sea Gladiator Mk I is armed with:
- 2 x 7.7 mm Browning .303 machine guns, fuselage-mounted (600 rpg = 1,200 total)
- 2 x 7.7 mm Browning .303 machine guns, wing-mounted (400 rpg = 800 total)
Usage in the battles
At Rank I and a battle rating of 1.0, this plane will typically be one of the first fighters a new player will research. However, the Sea Gladiator, like its land-based cousin, may be difficult to seek success in, especially in Realistic Battles mode. Within RB, when up-tiering comes into play, it will have to deal with not only biplane adversaries such as the CR.42, F3F and the very manoeuvrable Ki-10, but also more advanced fighters such as the P-40E, early Bf 109s, I-16s, and Ki-43s. All these plane types have several varying advantages against the Sea Gladiator, which can make early grinding a bit unbearable for some players.
There are a couple of issues with the Gladiator, all of which can make it an easy target at times:
- Its power plant configuration, which includes a engine with no WEP capability and a three-blade fixed-pitch propeller, can make the Gladiator a slug in acceleration and climb. In flight testing the Gladiator can usually only sustain at most around 3,000 fpm (roughly 15 m/s) in a climb at around 180-200 km/h (111-124 mph) indicated airspeed, and its top speed isn't great either (at sea level it can only manage around 335 km/h, and testing has yielded 396 km/h at 4,000 m altitude).
- The Sea Gladiator manoeuvres well. However, it bleeds a lot of speed in sharp turns, and while its turn radius is good enough to shake off reserve planes, the loss of speed can make the plane a slower and henceforth more vulnerable target to any other enemy planes in the area. Using flaps does help a bit with decreasing the amount of speed lost in a turn, but it is not beneficial enough to allow for minimal loss of speed. And like most early British fighters, it hates high speeds in dives.
However, the Sea Gladiator has four 7.7 mm (.303) Browning machine guns with a total of 2,000 rounds on hand. The Gladiator's four Browning armament can come in handy at times - when equipped with tracer belts, the plane is capable of taking down even the fiercest of opponents if you play your cards right. A good approach to combat is to attempt to side climb as much as you can on any given map, then use your altitude advantage and turn advantage wisely.
The Sea Gladiator is outclassed by most of the fighters it comes across. It is inferior in manoeuvrability to the F3F, I-16 and Ki-43, in speed to the 109s, P-40 and CR.42, and in armament to the Bf 109E-3 and P-40E.
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 | Offensive 7 mm | |
| II | Compressor | Airframe | New 7 mm MGs | |
| III | Wings Repair | Engine | ||
| IV | Engine Injection | Cover | ||
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Armament is equal to or better than other fighters in its BR class
- Good manoeuvrability in a turn
- Tracer belts, like all other planes fitted with Browning machine guns, can be deadly
- Has flaps, unlike most other biplane fighters
Cons:
- Sluggish in acceleration and top speed (fixed-pitch propeller and lack of WEP can emphasis this problem)
- Performance deficiencies can make it an easy target for experienced or more difficult adversaries
- Not the best climber
- Bleeds speed in turns, even when using flaps
History
The Gloster Sea Gladiator was, as the name suggests, a naval modification of the Gladiator biplane fighter in use by the Royal Air Force (RAF). Ninety-eight Sea Gladiators were completed: 38 "interim" airframes modified from the existing Gladiator Mk II production line (serial numbers N2265 – N2302), and 60 purpose-built airframes (serial numbers N5500 – N5549 and N5565 – N5574); differences from the Gladiator Mk IIs in service with the RAF included the planes being fitted with catapult attachment points and a tail hook, the airframe being strengthened to withstand carrier landings, and a dinghy lifeboat being made mountable to the underbelly of the plane. As with the Gladiator Mk II it was based off, the Sea Gladiator was powered by a nine-cylinder Bristol Mercury VIIA radial engine rated at 840 hp and mated to a three-blade Fairey metal fixed pitch propeller, and armed with four 7.7-millimeter (.303) Browning machine guns. 54 Sea Gladiators were still in service with the Fleet Air Arm by the time Britain declared war on Germany in September 1939.
Sea Gladiators saw service in the Atlantic aboard Royal Navy carriers, and in the Mediterranean theater during the Siege of Malta.
Media
An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.
Read also
- English Wikipedia article on the Gladiator (all variants)
- War Thunder live camouflages for the Sea Gladiator
Sources
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- page on aircraft encyclopedia;
- other literature.
