The Hunter FGA.9 was a modification of the Hunter F.6, with the biggest difference being an upgrade to the hydraulic control system allowing the aircraft to react better in dives and ground attack profiles. The FGA.9 was used extensively by RAF squadrons in West Germany, Aden and Bahrain and was also sold to Southern Rhodesia as the SRAF's main front line fighter and ground attack aircraft. After Rhodesia's unilateral declaration of independence in 1965, the now Rhodesian Air Force (RhAF) used the Hunter along with Vampires and Canberras during the standoff with British Colonial Forces in 1965-1966 and the Rhodesian Bush Wars of the 1970s including multiple cross country operations into Zambia, Mozambique and Botswana striking at ZIPRA and ZANLA forces. Following the fall of Rhodesia's government in 1979, the aircraft continued their service with the newly named Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ). Five additional FGA.9 Hunters were sourced from ex-Kenya Air Force stocks in 1982 and along with a further five and two from Royal Air Force stocks in 1984 and 1987 respectively. The use of the aircraft continued throughout the 1980s and '90s during operations in the Second Congo War and the Mozambican Civil War alongside BAe Hawks and Chengdu F-7s among other fixed and rotary wing aircraft. As of the 2020s, the AFZ still maintains at least two Hawker Hunters albeit in an unknown airworthiness capacity at its Thornhill Air Base.
Introduced in Update 1.93 "Shark Attack" as a premium pack, the Hunter FGA.9 is one of the better Hunters in-game, having an upgraded engine and access to the AIM-9E, it is only bested by the Swiss Hunter F.58. The FGA.9 shines in energy fights as long as the player keeps their situational awareness at a maximum, as some missiles at that tier (such as the AIM-9L and R-60M) will prove lethal due to the FGA.9's lack of countermeasures. The FGA.9 also does particularly well at close-air support and ground-striking thanks to its generous loadouts offering large 1,000 lb bombs and various kinds of rockets.
The Hunter FGA.9 was removed from the store after the 9th Anniversary Sale. It was made available briefly to purchase with Golden Eagles during the 2022 and the 2023 "Zimbabwe Independence Day" mini-events.
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Belt | Belt filling | Armor penetration (mm) at a distance: | |||||
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10 m | 100 m | 500 m | 1000 m | 1500 m | 2000 m | ||
AP/HEI-T | 37 | 34 | 22 | 13 | 8 | 5 | |
AP/HEI-T/AP | 37 | 34 | 22 | 13 | 8 | 5 | |
HEF-I/HEI-T | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | |
AP/HEF-I | 37 | 34 | 22 | 13 | 8 | 5 |
Name | Weight | Slot | ||||||||||||
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3 × | 81.8 kg | |||||||||||||
43.1 kg | ||||||||||||||
62.8 kg | ||||||||||||||
18 × | 183.9 kg | |||||||||||||
213.1 kg | ||||||||||||||
474.4 kg | ||||||||||||||
76.4 kg |
Flight performance | |
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Survivability |
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Weaponry | ||
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