Bf 109 F-4/trop
| This page is about the German fighter Bf 109 F-4/trop. For other variants, see Bf 109 (Family). |
Contents
Description
The Bf 109 F-4/trop 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.
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, WEP must be limited or else the engine would 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 at least once to see how effective it is because depending on how you play it can really boost your firepower abilities. The 15 mm cannons are a trade-off for manoeuvrability, but this additional firepower can help rip the wings off anything you face . 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 is not necessarily the most important, the additional MG 151s can mean the difference between downing a plane or nothing at all.
General info
Flight performance
| Characteristics | Max Speed (km/h at 5,800 m) |
Max altitude (metres) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (metres/second) |
Take-off run (metres) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | |||
| Stock | 634 | 618 | 11600 | 20.0 | 20.7 | 16.4 | 16.4 | 363 |
| Upgraded | 682 | 658 | 18.1 | 19.0 | 24.6 | 20.0 | ||
Details
| Features | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat flaps | Take-off flaps | Landing flaps | Air brakes | Arrestor gear |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | X | X |
| Limits | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wings (km/h) | Gear (km/h) | Flaps (km/h) | Max Static G | |||
| Combat | Take-off | Landing | + | - | ||
| 790 | 360 | 437 | 408 | 260 | ~13 | ~6 |
| Optimal velocities (km/h) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ailerons | Rudder | Elevators | Radiator |
| < 450 | < 390 | < 450 | > 715 |
| Compressor (RB/SB) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Setting 1 | ||
| Optimal altitude | 100% Engine power | WEP Engine power |
| 4,950 m | 1,175 hp | 1,321 hp |
Survivability and armour
- 8 mm Steel - Pilot's seat
- 10 mm Steel - Pilot's headrest
- 6 mm Steel - behind the fuel tank
- 60 mm Bulletproof glass
Modifications and economy
| Flight performance | Survivability | Weaponry | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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|
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Energy fighters require acceleration, they live by it. Therefore most of "flight performance" upgrades are advised: Compressor, Engine and Engine injection. Meanwhile, the upgrades for the hub-firing 20mm MG 151 should not be forgotten. Upgraded belts (air targets) ASAP!
Armaments
Offensive armament
The Bf 109 F-4/trop is armed with:
- 1 x 20 mm MG 151 cannon, nose-mounted (200 rpg)
- 2 x 7.92 mm MG 17 machine guns, nose-mounted (500 rpg = 1,000 total)
The two machine guns are mounted in the upper fuselage just in front of the pilot and fire through the propeller arc. Each are armed with the same amount of ammunition, which means that both guns will fire with each other until empty. The 20 mm cannon is mounted in the propeller shaft and fires through the propeller hub.
Suspended armament
The Bf 109 F-4/trop 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 cannons, wing-mounted (125 rpg = 250 total)
Usage in battles
The tropical version is much like the standard F-4 variant. New features are engine intake dust filter, a socket for sun-umbrellas and several other accommodations versus particulate matter. While these modifications allowed for prolonged service life in harsh environments like the Russian veld and Libya's desert, it also (marginally) costs top speed and engine performance due to increased air resistance and power diversion for the filtered aspirator, although these are hardly noticeable in combat.
The Bf 109 F-4 is not a great plane when you compare it to the other rank III planes, but it is effective nonetheless. Do not try to down a plane by coming behind it and giving them all you got, instead, try to scare your prey into a turn by peppering it with your 7.92 mm MG 17's, and then blow its wing off with the cannon. The cannon, unfortunately, fires relatively fast and runs out of ammo pretty quickly, so hitting a plane from the tail-end is hard to achieve.
Word to the wise: the F-4 is a fairly good turner for its class; if you are chased by an F4U, P-51, P-47D, 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 the Spitfire. Then, repeat. Do not try to out-climb the Spitfire (community nickname is a Spacefire for a reason), but try to outrun it in a dive. The Spitfire Mk Vc is superior to the F-4, avoid it.
