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War Thunder. Official channel.
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| 4s | The advent of the jet era presented a new set of problems |
|---|---|
| 8s | to the designers and manufacturers of naval aircraft. |
| 11s | As jets needed longer runways, engineers were forced |
| 14s | to outfit carriers with complicated and expensive systems |
| 18s | for assisted take-off and landing. |
| 20s | Even in the late 1950s, contemporary aircraft catapults |
| 24s | still left much to be desired. |
| 26s | And that’s why major powers of the world started developing VTOL tech, |
| 30s | or aircraft with vertical take-off and landing capabilities. |
| 34s | Two countries that achieved exceptional results in that race |
| 37s | were the UK and the USSR, |
| 39s | and so War Thunder features the aircraft of the Harrier family |
| 43s | (available in the British and the American tech trees) |
| 46s | and the Yak-38 |
| 47s | (found in the Soviet tech tree.) |
| 49s | Today we’re going to talk about the ways |
| 51s | you can unlock the full potential of these unique aircraft! |
| 56s | The British Harrier was the first ever production aircraft |
| 59s | with vertical takeoff and landing capabilities. |
| 62s | This ground attacker was also produced under license in the US as the AV-8. |
| 67s | One of the defining attributes of this particular design |
| 70s | is that it accelerates like a beast. |
| 72s | On the runway, it goes faster than Rank 7 fighters, |
| 75s | even though the positions are quickly reversed in the air |
| 78s | as the Harrier can’t fly at supersonic speeds. |
| 81s | Other things to consider are that it’s not super maneuvrable |
| 84s | and is not easy to handle, |
| 85s | but both of these problems can be solved by proper thrust-vectoring. |
| 89s | Changing the thrust vector bleeds a lot of speed, making you an easy target, |
| 94s | but, when done right, |
| 95s | it allows the Harrier to outmaneuver even opponents |
| 98s | that are known for their exceptional agility. |
| 103s | The Harrier GR.1 is one of the most dangerous aircraft of the series |
| 107s | as it can carry up to four SRAAM missiles. |
| 111s | They don’t have a big range, but they are exceptionally maneuverable |
| 114s | and can pull an overload of 20 G, |
| 117s | allowing them to track and hit targets that are very agile. |
| 120s | The SRAAM should be launched at a distance of around 1,200 meters to the target: |
| 125s | at this range, the missile definitely has enough juice |
| 128s | to successfully intercept the enemy. |
| 130s | That’s not to say that the GR.1 can’t be used as a strike aircraft: |
| 134s | after all, it can carry three 1,000 lbs bombs and 72 rockets. |
| 143s | The Harrier GR.3 ditched the SRAAM in favor of the AIM-9G air-to-air missile |
| 149s | which is not as agile, but has a longer reach |
| 152s | as it can be launched at a range of five kilometers. |
| 155s | The aircraft also received a new engine, |
| 157s | resulting in better flying performance, |
| 159s | and was fitted with flare dispensers |
| 161s | to protect the GR.3 from heat-seeking missiles, |
| 164s | which was a big upgrade |
| 166s | as under the same circumstances the first Harrier could only turn their engine off |
| 169s | or rely on evasive maneuvers. |
| 177s | Finally, the ultimate version of the British series is the Harrier GR.7. |
| 182s | Apart from a new engine and better flying characteristics, |
| 185s | it also has new payload options, |
| 187s | including a variety of smart bombs of different weights, |
| 190s | from 500 lbs to 2,000 lbs. |
| 193s | They are guided by a special targeting pod which has access to thermal vision |
| 197s | meaning that the aircraft is effective against ground targets |
| 200s | at any time of day or night. |
| 203s | New AGM-65D Maverick missiles are an excellent anti-tank weapon, |
| 208s | while AIM-9L missiles protect you from other aircraft. |
| 211s | And that’s without even mentioning the Harrier’s 25-mm cannons! |
| 216s | All in all, it’s one of the most versatile attack aircraft out there. |
| 222s | The AV-8A and the AV-8C, which are American export versions of the Harriers, |
| 228s | are very similar to the GR.3. |
| 230s | They are equipped with two AIM-9G missiles, |
| 233s | the same Pegasus engines and flares, |
| 235s | but keep in mind that American Harriers |
| 237s | have a dedicated payload preset for countermeasures. |
| 241s | Another thing that sets them apart from their British counterparts |
| 244s | is that they have access to a different set of anti-tank weapons, |
| 247s | like Zuni rockets, for example. |
| 250s | With a bit of help from a ballistics computer, |
| 252s | these seemingly unguided rockets can be used with surgical precision |
| 256s | to hit the roofs of enemy tanks. |
| 258s | A solid hit with one of those will instantly KO even an MBT. |
| 266s | Soviet VTOL aircraft are a bit of a special story |
| 269s | as they were developed under slightly different circumstances. |
| 272s | For instance, the Yak-38 was designed to have one main engine |
| 276s | and two auxiliary ones that were used purely for takeoff and landing. |
| 281s | Due to that, this aircraft can’t use thrust-vectoring |
| 284s | to augment its maneuverability, |
| 286s | but can easily break the sound barrier. |
| 289s | Apart from speed, another big selling point of the Yak-38 |
| 292s | is that it can carry R-60 air-to-air missiles |
| 295s | that are pretty effective at its respective BR. |
| 298s | Compared to early Harriers, the Soviet aircraft has different strike capabilities |
| 303s | as it has access to guided anti-tank munitions |
| 307s | specifically, the X-23M air-to-surface missile |
| 310s | that can hit ground vehicles from outside the range of enemy AA guns. |
| 315s | It’s worth noting that there is also the Yak-38M, |
| 318s | which is a modified variant fitted with a GSh-23L 23-mm gun |
| 324s | that’s very handy when engaging enemy fighters. |
| 330s | VTOL aircraft of War Thunder, just like their real life counterparts, |
| 334s | come with a set of advantages and disadvantages... |
| 337s | but the latter aren’t a big deal if the aircraft is in the hands of a good pilot |
| 342s | and a well-trained crew. |
| 343s | Were there any crazy shenanigans or feats |
| 345s | that you personally managed to pull off on a VTOL aircraft? |
| 349s | Tell us in the comments below! |
| 351s | And see you in battle! |