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Bf 109 F-4/trop
Bf 109 F-4 Tropical
Note: Base stats only (no upgrade installed)
Rank 7
Battle Rating {{{rating}}}
Type Fighter
Maximum Speed on height 660 km/h
Maximum Altitude 11600 m
Turn Time 20 seconds
Rate of Climb 18 m/s
Takeoff Run 363 m
Armament 2x 7.92mm MG-17 machine gun (2000 rds)
1x 20mm MG 151 cannon (200 rds)
Burst Mass 1.63 kg/s

The Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-4/tropical «Frederich» was a German fighter in service with the Luftwaffe; a tropical variant of the Bf.109 F-4. A Tier 7 aircraft, the Bf 109 F-4/trop has an upfront cost of 90000 Lion.

Design, Development, & History[]

It was one of the first truly modern fighters of the era, including such features as all-metal monocoque construction, a closed canopy, a retractable landing gear, and was powered by a liquid-cooled, inverted-V12 aero engine.

The Bf 109 first saw operational service during the Spanish Civil War and was still in service at the dawn of the jet age at the end of World War II, during which time it was the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force. From the end of 1941 the Bf 109 was supplemented by the Focke-Wulf Fw 190.

Originally conceived as an interceptor, later models were developed to fulfill multiple tasks, serving as bomber escort, fighter-bomber, day-, night-, all-weather fighter, ground-attack aircraft, and as reconnaissance aircraft. It was supplied to and operated by several states during World War II, and served with several countries for many years after the war. The Bf 109 was the most produced fighter aircraft in history, with a total of 33,984 units produced from 1936 up to April 1945.

The Bf 109 was flown by the three top-scoring German fighter aces of World War II, who claimed 928 victories among them while flying with Jagdgeschwader 52, mainly on the Eastern Front, as well as by Hans-Joachim Marseille, the highest scoring German ace in the North African Campaign. It was also flown by several other aces from Germany's allies, notably Finn Ilmari Juutilainen, the highest scoring non-German ace, and pilots from Italy, Romania, Croatia, Bulgaria and Hungary. Through constant development, the Bf 109 remained competitive with the latest Allied fighter aircraft until the end of the war.

The Bf.109-F variant, or «Friedrich», was a replacement for the Emil. Friedrich reached front-line units in the Autumn of 1941 and, by the middle of the following year, almost two-thirds of Luftwaffe fighter regiments were equipped with the variant.

The Bf.109F-4/trop variant was built for use in tropical regions. It was unique due to its air intake filter, hydraulic seals and protective covers. In addition, an umbrella was extendable over the cockpit to help keep the pilot from overheating when on the ground. The plane was equipped with a special emergency kit including a gun for self-defense and a supply of food and water.

Almost all of the Bf.109F variants had tropical versions produced, but the Bf.109F-4/trop was the most popular. Despite its name, the tropical variants were used not only in Africa but also on the southern steppe, where dust clouds were a significant threat to aircraft engines, as well as in the far north, where the filters protected the plane's engines from falling snow.

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