General info for Attacker FB 1

• Country Britain
• Vehicle role Jet Fighter / Naval Fighter
• Rank 5

• Battle rating in
  • arcade battles 7.7
  • realistic battles 7
  • simulator battles 7.3

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Wiki info about Attacker FB 1

Official War Thunder wiki

Whilst the world’s leading air forces forged ahead with the development of new jet aircraft in the mid to late 1940s, naval aviation was left behind in the piston era due to the as of yet undefeated complexities of successfully operating jet aircraft from aircraft carriers. Whilst purpose designed naval jet aircraft were still embryonic in Britain, there was at least still some scope for converting land based jet aircraft. Supermarine had enjoyed the premium position as the designer and manufacturer of fighter aircraft with the world-beating Spitfire, but were now in danger of being left behind by other British aviation companies who had moved ahead with jet fighters. The Supermarine Attacker was originally developed for the RAF as a land based jet in accordance with Spec E.10/44, with its prototype first flying in July 1946. Powered by the Rolls-Royce Nene engine and using the laminar flow wing which had been successfully tested on the Spiteful, the Attacker failed to offer any performance advantage over the Meteor or Vampire and so was rejected by the RAF. The Fleet Air Arm, however, saw some potential in the aircraft’s navalised prototypes and pursued the design to carrier trials in October 1947. The first production Supermarine Attacker flew in May 1950 and 800 Naval Air Squadron became the first front line jet fighter squadron of the Royal Navy in August 1951 – although some jet experience had been gleaned from a small number of de Havilland Vampires purchased for just that reason. Armed with four 20mm Hispano cannon and able to carry eight 60 lb rockets or two 1000 lb bombs, the Attacker was capable of reaching 590 mph at sea level and climbing at 6350 feet per minute. However, the Attacker was a true first generation jet fighter and was already outclassed by fighters of other nations when it entered service. It served only briefly as a front line fighter, being replaced by the Sea Hawk and Sea Venom from 1954 onwards. It continued in second line service with the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve until 1957, and was also used by the Royal Pakistan Air Force.