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4s | The Shooting Range |
---|---|
8s | In this episode... |
9s | Pages of History: British Frenzied Flying Desk |
13s | Arsenal: Skyhawk’s Best Toys |
17s | And Metal Beasts: Pancake Tank |
29s | The Kings of Battle update is already available to all players, |
33s | so it makes all the sense to continue talking about fresh vehicles. |
37s | And today’s machine, without exaggeration... |
40s | Or should we say ‘without underestimation’ in this case?.. |
44s | Well, anyways, this is the most unusual tank in the game! |
48s | Did the Maus drive over it? |
50s | Or did the engineers forget to change the vertical scale on the blueprint? |
54s | In any case, please welcome the Soviet Object 775 missile tank! |
60s | Its main weaponry is a two-plane stabilized 125-mm missile launcher |
65s | with elevation angles between −5 and +18 degrees. |
70s | The ammo is stored in the front and center of the hull. |
73s | The engine and transmission compartment is in the rear, |
76s | while the entire crew of only two is in the turret. |
80s | The tank is protected by composite armor. |
83s | Gameplay with the Object is vastly different from its counterparts. |
87s | First, you need to stop laughing and crying before you can treat it seriously. |
91s | That alone can take a couple battles... |
94s | Once you actually start playing it, |
96s | you need to resist the temptation to use the adjustable suspension. |
100s | Because if you make the 775 even lower, you’ll have to relearn it all over again! |
105s | You’re also going to be stuck with the feeling |
107s | that the lower part of the tank is sinking into the void... |
113s | Alright, jokes aside. |
116s | We’re above that! |
118s | As per original design, this layout gives the vehicle a few advantages. |
122s | A low profile makes it harder to spot, |
125s | and its front is protected by composite armor mounted at a good angle. |
128s | The Object can even deflect early finned rounds, not to mention weaker shells. |
134s | There’s also the surprise effect we need to mention. |
136s | In general, players are used to keeping their barrel level |
139s | since most tanks have a similar height. |
141s | No one really minds their step! |
145s | You shouldn’t rely on this armor too much, though. |
147s | It has its vulnerabilities, and with a layout this tight, |
150s | any penetration might be its last. |
153s | One of the worst areas is the gun mantlet: |
156s | spalling will surely knock out at least one of the two crew members. |
163s | The Object itself can launch two types of ordnance: |
166s | the Rubin guided missile and the Bur unguided missile. |
170s | We recommend picking the ATGM as the main one. |
173s | It flies pretty fast, controls well enough, and can penetrate up to 500 mm of armor. |
180s | It also has a high reload rate and can be launched on the move. |
186s | The Object comes with some flaws as well. |
189s | Being able to become lower than grass |
191s | and entrench itself after just a few digs is amazing, sure. |
195s | But there’s also quite a few firing positions you might be used to |
199s | that the 775 is simply too short for. |
202s | Add to that the traditionally poor depression angles |
204s | and an even worse reverse speed... |
210s | One more thing left... |
211s | Just out of curiosity, what if we mixed it with the Strv 74? |
216s | Would that make a regular tank? |
232s | Our regular viewers may remember episode #243 |
236s | where we talked about the so-called ‘Flying Desk Frenzy’. |
239s | ‘Patient Zero’ originated in Sweden, in 1963. |
243s | The Saab-105 was originally meant to be both a training and a strike aircraft. |
249s | The engineers probably didn’t know what kind of pandemic |
251s | they were unleashing onto the world... |
253s | Or did they? |
254s | In any case, we know the outcome: |
256s | once the Vietnam war began, they attempted to convert |
259s | pretty much every training jet into a light strike aircraft. |
263s | It even affected models that had no chances of being used in Vietnam. |
267s | ‘Flying desk frenzy’ spared no one. |
269s | Perhaps one of the most remarkable victims of that pandemic |
272s | was the British Jet Provost, |
274s | a true airborne aristocrat with a long lineage. |
278s | It was a deep modernization of the Percival Provost prop aircraft |
