#jets
The Gloster Meteor was the first operational jet fighter to enter Allied service, marking the United Kingdom’s transition into the jet age during the final phase of the Second World War. In Belgian service, it played a central role in the post-war reconstruction and modernization of the Belgian Air Force, equipping the nation’s first generation of jet fighter squadrons from the late 1940s through the early 1960s and forming the backbone of its emerging Cold War air defense capability. The Meteor operated both at home and abroad, most notably seeing combat during the Korean War. Although it was rapidly overtaken by more advanced swept-wing designs, the aircraft proved invaluable as a transitional platform, enabling Belgian pilots to develop proficiency in jet operations, air defense, and ground attack, while establishing the doctrinal and operational foundations for later aircraft such as the Hawker Hunter and SABCA F-104G Starfighter.
The de Havilland Sea Vixen is considered one of the most bizarre-looking aircraft ever employed by the Royal Navy, with an asymmetric side-by-side cockpit, no cannon armament, and a twin-boom design. In War Thunder, the Sea Vixen is one of the first examples many players will experience gunless jet combat with, and it introduces a completely new playstyle that throws the fundamentals of early jet combat out the window.
By the mid-2000s, Venezuela was looking for a new multirole platform to modernize its Fighter Air Groups. It was at this time that the Sukhoi Su-30MK2 (NATO reporting name: Flanker-G) was acquired, an aircraft that would make the Caribbean nation the sole Latin American operator of the legendary Flanker fighter family and which, for nearly two decades, has remained the country’s primary frontline air combat asset.
The Yak-130 is a modern two seat Russian trainer with powerful engines and an ordnance loadout that packs a punch. Made to prepare future pilots for the complexity and maneuverability of 4th, and even 5th generation fighters, it is a real force to be reckoned with due to its high tech and supermaneuverable nature. Not only is the Yak-130 a menace in War Thunder, but this powerful trainer also has a unique history full of complications and many interesting partnerships.
In 1944, the Sukhoi Design Bureau started working on a new twin-engine fighter. The design process was slow, but the bureau soon acquired a captured German Me 262 Schwalbe ("Swallow"), which profoundly influenced the project's subsequent development. This culminated in the Su-9 in 1947, which retained the Me 262’s layout but had a different fuselage and wing design. Soon after, the Su-11 was created based on the Su-9, featuring more powerful TR-1 engines. However, in the game, the Su-11’s performance is much superior than that of the Su-9 or the Me 262. It stands out for its excellent acceleration and incredible energy conservation. Is it really that good?
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 F2H-2 Banshee, is an early American jet fighter produced from 1947 to 1953 to be used by the US Navy. This aircraft was surprisingly good in real life and in game, and this article will cover how to use it in battle and a history on its real life usage, variants, and development.
The Su-30MK2 AMV is an export variant of the Su-30, a twin-seat multirole combat aircraft capable of performing both air superiority missions and close air support. Based on the Su-30MK2 produced by the KnAAPO plant, this variant does not feature canards or thrust-vectoring engines. To avoid confusion with the Su-30MK2 operated by Vietnam, the Venezuelan version was designated Su-30MK2 AMV, standing for Aviación Militar Venezolana (Venezuelan Air Force). In War Thunder, the Su-30MK2 AMV is a strong option thanks to its wide selection of air-to-air and air-to-ground weaponry. Although heavier than the Su-27, the aircraft retains respectable maneuverability and benefits from excellent missile payload capacity, allowing it to remain effective throughout extended engagements.
The Kfir C.10 (Block 60) is a modernized variant of the Israeli Kfir multirole combat aircraft, which is in turn a derivative of the French Dassault Mirage 5. With the addition of four DERBY active radar-homing missiles and a top-of-the-line avionics suite, combined with the excellent airframe of the Kfir C.7, the Kfir C.10 is a force to be reckoned with in air battles, and it excels in medium to close range engagements. However, a small missile payload limits the Kfir C.10's ability to engage multiple targets simultaneously.
