SOKO G-4 Super Galeb: Slavic Seagull Mk2

[Sweepdown 147]

Hello and welcome to my 13th suggestion thread (yes, I'm on a writing inspiration frenzy after seeing gaps in planes, so I'm doing threads at Sonic speeds). Today's thread is about the SOKO G-4 Super Galeb.

 

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

A trainer/light-attack jet designed to succeed the G-2 Galeb that first flew in 1978 and was introduced in 1983. It served the Yugoslavians until the breakup and resulting wars, but went on to serve the Serbians to this day, with programs extending its life service until at least the 2030s.

 

HISTORY/DESCRIPTION

Developed during the 70s as a replacement for the G-2 Galeb and T-33 Shooting Star trainers that were going long-in-the-tooth for the Yugoslavian Air Force, the G-4 Galeb was designed by VTI Technical Aeronautical Insititute. Design work began in 1973 and two years later a working prototype was built. It then achieved it's first flight in 1978, and at this point 6 pre-production planes were made and sent to the airforce for evaluation (pre-production types are distinguishable by fixed tailplate with inset elevators and no anhedral).

The type was mass-produced starting from 1982 and adopted as standard by the Yugoslavians the next year.  The Galeb proved itself a tough survivor, staying in service even as the nation it served fell apart around the seams and split into several new nations; even today, the Galeb maintains a stellar service record; only two airplanes were lost in peacetime over a period of 30 years, and both of those were crashes. As for wartime records, ten were lost; three of those due to being shot down, and seven were bombed at their airfields by NATO during the 1999 bombing- this seven belonged to the Yugoslavian aerobatics team. The aerobatics team has since been reformed by Serbians, although they used the older G-2 Galebs.

 

Aesthetically it resembles the Hawker-Siddeley Hawk, which it was a contemporary. The two crew sit front-and-back in the cockpit equipped with Martin-Baker ejection seats. The G-4, like its predecessor, was powered by a Rolls-Royce Viper engine, although the G-4 was powered by the more powerful Rolls-Royce Viper 632-46 engine with 4000lbf of thrust. For combat missions, the Super Galeb can be fitted with a centerline-mounted gun pod containing a GSh-23L twin-barreled 23mm autocannon, which has 200 rounds.

The original G-4 has four hardpoints; two on each wing; the inner hardpoints are rated at 770lb and the outer ones at 550lb (that's 350kg on each inner pylon and 250kg at each outer pylon), capable of carring a variety of Eastern/Western bombs/rockets/missiles/whatnot. Furthermore, the plane was equipped with JATO boosters attached under the fuselage for assistance in takeoff and a drogue chute for landing. The G-4M upgrade added (optional) chaff/flare dispensers, upgraded hardpoints (rated at 500kg for the inner hardpoints and 350kg for the outer hardpoints), a center hardpoint rated at 400kg (I suspect the gunpod has to be removed to use this centerline pylon as that's where the gunpod normally attaches to), and wingtip missile rails.

 

The G-4 Super Galeb competed worldwide against jet trainers made by fellow European nations such as the Aermacchi MB339 from Italy, the Aero L39 from Czechoslovakia, and the CASA C-101 from Spain. Flight International assesses the plane as less capable than the French-German Dassault-Dornier Alpha Jet trainer/light attacker, but at the same time was also much cheaper to procure; Sometimes, regardless of performance, actually being able to afford it is worth a lot more.

 

IN WAR THUNDER

I project this plane at Rank V at BR 8.0-8.3 for the original G-4 variant, possibly 8.7 even for the G-4M variant since it is able to carry air-to-air missiles. As for the techtrees, it can fit to either Soviet or Italian, though I'd argue Italy needs a ground-attack plane more than the Soviets do especially given their substantially smaller tech tree. Since it is able to carry a lot of models of armaments, I won't bother listing them here. I also won't say more regarding what type of vehicle it should be classified as- that's the polls' right to decide.

