F-8E In War Thunder : A Basic Review

Flying out the F-8E, the top-end version of the Crusader that is currently available in War Thunder. This jet was known as "the last gunfighter" as it was the last American jet fighter designed with guns as its primary armament.
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TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Intro & History
02:27 Systems & Weapons
04:21 Flight Performance
06:26 Combat Tactics
08:30 Miscellaneous
09:45 Conclusions

[@fixit9844]

the happiest plane in war thunder

[@Sagaleon14]

:D or more like :0?

[@mayonotes9849]

The most pog plane in existence.

[@thecatbims1795]

And the A7D and E it's chubby cousin

[@hyperionhamster3064]

But the f4e has a :D on it’s tail

[@royhsieh4307]

just wait until u can fly the x-32

[@NicJJiac]

3:57 I'm never sure if I should feel bad or not when I see people who only took flares trying to use them against a radar missile.

[@platapus112]

It's actually amazing how many people only take flares and then rage when they get aim9cs

[@admiral_alman8671]

It’s surprising how many premium players only take flares

[@Soyjakgamingbutawesome]

@@admiral_alman8671I mean all prems at tier 9.7-11.3 are all wallet warriors

[@Zeithri]

It's because most of us aren't air technician nerds but rather Ace Combat players and other flight sim games where you're taught to use _a_ flare to avoid missiles. Or in the case of submarine games, a noise maker that immediately sends the Torpedo hunting the sound instead of you.

[@Tigershark_3082]

Fun fact: the F-8E made an appearance in all versions of Area 88 (TV series, manga, OVA) as the first aircraft used by the main character: Shin Kazama

[@black_thunder2159]

a great series!

[@SirDiggyDawg]

It's also featured as the starter jet in the SNES game based on the series! (called U.N. Squadron in the US)

[@Cythil]

@@SirDiggyDawg I was wondering about that. Thanks for the info.

[@Zeithri]

The JP version of the Snes game is better. Got a full playthrough of that on my channel. If I recall from reading about it, the Arcade version isn't the ideal version of the game. There was also a version for Amiga I think but... It's lacking.

[@sherlocksinha2435]

Small notes on the F8 . Set keybinds to choose primary armament to allow only 2 cannons to fire at a time increasing your time on target . The Aim 9C's are 9D's in performance so you can use them right up close unlike the 7D sparrows ,however they run after chaff so surprise is key unlike the 7D which can go through chaff sometimes . Finally at sea level going above mach be easy on the controls to avoid a emotional event

[@bucketofbolts6823]

dont think the gun selector works with f8e

[@Lalasfritas]

​@@bucketofbolts6823 it does

[@bucketofbolts6823]

@@Lalasfritas ohh alr had no idea they fixed it maybe with the update where they added rwr do it?

[@Lalasfritas]

@@bucketofbolts6823 idk it's always worked for me from the time I got it which was around December 2022 (before the rwr update)

[@sherlocksinha2435]

@@bucketofbolts6823 I think they had the gun sequence wrong before . It used to switch between left and right instead of top and bottom

[@grrr111222111]

Wing rip is more prominent with earlier models though it is mitigated a fair bit by the wing strength upgrade. That said the F-8E is definitely a favorite of mine.

[@toastoftriumph]

The F-8E is a beast in Arcade at its BR, and the AIM-9C has got to be one of my favorite missiles. Also extremely handy to pick off the inevitable prop planes brought into high tier.

[@steyrauga1]

how the fuck do you even use AIM-9C's I've tried literally everything and nothing works.

[@toastoftriumph]

@@steyrauga1 Radar lock from maybe 3 - 5km out; helps to narrow the cone before locking. Lock works best with enemies in front & above, though it also depends on the plane's particular radar cross-section a bit. Launch from 2 - 3.5km away. If the enemy is flying straight horizontal across your field of vision the missile probably won't track, but choosing an enemy with proper trajectory, and leading your shot, AIM-9C's can pull some decent G's.

