The F8F-1 Bearcat is a rank III fighter-bomber in the US tech tree. It is known for its superb climb rate and turn time. It also can hold bombs and rockets for Ground Battles. During WW2, it was used in late 1945 as a carrier based fighter/attacker.
The BMD-4M is an upgraded version of the BMD-4, developed for the Воздушно-десантные войска России (Russian airborne troops). Its main advantage is component standardization, reducing production costs and simplifying maintenance. In War Thunder, it is a more affordable and efficient Premium option compared to the BMD-4 (a marketplace vehicle), offering improved protection, speed, and overall performance.
The Mi-8AMTSh is an upgraded attack variant of the Mi-8. It is equipped with a wide variety of weapons, ranging from extremely precise guided missiles such as the lethal 9M114 Shturm ATGM and the agile 9M39 Igla MANPAD to unguided ordinance like the compact S-8KO rocket and the massive FAB-500 bomb. The helicopter was also fitted with a large amount of countermeasures which can be helpful in some situations, despite the lack of an RWR, MAWS and LWS.
The T1E1(90) is pretty much a normal T1E1 except with a 90 millimeter cannon strapped to it. It is armed with the aforementioned T7 90 mm cannon, along with a M3 37 mm auxiliary cannon. It is a heavy tank at Rank III and has 2 hull-mounted M2HB 12.7 mm machine guns, as well as one roof mounted one. It has extremely light armor, but decent survivability due to large spacing in the vehicle.
While the tech trees of minor nations are often overlooked, they contain some real gems—one of which is Arras, a French aviso designed to integrate into merchant convoys, resemble an ordinary merchant ship, and surprise the enemy with its armament and speed. She is known for being a highly survivable and well-armed vessel, capable of taking out small boats with a single shot from her 138.6 mm guns. However, she remains vulnerable to torpedoes and bombers.
Hornet’s Sting introduces the F/A-18 for the USA and Sweden in several variants, along with the Su-30SM for the USSR that features thrust vectoring, enhancing its maneuverability! For ground forces, the Tracked Rapier, CLOVIS and 2S19M1 / M2 take the spotlight thanks to their excellent capabilities. Rhine, Sinai and Jungle have received graphical overhauls, refreshing their visuals, all while maintaining their familiar layouts. Next up for naval forces is HMS Warspite, one of the most decorated warships in naval history! To top it off, the game has had some interface improvements, item recycling and new player profile showcases.
Compared to the armored vehicles mass-produced by the giants of the military industry, Italian tanks made in the middle of World War 2 looked pretty pale. The resource and technology scarcity that began in the Interwar period meant bad news for the mechanized units of the Kingdom. Italian crews could only dream of vehicles like the Soviet IS tanks or the German Tigers. The Ansaldo and Fiat companies were looking for a way to create a more modern machine for the army, but the only vehicle that reached mass production was a ‘light heavy tank’ called the P40.
The Mitsubishi A5M4 is an early monoplane fighter from the interwar period found in the Japanese aviation tech tree. Known as the world’s first low-wing carrier-based fighter to enter service and the predecessor of the famous Mitsubishi A6M Reisen, the A5M4 features a respectable maximum speed and great agility. This fighter can pose a serious threat to biplanes and even other early monoplanes if you know how to utilize it to its full potential. A variant of this fighter, Hagiri’s A5M4, flown by the Japanese pilot Matsuo Hagiri, is found in the premium part of the tech tree.
In the early stages of the Vietnam War, the US short-range air defense primarily consisted of the M42 “Dusters”. However, the 40mm Bofors guns were becoming less adequate due to rapid advances in aviation technology. To improve on this, the 20 mm Vulcan cannon used on American jets was utilized as the basis of a new short-range air defense gun, modified into the M168 gun. Mounted on the M113 APC chassis, the M163 VADS (Vulcan Air Defense System) is equipped with a loadout that, while insufficient compared to other long-distance tracking SPAA like the Gepard or the ZSU-23-4, is sufficient enough as a short-range SPAA that can rip and tear through aircraft with its 20mm M168 Vulcan Gun.
