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4s | The Shooting Range |
---|---|
8s | In this episode: |
9s | Pages of History: An SPG’s Unexpected Fate |
13s | Arsenal: Exploring the Desert Lions’ Arsenals |
17s | And Metal Beasts: Battle Pass Strike Classics |
32s | We’ve already talked about the ground reward of the Airborne General battle pass, |
36s | so it’s time to discuss the main aircraft prize, |
39s | which by the way you can get for free. |
42s | Please welcome the Il-8, the improved version of the legendary Soviet Shturmovik. |
51s | On the outside, this machine is almost identical to its predecessor, |
55s | but the main differences are inside. |
57s | The hood of this aircraft hides a stronger engine capable of pulling 2,000 horsepower! |
63s | It doesn’t make it a fighter, of course, but it still ensures a nice buff to speed. |
67s | And that’s with a higher mass, by the way! |
70s | Unlike the Il-2, this aircraft has steel armor for the rear gunner as well. |
80s | Still, the new features make almost no difference |
82s | in terms of aerial battle tactics. |
85s | Compared to fighters, this aircraft is still reluctant in climbs, |
88s | which often puts it into the defensive position. |
91s | And there’s basically one single way out: try to force a frontal attack. |
95s | The Il-8 is armored well enough to survive the encounter, |
99s | while few opponents can stand the punch it packs. |
102s | In addition to machine guns, this strike aircraft |
104s | is also armed with two 23-mm autocannons. |
108s | They can shoot devastating fragmentation-incendiary rounds |
111s | with a decent rate of fire and great accuracy. |
114s | Any single-engine fighter can be rendered unfit to fly after just a few hits. |
119s | And if the Il-8 meets a bomber, it can become a fighter itself. |
123s | Don’t forget about the rear turret, by the way. |
126s | Yes, a single large-caliber machine gun can’t create an impenetrable lead barrier, |
131s | but a good engine hit is a nice deterrent for chasers. |
139s | Okay, aerial battles are good, |
141s | but weren’t Il attack aircraft famous for something else? |
145s | Right! The Il-8 can carry up to a ton of payload! |
149s | It can’t offer unguided rockets, but a wide choice of bombs is a good thing, too. |
154s | The calling card and also the main firepower of this new aircraft |
157s | is two 500-kg bombs. |
160s | You usually see this caliber on bombers only, |
163s | but this is a single-engine machine, and it has decent flight performance! |
167s | Two successful drops can net you two guaranteed frags in each fight, |
171s | and if you spot a group, two can turn into more. |
174s | Just don’t forget to set your fuse to at least 1.5 seconds |
177s | unless you want to join one of those guaranteed frags. |
181s | If you want a challenge, try a set of six 100-kg bombs. |
185s | They require much more accuracy but give you more versatility |
188s | thanks to a larger number of drops. |
190s | And when the Il-8 drops its gifts, |
193s | it can still use its good old 23-mm autocannons with armor-piercing rounds. |
198s | That’s when you can fully immerse yourself into the ground attack aircraft experience! |
216s | The Second World War forced military engineers |
219s | to search for new approaches to old solutions. |
221s | The British made the Centurion MBT |
224s | trying to combine the best qualities of different classes in a single machine. |
228s | The Soviet effort to improve the T-34 resulted in the T-44, |
233s | a predecessor of Soviet MBTs. |
236s | The Germans could produce a small revolution with their Waffenträger project, |
240s | which was a combination of an artillery truck and an SPG. |
243s | Germany failed to establish mass production before the end of the war, |
247s | but the idea behind the Waffenträger was never lost. |
250s | Around the same time, Lev Gorlitsky, |
253s | the lead engineer of the SU-85, SU-100, and SU-122, |
258s | was looking for solutions to the most widespread issues on Soviet SPGs: |
263s | namely, the increased load on the front wheels and limited gun traverse angles. |
267s | One of the options considered was a layout with the turret in the rear. |
270s | After the war was over, Gorlitsky’s design bureau received a trophy Waffenträger. |
275s | Studying the German machine and the American tactics of using the Hellcats |
279s | created a push to develop a light self-propelled gun |
282s | with an unconventional design for Soviet vehicles. |
285s | The crew compartment was placed in the rear, while the engine went to the front. |
289s | The engineers also designed a unique chassis |
291s | with seven pairs of rubberized roadwheels and an eight-gear transmission. |
296s | The chassis was meant to provide a good level of mobility, |
299s | while the small size and a 155-degree gun traverse |
302s | could help it attack from both direct and indirect firing positions. |
306s | With all of those pros, the SPG also weighed just a little bit more than 20 t. |
311s | The engineers also planned to fit the SU-100P with a 100-millimeter gun. |
316s | There was also another option with the D-50, a 152-millimeter howitzer, |
321s | designated the SU-152G. |
324s | The test stage uncovered issues with the transmission and the gearbox, |
327s | but the military appreciated the concept of the SU-100P. |
331s | The team received a recommendation to get the SPG into shape. |
334s | Fixing the flaws and issues took another five years, but by that time, |
338s | large-caliber tank destroyers were already going out of fashion. |
342s | The Soviet army was planning to switch to missiles and rockets, |
344s | so the SU-100P only got a tiny batch of 14 units. |
349s | The SPG was soon decommissioned, but its chassis... |
352s | Its chassis got a life of its own. |
354s | It became somewhat of a standard for Soviet engineers in those years. |
358s | The chassis was used in the 2K11 Krug, a surface-to-air missile system, |
362s | in the 2S4 Tyulpan, a self-propelled mortar, |
365s | in the 2S3 Akatsiya, in a BTR, in a firefighting vehicle, |
