Aviation
The MiG-25PD “Foxbat-E” was the Soviet Union’s brute-force answer to the blistering pace of technological advances in speed as the United States worked to produce Mach 3-capable aircraft. While the threat of Mach 3-capable nuclear bombers never came to fruition with the advent of ICBMs, the Lockheed A-12 and later SR-71 Blackbird presented a threat to the USSR’s national security sufficient to justify the production of a unique, record-breaking Mach 3-capable interceptor. In War Thunder, the MiG-25PD presents itself as a very unique aircraft that doesn’t fit the playstyle many players at Rank VII are accustomed to, but when played to its strengths, it becomes one of the most fun and enjoyable aircraft to fly in all of War Thunder.
The development of jet aviation brought the world such famous deltas as the MiG-21 and the Mirage. However, their American counterparts did not enjoy similar success. The Air Force was left with only a failure of F-102 and an attempt to improve it, the F-106. This attempt was successful, and after the aircraft entered service in 1959, pilots deeply loved it for its excellent performance. In the game, the Delta Dart lives up to that love. It's a fast aircraft with powerful air-to-air weapons and an unusual missile layout in the bomb bay. So, what's the catch?
The Tu-95 (NATO reporting name: “Bear”) is a renowned Soviet turboprop strategic bomber. Originally developed as a replacement for the Tu-4, the Bear served as a heavy bomber, capable of carrying various bombs and missiles and even as a carrier for the “Tsar Bomba” — the most powerful nuclear bomb in the world. But how does the Tupolev perform in the game? What is the history of the world’s loudest turboprop bomber? Read the article to find the answers!
Some aircraft are meant to be the best at one specific thing. Others try to do everything. Among German World War 2 aircraft, the Focke-Wulf 190 F-8 is exactly that kind of all-rounder. It also recently showed up in the Hungarian line within the Italian tree — a perfect reason to take the strike Focke for another spin.
Germany had already toyed with the idea of possessing its own aircraft carrier during the First World War; this was to be called Ausonia, but it was never seriously pursued. However, shortly after the termination of the Treaty of Versailles, a new carrier project was initiated, based on the experience of other major powers such as Japan, the USA, and Great Britain, acquired through exchanges or espionage. Ultimately, not a single aircraft carrier was fully commissioned or built. The Graf Zeppelin was largely completed, but its construction was halted, while its sister ship, Aircraft Carrier B, was abandoned during construction. During the design of the accompanying aircraft, some were built specifically for the project, such as the Arado 197. However, this met with little approval from the Luftwaffe, which is why modifications of existing aircraft like the Bf 109 T, the Ju 87 C or T, or the Fi 167 found more favor.
The B-18A Bolo is an American medium bomber designed in the interwar period, developed from the Douglas DC-2 civilian airliner. It is the first medium bomber available in the American aviation tech tree, and despite its somewhat low top speed, weak defensive armament and rather poor manoeuvrability, its bomb capacity is actually pretty adequate for different missions and allows players to obtain satisfying results when using this aircraft.
Among multirole helicopters, the American UH-60 Black Hawk stands out for its long history and intense military career. Drawing on lessons learned from the Vietnam War, Sikorsky built a tough, reliable, and versatile transport, one of the finest multirole helicopters of the modern era.
Before the outbreak of the Second World War, Hungary’s fighter aviation relied largely on foreign aircraft. In the mid-1930s, the Hungarian Air Force purchased Fiat CR.32 and CR.42 fighters from Italy. But aviation was advancing at a breakneck pace: outdated biplanes stood no chance against the latest monoplane fighters in terms of speed and firepower. The Royal Hungarian Air Force urgently needed a modern replacement.
Some older aircraft in War Thunder get a literal second life with each update. Long-forgotten machines suddenly start playing in fresh colors and roll back out of the hangars. Today is exactly one such case. We’re dusting off the Bearcat machine gun... No, wait. The machine gun Bearcat, the F8F-1!
The Fokker G-1 Jachtkruiser was one of the most ambitious aircraft ever developed for the Dutch armed forces in the years preceding the Second World War. Designed in 1934 by engineers Marius Beeling and Erich Schatzki at Fokker, the twin-engined, twin-boom fighter was conceived as a heavily armed multi-role “fighter-cruiser” capable of bomber interception and ground attack. Its distinctive configuration and concentration of nose-mounted firepower made it a technological statement for Dutch aviation. Adopted by the Luchtvaartafdeling (LVA) as the G-1 Mercury variant powered by Bristol Mercury engines, the aircraft entered service only months before the German invasion in May 1940, where it would briefly but fiercely demonstrate its combat potential.
