S.O.4050 Vautour IIB
| This page is about the French jet bomber S.O.4050 Vautour IIB. For other versions, see Vautour (Family). |
Contents
Description
The S.O.4050 Vautour IIB is a rank VI French jet bomber with a battle rating of 9.7 (AB) and 9.0 (RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.73 "Vive la France".
General info
Flight performance
| Characteristics | Max Speed (km/h at 0 m - sea level) |
Max altitude (metres) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (metres/second) |
Take-off run (metres) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | |||
| Stock | 1,102 | 1,098 | 15000 | 32.6 | 33.2 | 43.5 | 39.6 | 900 |
| Upgraded | 1,113 | 1,107 | 31.5 | 32.0 | 68.2 | 55.0 | ||
Details
| Features | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat flaps | Take-off flaps | Landing flaps | Air brakes | Arrestor gear | Drogue chute |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | X | ✓ |
| Limits | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wings (km/h) | Gear (km/h) | Flaps (km/h) | Max Static G | |||
| Combat | Take-off | Landing | + | - | ||
| 1,166 | 425 | 584 | 564 | 463 | ~7 | ~3 |
| Optimal velocities (km/h) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ailerons | Rudder | Elevators | Radiator |
| < 480 | < 620 | < 590 | N/A |
Engine performance
| Engine | Aircraft mass | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine name | Number | Empty mass | Wing loading (full fuel) | |||
| SNECMA Atar 101E5 | 2 | 11,500 kg | 327 kg/m2 | |||
| Engine characteristics | Mass with fuel (no weapons load) | Max Takeoff Weight | ||||
| Weight (each) | Type | 8m fuel | 20m fuel | 26m fuel | ||
| 950 kg | Axial-flow turbojet | 12,510 kg | 13,979 kg | 14,713 kg | 21,000 kg | |
| Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB / SB) | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (110%) | |||||
| Condition | 100% | 110% | 8m fuel | 20m fuel | 26m fuel | MTOW |
| Stationary | 3,322 kgf | 3,787 kgf | 0.60 | 0.54 | 0.51 | 0.36 |
| Optimal | 3,627 kgf (1,100 km/h) |
4,135 kgf (1,100 km/h) |
0.66 | 0.59 | 0.56 | 0.39 |
Survivability and armour
- 50 mm Bulletproof glass in front of the pilot.
- 13.5 mm Steel plate behind the pilot's head.
- 6 + 13.5 mm Steel plate in nose.
- 3 mm Steel shell surrounding the cockpit in the fuselage.
- 2 mm Steel plate behind the fuel cells.
- 2 mm Steel plate in the tail.
Modifications and economy
| Flight performance | Survivability | Weaponry | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Armaments
Suspended armament
The S.O.4050 Vautour IIB can be outfitted with the following ordnance presets:
- 10 x 250 lb AN-M57 bombs (2,500 lb total)
- 10 x 500 lb AN-M64A1 bombs (5,000 lb total)
- 10 x 750 lb M117 cone 45 bombs (7,500 lb total)
- 6 x 1,000 lb AN-M65A1 Fin M129 bombs (6,000 lb total)
Custom loadout options
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 250 lb AN-M57 bombs | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | |
| 500 lb AN-M64A1 bombs | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | |
| 750 lb M117 cone 45 bombs | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | |
| 1,000 lb AN-M65A1 Fin M129 bombs | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
| Maximum permissible weight imbalance: 1,000 kg | ||||||
Usage in battles
Vautour IIb has very good acceleration, after takeoff side climb to 5000 m. From there you have two options,
- Diving
One way of playing the Vautour IIb is diving, rushing into a base bombing point and bombing it. Doing this can guaranteed a chance to drop a bomb at the base if the map is small enough to reach it. Following the bombing, the plane will still have a high speed due to the dive and so it can quickly withdraw back to the base to land and reload. However; this tactic doesn't work as well on larger maps where it would take a longer time to reach a base to bomb. Not to mention that doing so will sacrifice altitude and cause the Vautour to be below many enemy fighters, which the Vautour cannot defend itself due to lack of armaments.
