
Part of this challenge was ensuring there was enough protection for the pilot and certain critical components without overburdening the aircraft and making it sluggish with the addition of too much armour. Willy Messerschmitt's design of the Bf 109 is known for its very lightweight construction, eliminating any unnecessary devices, parts, and even structural spars to allow for the fastest that this fighter could be and still be a strong fighter. While it can still fly and fight, the gunpods will make dogfighting a bigger challenge, however, expert pilots may be able to negate some of those factors through sheer skill and luck. The gunpods add weight, but for this aircraft, in the worst possible location with one hooked up under each wing, messing with the aircraft's centre of gravity and hampering the manoeuvrability of the aircraft. To truly compete as a dogfighter and to milk every last bit of speed and manoeuvrability out of the aircraft, the pilot will want to fly it in the clean configuration without the 20 mm gunpods. The manoeuvrability of the aircraft allows it to make tight turns or quick evasive manoeuvres, especially those which cause a faster and heavier enemy to overshoot and then become the target themselves. The Bf 109 K-4 is meant to dance in the sky with its quick speed, fast rate of climb and excellent energy retention, it can be used to Boom & Zoom in the vertical, unlike many other aircraft which require wide swaths of space to make their attack runs and retreats. The aircraft morphed from a two-bladed wooden propeller to a three-bladed metal propeller with 20 mm or 30 mm autocannons and 13 mm heavy machine guns over two paltry 7 mm machine guns. In comparison to the early versions which saw combat in the Spanish Civil War, the K-4 was over 300 km/h faster at 2,000 m higher than the Bf 109A. The Bf 109 K-4 was the final iteration of the aircraft, there really wasn't much more which could have been designed into it to take it any further. This is useful if when trying to force an overshoot or when avoiding shots.įor the pilots who flew the Bf 109, it could be a brutal aircraft, with a cramped cockpit and poorly located controls and levers, the pilot could get a serious workout during a dogfight, but don't think this aircraft is not worth the time as a majority of Germany's top aces flew Bf 109s. It is highly recommended to use rudder during rolls, as this increases the roll rate dramatically. However, it will have a hard time dealing with other late Rank IV aircraft, especially Spitfires. The K-4 can outmanoeuvre these planes at medium speeds (<450 km/h IAS): P-51 (all types), P-47D, Typhoons and the La-9. Furthermore, foes will not usually engage in manoeuvring combat, rendering any manoeuvrability advantage moot. While it does have an edge in agility, it has bad low-speed manoeuvrability. The top speed can be reached quickly, yet the plane is not fast when stock. In Realistic Battles, try to do a climbing spiral, but be sure to be in a higher energy state than the enemy! A miscalculation and the foe will have the opportunity for an easy deflection shot. If chased, dodge away from the enemy with fancy manoeuvres without losing too much speed. This grants the machine reasonable diving and climbing abilities. Boom and zoom tactics should be this plane's primary mode of fighting. Use the plane's outstanding climb rate and speed retention. However, the age of the design is reflected in its poor high-speed characteristics. The K-4's frame is the last iteration and was focused on ease of production rather than performance, yet it features the best power to weight ratio and acceleration of any 109, turning this machine into a beast. "Kurfürst," representing the letter "K" in the Wehrmacht phonetic alphabet, translates to "prince-elector", a reference to the Electors of the Holy Roman Empire. The Kurfürst is the pinnacle of the famed 109 series.
#War thunder wiki update#
It has been in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.27. With a battle rating of 6.3 (AB) and 5.7 (RB/SB). The Bf 109 K-4 is a rank IV German fighter