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 |
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Nimble compared to Russian and American counterparts
- Relatively good armament
- Relatively good climb rate, though not as good as a Spitfire or a maxed out P-39 Airacobra
- Good sustained turn
- Faster than most opponents, such as the Spitfire Mk Vc, Yak-3, and La-5, especially at altitude
- Additional armament is good for destroying medium and light tanks with armoured targets belt
- Both MG151/20 20 mm cannon can be loaded with the feared Minengeschoß (air targets belts)
- All weaponry mounted in the nose, allowing easy aiming without having to worry about convergence
Cons:
- Controls stiffen easily
- Overheats quickly
- Additional armament can reduce performance critically
- Poor cockpit visibility
- Prone to catching fire in a chase with a bomber
- Gunpods can't load stealth belts, thus giving the attacker's position away during a surprise attack
- 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-game description
The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was the Luftwaffe's most widely-used fighter at the beginning of World War II.
When the advanced English Spitfire Mk.V arrived, the Messerschmitt Bf 109F Friedrich was developed in response.
The new model featured a more powerful engine and much-improved aerodynamics, but as a result became even more difficult to control.
The Bf 109 F-4/trop variant was built for use in tropical regions. It was unique due to its air intake filter, hydraulic seals and protective covers. In addition, an umbrella was extendable over the cockpit to help keep the pilot from overheating when on the ground. The plane was equipped with a special emergency kit including a gun for self-defense and a supply of food and water.
Almost all of the Bf 109 F variants had tropical versions produced, but the Bf 109 F-4/trop was the most popular. Despite its name, the tropical variants were used not only in Africa but also on the southern steppe, where dust clouds were a significant threat to aircraft engines, as well as in the far north, where the filters protected the plane's engines from falling snow.
A total of approximately 2,200 Bf 109 F's were constructed.
Media
Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.
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
| Germany fighters | |
|---|---|
| Heinkel | |
| He 51 | He 51 A-1 · He 51 B-1 · He 51 B-2/H · He 51 C-1 · He 51 C-1/L |
| He 100 | He 100 D-1 |
| He 112 | He 112 A-0 · He 112 B-0 · He 112 B-1/U2 · He 112 B-2/U2 · He 112 V-5 |
| Messerschmitt | |
| Bf 109 (Jumo) | Flegel's Bf 109 A · Bf 109 B-1 · Bf 109 C-1 · Bf 109 C-1 |
| Bf 109 (DB-601) | Bf 109 E-1 · Bf 109 E-3 · Bf 109 E-4 · Bf 109 E-7/U2 · Bf 109 F-1 · Bf 109 F-2 · Bf 109 F-4 · Bf 109 F-4/trop |
| Bf 109 (DB-605) | Bf 109 G-2/trop · Bf 109 G-2 · Bf 109 G-6 · Bf 109 G-10 · Bf 109 G-14 · Bf 109 K-4 |
| Focke-Wulf | |
| Fw 190 (early) | Fw 190 A-1 · Fw 190 A-4 · Fw 190 A-5 · Fw 190 A-5 · Fw 190 A-5/U2 · Fw 190 A-5/U14 · Fw 190 A-8 · Fw 190 C |
| Fw 190 (late) | Fw 190 D-9 · Fw 190 D-12 · Fw 190 D-13 |
| Ta 152 | Ta 152 C-3 · Ta 152 H-1 |
| Blohm & Voss | |
| BV 155 | BV 155 B-1 |
| Captured: | |
| USA | ▀P-47D-16-RE · ▀P-47D |
| USSR | ▀La-5FN · ▀Yak-1B |
| Britain | ▀Tempest Mk V |
| Italy | |
| CR.42 | ▀CR.42 · ▀Marcolin's C.R.42 CN |
| G.50 | ▀G.50 serie 2 · ▀G.50 AS serie 7 |
| C.200 | ▀C. 200 serie 3 · ▀C. 200 serie 7 |
| C.202 | ▀C. 202 |
| Finland | ▀Hawk H-75A-2 |