- Keeping your altitude
The other way of using the Vautour IIb is by keeping your altitude and climbing and then using your bombsight to bomb a base. Staying at a high altitude can prove safer as it can cause the Vautour to stay atop of many enemy fighters. However, bombing can be harder due to many more variables to keep account for when using the bomb sight. Getting up to altitude at standard speed can also make reaching the base harder, and so it would take a longer time to complete a bombing run. In some cases, more well-performing fighters like the F-100s can make this tactic moot as their speed will ensure they catch up and destroy the Vautour before it has a chance to drop its payload.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Insane acceleration
- Climbs exceptionally well without ordnance
- Energy retention is great
- Airbrakes, you will need them to avoid compressing in a dive
- Possesses a bombsight
- Bomber airspawn (often above 3,000 m)
Cons:
- Lacks the rocket payload options of the Vautour IIA
- Compresses at high speed
- Massive penalties in-flight performance when carrying full payloads
- Turns like a brick
- Roll rate is also unimpressive
- Fragile engines; a hit to an engine will make you easy prey for enemy fighters
- Relies heavily on team support even more than the Vautour IIA does
- Massive target
- No offensive armament
- 110% will easily overheat your engines after short use
- Lack countermeasures
History
The S.O.4050 Vautour IIB was developed by Sud Aviation after World War Two to meet the demand for the French Armée de l'Air. This was a challenging task, after the German occupation in France. Many aircraft design teams have scattered. France was also new to the new jet propulsion area. The requirements issued by the French government called for a jet-powered multi-role attack aircraft that can perform as a bomber, low-level attack aircraft, and an all-weather interceptor. SNCASO met those requirements with a modified version of the S.O 4000. The new plane was designated the S.O.4050 Vautour and was manufactured in three different variants. The plane would serve in the AdA for several decades before replaced the newer Dassault Mirage. The Vautour was also one of the stop-gap measures used by the AdA as a nuclear deterrent. The Vautour would later be exported to Israel and serve with the IAF to counter Egypt's IL-28 twin-engine bomber.
The IIB, which differed from the previous IIA by adding a second crew member in a transparent nose, was a dedicated bomber variant. Its prototype first flew in December 1954. In total 40 of the IIB would be built. All were sold along with all of France's Vautour IIAs to Israel in 1960.
Media
- Skins
- Images
Damaged Vautour IIb
- Videos
See also
External links
- [Wikipedia] Sud Aviation Vautour
- [Air Vectors] The Sud Ouest Vautour II & Dassault Mirage IV
- Official data sheet - more details about the performance
| SNCA SO (Société nationale des constructions aéronautiques du sud-ouest) | |
|---|---|
| Fighters | S.O.8000 Narval |
| Jet Fighters | S.O.4050 Vautour IIN (late) |
| Jet Bombers | S.O.4050 Vautour IIA · S.O.4050 Vautour IIB · S.O.4050 Vautour IIN |
| Export | Vautour IIA IDF/AF · Vautour IIA · Vautour IIN |
| France jet aircraft | |
|---|---|
| Fighters | M.D.450B Ouragan · M.D.450B Barougan · M.D.452 IIA · M.D.452 IIC · Mystere IVA · Super Mystere B2 |
| ▄F-86K · ▄F-100D · ▄F-8E(FN) | |
| Mirage IIIC · Mirage IIIE · Milan · Mirage 5F · Mirage 2000C-S4 · Mirage 2000C-S5 · Mirage 2000-5F · Mirage 4000 | |
| Mirage F1C · Mirage F1C-200 · Mirage F1CT | |
| Strike aircraft | ▄F-84F · F-84F IAF · ▄F-84G-26-RE |
| Etendard IVM · Super Etendard · Alpha Jet E | |
| Jaguar A · Jaguar E · Mirage 2000D-R1 · Mirage 2000D-RMV | |
| Bombers | S.O.4050 Vautour IIA · Vautour IIA IDF/AF · S.O.4050 Vautour IIB · S.O.4050 Vautour IIN · S.O.4050 Vautour IIN (late) |
| Belgium | ▄Meteor F Mk.8 · ▄Mirage 5BA · ▄F-104G · ▄F-16A · ▄F-16AM |
| Netherlands | ◘Sea Hawk Mk.50 · ◘Hunter F.6 |
