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| 4s | The Shooting Range |
|---|---|
| 8s | In this episode... |
| 9s | Pages of History: Israeli Infantry Fortress |
| 13s | Arsenal: Best Loadouts for the F-15 |
| 17s | And Metal Beasts: 3++ Generation Fighter |
| 31s | War Thunder players have long been accustomed |
| 34s | to seeing fourth-gen fighters in top-rank battles, |
| 37s | while the Vietnam war era aircraft |
| 40s | have left the eternal struggle for air superiority. |
| 43s | Today’s highlight, however, is ready to change the notion a little. |
| 47s | Please welcome a fighter that could be placed in the ‘3++’ generation: |
| 51s | the MiG-21 Bison. |
| 58s | At first glance, there’s no difference between this and the regular MiG-21bis. |
| 63s | It’s propelled by the same turbojet engine |
| 65s | with a total afterburning power of 7,300 kilogram-forces. |
| 70s | More than enough for a light machine to quickly climb and reach its top speed. |
| 74s | The latter isn’t impressive, though, |
| 76s | especially when compared to more modern fighters. |
| 79s | The 21 hits its flutter speed early, so don’t expect to be racing around in it. |
| 84s | On the other hand, this low limit is good for fuel efficiency. |
| 88s | Since you’ll need to turn the afterburner off pretty often, |
| 91s | the internal tanks have enough fuel for most battles. |
| 94s | There’s a similar situation with maneuverability: |
| 97s | the plane can make amazing turns at the beginning of a fight |
| 100s | and outturn most opponents. |
| 101s | Only... It spends too much energy on that and quickly finds itself exhausted. |
| 110s | It’s only fair to ask: why does the Bison have such a high battle rating? |
| 114s | Well, it’s all about the hardware. |
| 116s | To be exact, the electronic equipment and the weapons. |
| 120s | This aircraft can carry two close-range R-73s |
| 123s | and just as many medium-range R-27 missiles. |
| 127s | The former are amazing in close-quarters fights. |
| 130s | Thanks to the helmet-mounted display and thrust control, |
| 133s | you can complete a duel in just a couple of maneuvers |
| 136s | and move on before you bleed too much speed. |
| 139s | As it often happens, medium-range missiles come in two variants: |
| 142s | with infrared and with radar-guided homing devices. |
| 146s | Both are amazing at their respective jobs |
| 148s | and can hit enemies just fine where the R-73 can’t reach. |
| 153s | In addition to great weapons, the fighter has everything it needs to defend itself. |
| 157s | A modern radar warning system gives a heads-up in case of danger, |
| 161s | and countermeasure blocks on the sides of the hull |
| 164s | provide a chance to escape an incoming hit. |
| 170s | In terms of CAS, the Bison is a pretty modest performer, |
| 173s | but it’s still better than the base model. |
| 175s | In addition to rockets and conventional bombs, |
| 178s | it can offer the TV-guided KAB-500Kr bombs. |
| 185s | Despite its respectable age, the MiG-21 Bison can keep the youngsters company |
| 190s | and is not planning to retire any time soon! |
| 203s | Few armored personnel carriers or infantry fighting vehicles |
| 206s | have defenses comparable to the Israeli Namer. |
| 210s | Its development followed a pretty curious path full of unique combat experience |
| 214s | and numerous unconventional solutions. |
| 217s | By the early 1980s, the Israeli army had accumulated |
| 220s | a large fleet of outdated heavy vehicles. |
| 223s | They had the British Centurions, also known as the Sho’t, the Soviet T-54s and T-55s... |
| 230s | And all of them had inferior levels of performance |
| 232s | compared to the modern Merkava MBTs and even the late modifications of the Magach, |
| 238s | but it didn’t make them worthless. |
| 240s | Engineers can often find a new way to use obsolete combat vehicles. |
| 244s | The 105-mm Shermans are a good example of that. |
| 248s | But this time, Israel decided to make some auxiliary vehicles. |
| 252s | For instance, there was an IFV project using the T-55 with a new crew compartment, |
| 258s | improved armor, and a better engine. |
| 260s | Despite the fact that the turret was removed, |
| 262s | the resulting vehicle got even heavier. |
| 264s | The program was deemed successful, and the new vehicles found their ways into service. |
| 269s | Infantry survivability soared, and when vehicles needed even more armor, |
| 274s | they could always use modular add-ons. |
| 276s | A similar thing happened to the early versions of the Merkava in the early 2000s. |
| 281s | The chassis and hulls of the first models were vastly different from the modern ones, |
| 286s | and they couldn’t be used as tanks anymore. |
| 288s | The base was very good upcycle material, though. |
| 291s | Unlike the T-55, the Merkava’s original layout was already similar to APCs |
| 297s | due to the engine compartment in the front and a large crew section in the rear. |
| 301s | Computer-aided design software sped up the development. |
| 305s | As it turned out, the tank had huge potential for change: |
| 308s | for instance, the engineers reused the third version’s power plant. |
| 313s | By 2008, the final design was clear: a 1200-horsepower engine, |
| 318s | composite front armor, |
| 319s | and a personnel compartment for nine people, not counting the crew. |
| 323s | Production models had no large-caliber weapons. |
| 326s | Only some vehicles had an unmanned turret with a 30-mm autocannon. |
| 330s | An active protection system was also in the plans, |