[@bucketofbolts6823]

fun fact: by the ground crew f8 was nicknamed the gator as its low air intake was dangerous and once even sucked in a deck crew member but he got saved by others f8 crusader is deffinetly my favorite jet of war thunder and its does very well in simulator battles

[@chunkblaster]

The Crusaders used to rip allot more often but a few patches ago im pretty sure they stealth buffed it, it still happens allot in the F8U-2 but the F8-E received structural improvements to the wing IRL which is why it can handle more stress

[@missing_nickname]

F8U-2, the 8E's predcessor has major wing rip problems, where it's wings will surely rip at above ~750 km/h. F-8E is a major improvement simply because it has no such issue

[@camilorodriguez5602]

This is what i was looking for, i know to not bother with the 8U for that same reason, i didnt found anything that compares the 8U and 8E rip problems

[@HighRiskV]

I have no trouble with those wings, just don't pitch up all the way

[@Hot_Sky_Astronomy]

@@HighRiskV Only pitch up all the way at

[@HighRiskV]

@@Hot_Sky_Astronomy most jets will keep up for the first turns with the f16 because the f16 won't pull more than 10g or 11 if low on fuel

[@ThatIcy777]

Happy to see a review for my favorite plane, especially since we got the RWR FINALLY WOOOOO

[@ansongarcia4747]

Thanks for the upload Tim, your videos are the best of the cc's on KZbin IMHO.

[@Nyxx2115]

I think the F-8E still has a really funny bug that allows it to carry a single AIM-9D while being stock. That helped immensely when I was grinding it.

[@UniDexx]

haha yeah right, i saw that just today when i unlocked it, looks weird but definitely useful !

[@HawkFire74]

They seriously messed up the custom loadouts for it a while back, think it's fixed by now, but they might have left that in by accident.

[@thomasthew9012]

When I started grinding the modules I was able to take 2 9Cs even when stock

[@UniDexx]

@@thomasthew9012 yeah the 9Cs are stock, but not the Ds

[@sorrymabbad]

I just tried to look for an F-8 Crusader video from you this morning (only found the French one), so this is a nice surprise.

[@steamcatapult2498]

I highly recommend when in an uptier, climbing to about 4.5km in altitude. You stay below the average contrail altitude, and a lot of MiG-21s and A-5s don't bring Chaff. You watch them get closer as they above you, then lock them and fire at about a 5km distance. The missiles are great at that altitude, and you have no problem with the radar either. I just wish I could bring Aim-9Cs on my Phantoms!

[@quarreneverett4767]

Yeah aim 9 c were better irl. They wound up getting abandoned cause the pilots didnt bring them. Its complkcated regading vets from morea and the rumors about it be iij ng a dogfighter. They didnt wanan learn the equipment flr the radar etc. So it has no use aso the rumors about the othe rmissles like aim 7 being useless. Such a shame

[@mig-23mld39]

Tim you aren't wrong. The F8E is always happy. "BIG smile".

[@FirstDagger]

AIM-9C Sidewinder make this one of my most favorite jets ingame.

[@Badger_325]

The crusaders are some of my favorite jets to use and I agree with 100% of what you said. In the 500 or so matches I've played in both variant, they rarely disappointed me and when they did it was because I forgot the wings of the F8U-2 are weaker than the F-8E. The recent RWR addition to the F-8E has made it so much better too in my experience.

[@ilejovcevski79]

Probably my favorite plane of that generation of that generation of jets...... (and to quote you) with caveats!

[@ClockWork-zj7zy]

Glad you shed some light on this hidden gem in the high ranks of the US tech teee

[@cowboy6524]

hell yeah bro i love the f8e much better than the u2 hell i even put a talisman on it and im currently using it as my grinder. also love your channel favorite waarthunder youtuber because you dont complain and when you do its good point and actual constructive criticism. keep it up you might not be the most well know but you are a lot of peoples favorite!

[@quarreneverett4767]

Yeah alot of the youtuebrs are crap they just drama for attentiona nd talk crap. Part of why we lose good things

[@bubblesofthecoast6393]

I feel the wing rip problem is more an issue with the F8U-2; the F-8E doesn’t turn as well as the F8U, but the wings are strengthened, so players can abuse the plane like you can with other planes in-game

[@LOLOtheFNG]

Morning, Tim!

[@dogeness]

The variable incidence wing doesn't increase lift over a regular one. It simply allows for more visibility at any given AoA. But it does not increase the max AoA of the wings, thus it does not increase lift. To do that you need to change the actual profile (camber) of the airfoil itself, and that is done only with flaps and slats.

[@quarreneverett4767]

Raising wings in general does affect the affected weight profile

[@OneMoreDesu]

America in the early 50's was really good at learning things and then not employing them. They knew about area rule, teardrop aero, the benefits of bubble canopy etc in the late 40's but just unlearned how to draw them I guess.

[@jimbobhootenanny4440]

A really fun plane!

