–WIP-- Alpha Jet data, based on WT data, some testing and GAF manual. First section is the basic data as per WT, with a more detailed second section based on the real aircraft for anyone interested.
PART 1 - WT DATA
WEIGHTS
Basic Weight - 3600 kg (from manual; localhost data gives 2078 kg for ‘Mfuel0, kg’ which I expected to be Zero Fuel Weight. However, that’s way too light and doesn’t change with loadout, so not sure what that is)
Fuel - 1600 kg (manual and ‘Mfuel, kg’ both agree on this)
AIRFRAME LIMITATIONS
Take-off flap 280 KIAS; Landing flap 200 KIAS.
Landing gear 200 KIAS
Vne 580 KIAS (stricter limits when external sores carried, IRL, but, in common with all other WT aircraft the limit for a clean aircraft applies in all cases)
ENGINE LIMITATIONS
100% unlimited operation; can probably ignore temps. The cockpit rpm gauge is broken and jumps past 100% at around 75% THR and tries to go around the clock again.
More details below, but this appears the easiest engine in WT when it comes to operating it.
PERFORMANCE
Based on Gunpod plus 2 napalm bombs (enough for one base) and 20 mins fuel; landing with empty pylons and 6 mins fuel. Full details in Part 2.
Take-off 116 KIAS (Use ‘Landing Flap’; Alpha Jet has HALF and FULL settings, 16/32 degrees, and FULL used for take-off and landing - but you’d be fine with ‘Take-off’ setting)
Climb speed 255 KIAS
Approach speed:120 KIAS Full flap; 152 KIAS Flapless.
Touchdown at 116 KIAS Full flap.
Stall speed in landing configuration 98 KIAS.
PART 2 - GAF MANUAL DATA
NORMAL OPERATION
Planning and Takeoff
Basic weight with no fuel, no load, is 3600 kg. This assumes no ejection seat (and obviously no pilot) in the second cockpit, as the ‘war role’ for the Alpha Jet would have been single-seat light attacker. WT appears to have a pilot in the rear seat, but, as mentioned above, I can’t determine what Basic Weight WT is using. 3600 kg assumed.
Fuel tanks hold 1600 kg when full, ie 400 kg per 25% or about 35 kg per minute.
Load weight can be found when you select a Preset. WT data doesn’t quite check out with the data from the manual in those loads I’ve checked, as the Preset data does not appear to include the weight of the pylons or TSC (Twin Store Carriers). As pylons, TSC are not present on the clean aircraft to start with, it seems they might not have any weight in WT. Four pylons add 180 kg and a couple TSC another 90 kg IRL - can probably ignore that and just go with the additional weight under Preset ‘Changes to specs’ data. Note too that the manual assumes an empty gunpod and WT seems to agree by ignoring the weight of any rounds - 0.6 kg per round, so another 90 kg for a loaded gunpod, although it’s little enough to be ignored.
Take-off Weight = 3600 + Fuel + Load, kg
Take-off Weight , kg, and corresponding take-off speed, (note 1 kt per 100 kg if you need to interpolate):
4500 - 104 KIAS
5000 - 110 KIAS
5500 - 116 KIAS
6000 - 122 KIAS
6500 - 128 KIAS
7000 - 133 KIAS (Max TOW)
7500 - 138 KIAS (if WT allows you to overload - not checked yet - but it seems there were circumstances when ‘normal’ MTOW could be exceeded).
Drag Index (for climb speed) by aircraft configuration:
0 - Clean aircraft
6 - 4 Pylons
10 - Gunpod
16 - Gunpod + 4 Pylons
25 - Gunpod + 4 Pylons + 2 TSC
26 - Gunpod + 4 Pylons + 2 M116A2
31 - Gunpod + 4 Pylons + 4 250 kg bombs
32 - Gunpod + 4 Pylons + 4 Mk 82 bombs
48 - Gunpod + 4 Pylons + 2 TSC + 6 Mk 82 bombs
52 - Gunpod + 4 Pylons + 4 LAU-51 (for info, as not a possible loadout in WT)
58 - Gunpod + 4 Pylons + 2 TSC + 6 250 kg bombs
To get Drag Index for any of those loads without the gunpod, just subtract 10 - if you’re the kind of weirdo who doesn’t want the gun.
For a normal take-off rotate nose 5 degrees up 20 kts below take-off speed from table above. However, in WT, based on my experience, the nosewheel will not lift off when you move the stick back, so you can’t actually achieve that 5 degree nose up attitude, but you will leap into the air pretty much on the speed from the table if you have the stick held back - it just isn’t quite as smooth and graceful as it should be.
When definitely airborne retract the landing gear. Hold the takeoff attitude. Set flaps to 1/2 at 160 KIAS, to UP at min 180 KIAS… Before reaching 200 KIAS gear and flaps must be fully retracted. This works nicely in-game, with no undue sink or trim change on flap retraction.
Climb
Climb speed is 280 KIAS for a clean aircraft; with a load simply subtract the Drag Index from 280, so 260 KIAS at Drag Index of 20, 240 KIAS at Drag Index 40 etc. This speed is good up to 25,000 ft after which best climb speed is defined by mach number… but you’re not going to be climbing above 25,000 ft.
Landing
With load expended, ie 4 pylons and an empty gunpod, the Zero Fuel Weight ought to be 4000 kg (same as clean aircraft with 400 kg fuel (25%, ~11 min)). At 4000 kg:
- Approach Speed, Flap 0 - 10 AoA = 148 KIAS
- Approach Speed, Flap 32 - 8 AoA = 117 KIAS
- Touch-down Speed, Flap 32 - 12 AoA = 103 KIAS
- Stalling Speed, Flap 32 - 19 AoA = 94 KIAS
For every extra 100 kg, add 1 kt to those speeds. Assuming 4 pylons and empty gunpod, just add 1 kt to the above speeds for every 100 kg fuel remaining. The in-game fuel gauge reads the final 500 kg of fuel in the tanks - IRL there were 2 needles, marked 1 & 2, which measured the final 500 kg in each of the 2 groups of fuel tanks (one per engine). However, WT just has the ‘1’ needle and it measures the final 500 kg of fuel in all tanks.
LIMITATIONS
IRL 100% was 22,561rpm and that’s what you get in WT too. Engine was cleared for unlimited operation at 100%, with limits on rpm >100%, but you can’t go over 100% in WT. Temperature limits were more complicated, varying from aircraft to aircraft, so T1, T2 and T3 (T2+30 C) were noted on a card in each cockpit. The WT cockpit does have this card with T2 and T3 noted for each engine. Its a nice bit of attention to detail, but likely cosmetic only, as each engine is different and I doubt Gaijin created 2 slightly different engines to match the 2 sets of T data, plus in-game temps considerably exceed the numbers in cockpit. It could be that the OVERHEAT system, which allowed temps to be exceeded by 50 C is permanently active in-game.