281s | and as such couldn’t boast a high flight performance. |
284s | All it had was simple handling and a low price tag. |
288s | It felt like one of the worst choices for loading bombs and rockets. |
291s | How on earth could it catch the ‘trendy bug’? |
294s | Well, its easy handling and low price tag were to blame. |
299s | After a simple conversion, |
300s | this training jet turned into a true ‘poor man’s strike aircraft’, |
304s | and with a new fearsome name of ‘Strikemaster’, |
307s | it even had some combat spirit. |
309s | The British Aircraft Corporation actually knew perfectly well what they were doing. |
314s | They saw enormous demand for exactly this kind of strike aircraft. |
318s | Had they hesitated, potential clients would’ve instantly bought |
321s | similar machines from the competition: |
323s | Italians, French, Americans, or even the Soviet Union and its allies. |
328s | The latter was busy rearming the Czechoslovakian L-29, by the way. |
333s | So, the Strikemasters ultimately joined the militaries of many nations, |
337s | including Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, |
340s | Ecuador, and even multiple African countries. |
343s | Even the less wealthy nations like Botswana, |
345s | Yemen, and Sudan could afford a few. |
348s | BAC would’ve had even more clients if not for the competition being so tough. |
353s | Ironically, the United Kingdom’s own Air Force |
356s | never accepted this frenzied flying desk into service. |
359s | In fact, the only Commonwealth nation that used it was New Zealand, |
363s | which meant this aircraft had almost no chance of seeing real combat. |
367s | The UK military command was pretty skeptical about it |
370s | since the tiny operational trainer couldn’t fit any decent guns. |
374s | Only a couple small-caliber machine guns? |
376s | No, gentlemen, this is no strike aircraft! |
379s | We’d rather wait for a more serious contender. |
382s | The famous Hawker Siddeley is releasing their Hawk in no time! |
386s | Meanwhile, the Strikemaster had a long, dutiful service |
390s | performing both roles: training and strike aircraft. |
394s | Once, it even had a chance to take part in a real conflict, |
397s | the short Cenepa War between Peru and Ecuador. |
400s | It happened in 1995, and by that time, most of its counterparts |
404s | like the Macchi MB-326 or the French Fouga Magister had been retired to museums. |
411s | Less wealthy nations didn’t want to part with their favorite budget striker, |
415s | so they kept on using it until age-related issues finally chained it to the ground. |
420s | Only after one of the Ecuadorian aircraft crashed were they finally retired. |
424s | It happened as late as in 2009, |
426s | when the third generation of operational jet trainers was already in service. |
431s | Some unarmed machines still perform at air shows today! |
435s | Well, the Strikemaster was an amazing example |
437s | of first-gen jet trainers turned strike aircraft, |
440s | and it had a long, successful life. |
442s | And it also turned out pretty beautiful, don’t you think? |
460s | After your requests in the comments, |
462s | today’s Arsenal will talk about the Skyhawk family, |
465s | from the earliest A-4B to the Israeli A-4N Ayit. |
472s | Let’s start with air combat loadouts. |
475s | Most A-4s can carry multiple Sidewinder and Shafrir missiles. |
479s | They don’t add a heavy load and these aircraft attack fast enemies |
482s | trying to fly away in a straight line. |
485s | There’s another good loadout giving you a nice firepower buff. |
488s | Any A-4 can take up to three gun pods with 20-mm autocannons. |
493s | This turns the little Skyhawks into fearsome enemies in any frontal attack |
497s | and makes it easier for them to use energy tactics. |
500s | The price for that is speed and maneuverability: |
502s | gun pods take a toll on the already medium flight performance of the aircraft. |
507s | Besides, you’ll have to discard missiles if you want to use gun pods on some models. |
511s | You can try to find optimal balance |
513s | by combining missiles and gun pods in your loadouts. |
519s | Now, the air-to-surface arsenal offers you much more variety. |
523s | For conventional bombs, we recommend you pick calibers |
526s | between 500 lbs or 250 kilograms and 1000 lbs. |
531s | Smaller bombs are harder to use without a ballistic computer, |