 

SPECIFICATIONS

Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1993–94, A Compendium of Armaments and Military Hardware

 

General characteristics

• Crew: 2
• Length: 12.25 m (40 ft 2 in)
• Wingspan: 9.88 m (32 ft 5 in)
• Height: 4.30 m (14 ft 1 in)
• Wing area: 19.5 m² (210 sq ft)
• Aspect ratio: 5.01
• Empty weight: 3,250 kg (7,165 lb)
• Gross weight: 4,760 kg (10,494 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 6,330 kg (13,955 lb)
• Fuel capacity: 1,882 kg (maximum internal and external fuel)
• Powerplant: 1 × Rolls-Royce Viper 632-46 turbojet, 17.8 kN (4,000 lbf) thrust
•  

Performance

• Maximum speed: 920 km/h (491 mph, 565 kn) clean at 6,000 m (13,000 ft)
• Cruise speed: 550 km/h (340 mph, 300 kn) at 6,000m
• Stall speed: 180 km/h (97 mph, 112 kn) (flaps and undercarriage down)
• Never exceed speed: 921 km/h (572 mph, 497 kn) 0.9M at 11,000 m
• Range: 1,900 km (1,200 mi, 1,000 nmi) Internal fuel
• Combat range: 1,300 km (810 mi, 700 nmi) with cannon pack and four BL755 cluster bombs (combat radius 485 km)
• Ferry range: 2,500 km (1,553 mi, 1,349 nmi) maximum internal and external fuel
• Service ceiling: 12,850 m (42,160 ft) Service ceiling (Altitude at which maximum climb rate reduces to 100 ft/min)
• g limits: -4.2 to +8
• Rate of climb: 31 m/s (6,100 ft/min)
• Time to altitude: 6 minutes to 8,000m
•  

Armament

• 1x GSh-23L 23 mm cannon in ventral gun pod.
• 2x Inner pylons 350 kg (770 lb) capacity.
• 2x Outer pylons 250 kg (550 lb) capacity.
• 1x Centreline pylon 400 kg (880 lb) capacity (G-4M).
• 2x Wingtip missile rails (G-4M).
•  

Avionics
Standard communication and navigation equipment, plus (fire control and weapons management) Ferranti ISIS D-282 gyro sight, and (defensive sensors and systems) Iskra SD-1 RWR; there is also provision for a reconnaissance pod with cameras and an infrared line scanner.

 

PICTURES

A G-4 Super Galeb with the ordnance types it could carry. Helpfully, the types of some of them are displayed here.

A G-4 Super Galeb with a flashy, snazzy blue camouflage. I suspect this is an aerobatics plane.

Another G-4, this time with a vibrant red-and-white camo. Those guys must have had amazing artists.

A line of G-4s at an airfield. "What's the mission, sir?"

 

SOURCES

https://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=792

https://fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/row/galeb.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soko_G-4_Super_Galeb

https://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/soko-g-4-super-galeb-military-trainer-and-ground-attack-aircraft/attachment/soko-g-4-super-galeb-military-trainer-and-ground-attack-aircraft1/

http://www.flugzeuginfo.net/acdata_php/acdata_g4sg_en.php

 

CLOSING

Thanks for your time reading this. Now that this and the Strikemaster are out, I only need to make a thread on the J-21 Jastreb to clear my backlog. However, given that I have an important presentation in two days' time, I can't work on it now. Until then, enjoy this thread. See you around.

[leroyonly 4,311]

Open for discussion. 

[PrussianOwl 442]

+1 for Yugoslavia

[Solarmod 1,204]

+1 for Yugoslavia

[Borotovas 4,500]

+1 for a Yugoslav TT.

[Sweepdown 147]

Seeing as to how many want it in a separate tree, I'll concede.

However, seeing as how I want this in game ASAP, I think the middle compromise would be to put it in the Italian/Soviet tech tree (preferably the former) until (when) a Yugoslavian tech tree has been implemented, in which case it'll go there.

[Lazo1337 19]

+1 for a Yugoslav TT.

[AVROVULCANXH558 349]

+1 for Yugoslav Tree

 

Also, a minor correction, the last photo is of the IAR 99, I believe.

[Nathan0075 30]

8.3/8.7 aircraft. This aircraft ain't that good nor bad, and should be average for its BR. However, what I would anticipate is for the addition of the G-4M, and the Croatian Super Galeb, which allows us to mount R-60s.

Edited October 25, 2021 by Nathan0075
Wrong data, sorry (was talking about the J-22)

[Milocat 4,857]

+1 for sure if we get the Yugo tree that I desperately want.

[DragoShenron@psn 48]

+1 for a Yugoslav tree if it ever gets added to the game

If not then I’d still love to see this vehicle take flesh in the Italian TT 

[Yontzee 1,676]

Absolutely! +1 

 

Needs to go to a future Yugoslav tree.