[@dankmemewalker7738]

I always had a heart for the f8 crusader and would dream gaijin makes an event and features the XF8U-3 super crusader even though I don't think it had guns. And i don't know about countermeasures but it should be common sense to add some.

[@DieErsteKartoffel]

I love the Crusader, that and the SMT/MF are probably my favorite at 10.3

[@cowboy6524]

they are by far and away the best 10.3 imo but f8e is just so fun to fly

[@HighRiskV]

I hate the MF, I cant do nearly as good compared to the crusaders

[@woutervanheusden]

Just spaded this, absolutely love smashing smt's at 8k altitude with the aim 9c's

[@dragoneye0979]

The aim-9D is actually an uncaged seeker missile, its just the seeker is caged until it is off the rails. The seeker has about a 40 degree cone of vision

[@vincentreim8962]

Just look had him so handful 😊

[@andsoiderparound9909]

This was my first Rank 8 jet and was the easiest to spade.

[@Kupica23]

I dont remember the F8E having RWR... did they add it recently?

[@TimsVariety]

Yeah, a semi-recent addition.

[@ripred288]

Super underrated play but take the Zunis whether stock or spaded. You can set them to airburst at 1000M and almost guarantee a kill in a head on! A little tricky to master though. 😉

[@quarreneverett4767]

Yeah if i get the option i at tikes in vsruous plane carry rpckets with ait burst. They are sually axis up to that point :)

[@edisontrent5244]

Interesting that wing can support bombs, but cannot be equipped with missiles

[@rozmanl]

Do you use the IRST mode for anything?

[@TimsVariety]

Its very situational, usually when you've only got heat-seekers and you dont want to alert the RWR of a target you're fighting.

[@oluwatosinopawoye5695]

I was thinking that the F-8 was based on the A-7.

[@TimsVariety]

A common misconception, but its the other way around.

[@oluwatosinopawoye5695]

@@TimsVariety well, thanks for clarifying. Anyway, are you going to do a review on the new 9.3 Chinese ifv?.

[@hory121]

I have noticed some static noise in your videos that I don't remember hearing a while back, or at least it wasn't as noticeable. Would love if you could sort it out somehow, otherwise keep up the good videos!

[@TimsVariety]

Noted

[@emmata98]

Isn't the repaircost also huge?

[@quarreneverett4767]

The rewards are huger. Especially in sim

[@evanwiger]

I know you mentioned that you had issues with handbrake and getting a smaller file size. I used DaVinci resolve to edit, I export in the highest quality possible DxHR 40gb file then use handbrake and drag the sliders to hq Nvidia 265 and get a 900mb file That's comparable to the raw hq file. I'd try experimenting more with 265 and 264, and see if you can get smaller file sizes it'll save you so much time.

[@TimsVariety]

Noted. Its less of an issue for my regular vids like this that are done weeks in advance, so no hassle to leave it uploading for a couple of hours, but some of the big stuff might benefit from that.

[@evanwiger]

@@TimsVariety I gotcha. If you can figure out you're diminishing returns on file size, it'll help in the long run. Sometimes it takes time to play around with. I've been exporting my huge hq files in Mov in full format 265 then hitting it with handbrake Nvidia 265. Almost always gets me some fast results uploading. Anyways, love the vids m8.

[@quarreneverett4767]

@@TimsVariety mkv files are grest for high quality extras and fule size efficiency

[@youvgotmilk7736]

can you do a review on the new flight model mirage f1C?

[@TimsVariety]

I'll probably do a review of the premium one at some point, but an updated review of the original F1C is a ways off. The Mig-29 will probably be my first updated/repeat review of a plane I've already covered, as its changed quite a bit since it came out.

[@Lynxium_]

Could you make a review on the Mig-21SMT? It's a similar yet different plane to the F-8

[@TimsVariety]

The SMT is on the list for a review, but it won't be soon.

[@Lynxium_]

@@TimsVariety Nice to know

[@marty4286]

There are so many premiums at its BR, but the F-8E can still hold its own. I always assume a Crusader pilot knows what they're doing and never underestimate them

[@quarreneverett4767]

What does premium have to affect it? Does that mean more teammates ?

[@Zeithri]

Most beloved plane along with F5-Tiger II thanks to Area 88.

[@atvkid0805]

it's ok, I get more kills with the guns though than the missiles, every time I go high I get beamed by an R3R bc it doesn't have RWR

[@LewisB3217]

Good plane in a normal match, uptiers will be tough, it doesn’t rip tho

[@AWACSHOUND]

Ah yes my favorite plane too bad it’s repair cost makes me more indebt than a College graduate, either way a fun plane.

