Bf 109 F-4 (Italy)

Description

The ◐Bf 109 F-4 is a premium gift rank Italian fighter with a battle rating of (AB), (RB), and (SB). It was introduced during Update "Apex Predators" as a reward for Battle Pass: Season X, "Royal Guard".

The plane is painted after the camouflage scheme of Hungarian Pilot Dezső Szentgyörgyi, who was the highest-scoring Hungarian fighter ace of the Royal Hungarian Honvéd Air Force in World War II.

General info

Flight performance

In the hands of a good pilot and employing energy fighting tactics this aircraft can outfly and outmanoeuvre most of the prop planes it faces even at higher battle ratings during up-tier situations due to its low energy loss in turns, high acceleration, high sustained climb rate and low stall speed. It is slower than the later model 109s but it has a better turn rate. The Bf 109 can fly very well at the deck and at high altitude making it a complete energy fighter.

Details

Survivability and armour

The Bf 109 F-4, although a small plane, is a sturdy plane that can survive a lot of damage and retain much of its manoeuvrability when damaged. Its self-sealing fuel tanks increase the chance to put out a fire.

Modifications and economy

Armaments

Offensive armament

The Bf 109 F-4 (Italy) 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)

Suspended armament

The Bf 109 F-4 (Italy) 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)
• 1 x Flam C 250 incendiary bomb
• 2 x 15 mm MG 151 cannons (125 rpg = 250 total)

Usage in battles

Describe the tactics of playing in the aircraft, the features of using aircraft in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).

Manual Engine Control

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Nimble, compared to Soviet and American counterparts
• The 20 mm Minengeschoß shells are lethal because of their high explosive mass
• Very good climb rate, possibly as good as a Spitfire or a maxed-out P-39 Airacobra
• Good sustained turn
• Faster than most opponents, such as the Spitfire Mk V, Yak-3, and La-5, especially at altitude
• Good performance at medium altitudes
• Better than the F-4 tropical variant due to engine power
• The 15 mm cannons have quite high penetration with the armoured targets belt. They are very effective against soft ground targets
• All weaponry mounted in the nose, allowing easy aiming without having to worry about convergence
• Flaps tighten turn radius significantly, can win duels against most planes that aren't turnfighters
• Access to incendiary bombs

Cons:

• Engine overheats quickly
• Additional armament reduces flight performance, especially critical in a dogfight
• Poor cockpit visibility in Simulator mode due to numerous canopy frames and razorback, greatly limiting the all-round view
• Prone to catching fire when chasing bombers
• Gun pods can't load stealth belts, thus giving the user away in a surprise attack
• Turns sluggishly at speeds under 190 km/h
• Priority target when in Arcade mode due to its reputation of destroying planes with ease, especially when equipped with MG 151/15 gun pods in addition to the offensive armament of MG 17 machine guns and an MG 151/20 cannon, experienced players will often try to eliminate the Bf 109 F-4 as soon as possible.
• Gun pods have low ammo count, compared to the 20 mm MG 151 gun pods accessible to the G-2 variant
• In Simulator mode the huge engine torque causes severe turning when taking off which can lead to a crash
• Flaps deploy and retract slowly, requires practice to use well

History

Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Bf 109 F-4 (Italy) from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the aircraft;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

• [Devblog] Battle Pass vehicles: Bf 109 F-4 (Italy)