Air RB / Aircraft Database / Profile
Shahak
Israel · Rank VII · Fighter
- Acquisition Type
- Tech Tree
- Air RB battle rating
- 10.0Observed October 8, 2026
Weapons & equipment checked October 14, 2026.
Aircraft overview
Shahak has a radar-missile option in the Matra R530. Set up the shot where you can support it without ignoring the return fire. If the enemy forces you defensive, saving the aircraft comes before holding the lock.
How to fly it
Set up the first engagement
Build speed and enter at an angle to the enemy push. Decide which target you want before beginning a hard turn.
Make the attack count
Spend the first turn on a real firing opportunity. If the enemy defeats it, relax the pull and rebuild speed instead of drawing another tight circle.
Know when to break off
Leave when more enemies arrive, the target draws you away from support, or another turn costs the speed you need to escape. A teammate nearby is more useful than a duel you cannot finish.
Common mistakes
- Forcing the original plan. Repeated maximum turns that leave the aircraft slow with no shot and no exit.
- Ignoring the next attacker. Look outside the target chase between attacks. The enemy arriving from behind is often the one who decides whether you get home.
Strengths & limitations
Strengths
Use the supported radar shot
Matra R530 gives you a radar-guided attack to work with. Choose a contact you can keep track of while still watching the threats coming toward you.
Make the first burst count
With 2 × 30 mm DEFA 552A cannon, line up the shot before you close. Fire a short burst as the target crosses the sight, then look outside the gunsight before deciding to follow.
Limitations
A missed shot can cost the next fight
If the first attack becomes a slow chase, another enemy gets time to line up. Check above and behind before spending more speed on the original target.
The lock competes with your defense
A semi-active radar shot needs support. Break it off if maintaining the engagement would carry you through an incoming missile or into several enemies.
Recommended Air RB loadouts
Matra R530
Use this semi-active radar option when you have a workable radar track and room to support the attack. Do not keep the nose committed once an incoming threat makes that unsafe.
Shafrir 2
Use the infrared option against a target with little time to react. Judge the angle, closure and countermeasures before firing; a seeker lock alone is not a good reason to launch.
Leave the strike load behind
Take the air-combat fit with the missiles you intend to use when you are hunting aircraft. Bombs and rockets add weight; carry them for a planned ground attack rather than on every sortie.
Radar & defenses
Look outside the radar display
Find and track contacts with the radar modes this aircraft provides. Keep the selected weapon in mind when choosing the mode. Once you close, check the sky between looks at the display; the next attacker may not be the contact you are tracking.
React to warnings in time
A radar warning matters even when you nearly have your own shot. Make room to defend, and keep looking for infrared launches that the RWR cannot announce.
Ground attack & CAS
Choose the target before diving
For 2 × 250 kg SAMP Type 25 bomb, choose the target before the run and allow room to pull out clear of the blast. Turn away after release; watching the hit leaves you flying a predictable line over the target.
Handling & fuel
Keep speed for the next decision
Ease off the pull when the shot is gone. Recover speed and separation before deciding to turn back; holding maximum input through every reversal leaves fewer options.
Plan the return
Check fuel after the opening fight, especially if you have spent the approach on high power. Allow for the flight back and landing rather than using the hangar endurance as an afterburner timer.
Battle Rating History
| Observation | Battle rating |
|---|---|
| October 8, 2026 · Archive | 10.0 |
Unchanged on . Profile rating observed October 8, 2026: 10.0.