[@quarreneverett4767]

Yeah but the trade off for kills is worth it especially in sim.

[@rspectx]

I find using the D sidewinder gets me more kills then the c

[@johnpeterpalencia5510]

should at least gets a tiger meet scheme

[@MurasameLigerGZ]

he didn't mentioned the f8e is expensive a total of 18k sl to repair

[@quarreneverett4767]

The reward is greater. Especially in sim

[@pilotpug]

This should've been the US tier 7 premium imo. Never liked the Phantom much tbh, would've gotten the Corsair for sure.

[@Tigershark_3082]

Problem is, there aren't many other Crusaders that could be the tier 7 premium. They'd more or less be tier 6

[@Jazon-kv7ym]

its radar lock is unreliable, im not sure why i have to press the radar lock button constantly just to lock on

[@MausOfTheHouse]

Am I losing it or is this a reupload

[@mangofanta2667]

He's done the French F-8, just not this one

[@lucascousins6934]

Both

[@TimsVariety]

Nope, not a reup. I covered the French one a long time ago, this is the American version - which IS actually pretty different.

[@MausOfTheHouse]

@@TimsVariety Ah, okay. Thanks! Also, Lucas, you're correct.

[@meia8626]

How can you so easily lock the enemy? It's so goddamn hard when i try it

[@TimsVariety]

ACM boresight mode, and a lot of practice.

[@meia8626]

@@TimsVariety this is the first time I'm using guided missile, what is ACM bore sight mode?

[@TimsVariety]

@@meia8626 I explain it in my radar tutorial, there is a chapter mark for it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pGibo2mhobGfe7M

[@meia8626]

@@TimsVariety thank you very much that help a lot

[@TimsVariety]

@@meia8626 I live to serve :-)

[@across646]

i tried to play it but from stock it is such a brick i gave up

[@quarreneverett4767]

Dont worry you will ge tit as you get to practice with other supers

[@across646]

@@quarreneverett4767 I know how to use F-5C, F-4E, F-4C and even damn F-100D but i cannot get Crusader to work for me

[@skantilles75]

The last gunfighter!

[@themortz]

"Man I can't wait to dogfight in the last gunfighter" *Rips wings*

[@royhsieh4307]

happiest plane after x-32

[@ShadowYeeter]

how the hell im suppose to lock targets with F8E radar nvm its so shit i found it out

[@TimsVariety]

"very carefully"

[@patrioticpanda7618]

whos that handsome devil in the bottom left at 4:13

[@RedTail1-1]

This has quickly become my absolute favorite aircraft in the entire game. I am averaging 2 kills per game in RB and in Sim I am 7k/0d after just a single match. Yeah, this thing is great. Thought I was gonna hate it because the 8U is complete shit, but this one is everything the U should have been.

[@kingghidorah8106]

-has better missiles than mig21 bis -has better radar than mig21 bis -out dogfights the mig21 bis -is 0.7BR lower Yeah, bolonds 😃👍

[@boijames3253]

Counter-point: -Has better acceleration than F-8E -Has faster speed than F-8E -Can endure more G loads than F-8E -Has more countermeasures than F-8E

[@kingghidorah8106]

​​@@boijames3253came back with spaded f8e, the thing is nasty only when people engage or don't bring chaff. It's pretty old now, people learned that they can use such privilege of running.

[@boijames3253]

@@kingghidorah8106 yea its an old-ish aircraft, it doesnt feel very competitive for me at least.

[@kingghidorah8106]

@@boijames3253 as i said it's good only when people engage, but the main issue this thing has is the obnoxious attacker design it has. Fighters should not have anhedral wings on top of their body, they should have them near their center of mass or below to keep the pilot out of the "scourge effect" or however it's called (that's why high seated aircraft like the su27 and the f16 are so good at making their pilots deal with high G maneuvering). Everything that Russia and China has after 9.7 is obnoxiously downtiered too.

[@boijames3253]

@@kingghidorah8106 to be fair, the Crusader was designed as an interceptor/attacker iirc (partially why they decided to make an actual attack variant of it, A-7). Playerbase have slandered people who say “Russia is op so why is it fair” so much that Ive learnt to just hold the annoyance in. On another note, whats your opinion if the matchmaker only put NATO countries vs Warsaw pact ? ie: West Ger, US, UK, Italy, Japan vs USSR, East Ger, China, etc ?

[@ja37d-34]

Cool plane. Did wel dealing with Cmmunists and communist trash.