370s | and even in a self-propelled searchlight. |
373s | There were thousands of vehicles using the SU-100P’s chassis, |
376s | even excluding experimental vehicles like the Object 120. |
380s | And while the ‘Soviet Waffenträger’ itself |
382s | was never accepted into service in the Soviet Union proper, |
386s | the engineers did create a truly versatile platform |
389s | for combat vehicles used across the world even today. |
392s | A local solution went far beyond the scope of the original task, |
396s | outliving its creators and finding new, completely unexpected shapes. |
415s | We continue to explore the arsenals of aircraft from various nations, |
419s | and today we’d like to focus on the Israeli Kfir fighters. |
423s | Compared to their predecessors, the French Mirages, |
425s | they have a wider choice of suspended armament, |
428s | so let’s try to find the best options out there. |
433s | We’ll start with air combat sets. |
435s | Depending on the modification, these fighters can carry |
437s | between two and four close-range air-to-air missiles. |
441s | There are many types of AAMs available, but the best one is clear: |
444s | the Israeli Python 3. |
446s | It has an all-aspect homing device, great speed, and decent maneuverability. |
451s | The Kfir Canard has the rear-aspect AIM-9G, |
454s | which shows a less stellar performance, |
456s | but this modification also has a lower battle rating. |
459s | In addition to missiles, Israeli fighters can carry gun pods, |
463s | significantly increasing their firepower. |
465s | Unfortunately, firing them isn’t the most convenient affair: |
469s | even short bursts cause significant recoil, |
471s | disrupting aim and requiring extra effort to counter. |
475s | Besides, extra gun pods degrade flight performance |
478s | and force the C.7 to sacrifice a couple missiles, |
481s | so we can’t recommend them to all pilots. |
487s | The choice of armament for mixed battles is much richer. |
490s | Each aircraft of this family can carry |
492s | multiple types of rockets and bombs of various calibers. |
495s | It’s easy to get lost in this variety, so let’s go hardpoint by hardpoint. |
500s | The external ones are always reserved for air-to-air missiles. |
503s | The neighboring internal wing hardpoints, though, |
506s | can be filled with all kinds of ordnance. |
509s | First, you can add the gun pods that we’ve already discussed. |
512s | They’re not very useful in air combat, |
513s | but for close air support, a couple of Vulcans are a great budget choice. |
518s | Even with a standard belt, they can easily demolish |
521s | lightly armored vehicles like anti-air guns. |
523s | As for strong recoil, you can get used to it and adjust your aim in advance. |
527s | Another way to fill the internal wing hardpoints is unguided rockets. |
531s | Our choice is the large-caliber Zuni: it’s a handy tool against air defenses. |
536s | Moving on to bombs. |
537s | Among all the various calibers, we recommend going for 1000 or 2000 lb ones. |
543s | They have enough explosives to damage tanks even with indirect hits. |
547s | Extra 1000-pound bombs can go under the air intakes and to the rear. |
551s | There’s little sense in using smaller calibers here. |
554s | There’s also the central hardpoint, which you can fill it with 500-pound bombs. |
559s | They’re not terribly convenient, though, so it might make sense |
561s | to keep this hardpoint unoccupied and lighten the aircraft. |
570s | Well, there’s always room for experiments here! |
572s | Share your favorite loadouts in the comments. |
574s | And what vehicles would you like to see next? |
577s | Meanwhile, we’ll answer some of your questions from the comments... |
593s | The first question was sent by a player called rayoflas007: |
598s | “What does the American F-15 have in the left drift at the top?” |
602s | Hi there! It’s a radar warning antenna that helps pilots detect threats on time. |
607s | By the way, it’s a unique feature of the American F-15. |
611s | The Japanese and Israeli versions have symmetrical keels. |
615s | Broken Heart asks: |
617s | “Is the Strv 103С good at its BR?” |
622s | Hi Broken Heart! The Strv 103 isn’t a simple vehicle to master. |
627s | You might want to treat it as an SPG |
629s | that feels great in a comfortable firing position |
631s | but a bit unsure in close-quarters combat. |
634s | If you get used to this Swedish vehicle, though, you can be pretty successful. |
639s | Another question comes from Oscar: |
641s | “What are those holes that the M60 AMBT has next to the driver’s hatch? |
646s | It also has those holes in the back at the corners of the engine.” |
650s | Hi Oscar! You’re probably talking about the 360 vision system. |
654s | It allows the crew to control the environment around the machine. |
658s | Flip-n-Burn writes: |
659s | “Why do some ships like the USS Mississippi, |
662s | the USS Nevada, or the USS Arkansas |
664s | have extra anchor chains going to the bottom of the bow, |
667s | into the water, despite the anchor being raised?” |
671s | Hi Flip-n-Burn! Those chains aren’t meant for anchors, actually. |
675s | They’re used for devices called ‘kite otters’, |
678s | which are towed by ships and protect them against mines. |
682s | And the last comment for today was written by Mad: |
685s | “Will Germany get some sort of F-16?” |
688s | Hello, Mad! Germany never had F-16s in service, |
692s | but it did have other planes that can make their debuts in our game. |
695s | For now, the East German MiG-29s are pretty good at performing the top fighter role. |
700s | That’s it for today. You’ve been watching the Shooting Range by Gaijin Entertainment, |
704s | and the next episode will premier the following Sunday |
706s | at 4 PM GMT or noon Eastern time. |
710s | Subscribe and click the bell if you don’t want to miss our next videos. |
713s | Don’t forget to check the blinker fluid on your beloved Tiger, |
717s | leave a like, share your thoughts and comments... |
719s | and see you next week! |