Aviation

After the defeat in World War 2, Japan was in no position to develop or acquire new military aircraft. After the end of the official Allied occupation of the islands, the country adopted a strict policy of non-involvement, vowing never to take part in foreign conflicts and banning all forms of military export. At the same time, given the reality of living in a world divided between two superpowers, Japan also started rebuilding its armed forces for self-defense purposes.

The Republic P-43 Lancer, introduced in 1940, was a transitional American fighter that bridged the gap between prewar designs and the more advanced aircraft of World War II. It offered respectable high-altitude performance for its time, along with decent armament, similar to its more popular successor, the P-47 Thunderbolt. The P-43 provided valuable experience in high-altitude operations and combat testing, with some serving in China under the American Volunteer Group and later the Chinese Air Force.

With the Spearhead update, Britain’s aviation tree picked up two interesting additions: two aircraft that share a name and a look but differ in key details. Meet the twin Hawk 200 light multirole fighters! Today we’ll fly both birds in a range of modes. But first, a little history.

The Starfighter, the Lawn Dart, the Widowmaker, the Missile with a Man it it; regardless of what you may know it as, it’s impossible to deny its influence on military aviation. The first mass-production airframe to ever reach Mach 2, the F-104 was, and still is, used across the globe by both numerous national air forces and private owners alike. Its design echoed the role it was made for, trading complexity and a wide selection of ordnance for a simple design, made for raw speed. While its many nicknames earned it the dubious honor of being an accident-prone aircraft in popular media, it was still an incredibly unique and capable fighter for its time, only being roughly matched in speed by the MiG-21 a few years later.

The Swedish AJ37 Viggen is a strike aircraft boasting a deadly armament of missiles and guns, combined with an extremely powerful engine. In the hands of a good pilot, it can cause chaos on the ground forces below. It is a huge upgrade from the previous strike aircraft in the Swedish tech tree, the A32A Lansen, with much better capabilities including its weaponry, radar, RWR, and more.

Some aircraft in military history look so strange it’s hard to believe they ever existed. Just think of this: a disc-shaped fuselage that looks somewhere between a pancake and a UFO, two enormous propellers, and landing gear so tall that the aircraft sits on the runway at nearly a 20-degree nose-up angle. And just to make things even more interesting, it was meant to operate from aircraft carriers. Sounds like a fever dream, right? Well, it isn’t. Meet the American experimental fighter XF5U-1!

The Netz (נץ, or Hawk) is the dedicated Israeli export version of the feared F-16A Block 10 single-seat fighter aircraft. With its large plethora of both air-to-air and air-to-ground ordnance options ranging from the mighty Python to the AGM-65B, it has a loadout for most situations you will come across at this BR. Additionally, its 20 mm M61A1 Vulcan autocannon is a force to be reckoned with, being able to shred any air target it faces with ease. Thanks to its agility and strong thrust-to-weight ratio, the Netz also shines in dogfights, able to hold energy well and out-turn many opponents.

In the aftermath of the Second World War, France raced to rebuild its defense industry and restore its former prestige. In the name of speed, officials sometimes green-lit projects that were odd and even controversial — anything to field a “modern” domestic weapon and make up for lost time. That is how the ARL-44 tank, with roots reaching back to rhomboid forebears, entered service. Likewise, the battleship Jean Bart joined the fleet only to serve little more than a decade.

Designed as a joint venture between Romania and Yugoslavia, the IAR-93 Vultur (known in Yugoslavia as the J-22 Orao) was their answer to the SEPECAT Jaguar. First taking to the skies in October of 1974, the IAR-93 was the primary strike fighter of the Yugoslav and Romanian air forces for a time, and even today is still in service with Serbia. In War Thunder, the IAR-93B is a good strike platform, but can also be a deceptively capable fighter if played correctly.

The history of military aviation knows machines that stayed in service far longer than even their designers could have imagined. The American F-5A first took to the skies back in 1959. Its second generation, the F-5E, flew in 1972. And our hero today appeared just seven years ago and is currently flying active duty with the Royal Thai Air Force. Meet the F-5TH TCU, better known as the Super Tigris.