Aviation
The Nakajima Ki-27 (九七式戦闘機, Kyūnana-shiki sentōki), also known as Type 97 Fighter, was a monoplane fighter used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service up until 1940, which was developed to replace the Kawasaki Ki-10, the Army’s last biplane fighter. Its Allied reporting name was “Nate”, although it was called “Abdul” in the China Burma India theater by many post-war sources.
In the 1930s, as the political tension in the world was going up, France made the decision to modernize its aircraft fleet. The Republic owned vast territories abroad, including numerous islands, and required capable seaplanes. Meanwhile, its aircraft fleet at the time consisted of outdated models that couldn’t meet modern requirements. In 1934, the Latécoère company used its previous experience to create a new torpedo bomber, and in only two years, the first prototype Laté 298 performed its maiden flight.
The Kawasaki Ki-10, designated as Army Type 95 Fighter (九五式戦闘機, Kyūgo-shiki sentōki), was the last biplane fighter adopted by the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). Introduced in 1935, its exceptional maneuverability and robust design made it a favorite among Japanese pilots during its operational tenure. Its Allied reporting name was “Perry”.
The Bf 109 (or Me 109) really needs no introduction. It is one of the most famous and popular aircraft of the Second World War, and the fighter with the most aerial victories ever. In my previous article, I wrote about the history of the Messer’s development. This one will focus on these fighters in War Thunder (primarily in Air RB), their performance, strengths & weaknesses, tactics, recommendations, and some fancy graphs.
In the 1930s, the political situation was heating up across both Europe and the Pacific region. Great Britain, the United States, Germany, and many other nations were investing heavily into domestic aircraft development programs. Meanwhile Australia was lagging behind, and being so far away from aviation leaders wasn’t helpful. The nation had no domestic aircraft production whatsoever and relied entirely on imports. At the time, Japan’s militarization efforts were getting more and more obvious.
The Grumman F11F-1 Tiger was a supersonic fighter jet for the US Navy, serving for only a brief 5-year period from 1956 to 1961. The F11F-1 is remembered most by an operational incident where it 'shot itself down', the first jet aircraft to ever do so. Originally developed as an improvement for the F9F Cougar, the F11F-1 incorporated the transonic area rule, all-moving elevators and leading-edge slats to improve supersonic maneuverability. Despite its impressive design the Tiger suffered from high accident rates and was ultimately replaced by the much more well-known F-8 Crusader in Navy service after 1961.
The F-15I Ra’am is an Israeli-modified F-15E Strike Eagle with indigenous avionics and additional modifications to fit Israeli requirements. With two Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 engines, the F-15I is capable of producing immense amounts of thrust and is the fastest plane in War Thunder. The F-15I excels at attacking ground targets and performing CAS duties with its large suite of GBUs, GNSS bombs, and AGMs. It also performs very well in medium to long range air-to-air combat, being able to launch its AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles at extraordinarily high speeds and is well suited to the medium to long range BVR gameplay of toptier air battles.
Along with the group of F/A-18 aircraft, the Hornet’s Sting update introduces one more famous fighter to War Thunder. This is the first non-VTOL aircraft in the game to be equipped with thrust-vectoring nozzles. It’s also one of the most advanced members of the Su-27 family: some give it a “four plus plus generation” tag. Please welcome: the Su-30SM!