534s | while the 2000-lb one replaces three 1000-lb bombs, |
538s | which definitely makes it less versatile. |
541s | If you’re looking for something extra for those bombs, |
543s | take some air-to-air missiles or rockets. |
546s | We can’t help but recommend the large-caliber Zuni rockets: |
550s | they’re amazing against lightly armored or open-top vehicles. |
556s | The Skyhawk was one of the first |
558s | to receive guided air-to-surface ordnance in the game. |
562s | Modification B, for instance, can carry up to three AGM-12B Bullpup missiles. |
568s | They used to be the most advanced CAS weapon, |
571s | but more modern weaponry has been added since. |
573s | Still, it doesn’t mean that the Bullpups can’t bring you frags, |
576s | especially if you train aiming them. |
580s | The American A-4E can take up to five AGM-12 missiles, |
584s | but we suggest you replace two of them with TV-guided Walleye bombs. |
588s | The fire-and-forget principle makes them much handier. |
592s | The Israeli Skyhawks have more TV-guided bombs. |
595s | They can carry both AGM-62 and GBU-8, |
600s | which helps them to effectively suppress enemy air defenses from safe altitudes. |
605s | External hardpoints are better filled with AAMs. |
608s | Combining guided and unguided weaponry is rarely a good idea in practice. |
613s | Now, the Israeli A-4N Ayit can offer truly impressive ordnance. |
618s | Besides guided bombs, it can also carry the AGM-65 Maverick missiles. |
623s | Of course, they also cost many more spawn points, |
626s | so you shouldn’t ignore bomb sets. |
629s | We believe the best combo for the top Skyhawk is three Mavericks, |
633s | two bombs, and two AAMs. |
635s | This set provides you with five almost guaranteed ground frags |
639s | and good chances against enemy aircraft. |
642s | There’s an alternative option with extra Bullpups on external hardpoints. |
646s | You can use it just as well, but in practice it often feels redundant. |
651s | We believe you may want to keep this set for the rare cases |
654s | where enemy air defenses are already taken out and you only expect ground targets. |
663s | Well, we hope you find these hints on Skyhawk loadouts useful! |
667s | Tell us in the comments what aircraft you’d like to see next. |
670s | Meanwhile, it’s time for us to answer some of your questions... |
688s | The first question was sent by a player called Jaiden Heger: |
692s | “Could the SU-22M3 squadron vehicle be used as an Air to Air interceptor?” |
698s | Hey Jainen. Thanks to a powerful engine, |
701s | the Su-22M3 shows one of the best levels of flight performance in the family. |
706s | But it’s still a poor choice for air combat |
708s | since it can only use rear-aspect missiles and has a low number of countermeasures. |
714s | Aj the Flame asks: |
716s | “What are all the aircraft with a helmet mounted seeker?” |
719s | Hello, Aj! The list of aircraft with HMDs includes the F-16C, the Barak II, |
726s | all MiG-29s, the Yak-141, |
729s | the F-4S and J, the Mirage 2000-5F, and the J-8F. |
736s | Another question comes from Nikiwitz: |
738s | “Why does it look like someone forgot the rudders on the floaties of the He 115 C-1?” |
744s | Hi there Nikiwitz. Well, we gotta agree with you here: |
748s | the floaters look like they could use some rudders in the back. |
751s | Alas, there are none... |
754s | Mebyx writes: |
755s | “The A4E early has a little triangle above the pilot, does it have any meaning?” |
761s | Hi Mebyx. It’s just a fin-shaped antenna. |
764s | This kind of shape improves air drag. |
767s | And the last comment for today was written by i have skill issue in war thunder again: |
773s | “What is the difference between the leopard 2a5 and 2a5 pso?” |
778s | Hi! Subscribe to our channel, and you might remedy your skill issue! |
782s | Shorten your nickname a little, too... |
784s | Now, the Leopards 2A5 have different engines, armor, |
788s | machine guns, and one of them has a dozer blade. |
791s | That’s it for today. You’ve been watching the Shooting Range by Gaijin Entertainment, |
795s | and the next episode will premier the following Sunday |
799s | at 4 PM GMT or noon Eastern time. |
802s | Subscribe and click the bell if you don’t want to miss our next videos. |
806s | Don’t forget to add your favorite topping to Object 775, |
809s | leave a like, share your thoughts and comments... |
812s | and see you next week! |