#history

The Ferdinand was the one of the first heavy tank destroyers produced by the Germans in any significant quantity, formed from Ferdinand Porsches overconfidence in the Tiger P. After the loss of the Tiger I contract, Ferdinand Porsche was left with 100 unusable chassis. In an effort to create a use for said chassis, the Ferdinand was born. With a heavily armoured superstructure and the formidable German 8,8 cm Pak 43/2 L/71, the Ferdinand was a fearsome opponent for any hostile tank that came across it. It utilised a generator to turn the engine’s power to electricity to power motors to turn the drive sprockets, making it a very early hybrid vehicle. This enabled it to reverse at the same speed as it could go foward.

The Panzerkampfwagen II, also known as the PzKpfw II, Panzer II, or Sd.Kfz 121 was a light German tank used in World War II and the pre-war period. Developed in the 1930s by MAN and Daimler-Benz, it was intended as a temporary solution and formed the backbone of the Wehrmacht’s armored divisions at the beginning of the war. A total of 3,404 Panzer II’s of various types were built. They were used not only by Germany but also by Romania, Slovakia, and Norway.

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 Machbet is a self-propelled anti-aircraft system developed by IAI (Israel Aerospace Industries) during the first half of the 1990s. The Machbet goal was to upgrade the existing M163 VADS to modern standards and to extend its range and capabilities. It officially entered into service in the Israeli Air Force (IAF) anti-air division in 1997. This article aims to offer the reader an overview of its history during the almost 10 years of service in the Israeli armed forces.

HMS Belfast is probably one of the most famous warships of the Royal Navy. She was the first ship of the Edinburgh sub-class of the Town-class cruisers. HMS Belfast has a rich military history — launched on St. Patrick’s Day in 1938, she served during the Second World War, fought in the Korean War, and was later preserved as a museum ship, now permanently moored in London, where visitors can still explore her today. As was typical for late-WWII British ships, HMS Belfast features strong anti-aircraft armament, an excellent rapid-firing main battery, and solid protection for her machinery and magazines. However, she has relatively low crew survivability, a weak secondary battery, and lacks armor-piercing shells for her main guns.

The Sturmtiger (lit. 'Assault Tiger') was a heavy German self-propelled gun from World War II, developed on the basis of the Tiger I heavy tank. Its main armament consisted of the 38 cm RW61 rocket launcher. This rocket launcher was capable of firing massive explosive shells weighing 350 kg with a range of up to 5,000 meters. The Sturmtiger was primarily developed to destroy heavily fortified enemy positions, such as bunkers or occupied buildings. Its first battle was during the Warsaw Uprising in August 1944, where it successfully destroyed insurgent buildings and barricades. Other missions included the Battle of the Bulge, the Battle of the Reichswald (Kleve/Germany) and the Battle of Remagen. Due to its specific role and the limited production number of only 18 units, the Sturmtiger did not have a decisive influence on the course of the war.

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 Bob Semple, also known as "Big Bob", "Big Bob Tank", "Super Bob", "Kiwi Tank" or "Kiwi Fruit", is a user-made vehicle developed by Matizo14 and MaxWar42.

Powered by its internet stardom, the Bob Semple has been given a breath of life with this user-created model in War Thunder performing the one purpose its creator, Robert Semple, had made it for: Defending New Zealand.

HMS Hood is one of the most powerful buttlecruisers ever built. Originally designed as fast battleship it was reclassified by order of the First Sea Lord, Admiral John Jellicoe. The design was repeatedly modified based on combat experience, making the Hood the most powerful capital ship at the time she was comissioned in 1920. Being the top battlecruiser of the Royal Navy tech tree, HMS Hood, is characterized by a very powerful primary armament and a fairly numerous, though not particularly strong, secondary armament. It boasts good mobility but suffers from rather average armor by battleship standards, as well as a weak air defense battery. More details below.

The iconic F-14 Tomcat made its mark in naval aviation for its cultural significance and popularity. However, the defining weapon that sets the Tomcat apart from its peers is the long-range AIM-54 Phoenix missile. This weapon, intended to strike Soviet bombers from a long distance before they could fire deadly anti-ship cruise missiles, allowed the F-14 to perform its "Fleet Defense" role. Thus we will dive into the development behind this fascinating missile, the improvements it had, and how it would not be America writing the tomes on the AIM-54's combat usage, but instead Iran.