| 333s | but budgetary limits put a stop to that. |
| 336s | The Namer armored personnel carrier turned out to be pretty reliable |
| 339s | and very well-protected for its class. |
| 342s | Its platform can even fit the Spike anti-tank guided missile system. |
| 346s | The only questionable part of the design is its mass. |
| 349s | This Israeli APC isn’t just heavier than its counterparts: |
| 353s | it’s heavier than many main battle tanks! |
| 356s | Still, it looks like the benefits far outweigh this flaw, |
| 359s | and the Namer remains one of the best in its class. |
| 377s | We’ve recently talked about the Su-27, |
| 379s | and today it’s time to talk about another heavy fighter: the F-15. |
| 383s | With the recent additions, this family now has six models in three nations! |
| 388s | Let’s talk about them all. |
| 393s | As is our tradition, we’ll start with discussing air combat. |
| 397s | A classic loadout for early versions is four medium-range Sparrows |
| 401s | and just as many close-range missiles. |
| 403s | The American and Israeli versions’ best choice is the AIM-9M, |
| 408s | while the Japanese one can use its own AAM-3s. |
| 412s | All early missiles are basically the best in their respective classes, |
| 415s | but the true highlight of this summer is even more advanced. |
| 419s | The three top F-15s can now boast a new in-game record. |
| 423s | Each of them can carry up to eight active radar-homing missiles! |
| 428s | The Japanese version brings something extra: |
| 430s | in addition to the standard AIM-120A, it can use its own AAM-4s. |
| 436s | You might even feel like it’s too many FOX-3s for a single battle, |
| 440s | so you could use some combo loadouts with infrared-guided missiles for close range. |
| 445s | The wings can carry more than weapons, though. |
| 447s | The F-15 is pretty fuel-hungry and could always use more tanks! |
| 451s | All six modifications can carry up to three drop tanks |
| 454s | with a total capacity of almost 7,000 liters. |
| 458s | But wait, there’s more! |
| 460s | Two versions can also fit conformal fuel tanks adding 2,800 liters each! |
| 465s | And the grand total is no less than 12,600 liters of extra fuel! |
| 471s | Conformal fuel tanks provide extra benefits. |
| 474s | They create less air drag than drop tanks and occupy no hardpoints. |
| 478s | They can even add them, but we’ll get back to that later. |
| 481s | The biggest drawback of conformal tanks |
| 484s | is that you can’t drop them and lighten your aircraft. |
| 489s | The F-15 isn’t supposed to hit ground targets (at least the fighter versions), |
| 494s | but they do have a few tools for close air support in the arsenal. |
| 497s | The smallest tool set belongs to the Japanese versions: |
| 501s | they’re limited to a few types of conventional bombs. |
| 504s | As usual, the handiest ones are the biggest: 2000 lbs. |
| 508s | For the Israeli and American versions, the main weapon is the TV-guided GBU-8 bombs. |
| 514s | Now, about those extra hardpoints added by conformal fuel tanks... |
| 519s | The American F-15C can carry an extra dozen small-caliber bombs thanks to the tanks. |
| 525s | Can’t say it’s a major buff to firepower, but it sure looks impressive! |
| 533s | Tell us in the comments what aircraft you’d like to see next. |
| 536s | Meanwhile it’s time for us to answer some of your questions... |
| 554s | The first question was sent by a player called Davy Davitoes: |
| 558s | “What’s the point of those “fences” around the hulls of some tanks? |
| 562s | It doesn’t seem like it can block anything.” |
| 565s | Hi Davy! They’re called slat screens and what they do is defend against HEAT shells. |
| 571s | The slats disrupt incoming rounds before they can hit the armor, |
| 574s | preventing shaped charges from forming. |
| 578s | Stealthy Amraam asks: |
| 580s | “What’s the best armament for the Mig-23ML?” |
| 583s | Hi there! Almost missed you! |
| 586s | The best air combat set includes four R-60Ms for close range |
| 590s | and a couple R-24Rs for medium range. |
| 593s | As for attacking tanks, go for the S-24B rockets. |
| 599s | Another question comes from Nosewheel: |
| 601s | “How can I know when my fox-3 is locked on with its own radar?” |
| 606s | Hey Nosewheel! You can spot it on the radar indicator. |
| 609s | See that line connecting your missile to the target? |
| 612s | While it’s dashed, your missile uses your aircraft’s radar. |
| 616s | When it changes to a continuous line, |
| 618s | it means that the missile has achieved its own lock. |
| 622s | Crysman writes: |
| 623s | “What’s the difference between the tech tree Sea Harrier |
| 626s | and the one that can be unlocked with Squadron Points?” |
| 630s | Hi Crysman! |
| 631s | The only differences are the number of air-to-air missiles and battle ratings. |
| 636s | And the last comment for today was written by Astro Gamer: |
| 640s | “The missile knows where it is, it knows this because you told it.” |
| 645s | Hello, Astro Gamer! In fact, even if you never tell the missile where it is, |
| 650s | it can find out. |
| 652s | Because it always knows where it isn’t! |
| 654s | That’s it for today. You’ve been watching the Shooting Range by Gaijin Entertainment, |
| 659s | and the next episode will premier the following Sunday |
| 661s | at 4 PM GMT or noon Eastern time. |
| 665s | Subscribe and click the bell if you don’t want to miss our next videos. |
| 668s | Don’t forget to paint your F-15 red for that extra speed, |
| 672s | leave a like, share your thoughts and comments... |
| 674s | and see you next week! |